The Slash of Thunder

by ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

leaving

A kiss on her nose woke Blazing Streak from her sleep. She blinked open her eyes to see Applejack leaning over her.

"G'mornin', Firefly! Time ta wake up!" she stated. Sleepily, Blazing smiled back at her. She forced herself awake by sitting up and stretching her wings, feeling the satisfaction of her muscles pop. She was in their room in the castle, light filtered through the gaps in the tall window, illuminating the entire room.

"It sure isn't like a morning at the farm." She said, a drizzle of homesickness passing through her. Applejack put a hoof on her shoulder.

"'S okay, sugar cube. We'll be home later on..." Her voice trailed off as they remembered that Blazing was to stay in Canterlot for at least a week. Blazing Streak frowned. Deciding not to think about it for now and continue with her morning, she shook away the thoughts and got to her hooves. SHe walked towards the door, about to open it, when she was forced back through the room by a flash of white and purple, rolling over and over until the wall stopped her rapid semi-flight. Confused, shocked, and dazed, she looked up to see Twilight standing where the flash had been, a guilty and embarassed look on her face.

"You okay, firefly?!" Applejack was at her side in an instant. She shook her head rapidly in an attempt to regain her bearings. She nodded and started to get up.

"Jeez, Twilight! You're going to kill someone with that someday!" she scolded, irritated.

"I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?" she rushed over and tried to help her up.

"No, it's okay, I'm fine." She said, amused. Twilight visibly relaxed, breathing out in relief.

"So what was so urgent that you had to almost materialize inside of me?" She asked. Twilight stared for a moment, almost unsure of why she was here.

"Oh! Yes!" Her horn sparked in energy as a purple aura surrounded the saddle bag that she wore. A heartbeat later, two objects floated out.

"Why did you bring those?" She questioned, staring at two short swords that were the length of her foreleg. Twilight must have got them from the armoury. If Twilight heard her, she gave no sign of it.

"I have been doing some scientific research recently." She dropped the blades into Blazing's outstretched forelegs before carrying on.
"I was thinking of a way to maximise the efficiency of some weapons for you to use in the battle. My theory is that, with a little help with my magic, you can infuse these knives with your own magic, making them significantly more powerful." Blazing Streak's interest was piqued. She listened closely.

"Once you have done this, you should be able to summon it by your own will, making you a lot more diverse in combat." Twilight finished proudly as Blazing Streak clutched the weapons in her hooves.

"..And this actually works?" She asked.

"Of course it does!" Blazing Streak and Applejack looked at each other in uncertainty for a moment.

"Right... So how do I do this?" She asked.

"Well, we can't do it in here, it would make a big mess!" She didn't give them time to reply as the moved next to them. In an instant, they appeared in the barracks with a flash. surprised and disorientated, Blazing Streak shook her head rapidly. Snow drifted from the sky, covering the ground with a white blanket. Apprehension clawed at Blazing as she remembered her father's prediction.

When winter hits its peak.

"Okay, hold out your swords." Blazing snapped out of her thoughts and did as she was told. Growing more and more uncertain about what was about to happen, she listened on. Twilight's horn lit up and the knives were surrounded by a violet aura once again.

"Now slowly push energy into them." Blazing Streak started to pump her fire magic out of her hooves. Her knives started to glow orange, and then yellow as they heated up. The handle burnt away, leaving searing hot metal underneath. Luckily for Blazing, it was her own fire and it didn't hurt her. Fire started to swirl around the blades, orange, but with a purple spark within them.

"More energy." Twilight commanded. As Blazing complied, flames began to emit from the now white-hot glowing hilts, charging up the blades and sending smoke and embers into the air. Applejack and Blazing watched in wonder at the spectacle.

"Alright, point them straight up and give it all you've got!"

Blazing Streak strained as she pumped as much magic into her weapons as she could. Two large streaks of fire shot up into the atmosphere and flame shot down into the ground from the back of the weapons.

I can see why she wanted me to point them up!

She pushed harder, pouring every ounce of her being into the two objects she held in her hooves.

"Just... a little... longer!" She heard Twilight grunt. The two knives started to glow a brilliant white, forcing Blazing To close her eyes.

She began to feel her strength giving.

"I can't.. nnh! ...hold on much longer!"

"Applejack! Get close to me!" Twilight yelled. The farm mare quickly did so. Beyond the flames, Blazing Streak saw a purple forcefield surrounding the two. Unease dripped into her heart. But there was no time to reflect on this. There was a bright flash before the objects which used to be her knives gave off a large explosion, flames expanded outwards around them, blasting past Blazing Streak and dissipating in the air.

What remained was silence. Blazing Streak opened her eyes to see her two swords, but they had changed significantly. Instead of steel, they looked to be made out of fire. Flames scorched off from the back and the blades were slightly curved backwards. The guards were black with fiery cracks adorning the sides. Underneath the handle, there were sharp, knife-like pommels. These weren't just short-swords any more, they were more than that. They felt lighter than the other knives, but still felt weighty enough to do damage with.

"...Woah..." Was all she managed to say.

Twilight put on a smug grin. "I told you it would work!"

"Now that's somethin' ya don't see everyday!" Applejack commented.

"That could come in handy." They heard Thunder Slash's voice from behind them. Turning around, Blazing saw her trotting up to them.

"Say, do you think it could work for me?" She asked.

"In theory, yes. The problem is, you don't have a weapon to do it on." Thunder Slash looked thoughtful.

"Hm. Oh well, I'll just pick one up from the armoury later." She figured. At that moment, Two doors at the side of the clearing burst open, revealing Shining Armour.

"What's going o-" He froze as he saw Blazing Streak with her two new weapons. His pupils shrunk.

"I... I see." He stated, not sure what to make of the situation. After a moment of silence, Thunder Slash spoke up.

"Blazing, Why don't we have a duel of sorts? I'll get my my weapon, and then we can see who's better at sword-fighting." She suggested, a glint of challenge in her eyes. Blazing Thought for a moment.

"You sure about that? You could get hurt!" She retorted, grinning. Whatever the outcome, she could use some practice with her new weapons. Thunder Slash only smirked.

"Only after you're begging me to spare you, 'Firefly'!" Blazing snarled semi-playfully, only Applejack called her that. She was about to send an indignant retort when Shining Armour stepped in.

"Woah, girls! These weapons will be lethal! You should use our training weapons instead." He warned. Slash and Blazing looked at each other and shrugged.

"Either way works for me. I'm still going to wipe the floor with you!" Thunder Slash boasted.

"I'd like to see you try!" Blazing Streak played along.

"Uh oh..." They heard Twilight mutter.

.--...--...---...--...--.

Blazing Streak stood in a large room with a dark wooden floor and brick walls. The entire building was underground, doubling up as a shelter to protect citizens from Changeling invasion or other threats. A few guards were also in the room, occasionally training with each other.

A few metres ahead of her stood Thunder Slash, stretching her forelegs. In their hooves they held training swords; sturdy, black, rubber, sword-like poles with metal handles wrapped in leather. They stepped closer, waiting for the other to strike. After a few heartbeats, Blazing Streak darted forward, attacking on the right. Thunder Slash whipped round and placed her sword in the way before lashing out with a hoof, which Blazing promptly swatted with her pole. Thunder Slash reeled in pain.

"Ow! What are these things made of?!" She exclaimed. Blazing smiled in amusement before focusing once more. This time, Slash moved forward to stab her 'sword' into her chest. Blazing Streak moved out of the way and blocked it with her sword. Not giving Thunder Slash a chance to retaliate, she ducked under a hoof that the blue Pegasus had swung at her and pushed up with her own hoof into Thunder Slash's stomach.

"Oof!"

She then brought her training weapon to attack the stunned Pegasus, but she was too slow. Thunder Slash darted to her side and swiped the back of her head. She fell forward and grunted in pain.

"Jeez, I see what you mean!" She stated.

"No more messing around!" Thunder said, leaping at Blazing with her back hooves. Blazing Streak used her wings to manoeuvre her way behind Thunder as she glided through the air. She kicked down with her hind legs, striking Thunder Slash in the back. The blue Pegasus fell to the ground before stumbling to her feet again and immediately going for Blazing again.

Blazing Streak blocked a swipe from the left, followed by from the right. Strikes kept coming from all different directions, as well as blocking, Blazing occasionally countered, mostly striking thin air or a leg. Then, She mistimed a counter, and felt the rubber sword strike her jaw. Jarring in pain, she stumbled back and put a hoof to her mouth. She felt hot fluid on her hoof before realizing that a tooth was missing. Looking to where she had been, she saw the small, white bone on the floor, covered in blood. She spat out the blood and looked up to Thunder Slash, who was standing triumphantly. Blazing frowned. Pain still pulsed from her jaw as she glared. Catching her stare, Thunder Slash took a tiny step back, cocky look slightly faltering. They stayed like that for a moment before Blazing Streak growled slightly and darted towards Thunder Slash.

The blue Pegasus tried to block her attack from the left, but she was too late and Blazing's sword struck her arm. She stumbled a bit, wincing in pain. Blazing leaped up and thrust her hind leg into Thunder Slash's stomach. She heard the cocky mare wheeze and cough as she was forced back and over, clutching her stomach with her front hooves and dropping her sword.

A guilty thought entered Blazing Streak's mind that she might have actually hurt Thunder Slash. She stepped forward.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked through a still bleeding mouth. A few guards had stopped doing what they were occupied by and were looking at them. She didn't think she hit Thunder Slash that hard, and she knew that the mare could be tougher than she was. Still, guilt clawed at her. This was meant to be a training exercise and she hadn't meant to hurt her friend.

The mare in question slowly recovered.

"Yep.. Just didn't expect you'd hit that hard." She wheezed.

"Yeah.. I'm sorry about that, I guess I overdid it." She apologized, offering to support Thunder Slash.

"Ah, it's nothing. It's not as if it hurt much." She replied. Blazing Streak inwardly sighed with relief as they headed for the exit.

.--...--...---...--...--.

Blazing felt loss deep inside her, threatening to burst. It was time for her friends to leave and head back to Ponyville. Blazing had been told that she needed to stay in Canterlot for at least another week, which meant that she would be away from her best friends.. her wife possibly until the final battle. She stood at the train station, her friends, except for Thunder Slash, who also had needed to stay, getting ready to enter the train. Shining Armour had left for the Crystal Empire earlier that day too, so she was second in command over the Royal army, Princess Celestia being the first. Applejack walked over to her after packing some things into the train. She smiled comfortingly.

"Okay, Firefly, Ah guess it's time ta leave." Blazing nodded, putting on her own forced grin. Applejack's gazed softened, Blazing guessed she saw right through the smile. She was pulled into an affectionate hug.

"Aw, sugar cube.. We'll see each other again soon, don't you fret none." She reassured. It didn't lift Blazing's spirit much.

"I'll still miss you. I wish I could go with you." She said, her face buried in Applejack's mane. tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she held them back as hard as she could. Eventually, they separated.

"Ah'll miss ya too, Firefly, so much." Applejack's eyes lost some of their usual happiness and contentedness.

"G'bye, hun." She turned to leave. Something fell in her heart at that moment.

"Wait, AJ!" She called. Her wife turned around with a questioning look. Blazing stepped forward, closed her eyes and pressed her lips on her wife's. This time, the tears managed to escape her eyes, rolling down her cheeks. Applejack once again put her foreleg around Blazing's neck. Blazing in turn raised a hoof to caress her wife's cheek. She expected this to lift her spirits, but instead of the usual spark that ran down her spine, her heart started to throb with sadness. Reluctantly, they separated. Applejack stroked her mane once more.

"Ah'll write to ya everyday, ya hear me? Ah love you." She asserted.

"I love you too. I guess this is goodbye, then." Blazing replied with a sigh.

"Firefly, yer talkin' as if this is the last time we'll see each other! It's gonna be okay! Now, Ah have ta go now, Ah'll see ya soon." Applejack smiled before turning and boarding the train. Blazing Streak waved to her as they disappeared down the tracks. She was suddenly aware of how lonely she felt knowing that she'd be away from her family and friends. It was almost as bad as she used to feel back in Helvada. She was vaguely aware of Thunder Slash strolling up to her.

"Must suck, everything you love is in that train."

No need to rub it in..

"You'll see 'em again, sometime... Probably."

Is that supposed to reassure me?

There was a moment of cold silence until Blazing was surprised to feel a hoof on her shoulder.

"Woah, what happened? Is Thunder Slash of all ponies comforting me? The world really must be doomed!" She exclaimed, half serious.

"Yeah, yeah, don't push it. Before you know it I'll be knocking more of your teeth out in the ring." Thunder Slash reassured her.

"That's more like it." The two chuckled a bit, despite their friends leaving. But then her sadness settled as a stone in her heart.

"Well, I need to stretch my wings, wanna go for a quick flight?" Thunder Slash offered. Blazing Streak realized that it would be good to put some use to her wings after the rock that had almost struck Canterlot.

"Sure, but where will we go? We're not allowed to fly more than forty miles per hour over Canterlot." She recalled the flying restrictions on Canterlot.

"Dunno, I just need the exercise. Follow if you want." With that, She took off, completely ignoring the forty miles per hour law. A few guards turned their heads irritably, but carried on their business when they saw Slash leave the City borders. Blazing Streak took flight after her, picking up her pace immediately after passing the outer walls. By now, the Pegasus had pulled far ahead, leaving streaks of lightning in her wake. Even though her wings were a bit stiff, she could feel them gaining strength as she sped up and they got used to the strain. Deciding to try something new, Blazing Streak built up energy at her back hooves as she flew faster and faster. When she felt the energy about to explode, she released it behind her, propelling her forward at beyond break-neck speed. She passed Thunder Slash in a flash, barely catching the Pegasus' astonished reaction. Exhilaration pulsed through her.

Why did I never try this before?!

She felt pressure at her front and noticed the world around her blurring and rippling as she struggled against the sound barrier. She forced more energy out from behind her and pushed harder with her wings. The cone quickly snapped into a narrow, bullet shape.

Moments later, she felt energy pulse through her body and the pressure from the cone disappeared. She heard a deafening explosion and she accelerated to more than twice her previous speed. Behind her, she saw flames spreading out from a white, burning centre. A fiery trail erupted from her as she rocketed across the sky. Deep satisfaction boiled through her and she started to slow down until she was hovering slowly through the sky. She started to take in her surroundings. From where she had just come from, a desert stretched in an outcrop, fusing into hilly moorlands. To her right, she could see the brilliant red and orange cliffs of the desert canyon, dotted with tiny green specks in the yellow sand. In the dimming light, these canyons looked even more beautiful. She made a note to remember this view for sometime later on, when this threat was over. Dull apprehension hummed within her. However determined she was to deal with it, it was still a massive task for her to command so many soldiers in a battle that was sure to leave massive casualties. She shook the thought and continued to look around. To her left, she could see vast moorlands, hills stretching into the distance with a lake that bordered the edge of a pine forest. She realized that the sparkling body of water was where they had gone camping all those years ago. It was where she and Applejack had first confessed to each other. The memory was imprinted deeply into her mind, she'd never forget it.

Thinking of this stirred her thoughts about the upcoming week and beyond. She still didn't know how she could cope for that long, knowing that she didn't have her wife or friends' support. Granted, she had Thunder Slash, but she wasn't the empathetic type and only gave support when it was really needed and effected her as well.

She heard a whisk of electricity behind her. Turning round, she saw that the mare in question had caught up to her, looking winded.

"How... How did you go that fast so quickly?" She asked.

"The years to myself in Helvada gave me time to practice and master a lot of things, flying included. It wasn't just my raw effort and speed that got me the acceleration though, I used my magic to boost me to full speed." She explained. Thunder looked thoughtful.

"And what about that explosion? Sounded like a sonic boom!" She asked.

"It was."

"Then where did the fire come from?" Thunder pressed, confused.

"Dunno, where does the trail that follows you when you fly fast come from? Twilight would probably be able to explain it. Something to do with our magic."

"Hm." There was a lasting silence as Blazing glided above the moorlands.

"So.. Have you ever broken the sound barrier?" Blazing asked Thunder Slash. The blue Pegasus pouted a bit before shaking her head.

"Nah." She stated, simply.

"That's a shame." Blazing replied, surprised that Thunder Slash didn't try to boast that she had or could. Maybe she'd misjudged her. She'd been quick to assume that the Pegasus was just another Rainbow Dash, but on a larger scale. Now, she could see that she was wrong. Thunder Slash didn't boast nearly as much, sure, she was cocky, but if she was outdone, she admitted to it.

After yet another moment of quiet between the two, Thunder Slash spoke up.

"I can't help but feel like the mountain is taunting me." She stated, staring at the large rock while gliding backwards. Blazing Streak knew what she meant.

"It's like Tartarus could break out at any moment." She continued.

"Yeah... I had a dream last night." Blazing Streak began. Thunder Slash looked at her, intrigued. She went on. "I was with my Dad in this weird dark void place. He told me that the boulder that fell from the mountain yesterday was a sign that they are breaking loose. He told me that when winter hits its peak, Tartarus will launch their assault." She explained, wishing that Thunder Slash hadn't brought it up.

"Wait, It's December now... SHIT! It's almost here!" Thunder Slash exclaimed, quickly changing her direction to Canterlot and speeding off as fast as she could. Blazing Streak, heart pounding as she too realized, launched after her. She quickly gained on the frantic Pegasus. She realized that this was the first time she'd seen Thunder Slash look genuinely worried about something.

Something really is up, if Slash is this frantic!

"We have to warn Princess Celestia that winter is going to hit its peak in just over a week and that's when Tartarus is going to attack!"

Winter in Equestria was quick to reach full swing, especially near the mountains. It was only the tenth of December, and by around the seventeenth, Blizzards and snowfall took over the skies in a bitter cold sting.

.--...--...---...--...--.

"Princess Celestia!" Thunder Slash called as they entered her throne room, the biggest hall of the castle. The Princess stopped drinking her tea and looked down, curious.

"You may speak." Blazing Streak stepped forward.

"Princess, we know when Tartarus is going to attack! And you're not going to like it, but it's when winter hits its most wild, next week!" She informed the Princess, panic bubbling in her heart. Celestia's eyes widened and she visibly stiffened.

"We need to get ready for it!" Thunder Slash continued.

"How do you know of this?" She said, with authority and sounding calmer than the rest of the guards in the room, who had suddenly started to hurry to the barracks. Blazing explained her dream the previous night and how her Father had given her the warning. By the end, the Princess was staring at her, intrigued.

"So Luna was right! You do have these dreams!" Blazing Streak tilted her head in confusion. Princess Celestia continued.

"Dreams like those are a special kind of dream that only a few ponies can have, for instance, Me and Luna. How often do you have these dreams? Where you see or hear prophecies from the future?" She suddenly remembered the other dream with Faint, sending a shiver down her spine.

"U-um... Not very often, only when something big is going to happen, like when Night Whisper attacked." She said, puzzled. Princess Celestia nodded slowly.

"You are a gifted pony, Blazing Streak. Let us know if you have any more of these dreams, they will be useful." She commanded.

"For now, we must prepare twice as fast, go to the barracks, I'm sure that the soldiers will be expecting a speech from their new commander. I will inform the Crystal Empire immediately of the news." Blazing Felt anxiety fill her heart. She didn't know she had to do a speech.

What do I say?

The threat looming over them suddenly felt more real and very close.

Author's Note:

The end is getting real close now.