Frienimies Foreverby Techno FlareChapters100% OPTIONAL-ForeshadowingChapter One-What Were The Chances? Chapter Two-The TruceChapter Three-Sisters100% OPTIONAL-ForeshadowingTHHUUDDDD Rainbow Dash slams against the red carpet, the one that Celestia never deserved. Her wounds were as numbered as the stars, but she still got to her hoofs and charged again, this time doing many different styles of loops and twirls before throwing herself at the one point she knew Celestia wasn't covering: her left shoulder. But the second before the fatal blow landed, Celestia turned, lashing her horn at the exact spot where Dash was about to attack. "AHH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You really thought you could defeat me Rainbow Dash? Twilight always contemplated about your cocky and conceited ways. "It is a shame, really; you could have been one of the best flyers on my Royal Guard, possibly have even joined the Wonderbolts. But instead you resort to tricks and other tomfoolery. If only you weren't such a child." "How many times must I tell you... I Am NOT A CHIIIIILLLLD!!!" Once again, Rainbow Dash tried to stand her ground, but to no avail. She wobbled, dizziness and grogginess consuming her. In a few seconds, she was back on the white marble floor, forced to face the pure white throne that held the "Princess"upright. No... has she really beaten me? B-But I never lose. I am Rainbow Dash, the greatest..flyer..in all of...Equestria... "Oh you poor little foal. Let me put you where you rightfully belong in this world!" threatened Celestia. The yellow aura once again surrounded the Princess's horn. Yet behind her - even with Rainbow's red tinted vision - there was a magenta glow behind her. The glow of Twilight Sparkle's magical being. The frustration and utter belligerence that overtook Rainbow Dash at that moment in time gave her the vigor she needed to scream two last words that everypony in the castle could hear. This was the plan, but hopefully it would be enough to destroy Celestia. "LIGHTNING, NOW" There was a faint CRASH! of a window breaking, and a familiar voice that rang through Rainbow's head. "DOWN WITH THE SOLAR TYRANT" Then Rainbow Dash blacked out. Author's Note This is NOT the beginning, this is simply a foreshadowing of what will happen in the last two or three chapters...whenever that may be. Chapter One-What Were The Chances? Chapter One-What Were The Chances? "Rainbow, you know it isn't safe to travel there alone," reiterated Twilight. Rainbow Dash was about to go on a trip to her hometown, Cloudsdale, but she didn't want anyone to come with her. "You should at least bring Fluttershy along." Rainbow was tired of hearing it. On and on, Twilight had been constantly lecturing her. It was almost enough to make Rainbow Dash rub her temples. "How many times must I tell you; I'm not a child, Twilight. I can handle myself easily. Even if I do get into a sticky situation - which won't happen - I can easily fly away," Rainbow Dash exasperatedly explained. "Besides, I have to do this alone. I have my secrets and you have yours." Twilight let out a long sigh. "If you say so. But you have to be back here before Applejack's family reunion, she's going to need more help than ever." "I'll be back before you know it," Rainbow declared as she got into her takeoff position. She then proceeded to embark on the three-hour long flight to Cloudsdale, her cyan form shrinking in the distance. Finally, Rainbow Dash thought, I can get there before she leaves. Twilight knew something bad was going to happen. Celestia had informed her of everything that was going to transpire, but Twilight couldn't make herself believe everything she said; yet she knew it was true. If only there was more time. She could find a spell, make a potion to cure her, write a letter, SOMETHING that could make things right. But alas, there was nothing Twilight could do. She did have a secret, but this one was she wished to share with everyone else. However, there are things she had to sacrifice everything for, even Equestria's well being, and there was nobody that could help her now. For once, the world was in the hoofs of somebody other than herself. In fact, the roles were completely upside-down. "I'm sorry Equestria," she solemnly said to herself. " I cannot change history this time. I have to follow Celestia's orders... I simply have to..." a tear rolled down her cheek, the last one she would ever cry, for that would be a sign of weakness. She could show no weakness to her overlord. Uggghhhhh, Rainbow Dash thought to herself. If only there was a chariot to bring me here whenever I wanted them to. Rainbow Dash had finally reached Cloudsdale; and - because of time restraints - she hadn't done her warm up, she ached all over. The searing pain caused her steps to be slow and steady, painful jolts whenever she made contact with the ever so soothing clouds. She absolutely hated it. There were ponies practically flying circles around her, this only made her angrier. I should not be going through this. If only Twilight hadn't continually harassed me, I would have had time to stretch out. Now I have to find Dusty without any aerial coverage. She was so caught up with not having her wings in proper condition, she did not realize there was a pony bolting straight towards her. Rainbow Dash finally calmed down enough to look at her path. ...but she was too late. A teal pegasus and Rainbow collided with a BONK. They scuffled in the center of the street for a solid minute, hooves flying everywhere. In the few seconds that Rainbow Dash could get even the most minute look at the face of the attacker, all she could see was two bloodshot, deep yellow eyes - and pure rage. Pegasi everywhere starting to notice and form a circle around them. Among the sightseers was none other than Princess Celestia. Her Royal Guards started to converge on the fight, to obviously split them apart, but Celestia held them back with the raising of a hoof and the shake of her head. Rainbow kept evading the nonstop arsenal, the soreness of her flight constantly making itself noticed. JUST GREAT!! thought Rainbow Dash. Like I wasn't hurting enough already. Hoof for hoof, Rainbow felt the wind of each passing jab. Even I can't throw this many shots at this speed. At last, Rainbow's pursuer landed a hit. Rainbow was knocked back, blood dribbling down her cheek. She lifted a hoof to the spot of impact and instantly felt the effect. A black and blue mark soon formed, and Twilight was going to give her a long rant about this one. Whoever had the nerve to attack a random person in the MIDDLE OF THE STREET... Rainbow Dash went through a few choice words in her mind. She was enraged; but it sooned turned to amusement as she saw who was attacking her. I really should have known. The mare in front of her soon started to walk towards her, much slower than the previous assault. Her amber mane flowed out behind her, like a flag in the breeze. Her teal coat splattered in Rainbow Dash's blood. Her eyes could only be described as the burning of a thousand suns. "Well I'll be damned. If it isn't the reckless speed demon, Lightning Dust. What were the chances we would meet here?" "ENOUGH TALK!" Lightning Dust demanded. "You've caused me enough trouble already. You ruined my chances at becoming a Wonderbolt; my one dream, shattered by a pony safer than me. You never deserved that spot in camp, I did! It's time for you to pay." Lightning Dust got into her fighting stance, preparing for another charge. "WHOA, WHOA, WHOA, calm down buddy," trying to console that infuriated pegasus. I knew she was going to be mad, but this... this isn't the same Lightning Dust from the academy. Rainbow Dash circled around Lightning Dust, making her moves cautious but notable. "Don't... call... me... buddy. You never were my friend, you never will be. RAGGGGHHHH," Lightning bellowed. Soon they engaged in another series of bucking and punching. Rainbow Dash was accustomed to Lightning Dust's attack pattern - a few jabs, a kick, and an uppercut, usually in that order - but until that moment, Rainbow Dash hadn't even tried to take the offensive. My timing has to be perfect. If I make an attack at the wrong stopping point, she could easily counter me, again. After a few missed attacks by Lightning Dust, Rainbow Dash countered with a nice buck to the side, cracking one of Lightning's ribs. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Rainbow Dash saw Lightning Dust launch from the wallop to her side, a loud SNAP splitting the air. As Rainbow Dash walked over to where Lightning Dust now lay, she thought to herself, I might have hurt her, but it should shut her up for a while. "Lightning, I don't want any trouble. In fact, I came here to find you." Rainbow Dash leaned over the grounded pegasus, the light blocking out her face. "Why?-" Lightning Dust clutched her side and groaned "-to brag in my face about being a Wonderbolt." "No," Rainbow Dash chuckled. "In fact, there was an opening on the team, and Spitfire said if I could find you, you could be on the Wonderbolts." "REALLY?!?" Lightning Dust sprung to her feet, only to lazily wobble and fall to the ground again. Rainbow Dash leapt to her aid, lit up at her enthusiasm. I knew she would say yes, who wouldn't. "First things first, we need to get you to the hospital." Rainbow Dash called out a couple volunteers from the crowd to help her - her muscles were in no condition to carry Lightning Dust, but she didn't care. She kicked Lightning Dust pretty forcefully. I hope I didn't permanently hurt her, I really wanted her to come back to Ponyville with me. Rainbow Dash paced anxiously outside the room that held Lightning Dust; the sign 'ongoing surgery' lit up over the doorway. It had been an hour since the fight on the street, but it seemed like days. The doctor had told RainbowDash that the impact was severe - which Rainbow Dash was slightly happy that her legs were still extra powerful - but with the right amount of rest and good luck, Lightning Dust will be her old self again. This didn't help Rainbow Dash at all stay calm. What if she doesn't get better? Will she be able to fly still? And even so, will she still be as fast as me? What if she doesn't get into the Wonderbolts now that I injured her? What if I get thrown off the team? OHHHHH, this is badbadbadbadbadbadBAD. I just wanted to see her again and make up for what happened at camp. Maybe Twilight was right. She should have came with me after all, with her fancy new wings. Another 10 minutes of this continued, when right above her, the light on the door flickered off. A small wait. The doctor came out of the room, sweat beading down his mane. "How is she doc? Will she fly? Is she disabled?" "At the time being, it looks like everything should be just fine." Rainbow Dash let out a long sigh. "However-" Rainbow Dash looked at the doctor with desperate hope "-if she wishes to fly properly again, she has to let the medicine for her wing set in, which should take about 12 hours. If the medicine does not settle, she could be in terrible danger. Make sure she stays calm, and whatever you do, don't talk about flying." "Understood, doc. Thanks for everything." The doctor nodded and went down the hall to his office. Finally, she was able to rest. Before entering the room, she slowed her breathing, made herself look as nice as possible, and washed her hoofs with her spit. This may or may not end well. She proceeded to enter. "Hey champ, how does it fe-" "Rainbow Dash! Oh thank Celestia you're still here. I'm really sorry for the way I acted towards you. When I saw you, I was excited, yet what happened wasn't what I intended. I never meant to hurt you, but my mind was consumed by rage. I couldn't stop myself. If you hadn't kicked me, I don't think I would be alive right now," Lightning Dust explained. "Are we friends?" "Of course!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. She couldn't believe at how Lightning Dust's emotions had changed. They high hoofed each other. "So how much does it hurt?" "Not much anymore. What I am worried about is how much damage we did to the city," Lightning Dust said, a little nervous chuckle escaping her. "Oh it couldn't have been that bad," Rainbow stated. I hadn't thought about that. What if we accidentally broke a window or something? At that moment, Princess Celestia walked through the door- an infuriated look upon her face. Her horn a burning fire. Chapter Two-The Truce"Come on Dusty, QUICKLY" shrieked Rainbow Dash from behind the next building over. Lightning Dust was panicking. How am I supposed to cross when Celestia was right there? I am in way too bad of a condition to be even walking anyways, the medicine hasn't settled. Oh, I wish that fight with Dash hadn't happ- WHOOOOSH! The building right next to her went up in flames. Celestia had been burning down the city searching for them, right after an emergency evacuation. How will she even get away with this? She didn't have time to answer that. She froze as their pursuer stood right above her. The only thing that went through Lightning Dust's mind was 'I am SOOOO dead.' "Well well, look who it is: the ever so pitiful Lightning Dust. You weren't good enough to join the Wonderbolts, so why do you still try? Wasn't that your only goal in life? The one purpose you served, all tossed in the trash by your "friend" Rainbow Dash. How does th-" "YAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Rainbow Dash jumped at Celestia with unimaginable speed. Bling. A forcefield appeared around Celestia, but the force was enough stun her for a second. She stumbled to the ground, obviously feeling the after effects of the kick. This is my chance! Lightning Dust bolted from the scene, Rainbow Dash bringing up the rear. They soon reached the port of Cloudsdale, pegasi were still bringing in and shipping out goods to and fro the floating city. But Lightning Dust was in an unbearable amount of pain at this point. If she had to run for much longer, she would drop. If she flew, the medicine wouldn't settle right, and she would be permanently disabled. All of a sudden, her feet were no longer on the ground. She wasn't flying, but she was one-hundred percent airborne. She looked back. To her surprise, Rainbow Dash had come from behind and picked her up. Then it hit her. One of Celestia's magical fireballs landed on Lightning Dust's coat. "AHHHH," she yelped. Luckily, the wind that was passing by them - because of Rainbow Dash's immense speed - extinguished the fire, but not before it singed of some of her coat. There was a burnt spot on her left backside; right where her cutie mark should be. They were headed for a large supply barge bringing in loads of food. Instantly, Lightning Dust knew that's where Rainbow Dash was headed for. The question was; how far behind was Celestia? If they could get there before Celestia realizes where we were, they would be home free. Lightning Dust wouldn't dare look back. They reached the barge and found a way under the deck. Rainbow Dash was panting heavily, wheezing in between. She was obviously under so much more stress than Lightning Dust, she could pass out at any second. Having to carry both of their weights and flying at that speed, Lightning was surprised that she didn't just topple over. No wonder she got the spot over me... "Oh giiiiirls? Come out, come out wherever you arrrre." Celestia's voice rang through their ears, seemingly luring them to her. Lightning starts walking toward the opening of which she entered... STOP! It's obviously her magic that's trying to bring us out of here. Wait... that means we're safe if we stay put, she clearly doesn't know where we are. "Rainbow Dash, we just have to stay..." That's when she looked at where Rainbow Dash previously was. Gone. "NO!" She searched the cabin, but she knew what happened to Rainbow Dash: she went towards Celestia. Whatever is going to happen to her, it won't be pretty. After waiting for what seemed like hours, Rainbow Dash finally came back. "RAINBOWWWW!!!! How was it? Are you injured?" "Lightning Dust, you knew I'd be fine," Rainbow Dash said confidently. "I'm not really sure how I got up there in the first place... But once I did, I gave her a pounding she'll never forget. But Celestia did say one thing: 'Two pegasi will combine for great power, but this creation decides the death hour.' What do you think that means? Meh, it's probably just to freak us out." "Yeah, we're gonna be fine," Lightning Dust said, but she didn't mean what she said. That sounded like a threat and a prophecy at the same time. If only she knew what that meant... "So what does this mean for us?" "Well it looks like Celestia is finally gone. What do you think got into her?" contemplated Rainbow Dash. "Well I don't know anything about the Princess, was she always like this?" "Not at all, actually, She was always so nice and caring, especially towards Twilight. I don't see any reason why she went all berserk mode," stated Rainbow Dash. "Maybe something went wrong in one of her spells or something. Or it could be something like Nightmare Moon where her soul got possessed. Or maybe... maybe she just went crazy." It made Rainbow's brain hurt just thinking about it. "So what should we do now?" Lightning Dust implied. "Well, I definitely need to go home, STAT. Twilight needs to hear about this." Rainbow Dash got into her takeoff position. "WAIT, what about me?" Lightning Dust knew Rainbow Dash wouldn't leave her - she was the pony that represents the Element of Harmony of loyalty - but Lightning Dust got nervous. "Oh yeah-" Rainbow Dash took a second to clear her throat "-WHAT WAS THAT BACK THERE?!? I thought you were as fast as man, more nonetheless able to fly. Where was that speed you put effort at camp?" Rainbow Dash sounded enraged and derogatory. "Dash, you were the one that injured me in the first place," Lightning Dust retaliated. "If it wasn't for you, I would have been out of here already and on the Wonderbolts." What has gotten into her, Lightning thought. One second completely cool, and she's blowing fumes all over the place. "Well where was that daredevil feeling you had at camp. You were always so willing to do whatever you could to make that team, but where was it here? Nowhere. If it wasn't for me you would've been dead. You've changed Lightning Dust, and I'm going to make sure you aren't a Wonderbolt until you show me some confidence and true speed. Talk to me when you get faster." Off she went, into the endless night sky, leaving behind not only a trail of rainbows, but a heartbroken Lightning Dust as well. Everything I ever dreamed of, now unachievable. My hometown and Equestria's most important weather factories, up in flames. And now, the only friend I ever had, gone like the wind. And it's all...my...fault... And down came the tears, out like a waterfall. "FOOD SHIPMENT BOAT NOW LEAVING DOCK," came a voice from outside, but Lightning Dust didn't notice the ship was leaving until there was a strong lurch from the boat that sent her to the other side of the barge, creating a crater in her side once more. She landed on the wood floor with a soft thud. The gripe she felt from the new bruise in her side just made her cry harder. Not to mention the devastation she was facing from all the events that transpired that day. Luckily, the captain of the ship was sound asleep, letting the pegasi below her do the work, therefore not being able to hear the bellows of sobbing that came from the dejected pony. She eventually cried herself to sleep that night, leaving not only a puddle of tears, but everything she believed in. BANG BANG BANG. "Ohhhhhh," groaned Twilight Sparkle as she awakened from her slumber. She HAD to get her sleep tonight, if she was at all tired, training was going to be much more taxing on her, not to mention her master would be ticked off. "TWILIGHT OPEN UP!" insisted Rainbow Dash. She didn't care how much suffering and sleep deprivation she was facing, this had to be told to SOMEBODY. The door opened up with a slight creek as a few strands of light peeked through the hole. "Who is it," said Twilight flatly. "It's me, Rainbow Dash, and this is 120% urgent." Rainbow plowed through the door, practically knocking it off the hinges. "As you know, I was previously in Cloudsdale on private business. Well, I found the person I was looking for, Lightning Dust-" Twilight gasped "-and she was really mad at me for some reason, and we had a bit of a fight, but in the end I landed a hard kick that broke one of her ribs." Rainbow Dash bucked at the air; for demonstration. "After that, she was chill, but then Celestia came through the door and lectured us about fighting in the streets, and how about she had to evacuate the city because of us. I then made a remark I probably shouldn't have: 'Well if it was for sparky over here, nothing would've happened.' That's when things went absolutely crazy. Her horn started glowing so much, I could feel the heat. We then proceeded to get the heck out of there. Next thing we knew, the hospital was up in flames." Rainbow Dash then told the rest of the tale, which you've already read. "So you just left an injured pegasus with no hopes, no friends, and an inability to fly?" inferred Twilight. "She was no good. If you weren't listening, she couldn't do anything, I had to help her to safety. If it weren't for m-" Twilight's hoof connected with Rainbow's jaw, leaving it hanging in agony to suffer. "Um, okay. OWWWWWWWWW!!!! What was that for?" Rainbow Dash rubbed the hoof mark on cheek, now being the second time in two days that somebody has hit that same spot. "I expected more from you!" Twilight asserted. "To leave a poor pony there with nobody to help her, how could you?" "What do you mean?" said Rainbow Dash, now coming to her senses. "You told me you left Lightning Dust on a boat shipping food to Cloudsdale, after telling her off," Twilight restated. "WHAT! I couldn't have... I had finally gained her trust..." Rainbow Dash immediately felt guilt in her stomach. "She must be in horrible condition. What if her wing never heals? What if she doesn't trust me anymore? How could I have done that?" Rainbow Dash flew through the door, leaving Twilight to bite the dust. *HECK HECK,* "What a dirtbag," Twilight stated. "Wait... no she's not... she just didn't... make-" Twilight grasped her temples "-the right... CHOIIIIICE!!" Twilight felt her mind being overcome by what she could only describe as pure rage. "Get out of my HEAD!!!" she sent up as many defensive spells to protect her mind as ponily possible. She could hear a faint voice in her head. She could only make out the last four words it spoke: '...rage will consume ALL!' Twilight blacked out. Rainbow Dash did control all airspace in Ponyville, so she knew she would see the barge in a few moments. There were many instances where a 'shipment' came in to the small village without notifying Rainbow Dash, and all of them have had things many ponies would not even consider having. The amount is quite surprising, but Ponyville is a nice rest stop for carriers that travel long distances. But if they did not foretell Rainbow Dash of their coming, Celestia had to be called upon, and many legal things came up, so Rainbow Dash hoped they weren't on a barge filled with illegal supplements. After waiting on her rump until it fell asleep - that weird pins and needles feeling - she saw the light flashes in the sky; three bright, and one dim so that only Rainbow Dash knew it was there. Her castle of a house in the sky was perfect for receiving these signals - and for waiting for them - because of the way it was made. If her mother hadn't gathered all these clouds for it, Rainbow Dash wouldn't have a stationary home, and be stuck with that tree branch in the park, just a short walk away from the Everfree Forest. Rainbow Dash descended below to the cold earthy soil where these types of things had been landing ever since the system started. As soon as the barge came to a slow stop, Rainbow Dash bolted inside to the spot where they hid from Celestia. Lightning Dust was sound asleep, but not for long. "LIGHTNING!" Rainbow Dash screamed, tears streaming down her face like rivers going through the land. "Oh my gosh, I am SOOOOO sorry for what happened at Cloudsdale, I have no idea what got into me. Whatever I said, I swear I didn't mean at all. Do you forgive me?" Rainbow Dash had gotten her attention. "Oh my gosh... OF COURSE!! I thought my life was ruined. Thank you," and with that, she zoomed off into the sky with such speed, it was hard to see her, you could only see the trail in the shape of a lightning bolt. She went so high, her shape completely disappeared; until she came back down. In a rapid nose dive - the same way Rainbow Dash performed her Sonic Rainboom. Lightning Dust came towards the ground at terminal velocity, and Rainbow Dash got scared. Was she going to make it? Then, out of the dark sky, there was a flash of yellow lightning, streaking a mile wide across the night sky, illuminating all of Ponyville, followed by a thunderous BOOOOOOOOOOOM. Lightning Dust pulled up and headed straight for Rainbow Dash's house. Rainbow Dash following in quick succession. "That... was ... AWESOME!!! How did you pull it off?" Rainbow Dash was eager to listen, she was curious to see if it was in any way similar to her signature move. *Huff... huff* Lightning Dust explained in between breaths, "I have... no idea... never gone that... fast in my... life..." "What would you call it?" Rainbow Dash asked intently. Lightning Dust finally caught her breath, "I believe it was a Sonic Lightboom, but I think the only time I performed one was as a filly. Not many people - including myself - believed it was true; but there it was, living proof." Lightning Dust was still facing the shock of. "I do something similar to yours," Rainbow Dash told the exhausted pegasus, "but I call mine a Sonic Rainboom, and I only can do it once I reach my highest speed in a nose dive." "Well I know one thing for sure, we are like family to each other, and let's keep it that way. Truce?" Lightning Dust spit on her hoof and held it out towards Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash did likewise and answered, "Truce." And with that the two ponies ventured inside, wiped out from the days events. Little did they know, they had a spectator for their little performance. "So they finally met, huh." The pony ruffled her wings and made herself comfortable. "Celestia always said they would, but I never believed her. I tried my best to keep this dynamic duo apart, but destiny always wins doesn't it." The mysterious pony let out a long sigh, "Now it is time for them to see if they can handle the true meaning of their lives." Celestia paced anxiously back and forth in front of her sister; currently going through all of her subjects' dreams. "Well," Celestia requested, "did you find theirs yet?" "Patience, sister," said Luna insistently. "Finding one or two specific persons' dreams takes time. At first, I do not even know who is hosting the dream. But, I searched through all of Ponyville for those two, so they probably are currently awake." "It seems we must use a different method to find those troublemakers." Celestia lit her horn and brought forward a piece of paper and a pen to her face and scribbled down some words. "Do you remember the multiplying spell again?" Luna searched her memory banks for the answer. "Not currently, sister. What would you need that for?" "Don't worry, I remember now." Her horn flashed a shade brighter, and instantly there was a stack of papers, about the height of a hoof. "COURIER!" A bright blue pegasus instantly showed before the Princess. "Take this stack of papers and drop them around Equestria." Celestia split the stack in half and shoved them in the courier's saddlebags. "Yes Princess," replied the courier, bowing before flying off into the night. "That should get them here by tomorrow. Hopefully the world won't end before they get here." Celestia slacked a bit in her throne, but still she felt horrible for sending off those papers. "No," she snapped at herself, "it must happen... "If only there was some other way to fend off that creature." Author's Note Alert me for any misspellings please. Also, I may or may not get the next chapter out for awhile. I'm planning on broadening my horizons by making different stories and coming back to this with more knowledge and a better understanding of writing about ponies. Chapter Three-Sisters"GOOOOOOOOOOD MORRRRRRNING!" Rainbow Dash rolled onto her side, now realizing that the light was shining through her bedroom window. Her mind was covered with a morning haze, her thoughts from last nights dreams foggy in the labyrinth that was her mind. A slight ringing in her ears caused her eyes - crusted over from the long hours of the night - to open. Who could possibly want me this early in the morning? Rainbow Dash pondered. As she cracked her back and stretched out the rest of her body, the voice came soothingly weaving its way into her head before splitting with the high pitched frequency of the scream. How long had it been since she fell asleep? The morning summer sun warmed her back as she trudged to the other side of her room. As she passed the stainless glass mirror in her room, she did a double take before gawking at herself. Her bags hung lower than her snout, and her hair had probably been in a tornado last night. I hope it's only Pinkie Pie at the door, Rainbow Dash thought desperately. If anyone saw her like this, they would obviously think she wasn't the best flyer in Equestria. As she sheepishly made her way down the stairs, she could make out two voices, both of them familiar. She strained her cloudy senses trying to decipher what they said. "...can't happen like that, it just can't" Lightning Dust, Rainbow Dash remembered. Wait... how could she get up that early? I guess she must have gotten a little sleep on the boat here, but that shouldn't have given her enough energy to wake up. "Lightning Dust," said the other. "You know better than to just throw something like that out the window. Isn't this what you've always dreamed of? They were your heroes growing up." Rainbow Dash was almost in sight of the two mares at this point, softly making her way down the curved flight of stairs. Could it be... no, she swore only to visit when there was no money left to fund me. The account couldn't have drained that quickly. Have I been spending too much? Was it because I went to the Wonderbolts Academy, and now it caught up with us? Rainbow Dash had to know, but this was a conversation that she needed to hear: it could describe Lightning Dust's history. "For the last time I said NO! Lightning Dust was hollering now. "I don't care if I don't won't ever see her again, EVER. I don't want any part in a war or some secret mission to save Equestria, especially if it jeopardizes me and my sister. Even though I know she can be a little headstrong at times and always wanting to be the hero, even she would say no to this." Rainbow Dash was buzzing with questions at this point. Control yourself, she chided. If I don't hear this next sentence it could never come up again unless I bring it up, which is something Lightning Dust would obviously be sensitive about, and I don't want to hurt her again. "How about we ask her ourselves," the other mare said, her voice persuasively cunning, but with a slight edge. "Rainbow Dash, show yourself." Rainbow Dash's blood stopped dead in its tracks. Her hair that wasn't already frizzed out from bedhead was now on end. How did she kn- "Rainbow Dash, NOW!" Rainbow Dash knew better than to keep her mother waiting. I might never be able to let myself come to this, but Lightning Dust was right. Rainbow Dash was significantly distraught at what she just heard. It does explain a lot, but I still can't believe it. "Alright, in a nutshell, tell me the story. But this time, try to leave out all those gory parts." For the the sake of both her sanity and the whole of Equestria's, she needed to hear this "100% true" story. "If you insist. But remember; time is of the essence! You need to decide swiftly, death approaches." The two sisters cringed at the thought of everypony scavenging for them, the unexplainable amount of zeros going through their heads. "About 23 years ago, me - the most gorgeous and swiftest of the pegasi, Crystal Clear - was simply strolling through the marketplace, when out of nowhere, VWHOOOOSH. Through the condensed cloud walls in the vicinity parted for two mightily sized stallions grappling for a position on top of the other. The trail of crimson blood left behind showed this was no laughing matter. The couple of them came halting to a stop, blotches of blood splattered amongst each other, holding the most delicate of flowers. One was holding a rose with the most beauteous shades of flaring pink petals and a mellow light green center. The other held a tulip of glistening purple majesty petals with a crisp orange center. "I was absolutely flattered at both of their offers; but just as powerfully shocked! Where did these people come from? How did they know who I was? Neither of them were even vaguely familiar, but I felt a deep connection to both of them. "That was when I realized they were talking to me. They were telling me how beautiful they were, blah blah blah. After I had my two bits of fun, I gave them a true challenge. I invited them both back to my home at sunset. The stallion that presented me the purple flower showed up earlier, however. That was all I needed to draw a consensus in my mind. The other horse arrived right at sunset - like he was supposed to - and we sat down and talked for an hour or so. His name was Dusty "Boom" Dash, and that was your father. "After four years of jubilant life together, Dusty proposed to me. Time flew by and next thing you know I was in CMC (Cloudsdale Medical Center) going through labor, knowing little about the twin that came out soon after you, Rainbow Dash. Yes, you are older, but by barely 5 minutes. Settle down you two, the story isn't finished. We decided to name you both after your father in some way, which is where your last names come from. Lightning, you practically zapped yourself out of the womb, so we named you Lightning. And Rainbow, your hair was like nothing we had seen before, so we named you for that. "We were so excited and ready to have you around. But not even a week after you were born, we were payed with a visit by Celestia herself. She said that Luna foresaw something... dark, and that it had to do with, and I quote, 'those creatures and their overwhelming power and speed. You must separate them, for the good of themselves and all of Equestria.' And with that she left. "We knew we had to make this as convincing as possible to you both, so we decided to have Rainbow Dash placed in the most luxurious of Palaces made from the daintiest of clouds, and have Lightning Dust live in a Manehattan apartment. All of the rents and such were prepayed, and there was food to go around, but we left Lightning Dust in the hoofs of your father, and Rainbow Dash in mine. For ten years, all was well; except our broken hearts. "So on both of your 15 birthdays, we were going to bring you two together. But then, a catastrophe happened. On the train ride here, as you might reminisce Lightning Dust, The train hit a bump in the track, and he went flying out the window. He was later found with a shard of glass right through what they think was his lung. I was devastated, and Lightning Dust never knew what her father was going to show her. After that, we lost all contact with you, and you weren't in your apartment. "I fell into a state of mental breakdown. Who knew what would happen to you? If you were in the Everfree Forest, you could have been gone forever. From what I heard of your father's letters, you were most likely going to presume your quest to become a Wonderbolt. I was hospitalized after that, and Rainbow Dash was going to plausibly to reach for the same goal. It was a disaster waiting to happen. "I still don't understand why we have to be segregated from each other." Rainbow Dash went through a mental checklist in her head, making sure everything was covered that she wanted to know. "I was getting to that now," replied Crystal, keeping her composure as best she could. "You two both know that you can break the sound barrier, spreading your cutie mark across the sky. This takes up extreme amounts of energy; but do you know where you get that energy from? It comes from the same energy field as unicorn energy does. But since you two are pegasi, you should not have access to this. That fact that you do is astonishing in its entirety, but using it causes a slight drop every time in the unicorns' abilities. "Most of the time, it is unnoticable and it fills the gap in a rapid two minutes. But last night, you two were in the same area when it happened, therefore outputting much more than the average amount. Celestia must have sensed this, and you should be wary. She will be on the lookout for you, as well most of the other ponies around Equestria." Rainbow Dash effervesced with excitement, anxiety, and most of all, awesomeness, but all she could do was leave her jaw hanging down to the cloud made table. Is it true? Can I use the same powers as Twilight? Does this mean I am secretly an alicorn? This is so AWESOME! Her mind was absolutely electrified with this newfound knowledge. She finally regained feeling in her jaw. The pins-and-needles feel ravaged her whole body as she pushed herself into a sitting position. Her mouth finally learned how to work again and spattered out a few slurred words. "Does this... mean what I think it does?" "Well," uttered their mother, "if what you mean is that you now are wanted fugitives with no idea what to do now that you have finally discovered your true meaning in life, then yes." It was like Rainbow Dash was just cut into about twenty different pieces. She shattered at the thought that people were going to be trying to capture her at any moment possible. All her glory and reputation, it had no meaning to anyone now. "If you truly wish to survive, you must confront Celestia herself. She is the most powerful pony in all of Equestria, so you must prepare well. But remember, hiding will get you nowhere in battle." Crystal Clear then proceeded to leap over the table and stayed hovering outside the kitchen window. "Good luck girls. I will see you after your victory with the answers to all your other questions." And off she flew. Rainbow Dash had so many questions she wanted answered now, but neither she nor Lightning Dust had the nerve to ask her. In her seat was a wanted sign with their names on it. The amount of money they were worth was officially nothing compared to what they had experienced that morning. The saying 'I feel like a million bits' has never been so true. Author's Note Sorry for the LONG delay (school and stuffs), and I will be preoccupied for the next week or so. I have decided to go back and tweak the first two chapters, and will for any others that I feel I have not done as good a job as I should have. If there is anything that you feel is not properly explained or doesn't make sense, the comment section awaits.
100% OPTIONAL-ForeshadowingTHHUUDDDD Rainbow Dash slams against the red carpet, the one that Celestia never deserved. Her wounds were as numbered as the stars, but she still got to her hoofs and charged again, this time doing many different styles of loops and twirls before throwing herself at the one point she knew Celestia wasn't covering: her left shoulder. But the second before the fatal blow landed, Celestia turned, lashing her horn at the exact spot where Dash was about to attack. "AHH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You really thought you could defeat me Rainbow Dash? Twilight always contemplated about your cocky and conceited ways. "It is a shame, really; you could have been one of the best flyers on my Royal Guard, possibly have even joined the Wonderbolts. But instead you resort to tricks and other tomfoolery. If only you weren't such a child." "How many times must I tell you... I Am NOT A CHIIIIILLLLD!!!" Once again, Rainbow Dash tried to stand her ground, but to no avail. She wobbled, dizziness and grogginess consuming her. In a few seconds, she was back on the white marble floor, forced to face the pure white throne that held the "Princess"upright. No... has she really beaten me? B-But I never lose. I am Rainbow Dash, the greatest..flyer..in all of...Equestria... "Oh you poor little foal. Let me put you where you rightfully belong in this world!" threatened Celestia. The yellow aura once again surrounded the Princess's horn. Yet behind her - even with Rainbow's red tinted vision - there was a magenta glow behind her. The glow of Twilight Sparkle's magical being. The frustration and utter belligerence that overtook Rainbow Dash at that moment in time gave her the vigor she needed to scream two last words that everypony in the castle could hear. This was the plan, but hopefully it would be enough to destroy Celestia. "LIGHTNING, NOW" There was a faint CRASH! of a window breaking, and a familiar voice that rang through Rainbow's head. "DOWN WITH THE SOLAR TYRANT" Then Rainbow Dash blacked out. Author's Note This is NOT the beginning, this is simply a foreshadowing of what will happen in the last two or three chapters...whenever that may be.
Chapter One-What Were The Chances? Chapter One-What Were The Chances? "Rainbow, you know it isn't safe to travel there alone," reiterated Twilight. Rainbow Dash was about to go on a trip to her hometown, Cloudsdale, but she didn't want anyone to come with her. "You should at least bring Fluttershy along." Rainbow was tired of hearing it. On and on, Twilight had been constantly lecturing her. It was almost enough to make Rainbow Dash rub her temples. "How many times must I tell you; I'm not a child, Twilight. I can handle myself easily. Even if I do get into a sticky situation - which won't happen - I can easily fly away," Rainbow Dash exasperatedly explained. "Besides, I have to do this alone. I have my secrets and you have yours." Twilight let out a long sigh. "If you say so. But you have to be back here before Applejack's family reunion, she's going to need more help than ever." "I'll be back before you know it," Rainbow declared as she got into her takeoff position. She then proceeded to embark on the three-hour long flight to Cloudsdale, her cyan form shrinking in the distance. Finally, Rainbow Dash thought, I can get there before she leaves. Twilight knew something bad was going to happen. Celestia had informed her of everything that was going to transpire, but Twilight couldn't make herself believe everything she said; yet she knew it was true. If only there was more time. She could find a spell, make a potion to cure her, write a letter, SOMETHING that could make things right. But alas, there was nothing Twilight could do. She did have a secret, but this one was she wished to share with everyone else. However, there are things she had to sacrifice everything for, even Equestria's well being, and there was nobody that could help her now. For once, the world was in the hoofs of somebody other than herself. In fact, the roles were completely upside-down. "I'm sorry Equestria," she solemnly said to herself. " I cannot change history this time. I have to follow Celestia's orders... I simply have to..." a tear rolled down her cheek, the last one she would ever cry, for that would be a sign of weakness. She could show no weakness to her overlord. Uggghhhhh, Rainbow Dash thought to herself. If only there was a chariot to bring me here whenever I wanted them to. Rainbow Dash had finally reached Cloudsdale; and - because of time restraints - she hadn't done her warm up, she ached all over. The searing pain caused her steps to be slow and steady, painful jolts whenever she made contact with the ever so soothing clouds. She absolutely hated it. There were ponies practically flying circles around her, this only made her angrier. I should not be going through this. If only Twilight hadn't continually harassed me, I would have had time to stretch out. Now I have to find Dusty without any aerial coverage. She was so caught up with not having her wings in proper condition, she did not realize there was a pony bolting straight towards her. Rainbow Dash finally calmed down enough to look at her path. ...but she was too late. A teal pegasus and Rainbow collided with a BONK. They scuffled in the center of the street for a solid minute, hooves flying everywhere. In the few seconds that Rainbow Dash could get even the most minute look at the face of the attacker, all she could see was two bloodshot, deep yellow eyes - and pure rage. Pegasi everywhere starting to notice and form a circle around them. Among the sightseers was none other than Princess Celestia. Her Royal Guards started to converge on the fight, to obviously split them apart, but Celestia held them back with the raising of a hoof and the shake of her head. Rainbow kept evading the nonstop arsenal, the soreness of her flight constantly making itself noticed. JUST GREAT!! thought Rainbow Dash. Like I wasn't hurting enough already. Hoof for hoof, Rainbow felt the wind of each passing jab. Even I can't throw this many shots at this speed. At last, Rainbow's pursuer landed a hit. Rainbow was knocked back, blood dribbling down her cheek. She lifted a hoof to the spot of impact and instantly felt the effect. A black and blue mark soon formed, and Twilight was going to give her a long rant about this one. Whoever had the nerve to attack a random person in the MIDDLE OF THE STREET... Rainbow Dash went through a few choice words in her mind. She was enraged; but it sooned turned to amusement as she saw who was attacking her. I really should have known. The mare in front of her soon started to walk towards her, much slower than the previous assault. Her amber mane flowed out behind her, like a flag in the breeze. Her teal coat splattered in Rainbow Dash's blood. Her eyes could only be described as the burning of a thousand suns. "Well I'll be damned. If it isn't the reckless speed demon, Lightning Dust. What were the chances we would meet here?" "ENOUGH TALK!" Lightning Dust demanded. "You've caused me enough trouble already. You ruined my chances at becoming a Wonderbolt; my one dream, shattered by a pony safer than me. You never deserved that spot in camp, I did! It's time for you to pay." Lightning Dust got into her fighting stance, preparing for another charge. "WHOA, WHOA, WHOA, calm down buddy," trying to console that infuriated pegasus. I knew she was going to be mad, but this... this isn't the same Lightning Dust from the academy. Rainbow Dash circled around Lightning Dust, making her moves cautious but notable. "Don't... call... me... buddy. You never were my friend, you never will be. RAGGGGHHHH," Lightning bellowed. Soon they engaged in another series of bucking and punching. Rainbow Dash was accustomed to Lightning Dust's attack pattern - a few jabs, a kick, and an uppercut, usually in that order - but until that moment, Rainbow Dash hadn't even tried to take the offensive. My timing has to be perfect. If I make an attack at the wrong stopping point, she could easily counter me, again. After a few missed attacks by Lightning Dust, Rainbow Dash countered with a nice buck to the side, cracking one of Lightning's ribs. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Rainbow Dash saw Lightning Dust launch from the wallop to her side, a loud SNAP splitting the air. As Rainbow Dash walked over to where Lightning Dust now lay, she thought to herself, I might have hurt her, but it should shut her up for a while. "Lightning, I don't want any trouble. In fact, I came here to find you." Rainbow Dash leaned over the grounded pegasus, the light blocking out her face. "Why?-" Lightning Dust clutched her side and groaned "-to brag in my face about being a Wonderbolt." "No," Rainbow Dash chuckled. "In fact, there was an opening on the team, and Spitfire said if I could find you, you could be on the Wonderbolts." "REALLY?!?" Lightning Dust sprung to her feet, only to lazily wobble and fall to the ground again. Rainbow Dash leapt to her aid, lit up at her enthusiasm. I knew she would say yes, who wouldn't. "First things first, we need to get you to the hospital." Rainbow Dash called out a couple volunteers from the crowd to help her - her muscles were in no condition to carry Lightning Dust, but she didn't care. She kicked Lightning Dust pretty forcefully. I hope I didn't permanently hurt her, I really wanted her to come back to Ponyville with me. Rainbow Dash paced anxiously outside the room that held Lightning Dust; the sign 'ongoing surgery' lit up over the doorway. It had been an hour since the fight on the street, but it seemed like days. The doctor had told RainbowDash that the impact was severe - which Rainbow Dash was slightly happy that her legs were still extra powerful - but with the right amount of rest and good luck, Lightning Dust will be her old self again. This didn't help Rainbow Dash at all stay calm. What if she doesn't get better? Will she be able to fly still? And even so, will she still be as fast as me? What if she doesn't get into the Wonderbolts now that I injured her? What if I get thrown off the team? OHHHHH, this is badbadbadbadbadbadBAD. I just wanted to see her again and make up for what happened at camp. Maybe Twilight was right. She should have came with me after all, with her fancy new wings. Another 10 minutes of this continued, when right above her, the light on the door flickered off. A small wait. The doctor came out of the room, sweat beading down his mane. "How is she doc? Will she fly? Is she disabled?" "At the time being, it looks like everything should be just fine." Rainbow Dash let out a long sigh. "However-" Rainbow Dash looked at the doctor with desperate hope "-if she wishes to fly properly again, she has to let the medicine for her wing set in, which should take about 12 hours. If the medicine does not settle, she could be in terrible danger. Make sure she stays calm, and whatever you do, don't talk about flying." "Understood, doc. Thanks for everything." The doctor nodded and went down the hall to his office. Finally, she was able to rest. Before entering the room, she slowed her breathing, made herself look as nice as possible, and washed her hoofs with her spit. This may or may not end well. She proceeded to enter. "Hey champ, how does it fe-" "Rainbow Dash! Oh thank Celestia you're still here. I'm really sorry for the way I acted towards you. When I saw you, I was excited, yet what happened wasn't what I intended. I never meant to hurt you, but my mind was consumed by rage. I couldn't stop myself. If you hadn't kicked me, I don't think I would be alive right now," Lightning Dust explained. "Are we friends?" "Of course!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. She couldn't believe at how Lightning Dust's emotions had changed. They high hoofed each other. "So how much does it hurt?" "Not much anymore. What I am worried about is how much damage we did to the city," Lightning Dust said, a little nervous chuckle escaping her. "Oh it couldn't have been that bad," Rainbow stated. I hadn't thought about that. What if we accidentally broke a window or something? At that moment, Princess Celestia walked through the door- an infuriated look upon her face. Her horn a burning fire.
Chapter Two-The Truce"Come on Dusty, QUICKLY" shrieked Rainbow Dash from behind the next building over. Lightning Dust was panicking. How am I supposed to cross when Celestia was right there? I am in way too bad of a condition to be even walking anyways, the medicine hasn't settled. Oh, I wish that fight with Dash hadn't happ- WHOOOOSH! The building right next to her went up in flames. Celestia had been burning down the city searching for them, right after an emergency evacuation. How will she even get away with this? She didn't have time to answer that. She froze as their pursuer stood right above her. The only thing that went through Lightning Dust's mind was 'I am SOOOO dead.' "Well well, look who it is: the ever so pitiful Lightning Dust. You weren't good enough to join the Wonderbolts, so why do you still try? Wasn't that your only goal in life? The one purpose you served, all tossed in the trash by your "friend" Rainbow Dash. How does th-" "YAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Rainbow Dash jumped at Celestia with unimaginable speed. Bling. A forcefield appeared around Celestia, but the force was enough stun her for a second. She stumbled to the ground, obviously feeling the after effects of the kick. This is my chance! Lightning Dust bolted from the scene, Rainbow Dash bringing up the rear. They soon reached the port of Cloudsdale, pegasi were still bringing in and shipping out goods to and fro the floating city. But Lightning Dust was in an unbearable amount of pain at this point. If she had to run for much longer, she would drop. If she flew, the medicine wouldn't settle right, and she would be permanently disabled. All of a sudden, her feet were no longer on the ground. She wasn't flying, but she was one-hundred percent airborne. She looked back. To her surprise, Rainbow Dash had come from behind and picked her up. Then it hit her. One of Celestia's magical fireballs landed on Lightning Dust's coat. "AHHHH," she yelped. Luckily, the wind that was passing by them - because of Rainbow Dash's immense speed - extinguished the fire, but not before it singed of some of her coat. There was a burnt spot on her left backside; right where her cutie mark should be. They were headed for a large supply barge bringing in loads of food. Instantly, Lightning Dust knew that's where Rainbow Dash was headed for. The question was; how far behind was Celestia? If they could get there before Celestia realizes where we were, they would be home free. Lightning Dust wouldn't dare look back. They reached the barge and found a way under the deck. Rainbow Dash was panting heavily, wheezing in between. She was obviously under so much more stress than Lightning Dust, she could pass out at any second. Having to carry both of their weights and flying at that speed, Lightning was surprised that she didn't just topple over. No wonder she got the spot over me... "Oh giiiiirls? Come out, come out wherever you arrrre." Celestia's voice rang through their ears, seemingly luring them to her. Lightning starts walking toward the opening of which she entered... STOP! It's obviously her magic that's trying to bring us out of here. Wait... that means we're safe if we stay put, she clearly doesn't know where we are. "Rainbow Dash, we just have to stay..." That's when she looked at where Rainbow Dash previously was. Gone. "NO!" She searched the cabin, but she knew what happened to Rainbow Dash: she went towards Celestia. Whatever is going to happen to her, it won't be pretty. After waiting for what seemed like hours, Rainbow Dash finally came back. "RAINBOWWWW!!!! How was it? Are you injured?" "Lightning Dust, you knew I'd be fine," Rainbow Dash said confidently. "I'm not really sure how I got up there in the first place... But once I did, I gave her a pounding she'll never forget. But Celestia did say one thing: 'Two pegasi will combine for great power, but this creation decides the death hour.' What do you think that means? Meh, it's probably just to freak us out." "Yeah, we're gonna be fine," Lightning Dust said, but she didn't mean what she said. That sounded like a threat and a prophecy at the same time. If only she knew what that meant... "So what does this mean for us?" "Well it looks like Celestia is finally gone. What do you think got into her?" contemplated Rainbow Dash. "Well I don't know anything about the Princess, was she always like this?" "Not at all, actually, She was always so nice and caring, especially towards Twilight. I don't see any reason why she went all berserk mode," stated Rainbow Dash. "Maybe something went wrong in one of her spells or something. Or it could be something like Nightmare Moon where her soul got possessed. Or maybe... maybe she just went crazy." It made Rainbow's brain hurt just thinking about it. "So what should we do now?" Lightning Dust implied. "Well, I definitely need to go home, STAT. Twilight needs to hear about this." Rainbow Dash got into her takeoff position. "WAIT, what about me?" Lightning Dust knew Rainbow Dash wouldn't leave her - she was the pony that represents the Element of Harmony of loyalty - but Lightning Dust got nervous. "Oh yeah-" Rainbow Dash took a second to clear her throat "-WHAT WAS THAT BACK THERE?!? I thought you were as fast as man, more nonetheless able to fly. Where was that speed you put effort at camp?" Rainbow Dash sounded enraged and derogatory. "Dash, you were the one that injured me in the first place," Lightning Dust retaliated. "If it wasn't for you, I would have been out of here already and on the Wonderbolts." What has gotten into her, Lightning thought. One second completely cool, and she's blowing fumes all over the place. "Well where was that daredevil feeling you had at camp. You were always so willing to do whatever you could to make that team, but where was it here? Nowhere. If it wasn't for me you would've been dead. You've changed Lightning Dust, and I'm going to make sure you aren't a Wonderbolt until you show me some confidence and true speed. Talk to me when you get faster." Off she went, into the endless night sky, leaving behind not only a trail of rainbows, but a heartbroken Lightning Dust as well. Everything I ever dreamed of, now unachievable. My hometown and Equestria's most important weather factories, up in flames. And now, the only friend I ever had, gone like the wind. And it's all...my...fault... And down came the tears, out like a waterfall. "FOOD SHIPMENT BOAT NOW LEAVING DOCK," came a voice from outside, but Lightning Dust didn't notice the ship was leaving until there was a strong lurch from the boat that sent her to the other side of the barge, creating a crater in her side once more. She landed on the wood floor with a soft thud. The gripe she felt from the new bruise in her side just made her cry harder. Not to mention the devastation she was facing from all the events that transpired that day. Luckily, the captain of the ship was sound asleep, letting the pegasi below her do the work, therefore not being able to hear the bellows of sobbing that came from the dejected pony. She eventually cried herself to sleep that night, leaving not only a puddle of tears, but everything she believed in. BANG BANG BANG. "Ohhhhhh," groaned Twilight Sparkle as she awakened from her slumber. She HAD to get her sleep tonight, if she was at all tired, training was going to be much more taxing on her, not to mention her master would be ticked off. "TWILIGHT OPEN UP!" insisted Rainbow Dash. She didn't care how much suffering and sleep deprivation she was facing, this had to be told to SOMEBODY. The door opened up with a slight creek as a few strands of light peeked through the hole. "Who is it," said Twilight flatly. "It's me, Rainbow Dash, and this is 120% urgent." Rainbow plowed through the door, practically knocking it off the hinges. "As you know, I was previously in Cloudsdale on private business. Well, I found the person I was looking for, Lightning Dust-" Twilight gasped "-and she was really mad at me for some reason, and we had a bit of a fight, but in the end I landed a hard kick that broke one of her ribs." Rainbow Dash bucked at the air; for demonstration. "After that, she was chill, but then Celestia came through the door and lectured us about fighting in the streets, and how about she had to evacuate the city because of us. I then made a remark I probably shouldn't have: 'Well if it was for sparky over here, nothing would've happened.' That's when things went absolutely crazy. Her horn started glowing so much, I could feel the heat. We then proceeded to get the heck out of there. Next thing we knew, the hospital was up in flames." Rainbow Dash then told the rest of the tale, which you've already read. "So you just left an injured pegasus with no hopes, no friends, and an inability to fly?" inferred Twilight. "She was no good. If you weren't listening, she couldn't do anything, I had to help her to safety. If it weren't for m-" Twilight's hoof connected with Rainbow's jaw, leaving it hanging in agony to suffer. "Um, okay. OWWWWWWWWW!!!! What was that for?" Rainbow Dash rubbed the hoof mark on cheek, now being the second time in two days that somebody has hit that same spot. "I expected more from you!" Twilight asserted. "To leave a poor pony there with nobody to help her, how could you?" "What do you mean?" said Rainbow Dash, now coming to her senses. "You told me you left Lightning Dust on a boat shipping food to Cloudsdale, after telling her off," Twilight restated. "WHAT! I couldn't have... I had finally gained her trust..." Rainbow Dash immediately felt guilt in her stomach. "She must be in horrible condition. What if her wing never heals? What if she doesn't trust me anymore? How could I have done that?" Rainbow Dash flew through the door, leaving Twilight to bite the dust. *HECK HECK,* "What a dirtbag," Twilight stated. "Wait... no she's not... she just didn't... make-" Twilight grasped her temples "-the right... CHOIIIIICE!!" Twilight felt her mind being overcome by what she could only describe as pure rage. "Get out of my HEAD!!!" she sent up as many defensive spells to protect her mind as ponily possible. She could hear a faint voice in her head. She could only make out the last four words it spoke: '...rage will consume ALL!' Twilight blacked out. Rainbow Dash did control all airspace in Ponyville, so she knew she would see the barge in a few moments. There were many instances where a 'shipment' came in to the small village without notifying Rainbow Dash, and all of them have had things many ponies would not even consider having. The amount is quite surprising, but Ponyville is a nice rest stop for carriers that travel long distances. But if they did not foretell Rainbow Dash of their coming, Celestia had to be called upon, and many legal things came up, so Rainbow Dash hoped they weren't on a barge filled with illegal supplements. After waiting on her rump until it fell asleep - that weird pins and needles feeling - she saw the light flashes in the sky; three bright, and one dim so that only Rainbow Dash knew it was there. Her castle of a house in the sky was perfect for receiving these signals - and for waiting for them - because of the way it was made. If her mother hadn't gathered all these clouds for it, Rainbow Dash wouldn't have a stationary home, and be stuck with that tree branch in the park, just a short walk away from the Everfree Forest. Rainbow Dash descended below to the cold earthy soil where these types of things had been landing ever since the system started. As soon as the barge came to a slow stop, Rainbow Dash bolted inside to the spot where they hid from Celestia. Lightning Dust was sound asleep, but not for long. "LIGHTNING!" Rainbow Dash screamed, tears streaming down her face like rivers going through the land. "Oh my gosh, I am SOOOOO sorry for what happened at Cloudsdale, I have no idea what got into me. Whatever I said, I swear I didn't mean at all. Do you forgive me?" Rainbow Dash had gotten her attention. "Oh my gosh... OF COURSE!! I thought my life was ruined. Thank you," and with that, she zoomed off into the sky with such speed, it was hard to see her, you could only see the trail in the shape of a lightning bolt. She went so high, her shape completely disappeared; until she came back down. In a rapid nose dive - the same way Rainbow Dash performed her Sonic Rainboom. Lightning Dust came towards the ground at terminal velocity, and Rainbow Dash got scared. Was she going to make it? Then, out of the dark sky, there was a flash of yellow lightning, streaking a mile wide across the night sky, illuminating all of Ponyville, followed by a thunderous BOOOOOOOOOOOM. Lightning Dust pulled up and headed straight for Rainbow Dash's house. Rainbow Dash following in quick succession. "That... was ... AWESOME!!! How did you pull it off?" Rainbow Dash was eager to listen, she was curious to see if it was in any way similar to her signature move. *Huff... huff* Lightning Dust explained in between breaths, "I have... no idea... never gone that... fast in my... life..." "What would you call it?" Rainbow Dash asked intently. Lightning Dust finally caught her breath, "I believe it was a Sonic Lightboom, but I think the only time I performed one was as a filly. Not many people - including myself - believed it was true; but there it was, living proof." Lightning Dust was still facing the shock of. "I do something similar to yours," Rainbow Dash told the exhausted pegasus, "but I call mine a Sonic Rainboom, and I only can do it once I reach my highest speed in a nose dive." "Well I know one thing for sure, we are like family to each other, and let's keep it that way. Truce?" Lightning Dust spit on her hoof and held it out towards Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash did likewise and answered, "Truce." And with that the two ponies ventured inside, wiped out from the days events. Little did they know, they had a spectator for their little performance. "So they finally met, huh." The pony ruffled her wings and made herself comfortable. "Celestia always said they would, but I never believed her. I tried my best to keep this dynamic duo apart, but destiny always wins doesn't it." The mysterious pony let out a long sigh, "Now it is time for them to see if they can handle the true meaning of their lives." Celestia paced anxiously back and forth in front of her sister; currently going through all of her subjects' dreams. "Well," Celestia requested, "did you find theirs yet?" "Patience, sister," said Luna insistently. "Finding one or two specific persons' dreams takes time. At first, I do not even know who is hosting the dream. But, I searched through all of Ponyville for those two, so they probably are currently awake." "It seems we must use a different method to find those troublemakers." Celestia lit her horn and brought forward a piece of paper and a pen to her face and scribbled down some words. "Do you remember the multiplying spell again?" Luna searched her memory banks for the answer. "Not currently, sister. What would you need that for?" "Don't worry, I remember now." Her horn flashed a shade brighter, and instantly there was a stack of papers, about the height of a hoof. "COURIER!" A bright blue pegasus instantly showed before the Princess. "Take this stack of papers and drop them around Equestria." Celestia split the stack in half and shoved them in the courier's saddlebags. "Yes Princess," replied the courier, bowing before flying off into the night. "That should get them here by tomorrow. Hopefully the world won't end before they get here." Celestia slacked a bit in her throne, but still she felt horrible for sending off those papers. "No," she snapped at herself, "it must happen... "If only there was some other way to fend off that creature." Author's Note Alert me for any misspellings please. Also, I may or may not get the next chapter out for awhile. I'm planning on broadening my horizons by making different stories and coming back to this with more knowledge and a better understanding of writing about ponies.
Chapter Three-Sisters"GOOOOOOOOOOD MORRRRRRNING!" Rainbow Dash rolled onto her side, now realizing that the light was shining through her bedroom window. Her mind was covered with a morning haze, her thoughts from last nights dreams foggy in the labyrinth that was her mind. A slight ringing in her ears caused her eyes - crusted over from the long hours of the night - to open. Who could possibly want me this early in the morning? Rainbow Dash pondered. As she cracked her back and stretched out the rest of her body, the voice came soothingly weaving its way into her head before splitting with the high pitched frequency of the scream. How long had it been since she fell asleep? The morning summer sun warmed her back as she trudged to the other side of her room. As she passed the stainless glass mirror in her room, she did a double take before gawking at herself. Her bags hung lower than her snout, and her hair had probably been in a tornado last night. I hope it's only Pinkie Pie at the door, Rainbow Dash thought desperately. If anyone saw her like this, they would obviously think she wasn't the best flyer in Equestria. As she sheepishly made her way down the stairs, she could make out two voices, both of them familiar. She strained her cloudy senses trying to decipher what they said. "...can't happen like that, it just can't" Lightning Dust, Rainbow Dash remembered. Wait... how could she get up that early? I guess she must have gotten a little sleep on the boat here, but that shouldn't have given her enough energy to wake up. "Lightning Dust," said the other. "You know better than to just throw something like that out the window. Isn't this what you've always dreamed of? They were your heroes growing up." Rainbow Dash was almost in sight of the two mares at this point, softly making her way down the curved flight of stairs. Could it be... no, she swore only to visit when there was no money left to fund me. The account couldn't have drained that quickly. Have I been spending too much? Was it because I went to the Wonderbolts Academy, and now it caught up with us? Rainbow Dash had to know, but this was a conversation that she needed to hear: it could describe Lightning Dust's history. "For the last time I said NO! Lightning Dust was hollering now. "I don't care if I don't won't ever see her again, EVER. I don't want any part in a war or some secret mission to save Equestria, especially if it jeopardizes me and my sister. Even though I know she can be a little headstrong at times and always wanting to be the hero, even she would say no to this." Rainbow Dash was buzzing with questions at this point. Control yourself, she chided. If I don't hear this next sentence it could never come up again unless I bring it up, which is something Lightning Dust would obviously be sensitive about, and I don't want to hurt her again. "How about we ask her ourselves," the other mare said, her voice persuasively cunning, but with a slight edge. "Rainbow Dash, show yourself." Rainbow Dash's blood stopped dead in its tracks. Her hair that wasn't already frizzed out from bedhead was now on end. How did she kn- "Rainbow Dash, NOW!" Rainbow Dash knew better than to keep her mother waiting. I might never be able to let myself come to this, but Lightning Dust was right. Rainbow Dash was significantly distraught at what she just heard. It does explain a lot, but I still can't believe it. "Alright, in a nutshell, tell me the story. But this time, try to leave out all those gory parts." For the the sake of both her sanity and the whole of Equestria's, she needed to hear this "100% true" story. "If you insist. But remember; time is of the essence! You need to decide swiftly, death approaches." The two sisters cringed at the thought of everypony scavenging for them, the unexplainable amount of zeros going through their heads. "About 23 years ago, me - the most gorgeous and swiftest of the pegasi, Crystal Clear - was simply strolling through the marketplace, when out of nowhere, VWHOOOOSH. Through the condensed cloud walls in the vicinity parted for two mightily sized stallions grappling for a position on top of the other. The trail of crimson blood left behind showed this was no laughing matter. The couple of them came halting to a stop, blotches of blood splattered amongst each other, holding the most delicate of flowers. One was holding a rose with the most beauteous shades of flaring pink petals and a mellow light green center. The other held a tulip of glistening purple majesty petals with a crisp orange center. "I was absolutely flattered at both of their offers; but just as powerfully shocked! Where did these people come from? How did they know who I was? Neither of them were even vaguely familiar, but I felt a deep connection to both of them. "That was when I realized they were talking to me. They were telling me how beautiful they were, blah blah blah. After I had my two bits of fun, I gave them a true challenge. I invited them both back to my home at sunset. The stallion that presented me the purple flower showed up earlier, however. That was all I needed to draw a consensus in my mind. The other horse arrived right at sunset - like he was supposed to - and we sat down and talked for an hour or so. His name was Dusty "Boom" Dash, and that was your father. "After four years of jubilant life together, Dusty proposed to me. Time flew by and next thing you know I was in CMC (Cloudsdale Medical Center) going through labor, knowing little about the twin that came out soon after you, Rainbow Dash. Yes, you are older, but by barely 5 minutes. Settle down you two, the story isn't finished. We decided to name you both after your father in some way, which is where your last names come from. Lightning, you practically zapped yourself out of the womb, so we named you Lightning. And Rainbow, your hair was like nothing we had seen before, so we named you for that. "We were so excited and ready to have you around. But not even a week after you were born, we were payed with a visit by Celestia herself. She said that Luna foresaw something... dark, and that it had to do with, and I quote, 'those creatures and their overwhelming power and speed. You must separate them, for the good of themselves and all of Equestria.' And with that she left. "We knew we had to make this as convincing as possible to you both, so we decided to have Rainbow Dash placed in the most luxurious of Palaces made from the daintiest of clouds, and have Lightning Dust live in a Manehattan apartment. All of the rents and such were prepayed, and there was food to go around, but we left Lightning Dust in the hoofs of your father, and Rainbow Dash in mine. For ten years, all was well; except our broken hearts. "So on both of your 15 birthdays, we were going to bring you two together. But then, a catastrophe happened. On the train ride here, as you might reminisce Lightning Dust, The train hit a bump in the track, and he went flying out the window. He was later found with a shard of glass right through what they think was his lung. I was devastated, and Lightning Dust never knew what her father was going to show her. After that, we lost all contact with you, and you weren't in your apartment. "I fell into a state of mental breakdown. Who knew what would happen to you? If you were in the Everfree Forest, you could have been gone forever. From what I heard of your father's letters, you were most likely going to presume your quest to become a Wonderbolt. I was hospitalized after that, and Rainbow Dash was going to plausibly to reach for the same goal. It was a disaster waiting to happen. "I still don't understand why we have to be segregated from each other." Rainbow Dash went through a mental checklist in her head, making sure everything was covered that she wanted to know. "I was getting to that now," replied Crystal, keeping her composure as best she could. "You two both know that you can break the sound barrier, spreading your cutie mark across the sky. This takes up extreme amounts of energy; but do you know where you get that energy from? It comes from the same energy field as unicorn energy does. But since you two are pegasi, you should not have access to this. That fact that you do is astonishing in its entirety, but using it causes a slight drop every time in the unicorns' abilities. "Most of the time, it is unnoticable and it fills the gap in a rapid two minutes. But last night, you two were in the same area when it happened, therefore outputting much more than the average amount. Celestia must have sensed this, and you should be wary. She will be on the lookout for you, as well most of the other ponies around Equestria." Rainbow Dash effervesced with excitement, anxiety, and most of all, awesomeness, but all she could do was leave her jaw hanging down to the cloud made table. Is it true? Can I use the same powers as Twilight? Does this mean I am secretly an alicorn? This is so AWESOME! Her mind was absolutely electrified with this newfound knowledge. She finally regained feeling in her jaw. The pins-and-needles feel ravaged her whole body as she pushed herself into a sitting position. Her mouth finally learned how to work again and spattered out a few slurred words. "Does this... mean what I think it does?" "Well," uttered their mother, "if what you mean is that you now are wanted fugitives with no idea what to do now that you have finally discovered your true meaning in life, then yes." It was like Rainbow Dash was just cut into about twenty different pieces. She shattered at the thought that people were going to be trying to capture her at any moment possible. All her glory and reputation, it had no meaning to anyone now. "If you truly wish to survive, you must confront Celestia herself. She is the most powerful pony in all of Equestria, so you must prepare well. But remember, hiding will get you nowhere in battle." Crystal Clear then proceeded to leap over the table and stayed hovering outside the kitchen window. "Good luck girls. I will see you after your victory with the answers to all your other questions." And off she flew. Rainbow Dash had so many questions she wanted answered now, but neither she nor Lightning Dust had the nerve to ask her. In her seat was a wanted sign with their names on it. The amount of money they were worth was officially nothing compared to what they had experienced that morning. The saying 'I feel like a million bits' has never been so true. Author's Note Sorry for the LONG delay (school and stuffs), and I will be preoccupied for the next week or so. I have decided to go back and tweak the first two chapters, and will for any others that I feel I have not done as good a job as I should have. If there is anything that you feel is not properly explained or doesn't make sense, the comment section awaits.
