Captains, Queens, and Princesses

by protopony

Prolog : Dark Tidings

Rainbow Dash had never before felt uncomfortable in her Wonderbolt flight suit. Quite the contrary was true actually. There were times when it was more comfortable than her own skin. She had known, even before she could bust clouds that she would end up buried in the thing. Once she had beaten every record ever set to paper and earned every award Celestia could think up.

Today however, the blue and gold body sock was bucking restrictive. The pressure on her chest and barrel made it difficult to breath. It was the second day of a four day reconnaissance flight for Delta Wing. This was the first time that Rainbow wanted to be anywhere but on assignment.

She was staring at what should have been a busy morning farmers market place. Yet the main street of Smokey Hollow seemed untouched and unwalked for what it looked like days. Rainbow had lived in Ponyville most of her life. Her unceremonious removal from Cloudsdale to Ponyville had forced her sleeping habits to change. She knew that this should have been the busiest time for the small town.

There should have been animals in the streets making it hard for ponies to navigate and converse. Farm ponies should be there working hard to sell their wares before too much of the day escaped them.

Smokey Hollow had sprung up shortly after the Elements of Harmony had ‘encouraged’ a wandering dragon to move on. Even had he awoken and ceased covering Ponyville in Dragon smoke he’d still be a problem. Dragons were fiercely territorial. The green dragon that called the Everfree home would not permit a rival to claim a lair so close. When dragons fought over territory everypony around them suffered. With the dragon gone the mountain had been claimed by a small but enthusiastic group of miners and artisans.

Ponyville had supplemented the tiny mining village for some time. Supplied with Apple family apples. Populated by stout hard working miners the community had grown. The old growth surrounding the mountain had turned into fine buildings and homes. While the raw ore from the mines turned a fine profit.

Now? It may as well have been a museum piece. The town was pristine, a bit dusty, but none the worse for wear. The trio of wonderbolts stood at the town's edge, their ears straining to catch any sound or noise. All was silent. There was no clue as to what might have emptied the village.

“You know what this reminds me of?” Soarin whispered to his companions. Two pairs of goggled eyes looked back at him. Despite herself Rainbow smiled. “There was this mare who made me peach cobbler once. She was from Manehattan, good looking mare, nice coat. It was awful, I almost died.”

Rainbow and Shockwave Smiled but refrained from chuckling out loud. Soarin’s happy demeanor flipped like a switch. “What’s the play here Crash?” Rainbow did chuckle then, quietly.

“I’m not one to back away from a fight, you know that. But I don’t like this. At all.” She sniffed. “The air here is stale. Hasn’t been flown in weeks.”

Shockwave nodded. “Air’s heavy. Should have been a few pegasi here. A courier or two. Mail carrier at least.”

“We need to find where the ponies went. We need clues. We got to search the place.” Rainbow was no longer smiling.

Soarin nodded. “OK. Fan out. Let's get this over with. Quietly!” he hissed.

The three Wonderbolts edged cautiously into the city limits. Ears and eyes swiveling, they stepped lightly on the dirt road. The skin and fur on the back of her neck itched and Rainbow had never felt more unnerved. It was early morning and Celestia’s sun was barely peeking over the horizon at her back.

The squat buildings of the small town seemed to grow larger as they advanced. The reflective flash of yellow eyes caught Soarins attention from a doorway! He flared his wings signaling them all to stop. He stared into the doorway eyes squinting behind his goggles. His brow knit together and his vision zoomed into the darkness. The mechanism in his goggles reacting to the tightening of his brow. The darkness filled his enhanced vision and he scanned it carefully. But no eyes blinked at him, no movement became clear. He was certain he hadn’t imagined it.

He relaxed his eyebrows and the lenses snapped back to normal. Pegasi vision was already second to none. Yet the enhancement of the goggles made great vision near perfect. He clicked his tongue once and turned to face the open doorway. Rainbow and Shockwave immediately flanked him with Rainbow facing away covering their backs.

The town was deathly still as the trio advanced. Soarin was just about to step off the main road into the immediate yard of the house. Instead he snapped his wing out sending a thin crystal needle deftly into the darkness. There was a muffled pinging sound followed by the shattering of crystal. Instantly the inside of the shop filled with brilliant blinding white light. Soarin and Shockwave were momentarily blinded as the enchantment in the lense of their flight goggles turned opaque at the exact moment the crystal exploded.

Rainbow cautiously kept an eye on the other side of the street and the rest of the town. Her goggles darkened briefly as the stunner crystal exploded. Her wings itched. She wanted to see what was happening. She wanted to be part of the action. But she had learned enough to know that much of those Daring Do antics were embellishments, if not outright fabricated. A squad worked together with each member giving one hundred percent to their job. Right now her job was to cover her comrades, and she was glad to do it.

As the light from the stunner crystal faded Rainbow noticed an area near what looked like a saloon, that appeared unaffected at all by the light. It was pony sized, perhaps a little bigger and was slowly approaching the trio. Moving in a familiar quadrupedal manor.

“Clip!” she called. “Contact nine o’clock.”

Soarin stepped back from the doorway and to Rainbow's side. Shockwave immediately turned to face behind her teammates covering their backs just as Rainbow had done. The figure continued it’s slow approach.

“Stop!” His hoof outstretched Soarin spoke with calm authority. “Identify yourself!”

The dark figure stopped but remained silent.

Soarin stepped forward boldly, doing his best to not be menacing in the process. “I am asking you again.” he said, “Please identify yourself. I won’t ask a third time.”

The figure stood in the center of the road and gave what rainbow could only describe as a long suffering sigh. It breathed one word which sounded suspiciously like “Sorry.” Then all hell broke loose.

Its vaguely pony shaped body burst apart into two shapes. One floated ominously above the road while the second bounded, impossibly fast, toward the trio.

Soarin and Rainbow moved to flank the figure. Shockwave spun about and violently thrust her wings down launching herself into the sky.

The stunner crystal she let lose shattered against the beaten road. The enchanted goggles went opaque for a split second. The three Wonderbolts watched with satisfaction, the figure slowed as the intense burst of light blinded it, halting its charge.

The blinding light revealed it to be a grey unicorn stallion. He stumbled about and shook his head trying to clear the after images burned into his eyes from the stunner. His mane shook about dirty and unkempt. Silver grey striped with white and matted in places with suspicious reddish brown clumps.

Rainbow was just preparing to wrap her hooves around the pony’s neck and bring him to the ground when a pained cry sounded from above.

Faster than they had been able to follow the dark shape had separated itself from the attacker and rushed at Shockwave. On leathery bat like wings it flew impossibly fast and struck her head on. Spinning her about head over hooves.

Whatever the thing was it looped around and positioned itself above the Wonderbolt clearly intent on hitting her again.

Soarin’s ears folded by reflex as Rainbow, faster than any mortal had any right to be, launched herself at her squad mate. She intercepted her at sonic speeds and even had the pleasure of planting her rear hooves into the dark thing as she passed.

Whatever it was was solid enough to absorb the blow and allow the prismatic Pegasus to springboard herself back to the ground. Shockwave cradled gently in her hooves.

The thing careened widely off course and crashed heavily through the walls of a nearby building.

“Yeah!” Inflicting pain had never been something that Rainbow relished, but she had to admit that that felt good.

Shockwave’s head lulled in a stupor. Rainbow pulled the goggles from her face as she landed behind an abandoned cart. Her teammates' eyes were cloudy and unfocused. A trickle of blood seeped from under her maneline down her brow and between her eyes.

“M’bow?” The wonderbolt slurred.

Having had many in her life Rainbow knew a serious concussion when she saw one.

“Ok Shock you gotta stay put, copy?”

The wounded Pegasus nodded. “Is bad?” She asked.

“You aren't flying out of here, no.”

Her eyes dropped.

“But we won’t leave you. Promise.” Rainbow gave her wingmate what she hoped was a winning smile.

“Put your goggles on.” She commanded. “And stay down!” She yelled as she jumped over the cart determined to aid her remaining teammate.

The grey stallion hasn’t spared the pair a second thought. He and Soarin were facing off on the main road testing each other’s defenses.

Soarin danced about keeping just out of grappling range with the stallion. Who had yet to ignite his horn and display any magical side to his attacks.

Thick barding protected his neck, sides and flanks. Offering no opportunity to finish the fight quickly. It would sure be nice to have a teammate in a situation like this. Soarn thought to himself.

Two high pitched clicks brought a smile to his muzzle.

He flared his wings. Drawing his assailant’s attention fully to himself. The stallion's eyes narrowed.

Rainbow sailed in from the stallion’s left, her rear right hoof leading aimed directly at the stallion's shoulder. The thick steel had stopped Soarin from delivering any meaningful strike on the grey stallion, lightly armed as he was.

Rainbow’s blow would have been equity ineffective if the Pegasus had been facing off on equal footing. But Rainbow Dash, the fastest Pegasus in the world, wasn’t on equal footing. The dozen feet between her and their adversary was more than enough to put her hoof into near sonic speeds.

The resounding THUNK was music to Soarin’s ears. The gray unicorn became nothing more than a grey blur as he sailed with a grunt into the side of the building he had just exited.

Rainbow pumped her hoof in victory and landed beside Soarin. She was about to say something appropriately devastating to the downed assailant when Soarin stopped her.

“There were fifty ponies in this town. We need answers, we need him alive.” Rainbow’s ears dropped. She never remembered a reprimand coming from Soarin before. The senior Wonderbolt had a legendary reputation of being the most laidback of any pony alive. Still he was right and she nodded her understanding.

Unfortunately the grey stallion probably didn’t see things that way.

“Shock is hurt. Not bad, I think, but she won’t be flying out of here. We…”. She stopped herself as her ears twitched. She lurched to the side tackling her superior officer and pushing him out of the way as the thing that had attacked Shockwave rushed at them.

She swallowed a scream as it’s dark wings drew a line of blood across her exposed flank. The thing banked sharply then flew into the darkened building, reuniting itself with the grey stallion.

Anger drowned out the pain and fear in Rainbow Dash. First her teammate then herself? This thing was begging for a beating and she would gladly oblige it.

“Get Shock and get her outta here.” Rainbow ordered. Though she couldn’t see his eyes, his posture stated he had no intention of heeding her.

“You can’t give me orders, Crash.” He responded, spitting dirt from his mouth. He raised himself from the ground lifting her with the bulk of his body. “I told you. We need answers, more lives are at stake here than ours.” He gave her a questioning glance.

Rainbow shrugged the expected question off, her tail automatically moving to cover the ghastly wound. She felt her tail soak up quite a bit of blood. How am I still standing? She wondered.

The front of the building blew outward scattering wood and glass and pottery at the Wonderbolts. Soarin winced as a section of door frame caught him in the gut.

Calmly, boldly the grey stallion strode from the ruined doorway. The black thing was again draped about his shoulders like a cloak. It billowed about his body as if it were agitated. If Rainbow didn’t know better she would have sworn it was itching for the fight to continue.

He continued to advance on the duo. His eyes glancing back and forth between them.

“The town ponies are...fine.” He said in a clear deep voice. The kind that resonated in your ears long after you hear it. It was well spoken and regal as if being addressed by Princess Luna or the court herald.

“You will join them...soon,” he continued. The dark thing on his back flowed forward and collapsed on itself, changing shape. It grew narrow and long, it seemed to suck all the surrounding light into itself. “But you, Loyalty, I’m...sorry.” He now held a dark scythe in the crook of his foreleg. It’s shape and outline seemed to wobble as if it couldn’t make up its mind on what the exact form of a scythe was.

Without warning he dashed forward. The scythe reached back behind him. The blade cut into the warm earth digging a narrow furrow with effortless ease not even slowing down its wielder. He swung it forward in a great arc. The very air seemed to scream as the meat of the blade cut towards Rainbow’s neck.

Any other pony might have been stunned by the unnatural screaming sound the scythe made. And a lesser warrior might have deftly dodged aside. But at her core Rainbow Dash was a pony of action and bravado. She expertly rushed to meet the stallion, her speed making it easy to close the distance and get past the killing arc of the scythe.

She wanted to take the hit from the haft on her shoulder but the blow never came. As soon as the scythe was useless against her the stallion changed tactics. He released the haft and it shot out toward Soarin morphing and changing shape in mid flight. The dark thing struck him as he tried to dodge aside. The crystal darts he was poised to throw flying uselessly wide.

Rage drove Rainbow then. Her wingmate down. Her commanding officer was down. This bucking stallion who knew who she was. Knew what she was. The thought didn’t comfort her. How much did he know? And why apologize to her? Was she the first Element he had encountered? Or...she swallowed hard…the last?

Her left hoof jabbed out catching the grey pony on the side of the face. He responded by hip checking her into the dirt. He leapt high, intent on crushing her with his hooves. Instead of dodging Rainbow again went offensive, rolling to her back and bucking straight up. One of her hooves connected with the meat of his wrist and pushed it aside. His other hoof made brief contact with the inside of her thigh. She’d have a bruise, but she’d live.

She twisted her torso, windmilling her hind legs catching him once, twice across the muzzle. She left a smear of her own blood along his cheek. He rolled with the hit spinning a circuit and bringing his rear hooves to bear. But Rainbow had already thrown the appropriate defense. Her hooves were crossed before, catching the double buck and she nearly laughed aloud. AJ bucked harder in her sleep.

This amateur might have fancy armor and a silky smooth voice but he’d never be able to take her in a fight. She launched herself forward over the stallion’s hindquarters preparing to throw a wicked rabbit punch to the base of his skull. Her cry of victory became a yelp of surprise as the dark thing intercepted her in mid air. Before she could recover it had wrapped itself around her like a straightjacket, her wings pinned to her sides and her forelegs pulled tight behind her.

The thing constricted. Squeezing the air from her lungs. She kicked futilely with her hind legs. Looking for purchase to mount an escape. But her hooves found no leverage and the thing only grew tighter and tighter as she expelled her strength.

The grey stallion lifted his horn and a dark blue aura surrounded her and she felt herself rise from the ground. She spun to face him and he shook his head ruefully.

The dark thing wrapped itself around her ears and yanked them back forcing her to look into the stallion's eyes.

Rainbow saw genuine remorse and pity in those eyes which surprised her. But she also saw quiet resolve and determination that unnerved her.

He spun around and began walking to where Soarin and Shockwave had fallen. “Be quick about it,” he commanded.

Rainbow screamed. Her raspy voice reaching every corner of the small village. Her body was on fire. She could feel the thing heating up. She could feel as the fibers of her flight suit smolder and catch fire only to be immediately extinguished as the thing smothered her. Where the dark thing touched her she could feel it burning her fur scalding her skin.

Her flight goggles fell to the ground, the leather strap no match for the appetite of the thing. Her ears burned as the dark thing seemed to turn to liquid and oozed over them. Her prismatic main fell from the ruins of the flight suit only to be burned away as the dark thing touched each hair.

Panic brought renewed strength and she struggled mightily. Her wings pushed from her back. Flapping desperately to pull her from the things grasp.

She screamed again as she felt the heat reach the bone of her wing joint. The actual bone! Liquid fire burned through the skin and bone. With a sickening plop her wing fell to the earth a puddle of the dark stuff had separated it from her body.

She started horrified as it began to dissolve into the blackness. The beautiful blue feathers melting into nothingness. She screamed, still feeling the heat on the severed wing. Watching in disbelief as the dark thing consumed it.

She shook her head side to side trying to dislodge it from her ears but she could feel it entering the canal reaching for her brain. Her left foreleg fell and joined her wings on the ground slowly melting. Sizzling as bright blue was consumed by the inky darkness. Her hind quarters followed. Her legs still kicked futilely as the dark thing devoured her flesh. She could feel the heat on her legs and the pain in her hips. She screamed as it reached the base of her tail.

The pain was unbearable. Her hooves, long consumed felt like she was holding live coals. Her wings were still on fire, still blazing.

She was soon more puddle than pony, her neck and head still floating above the mess. So little of her blue coloring was left. She cried. She cried like a foal. Her beautiful body gone just like that. Her story, over. Her friends…her friends. “Sorry Shy.” She whispered as the darkness flowed into her mouth. The blue aura holding what was left of her winked out, with a plop and a renewed scream the Element of Loyalty fell. Pain filled her every thought, pain and fear.

The screaming stopped as the darkness filled her mouth consuming all it touched. Her tongue tasted it before it began to melt away. It was terrible like chili powder and black licorice. She would have gagged and thrown up but there were no muscles left to do either actio, no stomach to empty.

She could see the sky then but the inky blackness was creeping around the edges of her vision. AJ. She thought, no longer able to form words. I should have told you. Tears were impossible then. I should have said it. Then all thought was gone and there was nothing but darkness. Darkness and pain.