After the storm had finally deceased and its reign disappeared into nothingness, Twilight Sparkle dissolved her magical shield spell, which had protected herself and her friends. Not only her friends but also the unicorn Nova Blast, archmage of princess Celestia and well-known scientist.

The shield had kept them safe from the fallen rubble of the remains of the hideout of said scientist gone mad. All of them sans Rainbow Dash. Once the spell was gone, Twilight rushed into the debris of the destroyed villa. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity were right behind her, with Applejack as the last pony, who dragged Nova with her lasso behind her, accompanied with several "ow ow ow" sounds.

"Rainbow!" Twilight screamed as she searched for the body of her pegasus friend.

This is not how this was supposed to go. she thought while levitating big stones and wooden planks aside to find anything blue or rainbow-colored to see if her friend was well. Pinkie Pie was sniffing on the rubble like a dog, while Fluttershy was tearing up as she called out Rainbow's name again and again, but received no answer.

Rarity's white coat had turned grey, full of dust and dirt, but she paid it no mind as she rolled aside debris twice her size in hopes to find her courageous friend. Applejack kept the lamenting and bound doctor close to her, looking around frequently for any hint to where Rainbow could have fallen in this sudden storm, fearing the worst what could have happened to her reckless friend.

Why? Why did this have to happen? When did it go wrong? Why had she done this to save this? Please be okay, please don't be hurt! Rainbow! Twilight's desperate thoughts were flying around madly in her mind as she remembered why they had been here and have to search for Rainbow Dash in this display of magical destruction.

~~~~~

Celestia had called them for a new mission. A unicorn scientist had stolen a powerful artifact from the Archmage chambers and hidden it behind a barrier in his villa far away from Canterlot and Ponyville in the wildness. The royal guard and archmage circle was helpless, as the barrier around his land was formed with said artifact and couldn't be penetrated by them. The Elements of Harmony were needed to deal with it.

Thanks to it, the six ponies could enter the barrier without a problem, and encountered whatever the scientist threw at them to buy himself time to finish his machine to change the world. The artifact, called Solaris’ Tear, was one of the few artefacts Celestia and Luna had brought with them when they became princesses of Equestria.

Nopony knew its powers, and there were no records of it ever being used, not even by Celestia herself. However, after a thousand years she had allowed for her circle of archmages to study it in their chambers, as she believed their promises to find a way to make this become a helpful tool for everypony in Equestria. Nova Blast had been the pony leading those studies, and he became its thief for his own crazy plans.

Plans neither Celestia, nor Twilight, or anypony else had any idea about, but given the rock monsters, lighting arrows, and hypnotic fog inside the barrier it couldn't be a good plan. But Twilight and her friends overcame all obstacles, and stood ultimately before Nova Blast in his laboratory in the highest tower of his residence.

The scientist, once one of the highest archmages of Celestia's circle, now posessing an insane flicker in his bilious green eyes, laughed madly as the elements stood before him and his gigantic machine, nearly filling out the entire room. The roof had been opened, and the machine's antenna projected towards it, its steel-grey spear threatening the blue sky.

"It's over, Nova! Give the artefact up and surrender!" Twilight shouted as she gave the crazed pony before her a last chance to give up without a fight. But the pristine white stallion heard nothing of it as he laughed into her face.

"Over? No, silly student, this is not over at all! The new world, made by my hooves, begins NOW!" With that said, the black-maned scientist pushed a red button, and the machine started to work. It clattered, spluttered black smoke, and sprayed sparks of all colors, interrupted by the loud screaming of its creator, praising his works with cracking voice. Twilight's eyes became slit. as they had only one option left to stop him.

"Let's go, girls!"

"Ah say!"

"Certainly, darling."

"Okie-dokie!"

"O-okay..."

"About time, Twi!"

The Elements of Harmony flashed brightly, and hit the scientist and his machine with its rainbow-colored magical light. The shield bubble the archmage created was feeble against this might, and broke in an instance. After the light had faded the machine stood still, and the mad unicorn laid on the ground, unconscious. The six mares cheered, and hugged each other as they believed to have defeated another enemy of the peace of Equestria, and saved everypony from whatever plan this crazed stallion had planned.

Then the machine started to work again; or better said, it started to break down, as it shook and jogged and hissed, silencing their happy cheers and relieved expressions to be replaced by worry and fear. After a moment of shock, Twilight entered her mind of leadership, and quickly ordered everypony to get out, not without the machine creator in tow. She herself ran up to the machine, which started to glow in blazing golden color, and steamed out of every crack created by the magical overload of its content.

"What are you doing, Twilight!" Rainbow yelled as she noticed Twilight's absence from the rest of the gang. The others turned at her shout just to see a part of the ceiling crashing between them beyond the door, and Rainbow in the laboratory. The villa was shaken to its very foundations.

"Run, I'll fly Twilight out of here!" The girls nodded to Rainbow's order and started to run down the stairs to escape the fallen parts of the ceiling and shaking walls. Rainbow Dash flew towards Twilight, who was working with her magic on the machine. All her more subtle spells were forgotten as she ripped the machine open with pure force. Twilight tossed metal and bolts, wires and gems aside to open the stomach of the crude metallic monster till she found what she searched for in its deepest part.

There it was. A small golden jewel, embedded in silver and copper wires connecting it to gems of all sorts and colors. It was not bigger than a pearl, but certainly even more powerful than any alicorn amulet you could find in the world. Twilight grabbed it with her magic and tore it out of the machine's innards. It resulted in the shrill scream of a dying beast coming from the machine, robbed of its heart and soul. But it didn't go out quietly.

"It’s gonna explode!" Rainbow took immediate action as she saw the danger the two of them were in. She took Twilight into her arms in a tight embrace and flew as fast as she could through the open roof into the freedom and safety of the heavens. Yet it only delayed the inevitable.

The machine exploded into a storm of wind and magic, of lighting and black clouds, of stone and wood and metal and gems; and it all reached out to the flying pair, intending to drag them down to their demise. The villa collapsed, releasing a black tornado with blue and red lights coming out of its midst, and debris dancing in its whirl. It grew instantly, and its might touched Rainbow Dash, who felt the air being sucked in, tugging on her wings. But on top of being the fastest flier she was also the best weather pony of Equestria, so she beat her wings ever stronger, pressing her friend close to her chest, looking for a way to escape.

There she saw the others, safe behind the villa's walls, hiding from the storm's grip. Applejack held her hat while Rarity was in quiet despair, due to her mane getting messed up by the wind. Rainbow chuckled, and Twilight looked in surprise at her, as the horrific tornado was still in close sight of them, threatening to devour them alive.

"We're safe, Twi! I'll get us down to cover!" Rainbow flew down, aiming at the rest of their group with Twilight, pressing her face into her blue coat shield her eyes during the rapid fall towards the ground. Rainbow grinned, thinking how she could tease her friend about this little stunt, and how adorably she looked when she was scared.

Then her grin froze as her dive ended. Perplexed, she looked back on what had stopped her flight. Black smoke tendrils from the tornado had gotten hold of her tail, slowly creeping up towards her legs and wings, not letting go of her.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Twilight opened her eyes in response to Rainbow's frustrated shout and gasped at what she saw. She flared her horn to cut off those tendrils, yet her purple blasts went right through the smoke, leaving no damage to it. And they started to pull them into the growing tornado.

This is so unfair! Rainbow thought as she tried to win a hopeless battle of strengths. They had been just meters away from safety, and now she was grabbed by some abnormality of nature and couldn't get away anymore. On the ground behind the cover, Pinkie Pie pointed to their friends in danger. She saw Fluttershy put her hooves before her mouth to suppress her quiet scream and how Rarity stopped Applejack from attempting to leave the cover to help them somehow; though there was no way this stubborn earth pony could have helped them against this kind of storm. A purple flash appeared before Rainbow's eyes, and she blinked in confusion.

Rainbow felt a tug on her shoulders as purple hooves dragged her head closer to Twilight’s. Her friend, always the mare for a smart answer to all problems and questions, had a hopeless expression written all over her face, her mouth quivering, and eyes close to crying. Soon, Rainbow heard the reason why she looked like this.

"I tried to teleport us out of here, but it didn't work. It didn't work, Rainbow! We won't get away from it!" Twilight couldn't believe that they were at the mercy of an unnatural disaster, barred all means of escaping it; even her spells couldn't save them anymore. She pressed her lips tightly together and hid in the pegasus’ fuzzy coat as a small sob escaped her throat.

This little sob tugged at Rainbow's heart strings. It cleared her mind of frustration, and blew away the anger raging in her wings. All her power and skills she was so proud of were useless before this unholy might. She knew this for a fact, as even the mare in her arms, which she sometimes called the strongest unicorn in Equestria to tease her modesty, was left helpless. Rainbow's teeth gritted together in determination as she saw a way out.

Rainbow tilted upwards, exposing her back to the tornado only fifty metres away from them. Greedily, the tendrils latched onto the new defenseless areas while Rainbow pushed Twilight away from her chest with her front hooves. A chill ran through her blue fur, and Rainbow thought for a brief moment how warm Twilight had been in her arms and that she already missed it.

"Rainbow, wh-?" Rainbow didn't listen to Twilight's question; there was no time to expel her confusion, and if she knew what she was about to do, she would have stopped her anyway. And Rainbow wouldn't let that happen.

The storm's fingers crawled onto her shoulders and head, blackening her colors as her hind legs took aim for a rough treatment. Twilight's mouth stood open, watching how more and more the storm took possession of Rainbow. But the rose eyes before her showed no fear, only a soft glimmering of caring and her smile was one of accomplishment.

"I apologize in advance!" And before Twilight knew what her loyal friend meant, she was kicked in the guts and tossed away from the blue pegasus towards the wall where the rest of her friends hid.

"Sorry, Twi..." Rainbow whispered as she felt the final embrace of the black smoke around her body, dragging her slowly into the mouth of the machine's birth.

The others had never let the two out of their sight, even Fluttershy, though she wished this was all just a bad dream, couldn't tear her eyes away. The moment they saw Twilight being tossed towards them, all four stood up without any hesitation to catch their fallen friend. With their combined efforts they caught Twilight safely, and brought her down onto earth. The moment her hooves touched the ground, she jumped up to leap over the wall towards the storm holding Rainbow captive.

"Rainbow!"

But Applejack and Pinkie Pie held her back with all their strength while Rarity and Fluttershy pleaded her not to go. And they did rightly so, as the debris of the former villa started to fall down to the ground, destroying the little park around it and the remains of the wall. Twilight bit her tongue to avoid swearing as she cast a shield to protect her friends from the danger of the falling remains of the residence. All her friends but one.

The last Twilight saw of Rainbow Dash was a blue spot getting devoured by the blackness of the magical tornado. For the next minutes all the heroes of Equestria could do, was to huddle together and listen to the triumphant howling of the storm, interrupted only by the screams of agony and fear of their friend, caught inside it.

~~~~~~

Rainbow's world had been turned black. A stinky, endless kind of black which clung onto her body and nestled into her eyes and ears. She tried to beat her wings, but she could have waved her hooves trying to fly, as it had no effect whatsoever. The storm was screaming into her mind, tossing her around like a ball and tearing at her coat and limbs without care. Rainbow Dash screamed as loud as she could; she wanted to curse this Celestia damned tornado, but it ended in shrieks for help and scared cries.

She hated her helplessness. She was supposed to become the greatest Wonderbolt in history, and yet she was nothing but a plaything for an over-sized storm. Suddenly lightning danced over Rainbow's body, its bolts dancing over her wings and legs, leaving hot burning pain in their trails.

Rainbow's screams became shriller, filled with anguish and fright. Unable to see what was happening to her, she turned and writhed in her vulnerability to escape the bangs of pain. But the storm didn't stop. It went on faster and harder and stronger than ever. Slowly Rainbow felt her aching body give in and her mind shut down as the last of her strength was leaving her, taken by the cruel wind.

At least Twilight is safe. Rainbow thought with the tiniest smile she could afford with her dying strength. Then everything went into the deepest kind of blackness.

"Rainbow Dash. Wake up, Rainbow. Rainbow."

Finally they had found Rainbow Dash, beyond the remains of the wall behind the villa. With tears in her violet eyes, Twilight was over Rainbow's body, her trembling hooves carefully caressing her head and mane. Teardrops fell on a blue, dirtied chest which rose and sank ever so slightly, a sign their friend was alive. But if she was well was another question.

"Please, Rainbow. Please wake up. Wake up already, you stupid mare, so that I can tell you off for doing something so crazy, so stupid, so... so...so! You shouldn't, you, I- Oh please, please, please wake up. Rainbow!" Twilight's voice was wavering as guilt and fear threatened to overcome her mind. Fluttershy was crying on Rarity's shoulders who held a hoof to her muzzle to suppress the incoming sobs. Pinkie Pie's mane was straight like on the day of the birthday she thought everypony had not wanted to attend. Applejack hid her face with her hat, gritting her teeth as she wished there had been something she could have done to prevent what had happened.

"That's how you thank me for saving your life?" Everypony went silent at those whispered, hoarse words. They stared with wet eyes to the blue pegasus who opened her rose, mischievously glimmering eyes. Rainbow smiled widely at her five shocked friends, none of which returned the smile. She had been awake for a whole minute, but thought this was too good of a show to end too quickly. Now she wasn't so sure if she shouldn't have said something sooner. Apologetic, she grinned awkwardly as she sat up, waving a hoof to show that she was just fine. No wounds and injuries anywhere on her body. Not even a scratch had harmed her coat.

It was a miracle come true.

"Hey, gu-uff!"

Twilight had flung her hooves around Rainbow's neck and hugged her with all the strength she had, and to Rainbow's surprise, it sure was a lot for such a slender looking unicorn. And then four more mares jumped her into a group hug, bawling their eyes out, rejoicing about her recovery, and being all around super happy to see that she was well enough to play pranks on them.

"Guys! Ugh, seriously, guys! Your love is killing me! You'll end what the storm couldn't finish!" While Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity left the group hug, though reluctantly, Twilight remained in the same spot as before, her muzzle buried in Rainbow's shoulder.

"R-rainbow, I thought, we thought you-" Rainbow's grin turned into a sympathetic smile as she hugged the slightly trembling Twilight back; patting her back, and soothing the unicorn's worst fears.

"I know, Twilight, but believe me: I'm fine." slowly pulling Twilight away before she would leave a patch of mucus on her coat. Her violet eyes were a bit puffy, having recently cried, and so Rainbow wiped away another tear running its way down her purple fur. "And clean your face, Twi; you don't look cute at all that way." Twilight had to chuckle at her friend's deadpan last words to such an emotional scene.

"A-are you really o-okay, Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked timidly, quickly using her wing tips to wipe away her tears.

"Heh, of course I am, Fluttershy. It takes more than a weirdo tornado to take me down for good."

"Darn tootin'! Ah reckon nothing can kill ya, or your lack of manners for that, Rainbow. Next time, ya'll wake up faster before we all worry ourselves to death 'cause of ya." Applejack gave the pegasus a friendly slap to her rainbow-colored mane before she helped her back up onto her hooves. Rainbow returned the jab with a playful glare, knowing her cowgirl friend meant it in a good way.

"That was so awesome, Dashie! You were, like, a hero or something with that move and sacrifice, and we’re gonna throw such a big party to celebrate this adventure, and I’m gonna tell everypony in Ponyville about this, and then I'll..." Rarity shoved the bouncing and overly excited pink earth pony aside before she would speak a third ear hole into everypony's head. The fashionable mare then returned to the most glaring mishap left, besides her own mane and coat, that is.

"Oh my, you look overly dreadful, darling. Please, let me clean you up, dear." And with just a quick clean-up spell, the gang was left speechless to see what had been hidden beneath the dirt and dust had been hidden.

Rainbow Dash's wings were glistening in the sunlight, but not because of Rarity's superb skills in cleaning and make-up, but because of her wings.

Around a dozen and more of her feathers had turned silver, sprinkling her blue wings with spots of silver here and there. It was the purest, most wonderful shade of silver you could think of.

"So. Beautiful." Rainbow mouthed quietly, but everypony could hear her very well as the same thought ran through their heads.

"What happened to your wings? Was this because of the storm?" Twilight wondered loudly, while Rainbow touched her new feathers with her hooves, admiring them together with everypony else. Only Twilight looked worried by the beautiful new feature on her friend's wings.

"Maybe, who cares? I got silver feathers, Twi; that is so awesome! Can you imagine what I’m gonna look like at the Grand Galloping Gala with these girls here? Nopony will be able to look away from me; even the Wonderbolts will want to have a talk with me, just to see them up close! And then I can talk to them all evening long, and maybe even get a recommendation by Spitfire for the Wonderbolt academy. Oooh, I can't wait for next week! This will be the best evening ever!"

Everypony rolled their eyes at Rainbow's daydream but they let her have her fun. She deserved it after her heroic deed today. Twilight smiled with the rest of her friends. She was glad for Rainbow to be so happy about the new silver feathers in her feathering. But she couldn't help to not feel uneasy whenever she looked at them. *I really need to learn to relax a bit more and to worry less.*

"Okay, girls. I say, we deliver the artefact and Nova Blast to princess Celestia and then prepare for the Grand Galloping Gala. I see the guards and archmages are coming now that barrier has fallen. If we're lucky, we'll be home before dinner."

"I’ll go and fly up to them, and tell them to haul their lazy butts." True to her words, Rainbow beat her wings up and down to gain altitude and show off her new silvery feathers in the sunlight of a wonderful day.

But her hooves didn't leave the ground.

Confused, she clapped the wings stronger and stronger while her friends looked just as confused as she did. Then she started to jump up and down like Fluttershy's bunny, Angel when he didn't get what he wanted.

The others were watching this with growing uneasiness until Pinkie started to chuckle and then broke out laughing, rolling on the floor watching Rainbow's hopping. She sat up, still shaken by the mirth of her laughter, having infected Applejack and Rarity as well with it as they understood that Rainbow was only playing them for fools just like before. Only Fluttershy and Twilight looked at Rainbow without any chuckle, smile or laughter; one with growing horror the other with growing suspicion.

"Ah, Dashie! You can stop with your chicken jokes, it's only funny for the first minute then it becomes an old hat real quick!" Pinkie advised her still flightless friend, grinning happily that her reckless prank partner had was humorous enough to make a fool out of herself rather than show off with her new, awesome looking wings.

Pinkie's stopped smiling, as she suddenly realized that this wasn't a typical behavior for Rainbow Dash to do at all. Applejack and Rarity as well had come to the same conclusion, looking at each other, wondering what exactly was wrong with their usually boastful friend. Twilight had an idea of what exactly it was wrong with her saviour.

Oh no, please don’t let this be what I think it is.

Rainbow finally stopped with her attempts to fly into the air. She turned around and looked at her friends, confusion, desperation, and fear clearly shown in her wide eyes.

"I- I can't fly?"

Author's Note

First chapter done.
I really need to work on my discipline and keeping a schedule, this fic was supposed to have been finished last week and I'm still writing on it. I blame the internet with its many distractions.^^;

Many thanks at TimberWolf65 for proofreading. If you happen to find a fault we overlooked please notify me in the comments and I'll take care of it. :)

Here's to hope I can finish the rest of the story before the 14th octobre, else I need to beg for another day to work with. xD