• Published 29th Jan 2016
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The Last Cutie Mark Crusader - Jatheus



Equestria is at war. The land is plagued by an unending horde of timberwolves that pour out of the Everfree Forest. Cities have fallen, and it seems everypony is powerless to end the slaughter. Scootaloo was one of the first to enlist...

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31 - Raid, Part 6 of 7

Sparklefly lifted her flare gun and fired it high toward a hidden sunrise as she led a small force, only about three-hundred, away from the battle in pursuit of their target. They were keeping pace, but the changelings were flying fast enough to maintain their distance. The humid air cooled, and the clouds ahead became dark as a storm rolled in. None of them had heard it coming over the sounds of the battle, but now they were flying directly into it.

Sparklefly looked back at her force and realized that she had made an error. Most of them were flying tandem, which hindered their speed. However, if they continued on without any magical support, the changelings would have the upper hoof. She quickly thought of her options, but wasn’t happy with any of them. Rainbow Dash's words rang in her ears that they must catch her at any cost.

She turned to the second in command and said, "I need three squads of pegasi to drop their passengers here. We will fly ahead and slow them down for the rest of our force to catch up."

"Ma'am?" the officer, a captain, questioned her.

"If she gets away, this has all been for nothing!" Sparklefly snapped back.

"Yes ma'am!"

The order was given, and thirty unicorns were dropped, deploying their parachutes when they got clear.

"Let's go get her!" Sparklefly cried out as her pegasus team followed behind.

They were now gaining on the small party of changelings. There couldn't have been more than a dozen, but they were certain to take issue with being followed. Lightning rumbled ahead as they pressed on, and rain began falling in fat drops as the wind picked up. That was when Rainbow Dash arrived, another hundred pegasi struggling to catch up.

"Report!" she called out.

"That's Queen Chrysalis!" Sparklefly pointed.

"Right," Rainbow Dash yelled. "Give it everything you've got! Let's catch the queen!"

They pressed into the wind and rain as fast as they could fly. Two of the changelings turned suddenly and unleashed deadly bolts of magic.

"Hold formation!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

The pegasi charged ahead, undeterred as the energy impacted into them. Arrows streaked across the sky in response, missing the two incoming changelings. By the time they drew close enough to take them out, six pegasi had been shot down, and three more engaged the changeling pair. The rest continued on.

Lightning flashed ahead, blinding Sparklefly for a moment; the deafening roar of thunder followed immediately behind. Still they pressed on. Rain was beginning to fall in heavy sheets, nearly obscuring the party of changelings ahead of them. They were close enough that Sparklefly could count them now. Only seven changelings remained.

A gust of wind nearly threw Sparklefly into a spin, but she fought to maintain control. During that moment, she caught a glance back. The wind took out five more pegasi, and she couldn't even see the rest of the companies that had been following. Rainbow Dash was ahead of the others, pressing hard toward the queen. Four more of her guard turned and began firing blindly.

"Hold formation!" Rainbow Dash shouted again.

The rain sizzled as the magical energy burned through it. Sparklefly joined the others in sending a volley of arrows to answer. Time froze for a moment, and it was as if Sparklefly could see each puff of steam that came from the raindrops as a blast of magical energy came directly at her, striking her helmet. She wobbled slightly and her ears rang, but she regained stability and pressed on past the changelings, trying to keep up with Rainbow Dash.

She didn't see what had happened to the rest of their group, but now they had barely ten remaining. Lightning forked between them and the three remaining changelings and the thunder boomed; every hair on Sparklefly stood on end and her insides rattled with the concussion of the noise. The rain grew so heavy that it was becoming difficult to see Rainbow Dash, let alone Queen Chrysalis.

"Colonel!" she yelled, her voice sounding thin and small in the rain. "We have to abort!"

"Not happening!" Rainbow Dash cried out. "She is not getting away!"

A faithful soldier, Sparklefly knew she had no choice but to continue on. She could feel her strength ebbing out with each flap of her wings. Though it was morning, the sky was filled with black clouds, only illuminated by what light came in around the storm. The bits of sky that were visible held a sickly green color.

Rainbow Dash pressed hard, and Sparklefly threw all of her strength into attempting to keep up. If she hadn’t been riding behind her, Rainbow Dash would have sped away. Sparklefly was in awe of the raw power she possessed. She was buffeted wildly by the wind, and it was all she could do to maintain her course.

Without warning, a shockwave formed in the air that pushed Sparklefly from behind. Suddenly it was smooth flying for her and Rainbow Dash at an unbelievable velocity. She’d heard tales of sonic rainbooms, but she’d never been able to produce one herself. In this instant, she found herself riding the wake of one. The wind roared in Sparklefly’s ears as they closed the distance. They were perhaps thirty seconds from overtaking their prey.

Another flash of lighting erupted from everywhere. Sparklefly and Rainbow Dash were engulfed by the discharge in an instant. It was as if a giant hand had slapped Sparklefly from the sky. Everything went black, and all she could hear was a roaring like a freight train in her ears. Her whole body had gone limp and tingly, and she was unable to control her wings.

Sparklefly tumbled in a free-fall for what seemed like an eternity before she began to regain some muscle control. Still unable to see, she attempted to arrest her fall, but the wind and rain beat mercilessly against her. She waited as long as she could, but as she was unable to get her bearings, ultimately there was only one choice; she pulled the rip-cord on her parachute, come what may.

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