Manehattan
As a baby dragon, Spike was able to lift many times his own weight. Rarity often forced the poor dragon to carry all her luggage in one go. As a result, he was easily one of the strongest living beings in Ponyville. His strength increased exponentially as he grew up. Before she untapped Gaia's power, not even Twilight could lift as much with her magic as he could with his arms. He put that strength to good use.
Spike tore at the rubble of Manehattan General Hospital with all his strength. His biceps strained at the pressure he put on them. Lifting several tons of debris with each load, he quickly removed them from the site and returned to work. Several times, other ponies would try to get him to stop, get him to rest. However, none of them were successful. The mayor almost lost her life as she attempted to get in his way. Only a lucky grab by a nearby unicorn saved her head from literally being bitten off. For Spike, his whole world was this pile, his friends, his family, and his promise. He would not be denied. Any who try he counted amongst his enemy, and a horde of dead shadowbeings gave warning to what happened to those who fell in that category.
He clawed at a huge piece of rubble, blood from cuts in his claws flowed down his arms. He knew not when the blood started flowing, nor did he care. He made a promise on his dragon code. A promise to his dear departed brother to protect their sister, Aurora Flash. He would honor that promise to his last dying breath. Even if the possibility existed that, that... that he might already have broken it.
Spike slammed his head into the rubble to clear that thought from his mind. He could not afford to think like that, for him, there was one job and one job only. Find his sister, find his family, and keep them safe.
He dug in the rubble for days, until he was beyond being tired, beyond being exhausted. He wore his claws down to nubs. His hands cut up so bad that nopony could see the purple coloring on them anymore. Spike did not care; he had a dragon’s endurance, a dragon’s strength, and a dragon’s promise to keep. Even if it cost him his life he would keep digging until he found them, and so he did, for three days straight he dug. No pony could help him; he dug with such speed and such ferocity they would only get in the way if they tried.
On the third day…
Spike grunted as he tried to lift the largest piece of rubble yet. It was easily seven tons. He poured his back into it and even used his wings to help. It was no use, three days of constant exertion, three days of not eating, sleeping, or drinking anything, despite the plethora of food the ponies around him had offered. Spike refused to rest for any reason, however, now all that exertion was finally taking its toll.
For the first time since he started, for the first time in three days, he was failing. The weight of the task was crashing down on him now. No longer could he ignore his thoughts, no longer could he physically exert himself in this task. It was all coming down. Just as the building had, save this time, it collapsed in his mind. He cried out in true agony, the agony of failure, as the huge piece of rubble he was lifting started to come down again.
Suddenly, several magical auras began surrounding the piece of debris. It became lighter, its mass decreasing in half. Spike still struggled, but this time, this time the result was not in doubt. He spared a glance back and bore witness to a sight that caused a tear to fall from his eye. The unicorns who until now were too afraid to even go near him; they were combining their powers to help him. He mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ before pouring the last of his strength into it. The piece lifted the rest of the way and he threw it to the side. The scene revealed before him caused his heart to skip a beat.
Aurora Flash lay on her side, her head resting on Princess Cadance's lap. Her body was motionless, save for the subtlest rise and fall of her stomach. Aurora’s scars were seen by most ponies as something to be pitied, she had been so beautiful before them. For Spike, they simply made her more gorgeous, they represented the sacrifice her brother, Dayspring Gleam had made for her. Such a noble sacrifice should be honored. There should be a mark upon this world of what he did, and if Aurora chooses to wear that mark, he would forever be proud of her for it.
Rarity and Cadance where each leaning on the other for support, Neither of them looked good, well good was relative when speaking of these two. Even at her age, Rarity was always drop-dead gorgeous. While most ponies would consider Aurora to be the standard of beauty. As far as Spike was concerned, they were all wrong. Rarity was beauty personified, and she always would be too him. Even now, having been buried under rubble for three days, she was still the most gorgeous sight he had ever seen.
It was obvious to Spike that Cadance had pushed herself too far. As an alicorn, Princess Cadance had the endurance of the strongest earth ponies, but even they had their limits. She lay there, lightly stroking Aurora’s mane. Her efforts completely focused on keeping the mare in her lap alive. As another pony stood over them.
Soaked in her sweat from hoof to muzzle, Ataxia’s eyes radiated magic power. It was obvious to anypony looking that she had not moved from that spot for three days. The shield she was casting over the group taking all her concentration. Her face consorted into a grimace, with the pain of her physical exertion written all over it. Radiant Star lay collapsed by her side. The little magical power he had seemed spent, given to Ataxia to help her keep them alive.
Spike landed near the shield, and placed one claw on top of it. To his horror, the shield shattered from his touch. The realization of how close it had been to fading dawned on him. ‘Had I failed to lift that last piece?’ He could not think about that right now, as with the shattering of her shield, Ataxia’s endurance finally gave out and the mare collapsed. Spike ran forward and caught his daughter. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. Her final act before succumbing to exhaustion was to point to the west and speak two words in a dry, raspy voice, “Shimmmerrriiinnnggg Niiiiggghht.”
Spike turned his head back at the rescue ponies, which were stunned into inactivity. He shouted, “Don’t just stand there. Help me!” His words spurned them into action, several medical ponies ran forward at the sight of the first survivors they had found since this all started. As two unicorns removed Ataxia from Spike’s arms, he glanced over in the direction she had pointed, understating what she had meant to say. The warning she had used the last of her strength to give him. ‘Shimmering Night is over there.’ Another full day would pass before Spike found his missing sister.
………………………………
Stalliongrad
Stalliongrad is a marvel of modern pony engineering. The first city of its kind built on Equestria soil. It was a fortress city, designed by none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle. The other Princesses and Twilight's kids had balked at her insistence that such a city would ever be necessary. In over a thousand years, Equestria never had need for such a place. However, Twilight’s checklist had deemed it necessary, she made a checklist for every possible eventuality that could occur to Equestria, and while the chances were slim, while the odds where next to nil, it was still a possibility that nopony could effectively refute. It took ten years, and an uncountable amount of pony hours, but Stalliongrad was complete. The greatest military minds came to examine this marvel of ingenuity. They all agreed on one thing, Stalliongrad was impenetrable, no force could take it.
Twilight did not believe in absolutes. Not after the life she had led. Say something is improbable and it will probably never happen. Say something is impossible and it will most assuredly occur, and in the worst possible way at the worst possible time. Therefore, she had a contingency plan for her contingency plan. If the time came for Stalliongrad to fulfill its purpose, if the day came that the ponies of Equestria would ever call upon the defenses that Stalliongrad offered. Cloudsdale would relocate above it, doubling the defenses in one move.
The very nature of pegasi was one of conflict and struggle, while for the last few hundred years that involved turning their pursuits to the athletic. Cloudsdale still kept a sizable force of standing militia. They are… was, Celestia’s go-to for any quick response that Equestria needed for its military defense.
While her fellow princesses had ridiculed the idea of a fortress city ever being necessary in Equestria, right this second, Princess Luna was VERY grateful for Twilight’s foresight. It was more than necessary. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Stalliongrad was the only reason they were still alive. This new enemy, a revenant that had possession of Twilight and all the magic she owned. It would have seen them all dead by now otherwise.
As such, that is where the new seat of power in Equestria was located, in a fortress city, designed by Princess Twilight Sparkle, and declared impregnable by the greatest military commanders of the age, with another city floating above it, one currently occupied by over three divisions of pegasi, that even now flew in practice drills for an impending fight that no pony was foolish enough to assume was not coming.
Luna held her court in the main council room of Stalliongrad, a room designed to fit several hundred ponies, but which now only held a hoof full. She was seriously considering the possibility of removing a few of those ponies from their miserable existence even now. The conversations were going nowhere quickly and the burns on her body had yet to fully heal. She scratched at a particularly obnoxious one on her belly as the conversation again, returned full circle, back to where it started.
“What are we going to do about this eternal night?”
“Our crops are dying in the fields.”
“We need to attack.”
“No, we should stay here.”
“What about sending for help?”
“No one will help us right now.”
“We can’t stay here forever.”
“Yes we can, there is seven years of provisions for twice this number.”
“We still have to do something about this eternal night.”
Luna quickly grew mad, again. “SILENCE! We've had enough of this bickering. No pony will talk out of turn again!”
The floor went silent, Luna’s voice cutting through every eardrum present. It was not the first time she had to employ this trick today, not even the first time she used it this hour. It never failed, these ponies only seemed happy when they were repeating themselves. Never listening to any other point of view, and always assuming theirs was the only right way to do it. She would give them her crown if one of them were actually correct. Sadly, she knew none of them had the right answer. Everything they said was a short-sided viewpoint, which at best was missing too many details to work. At worst, they were repeating the same question already asked five times before. She briefly considered just canceling the whole bucking thing. ‘What was the point if they would not actually talk about something important?’ She would not, after all, Luna did not have the answers herself, and if there was one thing everypony agreed on, it is that Twilight would be coming here.
Twilight designed this fortress, she knew what it means, and she knows victory can only be achieved by destroying it. Luna hoped that Twilight's designs included attacks from herself. Somehow, Luna had a feeling that they did. Twilight was always one for considering every eventuality, even the unthinkable, like this one.
During the small lull in the arguing, Ataxia turned to her mother and asked, “Mom why are we here?”
“I already explained that to you dear, this is a meeting of the greatest commanders Equestria has to offer, we need a plan for dealing with those creatures that doesn't involve us all being killed.”
“Alright, let me rephrase that question. Why am I here?”
“Funny Ataxia.”
Ataxia just grumbled at that, she hated things like this; her specialty was causing trouble, not cleaning up what others did. She did not believe that she would be of much help anyway. After Manehattan, she had completely exhausted herself keeping the building from crushing her family. Ataxia had yet to tell anypony this, but even the simplest spells were beyond her right now, she did not know when she would be able to do magic again.
Shame was her only friend now. For the first time in her life, she was on the receiving end at what she did to others. She knew a little of the suffering that she was guilty of causing, and now, now she was friendless. Fluttershy was dead. Rainbow Dash was dead. Twilight was evil and looking to kill them all. She did not know if the others could even be considered her friends. Ataxia did not have the courage to ask them, if they said no, then she would truly be alone. All she wanted to do was cry in her room. However, her dad had asked her to attend, and after everything, everything she had put her parents through, she could not say no. It was a small penance, but it was all she could do for them right now. Despite herself, she could not stop a tear falling from her eye, one that went unnoticed by all but Rarity, whom said nothing about it.
Rarity did step ever so closer to her daughter though; she hoped that the closeness might cheer her up. While the small gesture did not achieve the desired result, it achieved so much more than Rarity ever imagined it would. Ataxia looked at her for the first time as a daughter would a loving mother, for the first time since she could remember, with that one small gesture, Ataxia felt truly loved. ‘It’s a shame it took the end of the world for me to figure this out.’ Ataxia thought.
Princess Cadance soon found her attention dragged to the pair, a smile crossed her face at the tender display of love the two shared. ‘I knew it would happen, eventually.’ She knew, without a doubt in her heart, that Ataxia finally reached a turning point. She would still be the same smart-ass mare they all knew and loved, but, she would no longer cause misery to every pony she met. Ataxia now knew what love felt like, and although it had taken her longer than most to figure it out. Once a pony knew that feeling, they would forever be changed by it.
Radiant Star noticed the slight smile on his mom’s face. “What’s up?” he asked.
“Nothing, just enjoying a touching family moment.” She wrapped a wing around her son and dragged him over to her, nuzzling him gently, much to his embarrassment.
“Mom, not now.”
“No Radiant, now is the perfect time. Consider it an order.”
That ended any more protesting from the stallion; as much as he hated others seeing him like this, in a very inappropriate personal display of affection, the one thing he would NEVER do is disobey a direct order. As such, he was forced to deal with the tender display of affection his mom was doting on him. However, it did surprise him that when it was over, he actually missed it.
A deep voiced pegasus soon broke the silence. “Princess Luna, if I may address the floor.”
Luna looked up at the new speaker. She was currently rubbing some of the bandages on her chest, a souvenir from the battle she had with Twilight. Radiant was not surprised to learn that some of her wounds would never heal. On her worst days, Twilight was a formidable foe, one that would take entire armies to have a chance of defeating. Now, now, she was more dangerous than he could imagine. Still, if half of Luna’s story was true, she gave as good as she got. His respect for the Princess of the Night increased ten-fold.
“Of course, the floor recognizes Commander Tsunami, leader of the Cloudsdale militia.”
As a pearl white pegasus walked up to address the crowd, Cadance shot him a look of complete disgust. One that Radiant quickly took notice of. “Mom, what’s wrong?” asked Radiant.
“That pony is what’s wrong. He's a backstabbing, self-absorbed, egotistical narcissist.”
Radiant Star looked at her in shock; he had never heard her talk like that about anypony. Radiant could see the look of anger on her face. He looked over the pony that had so earned the ire of his mother. As Commander Tsunami stepped out the crowd, Captain Firestar moved to the side, allowing him to pass. With a respectful nod, he gave her his thanks, ‘Surely he cannot be all that bad?’ Radiant thought. Tsunami had a pearl white coat with a light blue mane and tail; his cutie mark was that of a rising star.
What Cadance told him next completely changed his opinion of the pony in an instant. Cadance whispered into her son’s ear. “He was with your father, on that day.” Suddenly Tsunami’s coat was an insult, there was not a mark on the pony, not one imperfection. It became clear to Radiant that this pony was the reason why Shining Armor was dead. He must have run when Shining fought; he flew away like a coward, leaving those who could not fly to fend for themselves. Rage began building in Radiant’s gut, before he even released it, Radiant conjured three blades in the air.
Cadance wrapped a hoof around her son, causing all three blades to disappear before he did something drastic. “No, there would be no use in that, son. At best if you did what you are thinking, Cloudsdale would withdraw its support. At worst the Crystal Empire would be at war with Cloudsdale.”
“We can’t do nothing.” He growled.
“Wrong, nothing is precisely what we're going to do. Taking action is easy; the mark of a true leader is their ability to not take action. Besides, a military tribunal cleared him of any wrongdoing.”
That seemed to calm Radiant Star down, however, what Cadance left out was that it was a Cloudsdale military tribunal lead by ponies that had been given their positions by Tsunami several years prior. That was news that would only serve to rile him up more. If that happened, she seriously doubted Tsunami would live through the day. Not a fate she would mourn, however, her son’s punishment afterwards would be too heartbreaking to endure. Looking back at Tsunami her face turned once again to disgust, as far as Cadance was concerned, Tsunami’s cutie mark should be knife in the back.
While almost no pony noticed Radiant’s outburst, two did, Ataxia turned to her mom and asked. “What was that about?”
Rarity looked around at all the assembled ponies until she finally noticed Commander Tsunami being introduced and walking to the front of the assembly, she knew this pony. Rarity knew this story all too well. Having been there when Twilight went through the heartbreak it brought her. “Looks like somepony opened Pandora’s box. Be ready for anything.”
Ataxia looked confused, but she stayed close to her mother, just in case something did go down. ‘I may not have my magic, but I can still protect those I love.’
Commander Tsunami sat in front of the council chamber and looked around, even when he was younger, he was a well-known wordsmith, with a talent for working over crowds.
“Friends, we have sat in this same room for several days now, listening to the same arguments being tossed back and forth, all for what? Nothing, for three days we have accomplished nothing. Yes, we each have our concerns; however, they all treat the symptoms of the problem, and not the problem itself. Friends, we have to deal with the actual issue at hoof.”
A sinking feeling on where this was going settled in Cadance’s gut. One that seemed contagious, as both Radiant and Luna appeared to be sharing in the symptoms.
“Friends, we need to focus on the cause of all this. We need to concentrate on the actual problem itself, putting one hundred percent of our effort into catching the one who is responsible for all the suffering we have endured over the past week, and that pony is… Twilight Sparkle.”
He timed the reveal perfectly, waiting for the exact moment when the group’s emotions were the most susceptible to his cause, then dropped the bombshell on them all. They all knew what had occurred; Princess Luna had informed every member of the committee at the start. However, now they had a focus for their ire, now they had something to rally against, a pony to direct their hatred towards. It was much harder to stay unified when the cause of your pain was not responsible for her own actions. With one speech, he had removed that thought from their heads and directed all of their hatred on that pony. Unfortunately, that pony was Cadance's sister-in-law, and she would not stand for Twilight's name to be dragged through the mud like this.
“Enough!” Cadance shouted at the top of her lungs. Anypony who knew her knows Cadance never shouts, she never raises her voice to anypony. That fact alone was enough to quiet the whole room. “Twilight is not responsible for her actions. I WILL NOT have this turn into a witch hunt, yes we need to stop her, however, we also need to bring her back to us.”
Commander Tsunami smiled at her, this was too easy. “Well of course her former foal sitter, sister, and fellow princess would say that. It just goes to show the depth of her treachery.”
“Treachery…” the words stung in her throat, too late Cadance realized she had played right into his hoof.
“Yes dear princess, treachery. Twilight Sparkle destroyed Canterlot, the capital of Equestria for a thousand years. She declared war on all of Equestria by sending her minions to attack a hospital in Manehattan, she is at least partly responsible for cutting Equestria in half, and if that wasn't enough, she beheaded our dear leader, Princess Celestia in cold blood.
Rarity could not take any more of this, she jumped to all four hooves, “Twilight Sparkle would never, and she wasn’t responsible for any of that!”
“Twilight Sparkle is a traitor, a coward and a murderer. I say this to every pony here. Former Princess Twilight Sparkle is a betraying whore who needs to be executed on sight!” Commander Tsunami paused to bask in the cheers and adulation of the assembled ponies. He had won; Twilight had always been a pain in his neck, a constant thorn in his ambitions. Now... now she had given him the perfect opportunity rid Equestria of her forever.
Princess Luna, despite the obvious pain it caused, stood to her full height; she was more than ready to put a stop to all of this. She need not have bothered. A blinding multicolor light filled the room
Before the light had cleared, before anypony could see what had caused it to occur, a loud noise echoed throughout the room, coming from a very familiar voice.
“SAY IT AGAIN!”
No pony spoke, everypony too shocked to say another word. When Luna’s vision finally returned she saw Commander Tsunami forced up against the back wall. He was hanging by his neck with a shocked look on his face. Two golden wings were keeping him in place on the wall several hooves above the ground. Blood was leaking down his neck as the wing’s most prominent feathers cut into either side of his neck. The tips of the wings imbedded into the wall keeping him hanging like a ragdoll. The other ends were attached to a cyan blue mare. If it were not for those wings, Luna would never have recognized the mare. Covered as she was from head to hoof in scars, bleeding from the worst cuts that seemed concentrated around her face. One eye would not open, as her eyelid was too puffy to allow it. Several of her teeth were missing, if Luna had been in a battle, this pony had been on the receiving end of a warzone.
Rainbow Dash leaned in close to her prey and spoke her command one more time, in case he did not hear it. “Say it again.”
“What?” he managed between his struggles to breath.
“What you said earlier, call my wife a traitor, a murderer, and a coward. Call her a whore who needs to be executed on sight”
Wisely, he said nothing; however, the same could not be said for his bladder.
Captain Firestar walked up with the intent of putting a stop to this. “Rai…”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Rainbow's right wing shot out of the wall and directly to her, the tips of her feather coming an inch away from Firestar’s eye. “I am not speaking to anyone else right now, and I will not be interrupted. So sit down and shut up. This piece of filth and I are having a conversation.”
Firestar never had any real love for Commander Tsunami. Every pony who met the stallion, sized him up within five minutes of talking with him. She had tried to come to his rescue out of formal courtesy only. He definitely was not worth getting killed for. Therefore, she sat back down without complaint.
“I will tell you one more time. Say. It. Again.” As her right wing retook its spot on his neck, she removed her hoof. Once again causing him to hang and the blood to resume flowing. Mixing with the blood flowing from Rainbow’s wounds on the ground.
“…”
“Oh, you won’t say it now?”
“…”
“What wrong? Cat got your tongue?” She reached a hoof up and opened his mouth. “Hmm, no, that’s not the case, it’s still in there. Maybe you just lack the balls to say that to me?”
“…”
She reached down and squeezed his testicles, eliciting a loud yelp from Tsunami and a sympathetic moan from every stallion in the room. “That’s not it either; they're still there as well.” To his relief, she let go.
“Well the problem must be a mental one, you seem to have the balls to say stuff like that when nopony around is going to do anything about it, but you lack them when somepony confronts your bullshit head on. Well, if you are not going to use them when it matters, I say you shouldn’t have them at all.”
Princess Cadance turned to Luna, surprised to find a smile on the alicorn’s face. Whatever was about to happen, Luna would do nothing to stop it. Secretly, deep down, in her darker places, Cadance wanted it to happen as well.
With a speed that nopony in the room could hope to follow, Rainbow removed both of her wings and quickly inserted another into the wall before removing it. To the other ponies, it looked as if she had simply removed both wings from the wall. However, when Tsunami fell to the ground, castrated, no pony was in doubt at what Rainbow had done. As he cried out in pain, Rainbow’s voice carried over his, “You better hope that somepony here likes you enough to get you medical attention.”
Princess Cadance did not know if it was due to his attitude, his cutthroat nature to backstab any pony in his way, or the lingering presence of Rainbow Dash in the room. However, nopony so much as got up to help Commander Tsunami. Some actually had smiles on their faces. Apparently, she was not the only one who disliked him so.
Radiant tried to ask a question. “Rainbow…”
A golden wing shot out and stopped in front of the stallion; while the intent to kill was not there, the threat was very real. “The next words I want to hear will tell me what happened to my wife. Anything else and you lose your tongue.” She spoke to everypony in the room.
Lieutenant Blazing Light, second in command of the Wonderbolts, and personal protégé of Tsunami, spoke up. “Are we really going to let one pony threaten everypony in this room?” few doubted just how she had such a high-ranking position in the Wonderbolts. It was an obvious case of Nepotism.
That would be the last sentence she would ever speak. As soon as the last word left her mouth, her tongue went with it. She grabbed at her mouth with a hoof, shock written on her face.
“Don’t worry, it won’t kill you, however, you will never speak out of turn again.” Rainbow spoke. “Now, I will repeat myself one more time, what the buck happened to my wife?” Rainbow began pacing back and forth. Bloody hoof prints left in her steps. It was taking everything she had to avoid passing out, however, this was too important; she wanted... no, needed answers.
“We will tell you, Rainbow.”
Rainbow turned and looked at the black alicorn; Princess Luna was the first to speak. Not wanting any more of these foolish ponies to press Rainbow’s buttons. “Rainbow, Twilight has been possessed by a revenant similar to the Nightmare that possessed us for a thousand years. She is raising an army and seeks our destruction.”
Rainbow paused near the wall, she stood on her hind legs and leaned against it, “Oh,” she replied. “Is that all?” Her wounds finally beat out her endurance and she fainted to the ground. Her wings were finally able to wrap around her and start healing her. As they were no longer being kept taut through her force of will.
Several guards ran up to the golden cocoon, pointing spears at it menacingly. Before one was within striking distance, Luna calmly stated, “If anypony touches her, they will share Commander Tsunami’s fate.”
As every guard paused in their tracks, Luna calmly stood up and walked over to the golden cocoon. She picked it up in her magic and carried it out of the room to the infirmary. Princess Cadance could not help but notice a slight change in Luna’s demeanor. For the first time since Celestia was killed, Luna looked happy. Her final words to the delegation rang out behind her. “Dismissed, same time tomorrow!”
Ataxia stood up and looked around at the ponies leaving the room. Glancing back, she saw that somepony had taken Commander Tsunami out of the room, if that was to a hospital or a morgue she could not say. Ataxia turned and looked at her mother whom had the widest smile on her face and tears falling down her eyes. “What just happened?” Ataxia asked.
“We just found out what’s at the bottom of Pandora’s Box.”
“What’s that?”
“Hope.”
………………………….
Stalliongrad Infirmary, two hours later…
As the golden cocoon retreated, Rainbow slowly regained consciousness. Her first sight was of Princess Luna, singing a soft melody to herself. It sounded lovely; truly, Princess Luna had a singing voice to rival that of Sweetie Belle’s.
“Only know you’ve been high when you’re feeling low”
“Only hate the road when you’re missin’ home”
“Only know you love her when you let her go”
“And you let her go”
The wings retracting interrupted Luna’s singing, much to Rainbow’s chagrin. “Welcome back to us, Rainbow.”
“How long was I gone?”
“Gone or healing?”
“Healing, I know how long I was gone for.”
“You were in a healing state for two hours.”
‘Two hours? It only took an hour to heal after my fight with Cronus… Was I really that bad?’
“Rainbow, if we may ask you a question. How long were you gone for?”
“What? What sort of question is that?”
“Just please, humor us.”
“Thirty minutes, why?”
Luna’s eyes going wide told Rainbow that ‘that’ was not the answer she was expecting. “Rainbow, can you tell us everything you remember? Please, it'll help us fill you in on what has occurred.”
“It was during the fight for Ponyville, that bastard Thanus tried to assassinate Twilight. I gave chase, but he led me on a wild goose hunt through the forest. He was a slippery one, ducking all my attacks by using the trees. I don’t think killing me was his objective, I think his objective was simply to separate me from Twilight, which I'm ashamed to say, he succeeded in doing. By the time I realized it, the Titan was free… It was about to kill Twilight. I. I couldn’t let that happen. I flew to her aid, faster than I have ever flown before. Faster than I think anypony has ever flown before. Every part of me felt like it weighed a ton. I couldn’t keep my eyelids open. Although, I did feel the impact against the Titan, several times in fact.”
Rainbow paused in the telling, the pain of recent events catching up to her. “I cannot say for sure what happened next, but it took me almost thirty minutes to come to a stop. I couldn’t see anything, So I used an old trick Twilight taught me and counted seconds. Eighteen hundred seconds later, I found myself back in Ponyville. Imagine my surprise when it was completely destroyed with a new river running through it, well not completely destroyed, our house was still standing. However, I couldn’t gain access to it. Whatever spell Twilight cast wouldn’t let me in. Since nopony answered my yells, I knew she wouldn’t be in there either, so I went looking for her in Canterlot.”
Rainbow began Laughing, “Boy was I shocked to find it completely burned to the ground, and a creature that could only be some twisted version of my wife standing outside the ruins of Canterlot Palace. I... I couldn’t stop myself, tears began falling uncontrollably. So I left, I know the rule, ‘If Canterlot and Ponyville falls come here.’”
Rainbow’s face converted to one of rage, “When I arrived and heard that maggot talking about Twilight like that…”
Luna placed a hoof on Rainbow stomach, offering her condolences for all the pain she had been through.
“Rainbow, there is something you should know, something that is slightly off with your story.”
Rainbow shot up, grunting in pain as her muscles adjusted to the sudden movement. “I'm not lying!”
“We apologize, we did not call you such, nor did we intend to suggest you were. However, there is one thing you need to know. It has not been thirty minutes, Rainbow. It has been eight weeks.”
Rainbow’s eyes went wide. One look on Luna’s face told the cyan mare that she was not joking. Rainbow lay back down in bed. “Luna, if this is a dream. I would like to wake up now.”
“We wish that was true. Rainbow, we wish more than anything that this was all a dream and that we could wake you and everypony else up from it. Then, maybe, our sister….”
It was Dash’s turn to comfort Luna; she placed one hoof on Luna’s leg in a gesture of solidarity for their shared loss. “I know, at Canterlot, I saw….”
The two shared in a moment of silence at their common loss, it was a moment that was intruded upon several minutes later by a question that Rainbow had floating around her head.
“Luna, how is it possible that I was only gone for thirty minutes yet eight weeks passed for everypony else?”
“Starswirl had a theory once; we think Twilight and Celestia studied it for a while also. Forgive us, we did not pay that much attention, it stated something about time being relative to the object it was affecting and that when one nears the speed of light, for them, time would pass differently. What took the rest of us eight weeks to do, only took you thirty minutes.”
“Wait, Twilight said it was impossible for an object to go the speed of light.”
“We never said you went the speed of light, but we are willing to bet you got close to it. It also explained how you survived hitting the Titan, when your speed increased that drastically, your mass also increased. Rainbow, for thirty minutes, you were near infinite mass. Forgive me, like we said, we do not know the details, only the theory. Celestia would know…” Tears began falling from Luna’s eyes. Sitting up again, Rainbow reached out with a hoof and wiped them away.
“Hey, tell me one thing and be honest. Do you blame Twilight for her death?”
Luna immediately shook her head. Relief flooded over her as she realized that it was the truth, she did not blame Twilight one bit. “We could no more blame her for the actions of that creature then we could blame ourselves for the actions of Nightmare Moon, or Celestia for having to banish us. We… I know her actions are under the influence of this new revenant, they are not her own.”
Relief flooded Rainbow’s face; Luna was sad that she would soon have to destroy that moment of happiness. “Rainbow there is one thing you need to know, Celestia kept this hidden from Twilight until she was ready, but that never happened. We feel you deserve to know the truth though.”
“After everything that has happened, I doubt the news can be that bad.”
As the wheels of fate spun on, a small portion of Chaos’s master invention directed itself at this newest soul to tempt it. “Rainbow, Dayspring Gleam is dead.”
“Oh…” Rainbow lay back down. The news was that bad.
Several more minutes passed in silence as Rainbow lay there contemplating her son’s death. She knew the true impact would come later, it would hurt, she would cry. She may never get over it. However, for now, now she needed another question answered. “How, how did he die?” Dayspring was one of the most talented unicorns in the world; he could not have gone down easy.
“It was Aurora; she was attacked and killed by the Shadowbeings in Ponyville.”
Rainbow shot up, “Aurora’s dead too!!!”
“No, she is alive, a little worse for wear, but please allow us to continue. When Dayspring found her… he did the unthinkable, something nopony has pulled off for several hundred years, he combined several of the ‘darker’ spells into one that pulled out his life force and put it into his sister. Quick action by Celestia stabilized Aurora and Spike was able to get her to a hospital soon after. However, the spells did their job; Dayspring gave his life to save his Sister.”
Rainbow rolled over on the bed facing away from Luna, and asked her final question before succumbing to this new grief. “Luna, can... can I be alone for a while?”
“Of course, we shall return in the morning. However, know this dear Rainbow; you have many friends here for you. Don’t shut yourself off from them. Nopony can carry this grief themselves, you helped us carry ours, and we shall do the same for you.”
“I know, I just need some time.”
“Fare thee well then, we shall return in the morning.”
As Luna left the room, the sounds of Rainbow’s grief followed her hooves out of the room. Thinking quickly, Luna soundproofed the room. As to save Rainbow any embarrassment or interruption in her grieving.
For Rainbow, the next twelve hours were some of the fastest in her life. Her emotions ran the gambit from denial that it had occurred at all, shock that her son knew that many dark spells, and hatred at her son for being so stupid, anger at herself for not being there, for not stopping it. Fear at never seeing him again, and finally, as much as it stunned her to feel this way, pride. Pride that he would go so far to save his sister, pride that he loved her that much. That he would make such a sacrifice for her.
At the twelve-hour mark, Rainbow realized that she did not have to accept his choice. It was his decision, and while she still felt that he was selfish for doing it, she could respect it without accepting it. She supposed, given similar circumstances, if she was in his place. She would not have done anything different.
As Luna walked back in, Rainbow was sitting up in her bed. “Sleep well?” Luna asked.
“Fine, I suppose.” Rainbow countered, the soaking wet pillow at the head of the bed gave truth to the lie that was. Luna let it go, for some, such grief was necessary.
“Rainbow, we know this is sudden, but…”
“This is about Twilight, isn’t it?”
Princess Luna quickly hid her annoyance at being interrupted. “Yes.”
“She'll be coming here, won't she?”
“Yes.”
“She built this place; she designed every defense we have. She will not attack unless she has a winning strategy.”
“We believe that to be true as well.”
“Let me guess, you need someone to keep her busy when the time comes, somepony to fight her face to face, and as I am guessing that is how you got your wounds. You're not up for it.”
Luna was taken aback by that, she had no idea Rainbow was so observant of the small details. ‘Then again, she has been married to Twilight for forty years now. She was bound to pick up something.’
“We know it is unfair to ask this of you Rainbow, but yo-”
“I’ll do it.”
“Rainbow you are the only one… Wait, what?”
“I said I'll do it, if somepony has to fight Twilight, if somepony has to subdue her, it'll be me. I will not let anypony else touch her. However, you need to understand a few things, Luna.”
“What are those?”
“First, I'm doing this to get my wife back, not with the intent to kill her. As such, nopony else is to interfere in any way. I mean that, I don't care what happens. Keep everypony else out of it. Second, if the only way to win is to kill her… I will make that call. Nopony else has ANY say in that. Third, if I have to do that, if I have to sacrifice Twi… You WILL kill me afterwards.”
“Rainbow, but…”
“No buts Luna, These terms are non negotiable. I will not live in a world without her. This is my offer. Take it or leave it.”
“What will we tell your family?”
Rainbow thought about this, “Tell my daughters I love them, and tell them... tell them I died in battle.”
Luna considered this very carefully, “We accept your terms.”
As punctuation on that last remark Rainbow grabbed Luna’s hoof, “Pinkie promise me.”
“Rainbow, Pinkie and Fluttershy are dead.”
Rainbow considered that, however, she had no more tears to cry, no more grief to feel. She shook her head. “No pony breaks a pinkie promise.”
A smile crossed Luna’s face; “Cross our heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in our eye.”
Rainbow smiled back, ‘Now I just have to find a way to keep mine.’ Her thoughts were interrupted by a bat pony opening the door.
“Sorry princess, princess.” He said in turn, as he bowed to Luna and Rainbow. “I have good news.”
“We're in need of such news, please continue.”
“Princess Shimmering Night is awake.”
“Wait. What happened to Night?”
An embarrassed blush crossed Luna’s face, “We shall explain later, c’mon, we know she will want to see you.”
After dismissing the guard the two of them made their way out of Rainbow’s room and down the hall, Night's room was the second to the left. When Rainbow entered the room, she was shocked to see her daughter in such a condition. Night’s wings were strung up on wires, every one of her hooves set in splints, however, it was the surprised look on her face that cause Rainbow to pause. Slowly it turned into a smile as a weak word escaped her lips. “Mom?”
Aurora turned and looked at Rainbow, her expression a mirror image of Night’s; she dropped the spoon she was using to feed her sister. It was quickly forgotten, ”Mommy?”
Rainbow flew up and hugged her daughters for all her worth. Night cried in Rainbow’s chest. It was not due to the pain she felt from the hug, as these were tears of joy.