Rainbow Hope (a 'MLPFiM' fic)

Disc.: Hasbro and Lauren Faust own this series…I only own fics like this one.

A/N: So, since my 'Legend of Spyro' crossover series is finished, I can focus on other projects like this one. This one will take place during the Season 5 finale episodes of 'MLPFiM', and the summary will explain the rest.

Summary: Twilight is doing her best to escape from the timelines she's sent to and stop Starlight Glimmer, but now she has a new task to add to her mission: help Celestia and Sombra's daughter. Will she be able to keep the promise Celestia asked of her and make sure Solomeia is given a better life?

*"Talking"

*'Thoughts/Memories'

*'Song Lyrics'

Ch.1- Red Equestrian Skies

When Starlight first told Twilight she was gonna be in for the surprise of her life, the lavender Alicorn Princess had no idea that being sent to a different time was what she was implying. Everything was different, and not in a good way.

In fact, everything she knew was different in the worst way possible.

First of all, her castle was missing.

Second, the castle map showed that the Crystal Empire covered roughly 65% of Equestria.

Third, they were at war with King Sombra.

And finally, her friends weren't friends at all…nor did they even know who she was.

Now, Twilight and Spike were stuck in a horrific future and working to help the injured ponies who were fighting in the war by healing their injuries and providing other types of first aid as Applejack kept supplying countless cans of apple paste to feed the troops on the battlefield.

"So, let me ask you something Applejack. What happened to Equestria?"

The orange farm pony turned to the lavender Alicorn Princess and her dragon companion, her expression somber as she recalled what exactly happened.

"Well, it sure wasn't anything good, I'll tell ya that much. When the Crystal Empire came back after its' thousand year curse ended, Sombra came back with it. He wasted no time in turning all his subjects into soldiers to fight against Princess Celestia, and even with her leading us into battle, the war still rages on. The only good thing that came of this is that King Sombra's soldiers are starting to become reduced in number, but we still haven't found a way to take him down for good."

Twilight was definitely not expecting to hear that Sombra came back and had waged war on all of Equestria…but there was something that she still didn't understand.

"What happened to Princess Celestia?"

Applejack looked at Twilight with eyes wet with unshed tears as she looked away for a moment before explaining the rest of the situation.

"Well, that's the one thing that puzzles all of us…we don't know where she is. From what I was told by Admiral Maud on one of her rare briefing stops here in Ponyville, Celestia disappeared shortly after confronting Sombra directly. It was also a week afterwards that we found out Sombra took a Queen."

"A Queen?"

"Yup. We don't know much about her, except she hides her face with a mask and supervises the invading forces…other than that, nopony knows her exact role in the war. Whatever she does, we have yet to know what her true role will be."

Before Twilight could ask anymore questions, Apple Bloom ran up to the two fillies with panic in her eyes as she spoke to her older sister.

"Applejack, the troops are coming for their inspection again!"

"Damn it all to Tartarus, why now of all times?"

"They said that something happened at the edge of the Everfree Forest…some sort of weird magic spike that caused an anomaly to occur, and now they think we're hiding a magic user from the battle."

"What sort of anomaly, Apple Bloom?"

"Well, I don't really know much about magic, but they think it was Time Travel magic. They want to inspect the town to make sure nopony that powerful is just hiding out to avoid the war."

Applejack turned to glare at Twilight, the orange farm pony feeling betrayed by the lavender Alicorn Princess.

"Was that your doing? Did you use Time Travel magic to make all this happen?!"

"No! I would never willingly use magic to hurt anypony…a unicorn named Starlight Glimmer sent me and Spike here after doing something from the time we come from, and changed something in the past to make this future. I don't know what exactly she did, but it wasn't good."

The two Apple sisters started whispering amongst themselves about what they should do, Spike becoming concerned for their wellbeing.

"Twilight, what do you think they'll do to us?"

"I don't know, Spike, but I hope it's nothing horrible."

After another minute of speaking amongst themselves, Apple Bloom and Applejack turned to look at the lavender Alicorn Princess and her dragon companion again…their faces serious but their eyes faintly burning with hope for a better future as the orange farm pony spoke to Twilight.

"If you're telling the truth, and you better hope that you are…maybe you can help us."

Both Twilight and Spike looked at each other briefly before answering Applejack.

"Help you? How?"

"Those troops will be here any minute, and they need to know what you told us. Explain everything about who ya'll are, and they'll probably tell you what you can do to help us."

As Twilight attempted to speak to Applejack, their attention was turned towards the sounds of hoofsteps coming their way. Leading the troops was Scootaloo, but she looked drastically different than how Twilight was used to seeing her. Her magenta mane and tail were both cut short and her eyes blazed with hatred for Sombra, her light orange coat covered by a camo army uniform and scars were present on her exposed neck and face; her ears had the tips either bitten or torn off, but the most jarring and depressing change was to her wings.

One of them was missing and the other one was broken, the bandages covering it caked in dried blood and the feathers were bent out of shape…evidence that she'd survived many battles in the war she was part of.

"Scootaloo?"

"That's General Scootaloo to you, ma'am. State your business right now, or else you'll be court martialed!"

The soldiers with her held their spears towards the lavender Alicorn Princess and her friend, both of them wishing that they were back in their own timeline.

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T.B.C.- Well, this is off to a good start. The next one will be along soon.