War in Equestria: The Tale of Bright Blade

by Michael_Ravencroft

Chapter 25 (AppleDash Arc: End)

A/N: I'm introducing something new for certain chapters in the story. By the addition of music, I'm sure you each have you're own prefrences, but to me, at least, these seem to fit. So if you like it great, if not, eh. I'm going to put a link in here for the music, I suggest duplicating this window so that the link doesn't throw you to the youtube site as soon as you click it.

Chapter 25: When Earth and Sky Collide

Applejack looked to the griffon, and then to Rainbow Dash. She was unresponsive, body frozen from the neck down, no telling how much longer RD could hold up. Unfortunately, Applejack knew that Gilda wouldn't give her any time to save her friend from death's door. "Ah can't believe ya did this! Rainbow Dash was yer friend, doesn't that mean anythin to ya!?" shouted Applejack.

"Yeah, it does mean something to me! It means that killing her will be all the sweeter," answered Gilda.

Killin her, that means she's probably still alive!? I gotta help her before I lose it or she gets me first,thought Applejack. The orange earth pony willed the ground below her to break apart, becoming five foot long, super sharp, stone shards. The ground let loose its ordinance as shards sped off like arrows, all aimed at the ice griffon. Gilda quickly took evasive action, gaining height, barrel rolling from side to side. Every now and again Gilda would fire ice shards of the same size to counter the incoming stone shards. The missiles of ice and stone would explode on impact as each one was intercepted in the air.

"Is that all you got!? Even Rainbow Dash could do better…than…that…!" Gilda's jaw dropped as she saw Applejack, who had apparently jumped into the air during her initial barrage, was carrying over her head a giant boulder surrounded by the same powerful aura as she had!

"I ain't even begun to fight!" shouted Applejack. She hurled the rock at Gilda, the giant mass flying towards her like a meteor!

Gilda was immediately broadsided by the boulder, sending her reeling back further and further away. Gilda dug her claws into the meteor, trying to regain control over her speed and momentum. The ice griffon summoned the winds, honing them to a razor sharp edge, and with a single thought began slicing the boulder. Up, down, sideways, diagonally, the howling ice cold winds slashed up the mass of rock till it shattered to pieces. Gilda looked around and spotted something on the ground, a dome. Somehow a dome made completely of rock and sediment had appeared around the entire area of the crater. Gilda gritted her teeth in anger; she couldn't believe that she was gotten the better of by a lousy grounder! The ice griffon began to assault the dome with a blast of gusting arctic power infused wind, concentrating it at the center of the dome.

Finally Gilda summoned an enormous sphere of azure energy into her claws; she held it over her head before bringing the massive collection of energy right on top of the dome. The earth dome began to fissure, till it suddenly turned the entire dome into an ice bowl. With her strong fist Gilda punched through the fragile glass dome, destroying the entire structure in a single strike. Once it was gone, Gilda roared in frustration, for when she looked inside there was nothing there. No trace of either Rainbow Dash or Applejack anywhere.

"GRRRRRR…DAMN YOU, YOU STUPID EARTH PONY! COME OUT HERE AND FIGHT ME FACE TO FACE!"

---

She was cold, very cold, pain was radiating through her body, making it hard for her recognize anything else. She was dead, that had to be it, she was dead and now she was floating in the darkness of the afterlife. But soon she started to feel something else, warmth. Rainbow Dash slowly began to open her eyes, and was greeted by the sight of a friendly face, full of worry. Rainbow Dash looked puzzled, but relieved that her friend was by her side. Dash was starting to make out the details of where she was. She was lying slumped up against Applejacks right side, her head resting on the shoulder of the orange earth pony. Groggily, Rainbow Dash started to speak. "A-Applejack…?"

"Shhh, it's alright sugarcube, we're safe fer now," consoled Applejack.

"W-W-Where are w-w-we," asked Rainbow Dash.

"Oh yeah, uh, well…I didn't exactly have time to high tail it outta there, so ah just hid us deep underground here." Rainbow Dash looked around, it was a large hollowed out space, completely smooth on all sides and surprisingly warm. Not like a sauna, but more like cozying up next to a fire place. "Luckily ah was able to get us close to ah magma tube," added Applejack.

"Well t-th-that explains why I'm thawed out, b-but how c-c-come we're not s-s-suffocating down here," asked Rainbow Dash.

"Probably the same reason Ah'm able to breathe." Applejack pointed to her chest, the crystal apple of the Element of Honesty Armor was giving off a faint glow. She then pointed to Rainbow Dash's red lightning bolt, which was also glowing faintly.

"M-makes sense…" Rainbow Dash was able to get some feeling back in her legs; she then folded them underneath herself in order to rest more comfortably against Applejack. "…Thanks AJ."

There was silence for a while, Applejack just concentrating, trying to sense if anything was stirring up on the surface. Rainbow Dash was lying up against her friend and secret crush, maybe it was the fact that she almost died, but Rainbow Dash was allowing herself to enjoy this moment. "So, ya goin' to tell me why ya went and broke yer Iris Caller," said Applejack, breaking the silence.

"Who said I broke it," asked Rainbow Dash.

"Ah can tell because A: Gilda's here, and B: You sounded downright angry when ah was talkin' to ya," stated Applejack.

With a heavy sigh, and some deep seeded anger, Rainbow Dash told the honest farmpony the truth. How Gilda was the one who spread the rumor that Rainbow Dash was a fillyfooler, how the griffon befriended her just to see Dash squirm and writhe under the continuous jeers and jabs of the other foals, and how Gilda was using her hatred to fuel her power. All in all Dash was slowly beginning to feel less angry, having vented everything to Applejack was giving her some comfort. "And that's it, that's why I broke the Caller. I wanted to beat Gilda on my own, and – I don't know I thought it would erase everything!" Dash blurted out.

Applejack raised an eyebrow, concerned. "Erase? Erase what exactly," asked Applejack.

Rainbow Dash remained silent, knowing that if she were to answer that she would, inadvertently, divulge her feelings for Applejack. And as it stood, in her mind, Gilda was the only obstacle in her way. Defeating that griffon would silence the demons within her mind, allowing Dash to finally accept that part of herself and confess her feelings for this strong, admittedly cute, mare beside her. No…even then…I still couldn't tell her. Defeating Gilda would only help me; it wouldn't make it easier on her…

Applejack watched her friend, still silent, but her eyes said it all. She was struggling with something inside herself. A memory, the fight, the impending danger, she wasn't sure. But there was one thing that Applejack could see in there, a kind of longing, and it didn't help that Rainbow Dash would avert her gaze every time Applejack tried to look her in the eye. It was then Applejack did something that even surprised herself. Applejack moved her head under Rainbow's chin, nuzzling against her. She even draped her right foreleg around the cyan pegasus. It felt nice to her, being able to display even this much of her affection towards Rainbow Dash, what surprised her was the fact that the mare in question didn't reject this.

This…this can't be – is she actually!? Rainbow Dash was too stunned to react, or to comprehend what was going on. Applejack rose up from underneath her chin, meeting the gaze of her…friend? Yes, that was the word; she had to keep saying that to herself, afraid of allowing this to awaken those "feelings" within her. But she couldn't help herself from being absorbed by those sympathetic, loving, green eyes. Suddenly Applejack leaned in and kissed Rainbow Dash on the lips, if Rainbow Dash was stunned before her mind was absolutely locked down.

Ah I can't believe I'm doin' this – why am ah doin this – you promised yourself! It felt like minutes as Applejack enjoyed the warm tingling feeling of Rainbow's lips, but in reality it was more like a few seconds. Ah'm sorry Rainbow, ah just can't stand to see ya like this.

Applejack broke the kiss, leaving Rainbow Dash staring wide-eyed and dumbfounded, and blushing up to her ears. "A-Applejack…?"

"Ah just want ya to know how ah feel Rainbow. Ya don't have to do or say anythin', ah remember what ya said ya went through, and I don't want you to ever go through that again. That's why…That's why ah…" Applejack couldn't get the last of her words out; the embarrassment of what she had done was messing with her speech. .

Unfortunately whatever either one of them was going to say next was cut short, as their hiding place began to rumble and shake. Applejack rose quickly, closing her eyes and concentrating. Rainbow Dash got up, shakily and a bit wobbly, but still she was on all fours. "What's going on, don't tell me…!?" Rainbow Dash looked to Applejack, wondering if what had transpired just now was linked to the sudden earthquake.

Applejack seemed to get the jest of what Rainbow was implying, so with an irritated and blushing expression, AJ replied "It wasn't me RD, it's somethin' else!" Applejack went back to concentrating, in a matter of seconds she was able to deduce what was happening around them. "Something really big is driving its way through the ground, actually there are several things…Mah best guess is that Gilda's up there takin pot shots at us from the air, probably trying to figure out where we are!" said Applejack.

"Oh great, I don't know if we can fight against her the way we are, the moment I see her I know I'm going to go into instant rage mode! I'll only make her stronger, and make it that much harder for us to beat her," said Rainbow Dash.

"Then don't think about it, don't think about how much you hate her, just fight alright," asked Applejack. Rainbow Dash looked as if she was about to say something, but one stern look from Applejack, along with her saying "Okay!?" Rainbow Dash nodded quickly. Applejack's fierce façade gave way to a gentle smile, "Don't worry Dash, we'll win!"

---

Large obelisk sized ice spears were protruding from the ground; Gilda was hovering in the air, using her powers to conjure another absurdly long icicle. Just then the ground began to swell, long fissures arcing out in all directions. "So there you are!" shouted Gilda, now aiming her next ice spear towards the bulge in the earth.

The bulge gave way as Applejack and Rainbow Dash burst forth from the earth below, Gilda was about ready to release her weapon but stopped suddenly. Something was glowing in the hole, something bright orange with tinges of red. Gilda quickly threw the ice spear at the hole, it only got within a few inches of the opening before it started to melt. "SOUPS ON!" shouted Applejack. A geyser of molten magma shot out of the hole, all of it aimed right at the ice griffon.

"No way are you going to –!"

"You're not escaping that easily!" Rainbow Dash had, without Gilda realizing, gotten behind her. Dash extended the crescent blades of her horseshoes, and in one swift motion slashed at the base of the ice griffon's wings. Gilda roared in pain and tried to swat the cyan pegasus. Rainbow Dash stopped flapping her wings and allowed herself to fall out of range of Gilda's attack. "AJ DO IT NOW!"

The lava swirled around Gilda, Rainbow Dash's distraction had worked. The heat was intense, even from a distance, as the primal raw blood of the planet surrounded Gilda. It was a giant sphere of swirling, liquid, fire. Applejack focused her mind, tightening the sphere, making sure that there were no gaps, no possible way she could escape from this. Once she was sure there was enough lava Applejack closed the entrance to the magma below. "Time to finish this!" shouted Applejack. She condensed the sphere, making it smaller and smaller. AJ imagined it in her mind, imagining the sphere being crushed by her psychic hold over it. Inside she could feel Gilda struggling against it, trying with all her might from being burned away. But it was futile, Applejack wasn't about to let up, not even a little. "Goodbye GILDA!" Applejack willed the sphere to condense to the size of a tennis ball, unfortunately that wasn't the case.

Suddenly the sphere of molten lava solidified, turning into a giant rock. It then froze over and shattered into pieces, revealing Gilda, enraged, and staring daggers at both Applejack and Rainbow Dash. "You…Both of you…are going to die, here and now!"

Rainbow Dash rushed towards Gilda, there was no more anger, no more hate. Only fear remained, but not for herself, but for Applejack, since Gilda was heading right for her. Rainbow Dash gave chase, trying with all her will to summon enough energy to fire just one Spectrum Beam, but she had not yet regained her full power, so now all she could rely on was her speed and weapons. She got closer, mere inches from the ice griffon's tail. Gilda barrel rolled to the left at the last second, letting Rainbow Dash come up beside her.

Gilda then backclawed Rainbow Dash in the muzzle, hard, sending her tumbling backwards in the air. Applejack stamped her hoof on the ground, making a large chunk of rock rise up; she then turned around and bucked it with her hind legs. Applejack then summoned more earth to rise up and fire at Gilda. In no time there was a barrage of stones in the air, but Gilda dodged them all with ease, and froze the ones she didn't, shattering them in midair.

Applejack readied herself for Gilda's attack, but at the last second she vanished from sight. What in tarnation!?

"Where you lookin' lame-o!?" Gilda grabbed Applejack by the neck while her back was turned, and lifting the orange earth pony two feet into the air. Rainbow Dash quickly swooped in, charging straight for them. Gilda raised her free claw and willed the ice claw to change into a blade, upon which she brought close to Applejack's neck. The ice griffon felt the farmpony recoil at the touch of the cold sting of the blade. "Don't come any closer Dash, you don't want to see your friend get hurt, right!?"

Rainbow Dash halted her advance, skidding to a stop on the ground. Rainbow tried to rein in her hate for Gilda, her anger boiling within her veins, which was easy enough considering the situation. "Let her go Gilda, this is between you and me!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah it is between you and me, but I don't appreciate getting sucker punched in the beak, or having an oversized dirt clod thrown at me!" Gilda inched the ice blade closer to Applejack's throat.

"Don't worry about me Rainbow, just take care ah her now!" ordered Applejack.

"She won't do that, will ya Dash?"

"No…please Gilda, let her go," asked Rainbow Dash, angrily.

"Sorry Dash, I'm a little low on mercy right now, but I'd be willing to cut ya a deal. Retract your armor and give your life in exchange for hers, should be pretty easy for the 'Element of Loyalty,' right!?" offered Gilda.

Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth and cursed Gilda with every word she had ever heard or could think of. She saw the look in Gilda's eyes, one of murderous intent and sadistic pleasure. Applejack's eyes darted from Rainbow Dash, to Gilda, then to the blade at her neck. Then she went lax, looking upon Rainbow Dash with sympathy and confidence. "Leave…" That one statement made even the ice griffon flinch. At that moment Applejack willed dozens of rock shards to float all around both herself and Gilda. They were dangerously close and trembling, almost as if they were being held back by an imaginary spring, ready to release.

"WHAT ARE YOU –!?"

"Applejack!"

"It's alright Rainbow, I'll end yer nightmare right now, just…just promise me you'll…be happy, okay?" Applejack closed her eyes, the rock shards began to glow with orange light. Now Gilda seemed to be scared, wondering if she could dodge them from such a close proximity.

"Damn it Applejack!" Rainbow Dash's red lightning bolt shined with a blinding red light. Fading to reveal an unarmored cyan pegasus. Rainbow Dash stared at them, tears streaming down her eyes. "You can't do that! You kiss me, then telling me to be happy, that's not cool AJ! Offing yourself before hearing how I feel!"

"Oh, ho, ho, this is going to be good," said Gilda.

"SHUT UP! Tell me one thing, was that kiss just for my sake or did you actually mean it!?" shouted Rainbow Dash.

"Wha – Are you serious right now RD!? This isn't exactly the best time for this kinda thing!" said Applejack.

"JUST TELL ME!"

"Ugh! Alright fine – yes ah meant it, ah've always – Ah've always had a thing fer you Rainbow Dash, and…and…Ah always will," declared Applejack.

There was silence; Rainbow Dash hung her head low after hearing what Applejack said. When she brought it back up Rainbow Dash was smiling. "I've felt the same way, you idiot…" Gilda's lower jaw dropped, as well as Applejack's. "That's why I'm not going to watch you die, nor will I let you die, because I – I – I love…you!"

"Okay I've had enough of this mushy crap; you two fillyfoolers can just die now!"

Gilda brought up her ice blade and prepared to remove Applejack's head, but just then her Element crystal began to shine, as too did Rainbow Dash's. The two of them were enveloped in powerful auras that forced Gilda to be pushed back. Rainbow's armor had reformed around her, a new surge of power coursing through her veins. Applejack was the same, her body was no longer tired, and her energy reserves back to full power. The two mares looked upon each other, Rainbow covered in a sky blue aura and Applejack in a light orange aura.

"What, that's not possible!? You two were close to being dead, where's all that power coming from," asked Gilda, genuinely baffled.

"We could say it's the power of love and all, but that'd be too corny," said Applejack.

"How about we call it a mutual wanting to kick your butt up and down this desert!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

Applejack was the first; taking off with swift speed unlike any she’s shown before. Within seconds she closed the gap between herself and Gilda, striking the ice griffon hard in the chest with her left foreleg, creating a shockwave that rang out in all directions. Gilda let out an "umph" sound before flying off from the force of the attack. Skidding and bouncing like a pebble on water. She went for about a hundred yards before slamming against a rock slab that was at least ten stories tall, which seemingly appeared out of nowhere!

Gilda, angrily, peeled herself off of the slab. Just then three more slabs rose from the ground, each the same height and width as the one she slammed into, at least ten to twenty feet away from each other forming a diamond enclosure. Applejack rushed in through the gaps of her giant spires, she then leaped from one spire, and then bounded off to the next. Leaped, then bounded, leaped, then bounded, repeating this action several times till she became a zigzagging orange and yellow blur. Gilda flapped her wings and began to climb, aiming for the opening high above, but she only got about halfway before being blindsided by an attack from her left. "Why you!" Gilda fired a blast of arctic wind towards the location of the attack, only to have it hit the side of the spire. She was then assaulted again from the right, and again she counter attacked, only to have it yield the same result. Then again from below, as a sharp pain erupted from her lower beak.

Applejack was attacking from all directions, making it hard for Gilda to even see her, let alone hit her. She felt reinvigorated, like she could take on Tikara Balak on her own without any help, at least that's how Applejack felt anyway. Inside she felt like a weight had been lifted from her heart, and that her Element Armor was expressing it in the form of renewed power and speed. Gilda seemed to have no idea how to counter the earth pony; even in her new form Applejack's super strength was damaging. Applejack got in about fifty to a hundred blows in during her attack, and she didn't know how much longer Gilda would last before she unleashed some technique that would freeze everything. With that in mind, Applejack broke off a large piece from each of the spires mashed them into one, and then launched it with a fierce uppercut. The earth missile flew higher, propelled by Applejack's power.

Gilda looked in every direction, trying to discern where Applejack would strike next; unfortunately she looked in every direction but down. Too late, the rock missile struck in the stomach and sent Gilda zooming out of the enclosure and upwards into the air. The G-force from being forced higher into the air was intense, making it hard for Gilda to even move. At the last second the ice griffon was able to inch more to the left so that she could slide off. Gilda held her midsection with one claw and looked up as she watched as the rock missile continued for a few more miles before exploding. "Getting *cough* sucker punched once *cough* shame on me, twice shame on you, but a sucker punch marathon all bets *cough* are off!" shouted Gilda.

"What's wrong G, thought you were tougher than that," said Rainbow Dash.

Gilda quickly turned around; Rainbow Dash was hovering in the air, forelegs crossed, as if not considering her a threat. "Dash…What's with that annoying grin on your face for!?"

Was she grinning? Rainbow Dash hadn't noticed, for some reason, even in this situation, she felt happy. Not because of the pathetic state Gilda was in, but because of what she was finally able to say to the pony she really cares about. I love you…Those words still echoed in her mind, replaying as if to assure herself that she did indeed utter them. "Give up now Gilda, if you surrender we'll find somepony to help separate you from those Windingos," offered Rainbow Dash, trying to reach out and help her former friend.

Gilda began to bust out laughing; she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Is that your Loyalty talking Dash!? I can't be separated from the Windingos – and ya know what, I don't want to be!" Gilda's aura began to flare up, the azure blue color fading away and giving life to a darker, navy blue aura. "Besides what makes you think I need the help of a freak like you, I freaking hate you and that stupid grounder lame-o!" Gilda shouted, her voice becoming warped and twisted.

With a heavy sigh Rainbow Dash moved into attack position, "Gilda…fine then. If you want to give yourself over to your hate and the Windingos go right ahead, but I won't let you hurt anypony else, it's the least I can do!" Rainbow's wings began to shine once again with aurora light. Dash then flew high up overhead, "I hope you like this new move G, just thought of it! I call it the Rainblossom!" Rainbow Dash began to spin round and round, becoming a ball of multicolored brilliance! The sphere then began to fire multiple Spectrum Beams scattering in all directions, the beams then started to bend and arch, aiming themselves directly at Gilda.

There were many Spectrum Beams, too many for her to count. Gilda quickly took evasive action, at first reversing direction thinking that the beams would just simply fall in the same place they were aimed. But to Gilda's great surprise the beams angled themselves, deliberately aiming for her. Gilda flew faster and faster, in a serpentine fashion, trying to weave in and out of all the crisscrossing beams. Spinning in midair and even blasting them with some of her own attacks, but for every one Gilda thought she missed, five more would then spring out of nowhere and the chase was on again. Gilda finally found some clear airspace and readied herself for a counterattack. The ice griffon looked in dismay, as the Spectrum Beams she thought she had got away from were now bearing down on her – from the sides, from below and above, from the back and the front, and every other conceivable angle or direction. "Oh buck me…!"

The beams all hit their target, exploding in a display of green, yellow, red, blue, orange, and violet clouds of smoke. Each explosion building on itself, one right after the other, Rainbow Dash stopped spinning and took a moment to let the world around her to do the same. She gazed out upon her handiwork, still on edge, thinking that surely that wasn't enough to take down a griffon as tough as Gilda, she was right. The winds howled and bellowed around Gilda, the dark navy blue aura forming a sphere of subzero cold around her. "Didn't think that was enough," said Rainbow Dash to herself.

"I'LL FREEZE EVERYTHING! DO YOU HEAR ME!? I'LL TURN THIS DESERT AND LAS PEGASUS INTO A FROZEN WASTELAND EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!" declared Gilda, gathering the power to her sphere and from within herself.

Ah horse apples, what the hay are we going to do now, thought Rainbow Dash. As if to answer her question a tornado of sand and dirt began to rise from the ground below. The tornado then slammed itself against Gilda's sphere grinding against it! Rainbow noticed that Gilda was now focusing on the attack, the rate at which she was gathering energy had slowed. Now I get it! Rainbow Dash zoomed off, climbing, gaining more altitude, till she was almost at the edge of the stratosphere! She looked down below, making sure she was right over where Gilda was. Rainbow Dash called upon the power of her armor, willing the winds to swirl and gust around, growing bigger, and spinning faster. When Rainbow Dash was sure that the tornado was of the same caliber of Applejack's she unleashed it.

The spinning vortex descended all the way down, smashing against the top of Gilda's sphere! Gilda then had to raise her right claw overhead, focusing to push back against the wind tornado from above, while her left was occupied with keeping the dirt and sand tornado below at bay. Gilda was effectively trapped in the middle, between a brown and tan colored twister and a silver and white one.

It was then that the two mares, whether it was through their armor or a gut feeling was unclear, but an idea seemed to spring within their minds at the same time. Applejack took a ready stance, her green eyes shining with power, her orange aura lapping off her body like fire. She concentrated, making the aura gather to her right fore hoof. She took one look up the long funnel, nodded, and took aim.

Up above the same was happening to Rainbow Dash, her rose colored eyes were also glowing, her aura roaring around her right fore hoof. Rainbow looked down the funnel vortex, and then she nodded.

At that time Rainbow Dash flew downwards towards Gilda, breaking through three mach cones and creating a rippling triple Sonic Rainboom! Applejack bent her knees and jumped upwards with all her might, the ground below her giving way, fissuring in all directions, becoming instantly pulverized! The two mares led with their right fore hooves pointed out in front of them, the energy of their attacks were like two twinkling stars about to collide! Gilda could do nothing but brace for the eventual impact. Rainbow Dash and Applejack cocked back their hooves and punched forward, making contact with Gilda's sphere. The impact made the tornado wobble from the resulting shockwave, but it still held strong. They continued to push forward against the barrier, neither one giving an inch! Suddenly Gilda began to hear a cracking sound, then another, and then another, she scanned herself quickly. And there, to her horror, it was happening; her body was beginning to crack, buckling under the combined powers that were attacking her.

"I won't lose to you, I'll die before I let that happen!" shouted Gilda.

"Funny, cause both are about to happen," countered Applejack.

"Sorry G, this is the end," said Rainbow Dash.

With one last push Rainbow Dash and Applejack broke through the sphere, collapsing it. Their punches met in the center, paralleling each other! Shattering the Windingo breastplate, and with it Gilda herself. All that was heard was a final death roar and the wailing of the Windingo spirits as their punches finally connected with each other. The result was an enormous explosion that forced the tornados to disperse, then an awe inspiring, blinding flash of light then followed as the ground and air shook under the personified powers of earth and sky! When the light faded both Applejack's and Rainbow Dash's right fore hooves were slammed against each other, a venerable bro-hoof.

The two of them looked into each other's eyes, and smiled, they were alive, and they had won. Just then Applejack's hoof left Rainbow's as she began to fall, no longer sustained by the tornado's crosswinds. Rainbow Dash quickly flew after Applejack and caught her just in the nick of time, cradling her in her fore hooves. "Looks like ya kept yer promise," said Applejack.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow confused. "Promise, what promise," she asked.

"How you said that you would never let me fall, no matter what, you would always be there to catch me, somethin' around those lines if ah'm rememberin correctly," said Applejack, a smug smile forming.

"WHAT, y-you heard that!?" asked Rainbow Dash in disbelief.

"Every. Word. And honestly, ah thought it was sweet," said Applejack, in a sarcastic tone.

"You know I can still drop you, right?"

---

***Unknown Location – Enemy Base***

Tikara stood there in the darkness, in front of him stood seven pedestals. One pedestal had a green eerie light hovering on its platform, while another had an eerie orange light. Tikara gazed upon them, as if seeing some hidden truth within their glow. Suddenly his concentration was broken when an eerie blue light began to wisp its way through the darkness, finding its home on one of the seven platforms. Tikara Balak chuckled evilly, echoing deep in darkness. "At least I don't have to make good on that promise now, will I Gilda? Heh, heh…" Tikara then sensed something, and then grinned as if realizing what it was. "Ah, they have arrived!" With a flash of black magical light, Tikara vanished from sight.

In the main hall of the cavern the Diamond Dogs were sitting slumped up against nine carts, each containing copious amounts of a beautiful crystal that shined with a brilliance that could rival any polished or pony made jewel. A fact that wasn't lost on the Diamond Dogs, as they would find themselves salivating over them, "Oh, when will Master Balak get here – do you think he will give us some of the pretty jewels for ourselves?" asked Spot.

"Who knows," replied Rover.

"Maybe you could ask him? I mean we did take a lot of them," said Fido.

"Well…maybe – it couldn't hurt to ask? Yeah, we should keep a few of them; it wasn't easy to get this much over here, past all those army ponies, and sneak it all the way here!"

"Oh please Rover, do tell me how much you toiled to bring me what I asked for?"

The Diamond Dogs yelped and grouped together, fearing that they were about to be struck down. Rover was quick to grovel before Tikara. "L-lord Tikara, please forgive our rudeness, we were just –!"

"Spare me dog. I never thought I'd get to lay eyes on these again," said Tikara.

"Um, lord Tikara, what is it," asked Spot.

The other two Diamond Dogs rushed to silence the small mutt, but this was a question that Tikara Balak didn't mind answering. "This is orichalcum, the most indestructible substance ever to exist in this or any other world." Tikara used his telekinesis to lift one of the crystals, brining it close to inspect it. "Many weren't able to find it, believing that the orichalcum was an ore, but unknown to many it starts out as a humble crystal. Once melted down its composition changes to molten metal, after which you can mold it into any weapon or armor you want. Furthermore it takes a considerable amount of power to even…" Tikara looked back to see the Diamond Dogs scratching their heads, looking very confused. "I can see my words are wasted on you, no matter, bring the carts into my Sanctuary," ordered Tikara Balak.

"W-what for, my lord?" asked Rover.

"We're going to melt them down of course."

"NO, the precious crystals!" shouted Spot.

"Please lord Balak; spare some of them, at least –!"

"Oh yes, that reminds me, I almost forgot about your reward." The dismay on the Diamond Dog's faces quickly went away, hearing talk of a reward. Tikara turned to them, his horn glowing with black magical light. He then fired three separate beams at the Diamond Dogs, they howled in pain, growling and grunting as they thrashed about on the floor. "I can think of no greater reward then for you three to serve as my loyal hounds, from now on you serve me, without question or hesitation! Ha-ha-ha, I'll make sure to teach you all kinds of tricks. Roll over, lie down, fetch, and my personal favorite…kill'em!"

Tikara's evil laughter echoed through the caverns and halls of their base, along with the agonizing sounds of the Diamond Dog's grueling, twisted, transformation.

---

***2 days later – Fort Caliburn***

Applejack and Rainbow Dash stood on the battlement of the northeast wall, both of them gazing up at the waxing crescent moon. Rainbow Dash had her wing draped over Applejack, the two of them leaning up against each other, enjoying the others presence. Every once in a while Rainbow Dash would glance over to her new lover, a hint of worry lay hidden behind her eyes. Applejack noticed this and sighed, "Rainbow if you have somethin' to say then say it," said Applejack.

"It's just…Are you sure about this, that you want to be with me?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Now what kinda question is that? Ah thought we established that," said Applejack as she gently nuzzled against Rainbow's cheek.

"I-I know, but what about your family, our friends, what will they think – what will they say!?" asked Rainbow Dash, suddenly a little panicky.

"Hush now sugarcube," Applejack gently put her left fore hoof on Rainbow Dash's lips, calming her instantly. "We don't have to tell anypony about our relationship, and ah think our friends will understand. As for mah family…well they'll just have to accept us, but we'll deal with all that when the time comes," said Applejack.

"But what about your business, I mean – what if it gets out and ponies stop coming, and buying from you, your family could go poor!"

"Listen RD, answer me one question." Rainbow nodded, "Have ya had anymore nightmares since ya said ya loved me," asked Applejack. Rainbow gave a sheepish smile, and happily shook her head. "Then there's your answer, now hush up." Applejack leaned in and kissed Rainbow Dash, it was a mutual share of intimacy, neither one overpowering the other. Their eyes closed as they fell deeper into the kiss.

*clip-clop*

*clip-clop*

*clip-clop*

They immediately broke their kiss, and looked in the direction of the hoof steps, "Dang it, someone's coming! AJ hurry and get the box," said Rainbow Dash.

Applejack quickly pulled out a wooden crate hidden in the shadows near the corner of the walkway. They positioned the box between them and began to mock hoof wrestle. From the entrance strode out a beautiful pink alicorn mare, with grayish purple eyes, and a mane striped with purple, violet, and pale gold. The alicorn of love, Princess Cadance, "Hello Applejack, Rainbow Dash, how are…" Cadance giggled, "What are you two doing," she asked.

"Oh hey Princess, just hoof wrestling," answered Rainbow Dash.

"What brings ya out here Princess," asked Applejack.

"Oh just enjoying the beautiful night that Aunt Luna made," Cadance took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of the night air and gazing at the crescent moon. Cadance glanced at the two wrestling mares, and gave a coy smile. "I heard from Shining Armor about your battle in Sector 8, pretty brutal stuff girls."

"That's an understatement," scoffed Rainbow Dash.

"It was a doozy of a fight, but we won in the end. Kinda feel bad about Gilda though…"

Rainbow Dash shared the sentiment, even after what Gilda put her through a small part of her still wished she could've saved her former friend. But there's nothing she could do, it was all settled, hopefully Gilda's spirit would find peace in the afterlife. "Funny thing is when I talked to Shiny about your incident; there was something I didn't understand. The time that you two spent underground was noticeably lacking in details," observed Cadance.

"Details, what kind of details?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Oh nothing, special, just some gaps here and there. Especially the part about the two of you saying you loved each other."

The wooden crate smashed to pieces as the two mare's hooves dropped down on it. Their jaws dropped as they stared at Princess Cadance, it just wasn't possible! "But how did – when did you – we never –!?" Applejack and Rainbow Dash were speaking in unison, but apparently words failed to convey how confused and shocked they were at how Cadance knew about their relationship.

Cadance nudged her head in the direction of the teal heart cutiemark on her flank. It was at that moment that both AJ and RD face-hoofed themselves, of course the alicorn of love would know, who else but her! "Honestly it's about time, I was going crazy! Do you two even know how many times I wanted to use my power on you both?" The two of them began to shift from side to side, completely embarrassed that they had been found out, but not very worried. I mean if there was any pony that would understand their love it would be Princess Cadance, right? Cadance then began to yawn and rub her eyes, "Well my little ponies, I'm heading to bed. See you in the morning." As she cantered away Cadance stopped at the entrance to the keep, "If you two want to continue your hoof wrestling match may I suggest the roof of the northeast building. The view is much nicer, and it's more…private," suggested Cadance.

"Hold on! If you knew how we felt about each other why didn't you use your powers," asked Dash.

Princess Cadance gazed over her shoulder and smiled gently at the two lovers. "If I did would you two be as happy as you are now? Well goodnight." With that Cadance trotted off into the keep, leaving Applejack and Rainbow Dash with some food for thought.

"Race ya to the top," said Rainbow Dash.

"Yer on," answered Applejack.

And so they ran, knowing that no matter who was first, they'd both end up as winners.

At long last Rainbow Dash and Applejack have revealed their feelings and are now on their way to finding happiness, a difficult road though it may be. Meanwhile Tikara Balak has gathered a large quantity of orichalcum, for what purpose would he need such a rare metal? The war is quickly reaching the end game, where a single piece could change the tide!

War in Equestria: The Tale of Bright Blade…!

Comments

[stardust flare]

good chapter man keep it up static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/rainbowkiss.png