Welcome to the World
Starlight was looking around in shock, her heart twisting in her chest. She was scanning the barren landscape, illuminated under the full moon. This future had terrified her. Knowing that she had lead to the destruction of the world: wiping away everything she and anypony else had ever held dear had been the horribly sobering experience. Now seeing the barren hell-scape around her again was chocking her to death with confussion, guilt, and fear. How was this still here? Hadn't she fixed the past? Wasn't this all avoided? Was she still responsible for all of this? She couldn't ever hope to fix this, there was no fixing ash.
Starlight turned to the two other mares next to her. Both Twilights were laying on the ground having not stirred since one slapped the other and collapsed herself. They were both still breathing so that was mostly good, though the two ceasing to exist would have been best. She wouldn't be in this situation. Starlight's miniscule hatred of Twilight Sparkle had been massively multiplied by the other Twilight's actions and the building guilt that she was responsible for them in some roundabout way.
"What in Tartarus?"
Starlight jumped a full three hooves into the air and spun around to face a pony made of ash. The creature was grey from hoof to mane tip with the residue of the world. It was looking at the Twilights laying on the ground head tilted to the side. Then, it turned to Starlight.
Starlight had been expecting this creature to have the eyes of a tormented soul damned to wonder this wasteland for eternity; flaming, hollow orbs of pain. Instead, she was even more shocked to find a singular but otherwise very normal steel blue eye reflecting moon light back at her in utter confusion. Starlight saw now that she wasn't a pony made of ash, just covered in it; she did seem to be on about the tormented soul thing though. The unicorn mare standing in front of her was malnourished, scarred, and looked like she couldn't even comprehend the concept of rest. Yet, the slight, stress-caused wrinkles on her face were those of a face that had born a smile most of its life. The face of a pony that still smiled despite what the world threw at her.
"Are you the Time Lordy pony that Captain Sparkle was talking about? What happened in there? Why are there two of them? And is that one an Alicorn? Hey, are you all right?"
Starlight jumped again when the mare reached out and touched her. Guilt had started building in her when she had seen this horrible place and was leaking out in tears. She fell into a little hug letting out a sob.
"Shhh, you're ok. Look, my name's Minuette. I'm a friend of the Captain's. You're going to be fine. We'll just get our Twilights awake and get out of here. Ok?" She beamed and Starlight returned it, soaking in the warm feeling the mare gave off before Minuette turned away. "Twinkle, Lemon check those two."
Two other piles of ash proceeded stand up and walk over. Another two unicorn mares that were indistinguishable from the first except in there eyes: one had lighter blue eyes and the second's were magenta, both had a full set. They made their way to the two once identical ponies on the ground. They shared a glance of uncertainty before each pressing a hoof to the neck of their chosen Twilight Sparkle. Both mares jumped back as the Twilights started to stir.
The alicorn sat up and looked around again, rubbing her face. Fear shot through her eyes after realizing she was surrounded by three moving piles of ash but dissipated soon after to confusion.
"Are you ok?" Minuette was quick to the point.
Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "Minuette? Is that you? What are you doing here? What happened to your eye!?! What's even going on? Are we in the alternate timeline?"
"Sounds like you're good," Minuette silenced that Twilight with a hoof and turned to her own. "How about you, Captain?"
"Uhhhg.." The other Twilight rose to sit. Hooves pressed to her temples. "It feels like my head is a ballon that has been given a negative static charge and life has a positive charge."
"I don't think that's good but its coherent enough for me. Lets get going."
"Oh, yes. Could you imagine what a disaster it would be if you all were caught out here in the open?"
The group gave a collective jump and looked up at the source of the smug voice. Starlight gasped, the ashen ponies grit their teeth, Cpt. Sparkle growled, while Twilight couldn't manage more then gawking in confusion. Descending, like a falling star unto the earth, was an orange alicorn. She sported a vibrant and immaculate mane of yellow and red with matching tail. She was wearing a set of gleaming golden armor. It reminded Twilight of royal guard suits but with a much more streamlined design, hugging the alicorn's frame like a finely tailored dress. The suit included greave and sabaton covering her legs and a higher collar line. The helmet was distinctly different from what Twilight had seen Royal Guards wear. Instead of the curving, open-fronted, Pegasus style head dress the helmet had much sharper edges. A wide, down-turned brim that gave the impression of anger and a pair of large, sharp cheek pieces stuck out like fangs. Finally, a large bladed horn guard finished the image of a fearsome, golden nightmare. The armor was adorned with a star at the center of the chest and maroon trim complemented the pony's light green eyes.
"SUNSET!"
"Sunset?"
The Twilights addressed the alicorn as one while she glided gently to land in front of the group. She took in the sight of another alicorn with bafflement and a slight shimmer of anger. She looked between the theoretically but hardly identical ponies before turning to the one with wings.
"I'm-"
Sunset's speech was cut off before her first line by several bolts and beams coming at her. A shield absorbed most of the shock and her armor the rest but the alicorn was still sent skidding along the ground a short distance. Several more bolts were deflected just as aptly before Sunset's horn flared brighter and sent out a pulse of energy. Starlight thought it was like the spell Sparkle had placed on her, bringing a numb sensation to her horn even if it seemed much weaker than the one before. After casting her spell, Sunset took to her wings and set to hovering a decent distance away.
"Well I guess that I wasn't really expecting to make any new friends," Sunset said. She magically amplified her voice as she continued. "Twilight Sparkle! I, in respect of the good old days and with all my generous splendor, am going to give you and your little team one chance. I'm not going to assume you would hand yourselves but you'll have a day's head start before we hunt you down and you finally face justice for you crimes. Your friends might not even face the gallows. My only stipulation is that you hand over your new friends here."
Sunset's gaze settled on the other two ponies that were as clean as she was. "You two are trespassing in the Kingdom of Equestria. My Queen requires registration of aliens and would be most interested in learning how it is that you both came here. The sharing of that knowledge would be most valuable in our fight to preserve the Kingdom as well as seeing to your personal safety." She shot a threatening grin. "Knowing that inter-dimensional travel wasn't a dead end is wonderful news. I do have to say though that the thought of Twilight Sparkle upstaging me -in any reality- is pretty bitter."
"Sunset," Princess Twilight answered, "I don't know what you think this is but we aren't here from another dimension. I rea-"
"What do you mean not from another dimension? The only way for us to be getting graced with seeing that wash-up traitor over there," Sunset pointed a hoof at Cpt. Sparkle, who's scowl only deepened, "as an alicorn was if you came from some twisted alternate reality."
"Well, we are from an alternate reality, but we have no idea how we got here or even how this place exists. I thought that Starlight had fixed her mistakes and that this timeline didn't exist any more-"
"Wait, wait, wait. Timeline?" Each 'wait' had been accented with a wave of a hoof as Sunset set her gaze on the only pony she didn't know anything about. Sparkle's scowl grew yet deeper and Minuette stuck a hoof in Twilight's mouth, Twilight choking on ash. "Starlight, I'm assuming? I always knew that Celestia and Starswirl covered up dimension jumping but I really thought that time travel magic lead nowhere. I have to say I'm almost intimidated, Starswirl was one of the best and he spent most of his life trying to crack controlled temporal manipulation, just to make one spell that barely works. From what your friend is describing, however, you have it down to a science. My Queen and I will be most interested in becoming familiar with you and your research." Sunset put on a venomous smile. "Come with me and none of these ponies will get hurt." A group of eight golden clad pegasi dropped out of a cloud behind her, accenting the point.
"Ugh, what did I tell you?" Sparkle all but snarled at her two prisoners. "Sunset! I'm really not looking forward to you talking us to death and I really thought you would have learned by now: I'm always prepared."
Sparkle stuck a hoof out to her side and jerked it down. The air was almost instantly filled with the clang of metal and a swift crack. Sunset's head jerked back and she fell from the sky, impacting the ground limply. Before her journey to the ground was finished, Sparkle raced over toward her. Sunset barely managed to struggle to her hooves, showing off a large blemish in the brow of her helmet, and get half way to a defensive stance before the lavender unicorn was upon her. Metal wailed and bone cracked as Sparkle delivered a powerful punch. The hit proved that what had sent Twilight and Starlight sprawling had been restrained love-taps for the mare. Sunset was thrown back a large dent in her armor at the left shoulder. Sparkle, however, wasn't able to press her offensive. She jumped back toward her allies and raised a shield as the wing of gold-clad pegasi rained a barrage of lights down on her. The bolts shattering into metallic fragments that pelted the ground. Sparkle threw her head up at them and her shield followed the movement flying up into the group of airborne horses. Two weren't fast enough and smacked into it, the rest of the formation broke apart and fled back into the sky, dodging spell fire that managed to claim another four.
Twilight watched as Sparkle turned and made a b-line for the group still huddled by the map. She made it half way back when she skidded to a stop and screamed: "SIX O'CLOCK"
Twilight was instantly wrapped in shields as the world exploded in color around her. Greens and pink, but most of all fiery red, yellow, and orange. The noise could have easily been described as apocalyptic. The shield warped and bulged under the rays, threatening to collapse and the three unicorns holding it up groaned under the effort. Twilight was able to overcome her shock at the light display and realize that her magic wasn't fritzed anymore. She helped hold the shield as the pounding faded. She looked out to see a group of thirty pegasi clad in electric blue with gold and orange accents racing past, raining their technicolor death down on where Sparkle had been standing as the golden group came down with reinforcements; landing and taking up defensive positions on the ground.
It was at this point that Twilight noticed that she was the only pony still holding up the shield.
"Keep it up. You're doing great."
Minuette moved past Twilight brushing a hoof against her shoulder in support. Twinkleshine followed; levitating up a stick, she started drawing intricate patterns in the ash. Lemon Hearts and Minuette took up positions on her flanks, guarding their friend. Twilight couldn't help but nerd out as she recognized battle runes being drawn in the dirt. Runes had always been something that she had ignored for the most part in her own education but they were no less interesting. The archaic practice was mostly used by earth pony and zebra sorcerers, employing them to focus magical energy so that spells, curses, fetishes, potions, and other magics could be weaved. Unicorns, having horns for performing the same task, mostly ignored the art. They had only really found use for it in massively powerful and complex spells (like the one used to raise the sun in pre-Celestial time) or combat. The marks allowed a unicorn to focus and channel exterior energies from their environment; increasing strength and endurance at the expense of mobility. A most fascinating topic that could be further researched in Magebrook's "Advanced Magical Theories".
As Twinkleshine worked on her rune Twilight turned her attention back to the outside of the light purple bubble they were in. The second group of ponies was still strafing Sparkle, providing cover as the golden ponies recovered their own. Their plan wasn't going off with out a hitch though. Every couple of seconds there would be a crack and a pony would fall, a bloody wound gushing. Eventually the golden solders fell back to the far side of a small ridge where the origin of the crack couldn't seem to get at them. Overhead a decent portion of airborne pegasi banked and headed off to the south, toward where Ponyville would have been.
"Minuette!" Lemon Drops looked back to the one-eyed mare. "They found Lyra. Please tell me we're ready to go."
"Twinkleshine? How're you coming?"
"Just a little bit longer." The mare was concentrated on her sketches.
"Ok!" Minuette turned to the purple mare in the group." Twilight, I want you to drop the bubble shield and set up a wall between us and the Royal Guard over there-" she pointed toward the golden clad troops. "Lemon, we need to get to our places."
Twilight did as she was told and set her shield. However, she couldn't curb her curiosity completely and looked back at the other three ponies. Twinkleshine had taken her place at her center of the rune, her horn glowed and the lines in the ground followed suit. Minuette and Lemon Hearts had taken up places at the other corners of a triangle drawn inside of the large circle that the runes revolved around.
"Twilight, keep an eye out." Minuette's voice was stern but soothing. "Ready girls?"
Lemon gave a nod and both turned their gazes to Twinkle. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, a motion that the other two ponies reflected. When their eyes opened again all shown white as the magical lines went from glowing to flaming. Together the three ponies swept their heads back and around in a wide sweeping motion. The air around Twilight instantly lost all warmth, frost spread along the ground, and the night grew darker as the magic flared even brighter, changing from Twinkles light blue to a much darker royal blue that sparkled like a night sky. As the sweep was completed magic raced up from the runes, over the ponies standing amongst them, swirling around their horns, and three beams of light shot out at the group of pegasi racing south.
Twilight was reminded of her battle with Tirek as the beams met in front of the formation and the world turned white.
The shock wave knocked Twilight to the ground and forced the air out of her lungs. When Twilight's vision finally cleared, she looked back to see the last of the black mushroom cloud fading. The pegasi were no where to be seen. The ground under her hooves was coated in ice and her breath was visible. Minuette was collapsed on her knees breathing hard while Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine looked to the south, the latter raising a hoof in a little wave. Twilight's gaze moved about taking in her surroundings. Many of the other pegasi hadn't weathered the blast well. Figured, a pegasus eardrum was a very sensitive piece of equipment that provided acute hearing, measure of air pressure, and acted gyroscope for flight; the shock wave would have been panful say the least. There were now 10 blues and 8 Royal Guard vs the four unicorns, alicorn, and the crack of death. Almost two dozen felled troops laid on the ground, most clutching their ears or bleeding out in the ash, another dozen had just been vaporized.
Twilight's gaze eventually fell on the only pony in their group that was out, Starlight. The pony hadn't moved from next to the map where she had landed after falling out of the portal. Everything Twilight saw was a cause for distress: Starlight was swaying her head about, taking in the carnage all around her, her expression was dazed and tears were streaming down her face. Maybe slightly more alarming was that the fact that behind her the map was gone. Not a single trace of the large crystal table was left. Just Starlight sitting there, completely lost. Twilight made to move toward her friend.
"Twilight!" Lemon Heart's yell was just as angry as it was scared.
Twilight looked at Lemon, the unicorn's horn glowed and Twilight caught a flash in her peripherals. She started to turn and took in the edge of a shield before her side exploded in pain and she blacked out.
Starlight was numb. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't accept that fact. She had avoided this. She had given up her whole stupid plan and let history right itself. She had worked so hard to make things right in her own world. But the issues that she had left behind didn't even compare to is ashen hellhole. Where what few remaining ponies fought and killed each other, for what she couldn't comprehend. It didn't seem real, like the worst dream ever conceived.
Yet, she was here. Taking in the carnage around her. The sound of Sparkle shattering Sunset's shoulder and the deafening crack of death itself echoing trough her head. She stood completely absorbed in her horror. She couldn't even escape. The second they had fallen out of the portal, while Twilight and the others were talking, she had stared blankly as the table started to fade from sight. Growing more and more transparent until it disappeared and left her to her punishment. Her eyes still had the mighty glow from the runes' spell blurring her vision. She looked around again taking in her handy work. The slain pegasi lucky enough to dot the ground with their brilliant white, gold, and red coloring. Twilight's fearsome counter part and the blue pegasi blasting away at each other. The smoky, glowing patch of sky that had recently contained almost a dozen ponies. Her eyes finally settled on Twilight, her friend, scanning her surroundings in the daze of the spell. The pony that had helped her get on a better path. Who had been there to support her. Starlight had dragged her into this too. Just another layer of guilt to add to the blanket smothering her.
Starlight was struck from her revelry by a bolt of magic that hit Twilight in the side. The lavender alicorn screamed and fell limp. Starlight turned toward the origin of the spell and only narrowly avoided getting blasted by an angry, orange pony. She flew, her front left leg hanging limply and arranged all wrong. Her knee would have bent in toward her other leg if she had flexed the joint. She was flanked on each side by two gold-clad pegasi. The small formation broke apart as spell fire tore through their ranks. Minuette, Twinkleshine, and Lemon Hearts stood in a line staring down their next opponents, not looking a bit like they had just blasted away a large chunk of sky.
The four pegasi darted around Starlight to bring the large metal tubes mounted to their sides to bare on the offening unicorns while Sunset fired off another spell at Starlight. She dodged it and dropped into a defensive stance, Starlight had seen more then a few fights and was far better versed in combat then Twilight. She wasn't about to let herself get surprised again.
When her shot missed, Sunset settled into a bit of a hover and her horn flared brilliantly. She grit her teeth and tears streamed down her face as her front leg jerked back into position with a grind and pop. She settled back to the ground as the magic faded from the wound. She took a deep breath and limped forward.
"I think the time for our allies to fight our battles has come to an end." Sunset, baring a sadistic grin, lowered herself into a shallow bow that rapidly shifted into a defensive stance and stoic expression. Starlight could hear the other three mares exchanging spells for the metallic bolts coming from the guard's battlesaddles. She and her friends were going to get killed if Starlight just kept standing there. It was time for Starlight to take a stand, starting with putting bacon hair here in her place.
Starlight was surprised as she felt a hoof on her shoulder.
"Nopony has to stand alone when they have friends," Twilight stood, winded but ready. Starlight wanted to grimace at the delivery but could only smile at her and Twilight smiled back before the two turned to their opponent.
Sunset's grin grew bigger: "Now this might be a challenge."
Starlight lunged her head forward in a simple beam of magic, starting off the fight. Sunset swiped it aside easily and lunged into the air, gliding out of reach with a smirk on her face. Starlight retuned the smug grin as she channeled magic into her horn and felt her body lighten around her. With a jump she was airborne and floating gracefully in front of a gaping Sunset. Starlight grinned and fired a bolt to match the stunned look on the other mare's face. Twilight joined her in the air a second later.
Sunset didn't so much as dodge the bolt as she startled and dropped out of the sky. She caught herself before she could hit the ground and fluttered back up to Starlight's altitude. She took another spell from Starlight and Twilight's opening shot, her armor absorbing the shots with no effect. With Sunset having recovered from her surprise, she and Starlight shared a quick glare, Starlight ducked low as Sunset launched the starting volley of magic, and they were off.
Starlight and Twilight darted about the sky trying to get the upper hoof on Sunset. Blasting away and dodging the mare's attacks along with rouge shots from the numerous fights around them. Sunset was in one word, good. Two: scary good. She was standing her own against two of the best magic users that another world had ever seen. Her combat training was far superior to Starlight and left Twilight feeling embarrassed, she masterfully cast spells that would use as little magic as possible, position herself so her opponents were always in front of and below her, she could sense their spells forming in their horns and felt them rippling through the either around her. Her experience and superior combat knowledge and skill were invalidating the raw power and numbers of her foes. However Twilight and Starlight were still wearing her down.
Starlight spared the time to look and see that Minuette and the other two ash colored unicorns had caught up with Other Twilight and the group had fled to a ditch a ways off from the small hill the map had been on. They were hunkered down exchanging fire with the five remaining gold pegasi and a twelve of the blue ones. The blues had looked much faster and agile then their golden counterparts and their battlesaddles fired bolts of glowing energy instead of projectiles. How Captain Sparkle had been keeping a dozen off of herself for long enough to make it back to her troops had been a mystery until Starlight had seen her jump over a dozen hooves into the air and snag a par of winged horses that had just been strafing her, brutally throwing them to the ground. The only thing giving Terminator Twilight any trouble was a white blur that would dart in and knock the group's members down every once in a while. It never stayed long enough to do any more damage, or get a face full of magic or super hoof. It did fire off a bolt of plasma out of its battlesaddle at one of the other mares at point blank range and she had collapsed screaming and clutching her head.
Starlight thought she had seen the white pony flying among the scattered clouds looking down on the skirmish. During a brief moment of relief afforded by her opponent's occupation with getting up off of the ground while Twilight pressed the initiative and Starlight caved to her growing fatigue; she noticed that the alabaster pony and the blues looked almost tied. Their movements were perfectly controlled but they were holding back and Starlight got the impression that it wasn't them being arrogant or total mooks.
Starlight was thrown from her analysis by Twilight yelling. Shimmer had returned to the air and flung the other alicorn away in a telekinetic grasp and into the dirt. However, in throwing Twilight, Sunset had placed herself in between her and Starlight. Starlight looked to Twilight as she readied to attack their opponent's front, she would fire into the back of her head.
The two fired simultaneously aiming at points that would leave a bubble shield popped and Sunset out for the count. However, her horn glowed and the air around her was filled with a similar colored haze. Twilight and Starlight's spells hit it, wrapped around the bubble of haze, and shot off toward the other mare. Sunset completely unharmed while her opposition was left dodging their partner's shots. She moved on Twilight and tried to blast the mare into the ground beneath Starlight launched into the air and flew to the alicorn with the upper hoof. Starlight forwent a spell that Sunset would sense and block, instead flying up over Sunset and cutting her self-levitation spell.
Starlight fell out of the sky making a b-line for the back of Sunset's head with her rear hooves. She would adjust her course a little bit with her spell but the attack was basically a function of gravity. Sunset was trying something with a little more flare then beams as Starlight descended; the ground around Twilight had become a gapping maw that was trying to swallow the lavender alicorn. She was trying as hard as she could to force the jaws open with her magic but it was a struggle. Starlight, seeing this wondered if this spell required focus to continue or if it would function without input from its caster.
An answer was found as Sunset dodged Starlight's attack, leaving her to fly past on the way to the floor. Starlight just avoided smacking into the ground but wasn't able to make a recovery before Sunset pounced on her like a bird of prey. Her hooves pinning Starlight down as her horn charged.
"Stay down," Sunset looked slightly pleading with her request but no less intimidating. Starlight was out, she was exhausted, physically beaten, and currently trying to ward off a mental break down along with magical burnout. She just laid her head back against the ash.
"You get away from-"
Sunset fell forward onto Starlight and Twilight hit the ground as the ground was raked by blaster fire. In the impressive distance that the three ponies had flown in their fight, the four ponies that were Twilight and Starlight's better option were facing off against the royal guard and blues in hoof to hoof combat. Most of the ponies having run out of ammunition for the engagement. One of the blues had just taken a buck to the head and wound up firing wildly into the ash. The fight was rapidly winding to a close with two of the ash covered mares climbing out of their ditch, mopping up the two guards and three blues still standing. A bit further past them was Sparkle and the white pony beating the ever loving piss out of each other, throwing one another against the ground and into the air.
The group left the other three currently facing off a small distance away alone, too absorbed in fighting one another. Twilight struck at Sunset and made a solid hit but the armor bounced the shot. Sunset set a hoof directly on Starlight's face as she heaved herself up and turned to her assailant.
"Get ug-ph" Sunset was cut short by Starlight's hooves ramming into her abdomen, she smiled at making a solid hit. The orange mare fell off of the pink one that had bucked her in the stomach and the latter struggled to her hooves.
Starlight's head swam at the effort to stand but she managed to get up right and look down at Shimmer. Twilight moved up as Sunset righted herself.
"Oh, will you two just stop! If you had the means to move through time and space on your own I wouldn't be in any position to beat you, so you've got no way to return to your home. You're trapped here and you don't stand a chance against me, let alone my Queen and her armies. We should be collaborating. Working together we could crack this magic and get you two home easily." Sunset's strain was evident. Her magically mended shoulder was in ruin; the leg hanging limply and the dark bruise on her orange coal showing through a gap in her armor at the elbow. The armor's polish had faded from repeated impacts with the ashen ground and her mane and tail were disheveled.
Starlight hadn't faired much better. The impact form her failed 'falling bird' maneuver had knocked the wind out of her. The mare's coat was turning the same color as the ground except where it was stained rusty brown from a few cuts. As sore as she was she wouldn't be surprised if under her ash coat was a uniform bruise. She didn't really have much more to give.
Twilight, comparatively, seemed positively glowing. She had a pair of bags hanging from under her eyes and she was ash grey up to her fetlocks with most of her right side colored the same. All in all though Twilight was tired, dirty, and had a few ruffled feathers. Sunset hadn't won yet.
"Look, Sunset. I don't know what happened in this world or how much has happened to you personally but I know that your a good pony. I know that you can become blinded by ambition and anger but deep down you're a good pony who would never even consider pony-napping another one of my friends just to try and get information out of her. I-"
"Shut Up, Twilight. Whatever you think you know doesn't exist here. This isn't a world of love and sunshine were friendship and hugs will fix any issue instantly."
Twilight was surprised as she looked at the lavender unicorn that the comment had come from. Sparkle was limping toward them having warded off her attacker. Her joints whined, she grimaced a little in pain, and her mane was a mess but she still looked far fresher then some pony who battled a swarm of pegasi.
"You will leave us in peace or a bag. Understood, Shimmer?"
"Why risk it? We should just off her and get out of here before reinforcements arrive," Lemon Hearts was prompt in conveying her opinion as she and the other two unicorns moved up behind Shimmer, abandoning their ditch.
"Lemon's right, Capt. We need to get moving ASAP. We should just stun her into next year and move out before any of more friends show up." Minuette gestured to the ground where there were likely to be a few pegasi that were just unconscious.
"I'm afraid that you're already out of time." Sunset launched a quick spell at Starlight. The stunning spell hit square in the chest, Starlight's world went fuzzy around the edges and she collapsed. Sunset curled her head down to hide it with her armor as five horns pointed at her and started to crackle with energy.
Suddenly, there was a loud whistling that ended with a crash in the center of the group. The white pony had swooped in and pinned Sparkle under its hooves. Instantly the air was ripped apart by the roar from a pair of rounded metal boxes spewing plasma attached to an extra set of appendages on the pegasus' back. Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, and Minuette dove back into their ditch as the dirt and air around them was melted. Twilight spun around to point her horn at the new arrival and the mare (it had a mare's figure) pointed her right hoof at her. The end of the hoof was open and blue energy glowed inside it. Twilight recognized the business end of one of those bazar laser sticks, built into this thing's fore hoof.
"Cool it, princess," a husky, tomboyish voice with a slight staticy under tone said, the blasters on her back smoldering as they ceased firing. "Shimmer,you ok?"
No, it couldn't be. Could it? The white was pretty un Rainbow-like but the prismatic bangs handing over a pair of magenta eyes looked like how Rainbow would wear her mane if she were going to war. The white wasn't uniform either: gold, blue, and black marking the full body armor. Black covered the roots of the wings and the joints in her alabaster shell. A gold and orange, seven-pointed star with a lightning bolt blasting out the lowest point adorned each shoulder, accompanied by a few red dots that gave Twilight the impression of rank. A five-pointed blue star sat in the middle of her chest was accompanied by cyan pin striping along the collar and leading edges of the wings. The complete look of much else was lost to the massive damage that the armor had taken. It was scratched and dented from nose to tail. A metallic wing was slightly bent. What looked like hydraulic fluid leaked from the hip joint of her rear leg right beneath a painted on cloud-and-rainbow-lightning-bolt insignia.
"Get the prisoner and lets vamoose," Sunset looked at Rainbow with a scowl and Rainbow added a sweet: "Commander." Her face didn't seem to move under her mask.
"Are you just going to release her?" Sunset glanced down at Sparkle, unconscious beneath Rainbow's hooves. Rainbow gave an offended glare (quite the accomplishment when only her eyes were visible) and spread her wings, big metal things with white feathers shaped like a tanto blade. Sunset retuned the glare momentarily before turning the venomous look on Twilight. "You so much as twitch and my attack dog here will turn you and the other three into ash."
Twilight gulped. She looked to Rainbow Dash and saw red in her eyes. The orbs were actually sending an almost evil glow at her from the center of the irises. Twilight decided she wasn't about to go doubting that this mare and her friend were the same. She just looked on as Sunset fluttered over and levitated Starlight into the air.
Then Sunset's wing exploded. A haze of red painted the ground as Twilight felt something smack into her shoulder and a crack echoed across the wastes. Twilight and Sunset both collapsed to the ground.
"There you are!" Rainbow's head swiveled to a the south and her shoulder opened up. A panel slided out and a gleaming grey tube popped forward. Several dark grey darts with red tips could be seen lined up to feed into the tube. A green laser gleamed from the side of the main tube. With a little beep and a massive bang followed by a whoosh, one of the darts was gone leaving Rainbow surrounded in a cloud of smoke with a small trail that rapidly faded off. The rumble of an explosion in the distance rolling in a split-second latter.
Rainbow was still for a second looking out at her target, the wailing of the two injured alicorns going ignored. Once she was sure she had hit her mark she looked over to Sunset, the rocket launcher folding back into the shoulder. Rainbow took to wing and flew over to one of the downed pegasus soldiers. She picked up a pack and flew back to where Sunset was writhing in agony. She pulled out a long thin tube with a needle on the end and jabbed it into the pony's flank, just above the cutie mark. The alicorn's suffering gradually diminished to silently crying as Dash pulled out a plastic package. Metallic appendages in the edges of her hooves moved out, gripping and ripping the package open. She wrapped the bandage inside around Sunset's bleeding wing, pulling it tight with her fingers.
Confident her superior wasn't going to bleed out, Rainbow trotted over to Starlight. She gave a quick glance over her and looked back to Sunset: "This one's fine."
"G-gg-good," Sunset answered shakily. "Did you take care of that pest?" She looked to the smoke rising to the south.
"The sniper's been taken care of, Commander." Rainbow popped off a perfect salute.
"Take care of Twilight Sparkle. She doesn't need to be getting away. Let the rest of them go. The Rangers can mop them up if necessary."
Sunset wrapped the stunned mare in her magic and levitated her over. Just to get hit side on with a spell. Her armor absorbed the shot but she was still shifted sideways onto her bad leg and screamed out in pain, dropping Starlight in the process. Rainbow pounced on the origin of the bolt and Sparkle reared up to lock hooves with her. They stood, both on their hind legs with forelimbs interlocked as they tried to gain leverage on one another.
Dash gave flap of her wings and rose into the air. Sparkle tightened her grip on the other pony's forelegs and lashed out with her rear hooves at the mare's underside, the deformed plates bending inward further. Rainbow gave two more flaps and then dropped out of the sky, diving fore hooves first with the lavender unicorn wrapped around them. Sparkle dug in and wrenched her body out of the way as the two impacted the ground with a massive thud and a cloud of ash.
Sparkle jumped from the ground and onto Dash's back. The wings flew inward edge first as the arms on her back swung their lasers at the offending pony. Sparkle blocked the wings with her hooves as she sent a spell point blank at the roots of the arms. One was blasted clean of and the other hung limply. Dash didn't so much as yelp at the molten metal running down her back. She launched herself up into the air again, going into a tight loop and went into an aileron roll, leaving the hitchhiking unicorn hanging on perpendicular to Rainbow. She grabbed Sparkle and, settling momentarily on the ground with her rear hooves, threw the unicorn off and across the small plain. Sparkle landed like a cat on all four hooves and rounded on her opponent. Rainbow raised her right fore hoof, the end of the limb opening up. She sighted for just a second before letting loose a blast of hellish blue energy.
Captain Sparkle blocked the shot with a shield. Twilight could feet the heat from the blast radiating upon her supine form. The block was a massive feat of magic. Several more came and the Captain stood her ground but her magic was fading. Twilight, from the relative safety of the ash, watched her counterpart's blocks with a slight bit of envy and a decent helping of concern. Sparkle's body seemed to be mostly unaffected by the display but her horn was slowly blackening and her eyes were growing hazy and unfocused; showing the strain the unicorn was inflicting on her body and mind.
On the fifth blast Sparkle's shield dissipated to reveal the lavender mare in the process of collapsing. Her head fell forward into the ash, smacking against the ground, before jerking back up into an alert position; her lower half standing resolute the whole time. It reminded Twilight of watching a peer who's head fell out of their hooves during a "boring" lecture at school. Twilight was able to fight through the pain in her shoulder to shield her counterpart against the next shot. The shield wasn't enough to stop the blast but Sparkle dodged what penetrated. However, her head was still strained and she tumbled to the ground. She scrambled up panting. Rainbow, sensing that the kill was evident took to the sky and looked down her hoof as she sighted in on Sparkle's head.
The crack of Celestia's will rang out again and Rainbow's forehoof exploded in a blast of magical energy. The prismatic pegasus was thrown back. She impacted hard on a rock outcrop and lay still. Bits and pieces of armor were thrown around the flat, Twilight's gaze coming to a rest on the face plate that had come off in the blast.
"Get Starlight" The Captain's voice only showed her exhaustion in its slurred delivery, the shout still a bit deafening. Twilight was able to swivel her head a enough to see Sunset standing with tears in her eyes and an unconscious Starlight in her aura.
"Incoming!" Minuette had risen from her ditch, a few more burns on her. Her hoof was pointed to the western sky where several formations of pegasi, some pulling wagons, could be seen flying toward the group.
Sunset couldn't resist herself. "Have fun with round two." Her smile was sickly and she swayed as she said the words. Just the same, her horn flared and she vanished into a flash of magic with the pink mare in tow.
"DAMN IT!" Sparkle slamed a hoof into the ground then ran to the spot where her quarry had been.
"Cap, we're going to need to make ourselves scarce," Minuette said.
Sparkle let out a huff and turned to her number two. "Get the alicorn and get the spell ready."
"What about her?" Lemon hearts pointed to where Rainbow Dash was laying a distance way. She was levitating packs that she had gathered from fallen troops and examining a component that had come off of Dash's leg. "Are we just going to leave her?"
"No." Sparkle glanced to Lemon and the mare gave a nod. Lemon Hearts turned and walked toward were the pegaus laid. Twilight's ears clamped shut as she was treated to the sound of a two sheets of metal getting funky. Rainbow rose on three legs, the front right ending in a mangled mess half way above the elbow: a steal shaft surrounded by sparking wires, leaking tubes, shredded internals, and shattered composite covers. The cyan face that Twilight knew so well looked out: furious. One of the evil, red eyes glared at the yellow mare that was approaching. The other didn't look anymore, a piece of shrapnel planted in it. Twilight's dinner shifted in her stomach looking at the bloody socket, wires, flesh, and blood running out around the piece of metal lodged in the steel ring that housed the optical sensor. She raised her wings and launched into the air, flapping off toward the incoming swarm like the wounded bird she was.
Sparkle ground her teeth. "Twinkle?"
"We're ready to go, Ma'am."
"Lets get you patched up," Minuette stood next to Twilight. She wrapped a bandage around Twilight's shoulder, clumped blood and ash keeping the wound mostly sealed. "Do you think you can walk?"
Twilight gave a nod and Minuette's aura helped her to her hooves. Twilight leaned heavily on Minuette as the pair rejoined Sparkle, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine in a circle. Twinkleshine's horn glowed, enveloping all present, and Twilight felt the sensation of magic building in the air, the tingling building until there was a sharp pop and zap and they all vanished into thin air.
She was still bruised but that wasn't what hurt. The ash in her nostrils went unnoticed as she laid on the ground. The tinge of copper in the dirt absorbed her thoughts completely. The sight of the mare next to her. Her brilliant red and yellow mane: ashy, crumpled, and flat. That pristine orange coat tarnished and stained rust colored. Starlight wasn't an expert but she knew when there wasn't anything left of a wing to save. The limbs bandage had come apart in teleportation and it hung from the shoulder by only a small strand of flesh. The bone fragments under the wounded shoulder stuck out at odd angles, producing lumps under the skin. The limb hung useless from the contusion, the tip of the hoof turning black from ruined blood circulation.
She sat there looking to her angels descending from the west, tears cutting channels through the ash coat on her face. Blood seeping from her nose. Her breath escaped in whimpers. It would have hurt too much, both physically and pridefully, for her to wail out in pain so the misery was just radiating outward through the air, sinking into Starlight's heart. This mare had done some wonderful and amazing thing, ascending to become an alicorn. But now here she sat in the ash.The symbols of her victory: dirty, bloody, and mangled; just like the rest of her. What had she been robbed of? A sun in the style of Celestia's adorned her flank, colored yellow and red. Starlight recognized a stylized Longman Yin and Yang in it, a symbol representing balance and pure harmony between extremes. Had that been this ponies destiny? To show others how to find balance in there own lives and the world around them.
Celestia knows that it was something that her Equestria could have learned. Twilight's friendship everything into harmony system only worked because she wielded a set of magical rocks that struck down draconequuses and lesser gods with ease. Some greater god only knows what other power the elements had bestowed on her in her ascension as she held the world in a state of perpetual pleasantness.
Here was the potential for a world that was seemingly just a little fairer (certainly unique and interesting) then Starlight's and it was bleeding in the ash of what could have been. This stolen mare of gold was going to make the universe a better place only by riding it of a monster in a ponies body.
But not before Starlight would steal Sunset's equinity and then give her final poison. Knowledge that would corrupt the best in absolute and lead to a perfect horror; disaster beyond scale. Even in death Starlight would see this world, and probably others, twisted ever further.
The suffering would never end.
They had teleported into the square outside of Ponyville's town hall, another set of runes fading in the chilly air. All of the buildings in town were ruined at best, most of the homes having been blasted into kindling a long time ago and laid as more piles then structures. Every ruin was scorched on the south east side. Town Hall had been the most intact building, standing an impressive eighth its original height. However, the target of Rainbow Dash's rocket had been mostly leveled to the ground on the north side where it had been hit, the pile of debris still smoldering.
Moondancer had emerged from a ruined store for quills and sofas. The off-cream, antisocial book nerd was to guide the group to where they would be waiting out the day before moving out of Ponyville by cover of a fresh night. Twilight had seen little other choice as she followed her impromptu friends who might still be her technical captors.
Traveling quietly and as quickly as the limping Twilight, severely-burned Twinkleshine, and the general exhaustion of the group would allow they made good progress, ghosting through the streets. On the way Twilight had spotted one of the tallest still standing buildings, her old home, The Golden Oaks Library. The place had most of its limbs burned off and was severly scorched on the southwest side of the building. It looked more like a charred stub then where she had lived some of the best years but still brought about a wave of nostalgia and heart break. Nested in what was left of the room off the top balcony had been Lyra. Lurking in new hiding spot as she took pot shots at the approaching pegasi.
Soon enough the group had reached their refuge. The Carousel Boutique was in the same condition as the rest of town but at least it had a basement that was mostly clear where Twilight and the others had bedded down. Lyra had joined them as dawn was arriving, killing the last of the cover of night.
The eccentric sea foam unicorn that in another life was beyond any conventional protocol had offered a sharp salute to Captian Sparkle and then give the other three mares a hug, dragging Moondancer into the it as well. Both, Lyra and Moondancer had both tried to bring up the mission and the lavender alicorn that bore a striking resemblance to their CO but Sparkle had killed any discussion saying she needed time to think and that Twilight needed rest.
Minuette had done her best to patch up Twilight in the field but now that they were safe and she had a few extra hooves, she went about fixing the wound. She had stunned Twilight around the injury, taken the bandage with its clumped ashy mess off, and cleaned the wound with medical supplies scavenged from the royal guards. She got out a set of forceps and dug the slug of lead out of Twilight's shoulder before pointing her horn at it and using her magic to set everything back into place, stitching the hole shut as she went. A splint was finally set and Twilight was declared "Good as New". Lyra had apologized profusely about shooting Twilight and joked about how nice a scar she would have. Twilight had still looked at the long, metal, wood-wrapped tube that Lyra identified as her "baby" like it would jump up and attack her.
With the surgery done and some healing magic for Twinkleshine's burned face, Sparkle had declared that everypony was going to get some rest. Moondancer and Lemon Hearts had drawn to take the first watch while the rest of the ponies settled around the basement. Lyra had found a pile of old fabric to sleep in while Sparkle had dug out some maps, reports, one of Rarity's drawing pads, and a pen and started adorning a corner with notes and plans; muttering to herself the whole time. Minuette had found Twinkleshine a bed of soft, cool linen for her burns, Twilight a nice full body pillow to sleep on, and -at Twilight's insistence not to go to far- had levitated a coutch over next her and curled up on it.
"Don't worry. You're going to be alright. We'll figure this out, OK?" Minuette's words had calmed Twilight enough to cave to the exhaustion that her body had been screaming about since before this ordeal started.
She laid her head down and fell asleep.
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What is the Ashverse?
7235664
The alternate timeline with nothing but a desolate plain of ash from the season 5 finale