The Master watched as his soldiers began to attack the East District of Manehattan. The first things to fire were heavy cannons, which effectively leveled three buildings. These cannons were enchanted by strong spells, leaving trails of purple flames in their wake. The cannon shots continued for one minute, and then, the soldiers began to attack.

The soldiers began to sack every building they could get into. They killed anypony they saw on sight, not caring for who it was. The screams and cries of innocent mares and stallions, along with the sounds of crumbling buildings, echoed through the streets of Manehattan. The only stallion the soldiers had to be on the lookout for had only been named once by the Master.

A few minutes into the attack, one of the stallions decided to go have a little fun at the nightclub. He observed as one cyan blue mare with a rainbow colored mane was trapped beneath a support beam. The soldier simply smiled to himself and took aim with his rifle. But, as he took his shot, a white stallion rushed in front of the shot. Before the soldier could take another shot at the mare, another soldier pushed him onward to continue the attack. What that soldier didn’t know was who he just shot.

The Master took a position on a rooftop of a soon to be destroyed skyscraper. He looked out into the burning District, quite pleased with his work so far. This process of cleansing was his greatest success thus far, and things would only get better from here on out. He took in a deep breath and let it out, smiling from under his helmet. Moments later, he was greeted by his first lieutenant, Ice Storm.

“Ice Storm, report,” the Master ordered.

“Master, the attack is going as planned. Casualties have been reported to have already reached numbers of 300 and above. We should have this District completely leveled within one hour,” Ice Storm reported.

“Excellent.” The Master kept his back turned to Ice Storm, but he was quite a perceptive stallion. Ice Storm had spoken in a tone that seemed like he was not finished speaking. “Is there something else you would like to report Ice Storm?” the Master questioned. Ice Storm simply turned his head to a soldier behind him.

“Tell him soldier,” Ice Storm ordered. The soldier bowed his head as the Master turned to both him and Ice Storm. The soldier shivered as the Master stared down on him.

“M-Master. I-I wish to report that…” The soldier couldn’t finish his statement. He was filled with fear, and every word he spoke revealed it.

“Speak!” the Master ordered.

“The s-stallion you wanted to be kept s-safe has been…” but the soldier stopped again. But, the Master didn’t need to hear anymore to know what was going on.

“You mean to tell me that Eagle Eye has been injured?!” the Master shouted.

“It was not of my own doing Master! I was trying to eliminate another mare, but he threw himself in front of her and intercepted my shot! Please Master, understand that I did not mean to do this!” The stallion quickly covered his mouth. Had he just ordered the Master? The Master simply stared at the soldier through his helmet. The shine of the purple eyes provided by his helmet glowed even brighter. The soldier was about to speak, but was cut off by the Master as he charged his horn.

“SILENCE!” the Master shouted, and he blasted the soldier to oblivion. Ice Storm simply looked on at the whole scene, showing no emotion for what had just happened. “The fool! Eagle Eye is crucial for our plans for the future. His skills are untamed and unnoticed, but with the right training, he will become our greatest weapon! Ice Storm, where is he now?!”

“Our scouts report that the mare he saved, along with another cream yellow mare, took him into the sewers. That is as much as I know. Should I have some of our scouts retrieve them?”

“No, leave them. Just make sure that the men do not enter the sewers. Continue the assault above ground. I am returning to base. I want this District leveled within a half hour Ice Storm!” the Master ordered.

“It will be done Master,” Ice Storm responded. The Unicorn stallion charged his magic, and shortly after, disappeared. The Master was left alone. But, before he could leave, his attention was drawn to the ground below. Amongst the hundreds of dead ponies, along with all of the rubble, glass, and fires, two mares stuck out to him. The Master was normally quite perceptive, but with his full suit of armor, his perception was greatly increased. The technology in his helmet made him knowledgeable of most things in his environment. The two mares were holding each other close. They were both dead. The Master knew as much to know that the light blue Pegasus was the mother of the light red Unicorn. The Master simply took his eyes off of the two and teleported back to the base of the Dark Flames of Heaven. And, within a half hour, the East District of Manehattan had been completed destroyed.

Eagle Eye began to stir awake from his slumber. He thought he had been killed, but apparently, he was safe and sound in a hospital bed. How had he gotten here? Where were Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy? What had happened to the city? So many thoughts rushed through his mind, but a new one suddenly formed, one that he couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought about during the attack.

‘Where are my mother and sister?’ he thought to himself. But, before he could think more on his whole situation, the door to his room opened. It was the doctor, along with both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. All three of them were surprised to see Eagle Eye slowly waking up from his one month long sleep. Rainbow Dash rushed to his side.

“Oh my gosh, Eagle Eye! Finally, you’re awake! I thought we lost you dude!” Rainbow said, hugging Eagle Eye. He was a little surprised, but he returned the hug.

“I’m fine Dash, really. Wait… I feel fine.” He let go of Rainbow and observed himself. He only felt a slight amount of pain, even from the spot of his wound. The doctor started to inform Eagle of his condition.

“Well, Eagle Eye, you were asleep for one month after all,” the doctor said, making Eagle Eye drop his jaw. Rainbow closed his mouth for him and chuckled. “We actually thought we lost you. But, what amazed us all very much was that your body managed to heal itself in a matter of three weeks. I was wondering if you knew anything about that?” the doctor asked.

“Well, this actually isn’t the first time that I’ve been out for an extremely long period of time. And, this isn’t the first time I’ve suffered a gunshot wound. I learned a technique for situations like this. Basically, I am able to keep myself knocked out. In doing so, my body is allowed to heal itself at a much faster rate. The reason that the bullet didn’t go so deep was because I tensed the shit out of my muscles, so as to keep the bullet from really passing through me. As you can see, everything I did seems to have worked pretty well.” The doctor simply nodded at Eagle Eye.

“Well, considering that you are in fact in good health, I am considering releasing you from the hospital.” Eagle Eye immediately smiled to hear that.

“That would be nice. I assume that there will be some paperwork for you to do before that though?” Eagle asked.

“Sadly yes. But, in that time, I will allow you to catch up with your friends. This may take a while, and I’m sure you’ll want to know just what happened that night after all. I’ll leave you three alone. I should be back in about a half hour,” the doctor said, and he left the room. Eagle Eye looked to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

“Alright then, what happened?” Eagle asked. Rainbow and Fluttershy looked at each other. Fluttershy simply nodded to Rainbow, and she began to speak.

“Well, Eagle, it was all part of an attack by…” Fluttershy started, but she was cut by Eagle Eye.

“The Dark Flames of Heaven?” Fluttershy nodded. Eagle eye simply sighed.

“Yeah, you may not like this next part. Eagle, they managed to level the entire East District of Manehattan. Everything is gone over there,” Rainbow said. Eagle simply let out another sigh.

“Do you know where my sister and mother are?” Eagle asked.

“I’m sorry Eagle, but we don’t know. You’re father came to see you, but we weren’t here when he did,” Fluttershy said. Eagle immediately perked up at the mention of his father.

“Wait, he came home?” he asked.

“Yeah, but we were just told that he visited, we never saw him,” Rainbow answered. “But, Eagle Eye, I just have to say… thanks.”

“Dash, I’m sure you would have done the same for me. But, in any case, your welcome,” Eagle replied. Rainbow gave him another hug, and Fluttershy did the same. He held the two mares close, feeling their warm embrace. A moment later, Fluttershy decided to step out and give the two of them some privacy. Now that they were alone, Eagle and Rainbow could chat about some personal things.

“So…” Rainbow started.

“Yeah, um… Did we actually say “I love you” to each other?” Eagle asked.

“Uh, yeah, we did,” Rainbow responded.

“And you meant it?”

“Only if you did Eagle.” He looked into her eyes as she smiled softly at him. He pulled her in close and kissed her on the lips. The kiss was warm and loving, and they both savored every moment of it. Finally breaking the kiss, Rainbow was in complete shock, but Eagle Eye just smirked at her.

“Does that answer your question?” he asked, chuckling a bit. She was now blushing a bright shade of red, but she smiled back at him.

“Yeah, heh, I guess it does. Thanks Eagle Eye,” she said.

“No problem Dash. So, um, does this mean we’re a thing again?” he asked.

“Well, yeah, if you want us to be?” she responded. He simply smiled and nodded. She did the same, and once again, they kissed.

Eagle Eye was let out of the hospital a while after his moment with Rainbow Dash. They both filled Fluttershy in on what had happened between the two of them. She was so happy for the both of them. Her best friend had finally found love again. Eagle Eye was just as happy as Fluttershy, if not happier. He had finally reunited with the mare of his dreams. Rainbow Dash had always been the perfect mare for him, and now, she was his once again. Nothing could ruin this moment.

Eagle Eye walked out of the hospital, not even requiring any assistance in doing so. To his own surprise, he was greeted by his father. He was smiling at his fully recovered son. Eagle Eye ran up to Fire Streak and was greeted by a warm hug. It felt good knowing that his father was there for him.

“I’m so glad you’re alright son. I don’t know what I would have done if I had lost you too,” Fire Streak said. He then realized what he had said. Eagle Eye noticed too, and he let go of his father. Fire Streak looked at his son with a heavy heart.

“What do you mean?” Eagle asked. He started to look around. “Where’s Mom, and Ruby?” When Fire Streak didn’t answer, Eagle Eye knew what had happened. “N-No… No… NO! Dad, don’t tell me that they’re gone!” Fire Streak only looked at his son with tear filled eyes. Eagle Eye broke down into a tear filled mess seconds later. He and his father held each other close and cried. “Mom… Ruby… they’re really gone?” Eagle asked through his tears.

“I… I’m sorry son,” Fire Streak responded. All that Eagle Eye could do was cry his heart out. He heard from behind him that both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had started to cry to. But Eagle didn’t turn to face them. He just held his father close and cried. That was all he could do.

Author's Notes:

This is just a short chapter to give you a sense of darkness to the story. I didn't mean to rush this at all, it was just easy for me to write up. I felt like breaking the flow a bit with a little sadness. Why do you think I tried to build up the relationships between Eagle Eye and his family so much?

Also, please enjoy the song that I have linked in the chapter title. I think if fits pretty well, don't you think?