"Okay Rainbow, I think you have everything you need to deal with Nightmare. Now all we need to do is mentally prepare you."
"What?"
"Keep stress from getting to you and inhibiting you. We need all the assistance possible."
That did kind of explain the out of context claims about peace and zen and all that stuff. After all, we were about 30 minutes away from me getting sent off, and I assumed a zen garden wouldn't hurt. Besides, I've been spending the last 4 days in the medical center keeping all weight off my wing, and I need to burn off some energy. No, not some, A TON. METRIC TON.
After a solid 25 minutes of peaceful ambiance, I felt just about ready to bring some guards back to their senses. As I was walking up to the center of the village, where everyone was to see me off, I felt another rush of adrenaline. Everyone in Equestria is counting on me, I CAN'T FAIL! I could only hope that I could keep contact with Spitfire from about 250-ish miles.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I was flying north-northeast for about 15 minutes, and then I hear some loud crackling in my ear. If it was just a bit louder, I wouldn't be able to respond to Spitfire's "Rainbow, do you read me?"
"Loud and clear, Spitfire. How's it going back in your village?"
"No time for that." Um, OK? "You've got a lunar bogey right behind you!"
I switched the vest over to "lunar mode" and absorbed the magical projectiles he fired at me, before going solar and firing back at him.
"And now you have a thousand or so more, varied in solar and lunar, right in front of you.
Oh, crud, here we go.
Well, to start off this "mission", I guess, there's some divebombing guards who are more concerned about their corruption than my incapacitation. Seriously, the just get in range, let off a few shots, and then fly away. Of course, I'm just like "NOPE!" and absorb their shots, switch to the opposite power, and wreck them with lasers faster then I can say "20% cooler in 10 seconds flat." Really, I checked. After penetrating through a barrier made of clouds, because I was that good at cloud busting at the academy, I see two absolutely MONSTROUS looking mechanical things. How were these made over the course of only two years? Eh, whatevs. I was still able to absolutely destroy them. Granted, I needed to be a little fast on my wings, and I nearly got hit by a few stray bullets. That would happen to me a LOT. But still, gotta remain calm, am I right? Anyhoo, after a few more random corrupted guards, ANOTHER giant robot. This was a solar laser satellite thing, fortunately, the H.N.B. (I'm gonna refer to it as that because it's a lot easier that saying Hamoni No Buki.) was able to take punishment like this, and I got all the sunlight and fired it right back at it.
And then two bigger mechs, one solar and on lunar, started circling me and firing bullets to their sides, but then I noticed: the bullets came from outer turrets. After destroying them, I noticed some harmless drones half my size coming from in between the mechs, trying to inhibit me. I just wrecked them with lasers I acheived from the bullets of my surrounding enemies. After destroying the turret's host and another copy of them, I got a warning from Spitfire.
"Rainbow! A massive enemy is coming. From the database we've created on Nightmare's baddies, we have decided to dub it as "Zettai Bikuta."
AGAIN WITH THAT LANGUAGE?!!? No matter, this guy should be effortle- HOLY SWEET CELESTIA! THAT THING IS HUGE!
"Spitfire, do you think you can provide a bit more information on this thing?"
"Gladly. The Absolute Victor-" Was that translated?"- Is an absolute brute! What it fires can absolutely destroy your weapon, and it has 2 orbiting satellites that fire bullets that are opposite to what it's shooting.
"Oh, pony feathers. I'm nearly dead aren't I?"
"Deal with this bugger and see for yourself."
Alrighty, I thought. How hard can this guy be? Bullet rains, orbiting satellites, and lunar shield apart, this should be easy. Now, this thing looked like a warrior, complete with sword and shield. You'd think I'd need to dodge the sword when he swings it at me? Nope.
After pointing his sword at me like,"You die TONIGHT!" his weapon fired a lot of bullets at me. I was feeling lucky and decided to remain lunar until I destroyed his sword. After he recovered for a few seconds, he busted out a shield that appeared to be lunar, and after anticipating it to charge at me, A.V. sent out an even BIGGER rain of bullets, but they were all lunar. I decided to play it safe this time and absorb all the bullets. After destroying the shield, or busting it apparently, A.V. threw the shield behind him.
And then the chaos began. He just sat there, tanking all my bullets as I unloaded the lasers I achieved from it onto the body, and then hew threw some rattle-looking things.
"Aw, would little baby like some wa-wa-" And that's where the taunting ended." HOLY SWEET EVERYTHING!"
The bombs exploded into massive spread-shots of solar projectiles that I had a bit of trouble avoiding before I transitioned to solar. After going solar, everything just fell into place. After completely disregarding the bullets, it fired its own homing lasers back at me. Of coursed, I absorbed them, went lunar, and fired back. This volley continued for about 20 seconds before he started malfunctioning, and eventually, exploded. His only remnants were the remaining bullets in its unused supply that I swiftly picked up before the satellites got a turn to do me in. And failed at, because you know why.
"Good job, Rainbow," Spitfire announced." You are now approaching what's left of Ponyville after Nightmare turned it into a distopia surrounded by an technological barrier. You're gonna need to infiltrate the nearby weapons bunker to shut the battery down."
"Roger," I responded. I was soon gonna know that bunker was an understatement...