Steampunk Rainbow Dash photos!
Gosh I really put my heart and soul into this one, I hope she'll do well in the aucti0n <3 Just a few more days till @galacon.eu!

#meplushgalacon25 #mlpfim

Here she is, for @galacon.eu's Charity Auction - I proudly present:
Steampunk Rainbow Dash!

#meplushgalacon25 #mlp

“The boom rattled through my chest, louder than anything I’d ever heard. I looked up, and there it was, splitting the sky apart, a rainbow stretching across the Crystal Empire, the first it had seen in a thousand years. My scouts later told me the way the light struck the spires of the city, the palace, the streets… it was the most beautiful thing they’d ever seen. I didn’t see it. I was too busy fighting, too focused on keeping my flyers alive. But I felt the moment the tide turned. The enemy froze, their formation faltered, and for the first time, I dared to hope, because I had seen the impossible.

The highest tower of the Crystal Palace shattered, and from its heart came the artifact itself: the Crystal Heart. It rose into the sky, light pouring out of it, flooding every street, every home, every shadow. A wave of magic rolled out, engulfing the entire kingdom. When it cleared, King Sombra was gone. But so was she. The last thing my scouts saw was a glow on her flank, her cutie mark blazing to life at last, before she vanished in the light of the Rainboom she had created. Officially, she’s “missing in action.” But I don’t believe that’s where her story ends. Not for the mare who saved us all. Wherever she is… I hope she knows. She gave Equestria back its future.”

🌈 The end~

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It's almost time ⌚

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The troops where ready. We all know this was be the last fight. We’ve had some success tearing Sombra’s helmets off our own, but not all of them made it back. He turns them faster than we can free them, and every loss cuts deeper than the last. The land itself is bled dry. Everypony is helping with the cause, but it’s stripping the land bare. We can’t keep this up forever. And it isn’t just the land. I see ponies setting aside the callings written on their flanks, giving up the lives they were meant to lead. Talents set aside, destinies denied, all for something greater than themselves.

I’m still not sure about the unicorn’s proposal. It sounded like a fairy tale when I first heard it. But I’ve seen enough these past years that defy procedure, defy logic. So I gave her the green light. Rainbow Dash has been pushing herself harder than ever, trying to get faster. But a Sonic Rainboom? That’s another level entirely. Still… if anypony could do it, it’d be her. The unicorn’s idea wasn’t as far-fetched as I thought. Every freed pony told us the same thing: under Sombra’s control, there’s no pain, no anger only despair. Hopelessness. But if they could see somepony who had worn the helmet and still broken free… maybe that spark of hope could spread. Maybe even enough to wake the Crystal Heart, if it still existed.

And if not, then at least it might buy us one moment, one distraction, for the strike we needed. When the day of the final stand came, nopony held back. We all knew the war, two years of blood, fire, and shadows, would end today. One way or another. I took my place at the front lines. There’s no academy waiting for me if we lose. No Wonderbolts to lead. My place was with my flyers. Celestia and Luna themselves stood shoulder to shoulder with their guards. We were all in.

With GalaCon coming up this weekend, our story is coming to an epic conclusion. Are you still reading along?
Check back tomorrow for the ending!

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“The unicorn’s been buried in that book Rainbow brought back from the Crystal Empire. I’ve never seen anypony so happy to lay eyes on a stack of old paper. But the excitement didn’t last. While she did find some useful information, the most important part, the last page, was missing. From what she pieced together, the Empire once held a tradition called the Crystal Fair. Founded by their first queen, it was celebrated every year to renew the spirit of love and unity among the Crystal Ponies, protecting the Empire itself. Their very spirit was tied to the land’s survival. At the heart of it all was the Crystal Heart. But where the book should have explained it in detail, the page was gone. We’re assuming the Crystal Heart is some kind of magical artifact. If it hasn’t been destroyed, it’s probably hidden and well-protected. Leadpony Rainbow Dash wants to go back in. She wants to find it. But I doubt the same trick will work twice.

She’s been spending every spare minute training. Pushing herself harder than ever. As if breaking every Academy record wasn’t already enough. We’ve also made some progress with the helmets. After countless failed attempts on captured ponies, both our own and crystal-born, we had another breakthrough. Strangely enough, when Rainbow Dash was present. At first I wanted to spare her from seeing one of her sisters in arms in that condition, but she insisted. And she was right. Cloud Chaser reacted to her, even through the helmet’s control. After the operation, our unicorn went straight back to her studies. Later that day, she came to me with a proposal. It sounded like something straight out of an old mare’s tale.”

Calm before the storm, as we're getting closer to the GalaCon auction 📖

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They pinned the nation’s highest honor to her chest today. But the one thing she did that mattered most? Only four ponies in that room know about it. It was directly after the unicorn finished crafting the artificial eye. She came to me with an idea and I listened. She’d earned that much. It was about an infiltration mission, but when she said, “We can save the Crystal Ponies with their history,” I nearly lost it. History? We were in a war, not a classroom. Then I thought about it. There’s almost nothing we know about the Crystal Empire. And why bring this up now, of all times?

The second I asked myself that, I had the answer… and it nearly broke my composure. Rainbow Dash. If Sombra controls that many ponies, there’s no way he’s micromanaging every single mind. We even had one of the helmets to study. The unicorn confirmed my hunch. As long as it wasn’t public knowledge that we’d removed one successfully, we had an advantage. Nopony else could pull it off. But could I really put Rainbow Dash through that again? To put the helmet back on her head, to send her into the heart of the Empire? All for a chance at finding something useful?

In the end, it wasn’t just my decision. Unsurprisingly, Rainbow Dash agreed before I even explained the details. Her enthusiasm dimmed a little when I told her the goal wasn’t to attack Sombra or steal military plans, but to search the library for anything about the Empire’s history. She came back from that mission carrying a single book: History of the Crystal Empire. The only thing she found. Let’s hope it’s the only thing we need.

There's still more to tell 📖

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Remember this one? ⌚ This is what is was for!
3 weeks after her rescue, Rainbow Dash gets her medal from Celestia~

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“I was right. That unicorn’s reaction when she heard what happened was… unsettling. But once again, her results speak for themselves. It took her and her new team a few days to finally remove the helmet and to break the horrible spell The operation didn’t go off without problems. The rookie lost her right eye. From what I understand, the helmet’s magic channels through the eyes. Her team’s already tossing around a dozen theories about how exactly it works. The unicorn, though—she didn’t waste time with theories. She went straight to fixing the damage.

Unlike a wing, you can still fly with one eye. But not well enough to be a Wonderbolt. And she understood that. Took her nearly a week, but she crafted an artificial one. It doesn’t look like the original. Gave me a bit of a scare when I first saw it glowing in the dark. But it works. This rookie has been to Tartarus and back twice in just a few weeks. She is making great progress in recovery. Soon she will be standing in front of Princess Celestia to receive the medal of honor. I ...... I should stop calling her that. Rookie doesn't fit her anymore... she's much more now.”

#meplushgalacon25

GalaCon charity auction plush reveal continues 👀⚙️

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She’s always had more guts than sense. That kind of bravery can get you killed. But maybe… maybe it’s also the reason she’s still in there. When Sombra got to her, he slapped one of those helmets on her head. That should’ve been the end of it. Those things are the fuel of nightmares—turning our own into his puppets. It makes me sick just thinking about it. Fighting our brothers and sisters in arms, knowing they’re under his complete control—emotionless, focused only on the kill. You can’t provoke them. You can’t bait them. They don’t break formation, and they don’t break rank.

But this time was different. She chased us. Hard. Farther than any of his other thralls ever have. Sombra doesn’t throw away his pawns unless he thinks the odds are in his favor. But this? This wasn’t risky—it was reckless. She chased us straight into a trap. He doesn’t do that. Not unless… unless something inside her was fighting him. But if she could push back—even a little—then maybe she’s not gone. And I know just the unicorn crazy enough to try bringing her back.

You now know it's Dash, but that's not all of it! There's still more of our story to tell.
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Pegasi, earth ponies, unicorns—we all have our roles in this war. We own the skies, earth ponies hold the ground, and unicorns support from the rear with their spells and shields. Of all the tribes, unicorns field the fewest fighters—even if you count their medics. Most of them stay holed up in their towers. Some act like they’re too good for the fight, heads so far in the clouds they’re flying higher than my best Wonderbolts. The rest are buried in books—so deep, even a Diamond Dog would struggle to dig that far. But today? I’m grateful for one of those eggheads. Fleetfoot told me a unicorn had approached her about the rookie. Said they might be able to help her fly again. I was furious at first. Giving false hope to a wounded flier—especially coming from somepony who isn’t even a healer. But this unicorn wasn’t talking about healing.

She didn’t sugarcoat it—said it would be painful, risky, no guarantee it’d work. I was ready to shut it down. But that 'rookie'… she surprised me again. It took them fourteen hours to graft flesh to steel. They said it would take months of recovery, maybe longer to get airborne. They didn’t know my fliers. She had full movement by the end of the day. Was airborne in under a week. And now? She’s already giving Soarin’ a run for his bits.

First photo reveal! But be sure to stay tuned and keep reading. This isn't her final form just yet.

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We all knew what we signed up for. But witnessing it? That’s something else entirely. I took pride in the fact that we hadn’t suffered any serious losses since I became captain. Even though, I knew that streak wouldn’t last forever—not in a time of war. I thought I was ready. I thought I was prepared. But I expected the first serious hit would land on one of my seasoned flyers.

I shouldn’t have caved. I shouldn’t have sent out a rookie, no matter how much of a natural she is. She made it back alive—but she won’t fly again. Lost her left wing. If it had been me, I don’t know if I’d call that lucky.

Gearing up for a proper reveal 👀
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The Wonderbolt Academy’s never been this packed. Where we usually take only the best of the best, now we need to get everypony ready to fight. I looked over the new recruits. They looked like foals trying to wear their parents’ uniforms—shaky wings, nervous eyes, others still had that shine of hero worship in them. Celestia help us. Everypony’s committed to the cause, but not everypony’s cut out for combat.

“Flight camp is over. This place? It’s still drills. Out there? It’s war. And if you think you’re here to make a name for yourself—get out. Right now.” Nopony moved. Good. No cloud-pushers in this batch. Fleetfoot was running drills and reported that some of them have real potential, especially one young mare. No cutie mark yet, but flies like a born ace—instincts like she's never seen before.

Last week before actual plush pictures!
Got your pony theory ready?
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The barrier has fallen. Cadance couldn’t hold it any longer. We flew her and Shining Armor out. He kept a shield up around us, blocking whatever was chasing from below. We were flying as fast as possible—that shield is the only reason we made it. Cadance... wasn’t happy. She said he should’ve stayed in the city, kept the barrier up, protected everypony.

But she was exhausted—barely conscious by the time we touched down. And honestly? Shining made the right call. We would’ve lost them both otherwise. We managed to evacuate some of the Crystal Ponies, but most barricaded themselves in their homes. If this war drags on, we’re going to need more fliers—and fast.

Week #3 of the charity auction plush story - stay tuned for actual plush previews soon!
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“We’ve set up operations in the heart of the Crystal Empire, beneath Princess Cadance’s barrier. When we flew out for the first strike, I hoped I'd never have to see something like this again. It felt just like the fight against Nightmare Moon all over again. My fliers are the best in Equestria—but when the enemy is just a living shadow, there’s nothing to hit...

Or so I thought. King Sombra proved us wrong. We can’t touch him, but he managed to knock Fleetfoot and Soarin’ clean out of the sky. They’ll recover—but it’s a harsh reminder: this isn’t some show in front of a crowd. This is war. We need to regroup—fast—and figure something out. Speed and drill routines won’t be enough this time.”

Our story continues 👀
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"Today I was ordered to ready the Wonderbolts - not for a show, but for a fight. Information is scarce, but word is the Princess is in turmoil over something that's returned. Sounds like things are heating up again, especially after she barely held her ground against her sister."

So it begins📖
@galacon.eu #meplushgalacon25