The first adventure of the elite fighting team Blitz Brigade!
Misfits. Magicians. Heroes. Theives. Soldiers. They all sound so different from one another, but in reality, they all have at least one thing in common. Potential. This is a story about how a band of misfits become heroes. These heroes will face dangers, love, puzzles, and countless other blocks in their path to heroism.
In a small town, mostly comprised of stone wall houses and straw roofs, known as Mageville there is an oak tree home to the powerful mage known as Twilight Sparkle. Said Mage was currently walking slowly down the stairs of her tree home and into the main room. She wore a pair of pale yellow pajamas and was covered in a blanket she brought from upstairs.
“Sweet Celestia, it's freezing in here,” she mumbled to herself. Twilight shivered, and tightened her grip on her blanket.
To fix the temperature, Twilight shuffled over to the stone fireplace and placed pieces of chopped wood in the fireplace. She took some old pieces of newspaper and placed them between the logs. With a snap of her fingers a spark ignited the on the paper and the fire engulfed them. The fire spread to the logs and began to devour them, creating a warm area around the place.
“Spike, the could put some tea on the stove?” The Mage said out loud, holding her hands in front of the fire. She waited for a reply, but none came. “Spike?” Twilight asked again.
“Coming," A small voice pipped as a purple and green scaled dragon entered the room.
“How'd you sleep, Spike?” Twilight asked as she rubbed her hands.
“Like a baby dragon,” Spike said with a smile as he walked into the kitchen, grabbed a kettle and placed it on the hot stove.
Twilight smiled back at the baby dragon.
“Hmm. How do you feel about having ruby oatmeal for breakfast?” Twilight asked.
Spike turned around and faced Twilight upon hearing this, a mile wide grin on his face. “You know I do,” the dragon said, reaching into the cabinet and grabbing a box of mixing powder.
"Only one bowl remember," Twilight stated.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Spike said reaching into another cabinet.
"And by one bowl I mean a small bowl. Not a large mixing bowl," Twilight stated.
Spike frowned at Twilight as he grabbed a normal sized bowl for his oatmeal. "You're no fair."
"You'll thank me one day," Twilight grinned as she walked into the kitchen and got to work.
With a snap of her fingers the kitchen came to life. Drawers opened and utensils jumped out and walked up to the counter where Twilight and Spike was.
"Let's begin," Twilight declared, cracking her fingers. A mixing bowl jumped from the cabinet and made its way over to Twilight. "We begin with two of water," Twilight said as a measuring cup filled itself with water from the faucet until it was exactly two cups of water. The cup waddled over to Twilight and dumped the water into the bowl before waddling away. "Next we have the gems," Twilight snapped her fingers as multiple colored gems bounced into the bowl.
Spike licked his lips at the passing gems and tried to snatch one but was stopped as Twilight hit his claw with a spatula. "Finally we mix the oats," Twilight said as the box dumped a pile of oats into the bowl. "Mix," Twilight ordered and with a snap of her fingers the bowl mixed itself until Twilight told it to stop.
"Bake," Twilight ordered as the bowl levitated into the hot oven and baked a while until done.
The bowl levitated out of the oven and back onto the table, after it cooled the bowl poured its contents into Spike's small bowl, which he ate hungrily.
The kettle Spike had put on the stove made a loud whistling noise as it fumed steam out its spout. Twilight took the kettle off of the stove, took a cup, a tea bag from the box of tea bags, poured the water into the cup and placed the bag in the cup causing the clear water to turn brown.
After a few minutes, with their breakfasts done, the pair of friends sat down at the oak table and enjoyed their breakfast. Once they were done, Twilight began her morning routine by going outside and checking her mailbox. It was normal stuff, letters from her mom and dad, a letter from a book store, some book requests, and at the bottom was a golden letter from Princess Celestia.
“Must be important,” Twilight mumbled to herself as she walked back inside. She tore open the letter and read it.
And then she fainted.
When Twilight woke up, she was on her bed, with Spike sitting over her. He was dabbing at her forehead with a cold towel.
“Twilight! You're awake! I was so scared!” Spike said.
"What happened?" Twilight asked as she got up to her feet.
“I don't know, you read this and then you just...collapsed” Spike said, pointing at the golden letter on Twilight's night stand
"What could've Celestia sent that made me faint?" Twilight asked, picking up the letter again and reading it. "Oh yeah, now I remember."
Twilight said wearily and fainted again.
Twilight awoke and grumbled as she sat up in her bed.
"You okay?" Spike asked.
"No Spike," Twilight sighed, picking up the letter again. "I'm not okay. I don't thing I'm going to be okay after this."
"What does it say?" Spike asked, slightly curious.
Twilight cleared her throat before speaking.
“To my most faithful student,” the letter read. “I wish I could be writing to under better circumstances but terrible things have occurred, I wish I had time to chat but I'll cut right to the chase. Enchantria is being invaded by the evil necromancer Queen Chrysalis. I foresaw this happening, so I sent out a heavily-armed group of fifty or so soldiers out to investigate Chrysalis’s army of the undead, just to check for anything out of the ordinary. Your brother, Shining Armor, was leading that group, and I'm sorry to say but the team was confirmed MIA about 48 hours ago. We are putting together a team of the fastest, smartest, and strongest people in Enchantria to go defeat Chrysalis and rescue the group. I have chosen you, my student, as on of those candidates.
"You must hurry to Enchantalot, for as we speak, soldiers in Chrysalis’ army of the undead are are attacking cities and towns alike, slowly making their way towards Mageville and Enchantalot. Her army is merciless, they leave no survivors and take no prisoners. They need to be stopped immediately before any more innocents are harmed and before any more towns fall to the hands of those undead beasts. As you know, I would never force you to do this. This is your choice and yours alone. If you wish to not participate you may not. The choice is yours my student. Your teacher, Princess Celestia.”
"Ah geez." Spike rubbed the back of his neck. "Talk about a lot to take in. There's an evil witch lady raising the dead and your brother's missing." Spike noticed Twilight's mood sadden. "And I just said something I shouldn't have." Spike facepalmed. "Gosh, I'm so sorry Twi-"
"Get your stuff Spike," Twilight ordered, jumping out of bed. "We're going to Enchantalot!"
Spike shook his head in confusion. "Wait what?! You're going to do this?
"Well of course," Twilight responded opening her closest and grabbing her outfit. "If the Princess needs my help then I must answer the call. Plus, my brother is in trouble, I'm kinda obliged to help him. So get ready Spike, adventure awaits!"
The train, the fastest form of travel in the world. A steam powered machine capable of speeds that seemed impossible. The train took Twilight to Enchantalot in less to no time at all. Twilight disembarked from the train wearing a dark purple jacket and white pants along with a wooden staff with a violet gem at its top.
"Twilight Sparkle?"
Twilight turned around to where she heard her name called to see a pale Skyborn man with spiky blue hair and light blue eyes wearing a black jacket over a white t-shirt and jeans with a concealed sword strapped to his side.
"Yes? I'm Twilight Sparkle, who are you?" She asked.
The man approached Twilight and extended his hand in a greeting. "My name is Flash Sentry, I'm serving as captain temporarily until Shining Armor returns. Princess Celestia ordered me to come and get you."
Twilight shook Flash's hand, "Lead the way 'temporary captain'," Twilight joked, causing Flash to chuckle a bit.
"Please, follow me." Flash said as he walked towards the castle with Twilight following. "As you might've known, the princess is assembling a team to take down..." Flash paused before continuing. "You know who."
Twilight nodded, understanding the importance of keeping Chrysalis a secret to the public. "I'm aware, Celestia told me. Who am I working with anyways?" Twilight asked before a twinkle sparked in her eyes. "OOH! Are they high mage's capable of powerful magic?!"
"Beats me," Flash shrugged. "But you'll be meeting them all right now."
Flash led Twilight into a room with six other people: the first she noticed was the princess herself Celestia, a pale, rainbow haired girl, no older than seventeen, who was wearing handcuffs and scowling; a well tanned women who looked about twenty years old with red Armor on and a giant sword at her side; a tan, pink haired girl who looked like she was nineteen; another pink haired girl, dressed all in pink, who looked to be eighteen; and a white girl, literally white as paper, with vibrant purple hair, who was smiling happily.
"Well, what took ya so long?" The rainbow haired girl huffed.
“Help! Guards!” A green haired skyborn woman screamed, pointing to a teenage girl running with a leather wallet in her hand.
“Well, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I've gotta dash!” A rainbow haired girl said, clutching a wallet.
She jumped in the air, and a pair of magical light blue wings appeared at her ankles. The girl jammed the wallet in a satchel she had at her side and flapped the magical wings as she flew above the crowd of people.
“See ya, Cinnamon!” The girl said to the woman she had just stolen from.
She flew with such agility and speed that no one even saw her as she flew by them. All except for one person.
“Rainbow Dash!" A voice called the girl's name.
She skidded to a halt as a skyborn tan skinned man with blown back blue hair, emerald eyes, and a Wonderbolt's uniform pointed a sword at the girl. "Stop now, and no harm will come to you! Refuse, and you're not gonna like what happens next."
The girl simply grinned triumphantly, as though she already knew the outcome of the fight. “Soarin, you know just as much as I do that that will never happen!" The girl named Rainbow Dash shouted as she easily flew past the man named Soarin.
"And besides, you know I like a challenge!” Rainbow flashed a cocky grin.
“Can't say I didn't warn you,” Soarin shrugged.
He nodded at an unseen force, and in an instant, an orange blur caught up to Rainbow in seconds. The blur crashed against Dash's back and forced her to the ground.
“Spitfire, you too?” Dash shouted as the fiery haired woman who had just knocked her over grabbed the wallet out of Rainbow's hands.
“Sorry Dash, but I've got a job to do, and you've got a cell with your name on it,” Spitfire said.
“Not if I have anything to say about it!” Dash said. She rolled her body and disrupted Spitfire's balance. Rainbow used the opening to her advantage and knocked Spitfire to the ground.
“That all you got Spitfire?!” Dash shouted back as she ran away, “I expected more from the captain of the Wonderbolts!”
Spitfire groaned as Soarin helped her up. “Why the hell does she keep doing this?" Spitfire demanded.
"She just wants attention," Soarin answered. "She thinks that by beating us we'll accept her as a Wonderbolt."
To that Spitfire let out a laugh. "Rainbow Dash?! A Wonderbolt?!" Spitfire laughed. "Yeah right, the day Dash become's a Wonderbolt is the day you lose your virginity." She pointed at Soarin, who gave her a blank look.
"To far Spits. To far," Soarin sighed.
“I can't believe I'm actually going to make it out of here without getting caught!” Dash said to herself, then she ran right into a circle of guards.
“Spoke too soon,” Dash said as she grabbed her bow from its sheath on her back.
The bow had no string and it was made of hard oak wood, so it was very durable, the ends of the bow were adorned with ivory, and it had three magic infused gems built into the it; one in the handle, and one at each end of the bow.
“Fellas, I give you two options. I can make this easy for you, or I can make it impossibly hard. Which do you prefer?” Dash joked to the guards. They responded by drawing their swords.
“Nobody chooses option one anyways,” Dash joked.
She closed her eyes, ignoring the rumble of feet as the guards ran after her, and channeled all her magical energy she had into her hands, and before Dash knew it, she had an arrow shaped lightning bolt held between her two fingers.
Dash opened her eyes and notched the arrow on her stringless bow. She aimed at the guards, pulled back on the arrow, causing it to stretch like rubber but still staying straight as before, and released. The arrow sailed through the air, and landed with a thunk in a guard’s chest. The bolt stuck out of the guard's golden plated chest for a second before it bursted into multiple bolts of lighting that stretched to the other guards wearing gold armor.
“She's an elementalist! Run!” A guard shouted.
Dash grinned as every guard that was sent to capture her ran with fear. Only for them to come to a halt and salute. Rainbow gave the guards a confused look until they shuffled to the side, revealing a skyborn man with pale skin, spiky blue hair, and icy blue eyes. The guards around him fell to their knees and bowed.
"Forgive us captain," Some of them begged.
"We're cowards," Others said.
The man simply rolled his eyes and walked towards Rainbow.
"You were put up against a girl with a magical bow capable of shooting lightning bolts," The man said. "I'm honestly surprised none of you pee'd yourselves." The man laughed under his breath.
Rainbow didn't know who the man was and she didn't care, she created another lightning bolt and pulled it back, causing it to stretch like rubber. "Whoever you are, you better get out of my way before I put this bolt straight between your eyes," Rainbow threatened and the man simply chuckled as he continued walking.
"You're going to shoot me? Well you can try I guess," The man chuckled as he continued to advance.
"I'm warning you!" Rainbow raised her voice, stretching the bolt further back but the man did not cease his advance. "I warned you!" Rainbow declared, releasing the bolt from her grasp.
The bolt sailed towards the man and was upon him in seconds. But before the bolt could collide with him he swung his hand and smacked the bolt away from him. Rainbow starred in shock at what the man just did, she shook away her startled state and aimed another bolt at the man and fired. And just like the last bolt, the man smacked it away.
Rainbow snarled, creating bolt after bolt and firing it at the man, and bolt after bolt the man would smack it away as he continued to move forward. The man came to a stop and sighed.
"You must be one shitty elementalist if all you can do is shoot lighting," The man said, not even caring as he swatted away Dash's bolts.
Rainbow growled as she created another arrow but this one was a large shard of ice. She unleashed the sharp icicle towards the man and it was swatted like the lightning bolts, but when the ice hit the floor it froze the ground beneath it. Rainbow created another arrow, this one made of pure fire. She fired, the man swatted it, rinse and repeat.
"Come on!" The man groaned in sheer boredom. "Stop trying to hit me and hit me!"
That got on Dash's last nerve and she poured every ounce of magic into her next attack.
"YOU WANT ME TO GO ALL OUT, HUH?!?!" Rainbow roared as a large fire bolt, lightning bolt, and icicle appeared in her hands. The three arrows combined into one, creating an arrow of swirling magic. Rainbow pulled the bolt f magic back, "LET'S SEE YOU DODGE THIS!" She roared as she unleashed the bolt.
It was slower than the others, but what it lacked in speed it made up in power as a shockwave boomed from where the arrow launched. The man held up his hands and the bolt of magic collided with him. The bolt pushed back the man, digging his feet into ground as he slid back before coming to a stop. The arrow morphed into a swirling ball of magic in his right hand.
Rainbow Dash starred in disbelief as her strongest attack was just caught like it was a ball.
"You're good," The man admitted, tossing the ball of magic between his hands. "I can understand why she'd want you to join. But sadly I'm still gonna have to turn you in." The man said as he reared his arm back and threw the ball straight towards Rainbow. The ball collided and created a huge explosion, which undoubtedly knocked Rainbow out.
Dash woke up in a musty cell with handcuffs on. Her head hurt badly, and the back of her head was full of crusty blood. She couldn't make her magic wings appear, and she couldn't produce her magic arrows for her bow was gone. Dash knew she couldn't use her elemental or Skyborn powers due to the fact that she probably was wearing magic blocking handcuffs.
"Well look who woke up."
Rainbow turned her head to see the man she had fought leaning back on a pillar inside the cell.
"Been wondering when you were gonna get up. Nearly half the guards wanted to leave you for dead." The man stated. "Oh, speaking of which, the guard that you hit with the lightning bolt wanted me to relay a message to you. This is something he said with his dying breath." The man grinned as he walked up to Dash,
And rammed his fist right in her gut. A gust of air was forced out of Dash, causing her to fall to her knees and cough uncontrollably.
"Now that that's settled," The man dusted off his hands. "Let me give you two options."
The man bent down to be at Dash's eye level. "Option one, you live out your sentence, which is a ten years by the way, or option two, you join the team our Princess is assembling."
The man stood up. "And just to be clear, you do have choice. So what's it gonna be?"
Rainbow gave the man a glare as she answered, "What do you think?"
The man grinned. "Excellent choice," The man said, opening the unlocked cell door. "Lets go Skittles."
"My name's Rainbow Dash, retard," Rainbow stated as she stood up.
"My name's Flash Sentry," The man grinned. "And I have a feeling we're gonna get along just fine."
Beside the Castle there was the training ground comprised of barrack's, archery ranges, and training grounds. One training ground was a circular stone building with a dirt floor in the middle and in it were two women.
"Applejack! Get your ass over here, right now!" A dark voice shouted from a pale woman with white hair and violet eyes.
"Yes, Sergeant Fleetfoot," A blonde woman replied through gritted teeth. She walked over to her Skyborn peer, awaiting some annoying job, like scrubbing the latrines with a toothbrush. "What can Ah do fer ya?" She asked.
Fleetfoot raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?" She asked skeptically. "Is that anyway to speak to your superior?"
The woman named Applejack rolled her eyes before correcting her speech. "How may Ah be of service to you?" She said with a salute and a sigh.
"Much better Hillbilly." Fleetfoot smiled triumphantly before continuing. "My sparring partners are out chasing down a thief, and I need someone to train with. So, since I don't really have an option, I'll give you a chance to train with the best of the best in the kingdom," Fleetfoot said to the young knight. “Now grab your sword and put on some armor."
The country girl grabbed her sword and armor before speaking. "What's this about Ma'am?" She asked as she fastened her armor. "Most of the time ya just ignore me or give me chores. Not that I'm complainin' of course."
Fleetfoot unsheathed her steel bladed sword. "Just be glad I'm allowing you the privilege of fighting me, Hillbilly.”
Applejack balled her hands into fists, suppressing her urge to punch Fleetfoot. "Ah suppose, but don't yah think this'll be just a teeny bit unfair?" Applejack asked.
"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you," Fleetfoot said, assuming Applejack was talking about her.
"Well, um, Ah don't mean to brag or anything, but Ah'm stronger than you. Like, way stronger," Applejack answered, hefting her large sword that was three times her size.
Fleetfoot glanced at the sword before scoffing and shaking her head. "Typical Hillbilly," Fleetfoot sighed. "You honestly think that brute strength will win you this fight?" Fleetfoot asked, turning to face her opponent.
Applejack sighed. "Let's just get this over with."
Applejack took a fighting stance, holding her heirloom claymore in both hands.
Fleetfoot held her two swords and looked at Applejack with anger in her eyes, almost as if she had something to prove.
"Ready..." Fleetfoot said and both her's and Applejack's stance stiffened. "Go!"
Applejack raised her sword and brought it down hard, but Fleetfoot dodged the attack with ease.
Fleetfoot countered, closing the distance between herself and Applejack and striking her on the knee.
Applejack stifled a cry as she swung her sword to the side, but Fleetfoot leaped up and out of the way using her ankle wings.
Applejack widened her emerald green eyes and shouted. "Hey, yah can't do that! You're cheating!"
Fleetfoot landed on the tip of Applejack's sword.
"Cheating?" She asked. "Typical Hillbilly, there's only one rule in a skirmish,” She said, rushing towards Applejack. "And that's to fight until your opponent can't!" She yelled, diving at Applejack with her swords aimed towards her.
"Oh, it's on, missy," Applejack said to Fleetfoot as she leaned her upper body back to dodge Fleetfoot's blades.
She charged at Fleetfoot, sword raised over her head and brought it down on the Skyborn soldier. Fleetfoot didn't dodge, instead she blocked it with her swords by making an X with them. Applejack pushed down with all her might, but that strength became her downfall as Fleetfoot released Applejack's blade and rolled left. The force Applejack pushed onto the blade was brought down so hard that the blade had sunk deep into the ground. So deep that Applejack couldn't pull it out.
Fleetfoot used this to her advantage and rushed to Applejack, kicking her in the chest. Applejack was sent flying back before skidding to a halt. She got up as Fleetfoot stomped towards her. Applejack took a knee and bowed, her head lowered in defeat. "Ah surrender.”
Fleetfoot looked up to the stands where someone was watching the fight. The person slowly shook his head at Fleetfoot, which made her angry. She threw away her swords and lifted Applejack to her feet by her collar. She cocked her fist and punched Applejack.
"YOU *punch* ARE *punch* NOT *punch* BETTER *punch* THAN *punch* ME!" Fleetfoot screamed as she mercilessly beat Applejack.
She tried to pull herself away from Fleetfoot and block her strikes at the same time but failed. Punch after punch, blow after blow Fleetfoot threw as her knuckles were stained red with her blood and Applejack's. She reared back her fist again but when she tried to use it to punch Applejack it froze. She turned around to see Flash Sentry holding her arm tightly.
"Showers. Now," He ordered.
Fleetfoot scoffed. "Yeah, news flash Flash. You may be captain of the Royal Guard, but I'm apart of the Wonderbolts. You have no jurisdiction over me, and besides, you're only a 'temporary' captain."
Flash's grip tightened on Fleetfoot's arm. "I wasn't asking," He growled.
Both Fleetfoot and Flash stared down the other, until Fleetfoot released Applejack and Flash released her arm. Fleetfoot picked up her two swords and made her way towards the exit.
Flash looked down to Applejack and bent down. Applejack's face was bruised, slightly bloody, and partly swollen.
Flash reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a vial of pink liquid. He removed the cork and dipped a handkerchief in it. He took the wet handkerchief and dabbed it on Applejack's face. As the liquid was spread onto her face the cuts and bruises began to disappear until Applejack's face was completely restored.
Flash offered her a hand, which she accepted, and pulled Applejack up on her feet.
"Thank you sir," She saluted wearily.
"No problem," Flash grinned before frowning. "What Fleetfoot did was out of line and uncalled for. But unfortunately, because I don't have jurisdiction over her, there's nothing I can do about is," Flash said before changing the subject. "Tell me Applejack, do you have any interest in a mission?"
Applejack raised a brow. "What kind of mission?" She asked.
"Fraid I can't go into details." Flash admitted. "All I can say is that this mission is classified as rescue, and assassination."
"I've never killed anyone before," Applejack admitted. "Why are ya choosing me?"
"It's not my decision. It's the Princess’s," Flash said.
Hearing that, Applejack's eyes widened. "A mission from the Princess!" She yelled. "Well then sign me up!"
"Very well. As a Paladin, I hereby order you to keep what I'm about to tell you secret. You are to tell no one about this information. Do you understand?" Flash asked.
Applejack put her right fist over her heart and her left fist behind her while stiffening her stance. "Ah swear on my creed to keep this information secret. You have my word."
Once Flash was confident that he had Applejack's word he revealed the mission.
"About five days we received rumors that a necromancer was raising an army of the dead. Three days later those rumors became fact when an army of undead started destroying towns and villages. We sent a group of specialized troops to handle the situation, they've been classified as MIA," Flash explained. "The Princess is organizing a team to rescue the MIA's and possibly assassinate the Necromancer."
"Ah understand completely and ah accept the mission," Applejack saluted. "Who am ah working with anyways?"
Flash motioned Applejack over to the stands where Rainbow Dash was chained to a pillar. She gave Flash a hateful glare as she pulled on her shackles.
"I'm not a dog, you know," Rainbow stated.
"Coulda fooled me," Flash joked. "Rainbow Dash meet Applejack, Applejack this is Rainbow Dash."
"Nice to meet ya," Rainbow greeted. "I'd shake your hand but I'm currently tied up at the moment."
"Why is she tied up, sir?" Applejack asked.
"Rainbow Dash is in chains for attacking the Royal Guard and stealing," Flash answered. "But the Princess wants her for the team, so we have to do this." Flash walked over and undid the shackles on Rainbow's wrists.
The shackles fell and Rainbow rubbed the red marks on her wrists. "You're just letting me go?"
"Correction, I'm putting Applejack in charge of you until I can find the remaining members," Flash patted Applejack on the shoulder before leaving. "Good luck."
As Flash walked off Applejack frowned at Rainbow as she crossed her arms. There was a moment of awkward silence between the two until Rainbow spoke up.
"My name's Rainbow Dash, it's nice to meet ya," She said, extending her hand. Applejack stared at the hand for a second before responding. "Ah don't talk to criminals."
Rainbow receded her hand before sighing. "Well you're a bucket of sunshine aren't ya?"
Chapter Three: The Seamstress, the Shy One, and the One that Nobody Takes Seriously
Enchantalot, a bright shining example of high society, class, royalty, and power. The city was the crown jewel of the world, and it was in this city that a local seamstress by the name of Rarity was working on a dress that had been ordered by a wealthy man known as Filthy Rich. The dress was for his wife, and it was supposed to be the spitting image of perfection.
Rarity was forced to resort to using her magic to sew the dress, moving the thread and needle with telekinesis. The dress was light blue with a white liner, with several colored gems attached to the arms, chest, and ring of the gown. The dress was absolutely beautiful, but Rarity was sick and tired of this dress for Filthy Rich.
Sure, she couldn't deny the dress was a fantastic piece of art, but the paper-white Magicborn was annoyed with the Filthy's insane demands, such as having the dress be covered with the shiniest gems in the kingdom. And let me tell you, sewing a gem into a dress wasn't a cakewalk. In fact it was one of the most difficult thing someone could do.
Rarity looked down at what she had made so far and sighed disapprovingly. The dress was missing something. Then, she got an idea.
"I know just the thing! Sweetie Belle, would you be a dear and grab me that length of gold silk over there by your bed?" Rarity asked, but no answer came. The seamstress face palmed. "Of course, how could I forget? Sweetie Belle is off at that fancy boarding school!"
Rarity got up to grab the ribbon, when she heard something that sounded like a whistle come from outside her home. But no, it was not a whistle, it was a scream!
"Someone might need help!" Rarity exclaimed. She grabbed her purse, which contained 7 magical gems; 2 rubies, 1 emerald, 2 sapphires, and 2 amethysts. These crystals, when used with the proper magical skill, allowed Rarity to focus magic from her hands.
"Well, let's go and take care of business!" Rarity said with a grin as she walked out the front door, happily accepting an excuse to break away from the dress.
"Someone! Help! My bunny is stuck in a tree, and that cat is about to eat him!" A quiet voice shrieked fearfully as a white fluffy rabbit twitched its nose while standing on a branch, while a fat white cat slowly crouched towards him.
"Fluttershy, you need to calm down," A Skyborn man landed next to her. It was Flash Sentry. "Deep breaths, tell me what happened," Flash asked the scared animal lover.
"Well, Flash, Angel and I were out for a stroll in the neighborhood, like we usually do, then I noticed a poor duckling was walking away from her flock so I gently guided her back. But when I looked to find Angel, I saw he was stuck in the tree, and then that cat came and now Angel's gonna get eaten and I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" Fluttershy sobbed. Flash looked up at the two animals and gasped. "Oh, crap you're right!" He exclaimed. "We need to get that cat down before Angel hurts her!"
Fluttershy blinked twice, tilting her head in confusion, "Um...don't you mean to say that we should get Angel down?" Fluttershy asked.
"Trust me Fluttershy," Flash said as he flew up the tree. "The only one that needs saving is the cat."
Flash flew up beside the cat and grabbed her by the back of the neck. This wasn't the first time Flash had picked up a cat, and he knew what would happen if he grabbed them from underneath. So he learned that when cats are picked up by the fat on the back of their neck it basically paralyzes them. Flash flew down and dropped the cat gently on the ground, where she simply licked her paw.
"Hey, guys, watchya doing?" A pink haired woman asked as she appeared out of nowhere.
It was Pinkie Pie, the town jester. No one took her seriously, mainly because she didn't wear pants. All she ever wore was what looked like a light pink leotard and a vivid pink jacket.
"Pinkie!" Fluttershy shouted, stepping back a bit in surprise. "Where did you come from?"
"That's a good question," Pinkie grinned. "One I don't think you're ready to be answered yet."
Fluttershy was about to protest before she remembered her bunny was still stuck. "Oh no! Angel's still stuck up there! Flash, please, get him down."
Flash didn't move. "Fluttershy, I don't mean to be that guy but Angel's a demon. It would be best if we just leave him up there."
"Not to worry. I'll have that bunny down in no time!" Rarity, the seamstress, appeared, focusing her magic into the gems.
The bunny tickled his nose as a magical set of stairs appeared on the branch. The bunny took a step on the stairs to make sure it was stable, and once he was sure he bounced down the stairs and landed on the ground. The stairs vanished and Angel ran up into Fluttershy's arms.
"Oh, thank you so much!" Fluttershy squeaked, hugging Angel tightly.
"No thanks needed, darling," Rarity said as she whipped her purple hair back.
Both Flash and Pinkie didn't share Fluttershy's joy, as their expressions turned grim.
"You've doomed us all." The two muttered.
Rarity ignored both Flash and Pinkie and spoke to Fluttershy. "My name's Rarity, darling, what might your name be?" Rarity asked.
"My name's Fluttershy," Fluttershy said, smiling warmly. "I can't thank you enough for rescuing Angel."
"Think nothing of it, darling," Rarity grinned. "What kind of woman would I be if I didn't help?"
Then Rarity noticed the cat. "Opal?! Were you attacking that poor rabbit?"
The cat gave Rarity a confused look as Rarity picked her up. "I'm so sorry Opal here gave you so much trouble," Rarity apologized. "Please forgive me?"
"Of course I forgive you," Fluttershy said. "You helped Angel, and that makes you a good person in my book."
"Sorry to interrupt," Flash spoke up, "but you said your name was Rarity, right?"
"The one and only," Rarity said proudly.
"And your name is Pinkie Pie?" Flash asked the pink loving joker.
"Yepper deppers!" Pinkie chortled.
"Huh. What're the odds. Well, that just makes my job a whole lot easier," Flash said, before clearing his throat. "Miss Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, you have been requested for a mission by her majesty, Princess Celestia."
Everyone gasped upon hearing that.
"A mission?!" Fluttershy squealed, squeezing Angel tight in fear.
"By Princess Celestia?!" Rarity asked, a twinkle of glee in her eyes.
"For chocolate pudding?!" Pinkie asked crazily.
Flash blinked in confusion before responding. "Um...yes?"
"Whoo-hoo!" Pinkie yelled. "Count me in!"
"You may 'count me in' as well, darling!" Rarity declared.
All eyes were locked on Fluttershy, who was hiding her face behind her pink hair. Flash walked up to her and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"The Princess isn't forcing you Fluttershy," Flash stated. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."
"But...but..." Fluttershy found it difficult to get the words out. "But I want to go...it's just that...it sounds...really, really, really, really scary."
"I'd say she's onboard," Pinkie said.
"She didn't say yes," Flash replied.
"She didn't say no," Pinkie said back.
"Oh, alright, I'll go, I guess..." Fluttershy finally said.
"Alright! Adventure!" Pinkie shrieked.
Flash winced at the high pitched noise. "Well, if it's alright with you, please, come with me to the castle."
The walk to the castle was quieter then Flash would have expected.
The only thing that had happened during the stroll to the castle was the constant rambling from Pinkie Pie as she tried to theorize what the Princess needed the three of them for.
Once they had entered they were greeted with the sight of a dusty, old looking, building that looked very bland.
"So, this is the castle? I thought it'd have more decorations!" Rarity said.
"Nah, Celestia hasn't really been decorative in the last 997 years," Flash answered.
"How come?" Fluttershy asked.
Flash shrugged. "I don't know why, I just know that she started acting a bit sadder than usually a few years ago. Nobody knows why."
"That's to bad," Pinkie sighed, before smiling brightly as she pulled a large chocolate cake out of nowhere. "Luckily I have the solution to helping her. Cake's always the best medicine!"
Flash quickly grabbed the cake and chucked it out a nearby open window.
"Cake is forbidden in the castle!" Flash hissed. "Her majesty is on a diet and has forbidden any type of dessert or candy in the castle. No exceptions."
Pinkie held up her hands in defense. "Woah there, buddy, I don't wanna be starting any wars over cake right now."
Flash sighed as he regained his composure and proceeded down the hall.
"Can you tell us why we are here Flash?" Fluttershy asked.
"Not yet, Fluttershy," Flash answered. "I will once everyone's been assembled. It'll be much easier that way so one of our, uh, guests, so to speak, will find out as well. She's kinda in trouble, so I haven't exactly told her yet. I can't tell you her name, but from what I know, she sure was feisty when Soarin and Spitfire tried to apprehend her, I'll tell you that much."
It took a few minutes before the group reached the main room, where a large wooden table sat in the middle of the room with fifteen wooden chairs around it. Sitting at the table was a rainbow haired girl in handcuffs and a blonde soldier who was wearing red armor next to her.
"Fluttershy? What are you doing here?" The rainbow haired girl asked.
"Rainbow Dash? Why are you in handcuffs?" Fluttershy asked, an eyebrow raised.
Dash blushed. "It's a long story."
It didn't take long before Fluttershy put two and two together. She frowned as she walked up to Rainbow and pulled on her right ear.
"You were trying to get the Wonderbolt's attention, weren't you?" She asked, pulling up on Rainbow's ear.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Rainbow yelled as her pale ear turned red. "I'm sorry okay! Sweet Celestia, your fingernails are sharp!"
Fluttershy decided Rainbow had enough punishment and released her ear. Rainbow rubbed the bleeding spot on her ear while wincing at the burning feeling she got when she touched it.
"Alright you three, have a seat. When the rest of the people we need get here, I'll finally tell you why you're here," Flash said.
"But for now, allow me to relieve any questions you might have."
All heads were drawn to the entrance where none other than Princess Celestia herself stood, a golden aura shining off her. Flash and Applejack instantly bowed at the sight of their Princess, and the other four followed suit. Celestia gave them a gentle smile as she moved her hands in a lifting motion.
"Rise my subjects." She said, and everyone stood up.
She approached Flash and rested a hand on his shoulder, and his body felt warm by her touch. "My student will be arriving shortly," Celestia said to him, "would you be so kind as to escort her here?" Flash saluted. "As you wish my Princess," Flash said as he made his way towards the door. But before left, he shot the group a look that said 'be good' before leaving.
Celestia directed her attention to the group, her warm glow spreading to their hearts.
"As I said, my young ones, ask me any question you desire to know, and I shall answer it." Celestia said with that kind smile if hers.
The group was silent, ascso many questions buzzed through their heads but they couldn't find a way to let them surface. What could they ask? What was the right thing to ask? What was the wrong thing to ask? It was questions like these that made all the others swarm inside everyone's brain. Everyone except Rainbow, who had only one question on her mind as she raised her hand.
"Yes, my subject?" Celestia asked, calling on Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah, sorry to bother you your goddess-ness," Rainbow said holding up her chuffed hands. "But could you, by chance, remove these things please?"
Applejack glared at Rainbow Dash, tightly gripping the greatsword tied to her waist. How dare she ask the almighty Princess a stupid question! Applejack was ready to give Rainbow a good cut for her insolence, but was stopped as Celestia approached her.
"Your name is Rainbow Dash, correct?" She asked. "The Elementalist who defeated a group of guards and caused quite the amountdestruction?" Rainbow's pupil's shrunk as a bead of sweat started to drop down the side of her head. "Uh...you must be confusing me with somebody else," She lied.
"Pity," Celestia said, laying her hands on the chains, causing them to glow with a golden aura. "I was looking forward to meeting the one and only Elementalist in the kingdom who can control more than one element, I'm kind of an admirer of hers. I do love Elemental magic, it's just so full of color and skill," She sighed.
Rainbow's mind was in complete shock at what she just heard. Princess Celestia, thee Princess Celestia, was a fan of a her?! Rainbow Dash couldn't believe it, she couldn't begin to comprehend the fact that the Princess of Enchantria was a fangirl. But Rainbow never disappointed her fans, Princess or not.
"Oh you mean 'Rainbow Dash', I thought you said 'Hobo Rash'," Rainbow said casually, like she had just promoted to queen of the world. "Yeah I'm Rainbow Dash, the one and only, fastest woman in all of Enchantria and the most awesome. I gotta say Princess I never-OW!" Rainbow cried out in pain as the metal shackles tightened around her wrists.
"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Rainbow demanded, before remembering who she was talking to and corrected herself, "Your holiness."
"That, my dear Hobo Rash, was for lying," Celestia teased, bopping Rainbow on the nose.
"Now then, does anyone else have any questions?" Celestia asked, but everyone had their lips shut tight.
"Nothing?" She asked. "There's no need to be afraid my subjects, I don't bite."
"Soarin, what the hell do you see in that girl?" Spitfire asked.
"Well, Spitfire, you know me. I like bad girls," Soarin said with a grin.
"Do you even know who she's talking about? Because the fact that you like bad girls could pertain to a number of women, you creep," Fleetfoot said.
"Uh, of course I know who Spitfre is talking about. It's Lightning Dust, right?" Soarin asked jokingly.
Spitfire rolled her eyes. "You're too soft, Skies. You could have ended Rainbow Dash's reign right there and you would've become a celebrity among the army, but your crush for that girl got in the way, and now Flash Sentry is gonna be a millionaire probably!" Spitfire said.
"And she's like what, seventeen? Aren't you like nine years older than her?" Fleetfoot asked.
"She's twenty. And I'm three years older," Soarin answered. "Now, can we hurry it up? Didn't you say we had a meeting with the princess, Spitfire?"
"Yeah, I did, so quit your bitchin' and let's get to the castle," Spitfire replied.
“Dragon slaying!” Apple Bloom said, waving her wrench around in the air.
“Dragon slaying?” Sweetie Belle asked while softly strumming her lute.
“Yah heard me. Dragon slaying. We can do it with what we have with us. We have swords, we have shields, and we can probably do it!” Apple Bloom replied.
“You mean the wooden swords and the wooden shields, which, not to mention, are made of wood, and wood, might I add, is flammable! I thought you were smarter than this!” Scootaloo added.
“Scootaloo, that doesn't sound like yah. Aren't yah supposed to be fearless?” Apple Bloom asked sarcastically.
“I never said I was fearless, I said I wasn't scared of a lot of things. One thing I am scared of is death, and any other sane person should be fearful of the eternal sleep as well! What you're trying to do is crazy! No sane person would do this! Unless...you're insane!” Scootaloo argued.
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and smirked at her friend. “Says the Skyborn who can't fly.”
Scootaloo responded with a rude gesture. Apple Bloom just laughed, and Sweetie Belle just continued plucking away at her lute.
Sweetie Belle looked up from her instrument. “So, are we really going to do this?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Well, Ah know Ah am,” Apple Bloom said proudly.
“Well, I'll do it too, I guess,” Sweetie Belle said reluctantly.
The only one who was left to answer was Scootaloo.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stared at Scootaloo.
Scootaloo sighed. “Grab my sword.”
The Cutie Mage Crusaders were crouched behind a large rock that was just outside a dragon’s cave.
“Okay, be very quiet, and don't forget to grab some treasure if we need to escape quickly,” Apple Bloom said.
Sweetie Belle nodded. “Got it. Other than that, what's the plan?”
“Right, the plan, Ah hadn't thought of that,” Apple Bloom said. She scratched her head and thought for a moment.
“Aha! Ah got an idea! Sweetie Belle, you lure the dragon asleep by playing The Ballad of the Moon Princess, and if he doesn't fall asleep, Ah’ll clock him upside the head with mah wrench. Once he's asleep, we slay him, and then we steal a bunch of treasure! It's the perfect plan!” Apple Bloom said excitedly.
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. “How exactly do we kill the dragon? Don't they have scales to protect them for reasons exactly like this?” Scootaloo asked.
“We'll worry about that when we get there,” Apple Bloom said. “In the meantime, let's head on in!”
“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle replied.
“Fine,” Scootaloo said with a sigh.
The trio entered the cave, which, surprisingly, was well lit with torches. They spotted a giant green dragon who was sorting treasure into piles. Very, very, very messy piles.
“Ah guess this proves that dragons don't like the dark,” Apple Bloom joked.
“Be quiet! There he is!” Sweetie Belle shrieked.
“Okay, yah all know the plan. Sweetie Belle, start playing the song. Scootaloo, ready your sword. Ah guess Ah’ll just wait here and start gathering treasure,” Apple Bloom said.
Sweetie Belle nodded. The young bard started plucking away at her lute, gracefully playing the ballad.
The dragon looked towards the source of the music, and his eyes started drooping.
Apple Bloom gave Sweetie Belle a wink and started walking over to the dragon’s treasure horde, a potato sack in hand.
Just when it seemed as though the dragon was about to fall asleep, Apple Bloom grabbed a golden chalice, the dropped it on the ground.
The metallic clank that sounded echoed throughout the cave, and the dragon snapped out of his daze, looked over to the source of the noise, and upon seeing the small human girl tying to still his treasure, snorted once and charged for the young girl.
“AHHHHHH!” The Crusaders yelled as the dragon chased the three young girls out of the cave.
“Hey, did you hear that?” Soarin asked.
“Hear what?” Spitfire replied.
“Yeah, Soarin, what're you talking about? Have you got a few screws loose and you're hearing things all of a sudden?” Fleetfoot asked.
“It sounded like a scream, like someone's in trouble or something,” Soarin answered.
“Did it sound like three little girls were screaming?” Spitfire asked.
“Yeah, it did. Why do you ask?” Soarin answered.
“Because I see three girls down there running from a freaking dragon, and they look like they need some help,” Spitfire replied.
“Say no more,” Fleetfoot answered. She dove down, followed by Soarin and then by Spitfire.
The three each grabbed one of the running girls and flew back up to the air in the blink of an eye.
“Thank Celestia you saved us!” Apple Bloom said thankfully.
“No problem, kid. Now, you mind telling us your names and why you three were stupid enough to go inside of a dragon’s cave?” Spitfire asked.
“Well, I'm Apple Bloom, the bard is Sweetie Belle, and the purple haired girl is Scootaloo, and as for the dragon cave thing, we were there seeking fame and riches,” Apple Bloom answered.
“Apple Bloom, as in “related to Applejack” Apple Bloom?” Fleetfoot asked.
“Yeah, that's the name of my sister and- wait, how do you know the name of my sister?” Apple Bloom asked.
“I'm her commanding officer,” Fleetfoot answered.
“Now, we have a meeting to see the princess, we’ll drop you off at a chariot stop afterwards,” Spitfire said.
“Oh, thank Celestia, I didn't have to go out to get you six,” Flash Sentry said with sigh.
“Us six? But Celestia only sent for Soarin, Fleetfoot and I!” Spitfire said.
“She also needed Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom, and believe me, you just made my life a hell of a lot easier,” Flash said. “Come on in, everyone is waiting.”
Soarin nearly fainted when he walked inside the room and saw the criminal he was just recently chasing.
“Rainbow Dash?! What the hell are you doing here?” Soarin shouted.
“Same could be said to you,” Dash grumbled.
“Apple Bloom?! Why, I reckon I haven't seen you in a few years!” Applejack exclaimed. Apple Bloom ignored the comment.
“Well, it seems as though the team’s all here, so we can start mission debriefing now,” Celestia said.
“Mission debriefing?! You've gotta be fuckin’ kidding me,” Dash said.
"I'll keep it simple. I've brought you all here to assassinate Chrysalis, the necromancer," Celestial answered.
There was a long pause of silence as everyone took in what they had just heard.
A necromancer, a Mage capable of raising the dead, who goes by the name Chrysalis, was attacking Enchantria.
Celestia couldn't blame them for their shocked looks, as she knew that they were going to be there.
She gestured to her captain.
"Flash, if you would be so kind?" She asked.
Flash bowed. "Of course your majesty,” he said, walking in front of the table.
He slammed a dark orange crystal on a table, and upon doing so, the lights dimmed, and an image of a sickly pale woman with bony features and dark turquoise hair in a green and black robe was projected slightly above the table.
"Listen up, cause I'm only gonna say this once. This is Chrysalis, a necromancer, as you all know. But, as you might've already guessed, that's all we know about her. We have no record of who or what she is," Flash explained as the crystal changed the image to one of Shining Armor.
"Knowing that Chrysalis was going to attack, Celestia sent Shining Armor and a group of Royal Guards to apprehend the fiend, along with Applejack’s brother, Corporal Big Macintosh. The result was their disappearance, and a message from one of the Guards," Flash said, holding up another blue crystal.
He sat the crystal on the table and tapped it once.
Upon doing so, the crystal glowed and it projected a small visual screen that was black. Then a video began to play as a Royal Guard covered in burnt and broken armor appeared on the screen, his eyes wide with terror.
"Hello, my name is Lancer. I'm a Royal Guard sent on a mission to apprehend a necromancer known as Chrysalis. I was led by Captain Shining Armor and forty-nine others-"
*BANG!*
The locked metal door behind the man buckled as a large dent appeared.
"Sweet Celestia, they're here already?!" The guard shook like a leaf, quivering in terror. But he had a job to do, and he would finish it.
"I don't have much time, so I'm going to explain only the important details while I have the chance."
*BANG!*
Another loud crash, causing another dent, this one right between the crack on the doorway, causing multiple long black talons to worm through the gap and try to to pry open the door.
"It all started on our way to the destination, on the way we were ambushed by these...things,” the guard shuddered at the thought.
"They're monsters, vicious beasts that are capable of tearing through us like butter. They attacked us in the dead of night but...but here's the weird thing...they didn't kill anyone. They beat us within an inch of our life, but none of us died. I don't understand it myself, but they only captured everyone. I escaped thanks to co-captain Macintosh, but it seems that I couldn't escape the build-”
"FoOls. MOvE AsiDe, I ShAll deAl wIth tHis PeSt,” A raspy voice with an echo said from the other side of the door.
"Oh, Celestia, she's here!" The guard shrieked, turning away from the crystal to door and back at the crystal.
"The book, the book she has is the source of her power. The same goes for the scythe she wields! It has great power, you need to take both from her if you're gonna defeat her-"
*Kra-BOOOOM!*
The guard flinched as the metal door was sent flying as a powerful force literally blew the door of its hinges.
A pair of talons grabbed the guard and pulled him to the floor.
"NO! NO PLEASE!" Lancer begged, clawing against the floor, desperately trying to fight against the grasp of the claws dragging him into the dark.
The guard disappeared, only his echoed cries could be heard. The room became silent, a haunting darkness settled on the group.
Then the horrifying image of Chrysalis appeared, causing everyone, but Flash and Celestia who had already seen the video, to flinch.
Fluttershy and Rarity screamed, Twilight gasped, Rainbow Dash jumped into Soarin's arms, Scootaloo jumped into Rainbow's arms, Applebloom hid behind Applejack, Sweetie Belle hid behind Rarity, and the Wonderbolts stood frozen in shock.
A toothy grin spread across Chrysalis' haunting face.
"WeLL...WhaT hAve we hErE? A coMmuNIcatioN crysTal, hmmMmm...How...IntErestIng,” Chrysalis cooed, holding the crystal up.
"I wonDer...CouLd this Be CelEstiA I'm SpeAking ToO?"
Celestia tightened her grip on her crossed arms.
"If sO...I hAve a MesSage FoR YOu. FRom soMebOdy I thInk you KNow,” Chrysalis slightly chuckled.
"The BlAckesT NighT FalLs to The GrOund, KillIng all WitHout a sOunD. ThE stArs wHich onCe shinEd so BriGht, hAve gone ColD and vAnisHed frOm OuR Sight. THe Day hAs diEd, ThE NiGht arRiveS."
With that, Chrysalis threw the crystal into the air, reared back her scythe, swung, and shattered the crystal. The image vanished, replaced with the words [CONNECTION SEVERED] on the screen.
The dark room became bright again as the curtains were pulled back, and light re-entered the room.
Celestia sighed, the sight of everyone's shock clear as day.
Applejack sat still, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Ma brother...ma own flesh and blood..." Applejack glared at Flash and Celestia. "
"Please understand that I couldn't risk the exposure of this information. If anyone found out it would cause massive panic."
"Forgive my interruption,"Flash interjected, "but there will be time for explaining on the trip there, for now we best suit up. Follow me."
"Now wait just a minute!" Rarity shouted. "I can understand why you would want all of us for this mission, but you're not taking my sister!"
"Mine either," Applejack agreed, putting herself in front of Applebloom.
"Why would ya send three little kids into battle anyways?"
Flash opened his mouth to answer but quickly shut it, turning to face Celestia.
The princess sighed once more and stood up, addressing the group she answered,
"As you know, most of you have magical powers.”
She gestured to Flash.
"Flash Sentry has the power to create shields, and he was taught by Shining Armor. He has since learned how to create shields to protect, attack, and even ones that can repel magic."
She then gestured to Twilight. "
Twilight Sparkle is a very gifted Mage, capable of wielding a total of 54 different types of magic."
Twilight blushed, as Celestia then gestured to everyone else and listed off their power.
"Rainbow Dash is a Lightning Elementalist, but she also wields the powers of fire and ice. Fluttershy is also an Elementalist, but a gifted one as she is capable of controlling both plants and animals. Rarity is a Gem Mage, which means she has the ability to focus her magic through several powerful gems. Pinkie Pie is an illusionist and trickster. Spitfire is a Fire Elementalist, Soarin is a Wind Elementalist, and Fleetfoot is an Ice Elementalist."
"What about us your highness?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"What special magic do we have?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that yet,” Celestia said.
Pinkie raised a brow in curiosity. "What do you mean, yet?"
Celestia sighed, knowing that this would be a lot tougher than she expected.
"As I said, most of you have powerful magic. I also have a powerful magic. My magic, however, allows me to see through time."
"So...you can see into the future and stuff?" Rainbow asked, putting down Scootaloo as Soarin sat down Rainbow.
"In a way, yes." Celestia said. "But I can only see glimpses, and I never know how events truly happened or what causes them to happen."
Flash, sensing the pain in Celestia's voice, decided to speak for her.
"Her majesty saw the damage Chrysalis was doing and to prevent it she sent a group to capture her."
"But because she didn't know the outcome they were captured." Twilight summed up.
"Correct as always, my faithful student," Celestia said with a weak smile.
"But I saw another glimpse, this one with all of you in it. I don't know what exactly, but you are all required to prevent this necromancer from destroying our home.
"But as we have already said, this is not your responsibility to bear. If you choose not to do it, then you don't have to. The choice is yours, if you choose not to help then you may leave the room."
Nobody moved an inch.
"Then it's settled. Your highness?" Flash asked.
Celestia snapped her fingers and the group vanished in the blink of an eye.
Enchantria was built off magic, as it was founded because of the discovery of rich resources that can help to harness magic.
These resources were Gold, Silver, gems, and iron.
Gems like Topaz, Opal, Sapphire, and Ruby are able to harness the powers of certain elements, so Elemental weapons are made with Elemental-Gem infused steel or wood.
Precious metals like Gold and Silver, while very weak and flimsy compared to the strength of steel, had great value as they were ranked 14 on the M.C. scale (M.C. stood for Magic Capacity).
The scale could describe how much magic could be implanted inside the metal, the max being 20 and the minimum being 5.
The only resource known for having a max output of 20 on the M.C. scale is the gem known as Diamond.
These various resources have been mined and smelted into various weapons of both close combat and ranged combat.
Where are these weapons made, you might ask? Why, in the Armory of course.
The Armory was a large building that had 2 main functions: building weapons and housing them.
Half of the Armory was the forge.
The forge was a hot and steamy room comprised of multiple stone furnaces and red hot molten iron that was poured into weapon designs.
The other side of the Armory was more clean and organized, with white walls and polished floors.
A small, pale woman sat at the desk in front of the doorway, tending to some business on her clipboard while casting a few glances towards the entrance.
The woman soon found herself on the floor as she fell back in her chair when the group appeared from thin air. She quickly got up and dusted herself off before addressing the group.
"Greetings, your majesty, what brings you hear this wonderful morning?" She asked in a sweet tone.
"I need access to the vault. Would you be so kind to provide clearance?" Celestia asked.
"Oh, but to do that you would need-" the woman cut herself off when she saw Flash.
"Oh, he's here. Follow me." The woman said, walking down the hall while the group followed suite.
After a while they soon came to the end of the hallway where a large vault door stood before them. Two large, muscular, giants, standing at 10 feet tall, clad in golden armor and golden helmets that concealed their faces.
"Captain,” they both said in unison, slightly bowing as Flash approached the vault door. "Gentleman,” Flash greeted back, coming to a stop and folding his arms. "You know what to do."
The left giant nodded to the right giant, and they pulled out two giant keys attached to a leather cord from around their necks.
They put their keys into two different slots and turned in unison.
There was a loud clank, and the vault handle began to turn counterclockwise.
The spinning handle came to a halt and the door swung open slowly.
Everyone entered and was awestruck at what they saw.
The vault was over ten times bigger in width and height compared to the hallway they were just in.
The walls, ceiling, and floor were white and shiny like the hallway, lit by the lights hanging from the ceiling.
There were metal shelvesthat were organized much like the wooden bookshelves in a library, only these selves held weapons and tools instead of books.
Well, actually, there was a shelf that contained magic books bound by chains, but it was mostly weapons.
*CLANK!*
The group came to a halt as the two giants crossed spears and blocked the group’s path.
The two large guards glared down at them.
"We are the keepers of the vault," the right giant spoke.
"And as the keepers it is our right to enforce the rules of the vault,” the left giant answered.
"Rules that you will obey,” the right giant said.
"Lest you wish to suffer the consequences!" They both stated, their voices booming with authority and power.
The Applebloom and Sweetie Belle hid behind their older siblings, Scootaloo hid behind Rainbow, and everyone else braced themselves, putting on a brave face, trying to hide their fear.
"The first rule," the left giant spoke. "You may take only what you need, not what you want."
"The second rule," the right giant spoke. "No weaponry or tools are to be tampered with, damaged, or destroyed."
"The third rule," the left giant spoke. "You are not allowed to take from the Dark Section of the library. You may look but you cannot take."
"The fourth and final rule," the right giant spoke. "You may give the vault something of great value in return for something of equal value from the vault."
"Failure to comply with these rules will result in divine punishment. Do you understand?" The two giants asked.
"The group understands the rules of the vault and accepts the conditions required," Celestia answered.
The spears were lifted and the two giants moved to the side, allowing the group to enter.
"Go, choose your weapon. But remember, you are to take only what you need, not what you want."
With that, the group spread out to search for their new equipment.
But as Soarin was about to go off, a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned around and saw that the hand belonged to Flash, and he had a serious look on his face.
"Soarin, I want you to keep an eye on Rainbow," he stated, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at the still handcuffed Skyborn girl who was staring at a large portable metal cannon with a look of avarice in her eyes.
"Make sure she doesn't try to steal something that doesn't belong to her."
Soarin nodded and ran towards Rainbow.
With everyone busy searching, Flash made his way towards his weapon of choice.
The group had so many choices, from swords to cannons, but the giant's warning was still fresh in their mind.
The warning definitely made it difficult for Applejack to chose her weapon.
"Hey, sis!"
Applejack whipped around and her eyes went wide at the sight of her little sister wobbling under the weight of the large steel mace with sharp spikes sticking out of the club in her hands.
Applejack stormed towards Applebloom and yanked the mace from her hands.
"Just what in tarnation do ya think you're doing?!" Applejack demanded, placing the mace where there was an empty rack, assuming that's where it belonged.
"I'm picking out a weapon! Ah’m gonna need one if Ah’m gonna fight, right?" Applebloom asked.
The moment she finished her sentence, her eyes moved over to a gold bladed short-sword with black leather wrapped around its hilt.
"You're not fighting,” Applejack said firmly, kneeling down to Applebloom's level and holding her shoulders.
"You're ma little sister, so I can't afford to lose ya, Bloom."
"*ahem*"
The soft, yet audible, clearing of someone's throat caught the two Apple's attention.
They turned around and saw a woman with pale skin, beautiful blonde hair, and yellow eyes with the left one slightly crooked who wore a grey librarian outfit and a kind smile on her face.
"Sorry to intrude but you placed Mäjon in the sword section when it belongs in the mace and hammer section," The woman stated, lifting the mace Applebloom had and walking to the row of shelves a few feet away from the sword section, where she placed the mace back where it belonged.
"Now then," the woman stood in front of the two sisters and introduced herself and her intentions.
"Hello, my name is Ditzy and I am the vault's librarian. I am tasked with keeping everything neat and organized as well as helping out with people's choice of weaponry. And from the look of it, you two could use some help."
The two sister exchanged a glance before Applejack stood up and introduced herself.
"Hi, ma name-"
"I'm well aware of who you are, Applejack and Applebloom," The woman said.
"If you'll follow me, I believe I know the perfect tool for you."
Ditzy started walking into the section two shelves over, with the two Apple sisters following.
"Excuse me, Miss Ditzy," Applebloom spoke up, "but by any chance are you a...you know...are you a-"
"See-er? Why yes I am, and by gosh, you have a very sharp mind Applebloom," Ditzy grinned.
"A See-er? Ya mean you're a mind reader?" Applejack asked in surprise.
"I thought See-er's didn't exist, on account of how rare the gift is. Not to mention how dangerous."
"While I admit my gift has its perks, it's also a lot like a curse," Ditzy sighed solemnly.
"How can reading minds be such a curse?" Applebloom asked.
Ditzy turned her head and pointed to her crooked eye.
"It was fine at first, but I looked into the wrong mind and it nearly fried mine. I'm lucky to be alive," Ditzy said before coming to a stop.
"Ah, there he is."
Applejack and Applebloom stopped to see the weapon Ditzy was pointing at.
It was a hammer, with a golden handle and two silver faces for its hammer.
It had a three gems lined up from where the handle met hammer.
Two red triangular rubies, both facing out, and a white octagon shaped opal between the two rubies.
The hammer was chained to the shelf with many silver chains that had hot red marks on them.
Ditzy snapped her fingers and the chains came undone, slithering away like snakes. "Don't worry, all you have to do is pick it up,” the librarian said.
"Um...alright," Applejack said, hesitantly reaching for the hammer.
As her hand was merely inches away from the handle, the two silver parts of the hammer flattened into blades and became engulfed in red flames.
It let out a roar and shook violently on its shelf, and Applejack retracted her hand before the hammer could touch it.
"It's...it's alive?!" Applejack shouted in panic.
"I would hope so,” Ditzy said.
"It would be a terrible thing if Prothous died."
“Well what are you waiting for? Pick it up already."
"But...it..." Applejack stammered.
"Look, Jack, can I call you Jack? I'm the librarian. I know every weapon and tool here, so when I say this weapon is best suited for you, I mean it. Now quit screwing around and PICK IT UP FOR CELESTIA’S SAKE!" Ditzy screamed.
"Yes ma'am!" Applejack saluted, and her military instincts kicked in as she obediently picked up the handle and held it in front of her.
The hammer, Prothous, roared and thrashed in Applejack's grip, but eventually its roar lessened to a growl and its thrashing slowed.
It's fiery blades slowly extinguished and grew back into the flat silver hammer it appeared as.
"There, you see, that wasn't too hard now, was it?" Ditzy asked before frowning and turning away.
"Excuse me for a moment,” Ditzy said, snapping her fingers.
She then disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Twilight Sparkle was many things, but the one thing everybody knew about her was that she loved books and had an unquenchable thirst for them.
"Twilight, what are you doing?!" Spike demanded, holding his head in his two claws.
Twilight, who was leaning back against the shelf with an opened black hardcover book in her lap, looked up and answered.
"I'm just reading Spike, no need to make a big deal out of it."
Twilight rolled her eyes, returning to her book.
"Yeah, but you're reading a book from the Dark Section! You know, the one place we're not supposed to be!" Spike pointed out.
"They said we could look, not take,” Twilight stated, “and besides, this is a spell book by Starswirl the Bearded. I just wanted to view some of his work before-"
"Attention everyone, the vault will be closing soon. Please head to the entrance at once," Ditzy's voice could be heard across the entire vault.
"WHAT?!" Twilight shrieked.
"But I'm not done! I'm not even halfway through, how am I gonna finish this?!"
An idea popped into her head as she snapped her fingers, summoning a book and quill.
Flash stood still as a statue, his arms folded and his gaze fixed on the sheathed sword in the display case.
It was a two handed longsword, with a hilt wrapped in black leather, and gold guard that had a diamond in the center of the cross-guard.
"Why do you hesitate?"
Flash's eyes shifted to the left where Ditzy now stood, her hands folded behind her back.
"It's your sword, you made it. Yet you gave it to the vault...do you not like it or something?" Ditzy asked, doing her best not to peer into Flash's head.
"You know exactly why I put my sword here," Flash said, and his eyes shifted back to the sword on display.
"It's too powerful, even I don't trust myself with it."
"But you might need that kind of power, you know, since you're going up against a necromancer and all."
Flash looked at Ditzy with a raised brow.
"Sorry,” Ditzy apologized, kicking her left leg.
"Couldn't help myself."
Flash walked up to the sword and grabbed it.
He loosened the straps of his sheath and tied them to his waist.
"Well, you know what you always say,” Flash said.
"Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it," Ditzy cheekily replied.
The group rejoined at the entrance, almost everyone wielding a new weapon.
Twilight had been given a new wooden twisting staff with a multi-colored gem at the top, Fluttershy had been given a bo staff, Pinkie had been given a set of daggers and knives, Rarity had been given a pair of gloves bedazzled with various gems on the knuckles, Soarin had been given a pale blue Wind Naginata, Spitfire had been given a Flameblade, Fleetfoot had been given two Frostblades, Applebloom had been given a portable kit for making potions, Sweetie Belle had been given a flute made of enchanted silver, and Scootaloo had been given a pair of roller blades enchanted for speed.
"Has everyone been given a new weapon or tool?" Celestia asked.
The entire group nodded.
Well, almost the entire group.
“Yeah, that librarian lady wouldn't let me get anything because of the fact that I'm handcuffed,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Plus, I'd like my bow back, anyways.”
“Two words: Not happening,” Flash answered.
“Why? I can't just go and fight a bunch of undead freaks without a weapon!” Dash argued.
“Well, for starters, it's an elemental weapon. Only Wonderbolts may carry those. Second, you're two dangerous,” Flash replied.
“Well, I have an idea on what she can use,” Celestia chimed in.
“You're good with a sword, yes?” The princess asked.
“I dabble,” Rainbow said proudly.
“Well, good, then you can use this,” Celestia said.
She snapped her fingers, and Dash’s handcuffs disappeare.
“That's better,” the rainbow haired girl said.
Celestia snapped again, this time summoning in a broadsword.
The sword had a steel blade, a dark gray hilt, and its handle was wrapped in a reddish-brown leather.
“This is a Knight’s Broadsword. It is only used by the elite Knights of Enchantria, the best knights in the kingdom. I'm trusting you with this, Rainbow Dash. Screw this up, and you're in big trouble,” Celestia said, handing Rainbow the sword and its sheath.
Dash fastened the brown leather sheath around her waist with ecstasy, her eyes wide with pride.
Now, then, we must leave, time is of the essence-"
*CLANG!*
Just as the group was exiting, two spears crossed and blocked Twilight's path.
Before Twilight could protest a brown softcover book was levitated from her robe and the giant on the left snatched it up quickly.
The giant opened the book and looked through its pages before closing it up once he was finished looking through it.
"Twilight Sparkle, you have stolen from the vault," the giant stated.
The group became shocked.
"What?! No, I didn't steal anything!" Twilight protested.
"You have copied the contents of a book belonging to the vault. You have stolen knowledge that does not belong to you," the right giant spoke.
"For your transgression, you must be punished!" The two giants declared, their voices filled with rage.
"Wait!" Flash shouted, putting himself between Twilight and the two furious giants.
"You said that we could trade some things for anything of equal value, right? So what if Twilight gave you something of equal value for the book?"
"The book is a copy of spells by Starswirl the Bearded,” the right giant stated.
"There is nothing of equal value,” the left giant said.
"Then...then..." Flash stalled, trying to think of a way to solve the problem.
"Then punish me. It was my idea for Twilight to copy the book. It's my fault, I must take responsibility."
"If this is true," the left giant started.
"Then you shall be punished instead of Twilight Sparkle," The right giant finished.
"Do you accept this responsibility, Flash Sentry of Enchantria?" The two demanded.
"I do,” Flash answered, standing firm.
The two giants raised their spears, the golden tips aimed towards Flash.
The tips began to glow a fiery red as they began to collect magic.
"Flash Sentry of Enchantria," the two giants spoke.
"YOU HAVE SINNED!"
A beam of powerful magic rained down onto Flash, his entire body engulfed in the pillar of burning magic.
He dropped to his knees and roared in pain as he was mercilessly pounded by the magic.
Half a minute passed and the giants had decided that Flash had received his punishment.
With that they ceased the flow of magic, leaving smoke to fume from the tips of their spears and from Flash's crippled body.
"Punishment has been received," the right giant stated.
"You may keep the weapons you need," the left giant said.
"But the book belongs to the vault. Now leave at once,” the two giants ordered.
“FSH, AH!" Flash cringed as Twilight's purple aura grazed the red burn on Flash's arm.
"Sorry!" Twilight apologized for the 137th time.
"I'm not used to healing magic, sorry," 138th now.
The group had re-entered the meeting room where they were all introduced to their mission.
Flash sat in one of the chairs, his skin red and burned by the giant's magic, while he was being healed by Twilight.
Celestia left to prepare travel for the group and their destination.
"Honestly Twilight, how could you be so stupid!" Rainbow shouted, berating Twilight.
"I know, I'm sorry, I didn't think-"
"You didn't what? You didn't think that maybe copying down stuff in a book counted as stealing?!" Rainbow demanded.
"Look what you did to him!" Rainbow shouted, pointing at Flash.
Twilight seemed on the verge of crying.
Fluttershy saw this and tried to calm things down.
"Rainbow, please stop,” she pleaded.
"You're hurting her!”
Rainbow whipped her head towards Fluttershy.
"Good!" She snapped.
"I hope this hurts, so maybe next time she won't do something so stupid!"
"I hate to admit it, but Rainbow's right," Soarin agreed.
"Why would you do something like that when you knew it would be stealing?"
"Now hold on a minute," Rarity interjected.
"Would you look what you're doing to the poor thing? Surely there's a better way to solve this without harsh words!"
“Pfft. Yeah, right," Spitfire scoffed. "Listen lady, take it from the captain of the Wonderbolts. The only way anybody ever learns is through pain. But you wouldn't understand something like that now would you?"
"And jus' what's that supposed ta mean?" Applejack asked.
"I think you know exactly what it means, Hillbilly," Fleetfoot spat.
Applejack reached for the golden handle of her hammer behind her back and gripped it with both hands.
Detecting her rage, the hammer slimed down into blades and became engulfed in flames while letting out a low growl.
"Call me Hillbilly again,” Applejack's grip tightened.
"I dare ya."
"You wanna fight Hillbilly? I'll gladly oblige, I've been itching to test out my new weapon anyways," Fleetfoot stated, unsheathing her new Frostblade, which began to give off cold blue mist.
"Don't worry Applejack," Rarity said as both she and Pinkie braced themselves to fight.
"We've got your back."
"Don't think we're just gonna stand by,” Spitfire said, unsheathing her Flameblade.
Rainbow sided with the Wonderbolts and drew her new sword.
Everyone else just stayed out of what was about to happen. Both sides glared at the other, and their weapons flared up with magic and they were ready to clash in battle.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!"
All eyes were locked on Flash, who was sitting upright with his left eye tightly shut and his body throbbing in pain.
"You, all of you, are here because Enchantria is in danger, and instead of working together you decide to go at each other's throats!" Flash roared, half angry at the group and half angry because of the burning pain.
"Rainbow Dash, stop yelling at Twilight about her mistake when you yourself were imprisoned for attacking the Royal Guard," Flash stated, causing Rainbow to hang her head low in shame.
"And the rest of you, I don't know what differences you all have and I don't care. We're a team, and as a team we all have to work together. So figure that out!"
The group all lowered their heads in shame, silently regretting what they had said.
"Twilight I'm...I'm sorry. What I said was mean and...I was being a jerk. Do you forgive me?" Rainbow asked, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.
Twilight wiped away a tear and sniffed before replying.
"Yeah...yeah I forgive you Rainbow. I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused."
An aura of awkward silence filled the room like an invisible mist.
Pinkie hated this mist and decided to do something about it.
"Hey!" She exclaimed, jumping from her chair.
"You know what we need?"
"If you start singing, I'm gonna punch you in the face," Rainbow threatened, holding up a balled fist.
"No, silly," Pinkie chuckled. "
What we need is a name."
"A name?" Fluttershy asked.
"A name,” Pinkie nodded.
"We are a team, alright, and every team has a name. So why shouldn't we have one?" Pinkie asked.
"But it can't be any name, it has to be a name that describes our team."
"Something...easy to say?" Fluttershy answered in an unsure tone.
"Something that describes our military position," Spitfire added.
"What about...the Main 6?" Sweetie Belle suggested.
"Uh, there's fourteen of us Sweetie," Applebloom pointed out.
The group began calling off names for the team name, but nobody could agree on one.
Spike rubbed his chin thinking of a team name for something awesome, that had authority, that meant speed, that had educated words, was easy to pronounce, and described their military position.
A light bulb turned on inside Spike's head as he suggested his idea for the team name.
"Blitz Brigade?" Rainbow asked, tilting her head in confusion. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"
"Blitz is a word for speed, it's an educated word and it is really easy to say. Brigade means a large army, which makes it have authority and is a way to define our military stature, and together the two words are flat out awesome," Spike explained.
The group pondered about naming their group ‘Blitz Brigade’.
"Well I think it's a great name,” Flash stated, standing up.
"All those in favor of calling our team 'Blitz Brigade,’ please raise your hand."
“It could be twenty percent cooler, if you ask me, but it’ll do,” Dash said as she reluctantly raised her hand.
Everyone else shot their hands up into the air.
"There you have it. From this point forward we will forever be known as Blitz Brigade," Flash stated.
The doors opened, and Celestia stepped forth into the room to greet the awaiting group.
"I have arranged transportation, but in the meantime, how is Captain Sentry doing?" She asked as her gaze landed on the Skyborn.
"I'll be fine, m'lady," Flash answered heartily.
Celestia nodded. "That is good to hear. Now, please, follow me."
"Excuse me, Princess," Fluttershy spoke up.
"Yes, Fluttershy?" Celestia replied, turning her head back to Fluttershy while still walking.
"Um...if you don't mind me asking, just how are we supposed to get to...actually, where are we going...if you don't mind me asking," Fluttershy said timidly.
Celestia gave a smile and answered, "You will all be traveling to where the Royal Guard were sent to, the village known as Harpystone."
“Hey! I have an old friend who lives in Harpystone! She's a harpy, of course, but, I just wanted to point that out. Yeah, she and I go way back, back to when school was over. She taught me how to fend for myself, and sh-!” Rainbow Dash blurted out, but she was cut off by Fleetfoot.
“Yeah, yeah, that's great!” She said sarcastically. “Seriously, no one cares.”
Rainbow replied with a frown and a rude hand gesture.
"Anyways, that’s not too far from here, about an hour long trip if we take the train," Applejack stated.
"I'm afraid that transportation by train isn't available. Due to the threat, I've blocked off all train routes to any cities that may be or have been attacked," Celestia explained.
"So...how are we getting to Harpystone then?" Rainbow asked.
Throughout time, humans have adapted to live in the harsh world they had been born into.
On their own they could not survive the harshest of threats, but it was through tools and weapons that they became the top of the world.
As time past, humans waged war against other humans for various reasons, such as resources, wealth, power, and sometimes just for fun.
It was war that caused the advancement of technology to increase, such as discovering iron, learning to make weapons for long range, taming animals, and of course discovering how to use magic.
But before magic was discovered, man had to rely on the use of swords, armor, and shields. But in that time there was an animal that became a key in every war.
Horses.
Yes, horses.
Strong bodied beasts, powerful enough to pull large carts of crops and materials as well as trampling the enemy in war.
To this day horses are still used for practically everything, farming, carrying supplies, or sometimes just a means for transportation.
Horses were the most useful creature in Enchantria, and thus the need for them grew, and as such so did the breeding rate.
But right now, we find Blitz Brigade standing in front of the Royal Guard horse stalls.
Wooden buildings aligned in rows were filled with horses waiting behind wooden doors in their stalls.
Rarity pinched her nose shut as a sharp smell entered her nostrils.
"PEE-YOO!" She exclaimed. "What is that disgusting smell?!"
"Horse poop, duh." Pinkie answered.
"Shouldn't be," Flash scratched his head to think of what Rarity was smelling.
"The horses don't go to the bathroom in their stalls, normally they just go outside but it's always shoveled up and given to the..." Flash trailed off before snapping his fingers, "Oh that's right! We give all waste to the botanists so they can turn it into manure."
"Well that explains it." Rarity grimaced before sighing.
"Is there no other way to travel to Harpyrock, or whatever, besides riding a horse?" She asked Celestia, who only gave her a slow shake of the head.
"Alright, it doesn't matter which horse you choose. Each one should be healthy and ready to go, once you've picked out your horse have somebody saddle him or her up and wait outside," Flash explained.
"Say, Flash." Rainbow said, casually resting her elbow on Flash's shoulder with a suggestive tone and a cocky grin. "Can you be a pal and tell me which one of these horses is the fastest?"
"You're not getting a horse," Flash responded nonchalantly, to which Rainbow recoiled back in shock.
"WHAT?!" She screamed. "Why not?!"
"Because if we gave you a horse you'd most likely run away with it, we're not idiots you know," Flash stated. "But don't worry, you will be riding a horse. You'll just be riding with someone else to keep you in check."
"This is degrading my basic human rights!" Rainbow protested, until her lips were magically sealed shut by Twilight's magic.
"You have the right to remain silent." Twilight said with a triumphant grin as Rainbow fumed with anger and gave yet another suggestive gesture.
Everyone observed the horses that snorted and whined every now and then, circling in their stalls. There were many horses to choose from, all ranging in various colors of white, grey, brown, and black.
The CMC were assigned to three ponies that fit their size, while everyone else was still trying to choose.
Twilight tapped her chin in thought, trying to come to a decision. Every time she narrowed her choice down to two horses, another would enter the equation and make everything more difficult. It made it nearly impossible to choose.
There was a tap on her shoulder, asking her to turn around. Twilight did and saw Fluttershy behind her with that warm and gentle smile of hers. She grabbed Twilight's hand and urged her to follow.
"Come on, there's something Flash and I want to show you," Fluttershy said, pulling Twilight out of the stall.
The two made their way towards the plains and forest where the horses roamed.
They entered the forest and Fluttershy led Twilight deeper in, and the deeper they went the more vegetation they saw. It wasn't until they came across a pond that sparkled in the sun's rays that they stopped and waited.
"What are we-" Twilight started, but was almost instantly interrupted.
"Shhh!" Fluttershy hissed, placing a finger over her lips.
The two continued to wait until they heard twigs and branches snapping and the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.
The two looked towards the source of the noise, and surprisingly, they saw a herd of horses.
But these weren't the average looking horses, as they were not white, black, grey, or brown like their brothers and sisters at the Royal Guard stables. These were horses that had been exposed to magic, and it had altered the way they looked. They were still horses, as their figure and shape remained the same, but their manes and coats were different.
There were twelve horses, and it became thirteen as a strong-looking stallion entered with Flash riding him.
The stallion had a bright white coat, a blue mane and tail, and brown eyes. The horse strode up to Fluttershy and Twilight, standing tall and powerful before them. Flash dismounted himself from the horse and patted him on the head.
"His name is Gradius, he's my personal mount and a very loyal friend,” Flash said as he introduced Gradius, as he undid knots on the saddle. "He’s no normal horse you see," Flash paused and jumped back as two strong and powerful feathered wings flared from the horses sides and he posed majestically. “He’s actually a Pegasus."
Twilight stood in awe at the magnificent horse, her mouth opened wide. She realized this and quickly shut it before looking to the other horses. "Are they all Pegasi?" she asked.
Flash shook his head. "Nope, Gradius is the only one. But, speaking of the herd, let me show you why I had Fluttershy bring you here." Putting two fingers in his mouth, Flash made a unique whistle to which only two horses heard and galloped over to the girls. One was a mare with a grass green coat of fur, dark green mane and tail, and sea blue eyes. The other was a stallion with a black coat of fur, lavender mane and tail, and purple eyes.
"This is Gabriel, your brother's horse," Flash said, introducing the stallion.
"This was...Shining's horse?" She asked and Flash nodded to confirm her answer.
Twilight raised her hand and slowly reached for the stallion, but when her hand was close Gabriel shook his head and took a few steps back while giving off a warning snort which made Twilight freeze for a moment. But she continued to reach for the horse, gently placing her hand on his muzzle and petting him lightly, to which Gabriel gave an appreciated sigh.
"So...what makes Gabriel so special?" She asked, assuming all of those in the herd had an extraordinary trait.
Flash answered by drawing a steel sword from his sheath and raising it above his head as he aimed for Gabriel's neck. Twilight's went wide as she realized what he intended to do.
"Wait, no, stop!" She cried out, her mind to confused to cast any magic to stop Flash as the sword came down on the neck of Gabriel.
And it snapped in two the moment it came in contact with Gabriel's neck. The top part of the blade spun backwards before sticking itself into the ground behind Twilight.
Flash held up the now shortened sword to show off the damage. "Gabriel is an Ironhide. This means that his skin is made of a dense material that only diamond is known to pierce," Flash explained.
Twilight let out a sigh of relief now knowing that Gabriel's life wasn't in danger, but a curious thought entered her mind and so she decided to ask, "Why are these horses out here roaming free while the others are kept in stalls? Is there something special about them?"
"As a matter of fact there is," Flash said with a grin. "All of these horses belong to a high ranking member in Enchantalot. See that horse right there?" Flash asked, pointing to a horse whose dark blue coat resembled the night sky with tiny white dots scattered throughout the coat. His mane and tail were the same as his coat, and his eyes were completely white.
"That blind horse is Potter, he belongs to General Nox, he's been known to be able to teleport. The horse, not Nox." Flash clarified.
"And that pompous horse right there." Flash pointed to a horse with a white coat, blond mane and tail that was neatly tied and fashionably presented, and blue eyes. "That horse is Stomper, he belongs to Duke Blueblood, and just like his master, he's a spoiled, stubborn mule. He's an Ironhide like Gabriel."
"Wait a minute," Twilight spoke up, noticing Fluttershy grooming the other mare’s sides with a brush she had from her bag of tools. "If all these horses belong to important members of Enchantalot, then does that make Fluttershy a-"
"Oh goodness no," Fluttershy interjected, before apologizing for it. "I'm sorry to cut you off, but I'm nobody special. This dei-uh, I mean horse's name is Eve." She said, introducing the horse who hid behind Fluttershy.
"Eve is a Woodscolt," Flash begin to explain. "A Woodscolt is a creature that is able to shapeshift and manipulate nature. It was Eve that taught Fluttershy her nature magic."
Twilight stared at Eve and Fluttershy in amazement.
"Welp, we best get moving. Wouldn't want to keep everyone waiting," Flash said as all three of them exited the forest.
Rainbow sat on a stump of a cut down tree, her chin resting in her hands, her elbows resting on her knees, and a sour frown on her face.
"Hiya Rainbow Dash," A peppy voice greeted the depressed Skyborn.
Rainbow's eyes glanced to the left and she saw Scootaloo mounted on a pony with a white coat and black spots, blonde mane that covered the pony's eyes and long tail, and hair covering her hooves. Scootaloo dismounted and walked up to Rainbow.
"So, how ya been?" She asked, standing on her tiptoes and going back to balancing on her two feet.
Rainbow's response was a grunt as she stood up and walked away from the kid.
"Hey! Wait up!" Scootaloo shouted, running after Rainbow.
Scootaloo caught up to Rainbow who had her arms crossed and was stomping in frustration with an angry look on her face. Scootaloo crossed her arms, stomped like Rainbow was doing, and made the same angry face that Rainbow was. Rainbow noticed this and uncrossed her arms while staring at Scootaloo with a raised brow, and Scootaloo did the same as though she was Rainbow's reflection in a mirror.
Rainbow did various poses and faces, and Scootaloo did all of them in perfect unison. Rainbow decided to put a stop to it.
She turned around and stood in front of Scootaloo, blocking her path.
"What are you doing?" Rainbow asked nicely, her tone hinting her pent up rage.
"I'm just trying to talk to you," Scootaloo explained. "You're the one trying to avoid talking to me."
"Well, maybe it's because I don't want to talk," Rainbow stated, crossing her arms defensively.
"Yes you do." Scootaloo said, taking a seat on the ground. "Take a seat and tell me what's bothering you."
"What's bothering me?" Rainbow shouted. "You wanna know what's bothering me? Well why don't we start with the fact I'm not even trusted with a horse, I got thrown in jail, I'm labeled a criminal, I attacked the guard, not to mention killed one, I steal money just to survive, and my idols think I'm a joke when the only reason I'm even doing all this stuff is just so I can at least get a shred of their attention!
“Do you have any idea how much I want to be a Wonderbolt?! How many times I apply for the job only to get rejected?! How devastated I always am when I give it my all and they still don't accept me?!" Rainbow was sobbing now, her body caved in and she collapsed onto her knees.
"You have no idea what it's like," Dash croaked, her head hung low. "You have no idea what it's like to be ignored by the people you worship."
"Actually..." Scootaloo sighed. "I do know what that's like. Because you always ignore me."
Rainbow's head perked up when she heard that.
"I know you may not believe this but I'm just like you. I don't have a home or a family to take care of me. I have to steal so I can buy food and water. But you wanna know the worst part about it? It's that when I was alone, there was nobody else that was abandoned like me.
“But then I saw you, I saw you stealing stuff and running from the guards with that taunting smile on your face. I saw you and I thought, 'There's somebody like me, somebody who has to steal and is all alone'. After you had shaken off the guards I approached you and asked if you and I could team up," Scootaloo smirked. "But you just said 'Sorry kid, I don't do teams,' and then you took off.
“But that didn't stop me, I knew what you were going through, I knew you were hurting inside and that you were all alone. And soon after our encounter, for the first time, I had friends, friends that cared about me, that told me that I'm not alone in this world," Scootaloo said as she stood up and embraced Rainbow in a hug.
"So let me be the first to tell you, you're not alone, you're not weak, you're strong and powerful, and above all else, you're the most awesome girl I have ever met.”
Rainbow was at a loss for words. Her mind was completely blank, her body was frozen, and she had no idea what she was supposed to do or be doing. So, she did the only thing that came to mind, she hugged Scootaloo back and held her tightly. Scootaloo patted Rainbow on the back, reassuring her that everything was going to alright.
"Ahem."
Rainbow pushed off of Scootaloo and turned around to see Soarin awkwardly standing behind them, holding the rope to his horse. Rainbow quickly wiped away her tears and gave a weak smile as she stood up.
"H-h-hey Soarin, what's up?" She asked, her voice still shaken.
Soarin sighed as he slowly approached Rainbow and placed a hand on her shoulder, looking her right in the eyes.
"I'm sorry. I know you might not think that good of me, but the reason your applications were always rejected was because of Spits and Fleet," Soarin began to explain. "See, as the three captains of the Wonderbolts it's the majority vote that decides if the application passes or fails."
"So...Spitfire...and Fleetfoot...rejected every application I sent?" Rainbow asked, the pieces slowly falling into place. Soarin nodded, and Rainbow's sadness turned to subtle anger.
“I'm sorry, I knew I should've told you sooner,” Soarin said, and he began to walk away.
Rainbow wasn't going to allow this to happen.”Hey, Soarin, how would you feel about me riding with you?"
As the day progressed, everyone had been given a horse and a saddle upon which to ride. Now all that was left was to pack supplies for the long ride to Harpystone.
Everyone had been given a backpack and two bags that attached to the horse's saddle.
The contents in the bags were various supplies such as food and water, tents, sleeping bags, maps, compasses, fire starters, lanterns, and other tools and utensils.
Flash already had his supplies ready, but when he looked to see how everyone else was doing he saw that they were having trouble getting the supplies compact. Flash couldn't help them, he decided it was best that they learned on their own or they wouldn't learn at all.
"I see you decided to bring your sword."
Flash was slightly startled by Celestia suddenly appearing next to him, but that didn't stop him from responding.
"I only plan to use it if necessary,” he stated.
"I know you do," Celestia smiled warmly, "but should the occasion ever arise, I hope you are capable of controlling that power."
"Princess," Flash spoke, deciding to change the subject. "About that message, what Chrysalis said. What did she mean by that?"
Celestia's expression became sad and somber. "It is a prophecy," the Princess answered.
"One foretold long ago, about the lights going dark and the world being plunged into an eternal nightmare, as the avatar of darkness would devour this world," Celestia explained. "The prophecy came to pass a thousand years ago, after I killed the avatar of darkness and sealed her remains in various prisons."
"But there's no way this all happened in one night, is there?" Flash asked.
"No, the avatar lived amongst us for a while, hidden from my sight. While she was hidden she created many artifacts and weapons from her magic. I too scattered these across the world and sealed them away," Celestia explained, a painful look in her eyes.
"Let me guess, that scythe and book are dark artifacts aren't they?" Flash asked.
"No, the scythe is not one of them, but the book is, it is known as the Book of Black, a foul and cursed book that holds dark and evil spells within. No doubt Chrysalis is being used by her to try and find the remaining weapons," Celestia said.
"This 'avatar of darkness' you speak of, she was close to you wasn't she?" Flash asked, knowing the pain of losing someone.
"In a way...yes, she was very close to my heart, and although I suffered more pain than anyone could imagine, I knew the person I loved was gone, replaced by the monster that was the avatar of darkness,” Celestia sighed.
"Well...thank you for your time Princess. But I think it'd be best if we got going," Flash said, as Blitz Brigade was finally ready to head out.
As Flash mounted Gradius, he pulled on the rope to guide him to where he was to go.
"Flash," Celestia called out, causing Flash to turn around and look behind him.
"Take it from me, the past cannot be undone, we can only look to the future. Forgive yourself for your brother's fate, and move on like he would want you to do."
Flash turned back around and not facing Celestia he responded, "I'll keep that in mind, Princess."
Everyone was ready for the adventure that awaited them. The CMC had ponies, Rainbow Dash and Soarin were riding the same horse, Rarity was trying to find a comfortable spot on her saddle, and Pinkie was painting random dots on her horse with a paintbrush while putting glitter in her horse's mane, but the strangest of all was that horse seemed to be enjoying it.
Once everyone was ready and present, they trotted to the gate and took a final glance at Enchantalot as it shrunk the further they went from it.
"Are we there yet?" Rainbow Dash groaned, resting her cheek against the horse's neck.
"DON'T YOU DARE EVEN START!" Applejack yelled back.
"Okay, okay!" Dash said, holding her hands up defensively. "I admit, saying that was probably a dick move. But I mean come on, we've been out here for days.”
"First: we've only been out here for two hours and thirty seven minutes," Twilight stated in agitation. "Second: Harpystone is a four hour journey by horse."
"I think everyone just needs to calm down,” Fluttershy said, trying to ease the anger between everyone. "I know we're all frustrated with traveling, but we're almost there."
"Speak for yourself Flutters," Pinkie said, doing a handstand on her horse's head. "Greg and I are as happy as we could be."
"Well at least you can move freely," Spitfire grumbled.
“Everyone quit yer griping, if you're gonna moan and complain then just shut yer trap,” Applejack snapped.
"Watch your tongue, Hillbilly," Fleetfoot hissed. "Don't forget who you're talking to."
Applejack opened her mouth to protest but quickly shut it as she remembered her place in the military order.
"We are a team," Flash stated, "and as a team your rank means nothing, here we're all equal, we work as one and we get the job done no matter what. But let me assure you that if there is any mention of rank in this team I will not hesitate to punish whoever responsible."
"Pffft," Fleetfoot scoffed. "Oh, I'm so scared!”
As Flash was passing by a large boulder, he raised his arm and it became engulfed in blue and golden magic. His fist struck the boulder and several cracks split throughout the entire inner and outer structure before it collapsed into a pile of pieces.
Flash, showing off his arm which still radiated with magic, glared at everyone behind him and with a tone of authority and strength said, "Get the message?"
Everyone vigorously nodded.
"Good." Flash said, lowering his arm and turning back around.
Twilight strode up next to Flash.
"Give me your arm," Twilight ordered, pointing at Flash's arm that struck the boulder.
"Why?" Flash asked as though nothing wrong, but his response only caused Twilight to frown.
"Don't give me the tough guy act, that boulder's density was way to strong for your arm's bone to remain undamaged. So give me your arm so I can heal it," Twilight ordered once more.
Flash saw the stubborn look in Twilight's eyes that said she wasn't going to take no for an answer. Reluctantly he sighed and allowed Twilight to heal his broken arm.
She gently slid her hand underneath Flash's arm while hovering her other over his arm. The arm became trapped within a purple sphere, leaving the hand and elbow exposed. There was a silence between the two, only the sound of Twilight's magic gently healing Flash.
"Can I ask you a question?" Twilight asked.
"Well, it's better than this awkward silence. Ask away," Flash answered.
"My brother, Shining Armor...how well did you know him?" Twilight asked.
Flash thought for a moment before answering, "When I had been accepted into the Royal Guard, your brother was my commanding officer. At the time he wasn't Captain, just the leader of my troop. Everyday we would train, and I was the weakest link. I wasn't as strong, as fast, or as smart as others. So your brother decided to change that. Whenever we got the time, he would personally train me to be better. In his words 'he put me through hell'. But the results were worth it, I was the strongest, fastest, and smartest not only in my troop but practically the entire Guard. Once I had proven myself, Shining taught me how to use Shield magic like him, and over time I had perfected it."
"Wow...it sounds like you and my brother were best friends," Twilight stated.
"We were," Flash said, confirming Twilight's assumption, "and in time, I was his Best Man."
Twilight snapped her fingers. "That's where I remember you from, I saw you on the podium when Shining and Cadence got married!" Twilight exclaimed.
Flash chuckled. "You should've seen the look on his face when Cadence proposed to him."
It is tradition in Enchantria for the woman of the couple to ask for a man's hand in marriage. The man may propose as well, but it's commonly the woman that does it.
"So...if you and Shining were best friends, how come he never mentioned you?" Twilight asked.
"He didn't confirm he and I were friends until he earned the rank of Captain, and as the Captain of the Royal Guard he isn't allowed to reveal any friendships he has as they could be used against him,” Flash explained.
"I see...well...um...can I ask you another question?" Twilight asked.
"You don't need my permission to speak," Flash stated. "You can say whatever you want."
"Well...I'm sorry, I'm just really curious about...well it's about your sword." Twilight said rather quickly.
Flash raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You mean this?" Flash asked, pointing at the sword sheathed in a leather scabbard. He pulled the sword out and showed Twilight the steel blade. "It's just a regular one handed steel sword, nothing special about it."
Twilight shook her head. "Not that one, I'm talking about your other sword. The one you got from the vault."
Flash let out a sigh as he re-sheathed the steel sword and untied the sword tied to the other side of the saddle.
"This sword?" Flash asked, showing Twilight the sword she asked to see.
All that could be seen was its hilt while its blade remained hidden by the golden scabbard, which was decorated with symbols and gems. The golden hilt had a diamond in its center as well as several gems along its handle.
"I saw you take it from the Vault, but you said that it's your sword. So...I'm sorry if you don't want to talk about it, I was just curious that's all," Twilight admitted.
"It's fine, I'll tell you about the sword, but before I can do that I need to tell you its origins," Flash said, re-tying the sword back to the saddle.
"When Shining Armor became Captain, he elected me to become an Elite Guard. After I barely passed the test, my first task as an Elite was to create my own weapon. I was given a choice of various materials. Iron, Copper, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, Hellstone, Obsidian, Eridium, Mythril, Adamantium, and Nexion. But out of all of those metals, none of them felt right to me, so I set out to find one that did. I searched for days but it was to no avail, until on the twelfth night, as I was traveling across an opened grassland, the entire area became blinded by a white light. As it began to fade I saw the light falling from the sky before crashing onto the Earth. Out of curiosity I headed for where the light crashed. When I found it, it was in the center of a large crater. I went to get a closer look and when I did I discovered what the object was. It was a star that had fallen from the sky," Flash said.
"Hold on a second," Spike said, popping out from Twilight’s backpack. "I thought star's were other suns in other solar systems?"
"That was a theory. Spike, but it was proven long ago that star's aren't sun's. They're balls of pure magic constantly exploding in space far away from earth. But every now and then a star gets caught in our gravity and falls to Earth," Twilight explained to the baby dragon.
"As a star enters the atmosphere, it begins to collect molecules and create a kind of chrysalis around it. This chrysalis keeps the magic contained while also solid. After I knew what the object was, I had found what to make my weapon out of," Flash said.
"Your sword is made out of a star?!" Spike asked in shock.
"It's nothing new. There have been weapons forged out of a star long ago, but each star contains a certain amount of magic inside of it," Flash explained.
"How do you turn a star into a sword anyways?" Spike asked.
"Normally, whenever one tries to forge a weapon they start by turning the material into a liquid, pouring it into a mold, straightening the weapon, cooling it, and then add the finishing touches.
“A star is different. The first thing to be done is removing the magic from the chrysalis. This process is done by transferring the magic to several crystals for storage.
“Once the chrysalis is empty, you smelt it into a sword, but it requires a powerful heat to smelt, a fire so hot that it would never go out. Only one such flame existed, hellfire. The chrysalis was melted into a blade, while the hilt and handle were made of gold to be used as a conduit for the magic.
“Once the sword was completed, the magic was returned to the chrysalis and the sword was complete. All that was left was to give it a proper name, which I appropriately named Starburst. But when I used the sword, it unleashed a powerful magic that was too destructive and uncontrollable. So I decided to leave it in the Vault for safety," Flash explained.
"Until now," Twilight said and Flash nodded.
Time passed, and the team continued their journey before coming to the edge of a dense forest of tall trees. They stopped just at the edge.
Before entering, Spike popped out of Twilight's backpack and held a map open. Flash examined the map for a minute before coming to a decision. He turned Gradius around to address the group.
"This forest is known as 'Snaproot Forest'. It acts as a shield for Harpystone due to the dangerous creatures that live within it. On the journey here I thought of a plan, and we will separate into two teams. One team will go through the forest to Harpystone on foot while the other will go around the forest with the horses," Flash explained as he showed everyone the map.
The map showed the city of Harpystone, and the crescent shaped forest which surrounded half of the city.
"At the top point of the forest right here is an abandoned tower known as 'Watcher’s Keep'. I want the second team to make camp there, and to be ready in case we're in need of help," Flash explained.
Applebloom raised her hand to ask a question and Flash let her.
"Why don't we just ride the horses through the forest?" Applebloom asked.
"Or why can't just fly over?" Spitfire suggested.
"We can't take the horses because of the creatures inside of it, and if the horses are injured or killed we won't have a way back to Enchantalot. Also Fluttershy would never forgive me if I let the animals die," Flash added.
Dismounting from his horse, he spotted a dead toad and picked it up by its hind leg. He whipped his arm and threw the dead toad above the forest.
It was in the air for a solid second before the large mouth of a plant erupted from the forest, opened its jaws, ate the dead toad, and retracted back to the forest.
"This forest was named Snaproot as it is infested with carnivorous plants of the same name. They eat anything that flies above them. Birds, flying mammals, even Skyborn people," Flash added darkly, receiving a gulp from every Skyborn in the group.
"The good news is that Snaproots only eat things that fly, so we should be safe there. Now as for who's going where, I've already decided. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Spitfire, Rarity, Spike, and I will head to the city, while Applejack, Fleetfoot, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo will head to Watcher's Keep and set up camp."
"Hold on a second!" Fleetfoot yelled. "Why am I put in charge of tending to the horses like a mere peasant?"
"I had to think long and hard about this. Originally, I only planned on taking the strong members of our group to the city, but then I thought of the enemy attacking the weaker part. Therefore I made sure to divide the team's power by a ratio of 60:40,” Flash explained.
"That seems like a strategic method, I suppose," Twilight said, dismounting her horse as she was on Team 1.
"Remember, you are to stay at Watcher's Keep until we come back. If you are in trouble or you spot the enemy, Fluttershy will set off a flare and we'll come running. Under no circumstances are you to come to Harpystone, do you understand?" Flash stated.
"You can count on me, Sarge," Pinkie declared as both she and her horse did a goofy salute. Pinkie pulled out a microphone and pair of aviator sunglasses and yelled through the microphone. "ALRIGHT, SOLDIERS, I WANNA SEE YOU MARCH!"
And with that, Team 2 set out for Watcher’s Keep, while Team 1 began their journey into the forest with their backpacks and supplies.
"So, based on what you said, what kind of dangerous creatures do you think we should watch out for?" Spitfire asked as the group made their way across a stream.
"Everything in this forest is dangerous, but if I had to say what's the most dangerous, I suppose it would be between either a Raktus or a Jakol," Flash answered.
"The hell’s a Raktus and a Jakol?" Rainbow asked.
"A Raktus is a kind of spider, it's about three times bigger than an average human and it's the ugliest thing you'll ever see," Soarin explained. "Though I can't say I know what a Jakol is.”
"A Jakol is a type of carnivorous monkey that kills for fun," Flash stated before coming to dead stop, and everyone behind him did the same.
"Why'd we stop?" Rarity asked.
Flash turned around to face the group. "We're more than three fourths of the way to Harpystone and we haven't seen a single living creature. Only plants, that's it. Something's not right here, which means my suspicions might be correct," Flash said, continuing to walk through the forest.
"What suspicions?" Spitfire asked.
"Chrysalis has been attacking small towns and villages only, never any cities. But as it turned out, Shining Armor's group passed through Harpystone. I'm worried that Chrysalis' army may have attacked the city," Flash explained.
"But if that's true, then we would be walking into a trap," Twilight said.
"Don't worry, Twilight," Flash said reassuringly as he saw a trail of blood leading to the corpse of a bear with spears and arrows sticking out of its body a distance away.
"It is undoubtedly a trap," Flash muttered under his breath, as he tightened his grip on his sword.
