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// Chapter 8: Justice, Like Lightning...// Story: Sunshine and Fire// by BornIn1142//------------------------------//

Chapter 8: Justice, Like Lightning...

Twilight could hear Rarity's voice, cutting through the haze of her dreams. She was telling her to be a dear and wake up – and she did, right away. Her sleep had been light and restless, and she'd never been able to shake off the perception of her companions' quiet murmuring conversation and the noise of the air rushing past. Twilight opened her eyes, still groggy, and found herself looking at Applejack's face.

"Whazzat?" she muttered, "Are we there?"

"Won't be long now," said Applejack.

Twilight struggled up on her hooves, but not before yawning so hard her jawbone popped. It was quite possible that she was more tired now than when she had laid down to rest. Sleeping on a flying carriage while out in the open sunlight had been one of most uniquely unpleasant experiences she had ever suffered through. In fact, it seemed a miracle that she'd been able to nod off at all. They had taken Rarity's fastest and lightest chariot, which – while opulent – was a little too cramped for three full-grown ponies and one very small dragon. None of them had a lot of movement space. The ride hadn't exactly been the smoothest either, considering the speeds they were doing, but the worst thing of all, obviously, was the heat.

Twilight closed her eyes for a moment longer, enjoying the feel of the wind on her coat. It was a scant pleasure. Her bones, her joints, her muscles – all of them felt stiff and achey, and the sunlight was still beating down on her mercilessly. Unfortunately, they couldn't afford to lose the gain in velocity they got from using a lighter open-air chariot instead of a closed carriage. Rarity had a sporty and fashionable calash with a folding top that would have seated them all, but by a stroke of bad luck, it had happened to be in for repairs just then.

Twilight's knees buckled when Spike hopped from Applejack's back to hers, as much from surprise as outright fatigue. She was about to tell him off, but then the chariot careened forward gently, causing everypony inside to bump into each other in turn. Soarin' was descending.

"Careful you don't fall, Spike," said Twilight.

"Hah hah!" said Spike, glancing back at Rarity, "As if I was that clumsy!"

That was when they finally spotted their destination. Twilight and Spike – at the very front end of the chariot – got the best view. "The Dragon Swamp" was a somewhat ostentatious name for a maze of shallow, winding depressions framed by numerous dried-up tree stumps lying on the hillsides or standing stubbornly in place like gravestones. The ground was all drab and brown, a mix of sand and dry organic grit, not greatly distinguished from the surrounding desert. A small valley led into the distance where there had once been a river. There was a certain deathly peacefulness about the place, that much was undeniable.

"Why's this place called the Dragon Swamp anyway?" asked Spike.

"Well, it's obviously an anachronism," said Twilight, "There used to be a swamp, maybe even as recently as a century ago, which then disappeared due to changing weather patterns. It didn't go dry overnight, so the name stuck around even after the swamp itself was long gone."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah! I was wondering more about the 'Dragon' part, Twilight."

"Oh. Hey, why is it called the Dragon Swamp?"

"I'm not sure," said Applejack with a shrug, "Some folk tale about a dragon, I think."

"The name is rather ominous, considering the circumstances," muttered Rarity, "You don't see any real dragons around, do you? No sign of our dear Agent Striker?"

"He's got to be around somewhere," said Applejack, "No way we beat the guy here."

Soarin' set down the chariot on high ground. Since none of them had any idea where exactly Rainbow Dash's abode might have been, they were going to have to look for her. That Striker might have come across her first, or that Rainbow Dash might be hostile because of Twilight's presence were both very real possibilities – but they still relied on the assumption that Rainbow Dash was even there in the first place. If she was away on business at the moment, well, that would have been troublesome.

Twilight was no tactician, but even she could tell that the uneven ground in the area made it really easy for a pony to keep an eye on somepony else without being spotted themselves. Perhaps that was why Rainbow Dash chose to live there in the first place. A dragon wasn't exactly the easiest thing to hide, but as far as they knew, Striker might have been watching them from somewhere very close by, hidden by the terrain and the glare of the sunlight. There was no way to tell.

The others must have been thinking the same thing. Rarity was nervously eying the surroundings as she daintily lumbered out of the chariot, and Applejack warned them to keep a lookout when she followed. Twilight was the last to stumble out. Feeling good, solid ground under her hooves after almost a full 24 hours in the air felt like a godsend.

"Are you all right, darling?" asked Rarity.

"As well as can be expected," said Twilight, "What about you?"

"Oh well," said Rarity with a polite smile, "This is most definitely an experience I hope never to have to go through again. I hope you understand."

"We're going to have to get back somehow, you know," replied Applejack.

All of them were well aware that it was Rarity who had been most miserable in that chariot. Twilight had the suspicion that – despite her three different methods of transportation – Rarity didn't really leave the house all that often. She hadn't managed a moment of sleep on their journey and looked uncharacteristically haggard. Her hair was coming loose and there were bags under her eyes. And yet, although she was far away from her usual comforts, she braved the situation without complaint.

Soarin' joined them once he'd gotten his harness off. He grabbed the canteen from the chariot, drank several long gulps and even went as far as to pour some over his head. Wasteful as it was, Twilight couldn't begrudge him the luxury. He looked somewhat drained, although there was still bounce in his step. Twilight wasn't exactly sure how much this Soarin' differed from the one in her world, since she couldn't quite conjure up an image of the superstar athlete in her mind. Rainbow Dash would have killed her if she found out about that.

"You've done a wonderful job, Soarin'," said Rarity, "Nopony could have done better. Do you feel up for accompanying us on our search?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, actually!" replied Soarin' brightly, "It's not like I could just wait here while all these interesting things might be happening just around the corner. Besides, it could be dangerous out there."

They set out into the wilderness once they'd all had a drink. It was agreed that splitting up was unwise with the threat of Agent Striker hanging over their heads, even though that would have helped them cover ground faster. Twilight was glad for that. It was very important for them to stick together to become good friends and earn their Elements of Harmony. In fact, Twilight even guiltily wished that Spike and Soarin' hadn't been there with her, Applejack and Rarity. They mostly stayed on the ridges, trading off safety for a better view of the surroundings. From time to time, they had to cross trenches where the former waterways had been.

Moving about was difficult, which made the Swamp seem bigger than it really was. The ground was dreadfully soft, and ancient, gnarled remains of tree roots seemed to get in their way whenever it was least convenient. Applejack went up ahead, with Twilight and Spike close behind her. Rarity was last, huffing and puffing as she walked. Soarin' stayed at her side like a guard dog; he seemed to behave more like a bodyguard than a chauffeur. Twilight wondered if how much good he'd be in a fight.

Despite her anxiety to meet Rainbow Dash, Twilight had to work to keep her attention from flagging. They had been in such a rush to set out from Everfree City, but after all the waiting on their ride – hours upon hours of just standing on their hooves, boxed into place, talking and resting when they tired of talking – the sense of urgency seemed to be gone. By this point, Twilight had gone through and discarded a dozen different what-ifs spelling doom, always coming back to her original conclusion: it was better to hope than to doubt. They were either too late or they weren't. If Agent Striker was only now bearing down on Rainbow Dash, then Twilight was confident she could sense any serious emissions of magic and lead the others to Dash's aid. As it was, they were just trying their luck.

There were some signs of life to be found in the Swamp, if one looked close enough: there were small burrows in the sand, for instance, as well as occasional trails of tiny paws. Things lived there. Of pony habitation, however, they couldn't find a trace. No convenient trail leading to where ever Rainbow Dash lived presented itself.

Twilight decided to use the time spent wandering productively and fell back to Rarity.

"So how did you and Rainbow Dash meet?" she asked.

Rarity tossed her a sideways glance. "Aheh. Well, how does one meet a serial thief? You get robbed by one, that's how. The Blue Bolt broke into my mansion a year or two ago and tried to burglarize me. All in all, a rather tumultuous beginning to a relationship."

"I can imagine. Breaking and entering doesn't seem very conductive to, um, becoming friends. What happened?"

"The Blue Bolt operates in a very particular way. She strikes... well, I'll just go ahead and avoid using the phrase 'out of the blue'... no, not 'like lightning out of a clear sky' either... Well, she strikes when ponies least expect it. Knowing what I do know, it's probably because she's impulsive and thoughtless and makes her moves without any sort of prior planning, but this unpredictability does make her difficult to catch, both for her targets and the authorities, and lends her a certain aura of invincibility.

"I certainly never considered the possibility that she might target me. I remember, I was going over some profit reports with a nice glass of sherry in the lounge when Rover came in and told me we had an intruder in the house. It was a bit of a shock, to say the least."

"It's true," added Soarin', "She was shocked."

"Luckily, my diamond dogs are highly capable – not to mention territorial. They get a bit touchy when somepony enters their 'turf', as they call it. They managed to close off the exits and seal her inside. The lot of them had a merry game of cat and mouse all over the building. My entire household couldn't catch her, but at least they managed to keep her from stealing much anything. Finally, we happened to stumble across each other as I was trying to get to my panic room. Not knowing what else to do, I engaged her in conversation and asked her to have a glass of sherry with me. Despite her rude and dismissive attitude, I managed to convince her that we were alike in some ways. We made a deal. I am in an excellent position to give her tipoffs about the assets of the nobility, who has the most and who'd deserve to lose some. I don't really get much in return, but that just means I have a lot of credit built up with her. She owes me."

"And all the things she steals, she distributes to the needy," said Twilight, chewing her lip and thinking, "She sounds like a really good person."

"I suppose. She's certainly valorous. I mean, she's been known to break into the same places several times, letting her targets get new security systems and hire more guards and then going back just to show them up. She beats them every time, but there have been some close calls."

"Oh, what I wouldn't give for a chance to race her!" said Soarin', "We had a short kerfuffle in the corridors at Lady Rarity's, but you can only really tell these things under the open sky. I asked her to a speed date, but she turned me down." He sighed, but not in a gloomy way. "There's all sorts of rumors flying around about how fast the Blue Bolt is supposed to be; I just have to know for myself! I know these things get exaggerated, but her skills are said to be legendary! Though, to be honest, I'm not a big fan of the name 'the Blue Bolt'. It just seems like it could be flashier, you know?"

"You'd prefer something like 'Wonderbolt'?" suggested Twilight, ignoring the groan from Spike.

"Hey, I like that!" said Soarin' brightly.

"I hope you do realize that Rainbow Dash didn't pick out the name herself," said Rarity, "It's just something ponies started calling her."

"Oh, did she not? Well, since madam started to call herself the Lady of Liberty on her own, I just assumed..."

"Hah hah haa," said Rarity forcedly, "Let's move on to another subject, shall we?"

"Good idea!" said Spike, "I've had enough about Rainbow Dash anyway. I'm more interested in you, Lady Rarity!"

Rarity slowly turned to look at him. "Indeed? And what do you want to know, dragon?"

"Are you seeing anypony? I mean, I would assume a gorgeous, intelligent, glamorous pony like you would definitely have a very special somepony..."

Twilight raised a quizzical eyebrow at Soarin's sudden coughing fit. Then she noticed the stiff expression of Rarity's face.

"That's a little private, don't you think?" asked Rarity.

Spike chuckled nervously. "Is it?"

"Well, it's something I'd prefer not to talk about. I'm sure you understand."

Spike didn't get the chance to answer as she added pace and cantered up ahead to where Applejack was.

At or near the center of the Dragon Swamp, at the bottom of a concave depression, they found a lake or something like it – seemingly the only remainder of the waterways. It was roughly circular and bigger than might have been expected. There was a lot of empty space around it where the water levels had dwindled over time. It looked to be rather shallow, but that was hard to ascertain since the surface of the still water was an impenetrable brown. There were even some signs of plant life, floating in the sludge in small clumps.

The group did split up at the lake, to cover it from all around. They scanned the shore in semicircles and came back together on the opposite side, having found nothing.

"This is a waste of time," said Applejack, "Aren't there any spells you could use to find Rainbow Dash?"

"If there was any practical way to track her by magic, I'd have done that to begin with. Such spells are usually complex and require magical aids, as well as usually some personal items or such. We don't have anything like that on us, do we?"

"All right, all right, I get the picture."

"Hey, didn't something just move there?" asked Spike breathlessly.

Twilight found him pointing a finger towards the water. "I don't think there's been any movement there for decades, Spike." She turned her attention to Applejack. "This is pretty much the only source of water in the area, isn't it? Shouldn't Rainbow Dash have a place very near here?"

"Not necessarily. I could see her bringing in her own drinking water. Yup, I could definitely see that."

"Shouldn't we move somewhere, ahem, less exposed?" said Rarity.

"I don't know, should we?" said Twilight, "We want Rainbow Dash to notice us if she's here, don't we?"

"But we don't want anypony else to notice us."

"Listen, I can see something moving," said Spike, "There's bubbles."

Twilight sighed. "There are no bubbles, Spike."

"Well, actually," said Applejack, "I can see some of those too."

They all turned to look, just in time to see a particularly large bubble pop on the surface.

"Swamp gas," said Twilight, "Or just an air pocket."

"Or maybe Rainbow Dash has a secret underwater base hidden there!" exclaimed Spike.

"Let's keep our perspective here. There's no need to get excited over... all right, that's a little weird."

Something was rising out of the water – something slimy and writhing and big. A living thing. It uncoiled itself out into the open air, dripping with dark mud from the bottom of the lake. Its elongated, snake-like body towered above them and swayed dangerously from side to side. The monster reached out two gangly arms into the sky, opened a gigantic maw filled with a row of vicious-looking incisors and started a groan from the depths of its throat. Whatever it was, it was... stretching and yawning.

When the great brown thing finally opened its eyes and noticed the ponies before it, gaping upwards, it froze. Then it shrieked.

"Oooohhhh myyyy goodness! Oh my goodness! Please don't tell me you're here to arrest me!"

None of them quite knew what to say to that. Suddenly, it bent toward them to have a closer look. Twilight and the others took a step back as one – all except for Rarity, who cringed and fell on her backside when her hindlegs gave out underneath her.

"A dragon!" squeaked Twilight, feeling terribly vulnerable.

"A wild dragon at that!" said Soarin', "That's kind of cool."

"Actually, I'd prefer to be called a free dragon," said the dragon with a small swish of his hand that flicked drops of mud all over them.

"And it's one of them water-dwelling types," said Applejack, "The Secret Police don't use those."

Spike cautiously held out his hand. "Hey there! Pleased to meet you, I guess."

Two great reptilian eyes swiveled around between Spike, Rarity and Twilight Sparkle before finally resting on Applejack. The elder dragon's hand was entirely too big to shake the younger's, so he elected to pat Spike on the head.

"My oh my, you are a free one as well, aren't you, little one? I take it you fine folks are not with the Secret Police?"

"Heck no," said Applejack, "And we're not looking for a fight."

"Yes!" added Rarity, "I mean no! Most certainly not!"

She had gotten up at some point and maneuvered herself behind Applejack. Rarity's wide-eyed gaze was locked on the dragon, while Applejack was glancing around, perhaps assessing their chances at escaping. Twilight, meanwhile, managed to start breathing again and tried to think back to everything she knew of water dragons. They were the least numerous of the dragon races, as well as the ones most different from the physical baseline, though they were still capable of interbreeding with other kinds of dragons. They lived both at outer sea and in-land, and were also unusual in that, instead of breathing magical fire, they could ingest and expel great quantities of water.

Seeing the dragon up close brought the droopy bushels of hair on its face to her attention.

"Wait a minute," she said, "I know you. I'm sure I know you!"

"Ummmm, I'm quite sure you don't, miss! Or do you? I have a hard time keeping all you ponies apart, to be quite honest. But with the social life I keep, I certainly can't imagine where I might have met you!"

"No, you're right," said Twilight quickly, "It's kind of a long story. Say, do you live here?"

The dragon took a deep breath and gave the longest sigh in history.

"I do, unfortunately!" he exclaimed, his lip quivering, "You can't imagine what it's like, living in this dingy mud-hole! It's so small that I can hardly move! My body fat's gone way up in the last century! And the dirt, oh, the dirt! It makes personal grooming an impossibility! Look at all the dirt under my claws! It's terrible, I tell you!"

He reached forward his hands to show them his nails, though in truth, his nails weren't even visible under the layer of mud.

"You poor dear," said Rarity quietly, without a trace of sarcasm in her voice.

"Wait, so if you live here, do you know a pony named Rainbow Dash?" asked Spike, looking to Twilight for approval, "We're kind of looking for her, so could you maybe point us in the right direction?"

The dragon narrowed his eyes. "Well, maybe I could, maybe I couldn't. I happen to be a friend and confidante to Rainbow Dash, and I can't let just anypony see her! Who are you again?"

"Ah," said Rarity, "We'd actually like to enlist Dash's help for an epic quest sort of thing? I'm a business partner of hers. My name is Lady Rarity; I'm sure she's mentioned me."

The dragon stood up straight and started stroking its chin. "Hmm. Hmmm. Hmmmmm. Oh yes, Rarity! Come to think of it, she did mention you once!"

"Once...?" repeated Rarity.

"But how do I know you're really her? No, no, no, I can't give her up just like that!"

"Look, we don't have time to argue about this!" said Applejack, "We're not from the Secret Police, but we happen to know for a fact that one of them is coming for her. He's got a dragon too, and that one's decidedly not 'free.' We came her to warn Rainbow Dash. Tell us where she is, will you?"

"Oh! Well! That's not good at all!" He sighed again. "All right, the truth is that Rainbow Dash isn't here right now."

Twilight could almost feel the collective team spirit deflate a little.

"She's away on business, actually. Left for a granary at Hoovesburg a while ago. It shouldn't be too long until she's back, so I suppose you could stay here to wait for her, and keep me company while you're at it."

Applejack and Rarity both glanced at Twilight, and she knew that they were both thinking the same thing as her – what now? Spike, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned.

"So what are you doing in a place like this?" he asked the other dragon, "I mean, you must have been living here for quite a while, right?"

"Too long! Too long!"

"Yeah, there aren't supposed to be any wild dragons in Equestria as far as anypony knows," mentioned Soarin', "By the way, do you know what kind of stallions Rainbow Dash likes to race?"

"I can't say that I do, Mr. Pegasus. But be that as it may, I'd certainly be willing to share my sad, sad story with you, if you're willing to hear it?" He cleared his throat.

"Do we really have time for this?" asked Applejack, "We should find a place with the least visibility and the most overview and lie in wait for-"

"I still remember when this place was lush and green!" said the dragon, speaking over Applejack, "Well, perhaps that's a bit of an exaggeration. Everything was already starting to show signs of withering away, but the swamp still reached as far as the eye could see, there were rivers just around the corner and this lake was big enough to get lost in it. There were still living things around, with dozens of different species flying and crawling and scurrying everywhere. The delicious alligators were my favorites. Anyway, I found my way here on my way from the East Sea. I came in-land through the River Bellerophon. Some of my cousins, the dragons of the air, were hunting me, so I stopped to rest here. I fell asleep underwater some miles from where we are now. When I woke up, a century had passed and the terrain had changed greatly. The water-ways had dried enough that I couldn't get back to the ocean. I was trapped. I floundered around for years as more and more of the water disappeared, until I eventually ended up here."

"What were you doing in Equestria in the first place?" asked Spike, "Why was someone hunting you?"

"Well, if you must know, I came here looking for an egg."

"An egg?"

"My egg. The Matriarch gave it away! Just like she gives away all the eggs! I wanted to rescue my offspring from you ponies, but she wouldn't allow it. So I set out on my own. I thought I could find the egg and hide it away somewhere... Instead I ended up stuck here, not knowing whether the egg ever hatched or if the ponies allowed my offspring to live. The best I could hope for is that it survived to live in slavery. And I can't even go home again..."

At some point along the way, without Twilight even noticing, the dragon's voice had turned from flamboyant and overly dramatic to genuinely sorrowful. His head sank lower and lower, until Twilight could see two large, clear teardrops on his lids. They trickled down the sides of his face when he closed his eyes.

"Queen Celestia and the Dragon Matriarch have this pact," explained Applejack, "They give their eggs to the unicorns. That's how the Secret Police get their dragon companions. I've never understood the reason for it all."

Twilight chewed on her lip and spoke. "Is it because of the Draconic Ovistasis?"

"The what?" asked Applejack.

"The Draconic Ovistasis, or the Doom of Dragons if you prefer. In my world, dragons have a... sickness. Their eggs no longer hatch naturally; only powerful magic can do it. It's believed to have started some nine hundred years ago, but nopony knows the reason for it. A couple of centuries later, they made an agreement with the Princess to have their eggs hatched by unicorns at her school of magic. That's where I met Spike. Er, obviously, dragons are raised as free citizens and allowed to return to the homeland once they reach maturity."

The water dragon was scowling at them in confusion. "Um, yes, that's the reason, but... I feel like I'm missing something here?"

"Aheh. Would you be satisfied if I said it's a long story?"

"I'd prefer something a bit more substantive, actually!"

They were interrupted by an explosion – a paradoxical blast in the distance that reached them even before the glow did. They looked and found a magnificently bright rainbow circle rippling outward in the sky, kilometers away. The light stretched forth almost as if it was a physical thing, made of translucent crystal.

"What the hay is that?" asked Applejack.

"Hey, that's neat," said Soarin' as if he was praising a fine carpet.

Twilight could see something blurry slicing through the air like a knife, backlit by the fading rainbow and accompanied by a faint whooshing sound.

"Oh dear, something is coming," said Rarity.

"Is that-?" started Applejack.

"Oh!" said the dragon, "I didn't expect her to be back so soon."

The blur showed no sign of slowing down. By the time Twilight felt an inkling of worry, it was already too late. A flash of blue, a fearful gasp and already Spike was sent flying with a smack. She called out his name as he skidded across the surface of the lake and then disappeared into the water.

Applejack cursed, Rarity was muttering something, Twilight twisted her head and spun around to catch a glimpse of Rainbow Dash. She was nowhere to be seen. Then, suddenly, Twilight found that the ground and the sky were not where they should have been.

The pain came a moment later, when she landed on her back and was sent rolling in the dirt. Twilight coughed, disoriented and breathless from the collisions, and tried to stagger back on her her hooves.

"Rainbow Dash!" she wheezed, "Stop!"

Rarity was the next to get hit – or she would have been. Her pleading ended in a shriek when Soarin' jumped her and pushed her out of Rainbow Dash's path. The water-dragon was saying something in his high-pitched voice as well, but clearly, "engaging Dash in conversation" didn't seem to be working.

"We're not the bad guys!" yelled Twilight desperately, already racking her brain to identify a suitable spell to defuse the situation.

The Blue Bolt came around for another swoop – but Applejack planted herself firmly down and held her ground. Rainbow Dash rebounded and landed, sliding back through the sand on four hooves, kicking up a cloud of dust. She scowled at the wall that had toppled her. Applejack only smirked.

The water dragon was swinging back and forth at the lake's edge, wringing his hands.

"Behave yourself, Rainbow Dash!" he said, "Don't attack my guests!"

Dash's glare focused on Twilight Sparkle. After a moment's surprise, she narrowed her eyes and sunk low, ready to spring into action again.

"You doofus!" she snarled at the dragon, "That's Daylight Sparkle, Commander of the Secret Police!"

"I'm actually not!" said Twilight very fast, "Oh no. Spike!"

She scrambled towards the waterline, causing the dragon to turn around and dive under to retrieve him. Meanwhile, Soarin' was helping Rarity get upright again. Her coat now looked a lot less white and her mane utterly unsalvageable.

"Rainbow Dash."

"Huh," said Rainbow Dash, "Oh, hey. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just standing around. Waiting for somepony. Getting attacked by thoughtless ruffians!"

"Sorry about that. Didn't recognize you."

"I don't think you mean that apology," said Rarity.

"Look, missy," interrupted Applejack, "We know our companion looks a bit suspect, but she really isn't Daylight Sparkle. Daylight Sparkle wouldn't hang out with me."

Dash eyed her quietly for a moment. "You're Applejack, aren't you? I recognize you from the wanted posters..."

Applejack nodded. "We were looking for you."

The water dragon was returning to shore, holding a dripping, coughing and sputtering Spike in his arms. The smaller dragon groaned when he was set down.

"Are you all right?" asked Twilight, scooping him up on her back and ignoring the muddy smear that left.

"I got some in my mouth!" he complained, "I feel like I'm going to die." He glowered at Dash. "Do you always ram into people when you meet them?"

"Shouldn't I?" asked Dash with a shrug.

"That was some pretty slick flying, by the way!" interjected Soarin', "Not a bad Sonic Boom either. Very colorful!"

The Rainbow Dash Twilight knew was sleek and lithe, but this one had a gaunt, emaciated look. Not in a million years would she have stood a chance against Applejack in a hoof-wrestling competition, not with her ribs showing through her sides like that. There was a small nostril ring piercing on her nose. Her tail was only a small stub, and her mane was trimmed into a very short, multicolored fuzz – almost a buzz cut. She had a small, sky-blue cowl on her back that she could pull up to cover her head and face. Like Rarity, she still had her familiar cutie mark: the rainbow thunderbolt.

Rainbow noticed Twilight looking her over. "So who exactly are you?" she asked, "I'm not supposed to believe that it's a coincidence that you look identical to Little Miss Fascist Princess, am I?"

"Well, no-"

"Twilight Sparkle here isn't from the Secret Police," interrupted Rarity, "but one of them is coming here to find you. We can explain everything soon, but we must act quickly if we're to escape! The agent could find us at any moment."

"Your little display up there had to have tipped him off that you were here," said Applejack dryly.

"Well, yeah," said Dash with a roll of her eyes, "That was the general idea of it, you know."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Twilight.

"I heard about their operation, actually. That's why I'm here instead of making a mockery of the city guard back in Hoovesburg. Wouldn't want to miss this opportunity, would I?"

"What exactly are you saying?" asked Rarity, "Don't tell me you came back here to fight?"

"All right," said Dash, "I won't tell you."

There was an uncomfortable lull in the conversation. The flippancy in Rainbow Dash's voice was impossible to ignore. Twilight put into words what they were all thinking.

"Are you insane?"

"You don't understand, Rainbow Dash!" pleaded Rarity, "This isn't just some grunt you'd be facing – Agent Striker is one of the Elite! You can't take on a dragon!"

"This is not a good idea," said Applejack, "tactically speaking."

Dash barely seemed to be listening. She made a wing-assisted leap and came down at the edge of the lake, before her water dragon friend.

"This is kind of a bad time to be out in the open. Just go and hide away down under for a while, okay?"

"Oh." The water dragon looked around between Rainbow Dash, Twilight and the others, tapping his finger-claws together nervously. "Well. If that's what you think is best. It was nice meeting you all! Especially you, little one."

He nodded towards Spike, gave them all a little wave and turned around to submerge once more.

Rainbow Dash started pacing around, raising and flapping her wings with every other step.

"I don't think you guys understand how I operate. I have a rep to maintain, okay? I spend a lot of time running away, so it's vital that I don't end up looking too weak. Ordinary ponies look up to me. They all know I'm on their side; that's why they give me their support when I ask for it. But they'd never have the guts to do that if they didn't know that I'm the baddest pegasus pony that's ever flown the skies. On the other hoof, the nobility is scared shitless of me! Every time I come to town, they get a bloody nose. There's nothing those fat-cats hate more than taking hits to their wallets or their reputations. They fear me for nothing more than making them look bad, and that makes them weak. They're exposed to the people as the gutless weaklings they are! But would they still be afraid of me if they didn't know I'm the best and most skilled thief in history? Hardly! And the state – the state respects me. I mean, the more troops and resources they assign to take me down, the more their oh-so-perfect machine of tyranny is disrupted, right? Hell, I'm thrilled that they're finally giving me a serious opponent! That means they're taking me seriously. In other words, I matter! My actions are having an effect. And it's all because everypony knows that I'm the fastest flier ever, uncatchable and unstoppable!"

"Yes, but..." Twilight licked her lips and tried to find the proper words. "What if you don't win?"

"Have you ever faced one of the Secret Police before?" asked Applejack, staring pointedly at Dash, "Well, I have, and I'm lucky to be alive. Plenty of others haven't been that lucky. This isn't a game, you know."

"It's suicide!" burst out Rarity.

"What's it to you?" asked Dash, standing and facing them now, "I'm not keeping you here. Go and hide away if you want."

"We didn't come here just to deliver a warning," said Applejack, "We need your help on a very special mission!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Well," said Rarity, "I think Twilight could explain better than we could..."

So Twilight explained everything, as she had explained it to Applejack and Rarity. She told Rainbow Dash who she was, where she was from and what she was trying to do. By the time she got around to the Elements of Harmony, Dash had her forehooves pressed to her muzzle and was snorting and sputtering. When Twilight finished her story, Dash was quick to break down laughing.

"See?" said Twilight, "Isn't it annoying?"

"We're being quite serious here, Rainbow Dash," said Rarity.

"A hundred percent," added Applejack.

Dash straightened herself up, wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay. I believe you. I'm in."

Twilight exchanged glances with the others. "Were- were you being sarcastic there? Because I couldn't really tell..."

"Nuh huh. If there's a chance a chance – any chance – of taking down Queen Celestia, then sure, I'll give it a shot. What's the first step?"

"Well, there's two others we need to complete the team. Do you happen to know any ponies named Pinkie Pie or Fluttershy?"

Twilight wasn't even surprised anymore when she saw Dash's face light up in recognition.

"Fluttershy? Yeah, I know Fluttershy. We used to work together, back when I was still in the Cloud Patrol. What do we need with a flake like her though?"

"Never mind that! Do you know where we could find her?"

"Hmh, maybe. Far as I know, she quit the force a while after I bolted. I don't know exactly where she lives nowadays, but my best guess would be that she went back to her hometown – some place near the north-eastern border, I think? It was called Hillside or something like that."

Vague as that was, it was a decent enough start. Twilight had every confidence that everything would neatly fall into place – provided they could convince Rainbow Dash to see reason.

"So you see how important this is?" she asked, "We can't afford to waste time on risky escapades like this. Will you come with us?"

Dash smiled apologetically. "I can't. This is something I have to do."

Applejack snorted and turned away from the conversation entirely. She began to scan the surrounding countryside for any ponies on the approach. Rarity took a step closer to Dash.

"No, you're absolutely coming with us! We'll drag you away by force if we have to!"

Dash's expression darkened for an instant, but the next moment, she was already smirking. "As if you could ever catch me."

"I could catch you," said Soarin'.

"No you couldn't."

Rarity sighed and gingerly stepped before her. "Look, Rainbow, I'm asking you as a favor. You know I've done a lot to help you since we made each other's acquaintance. Surely you can at least postpone this battle while we deal with this matter? Please? Pretty please?"

Dash was shaking her head, but there was now something like doubt in her eyes. At least she seemed to be thinking about it. Just as she was opening her mouth to answer, Applejack interrupted.

"I can see something."

Rainbow Dash jumped a few meters into the air to get a better view, flapping her wings to stay aloft. Twilight galloped to Applejack's side, squinted her eyes and looked where Applejack was pointing. Rarity was slower to join them. There was indeed something there, at the very edge of the depression they were in – a figure that might have been a pony.

"I can't see anything," said Rarity hesitantly.

There was nothing to see anymore. The figure was gone. Twilight was suddenly filled with a most terrible sense of foreboding. With the pounding of her heart in her ears, she turned around.

He was there. Without the quietest zap or pop, Agent Striker and his dragon had landed right amongst them.

"Hello and well met," he said, looking them over as calmly as calm could be, "Fine weather we're having, no?"

They were all shocked and enthralled as he spoke, but as soon as he was finished, Rainbow Dash dropped down to the ground and took off again with a gust of wind in her wake. Rarity instinctively stepped backwards, and Soarin' scooted closer to her protectively. Applejack consciously had to keep herself from rearing, and Twilight could feel Spike inadvertently pressing his claws into her neck. She herself didn't even know what she should have been doing.

Striker looked nothing like what she'd been expecting. He had bulky frame, a wide, friendly face and he was smiling. His coat was a mellow blue, like the wallpaper of a nursery, and his spiky hair the color of ash and coal. Like the guard at the gates of Everfree, he was wearing a white cape and hat, though his cape was cast to one side in a manner that exposed his cutie mark: an arc of lightning, bent like a horseshoe, yellow on a black background. Standing close beside him was a young winged dragon with beautiful bronze and golden scales – a female. She was a hair's breadth taller than her master, but her downcast head made her seem small.

Although the golden dragon was older than Spike, she was still decades away from being fully grown. In Twilight's opinion, she looked... manageable. It wasn't the adult dragon she'd been afraid of, at least. Perhaps they wouldn't even have to fight; perhaps there was still some way to talk their way out of this situation? Striker hadn't made a move against them yet, after all... He was trying to keep watch of Dash whirling all around them in wide circles, but he looked to be in no particular worry doing so. When Dash attacked, hooves extended, he teleported just a few meters away, leaving her to pass him by harmlessly.

"This is quite unnecessary, you know," said Striker.

When she went at him again, Applejack rushed to join her. She approached Striker from the side, flipped around and bucked at his foreleg. Before her hooves could connect, she was thrown off by a blast of kinetic force. Dash, coming up to him from above, smashed straight into the ground when Striker blinked away again. She was up again in an instant, snorting and dragging her hoof along the ground. All she and Applejack had managed to do was cause the wide-brimmed wizard's hat to fall from his head. Twilight decided to step in before they could try again.

"Agent Striker," she said commandingly, trying to keep her voice from shaking, "I have everything under control here. Y-you aren't needed. I relieve you of your duties. Go back to Everfree City."

He looked at her and smiled. "Hmm, no. No, I don't think so."

"What? You're disobeying a direct command. That's-"

"Treason? You don't say. I think you should be thankful that I'm willing to overlook you colluding with enemies of the state, Lady Commander. And please..." He looked over at Rainbow Dash, who was crouching and ready to pounce. "Why don't you just settle down? I only want to talk."

Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at each other in confusion. Clearly, opening negotiations was not something agents of the Secret Police did often.

"What?" spat Dash, "You think I have something to say to the guy sent to assassinate me?"

"Me assassinating you is just one possible way this could go," he paused and chuckled, inexplicably amused, "But I'm sure we can come to a peaceful resolution. I'd like to make a deal."

Dash shook her head in disbelief and then forced herself to laugh. "Make a deal?"

"Sure. Come with me, and your companions get to live. That's nice and peaceful, isn't it? My mission is to retrieve you, Rainbow Dash, nothing more. I am perfectly willing to turn a blind eye to whatever else is going on here. How about that? Isn't that gracious of me?"

This was enough to shock everypony into silence for a while.

Things weren't as simple as they sounded, of course. Striker had seen Rarity. If he went back to Everfree and reported to his superiors, he could destroy her secret identity, her life and her work. All the good the Lady of Liberty did could break apart. Striker just taking off and leaving with Rainbow Dash wasn't an option, for several reasons, but what could they do about it? Twilight thought of memory spells she could use to wipe Striker's mind. It wasn't anything she had ever done before, but she knew the theory and was sure she could pull it off...

"Hold on," said Twilight, "What do you mean by 'retrieve?'"

"That is a secret, Daylight." He said it loudly, confidently, but his smile was a little weaker now. "It doesn't bother you that you don't know everything, does it?"

"Nice try, jerkward," said Dash, "I'm not going to walk meekly to my own execution."

"Who said you'd be executed – publicly, no less? Trust me, we have no interest in making a martyr out of you. If we do end up killing you, it'll be a quiet affair and you'll be buried in a shallow grave in the middle of nowhere, soon to be forgotten. My boss and I have something different in mind. If you come with me, you might even be pleasantly surprised."

What was Twilight supposed to do? How would Daylight Sparkle have reacted to this situation? There was something more going on here, something beyond her understanding or superficial knowledge of the Secret Police. Even when he was talking to Rainbow Dash, Striker kept a view of Twilight from the corner of his eye. He must have been confused about why she didn't do or say anything, why she kept opening and closing her mouth like a fish. She flinched when he suddenly winked at her.

"Sorry, my dear, but the battle lines have been drawn and I'm just not inclined to side with you."

"And I'm not inclined to side with you," said Dash, "You can forget that deals of yours. I don't want anything to do with evil bastards like you!"

Striker clucked his tongue. "That's a bit self-righteous, don't you think? After all, you're the dangerous criminal here, while I'm the representative of the law, here to bring you to justice."

"I don't recognize your law or your justice, okay? Now put up your hooves!"

"Wait," said Twilight. What did he mean by battle lines? she wondered.

"This is how it's going to be, is it?" said Striker, "Hmm, all right. Well, here's another proposal for you: I'll kill all your companions and then ask again. What do you think of that?"

Zig-zagging tendrils of electricity erupted from his horn with a powerful thunderclap, touched the ground and tore forward in their direction. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were quick to split apart and Twilight Sparkle managed to throw herself out of the way as well as well – accidentally dropping Spike in the process – but Rarity was too slow. Soarin' leaped up to protect her and took a lightning bolt to his back. He rolled limply to the ground while Rarity stumbled to her knees.

"Soarin'...?" she whispered.

Striker was strolling closer to them, his horn aglow with the promise of another volley. Twilight clenched her teeth and pushed herself up. She threw a quick reflective field spell – the first thing that came to her mind. The next arcs of electricity bounced away into the sky from an invisible barrier.

"Soarin'? Soarin'!"

Soarin' wasn't moving, not even when Rarity shook him. As horrible as the black burn between his wings looked, it was nothing compared to the empty, glazed look in his eyes.

"He's gone," said Rarity flatly, sinking down to her stomach.

"That bastard!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

"Is this- is this really happening?" asked Twilight.

Striker casually unclasped his cloak with his teeth and let it fall on the ground. The next spell he cast wasn't targeted at them. He fired it at his own dragon companion. Instantly, a strange distortion passed over the golden dragon, as if they were viewing it through a moving magnifying glass. Twilight recognized it for a growth-enhancing spell. In the blink of an eye, she grew by a factor of twenty, became indistinguishable from any adult dragon – and they were all entirely too close to it.

"We have to move!" said Applejack.

"Get up, Rarity!" urged Spike. He grabbed her leg and gave it a yank, but she refused to buckle or look away from the body.

"Haven't got time for this," muttered Applejack. She grabbed Rarity and threw her over her back.

And then they ran. Rainbow Dash didn't look as if she would join them, so Applejack grabbed hold of her short tail with her teeth and dragged her along. They headed uphill, away from the lake, away from their enemies. Somewhere behind them, they heard Striker's voice.

"Don't let them get away, Blitz," he was saying.

The rush of air the dragon produced beating her wings to lift off almost knocked them all off their hooves. They kept moving. Twilight was dead sure they'd be roasted by her fire or crushed underneath her feet, but the beast only swooped over them and landed on a crest of land up ahead. The ground shook when it touched down. Even if they could get farther away, there was no cover, anywhere.

Twilight, Spike and Applejack all came to a halt, but Rainbow Dash used the chance to tear free and keep moving. She rose up in the air and drew up close to the dragon to deliver a kick to her snout. The dragon – Blitz – reacted with a screech of annoyance. She snapped at Dash with her jaws, then let loose a torrent of dark red flame, hitting only empty air. Dash held the dragon's attention; she turned around to grasp at the pegasus buzzing around her.

Applejack whirled around, and grimaced when she saw Striker heading towards them.

"Twilight, what kind of combat magic do you know?"

"What? None! No combat magic!"

Spike fidgeted, looked at Striker and then back at Blitz. "Give me things! Anything! If I had stuff – if I could grow – then maybe..."

Striker appeared right in the middle of the group. Twilight yelped as a bolt of lightning passed so close by her that it made the hair of her coat stand on end, accompanied by an ear-splitting crack. Applejack wasted no time in throwing off Rarity and lunging at Striker, but he was quicker still. He held her off simply by grabbing hold of her with his telekinesis and dangling her in the air, snorting a laugh as he did so.

"As if an earth pony could ever defeat a proper unicorn..." he said.

While Twilight was still mentally running through a list of spells she could use, Spike blew some of his green magical fire at him, but he teleported out of the way – still keeping his hold of Applejack – right behind him and knocked him down with a hoof to the back of the head. At the same time, Blitz's tail waved over their heads as she whirled around to unleash another inferno on Rainbow Dash.

"But you're hardly any better, Daylight! What is wrong with you?"

Striker lowered his head, readying another lightning bolt. He might have killed Spike then, if he hadn't gotten tripped up by a faint blue glow around his hooves. It was Rarity, pushing herself up by her forehooves and glaring daggers at him. Not seeing any other options, Twilight leaped and barreled into the off-balance Striker. He fell, rolled over, and looked at her with equal parts shock and confusion.

"Blitz!" he screamed, and teleported again, farther away this time, somewhere out of sight.

Applejack touched down on the ground, free again – but the dragon reoriented herself towards them. Her eyes were a sinister red, Twilight noticed, but dull and lacking in malice. Time almost seemed to slow down when she opened her jaws, revealing fangs that glowed like embers. Twilight could see the flames rushing out of her black throat and knew she had to do something.

First of all, she snatched Rainbow Dash from the air and teleported her to the rest of the group with a flash of violet. Then she closed her eyes and focused; reached out and grasped a hold of her companions and brought them all along to the relative safety of a dune a few hundred meters away. She would have stumbled and fallen on her landing if Applejack hadn't quickly moved to give her support.

"All right, we need to think," said Twilight shakily, "Think, Twilight, think!"

"Could you get us back to the chariot?" asked Applejack.

"Maybe with multiple jumps, but that would be useless! The dragon could just follow us!"

"And Soarin'-" Rarity closed her eyes tight and shook her head, "Of course, Rainbow Dash can do the flying."

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash, "Steve will help us!"

"Who?" asked Spike.

"Steve!"

Another bolt of lightning thundered over their heads. Twilight jumped in fright, then quickly followed the others as they clambered over the crest of the dune to cover. It was useless; the lightning began coming from another direction entirely only moments later. Evidently, Striker had elected to keep his distance. Twilight couldn't even see where he was. The group could do nothing but to stay low to avoid the fire.

"The water dragon you met!" explained Rainbow Dash.

Another gust of wind heralded that Blitz was approaching. She glided down from high above, wings and claws outstretched, and was coming directly for them. Twilight attempted a spell then – an improvised burst of light and energy – but it glanced off the scales on the monster's chest as if it was nothing. Applejack shouted for everypony to scatter, and so they could do nothing but get up again and spread apart.

Twilight narrowly avoided the dragon's claws coming down behind her with a thump, but couldn't help losing her balance and sliding down the hillside, only barely managing to stay upright. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Spike hitching a ride with Applejack. Glancing back, she found the dragon ready to spew another gust of fire – and she herself was unmistakably the target. Twilight backpedaled immediately, galloped right for Blitz and slipped in between her legs to avoid the flames. She would have been impressed with her courage, if the feel of the heat on her flank wouldn't have been so horrifying.

As Twilight was coming out from underneath her, the dragon almost crushed her with a swipe of her tail. One thing came after another, each close escape was more harrowing than the last. Without a moment's respite, there was no time to think, but Twilight did fixate on one very important thing: they had to get closer to the lake.

She teleported them all away again, right across the entire lake. It may or may not have been the longest jump Twilight had ever made, but she also did it pulling along four others, each of whom was moving and lacked direct physical contact with her. It was magic to be proud of, no doubt, but not right then. Twilight felt an addling buzz from the adrenaline.

"It's coming," whispered Rarity.

The dragon had taken to the air on the opposite shore and quickly honed in on their position. It would take her scant seconds to reach them.

"You sure your dragon friend'll help us?" asked Applejack.

Dash gave a slightly manic laugh. "I can make sure he does!"

She shot off so fast she kicked up a cloud of dust and drove everypony else into a fit of coughing. Twilight had never seen her Rainbow Dash go that fast, of that she was sure. A shimmering mach cone formed around her in mere seconds. An instant before she could collide with the dragon above the center of the lake, the air around them flared up with another ring of rainbow light. The resulting shockwave rocked the waters and stopped the dragon dead in flight. Although seemingly unhurt, she fell into a tailspin, plunging upside down, flailing her wings but unable to right herself. She splashed into the water and struggled to pull up and take off again. Just as it looked as if she might succeed, the water dragon snaked up from underneath. He wrapped his arms around Blitz's neck, clamped his jaws and teeth into the leather of her wings, and dragged her under. Moments later, an explosion of bubbles breached the surface where she had undoubtedly used her flame-breath.

Twilight and the others had to step back to avoid the small tidal wave hitting the shore, but kept watch of the lake. No blood was visible in the dirty water, so determining how the fight was going was difficult. Rainbow Dash rejoined them, feathers ruffled and chest heaving from the exertion. She touched down with a dark chuckle, and immediately stumbled and sank to her knees.

"Should have seen the look on her face," she said.

"Do you think this is funny?" hissed Rarity.

"Maybe we can use this chance to get away," said Applejack, "before- oh darn."

Striker had popped up again, not far from their position. He was glancing around wildly between them and the lake, and his features alternated between a half-hearted attempt at his previous amiable facade and pure, unadulterated rage.

"What is this?" he screamed, "What did you do? That's my dragon, MY dragon!"

He broke into a gallop directly towards them, firing another barrage of chain lightning as he did so. This time, something clicked in Twilight's mind. She didn't waste any time in throwing up another reflective field spell. The lightning bounced back every which way and Striker skidded to a halt. At once, Twilight felt her hooves being lifted up from the ground by a faint electric yellow glow. Striker was using his telekinesis to pull them all towards him, outside of Twilight's protective bubble.

"This isn't fair! You tricked me! You weren't supposed to have two!"

Twilight took a page from Striker's own book and teleported behind him. Doing so disrupted his hold of her, but also broke Twilight's reflective spell. As unfocused and angry as Striker was though, he was also very well trained. Anticipating her arrival, he evaded Twilight's petrification hex by throwing himself to the ground and answered with another lightning bolt before she could even blink. Twilight only barely ducked out of the way, and when she looked up again, Striker had teleported once more. Instinctively, she whirled around and found him aiming his horn at her back.

Twilight took another page from his book and shot out lightning of her own. The spell was simple enough, and he did such a thorough job of demonstrating its use. The two bolts collided between them and crackled away into nothingness. The smell of ozone was overpowering.

"Did you plan this, Daylight?" raged Striker, "What are you playing at?"

If Twilight hadn't been so out of breath – so utterly desperate to keep up with his movements – she might have tried to say something, to explain the situation and to plead her case. But then again, she thought as she remembered the look in Soarin's eyes, maybe peace was no longer an option.

Before she could match him with another attack of her own, Striker already blinked away again. Twilight turned around, but he was nowhere to be seen. All of them looked looked back and forth frantically, trying to locate him before he could strike again.

"Where is he?" cried Rarity, "Where is he?"

"Damn it," muttered Rainbow Dash, back on her hooves.

"There!" yelled Spike, but they only caught the tail-end of a yellow flash when they looked where he was pointing, "He was just there!"

"Be quiet, everypony," said Applejack, "Don't lose your heads."

Striker was nowhere and everywhere. He was simply much too fast. An idea came to Twilight on how to counteract that, however. She recalled her arrival in this world, how she'd almost met her end in another tense situation. She'd managed to save herself there by speeding up her reaction time and thought processes, and she was sure she could do the reverse to Striker. All she needed was eye contact...

Twilight caught sight of him, reappearing behind Applejack, quiet as light. She yelled her friend's name as a warning. Applejack dropped down and rolled out of the way, but Striker was already firing another bolt.

Spike just happened to be standing in his line of fire. He was struck in the chest, and fell over with a burst of emerald fire flaring and dying in his mouth. For a moment, Twilight thought she herself had gotten hit – that's how great the pain of fear in her chest was.

"Striker!" she yelled, "I'm not..."

This time, instead of lightning, invisible waves of force blew out of his horn. Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash were both knocked over. Twilight, further away, remained standing.

"Striker!" she yelled again.

He didn't look. He was taking aim at Applejack again...

"I'm not Daylight Sparkle!"

This tiny distraction was enough to get Striker's attention. His head swiveled instinctively towards her. Their eyes met. Twilight cast her enchantment.

Striker seemed to freeze for a second – then his expression changed subtly. He seemed to realize that something was wrong, but couldn't quite tell what that was.

"Go for it, now!" shouted Twilight.

Applejack went for it. She hopped up close and drove her forehoof into Striker's jaw hard. Striker staggered back, trying to compose himself, trying to gather his wits and retreat, but Applejack tripped him and laid into him with more punches. He raised his hooves pathetically, and tried to say something, but none of them could make out what. Twilight didn't stop to watch Applejack knock him unconscious, but rushed over to Spike.

He was breathing, and conscious as well. Twilight's heart did a little dance of joy when she saw that. As a dragon, Spike was more resilient than his small size would have suggested, and his thick scales had protected him from the brunt of the blast. Even so, he moaned when Twilight put her hoof too close to the scorch mark on his stomach.

"Is he all right?" asked Rarity.

It took Twilight a while to realize Rarity was asking about Spike. She looked at her and smiled. "He's injured and could could probably use medical attention, but he shouldn't be in any acute danger."

Rarity sighed raggedly and wiped nervous tears from her eyes. "Thank goodness we didn't lose him too. Thank goodness this is all finally over!"

"Not quite," said Applejack, standing up and looking down at Striker's still form. A spurt of blood was still on her cheek, dribbling downwards. "Rainbow Dash, do you want to or should I?"

"Might as well be me," said Dash with a shrug.

"Wait, what?" asked Twilight.

Applejack pushed Striker over on his stomach. Rainbow Dash stepped over him, her bravado all gone now. She seemed like she was trying very hard to look irreverent.

"What are you doing?" asked Twilight again, although she was starting to suspect.

Rainbow Dash reared, and then sharply brought down her hooves.

Twilight closed her eyes and covered her ears, but she couldn't suppress the sickening crunch of Striker's neck snapping.


Notes:

- I am sorry it took so long, guys. There are a lot of things in this chapter I'd like your opinions on...

- I am utterly unable to tell how suspenseful I managed to make the fight sequence, or how credibly the threats came across. I suspect it was generally adequate, with some parts that dragged on or got dull. I do think it flowed well, at least.

- Soarin'... I didn't think it would be practical to genuinely develop his character, so I elected to try to make him simplistically endearing, at least. I hope I succeeded on that front. The depiction of Fred in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and the pie-obsessed Soarin' of fanon influenced my writing of him a bit.

- My original plan was for Applejack to kill Striker, but then I realized that would rob Rainbow Dash of the focus in her own chapter. I hope it comes across that they were both equally willing to do it.

- Steven Magnet does not sound like a proper dragon name to me. At the same time though, it would be incongruous for me to call him anything else... So I decided that "Steve(n) Magnet" is only a nickname Dash has given him, and that he also has a long and complicated real name that I'll never mention.

Next chapter: I haven't decided on a title for the next chapter yet. However, I will tell you that it'll pick up with Twilight and company instead of going on an interlude with another character.