The Slash of Thunder

by ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

weight

Sudden realization hit Blazing Streak. The way she had managed to nail that move first try, the way she spoke to Luna, it all made sense. The pieces fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

"I..."

"Rainbow..." Applejack started. Blazing Streak was still staring in disbelief.

"Why didn't you tell us? What, was this some sort of joke to you?" She asked, piping up.

"What? No I-"

"You hid this from us for Luna knows how long and it never crossed yer mind ta tell your own best friends that you kill for money?! What went through yer noggin' when ya thought this was a good idea?!" Rainbow was stood rigid, eyes shrunken. She stuttered before Blazing stood up and walked over to her.

"Rainbow, how long have you been hiding this from us? Does any one else know?" When Rainbow Dash didn't manage to reply Blazing stepped closer, fury lit like a spark in her heart, replacing the shock. Her hooves threatened to burst into flame, but she tried her best to repress her anger.

"Tell us, right now, Rainbow. How could you deceive us like this?!" She pressed. Rainbow's expression gradually switched from shock to despair and shame.

"I-I'm Sorry! I couldn't tell you! I-I-"

"And why is that?! Can't ya trust us with yer secrets?! Ah thought ya'll were loyal enough to have faith that we wouldn't think less of you jus' told us before!" Applejack shouted. Blazing saw tears sparkle in Rainbow's eyes as she turned and fled down the corridor, leaving the doors to slam in front of her face.

She stared after the Pegasus, bewildered. Slowly, they turned their attention back to the two Princesses that were watching them with surprise. Luna had more of an awkward look on her face.

"You knew she was an assassin, didn't you? You're involved in this." Blazing accused, the fur on her back spiking up. The Princess of the Night didn't reply for a moment, before briefly nodding. Many feelings swirled in Blazing Streak's heart; mostly disbelief and anger that one of her closest friends was willing to lie to her and every pony else she was close to. Looking toward Applejack, she saw that her wife was feeling the same. She had the disappointed dullness lacing her eyes as she would most times she was let down like this. Blazing nuzzled Applejack softly in comfort before facing the Princesses again.

"Your friend meant well, you know." Princess Celestia said. Blazing tilted her head, puzzled.

"When I first found out about the assassins, I was sceptical too, I didn't fully agree with it. But, after some time, I came to realize that it was for the best." She tried to reassure Blazing, who wasn't buying it.

"But to kill ponies, I get that Equestria isn't completely crime free, but killing isn't the way!" Blazing Streak piped up again, gritting her teeth. The Royal sisters looked taken aback for a moment before Luna stepped forward, rage sparking her eyes white.

"You dare to question me? In my own Palace?"

"Luna, don-" Celestia started, before being cut off by Blazing Streak, who scowled at the Princess of the night, outrage bursting from within her.

"How dare you order ponies to kill each other?! It's unjust! You should put criminals in prison, not pick them off from the shadows!"

"Firefly, sto-"

"Who are you to tell your Princess what to do?! It's not as simple as that, subject." Luna spat the last word in anger.

"Besides, the assassins aren't the only ones that kill their enemies!" She continued, snarling at Blazing, who flinched as a vulnerable nerve snapped.

"You know as well as I do that Night Whisper would have been a serious threat to Equestria if I hadn't! I had no choice!" Blazing failed to keep her eyes from flashing white in anger. This time, she was unable, and unwilling, to stop her hooves from igniting. A fiery aura started to surround her. She felt herself lifting off the floor slightly. She struggled to refrain from launching herself at the Alicorn. The Princess of the Night took a step back for a moment. She looked like she was about to retort when Princess Celestia separated them by standing between them.

"Enough! Stop it, both of you!" She turned to Blazing Streak, who was still fuming. "Blazing, I know how you feel about this, I felt it before, but you must understand that the assassins do what they do for the benefit of Equestria alone, a lot of their targets could and have escaped our prisons, so the only way to prevent them from being free to cause corruption in Equestria is to eliminate them. They're just too big of a threat to leave alive." Blazing Streak's rage started to slowly die down, the flames that had engulfed her extinguished, but her eyes stayed white and a scowl still planted on her face. She started to think hard about it. It was true that most prisons had ways of escaping, no prison was completely secure. This combined with the fact that some criminals might be very dangerous to be free.

Maybe... maybe it is the only way...

Even though it made sense to her now, she still didn't like it. She nodded in understanding and her eyes dulled to their normal crimson colour.

"As for you, Luna, you should know that ponies won't all have the same views on things as you do. We'll talk about this later, for now, I must show Blazing Streak around our barracks and training facilities." Luna stared at Celestia for a moment with an un-amused glare before turning her back to the three and walking through the doors that led to the Castle's spa. The Princess of the sun motioned to Blazing Streak and Applejack to follow her through another set of doors leading to the throne room and through the main doors of the Palace.

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

Blazing Streak walked through a large clearing near the Palace. around her, guards trained with weights and did press-ups. Beside her, Applejack looked around in a similar way to her.

Every single guard wore a tense and serious expression as they powered through training exercises. Some clashed wooden poles - most likely mimicking spears, some were brawling using hoof to hoof combat and some used dulled down swords. This made Blazing Streak realize that she would need a weapon for the upcoming storm, or she would most likely be torn to pieces, no matter how powerful her magic was. She thought back to the Journey she and her friends had embarked on a year ago and was reminded of the two knives she had come back with. Seeing as she had left them at home, she figured she'd be supplied with something to train with.

A voice from her left snapped her out of her thoughts.

"You'd better take good care of these guards, Blazing Streak. I've worked hard to train them up properly." She looked and saw a white Unicorn with a blue main and tail. She recognized Shining Armour, the usual leader of this army. The statement only added to the stone that weighed her heart down. They expected so much of her, yet she wasn't so sure she'd be able to live up to those expectations.

"Princess Celestia said you were in the Crystal Empire." Blazing Streak observed. Shining Armour nodded.

"Yeah, but I decided to have one last check if everything is in order before I leave to sort some things out over there. If Tartarus rises, so will Sombra." He suddenly grew a serious expression on his face. "I've heard a lot about you, Blazing Streak. I know that you will have what it takes to win this war." Blazing was surprised by the sudden reassurance.

"I definitely hope so, or I will be letting down everyone and everything I love." She stated, suddenly realizing the weight of the situation. If she failed this war, Equestria would be doomed, death tolls would rise in the millions, cities would be destroyed, society would fall apart. Overall, it would be another Helvada, only worse. She shuddered at the thought and a web of despair settled in her heart.

After a while of silence between the three, Shining Armour spoke up.

"Blazing? Wanna have a go in the ring? I want to see for my self what you're made of!" He challenged. Blazing Streak stopped and looked at him. After a minute she nodded.

"Fine."

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

A large crowd of guards stood around a fenced off area of dirt, much like the dusty area that Blazing would give her friends' lessons. All of her friends, apart from Rainbow Dash, gathered at the front of the crowd, eagerly awaiting the action that was about to take place. Pinkie Pie had a cheerleader outfit on and was bouncing up and down with pompoms. Shining Armour stood at the opposite side of the makeshift arena.

"Okay, in this round, be as rough as you want, when one pony surrenders, they lose and the round will be aborted. Remember, no hard feelings!" Shining Armour explained.

"Oh, and Blazing, no magic." He added. Blazing Streak nodded and reared up on her hind legs, much like the Unicorn in front of her.

"Whenever you're ready." Blazing gritted her teeth. The two circled each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Then, after a while, Blazing noticed Shining Armour's hind leg muscles preparing to launch him forward, this gave her a brief warning of the opponent's charge and gave her time to sidestep. As he missed, she landed a swift blow to the side of his head before leaping back to avoid being elbowed in the stomach. The white Unicorn lashed out with his right hoof. Making use of her training, she caught it and swiftly rolled onto her back, pulling the other on top of her. She then pushed up with her hind legs on Shining Armour's stomach as the momentum carried him forward. He sailed over her and landed clumsily on the ground, grunting. Blazing Streak flipped over with her wings to stand, facing him. He looked up at her with new respect in his eyes. After the breif pause he launched himself at her again. She miss-timed her evasion and he caught her wing as she tried to roll away. Instead of quickly rolling and standing once more, she span around and lost her balance. Immediately, the Unicorn had pinned her with his right foreleg and brought his other up to land a blow to her face. She used this time to drive her hoof into the side of his leg, he buckled and she rolled him to the side, allowing her to regain her footing. This time, it was her who went on the offensive. He had only just managed to stand, and was too slow to react in time before Blazing used the same move she had done on Thunder Slash about a week before, flipping backwards and catching the guard's jaw with her back hooves. He reared with the impact and fell on his bac, dazed. Blazing regained her footing and started to breathe heavier in exhaustion. Her wing stung from the impact of his battle hardened hooves.

Once more, Shining Armour regained his footing. He stood there, blood trickling from his mouth and panting just as hard as Blazing Streak was.

"Well... You sure live up to your reputation!" He wheezed. Blazing Streak started to feel bad. She rubbed the back of her head with her hoof.

"Uhm, sorry about the jaw." She apologized. He grinned.

"Sorry about the wing." He retorted with a chuckle. She faked a smile and sighed with exhaustion.

"Come." Shining Armour gestured, exiting the ring.

"You need some rest and something to eat." He stated. She was about to protest when she stumbled and her stomach rumbled.

"Thanks." She stretched her wings before hearing hoof-steps coming from behind her. Turning around, she saw her friends trotting up to her.

"You got him good, Blazing." Thunder Slash commented. "I remember being hit in the jaw like that." She remarked. Something twisted inside her heart at the memory of that fight.

"I'm fine, by the way." She said, hastily before Blazing could voice any concerns.

"Ah knew ya'll were a fighter, but takin' on the head o' the guards like that? Gosh, Ah've married a real warrior!" Applejack exclaimed, eyes wide. Blazing Streak blushed but didn't move her gaze from the ground.

"OhmyGOSH! You learned all that from Helvada?! You must have been at it for ages! OOH! WE NEED A PARTY!" Blazing sighed before noticing Twilight looking worried.

"Where did Rainbow Dash go? I haven't seen her all day." Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy all nodded in thought while Blazing felt a stone drop in her heart. Should she tell them? She'd be betraying Rainbow Dash's trust, and if anything, the Rainbow Pegasus should tell them herself. Spilling the beans could potentially ruin the friendships between Rainbow and every pony else, and that would be the worst move she would ever make. She decided to go against it for now, and try to make Rainbow tell them herself.

" Uh... Don't know, she's probably aslee-" She was cut off by the sound of an explosion and rock cracking. Looking around in panic, she saw her friends and Shining Armour all looking up at the mountain with horror. Following their gaze, she saw a boulder bouncing down the side of the mountain directly above the Palace. With no time to think twice, Blazing Streak launched herself towards the boulder as it fell. Flames formed a cone in front of her as she rocketed towards the threat, a fiery aura causing her to look like a fireball. Getting in range, she blasted the rock with her two front hooves. A beam of orange-red fire struck the debris with force, slowing its descent just above the roof. She knew this wasn't enough, so she flew directly underneath the large slab of stone, flapping her wings as hard as she could with her two front hooves pressing on the bottom of the boulder. Slowly but getting faster, the two started to drift downwards towards the roof, where Princess Celestia was watching in horror.

"Thunder Slash-.... Nngh! Help?!" She wheezed, feeling her arm and wing muscles starting to fail.

Her muscles strained as she put as much force into her wings and arms as she could. Then, the weight started to lift. She noticed a yellow aura surrounding the stone as they managed to haul it out of the way of Canterlot. Although most of the weight had been lifted, it was still really heavy. Her arms shook as she slowly moved over the walls surrounding Canterlot. summoning the last of her strength, she gave one last push forward and the giant rock flew off the edge of the cliff, just missing the walls. Struggling to breathe with exhaustion, she landed back on the ground on all four hooves. Her vision blurred as she saw her friends cantering up to her. Feeling as if she couldn't hold on much longer, she gave one last effort to stay conscious, trying to step forward. Pain and weakness shot through her muscles and she collapsed on the grassy earth beneath her. Head throbbing with dehydration, she lost consciousness.

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

"It's been a long time, my dear" A voice came from the darkness of unconsciousness. Blazing Streak looked around, feeling her arms numb, like her whole body had been four years ago after defeating Night Whisper.

"Wha..?" She started to recognise the echo's voice. Her heart thudded as she realized who it was.

"Dad?! Where are you? Have I gone and overdone it again?" She heard a chuckle from somewhere in the distance.

"No, not this time. I brought you here." A light overwhelmed to black void, in a flash, the blue and orange figure of her father, lost many years ago in Helvada. Over come with joy, she tried to fly over and hug her dad, but she was restrained by the blackness.

"A storm is coming, Blazing, dear. And soon, very soon. That boulder was the mountain weakening, when they attack, it won't get in their way at this rate." His eyes looked desperate all of a sudden. Blazing Streak looked back, sorrow replacing her temporary happiness.

"Why is this happening, Dad? I thought Cerberus was defending Tartarus!" Her father sighed.

"Cerberus... Is no more. Night Whisper slaughtered him as a trial put in place by Faint, the very being that corrupted him. Blazing Streak, Night Whisper and Faint have become more powerful than you've ever seen before. Together, if not stopped, they will destroy this world, all that will be left is ashes and corruption. Society will fall apart, so many will die." Daylight Sky, her father told her, grimly.

"Then what do I do?! I can't lead three thousand ponies to their deaths!"

"It's too late to do anything about the mountain, but in the fight, you won't be alone. These monsters threaten the good side of Tartarus with their hatred. I have gathered some ponies who would die again and forever to save the land they loved and the world they inhabit. In total, about five hundred of us will be able to join you. Any more would make the rupture of Tartarus worse and even more dangerous." He explained.

"Dad... How many are the enemy?" She dared to ask. Her dad sighed.

"I've estimated around five thousand. They wait for winter to reach its peak before they make their assault, we must be ready!"

Five thousand?...

Blazing Streak felt something strange, yet familiar rise in her chest. Determination was an uncommon feeling for her, yet right now, it shined brighter than ever. It felt like a bolt of adrenaline constantly rushing through her body at breakneck speeds, giving strength to her pained muscles and boiling the despair in her chest into a sizzling pool of anticipation.

"...I don't care how powerful Night Whisper has become down there. All I know is that he must not succeed. I won't let him turn this world into another Helvada! I'd sooner die than let him win! I'll be the one to bring him to his death once more!" She stated, stomping her hoof. She found herself freeing up, able to move her body with each ounce of determination and hatred that burned like a fire inside her. Her father stood there, gazing upon her with pride swelling his chest out.

"I know you will. Now get back to your world, it needs you!"

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

Warmth surrounded Blazing Streak, a big change frm the bitter cold of the outside winter. She opened her eyes a tiny bit, suddenly feeling the pain of her muscles still echoing through her forelegs. She was in her room iin Canterlot. The large window showed her the darkness of the night time, stars peeked through the window, giving the room a dim glow. She opened her eyes fully and looked around for Applejack. Not seeing the cowpony, she tried to get to her hooves. Her forehooves screamed in protest, but she tried her hardest to ignore them. She ambled through the door that led out into the corridor. A guard was posted next to her door, he looked round and nodded with respect. She reciprocated the gesture before continuing to limp to the stairs. reaching the top, she gave up on walking, instead, she let her legs dangle as she hovered with her wings. Although they weren't nearly as painful, they were still sore from earlier.

Where is everyone? She thought as she hovered through another corridor. As she passed the spa, she heard voices from inside. The muffled voices of Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and the rest of her friends came from inside. She opened the doors and went inside.

"Firefly! Yer awake!" Applejack exclaimed, signalling for her to sit next to her in the hot tub they had used the previous night. Sleepily, she complied. She lowered herself into the hot water, feeling the soothing warmth relax her sore muscles. Sighing in contentment, she rested her head on Applejack's shoulder, drinking in her sweet scent. Her wife rested her own head on Blazing's and started to hum a soft tune in her ear. For the first time in weeks, she was relaxed and certain. Then, her gaze caught Rainbow Dash. The calmness was shifted and replaced with tension. With the new revelation that Rainbow was an assassin, it was hard for Blazing to look her in the eye, knowing there was a killer behind them. The Pegasus looked troubled, she gazed down into the water with a deeply sad expression, while the rest of her friends all had distant expressions, Blazing noticed.

Has she told them?

Even Pinkie Pie wasn't herself, her main had lost some of its puffiness.

So much for relaxed...

"Ahem..." She heard Twilight start.

"Blazing, I need to show you something tomorrow, it's important." She said, simply. She didn't make any eye contact with Blazing

"Oh? Okay then." she replied, surprised and intrigued. The room fell silent again, apart from her wife's gentle, soothing melody. She wrapped her forelegs around Applejack and closed her eyes. Eventually, she slipped from reality into unconsciousness.

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

Blazing Streak found herself on an unfamiliar snowy mountain. Snow pelted down all around her, making it hard to see where she was going. Wind battered her body, she struggled to move forward in the harsh blizzard. Through the white blaze of snow, she managed to make out a yellow blur of a figure. She struggled on, only to stop dead with her heart pounding as she realized what, or rather, who she had found.

Dusk Shadow?! Where the hell am I?! Am I in..

She shook her thought off as she continued, this time more cautiously, trying not to alert her deceased brother. After a while, they came across a small wooden shack, falling apart from old age and worn from constant storms. Instead of following her brother in, she peered through a gap between the planks of wood that made up the shoddy shelter. She saw her brother walking in, his eyes were dull, yet they held within them a deep fear and anger. She sighed inwardly, her heart twisting. Seeing how he felt at the time, pity drove up from within her.

Dusk Shadow trudged over to a mirror. Gazing in it, he reeled back in shock and let out a gasp of horror. Alert, Blazing Streak looked at the reflection, but only saw her brother's frightened form cowering on the ground.

He became me, day by day, he would see me in the mirrors instead of his usual self, until one day, his heart gave way completely.

She suddenly remembered what Night Whisper had said in the dream she had a few days earlier. Is that what he saw?

she was interrupted from her thoughts when she noticed something in the corner of her eye. She turned to face it. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at a cloud of darkness materialising into the form of a pony. It didn't seem to notice her, giving her the chance to observe it from behind the snow drift she had ducked behind. It was dark grey, almost black with a pitch black mane and tail trailing into the air like Princess Celestia and Luna's'. It had torn, black, bat like wings that didn't look like they worked at all.
Its eyes pulsed with bright green light, standing out like a beacon among the rest of its figure.

It raised its hoof, allowing Blazing Streak to see a crown of sharp, claw-like razors surrounding its wrist. The figure cast a black cloud of smoke into the building, penetrating through the gaps in the wood silently. Blazing once again peered into the wooden structure. She gasped in horror as she witnessed the cloud of darkness entering her brother's brain. Dusk Shadow struggled a bit and squirmed, but then went limp where he was sprawled.

'Oh Celestia, no!' She thought.

'I have to stop this!' She turned her attention to the figure.

To her shock, it was now facing her, staring directly into her soul with its piercing gaze.

'I know you're there, Blazing Streak.' She heard a voice in her head. Confused but too frightened to move, she didn't answer.

'You know, this way of speaking to others is amusing. They all react like this.' Once again she heard the voice, sharp like flint. It was like hearing a teacher scrape something on a blackboard to get their students' attention. She flinched.

'Oh, excuse my manners, I didn't realize that voice hurt.' The painful noise reduced to a voice that sounded a lot like Night Whisper's rasp, only with two simultaneous voices at once. Finally, Blazing Streak managed to find her voice again.

"W-who are y-"

'Oh, you know who I am. Have you not read the fairy tales?' Unfortunately, this was true. Night Whisper himself had told her of a being that corrupted Dusk Shadow, and seeing her brother like this, with another figure that did it to her, she could put the pieces together.

"Faint!" She spat. The figure still hadn't moved an inch since she had returned her attention to it. It unnerved Blazing.

"That's me!" Faint spoke up normally this time, rather than in her head.

"You're leading Tartarus to fight us, aren't you? Haven't you gotten over your rightful punishment?" She growled. "Why did you deserve it? Murder?" She demanded. Faint only chuckled.

"It's been so long, one forgets their first life. I can tell you though, it was a joy to hear those foals scream!" Blazing Streak's pupils shrank and her jaw came off its hinges, dangling uselessly. Her heart was a mess, outrage, fury, sorrow, despair, determination and so many other feelings rushed through her constantly. The figure finally moved. It started to cackle uncontrollably, rolling on its back and kicking the air.

"Your face was priceless! The horror reflected in it!" It laughed. Blazing tilted her head indignantly, confused. "In all seriousness though, I don't remember. Been too busy taking over Helvada in the past four years, and planning my assault of Equestria!" It stood back up and continued to stare into her being.

'He took over Helvada?! When?!' She thought.

"Oh, 'bout a year ago. Equestria will be more fun, though!"

Rage boiled within her.

"No. It. Won't! I'll never let you win!" She gritted her teeth and glared at Faint, who only started laughing again.

"Such bold words, Pegasus. But..." It vanished with a puff of smoke and shortly reappeared right in front of her face. She fell back in shock. "Think you can back them up with actions? I've seen you, back in Helvada all that time ago. Such determination and hate. You know, I could have done the same to you, made you like Night Whisper. But to be honest... I couldn't be arsed. But now I am. That hate towards me inside you? Be wary of it when you're world is being crushed." It smirked.

Before Blazing Streak could retaliate, Faint vanished in a puff of smoke.

Author's Note:

As I've said before, this fic takes place after atomicbrony45's fic:

http://www.fimfiction.net/story/141638/derpy-hooves-an-unexpected-journey