The sky was a bright blue, the sun was shining, casting its rays down onto the ponies below, and there was nary a cloud in the sky. Because they were all being destroyed by the cyan pegasus zooming around in the air.
Rainbow Dash delivered a swift kick to a nearby cloud, dissipating it with her strong back legs. Then, she looped around a few times, driving her head through a wisp of stratus clouds. Once they were gone, the pegasus shot higher into the sky and flew straight into a cumulonimbus that was threatening to release its rain onto the peaceful town of Ponyville.
“That’s what you get for trying to rain three days ahead of schedule,” Dash snorted, crossing her arms as she hovered. She looked around, then noted in satisfaction that the sky was clear. Her job was done—and well done, if she did say so herself. So, fluttering her wings, the pegasus floated down to the ground, eager to get some well-deserved lunch for her hard work. Upon hitting the soft dirt under her hooves, she trotted into the little café, determined to get some food.
“Rainbow Dash!” called someone from behind her. Rainbow turned around, still halfway outside. Another pegasus, Cloud Chaser, flew gently up to her.
“Yeah, what’s up, Chase?” Dash asked, greeting the member of her team with a smirk.
“There’s been an accident,” Cloud Chaser responded, a frown on her face.
Rainbow sighed. “What’s happened?”
“Some clouds blew in from the Everfree, and our team just isn’t cutting it. We’ve already lost Thunderlane because of a lightning strike to his wing, so he’ll be down for a couple of days. We really need your help, or Ponyville’s going to get doused with some serious rainfall. Flitter’s already predicted possible hail and a definite chance of sleet.”
“Crap,” Dash muttered. “Alright, how far away is the storm from Ponyville?”
“It’s only about two miles out, and it’s moving pretty fast.”
“Dang, no time for lunch,” Rainbow griped under her breath. She looked up at Cloud Chaser. “Let’s go.” The light purple mare nodded and she led the way to where the fairly large storm was brewing just on the edge of the Everfree Forest. “Geez, that’s some clouds?”
Cloud Chaser looked over at her boss, now hovering beside her. “Yeah,” she answered.
“And it really sucks!” came another voice, and the two pegasi glanced over to see Cloud Kicker flying shakily over to them. Her face was scratched and her wing beats were just barely out of sync, making her flight jerky. Her light yellow-orange hair was scuffed and out of place.
“It’s a real mess in there,” Cloud Kicker repeated, wiping some sweat off her brow.
“Not after I’m done with it,” Rainbow growled in determination. She sped over to the mass of dark clouds, prepared to destroy it. A bolt of lightning zapped out of the clouds, nearly striking the light blue pegasus. She quickly dodged it and braced herself, then flew right into the side. Feeling the electricity that mingled between the molecules and droplets of quickly forming rain, Dash let herself drop out of the mass.
This was a really odd storm. The clouds were colored darker than anything she’d ever seen, even for something from the Everfree Forest. They also seemed to move in a liquid-y motion, almost as if they were made entirely out of water. There was a strange wind that was only blowing within five feet from it. All in all, this was definitely one of the weirdest storms Dash had ever seen.
“Shoot,” muttered the pegasus. She eyed the beast. As if on cue, a roll of thunder emanated from the storm. “This calls for something more extreme.” Dash looked at her team, waving a fore hoof in the air. “Everypony, out! Clear the area!” The surrounding pegasi nodded and flew off to a safer distance. Once they were clear, the weather captain blew out a determined breath.
Rainbow rolled her shoulders and hiked up to the highest point she needed in the sky. Her wings flapped more slowly here, to save her energy. Then, without another beat, she let herself drop, wings folding in to her body. Dash plummeted through the sky, and about halfway through her fall, her wings started beating swiftly. Her speed doubled, the familiar cone forming around her front hooves. She was nearly at the storm. As she approached, she felt herself slipping through the sonic cone she’d established. The sound and spectrum light barrier shattered. The circle of light traipsed through the blue sky, the sound of the fire-like blast echoing throughout the air.
As it exploded, the clouds were sent everywhere, dissipating with the blast. The weather team cheered as their problem was solved. They high-hooved and then waited for their captain to come celebrate with them. But she never came.
A shrill alarm rang out. Red lights flashed on the outside of the bank, alerting the authorities of an intrusion. The side of the grey wall suddenly exploded outwards, and a large stone creature came clomping out. Several large bags were held in its bulky hands.
“Stop right there, Cinderblock!” Robin yelled. Said villain looked up to see the Teen Titans standing on a nearby building. Raven and Starfire were hovering in the air. Beast Boy growled, transforming into a tiger.
Releasing a long roar, Cinderblock picked up a chunk of concrete out of the street and hurled it up at the vigilantes. They scattered, all leaping off in different directions. Before the dust even settled, Robin came flying out of the cloud of debris, his Bo staff held in one hand. He landed on Cinderblock’s shoulders and delivered several whacks with the expanding staff before getting outright plucked off by his cape. He was thrown down the street.
Starfire and Beast Boy came at the stone creature next, with Raven and Cyborg coming from the opposite direction. Cinderblock roared and tried to swat Starfire out of the air, but to no avail. Glowing green energy bombarded him furiously and without end; Beast Boy took advantage of the distraction and pounced on Cinderblock, clawing and scratching. Cyborg lifted his arm up and the sonic cannon glowed a bright blue. As it unleashed its strong blast of energy, Raven put her hands out, the familiar shout of:
“Azarath Metrion Zinthos!” ringing out as her hands were surrounded by black energy. The blast shot off her hands, colliding with Cinderblock. That seemed to do him in; he let out a grunt and the stolen money dropped out of his giant hands. As the black energy faded, there seemed to be a flash of light. In a matter of moments, something shot out from the remaining energy. The Titans yelled in surprise as it went shooting past them, a colorful streak being the only thing they saw.
“What on Earth was that?!” Cyborg exclaimed, looking up at Raven. “Was that something you conjured?”
Raven’s facial expression displayed one of shock. “No. Whatever that was, it wasn’t summoned.”
“Then what happened?” came Robin’s voice. He approached them from behind.
“I too wish to know what we have just seen,” Starfire commented, floating down to just above their heads.
“Yeah, but whatever it was, it was wicked fast!” Beast Boy cheered, turning back into himself.
“And possibly evil,” Robin reminded.
“Let’s remember we have to dispose of this guy,” Raven said. The team turned to look at Cinderblock, who was laying in the smashed concrete.
“Right.” Robin nodded. “Let’s send him back to jail and then track down whatever that thing was.”
The last thing Rainbow Dash remembered was doing a sonic rainboom to get rid of that horrible storm. Now her head hurt and she was pretty sure her wing was bent around the wrong way. Well, that’s what it felt like, at least.
Picking herself out of the rubble, which was from her crashing into what she was sure was a building, Dash let out a pained groan. At once, she twisted around to get a better look at her injured wing. It wasn’t broken, but the base of the wing was swollen and, frankly, it hurt like Tartarus. Thankfully, having had done this several times before (there was some reasoning behind ponies calling her Rainbow Crash), the pegasus knew it was just dislocated. So, Dash reached back and twisted herself so she could grip onto the wing with both hooves. Then, with a sickening crack, she popped it back into its socket. She didn’t cry out or groan, but after it was completed, she sank back into the pile of concrete and dust. For now, she would regain her strength and try to figure out exactly where in Tartarus she was.
“Oh Celestia,” Rainbow moaned, “I am so lost.” All she knew for sure was that she wasn’t in Ponyville anymore. She stretched out her limbs, shaking some of the dust off her fur. The pegasus then laid her head down on her hooves, twitching her tail idly.
The Teen Titans made their way back to the scene of the crime. There, they recapped what had happened.
“So, you blast him, Raven, and then that thing comes flying out?” Beast Boy asked.
“Yes. I don’t know why, but that’s what happened,” Raven confirmed in her usual monotonous voice.
“Then let’s follow where it went!” Cyborg yelled, pointing his arm in the air.
“But Cyborg, we know not where it went,” Starfire put in.
Robin narrowed his eyes and pointed down the road. “Well, we know that it headed that way. From there, we can track it down.” The Titans agreed and started down the street. Once they reached the end, they stopped.
“You think it kept goin’ straight, or that it turned?” Cyborg asked.
“I’m guessing it turned, or else this building probably would’ve been destroyed,” Robin commented. “I really doubt it went around it.”
Starfire pointed to the open windows in the building. “Um, or possibly went through it.”
“Oh.” Robin stared. “Alright team, let’s go.” The Titans made their way up onto the building and then stopped. In the conveniently abandoned warehouse a few blocks straight down, there was a gaping hole in the side. The streets before it was just parking lot for the few businesses, so there was no real damage.
“Well, we found it,” Beast Boy said lamely.
Rainbow Dash was starting to feel a bit better. She could move now, so that was good, but her wing definitely needed some ice. No pegasus could fly in this condition—well, perhaps that was a lie for the brash pegasus currently laying in crumbled building. She’d flown several times with a recently dislocated wing, though only for short distances, but it hurt and sapped a ton of energy.
But thank Celestia she was feeling better, or else she might’ve had to lay there while the things came in.
Dash had been laying there when she heard something from outside. They were voices. Her supersensitive ears swiveled around on her head, trying to discern what they were saying.
“. . . we know, this creature could be hurt and needing help!” came a high-pitched female voice.
“Or an evil being with fifty eyes,” a young boy’s voice said.
“Either way, we need to be careful.” There was another male. “Be prepared for battle.”
Uh oh. Rainbow shuffled onto her hooves, legs shaky. She didn’t have the strength for a fight, and with her wing like it was, she wouldn’t even have the advantage of flight. Looking around for a hiding place, Dash readied herself to move. She glanced up at the rafters. It was nice and dark up there, a good place for waiting.
Rainbow lifted her wings, feeling the twinge of pain every time she moved her left one. After this, it would surely be throbbing. Dash flapped her wings in a fairly slow rate, her flight path shaky. She managed to get herself close enough to grab a wooden beam. She dangled for a few moments, back legs churning in the air.
Down below, the Titans entered the warehouse. They were wary in their movements, making sure to look everywhere.
Starfire was the first one to look up. She nearly gasped when she saw the legs and what seemed to be a tail hanging from the support beams before vanishing into the darkness. She got Robin’s attention.
“Robin, look,” she hissed, pointing at the area where she had seen the movement. The boy’s head turned and he narrowed his eyes.
“What’d you see?” he asked quietly.
“I don’t know. I saw legs—like, animal legs.” The Titans listened from their positions.
Robin nodded. “Alright, team, be careful.”
“But it just hid from us. It’s scared,” Starfire argued before he could say anything.
“Since it seemed to be an animal,” Beast Boy said, “Maybe I should go up there.”
Robin seemed to contemplate this. He nodded. “Alright, BB. But be careful.”
“Okay.” Beast Boy turned to Starfire. “What did it look like?”
“I’m not sure if it was paws or hooves, but it had a long tail,” the Tamaran replied.
Beast Boy thought for a moment before turning into a bird and flying up. Once he was hidden by darkness, he transformed into a cat and crept forward.
“Hello?” the changeling called quietly, creeping along.
Nearby, Rainbow Dash slowed her breathing and tried to quiet her rapidly beating heart. She closed her eyes and then lifted her wings. She took to the air with a slow, steady turnover rate. She managed to get over to the next beam before her left wing gave out. She dropped to the wood with a bang.
Beast Boy could barely make out the shape in the dark, even with his night vision. He saw it go over to a different support—wait, how’d it do that?
He bunched his hindquarters and took a flying leap to the one it was on. He tiptoed forward, hearing its breathing. Apparently, this thing, whatever it was, had pretty decent hearing as well, because when Beast Boy neared it, he was rewarded with a swipe across his face. He nearly lost his balance and managed not to cry out, but dug his claws into the wood.
“S-stay back,” Dash warned, angry when she heard herself stammer. She was weak and tired and this thing was following her. Her warning smack hadn’t scared it off. She didn’t have night vision—she was a pony for Celestia’s sake! Thank the goddesses for her hearing.
“I’m not gonna hurt you,” it responded.
“Yeah, right.”
“I promise. We’re the good guys.”
What, like her? Like the Elements of Harmony? Maybe this thing was telling her the truth.
Beast Boy had to turn back into himself to talk to it—well, her. She had a very distinctive tomboyish voice.
“Just come on down with me,” BB repeated, inching closer to the creature. He could’ve sworn he saw something move, and before he could react, he was hit—twice—right in the chest, sending him flying off the beam and onto the ground below.
“Yow!” he yelled. As his teammates gathered around him, he sat up. “Ugh, she’s pretty strong.”
“She?” the Teen Titans asked at the same time, their faces filled with confusion.
“Yeah, ‘she’,” Beast Boy confirmed, “and she’s a bit startled. I’ll try again.” He transformed into a bird and got back into the rafters.
Rainbow Dash heard the flutter of wings and scowled. What was that thing? A talking bird? But she had heard the distinctive sound of paw pads hitting wood. Even more reason for her to be wary.
“I’m back,” it called—now she recognized it. It was the boy from earlier! The one that had said something about a ‘fifty eyed beast’ or something.
“Leave me alone!” Dash growled. She decided she had no other option—she had to fly. Her wings snapped out once again and she leapt into the air. Her angle twisted and the pegasus ended up going down; she saw the surprised faces of four strange creatures staring at her. She kicked her legs and her wings gave a strong flap, sending her swooping back into the rafters. Well, if they hadn’t managed to get a rope around her stomach.
“Pull!” Robin growled, desperately trying to tug the creature from the darkness. Cyborg grabbed onto the rope and helped his leader pull.
Rainbow Dash struggled, wings kicking into overdrive. This reminded her of when she had been discorded and the other ponies were chasing her in a balloon. She growled and thrashed her legs, feeling herself tugged down into sight. On any other day, she would’ve been able to put up more of a fight, but since her injured wing was hindering her flight, they were probably having no problem down there. As the adrenalin in her body wore out, she felt her left wing stop flapping. Her right continued, even though there was no point. The pegasus dropped like a sack of bricks.
“Oh!” Starfire yelled as the flying creature stopped struggling. She rushed forward caught it—her—in her arms. She didn’t even fight that much, but then again, the thing looked exhausted. Starfire glided down and showed the creature to the rest of the team.
“Is—is that a pegasus?” Cyborg asked, a smile on his face. The Titans turned to look at him. “Uh, eheheheh. . .” He scratched the back of his head nervously.
“So that’s how it got to the other beam,” Beast Boy said, looking at her wings.
“Get off me. . .” she growled, kicking weakly in Starfire’s grip.
Robin blinked. “Well, I say we go back to the Tower. She looks injured.”
“Agreed,” the rest of the team said.
Rainbow Dash didn’t know where she was going. Frankly, she was just so tired and hungry. She couldn’t even think straight let alone attempt to escape. Going through a portal to another dimension scrambled your brains, that’s for sure. At least she wasn’t dead. These strange creatures hadn’t even spoken to her yet. Dash had heard some names, though her eyes were partially closed, but her ears were working just fine. They were continually switching directions, in order to get the most out of the conversation.
Rainbow felt herself being set into a bed—or whatever they called beds here—and heard some machines beeping nearby. Her eyes opened as something touched her wing. The pegasus reared up, twisting in the grasp of what looked like the dark haired female.
“It’s fine. You’re not in any danger,” she said, her voice holding no sort of tone.
“And how would I know? Get your filthy paws off me!” snarled Dash, squirming.
“I think you’re confusing me with Beast Boy.”
Rainbow stopped. She looked at the girl who was talking to her. She had a long violet cloak that covered most of her body with short hair that matched. She was currently standing next to the bed that the pegasus was sitting on.
“And you’re. . .” Dash racked her brain from what she’d been listening to. “You’re, uh, Raven?”
Raven seemed surprised. “Yes, I am. And would you let me look at our wing now?”
Rainbow shifted both her wings, her right one tucked under her body. “I only dislocated it crashing into that building. I’ve already popped it back into place.” The violently throbbing wing loosened at her side. “Just needs some ice and rest.”
“I can do all that in a matter of minutes.”
“Wow. Um, okay, as long as I’m flying again.” She stretched the feathery appendage out so Raven could look at it. As she chanted a few incantations, Dash felt herself staring at the hands of her.
Raven seemed to notice this and looked up. “Is there something so strange about my hands?”
Rainbow jumped and cleared her throat, a light blush becoming apparent on her face. “Um, well, it’s just . . . the only hands I’ve seen are on a dragon or a draconequus . . . and they’re more like claws.” She shifted uncomfortably. “Actually, now that I think about it, Discord’s are a talon and lion’s paw. . .”
Raven nodded, then closed her eyes. A tingly feeling spread through Rainbow’s wing and she relaxed. She could barely feel any pain, and even that was fading rather quickly. Her energy was also replenished. As soon as Raven took her hands off, Dash sat up and put a hoof at the base of her previously injured wing. She pressed firmly down on the joint, satisfied when it didn’t ache at all.
“Sweet! Uh, thanks, I guess,” Rainbow said, looking over at Raven.
“You’re welcome,” Raven said plainly, “Now follow me. I’m sure the team is waiting.”
“Right. I forgot they’d been waiting for all of five minutes.” The cyan pegasus rolled her eyes. She took off after the dark shape. They navigated a series of twists and turns that Dash was left wondering why they had to have it so complicated. The duo emerged from the hall and she was met with a large room that was half kitchen, half living room. A large window covered all of the far wall. The city and a large bay was the view.
“Cool,” the pegasus commented, still hovering at Raven’s head height.
“Oh, I am so glad you are feeling better,” Starfire—if Rainbow remembered correctly—said as she floated up to them.
“So,” Dash started, “Are your guys’ wings invisible? I mean, how are you flying?” She buzzed around the Tamaran, trying to figure how in Equestria she was doing that.
“We do not have wings. We have a sort of magic.”
“Oh.” Rainbow blinked. “Magic. Always thought that was overrated.” Upon seeing the look on Starfire and Raven’s faces, she put her hooves up. “No offense.” She began flitting around the room.
“Anyways, this place looks pretty cool. Where are we? Some sort of secret base?” Dash asked, looking at the various technology. “I’m sure Twilight would flip if she saw this equipment. She loves science.” She stopped when her stomach growled. “Hey, got any food?”
Robin raised an eyebrow. “Uh, mind sharing with us. . ?”
Rainbow stopped. “Oh, right!” She grinned at them. She landed on the ground, crouching low. “I’m Rainbow Dash, fastest pegasus in all of Equestria!” She scraped at the ground before launching herself to the other side of the room in a blur. “And, uh, you’re Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg, right?” She looked at each of them in turn. When they all nodded, she flicked an ear, smiling. The pegasus trotted over to the window. After looking at the view for a moment, she gave a quick flap of her wings to get herself airborne again.
“So, uh, mind sharing with me what’s up with you guys? I mean, I already know that Beast Boy changes into different animals,” Rainbow said. When they gave her confused looks, she rolled her eyes. “Come on, even I’m smart enough to figure that out—and besides, I’ve met things like that—well, not completely like that, but magical creatures and stuff. I mean, I come from a world filled with Technicolor ponies. I think I’ve seen a few things.”
“Well, we’re the Teen Titans. We’re heroes,” Robin told Dash. “We protect Jump City. This is our home—Titan Tower.”
“Ooh, nice. I’m one of the Elements of Harmony—Loyalty, to be exact. We save stuff, too.”
“Sounds interesting,” Starfire said, “Please do tell.”
“Yeah,” Cyborg agreed. “But let’s eat! I’m starving!”
“I’m all for that!” Rainbow shouted, pumping her hoof in the air. She forgot momentarily about her situation.
“I’ll make tofu!” Beast Boy declared, earning a groan from everyone except Dash.
“What’s that?” the pegasus asked, confused.
“It’s vegetarian food,” Cyborg moaned, making a face. “Nasty.”
“Well, I’m a vegetarian, so. . .”
“Oh, right.”
“So, tofu it is!” BB exclaimed. He rushed to the kitchen area, followed by Cyborg, who was determined to make better food. As the Titans sat down, waiting for their meal, Rainbow briefly wondered about how she got to this strange world. She decided she would ask them if they knew anything later. Obviously, if they’d tracked her down, they’d most likely seen her enter.
“Here it is, Dash,” Beast Boy said, putting a plate in front of her muzzle. She delicately sniffed it before dragging her tongue over it.
“Hmm. . .” the pegasus contemplated, taking a mouthful. “Hey, this isn’t that bad.” She began chowing down, extremely hungry from not eating lunch and then coming into a different world.
The four others watched with disgusted looks on their faces, leaning away from the munching pegasus.
Meanwhile, Beast Boy was grinning ear to ear. “See! Someone else likes my tofu!”
“Ew. . .” moaned the other Titans as one.
Robin watched the small blue pegasus bouncing the ball she’d asked for on her head. As he neared, he heard her counting out loud.
“. . . 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109. . .”
“So, Dash, can we talk for a minute?” Robin asked, earning her attention. She held up a hoof as she kicked out her back leg, continually bouncing the wall there.
“What’s up? Are you guys doing something or are you still resting?” Dash questioned. She then frowned. “Aw man, I lost count!” She sighed and kicked the yellow ball forward, catching it under her wing.
“Well, we’re all still kind of working . . . or resting. But since you haven’t really said anything about it, I was wondering what you thought of this whole situation.”
Rainbow looked up at Robin, tilting her head. “Well, don’t know. It’s all kind of strange, and I wish I was back in Equestria, but I’m actually pretty psyched. I’ve got to be the only pony who’s ever come here from another world.”
“How did you end up getting here?” He knelt down.
The pegasus tapped her chin. “I had been clearing clouds, ready to get some lunch, when one of my team came up to me. She said there was a storm that had blown in from the Everfree Forest. It was gonna cause major damage, so I went to check it out. It was really odd, because I’d never seen anything like it.”
“What was it like?” Raven asked as she came into the room, earning Robin’s and Rainbow’s attention. The dark haired woman sat cross-legged on the floor next to them.
Dash fell onto her haunches. “It was really dark—inky, almost, and it flowed like water. When you got close, there was a wind.”
Raven’s face contorted in thought. “That doesn’t make sense. . .”
“What?” Robin looked at her. “What doesn’t make sense?”
“What she’s describing—it sounds like one of the storms I can create.”
“You mean, like your magic or whatever?” Rainbow asked, taken aback. She’d seen it briefly, and hadn’t exactly put the pieces together right away.
Raven nodded. “If that was one of my storms, then how did it end up in your world?”
“Maybe it went through a portal,” Robin suggested.
“Maybe.” Raven fell silent, thinking.
“Continue.” Robin nodded at Dash.
“Alright. After a nearly got struck by lightning, I couldn’t stay in the cloud for much longer or else I’d be hit. So I decided to do a sonic rainboom to clear it.”
“A what-now?”
“It’s a sonic boom, but with colors. More specifically, my colors.” She grinned. “Anyways, I did that, and I ended up here as soon as I hit the storm. I just hope it destroyed it.” She rolled her eyes. “I was going, like, Mach 10, according to Twilight’s measurements—she wanted to see the top speed for a pegasus—so, I’m guessing that it’s the same for every rainboom. That’s why I crashed. I ended up in some random place, of course I’m gonna crash.”
Robin nodded. “I get it.”
Raven stood up abruptly from her spot. “I have to study this.” She walked out.
“Alright then,” Robin started, “You can get back to your . . . uh, bouncing, now.” He stood up. “And you can stay here until we find a way to send you back home, okay? Just tell us if you need anything.”
“Mmkay, thanks. Seeyah,” Dash said, already beginning to hit the ball on her head.
“So, what exactly do you guys do here?” Rainbow Dash asked, flying slowly after the team as they went outside.
“Well, this time of day is when we usually train,” Robin said as they came upon the obstacle course. Dash folded in her wings, looking up at the series of challenges.
“You said you fought evil,” Starfire repeated, “Perhaps you’d like a take a swing?”
“Yeah, I’d love to see you make it through,” Beast Boy commented, grinning.
“Heck yeah! Wouldn’t that be sweet, Raven?” Cyborg asked the smaller woman. She blinked at him.
“Sure, why not,” Raven said, looking bored as ever.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow at her. “You remind me a lot of Maud.”
“Who?”
“Never mind.”
Robin turned around. “So, want to try? If you’re going to stay with us until we find out how to get you back home, you’ll have to be able to defend yourself.”
“It’s not like I can’t defend myself,” Rainbow scoffed, “But heck yeah, I’ll do it.” She fluttered over to the entrance, getting into a starting position.
“Countdown initiated,” Robin stated. The number ten sprung up on the electronic board in green numbers.
As soon as the numbers ticked down to one, Rainbow took off, wings pumping. Right in the beginning, a high wall sprang up and shot dozens of arrows at her before lowering once again. She twisted, dodging the projectiles with skilled precision. She rounded a curve of rock formations, only to be faced with giant spinning blades that retracted from the rock. Dash gave a small cry of surprise and pulled up over the first one, nearly having it cut her in half. She dipped under the second one as it moved up and down. The third she went over again, wings flapping open to lift her up. From down below, turrets sprung up and began firing what were apparently lasers.
“Oh, for the love of—” The pegasus didn’t get to finish as one went shooting right in front of her face, singeing the tips of her mane. She growled and shot up to the thin layer of clouds. She collected several, the cloud growing and darkening. As soon as it felt right, Rainbow zoomed back down, avoiding the bright red lasers and turned away, raising her hind legs. Her hooves made contact with the soft material and a bolt of lightning shot out. The bolt struck a turret, causing it to explode in a ball of fire. She repeated this several times, leaving the cloud to rain down on the quickly dampening fires.
Rainbow saw the wall before anything happened. There was a small explosion, and what seemed like a whole entire ocean of small, metal balls came soaring right at her. Dash grimaced as they neared, trying to stop her body. But then she got an idea. She quickly dodged to the side; her tail flying out behind her. Good thing she was agile. The thing the pegasus didn’t expect was the balls to switch direction and come after her.
“Pony feathers,” Rainbow muttered, looking over her shoulder. Continuing with her plan, the pegasus started flying in a tight circle. A whirlwind formed around her, causing the metallic balls to lose their way and get sucked in. Dash emerged from the tornado and then steered it towards the water. There, it dissipated and the balls fell into the clear blue liquid. The cyan mare grinned and wiped some grit out of her eyes; she wished she had her goggles.
Putting on a burst of speed, eager to reach the end, Rainbow watched out for anything else. As soon as she thought she was safe, a giant rock fall happened right next to her. She yelped and spun in a tight ball, then opened her wings to pull up before a giant boulder crushed her. As the rocks continued falling, a strong wind came on, pushing her back.
“No. . .” Dash snarled, fighting against it, “I’ve flown through worse.” The feathered wings on her sides flapped harder, leading her onward. She spun to the side when a rock came down on her left, and then was forced back when a series of boulders tumbled down on the right. Then, suddenly, the wind stopped, bringing her forward with such intensity Rainbow thought she would break her neck. She emerged from the rock fall and headed to the ground. The pegasus brought her wings out, stopping her descent in a matter of seconds. She was lifted onto her back hooves and skidded several meters to a stop, using her tail as balance as the rainbow trail behind her faded out. Dash raised her head and fore hooves high, a triumphant smirk appearing on her face. Feathered wings were brought up in victory, sticking out at her sides.
The Titans stared for a few moments before erupting into cheers. They raced forward, grinning.
“Wow! That was intense!” Cyborg exclaimed.
“Job well done!” Starfire cheered.
“The way you made that cloud was sweet!” Beast Boy yelled, “How can you grab those things?”
“Yeah, my thoughts exactly! I mean, they’re just water vapor,” Cyborg agreed.
Rainbow had returned to hovering in the air. “Pegasus magic,” she answered, shining a slightly scuffed hoof on her chest fur.
“That was excellent work,” Robin said. “You’ll get even better as your training continues.”
“It was fairly impressive,” Raven added, even managing a small smile.
Cyborg put his arm in the air. “I declare that we reward this with dinner!”
“We just had the lunch,” Starfire argued.
“I think I’m with Cyborg,” Dash agreed, slinging an arm around his neck, “I’m starved!”
“How are you two hungry?” Raven scoffed.
“High metabolism,” Rainbow answered, a grin still on her face. She released the half robot. “Race ya to the kitchen!” She shot off, barely giving them time to react.
Cyborg gave chase, yelling, “Hey! No fair! You got a head start!”
The other Titans watched.
“Well, this week will certainly be interesting,” Raven mumbled.
