Homegrown Blades

by TheMessenger


Chapter 9

Rainbow Dash awoke to the taste of rotten apples. She smacked her dry lips together and groaned. A sharp stabbing pain buzzed in her head for a moment before being toned down to a mere annoyance, something she could deal with rather easily but a nuisance regardless. She squeezed her eyes tightly, but sleep was quickly slipping away no matter how hard she tried to grasp hold of it.

She groaned. And she was having such a pleasant dream. Her stomach rumbled at the memory of all the pancakes she had seen. She envied that dream version of her, stuffing her face full of pancakes drowned in just the right amount of maple syrup and covered in chocolate chips, strawberries, and blueberries while she was stuck with the morning gruel. And there was that muscular hunk waiting on her too, wearing nothing but a pink apron that complimented his purple scales.

Rainbow Dash's eyes flew open, and she threw herself upright, wincing as her head protested the sudden motion. Once the dizziness subsided, she looked around. The tent was an utter mess, with sleeping begs and ponies scattered about haphazardly. What had happened last night. Rainbow remembered the cider bottles around the campfire, the jokes, the laughter, then helping the dragon to bed. Or had he helped her?

She shifted and felt something soft brush against her. There, right beside her, was the dragon, once again small and childlike. The color drained from Rainbow Dash's face as her blood turned cold. What had happened? She remembered entering the dragon, no, entering the dragon's tent, no, entering the tent with the dragon. Yes, she remembered that much, but what came after? Rainbow tried to control her imagination, tried to think past any speculations, but she found herself comparing the dragon next to her to the dragon she was with last night. Try as she might, Rainbow couldn't help hope that if, if, anything had happened last night, it was long before the dragon shrunk back into a child,

She froze as the dragon began to stir. She released the breath she held once he settled down and stopped moving around. Slowly, she got up and made her way through the tent, doing her best not to step on any bodies, a task she found surprisingly difficult.

Rainbow Dash hissed as light flooded her vision. She blinked and waited for her eyes to adjust. The sun wasn't up yet, so it was still early. She squashed any thoughts of returning to her sleeping bag, next to the dragon, and forced herself out to meet the biting arctic morning air.

A small fire was already burning away. Soarin was sitting in front of it, holding a mug with a grimace on his face. Rainbow Dash approached, causing him to look up. "You're up early," he said.

"So are you. What's up?"

The stallion frowned. "Woke up with a headache. Went to grab some painkillers and haven't been able to go to sleep." He pointed at Rainbow. "This is all your fault."

"Yeah, I guess that was a bad idea." Rainbow Dash sat down besides her captain.

"Eh, you've had worse." Soarin took a sip from his cup and winced. "I think we'll be fine. Not even a real hangover." He grinned sheepishly. "What about you? How you feeling?"

"Huh? Me? I'm fine, just fine. Fine," Rainbow replied hurriedly.

"You, ah, sure?"

Rainbow took a deep breath. "Okay, no. I'm a little freaked out. I can't remember what I did last night."

"You can't remember anything?"

"Anything after going inside the tent." She bit her lip. "With Spike."

"Ah." Soarin took another sip.

"That's it? Ah?"

Soarin shrugged. "I don't know what happened exactly, don't look at me, but I wouldn't worry too much about it."

"Why not?" Rainbow Dash began to glare. "What happened?"

"I told you, I don't know, but I figured probably nothing. We didn't hear anything, so yeah." Soarin coughed and hid his face with the mug. "Unless you're really quiet when you, you know. Are you?"

"Argh." Rainbow placed her head between her hooves. "I don't know, I--"

"Wait, seriously? You're a v--"

"Soarin, shut up, will you?" Rainbow Dash growled. "This is serious. I might have just slept with a, a, ugh, why is dragon growth so freaking confusing?"

"If it's really bothering you so badly, just ask him yourself," Soarin suggested. "He might know more about what actually happened than me. Heck, I'll grab him right now."

"Wait, no, don't!" Rainbow Dash suddenly found herself clutching the stallion's hind leg. She quickly released the limb and dusted herself off. "Just, give me a second to, you know, compose myself and stuff. Yeah."

Soarin sat back down. "Okay, what's up?"

"What do mean, what's up?" Rainbow hissed. "Just, I, this whole thing's a huge mess. I mean, I don't even know what to think right now. I like the kid, but I don't know if it's that kind of like, and now I'm calling him a kid again, but now we might have just, and--”

“Rainbow, breath.”

She took a deep breath. “I'm just confused, really confused right now about how to feel.”

“Well, maybe nothing actually happened.”

“But what if something did?” Rainbow asked.

“I don't know. I mean, as long as the two of you just pretended nothing happened, would that okay?”

“Of course not!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “I can't just pretend--”

“Okay, bad advice. Sorry, I'm tired.” Soarin yawned. “Look, I'm really bad at this. I mean, I'm sure if you and Spike just got together and talked about this like adults, everything will work out. Hey, and if things to escalate, I promise not to judge.”

“Promise not to--” Rainbow's face grew red. “Oh, shut up. You're no help at all.”

“Can I help?”

The sight of the dragon standing right out side of the tent froze Rainbow's blood. He stood there with a curious expression on his face, unsure of what was happening but eager to participate regardless. “H-hey Spike,” Rainbow began. “Um, how long have you been up?”

“A while, I think,” he replied. “I heard you guys talking.”

“Is anypony else awake?” asked Soarin.

The dragon nodded. “Yeah, but they're all pretending to be asleep. So, um, was there anything I could do to help? I don't know if I can do what Soarin can't though.”

The two pegasi looked toward each other. Soarin gestured toward the dragon. Rainbow Dash shook her head. Soarin gestured again, this time more fiercely. “Oh, so it's okay to make me talk when I'm not ready, huh?” Rainbow grumbled. Sighing, she turned to the dragon. “You mind if talk about something?”

“Well, I'm going to check on, stuff.” Soarin got up and made his way toward the tent. As he passed, he whispered to Rainbow, “Good luck.”

“So, what did you want to talk about?” The dragon joined her in front of the campfire.

“Oh, well, how are you feeling right now?” Rainbow Dash asked. “First time drinking cider right? You're probably feeling a little sick, huh?”

“Actually, I feel fine. Do you feel sick?”

“Just a little,” Rainbow admitted.

“Huh. Maybe its a dragon thing.”

“Dragons don't get hangovers.” Rainbow chuckled. “Well, lucky you.” She pressed her hooves together and laid them in her lap. “So, I was wondering, about last night.”

“Oh, right! Thanks!”

“Thanks?” Rainbow Dash swallowed. “You're thanking me?”

“Well, yeah.”

“What for?” Rainbow Dash asked timidly, unsure she wanted to hear the answer.

“For talking to me last night.” The dragon wrung his hands together awkwardly. “I'm still nervous about having to fight, and I'm really worried about hurting everypony, but if you really think I can control myself, then I'm going to do my best. I'm going to not be monster.”

Despite herself, Rainbow started to laugh. “You're posing.” She gently lowered the hand he held up. "Well, I'm glad you're feeling better about that. I know I'll definitely feel more confident with you attacking the capital with me." Her hoof retreated. "So hey, um, anyways, about last night." Rainbow took a deep breath. "What happened after we went in last night?"

The blush spreading across the dragon's face was not encouraging. "You, um, don't remember?"

"Spike, tell me what happened. Whatever it was, I won't be angry," At you, anyways.

The dragon ducked his head. His claws rubbed against each other anxiously. He took a deep breath. "I said, I call you pretty," he suddenly blurted out. "I said I thought you were pretty."

From inside the tent, there was laugher.

Rainbow Dash's eyebrow lifted, "You, you called me pretty?"

The dragon nodded. "I think you're pretty."

"Y-you don't have to repeat it." Why was she turning red? "I, really?"

The dragon nodded again. "Yeah, and you're really nice, and strong, and smart and--"

"Yeah, yeah, thanks!" Rainbow Dash swallowed and rubbed the back of her head. "Oh, okay, um, what happened after that?"

"After that? We went to sleep."

"That's it? We just, went to sleep?" Rainbow Dash repeated. "Like, nothing else happened? Like, no touching or, um, that?"

"Well, we hugged," the dragon said. His blush intensified. "Um, you also said I was nice to hold."

"I said what? What?"

"That I was--"

"I didn't mean repeat it," Rainbow Dash said quickly. She hid her rapidly reddening face behind her foreleg. She sighed. "Okay, anything else?"

"No, nothing else. We just went to sleep." The dragon gave her a confused look. "Should we have done something else?"

Rainbow Dash began to say no, but the word stuck to her throat. She coughed. "I, let's talk about that some other time. Right now, I bet Soarin needs some time with, stuff."

"Alright." Spike got to his feet. Once he was back in the tent, Rainbow released a sigh of relief. She went over to one of the canteens and splashed some water onto her face before scrubbing it furiously. In the metal of the container, she caught her reflection. Her mane was as wild as always, made even worse by her careless sleeping arrangements. Even she could tell how scruffy her coat appeared.

"He thinks I'm pretty."

The reflection started to blush.

*

The day of the assault came sooner than the dragon expected.

The peace he normally found in the skies was absent, as if drained away by the gray storm clouds that drifted threateningly close. The dragon squinted, but he couldn't see past those storm clouds. Lightning streaks and strong winds forced the Wonderbolts to change directions and paths, delaying them with time consuming detours. It was as if the skies themselves had joined Sombra.

The helmet Rainbow Dash wore limited his abilities to communicate. Not being able to see that free and stubborn rainbow mane was discouraging, as if to make him question whether the pegasus he rode on really was Rainbow.

He tried to review the plan, but his nerves made it difficult to concentrate. Every time he managed to gather his thoughts, turbulence from the storm or doubt-inspiring questions would scatter them again.

Come on, it's not that hard. Just break down a stupid wall.

But what if he couldn't? What if it was too big, bigger than he could ever grow? What would he even do afterward? He wasn't sure he wanted to fight. Images of his last battle floated over him like the storm clouds. The dragon tried to shake away such thoughts. He had to fight, to protect everypony.

Again, he tried to see through the blackened sky, but it was in vain. Weren't they there yet? He wished he could ask Rainbow Dash or anypony. A new thought popped into his head. He simply assumed that those helmets designed for the heads of ponies wouldn't fit his, but really, that was just speculation.

The dragon felt Rainbow Dash slow herself. She glanced around cautiously before continuing.

"Negative," she said into her microphone. "Target not in sight."

"Not possible. The capital should be right here. We should be right on top of it."

Rainbow held back her sigh. "This is ridiculous. Even with this visibility, we should still be--oof!"

The pegasus struggled to keep her balance and stay in flight. She reached behind her, and the dragon grabbed hold of her hoof. He was fine, that was good. Now, she could concentrate on what had hit her. Or was it what she hit? Slowly, she inched forward until her helmet pressed against something solid.

Rainbow Dash stuck out her hooves and ran them against the solid object in front of her. As she stared, she began to see an outline and a shape. She tapped against it. A sharp echo rang out like the chime of a bell. "I think I found the wall," she reported. "It's the same color as the clouds, no wonder we're have trouble finding it."

"Acknowledged. Do not touch the structure. For all we know there could be an alarm mechanism or, what was that?"

The entire wall began to ring. Silts opened up within the wall. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as arrows suddenly flew toward her. One struck her right in the chest, stopped less than inches away from her heart by her padded vest. She tried to move further away, but a sudden chill made her motions sluggish. Rainbow Dash looked down and found a layer of ice spreading from where she had been struck by the arrow.

"Ice, arrows," she managed to warn with chattering teeth. The dragon leaned forward and breathed out a short flame that melted the ice. Her fur was slightly singed, but at least now she could move freely. "Is everypony alright?" she called out as she weaved and ducked about to dodge the projectiles, hoping her warning came in time.

"Heavy casualties sustained. Strike team, break that wall, now!"

Rainbow Dash removed the cord from her vest. She raised her hoof. The dragon saw the signal and tapped the hoof with two claws. She nodded and took a deep breath. Good luck.

The dragon flung himself at the mighty obsidian wall. Sparks flew as he dug his claws into the wall. Despite the arrows, Rainbow found herself watching the dragon anxiously. "Come on, Spike," she muttered.

The claws dug deeper into the hard material as they began to extend and thicken. The dragon's limbs grew longer, and he pushed forward as they grew. The fire spewing from his mouth got larger and hotter as his head grew, marking the walk with burns. The dragon growled and leaned forward with all his weight. Pieces of the wall slowly chipped off, and lines began to appear. The cracks grew deeper and and increased in number. With one final roar, the dragon slammed his head forward against the wall.

The entire wall seemed to shake. The section the dragon was hanging onto suddenly moved forward, creating a small platform for him to stand on. He continued to push away, moving the chunk of rock right through the wall until it fell out on the other side.

The Wonderbolts cheered as they rushed through the tunnel the dragon had made right through the wall and into the bright city that was Sombra's capital. A bright beam of red light extended from the center of the city that pierced through the dark storm clouds. The light came from the tallest structure, a massive palace made of the blackest crystal.

"Strike team, do you have visual of a large black castle?"

"Confirmed," Rainbow Dash heard Soarin say.

"The crystal heart will be there. Take out that structure immediately but be cautious. Sombra may also be present."

"Acknowledged. Rainbow Dash, guide Spike. Wonderbolts, forward!"

Crystal buildings were plowed through as the dragon followed Rainbow toward Sombra's palace. They charged forward, focusing on the beam extending from it.

"Guys, I've got visual of Sombra, and man he looks--"

The rest of Cloud Chaser's message was warbled by static. "Cloud Chaser? Cloud Chaser, respond. Cloud Chaser?" Rainbow Dash swore under her breath before forcing herself even faster, pushing her wings to their very limit.

"Rainbow Dash, wait, do not engage Sombra! We'll attack together," Soarin yelled. Rainbow ignored the order bouncing around her helmet. The command seemed to spur her on even faster. The palace tower grew more visible by the second.

There, at the very top was a large piece of crystal that was formed in the shape of a heart. Beneath the blue surface was a red glow that she could see even from this distance. The glow seemed to pulse like a heart beat, increasing by the moment. Nearby was the crumbled body of a Wonderbolt.

The sight of the blue flight suit filled Rainbow with fire, an all consuming flame that burned away everything, the pain of her tired body, any thoughts of strategy, all the discipline drilled into her. All that mattered was the armored unicorn laughing over her comrade's body. Rainbow stretched out her hooves directly in front of her, preparing to drive them straight through the tyrant's skull.

Sombra's horn glowed. Strings of light purple plasma sprung from the tower's floor. Rainbow's body went numb, and she crashed at the unicorn's feet. The visor of her helmet shattered from the impact, sending shards across her face. A few dug themselves dangerously close to an eye.

"Rainbow Dash, respond. Rainbow, can you hear me? Where's Spike? Is he with you. Rainbow!"

Sombra watched Rainbow Dash slowly climbed back onto her feet. Her limbs still shook, barely able to hold up her weight. He laughed as the mare before flared out her wings and crouched into a fighting pose. He took a step forward.

Sombra suddenly disappeared under a giant scaly fist. When the dragon lifted his hand, broken limbs, bones, and armor in a puddle of black ichor was all that stood there. Feeling was beginning to return to Rainbow Dash body. She rushed to Cloud Chaser's side.

The mare coughed as she lain in Rainbow's forelegs. "Did, did you get him?"

"Cloud Chaser, is that you? Thank Celestia." Soarin's voice crackled through there helmets. "You and Rainbow need to get out of there now! The Crystal Heart's buzzing like crazy."

The two pegasi turned to the heart shaped crystal on the raised platform. The red glow had darkened to the point of giving the heart an almost black shine. The pulsing grew faster, and the crystal began to shake violent. Cracks were forming, spreading through the crystal.

"Come on," Rainbow Dash said as she helped Cloud Chaser up. "Think you can fly."

Cloud Chaser glanced over at her wings and shook her head. "Something's broken."

Rainbow Dash bit her lip. She gave her own wings an experimental flap. They were at least still operation, but could they handle a second pony? She didn't think so. She looked around for an alternate escape. "How do you feel about stairs?"

"Oh, just kill me now," Cloud Chaser moaned. "Wait, we still have Spike. He can get us out of here."

"Right, right! Spike!" Rainbow Dash carefully removed her helmet, doing her best to avoid pushing the glass shards any deeper. "Hey, big guy, we need an evac. You think you can handle that?"

The dragon didn't respond. He stared past Rainbow, directly at the glowing Crystal Heart with a dull yellow shine in his eyes.

"Spike?"

The dragon reach forward. His claws grabbed hold of the heart and pulled it away from the platform. He held it up toward the sky. The grin he wore as he apprised the crystal unsettled Rainbow. He brought the Crystal Heart to his mouth and swallowed it whole.

The roar he released was unlike any sound he had made before. It was pained, like the sound of a wounded animal, mixed with the triumphant glee made by a sadistic hunter. The sky turned red as he roared. The green flames he shot from his mouth were mixed with blues, yellows, and reds of more convention fires as well as a disturbing ashy black outline, giving that fire that had so often heated their campfires a hellish appearance.

The dragon began to grow but not like how he had before. His limbs seemed to snap and break out of their sockets as they forcefully extended. Scales flaked off, exposing the soft pink flesh beneath that was slowly covered by a new coat of scales, darker in shade and mixed with a crimson color. Bulges appeared on the dragon's forehead, right above his eyes. They continued to grow and grow until white bones suddenly pierced through and continued their path past the skies.

The dragon stared down at the city before him. He roared again, the sound mixed with so many dissonant pitches, it was painful to heard. Rainbow Dash was thrown off the tower by the force of the dragon's screech while Cloud Chaser was knocked into a pillar. Groaning, the mare struggled to her hooves. She raised her shaking head. "Spike?"

The pegasus was swept away by a flood of demonic flames, leaving not even ash in her place. As the flames ate away at the crystal structure, the tower began to collapse. The dragon swung his arm, crushing the rest of the palace.

Pegasi in blue and gray charged forward, burning away like shooting stars as the dragon turned his fire toward them. As the surviving Wonderbolts scattered, the dragon screamed, declaring his victory as the buildings around him burned.

The gray collar around the dragon's neck began to glow.

"Project Twelve."

The dragon's roar was cut off. Rainbow Dash let her foreleg fall limply to her side. The bangle rolled about in the colorful dust.