"GAH! Stop yanking on my mane like that!"
"Well if ya would sit still fer two seconds...stop moving!"
Scootaloo sighed with a shake of her head as Belle and Bloom continued to snarl at each other, the latter trying to apply an agent to Belle's horn that would help to keep the attachment on her head. However, some of the material had gotten into Belle's mane and now bits of her mane were stuck to Bloom's hooves. 'I hope Rogers comes to get us soon. I'm sick of hearing these two argue,' Scootaloo thought as she glanced around the secret laboratory.
In a matter of days, Applebloom had turned the dust filled chamber into her own personal workshop, allowing her to work five times faster on her inventions than she had previously been able to do. 'Including these bad boys,' Scootaloo praised as she flapped her sleeker and far more maneuverable wings, but the smile fell when the shouting resumed again. 'I just wish she could invent something that would get the two of them to stop fighting.'
"And...done!" Bloom cried with pride as she leapt back and held a hoof out to Belle, who grumbled under her breath with eyes gazing at the torn out pieces of her mane that lay in clumps on the floor. Yet with a glance at Scootaloo, who was gazing at her head, Belle followed her friend's gaze to what now rested on her head. "Ah give ya yer new horn!"
The horn was made of multiple crystals that had been combined with an expert's precision, while a mystical gem rested in the center of all of the crystals to help aid it in channeling the magical transfer. Sweetie Belle tilted her head from side to side, getting used to the weight of the new horn.
"It's...heavier than my horn was," Sweetie Belle pointed out.
"Of course it is. It's made of crystal after all," Applebloom pointed out before taking an empty beaker off of one of the racks and placing it upon a table in front of the mare. "Now then, fer the final test. Think ya can channel yer magic into that new horn and destroy this?" Belle's eyes narrowed as she concentrated, focusing all of her efforts into blasting the beaker. A flash of white magic burst forth from the tip of the crystal, shattering the beaker upon impact and causing glass to fly across the room.
"It works!" Bloom cried in triumph after Scootaloo got off of her, sighing with a shake of her head as she glanced at all the glass that had narrowly missed the mare. Bloom shot to her hooves and raced past Scootaloo, who rolled her eyes at the lack of thanks for protecting the mare. "And not only that, it seems to have increased yer magical strength. Whatever Twilight and the princesses had discovered to make this must have been incredibly hard to work with."
"Ugh, my head feels a little funny," Sweetie mumbled as she held a hoof to the new horn.
"Yer probably still getting used to the new horn. Try to practice with it and maybe that feeling will go away," Applebloom reasoned with a huge smile on her face.
"I know that smile," Scootaloo muttered with a thin grin of her own. "That's the smile that precedes a whole lot of bragging."
"Of course ah'm gonna brag! Ah've managed to create Pegasus wings, earth pony enhancers and now a horn fer unicorns! Do you now how incredible this is?" she asked Scootaloo as she shook the mare by the shoulders before leaping away to her workbench and leaving Scoots to try and get her eyes to stop spinning. "If ah could apply these machines to the rest of the Crusade, we could have ponies that are stronger and faster than any of Sombra's..."
"Sombra. He's the final one, isn't he?" Scootaloo finished when Bloom trailed off, the three of them sharing similar glances at each other. "Once we beat him, Equestria is free once more."
"But I know it's not going to be easy," Sweetie Belle continued when Scootaloo finished. "Because, and let's be honest here, while Tirek was always the strongest, Sombra has always been the pony that we've been worried about the most. Because he's smart. Far smarter than any of us. Sorry Bloom."
"No offense. We've all seen what he can do." For a long minute the three were lost in memories, before Bloom shook her head once more. "But now it all comes to an end. With Captain America on our side, we can't be beat. Sombra will fall soon, that's a fact."
"But will we all be there to see it?" Scootaloo and Applebloom turned their gazes towards Sweetie Belle, who wore a morose expression as she crossed her forehooves. "This is Sombra. The pony that killed my sister. The pony who killed Cadence. The pony who is called the hero-killer. As pessimistic as it is to say...I don't think all of us will make it. Not when fighting him."
Bloom and Scootaloo shared concerned glances before moving closer to each other, but Scootaloo was also vaguely aware of the tone in Belle's voice. "Belle...there's more you want to say, isn't there?"
"All of this happened because of Captain America. The fact that we're here now, the fact that three of the Five are dead...he's the hope of Equestria, the single star that the whole world looks to for guidance," Belle explained to the other two. "But if he were to die...so would Equestria's hope. So what I'm trying to say is no matter who may die in the battle with Sombra...we have to ensure that it's not him."
The other two ponies shared glances of uncertainty before the sound of footsteps ended their conversations. A moment later the red, white and blue soldier then entered into their room, nodding to Bloom and Scoots before raising an eyebrow at Belle. "So the horn transfer was a success. Let's hope that your magic is just as strong as when you had your actual horn. Because we're going to need it."
/ \
//A\\
/// \\\
The three main Crusaders and their generals stood around a massive table with a spherical crystal in the center of it, all staring at the Captain at the front of the table. He tapped a finger on the table, causing the sphere to conjure a massive image of the Crystal Empire. Other crystals had been set up so that the other members of the Crusade that were in other rooms or in the streets could hear and see.
"This is our target. The last stronghold of the Two," Rogers explained for the audience that consisted of nearly all of Canterlot. "I shouldn't have to explain what the Crystal Empire is to any of you, so instead I will be going over new details. These maps are the newest that Tirek had in his castle and according to the date they are two weeks old at best. So we can't trust them."
"Why not, Captain?" one of the generals asked. "If Tirek was keeping as close a tab on Sombra, and I don't doubt it seeing as he had maps of his empire, then wouldn't they be accurate."
"Yes, they are accurate. But from what I've been told about Sombra, he's not the kind of pony that will sit around while waiting for us to come to him. That empire will be far more fortified than it is in these images." Rogers then flicked the image out of the way and brought up a creation of dozens of different aerial craft and a land invasion. "Our attack with be two pronged. By good fortune we managed to discover some experimental aviation vehicles. Now while Tirek's ponies weren't smart enough to get them working, our resident gadget expert did."
Rogers gave a quick nod to the beaming Bloom before moving the images in closer with a pinch of his fingers. "The first part of the assault will come from the air in these vehicles. These vehicles will lead the attack, creating enough confusion and discord amongst Sombra's forces so that the ground forces can move in without suffering too many losses. I will lead the charge in the first of the aircraft, while any who volunteer will follow behind me in the others. The ponies in this part of the assault are the ones who will be in the most danger, so think long and hard about whether you want to join me in this part of the mission. For those who do join, Bloom will teach you how to work them."
"The second prong of our assault with be the ground forces, who will be striking at the empire here and here," Rogers continued as he pointed out two separate areas where the conjured ponies began to move. "The ground forces will be trying to break down the empire's walls. Bloom has informed me that she has constructed at least a dozen of her exosuits, so the best fighters and runners will be assigned them to help on the battlefield."
"Look at you, being the star of this show," Scootaloo teased Bloom, who only beamed even brighter.
"Despite the different approaches, the objective remains the same. To drive Sombra's forces out of the empire." A cold look then crossed Rogers' face as he gazed at everypony in the room, and those outside by extension. "But let me make this point very clear. Sombra is by far the most dangerous target. Do not engage him if alone--if you see him at all. I will be the one who goes after Sombra first, but should I fail to stop him, focus on evacuating as many as you can before trying to kill him. And good luck if you must face him."
"I still don't know why you just don't drop bombs on the place and be done with it," another general spoke up, but Rogers flashed him a look that silenced any other thoughts.
"Because as evil as Sombra is, I will not sacrifice the lives of any of the ponies that live there just to kill him. We're going to beat him while showing that we're better than him. By saving every single life." Rogers then gazed around at the group standing before him, daring any of them to object before smiling at the fact that none did.
"That's the majority of the plan. The rest will be explained to those depending on what operation they chose to join," Captain America finished before gazing at all the brave soldiers that were fighting with him. "Just one last push ponies, and your home will belong to you once more. For freedom!"
The Crusaders in the room with the Captain could hear the cry echoed by every pony in the city, getting a nod from the Captain as he shut off the image. He then spoke with the generals for a few minutes before noticing a look that the three Crusaders wore. "Let me guess. The three of you want to come with me?"
"Of course we would, Cap. Haven't been nearly killed in a while and I figure what better way to change that than stand next to the guy that everypony will be shooting at?" Scootaloo sassed in reply, gaining a smile from the Captain that was as dry as his mouth.
"Jokes are fine, but I want you three to know that this will be dangerous. Sombra is almost guaranteed to try and kill me before I get to him." Rogers then nodded to them before walking away, though he stopped for a moment and glanced back over his shoulder at them. "Which shows what a fool he really is, if he believes this whole war hinges on whether I live or die. I'm just a soldier, like any of you. Now get ready. In three days we attack."
/ \
//A\\
/// \\\
The machines hummed with power as they sailed across the snow caked landscapes up by the Crystal Empire. Dozens of the flying machines all flew towards their target approximately at the same speed, while the sounds of hundreds of hooves running all at the same speed could be vaguely heard over the roar.
In the machine that led the pack of vehicles sat the Captain, eyes closed and arms crossed as he prepared himself for the battle ahead. But he was finding it hard to concentrate with the constant sound of teeth chattering and the whispers of the two ponies that sat across from him.
"Cold?" he eventually asked Applebloom and Scootaloo, who were huddled close to each other while trying to stay warm. The two nodded with shivers before raising eyebrows at the fact that the Captain seemed perfectly fine. "Trust me, after what happened to me I doubt that I'll ever be cold again. This is warm weather compared to my last nap."
"What do you mean by that?" Sweetie Belle asked from the cockpit, glancing back at them with a large coat covering most of her body. Rogers' response was to shake his head with a shrug, but the other two were giving him the same curious glance that Belle was. "This could be the last chance for us to talk Captain. And despite all that you've done for us...we still don't know that much about you.
"Y-yeah. Like why ya felt so sad when ya saw Rarity's boutique in ruins." Under the pressure of the three mares' gazes, the Captain finally relented with a sigh before leaning forward and placing his arms on his knees.
"Truth be told...I'm actually over ninety years old," he revealed. The ponies' jaws would have dropped had their teeth not been chattering because of the cold. "Back when I was younger, a terrible man tried to take over my world, using his army to hurt and kill a lot of people. I wanted to stop him, so I tried to fight in the war only to be rejected because of my weak body."
"But then Doctor Erskine came to me, said that he saw something in me that he didn't see in anyone else. He gave me the super soldier serum, turned me into the soldier you see before you. And then he was killed by the other side." Rogers hung his head for a moment in respect for the man. "But they were too late. I had become the Captain. And so I fought against the forces that threatened my world."
"Yet one mission is where I nearly met my end. While disarming a missile over the Artic Ocean, I fell in. I should have died, but the ice saved my life and preserved my body...which was then discovered decades later." He saw their eyes widen in shock at the Captain's story, who shared a sympatric glance with them.
"The world that I had fought so hard to protect was gone. All the places that I used to know and where I called home had been gone for years. One day I just woke up...and it was all different." Rogers then nodded to each of the ponies before continuing. "That's why I fight so hard for your nation. Because I know what it's like to have a tyrant take your world from you. To return to your home only to find it long gone. But while I lost my time and home...I can still save yours. So I'm not afraid to fight for the notion of a world of harmony...and why I am willing to die for a world that isn't mine. Because liberty and freedom shouldn't have to be fought for or even a right...it should be a universal truth."
None of the three ponies knew what to say to him, how to even respond to a story like that, but then Scootaloo smiled up at the Captain. "Hey Cap? We may have said it before, but still...thank you, for doing all this for us. For leading us against the Five, for helping us to be stronger...for being the hero we needed in our darkest times. For inspiring us. I don't know...what would have become of us if not for you."
"You would have prevailed." The three gazed up at the Captain with stunned eyes as he nodded to each of them, a smile on his face. "I've seen plenty of heroes in my time, so you can trust me when I say that's what I see when I look at you. I see the courage, resolve and dedication to good, that all heroes should have. While my being here may have quickened the freeing of Equestria, believe me when I say that you would have freed your land even without me. So don't think that everything good that's happened is because of me or that I'm the only hero you've got. Because I'm looking at three, three who can overcome any obstacle by working together. You are the heroes that will win this war. I'm just here to help you along the way."
The three mares all shared the same look of wonder at the Captain's words, but then his eyes narrowed as he leaned out of the side of the machine. "Game faces on, everypony. We're approaching the empire...and it seems Sombra's been busy!"
===1===
"So you've finally come to face me, haven't you Captain?" Sombra chuckled with mirth in his voice as he backed away from his telescope, savoring the peace before the battle broke out. Then he snapped his head towards one of his gargoyles with bloodlust shining in his eyes. "Time to take your brothers and go to the skies! Bring down as many of those ships as you can! Then return to the empire and prepare for the most glorious battle that you have experienced in your life!"
"Yes boss. But what about Captain America? Shouldn't we focus all of our efforts on him?" one of the two gargoyles asked. Sombra's eyes flashed with fury and in a heartbeat that gargoyle lay on the ground as a pile of pebbles.
"Care to tell me what was so stupid about that statement? No? Captain America is a hero. You are foot soldiers. If foot soldiers were able to beat heroes, we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. Now go. Focus on his soldiers," Sombra ordered, the remaining gargoyle bowing before flying off with a shriek that caused hundreds of gargoyles to join him. "Leave the Captain to me."
Sombra then teleported to the top of his spire, staring off in the direction from which the Captain was coming. Sombra licked his lips as the anticipation caused his body to shiver, before his thoughts were distracted from the upcoming battle by a white hoof that stepped down behind him.
"Good, you're here. Stay close, because I will need your powers if I hope to win," Sombra instructed before rubbing his hooves together with a toothy grin. "Oh, this is going to be fun. I haven't been this excited since I fought that guard to the death so long ago, on the day I killed the princess. I hope today can live up to that."