In the alternate timeline where Sombra was never beaten, Equestria barely stands a chance against The Crystal Empire's army. Could Equestria's only hope lie in the Wonderbolts, or the escaped foals who've turned up on their doorstep?
It never happened.
The Crystal Heart was never brought back to the Crystal Ponies. King Sombra successfully took back the Crystal Empire and declared war on Equestria.
Under powered and unprepared, Equestria is barely a match for Sombra's army. Everypony needed to do their part just for the war to reach a stalemate, but is their a glimmer of hope within the hearts of some?
A year ago, if you'd told somepony in Equestria that they were about to experience the biggest war the world had ever seen, they probably wouldn't believe you.
Equestria was always a land of peace. Princess Celestia ensured that relationships with Yakyakistan, Griffonstone, the Dragon Lands, and even the Gargoyles and Centaurs were nothing but peaceful, but it was impossible to obtain peaceful relations with a kingdom that appeared out of thin air and declared war less than a day later.
Nothing like it had ever happened in the history of Equestria. Wonderbolt and E.U.P reserves were drafted in, food supplies began to shrink, imports from other nations who didn't want to be involved with the war were halted, families had to part with loved ones who were drafted in to fight.
Rainbow Dash never expected to be here. She had joined the Wonderbolt Reserves to perform with her idols. Today though, she was flying into battle with her idols, and nopony knew which ones would return home, and who wouldn't.
"I see them up ahead!" Commander Spitfire announced to her team. Just a few miles up ahead, hundreds upon hundreds of Crystal Ponies, each wearing the same black armor, marched forward.
Rainbow looked behind her. The meagre group of ponies Celestia had sent to face this army barely broke a hundred. Rainbow wasn't the best at math, but she could tell there had to be a least three Crystal Ponies for every one Equestria Pony in this battle. This wasn't going to end well.
Princess Celestia lead the charge. Rainbow Dash had always admired the princess. In just over a year, Celestia had been reunited with her younger sister after 1000 years, only to have to banish her back to the moon, fought off the spirit of chaos and turned him back to stone single hoofedly, and just a few months before the war started, she defeated the Changeling Queen and sent her entire invasion force packing with the help of her niece, Princess Cadence.
Now here she was, bravely leading her soldiers into a battle they could only lose. Rainbow often wondered how she could rule Equestria for over a thousand years, and still keep going despite all she's faced recently. Celestia's bravery was surely one of the few things that kept hope alive in Equestria.
"Look!" Soarin' pointed out towards the advancing Crystal Ponies. The four Wonderbolts could clearly see a dark cloud following behind them, but they all knew it was no cloud.
"He's with them." Fleetfoot scowled. "As if this wasn't going to be difficult enough." The ominous black cloud crawling towards them was no other than King Sombra himself. This was just what they needed right now.
"I'll inform the Princess!" Spitfire said. "The rest of you, get ready for fight." The commander flew down to inform Celestia that they were up against more than just the army
It wasn't long before the who armies met. Celestia gave the order to attack, and the ground forces charged at the approaching army while the Wonderbolts swooped in to assist.
Rainbow split from the others and quickly took down several Crystal Ponies. Just as she'd taken care of the last one, another pounced on top of her but quickly got thrown off and only managed to escape with her helmet. The pegasus gave chase, but looked up to see a huge boulder plummeting from a cliff, and she was right in the firing range.
Just before the boulder hit her, Rainbow looked up and saw two Earth ponies digging away at it in mid-air, before the boulder collapsed into several smaller rocks.
The two mares saluted Rainbow, who nodded in gratitude, before each of them leaped back into battle.
It wasn't long before Celestia called a retreat. The Equestrian ponies took off back towards their encampment, but none of the Crystal Ponies gave chase.
The Wonderbolts regrouped, but it didn't take a genius to notice one was missing.
"Where's Spitfire?" Fleetfoot asked. The three pegasi scanned the ground below, and eventually found their commander.
"There she is... oh no!" Soarin' gasped. Spitfire was surrounded by Crystal Ponies, and the King of Shadows himself was treading his way over. Her right wing looked torn and damaged.
"We have to help her!" Rainbow shrieked. It was at that moment Spitfire looked up and saw her squadron. She knew her fate. She gave a brave smile, and saluted to her friends.
"She wants us to go..." Soarin' said. "We can't save her." The Crystal Ponies were closing in on her, and Sombra was getting closer.
"But we can't! What if she doesn't get out?"
"There's too many of the Rainbow." Fleetfoot said sternly. "If we go down there we're all toast!" Rainbow looked behind her. The others were almost out of sight, and it was beginning to get dark.
"Fine..." Rainbow agreed hesitantly. The three Wonderbolts flew off to catch up with the others.
Night had fallen by the time everyone had returned to Equestria's encampment. There were many casualties, and only very few managed to get back to the base where they could die in some sort of comfort.
When the three Wonderbolts landed, they were approached by Celestia's second in command, Captain Shining Armor.
"What happened to Commander Spitfire?" He asked. Spitfire and Shining Armor had worked closely since the start of the war, and had gained a sort of friendship.
"She uh... she got overpowered. There were too many of them for even us to handle. She told us to go." Rainbow hung her head. She never imagined she'd be the one to give the news of her idol's presumed death.
Shining was silent, but he eventually realised what had happened. "She's... gone?" he asked.
"We don't know for sure, but she was seriously outnumbered and even Sombra was on his way over to her. If she's not dead, she was probably captured." Soarin' explained.
"Alright." Shining sighed. "I'll inform the Princess." The guard Captain trundled off and left the pegasi to themselves.
Spitfire was Rainbow Dash's idol since she was a filly. All she ever wanted was to fly with the Wonderbolts, and her dream came true, but not in the way she wanted. Not in the way anypony wanted.
Since the return of Sombra, every single Crystal Pony who was of age was put under a mind control spell and forced to fight for the Empire. Those who were too young were taken from their families, and put in the Crystal Heart Foal Center, now known as the Military Academy, where they would be trained to become warriors like the older ponies, only mind control would not be necessary.
Instructors took special interest in non-Earth ponies. Unicorns and Pegasi were a rarity in the Crystal Empire, though not unheard of. The use of both magic and flight would prove to be invaluable to the war cause, so Unicorn and Pegasus foals undertook special training programs.
"If you don't pick up the pace Diamond Glow you'll be scraping everypony else's puke off the floor!" An instructor yelled at a young foal trailing behind in a training exercise.
Speed had never been Diamond Glow's strength. He'd never been able to beat anypony in a race before, he wasn't able to outrun the soldiers who took him from his family, and he certainly couldn't keep up with the other foals taking part in the exercise.
The exercise was lap running, which sounded easy enough to the foals that morning, but 3 hours and 400 laps later, they were feeling less confident. The instructors were merciless, ponies had collapsed and even puked from exhaustion and they were simply kicked and told to keep running.
"That's enough!" Another instructor finally called out. Every single foal collapsed on the ground, panting and sweating. "We'll continue after lunch!"
Diamond waited outside the room where Unicorns were trained for his friend, Blizzard. Blizzard had shown exceptional skill at magic when he was tested on it, so Chestnut Falls, the pony in charge of the Academy, saw to it personally that he was trained in Dark Magic.
"If you haven't gotten that spell by dinner I won't be letting you out!" Chestnut yelled as she walked out with Blizzard. It was uncharacteristic of her to treat foals this way, since she used to run the orphanage, but the green tint in her eyes was enough to let everypony know she wasn't herself.
"Yes miss." Blizzard sighed. "I'm sorry miss."
"And what do you want?" Chestnut turned her attention to Diamond. "Standing around like a lost little puppy like you do every single day. "
"I'm.. I'm just waiting for Blizzard miss." Diamond stuttered. Unlike before Sombra came to power, Chestnut was feared throughout the academy. Her new attitude since being brainwashed meant she wasn't above hitting foals, and Diamond certainly wanted to avoid that.
"Well go wait in the canteen like everypony else. He'll be there in a minute!" Chestnut growled.
"Yes miss..." Diamond said as he scampered away.
"What's wrong with Miss Falls?" Diamond asked as Blizzard sat down beside him in the canteen later.
"She's trying to teach me this Dark Magic spell. It's really hard, and my head hurts when I try to do it. But she just keeps yelling." Blizzard replied.
"I'm sick of this place. I hate it!" Diamond sulked as he pushed away his bowl of cold soup. "And I hate King Sombra too."
"Listen up!" Chestnut's voiced echoed through the canteen, and the whole room went quiet as she moved to the front to make an announcement. "I've just been informed that in 3 days, we'll be getting a visit from King Sombra himself!"
All the young ponies groaned. A visit from the King was a rare occasion. It had only happened twice before. Everypony knew that all he was interested in was seeing the older foals, and choosing the best to take away to "serve the empire". Blizzard and Diamond weren't old enough to be taken away yet, but it meant they had a long, tiring and probably scary day ahead.
"Everypony had better be on their best behavior." Chestnut Falls continued in a blunt tone. "The King doesn't like to be disappointed."
That night, Diamond and Blizzard had returned to their bedroom, and were discussing the announcement.
"You don't think he'll choose one of us do you?" Diamond worried. "I don't wanna fight in the war."
"We're too young." Blizzard answered, unsure himself about this. "Lots of the older ponies would be more interesting to Sombra than us.
Diamond looked out the window at the city. It had changed a lot since Sombra came to power. The once beautiful and smooth crystal walls of the buildings had turned black, twisted and frightening. The King's dark magic was driving all the Crystal Heart's weakening power out of the Empire.
"Do you think they could ever get here?" Diamond asked his friend.
"Who?"
"The Equestrians." Diamond explained. "Do you think they could ever get here, stop Sombra and free everypony?"
"Maybe." Blizzard said. "Princess Amore used to admire Celestia and Luna greatly, and you heard the stories about how they defeated the Spirit of Chaos, and how they locked away that centaur."
Diamond smiled at his friend. "I think someday Celestia and Luna will get here, and defeat King Sombra all by themselves!"
Things had been quiet since the battle which resulted in the loss of Spitfire. There had been no activity from the Empire, so Celestia took this time to increase the morale of her troops, as well as give time to mourn the losses from the battle.
The Wonderbolts were out on a routine patrol of the area. Fleetfoot had since been promoted to Commander. Promises of new Pegasi being added to the team had yet to be fulfilled.
"Nothing as usual, Sir." Fleetfoot reported to Shining Armor though her headset. "We're on our way back." The trio began flying in the direction of the base camp.
"You ok Rainbow Dash?" Soarin' asked her teammate. "You seem to be keeping a pretty sharp eye down there."
Rainbow sighed. "I was trying to see if I could find any signs of..." the pegasus trailed off.
"Spitfire?" Fleetfoot asked. "As much as I want to find her out here too, I think if she hadn't been captured, or worse, she would've gotten back to base camp by now. It's been a week."
After weeks of waiting, Shining Armor finally announced that a group of Pegasi would be arriving from Cloudsdale within the next few days to help out the aerial teams.
"I just hope we don't lose anymore soldiers." Fleetfoot sighed. "One of us is enough. Hopefully this whole war can come to an end soon."
"I think it just might." Shining Armor revealed. "I don't know if I should be telling you this, but Celestia and I have managed to make contact with someone inside the city."
"Inside?" Rainbow gasped. "But aren't they all brainwashed in there? How are you sure they can be trusted?"
"She claims to have a defective helmet." The unicorn answered. "She definitely sounded way too emotional to be under Sombra's spell. Celestia still wants to be cautious though."
"I can understand that." Rainbow nodded.
"Speaking of the Princess. I need to go meet her. I'll be briefing you when the new Pegasi arrive." Shining Armor trotted off to meet Celestia.
Food on the front lines wasn't exactly gourmet Manehatten delicacies. Most meals consisted of gruel, a piece of near-rotted fruit and a glass of water. There were rare occasions when supplies would be sent out from cities like nearby Vanhoover or Canterlot, but that only lasted a few days at best.
The Wonderbolts were queuing up to collect their lunch when Rainbow spotted the two Earth Ponies that had saved her from the falling boulder a few days ago.
"Keep my place for me Soar? I need to speak with those two." Rainbow said quickly as she made her way over to the mares.
"Hi.. my name's Rainbow Dash." The pegasus introduced herself.
"We've heard." One of the mares responded in a bland tone. She was grey, had a light purple mane, and her eyes were in a half-lidded state which suggested she was trapped inside some sort of eternal boredom. "My name's Maud Pie. This is my sister Pinkie Pie." She pointed at the mare sitting opposite her. Her coat certainly looked less drab than her sister's. It was a bright pink, with a slightly darker mane. She looked equally as bored though.
"Nice to meet you." Rainbow gave a slight smile. "I wanted to thank you for crushing up that boulder the other day. I would've been squashed into the snow if it wasn't for you two."
"It was no problem." Pinkie replied. Her tone was as dull as her sister's. It made Rainbow wonder if the two were even interested in her.
"I uh... just thought I should tell you that." Rainbow continued, awkwardly as she began to walk away. "I should get back to the others now."
"It was nice talking to you." Maud waved after her, not even cracking a smile.
"What was that about?" Soarin' asked as Rainbow walked back over.
"They saved my life on the battlefield the other day. Smashed up this huge boulder with their bare hooves. I just wanted to say thanks." Rainbow informed her teammate.
"Those two are a little.. awkward don't you think?" The stallion went on. "I don't think I've ever seen them smile."
"At times like this, Soarin'." Rainbow Dash said as she picked up her food tray. "There's not many people here with enough reason to smile."
"They have two other sisters, a lot easier to talk to. Well, one of them at least. Marble and Limestone Pie."
"I've met Marble Pie." Rainbow remembered. "She works in the medic tent. She was the one who hooked me up with this." The pegasus opened up her metal wing, still trying to get used to it after a few months.
"Oh right." Soarin' remembered the circumstances which led to Rainbow needing a new wing all to clearly. "That was a pretty nasty fight."
"You should've seen the other guy." Rainbow chuckled.
"Boys! I want you both outside now! The procession is starting in 5 minutes!" Chestnut Falls snapped through the door into Blizzard and Diamond Glow's room.
"We'll be right there, miss!" Diamond answered. "Come on Blizzard, if we're not outside when the King arrives, I don't even wanna think about what's going to happen!"
As the younger colt turned around, he noticed Blizzard was packing a saddlebag.
"Blizzard? What are you doing?" Diamond asked.
"What does it look like?" The unicorn said, without even turning to face his friend. He levitated a pair of winter jackets into his bag. "I'm packing."
"Packing what? We don't have time for games Blizzard!"
When she lived in Cloudsdale, before the war started, Rainbow could find no better way to spend an afternoon than a power nap on a cloud. That was when she wasn't fighting in a war. She didn't feel vulnerable, and there was certainly no cold metal wing pressed up against her side.
Even though it was underground, the base still managed to feel colder than anywhere the pegasus had ever been. Without the Crystal Heart, the Frozen North was unpredictable and uncontrollable. Snowstorms appeared out of nowhere, and the temperature rarely rose above freezing.
The Mess Hall was dark and eerie at this time. There was no smell of overcooked military rations, no soldiers boasting of recent accomplishments, there was only silence. Rainbow's many restless nights usually brought her here as she took a walk around the base. The pegasus didn't expect to see somepony else sitting at a table as she walked in.
"Can't sleep?" Shining Armor asked as she noticed the Wonderbolt in the doorway. The unicorn was eating leftovers from dinner.
"Nothing new." Rainbow groaned as she sat across from the Captain. "You too?"
"Nah, I just got out of a meeting with the Princess. She's very thorough about her strategies." Shining Armor grinned. "I thought I might see you."
"You did?" Rainbow asked.
"Yup. I see you wandering the halls some nights on my way back to my room. Figured it was a regular thing."
"I'm not one for sleeping anymore." The pegasus sighed. "I keep myself awake a lot. Just thinking about things."
"About the war?" Shining asked.
Rainbow nodded. "Especially the day we left Spitfire behind. It just keeps playing back, and I think off all the things I could've done to save her."
"There's nothing anypony could've done." Shining Armor heaved. "Your entire team would be no match for Sombra. I wish I could've done something too."
"What was it like when you heard about the war?" Rainbow asked a few seconds later, desperate to change the subject.
"Well." Shining Armor finished his meal. "There was always a little outpost out here to keep watch for anything weird. The Princess knew the Empire would return someday, and with it, King Sombra."
"So you knew the minute it appeared?" The pegasus asked.
"I was stationed in Canterlot. I'd only gotten back from...." Shining trailed off.
"From your honeymoon." Rainbow finished. "The war only started a few weeks after you married Princess Cadence."
Shining Armor nodded painfully. "I almost lost her when the Changelings invaded. And I only got to spend a few weeks with her before... before she was sent here. I haven't heard from her since Sombra declared war."
"I'm so sorry." Rainbow held out her hoof for the Captain. She could see the single tear move down his face as he looked down.
"Nobody believed it when we got news. Equestria had never gone to war. Not even the Dragons had ever gone so far. Nobody took Sombra's claim seriously until the Crystal Ponies crossed over into Vanhoover and sacked it completely. We managed to push them out, but the city was in ruins."
"That was when the Wonderbolts got called in." Rainbow Dash finished the story. "I'd dreamed of flying with them when I was a filly. I grew out of it though when I realized flying wasn't my thing, but they needed all the pegasi they could get."
"Didn't you work in the weather factory in Cloudsdale? What got you out of flying?" Shining Armor inquired.
"When I was a filly I raced these bullies who were teasing a filly in my flight camp class. In the middle, my wings just froze up, and I trailed way behind. They never let me hear the end of it after that. I found out the hard way I wasn't a very good flier."
"You seem pretty agile in the skies now though. Maybe you should re-think it." Shining Armor suggested. "The war's got to end at some point, and maybe when it does, Soarin' and Fleetfoot could offer you some professional training."
"Maybe." Rainbow Dash yawned. "I guess our stories managed to get me feeling sleepy. I'd better head back to my bunk." The Pegasus got up off her seat. "G'night Cap."
"Night, Rainbow." Shining Armor waved. It was time he hit the hay too.
