Spitfire wiped a bead of sweat that ran down from under her helmet, leaving a streak through the grime that had settled in her fur. The shade of the scattered trees in the oasis provided little comfort from the rapidly increasing temperatures; but a few degrees was better than nothing. She had called the group to a halt when the advance team had reported the small pool of water. Once she had confirmed its location, Spitfire decided to have the group there rest for several minutes to replenish water and recover their energy. She glanced over to Rainbow Dash, who was already asleep under a small palm tree. The torture she had endured kept them grounded, slowing return time significantly. The burn marks that still marked the fur around her hooves were enough for Spitfire to make that decision. The amount of damage to leave that much scarring could have easily have harmed the mare's wings. She couldn't risk having Rainbow Dash fall out of the sky, not after the soldiers they had lost.
Spitfire looked to the remaining Knights. They had been hit the hardest, and had the fresh wounds to prove it. Most had bandages showing through gashes in their armor, still stained red with blood. The few who had been lucky enough to remain mostly unharmed remained vigilant, providing perimeter watch. As much as she hated their cockiness, they were damn good soldiers. She didn't want to imagine what would have happened without them.
Her gaze carried her over to Surprise. The golden-maned pegasus was relatively uninjured. Somehow, she'd managed to get out of the torture Rainbow had endured, as well as the cruelty of her captors in general. Besides a dirty mane and some small scratches, she seemed fine. It was a relief to have her back. Most of the team had thought her dead after her disappearance. Fleetfoot had taken it especially hard; once they linked up with the air assault team behind the wall, the reunion was sure to be spectacular. Spitfire cracked a slight smile as she imagined the antics that would ensue as the duo made up for the lost time. Surely it would help the team forget the madness and carnage of the past weeks.
A glimpse of black against the cloudless sky caught her eye as she continued looking over the remaining soldiers. She paused, squinting to try and pick out what it was. It steadily grew bigger, slowly forming into the rough outline of a pegasus. She scrambled to her hooves, just as the pony dropped from the sky.
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Wingstream grunted in pain as he hit the burning desert sand. His vision swam as he struggled to maintain consciousness, blood still running from his wounds. Using a wing to keep pressure on the deep gash in his chest, he stumbled to his feet, legs shaking. One step at a time he moved eastward. He saw where they had stopped. They were just ahead, within minutes distance. He just had to reach them, to reach her...
Wingstream collapsed face first, sand stinging where it met torn flesh. His vision grew darker rapidly, even as he tried to crawl towards the Equestrian soldiers. A tear rolled down his face as the last of his energy faded away, and the world went black.
He awoke on a beach. Confused, he spun around, trying to gain some sort of bearings. Then he saw it. His foalhood home, standing just by the cliff line. Had all of that been a dream? This seemed real enough-
Wingstream's thought were cut off as the first flickers of black licked along the sides of his old home. They steadily grew, dark flames growing around the horizon, rapidly engulfing the world. As the inferno grew, the air around him turned cold, the waves turning to ice and each breath tuning to steam in the air. Frantically, he tried to escape, but found he could not move. Tears formed in his skin, crimson blood spewing over the frozen sands, staining them bright red. Agony seared through his body, driving him to the ground. The flames grew closer; but just as it threatened to take him, the fire stopped. With a gust of air, it vanished, leaving the Princess of the Night in its wake.
"Wingstream. You have repented of your treachery and redeemed yourself. Your actions were noble, those of a true Equestrian Guard. However, it is time for your strife to end. Rest now, young warrior. Be at peace." Her horn flared dark blue as she closed her eyes.
"Wait, Princess Luna! I said the past was dead! The life I lead under his service is gone! I can't go, not like this. I have something I need to do first! I can't die like this!" He pounded his hoof against the shore, mustering his strength against the pain. "Not like this damn it! Not like this!" Again he struck the ground, this time, the air around him grew warmer. Luna's eyes opened in shock, but also with a glimmer of hope.
"Come on Wing! Not going out now!" He put his second hoof down, pushing against the ground. "Not going like this! I won't go like this!" He pulled his back legs up, legs wobbling as he tried to stand. "COME ON DAMN IT! NOT RIGHT NOW!" He stood up, and the world around him collapsed.
Wingstream gasped as he awoke back on the desert ground. He saw the hazy outline of several Equestrians running towards him. He rolled onto his back, ready to accept his fate. He had gotten close, but there was little chance they would spare him; his armor was enough to show whose side he had been on. Wingstream's vision faded for a second, then returned. They had gotten closer, enough for him to pick out some blurred colors. . The first one, a bright gold, slid to a stop beside him.
"What the hell? What kind of armor is-hey buddy, stay with me! LIGHTNING, GET YOUR MEDIC KIT OVER HERE NOW! Come on, stay with me!" Sharp pressure on his chest wound jolted him back awake. His eyes snapped open to several Equestrians around him. One tried to hold a makeshift bandage in place, while the gold one held his head, trying to keep him conscious.
Despite their effort, Wingstream felt his strength fading. Each breath became more of a struggle. Dull pain clouded his mind, threatening to pull him back under. He grabbed the gold one's foreleg and pulled her down.
"Get...get Rainbow. Please." Wingstream let go, falling back down against the sand. The gold Equestrian's eyes widened for a second, then she flew away. It was mere seconds later he heard the crunch of hooves impacting heavily.
"Oh sweet Celestia, Wingstream!" Rainbow Dash's voice caught his attention. He felt a tender hoof hold his head up, and opened his eyes to see her worried gaze, tears creeping at the corners of her eyes.
"Rainbow," he said, just managing to speak above a whisper. "I'm...I'm sorry...sorry for...for everything."
"Wing, don't talk like that! You're gonna make it out of here. They're gonna heal you, then we're going to walk back to safety!"
"Rainbow-"
"No! You have to make it back! You can't die now! Just hold on, okay?! Just a little-"
"Rainbow." He grabbed her hoof, eyes watering. "There's nothing...nothing you can do. Don't worry. Just please....just hold me now. Just this once."
"Wingstream." She choked on her sobs, tears flowing freely down her cheeks, landing with soft plinks on his torn armor. "Please don't go."
"It's...it's already too late. These wounds...I'm already gone. But don't worry. Just...make it back, for me. I'm sorry...Rainbow. Don't...forget-"
He opened his eyes, immediately greeted by the Luna. This time, there was no fire. There was no blood, no painful wounds. No more fear and sorrow. He smiled as he stepped closer to her.
"Are you ready to go, young warrior?"
Wingstream paused for a minute, looking back to a small black speck in the distance. He had finally made things right. Not only had he redeemed himself, he had saved his friend. The price was high, but he knew that he had made the right choice. His fight was finished. Turning back, it was as if the sun had risen. An eldritch light shone from behind the Princess of the Night, filling the space around him with yellow beams. He smiled, as warm as the light that danced across his fur.
"Yeah, I'm ready."
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"Wingstream? Wingstream? WINGSTREAM!" Rainbow Dash clutched his body, sobbing into his armored chest. She rocked gently, cradling him in her hooves.
Lightning Streak slammed her kit against the ground, before gathering it back up and walking back to the camp.
Spitfire sat back roughly, and exhaled a defeated sigh. She stared blankly at the grieving mare for a minute, before getting up and walking back to camp.
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Spitfire shook her head lightly, ignoring the concerned look of several of the Wonderbolts. She didn't know the connection between Rainbow Dash and the fallen pegasus, but he was still an Equestrian soldier. Rainbow's grief allowed for her to assume that he had been a prisoner, maybe a friend. Either way, it was enough to make her feel a tinge of guilt for her failure to save him. But this was a war, and loss was all around her. All she had to do was force it back down. She'd managed to do it with Surprise after her disappearance, after telling Soarin of Rainbow's disappearance as well. This would just be another memory to cover up.
She was so caught up in her own thoughts that he barely noticed one of the Knights running up behind her. Looking back almost absentmindedly, she spoke with almost a flat whisper.
"What is it, soldier?"
"Ma'am, our western sentry reported sight of movement just a minute ago. It's them. They've caught up to us."
Her eyes widened as he calmly relayed his report. The changelings had probably followed the pegasus to them. There was little time to attempt anything.
"Tell everypony to pack it up! We gotta get the hell out of here now!" Spitfire weaved her way through the ponies, quickly retracing her steps. She slid alongside the still-sobbing Rainbow Dash, wrapping a wing around the cyan mare and pulling her away from Wingstream's body.
"SPITFIRE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Rainbow struggled against the Wonderbolt Captain's grip, but Spitfire held firm as she pulled her back to camp.
"The bugs found us. We're moving now!"
"We can't just leave him there!"
"We have no choice. They're too close for us to do anything now."
"He saved my life! I can't just-"
Rainbow Dash was cut off by a slap across her cheek. Spitfire stared coldly into her eyes, maintaining a stern gaze.
"He's dead. If we don't leave soon, you will be as well. We have to get you back alive. Soarin still needs you. Now snap out of it and get moving! That's an order!" She ran towards the camp, no longer having to drag Rainbow with her. As she donned her sword, Spitfire was pulled aside by the commander of the Knights.
"Ma'am, there's a lot of them, and we're running out of time. Take the objectives, and get them out. My soldiers will cover for you."
"What?! No! You're coming with us."
"There is no time! Take them, now! It was an honor to serve alongside you." He tipped his helmet slightly, then ran towards the group of Knights, forming them into a line. Spitfire tore her eyes away, running to gather those still under her command.
Within minutes the task force had fled out of sight of the camp, hidden by the numerous dunes. Sounds of battle drifted across the sands, explosions mingling with the sound of metal clashing. At last they ceased, the fall of the Royal Knight Commandos buying precious time for the group under Spitfire to flee.
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The sun was setting by the time the group halted once more. They took shelter in a cratered ruin of one of the old Equestrian border forts. Rainbow Dash say silently along the scarred walls, looking grimly at broken scraps of armor and dried bloodstains scattered about. It reminded her too much of the fort where Soarin was deployed. Too many bad memories that didn't need to resurface, not with the fresh pain of Wingstream's death. She sat by one of the small campfires alone, content with watching the remaining Nightguard move to their sentry positions. Most of the Wonderbolts and Equestrian Guard detachment had already fallen asleep, leaving her to her thoughts.
She'd lost track of the days since her capture. The nights of torture had blended into one long nightmare, broken only by her sole dream meeting with Soarin. Luna's intervention had been sorely missed in the time that had followed. But now she was free, with only a few days travel at most separating her from safety and from Soarin. If only she could fly.
Dash stretched her wing as far as they could extend, pulling them back once she reached half of her normal wingspan. Her wing muscles were undoubtedly damaged, unable to extend as shocks sent the muscles into spasms. There was no chance she would fly on the return home. She rubbed her wing joints with her hoof, pausing to look down at the still-burnt flesh. The pain had mostly stopped, but the scarring was going to be there for a long time, if not permanently. But what would Soarin think? He had no idea what had happened to her. Would he still be interested in her now that she was visibly scarred?
"I don't think he'll like ya any less, if that's whatcha asking.'" Rainbow Dash jumped at Spitfire's voice behind her.
"What? How did you...?"
"You should really try to not think out loud."
"Oh. Sorry." She paused for a second before continuing. "What did you mean by that?"
"Plain and simple. I know Soarin from ages ago. I'll go ahead and tell you he didn't go and fall for you just for your looks alone. He cares more about personality than anything else. You got nothing to worry about."
"I know, but how do you think he'll react? I'm nothing like I used to be. He loved the old me, but what about now?"
"Rainbow, Soarin's better than that. I can't pretend to know what you went through; but he will be right there with you. You may be the Element of Loyalty, but I'll be damned if he isn't the runner up. Soar will be worried, but he won't leave."
Rainbow scuffed her hoof along the ground lightly, slowly digging a shallow trench in the dirt. "I shouldn't doubt him. It's just...that pegasi back there, Wingstream. He was a friend from my foalhood, and he was working with them. And he was one of the most dedicated ponies I knew. I guess I've just grown weary of other ponies."
"That's understandable. But this isn't a friend from way back we're talking about here. He's your coltfriend. I can easily tell you that's not something he takes lightly. You got yourself a hell of a stallion. Don't worry. He'll be there for you. Now get some sleep." Spitfire stood up, patting Rainbow's shoulder with her wing lightly as she walked off.
Rainbow Dash stretched out across the hard dirt. Activity ceased across the fort as campfires were put out and sentries finalized their positions. Blasts echoed across the dunes from distant battles, while multicolored flashes illuminated the horizon. She curled up as tightly as she could, and slowly drifted to sleep.
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"Don't think you're safe, Element of Loyalty!"
Rainbow Dash awoke with a gasp, nearly punching the concerned Nightguard shaking her awake.
"Ma'am? Is everything alright?"
She paused for a moment, catching her breath. Her fur was damp with a cold sweat, and her head pounded. Rubbing her eyes, she slowly nodded.
"Just a nightmare. No worries."
"Alright ma'am. Can I get you anything?"
"No, I-I think I'm good. And please, drop the ma'am. Rainbow is fine."
"Yes ma'am-I mean yes Rainbow. If you do require anything, my post is just at the gate."
"Yeah, got it." She acted as if yawning, waiting for the guard to leave before immediately sighing, frustrated. He still haunted her dreams. It was going to be a long, sleepless night...
One by one, the Wonderbolts near her awoke, each jolting back to consciousness with fear on their face. Picking up on individual conversations, each had heard the same message, only the voice said their name. As the confusion only increased with each passing moment, a large blast resonated from deeper within the fort. The taskforce immediately grew silent for a split second, before scrambling to grab their armor and gear.
Solid thumps resonated from the ruins of an old barracks. The Nightguard and Wonderbolts formed a defensive line, with several more taking to the sky. They shuffled nervously as the sounds continued, each one growing steadily louder. Suddenly the noise stopped, then the wall of the barracks glowed a slight red. It exploded outward, pelting the line with bits of wood and stone. Dash ducked behind a stone slab off to the side, peeking out at as the Equestrians recovered and drew their swords
A trio armored figures strode out of the ruin, heads held high in a display of arrogance. Each was a unicorn, horns alight with red. They stood in a line, watching the group silently. Rainbow stayed hidden behind the stone, looking out just enough to see what was happening. A small movement caught her eye, and she moved out a few more inches to see the middle one staring directly at her. Its horn lit up, and the world went white.
"Rainbow! Rainbow! Wake up dammit!" Dash opened her eyes weakly. Spitfire was shaking her awake, yelling inches away from her face. She pulled herself back up, immediately ducking as an explosion landed near her.
"Come on, we gotta move! They're tearing us a new one!" Spitfire pulled her back up, and began half-dragging her as she ran to the gate. Arcs of magic cut through the air around them, exploding upon contact with walls and ponies alike. "Keep moving! We're almost there! Just get through-"
Spitfire was cut off as a shot landed behind them, the explosion launching both forward. A sharp pain lanced across Dash's flank, only stinging more as she involuntarily rolled across the ground. Once again she got back up, stumbling towards the gate. Several more shots landed around her, none landing close enough for considerable effect. She sped up the best she could, before diving out of the fort behind the safety of the walls.
She paused for a moment, allowing herself to catch her breath as the sounds of combat faded away. Looking around, she suddenly realized that she was the only one outside. There were no hoofprints to account for any of the Equestrians. Perhaps the others had flown out? Or maybe they had killed the three Iron Guard? Either way, she couldn't manage the desert by herself, not without a guide. She dared to peek around the corner, staring into the smoke-filled courtyard. Several silhouettes were sprawled near the entrance; their pointed armor delineating them as Nightguard. But there remained no sign of the Wonderbolts or the Iron Guard. A flash of red sent her sprawling back into cover, but it never impacted near her. Seconds later, the sound of metal on metal rang from the entrance, followed by a sickening squelch and the heavy thud of an armored body hitting the ground. She took a second before looking into the gate again. While she peered into the haze, she didn't hear the soft steps behind her...
A touch on her shoulder sent her spinning around, her hoof making contact with another Pegasus' nose. The pegasus sprawled in the sand, cursing in a familiar voice.
"MOTHERFUCK!" Fleetfoot shouted as she held her hoof against her bloody nose. "What the hell was that for?!"
"Fleetfoot?" Rainbow's eyes widened as she realized the Pegasus rising to her hooves in front of her.
"I save your ass and that's all I get? A punch in the face and a 'Fleetfoot'? Thanks a lot pal."
"I'm so sorry Fleetfoot it's just that I thought you were one of them and sure as hell wasn't going back..." Dash trailed off as the ice blue mare's glare grew into a grin.
"Hey, no need to explain yourself. It's alright; I'd have done the same thing. That was my bad for sneakin' up on ya. Now c'mon, we already got the rest of you hoofsloggers at a rally point. We'll meet up there, then carry on."
"Alright-wait, who's we? The Wonderbolts were with me in the fort."
"It's just the Rapidfire and the Nightguard that had been assigned to us. I couldn't get any of those Special Forces guys to tag along, but you'll be fine."
Dash limped behind Fleetfoot silently. She tried to avoid conversation as much as possible, instead choosing to sort through her own thoughts. How had Solar Flare known their location? How had his soldiers known where to hide? Something was not adding up, and she didn't want to be the cause of more deaths.
The rally point was relatively close to the old fort. Still, it took nearly fifteen minutes for her to make it inside the perimeter. The soreness in her wounds only grew with each forced sprint, resulting in an ever-slowing pace. She checked in with a grim-faced Spitfire; curious, she walked a short distance away once dismissed, listening closely as the captain pulled her officers aside.
"Guys, we got a problem. That last attack ended up with us retreating before we could grab our provisions. We're nearly out of water and food. It's another two days in the desert at our current pace; I think we could make it, but only just. If you have any suggestions, let me know now."
"Could we send a small team back into the fort, get what we can?" Dash picked out Blaze's voice among the mutters of the other squad leaders. "I know that Fleet's bunch took care of two of those bastards. We could avoid the last one, and make it out fine."
"I already thought about that, and I don't want to risk anymore lives. We've lost a lot of good soldiers getting this far; I don't want to send more to their deaths needlessly."
"Well ma'am," Wave Chill started, “how about we have an outer ring of scouts patrolling for more oasis's along our general route? We'd have a chance to get water at least, and still stay on the move."
"Provided we don't get caught again," Rapidfire quipped. "You saw the price last time."
"Hey, I'm just offering up an idea. If you want to go two days in this heat with no supplies, be my guest."
"Honestly, I think putting scouts in a perimeter only increases our chance of getting caught." All the Wonderbolts heads turned as a Nightguard walked up to the circle. "What happened back there only shows that they still got patrols. We can't take another hit like that. I recognize that we are here to guard you guys, but our casualties have been extensive."
"She makes a point." Blaze nodded towards the batpony's direction. "If we can't get our old supplies, but can still make it to the wall, I say go for it. Let's just ration what we got, and tough it out."
"What about the objectives?" Wave Chill once again stepped forward. "You want them to tough it out?"
"Look, the sooner we're back, the better. If that means goin' through a rough two days, so be it."
"Then let's see you give up your rations first then." Wave Chill stood inches from the smaller mare. "If the can tough it out, so can you."
"Alrig-"
"Everybody that's enough!" Spitfire’s voice immediately brought all the pegasi around her back to their positions. "I've thought this over, and we can make it. The risk of an attack just isn't worth the supplies. We'll make it. Just make sure to spread thing out as much as possible. Remember, the objectives get priority. Now inform your teams. We move out in five."
Rainbow Dash scrambled up, stepping out of the way of an angrily mumbling Wave Chill. While she saw the reason for Spitfire's decision, it was still going to be no less difficult. As the remaining soldiers rose, she mentally prepared herself for the long journey ahead.
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Exhaustion clouded her mind, leaving her stumbling across the sand. The rest of the task force fared no better. While the previous two days had passed with no further incident, Solar Flare's constant intrusions into their dreams left each pony physically and mentally drained. The lack of provisions only intensified the harshness of their march. Lack of water left Rainbow's throat dry, which only intensified as the sun's heat beat down on her. She glance ahead to the Spitfire, who trudged ahead of the column. The Wonderbolt captain had said they were near to the front lines, and that it was only a matter of time. But as she struggled up yet another sand dune, she felt as if that was just a story to keep hopes up.
Spitfire's posture suddenly changed as she reached the crest of the dune. Rainbow caught a slight increase in pace, along with a slight relaxation in the captain's shoulders. Spitfire disappeared over the edge, then ran back, smiling widely.
"We're here!"
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Soarin swore as he dropped the small cloth that he had been carefully polishing his helmet with. Shaking his head, he picked it up off the ground, dusting it off before returning to his work. The anxiety had started once Spitfire had flown over the wall, and only increased from there. He had kept himself busy, but he was still forced to wait. A sudden increase of commotion caught his attention. He set down his helmet, slightly jogging to where Guardponies were gathering near one of the gates. He felt his hopes rise as he neared the crowd, craning his neck to see if the task force had already made it inside; to see if she had already made it inside. Soarin frowned slightly once he saw the gates were still closed, but continued to weave through the crowd until he reached the front.
With a dull groan, the gates began to open. Slowly, Soarin caught sight of the haggard survivors of the task force. He didn't wait, instead moving in between each soldier. As he neared the end of the column, he only grew more anxious. He weaved his way closer, picking up his pace with each step. His heart beat faster as he moved closer. Nervousness continued to build to almost overwhelming levels. But as he reached the end of the column, there she was.
Rainbow Dash stopped in her tracks. She felt a lump in her throat rise with the storm of emotions that threatened to engulf her. Relief, joy, and exhaustion all merged into one as she stared into his eyes, unable to speak or move.
Soarin stepped closer, looking her over as he did. She was covered in burns, cuts, and dirt. Her typical confident posture was replaced by slouched shoulders and an exhausted expression. Her cocky grin was replaced by one that carried a defeated air with it. But she was here.
Dash felt a tear roll down her face. She choked out a sob of relief, a small smile forming. She had made it. They were together again, both safe behind the wall. She took a step forward, and everything went black.