//------------------------------//
// Fight the Power 
// Story: Dragon of the Eclipse 
// by Marik_Azemus 
//------------------------------//

	"Well then... it seems this is the end for me. Good show, Celina, and to your little sister as well. I didn't expect the Elements of Harmony to actually work. Oh well, we all make mistakes.
"You are awfully calm for something that is turning into stone."
"It's no big deal, love. I will return in due time."
"That will never happen. You will remain a statue in the royal gardens of my new castle for all eternity, or until you crumble, whichever comes first."
"A new castle?"
"Yes. This place is tainted with your corruption. It deserves to wilt and die."
"Aw, do you miss me already, sweety?"
"No."
"Do not deny it. Even a thousand years from now it will be incontrovertible. I will always be your husband. Besides, I happened to leave behind a piece of myself in this kingdom."
"What is it? Tell me so I may destroy it!"
"I suppose I could, if you could tell me something..."
"Yes?"
"Do you still love me?"
"What- no! Never!"
"That's a shame, because I feel much the opposite as you do. Farewell, Celina."
"Damn you, Desmond!"
"It's Discord. Hmhmhmhmm..."




Chapter 17
Fight the Power

"Right then, I think it's time to relay our plan of attack. It's quite simple, but very effective. I have split our new Changeling forces into three groups, hereinafter referred to as Sword, Shield and Hammer. Sword will be accompanied by every pegasus with fully functioning wings. Your goal is simple. Fly overhead behind enemy lines and eliminate Celestia's forces early on, and keep doing so as you see fit. Make sure to strike fast and back off before a potential counterattack. This will make Hammer's mission all the easier. They are our primary ground forces, made up of our most potent unicorns and strongest earthwalkers. Their mission is to move in and take care of the enemy perimeters and more bulky fighters. Anything goes. Move as you will, attack as you will. The elite guards will be too bulky for Sword to take out in one fell swoop, so target them first. Now, to ensure that we can close in on the enemy and keep ourselves from being pushed back, that is where Shield comes into play. They will be comprised of heavy lifters and battle medics. They will set up perimeters of our own around claimed territory and keep the enemy from regaining ground. Hammer, you are free to move and attack at will, but make it a primary objective to protect Shield, as they carry our medical supplies and heavy artillery, provided by Hephaestus Ironwright. Remember that this battle would not be possible without his work, or his sacrifice."
The five hundred and twenty six Lunar Republic soldiers (Including the Changelings) took a moment of silence for their fallen comrade. Heretic adjusted his glasses and resumed his speech.
"Now, Sword will be lead by Judas Blackwing-"
"Aw yeah!" shouted Judas as she swept over the soldiers and bowed in the air. "Sergeant Major Judas Blackwing reporting for duty... all up in this bitch!"
Heretic smiled at her faux sophistication and continued. "I have put Big Macintosh of Sweet Apple Acres in charge of Shield."
"Eeyup." said the big red colt as he marched to the front of the pack, bulked up with royal blue armor from head to toe. He somehow looked even more intimidating than usual.
"As for Hammer, as you will be scattered from the initial, I will not burden you with a commanding officer. What you do is your call. Our (Soon to be) Queen Luna, she does not wish to be a liability. She will wait in the shadows, assisting us from out of danger's path. She is too valuable to stand on the front lines, or any lines for that matter. However, there is something else critical to our success, and I cannot stress this enough." Heretic's pride gave way to grim seriousness. "Taking Canterlot will be one thing, but our victory is meaningless if Celestia is not dead before 1:53 AM. Our best means to her defeat are the Elements of Harmony. As such, it is of critical importance that Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are kept alive." He paused for emphasis. "At all costs."




Under normal circumstances, Rainbow Dash would be less than pleased about being the load of a large scale operation like this. She wasn't used to having to be protected. Still, she knew the risks, and understood that there was no honor in flying into danger headfirst when you were so damn important. 
However, there was a young pegasus that didn't know the risks. She stood amongst the Sword group in the smallest set of armor she could get her hooves on (And it still didn't fit her). Rainbow Dash recognized her spiky magenta mane anywhere.
"Ugh, Scootaloo! What the hell are you doing here?" she said as she approached the little one.
"It's obvious, isn't it? I'm gonna fight too!" said Scootaloo. 
"Have you been following me?"
"Ever since you left Ponyville. When I heard that there was gonna be a fight, I thought maybe I could get a cutie mark for being a soldier!"
Rainbow Dash facehoofed and tried to comprehend the utter stupidity of the situation. "Why is everything you do about cutie marks? Didn't you listen to Judas? You're supposed to live for the moment! Hell, you should just live, instead of throwing yourself into the fire for a freakin' cutie mark!"
"Sweetie Belle and Applebloom already have theirs! This could be my last chance to-" Scootaloo's sentence was cut short by Rainbow Dash slugging her across the face. The little pegasus fell flat into the mud.
Rainbow stepped back when she realized what she just did.
"R-Rainbow Dash..." muttered a black-eyed Scootaloo.
"Get rid of that armor. Don't follow us." said Rainbow, who couldn't bear to look her biggest fan in the eye. "If you do... I..." She gritted her teeth and shouted. "I SWEAR TO LUNA I WON'T HESITATE TO KNOCK YOU OUT!"
Scootaloo was starting to tear up, at least Rainbow could hear her sniffling. Still not looking her in the eye, Rainbow put her hoof on Scootaloo's mane and rustled it like she used to. "I love you, kiddo."
In all the mayhem, Rainbow didn't notice that Heretic had given the word for the soldiers to move out. She found her place amongst Sword, leaving her friend in the dirt to cry.




A flash of lightning and a clap of thunder roared across the sky, followed by several more flashes that Heretic could see in the reflection of his pocket watch.
"7:00 PM on the dot." he said as he put the watch back in the right pocket of his cloak. As always, he prided himself on punctuality, as he had just begun mobilizing the troops at the exact hour on the hour that he planned. Now that the Changelings were amongst the numbers, there was no doubt in his mind that this battle would be won without a hitch, and if he didn't have any doubts, nopony should have. Heretic ran to the front of the hundreds of ponies on the long trail to Canterlot, where Judas was flying in lead, and Twilight Sparkle trotting underneath with new determination and hope, ready to face Celestia and anything in her path.
Heretic checked his watch once again. "7:01 PM." He noticed some white specks on the glass of the watch and he brushed them away. They were replaced by more specks, falling from the sky. Gradually, flakes of snow began to cover the dirt road.
"Incredible! A thunderstorm and snowfall simultaneously. One of the few types of weather I have not had the luck to witness."
"You're not going to call off the attack, are you?" asked Twilight.
"Goodness, no. Even without the impending eclipse, I'd rather not be made a coward. I may be small, Miss Twilight Sparkle, but my emotional dexterity is most gargantuan." He turned back to his soldiers, as they were now at the base of the wide marble staircase leading to the city, where the final struggle awaited. "This is where it starts! Sword, present yourselves!"
A third of the soldiers, Changelings and pegasi alike, took to the air, hovering above the other two teams. Judas tapped Heretic on the withers.
"May I take this one?" she asked.
"I know you'll make a speech even if I say no."
"Alright then!" Judas flew to Sword, her ragged cloak flowing behind her, with the lightning in the distance reflecting off her black armor. "You all know what to do! Pick off as many soldiers as you can and regroup! We'll stay in horizontal straight line and dive in unison. As soon as we break ranks, take off and do your own thing, whatever you can do to help! You do your part, then we will take Canterlot! Then we will take all of Equestria!" A roaring adrenaline filled cheer passed over Sword. Judas rocketed higher into the sky, and Sword began to follow. "Then we will take the heavens themselves!"
All of Sword held their hooves high and yelled for all of Canterlot to hear. What few civilians hadn't evacuated flicked their ears at the sound of a couple hundred Changelings and pegasi shouting, "JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE?!"
Heretic adjusted his glasses and grinned as Sword plummeted into Canterlot. "Let the games begin."




Little Scootaloo was furious, no, livid at Rainbow Dash. Not only had she downright insulted her, she punched her. She didn't understand why she couldn't fight. She was willing to die for Luna and Cerberus and the rest of the Lunar Republic, but instead she could only stomp back to Fillydelphia and wait. She had never felt more betrayed in her life.
"Well..." she said to herself out loud, "If I can't help on the battlefield, maybe I could support them in another way... but how?!"
"Uuurrragh... is someone there?"
Scootaloo's ears perked up.
"Spike? Is that you?"
"Yeah..." he sounded hoarse beyond belief, and he kept moaning. "Oh geez.... it's like a knife in the back."
Scootaloo followed the sound of Spike's voice through the trees. She found him keeled over a puddle of... that wasn't water. Ew.
"Are you okay?" asked Scootaloo, even though she knew the answer.
Spike coughed and held his neck. "I thought the pain would stop after Celestia stopped sending letters, but... ARGH! My stomach! Agh, my back! EVERYTHING HURTS!"
Scootaloo was reluctant to even touch him, because he was clawing at the air and pouncing at non-existent objects. She didn't know what to do, stuck between a screaming baby dragon and a war she couldn't fight.




Judas swept through the streets of Canterlot, with the velocity of dive attack propelling her at wicked fast speeds like she had felt many times before. She barreled through several soldiers of the sun and got one unicorn in a headlock. She returned to the sky and dropped the poor bastard on his head. He didn't get back up.
The rest of Sword soon followed. The falling snow didn't distract them for they were all equipped with enchanted goggles (Courtesy of Rarity) that repelled moisture. They couldn't deny that even with several layers of embroidered cloaks and a full set of leather armor each, it was quite frigid in the air, but there were much more important matters at stake and a few goosebumps wouldn't stop them.
Judas made another sweep, and this time the soldiers were more savvy of Sword's strategy. Three unicorn soldiers got in a line and summoned a flat repulsion shield that sent Judas careening in the opposite direction. She managed to ground herself on the stone paved streets and get her second wind in a heartbeat. She cast herself forward, and over the shield. Before the three guards could react, she swept the one in the center off his feet with a spin kick, knocking him into his friend on the right. The left one was put down by Cerberus doing a dive bomb.
"Thanks, bro." said Judas.
In those few short moments, Canterlot had erupted into a war zone. Citizens began to gallop for the nearest exit and soldiers left their posts to join the fight. Sword was able to make those increased numbers dwindle ever so slightly.
Two earthwalker soldiers charged at Cerberus, who made quick work of them by diving in between them, leaving gaping wounds with his sharp dragon wings. He then smacked another out of the way with his tail. Sneak attacks wouldn't work on him.
Judas dodged a unicorn soldier's lightning spell and pile drived him into the sidewalk, leaving him with a nasty concussion. She then grabbed his horn and used his still firing spell to knock incoming pegasi out of the sky.
"Just like old times, huh?" said Cerberus.
"Better than old times, bro!"




Heretic was most pleased with what he saw. Sword had successfully lowered enemy numbers in just a few minutes, thanks to a well timed surprise attack. Heretic always enjoyed catching his foes off guard, seeing the look in their eyes when they knew, I should have seen this coming, but I didn't, and now I am dead. Surprise attacks are always avoidable, but they are seldom actually avoided.
Now that enemy lines were dwindling, this made Hammer's job all the easier. "Sword has done their part, and now it is time for round two! Hammer, you're our freelancers. Do whatever suits your fancy, attack, defend, confuse the enemy with interpretive dance, it doesn't matter. Exterminate with extreme prejudice. You will be followed by Shield, who will ensure that whatever ground we claim stays that way. Keep moving until you reach the castle, and the Elements of Harmony will take it from there. Move out!"

Twilight Sparkle, despite understanding her value in this fight, knew that she was top tier in most types of offensive and defensive magic, and as such ran to the front of the pack. A line of earthwalker soldiers stood at the peak of the staircase, ready to buck. Twilight summoned a mobile magic shield and cast it forward, shoving them out of the way.
Despite all the rubble, chaos and blood, she recognized these streets from her childhood, and remembered the fastest way to the castle. She ducked and weaved through skirmishes and firefights alike. A few unicorn soldiers tried to get the jump on her but she was either too fast for them or a Sword fighter knocked them out of the way before they could do anything.
She had barely enough time to sidestep out of the way of a bank collapsing from one too many magic missiles. A few Changelings had taken refuge in there and the unicorns had shot it to oblivion. The Changelings didn't leave the rubble.
"Hey, dude!" Rainbow Dash hit the ground running and effortlessly caught up with Twilight. "It may be the adrenaline talking, but this is kinda fun!"
Twilight nodded and started to slow down. Seeing Rainbow Dash reminded her to pace herself, especially since she was wearing armor that impeded her endurance. Hephaestus' design was far from uncomfortable but it was still heavy. She wished she had gotten a set of leather armor instead. Much lighter.




"Damn... they got the jump on me." In a back alley, a pegasus soldier lay dead against the brick wall next to Cerberus, who was cradling his right wing. It was bent in a way that reminded him of dead tree branches. No matter how he looked at it, his dragon wing was broken. And he was laughing.
"My greatest weapon and it's freaking broken. Hehehe..." he sighed, and halfheartedly called out, "Medic!"
"You called?" Fluttershy entered the alleyway, much to Cerberus' pleasant surprise. She was wearing hide armor with a fur collar and had a bag of holding equipped to her back.
"Ah, my sweet angel of mercy, come to take me away?" said Cerberus as he melodramatically waved his arms.
Fluttershy laughed. "Not a chance in hell, honey." She opened her bag with her wing and searched for anything that could fix a broken wing. "I doubt I have anything that can heal that directly. I may have to resort to other means."
"Could you heal me with a large dose of love?"
"Is something wrong with you?"
"I dunno, I hit my head pretty hard against that wall. I don't have a concussion, though."
"That's a relief."
"I think I'm just really happy to see you."
"The feeling's mutual." Fluttershy kissed Cerberus on the cheek and resumed her search.
"How's the battle going?"
"For the most part, not too bad. We're gaining territory but we lost some of our supply carts. Unicorn soldiers on the rooftops tore them apart, so we're short on artillery, medicine... and anesthesia."
Cerberus groaned. "Okay, I understand. Get it overwith."
Fluttershy grabbed his injured wing. "Just breathe and think about something else. This might cause some discomfort..."
Crack.
"AAAARGH! PISS! OH SWEET MOTHER!" The pain only lasted for a second but it was some of the worst Cerberus had felt in a long time. It was effective, though. His wing was now straightened out, though he still couldn't use it properly.
"I know it hurts, but this speeds up the healing process." Fluttershy sighed and sat next to Cerberus. "Would another kiss help you feel better?"
He smiled. "Maybe."
"Hey! Lovebirds! There's a war going on here!" Rainbow Dash swung into the alleyway with a frown on her face.
"How did you find us?" asked Cerberus.
"Oh please, the whole city could hear you cussing. Come on, Fluttershy. Twilight and I are making a mad dash for the castle. Be there or be... dead." On that happy metaphor, Rainbow dashed away, back into the mayhem of battle.
Cerberus smiled at Fluttershy. "Need an escort?"

A mad dash... Rainbow was right to call it that. This was almost insane, to charge ahead, ignoring the danger that surrounded them. Any soldier that stood in their way was quickly cast aside by Twilight's force field, or a kick from Rainbow Dash, or a slash of Cerberus' one working wing.
Fluttershy was starting to regress into her old self, but not in a good way. The toppling buildings and magical explosions that shook the ground were beginning to genuinely frighten her. Cerberus saw the fear in her face and ran closer beside her. "I told you I miss the old you, but please hold on to your anger for just a little longer. It's almost over!"
"I know. I can do this." Fluttershy thought of some way to distract herself from the fear. "Hey, where do you want to go for our honeymoon?"
Cerberus laughed. "That's the spirit! I was thinking Cloudsdale. I've only been there the once, and I didn't get a chance to see the sunset."
"Okay, so I'll rent a room with a view, and we'll-"
"Hey, y'all! Take cover!" Applejack shouted from behind a barricade that stretched across the length of the crossroads. Twilight, Fluttershy, Cerberus and Rainbow Dash jumped over and covered their heads, making sure to stay unexposed.
"We're closin' em in to the narrow streets, so they have nowhere to hide."
"Nice going, AJ!" shouted Rainbow Dash.
"Well, it wasn't easy. We got a lot of folks wounded when the cart was hit by Captain Black's flame spell." Applejack shuddered. "Some of them didn't make it."
"No time for mourning. We have work to do." said Big Macintosh bluntly. He removed the tarp from one of the two carts carrying apples, of all things. He loaded a bucket of red delicious onto a wooden catapult, which Keeper cut the rope to, sending the fruit flying into the air.
Cerberus was confused. "We aren't schoolchildren pulling pranks here! What good will an apple do against a highly trained soldier?"
Applejack winked and said, "Old family recipe."
A few moments after hitting the ground, the red apples lit up and exploded, knocking several soldiers out of commission at once across the entire street.
"A lil' bit of sulfur, some unicorn magic, and a three second delay after hitting the ground and you've just solved yerself a problem!" said Applejack, as she tipped her hat to the dead soldiers left in the wake of the apple barrage. "We also have golden delicious, those are flash-bangs, and we even got some-"
Applejack was too busy gloating over the artillery to see a surviving elite unicorn soldier, covered from horn to hoof in bulky glimmering gold plated armor. He cast a magic rope from his horn that wrapped around Applejack's neck and pulled her over the side.
"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Cerberus leaped over the barricade, kicked away a second rope cast by the elite, and pinned him to the ground, releasing Applejack from his grasp.
Cerberus opened his mouth and released a wide blast of white hot flames onto the elite, reducing him to nothing but a charred set of armor.
"That's two Ah owe ya." said Applejack. She turned and saw more elites were approaching, in greater numbers than before. She put her war face back on and shouted to Big Macintosh. "We haveta fall back! Abandon the barricade and regroup down the path!"
"Eeyup." said the big red stallion as he pulled one of the carts with little effort, leaving Keeper and three other earthwalkers to drag the second.

Twilight summoned two magic scimitars to her side. She made good use of them as she charged ahead, her shouting increasing in escalation as she hacked and slashed at every soldier that came within fifteen meters of the carts. Everypony else had to do little, and some soldiers even backed down in terror at Twilight's rampage.
Keeper managed to get a burst of adrenaline and move ahead of Big Mac into a small tunnel. The road split on the inside, one way leading the the airship balcony and the other leading to the castle. The choice was obvious. Keeper and his friends steered the cart to the left and accelerated forward.
"Wait a minute!" Applejack shouted, her voice echoing off the walls. She sniffed at the air, then pounded her hoof against the bricks. "Yep, that's what I thought." Her hoof had some sort of dust on it. "Magnesium. It's a trap."
Rainbow's eyes were wide enough to light the whole tunnel. "Shit."
Applejack started to work the harnesses on the carts. "Leave this junk! It's only gonna get us all-"
There was a screech in the distance.
Dash's ears perked up, and she turned to Twilight with a concerned look in her eyes. "Didja hear that? Sounded like... Philomena?"
Twilight violently twitched as the gears began to turn in her mind. "Yes, and if that's magnesium covering the walls... EVERYPONY OUT, NOW!"
Even if they were all as fast as Rainbow Dash there was nothing they could have done to prevent the bright and brilliant phoenix Philomena from sweeping the walls with her flaming wings, rattling the tunnel with violent explosions that caused the roof to creak and crumble, eventually caving in. Twilight brought a bubble shield up around her, as big as she could, but it couldn't block out the sharp cries that were silenced too quickly from the ponies too far ahead, nor could it remain stable for long underneath the several tons of solid stone cascading down upon them all.

It was at least an hour before Cerberus could stand. Aside from a few scratches from shrapnel there was nothing that required medical attention. "Head count! Everypony front and center!" he said.
"Right here... I'm okay." Twilight struggled onto her hooves and shook away her dizziness. "Never had a shield break on me before. I..."
"Where's the rest?" Cerberus checked every pile of rubble in sight. When the dust cleared, there was a much bigger pile in sight that blocked off the entire tunnel, what was left of it, anyway.
"I... I couldn't save them..." Twilight shuddered, turning away from the charred remains of Keeper and his crew.
Cerberus choked back tears, then bowed to Keeper's corpse. "Ssifisv martivir, thurirl." He walked away with sullen eyes. "That means, uh,  rest in peace, comrade. In draconic."
"Cerberus! Over here!"
His eyes widened as he galloped to the rubble blocking the path. He could hear voices on the other side. "Fluttershy! You're okay!"
"Of course I'm okay."
"Twilight's alive but Keeper didn't make it. Cart's ruined too. How are things on your end?"
"We're all fine 'n' dandy!" said Applejack. "We still have the other cart, but there's no way we can move this mess. We'll head back and find another way around."
"Eeyup." said Big Macintosh.
"I'll try to meet up with you two." said Rainbow Dash. "The other path is still open. I'll head there and fly around. No promises, though."
The sound of hoofsteps meant that everypony was going their separate ways. Cerberus sighed and mentally prepared himself for the journey ahead with just Twilight by his side.
"Good luck." said Fluttershy. Apparently she hadn't left yet.
Cerberus perked up and got as close as he could to the rubble just to hear her loud and clear. "Fluttershy. You know I lo-"
"I know you do. Now get going!"




"Damn that phoenix! After you nursed it back to health, this is how it rewards you?" yelled Rainbow Dash to Fluttershy as she stomped on the head of a pegasus soldier.
Fluttershy dodged some stray magic missiles and ducked underneath a table. "That was a long time ago. I don't think he remembers me."
"Well, then I suppose you'll have no problem with me curb-stomping the little shi-"
"Oh, Daaaaaaashiiiiiiiie!" The cute and chipper sing-songy voice of Pinkie Pie contrasted the sounds of clashing armor and explosions. She was standing at the edge of the airship balcony high above street level, aiming her signature pink party cannon at the mayhem below. "There's a bunch of big guys coming your way! Judas and I are gonna blast 'em!"
Judas poked her head out of the cannon and slapped Pinkie's hoof. "Hey, Rainbow Dash! The farm ponies and Cerberus' wife better clear out, 'cause this snowstorm is gonna get a little bit redder!"
Applejack nodded and ushered Big Macintosh away from ground zero with the last cart in tow. Rainbow Dash flew to the balcony, and Fluttershy ducked into an alleyway to take cover.
"How did you come up with this?" asked Rainbow Dash as she examined Pinkie Pie and Judas' crazy plan. "What makes you think it's even going to work?"
Judas' voice echoed in the cannon. "Point shooty thing at things you want to blow up! What's not to understand?"
Pinkie jumped in place. "Okay, it's ready to fire!"
"Alrighty then, Pinks! Press the big red button in three, two-"
"WAIT!" Pinkie let go of the cannon, her eyes darting back and forth across the balcony.
"What's wrong?" asked Judas. "Don't keep me waiting!"
"Juuuust a second..." said Pinkie as she sniffed the floor.
"Hey, is it getting warmer?" asked Judas.
Rainbow's eyes widened to the brink. She looked at Pinkie Pie's rump, and not for the usual reasons. Her curly pink tail was...
"TWITCHY TAIL! GET DOWN!" yelled Rainbow. She ducked and covered, followed by Judas and Pinkie.
"What the hell are we doing?" asked Judas.
"Whenever Pinkie's tail twitches, there's going to be a-"
A flash of scalding heat washed over all three of them, followed by a screech, and loud crash. For a moment, all Rainbow Dash could see was fire, smoke, and Pinkie Pie and Judas thrashing in violent pain.
The flames gathered together into the form of Philomena, the sight of which made Rainbow Dash curse. Twice in mere moments, the phoenix had ruined their battle strategy and separated the Elements of Harmony, and it flew away, ready to cause more misfortune.
"Pinkie Pie? Please, wake up..." Rainbow prodded at her friend's now flat mane, which was covered in soot and coming out in clumps. Pinkie was breathing, but she was trembling at Rainbow Dash's touch. She was burned, badly, down the entire length of her body.
Judas was much of the same, a once unbreakable force now left on a scorched spit of marble. It was by a stroke of luck that Philomena's rage didn't incapacitate Rainbow Dash, who looked up at the stormy skies, where a flaming streak passed by, calling out as if to mock her and her friends' misery.
"You... bitch..."
Rainbow Dash felt something new. Hidden strength, buried deep within her heart that she had built up over many years, bursting at the seams of her very being. She was ready to unleash this power and destroy anything that dare harm her, Judas or Pinkie Pie.
Rainbow Dash grit her teeth, flapped her wings, and shouted at the heavens, “PHILOMENAAAAA!!! JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AAAAM?!?!” She took to the sky, leaving behind her signature multicolored trail, which was shining much brighter than usual. She ignored the raging thunder and lightning, as well as the chilling snow that froze the fringe of her armor. She was only concerned about the streak of fire in the distance, the phoenix that had the guts to hurt her friends. Finding that balance between anger and serenity, Rainbow Dash chased after Philomena, who knew she was being followed and made every effort to get away, flying between buildings and in every direction she could think of, but she never lost the raging pegasus. She wasn’t that good.
Rainbow Dash was experiencing something familiar. It had been years since she did this. Accelerating faster than light and sound could comprehend... faster and faster she flew, until... there was the blast. A sonic rainboom, parting the clouds and propelling her forward, right on Philomena’s trail. Philomena made a last ditch effort to escape by flying straight upwards. Rainbow Dash changed directions just as she did, doing everything in her power not to black out. She remembered what she and Judas had done when Sweet Apple Acres had caught aflame. They gathered the clouds around them by performing a constant barrel roll, creating a vortex. My hoof is the hoof that will pierce the heavens... Let’s do this! She tilted her body to the right and began spinning. She cut through the wind and snow and any resistance in her path. This was the fastest she had ever flown in her entire life. So fast... she felt a tingling sensation at the tip of her snout and across her face. It took her a moment to realize, she was on fire. She couldn’t turn back. She nearly had that phoenix in her grasp...
“YES!” 
Rainbow Dash shouted when she wrapped her forearms around Philomena. She looked down. Canterlot was only a speck kilometers below her. She smirked. 
“Hey, birdbrain. I never did thank you for tickling those guards. Well, I guess it all works out, because now I’m gonna kill them with you!” 
Philomena gave a weak Squack! in protest, but Rainbow Dash didn’t care. She angled herself back towards the ground and stopped flapping her wings, letting gravity work its magic.
Philomena wouldn’t have it. She lit herself ablaze. The fire seared Rainbow Dash’s leather armor, eventually breaking it into scraps. Her mane, coat and skin were burning, but if she felt any pain, she didn’t let it show. The only thought on her mind was what Judas would do in this situation, plummeting down toward the town square, filled with guards with stunned stupid looks on their faces as they wondered why a spiraling rainbow fireball was heading their way. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, ignoring the flames, and screamed at the top of her lungs what she thought would be the last thing she ever said.
“DOUBLE... RAINBOW... GIGA... DRIIIILL... BRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAK!!!”

It could be seen by all of Canterlot. A flaming rainbow spiral erupting from town square, destroying buildings and topping pillars, traveling higher and higher into the sky until it broke through the clouds and revealed the impending eclipse for all to see. This provoked many reactions. Some guards were intimidated, others were metaphorically trying to pick their jaws up from the concrete, and many galloped to the nearest train station for a quick exit.
Those who knew it was their friend Rainbow Dash who had destroyed the phoenix and the soldiers that stood in their path cheered, whooped, and stomped the ground.
Gilda was the exception. Instead, she roared and thumped her chest. 
Spitfire, who was standing next to her, awestruck by the light show, spoke. "Best flyer in Ponyville."
Gilda placed her hand on the back of Spitfire's head. "Best flyer in Equestria."




On a small balcony overlooking the carnage, Captain Black was issuing commands and sniping soldiers with fireballs. He snickered every time they were set ablaze and helplessly struggled to put it out. However, his cheap shots were put to an end when a marble pillar, set flying by the explosion caused by Rainbow Dash, crashed into the balcony and unhinged it. Black went toppling to the ground, though the slant of the of the remains of the balcony broke his fall.
He had landed in a museum, what was left of it, anyway. The statues were falling apart from stray shots of magic and the roof had caved in from his crash landing.
Black shrugged off the aches and pains from his fall and started to exit the building, but the door was frozen shut. Literally. It was coated from top to bottom in ice. He snickered.
"Come to die, little sister?" he turned around and saw Winter Solstice. Pure magical energy was radiating off her unkempt coat, and her eyes shined a blinding light. "I suppose you saved me the trouble of finding you. This time, I'll make sure you're really dead."
"Before that happens," said Winter, "there is something I'd like to ask."
"Ask away."
The light of Winter's eyes faded. "Why?"
Black's smile faded as well. "Why, what?"
"Why, everything. Why did you destroy our home? Why did you kill mother and father? Why did you put the blame on me? Why?"
"You were harboring half breeds."
"I gave them a home, and hope. You killed them all."
"Sister, you're as beautiful as you are naive. Celestia's law is absolute. There is no other truth."
"So you lit everything that mattered to me ablaze because your code as captain demands it?"
"That's what sets me apart from that old captain, Shining Armor. He put his personal relationships above all, and what happened? Canterlot nearly fell to a Changeling army. I, however, know that the creation of a pure world is most important. By obeying Celestia's orders and destroying what was left of my origins, I traveled further down the path of perfection!"
Winter Solstice's eyes lit up again as she summoned every last bit of magical energy she had. "There is no perfection, and your idea of purity is only filled with murder and destruction of thousands of innocent lives. I nearly died trying to protect those lives, and I'll gladly throw myself into the reaper's line of sight again if it means saving my family!" She cast a small beam from her horn that caused an explosion of ice crystals. Black blocked every one with small magical shields.
"But sister! I am your family." he said with a smirk.
"Then I disown you as my brother, because Heretic, Judas and Cerberus are the only family I need."




When her vision returned, Rainbow Dash struggled to sit up. Ashes fell from her head and settled on the ground. She noticed that she was sitting in a crater, riddled with burning coals and the shadows of soldiers that were there a minute ago, incinerated by her crash landing.
It took a moment for the feeling to come to her, but the burns on her chest and forelegs were starting to really sting. The adrenaline had worn away.
“Heheh... This... really... hurts...” Rainbow Dash muttered to herself as she stood up, her hooves in the ashes of what once was Philomena. She limped forward, only to bump into an... egg. It was decorated with many shades of red and yellow, and Rainbow Dash knew it was a phoenix egg. Even if she killed Philomena, somehow she would live on, unless... I could do myself a favor and just smash this thing. She raised her hoof and was ready to make a phoenix scramble, until she decided to put it down. “Eh, buck it.” She saved herself the effort and just kicked the egg away from the ashes, and kicked those too, for good measure.
To this day, Rainbow Dash didn’t know how she did it, but despite the searing pain of the burns and bruises, she managed to get out of the crater, walk amongst the ruins of the square, and find the balcony where Pinkie Pie and Judas lay. The latter rolled over and spoke to Rainbow Dash. “Did you... pierce the heavens?”
Rainbow Dash coughed up another weak laugh. “Just who the hell do you think I am?”
Judas closed her eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep (She’s not dead).
The cyan pegasus looked at Pinkie Pie. Her burns from Philomena were a little more severe than Judas’, and she was buried in her hoofs, sniffling. Her mane was still flat and charred, black hairs falling out at the ends. Rainbow Dash wrapped her hooves around her. “Hey... it’s gonna be okay.”
“No it’s not... I have short hair! You hate me with short hair...”
Rainbow Dash snickered. “Come on, Pinkie. Stop being superficial. I love you no matter what you look like.”
Pinkie wiped her eyes and gave a small smile. “You do?”
“You’re pretty hot with short hair.”
“I am?” 
Rainbow Dash kissed Pinkie’s forehead and cradled her. 
“Okay, then I’ll go bald for you!”
“Wha- no! I didn’t mean it like that!”
“Awww, my little Dashie!” Pinkie snuggled in closer to her best friend’s chest.
“Yeah, I’m your little Da... da... dra... DRAGON!!!”

Everypony stopped and stared. 
From the gap in the sky flew in a wide spectrum of dragons, barreling and spinning toward the battlefield. With some decisive blasts of white-hot fire, more soldiers of the sun were blown away or turned to ashes without a fight. Rainbow Dash gaped at the flurry of winged beasts surrounding her. It took her a moment to see Rarity calling out to her from the steps leading up to the balcony. “Rainbow Dash! You’re alive!”
“Can hardly believe it myself.” The cyan pegasus rubbed at a nasty burn on her lower hindleg. "Where've you been?"
“I used an invisibility spell that Hephaestus Ironwright left in one of his journals. I've been sneaking around out of harm's way and healing anypony I can find."
"Staying out of dirty matters, that sounds just like you."
Rarity huffed. "Don't accuse me of being a coward. I'm being cautious. Now let me work.” She opened a bag of medicine, ready to apply ointment to Rainbow's wounds, but she was stopped by her hoof.
“Take care of Pinkie and Judas first. I'm not dying.” Said Rainbow. She looked back and continued to be simultaneously mesmerized and fascinated by the dragons. “Where did they come from?”
“They’re on our side, I know that much.” Said Rarity as she bandaged Pinkie Pie’s neck and legs. “I was pinned down by a few elites in the hallway leading up to this place but they were snatched by a rather burly white dragon.”
“Here’s hoping that’s the last we see of those jackasses.”
“D...fh...” Judas muttered something unintelligible and twitched as Rarity cleaned her wounds.
“I know it hurts darling, but you must stay still.”
“Das... fo... rah...”
"Aw, she's thinking about an old colt friend!" said Rainbow Dash.
"No, look!" Judas sat up and pushed Rarity away. She pointed up with her right hoof, not to make a dramatic speech, but to draw everypony's attention to a relatively small royal blue dragon with three rows of spikes aligned across his head and neck. He touched down on all fours in front of Rarity, causing the stunned unicorn to faint on the spot. He stood up and brushed back his spines in mild embarrassment.
"I seem to have spooked your friend." His voice was svelte and young, while still containing the sheer magnitude of a dragon's call. He surveyed the balcony and looked at Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Judas. "Greetings from the Draconic Lands, everyone... or everypony as you Equestrians say."
Judas pulled Rainbow Dash down to speak in a loud whisper. "That's him. The Dasforah. Luna's husband."
Rarity recovered from her fainting spell and stood up. "Whe- wha- who-"
"Be calm, Rarity. I'm a friend." While Dasforah wasn't any larger than an alicorn, his broad shoulders, grand voice and sharp scales made him seem much more intimidating and amazing than the tall, green, long necked dragon that landed next to him. It spoke in a language unknown by pony kind, incredibly elegant yet impossible to describe. "Hesi moxt isthasy vur wer moxt pony toln ve ekess xtirl vhira tenpiswo. Svabol nishka si tir frevor?"
"Origato astahi vhira vur demak wer ssifisv di hesi buthre. Si geou asix nomenoi moxt iri, hak ehtah sia daariv ekess qe." said Dasforah.
Rainbow Dash's head was spinning from this manner of speaking. She scratched what was left of her mane and said, "Could someone translate that?"
"I can explain!" From the back of the green dragon poked out the head of a familiar baby dragon.
"Spike!" shouted Rarity with newfound admiration. 
"We flew to the Draconic Lands before the battle started. I didn't have to even convince Dasforah to come here, he just said 'It's finally happening, isn't it?' and flew away. We hitched a ride on the back of this big guy and... it was a long trip. I had a lot to talk about, especially you. So yeah, here we are!" He gave a friendly slap to his ride and thanked him in Draconic. "Vinxa, rumag!"
"Tikil tairais, sia thurirl." it responded. 
Spike jumped to the ground and gave a gentleman's bow to Rarity. "I didn't even know I could speak Draconic until now."
Rarity gaped, with one hoof near her open mouth. "My goodness... you have wings!"
Spike looked back at his two new gifts of age and smiled. "I guess aging naturally has its benefits. There's also this!" He put his hands on his hips and flexed. Not only was he a little taller, he had muscles growing on his shoulders and chest. "Not bad, eh?"
Rarity couldn't express her awe with words, only stifled gasps at how much this little dragon had matured.
Rainbow Dash had a nagging thought in her mind. "Wait, Spike. You said 'we?'"
"Hey hey hey hey hey hey, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo flew from the back of the green one and embraced Rainbow Dash, nearly knocking her to the ground. She winced from the touch of another's hooves on her burns, but she didn't care about that. She held Scootaloo at arm's length. 
"Are you crazy? I told you to stay put and you flew all the way to the Draconic Lands?! You should have gone home!"
"I had to help!"
"You..." Rainbow Dash was so tempted to strike Scootaloo across her muzzle for scaring her like that. She restrained her right arm to the best of her ability and tried to speak. "I couldn't have lived with myself if you got hurt or killed."
Dasforah silently walked to Rainbow Dash and said, "Wer sacrphi di ir geou canbus ekess wer waphic di vi owier. The sacrifice of one will contribute to the lives of a thousand... even if she wasn't killed. Besides, as far as she's concerned, anything is worth doing if it means getting a cutie mark."
At those last two words, everypony's attention turned towards Scootaloo's flank. It was no longer bare, instead imprinted with a red and white three pointed shield, with the letters CMC decorating the top curve.
Rainbow Dash let a single tear fall down her cheek before she pulled Scootaloo in for a hug, despite the pain of the burns. "You just never give up."
After a moment of silence, the green dragon decided to say, "Si kashor wer graty di nomeno klewar shar yth zklaen demak mrith wer ssifisv di wer herd, vur wux lae algbo."
Dasforah translated. "He, uh, understands that this is something special, but we must get moving."
Rainbow Dash held out her hoof in protest. "What about Pinkie Pie and Judas? They can't go anywhere!" she rubbed another burn on her neck. "I can't either."
Dasforah gave a wave of his hand, passing off their injuries as a minor issue. "My irisvar has already seen to them."
After getting caught up in the moment, Rainbow Dash hadn't bothered to pay attention to a small red dragon with one clawless hand. She assumed that hand was for applying remedies, and the other with claws was for making... incisions. Luckily the latter was not necessary. Instead, this dragon approached Rainbow Dash and lightly breathed cool blue flames on all of her burns and bruises, which disappeared almost instantly. She was astounded, and further still when she saw that Judas and Pinkie Pie had gone under the same treatment and were now able to stand, though they were still weak, to the point where they couldn't fight.
Rainbow Dash smirked. "Alright everpony, I'm gonna go kick some ass. I have to get to the castle pronto!"
Dasforah spread his wings and hovered in the air. "We shall clear the way for you. Bensvelkilti di apzen ekess wux."
"Uh... you too?"
He laughed and flew away, the battle medic and the large green following close behind.
After many a cheer and whoop from Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Judas, their dragon friends were gone. Rainbow gave Pinkie one last peck on the cheek before running through the hallway leading to the balcony and returning to the bloodshed in the streets below. The pink party pony laid down next to Judas to rest her significantly less painful injuries. Scootaloo took her brand spanking new cutie mark and left the battle for good. Rarity and a more matured Spike were still standing. The little dragon spoke. "Well, go on then. I have to join up with my herd." He was ready to jump from the balcony and fly as well, but Rarity, who couldn't hold herself back any longer, held on to Spike's shoulders, and without restraint, she kissed him, not on the cheek, but on the mouth. It was long, it was beautiful.
Spike wasn't overly flustered, or maybe he hadn't realized what just happened, but he could only smile.
Rarity held him close and whispered, "You'll always be my dasforah, Spike."




Winter Solstice couldn't have cared less about the horn of Captain Black embedded in her chest, nor did she care about the warm blood staining her icy blue mane red. She could only stand proud, ignoring the pain, and relish the moment, what she had been waiting for since the day she was left to drown in that river. She was ready to perform one last act of bravery. She fired one of her trademark ice spells at the Captain, who made an attempt to dodge but was too slow, and was slowed down even further by the frost that gripped his gold armor. He was helpless when Winter Solstice bowed her head and charged at him. Her sharp horn pierced his armor and broke the chest piece, then it broke his skin...
Black's mouth hung open. He was in shock, but he could still feel Winter Solstice's sharp horn inside his stomach. She spoke quietly as ever. "I will not die alone." From her horn, expanding outward from the gaping hole she had put in her brother's chest, came several ice crystals, which continued to grow across their bodies. Black was unable to move his ice encased legs. Neither could Solstice, but she wasn't thrashing.
"S-s-sister... p-p-p-lease..." muttered Black, shivering from the frost and fear. "I d-d-didn't want this..."
"For every time you turned you neglected me, put me down, left me to die, and laughed at my misfortune, for every time you hurt me, physically and mentally, up until the day you took everything away from me and put the blame on my name, I'd say this is the least you deserve." 
Soon, the ice traveled up their necks...
"No! NO! You can't do this to me! You can't! You-" Captain Black's cries of denial went unfinished. Even a thousand years from then, his mouth would stay wide open, frozen in time in a cold and crystaline prison. The ice queen, however, would wear a satisfied smile for all eternity. Black Licorice was trapped. Winter Solstice was in paradise.

Heretic was in agony.




Twilight was halfway between fighting to her last breath or letting the surrounding troops pin her and Cerberus to the ground and execute them. It could have been a fair and quick death... but how could she do that when she had come so far? The castle was within view! She was so close, but there was nothing she could do. She backed up as the wall of golden armored soldiers closed in on her, until she collided with Cerberus.
She lowered her gaze, eyes narrowed in concentration as she tried to think of a spell, any spell, that could get them out of this. Rainbow Dash was off chasing a few pegasi guards and a small multicolored dot. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie were Luna knew where - she actually probably didn't - Rarity was trying to sneak past the fight, Applejack was busy bucking at everything in sight, and the rest of Luna's soldiers were strewn across the battlefield, giving it their all. Even the dragons giving their all to assist the rebellion were no help to Twilight. The DJ's music was still blaring in the background, the beat reverberating within her very being. She couldn't just give up, but...
"I can't think of anything, Cerberus...I don't know what to do!"
"I could probably fly past them, but my wing is still killing me. I don't think I could carry you, and you can't tire yourself out by using your teleportation spell."
"Can you breathe fire?"
Cerberus grimaced. "You'd be trapped by the flames. That is, if I didn't hurt you in the process. Urgh..." His voice was shivering from the anticipation of what was to come. "Twilight, I just want you to know," he sighed, "I'm still glad that I'm here, instead of dead in the Everfree Forest."
"I'm happy that I get to die next to you. You're a good friend."
Inevitable defeat stared at Cerberus and Twilight dead in the face...
"Twilight Sparkle!" A young female voice echoed across the sky, stopping everypony, even the soldiers, in their path. A flash of lightning broke the silence and struck the ground. At least five of the soldiers were thrown off their hooves, landing against the hard ground or falling multiple stories below. After that, a green colored wave pulsed outward from the center of the platform. As it passed over the soldiers, they were frozen in place. "You must live!"
A blue flash touched down in front of Twilight, taking the form of a blue pony wearing a purple cape and pointed hat... Even with her back facing her, Twilight knew who it was. It was... "Trixie?!"
The boastful con-artist stood on her hind legs and turned her head. "That name will not be spoken anymore. My name is Maredoth, and I cannot let you die."
Twilight and Cerberus watched their savior hold her hoof to the sky and summon a bronze staff. It was bent in two ways in the middle, with a crescent moon and five pointed star adorning the tip. With that, the mare launched herself forward, leaving a trail of dust in her wake. Her magically enhanced staff twirled around in the air as she danced a deadly ballet. She spun and struck at every guard within her reach. Even those that had broken out of the slow-motion spell stood little chance. Any attempt to get near Twilight or Cerberus was met with a bolt of lightning, a blast of fire or a downpour of frigid water. Twilight was in awe at the speed and strength that Trix- no, Maredoth- was showing. She had none of these elemental powers all those years ago, but now...
This dance of flames, lightning and water ended, and dozens of earthwalker, unicorn and pegasi soldiers lay dead on the cobblestone. Maredoth let her staff disappear, and she stood on four legs. "That was for Hephaestus." She turned to Twilight with a humble smirk. "I think you oughta get going. Take this kingdom for Queen Luna."
Twilight flushed out the surprise and intensity of the moment and hugged her new friend. "Thank you so much, Maredoth."
"I do hope we can catch up later," she said with lowered eyelids and a beaming grin.




The path to the throne room was empty, the torches unlit. It was dark and foreboding but it left no impact on Twilight or Cerberus. They stopped running to catch their breath beside a broken window. The eclipse was still visible in the sky, in the one clear spot not surrounded by storm clouds. The sun and the moon were almost touching each other. When they crossed... Cerberus seemed to only be more driven to their goal when he saw what would spell death for him and the rest of the half breeds.
Death... a lot of ponies were dying. For what cause? Saving a race that had gone beyond the vision of modern pony society? Was this really worth it? No, it wasn't just that. It was about truth. The only reason the half breeds were invisible to most was because Celestia had already killed so many. For purity... as disgusting as it was, it sounded like her. Still, back at the camp, when the image of Celestia had appeared to Twilight, she seemed desperate, like she was starting have genuine regret for what she had done. Would she change her ways? It wouldn't make up for the countless amounts of half breeds with unmarked graves. She only had regret because she knew this could be her end. The elements of harmony and the rest of Equestria were now against her.
"Twilight," said Cerberus. "we're not getting anywhere staring out windows. Let's just get this over with."
"You're being unusually nonchalant."
"Look, either we die or we don't. It's as simple as that. Let's not wait for our answer."
"Is this how you always felt? Back when you were hunted down?"
Cerberus started walking past the window with an expression of quiet anger. "Yes." He started to gallop, away from the past to face his inner demons and Twilight did everything she could to keep up.
"STOP RIGHT THERE, CRIMINAL SCUM! You will not enter here!" The large, diamond encrusted gates to Celestia's throne room were blocked by no less than twenty elite unicorn soldiers. A wall of golden plated armor versus Twilight Sparkle and Cerberus, and the odds weren't exactly in the latter's favor. "We won't let you so much as look at our Princess! Now pay for your crimes with your blood!"
Despite these threats, Twilight summoned her magic swords again, and stood her ground. Cerberus was ready to fight as well, but suddenly he faltered, with a twinkle in his eye.
"Are you okay?" Twilight asked.
Cerberus raised a hoof to his forehead to concentrate. "I sense something..."
From there, everything seemed to move in slow motion. The windows bordering the hallways all shattered simultaneously from a deafening roar. Everypony clutched their ears as if they were going to blow away at any moment. A blue blur flew inside from where the right window used to be. Before the elites could react, five were tossed aside, seven were crushed into bruised and bloody heaps, and eight were utterly obliterated by an intense wave of white flame. All this happened in less than five seconds.
When Cerberus and Twilight could open their eyes, they saw what had caused all this carnage, and it brought a smile to their faces. They spoke at the same time in hushed voices. "Dasforah."
Cerberus' dragon father stood before them. He bowed as if his daring rescue was a mere performance. He then approached Cerberus and embraced him as a father would. "I've kept you waiting far too long. That cursed Celestia, she will pay for tearing our family apart." He swiftly ran on all fours to the gate. "Are you ready?"
"I was ready months ago," said Cerberus. "I should have finished the job when I had the chance."
"You could have," said Twilight, "but what about everything that's happened since then? You made some friends, you inspired this revolution. Don't forget Fluttershy, or Nero."
Cerberus couldn't argue with that. If he, Heretic, Judas and Winter Solstice had killed Celestia in cold blood that night all those months ago, they would have been hunted down as criminals, Luna would have been long dead in that parasitic sphere and someone just as corrupt would have ascended the throne.
"Has my son finally found his place amongst purebloods?" asked Dasforah.
"I'd say I found it a long time ago. That's why I'm here, to make sure the other half breeds can truly live, as I have."
"Then let us make it so."
"It all ends here." said Twilight.
Dasforah turned around, raised his hands, and opened the door.
Cerberus and Twilight stepped into Celestia's throne room, ready for the end.