Crimson Skies Kyuketsuki never felt so much terror in she ever had in her life than she did at this very moment and time. For a mare that was pretty easily frightened and scared it came as to no surprise that she was. When she had first signed up to be a member of the Shadowbolts, she had expected the training and the areas she’d do so would look pretty petrifying. Though they were far kinder and easy going than the Wonderbolts were, that did not make her sweet and gentle Captain any less intimidating. Nor did it make the sessions they had in honing her abilities feel any less of a fly through Tartarus, which is exaclty what it felt like. Alas, Crimson would admit that it did help her in the end, and it prepared her rather well for the missions that she and the others would take, mainly during the nighttime.

Despite all of the scary things that Crimson had seen during her time as a Shadowbolt, none of it could’ve prepared her for what was happening now. Nor would they prepare the poor filly for the life-threatening battle that was soon to come with the three monstrous stallions in front of her, along with the rest of their army.

“Heh, what’s the matter? Feeling too scared to throw down with a bunch of hot pieces of stallions like us?”Deathwing asked, grinning toothily at the shaking mare. “Or is that you’re so captivated by our appearance that you don’t know how to take it? Maybe you wanna throw down with us in another way?”

“How about none of the above, you damn perverts.” Fleetfoot said coldly, the flaring of both of her wings snapping Crimson out of her stupor. “If you think that we’re going to be going down easy, then you really need us to knock some sense into you. And given the situation at hoof, I think now is the appropriate time for us to do just that!”

“That makes four of us!” Soarin nodded, an emerald green aura surrounding his body. “The fact may stand that only one of you can fly, but that doesn’t make you any less dangerous! We can feel it just from feeling your power, and we’re not gonna holding back!”

“That’s right, and in case you haven’t heard…” Spitfire added, flaring her wings as flames began to appear. “If you play with fire, you’re going to get burnt! Which is exactly what’s gonna to happen to you, you blood sucking shitty abominations of hell!”

‘What in the buck is wrong with her?!’ Crimson thought, looking at the mare in disbelief. ‘Is she trying to provoke them into ripping off our wings, and having their way with us?! Or does she have that big of a death wish?!’

“Heh, I can see the fire on those eyes of yours…we love that in my victims. Especially when we’re going to break them and make them ours.” Deathhoofchuckled, flicking his powerful tail as he stomped his hoof. “So, you think that you can handle all three of us, and our entire army of badass Nightmares?”

“We may not be able to handle your entire army in these states at least, but however many of you we can take down is however less these ponies have to worry about.” Soarin replied as he flared his own wings. “And that’s good enough for us if it means keeping these ponies safe up until the rest of our troops arrive.”

“I believe we can go with that.” Deathhorn said nonchalantly. “First though, we should go where these isn’t so much…unwanted attention.”

Without warning, Deathorn’s sword-like namesake ignited with a bright yellow aura, encasing both his brothers, and the ponies in front of them. In the blink of an eye, all nine ponies were gone, leaving the terrified citizens inside of the Town Square. The silence that stretched went on for what seemed like forever, the only sound being the terrified murmurs of the ponies. At the far end of the building, Derpy, Blossomforth, and Granny Smith were nearby. Judging from the looks on their faces, they had heard the entire conversation, and they didn’t like what they had heard one bit.

“Oh Celestia…that was terrifying!” Blossomforth whimpered, her body shaking a bit. “Those had to be some of the most terrifying ponies that I’ve ever seen in my life!”

“I know…they just looked so horribly scary. I could feel it in them the second I saw them.” Derpy murmured, cradling her fellow Pegasus mare in her forelegs. “Did you feel the power that was coming from them? it was so large that it was bigger than that of Captain Armor, Spearhead, and the Wonderbolts combined!”

“I know, I’ve never felt that much power before in anypony in…forever! Like somepony from my clan was going into their final form!” Blossomforth added, slowly pulling away from her foalhood friend. “Except with those three…it was a lot darker!”

“That’s an understatement. I wonder of the Wonderbolts, Captain Shining Armor and Spearhead will be able to handle them.” Derpy said. “I mean, I know that they’re part of Queen Celestia’s military, and they’re all powerful but...I’m really wondering if they’ll hold out this time. This isn’t like those big scary monsters we fought.” The silvery grey mare glanced over at Granny Smith; her face creased with worry. “G-Granny Smith, do you think that they’ll be okay?”

The Apple Matriarch didn’t say a word her sunset orange eyes still locked on the spot where the three stallions were, her body as still as an apple. Her expression was morphed into a type of fear that could only be found in that of a parent or a grandparent.

“G…Granny Smith?” Blossomforth asked tentatively, not yet noticing the Earth Pony mare’s look. “A-are you okay?”

Granny Smith slowly turned to face the two Pegasi, and they both jumped upon seeing her lower lip trembling and contracted pupils. With a voice that was shaking with fear and worry, she asked, “Y…y’all heard what he had said didn’t ya? Please tell me y’all heard what them stallions jus’ said, cause Ah know that Ah do not have carrots in mah ears!”

“What?” Derpy asked, sounding slightly perplexed. “Y-you mean about the part where they were heard to destroy the town?”

“No!” Granny Smith cried, grabbing the mailmare by her shoulders. “Ah’m talkin’ ‘but th’ part where they said they had a whole army comin’ fer the entire town!”

“Y-y-yes, we heard them say that.” Blossomforth replied, putting a hoof on Granny Smith’s own shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. “Is there something about it that you’ve found out?”

“Y’all remember when Ah told y’all about them Tantabus things that came and attacked mah farm b’fore Ah came here?” Granny Smith asked, watching as the two mares nodded. “When Ah got here, there were so many o’ them things they could’ve been mistaken fer th’ flock o’ Fruit Bats that live on th’ Western Fields o’ mah farm! When Ah heard that bat pony lookin colt say that there was a whole army comin’ Ah got a real bad feelin in me jus’ now! Ah feelin’ that what happened at th’ barn is gonna happen again! Only this time with those varmints!”

Derpy and Blossomforth both gasped, horror filling both of their eyes. Thoughts of the ones they cared about being attacked by the ponies they just saw filled their heads. Feelings of dread filled their stomachs as their fear began to skyrocket.

“Do you…” The former began, looking like she was struggling with what she was going to say. “Do you really think that even more of those stallions would go an attack your farm?”

“Ah don’t know, but Ah ain’t about to sit around and find out!” Granny Smith growled, jumping off from her stretcher.

“W-wait, Granny Smith, where are you going?!” Derpy asked, sitting up from her own bed.

“Where do ya think Ah’m goin’?!” Granny Smith seethed, snapping her head back to the two mares. “Ah’m headin’ t’ mah farm t’ git t’ mah grandfilly b’fore them varmints do, and you two are comin’ with me!”

Blossomforth paused. “W…we are?”

“Yer darn tootin’ you are, and both o’ y’all have real good reasons why ya should!” Granny Smith replied, stomping over to the mares. “Derpy, you have a darlin’ filly that’s sweeter than any o’ th’ apple treats Ah make, frolickin’ with mah grandfilly an’ her friends. An’ that very same filly is waitin’ fer you, t’ come git her an’ take her in yer arms again! Do you really wanna keep her waitin’ any longer?!”

“N-no, of course not!” Derpy replied immediately. “I want to get to my little muffin now!”

“Yer darn right you do!” The mint green mare stated, before snapping her gaze to Blossomforth. “And Blossomforth, you have a marefriend that’s plowed more ponies in this town than mah grandson has plowed fillies and mares, waitin’ her you too! Ah’m bettin’ five bits, she’s tryin’ t’ get’ mah grandson t’ rut her into th’ ground right now, ‘cause she can’t wait fer you t’ come join her!”

“H-how is that last part a reason to go with you?!” Blossomforth thought, her cheeks burning a deep apple red. “Also, Cloudy is not my marefriend!”

“Oh, yeah? That little nickname ya gave her might beg t’ differ.” Granny Smith retorted, making Blossomforth blush even harder. “Anyway, ya both have yer reasons to come with me back t’ mah farm, and it shouldn’t matter if y’all had jus’ been through Tartarus back! if ya care ‘bout th’ ones ya love enough t’ the point where yer willin’ t’ go through that again, then y’all should git on yer hooves, an’ follow me t’ the barn! Now are ya comin’ with me, ‘r do Ah have t’ go mahself?!”

For a few moments, neither Pegasus said anything, just letting Granny Smith’s words and question mull over their minds. With their fearful expressions quickly changing to determination, Derpy and Blossomforth rose from their stretchers and trotted over to Granny Smith. Before they could make their way out the door, they were stopped by the Heart Triplets.

“H-hey, where do you three think you’re going?!” Nurse Snowheart demanded, stopping the trio of mares in their tracks. “You’re not supposed to be up right now, especially with those injuries!”

“Where do ya think Ah’m goin’ young filly?! Ah’m goin’ t’ save mah grandfilly!” Granny Smith asked, stopping momentarily to glance at the nurse. “And these two are here with me so they can save their own.”

“B-but you can’t go injured like that!” Sweetheart pleaded. “At least let the wounds finish healing before you leave!”

“I’m sorry Nurse, but we can’t do that.” Blossomforth replied softly, yet firmly. “I’m not sure if you overheard what was said, but those three stallions are about to have a whole army of them swarming own all over town! And odds are, they’ll also be going to sweet Apple Acres, where my godfilly and Granny Smith’s grandfilly is, so we need to get there before they do!”

“So you can end up right back here again?! I think not!” Snowheart spat acidly. “I am not going to waste any more of my time and energy keeping ponies who’re too stubborn to care about their own well-being back where they’re supposed to be! What good would trying to save your grandchildren or godchildren do if you can’t even walk right?! The only thing you’ll be doing for them is increasing the chances of them getting killed!”

In the blink of an eye, Snowheart found herself staring into the glowing symmetrical orange eyes of one angry Derpy. The mailmare’s teeth were borne in a ferocious snarl as she flared her wings in defiance, the red eye on her roseray flashing angrily. “Now you listen here Nurse!” she hissed, her tone carrying a hint of venom at the last word. “In case you may have forgotten, you, me, those other two nurses, Blossomforth, and Granny Smith are all part of the Seven Clans of Equestria! Some of the most powerful families there are! It is going to take a hell of a lot more than just some bruises and broken bones to stop of from fighting, especially if it means fighting for the ones we love most!”

She stomped her hoof to keep the phthalo yellow Earth Pony from cutting her hoof. “I get that you’re a Nurse and you’re just doing your job, and I respect that, but, don’t think that’s going to keep me from getting to my little muffin when she’s in danger! If there is even the slightest chance that I can get to her and save her from whatever’s trying to hurt her, then I’m going to take it! Even if it means getting me wings ripped off, I will gladly pay the price of never flying again if it means I can have her in my embrace again!” She grabbed the Nurse’s own roseray and pulled her in closer to the point where their muzzles were touching. “So, don’t you dare get in my way of me saving my Dinky, or I swear, you will find out the real reason why ponies call me Derpy instead of Ditzy, got it?!”

By the end of her tirade, Derpy was breathing through her nostrils in a way that seemed like she was a bull seeing red and ready to charge. Snowheart’s demeanor was the complete opposite, looking like she was staring into the eyes of Solaris himself as she shook on the spot. Just as it looked like Derpy was going to let Snowheart go, Nurse Sweetheart spoke up.

“U-um, Ms. Derpy…” She said timidly, trying not to anger the mailmare any further. “Y-you do realize t-that m-me and m-my s-s-sister c-can go into the s-same f-final f-form as you, r-right?”

Derpy slowly turned to face the chubby mare, and Sweetheart realized she had made the wrong move by speaking up. She whimpered upon seeing the look of fire on Derpy’s face, and she immediately backed off, stuttering, “N-nothing!”

Gently setting Snowheart down, Derpy huffed and turned tail, letting said appendage slap Snowheart in the face as she trotted back to Blossomforth and Granny Smith. Without another look back, they made their way out the Town Square, nopony daring to stop them.

“My goodness, that was a little…intense.” Redheart murmured after a moment of silence. “I’ve never seen Ms. Derpy so upset before; not that I blame her.”

“Well, this is her daughter that we’re talking about, and Granny Smith does want to protect her grandfoals.” Tenderheart murmured. “Once they set their minds on things like that, nopony is going to stop them, unless they wanna get bucked across Sweet Apple Acres or get the Solar Stare.”

“Yeah.” Sweetheart nodded. “Though, I don’t really know what Blossomforth’s reason is.”

“I-if you heard correctly…” Snowheart murmured, slowly rising to her hooves. “Granny Smith had mentioned that she had a marefriend she needed go get to. Her name was Cloud Kicker if the name rings a bell.”

Sweethearts cheeks turned beet red. “Oh…her…right.” She murmured, images of the sexy persian blue mare entering her mind. “D-do you think they’re going to be alright?”

“You heard what they said, especially Granny Smith and Ms. Derpy.” Redheart replied. “No one is going to get in the way of them saving their families. And honestly, I’d be doing the same thing if I were in their position.”

“And then you’d be viewed as rather reckless and uncouth.” Snowheart said, rubbing the collar around her neck. “Are you really prepared to go through that?”

“If it means saving the two of you, yes.” Redheart said firmly. “And I know that the two of you would do the same, just like how we’d to the same for each other.”

“Damn right we would.” Tenderheart smirked, running a hoof down Redheart's back. As she looked over to Sweetheart, she added dryly, “Sweetheart, your tail is hiking.”

“Gah! Sorry!” She squeaked, yanking her tail down between her legs. As she did so, she felt a slight dampness, and her face burned even hotter as she hissed, “Damn you Cloud Kicker and your sexiness!”

Crimson Skies stumbled about the ground as she, the Wonderbolts, Shining Armor and Spearhead all appeared outside of the Town Square. Her head felt like a jumbled mess as she struggled to keep her balance on the dirt ground, only to fail in the process. She fell to the ground with a thump as her heart pounded in her ears, both her hooves coming to the side of it in an effort to sooth it. Crimson then felt herself being gently lifted back up to her hooves, and she found herself locking eyes with Fleetfoot, who smiled gently back at her. It didn’t take her too long to collect her barings, but once she did, she found herself staring into the glaring yellow eyes of the Death Triplets.

“Sorry about that everypony, Deathhorn got a little carried away with the teleportation spell.” Deathwing murmured, patting his second brother on the back. “Then again, due to the amount of power coursing through us, I can’t really blame him for it.”

“Great, not only do you have to nearly squash us, but you’ve gotta give us a damn headache too?!” Spitfire growled, rubbing her head. “You are just giving us more and more reasons to burn you all alive!”

“Oh, we know.” Deathhoof laughed. “And the more pissed off you guys get, the more fun it’s going to be to have you all groveling at our hooves and begging for mercy.”

Shining Armor’s eyes glowed as his horn ignited. “As if we’re going to bow to the likes of you, let alone your psycho of a Queen! the one way we’re going to even think of doing that is if you turn all of us into a mangled mess!”

“That can be arranged Captain.” Deathhorn said, his horn igniting with a black aura. “Dark Solid Form Magic: Black Lightning Explosion!”

With that shout, the Nightmare Unicorn fired an enormous blast of black lightning at the several Pegasi and one other Unicorn, going at a speed that took them all by surprise. Shining Armor managed to get his act together to conger up a shield to protect them all. The moment the attack hit, it proved to be far stronger than Shining Armor had anticipated. The entire group felt themselves being pushed back by the force of the blast; a large trail being left in the dirt as well. Eventually, and much to Shining Armor’s shock, the blast started to crack at his shield, and before he knew it, all of them were being blown back by a massive explosion. As they fell to the ground, Deathwing called out a command to his third brother.

“Deathhoof!” He shouted, never losing his fanged vampiric grin. “Give them a little taste of the dirt!”

“You got it big bro!” Deathhoof smirked, rearing up and slamming his armored forehooves on the ground. “Nightmare Earth Make: Dark Vine Snare!”

Large cracks appeared on the earth as they made their way towards the flyers and guards, to had only just took notice of the earth splitting. Their eyes widened when they saw what looked like spikes poking out of the ground, and they leapt away to avoid being stabbed. This turned out to be ineffective, as pitch black vines burst out from the ground and sailed towards them. Crimson, Fleetfoot, and Soarin were able to evade the vines, but others weren’t, and found themselves either ensnared or even impaled by the vines. They found themselves pulled and yanked into the air, spun around before they were pulled back down to earth and slammed into the ground.

“You guys!” Crimson Skies cried, horrified at the state her allies were put in and the power behind the stallions. “Hold on, I’m coming!”

“Crimson Skies, wait a minute!” Fleetfoot shouted as she and Soarin flew after her. As they did a large vine suddenly flew out and impaled itself in Crimson’s chest. The palomino mare screamed as she was driven into the ground with such force a large crater was left. Soarin and Fleetfoot made to rescue her, but they were stopped when a giant slice of black wind struck in front of them.

“I don’t think so!” Deathwing shouted, flaring his bat wings and ascending towards the trio of flyers. “You wanna get to your little friend, you’ll have to go through me!”

“So be it then!” Soarin shouted, his emerald green eyes glowing. “Sky Pegasus: Wing Attack!”

The light cornflower blue stallion unleashed a flock of wind slices at Deathwing, who smirked as an inky black aura surrounded him. with the edges of his bat wings shining he swung them, which sent a flock of even larger black wind slices at Soarin’s own. Soarin winced as a few slices ended up cutting into him and his suit, with one slicing him right in the eye. This slight distraction from the pain was all that Deathwing needed land a powerful sock to Soarin’s stomach. A glob of blood left his mouth as he was sent flying away and crashing into a house.

“Soarin!” Fleetfoot shouted in horror, before glaring icily at Deathwing. “You’re going to pay for that…”

“Oh yeah? Why do you come and make me?” Deathwing taunted, his yellow eyes flashing. “That is if you can, since you’re only one pony.”

“Watch it baby, you say the wrong thing and this one pony’s gonna freeze you solid!” Fleetfoot shouted, her magenta eyes blazing. “Ice Pegasus: Freezing Explosion!”

To Deathwing’s complete shock, the arctic blue mare shot a breath of misty ice from her hooves, its blue coldness shooting through the air. The bat winged stallion’s shock at the new attack was enough for him to get partially frozen in midair. The then found himself falling to the ground with a sickening thud as the ice kept its hold on him. As he struggled to get himself out, he saw Fleetfoot hovering over him, a small smile etched on her face.

“How’d you like that honey? Bet you didn’t expect me to release an ice attack, did you?” She asked. “I don’t blame you really, since you really don’t see ponies handling the element of ice, especially since it’s such a rarity to see these days.”

“I admit, you did take me off guard when you froze me in midair.” Deathwing said, closing his eyes as black fire suddenly surrounded his body. In less than a few moments, Fleetfoot’s magical eyes was melted away

“Fire Pegasus: Neigh!” A large golden stream of fire suddenly soared towards the azure blue stallion, slamming into him with a resounding boom. As Deathwing went spiraling through the air, Spitfire came soaring in, before whirling around and kicking the stallion in the gut.

“Did you already forget that I was here?!” Spitfire yelled as she socked the stallion in his face. “We’re called the Wonderbolts for a reason, because there’s more than one of us here!”

Deathwing merely smirked, flaring his large bat wings and using them to shoot himself right at the enraged brilliant golden mare. When they collided, Spitfire ended up being the one being pushed back, rather violently, through the air. Undeterred, the Wonderbolt Captain shot another stream of fire from her mouth at the incoming Nightmare Thestral in an attempt to try to scorch him. He merely swatted it away with a wing before he unleashed his own attack on the fiery Pegasus.

“Nightmare Fire Thestral: Dark Neigh!” Deathwing shouted, shooting off a gigantic blast of fire at Spitfire, watching as it consumed her. The agonized scream she let out was music to the bat winged stallion’s ears as the Wonderbolt crashed into the ground. As he flew after her, he was suddenly struck by a bolt of magenta magic. Snarling, he looked down, only to see Shining Armor, his horn ignited and his eyes glowing.

“It’s just like Spitfire said.” Shining said as he lashed his tail. “They’re not the only ones who’re here! You also have to watch out from danger down below!”

The alabaster stallion suddenly whirled around an sent a blast of magic at another darker one, causing a large explosion to ring out. When it cleared, it revealed a grinning Deathhorn, his sword horn surrounding in a swirling black aura.

“You’re right, you’re not just one pony in this little street.” The Nightmare Unicorn smirked, raising his chin up. “However, you also seemed to have forgotten that there’s at least two of us here, and soon, there will be more of us arriving! That is, unless we’re already here!”

“Heh, as if I’ve forgotten somepony with a horn as long as yours!” Shining Armor retorted as he charged at the azure blue stallion. Upon seeing his back turned, Deathwing began flying towards him in an attempt to ambush him from behind, but was stopped in midair.

“Lightning Pegasus Knight: Thunder Spear Flock!” A large flock of spears suddenly came flying out of nowhere, some of them impaling Deathwing right in his stomach and sending him to the ground. As he tried to yank them out, he felt a volt of electricity course through his body, followed by the other spears that struck in the ground around hm. He screamed as the lightning tore through him, before a loud explosion burst all over his spot on the street, enveloping him in a large cloud of smoke. A few moments later, it cleared, and Deathwing could be seen already on his hooves, his injuries quickly healed as if they weren’t there to begin with.

“Alright, who was the smartass that impaled me like he was trying to penetrate my ass?” The stallion demanded, his draconic eyes looking around swiftly. “Well, go one, come out and show yourself. Or do I have to slice you out here?!”

“No need.” The laid-back voice of Spearhead said as he came slamming into the ground, cracks splitting in the earth. Deathwing’s eyes widened when he saw that the stallion was adorned in his armored Ascension Mode, crackles of lightning surround hid body. “Sorry about taking you by surprise like that my dude, but you were going after my Captain, and I was only doing what a fellow guard should do.”

“That’s all well and good, but you’re still going to pay for that little sneak attack you did on me just now.” Deathwing said bluntly, flicking his tail as he stomped his hoof. “And after that, I’m gonna train you of every last bit of magic you have, like a real Vampire!”

Spearhead smirked, the lightning zapping about his body stronger as his cape flowed behind his armored body. “Well then, come on and try it!”

As the phthalo tangelo stallion soared towards the bat winged stallion, the large black vine that had been holding Crimson Skies to the ground began to shift. A burst of wind suddenly blasted out from its crater, and the vine was eventually sliced to ribbons, allowing the palomino mare to rise up from the crater. Crimson coughed up a mouthful of blood as she tore herself out of the ground, her stomach boring a big hole.

“Oh, sweet Celestia, this is the most agonizing pain I’ve ever felt in my life!” She cried as she fell to her side. “All the training sessions Captain Violet put me through was nothing compared to this; I can still feel the magic from that vine burning inside of me!”

“Crimson Skies!” Soarin shouted, narrowly evading Deathhoof’s black vines. “Are you alright over there?!”

“Y…yes, as okay as I can be anyway!” Crimson called back as loud as she could, wincing as she did so. “I have a hole in my chest from that vine just now!”

“I know, I’m betting that Captain Shining and Spearhead do too!” Soarin replied, sending a breath of wind at Deathhoof. “Don’t worry, we’ll be over there soon!”

“I-I’ll be here waiting then!” Crimson said, as she gently sat herself on her rump. She looked down at her stomach and took her bloodied hoof away. ‘This wound isn’t fatal, but it is pretty deep. I’m going to have to use some of my Adrenaline Magic to stop it and numb the pain, so I’m not bothered by it when I fight these three. Of course, my Adrenaline Mode Magic may not work on these three, given how much magic they have, so I may have to go into Ascension Mode instead, like Spearhead is. Question is, will that be enough?’

A powerful surge of magic suddenly made its presence known form the left side of Crimson, thus brining the young mare out of her line of thinking. Snapping her head in that direction, her ears flickered about as she heard the sounds of a fight coming from the crowed of houses in front of her. Closing her eyes, she made to feel out the presence of the fighters near the battle she was in, and she was able to make out two different sources of magic.

‘I can sense two ponies fighting from over the houses in front of me.’ Crimson thought, pursing her lips. ‘One is a Pegasus, and the other feels like it’s the same as the three stallions with me and the others. It looks like they weren’t kidding around when they said they’d be having more on the way.’ As she continued to feel out the presence of the two ponies, she suddenly detected two more smaller bodies of magic, and she gasped. ‘Wait…are those…oh no…oh no no no no NO!’

Pupils shrinking to pinpricks, Crimson shot to her feet, the pain in her stomach forgotten as she took to the air, a powerful sky-blue aura surrounding her body. As she took off to the two sources of magic, she heard Spitfire call out to her.

“Hey, where the buck do you think you’re going?!” Spitfire demanded. “You’re chickening out and leaving when there’s a battle to be fought?!”

“Of course I’m not!” Crimson Skies shouted back, stopping momentarily. “I sensed two magical bodies from here, along with two smaller ones! I’m heading over to see what’s going on before things get bad!”

“Wait a minute, are you sure?!” Fleetfoot asked worriedly. “You have a hole in your stomach from that vine!”

“I know, but I don’t care about that right now! There may be a family in danger, and they need help before they get killed!” Crimson replied. “Can I trust you guys to take care things here when I get back?!”

“What’re you waiting for, permission from us?!” Shining asked, speaking in between a magical power struggle. “Just go Crimson! We’ll stay here until you get back; and if we’re not here by the time you do, we can just meet back up at the Town Square!”

“Right, good luck everypony!” Crimson nodded, turning tail and racing towards the eastern side of Ponyville. ‘I hope I’m not too late!’

Windslicer’s wings wrapped around himself as he blocked another arrow shot form Silver Speed, the sharp appendage enveloped in a sharp cloak of wind. He gritted his teeth as he was dragged back by the arrow and the sharp wind, slices being cut into the ground in the process. With a loud whinny, he flared his wings and send the arrow in the other direction, watching as it rocketed off and exploded in between some nearby houses. Windslicer turned back just in time to see another arrow coming at him, which he blocked with his back sword. This in turned left Silver Speed an opening, one that she used to fly above the stallion and kick him right in the face. This left Windslicer unable to keep blocking the air, and it slammed right into his stomach, slicing into it as he was sent flying away.

“Shouldn’t have kept your eyes only on the arrow rather than both it and me.” Speed murmured as she watched the stallion crash into the ground in an explosion of wind. “That was your mistake just now; taking your eyes off of your opponent!”

Windslicer chuckled as he pulled himself back onto his hooves, his bat wings flaring as he shook the impact off of him. The bloodied slashes on his body vanished as quickly as they had come, though Silver Speed was a little put off by the black blood emitting from them.“Yes, I admit, that was a small mistake of mine. I would seem that I got a bit too caught up in the heat of the battle for a moment. No matter, I will still claim you as my own once this is over!”

With his sword latched into his fanged mouth, he flew towards Silver Speed at breakneck speed, who merely conjured up another bow and arrow. However, unlike last time, she didn’t just have one arrow, but three more that she shot at the same time. They shot from Silver Speed’s bow at the same time and clashed with Windslicer's swords as he swung them away. As they exploded behind him, Windslicer clashed his sword with Silver Speed’s boe, which, much to the stallion’s surprise, withstood against his sword as she tried to push him back.

With her eyes glowing a fierce purple, Silver Speed’s mouth went a gape and a large blast of wind shot at Windslicer, which sent him reeling away. Fortunately for the vampiric Nightmare stallion, he was able to collect his barings and spread his wings, stopping himself in midair as the wind blast vanished. He shook the impact off of him before sticking his sword into the ground, letting his right hoof rest on the bottom of the handle.

“Well, you certainly took me by surprise with that little sneak attack, very good.” Windslicer praised, looking up at Silver Speed. “I must point out, that bow of yours is quite durable; I was sure that it would break against my black sword.”

“Well too bad for you, this isn’t any ordinary bow dear.” Silver Speed said, holding said appendage in the air. “This bow is made of magic, and not just any kind of magic, but out of my Ascension Mode Magic. If I was in my Adrenaline Mode, I wouldn’t have been able to craft this bow into thin air, but since I’m in my Ascension Mode, I can.”

Windslicer blinked. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I’m not quite following you my dear. How is it possible that you could form a weapon of your own Cutie Mark out of thin air in that form?”

“Whenever I go into my Ascension Mode, I go into a different aura, and when that happens, it’s not just my whole body that grows, but my Cutie Mark as well.” Silver Speed explained. “Our Ascension Modes allow us to summon the Cutie Marks on our flanks and use them as a weapon against our enemies. The one drawback is, if our Cutie Mark isn’t exactly weapon material, then we’re going to have a rather hard time trying to use it while fighting.”

“Oh, I think I see.” Windslicer said, his eyes widening with recognition. “So, when your Cutie Mark was glowing earlier, it was actually forming itself into a weapon you were going to use when you were going into this…Ascension Mode?”

“Exactly.” Silver Speed replied firmly, summoning another arrow. “And it’s the very same weapon I’m going to use to defeat you!”

Without warning, the bluish gray mare suddenly flew at Windslicer her giant wings beating hard as she got halfway, before shooting off her arrow. Windslicer went wide eyes, before he took to the air, the arrow barely missing him as it soared past. He looked up only to see Silver Speed right in front of him, already pulling another arrow back. Cursing, Windslicer flew back just as Silver Speed fired, and he used his sword to block the arrow, even as it drove him away from the Pegasus mare.

To his surprise, the arrow proved to be much stronger than he had anticipated, and he found it being blasted out of his hooves. Before Windslicer could try to summon more with his dark magic, he found his face bursting with pain as Silver Speed swung a side kick to his face. As he fell to the ground, Silver speed flew back and pointed her bow forward, summoning four arrows this time in preparation for shooting.

“I don’t think so!” Windslicer shouted, bursting out from the ground and flaring his wings. With his draconic eyes shining a pure black, a flock of swords appeared all around him. “If you’re going to shoot your little arrows at me, then it’s only fair you get a taste of my swords!”

“That’s fine with me!” Silver Speed retorted, letting her arrows fire off and clashed with Windslicer’s incoming swords. “The question is, how long can your swords hold off against my arrows?!”

With a strong bet of her wings, Silver Speed shot down towards Windslicer as he was still firing off swords, her speed allowing her to get right under him unnoticed. By the time he did, he had delivered a swift sock to the chin, sending him spinning across the air before she flew up and kneed him in the stomach. Flying back, she swung her wings and delivered a few giant slashes of wind at the bat winged stallion, slicing into him, and causing black blood to fly.

Although she was put off by the color of the stallion’s life fluid, she didn’t let it affect her the first time, and wasted no time in firing an arrow at Windslicer. It stabbed right through his stomach, emitting screech of pain from the stallion as he was sent crashing into the earth once more. Not taking any chances, Silver Speed summoned four more spears and struck them down one by one into the motionless stallion, blasts of wind emitting from each one. When the smoke cleared, it revealed Windslicer in a six-foot crater, with arrows impaled into various parts of his body.

‘There, that should keep him down for a little while. Well, if it does for a stallion as powerful as he is.’ Silver Speed thought, slowly levitating herself down to the ground. ‘I had a feeling that my Ascension Mode would be a better option than my Adrenaline Mode. It at least stands a better chance against Windslicer than my Adrenaline Mode does. I at least don’t have to worry about my bones being broken and my wings being torn off.’

The bluish gray mare glanced over her home, looking into the direction of where she saw her foals the last time she did. Much to her utter dismay, she could see them still at the very same window that she had least seen them at, looking to have not moved from that spot. A solemn sigh left the single mother’s mouth she hung her head, facehoofing herself in the process. ‘It looks like Silver Spoon and Chip Cutter aren’t as scared as they were a few minutes ago. I really wish that they didn’t keep watching me the whole time though…the last thing they need is to see their mother trying to murder somepony. I’m gonna have to talk to them about not witnessing certain things, especially at their age.’

The sudden feeling of another magical presence caused Silver Speed’s eyes to snap open, and she spun around to face the newcomer, her arrow already readied to fire. Just as she fired, she was able to get a glimpse of the new arrival, and by the time she realized her mistake, it was too late. Silver Speed watched in horror as her arrow went soaring towards the pony in front of her, impaling them right in midair and sending them crashing to the ground. The feminine scream that came immediately afterward snapped her out of her horrified state, and she immediately flew over to the shot pony.

“Oh my goodness, sweetheart! Are you alright?!” Silver Speed cried, stopping in front of Crimson Skies as she writhed below her. “Sweet Faust, I am so, so sorry honey!”

Crimson Skies continued to cry out in pain, holding the new wound in her stomach as she looked up at a wide-eyes Silver Speed. Raising a shaky hoof, she lifted her goggles up, revealing teary blue eyes. “Y-y-you…you shot me! You fucking shot me in the stomach!”

“I know I know! I didn’t mean it baby, I really didn’t mean it!” Silver Speed protested, lifting Crimson out of the ground as gently as she could. “Are you okay, w-where does it hurt?”

“H-here…” Crimson replied, taking her hoof away to her wound. Leaning down, Silver Speed’s eyes widened when she saw the bloody wound on the lower right side of her stomach. Add insult to injury, it looked like the wound was already inflicted just minutes prior.

“Oh honey…I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to strike you!” Silver Speed whimpered, taking the younger Pegasus in her forelegs. “I-I thought that you were one of those other ponies that invaded the town!”

“W-why would you think that?” Crimson Skies asked. “I-it’s not like I was t-trying to sneak up on you or anything. I-I mean…t-those ponies powers feel so dark t-that it should’ve been obvious t-that I wasn’t one of t-them!”

“I know, and I’m sorry I hurt you!” Silver Speed murmured, running a hoof through Crimson’s chocolate mane. “C’mon, I’ll get you inside the house! Then I’ll get my first aid kit so I can-”

A streak of blackness suddenly protruding out of Silver Speed’s stomach, cutting off her sentence and causing it to die in her throat. Crimson Skies noticed the change in her expression, and her eyes widened when she saw a crimson liquid running out of her mouth and dripping down her chin. Looking down, Crimson screamed when she saw a sword sticking out of Silver Speed’s stomach, looking to be just inches away from her spine. Out of instinct, she jumped back, and let inadvertently let the mare fall into her crater.

“MISS!” Crimson Skies yelled, rushing over and pull the injured older mare out. “Miss are you okay?! Miss?! Miss?! Please, speak to me!”

“D-dammit…” Silver Speed cursed, holding her wound as the sword vanished in a flash of darkness. “I-I thought that he’d be down longer.”

“W-who?” Crimson asked, only to freeze when she heard an explosion in front of her. Looking up, she felt her body lock up when she saw Windslicer rising up from his own crater, wisps of dark magic surrounding him. The arrows that impaled him had also vanished along with his wounds, and he was stalking towards him with a wicked smirk across his face.

“My, Silver Speed, that was quite the effective trick that you pulled on me.” Windslicer said, flapping his wings. “I totally wasn’t expecting that to happen, well done. Oh, and it looks like you have a new guest as well.”

“Who are you?!” Crimson Skies demanded, flaring her wings as Silver Speed staggered to her hooves. “And why do you want this mare?!”

“H-he said his name is W-Windslicer, a-and he’s here t-to t-try to cultivate me i-into his Q-Queen’s A-army…o-or something like t-that.” Silver Speed murmured, holding her stomach. “M-my name is Silver Speed by the way dear.”

“Crimson Skies.” The palomino mare replied back, not taking her eyes off of Windslicer. “So…I take it you’re the one that hurt Silver Speed?”

“I wouldn’t say that I hurt her per say…more like showed her why I am a member of the Dark Army.” Windslicer replied, flicking his tail. “And she’s certainly showed me why she is named Silver Speed. She certainly lives up to her name in every way when it comes to battle, though I wonder if she lives up to it in…other ways.”

Already knowing what the Nightmare stallion was getting at, Crimson Skies snorted and stomped her hoof. “Listen buster, I really don’t know why you’re so eager to get all the mares in this town, and I’m getting really sick and tired of it! If I have to hear you say one more thing about how you’re going to take us as yours, then I’m going drain every last bit of magic out of you!”

“Oh, are you now? well, you’re welcome to try my dear…the fun is going to be doubled now that there are two mares instead of one.” Windslicer smirked, his fangs gleaming. “Though I wonder if you’ll both be able to handle me when I go at even greater strength. I guess we will just have to see.”

“C-Crimson Skies, honey…l-listen to me.” Silver Speed said, putting a hoof on the younger mare’s shoulder. “I’ve fought this stallion for a good while now, and I can tell you right now, that your Adrenaline Mode isn’t going to work on him. The only way that you’ll have even the slightest chance against him is if you ascend…at least then you’ll be able to keep up with him.”

“R-really?” Crimson asked, blinking in surprise. “I have to try Ascension Mode instead of Adrenaline Mode on this stallion?”

“Yes.” Silver Speed nodded, glancing back at the younger mare. “I know it may seem crazy, but that’s how it’s worked for me…at least up until now. Plus…” She nodded towards her house, and pointed up to where her foals were. “I’m not the only one whose life is at stake here.”

Crimson Skies glanced over to where Silver Speed was pointing, and gasped loudly upon seeing Silver Spoon and Chip Cutter at their window. ‘Oh, sweet Faust, I knew it! I knew that there wasn’t just one pony here when I came! Just my look that I have to run into a mare that’s not only a mom, but also has two foals in danger!’ She snapped her gaze back over to Windslicer, who was still boring his fanged smirk. ‘I’m gonna have to fight twice as hard to ensure that all three of them survive and don’t get abducted by this stallion! It’s my duty as a Shadowbolt, and if can’t even do that, I don’t deserve to be on this team!’

“Alright, Ms. Silver Speed, if you think that’s the only option, I’ll take your word for it.” Crimson finally replied. “And don’t worry, I’ll do all that I can to keep you and your foals safe!”

“Thank you dear, I appreciate that.” Silver Speed said thankfully. “Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Crimson replied, standing close to the older mare.

“I can see that you two are ready for round three my dear ladies.” Windslicer said gleefully, his eyes giving ff a white glow as black swords appeared once again. “Let’s see if you can hold your own against this round before, I finally take you for myself!”

“The only one who’s going to have something taken from them, is you!” Crimson Skies retorted, a sky-blue aura appearing as her Shadowbolt suit began to rip apart. She ripped her goggles off her head as her blue eyes blazed brightly, blue wind enveloping her and Silver Speed. “I hope your ready buddy, because by the time I’m done with you, this whole street will really be painted crimson!”

Author's Notes:

This chapter took a bit of a hassle out of me, mainly because I was trying to think up of a title that would appropriatley represent what this chapter was about, especially since it started out with Crimson Skies, the Wonderbolts, Shining Armor, and Spearhead at the beginning o it tool. Now, for this, I wanted to try to focus mainly on the Death Triplets and the group that was protecting the Town Square, and a bit back on Silver Speed, though I also wanted to try to have Crimson Skies and Silver Speed meet. Mainly because I'm planning to have a two on three fight between them and Windslicer, with a scene involving the Apple Family fighting the Dark Army in another chapter after the one I'll post after this one. This is I was focusing a bit too much on the Main Seven in my opinion at the point where I really shouldn't have, and I wanna try to fix that a bit with posting a chapter that focuses on at least one scene in between, before going back to that again. While I'm not sure just how I'll make the chapter with the Apple Family, Silver Speed and Crimson Skies fighting the dark army, I will say I'll defiantly be starting that off with some fluff before things go to shit again! Oh, and just a heads, up, this chapter is named after one of the libraries that I created!

Well, that's it for now everypony! Tune in next time for a sail back to the waters of the Everfree Forest! I'm gonna warn you all right now, that this next chapter is going to get pretty...gory.