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Sweet Music · FiM Short Story ·
Organised by RogerDodger
Word limit 1000–25000
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War is Hay
Rainbow Dash awoke to the sound of a knock on her door. “Ugh...” She stood and trotted over to it. Scratching her mane, she opened the door, and saw Derpy floating in front of her.

“Package for you, Rainbow Dash.” Derpy passed a small box to her.

Dash’s eyes widened. “It’s here!” She took it. “Thanks, Derpy.”

“You’re welcome. Bye, Rainbow Dash.”

“Yeah, bye!” Dash shut the door behind her.

With a wild grin on her face, Rainbow Dash flew back into her bedroom. She ripped open the package and inside was a new pair of headphones. “Finally!”

A week ago, Scootaloo had borrowed her old pair. “We’re gonna be Cutie Mark Crusaders DJs!” she had said. When she returned with the headphones, they were snapped in half, the cord was burnt, and the ear cushions were missing. Dash didn’t mind paying for a new pair, her old ones weren’t perfect. What really bothered her, was that she could only listen to music on her CD player at home, and not on her portable player.

Rainbow Dash opened her drawer and took out her player. She slammed the plug into the headphone jack and pressed play. “Aww, yeah!” she said as The Wonderbolts theme song started playing. Dash leapt into the air and made a flip.

Below her, she heard the sound of a cannon going off. “Huh?” A cannon ball shot up through the cloud floor and through the ceiling, missing her head by mere inches. She looked through the hole; on the ground was Pinkie Pie in a tank, waving up at her.

Dash dropped down to the ground, the hole closing behind her. “Pinkie, what are you doing?” she said, landing on the tank.

Pinkie Grinned. “Hi, Dashie! We’re playing war games. Wanna join us?”

“War games? What’s that?”

“It’s where we fight each other, like a real battle.” Pinkie tossed a rifle at Dash, who caught it with a hoof. “Cept we use blanks, so no pony gets seriously hurt.”

Rainbow looked at her blankly.

“C’mon, Dashie, to arms!” Pinkie raised a hoof in the air.

“Okay, Pinkie...” Dash lept off the tank and Pinkie drove off.

Rainbow scoured the battlefield. To the right, she saw movement. She ducked behind a crate and peered in its direction. Huh? Where is it? Around her, nothing could be heard but the sound of the wind, blowing across the plain.

“Headshot.”

Dash turned just in time to get shot in the forehead by a blank. They still hurt. The world
around her went dark.




“Ugh...” Rainbow Dash sat up. She glanced around to see the inside walls of the tent; a map of Ponyville was hanging on one. Noises of the gun and tank fire from outside could be heard.

“Ah, good. You’re awake.” Dash turned to see Twilight trotting towards her. She was wearing the hat and badge of a general.

“Twilight, what’s happening?” Dash took her by the haunches.

“Get your hooves off me, Private!” Twilight slapped away Dash’s hooves. She giggled and whispered, “Sorry, Rainbow, I’m trying to stay in character.”

Rainbow stood on her hooves. “What happening out there, Twi—” Twilight glared at her. “I-I mean, General.”

General Sparkle smiled. ”We’re The Solar Empire. And we’re fighting against the Lunar Republic.”

“Wait, how do I tell who’s on what side?”

Twilight tapped her hat. “Our soldiers are wearing red helmets, and theirs are wearing blue ones.” She took Dash’s rifle and passed it to her. “Are you ready, Private Rainbow?” She raised a hoof in salute.

Dash returned the gesture. “Ready, General Sparkle!”

“Good, now go out there and show them what you’re made of!” Twilight released the salute.

Dash did the same and galloped out of the tent taking a red helmet on the way.




Rainbow Dash put her helmet on, over her headphones and pressed the play button. A blank whizzed by, grazing her on the cheek. She dove behind a rock and lay against it. That was a close one.

“Howdy, Rainbow Dash!” Dash looked up to see Applejack, holding a rocket launcher. She lowered it to eye level and fired. A missile shot out and flew across the battlefield. It exploded a fair distance away, sending a number of Lunar Republic soldiers flying.

“C’mon!” Applejack pulled her to her hooves. “Lets go!”

“R-right!” They trotted off. Turning a corner, Dash saw a large Lunar Republic soldier, carrying a large automatic rifle. The stallion spotted them and his gun started to whirl. Rainbow dashed out of the way, just in time for a barrage of blanks to fly past her.

She peered around the corner, and saw the heavy weapons pony stomping his way towards them. Sweat started to trickle down the back of Dash’s neck. Just as the stallion came to the corner, Fluttershy glided over and bashed him over the head with a medkit.

“Sorry, it’s just a game. Please don’t hate me.” She landed.

The stallion’s face turned green. He fell to his knees and a fountain of rainbows vomited out of him mouth.

“Fluttershy? What are you doing?” Dash asked, raising an eyebrow.

Fluttershy smiled. “I’m a medic.”

“Ugh...” Rainbow Dash turned to see the stallion getting up. He aimed his rifle at Fluttershy and the barrel started to spin. With Applejack too close to fire her rockets, and Fluttershy with only a medkit, Rainbow Dash knew what she had to do. She raised her rifle, aimed, and fired. The blank flew out of the gun chamber and struck the heavy weapons pony in the side of the head. He fell to the ground with a thud, the weight of his gun making a small depression in the dirt.

“Let’s go, before he can wake up,” said Applejack. And they galloped away.




They came to a tunnel, inside were a couple of Lunar Republic scouts. Applejack fired a rocket at them. It blew up in their faces, causing them to go flying... along with Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy hovered over to them and touched them with her medkit. Instantly, they arose, feeling healthier than they did before the blast struck them.

“Well, hello there!” They looked up to see Mr. Cake, standing in the opening of the tunnel and wearing a red helmet.

Fluttershy narrowed her eyes and she dove at him, smashing him across the face with her medkit.

Dash’s eyes widened. “Fluttershy, what are you doing?!”

“The Cake is a spy!” said Applejack, pointing a hoof at his direction. The stallion formerly known as Mr. Cake was vomiting rainbows onto the paper plate he had used as his disguise. “C’mon!” They dashed down the tunnel, leaving the spy in the dust.

“Sorry,” said Fluttershy, before following behind them.

As they came to the end of the tunnel, a blank struck the ground near Applejack’s hoof. She tumbled back into the tunnel and peered out. A good distance away, she could see a group of snipers standing on the Lunar Republic base.

Applejack motioned for the two pegasi to come closer. “Fluttershy, I need ya’ to hold yer medkit next to yer head an’ fly outta’ here as quick as ya’ can.”

Fluttershy nodded and did as Applejack had ordered. As she soared through the air, the snipers took aim and fired upon her. But instead of hitting her in the head and knocking her out cold, the blanks struck her medkit.

With the sniper’s focusing on Fluttershy, Applejack and Rainbow Dash galloped out of the tunnel.

“Meep!”

Applejack looked to the sky, and saw Fluttershy’s face cringing as she made a nosedive. Leaping into the air, Applejack held out her hooves and caught Fluttershy as she landed. Tears welling in her eyes, Fluttershy held her back hoof. On it was a mark where one of the blanks had hit her.

Rainbow Dash glared back at the snipers. She lowered her rifle at them and let fly a barrage of blanks. The snipers dived out of the way, but not before Dash struck a couple of them in the chest.

Dash turned back to her friends. “Can you walk, Fluttershy?”

“I-I think so...” Fluttershy glanced down at her medkit.

“Then lets go!” And they cantered off.




The three Solar Empire soldiers found themselves in the Lunar Republic base. They had snuck in through a side entrance, knocking out the few earth ponies who were guarding it. They came to a open room with a staircase going up to the second story.

Applejack stepped forward. Here eyes widened as she heard the familiar whirling noise. “Look out!” she said, tackling her comrades and pushing them away from the line of fire. They looked back to see a barrage of blanks strike the floor where Applejack was standing.

“I got an idea.” Dash motioned for Applejack to come closer and she whispered in her ear. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. When she finished talking, they both nodded to each other and they dashed back into the room.

Rainbow Dash glided to the far corner of the room. “Hey, meat-head!” She let loose a number of shots in the direction of the heavy weapons pony. She turned and started up her automatic rifle again.

“Taste ma’ rocket lawnchair!” Applejack fired a missile at the Lunar Republic soldier. She turned, just in time for it to hit her right in the face. The blast flung her across the room, knocking the wind out of her. “Let’s go!”

Applejack cantered up the stairs. Reaching the top, the floor below her crumbled under her hooves and she fell through. Dash and Fluttershy leapt to the air and caught her before she could hit the floor. “The enemy flag’s in there!” Applejack pointed to a tunnel, leading down into the basement. They let her down a good distance from where the rocket had struck and galloped inside.




From inside the tunnel, Rainbow glanced around at the rock walls of the Lunar Republic basement. She could hear the sounds of weapon fire, coming from above. As she planted a hoof outside, she heard a cranky noise from off to the side.

Applejack’s ears twitched. She scooped Dash up under her shoulders and pulled her back into the tunnel. Falling on their flanks, they watched as a hail of blanks shot past the opening.

Aiming her rocket launcher out of the tunnel, Applejack shot a missile at the source of the attack. She listened for the noise of the explosion, and once she had heard it, she stepped out of the tunnel. At the far corner of the room, Applejack saw the Lunar Republic flag.

A moment later, they heard a clang from where Applejack had just fired. Applejack turned to it, and saw a unicorn mare bashing a turret with a wrench. Realizing she was spotted, the engineer gasped and ran away. The turret that Applejack thought she had destroyed clicked. Applejack ducked back into the tunnel as it fired upon her again.

“Fluttershy, see ifn’ you can take care of that unicorn out there,” Applejack said, panting.

“Right!” Fluttershy saluted and took off, out of the tunnel. Dash soon heard a smack and then a retching sound as Fluttershy returned.

Applejack tumbled out and launched a rocket at the turret. It exploded in a fiery blast, sending shards of metal everywhere. Applejack cantered over to the flag and pulled it out of the floor in her teeth. As she returned to her comrades, she mumbled, “Les ‘o!” and they left.




When they got back to the second story, Rainbow Dash glanced in the direction that they had come, and saw a couple of heavy weapons ponies. Knowing that they couldn’t handle two at once, Applejack dashed the other way, her friends following behind. Ahead, Applejack saw an opening in the wall. They leapt through it and landed on the ground below.

Rainbow Dash lifted her head to see a large group of Lunar Republic soldiers in front of them. The enemies raised their rifles to fire. Dash swallowed her spit. Fluttershy made a squeak.

Suddenly, they heard a kaboom from off to the side as a brick wall exploded. “Aww, yeah! The hero of justice if here!” Pinkie shouted. The Lunar Republic soldiers ran for cover as she drove towards them, repeatedly shooting off her canon as she went.

“Thanks, Pinkie!” Dash said, waving at her.

“Any time, Dashie!” And Pinkie drove off.




Dash’s face lit up as she saw the entrance to the tunnel from before. She started to run towards it, before Applejack grabbed her by the tail. “Hold on there, Dash!” She pointed to the opening. Rainbow Dash stopped as she saw a Lunar Republic sniper hiding in the shadow.

Applejack motioned for Fluttershy to come closer and she whispered in her ear. They nodded to each other and Applejack dashed towards the tunnel. “Yee Haw!” Applejack ran along, launching a few rockets into the air. The sniper stepped out of the tunnel and aimed his gun at Applejack.

“Sorry...” Fluttershy struck the Lunar Republic sniper in the back of the head with her medkit, just before he could pull the trigger. He dropped to his knees and let loose a stream of rainbows.

Rainbow darted into the tunnel. On the way through, she caught up with Fluttershy and Applejack.

As Applejack stepped outside, a Lunar Republic soldier shot her in the leg. She cringed and held her hoof close. While the blank hadn’t broken the skin, it had still left a bruise. Seeing that she was in pain, Dash leapt out and fired a blank at the Lunar Republic soldier, hitting her in the chest. Gripping the spot where the blank hit her, she knelt onto the ground and glared at Dash.

Dash aimed her rifle at her. They both took a shot at the same time, the blanks passing each other in the air. Dash’s blank struck the Lunar Republic soldier in the forehead and she collapsed onto the ground. The enemy’s blank still traveling towards her, Dash raised the back of her weapon and the blank brushed against it, bouncing off and grazing her face.

Dash looked back at her friends. Applejack was still rubbing her hoof. Fluttershy was holding Applejack’s head to her chest.

“Rainbow, I need ya to take the flag to our base.” Applejack let the flag fall to her lap. Dash reached down and took it in her mouth. She raised a hoof in salute and took to the sky.

“Go with Dash, Fluttershy,” said Applejack. “I’ll be okay.”

Fluttershy frowned at her. “A good soldier never leaves a mare behind.”

“But I—”

Fluttershy lowered her head and planted a kiss on Applejack’s lips. “Now, lets get you home.” She lifted Applejack by the shoulders and carried her on her back, like a camel.




Rainbow Dash soared through the air. In a last ditch effort to win the war game, she had sacrificed holding her rifle for the speed of flight. Dodging back and forth, Dash kept a steady speed, avoiding blanks from the snipers below. Behind her, she heard the sound of canonfire. She dived down a little, and the cannonball passed over her head.

Dash’s eyes lit up as she saw the Solar Empire base up ahead and she made a nosedive for it. As she glided down, an enemy sniper took aim and fired, striking her on the wing. She cringed and collapsed, crashing down onto the sniper deck.

Rainbow opened her eyes to see the capture zone. If she could reach it, the Solar Empire would win the war game. The flag still between her teeth, Dash crawled across the floor towards the capture zone.

In front of her an enemy soldier appeared. “She’s got the flag! Get her!” He aimed his rocket launcher at Dash and fired.

“Too late!” Dash planted her front hooves on the capture point and dropped the flag. As it hit the floor, a buzzer sounded. Rainbow Dash collapsed in exhaustion as the rocket flew over her head.




Dash open her eyes to see Twilight, standing in the Solar Empire base camp and smiling at her. “Did we win?” she asked, still half asleep. “Are Applejack and Fluttershy okay?”

Twilight nodded. “They just fine. Applejack says her hoof doesn’t hurt anymore.” Rainbow sat up in bed. “And, yes, we did win.”

A faint smile appeared on Dash’s face.

“In fact, you made the winning capture.”

“Good...” Rainbow Dash fell back to the pillow.

Twilight trotted to the door. “Goodnight, Rainbow Dash.” As she flicked the light switch, she saw that Dash was already fast asleep.
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