//------------------------------//
// A Mare's Scorn 
// Story: CSF: Celestian Special Forces 
// by XeRom 
//------------------------------//

Two days before the Battle for Ponyville....

Rainbow Dash, Shadow and I had moved down to Ponyville three days before, leaving Ember in the care of a member of the Royal Guard. With her in good hooves, Shadow and I could worry about other things. Chief among those the defense of Ponyville. When we arrived, the town was completely abandoned, aside from the Royal Guard walking through the streets along with those ponies that decided to stay behind and help. It was tough going preparing the town for the upcoming invasion, but it had been done above what I had expected. A three meter tall steel wall had been erected to surround the entire town, supported by thick I-beams. About a meter from the top surrounding the entire perimeter was a metal-grated catwalk where members of the Royal Guard were posted around the clock. They were equipped with carbines and short swords. They must have undergone training with them in the past few months, seeing as I've never witnessed them using firearms before. There was only one gate on the ground, and that was on the main road heading in the direction of Canterlot, the opposite direction of the attack. This was reinforced even heavier than the walled perimeter, equipped with a meter thick steel door and several logs as crossbeams. My first impression of it was that the only thing that could possibly move it would be magic. Twilight's library had been made into a temporary base of operations due to its location in the center of town. Inside housed several of the commanders of the Royal Guards, along with Princess Celestia and Luna who were overseeing everything. Along with them were two Diamond Dogs, SilverClaw and the one known as Grim who seemed awkward and out of place around so many ponies. Shadow and I had only spotted Ice and Frost to be in the town among all of the other CSF operatives. The rest would be busy finalizing their own preparations.
Shadow and I had packed heavily for the trip, she brought along one of the buzzsaw’s while I brought a favorite of mine, the PKM. This was one of the weapons I put time into customizing, improving it above and beyond that of the original weapon; due to the fact that I highly enjoyed using it. Along with those, we brought along two HiF-16A4 battle rifles. Rainbow Dash had barely a week to undergo rifle training and was barely getting the hang of it. Her lack of magic made using the weapons more of a challenge, one she was willing to try however. Shadow and I had given her a small sub-machine gun, a Sten Mk. 5, the placement of the magazine would help her get used to holding the weapon. All three of us were equipped with pistols and some sort of close combat weapon. Shadow's being her shotgun and Dash a knife, while I brought along my sword.
As soon as we had arrived in the operations base, we began setting up our own operations in preparation for the battle. Rainbow Dash would stay by either Shadow or I the entire time, more of an observer than a fighter. We would be in command of a small troop of Guards who would be in-charge of guarding the all along the main line of attack. After our briefing, we had been shown our quarters, a makeshift officers barracks inside the library, which was where I found myself now.
I woke up groggily, flying off the top of a bunkbed and landing quietly on the ground below. When I landed I stretched my hooves out and rolled my shoulders, stiff from the night’s sleep. With a yawn, I made my way down the stairs into the main outpost to see several other Guard commanders up and about, working through bundles of papers. SilverClaw and Grim were standing apart in one corner, talking amongst themselves in hushed voices. I ignored them, if they wanted to set themselves apart they were more than welcome, and moved over to a coffee pot and poured myself a cup. With a grateful sip, I turned and to my surprise I saw Rainbow Dash already up and helping around the command room. Trotting over to her, I caught her attention from another Guards. Flying over, she waved a hoof.
"Hey Spade, what can I help you with?" She said a bit cheerily. 
I couldn't help a smile break across my face. "Up early and offering me your help? Where's the real Rainbow Dash and what have you done with her?"
She returned my smile, "Hey that's not funny! I'm just doing all I can to help." She said with contempt. I let out a small laugh.
"Okay, okay. I can see this is important to you. Are you ready?" I asked, growing serious again.
She nodded. "I was born ready. Ponyville is like my second home, I'd do anything to protect it. How about you? Are you-" The last of her sentence was cutoff as her eyes went wide and she stared at something behind me. I turned to see what she was looking at to see a small fissure open in the middle of the room. Nearby officers hurried away, pulling weapons and pointing them in its direction. I cast a glance over to see SilverClaw and Grim tense, their fur on end, but otherwise not moving or doing anything. I had a suspicion of what was about to come and and turned my body fully around, facing the fissure. Both princesses were up, standing near each other several meters from the disturbance. Shadow had finally gotten up and was readying her shotgun. I shot her a glance and shook my head. She looked at the fissure warily but lowered her weapon, slinging it across her back. 
After a few more seconds, a confused looking Zin popped out the hole. Although he was different now. His fur had turned completely black while his marks had changed from blue to white. He stood up from where he was kneeling and looked around the room. Several of the Guards hissed at his appearance, aiming their weapons at him. Princess Celestia stopped them with a raised hoof.
"There will be no need of that, gentlecolts." She said, turning her head to Zin. "Ah Zin. What a pleasant surprise. How did you manage to get here?"
“A rather simple teleportation spell. As to where I was, I’ll keep that my little secret.” His response was smug as his eyes drifted over the room, scanning those around him. After a moment his head drifted over to the two other Diamond Dogs in the corner. “I have some catching up to do. If any of you have questions, seek me out later.” He finished, the arrogance clear in his voice. With that, he walked over to the two in the corner, beginning a hushed conversation with them.
As soon as he had walked off, Celestia called out, "Alright everypony, that's enough excitement for now. Please if you will, get back to your duties." With her announcement finished, she moved back to her sister and they began talking in hushed voices.
The din of voices in the room slowly regained its momentum as ponies got over the initial shock of Zin's sudden appearance. I moved back up the stairs to where Shadow was standing, staring intently over the room at Zin, whose back was to her. "And to think I didn't believe you..." She started as I came up next to her. "Well it looks like you were right, he is back. Although I don't think I'm all that happy to see him, knowing how he came back."
I saddled up next to her, leaning against the railing. "Yeah, I know what you're saying. I don't like it either. There's nothing we can change about it, no matter how much you or I wishes it was different." I said, already knowing what was coming next.
"We could go back in time, you know. Stop him from dying. Both you and I know the spell and how to make it last longer than a few seconds." She said hopelessly.
I sighed and shook my head. "You know that's not the right thing to do. He made this decision on his own, so he's the one who will have to deal with the repercussions."
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "You're right. Again. I just hope whatever comes of it isn't too bad. He did save my life after all." She said, beginning a walk down the stairs. I followed back down the stairs, walking abreast with her. "I wonder how Rainbow Dash is taking it?"
At the mention of her name, I realized that Dash had in-fact been in the room; right next to me. I looked back to the spot where I had been when Zin appeared to see her still standing there. As Shadow and I began to walk up to her, I caught a glimpse of her face. It was full of rage and anger, all of it being directed at Zin. I knew the source of her anger; a day after we arrived in Ponyville, almost by accident, Rainbow Dash overheard a conversation between Princess Luna and I about the situation with Zin. She hadn't taken too kindly to it then and obviously wasn't taking it very well now.
Coming up in front of her, I looked her in the eyes saying soothingly, "Dash, now is not the time for your anger. You must control it. Don't forget all of your training in an instant to satisfy your hatred."
She then directed her anger towards me, "How can you say that when he's in cahoots with him, after all he's done to my friends and I, to all of Equestria!"
Shadow placed an leg across her shoulders. "It's alright Rainbow Dash. None of us like Discord any more than you do, but getting angry at Zin for a mistake he made isn't what we need right now. We need everypony to stay levelheaded for what's coming, not get angry at something there's nothing we can do about."
Rainbow Dash sighed, looking down. "Yeah I guess your right..." She muttered, kicking a hoof against the ground. "I still don't like it though."
I lifted her head with a hoof, "Neither do I kid, but it's something we all have to live with now. He's changed, that much is visible from the way he looks and talks now. I don't know how much of his old self is left, but we can hope it's a good portion."
Dash sighed again. "Yeah..." She picked her head back up, looking at the exit to the library. "I think I'm going to go for a quick flying session, clear my head ya know?"
I smiled and nodded, "I know." Taking my hoof from her shoulder as Shadow moved away, we gave her room and let her through to the door. She left hastily, quickly opening her wings and flying off.
I returned my attention to Shadow who's gaze was once again cast over Zin. "It looks like this is hitting her worse than it is us." I said idly, breaking her gaze off of him.
She nodded. "Of course. I'm sure if any of the others in the six knew they would be hit just as hard. Especially Twilight. They had all gotten to know him and accept him as their friend."
"And again, you are right my dear." I cooed. "But enough of that. I believe it's time to say hello to our old friend." She nodded, starting on her way through the tables and chairs spread about towards the corner that housed Zin, SilverClaw and Grim. I followed close behind, the isles only large enough to admit a single pony through them. 
By the time we had reached them, Zin and the other two had halted their conversation and had turned their attention towards us. I made a short bow, "Well howdy there SilverClaw, Grim. Zin. How are you all finding the accommodations here?"
They both shrugged at nearly the same time, SilverClaw following that up by saying, “Definitely better than a cave.”
“Agreed.” Grim put it, with a brief nod of his head.
Zin, the only who who hadn't talked yet, crossed his arms before speaking, his tone slightly annoyed. “Don’t know if I will have time to get used to them. And don’t think I don’t remember what you did to me, Spade. My brain still hurts from that week long lecture he gave me...”
I shook my head at him, a hint of a smile on my face. "You probably won't. The only few that still like you are standing next to you and with two days left until the attack, I'm sure you'd want to get accustomed to the changes he's made..." I looked at him merrily, "As for that lecture you received on my behalf, I think you deserved it." I let out a small laugh before continuing, "Oh I bet that was fun."
He shook his head back at me, returning the smile saying, “Yes, there is nothing more fun than listening to a lecture about the many theories of why chaos is both good and bad. I bet Twilight, had she not battled him, would be ecstatic.” His eyes went wide for a moment and he smacked a palm against his forehead in dismay. He sighed deeply before saying in depressed tone, “Dash knows and hates me, doesn’t she?”
"Well she certainly doesn't like you. I had to stop her from coming over here and ripping your to pieces. So, no kid, I don't think she's too fond of you at the moment." I said, a little sorry that I had to say it.
“And she loves to hold grudges...” He sighed again, continuing “It will take a lot of work, but I think I might be able to mend our friendship at a later time. For now, I will just try to avoid being too close to her before the battle.”
I shrugged at him trying to be gentle, "After this kid, you probably won't be seeing her all that much, if at all. As being close to her," I let out another small laugh, "I don't think you want to even be close to her during the battle."
“I believe the term for this world is ‘hell hath no fury like a mare’s scorn’, so yes, that would be a good course of action.” He said with a shake of his head, “Life just loves to kick me in the flank...” Raising his arms above him and placing his hands behind his head he continued, “Enough about me. Can you give me a brief description of the defenses?”
Shadow spoke before I could, saying, "You can view most of them by simply going outside. However, what you should know is that now that you're here, you will be playing by our rules and strategies. No lone wolfing, as it were. You'll be placed in a squad just like SilverClaw and Grim have, which will in charge of one part of our flank. You are welcome to whatever bladed or blunt weapons you can find or make yourself. As for where you will be placed along the defenses, that is up to you. Remember, wherever you decided to position yourself, you stay. No leaving the wall and chasing after a chance to get your vengeance." She said, adding the last in a firm tone that signified there was no point arguing with her. 
"Everything she said, along with the fact that those in the squad with you will be an assortment of Royal Guard and Ponyville citizens along with a CSF operative. You are under the direct command of that operative along with the rest of the squad." I added to Shadow's statement, speaking as she had, giving him no room to argue.
He chuckled in response and said, “Now I remember why I didn’t go directly to the military. As for my weapon, I think I will keep that knife and try out a ranged.” I took a breath to speak, but he held a paw up in the air, continuing, “You made it clear last time about firearms. I was going with something more... Primitive. Such as the bow and arrow.” 
I shrugged when he mentioned the bow. "Suit yourself kid, although you'll have to make the bow and the arrows yourself. We don't necessarily keep a ready supply of them as ponies are even less suited to them than a rifle. Now is there anything else I can help you all with?" I finished.
Placing a paw under his chin, he pondered my question a moment before he closed his eyes, brow furrowing in concentration. After a moment small dark wooden box materialized in the air above him, falling down to the ground. As it fell, he snapped out his paws and caught it quickly in the air, bringing it just as quickly to himself. Some note was placed on the top which received a scowl from Zin. Grasping it in his palm, he set it ablaze and said with an angry hiss, “I’m going to kill him if he calls me that one more...”
He opened the lid on the box and inspected its contents, looking slightly more pleased than he had upon seeing what was inside.“Although, he does make a good set of gear...." Taking a wicked looking ancient recurve bow with red highlights along where the wood bent. He slung this across his shoulder and pulled out a rather simply looking quiver, the ends of black-shafted and fletched arrows protruding out of the quiver. He slung the quiver across his back, once done his head snapped up to stare at Shadow and I, seemingly remembering that we were still here.
Straightening himself out and crossing his arms across his chest he said, “He’s not that bad. Only reason I believe the words coming from my mouth is because somepony forced me to listen to his life story.” He cast his gaze from the two of us to just me, to which I returned with an innocent smile. He continued, changing to a less sensitive topic, “If your schedule isn’t too full in the next two days, maybe we could go at it again. Although if you do and you make another crater with my body, I am going to show you what kept me alive in that cave.”
I let out a hearty laugh and shook my head at him, even Shadow giving him a small chuckle. "Oh kid, you jest. I know you have changed, but don't try and intimidate me, it's not becoming of you." I gave myself a moment of thought, going over my schedule for the next few days. I had relatively nothing to do, aside from reports and organization. "I'll tell you what, tomorrow I have most of the afternoon with nothing to do but reports, so if you want to save me from that we could fight then." 
He gave me a small nod, saying, “Just find me when you’re up to it. Before we fight, I want to have a private discussion with you.”
I returned his nod, starting to move away with Shadow. "Sure thing kid. You guys finish catching up, don't stay too long though." I called over my shoulder, walking back through the desks with Shadow. 
"He definitely seems different." She said as we walked.
I gave her a nod. "Yeah. It seems like the Diamond Dog we met what feels like ages ago is starting to disappear. I only hope the changes will be for the better, not the worse." I said as we made our way back up the steps, moving to two desks placed next to each other. I moved to the one on the left and she started towards the one on the right.
"Well..." I sighed, "Better get to work on today's reports. We've got a lot to go over." She nodded, grabbing a pencil as I did the same, writing down everything that had happened today to be delivered to the princesses once they were complete. 

The following morning Shadow and I had gotten up at relatively the same time, moving straight from our beds to our desks, going over everything from scouting reports to the current situation of our food and water supply. It was tedious work, but neither she or I complained as well all knew what was at stake; every little bit helped. 
It was around mid-afternoon when I had finished my reports. Turning to Shadow, I looked at her with an unheard message on my face. She smiled meekly and waved a hoof in the direction of the stairs. "Go on then, I can finish up here." I sighed happily and got up from my seat, moving to the stairs when I heard her call from behind, "Hit him once for me, will you?"
I turned and nodded with a smile. "Of course." I said, turning back around and heading down the stairs. Once at the bottom, I passed a few officers who saluted me as I passed. I was about to head out the door when I heard a rush of air behind me and a heavy panting. Turning my head around, I saw Rainbow Dash panting heavily behind me, hair tousled indicating she had just now gotten out of her bed.
"Spade... Wait..." She panted for a moment, stopping to catch her breath. I did as she asked, turning my whole self around and waited for her to recover. Her panting stopped after a moment and she raised her head to look at me, a determination in her eyes. "I know... I know it's not my place to ask, and I know you're the one supposed to fight, but..." She paused for a breath, "I was wondering if I could fight him instead."
Well, I didn't she know she had this much spite in her. Well, if that is what she wishes, I cannot deny her. With that thought over, I gave her a nod. "If you feel you're ready for it, then you are more than welcome to." Turning back to the door, I motioned with a hoof for her to follow and walked out the door. Once outside, I flapped my wings and took off, hearing her do the same behind me. I hovered in the air, scanning over the encampment in search of Zin. I spotted him outside the fortifications, laying in the center of a small field. I pointed at him, and looked at Dash saying, "There he is. Just follow me and-" I didn't get to to finish as she zoomed past me and raced towards where Zin was laying casually on the ground. Her sudden rush made me jump and I made after her, quickly gaining headway. We were nearly there when I caught up to her and I barely had time to breath in before we were upon him.
Without hesitation, or stopping, she folded her wings tightly against her body and dove straight into Zin, tackling him hard into the ground and sending him skidding across the grass. He seemed to have just have woken up as this caught him totally by surprise. A few meters later he finally came to a halt, groaning at the sudden impact. He stood up, rubbing a paw against the top of his, feeling for a lump. Turning angrily towards Rainbow Dash he hollered, "What'd you do that for?!"
She snorted and pointed a hoof at him. "That, was for signing up with Discord. What's coming next, is for me." She said, equally as angry. Zin gave her a confused look and quickly turned it on me.
"What does she mean by 'next'? I thought we were going to be fighting." He said, just as confused as the look he was giving me.
I laughed awkwardly, rubbing a hoof through my mane. "Well, you see kid, Rainbow Dash here caught me just as I was leaving to come here and asked if she could take my place." I said, giving him an equally awkward smile. "Now, I couldn't rightly refuse her in wanting to take you on, so I said it was alright." I turned and gave Dash a look. "I didn't expect her to attack you just like that though." She turned her head indignantly away from me.
"He got what was comin' to him." She said with a huff. Turning towards Zin, she stomped impatiently at the ground. "I'd like to get this over with as quickly as possible, too many ponies lives are at stake, and I don't have too much time to be doing this."
He crossed his arms and stared across at her angrily. “I know how many lives are at stake, and I know you don’t have much time with your non-stop training. The question is, how do you want me to fight you. All out, as in we can use whatever we want and go as ruthless as we want, save for the killing each other. Or we could let Spade here decide the rules. I would prefer number one, since waking me up has gone and pissed me off.” He said vehemently, unsheathing the knife at his belt and tossing it at the ground, half the blade and the hilt sticking up through the ground. He continued, “And I bet she couldn’t handle me when I’m pissed.”
I could see Dash getting ready for a charge after his last comment, so with my better judgement I flew in-between the two of them before anything worse could happen. I gave them both a look over. "Now Dash, I know you want to get right in there, and Zin, I know you're upset with being woken up so unexpectedly but we can't be clawing at each others throats." I said cautiously, floating gently back to the ground. I face Rainbow Dash for a moment. "Now Dash, I know you hate him right now, but do know that he has changed and is a very powerful fighter." Not waiting for a response, I turned and faced Zin. "And Zin, know that Dash isn't a pushover either. Her training will mean a world of difference." I backed slowly away from the center, heading towards the edge of the field. Once there, I turned to face the two who were already staring each other down again. "Now, I'd say you both are evenly matched, so whatdya say we go all out for this one. Just no major injuries. I don't want to have to expend a large sum of energy fixing you two up."
Unfolding his arms, Zin let them drop to his side, staring down the field at Rainbow Dash. “Spade, after this you and I are having a chat. But for now...” He said as the lower half of his body became consumed in flames of an unnatural white color. “...I have a mare to deal with...” He continued as the upper half of his body followed suit, becoming consumed in the same unnatural flame as the lower half of his body. Extending a paw outwards to her, he said, “Care to dance?” What control he still had on the verge of slipping. I prepared myself for the fight, knowing that whatever did happen, it wasn't going to go well.
Slowly, Rainbow Dash crouched on the ground, entering one of the positions I taught her for fighting. Easing her wings from her side, she slowly flapped them, working the blood into them instead of trying to take off. One of the things I had taught her, that as a pegasus, she didn't have the aid of magic to help her in her fights, which consequently meant she couldn't use her mind to scan for opportunities. The one thing she did have though, was her wings. She was taught to use them as as much of a weapon as her hooves. With the right training, a pegasus could use her wings in an eloquent, yet powerful offensive and defensive tool. 
Zin himself looked to be barely restraining himself from merely rushing at her. Although, at least I thought, from the way the flames consuming his body moved, he seemed agitated and impatient. I called out to Rainbow Dash in my mind, 'Remember your training.' Was all I said. 
Over the silence that pervaded the two of them, the only sounds made were her breathing, and the lick of his flames as they spun through the air around him. Suddenly, I felt a surge of power and air pressure as Zin surged forward across the field, his paws leaving flaming holes where he stepped. He closed the difference between them, bringing an arm up and swiping at her. Zin's paw clipped her across the shoulder as she flew back, causing a slight groan of pain as the fire seared her skin. Without a second thought, she flew straight into the air, high into the cloud layer. 
"What's the matter Rainbow Dash? Are you afraid to fight me on the ground? Are you... Chicken?" Zin called, attempting to chide her into doing something rash. I couldn't see her, but I sensed her somewhere in the clouds above and I silently pleaded with myself that she would not fall for it. 
A few tense seconds passed with nothing happening, Zin staring intently at the clouds, scanning for her. His 'head', if you could still call it that, drew back as if to call another insult. Before he could utter a syllable, dark clouds began forming around the entire field. In a flash, Rainbow Dash flew just out of the center of the storm. "You wanted all out!" She called, "Well you're about to get a taste of it!" Flying straight back up, the clouds shifted as a heavy downpour came upon the field. My mane fell in-front of my eyes for a moment as the rain continued falling. Pushing the hair aside with a hoof, I looked at Zin, the flames having lessened but not gone away. What I saw confused me more than anything, but instead of a dog under the flames, there was nothing. He was a walking fire. 
I looked back up at the clouds, just as Rainbow Dash made a second appearance just below the cloud line. "Is that all you've got?! Did you really think a little bit of water would stop me?!" Zin shouted up at her, a fiery grin crossing his face. 
I could literally feel the hatred emanating from her as she glared down at him. Sticking her tongue out at him, Rainbow Dash flew back through the cloud line, disappearing once again. Zin began pacing back and forth, his eyes stuck on the sky, waiting. A full minute passed with no sound being made aside from the storm raging around me, soon though a whirlwind of air currents began forming in the center of the storm directly above Zin. I saw what she was doing, and it wasn't good. She was going to make a tornado, a very powerful one at that. If we were further away from the fortifications I wouldn't have been as bothered, but being as close as we were it could quickly become dangerous. I started to take off, but I was already too late. She came down from the clouds, spinning faster than the eye could track and leading the tornado to the ground. I knew I should have never taught her that. I flew rapidly towards the tornado, casting a glance down seeing Zin had already been swept up by its currents.
Redoubling my speed, I rushed straight into the tornado, using all of my strength not to be taken haphazardly into its maw. If I could find Dash, I could stop it. The only problem was finding her. At her speed it was nigh on impossible to spot her. The only thing left I could do was search for her with my mind, but even that was difficult with all the energy swelling about. Flying out of the air currents, I went directly into the eye of the storm, hovering there and began to cast my mind outward, searching for both Rainbow Dash and Zin. I found Zin first, still spinning in the heart of the tornado, although it looked like he was managing to avoid any of the life threatening objects. With him found, I began looking for Dash. She was harder to find, but after a good five minutes I found her near to the bottom of the tornado. She was losing speed, fast. Keeping a tornado of this size going was no easy feat and she was beginning to lose control. I darted back through the tornado, heading straight for her. If she lost all her speed at once, the tornado would begin its own path of destruction. At this stage, the only way of keeping it from wreaking havoc was to gradually slow it down.
I came up next to her, matching her speed. Her face was contorted in pain and concentration. Calling out to her with my mind I basically shouted at her, 'Dash! You need to slow down! If you don't you're putting the whole of Ponyville in jeopardy!' Her body jerked at the sudden contact, but she kept going, shaking her head.
"I can't! If I slow down I won't be able to stay with the storm!" I heard her call, faint even though she was right next to me. Knowing what had to be done, I started a connection between her and I and began to lend her some of my energy. At the aid, her face began to ease up. The drop in my own strength was more than I expected, but I had enough energy to keep going.
"There! You have to start slowing down now otherwise we'll lose control soon!" I called over to her, getting a nod in return. She soon dropped behind me, gradually lowering her speed. I did the same, coming beside her once more. Together we gradually slowed down, the tornado following our movements and slowing with us. The drop in my strength made even this difficult for me, and I was struggling to keep a steady pace of deceleration with Rainbow Dash. A few times I was almost knocked out of the sky by a tree, but managed to avoid most of the debris that came my way.
Soon enough, the tornado was slow enough that we could leave it without causing a disaster. "Okay, we're done. I'm going to go fetch Zin, you can get out of here. Meet me on the field." I called over to her, leaving into the center of the tornado and looking around for him. I found him instantly holding on to the side of a tree. There was a sudden shift as the tornado's speed dropped tremendously, becoming nothing more than a strong wind. Just as suddenly as the tornado stopped, that Zin began falling back to the ground. My strength failing, I made one last push towards him, slicing through the air and grabbing him off the tree. The added weight of him made me drop a few meters. Struggling, I slowly lowered him and I to the ground. This took more than double the time it should have, but I didn't care as I felt ready to collapse. The ground was soon close enough where I could drop him without causing harm, which I did. Releasing him from my grasp, he fell the last few meters to the ground. Easing into a glide, I slowly met the ground myself. I fell to a knee, panting heavily. Did she really need that much energy?
I gave myself a moment to rest before shakily getting to all four hooves again. Turning towards where Zin was, I saw him already up, his body having returned to normal. He looked like I felt, cuts and bruises across his body. Looking down, I saw myself in a similar state and chuckled. Just then, the entire storm has begun to quiet down, the rain stopped falling and the only remains where the scattered debris and dark clouds above.
Rainbow Dash flew over to me, landing a few meters from me and refusing to meet my eyes. "Kids...." I grumbled to myself, looking over at Zin and waving a hoof at him. "Zin, could you come over here?"
He acknowledged my call and walked over calmly, seeming to have retaken control of his body. I looked away from him and back at Rainbow Dash, who still held an air of indigence around her although she was giving a steady glare from under her mane towards Zin. Geez, Dash sure can hold a grudge. I only hope I don't ever get far enough on her bad side to make her hate me so. Zin came up a meter to my right, putting the three of us in a triangle.
Rubbing a hoof against my forehead, I looked at Dash. "What am I going to do with you Dash? That stunt could have very well cost several ponies their lives." I said evenly.
"Yeah, but it didn't...." She mumbled, still refusing to meet my gaze.
"Alright, it didn't, but if I hadn't helped it would have. I know your head was in the fight, but even then you have to realize that for every action you make, there is a consequence for it. Every punch requires energy, every buck leaves you open for a counter. Now since this is the first time you've done something like this, I won't be as hard on you." She perked her head up a bit as I said this, almost looking at me. "Even still, I must give you some form of punishment." Instead of looking back down, she puffed up her chest and finally looked at me.
"I'll take anything you've got for me." She said.
I smiled. "Well first things first, I want an apology for Zin." I said, knowing full well what her reaction would be.
She surprised even me however, looking over at him and dipping her head. "Sorry about that Zin, I got a little carried away."
Zin took a few steps towards her and tilted his head from side to side, inspecting her all around. With a paw placed under his chin, he cast a glance at me and said, “Spade, what game are you playing? This can’t be the Dash I grew to care for.” A smile beginning to play across his face as he looked from me to Dash.
I rolled my shoulders, easing some of the tension out of them. "Oh she's just learning Zin. All to the effect of good training." I grinned broadly as she beamed with pride. "And if you couldn't tell, the 'Dash you grew to care for,' is still very much there." I teased.
“I know she’s still there. Only she would stick out her tongue in the midst of combat.” He said, clasping his paws behind his back. “About the fire thing... Something was off this time. I had very little control, which is very different than when I was in the cave.” 
"Well anypony who knew what you were like before coulda' told you that kid." I said, letting out a tired sigh. "Not to bring up a still sore wound, but you wouldn't have lost control like that if you hadn't gone along with Discord's plans."
“He’s going to get a piece of my mind... And maybe a claw or two...” He growled, his tone dark.
I stifled a yawn, looking up to the sky and trying to find the sun. Black clouds surrounded the entire sky from horizon to horizon. "Well that can't be right." I said aloud to nopony in particular.
"What's wrong?" Was the response I got from Rainbow Dash. "Trouble?"
I shook my head. "No, not right now at least. Although... The storm you created has surely abated, but instead all I see are storm clouds for miles and miles." I said, looking around the sky for even the smallest patch of light. "This is either some mishap by the Wonderbolts, or something bad is going to be happening soon."
“The Wonderbolts don’t make mistakes, and if I’m correct, pegasi are in control of the weather. Something’s off...” I heard Zin call from behind me.
"They are, but since Ponyville was evacuated, along with their other duties, the 
Wonderbolts have been put in charge of the weather with the remaining pegasi to help. Something is off, and I can't help but feel as if it's those friends of yours." I said, pulling my eyes off the sky and returning them to Rainbow Dash and Zin.
“That is likely. Her power is less restricted... Maybe it wasn’t Discord after all...” He said, deep in thought.
"Possibly, but I don't think so." I said, turning to Dash. "Now, as for the rest of your punishment, you'll be confined to the command center until the battle."
"What?! What about training or helping around with the defenses?" She gasped, looking at me in alarm.
"Training for a two days isn't going to help you much and you've done enough to help around as it is. Think of this as a two day vacation." I said cheerily.
"Yeah, a vacation where I can't do anything." She grumbled.
"You could have had it a lot worse kid. Now back to Ponyville with you." I said, shooing her away with a hoof. With an unintelligible grumble, she took off with a few flaps of her wings and flew straight for Ponyville. Once she was gone, I turned towards Zin. "Now what was it that y'all wanted to talk to me about?" 
“I have unfinished business in my world. It’s not nice when your friends are all depressed because they think you are dead when in reality an asshole took you from them. And I know you can hear me Discord.” He said, just as a rock floated from behind him and hit him in the back of the head.  “Like I said. Asshole.” He finished with contempt. 
I let out a small bark of laughter. "Oh I'd love it if he tried that with me." I waited a moment and when nothing happened I continued, "Anyway, how long will this 'business' of yours take to finish?"
“I don’t know. I’m going to have to deal with a few people who think I am dead, and find a way to explain that I can’t stay. Shouldn’t be too hard, right?” He said, his voice with a hint of sadness. 
"I think you'll find a way to put it kid. You could stay, though you'd miss one hell of a fight." I said, trying to pick his spirits up.
A smirk crossed his face as he said, “And let you get a higher kill score than me? In your dreams!”
I shook my head at him, a few stray droplets of water flying out of my mane. "'A higher kill score' is not how I would put it. The fate of all of Equestria is at hand." I said seriously, to which he responded with a nod. I let a small grin cross my face as I continued, "Although, I don't think your 'kill score' will be able to keep up with mine."
He crossed his arms defiantly across his chest as he spoke. “I’ll take that as a challenge, if I make it back in time. I just have this bad feeling that something is happening back at home, and I’d like to see if my suspicions are true.”
"I take it you'll see soon enough. I also take that you won't need any help getting there, or are you not familiar with that spell in your vast knowledge of them?" I replied.
“No, I got it.” He said, before he changed form back into his human self. “At least, I think I do.” He finished, slightly uncertain.
"Well, if you got it, then go ahead." I said.
With a flair, he outstretched his arms, holding his palms outwards as he began to work a spell on himself. Opening before him was a small white portal to which he walked through. As soon as he entered, the gateway closed in on itself, disappearing from sight and leaving a small charred patch of grass where it had been. Once it was gone, I turned away, trotting for a few steps before opening my wings and rising into the air. 
I looked around again to see if I could find a nice cloud to nap on, but not to my surprise that I didn’t find any. With an inward shrug, I tilted my wings and changed direction towards Ponyville, ready for a long nap. As I was flying I snickered to myself after the thought crossed my mind, knowing that when I got back the last thing I would be doing was napping.
Wait, I thought to myself stopping dead in the air. The thought crossed through my mind to do something more productive, something that could further what ponies know about humans. I almost dismissed the thought, but going deeper into it I finally convinced myself to go along with it. I'm sure I can make up an excuse for going. The paperwork won't miss me, right? Turning around in the air, I raced back to the spot where Zin had teleported from, smoke still pluming from the grass. With no gear, I would have to be extra cautious in Zin's world. 
With a rush, I landed next to the burnt grass and quickly searched for the traces to Zin's magic. Luckily for me, the spell he used left such a big trace it would be no problem teleporting to where he is. Taking a deep breath, I mustered a small reserve of strength I had and worked it into my spell. I think you should help too Zin seeing as I saved you just a few minutes ago, I thought, following his aura through space to where he was now. I discretely used a small amount of his own energy, sure to avoid touching his mind or giving him an indication of what was going to happen. 
Sparks erupting from my horn, I concentrated on my magic. Instead of opening a portal like Zin had which would be visible from the place I'm going, I merely transported myself through space to where he was. The room he was in was some sort of basement, in a house in a very urban looking area. With the area picked out, I finished off the spell, the strength I had taken from Zin and a good portion of what reserves I had gone in an instant as the spell took effect. I worked it so I would come up around a meter behind Zin, my vision going black as I teleported through space onto a completely different world.