//------------------------------// // Chapter Seventy-eight // Story: Freedom Through Harmony // by Electricut //------------------------------// Chapter Seventy-eight City of Dusk Rainbow Dash I saw her, black cloak fluttering in the dry wind, hovering on fiery wings at the edge of the generator room. Her hood fell once again a moment later, her equally fiery hair falling well past her shoulders, and she dove elbow-first towards the platform to slam my ancestor’s statue back to the ground. “Spitfire!” Gilda and I both exclaimed, though while my voice was filled with relief and wonder, hers basically screamed ‘what the hell do you think you’re doing’. Fluttershy soon added her own rendition of the name, sounding as amazed and disbelieving as I had when I first saw her. Spitfire rolled over the struggling stone body of my ancestor and retrieved her axe, then turned to face the statue. “Agh, what are you doing?!” Gilda barked. “You just couldn’t resist meddling, could you? This is supposed to be my punishment, remember? What are you even doing here?!” As the stone effigy struggled to its feet, Spitfire turned a glance back to me, Gilda and Fluttershy. “You, I’ll deal with later.” She practically growled, addressing Gilda. It seemed like they were moments away from leaping at each other’s throats. “I’m fully aware of what you’ve been doing here, and I’m fairly sure I already advised you against that. Now take the girl and get off of this platform, this is about to get hectic.” “W-wait!” I said, rising shakily to my feet. I was still a bloodied, bruised mess from dueling this rock, but I was able to muster up enough strength to stand. Fluttershy was right by my side a moment later, doing everything she could to help me stay on my feet. “You can’t. This is my battle to fight. I have to fight her alone.” “Again, not quite.” Spitfire corrected. “The ancestors can only be defeated by, and will then impart their strongest skill upon, any and all of their descendants, provided that the chosen hero of their Element of Harmony is among them. However, the hero does not in any way have to go alone if the situation offers otherwise.” My mind was a bit of a slur at the moment, so I had some difficulty piecing together what she was saying. “Alright, but... My brother was the only other person related to me by blood, and he’s... not here.” She raised an eyebrow to me, and after a few moments my own eyes widened in alarm and amazement. “No way...” “You got it, kid. It’s pretty distant, but it turns out we have a common ancestor in this warrior. Funny how life works out that way, isn’t it? So you’re not going to have to fight alone this time. We’ll both use this skill to aid the resistance.” I found enough strength to separate myself from Fluttershy and take a tentative step forward. “Wait, wait... I’m seriously related to the leader of the Wonderbolts?” “Very distantly, but yeah.” She answered, moving her eyes back to the statue. “Now look sharp, kid! Our ancestor isn’t even close to finished yet. Girls, get off the platform before it starts up again-” Before Spitfire was able to finish, the statue leapt angrily at her, and the split stone broadsword collided mightily with her giant battle axe. I turned to the others to make sure they were leaving, and while Gilda was already over the edge, Fluttershy was retrieving something from her pocket. I was about to say something to insist that she leave, but paused when she pulled out what looked like a normal playing card and held it toward the sky. A faint white light shone around me for a moment, then disappeared as quickly as it had come. I was still rather bloody, but the wounds themselves had completely healed. “Part of my ancestor’s gift to me.” She explained quietly. “It’s all gambling based, which I could probably do without... But it comes with a healing spell, so I wouldn’t pick anything else. Now... Just be careful this time, alright? Don’t get yourself almost killed again.” I chuckled slightly, doing my best to laugh it off for her sake. Of course, Spitfire was here now. I had absolutely nothing to worry about. But Fluttershy was still concerned, made even more evident when she embraced me in a tight hug. At first I was a little surprised, but then I smiled fondly and put my free arm around her in turn. I gave her a light pat on the back as reassurance, then regrettably separated myself from her and turned back to my opponent. I trusted that she’d get herself to safety, and launched myself forward on newly energized wings. Spitfire dodged to the side as I approached, sending our ancestor off balance from it’s parry with her, and I was able to rend across its side and skid to a halt behind it. As it turned to face me, Spitfire dove to the ground and swung at its feet, sending it reeling. There was no question about it, the tides of the battle had finally turned. Spitfire and I nodded to each other wordlessly, and launched as one toward the statue. Our combined fighting was like a dream. Both symbolically- since I had wished since I was a young boy to one day fight alongside this great warrior- and literally. Our ancestor didn’t stand a chance. We slashed past each other, flying in deadly arcs around the statue, delivering blow after blow to it and rapidly creating a spiderweb of cracks over the whole surface of the stone. Instinct had practically taken over at this point for me, and most likely for her as well. We both leapt into the air, blades cutting at nothing before us, spinning in sync with stray blue and orange feathers trailing in our wake. We soared into the sky, then spun straight around and came in for a dive bomb on the platform. The very air seemed to bend around us, unable to comprehend or contain the amount of awesomeness that was coursing through this final attack. Though our surroundings continued to zoom by faster and faster, time inexplicably seemed to slow down to a snail’s pace in my mind. Just as my mind was about to come to a complete halt, my ears popped. _____________ Fluttershy Fluttershy watched in wonder from the ground as the battle progressed, Rainbow Dash and Spitfire now on a successful offensive. Fluttershy had also been a fan of the Wonderbolts when she was little, though not nearly as avidly as Rainbow Dash, and knew that Spitfire had supposedly disappeared without a trace. Yet here she was, alive as ever, fighting alongside Rainbow Dash against their common ancestor. Gilda glared up at the battle, clearly mad about something. There was obviously some bad blood between her and Spitfire, but Fluttershy couldn’t guess what could have caused it. Angel stood beside her, eyes wide as the two winged warriors sailed into the sky, then dove down once again. Fluttershy frowned thoughtfully as they approached the makeshift arena again, as the air and light around them seemed to distort to slow their descent. Besides it simply being highly unusual, the picture was strikingly familiar. Then she realized what it was she was remembering: Rainbow Dash preparing for the exact same attack seven years ago, when fighting the owl-man Lucius. She realized what was going to happen next a split second before it happened. It was even more beautiful and explosive than the first time. The Sonic Rainboom, the extremely colorful shattering of the sound barrier, done only once before by Dash himself, though this time was different. It seemed that since Spitfire had done the same, it had made the attack yet more powerful, and the shockwave of rainbow energy seemed to be on fire. As it raced across the sky in every direction, sound and light seemed to distort slightly where it passed, and the sky was alight with every color imaginable. Beside Fluttershy, Gilda swore, more as a statement than an exclamation. “So much for cover. All of Equestria will have seen that in a few minutes. Celestia’s totally gonna know Dash is here, and that you guys are up to something. If I were you I’d seriously hurry up and get home, because she’s not going to wait for you.” Fluttershy swallowed nervously, turning her eyes back to the arena. Gilda was right, and the group had to hurry to get out of this city. The two warriors, now positively glowing with energy, skidded to a halt at opposite sides of the top of the massive generator, though she couldn’t see what had happened to the statue from where she stood. A moment passed in which nothing happened, then the familiar arc of lightning shot forth from the center of the platform and struck both Dash and Spitfire, dispelling their energy immediately. The two began to sway, and Fluttershy’s heart skipped a beat when she realized Dash was about to fall off the edge of the platform, a whole story and a half to the ground. She launched into the air quickly, and was able to reach him before he fell backward, then eased him down to the surface of the platform. She remained where she was for a moment, Dash’s unconscious body sprawled out before her, his head in her hands. You know... He looks so peaceful when he’s sleeping... “Agh, crap!” Gilda exclaimed, flapping up to the platform a moment later with Angel slung under her arm. She dropped him as soon as possible next to Fluttershy, and readied her battle claws. “They’re back. The stupid dark beasts are coming in for another stab at us already, and we’re down a man. We’d better just stay up here until they come to...” Fluttershy looked up sharply, and scrambled to her feet, easing Dash’s head to the ground. Her bow and an arrow were in her hand a moment later when she heard the telltale clangs and bumping around of the shadow creatures approaching from all sides of the generator room. Fluttershy supposed that they would be safe atop the generator until the others woke up and they could make an escape from above, but the thought didn’t make things any less terrifying. Gilda kept her eyes outward, flitting from one exit to another, arms raised slightly in readiness. Angel looked extremely uneasy, and kept his scythe at his side, holding it close to the blade. _______________ Dreamscape Rainbow Dash My eyes cracked open, and I was once again surrounded by the dusty expanse that had been the home for many of my dreams for years, ever since Ultraviolet had first appeared to me after his untimely death. I was already used to the feeling of fatigue that accompanied entrance to this strange realm, so I was able to scramble to my feet feeling as good as ever. I looked around, expecting someone else to be around to greet me, but all I saw was Spitfire getting to her feet, thoroughly disoriented, a few feet away. I moved quickly over to her to check that she was alright, but she waved me aside. “Thanks, kid, but I got it. Now... where are we?” I raised an eyebrow, hardly believing I had been given this opportunity. I knew something my childhood hero didn’t. Now I could explain everything to her and look awesome. “Ah, this is... Dreamscape, I think is what it’s called. Anyway, this is sort of a middle ground between minds, or the living and dead. Our ancestor should be able to come here as she was when she was alive and talk to us, and teach us whatever it is we’re meant to be learning. My... My older brother also uses this place to contact me, since he’s kind of halfway between living and dead.” “Huh, that right... Makes sense, I guess. And, wait, what do you mean ‘halfway between living and dead’? What does that mean?” “I’m... I’m not even positively sure. He was executed by Celestia seven years ago, but came to me in this place shortly afterwards, not knowing what was happening to him any more than I did. Recently, he said that he had become a ‘phantom’, and is still stuck in this world even though he’s dead. He says he figures it’s because he can’t move on until he’s avenged or something, and that he’s allied himself with someone who can see and interact with phantoms to try and get back to Equestria.” Spitfire gave me a slightly skeptical look. It was only when I finally told someone out loud that I realized how strange Ultraviolet’s last update sounded. “I’ll admit, it does seem odd. I didn’t think Phantoms were a thing before, either. But I believe him. I know he’s out there somewhere, still fighting to save Equestria. Even if I know now that I have to say goodbye, and he has to move on... I know that he’s not all the way dead yet.” “Uh... You sure it’s not just a figment of your imagination your subconscious thought up to help you cope with his death?” I blinked. The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. Was I even capable of that? I kind of doubted it. “No, yeah, he’s actually right.” A second female voice stated. I turned, and saw the shadowy figure of our ancestor stalking through the haze towards us. Her sword was visibly strapped to her back, and her wings were folded behind her, though they were about as unkempt as her hair. “His poor bro is stuck halfway between life and death, and will be until his mind can be lain to rest knowing the threat of Celestia has ceased to hang over Equestria. I’d bring him here to show you, and teach him this skill too, but... The way he is right now, that’s not a possibility. There isn’t much growing someone who’s already dead can do. I can’t impart this upon him now, nor can I bring him here at all.” She stepped into view, and I could see that Spitfire was right about her being ancestor to both of us. There was definitely some resemblance that had survived over the years. Her armor and wings were the same sunrise- orange color as her statue’s energy, and her hair was a slightly darker blue than my own wings. “Though it’s not like there’s much to teach you two, either. You went and used the very skill I was going to teach you to kill my statue. All I gotta do now is teach you to be able to use it at will, not just when your adrenaline is running high and you let instinct take over. Anyway, the name’s Firefly.” I raised an eyebrow. “Like the town?” She raised an eyebrow right back. “Town? Wait, you... You mean Celestia actually did that? Man, I didn’t think she was serious when she told me she’d name something after me. Huh. That was nice of her. Won’t stop me from teaching you two how to kill her, but still, nice.” _______________ Fluttershy Fluttershy winced as the creatures continued to pour in, jaws gaping full of pointy teeth, jumping and clawing fruitlessly at the platform, trying desperately to get to the three hiding just out of reach. She wanted to badly to open fire among them and stop their insane charge, but she knew she didn’t have nearly enough arrows to kill them all, and once she ran out, she wouldn’t be able to retrieve them or shoot anything else their way. Gilda’s foot tapped against the ground as she watched them, licking her lips every once in a while. It was obvious she was itching to be rid of them too, or to do anything productive instead of just waiting. Angel had stood from where he crouched at the edge, and was pacing in short little lines nearby. There was something nagging at his mind, Fluttershy could tell, but he had been unresponsive when she asked him about it. She decided to let him think, and knew he’d share with her as soon as he pieced it together. “Gilda...” He started, and she turned to him. “Huh? What do you want? You know, I think this is probably the first thing I’ve even heard you say this whole time...” “Why are you here?” he asked, though not curiously. It was actually more like an accusation. She gave him a bemused smirk. “You forget already? Thought I already told you I’m here for an artifact recovery.” “You haven’t looked for anything since you joined us.” Angel stated. “Have I had a single chance to do that?” she retorted. “We’ve been hounded by dark beasts or waiting on someone to wake up since minute one. You tell me how I’m supposed to look for anything like that.” “You don’t seem like someone who’d help others before yourself.” Angel fought back, clearly driven by his thought. “You just wanted to come because we were going in the same direction, but you’ve just been helping us this whole time. I think you forgot about what you were supposed to be doing and got caught up doing something else, and Spitfire is angry at you for it.” Gilda smirked smugly and put her hands on her hips, careful of her battle claws. “Yeah? Well then, smart guy, enlighten me. What is it you think I’ve been so caught up with? Or have you not gotten that far yet?” Fluttershy wanted to jump in and break up the conflict, to lay into Gilda for speaking so rudely to Angel, but the Scrabbit was not deterred. He took a step forward and tapped his head with one of his tiny, furry fingers. “You said earlier that Lucius was careless, but never said you thought he was wrong, and you knew what he was doing. He was trying to bring Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy into the Order, and I think now you’re trying to do that too. Plus, those two have been acting really weird since we got here, like they really like each other when I know things aren’t actually that serious. Your plan was to somehow mess with their minds and distract them from their mission, then bring them back to the Order like Lucius was going to.” Fluttershy frowned, doubting the conclusion Angel had reached. Even if Gilda had that kind of sway over people’s minds- which if she did, she had failed completely to mention it- would anyone really go as far as to fabricate such strong feelings between two people just to get something they wanted? She was sure that that couldn’t be the case, until Gilda shook her head in slight awe, chuckling quietly to herself. “You’re smarter than you look, kid, you know that?”