Author's Note:
Woah! An update? You bet!
I've been wanting so badly to continue this story, but I haven't had the time or the drive to do it, but with the release of Age of Ultron just over the horizon, I figured I might as well continue to establish my own little universe!
Hope you guys like it! And hopefully, the next chapter will be out before another year passes xD
Don't worry, it's already written out, the entire story is almost finished, it's basically just a matter of posting it!
Keep your eyes peeled!
Rainbow Dash looked down at the small town below her. From her height, she was able to make out the grey shapes of several Diamond Dogs. The display in front of her face quickly highlighted all of them and took note of two wearing Saddle Guns on their back. As the repulsors on her hooves pushed her through the sky, she continued to scan the area, searching for any sign of other weapons.
"Alright, Spitfire, what's the word?" She said.
Seconds later, the sound of Spitfire's voice filled her helmet.
"The Wonderbolts have been keeping their eye on this town for weeks. We know that the Diamond Dogs use it to stash a good portion of their weapons, but we never got the clearance to shut them down."
"What's stopping you?"
Rainbow continued to fly in a wide circle high above the small settlement. Zebras and Dogs alike looked like ants dotting the landscape.
"According to our Wonderbolt Intel Balloons, they're using the towns citizens as meat shields. Even our best sharpshooters couldn't get them because they stay too close to the zebras for us to get a clear shot without risking hitting a civilian, too."
"Don't worry, Spitfire. Gimme ten minutes and you'll never have to worry about them again."
There was a pause before Lightning Dust's voice came through the helmet's radio.
"Don't get yourself killed, Rainbow, and don't mess around. This is serious."
"Me? Mess around? Never!" Rainbow said before flying down toward the town at an angle.
"Don't worry, Spitfire. Gimme ten minutes and you'll never have to worry about them again."
Both Spitfire and Lightning Dust stood huddled around the projector table in Rainbow Dash's Boom Room. Before she had left on her first "mission" (as she called it) Rainbow had shown them how to use the machine and even wired up a radio that would allow the pair to communicate with her while she was in the suit. Right now, the projector was focused on a spinning image of Rainbow Dash flying through the air with a small map of the town below her.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Said Lightning Dust, turning to look at the younger mare.
"Look, Rainbow Dash said she knew what she was doing. If that armor is as strong as she says it is, then she should be fine." Spitfire said without turning away from the projector.
Lightning Dust leaned over to the radio.
"Don't get yourself killed, Rainbow, and don't mess around. This is serious."
"Me? Mess around! Never!"
Lightning Dust rolled her eyes and glanced at Spitfire, who still stood over the projector.
"How are you so calm about this? Rainbow could be killed. Aren't you worried?"
"Of course I'm worried. I'm very worried. But if she says she can get the job done, then I believe her. She might be reckless, she might be arrogant and she might be a little crazy, but you and I both know that if there was any one pony on the planet who could end a war all by herself, it's Rainbow."
All her life, Rainbow had been one to take risks, from jumping out of a tree and breaking her leg in an attempt to fly before her wings were fully developed, to building and testing experimental weapons in her own home. But this was different. This was a whole new ballgame. Here, Rainbow Dash faced death. Lightning Dust knew how strong omnium was, and she knew that Rainbow's new toy was virtually indestructible, but there were so many other factors that went into the situation. Was what they were doing legal? What would happen if Princess Luna found out about Rainbow Dash's crusade? What if she ran out of power? A Crystal Charger could maintain a huge amount of power for a long period of time, but it could only put out so much before it died out and required a new burst of energy to restart. What if the computer in Rainbow's suit malfunctioned? What if the Dogs were leading her into a trap and planned to somehow force her out of the suit? There were so many "What if" scenarios playing through her head that she nearly jumped when Spitfire suddenly spoke up.
"Make sure you take out the Dazzler Fireworks to the east, Rainbow. You don't want one of those going off in your direction".
"Got it" came Rainbow's voice through the radio, followed by a wooshing noise that Lightning Dust assumed to be her descending from the air.
Lightning Dust gazed at the dull grey projection of the landscape. Every small detail had been mapped out by a Wonderbolt Intel Balloon earlier, which, when combined with the constant stream of information from Rainbow's suit, gave a live feed of what was going on as it happened. It was an incredible tactical advantage and it provided Spitfire with everything she needed to keep Rainbow Dash updated on her surroundings.
Lightning Dust looked to the floor. Rainbow Dash and Spitfire were the closest she had to family. She had watched them grow up from fillies into the unstoppable duo they were today. When Spectrum Dash died, she had taken up both the reins of DashCo and became the only role model Rainbow had left. Being the eldest of the three, she felt a sort of responsibility to keep them safe from harm, even if that meant protecting them from themselves.
"I'm on the ground, Spitfire!"
"Good. Now engage at your discretion."
"What?"
Spitfire rolled her eyes.
"Beat them up!"
"Oh!"
Lightning Dust turned her gaze to the yellow mare. Before she could open her mouth to talk, Spitfire cut her off.
"I know you're worried, Lightning Dust... just have a little faith in Rainbow. I'm sure she's going to be okay."
"Spitfire?" said Rainbow
"Do you really blame me for worrying?"
"Uh... Spitfire?" Rainbow said, there was a twinge of worry in her voice this time that went unnoticed by either of them.
"I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm saying that you should have a little more faith in her."
"Guys?" Said Rainbow
"We're breaking international laws by doing this, Spitfire. I have faith in her, but there's so much that can go wrong." Said Lightning Dust, her voice growing a bit louder.
"Don't talk to me about what laws we're breaking." Spitfire retorted, the Wonderbolt's own voice increasing in volume.
"So why agree to this entire scheme of Rainbow's?"
"Because I want the stupid war to end! That's why!" Shouted Spitfire spinning around to face Lightning Dust.
The mares continued to shout at one another and didn't notice the growing concern in Rainbow's voice until she finally yelled.
"GUYS!"
"What is it, Rainbow Dash?" Snapped Spitfire.
"I think we have a problem..."
Rainbow Dash watched the machine in horror as it's metal feet shook the ground with each step it took. She could hardly believe her own eyes. It was a Diamond Dog... wearing a suit of armor that looked nearly identical to the one she used to escape the mine.
"T.A.N.K. scan that thing for me" she said, taking a step back from the approaching metal monstrosity.
"Scanning now, madame"
"Rainbow, what is it? We can't make it out on the projector." came Spitfire's voice.
Ignoring her, Rainbow continued to back away from the Dog. Truthfully, it wasn't much of a threat, as its suit was inferior in every way. But the fact that the Diamond Dogs had somehow managed to reverse engineer a set of designs that were not only carefully drawn to hide their true form, but also thought to be destroyed, scared her.
"Scan is complete, Miss Dash. Isolating results and displaying the data in thirty seconds." Said T.A.N.K.
"Peachy." She mumbled, before looking up at the armored Dog. "Alright, you wanna play with the big colts? Lets play!"
With that, Rainbow engaged the thrusters in her hooves and flew at the machine, crashing into the dog and flying forward, pushing the Dog back. Rainbow before suddenly come to a stop, causing the Dog to slam into the ground several feet away. Rainbow hovered in place for a moment before flying directly up in the air and landing back down on top of his stomach.
"Displaying the results now, Miss Dash." Said T.A.N.K.
A three dimensional image of the armor suddenly popped up in front of Rainbow's face and began to rotate. She took a moment to examine the readout, while keeping him pinned under her. According to the scan, the suit lacked any crystalline power source and carried no weapons. From what she could tell, it seemed to be powered by the large engine on its back. Without a Crystal to run said engine, the only way to keep such a machine moving would be gasoline. And if gasoline were the primary source of energy, that meant-
Rainbow was suddenly grabbed from her sides and slammed into the sand. The sound of whirring machinery filled the air as the Diamond Dog stood up on its back paws. Rainbow licked her lips before getting up and raising her hoof. A bright beam of repulsor energy shot out from her hoof and sent the Dog flying backwards.
All Rainbow needed was to get a clear shot at the engine on his back.
Much easier said than done.
She bit her lip and began to think how she would accomplish such a task.
Suddenly, the Dog stood up again and charged Rainbow Dash. With little time to think, Rainbow leaped into the air and activated her hind leg thrusters, hovering in place. She looked down at the dog who simply stared back at her, smiling at her advantage.
Rainbow landed and galloped over to the Dog. She grabbed him with both her front hooves and lifted the titanic metal monster into the air, struggling to keep her hind legs balanced. Even with the incredible strength granted by the suit of armor, Rainbow found it difficult to keep him above her head and felt her knees nearly give in as she lowered the armored Dog in front of her so that so that his back was in a direct line with the Crystal in her chest.
"T-T.A.N.K.!" She barely managed to gasp out as he struggled in her grasp. "Divert all power to Chest Unibeam!"
With that, a blinding, white beam escaped the glowing gem in her chest and caused the engine on the dog's back to explode, the shockwave sending Rainbow Dash flying backwards and into the sand once again. She grunted with the impact and found herself looking up at the sky.
"That was easy..." she panted, before painfully pulling herself up.
"...ain...bow... Dash. -re you okay? Come in! Come in, Rainbow!" she heard Spitfire's voice yell through the helmet's sound system
"Yep." she groaned, still struggling to keep herself on her hooves "I'm alive, but we've got a situation."
"Tell me on your way back. I want you home right now."
Rainbow rolled her eyes "Yes, mom" she said, taking off into the air and flying away.