Speechless, Rainbow gazed nervously down the intimidating barrel of the gun. She had never before feared guns, albeit she had also never before had one pointed at her. In this case, the fear mostly originated from her confusion.
“Rainbow Dash?” Sunset Shimmer echoed serenely. “I believe I've heard your name before. You've become quite a celebrity since your cowardly little stunt at the tournament.”
The word “cowardly” was enough to halt Rainbow's spinning thoughts. Her expression turned from nervousness to indignation, her temper flaring at the unrestricted nerve of this mare.
“Cowardly?” she uttered, her voice throbbing with dramatic ire. “Do cowardly mares get chosen as Elements?”
Her indignation melting away any semblance of unease, she began to approach the mare as if desiring to wrest the gun from her by force.
“Put that thing away!” she ordered. “You're not making any sen--”
The next warning shot was more precise, with a touch of authority to it. It was the type of shot one fires to remind all those in range of who is the dominant party. The shot came just within striking distance of Rainbow's visage, a trail of air shooting past her cheek. The pegasus cried out, rearing back on her hind legs in surprise and fright. The bullet struck the wall behind her, leaving a sizable hole. She did not get a chance to even glance at the damage, for the other mare had already begun sprinting away the moment Rainbow was distracted.
“Get back here!” Rainbow Dash called.
Sunset Shimmer ignored the bequest, continuing her rapid sprint past the fountain and out of the destroyed village. Her cloak danced in the wind as she fled, her gun held idly at her side by her magic. She did not glance behind her as she moved, apparently unconcerned about the prospect of Rainbow pursuing her. This was perhaps a fatal error on her part, for she had completely misjudged Rainbow's character.
Rainbow Dash swore under her breath, watching the Goddess of Gunpowder retreat with a frown. With haste, she thrust a hoof into her saddlebags and retrieved a piece of parchment and a quill. She clutched the quill in her mouth and wrote a hasty message. Her writing, terrible at its best, was barely legible, but she did not waste time dwelling on it. Rainbow rolled up the parchment and fastened it with an enchanted lavender ribbon she had been given. Pegasi normally avoided magic, but Spitfire had told her that this was a shortcoming all of their race must learn to overcome. Rainbow Dash was especially pleased she had not rejected magic, for the parchment did exactly as she had anticipated: It vanished in a puff of yellow smoke. If the magic worked as if it was meant to, it would appear at another location in precisely two minutes. Satisfied, Rainbow spread her wings. She ascended upward at a quick pace, heading in the direction she was certain Sunset Shimmer had gone.
Sunset was not unaccustomed to running away. However, she was rather unaccustomed to being chased by an annoyingly determined blue pegasus who was obviously ignorant of the many ways one could say “Leave me alone!” with a gun. Increasing her speed, Sunset Shimmer rounded a corner and darted into a patch of tall grass. The grass provided utter concealment from passerby, as it rose past her head. To further conceal herself, Sunset dropped down onto her stomach. She reached a hoof before her and pressed it firmly against the ground, closing her eyes. She did not feel any vibrations from approaching hoofsteps, but she was smart enough not to give up her cover that easily.
Rainbow Dash touched down on a tree branch, balancing expertly on the thick limb akin to a bird. She pulled a spy glass from her left saddlebag and held it to her eye, scanning the bushes and grass before her. She did not see any galloping ponies, but she had not expected it to be straightforward. Her gaze swept the area rather nonchalantly, yet she at once noticed a slight disturbance in the grass a foot or so away. Naturally, it could have been the work of an animal. However, seeing as the disturbance was fresh, she chose to believe it was Sunset Shimmer. She tucked away the spy glass, smirking. Rainbow stepped forward and dove off the branch, her wings unfurling moments before she was to reach the ground. She soared upward into the sky, looking downward to follow the subtle path left by the disturbed grass.
Sunset glanced upward from her hiding spot at the sound of wings. If she wasn't mistaken, that was not an unusually large bird. Irritated and slightly puzzled, Sunset darted from her hiding place. She galloped through the grass for a few moments, weaving in an out of particularly tall patches. But these were too far apart to provide any real cover. At best, they gave her one or two seconds of camouflage that would not have tricked a foal. Abandoning the grass entirely, Sunset instead galloped onto the path. Unfortunately, before she had made it two feet, Rainbow Dash had touched down before her.
“Stop!” Rainbow demanded, blocking the other mare's path.
The two both halted, panting from their efforts. Rainbow should not have bothered giving any kind of order for Sunset to cease. Sunset was quite tired of running, sweat liberally descending her brow and her breath coming in frantic inhales.
“You caught me…,” she managed to utter. “Why...why would you go to all this trouble?”
Rainbow recovered her breath much quicker than Sunset. After a moment, she was able to reply to the other mare's question.
“Does it matter?” she responded.
She could have asked herself this very same query. She could not explain why she had felt the need to chase after Sunset. One could blame their shared status as Elements, Rainbow's own impulsive nature, or the desperate curiosity of the whole event. But these would all be flawed excuses. In reality, Rainbow was more at a loss to explain her pursuit than Sunset was.
Sunset, regaining herself both mentally and physically, held her gun aloft and pointed it at Rainbow.
“Stop following me or I'll be forced to shoot you!” she threatened.
Rainbow should have felt as if she was in danger, but in truth she merely felt annoyed. She could only have a gun pointed at her so many times before her mind saw nothing dangerous in that barrel. She was tired of Sunset's nonsense, tired of being threatened, and tired of this drama.
“Oh, shut up!” Rainbow snapped. “You could have shot me fifty times over before now and you haven't. So just shut your mouth and put that stupid toy of yours away!”
Astonished, Sunset Shimmer gazed at the blue pegasus as if she was a magical anomaly. Her gun fell to her side, her magic responding at once to her altered state of mind. In her surprise, she did not even realize that she had unintentionally shifted dominance to the one pony who wasn't brandishing a weapon. Rainbow Dash was now in charge, not her.
“Are you some kind of idiot?!” continued Rainbow heatedly. “You can't defeat King Sombra on your own and you know it!”
The insult roused the defensive portion of Sunset's mind. She raised her gun yet again, narrowing her eyes.
“Would you like me to prove my capability?” she asked, her tone venomous.
Rainbow Dash desired to roll her eyes, but she decided it was about time she began taking this a bit more seriously. With this in mind, she unsheathed the sword fastened to her side. Its blade, freshly polished that very morning, glinted in the sunlight as she held it in her mouth. A sword was no match for a gun and a normal pegasus was no match for a Goddess, but Rainbow had never been one to read into likely outcomes.
“Why won't you meet up with the others?” she inquired, the words squeezing themselves past the sword's handle.
Sunset Shimmer spoke frankly, as if the answer was obvious.
“Because if we meet, they'll try to kill me,” she replied. “The fact that you yourself haven't tried to kill me is baffling.”
Rainbow Dash almost spat out her sword in astonishment. Out of all the possible answers that had swarmed into her mind in the brief silence, none of them had been close to the one she had just been given.
“Why would I try to kill you?” she demanded. “We're all Elements! We're united by our destiny to kill the Demon King! Why would we kill one of our own and risk being less prepared for the coming battle?”
Sunset Shimmer laughed bitterly. She hadn't quite believed Rainbow's ignorance to be genuine, but now she was certain this mare really was clueless in that regard. She should have felt safer knowing Rainbow Dash didn't have enough information to be a real threat, but in truth she merely felt bad for the uninformed pegasus.
“If I told you the answer, you'd try to kill me,” Sunset responded calmly. “But even if I don't tell you, we'll end up trying to kill one another. The third option is that you walk away and enjoy your ignorance for the time being. Do whatever you want to do, but I'm going to fight King Sombra.”
Sunset Shimmer lowered her gun, confident that her point had gotten across. Surely those straightforward words could penetrate Rainbow's thick skull. She would consider herself fortunate if she could live her entire life without ever seeing this frustrating pony again. Soothed by this happy thought, Sunset turned away from Rainbow and started to depart. She left with haste, trotting along the path in the opposite direction.
Rainbow Dash watched the alicorn leave, a slight grin on her features. She loved meeting ponies who had no idea who they were messing with. She'd met ponies like Sunset while she was in school: Egotistical fools who thought they automatically had the upper hoof on the small mare who appeared childish even for her young age. Most of those ponies would have remembered her more accurately as the filly who left them bleeding and half-conscious. The smirk growing, the pegasus rummaged in her saddlebag for a moment until she located a round yellow ball. Humming to herself, she lit a short fuse protruding from the ball and tossed it in the direction Sunset Shimmer had fled. There was a brief second of utter quiet before the innocent-looking ball had erupted into smoke.
Sunset Shimmer's brain only had half a second to process what had just happened. And before she could do anything other than whirl around, a series of coughs were pouring from her mouth. Half-blind and choking on the putrid air, she attempted to aim her gun as somepony galloped toward her. But even if her aim had been halfway accurate, the window of time she left between gathering her senses and raising her weapon was too inviting. She felt a slight tug at her side as something was yanked away, the strap pulled roughly from its secure position. Sunset gasped, her hoof shooting to her side in panic. However, as the smoke cleared, her hoof landed on the cloth of her cloak and nothing else. In her moment of vulnerability, her bullets had been pilfered. Her eyes darted from her cloak to the grinning pegasus who stood before her holding the bag of ammunition in her mouth like a prize.
“What in the name of the Goddess do you think you're doing?!” Sunset demanded angrily.
Rainbow Dash spat out the stolen bag. She draped it over her hoof and held it up triumphantly, a taunting smile on her features. She gave the bag a pointed shake, rattling its contents.
“You said I could do whatever I want,” she pointed out, laughing.
Sunset Shimmer couldn't tell if she was being made fun or if this pony was the world's biggest idiot. To remind her yet again who was at a distinct advantage, she aimed the gun directly at Rainbow's head. If words couldn't get through her skull, perhaps a bullet would be sufficient.
Rainbow Dash's expression was playful, but her words were laced with sincerity.
“I'm not leaving you alone,” she informed the other mare. “If you really think you're in danger, I'm not going to just leave you behind. And if you want your stuff back, you'll have to kill me right now. Otherwise I'm going to run off with your bullets!”
She sounded remarkably similar to a filly threatening one of her schoolmates. There was even a touch of childish superiority in her voice, as if she'd just won a battle over the last cookie on the plate. Taking her seriously would have been a challenge if she wasn't currently holding Sunset Shimmer's ammunition hostage.
“I'm going to protect you!” Rainbow announced buoyantly. “I have no idea why you're worried about the other Elements killing you, but it doesn't matter.”
Rainbow lowered the bag to her side. She placed a hoof on her chest, staring into Sunset's eyes.
“I promise to make sure nothing bad happens to you,” she pledged solemnly.
Without giving Sunset a chance to respond, Rainbow seized the bag in her hoof, turned, and began trotting away. She walked with the confidence of a pony who knew precisely what was going to happen, her guard lowered.
Sunset pointed her gun at Rainbow's retreating form. Her thoughts wavered, her brain urging her to pull the trigger. She tightened the grip of her magic, putting more pressure on the trigger as if she would indeed shoot the pegasus. However, after a moment of hesitation, she sighed. Sunset lowered the gun to her side again, releasing the trigger from her magic entirely. She could not believe it, but somehow she was going along with this madness. Disliking her circumstances greatly, Sunset slowly began to follow Rainbow Dash.
When she heard hoofsteps following her, Rainbow Dash breathed a sigh of relief. Her gamble had worked.
Rarity uttered a tiny squeak as a scroll appeared before her. It hovered in the air of its own power, encased in a yellow aura of magic. After a minute, it fluttered harmlessly to the ground before the sitting mare. Rarity seized it in her magic gingerly.
“Who is that from?” inquired Spike, raising his eyebrow.
Rarity's eyes skimmed the page, her mouth soundlessly forming words. She ignored the dragon for a moment, her mind lost in the message. When it came to its end, she neatly rolled up the scroll and tucked it into one of her saddlebags. She turned to the curious knight, a smile on her features.
“It's from Rainbow Dash,” she explained. “She went on ahead with another Element and is going to meet us at the rendezvous point.”
Spike scowled at the name, but it was not merely due to the unflattering retellings of the tournament he had encountered. He did not like the fondness in Rarity's smile when she spoke Rainbow Dash's name or the tender affection in her voice. Her lips seemed to stroke the name as it departed, caressing the syllables as if they were each a lover. Even Spike himself could not remember hearing his name spoken with such blatant love.
Rarity stood up, a determined look upon her visage.
“Come, Spikey-Wikey!” she uttered energetically. “To our destiny!”
The message seemed to have breathed life into her. Her eyes were burning with energy and her cheeks were aglow, adding yet more beauty to her already attractive face. She looked akin to a schoolfilly who'd earned herself the spoils of the weekend. Rarity stepped forward, her dazzling form reflected in Spike's green eyes. She leaned slightly forward, lowering her head and bending her front legs. She then shot forward, her wings spreading as she broke into a gallop.
Spike watched Miss Rarity for a moment, a worried expression on his face. He had never known Rarity to be so accepting of exercise. He had never known her to leave with such haste, to be so abruptly full of a young filly's energy. She appeared to be enjoying herself, as if she had forgotten about the impending battle for the fate of Equestria or the cruelty of the Demon King. As if somepony had gently brushed those thoughts from her mind. Spike took a moment to follow Rarity. His mind kept going back to the message Rarity had received from the mare whose name she spoke as if it was candy.
“Um, are you sure we can trust this….Rainbow Dash?” Spike asked carefully as they ran. “I heard she used a bunch of cheap tactics to win the tournament. And the guards told me she kidnapped you!”
Rarity laughed, her hooves barely touching the ground as she moved. Wings were unmatched at giving ponies acceleration. It was a mark of Spike's dedication to athleticism and his generally muscular form that he could keep up with her. Being a dragon of the non-flying variety, he was fortunate she hadn't taken to the sky.
“Rainbow Dash is a good pony,” Rarity answered. “She's simply amazing, Spike. Strong-willed, adventurous, wise…. She might brag a lot, but I can tell she has a heart underneath all that foolish pride.”
Spike looked away. He could not believe Rarity was praising this mare so extensively. He had worked for years to receive the very same praise, to impress Rarity in the exact same manner. And eventually, after he'd driven himself to the crest of his endurance, he'd at last earned that coveted smile and those wonderful compliments from the most beautiful mare in Canterlot. But somehow another pony, a pony Rarity had only truly known for a few days, had earned that right.
“Ra-Rarity,” Spike stammered, his voice a pitiful mumble. “Are you and her…. I mean, did you….? Are the two of you…..?”
He couldn't finish the question, regardless of how he phrased it. The words became trapped in his throat, his voice devolving into even less coherency.
“What's that, Spikey-Wikey?” Rarity queried obliviously. “Speak up, darling!”
But Spike decided to leave such questions alone for the time being. He wanted to enjoy his time with Rarity. The peacefulness was something to be cherished, considering what they were to face at the end of their adventure. At the end of the road stood the fearsome beast known as the Demon King. And to the very side of the road stood a mare named Rainbow Dash. Whichever was more difficult to face, Spike had his trusty spear at his side.
Rainbow Dash hadn't “made a friend” of Sunset Shimmer, but she acted as if she had. Seeing as Sunset had spent the majority of their encounter threatening her with a gun, Rainbow came to the conclusion that any duration of time in which no weapons were being utilized was a time in which they were friends, or at least idle comrades. Perhaps if she kept up a charade of them being friends, there would be less shooting. Ignoring Sunset's indifference, she spoke cheerfully to lighten the mood as they trotted.
“You're the Goddess of Gunpower, huh? That's pretty cool. Your gun's kind of nice, too. I've never even held one myself, but…..I don't think I could if I wanted to. Hooves, you know. Hey, if you're the Goddess of Gunpower, how come I've never heard of you? I didn't know there was a Goddess of Gunpowder. Is there really an alicorn for everything these days? Oh, and if you have any explosives, I'll take the extras. I can always use some more.”
Rainbow Dash slowed down and turned to look at the mare following her. Sunset hadn't spoken a single word since they'd started out together. She hadn't had the courtesy to offer so much as a brief nod or a cough in response. Rainbow should have been put off by this, but in truth she'd endured worse in terms of conversation partners.
“Aren't you gonna answer me, Goddess of Rudeness?” she demanded. “What exactly do you think I am?”
Sunset Shimmer finally spoke. Her indifferent gaze locked with Rainbow's indignant one, her voice dripping with distaste.
“An idiot,” she replied blatantly. “An impulsive donkey of a pegasus with no common sense.”
Rainbow's ability to be offended had waned during her time with Sunset. She merely shrugged, accepting this insulting description.
The two ponies reached the top of the hill. Spread out beneath them was an immense valley. Once it had contained all that was gorgeous in nature. The very essence of life in its most undisturbed form had at one time been fortunate enough to dwell there. But the beauty of the land had been spoiled centuries previous, the lives of all but the smallest blades of grass snuffed out of existence. Crystals, each the color of smoke, rose from the ground in varying sizes as a cruel replacement of the beautiful flowers. Far beyond the valley, the sky above had been tainted a menacing crimson, the air poisoned.
“Holy Tartarus,” muttered Rainbow Dash.
The words could either be taken literally or figuratively. The poison that had overtaken the valley had indeed come from Tartarus. It was no less than the hoof of King Sombra himself, reaching out from his place of rest to turn the very environment against its inhabitants. All those who stepped below the poisoned sky died within the hour. Fortunately, the Braves of the Six Elements were protected by the magic within them. At the bottom of the hill stood a large fortress, far enough away from King Sombra's poison for those inside to be safe.
Rainbow Dash led the way to the fortress, her head tilting upward to gaze in awe at the massive gate barring their entrance. This was the largest building she'd ever beheld in her entire life. Scale models could not do this magnificent place justice. She suspected it was even taller than the royal palace.
“If any of the other Elements are in there, I'm running away,” announced Sunset Shimmer.
Rainbow turned to her with a smile and nodded. She undid Sunset's bag of ammunition, which she had strapped carefully to her side. Rainbow tossed Sunset the bag, nodding again at the surprised look on the alicorn's features.
“You can run if you want,” Rainbow Dash replied. “I won't try to stop you.”
She turned back to the gate.
“Are any of the Braves of the Six Elements in there?” she shouted.
The head of a mare appeared over the top of the gate. She looked to be about Rainbow's age, but she wore the uniform of a high-ranked guard. The altered uniform of a high-ranked guard at any rate. She had, for some unknown reason, chosen to wear a blue cape over her armor.
“Who are you?” she shouted back.
Rainbow Dash turned around, displaying her Cutie Mark. She wondered how comical it looked for her to be showing her flank to a guard in order to gain entry. If only Cutie Marks could appear on any other part of a pony's body, such as their hoof or their cheek. It would be less awkward for everypony in situations like this. However, she didn't entirely mind it. She knew full well she had an amazing flank.
“I'm one of the Braves of the Six Elements!” she explained. “Are any of the other Elements in there?”
The mare shook her head. She then ducked out of sight for a brief duration. She reappeared a moment proceeding, using her magic to open the huge gate. Magic was the only way one could open the gate, unless they were unusually strong. As such, she was the only unicorn at the fortress. The mare had heard others referring to her as a “glorified doorpony”, but she merely laughed at them. She knew she was the most important unicorn at the fortress.
“The other Elements arrived yesterday and already left,” she explained.
Her eyes fastened onto Sunset, her gaze traveling across her form with interest. Rainbow Dash's mane was a literal rainbow of colors, yet Sunset was the odd one of the pair in terms of looks.
“And who is this?” she asked in a rather uptight voice.
Rainbow Dash grasped Sunset and forced her to turn around, displaying the other mare's Cutie Mark.
“Another Element,” Rainbow answered cheerfully.
She released Sunset from her grip, aware she might have crossed a line. But again, she more blamed the awkward placement of the Cutie Mark than she blamed herself. The Goddess of the Crystal Heart must have had a perverted sense of humor.
“I'm the Great and Powerful Trixie,” the guard introduced herself.
It was the longest pony name Rainbow had ever heard. And her pompous tone overshadowed Rainbow's with ease. The pegasus wasn't certain whether she was meant to laugh or roll her eyes.
Trixie led them into the fortress, shutting the heavy gate behind them. The courtyard was a surprisingly pleasant affair, given its location. The hints of pure nature across the ground made it seem as if it had been plucked out of a storybook and placed in the heart of a nightmare. The interior was less pleasing to the eye. It was dark, the scent of bloodshed clinging to the walls and floor. Rows of bloodstained sheets lined the walls, the hooves of deceased ponies peeking out from underneath them.
“Beast problem?” guessed Rainbow Dash grimly.
Trixie nodded gravely. She took the mares past a grand hallway and into a room of about medium size. In the middle of the room stood an altar containing three separate pedestals. Two of the pedestals held stone tablets adorned with carvings of ancient symbols. The third contained a stone replica of a sword. At the far left of the room was a map. Trixie crossed the room and stood in front of the map, pointing a hoof at a location in the far north.
“This is the Temple of Harmony,” she explained. “It was built by the first King of Canterlot many centuries ago. It is protected by a barrier that was erected by the Goddess of Salt and the Goddess of Fog. When the barrier is activated, the area will be completely sealed off and shrouded in fog. Any beasts in the area will be trapped. In the worst case scenario, one of the Elements will stay behind to activate the barrier. They will be trapped there along with the beasts, but the others will be able to get away.”
Rainbow Dash, who was attempting not to giggle at the word “erected”, nodded seriously. The Goddess of Salt and the Goddess of Fog were two of the alicorns covered in basic history lessons. Lessons to do with the Goddesses and their powers were the only ones she'd ever managed to stay awake for.
“How do you activate the barrier?” Rainbow asked.
Trixie crossed to the altar in the middle of the room. She placed a hoof on the pedestal containing the sword. With her magic, she carefully removed the sword from the pedestal and held it above her head. Even though it was a fabrication constructed from stone, it seemed to glint as it was suspended in Trixie's magical aura.
“To activate the barrier, you must place the sword in the dais and say 'Fog, I summon thee!',” Trixie informed them. “The fog will blanket the area and the barrier will be activated.”
Rainbow Dash strode over to Trixie. Her expression thoughtful, she took the sword from its position above the mare's head. Grasping it in her hooves somewhat awkwardly, she placed it in the dais as instructed. It seemed an easy enough process to duplicate.
“Fog, I summon thee!” she declared in an overly dramatic tone.
Trixie scowled at her lack of seriousness, but she didn't comment on it. She instead cleared her throat to get the attention of the pair.
“I will carry out my duty, even if I must lay down my life!” Trixie pledged.
Rainbow Dash nodded, respecting her devotion. Trixie, despite appearing rather full of herself, seemed to be a real, honest soldier. She held out her hoof to the unicorn. The two mares pressed their hooves together, a typical equine gesture of cooperation and friendship.
Sunset Shimmer stared at their hooves, a slightly wistful expression on her face.
Rainbow Dash once again led the way as they trotted. She hummed to herself in a far too nonchalant manner, her mind buzzing with thoughts of the Demon King.
“Only one problem, though,” she uttered conversationally. “How are we gonna sneak past the other Elements once we get to the temple?”
Sunset Shimmer stared at Rainbow's hindquarters, her eyes focused on the Cutie Mark. Running into a pony like this was bad luck on its own. Running into a pony like this who just happened to be an Element was something else. Sunset's features did not shift, but an intense hatred was rising in her heart. The more she gazed at that Cutie Mark, the more she listened to Rainbow's cheerful attempts at conversation, the more she detested this unflattering reality.
“I have one request,” Sunset announced quietly, halting.
Rainbow Dash, who'd begun talking about proper sword repair, stopped as well. She turned her gaze from the road ahead to the alicorn following her.
“When you inevitably try to end my life, I want you to grant me this one small request,” Sunset continued indifferently. “I might look as if I can brush off anything, but I'm affected by pain as much as any other pony. I'd prefer a quick death. If you must stab me, through the heart or head would be preferable.”
The melancholy words caused the smile to drop from Rainbow's face. The grimness of them seemed to taint the air, leaving an unpleasant taste in her mouth. Sunset Shimmer suddenly appeared more...breakable. Fragile and innocent, yet no stranger to the harshness of the world. Rainbow felt bad for her. Not only due to the nature of the request itself, but because Sunset apparently had so little faith in a mare who'd sworn to protect her.
“If you have any kind of request, it should be about us fighting together,” Rainbow responded coldly.
Sunset Shimmer bowed her head, a sigh drifting from between her lips. Nopony in existence was going to honor a request like that. She'd been a fool to say it aloud. She could only hope that, despite Rainbow's refusal, her words would float to the top of the other pony's mind during battle.
“We won't fight together,” Sunset replied matter-of-factly. “We might kill each other, but we will never fight side by side.”
She strode past the motionless pegasus, effectively taking the lead. Rainbow Dash didn't understand, she thought. This “strongest mare in the world” was nothing more than another naive filly hiding behind a fancy name. Once everything came to light, Rainbow Dash would regret every kind word she'd ever said to her.
“You're way too….,” Rainbow began dismissively.
Her abrupt stop made the alicorn pause, but she had no time to look at her. Sunset Shimmer cried out as the other mare plunged into her, driving her to the ground with her force. Her body hit the rough dirt and stones hard, the two ponies landing in a heap with Rainbow Dash spread out on top of her. The impact pulled a gasp of pain from Sunset's throat. Vaguely, she heard the sound of blades cutting through the air. She jerked her head to look at where she had previously been standing just in time to notice a pair of oddly-shaped blades disintegrate at that very spot.
Rainbow Dash leaped to her hooves, her nostrils flaring and her wings outstretched. She turned hastily to the left, the direction the attack had come from. Her eyes came to rest immediately on the attacker: A white alicorn standing a few feet away, her wings spread and her horn facing towards them.
“Rarity, stop it!” Rainbow demanded.
She would have said more, but Rarity had not come alone. A spear, the weapon attached to the end of a chain, swept towards Sunset in a wide arc. Rainbow opened her mouth to scream a warning, but she needn't have bothered. She watched, half in awe and half simply confused at what was going on, as Sunset dodged the attack with agility. When the other mare raised her gun to shoot at the dragon who had appeared on the other side of the road, Rainbow Dash rushed forward yelling an objection.
“No!” she cried. “Don't shoot him, Sunset!”
She placed herself between Sunset's gun and the dragon, preventing either from attacking. She had no idea what was going on. But all she truly cared about was protecting Sunset Shimmer. It was pure craziness without reason, but keeping everypony safe was more important than deciphering the trouble.
Her gun still aimed despite the obstruction of Rainbow's body, Sunset had a dour smile on her face.
“I told you this would happen,” she uttered somberly. “I told you that we'd try to kill each other.”