Rainbow Dash. A Pegasus who disappeared for 2 years is back. And she's got a story to tell.
Rainbow Dash is gone. Two Years ago she performed a trick to eclipse all others, and vanished without a trace. Everypony has started to get over it, although for five ponies the loss is to great even now. In respect the Wonderbolts do a performance for her at the site of her death. However, a certain Cyan mare is hard to kill, and is loyal to the ends of the universe, she can say that with certainty now, she’s been, and now she’s back. But what is she wearing, and where did she go for two years? Buckle up, for in Equestria there may be peace, but in the 41st Millennium, there is only war.
The Stadium was packed to bursting in anticipation for the finals of the try-outs for the Wonderbolts, everypony waited with anticipation as the competitors prepared their final trick to show to the audience. For five mares watching in the audience however, only one of the ponies truly mattered to them.
Rainbow Dash stood at the end of the line, nervously awaiting her turn as the roar of the crowd became deafening, momentarily drowning out the voice of the commentators. She was number ten, so she would go last, and while that may have been good due to the fact she’d be able to closely watch her competition, it also meant that her nerves might once again manage to get the best of her just like back at the Best Young Fliers competition years ago.
Rainbow shook her head, forcing the old memories out as she focused on the here and now. If she performed at her peak today, the Wonderbolts would have to accept her into their ranks, and she would finally be accepted as part of the greatest flight team the world had ever known. If she didn’t, her lifelong dream might as well be over and done with, and she doubted she’d ever get another opportunity like this. This was a do or die situation, and Rainbow was determined to make her run count.
The first Pegasus took off from his position at the far end of the line-up, diving straight into the complex routine that he had developed, and drawing gasps of admiration from the crowd. Rainbow watched him with a soft, cocky smile, taking in his routine and telling herself over and over that she could top that. It wasn’t even a lie, she had something that nopony else had, and that would secure her the place in the team.
Her smile was instantly wiped from her face as another pony galloped onto the field, a number nine covering her cutie marks, but Rainbow didn’t need to see the mark to know who the pony beside her was.
“Hey Dash, come up with any new tricks for this contest? Or are you just a one trick pony?” Lightning Dust snickered, preening her wings as if Dash was beneath her.
“Oh I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve Lightning, don’t worry,” Rainbow glared back. “What about you? Do you actually have some tricks to pull off, or are you just going to make a tornado and launch it at civilians? You’re good at that if I remember correctly.”
The pony currently on the field landed shakily, walking off the field as number six took off to continue the show. Lightning however was still glaring at Rainbow, not paying attention to her competition.
“Well maybe if you hadn’t been such a spineless doormat you would have been the leader and I would have been the wing-pony, but I guess not all of us are cut out to be leaders like me Rainbow,” she sneered, before putting her nose up at Rainbow.
“Would that be the same way you got demoted by Spitfire and put on latrine duty for the rest of the time at the academy? Rainbow shot back. “I always remembered you hating curry night so much Lightning.”
“That was unfair and you know it,” Lightning gnashed her teeth. “Just because I was a better flier than you, you thought it was a good idea to run to Spitfire and get me on punishment detail.”
“Or maybe it’s because you were reckless, stupid and a danger to yourself and others,” Rainbow shot back. “Being a good or bad flier had nothing to do with it.”
“Sure it didn’t,” Lightning sneered, her voice dripping with venom as she turned to watch number seven take off. “He’s not bad Rainbow, I think he’s already better than you.”
“Yeah right,” Rainbow smirked, puffing her chest out. “Nopony’s better than me, and I’ve got something special planned for this time."
“Well, it had better be good, because I’ve been working on something that will blow your teeny-weeny little mind Dash,” Lightning Dust bragged, adopting a similar position to Rainbow, “Pretty soon, nopony’s going to think you're anything special after all, and I’ll be in the Wonderbolts. You know, that team that you’ve wanted to join for your whole life?”
“Of course you are,” Rainbow smirked. “So, what weather are you going to create and then lose control of today? A cyclone? A hurricane? Maybe even another tornado, you know what they say about and old dog and new tricks.”
“Sure, whatever Rainbow,” Lightning shrugged dismissively. “Just stay right there, just like that. It will make my victory even better when I wipe that cocky grin off your face.”
Rainbow let out a snort of annoyance, before watching number eight take off, paying careful attention to his routine. It was good, and even included a version of Rainbows own buccaneer blaze which invited a cheer from the crowd, and the stallion clearly had quite a bit of skill to his name, but overall the performance was average at best. Rainbow smiled to herself, knowing that she could top that. These weren’t tryouts for any old team, and ‘just average’ or ‘okay’ weren’t going to cut it.
The pony landed, softly cursing as he strode off the field, allowing the commentator to once again announce the lineup.
“Once again, that was Pinpoint fillies and Gentlecolts. Next up, we have one of the favorites to win the competition, please welcome, Ms. Lightning Dust!”
The crowd roared in appreciation as Lightning stepped forward, their hoof stamps turning into a thunderous roar as it seemed the entire ground was shaking beneath their hooves.
“You ready to fail Rainbow?” Lightning asked, looking back at Rainbow and grinning wickedly.
“Just get on with it,” Rainbow scowled, before being buffeted by a heavy gust of wind as Lightning took to the skies.
Lightning instantly launched into her routine, spinning, flipping, diving, and all together showing why she was indeed one of the favorites to win, but it was nothing to blow your mind and instantly secure victory. Rainbow grinned, knowing that no matter how good a routine was, you always needed some sort of wow-factor to make sure that the judges and the audience remembered you more than anypony else. Rainbow knew just the thing to catch pony’s eyes, and she was the only one to be able to do it.
Then, Lightning began to climb, beating her wings furiously as she rose higher and higher into the sky, before finally stopping and surveying the crowd beneath her. Rainbow could just make out her mouth moving at this distance, but she was far too far away to actually hear what Lightning said, before the turquoise pony began to dive.
She continued to accelerate, picking up speed until a Mach cone formed around her outstretched hooves, and Rainbows jaw dropped as she realised what Lightning was about to do. Seconds later a huge boom was heard throughout the Stadium, rattling the teeth in Rainbows head as Lightning sped past, trailing a single bolt of lightning behind her as she completed a lap of the stadium, coming to an abrupt halt in front of the judges.
For what felt like an eternity, nopony made a sound, not even to breath as they all watched in awe as lightning crackled around Lightning Dust after her display. Then, a single cheer was heard, followed by another, and another, until the entire stadium was screaming at the top of their lungs, stamping their hooves and roaring in amazement at the stunt.
Rainbow on the other hoof was still silent, staring at Lightning in disbelief as the cocky Pegasus turned towards her and sneered, before making her way towards the other ponies who had tried out, all of whom looked crestfallen as they realised that they had just be royally outshined.
To Rainbow though, it wasn’t even the fact that it would be a hard act to follow that had shocked her, it was the fact that somepony else could pull off the Sonic Rainboom, her trademark move. Nopony had been able to do it in generations until she had come along, the stunt being relegated to the status of myth, and yet here was Lightning, pulling the trick off first.
Slowly, the crowd’s roars began to die down, before the commentators voice once again echoed around the stadium.
“That was incredible! Fillies and Gentlecolts I don’t know about you but I am shocked. Rainbow Dash has got her work cut out for her matching the pony who stole her signature move, but let’s not wait any longer to find out what she has planned. Introducing number ten, the Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash!”
Rainbow gulped, before taking off and launching into the preliminary parts of her routine, weaving in and out of the stadiums towers as she pulled off every trick she could, from the Buccaneer Blaze to the Super-Speed Strut, and even Fantastic Filly Flash, but nothing she did could get the same amount of attention as Lightning had got. Taking a deep breath, Rainbow forced herself to go higher, preparing for her final trick. It would all come down to this one last stunt, the Double Rainboom.
Just as Lightning had done moments before, Rainbow began her dive, the explosion of colours heralding her Sonic Rainboom as she whizzed around the stadium. However, unlike Lightning, this wasn’t the end of her trick, and she quickly made a sharp ninety degree turn, speeding upwards, before flipping over and heading back towards the ground.
Rainbow began to move faster than she had ever gone before, her frantically beating wings combined with the effects of gravity and the speed boost from the first Rainboom propelling her through the air. Once again, a Mach cone began to form ahead of her, and she could feel an odd tingling sensation working its ways up her body, starting at her rear hooves, but slowly spreading out until only her head was free of the feeling.
Letting out a roar, Rainbow pushed herself harder, the tingling covering her face and momentarily blinding her in a spectrum of colourful light, before she heard an almighty boom echoing all around her.
To Rainbow, it was impressive, but to the crowd, it was something else entirely. A huge explosion of colours washed out over the stadium, billowing up into the air as they spread around the globe, parting clouds as it pushed past them. Even the Griffon Kingdoms were affected, as the light washed over their skyline, before fading away, leaving a bright blue sky behind. A split second later, the sound wave hit the world, louder than any stunt had the right to be.
Slowly, the lights and sounds faded as the crowd erupted into cheers once more, stomping their hooves as they scanned the skies for Rainbow Dash, but finding no sign of her. It was not difficult to work out where she was supposed to be, the rainbow trail she had left was still shining brightly, before abruptly ending at the point where Rainbow had completed the double Rainboom.
There was nothing, no clues as to where she had gone, no trail to follow, and the unicorns who had been closely monitoring the competition for signs of cheating could find no trace of her in the arcane Ley-lines of the planet.
Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty and the first pony in history to pull off a Double Rainboom, had vanished.
***
Two Years.
***
The mood in the Wonderbolts stadium was as dark as the weather, the black clouds mimicking the feelings of that day. Today was the second anniversary of that fateful day where Rainbow Dash had attempted the impossible and pulled it off. The disappearance of Loyalty was a hard felt blow around the world, even reaching the hearts of Griffons and Minotaur’s who had known her.
But for five ponies, the loss was especially great, one that had left a gaping hole in their heart that nothing except for their lost friend could ever hope to fill properly. They were all sitting in one of the central boxes at the stadium, the best seats in the house to watch the second memorial service. Last years had been impressive, but after the search had ended, they had barely had time to plan something on the scale that Rainbow deserved. This year however, things were different, and the Wonderbolts had been training hard for just this moment.
With a silent signal, the Wonderbolts began their show, each of their kits bearing a single multi-coloured stripe down the middle to mark the occasion. The show was predictably amazing, but it was the finale sequence that was the real memorial.
Lining up, the team shot downwards, their Mach cones forming in perfect unison, before each one erupted into a Rainboom, trailing lightning, smoke and fire behind the ponies who caused them as they split off from their line, beginning to paint a picture in the sky.
The forming picture was not the only thing of note however, as a bright blue light suddenly burst into life on the field, causing some of the ponies in the audience to cover their eyes as they looked away from it. Then, as abruptly as it had appeared, the light vanished, leaving a lone figure in its place.
The pony, a mare by her build, was garbed in some sort of full body armour, covering her from head to hoof, the armour looking far advanced and sleeker than anything the royal guard used. Just as the Wonderbolts completed their picture, the Pegasus reached up to the helmet she wore on her head, ripping it off and dropping it to the floor to reveal a Cyan coat, a pair of beautiful Magenta eyes, a short Rainbow coloured mane, and the biggest smile anypony had ever seen.
As the Wonderbolts split off to form Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark in the air, Rainbow Dash herself stared into the sky, tears filling her eyes as she laughed, before she fell to the ground and lay still.
Rainbow slowly regained consciousness, and was immediately aware of somepony talking in the same room to a group of other ponies; she didn’t open her eyes just yet, as experience had taught her not to jump into any situation before assessing it thoroughly. While this particular time probably wouldn’t result in any pain on her part, some lessons were in ground to deeply to forget.
“We have done all we can to stabilise her, but we can’t do anything due to the strange clothing she’s wearing. We tried teleporting her out of it, but it seems resistant to our magic, and is also very resistant to any methods of cutting we tried to get it off. All we can say at this point is she is stable, and it is definitely Rainbow Dash under there.” A voice said, apparently a doctor of sorts.
“Please, let us know when she wakes. Myself and the 5 girls will be waiting outside.” Spoke another voice, this one however Dash recognised as Princess Celestia.
Figuring that she was indeed perfectly safe, and nothing was going to happen, Rainbow slowly opened her eyes. What she saw instantly brought tears to her eyes. Standing around the foot of her bed was a doctor, the two Princess’s, and her five best friends in the whole world, scratch that, the universe, she had seen enough of it to know that. No-pony noticed her open her eyes initially, but slowly a straight haired Pinkie Pie looked over and noticed Dash’s eyes were open. In under a second her hair poofed back out to its usual messy disposition, and a smile to rival Rainbow's when she returned broke onto her face.
“DASHIE!!!” Screamed the pink mare, in a voice that would put Luna’s royal Canterlot voice to shame.
Pinkie jump up and ran towards the bed, as the other seven ponies looked around in shock.
“Darling” Rarity screamed, in an unusual display of ‘uncouthness’
“Sugercube” AJ exclaimed, also leaping towards rainbow.
“Rainbow” Twilight called, also making a move towards the bed
Fluttershy didn’t say anything; instead, a pink and yellow blur rushed over to Rainbows bed and engulfed her in a hug, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Hey guys, long time no see huh” Rainbow laughed, “if you guys could just move quickly I could get up and return your hugs properly”
“Oh no, you are not getting out of that bed, we don’t know what’s wrong with you, but you pas…” the doctor started, but was cut off by Rainbow.
“Relax doc” Dash reassured “I know what caused it, it’s called being tired."
With that, Rainbow pushed the covers away from herself and got out of the hospital bed. As soon as she had done so, the six friends all dived at each other, culminating in a group hug, with tears filling eyes around the room.
“I thought I, I lost you” Stammered Fluttershy through her tears
“Yeah, I’m sorry about leaving, although I didn’t really want to per say” Rainbow said apologetically.
After what felts like hours the six mares broke apart, and stood back from Rainbow Dash, and got their first proper look at her. Rainbows mane was cut much shorter than it used to be, but was still as vibrant as ever, her face on the other hand was covered in scars, ranging from small barely noticeable ones to a large one that went from above her right eye to the middle of her muzzle.
The rest of Rainbows body, including her wings, was clad in a form fitting suit of armour, that while much slimmer and softer looking than the angular and bulky armour the royal guard wore, looked much sturdier, backed up by the multitude of scratches and small dents all over it. What drew most of the ponies eyes however, was the big ruby type stone set into the middle of the chest piece.
“So Rainbow, what happened?” asked Twilight, “everypony thought you were dead after your stunt at the Wonderbolts show and what is the, thing, you're wearing?”
“Yes,” Rarity piped up, “I must say even in its current state, it is a work of art, beautiful, but ominous at the same time, and that crystal” Rarity started staring at the crystal longingly.
“I’ll get to that, but first, can I get something to eat? I haven’t eaten anything since, ummm, well two weeks ago, unless you class what my armour makes as food, and FYI guys, you shouldn’t”
“Huuuuuh” Pinkie gasped “No cake for weeks, quickly, there’s no time to lose” and with that Pinkie ran over to the wardrobe, flung it open and dived inside.
“Um, guys,” Rainbow asked slowly, “Did pinkie just jump into a...”
“I found it” Shouted Pinkie happily, emerging from the wardrobe with the biggest cake any of the assembled ponies had seen, and considering Celestia was there, that was saying something.
Before anypony could react, Rainbow had literally dived into the cake, and began to eat it like a pony possessed while the others stared on in awe.
*** 2 minutes later ***
Rainbow sat in a pile of cake, smiling happily before burping loudly and standing up.
“That was, interesting dear” Rarity remarked, slightly shocked at the speed at which Rainbow had eaten the cake.
“You’re darn right thar Rarity” AJ agreed.
“Now you have eaten, my dear subject,” Celestia spoke, “I believe you were about to tell us what happened after you performed your sonic Rainboom”
“DOUBLE Rainboom, your highness” Rainbow corrected, “well, after my double Rainboom, I landed in a jungle, well crash landed anyway, from what I saw the place stretched on for miles in all directions.”
“How did you survive” Luna asked
“With a lot of help”
“From who?” Twilight asked.
“An Exodite, or more specifically an Eldar named Elarique”
“What’s an El-Dar?” Fluttershy piped up
“Well, for that I guess I should start at the beginning” Rainbow smiled.
***
Elarique quickly rode through the forest, the invasion was not going well, and he had to secure the World Spirit. As he neared the sight of the node he was tasked with protecting, a flash of light and a boom was heard over the forest and a rainbow coloured streak of light plummeted to the ground.
Elarique heard the crash and began to move faster until he reached a clearing with a monolithic rock in the middle. Lying next to the rock in a small crater was a mass of Light blue fur, with a Hormagaunt standing over it.
Rainbow sat up in the small crater she had formed when she crash landed and tentatively stretched her wings. Her left one moved fine, but when she tried to move her right one a wave of pain spread out across her back, causing her to fall back down in pain. After gritting her teeth and getting to her feet, Rainbow looked around. The first thing that went through her head was she was defiantly not in the Wonderbolts stadium anymore.
The second thought she had was something along the lines of; ohmygoshI’mnotintheWonderboltsstadiumIhopeIdidn’tfailthetest. She paniced quickly before she managed to calm herself down slightly, and have another look around. The surrounding landscape didn’t look like anything she had seen in Equestria before, in fact, the only time she had heard about somewhere like this was in her Daring Do books.
Rainbow looked around for a bit longer before deciding that she should probably get up and look around her surroundings. It was then she saw something moving inbetween some of the trees. As she got closer, she could see it was a strange creature, about the size of Big Mac, with two claws instead of front legs. It had a shell of pure black, and the only way Rainbow had managed to see it was by its piercing yellow eyes. Slowly, the creature came towards Rainbow, and, instinctively, she backed away from it. As the creature emerged into the light Rainbow got a better look at it. It had a small tail, not unlike that of a dragon, but what really frightened Rainbow was its head. Its two piercing yellow eyes stared at her, while a gaping maw filled with jagged teeth stretched wide. The whole thing reminded Rainbow a bit too much of the Changelings that had attacked Canterlot a few years ago.
Rainbow began to back away faster, but lost her footing as she stepped back into the crater she had made when she had crashed. She tumbled to the bottom and landed in a heap, causing her right wing to erupt into pain once again. The creature roared, and jumped into the air, bringing its claws down, Rainbow screamed and closed her eyes, waiting for the end.
It never came. What did come however was a warm rush of liquid and a heavy weight on her body. As she opened her eyes she saw the creature lying on her chest with a hole in the side of its head. She also saw blood. Lots of blood. Rainbow was about to scream again, but before she could a wingless dragon appeared in her view. What was stranger however was the odd Biped riding the dragon. From what she could see from under the creature’s body, it had a very strange, angular face with no fur on it, although it did have a large top knot and pony tail on the top of its head.
The thing looked down at Rainbow, and jumped off the Dragon and advanced towards her. She gave a loud Fluttershy-esk “EEP” and promptly fainted.
***
Elarique looked down at the small creature in the crated that had just fainted. He had never seen anything quite like it, although it did remind him of pictures of the ancient Eldar Horse’s he had seen. But they had all been much larger than this, and had certainly never had such a bright coat. Elarique decided to pay the creature no heed, and headed over to the Rock in the middle of the clearing. Elarique carefully removed his pressurised glove from his right hand, and laid it upon the World Spirit. Opening his mind, he felt his way through the infinity circuit and ascertained that no damage had been done to it so far.
A sudden roar brought Elarique out of his trance, and he looked round to see a trio of warriors beasts enter the clearing. Knowing he wouldn’t survive long against them, Elarique rushed back to his mount, suddenly though, he turned and looked back at the ball of fur in the crater. It looked so innocent, and so different. Quickly Elarique made the decision to take the creature with him. Scooping the unconscious form of Rainbow Dash up from the crater he dived onto his mount and sped away from the encroaching beasts, and hurried to get back to his village.
***
Rainbow awoke with a start, quickly looking around again, she saw she was no longer outside, but rather in a building of sorts. She did not have long to look around however, as a strange Cat like thing walked into the room, followed closely by the strange Biped she had seen earlier. The cat hissed at Rainbow, who noticed how large it was, and looked as if it was getting ready to pounce.
“Peace Hrythar” the biped spoke, in a soft yet commanding voice.
The cat seemed to understand the biped, and quickly stopped its hissing.
“What are you little creature” the biped mused, saying it not as a question, but more a statement to himself, Rainbow assumed it was a boy from its build and voice, as if he didn’t expect Rainbow to speak.
“I’m a pony, well, a Pegausus” Rainbow piped up hesitantly.
“You talk?” The creature asked, visibly taking a step backwards in shock.
“Well duh.” Rainbow said, looking at the creature strangely, “Everypony in the..world..can…talk.” Rainbow trailed off as the realisation of what this meant hit her like one of AJ’s bucks.
“I was not expecting this when I went out to the world spirit” the biped mused quietly, “my name is Elarique, do you have a name pony?”
“I’m Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in all of Equestria” Rainbow stated, jumping on top of the covers and puffing her chest out.
“Where” asked Elarique, looking confused. “Equestria? As in the Mon-keigh word for horse?”
“Equestria, although I the actual planet is called Equis” Rainbow stated
“Equis” Elarique muttered to himself, “who named this place? A female human?”
“Well if we’re not on Equis where are we?” Rainbow asked, tentatively.
“We are on Hannibal, an Eldar Exodite world under the protection of Saim-Hann craftworld” Elarique stated, as if this should mean something to Rainbow.
“A what world?” Rainbow asked
“An Eldar planet, do you even know what an Eldar is?” Elarique asked tentatively.
“Nope, although you do seem similar to those Hu-mans Lyra is always going on about, but their just a silly fillies story” Rainbow said.
“WE ARE NOT HUMANS” Elarique roared suddenly, surprising Rainbow and causing the cat to hiss again.
“Sorry, I was just saying that the closest I’ve ever come to seeing a human, or any biped, except Spike.” Rainbow said apologetically.
“I am sorry, you did not know” Elarique said, going back to the smooth voice he had held before. “Ask the questions on your mind, and I will do my best to answer them”
“Well OK.” Rainbow said.
Twilight would love this, Rainbow thought, at the thought of her friends a tear crept to her eyes and she fought to keep it from falling, but failed. A fact noticed by Elarique.
“Have I offended you?” The Eldar asked
“No, I was just thinking about my friends, I’m probably never going to see them again, am I?” Rainbow asked Elarique.
“Tomorrow we will discuss such things, but now I will answer one question.” Elarique stated simply.
“Ok then, what exactly is an Eldar?” Rainbow asked inquisitively.
“The Eldar”, Elarique began in a slow almost trance like voice, “are the epitome of life in this universe, once rulers of the stars and everything under them. Soon, we will rise again, and destroy the upstart Mon-Keigh that believe themselves our superior, the universe once belonged to the Eldar, and it will do so again.”
Elarique stood in the middle of the room, with his chest puffed out as he spoke, making it clear to Dash that this was a definite source of pride for the Eldar.
“What do you mean ‘Once rulers of the stars’?” Dash asked suddenly, breaking Elarique out of his trance.
“To know that, you must first know one thing,” Elarique began, with what Dash assumed was a slightly mournful tone, “We Eldar once ruled the stars as I said, we wielded so much power that the very worlds we stood on could be transformed to our liking, no power in the universe could challenge us, and we became decadent because of it”
“Deca-what?” Rainbow asked with a slight smile, “Twilight's the egghead, if you want to use big words just talk to…her” Rainbow faded, once again remembering once again where she was, and how far away her friends would be by now.
“Decadent, it means corrupt, we stood as the undisputed masters of the universe, and assumed all its secrets belonged to us. Eventually, we got to the point of no return, Brother fought Brother, and Eldar stalked the streets of our once beautiful cities, killing in the name of sport and hedonistic pleasure. Few of us saw what was truly happening to our race, and what would become of us if we didn’t stop, but it was already too late.” Elarique spoke, in a soft whisper, as if afraid someone would overhear them.
“Why would you do that?” Rainbow asked, appalled that an entire race of creatures could turn on themselves, “What about the Magic of friendship?”
At these last 3 words, Elarique did something that Rainbow had not expected, he burst out laughing, as he stared at Dash, trying to gauge if she was being serious or not.
“The, the Magic of Friendship?” Elarique managed to stammer out between his fits of giggles. “What, if I may pry would that be, my Equine friend?”
“Well duh,” Rainbow said “it’s the most powerful source of Magic in our world, it’s about having friends so stand beside you and not letting others feel sad and things.”
“And how does this Magic manifest itself?” Elarique sniggered “Don’t tell me, the casters all get round in a big circle and sing songs to your enemies?”
“No, only me and my friends can actively wield it with the Elements of Harmony” Dash stated matter of factly
“I return to my original point, the what?” Elarique asked still giggling slightly.
“Do I have to explain everything to you?” Rainbow asked exasperatedly “The Elements of Harmony represent the six best qualities to have in a friend, Honesty, Generosity, Laughter, Kindness, Magic and, yours truly, the Element of Loyalty.” Rainbow jumped off the bed, attempting to strike a pose in mid-air. Unfortunately, her wing was still causing her pain, and with a yelp she fell to the floor, landing in a mangled heap at Elarique feet.
Elarique bent down to Rainbow and scooped her up in his arms with ease.
“What did you expect would happen if you jumped off the bed?” Elarique asked, slightly amused at Rainbows’ confused face.
“I was trying to hover, I guess whatever hurt my wing wasn’t a short term sort of injury” Rainbow sighed.
“Wait, you can fly?” Elarique asked, looking surprised.
“Well of course I can fly, what did you think these wings on my back were for, decoration?”
“But they are much too small to small to be able to produce uplift, at least without anti-gravity packs aiding you.” Elarique pointed out.
“Oh yeah, well I’ll have you know that I’m the fastest and most awesomest flyer in all of Equestria” Rainbow said, as she puffed out her chest, “I was the first pony in centuries to pull off the Sonic Rainboom” she said, slightly dejectedly, thinking back to Lightning Dust.
"Well, that is something I would very much like to see, you must show me when you wing is healed, it should only take a few more days.” Elarique said
The two sat in silence for a few moments, each considering the situation they were currently in, Elarique was busy holding an intellectual conversation with a blue pony, while Rainbow had apparently met an advanced alien civilisation, one that luckily spoke fluent Equish.
After a few moments Rainbow spoke softly,
“So what happened to your people, did you stop fighting?”
“Were it so.” Elarique said, “Eventually our perverse pleasures gave birth to something far more hideous than anything we could have ever imagined. Our acts caused a fourth God of Chaos to be born into our universe. In less than a day thousands of planets had been flooded with daemons, while trillions of Eldar across the Galaxy died as their souls were consumed by she who thirsts.”
At this, Rainbow turned pale, such death, in such a short period of time, it was unthinkable,
***
Twilight and Celestia looked at each other, Twilight turning almost pure white to match her mentor, while the other six ponies in the room stared disbelief.
“Did you say Trillions?” Celestia gasped, unable to process death on such scale
“Yes, Trillions of Eldar died in less than a second all across the Galaxy.”
The ponies looked at each other in utter shock, as Fluttershy let out a single ‘Eep’ and fell to the floor, quivering.
***
“How did you survive, if your whole species died?” rainbow spluttered, still looking pale.
“I wasn’t there, this was ten thousand years ago, I may be old, but I'm not that old” Elarique stated with a slight smile “Some of my people did have enough foresight to see what was happening to us, and fled on the Craftworlds, planet sized space ships, others, my ancestors included were far enough away from the heart of our empire to avoid most of the damage, and we became known as the Exodites. Even so, there are less than half a billion Eldar left, with even the greatest minds in the Galaxy at our behest, the Eldar are dying.” Elarique finished, finally letting his emotions show, and looking crest fallen as he contemplated the Eldar and their fate.
“An entire people dying? Why don’t the other species do anything?” Dash asked incredulously.
“They do, especially the humans,” Elarique replied with a slight chuckle “they kill us on sight in an attempt to kill us off quicker”
“What?!” Rainbow shouted “Why would they do something like that?”
“They wish to own the Galaxy and we stand in their way” Elarique stated simply.
Rainbow looked stunned that an entire species could try to kill off an entire species just to get their way, things like that just didn’t happen. Even the Griffons hadn’t wanted to kill everypony when they had declared war on Equestria.
“I would like to ask you a question Ms Rainbow” Elarique said suddenly, breaking Rainbow out of her inner Monologue.
“Sure, you answered mine” Rainbow replied
“How did you get here? I’ve never seen a talking pony anywhere on this planet, and you don’t know anything about us, or space travel for that matter, so how did you manage to get from one planet to another?” Elarique asked
Rainbows ears fell as she thought about home once again, “I don’t know. All I remember was doing a double sonic Rainboom for the Wonderbolts, then I ended up here.” Rainbow said glumly.
“The Wonderbolts?” Elarique asked, raising an eyebrow.
“The most awesome flying group ever, they’re so awesome” Rainbow said, while putting her hooves onto her cheeks and making a face that even Elarique had to admit was adorable.
“I swear, everything in your world sounds as if it should be in an old vid show” Elarique sighed exasperatedly. “OK, get some rest now, tomorrow I’ll introduce you to the rest of the village.
With that Elarique turned and let, the cat like creature Hrythar following closely. Rainbow walked back to the bed slowly, contemplating all she had learned that day. She jumped up onto the bed and lay down, staring at the ceiling her thoughts drifted to her friends. Tears sprang to her eyes as she thought of what her five best friends would be doing now. They were probably frantically searching the whole of Equis for her now, knowing them they would search for weeks before accepting that she wasn’t their anymore.
Slowly, Dash drifted off into a fitful sleep.
***
“And that was my first day with the Eldar, some of them are even more arrogant than Blueblood, but most of them are OK once you get to know them” Dash said
The others were silent for a moment, taking in all that Dash had said in the last hour, most of them were still pale from hearing about the fate of the Eldar. The first one to recover and speak was Luna.
“We are glad thou art back Rainbow, but I must excuse myself, as it is time for the moon to rise.”
With that Luna left, while Celestia also spoke up,
“I too must go Dash, I suggest you get some sleep, we will continue this in the morning in Canterlot Castle. Welcome home, my faithful subject” Celestia smiled, as she to left the room, leaving Rainbow and the other five girls alone in the room.
“It’s so good to be back guys” Rainbow smiled, “you have no idea what it was like without you guys.”
“We’re here for you Dashie” Pinkie said, in a surprisingly normal and non-bouncy voice.
The six mares exchanged another hug, this one not breaking off quickly, as once again Rainbow broke down into tears, swiftly followed by Fluttershy and Rarity. Before long all six of the ponies were crying into each other’s fur, though these were not tears of regret, those had long since been used up after excessive overuse, but rather, these were tears of joy, the tears only six true friends could truly could share with each other.
Rainbow sighed, and thought back over the last two years. She shuddered at some of the memories, and hoped that when she revealed some of them, her friends wouldn’t hate her for it.
Rainbow awoke from one of the most blissful night’s sleep she had experienced in the last two years, the Eldar may have been an advanced race of interstellar aliens, but they could not for the life of them make a bed that was comfortable for pony physiology. Rainbow slowly stretched her wings and shuddered slightly as she remembered how close she had come to losing them forever on multiple occasions. Slowly she got out of bed and went over to where she had laid her armour the night before, and carefully looked over its worn surfaces. It was hard to imagine how much the armour had been through due to its state, but it still had some damage. Colours that were once as vibrant as her mane had dulled down, until the whole armour had a washed out colour that seemed to reflect how Rainbow had felt while wearing it for the first time. She had never imagined herself needing the armour, and had almost refused it, but now, even when she didn’t need it anymore, she couldn't imagine a life without it.
Beginning the ritual, piece by piece Rainbow donned her armour, until only her head remained unarmoured. She looked at the helmet and sighed. Sadly it had not come through the ordeal as well as the rest of the armour, with dents and scratches that didn’t seem to want to come out, no matter how had the Eldar had tried.
Rainbow left the helmet on her bedside table and headed down to the dining hall to get breakfast. When she entered she saw it was empty, apart from Twilight at the far end, poring over a book. Silently Rainbow moved over to Twilight and sat down next to her.
“Rainbow?” Twilight asked in surprise, “You’re up early for you, it's only just gone seven.”
“Force of habit” Rainbow said plainly, pouring herself a bowl of cereal, “Do something for a couple of years and you’ll find it difficult to break out of the habit as well.”
“Tell me about it” groaned Twilight, “So you had to get up early for two years? How did you of all ponies manage” Twilight asked with a smirk.
“With a lot of shouting and a vengeful Warlock.” Rainbow replied calmly.
Twilight was about to ask what a Warlock was, but thought better of it, waanting to allow Rainbow to tell her in her own time.
"When do you think the princess's will be here?" Rainbow asked
“Please, don’t let us keep you from your story Rainbow Dash” Princess Celestia said as she walked into the dining hall, followed closely by Luna, and the rest of her friends. “My sister and I were having a much needed talk.”
“Ok then” Rainbow began. “Where was I?”
*** The 41st Millennium ***
“Rainbow. Get up. I have things I need to do and you being there makes it hard for me to do them.” Elarique said, walking into the morning.
“Uhhhh. What time is it?” Rainbow mumbled.
“6:30, meaning you need to get up. I won’t ask nicely again.” Elarique said.
“Uhhh.” Rainbow groaned, before rolling over and snoring loudly.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you then.” Elarique whispered as he left the room.
For a few blissful seconds Rainbow began to drift back to sleep. However, just as Rainbow was about to go to sleep, the entire bed was lifted off the floor, and she was flung across the room. Getting to her feet quickly she saw a lone figure in a black robe and a helmet with a white face mask. Rainbow ran over to her, giving her wings a few experimental flaps. She managed to get slightly off the floor, and rose until she was level with the new comer.
“Hey buddy, what’s the big idea?!” She shouted at the figure, who didn’t react in the slightest. Rainbow turned around and got ready to buck the new comer in the chest when Elarique appeared behind the other figure.
“Ah. I see you are up. My thanks Talvan, as always your ‘unique’ touch in dealing with problems is much appreciated.” Elarique smirked, “as you are up now Ms Dash would you kindly accompany myself and Talvan outside. I have some friends outside who are very eager to meet the newest species to grace our small planet.” With that Talvan and Elarique turned in unison and left the room, followed closely by a disgruntled Rainbow Dash. When they finally exited the building, Rainbow got her first real view of what the planet was truly like. All around the village were massive trees and vines that made the Tower in the Crystal Empire look small by comparison. All the buildings in in the village were built out of the same strange white-ish material, and seemed as if they had been carved out of a single giant crystal rather than built. When Rainbow asked Elarique if this was actually how they were made, he let out the first true laugh not tinted by sorrow.
“Ha! No Rainbow, the buildings are not carved from crystals. They are made from a special psycho-reactive plastic substitute called Wraithbone that can be shaped by specialised psykers who can force the Wraithbone to take any shape they want, from buildings to ships to weapons.” Elarique explained nonchalantly. Before looking back at Rainbow, who currently looked as if she was trying to experiment with the limits of pony jaws.
“I’m sorry Elarique, you seem to have confused me with my friend Twilight,” Rainbow said with a slight sigh. “She’s the egg-head, all I got from that is the material isn’t crystal.”
“Don’t worry about it pony.” Talvan spat “I would not expect a creature such as yourself to self to understand Eldar technology.”
“Wow, what’s up with you grump pants?” Rainbow asked, in a slightly pained voice.
“My problem, is you thinking that you are on par with us as a species. As with the rest of the universe, you would do well to learn your place.” Talvan snapped, as she continued to walk, not even looking at Rainbow.
“That’s mean, what did I ever do to you?” Rainbow asked, getting very angry now.
“Don’t go there Rainbow” Elarique said, laying a hand on Rainbows back, softly yet forcefully pushing her down to the ground. “Most Eldar are like this when it comes to species other than our own. Until you prove yourself to her she will continue to treat you as such."
Rainbow was about to complain more, but saw how futile such an attempt would be, and instead consented to follow Elarique to where his friends were standing. Elarique strode up to the group and said loudly,
“Friends, I would like to introduce you to the newest member to our little planet, Ms Rainbow Dash”
Elarique stepped aside to reveal a, now blushing, Rainbow Dash, she nervously started to hover in the air, causing some of the group to gasp. Rainbow got a good look at the group. There were four of them in total, three boys and one girl by the looks of their faces and the strange clothing they wore. The clothes looked as if they were flexible, but also looked like they had plates of metal on parts of the fabric. All of the clothing, both the under skin and the plates were a dark red colour. The only exception to this colour scheme was the large crystal on their left side, which seemed to pulsate with a faint white light, kind of like the glow from a Unicorns horn, although it was not quite as bright. Looking over, she realised that Elarique was also wearing a set of the same clothing, although his had Black plates on his upper body, and the stone set in the plates was a bright blood red colour, as opposed to white.
“Allow me to introduce you to the rest of my squad Ms Dash, D…” Elarique began, but was cut off by Rainbow.
“Stop with the Ms Dash, you can just call me Dash if you want, or Rainbow, just not Ms Dash.” Rainbow said.
“Very well Rainbow, Allow me to introduce you to the rest of my squad. This is Dorgolmar,” Indicating one of the men, “the two brothers, Aranel and Elensar, and finally, the second female of our squad, Egarion.” Elarique said, indicating each member of the squad, “I believe you already know Talvan. And that makes up our squad, technically Talvan is in charge, but he respects my judgement.”
The Eldar looked at Dash in various states of interest, the two brothers Aranel and Elensar looked indecisive, on whether or not they should like Rainbow or not, Dorgolmar was acting similar to the way Talvan was currently acting. The only one taking a serious interest in her was the other female, Egarion. She seemed to be staring intently at Rainbow, or more specifically, the mark on her rear. She could have sworn she had seen a similar marking in one of the Mon-Keigh’s primitive tanks when they had tried to invade a few years ago, she decided that this could only be a coincidence, and dismissed the thought from her mind.
“I want to ask something,” Aranel asked suddenly. “What is that mark on your rear? It looks almost like a human tattoo, but looks a lot smoother, and not done by a machine.”
“Oh that,” Rainbow answered, relieved to be talking about a subject she knew a lot about, “That’s my cutie mark, it shows my special talent, which for me is speed, racing and winning.” Rainbow said with pride, taking to the air and puffing her chest out in pride.
“So, you get a tattoo when you discover what your special talent is? What happens if you get it wrong?” Elensar asked, apparently deciding that if his brother could speak to the new creature then he could as well.
“No,” rainbow said hesitantly, “What’s a tattoo? Cutie marks only appear when a pony discovers there super special talent, its magic.”
“Magic?” Talvan scoffed, “I assume you mean a psychic power. Only primitive human cultures believe that some among them can wield Magic.”
“Well Mrs know it all,” Rainbow replied, “I know for a fact that magic exists, as two of my best friends can wield it better than you could ever hope to, and our princess’s use Magic to raise the sun and moon each day, so don’t tell me Magic doesn’t exist.”
At this last comment Dorgolmar finally decided to speak, or in this case, laugh and then speak.
“Raise the sun? What are you on? And where can I get some? Maybe you’re not all that bad Rainbow, I mean I can deal with things that are insane as opposed to just ignorant”
Rainbow was about to reply to Dorgolmars’ comment, but Egarion leaned down to her and whispered in her ear.
“Don’t, please. Dorgolmar is slightly insane himself. He has split personality disorder, so don’t be surprised if he changes suddenly, just whenever he accepts a point, please just accept it, arguing with him is like trying to fight a Titan with a chainsabre.”
Rainbow looked at her, and was going to ask what a Titan or a chainsabre was, but thought of a better question instead.
“Fine, Dorgolmar, I’m insane,” Rainbow said, drawing sighs of relief from the five others, “Just one thing, what are those clothes you're wearing, they look radical” Rainbow said.
“This is our Guardian armour,” Elensar started, “It’s a weave of thousands of individual pieces of Wraithbone interwoven to produce a dense material resembling reptile scales, and when hit temporarily becomes solid and disperses the force over a wider area, reducing damage and effectively dispersing heat and energy.”
“Thanks egg-head” Aranel said, lightly punching his brother in the shoulder, as Rainbow looked at him expectantly, “Basically its armour that’s really flexible until its hit, when it becomes solid.” Aranel explained, causing Rainbow to roll her eyes.
“There’s always an egg-head who over explains everything." Rainbow chuckled
***
“I wish you would stop calling me an egg-head Rainbow” Twilight grumbled “I just like studying, that’s all.”
“Ok Twilight. I’ll stop calling you an egg-head. Geek.” Rainbow said, smiling as Twilight ground her teeth.
“So is this Guardian armour what you are wearing now?” Rarity asked, “I must say a material like that which is more flexible and solid would make fabulous dresses, perhaps I could get a look at it later?” Rarity asked.
“Sure you can, look that is. This isn’t Guardian armour, but I’ll get to that later."
***
“Don’t insult your betters” Talvan snarled, “you should be in awe, standing in the presence of the rightful rulers of the planet”
“Alright, that’s it.” Rainbow shouted, flying up to Talvan’s face, “all you’ve done since you met me is insult me and make me seem worthless when compared to you, what makes Eldar so bucking great that you think you can lord it over me, the fastest flyer in Equestria.”
The two began to argue, with the rest of the squad looking on in slight amusement, Rainbow had guts to argue with a Psyker. Meanwhile, a pair of yellow eyes watched from the cover of the forest.
Rainbow and Talvan continued to argue about everything from the ability of an Alicorn to raise a massive ball of combusting plasma, to how if the Eldar were better than the other races in the universe, how come they had not managed to reclaim it yet. The others finally decided that the argument was over when Talvan threw a psychic blast at Rainbow, propelling her across the street. Rainbow however was having none of it, and flew at Talvan at speeds that the other Eldar did not think possible. She flew directly at Talvan who cocked her head slightly just before Rainbow hit her as if amused by what was going to happen. What happened next caused the group to gasp in shock, Rainbow hit Talvan full force in the stomach, smashing her back into the building behind her, unlike Rainbow however, Talvan was not as used to crashes, and did not recover as quickly as Rainbow. This was when the rest of the Eldar decided to end it once and for all. With half of the squad restraining the now screaming Rainbow Dash, and the others helping Talvan up. The argument had been going on for so long by now, that Rainbow could only just make out the outline of Talvan in the darkness.
“You take that back about my friends!” Rainbow screamed at Talvan,
“Why? I do not see what I said that was wrong, if your friends truly were the intelligent ponies you claim they are they would have already abandoned you, ergo they are dumb brutes, much like the rest of your race.” Talvan snapped back.
Rainbow once again tried to fly at the Eldar, but was held back by the remainder of the squad. Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream echoed around the village.
“You two go that way” Elarique shouted, immediately taking charge of the situation, “Talvan, you take Dorgolmar and Egarion and check our perimeter, I want to know if anything is happening that I don’t know about yet. Rainbow, you're with me.”
The entire squad smoothly broke down into the groups assigned to them, forgetting completely about the argument between Rainbow and Talvan, Rainbow on the other hand was shocked by how quickly Elarique could formulate a plan of action, it took Twilight hours just to decide when to right her checklist for making a plan.
“Rainbow,” Elarique shouted as he ran off in the direction of the scream “with me I said”
With her mouth still agape Rainbow flew after Elarique, wincing slightly as she flapped her still damaged wing. The two of them ran through the village until they found the area the scream had come from, although Rainbow wished they hadn’t. Lying in an alley way off the main street was an Eldar corpse, mutilated to the point that it was hardly recognisable as an Eldar at all. Its entire chest had been split open down the middle, and guts were spilling out to join the growing pool of blood that was around the body.
Rainbow Dash looked at the corpse for a second, before vomiting, adding her bile to the blood on the floor.
“Wh…what could have do...done this?” Rainbow asked in a voice that even Fluttershy would have struggled to hear.
“Do you remember the day that I found you in the jungle?” Elarique asked, not taking his eyes off the corpse. “The creature that I killed was called a Tyranid, the creature that caused this was also a Tyranid, although I am not sure if it is simply a lone Lictor, or a precursor to an attack. Either way, we must find this creature and eliminate it”
“W…we?” Rainbow stammered, “You’re the solider, why do you need me to help?”
“Because even with training, a cornered Tyranid is more dangerous than most other creatures."
Another scream filled the air, and wordlessly Elarique sprinted off, putting his helmet on as he ran. As Rainbow flew after him, the rest of the squad joined them.
“No sightings of anymore Tyranid organisms attacking, I believe we are dealing with a lone creature” Talvan said as they ran.
“Good, at the very least we know what to expect now.” Elarique said.
“We found four more bodies in the west” Elensar reported “by the size of the wounds and the swiftness of the attacks I believe we are only facing a lone Lictor, not a Genestealer infestation."
“Good” Elensar muttered as they rounded the corner.
In front of them was another corpse, and Rainbow had to fight to keep the contents of her stomach from spilling onto the body again.
“There” Talvan suddenly shouted, “I saw something moving on the rooftop”
The squad rushed off in the direction Talvan had indicated, leaving Rainbow at the scene of the murder. She wanted to follow them, to stay in the relative safety a group would provide, but instead, she found herself rooted to the spot, paralysed with fear. Slowly Rainbow regained her senses, and began to back away from the corpse in the street. Slowly she turned around, and with a burst of speed flew from the dead body. Rainbow frantically flew through the town, looking for anyone that she could be with for reassurance, ideally she was looking for Elarique, but at this point in time, she would be willing to stay near Talvan for protection, no matter how much she dis-liked the pompous warlock.
As Rainbow flew, she started to see more and more blood on the floor, what was even scarier than the fact Eldar were being slaughtered quickly by unseen foes, was that the squad had said there was likely to be only one creature behind this, and that thought chilled Rainbow to her very core. In Equestria, very few creatures were able to cause this much damage, and none of those creatures were subtle, as they were usually large creatures such as Hydras or Ursa Majors. This creature however had killed more than a dozen Eldar, and still not been caught. Rainbow gulped, and silently thanked Celestia that the creature hadn’t found her.
She immediately wished she hadn’t, as thinking a thing like that was essentially asking the universe to come down, and buck you across the room.
Rainbow suddenly felt the breeze she had on her back for the past hour vanish, only to be replaced by a slow, rhythmic flow of hot, stinking air that was blown into her mane. She shakily turned around, and almost fainted at the sight before her.
The creature towered over Rainbow Dash, and although Dash could be sure, was easily twice as tall as both the princess’s, and was darker than Luna’s night, making the creature that now stood before her almost invisible. Dash may have missed it, if it wasn’t for the fact it was mere meters from her, and had the same piercing yellow eyes that the creature that attacked her on her first day on Hannibal. What struck Rainbow even more than the creature’s eyes however, was its lower face. Instead of a mouth the creature looked like it had worms dangling over its lower face, and each one seemed to writhe with a life of their own.
For the second time in her life, Rainbow forgot that she was the fearless element of loyalty, as her pupils reduced to a size that made pinpricks look like dinner plates, and let out another ‘Eep’ that put Fluttershy to shame, and bolted. The creature took off after her, relishing the opportunity for a hunt.
Rainbow flew back through the streets in a blind panic. She was no longer even searching for a place to hide, or even for another living creature to produce the feeling of safety, all she wanted to do was to put as much ground between her and the monster that was still following her. Rainbow looked back to see the thing gaining on her, even as her injured wing burned like someone had put a boiling kettle underneath her skin, the creature still gained. Rainbow blindly turned a corner and careened headlong into a wall, knocking her out of the sky. She silently cursed her own stupidity, if she had only looked where she was going she may have been able to dodge the creature for a while longer and escape, although she knew that was probably never going to happen. She looked up just in time to see one of the creature’s claws rending through the air towards her. If Rainbow had looked round a second later, she would have been killed. As it was, she managed to move to the side and into a corner at the last second. Even so, the creature’s claw still struck her face, leaving a trail of pain across her muzzle. To say it burnt was an understatement. Her wing now felt like a cool breeze compared to what her face was now feeling.
Backed up into a corner, with a creature that would have to go on a diet just to be called massive looming over her, Rainbow finally realised something. She was going to die. Surprisingly that thought didn’t bother her nearly as much as she thought it would. What did bother her however, was the fact that she would never see her friends again. The thought of that brought tears to Rainbows eyes as she stared up at the creature, and waited.
“RAINBOW!” Screamed a voice from the other side of the street.
Turning towards the voice, Dash saw Aranel running towards her. He had some sort of sleek object in one of his hands, and threw it towards her.
“POINT IT AT THE LICTORS HEAD AND PULL THE TRIGGER!” Aranel shouted, just as the Lictors’ tail sent him flying into a nearby building, breaking through a window in the process. However, in the creatures’ momentary lapse of concentration on her, Rainbow managed to catch the strange object in her hoof, and pulled the strange lever thing on its underside, while pointing it into the creatures gaping maw.
The result was a beam of pure white, followed by a wave of heat. What happened to the Lictor however, was much more impressive. Its entire head had been in the path of the beam, but now, there was nothing left. In front of her was a now a headless corpse, spraying small amounts of blood onto Rainbow. Slowly, the creature fell, pinning Dash to the floor, and covering her in blood and ichor. Rainbow didn’t even scream. Covered in blood, and sitting in a warm liquid that she could remember sitting in before, Rainbow mercilessly passed out.
***
“You…you killed it?” Asked Fluttershy
“Well yeah, it was either that or be eaten, I was lucky, all I got was this scar.” Rainbow replied calmly, gesturing to the ugly mark that stretched across her face.
“Well, it can’t make ya any uglier” Applejack said with a smirk
“Well I thought I’d give you a chance for a change.” Rainbow replied with a slight smile.
“If you two are quite finished flirting” Luna interupted with a slight smile
“We weren’t, I mean I wasn’t,” Applejack stammered. Rainbow for her part looked unphased by the comment.
“How in the hay are you so calm Rainbow, ever since you got back nothing seems to phase ya.” Applejack asked quizzically.
“Let’s just call it training for now.” Rainbow said, “Now where was I?”
“You just stopped that big meanie monster from attacking anypony, or is it anyeldar? Oh my gosh” Pinkie began to mumble away in the corner to herself, wondering if she would have to change the way she spoke to encompass a whole new species. The party possibilities were endless.
“OK,” Rainbow said, with a look of exasperation, “anyway…”
*** The 41st Millennium, five days after the Lictor Incident ***
Rainbow awoke with a start and open her eyes, immediately she realised she was back in Elariques’ house, lying in the same bed she had woken up in the last time she had been unconscious. Rainbow silently wondered how many more times she would wake up in this bed after almost dying before she got the message and stayed away from big scary monsters.
Rainbow sat up and got out of the bed, and began to explore the rest of the room, she had only seen a small part of it when she had first woken up there due to the fact she had been angry at Talvan the last time she left. The first thing she noticed was a large mirror in the corner of the room. Rainbow passed by the mirror without giving it much thought, she had never cared much for how she looked, that was more Raritys’ area of skills. However, as she walked past it, something caught her eye.
As Rainbow looked into the mirror, a strange cyan Pegasus stared back. Nowhere in sight was the long Rainbow coloured mane that the mare was known for, instead, all that adorned her head was a cropped version of her hair style, making Rainbow appear even less of a mare than she had seemed before. That was not the part that drew Rainbows attention the most however, that honour went to her face. Instead of the usual uninterrupted mass of blue fur that covered her face and muzzle, there were now two separate areas of the fur, separated by a large ugly red scar, which stretched from just above her right eye to the middle of her muzzle. The thing reminded Rainbow of the stomach of a dragon, not solid, but defiantly not as soft as fur was. Rainbow had never been too fussed about her appearance, and even enjoyed having a scar or two around her body from various flying accidents she had been in, each one reminded her that she needed to do better, get stronger and fly faster, but this, this was much worse than anything she had ever got in any crash.
“It’s never going to heal” came Elariques’ from the door way, prompting Rainbow to whirl around to stare at him.
“What?!” Rainbow demanded, getting slightly angry at this statement “You said the Eldar were an advanced species, but you can’t even heal a scar that I could get sorted out back home?”
“The claws of the Lictor, the creature that attacked you, were coated in a mildly corrosive acid,” Elarique explained, “it was only due to Eldar medical practices that you survived at all, five more minutes and the acid may have managed to get through your skull and attack your brain directly. If that had happened, we wouldn’t be having this conversation now.”
Rainbow stared at Elarique for what felt like an eternity, her jaw suitably open at this comment, had she really been that close to death, and if so, had the Eldar really saved her life? Even though not all of them had accepted her, and Talvan outright hated her?
Suddenly the realisation of what she had just done crashed down upon her. She had killed a creature, a living breathing creature. Sure it was trying to kill her, but she had killed it. She suddenly started shaking, something that did not go unnoticed by Elarique.
“Is something the matter Rainbow?” He asked, concern heavy in his voice.
“I-I killed that thing.” Rainbow said blankly.
“And if you hadn’t then you would be dead, Aranel would be dead, and in all likelihood a lot more Eldar. While killing is repulsive, sometimes we must, to protect those around us.” Elarique stated. “It is worse to not take the life of a killer and let it run free to kill again, than to kill it if it is within your power.”
Rainbow was still shaking, but she guessed Elarique had a point. As much as she hated to admit it, not killing the creature, the Lictor, would have made her the worse pony. She had been brought up to believe that killing was always wrong, but that was in Equestria. Here, she could now see, would be different in this regard, on a planet where killers ran loose, would it not be better to stop those she could?
While Rainbow was having her inner monologue, Elarique had walked over towards the door. “Rainbow? If you would please accompany me”
This broke Dash out of her thoughts and she dumbly followed him. Floating just off the ground.
As they walked out of his house, Rainbow was greeted by the other members of Elariques’ squad.
“Rainbow, on behalf of the village, the squad and myself, we would like to thank you for killing the Lictor five days ago, and in all likelihood saving Eldar lives.” Elarique stated.
The entire squad, including Talvan, although he did so reluctantly saluted Rainbow, before all walking over to her. Aranel was the first to speak.
“I’ve been wondering, the pistol I threw you is designed for fingers to pull the trigger back, but you did it with hooves, how did you accomplish this?” He asked, unable curiously.
“Oh, that’s easy.” Rainbow said, scratching the back of her neck nervously, “All ponies have an innate magical field that surrounds their forehooves. Basically it allows us to pick stuff up like a rudimentary dragon claw or an Eldar hand.”
“Really?” Dorgolmar asked excitedly, “So you can pick stuff up? That makes sense, I mean how can a species create a civilisation without opposable thumbs, or any fingers,” He began to ramble on, drawing groans from the rest of the squad.
“Great,” Talvan groaned, “well done Rainbow, you got him started talking, he never shuts up. And just to make things clear, this act of yours, it does not make us friends. I will tolerate you, but no more than that.”
“Really?” Elarique deadpanned. “She saves us and you still dis-like her over her species. If she was a human then I would understand, but she’s not.”
“She is not Eldar, therefore she is inferior to us.” Talvan said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Before Elarique or Rainbow could reply, an Exodite riding some sort of Dragon like creature sped into the village and ran towards Elarique.
“Commander,” The female Eldar spoke, "Tyranid forces are approaching the fourth defensive line, the other villages have been over-run.”
Quickly the squad donned their helmets and formed up infront of Elarique.
“You’ve got ten minutes to get your Megadons and weapons and meet back here with weapons. Prep for combat.” He said quickly but firmly to the rest of the squad, before turning to Rainbow. “I hate to ask this of you Rainbow, but we will most likely need your help here.” He said solemnly.
“W-WHAT?!” She shouted. “You want me to go and kill more creatures? What the buck are you guys for if I’m going to fight?”
“The Tyranid swarm that will be attacking will number in the millions. The Eldar defending this line will be lucky to number one thousand. We need every able bodied creature to help.” He said softly, “I regret having to ask you to do this Rainbow, but I have no other option.”
Rainbow stared at him for a moment. He was out of his mind. She couldn’t kill another creature, could she? What had he said earlier? Sitting by idly and letting others die when you could help was worse than killing. Was this any different? It would be like a pre-emptive attack, to protect others. Rainbow made up her mind. She was the Element of Loyalty, and while these Eldar may not be her friends, or even her species, she couldn’t leave them hanging.
“Alright” She whispered.
“Pardon Rainbow” Elarique said, leaning in closer.
“I said alright,” She shouted, “I-I’ll help you. Only to protect others, I’m not fighting because I want to or because I like it.” She finished weakly.
“Not many people fight because they like it,” Elarique said softly, “I know it’s not easy, but it is necessary. Follow me please. I may not be able to offer you much in the way of armour, but I can give you a weapon.”
Elarique turned and walked with a purpose back into his house, bidding Rainbow to follow him. They walked down past the room Rainbow had been staying into to a small room at the very back of the house. The door was locked, but Elarique simply put his hand on a scanner and let himself in. Inside was a Rack holding his weapon. A large rifle and a curved sword, as well as his lance. Taking down the rifle, he handed it to Rainbow.
“This is a Shuriken Catapult, one pull of the trigger for a second here” He pointed to the trigger “Will fire off fifty micro shrunkens. Hold it down for longer burst. When the ammunition supply is gone, this light here will glow red. Push it and insert another core.” he said, handing the weapon to a dumfounded Rainbow Dash, who gripped the rifle in her forehooves and began to hover.
“Now, amour” Elarique continued. “As I said, I don’t have anything that will fit you properly, but you can have these.” He picked up two shin guards and a helmet that looked different from what he was wearing, but similar at the same time. “This is the primitive armour of the 'humans'.” He spat the word, “I kept it as a memento of my first battle, but now, you can wear some of it.”
He began to fix the armour to Rainbow, attaching the two shin plates to her forelegs and strapping the helmet to her head. He finished off Rainbow's makeshift armour by attaching a bandolier to her, loaded with cores for the Shuriken Catapult.
“This is the best I can offer you Rainbow” He said solemnly “If there was anything else I would give it to you.” He walked over and took the sword off the rack and placed it in its sheathe. He turned and walked towards the door. Rainbow silently followed him back to the front of the house. The rest of the squad was back, holding weapons of their own, and sitting on the back of the weird dragon things.
“The pony shows us who she truly is” Talvan spat, “Garbed in human armour”
“That’s enough Talvan” Elarique said threateningly before mounting his own Megadon. “Rainbow, you ride with me."
Rainbow slowly lowered herself down onto the back of the Megadon. Without another word, the squad rode out of the village. There they were met by more Eldar, similarly dressed and all riding their own mounts. When Elarique got to the front of the group he turned his Megadon around and looked at the assembled warhost. With a nod they set off to confront the Tyranids.
The ride took almost a full day, and allowed Rainbow some time to her own thoughts. Conversation had faded about half way through the day, with the overall mood of the group of Exodites being dour and, as Pinkie Pie would put it, making them all a big bunch of saddy waddy pants. When Rainbow had asked Elarique why everypony was acting like this she got two things. Firstly, she got a dirty look from Talvan for using the word anypony to describe the Eldar, and secondly she got a very blunt answer from Elarique.
“As I said, the swarm numbers in the millions. Including you we only have nine hundred and eighty six Eldar to confront the foe.”
He didn’t need to say anymore, the message was clear to Rainbow. They didn’t expect to survive this, and by extension, she wasn’t expected to survive. When this thought hit home, Rainbows stomach had nose-dived and she had begun to sweat.
She had come to terms with this now however, if she was to die, she would make sure that it was to protect others, and to make sure that at least some of the Tyranids wouldn’t be coming back to hurt anything else on the planet, or off the planet for that matter.
As they rode, Rainbows thoughts drifted back to Equestria, and more importantly, to her six best friends. She had been with the Eldar for over a week now, and her friends would probably still be looking for her, scouring the entire continent to try and find her. She sighed as she thought about how they would be handling it. AJ and Rarity would probably go back to their jobs and probably work themselves stupid trying to think about anything else. Twilight would probably become even more of a recluse in her library, searching for a way that she could find out where Rainbow had gotten to. Fluttershy would probably stay with her animal friends even more, but it was Pinkie that Rainbow worried about even more. The last time anypony had, at least in Pinkie’s mind, abandoned her, she had had a mental breakdown, making friends with inanimate objects, and acting even crazier than usual. Now though, she was likely to go even further off the deep end, especially as Dash had promised that they would meet up after she had finished the competition.
*** Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy all looked at each other nervously. The description Dash had given them about what their reactions would be was strikingly accurate, and they didn’t like to think about how much of a wreck they had been for the first year after Rainbow’s disappearance, especially Pinkie. ***
Rainbow felt like she had let her friends down, and for the first time since that night all those years ago, when she had discovered that she was the element of loyalty, she felt as if she was not being the best pony she could be, and was majorly leaving them hanging.
The day dragged on, and eventually turned into night before group of Eldar reached the line they had, as Elensar had put it, metaphorically drawn in the sand. The line consisted of a small encampment that had been set up by the Eldar who had rode on ahead, and an even smaller defensive line. As they neared it, Rainbow wondered how all the Eldar would fit in the defences, but held her tongue, waiting for Elarique or any other Eldar to say something. She didn’t have to wait long.
“Comrades,” Elariques’ voice rang out through his helmet speakers, “This is where we make our stand. I know Eldar do not enjoy fighting a battle on the enemies’ terms, and especially not like this,” he said, gesturing behind him to the trenches, “but today I am afraid we have little option. I will take my squad, as well as three hundred volunteers to man the defences on foot. The rest of you I leave to be my outriders. Stay on your mounts, and strike the enemy when the time is right.” Elarique finished his speech off and let Talvan take the center spotlight.
“Current scouting reports indicate that the main swarm will be here within the next 36 hours.” She stated briskly “Get some rest, eat, and pray to Asuryan that our Craftworld brethren will protect the rest of the planet when we are gone.”
The group of Eldar started to disperse, with almost exactly three hundred other Eldar staying still, and giving a perceptive nod to Elarique, signalling that they would fight and die by his side when the time came. With a nod back at them, Elarique dismounted, bidding the remaining Eldar to do the same. Talvan and the rest of the squad walk off to the middle of the defences, leaving Rainbow with the remaining Eldar. Expecting to face more prejudice from them like she had been getting from Talvan, she steeled her resolve and turned to face them. Instead of shouts though, there were only murmurs between some of the Eldar who were looking at her.
“You.” female Eldar walked forward, at least Rainbow assumed it was a female by the voice, “You are the one who killed the Lictor yes?” She asked briskly.
“I, well,” Rainbow stammered, she was still not use to the idea of people praising her for killing, “yeah. I did kill it. So what?”
“I just wanted to thank you,” the Eldar replied smartly, “and to let you know that the majority of the village, while they may not show it, are grateful to you.” With that she turned around and walked back to her squad. The remaining Eldar around her also went back to their conversations and preparations as well, leaving Rainbow alone and slightly stunned at how easily they had stopped hating her. In her still dazed state she slowly hovered over to the rest of Elariques’ squad.
“Talvan, you and Egarion will take the left side of our defence, while Dorgolmar, Aranel and Elensar will take the middle. Rainbow and I shall take the right most side, and pray that the squads next to us can hold out as long as we can” Elarique stated. “For now though, get some rest. You will need it."
With that the squad returned to their Megadons and began to unroll bedding and cook meals. Rainbow stayed with Elarique in the middle of the defences.
“You too Rainbow. You above all other need rest before the battle. Steel yourself against the violence, and do not lose yourself upon the path of the warrior.” Elarique warned. Rainbow didn’t know exactly what he meant by that, but took the words to heart, swearing to ask him more about them if they survived. Slowly Rainbow began to drift back towards the group of Eldar, and eventually fell asleep, her stomach churning at the thought of what tomorrow could bring.
*** Seven hours later ***
Rainbow was awakened by a loud blast on some sort of horn, and the sound of a primal roar some distance away. Instantly she was on her hooves, checking that the straps on her makeshift armour where still tight, and the rifle she had been given still showed green.
Looking up from her preparation, she saw the rest of the Eldar doing much the same thing, either checking their own gear, or helping other to check theirs. Tearing her eyes off the smooth movements some of the Eldar were doing, Rainbow searched for Elarique and the rest of the squad. She finally sighted them already in the trench, and flew over to them.
“Rainbow!” Shouted an excited Dorgolmar, “I was afraid you would sleep through this lovely weather we’re having. Remember, there’s a ninety percent chance of death and dismemberment in the air today, with just a small possibility of a slow agonising death. Oh wait, did I say small possibility? I meant a large one. Those things are some difficult to get right, don't you agree?”
As Dorgolmar rambled on about how getting the right size of something right in a sentence was harder than spaying a starved Megadon, which drew some really strange looks from everyone in the vicinity, Elarique and Talvan walked over to Rainbow.
“I am still not your friend Rainbow” Talvan stated curtly, “but I feel that in light of recent actions against the Lictor, and your willingness to help in a cause that is not your own, that I can at least give you a small chance to prove yourself.” With that, she turned and walked back to Egarion, who was watching the battlefield intently.
“You should be honoured.” Elarique said softly, so only Rainbow could hear, “It’s not every day that Talvan apologises for anything, and it is even rarer for her to accept another species as anything more than dirt.”
“Thank you.” Rainbow whispered, “I’ll make sure that her trust isn’t…” She started, but was cut off by one loud, animalistic scream from the other side of the battlefield.
As the Eldar prepared themselves, Rainbow finally got a view over the lip of the trench and onto the killing ground beyond. What she saw chilled her to the bone.
The field that had been empty and barren the night before, was now crawling and heaving like some sort of stormy sea. It wasn’t water though, and Rainbow’s heart seized as she realised that there were hundreds of thousands of creatures there, maybe even millions as the Eldar had predicted. The majority of the creatures looked like the creature that Rainbow had been attacked by on the first day, although some of them had what looked like a version of her rifle instead of claws. Some of the creatures however, towered above the rest of the swarm, huge claws and sword like appendages attached to the end of muscular legs and arms. Rainbow suddenly got the strangest feeling of déjà vu, and suddenly remembered what the creatures reminded her of. Changelings. Even with the lack of wings, these creatures bore a massive resemblance to the Changelings; even the hulking ones looked like the rare behemoths that had been sighted in Canterlot.
As Rainbow stared out across the battle field, she saw a large creature step from the swarm. As it walked forward, the rest of the swarm began to move with it, obeying the creatures will without a sound being uttered.
At Elariques’ command, rifles were readied at the oncoming swarm, and Rainbow had her first serious feelings of doubt about what she was doing. She crushed those thoughts underhoof quickly though, and got back to the task at hand. She was the Element of Loyalty, and she wouldn’t let fear stop her from helping her friends.
The swarm began to close the gap rapidly, the bigger creatures staying nearer the back, while the smaller swarms of creatures began to rush forward, breaking into a full blown gallop that put AJ to shame.
Slowly, as if in slow motion, Elarique shouted a single command. Even though she was right next to him, Rainbow couldn’t hear what he had said, her entire world turning silent. She got the idea though, and with the rest of the Eldar, pulled the trigger on her rifle.
In a second, the air infront of the trench line was filled with razor sharp disks, that cut through swaths of the Tyranids bearing down upon them. The creatures didn’t seem to even care that hundreds of their number were dying in their charge towards the gun line, and kept coming. Once again, Rainbow aimed down the top of the Shuriken Catapult like Elarique had shown her and pulled the trigger, causing another handful of creatures to fall to the ground, bleeding and dying as they were trampled under the weight of the swarm behind them. Rainbow continued to fire into the swarm, only stopping when she had to change the core of the rifle. She had quickly figured out an efficient way to do this, and was soon reloading at the speed of some of the lesser Eldar around her. She risked a glance to her side, and saw the rest of the squad plunging fire, literally in Dorgolmars’ case, into the ranks of Tyranid drawing ever closer. Even though they had probably lost over a thousand of their own, the swarm continued to advance, and soon, began to fire.
A scream came from Rainbow's right, and she turned to see an Eldar near her go down, something burrowing its way into his chest. This was the first casualty of the battle that Rainbow saw, it wouldn’t be the last. Tearing her eyes away from the macabre sight of the dying Eldar, Rainbow resumed firing, calmly taking the life of the Tyranids infront of her. She began to think that the Eldar had been over reacting to this threat. Most of the Eldar weren’t even here, and these creatures were losing hundreds for every one Eldar they killed in return. Things soon changed.
Forged by the blood of the lesser creatures of the swarm, the warrior beasts behind them now had a much shorter distance to face the guns than those that came before them, and with a savage roar, leaped over the dying bodies, and swarmed towards the trench line. Rainbow aimed and fired at one of the creatures, which took the impact of the shots to the chest. The shrunkens didn’t even seem to faze it, and it kept running forward, until it was put down by a prolonged burst from Rainbow. A strange feeling of satisfaction started to wash over Rainbow, but she quickly stopped it, reminding herslf she was here to protect, not to enjoy anything.
The creatures started to get uncomfortably close to the trench line, and although they were losing some of their number, were still vastly superior in number than the Eldar were.
All across the front line, Tyranid and Eldar clashed in a deadly confrontation. Claws ripped heads from shoulders, and point blank shot from Eldar pierced even the thick armour of the creatures now fighting to get into the trench system. Dorgolmar and Aranel fought back to back, the formers weapon, the fire-spitter as Rainbow called it, incinerated all it touched, much to the delight of the Eldar behind it, while Aranel had discarded his rifle in favour of a sword and a familiar pistol.
Rainbow ducked as a smaller creature jumped at her from one side of the trench, missing being decapitated by a hairs width, before spinning and unloading half a clip into the creatures back. She turned back around in time to see one of the larger creatures swing its claws at her. Rainbow dived back, holding her weapon out infront of her in an attempt to stop the claws from eviscerating her. She succeeded, but the gun was cut neatly in two, rendering it completely useless. The creature bore down to finish the job, but stopped as a sword erupted from it maw. Elariques quickly withdrew his sword and slashed at another creature, fatally wounding it, before going onto the next creature.
All around her, Rainbow saw the bodies of dead creatures, both Eldar and Tyranid. The Stench was almost unbearable, as the venom on the creatures claws caused bodies to rot almost instantly. Rainbow resisted the urge to vomit as she ran over to a dead Eldar. Picking up the sword and pistol of the dead Eldar, she threw herself back into the fray, helping another Eldar take down one of the warrior beasts. As Rainbow finished doing this, she heard a roar from behind her. She turned and saw not one, but three of the largest Tyranid creatures approaching the trench line, moving faster than anything that size should ever be able to move.
“CARNIFEX!” shouted an Eldar from somewhere on the battlefield.
Rainbow stared in horror as the creatures charged down into the trenches, crushing numerous Eldar in the process, and acting more like wrecking balls than actual warriors.
In an instant, Rainbow knew what she could do to help. Taking to the skies, she flew full pelt at the lead Carnifex, turning mid-flight and preparing to buck that thing into next week, while she wasn’t an AJ when it came to bucking, she had momentum on her side, and nothing could match up to that, even Big Mac. Her rear hooves firmly connected with the creatures head.
Rainbows rear hooves firmly connected with the creatures head, but instead of feeling even the slightest bit of give, she felt as if she had just bucked a brick wall. Crying out in pain she turned around to see the damage she had done to the creature. The Carnifex stared right back at her, a single drop of blood glistening on its forehead.
The Carnifex let out a mighty roar, and brought up one of its massive pincer like claws to swat Rainbow aside. Rainbow avoided being gutted for about the fourth time that day alone, but her luck had finally run out. Instead of the sharp side of the claw catching her in her underside, the large blunt side smacked into her instead, knocking the wind out of her and sending her crashing down into one of the defensive walls. Rainbow landed in a pile of Eldar guts, although the Eldar who they belonged to didn’t seem to be anywhere around, and judging by the amount of his guts that where here rather than in his body, Rainbow doubted that he was alive. Instead of dwelling on this thought however, she rolled over and stared up at the now advancing Carnifexs’. Small arms fire was bouncing off their armoured skin, and one of the beasts was returning fire with its own deadly cannon, doing much more damage than anything the Eldar could survive.
Rainbow Dash desperately tried to get away from the oncoming Tyranids, but was still dazed from the blow to her chest. She managed to get to her hooves, but almost instantly slipped over on the corpse of a dead Tyranid, falling back down, and splashing blood and ichor all over herself, adding to the grim she had already accumulated from the battle.
She slowly turned around again, intent on at least starring into the face of the creature as it killed her. The Carnifex advanced down the trench, scraping along the sides, killing anything that got within its reach. Rainbow starred up at it as it got closer, each foot fall feeling like an earthquake to her. Suddenly, a feeling of calm overtook Rainbow, and the sounds of fighting and death were drowned out by Elariques’ words.
“I regret having to ask you to do this Rainbow, but I have no other option.”
The voice rang in her head, and surprisingly, she felt herself smile. She had no regrets, and didn't even hate Elarique for getting her into this mess. She had saved lives, and given those who couldn’t defend themselves more time to get away, and that was all that mattered to her now. She opened her eyes, and got shakily to her hooves, facing down the oncoming Carnifex, her entire vision becoming focused on the charging beast, its great fanged maw open wide, and emitting a terrible bellow.
‘Down’ came a voice, but it was not spoken. Instead Rainbow heard it within her very mind. She didn’t know why, but without even thinking about it she dove back to the ground, just in time to avoid the massive spear that was flung over her head, impaling the Carnifex through its gaping mouth. The Carnifex roared in pain, the spear sticking out of its mouth, before a bolt of pure white light struck the spear, and the creature dropped to the floor, dead.
Rainbow looked round, and saw Talvan crouched down on one knee, one of her hands outstretched as she seemed to will the spear back to her.
“Rainbow.” She said, with a curt nod of her head. “I trust you can see yourself to a weapon?”
Rainbow reluctantly nodded, the feeling of calm fading away, and the sounds of dying meeting her ears, unfortunately, the sounds were was mostly coming from Eldar.
“We’re losing, aren’t we?” Rainbow grunted, picking up a pistol, and retrieving a sword which had been stuck in the body of a fallen Tyranid. The sword was just like the one she had dropped after she had been hit by the Carnifex, and she briefly remembered seeing the ease with which that sword had cut through armour, she prayed that this one had the same ability.
“Badly.” Talvan answered, her voice wavering for just a second. “The Megadon riders should have been here, we need the reinforcements.”
She stared at Rainbow, before turning to face the Tyranid swarm, which was now pouring into both ends of the Trench, cutting off any avenue of retreat. Rainbow stared at the number of creatures infront of her, and realised that they couldn’t have won, this was never a case of unlikely victory. This was a case of certain defeat. The Tyranids would always have over-run them, and the planet would fall. No matter what they did, and no matter how many of the bucking Tyranids they killed, they would never have won.
“Looks like this is it.” Rainbow whispered, not even trying to keep the fear from her voice. She raised the sword, before realising she had next to no experience with it. Not that she had much experience with any weapon though.
“True.” Talvan stated, backing up against Rainbow, anxiety thick in her voice, “I could think of worse ways to go, but not many.”
The two prepared to fight the swarm, standing back to back to each other, ready to take on the world, an island of defiance in a sea of Tyranids and death.
Eldar and pony, no longer adversaries bickering over everything, but rather comrades.
Sisters in arms.
Sisters till the end.
The oncoming swarm crashed with both sides at roughly the same time, charging straight at the two bold creatures. Rainbow ducked, allowing Talvan a clean strike at one creature, while she fired a hail of shots into another, wounding it, but not fatally wounding it. She corrected this with a weak slash, cutting one of its legs off, allowing it to be trampled as the other Tyranids fought to get to Talvan and her. Talvan was fighting like a being possessed, killing any creature that came near, lashing out with fists and psychic blasts, her spear embedded in the stomach of a creature, but even with all her skill in combat, Talvan was losing. She was bleeding from cuts all over her body, her armour looking like a ragged cloth rather than a form of protection. Rainbow wasn’t doing so well herself. She had already got cuts all over her body from being thrown to the floor, but the wounds she was getting now were something else. It was only because of her speed, and Talvans’ prowess that she was not dead, but even if she had been as skilled as Talvan, there was only one outcome. Continuing to lash out, Rainbow wounded another creature with a slash across its stomach, before firing the rest of the clip from her pistol into the mouth of another creature, blowing the back of its head out and making it collapse onto some of its own, pinning them beneath its mass.
A faint rumbling sound was suddenly heard across the battlefield, which was no longer filled with screams of the dying, although in this case this was probably a bad thing, as it meant the battlefield would now be full of the dead instead. The rumbling got louder and louder, until it drowned out most of the sounds of the battle. Rainbow listened to it for a spit second, trying to figure out what it was, and received a claw to the side as punishment for her distraction.
Ironically, this actually saved her life, as she fell to the ground as another claw passed through the air where her head had been only seconds before. She stared up, seeing Talvan finally falter under the assault. Rainbow cried out, desperately trying to come to her new found friends’ aid, but found herself unable to rise, the feet of the Tyranids crushing down upon her, blocking out her sight, burying her underneath a pile of living and dead flesh.
From underneath the pile of bodies, Rainbow heard a faint roar, not a sound like any Tyranid that she had heard, but familiar all the same. She also heard the distinctive sound of shuriken fire, and lots of it, before the sound of pounding feet starting up again, and fading away.
“Rainbow? Rainbow!” Talvans’ voice sounded out, she sounded like she was in pain. The sound of moving bodies assaulted Rainbows ears, as the armoured shells scraped against each other in a sound like running nails across a chalkboard. Rainbow finally managed to move one of the bodies away, and was greeted by light, and the bare face of Talvan, covered in cuts, and bleeding heavily.
“Rainbow,” she breathed heavily, helping her out of the mound of bodies, “we have to go.” She struggled, coughing up blood as she spoke, “Another swarm. Bio-Titans. Elarique ordered…a retreat.” She said weakly, before collapsing onto Rainbow.
“Talvan?!” She screeched, desperately trying to help her, “Stay with me, please!”
Talvan smiled up at her, coughing more blood onto Rainbows now mostly crimson coat. A group of three Megadon Riders sped past the Trench, but skidded to a halt when they saw the pair.
“Survivors!” shouted the lead one, jumping off his mount and rushing to Rainbow and Talvan. One of the other riders helped the first lift Talvan, while the third stayed on her mount, spraying fire from what looked like a larger version of Rainbows old rifle. Talvan was helped onto a Megadon, which sped off, while the other rider came back and lifted Rainbow onto his shoulder, carrying her out of the trench, and placing her on the back of his ride.
For the first time since the Carnifex had broken though the lines, Rainbow got a good look at the battlefield, and gasped. The area was littered with Eldar dead, as well as Tyranid dead. From the looks of things, the majority of the Eldar who had fought in the trenches had died there too, giving their lives for their comrades. She also saw the Megadon riders, some still fighting, some retreating, but most lying beside their mounts. Their charge had been foolish, and had ultimately cost most of them their lives. As she was carried away from the scene of death, she could still see some Eldar, fighting desperately to keep the swarm occupied while the rest slipped away, surrounded on all sides, and slowly being overwhelmed.
Rainbow wept, imaging the thoughts going through each of their heads. Were they like hers had been? A scared inexperienced fighter, lacking any real skills. Or where they hardened warriors? Facing down death with pride and courage, till their breath finally left their bodies. Rainbow would never know. Nobody would ever know.
Turning away from the scene of Carnage behind her, Rainbow wearily looked around her. She saw the retreating forces, and balked at the scale of it. Less than one hundred Megadons were still alive, some had two Eldar on, and some even seemed to be running along with the pack of their own free will, with no riders guiding them, but all in all there could have been no more than seventy Eldar retreating with her. With a pang of guilt, she saw that the majority were not injured much, having been in the Megadon group rather than the trenches. She felt guilty that she was still alive, and had gotten through that hell, that had claimed so many other lives.
With those thought, she slowly drifted into unconsciousness. It was not peaceful, and was plagued by nightmares, but it allowed her to rest all the same.
***
Rainbow now had tears running freely down her face, remembering the images like they were still happening. Almost immediately, her five fiends were around her, pulling her into a big group hug. No words were exchanged, they weren’t needed, and the group just held each other, tears running down all their faces. Even the princesses had tears in their eyes. Equestria had once seen its fair share of battles, the Griffon war, the Minotaur rebellion, and even the sea pony uprising, but he scale which Rainbow had experienced, it was something else entirely.
And so the group sat there. Six ponies and two princesses. They sat in the room, the silence only permeated by the sobs of famously stoic Rainbow mare, and the soothing sounds her friends made, in an attemt to comfort her.
Eventually, Rainbow finally managed to control herself and stop the tears from falling. Her friends had managed to get their own tears under control sometime before, but had held onto their friend all the same.
“T-t-thanks guys.” Rainbow sniffed, looking around at the five mares.
“What else could we do darling?” Rarity asked, “We couldn’t exactly leave you hanging, as you would put it.”
This caused Rainbow to smile slightly, and slowly the six mares broke apart. Looking out of the window, Rainbow could see that it was roughly mid-day, which was impressive considering she had started telling the others about that day just after she had gotten up. Finally, Princess Luna broke the silence that the room had descended into again.
“Do you,” she asked hesitantly, “Want to continue Rainbow?” she asked, shying away from the look she got from Celestia at this remark.
“Don’t listen to her Rainbow.” Celestia said calmly, “We understand if you want to take some time to come to terms with old memories.”
“I thought I had.” She whispered quietly, “Over a year and a half of training and fighting, and I still can’t get my mind of that one place.” She smiled slightly at the two princesses’, “But it won’t stop me telling the rest of this.”
*** The 41st Millennium ***
Rainbow awoke to the sensation of burning all over her body. Her ribs felt like she’d been bucked by Celestia, and her flank felt like it was literally on fire. Groaning, she tried to push herself up, but was met with more pain in her legs, and fell back down to the bed. With a sigh of frustration she lay back down and took in what she could see of her surroundings. She was back in an Eldar building, that much she could tell. She could also tell that it wasn’t Elariques’ house. Looking around her, she could see other beds near her, each one had an Eldar occupying it, and none looked healthy. Rainbow stopped looking around and waited for someone to come and see her, it wasn’t as if she could do anything else at the moment.
Eventually, after what felt like hours, a lone figure approached Rainbow. Craning her neck, Rainbow caught sight of the figure, who she quickly identified as Elarique, and relaxed slightly. Forcing herself to sit up, she watched as he limped his way towards her. Upon his arrival, he flopped down into a chair next to Rainbow, and sighed.
“How are you feeling?” he eventually croaked.
“You’re really asking that?” she smirked slightly, “Well let’s recap. Big battle, we fought, we lost.” She finished the sentence with an obviously frustrated tone, “What happened to the others?”
Elarique sighed, not meeting Rainbows eyes, and softly said, “Dorgolmar and Aranel survived, not much of a surprise there. Ones to stubborn to die, and the other is too crazy to accept that he can’t win, I’ll let you figure out which ones which. Egarion is alive for now, but I can’t say much more than that.” He trailed off, still not meeting Rainbows gaze.
“What about the rest?” She asked hesitantly, worried that she already knew the answer.
“Elensar,” Elarique said slowly, “didn’t come back. He could be dead, or lost, or who knows what else. Aranel isn’t taking it too well. And Talvan, she didn’t make it.” He finished sadly, finally meeting Rainbows gaze, and showing a face full of scars, both physical and mental ones.
Rainbow was lost for words; she hadn’t overly liked the snooty Eldar, but neither did she want to see her dead. She thought back to the battle, with Talvan protecting her, and saving her from being killed by the Tyranids innumerable times. The thought of her now lying dead was something that Rainbow could not really come to terms with. Eventually Rainbow found her voice, and tried to steer the conversation away from the topic, not because she didn’t care, but she knew that Elarique and Talvan had been close, almost likes brother and sister. Her lose couldn’t be easy for Elarique to take.
“What’s happening with the Tyranids?” Rainbow asked hesitantly
“For now, their advancing, we’ve set up more ambushes, but it’s a holding action. One good thing has come out of our sacrifice though.”
“What good could come out of that?” Rainbow spat.
“The arrival of our craftworld brethren. We delayed the swarm long enough for them to punch through the hive fleet above.” Elarique said simply. “They made planet fall today. We’re going to go and meet the Autarch now.”
“He asked to see me?” Rainbow asked, shocked that she would be asked for.
“No, but after.” He faltered, before continuing, “After Talvan, I’m in command of the rest of this village, and as the largest on the planet, the remaining Exodites. The Autarch wants to see me. You’re just going to be there as well.” He finished with a slight smile, before offering his hand and helping Rainbow from the bed, before leading her out of the room, and into the open air of the village.
Rainbow gasped at what greeted her eyes as she emerged from the building. Sleek vehicles were skimming over the village, gathering together at the edge. Some were small, and only had a single Eldar riding them, while others were large, and looked like they could fit whole squads inside of them. Rainbow even caught site of a couple that had long tubes with large crystals on the end. Tearing her eyes away from the vehicles, Rainbow followed Elarique, tentatively testing her wings, and finding them to be in good shape.
Elarique and Rainbow walked through the village, passing Exodites who gave curt nods towards the pair, while other Eldar, who wore bright red armour, ignored the pair, and instead talked amongst themselves or tended to more of the strange machines Rainbow had seen earlier. Eventually Rainbow and Elarique caught sight of the Autarch, or at least that was what Elarique had said. Approaching him, the Autarch cast a disapproving glare over Rainbow.
“Elarique. I was unaware that I asked you to bring your pets along with you.” The Autarch spoke, his deep voice cutting through the din of the village.
“You didn’t Ren’lof. But I believe that I can bring warriors with me in my own village.” Elarique returned casually.
“Warrior? It’s an animal.”
“Hey buddy.” Rainbow said suddenly, “This 'animal' has helped more than you so far, so drop it. You don’t have to like me, I already had an Eldar who treated me like I was below her, but don’t treat me like I’m insignificant.”
“Helped?” Ren’lof said, sounding surprised, “In which way did she help you Elarique?”
“She joined us at Aspoh fields. Not only that, but obviously she survived, which not many can say. She deserves respect for that at least.” Elarique said, never taking his eyes off Ren’lof.
“Really?” Ren’lof asked, looking strangely at Rainbow, “If this is the case then you may prove yourself one day, but it is not this day.” With that, he turned and led Elarique to a table set up behind him. “I will take my wind host and engage the Tyranids here,” he pointed to a point on the map, “After the swarm has reacted to our presence, I want you and the remaining Exodites to attack here, and cut off this part of the swarm. Understood?” Without waiting for a proper response Ren’lof turned back to the men behind him, who all wore mechanical wings of some sort on their back, and left the room with them.
“Ren’lof is in command of a wind host of Saim-Hann.” Elarique explained as he led Rainbow back towards his house. “He once walked both the path of the Swooping Hawk and the path of the Shining spear.”
“The what?” Rainbow asked, suddenly realising that she knew very little of the Eldar other than the Exodites, who she knew where different from the rest of their race.
“My apologies.” Elarique said, stopping and thinking for a moment before beginning again. “On an Eldar Craftworld, the ships that saved some of our kind from the fall, all Eldar pursue paths. Many, especially on Saim-Hann, choose the path of the warrior. Ren’lof walked two of these paths before walking the path of command and becoming an Autarch.”
Processing this new information, Rainbow continued to walk in silence with Elarique. Eventually they reached their destination, and were greeted by Dorgolmar and Aranel. Neither looked happy, but neither did Rainbow feel like their ire was directed at her.
“Rainbow.” Aranel said with a nod, “I heard you survived.” He didn’t say anymore and instead just stood with Dorgolmar, who was being unusually quiet for once.
“We will find Elensar.” Elarique told Aranel, “And we will either welcome him back or avenge him. You have my word.”
At this the group lapsed into silence again, no-one knowing what to say to each other. The silence was eventually broken by a roar. Rainbow instantly assumed in was the Tyranids, but was calmed by Elarique, who pointed across the sky.
“Calm yourself and look to our salvation.” He said cryptically.
Rainbow followed his finger and saw what he was pointing at. Speeding across the sky where literally hundreds of the flying machines that the Craftworld Eldar rode. At their head was the unmissable figure of Ren’lof, riding upon a machine of his own, a sword in hand, and a squad of his own behind him. As the assembled wind host sped over her head, Rainbow caught sight of a group of Eldar who interested her much more. The squad wore blue armour, and stood out against the red of the others. What intrigued Rainbow eve more however was their lack of machines. Instead, she saw a familiar looking blur on their backs. Still starring at them, she opened her mouth,
“What are they?” she asked no-one in particular.
“Swooping Hawks.” Aranel said simply, “Aspect warriors equipped with Hawk wings.”
With that he descended back into silence, leaving Rainbow to stare into the sky with an admiration usually reserved for the Wonderbolts. She continued to stare as the figures flew out of sight with the remainder of the wind host to confront the Tyranid threat. She silently wished that they would have more success than the last time the swarm had been faced.
How did this happen? An entire Wind Host had landed on Hannibal, and according to the Exodites, it was a much larger force than what any Craftworld would have sent. They’d been so confident in their abilities to beat back the swarm, and where had that got them to?
Dead on the battlefield. Killed to a warrior.
Ren’lof had stuck to the plan, smashing the Wind Host into the side of the Tyranid swarm, attacking from an angle that the Exodites wouldn’t have been able to, and sowing confusion throughout the swarm. They even gave the rest of the Exodites the chance they needed, and in a stroke of luck and brilliance, the swarm was cut in two, separating the number of Tyranids that would have to be killed into a more manageable number.
Then the Titans appeared.
While the Wind Host was occupied fighting the main swarm, three monstrosities, the likes of which Rainbow had never seen had strode out of the forest, making the Dragons in Equestria look like ants in comparison.
Ren’lof and the rest of the Wind Host had changed their attack targets, and charged valiantly at the leading monster. It was glorious, like the old knights of Equestria.
And it was foolish.
The lightly armed Wind Host had nothing even remotely capable of even scratching the armour of those things, and had been slowly slaughtered, until only Ren’lof remained. His body pierced by countless claws, his armour corroding off his body from bio-acid that had splashed onto him, and his jetbike smashed beyond repair, he had bellowed a wordless warcry, and charged the swarm. Now he to lay dead, surrounded by the corpses of both friend and foe.
Without the Wind Host holding back the second half of the swarm, it focused its entire attention on the Exodites. Surrounded, the last true army of Eldar was systematically destroyed, leaving the battlefield slick with blood.
And then the ripper swarms came.
Rainbow had thought she had seen the worst the Tyranids could offer when the Titans had appeared out of the fog, but the Rippers were what she would have nightmares about until the day she died. The tiny creatures, more teeth than flesh, had swarmed across the battlefields, consuming all the dead and dying they could find, Eldar and Tyranid alike. And now they followed the swarm. Wherever the Tyranids attacked, the Rippers accompanied them, no longer even limited to the dead and dying, Rainbow had seen women and children ripped apart, still screaming, still crying out to her for help.
And Rainbow had watched.
She had followed the rest of the squad, the last combat trained squad on the planet, or at least squad who had experienced combat in Rainbows' case, as they retreated through village after village, lending a hand where possible, but usually just charging headlong past them, intent on reaching the place where they had decided to make their last stand. Elariques’ home village.
And now it was all that remained. Two days after the Saim-Hann Eldar had landed, and now the village was the last vestige of Eldar territory on the planet. It had changed dramatically in those past couple of days; defences had sprung up around it, in a futile and desperate attempt to stop the swarm. A wall had been made from everything from vehicle wrecks that had been recovered to the corpses or both Eldar and Tyranid. The idea of something like that existing had made Rainbow want to throw up.
The reality of helping construct it had been worse.
For the last day, Rainbow hadn’t stopped crying, no longer even trying to hide the tears that spilled over her muzzle. In Equestria, she had been Rainbow Dash, the fearless element of Loyalty, the best flier in all of Equestria and future Wonderbolt, even if she may have blew her chance when she came here. On this planet however, she was a different mare. She had fought the swarm tooth and hoof, trying desperately to convince the rest of the squad to stand and fight, but being blown off each time. She had grown bitter, and had grown to hate the Tyranids with all her heart. She was going to fight them here, and she wasn’t going to move from the village, even if that meant she was going to meet her end here, cut off from her friends and species.
When the swarm attacked, as everybody knew it would, it wouldn't find a defenceless area like it had when it took the other villages. This time, it would face a fortress; its walls filled with every remaining Eldar on the planet. Thousand year old village elders had taken up arms alongside children, scavenging what remained of the Saim-Hann supplies to outfit themselves with any sort of weapons and armour they could find. A Fire Prisms turret had been removed from the inoperable and wrecked body of the tank, and now stood with its gun pointed defiantly in the direction of the Tyranid swarm.
The entire remaining population of Eldar on the planet stood defiant against the oncoming swarm, in numbers that made Rainbows first fight at Aspoh fields look like a scouting party.
And still it wasn’t enough.
The swarm had attacked the village three days after the Wind Host had fallen, striking as the sun fell in the sky, causing an un-natural twilight descend over the battlefield, and causing their void black carapaces glisten, and their demonic yellow eyes glow.
Ten minutes after the swarm had been sighted, it had breached the first wall, Carnifexs smashing though it as if it simply wasn’t there, and causing a mass panic from the Eldar there. They may have had more numbers than those at Aspoh fields, but they had no training, and no experience to speak of. And now they were slowly being pushed back into centre of the village. The swarm pressing on all sides, and cutting off all avenues of escape.
Whichever way Rainbow looked at it, this was her last stand.
“I’m out!” Screamed Rainbow, her voice cutting through the din of the battle, as she fired her last shot into the swarm, cutting one of the disgusting Ripper creatures in half, before ducking down below the window frame she was taking cover behind.
“Here.” Screamed another Eldar, throwing a core over to Rainbow from the other side of the room. “Make ‘em count.”
As she threw the core, she stood up just a fraction. But a fraction was all that was needed. A shot smashed through the window, and struck her in the side of the helmet, tearing her head from her shoulders, and covering Rainbow in more Eldar blood, joining the blood she had gotten covered in the last couple of day, and staining the last part of the Cyan pony a deep crimson.
One more Eldar body hit the floor.
One more soulstone glowed as the Eldars' life fled into it.
One more Pegasus tear stained the ground.
Blinking the tears away as best she could, Rainbow hunched down behind her cover, sighting down the barrel of her shuriken rifle, and loosing off a shot, nailing a Hormagaunt in the eye, and causing it to fall to the ground, the razor sharp disc imbedded in its brain. The swarm kept coming though, and Rainbow dropped to the floor, before crawling towards the door at the back.
Passing by the still convulsing body of the Eldar, Rainbow crawled out into the street, getting out of the building just as the Tyranids jumped through the windows she was covering mere moments earlier. Taking off into a gallop, before taking flight and skimming just above the ground, Rainbow flew towards the middle of the village, passing by barricades with cowering Eldar manning them.
It wasn’t long ago that Rainbow would have been doing the same thing, cowering and waiting for someone else to save her from the monsters that were even now ripping through more defenders. But that was before she had been made to fight. For three days she had fought an enemy that gave no mercy, and was innumerable in number. It may have only been three days, but three days of constant warfare and fighting could make even the greenest recruit into a hardened veteran, or at least, that was what Aranel had said.
Rainbow emerged into the village square, and saw that even in the centre of their fortress, the Tyranids were still present. Elarique and Dorgolmar were fighting back to back, repelling more of the Genestealer creatures that had apparently been infesting the villages from the very beginning of the invasion, while Egarion was silently taking shots at distant Tyranids, putting her newly acquired rifle to good use.
Rainbow didn’t stop to help though; instead she flew up, gaining a better vantage point, and allowing her to gain an unprecedented firing line all around her. Thank Celestia that there hadn’t been any flying Tyranids sighted yet, and if they hadn’t been seen fighting so far, Rainbow doubted that they would show up now.
Looking around, Rainbow could see the entire battlefield. A sea of black writhed around the village, Chitin and claws glinting in the light of the rising moon. And in the centre, surrounded on all sides, was the last vestige of Eldar controlled territory on the planet. Sparing a quick glance into the cloudless sky, Rainbow could just make out the trails of the remaining Eldar fleet. Most of it had been destroyed shortly after the Wind Host had made planet fall, and the rest was sure to follow. Tearing her eyes away from the grim spectacle that she could do nothing to influence, she returned her gaze to the grim spectacle that she could have an impact upon. Sighting down the barrel of her weapon, Rainbow began to pick out targets, her Pegasus eyesight allowing her to see perfectly over the long distances, even though the tears still streaming from her eyes.
Taking a shot, she struck a warrior beast in the chest, staggering it, but not killing it. Taking aim again, she fired into the same spot, breaking the through the armour and felling the creature. Not wasting time in celebration though, Rainbow Grimly turned her attention to another target. Finding one quickly, she saw a group of children desperately trying to stop a rampaging Carnifex. Its armour was slowly being stripped away, but on it came, ripping through the children without a care for their cries of anguish and fear. Screaming in rage, Rainbow dived, firing as she went, emptying half of the remaining core into the things face, and drawing its attention. It looked up at the crimson spot diving down at it, and that was all Rainbow needed.
Taking aim, she fired everything she could at the creature’s face, most of the shots bouncing of its armour, but a few managed to find soft spots. The eyes, the gaps in the armour, and most importantly, the brain. As the gun emptied, the Carnifex fell, and with a wordless scream, Rainbow landed on top of it, trying desperately to fire the now empty rifle into the swarm.
Realising she couldn’t, Rainbow opted to throw the weapon at the swarm, and instead drew the sword she had claimed at Aspoh fields, opting to hold it in her mouth to leave her hooves empty for running, before beginning to move back towards Elarique. Passing by the children, she could see the fear in their eyes. Not that she could blame them really. With a pang of guilt, she realised that they weren’t directing all of their fear towards the swarm, but rather at her. Catching sight of her reflection in a window, Rainbow could appreciate why. Gone was the Cyan mare from Ponyville, in her place was a crimson monstrosity, a blood drenched sword clenched in her mouth, and countless scratches and scars decorating her hide.
Tearing her eyes away from the macabre reflection, Rainbow once again broke into a gallop. Reaching the centre again, she caught sight of Elarique again. Rushing over to him, she jumped into the air, slicing apart another ripper as it jumped for Dorgolmars’ head.
“You’re still alive Rainbow? I thought you perished at the first wall.” Elarique grunted, as he shoved another Tyranid away from him.
“Yeah well, I had help. A lot of Eldar didn’t make it. It just adds to the blood on my hooves, and on your hands.” She spat.
“You must realise that we couldn’t have saved all the villages Rainbow.” He shouted at her.
“You. Could. Have. Tried.” She screamed, slamming her sword into another Tyranids head, venting her rage into one blow.
“It wouldn’t have helped. Better to lose those villages to make a last stand here than fall in defence of them with no chance of even hurting the swarm.”
“Look around you bucking idiot. We’re not going to do anything here. We’re not even a blip here.” Rainbow screeched, throwing her sword away as it finally read as having dissipated the last of its power field. “I need a weapon.”
“Here. Catch, you crazy Pegasus.” Dorgolmar shouted, chucking a strange looking rifle towards her. “Courtesy of our late friends the Wind Host.
Catching the rifle, she span on her hooves, and pressed the firing stud. Instead of the shrunkens she had been expecting, Rainbow was shocked by the bright red lasers that spat out of the gun, cutting clean through the armour of an oncoming Tyranid.
“What is this?” She shouted.
“Lasblaster.” Elarique groaned, firing into a mass of rippers. “The Swooping Hawks use them.”
Rainbow looked around the square again, and for the first time since she had been fighting by Elariques’ side, she saw how truly alone they were. Only around twenty Eldar were in the square with her. Sporadic burst of fire were punctuating the screams from the rest of the city.
“This truly is it.” Murmured Egarion, jumping down from the balcony she had been occupying. “Hannibal’s final stand.”
“Maybe not.” Giggled Dorgolmar, pointing upwards.
Casting her eyes skywards, Rainbow easily picked out what he was pointing at. It would have been hard to miss to be honest. Falling through the sky was what looked like an entire ship, a ball of debris burning from the front to the back, and falling almost directly towards them, bits of flaming debris already beginning to flake off and land amongst the swarm.
“And how does that help us.” Asked Egarion dryly, aiming through the scope of her rifle and taking the head off another monster.
Before anyone could answer, the debris impacted. Crashing down just outside the village, it carved a deep groove through the swarm, crushing half the village at the same time, and more importantly, opening up a route through the swarm.
To Rainbow, it felt like the world was ending. The ground shook with such ferocity, that if she hadn’t taken to the sky, she would have been sent sprawling by the resultant shockwaves like the rest of the Eldar.
“We have our exit.” Dorgolmar squealed gleefully.
“Elarique. We take them all.” Rainbow said darkly. “Even if that means slowing ourselves down.”
“It won’t help, this is it. There is nowhere else to…” he was cut off by the sight of something in the sky, at first it could have been mistaken for a piece of debris, but as it drew closer to the ground, it revealed itself to be some sort of craft.
“KZZZZTTT…This is…Falcon…Ishas’ Maiden…Any surviving…please respond…KZZZZTTTT.” Crackled the Rainbow comm. From the look of things, the others had heard the same message.
Hurriedly putting his hand up to his ear to cut out a bit of the sound of battle, Elarique began to search for a way to return the transmission, while Rainbow and the others prepared for the inevitable attack from the Tyranids. So far, they seemed stunned by the crash, and Egarion theorised that they had possibly lost the main synapse creature leading the swarm, not that that would give them much respite.
“Ishas’ Maiden, this is Elarique, commander of the Exodites left planetside. We need a pick up. Advise.”
“KZZZT. Elarique, get…close to…wreckage as…can. Far side…possible clearing…Only space… six.” The radio crackled, before going dead.
Rainbow balked at this last statement. There had to be at least twenty Eldar left on the planet, and they were saying they could only save six of them?
“We need to move.” Elarique said simply, before running off to another group of people, and whispering commands in their ears. With a grim nod, the pair walked over to a barrier, crouching down behind it, and taking aim. Elarique did the same thing with three other pairs, before coming back to the group.
“We need to go. Those who are remaining have said that they’ll try their best to hold the swarm here for a long as possible.”
“No! We can’t just leave them here!” Rainbow screamed, flying up to Elariques’ face.
“We have no choice!” He shouted back. “We either all die here, or six of us get out of this. Only SIX Rainbow! There were thousands of Exodites here. You think they don’t want to be avenged? I know you don’t want to leave, but your death won’t accomplish anything here, but it may still accomplish things out there.”
Staring around the battlefield, Rainbow could see the fear in the eyes of the others. She guessed it was true. One more death here wouldn’t help. Wouldn’t it be better to run and fight another day?
NO! She was the element of Loyalty, Celestia damn it. And she wasn’t going to leave the Eldar to die while she ran.
“I’m staying.” She said firmly, before a hand reached out and touched her shoulder. Looking back, she saw a child reaching out to her, its face covered in blood, but its eyes filled with fear.
“Pony. Please, go. Find your home, and die defending that. Don’t die without your friends” He sniffed, before returning to the barricade he had come from.
If Rainbows’ eyes had been dripping before, they were now positively gushing with tears. Blinking them away, she looked around, trying to find the child that had spoken to her, but couldn’t pick him out. Reluctantly, she turned back to Elarique.
“Let’s go.” She whispered, he voice wavering.
Without a word, Rainbow followed Elarique, as he lead eight others out of the village, and down into the trench that the space debris had caused, and as one, the group broke into a run.
Flying above the others, Rainbow was the first to catch sight of the Tyranids beginning to swarm into the crevasse with them. Giving a wordless cry, she raised the Lasblaster to her eye level, aiming at Termagant. Relaxing slightly, she pulled the trigger, and sent a beam of light out towards the beast, impacting one of its legs, and brutally tearing it from the rest of the body. Not waiting to see if the creature was dead, Rainbow flew down to the rest of the squad and continued to run with them, occasionally turning and firing a shot at the pursuing creatures, before catching back up with the squad, who were still running. Praying that they were faster than the swarm.
They weren’t.
The squad was almost at the point the pilot had mentioned, and were still running, when the swarm finally caught up with them. The first indication they had that the Tyranids were in range, was when one of the Exodites fell to the ground, writhing in pain as one of the smaller organisms that the Tyranid weapons fired erupted out of her chest. She screamed and fell to the floor, only to be left behind as the remainder of the squad kept running. Her screams got louder as the swarm approached her, before forever falling silent.
Another body.
Another soul stone filled.
Another tear shed.
“Keep moving!” Shouted Elarique, twisting his pistol over into the swarm.
“You don’t say? And here I thought I could just sit down and have a picnic.” Dorgolmar said, dousing a creature attempting to jump at him in fire .
“Stow it wise ass.” Egarion yelled.
Another scream sounded from behind them, as another Eldar fell to the claws of the Tyranids.
Another body.
Another tear.
Finally, they managed to reach the extraction point the pilot had spoken about. The falcon was already hovering there, and as they ran towards it, its guns roared into life, ripping apart the remaindered of the small swarm that had been following them. Rainbow gulped, as she realised that if this was all that followed them, then there would still be millions attacking the village.
Quickly, the seven Eldar and one pony ran towards the waiting transport, its back door opening and an Eldar beckoning them in.
“We said we only had room for six. Not eight.” He shouted over the roar of the engine.
“We needed the numbers to get through the swarm!” Rainbow shouted, “You can’t just leave two of us here.”
“What are you? Some sort of pet? We can’t take animals on-board instead of Eldar. Leave her.”
“No.” Elarique shouted, casting a nervous eye towards the village.
“we can’t let you…” The pilot started, but was cut off by a low rumbling sound, that cut through the din of the battle.
“What in the…” Egarion started, but was cut off when the very earth behind her erupted into the air.
Bursting up from the ground, a massive Tyranid appeared. Six huge claws decorated its serpentine body, and its maw looked wide enough to swallow the Falcon whole.
“TYRGON!” screamed Elarique, firing his pistol futilely into the creatures body.
Rainbow screamed, as the Tyranids that were even now swarming out of the tunnel behind the Tyrgon open fire, catching to more Eldar in their opening volley, and ending two more lives.
More bodies.
More Tears.
“Get in!” Screamed the pilot, gesturing to the open transport.
Quickly, everyone began to run towards it. Elarique and Rainbow bringing up the rear. As the remainder of the squad jumped into the waiting cavern of the Falcon, Rainbow turned quickly to fire one last shot at the swarm. That was when she saw the creature advancing on her.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl, as the warrior beast advanced upon them, a spasm showing across it ribcage, and a flurry of hook like tentacles fired at her. It seemed to take them forever to close the gap, and Rainbow saw her life flash before her eyes.
A little filly, praying that Cloudsdale would host the Equestria games.
Getting her cutie mark.
Meeting Twilight in Ponyville, and countless other memories beside.
Slowly, she closed her eyes, and waited for the sting of the claws. She wouldn’t give the creatures the satisfaction of a scream. She felt blood splatter across her body, mixing with the rest of it, and sighed. She then realised that she didn’t feel any pain whatsoever, and her eyes shot back open.
What greeted them horrified her.
Elarique was standing in front of her, facing towards her and smiling. Protruding from his chest however, were four massive barbs, and as she watched in horror, they began to retract, slowly pulling Elarique towards the waiting creature.
“NOOOOO!” She screamed, and with one powerful flap of her wing, took to the sky.
She aimed at the creature, and flew towards it, burning through the rest of the power clip, but managing to sever the hooks from its body, along with its head being severed from its torso. Not relenting, Rainbow dropped the gun, and flew at the Tyrgon. She flapped her wings harder than she ever had before, pushing herself to her limits, and feeling a familiar presence surround her body.
In a blinding flash of light, the Mach cone that had surrounded her condensed, before forming a point in front of her. At the same time, she felt herself rocket forward, a ring of Spectra flashing out from behind her. She aimed her entire body at the Tyrgon’ chest, and slowly began to spin, getting faster and faster until she was nothing but a spinning blur.
Still spinning, she hit the Tyrgon straight in the chest, and carried on through, ripping through its entire body and exiting from the other side. The creature swayed for a spit second, before collapsing to the floor, crushing the more Tyranids underneath it. As she flew back around, Rainbow caught sight of the remainder of the swarm around her. Most of the creatures were standing bolt upright, not moving even as the rest of the squad poured fire into them, and thankfully, the ripper swarms seemed to be dying, writhing on the floor before going limp.
Rainbow flew back to where Elarique was lying, and was met by Dorgolmar and Egarion, who were already at their commanders side.
“Quickly, get him to the transport!” Yelled Dorgolmar, staying unusually sane for once.
Together, the three dragged Elarique back towards the Falcon.
“Stay with us damn it.” Sobbed Rainbow, looking desperately towards the Falcon. They would have medicine, they would be able to fix him, she wasn’t going to lose someone else.
Even as she thought this, Elarique crushed her hopes, coughing up a glob of blood as he tried to say something.
“Shhh. Don’t talk now, save your strength.” Egarion said softly, pulling Elarique into the transport.
As soon as the last of them had got on board, the back door slammed shut, leaving the room bathed in an artificial light.
“We need medical supplies.” Shouted Dorgolmar, slowly beginning to extract the spines.
“We…we don’t have any.” The attendant said softly, not looking at the trio.
At this, Rainbow rushed over to him and thrust him against the wall. “What the buck do you mean!? How can you not have anything?” She screamed, but the fight was slowly fleeing from her eyes. Defeated, she slipped down the wall and crawled back over to Elarique, who was now lying in an alarmingly large amount of blood.
“Rain…bow.” He coughed, spilling yet more blood onto the floor of the vehicle.
“I’m here.” She sobbed. “I’m not going anywhere.
“What…was…that?” He asked weakly, before descending back into a fit of coughing.
“My Sonic Rainboom.” She sobbed quietly, barely able to be heard over the roar of the engines.
“So that’s…what that was.” He smiled weakly. “You did say…you would show me it someday.”
“I’ll show you again someday. Just don’t give up. We can help you. We can…” She trailed off, unable to continue the sentence.
“No Rainbow.” He coughed, “I’m done. Please, promise me…you won’t lose yourself…out here. Promise me Rainbow.” He said with conviction, weakly grabbing one of her hooves and pulling her closer.
“I..I Promise.” She sobbed, and she watched as a smile played out across his face.
“Good…good. It was an…honour, Rainbow Dash…to fight by your side and call you my…friend.” He said weakly, before his eyes slowly closed, and his hand slipped off her hoof.
Rainbow was stunned for a minute, before she threw her head back and uttered a wordless cry into the confines of the Falcon. She poured all of her anguish, and rage, and pain into the cry, letting it fill her with its sound, before finally, the adrenaline from the past few days wore off, and she collapsed into a dark, dreamless slumber.
Rainbow had once again broken down into tears, the salty water staining her armour. The rest of the group stayed silent, apart from the occasional sniff from Fluttershy.
"He...died?" Twilight asked hesitantly, after what seemed like an eternity
"In my hooves." Rainbow sobbed. "He was right there, and I couldn't help him. Why couldn't I help him? WHY? She screamed.
"I understand what you’re going through Rainbow." Celestial said softly, walking over to her, and draping her wing over her. "Believe me Rainbow, I do. But you must not let it control you. Don't bottle up these feelings, or they'll slowly poison you, and soon they'll be nothing left."
"What do you know? You weren't there. The worst thing you've ever had to face was Discord. Tyranids don't talk, they don't feel anything. They just kill. And then they eat what's left. And I couldn't do anything, for anyone."
"And what makes you think we don't know what suffering is?" Luna asked, standing by her sister. "I spent one thousand years on the moon for my mistake, and Tia had to bear those years without me due to my weakness. And what of Discords rule? Did the ponies of this land not suffer as well?"
"That's different. There were Nineteen thousand eight hundred and forty seven Exodites on Hannibal. The day I landed there were just over eight thousand Exodites left. When I left, there were only four of them left. FOUR! So don't tell me you know what I'm talking about."
Luna was about to speak again, but a silent glance from Celestia cut her off.
"Your right Rainbow. We may not have experienced the same things as you, but we know what you're feeling. We've lived for thousands of years Rainbow. A life this long doesn't pass us by without leaving scars. It may not have been as quick as you saw, nor as violent, but I've watched as the ponies I had grown to love past away, time and time again. I used to try and save them all, but every pony has to die. It is the way of life. Even Luna and I will pass away, and something new will take our place."
Rainbow finally looked up at Celestia, staring straight into her pink eyes, and for the first time, really saw into them. Past the façade that she wore when she was around her subjects, and truly saw Celestia for the first time.
There was an endless amount of pain hidden behind them. One that could only come from watching those you knew and cared for wither and die around you, while you continued to go on, surviving where so many others had fallen. The same look that Rainbow herself now sported, only her gaze hadn't been earned over thousands of years, but over just two.
Two years in the most hostile universe imaginable, against foes that offered no mercy, and demanded no quarter in return.
"I. I need some time along." She blustered quickly, before rushing out of the room.
Rushing into her room, Rainbow locked the door behind her, and broke down on the bed, more tears staining the bed. She stayed like that for what felt like hours, but in actual fact was more like five minutes, until she heard a knocking at her door. Quickly, she dried her tears, before unbolting the door, revealing the smiling face of Twilight and Rarity.
"Rainbow, please come out darling." Rarity smiled.
"I...I just can't do this. I thought I buried these memories a long time ago, and then..." She trailed off slowly.
"We understand Rainbow, which is why the princesses said to give you a few days to gather your thoughts. There's a carriage on the way to take us back to Ponyville." Twilight said, holding the door open wider, and allowing Rainbow to walk out of the room.
Ponyville. Home. For two years, she had hoped that she would one day see it again, and now she was going to return.
Meeting up with the rest of her friends, Rainbow meekly followed them outside to where an air carriage was waiting. Closing her eyes for a split second, Rainbow suddenly saw a Falcon in front of her, and her own hooves covered in blood. She momentarily was to stunned to do anything, before she vigorously shook her head and boarded the sky carriage.
The flight back to Ponyville was uneventful and boring. Her friends tried to cheer her up along the way, but their conversation fell on deaf ears. All Rainbow cared about now, was her home.
The moment the carriage touched down in Ponyville, Rainbow excused herself, and took off into the sky, towards her home.
After two minutes of flying, Rainbow finally caught sight of her home, and after a few more seconds of flying, she finally felt the familiar feeling of her cloud home beneath her armoured bulk. Shakily reaching for the key she kept hidden by the door, she unlocked the door and staggered inside. Staying upright just long enough to lock the door behind her, Rainbow collapsed to the floor, curling up into a ball and falling asleep the moment her head rested on the floor.
*** The next morning. ***
Rainbow was roused from her sleep by a light yet firm knocking at the door. Staggering over to it, she groggily raised her hoof to the door, and tugged it open, revealing Fluttershy, while the rest if her friends sat in a balloon just outside the door.
"Rainbow darling." Rarity said, waving from the balloon. "We came to get you for a spot of breakfast together." She beamed.
"Yeah, Mr and Mrs cake heard you came back and they were super-duper excited about it, and they just had to throw you a welcome home party, although I helped plan that, come to think of it they were acting strange, and..." pinkie all but shouted, before being cut off by Applejacks hoof.
"Whoa there Pinkie. Let the poor mare catch her breath."
"Anyway, we should get going Rainbow, why don't you get changed and we can all go down together." Twilight said.
"Get, get changed?" Rainbow stammered, taking a step back.
"But of course darling. Not that you present ensemble is fabulous, but it’s hardly fitting attire to attend a meal in."
"Take off my armour? But I...I mean...It's just, you won't like what's underneath. I, don't like what's underneath." She said dejectedly.
"Aw, come on Rainbow. Yer know we don't care what y'all look like, it's what's inside that makes you Rainbow Dash, not what's on yer outside." Applejack said.
Looking round at her friends, Rainbows resolve faltered, before eventually collapsing completely.
"Fine. Just, gimme ten minutes." With that, she turned and walked back into the house, closing the door behind her and walking up to her room. The entire house was exactly as she remembered, right down to the rubbish strewn across the floor.
Slowly, she began the process of removing her armour. First came the back leg guards, which she removed with a slight hiss of air. Next came her front legs, followed by her wing guards and the backpack. Finally, she reached up and pressed her hoof to the gem on the chest piece. With a slight hum, the front of the chest plate pushed outwards slightly, showing a clear fault line around it, which she then grasped at and pulled, removing the final pieces of her armour and placing them reverently on the bed together. Making sure that each of the pieces were safe, before exiting the room, she quickly moved past the mirror in the hallway, not wanting to look at her body any more than was absolutely necessary. Reaching the door, she took a deep breath, before slowly opening it and stepping back into the sunlight.
Twilight and the others stared in shock at the mare exiting the building. While her face had a multitude of small scars to go with her one large one, her body was another story.
There was barely an inch of it that remained the same as it had been two years ago. Instead of the smooth Cyan coat that she had proudly sported then, she now wore a different, less vibrant, colour. Her entire left side was a mess of scars, both small cut like ones and large knot like pieces of flesh running in a line across her stomach and left leg. What was worse however, was her right side. From her foreleg to the just before her wing, her fur was still the same, only punctuated by a few small scars. Afterwards however, there was simply a smooth cyany/silvery body, mimicking the shape of her old body perfectly, but feeling wrong at the same time. The same thing was on her wing, leaving her entire right side looking different and wrong.
"Rainbow...I don't..." Twilight started, before trailing off, taking in every inch of the scars Rainbow now sported.
"Now can you see why I didn't want to show you?” she asked quietly, making even Fluttershys' ears strain to hear it..
"What happened to you? You never said the Tyranids did anything like this." Rarity said, sounding appalled.
"You think the Tyranids are the only things in the universe with a thirst for violence? This was caused by a chainblade," she pointed to the large scar on her left, "It just managed to get through my armour, and left me with this, rather than an open stomach. This was caused by a single bolt shell." She said, gesturing to her entire right side.
"What is that RD? I thought ya said y'all were taking yer armour off."
"I have. It's, not armour." She said glumly.
"But it must be armour darling, it's not your...body." Rarity trailed off, suddenly feeling that Rainbows' injuries were much more than just the scars.
"I wish it wasn't, but," she trailed off, a tear forming in her eye as she looked back at her right wing with a look of pure loathing. "Truthfully I'm lucky to be alive. Most Eldar who get hit by one of those things don't get to show others."
The five ponies sat there for a moment, staring at their friends’ body without a word. Eventually, Fluttershy broke the silence, and trotted over to Rainbow. Putting her hooves around her neck, Fluttershy pulled Rainbow into a hug, and found it equally repaid.
Eventually, Rainbow broke of the hug, and forced herself to smile. "Should we get going then? You said something about a Pinkie Pie party, and I don't want to miss that."
Wordlessly, the six friends set off, the two Pegasus taking flight, leaving their land bound companions to sit in the balloon and gently float down towards the ground.
Eventually the balloon landed in the centre of town, and every pony jumped out, Fluttershy landing a split second afterwards. Rainbow began to nervously circle around above the town, suddenly having serious doubts about being seen by everypony. She almost decided to leave then and there, but couldn't bring herself to do it. She had promised the others that she'd go with them after all.
Slowly, she descended, and eventually landed beside her friends, subtly trying to hide behind Fluttershy. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on her, and the act of her hiding didn't go unnoticed by the rest of her friends either.
"R-Rainbow? What are you doing? That is if you want to tell me. That is if you don't mind. That is...oh." Fluttershy began, before hiding herself and Rainbow behind her wing.
"Come now Rainbow. Let’s get y’all to this party. We don't care if you’re a bit banged up, and nopony else will either. They'll just be happy y'all are back.” Applejack said confidently.
Half-heartedly, Rainbow followed the others through the unnervingly deserted town.
"Where is everypony? Shouldn't there be some ponies around? I mean, its morning and all? Don't tell me everypony slacks off now. That was always my thing." Rainbow asked, a faint smile gracing her face.
"Yeah. Come to think of it there should be. We haven't told any pony you were back yet; we wanted to keep things small for the time being." Twilight said, scanning the town slowly.
The six ponies made their way through the town and eventually came into sight of Sugar Cube corner. When they did see it however, it wasn't in the cheery lit up style that Rainbow had remembered it as. Instead, both the doors and the windows were shut tight, and all the lights were off. The sign on the door read closed, and was slightly swaying, as if somepony had just moved it in a hurry.
"Pinkie. What's going on here?" Rarity asked.
"I don't know. I told Mr and Mrs Cake that we were all coming and they said that was fine, although they did look a bit worried when I said it was you. It was like they didn't believe me or something silly like that, I mean, why would I lie about Dashie coming back? She's only one of my bestest friends in the whole wide Equestria." she squealed, bouncing as she spoke.
"Well I'm going to go and find out what they're all doin' in there." Applejack said, confidently strolling forward.
Applejack began to walk towards Sugarcube Corner, whilst Rainbow stayed behind with the rest of her friends. As Applejack neared the door though, the top half suddenly swung open, revealing the familiar face of Lyra.
"Applejack! Get in here! It's out..." She began, grabbing hold of her and beginning to pull her into the building. She stopped as she caught sight of Rainbow and the others and screamed. "The monsters got Twilight and the others!" She screeched, dragging Applejack inside and drawing worried glances from the group.
"Monster? No wait, it just..." Fluttershy began, but was cut off by a crash as the door to Sugar Cube corner was slammed open, revealing another group of ponies.
"Get them away from it!" Shouted Lyra, rushing towards the group with Vinyl Scratch, Colgate and Bon Bon.
Before anypony could say anything, they were whisked off their hooves and rushed back into Sugarcube Corner, before the doors were slammed and bolted shut, leaving Rainbow Dash alone in the street. Slowly, a tear rolled down her cheek and dropped onto the ground.
'Monster', Lyra had called her, and the rest of the ponies in the town had been avoiding her. Looking down at her own body, Rainbow could see where they would get that idea. She had disappeared two years ago without a trace, and now she had reappeared, although this time she had come back with scars, a cropped back mane and her 'unique' new body parts.
Eventually, Rainbow turned around and took off again, angling herself towards her house.
There wasn't anything for her here anymore.
*** Inside Sugarcube Corner. ***
"What on earth are you guys doing?" Twilight shouted, pushing Bon Bons' hooves off her.
"We were getting you away from that horrid monster. Who knows what it was, a Changeling? Something worse?" Lyra said, letting go of Pinkie Pie.
"Monster? No,no,no,no,no. That was Rainbow Dash, why would she be a monster?" Rarity asked, brushing herself off once Vinyl released her.
"Now girls, I know you all took Rainbows' lose hard, but you've got to see that that wasn't her. I mean did you see it's coat? All those scars and wounds on it, and that sliver 'thing' on its back. Clearly it took advantage of your grief and pretended to be Rainbow Dash. If you just calm down for a moment, you'll realise this is the best way to get over it." Colgate explained slowly, as if she was talking to a group of fillies.
"Now wait just a gosh darn minute there." Applejack shouted, shoving Lyras' comforting hoof off her. "Get your hooves off me Lyra. That was Rainbow Dash consarn it. The living breathing Rainbow Dash. She just re-appeared at the Wonderbolts show. That was her that was there. And you just drove her out, 'cause of what she looked like. Y'all should be ashamed of yourself. This is even worse than the whole thing with Zecora."
"I, um, agree with Applejack here. You can't just, um, treat her like this just because she looks a bit different. I mean, some of my critter friends get hurt sometimes, and that's when they need the most help." Fluttershy peeped from behind her mane.
Lyra scoffed and looked around at the faces in the room. At first she still had the same exasperated look on her face, but after she looked into the eyes of each of Rainbows five friends, her expression started to change.
"You mean...that was Rainbow Dash? The real one?" She asked, slumping down the wall. "And I just...of my."
"You should be ashamed of yourself. Like Applejack said, didn't you learn your lesson from Zecora?" Rarity huffed, making her way towards the door.
"I just, I didn't know." She said weakly.
The others all walked past her, not saying a word, but casting a meaningful glare at all the ponies in the room.
"Come on girls, let’s go find Rainbow Dash. She’s going to need our help to get over this." Twilight said.
"I don't think we're just goin' to be able to convince her to come out after that, sugar cube. Maybe we should give her some time to get over it. I mean, she just took off. She probably wants to be alone for awhile."
"Even if she does, we can't just leave her. She needs us, now more than ever before. What sort of friends would we be if we just let her suffer on her own?" Rarity asked.
"She right girls. We can't just leave Dashie to be all mopey wopey on her own." Pinkie bounced.
With a unanimous nod, the five friends set off towards Rainbow house.
Eventually, the five girls made their way to Rainbows house, picking up Spike from the library on the way. Upon setting down in their balloon, Twilight’s horn began to glow, encompassing the group in an aura of magic. Eventually, it faded out, and her friends looked at Twilight for an explanation.
"Oh, sorry girls. The spell was the same one I used when we went to Cloudsdale that first time. We should be able to walk these clouds now." She said with a smile.
"Well. I think that'll be a might useful here. Come on y'all, let’s go cheer RD up."
"Yeah. I knew we had to cheer her up, so I brought some streamers, and balloons, and all my party supplies." Pinkie beamed, jumping down onto the cloud.
"Wait. We just came here from the library. How did you get the...you know what, don't bother explaining it." Spike said.
"Oh silly, you know I have supplies stashed all over Ponyville in case of emergencies. And this is most definitely an emergency. I've never seen somepony so mopey wopey like that, so I made sure to bring extra supplies to make this the best party EVER!"
"Only Pinkie." Rarity said with a smile, before turning to Twilight. "You know darling, this is the first time I've been on clouds without my beautiful wings. It's a strange feeling isn't it?
With a smile, the six friends walked towards the door, and for the first time, could hear sobbing from inside. With a grim expression, Twilight walked forward and knocked at the door, instantly stopping the crying from inside.
"Go away!" She shouted, sounding like she was still holding back sobs. "There's nopony here but a...monster." She sobbed.
"Rainbow darling, please. Nopony meant those things they said." Rarity said desperately.
"Then why did they?!" She yelled, before descending back into a sobbing fit.
The six friends looked at each other, not sure how to proceed from this. Slowly, Fluttershy walked towards the door.
"Rainbow? Please. It’s us, your friends. Just let us talk to you please." She said softly, prompting the crying to stop again.
Slowly, the sound of a lock clicking was heard, and eventually, the door was pulled open slightly, revealing Rainbows head. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her entire face was dripping from the amount of tears on it.
"H-hey guys." She said shakily, not opening the door any further.
"Rainbow darling. We need to talk to you properly. Can we maybe, come in?"
"I need to be alone right now, please." She slowly began to close the door, but a hoof stopped it and pried it back open.
"Now wait a minute there RD. We came up here to help ya, and I ain't leaving until you’re out of there or we're in there with y'all, so ya might as well open up."
"Fine. Just, make it quick." She said eventually, opening the door and allowing the others in.
The six friends edged past Rainbow and stood in her front room, which seemed to have the entire contents of the house spread out across the floor.
"Interesting, uhm, organisation system Rainbow." Twilight began hesitantly, looking at the floor, looking queasy at the sight of the ruined books.
"You didn't come here for small chat." Rainbow said, walking back over to the pile of stuff on the floor. "You know the thought of this place was one of my reasons to want to come back? I mean after seeing you girls, and spike, this was what I wanted to see. Just lie down on my bed, maybe read some new daring do books, and see the ponies around town who I thought were my friends. And them when I get back, they call me a monster. Me. The Rainbow Dash. The fastest flier in all of Equestria. And they just turned on me like an animal. There's nothing left for me here."
"How can ya say that RD? We're all here for you. We always will, no matter what y'all look like."
"And what's that supposed to mean?!" Rainbow shouted suddenly. "What I look like?! Everything you see on me is because I tried to get back here. I could have just sat on the sidelines and not fought, but I did, to try and get back here. And now that I have, I think maybe I shouldn't have bothered."
The five ponies, and one dragon, stared in disbelief at the cyan mare.
"Rainbow Dash? How can you say that? We do care about you, and Applejack didn't mean anything bad against you." Twilight said in disbelief.
"I can say that because I believe it." She stated plainly. "I don't want to, but I'm not going to pretty it up any more than it needs to be. In my experience, it just makes things worse."
"And what else does your experience tell you Rainbow?" Spike asked gingerly. He hasn't been told exactly what had happened, but from looking at the Pegasus mare In front of him, he had a relatively good idea of the sort of things that had happened over the last two years.
"When people attack or move against you, you either kill them or get out of there until you can talk some more. So that's what I'm going to do." She said, her voice wavering and sounding hollow.
"How can you say that? The real element of Loyalty would never say that." Rarity exclaimed.
"It's hard to stay loyal when ponies fear you." She said bluntly. "I'd like you to leave now. I've got to pack."
With that, she began to walk out of the room. Twilight walked over to her, and laid a hoof across her back, shuddering at the cold touch of the thing that was her wing.
"Rainbow, we..." She began.
"I. Said. Out!" She snarled, pushing the hoof from her back.
With that, she walked out of the room, tears running down her muzzle.
"G-guys. What just happened?" Spike asked
"Rainbow's just suffering. Give her some air. But we've all got to be ready to help her at a moment’s notice. Agreed?" Twilight asked the group, who responded with a solemn nod.
"But, I didn't even get to throw her a 'welcome back to Ponyville' party." Pinkie said sadly, as Applejack shunted her out of the room.
"Come on y'all, ya heard Twilight. She never let us fall apart before, and she sure won't now. If she says ta leave Rainbow for a while, then we got ta trust her."
***
Lyra sat alone in her house, the lights were off, and she had tears on her muzzle.
"That can’t have been Rainbow, could it? No. It’s just a monster trying to take advantage of our grief. I’ll prove them all wrong, just like with humans." She whispered quietly to herself.
She was shaken out of inner monologue by a loud roar from outside. Giving a yelp, she jumped up, and ran outside, looking around for anything odd. From the look on the other residents of Ponyville faces, they had had the same idea. The ground shook again, and another roar was heard, clearly coming from the direction of the Everfree forest.
With a eep, she felt another shook through the ground, and unceremoniously felt herself flying through the air, before getting much more acquainted with the floor then she would have wanted.
***
Rainbow stood in front of a mirror in her house, taking one last look at herself before she was going to leave. She had donned her armour again, minus the helmet strapped to her side, and was once again looking ready for anything. She didn't want to leave, not her home, and definitely not her friends, but everything she had learnt with the Eldar had taught her not to outstay her welcome. Then again, she had also learnt that a lot of situations could eventually be diffused through words. She hoped that someday she would be able to come back and reconcile with the rest of Ponyville, but it wasn't going to be anytime soon.
With a sigh, she slipped on her saddlebags and walked to the door, bolting it closed behind her. She was about to take flight suddenly, when she heard a roar from below. Dropping her saddlebags, she instantly began to scan the surrounding area. Almost instantly, she caught sight of the trees in the distance swaying, as if something, or perhaps more than one thing, were moving towards Ponyville.
Instantly, she took off, all thoughts of leaving banished for the time being. Regardless of the reactions the rest of Ponyville had at the sight of her, she didn't want to see any of them suffer.
Swooping over the forest, she readied her weapon, scanning the area for threats. Unfortunately, she found more than one.
Running out of the Everfree forest was a huge pack of Manticores, at least fifteen strong, running towards Ponyville.
"Well, this day just keeps getting better." She sighed, donning her helmet.
With a flap of her wings, she turned around and flew back to Ponyville, closing the distance in mere seconds, as she flew over, she shouted out to those below, her helmet amplifying her voice to rival even that of the Royal Canterlot Voice.
"GET INSIDE. MANTICORES ARE POURING OUT OF THE EVERFREE FOREST. STAY SAFE."
With her message delivered, Rainbow once again banked around, aiming herself at the oncoming Manticores. With a final flap of her wings, she propelled herself downwards towards them. As she did, tiny discs erupted from a small container on her legs and descended into the pack.
As soon as they landed, they exploded, bathing the fields outside of Ponyville in a bright blue light for a fraction of a second, before the plasma dispersed, revealing the damage done. At least three creatures had fallen, and weren't going to be getting up anytime soon, while a few more had been caught in the edge of the blast, and were now nursing various injuries. The majority however were unscathed, and were now enraged at the shape falling towards them.
Flaring her wings, Rainbow slowed her descent to a standstill almost instantly, and with the sort of precision that could only be gained by surviving hard combat, brought her rifle up and aimed at one of the lead Manticores head. Pulling the trigger, she unleashed a stream of red light at the creature, burning straight through its head and killing it almost instantly. Calmly, she aimed at another one, flying backwards while doing so to keep in front of the remainder of the pack.
Five creatures later, and Rainbow had to break off, lest she fly into one of the buildings in Ponyville when she wasn't looking. Looping round, she flew back over the pack, releasing her last cluster of grenades loaded in her armours storage into the rear of the pack. Due to the way they had dispersed now, the effect was nowhere near as impressive, only managing to wound one creature. It howled in pain and fell to the floor. Rainbow had seen enough injuries from her weapons to know it wouldn't survive, and casually fired a shot off, striking and killing it in just a fraction of a second.
Glancing at the top of her helmet runes, she cursed silently, seeing she only had two shots remaining in her las-blaster, and confirming her fear that she had depleted her grenade reserves. Two shots in her rifle, no power packs on her, no grenades, a sword. That was all she had to kill the remaining six Manticores, which were about to enter Ponyville proper.
She couldn't allow that.
With a snarl, she snapped her wings to her side, aiming her now free falling body at one of the Manticores. Just before she landed, she let out a screech, causing it to look up. The last thing it ever saw was a pair of hooves rushing towards its face, before said hooves impacted, smashing its head to mush and spraying the surrounding area with blood. Wasting no time, she hit the floor, rolling to get rid of her momentum, before bringing her rifle up and firing a shot into another Manticore.
"Buck!" She shouted, watching as the creature moved slightly, causing the shot to go wide, and impacting with its tail as opposed to its head. She cursed again as she used her last shot to finish it off, ending its rampage for good. With practiced ease, she slipped the rifle onto her back, sophisticated technology, which she still didn't understand, holding it in place as she drew her sword from her side. With a familiar motion, she flicked the rune, turning on the power field, and surrounding the blade in a corona of crackling alone its length.
Now firmly within the bounds of Ponyville, Rainbow could clearly make out the faces of the ponies in the buildings, filled with fear, but still pressed against the glass, watching her every move.
Dismissing the eyes upon her, she charged at one of the Manticores, which was prowling around the streets looking for, well Rainbow didn't know what, but it was looking for something. Without uttering a sound, she leaped into the air, flying towards the Manticore; she landed on its back, and with one fluid motion, plunged the crackling sword into the base of the Manticores neck. The creature fell like a sack of rocks, not even uttering a sound as its life was ended prematurely.
Leaping off the corpse, Rainbow ran towards the other creature, which had seen her and was running towards her. As it approached, it swung its paw at Rainbow, an attack she easily ducked under, twisting under it and brining her sword up into its chest, the power field surrounding her weapon cutting through its flesh with ease. The Manticore roared again, trying to hit her away again. This time it succeeded in hitting her away, but not before she slashed her sword across its neck. Soaking the ground with blood.
Rainbow skidded across the floor; her armour had easily absorbed the force of the blow, and had just left her slightly winded. She shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if it had been some other pony in her place.
Pushing the thought from her mind, Rainbow scanned the area for the last remaining Manticore. When she saw it, her blood ran cold. The last Manticore was bigger than any of the others she had faced that day; maybe it was the Alpha of the pack. It wasn't its size that scared Rainbow however, she had killed creatures larger and better armed, but it was slowly circling a familiar mare.
The sea foam green form of Lyra was cowering under a bench, as the Manticore slowly paced around it, savouring what it thought would be an easy kill. She was about to prove it wrong.
"What are you doing here monster!?" Lyra shouted frantically.
"STAY DOWN LYRA." She commanded, turning her helmets speakers back on, before removing her helmet. It was all well and good wearing it while she was shooting, but one on one? She fought better without it.
The Manticore instantly whirled around, fixing its pitch black eyes on Rainbow. Slowly, the pair began to circle each other, the creature snarling at Rainbow, who returned it with a low growl of her own. Dropping her sword low, she sprang forward, and at the same time, the Manticore lunged at her.
The pair collided, her sword missing the Manticore by mere inches, while its claws snagged the base if her sword, ripping into the delicate workings housed within, shorting out the sword as the power pack was pulled from it, skittering across the floor.
"Oh come on!" she yelled
Landing heavily, she felt the Manticores wing slam into her, knocking her thought the bench, narrowly avoiding Lyra as she flew passed.
Righting herself, she turned to face the Manticore, and was just in time to see it jumping towards her. Bringing her sword up, she caught the beast’s claws on the blade, cutting deep into them, and causing the creature to cry out in pain. Wrenching the sword from its claws, Rainbow narrowly avoided a swipe from its other paw. Taking advantage of its momentary loss of balance, she leaped forward, jamming the sword into its neck. This time however, she wasn't assisted by the power field, and instead if sliding through bone and muscle easily, it got stuck, and enraged the creature even more.
Shaking violently, Rainbow was thrown off its back, losing her grip on the sword as she did so. Now finding herself weaponless, Rainbow turned and stood defiantly against the creature. Assuming her defenceless, the creature let out a sound that Rainbow assumed to be a laugh. Once again, it lunged at her, but this time, Rainbow had a different idea in mind.
Flapping her wings, she took to the air, leaving nothing but a blur behind her. The creature landed and looked around, confused as to where its prey had gone. Rainbow however, didn't wait for it to look up. Plunging downwards, she dived at the creature, aiming her rear hooves, and more specifically, her right hoof at the sword, she landed hard on the sword still lodged in the creature. Her momentum, coupled with her weight, forced the sword deep into the creature, severing its spinal cord, not quite killing it, but stopping it for being a threat any longer. As the creature fell though, it's paw slammed into Rainbows side, sending her bouncing across the stone floor, skidding to a halt after sliding on her face for ten meters.
The creature fell, its breath now coming in ragged and short bursts. Slowly, Rainbow pulled herself up, and limped over to the creature, pulling her sword out of the Manticore, causing it to shudder slightly, and causing a whimper to escape from its lips. She walked over to the power core that had been ripped from her sword earlier, and easily reinserted it, causing the blade to crackle into life again.
"Rainbow? What are you doing?" Lyra asked, emerging for her behind a bush.
"Easing its passing. It's in pain. There's only one painkiller that I have that can help it."
"Then give it that!" The sea foam mare yelled frantically.
"I am." She said bluntly, before plunging her sword into the Manticore. Putting it out of its misery once and for all.
"What did you do?!" Lyra yelled, running over to the dead Manticore.
"I spared it a long death. It may have attacked us, but it didn't deserve to suffer more than necessary."
The lull in fighting eventually drew the rest of the ponies out of their houses. They slowly walked over, making sure they didn't get to close to any of the corpses strewn around the place, or to Rainbow, who was covered in the blood of the Manticores.
"Monster!" Yelled one pony.
"Freak!" Yelled another.
"What? But I, I..." she began, but was cut off by a rock being thrown at her head.
"We don't want you here!" A third pony shouted, drawing shouts of agreement from the gather crowd.
"But, I..." She began, before she resigned herself to reality again. A drop of blood ran across her eye, mixing with the salty tear brewing in her eye.
"Hold it right there!" Shouted a familiar voice, cutting through the crowd. The familiar form of Applejack, flanked by Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy, forced their way to the front of the crowd.
"Rainbow may have acted a bit more, violently, than we are used to in Equestria, but she did it to protect us." Rarity shouted over the din.
"That's right. And you all just treated her like a monster for saving your lives." Twilight added.
"Umm...I may not know much about combat, but ummm, the Manticores were acting violently. When there's just one I may have been able to talk it down, but with that many..." She trailed off, suddenly aware of all the eyes on her, and with an 'eep' she hid behind her mane.
The crowd became silent, starring at the five friends who were even now placing themselves between Rainbow and the crowd.
"You meany weeny ponies need to all turn your frowns upside down. Rainbow just helped the only way she could."
At this, the crowd began to murmur between themselves, things such as 'maybe we were wrong', or 'I still don't buy it'.
"Citizens of Ponyville. Do not fear, we are here to save the town. Stay down and it will all be over." Came a voice from over the town.
Collectively, the entire town looked up, just in time to see four Pegasi swoop over the town, banking hard, before landing in the town centre.
"Never fear. The Wonderbolts are..." Spitfire started, before looking around at the dead Manticores. "...here." She finished weakly.
"What happened here?" Soarin' asked, looking at the crowd.
"Rainbow Dash happened." Twilight said, moving to the side, revealing the blood stained figure of Rainbow Dash.
"Wait. Rainbow Dash?!" Shouted a voice which Rainbow was sure she recognised.
Pushing her way to the front of the group, a green Pegasus mare made her way in front of Rainbow.
"So it was you?" Lightening Dust said, scowling at Rainbow. "You finally decided to come back have you? What, did you get bored hiding your failure of a face away from real Pegasus?"
"Lightening Dust." Rainbow scowled. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, didn't they tell you? I got into the Wonderbolts, you know, your lifelong dream that I'm now living? Seems like I'll always be the leader and you can just be stuck as the wingpony. Wait, can you hear that sound? That's the sound of your mind snapping." She sneered.
"You're a bit late for that don't you think? What, you think after two years lost in space, I'll still have a mind that can be snapped by you? You're pathetic."
"Whoa whoa whoa. So it was you at the memorial display?" Spitfire asked.
"Well yeah. Who else did you know who has a Rainbow mane?"
"True. I'm glad you’re safe though. Nopony on the team forgot you. Well, most of the team cared about what happened." She glared at Lightning Dust, before whispering so only Rainbow could hear. "If you want the truth, nopony wanted her on the team, but she in theory won the competition."
"What do you mean 'in theory'?" Rainbow asked, in the same quiet voice Spitfire had used.
"Everypony else was good, but you and Lightning Dust were just above and beyond them. And considering the fact that you disappeared..." She trailed off.
Eventually, the pair separated and moved back to their respective groups, before Spitfire addressed the crowd again.
"Ponies of Ponyville. It appears the danger has passed, we are sorry for the inconvenience."
As the four ponies prepared to take off, Lyra forced her way to the front again.
"WAIT! How can you leave? The monster's still here!"
Instantly, the Wonderbolts were back in position, scanning the area for threats. When they couldn't find any, Soarin' turned back to Lyra.
"I'm sorry miss, but, where?"
"Are you blind?!" She shouted, drawing a glare from Fleethoof, "She's right there!" She yelled, pointing her hoof at Rainbow.
"What? Rainbow Dash? Since when's she a monster?"
"Don't tell me she's brainwashed you too?" She sobbed frantically, before throwing herself at Spitfires' hooves. "Please, just look at her. Rainbow would never shave her mane like that, and underneath the armour she looks weird. It's not her. Please, believe me."
"Ma’am, I realise that this is difficult for you to believe, but that mare right there, who just saved all your lives by the looks of things, is the living, breathing Rainbow Dash."
"No. She’s not." She wailed.
"Fine. I'll prove to you that it's Rainbow Dash." She sighed, turning to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow. When you came to the Wonderbolts academy, what did I say when you told me your team had finished clearing the sky?"
"That's an academy record." Rainbow smiled.
"Exactly. And the conviction you showed there proved you to be a leader." She said the last bit while glaring pointedly at Lightning Dust, before turning back to Lyra. "Does that prove my point ma’am? Rainbow Dash was the only one who came and saw me after that display, so no-one else would know that. It's not as if anypony watched that scene or something. Ergo, this Rainbow maned Pegasus mare is Rainbow Dash, and you will give her the respect she deserves. Do you get me?!" She shouted the last bit, causing Lyra to cry out and shrink back.
"Y-yes ma’am." She said shakily.
"Now that's over, WONDERBOLTS! Prepare to move out. Oh and Rainbow, I'd like to talk to you alone at some point. Come see me in Canterlot in a few days. That is if you feel up to it that is?"
"I'll be there ma’am, don't worry about that."
"Good. Let’s move 'em out ponies." She shouted, taking flight and being followed by Soarin' and Fleethoof. Lightning Dust flared her wings, preparing to take off, but before she went, she had one more thing to say.
"See ya round wingpony." She sneered, before taking flight after the rest of the team.
A few minutes of silence followed, before Vinyl Scratch walked towards Rainbow. When she was within a few yards of her she stopped.
"Rainbow, I-I'm sorry 'bout what I did back there. And I know everypony else is as well. It's just, you disappeared ya know. You just vanished two years ago, the same Rainbow Dash we all knew for years before that, then you come back all, different. I'm not sayin' what we did was right, but it was just a bit of a shock. Really what I'm tryin' to say is, I'm sorry. We all are." She stuck her hoof out as she said the last sentence, and gently, Rainbow bumped her against it.
"Sure Vinyl. I forgive you. That goes for all the ponies here." She raised her voice. "Even you Lyra."
Slowly, the crowd began to disperse, and Rainbows friends began to walk back over to her. They would have reached her, if she hadn't been tackled by an orange blur before they got to her.
"Rainbow Dash!" The orange Pegasus beamed. "I knew you'd be back. The others all said it wasn't you, and they wouldn't let me come and talk to you, but I knew it was you, and now your back and-and." She began hyperventilating from her excitement.
"Hey Scoots." Rainbow chuckled. "How's the crusading going?"
"Oh that? We still do it. But it's just fun now." She said proudly, turning and showing Rainbow her flank.
On it rested a picture of a wheel, probably from her scooter, leaving a trail of fire behind it, and resting over a chequered flag.
"All right Scoots!" Rainbow cheered, lifting the Pegasus into the air. "My number one fan got her cutie mark in racing as well! Hey, what do you say to a race? I'll fly, and you can try to keep up."
To say Scootaloo was happy, was like saying that the Tyranids were slightly frustrating.
Setting the now bouncing mare down on the floor, Rainbow began to fly off, passing her friends by.
"I'll catch up with you guys later. Right now I've got to go see what my number one fans been getting up to for the last two years."
Her friends all smiled and waved as she flew off, trotting after her so they could watch. Another orange blur blew past them, as Scootaloo sped past on her scooter, eager to spend some time with her idol.
A.N. Two things.
Firstly, I got an editor to try and make my fumbling attempts at a narrative make sense, so a massive thanks to SpacelordVen.
Secondly, I've got some ideas about what to do, but I just want to get a general consensus going here. At some point I'm probably going to have Imperial Guard, Space Marines and the Chaos Legions. My question is which characters you would like to see leading them/in them? Currently I'm thinking about having General Sturnn from Winter Assault or Vance Stubbs from soulstorm, Eliphas and the black legion or Honsou and the Iron Warriors. Not sure who I'm going to have from the Space Marines, but it will probably be from one of the first founding chapters.
Much later, Rainbow, Scootaloo and the rest of Rainbows friends walked back into Ponyville together.
"Not bad scoots. Maybe one day I'll have to watch myself."
"You got that right Rainbow." Beamed the Pegasus. "Although, you are flying and I'm on the ground, so it’s slightly unfair."
"Yeah, I was meaning to ask you about that. Can you fly? Or do you just prefer your scooter?" Rainbow asked, and immediately regretted it as Scootaloos’ face dropped.
"I. Can't fly." She said glumly. "Apparently I've got some disease that affected me in ute-rion or something."
"In utero. It means before you were born." Twilight instantly said, before suddenly looking appalled by what she had said.
"Don't be sad Scoots." Rainbow said, putting her wing around Scootaloo, "I may be able to help you with that."
"How are y'all going ta do that RD?" Asked Applejack from the back of the group.
"By cheating." Rainbow grinned back. "Gimme ten minutes, then come meet me at the town hall." And with that, she took off, leaving a Rainbow trail behind her.
"What do you suppose that was all about?" Asked Rarity.
"I don't know, but I've got to be there in ten. Will you guys come with me?" Asked Scootaloo, giving the group the patented CMC puppy dog eyes.
Needless to say, nopony there could say no. Not that they would have anyway, but the look Scootaloo gave them just sealed the deal.
***
Ten minutes later.
***
Exactly Ten minutes later , Rainbows five friends, as well as all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who were just as eager as Scootaloo was to see what Rainbow had in store for them, approached the town hall.
As they reached the centre of town, they could see Rainbow Dash waiting for them, holding a strange object in her hoof, and grinning widely. Almost immediately, the familiar orange blur shot from the group and collided with Rainbow.
"What’s it? Huh? Huh? What, what what?" Shouted the little filly, trying hard to contain her joy.
"Easy there Scoots. If you could just get off me for a sec I could show you."
Reluctantly, Scootaloo moved, and allowed Rainbow to get back up, brushing bits of cloud off of her armour as she did so. Holding up the object she was holding so everypony could see it properly, she started to explain her idea.
"There are a group of aspect warriors used by the Eldar who use things like this to be able to beat gravity. Usually, they need big metallic wings that use vibrating plates of Wraithbone to actually give them propulsion, but obviously, some species don't need them."
Most of the group looked a little shocked by the eloquence of the speech Rainbow gave. The two exceptions were Twilight, who was positively drooling at the idea of new alien technology, and Scootaloo, who was looking at Rainbow with a strange expression.
"You mean, with that thing, I would be able to, fly?" She asked hesitantly.
"I'm not saying you'd be able to fly." She replied, before quickly continuing as she saw her fans face drop, "I'm saying you'd be able to soar."
Rainbow reached forward, and gently moved the little filly in front of her. Slowly extending Scootaloo’s wings, she reached down and placed the device in the gap on her back where the wing bones joined her spine, before taking the four straps and wrapping them around the filly, securing the device in place.
"Is it. Is it done?" Scootaloo asked excitedly.
"Almost squirt, just one...more...thing." She said, slowly flicking a switch on the device. Immediately, there was a low hum, and Scootaloo could feel the device move ever so slightly on her back, before the hum stopped again, leaving the entire group in silence. Eventually, Sweetie Belle spoke up.
"Did it work?" She squeaked, looking expectantly at Scootaloo, who in turn looked at Rainbow.
"We'll don't look at me squirt, it's your wings it's attached to." She said with a broad smile.
Cautiously, Scootaloo began to flap her wings. She tried harder than she ever had before, scrunching up her face and squeezing her eyes shut in concentration. After only a few seconds, she heard a gasp from the group, and opened her eyes.
What greeted them was one of the greatest sights she had seen in her life.
The ground was almost seven meters away from her, and the distance was growing even now, her tiny wings were beating so fast that they were a blur. Eventually, Rainbow flew upwards, and gently began to nudge the filly down to the ground. At least that's what she was trying to do. What actually happened was more along the lines of Rainbow missing and Scootaloo flying off into the distance, whooping with joy as she did so, and leaving a faint orange trail behind her.
"Hey, Scootaloo, wait for us." Shouted Applebloom, as her and Sweetie Belle ran from the group, and followed the trail if the last Crusader.
Rainbow watched the pair go, and sighed, dropping back down to the ground and walking over to the rest of her friends.
"That was a good thing you did there Rainbow." Rarity smiled. "And to think, I'm supposed to be the generous one here."
"Ah don't think I ever saw that filly so excited. Not even when she got her cutie mark."
"I couldn't just leave her flightless." Rainbow smiled at her friends. "I mean, I could rebuild her confidence easily. I had the technology."
"But if you didn’t need that to fly, how come you had one in the first place?" Twilight asked.
"Oh I need it all right, this armour may be light, but not that light. Nah, every suit has a couple of backups in case the main one fails mid-flight."
"You mean you have more?!" Twilight shouted, jumping up and down with joy. "Can I get one?"
"You could, but I kinda need this one or I don't have one. I don't think you could study it either, its pretty advanced compared to anything here."
Twilight looked crestfallen, but before she could say anything, Fluttershy spoke up.
"So, are you going to tell us more about what happened?"
"I could, but I think the princesses deserve to hear it. It will have to wait until we're back in Canterlot. Besides, I need to see Spitfire anyway."
With that, the group began to walk towards the train station, and were soon on their way to Canterlot.
***
Eventually, the train pulled into Canterlot, and the six ponies, and one dragon, disembarked. As they stepped onto the platform, they were greeted by a contingent of Royal Guard.
"Ms. Dash and accompanying friends?" The lead guard asked.
"That's right. Where's Shining Armour? The Princesses said he would be greeting us." Rainbow said
"He was unexpectedly called away. Now please, if you could follow us, we will escort you to the castle."
With that, the group of guards turned around, and began to march perfectly in step towards the castle, forming a rough square around the girls, and shielding them from the views of other ponies.
"Pfft. Imperial posers." Rainbow muttered to herself.
Eventually, they reached the castle, and the guards filed off as the seven friends entered. Standing just inside, were Princesses Celestia and Luna.
"Rainbow. I trust you found your stay in Ponyville, refreshing." Celestia asked.
"Are you joking?" Rainbow asked, looking at Celestia’s blank stare, she assumed she wasn't. "A pack of Manticores attacked...How did you not hear about that?"
"Manticores?! Tia, we must go at once."
"Princesses...the Manticores are gone." Twilight said slowly.
"Ah. I should have expected as much from the Elements if Harmony." Celestia nodded.
"Not all the Elements. Just Rainbow." Pinkie said proudly.
"What?" Luna asked incredulously.
"I'm sure the Wonderbolts will fill you in princess." Rainbow smiled.
"Right you are. Follow us, and we will get away from prying ears." Celestia said, turning and leading the group down the corridor.
Eventually, the group reached the room they had been in a couple of days ago, and began to make themselves comfortable.
"Well Rainbow Dash, I believe you were telling us a story before." Luna smiled.
"Yes. And it's not finished yet."
***
The 41st Millennium. Somewhere in the Galactic west.
***
Rainbow awoke from her nightmare ridden sleep, a clammy sheen of water clinging to her body, and sticking the sheet she was lying on to her body. Shoving the sheet away, she got up and scanned the room. Looking around, she could see that she wasn't alone, and from the bumps in the beds, there were four more figures in the room with her. Trying her hardest to not make a sound, Rainbow creeped towards the door and walked out of the room.
"What's that?" Came a voice to her left.
Looking round, Rainbow saw a couple of Eldar standing against the wall.
"I think that's the creature that we rescued from Hannibal." The other one replied. "It supposedly took out a Trygon on its own."
"You know I can understand you, right?" Rainbow asked.
"Whoa. You weren't kidding, I didn't think it could actually speak."
"We've been informed to tell you that once you and your compatriots that as soon as you are awake we are to take you before the seer council."
"No." Rainbow said simply. "I need to find Elarique."
"You mean the Eldar who lead the Exodites?" One of the Eldar asked, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but he didn't..." Rainbow cut him off.
"Don't you think I know that?!" She sobbed, collapsing at his feet. "He stepped in front of a shot meant for me, and I, I." She sobbed, before the Eldar put an arm round her.
"If he did that for you, he must have seen something worth saving. Tell me, is this why he saved you? So you could wallow in your grief?"
"No, sniff, he wanted me to get home. That's all he ever wanted me to do."
"Maybe you still can." The Eldar said cryptically.
The scene that Rainbow had made had woken the rest of the Eldar in the room, and they now all stood by Rainbows side, bleary eyed and bedraggled.
"Good. Now you're all here, we can get to the seer council." The second Eldar said, turning and leading the group towards a strange sky chariot type thing, although this one wasn't pulled by Pegasus.
The group piled into the vehicle, and almost immediately it took off, speeding through the spires of the city they were in. At least, Rainbow thought she was in a city. That thought was dashed when she actually took a glance upwards.
Instead of the sky that Rainbow had expected, and hoped, to see stretching out above her, she was greeted by a vast expanse of nothingness. A vast sea of black stretching as far as her eyes could see. Perforating the endless void were twinkling stars, shining constellations and other celestial objects that Luna would have been proud of if she had been here.
Rainbow was engrossed in the spectacle that she saw above her, she didn't notice that the sky chariot she had been had stopped until she was poked by one of the Eldar, breaking her out of her trance.
"Rainbow? Let’s go. Apparently their seer councils want to see us."
Following the rest of the Eldar, Rainbow exited the vehicle and walked down a small, tight corridor. Eventually they emerged into a cavernous room, and stopped, Rainbow standing behind the rest if the group. In the middle of the room were four Eldar, all of whom looked down at the group.
"Seer council. We have brought the survivors from Hannibal as you commanded." Spoke one of the craftworlders.
"Then you are dismissed." One of the seers spoke.
The two craftworld Eldar bowed slightly, before turning and exiting the way they had come in, leaving the remaining Exodites and Rainbow alone with the seers.
"So. This is all that remains of a once great Exodite world. It saddens my heart to know that it has fallen." The same seer spoke.
"And what of our own men? Surely some of our Wind Host helped you escape the planet?" Another seer asked.
"Your Wind Host was slaughtered in a single battle." Spat Egarion.
"Pardon? I must have mistaken what you said." The third seer said. "A single battle? Are you sure? Ren'lof was one of our most experienced Autarchs’.
"Well it didn't do him much good against a bio-Titan." Aranel muttered.
The council chamber was silent. The seers were all looking at each other intently. Rainbow leaned over to Aranel and asked him what they were doing.
"I think it's some kind of psychic communication. Whatever their saying, they don't want us to hear."
Eventually, the seers stopped their silent conversation and turned back to the group.
"Exodites of Hannibal. We have decided among ourselves that, if you so wish, you can stay on Saim-Hann. Failing this, you can travel to another world and live there. The decision is up to you."
The four Eldar looked at each other, while Rainbow simply looked around at the room they were standing in in awe. Not looking where she was going, she wondered out from behind the Exodites, who were still discussing their options, and straight into the eye line of the seers.
"So. It is true? The last member of your group is another creature. An unknown one at that. Tell me creature. Where do you hail from." One of the seer council asked.
"Equestria." Rainbow said simply.
"And what was your purpose in coming to Hannibal and Saim-Hann?" Another asked.
"What?" Rainbow asked, caught off guard by the question. "I didn't exactly choose to come here. It just happened."
"And yet, fate has brought you here for a reason. You were, and are, intertwined with the lives of those few Eldar who survived on Hannibal, but looking into the future, I see only darkness." One seer said.
"She casts a shadow in the warp. She has been touched by she who thirsts. She will bring the wrath of Slaanesh down upon us if we do not act." Another proclaimed.
"I do not believe that this creature, this pony, is in the service of the ruinous powers. I do not believe that she intends us harm." The third seer spoke.
"Of course I don't. Why would I want to hurt any Eldar?" Rainbow asked incrediously.
"You are not Eldar, therefore you represent a threat. It is we who will deem if you are a threat to our species, not you." The final Eldar spoke.
Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, but the first seer cut her off.
"Words will not help here. To gauge your true worth, we must delve deeper. Will you surrender your mind to our investigation? If you are found free of taint, you will be released with your Exodite companions. If you are found to be in the service of she who thirsts however, you will be expunged from Saim-Hann immediately."
Rainbow thought for a moment, before steeling her mind and giving her reply.
"Go ahead. I've got nothing to hide. I don't know what a 'shadow in the warp' is, or who 'She who thirsts is', but if you won't believe words, then you can find out your own way."
As one, the seer council stepped forward, descending from the pedestal they had been standing on, until they were all directly in front of Rainbow.
"Try to relax. Let go of the threads that bind you to your physical form." The first seer whispered, her eyes phasing out.
"Every action we take will send ripples through the universe." The second seer spoke.
"Every idea must touch another to truly begin." The third seer intoned, closing his eyes.
"We are all connected through Asuryans' Devine grace. Let go of yourself Rainbow Dash." The final seer spoke.
At this, all the Eldar eyes closed, before flying open, as they spoke as one.
"Open your mind, and see the universe."
Rainbow instantly felt herself slip into her own mind, slowly delving into a black void within her own head.
***
Eventually, Rainbow found herself floating in an empty void in her own head. As she looked around, she saw a shimmer in the air, which eventually materialised into a familiar shape.
An orange, Stetson wearing, familiar shape.
"Applejack!" Rainbow shouted, running towards her friend and swooping her up in a hug. "What are you doing here?"
"Why are you here?" She asked back.
"What? What do you mean?" Rainbow asked, stepping back from 'Applejack'.
"Why are you here?" She repeated, advancing towards Rainbow.
"I don't know. I just appeared. Now answer me. Who are you?!" She shouted, backing away.
"Lie!" 'Applejack' shouted. "Why are you on the craftworld?!" She shouted, preparing to run towards Rainbow.
"I. Don't know!" She screamed, as Applejack jumped at Rainbow, pinning her to the ground, and beginning to shimmer.
"Lie!" The illusion screamed again, slowly turning purple, and slowly shifting into an illusion resembling Twilight instead. "What do you want?" She asked Rainbow, placing her horn against Rainbows forehead.
Instantly, Rainbow felt her head burning under the touch of the horn, in a stark contrast to the warm sensation that Twilights horn had brought when she had saved Rainbow from Discords influence. She also felt thoughts that were buried deep within her own mind being pulled to the fore front of her head, being sucked towards the burning epicentre that the 'not Twilights' horn was creating.
"I..want...to...get...home." Rainbow gasped, screwing up her face from the pain the horn was causing her.
Once again, the form of Twilight shimmered, reforming into the less familiar form of one of the seers from Saim-Hann. The seer’s hand, that was currently placed on Rainbow forehead, and was the source of the burning sensation, was slowly withdrawn, taking the pain with it. With a small nod, the Eldar disappeared, and Rainbow felt herself being pulled back to reality.
***
Rainbow fell to the floor, losing her balance and ending up landing on her flank. Opening her mouth, she spewed up everything she had eaten in the last few days, covering the gleaming council chamber in foul smelling vomit, and drawing withering gazes from the Eldar in the room.
"Uhhhh. What. Was that?" She gasped from the floor.
"You are clean." Said one of the seers, walking back to the pedestal with his fellows. Once they reached it, they turned and addressed the group again.
"Rainbow Dash. Pegasus of Equestria. We have decreed that you are not in the service of She who Thirsts, or any of the ruinous powers. Furthermore, we assessed that you do not mean harm, nor will you ever intentionally bring harm, to the Eldar, both of Saim-Hann, and the species."
"We have deemed you worthy, and may follow your Exodite companions if you so wish." Said another seer.
The Exodites turned to face the council, coming out of their conversation and standing by Rainbow, who steadily rose to her hooves.
"We have made our decision, seer council of Saim-Hann." Aranel began.
"We have chosen to stay here, and assist the craftworld in any way we can." Egarion continued.
"Yeah. That and we don't want to be dropped off like human waste." Smiled Dorgolmar.
"And is this your decision as well?" The seer council asked, turning to the remaining Exodite and Rainbow.
"It is." The Exodite said simply.
"Until I can get home." Rainbow answered with conviction rife in her voice.
"So be it. I pronounce the Exodites of Hannibal, honorary members of the Saim-Hann craftworld. You are free to act as its citizens, and will be bound by the code of the cosmic serpent." The seer spoke.
"You will be free to act as you wish, and after you have passed the rite of the passage, will be able to join a wind rider family, if any will accept you." The final seer spoke.
With that, the seer council stood stock still again, as the door the group had entered through open again, admitting the two Eldar who had accompanied them before. Without a word, they gestured that the group should follow them, and ushered the group out of the council chamber.
A/N Chapter once again edited by SpacleLordVen. I'm not even going to start any more chapters for the next three weeks, so a bit of a break. Hope you enjoyed it though.
The group was escorted by the silent warriors to the steps of the Council buildings, before they smartly turned and left the group alone. Staring out at the horizon, Rainbow hot her first proper look at the Craftworld.
To say it was large was an understatement. Canterlot was large, Cloudsdale was impressive, but this, this was on a whole ‘nother scale.
As far as the eye could see were towers and spires, stretching far beyond the grasp of gravity, and weaving intricate shapes that seemed to defy any laws that governed how buildings should be able to stand up. In between the mighty spires flitted innumerable dots that could just be made out to be red in colouration, punctuated by slightly larger, and slower, crafts that reminded Rainbow of The Ishas’ Maiden, as well as the craft that she had been in when the seer council had summoned her and her friends.
Looking over at the Exodites, Rainbow saw that they were having a slightly toned back version of her own amazement.
“Haven’t you guys ever been on here before?” Rainbow asked, scratching her head in confusion, “You all seemed to know so much about this place.”
“Elarique and Talvan were some of the only Eldar on the planet who were from off world originally.” Egarion explained, tearing her eyes away from the view in front of her and looking down at Rainbow. “Both of them came from here, but gave it all up to live on Hannibal. I never questioned why they didn’t want to stay at their home, and now I’m even more confused. Giving all of this,” She gestured to the Craftworld, “up, just to live on a glorified farming planet.”
“You know why they did it.” Dorgolmar said happily, “It was ‘cause they didn’t want to leave us.”
“He left before he met idiot.” Aranel said exasperatedly.
“Oh yeah.” Dorgolmar said, sounding crest-fallen. “Well, I’m out of ideas then.”
“No surprise there.” Muttered Egarion.
“What do we do now then?” Rainbow asked.
“I don’t know what Talvan wanted, but Elarique always said that when he died, he wanted his soulstone placed in the ‘Forest of Ghosts’, whatever that is.” Aranel said.
“That’s that then.” Rainbow said, “Let’s find this ‘Forest of Ghosts and put…” She trailed off, before resuming slowly. “Put Elariques’ soul to rest.”
“You really are taking this hard, aren’t you?” Aranel asked, crouching down and looking directly into Rainbows’ eyes.
“He…he saved me. If it wasn’t for him I would have died minutes after I woke up. Then he treated me like an Eldar, not just a ‘thing’ to be looked down at. And then. And then he gave his life to protect me. I just wish it didn’t come to that.” Rainbow said, tears forming in her eyes.
“He wouldn’t have done that for just anyone.” Aranel said, pulling Rainbow into a hug, “He truly cared about you, did you know that?”
“No, *sniff*, I thought he was just nice to everyone.”
“Ha. Elarique? Sure.” Dorgolmar laughed, before being silenced by Egarion.
Sniffing some more, Rainbow eventually broke off the hug that she and Aranel had been sharing, and allowed the once-Exodite to stand back up.
“So how do we get to the Forest of Ghosts then?” Rainbow asked.
“I believe there is a transport system on the Craftworld. It will be as good a place as any to look I guess.” Aranel said, looking around, before turning back to the group. “Let’s go that way.” He pointed in a seemingly random direction.
“Why that way? And for that matter, who put you in charge?” Egarion asked.
“No one, but unless we’re just going to stand here, we might as well move. As for direction, I’ve got no idea. So we might as well walk. We’ll have to stumble across it, or someone who can tell us where it is, eventually.”
With a nod, the group began walking in the direction that Aranel had indicated. Passing by mighty statues of Eldar heroes as they descended the massive amount of stairs outside of the council chamber. Finally reaching the bottom, the group wandered through the courtyard, before catching sight of another Eldar, garbed in a simple Red tunic.
“Excuse me.” Aranel asked, walking up to the Eldar. “My friends and I were wondering if you could point us in the direction of a transport system.”
“And you are?” The Eldar asked.
“Aranel, of Hannibal. My friends, Egarion and Dorgolmar of Hannibal and Rainbow Dash of Equestria.”
“Ah yes. I heard tales that we picked up the last survivors of that world. Keep your pet on a leash or find it put down. In answer to your question, the Cross-hub shuttle is over there.” The Eldar said, pointing to the opposite side of the courtyard, before turning and stalking off.
“I almost died for the Eldar and I’m still just a pet.” Rainbow said, grinding her teeth.
“Eldar on the whole are sceptical of other species. Give them time, and prove that you are more than just another unsophisticated alien.” Egarion comforted, walking towards the area that the shuttle was.
Keeping quiet, but silently brooding about how unfair everything was, Rainbow allowed Aranel to lead her to the shuttle vault beneath the courtyard, which a small glyph identified as the Crescent of the Dawning age. As the group descended yet more stairs, they emerged onto a wide platform, which was almost completely empty, occupied by only a handful of Eldar, who all moved away from the group as if they would catch an imaginary disease. Looking at the group, Rainbow saw what was the obvious difference between her group and the Eldar on the platform.
All the other Eldar were wearing normal clothes, ranging from a long flowing black dress, to more practical looking green and red tunics. The Exodites and Rainbow on the other hand looked like they had been put through a meat grinder, which she guessed in a way they had. Each one of the group wore some type of armour, ranging from the chestplate and helmet that Rainbow wore, to the intricate greaves tha Dorgolmar wore, which still bore the ash from his flamer. In fact, if it wasn’t for the civilised surrounding that they were in, Rainbow guessed that they could quite easily be garbed for an upcoming battle.
Rainbow pushed the thoughts out of her mind as a soft hum heralded the arrival of the shuttle, pulsing from within the tunnel way from the left before it actually pulled into view, coming to a halt alongside the platform. Rainbow and the others looked in awe at the chain of sleek, bullet shaped compartments hovering un-assisted just above a central rail, before shaking their heads and moving towards the shuttle.
Finding an empty carriage, Rainbow and the rest of the group entered, and sat down inside, waiting for the shuttle to move again. They didn’t have to wait long, as the shuttle smoothly accelerated into the blue-tinted lights of the tunnel, rapidly picking up speed until the lights outside were nothing but a blur. In-spite of herself, Rainbow found that she was just waiting for the familiar explosion of colours that heralded anything that moved at these speeds, but to no avail, as the shuttle continued along un-interupted by any explosions of light.
Eventually, the group found themselves outside a set of intricate white gates, which responded to their touch by swinging open, and allowing the group entrance into the Forest of Ghosts.
The Forest itself was not what Rainbow had expected. Instead of the vast seas of green trees that Rainbow associated with the word forest, there was simply a large expanse of the same gleaming floors, punctuated by what she guessed could be called a ‘forest’ of wraithbone spires. Winding their way through the spikes of psycho-plastic, the group made their way to the center of the forest, coming into a large clearing dominated by the colossal wraithbone obelisk in its center.
As the group neared the obelisk, Rainbow felt a subtle whispering in her mind, but was unable to make anything out other than just a dim gaggle of voices in the back of her mind. When they reached the obelisk, Rainbow spotted a small alcove near the bottom and called the others over to it.
“Reckon that’s where we put the Spirit stone?” Dorgolmar asked.
“I’m guessing so. I don’t know how this works.” Aranel replied, withdrawing the glowing red stone from a pouch on his leg.
Slowly, almost reverently, Aranel placed the Spirit stone into the niche, before stepping back and returning to the group.
“Someone should say something.” Rainbow said simply, staring at what was once the very essence of her first friend in this universe.
“He wouldn’t want us to. He was never big on ceremony.” Aranel replied, bowing his head in respect.
The group stood in silence, watching sombrely as the red stone began to glow less and less, before it simply ceased to glow completely, leaving behind a dull red ruby-like stone in place of the brightly shining Spirit stone that had been placed within a moment before.
Walking over, Rainbow retrieved the stone, bringing it back over to the group.
“What do we do with this now?” She asked
“You should keep it. It’s what he would have wanted.” Egarion answered softly.
“Nonono, I couldn’t do that. I mean, I only knew him for a couple of weeks at most, you guys knew him for years.” Rainbow said quickly, thrusting the stone out for someone else to take.
“Try hundreds of years.” Dorgolmar muttered.
“Even more reason for you to take it. One of you must have been more important than me to him.” Rainbow insisted.
“Rainbow, in the ten days you were on Hannibal, I saw a different side of Elarique.” Aranel said, “In the four hundred and seventeen years I knew him, I never remember Elarique smiling, or laughing, or talking to anyone sociably other than Talvan. He always saw himself as above the rest of the Exodites on the planet.”
“Wait, you knew him for four hundred and seventeen years? How old are you guys?” Rainbow asked incredulously, the stone in her hoof momentarily forgotten.
“Five hundred and seven.” Aranel answered.
“Eight hundred and ninety five.” Egarion said softly.
“Two thousand and…something.” Dorgolmar said in an absent minded tone, causing Rainbow to look even more astonished.
“How old?” She asked, picking her jaw up from where it had crashed open.
“Two thousand and seventy I think. I honestly can’t be bothered to remember exactly.” Dorgolmar said.
“You’re the oldest?” Rainbow asked, still sounding astonished.
“Yeah. He’s older than all of us. Older than Talvan and Elarique to.” Aranel answered before Dorgolmar could open his mouth, “Although you wouldn’t guess it from how he acts.”
“So how old are you Rainbow?” Egarion asked inquisitively.
“Twenty one.” Rainbow said simply.
“Wow. That’s…young. How long do you usually live for?” Aranel asked.
“Pegasi usually live about to about one hundred, unicorns are slightly longer and Earth ponies and slightly shorter lived. I always thought that the princesses had been around for a long time.” Rainbow said.
“How long have they been around for?” Aranel asked, sounding genuinely interested.
“Well, the first records of Celestia and Luna were when they beat Discord, which was about two thousand years ago.” Rainbow answered, still acutely aware of the stone in her hoof.
“Ha. That’s nothing. Eldrad Ulthran was over ten thousand when he died.” Dorgolmar said with a laugh, “and Asdrubael Vect is even older, and he’s still alive.”
Rainbow stood completely still, her mouth hanging open as a glazed look over took her eyes.
***
Canterlot Castle
***
“Did you…did you say they were over Ten THOUSAND?!” Twilight asked incredulously.
“Yeah, trust me, I still have trouble wrapping my head around that.” Rainbow replied.
The entire group looked at the Rainbow maned mare in shock, before she opened her mouth and continued her tale.
***
Saim-Hann
***
“Dorgolmar, I think you broke her.” Aranel said, poking Rainbow and receiving no response.
“But that’s not possible. I mean, don’t stars die out before that?” Rainbow asked.
“Not really.” Aranel replied, “And why don’t you go and tell Vect that he can’t exist. I’m sure he would be most pleased to know.”
Lapsing into silence, Rainbow contemplated the fact that a creature could actually live for that long. She was suddenly snapped back to reality by a burning sensation in her hoof. Looking down at it she saw she was still holding the empty soul stone.
“If you guys knew him for that long, one of you needs to take it.”
“Rainbow. He cared about you.” Egarion said. “I’ll let you in on something. You know the tale of the fall, don’t answer I know he told you. That tale is usually a closely guarded secret to anyone outside of the Eldar. For him to have told you, he must have seen something in you that the rest of us still haven’t. What that may be, I don’t know. But I trust his judgement, even if I didn’t see eye to eye with him on everything.”
With that, Egarion stood back up and turned to the group.
“But…” Rainbow started.
“I’ll hear no more on the subject Rainbow. You will keep it safe and you will accept it, for him.” Egarion said tersely. “Now come on, we’ve got to figure out where we can fit in around here.”
The Exodites began to walk away, leaving Rainbow standing by the Obelisk, tears forming in her eyes. ‘Had he really thought that highly of her? And if he had, what could she do now that he had died to protect her?’
“I’m not coming.” She said softly, causing the Exodites to stop.
“What?” Aranel asked, coming back over to her.
“I said I’m not coming with you guys at the moment. I need some time to clear my head.”
Before anyone could stop her, she flapped her wings and took to the sky, leaving the perplexed Eldar alone in the Forest of Ghosts.
Rainbow sped through the spires of the craftworld, banking inbetween the low level arches and looping around the overhanging walkways, drawing glances from many of the Eldar who were moving about the craftworld, although they were not all disapproving, and she got the distinctive feeling that the disapproving glares that were directed her way were more to do with her species than anything else.
Despite the situation, Rainbow found herself pushing the thoughts pervading her mind further from the front, delving further into the instincts of flying. Whenever she felt down, she could always rely on the simple act of flying to at least delay when she had to deal with the problem. True, this was not always a good thing, Rainbow shuddered as she remembered that particular weather incident, but in this case it was exactly what she needed.
Turning her attention earthwards, Rainbow caught sight of a large open space, filled with the forms of Eldar sitting around various carved effigies and tables, which with her own considerable eye-sight could make out were covered with various food stuffs. Making up her mind, Rainbow snapped her wings closed and angled her muzzle towards the piazza. Closing her eyes, she felt the familiar sensation of falling, gaining speed and losing altitude at increasing speeds.
Acting purely on instincts, she waited for what felt like an eternity, before flaring her wings suddenly, and feeling the massive strain placed upon them. Snapping her eyes open, she smiled as she saw exactly how well she had judged the distance, as a split second later she touched down, bending her legs sharply as she arrested the movement she had gained.
Stretching her legs out, she arched her back, hearing a satisfying series of pops, before looking around the courtyard. Her sudden entrance into the wide piazza had drawn the attention of many of the Eldar around her, especially a group of heavily armoured Eldar who a moment before had been laughing around one of the tables, yet were now observing her with curiosity.
Turning away from their gazes, Rainbow wandered over to where a mighty statue was standing. She found herself enthralled by its beauty, its elegant curves perfectly flowing into each other and forming an entrancing figure of an Eldar warrior, a shield grasped in one hand, while in the other was clasped a mighty spear, resting on a notch in the shield as the warrior crouched low behind it.
Rainbow found herself unable to tear her eyes away from it. Something about it simply forced her to continue to stare at it. Its grandeur and beauty, nothing she had ever seen in Equestria, or even in Gryphomry, had even come close to this level of craftponies ship.
“Au-henal.” Came a voice from behind Rainbow, causing her to while around to face the source of the voice.
Behind her stood one of the armour clad warriors she had seen before, and she momentarily balked at the sight of the Eldar before her. His armour was the deep colour of a midnight sky, comprised of the same interlocking plates of wraithbone as the armour the warriors of Hannibal had worn, but on a much heavier scale. What really drew her attention however, was the helmet that adorned the head of the Eldar. The helmet was fashioned to look like a skull, its pale bleached surface worn from what looked like battle wounds. Rainbow knew instantly that the Eldar infront of her was a seasoned veteran, one who had seen and suffered more than she could ever imagine.
“Pardon?” She asked, looking at the warrior with slight apprehension.
“The statue that you find yourself enthralled by. It is a visage of Au-henal, an honourable Autarch that once walked this craftworld.”
“Once?” Rainbow asked, hoping that she would not fall prey to some trap of Eldar society that she was unaware of.
“No more. He fell almost a century ago against the forces of the foul green skins.”
“I’m…sorry.”
“Do not be. He fell in the only way such a soul could, upon the field of battle, blood on his sword and a roar on his lips.” The Eldar said, and although the helmet obscured his face, Rainbow thought that he was smiling beneath it.
“Why are you telling me this?” Rainbow asked, calming herself slightly as she became more accustomed to the grim helmet that he wore.
“You are one of the warriors of Hannibal are you not? The xenos that fought beside those who survived?”
It came out as more of a statement, rather than a question.
“And if I was?” She asked wearily.
“Then I would extend an invitation to my table, along with that of my friend, to warriors who have suffered in the defence and loss of a home, even if it was a proxy of the one they may have called their own.”
“Rainbow Dash.” She said, smiling as she offered a hoof.
“Maura. Dark Reaper of the First Night Shrine.” The Eldar said, ignoring the proffered appendage, and instead gesturing towards the table with the other Eldar warriors on it.
Rainbow followed in meek silence, trotting over to the table where the curious group of Eldar were already watching her with baited amusement as the pair walked towards them.
“Compatriots.” Maura said as he stopped by the table. “This is one of the survivors of Hannibal, the anomaly in their ranks to be precise.”
Rainbow stood awkwardly as Maura pulled an elegant chair from beneath the table and sat down, before dragging another chair out and leaving it in front of Rainbow, who stared uncertainly at the chair.
“The xenos is afraid.” grinned one of the Eldar, this one wearing light blue armour adorned with a pair of wing like structures attached to his back.
“And why would she not? We are the right hand of the bloody handed god. The avatars of Khaine.” Grinned another warrior, one sporting green armour and cradling a helmet with hair like tube sprouting from it, along with a pair of tubes that Rainbow deduced were some sort of scanning device, or perhaps weapons of some descript.
“My friends, you have failed to follow common courtesies and provide introductions to my new drinking associate.” Maura said, clapping Rainbow on the back and forcing her down onto the chair.
“But of course. Any warrior who stood beside such heroes as Elarique and Talvan is worthy of respect. Spirit is stronger than blood in regards of battle.” Maura said, before gesturing to the other Eldar around the table.
“Very well.” Said the blue armour clad Eldar. “Tar’nek, Swooping Hawk of the Temple of the Floating Assault”
“Quek. Striking scorpion of the shadowed strike shrine.” Grunted the Eldar in green armour.
“Ionth. Warp Spider of the Deadly Web shrine.” Spoke the third Eldar, this one clad in an arachnoid style of armour with an overtly large back piece.
“Fu’rage.” Spoke the final Eldar, this one festooned in bright orange armour. “Fire dragon of the burning lance shrine.”
“All of us stand as brothers, both in arms and in clan name. You stand in the presence of the honour guard of Nar’bok, head of the Nar’bok wind rider clan.” Maura said, spreading his arms widely, sloshing some of the drink in his cup over the side.
“Rainbow Dash. Pegasus of Cloudsdale.” Rainbow said, warming to the Eldar now they had begun to warm to her. “What’s a wind rider clan though?”
“Ignorant xenos.” Smiled Fu’rage. “We are all members of a clan, in one way or another. Perhaps one day, if you prove yourself to the rest of the craftworld, you may be given the honour of joining one yourself.”
“You speak of days in the future like a bloated farseer.” Quek laughed, “We should turn our gazes towards the now.”
“That is dangerous thinking. You could risk the incitement of She Who Thirsts.” Cautioned Maura, before bursting into raucous laughter and grabbing another cup of liquid, thrusting it towards Rainbow, who took hold of it gingerly.
“Drink. To future victories.” Tar’nek said, raising his own cup.
“To the fallen.” Rainbow replied sullenly, raising the cup and taking a long draft from it.
Rainbow spluttered slightly as the burning liquid flowed down her neck, but didn’t stop, draining the glass and setting it down heavily on the table.
“You’ve got competition Ionth.” Maura laughed, before turning to Rainbow. “And you’re carrying a heavy weight around with you. Dwelling on the past incites ruin upon yourself. I would not see your soul forfeit, nor would I see you put Saim-Hann at risk.”
“What are you talking about?” Rainbow asked, tensing up slightly at the statement.
“The fall of Hannibal. Your introduction to the blood of warfare, no? Do not bother to answer, I can see it in your eyes that what I say is true. You carry the losses you witnessed there in your heart, allowing them to shape your actions and control your thoughts. You must let it go if you are to move forward.”
“I can’t.” Rainbow said, turning her gaze away from Maura. “If I forget it then how will I remember their sacrifice? How will I not repeat the mistake I learnt from their? How?”
“We each have our own ways. None are more right or more wrong than another, yet we each must find our own way, you included. You must let your past refrain from controlling your future.”
“I can’t.” She growled.
“You must, or fall to ruin.” Ionth said solemnly, draining his own cup.
“I CAN’T” Rainbow screamed suddenly, and with a single almighty flap of her wings took to the air, buffeting those around her with the power of the downwards stroke.
Instantly, Tar’nek was on his feet, the mechanical wings flaring on his back, before he soared into the air, taking flight after Rainbow.
“We can’t do anything now, let us return to our drinks, and keep Tar’neks’ warm for him.” Ionth said, reaching for Tar’neks’ drink and draining it, before laughing and standing with the others.
***
Rainbow soared through the sky once again, banking sharply to avoid a large spire, before speeding off towards another part of the craftworld, eager to put distance between the aspect warriors and her.
“Going anywhere in particular?” Came a voice from behind Rainbow, causing her to turn in mid-air.
“Tar’nek? What are you doing?” She asked, turning back to concentrate on flying.
“The words my friends spoke are true.” The swooping hawk said impassively, flipping onto his back and keeping pace with Rainbow. “Your actions prove them so.”
“I’ll deal with this my own way!” Rainbow shouted, attempting to get away from the Eldar.
“Your way will bring nothing but ruin.” Tar’nek insisted.
“Then I’ll accept ruin.” Rainbow screamed, accelerating and drawing away from the warrior.
“And what of the rest of Saim-Hann?” Tar’nek said suddenly, overtaking Rainbow. “would you incite ruin for them as well? And what of the others who survived Hannibal? Their fates are now tied to that of Saim-Hann. Would you put them all at risk because of you?”
“Shut. Up.” She roared, swinging a clumsy hoof at Tar’nek.
“My words strike meaning then.” Tar’nek replied, weaving around the punch without so much as blinking.
“Leave. Me. Alone.” Rainbow screamed, swinging a hoof at Tar’nek with each passing word.
“No.” Tar’nek replied simply.
As Rainbow swung her hoof for a fifth time, Tar’nek expertly weaved around her in mid-air, coming up next to her back and wrapping his arms around her torso, clamping her wings to her side, while with his legs he restrained her now flailing hooves.
“Going down.” He muttered, as his own wings stopped vibrating and the pair plummeted towards the ground.
Rainbow screamed in rage as she desperately tried to get free of the Eldar, but Tar’nek held on tightly, refusing to give her a millimetre of movement even as the ground rushed up to meet them.
At the last moment, Tar’nek flared his wings, slowing the pair down, before he released Rainbow and allowed her to fall the last few meters to the ground.
Rainbow impacted with the floor hard, not managing to flare her own wings in time to stop her own descent. Groaning, she attempted to rise to her hooves, but felt a gentle force on her back.
“Listen to me Rainbow Dash.” Tar’nek said softly, flipping her onto her back so she was looking up at him. “I do not want to hurt you. Neither do the ruling council of Saim-Hann. They let you have almost free roam of the craftworld, something almost unheard of for xenos. Yet continue on this path, and they will see you from its boarders before you can threaten it more.”
Rainbow snarled for a moment, but then the fight went out of her eyes. Tar’nek saw this and removed his foot, offering down a hand instead.
“There now. Is this not better?” Tar’nek asked as Rainbow got to her hooves.
“How can I forget what I saw? What I felt upon Hannibal? This scar is proof of everything that I lost.” She sniffed, pointing at the ugly mass of scar tissue that cut the fur on her face into two masses.
“I cannot tell you how to get past what you have seen.” Tar’nek said, causing Rainbows gaze to lower further. “But I can take you to one who might.” He said, raising Rainbows chin to look at him.
“Who?” Rainbow asked, sounding hopeful.
“Kaliden. The Exarch of the Floating Assault shrine. My Exarch and teacher. My saviour when I walked a path similar to that you walk upon now.” Tar’nek answered, releasing Rainbows chin and flaring the wings on his back once more. “Are you coming?”
Tar’nek took to the sky, lazily flying away from Rainbow. For a split second, Rainbow paused to think about the offer, before flaring her own wings and following the swooping hawk across the craftworld.
Rainbow followed the flying form of Tar’nek through the craftworld, dodging skycars and vipers as they sped through the skies towards parts unknown. Rainbow once again felt her spirits soar as she flew next to another who shared her love of the skies.
“Come on. Let’s see what the Eldar are capable of.” Rainbow jested, drawing level with Tar’nek, before drawing ahead slightly.
“Oh, an athlete are we? Let’s see what you’re capable of then.” He laughed, before pinning his arms to his side and accelerating.
“Finally, someone who gets it.” She smiled, drawing her legs up to her body and closing on the Swooping hawk before her.
The pair began to speed up, banking around towers and spires, while skilfully ducking underneath archways and raised paths. Inch by inch, Rainbow began to close the gap between herself and Tar’nek, before finally drawing alongside him.
“Haven’t…had this much…fun in…a while.” She panted as she began to inch past the Eldar.
“And I didn’t think you’d be able to keep up.” Tar’nek grunted in reply.
“You’re looking at the fastest…Pegasus in Equestria.” Rainbow replied with a massive smile.
“You can keep up with Eldar technology. Something not many others can say.” Tar’nek began, before laughing and accelerating exponentially, darting away from Rainbow, before stopping almost two hundred meters ahead of Rainbow, and turning to face her. “But very few can match technology with bare skin.”
“Now that…was fast.” She panted as she finally caught up with Tar’nek. “That was…impressive.”
“Don’t be depressed about the outcome.” Tar’nek said comfortingly. “I have trained in the ways of flight for centuries. I trained in the ways of the bike for centuries before that as well. Flying is as second nature to me.”
“I know, but still…” Rainbow said glumly, before perking up slightly. “Come on then. You can at least show me this place that can help.”
“At some point, perhaps soon, you will curse me for opening this world to you.” Tar’nek said cryptically, before flying off with Rainbow hot on his heels.
***
Rainbow stood alone in front of the final gateway to shrine that Tar’nek had led her to. Everything that she had carried upon her had been taken as she passed through the first gate, with the exception of the spirit stone that she carried for Elarique, by a warrior garbed in the armour of the Saim-Hann guardians. She was assured however, that the items would be returned to her, regardless of the outcome of the trial.
She and Tar’nek had passed through the first gates, which had slammed ominously shut behind the pair, before the Eldar had turned to face Rainbow.
“I have consulted with the exarch.” Tar’nek said, tapping the helmet he now wore, indicating the comm-unit within, “And he stands ready to test your spirit and mind, even leaving out raiment specially crafted for this purpose.”
Tar’nek reached into a pouch on his back, before tossing a bundle to Rainbow, who deftly caught it, her mouth agape.
“How…” She began, but was cut off by Tar’nek.
“Did he procure such an item in such a short period of time? I know not. Nor do I wish to know of my teachers methods.”
Rainbow held the clothing up, before slipping into the garment, which seemed to shrink until it fitted her like a second skin.
“Hey.” She said indignantly, straining her wings that were now trapped beneath the leather skin. “What gives?”
“You already have the gift of flight. Something that would negate the hardships of the tests you will face.” Tar’nek replied, placing his hand upon the shape that was Rainbows wings, securing the barding to make sure that it could not be removed by the wearer.
“Will you be with me through them?” Rainbow asked, casting her gaze towards the series of gates in front of her.
“I am sorry Rainbow. But just as I can not reveal how to overcome your inner daemons, I cannot accompany you on this path. It is one you must tread yourself, where you go, none can truly follow.”
With those words, Tar’nek spread his wings and took to the air above the shrine, before darting into a large tunnel further up the wall and disappearing into the bowels of the shrine, leaving Rainbow alone.
This area of the shrine looked different from the rest of the craftworld, being visibly bland, even in Rainbows uncultured opinion about the arts, and yet, it certainly had a unique feel to it, tugging at Rainbow, whispering in her mind to let of the conception of control.
Fear now fluttered in Rainbows heart as she now stood before the final obstacle between her and the key to controlling the churning emotions that raged inside her. Tar’nek had not spoken of what she would find when she entered the shrine, brushing aside the question when she had asked him.
Rainbow took a deep breath, steeling her heart against the fear that she felt, and placed her forehooves against the final gate, throwing them open and taking a tentative step forward.
Nervously, she placed a hoof down on the floor, expecting to be greeted by the feeling of support, but instead finding it absent. Already having committed herself to the step, Rainbow felt the sensation of falling, and desperately tried to flare her wings to stop her fall, before remembering the leather barding she wore, which kept her wings pinned to her side.
Letting out a fearful scream, she began to tumble head over hooves, before allowing a life’s worth of instinct to take over. She had broken her wings enough times to know how to arrest her own momentum without the use of her wings, spreading her four remaining limbs out, slowing her down slightly as the ground neared.
At the last moment before she struck the ground, Rainbow leaned forward, tucking her forelegs close into her body and rolling, sending her sprawling across the mercifully soft, yet still solid, floor.
The sensation that Rainbow felt was the pain that now pervaded her front limbs as she struggled to her feet, as well as the heavy breeze that blew over her, coupled with a humility and heat that should have been impossible to achieve in such a wind.
Sucking up the pain she felt, Rainbow took a tentative step forward, finding the ground solid, she allowed herself a small smile, before beginning to walk forward. The leather bodysuit she wore was already beginning to cling to her, the sweat she was currently building up causing the article of clothin to stick to her body as she walked.
A dim cover of clouds covered much of the area she found herself in, snaking around the spires and tips of trees that she found herself surrounded by. Walking more confidently now, Rainbow felt the familiar sensation of clouds beneath her feet. Looking upwards momentarily, Rainbow caught sight of the gate she had pushed open swinging shut, cutting off the small amount of light it allowed through, and plunging Rainbow into an eerie twilight.
There was now no turning back, even if she could have freed her wings.
The path that Rainbow followed was really more of an instinctive thing, her mind telling her when to turn and when to move straight ahead, all the while avoiding any of the obstacles that sprouted from the ground. Birds flew overhead, and for the first time since the Wonderbolts contest, Rainbow felt completely and utterly at peace with this place. The soft calls of the birds and the soothing coolness of the clouds made her all but forget that she wasn’t simply somewhere in Equestria.
Rainbow continued forward, walking along the perceived path for what felt like an eternity, the tree tops and spires growing ever larger with each passing step. She briefly wondered how many others had passed along this path, hoping to find answers to some inner struggle just as she was. At least she could be certain that she was the first pegasus to walk the path.
As she continued to walk towards where she hoped the end was, a doubt began to creep into her mind, softly at first, until it grew in strength and volume to drown out all her other thoughts. What if she was not walking the right way? She saw no definitive path, and the others who had walked it had all been Eldar. Maybe it was something only an Eldar could sense, and now she was walking along a path that others had not traveled, twisting and turning until she was beyond the reach of the Eldar, lost in the endless cavern she found herself in.
The fear she had felt in the first moments of falling returned with a vengeance, every cry of the birds made her flinch, and the creaking of the trees tops caused her to jump and turn to face them to reassure herself she wasn’t being chased by some unseen predator. She quickened her pace, breaking into an easy gallop, eager to get to the end of this trial as soon as possible. In her blind rush to finish, Rainbow failed to see the wraithbone spire approaching, and lost her footing, skidding on her side until she came to a stop against another, much larger, spire.
She got back to her hooves and broke into a full tilt run, headless of the dangers possessed by the small obstacles at her feet as she desperately searched for a way out.
The skies call you. Allow yourself to fall to their embrace.
Rainbow skidded to a halt as the voice traveled across the misty clearing.
Even soaring out of sight of mortal eyes, you cannot hide yourself from the gods.
Rainbow began to nervously back up, before hitting something and spinning around to face it. A large obelisk, not unlike that in which she had placed Elariques spirit stone into in the forest of ghosts, soaring towards the heavens, disappearing from even Rainbows discerning eye.
Rainbow looked at the obelisk, walking round it and trying to work out how it had appeared from nowhere. She ran her right hoof over the surface, and was surprised to find that even though it looked smooth, it was pot-marked with grooves, large enough for her to grip onto and drag herself upwards.
Taking a deep breath, Rainbow grabbed the first rung of the ad-hoc ladder and began hauling herself upwards, towards parts unknown.
As Rainbow continued her journey upwards, she felt herself being enveloped by clouds, chilling her and causing the sweat to stop pouring off her body. The cloud cover rolled in thicker than before, cutting her vision down to a scant few meters.
Finally, Rainbow found herself approaching a solid pathway, and tentatively stepped onto it. Rainbows skin prickled. Straining her neck, she was met by a satisfying series of pops, before continuing onwards.
As she moved forward, she heard the familiar sound of displaced air from her side, turning in time to see a blur speed past her, before she lost sight of it in the clouds.
A voice permeated the air, the same voice as before, but this time not coming as a distant whisper made loud, but rather as a voice from a definitive source, albeit one that was moving rapidly.
“Ah. What have we here? The xenos of Hannibal? Come to seek answers perhaps?”
“I am Rainbow Dash. Tar’nek sent me here to make peace with my inner struggle.”
“And you have found the one who he sent you to find. One touched by Khaines own bloody hand.”
Rainbow stopped in her tracks, unsure of exactly how she was supposed to respond to this, and an unnerving silence fell over Rainbow. Even the sound of the speaker moving around had disappeared, leaving Rainbow anxious about what was to happen next.
Suddenly, Rainbow heard the swoosh of moving air, and instinctively ducked, just in time to avoid a dark shape flying over her head, one that stopped and landed behind her prone form.
Turning, Rainbow found herself face to face with a towering figure, clad in armour similar to Tar’nek, but of a different colouration, being pitch black as opposed to a light blue.
“Who are you?” Rainbow asked in awe and fear.
“I am Kaliden. Exarch of the Floating Assault, and keeper of this shrine.” Kaliden replied. “Why have you sought me out?”
“I need to be taught to control my emotions. I don’t know what will happen if I lash out at my friends again. I can’t hurt them, I can’t lose them.” Rainbow replied quietly.
“That is why you seek me? To control your own emotions?” Kaliden laughed.
“Don’t laugh at me!” She shouted. “I can’t hurt anyone else that I care for. I don’t want to lose anyone else. The pain I feel is real!” she shouted, stepping forward towards the Exarch.
“We all have our pain. That which feasts upon our insides and turns friends to enemies. But if anger is so easy to over-boil, why do you not strike out at me?”
Rainbow snorted, sensing that she was being teased. She took several deep breaths and grit her teeth.
“You fight the very urge that you came to me to cultivate. Embrace it.”
“I don’t wish to hurt you.” She snarled.
“You believe yourself able?” Kaliden asked mockingly. “No. You couldn’t even save your friend. Who was it again…Elarique.”
This was the final straw for Rainbow, and she lunged at the Eldar, allowing a primal roar to slip from her lips. Kaliden hardly even seemed to register the attempt, and simply stepped to the side. Rainbow however had over balanced herself, and tumbled off the path, speeding towards the grown.
Her movement was stopped almost instantly by a hand closing upon her hoof, and she looked up to see the form of Kaliden hovering above her, looking down at her.
“I could break you. Allow you to fall and discard you as I would another xenos. Tell me, little pony, why should I not allow you to fall?”
Rainbow stayed silent, unsure of what reason to give. A thousand thoughts flitted through her mind, attempting to find one that would rationalise the situation she was in, but the anger pervading her mind made grasping these thoughts impossible.
“I am not worthy of this shrine.” She finally said, casting her eyes downwards, away from the mighty exarch. She did not know why she settled on these words, but some buried instinct told her that this was the path to walk. “I don’t want to die, but I can’t give you a reason to let me live.”
“Then you are home, little one.” Kaliden said, pulling Rainbow up and setting her down on the path, where a doorway now stood. “A warrior should fear death, it makes you faster than your enemy, gives you the drive to carry on. Rise Rainbow Dash, Swooping Hawk at heart, Khaines deadly retribution.
Two long gruelling weeks without so much as a glimpse of another living creature, except Kaliden, and in all honesty, Rainbow had stopped considering him living with the complete lack of emotion he showed towards everything that happened.
The training that she was being put through was brutal, making the training she had gone through back at the Wonderbolt academy seem like a cake-walk. Well, a cake-walk without Pinkie on it at least.
First, she had been practicing balance, apparently so she would be able to control her own body better in combat. The Exarch had made her balance herself on one leg, her wings outstretched and holding up a weight each. Each time she had collapsed, she was made to stand again, with ever increasing weights pushing down on her wings.
Next was speed training, which was much more up Rainbows alley. At least it was until Kaliden had forced her to lose the use of her wings, relying solely on her hooves to navigate a five mile long obstacle courses, and Rainbow once again found herself in the restricting leather garment from her trial. Ten foot high walls, suspended rings and all other manner of obstacles had stood in her path, and each time she had run it, all Kaliden had done was cock his head to the side, and she repeated the whole cycle again.
“Again.” Kaliden said as Rainbow collapsed in exhaustion for what must have been the thirtieth time on that day alone.
“I. Can’t.” Rainbow groaned, her entire body burning from the strain laced upon it.
“You can.” Kaliden countered simply. “More than that, you must.”
“I’ve…got…wings.” She panted.
“And yet the training focuses upon the rest of your body. For one to be truly able to serve Khaine, we must hone our bodies to beyond the bounds of mortal flesh. Beyond what you consider to be possible. Without it, I fear you will not be long for this world.”
That was the last time Rainbow had complained. She pushed herself harder than ever before, forcing herself to run faster, straining to be able to lift just one kilo more of weights. For the first time since the training had started, Kaliden finally began to look as if he was appreciating the progress that Rainbow was making.
***
Another two weeks past, and Rainbow was now easily capable of seeing the changes that were wrought upon her body. Her legs had bulked out, and the muscles all across her back and wings were rippling just underneath her skin.
Of course, the most prominent changes were in her mind. Over the weeks, Rainbow had managed to find time to connect to the shrines small infinity circuit, and had begun to explore the history of the universe she now inhabited. According to Kaliden, the infinity circuit that she could access in the grove of the shrine was limited, supposedly to further enforce the isolation that the floating assault shrine training regime created. All this meant, was Rainbow could access very small pockets of isolated history, covering a range of topics from humanity to the various Craftworlds.
In a matter of hours, the infinity circuit had interfaced directly into her brain, the advanced technology of the Eldar scanning her brain, before pulling up similarities between it and an Eldar brain, before mapping the pair and allowing Rainbow to interface like other Eldar would. Truth be told, she had expected much more resistance from it, considering the treatment she was given by the majority of the Eldar, but according to the results the infinity circuit had given her, the two separate cognitive scans had been 94% compatible with each other, and had shared almost all of the same synaptic tracts.
Ha. Just listen to her. A few hours with her brain plugged into a semi-sentient network and she was already sounding like an even bigger egghead than Twilight.
After five solid hours, which made up almost the entire break she was given for a three day period, she had wept.
The universe was vast. More than that, it was gargantuan. Humanity along had colonised millions of worlds. The green skinned Orks were present on almost as many, spreading there insidious spores across continents and planets. She had gained knowledge of the upstart Tau in the galactic East, and the slow encroach of the Tyranids towards the central galactic plane.
In an tiny space of time, Rainbow had absorbed libraries worth of knowledge. She had seen the universe. She had seen life.
And she had seen death.
She had inloaded the entire mission reports from the Gothic War, where Abaddon the Despoiler had launched his twelfth incursion into the galaxy from the area of space known as the eye of terror.
She had watched as the Eldar had been slaughtered on Kronus, and the loss of the Eldar’s spirit stones.
She had seen the reports of the battle of Macragge, which made the Tyranids attack on Hannibal look like a scouting party.
All of this and more was dumped directly into Rainbows frontal cortex, and needless to say, it couldn’t take it. Giving one last sob, she passed out, the darkness being plagued yet again by nightmares.
***
“Rainbow. Rainbow Dash.” Came the voice of Kaliden, cutting through the fog that was clouding Rainbows mind like a lascutter through a gretchin.
“Uggh. Five more minutes mum.” Rainbow groaned.
“I am not your mother Rainbow, I am Kaliden, Exarch of the Floating Assault.” He said again, his voice piercing Rainbows attempt to ignore it.
“Ugh, fine.” Rainbow groaned again, rolling over and cracking her eyes just a fraction.
They snapped wide open as her eyes focused on the void black armour of Kaliden mere inches from her own face.
“WHOA!” She shouted, scrambling back and toppling off of the white slab of Wraithbone that she had been laid upon.
“You are awake then.” Kaliden observed. “Come. We still have more to do.”
“What happened?” Rainbow asked groggily, rubbing her eyes with her forehoof.
“You interfaced your mind with the psychic heart of the craftworld. In doing so, you linked your mind to that of the Saim-Hann infinity circuit. From your reactions, I am guessing you only managed to access the military records that this shrine holds.” He asked, quizzically cocking his helmeted to side.
“The…wars that have been fought.” Rainbow said slowly. “Iyanden’s almost been destroyed. Humans devoted fourteen million men just to take back one planet. Everywhere is ravaged by war.”
“And now you realise why the Eldar must devote themselves to the warriors path. On the battlefield, we must work in sync with the rest of our warmachine, to achieve perfect balance. Only then can we hope to survive.”
“Harmony.” Rainbow said softly.
“I’m sorry?”
“You seek to work in harmony with your forces. Working together, you can achieve what you set your mind to.” Rainbow clarified.
“You speak from experience?”
“Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Loyalty, Generosity, Magic. The six elements of harmony.”
“The elements of what?”
“Harmony. The first and last line of Equestria’s defence. I held loyalty.”
“They sound useful in a continental situation. Less so on a large scale. Now come along. We have wasted enough time, and we must return to the grove.”
Nodding, Rainbow followed the Exarch out of the small chamber, which was barren, save for the crude Wraithbone bed she had been asleep on. As the pair continued to walk, Rainbow caught up with the Exarch, keeping pace beside him.
“Not that I doubt you or your techniques, but when do I actually get to meet the other aspect warriors?”
Kaliden didn’t speak for almost a full minute, as if he was contemplating what answer to give. Finally, he turned his head and spoke to her.
“At the current rate you are progressing, I would set that deadline at around another seven cycles. Perhaps Eight, depending on how your mind holds up to the rigours of the infinity circuit merging.”
***
Rainbow smiled to herself, in spite of her current position. Kaliden had informed her that today she would be meeting the rest of the aspect warriors. She was excited, as well as slightly apprehensive of the moment when she met them, but this was mostly overshadowed by a feeling of immense pride that she was feeling, which stemmed from the fact that Rainbow had proved Kaliden wrong in his estimate.
Kaliden had come to Rainbow early in the morning. As always, she was taken out to the Grove, which was shrouded in shadows which preceded the rising sun. Almost immediately, Kaliden had given her her orders for the day, before he swept from the grove.
Rainbow watched him leave, before she turned to obey his orders. Walking over to one of the metal obelisks that were scattered around the clearing, she began to scale it, quickly reaching the top and standing atop the tiny platform, some fifteen meters off of the ground.
Changing her footing so she was standing on her rear hooves, Rainbow shifted her weight, before launching herself outwards and upwards. Sailing through the air, Rainbows hooves caught onto an outstretched bar, and she used her momentum to spin herself around it once, before letting go and hurling herself even further upwards.
At the very apex of her jump, she stuck her hooves out, and just managed to slip her hooves onto the pit of another small platform. Grabbing hold, she easily hauled herself up and onto it. Standing on all four hooves, Rainbow balanced herself for a moment, before making her way out into a thin circular beam.
As she reached the halfway point, Rainbow stopped, swaying from the artificial winds that flowed through the grove at these heights. Taking a deep breath, she turned, and allowed herself to fall backwards, her forehooves outstretched.
Grinning, She wrapped her rear hooves around the bar, jerking herself to a halt as she hung upside down. Looking down, her grinned widened as the familiar feeling of light-headedness that always accompanied high flying. She looked down at the ground and her mind began to whirl, calculating the distance she was from the ground. If there was one thing she could do well, it was mental aeronautical calculations. She estimated that it had taken her approximately fifty one to climb the first the first pole, and another thirty seconds to reach the top platform. All in all, she estimated that she was at least fifty meters off of the ground, perhaps closer to sixty, depending on how high the jump she had made was.
Settling in, Rainbow closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Kaliden had been slowly teaching her mental discipline techniques to help smooth the transition between peace and war. Supposedly, this technique would allow her to properly don her war mask, although why putting a mask on needed mental discipline, Rainbow didn’t know.
It had been almost five hours before Rainbow heard someone enter the grove again. Opening her eyes, Rainbow saw Kaliden, and watched as he activated the pack on his back, and flew up towards her.
“You have kept the position I see Rainbow.” Kaliden stated, as he walked back over to Rainbow.
“Of course Exarch. I live only to serve the will of the Craftworld.” She grunted, visibly straining now.
“I know you do. Now to business.” He said, focusing on Rainbow for a split second longer than normal. Rainbow had begun to pick up some of the subtleties of Eldar body language, and she knew that if he did something with his body, it was for a reason. Sure enough, the clasps on the outfit Rainbow wore hissed, before opening and allowing the bodysuit to open along the back, giving her access to her wings.
Flaring her wings, Rainbow followed behind the Exarch and dropped from the beam. Plummeting towards the ground, Rainbow slowed her descent and landed gracefully beside Kaliden.
“Where are we going Exarch?” Rainbow asked.
“This morning you asked me for the second time when you would be allowed to meet the rest of the Floating Assault. I will now realise that desire, and the desires of the others to meet you.”
“They want to meet me?” Rainbow asked happily. “I mean, I am the most awesome pony in Equestria, but…” She trailed off.
“It has nothing to do with, how did you put it, being awesome. It is simply due to the fact that they desire to see the results of Eldar training on a non-Eldar.”
“I was kidding.” Rainbow deadpanned, following Kaliden out of the grove.
For the first time since she had entered the temple, Rainbow exited the large metal blast door that had remained sealed to her before. As she and Kaliden approached it, it silently slid into the ground with an almost unperceivable hiss, continuing until it was perfectly flush with the rest of the floor. Without a word, Kaliden swept out of the room, and Rainbow hovered close behind him, happy to have the use of her wings back for anything more than weight training. Regardless of what she thought about losing her wings for any period of time, she had to admit that the daily weight training had really bulked her wings up. They felt far stronger than they ever had back on Equestria, and she was eager to put them through the wringer to find out just what they were capable of.
After a few minutes, the stark white corridor they were in began to widen out, before they reached a large set of ornate double doors. Kaliden approached them, before turning to face Rainbow.
“Beyond these doors Rainbow, is the heart of the Floating Assault shrine. Within its halls, countless Eldar have learnt the way of the Swooping Hawk, learning to bring death to the Eldars enemies from the sky for almost nine millennia.” He said proudly, before continuing. “Soon, after your training with the others has reached it fruition, you will be joined with this temple, your life shall be bound to it for as long as you desire or are able to walk the path. Be warned though, many have walked this past before you, and unfortunately, not all of them have left the path. Some fall to madness within our walls, losing themselves to the bloodshed of Khaine.”
“What do you mean?” Rainbow asked, slowly landing as she suddenly felt very unsure of herself.
“The position I hold, the ‘dubious honour’ of the Exarch, is both a blessing, and a curse. My kind have the ability to keep the darkness that surrounds our race at bay for longer than anyone else could even hope for. Unfortunately, as with all great power, it is a two edged sword. A two sided coin if you will. I can no longer leave this path. Khaine has called my name, and I have answered in kind. This is the true trial of all those who walk upon the path of the warrior. On it, one can find true internal peace, or they can be eternally dammed, doomed to dance the great charade of death and suffering, until life finally flees from their broken bodies.”
As Kaliden continued his description about the duality of the Eldar, Rainbow had been getting paler and paler, suddenly getting very nervous about what she was about to embark on.
“You of course, may be different,” Kaliden went on, “You are not Eldar, and so you do not share in our races curse. Your reaction to some of our techniques, specifically the war mask, may be unresponsive, although this is not certain, and the training could affect you as it does our own.”
“So, you are trapped on this path? Forever?” Rainbow asked.
“I am.” He confirmed.
“Can noone escape it?”
“I cannot. Only six have ever had the mental fortitude to continue on one path, fighting and training those of our disposition since the time of the fall.”
“Who?” Rainbow asked, her confidence being restored slightly by the commitment with which Kaliden had spoken.
“The Phoenix Lords. Warriors from the time before the collapse of our empire. The Hand of Asuryan, Asurmen, forefather of the Dire Avengers aspect. Jain Zar, the Storm of Silence, she created the aspect of the Howling Banshees. Karandras, the Shadow Hunter. He is the most mysterious of the Phoenix Lords. He did not create the temple of the Striking Scorpion, nor is he the oldest of its Exarchs, but he is the oldest who has not fallen to the depths of madness and Chaos. The Burning Lance, Fuegan, leader of the Fire Dragons. Maugan Ra, The Harvester of Souls. Phoenix Lord of the Dark Reapers. Finally, there is Baharroth. The cry of the Wind. He taught our forbearers the art of war.” Kaliden rattled off easily. “These warriors are infallible, fighting for the survival of all Eldar, and appearing where they deem necessary. Perhaps you will meet one of them in your travels. But enough of that, now you shall meet the rest of the temple.”
With a possibly unnecessary flourish, Kaliden flung the doors open and flew through them, soaring upwards to land on a small hovering pad in the center of the room, floating five meters off of the ground. Even as Rainbow blinked at the sudden disappearance of the Exarch, she dubiously entered the room, her eyes quickly adjusting to the natural sunlight that she had been denied to her when she in the grove. As the room came into focus, Rainbows eyes picked out the forms of seven armoured Eldar. The middle one was Kaliden, his black armour defying the light shining upon, absorbing and bending it to disrupt his outline as it always did. To his right were three more Eldar, each armoured in light blue armour that looked similar to Kalidens’, albeit less ornate and without the helmets. To his left were three more warriors, once again wearing light blue armour without helmets. On the far right, Rainbow spied the familiar face of Tar’nek, and she smiled slightly at the familiar face. Each of the warriors held one of the sleek Lasblasters in a neutral position. Along with these, each warrior carried a sheath across their back. From the slight variations in the curves of the warriors, Rainbow decided that out of the six new warriors, only one was female, meaning that including her, there were two females in the squad of eight.
“Rainbow Dash.” Spoke Kaliden, his voice cutting through the sift wind easily. “You have passed the rigours and trials of the Floating Assault, and have proved that you can handle yourself sufficiently well to advance to the next stage of your training. As is tradition, you shall no longer be assessed just by me, but by every member of the squad.”
At this, the platform Kaliden was standing on moved backwards out of the light, shrouding him from the undiscerning eye. At the same time, the light around the remaining Eldar increased just slightly.
“Warriors of the Shrine of the Floating Assault.” Boomed the voice of Kaliden, reverberating the room and seemingly coming from everywhere at once. “Make yourself known to the whelp.”
“Faren. Sharpshot.” Spoke the first Eldar. His face was surprisingly curved when compared to the angular features of the other Eldar. To compliment this, he had a dark red Mohawk of hair, slightly offset by the single braid that hung down just over his left ear.
“Goroic.” Spoke another Eldar, this one noticeably larger than the others. His head was completely devoid of any sort of hair, but was dominated by the tattoo of a rune that covered the rest of his face, dominating the right side of his face. “Calisthenics.”
“Juhani.” The female Eldar said, her gaze as cold as steel. As Rainbow looked into her eyes, she got the feeling that something was not quite right with them, but she dismissed it or now. Her hair was tied up in a large top knot, with the top hanging halfway down her back. “Combat Drills.”
“Jolee. Artificer.” Said another one of the Eldar, this one sporting a large ugly scar across the part of his face where his right eye should have been. As Rainbow settled her eyes on the wound, she instantly felt her own scar burn, but she dismissed it. Jolee looked old, even by the standards of the other Eldar, yet he still had a full head of hair, a single thick ponytail coiled down his back, bound at regular intervals with bands of red metal that stood out against the gunmetal grey colour of the hair.
“Makhutar. Cardiovascular and neural physician.” Spoke the final Eldar on the left. His hair was a deep purple that made Rainbows heart ache. When she looked at Makhutar, all she could see was Twilights face, punching home the fact that she really was nowhere near home.
“Tar’nek. Advanced aerial combat.
“These are your superiors Rainbow Dash. Prove yourself to be more than a common creature. Prove yourself capable to these six, and count yourself as the seventh.” Kaliden said, moving back to float just infront of the other six.
“How long is this going to take?” Rainbow asked.
“That depends on you. You made progress in my training, the likes of which I have not seen in a long time. But it is no longer me you must impress.” Kaliden said simply.
“You training begins now.” Juhani said, jumping off the platform and drawing a sleek sword.
“Defend yourself.” Jolee called, drawing one of the two swords he carried and tossing it to Rainbow.
Rainbow lept up to catch the blade, grabbing hold of it just as Juhani jumped up and activated the wings on her armour. She soared forward and raised her sword, bringing it down towards Rainbow.
Acting purely on instincts honed on Hannibal, Rainbow raised her sword, and the two pieces of metal clashed in a cascade of sparks.
Not giving her time to react, Juhani span round, pivoting on the ball of her right foot and bringing her left foot up into Rainbows gut. Grunting, Rainbow fell backwards, managing to keep her footing, but unable to do anything other than defend herself. Each time Juhani swung the sword, Rainbow managed to move her own weapon into the way just in time, deflecting the blows as they came.
Slowly, Rainbow was forced back across the room until she collided with the wall. Not letting it phase her, Juhani jumped into the air, twirling as she did so, and using her sword to knock Rainbows weapon out of her grip, before knocking her to the floor.
“Thirteen point two four seconds. Not bad. We might make an aspect warrior out of you yet.” Juhani smiled, sheathing her sword and offering a hand to Rainbow.
“I don’t think many other could have held up for that long.” Tar’nek mused, jumping down and standing beside Juhani. “How long did you last again Goroic?”
“Eleven point five five seconds.” Goroic sighed. “But she has an advantage.” He protested, walking towards the group.
“Yes, we all know. She was on Hannibal. Kaliden told us all, remember.” Jolee said exasperatedly.
“Right here.” Rainbow said bashfully, scratching the back of her head with a forehoof.
“She trains. You may go about your business.” Kaliden ordered, before turning to Rainbow. “Your training shall last for one hundred cycles. After ninety, you will face your trials. Complete these trials, and you shall be named a Hawk of the god Khaine. Fail, and your training must come to an end. Walk your path, and let fate decide for you.”
“I will not fail you Exarch.” Rainbow said, conviction rife in her voice.
“I know you won’t.” He said softly, before turning an exiting the room. “Your training shall begin at dawn. Rest, for tomorrow, you will receive none.”
***
“You can already fly, so that makes this next part of your training easier.” Tar’nek began, walking around Rainbow.
He was resplendent, completely clad from head to toe in the armour of the Floating Assault. On his back, the Swooping Hawks wings were vibrating slightly, almost in a pulse like fashion, as if they had a mind of their own.
“However, I have seen you fly, and that is all you do. Here, I will teach you to dance. To make the wind your ally, and to bend the very air to your will. This is what I will teach you. One rule. Stay above the clouds.”
With that, his armours wings vibrated faster, until they were almost a blur, propelling him upwards in a flash.
Rainbow took off a split second later, following Tar’nek into the sky. Like Tar’nek, she was also wearing full armour, although hers was not the sophisticated armour of the elder, instead making do with the battered and dilapidated armour she had worn on Hannibal.
Regardless of the armours ill-fitting nature, Rainbow followed the form of the Eldar, as he raced across one of the mighty training halls that made up the majority of the shrine. She found that she could stay within sight of him, but could neither gain ground on him, nor match his moves at the speed he was making them.
Suddenly, Tar’nek changed course, pulling an almost 180° turn and heading straight at Rainbow. Surprised by the suddenly approaching Eldar, Rainbow dived in an attempt to avoid him, but Tar’nek was faster, turning without bleeding off any speed, and smashing into Rainbow, wrapping his arms around her, before softly landing and releasing Rainbow.
“Not bad rainbow. Not bad at all.” Tar’nek said, removing his helmet and smiling at Rainbow, “But you made several key mistakes. Firstly, you were following me. For that, you should have been higher. I hold both speed and experience on you. There is only one counter to greater skill.”
“Which is?” Rainbow asked, panting slightly.
“Knowledge and Patience.” Tar’nek said simply. “When pursuing prey, fly higher than they are. Look down upon them and chose your moment to strike, when they believe they have escaped you, is when you must strike. If you follow a greater, stronger opponent, they will turn and you will become their prey.”
“I understand.” Rainbow said, nodding.
“Do you?” Tar’nek asked, before taking to the sky again. Smiling, Rainbow flew after him.
For four days, the same pattern of attempt after attempt was repeated, each time, Rainbow would adjust her strategy, and each time, Tar’nek would be one step ahead of her, allowing her to believe she had got him where she wanted him, before he turned and brought her back to the ground. She was getting closer though, and had even managed to evade him for almost a full day, before he had finally caught her and taken her to the ground once more.
“We begin at first light tomorrow Rainbow.” Tar’nek said, panting heavily.
Rainbow simply nodded, before slinking off to her quarters to rest.
The next day, Rainbow and Tar’nek entered the field, ready for another chase. Without a word, Tar’nek activated his armour, and disappeared above the artificial cloud cover.
Per her new found experience, Rainbow did not take off immediately, instead opting to run along the ground a bit, moving almost five hundred meters away from where Tar’nek had taken off, before flaring her own wings and soaring into the sky.
Breaking the cloud cover, she continued her vertical ascent, continuing until she was far above the clouds, before finally levelling out and stopping, landing on one of the higher clouds and looking down at the field.
For almost an hour, she scanned the entire area, searching for Tar’nek, but it was in vain. After another half hour however, her luck changed, and she caught sight of Tar’nek, darting between the low lying clouds. With a smile, Rainbow anticipated his course, and when he was approaching the area directly below her hiding spot, pushed herself through the cloud, and dived.
Holding her wings next to her body, she began to pick up speed, moving faster and faster, until she was moving at near Rainboom speeds. Stretching her hooves out in front of her, she continued to fall in silence as Tar’nek approached, before opening her mouth and letting a high pitched screech that would have put Gilda to shame.
As she let fly with the screech, Tar’nek looked up, and even with his helmet on, Rainbow could tell that he was shocked. This momentary lapse in concentration was all she needed, and without slowing down, she wrapped her arms around the midriff of the Eldar warrior, dragging him below the clouds and depositing him on the floor.
“No, not bad at all.” Tar’nek laughed, rolling over and removing his helmet.
“Patience and Knowledge.” She replied, laughing as well.
“You have done well rainbow. There is nothing more I can teach you. Remember these lessons, when the time comes for your final test.”
***
Makhutar stood in front of Rainbow, stripped down to a short armoured war skirt, exposing a large tattoo that covered his entire chest.
“You proved yourself to Tar’nek. Beat him in the skies, and demonstrated both the strength needed to pull him below the clouds, and the intellect to use the environment to your advantage.” Makhutar said, walking in front of Rainbow.
Rainbow had also forgone the use of armour for this portion of her training, and had instead opted to wear a version of the original training garment she had been given, although this one was modified slightly to allow her wings to come through.
“I however, will not be testing you by pitting you against me. Rather, I will be showing you how to regulate your own mind, as well as making sure that you are truly up to the cut in regards to physical strength. Now, I will show you how to do this.”
Walking over to a small table, Makhutar reached for a Spirit stone, bringing it over to Rainbow and showing it to her.
“This is an empty Spirit Stone. Very much like the one that you are wearing around your neck. Using this, I will be able to force you into a dreamlike state, known as the path of the dreamer. I will be entering the dream on your first time with you, to ensure that you are safe, but in future, I will be watching you. As a rule, you should always have someone that can act as your dream watcher, especially for extended periods, but for this run, you will only be under for a few minutes, and in the safety of the shrine.”
“I’m ready.” Rainbow said, shifting anxiously from hoof to hoof in anticipation.
“Good.” Makhutar said, before closing his eyes.
Immediately, Rainbow felt a cold wave flood over her body, quickly spreading from her head down to the tip of her tail. Slowly, she felt herself slipping away from her body, until she was completely incorporeal, and was no longer capable of feeling her own body.
“Rainbow.” Came the voice of Makhutar, echoing around the dark space that Rainbow now occupied.
“I’m here.” She called out.
As she did so, a small trail of mist blew in front of her, swirling around, before condensing into the form of Makhutar. At the same time though, it wasn’t Makhutar. He was bigger, not taller, but his muscles were physically bigger. His face was much more angular, and if pony culture was similar to Eldar culture, made him look much more handsome than he was in real life.
“You look…different.” Rainbow said uncertainly.
“This is not the physical world Rainbow. Our original form does not have to be the one we emulate in here.” He smiled, before his form slowly began to ripple, moulding into the form of a completely different species, this one having blue skin and was wearing a set of yellow body armour. “See?”
“Yes.” Rainbow nodded, before attempting to focus on something in her mind. She immediately conjured up a simple idea of herself, but bigger, and focused on it.
Her form rippled like Makhutars had done, before reforming. Instead of being more muscled though, her wings had grown to be about three times their usual size, and immediately caused her to fall to the floor under their weight.
“You’ll get used to it.” Makhutar chuckled, before he began to fade.
Groaning on the floor, Rainbow felt herself being pulled back to her body.
With a start, Rainbow felt sensation of feeling streak back through her body, and she took a long ragged breath as she sat bolt upright, before looking over at Makhutar.
“It increases in ease with each time.” Makhutar informed Rainbow, before pulling up a chair. “For the next stage of your training, you will be required to enter the dreamland again. You came to this temple because of your past, and how it haunted you. You need to face these fears, and the only way to do this, is via meditation. So sleep, little pony. Sleep, and face what scares you the most.”
Nodding slowly, Rainbow lay down on the floor, emptying her mind, and feeling the cold sensation spread through her body again.
***
Once again, Rainbow awoke and immediately felt as if she had suffocated in her sleep, drawing along ragged breath into her lungs, before sitting up and looking around.
Quickly, she caught sight of Makhutar, and got unsteadily to her hooves, walking over to the expectant Eldar.
“Well?” He asked, looking directly at her.
“I was on Hannibal.” She said hollowly. “I saw Elarique. I saw Talvan. I even saw Elensar. And they all died again, and again, and again. I relived every moment of their deaths, and tried everything I could to save them, and I couldn’t.”
“We cannot change the past rainbow. No matter how much we wish we could.”
“I know that now. The past is behind us, and can’t be altered, no matter how much we want it to be. I regret that they are dead, but they wouldn’t want me to continue to mope over their deaths.”
“Well done. Acceptance is the first step on the path to forgiveness.” Makhutar smiled, patting Rainbow on the back. “You can move on in your training now Rainbow.”
“What?” Rainbow asked, “But Tar’nek took five days.”
“How long do you think you have been under my guidance, Rainbow?” Makhutar asked.
“A few hours. A day at the most.” She replied.
“It has been almost twenty six cycles since you entered the dream state.” Makhutar replied with a slight smile.
“Oh.” Rainbow said, amusement perforating into her voice.
“Your next port of call is Faren. He will teach you how to shoot. ***
“This is the mark seventeen lasblaster that is used by our shrine.” Faren proclaimed, holding up a slightly bulkier version of the weapon she had used in the closing minutes of Hannibal. “It is slightly older than the mark eighteen and nineteen that some shrines prefer to use, but packs a much more powerful punch, as well as having a longer range, all this is at the expense of pack life, but that is a trade of that Kaliden is willing to make.”
Faren handed rainbow the weapon, who took it easily, and flapped her wings, balancing herself upright, before holding the weapon across her chest.
“Done this before?” Faren asked.
“Hannibal. I had a shuriken rifle that ran out of replacement cores. I found a lasblaster and used that. More advanced I think. It was less bulky at the very least.”
“A mark nineteen.” Faren nodded. “Ren’lof’s forces always favoured that weapon.”
Walking over to a small corridor, Faren pressed a few buttons on his gauntlet, and a target materialised at the end. It looked almost like the Eldar, but was more brutish, and was wearing armour similar to the armour Rainbow had been given.
Complying quickly, Rainbow brought her weapon up, sighting down the barrel and zeroing in on the targets head. Just as she was about to squeeze the trigger, a massive, and very real, explosion erupted behind the target, and everything went to Tartarus.
The human instantly ducked down, a small pile of rubble forming in front of him as he did, and he covered behind it. Rainbow looked over at Faren, unsure of what to do, but the Eldar just looked on expectantly.
Understanding what he was driving at, rainbow once again sighted down her rifle, doing her best to ignore the explosions that were still blossoming around her target. She watched as the target slowly rose up, poking the top of his head over the rubble. Grimacing, Rainbow pulled the trigger and let fly with a blistering barrage of crimson lasers. Every one of them flew wide, and the target immediately stopped moving, before fading from sight again.
Rainbow looked over at Faren, who was shaking his head, before he walked over and placed his hand on Rainbow.
“Never let yourself be distracted. You let the explosion delay your targets death. Never fire off more than you need. Fully automatic fire is inaccurate, and only good for covering fire. This weapon is a laser weapon. That means that as long as you can keep the weapon on the target, the laser will hit them. Now, again.”
*** For days, rainbow continued to train under Faren, consistently getting better, until she could pick out the exact target he set her from a group of near identical targets, and land a perfect shot on its head. She had slowly been moving between standard human targets, all the way up to Orks and even managing to kill an imperial Space Marine after a few shots.
She had also been taught about one of the deadliest weapons at the Swooping Hawks disposal. Their grenade packs. Used when flying, they could fire off multiple grenades of varying types, ranging from plasma to haywire, giving her a weapon to use against enemy vehicles. The launchers she wore were taken from a Swooping Hawks armour, and had been tightened to fit her. They weren’t perfect, but it allowed her to get training in with them.
“Today, you finally show me if you are ready to move on Rainbow. The art of the Hawk is in the air. You must learn to fire accordingly.”
Nodding, Rainbow took off, readying her rifle as a target materialised. She smiled as she looked at the human, before she disappeared into a squad of other human soldiers.
Smiling again at the deception of her target, Rainbow flew over their heads, dodging the fire that they were aiming in her direction, before diving towards the squad, bringing the lasblaster up and firing a single shot. The shot slammed home, knocking her target off her feet as a hole opened up in her head.
As quickly as they had appeared, the other holograms faded, and Rainbow flew back to Faren.
The Eldar smiled, before nodding once.
“Goroic.” He said simply, before turning and leaving.
“Thanks.” Rainbow said, before she turned in the opposite direction and walked towards where she knew Goroic would be waiting.
*** Rainbow passed Goroics tests with ease, relishing in the strength training that she was given by him, and managing to keep up with him in the various cross training runs that they both participated in.
It didn’t take her long to earn Goroics respect, and soon, she was signed off by him as well, being sent to her penultimate training session, this time with Juhani.
*** “You have already proved yourself as a capable student in the art of sword play. Now, you have to learn how to truly defend yourself. By the time I am done, you will be more than capable of going toe to toe with all but the most dedicated students of the sword.”
“I’m ready.” Rainbow said, shifting uneasily in her training garment.
“Prove it.” Juhani grinned, donning her helmet, and throwing a sword to Rainbow, before she drew her own weapon.
Catching the blade, Rainbow sprang forward, only to find that she was no longer there. Spinning around, she brought the blade into a low block just as Juhani lunged at her from behind.
Catching the blade with her own, Rainbow felt herself being pushed backwards, and unwilling to repeat what had happened the first time she had crossed blades with the Eldar, flapped her wings and flew backwards, breaking the lock.
“Good.” The Eldar growled, before lunging again, feinting to the right, and drawing rainbows attention, before bringing the pommel of the sword whipping round into Rainbows muzzle, knocking her to the floor.
“Ow.” Rainbow said, massaging her jaw as she got back to her feet.
“The blade is not the only part of a weapon rainbow. Keep that in mind.” Juhani pointed out, before readying her weapon again. “Again.”
***
For days, Rainbow and Juhani sparred, and each time, Rainbow was forced to the floor by the vastly superior opponent. Slowly though, she was getting better, and could keep the duels going for a good five minutes, before Juhani exploited a mistake she had made.
The final day of her allotted time with Juhani came, and Rainbow found herself squaring off against Juhani for what was, one way or another, going to be the last time.
Readying her weapon, Juhani raised her sword into the Eagle high block, while Rainbow dropped into the Serpent low block. No matter what Juhani had tried to tell her, she could not make the Eagle block work, and so had adopted the lesser used, and more aggressive Serpent block instead.
With a snarl, Juhani lunged forward, bringing her sword down on Rainbow. Jumping back, Rainbow raised the sword, angling it away from herself so the blade would be deflected rather than caught on the sword. Flapping her wings once, Rainbow sped toward Juhani, who was forced onto the defensive by her blows.
Activating the wings on her armour, Juhani sped into the sky, disappearing among the clouds. Grinning, Rainbow followed her, slicing through the air above her, she breached the cloud cover, and brought the blade up just in time to block Juhanis strike. Finding herself being pushed downwards, Rainbow went with it, falling slightly and overbalancing Juhani. Speeding round, Rainbow brought the blade down on the base of one of the wings of Juhanis armour, causing it to stop moving.
Turning around, Juhani grabbed hold of Rainbow just before she fell through the clouds. Twisting and turning, the pair grappled as they fell towards the ground. Flaring her wings, Rainbow slowed the descent of both of them, and angled herself so she was on top as they finally hit the ground.
Landing on top of the Eldar, Rainbow grabbed her sword, placing both of the blades against the Eldars in an X shape.
“Match.” Rainbow smiled, dropping the blades stepping off the Eldar.
“Tar’nek taught you the skies well.” Juhani laughed, getting to her feet and removing her helmet. “There is nothing more I can teach you. Jolee needs to see you now.”
“Thank you Juhani. Maybe we can do this again.” Rainbow said, smiling.
“Keep performing like that, and you can count on it.” Juhani smiled back.
With that, Rainbow turned and left the room, moving to find her last instructor.
***
Rainbow walked into the room that Jolee was in, reflecting on the past ninety eight cycles. She had gone from being skilled in non-aerial acrobatics, to being able to fight in both ranged and melee combat. She had grown physically larger, and could run for longer, and move faster, than she had ever dreamed of, laughing at the ease with which she’d probably be able to beat Applejack in the running of the leaves. She had even learnt how to control her very dreams for periods of self-meditation.
Entering the room, Rainbow looked around in awe at the glass display cases that held suits of Swooping Hawk armour.
“Like what you see?” Jolee asked.
“They’re beautiful.” Rainbow said breathlessly, walking up to one of the cases and looking closely at it.
“Normally, I would allow the spirits of the armour to guide you to your suit, but clearly, this presents problems for you and your different physiology.” Jolee explained, gently pulling Rainbow away from the armour.
“So what’s going to happen?”
“I’m glad you asked. I enjoy a challenge. You offered me one. Come.”
Jolee turned and walked further into the room, bidding Rainbow to follow him. Turning a corner, Rainbow caught sight of another glass case, set apart from the others. What was inside however, did catch her eye.
The armour that was displayed was beautiful, and more important, was designed for a four legged creature. Her, to be specific. It was a light blue colour, with various small red stones set into it at various places. The final part that caught Rainbows eye was the gap in the front of the armour, and she immediately felt pull on the spirit stone armour her neck.
“It’s…”rainbow began.
“I know.” Jolee smiled.
“Why can I feel this pulling towards it?” Rainbow asked, holding up the spirit stone, before letting it fall back on the chain.
“How much do you know about past members of this shrine? Specifically those that decided to walk the path of the Exodite.”
“Nothing at all.” Rainbow admitted.
“We have had very many members in this shrine. Very few have ever left to walk another militant path. Almost all of them have left to see another shrines path, on their way to walk the path of command. Only one has ever left to become an Exodite. Do you know who that was?”
“No. But I have a feeling you are going to tell me.”
“He left, at the same time another promising warlock left. You met both of them. You have talked of them both many times.”
“You don’t mean…”Rainbow began, finally getting what Jolee was talking about.
“Elarique was a member of this shrine. Talvan was his friend. This armour was once his. Kaliden gave me permission to repurpose it. That spirit stone is Elariques yes?”
“His empty one, yes.”
“Then that is why it calls to you. The remains of the spirit inside can sense the familiarity of the armour.”
Pressing his hand against the glass, a small flicker of lights happened under his fingers, and a moment later, the case swung open, revealing the armour.
“Now, you will don the raiment of Khaines hawks. Now we clothe ourselves for war.” Jolee intoned, walking over to another display case and repeating the motion, opening the case and removing a part of the armour. “Copy my movements exactly.”
Pulling the lower leg armour out, Jolee slipped his legs through them, before placing the armour on his feet. Rainbow copied the movements, taking the back leg armour, and slipping into it. It felt like it was hanging off her body slightly, but she continued to follow Jolees movements.
“Now we don Khaines bloody raiment. Now we become his airborne death.” Jolee intoned, Rainbow not far behind.
As she continued to don her armour, she continued to follow Jolees movement, flowing from the serpent block up into the Diamond strike, before finally finishing in the Gizka aim.
For almost an hour, rainbow and Jolee continued the dance, donning their armour at the same time. As she continued, the armour began to become tighter, until it felt like it was nothing more than a second skin.
Finally, Rainbow and Jolee reached for the helmet, and slowly lowered it onto her head. Instantly, her vision was tinted in green, and she momentarily recoiled at the difference in her sight, but she kept her nerve, and continued to follow Jolee.
“Now we have donned Khaines bloody raiment. Now we have become his airborne death.” Jolee finished, before standing in front of Rainbow. “You are whole Rainbow Dash. A member of the Swooping Hawks.”
Rainbow stood stock still for a moment, before she finally moved forward. She found that it was easy to move, even with the armour on, and didn’t even feel like she was wearing anything.
“One more thing Rainbow.” Jolee said, holding out the spirit stone that Rainbow had taken off before she started. “Place this within your armour. The spirits inside both need to coincide.”
Nodding, Rainbow grabbed hold of the stone, and gently slipped it off the chain it was on. Delicately, she slipped it into the groove of the armour that was designed for just this purpose, and instantly felt a wealth of knowledge flood into her.
She remembered fighting the humans at Calidex VIII. She remembered presiding over the victory at Therom.
They were part of her, and yet, they weren’t her.
Collapsing to the floor, Rainbow writhed in pain as a million thoughts arced into her brain, spreading out and threatening to engulf her completely.
“Rainbow! Listen to my voice!” Came the urgent voice of Jolee. Even though he was right next to her, it sounded like he was miles away, and speaking through water. “The armours spirit is rebelling against you. It senses the presence of the spirit stone is different than yours. Talk to it, make it understand, or lose yourself to the armour.”
With a grunt, Rainbow nodded, before forcing her will into the armour, focusing on her own personal experiences.
Creating a sonic Rainboom over Cloudsdale to win a race.
Meeting Twilight in Ponyville.
Standing up to the Nightmare.
Killing chaos cultists at Frent II
NO! That was not hers. She did not fight at Frent II, and she had never seen a cultist.
She had helped to defeat Discord. She had stood against the changelings in Canterlot. She had even helped Twilight and Spike to defeat Sombra, but she had never killed anything other than Tyranids.
“Rainbow.” Came a voice, emanating from deep within the armour.
“Who’s there?” She grunted.
“You know me Rainbow, and I know you. You’re wearing my armour.”
“Elarique!” She asked in shock, her eyes flying wide open.
“Focus on my voice. Do not lose yourself to me.”
Scrunching her face up, Rainbow followed the instructions, slowly pushing the foreign thoughts out of her head. Finally, when they had completely disappeared, she stood back up, and looked at Jolee.
“That reaction was not unexpected, although I had no idea it would be as intense.”
“Thanks.” Rainbow breathed weakly, smiling beneath the helmet.
“Come. Kaliden will want to see you. It is two cycles before you were due to finish, which is impressive.”
Nodding, rainbow followed Jolee out of the room, and began to walk towards the centre of the shrine, hopefully, towards Rainbows final test.
The armoured pair walked in silence down the winding halls of the shrine, making their way towards, where ever Jolee was leading her to.
Rainbow looked at Jolee curiously while they walked, the Eldar holding his hand to the side of his helmet, and making barely audible sounds beneath it. She felt like she was being left out of something important, and began to fiddle with her own helmet, intent on finding out what they were talking about. Unfortunately, her actions were for naught, as all she managed to find was a hissing static noises on one of her helmets communications that caused her ears to ring.
Relenting, she opted to just walk in line with Jolee until the Eldar had finished, whatever it was he was trying to do. Eventually, he lowered his hand, and with an almost imperceptible movement, turned his head towards Rainbow.
“The others stand ready to greet us.” He said cryptically.
“And what exactly will I be doing?” Rainbow asked.
“Your final test.” Jolee said bluntly.
“I realised that.” Rainbow said exasperatedly, “I mean what is the final test?”
“That is not for me to say.” Jolee said darkly, “But it will challenge your very core, I can promise you that.”
Shaken by the Eldars answer, Rainbow lapsed back into silence as the pair entered the central room of the shrine. Standing inside were the other members of the shrine, and Jolee quickly jumped over to their side, leaving Rainbow standing on her own on the other side of the room.
"Rainbow Dash." Kaliden boomed, "You stand before the combined might of the temple of the Floating Assault. Ninety eight days ago, you stood before this same collective as nothing more than a physically superior creature, trained by my hand to be faster, stronger and quicker of the mind than that of a normal civilian. Now, you stand before us again, this time trained to be a weapon by the temple as a whole. Today, we will find out if you have truly learnt all we can teach. Tar'nek, if you would please prepare the initiate."
"This will be the culmination of your training." Tar'nek informed her, walking forward a step, before stopping. "In the test, you will be forced to draw on everything you have learnt from us. The targets will no longer be passive, and you will no longer be shooting with simple light. This time, the enemy will be armed with non-lethal, but harmful weapons, as will you. This is no longer a single fire test, but an entire battle scenario."
"You will be separated from your unit, dropped into a combat situation, and expected to survive. More over, you will be expected to act and achieve an unknown objective. Your armour has been configured to deactivate localised areas if you are hit. If you take a hit to your wing, you will not be able to use it, if you take a glancing hit to your helmet, you will lose that. Take a direct hit, and you will fail, do I make myself clear?"
"Perfectly sir." Rainbow shouted, standing to attention.
"Then prove me right Rainbow. Prove that taking you into my temple was not a mistake." Tar'nek said, before a door slid open behind Rainbow. Just next to the door, a small draw slid out.
"Your test awaits Rainbow." Tar'nek said, gesturing towards the door.
Without another word, Rainbow turned in her hooves, and walked towards the door. Reaching the draw that had opened, she peered inside, and saw the weapon she had been using when learning to shoot, as well as four grenade dispensers that would attach onto her armour. Smiling, she pulled the objects out, and slotted them into her armour, before grabbing hold of the rifle and moving off through the door.
As soon as she had crossed the threshold of the door, it slid back down into the niche for it on the floor with an almost in audible hiss.
Continuing down the path, the light continued to fade, and even with her helmets night vision, Rainbow was eventually plunged into darkness. Undeterred, Rainbow continued down the path, until she emerged into a brightly lit field. Looking behind her, she was surprised to see that the tunnel she had walked down was dissolving before her eyes. Putting her hoof up experimentally, she felt nothing, and sighed, her test had begun.
Shouldering her rifle, she hovered just off the ground and set off until she was below the largest concentration on clouds. She could not shake the feeling that she had seen this place before, but pushed it from her kind, and flew through the clouds, allowing herself an unrestricted view of the sky. The sight, chilled her to the bones.
The sky was dominated by a single, massive tendril, with other tiny ones snaking off from it. She had seen such a phenomenon before, and she had hoped to never see it again. She had last seen it on Hannibal, and it was the precursor to a Tyranid force.
Speeding off, she dived back through the clouds, and once again got the feeling that she had seen the landscape before, but decided that the Tyranid attack was more pressing. She still didn't know what her objective was, but she knew her foe. She knew that they would be legion in number, and killing the lesser creatures would not even hinder the swarm. She also knew that a synapse creature would be in charge of the swarm, and hitting that would hurt the swarm.
With new conviction, Rainbow set off, checking her weapon to make sure that it was activated. Finally, after a few minutes of speeding through the air, she set eyes on a small swarm of Tyranid hormagaunts, led by a warrior synapse beast. Smiling, she increased her elevation slightly, before pinpointing the Tyranid warrior. Content that she had calculated everything properly, she dived downwards in silence, before firing a single perfectly aimed shot at the creature, killing it instantly, before wheeling around and fleeing, not checking to see the results of her work.
What she saw next interested her, as a pier of smoke rose in the far distance. Deciding that this would be her next port of call, she banked and turned toward it.
Soon after she started, she crested a hill, and for the second time, she felt a chill run down her spine, but this time, it threatened to stop her heart. Instantly, her wings ceased to move, and she plummeted out of the sky, her eyes fixed on the burning ruins of the town in front of her.
On Ponyville.
She plummeted out of the air for a few, heart wrenching seconds, before remembering her training, and forcing her wings to flare. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late, and she landed awkwardly on her forelegs. She was met by a sickening crunch from her helmets speakers, and the armour on her right leg locked up, making it unable to move.
Wincing, she pushed herself back to her feet, and stumbled slightly as she found she couldn’t even extend her foreleg so it was in line with the others, leaving it cocked out to the side.
Sighing, she flapped her wings and hovered just off the ground, and sped towards Ponyville.
“Hello?” She called out, her voice wavering. “Twilight? Rarity? Pinkie?”
A roar echoed around the empty ruins, and Rainbow sped off towards it, rounding a corner to see a massive Carnifex crashing through the remains of Twilights Treebary.
Letting out a primal roar, she flapped her wings, moving through the air like a primitive human bullet, before stopping almost instantly and propelling a flurry of grenades into the carnifexes face.
Wasting no time, she took aim, and fired a shot at the wounded beast, piercing one of the vulnerable orbs on its face, before quickly firing another into the exact same spot, sending massive amounts of trauma through its brain, and killing it instantly.
Unfortunately, the roar had alerted more Tyranids, and more began to pour towards her. Taking back to the skies, she flew over the ruins of the library, searching for, well, anything.
She found it.
The inside of the library was covered in blood, and Rainbow saw snatches of purple fur, pink fur, yellow fur, even orange fur, but nothing else that would indicate that anything was living inside.
“I will kill you all!” She screamed, turning and hovering above the wreckage of the library, as more Tyranids flocked into the square.
Rainbow forgot that she had to complete a mission, she forgot that a Tyranid swarm didn’t care for losing small creatures, she even forgot that this was all a training simulation, she, wanted, blood.
Uttering a blood curdling cry, she dived at the swarm. Landing on top of one of the smaller creatures, she transferred her weight, crushing its head, before rolling forward and firing a blistering hail of shots at the swarm.
Her weapon beeped once to indicate it was out of charge, and Rainbow flipped herself backwards, ejecting the power core and slipping another one into the mechanism. Letting fly with another volley of grenades, she cleared out a small space and landed in the swarm again, bringing her rifle up.
The swarm had grown exponentially, and was even now pushing back over the dead. Rainbow finally returned to her senses, and took off once again, speeding towards the town hall.
It was then she saw it, a squat Tyranid organism, its weapon, a long fat barrelled thing, was pointed straight at her. A spasm rippled across its body, and a stream of hissing plasma sped towards her.
Her eyes widened in fear as she desperately tried to dive beneath the shot, but to no avail.
A burning pain, unlike any she had ever felt, slashed through her wing and across her helmet, tearing it from her face.
Her flapping ceased.
She fell, screaming.
She smashed down into the water surrounding the down hall, swallowing a lung full of the water, before managing to push herself to the surface and drag herself back onto the shore.
“Rainbow Dash?” Came a shaky voice from above her.
Pushing her head upwards, she managed to focus her eyes on the speaker, and would have been shocked, if she could bring herself to make more than a pained moan. She was still surprised by the speaker however.
“Quickly, get her inside.” The large pony ordered, and rainbow felt hooves around her forelegs, and she was dragged inside, as a magenta and alabaster shield flickered into life over the town hall.
***
“She is coming round.” A pony grunted, as Rainbow finally came back to the world of the waking.
“Rainbow Dash.” The same pony from before said with a hint of happiness.
“Princess Celestia.” Rainbow grunted.
“What is going on Rainbow?” She asked frantically, as rainbow managed to get back to her hooves and looked around the inside of the town hall.
The entire town hall was packed with ponies, a few were from Ponyville, but most of them were guards, many of whom were bleeding, or, dead. The entire room was filled with the cries of the wounded, as they screamed for medical attention, that Rainbow could already see would not come of time, even if it could get to the Town Hall. In front of her, stood the form of Celestia and Luna, and slightly behind them, Captain Shining Armour. All three of the ponies looked scarred from fighting, and all of their faces were stained with tears.
“Where have you been?!” Shining Armour shouted, pushing past the princesses. “The elements of harmony were useless without you!”
“Captain. Restrain yourself.” Luna ordered, before looking down at Rainbow. “Who are they? You are wearing armour of non-equestrian design, and fight like a pony possessed. You know who they are.”
“Tyranids. Monsters.” Rainbow said with a hiss. She had completely forgotten that this was a simulation by now, and was fuming in anger. “My friends? Are they…”
“Yes.” Luna said, tears rolling down her muzzle.
“You need to leave the town.” Rainbow said with a growl. “Find somewhere to hide, and survive.”
“You do not order the princesses or my guard Rainbow.” Shining Armour grunted.
“Yes I do. Now do it!” She screamed, pushing Shining over with strength she did not know she possessed.
“Rainbow Dash clearly has more experience in this matter.” Celestia said, loudly, so the entire room could hear her. “We will heed her advice, and move to the mountains of Gryphomry.”
“You will lead us there Rainbow.” Luna proclaimed.
“Prepare to move out then.” Rainbow said.
“What of the wounded.”
“They will slow us down. Leave them.” She said, before stopping. When had she got so heartless?”
Without waiting to hear protests, she walked outside and checked her rifle, fully charged. Good. She looked out of the shield and saw swarming Tyranids getting closer.
“Go. Now.” She screamed as the others ran out of the building.
The shield dropped, and everything went to hell. The swarm surged forward, pressing at the guards, who were killed almost instantly. Rainbow turned, and saw the swarm advancing on the fleeing civilians. Growling, she attempted to take flight, but was met with a flaring pain from her wing, and remembered the shot. She did however, manage to locate something that made her heart lift slightly. A Tyranid organism, unlike any she had seen before. It stood taller than even the carnifexes, and wielded two swords that crackled with unnatural energy.
Knowing what she had to do, she charged forward, pushing her way through the swarm. With a scream, she managed to move her wing, and gritting her teeth against the intense pain, and moved faster towards the Hive Tyrant, taking off from the ground slightly and unleashing everything she had, Grenades, lasers, everything.
The Hive Tyrant roared, but didn’t fall, and Rainbow brought her rifle round, holding it in one hoof while drawing a knife with the other, before plunging its blade into the creatures’ eye.
Now, the creature fell, and rainbow saw the psychic shockwave spread out across the swarm.
Falling from the creature, she landed awkwardly on her leg, and stumbled slightly. Briefly, she caught sight of Celestia and Luna, staring back in horror at the pulsating horde, before they turned to lead the remaining civilians away. Rainbow however, would not receive such a fate, as the swarm turned inwards, lost to the baser instincts of the creatures, who were now searching for the target that posed the most threat.
Unfortunately for Rainbow, that was her.
She brought her rifle up, but found it batted from her hooves. Just managing to avoid the claw of one creature, she made to pick the knife up, when a burning pain swept through her chest. Shakily, she looked down, and saw a claw protruding from her it.
That was the final straw, and the swarm swept over her. Briefly, she had a final view of the Equestrian sky, before it was blocked out by Tyranid bodies.
Rainbow screamed in pain as claw after claw pierced her body, before finally, she felt life fleeing from her body.
“Well done Rainbow.” Came the deep voice of Tar’nek, who advanced towards her, clapping slowly.
Rainbow looked around, stunned by the disappearances of everything she had seen a moment ago, before her head hit the floor, and she passed out.
Rainbow woke uneasily after a fitful rest, and found herself in the bed in her quarters within the temple. Looking around, she saw her armour standing off to the side, attached to some sort of mannequin that kept it in the exact shape of her own body.
Swinging off the bed, Rainbows hooves touched the ground, and she momentarily stumbled as her mind instantly remembered what had happened during her test. She quashed the memory however, telling herself that it was only a simulation, and she didn’t actually have any lasting damage.
“You are awake then Rainbow Dash?” Tar’nek asked, the door to her room sliding upwards to allow him entry.
“How come whenever I finish doing anything, one of you guys appears?” Rainbow asked with a smile.
“The temple has biometric scanners that can tell what state an inhabitant is in. Yours just lit up to indicate you awakening.” Tar’nek explained. “Now please, Kaliden and the others are already convening in the main hall.”
Without another word, Tar’nek turned and exited the room, and Rainbow jumped to follow closely behind him. Catching up with the Eldar, she went to talk to him, but decided against it and shut her mouth again.
Eventually, the pair emerged into the now familiar centre of the shrine, and Tar’nek once again moved away to the near identical position he had occupied the last time she had been summoned, and the time before that as well.
“Rainbow Dash, you have completed your final trial.” Kaliden said, before Makhutar took over.
“You faced an enemy you feared beyond measure, and fought them in a place you cherish even more. Not only that, but you found evidence that all of your friends had been slaughtered.”
“Despite this, you were undeterred.” Juhani continued. “You continued to attempt to find out what your mission was, and when you saw civilians, you made a decision. Even though it cost you your life, you did what you could to ensure those same civilians escaped.”
“These qualities, even more tha the skills you demonstrated while displaying them, have proved yourself more than just a common soldier.” Jolee said.
“From this day forth, you have earned the title you have been given, and will forever be remembered as a Swooping Hawk, and the first none Eldar in the history of this shrine, and possibly in the history of every craftworld, to walk this path.” Kaliden finished.
“Congratulations Rainbow.” Tar’nek smiled, getting down from his pedestal and walking over to Rainbow, sticking out a hand.
Rainbow went to place her hoof against it, but Tar’nek moved it away, and instead grabbed her around her stomach and pulled her into a tight hug, rubbing his other hand against her mane.
“Too slow Rainbow, you’ll have to be faster next time.” He laughed.
The other Eldar of the shrine laughed as well at the antics of their companion, before getting down and surrounding the pair. All that is, except Kaliden, who looked on wistfully at his soldiers.
“Alright Tar’nek, let the pony go.” Juhani laughed, prizing the two apart.
“Thanks.” Rainbow said with a snicker as she was released.
“Come on. Now that your training is complete, you can leave the shrine.” Goroic pointed out.
“Yeah, we should celebrate our uniqueness as a shrine.” Faren agreed.
“You coming Kaliden?” Rainbow shouted.
Kaliden gave her a mournful look, before turning his back on the group and walking off.
“What was that all about?” Rainbow asked, turning to the rest of the group.
“Kaliden is an Exarch. Therefore he can’t leave the temple. Another part of the curse of the Exarchs. And yet another reason why he is feared, even by those for admire him.” Jolee explained.
“Wait, you fear him?” rainbow asked, turning to the group. When they all unanimously nodded, she continued with the next obvious question. “Why?”
“We admire him for the service he does to our race. Without the Exarchs, the aspect warriors would cease to function as a single unit. This would doom the Eldar again. We fear him because he represents what we can all become. A warrior, so enthralled by the art of war that he can no longer distinguish between battle and peace, that loves act of spilling blood so much, that he is incapable of taking off the war mask we wear to battle.” Jolee explained again.
“I thought you wore your helmets?”
“The war mask isn’t physical. It is a state of mind, one that allows us to slip into Khaines embrace, and escape from it. Some, the Exarchs, get snagged and pulled back in. Forever.” Faren said darkly, before shifting his mood back to a lighter tone. “Now, I believe we said celebrations were in order?”
“You had me at alcohol.” Goroic laughed heartily.
“But he never said alcohol.” Rainbow pointed out.
“Well I was thinking it.” The Eldar smiled.
Smiling and shaking her head at the warrior’s antiques, Rainbow followed the Eldar to a small room just before the entranceway to the shrine. Inside were various lockers, each one marked with a single rune. Looking closer, Rainbow saw that they weren’t part of the Eldar alphabet, which she had made a habit of learning in the days gone past. Instead, they looked more like small murals. The locker Faren walked over to had a single shuriken engraved on it, while Juhani moved to one emblazoned with a sword.
Instantly, Rainbow saw the one which was obviously for her, and swung the door open. Inside was the same simple garment that she had been wearing for training, both the one that allowed her to use her wings, and the one that pinned them to her side.
Looking around her, Rainbow saw the other Eldar slipping out of the simple lower half robes they had been wearing, and drawing out their own pieces of clothing. While they were all similar to Rainbows, they were also different in more ways than just the body structure they were made for, either in the intricacy of patterns carved into the leather, or by the amount of coverage they actually provided.
“Why don’t you wear armour?” Rainbow asked.
“The Wind Rider clans get jealous of our armour if we strut around in it.” Goroic laughed.
“Exactly. Instead, we wear garments that identify who we are, and what are place is.” Faren explained. “Take Juhani for example. She exemplifies the speed and precision of the hawk in combat. To that end, she based her garment after that of the Wych Cults of our darker kin.”
Ashe said that, Juhani came out from behind her locker door, this time, wearing a tight, yet revealing black suit, which seemed a lot thinner than Rainbows garment.
Goroic moved behind Juhani, embracing her in a tight hug, as Rainbow turned away and pulled out her own, non-wing restricting, suit, and slipped into it, before grabbing a small bracer and standing back, and closing the door to her locker and looking a the symbol. A lightning bolt coming out of a cloud.
Her Cutie mark.
Her defining feature.
Soon, everyone else had donned the clothes they would wear outside of the shrine, and at a nod from Jolee, the seven Hawks exited the temple.
***
Rainbow had forgotten just how big Saim-Hann really was. It was easy to forget that outside of the shields and nanoglass, the dark void of space waited, prepared to strike down those who thought they were its master the moment they made even the tiniest miscalculation. She knew that Eldar technology was advanced enough to stop it, but it was humbling to think that it was possible for just one hit, to spell doom for a member of the craftworld. A single meteor or weapon discharge hitting the outer shell, and the resulting vacuum could easily de-pressure a small space.
Shaking her head to rid herself of the morbid thought, Rainbow instead looked around her surroundings, and suddenly realised that she had been to this part of the craftworld before.
“Hey, I remember this place.” She exclaimed.
“I thought you might.” Tar’nek smiled, before pointing out a statue. “Au-henal, remember?”
“This is where you first found me.” Rainbow smiled.
“And my friends, Rainbow.” Tar’nek reminded her. “The other honour guard of Nar’bok, who if they got my message, should be…”
“Here.” Said another voice, and Rainbow turned to see an Eldar adorned in a heavy black leather body suit walking towards the group. “Or more specifically, over there.”
“Maura!” Tar’nek exclaimed happily, embracing the Eldar, before turning to Rainbow. “You remember Maura? The Dark Reaper?”
“I do.” She smiled back.
“Come. The others already have a table in the courtyard. It will be big enough to seat us all.” Maura said, indicating for the group to follow him.
***
“I swear, ten feet tall and with big teeth!” Tar’nek said, deep in the midst of a story.
“You’re lying through your teeth! Squigs aren’t that big.” Faren laughed, taking a sip from his glass.
“I’d have gone bonkers!” Rainbow laughed, downing her own glass.
“I mean, it turns out those white things are tusks and I mean tusks! And it’s woken, and it’s not happy.” Tar’nek continued.
“How could you not know it was there?” Jolee asked exasperatedly.
“And we’re standing there, the five of us, naked!” Quek added, getting a nod from Tar’nek, who had his mouth full with food and couldn’t reply himself.
“Naked?!” Juhani asked.
“And I’m like, of, no, no, it’s got nothing to do with me. And then it roars, and we are running. Oh Isha we are running! And Ionth falls, so I turn to him and I say…” Tar’nek started, finishing his mouthful.
“…I knew we should have turned left!” Rainbow shouted, picking up where the story was going.
***
Canterlot, at the exact same moment.
***
“I knew we should have turned left!” Pinkie shouted, just before rainbow could say it.
“Umm, yeah.” Rainbow said, shaking her head at Pinkies antiques.
“However you do that Pinkie…” Celestia smiled, before nodding to Rainbow.
***
Saim-Hann
***
“That’s my line!” Tar’nek shouted, reaching over and lightly punching Rainbow on the foreleg.
“I don’t believe you. I don’t believe a word you say ever. That’s so brilliant. Did you ever get your clothes back?” Juhani laughed.
“No, I just picked Ionth up and went right to our jetbikes, full throttle. Didn’t stop until I hit the rest of the clans’ forces. We were all shaking. It was unbelievable.” Tar’nek explained.
“Nar’bok didn’t really approve of that did he?” Fu’rage asked in amusement.
“No, he wasn’t.” Ionth affirmed.
“That sounds like fun.” Rainbow smiled, taking a bite out of the food she had in front of her. From what she could gather, the closest they had to a description for it back in Equestria was a mix between a root vegetable and a tomato.
“So go on Rainbow.” Makhutar said, turning to face her. “Tell us a story of your home.”
“Well, I guess there was this one time me and my friends went to an experimental party of Pinkies.” Rainbow said, thinking back to the time.
“What happened?” Jolee asked.
“Pinkie had discovered that the Cider Applejack sold was non-alcoholic, and insisted on throwing us one of her parties instantly. We didn’t know that she had discovered alcohol, and she put so much sugar in all her drinks we couldn’t even taste the difference.” Rainbow laughed. “Long story short, Twilight found herself sleeping on top of a fifty foot statue of Starswirl the bearded, Applejack turned up in Appleoosa, Rarity spent a night with an equally intoxicated pony, and she still won’t say who it was, and I ended up floating on a cloud miles out to sea.”
“Didn’t you say you had five friends? What about the other one and this ‘Pinkie Pie’?” Faren asked.
“Oh, Pinkie, she didn’t do anything. She drank almost as much as me and AJ, but it didn’t even phase her. As for Fluttershy, I’m not sure she even drank.”
“Speaking of drinking Rainbow, I do believe that when we first met, Maura said something about you being competition for me.” Ionth said, looking between the Dark Reaper and the pony.
“I simply said that with the ease she downed the full glass of Re’ka, it would be interesting to see who would come out on top.” Maura clarified.
“Well then let’s settle it.” Ionth laughed, grabbing the jug from the table and pouring Rainbow and himself another glass full. “First one to pass out loses.”
“You’re on.” Rainbow said, grabbing the glass and placing it near her lips. “You ready.”
“When you are fly-girl.” Ionth winked.
“Whatever spider.” Rainbow grinned back, before draining the glass and slamming it back down on the table in tandem with Ionth.
“This could last a long time.” Fu’rage muttered to the others.
***
Twelve glasses later
***
“That’s…thir…teen.” Rainbow slurred, shakily placing the glass back on the table.
“Right…behind…you.” Ionth slurred, going to place his own glass back on the table, but missing, and tumbling to the floor instead. The sound of snoring signified what state he was now in.
“And it looks like once again, the Swooping Hawks prove superior to the Warp Spiders.” Juhani pointed out with a grin, before looking at Rainbow. “Come on, let’s get…”She began, but was cut off by another voice.
“Rainbow?” called an Eldar, walking over to the table, and flanked by two other Eldar.
“E…garion?” Rainbow managed, looking up at the spinning form of the Exodite.
“One and the same.” She smiled politely, before gesturing to the two other Eldar with her. “Dorgolmar and Aranel are here to, just in case you can’t see them in your current state.”
“Just what have you been doing Rainbow?” Aranel asked.
“Drinking.” The group replied in unison.
“Heavily.” Tar’nek added.
“Well then, could you please let her know that we stopped by, and would like to speak to her if she recovers enough in the next three cycles.” Egarion asked.
“I’ll make sure she remembers.” Jolee assured her.
Bowing deeply, Egarion and the other Exodites turned and walked over to their own table, while the rest of the group turned back to face Rainbow, who was now lying on her back on the floor.
“Yo Rainbow Dash.” Goroic said, his voice becoming more distorted to rainbow as she slipped from consciousness. “You alright?”
***
Rainbow lay in bed, feeling like her brain had been squeezed into a jar two sizes too small. Her vision, whether her eyes were open or closed, was filled with the glaring faces of the disapproving looks of her friends... and she could have sworn that there Twilight actually called her a lightweight. Her legs twitched as she sprawled on her side. All she had to do was crawl out… but her legs just twitched and jerked again as she went nowhere.
She could just lie here… yes… lie here in this nice soft bed and wait for sweet oblivion to claim…
“Hey, Rainbow!” Tar’nek yelled in the perfect pitch to make it feel like an ice-pick had been shoved in Rainbows ear canal. She tried to say something about loudness, volume, or killing noisy and annoying Swooping Hawks, but was fairly that certain all of that went right over his head, though, as he screeched, “Jolee told me to come in and ask you about your hangover! He said you probably had one hell of one, so I should talk really loudly! Makes perfect sense to me!”
“Ngggghhh!” was all she could reply as she flopped around and finally managed to bury her head under the pillows.
“So, Rainbow, are you hungover? Do you need me to talk louder? Hey, Rainbow! Can you hear me now? Rainbow!” He shrieked as he shook the prone form of Rainbow hard, making her stomach lurch and her bladder clench. “Can you hear me, Rainbow?”
‘She could kill them. She could kill them all. No court in on Saim-Hann would convict her’, she thought, rolling over and pushing herself up off the floor which she had just crashed to.
“Jolee wanted me to tell you that your Exodite friends called” Tar’nek shouted, a massive grin plastered on his face.
“I remember.” She groaned looking up at him from the floor. “Just…give me five minutes.
“They said they’d wait in the same place when you got up.” Tar’nek said, finally stopping the shouting and walking out of the room. “I’ll go and get in contact with them. Twenty minutes?”
“Sounds good.” She groaned.
***
Twenty minutes later, rainbow sat in the same courtyard as she had yesterday, garbed in her leather training suit and resting her head against the table. She would get Tar’nek back for that. And Jolee for that matter.
“Rainbow!” Shouted Dorgolmar, catching sight of her and beckoning for the others to follow him to the table she sat at.
“Hey.” She groaned, lifting her head up to look at the trio.
“Hungover?” Aranel asked with a slight smile.
“Let her off.” Egarion laughed. “From what I heard it was justified. The first xenos to become an aspect warrior in the history of Saim-Hann.”
“Why did you do it?” Aranel asked suddenly.
“Do what?” Rainbow asked.
“Join a shrine.” Aranel expanded.
“Tar’nek found me just after our argument. Said I was a danger to myself and the craftworld. He took me to Kaliden to help me.” Rainbow explained.
“And did it work?” Egarion asked.
“Yes.” Rainbow smiled.
“So you’ll be leaving soon? “ Dorgolmar asked.
“Why would I leave?” Rainbow asked in puzzlement.
“Well you never seemed to like combat on Hannibal, where you had to fight. Now we don’t have to fight, and you’re the only one of us who is going to be fighting.” Dorgolmar explained.
“I know, it’s just, Tar’nek saw something in me. He took me in, not the others. I can’t just leave now.”
“Fair point.” Egarion nodded.
“So what have you guys been up to?” Rainbow asked, looking around the group.
“I am beginning to tread the path of the artisan.” Egarion began. “A sculptor to be precise.”
“Path of the dreamer. Sleeping as a life style sounds good to me.” Dorgolmar grinned.
Flapping her wings hard, Rainbow quickly got within sight of the shrine. Smiling, she dove towards the ground, waiting for the last possible moment to flare her wings, and stopping a scant few inches in front of the entrance way.
“Nice form.” Tar’nek murmured, pushing himself off the wall and walking over to Rainbow.
“So what was the call for?” Rainbow asked.
“I’ll wait for Kaliden to explain it to you.” Tar’nek said, gesturing for Rainbow to follow him as he walked into the Shrine.
The pair made their way towards the centre of the temple, Rainbow keeping silent as she followed the Eldar.
Eventually, they both emerged into the centre room, and took up positions with the rest of the aspect warriors. Tar’nek took his position in the centre of the group, while Rainbow stood at the end. The eight warriors stood in silence as they waited for the exarch to arrive.
A few moments later, Kaliden entered the room, garbed from neck to toe in his armour, with his helmet gripped tightly under one arm, and his lasblaster gripped in his other hand. The final thing that Rainbow noticed was a large hilt that stuck out from between his shoulder blades. Shifting her weight slightly, Rainbow saw that it was a massive, two handed sword.
She momentarily shuddered as she imagined what sort of damage such a massive blade could do, but she pushed the thought away and focused on the Exarch.
“The craftworld has been called upon, and we will answer its call.” Kaliden began, before placing his hand on a holo-control pad.
Instantly, the room was plunged into darkness, before a projection of a planet appeared in the centre of the room. Walking forward, Kaliden indicated the planet.
“Unotipa IV. The sixth planet in the Sarcux sector. This planet, and the sector, are just outside of the Octarius sector, which has been embroiled in a war between the Orks and Tyranids for years. Until now, the planet has been inhabited by feral Ork tribes who have been in a state of constant warfare. That was, until recently.”
Moving his hand slightly, Kaliden changed the projection image, and it was replaced by the form of a massive green biped. Its right hand was clutching a crude, orkified version of a human plasma gun. Its other arm was completely mechanical, attaching to its shoulder in a massive, and once again, crude, lump of metal. The hand however, was completely replaced with a massive claw, which looked like it could cut through the hull of a tank in a few seconds.
“This, is Warboss Gazgutz. He is in charge of the blood cult clan, which is rapidly growing in size, and thus, influence. Our farseers predict that in a few more weeks, this clan will have asserted its dominance over the rest of the planet. Shortly afterwards, they will have the capability of interstellar travel, and will join the Octarius war.”
“How will this affect the craftworld?” Jolee asked.
“The war will escalate.” Kaliden stated simply, moving his hand once more and changing the projection, this time displaying a galactic map with large green arrows converging on all sides of a series of planets, while another series of purple arrows pushed against them. On the very edge of the map, a thin red line appeared, moving across the map before leaving. One slightly smaller green arrow however, was moving to intercept the red line.
“This red line here, is the path of Saim-Hann.” Kaliden pointed out. “While this green arrow here is the predicted path of the new Ork crusade. If Gazgutz is allowed to continue, we could possibly face an invasion directly on the surface of Saim-Hann. However, a quick strike against his fortress may be able to eliminate him, and will cause the Blood Cult clan to fracture. The infighting will delay the inevitable uplifting of these Orks until Saim-Hann has passed the Ulthan line. Once that happens, the Craftworld will be safe.”
With a flick of his wrist, Kaliden dismissed the projection and the lights turned back on, momentarily blinding Rainbow, before she got used to the sudden light.
“Will the wind rider clans be joining us?” Juhani asked.
“The clans Nar’bok, Fireheart, Ice-breeze and the Shadow Guardians will be reinforcing members of the Warp Spiders Deadly Web shrine, our own shrine, and a wing of Crimson Hunters of the Bloody Blade shrine. The slower forces of the Craftworld will not be participating.”
“When do we leave?” Faren asked.
“The Celestial Ideal, a Shadowhunter class vessel, is preparing for a voyage now. It will be ready in an hour.”
“We should prepare then.” Tar’nek said, turning towards a door that led to the arming chamber.
Following Tar’nek, the rest of the shrine moved into the arming chamber. As they did, the cases slid open with a tiny hiss, as the armour within moved outwards so it could be donned more easily. Moving over to their own set of armour, each member of the shrine stripped down until they were wearing absolutely nothing.
Kaliden stood front and centre, wearing only his spirit stone on a chain around his neck.
“The peace is broken, the harmony falls to discord, only war remains.” Kaliden began.
Rainbow followed the lead of the others, taking the bodysuit that was folded on a small ledge behind the armour.
“Now we clothe ourselves, with bloody Khaine’s own raiment, as a warrior.”
Rainbow stepped into the rear legs of the bodysuit. It felt odd, as if she was donning it for the first time, it felt completely different from the first time. The bodysuit was large, and sagged on her limbs, and gathered in unsightly bulges between her legs, and over her hooves, making them next to useless.
“In Khaine’s iron skin, we clad ourselves for battle, which fire burns within.”
Rainbow’s heart quickened, and she momentarily was confused. This hadn’t happened like this the first time, it felt, angrier, more aggressive. In her gut, the serpent of her anger stretched out slowly, rearing its head and bearing its fangs. She flapped her wings, and adopted a standing position on her rear hooves, and placing her fore hooves together, as the others placed their palms together. In response, the bodysuit tightened. As the fabric of the suit shrank against her taut muscles, dormant pads began to thicken, forming ridged areas across her barrel and Withers.
“The spirit of Khaine from which we draw our resolve strengthens within us.”
Rainbow kept her eyes on Tar’nek, following the new motions that he and the others were doing. This was so much more regimented than when she had first put on her armour, and it scared her slightly. Reaching behind the armour, she undid the clasps along its back, letting the bottom half fall free into her hooves. Wrapping it around her body, she quickly attached the claps together, fastening it into place. Its stiff presence around her midriff was reassuring, squeezing her sides in a firm embrace.
“War comes upon us, we must bear its dark burden, upon our shoulders.”
Following the lead of the others, Rainbow undid the clasps fixing the back of the armour to its stand. She lifted it over her head, solid, but not heavy. With careful movements, she lowered it down onto her back. The plates gripped the surface of the undersuit, extending over the front of her wings, leaving the feathers exposed, but protecting the leading edge. The rounded bulge of the small power source slipped easily in-between her wing blades. Slowly, she returned to her standing position on all fours, and with a life of its own, the armour adjusted to her new position. As she did that, the undersuit began to ripple, and Rainbow began to get nervous. This had not happened before, even when she had put the helmet on.
The nervousness turned to fear a moment later as the bodysuit extended up her neck, beginning to cover her face, before it stopped just before her ears, not unlike a Wonderbolts uniform. The fear passed, as Rainbow took comfort in the feeling of the uniform she longed to wear. She took a deep breath and steadied herself, as the other members did the same, turning to face Kaliden, fully armoured except for their legs and helmets, the others having already donned the wings that would allow them to own the skies above Unotipa IV.
“We stand before Khaine, unyielding in our calling, free of doubt, free of restraint, free of fear.”
The leg armour came next, for Rainbow, it was all four of them, but for the others, it was the final part of the procedure. The armour felt comfortable as she fitted it snuggly against the rest of her suit, its surface writhing as it shifted to contour itself to her body shape.
“We do not fear death, rather, we walk in its shadow, daring Khaine to reach out and snatch us for himself, proud and unafraid.”
Lowering herself to the ground, Rainbow found herself once again fully armoured, aside from her helmet. She knew in her mind that she had done almost the exact same thing with Jolee a scant few days ago, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was different.
“We strike from the skies, as swift as the hawk, with a deadly purpose to our talons.”
Her penultimate act was to retrieve the empty spiritstone from where she had placed it on the ledge beside her armour stand. Detaching it from the chain it was on, she placed it within the central niche in her armour, feeling an odd sensation from the stone as it felt the comfort of the familiar armour.
“We give of our blood, as Khaine’s call roars around us, calling us to war.”
The exarch took a small knife, and made his way around the warriors of the shrine. As he approached, they extended their right hands, the fabric over their hand retreating, and allowing access to it. As this happened, Kaliden made a sharp slice with the knife, drawing blood and letting it flow into a bowl, where the lifeblood of the shrines warriors mingled together. Rainbow winced slightly as the blade sliced through her hoof, but didn’t take her eyes off the point where she was staring, keeping the fixed straight forward.
Once he had collected the blood, Kaliden moved back around the squad, this time placing a single finger into the bowl and, taking great care, painted the rune of the Swooping Hawk on each of their foreheads. Rainbow watched in nervous awe as she watched the other warriors eyes glaze over, their muscles twitch and spasm with a life of their own, and their lips stretch back from their teeth in silent snarls.
Then she felt the blood upon her own skin. With a hiss, she nearly recoiled from the finger, it feeling more like a firebrand than a digit, but she managed to hold herself steady, as the rune was traced onto her head. The pain instantly turned to anger, welling up from deep within her. The anger drew on the weakness that Rainbow felt within her, of her failures, both in this universe and back in Equestria, wakening emotions that Rainbow thought she had conquered and buried.
Quivering, Rainbow did nothing as she felt something deep within her mind erupt outwards, covering her psyche in a mental bubble. Her blood thundered in her ears, and the cut on her hoof burned slightly, as she realised what this new feeling was.
Kaliden and the others had often mentioned it, talking about it in hushed whispers, as if they feared to speak of it loudly.
This was hers.
Her war mask.
Like some sort of obscene birth, the warrior spirit that had been unleashed by Kaliden burst through her mind, seething with rage, and hungry for war.
“The spirit of Khaine, from which we draw our resolve, strengthens us from within.”
The rune instantly froze, and Rainbow was shocked at the sudden change in temperature as it went from liquid rainbow hot to Pinkie Pie ice cream in a few nanoseconds. Its freezing touch spread through her, until it almost stilled her heart, slowing its beating down until it was almost as if it had stopped, before the fingers withdrew, her heart returning to its normal rhythm, and the fingers dragging away her remorse, crushing her doubt and engulfing her pity with thoughts of blood and death.
“War comes upon us, we must bear its dark burden, upon our shoulders.” Kaliden repeated. “We stand before Khaine, truly unyielding in our calling, now free from the notion of doubt, and the lie of peace.”
Rainbows heart was like a drumbeat. A never ending drumming, endlessly marching onwards.
A call to war.
Reaching forward, and in perfect tandem with the others, she grabbed her helmet, raising it upwards, before bringing it down onto her head, attaching a few pipes to the armour, before, with an angry hiss, it sealed together, sealing Rainbow into her armour.
For a moment, Rainbow was blind, before the inside of the helmet lit up, the eye lenses opening and showing a cacophony of information about her surroundings. Concentrating, Rainbow dismissed most of the information, only leaving one small count down in the top right hand corner of her right eye. The count down to zero hour, when they would land on the Ork planet and reap their blood for the glory of Khaine.
“See not with your eyes, but allow anger to flow, lets Khaine’s gift guide you, and let his anger fuel your actions.”
Something was placed on Rainbows back, and she felt the familiar weight of the magni-clamps activating as her lasblaster was attached to her by unseen hands.
The darkness once again engulfed her, as she closed her eyes, looking inwards as a fiery daemon creature appeared before her in her own astral plane. She smiled as she recognised her own anger personified in flames within her, struggling to be set free once more.
The darkness was inside her now, merging with the darkness she had imposed on hers outside, the fiery eyes of the daemon staring directly out of her head. She now knew who she had been fighting before, what she was trying to overcome in coming to the shrine. It was her own mind she had fought. She had strained against the urges and desires that had burned within her. She had trained to suppress those thoughts, and had tried so hard to eliminate them completely, but she had fought in ignorance.
The darkness was no more, as Rainbow opened her eyes again, to be greeted by the emerald eyes of her helmet, bathing the shrine in a green hue as she looked over the world with a fresh view.
Taking a step forward, she easily slipped the rifle off of her shoulder, bringing it up, before dropping down into the floating strike position.
No more was she a mortal thing of flesh and blood, reason and emotion. Now she was a warrior. She was part of the Bloody-Handed God, an aspect of Kaela Mensha Khaine.
Rainbow Dash was no more.
In her place stood a Swooping Hawk, a warrior of the Floating Assault shrine.
The sleek vessel sliced through the fabric of reality, entering the webway rift like a power sword cutting through flesh. Its dark black hull was momentarily illuminated by the bright colours of the portal, before it snapped closed, and the ship vanished from the astral plane, speeding across the galaxy at speeds that could only be dreamed be the younger races.
***
The main gallery of the warship was an immense hall, supported with narrow, rib-like structures that split into tall, narrow doorways leading to the side chambers. Small flashes of energy occasionally crackled along the ribs, dancing from the doorways, right up to the wraithbone core near the front of the ship, merging with the hidden wraithbone circuit that ran along the skin of the ship, merging with the propulsion systems and the weapon batteries that stuck out like spines on a hedgehog.
The ships chambers rang with booted feet, the keen sound of exarch blades cutting through the air, and now and then, an explosion or blaze of laser fire as weapons were tested, and retested, before being tested again. Nothing was left to chance.
Warriors from dozens of shrines from all over Saim-Hann practiced, sparring with each other, and on occasion, the members of the wind rider clans, each one occupying a different hall within the ship, which branched out from the main arterial passage, the mantras and instructions of warlocks and exarchs ringing around the room, bouncing off the high ceilings in a cacophonous symphony of war.
Rainbow stood in line with the other members of the Floating Assault, not hearing the other sounds of the warship, concentrating only on the sound of Kaliden’s voice, and the beating of her own heart.
Rainbow swept her hooves up, adopting the pose of the falling falcon, in perfect tandem with the others, before adopting the position of the high hawk, hovering just off the ground and tensing the muscles in her leg, being greeted by the clicks as the grenade dispensers signalled that they were empty. Every movement she performed quickened her pulse and filled every motion that she performed with greater purpose, fixing her mind on one, single, unwavering goal. The slaughter that awaited her upon the planes and in the skies of Unotipa IV.
The thought of battle once again overwhelmed her mind, and filled her with excitement. For all the rituals and positions she had learnt in the temple to conquer her inner daemons, she somehow knew that in this coming battle, she would truly find the release she wanted. The prospect of bloodshed, once a horrific thought, now dominated her every waking moment, the rune on her forehead burning brighter as she dwelled on the violence to come.
The exercise that they were focusing upon came to an abrupt end, and Kaliden dismissed the warriors, before turning and entering one of the vein-like corridors that flowed throughout the ship. Rainbow Dash followed the rest of the shrine as they walked off, only to halt a few steps later, as one by one, the aspect warriors removed their helms, before turning to look at Rainbow.
Rainbows eyes instantly darted to their foreheads, where the dried blood was still in the shape of the rune of the Swooping Hawks. Her eyes were then drawn to the other Eldars faces, and she saw the detached stare that she now realised was the sign of the war-mask being drawn across the mind.
Nervously, she reached up to her own helmet, undoing the clasps, and slowly drawing the helmet over her head, momentarily fearful that this act would remove her war-mask, but upon taking the helmet off, she found she felt no different, the war-mask staying firmly attached to her mind, as the rune bound her, body and soul, to the anchor of anger deep within her body.
The seven swooping hawks left the main chamber of the ship, following the central spine of the ship, moving towards the bow of the mighty vessel. Now and then, a flash would illuminate the semi-translucent walls, as a spark flew along the wraithbone circuit of the ship.
As they walked through the ship, other Eldar joined with them, and soon, a whole host of warriors, both from aspect shrines and wind rider clans, flocked towards the bow of the ship.
“Four cycles.” Makhutar grumbled. “Four bloody cycles until our work can begin.”
Rainbow was crestfallen at this, it seemed like such a long time to wait before the bloodletting could begin in earnest, but from what Rainbow gathered, this was a tiny voyage, especially considering human standards. She knew that human vessels could sometimes spend months or even years in the warp before getting to their destination. She smiled as she remembered that there had been times when the forces sent to intercept an Eldar taskforce arrived decades after the attack had been and gone.
“Don’t worry Rainbow.” Juhani smiled, scratching Rainbows head as they walked. “I know the look of blood in a warriors eyes when I see it. The hunger will be satiated soon enough.”
Rainbow said nothing, and continued to follow the Eldar, until they entered a longer, but narrower hall than the previous one. This hall was dominated by three long tables, each heavy with food placed upon them.
“I didn’t realise how hungry I was.” Rainbow said, licking her lips as she saw the food.
“Battle plays odd tricks on the stomach.” Tar’nek warned. “You can feel famished one moment, and in others, your stomach may feel as if it is tying itself into an endless knot, and you will not be able to eat a single morsel. I advise you to eats as much as you can now you are hungry. The presence of the war-mask causes the body to burn through its energy stores at an accelerated rate.”
Rainbow nodded, before sitting down at a table, and grabbing a plate of food, digging into the various fruits and vegetables piled upon it. The rest of the shrines warriors sat down next to Rainbow, and grabbed their own plates.
Rainbow looked up as she ate, looking through the force dome directly above her, but not truly seeing it. The curving tunnel of energy that made up the webway encompassed the ship with a sea of rippling colours, streaked through with the occasional flash of the star-lit void beyond.
Now and then, Rainbow caught sight of a passageway, veering off from the main route that they were taking. Some were massive, easily able to take a ship three times the one she was on now. Others on the other hoof were tiny, barely big enough to see, or for a single Eldar warrior to squeeze through.
Occasionally, Rainbow saw other, tiny ships fly past, and she recognised the shapes of the Darkstar fighters and Eagle bombers, as they streaked past, making sure that no other ship would venture close to the warship. When rainbow had asked if anyone using the webway would really attack the ship, Jolee had simply nodded, and uttered a few words.
“Our dark kin sometimes see us as sport.”
Rainbow pushed that thought from her mind, as a warrior, garbed in the armour of a Swooping Hawk, but a different colouration that that of the Floating Assault. Looking over at the warrior, Rainbow was shocked to see that the warrior had the armour of an Exarch on.
“Exarch Aranha, of the falling strike.” Tar’nek said, bowing deeply. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”
“I came to see the new recruit of yours.” She said simply, turning to Rainbow.
“I am honoured Aranha.” Rainbow said. “I am Rainbow Dash.”
“Curious.” She mused, placing her elbows on the table and steepleing her fingers. “What made you choose the Floating Assault?”
“I…” She stammered, but Aranha cut her off.
“Relax. I am not disrespecting a shrine that is older and more prominent than my own. I was merely wondering how you chose.”
“I showed her the way.” Tar’nek spoke up. “My kin of Nar’bok and I found Rainbow, fearful and setting down a path of self-destruction. I brought her to the temple we believed would match her own personal talents.”
“Yes, I can see.” Aranha said, reaching a hand out a touching one of Rainbows feathers delicately. “Tell me, how does it feel to fly unassisted by technology? To soar through the air, the wind against your bare flesh?”
“Amazing.” Rainbow smiled, flaring her wings slowly, to show them off better.
“Thank you, Rainbow Dash.” Aranha said, smiling and getting up, fixing her odd gaze upon her, before bowing deeply. “May you fly fast and straight, and may you shoot straighter.”
Aranha left, and Rainbow returned to her food, finishing off the plate, before reaching for a metal cup of water.
“No Re’ka?” Faren asked with a smile.
“The taste of it is sweet.” Rainbow agreed smiling, “But I wouldn’t want to sully the sweeter taste of battle yet to come. If the food here is so good, then the greater banquet is yet to come!” She declared, smacking her lips and getting up from the table, her lips curling back into a silent snarl.
***
The ship punched itself free of the webway, shuddering ever so slightly as it returned to real-space, its engine being pushed to the max by the steersmen on the bridge. Directing the nose towards the planet, the ship sliced through the empty space like a knife.
The ship had emerged on the dark side of the planet, using its black hull to help disguise its approach. A single Ork gunship was all that stood between the Celestial Ideal and the planet.
The vessel was an ugly slab of metal, armour plates bolted roughly over a skeletal structure. Nether the less, the ship was still a dangerous foe. Luckily for the Eldar, it was facing the wrong way.
The Celestial Ideal slipped through space, moving directly behind the Ork ship, all without so much as a signal from the Orks.
Then lance fire lit up the dark void, lasers ripping through the entire length of the ship, gutting it from one end to another.
In a matter of moments, the ship was transformed into a flaming hulk, drifting lifelessly away from the planet.
All the while, the Eldar ship drew ever closer to the planet.
***
The wayseer stood in front of an oval, steel rimmed webway gate, one of several gates that stood around the hall, although this was one of only four portals to be activated.
The wayseer was swathed in a voluminous robe of flowing, ever changing colours. His hair was a bright red colour, and was parted into three separate braids, two snaking down his back, and the other looping across his face, under his left eye, before tucked behind his left ear.
His hands were splayed outwards, lifted with palms upwards, as ten separate runes danced around them, rushing up and down the air just above his arm with a life of their own. Slowly, and with great care, he aligned them with the portals structure, before pushing them into the metal of the gate.
Instantly, a mirror-like sheen of energy appeared in the gap between the top and the bottom, shimmering slightly, and causing the runes to dance with more agitation for a moment, before settling back into their rightful place.
“It is almost time for our forces to descend.” Kaliden said, raising his voice. “The wind host and slower warriors shall descend to the planet’s surface via the webway.”
“And us?” Goroic asked, donning his helmet.
“The ship will enter low orbit.” Kaliden smiled, before his helmet obscured his face. “We’re going in with the hunters.”
As he said this, the roar of engines filled the hanger, and Rainbow looked around to see a wing of Nightshade Interceptors prep for take-off.
Turning back around, she donned her helmet, and her gaze took on a green tinted hue, the counter in the corner of the lens becoming tantalisingly close to zero. She was full of energy now, not nervous, like she had been on Hannibal, but eager. This was the culmination of so much time and practice, and as the first warrior stepped through the portal, Rainbow felt a new doorway open in her life. She longed to race through and grasp whatever opportunities lay beyond.
Fighting the urge to fidget, she forced herself to stand still and wait patiently as the other forces entered the webway. She nervously checked her wargear for what felt like the millionth time, allowing her mind and the spirit within to merge, deeper than usual.
She raised her lasblaster, and activated her anti-grav generators briefly, feeling herself become weightless for a second, before deactivating it as the last aspect warrior disappeared through the portal. Looking over, she saw the last of the wind host enter, their jetbikes glistening as they entered the shimmering portal.
Looking around once more, she saw that only to groups were left on the deck. The aspect warriors of the Swooping Hawks, resplendent in their completely sealed armour, and three wings of Crimson Hunters remained on deck.
“Now Khaine’s bloody work begins!” Kaliden shouted, unsheathing his massive sword and raising it above his head, and a roar erupted from the assembled aspect warriors.
Instantly, the Crimson Hunters roared as well, but this was not the roar of the flesh, but one of steel and wraithbone. The engines on their fighters bellowed, as they screamed out into the atmosphere of the planet, streaking through the holo-shields that had kept the voids icy grip at bay.
“Floating Assault! With me!” Kaliden screamed, sprinting forward.
Rainbow watched in awe, as the Exarch reached the edge of the hanger, not breaking stride as he pitched himself from the ship, disappearing as he fell.
She smiled gleefully, as she took off at a gallop, reaching the edge in no time, and pitching herself off after the Exarch, and for the first time, Rainbow got a good look at the planet.
It was dark, the planet being shrouded in night as the force dropped silently from the ship. Turning her head, Rainbow watched as the ship, dark as the night itself, disappeared back into high atmosphere, its deployment complete. It would wait there until the mission was complete, and it was recalled to pick up the Hunters and the Hawks. Turning back around, Rainbow watched as the cloud layer rose up to meet her, before she passed through it, and caught sight of the sea for the first time.
The sea was churning as she plummeted downwards, waves rising up high into the sky, easily able to swallow the Nightshade Interceptors in to its murky depths. Rainbow shuddered as she watched the first Swooping Hawks reach its surface, flaring their mechanical wings, and pulling an almost impossible right turn, flying parallel to the waves, and speeding towards the shore line.
The wind whipped past her helmet, screaming as she fell towards the churning sea below. Looking to either side of her, she could see hundreds of other warriors, falling towards the earth as she was. Her helmet identified each warrior, showing the rune of the individual temples in a bright green colour, indicating their status as friends.
Moving closer to Kaliden, Rainbow activated her anti-gravs, and flared her wings, forming up in a rough arrow head with the rest of the shrine.
The Swooping Hawks slashed through the sky, flying just above the churning sea, keeping so low that if Rainbow had put her hoof down even an inch, she would have been able to touch the water, rising and falling in tandem with the waves, never getting further away than the water, or getting any closer.
Ahead and above of the Swooping Hawk strike force, the Crimson Hunters flew in perfect formation, their engines no longer roaring, and instead only emitting a tiny whine, which was lost over the claps of thunder, and the screech of the waves.
In short order, the Swooping Hawks met the cliff, changing to a vertical flight and soaring upwards, cresting the cliffs and ascending further, concealing themselves above the cloud cover.
Far in the distance, Rainbow caught sight of flashes of weapon fire, and even from this distance, could feel the warp disturbance of the Warp Spiders teleportation rattling her skull, and setting her teeth on edge.
The hawks did not break pace though, and were soon over the battle field, looking down over the carnage, and finally, Rainbow saw an Ork in the flesh.
They were ugly brutes, wielding vile weapons, ranging from crude axes to weapons that Rainbow did not even see as functional, let alone deadly. Occasionally, she caught sight of a Warp Spider, appearing in the midst of the Ork force and firing its death spinners, before disappearing again before the enemy could react.
Rainbow snarled with glee as she saw Orks dying by the hundreds, great piles of them lying where they had been pitched from one of their ramshackle wagons, or fallen from the crude barricades that surrounded the Orks camp.
The Eldar had caught the Orks unaware, and now, they were reaping the benefits. The camp was already a flame, but Orks were tenacious creatures. Already, cries were going out, calling Orks from far and wide to arms. Ork crews ran to smoke belching tanks and halftracks, while over the horizon, Rainbow could make out the rough outlines of a wing of ramshackle fighters.
“This is it!” Screamed Kaliden over the helmet communicator.
A light that had previously been a steady red colour flashed green, pulsing quickly, and signalling exact what rainbow wanted.
The signal for their part of the attack.
Pointing her nose downwards, Rainbow plunged towards the ground, catching up with Kaliden, before slowly, inch by inch, over taking him, until she was leading the attack, her rifle up, and her legs tensed, preparing to release the deadly cargo within the armour that she wore there.
Letting out a screech that would put a Howling Banshee to shame, Rainbow flared her wings and let the muscles in her legs tense perfectly to hit the rune inside her armour. At the exact same time, the other Swooping Hawks followed suit, and hundreds of disks flew out from the host, speeding towards the ground even faster than the Hawks.
A moment later, the disks exploded.
A moment later, the Hawks landed, stepping on the blood and carcasses of the dead that had been caused by the grenades. Bringing her rifle up, Rainbow fixed her sights on the first Ork she saw.
The laser burst from the end of her weapon, and impacted with the nearest Ork, ripping through the skin and muscle, and burning into the bone beneath. The Ork dropped to the ground dead, but tens of thousands more were already pushing forward. Quick as a flash, she pulled the trigger again, killing another Ork, before taking off in perfect tandem with the rest of the Floating Assault. The drills they had run on board the Celestial Ideal had helped, and now they knew exactly how long to stay on the ground, and when to fight.
“The enemy seeks to take the skies from us!” Tar’nek roared, pointing upwards.
Rainbow looked upwards, and was shocked to see a whole host of Orks flying through the sky towards them, crude rockets strapped to their backs. Their flight was not smooth like hers, and they span and stuttered along on massive trails of black smoke. Never the less, they were deadly, and she saw a Swooping Hawk from one of the other temples suddenly go limp, nothing remaining of his left chest cavity as a large bore round ripped through it.
“Get ‘em boyz!” One of the larger Orks shouted.
“Waaaagggghhhhhh!” Came the reply from the others, and just like that, they were amongst them, the two forces clashing in mid-air.
Dropping slightly, she avoided the swing of an Orks axe, before bringing the butt of her rifle down on the Orks rocket pack as it sped past. The Ork screamed as it suddenly found itself plummeting towards the ground absent any form of motivation. Beneath her helmet, Rainbow grinned manically as she made another kill, before she re-aimed, and fired once more.
Far beneath the aerial fight, the Orks were mobilising in force to combat the enemy in their midst. Already, thousands more Orks were flocking towards the battle, hooting loudly as they streamed towards the battle, either on foot, or clinging to the sides of ramshackle wagons.
“Fighter-Bombers!” Faren screamed, pointing upwards, towards a wing of at least ten aircraft.
“Fighter-Bombers seen. Engaging.” Came a voice over the radio, and Rainbow looked upwards again just in time to see a host of Crimson Hunters soar over head, their bright lances flaring, and ripping through the Orks aircraft, before the two forces sped past each other, banking and coming around for another pass.
“Dive!” Kaliden shouted over the helmet com, and without thinking, Rainbow locked her wings and plummeted towards the ground, and not a moment too soon.
The Crimson Hunters roared passed again, firing their pulse lasers into the remaining stormboyz, ripping them to shreds, and covering Rainbow in a fine layer of blood. A few drops seeped through the grille of her helmet, and Rainbow stuck her tongue out, savouring the bitter, iron like taste of the red liquid.
Dismissing the blissful feeling, she turned her attention to the fast approaching ground. Once again, she released a flurry of grenades, landing in the midst of the explosion, and blackening her armour slightly with the plasma blast. Landing heavily, she suddenly saw a massive Ork charging at her, its armour warped and melted to its body by the explosion, but still very much alive, and very angry.
“Wats dis?” It bellowed, swinging it massive axe in a two handed blow which Rainbow only just managed to dodge. “You’re not a pointy ‘ead!”
“Pony.” Rainbow grunted, dodging another blow.
“Huh huh. Puny.” The Ork laughed, before lashing out with a fist again.
With a sudden bolt of realisation, Rainbow realised that the Ork was far to close, and she wasn’t able to get any sort of shot in. She cursed Kaliden and the Floating Assault under her breath at their insistence that she had to earn her sword. Deciding on a proper course of action, she put her plan in motion.
Dodging a blow with the axe, she then flapped her wings and pushed herself behind the Ork. The creature roared with laughter, as it brought its foot up, brining it smashing into Rainbows chest, and sending her flipping head over hooves.
Rainbow grimaced in pain as she landed, but her plan had worked, and she instantly brought her rifle up. The Ork was still laughing, but slowed as it saw the rifle.
“Pony!” She roared, before pulling the trigger, destroying the creatures head and killing it instantly.
She laughed at the dead Ork, before watching Kaliden swoop overhead. Nodding at the Exarch, she took off after him, just as more Orks flooded the area, attempting to grab her, but failing. Not a moment later, a host of Warp Spiders appear, spraying indiscriminate death into the Orks, before vanishing again.
Catching up with Kaliden, Rainbow opened a com link to her Exarch, and shouting through to him.
“Where’s the Warboss?!”
“We’re looking for him!” Kaliden shouted back, firing a shot from his rifle and taking an Orks arm off.
“Where are the Wind Riders then?!” Rainbow asked.
“About Five miles nor-nor-west! They encountered heavy resistance!”
“Are we going to help them?!”
“The autarch has ordered us to relieve them! But only our temple! The others are needed to hold the diversion here!”
During the conversation, the rest of the temple had formed up on Kaliden, and as one, they increased their speed, streaking across the sky in a blur, and leaving the battle behind.
Rainbow was annoyed at being forced to leave the blood shedding, but she followed her leader dutifully. The Wind Riders were somewhere near here, and if they were in trouble, she would have to swallow her own personal feelings about bloodletting.
For almost three minutes, they flew in silence, before finally, they saw more flashes of battle around a ramshackle camp, surrounded by a crude sheet metal wall. All around the camp, jetbikes clashed with scores of Ork bikers, sporadic explosions erupting around the place.
“We need to help them!” Jolee shouted.
“Don’t need to tell me twice!” Juhani laughed, diving, and unleashing shot after shot from her rifle.
Grinning, Rainbow followed suite, diving to just above the ground, skimming over the sand dunes, before flaring her wings, sending a grenade into the wheel base of an Ork trukk, flipping it through the air, and causing it to be engulfed in a fireball.
“One.” She grunted, killing an Ork that had managed to crawl out of the wreckage with a flurry of shots to its chest.
“Two.” She growled, bisecting another Ork who had survived.
“Three.” A decapitated Ork fell to the ground.
“Four!” She screamed, ramming the rifle into the mouth of an Ork pinned in the trukk and pulling the trigger, sending the laser out of the back of the Orks spine.
She stood still, breathing heavily as the Ork twitched in front of her, before it fell towards her, covering her from head to hoof in blood.
For a moment, the battlefield felt silent, like she was the only one on it. She looked around at the destruction that she had just unleashed. Corpses lay around her, some killed directly by her rifle, others bearing burn marks from the explosion of the trukk. Somewhere, deep down within her, a part of her screamed, raging against the power of the war mask, but she ignored it. Now, she was a warrior, and warriors couldn’t second guess themselves in battle. If she did, she would be dead.
Coming back to reality, she was dimly aware of shouting over the radio.
“Gazgutz sighted! Bearing 5-5-9-2! Engaging now!” One of the Wind Riders called.
A moment later, the radio was flooded with screams of pain, before silence, and Rainbow instinctively knew that he was dead.
Taking off, she was instantly joined by the rest of the temple, as they sped towards the location the late Wind Rider had given. Spotting an immense Battlefortress moving away from the battlefield, surrounded by a host of war bikes and war buggies. As she watched, Rainbow saw Wind Riders being picked off by the guns of the fortress and the outriders that surrounded it.
“We need to get on that!” Kaliden shouted.
“No shit!” Goroic yelled, speeding towards the fortress.
Nodding, she followed the others as they moved towards the Battlefortress, dodging a stream of fire from the room top guns. From behind her, she heard a scream, and Rainbow turned in the air to see Makhutar falling, his chest a mess of blood.
Screeching, Rainbow dived, attempting to reach him before he hit the ground, him being unable to stop his own descent.
They were fifty meters above the ground when Makhutar was hit, and by the time Rainbow had dived after him, he had already fallen ten meters.
She began to close the gap, struggling to catch him.
She was nine meters away.
Eight meters.
Seven meters.
Five.
Two.
Makhutar hit the ground hard, head first. Blood sprayed upwards, and covered Rainbow in yet another layer of the red liquid. She flared her wings at the last moment, but still hit the ground hard, crashing into the lifeless, headless form of Makhutar, crushing it further, and cracking the armour. Little bits of flesh from beneath the armour squeezed through the cracks that had been made, causing the armour to look like some grotesque creature.
For a moment, her real self managed to break through the war mask, something that Kaliden had said should be impossible, but she managed it. Instantly, she was back on Aspoh fields on Hannibal, standing over the broken form of her erstwhile friend.
“Talvan!” She screamed, shaking the Eldar, and honestly believing that the Swooping Hawk was the Warlock that she had known.
“Talvan!” She shouted again.
“Rainbow Dash!” A voice crackled over the radio. “Report!”
And just like that, Rainbow was dragged back to reality, her war mask bursting through her psyche and coming to the forefront again. Looking down, she realised that it wasn’t the warlock, but the hawk.
“Makhutar’s dead.” She screamed.
The voice on the radio cursed, before he spoke to rainbow again. “Grab his spirit stone and get back up her. The guns up top have been silenced.”
Nodding grimly, Rainbow reached out, prying the spirit stone out of the fallen warrior’s armour, before slipping it into a pouch on her armour and taking off again.
Taking off, she left the dead Eldar on the ground, before landing on top of the speeding Battlefortress. From what she could see, the Orks didn’t know they were there as they weren’t streaming onto the roof on the three story vehicle.
“They don’t know we’re here.” Faren roared, having to shout to make himself heard over the wind.
“The outriders haven’t seen us either!” Goroic roared back.
“Juhani, off the hull!” Kaliden roared, and the Swooping Hawk complied.
He bent down and removed a pile of grenades from his dispensers and placed them on the hinges of the main top hatch. Pressing a few buttons on the top one, he moved back as Kaliden got out a few grenades of his own and held them tightly.
The hull was suddenly rocked as the grenades exploded, melting through the hatch and opening a large hole in the top of the Battlefortress. Quick as a flash, Kaliden moved over and dropped the pair of grenades into the darkness. A second explosion rocked the vehicle, accompanied by Orkoid screams.
“Feet first…” Goroic shouted, jumping down the hole.
“…into hell!” Juhani finished, jumping after Goroic. Rainbow couldn’t shake the feeling that the pair were more than just brothers and sisters in arms.
Following the pair, Rainbow dived into the vehicle, rolling as she hit the floor, before bringing her rifle up, scanning for targets. No were there, the doors, walls, even the ceiling was covered in the blood and guts of Orks. There weren’t even carcasses, they had just, been obliterated.
Kicking a closed door, the metal buckled, but didn’t give. She growled and tried again, and this time, the door ripped off its hinges. Hovering upwards, she moved across the threshold of the doorway, just above the floor, and brought her rifle up, pulling the trigger and firing at one of the small creatures in the room. What were they called again? Grotchin? Grets? Something like that.
“Engine room!” She yelled out.
“Destroy it.” Kaliden shouted back over the radio. From what Rainbow could hear over the radio, he was fighting his own battle.
Nodding, Rainbow flew backwards quickly, tensing her muscles and allowing the grenades to fly towards the spluttering engine block, engulfing it in a blue explosion.
The Battlefortress groaned and metal plates scraped together in a high, ear splitting sound, as the massive behemoth ground to a halt.
“Oi, ya lazy gitz!” Came an Orks voice from a metal pipe just by the door. “We better get movin’ now or I’m cuming up there to crump sum ‘eads!”
“Not this time Ork.” Rainbow growled into the pipe, before releasing it and moving out of the room.
“Boyz! Looks like we have sum guests. Show em why Orks are the biggest and the strongest.” The Warboss raged, before Rainbow heard heavy footfalls over the crude communication system.
“The Warboss…” Rainbow yelled, before a shadow fell across her.
“Is ‘ere…whatever puny thing you are.” The Warboss yelled from behind her.
Whirling around and flying backwards at the same time, Rainbow got the first sight of a true example of Ork physiology.
The Warboss was big, bigger than any other Ork she had ever seen. Its entire lower jaw was missing, being replaced by a large, crude metal prosthesis. From what she could see, its lower right arm was also mechanical, replaced by a wicked looking three pronged claw. In its other hand, it held a massive plasma weapon, which look a lot more like a human weapon than an Ork one.
She screamed as the weapon fired, and caught her in the leg, skimming her, but still burning through her armour and singing her fur beneath. The shot was followed up by a back handed strike that sent her flying across the hold, ripping her helmet from her head. She smashed into the wall, causing a dent to form in it, and dazing her.
The Warboss advanced, laughing as he approached the struggling form of Rainbow. Rainbow looked at the Warboss with fear in her eyes.
“Puny.” The Warboss growled, raising his claw.
“Surprise!” Kaliden roared, bringing his sword in an upwards arc, slicing through the Orks right arm, cutting it off at the shoulder.
The heavy mechanical limb crashed to the floor as the Ork roared in pain, flailing around, trying to catch the Eldar with a stray shot. Kaliden easily dodged the blows however, before spinning, and ripping the Orks head from its shoulders.
The Ork fell to the ground, dead, but there were still other Orks in the vehicle. They didn’t seem put off by the death of their leader at all, but Rainbow knew that eventually, the battle lust would wear off, and infighting would begin.
“We need to go!” Kaliden roared. “The Celestial Ideal can’t hold orbit for much longer! I’m calling her into low orbit!”
The others flashed their acknowledgement, but not Rainbow. A red film had descended over her eyes, and all she could think about was ripping the remaining Orks apart. Tearing their limbs off and bathing in the blood as it poured over her bare face.
Leaping up, she jumped on an Ork, taking it by surprise, and smashing her head into its. Before it could react, she grabbed its chopper, and brought it down through the air into the meat of the Orks arm.
“Let’s go Rainbow!” Kaliden screamed, standing by the hole in the top of the hull.
Rainbow didn’t listen. She brought the axe down again, and then pulled the severed limb away, covering herself in yet more blood, before bringing the armoured arm down hard on the Orks skull, cracking it open and sending brains all over the floor.
She roared as the Ork died, before she felt two sets of arms grab her, and haul her backwards. She twisted, and saw Goroic and Juhani dragging her away. She raged against the two Eldar, even as they took off, speeding upwards towards the dark black shape of the Celestial Ideal.
That was the first thing Rainbow felt after the battle. She was not fully awake, and yet, she was not fully dreaming, occupying both spaces simultaneously, but not truly in either.
Memories, Reality. Hope, fear. These were the things that swum through the kaleidoscope of chaos that was Rainbows mind. She had dreamed before she found herself in this state, but the horrors had been too much, and her mind had shut the memories away so deeply that it would take months to find again. All she remembered from the dream was terror.
She felt like a speck of dust in a storm, a tiny pinprick of light in the midst of the dark void. Only two things had managed to stay constant in the turmoil of her mind. Her mark, that of the sonic Rainboom, and the rune of the Swooping Hawk.
Lost|Alone|Abandoned
Her mind was flooded with a memory she had thought she had long forgotten. She stood alone in the streets of Cloudsdale, nopony she knew around her. The feeling of not knowing where she was, that now flooded her head.
She recalled the time when Gilda had come back to Ponyville, before leaving, never to come back. The sudden part of herself that died when she tried to find her again.
She remembered the feeling she had after she had left Hannibal, when she had first woken up on Saim-Hann. She remembered the sheer emptiness that she had felt after Elariques death.
The feelings forced Rainbow to try and flee from the memories, but there was nowhere to hide. The shadows which she thought were safe, brought perils of their own.
Darkness|Death|Rage|Hate
She felt the terror she had felt when she had first encountered the Lictor, the absolute dread when she had found herself cornered, and the feeling of giving up when it had raised its claw.
She remembered Aspoh field, the death that she had seen when she had fought there, and the final sacrifice of Talvan to save her. She had used the last of her energy to save her, and then she had died.
She felt the feeling of anger that had erupted from her body when the warrior beast had killed Elarique, and using that power to kill the Tyrgon, not just drive it away, she had wanted to kill it, tear it limb from limb, rip through it, until it was nothing more than a stain on the floor.
The thought of her anger towards the Orks, her humiliation of being beaten so easily by the Warboss. She remembered wanting to kill, and kill, and kill, until there were no more Orks in the Battlefortress, and then to keep going, to keep killing, until there were no more Orks anywhere. Ever again.
She screamed again, feeling her physical body buck and kick and writhe in pain.
Light|Hope|Friendship|Love
Creating the sonic Rainboom, brining light to Pinkie’s life, and giving her friends their cutie marks.
Running through the castle of the two sisters in the Everfree Forest, wanting more than anything to find Twilight Sparkle, still alive.
She remembered her friends, her best friends, some of her only friends, some of the only ones she would lay down her life for in a heartbeat. Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie…Applejack.
Her friend. One of the oldest she had. The only one who could keep up with her.
She growled, reaching forward in her subconscious for anything that could help her. She could be strong for her friends. Strong for her.
The beast in her mind roared as she pushed it back. She would beat it, and she would wake up.
She wouldn’t give up.
She couldn’t.
Calm|Silence|Discipline|Peace
Rainbow awoke on her cot in the temple of the Floating Assault, unarmoured and unclothed. She was alone. She still couldn’t remember anything, save for the crushing feelings that she had in the semi-dream world. The gloom she felt was a comforting embrace, devoid of anything to confuse or distract her.
She closed her eyes and slept again. It was not voluntary.
She did not dream.
***
Equestria
***
Rainbow looked around the assembled ponies, fixing each one of them with a cold gaze. They were all looking shocked at her, the violence she was describing, and her part in it.
“Rain…” Twilight started, but rainbow cut her off.
“Don’t say anything. Please. If you do, I won’t be able to finish. And I’m sorry. If this upsets any of you, please forgive me.”
Taking a deep breath, she plundged back into the story.
***
The 41st Millennium
***
Gentle humming awoke Rainbow from her dreamless sleep. She found herself once again lying on the cot in her room. She tried to keep her eyes closed, even as the humming intensified, but a blast of cool air forced her to open them.
As she was forced back into the waking world, she once again remembered the thoughts from before. She felt an image try to push itself to the fore of her mind, but she supressed it with a harsh growl.
A red light began to seep into the room, acting more like a mist than light. Instinctively, she clenched her eyes shut, attempting to shut out the light. Even through her closed eyes, she could still sense the pulsing red light. Her breath was ragged, and came in short, sharp bursts, in perfect synchronisation with the pulsing light. It was slow at first, but quickly increased in speed, until it was a near constant light. She no longer had any sense of the time that passed between each pulse, she had no sense of anything.
The light had become her whole world, pushing into her mind and driving everything else from her head, until all she could think of was the pulsing.
On
Off
On
Off
On
Off
She clutched her head in pain, rolling off the bed as another colour forced its way into her head, this time, a vivid green. No more was the light either on or off, now it was red or green, the colour of blood, or the colour of the beasts that shed it.
Her nostrils flared as she arched her back in pain, trying to suck in air to her burning lungs, but finding that she couldn’t, the pulsing lights causing her to exhale each breath the instant it touched her nose.
“Wake up Rainbow.” Said a voice, gentle, but commanding.
The words oozed through her mind, making their way past the lights, but coming out distorted and quite. The lights continued to flash, breaking down barriers in her mind, bit by bit.
The barriers in her memories shattered and a flash of blue light cut into her body, before razor sharp claws burst towards her, ripping into her chest and tearing her in two. Pain, erupted through her body.
She sat up straight, opened her eyes, and with what little breathe she had left in her lungs, let out a scream, one that didn’t sound like it had come from a pony, before she fell back to the floor, twitching violently, each movement bringing with it waves of pain, before the darkness took her once again.
***
“Where am I?!” She screamed, roaring against the encroaching darkness, the scream causing more pain to erupt from her.
Her body was floating weightlessly in the blank void, only staying still due to a small, metal tether that she was maintaining to the real life universe. The voice she heard before returned again, but it was kinder this time, less commanding.
“You are in the temple Rainbow.” The disembodied voice of Kaliden said. “In the care of Juhani. Nothing can harm you here.”
“It. Hurts.” She managed.
“You must overcome the pain in your mind. Otherwise, your psyche will remain here, and your body will become separated from it. You will become an empty husk of a creature, unable to do anything, until you die, leaving only your mind trapped in unlife within the infinity circuit.”
“What does, that mean?! It’s too. Much” Rainbow said, her voice raising in pitch.
“You are not in physical pain. The pain is in your mind.” Kaliden said urgently. “But you must heal, if not, you will remain here, in this state of unlife, for eternity, until she who thirsts claims the infinity circuits of Saim-Hann for her own.
“What do I do?!” She screamed.
“You are still wearing your war mask. You must remove it and confront your mind properly.”
“I can’t.” She sobbed.
“You must.” Kaliden insisted. “The only enemy here is your own mind. There is no need to wear the mask of Khaine here.
“How?!” She screamed, the pain rising in her body
“Who do you love?!” Kaliden shouted, his voice raising in urgency.
“What?” Rainbow cried.
“A friend.” She managed, doubling up in pain.
“Who? What is his name?” Kaliden insisted.
“Her.” Rainbow managed.
“Who?!”
“Applejack!” She screamed, before biting her lip again, trying to keep any more screams inside her body.
“Focus on her!” Kaliden shouted. “What do you like about her?!”
“How she, is like me. How, she can beat me, if she tries.” Rainbow sobbed, collapsing to the ‘floor’ in pain.
“Good. Focus on that. Bring those emotions to the front of your mind. Push everything else from it. Use them to pull yourself out of here, and back to the waking world.”
Rainbow scrunched her face up, focusing on Applejack, her freckled face, her orange fur, her red cutie mark, her Stetson and her blonde mane, everything.
Slowly, she felt a gentle vibration seeped up from her right forehoof, spreading throughout her body. It was only the slightest tremor, but it began to bring a feeling over than pain back to her body.
Groaning, Rainbow managed to stand up, breathing heavily, but fighting through the pain. She looked around herself, searching to find if Kaliden was really in her mind, or if it was just his voice. The pain flared up in her mind again, and she pushed Kaliden from her mind. She once again focused on, this time on her non physical attributes. Her accent, her honest opinion on everything, even her strength when compared to Rainbows, everything.
The pain continued to recede, until it was nothing more than a fleck in her chest, before just like that, it disappeared, and Rainbow fell, the ‘ground’ no longer holding her up. She fell, and screamed once more, unable to move her wings.
***
Rainbow awoke with a start. She was still in her room, but this time, she was surrounded by the other members of the shrine, well, those who were still alive anyway. A dull pain ached through her whole body, but it was nothing compared to what she had felt in her mind.
She went to sit up, but Tar’nek placed his hand on her chest, pushing her back down.
“Rest.” He said simply.
“To be honest, I didn’t know if you were going to live.” Jolee said, stepping forward. “The war mask is a dangerous thing, and sometimes, taking it off is hard for everyone. You on the other hand, aren’t an Eldar. Your mind works in a different way. If Makhutar was here, maybe he could have made this easier, but…” He trailed off.
“You were close to death.” Tar’nek said. “Maybe it will be easier next time, maybe not, we don’t know. Nothing like this has ever happened before, so we can’t compare it to anything else.”
Rainbow breathed out, shaken by the proximity that she had come to death, but she didn’t do anything more.
“Um, I don’t know who to ask, so I’ll just say it.” Rainbow said uncertainly. “When I first, well, thought, I awoke, I could only see two things, no matter how much I tried to think of something else.”
“Interesting.” Jolee said, and Rainbow fixed her gaze on him. “What were these symbols?”
“One was my cutie mark.” She said uncertainly, suddenly feeling that it was a stupid concern.
“And the second?” Kaliden asked.
“The rune of the Swooping Hawks.” She admitted.
“Interesting. Two symbols, one of your old life, and one of your new one.” Jolee said thoughtfully. “And tell me, if you focus on the two symbols, what happens?”
Scrunching her face up, she focused on the two symbols. They appeared in front of her in her mind’s eye, but this time, they were different. Blurred, almost as if they were out of focus.
“Well?” Jolee asked.
“I can see them, but they’re all blu…wait.” She said, before cutting herself off.
She looked at the two symbols as they began to move, slowly gravitating towards each other, until they were right next to them.
“What is it?” Kaliden asked.
“They’re moving together.” Rainbow said.
“Watch them, tell me what they do.” Jolee ordered.
Nodding, Rainbow looked at the symbols again, as they slowly pushed into each other, flowing around the other symbol, before the movement stopped and the single symbol hovered in mid-air.
“It’s stopped moving.” She said. “The two symbols have merged into one.”
“Describe it.” Tar’nek encouraged.
“It looks almost exactly like my cutie mark.” She began, “But there are prongs, like the rune of the temple. There’s a gem inside as well, green.”
“What do you reckon it means?” Goroic asked.
“I believe our newest member has made herself a new temple rune.” Kaliden smiled.
“What?!” Rainbow asked in disbelief.
“From all records, when an Eldar joins a temple, they merge with it. If they are meant to be there, then nothing happens. If they are not, then sometimes a symbol of another temple appears to them, or maybe even the rune of command if they are destined to be an autarch. Sometimes though, very rarely, a new symbol, and a new temple is created. The last Eldar to do that was Irillyth, of the Shadow Spectres.” Kaliden explained.
“And you think I’ve done that? Created a new temple?” Rainbow asked, still disbelieving.
“No.” Kaliden confirms. “In the past, the Eldar who did that were already Exarchs, lost on the path of the warrior. Only an Exarch can truly found a new temple. Perhaps, this is a sign of what is to come, perhaps, it is just the universe throwing a bone to you. I do not know.”
“Well, if you are destined to found a temple, what are ya going to call it?” Tar’nek joked.
Rainbow thought for a moment, before smiling widely.
The ponies looked at Rainbow Dash in a mixture of shock and fear. They were so sure she wasn’t a monster when she came back, and while they still agreed that she wasn’t monstrous, but the things she had just described, the things she did to the Orks.
“I’m, sorry.” Rainbow said, looking down at her hooves.
“Rainbow?” Applejack asked, looking at the cyan mare.
“I…I didn’t want to say anything.” Rainbow said, looking at the cowpony nervously.
“Ya didn’t want ta say that y’all had feelings for me?” Applejack asked, her voice rising. “Y’all thought this was the best way ta tell me?”
“I didn’t…I…I’m broken, AJ. Mentally unfit for duty.” Rainbow said, her voice wavering slightly.
“No!” Applejack shouted, getting to her hooves and looking at Rainbow. “Y’all have been back for days, and y’all then decide to tell me?!”
“I’m sorry.” Rainbow said, looking back at her hooves. “I…I need to go. Spitfire said she wanted to see me.”
“Now wait just a minute!” Applejack ordered.
“No. I’ll give you space.” Rainbow said, not looking at Applejack directly, before she flapped her wings, turning in mid-air and darting out of the open door.
Instantly, Rarity turned to Applejack, anger flowing through her eyes, and almost feeling like a physical blow to Applejack.
“What?” Applejack asks, hoping to answer in the right way.
She didn’t.
“What was that?!” Rarity shouted, not sounding at all like the civilised pony that she always tried to emulate.
“What was what?” Applejack asked.
“You dare ask that after what you said to Rainbow?!” Rarity shouted, getting up and walking towards Applejack.
“Y’all are seriously saying tha ah’m in the wrong here?!” Applejack shouted, squaring up to Rarity.
“Oh course you are wrong!” Rarity screamed.
“So you’re sayin’ that if Rainbow had suddenly said that she loved y’all, after she killed those creatures like that, that you’d be ok with that?!”
“Of course not.” Rarity growled. “But if you had listened, you would know that you were the one that saved her. She would have died from, whatever the war mask was doing to her, but she didn’t, thanks to her love for you. If she had said my name instead of yours, and our roles had been reversed, I would be honoured to be the one who saved her. She did horrible things, I’m not trying to deny that, but we are her friends, and she needs us now, and in the next few weeks, or months, or however long it takes, to get her back on her hooves. That’s what friends do. That’s what we do.”
“But…” Applejack began, but was cut off by Twilight.
“Applejack. Rarity is right. Rainbow needs us, and no matter what she did, she must have a reason to do it. When she returns, you are going to make amends with her, and then we can find out the why. So far, all we know is the what, and it is wrong to base an entire assumption on that.”
“Well said, my faithful student.” Celestia smiled, looking at Luna for a split second, who gave a nod that would have been unperceivable to anypony other than an Alicorn, before turning to address the other ponies in the room. “I believe that while Rainbows methods may have been, different, from what we would expect here in Equestria, I do not believe that her motives are anything to be faulted for. If what she told us was true, the creatures that were killed on that planet would have gone on to kill more than we can even perceive.”
“I agree.” Luna nodded. “We must wait to hear what more she has to say. Wait for her to finish the story, before rendering judgement.”
Curiously, she picked up the helmet that rainbow had left behind in her magic, turning it over and inspecting it. It was heavier than its size would suggest, and she quickly wondered if she should study it, before dismissing the idea. Rainbow was in a volatile state as it was. Tampering with her belonging could be all it took to push her over the edge. She placed the helmet back on the table where it had been, before looking at the others.
The five ponies and two princesses stood in silence, reflecting on their own thoughts on Rainbow Dash, even as the pony herself hovered just outside the stained glass window. She had heard everything, and smiled slightly, before actually taking flight, and leaving to go and find Spitfire.
***
Rainbow grinned as she streaked through skies above Canterlot, looping and rolling across the sky. She grinned as she saw ponies glance up towards her, looking in awe at the sheer speeds that she was moving at.
This was where she truly belonged. No matter how much the Eldar told her that she was needed by the craftworld, or by the Exodites, or how much anypony said she was needed on the ground, her true place would always be in the skies. Here, nopony was here equal, here, nopony could judge her new looks.
Eventually though, all good things have to come to an end, and Rainbow arrived at the Canterlot Barracks, hovering over the fortress for a second, before diving and landing heavily on the stones just in front of the entranceway. Perhaps a bit too hard, as the stone cracked under her hooves.
“Oops.” She said sheepishly, looking at the guard in front of the gate.
“Oops indeed.” The guard said sternly, not that it fazed Rainbow. She had faced and seen worse than him. “I am assuming by your ensemble that you are the one Spitfire mentioned would be visiting?”
“I am. Rainbow Dash.” She said, introducing herself, trying to shake the frown off her face.”
“Something the matter?” The guard asked.
“Just a problem with a friend. Hopefully I can get it sorted out after this, but, I’m not sure. Don’t worry about it.”
“Very well. Follow me please, and stay close. Wandering off will not be tolerated.”
With that, the guard turned around and walked through the gate, leading Rainbow into the fort. With an absent thought, she noted that if she had really wanted to, she could take out everypony in the fort without breaking a sweat.
Pushing the thought from her mind, she followed after the guard, being lead into the main building.
“So…” Rainbow said, trying to break the awkward silence, “…how long have you been in the guard?”
“One and a half years.” He said tersely.
“Seriously?” Rainbow asked. “So what did you do before?”
“I wasn’t. The guard is my first job.” He admitted. “I did watch the Wonderbolts try out session two years ago.”
“So you saw that huh?” Rainbow asked. “What was it like after, you know.”
“Well, it ended just after you disappeared, but the Wonderbolts didn’t stop looking for almost three weeks. They only stopped when their duty called. What actually happened when you were gone? Spitfire won’t admit it, but she was heartbroken when you disappeared. Said it was her fault. I think she believed you died. There was even talk about her wanting to resign over it.”
“Trust me, you don’t want to know what happened.” Rainbow said with a frown. “All that matters is I’m back now. Permanently.”
“If you say so.” The guard said, before finally reaching a door and turning to face Rainbow. “Well, here we are.”
“Thanks…” Rainbow trailed off, realising that she didn’t know the guards name.
“Sergeant Pinpoint.” He smiled, snapping a salute off. “It has been an honour, Loyalty.”
Snapping off a salute of her own, Rainbow smiled at Pinpoint, who turned and walked down the corridor. Turning to the door, Rainbow knocked once on the door, before stepping back and waiting for a while.
“Yes? Who is it?” Came the voice of Spitfire from the other side of the door.
“Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow called, smiling at the sense of déjà vu she was getting.
“Rainbow?” Spitfire said from the other side of the door, and after a series of crashes, the door swung open to reveal the Wonderbolts Captain. “Please come in.”
“Thank you Ma’am.” Rainbow said, mock saluting, and causing Spitfire to smile.
“Knock it off. You aren’t at the academy now. This is just two ponies talking.” Spitfire laughed.
“Yeah, except one of these ponies is the most awesome pony in Equestria. The other one’s the Captain of the Wonderbolts.”
“Oi. Knock it off.” Spitfire said sternly, but couldn’t quite hide her smirk as she moved to let Rainbow into her office.
The room was relatively small, being perhaps four or five meters across. It was however, instantly familiar to rainbow, and she suddenly realised that it looked identical to Spitfires office at the Wonderbolt Academy.
“You know, a few years ago, just being in the same room as any of the Wonderbolts was my biggest dream.” Rainbow said wistfully.
“And now?” Spitfire asked, taking her own seat behind the desk.
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s still awesome being here, but, after everything I’ve seen, it puts things into perspective.”
“I understand. Celestia gave me her initial understanding on the situation after the Ponyville incident. Nice work by the way.” Spitfire smiled.
“Thanks. What would have happened if I hadn’t been there?” Rainbow asked in an interested tone.
“To be honest, I don’t know.” Spitfire admitted. “The Wonderbolts are a rapid response task force as well as being stunt fliers, but as for what we actually achieve when we get to the scene is, less than stellar usually. Remember the last time the Wonderbolts came to Ponyville?”
“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash said, leaning forward slightly. “It was when Spike grew really large wasn’t it?”
“Yes. And did you see how effective my team were? We got there quickly, but we didn’t actually manage to do anything when we got there.”
“Well what are you supposed to do against a giant dragon or fifty Manticores anyway? It’s not your fault.” Rainbow said encouragingly.
“But it is. If we are supposed to be Equestria’s first line of defence, we need to know how to defend the country, but all the way from Canterlot to Ponyville, all I could think of is that I didn’t have a clue as to how we would deal with the problem. And then you stepped in.” Spitfire said dejectedly.
“Hey, don’t beat yourself up over it. I had two years training, and I fought tougher things than Manticores. If you had been in my hooves, you could have cleaned shop to. Maybe not a quickly or as stylishly as me, but I’m sure you could have done it.” She finished with a smirk.
“Do I have to go drill sergeant on your flank to make you show me some respect?” Spitfire asked, but it was all in good nature, and was even punctuated by a smile, before her face fell again. “But back on topic. Like you said, if I had been in your hooves, but I wasn’t, and there is no way that I could ever get the experiences you had, nor would I want them.”
“I see where this is going.” Rainbow said softly.
“I want you to join us Rainbow. I know how you always wanted to join the Wonderbolts, and even went to academy, but the truth is, the Wonderbolts usually recruit directly from the air force. To be asked to join directly is a great honour.” Spitfire said proudly.
“Oh.” Rainbow said, looking crestfallen, and causing Spitfire to look concerned.
“What’s wrong? I thought you wanted to join the Wonderbolts.”
“I did, I mean, I do, but, I don’t want to fight. Not anymore.” Rainbow said disjointedly. “I did that for two years, and if I had my way, I would never do it again.”
“But…” Spitfire started, but Rainbow raised a hoof, politely cutting her off.
“I know that it would help, but…I just can’t. Not as a job. I’m sorry.” Rainbow said sheepishly.
For a moment, Spitfire stared at Rainbow, looking as if she had just be slapped and called a stallion. Eventually, she came to her sense, and shut her mouth, which had been hanging open for the past thirty seconds.
“If you’re sure.” She said slowly. “This was your dream though.”
“Was. Times change.” Rainbow admitted.
“I guess I can respect that.” Spitfire relented. “You do realise this wasn’t just for you yes?”
“Oh?” Rainbow asked, interested in what the mare had to say.
“You disappeared during one of my try out sessions. That makes it my responsibility. I just…I just want to give you something, anything, to try and make up for what happened.” She said sadly.
“You don’t owe me anything.” Rainbow said kindly.
“But I do. I told you to push yourself. If I hadn’t maybe you would have done what you did and you wouldn’t have gone to…” She trailed off.
“Hell.” Rainbow finished simply. “But I promise you, what you said and did, in no way made you responsible. You couldn’t have known it would happen. If you still feel guilty, then I forgive you, but there isn’t really anything to forgive.”
“Thank you.” Spitfire smiled. “You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to hear that for the past two years. Let me make another proposal at least.”
“I’m listening.” Rainbow said, sitting forward and placing her hooves on the desk.
“You join the Wonderbolts. Strictly civilian role, and do a few shows with us. You won’t have to come on missions, and you won’t get paid as much as the others, or be allowed into military installations willy nilly, but you could at least live some of your past dreams.”
“I don’t…” Rainbow began, still uncertain.
“Please Rainbow.” Spitfire said, looking straight at the Cyan mare. “Call it a favour to me.”
“Alright.” Rainbow said after a moment of consideration.
“You will?” Spitfire asked in excitement.
“Yeah. So long as you promise that I will not be involved in any air force actions.”
“Deal.” Spitfire said, sticking her hoof across the desk.
Rainbow reached across the desk, and gently, two of the greatest Pegasi in Equestria touched hooves, and sealed the deal. It would have consequences in the future, Rainbow was sure of that, but for now, she decided to just go with it.
“What happens now?” Rainbow asked, sitting back down.
“Now, I have paperwork to do. Signing somepony up to the Wonderbolts is never a simple affair, and signing somepony up for just the civilian activities is going to be harder, I just know it. I can send you all the details once I have finalised them if you would like?”
“That would be great.” Rainbow smiled, standing up.
“Still live at the same place?” Spitfire asked, standing up as well.
“You know it.” Rainbow smiled, before turning and walking towards the door.
“Rainbow.” Spitfire called, just as Rainbow turned the door knob and opened the door.
“Yes Spitfire?” She asked, turning.
Spitfire didn’t say anything for a moment, before she came to attention, and snapped off a salute.
“It will be an honour to have you in the Wonderbolts Rainbow.” She said smartly.
“And it’s an honour to be asked.” Rainbow smiled, saluting back, before walking out of the room and letting the door swing shut behind her.
Rainbow walked out of the main building of the barracks, a small smile on her face.
“How did it go?” Pinpoint asked from his position next to the door.
“Really well.” Rainbow smiled, looking at the Sergeant. “She asked me to join her in the Wonderbolts.”
“You’re in the Wonderbolts?” He asked in astonishment.
“Well, strictly civilian role, but yes.” Rainbow admitted.
“I didn’t know there were civilian roles in the Wonderbolts.” Pinpoint said in interest.
“There weren’t, not before today.” Rainbow smiled. “Spitfire made an exception.”
“Wow. She must really want you on the flight demo team.” Pinpoint nodded.
“I guess.” Rainbow replied. “I’ve got to get going though, so sorry to cut this short, but…”
“No worries. If you’re ever in the neighbourhood, look me up.”
“Will do.” Rainbow smiled, before turning and headed out of the entrance of the fort, before walking down a side street. Maybe she should go back and see Applejack, smooth things…
“Hey! Rainbow Crash!” Came an obnoxious voice, one that rainbow knew all too well.
“Dumbbell.” She growled, turning to face the brown Pegasus stallion.
Dumbbell was not alone, and was accompanied by nine other ponies, including the other two bullies from Cloudsdale.
“What do you want?” Rainbow asked exasperatedly.
“We just wanted to see if what LD said was true. If little old rainbow Crash was really back from her failure from two years ago.” Dumbbell laughed, hoping to get a rise out of Rainbow.
He didn’t.
“LD?” Rainbow asked, looking around the group, before spotting exactly what she was looking for. “Lightning Dust.”
Now that she was exposed, the green mare pushed her way past the others, until she was standing at the forefront of the group. She leered at Rainbow, open disgust visible on her face.
“Rainbow. I’m going to ask once. What, did Spitfire, want with you?” She growled.
“Why do you want to know?” Rainbow asked, tensing her legs instinctively.
“It doesn’t matter why. Tell me now.” She growled, tensing her rear legs.
“Or what?” rainbow asked, smirking slightly.
“Or the boys and I will break you, and make you sing like a bird.” She smiled.
“Ok, first things first, I’m wearing armour, that has routinely stood up to actual weapons wielded by actual soldiers, so if you think you could get through it, be my guest.” Rainbow said matter-of-factly. “Second, I’ve endured more pain than your puny, pathetic minds could possibly imagine, and survived with my sanity relatively intact, so if you think hitting me will do anything, then you are welcome to come and try, but it will be your funeral. Lastly, there are only ten of you. If you wanted to actually achieve something, you should have brought a lot more. Did you tell them about Ponyville, Lightning Dust? About the way the Wonderbolts were called out to fix a problem, which I then fixed? Do you think that any or all of you could really handle something that outclasses Equestria’s rapid response team?”
“What’s she talking about?” A dark red Pegasus asked, looking at Lightning Dust.
“She’s lying.” Lightning Dust grunted. “Trying to unnerve you.”
“If that’s what you want to believe, then go ahead.” Rainbow said softly.
“You hear that boys?” Dumbbell smirked, looking at the others in his group. “Little Miss Crash here gave us permission.”
“You sure about this Dumbbell?” One of ponies asked. “She sounded pretty serious.”
“She’s not dangerous.” Dumbbell smirked.
Bolstered by Dumbbells words, the others, minus Lightning Dust, slowly encircled Rainbow Dash, grinning manically, all grinning manically.
“Go on.” Lightning Dust said, sadistic glee sneaking into her voice.
With a growl, Dumbbell ran forward, swinging a hoof at Rainbow. Rainbow didn’t even blink as she effortlessly evaded the sloppy attack. Dumbbell growled and continued to swing his hooves, and each time, Rainbow dodged them.
“Why. Wont. You. Stay. Still?!” He shouted, throwing a punch with each word.
“Fine.” Rainbow said innocently, and suddenly stopped moving, allowing one of Dumbbell’s blows to impact on her chest armour.
She didn’t feel a thing, even as Dumbbell cried out in pain.
“Is it my turn?” She asked softly, before springing into motion, and bringing a hoof up into Dumbbell’s chest, winding him, and putting him out of the fight.
The other ponies, including Lightning Dust, looked on in awe as the Rainbow Pegasus calmly took out a much bigger opponent like it was nothing, and then just stood there, waiting for whatever was going to come next.
“Well what are you standing around for!?” Lightning Dust asked. If looks could kill, even Rainbow’s armour wouldn’t have saved her. “Get her!”
Spurred on by their leaders words, the other eight ponies blurred into action. They weren’t going to make the same mistake as Dumbbell, and all charged at her at the same time.
“Still not enough.” Rainbow said under her breath, before blurring into action herself.
Sprinting forward, Rainbow brought a hoof up into the jaw of the first pony, shattering teeth as she forced his jaws to slam together. The ponies scream was cut short, as Rainbow grabbed the body and hurled it at a pair of other ponies, demonstrating a strength that nopony had expected from a pony of her size.
The throw knocked the pony out and stopped his screaming, as well as halting the other two ponies for a moment, and allowed Rainbow time to deal with the others.
Ducking low, she avoided a punch from one of her other childhood bullies, before wrapping her hooves around his waist and flapping her wings, flipping over and using his body to block another punch, before she inverted him and slammed his head down into the stone of the Canterlot pavements. Rainbow allowed herself a smile, Juhani would have been proud of that move.
Not dwelling on that, Rainbow turned to face the other ponies, who had all formed a group together, and were now staring at Rainbow. Lightning Dust was still standing just off from the fight, but her anger was steadily growing.
With a roar, both the group of ponies and Rainbow sprinted towards each other, and with a crunch, they collided.
Rocking back on her hooves, Rainbow avoided a head but, before rolling to avoid being buffeted off balance by a wing strike. Using the momentum of the roll, she a hoof into the ribs of a pony, before kicking out at another stallion, causing him to drop to the ground in pain as she found her mark in between his legs.
Not waiting for a second, she lashed out, using her whole body to smash aside a pony’s pitiful defence, knocking her to the floor, where she lay still, apart from the rise and fall of her chest.
Four down. Six to go.
Screaming, she dived at a pony, allowing him to hit her chest, the blow hardly even registering, before she was on him, both forehooves slamming into his chest, a sickening crunch was audible around the square, as ribs cracked, and a pony screamed.
Five down.
The ponies were now looking at her with fear, but Rainbow wasn’t going to stop now. She couldn’t. All she could do, was limit the damage she was doing. If her mind wasn’t more messed up than Discords, maybe she could, but now, it was just a case of limiting the damage she did, and to pray that she wouldn’t kill any of them.
Not waiting till they moved, Rainbow jumped up, before flapping her wings and propelling herself downwards, scattering the group and making them easy, individual targets. Dodging a flurry of blows from a Pegasus mare, she opened up with her own cascade of blows, raining them down on the pony’s chest and face. She didn’t even scream as she went down. It was over too quickly.
Forcing herself to check the fallen pony, she felt her pulse, making sure she was alive. This gave one of the ponies enough time to dart in and slam a hoof directly into her face, spraying blood across the already darkening pavement.
Whooping in joy, the pony tried to follow up his blow, believing that nopony would be able to defend themselves after a blow like that. In a way, he was right. Nopony from Equestria would have been able to, not even a guard or a member of the Wonderbolts. But then again, she outclassed both of them.
He leered at the form of the Pegasus mare on the ground, her eyes closed, and looking to all the world like she was unconscious. He raised his forehooves into the area, rearing up on his hind legs, and preparing to slam his hooves down into Rainbows face. This was when Rainbow made her move.
She quickly brought her hooves round, tripping the pony, and rolling on top of the fallen pony, grabbing his head and bringing her own head smashing into it, knocking him unconscious.
Seven down.
The final two ponies looked at each other nervously, before the first one lunged towards Rainbow. It was sloppy, but quick, and that was all Rainbow needed. Without hesitating, she moved to the side, stepping out of the way of the lamppost she was in front of, and grabbing the pony mid-flight, driving him even quicker into the pole, and denting the metal.
Rainbow stared at the other pony, catching and holding his gaze for almost a full minute, allowing the fear to build in his eyes. It was one thing fighting a mindless beast, it was quite another to fight a calculating and cunning one. Eventually, Rainbow grinned, exposing her chipped and broken teeth. Some of the chips were old, never having healed properly, others were new, from when the pony had hit her in the muzzle. Slowly, she ran her tongue over the jagged edges, catching it on a particularly sharp bit, and causing it to bleed slightly. She didn’t even register the tiny amount of pain, and just continued to stare at the pony, before she uttered one word.
“Run.”
She didn’t shout, or growl it, it wasn’t louder or softer than anything else she had said in the conversation, but the effect it had on the pony was instantaneous.
The pony bolted, flapping his wings as he ran, before taking off, fleeing through the skies of Canterlot. Turning, Rainbow faced the final pony in the area.
“Lightning.” She nodded, licking her teeth again.
“Rainbow.” She growled back. “Maybe I did under estimate you.”
With that, Lightning jumped forward, swinging a hoof at Rainbow. Rainbow blocked it with her own foreleg, but was forced backwards by the sudden ferocity of the assault. While Lightning was nowhere near the skill of some opponents that Rainbow had faced, she was leagues ahead of the other would be attackers, and that gave her at least a moments advantage through surprise.
Rainbow however, had something completely different on her mind.
Behind her eyes, she could feel a familiar sensation, and could already see the red haze clouding her vision, signifying the oncoming war mask. She knew that if she donned the mask again, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself, and only one of the pair would walk away from the fight alive. Considering the fact that she had superior training and armour on, it didn’t take a genius to figure out who it would be. Sighing, and using most of her mental powers to tear herself away from the violent thoughts racing through her mind, Rainbow did the only action left to her.
She bolted.
Streaking into the sky, she quickly rose above Canterlot, leaving an enraged Lightning Dust behind.
“Come back and fight!” She screamed, but Rainbow was already too far away. Growling, she spread her own wings, and took off after Rainbow.
Rainbow sped through Canterlot again, flying quickly rather than trying to out manoeuvre Lightning Dust. Even so, Rainbow was not the only one who had got training over the past few years, and while she had got trained in combat manoeuvers, Lightning Dust had been trained in speed, something she had demonstrated to Rainbow two years ago when she had stolen Rainbows signature move, something that would take considerable speed anyway.
Rainbow glanced back, and saw Lightning Dust right behind her, not catching up in any meaningful way, but not losing any ground either. Realising that she couldn’t get away from Lightning Dust without resorting to the Rainboom, something she was still weary of doing unless she had no choice, Rainbow made a snap decision. Closing her wings, Rainbow dived towards the ground, before flaring them just as she dipped beneath the rooftops of the Canterlot buildings.
Lightning Dust was not as stupid as Rainbow would have liked however, and didn’t dive straight away. Instead, she stayed at her height, not bleeding off her speed until she had seen Rainbow level out. Only then, did she begin her own dive, propelling herself downwards, and levelling out just behind Rainbow.
Growling, she pushed herself forwards, and reached for Rainbows tail, grabbing it, and hauling backwards.
Surprised by the sudden force on her tail, Rainbow dropped back, and now found herself level with a very angry looking Lightning Dust.
“Lightning.” Rainbow shouted, raising her hoof to stop a punch impacting with her face. “Don’t, please.”
“You’d like that wouldn’t you?” She growled, lashing out again.
“Yes!” Rainbow yelled, flapping her wings and banking sharply around a building, momentarily getting ahead of Lightning again. She flipped onto her back, and looked at the pony. “I don’t want to hurt you!”
“Then tell me what Spitfire said!” Lightning yelled back.
“Why do you want to know?!” Rainbow yelled, narrowly avoiding crashing into a building spire, and flipping back over.
“Just. Tell me!” Lightning screamed, pushing herself forward. Rainbow could just make out the familiar sight of a Mach cone beginning to form, and instantly, Rainbow found Lightning catching up to her.
Rainbow opened her mouth, but was forced to block an attack from Lightning, fending her off easily, but reaching a point where she really didn’t want to be. A red haze descended on her vision, nearly completely covering her perception of the world.
Screaming, Rainbow lashed out herself, catching Lightning Dust on the wing, and causing her to squawk in pain, dropping slightly, but more importantly, giving Rainbow enough time to put her final plan into action.
Gritting her teeth, Rainbow pushed herself forward, forcing herself through the air, and tapping into the natural Pegasus magic that existed within her. Quickly, she parted the air in front of her, allowing her to move through the lower pressure air quicker than she had before. Quickly, the cone of low pressure air that formed around her condensed, forming the visible Mach cone that heralded the sonic Rainboom.
“Don’t. Follow.” Rainbow screamed, before the cone condensed, and Rainbow rocketed forward, sending out a ring of Rainbow coloured shockwaves behind her. The shockwaves battered the buildings around her, shattering windows, and buffeting the ponies on the ground, who all looked up as if the sky was about to fall on their heads.
That didn’t faze Rainbow however, and she had a much bigger problem at the moment, as finally, the war mask burst through her psyche, dominating her mind, and bringing back memories in horrifying clarity. She screamed as her fractured mind was forced through the process again, but it was no longer Rainbow. Now, the Swooping Pegasus was in control.
Suddenly, another blast erupted from behind Rainbow, and she looked back, teeth bared as she saw what was happening. A blast, nearly identical to the one Rainbow had just created, had erupted from Lightning Dust, crackling with electricity, as a single strand followed Lightning Dust, who rocketed after Rainbow.
Rainbows eyes widened, before moments later, the pale turquoise Pegasus impacted with her, hitting her with enough force to cause her to spin out of control. Lightning Dust grabbed hold of Rainbow, and span with her, the two strands that were still being admitted by the ponies mixing together, and forming a crackling Rainbow trail, as they streaked across the sky.
Lightning looked at Rainbow face, and suddenly realised that she had made a big mistake in coming after Rainbow. The spectral maned Pegasus’s face was pulled back into a snarl, and her eyes were vacant, staring straight at Lightning, but not truly seeing her. Quickly though, that changed, as Rainbows pupils suddenly shrank, focusing on Lightning.
Rainbow grinned, as she brought her head smashing forward, stunning Lightning for a moment, and causing her to let go. Recovering quickly, Lightning suddenly found herself on the offensive, as well as being woefully outclassed.
Bringing her hooves up, Lightning kept pace with Rainbow, blocking a few of the blows, but the majority still slipped through. She tried to move away from Rainbow, but the maddened pony grabbed hold of her pulling her closer, and bringing her other hoof into the ponies face, bloodying her nose.
“Rainbow. Please.” She begged, as Rainbow brought her hoof forward again.
“No.” Rainbow grinned manically, her voice underlined with rage, and pain.
Lightning Dust was shocked at the sound of the voice. It wasn’t the Rainbow that she had known just a few minutes ago, this was the one who had survived for two years in, wherever it was she went. She realised that as Rainbow brought a hoof forward again, that Rainbow was not going to let her go, and she know realised exactly why Rainbow had tried to get away.
As that thought went through her mind, Lightning Dust looked forward, desperately searching for a way to escape from the crazed pony. What she saw however, was worse. The pair were flying directly towards a spire atop a building, and at their current speed, they would hit it right…
The pair smashed into the spire, knocking them apart, as Rainbow went one way, and Lightning careened in the other direction. The pair tumbled towards the ground, their speed significantly reduced, but not enough that a fall from this height wouldn’t hurt.
Using everything she had learned as a Pegasus and as a member of the Wonderbolts, Lightning Dust curled herself into a ball, rolling with the impact as she struck the ground. She still went sprawling, and slid across the floor on her back, before coming to rest in the middle of a restaurant, the owner of which did not look very pleased with the two ponies who had just wrecked his street front.
Looking over, she saw Rainbow getting up, her armour scuffed, but all in all, looking in a better shape than Lightning did. Her face was still in the same snarling expression though, and Lightning realised that Rainbow wasn’t going to stop now.
“Help!” She bellowed, looking around at the patrons of the restaurant. They all looked at her in confusion, before they saw Rainbows expression, and understanding dawned on their faces. Lightning saw a pony running out of the square, and hoped that the stallion wasn’t just trying to get away for his own sake. She didn’t have much time however, as Rainbow lunged at her, bringing a hoof into Lightning’s muzzle.
Lightning tried everything she knew, everything she had learnt about combat from the Wonderbolts, but it was still not enough. Rainbow simply had more skill, more strength, and more experience than her, and she realised this as a hoof penetrated her defence again, slamming into her chest.
“Canterlot Guard! Stop what you are doing now!” A voice called out, and Lightning looked over, shakily moving her head to look at the five golden armoured guards that had entered the square, led by the stallion that had left earlier.
Lightning smiled crookedly, assuming Rainbow would stop now the guards were here.
Wrong again.
Rainbow grinned, before bringing her hoof into Lightning’s face, before letting go of her and standing up, looking at the guards.
“Rainbow Dash. Come quietly, and you will not be harmed.” A unicorn guard announced, stepping forward.
Rainbow growled, taking a step forward, before a bolt of magic hit her exposed head, knocking her back a few paces. She growled, as the guard stared at her in shock, before looking at his horn.
Letting out a scream, Rainbow charged towards the guard, moving in a much more sluggish way than she had before, but still catching the guard unaware. Standing firm, the guard charged his horn again, making it glow brighter than it had before, before unleashing another beam of light at Rainbow, once again sending it into her unexposed head.
This time, the spell had closer to the desired effect, and the rainbow maned pony stumbled, before crashing to the floor. Her legs flailed frantically as she tried to find purchase to push herself upright again, but she could not coordinate them properly, and simply flopped around on the floor like a fish that had been taken out of a river and thrown onto the land.
Another bolt of magic shot out of the unicorn’s horn, impacting on Rainbow’s head for the third time, and finally, it worked properly, knocking Rainbow unconscious. Not wanting to take any chances, the guard placed his horn against Rainbows forehead, and channelled magic directly into it, before straightening up and addressing Lightning Dust.
“The pair of you are under arrest for counts of disturbing the peace and public brawling.” The guard said, gesturing for the other guards to move forward and restrain the unconscious form of Rainbow. “You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.”
Quickly, Lightning Dust felt a pair of hoof cuffs around her fore and rear legs, and a band was placed around her stomach, pinning her wings to her side. Sighing, she meekly followed the guards as they led her out of the Square, a pair of unicorns hovering the unconscious form of Rainbow behind her.
***
Lightning Dust paced around in the cell that she had been assigned. It was small, but not really that bad. She had a bed and toilet, and at the moment, that was all she needed. She glanced through the bars at the cell next to hers, and saw Rainbow was stirring. She was still wearing the armour that she had been during the fight, the guards being unable to remove it, before coming to the decision that it was armour, and not a weapon.
Quickly backing up to the other side of her cell, Lightning pressed herself against the bars, wary of what Rainbow would do when she woke up.
“Argggh!” She screamed, sitting up straight and looking around at the bars that surrounded her. “What?”
“Are you…” Lightning began, looking nervously at Rainbow.
“Am I what?” Rainbow asked, getting up and stretching.
Looking over, she saw the look on Lightning’s face, and her blood suddenly went cold.
“Did I attack you?” She asked slowly.
“Yes.” Lightning replied simply, still not sure what to make of the situation.
“And my face, what did it look like?”
“What?” Lightning asked.
“My face. Were, my lips pulled back, my eyes unfocused, anything like that?” Rainbow expanded, still looking as if something was wrong.
“Well…yes. When I…attacked you, you looked different, at first I thought it was just the Sonic Rainboom, but…” Lightning began, but Rainbow cut her off.
“I did a Sonic Rainboom?!” She said urgently, before pacing around. “Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it.”
“What’s wrong?” Lightning asked, walking towards the bars between their cells.
“I didn’t want to do that.” Rainbow said, more to herself than Lightning, before she pushed herself against the bars, staring straight at Lightning. “Why did you follow me?!”
“I…What’s wrong with doing the Sonic Rainboom? I did my own one no problem.”
“You mean apart from the property damage we will have caused?” Rainbow growled. “Do you know what the Sonic Rainboom does to your mind? It opens it up, to everything. You can’t literally think of anything else when you do it.”
“So?” Lightning asked.
“So that’s bad for me.” Rainbow said, slumping down the wall. “My mind is…not, in a good way. The more I do stuff like this, the more it will break.”
“I’m…” Lightning began.
“If you were sorry, you wouldn’t have chased me.” Rainbow said softly, but with a hard edge to her voice. “Tell me one thing Lightning. Was chasing me worth it?”
“No.” Lightning admitted sadly, sitting down and placing her back against Rainbows through the bar. “No it wasn’t.”
“Why did you do it?” Rainbow asked.
“Because I was scared all right!” Lightning shouted, turning to look at Rainbow. “I know that I only got into the Wonderbolts because you disappeared. Ad for two years, it was so…great.”
“And now?” Rainbow asked, not looking around.
“Now your back, and I don’t want you to replace me.” She finished softly.
“And.” Rainbow said, sensing that there was something more to Lightning’s actions.
“And what? I just told you.” Lightning said irritably.
“No, you told me most of it. Your body language says that there is more to it. Seriously, compared to Eldar, you’re fairly easy to read.” Rainbow said simply.
“I’m…I’m scared Rainbow. Of you. For you.” Lightning admitted.
“You’re scared of me as well?” Rainbow said sadly. “What? You think I’m a changeling or something.”
“No. I know that you’re you. Nopony could imitate you.” She said, smiling weakly to herself.
“But you’re still scared of me.” Rainbow nodded.
“You can do things, things that nopony else can do. I didn’t think that you would be able to take on all nine of those ponies, and yet you took them all out, and me. Nopony should be able to do that.” Lightning explained.
“Nopony from Equestria.” Rainbow agreed, before turning to face Lightning. “Not a day goes by, when I would not give everything to have stayed in Equestria, to have not tried to upstage you in that bucking contest.”
“What happened, when you were gone?” Lightning asked. “Spitfire said something about you fighting, and you’ve got the skills to back that up. Not to mention the armour you’re wearing.”
“War happened.” Rainbow said simply. “Unending war, across the whole of the galaxy. Thousands of worlds, burning under the heel of millions of troops. Billions die on a daily basis in the Imperium. I had to kill, and it is not something that I would want do again, but if it came to it, I wouldn’t hesitate.”
“You’d kill again?” Lightning asked.
“If I was threatened, or if one of my friends were, in a heartbeat.” Rainbow said without any hint of remorse.
Lightning stared at the pony who she was next to, before getting up and backing away from her, not taking her eyes from her.
“Still scared then.” Rainbow observed.
Lightning was about to open her mouth to speak again, but a door just outside the cells banged open loudly, and a golden armoured guard walked in, followed quickly by Princess Celestia and Spitfire.
“Lightning Dust.” Spitfire said unhappily, facehoofing. “Why is it whenever anything goes wrong in the Wonderbolts, you are involved?”
“I don’t know ma’am.” She said, coming to attention, and looking at Spitfire directly.
“Rainbow Dash.” Celestia said sternly. “I made a judgement allowing you to walk around as if nothing had happened to you. Did I make a mistake?”
“Possibly, your highness.” Rainbow said simply.
“What happened?” Celestia asked, addressing both of the ponies.
“Lightning and I fought. She wanted to know something which I could have told her without losing anything. Neither of us are guiltier than the other.” Rainbow said simply.
“Lie.” Celestia said simply. “Tell us again.”
Rainbow opened her mouth, but Lightning opened hers first.
“I attacked Rainbow, and wanted to know what she and Spitfire had been talking about. I paid others to help me in my attempt. They’re not to blame, and neither is Rainbow. I pushed her for my own reasons.” Lightning said, standing tall.
“Is this true Rainbow?” Celestia asked.
“I…” Rainbow began.
“Do not lie.” Celestia said softly.
“It…yes.” Rainbow nodded.
“Very well. Spitfire. I believe as a Wonderbolt, Lightning Dust falls under your jurisdiction.”
“You are correct.” Spitfire nodded, before turning to Lightning Dust. “Well. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“Nothing ma’am.” Lightning said glumly.
“Very well then. Lightning Dust, you are here by decommissioned. You must turn in all Wonderbolts kit, and empty your locker within two days. I am sorry Lightning, but this is how it has to be.”
“I…I understand ma’am.” Lightning sniffed, keeping her head up high.
“I will deal with Rainbow Dash at the castle.” Celestia informed the guard. “Open their cells. They are both cleared of all charges. The crown will pay for damages rendered.”
Nodding, the guard walked over to Rainbows cell, unlocking the door, and allowing it to swing open, before doing the same to Lightning Dust’s. As the door swung open on her cell, Lightning Dust quickly darted out, pushing past Rainbow and running from the door, shielding her face with her mane, in a very Fluttershy like fashion.
“Lightning.” Rainbow called, but she didn’t turn, continuing to put ground between the pair. Rainbow tried to follow, but a move from Celestia stopped her in her path.
“Do not believe that you will go unpunished.” Celestia said sternly. “You have bits in a bank somewhere I presume?”
“As long as they’re still there.” Rainbow nodded. “And they should have grown in the two years.”
“Two thousand bits. To help go towards repairs that you and Lightning Dust caused. She will not be fined, she has her punishment, and now you have yours.”
“That is fair.” Rainbow nodded.
“I’m disappointed in you Rainbow.” Spitfire said simply, before turning and walking out of the room.
“We should leave as well.” Celestia said. “The others are waiting at the castle for you. They will be anxious to hear what happened between the pair of you.”
Nodding, Rainbow followed the princess out of the room, making their way back towards the castle.
***
Rainbow took a deep breath, before pushing the doors to the throne room open, and leading Celestia back into the room. Instantly, the other elements of harmony ran over to her, all clamouring around her.
“I can’t answer you all at once.” Rainbow smiled weakly.
“Why were you arrested?” Twilight asked sternly. “I heard a pair of Sonic Rainbooms, and then heard that you had been arrested by the guards.”
“After speaking to Spitfire, I met Lightning Dust outside. One thing led to another, and we caused a public disturbance, as well as damaging public property.”
“What have I told you about doing Sonic Rainbooms at low levels?” Twilight scolded.
“Not to.” Rainbow said simply. “Trust me Twilight, I know far more than you do the consequences of my actions.” She added, slightly tersely.
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked in confusion.
“I put my war mask on outside of combat. I could have killed her, and myself.” Rainbow said dejectedly. “And I probably shortened my life again.”
“What?!” The other five asked in shock and confusion.
“It wouldn’t make sense if I told you now.” Rainbow said.
“Hold up sugar cube. You said it shortened your life. That can’t be good.” Applejack pointed out.
“Yes.” Rainbow agreed. “I know that. But that bit doesn’t come for a while yet.”
“Then tell us.” Pinkie said, sounding excited, as well as a bit apprehensive.
“It’s…it’s not going to be as…violent, as that was? Is it?” Fluttershy asked.
“Worse.” Rainbow admitted, before sitting down, and beginning to recount her tale again.
Rainbow found herself once again walking around the temple alone, exploring its many nooks and crannies from the ground, before taking off and exploring the higher areas of the temple. It had become something of a ritual for her, and while she still enjoyed going around the Craftworld with the others, she preferred not to leave the temple on her own, not wishing to get more of the looks that she got for not being an Eldar.
She didn’t let that stop her doing anything that she wanted to do however, and if there was something that needed doing outside of the temple, she wouldn’t hesitate to go out. Unfortunately for her liver, one of the things that she considered essential was getting hold of alcohol. The one good thing that came from that, is she was now known there, and got less looks than anywhere else on the Craftworld. That is not to say she didn’t get any odd looks, but she usually was too far gone to see them.
Coming down from a particularly long fly around the temple’s aerial assault course, Rainbow found herself at the temple entrance. She already knew that the only other Eldar in the temple was Kaliden, and he didn’t like to be disturbed unless it was absolutely necessary.
Deciding that any plans she may have could wait for a while, and instead, she turned and trotted off in the direction of the showers. All the flying an running that the assault course had made her do had caused her to work up more sweat than an angry Commissar disciplining a new unit.
Reaching the showers, she quickly removed the empty spiritstone from around her neck, placing it on a small hook under the symbol of the Swooping Pegasus, the symbol that she had been assigned now that she had proved herself in battle.
Stepping into the cascade of water, she sighed as the hot liquid slewed over her body, washing off the accumulated sweat and dirt. After almost twenty minutes, she turned off the flow of water, and stepped into a small chamber just off from the shower. Pressing a rune on the wall, she felt a breeze of hot air pass over her body, and in short order, found herself dry once more.
Walking through the temple once more, she quickly made her way towards her chambers, and opened her footlocker, pulling out what was inside. It was the armour she had worn on Hannibal, and it always brought back memories, regardless of how many other battles she fought in, not matter what she saw, deep down, she knew that the battered and near destroyed armour would constantly make her feel regret. Regret for those she couldn’t save, and regret for those that she didn’t see anymore.
Replacing the armour in the chest, she pulled on the brown bodysuit of the temple, before heading towards the entrance once more. She always disliked the clothes she had to wear, but nudity was not considered ‘proper’ to the Eldar of Saim-Hann. Armour or aspect temple clothing was once thing, but full nudity was most definitely a social taboo.
Taking flight, Rainbow quickly angled herself towards the one place she enjoyed outside of the temple, and quickly found herself touching down in the courtyard she had first met Tar’nek in. Walking over to one of the merchants there, she placed her forehooves on the bar, and watched as the Eldar behind it walked over.
“Re’ka. Glass of.” She said simply, drawing a nod from the barkeeper.
“Sure you can handle it?” The barkeeper asked.
“I can.” She nodded with a smile.
Turning around, she surveyed the rest of the courtyard, looking at the other Eldar. Unlike the rest of the Craftworld, the Eldar in this place were laid back, usually drunk, and could actually be fun company, even to those who weren’t Eldar.
“Rainbow. Drinks up.” The barkeeper said, sliding a small glass filled with the brown liquid.
Nodding, Rainbow took the drink and trotted over to an unoccupied table. That was another perk about being in the Swooping Hawks, or just in an aspect temple in general, was the fact that drinks were on the house. From what she had heard, some Eldar stayed as aspect warriors just for that reason.
Smiling at how different Saim-Hann was to the other Craftworld, she took a sip from her glass, before remembering the first time she had seen an Eldar from a different Craftworld.
***
4 Weeks earlier
***
Rainbow was sitting with the other Floating Assault Eldar in the mess hall of a warship. As with the first time they had gone to battle, the mood was high, just like the songs that were being sung. The craftworld had once again been called upon to contain the spread of Orks, this time being called by another Craftworld. Alaitoc, to be specific. With the two Craftworld’s united, Rainbow and the others knew they would be successful, it was just a matter of time.
“…and then Juhani got up, and yelled, ‘that was awesome’!” Tar’nek roared with laughter, looking at the female Eldar. “After being thrown across the temple, that was her response.”
“Good response.” Rainbow grinned, grabbing a piece of fruit and biting into it.
They were still a week away from the battle, and had refrained from donning the war mask just yet, but they had donned their armour, as had everyone else on the ship.
“Oi oi.” Goroic called, pointing across the hall. “Looks like Starstriders have arrived.”
Following Goroic’s gaze, Rainbow looked over to see a group of Eldar, clad in the armour of the Striking Scorpions, walk into the main hall of the ship. Rainbow was already unnerved enough due to the presence of the Avatar of Khaine that was on board. The Bloody-Handed God walked amongst them, and Rainbow could feel its presence lingering on the edge of her mind, urging her to don the war mask, and dedicate herself in her entirety to the eradication of the Orks attacking Eileniliesh. From the look of every other Eldar on board, they felt the exact same thing.
“Who are they?” Rainbow asked, looking over the heavy armour that the Scorpions wore.
“From the look of their Exarch, and the small amount of warriors with him, and would say that they are members of the Deadly Rain shrine.” Kaliden murmured, not taking his eye off his weapon.
“I fought with them at Re’quolt.” Juhani said, looking over the members. “Who’s the new guy?”
“Let’s ask.” Jolee said, getting up and making his way over towards the Deadly Rain shrine-hall. Quickly getting up, the members of the Floating Assault made their way after Jolee, with the exception of Kaliden, who remained in the trance like state, checking his weapon, before checking it again.
The exarch of the shrine looked as they approached, his deep blue eyes darting between the Hawks, alighting on Rainbow for a fraction of a second longer, before moving on again. His hair was a rough, dirty brown colour, and was cropped close to his head, with the exception of a single long braid that snaked down his back.
“The Floating Assault shrine, children of the Hawk Kaliden if I am not mistaken.” The exarch said, rising and bowing regally. “Down one member, and up another? What happened to Makhutar?”
“Dead, fallen against the Orks of Unotipa IV.” Jolee said, bowing himself, before turning to point at Rainbow Dash. “Exarch Kenainath, may I present our newest member. This is Rainbow Dash. She is a pony, but do not let her species fool you, she is a sister in arms now. You are not without new members yourself. Who is this?” He asked, pointing at one of the seated warriors.
“This is Korlandril.” The exarch said, pointing at the Striking Scorpion, who rose from his seat. “Our own babe at arms. This shall be his first mission.”
“It is nice to know I am not the only one who will be seeing combat for the first time this expedition.” Korlandril said, bowing to Rainbow.
“First time?” Rainbow asked indignantly. “Try second as a Hawk, and more in general.”
“Seems like you are the only one to be facing combat for the first time.” Juhani grinned. “Point, Saim-Hann.”
“Barbarians.” One of the Scorpions muttered.
“Puritanical idiots.” Faren shot back.
“And on that, I think we should leave.” Jolee said. “I wish you all well in the fight, and I hope you get back whole.”
***
Saim-Hann
***
Laughing softly at the memory, Rainbow quickly downed the glass of Re’ka, before holding it up and catching the barkeeper’s eye.
“Rainbow?” Called a voice from behind her, and she turned around to see a familiar Eldar approaching him, specifically, a group of Exodites.
“Egarion.” Rainbow smiled, rising and walking over to the Exodite. “What are you doing here?”
“We heard that this was the favourite place for a non-Eldar to get drunk on Saim-Hann, figured that it was you.” Dorgolmar grinned, sitting down at the table that Rainbow had occupied moments ago. “What are we drinking?”
“Re’ka.” Rainbow smiled as the Eldar from behind the bar walked over with another glass in his hand.
“You actually drink that stuff?” Aranel asked, scrunching his nose up at the smell of the drink. “Three wines, please.” He said, addressing the barkeep.
“Coming up.” The Eldar nodded.
“So come on, what have you guys been doing for the last five weeks? I haven’t seen you since…” Rainbow began.
“Since you decided to go and fight the Orks.” Egarion said bitterly, looking at the pony with a stern glare. “What happened to the pony who hated fighting?”
“She died on Hannibal.” Rainbow said, as if she was talking about something as simple as the weather. “I have nothing else to offer. Flight teams don’t exist in Eldar society, and the weather is controlled naturally. What else was I going to do? It all makes sense now.”
“You could have come with me.” Aranel shot back, taking a sip from the crystal glass in front of her. “Merchant navy.”
“I’m not somepony who can sell things well, that’s Applejack. I’m not an artist, or a sculptor, that would be Rarity. So tell me, how would I fare if I had become an artisan like Egarion, or a trading merchant like yourself?” Rainbow growled softly, downing her own glass.
“What did Elarique say to you? Just before he died?” Egarion asked.
“Don’t bring him into it. Don’t you dare.” Rainbow snarled.
“What. Did. He. Say?” Egarion insisted, punctuating each word.
“He said promise me you won’t lose yourself out here.” She said bitterly. She saw where they were trying to steer this, and she didn’t like it.
“Exactly. He didn’t want you to keep on fighting, and now look at you.” Dorgolmar said simply.
“You are failing…” Egarion began sternly.
“No.” Rainbow growled, hitting the table with her hoof for emphasis. “What do you actually know about Elarique? Before he came to Hannibal. How much did you actually know about him?”
“That’s not…” Egarion began.
“That is the point!” Rainbow roared. “The armour that was modified to fit me? Elarique’s old armour! The temple that I am now a part of? Elarique’s old temple! Before he came to Hannibal, he was a Swooping Hawk, so don’t give me this buffalo crap that I’m betraying his memory!”
“He didn’t want that life for you!” Dorgolmar roared back, getting up and looking straight at the cyan Pegasus, anger filling his eyes.
“And I didn’t want this life for me either!” Rainbow shot back. “I want to be at home, with my friends, not fighting wars! But as I’m here, I’m going to do all I’m good at.”
“We’re your new friends!” Dorgolmar growled.
“No.” Rainbow said, getting up. “Elarique was my friend, Talvan was my friend. In fact, all of you were my friend.”
“And now?” Egarion asked, getting up as well.
“Were.” Rainbow said simply, before flaring her wings, and taking flight, angling herself back towards the temple.
As she flew, a single tear threatened to roll down her cheek, but she caught it before it dropped. She would not shed a tear for any of them.
Rainbow arrived back at the temple, landing heavily just inside the gates and trotting towards the main doors, the mighty structures swinging open as they sensed her presence. She had never worked out exactly how the psycho-plastic could sense her presence, but when she had asked, it was almost instantly clear that none of the others knew either, calling it ‘artists work’, and none of them knew anything about that stuff.
Walking into the temple, she saw the tell-tale signs of the others being back, and quickly made her way to the central chamber.
“Rainbow.” Tar’nek called out happily, as the Pegasus walked into the room.
“Tar’nek. Guys.” Rainbow nodded with a smile.
“What did you do? Drunk again?” Juhani asked with a smile. “You’re easy to read Rainbow.”
“Falling out with old friends.” She admitted casually. “Elarique’s Exodite friends.”
“What about?” Jolee asked.
“Oh, they said I shouldn’t be fighting now I’ve got a choice in the matter. I disagreed with them. All sorted now.” Rainbow said dismissively. “So, where did you all get to?”
“Nar’bok called, I had to go back to my house. Apparently there is some controversy about a new member of the wind rider clan, and as a high ranking member, they wanted my opinion.”
“Why all the fuss over a new member?” Faren asked.
“I understand.” Faren nodded. “Must be nice to be a high ranking member of a wind rider clan.”
“At least you have a Jetbike.” Goroic laughed. “I got relegated to gunner on a viper, while my father gets to fly it.”
“So you guys are all in a clan?” Rainbow asked.
“It would be easier to find an Eldar on Saim-Hann who isn’t in a clan. You may be one of the only ones, and your old Exodite buddies.” Juhani pointed out.
“So you what, quit when you join a temple, and then re-join?” Rainbow asked.
“Membership is until you die, or until you get kicked out for doing something extremely bad. Never met anyone who was kicked out.” Tar’nek said.
“How do you join?” Rainbow asked, making small talk rather than actually wanting an answer.
“Family ties usually. Sometimes if you don’t have a clan and you do something stupid or brave, usually both, you can impress members of the clan, who can appeal for you to join.” Tar’nek said. “Why? Thinking of trying to join one?”
“Nah. Just making conversation.” Rainbow replied.
“Fair enough.” Tar’nek nodded, before looking over. “Kaliden. Nice of you to join us.”
“It is not a casual visit, I’m looking for a certain blue Pegasus in our ranks.” He said, looking around, before staring at Rainbow. “My chambers.” He said simply, before turning and walking out again.
“Coming.” She said, getting up and walking after the exarch.
Quickly getting to Kaliden’s chambers, Rainbow waited patiently for the Exarch to speak. She did not have to wait for long.
“Rainbow, it’s safe to say you knew Elarique, is it not?” He asked.
“Well enough.” Rainbow said uneasily, caught off guard by the question. “Better than the rest of the Exodites in a lot of ways.”
“Probably better than most.” Kaliden agreed. “He was difficult to talk to. As an exarch I knew him for a while, but as W’rel, I only knew him for a few days before he left for the Exodites.”
“W’rel?” Rainbow asked in confusion.
“Yes. The personality who donned this armour after the previous exarch died.” Kaliden said slowly, making sure to get his facts right. “When an exarch is killed, another who has become lost on the path will don his armour, and in doing so, become the exarch. Their personalities are absorbed and combined into me. I still feel him, but I will always be stronger, I’m older.”
“Sounds like a complicated process, and I’m not going to pretend I understand it.” Rainbow smiled.
“Good. You’ll live longer, and to tell you the truth, no one understands it.” Kaliden smiled. “But down to business. The Seer Council contacted the temple, and asked us to send someone who knew Elarique. A bonus is you knew Talvan.”
“Why does it matter that I knew them?” Rainbow asked. “What does the council want?”
“They didn’t say, but when the council asks for an aspect warrior, then it can usually only mean one thing.” Kaliden said.
“What?” Rainbow asked.
“War. Total war.” Kaliden said solemnly. “You best hurry. I will organise the temple for warfare.”
Nodding, Rainbow quickly hurried out of the room, taking flight as soon as she was outside the temple, and banking towards the central tower where the seer council met.
***
Quickly crossing the craftworld, Rainbow touched down in front of the steps, before quickly trotting up them. As she approached the door, a pair of storm guardians armed with pistols and chainswords approached her, blocking her passage.
“State your business with the seer council.” One said.
“Rainbow Dash, member of the Floating Assault Swooping Hawk temple. The seer council asked to see a member of our temple.”
“Pass then.” The second one said, raising his chainsword and allowing Rainbow entrance into the council tower.
Quickly making her way through the winding corridors, Rainbow eventually found herself at the doors of the council chambers, which she hastily pushed open, walking inside with her head held high. Looking around the room as she walked forward, Rainbow saw that all eyes were on her. Finally reaching the centre of the room, Rainbow looked around at the four council members.
“You wished to see me?” She asked.
“We wished to see someone from your temple.” One of the council members nodded. “Have you ever experienced war, Rainbow?”
“I fought on Hannibal, against the Tyranids, and I have fought numerous times against the Orks.” Rainbow nodded.
“True war, Rainbow. The Avatar of Khaine has only been awakened once in recent times, but we have not yet had to call the Wraith-kind to arms. That is about to change.” Another council member said.
“The wraith-kind?” Rainbow asked.
“When an Eldars spirit stone is placed into the infinity circuit, the Eldar inside still lives in a fashion.” The third council member spoke. “It is possible to draw them out, and to gain knowledge from them.”
“Necromancy?” Rainbow asked in disgust. The practice was not unheard of on Equis, but it was a hated practice, and one of the few things that still held the death penalty.
“It is not done lightly.” The final council member spoke. “Two warriors shall be needed in the coming months, and yet, our Spiritseers are having trouble rousing them from their slumber. They report that a familiar presence may aid in drawing the spirits out from the limbo that they are in.”
“I serve the craftworld.” Rainbow said, bowing deeply.
“As expected.” The first council member spoke. “Trath, please take Rainbow Dash to the chamber of awakening.”
As he spoke, another storm guardian approached Rainbow, gently leading her towards a door off from the main chamber. Walking down the corridor behind the guardian, Rainbow could feel herself descending deeper into the bowels of the craftworld. For what felt like hours, the pair walked in silence, until Rainbow could clearly make out the low thrumming of the Craftworld’s many engines. To anyone other than an Eldar, or a Pegasus, the sound would have been lost amongst the sound of hoof and footsteps, but Rainbow had learnt to sense the subtle differences between sounds, and when coupled with her natural hearing ability, she could easily tell the difference.
Eventually, the pair approached a black iron door, and the Storm Guardian walked up to it, banging on it once, before turning and walking away.
“Where are you going?” Rainbow asked, turning to the Eldar.
“The chamber of awakening is off limits to all those who have not been asked there by the Spiritseers. I was ordered to bring you here, my duty is done.”
With that, the Eldar walked off, disappearing around a corner. Turning back to the door, rainbow inspected it, debating whether she should knock again, before she saw a crack emerge in the middle. Slowly, almost ominously, and with a loud groan, the door swung open, and Rainbow nervously walked inside.
The first thing she noticed was that it was hot, really hot. The air seemed to cling to her like treacle, and she found it slightly difficult to breathe through it, each breath prickling her lungs. Nonetheless, she forged on, and slowly, a pair of massive shapes loomed out of the unnatural haze that covered the room.
Setting eyes on one, she saw that it was a massive bipedal figure, not unlike the Guardian armour in appearance, but the size was something completely different. It towered over her, causing her to crane her neck just to look at the things face. Just next to its head, a massive cannon squatted on its left shoulder, its long barrel jutting out in the familiar shape of a brightlance. Further down, its right hand gripped a wicked looking curved sword, it's blade tip lightly touching the ground. The entire construct was on one knee, facing into the middle of the room, as if it was awaiting orders from some unseen master.
Walking across the room, Rainbow looked at the other figure. It was in the same position as the first, and looked almost identical, with only a few differences, mostly in the amount of gems that were dotted around it, and the weapons it carried. On one shoulder, it sported a massive, terrifying weapon, that Rainbow had only set eyes upon once, and knew the terrible effects the D-cannon had on those caught in its blast. In one hand, it clutched a large spear, looking like a Warlocks weapon, but scaled up to fit the monster, while strapped to its other arm was a crescent shaped shield that reminded Rainbow of a Dire Avengers shimmershield, only scaled up to fit the massive creature.
“Wraith-kind.” Came a female voice from behind Rainbow, and the cyan Pegasus whirled around, fixing her gaze upon a lone figure. The Eldar was frail, from what Rainbow could make out, being even more lithe and spindly than normal Eldar. She wore bright red robes that flowed across the floor behind her, and on her head she wore a helmet, its full face visor having a pitch black shine to it. Her right hand grasped a staff as she walked over to the first machine that Rainbow had looked at.
“A Wraithlord.” She said. “This mighty war machine has seen combat for millennium for Saim-Hann. Its spirit may have changed, but as a vessel, it has never fallen.”
Moving over to the other machine, the Eldar ran her hand over the head of it in an almost reverent way.
“And this machine.” She said, pausing, and Rainbow could tell she was smiling beneath. “Wraithseer. She has fought for millennium as well, providing both heavy support and needed council in times of war.”
“They’re beautiful.” Rainbow nodded. “Why am I here though?”
“These machines are important to the Autarchs of the craftworld, apparently the spirits they wish for me to imbue them with have knowledge about those we will face. I am however having difficulty. It is not uncommon, but certain spirits do not want to leave the comfort of the infinity circuit. They claw at its walls when I draw them out, refusing to leave. That is why you are here. A familiar presence can help give them the incentive required to fill these empty shells.”
“OK, that makes sense.” Rainbow nodded. “So what do I need to do?”
“You are already doing it.” The Spiritseer said, looking at the machines. “Already I can feel the souls of the dead writhing within these shells, trying to burst through. They wish to meet you once more.”
“Who are they?” Rainbow asked slowly.
“Quiet please.” The Spiritseer said raising her staff. “Spirits of the dead, come to me. Fill these shells, and grant us your wisdom of ages. Rise up from the shackles of unlife, and bring forth death to our enemies once more in glorious victory!”
As she chanted, the air in the room began to move, before she finally reached a crescendo, raising her staff above her head and looking straight up. A second later, two beams of light erupted from the massive gem stuck on top of the staff, striking the two wraith constructs on their own head.
The result was instantaneous, and both of the monstrous creatures began to rise, getting to their feet, before looking down at the two smaller inhabitants of the room.
“Oh mighty constructs.” The Spiritseer continued. “Though your body may die, you shall remain. Evermore. Your body’s spirit stays on, in this flesh of wraithbone. Evermore”
The Wraithlord looked down at Rainbow, before getting down onto one knee, looking straight at her with its large, empty head. Beside it, the Wraithseer followed suite, and soon, both massive machines were staring and unnerving Rainbow.
“Rain…bow.” A voice sounded, not physically, but within her mind, and Rainbow’s blood instantly froze. She knew that voice.
“E…Elarique?” She asked in shock, tears instantly flooding to her eyes.
“Yes.” It said slowly.
“And the Wraithseer? T…” Rainbow began.
“Talvan.” The other Wraithseer groaned, causing yet more tears to spring to Rainbow’s eyes.
“I…I…” She began, before breaking down into tears.
Moving forward, the blue Pegasus placed her hooves around the two constructs necks, sobbing softly. The Spiritseer, seeing that this was a sensitive time, slipped backwards, exiting the room, and closing the door behind her.
***
Equestria
***
The others looked at the happy looking Rainbow maned Pegasus with a look of confusion on their collective faces. Rainbow herself was simply smiling to herself, reminiscing about times gone by, and being reunited with old friends. Eventually however, somepony had to break the silence.
“But…I thought y’all said that they were dead.” Applejack pointed out. “That’s why ya were all sad and join the temple thing.”
“They are dead.” Rainbow said, her smile fading slightly. “About as dead as they come actually, but for the Eldar, and the Space Marines I guess, death doesn’t mean the end of your fight. Sometimes things come back.”
“But if they don’t die, how come the Eldar are dying out?” Twilight asked.
“Not everyone can inhabit a wraith construct. Coming back is hard, and no one knows if you’ll be able to do it, but passing on, that’s dead certain.”
“We must look like ants when compared to the Eldar.” Luna mused, not unhappily, but dejectedly.
“I think you look as you’ve always looked.” Rainbow smiled. “Like giants. The Eldar are so old as a race, they had their time, and now it’s just a matter of when they will finally slip beneath the surface of the waves of life. Ponies are still young. We have the whole of creation to look through, and all the time in the universe to do it in.”
***
Saim-Hann
***
After what seemed like an eternity, Rainbow pulled back from the two wraith constructs, wiping her eyes in annoyance that she had let her emotions get the better of her, but damn if it didn’t feel amazing.
“I thought I lost you.” Rainbow smiled weakly, looking at the Wraithlord that Elarique now inhabited.
“You did, but apparently my fight isn’t done.” The constructed rasped in her mind. “You placed my spirit into the infinity circuit, and I am guessing one of the others did the same with Talvan’s. Where are they? Are they safe on the Craftworld?”
“They’re safe.” Rainbow nodded. “But apart from that, I don’t know. We had a falling out, it’s not going to get better.”
“What over?” The Wraithseer asked.
“They said I was stuck in the past.” Rainbow admitted. “Tar’nek brought me to the…”
“Temple of the Floating Assault.” Elarique finished, his voice tinged with happiness. “You joined my old temple?”
“Yeah, apparently my emotions would have been bad for the Craftworld.” Rainbow laughed softly. “The other Exodites said I was betraying you. I’m not…am I?”
“Rainbow, you could never do that.” Elarique rasped softly. “You are whole, in a galaxy that tries to make you anything but. You fought like a thing possessed in the final fight of Hannibal. You should have seen it Talvan.” The Wraithlord turned to look awkwardly at the Wraithseer. “The pony who almost died at Aspoh fields was one of the most vital lynchpins in the defence of the final village.” He slowly turned back towards Rainbow. “But it was also dangerous. I trust you have met the Exarch of the Floating Assault, W’rel, I believe his name was, before he became Kaliden once more.”
“Yeah.” Rainbow nodded.
“Then you know of the curse of the Exarchs. Giving yourself into the love of battle, getting lost of Khaines bloody path. That is a fate I did not wish on you. Don’t lose yourself to the Eldar Rainbow, stick to who you are, and what you know, fight if you can, protect those who need it, and kill those who deserve it, but never fall to it, never love to fight, or you may never do anything else. Locked in an eternal struggle, a ghost of Saim-Hann, just like Talvan and I are at the moment.”
“So when you said don’t lose yourself, you didn’t mean…” Rainbow trailed off.
“That you should never fight again?” Elarique asked. “No, I saw you on Hannibal Rainbow, and there are a few things you excel at. One of them is flying, and maybe, maybe, if the humans had let you live you could perform flying shows for them, but fate didn’t blow that way. The other thing that I can see in you is loyalty, something you will defend to the death. That’s what makes you great warrior Rainbow. Not you’re skill, or a possible callousness when it comes to taking life, which I know you do not have, but your loyalty to protect anyone you can, that is your greatest blessing.”
“Protector, not warrior.” Talvan agreed.
“Thanks.” Rainbow smiled weakly. “You have no idea how much that means.”
“Believe you me Rainbow.” Talvan nodded, before the mighty creature began to rise. “I know the effects kind words can have on some.”
Following suite, Elarique’s Wraithlord got to its feet as well. As it did so, the door to the chamber once again creaked open, and the Spiritseer from before walked in. Even hidden behind the soulless helmet, Rainbow could tell that she was smiling beneath it, although whether that was because Rainbow had been comforted, or because the two mighty warriors were finally interred in the wraith constructs, Rainbow could not tell.
“I trust you have had your conversation?” She asked smoothly.
Rainbow nodded once, as did the two wraith constructs. Nodding herself, the Spiritseer turned on her heels and walked out of the room. Quickly, Rainbow hurried after her, followed closely by the surprisingly agile forms of Elarique and Talvan, their feet hardly making more noise than a Guardians foot fall, as the four of them made their way back towards the chamber of the Seer council.
Rainbow followed the Spiritseer closely, ascending back up to the surface of the craftworld, the two massive wraith constructs slowly advancing behind them, before they finally reached the door to the Seer council. Pushing it open, the Spiritseer walked inside, leading the others inside, and moving towards the centre of the chamber to address the council.
“Honoured council members,” the Spiritseer bowed deeply, “the two unreceptive wraith-kind have been awoken by the aspect warrior you sent. They now stand ready to provide council.”
The two wraith constructs bowed at this, and Rainbow quickly bowed as well.
“You have done well Rainbow Dash.” One of the Seer’s nodded. “But now, I must ask you to leave once more. Return to your aspect temple, and await for orders. Soon, the Craftworld will be prepared to mobilise.”
Nodding in agreement, Rainbow turned on her heels and trotted out of the room, making her way out of the council tower and taking flight, heading back towards the temple of the Floating Assault. Quickly eating up the distance, she watched in awe as a jetbike sped past her, her eyes only barely managing to pick out some of the details on it. She thought she was fast when she was in Equestria, then she came here and learnt that she had hardly been moving before, the Swooping Hawk training really paying off. Honestly, if she wanted to she could do Sonic Rainboom’s all day long, but unless she was fighting Tyranids again, she’d keep the extremely unsubtle power in check, no point in giving away her position for no gain after all.
Shaking her head, she grinned as she saw the Khaine province of the craftworld, and quickly dipped to soar just over the other aspect temple complexes. They weren’t all as large as the temples of the Swooping Hawks, the flying Eldar needing more space than their earthbound cousins, but they were still huge, stretching off into the distance as Rainbow sped past.
Finally, she caught sight of her own temple, and quickly dropped her altitude once again, slowing down just as she touched the floor and setting off at a run into the temple, the doors sliding open at her approach. Quickly moving through the temple, she came upon the room where the others had been when she left the temple, and skidded to a halt.
“She returns.” Jolee smiled. “What did Kaliden want?”
“The Seer council wanted to see me.” Rainbow replied.
“And what did they want?” Tar’nek asked.
“Two wraith-kind wouldn’t wake up.” She said simply.
“Anyone we would know?” Faren asked.
“Elarique and Talvan.” Rainbow smiled. Looking around the room, she saw that none of the others were smiling anymore.
“Elarique and Talvan?” Juhani checked. “They needed both of them awake?”
“Umm…yes.” Rainbow nodded uncertainly. “Why is that bad thing?”
“Did they say who we were preparing for war against?” Tar’nek asked.
“No.” Rainbow shook her head. “They just said that the call would go out soon.”
“Mon-keigh.” Tar’nek muttered, before raising his voice. “We must inform Kaliden. He will want us to be well prepared for this attack.”
“Why is this it that this seems like it is a much bigger deal than the other deployments?” Rainbow asked, following the others down the corridor.
“If they are waking up even a single ghost warrior, that means we will be deploying in force alongside the Craftworld’s guardians. Everything you’ve seen has been nothing but a skirmish compared to this.” Tar’nek said solemnly.
Suitably cowed by this response, Rainbow followed the others towards where Kaliden was meditating. She knew that the next few weeks would be harder than anything else she had done with the temple, and if Tar’nek and the others were right in their hunches, she was beginning to have her first serious doubts about success.
***
Two weeks of some of the most intense training Rainbow had ever experienced ended abruptly when the call finally went out. It wasn’t a physical call, not like Rainbow had expected anyway, no member of the seer council came knocking on their shrine door, and no signal was sent to their communicators.
Rainbow and the others had been going through yet more flight training, Kaliden making sure that they understood human aerial defence techniques and how to effectively combat them, when they all suddenly heard something.
It was not a traditional sound, but instead, was a feral, primal howl that echoed within Rainbows head, driving all the pent up rage and aggression that she kept locked away when not in the trance like state of the war mask.
Faltering in her dive, Rainbow smashed into the soft grass of the training field, carving a deep gouge into the ground. Quickly getting up, Rainbow watched as the others had similar, if slightly less extreme. Tar’nek collided mid-air with Kaliden, both managing to stop just before hitting the floor, while the others recovered quickly, landing just next to Rainbow as she crawled out of the crater.
“What…is that?” Rainbow panted, trying to push the feelings back into the recesses of her mind, yet finding herself unable.
“He comes.” Juhani smiled, her eyes fazing in and out of focus.
“The young king is no more.” Goroic laughed, nervously fidgeting his hands.
“Khaine lives on, and his bloody handed avatar now walks amongst his children, calling us to his side in the everlasting war.” Kaliden growled, his lips curling back over his teeth.
“The young king has been consumed, and the avatar has awoken once more. The craftworld has just been called to war.” Faren growled, clenching his fists so tightly that if he hadn’t been wearing his armoured gloves, Rainbow was sure that they would have started bleeding.
“So that’s it? How do we know where to go?” Rainbow asked.
“Kaliden knows.” Jolee said, seemingly handling the avatar’s influence better than the others. “The exarchs of the temples always know.”
“Where to?” Tar’nek asked, turning to face the exarch, who had his eyes rolled back in his head, exposing the whites of his eyes fully.
“The Celestial Ideal is waiting for us at the Gea port. We are expected there in one hour.” Kaliden replied, his eyes swivelling back to normal.
With a silent nod, every member of the temple turned and headed back towards the arming chambers.
***
Kaliden stood naked in front of the rest of the shrine, the only thing on him being his soul stone. Beside him stood his armour, locked onto the stand beneath. The others faced him, their own armour beside them, prepared for the exarch to begin the final part of their transformation. He had already informed Rainbow that this time would be different.
The avatar would exacerbate the war-mask within her, making it stick harder and be all together more powerful. If she was not careful, this would be the time she lost herself to it. Kaliden had initially expressed his desire for her to sit the mission out, but Rainbow would not have something as trivial as losing her mind to the eternal war being fought by a super-advanced alien civilisation, stop her from sticking with her new found friends.
Finally, Kaliden began talking.
“The peace is broken, the harmony falls to discord, only war remains. Now we clothe ourselves, with bloody Khaine’s own raiment, as a warrior. In Khaine’s iron skin, we clad ourselves for battle, which fire burns within. The spirit of Khaine from which we draw our resolve strengthens within us. War comes upon us, we must bear its dark burden, upon our shoulders. We stand before Khaine, unyielding in our calling, free of doubt, free of restraint, free of fear. We do not fear death, rather, we walk in its shadow, daring Khaine to reach out and snatch us for himself, proud and unafraid. We strike from the skies, as swift as the hawk, with a deadly purpose to our talons. We give of our blood, as Khaine’s call roars around us, calling us to war. The spirit of Khaine, from which we draw our resolve, strengthens us from within. War comes upon us, we must bear its dark burden, upon our shoulders. We stand before Khaine, truly unyielding in our calling, now free from the notion of doubt, and the lie of peace. See not with your eyes, but allow anger to flow, lets Khaine’s gift guide you, and let his anger fuel your actions.”
Now, as with all the times before, the war-mask burst forth from Rainbows mind, taking over her psyche. This time however, Rainbow could feel something at the back of her mind, a voice urging her to give into her baser instincts.
Growling, the Pegasus followed the other Swooping Hawks towards the dock, fully prepared for total war.
***
Rainbow was so much more aware than ever before, the avatar boosting her senses. She could feel the ship moving through the webway, she could hear the engines of the pathfinder ships that where just outside the hull. If she listened closely, she swore that she could hear wails from somewhere beyond the webway, and they seemed to be getting louder.
Dismissing the thought, Rainbow turned back to face Kaliden, who was about to begin the briefing for the coming war.
“Verbatim VIII.” He said simply, an image of a lush green planet. As Rainbow watched, the greenery shrunk away, until almost none remained, being replaced by ugly cities, and fire. The planet was on fire, and entire continents were burning, while the rest was encased in snow.
“Until recently, this planet was a small unassuming world in the Imperium of Man, a hive world by their definition, the world was utterly unimportant to the Eldar. Ten years ago however, this changed. A small event caused a rebellion on the planet, something that is still going on, but has only recently become a threat to us.”
The image being shown suddenly changed, and Rainbow shuddered as she looked upon a vicious human.
“This human has been identified by our seers as enforcer Hakon. He was once a soldier in the Vraksian militia on Vraks, but was unaccounted for after the planet was brought back to the humans hands.” Kaliden started. “Now it appears that he has come back, once again with his Gods favour, and at the head of an army. This rebellion has now grown to such a scale however, that soon darker forces will be drawn to the planets. We cannot allow them to manifest on this planet, for if they are allowed to break through here, it could spell doom for Saim-Hann and countless Exodite worlds in the vicinity.”
“So are we killing every human on the planet?” Juhani asked.
“Unfortunately no.” Kaliden said, and once again changed the image to another human, this one in a much higher class of uniform, and standing in front of an army,
“This is Lord General Sturnn of the Cadian 453rd, formerly General Sturnn of the Cadian 412th. He is considered a hero by many, and if he is killed, the humans will froth at the mouth, belching forth fire and death on whomever killed him. If we do it, that wrath will be on us, so we are simply here to covertly assist him, again.”
“Why does this guy always need our help?” Jolee asked, looking at the wizened face of Sturnn.
“Because he’s an incompetent human.” Rainbow said with a smirk, exposing her teeth.
“Sturnn is many things, but he is not incompetent.” Kaliden said sternly. “He defeated a resurrected necron tomb world without the assistance that we believed he would need, and would not have needed our help if he had not been rushing to complete his mission. He is to be considered an enemy that is not to be engaged or interacted with except under the strict orders of the Autarch. Now, any questions?”
“When do we get there?” Rainbow snarled.
“Soon.” Kaliden replied with a smile.
***
The Eldar fleet slipped into the system, slicing back into realspace as the webway portals closed behind them. There were ten ships in total, ranging from small pathfinder ship that had lead them to the planet to the large battleship that would take the lead in any active assaults on the planet, as well as holding the guardian segment of the Eldars force, all blending in with the empty void behind them as their holo-shields flared into life.
Moving towards the planet, a single ship took the lead, cutting towards two other ships, both exchanging fire as they spiralled around each other. They were ugly things, gigantic, slab-sided brutes that spat out solid munitions, and vented their crude plasma drives in a feeble attempt at real speed. How little the humans knew of true space travel, and how fitting it would be that the Eldar would show them ultimate power.
As a signal jumped around the Eldar fleet, the ships began to spread out, stealthily encircling the duelling ships, before another signal went out, this one a single word.
“Engage.”
A single lance erupted from each ship in the fleet, hitting pinpoint locations on each ship, and popping the already stretched void-shields. Now exposed to the fire of the other ships, huge gouts of flame shot out into space, before being extinguished, even as oxygen vented into space, taking with it countless lifeless bodies.
Another volley shot out from the Eldar fleet, taking out individual targets on both ships, the communication arrays, the gunnery control centre, the bridge and the main engine feed.
Hamstrung, defenceless, without any commanders and unable to call for help, the two ships began to drift, until a final, massive volley ripped into the engines of both ships, breeching the crude plasma containments drives that were nestled at the heart of the ship.
Quickly moving away from the ship, the Eldar sped towards the planet, using the cover of the dark side of the planet to stay undetected, even as the two ship lit up like two miniature stars. By the time any ships responded to the flash, the Eldar were already long gone, their deception completed, leaving only a pair of near destroyed hulks to be found.
***
Rainbow and the other Swooping Hawks stood in the hanger bays as the doors that protected them slid open, revealing the snow covered continent that would serve as their landing zone, and leaving only a thin shield between them and the freezing expanse of the void.
Glancing to her side, Rainbow caught sight of Aranha, giving the warriors of the Falling Strike one final check.
The other, more earthbound, members of the assault force would already be making their way down to the planet via numerous webway portals set up by the pathfinders of Saim-Hann, but not the Swooping Hawks.
Looking back to Kaliden, Rainbow watched as the exarch nodded once, before setting off at a run towards the still active shield. Following his lead, Rainbow and the rest of the warriors of the Floating assault, followed closely by the other Swooping Hawks ran with him.
Drawing level with the exarch, Rainbow overtook him, once again proving that four legs were better than two, and pitched herself into the air, flying out of the hanger the instant the shield dropped.
Behind her, hundreds of other Eldar followed her, as she once again dropped towards a planet as a member of the Floating Assault.
For a blissful moment, Rainbow was completely at peace with herself, the voice of the Avatar receding from her mind, and she briefly wandered if the war-mask had lifted itself somehow. This was who she was, what she was meant to do, and what she was born to do. Now, she was truly a Swooping Pegasus.
Then everything sped up again, the wind whipped past her helmet as she streaked down through the planets cloud layer, the roar of avatar renewed its battle to take control of her mind, and Rainbow Dash was gone again.
Only the Hawk remained.
Only war stretched out in front of her.
Letting out a primal scream reminiscent of the very birds the aspect was named after, Rainbow beat her wings harder, and propelled herself downwards.
Rainbow snarled as she brought all four hooves forward, smashing into a humans face and sending him careening back, blood spilling out from his face as he flipped through the air, before he landed heavily on the frozen ground and lay still, the white snow quickly becoming soaked in red.
Looking around her, she saw the rest of the Eldar strike force clearing up the human artillery post, rooting out and killing any survivors. At present, there were only the fast moving members of the force, those who could roam ahead of the main force and strike at targets before the slower Eldar forces arrived to play their part, notably the fire dragons, who would effectively destroy the big guns that the humans had been guarding.
Just being near these engines of war made Rainbows insides churn, as the voice of the avatar in her head seemed to retreat slightly, as if it was fighting for the sole right to speak in her head. Getting closer to the cannons seemed to only make the problem worse.
Moving away from the baleful engines, Rainbow flew over to Tar’nek who was lining up a shot with a fleeing humans back. As she watched, he unleashed a searing beam of red light, and the human fell, screaming as he clutched the stump that used to be his leg.
“Nice shot. Now we’ll have someone to question.” Rainbow nodded, landing next to him.
“I missed.” He growled, before firing again, reducing the humans head to a fine red mist.
The Eldar had been on the planet for over ten planetary rotations, and so far, their plan was going perfectly. They had encountered and destroyed numerous positions, allowing the other humans to speed their advance, but made sure to leave the larger defences alone, not wanting to tip the good humans off by destroying a major fortress.
Rainbow still hadn’t seen that much of a difference between the two types of human, chaos and imperial. Granted she hadn’t ever spoken to them, and based all her knowledge of them on sight alone, but she thought it was fairly conclusive. The biggest difference between the two was the armour they wore, the chaos forces have modified what looked like imperial flak-jackets with the symbols of their fell gods, spikes and other bloody trophy’s. She had even seen a chaos soldier with an entire human skull and spinal column attached over his own like a grotesque helmet and spine protector. Other than that, all the humans seemed the same, they all worshipped something or another, or at least their deaths cries she had heard had shown that, and they both had a rigid command structure, deviation from which meant death.
“Tar’nek. Work on your aim. We wouldn’t want one to escape and tell their superiors about us because of your poor shooting.” Kaliden said, walking over.
“Of course Exarch.” Tar’nek nodded. “Have we cleared the area?”
“Chaos forces neutralised. Demolitions moving in to destroy the position.” Kaliden replied. “Prepare to move out. “Imperials are due to role past here in four hours, we can’t be here when they arrive.”
Nodding, Rainbow took to the skies, followed swiftly by the others, rising to the near permanent cloud layer. As Rainbow and the others concealed themselves in the clouds, she mused to herself that the clouds in this universe seemed to differ greatly depending on which planet she was on. Here, on this planet, she couldn’t control them, but on other planets she had been able to manipulate the clouds to a certain degree, never being able to create weather, but she could move them around a bit. God she wished she could control clouds now. It would make avoiding humans so much easier.
***
Two Days Later
***
Rainbow and the others perched on a high ridge, looking down at the roadway that ran through a canyon just beneath them. If the autarch and the farseers were correct, this place would see a lot of traffic in the next few hours, as reinforcements flooded towards the battlefield.
Rainbow had initially wondered why they hadn’t just blown the canyon as soon as they arrived and cut off the reinforcements before they even had a chance to see them, but Kaliden had shot that idea down personally.
“If they survive they will just find another way to the front. So, we must bury them here, where they will never be able to influence the battle, and the Imperials will believe that it was just a freak accident that happened to save their flank. They will be none the wiser.”
That had been hours ago, and looking out across the snow covered land, she could just see shapes starting to move. She couldn’t see how many there were due to the heavy snowstorm that had blown in, but there was definably something.
“Kaliden. Movement.” She said over the helmet communicator, pointing out across the inhospitable landscape.
“I see it. Good eyes Rainbow.” The exarch nodded, before switching to the secure communications between Exarchs.
As the convoy moved closer, Rainbow could see that this was going to be different from the other raids they had been in. Before, it had just been small artillery posts, ammo dumps or listening posts, but this, this was bigger.
Hundreds of human moved forward in an undisciplined mob, the howls to their dark gods threatening to breech the heavens, and serving to drown out any sound they may have heard of the Eldar over the snowstorm. Behind them came the armour, tanks of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Imperial Leman Russ to other basterdised versions of chimeras, all moving together behind the infantry, slaves marching ahead of them and occasionally being thrown under the treads to appease their dark gods. It made Rainbow sick.
The convoy got closer, until it entered the canyon, and began to move through it, unaware of the hundreds of Eldar just above their heads. With a single word past around every comm channel in the Eldar helmets, the autarch gave the only command he would need to give.
“Engage.”
Instantly, Rainbow saw a host of Dark Reapers silently rise up from where they had been lying, hefting their tempest launchers into a firing position, before unleashing a salvo of rockets at the soldiers below.
The explosions mushroomed up in the formation, throwing ragged corpses around and throwing the already chaotic force into complete array. Enforcers sought to keep some semblance of order, slashing out at the own allies to bring them back into line, but even as they began to bracket the Dark Reapers perch, another squad rose up, this one in another place, and repeated the movement, even as the Fire Dragons emerged from the small caves they had been hiding on at the canyon floor.
Dodging through the small parts of fire that were being directed at them, the Fire Dragons sprinted forward, before unleashing searing beams at the rear of the tanks. As the tanks were enveloped in flames, Kaliden gave a nod, before diving off the perch and swooping over the heads of the remaining troops, who were now screaming and diving on the floor, trying to avoid the wrath of the Eldar.
“Give them no mercy!” Kaliden shouting, before showing the scattered troops with grenades, before diving down towards them.
Snarling, Rainbow followed the lead of her Exarch, unleashing her own grenades before landing in the clearing that she had created, the last remnants of the plasma explosion and raising her rifle, putting a shot through a human who was trying to flee from her wrath, scrambling back over the bodies of his comrades. Turning, she smashed a hoof into another humans face as he lay cowering on the floor. She felt nothing as she snuffed out the life of the soldier, before turning to look at the others.
Juhani was tearing into them with her sword, slashing left and right as limbs and heads rolled as she walked past, while Faren calmly stood with his weapon pulled into his shoulder, putting perfectly aimed shots through throats and heads of humans.
“That’s enough. Fall back and blow the ridge.” Came the voice of the autarch through Rainbows helmet.
Without thinking, Rainbow flapped her wings, leaving the bloodbath beneath her as she soared upwards, followed by the others. She would have liked to stay and satiate the bloodlust that was calling to her through the war-mask, but that was not the plan, and everything had to go perfectly if this plan was to succeed without any Eldar loss of life.
“Floating Assault clear.” Kaliden radioed in.
“Falling Strike clear.” Another Exarch radioed in.
“Blowing the ridge.” Radioed a voice that Rainbow instantly recognised as belonging to Maura.
As he spoke, Rainbow saw a single Reaper stand up on one of the ridges, and firing a single rocket into a specifically placed series of melta bombs. In a blinding explosion, the bombs detonated, fracturing the rock as the fault line it was placed upon split open, separating large chunks from the wall. In seconds, hundreds of tonnes of rock were crashing down into the canyon, crushing any survivors and burying the burning wrecks of the tanks. In under a minute, the rocks had stopped falling, leaving no trace that there had been a slaughter here, all the evidence had been crushed, and the Imperials would advance.
Jumping into the air, Rainbow followed the rest of the Eldar force as it retreated from the battlefield, to plan their next move.
***
“How can they not have won yet?” Rainbow asked, looking at Kaliden as they perched on a rocky outcrop, acting as a watch for the Eldar webway portal.
“I don’t know. Something is obscuring the farseers predictions of the future, and making the present uncertain.” Kaliden said, looking over to Rainbow.
“Daemons?” Tar’nek asked.
“No. There is a disturbance, but it is not from the warp itself. Whatever is happening, the forces of chaos are receiving assistance from somewhere. Their defences are strong, their men well trained, and their armouries stocked with high quality weapons.” Kaliden replied.
“Maybe they used to be guard?” Jolee offered.
“A few. Sources indicate that less than 2% of the forces fighting against the Imperial Guard are defectors. The rest are rabble from all over the galaxy, hive world scum, death worlders, slaves, but very few ex-guard. That is why it is worrying why they can resist the Imperium for so long, and how they can keep recovering from the losses that they suffer at our hands.” Kaliden said, looking out at the snow.
“Sir. The autarch.” Tar’nek said, pointing down at an approaching Eldar.
The autarch had forgone the use of her helmet, allowing her long flowing hair to billow out behind her as she walked. Her armour, once from a temple of Warp Spiders, had been repainted, leaving it and the warp jump pack on her back, a deep red colour. At her sides were two large swords, one either side of her waist, hanging down until they were just shy of the floor.
Nodding, Kaliden jumped down from the perch, signalling for the others to stay where they were perching. Walking over to the autarch, the two began conversing in hushed tones, their subtle body language being as much a part of the conversation as the actual spoken words. To a human, they were simply talking, and unless they a lot closer, they would not be able to hear them. To an Eldar, or one who had studied their language and ways, this conversation could be deciphered to a degree.
As Rainbow watched, she began to piece together what they were talking about. There was something about a large artillery outpost, one that if left could hold off the advancing Imperial attack. That was all she could get.
Eventually, Kaliden and the autarch finished their conversation, and the exarch quickly returned to his squad.
“Listen in. A large number of large artillery engines have recently been moved into position overlooking the Imperials path of advance. The weight of fire would be sufficient to hold off a force of their primitive titans, let alone an infantry or armoured force. If this post is still in operation when the Imperials advance, they will throw themselves at it, breaking upon its defences. Their flank will fail, and the chaos forces will be able to break through, destabilising the army and pushing them back. This cannot happen, or they will not succeed before the allotted time.” Kaliden said, looking between his squad members.
“We’ve done this before, why is this one seeming so much more…morbid?” Tar’nek asked.
“The seers cannot decipher whether or not the Imperials know about this place. Half say they are planning to take it out themselves, the others say that they have no knowledge of this place and will be caught unawares.” Kaliden explained.
“So…if we attack, we risk discovery.” Rainbow began.
“And if we don’t we risk failure?” Juhani finished.
“Exactly. Time is of the essence, and we must hurry. Only by attacking quickly can we hope to succeed without being noticed.” Kaliden said, adjusting his helmet before activating the wings on his back. As they began to gyrate, Kaliden looked around the squad. “Now we fly.”
***
Rainbow gasped as she looked out at the chaos staging ground below. There must have been more than fifty cannons, larger than any of the guns she had seen and helped destroy in the past. Even from this height, Rainbow could see the humans scurrying around like insects, hauling the guns into position, or dragging massive, tank sized shells towards the guns. There were already hundreds of the massive shells stacked by the guns, and Rainbow shuddered to think what it would be like when the barrage started. Thousands would die in seconds, and even if they were just humans, rainbow felt sorry for them.
“Everyone ready?” Kaliden asked, checking over his weapons for the final time.
“Let’s kill some humans.” Rainbow snarled, before locking her wings and plummeting to the earth.
Behind her, the others followed suite. It was just their squad, the autarch not wanting to risk anymore in case the Imperials were aware of this place. A squad was easier to hide than an army. As they neared the ground, Rainbow opened her mouth, screaming as she went, before she thrust her legs forward, sending grenades speeding towards the ground, impacting on a group of humans struggling to haul a chain attached to one off the guns.
The humans were ripped apart as Rainbow smashed into the ground, leaving larges dents in it, before bringing the las-blaster up and snarling. Red light spat out of the weapon, cutting through another group, before she took to the skies once more.
As she flew, alarm bells began ringing, and she watched as the soldiers assigned to protecting the guns began to scrabble about to get to where the attackers were.
“Where the hell are they running to?” Rainbow shouted, unleashing another flurry of grenades, before landing next to a pile of shells and unleashing her weapon on full auto, draining the power pack and cutting down a clutch of fleeing human slaves.
“No idea.” Juhani growled, landing next to her and unstrapping the melta bomb she had been given to carry, fixing it to one of the shells.
Grinning beneath her helmet, Rainbow unsheathed her sword, before flying forward, slashing with the sword at a human soldier who hadn’t even seen her. Before his body had even touched the floor, she was amongst the rest of the squad, hacking left and right. By the time the head of the first soldier had touched the ground, the rest of the soldiers were dead, and Rainbow was covered in blood. Panting heavily, she looked at Juhani, who had just finished off killing a clutch of humans.
“You ready?” She panted.
“Blow it.” Rainbow growled, savouring the taste of blood as it seeped through her helmet. After her first battle, she had modified it ever so slightly to make it easier for the glorious bitter, iron like liquid to get to her. Kaliden and the others had seen weirder things in their time, and had no problem with it.
With a laugh, Juhani slammed a button on her gauntlet. Instantly, Rainbow could hear the roar of the melta bomb, before the shells went off, blowing them and them sky high, and taking the cannon with it in a beautiful explosion which looked like a miniature star.
Rainbow had once been told that ‘cool guys didn’t look t explosions’ but she couldn’t not look at this thing. It was amazing, and she smiled as she was just out of the blast radius. Juhani knew her explosives.
Suddenly, another series of explosions rocked the encampment, and Rainbow saw a series of blasts in front of her.
“What is that?” rainbow shouted, taking to the air next to Juhani.
“Not us.” Juhani yelled back. “Continue with the mission.
Nodding, Rainbow dived again, sword still in hoof, unleashing death as she soared over the heads of the chaos troops. Straining her ears, she could just make out gun fire in the distance, sounds that no Eldar gun should make. She knew she should tell Kaliden, just to make sure he had heard it to, but the thought of battle was too sweet. Snarling, she dropped again, landing on the head of a human, before spinning around, stabbing her sword through the chest of another, before stepping out of the bloody pulp and galloping forward, leaving Juhani alone.
Rounding a corner, Rainbow came upon the scene of one of the explosions, the ground was ragged and the twisted remains of the cannons were scattered about. Once again, the voices in her head were louder, starting to drown out the voice of the avatar. This time however, they were encouraging her, urging her to keep killing. It was a request that she was all too happy to comply with.
Laughing like a maniac, Rainbow dived at one of the fleeing humans, dropping her sword and using her hooves, smashing them into the humans head and back again and again, savouring the taste as his blood spurted across her helmet, staining her blue armour red.
“Ahh!” Came a voice from behind her, and she turned to see a human bearing down on her, a screaming chainsword in hand.
Rolling aside, she grabbed her own sword and caught his next blow, getting a better look at the human. With a start, she realised that he wasn’t a servant of chaos, and she rolled away, attempting to disengage.
“You’re making a mistake human!” She screeched, blocking another blow and kicking out at him, catching his knee and sending him stumbling. “The Eldar are on your side.”
“Command? We’ve got Eldar!” The human yelled into his microphone, before charging again. This time, Rainbow couldn’t hold her bloodlust in check.
Snarling, she lashed out, grazing by his face, and feeling a searing pain erupt in her side. Putting it out of her mind, she came around again, and flew straight at the human at near Rainboom speeds. The human didn’t have enough time to even comprehend what was happening, before Rainbow was past him.
Landing, she panted heavily, as the human fell to the floor, clutching his guts as they spilled out onto the snow. Walking over, she saw him reaching weakly for his communicator, allowing him to grab it, before savagely stepping on his hand, shattering the machines and the bones, and drawing another scream from the human, a scream that only stopped when he had to cough up blood.
The voices in her head were even louder now, urging her to finish off the human and give into her desires. Shakily, Rainbow raised her sword. She knew this was wrong, she wanted to stop herself, but it was as if she was no longer in control of her own body, merely a passenger. Shaking, she let out a scream of effort, before dropping her sword, and collapsing next to the wounded human. The injury was worse than it looked, and Rainbow thought that he would survive.
Lying next to him, Rainbow noted that the snow around her was slowly becoming red as well, and looked over to her side to see a huge gash had been torn into her armour, ripping through the flesh beneath.
Panting heavily, she watched as more humans began running towards the wounded pair, more Imperials by the looks of things, and shouting at each other as they caught sight of the Eldar armour she was wearing. Rainbows vision was fading now, and she could feel herself beginning to slip from consciousness, but forced herself to stay awake, pushing herself back to her hooves and grasping the sword in her mouth, needing all four legs to keep herself upright. If she was going to die, she was not going to do it lying down.
Right before the humans reached her, Rainbow saw two figures land in front of her, brandishing their weapons at the humans and shouting something at them. Rainbow could not make out what they were saying however, as her vision began to swirl even more. Taking another ragged breath, Rainbow allowed the sword to slip from her mouth, before slowly falling backwards again.
As she fell, she felt something catch her, and she looked up to see the helmet of Tar’nek looking down at her.
Smiling weakly under her helmet, she felt him take-off again, before slipping into unconsciousness.
Rainbow took a long, ragged breathe as she woke up, sitting bolt upright in the bed she found herself in and arcing her back. She was no longer in her armour, and her side felt like it was on fire, but she managed calm her heart down so it was no longer feeling like it was going to rip itself out of her chest. The voices of before had receded from her mind now, leaving only the voice of the Avatar behind, softly calling her to join with Khaine in total war.
Slowly lying back down, Rainbow looked over to her side, and looked down at the damage that the human chainsword had done to her. Her left side was a mess, but at least with the help of the Eldar, it had already scarred over, leaving her with yet another knot of ugly raised flesh running along and around her body. She could only imagine how her friends would react, or how she would handle showing them, but that was a story for another day.
Letting out the breathe she had taken in, she swung her legs out the bed, lowering herself onto her four hooves, and staggering slightly, her side feeling like it was going to split open again. Gritting her teeth, she began to limp towards the door, but before she could get there, the door slid open, and in walked Kaliden, his armour still covered in blood but his helmet had been removed, showing his face.
As Rainbow looked at his face, she could tell he was trying to be angry with her, but that he was too tired to actually do it. Instead, the exarch just slid the door closed, before walking over and sitting down on the bed, gesturing for Rainbow to sit next to him. Nodding, she trotted over and sat next to the aged Eldar warrior.
“How long have I been out?” She asked, breaking the silence.
“Two days. You messed up bad Rainbow.” Kaliden said, laughing weakly.
“I know.” Rainbow nodded.
“You broke ranks, you went against the plan, and you directly engaged an Imperial Guardsman Captain. That’s not good.” Kaliden said.
“I…” Rainbow began.
“It doesn’t matter. Bottom line is the Imperials know we’re here, and we need to talk. Usually this would just be the Autarchs and farseers, but in light of the situation, you’ve been called in as well.” Kaliden informed her.
“Fine.” Rainbow nodded. “What…um…what happened to the captain?”
“Well he’s alive, that’s something. One hell of a skin graft, and he won’t be fighting any time soon, but he’ll live.” Kaliden replied.
“Good.” Rainbow smiled. “I didn’t want to do it Kaliden, really. It was like…like there was a voice in my head, telling me to do it. It was louder than the avatar or the war-mask, and it scared me. If I had been a bit weaker, just a bit, I don’t think I would have stopped.”
“Its fine Rainbow, we can sort this out in due course, but now you need to armour up and meet up with the Autarch.” Kaliden said, standing up.
“My armour can’t be in a good state, considering the state I’m in.” Rainbow pointed out.
“Down the hall, turn left, it’s in there.” Kaliden said without looking at her.
Rainbow watched as Kaliden left the room, before leaving herself, walking down the small corridor and slipping into the next room. Inside was a single Eldar, dressed in the ensemble of a Bonesinger, and next to her stood a perfect pony mannequin that instantly reminded Rainbow of Rarity.
Walking into the room, Rainbow watched as the chest piece of the armour was levitated in front of the Bonesinger, before being placed back on the mannequin, not so much as a scratch on its surface.
“Amazing.” Rainbow breathed, and the Bonesinger turned around to look at her.
“The damage could have been worse. All the chainsword did was cut through the wraithbone plates, not the circuits.” The Bonesinger said, before turning and leaving the room.
Walking over to the armour, Rainbow ran her hoof over the left side, marvelling at how it was almost as if it hadn’t been ripped apart. Smiling to herself, she began to take the armour off the dummy, and began the long process of donning her armour.
It took her a long time, longer than it had before due to her side being painful whenever she tried to move in certain directions, but eventually she managed it, mag-locking her helmet to her side, before walking out of the room to find the Autarch.
***
“You are Rainbow Dash?” the Autarch asked, turning to face Rainbow as she walked into the room.
“I am.” She nodded.
“I am Tray’gu, Autarch of Saim-Hann. We have already contacted the Imperial high command, they have agreed to meet us shortly. Each of us are allowed five guards to accompany us, you are to be one of them.” The Autarch said, glancing around the room at the two other seers that were in the room with her.
“When are we leaving?” Rainbow asked.
“There is a wave serpent ready to take us to the meeting point, we will leave immediately.” Tray’gu said, before turning on a heel, being followed by the two seers. “The guard detail is already waiting for us.”
***
The journey in the wave serpent was silent, but short, lasting only a few minutes before they touched down on a snow capped mountain. As the back door opened, Rainbow caught sight of a human Valkyrie-class assault carrier and the two humans standing outside it. As the Eldar began to disembark, one of the humans banged on the rear ramp of the craft, which slowly began to lower, allowing the other humans to disembark.
For the first time, Rainbow got a proper up close look at Imperial Guard troops. These soldiers were different however. Their armour was bulkier than that of the Cadian, and the combat fatigues were a bright red as opposed to a camouflage scheme of blues and whites. The final thing they had on were full face helmets, giving them inhuman, almost mechanical look.
They were not the ones who really caught Rainbows eyes however, as three men in differing uniforms exited the Valkyrie and began walking towards the centre of the mountain top.
The first man, the one who was in the middle and a step in front of the other two, was clearly Lord General Sturnn, his face just as grizzled as it had been when she had seen the picture of it.
Behind him and on the right was another male human, this one wearing a different set of armours from the others. The chest piece looked like it was solid metal, and was raised slightly in the front, and was placed over a beige flight suit that covered the rest of his body, going underneath the other bits of armour he wore on his knees and arms. Slung by his side was a large lasgun, which looked much more advanced than anything the chaos soldiers had been using, while on his back was a large pack, which looked like some sort of jetpack.
The final soldier really confused Rainbow, and she paid extra attention to her. The fact that she was female was an oddity in and of itself in the Imperial delegation, but it was her clothes, or rather lack of them, that confused Rainbow. For starters, even though she was female, she looked as if she had more muscle mass than the other two put together. Wearing simply a pair of green trousers and a green tank top, Rainbow could not see how the soldier wasn’t freezing to death. She was covered in what looked paint, which was smeared over her body in a form of camouflage. Rainbow wandered why she would bother with green camouflage in a snowy environment, but decided not to ask. She wouldn’t want to mess with this human.
The two groups met in the middle of the mountain, the two seers flanking Tray’gu as she bowed deeply to Lord General Sturnn, who returned the gesture with a salute.
“Eldar, I am Lord General Sturnn, commander in chief of the 782nd Imperial army group, and of the Cadian 453rd, beside me is Major Goge Cusatis, acting commander of the 212th Elysian Drop regiment, and Lieutenant-Colonel Samstag of the Catachan 9th.” Sturnn said as he lowered his hand.
“Lord General.” Tray’gu said smoothly. “I am Tray’gu, Autarch of Saim-Hann, and commander of the Eldar forces operating on and around this planet, beside me is Farseer Karis and Warlock Rax.” She said, gesturing to the two helmeted Eldar beside her.
“Why is it that whenever I have a campaign, you Eldar insist on helping me?” Sturnn asked, his voice showing his age perfectly as he looked around at the Eldar.
“Lord General Sturnn, it is not our intention to cause a slight, only to provide assistance in a matter that could quickly spiral out of control.” Tray’gu said. “Forces are gathering here that could overwhelm your forces.”
“I trusted Eldar once before on Lorn V, and it ended up almost costing my life and losing our Titan. Tell me why I should trust you again?” Sturnn asked.
“Because if you don’t, and try to fight us, you will be fighting a war on two fronts. Tell me, could you sustain a war like that for long?” Tray’gu asked.
“I could rip your arms off for starters.” Samstag growled, taking a step forward.
Instantly, Rainbow moved forward, drawing her sword half way from its scabbard. “Don’t threaten the Autarch.” She growled.
“Enough!” Sturnn bellowed. “The Eldar have come to us under parley, and I would hope that they would honour that agreement.”
“We need each other’s help if either of us are going to prevail here.” Tray’gu nodded.
“If reports are correct our forces have already crossed blades.” Goge said, stepping forward slightly. “What stops you from doing that again?”
“The incident at the artillery post was unfortunate, but if it pleases you, I have brought along the one who crossed swords with your captain.” Tray’gu said, standing aside and gesturing for Rainbow to come forward. “This is Swooping Hawk Rainbow Dash of the Floating Assault aspect temple.”
“So the reports were true.” Sturnn murmured. “The one who attacked my captain was not an Eldar, but a horse.”
“Pony, sir.” Rainbow said softly.
“It can speak as well? This is an interesting development, but you needn’t have bother Tray’gu. An alliance should not be jeopardised by the acts of one not in command, especially if the command to engage was not given.” Sturnn said, turning back to face the Autarch.
“So you will help us?” Rax asked.
“You will help us.” Goge said pointedly.
“We can help each other.” Sturnn said, silencing the pair. “The faster we work together, the less chance these…forces have to manifest.”
“My seers cannot predict exactly what is going to happen in the immediate future, something is blocking their visions.” Karis said, walking forward. “We have however managed to scry that the fortress located just in front of your current position on the right flank is important for some reason, and will be a lynch pin in the success or failure of this campaign.”
“I know of this fort.” Sturnn nodded. “The troops who scouted it out said it was a murder hole.”
“My men have said that there are little-to-few anti-air defences.” Goge said, throwing in his part.
“Could your regiment manage to take it via an aerial insertion?” Samstag asked.
“We could, but it would take time to get the air power required into position, time my men would not be available for general duty.” Goge replied.
“We will be able to hold the line.” Sturnn said, before turning to Tray’gu. “Can I count on your support?”
“Rainbow, you are the Swooping Hawk.” Tray’gu said, turning to face Rainbow. “Would you be able to participate in a drop assault?”
“We can show the humans how it’s done.” Rainbow said simply.
“Then it’s settled.” Tray’gu said, turning back to Sturnn. “We will draw up plans to take this fort with an air-drop.”
“Making sure you know, I do not trust the Eldar.” Sturnn said pointedly. “If you are truly with us, I want your cooperation.”
“You have it.” Tray’gu replied.
“Good. Major Cusatis shall be in charge of the operation, is that acceptable?” Sturnn asked.
“It is.” Nodded Tray’gu.
“Very well. I will organise one of our staging areas to be cleared of all personnel not participating in the drop. You will send the forces that you are committing there as well, as a gesture of good will.” Sturnn said simply.
“Do I have your word that your men will not try and kill mine?” Tray’gu said.
“Take note.” Sturnn said, turning to Goge and Samstag. “untilI order otherwise, the unprovoked killing of Eldar will be treated the same way as killing a fellow Guardsman, and the perpetrator will be shot.”
“That will not sit well with the troops.” Samstag growled. “Or me.”
“Nevertheless, the order is given.” Sturnn said, before turning back to Tray’gu. “Is that acceptable?”
“It is, Lord General Sturnn.” Tray’gu nodded.
“Very well. I know that you Eldar will know when we begin gathering the men for deployment. I expect you there, Autarch Tray’gu.”
“We will be.” Tray’gu said, before turning on her heels and walking back towards the wave serpent.
Rainbow and the others sat in the back of a wave serpent as they were whisked across the planet, alongside a number of other transports, all carrying the Swooping Hawks towards the newly created Firebase Indigo. She could say a lot of things about what she thought of the Imperium’s doctrine of war, that it was brutal, that it had a tendency to achieve an objective by simply throwing men at it, and that they usually killed aliens on sight with little to no forethought, save for Lord General Sturnn, but it did have redeeming qualities. The men were brave, and stood firm in a galaxy of horrors far greater than their own, plus when they set their mind to digging in to a position, very little would make them move again.
“One minute to touch down.” The pilot called from the front of the Wave Serpent.
“Ready weapons.” Kaliden said, grabbing hold of his rifle.
“But…the Imperials are our allies.” Rainbow said in a confused tone, but readied her weapon all the same.
“Today’s allies are simply tomorrow’s enemies.” Kaliden replied. “The Imperium is not known for tolerance, and if they do prove to be treacherous, I would rather be ready.”
Rainbow opened her mouth to say something, but Tar’nek stopped her, shaking his head slightly. Getting whatever message he was trying to get across to her, Rainbow dropped the point, and instead picked up her helmet, inspecting its surface for a second.
While the rest of her armour stayed in top condition thanks to Jolee and the Bonesingers’, but as was tradition in the Floating Assault, they only repaired their helmets if they absolutely needed to, leaving the cosmetic damage as a display of the battles they had been in.
Smiling at the small amount of damage on her own helmet, Rainbow slipped it on, locking it into position. Feeling the ship touch down, she raised to her hooves, and moved into position to disembark from the transport, positioning herself so that she would be first off as ordered. As soon as the ramp had lowered fully, she was on the move, quickly running out onto the ground of the firebase, and taking in her new surroundings.
The camp was huge, at least if the low wall and ditch beyond that ringed the camp was anything to go by. As she looked out across the flat plateau, she could see men, wearing similar armour to Major Cusatis, moving between squat concrete buildings, or walking towards a series of large buildings that rainbow assumed were the human hangers where their Valkyries were stored. Further on from that, she could see at least ten large barrels pointing up towards the sky, and instantly recognised them as the basilisk guns that both sides were using as long range artillery.
Nodding as the others formed up beside her, their weapons held uneasily in their hands, the squad set off towards the centre of the camp as more Swooping Hawks landed. Due to their part in the discovery of the Eldar by the humans, and the lack of any of the main command structure of the Eldar force, Tray’gu had decided that Kaliden would be named the liaison between the humans and the Eldar, and that any plans that were to be made would be run past Kaliden, and by extension, the rest of the Floating Assault. Rainbow got the distinct feeling that the exarch was not happy about that particular idea.
“Follow me.” Kaliden ordered. “Rainbow, you know what this, Major Cusatis, looks like. Keep your eyes out for him, we have been ordered to see him.”
Nodding, Rainbow made sure to keep an eye out as they walked through the camp, getting a lot of strange looks from the human soldiers, who clearly were not used to having Eldar walk past them peacefully. Catching sight of the semi-familiar face of Goge, Rainbow pointed it out to Kaliden, before leading the Exarch towards the Major.
“Rainbow Dash.” He nodded curtly as they walked over. “I am presuming that this is the remainder of your squad.”
“No, this is Kaliden’s temple. The Floating Assault.” Rainbow said, allowing the Exarch to come forward and look at the human.
“I am assuming you are Kaliden?” He asked curtly.
“I am. You are Major Cusatis?” Kaliden said, his face unreadable from behind his helmet.
“Yes. Will you do me the honour of allowing me to look upon your face?” Goge asked, indicating that his helmet was under his arm.
“I will not.” Kaliden said simply.
“I am assuming you don’t trust me then.” Goge asked with a slight smirk.
“No, Major, I do not.” Kaliden replied. “I am here because Tray’gu and Sturnn came to an arrangement that is mutually beneficial to both sides. I do not however have to like working with Mon-keigh. I have seen what often comes of such alliances, and do not want to be caught up in the fallout of one again. My armour and spirit has already been lost for centuries thanks to human hands, I would not have it so again.”
“Very well.” Goge nodded, before turning to look at the rest of the squad. “Then, assuming any are willing, would you allow one of your subordinates to discuss plans with me? Face to face?”
“If any of them will talk to you, I will allow it.” Kaliden nodded, before turning on his heel. “If any of you are willing, you may stay here, otherwise, report back with me to the transports.”
Walking away, Kaliden began to make his way back to the Eldar landing zone, followed closely by almost all of the Floating Assault. Almost.
“Rainbow Dash?” Goge said, turning to the only remaining member of the temple.
“As long as you don’t mind face to muzzle.” She said, before removing her helmet and locking it to her waist.
“Please, follow me to my command room. We have plans to discuss, and as your, exarch is it?” Rainbow nodded. “As your exarch has given you command of this, which puts you in charge of the drop in my books.”
Nodding, Rainbow followed Goge, walking alongside him as the human and the pony cut through the camp, drawing even more odd looks than the Eldar had.
“Rainbow, if you don’t mind me asking, what are you?” Goge asked as they walked.
“A pony, specifically a Pegasus, from Equestria.” She replied after a short period of silence in which she decided what she should tell him.
“Then how did you throw in your lot with the Eldar of all races? They are not the most, agreeable when it comes to other species.”
“I said I would talk to you.” Rainbow growled softly. “Keep talking like that and find the offer revoked.”
“Ok, I see I have struck a nerve, and I apologise. So far, I know of ponies doing humanity no wrong, save for the incident at the guns, and I do not believe from your actions humanity has ever done you wrong, so let us move past grudges between Eldar and Human, and talk about this drop.” Goge said, holding the door to a small building open and allowing Rainbow to walk in first.
Looking around the room, Rainbow could see that it was lavishly decorated, banners and other battle honours lining the walls. As Goge entered the room, he smiled as he saw Rainbow looking at the walls with curiosity.
“The 212th is an old regiment Rainbow, stretching back thousands of years. This is our history, from the attack on Teloc to the defence of Provest, and even our time on Armageddon, violent scrap that.” Goge said, looking as if he was remembering old memories, not all of them good.
“Impressive.” Rainbow nodded. “I don’t know much of war, but I think it would be best if we got on with this.”
“You say you know nothing of war?” Goge asked, sitting down and gesturing to another chair. “Maybe by the time we’ve planned this drop I will have taught you some more about how humanity wages it. It’s not as clean as your Eldar friends, but we make do.”
“You’re very easy with a xenos Major.” Rainbow said, sitting down herself, smiling as she instantly thought of Lyra. “I thought all humans hated aliens.”
“Hate is a strong word.” Goge said, smiling knowingly. “I don’t hate them, truth be told I don’t hate much, ‘cept for blasted heretics. I’ll follow orders to fight aliens till the last drop of blood falls from my body, mind you, but I don’t hate them. Now some humans, they bloody despise aliens, even sub-humans. I know for a fact some of my men faced lashings thanks to that particular hate, but no one got shot, so that’s all I care.”
“What about Samstag?” Rainbow asked. “She didn’t seem to like working with us.”
“Samstag’s from Catachan, a death world, the death world. It breeds a certain sort of person, and most of them hate outsiders, especially weak and frail ones like the Eldar. She’s loyal though, as are her troops. They’ll not try to kill you unless the Lord General approves it, then, well, Throne protect you.”
“Thanks for the heads up.” Rainbow nodded.
“Don’t get used to them if you are on the other side.” Goge warned. “Now, about this drop.”
***
Several Hours Later
***
“Is that all?” Rainbow asked, looking down at the plans the two had drawn up.
“I believe so. Here, carry this to your exarch, the details of the plan are in there. Goge said, holding out a scroll.
“I will see you on the drop then.” Rainbow smiled, standing and turning to leave.
“Remember what you learnt here Rainbow. The human way has prevailed just as much as the Eldar way.” Goge said.
“I’m not sure the Eldar would agree with you there Major Cusatis.” Rainbow said, smiling to herself.
“No, I’m sure they wouldn’t. But, if we survive this drop, come see me again. You’re not an Eldar, and you may not be human, but you seem like you are trying to do right. Regardless of your species I respect that.” He smiled warmly, and Rainbow realised it was genuine.
“You’re not what I expected from a human.” Rainbow smiled, turning back to face him.
“We humans never are.” Goge laughed, before watching Rainbow trot out of the room and back towards the Eldar. Shaking his head, he pushed the pony out of it, and walked out of the room himself to go and distribute the plan around the regiment, no, his regiment now.
***
Quickly making her way through the camp, Rainbow walked over to the Wave Serpent that she had arrived him, and moved over to where Kaliden was sitting, his helmet still firmly on his head and covering his face.
“You’ve returned from your little chat with the Mon-keigh?” Kaliden asked, looking over to where Rainbow stood.
“I have, and I’ve got plans drawn up here.” She said, holding out the paper, before sitting down next to Tar’nek. “The major isn’t as bad as you think he is.”
Kaliden looked over at Rainbow, before getting up and leaving, not uttering a word. Rainbow was about to go after him, but Tar’nek pulled her back down, before clouting her over the head.
“Stupid.” He muttered.
“What’s the matter with Kaliden?” Rainbow asked.
“Humans, that’s what the matter is.” Juhani said simply.
“They’re not…” Rainbow began.
“What do you know of Exarchs Rainbow?” Jolee cut in.
“I’m sorry?” She asked, taken by surprise by the question.
“What do you know about Exarchs?” Jolee repeated.
“Not much.” Rainbow admitted.
“Then let me explain to you.” Jolee replied. “When and Exarch is killed, his spirit is taken indefinitely into the armour, held there for as long as it remains whole. When another dons the suit, these souls dominate the mind of the wearer, and transform his mind into that of the Exarch who first wore the armour, the original Kaliden. They can die, and Kaliden has died many times, fighting against the humans more than anyone else. It takes its toll, and then to hear one of his promising disciples praising them…well, you saw what he thought of that.”
“I didn’t know.” Rainbow said, crestfallen.
“And he won’t hold it against you.” Tar’nek shot back. “But I would suggest keeping any kind words for the humans out of his ear shot.”
“Sorry.” Rainbow nodded.
“Well, speak up, when do we move out?” Juhani asked.
“Tonight.” Rainbow replied simply.
***
Rainbow sat in the Wave Serpent, checking her rifle, before reaching down and checking that her sword was where it had been the last time she checked it, a couple of seconds before. She couldn’t quite understand why, but she was feeling more apprehensive about this coming battle than any that had come before. She couldn’t place her hoof on it, but then again, it didn’t matter, it was going ahead, and the voice of the avatar in her head was softly voicing its opinion on the matter.
“Valkyries in position.” Came a voice over Rainbows helmet comm. She had changed her helmets system to be able to pick up the human signals, but as far as she could gather, none of the Eldar had done the same, most of them feeling much the same way Kaliden did about working with the humans.
“The 212th is ready.” Rainbow called, relaying it to the other Eldar so they would know as well.
“We are as well.” The pilot replied from the front, speaking directly to Rainbow.
It felt odd, the pilot and the rest of the Eldar looking to her to relay orders, as if somehow she was in charge of things around here. She didn’t know what she should feel about having any sort of command, she hadn’t asked for it, that was for sure, but now she had it, she wasn’t exactly itching to give it back.
“Major Cusatis?” Rainbow asked over the comm. “We are ready to drop on your signal.”
“Then the word, Rainbow Dash, is go.” Goge said, and Rainbow could hear the anticipation in his voice.
“Let’s go!” She shouted, both over the radio and to the pilot.
A split second later, the rear door was flung open, and the wind whipped into the inside compartment, filling it with little partials of snow. Looking out into the dark, Rainbow could see that the earlier signs of a blizzard had been false, and the sky was relatively clear, aside from being dark. She cursed silently, knowing that a storm would have made masking the sound of the decent easier, before steeling herself, and jumping.
Silently, Rainbow fell towards the earth, the other Eldar from the Floating Assault close behind her. Looking around, she watched as her helmet picked out the other Eldar dropping from their own transports, surrounding them in a faint green haze. Looking to her other side, she could see the human Valkyrie carriers zooming overhead, the Elysians’ dropping from the back with bulky packs on, grav-chutes she believed they were called. She smiled softly as they were outlined as well, these ones in yellow.
It was surreal, dropping in near silence. There was no chatter over the comm, and Rainbow felt at peace again as they all dived towards the fort. If intelligence was right, this place would be a knock over, ill-equipped to survive an assault from the sky. As they passed through the cloud layer, Rainbow instantly knew that something was wrong.
Blasts of sporadic fire were already lancing into the sky, targeting the falling forms of the Elysians’ who had come through first. Even from this distance, Rainbow could see that some were limp after being struck by shots, and if they weren’t dead already, they would be when they hit the ground. As she watched, the first explosion mushroomed in amongst a falling squad, tearing them apart.
It was as if this single shot had opened a flood gate to what felt like the apocalypse to Rainbow, as the sky was suddenly filled with flak, smashing into the drop assault force, scattering or killing them as it came near.
Flapping her wings hard, Rainbow avoided flying through a ball of flame, cartwheeling through the air and loosing track of the other Eldar. As small bits of detritus hit her head, the hazes around the force began to disappear, leaving Rainbow to curse as she continued to fall, not knowing what the status of the rest of the force was.
“qqqzzzchhh hell is going on?” Came a voice over the radio.
“Big fucking mista-arrghh.” Came another one, Rainbow wincing as it was cut off by an explosion.
She didn’t need to hear the radio anymore to know what was going on. In human terms, shit had hit the fan.
Plunging towards the ground, Rainbow felt her heart race, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she powered towards the ground, flapping her wings hard to get out of this maelstrom of fire and death. This was the first time she had done a drop in live combat, and she was terrified. She knew the fort would be little better, but at least she may be able to fight back.
As she neared the halfway point of her fall, she watched as a wing of three Vulture gunships swooped down beneath her, their weapons already spinning up, before they began to spray rounds into the fort far below with reckless abandon. Missiles launched downwards as the Imperials managed to get some fire of their own onto the fort, before they too were snuffed out, swatted from the sky like they were children’s toys, or being driven off and forced to withdraw. They would receive no more help from them now, the force was on its own.
Growling, Rainbow tried to raise anyone of the comm, still powering herself downwards, but got back nothing but static. Either something was blocking it, or her helmet had been damaged.
Allowing her growl to turn into a roar, Rainbow streaked downwards, finally catching sight of people moving on the ramparts on the fortress. Letting out a screech, Rainbow twisted, spewing grenades onto the parapet, before smashing down into the courtyard below and brining her weapon up, searching for both targets and cover.
Firing a single shot, Rainbow struggled to hear anything over the ungodly sound of the flak still firing, before diving behind a row of barrels, and coming face to face with a human, thankfully garbed in the armour of the Elysian Drop troopers.
“What the fuck?!” He yelled, firing blindly over the barrels.
“No idea!” Rainbow roared back, taking an aimed shot and striking a human in his chest, causing him to fault. “I thought this was supposed to be easy!”
“It w-arrgghh.” The man screamed, a bullet smashing into his chest and causing him to skid backwards. He groaned for a second, before more shots peppered him, forever silencing him.
Growling, Rainbow dived away from the corpse, rolling before bringing her weapon up and pumping lasers into the general vicinity of where the shots had come from, before diving back behind a pile of sand bags.
Leaning against them, Rainbow sought to catch her breath, trying hard to control her fear. Whatever was happening here, she did not think they were winning.
Getting up to fire again, Rainbow heard a crash behind her, and looked to see the wall that had been there a second ago simply vanish, leaving nothing but swirling dust in its wake. As she peered into the murky darkness, she saw a figure moving forward, and did a double take.
It was huge, easily head and shoulders above Celestia, maybe even taller than Discord. Whatever it was, it looked like a human, but was armoured completely differently. She couldn’t make out much, but she could see a huge pack on its back, as well as the yellow and black hazard stripes painted on its shoulder pads.
Seeing it raising its weapon brought Rainbow back to her senses, and she dived backwards, hoping to get away from whatever the hell that thing was.
A loud crack cut through the sound of the battle.
Rainbow felt a pain unlike any other seer through her right rear leg and wing, falling to the floor.
As she floundered about like a fish out of water, trying desperately to find her voice, or hell, even breath, she watched as the figure stepped out of the dust, flanked by two more identical warriors and begin to fire, before the shock and the pain made her pass out.
“So, that’s what that…thing is then?” Twilight asked, looking at Rainbow, her eyes falling to look at Rainbows rear leg. Even though it was encased in armour, they all knew what was beneath it, well, all except for Celestia and Luna of course. They hadn’t been in Ponyville when she had first taken her armour off.
“Yeah. Wish it was just the leg.” Rainbow said softly, before continuing with her story, fighting to keep her tears at bay.
***
Verbatim VIII
***
Rainbow screamed as she came back to the waking world, not even moving as every fibre of her being sought to add itself to the scream, the sound nearly blocking out the frantic beeping sound that had been filling the room before.
“Damn it, she’s not ready.” Snarled a voice from beside her. “Give her another sedative!”
“I did! She’s already two times over the normal does!” Another voice called. “She’s got so much adrenalin in her system that the sedative won’t work!”
“Damn it, double the does and hit her again!” the first voice ordered.
“But…”
“Just do it!” The first voice screamed, before Rainbow saw a face lean over her. It was blurry, and she couldn’t make out if it was a human face or an Eldar face, her mind too busy on the scream, and the pain that was coursing through her entire body like she had just be dropped into a pit of fire.
“Rainbow Dash! Listen to me. Calm yourself.” The voice said, trying to calm her down enough for the sedatives to work.
“HURTS!” She managed to scream.
Her entire body tensed up, her back arcing as she strained against the person now trying to hold her down. She could feel the scream reach a new height, before dying in her throat, leaving her with her mouth open in a silent roar of agony, before she fell back to the table, a single steady beep filling the room.
***
Rainbow slowly came back to her senses. She carefully opened her eyes to find a dimly lit, bleach white room. A medical ward of some description. She was still alive, but she didn’t need to see to know that, the pain kept her firmly routed to reality.
“He-he-hello?” She coughed, her voice barely more than a whisper. “Ka…liden? Tar’nek?”
As she spoke, a male human walked into the room, followed closely by a female human, neither of whom she recognised. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that they couldn’t possibly have heard her call out, but right now that was not even registering on her scale of problems, the pain in her body was occupying almost all of her thoughts. She tried to push herself up, but as a surge of pain flowed through her, she fell back onto the bed, a rasping moan of anguish escaping her throat.
“Lie still.” The first human said softly, placing his hand on her chest and softly pushing her back down.
“But…” She panted.
“No Rainbow Dash, you need to take this slowly.” The human ordered.
“Got…to…look.” Rainbow growled, pushing the doctor’s hand away with a forehoof and forcing herself up, ignoring the pain that shot through her.
Rainbows jaw hung open as she sought to find the right way to vocalise what she was seeing, the horror of what had happened to her body. Tears were instantly flowing down her muzzle, but her eyes stayed focused on her body. What was left of it anyway.
Her left side was covered in numerous cuts and bruises, most of which had almost healed, but it was her right leg that drew her attention. There wasn’t one, and instead of the usual cyan appendage, there was simply a metal crater in her body, covered in blood, but definably not hers. She had seen aliens, but this, this was more alien to her than even the Tyranids.
The metal scar that was cut into her body continued up her side, and she rolled her body slightly to get a better look at where it stopped. As her eyes rested upon where it terminated, she suddenly forgot completely about her lack of a leg, as her eyes fell on something far worse. Half way up her body, in between her fore and rear legs on her back was a stump. Her wing was nowhere to be seen.
Her scream was heard throughout the medical ward.
***
Equestria
***
“I don’t get it.” Applejack said slowly, looking at Rainbow. “Y’all said that you had metal things in you, but ya didn’t have anything like that when we saw you, it was, eh what did you call it? Ghostbone?”
“It’s…complicated.” Rainbow admitted.
“I’d…I’d like to know, if that’s ok with you.” Fluttershy said quietly.
“But…I…uggh.” Rainbow stammered, before looking over to Celestia. “Is there anywhere I can get changed?”
***
It took Rainbow ten minutes to strip from her armour, placing it in a small locker in the guards changing room, before drawing a lock out that Celestia had given her and padlocking it shut. Honestly, she had been dubious about leaving her armour in a simple locker, but apparently they were all enchanted by Celestia herself, and once they were locked, they were next to impervious to damage. Something about ponies trying to steal guard armour.
Taking a deep breath, Rainbow walked back down the corridor, ignoring the looks she got as she moved swiftly through the castle, before throwing a set of doors open and walking in on the others, forcing herself to keep her head high as she strode towards the others. She hated everything about her body now, and while she knew that she couldn’t do anything to change it, the knowledge wasn’t enough to make her happy about it.
Even for the five friends who had seen her injuries, it was still a jarring sight, and they winced as they saw the shear amount of scars that covered her body, all eyes being drawn towards her wing and leg.
“Oh Rainbow.” Luna breathed softly.
“Get a good look.” Rainbow said, her voice taking on an icy tone. “There’s a reason I don’t take my armour off.”
“Do you need it?” Celestia asked, suddenly aware that they may have caused Rainbow pain by asking her to take her armour off.
“Only to hide my body.” She said, sitting down heavily and grabbing hold of her right leg with her forehooves. Closing her eyes, she let her mind wander free as she activated the psycho-reactive clasps built into the limb, before lifting it away with a soft hiss. Repeating the process with her wing, Rainbow placed the two appendages down in the floor, making sure to be careful with them as she looked around at the others, who were now staring at her with fear in their eyes.
“What is that?” Celestia asked in shock.
“The limb doesn’t just strap on.” Rainbow explained softly, looking at her removed leg and wing. “This port is attached directly to my nerve endings and the wraithbone linking, well, linking it to by brain.”
“You’re brain darling? But you said it was just a single shot.” Rarity said, unable to take her eyes off her mutilated friend.
“Yep, one shot.” Rainbow nodded. “One shots all they usually need. This thing though, bolts are huge, and they explode. It’s how they do so much damage.”
“Do you, want to go on?” Twilight asked.
“Might as well. I’m not going anywhere now am I?” Rainbow replied with a slight chuckle.
***
Verbatim VIII
***
Rainbow grunted in pain as she sat down in the wheel chair that had been provided for her. She had been allowed out of the bed a day ago, and so far, all she had seen were humans, and they were all giving her a wide berth, making sure to only go near them if they had no other choice, and leaving shortly afterwards. She hadn’t even been able to get any information out of them about where she was, or what happened to the others.
Forcing herself to her three remaining limbs, Rainbow hobbled over to the mirror in the room she had been given. It was barren of all but the most essential furnishings, a bed, a toilet, a sink, a shower and a footlocker which she had checked, finding her armour nestled within. Honestly, she had expected the Imperials to try and take it, but apparently they didn’t. Right now however, she didn’t care anything for the comforts of a true home, and just stared deep into the mirror.
She barely recognised the mare that stared back at her when she thought back to who she had been over a year ago. Her face was scarred, and her fur seemed to have lost its vibrant shine, being duller now, not to mention the burnt parts of her body, she still didn’t know when she had got those. But nothing even came close to those, things, that were set into her body, making it even more obvious that she had lost everything that was dear to her.
With a scream of rage, she punched the mirror, cracking it, but not dispelling the image of the monster that stared back at her. Rainbow screamed as she lashed out again, striking anything within hoofs distance, not caring when her hooves began to bleed, before collapsing on the floor, the blood now mixing in with her tears.
She was roused from her sobbing fest when a series of sharp knocks sounded from the door. Not waiting for an answer, the person on the other side opened the door, and Rainbow tried to prop herself up enough so she could see who it was.
“Rainbow?” Came a familiar voice, and her eyes set upon someone she had not expected to see ever again.
“G-Goge?” She asked in astonishment.
“Why are you on the floor?” He asked as he grabbed hold of her, hoisting her back into the wheelchair.
“I…fell.” She said weakly, looking over the human properly.
He didn’t look like he had escaped without his fair share of scars either, his entire face being a brutal red welt, one of the eyes being sewn completely shut.
“I’m getting a replacement tomorrow.” He said, noticing her gaze.
“Nice for some.” She said softly.
“As are you.” He said, a smile creeping onto his face.
“What?!” She asked, jumping up from the wheel chair and trying to put weight on her rear leg, collapsing before she remembered that it wasn’t there.
“What have you been told so far, so I know what to tell you?” Goge asked, lifting her up again.
“Nothing.” She admitted. “The humans won’t talk to me.”
“No surprises there.” Goge muttered. “Fine, let’s start at the beginning.”
Sitting down on the bed, Goge began to explain what had happened from his perspective after he had landed.
“We were slower than you, as in everyone, human and Eldar. Honestly I thought you were crazy and probably dead, going in alone. Then those blasted traitor marines showed up. Nothing had been going well before that, they were ready for us, waiting, but those Space Marines changed a losing battle into a slaughter. I watched as my men died around me, but I found you, clinging to life, if only barely. My men and I managed to make a hole in the wall with some of their own ordnance. I dragged you back to base and demanded they fix you. Honestly, if I wasn’t a Major I think they’d have just let you die. That was two weeks ago. It was touch and go whether you’d pull through at all, when I first saw you on the operating table you looked like a hunk of meat, a corpse, rather than a wounded soldier.” He gave a slight laugh, trying to relieve the tension slightly, failing miserably. “You died on the table. Four times at last count, total of six hours.”
“I was dead?” Rainbow asked, her voice coming out as a tiny squeak.
“Your heart stopped when you first woke up, that was just after you were brought in. It couldn’t handle it, but they managed to bring you back again.” Goge explained.
“How many others survived?” She asked.
Goge didn’t answer for a long time, steadying his nerve, before finally replying.
“Seventy three. Only two Eldar. Near total casualties. That’s my command gone.”
“Seventy three?” She repeated, unable to contemplate the sheer loss of life that had taken place.
“Yes.” Goge nodded.
“Fuck me.” Rainbow said.
“Tell me about it.” Goge nodded solemnly. “Since then, there have been more and more sightings of Chaos Marines, all from the Iron Warriors legion. They’ve been leading attacks out against our position and personally overseeing the traitor defences. The Eldar have been pressed hard, I don’t think they know what to do with themselves with so many dead, and none of them have been recovered. I think that’s the worst part for them.”
“The soul stones.” Rainbow said hollowly.
“But I do have some good news.” Goge said, cracking a fake smile. “I managed to get hold of something for you. The cog boys didn’t like the idea, but I managed to get Sturnn on my side.”
“What?” Rainbow asked.
“You’re going to get a replacement, one at least. Techs are working on a leg for you.”
“Really?!” Rainbow asked in amazement.
“Yep.” Goge smiled.
***
“Now, take a step forward and put weight on it.” The mechanicus priest ordered, looking at Rainbow as she took a tentative step towards him.
She winced slightly as she placed her weight on the back leg, her new replacement taking the weight of her body with ease. It was an ugly thing, built for utility, not looks, the bare metal shining brightly as it bent like her natural leg.
Nodding to the tech priest in front of her, he reached over and unhooked a wire from the metal socket on her back, disconnecting her from the computer that had been feeding him information about her new leg, before he turned and left the room, allowing the person who had been waiting outside to come in.
“I’m sorry that they couldn’t make a wing.” Goge said apologetically, looking at the smooth metal on her back. “I tried, but even the cog-boys said no.”
“It’s fine.” Rainbow said, looking at her leg with a smile, before looking up at Goge.
Truth be told it wasn’t fine, she would have been able to stomach life without a leg, but without her wing, no longer able to soar through the skies at will, that was something she couldn’t get her head around. She couldn’t let Goge know that though, it wasn’t his fault, and he had tried so much to help her. She couldn’t just throw that in his face.
Looking up at the human, Rainbow focused on the box like attachment now attached to the side of his face, stretching over until it covered his eye, and displayed a single, brightly glowing blue orb. He had come out of surgery just before her with his new eye, and he seemed to be adapting to it quite nicely.
***
Equestria
***
“Wait, hold on.” Luna said, stopping Rainbows story. “If you say that the humans could not build you a wing, then what is this? She asked, reaching a hoof towards the artificial wing, only to find it snatched away by Rainbow, who held it against her chest defensively, growling slightly.
“Don’t touch.” She said simply, placing them back on the ground. “Like I said, humans can’t build wings, not enough technology and no need to either, they don’t have wings. They Eldar though, they can build anything.”
“So you got them replaced when you returned to the craftworld then yes?” Celestia asked.
“The leg is the same underneath, its just got a new set of armour on it. They tried to give me a brand new one, a better one made of pure Wraithbone, but this was a gift. No amount of performance could make me change this thing. The wing though, that was made for me completely by the Eldar when I got back to Saim-Hann.”
As the others nodded at the answer, Rainbow launched back into the story.
***
Verbatim VIII
***
“Come on, I’ve got something to show you.” Goge said, turning and walking down the corridor, leading her out of the medical ward and into the courtyard. She flinched as she got odd looks from the humans, but powered on, following Goge closely. Eventually, the pair of them reached a small building, and Goge held the door open, allowing her to go in first.
“Welcome to my humble abode.”
A quick look around and she got the sum of everything. Weapons lay on top of a chest in various stages of assembly. A makeshift table held a map, a couple of books, and an assortment of scrolls. Goge had obviously been keeping himself busy with studying and planning before being moved to the new base in preparation for the battle, for all the good it did them.
“Cosy,” She remarked.
“It suits me just fine. Now, what kind of military education do you have so far?”
“Pardon?” rainbow asked in confusion, trying to work out of her had heard him right.
“I told you before the battle that if we survived, I would teach you about the human art of war. I’m planning on fulfilling that promise, just don’t tell anyone. I’m not sure how well they would take it, they don’t like us talking to xenos, let alone teaching them.
“You really don’t have to, you know that right.” Rainbow said.
“Yes I do.” Goge insisted. “Now, what kind of military knowledge do you have?”
“Not much strategic knowledge.” Rainbow said, thinking about what she knew. “I was taught how to fight, not how to lead.”
Goge nodded, more to himself than Rainbow. “So basics and rookie stuff. Okay, square one it is then!”
The man walked over to one of the shelves around his room and grabbed hold of two large books, tossing them onto the table with dual resounding thuds. Rainbow’s eyes scanned the titles. The Imperial Munitorum Manual and the Tactica Imperium. Volume 1.
“Start with the Tactica. It’s the groundwork of all military tactics and actions. What you learn there, you’ll take with you forever,” Goge said, opening to the first chapter. “There’s more to war than just killing. A lot more. Let’s get started.”
Rainbow looked down at the book, and read the heading out loud. “Chapter One: Initial Estimations… What?”
“It means laying down plans and ideas,” Goge clarified, before quoting directly from the book. “Being able to read the lie of the land is arguably the most important skill an officer can have. On the attack, a wise commander can use the terrain to mask advances from the enemy. On defence, you need to occupy positions that provide cover for your troops and a clear view of the routes along which the enemy is likely to attack. Using terrain well can give even an inferior force the chance of victory, while using it badly can lead to the defeat of all but the strongest attacker.”
Long into the night, Rainbow read the text with Goge. She would finish a section, and he would then explain it to her again in simplified terms, giving him practical uses and mock situations where he would employ each lesson learned, showing her that it could actually be applied. That said, he did make sure to impress upon her the fact that the book would not explain everything she would need to know, as no book in existence could cover every eventuality, like some believed.
“I think that’s enough for one night, maybe we can do this again sometime. You need to get some rest though, you’ve gone through a lot in the past three weeks. You look bloody shattered.
“Thank you Major. I really appreciate the help.” She smiled, getting up from where she had been sitting.
“It may not be Major for much longer. Sturnn told me that himself. I guess there’s no need for a Major for seventy odd men.” He chuckled. “Anyway, good night Rainbow.”
“Goodnight.” She got about halfway out the room, before stopping and turning around. She had to know something.
“Why are you helping me so much?”
Goge turned around, staring at here in confusion. “What?”
“Why me, I mean, I’m an alien, and you’re teaching me human battle tactics. That can’t be something that happens often, and I’m sure some of your men would benefit more from your teaching.” She said slowly.
“Because Rainbow, I can help you.” Goge said simply. “You’re lost, far from home. Speaking as someone who loves home, that’s harsh. If I can teach you things that will keep you alive until you can get back there, then I will die a happy man.”
“You’re not going to die.” Rainbow said with a half-hearted smile. “You survived that drop, you can survive anything.”
“Maybe your right Rainbow.” He chuckled. “Maybe one day the reaper will come for me, and I’ll fight him off and stay right here.”
“Don’t rough him up to badly. I want a fair fight when he comes for me.” Rainbow laughed, and realised that it was genuine. Somehow, despite all she had lost, and all she had seen recently, she was happy.
“I’ll do that Rainbow.” He laughed. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight Goge.” She said, closing the door behind her, before making her way across the frozen ground back towards the room she had been given.
It had been almost a week since Rainbow had woken up again, and in that time, she had rarely been from Goge’s side, less by choice however, and more by necessity. After getting her replacement leg, and still devastated about her lack of wing, she had tried to wander around the camp without the Major, but had quickly been intercepted by someone who identified themselves only as a ‘Commissar’. The human had been disgusted by the very presence of a Xenos, and if it had not been for the timely intervention of a trio of Elysians, Rainbow was not sure what he would have done. She had learnt one thing from it however, Elysians were much more tolerant than the rest of the army, although that may have been because of their shared bond after the drop. Most of them shared the lack of limbs and the replacement bionics at least.
Since that day, Rainbow had made sure that she was never on her own, usually with Goge, but not always. The major had even managed to secure transport back to the base that they had organised the drop attack from, the Elysians being granted its sole use, most of them no longer being fit for combat.
The war itself was going badly now, the Chaos forces slowly but steadily pushing the Imperial forces back, retaking the ground that had been hard fought for. In a way, the drop attack, something expected to break the enemy and win the war, had back fired, forcing the traitor’s hands and causing the Space Marines to join the fray in earnest. Wherever the Iron Warriors attacked, fortifications that should have held for days were torn down in hours, troops slaughtered with barely enough time to react, and when they were on the defensive, nothing could breech their walls.
Lying in the bunk room that Rainbow had claimed, the Pegasus stretched out her one wing, preening it as she resisted the urge to scratch tha phantom wing she could still vaguely feel attacked to her back.
“Rainbow?” Came the voice of Goge as the Major walked into the building, scanning the empty bunks until he saw the cyan pony.
“Goge.” She nodded, sliding off the bed and looking at the human. “Have you…”
“Heard anything about Eldar intervention?” He finished, knowing what Rainbow question was, what it always was. “Nothing. As far as I can tell, they haven’t been seen by command for the past five days. Either they’ve gone back to stealthy raids, or…”
“They won’t have left me.” Rainbow said, although after a week of the same response, her will was beginning to falter.
“I’m sure they won’t.” He said, although Rainbow could tell he didn’t believe it either. “But that is not what I have to discuss today. Sturnn is here, he wants to see everyone, which includes you.”
“Did he ask for me?” Rainbow asked.
“No, he asked for my men to be paraded for his arrival.” Goge replied. “You survived the drop attack, to me you’re one of my men.”
“I’m honoured. But I don’t think the General would see things differently.” Rainbow replied with a slight frown.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” He nodded. “Offer still stands though.”
“Fine.” She smiled.
***
Rainbow looked at her armour and sighed. All things considered, the armour had survived remarkably well, dings and scratches pockmarking the surface of it, but for the most part it was simply cosmetic damage. Of course there was one massive part of the armour that had been ripped off, most of the right side being completely destroyed.
The damage was better than it had been when she had first looked over it, the edges no longer being sharp and jagged, and the hole no longer being quite as wide, thanks to the naturally repairing properties of the Wraithbone. If there had been a Bone Singer anywhere around, she wouldn’t have been even been able to see the damage.
Pressing onwards, Rainbow began to slip the broken armour on, slipping her new leg through the hole in the rear of it and making to slide her right wing into the wing guard, before kicking herself as she felt nothing there.
Scowling, she left the room, walking over to where Goge stood, replete in his own armour, his lasgun held in an easy grip and his chainsword sheathed on his back. Rainbow had lost her own weapons in the attack, the sword and her las-blaster being left with the piles of dead.
“Are you ready then?” Goge asked.
“I am.” Rainbow nodded. “When does Sturnn arrive?”
“Scouts reported that his convoy will be here in a few minutes. The rest of my men are already stood on parade, it’s just us.” Goge replied.
“We should get going then.” Rainbow said softly, following after Goge.
The pair quickly made their way to the parade square, once designed to allow thousands of soldiers, looked really small now that there were only seventy on it. The soldiers, no matter how well turned out they were, and how the bionics glinted in the fading sunlight, couldn’t fill up the space, and it just went on to reinforce the amount they had lost on the field of battle. The lack of Eldar just went to further dishearten Rainbow.
Goge had mentioned that there were a few survivors from the Eldar strike force, and Rainbow had hoped that they would be in the Imperium’s care as well and come to find her. They hadn’t.
Goge took his place in the centre of the small contingent, Rainbow standing next to him. It did not take long before she saw a tank, a Leman Russ if she was not mistaken, the massive metal behemoth cresting the hill, followed swiftly by a chimera. Both vehicles slid to a halt, and the rear of the chimera transport slammed down, allowing a group of storm troopers to fan out, securing the area from any potential threats, quickly being followed by a pair of Catachan warriors, the two men following the storm troopers with apparent disinterest as the snow fell onto their bare arms.
“212th Elysian Drop Regiment remnants! Atten-tion!” Goge roared, snapping to attention as Sturnn exited the transport, snapping off a salute as the man stopped in front of him.
“Major Cusatis.” He said, saluting back. “You may stand your men at ease.”
“Thank you sir! 212th Elysian Drop Regiment remnants! Stand at ease!” He roared.
“Rainbow Dash. You are counted amongst the Major’s men?” Sturnn asked, turning to the pony.
“He does.” Rainbow nodded.
“No matter.” He said, before turning back to Goge. “You are required.”
“Required where sir?” Goge asked back.
“We received a signal from the systems edge.” Sturnn said, gesturing for one of the storm troopers wearing a large back pack with antennae sprouting out of it to come forward. “Listen to this.”
“Attention Imperial forces currently engaged on the planet of Verbatim VIII, this is the Battle Barge Invocation of Fury, conveying the first company of the Blood Ravens to your position. My forces are prepared to stand by and provide assistance.” Came a deep voice.
“The message has been going on for a day now. We are meeting the commanders of the reinforcements in two hours, you are to be there.” Sturnn said after turning the message off.
“I’m a Major of a near totally destroyed Regiment.” Goge deadpanned.
“Not a Major.” Sturnn shook his head.
“I’ve finally been demoted?” Goge said with a slight smirk.
“You can’t do that!” Rainbow shouted.
“Peace.” He snapped back. “You’re not a Major, Cusatis. Confirmation came through from Elysia, Colonel Cusatis.”
“Promotion?” Goge asked. “I lost my Regiment.”
“You survived.” Sturnn replied.
“Colonel.” He breathed softly.
“We need to go. An honour guard will accompany you, the rest of your men will stay here.” Sturnn ordered.
“Rainbow.” Goge said, looking down at the pony.
“Sure.” She nodded, knowing the meaning behind his words.
“I am not sure a Xenos is prudent.” Sturnn pointed out.
“I survived, I got promoted. She survived, she can be my honour guard.” Goge said simply.
“Very well.” Sturnn said, gesturing towards the waiting transport.
***
Rainbow stood stock still outside a large building in the Imperial encampment, bracing herself against the bite of the icy wind that blew across the flat parade square. Beside her stood the other Imperial commanders and their own honour guard. Goge was directly beside her, while to his left was Lieutenant-Colonel Samstag, still sporting her war paint and sleeveless top, making Rainbow wander if she actually felt the cold at all. Beyond the inhuman citizen of Catachan stood Sturnn, his eyes fixed upon a trio of small specs in the distance, while just beyond him stood a human who had been introduced as Commander Bran, leader of the 3rd Valorian heavy armour Regiment, and apparently commanded all the tanks under Sturnn’s command.
As Rainbow watched, the three dots in the distance sped forward, coming into view as three boxy aircraft, each one painted in a completely different colour. The middle craft, the one leading by at least a ship length, was a deep red colour, contrasting against the blue crafts that followed it. The other two craft, while both shades of blue, were still visually different, the one on the right being closer to a grey colour, while the left ship was a deep blue.
“Ultramarines?” Goge groaned.
“Quiet.” Hissed Sturnn, although Rainbow could tell he shared the sentiment.
A few moments later, the three ships touched down just in front of the assembled soldiers, the ramps slowly lowering and allowing the warriors within to disembark. At the sight of them, Rainbow almost balked, thinking that this was a chaos trick, but Goge steadied her, keeping her by his side as the Space marines disembarked from the transports.
The first of the space marines that Rainbow saw, the one disembarking from central ship, looked old, older even than Sturnn, his face wizened and riddled with bionic replacements. In his hands, he clasped a massive hammer that flickered with a powerful energy that Rainbow had seen surrounding the power swords of the Eldar. On one shoulder pad was a raised double headed eagle, the symbol Rainbow recognised as the Imperium of Man, while on the other was a black bird, a single drop shape picked out in red in the centre.
The next space marine also caught rainbows eyes, but for different reasons. When compared to the first warrior, this one seemed smaller, less physically imposing, not to mention wearing a beaked helmet. His armour was a deep blue colour, but it was the central strip of rainbow colours that drew Rainbows eye, even more than the pelt he wore as a bandoleer or the odd sword he carried. Instead of just one single, uninterrupted blade like normal swords, this one five smaller blades alongside each other, fashioned to look like stone, but Rainbow could see the energy arcing around these as well.
The final space marine however was the strangest of all, not least because of the, interesting, companion that was beside him. The warriors grey armour was pitted and dented, inscribed with small runes of some description. Rainbow had thought the other marine had worn a lot of fur and pelt, she hadn’t seen anything yet. It was however the massive wolf beside him that really caught her eye, the creature easily being larger than Celestia, its teeth probably being the same size as one of Rainbows legs.
The three massive figures were followed by several similar soldiers, each one taking after one of the first three marines as they formed up behind what Rainbow assumed were their commanders.
“My lord Astartes.” Sturnn said, saluting. “I am Lord General of the 453rd Cadian Regiment, commander of the Imperial forces of this world.”
“Lieutenant-Colonel Samstag. Catachan 9th.” The woman said tersely.
“Colonel Cusatis, commander of the 212th Elysian Drop Regiment remnants.” Goge said, bowing slightly.
The final commander of the Imperial Guard simply pointed to his neck, before shaking his head. Rainbow realised why she hadn’t heard the man speak.
“Lord General.” The red marine said, nodding slightly. “I am Chapter Master Gabriel Angelos of the Blood Ravens, first company. Beside me stands Wolf Lord Hroaldr, commander of his great Company of Space Wolves, and Brother-Captain Varagol of the 5th company, Rainbow Warriors.”
Hroaldr snarled slightly, and the wolf beside him snarled to, looking down at Rainbow. Varagol however pushed his way forward, removing his helmet and crouching down to look at Rainbow, revealing a dark tanned face with blue war paint covering the top half of his bald head.
“Xenos. Bad omen. Rainbow. Good omen.” He said, his voice rough and disjointed.
“Who and what are is the alien?” Angelos said, placing a hand on the massive pistol on his belt, and Rainbow flinched as she remembered the damage that one of those shells had been done before it was even aimed properly. If the Chapter Master aimed properly, she would be dead.
“R-Rainbow D-D-Dash. Swooping Hawk of the F-Floating Assault shrine.” She stammered, flaring her one wing in an involuntary fight or flight reflex.
“She is in my care.” Goge said, stepping forward, and squaring up to the crunching space marine, even if he was barely even able to look over the top of his helmet.
“What is a xenos, in service to the Eldar, doing with you Colonel?” Hroaldr snarled.
“The Eldar were here, they assisted us in a drop attack that failed miserably.” Goge said, keeping his nerve even as the Rainbow Warrior stood up, the two feral warriors bearing down on him. “She lost a leg and a wing. She earned my respect.”
“Lord General Sturnn. You approve of this?” Gabriel said smoothly, looking over towards the old human.
“Approve? Not entirely. Allow. Cusatis lost almost all of his Regiment in attack, Rainbow was the only survivor we recovered from the Eldar force. They deserve something.” Sturnn replied.
“Hroaldr. Varagol. Stand down.” Gabriel ordered.
“We are the Wolves of Fenris, not your personal lap dog.” Hroaldr growled, but stood back all the same, Varagol following the larger marines lead.
The massive wolf continued to growl, before Hroaldr grabbed hold of it by the scruff of his neck, bearing his fangs at the massive creature. “Down Geir.”
“Now, Lord General, we have plans to make.” Angelos said, turning to Sturnn.
***
“What is the remaining strength of your army?” Angelos asked, leaning over the large table, the wood creaking slightly.
“The Cadian 453rd has been slightly depleted from its strength of ten thousand to seven thousand. The Catachan 9th has just over three and a half thousand seasoned jungle fighter veterans, and Commander Bran commands two hundred and sixty three Leman Russ battle tanks, as well as a super-heavy detachment of thee Baneblades and a Stormblade.” Sturnn replied quickly, not needing to look at the data slate an attendant proffered him.
“Naval forces?” Angelos continued.
“Two battleships, enough transporters to carry my men.” Sturnn said, glancing over to Goge for a second. “We had a large supply of Vultures and Valkyrie gunships, as well as a large detachment of drop troops, but…”
“Between the three of us, we have over three hundred marines, as well as our own fleet and armour. Now, what have you discovered about the enemy?” Angelos asked.
“Samstag, reconnaissance is your area of expertise.” Sturnn said.
“Sir.” She nodded. “The chaos forces are mostly renegades and armed workers lead by Enforcer Hakon, a survivor of the Vraks campaign. They have few tanks, but more infantry than us. Now however, we have identified that a large force of chaos space marines from the Iron Warriors traitor legion are now active in this theatre, complete with their own armour.”
“Iron Warriors.” Hroaldr said softly.
“We need to work quickly.” Gabriel said. “A quick strike.”
“We tried that. Cost me my eye, and most of my command.” Goge said disgruntledly.
“‘We’ didn’t.” Varagol said darkly.
“My little-spoken friend is correct.” Angelos nodded. “Sturnn, you will be reinforced by Varagol and Hroaldr’s companies and will make an attack at this point.” The Space Marine said, pointing at a point I the enemy battle line. “Meanwhile, I will lead the Blood Ravens in an attack on this point here.” He said, pointing to another point. “My Librarians have pinpointed this as the area where the most warp energy is converging. Whatever’s happening, it’s happening there.”
“My company will not sit this out.” Hroaldr growled. “We’re coming.”
“No, you are not.” Gabriel replied.
“I’m coming, or I’m marching my company home.” Hroaldr replied with a savage grin.
“Fine.” Gabriel relented.
“Sir! Permission to lead my remaining men in support of Chapter Master Angelos’s attack!” Goge said, snapping to attention.
“You won’t survive.” Gabriel cut in before Sturnn could reply.
“My duty is to die in battle for the glory of the Emperor. Allow me to do my duty.” Goge pleaded.
“General?” Angelos asked.
“It’s the Colonel’s decision if you will have him.” Sturnn replied.
“As long as Rainbow can come with me, if she wants to.” Goge nodded.
“I’ll stay by you.” Rainbow nodded.
“Fighting with a pony. That’s a first.” Gabriel said, a slight smile creeping onto his face.
Rainbow looked at her helmet dispassionately, inspecting every inch of it as she slowly turned it in her hooves. The surface was worn and pitted, dents covering almost every part of it, and yet it was still functional. The rest of her armour was fine however, and even the massive hole on the right had almost completely sealed itself again, although the actual leg armour had been completely destroyed, and was now missing entirely, there was only so much wraithbone could repair. When she got back to the craftworld she would have to see to it, if she got back that is.
Beside her, the remaining few men of the 212th Drop Regiment milled about, sitting against few Valkyries that had survived the devastating attack. Some were playing cards or talking to one another, while one had managed to get hold of a small violin, and was plucking away at the strings, singing a mournful song. There was no joy here, just soldiers trying to stave off the boredom until they could attack, and join their brothers in a glorious death, or avenging them. This next assault would decide whether or not the 212th lived to see reinforcements or not. The soldiers had actually been remarkably accepting of her since the attack. That wasn’t to say that many of them had spoken to her, but they had stopped throwing scathing looks her way, or muttering about her in their little groups. The bonds of combat bound them now, and they were hard to break.
Leaning back, Rainbow listened to the singing soldier, closing her eyes as the mournful tune washed over her.
Here I sit on Buttermilk hill, who could blame me cry my fill. Every tear would turn a mill, Johnny's gone for a soldier.
I’ll sell my rod, I’ll sell my reel, I’ll even sell my spinning wheel. To buy my love a coat of steel. Johnny's gone for a soldier.
“Lay off it Daniel.” Another soldier said wearily, looking over at the soldier. “Can’t you play something happier?”
“Possibly.” Daniel nodded, before looking across as the sound of footsteps filled their ears.
“On your feet!” Goge roared, looking around at the seven men and one pony. “Mount up, we leave in five!”
Quickly fitting her helmet on over her head for the first time since the drop, Rainbow suddenly realised why she had felt so different. There was no voice in her head anymore, neither of the Avatar or the strange voices around the guns. For the first time since Hannibal, she was going to go into combat with her mind open to the horrors of war. She only hoped that the war mask had come off properly, since she had always had Kaliden to remove it for her.
Slotting the helmet over her head, Rainbow was initially blinded, before the optics flared into life and she was greeted by the familiar green tinted vision. Following after Goge, Rainbow trotted up the ramp into the Valkyrie, quickly finding a seat and strapping herself uncomfortably into it, before looking over at the Colonel, who was standing at the far end of the Valkyrie.
“We are on our way towards the Citadel, the heart of the Chaos operations on this planet.” Goge roared, fighting to be heard over the roar of the engines as the aircraft lifted off. “Our Lord Astartes have already begun the attack, we are to stay out of their way. We are not wanted on this attack, we are but mortals fighting beside Gods, but we are proud! We are the 212th, and we will avenge our brothers, or feast with them at His table! Our enemy wants to die for their gods. Let’s oblige them!”
“By Strength and Guile!” the soldiers roared back.
Rainbow grinned beneath her helmet as she heard the regiment’s motto. Watching from the rear door, Rainbow saw the trenches rushing past. Suddenly, the whole ship rocked and dropped dramatically, nearing the ground at an alarming rate.
“Looks like we’re here boys! Hold on!” Goge roared, drawing a chainsword and pistol. “For the Emperor!”
The ship slammed into the ground with a jarring impact that threw Rainbow forward in her harness. Shaking her head to relieve the dizziness, Rainbow felt the harness release, freeing her from the wrecked Valkyrie. Flapping her one remaining wing, Rainbow dived from the transport, bringing up her own weapon, and getting her first look at the hell she had managed to find herself in this time.
They had landed just outside the wall to the Citadel, a huge hole already blasted into its surface, and giving her glimpses of the battle already raging inside. However, she was much more concerned with the battle that was outside of the wall at the moment, and looked around quickly, taking stock of her situation.
The rest of the Valkyries had also made emergency landings outside of the Citadel, the pilots not wanting to risk their ships against the vengeful guns of the massive fortress. Spilling out from their transports, the men and women of the 212th began to push forward, passing by the forms of more of the stubby Space Marine ships had touched down just behind them, painted in the colours of the Space Wolves.
Rainbow watched in awe as the giants moved forward faster than anything that size had a right to, their weapons spitting death as they ripped through the few defenders that remained outside of the wall as they sought to carry the breech. Screaming, Rainbow began to follow them, only to be driven into by a series of heavy calibre solid shots.
Peaking over the lip of the crater she was in, Rainbow saw the weapons team that was shooting at her, crouching over an even larger version of the Space Marines weapons, and spewing death into the oncoming Elysians. Snarling, Rainbow drew her weapon, controlling her breathing as she lined up her crosshair with the head of the operator of the massive weapon, before pulling the trigger.
The man dropped without a word, the laser instantly cauterising his wound. A split second later, the second weapon operator dropped as well, felled by a flurry of shots from the advancing Guardsman, and clearing the way for Rainbow to make it to the hole in the wall. Reaching the breech, Rainbow stared inside with a sense of disgust and macabre awe.
It was carnage, and Rainbow instantly was reminded of the drop attack. There were dead men everywhere, fires blazing as ammunition stockpiles and fuel dumps caught fire and exploded, and through it all, giants strode, doing battle with their own kind, and trading blows like the Gods of war they were.
Several strange pods littered the battlefields, painted in the red colour of the Blood Ravens. While some were empty, the harnesses within open to allow the occupants that rode the beast to the earth out, even more were spewing death from on board weapons, mowing down the few remaining human enemies, but doing little to deter the Iron Warriors. That was a job to be left up to the Blood Ravens and the Space Wolves. Not that that was going to stop Goge or the rest of the 212th from trying, and try they did.
Letting out a war cry, Rainbow leaped forward, Goge hot on her hooves, firing his laspistol at a huge Space Marine, but doing little more than annoy it, causing it to turn ominously towards the advancing guardsmen and unleashing a torrent of bolt shells, sending Rainbow diving for cover, her mechanical leg whining it protest.
Keeping her head down, Rainbow began to crawl forward, not looking back to see if anyone was following her or not, before reaching the burnt husk of a traitor tank, pressing her back against it to steady herself as she raised herself onto her rear hooves allowing her to line up her weapon better with the Chaos Space Marine. Grimacing, she depressed the trigger, keeping it held down and pumping a stream of lasers into the Space Marine.
The first few shots were absorbed by the Marines armour, barely even phasing him as he continued to pump shot after shot into any guardsman that moved. Then, his armour buckled and peeled back, revealing flesh. Exploiting her enemy’s weakness, Rainbow intensified her firepower, almost draining her weapon, but she was met with success, and the Marine toppled to the floor.
Letting out a cry of success, Rainbow threw caution and sense to the wind, wrapped up in the thrill of battle. This must be what it felt like without the war mask, and she liked it, the smell of blood in her nose, the tremor of a weapon discharge in her hooves, this was where she was meant to be, and what she was meant to do. This was bliss.
Snarling, Rainbow unloaded the rest of her rifles charge into an Iron Warrior wielding a flamethrower, managing to hit the fuel tank and covering her enemy in fire. This didn’t seem to faze him much however, and Rainbow continued forward, drawing her sword as the Marine drew its combat knife, a long thick blade that to anything else would have been a short sword. Flicking on the power field, Rainbows blade was surrounded by a corona of crackling energy along its length an instant before the pair clashed.
Hitting the Space Marine was like charging head first at the Ponyville express, but Rainbow had a power field on her side, and the Marines knife did not. With a grin of satisfaction, Rainbows blade past through the knife, continuing along its path as it passed through the breast plate of the Marine. Her momentum carried her forward, ripping the blade out of the back of the Space Marine who clutched the gash that was now pumping blood onto the floor, before falling to the ground with a hard thump.
Looking around, Rainbow’s helmet allowing her to see through the smoke and fire, Rainbow caught sight of another foe engaging Gabriel, and ran forward, intent on adding another Space Marine to her list of kills. Before she could even draw close however, the Chaos marine was batted away by a swing of the massive hammer the Chapter Master wielded, slumping against a wall to rise no more. Skidding to a halt, rainbow stopped in front of the Space Marine, looking up at him expectantly, waiting for him to make a move.
For a long time, Rainbow thought that he would follow through on his hatred of Xenos and attack her, and readied herself, but no blows came. Instead, the Chapter Master chuckled deeply, before running towards a massive doorway that lead into the Citadel itself.
“Are you coming?” He asked, not looking back as he got further and further away.
With a grin, Rainbow followed the squad of Blood Ravens into the confines of the building.
Instantly, Rainbow felt something in her mind, a voice like she had felt at the cannons. A subtle whisper in her mind, nagging at her to listen and to accept its power. Growling, Rainbow ignored the voice, forging deeper into the inner sanctum of chaos.
Diving to the side, Rainbow narrowly avoided a blow from a human, his eyes stretched open wildly as he swung his crude, home-made axe at Rainbow again. Twisting, Rainbow delivered a double legged buck to the man’s chest, the bionic replacement increasing the strength of the blow, and leaving the man gurgling on his own blood as he chocked to death.
Emerging into a massive room, Rainbow collapsed to the floor, dropping her sword as she clutched her head in pain. The voices in her head were screaming now, threatening to swallow her whole, and reduce Rainbow Dash to nothing but a forgotten memory, unremembered by the world.
RAINBOW DASH. COME TO ME, COME TO MY THRONE WITH SKULL IN HOOF. PLEDGE YOURSELF ANEW TO ME.
“Ne…ver.” Rainbow grunted, scrunching her face up behind her helmet.
COME TO THE LORD OF SKULLS! KILL FOR ME! LET BLOOD FLOW FOR THE BLOOD GOD! ADD TO MY THRONE OF SKULLS!
“I…Won’t!” Rainbow screamed.
IT IS POINTLESS TO RESIST! GIVE IN OR DIE! BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!
“NO!” Rainbow screamed, getting back to her hooves and concentrating on the voice. She would not end her life here, not before she got back home. She was Rainbow Dash, the coolest pony to ever live, the first non-Eldar member to join an Aspect Temple in history, and the one who befriended a human from a xenophobic empire. She would fight this Lord of Skulls, and she would win.
“I AM RAINBOW DASH!” She screamed. “I SURVIVED HANIBAL! I SURVIVED THE DROP ASSAULT! I WILL SURVIVE THIS!”
Raising her head high, Rainbow let out a wordless scream, pouring everything she had in her body into the scream. The voice howled as well, the two sounds melding together as Rainbow fought for control. Slowly, the voice began to recede, before becoming silent once more.
Collapsing to the floor, Rainbow looked around her, only to see that the Space Marines had gone. Getting to her feet, Rainbow hurried down the only corridor that the Space Marines could have gone down, quickly catching up to them just as they as emerged into a cavernous central room.
The room was huge, and Rainbow didn’t know how such a huge room and fitted inside the building. It was also hot, steam rising and obscuring her view slightly. The entire room was strewn with the dead, but they were not recent, and blood seeped from the corpses, pooling at the centre of the room in a massive brass pool of the crimson liquid. Around the pool stood ten Chaos Space Marines, all chanting a in a language that hurt Rainbows head just to listen to it, yet they weren’t Iron Warriors.
These warriors were armoured in dark red armour, bedecked in scrolls which fluttered in an unseen breeze. On their shoulder pads stood a screaming skull, back by an eight pointed star that seemed to ripple even as Rainbow watched. The final member of the Chaos Marines was not standing around the edge of the pool, but was instead standing in the middle, his bald head thrown back and his arms extended out to the side. He was shuddering violently as the blood from the pool flowed up his legs and chest, pouring down his throat. Rainbow could feel the power in this room, and it was not something she liked.
“Word Bearers!” Gabriel roared, pointing at the Space Marines. “They attempt to summon the immaterial! Destroy….”
He never finished, a flurry of bolts slamming into the Marines around him, one of them dropping as his leg was ripped from his body, screaming as he clutched the bloody stump. Before any of them could react, a trio of grenades rolled into the centre of the group and detonated, pitching them all from their feet, and allowing rainbow to see their attackers.
There were three of them in total, two huge warriors flanking a normal sized Chaos Marine. The flanking warriors were terrifyingly large, even by Space Marine standards, their armour looking as if it could stand up to any assault that was laid against it, and the fearsome they wielded told Rainbow that they would be able to dish out damage as well.
Yet fearsome as they were, they did not seem as terrible as the man that they guarded. He wore no helmet, revealing a bald head and a cybernetic eye, the red orb glowing brightly and casting shadows across the rest of his face. However, it was his arm that drew Rainbow’s attention. The entire limb was a gleaming silver colour, and was clearly artificial, yet had no joints like hers did, and seemed to move like a real limb, any dirt or blood that landed on it instantly being absorbed by the metal and disappearing, leaving the surface smooth and clean once more.
“Gabriel Angelos.” The warrior sneered, looking across as Gabriel regained his footing, followed swiftly by the rest of the Space marines and Rainbow. “I must say, I expected better from the Chapter Master of the Blood Ravens.”
“Honsou.” Gabriel spat, readying his hammer. “The Ultramarines may have failed to kill you, but I will not!”
He sprinted forward, readying his hammer as Honsou raised his axe.
“The Sons of Guilliman are fools.” Honsou sneered, “Yet you will fare no better!”
Unable to watch the fight any longer, Rainbow jumped after a Blood Raven as he charged one of the massive Iron Warriors. Rainbow raised her sword as the iron Warrior swept its massive claws at her, narrowly avoiding being gutted, before leaping forward, stabbing with her sword. She expected it to go through the armour as it had done before, but the sword simply slid off the armour, barely leaving a mark on it. Stunned by the lack of damage her sword had done, Rainbow did not notice the massive fist coming towards her until it slammed into her chest, throwing her back into a wall.
Rainbow struggled to breathe as she leant against the wall, taking in the sight of the battle before her. Gabriel and Honsou were trading blows, each one matching the other as they clashed, scoring hits against every part of the opponents armour, and yet Honsou’s arm was still as shiny as ever, not showing a sign of damage.
The four remaining Blood ravens were fighting against the two massive Iron Warriors, but they did not seem to be able to get any strikes through the tick armour, none of their weapons possessing the power needed. As rainbow watched, one of the Blood Ravens was a second to slow, and was suddenly relieved of his stomach, the claws slicing through his armour as if it wasn’t there.
The Space Marine fell to the floor, still firing his own weapon to no effect, before lying still. Rainbow realised that she had to do something to help them, else they would all perish here.
Sparing the Word Bearers a tiny glance, Rainbow looked around frantically for a weapon, catching sight of an odd looking weapon buried amidst the corpses. Pulling it out, Rainbow instantly recognised it as a meltagun, and grinned maniacally behind her helmet. She knew what this weapon could do.
“Blood Raven!” She bellowed. “Down!”
Not waiting to see if the Marine listened to her, Rainbow depressed the firing stud, sending a jet of barely visible super-heated gas out of the barrel. The impact of the weapon was devastating to the Iron Warrior, the shot hitting his chest straight on, reducing it to nothing more than molten slag, and pitching the massive brute from his feet.
Rainbow herself was thrown back by the massive kick of the weapon, her chest exploding in pain as she felt a rib crack at the very least, and she flopped down into a pile of corpses. The Blood Raven who had dived to the floor however was not deterred, and now had a weapon capable of taking out the remaining hulking Iron Warrior.
Diving into a role, the Blood Raven snatched up the weapon, the Imperial Guard meltagun looking pathetically tiny and ineffectual in the hands of an Astartes, but it would do. Sprinting forward, the Blood Raven dodged swipe from the Iron Warrior, before pressing the gun to his helmet. Rainbow could almost imagine the thoughts going through his head, before the weapon discharged, and the Iron Warrior fell, his head and the back of his armour.
Getting back to her hooves, Rainbow turned to watch as Honsou and Gabriel continued to fight, their movements faster than even she could follow. She wanted to help the Chapter Master, to finish off the iron Warrior, but she knew that she would only get in the way.
With a roar, Gabriel managed to deliver a massive kick to Honsou’s chest, sending the Iron Warrior skidding back. Raising their bolters, the Blood Ravens prepared to fire, before a blood curdling roar echoed throughout the room, so loud that it physically knocked Rainbow and the Blood Ravens back to the ground.
The roar was dulled when the sound of Honsou’s voice echoed around the room, a deep throaty laugh preceding his message.
“Fools. Now this planet will burn for Chaos, and you along with it. Goodbye Gabriel.”
“The portal!” Gabriel bellowed, pointing at the blood pool in the centre of the room before setting off towards it at a sprint.
Rainbow turned her head almost in slow motion, catching sight of the ritual in the middle of the room. The air around the Word bearers was shimmering, rippling as though it was a pool that someone had just jumped into. The blood was now covering the man in the middle of his pool. His face only just visible as the blood spilled into his mouth. He was shaking violently, but suddenly stopped, shooting up into the air and hovering above the pool.
The other Word Bearers had stopped to, and Rainbow once again heard the roaring voice in her mind.
MY CHILDREN COME! FEED ON THEIR FLESH, LET THEIR BLOOD FLOW, AND REAP THEIR SOULS FOR ME!
The air rippled one more time, before the Word Bearers around the pool exploded, their blood splashing across the room and splattering onto the corpses. The force of the explosion knocked Gabriel off his feet.
As the bloody haze cleared, Rainbow discovered a new definition for the word hell.
“What were they?” Pinkie asked urgently as Rainbow stopped, hanging off the edge of her seat but somehow not toppling it over.
“Hellspawn.” Rainbow muttered darkly, slotting her leg back into its slot, before grabbing hold of her wing. “Tyranids are beasts, these things are worse. God I wish you had Re’ka here.”
***
Verbatim VIII
***
Rainbow was paralysed by fear as a hand burst through the pool of blood, grabbing hold of the side and hauling itself up. The creature was huge, looking more like a Minotaur than a human. Its skin was bright red, matching the blood around it perfectly, only broken up by a few scales and jet black horns. It was as tall as a Space Marine, and yet was also lither, its legs being double jointed, one forward and one back. The sword it carried was what really terrified Rainbow however, the massive blade being covered in fire, and was easily as long as Rainbow.
The creature took a step out of the pool, licking the blood off its arm with a massive long tongue, its eyes sweeping across the room and locking onto Rainbow as if it was sensing weakness. She was going to prove it wrong.
“Daemon! Kill it!” Gabriel roared, getting back to his feet and charging forward.
Roaring, Rainbow grabbed hold of her sword and sprinted forward, even as more of the Daemons began to emerge through the blood pool turned portal. Diving forward, Rainbow flapped her one remaining wing, putting herself into a spin as the Daemon swung its sword at where her neck had been only nanoseconds before, but instead of passing through her neck it simply shaved the fur off her stomach, the scorching heat making her instantly break out into a sweat.
Her swords aim had not been thrown off however, and even as she spun, her sword imbedded itself in the Daemons chest, ripping through the flesh as she landed on her hooves behind the massive creature. Turning, she expected the Daemon to fall, but was shocked when the creature turned and swung its sword at Rainbow. She only just managed to get her sword up to block the attack, sliding back across the corpses.
The Daemon bellowed, before charging at Rainbow, swinging its sword wildly like some sort of animal. Diving forward, Rainbow narrowly avoided the strike, before spinning and kicking out, catching the Daemon in the chest and staggering it for just long enough for Rainbow to perform a Coup de grâce, severing the creatures head from his neck. Even as its head fell, the creature began to immolate, burning down like a candle until nothing but ash remained.
Panting heavily, Rainbow turned around, only to find herself confronted by yet another Daemon, this one almost identical to the last except that it was covered in dark brass armour. Behind the creature, Gabriel was engaging numerous Daemons, smashing them aside as if they were nothing more than dolls, his hammer easily breaking through their armour. Unfortunately, the rest of the Blood Ravens weren’t fairing nearly as well, and Rainbow could already see one of them impaled on a trio of Daemon swords. Even facing death, the Space Marine didn’t give up, grabbing hold of one of the Daemons and shoving his sword like combat knife through its eye before going limp.
“We need help!” Rainbow roared, knocking aside a Daemons sword before ducking under the blow of another one.
“Hroaldr is fighting here now!” Gabriel roared, head-butting a Daemon before plunging his fist into its chest and ripping out a chunk of flesh.
“Can we stop this?!” A Blood Raven shouted, grabbing hold of the fallen Blood Ravens combat blade and plunging both weapon into the ears of a Daemon, before being thrown backwards by another one.
“Maybe!” Gabriel grunted. “The sorcerer, he’s the locus!” He gestured wildly towards the last remaining Word Bearer. “Kill him and close the portal!”
“I can do it!” Rainbow screeched, rolling past a Daemons sword and lashing out with her own, gutting the creature.
Not waiting to see if the Daemon survived or not, Rainbow sprinted forward, careful to keep her footing on the slippery corpse strewn floor. Reaching the edge of the pool, Rainbow leaped into the air, wrapping her forehooves around the Space Marines waist and ripping him out of the air.
The pair crashed to the floor, breaking the Word Bearer out of the trance he had been in before. Springing back to her feet, Rainbow readied her sword as the Word bearer drew a sword from his back, brandishing the wicked looking glowing weapon at Rainbow. The Daemons seemed to sense the power the sorcerer wielded, avoiding both him and his prey of Rainbow.
“You have caused me great discomfort little flea.” The Sorcerer growled. “And I feel inclined to scratch.”
“Bring it on.” Rainbow snarled, before diving forward.
Letting out his own snarl, the sorcerer leaped forward, waving the hooked blade in figure of eights multiple times before gripping it in two hands. Baring her teeth, Rainbow leaped into the air, desperately trying to control her erratic flight with one wing. The only reason she even attempted to try such an unpredictable movement in the middle of a fight was because if she didn’t know where she was going to go, he enemy sure as hell couldn’t either.
The Space Marine charged at her with the hooked blade upheld, slashing forward, before following it through with a vicious backswing. Rainbow dodged the first blow, landing back on her hooves in enough time to bring her sword up and catch the second. Her sudden recovery caught the Sorcerer off guard, and Rainbow thought for the briefest of seconds that she may have managed to knock the blade from his hands, but it was a foolish hope. This was not a man, this was a Demi-God, and he would not relinquish his weapon that easily.
Roaring, the Sorcerer lunged forward again, the blade opening a slit along the back of her armour, the blade only missing her flesh by the tiniest of margins.
Ripping her armour away from the sword, Rainbow leaped up, delivering a powerful four hoofed kick into the Space Marines armour before landing on the floor, rolling backwards and quickly getting back up. It felt like she had kicked a brick wall, but it had done the job, and she had managed to stagger the Marine.
Lunging with her own strike, Rainbow blade bit deep into the Sorcerers wrist, before continuing through, the hand flopping to the floor still clutching the sword. The Space Marine howled in pain, but if Rainbow thought that would do anything more than piss him off however, she was dead wrong.
An instant later, she found herself being grabbed and flung over the Sorcerers head, crashing into the floor and sending skulls and bodies flying. The Sorcerer advanced upon her as she scrambled back to her feet, frantically looking for her own sword in the midst of the dead. All around her were corpses, even some of the Blood Ravens who had entered with her. The room was filling up with Daemons fast, Gabriel and the Blood Raven with two knives fighting back to back as more and more of the Hellspawn pressed in on them. The pool had stopped spewing out Daemons by now, and Rainbow wanted to think that that was a good thing, but she knew that it would be anything but in this new hell she found herself in.
Scrambling away from the advancing sorcerer, Rainbow fled into a small dark room off from the main chamber, diving behind a huge pile of skulls. The chaos forces must have been collecting the dead from both sides of the conflict since the beginning to have so many corpses and skulls.
Holding her breath, Rainbow tried to make herself silent as she heard the door to the chamber scrape closed, sealing the pair off from the outside, and drowning out the sounds of battle.
“Come out little pony.” The Sorcerer chided, his voice sounding muffled as if he had his hand over his mouth. “Tzeench wishes to know of your secrets as well.” His voice didn’t sound muffled at all now.
When he received no answer, the Sorcerer chuckled in a deep, throaty voice.
“I see you wish to play games with me? Let us play hide and go slay.” The voice was getting closer and closer to her hiding place, so close that she could almost smell the Space Marine over the smell of death that pervaded the rest of the room.
Unable to hold in her fear anymore, Rainbow bolted, scattering the skulls as she dived backwards again, catching sight of the Sorcerer. He had removed his helmet, the massive piece of armour now secured at his waist, and revealing a horribly mutated face. Rainbow had thought that the horns that she had seen were on his helmet, now she saw that beneath that, this warrior was almost as twisted as the Daemons outside.
“There you are.” The Sorcerer grinned, exposing a maw full of far more teeth than there should have been. “You cost me my hand. I like that had, it took the lives of loyalist lapdogs during the heresy.”
“Fuck you. And fuck your hand.” Rainbow growled.
“Oh no little pony, I believe that when I give your broken deranged body to Slaanesh, that will be you.”
Screaming, rainbow dived forward, only to find herself being backhanded across the room, her helmet ripping itself from her head and skidding off into the corner. Blood poured from her muzzle as she staggered back.
The first punch glanced her chin, only just making contact, and yet still feeling like a freight train had hit her. Quick as a flash, a second punch slammed home, ramming into her side and splintering tha armour there. Rainbow chocked as the air was forced from her lungs by the force of the blow, flecks of blood indicating where she had bitten her tongue. She was sure her ribs were broken now.
Staggering back, Rainbow growled, shaking her head and trying to get her bearings. The Space Marine was bigger than her, he was more experienced than her, and his strength made Big Mac look like a new born foal. If she had any hope of surviving this, she would need to use everything she had learnt back on Saim-Hann, as well as a shit load of luck.
The Space Marine lunged forward, but this time Rainbow was ready. Pivoting around the punch, Rainbow used the momentum to transfer her weight onto her rear hooves, spinning around the Sorcerers guard and delivering a massive blow into the jaw of the Sorcerer, before falling back to four hooves.
Before he could recover, Rainbow was already lashing out again, smashing her hooves into his chest armour. She knew this wouldn’t do anything against him, but the kick was not to damage him, it was to send her skidding away. Pushing off from her opponent, Rainbow slid across the blood soaked floor just in time to avoid a wild haymaker thrown by the Sorcerer. Approaching the wall, Rainbow kicked off from it, flipping over the head of the Space marine and landing on his back pack.
Holding in a roar of pain as a Spike ripped through her armour and sliced in the meat of her leg, Rainbow delivered a blow into the back of the man’s head, staggering him, before Rainbow kicked off from him again, once more avoiding the retaliation strike. Her blows were like ant bites to a pony, on their own useless and inconsequential, but when chained together could weaken her target enough to allow her to finish him off. His blows on the other hand would be deadly with just one or two blows, her armour already threatening to come apart under the beating she had taken, but he was slow, and as long as Rainbow kept moving, he wouldn’t get a blow in.
Diving forward, Rainbow rolled to the side, expecting the Space marine to try to hit her where she wasn’t. Instead however, she felt an immense pain in her rear as she suddenly stopped moving, before being flung backwards at the door. As she flew through the air, she saw the Sorcerer snarling as he sprinted after her, a wad of Rainbow coloured hair from her tail still clutched in his hand.
Rainbow slammed into the stone door, hardly slowing as she passed through it, rock splintering as she crashed to the floor. Her armour was cracked ad broken, her new leg felt was kicking out weakly as it sought to turn the signals being sent to it into movement, but only being able to register about half of what was required. Blood poured from all over her body, and she realised that she wasn’t going to get up at this rate before the Sorcerer was on her.
Grinning, the mutated Space Marine reached down, grabbing her by the neck and squeezing, just tight enough to cut off her air supply, but not enough to break her neck. He wanted her to suffer, to watch as the Daemons finally overran Gabriel. The Chapter Master was on his own now, his armour torn and rent in many places as he swung wildly with his Thunder Hammer. More Daemons had appeared now, and not all of them were red like before. Now there were all kinds of Daemons, far too many to count or to differentiate between.
“Watch pony, watch as all you have fought for is silenced in front of you.” The Sorcerer growled, turning her to face the carnage. “Chaos cannot be stopped by you, and now this world shall be sacrificed to Chaos undivided.”
“Fuck…you.” Rainbow chocked, struggling in the vicelike grip of the Space Marine.
“No, little pony. I will give you to the Daemonettes, they will take you to their master, and he will break you in. Then you will die.” The Sorcerer sneered. “Or maybe I will give you to my master. I am sure the Changer of the Ways will enjoy picking your brains apart. You are already a part of his plan. Perhaps that is already in the plan.”
Rainbow continued to writhe, but it was hopeless. He vision was already darkening, and she was struggling to hear what was going on in the rest of the room as she fought for air which she couldn’t get. This was it. She had no way of escaping the grip of the Space marine. Soon she would be unconscious, Gabriel would be killed, and the entire planet would be overrun. More than that, Saim-Hann would be hurt too, the Daemons that spawned here would attack the Craftworld, and Slaanesh would feast on more Soul Stones than it had since the Fall. All because rainbow had been too weak to beat this Sorcerer.
BANG
Rainbow felt herself falling, before hitting the floor hard, gasping for breath as she coughed violently. Her visions slowly became clearer as she rolled over to look at the Sorcerer.
BANG
Rainbow was splattered with fresh blood as another bolt slammed into the Chaos Marines armour, joining the first hole in his abdomen. Falling to his knees, the Sorcerer looked helplessly at the entrance, and Rainbow followed his gaze, her heart lifting as she saw what was happening.
Space Marines of all colours were pouring into the room, led by Hroaldr and Varagol. Behind them came their own men, firing their pistols or laying into the horde of daemons with chainswords and axes. They were less important than the other who were with them though. Through the throng of Space Marines, Rainbow caught sight of Eldar, and at the front of it all, Tar’nek.
The Eldar looked as battered and bruised as rainbow felt, his helmet looking as if it was only just being held together and protecting him, but he was there none the less. He was the only Swooping Hawk that Rainbow could see in the throng, but there were more than enough Eldar to back him up. Dark Reapers stood beside Devastator Marines as they poured fire into the horde from the edge of the room, while Howling Banshees fought back to back with Blood Claws in the furious melee that developed.
Getting back to her hooves, Rainbow looked at the Chaos Sorcerer as he fell to his knees, before placing his hands onto the floor, bringing him to the eye level of Rainbow. Suddenly, Tar’nek was by her side, followed by a host of other Eldar, all brandishing their weapons.
“Wait!” She shouted, turning to look at the others.
“Now isn’t the time.” Tar’nek growled.
“Let me.” rainbow growled back, before catching sight of the Sorcerers fallen sword.
Quickly snatching it up, Rainbow approached the Chaos marine, placing the blade on the back of his neck, smiling wickedly.
“What was that about your plan?” She snarled, forcing herself to stand on two legs. She didn’t know what it was, but this new bionic seemed to help her to balance much easier. “It looks like you’re out of favour with your Gods.”
“Go to…” The Chaos Marine began, but got no further.
The blade passed effortlessly through the man’s neck, flesh parting as the power field split apart the molecules, allowing Rainbow to get a clean cut.
The result was instantaneous and devastating to the Daemonic forces that were still in the room. A wave of energy erupted from the Chaos Sorcerer as the blood he had ingested spewed out from the stump of his neck, covering Rainbow in the liquid from head to hoof, but it was the Daemons that were really effected.
Now that the portal connecting the worlds together was no longer open, they were weaker, slower, and more susceptible to damage. Now, instead of being able to shrug off wounds that would have killed even a Space Marine three times over, they were acting like Guardsmen, and falling like wheat before a scythe.
Dropping the hideous sword that the Sorcerer had wielded beside the corpse of its owner, Rainbow looked up at Tar’nek. Behind his helmet, Rainbow knew that he was smiling as he drew his secondary sword from his back, passing it down to Rainbow, before drawing his own and holstering his Las-Blaster.
Grinning and licking her lips, shuddering as the bitter liquid flowed down her throat, before sprinting forward, roaring at the top of her voice. Beside her, Tar’nek let out his own roar, a roar that was taken up by the other Eldar, before sprinting after Rainbow.
Rainbow slammed into the horde of Daemons like a wrecking ball, slashing to the left and right as she clove limbs from bodies. These Daemons were nothing to her now, just annoyances as she found herself lost in the blood lust that filled the room. There was a whine in the back of her head, but she didn’t care about that. All she cared about was that she was able to kill anything that stood in her way. Beside her stood Tar’nek, the Swooping Hawk lashing out at anything that got close, or drawing his Las-Blaster again and unleashing blistering hails of fire, before attacking with his sword again.
Rainbow caught sight of the form of Gabriel, the Chapter master bleeding from hundreds of wounds, but still he was fighting. Hacking her way towards him, Rainbow stood beside him as she protected his flank. The venerable Space Marine spared her a glance, before nodding and turning to place his back towards Rainbow. Tar’nek had disappeared into the throng, but Rainbow knew that he would be fine. Together the Chapter Master and the pony clove their way through the horde, eventually reaching the blood pool and finding the eye of the storm. It was ridiculously quiet here, the Daemons all staying away from the place as if there was some sort of shield that stopped them from approaching.
Reaching down, Rainbow grabbed hold of a battered but functional lasgun while Gabriel drew a bolt pistol from his waist. A second later, the pair unloaded their weapons into the horde, firing point blank into the faltering Daemons.
***
Ten minutes later, the Daemons were gone, their bodies immolating after they were destroyed. Gabriel had told her that they hadn’t truly won anything, that the Daemons would simply reappear in the warp again, but they had stopped this incursion, and that was all that mattered.
The casualties had been high amongst everyone, especially the Guardsmen before they decided to retreat. Goge was still alive, although he was looking at losing his other eye to shrapnel damage from a stray bolt. The Space Marines had taken few loses, but every battle brother lost was a heavy burden, just like each Eldar life lost weighed heavily on the heart. The only consolation to the Eldar was that this time, they could collect the soul stones of their fallen comrades.
Slumping against a wall, Rainbow fought the urge to sleep as she inspected her helmet again, Tar’nek having retrieved it and was now sitting beside her. He hadn’t said anything yet, who else survived from the squad, where the Eldar had been since the drop, but that suited Rainbow fine. She was too tired to remember anything he said anyway.
The last thing she felt was Tar’nek’s arms encircling her body, cradling her close to his chest as he rocked slightly. Wrapping her arms around the Eldars chest, Rainbow allowed herself to sleep in his secure embrace as the Eldar carried her towards the exit.
Rainbow screamed as she forced her eyes open. Her entire body was covered in sweat, and she was panting heavily. The sheets she didn’t remember crawling under were wrapped around her legs, and her armour was nowhere to be found.
“Rainbow. It’s ok.” Tar’nek said, getting up from where he had been seated on the side of the room.
The Eldar had likewise removed his armour, and was now dressed in the simple garb of the temple of the Floating Assault. Fixing her eyes on Tar’nek, Rainbow fought to bring her breathing beck down to normal levels, taking in a few large breathes, before managing to speak properly.
“Where are we?” She croaked.
“At the primary webway portal. The rest of the strike force is finishing up a sweep of the planet with the Imperials.” The Eldar said softly, taking a seat on the bed Rainbow was lying upon.
Slowly, Rainbow began to unravel the sheets from around herself, finally finding herself free of the restraints. Curling up into a ball, Rainbow began to sob quietly as she looked up at Tar’nek. The warrior still had the rune of Khaine painted on his forehead in blood, even if it was a bit smeared, and his eyes were glazed over. He was still wearing the war mask, and right now, Rainbow wished she was too.
The war mask shielded the mind from memories of war, blocking out the terrible actions that were undertaken in the pursuit of victory. In this way, Eldar could lead two lives, that of war and that of peace. At war, they were unrivalled, able to make decisions based solely on instinct and logic, and unfettered by morality, while at peace they could forget the horrors that they had seen and inflicted. It was a perfect system, but Rainbow wasn’t wearing her war mask. She hadn’t since she had been revived by the Imperials. She could remember everything, every action she took that led up to her laying here now, and it terrified her. The daemons were creatures from her nightmares, making even the Tyranids pale in sheer horror factor. She would never forget this.
Tar’nek seemed to understand, and even in his war masks trance, he knew why she was hurting. As a warrior, he must have seen the lack of signs on her as easily as she had seen the signs on him. Carefully pulling her closer, Tar’nek placed Rainbow on his lap, holding her their lightly.
It was amazing how such a little act could be so soothing, and yet she found herself calming down almost instantly, even managing to slow the tide of tears.
“Where…where are the others?” She sniffed.
Now it was Tar’nek’s turn to turn away as emotions boiled up inside of him. Even the war mask couldn’t stop these memories.
“Juhani’s alive.” He said slowly. “She injured, but she’ll live. The others though… Only two of us survived. Everyone’s dead.” His voice wavered at the end, and Rainbow could tell he was holding back tears. She was too.
She hadn’t much liked Kaliden, the Exarch had been hard on her, and even though he had saved her from herself, she had never built up a proper rapport with him. That was to be expected though, the curse of the Exarch meant that even those closest to him who did not share in the curse would always be distant. It was the other members of the squad that ate away at Rainbow’s insides however. She had half expected it, but to hear it vocalised, to get confirmation on what she had feared threatened to open the flood gates again.
“So what happens now?” Rainbow sniffed.
“Well, we’re still routing out possible secondary sights, and the main daemonic entrance point has been sealed. The Imperials wish to coordinate a final meeting to exchange any honoured dead that have been recovered.”
“They should. It’s a good idea.” Rainbow nodded glumly. “You don’t think…”
“No.” Tar’nek shook his head. “Anyone in that drop is gone. We found some bodies of Eldar were used in the ritual at the Citadel, but they were too far gone, used for foul rituals. Everything’s been put to the flame.”
“The temple’s gone then. No body means no armour for the next Exarch to don.”
“There will be more than a few empty shrines back on Saim-Hann.” Tar’nek agreed. “Mostly those of the Swooping Hawks.”
“What are you going to do then?” Rainbow asked, looking up at Tar’nek. “Will you join another shrine?”
“It’s early days, and I’d rather wait until my mask is removed until I make that decision. Right now though, I need to go and see someone. Can I leave you here alone?”
As Tar’nek turned to leave, Rainbow had a thought, and called out to him.
“Tar’nek, can I…can I ask you something?”
“Of course you can, whether I can answer it is another question.”
“Do you…remember anything that happened after you take your war mask off, memories, visions?”
Instantly, Tar’nek was alert, moving back over to Rainbow and softly taking hold of her head, turning it as he inspected her eyes.
“No.” He said finally. “But you do, don’t you?”
“Only now.” Rainbow nodded.
“What happened to your war mask?” He asked softly.
“I don’t know, it came off after the drop.” Rainbow said weakly.
“And you didn’t think to yourself that it was a bad idea to go into combat without it?” Tar’nek snapped.
“There were no Eldar around.” Rainbow snarled back. “You abandoned me after the drop, you never once came looking for me, or spoke to the humans after the drop, you just disappeared, and then came back at the end to grab the glory.”
“We didn’t even know you were alive!” Tar’nek roared. “Do you have any idea how many warriors we lost?!”
“You still, left, me!” Rainbow screamed. “I almost died, and half of the humans wanted to execute me!”
“I’m sorry!” Tar’nek roared back, silencing Rainbow. “Ok? I am sorry. Is that want you want?”
“I don’t know what I want!” Rainbow cried, tears forming in her eyes again. “I just…I want to go home.”
“We will get you there Rainbow.” Tar’nek said reassuringly. “I’ll help you get home if it’s the last thing we do together. On that you have my word.”
“How?” Rainbow asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. “I don’t know where it is.”
“I’ll figure something out, but first I need to find someone who can help you. Until that time, I don’t think you could go home, you’d be a danger to everything and everyone you hold dear.”
“Help me with what?” Rainbow asked.
“Your war mask was removed in combat after you died and came back, that will have ripped it off, leaving behind scars on your mind. I’m no expert, but I know it’s not good, but the only way we can find out exactly what is wrong is to get you to a veteran seer back on Saim-Hann.”
Rainbow nodded, slumping back on the bed, looking up at Tar’nek once more with red, puffy eyes. She was tired again, her eyelids drooping as sleep threatened to overtake her. She didn’t want to go.
“Don’t leave me.” She whispered.
“Take this Rainbow,” Tar’nek replied, reaching over to a small table and grabbing hold of a small pill. “this will make you sleep. If you fall asleep, things will get better.”
Nodding, Rainbow reached out and took the pill, placing it in her mouth and grimacing slightly as it slid down her throat.
“Am I going to have bad dreams?” Rainbow said, even as sleep rushed up to meet her.
“No Rainbow, you won’t.” Tar’nek lied, even as Rainbow closed her eyes. He knew that she was going to struggle to get through this, but at least she could try to sleep through the worst of the pain.
***
Rainbow panted as she kept running, pushing her way past the husks of burnt out trees and smashed vehicles. Corpses lay all around her, some she didn’t. Almost losing her footing, Rainbow stumbled over a body, crashing to the floor and looking back at the way she had come. Her eyes fell on the corpses of Goge, both his eyes gone and his chest ripped open and empty, and she let loose another wave of tears, before looking further beyond him.
A Daemon was approaching her, its sword blazing bright in the darkness of the burnt forest, and its tongue lashing out as it tasted the air, tasted her fear.
Scrambling back to her hooves, Rainbow set off again, twisting and turning through the dark forest as she tried to lose the vile Daemon, but to no avail.
Suddenly, she caught sight of snatch of colour, and turned towards it, sprinting after the elusive object. She didn’t know why she was following whatever it was, but she knew that it was the only snatch of colour other than the Daemon around her, and she wanted to find out what it was.
Skidding on a corpse that may have at one point have been an Eldar, Rainbow rounded a corner, finally coming face to face with the thing she had seen. It was her. Rainbows mouth dropped as she took in the mare in front of her, the perfection of her curves, the brilliant shine of her mane and coat, her unblemished and unscarred flesh. She was in every way Rainbow Dash, just without the wear and tear.
“Wha…” Rainbow began, before the apparition began to change.
Fur began to matt and fall out, scars appeared on the surface of the mare’s skin, blossoming into bruises and burns as flesh parted beneath invisible blades. The face, her face, contorted into a new position. Gone was the cocky smile that she had worn in Equestria, replaced instead by a vicious snarl as Rainbow prepared to fight an unseen foe. This was Rainbow Dash now, and it was terrifying to the real Rainbow.
Fresh tears erupted from Rainbows eyes, mirrored by her double as skin began to bubble and pop in an intense heat that appeared from nowhere. In a second, the changing Rainbow Dash had been enveloped in flames, still unmoving, but showing the signs of the damage. Fur burnt, eyes burst, and the mare opened her mouth in a silent scream.
The real Rainbow Dash screamed as she was lifted from the ground, looking down at the massive sword that erupted from her chest. Letting out another scream, Rainbow was turned to face the Daemon, its tooth filled maw opening in a feral snarl.
Even as Rainbow watched however, the face began to warp and change, rippling as its entire shape altered to become smaller and its colouration becoming lighter, until it was pink, revealing another face.
“E…E…Elarique?” Rainbow managed, her breathe infused with blood that splattered over the Eldars Swooping Hawk armour.
“Pathetic.” The Eldar snarled, before drawing a pistol.
Before Rainbow could react to the new development, the barrel of the shuriken pistol was placed to her head. A nanosecond later, the razor sharp micro-disk was lunched from the pistol, slicing deep into Rainbow head.
***
For the second time that day, Rainbow awoke screaming, scrambling to check her stomach as she checked it for damage, but finding nothing. Panting heavily, Rainbow fought to control her breathing, before looking around the room. She was still in the same bed as she had been when Tar’nek had given her the sedative, but now she was alone, and sought to rectify that.
Swinging herself out of the bed, Rainbow headed for the door and turned down the corridor, wiping away tears as memories of the nightmare played over and over again in her head. She didn’t really care who she found as she poked around the corridors of the Eldar base, all she cared was that she wasn’t going to be alone for much longer.
“Rainbow? What are you doing up and about?” Tar’nek asked from behind the Pegasus, and Rainbow wheeled to face the Eldar.
“Couldn’t sleep, don’t want to be alone.” Rainbow whimpered.
“It will get better.” Tar’nek assured her softly. “As it happens it’s a good thing I found you. How are you feeling?”
“Terrified, sweaty. Take your pick.” Rainbow said, trying and failing to show him a smile.
“Gabriel Angelos and the Imperials have declared the planet free from Chaos taint, and they are organising the bodies of our dead as we speak. The Autarch has ordered us to do the same, but Gabriel and one Colonel Goge wishes to speak to you personally. They were told that you would only come if you felt up to it.”
“I’ll be fine.” Rainbow nodded, her mood brightening ever so slightly as she thought of Goge. “Where’s my armour?”
“Follow me. We can suit up together and meet up with the Autarch before he leaves.” Tar’nek said, before leading Rainbow off down the corridor.
Half an hour later, the pair were standing by a humming transport in full armour, waiting for the final bodies of Space Marines and Imperial Guard to be placed reverently into the transports to be flown to the meeting spot. Around the pair stood several warriors who had distinguished themselves in the war, or else were in a position of command, and would be speaking on behalf of the Eldar.
Behind them, the bone singers and the rangers were preparing to transport the base through the webway up to the ship that was already in orbit. After the Imperials and the Eldar had finished the cultural exchange, the rangers would be leading the remaining Eldar on the world back up to the ships, and they would return to the craftworld.
“Ok, let’s mount up.” The Autarch announced, looking at the rest of the Eldar. “We’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Nodding, Rainbow clambered inside the transport and shuddered as she recognised the vehicle, and the last time she had been in it. By the trepidation Tar’nek was showing, Rainbow assumed she was right, and that this was the very transport they had used in the drop attack.
Closing her eyes behind her helmet, Rainbow tried to push the thought from her mind, but soon found that it was either memories of the drop, or the beginnings of another nightmare. Reluctantly, Rainbow began to remember the drop, reliving every painful moment up until the point the ship landed again.
Quickly disembarking, Rainbow saw that they were once again on the same plateau that the Eldar had originally met the Imperial high command. Now as then, guardsmen were standing around a series of Valkyries, but as well as those, there were three massive ships belonging to the Space Marines. All three Thunderhawks were parked behind the Valkyries, and a pair of Space Marines were guarding each one.
As Rainbow and the other Eldar made their way towards the Imperial forces, the Imperial aircraft opened, allowing the men inside to clamber out to meet the Eldar half way.
Instantly, Rainbow caught sight of Goge, and her heart soared to see that he was still alive, even if his other eye had been destroyed, leaving his with an odd visor like attachment over his head.
“Lord General. Chapter Master.” The Autarch bowed deeply, the rest of the Eldar stopping behind their leader.
“Eldar.” Gabriel said, nodding slightly. Clearly he had been placed in charge of the Imperial force. “I thank you for your participation in this campaign. Your help has been invaluable.”
“Thank you Angelos.” The Autarch nodded. “Your men have also been extremely useful to the protection of our Craftworld. Together, you have helped us to save thousands of Eldar lives. Allow us to return the honour and present you with the honoured dead that we have recovered, all free of taint.”
With a signal from the Autarch, a host of Eldar began to bring the dead out of the transports, each Space Marine body mounted on a hovering gurney that supported the heavy weight despite their spindly appearance. Guiding each gurney was a robe clad Eldar, who made sure that each corpse was transported to the right Space Marine chapter, being taken by a series of Space Marines back to the Thunderhawks.
“This is more than we expected from Xenos when we heard of your involvement.” Gabriel began. “Allow us to return the favour.”
Quickly, a series of Imperial medical staff appeared out of the Valkyries bearing a series of Eldar bodies that were quickly transferred to the transports.
“I believe this is it then.” The Autarch said, looking between the Imperial commanders.
“Not quite.” Gabriel shook his head, before looking directly at Rainbow. “Rainbow Dash, Pegasus, Xenos. I owe you my life, and for that you have my thanks, and the thanks of the Blood Ravens. You lost your sword in the fight with the Sorcerer. Allow me to replace that weapon for you.”
Slowly, the Space Marine drew a beautiful sword from its scabbard, presenting it pommel first to Rainbow Dash. To say Rainbow was shocked would have been an understatement as she grabbed hold of the sword and took it from the Chapter Master.
“It is called Ravenous, and it has been in my personal armoury for centuries. Treat it well, and it shall serve you the same.”
“I don’t know what to say, but thank you.” Rainbow said, taking the proffered scabbard as she looked over the blade.
It was a monstrous weapon, almost being too big for her to use, and was clearly meant to be a short sword for a Space Marine. Nevertheless, it radiated death from the tip of the blade to the skull pommel, and as she swung it experimentally, she found that it was actually a lot lighter than it looked. Placing the sword in the scabbard, Rainbow looked back at Gabriel.
“It has been an honour to fight alongside you Rainbow Dash.”
“As it has been to fight alongside you Gabriel Angelos.” Rainbow replied, glancing over her shoulder as the webway portal opened, and the transports moved through, traveling through the sub-realm to the awaiting ship.
“It is time for us to go.” The Autarch said, before turning to Gabriel for one final time. “Farseer Macha still speaks of you, Gabriel of the Hidden Heart.”
With that, the Autarch walked into the webway portal, followed swiftly by the rest of the Eldar, leaving Rainbow alone with the humans on the plateau.
“Rainbow, wait.” Goge called, edging past Gabriel and kneeling down in front of her, placing a hand on her back. “I know that our time together has been brief, and that a lot of it was filled with pain, both mental and from the augmentations, but I hope that we depart truly as friends.”
“Did you need to ask.” Rainbow smiled, before throwing her hooves around Goge’s neck, hugging him tightly. “I’m going to miss you.”
“I’ll miss you to.” Goge chuckled, returning the hug. “Just don’t tell the Commissar.” He joked.
“This is goodbye forever isn’t it?” Rainbow sighed, finally letting go of the human.
“It probably is yes.” Goge nodded. “But remember what you learnt here, and keep fighting until you get home. I’ll see you again, even if it’s after my duty ends.”
Smiling, Rainbow waved to the human, before stepping through the webway portal, disappearing from the surface of the planet, and leaving only the humans left, Goge staring at the place where Rainbow had been standing as the portal closed, a wistful look in his eye. Slowly, the other members of the Imperial delegation began to retire to the transports to return to their base, but Gabriel stepped towards Goge, standing beside him and staring at the spot.
“She’s different from most Xenos, isn’t she?” Gabriel asked, not looking down at the human.
“She’s not other xenos.” Goge replied simply. “Regardless of what species she actually is, what she may look like in the outside, she was like us on the inside. She was almost human.”
“I know what you mean, but you must be careful with talk like that. Many amongst the upper echelons of the Imperium would not welcome it.”
“I know, the Ordo Xenos especially, but then you would know, wouldn’t you sir. This Farseer Macha. I saw how you reacted to her name. Who is she to you? If you don’t mind me asking that is.”
“An old enemy turned friend,” Gabriel sighed, “in a campaign where old friends became enemies. We all have our duty to the Emperor, and we must do it regardless of our feelings. Do not allow compassion for Xenos to flood your mind Colonel, else you will find it clouded when called upon, leading to damnation and ruin. Heed my words, but do not forget her. Xenos can be reasoned with, and if the time is ever right, they can be more than simple allies.”
Letting the final part hang in the air, Gabriel turned and marched back towards the awaiting Blood Ravens Thunderhawk. The other two Thunderhawks had already taken off, and Goge could just about make them out as they flew back towards the waiting Strike Cruisers that would ferry the survivors out of the system. Goge to would be leaving soon, taking the fifty or so remaining members of the 212th back to Elysia to receive much needed reinforcements, as well as catch up on the events of home. Goge doubted he would ever hear from Rainbow again, but in his heart, he yearned to see her just one last time.
“So uh, is that what this is then?” Applejack asked, picking up the sword in her hooves and turning it over.
“Yep.” Rainbow nodded, smiling slightly. “Most other Space Marines would have probably tried to kill us as soon as the common foe was gone, yet the Blood Ravens give me an awesome power sword.”
“Umm...Applejack.” Twilight whispered, making sure only the cowpony could hear. “You know that that’s a weapon right? As in something that’s killed.”
“More than just Manticores as well.” Rainbow cut in, easily picking up Twilights attempt to be subtle.
“How much more?” Applejack asked dubiously, placing the sword back down on the floor.
“Umm, quite a bit.” Rainbow said after a moment of mental calculation. “Don’t know quite how many, but it served me well.”
“Wait, so how long ago was this?” Celestia asked, making a quick deduction of her own.
“A year, eleven months, something like that? I lost track of time over the last six months.”
“What did you do for a year then?” Luna asked.
Rainbow gave a light chuckle, flexing her mechanical wing and leg.
“Well…”
***
The Celestial Ideal: Shadowhunter class escort vessel
***
Rainbow sighed as she sat at one of the large tables that stretched down the length of the ships gallery. It had been a day since they had left Verbatim VIII and the mood was expectedly high from the assembled warriors. War masks were being removed and celebrations were rocking the ship, but for some of the aspect warriors on board, this was a time of mourning.
Rainbow glanced over at Tar’nek as the Eldar bit into a large piece of fruit, the juices flowing down across his lips as the Eldar tried to force a smile at the behaviour. Now that the war mask had been removed, he was coming to grips with the death of the rest of the Swooping Hawks that had accompanied the task force. What was even worse was the fact that most of the Exarchs of the temples had been lost in the attack, and their bodies hadn’t been recovered, meaning the temples would never be revived. Saim-Hann’s population of Swooping Hawks had just plummeted from hundreds to just three, one of whom was a pony, another of whom was a triple amputee, and was awaiting medical care on the Craftworld.
“How did you sleep?” Tar’nek asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over their section of the table.
“The same nightmare again.” Rainbow muttered, looking over a piece of fruit before biting into it. “You?”
“No nightmares, but I remember talking to Kaliden.” Tar’nek replied. “It’s hard to believe he’s gone.”
“Tell me about it. Never thought that I’d outlive an Exarch.” Rainbow sighed.
“Not just the Exarch, the whole temple. We can’t keep it going with three of us.”
“Speaking of, how is Juhani?” Rainbow asked. “I haven’t been able to find her since we left.”
“A bit broken, but I’ll live.” Juhani chuckled, moving over towards the pair.
The Eldar sword master had been hit even harder than Rainbow had in the drop assault, and Rainbow wondered how she had taken the loss of so many of her limbs so well. Both of her legs were completely gone, leaving her with a neatly sealed scar at her waist, while another series of sutures sealed the wound at the elbow of her left arm. Rainbow guessed that at the very least, Juhani could be glad that she still had her right hand and arm, meaning that after she got her prosthetics, she would still be able to wield her sword with her own flesh and blood. However, whereas Rainbow had been given a prosthetic quickly, allowing her to walk, if not fly, Juhani had no such luck. She would have to wait until she got back to Saim-Hann to walk again, and so was confined to a small skimmer chair.
“Where have you been?” Rainbow asked, moving over on the bench so that Juhani could float over to the end of the table, looking at the pair.
“I’ve been retreating into the dreamscape.” Juhani said dismissively. “Helped me to see that my problems could have been worse. Could have lost this as well.” She chuckled, flexing the fingers on her right hand. I heard you had an interesting coping mechanism Rainbow. Befriend a human and spearhead the final assault. Sounds like quite a workout.”
“Educational at least.” Rainbow shot back with a slight grin of her own. Juhani was having a surprising effect on Rainbow and Tar’nek, and already her chipper attitude towards the mission was rubbing off on the pair, somehow making the defeats they suffered seem smaller, and the victories they secured seem even more impressive.
“Well come on mopey idiots, you want to forget something, then there’s only one way to do that.”
“Re’ka?” Tar’nek chuckled.
“Bingo. Come on Rainbow, let’s go get hammered.”
Shaking her head in exasperation, Rainbow followed the other Eldar towards the more heavily populated area of the ships gallery, to where the rest of the aspect warriors and wind riders were singing merrily. Rainbow chuckled to herself, happy that she had been found by the laid-back Eldar of Saim-Hann, rather than the up-tight forces of Alaitoc or Ulthwé.
***
“Annnnd done. You should be feeling the system coming on line any second….” A bone singer said, stepping back from Rainbow.
“Argh, it burns.” Rainbow shouted indignantly, but couldn’t help but laugh as the burning sensation faded away, leaving a much more familiar sensation.
Slowly, Rainbow climbed off the table she had been lying on for the last hour and a half, placing her hooves on the floor before looking at her back, seeing the handiwork of the Bone Singer for the first time. To say she was happy would have been as much an understatement as saying Twilight had a little bit of a nerd.
***
Equestria
***
“Hey, I’m not a nerd. I am a scholar.” Twilight cut in indignantly.
“There’s a difference?” Rainbow asked, a grin creeping onto her face.
“A nerd is overly analytical, socially awkward, and-oh Celestia I’m a nerd.” Twilight finished weakly.
“Meh, it’s not that big a deal. Being a nerd can be pretty awesome. A nerd gave me this,” she shook her back leg, “and a nerd gave me back my flight. Nerds are almost as cool as me in my books.”
A smile spread across Twilights face as she contemplated what Rainbow had said. Matching the purple Unicorns grin, Rainbow launched back into the story.
***
Saim-Hann
***
“I can feel it.” Rainbow squee’d excitedly, moving the new limb on her back.
Her current prosthetic leg had no feeling in it, meaning she could slap it around easily without any fear of being crippled by pain, but this new wing felt almost exactly how her old flesh and blood wing had felt. She realised that she would have to be as careful with this as she was with her organic wing. More so, considering what had happened to the old one.
“That’s because Wraithbone circuits now run directly from your wing and the ports in your side to your brain, re-writing the destroyed nerves to trick them into believing that the prosthetic is your old wing, meaning nerves can now receive signals from it.” The Bone Singer explained.
***
Equestria
***
“What did I tell you? Nerds rule.” Rainbow chuckled, booping Twilights nose lightly.
“So you can feel this then?” Pinkie asked, grabbing Rainbows left wing.
“Yes, although that may be because it’s the wrong wing.” Rainbow laughed.
“Ooh, how about this?” She asked, changing her grip to her other wing.
“Also yes. Not quite like normal, but close enough.”
“So can y’all feel yer leg as well?” Applejack asked, poking Rainbow rear prosthetic.
“Nope. Elda tech may be good, but human tech is just too far behind them, you can’t interface between them. It was either get a new leg or deal with not having a feeling in it anymore. You can guess which one I chose.”
***
Saim-Hann
***
“Now then, let’s have a look at this.” The Bone Singer said, carefully running a hand along Rainbow back leg, trying to get her to lift it.
“Whoa, what are you doing?” Rainbow asked, snatching the leg away from the prying hands of the Bone Singer.
“I was examining what the humans had ruined so I know what to do to bring it into line with your wing.” The Bone Singer explained.
“You want to replace it?” Rainbow asked uncertainly.
“Yes.” The Bone Singer said slowly, as if she was saying the simplest thing in the world to someone with learning disabilities. “Human technology is barbaric and blunt, no matter what they may think about it being advanced. A leg made of pure Wraithbone will be lighter, be able to move faster, be stronger, have regenerative properties, and more importantly, allow you to feel it. In every way an improvement over the crude leg you have now.”
“Except for sentimental value.” Rainbow pointed out.
“It’s a leg Rainbow.” The Bone Singer pointed out.
“It was a gift, something that’s more important than function in a lot of ways.” Rainbow shot back.
“I’m sure you’ll change that idea after it fails you in combat.”
“This thing went to hell and back with me and survived. I think it can survive most things.”
“You’re serious about keeping this ‘thing’ aren’t you?” The Bone Singer relented.
“I am yes, even if it means I won’t ever feel my leg again.” Rainbow nodded.
“At least allow me to help you make it better.” The Bone Singer reasoned. “I won’t change it, but I can upgrade it slightly. It will still be the same leg, just better.”
“Upgrade it how?”
“Remove the adamantine plates that protect it, replace them with Wraithbone armour and colour it Cyan to make it look more like your own flesh. It will still be clear that it isn’t under close examination, but at a glance it will pass.”
“I can live with that.” Rainbow nodded, before hopping back onto the operating table.
“It may be easier if I remove the leg and work on it properly.” The Bone Singer suggested.
“If you can remove it then be my guest.” Rainbow nodded. “Just make sure you give me back the same leg. If I can suddenly feel it, I’ll come for your head.”
“Of course.” The Bone Singer smiled, before moving closer to Rainbows leg. “Now, watch closely, as far as I can see this should be easy to remove. You may even be able to do it yourself, the same with your wing.”
“That sounds good.” Rainbow nodded, watching intently as the Bone Singer removed her leg, taking the limb away as she left the room.
She couldn’t quite describe the feeling of watching as someone took your leg off your body and walked away with it. Leaning back, Rainbow rested her head on the table. She didn’t want to go to sleep, but she could still relax for a bit. Tonight would be a different story of course.
***
“And that’s all she wrote.” The Bone Singer said, carefully placing Rainbows leg back into the leg port and reattaching it.
Giving it a few experimental turns, Rainbow nodded as she looked down at the improved limb. It was still the same underneath, but now it looked more like the Eldar tech that made up her wing, and she couldn’t deny the fact that it was lighter than it had been with the metal armour. She felt slightly guilty that she had done anything to change Goge’s gift to her, but she was sure that he would understand were he here.
“Thank you.” Rainbow smiled, offering her hoof to the Bone Singer.
“No trouble.” The Bone Singer smiled back, taking the proffered hoof and shaking it lightly. “Your friend Juhani should be out of surgery and is waiting with Tar’nek just outside.”
Smiling, Rainbow opened the door, walking back though the healing shrine and emerging into the central courtyard of the building, catching sight of Tar’nek and Juhani instantly. Juhani was still smiling, her grin getting even bigger as she flexed her new limbs. By the looks of things, Juhani had taken a different philosophy to Rainbow when it came to disguising the new prosthetics, and was proudly sporting a par of skeletal looking legs and an equally spindly looking arm. While Rainbow doubted they would be able to take much punishment when compared to her own replacements, she knew that if they were designed like that, they would be faster by a country mile, which would suit the sword master just fine.
“Looking pretty fly there Rainbow.” Juhani laughed.
“Get some meat on those bones.” Rainbow shot back, before concentrating on her new wing. It was easy to feel and control, and soon Rainbow got the hang of it. Buzzing hard, the new wing served her well, and Rainbow took off, leaving the ground behind her.
“Oh yeah baby, I’m back.” Rainbow whooped, doing a quick loop. Right now, she was unable to think of anything else, too engrossed in having the ability of flight returned to her.
Eventually however, she had to return to the earth, and looked between the two Eldar, her own smile fading as she saw that the others had taken on a more serious expression.
“We’re returning to the temple.” Tar’nek informed her. “We’ve already replaced the armour there, and we’ll be performing the ritual of closure. Before that though, we need to make use of the facilities to perform a check on your mental health Rainbow, I have a friend meeting us there.”
Nodding, Rainbow closed her wings back to her body, following her earth bound friends out of the Healing Shrine, looking up at the expansive void beyond the bubble-like shield that protected Saim-Hann. The defence fleet was floating along gracefully beside the gargantuan life ship. Rainbow thought that she could make out the Celestial Ideal amongst the other ships, the escort vessel hugging as close to the Craftworld as the helmsman dared, being within spitting distance in astrological logical terms.
Boarding one of the Craftworld’s many transit systems, the trio shot towards the district of Khaine, finally reaching the entrance to the Shrine of the Floating Assault. Rainbow looked upon the temple and sighed, remembering the first time she had stood in front of its massive gates, hoping to find some way of curbing the memories of Hannibal that had plagued her then. Now, as before, she was standing with Tar’nek, and was trying to find some way to fix her current mental health after the daemonic attack. The Shrine however was not in the same condition as before.
While the Wraithbone was usually a stark bright white colour, shining like a beacon for the rest of Eldarkind to follow to victory, the structure seemed to be taking on a much darker tone, almost as if it was mourning the loss of so many of its members. Rainbow assumed that if she went to other temples belonging to Swooping Hawks, she would find a very similar situation there as well.
“What’s happened to it?” Rainbow asked softly.
“It’s dying.” Juhani said softly, running her new bionic hand over the surface of the temple.
“It will get darker until it is nothing more than a black spot on the Craftworld. Once we seal it, it will remain that way until an Eldar fated to become the Exarch of the Floating Assault finds Kaliden’s armour. Considering the fact that it’s lost…” Tar’nek trailed off.
“Are we going inside?” Rainbow asked.
“I told my friend we would wait for her outside the temple. Getting in to one of these without being a warrior of the temple or being with a warrior of the temple is hard.” Tar’nek replied.
“And I’m grateful.” A female called out, causing Rainbow and the others to turn and look at the new comer.
She was a short, for an Eldar he top of her head only just Tar’nek’s eye level. Her long ginger hair was tied tightly in a top knot, before flowing down her back in one continuous braid. If it had been unfurled and allowed to flow naturally, Rainbow assumed it would be brushing the floor right now. Her bright electric blue eyes were darting between the three Swooping Hawks, unceasing as they scanned the area.
“Anira. It’s good to see you again.” Tar’nek said, moving forward to embrace the Eldar, before breaking off the hug and turning to face the others. “Juhani, Rainbow dash, allow me to introduce you to Warlock Anira Isenurin, a member of my Windrider clan Nar’bok. Anira, this is Juhani and Rainbow Dash, the last members of the Temple of the Floating Assault alongside myself.”
“It’s a pleasure.” Anira nodded, before looking at the temple. “It’s a shame to see something so noble suffer such a fate. But anyway, I believe you asked me here for more than just reminiscing about old times Tar’nek.”
“I did.” Tar’nek nodded, before pointing at Rainbow. “She has a problem, more than she knows, and I don’t know the extent of it. As of yet, it hasn’t manifested as anything other than a recurring nightmare, but I don’t want it getting any worse.”
“Let’s get started then.” Anira said, glancing down at Rainbow and smiling, before looking back at Tar’nek. “The Dreaming halls?”
“Follow me.” Juhani cut in, before turning and walking into the Shrine, the doors swinging open as she approached, sensing that she belonged here.
Quickly following after Juhani, Anira darted inside the temple, looking around at the towering structure. The inside was hardly fairing any better than the outside, and already the walls were losing the shine they had had the last time Rainbow had set hoof here.
“A bit different than the shrines of the Avengers.” Anira noted as they walked.
“That’s because we’re awesome.” Rainbow grinned.
“Precisely.” Juhani chuckled, stopping outside of a familiar room. “Anyway, here’s the hall of dreams.”
With that, Juhani turned and walked deeper into the temple, heading towards the armoury where Tar’nek had headed off to, leaving Anira and Rainbow to enter the room alone. Unlike the rest of the temple, this place still look as it had when Makhutar had trained her in the art of the dreamer before her final test all those months ago.
“Before we start, we need to get to know each other, or rather we need to build up a mutual trust.” Anira informed her, closing the doors to the hall behind her and walking towards one of the soft cushion like sections of the floor, taking up a cross-legged position atop it and gesturing for Rainbow to do the same. “This will facilitate the communication our minds will be able to experience, and allow me to ascertain what the exact problem is.”
“No pressure then?” Rainbow chuckled weakly, taking a seat beside Anira. “Where do I start?”
“Tell me of your life before Hannibal, before you learnt of the wars that were waged every day in this galaxy.” Anira offered.
“Ok then.” Rainbow said slowly, thinking for a second, before launching into an explanation.
“I was born in Cloudsdale, never had a very good relationship with my mum, but my dad was awesome, I remember him taking me to see the announcement for the Equestrian Games, sad day that. Erm, I moved to Ponyville after I finished Flight School after Fluttershy told me all about it, and how there was an opening on the weather team. Made a house, ranked up until I was head of the weather team, and then life stagnated for a few years until I met Twilight and found out I was an Element of Harmony.”
“That’s good, very good.” Anira nodded. “Now, how about something slightly more recent, the weeks leading up to your disappearance.”
“Oh that’s easy. After passing through the Wonderbolts academy, the other cadets and I were told we were up for the final test to see if we had what it took, a no holds barred contest of pure skill, whoever could impress the Wonderbolts and the judges the most would get a spot on the team. Lightning Dust, the mare who went before me, stole my trademark move, so I had to improvise. She did one Rainboom, I did two, and that as they say, is history. Woke up and almost got eaten by a Tyranid. Not a nice wakeup call I can tell you, especially as I didn’t know where I was or what the hell that thing was.”
“I can imagine.” Anira nodded slowly, before placing her hands together and interlocking her fingers. “Now, where to start.” She said, more to herself than Rainbow, before smiling. “How about when I walked the path of the outcast?”
“Sounds dangerous.” Rainbow countered.
“But fun. I was five hundred at the time, walked a couple of paths for a while, the dreamer, the poet, even the path of the warrior for a bit, becoming a Dire Avenger of the Sable Helm Shrine, but nothing was really working for me, I wanted to feel more, dangerous, but I was young. I left the craftworld and eventually found myself in the employee of a human Rouge Trader by the name of Corellan Vendar. As was typical of Eldar, I didn’t think much of the humans, but I saw the galaxy, and that was all that mattered.”
“So you’re another Eldar who distrusts humans for being humans?” Rainbow asked with a sigh.
“I was, but I’m not, not anymore.” Anira shook her head. “We were exploring beyond the edges of human space when we found a lush planet. We needed to resupply badly, so we landed and I went with the ground crew. We managed to stumble into a small den of feral Orks, and only just managed to escape from their alive. We ran, but I slipped and fell, leaving me right in the path of the Orks. I thought I was going to die, but Corellan came back, risking his life to save mine. He didn’t care what species I was, all he cared was that I was part of his crew, and that was enough for him. That changed everything, my whole outlook on life, and after a few more years in space I found myself back here on Saim-Hann taking up the path of the seer.”
“Wow, sorry I doubted you.” Rainbow apologised.
“Don’t be, I was as arrogant as the next Eldar, but circumstance smiled on me, and showed me that we are not the only ones with claim to the galaxy.” Anira chuckled. “But enough of that, we are here to look into your inner mind, not speak of the past. So, if you could please empty your thoughts, allow me to force you into the dreamscape, rather than entering on your own.”
Nodding, Rainbow half closed her eyes, pushing all the thoughts in her head to one side as she focused on nothingness. It was much harder than it sounded, but Makhutar had been a good teacher, and Rainbow was able to do it. Slowly nodding to Anira, Rainbow heard the Eldar shift her weight, before feeling another presence in her mind, pushing her into the dreamscape.
***
Once again, Rainbow was running through the burnt forest, a raging Daemon on her tail as she sought to lose it. No matter how many times she saw the events play out, how many times she experienced the same thing, it never lost its power over her, terrifying her to her very core.
Twisting through the forest, Rainbow tried to evade the Daemon, but instead only managed to catch sight of herself, quickly catching up to the unblemished mare.
“Stop running!” Rainbow screamed, but she knew the other Rainbow Dash couldn’t hear her, and would only stop when the dream demanded it.
Turning to look at Rainbow, the clean mare began to change and burn, and Rainbow tensed for the pain in her stomach a second before the blade past through it, skewering her like some sort of food produce and lifting her off the ground. As she turned to face the Daemon however, she suddenly felt herself dropping, the sword still embedded in her stomach as Anira leaped at the Daemon again, a massive spear lashing out and ripping its other arm from its socket, before whipping around and removing the Daemons head.
By this point, Rainbow was floundering on the sword like a fish on a line, unable to free herself, but knowing that she wouldn’t die on its edge. Only the shuriken pistol had ever ended the nightmares.
Silently, Anira knelt down beside Rainbow, not making any sort of sound as she placed a single finger into the wound in Rainbows stomach. Grimacing, Rainbow tried to squirm away, but found herself unable to move properly, even as Anira removed the blood covered finger and moved it towards Rainbows forehead.
The finger arced down, jabbing her in the head and feeling as if it was on fire. Rainbow writhed under the touch, but couldn’t get away as the Warlock continued to draw the symbol of the Swooping Hawks onto her head, her mouth moving in a silent chant. Rainbow could already feel herself getting angrier as the familiar feeling of the war mask rushed up to greet her. The inside of her mind was starting to vibrate as it got closer, but neither Anira or Rainbow showed any signs of stopping, before finally, the war mask burst forth, consuming Rainbows personality once more.
Instantly, Rainbows mind splintered, white cracks appearing in the fabric of the vision and dispelling the gloom from the burnt forest. They were mostly clustered around the outside of her mind, but there was a single one that seemed to be more malicious, extending further towards Rainbow than any of the others.
Slowly, Anira stood up, looking at the offending crack, before shifting her attention back to the frozen form of Rainbow Dash. Beginning another silent chant, both she and Rainbow began to fade, before finally vanishing from the inside of Rainbows mind.
***
Rainbow awoke with a start, panting heavily as she looked directly up at the ceiling. Pushing herself back up, Rainbow looked across the room at Anira. The Warlock had stood up at some point during the proceedings, and now stood with her head inclined towards the ceiling and her eyes closed. Both her hands were pressed lightly against her temples, and Rainbow could hear her muttering something beneath her breath, the words spilling out slower than her lips were moving.
Eventually, Anira let her hands drop, opening her eyes again and looking at Rainbow, a look of sorrow in her eyes.
“I’m sorry Rainbow. If I had known what would happen, and what my interference would cause, I wouldn’t have done it.” She apologised, sitting back down beside Rainbow.
“What happened? I don’t understand what I just saw.” Rainbow said, trying to rid her mind of the memories of daemons.
“On Verbatim VIII your war mask was removed without your intervention or the intervention of an Eldar, correct?” Anira checked.
“Yes, when I started the drop attack, I had my war mask on, when I woke up it wasn’t.” Rainbow nodded.
“I thought so.” Anira sighed. “How to explain this. The war mask is a delicate state of mind, and if treated in correctly can cause scars on the mind. Most of the time these scars are what binds an aspect warrior to the path of the warrior in the form of the exarch, but not always, and not with you. Your mind is fracturing, tearing itself apart trying to get the war mask back into the right shape so it can be removed properly. Unfortunately however, when you put it on, you were physically fine, but the connection was broken and forced off when you were injured. Your mind is imposing your newly shaped war mask onto your mind, which is still crying out for the presence of the old shape.”
***
Equestria
***
The assembled ponies looked at Rainbow in confusion as they tried to keep up with what rainbow was saying, and to process what it actually meant. Looking across, Rainbow caught sight on their vacant gazes and chuckled slightly, before rephrasing what Anira had told her.
“Imagine my mind as a circle, with the war mask fitting inside that circle perfectly and forming a complete structure. Now imagine that the war masks shape has warped into the shape of a square, but the hole it’s supposed to fit into hasn’t changed.”
“So y’all are sayin’ that yer tryin’ to fit a square peg into a round hole?” Applejack clarified.
“Pretty much yeah.” Rainbow nodded.
***
Saim-Hann
***
“So what exactly does that mean for me?” Rainbow asked uncertainly, looking at Anira.
“The more you try to wear the war mask, the more your mind will fracture. Too much…well…let’s just say that crushing an egg with a Scorpion’s Claw would make for easier salvage.”
“That doesn’t sound good.” Rainbow grimaced.
“It’s not, and if you push it too far, it could be fatal. But if you don’t put the mask back on, fight without it if you fight again, you should be fine.”
“I don’t really have a choice do I?”
“We all have a choice Rainbow.” Anira said, standing up and walking over to the doors, throwing them open. “The choice may be between life and death, but it’s still there.”
“Hey, where are you going?” Rainbow called after the Warlock as she began to walk towards the entrance of the temple. “The others are in the armoury.”
“Tar’nek and Juhani are members of this shrine like you. I’m not. It is not my place to see this ritual take place.” Anira said simply.
“Thank you Anira, this helps.” Rainbow nodded.
“I didn’t do anything Rainbow. I uncovered and exasperated the problem, but I neither solved it nor your nightmares. They are born of war, and that is something only you can overcome. I’ll see you again I’m sure, but for now, this is goodbye.”
Rainbow watched as the Warlock made her way down the corridor, before she turned a corner and was lost from sight. Turning, Rainbow began to trot the other way, making her way towards the armoury to meet up with the others.
It didn’t take long for Rainbow to reach the familiar room, quickly making her way over towards Tar’nek and Juhani. The pair were standing in front of a pair of glass cases, both containing their armour and sealed tight. Rainbow sighed as she saw how many empty cases there were in the room, her eyes quickly falling upon the largest case which would have held Kaliden’s armour had it been recovered.
The only suit of armour that was out of its case was hers, and Rainbow assumed that it was part of the ritual to replace the armour in its glass container until the next user chose it. She didn’t know who would choose a pony shaped war suit in the future, but she wasn’t about to buck tradition over it.
“So do I just put the armour in the case or is there a ritual that needs to be performed?” rainbow asked, looking at the pair expectantly.
“The armour was in its case when it was brought here. Now it won’t go back in.” Juhani said simply.
“What are you talking about?” Rainbow scoffed, picking up the helmet and walking towards the empty case. “Of course it will…” She trailed off when she felt something rebelling against her.
It wasn’t so much physically pushing her back as it was talking to her innermost mind, controlling her actions and forcing her to not move the helmet any further in. Reluctantly, she placed the helmet down again, before turning to the other two.
“What’s going on?” She asked in confusion.
“Well, I’m guessing that the war suit has become attached to you.” Tar’nek mused. “Maybe it’s because it’s been modified to fit you, maybe it’s because you had a connection with its previous owner, maybe it’s just because you’ve taken it through a lot. All I know is that even if it was readjusted for an Eldar again, they wouldn’t be able to wear it.”
“So what happens to it?” Rainbow asked.
“You can keep it.” Juhani replied. “The rules of the temples are clear. When you leave, you don’t keep your suit or weapons, unless you walk the path of the Autarch, when you are allowed to keep one item. Sometimes though, the suit would be useless to anyone else, and the warrior is allowed to keep it. They rarely take it, and sever the connection to the armour themselves, but the possibility is there.”
“So I can keep it?” Rainbow clarified.
“You can.” Tar’nek nodded. “If we’ve going to seal the temple, you may as well done the suit. At least one of us will be able to.”
***
Rainbow, Tar’nek and Juhani stood in front of the temple, looking over its steadily darkening surface for the last time. They had cleared out all their personal belongings from within, which were now placed in a series of bag just behind the trio. After today, the temple would be sealed, and only one fated to become and Exarch, or bearing the amour of Kaliden would be able to enter it again.
It was a weird feeling to be closing the temple that had taken her in, it felt like she was turning her back on those who helped her, but looking across at the other ex-Swooping Hawks, Rainbow knew that this was the way it had to be.
“Now we seal Khaines bloody temple.” Tar’nek intoned, bringing his hands together in the falling rain meditation stance. “We place the warrior’s heart at rest.”
“No more shall we soar for the glory of Khaine on wings of fury.” Juhani continued, adopting a similar pose. “For now our might Exarch sleeps.”
“Today the temple begins its slumber.” Rainbow started, matching the others perfectly as she recited the word Tar’nek and Juhani had taught her. “Our souls to touch its roots, to stay with the temple through the eons.”
“And one day, a warrior shall bring life back to the Floating Assault.” They all intoned together. “And Kaliden shall fly once more.”
There was a deep rumbling throughout the shrine, the surface darkening quickly as the trio watched. Finally, the rumble stopped, and the temple stood silent once more, beginning its near-eternal slumber. Its entire surface was now black, and the entire structure looked more like a foreboding fortress than a place to train. Tearing her eyes away from it, and trying to stop drawing similarities between it and the Citadel on verbatim VIII, Rainbow turned to face the others.
“What happens now?” Rainbow asked.
“I guess we go our separate ways.” Juhani sighed. “Take on other paths.”
“I have another idea.” Tar’nek interjected. “You two are clanless yes?”
Rainbow and Juhani exchanged glances as they followed Tar’nek through the Craftworld. They had long since left the district of Khaine behind, and were heading towards the far edges of the Craftworld. Rainbow realised that for all the time she had spent on Saim-Hann, she had never really explored its surface, limiting herself mostly to the temple and the courtyard where she had first met Tar’nek. Maybe she would change that someday, but then again, she was still a pony, and even though Kaliden and the other aspect warriors had accepted her as one of their own, she was still not sure whether or not Eldar society as a whole fully accepted her.
Nevertheless, Rainbow was happy with who she was with now, and no matter how much she longed to be home, and how much the knowledge of her fracturing mind was eating away at her, she was glad she was here. Tar’nek and Juhani were great people, even more so than the Exodites, and she wouldn’t trade their friendship for the world.
“So where are you taking us?” Juhani asked, breaking the silence that existed between the three of them.
“Way I see it, if you start another path, you’ll be bored stupid with how slow they move, and you can’t Rainbow, so that leaves civilian paths.”
“I can’t really see Rainbow as a sculptor.” Juhani laughed.
“And I can’t see you as a poet.” Rainbow shot back, sticking her tongue out.
“Precisely. So of us aren’t cut out for anything else.” Tar’nek sighed. “I know it’s not good for Eldar to say that, but hey, only two of us are Eldar.”
“So what does a pathless Eldar and a pony do if they won’t want to join another aspect temple?” Juhani asked.
“Simple. You become a Wind Rider.” Tar’nek beamed.
“Hey, I may be clanless but I know that you have to have someone high up in the clan to vouch for you if you aren’t tied to the clan by blood.” Juhani pointed out.
“It’s true, but an honour guard is the highest position in the clan except for the chieftain, and you happen to be looking at the head of the honour guard of Nar’bok.”
“So I’m guessing that’s where we’re heading?” Rainbow summarised.
“That’s where we are.” Tar’nek corrected her, gesturing to a building in front of the trio. “The clan hall of Nar’bok, home to the Wind Riders of Nar’bok for over eight thousand years. Our Patriarch has lead the clan to victory over a thousand battlefields, and has reaped the souls of humans to Orks, and has even clashed blades with the ancient enemy.”
“Sounds like he’s a pretty violent guy.” Juhani pointed out.
“He is, but he’s fair. Don’t get on his bad side and you’ll be fine. Come on, let’s go.”
Tar’nek began to walk towards the building as Juhani and Rainbow admired it in awed silence. While the temple of the Floating Assault had been huge, this was in a whole other class. Souring towers were connected by spinally looking walkways, and Rainbow couldn’t help but be enthralled by the majesty of it all, instantly being reminded of Canterlot. As the three approached the building, Rainbow spotted a squadron of Jetbikes launching from one of the towers, swooping down and stopping just on front of them, brandishing lances and swords.
“Halt. This is territory of the Nar’bok clan. State your business and intent or leave.” The leader said, his lance mere centimetres away from Tar’nek’s face.
Tar’nek didn’t react at all as the weapon pointed at him threateningly, before smirking.
“After time adrift among open stars. Along tides of light and through shoals of dust. I will return to where I began.”
The effect on the Jetbike riders was instantaneous, each one sheathing their weapons.
“I’m sorry clan mate, I did not recognise you.” The leader said, before speeding off back towards the tower.
“What was that all about?” Rainbow asked as Tar’nek pushed the gates open, walking inside the complex.
“It’s an ancient greeting for the clan, lets them know if the person that’s approaching is a friend or foe. I’ve been away with the temple for far too long, plus I think he’s relatively new to the clan.” Tar’nek explained, before reaching a door and turning to face the others. “Behind these doors is the clan hall. Nar’bok himself should be in there, just follow my lead and let me do the talking unless he asks you a direct question.”
With that, Tar’nek threw open the doors, striding inside as the others hurried to keep up with them. The hall was huge, and rainbow was taken aback by how little it looked like other pieces of Eldar architecture, looking more like the great mead halls of the griffons rather than something to be found on a giant space ship. The Eldar within were equally as different as the others Rainbow had seen, drinking and roaring with laughter, many sporting tattoos or tribal looking necklaces. As the doors crashed open however, they all turned to look at the new comers.
As Rainbow advanced down the hall, she began to feel more and more self-conscious about why they were all looking at the trio, but she pushed it aside, keeping her eyes fixed on the figure at the head of the hall, the one she assumed was the clan leader.
He was huge, easily taller than Tar’nek or Juhani, both in height and in muscle mass, his bare chest showing off rippling muscles as he leant forward, inspecting the newcomers into his hall. At his side rested a massive, two handed sword, and Rainbow could tell from the aura that he was giving off that he knew how to use it. Beside him sat a group of familiar Eldar, and Rainbow fought to suppress a smile as she recognised Maura, Quek, Ionth and Fu’rage, each one wearing a lighter version of aspect armour that Rainbow recognised as Guardian armour. On the other side sat another familiar Eldar, Anira nodding almost imperceptibly at Rainbow as she stopped just before the steps up to what could only be described as a throne.
Dropping to one knee, Tar’nek looked straight up at Nar’bok.
“Mighty Nar’bok, Patriarch of the mighty Nar’bok clan. I have returned from the path of the warrior, prepared to take up the mantle of honour guard once more.”
“Arise. Tar’nek, honour guard and Swooping Hawk.” Nar’bok boomed, his voice sounding like the crash of thunder. “Tell me, who are the outsiders you have brought into my hall?”
“Mighty Nar’bok, allow me to introduce Juhani and Rainbow Dash, ex-hawks of the Floating Assault as I was. Both are in possession of the fire that burns in the heart of all Nar’bok clan riders. I request that they face the trials of the Windriders, and that you will accept them into your fold as your sword and shield.” Tar’nek declared, rising to his feet.
For a long time, Nar’bok was silent, before he let out a deep, booming laugh, looking down at the pair as Tar’nek moved out of the way.
“Juhani, and Rainbow Dash. An Eldar I could see, but a xenos? What are you playing at Tar’nek?”
“Rainbow Dash has been as sister in arms to me for the past year, she survived where many other did not on Verbatim VIII. She has earned my repect through labour and through blood.” Tar’nek replied.
“Very well. Step forward, the pair of you.” Nar’bok ordered, and both Rainbow and Juhani quickly moved to obey, climbing the steps until they were directly in front of Nar’bok. “Tell me, Juhani, why should you be allowed to join my clan? What do you bring?”
“Put swords in my hand or some wings on my back and I will show you what I can bring.” Juhani declared.
“And you Rainbow dash, what do you bring? Why should I allow my house to be polluted by a xenos?”
“With all due respect sir, I believe my actions speak louder than my words.” Rainbow replied, looking the venerable Eldar directly in the eye.
For a moment, Rainbow thought she may have pressed to far and been disrespectful as Nar’bok stared down at her, his face not betraying any sign of emotion one way or the other. Suddenly, his face cracked into a smile, and he let out a throaty laugh as he stood up to address the rest of the hall.
“She has spirit! Do we not reward those who have such?!” He roared.
“We do!” The hall roared back, the sound nearly deafening Rainbow.
“Tar’nek, you have brought these warriors to us to be judged. Will you, or any amongst us, speak on their behalf?”
“I will sir.” Tar’nek said, stepping forward from the position he had taken up with the rest of the honour guard.
“You will speak for them on their behalf?” Nar’bok asked, looking at Tar’nek as he moved to stand in between Juhani and Rainbow.
“I stand as witness to the courage of the souls before us.” He declared.
“Would you raise your weapon in their defence?” Nar’bok continued.
“I would stand at their backs, so that the galaxy might never overtake us.” Tar’nek shot back.
“And would you raise your sword in their honour?”
“It stands ready to meet the blood of their foes once more.”
“And would you raise a mug in their name?”
“I would lead the songs of triumph as our hall revels in their glories.”
“Then my judgement is complete. These two shall face the trials, and if successful, shall gain the honour of this clan and my name. Prepare the ring!”
Instantly, a cheer went up throughout the hall as the Eldar raised their mugs and glasses. Slowly, they began to file out of the room, heading down one of the corridors that lead deeper into the domain of Nar’bok, and soon, only Nar’bok and his honour guard remained.
“Are you prepared for the trial that lies ahead of you?” Nar’bok asked Juhani and Rainbow.
“I’m not sure.” Juhani replied. “What exactly is the trial?”
“Combat. Non-lethal.” Nar’bok explained. “Normally this would be against the warrior who vouched for you, but as there are two of you, you shall face each other in the ring.”
“Looks like I’ll be getting to teach you a few moves again Rainbow.” Juhani smirked, looking at the pony.
“I’ve come a long way since you first taught me Juhani, let’s get this started.” Rainbow smirked back, extending a hoof.
“You said it.” Juhani nodded, tapping her fist against Rainbows hoof, before turning to Nar’bok. “We’re ready sir.”
“Excellent.” Nar’bok said as he got up from his chair, looking between the two Eldar, before indicating the door everyone else had left through. “After you.”
Exchanging a quick glance with Juhani, Rainbow trotted down the corridor, quickly emerging into a large circular room. All the Eldar who had previously been in the main hall were now standing around a large metal ring set into the ground. Just beyond it, Rainbow could make out a rack of weapons, ranging from small but brutal looking knives to large two handed axes that would look more at home in the hands of a Space Marine rather than an Eldar.
Walking forward, Nar’bok lowered himself into a wrought iron chair, the entire thing seeming to exude menace in stark contrast to the almost regal one in the main hall. Tar’nek moved over to him, the pair whispering to each other as another two Eldar approached Rainbow and Juhani.
“You can’t have any armour on in the ring, combat fatigues or nothing at all.” One said, gesturing to Rainbows armour. “Weapons can be your own or selected from the rack over there, but no power fields. Power packs must be removed before the fight to limit the damage you can do to each other. Understand?”
“Yes.” Rainbow nodded, before beginning the task of removing her armour.
Meanwhile, Juhani walked over to the rack of weapons, running her finger along some of the blades as she carefully selected the weapons she was going to use. Finally deciding upon her weapon, Juhani grabbed hold of a small knife, as well as a slightly curved sword. Both looked vicious, and Rainbow would have been seriously worried if this had been a fight to the death. Juhani was the one who taught her sword combat after all, so Rainbow seriously doubted her ability to beat her.
Finally free from her own armour, Rainbow drew the large power sword from its scabbard, removing the power pack and placing it with the rest of her things, before stepping into the ring. Juhani mirrored her actions, the knife held in a reverse grip in her left hand, while the sword was gripped tightly in her right. Tar’nek had left Nar’boks side by now, and was involved in another conversation, this time with Juhani, while Anira was walking towards Rainbow.
“Remember, try to get first blood, and don’t give into the war mask. Who knows what it will do to your mind, or if you could even control it properly anymore. Winning is a good start with the clan, but if it comes to a choice between winning and keeping the war mask off, make sure you put your brain first.” Anira urged her.
The crowd was bellowing now, eager for the duel to begin, but went silent almost instantly when Nar’bok rose from his seat.
“Honoured members of my clan, listen up!” He shouted, making sure his voice carried across the hall. “This is the truth of it. Fighting leads to killing, and killing gets to warring and whoreing. That was damn near the death of us all during the fall, but look as us now! No more can we afford to fight each other to the death, not if we ever wish to see ourselves back to our original power. Now, when the Windriders of Saim-Hann get to fighting, it happens here! And it finishes here! And it finishes here! Two combatants enter; one leaves!”
“Um… I thought this wasn’t to the death.” Rainbow muttered with a gulp, turning to face Anira as the crowd cheered in approval and repeated the line over and over again.
The Eldar simply looked down at Rainbow, her face cracking into a mirthless smile. “It’s always to the death Rainbow, especially when it isn’t. Now hush. It’s bad luck to interrupt Nar’bok.”
“Right now, I’ve got an Eldar and a Xenos who want to join our ranks, two warriors with a gut full of courage and brains full of violence. Most Eldar shun this type of behaviour, say it’s barbaric. But we’re not most Eldar are we? What are we?!” He roared, throwing his arms wide.
“Windriders!” The crowd screamed, getting ready for the fight.
Nar’boks voice dropped to a lover’s whisper, magnified by a tiny piece of technology that was affixed to his neck, “Ladies and Gentlemen…aspect warriors and Windriders…dying time’s here!”
Taking this as a que, Juhani stepped forward, raising her weapons above her head and letting out a battle cry, drawing more screams of admiration from the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, you’re in for a treat tonight! This fine young warrior claims to be a sword master, thinks she’s some sort of hotshot with a blade! Her enemies fear her, her allies love her! I give you, Juhani! Ex-Swooping Hawk!”
“Kick the pony’s ass Juhani!” One Eldar roared.
“Go on.” Anira encouraged, giving Rainbow a slight shove forward. Instantly, a light was on her, drawing the crowd’s attention away from Juhani and towards her.
“Hailing from who knows where, possibly outside the bounds of our reality itself, this mare has come forth to teach us Eldar a thing or two! She’s fought for us, she’s killed for us, she’s lost her damn leg and wing for us, but that still isn’t enough! She’s going to prove her mettle in the arena today, so keep your eye on her! I give you, Rainbow Dash! Pegasus and ex-Swooping Hawk!”
“Fight’s simple. Keep a hold of your weapons and use them any way you can. This is a challenge to submission. Fight as long and hard as you can till your bones break if you must. Tap three times and you’re done! Get knocked out and you’re done! Die…and you’re done!” Nar’bok roared, looking between Juhani and Rainbow. “Other than that, don’t worry about the rules, there are none!”
Rainbow flapped her wings nervously, readying her blade as Juhani did the same. Slowly, the pair began to circle each other, waiting for the word that would…
“Begin!” Nar’bok bellowed, before taking his seat again.
Snarling, Juhani leaped forward, swinging her sword at Rainbow, only to have it blocked by the Pegasus pony’s much larger sword. Rainbow quickly realised that this fight would be almost the exact opposite of the one she had had against the Chaos Sorcerer. This time, she had the advantage of strength, while her opponent in the form of Juhani had the advantage of speed.
Growling, Rainbow shoved back against Juhani, lashing out with a forehoof and smashing it into one of Juhanis new prosthetics. Clearly she was still getting used to fighting with them, as the blow would have done nothing to Juhani when they had first fought, but this time put her just off balance enough for Rainbow to lash out once more, striking her with the flat edge of her sword and sending her skidding across the floor.
Quickly recovering, Juhani sprang to her feet, running straight at Rainbow as she sought to close the distance, her sword angled to deliver a low slash, while her knife was held in front of her to ward off any attacks Rainbow may have launched. Dropping the point of her blade towards the floor, Rainbow forced Juhanis attack away, ducking underneath the knife strike that quickly followed. Not missing a beat, Juhani span on her heels, turning and sidestepping past Rainbow, moving her sword towards the prismatic Pegasus’s neck.
With a grunt, Rainbow jerked her head backwards, narrowly avoiding the decapitating blow, before crouching low and charging. Snorting, Rainbow stabbed forward with her sword, only for Juhani to parry the blow, pulling Rainbows blade away from her body with the knife before punching forward with her sword hand. Rainbow gasped as the blade passed within inches of her head, cutting a lock off of her mane as it passed, but missing its mark. Following the blow through, Juhani twisted the pommel of her sword, slamming it into Rainbows muzzle and further taking her off guard, before heaving back with her dagger, forcing Rainbow to stumble forward into the knee strike she launched, catching Rainbow in the stomach and sending her sprawling.
Knowing that if she stayed still for even an instant Juhani would finish this fight, Rainbow jerked her body to the side, flapping her wings to push her away faster and ending up on the other side of the ring. Turning, Rainbow watched as Juhani placed a hand to a cut on her forehead, before she readied her sword again.
“Whoa, looks like these two aren’t slouches in combat after all.” Nar’bok laughed. “Maybe they will end up making a valuable part of the clan.”
Not listening to the rest of the running commentary, Rainbow sprang forward at almost the exact moment as Juhani jumped at her, the pair meeting in mid-air. While Juhani may have been a Swooping Hawk for longer, and could undoubtedly match up or beat Rainbow in the air if she had her flight pack on, Rainbow Dash was a Pegasus, and as such, the air belonged to her, and it was here that she could press her biggest advantage.
Moving back slightly, Rainbow took away any support Juhani had had, before powering forward again, wrapping her hooves around the Eldars waist and knocking her upwards. Letting go of her, Rainbow allowed her to continue going up for a moment, before speeding ahead of her and bringing a hoof down into Juhanis stomach, following through as she powered both herself and the Eldar into the ground.
Rolling away from the impact sight, Rainbow panted heavily as she recovered what she could of her strength. She knew this wouldn’t be the end of the fight, but it gave her enough time to prepare for the next assault. Rainbow could feel something in her mind, and instinctively knew that it was her war mask trying to get out, and if hers was trying to get out, that meat Juhanis was as well. She had to end this fast, or this could get real ugly real fast.
Rainbow was suddenly knocked from her hooves as a blur of colour smashed into her, knocking her sword from her hooves and leaving her on the ground standing beneath Juhani, the Eldar grinning as she looked down at her opponent.
“Well, looks like Eldar are better than ponies.” Nar’bok announced.
“Never.” Rainbow spat, before bringing her heavy bionic rear hoof into the knee joint of Juhanis left leg.
To be fair to the Eldar, the move Rainbow pulled off would have been physically impossible for someone who shared a physiology similar to what the Eldar or humans had, but a pony could move in ways that not many other creatures could. Catching her off guard, Rainbow managed to roll away, before springing forward, driving both of her forehooves into Juhanis weakened leg joint.
It was too much for the thin mechanical leg, and with a sickening crack, the knee twisted in its socket, turning the entire assembly around the wrong way. Letting out a scream of pain, Juhani only just managed to fend off a barrage of blows from Rainbow, who hammered down on her weakened opponent with both hooves, pummelling her into the floor, leaving dents in her new arm as well.
Eventually, Rainbow stopped her assault, panting heavily as she stood over Juhani. The Eldar was groaning as she lay on the floor, hardly moving anything except for her one organic hand. Her bionic arm was in tatters, but it was intact enough that the natural regenerative properties of Wraithbone would fix it up in a few hours. The same could also be said about one of her legs, while the other one floundered weakly, trying to lash out at Rainbow. Any blows that did connect felt like a kitten tapping her, and Rainbow did nothing to block them or dodge them, allowing Juhani to see the effects of her attacks.
Slowly, and clearly only doing so because she had no other option save for forcing Rainbow to knock her out, Juhani raised her organic arm, bringing it crashing into the floor three times, before allowing it to fall limply by her side.
“That’s it! Fight’s over!” Nar’bok roared, getting up from his seat and raising his hands into the air as the crowd roared in approval, or howled in dismay. “Looks like the plucky prismatic pony managed to beat the sword master! Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for Rainbow Dash, new member of my clan! Rainbow Dash Nar’bok, be reborn this day as a Windrider of Saim-Hann!”
The crowd screamed once more, even as Nar’bok turned his attention towards the ground where Juhani lay, the Eldar slowly pushing herself to her feet. Swaying wildly, she nearly fell over again, but was steadied by Rainbow, the mare instantly rushing to her side to steady her friend. Even through cracked teeth and a blackening eye, Juhani was smiling, blood running down her chin from where she had bitten her tongue or lost teeth.
“And let’s not forget our fallen warrior.” Nar’bok continued. “She fought with valour and skill, something we can’t deny just because she didn’t stand victorious. Nar’bok clan, welcome her into our fold! Juhani Nar’bok, Windrider of Saim-Hann!”
Rainbow nudged, Juhani, grinning up at the Eldar, before gesturing to her back with her head. Taking the message, Juhani swung herself over Rainbow, half lowering and half collapsing onto the mares back. With a grunt, Rainbow adjusted to the added weight of having an Eldar on her back, before walking slowly towards a doorway, a group of Eldar gesturing for her to follow them.
***
Rainbow and Tar’nek waited outside of the Bonesingers quarters as they waited for Juhani to re-emerge. She had been in there for just over ten minutes, and for all that time, the soft melodies of the Bone Singer and her majestic instrument had been drifting outwards and worming its way into the pair’s ears.
“And that was all without the war mask?” Tar’nek checked for the millionth time since Juhani had been gone.
“Yes, I promise that I didn’t put the war mask on.” Rainbow sighed. “I could feel it trying to get out, but its call is weaker now.”
“Are you sure? Anira did warn you…” Tar’nek began.
“Yes. I’m sure.” Rainbow said exasperatedly. Tar’nek’s care for her was touching, and the first time had been nice, even the fifth time had been tolerable, but now it was just annoying.
“Fine then.” Tar’nek nodded. “You look like you can throw one hell of a punch though Rainbow. I honestly didn’t think that Juhani would be the one to lose that.”
“That much faith in me huh?” Rainbow chuckled.
“It’s not that I don’t have faith in you, it’s the fact that Juhani is older and more experienced in sword play than you are.” Tar’nek explained, back-tracking furiously.
“True, but almost all of her skills have been tested and honed against bipeds, not quadrupeds, putting her at a disadvantage. Me though, I’ve fought Tyranids on four legs and Humans and Orks and two legs. I just knew that I would be able to move in ways she didn’t expect.” Rainbow replied casually, failing to keep the smugness out of her voice.
“Yeah, tell me about it.” Juhani chuckled, walking out of the Bonesingers quarters, rolling her bionic arm in its socket as she flexed the fingers, checking it was all working. “Still, other than a few cuts and bruises, no harm done.”
“Sorry about breaking your new arm, and your new legs.” Rainbow apologised sheepishly.
“Hey don’t worry about it.” Juhani reassured her. “The ol’ Bone Singer patched me up pretty well. See,” she held her arm out for Rainbow to inspect, “Wraithbone regenerative properties mixed with the machinations of the Bone Singer. Benefit of having Eldar not Human tech strapped to you.”
She said the last bit while staring pointedly at Rainbow own rear leg. Rainbow got the message she was trying to put across instantly, but it didn’t really matter to her, her leg worked and that was what she wanted from it.
“Still getting used to these damn things anyway.” Juhani grumbled, looking at her limbs. “If I had them for longer, you wouldn’t have lasted five seconds.”
“Sure, keep telling yourself that.” Rainbow chuckled, flexing her own leg.
“Come on you two.” Tar’nek cut in. “Nar’bok is awaiting our presence in the ritual chamber. There is one more part you have to play to be called Windriders of Nar’bok. You carry his name with you even now though, so do not disappoint.”
The three ex-Swooping Hawks began to walk through the massive corridors, chatting as they went.
“So what does that even mean, ‘carrying his name with us’?” Rainbow asked.
“It is a tradition between Windriders to adopt the name of their Patriarch as their own last name. Outside of the Windriders, no one really looks down on you, but inside the clans, those without names are all but worthless.”
“So…I’m now Juhani Nar’bok?” Juhani clarified.
“Yep, just like I’m Tar’nek Nar’bok, and Rainbow is Rainbow Dash Nar’bok.” Tar’nek nodded.
“How come you never told us about the Windriders before we all came here?” Rainbow asked.
“You know how it is, join the temple to trying something other than being a Windrider, it’s a bit pointless spending everyday talking about being a Windrider.” Tar’nek shrugged, before turning and walking through an archway into a small, dimly lit room.
The room was circular and made of stone, or at the very least made of Wraithbone that looked like stone, and in the middle of the room stood a large bowl, filled with a sticky red liquid. Behind this bowl stood Nar’bok, still bare-chested and watching the three new entrants to the chamber like a bird of prey.
“You both passed the trust,” he began, nodding to Tar’nek, “and you have earned this right. Rainbow Dash, Juhani, please step forward.”
As Rainbow and Juhani approached the bowl, Tar’nek pressed a few keys on a holo-pad by the door. A second later, a large rocky door slid across the entranceway, sealing the four in the room together. Now, the only light came from a series of torches that flickered around the edge of the room. Quickly moving beside them, Tar’nek looked at Nar’bok as he drew a small knife.
“Hold out your right arms please.” Nar’bok ordered, holding the knife in his left hand while he placed his own right arm over the basin, Tar’nek quickly following the lead of his clan chief. Tentatively, Rainbow and Juhani followed their lead, and soon all of them were ready for whatever Nar’bok was doing.
“It is blood that binds us, blood that holds us together. This blood will be shed in the name of the clan, but it is that which we will never forget. Race means nothing, who you were before you came here means little. Honour given I honour earned, and today, you both earned some of the highest honours I can bestow upon you.”
Bringing the knife down across his wrist, Nar’bok opened up a small cut, clenching and unclenching his hand to stimulate the blood flow, before allowing the crimson liquid to mix with the rest of the blood in the bowl.
“Rainbow Dash. First of your name in my clan. First Xenos in my clan. Shed the blood you need for the glory of your allies.” He quickly brought the knife down across Rainbows leg, blood spurting out and into the bowl.
“Juhani. First of your name in my clan. Shed the blood you need for the glory of your allies.” Nar’bok repeated, slashing her wrist and allowing the blood to fall, before finally turning to Tar’nek.
“Tar’nek, my faithful guard. You have brought these two new souls into our halls, you have vouched for them, and now you must bleed anew for them.” He quickly made the cut, before replacing the knife at his side and looking down at the bowl.
“This bowl has been used since the first riders of this clan joined my family. The blood of generations lies here, and today you have added to it. Complete your initiation, and drink of your brothers and sister.” Nar’bok said, before cupping his hand and plunging it into the crimson liquid, before draining what he had caught from his now blood-stained hand. Tar’nek followed quickly, and soon it was just Rainbow and Juhani left, looking sheepishly at the blood. Rainbow knew what it would taste like, and kicked herself as she found she was looking forward to the taste, the war mask pressing against her mind as it knew what was coming, before Rainbow forced it away.
Finally, Juhani took the plunge, scooping out a portion of the blood with both hands, before tilting them back and allowing her to swallow the age old life giving fluid. Realising that she would have to do it differently, Rainbow bent her head down to the bowl. With one final sigh, she stuck her muzzle into the deep bowl, sucking up some of the thick liquid, and shuddering as it trickled down her throat, the familiar bitter, slightly rusty, taste sending waves of pleasure down her spine.
“You have partaken in the blood of those before you.” Nar’bok declared. “There are no more rituals, no more tests. From this day forth, you are clanless no more. Today you take on my name. Today you become, Windriders.”
Rainbow laughed as she raised her mug once more, taking a swig of the amber liquid inside. It wasn’t anywhere near as potent as Re’ka, but considering the aim wasn’t to get drunk but rather to act as a social lubricant, it did its job fairly well. She had been with the Windrider clan for a few days now, and it already felt like as much of a family, of not more, than the Floating Assault ever had. Then again, that could have easily be due to the fact that both Tar’nek and Juhani were here with her.
“So we were scouting out this planet,” Anira said, her speech becoming slightly slurred thanks to the alcohol in her system, “some world out past the halo stars that had some odd near-humans on. We go down, start checking it out for plunder and riches when suddenly this group of armed men comes over the hill and demanded we go with them on charges of Witchcraft.”
“Witchcraft?” Tar’nek snorted. “That’s rich coming from someone like you.”
“Tell me about it.” Anira said around her mug.
“So what did you do?” Juhani asked. “From what I’ve heard uncivilised brutes like that burn witches most of the time.”
“Well what do you think I did? I showed them that I actually was what they would call a witch and killed half of them, before the rest of the crew lay into them. It wasn’t exactly hard for us to take them out and move on from there.”
“So Rogue traders pretty much do what they want, when they want, and for no reason other than to turn a profit?” Rainbow asked, finishing her drink before grabbing hold of the tap on the barrel in the middle of the table and pouring herself another ale.
“Pretty much yeah.” Anira nodded. “The human authorities give them these quaint little Warrants of Trade which give them a carte blanche to go to new planets. After that, the Imperium doesn’t care what they do so long as they do it for the Imperium. They want to take in Xenos, fine by them. They want to colonise whole worlds and place themselves as the governor of them all, that’s great, as long as tithes are paid. They’re the closest any human under the Imperial system gets to being free, other than maybe Inquisitors.”
“Sounds like they really have it good.” Juhani laughed. “Well, good by human standards anyway.”
“Humans can be good people as well.” Rainbow defended.”
“Oh that’s right, you made a friend on Verbatim VIII didn’t you.” Juhani chuckled. “Some human soldier who you think cared.”
“He did care.” Rainbow snapped.
“Rainbow, let me let you in on a little secret.” Juhani said, leaning closer to Rainbow. “Humans don’t care for aliens, they kill them. Oh there are some who claim they do, they get close to you and your friends, then suddenly you have a regiment of Guard breathing down your neck and blasting you into oblivion. Nothing changes.”
“He’s not like that.” Rainbow replied, keeping her voice steady. “Goge came back for me, he pulled me out of that hell and forced others to save me. He could have left me to die then and there, but he didn’t. I don’t blame you two for not finding me, it was chaos down there and I doubt Tar’nek could have carried both of us, but don’t talk about Goge as if you knew him.”
“Ok, let’s stop this conversation.” Tar’nek cut in. “No arguments over whether humans can be nice or not.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m with you here.” Anira whispered to Rainbow, leaning over so she was right next to the Pegasus’s ear. “Humans can be just as loyal and upstanding as Eldar can be.”
“Point proven.” Rainbow smirked to herself, but didn’t vocalise the thought. Tar’nek was right, she didn’t really want to get into a big argument here.
“So go on you two,” Anira said, finishing her own drink, “you must have some interesting stories from before the clan.”
“I didn’t do much before I joined the temple, and Tar’nek was there before me, so nothing you won’t have heard from him.” Juhani said dismissively.
“Well, there was this time I appeared on a strange planet and was almost eaten alive by Tyranids.” Rainbow said thoughtfully.
“Yeah, I don’t think you ever really told us about what happened on Hannibal.” Tar’nek said thoughtfully.
“Yeah, you always said you wanted to forget about it.” Juhani added.
“There are things I’d rather forget now, like nightmares.” Rainbow chuckled, shuddering as she thought about what tonight would bring once more. “But you know, the one thing that I’ve really learnt quite well while being out here is that not facing something only makes it bigger than it really is.”
“Go on then. Regale us with tales of Tyranids and Exodites.” Anira said, resting her head in her hands.
“Ummm…there was the time we fought the Tyranids at Aspoh fields.” Rainbow said, casting her mind back. “That was the first time I saw combat, not the first time I killed something though mind you.”
“Tell us of your first kill then.” Tar’nek sighed, a smile creeping across his face.
“Well I remember I was terrified.” Rainbow laughed. “We were on Hannibal, in Elarique’s village to be precise, and we heard a scream and a roar. Elarique went to investigate, and we found a ripped apart body. It was a Lictor, and bloody fast one. I managed to get myself separated from the group, and the thing found me.”
“Wait, hold up there.” Juhani said, raising a hand. “Are you seriously telling us your first kill, the first time you ever spilled blood properly, was a Lictor in a close urban environment?”
“Yeah, that’s pretty much what I’m saying.” Rainbow nodded. “Someone threw me a blast pistol and I managed to kill it. I can’t for the life of me remember who gave it to me though.”
“Bloody hell. Talk about starting off big.” Juhani said is amazement. “You know how many Eldar it usually takes to down something as large as a Lictor?”
“One lucky warrior.” Anira answered, a smug smile gracing her face and drawing looks from the others. “Hey, I’ve fought Tyranids as well. We ran from them, one Rogue Trader fleet wouldn’t exactly present much of a challenge to a hive fleet, but I still got some kills. I got a Carnifex, so I think that means I’ve got the largest kill.”
“Oh yeah, you got the biggest kill did you?” Tar’nek smirked. “I took out a Macharius Heavy Tank on my own, game on.”
“I got a Dreadnought.” Juhani added. “Chaos one, Black Legion I think, remember Tar’nek. They were busy failing at yet another invasion into real space.”
“Yeah, I remember, although I’m not sure that a Dreadnought is a bigger kill than a heavy tank.”
“I think it is.” Juhani reasoned. “You ever try killing one of those things in close combat when it gets mad? It’s not easy. But I do believe that both are a bigger kill than a Lictor. Sorry Rainbow, but you don’t win this time.”
“Trygon.” Rainbow said simply, before going back to her drink.
“Wait, did you just say you killed a Trygon? On your own? Give over.” Anira asked disbelievingly.
“Come on Rainbow, let’s not lie here.” Tar’nek chuckled. “A Lictor isn’t bad for a big kill.”
“A Trygon.” Rainbow insisted.
“Fine then, if you did this, tell us how.” Juhani said smugly.
“We were retreating from the last village on the planet, it had just fallen. We managed to get an evac ship down from the remainder of the Eldar fleet, but we were followed. A Trygon emerged, Elarique was killed, I may have gone a bit crazy. I haven’t done it since, but that was the last time I performed a Sonic Rainboom, and I ripped through the things chest, killing it.”
“Holy crap you’re serious.” Tar’nek murmured.
“I think we have a winner.” Anira chuckled. “Although, Nar’bok’s got everyone beat.”
“What did he kill?” Rainbow asked out of interest.
“Have you heard of titans? Specifically Reaver-class titans?” Tar’nek asked.
“You’re kidding right.” Juhani said in disbelief.
“Nope.” Anira shook her head. “He piloted his Jetbike straight into the cockpit of one and killed everyone on the bridge. Don’t ask me how he survived, we all thought he was going to be nothing more than a stain on the hull, but then after the titan fell, he dragged himself out of the wreck, a crazy grin on his face. He’s crazy that guy.”
While Rainbow was trying to picture Nar’bok felling something as massive as a titan, a single Eldar, clad in the robes of the seer council, walked into the room. He was unassuming, not announcing his presence as he approached Nar’bok. The pair exchanged words, Nar’bok’s eyes growing wider as he listened to more of what the Seer was saying, before he suddenly sprang to his feet. Quickly, the other members of the Windrider clan quieted down, looking to their chief as he opened his mouth.
“Windriders! I have great new! A world thought lost to us has been found to live again, its spirit crying out for salvation. This world was devoured by the Tyranid menace, and we believed that would be the last we ever heard from it, but it is not so. The other Windrider clans have turned down this opportunity, and the aspect warriors are not being mobilised, but we can.”
“Why would we ride for this world?” An Eldar called, while realisation dawned on Rainbow.
“Because this world holds meaning to one of our newest members, and even though she is new, it is a slight to her, and therefore a slight to all of us.” Nar’bok explained.
“What’s the world called?!” Rainbow shouted, flapping her wings as she looked straight at Nar’bok.
“Hannibal.”
***
Equestria
***
“Hold on, I thought Hannibal was destroyed.” Luna said in confusion.
“Hannibal was yeah, but the world spirit, that somehow managed to survive.” Rainbow smiled.
“So you went back?” Twilight asked.
“Hell yeah I went back, to be honest I would have probably gone even without the clan. I would have died, but I would have gone.” Rainbow laughed, before standing up. “can you guys excuse me for a second, I need to go get my armour.”
“Are you still self-conscious about what you look like?” Rarity asked. “You know we don’t think any less of you for it.”
“It’s not that.” Rainbow shook her head. “I don’t like looking like this, hell I hate it, but I need my armour for another reason. It’s easier to show you when it happens rather than trying to explain it. So can I go?”
“You don’t need our permission Rainbow.” Celestia chuckled softly as Rainbow walked out of the room.
Fifteen minutes later, Rainbow re-entered the room, once again clad in the armour of the Swooping Hawks, her helmet attached to her waist. Sitting down once more, Rainbow looked around.
“So where was I again?”
***
Saim-Hann
***
Rainbow mouth hung open in shock as she fell back to the floor, landing heavily on her ass. She could hardly believe it, and yet she wasn’t going to turn this down. Hannibal, the first planet she had set foot on other than Equis, and it was the home of her first friends in this new galaxy. She owed it to them to return.
“As you can see, our Pegasus sister has a history with this world, it is important to her, and its destruction was a slight to her honour. A slight to one, is a slight to all, and I plan to ride with her, if the clan is with me.” Nar’bok proclaimed. “As you know, each of you gets one vote, if we cannot quickly tell the answer, while my honour guard and I receive two. Do we need to put it to a vote? Or will we ride with our sister?!”
“We ride! We ride! We ride!” The Windriders roared back, and Rainbow could suddenly feel tears starting to come into her eyes as she stood back up, smiling maniacally. Slowly, she joined in the chant, shouting at the tops of her lungs with the rest of the clan.
“We ride!” Rainbow screamed.
“Windriders! We shall ride to Hannibal!” Nar’bok roared, before raising a hand above his head and clenching it into a fist, silencing the hall as the member of the seer council stepped forward.
“The world spirit of Hannibal is of particular interest to us, not least because of the Exodite souls it contains and the stories it can tell us, but for the fact that the souls of those Eldar we believed lost under Ren’lof may have been saved.” The seer announced. “I will accompany you on this attack, and when we get there, we will seek out the central node, where I will be able to transfer the souls to Saim-Hann and record the data. As we have said, this planet has been thought lost to the devourer, its surface lifeless, and its atmosphere poisoned. We do not know what we will be expecting when we get to the planet, but we are to assume hostiles are there, and must be ready to face them.”
“Who would be left on a dead world?” Rainbow whispered, looking at Tar’nek, Anira and Juhani.
“Humans sometimes do, they like the worlds for scientific pursuits. Orks, for no more than because they’re Orks, a lot of the races actually try to claim dead worlds as they think they are safer to test things on, and in that respect they’re right.” Tar’nek explained.
“So when he says we’re expecting enemies, does that mean he thinks there actually will be combat, or that it’s just better to be prepared?” Rainbow asked.
“It’s always better be overly prepared Rainbow.” Anira replied. “Once you start a fight, you want to finish it quickly, not drag it out for longer than needed, so we make sure to bring everything. When Nar’bok hits, he use anything we have at our disposal to demoralise the enemy.”
“Shock and awe.” Rainbow nodded. “Humans use it to overpower their enemies quickly and efficiently, and if that doesn’t work they grind them down with numbers.”
“How do you know so much about human tactics?” Anira asked.
“Goge.” Rainbow replied with a smile. “After I got my new leg, he sort of took me in, kept me away from the other humans just in case. He used that time to teach me humans battle plans, how to set ambushes, how to coordinate large bodies of soldiers and keep them ready for combat at a moment’s notice. Compared to Eldar tactics it’s barbaric, but it works.”
“Uncivilised.” Juhani smirked. “What did I tell you?”
“Shut it.” Rainbow shot back, but it was in good nature.
“Stop fighting and wait here please.” Tar’nek ordered, before turning and pushing his way through the masses of Eldar towards Nar’bok.
“What do you suppose he needs to ask the chief?” Rainbow asked, looking at Anira.
“Well, if we’re riding, then that means a week, maybe two, to get ready. Tuning bikes, fixing weapons, sharpening swords, the works. My guess, he’s making sure that you two have armour weapons and anything else you’ll need.”
“A bike?” Juhani asked excitedly.
“Possibly. I don’t know.” Anira shook her head.
“Looks like it didn’t take long, he’s coming back.” Rainbow pointed.
“Right, come on.” Tar’nek said, gesturing towards a door where Windriders were already exiting the room. “Gear’s ready, I’ll show you where your stuff is.”
“Anything interesting?” Juhani asked, following Tar’nek out of the room.
“You could say that.” Tar’nek nodded.
“Tar’nek, I’ll see you later.” Anira called, before disappearing into the crowded hall and being lost from sight.
“In here.” Tar’nek gestured, walking inside a long room filled with small cubicles, each one with an Eldar in. Most were working on bikes, tweaking little bits on them, while others were looking over weapons and checking over their armour. Quickly reaching the end of the hanger, Rainbow spotted two empty bays, Tar’nek stopping just in front of them.
“Juhani, Rainbow, these are yours.” He said, pointing behind him. “Your equipment gets stored here, you can work here, hell you can even sleep here if you really want. Each cubical is yours and yours alone, and even Nar’bok himself would heed your will while within.”
“And you got this all in a few days?” Juhani asked.
“For you it was easy.” Tar’nek replied. “Armour, a weapon and a bike. Rainbow would have been hard, but she has armour of her own, so it’s all fine.”
With a twinkle in her eyes, Juhani surged forward, walking into the small one person garage and placing a hand on the armour that was stored within. While it was not as thick as the armour she had worn as a Swooping Hawk, it would still do the job of protecting her. Catching Tar’nek’s gaze, Rainbow walked into her own garage, looking at her own armour on its stand. It looked just the way it had when she had taken it off for the duel, and she had been wondering where it had been taken to. She guessed she had the answer now.
“Want an inventory of what’s here?” Tar’nek asked.
“I thought it was just my armour.” Rainbow said in confusion, looking around at the garage.
“Nope.” Tar’nek smiled, pressing a button on the wall. Instantly, a draw slid open, surprising Rainbow as it emerged from the wall. Peering inside, Rainbow smiled as she saw a las-blaster nestled within.
“Now, I’m sure you recognise this, although it’s a bit different from the one you used.” Tar’nek started as Rainbow pulled the weapon out, looking over its surface. “It’s a mark seven, while you’re used to the mark nine. More stopping power, but fewer shots per charge pack. You have your sword, you have your armour, so that leaves only one more thing.”
Pressing another button, Rainbow stepped back as she heard a loud hiss. As she watched, a section of the floor slid open, revealing an alcove with a large shape in it. Slowly, the shape began to rise, until it was completely out of the floor, the panel sliding closed again beneath it.
“Rainbow, this is your new bike.” Tar’nek grinned.
***
Eleven Days Later
***
Rainbow stepped back as she looked over her Jetbike with a happy smile on her face. The thing was a glorious machine, sleek and deadly, its wing sending in sharp, vicious blades. Apparently, this was a Reaver-class Jetbike, more commonly associated with the Eldars dark kin than with the Craftworld kind, but Nar’bok insisted that for all their faults, the Dark Eldar knew a thing or two about Jetbikes, and had managed to procure them instead on the standard Jetbikes. Each one was even shaped like a blade, the front ending in a point while the wings swept forward as wicked blades, ready to cut down any who got too close.
Rainbow had been practicing on another bike for the past week and a half, in between modifying her own bike, and had steadily been getting the hang of it. It was difficult, but being both a Pegasus and an ex-Swooping Hawk had its advantages. Going fast meant you had to have split second timing to fly one of these things well, and Rainbow had experience with going fast. That wasn’t to say that she was perfect, but both she and Juhani had taken to them like a duck to water.
Rainbow however was much more interested in her own bike at the moment, and looked over its surface with a loving eye. It still resembled a Reaver, but only in the broadest of terms, the Pegasus spending every waking moment she had working on it, tweaking it to make sure it fitted with her exact specifications. If there was one thing that Rainbow really did enjoy about the Windrider clan, it was the amount of freedom they got to do what they wanted to do, and how much they could actually modify their own equipment. There was little to no standardisation between each members stuff, and while this made them look a bit chaotic when they were all assembled, Nar’bok believed that the morale boost was much more important.
Rainbow had known exactly what she had wanted to do with her bike as soon as she had got it, and had instantly set about modifying it. First, the bodywork had been removed, and she had set about moving the engine over to the side, before attaching a second engine beside it, although she did need a lot of help to do that so quickly. Unfortunately though, the weight of the second engine had offset a lot of the benefits of the craft, and she had been forced to cut back on the armour, and even the weapons mounted on it. Instead of the shuriken cannon that it had mounted before, Rainbow had been forced to downsize, replacing the weapon with a pair of slightly outsized shuriken pistols. While they were not nearly as deadly, Rainbow was pleased with the decrease in weight, and loved her bike due to the speeds it could get up to. While she hadn’t properly ridden it yet, she had run tests on it, and it should easily be the fastest, if least armed and least armoured, bike in the Nar’bok fleet.
To cap it off, Rainbow had decided to customise the paint job on the bike, keeping the majority of it the deep shiny black that it had been originally, but breaking it up with a Rainbow all the way down the middle. On the nose of the craft lay the rune of the Swooping Hawks, something she had done to honour her temple as almost all ex-aspect warriors did, while above that was her rune, that of the Swooping Pegasus. All in all, she was more than pleased with her modifications.
“You still in here Rainbow?” Juhani asked, poking her head around the corner, her jaw dropping as she saw the Jetbike. “Whoa, that thing looks…amazing.”
“Thanks.” Rainbow said, turning to face her.
Juhani was wearing the guardian armour she had been provided with, the red and black surface flowing over her body. It was indeed a lot less bulky, but it somehow looked more at home on her than the Swooping Hawk armour ever had. It also covered up her bionic limbs, something that Rainbow knew she would be grateful for. It was ok at first when you were getting used to them, you thought that everything would be ok, but then the looks started, people staring at you as if you were some sort of freak. Eventually you just wanted to cover it up.
“Anyway, the ships are ready, Nar’bok has ordered everyone to load up. Full battle dress, weapons checked and bikes ready. They’re calling in everyone, even the aspect warriors affiliated with the clan. Kudos for getting so many behind a cause.”
“I didn’t ask them to do this.” Rainbow pointed out. “Nar’bok decided to ride, and the rest of the clan supported him.”
“Because of you.” Juhani pushed. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, but the only reason Nar’bok and the rest of the clan chose to ride was to help you. They seem like the sort of people who band together a lot in times like this, honour and all that. How would you put it…um…loyalty. They’re loyal.”
“But they’re not the element of it.” Rainbow smiled, before looking over her bike. “Give me ten minutes to get my armour on and we can go find Tar’nek, load up together.”
Rainbow looked out over the planet far below, the shimmering shield that protected the hanger bay from the void not interrupting her view in the slightest. She realised with a pang that this was actually the first time she had ever seen Hannibal from any perspective other than ground level, and knew that in its heyday, this planet would have been beautiful. Now though, the planet had been reduced to an ugly lump floating through space, a near airless rock where she had met her first friends in the universe, not to mention learned to kill. This was the one place in the universe that she never expected to return to, and was having mixed feelings about being here.
On one hoof, her heart was leaping at the prospect of coming back here and recovering the World Spirit. With any luck those Exodites who had lost their life on the planet would be able to find rest in the craftworld, as well as all those members of the Wind host who had perished here. On the other hoof however, there were a lot of memories down there, and returning was sure to stir them up. Not that that would stop her though, the clan was riding for her, and so her personal trepidations wouldn’t be factored into this.
Turning around, Rainbow moved next to her Jetbike, retrieving her helmet and sealing the armour together. As always, the coloured lens tinted Rainbows vision, but she was used to it by now. The only difference between this time and the other times she had donned her armour was that she no longer was wearing the war mask. It felt odd, but it didn’t matter.
Throwing her legs over the Jetbike, Rainbow locked her legs into position, making sure that no matter what acrobatics she pulled off in mid-air, she would stay firmly attached to the bike and not plummeting to her death. Then again, she was still wearing her Swooping Hawk armour, the anti-grav generator in the pack humming away, so she would be able to survive the fall, as long as she was high enough off the ground to realise she was falling before she died. Grimacing at the thought, she activated her helmet communicator in time to hear Nar’bok giving his final speech before battle began.
“Listen in. We go in fast and we go in hard. Sensors are picking someone up on the surface so prepare to fight for the node. Now, there are brave men, women or others defending their new base here. Let’s go kill them!”
Instantly, the hanger bay was filled with the roar of hundreds of engines as the Jetbikes of the clan flared into life. Kicking her own bike into life, Rainbow tested the throttle, the engine growling in response.
“Entering upped atmosphere. Shields nominal. Prepping hanger bay for exposure to upper atmosphere in three…two…” The helmsman said, before the hanger was filled with a roar even louder than that of the Jetbike engines as the shields around the hanger shut off, allowing the wind to howl into the space.
Rainbow watched as other Jetbikes shot out of the hanger as nothing more than blurs, before she too revved her engines and shot out of the hanger. She was shocked by the sheer power her bike had, whizzing past the other Jetbikes as if they were standing still and almost being thrown from the saddle before she decided to throttle back, drawing back in line with the rest of the clan. She was still going fast, but it was nowhere near what she now knew this thing was capable of, and was barely having to use a third of the power to keep in line with the others. Maybe the second engine was a bit mu…No. Bad Rainbow, there was no such thing as to much speed.
“Looks like you’re having fun there.” Tar’nek laughed over the helmet communicator.
“Laugh it up.” Rainbow shot back.
“Keep it quiet.” Nar’bok ordered, his own heavily modified Jetbike taking the lead.
His bike hardly resembled the source material, the front being completely cut down, while the rear had been extended out over the engine, tapering off into a scorpion like tail, mounting a large heavy calibre weapon that swung back and forth as it mimicked Nar’bok’s head movements, the two obviously being linked together.
“World Spirit central node located.” Anira reported. “Half a continent away on current bearing, unknown signal present as well. Guess those are our bad guys.”
“Let’s open them up then. Jetbikers, with me, Vypers and Hornets, form up and follow behind. We may need your heavy weapons later.” Nar’bok roared with glee, before his Jetbike shot forward, its engine firing at full capacity, followed swiftly by the rest of the clan.
Rainbow smiled in glee as she zoomed across the planet’s surface, moving at speeds that put even those of the Swooping Hawks to shame and her Sonic Rainboom to shame. Rainbow briefly wondered where the explosion of colour was, but realised that it was probably not going to appear at these speeds due to the added weight she was carrying with her, and the additional drag of the Jetbike. She briefly wondered if she could force it to work at the highest throttle power, but that thought was snatched away by the howling wind.
Suddenly, Rainbow was buffeted by the edges of an explosion, hundreds more erupting around the Jetbikes, shrapnel and fire flying through the air all around her. Rolling her craft to avoid another incoming shot, Rainbow found herself upside down, only being held on by her locked armour, before righting herself and getting a view of the battle that had broken out in front of her.
The air in front of her was filled with aircraft, all of human design, and bearing down on the Eldar, their weapons firing wildly as they tried to hit the speedy Jetbikes, while the Eldar jinked and dodged out of the way, their own weapon fire being deadly accurate, but insufficient to get through the armour of the human aircraft. Rainbow could make out dozens of the smaller ‘Vulture’ class attack ships that she had seen on Verbatim VIII, as well as a few smaller aircraft that matched the pictures of Lightning Fighters. All of them were painted in a bright crimson, and bore the mark of a cog which Rainbow knew she had seen before, but couldn’t properly place.
Speeding forward, Rainbow unleashed a smattering of shots from her own craft, hitting the armour of a Vulture as she sped past, hardly doing anything more than scratching the paint. Grunting, she leant back on her bike, pulling it though a one eighty turn and shooting towards the turning Vulture. Drawing her sword, Rainbow activated the power stud as she banked her bike, passing over the cockpit.
Time seemed to slow as she passed by, the pilot looking at her in shock and amazement as tears filled her eyes. A nanosecond later, the sword bit through the glass canopy like it was nothing, slicing through the woman’s head and passing out the other side of the cockpit.
Instantly, the craft began to spin wildly as the corpse of the pilot slumped forward onto the controls, the craft plummeting towards the ground, before erupting in a fiery ball of death far below. It was a small victory, and one that came about through luck rather than anything else, and Rainbow doubted that they would be able to take down every aircraft here in the same fashion, even the Eldar had their limits. They would need heavy support for that, which should be arriving any second now.
Rainbow whooped in joy as a pair of Hornets streaked past, their starcannons spitting death as they soared past, another Vulture bursting into flames as a shot struck its engine, the machine tumbling from the sky and impacting with an unlucky Lightning Fighter, the pair of vehicles continuing to spiral together until they slammed into the ground.
The battle soon became very one sided as the faster Eldar now had weapons capable of downing the Imperial aircraft, and it looked like the humans knew that as well. Some of the pilots tried to wheel away and break off from the combat, fleeing back the way they came, but none of them got very far, the Eldar easily catching them and adding their wrecks to the growing pile on the ground.
“Mechanicus forces destroyed. The signal from the base has increased and condensed as a distress signal, but we’re blocking it.” An Eldar said over the helmet comm.
“Move in and neutralise.” Nar’bok ordered. “Nothing is to get out alive, we can’t risk them carrying anything about this data away from the planet.”
Nodding more to herself than anybody else, Rainbow plunged her bike into a dive, approaching the Mechanicus base and getting a good look at it. It was large, surrounded by a thick metal wall that would have been a serious obstacle to a land-locked force, but against an air-borne one, the defences became a cage from which no one would escape. The few guns that were still firing were causing some confusion in the Eldar ranks, but it was like throwing pebbles at the sea to stop the tide, and soon they to fell silent as pinpoint accurate weapon blasts reached them, sending them out of the world in a glorious explosion.
Rainbow let out a snarl as she caught sight of a trio of guards, the humans bearing heavy signs of augmentation, and one even having their entire right arm replaced with a heavy bolter. Not giving them time to react to her presence, rainbow unleashed a hail of shots, the shrunken digging into two of the guards, while the last one fell to the blades of Rainbows jetbike.
Pushing her jetbikes down further, Rainbow slid it across the floor, gouging deep grooves into the ground before jumping from it as it skidded to a halt, drawing her las-blaster and unleashing shot after shot into the disoriented guards. The battle was fast descending into chaos as more Windriders swooped in, strafing the enemy with their on board guns or dismounting to get to grips with them as Rainbow was doing. Soldiers were trained to fight as a cohesive unit, each subunit having a clear purpose within the whole. They could have repulsed a force ten times their size with ease had they come from an expected angle of attack, but the Eldar didn’t do the expected, they attacked units that by all accounts shouldn't have been attacked, from angles that shouldn't be possible for a normal force. The result was chaos, the Mechanicus forces unable to form a coherent defence. Here and there, officers were rallying troops to them, putting up a sporadic defence, but it wasn’t enough.
“Aim for the officers first!” Nar’bok roared, his massive chainsword roaring as he showed off his relic from his days in the Striking Scorpions. “Then the sergeants, and after that you can kill any poor bastard you want!”
It was a crude order, but Rainbow couldn’t doubt its effectiveness. The Imperial war machine relied on a rigid chain of command. Officers would give out orders, Sergeants would make sure they were followed, and privates would do what they were told. Privates didn’t know how to give proper orders, they only knew how to fight, and officers couldn’t do all the fighting themselves. One link is broken, and you have a situation fit for Discord.
Diving forward, Rainbow slipped the las-blaster onto her back with practiced ease before drawing the sword. Flapping her wings, she took to the air, bringing the sword into a Sergeants chainsword, the non-powered weapon not holding up to her sword, and another corpse joined the growing number already on the floor. A guardsman, not even out of his teens and almost completely un-augmented, threw himself at Rainbows hooves, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Please…don’t kill me.” He wailed.
Rainbow cocked her head slightly, taking in the man. She must have been a sight to him, a tiny pony easily slaughtering her way through their ranks as if they were nothing, covered from head to hoof in blue armour, obscuring her equinity and leaving nothing more than a warrior behind. She knew that Nar’bok and the other Eldar would have already killed him by now and moved on, and thinking of that, she placed her sword on his neck.
“Make it quick.” He said softly, looking down as tears fell to the burnt earth.
Rainbow looked at her sword, before raising the sword high above her head, slamming the pommel into the back of the man’s skull, knocking him to the floor. He would probably die later after the Imperials got through with him, crushed in the unforgiving gears of the Imperial war machine, but she couldn’t bring herself to end him herself. Killing in combat was one thing, but killing an unarmed and surrendering boy, that was something she would never stoop to.
Looking around, Rainbow saw that the Eldar were now easily in control of the outside of the compound, and even now were beginning to cut their way through the heavy steel blast doors that lead to the underground complex. Walking up to the door, Rainbow exchanged glances with Juhani and Tar’nek, before readying her sword. She could have reloaded her las-blaster, but in the tight corridors of a human compound, the unwieldy weapon would be more of a liability than a help. If she was bipedal like the Eldar then maybe, but as it was, the sword was her best option.
Slowly, the door creaked open, and Rainbow was instantly on the move, diving through the small gap as soon as it appeared and swooping down the corridor, her wings outstretched and her sword at the ready. The few guardsmen that were in the corridor looked up, bringing their weapons to bear on her, but they were already dead, they just didn’t know it yet.
One fell to her sword, another had his head caved in by a four hooved strike to the head, while more fell to the guns of the Eldar as the doors widened enough to allow them entry. By the time they were pushing through the few survivors, Rainbow was already at the end of the corridor, an open room filled with maps and computer banks catching her eyes.
“Rainbow! Slow down!” Tar’nek roared over the radio.
“I’m fine!” She roared back. “I’ve found the command room, clearing it now!”
“Wait for backup!” Tar’nek shouted, but Rainbow wasn’t listening anymore, eager to find out where the data she was looking for was. If it was anywhere, it would be in there.
Sprinting forward, Rainbow caught sight of movement, and suddenly her path was blocked by what looked like a cross between an Ork, a human and a space marine. The things were huge, their massive bulks easily filling the corridors as they leered down at her, one bringing a large bore weapon to bear while the other cycled rounds into a large cannon it mounted in place of its right arm. Both were cybernetically enhanced to the point where it was hard to tell if they were organics with robotic parts or robots with organic parts, and Rainbow knew that these things, these abominations, wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Roaring, Rainbow dropped to the ground, skidding along the floor as she sped through the legs of the first, bringing her sword up, only to find it battered away, doing minimal damage. Rolling to the side, she barely avoided the first ones gun, the massive shotgun type weapon ripping the ground where she had been only seconds before to shreds. Then the canon wielding one fired, and Rainbow was thrown back, the force of the explosion pitching her further into the room.
Skidding on her hooves, Rainbow dug the sword into the ground, stopping her mid-slide, before she launched herself forward again, swinging the sword at the nearest abomination.
Rainbow was caught off guard by how fast it moved, its arm swinging at her quicker than anything that size had a right to, but it seemed to be guided by a being possessing of little intellect, if it had possessed any, she would have already have been gutted. As it was, she avoided the swipe, before plunging her sword through the creature’s eye, the powered blade sliding through the orb, brain, and out the back of its skull.
Instead of dropping like it should have, the creature simply screamed, shaking its head from side to side, and finally managing to dislodge Rainbow, the Pegasus mare being thrown to the floor once more, her sword still stuck in the monsters head. One good thing was coming from the sheer bulk of creature though, and its partner couldn’t get a shot in, not wanting to risk a shot that would endanger its fellow or not able to thanks to programming that restricted its Identify Fried Foe firing patterns.
Rainbow suddenly felt the air being knocked out of her lungs, and was instantly sure that the creature had kicked her in its frenzy, before she looked down, her eye settling on the object that now lay on her chest. The abomination in its pain induced craze had let go of its weapon, the large bore shotgun come rifle now within her reach. It was even bigger than a Space Marines bolter, and Rainbow found out that it was also far too heavy to aim properly as she tried to lift it from the floor.
Relenting on that idea, but not giving up on the possibility of finishing the fight, Rainbow dropped to the floor, avoiding a shot from the cannon wielding monster as it finally pushed past its fellow, bringing its weapon to bear. Letting out a roar, Rainbow snaked her hoof around the huge trigger, needing all her strength to pull it back as massive bullets began to pump out of the gun.
The cannon monster faltered as the first shots struck it, bouncing off the metal armour it wore, before more shots punched through the weakened metal and into the flesh beyond, red puffs erupting across its body as it slowly began to come apart under the repeated impacts. Rainbow let out her own scream as she forced the trigger to stay depressed, even as it felt like her leg was going to be shaken from its socket by the recoil of the weapon, until it finally clicked on an empty clip.
Rolling away, Rainbow allowed herself five seconds to catch her breath, before getting back to her hooves, surveying the carnage the weapon had done. The cannon monster was well and truly dead, its entire front reduced to nothing more than a bloody crater from the shots, while the other creature was now writhing weakly on the floor. Moving over to it, Rainbow grabbed hold of her sword, forcing it to the side and cutting through even more of whatever this creature had as a brain, finally putting it out of its agony.
Pulling her sword out, Rainbow slid it into the scabbard on her back, before quickly moving over to the far wall, a series of computer banks displaying streams of information that meant absolutely nothing to her, save for the data on one screen. Punching a button marked audio, the room was suddenly filled by a voice, the man on the radio struggling to be heard over what Rainbow assumed was the wind and through what must have been some heavy augmentations.
“This is Arch-Magos Gruren to Exploritor fleet. Planet lost, repeat planet lost to Eldar incursion. I require an escort to ensure my package gets back to fleet. High priority telemetry data on Eldar craftworld designated ‘Saim-Hann’. The data must reach segmentum command as soon as possible.”
Her eyes going wide, Rainbow turned on her heels, pushing past Tar’nek as she sprinted for the entrance.
“Rainbow!? What are you doing?!” He shouted, sprinting to catch up with her.
“No time!” She shot back, emerging into the open air again and aiming for her Jetbike. “The Imperials have data on Saim-Hann, it’s about to go off world!”
With that, Rainbow jumped onto her bike, the engines roaring at the presence of their owner as Rainbow shot into the sky, leaving Tar’nek scratching his head in confusion, before he too jumped on his bike, speeding off after Rainbow. All bikes were fast, but Rainbow was faster, and with the knowledge that time was very much a factor here, she no longer was holding back as much, pushing the engines to 95% of their possible output. She was still frightened of the prospect of opening them up fully, but steeled herself in case that is what she had to do.
As she shot forward, the air in front of her began to shimmer slightly, becoming harder to see through, but not obscuring her vision enough that she didn’t make out the small four wheeled vehicle bouncing across the dead ground, nor did she miss the descending Valkyrie that was even now approaching the car.
Rainbow snarled as she realised that she was to far away, even traveling at the speeds she was going at. The Valkyrie would reach the Magos before her, and everything would be fucked, Saim-Hann’s course would be plotted out by the humans, and the craftworld itself would come under attack. She would not let that happen.
Letting out her feral war-cry, Rainbow slammed the throttle forward, the engines matching her scream as they powered her forward, the air condensing in a cone around the front of the craft, before suddenly erupting in a massive explosion of colour, the Sonic Rainboom blossoming out behind her as she shot forward at speeds that should have been impossible even with two engines. More than that though, the war mask burst forth once more, sending lances of pain into Rainbows mind, but she was too far gone to care now.
She hit the Valkyrie like a bullet from a gun, passing through it without slowing, before angling towards the floor, the craft exploding behind her. Still moving at ungodly speeds, Rainbow sped towards the Magos’ vehicle. Slamming a button on the Jetbike, flaps raised as they sought to slow the craft down while simultaneously activating the auto pilot system. With the knowledge her Jetbike was safe, Rainbow dived from her seat, slamming into the car with enough force to crumple the entire front and stop the thing dead in its tracks.
The Magos was thrown forward, slamming into the ground as Rainbow climbed off the vehicle, approaching him as he scrambled to get away from her. A few minutes ago, Rainbow Dash had sworn not to kill defenceless opponents, but that was before the war mask had appeared. Rainbow was fighting against it even now, but there was only so much she could do.
“Should have worn a seatbelt.” She snarled, before stamping down hard with her rear legs, the man’s head offering her little resistance as she reared up again, reducing it to nothing but a bloody pulp.
“Rainbow!” A familiar voice called out, and Rainbow turned to look at Tar’nek.
“Saim-Hann is safe.” Rainbow snarled happily, before reaching down and looking at a small capsule. “Here, data’s in here, could be useful.”
“Are you…have you got your war mask on?” Tar’nek asked slowly, drawing a sword as the pair began to circle each other.
“So what if I do.” She snapped back, drawing her own sword.
“It damages you!” Tar’nek shouted.
“So does fighting.” Rainbow snarled, before leaping forward, intending to get the respect she deserved.
Mid-flight, Rainbow was stopped, hovering in mid-air, before being turned to slowly face Anira.
“I’m sorry for this Rainbow. It’s for your own good.” She said softly, before bringing the pommel of her own sword down onto Rainbows head, knocking the Pegasus out cold.
“Get her back to the ship, we have what we came for.” Tar’nek ordered. “I’ll sort her Jetbike out.”
Nodding, Anira moved back to her own bike, locking her armour, before locking Rainbows in place as well and taking off, speeding back towards the ship that had come into low orbit over the planet.
Standing next to the pair of the Jetbikes, Tar’nek sighed, watching as Anira carried his friend back to safety.
“Oh Rainbow.” He sighed. “What are we going to do with you?”
“What was that all about?” Twilight asked. “I mean, I thought you said the war mask helped you fight better, not made you go crazy.”
“It does.” Rainbow nodded. “Makes us faster, lessens the restraints of morality to the point where victory comes first, makes us able to fight on through pain. That’s when it works perfectly. Mine doesn’t, it varies now as to whether or not I can control it, and I can’t keep it off if I do a Rainboom. They’ve even taken that from me, but I’ll get it back. I’ll train, and I will get better at controlling my mind.”
“So what happened next?” Fluttershy asked.
“Well…” Rainbow began, before the gauntlet on her right foreleg began to beep insistently, a small light flashing on it.
“What is that?” Luna asked curiously.
“An alarm.” Rainbow said, standing up and looking at the door. “I’ve got something to do, I’ll see you around.”
“But what about the story Sugarcube?” Applejack asked, getting up and walking beside Rainbow, the rest of the room’s occupants following her lead and walking beside Rainbow.
“I will, don’t worry.” Rainbow reassured them, reaching one of the palaces balconies. “Where did I come out again? It was the Wonderbolts stadium wasn’t it?”
“Yes it was. Why?” Celestia asked.
“Just got to be there in ooh…forty two seconds. Time is kind of a factor here, so I’ll have to cut this short. I’ll see you around.”
With that, Rainbow dived off of the balcony, spreading her wings as she soared across the city. It didn’t take her long, and soon she touched down in the stadium, taking a deep breathe in, smelling the history that had been made here, the records that had been set and broken on and above these hallowed grounds.
“Hey! You!” A voice called, and Rainbow glanced round to see a Pegasus stallion approaching her, his tank top doing little to hide the rippling muscles beneath. “What do you think you’re doing here?”
“I’ve got an asset coming, give me five minutes and I’ll be out of your mane.” Rainbow explained.
“Oh no, you’re coming with me.” The stallion said firmly. “You just broke into restricted area, you can answer to Captain Spitfire.”
“I already spoke to her when she offered me a place on the team.” Rainbow chuckled, before her face went hard. “But I’m not leaving, not until this happens.”
She gestured behind her as a small wind began to blow past her, her mane flowing in the new breeze. Slowly, a blue ball of energy began to materialise, growing until it covered Rainbow, before erupting in a flash of light that would be seen all over Canterlot. Grinning, Rainbow turned around to look at the thing that had just arrived.
“Rainbow?!” Twilight called, a small pop heralding her along with that of the rest of her friends and the princesses.
“Yeah, I’m right here.” Rainbow said in slight confusion. “Did you just teleport from the castle?”
“We saw the flash of light, we thought you had disappeared again.” Celestia explained. “Both Luna and I can teleport a lot further distances, it was not hard to bring the rest with us on a shorter jump.”
“So is that it?” Twilight asked eagerly, bouncing towards the object that had just appeared in the same way she did whenever she spoke about getting her cutie mark.
“Yep.” Rainbow nodded, laughing at the Unicorns antics. “One heavily modified Reaver Jetbike, twice the power of a normal one, armour stripped off to reduce weight allowing it to reach roughly double the speeds of other bikes, making it one of the fastest ground based vehicles on Saim-Hann, but it’s also weaker and less well armed.”
“How is it here?” Rarity asked, looking over the vehicle with a disapproving gaze.
“The Guardians and Solitaires convinced me to wait to send it through. They handled it for me.” Rainbow replied. “Now Rarity, what’s the problem with the bike?”
“Whatever do you mean darling?” Rarity asked, taken aback by the question.
“I know that look, you don’t like it do you?” Rainbow pressed. “I’ll admit that it’s not the most beautiful thing, but any non-essential plating had to go to get weight down.”
“I know, it’s just…” Rarity trailed off.
“Tell you what, when I’m done with this, the two of us will look it over, see if we can’t find a way to make it look nicer and keep the weight down.” Rainbow smiled, before throwing her leg over the bike.
“Where are you going?” Fluttershy asked softly.
“She needed time to calm down, but now I need to find her.” Rainbow replied, before slipping her helmet over her head, the eyes lighting up once more as it activated and synched with the rest of the armour. “I’ll meet you in Ponyville when I’m done. I don’t know how long it will take me to find her, or what will happen then, so don’t wait up.”
“Who is ‘she’?” Applejack shouted over the sound of the sound of the engines as they roared into life, but it was too late, and Rainbow had already sped off, quickly leaving the bounds of the city as she circled overhead, moving at speeds unlike anything any of the others had seen.
“Who is she?” Applejack repeated, looking at the others.
“I have no idea.” Twilight replied, shaking her head. “And who are these Guardians and Solitaires she’s talking about? Are they Eldar?”
“I guess we will just have to wait and ask her when she returns.” Celestia sighed. “You girls might as well return to Ponyville, I believe Rainbow may be gone for some time.”
***
Rainbow grinned as she flew through the sky, drawing looks of awe from ponies far below in the city, and scattering the few Pegasi who were flying around at this altitude. Activating her helmets ocular sensors, Rainbows vision split, giving her the odd feeling that always accompanied doing this. She had only done it a few times before, always in training, and certainly never going at these speeds, but if she wanted to find her quarry, she would need to become the hunters that the Swooping Hawks could be.
While the vision from her left eye remained the same, allowing her to keep the Jetbike moving properly, her right eyes vision zoomed in exponentially, the helmet allowing her to see farther than even her Pegasus eyesight allowed her to, to the point where she could pick out the faces of the ponies walking along the streets in Canterlot.
Grimacing, Rainbow began to flit from face to face, scanning the streets for similar colour patterns to the pony she was looking for, before checking closer on any of the ponies who matched her target. Every time though she found nothing, the ponies she picked out not being anything like her target, most of them weren’t even Pegasi.
Groaning, Rainbow hauled herself backwards, forcing her bike to come around to a new heading as she angled herself towards Cloudsdale. The Wonderbolts academy was near there, so it was possible that she was still in that city, failing that, Rainbow thought she had mentioned living near Los Pegasus when they had been at the academy together, so maybe she would be there.
It didn’t take long for her to reach Cloudsdale, the ancient city of the Pegasi filling her vision as she rushed towards it. Reaching the outskirts of the city, Rainbow touched down, startling ponies as she suddenly appeared from nowhere. She was about to get off, when the bike began to sink, and Rainbow quickly revved the engines bringing it back up. She realised that she couldn’t just leave the bike, but that didn’t matter to her that much.
Pressing a few buttons, Rainbow activated the engines on their lowest setting, giving it just enough power to stay above the cloud layer, before activating the security system and stepping off, her own ambient magic extending around her armour, and making sure that it didn’t sink through as well.
“Don’t touch.” Rainbow warned as a pair of ponies began looking at the bike with interest.
“What is it?” One of them asked, looking at Rainbow.
“Spooky alien technology.” Rainbow laughed, raising her forelegs above her head, before removing her helmet, attaching it to her waist. “Seriously though, don’t touch. Now,” she said, flapping her wings so she was above the majority of the crowd, “does anypony know of a pony called Lightning Dust, or know of anypony who would know her?”
“Is she the mare that was found fighting in Canterlot?” One pony asked.
“That’s the one.” Rainbow nodded.
“I saw her talking to Dumbbell a few days ago.” The pony continued.
“I need to see him then.” Rainbow replied, touching down in front of the Pegasus stallion.
“He lives on Mane Street. What…what do you want with him and this Lightning Dust?”
“Just talk, nothing more.” Rainbow smiled. “So…same place as always then. Thank you.”
With a nod, Rainbow took to the skies once more, turning towards Mane Street and touching down in front of her old school time bully’s home. She hadn’t been here much in the past, not having any reason to go there when she was a filly, but she had been there once or twice.
Walking towards the door, Rainbow knocked on its surface three times, the sound resonating around the building, and quickly saw results as she heard hoof steps from within. Eventually, the door was opened a crack, and Rainbow could see Dumbbell peering through the gap at her.
“What do you want?” He asked, his voice dripping with malice.
“I just want to talk to you.” Rainbow said calmly.
“Oh yeah, why should I talk to you?” He spat.
“Well for one thing, you shouldn’t really be holding anything against me due to the fact you attacked me, not the other way round. I warned you, but you didn’t stop.” Rainbow reasoned. “For another, I’ve heard you know where Lightning Dust is, and I need to speak to her.”
“What, so you can get her kicked out of something else?”
“You know about that then?” Dash asked glumly.
“Of course, she told me after she cleared out her locker. Said she was sorry for what had happened and getting me tied up in it.”
“Let me in, please. We can talk this out like adults, not foals, but we can’t do that through a door.
Relenting, Dumbbell pushed the door slightly closed, before removing the chain holding it shut and allowing the door to swing open. Rainbow sighed as she got a good look at Dumbbell, the pony wincing slightly as he made his way back towards what Rainbow assumed to be his living room. His entire chest area was surrounded by bandages, but Rainbow reassured herself that it could have been worse, and at least he had escaped without getting in a body cast.
Letting the door swing closed behind her, Rainbow followed her fillyhood bully into the living room, looking at one of the couches, but staying standing.
“Have a seat if you want.” He said simply, lowering himself onto another one.
“I’m fine.” Rainbow replied. “Just tell me where Lightning Dust is please.”
“Fine.” He relented. “Lightning said she wanted to go home, see her folks and talk things out with them.”
“How was she?” Rainbow asked.
“She seemed upset, but then what can you do, somepony got her kicked out of the Wonderbolts.”
“I didn’t mean to.” Rainbow enunciated slowly. “Just tell me where abouts she lives and I’ll get out of your mane.”
“She said it was north of Los Pegasus, somewhere near the Mount Turg in the Cawstone Mountain range.” Dumbbell explained. “That’s all I know. She didn’t exactly draw me a map.”
“Thank you Dumbbell.” Rainbow nodded, turning to leave.
“Hey, Rainbow?” He asked, getting to his hooves with another wince of pain.
“I’m sorry about that.” Rainbow grimaced, looking down at his chest.
“I deserved it.” He said softly, before sliding a hoof around her neck. “No, what I wanted to say was…I'm sorry.”
“What was that?” Rainbow asked, not sure she heard properly.
“I said…I'm sorry.” He mumbled once more.
“One more time?” Rainbow asked.
“I SAID I’M SORRY!” He snapped.
“Whoa whoa whoa, calm down, I didn’t mean to push you.” Rainbow said softly. “Now, what are you sorry about? Attacking me? I think you’ve paid for that.” She pointed to his chest.
“No, I mean for everything we did as kids back at flight camp, both me and Hoops.” He said glumly. “We were real arses back then.”
“Honestly, if you can put it out there like that and say you’re sorry, that’s good enough for me.” Rainbow smiled.
“You mean it? I mean, we didn’t exactly let up much.” Dumbbell pressed.
“Listen Dumbbell, spend a few years getting shot at and having your arse handed to you literally, seriously, if I wanted the probably would have given me back my arse. It puts everything into perspective. If I can forgive a soldier who tried to kill me because he surrendered, I think I can forgive you.” She chuckled.
“You mean it?” He asked with a smile of his own.
“Sure thing.” Rainbow nodded. “So all’s well between us?”
“It’s a lot off my chest.” He chuckled.
“Yeah, in your condition I’d want stuff off my chest as well.” Rainbow laughed, before walking towards the door. “Thanks for the help. If you see Lightning before me, tell her I want to talk to her.”
With that, Rainbow turned and quickly left the house, taking to the sky as she turned towards where she had left her Jetbike. By now, a large crowd had gathered around the bike, a few getting close to it as Rainbow pushed her way to the front.
“Excuse me! Coming through!” She shouted, before finally getting to the front of the crowd.
“Is that the Element of Loyalty?” One mare asked.
“No stupid, she disappeared ages ago.” Another called out.
“Don’t you read the news? She came back. Saved Ponyville from a load of Manticores.” The first one replied.
“Ponies, stop fighting.” Rainbow order, throwing a leg over her bike and attaching her helmet once more. “I am Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty. Does that stop the argument?”
Without waiting to hear their reply, Rainbow throttled up, making sure to take off slowly so as to not catch any bystanders with her blades, before reaching the open sky and opening the throttle close to the max, shooting forward. She was still careful to keep some back though, not wanting to reach Rainboom speeds just before what was already going to be a fairly delicate conversation. Doing it with the war mask on would make it impossible, not to mention the damage it would do to her mind if she put it on again.
Once more, Rainbow sped across the landscape of Equestria, dropping until she was only just above the ground. It was odd, but when she was moments from a possible fiery death and moving at speeds beyond what she once thought possible, she felt more alive than ever.
Quickly reaching the Cawstone Mountain range, Rainbow shot into a valley, her engine roaring as the sound reverberated off of the rock walls all around her. She cheered to herself, only to have the sound snatched away as the wind took a hold of it. This was flying, split second decisions between life and death, throttle up half a percent or down one percent? That would be all it took to make or break a turn, and if she got it wrong, she would no longer be a Swooping Pegasi, but Rainbow Jam.
Shaking her head and letting out a sigh, Rainbow decide to pull up, slowing down as she did so. No matter how much she liked going fast, she wasn’t here for personal kicks. Maybe she could attempt Ghastly Gorge on the bike at some later stage, but right now, she was searching for something, and up here.
“Ah well. At least it won’t be hard to find a pony up here.” Rainbow muttered to herself.
***
Two Hours Later
***
“Stupid stupid stupid.” Rainbow cursed as she scanned Mount Turg for what felt like the hundredth time. “I just had to say it didn’t I? That’s just asking the universe to bitch slap me. Stupid idiot.”
Leaning back in her saddle, Rainbow brought the Jetbike to a halt, removing her helmet and allowing the bracing mountain winds to blow through her mane. She sighed to herself as she lazily looked down, suddenly catching sight of a snatch of turquoise and orange. Double checking, Rainbow smiled to herself. Slowing down may have had its uses after all.
Quickly, she pushed the engines forward, pointing the nose towards the ground, quickly pulling up beside the pony and getting off her bike, coming face to face with Lightning Dust once more.
“Rainbow Dash.” She nodded, not betraying any emotion in her voice.
“We have nothing to talk about.” Lightning said dismissively, pushing past Rainbow. “I’m going to speak to my parents, I didn’t come here to speak to you.”
“It took me a while to find you Lightning, I didn’t come all this way to go home empty hooved.” Rainbow replied, placing herself in front of Lightning and placing a hoof on her chest. “Hear me out, please.”
“Get your hoof off me.” Lightning said, her voice not wavering, but her eyes darting down to look distastefully at the offending limb.
“Lightning, just let me talk. We can sort this out like…” Rainbow began, only to find herself suddenly on the floor, blood pouring from her nose as Lightning brought her own hoof forward.
“Either leave me alone, or go crazy again and try and kill me, but I don’t want to talk to you.” Lightning snapped, looking down at Rainbow. “So if you’re going to get mad, get it over with, because we’re done.”
With that, Lightning walked past Rainbow, reaching a cliff edge and sitting down, staring out across the ravine. Her eyes fell upon a small house in the distance, a small column of smoke rising from the single chimney.
“I suppose I deserved that.” Rainbow chuckled slightly, getting back to her hooves and massaging her muzzle. She could already feel her anger rising, but she forced it back down, not allowing the war mask to surface again.
Slowly, Rainbow approached Lightning, wary for any more attempts to hit her. A single punch was one thing, and no more than she deserved, but any more and she didn’t feel confident about supressing her mask. Lightning didn’t move however, and Rainbow decided it was safe enough for her to lie down next to Lightning, the two Pegasi staring out as they dangled their hooves off the edge of the cliff. Rainbow didn’t know how long they sat like that, not talking, just looking, but it had to have been hours, before Rainbow finally broke the silence.
“About Canterlot. I’m sorry.” She said softly, not looking across. She wouldn’t push it further, not until Lightning decided to speak. The sentence hung in the air between them, creating an even more awful silence than before as Lightning bristled, her body tensing up.
“I know you are.” Lightning said eventually. The normal response would have been ‘it’s ok’, but it wasn’t, and Rainbow knew it. No matter how much Lightning may have been at fault, Rainbow should have known better. She was older, and she knew what she could do, but instead of just leaving straight away, she had decided to show off.
“I didn’t want this Rainbow.” Lightning continued, finally looking over at the prismatic mare. “We were friends at one point, weren’t we?”
“The best.” Rainbow agreed.
“And then I cocked it up.” Lightning smiled weakly. “And look where it’s got us. Me kicked out of the Wonderbolts, and I heard you got a pretty hefty fine. I’m still trying to figure out which one of us is at fault more here.”
“I am.” Rainbow replied. “I could have just flown away after Spitfire had spoken to me, hell, I could have left as soon as I saw you, but part of me wanted to show you up, to force you to respect me, by force if necessary.”
“True, but I was jealous, I got ponies together to attack you for nothing more than my own gain. Not exactly a victimless crime.”
“I’ve had worse. The only lasting damage is because I did a Rainboom, that’s my fault, not yours.”
“You keep saying you’ve had worse, and your face,” Lightning said, laying a hoof on Rainbows face and tracing it along the line of one of the many scars, “what happened? Properly, what’s the full story?”
“I went to war.” Rainbow breathed softly. “My face, my body, my looks, all casualties of the fights I was in.”
“Can you…can you show me?” Lightning asked.
“You want to see the rest of me?” Rainbow nodded. “I owe you that. You can see, then you can decide if you want to know more.”
Standing up, Rainbow walked over to her Jetbike, placing her helmet on the bike, before beginning to remove the armour. First came the back leg guards, which she removed with a slight hiss of air. Next came her front legs, followed by her wing guards and the backpack. Finally, she reached up and pressed her hoof to the gem on the chest piece. With a slight hum, the front of the chest plate pushed outwards slightly, showing a clear fault line around it, which she then grasped at and pulled, removing the final pieces of her armour and placing them by her jetbike, making sure they wouldn’t fall anywhere or damage anything, before turning back to Lightning. By this time, the other Pegasus had gotten up from the cliff edge, walking over and standing just behind Rainbow. Taking a deep breath in, Rainbow reached over to her right wing, slowly prising the bionic from its mooring and drawing a gasp from Lightning, before repeating the action with her rear leg, placing both on the saddle of her Jetbike, steadying herself so she didn’t fall over, before lowering herself to lie on the ground.
“Well, this is it. This is…me.” Rainbow said, looking up at Lightning, before gesturing for her to sit down. “I would stand up, but three legs makes that hard.” She chuckled.
“I had no idea.” Lightning said softly, reaching her hoof forward, but waiting for a nod from Rainbow before running her hoof along another knot of scar tissue. “This all happened in two years?”
“Well I certainly didn’t have these before I went did I?” Rainbow joked.
“How can you be so calm about this? You lost a leg, hell you lost a wing. I didn’t think you of all Pegasi would take it this well.”
“I didn’t, but after talking about it with my friends, I’m coming to terms with it more.” Rainbow replied. “Sometimes talking is more therapeutic than anything else.”
“Do you want to talk about it then?” Lightning asked softly.
“I’ll tell you everything I’ve told the others.” Rainbow replied. “After that, I want to talk about us, as friends.”
Taking a deep breath in, Rainbow began to recount her story once more.
“It all started just after that contest, where I did the Double Rainboom…”
***
“Anira knocked me out and took me back to the ship.” Rainbow finished. “That’s all I’ve told the others, so that’s all I’ll tell you at the moment.”
“I made you do another Rainboom.” Lightning moaned softly. “I’ve probably screwed with your mind loads. If I had known…”
“But you didn’t.” Rainbow cut her off.
“But if I had…” She started again.
“You didn’t know, and you couldn’t have known.” Rainbow said firmly. “But I should of, and I’m sorry for that, being in the Wonderbolts, it must have been awesome.”
“It was.” Lightning said, smiling happily as she remembered her time in the prestigious group. “You have no idea how amazing it was to be counted amongst the best fliers in Equestria, to have proof that you are a cut above the rest. Even if I’m not in the team anymore, they’ll never be able to take that away from me.”
“I can imagine.” Rainbow chuckled softly. “You know they offered me a place, strictly civilian, but still.”
“Lucky, I get into a fight and get kicked out, but not you. Spitfire must love you.” Lightning said, her voice taking on a hard quality.
“Hey, I didn’t ask for it. I nearly turned it down but still.” Rainbow defended. “Listen, I’ll talk to Spitfire, maybe see about getting you in a civilian role like me. How does that sound?”
“I don’t know.” Lightning shook her head. “I don’t even know what I’m going to do now. I thought coming out here would clear my head, but I’ve got nothing.”
“That’s your home isn’t it?” Rainbow asked, pointing at the house across the valley.
“It’s where I grew up.” Lightning nodded. “I haven’t been back here in, ooh, got to be closing on six years. I travelled around a bit, then managed to get a job in Los Pegasus weather management, before going to the academy. I wonder what my parents will say now that I’ve flunked two jobs.”
“Why don’t we go ask them?” Rainbow asked.
“What, now? The pair of us?”
“Yeah, let’s go.” Rainbow nodded. “Hand me my leg would you?”
“You have no idea how odd that sounds.” Lightning laughed, but gently passed the bionic limb to Rainbow.
Slotting it back into place, Rainbow moved it around in the socket a bit, making sure everything was attached properly, before standing up and reaching over to her wing, slotting it back into place.
“Doesn’t that feel really weird?” Lightning asked, watching as Rainbow slotted the limb back into place, but leaving her armour off for the time being.
“Yes, but it doesn’t hurt that much.” Rainbow replied, slipping her hoof guards on.
“It hurts?”
“Yeah well, that’s what happens when you take something off that’s attached to your nerve endings. At some point you’ve got to put it back in a reattach the nerves.”
“I guess that makes some sense, although I’m not going to pretend I understand how the tech works.”
“Who needs to know how?” Rainbow laughed. “Eggheads can do that, I’ll just break it for them, I mean ‘stress test’ it.”
“You bringing your Jetbike? Or getting your armour back on?” Lightning inquired, looking at the machine dubiously.
Rainbow thought for a second, before shaking her head.
“Nah, no point. It’s got a security feature that would stump greater minds than even Twilight, and nopony’s up here anyway. I think it will be safe here. As for my armour, I then wouldn’t be able to say that this was fair.”
With a grin, Rainbow flared her wings and got down into a low crouching position. Nodding happily, Lightning moved beside her, adopting a similar stance.
“What do you say to five times round the mountain and finishing at my house?” Lightning asked.
“Oh you are so going down.” Rainbow shot back.
“Three…two…one…GO!” Lightning shouted, before launching herself off of the cliff, flapping her wings hard as she powered off into the distance.
Grinning, Rainbow leap after her, quickly coming up behind the mare, before slingshoting herself out of her slipstream and streaking past a bemused Lightning Dust. Letting out an indignant cry, Lightning began to push herself harder, drawing level with Rainbow as the two banked around the mountain, Rainbows wing tip almost brushing the snowy peak as they rose. Both of them were good enough fliers to handle altitude, and were intelligent enough to realise that going around the top of the mountain was a shorter route than anywhere else, so this had quickly become a contest of who could stay active at this height for longer.
Lightning held up well, managing to get three and a half full circles before finally dipping, dropping about ten meters as she continued to flap her wings, trying to make up for having to go the longer way around, but Rainbow was not about to make it easy for her.
Rainbow finished her final turn of the mountain, reaching the very top of its surface, before landing for a split second and kicking herself downwards. Holding her wings in close to her body, Rainbow allowed gravity to propel her downwards, slashing through the air and reaching the half-way point just as Lightning finished her final turn and dived after her. Still flapping her own wings, Lightning smiled as a small Mach cone began to form around her, before the explosion of light that heralded her Rainboom erupted outwards and propelled her downwards.
Rainbow roared as she neared the ground, refusing to flap her wings even once as the tell-tale signs of a Mach cone began to form around her. She couldn’t risk setting off her Rainboom, even if it meant losing the race. Lightning neared Rainbow as Rainbow neared the ground, finally flaring her wings to slow herself down as Lightning did the same thing, the pair colliding in mid-air and ending up in a pile of limbs as they rolled to a stop just in front of the door.
“I can’t feel my leg!” Rainbow roared.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. Let me get help.” Lightning said frantically, getting to her hooves and running to and fro as she tried to decide what the best course of action would be, before suddenly skidding to a halt. Slowly, her head turned and she fixed Rainbow with an icy gaze.
“Hey, I can never feel it.” Rainbow said innocently, before bursting out in laughter.
“You…I…I’ll…” Lightning tried, before scowling and placing a hoof on Rainbows chest. “That. Wasn’t. Funny.”
“Speak for yourself.” Rainbow snorted as the door to the house was flung open, an Elderly Pegasus standing in the door frame.
“Alright, get out of here the both of you.” He snapped. “Don’t you know better than…Lightning?” He trailed off as his eyes met those of the turquoise mare.
“Hi dad.” She smiled, moving past Rainbow as she walked up to the Pegasus.
“I haven’t heard from you for years, and then you show up with a mare in tow and fighting on my doorstep? I always knew this was going to happen.” He shook his head, before shouting back inside the house. “Honey! I was right, that fifty bits you owe me!”
“Right about what?” Came a female voice from inside.
“Come to the door and find out.” Lightning’s dad called back, before turning to face Rainbow and Lightning once more. “Sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met. Thunder Strike.” He said, extending a hoof.
“Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow replied, bumping the hoof gently.
“What are you shouting about?” The female asked, walking up next to Thunder and looking through the door, before smiling broadly. “Lightning, and have you been dear.” She beamed, before her eyes settled on Rainbow and her face fell slightly. “And with a mare? Damn it.” She hoofed a small bag of bits across to Thunder.
“Wait, you but a bet on if I would come home with a mare or not?” Lightning asked indignantly.
“Now dear, there’s nothing wrong with it.” Lightning’s mum smiled. “You know we’ll support you.”
“I’m not gay!” Lightning spluttered, looking between her parents and Rainbow. “Rainbow isn’t either!”
“Jury’s still out on that.” Rainbow corrected. “I could like stallions as well as mares. But not us, we’re not.”
“Are you sure?” Thunder pressed.
“Yes dad! I’m sure I’m not gay!” Lightning shouted, her cheeks looking as if they were about to burst into flames.
“I’ll have the bits back please.” Lightning’s mum smirked, taking the bag back, before looking at Rainbow. “Misty Gust.”
“Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow replied with a nod.
“Well don’t stand out there getting cold, come in the pair of you. I’ll brew some tea for the four of us. Lightning, show your friend into the living room please.” Misty asked, before turning and walking back in the direction of what Rainbow assumed was the kitchen, Thunder following behind his wife.
“Still can’t believe it.” Lightning muttered as she walked into the house, Rainbow following her and making sure to shut the door, before joining Lightning in a spacious living room.
“Can you believe that?” Lightning asked incredulously, sitting down on one of the sofas and gesturing for Rainbow to do the same. “They don’t see me for two years and the first thing they think is that I’m gay.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing. At least they were supportive. My dad almost had a heart attack when I told him.” Rainbow reasoned.
“Yeah I guess, but it still sucks you know?” She relented, just as Misty and Thunder walked back into the room, a tray bearing a teapot and four cups balanced on Thunder’s back, and allowing Rainbow to get a better look at the pair.
Thunder was quite large by Pegasus standards, nearly being as large as Big Mac in sheer size, although he had a lot less muscle mass than the farm pony. His jet black fur was offset by the orange striped mane that was cropped closely to his head, matching that of his daughter perfectly. On his flank rested the symbol of a Lightning bolt over a shield.
Misty on the other hoof was not massive, but looked as if she had plenty of muscle mass of her own beneath her turquoise fur. Her long flowing mane was a dirty blonde colour, but was preened almost to the extent of Rarity’s, but still didn’t do anything to obscure the horn that poked out from her head. Rainbow would have like to see her cutie mark, but it was obscured by the jacket that Misty wore.
“Thank you dear.” Misty said, levitating the tray off Thunders back as the Pegasus sat down next to Lightning, Misty taking a seat next to Rainbow. “Now, do you still take it how I remember?” She asked, looking at Lightning.
“Black, two sugars.” Lightning nodded as a cup was levitated across to her.
“Ms Dash?” Misty turned to Rainbow.
“Please, just Dash, or Rainbow, I don’t mind. The same as Lightning please.”
Nodding, Misty passed a cup to Rainbow, before pouring the two final cups and taking one for herself, passing the other to her husband.
“So Lightning, what brings you this far into the mountains?” Thunder asked. “You still working with weather rather than taking a real job?”
“Both of my parents were members of the Royal guard.” Lightning sighed, looking at Rainbow. “They never thought that it was a good career choice.”
“The Guard is the only way to go.” Thunder pointed out.
“What about the Wonderbolts?” Rainbow asked, sipping her tea.
“Don’t tell me you’re another one of those Pegasus’ who fantasises over getting into that team.” Thunder groaned. “Lightning is obsessed with them. I told you, they only recruit from the air force.”
“Shows how much you know.” Lightning sniffed. “As a matter of fact, they do recruit from outside, about two years ago specifically.”
“You mean you got in?” Misty asked excitedly, looking between Rainbow and Lightning with a smile. “Are you both in the team? Is that where you met?”
“You could say that.” Lightning nodded.
“My daughter’s in the Wonderbolts.” Thunder smiled, leaning back. “Never thought you’d do it Lightning.”
“Was.” Lightning said simply.
“Was?” Thunder asked in confusion.
“There was, an incident.” Lightning said slowly, picking her words carefully. “Rainbow and I were friends back at the academy, but we fell out. Then during the final try-out, she disappeared and I got chosen for the team. Then she came back, and…I may have acted poorly.”
“Oh Lightning.” Misty groaned. “What did you do?”
“It was my fault.” Rainbow spoke up. “I goaded her into it, and we had a fight, I was at fault, but she got kicked out. I’m not on the team, so I didn’t.”
“You got my daughter kicked out of the Wonderbolts?” Thunder said, his voice low as he stood up.
“Dad, please…” Lightning began.
“Quiet dear, I’ll deal with this.” Thunder replied, silencing her, before turning back to Rainbow. “What do you do anyway if you’re not in the Guard? No pony has that many scars without a story behind them.”
“Let’s say I’m a soldier of misfortune.” Rainbow said, standing up and walking towards the door. “If you would like me to leave, I won’t burden you anymore.”
“No!” Lightning shouted, springing up from her seat and rushing in front of Thunder. “She’s not the one at fault dad, I attacked her. She only reacted to what I did.”
“Don’t try to defend her dear.” Thunder said softly.
“It’s true.” Lightning shot back. “Plus I don’t think you should threaten Rainbow.”
“She hurt you, and I am your father.” Thunder pointed out. “I think my time in the Guard has left me with enough skills to threaten one Pegasus.”
“You wouldn’t be the biggest thing I’ve had to deal with, but I can see I’m the source of conflict here.” Rainbow said evenly, before nodding to Misty. “Thank you for the tea Mrs Gust. Sorry for the intrusion. Lightning, I’ll be by my Jetbike when you’re done. I’d like to speak with you after you are done here.”
With that, Rainbow walked out of the house, spreading her wings and swooping back towards her Jetbike. Landing, she grabbed hold of her hoof guards, slipping them on, before proceeding to don the rest of her armour. Finally armoured up, Rainbow swung her hooves over the bike, leaning back in the saddle and closing her eyes.
***
“Rainbow. Wake up.” Lightning said, shoving Rainbow lightly as she approached the snoring mare.
Instantly, Rainbow was alert, diving off of the Jetbike and landing on top of Lightning, her hoof raised ready to strike. Slowly, Rainbow let go of Lightning, allowing the stunned mare to stand back up.
“Remind you never to wake you up again.” Lightning said pointedly.
“Yeah, sorry about that.” Rainbow said sheepishly, removing her helmet and rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. “How did the chat with your dad go?”
“He’s pretty mad, but with me now, not you.” She sighed. “I don’t think he’s pleased that I quit my old job either, said I was chasing a dream.”
"But it’s smoothed out now?” Rainbow checked.
“Yeah, I think he’s just gone back to being disappointed that I’m not in the guard again.” Lightning smirked.
“So what are you planning on doing now?”
“I don’t know. Go back to Los Pegasus ad try to get my spot on the weather team. I’ve fifty bits from my parents to spend on bed and board until I can get back on my hooves again.”
“Fifty bits won’t get you very far in Los Pegasus.” Rainbow pointed out.
“No, but it was the bet they had, so I’ve got the money now.” Lightning smirked.
“Do me a favour, come back to Ponyville with me.” Rainbow offered.
“Why?”
“Because I feel like I need some way to make things up to you, and I can’t do that out here in the mountains now can I?”
“It’s getting late out.” Lightning pointed out. “Wouldn’t it be better for me to stay here and come in the morning?”
“Nah, you can stay at my house.” Rainbow smiled, before getting back on the Jetbike. “Now, you coming?”
“I guess.” She nodded, flaring her wings.
“Oh no, get on here. You want speed, I can show you speed.” Rainbow grinned.
Shrugging, Lightning clambered on behind Rainbow, wrapping a hoof around the prismatic mare’s chest as Rainbow leant forward to place her hooves on the controls.
“You have your flight goggles?” Rainbow asked, looking back at Lightning.
“One sec.” Lightning said, rummaging in her saddlebag, before pulling out the thick goggles and sliding them over her head and grabbing hold of Rainbow once more. “Ready.”
“No you’re not.” Rainbow chuckled, fixing her own helmet back into place.
Slamming the throttle forward, Rainbow shot forward, Lightning screaming as they sped off into the distance.
Lightning squeezed Rainbow tightly as the prismatic mare shot across the country, going faster than any living thing had any right to, and making the Pegasus hold on for dear life, for fear of falling off. Right now, she doubted she would be able to overcome the fear that was pinning her wings to her body in time to catch herself before she hit the floor.
Eventually however, the pair reached the outskirts of Ponyville, and Rainbow mercifully slowed her bike down, beginning to circle around as she looked back at Lightning with a stupid grin on her face.
“Still think you’re ready?” She chuckled.
“Nothing should move that fast.” Lightning muttered.
“I’ll let you in on a secret. That was sixty percent power. I can get it up to ninety nine percent before going to Rainboom speeds, and let me tell you, that is fast.”
“You’re kidding right? That wasn’t full power?” She asked incredulously.
“Not even close.” Rainbow laughed, before bringing the bike down towards her cloud home, landing and allowing Lightning to get off, before setting the bike to hover just above the cloud layer and hopping off herself. “Come on” She smiled, gesturing towards the door and holding it open.
“Did you make this or buy it?” Lightning asked, looking around Rainbows house in awe.
“Six of one, half a dozen of the other.” Rainbow shrugged. “Easy to make a house out of clouds if you know what you’re doing, but making furniture is hard, got it from Cloudsdale.”
“Must have set you back a few bits.” Lightning mused.
“A few, but being the head of Ponyville weather has its perks.” Rainbow agreed. “But enough about this, you look exhausted.”
“Not all of us have fancy bikes or tech to help with flying, some of us still have to do things the old fashioned way and walk or fly normally.” Lightning chuckled, stifling a yawn.
“Come on, I’ll show you to the guest room, you can get some sleep here.” Rainbow smiled. “We can talk more in the morning.”
“Are you sure about this?” Lightning asked, following rainbow up the stairs. “I mean, you just came and found me out of the blue, and now I’m staying in your house. I’m not…”
“Don’t worry about it Lightning.” Rainbow assured her. “We can settle our differences in the morning if you really think its what we need to do, but right now, you need sleep.”
Rainbow looked in at the room she was offering to Lightning, smiling as she saw all the various pieces of detritus that were scattered around the place. She hardly used this room for anything other than storage, old posters of past Wonderbolts, flags brought from various flight demonstrations, and other such pieces of paraphernalia.
“Tidy.” Lightning remarked with a coy smile, before walking over to the bed. “Thanks Rainbow.”
“Hey, we stick together remember, from the academy. We had a rough patch is all.” Rainbow smiled.
“A rough patch? Sure, and Canterlot is at the top of a small hill.” She chuckled, before lying down on the bed. “Night.”
“Goodnight Lightning.” Rainbow nodded, before turning and heading towards the entrance to the house.
Reaching the edge, Rainbow flared her wings, before taking flight and soaring out across the fields towards Ponyville. Luna’s moon was already in the sky, watching over the ponies as they slept, but Rainbow had something important she needed to arrange, something only a certain pony would be able to do for her.
***
Lightning groaned as a smile crept across her face, the pony rolling over in the bed she had spent the night in. A sweet smell crept into her nose, pervading her senses and rousing her from her slumber.
“What’s cooking mum?” She mumbled, cracking her eyes open slightly.
“I knew I was older than you but really?” Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Oops.” Lightning muttered, before rolling back over. “Can’t I sleep for a bit more?”
“Wait a second, I know that attitude. Give it back.” Rainbow said indignantly, but she failed to hide the grin that spread across her face. “Come on, get up.”
“Five more minutes.”
“Oh well, I tried.” Rainbow sighed, before walking over to the bed and giving Lightning a sharp shove with her head, pushing the turquoise mare out of the bed and onto the soft cloud-floor.
Lightning finally cracked her eyes, looking up at Rainbow with a disapproving look. She stayed resolutely on the however, folding her hooves in defiance.
“That was rude.” She pouted.
“It worked.” Rainbow replied, sticking her tongue out, before turning and walking towards the doorway. “We’re going into town, I’ll meet you outside in ten minutes.”
“Into town?” Lightning asked, finally sitting up and rubbing her eyes. “But aren’t you cooking downstairs? Seems like a waste.”
“You don’t know me to well if you think I can cook. Trust me, even Sweetie Belle is better than me. Outside, ten minutes.” Rainbow chuckled, before walking from the room and disappearing from sight.
Getting up from the floor, Lightning walked over to one of the mirrors in the room, briefly wondering why one pony would need four mirrors in one room, before remembering who owned this house, and realising that she was probably that there weren’t more scattered around the room. Her mane was a mess, but that was nothing a bit over vigorous rubbing with her hoof couldn’t fix, and soon her mane looked how she liked it.
Ok, so it looked even more unkempt than before, but at least it was her choice now, a mane-style that said ‘I don’t care about convention and will walk around with messy hair’, rather than ‘I just got out of bed and didn’t bother to brush my mane properly’, which while true, was not really something Lightning wanted to advertise to the world. Given the choice, she would always choose the latter option.
Walking down the stairs, Lightning peered into what she assumed was the kitchen, grimacing at the mess that was around the room, all giving off a deceptively delicious smell, but she doubted that anything that looked like what was in there was even edible, let alone palatable. Wet pastry hung from the ceiling while a glass of thick brown liquid rested on the table.
“See, what did I tell you?” Rainbow asked, walking up beside her. “Cooking isn’t exactly my strongest area of expertise.”
“What exactly is this?” Lightning asked, giving the thick liquid a sniff. It didn’t smell bad, but when she stuck out her tongue to actually taste it she found that her belief that nothing that looked that bad could taste good was confirmed.
“Oh that? That’s hay bacon and a few lentils.” Rainbow said dismissively.
“How do you turn hay bacon and lentils into a liquid?” Lightning asked incredulously.
“With skill, that’s how.” Rainbow giggled, before grabbing the glass and downing the liquid. She shudder at the taste, but still managed to finish it, placing the glass back on the table. “Got to get protein somehow eh Lightning?”
“There are easier ways. Ways that won’t rot your inside.” Lightning shot back.
“Possibly.” Rainbow agreed.
“Anyway, so where are we going? You said you want to show me something in town?”
“Yeah, come on.” Rainbow nodded, gesturing towards the door.
“You’re not going to clean up?” Lightning asked as she followed Rainbow.
“Gees, first you think I’m you’re mum, then you think I can cook, now you think I’m going to clean. Do you even know who Rainbow Dash is?” Rainbow laughed, before flaring her wings.
Lightning noticed for the first time that Rainbow had forgone the comfort of her armour, showing her body off in all its scarred toned glory. Rainbow had mentioned how uncomfortable she was with her new look, how she hated it and the looks it drew, and honestly, Lightning couldn’t really fault her for that, knowing that she would hate to look like that. Whatever she was leading her to, it meant something big to Rainbow, and if Rainbow could face it without her armour, Lightning didn’t really have an excuse to back away from it.
Leaping after Rainbow, the two Pegasi soon reached Ponyville, touching down in the main street and looking around. Turning around a corner, the pair laid their eyes on Sugarcube Corner. Rainbow had always thought it looked tasty, and had been meaning to find out if it was really made of sweets, but it never seemed to come up, and she could hardly just go up and bite the cakes place of work without their permission.
“Is it usually this empty?” Lightning asked, looking around at the scant few ponies who were walking around the town, throwing looks their way that were a mixture between being quizzical and fearful.
“No, but to be fair it’s still relatively early and a Sunday.” Rainbow said quickly. “I’m sure ponies just want to sleep in.”
“I know the feeling.” Lightning replied dryly. “I’m guessing we’re going in there?” She asked, pointing at Sugarcube Corner.
“Indeed we are.” Rainbow nodded.
“Let’s go then.” Lightning sighed, before placing her hoof on the door and pushing, allowing it to swing open, revealing the dark interior. “Are you sure we’re supposed to be here?” Lightning checked, turning back to Rainbow.
“Yes, I’m sure, now come on.” Rainbow nodded.
Walking into the darkened room, Lightning peered around, trying to see through the inky blackness, but having little luck, even less when Rainbow pushed the door shut behind her.
“Oh come on Rainbow, now we really can’t see a thing.” Lightning hissed. “What are we even…”
“SUPPRISE!!!!” shrieked a voice from beside Lightning as the lights flared on, momentarily blinding her as she leapt into the air, not seeing the doorbell that jutted out above the her and slamming into it, before flopping back to the floor.
Shaking the stars from her vision, Lightning looked around in shock and confusion at the scene that now greeted her. All of Rainbows friends were standing in front of her, the pastel pink one she remembered as Pinkie Pie was literally bouncing in excitement, while the others had varying levels of enthusiasm as they looked on at Lightning.
Behind them was a host of other ponies, all standing beneath a large banner, proclaiming this as a ‘Welcome to Ponyville and also thank you for not being a meany show-off anymore party’, on what had to be the longest banner Lightning had ever seen. Below it hung another banner, this one proudly stating that this was also a ‘Welcome home Dashie party, and also sorry that this is a bit late.’
“Wha..?” Lightning tried, before she was tackled by a pink blur, finding herself on the floor with Pinkie Pie standing atop her and staring straight into her eyes.
“Hi I’m Pinkie Pie and I threw this party just for you, well, I threw it for Dashie as well, but it wasn’t a surprise for her because she helped me to plan it last night, so I guess it’s a surprise party for you and a not-so-surprised-but-still-awesome party for her.” Pinkie said in a single breath, slightly overwhelming Lightning.
“Ummm. What’s going on?” Lightning whimpered.
“Sorry about that.” Rainbow laughed, flying over and wrapping her hooves around Pinkie, who was still talking rapidly about something to do with having to throw a party for someone she hadn’t seen for years. “Come on Pinkie, we can talk to Lightning without jumping on her, just like we practiced.”
Placing Pinkie down, Rainbow turned to look back at Lightning, a goofy smile spreading across her face.
“Well? What do you think?”
“I don’t know what to say.” Lightning said softly, looking around.
“May I strongly suggest nothing?” Rarity piped up.
The last word Pinkie uttered was drowned out as the glasses wearing DJ moved up the mixing station, levitating a disk onto the turntables and pumping out a heavy tune. Instantly, the ponies who had all been staring at Lightning began to move about the room, pouring glasses of punch or playing pin the tail on the pony. It was an altogether surreal experience for Lightning, the music being more at home at a late night piss-up, whereas the games would have been seen at the a foals party.
Rainbow and the rest of her friends had already made their way towards the dance floor, bobbing in time with the music. Once again, it felt odd to have such a party this early in the morning, but then again this was Ponyville, and from what she had heard about this place, this wouldn’t be the weirdest thing they did.
Walking over, Lightning began to bob and sway to the music, but it wasn’t for her, and she made her way over to the edge of the party, grabbing a glass of punch and a cupcake, before sitting down on one of the many chairs around the room. It wasn’t like she didn’t like parties, but this was all a bit intense. She hadn’t expected anything like this when Rainbow had invited her to Ponyville. Truth be told, she hadn’t known what she was expecting, all she knew was that this wasn’t it.
“So Lighting Dust,” the purple mare that Lightning recognised as Twilight Sparkle began, walking over to Lightning, “how do you like Pinkie’s efforts?”
“A bit much don’t you think?”
“Pinkie is an eccentric one, but she means well.” Twilight nodded knowingly. “I wanted to talk about you though.”
“What about?” Lightning asked in interest.
“You met Rainbow just after she came back in Ponyville didn’t you?”
“We crossed paths there yes.” Lightning nodded.
“And it was the pair of you who ripped up bits of Canterlot with Rainboom’s, correct?”
“Unless the rest of the Wonderbolts decided to do it, and seeing as nopony else knows how to do them, yes. You know all this, why are you asking?”
“I’m trying to work out how you went from that to coming back to Ponyville in less than a day.” Twilight said thoughtfully. “She left us all to go looking for somepony, who I had a sneaky suspicion was you, but I thought she was just going to apologise and part ways. Next thing I know, she’s back in Ponyville and asking us to set up a party for you. Now don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that you’ve made up slightly, but I just wanted to see it from your angle.”
“Truthfully? I made a mistake, she made one, but the pair of us are in the wrong. If she could be the bigger pony and come to me to say sorry, it would have been pretty low of me to refuse her.” Lightning explained.
“So what do you think of her? Now that you’ve stopped your argument?”
“She’s odd, an anomaly in Equestria.” Lightning sighed, looking over to where Rainbow was dancing. “She’s trying so hard to be who she once was, that she’s overshooting it and being somepony new, somepony who could potentially snap at any moment. What do I think of her? I think she has gone through more than we can know, and she’s come back relatively intact. Do I think she’ll stay that way? I worry that she could snap and go crazy. And there wouldn’t be a thing any of us could do to stop her.”
“Do you really think that that’s likely?” Twilight asked.
“No.” Lightning shook her head. “But you asked me what I thought, and I told you. The truth is all we have once we strip away everything else.”
Nodding to herself, Twilight began to wander off once more, stopping to talk to other ponies on the way. Lightning tried to get involved, but she couldn’t find the drive to, and instead slipped out of the house, sitting down on the steps and watching as the sun lazily moved across the sky.
“Hey Lightning, What are you doing out here?” Rainbow asked, sitting down beside Lightning.
“Oh, hey Rainbow.” Lightning nodded. “Just, needed some fresh air is all.”
“Yeah, Pinkie sure can throw ‘em.” Rainbow chuckled. “Since you’re out here anyway, I wanted to ask you what you plan on doing now.”
“You want to ask me this now?” Lightning asked. “You sure you don’t want to go enjoy your friend’s party.”
“Nah, she throws them all the time, but this is important.” Rainbow shook her head.
“I don’t know really. Get a job in weather somewhere? Maybe follow my dad’s advice and join the guard? It’s not too late to join up yet.”
“You could do that.” Rainbow nodded thoughtfully. “A job in weather sounds good though, but where would there be a team with a spare space? I’m not sure the team in Los Pegasus is taking on anypony new.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“Well there is this one town, apparently their captain went AWOL a couple of years back. They promoted a new one from what I’ve heard, but they never got around to filling the spare spot on the team.” Rainbow said casually.
“And would you happen to know this new weather captain personally?” Lightning asked.
“I’d say she does yeah.” Thunderlane smiled, walking up beside the pair. “Rainbow.”
“Lightning Dust, allow me to introduce you to Captain Thunderlane. Thunderlane, Lightning Dust.”
“Wait, so that’s why you brought me here?” Lightning asked suddenly. “You knew about this?”
“I did some poking around earlier, mostly to find out what happened to my old job and found out that there was still a spot on the team. I was going to apply, but then I found out about your situation.”
“Don’t you need a job?” Lightning asked.
“With my skill set I could join the guard quite easily, and remember, I’m still on the Wonderbolts flight demonstration team. You need this more than me.” Rainbow replied.
“And you’re ok with this Thunderlane?” Lightning asked, turning to the black Pegasus.
“Rainbow here vouches for you, and you say you have some experience. I think I could give you a try-out at least.” Thunderlane nodded.
“Very well then, I accept your offer.” Lightning smiled.
“0800 tomorrow, town square. Don’t be late.” Thunderlane said simply, before flaring his wings and taking flight.
“Can you believe he was as much of a slacker as me a few years back?” Rainbow laughed. “Now look at him, running the weather team better than I ever could. I should have let him take over before all this.”
“Whoa, was that you admitting that you aren’t the best at everything?” Lightning chided with a grin.
“Cut it out.” Rainbow grinned back. “Come on, there’s still some partying left to do.
With that, rainbow lead Lightning back inside Sugarcube Corner, closing the door behind them.
***
Hours later, the ponies finally began to leave, eventually leaving only the element bearers and Lightning remaining in Sugarcube Corner.
“Who-ee, this will be one heck of a job to clean up.” Applejack whistled, surveying the mess that had been left behind after the party.
“It won’t take that long.” Pinkie assured her.
“I’m sure if we work together, we’ll be able to get this cleaned up in no time.” Twilight agreed.
“Why do I feel like there should be a song here?” Spike asked, scratching his head.
“But wait, I want to hear the rest of Rainbow’s story.” Lightning said, looking at the cyan Pegasus. “You’ve almost finished it after all.”
“Well, the princesses might want to hear about it…” Rarity began.
“Spike, send a letter to the Princesses, asking them if they will be alright with us finishing the story here in Ponyville.” Twilight said, turning to the young Dragon. “We can clean up while we wait.”
***
“See. It didn’t take long at all.” Twilight smiled as she surveyed the work they had done.
“Fix it up. Yeah it’s all right.” Pinkie hummed, before placing the broom back behind the counter.
“Well done my faithful student.” Celestia smiled, walking into the room with Luna in tow.
“Princesses.” Twilight smiled, dropping to her knees, followed by the other ponies in the room.
“Rise my faithful subjects.” Celestia smiled. “Now, I believe you still have a story to tell us Rainbow.”
Rainbow groaned as she rolled over, her head feeling as if it was about to split apart with the pressure that was building up inside it. It was almost like having a bad hangover, except she couldn’t remember having a good time any time before. Come to think of it, she couldn’t remember much of anything, other than…
She suddenly sat bolt upright, ignoring the pain in her head as memories came rushing back to her. She remembered everything, but in another way, she barely remembered anything that had happened. It was like the memories were hidden behind a bank of dense fog, occasionally shining through in their entirety, before being snatched away once more, replaced with only hazy outlines and half visible facets. All she knew was she had an acute sensation of shame swimming in her mind.
A bead of sweat ran down her forehead as she looked out at the room she was in, hundreds of beds stretching out, each one with a sleeping Eldar occupying it, the one closest to her holding the form of Tar’nek.
“You’re awake then?” Anira asked from behind Rainbow, and the Pegasus turned to look at the Warlock.
“Anira I…” Rainbow began, but was cut off when Anira raised a hand.
“Not here. We’ll talk outside, away from sleeping ears,” Anira said, before turning and walking towards the door.
Rainbow followed Anira out of the room, making sure to keep her hoofsteps quiet as she left the sleeping Eldar behind. Soon, the pair found themselves in a small chamber, the rune of the Warlocks painted on one wall.
“Welcome to my chamber,” Anira said, turning to face Rainbow and indicating that she should take a seat on the bed.
“What happened on Hannibal?” Rainbow asked as she sat down. “I remember fighting through the Mechanicus base, and then getting on my bike, and then…nothing.”
“You don’t remember destroying the Valkyrie on your own?” Anira asked in a slightly bemused tone. “What about what came next, killing the Magos? Or how you very nearly attacked Tar’nek?”
“I attacked Tar’nek?!” Rainbow exclaimed in shock. “No no no no no. I wouldn’t have done that, that’s not me, you made a mistake.”
“You’re right of course,” Anira relented. “It must have been the other blue Pegasus in the attack force.”
“I wouldn’t have…” Rainbow began.
“Not to mention you put the war mask on again,” Anira cut her off, shaking her head and sighing. “If I didn’t know better Rainbow, I’d say that you wanted to destroy your mind.”
“I didn’t…did I?” Rainbow said weakly, resting her head in her hooves.
“Tell me, do you know what caused the explosion of light around you? Anything that could have caused the slip?”
“Wait, explosion of light? Was it Rainbow coloured?” rainbow asked urgently.
“It was,” Anira nodded.
“I did a Sonic Rainboom on a bike, and that’s what caused my war mask to activate,” Rainbow breathed softly. “Are you sure?”
“Am I sure that’s what caused your war mask to emerge? No, I’m not sure, but without running more tests on your mind, I can’t be certain of anything,” Anira shook her head. “With your permission?”
Rainbow nodded, sitting up and closing her eyes. She felt Anira place her hands on the sides of her head, shivering slightly as the cold flesh pressed against her own fur. This didn’t feel like it had the last time Anira had entered her mind, nor did it feel as if she was simply treading the path of the dreamer. This time she just felt like someone else was poking around in her mind, rather than simply watching what she experienced within her own psyche.
“Open your mind to me Rainbow,” the voice of Anira echoed within her head. “Clear it of doubts, focus on Hannibal, the sights and sounds of the planet you knew, not what it became. Show me your Sonic Rainboom, the first time you performed it. Allow yourself to remember the feeling, smell the air on that day, the sounds of those watching you. Recreate the moment in your mind.”
Nodding, Rainbow thought back to that day, the thrill of beating the others not just slightly, but tearing them apart. It was an odd thing to get your cutie mark, something nopony could really describe properly. It was like at that single moment in time, where your flank was suddenly emblazoned for life, you knew exactly who you were. Everything you ever would be or could be was displayed in front of your eyes for the briefest of moments, and you felt at peace with yourself.
Anira suddenly removed her hands, drawing a sudden gasp from Rainbow as it felt like tendrils were being drawn out from around her mind, leaving a void around it that she had not noticed before, but now couldn’t forget. Slowly opening her eyes, Rainbow looked at Anira, her features forlorn as she shook her head.
“I’m sorry Rainbow, but unless I’m mistaken, which I’m usually not, your mind went through the same chemical process on Hannibal as it did when you first performed this, Sonic Rainboom.”
“You mean, doing the Sonic Rainboom, it caused my war mask to emerge?” Rainbow asked, looking crestfallen.
“I saw how much this was a part of who you were Rainbow, but who you were is not who you are now,” Anira grimaced.
“This universe has taken everything from me,” Rainbow said softly, tears forming in her eyes. “It took my friends, it took my innocence, it even took my wing and my leg, and now it’s taken Sonic Rainboom’s from me. What else is there? What else could I lose?”
“You still have your mind, be thankful for that,” Anira said, trying to force a smile. “And you’re still alive. As warriors, that’s all we can ask for.”
“I don’t want to be a warrior, I want to go home,” Rainbow sighed.
“Maybe you can,” Nar’bok boomed as he walked into the room.
“Nar’bok, sir,” Anira bowed deeply, facing the chieftain, Rainbow quickly following her lead.
“Oh rise, the both of you,” Nar’bok chuckled. “Don’t treat me like lord who needs everything done for me. I’m a fighter before a lord. You don’t need to bow every time I fart.”
“What do you mean I may be able to?” Rainbow asked, straightening up and looking at Nar’bok.
“It may be easier to show you Rainbow. Please come with me,” Nar’bok motioned for her to follow him, before sweeping out of the room. Rainbow looked back at Anira, but the Eldar simply shook her head.
“He asked for you, not me. Best not keep him waiting.”
***
“What is this place?” rainbow asked, looking around the room Nar’bok had lead her into in awe.
The room was large, its domed ceiling soaring high above them, and every available surface covered in what Rainbow assumed to be Wraithbone circuits. The circuits criss-crossed around each other, seemingly without purpose who direction, but upon closer inspection, Rainbow saw that they all eventually merged into a single strand, leading into a small stone node. Rainbow had seen something like this a lifetime ago, before she had met Tar’nek, when she had placed Elarique’s soul at rest within the Forest of Ghosts.
“This is the hall of ghosts, a smaller repository of spirit stones for members of Nar’bok,” Nar’bok explained. “Any warrior whose stone can be recovered from the clan is interred here. They are of course still connected to Infinity Circuit, and can be called out by the council, but they can also be called out by the clan. No other clan can access this hall, and none would ever dare, save maybe our perverse dark kin.”
“But, why are we here?” Rainbow asked.
“I’ll show you,” Nar’bok said, striding forward and placing his hand atop the small stone obelisk like node in the centre of the room.
Instantly, a holographic interface sprung up beneath his fingers, and Nar’bok began to work at a ferocious pace, every part of his hand moving as he inputted commands. As far as Rainbow knew, when humans typed, they only used their fingers, but and Eldar was able to make much more subtle movements, utilising their knuckles and individual muscle strands on their palm to speed up data entry. A few seconds after he had started, Nar’bok moved his hand away slightly, a wavy line appearing in the middle of the room.
Rainbow examined the line closer, following its smooth surface and taking in the thousands of small runes that hovered above and below it, showing dates and events on the line, although what the line actually represented was still a mystery to Rainbow. What did draw Rainbow’s attention however were the three spikes on the line, all of them being right at the end, and far outweighing anything that had happened for hundreds of years before.
Of the three, the middle one was the largest, dwarfing the third blip by many magnitudes. By comparison, the first blip was little more than a pebble was to a cliff, and if the rest of the line hadn’t been so smooth, Rainbow wouldn’t have even registered it as an anomaly.
“What is this?” Rainbow asked.
“This is a depiction of the webway circuit of Hannibal.” Nar’bok replied, inspecting the holographic line more closely for a second, before refocusing his attention on the node, manipulating the controls once more, and enhancing the image on the three anomalies on the line.
“This one,” he indicated the largest spike, “matches the date the relief fleet arrived at Hannibal. As you can see, there was a larger than normal disturbance in the fabric of the webway when the fleet emerged into real space, but that can be attributed to the shadow cast by the Great Devourer. This final blip is the last thing we have recorded before the planet was consumed, and shows the fleet retreating, again the signature is larger due to the shadow. It was only by the greatest luck that the world spirit survived. They don’t always live past an encounter with our foes.”
“What about this one though?” Rainbow asked, indicating the smallest blip.
“That one is strange,” Nar’bok admitted, walking towards the line. “As far as I know, no ranger was using the ancient portals, and at any rate, this is bigger than that. The ancient portal on the planet is small, but it is relatively well trodden, so it doesn’t leave much of a signature. This one is like a complete anomaly.”
“When was it?” Rainbow asked out of interest, looking at it closely.
“Let’s see. It happened eight days before the main fleet arrived. Why?” Nar’bok asked.
“Seven days.” Rainbow said softly, mentally counting something out in her head. “Seven days…I was unconscious for one, I thought the Lictor on the third day, it took us a day to get to the battlefield, the battle took up the next day, and I didn’t wake up for another day. Ah you sure about this?!” She asked urgently, moving over to the node stone.
“Rainbow, seven days, I’m sure,” Nar’bok assured her. “Now tell me, what’s…this…all about?” He trailed off, looking out of the door which Rainbow had just disappeared from, leaving a small, almost comical puff of smoke. The data cylinder that had been within the node stone was nowhere to be found.
Rainbow sprinted through the clan’s home, the data core clutched carefully in her mouth as she skidded to a halt in front of her partition in the garage. Quickly pressing the button that revealed her bike, Rainbow grabbed hold of a small bag, slinging it over her back and placing the core inside. She would have liked to armour up fully, but right now she was going for speed, which meant for the first time, she would be riding her bike without her armour on.
Jumping onto the saddle, Rainbow gunned the engines, shooting out of the hanger and across the surface of the craftworld. Her bike’s roar seemed even louder than before, but Rainbow didn’t care about the potential damage it could do to her ears, only that she would be able to get her answers as soon as possible.
***
Equestria
***
“Wait? I could have got ear damage from riding that thing?!” Lightning exclaimed.
“No,” Rainbow shook her head. “My blood was up and I thought it was louder than it actually was.”
“Oh, that’s ok then.” Lightning relented.
“Is that true?” Luna whispered, leaning over to Rainbow.
“Not at all,” Rainbow replied in a hushed tone, feeling slightly guilty at the lie. Then again, she wasn’t the element of honesty, so she could get away with a small, harmless lie.
***
Saim-Hann
***
Rainbow leaped off the bike, galloping towards the doorway to the council chambers, only to be stopped by a pair of shuriken catapult wielding guardians, the two soldiers taking a step forward menacingly.
“Halt. State your business with the Seer council Rainbow Dash,” The first one said.
“I have urgent news and I need to bring it to their attention immediately,” rainbow replied, panting ever so slightly.
“They are currently in session, and without prior notice, none are allowed to enter their chambers,” the second guardian replied simply.
“I need to see them,” Rainbow insisted.
“Not possible pony,” The first one growled. “Fly away now, you come when the council calls.”
“I’m not leaving until I see the council, Eldar,” Rainbow shot back.
“Then you’ll be waiting for a long time,” The second guard snickered, before taking a step back, standing beside the door with his partner in silence.
“Fine then, I will,” Rainbow snapped, before sitting down heavily on the floor and crossing her forehooves. “I’m not moving until I see the council.”
***
One hour, forty two minutes, six seconds later
***
“Ok fine,” One of the guardians eventually relented, walking over and nudging Rainbow with his foot. “I will contact the council, but if they cannot admit you, you’ve got to leave. Deal?”
“Thank you,” Rainbow smiled, getting back to her hooves.
The guardian who had just spoken to Rainbow moved inside the building, while the second one wandered over to Rainbow, looking down at her curiously.
“My partner and I were talking about you. What prompts a xenos to wait for so long to see the Seer council of Saim-Hann?”
“I want to get back to where I won’t be referred to a xenos all the time. I want to be home,” Rainbow sighed. “The Eldar can understand that I’m sure, wanting to have your own world, especially Saim-Hann. That’s why you have a lot of Eldar from here try to fit in with the Exodites isn’t it? Well, a lot compared to the other Craftworld’s.”
“I guess that’s a fair enough point,” The guardian nodded. “But our home is where we are. Our place of origin is not relevant, only where we choose to go together, where we choose to go with those we care about. Remember that Rainbow Dash. My partner and I, we know of your exploits, your home may not be how you remember it after what you have seen with us.”
“It will be,” Rainbow said firmly. “My home is Equestria, nowhere else.”
“The council will see you now,” The first guardian said, walking back out of the building once more. “Follow me please, I will take you to them.”
Following the guardian, Rainbow walked inside the huge spire, its towering halls reminding her of a larger version of both the Temple of the Floating Assault and the Wind Rider clan home of Nar’bok. Eventually, she emerged out into the large, rotunda that served as the central hub of all decisions made on Saim-Hann. If it mattered, it was decided here.
Rainbow had learnt a lot about the Seer council since the last time she had been here, reading up on how it operated, and who each of the Seers were who held the lofty title of councillor. There was the Seer of the Fleet, responsible for everything that happened with the ships, be the military or civilian, and also holding the most sway on matters to do with the webway, always standing to the left of his or her compatriots, while on the far right was the Seer of Ghosts, the man or woman responsible for the spirits and wraithbone warriors that inhabited the Craftworld. Both were subservient to the middle councillor however, the Seer of the Young King. It was him who performed the rituals of awakening when the avatar of Khaine was awoken, and he had final say in matters, and if need be, he could override the decisions made by the other two Seers, as long as he then abdicated from his position immediately. Rainbow only knew of one time the Seer of the Young King had done this in the history of Saim-Hann.
“Seer council. I present you Rainbow Dash, formerly of the Temple of the Floating Assault,” The guardian announced.
“And now of the honourable Wind Rider clan Nar’bok,” The Seer of the Young King finished. “Thank you for bringing her to us Harolg, you may return to your post.”
“Council,” the guardian now identified as Harolg nodded, before turning back around and striding out of the room.
“Rainbow Dash. Set forward,” The Seer of Ghosts ordered once more, leading to Rainbow taking a step onto the slightly raised platform in the centre of the room, bathing in the slightly brighter light that surrounded it.
“You have something to bring to the attention of the council?” The Seer of the Young King asked expectantly.
“I do,” Rainbow nodded, before drawing out the data core she had taken from Nar’bok and holding it up for the Seers to see. “This is a data core, containing information on the webway patterns of Hannibal. Look at it?”
Extending his hand, the Seer of the Fleet took hold of the data core, bringing it to him and inspecting it for a moment, before placing it into a slot on his podium. Instantly, the same line as before was displayed in front of the three Seers, zooming in on the final three blips.
“The second and third blips are the arrival and departure of the fleet sent to rescue Hannibal, made bigger due to the shadow the Tyranids were causing,” Rainbow explained.
“And the first blip?” The Seer of Ghosts asked, zooming in even further so only that was shown.
“That’s me,” Rainbow smiled.
“You?” The Seer of the Young King asked in slight confusion.
“That blip is seven days before the fleet arrived,” Rainbow explained. “I arrived seven days before fleet arrived, I don’t know how, I don’t know why, but that’s when I arrived. Nothing else arrived that day that would cause such a disturbance, not even a ranger. This portal…”
“…is relatively untrodden,” The Seer of Ghosts finished slowly. “I see what you are saying. “Look at the edges of the distortion pattern. See how they are jagged, rather than smooth like all of the other webway disturbances? Something broke through the webway, rather than travelling along it.”
“The primitive webway technology the Necrontyr use produces similar distortions.” The Seer of the Fleet mused, bringing up another webway pattern line beside the one from Hannibal, this one showing a much bigger jagged blip. “This is the webway data from the ancient enemy’s attacks on the Exodite worlds of Merilgrat. They appeared out of nowhere, closer to the planet than even the finest manipulator of the warp would have been able to manage, and at speeds quicker than the technology used by the Tau allows for. They used a Dolmen gate to breech the webway and force their way through. That is why this is so rough compared to the smooth patterns we produce.”
“So you’re hypothesising that Rainbow Dash, using only her own body and the nature of her world, broke through the webway itself?” The Seer of the Young King asked.
“It is possible,” The Seer of the Fleet nodded.
“Then you can help me get home?” Rainbow asked excitedly.
“No,” The Seer of the Young King shook his head. “We already returned to Hannibal, your clan flying there to honour you, but this craftworld will not sanction a mobilisation like this just to return you to your home. I am sorry.”
“Then let me go,” Rainbow insisted. “I can do it myself, that way you won’t lose anything more than is absolutely necessary.”
“Again, we cannot permit that,” The Seer shook his head. “You are bound by all our laws to the clan of Nar’bok and to this craftworld. You may not wander outside it borders on your own, lest you risk being corrupted and returning, imperilling Saim-Hann itself.”
“Rangers roam the galaxy on their own,” Rainbow reasoned, her voice rising as she got more and more irate.
“Rangers walk the path of the outcast. They relinquish ties with the craftworld for the thrill of walking the galaxy unencumbered by the paths we all tread. This path is dangerous Rainbow, I am not sure how long you would avoid the path of damnation.”
“I’ll take that risk,” Rainbow nodded fervently. “If this is the only way you will let me go home, then I’ll take the path of the outcast.”
“Are you sure Rainbow?” The Seer of Ghosts asked. “This is not something to be taken lightly.”
“I’m sure,” Rainbow said plainly.
“Very well. Rainbow Dash, I hereby declare that you shall walk the path of the outcast. It is not our place to condone nor condemn these actions, only to assure that you leave the Craftworld and do not betray it’s trust,” the Seer of the Young King began.
“Once you leave this hall, you shall have one standard cycle to say your farewells, before leaving the Craftworld. Do you accept?” The Seer of Ghosts asked.
“I do, if you will tell me where the linking portal to my breech is,” Rainbow nodded.
“We do not know,” The Seer of the Fleet answered almost instantly. “Portals that once where known to us are now lost. Only the Black Library of Chaos has the knowledge you seek.”
“Then I will find the Black Library, I will walk the surface of the lost Craftworld, and I will return to where I was taken from,” Rainbow said, drawing herself up to her highest height. “Thank you for your assistance Seer Council, and for everything you have given me.”
And with that, Rainbow was gone, galloping out of the council chambers for what would probably be the last time.
Rainbow stepped off her Jetbike as she landed in the hanger of the Nar’bok clan home, looking around at the Eldar who were walking around, tuning their own Jetbikes or donning wargear in preparations for the day ahead. Looking around her own area of the hanger, Rainbow sighed, running a hoof over the armour, still on its stand. The armour had gotten her through so much in the past year and a half, from Chainswords to Bolter rounds, and yet it still remained strong, capable of turning away all but the most hideous of assaults on her. Grabbing hold of one of the leg pieces, Rainbow pulled it on, slowly donning her armour, covering up her cyan fur until only her head remained uncovered, the helmet hanging loosely by her side.
Now armed, and with her sword slung across her back, Rainbow made her way further inside the clan home, heading for the feasting hall. By this time, she knew that both Tar’nek and Juhani would be awake, and even if they weren’t in the hall, someone there would know where they were. She had a few goodbyes she needed to say, a few she could live without, and one who she had to make sure of, before all others. However, that one would be her last port of call, the final thing she did before leaving Saim-Hann.
Taking a deep breath in, Rainbow pushed open the doors of the feast hall, walking into the loud, crowded room as she scanned the tables for signs of anyone she recognised. As always, she got a few odd looks due to her race, and slightly more due to the fact she was wearing armour, which wasn’t the norm in the feasting hall, but she shrugged them off, making a beeline towards a table at the far edge of the hall.
“Rainbow!” Tar’nek beamed happily. “I was wondering where you got to. Anira said you went off with Nar’bok to look at the data we recovered from Hannibal.”
“Yeah, he showed me the Webway patterns,” Rainbow nodded, sitting down on the bench between Tar’nek and Juhani, before reaching for a plate.
“Well, don’t leave us in suspense, what happened?” Juhani asked.
“There was a blip, I took the data and showed it to the Seer council,” Rainbow said, taking a bite of the piece of fruit in front of her. “I’m leaving in a cycle.”
“What?” Tar’nek asked, coughing up the mouthful of food he had been in the process of swallowing. “Leaving?”
“They found it,” Rainbow smiled, “Well, gave me something to go on at least. There was a portal opening when I arrived. If I can just find that thing…”
“Then you’ll be able to get home,” Juhani finished for her. “So where’s the portal? We’ll come and wish you off by it.”
“That’s the thing,” Rainbow sighed, her smile fading slightly. “The council, they don’t know where it is. Only one place has that information, meaning I’ve got to find the Black Library of Chaos.”
“So…let me get this straight,” Tar’nek began, leaning forward slightly, “you’ve found out that you managed to break through the webway, without technology, and without simultaneously burning up from the speeds of crashing through the webway’s walls, flash freezing in the few seconds you probably were exposed to the vacuum of space, and ripping yourself apart on anything you landed on on Hannibal, and now you’re just going to go off and search the webway for the lost Craftworld of the Eldar, the same one that is supposed to be the hardest place to find in any dimension? Is that about right?”
“Umm….yeah,” Rainbow nodded. “When you put it like that, it just seems so bleak. Where’s your can-do attitude?”
“There’s a can-do attitude, and then there’s just stupid,” Juhani pointed out. “Even if you found the Black Library, let’s just say you manage to get to it before you luck out and die of something, what makes you think that they’ll just allow you in? They don’t exactly run tours of the Craftworld after all.”
“I can see it now,” Tar’nek laughed. “’Welcome to the Black Library of Chaos – Adults ten credits, under one hundred year olds go free.’ I’m sure the Solitaires and the Guardians of the Black would just be fine with that.”
“I don’t care,” Rainbow replied bluntly. “I don’t care if it means I’ll die, I don’t care if I’ll starve while searching for it, and I don’t even care if when I get there, they refuse me entry, but I’ve got to try. I’m going home, one way or another, I will see my friends again. I’ve got to.”
“Rainbow, I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but you won’t find it,” Tar’nek pressed, looking straight at the Pegasus. “If you go, you’ll die. Stay on the Craftworld, we can look for a way to get you home together, but not like this.”
“You always knew my time here was only until I could find a way home,” Rainbow smiled weakly. “I don’t know if I’ll get another chance Tar’nek. There’s so much that could go wrong with this plan, but it’s all I’ve got. I’ve got to try.”
“Would saying that this is a plea from me convince you to stay?” Tar’nek asked.
“No, it wouldn’t,” Rainbow shook her head, her voice cracking slightly and her bottom lip quivering. You guys, you’ve been amazing friends, you helped me get through everything, and have put up with my shit for over a year, but I can’t stay here for you. My friends, my old ones, they mean everything to me. I’ve got to find them, and I’ll risk everything I have for that, but I won’t risk anyone else. I’ve got to do this without you guys, if you died trying to get me home…I’d never forgive myself.”
“And what do you think we’ll do when you leave Rainbow?” Juhani asked. “I don’t want to see you go. You’re the only one who can beat me in a sword fight if nothing else.”
“And I’ll always be that mare that beat you when we got initiated,” Rainbow smiled back. “But I can’t let this go, I just can’t. I’m the Element of Loyalty, as in, the most loyal pony in all of Equestria, the only one who can wield it. If I let this opportunity slide, I’m not loyal to anyone, least of all myself, and if I do that, I might as well just give up my name along with everything else.”
“Your heart’s set on this isn’t it?” Tar’nek sighed.
“I’m going, that’s a fact. I just…wanted to say goodbye first. I couldn’t have lived with myself if I just upped and left you two as well. I already did that when I came here, I’m not doing it when I leave.”
“The good luck Rainbow,” Tar’nek smiled, before pulling her into a tight hug. “Just, promise me one thing. If you don’t get in, if you find the Black Library and are turned away, come back here. You can still have your own life on Saim-Hann, start afresh.”
“I know I can, but I don’t want one,” Rainbow smiled weakly. “This place, it’s designed for two feet. I need to get back to a place with hooves in mind. But I promise that if I find it and can’t get in, I’ll come back. But if I don’t find it, I’ll keep looking, even if that means spending the rest of my life looking for it.”
With that, Rainbow got up, smiling at the pair for a final time, before walking towards the door to the hall, sliding it open and disappearing from sight.
“You care about her, don’t you Tar’nek?” Juhani chuckled.
“Yes Juhani, I do,” Tar’nek nodded with a smile, before leaning over and lightly kissing her cheek. “But not like that.”
“Good. I was getting worried I had a rival,” she smirked, returning the kiss with one of her own, before turning to watch as Rainbow walked from the hall, heading back towards the garage. “She’s a good kid Tar’nek. If anyone of us could find the Black Library, it would be her. I mean, when has she ever let impossible odds and the chance of death stopped her from doing anything?”
“Never,” Tar’nek chuckled. “I guess you’re right, but she’s like family to us now you know? One of the last members of the Floating Assault.”
“And because of that, she’ll be fine. Kaliden trained us well, better than most of the Exarchs of the other temples would have done,” Juhani assured him. “Come on, we can go to the hanger to wish her off it that would help.”
“Yeah, yeah it would,” Tar’nek nodded, before getting up from the table and making his way out of the feasting hall, followed swiftly by Juhani as the pair made their way into the main hanger.
Striding down to the far end, Tar’nek watched as Rainbow clamped her helmet onto her armour, sealing herself in, before swinging her leg over the bike. He didn’t say anything, and he doubted that she knew he was there, but he watched her all the same, right up until she shot out of the hanger bay, disappearing into the distance of the craftworld.
“She’ll be fine Tar’nek,” Juhani assured him, placing a comforting hand on his back.
“I know she will,” Tar’nek nodded, before turning, walking back towards the rear of the hanger. “Come on, there’s someone we need to talk to.”
***
Rainbow sped across the skies of Saim-Hann, weaving in and out of the other traffic crossing the Craftworld, drawing some odd looks from the other bikers as she shot past them, being the fastest thing in the skies at the time. Unless the crimson hunters decided to break out their hangers, then it would remain that way.
“Rainbow?” The voice of Tar’nek asked suddenly, coming over her helmet comm with such clarity that she had to double check that he wasn’t sitting right beside her, however impossible that would have been.
“Tar’nek? Is that you?” She replied, slowing the bike down to a crawl so she didn’t risk crashing out.
“It is,” Tar’nek replied. “I know we already said our goodbyes, but I found something that might interest you.”
“What? I only have a day, and I’ve still got to get to the Forest of Ghosts,” Rainbow pointed out.
“I understand that, but if you want to make sure you see everyone you should before leaving, go back to the square where I first met you. You’ll know who you’re looking for when you get there.”
With that, the radio went dead, leaving Rainbow feeling puzzled, before she shook her head and accelerated her bike again, changing the heading she was travelling on. It didn’t take her long to reach her destination, and she quickly set her bike down in a clearing just beside the square, hopping off it and removing her helmet, slowly walking towards the bar.
“Your friend told you then?” Someone asked from behind Rainbow, a voice she hadn’t heard since before she had fought against the forces of chaos.
Whirling around, Rainbow looked at the three Eldar facing her, a frown cresting her muzzle as she fought with emotions that were raging inside her head. She wasn’t quite scowling, but she would be lying if she said she was ecstatic about who Tar’nek had arranged a meeting with.
“Yes Egarion, Tar’nek told me to come here,” Rainbow nodded, before looking at Dorgolmar and Aranel, giving them a curt nod.
“So, you’re leaving the Craftworld then?” Egarion continued, not cracking her face.
“I’m leaving one to go to another,” Rainbow nodded. “I can go home Egarion, that’s all I want to do.”
“So you’re not fighting anymore?” Aranel asked sceptically.
“I didn’t say that did I?” Rainbow deadpanned. “I’ll fight if I need to, and considering the fact that I still need to find the goddess damned Black Library.”
“You honestly think you’ll be able to find it?” Dorgolmar asked with a quizzical smile. “I mean, it sounds like it could be a fun thing to look for, but no one ever finds the Black Library until they want to be found.”
“Then I’ll make them want to be found,” Rainbow said simply. “I’m going to go home, I want to see my friends, my friends that accept me. Not ones who try and tell me that I’m doing wrong because it’s not what they’re doing.”
“Not to lose myself out here,” Rainbow finished. “But what does that actually mean Egarion? Don’t fight? Elarique taught me how to fight, so I doubt it was that. Don’t go looking for home and get lost in the webway? I doubt it, he knew I wanted to get home, Talvan to. No, he meant don’t lose who I am, don’t give into the war mask. I think I can say I’ve done that with a bit of success, considering the fact that I can’t put it on again. I haven’t betrayed Elarique, I’ve done what he said, and now, I’m doing what he would have wanted.”
“You have lost yourself Rainbow,” Egarion pressed. “You aren’t the same as on Hannibal.”
“Of course I’m not,” Rainbow scoffed. “That mare is dead, squashed down by this universe, ripped apart by violence and reduced to ashes by the fires of war, but I’m still here, the proverbial phoenix. I am Rainbow. The Pegasus, transformed.”
“Yes you are,” Egarion nodded sadly. “But transformed into what?”
“We won’t keep you any longer Rainbow,” Aranel added, walking forward. “If this is your last time seeing us, then we can at least depart on even terms.”
He slowly dropped to one knee, bringing him to Rainbow’s eye level, before extending his hand, proffering it to Rainbow. Smiling, she took it allowing her to grip her hoof and shake it gently.
“Whatever happened between us Rainbow, I’m glad to have known you,” Aranel smiled.
“And I’m glad to have called you friends,” Rainbow replied. “I’m sorry that we drifted apart, but some things…some things just won’t happen.”
“True friendship, it’s like a rose,” Dorgolmar said softly. “We never appreciate its beauty until it’s gone, for a broken friendship can be a comma or a full stop. It is up to us to decide which we choose for ourselves.”
“That was beautiful,” Rainbow smiled.
“You know, sometimes I forget that you’re a clever person Dorgolmar,” Egarion chuckled softly.
“Let’s leave it on a comma,” Rainbow smiled, looking between the three Eldar. “I don’t like full stops.”
“That sounds acceptable,” Aranel nodded. “Good luck Rainbow. I hope you find all the answers you need.”
“I will, or I’ll die. There’s no middle ground for me, there never was,” Rainbow chuckled softly, before turning, walking back to her Jetbike. “If I do fail, if I have to come back, I’ll come find you guys. If I’m not going home, maybe we can make things right, keep the sentence going after that comma.”
“I’ll hold you to that Rainbow,” Dorgolmar called, shouting to be heard over roar of the Jetbikes engines, watching as she headed out across the Craftworld.
“The Forest of Ghosts is that way,” Aranel mused. “Think that’s where she’s going?”
“She’s saying goodbye to everyone who mattered to her on the Craftworld. Who do you think she’s going to talk to,” Egarion said with a slight smirk. “Talking to the dead. Anywhere else, they’d think she was crazy or a necromancer.”
“We’re all crazy,” Dorgolmar chuckled.
“Yeah, just some are crazier than others, right Dor?” Aranel laughed.
“Guilty as charged,” Dorgolmar nodded, keeping an eye on the speck that was Rainbow as she descended over the central node of the Forest of Ghosts.
***
Rainbow sighed as she breathed in the unique scent of the Forest of Ghosts, the slightly ionised air smelling not of death as one would have imagined, but rather of a peaceful, Zen like area, not unlike the smell that seemed to cover the statue garden in Canterlot. Everything seemed peaceful here, the worries of the universe being a million miles away from her right now. She just regretted not coming her more often, and for leaving so quickly the first time.
For a long time, she sat on her Jetbikes saddle, leaning back and allowing the whispers of the spirits that resided here to whisper to her, snaking in and out of her ears as she closed her eyes, instead opening her mind’s eye to the forest, just like Makhutar had taught her when she had first begun her training as a Swooping Hawk.
The voices seemed to grow in magnitude as Rainbow looked around the inside of her mind, scowling at the black cracks that were present around the edges, and especially the one that was pointed straight at her, descending from above as if it wanted to reach out and strangle her, which in a way, she supposed it did. If that touched her, she didn’t know what would happen, if she would die, if she would fall to the war mask completely, or if something equally as terrible would happen, but she didn’t want to find out.
Focusing on the voices, Rainbow began to slowly drown them out, reducing the noise in her head, before she finally narrowed it down to two solitary voices, the owners of them quickly materialising in front of her. The last time she had seen these two, they had been much larger, rendered down to souls occupying massive Wraithbone armour, but this time they looked like she chose to remember them, like they had looked when they had first met her on Hannibal.
“Rainbow,” Elarique beamed. “I thought I felt a familiar presence drawing me out.”
“It is nice to be able to stretch out of the spirit matrix,” Talvan agreed, stretching his arms. “A Wraithseer, it’s no place for a warrior to live. Lyanden, I feel sorry for those poor souls, doomed to walk in Wraithbone shells for eternity.”
“It is sad,” Elarique nodded, “But it is also not a concern for the living. Only the dead can know their pain, and it is not for us to burden the living with that knowledge. I am guessing Rainbow didn’t come here just to talk, something is on her mind, am I right?”
“I’m leaving,” she nodded her head. “The Wind Rider clan that took me in, Nar’bok, got word of Hannibal. We rode there, and managed to retrieve the webway data from the node there, meaning I know how I got here. I broke through the webway, and I’m going to get back in.”
“You went back to Hannibal?” Talvan asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise. “I thought you said the Tyranids…”
“Overran it,” Elarique finished with a sigh. “Yeah, nothing we did at Aspoh fields changed everything, but then again, we didn’t expect it to do anything but slow down the swarm. Saim-Hann was supposed to stop it, but even they failed.”
“It was gone, there was nothing there that even remotely resembled the Hannibal I knew, but the world spirit was intact, despite some meddling mechanicus morons,” Rainbow chuckled. “I’m just saying goodbye to everyone, before I leave Saim-Hann, hopefully forever.”
“You’ve made me proud Rainbow, you know that?” Elarique smiled. “So proud, it’s like a father watching his kid grow up when I look at you. You’ve done so much, things that no one would have expected you to try, let alone succeed in. I was on Verbatim VIII, Talvan to. We know what happened with you and the humans, and I’ve got to say I’m proud. Not everyone could seal a warp portal, hell, if it had been anyone else, we might have lost the planet, and then the craftworld. You have no idea how much that prospect terrified me, and all the other souls here.”
“Death should only be experienced once,” Talvan nodded solemnly. “But if that is our fate, so be it, just like your fate is in the Black Library of Chaos. You can find it Rainbow, I believe in you, Elarique as well. Traverse the webway, speak to the Rangers guarding the portal nodes, and you may just find it.”
“Promise me one thing though Rainbow,” Elarique said, placing a hand on Rainbow. “You will avoid the dark node of Commoragh. Evil, vile things, happen in that place. I don’t want to see you there.”
“Don’t worry Elarique, I promise,” Rainbow smiled, pulling both him and Talvan into one last hug, before the trio faded from rainbows mind, the Pegasus opening her physical eyes once more.
Rainbow sighed as she looked around the Forest of Ghosts for the final time, trying to listen for Elarique’s and Talvan’s voices one more time, but hearing nothing. The forest was silent, eerily so, as if the universe had decided that sound was an unnecessary factor in the existence of organics, and so had decided to stop it. She couldn’t even hear the sound of her own breathing as she replaced her helmet, starting up her bike once more and finally, mercifully, she heard something, the engines roaring as she shot off towards the webway portals on the furthest edge of the craftworld.
It didn’t take her long to get there, looking up at the shimmering portals as she stopped in front of the towering buttresses that supported them, keeping them contained and allowing passage through them. These were not the largest ones on the Craftworld, there were bigger ones in orbit, ones that would allow even the largest of ships to enter, but these ones were better trodden, used on an almost daily basis by at least one person or another.
She didn’t know which one to take, or even if there was much of a difference between them, and there wasn’t exactly someone she could ask for help, so she did what she thought was best, relying on solely on her instincts to guide her towards home.
Choosing one of the smaller portals, she positioned herself in front of it, readying herself for the final hurdle of her journey through this universe. It had been a crazy experience, one filled with pain and loss and tears, but at the same time, she had found friends, both in the form of Eldar and Humans, she had had laughs, so many good times. So many good memories. No matter what had happened out here, she wouldn’t have traded it for the world.
This is it, she thought to herself, looking up at the webway portal in front of her, I’m actually going to do this? To leave the Craftworld to look for the hardest place to find in existence? Am I mad?
She chuckled at that last thought, realising the answer would be plain to anyone who so much as spoke to her these days, especially back home. She was mad. Physically broken and completely and utterly mad. Why else would she constantly throw herself in harm’s way, continually putting her life at risk? The madness was always with her, but it was a madness that defined who she was, her one factor that above all others dictated her actions, even before she came to this universe, stretching as far back as she could remember. That madness had a name, one that ponies would use to dress it up, to try and disguise what it really was, but Rainbow now saw what it could lead to, all the good this madness could do. Now she saw the truth of her madness.
Rainbow gunned the engines of her Jetbike, shooting forward and hitting the shimmering surface of the portal, disappearing from the surface of the craftworld for the last time. It was an odd experience, travelling from the physical universe to the parallel reality that was the webway, but her madness kept her going. It was what it did.
Rainbow coughed and wheezed as she flopped back onto her Jetbike, shooting into the webway at full speed. She had used all of her dwindling strength to escape from her latest raid, and she now had nothing left to give.
Taking in another painful breath, Rainbow forced the Jetbike towards her final destination for the night, before her vision failed her for just a moment. In the scheme of things, she only blacked out for a fraction of a second, but that was enough for her tired body to lose control of her bike, travelling at the speeds she was meaning she had no room for errors.
Striking a wraithbone plateau, Rainbow was flung from her bike, skidding across the floor as she felt her face rub raw against the wraithbone. Behind her, bike began to smoke as it threatened to catch fire and finally give out after half a years of being shot at.
It had been six months since she had entered the webway, leaving Saim-Hann in search of the elusive Black Library of Chaos. She had started out with such hope, but all she had got so far was another slew of scars to add to her growing total.
Spitting up a wad of blood, Rainbow grimaced as her newest scars flared up, before she croaked out another few words to the only thing that had kept her sane in her self-imposed exile.
I could save my lonely soul for you, but the feeling in my heart can't follow through.
***
Six Month Earlier
***
Rainbow grinned as she shot into the webway, watching as the blue tinted lights shot by her. She had never actually seen the inside of the webway like this, unlike most of the other aspect warriors or guardians. While they deployed from the ship to the surface through long webway tunnels, Swooping Hawks and Jetbikers deployed straight from the hangers of the ship in low orbit. In fact. The only time she had been in the webway, she had been distraught and wanted to forget about it.
Slowing down, she suddenly caught sight of a towering spire in front of her, the structure made entirely of gleaming white wraithbone. Spying a small landing pad, Rainbow slowed down, intrigued by its presence. She hadn’t expected anything to be in the webway, but she supposed she could use any assistance she could get.
Rainbow slowly slid from her bike, looking around the small pad, before she felt something switch its gaze to her, the fur on the back of her standing on end. Slowly turning around, she caught sight of a glinting scope on the top of one of the spires, before she heard a crackling in her helmet comm.
“Remove your weapons. Place them on the floor and take five steps back. Remove your helmet and place it on the floor. Complete only these actions in this order, or you will be fired upon.”
Rainbow hesitated for a second, debating what course of actions she should take, before a shot rang out, slamming into the ground millimetres from her front hooves. Once again, her helmet crackled and the voice came through.
“That was your last warning. Comply with the orders now or I won’t miss next time.”
Growling softly, Rainbow slowly pulled her sword out of its holster, setting it down on the floor alongside her las-blaster, before stepping back and removing her helmet. Instantly, a red dot shifted itself to be directly on her forehead, before she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Who are you and why are you here?” the Ranger asked, walking in front of her and blocking out the laser dot.
“Rainbow Dash. Pegasus of Equestria,” Rainbow said curtly, keeping a wary eye on the pistol sheathed at the Rangers side.
“A Pegasus hmm?” the Ranger nodded slowly, casting his eye over her armour and weapons. “I can’t say I’ve ever seen a Pegasus before, nor have I seen an alien wearing custom made aspect armour and wielding a human sword. Which Craftworld took you in? Saim-Hann, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Rainbow nodded slowly. “Lucky guess?”
“Educated one,” the Ranger corrected her. “Ulthwé very rarely comes down these tunnels, and never lands on the spires. Other Craftworld’s, especially Biel-tan, would rather have their Craftworld wiped out than offer xenos Eldar tech, most barely want to work with aliens at all. That being the case, only the more, barbarous, Craftworld of Saim-Hann would try something this farfetched. But, that still leaves us with the question of what you are doing here.”
“I’m looking for the Black Library of Chaos,” Rainbow said simply. “They have information on a lost webway portal, and I need to find out where the portal is so I can get home.”
“You? Looking for the lost Craftworld?” the Ranger laughed, clutching his stomach. “Oh, that’s rich. A xenos from Saim-Hann looking for the hardest place to find in the galaxy. Tell me, what are you really doing?”
“Looking for the Black Library,” Rainbow repeated slowly.
“You’re not kidding?” the Ranger asked in astonishment. “Whoa, ok, not what I expected when I got up this morning. Still, I assume due to the fact that you’re here you’ve taken the Outcast path?”
“I have,” Rainbow nodded.
“Well then, it is my duty as the first Ranger you come across to provide you with as many details about your new life as I can.”
“Save it, the less I know the better. All I need to know is how to go about finding the Black Library,” Rainbow shook her head, stooping down and grabbing her sword, sliding it back into its holster.”
“I don’t know,” the Ranger admitted. “I’ve never looked for it, and certainly never found it. I can give you advice though, both about searching the webway and surviving on your own.”
“Go on then,” Rainbow sighed.
“The webway is slightly psycho-connective,” the Ranger began. “It speaks to you, whispers in your mind. If you listen closely, it will help to guide you to your heart’s desire, be it in half a year or one hundred years. Listen, and you shall receive.”
“And surviving in general?” Rainbow asked, grabbing her las blaster and helmet.
“Small scale raids against outer human worlds will keep you fed and watered, just make sure not to attack a heavy military installation. You are one, and as always, humans are many,” the Ranger explained. “But food and water aren’t the only things that will keep you alive out here.”
“And this last thing is...?” Rainbow asked, spinning her hoof round slowly to egg him on.
“Sanity,” the Ranger replied simply. “Being alone in these tunnels for decades, stretching onto centuries or millennia, it can start to weigh heavy on the mind. My advice, don’t go lethargic. Speak out loud, do something to keep your mind occupied outside of combat. Hell, sing if it makes you feel better, just do something.”
“Thanks,” Rainbow nodded, before looking back at her bike. “Sing eh? Anything else?”
“That is all I can give you,” the Ranger said apologetically. “I haven’t attempted your mission, so I have no knowledge of what you will face. All I can say is good luck Rainbow Dash.”
“I never caught your name,” Rainbow pointed out, getting onto her jetbike and carefully fitting her helmet onto her armour.
“I have none,” the Ranger replied over the roar of the jetbikes engines. “I am simply a ranger, my ties to my craftworld gone. Good luck Rainbow.”
“Good luck to you to,” Rainbow nodded, before shooting off from the platform, heading down one of the smaller tunnels off from the spires chamber.
As she flew, she thought on the Rangers words, slowly formulating a plan of action for her search. She would need to stay in the webway a lot, although not indefinitely as she had thought though, not if she was going to get food and fulfil Elarique’s wish for her to avoid the dark port of Commoragh. More than that though, she thought about the third thing he had mentioned to her, and her lips curled back into a smile as she slowly began to sing.
You see me soaring through the sky, I see you below as you walk on by.
***
Present Day
***
Pulling herself shakily to her hooves, Rainbow slowly made her way towards her smoking jetbike, intent on putting the fire out before she passed out for her version of the night. There was no indication of what time it actually was inside the tunnels of the webway, so Rainbow just had to use her own internal body clock, and the readouts from her armour. Right now, her body was screaming at her that it needed to rest, else it would shut down entirely. Her mechanical leg had already shut down to save power, and her replacement wing wasn’t doing much better.
Taking in a shaky breath, Rainbow slammed her hoof down on a button on her jetbike, purging the engines and putting the smouldering fires out, before slowly sliding down to the floor, her back pressed against her bike. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this tired, and she mentally kicked herself for trying to punch above her weight class with that last raid.
Gasping, Rainbow slowly removed her cracked and damaged helmet, dropping it to one side and staring off into the distance and opening her mouth once more.
You can give your broken heart to me.
***
Five Months, Three Weeks Earlier
***
Rainbow crouched low in the long grass just outside of the village she was staring at. She had left her jetbike by the entrance to the webway portal, the vehicle being too loud to pull this off properly.
It had been two week since she had left Saim-Hann, and she had finally run out of the provisions she had brought with her. That meant she was going to have to find some more, and as luck would have it, she had been right beside a small portal to this remote outer rim world of the Imperium when she had discovered her lack of supplies.
Her stomach growled at her, signalling its need to get something edible inside it, and she grinned as she finalised her plan of attack. Nothing lethal of course, these were just farmers and herdsmen, not soldiers, but she might need to tackle a few alerted humans. Killing was out, kicking them unconscious was not.
Slowly, she began to whisper to herself, continuing the advice the Ranger had given her.
I could be sitting here on a cloud, watching the sun as it starts to go down,
Springing forward, Rainbow made it to one of the outlying buildings, pushing her back to it as she began to shimmy around to get a better view of the village. She had been observing it for the past day, and she knew that the food would be in the middle of the settlement. She also knew that the majority of the men, and most of the guards, would be away from the village, fighting against a recently defeated threat to the planet, although what that threat had been she hadn’t worked out yet. All that mattered was now was the time to strike.
Diving out of cover, Rainbow sprinted forward, catching sight of a foot coming round a corner and taking to the skies. The woman rounded the corner, catching sight of the blue blur flying towards her and staring in awe. If she had reacted quicker then maybe she would have avoided Rainbow. As it was, she caught a mouthful of equine hoof for her troubles, and fell to the floor like a sack of stones.
Kneeling down beside her, Rainbow checked her pulse, assuring herself that the woman was still alive, before dragging the body into an alcove in a nearby building and setting off once more.
It didn’t take her long to reach the central food store, and she slipped inside quietly, locking the door behind her as she looked at the cornucopia of food arrayed in front of her. Licking her lips, she set to work grabbing enough food to last her until her next raid, stuffing grain and dried fruits into one of the bags she had attached to her armour for just this reason.
Five minutes later the bags were full, Rainbow securing the tops, before silently slipping from the building and making her way towards the edge of the village. Just as she made it out, a deafening echoed around the still air around her, making her blood run cold. She had heard a roar like that a life-time ago, and it scared her just as much now as it did back then. It would have been easy for her to leave, the scurry away with her prize and never look back, and she almost did that, until another scream echoed out across the still night. This wasn’t an adult scream. It was the scream of a child.
Cursing herself, Rainbow turned around and took to the sky, soaring above the village and catching sight of the thing causing all the trouble, grimacing as she confirmed that she had been right about what it was.
Roaring, Rainbow plummeted towards the ground, drawing her las-blaster and preparing herself to fight, mentally protecting her mind from the war mask, before slamming into the ground, placing herself between the whimpering child and the advancing Genestealer.
Screaming, Rainbow unleashed a pair of shots, one slamming into the creature’s carapace, and the second striking its head, felling the creature easily. Whirling around, Rainbow looked down at the female child, quickly scanning the area for anymore threats, before crouching down.
“Is there anywhere you can hide? Inside?” she asked urgently, getting a shaky nod in reply. “Get there then, stay there until everything is safe out here. OK?”
The child nodded again, before getting to her feet and running towards one of the buildings, tears streaming from her eyes as she went. Rainbow sighed, before turning and taking to the skies, flying low over the ground as she searched for other creatures. That had been a Genestealer, meaning it was likely there were more of the creatures around, but also meant that it was unlikely that there would be a Lictor this time.
‘Unless the Lictor is leading the attack,’ a voice in her mind pointed out, and Rainbow grimaced at that thought. She hated Lictors.
Emerging into the central courtyard once more, Rainbow spied at handful of humans with primitive solid shot rifles trying to fend off a swarming group of Genestealers, the creatures avoiding most of the shots as they advanced. There were only ten or so of them, but that would be more than enough to destroy the village. Luckily for the village though, she had been passing through at the time.
Screaming, Rainbow flapped her wings, propelling her high into the sky, before she unleashed a flurry of grenades into the swarm and dived downwards. The grenades exploded just as she hit the floor, scattering the Genestealers as they tried to reorganise to combat this new threat. Two of their number had just been killed in a couple of seconds, and now Rainbow was in their midst.
Twisting, Rainbow fired a short burst of laser fire into a pair of Genestealers, before slipping her sword from its sheath and diving forward, activating the power field as she hacked at the Genestealers.
It was a bloody affair for both sides, Rainbow receiving her fair share of cuts, gashes and burns from the claws of her enemy and their slightly acidic blood, but she had something that they didn’t have. Training, mixed with one pissed off Pegasus. When the dust finally settled, the Genestealers lay dead, and Rainbow looked towards the stunned humans, panting heavily.
Slowly, they began to raise their rifles, pointing them at Rainbow, but not firing them.
“Really?” she deadpanned, looking around. “You want…”
She suddenly found herself flying unaided across the courtyard, slamming into and through one of the buildings, before slowly pulling herself from the splintered wood and grimacing at the new creature, the massive Lictor slowly advancing towards the humans, the pitiful human shots bouncing off from its carapace.
Pulling herself from the wreckage, Rainbow glanced over at the ground behind the Lictor, the bags of food lying on the ground where she had been when she had been struck, near the slowly encroaching acidic blood of the Genestealers. She had to get those bags out of the way of the blood, but that would mean abandoning the humans.
“Fuck,” Rainbow growled, before pulling herself from the wreckage and raising her voice. “Hey! Ugly! Pick on somepony your own size!”
Instantly, the Lictor turned, its bestial eyes locking onto her and her weapons. It instantly identified her as a greater threat, before it roared, charging towards Rainbow, intent on finishing what it started.
Screaming, Rainbow dived to the floor, grabbing her rifle and quickly adjusting the power setting. She would only have five shots, but they would do a lot more damage. That was if she could hit the blasted creature.
Diving aside once more, Rainbow skidded along the floor, before springing to her hooves and taking aim along the barrel of her rifle, squeezing off a shot as soon as she gauged the Lictors movements.
The laser slashed forward, slamming into one of the Lictor’s claws and burning through, the fleshy appendage falling to the floor as the creature roared, before yet another shot slammed into its other claw, leaving it with only its arms to attack with.
Rainbow grinned, before a beeping in her rifle told her she had miscalculated the power usage of the higher power setting. Grimacing, she sidestepped the enraged creature, before pulling out her sword and hovering in mid-air.
“I hate to tell you buddy, this isn’t my first time,” she growled, readying her sword.
The creature roared again, charging at Rainbow, expecting her to dive out of its way again. Instead, Rainbow did something that any halfway intelligent person would tell her was suicidal, and charged straight at the Lictor, flapping her wings as she held the sword out in front of her, spinning as she headed straight for it.
The Lictor’s eyes went wide as it realised what she was doing, and it desperately tried to change it course, bringing its severed claw stumps up to try and defend itself, but it was pointless, it was already dead, it just didn’t know it yet.
Rainbow slammed into the creature, the power field surrounding the sword easily cutting through the armour of the Lictor, and when coupled with the speed she had been going at, meant she passed straight through the creature, landing on the other side as it fell to the floor, dead.
Glancing back, Rainbow checked it was really dead, before looking at the stunned humans. They were all staring straight at her, a rifle pointed at her in a lacklustre fashion, while the others were simply pointed at the ground, the men wielding them too shocked to do anything.
Rainbow whirled around as something touched her rear leg, bringing her sword up in preparation to strike down at the Lictor once again.
The roar died in her throat as she saw the human girl once more, her tiny arms wrapped around her rear leg as she snuggled against Rainbow. Rainbow looked around in shock as more humans began to walk towards the pair, some slowly clapping, while others simply walked towards her, extending hands to pat her on the back.
Rainbow didn’t quite know what to do as she got surrounded by humans, before finally deciding that she had had enough, flapping her wings once and buffeting the humans with a powerful gust of wind, creating a space around her so she could move once more.
The humans looked at her fearfully, before the girl slowly walked forward again, dragging a pair of bags behind her, which Rainbow instantly recognised.
“Take them,” one of the rifle wielding men said softly, gesturing down at the bags and softly rubbing the girl’s hair. “And thank you.”
Rainbow smiled softly beneath her helmet, before grabbing the bags and attaching them back to her armour. Beneath her helmet, her eyes were swimming with tears at the small gesture, and she slowly slid her sword back into its sheath and crouched down in front of the girl, pulling her into a soft hug, before taking off once more, heading back towards her jetbike and the webway portal.
the only thing missing is you by my side.
***
Present Day
***
Rainbow managed a smile as she remembered that memory, glad that she had decided to stop and help the village, rather than fleeing from it because she could. She still didn’t know why she had stopped to help them. She owed them nothing, and they could have decided to kill her the instant she had stopped being useful, and yet they had helped her, saving her stolen food and giving it back to her. Grimacing as she let out a heavy cough, blood intermixing with her saliva as it splattered onto the wraithbone platform and her own armour, Rainbow slowly leaned forward, lying down on the platform.
Her smile and good memories were soon replaced by tears and the knowledge of her failed mission, and she softly sobbed, each sob sending lances of pain through her ruined and scarred body. She had tried to find the library, she had tried to get home, and yet all she had managed to do was get into the middle of the webway and get shot at. She was dying, there was nothing she could do, no one to help her, and she knew that this was it.
Memories of her friends flooded her mind, and she managed to croak once again, her vision spinning ad beginning to fade.
‘cause you know that I’ll stay with you,
***
Half an Hour Earlier
***
Rainbow sighed as looked over the city in front of her, hovering just behind a bank of clouds as she prepared her plan, her jetbikes engine growling softly in anticipating of her newest raid. This was bigger than any of the other raids she had perpetrated in the past six months, the planet below being a human forge world, but the prize at the end was also bigger. She had heard rumours of the humans unearthing something ancient here, a piece of Eldar technology that they believed was one of their fabled Standard Temple Constructs, or STCs as they insisted on calling them.
This technology, while not necessary for her mission, would help the Eldar race immensely, allowing them to recreate shielding technology that had been impossible since the fall. The Eldar would be thrilled to have that back, and it may just be enough to allow Rainbow access to the Black Library when she finally found it. Softly, Rainbow whispered to herself, psyching herself up for the attack.
I could save my lonely soul for you, but the feeling in my heart can't follow through,
Grinning, she gunned the engines of her bike, shooting forward under the cover of night. She knew that this attack was risky, but she was confident that she could get in and out before anyone there even knew about her. She had killed mechanicus soldiers before, so if push came to shove, she would be able to kill the Magos and get her hooves on…
A shot glanced her helmet, sending her spinning as she reflexively hauled on the handlebars of her bike, before looking down at the thing that had shot at her. It was ugly, a big two seated vehicle crewed by a pair of massive Space Marines, clad in the blue armour she recognised as belonging to the Ultramarines.
Growling, she turned her bike around, shooting back up towards the clouds in an attempt to lose her pursuers, but finding herself unable to shake the landspeeder that was now hot on her tail, snapping off shots from the heavy bolter that was strapped to the front, missing her by mere inches as she twisted and turned. Even over the roar of the engines of both her bike and the landspeeder, Rainbow could hear the voices of the Ultramarines.
“Go left!,” the gunner roared, tracking after Rainbow with his massive gun.
“No brother, the Codex Astartes tells us that when chasing an Eldar, we are to dive first, regardless of our enemies actions,” the other replied.
“If we dive we’ll lose it,” the first one pointed out.
“Brother, are you saying we should deviated from the Codex’s holy text?” the second marine asked in astonishment. “I never thought I would see the day when a noble Ultramarine would blaspheme against his holy work.”
“Do you want to catch this Eldar or not?” the gunner snapped.
“We are Ultramarines, not barbarians like the Space Wolves. If we do not follow the Codex Astartes to the letter, we cannot be the greatest of all His warriors. For we are the greatest of His Space Marines, the Ultramarines.”
“We’re going to lose it!” the gunner roared. “Go left!”
“We are diving as we should,” the driver retorted, before pushing the landspeeder into a dive. “When we return to the company, I will report these actions, and you can follow the example of our noble Captain Ventris into exile. You may even make it back like he did.”
“Pull up you idiot! We’re going to hit the ground!” the gunner roared.
“The Codex Astartes will not steer us wring brother. We are to dive for fifteen seconds, before…”
Rainbow never heard what was supposed to happen after the dive as the Space Marine landspeeder slammed into the ground, erupting into a ball of flames. Rainbow stared in confusion at the wreckage, the two Space Marines within not moving, before shaking her head at the stupidity of the driver. Anyone who followed a books rules to the letter with no actual thought deserved to crash, and were certainly not great warriors.
Unfortunately, the death of the two idiotic Ultramarines had done something useful for the humans, and as Rainbow watched, a pair of vulture gunships appeared out of the city, followed by four Valkyries. The aircraft shot toward her, shots lashing out at her as soon as she came into range and view.
Grimacing, Rainbow turned her bike back towards the portal she had come through, intent on getting through it quickly. She may not have done anything on this raid, but if it was the choice between dying and living, she knew which one she would chose. She had enough food to last her another few days, this had just been because she was cocky, and now she was paying the price.
She let out a roar as a multi-laser pumped a stream of shots at her, most of the missing her, but a few slamming into her side and burning through her armour. It was only by the greatest margin of luck that she wasn’t killed right there, her armour taking most of the force out of the blows. She wasn’t eager to try it again through, and pushed her bike harder, finally catching sight of the portal she had come through.
Glancing back, she saw the craft slowly peeling off from their pursuit, all except for one of the Vulture gunships, its weapon mounts taken up by two massive cyclical cannons, their barrels already spinning, before they unleashed a hail of shots at her.
Rainbow screamed as the sound assaulted her ears, sounding more like a giant piece of fabric being ripped in half rather than a gun firing. The air around her was filled with the bright red bullets, and she was almost thrown from her seat as two slammed into her jetbikes hull, almost making her lose control.
Gasping from the pain of her latest blunder, Rainbow made the final adjustments to her trajectory, desperate to escape the Vulture gunship, before she heard something else firing. Risking a glance back, Rainbow saw a missile from one of the other crafts arcing towards her, traveling even faster than she was going.
Rainbow cursed as she realised that even at this speed, she wouldn’t reach the portal before the missile reach her, and if she tried to avoid it, she would miss the portal and be at the mercy of the Imperium of man, something she was not eager to do this time round.
The jetbike shuddered as another shot struck it, and a massive piece of the wing snapped off, flying backwards as it twisted in the air and caught the wind. The piece of debris slammed into the missile as it neared the jetbike, activating the pressure cap on the front of the warhead, and detonating its payload.
Rainbow felt the pressure wave slam into her, her organs feeling like they had been shaken to pieces even with her armour protecting her. However, the early explosion had given her the chance she needed, and Rainbow shot through the portal.
***
Rainbow cursed herself again for even trying to raid a forge world on her own. Even with an entire assault force, a forge world was next to impossible to take, and yet in her hubris she had decided she could take it on all by herself. Now that same hubris had cost her everything.
She had failed.
She was going to die here.
She wouldn’t see her friends again, any of them, either those in Equestria or those back on Saim-Hann.
These thoughts stayed with her as she slowly closed her eyes, shutting out the blurry figure that moved in front of her. She didn’t care anymore, and she hoped that if the thing was here to kill her, it would be quick.
Opening her mouth, she softly croaked what she assumed would be her final words, the sound coming out as barely anything more than a horse whisper.
Rainbow awoke with a gasp, her eyes instantly snapping wide open as they focused on the smooth lighting above her. It was odd, there was no singular source for the lighting, as if the entire ceiling was made of lights.
Dismissing the odd phenomenon, Rainbow looked around the rest of the room, surprised to find that she was in a large, and comfortable, bed, the sheets pulled up around her, calling her back to their soft embrace. Two years ago, she wouldn’t have thought twice about curling up and going to sleep again, but two years could change anypony.
Sliding out of the bed, she glanced around the room, instantly catching sight of her armour and walking towards it, inspecting its surface. The last thing she remembered was the raid on the Forge World, and she could clearly remember being hit by some very large rounds from the minigun on the Vulture gunship, as well as lasers from the multi-laser. However, now she looked at her armour, she couldn’t see any signs of damage at all. The entire surface of the armour seemed to be gleaming, radiating a soft glow, not to mention the tiny, intricate details that were now inlaid into it. If she hadn’t been looking so carefully, she would have missed them, or simply dismissed them as scratches, but unless she was very much mistaken, those were runes, although she couldn’t for the life of her read them. That meant one of two things. Either they were written in the language of the Dark Eldar, Rainbow shuddered at the prospect that one of their kind had inscribed them, or they were written in the pre-fall language of the Eldar.
“Where the hell am I?” she whispered softly, looking around the room. She had some ideas, but until they were confirmed, she didn’t want to give them extra life by believing them.
Grabbing hold of one of the leg guards, Rainbow began to pull it on, before stopping as she looked down at her naked body. It had been a long time since she had seen herself fully unclothed, the last time probably being when she had got her new cybernetic wing or when she had duelled with Juhani for the honour of joining clan Nar’bok. Back then she had acquired quite a few scars, but they were nothing compared to this.
There was hardly an inch of her that was the same as before, her once gleaming cyan fur now taking on a duller colouration. Scars and cuts crisscrossed her body, ranging from the disfiguring one across her face, to the largest one that spread down her left side, courtesy of a human Chainsword. And then of course, there was her bionics, their smooth surface looking out of place and alien on her body. She sighed as she realised that even if she got home, her friends would probably see her as a monster when she took off her armour and they found out what she had done in her time away.
“No,” she scowled, looking up at the lights with a snarl.
Her friends wouldn’t reject her, not for her looks, and more importantly, it wasn’t ‘if’ she got home, it was going to be ‘when’. She had come far too far to start having doubts now, nothing would stand in her way of finding her way back home. Not the humans, not the guardians of the Black Library, nothing.
Quickly slipping into her armour, Rainbow checked the power charge on her las-blaster. The power packs had been steadily recharging while she had been out, and each one was now registering as one hundred percent ready. Grinning softly, she slipped one into her weapon, activating it and disengaging the safety, before pushing open the door and walking further into…wherever here was.
The corridors she was in quickly widened out into a cavernous hall, and Rainbow was momentarily stunned as she looked around it. The place was massive, stretching on for as far as the eye could see, and then stretching a bit further. As she looked back the way she had come, she was shocked to see the room stretch backwards the same distance, the corridor she had come from nowhere to be seen. It was as if she had been dropped right in the middle of the room, and now she had even less idea where she was than before.
The room was packed with large transparent walls, each one acting as a book case of sorts, and having small pools of yellowish light breaking up the monotony of see-through glass. As Rainbow drew closer, she saw that within each pool of light rested a single object, suspended in mid-air by whatever field the light was projecting. Books, crystals, data-slates, everything Rainbow could have imagined was in one of the fields around her, and this was only a fraction of the size of the room.
Quickly flapping her wings, she tried to get above the bookcases, rising up to try and see over them to find something living. The closer she got to the ceiling however, the further away it seemed to get, the bookcases stretching upwards forever, until she finally had to concede and land once more. Even though she had only gone straight up and straight down, her surroundings had changed once again, and Rainbow found herself mesmerised by one of the pools of light, and the object it contained. It was a perfect replica of the rune she had seen when she had first conquered the war mask, the rune of the Swooping Pegasi.
“Did you find what you were looking for amongst the stasis fields?” a smooth voice asked from behind her.
Rainbow acted without thinking, spinning on her hooves and firing in a single movement. The laser slashed towards the tall Eldar, and Rainbow’s heart froze as she watched its passage. The Eldar did not seem to worry about it however, instead simply raising a hand to intercept the beam. As he did so, he began to roll his hands, forcing the laser bolt into a small red ball of energy, before reverently placing it in an unoccupied stasis field.
“Brash, but expected,” the Eldar nodded smoothly.
“I’m sorry,” Rainbow blurted out. “I didn’t know who you were.”
“I know you didn’t Rainbow Dash,” the Eldar nodded. “We know who you are though, and what you seek.”
“Who are you?” Rainbow asked in confusion, before whirling around and seeing another host of Eldar walking towards her, although perhaps walking was the wrong term. Dancing seemed more appropriate for these individuals.
There were four of them in total, each one of the clearly an Eldar, and clad in gaudy, checked clothes. On their faces were odd masks, their features ever shifting, never staying the same for more than an instant, and Rainbow could have sword she saw the face of Elarique and Talvan flash before her, before they too were snatched away. Glancing behind her, Rainbow saw that the first Eldar had vanished, only to find him standing with the group before her when she turned around.
“We go by many names Rainbow Dash,” one of the Eldar said, pirouetting as she spoke.
“The Guardians of forbidden lore, the speakers of terrible truths,” another nodded, twisting his leg up over his shoulder in a beautiful dance move.
“You may not know our names, and you may not know our faces, but you know us Rainbow, our reputation, and where we reside,” the third one continued, spinning a large gun around his waist in a graceful manner.
“So tell us, do you want to know who we are Pegasus,” the fourth one asked, twirling a sleek sword in her hands.
“Or do you already know what you seek?” the final Eldar, the one Rainbow had first seen, finished.
“You…you’re Harlequins,” Rainbow breathed softly, looking between the figures.
She had heard all about the mysterious warriors of the Laughing God when she had been on Saim-Hann, how they appeared from nowhere on the eve of battle, performing great works of art and entertainment, before demonstrating their devotion to their god in the coming battle. They never stayed long, always disappearing after the battle was done. No one truly knew what they were, but no Eldar would ever seek to earn their ire.
“That is one of our names,” the more heavily armoured one nodded. “We are the troupe of the Laughing God. We have no names, only our troupe name, and my own title. I am The Guardian.”
“Tell us little pony, with the knowledge gained, where are you?” the sword wielding Harlequin asked.
“The Black Library?” Rainbow asked, hardly believing her own words.
“The Lost Craftworld, the Repository of Forbidden Knowledge,” the same Harlequin nodded.
“This is what you have sought Rainbow, searched for for so long. Tell us, is this what you still seek?”
“Yes,” Rainbow nodded slowly, her throat feeling dry as she spoke.
“You have questions, speak,” the Harlequin with the massive cannon said smoothly.
“And we shall answer,” another finished.
“We have answered, and we will answer,” The Guardian nodded. “All is known to us, the past, the present, nothing escapes our gaze.”
“How did I get here?” Rainbow asked, looking between the five enigmatic warriors. “I was injured…I passed out…”
“And we found you,” The Guardian finished. “We brought you here, we nursed you back to health, and we snatched you from the jaws of She Who Thirsts ourselves.”
“Why?” Rainbow pressed. “I mean, why let me in?”
“The Black Library is a test, those who wish to find it must prove themselves,” one of the Harlequins began.
“Some search for decades trying to unlock our secrets,” another continued, “they lie, they cheat, they kill, all in the hopes of finding the hidden webway paths that lead to us here.”
“Others search not for themselves, but for others,” a third Harlequin began, appearing beside Rainbow in an eerily Pinkie-esk manner. “You have given your very body and soul to the finding of our world, not for yourself, but for others.”
“For ones such as yourself, there can only be one eventual destination,” The Guardian finished, gesturing with an arm. “The Black Library of Chaos.”
“Does…does this mean I can go home?” Rainbow asked, smiling broadly beneath her helmet.
“That depends,” The Guardian nodded slowly, before walking towards Rainbow, gesturing for her to follow. The other harlequins seemed to melt away into the library, leaving Rainbow and The Guardian alone.
“Depends on what?” Rainbow asked, hurrying to keep up with the Eldar.
“Many who seek the Library wish to stay in it forever,” The Guardian clarified. “They do not leave once they have arrived, living out their considerably longer lives here in the webway. For those who travel its myriad pathways for long enough, the ageing process is slowed, sometimes indefinitely. I have seen human Inquisitors, on the verge of death and only kept alive by Technology come here, only to walk out without that which once kept them whole. My question Rainbow, is what do you now desire now that you are here?”
“Shouldn’t you already know the answer to that?” Rainbow asked.
“I do,” The Guardian nodded. “And I don’t. The past is well known to me, the present is stretching out all around us, but the future is still uncertain. I can see a hundred thousand possibilities, each future being possible and yet unchangeable. I have seen futures so bleak that they put the present to shame, but I cannot change them, for if I act upon my knowledge, or the knowledge of the library, we can bring about those terrible futures ourselves.”
“I can’t stay here,” Rainbow shook her head. “I made a promise, that I would find the Black Library and that I would go home.”
“Indeed you did,” The Guardian nodded. “But our home is where we are. Our place of origin is not relevant, only where we choose to go, to lay down our routes and make a stand. The place we say ‘no, you will come no further’. Your friend Elarique, where was his home? Was it Saim-Hann, the place where he was born, or Hannibal, the place he gave up his life to protect?”
“Hannibal I guess,” Rainbow replied. “But me, my home is Equestria. It’s where my friends are, and if we’re talking about giving up our life for a place, I would do it gladly. I did when I was training, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
“So that path?” The Guardian sighed slightly, before coming to a halt, looking at the stasis fields in front of him.
Rainbow followed his gaze, looking around the larger stasis fields and the vehicles stored within. There were some that looked positively ancient, more like the old chariots from Equestria than anything Rainbow expected to see in the Black Library. There was one that caught her eye however, and she instantly walked over to her Jetbike, the field fading away as she neared it.
“The portal you seek is here Rainbow,” The Guardian informed her, pointing towards a large wraithbone arch. “It is…interesting.”
“How so?” Rainbow asked, running her hoof over her Jetbike, and finding that like her armour, it had been fully repaired by the denizens of the Lost Craftworld.
“I have walked the surface of this Craftworld my entire life, I am one of the few Eldar save for our Dark Kin who remembers what our race was like before the Fall,” The Guardian sighed. “Before that, I was a historian, and I discovered the wonders of the Old Ones, their power. They created the webway, and showed Eldar kind how to use it. The Black Library was the first Craftworld to be created, springing into existence alongside the webway itself. This portal…I’ve never seen, nor heard of records, of it being activated.”
“What do you mean?” Rainbow asked in surprise. “It looks like it’s working to me.”
“It is now,” The Guardian nodded. “Before this, nothing has been able to rouse it from its slumber. Many have tried, all have failed. And then, two years ago, it flickered into life, just briefly. Now it has activated fully, as soon as you set foot…hoof, on the Craftworld. It responded to your presence as if it was welcoming back ones who were meant to have it.”
“But…I’m nopony special, I’m just Rainbow Dash,” Rainbow pointed out.
“Oh, never underestimate the power of one,” The Guardian chuckled. “One can change the universe, for better or for worse. But I did not mean specifically you, I meant your race, Ponykind.”
“I’m not following,” Rainbow shook her head.
“The Old Ones were powerful beyond measure, able to fight with the gods themselves for a while, before finally being overrun by the Necrons and their C’tan masters,” The Guardian explained. “They created races, they engineered worlds. No one truly knows what they were capable of, only that many of the wonders of the universe are owed to them.”
“So what,” Rainbow pressed, getting slightly annoyed at The Guardian.
“Portals like these, they would only open if the ones they were designed for returned to them,” The Guardian explained. “I believe the Old Ones knew of your kind, maybe even created you themselves. For whatever reason, you do not know them, but the fact remains that the portals are speaking to you. Scans show they lead to one place, to a world deep within the confines of the webway itself, impossible to reach except through this portal, well, until you came through. Worlds do not exist in the webway, but yours, this Equis, flows through time forgotten by the galaxy. More than that though, Eldar believed they were alone in the universe, doomed to forever be the higher species, until we came into contact with you.”
“What?!” Rainbow shouted, taken aback. “But I’m not an Eldar.”
“No?” The Guardian asked. “You read our language, you respond to our metal techniques, you can even interface with our technology. Tell me what other races can do that? Humans? Orks? Tau? None are like us, none but you. I’m not saying you are Eldar, but you yourself seem to share many similarities with us. Maybe you come from the same stock as us, engineered by the Old Ones from the Eldar themselves.”
“But…I…huh?” Rainbow spluttered. “But this changes everything.”
“Does it?” The Guardian asked innocently. “Are you not still Rainbow Dash, are ponies not still ponies?”
“But we may be Eldar at heart,” rainbow pressed.
“Yes, you may be Eldar at the very basest level, but that does not make you any less of a pony than you were before. The Orks were once different creatures, and now they are the brutes you see today. Does their past influence their future? No, they are Orks, not the creatures the Old Ones intended them to be. Your origin doesn’t matter, much like your home, it is what you now do with that information that matters.”
***
Equestria
***
All the ponies stared at Rainbow in shock, their mouths hanging open as they tried to work their brains around what rainbow had just casually told them. This was huge, a possible answer to the oldest question in the history of all sentient life: Where do we come from. This sort of information was what wars were fought over, and now Rainbow had provided a sound answer as if it was nothing.
“I…you…why…” Twilight spluttered.
“Didn’t I tell you earlier?” Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah,” Twilight nodded.
“This does seem like it would be something that would have been the first thing you informed us of,” Luna agreed.
“Really?” Rainbow countered. “I’ve been gone for two years. If I just reappeared and told you all, ‘hey, I know where we came from. We were created by a race of creatures as old as time itself and trapped in a parallel universe known as the webway’, don’t you think that would have been slightly odd?”
“I must admit, it may have been even harder to accept if that was the first thing Rainbow had told us,” Rarity reasoned.
“Exactly,” Rainbow nodded. “So instead I decided to let you find out like I did, in context and nearing the end of my journey. Now you may not instantly assume it’s my crazy talking.”
“Yer not crazy Sugarcube,” Applejack chuckled. “Just a bit…roughed up is all.”
“Thanks,” Rainbow grinned.
“But…this is incredible,” Twilight protested, trying to bring everypony’s attention back to the matter at hoof. “I mean, ponies have looked for answers like this for millennia, even Starswirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever, and they never found anything that pointed to this, and now you’re just saying this like it’s as normal as the weather.”
“Twilight, believe me I was shocked when I heard it, but after seeing everything I’ve seen, it gets harder to get the jump on me with things like that,” Rainbow smiled. “I don’t even know if it is true or not, for all I know The Guardian could have been completely wrong, he did say it was only what he believed. But you’ve got to admit, it does make some sense.”
“It doesn’t though,” Rainbow insisted. “Just like The Guardian said, we’re still ponies, nothing more, nothing less. We just know that we’re not alone, and that we could have a much more complex ancestry than we ever expected, one that’s not even on this planet.”
“I wonder if Discord knew of this,” Luna mused softly. “he has been around for as long as documented history itself in one way or another. He may not have been in charge, but he was there, just as we were sister.”
“Perhaps he does, but we don’t,” Celestia countered. “Discord is…odd. I doubt he would tell us even if he did know. He’d probably say something about surprises, secrets and plans.”
“Well, he’s sealed in stone now, so it’s not as if we can just ask him,” Fluttershy said softly.
“He is sealed away still, isn’t he?” Pinkie asked, eyeballing Celestia, her eye bulging out of her head slightly.
“Of course he is,” Celestia nodded. “Why would he not be?”
“Oh, just a hunch,” Pinkie smiled.
“What sort of hunch?” Luna asked.
Pinkie smiled, before taking in a large breath. “In an alternate universe where Dashie never disappeared and we still remained together Discord was freed because everypony wanted to reform him, but nopony thought they could expect for Fluttershy, and then he was all ‘friendship is magic’ and then twilight became an Alicorn and Celestia and Luna got kidnapped by evil black vines and then we saved them and had to give back the Elements of Harmony to a massive tree, and then a flower popped up and showed us a box with six key holes and all went on a video game key hunt to find the keys,” she stopped for a gasp of air before continuing, “and then Celestia Luna and cadence had to transfer their powers to Twilight just so she could save Equestria.”
She finished quickly, beaming at the others as they all looked at each other with slack mouths, before Rainbow began to laugh.
“Pinkie Pie, you are so random.”
“Yes, random,” Celestia chuckled awkwardly, casting a quick glance over to Luna and grimacing, before turning back to face the others. “But enough of these hunches of Pinkie’s, I do believe you have a bit more of a story to tell Rainbow.”
***
The Black Library of Chaos
***
Rainbow stood in front of the recently activated portal, staring into the shimmering lights that would lead her home. She had hardly spoken since The Guardian had told her about his idea for Ponykinds heritage, and was still trying to work out how everything looked now. So much made sense now she applied this logic to the questions she had been silently wondering about for a long time now. Things like what were the chances of the Eldar language being the same as Equestrian, or why could the mind of a pony interface with the Spirit Matrix on a Craftworld all now made sense. If they shared even a scrap of DNA, then it was possible that they shared brain functions as well.
Finally, Rainbow turned to face The Guardian.
“This will lead me home?” Rainbow clarified.
“It should,” he nodded, looking at the portal. “I never expected to see this portal live, even in my long life. I believe you will be the first creature since the Old Ones were defeated to even attempt to use the passageways beyond.”
Rainbow sighed, looking wistfully at the portal.
“You don’t have to go you know,” The Guardian pointed out.
“What?” Rainbow asked in confusion. “I told you, I want to go home. It’s just…”
“You are worried that you have changed too much,” The Guardian finished. “As I said, you are welcome to stay in the Black Library. We will accept you into our fold if you wish.”
Rainbow chuckled softly, before shaking her head. “Twilight’s the egghead, not me. You want somepony to freak out over the prospect of spending an eternity learning, talk to her. Just…give me a bit.”
“You have all the time you need Rainbow, a decision like this is not to be taken lightly,” The Guardian nodded.
Rainbow took a deep breath, before nodding to herself and walking towards her Jetbike. She was halted when The Guardian stood in front of her, placing himself between the Pegasus and her ride.
“Hey! What’s the big idea?” She asked indignantly.
“My apologies Rainbow,” The Guardian apologised. “It was not my intent to cause alarm, only to offer my advice and opinion now that you have made up your mind to return to where you come from.”
“What advice would that be?” Rainbow asked, intrigued by the prospect of advice from the age-old Eldar.
“Leave the bike, at least for a day,” The Guardian said simply. “If you feel like you are going to have a hard time fitting back in, don’t turn up with everything you have. Ease them into it, let them see that you are still you underneath the armour. Then you can show them so of the other changes. It’s just my opinion though. If you wish to take your bike with you, I will not stop you.”
Rainbow considered her options for a moment, pondering what The Guardian had said. It was true she was worried about not being accepted, and coming back without all of her new toys may help to speed up the process of her friends accepting it was really her. She knew that if the roles had been reversed and Twilight had disappeared, before coming back in a War Walker or something, Rainbow would have a hard time believing that it was her and not some uber-intelligent robot or something.
Nodding, she looked up at The Guardian, moving away from the bike slightly.
“How will I get it then? I don’t really want to come through the webway like before again,” she pointed out.
“I can ensure that it is sent through the webway for you Rainbow,” The Guardian nodded. “If I can, I will try to send a warning signal through first so you can be ready, but sending signals through the webway can prove difficult. The natural warp energies that surround the webway interfere with things being sent through, and on non-physical objects can distort them entirely.”
“Thank you then,” Rainbow smiled beneath her helmet, before turning to the portal. “Wish me luck.”
“Good luck rainbow Dash,” The Guardian nodded. “I hope you find what you are looking for beyond this portal. Always stay in the light Rainbow, never forget that.”
Rainbow nodded, before taking in a deep breath and walking forward, touching the portal and feeling the warm tingling sensation that came with traversing the webway. Inside the portal, she found herself in a narrow, shimmering tunnel, its cylindrical structure leading to only one place. There were no passages branching off from this artery of the webway, and Rainbow slowly broke into a gallop, her mind fixated on the prospect of finally finishing her journey.
Her body hurt, and she suddenly felt tired, but she pushed through the pain, sprinting at the shimmering portal at the end of the tunnel and passing through it, nearly being blinded by the sudden light, before her helmets lens filters darkened to allow her to see again.
She instantly recognised where she was, and grinned as she took in the majesty of the Wonderbolts stadium she had first disappeared from. The stands were packed, and they were cheering something that Rainbow couldn’t see, but she quickly worked out what it was. Slowly, attention began to be shifted onto her, ponies pointing and yelling at the new arrival.
Ripping her helmet off, she allowed it to fall to the floor, her short cropped mane blowing slightly in the wind as tears fell from her eyes. Her smile only grew wider as she watched the entirety of the Wonderbolts Flight team soar over her head, the Mach cones around them condensing and erupting into the Sonic Rainboom she once pioneered. The Wonderbolts veered off from their straight line formation, pulling off an acrobatic manoeuvre that left an image of Rainbow’s own cutie mark emblazoned in the sky.
Laughing, Rainbow began to feel dizzy, unable to stand up unaided anymore as the reality of what she had done crashed into her. She had faced down perils that killed billions, lived through things that drive others insane, and she had found the hardest place in the universe, answering the oldest question in history accidently in the process.
With this knowledge, Rainbow Dash fell forward, slamming into the floor with a soft ‘thud’. If she was still awake, it probably would have hurt, but she wasn’t, her body finally insisting that she get some rest, even as ponies began screaming, five familiar mares vaulting onto the pitch and running towards her.
Well, there we have it. Swooping Pegasus is finally over.
As far as first stories go, this turned out a lot better than I ever could have hoped. Thank you so much for all my readers who stuck with this for so long, there are far too many of you to thank individually, but I would like to thank some people especially for their multiple comments. So, in no particular order, thank you to: Bazing -Fleet Admiral Dash- LtCWest Rainbow87dash FleetlordAvatar Shadow Scryer Brother Malachai revan1801 AccessDeniedLULZ Seriously, you guys are awesome, giving me ideas, telling me my spelling and grammer sucks, and just generally giving me loads of positive feedback.
Anyway, just because this is the end of the story, doesn’t mean this is the last you will see of the Swooping Pegasus. There are darker times ahead, so stay tuned for:
Guess what everybody/everypony/creatures of the deep. The sequel to this story just got approved by the site, hooray. You will be able to find it here: The Descent into Madness
I hope you enjoy this one as much as Swooping Pegasus.
Rainbow Dash has been back in Equestria for four years, but the planet has not been idle. The knowledge that they are not alone has catapulted Equestria forward. Reverse engineered technology has pushed the world into a new golden age. Leading the way in new Arc-tech developments is Twilight Sparkle, her discoveries and inventions seeing use across the length and breadth of Equestria. Her latest invention is set to be the most influential yet, the crowning glory in the Element of Magic’s scientific career. When something goes wrong however, and Applejack is forcibly teleported from the boundaries of the world, only one pony has any knowledge about where she might be. But even she can’t do it alone, not this time. Luckily, she won’t have to. Enter the Swooping Pegasi, and watch their descent into the darkness.
