Rainbow Dash, the Spartan
Sing to me, Muses, of the one who fate brought,
shrouded in mystery and blessed by the gods.
Sent from Olympus to defend the freedom of a united Greece against barbarians
and their empires dark and terrible.
From the stars she sprung, and to the stars she returned. Remembered forever,
a hero who stood with Sparta and Thespiae in their darkest hours,
before ascending once again into the heavens.
A hero whose gleaming coat and thunderous hooves will forever be sung.
For you see, no mortal man was this hero, but Pegasus, daughter of Medusa.
She walked for the second time amongst men. Not, this time to be the bearer
of a mortal hero, but to bear the weight of all Greece.
Her appearance was first to mighty Leonidas, the warrior-king of Sparta.
It was on the summer solstice when, while out on a hunt, a great light appeared before him.
His warrior brothers readied their weapons without hesitation, but he stood them down.
Curious, he approached the light, shielding his eyes from the inferno splashing rays of colour.
He reached out his hand to bear the light vanish. Looking down to what lay before him,
he saw a box of woven paper nestled unharmed among the blackened grasses.
With the courage of a Spartan he reached down without fear. But he needn’t; for
within the box, swathed in blankets lay Pegasus. Not a stallion as in legends past,
but a mare. Not white but sky blue, with a flowing mane crafted by Iris herself.
He was first in doubt. Mighty Leonidas questioned his men, demanding “which one of you
has crafted this trick? But he need not doubt his brothers, for it was not their doing,
but the doing of the gods. Laying down his fearsome spear, he took Pegasus in his arms.
He saw in her gleaming eyes intelligence: a mind and a heart. He saw fear too.
Upon seeing the filly so closely, he addressed his gathered brothers:
“Let it be known. The gods have here granted us this great gift. Pegasus
will be mighty and strong. She will lead us to many victories against our enemies.
I myself shall raise her and care for her, in the hopes that one day, she and her father
Poseidon will take care of us all”. More than a great warrior, Leonidas was wise.
He saw what great potential lay in the hapless creature that he cradled in his arms.
and so he wrapped her in his flowing cape and emptied his saddle-bag to place her in.
As he did, he allowed himself a slight respite. The gods would surely smile upon his
reverence of their gift to him.
But what he did not admit to himself that day was what more he saw.
He saw more than the animal exterior that he had been presented with.
He saw a baby, abandoned and without a home. He saw reflected in her eyes
the pain he had endured as a child. He had been abandoned, without a home
he was whipped, beaten, struck. Upon him were thrust a spear and shield,
which he gripped with hands scarcely large enough to hold them. Leonidas
knew no fear, no mercy, and no pain. Compassion too had seemingly left him.
But for all his talk without of raising Pegasus to be a great warrior, he knew within the
instant he looked upon her that this was not the Pegasus of legend.
What then, possessed him to take her as his own daughter? He did
not consider such questions then, passing them off as a momentary lapse
which left as swiftly as they came. He convinced himself that it was for the reverence
of the gods for which he raised her and that it was to be a great warrior
that he would train her.
His word as true as his iron, mighty Leonidas raised Pegasus as his own.
He presented Pegasus to his court. On seeing her, they questioned
where he found her, how she had come to be there, and many
other questions about her appearance to him. He told them what little he knew.
And so for years Leonidas and Gorgo toiled to raise Pegasus to the ideals of Sparta.
Pegasus slept not in the stable, but in a bed of straw as any human child would.
Ate at the table and not upon the floor. Attended court, meetings, sports,
and hunts. Often would she fall asleep curled in his lap, or folded in his arms,
as if she were mighty Leonidas’ heir. When questioned, he responded:
“Who questions the King of Sparta? Who questions the gods? For from heaven
Pegasus has descended and it is surely folly to incur the wrath of her father.”
But it was more than mere fear and reverence that drove him. He felt love,
though never would he admit it. To the onlooker he would be raising a warrior
but to him he was raising a daughter.
In her second year in Sparta’s palace,
the king received from her a great surprise. He was returning from duties in the north
to find her waiting for him on the steps of his apartments. Behind her stood Gorgo,
a great smile upon her face. She simply looked down at Pegasus at which point
a smile broke upon her face as well. “Hello father” she mustered. The words were
fumbled, as that of a child. But fumbled or not; she had spoken. Neither king
nor consort had imagined such a possibility. But for Leonidas, having once known the
duties and pains of a father to his now grown son Pleistarchus,
the words themselves carried a great weight to his ear. ‘Father’ is what she called him.
And a father he was; crossing bounds of both man and creature, mortal and divine.
His pride swelled at that moment. Oft would he tell his men of the day
she first spoke. The day when he knew his efforts had been not for naught.
Instead, his labours as a father had brought joy into his heart.
It was after this occurrence that he first began to doubt.
His undertaking had been one of reverence for the gods. They had bestowed him
with a gift in this creature. And so he endeavoured to repay their kindness
with respect. He questioned himself: why else would he let her live under
his protection? In his home? Be attended to by his servants? Told
stories by his wife? His mind opened to what had been closed to him
when first he found her. He knew, inside, that there was a deeper
force at work inside him than seeking favour from the gods.
In her third year again did she bring joy to the great king.
It was the day when she first took to the skies. Pegasus was no mere horse to be bound
to the earth. No, Pegasus was destined to soar above her lesser kin and man alike,
greater than the eagle which made sport for the hunt. And so it was often that
Leonidas would take Pegasus outside- at first to the fields then
as she grew to be strong enough, up to the rocky hills that bordered the city
at first she could not raise herself from the ground, but soon she could.
Then she could hardly hover or gently glide around, but soon she could.
And so, on one such trip early on a mild winter’s morning, Leonidas
brought Pegasus to rocky a crag on the hillside. There they sat and waited for the
Sun to rise. As it did, Leonidas turned to Pegasus and with a plain word said:
“It is time. You know what to do.” This spot was one they oft visited
so she could watch the birds as they flew. Her age was still young,
like the child of any man, but Leonidas knew her strength was far greater.
Leonidas watched as Pegasus approached the edge and stared down on Sparta.
Without a single downward glance or moment’s hesitation she threw herself from the edge.
She plunged downwards, reeling towards the ground. Moments before she struck,
and with confidence she unfurled her wings and with them caught the air.
And so she glided above the fields and forests of Arcadia, roaming far along the valley.
It was not long before she turned back, having lost sight of her father and the rock
upon which he waited. With a few powerful strokes to slow her flight,
she alighted in front of him. Though at first bearing a grimace from the effort,
soon a smile broadened across her face. Matched was this by the king.
After three years of effort, finally had she taken to the skies. For the both of them,
this was a day for rejoicing. On seeing her fade into the distance a pale blue dot,
Leonidas could no longer pretend he didn’t feel the pride of a father. No,
he realised now that his desire for pleasing the gods was a hollow lie he told himself,
that his aspirations to raise a warrior, once so convicted, had long since melted.
She had strength enough, he could see it in the determination in her eyes,
the willfulness of actions. That was not in question, if she were to gallop into battle,
she would indeed be fearsome. But equally, her actions were not those of a warrior.
She might jeer or bite, but not with any malice. She had a warrior’s spirit, but she
also had a loving heart. Undoubtedly one that could be broken to produce a fine
and hardened warrior, but one that Leonidas would refuse to. He would soon as smash
a precious gem as commit Pegasus to the training of the Spartan soldier.
And with that thought, he saw and admitted now to himself what he couldn’t
when first he took her from that box three years ago; she had awoken something
within him. Something he had long thought lost. He needed time to think. And so he did.
He climbed down from the mountain with Pegasus following close behind.
His head was spinning, full of unfamiliar emotion. He felt he had so much to say to Pegasus, and yet he struggled to form a single word. Perhaps this was disappointing to her, he couldn’t tell, his mind was too deep in thought to pay close attention. He felt as if his entire world had shifted around him.
He kept asking himself the same questions: if he hadn’t taken her and raised her for the reasons he first claimed to, then why had he? Was all his talk of warriors and glory mere bravado, as empty as an amphora? Amidst all his uncertainty, he knew one thing for certain though: he wouldn’t let anything happen to Pegasus. Not at the hands of the barbarians to the east, the treacherous Athenians to the north, the sea-people to the south. Nor would he let her come to harm at the hands of Spartan trainers. She was a majestic and beautiful creature; not for her was the lash, the exercise, the starvation, the abandonment, the pain that a Spartan warrior endured to become the feared warriors they were.
As Leonidas dazedly made his way back through his apartment’s gate, a disheartened Pegasus following behind, a new questioned occurred to him. This was clearly not the same Pegasus as from the legends he knew, which made him wonder, where had she come from? And what was she doing here, if not to bring glory to Sparta? He didn’t know, but he intended to find out.
Over the next several months, these questioned continued to circulate around his head. Now, when he walked with Pegasus up to the hillside to watch her fly above his city, he would think. He would also marvel at how quickly she was learning, how fast she could fly. She was soon flying faster than any bird he’d seen. She moved like a bolt of lightning, streaking across the sky. He felt so much pride in his heart for what she had accomplished, so much love and joy as he watched her loop about above his head.
At home, he prayed for answers to his questions: who was she, why was she here and most worrying to him; should he go back on his word he gave his men and not train her in in the art of war? But all the gods remained silent. Seeking answers elsewhere, he told his trusted advisors of his troubles, and their words were unanimous: Leonidas was to go to the Oracle of Delphi and question her for answers to his many and troubling questions.
And so, Gorgo awoke one morning to find him shoving a pack full of travelling supplies. His face was set with a resolution she had only ever seen on him when he was preparing for a battle. She reached out and touched his arm, causing him to start. He turned to her, her expression betraying the question she was about to ask. “I’m going to the Oracle at Delphi,” he said, “I need answers that only the gods can provide. I need to know who Pegasus is, truly.”
“Pegasus is Pegasus. I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Have you seen her? You can’t honestly believe this is the same creature that carried Bellerophon to victory against the chimera?”
“She seems ready to tackle a monster to me. Have you seen the holes she’s put in her bedroom wall?”
“I have. It is not her spirit that I question, it is clear to me she has the spirit of a true Spartan warrior. But surely you can see, this is not the same Pegasus?”
“I do understand what you mean. She has spirit, but also has a compassionate heart.” She paused as a realization struck her. "You’re afraid for her, aren’t you? That if you train her to become a warrior that it’ll break her.” She paused, then repeated more emphatically, “Fear has no place in the heart of a Spartan.”
“It is a truth I am all too aware off. For years I hid my true feelings under the Spartan bravado, but no longer. It is not brave to deny your fears. It is stupid. Fear is not weakness, for it is only when we face them that we can display true courage.” Never did he suspect that he would hear those words emerge from his lips. “And I am going to make sure she’s safe. I gave my word to my men that she was to be trained, but I will gladly break it in order to protect her. I do not wish for her to see battle.”
“If you’re so dead-set to keep her from harm, then why go to the Oracle at all?”
“Because I also have a duty as a leader. As a king. You see now why it has taken me so long to admit my fear for her. I have been told from the earliest age that it is the mark of weakness. Pegasus has opened my heart in a way a Spartan could never understand. I will be seen as weak and surely lose the trust of my Kingdom. Perhaps, with the Oracle’s blessing things will be different.”
Leonidas turned to leave, but Gorgo stopped him. “You do realise, don’t you, where her spirit comes from?” He shook his head. “No? It comes from you. Every time she throws an insult or kicks her wall, that’s her copying you. You want to protect her? Be careful what you teach her.”
He nodded slowly and left, Gorgo’s words playing heavily on his mind.
It was a two day ride to Delphi. Leonidas made it before nightfall. As darkness encroached on the landscape, he raced through the town: the expensive foreign cloaks and aromatic fruit markets were scarcely noticed by him, as too were the deformed beggars skulking in dark alleyways, as he continued along the path that led to the sanctuary. The sanctuary that looked down upon the town from high on the mountainside imposing its presence into the lives all those in its shadow. Slowing, he rode through the complex’s gates, before dismounting, handing the reigns of his horse to a nearby stable boy. His head held high, he pushed his way amongst the gathered people- priests and peasants alike, and entered the Temple of Apollo. Ignoring the angered stares from the crowd waiting to see the Oracle, he strode over to the desk and slammed a bag of drachma down upon it.
“We don’t accept bribes.” The priest spoke plainly and without moving his gaze from the scroll he was busy scrawling on. When he didn’t hear Leonidas move away, he finally looked up. After a few seconds of intense staring, his beady eyes widened in shock “Oh! Your highness! A thousand apologies. I’ll let you in next.”
Leonidas waited at the gold-embossed door until it opened, allowing a young woman with blood-shot eyes to exit. He passed under the threshold and the door was closed behind him. The sanctum was filled with pungent smoke that snuck up his nose and mouth and lay there thick and bitter, threatening to make him gag. He suppressed the urge and stepped toward the priests that surrounded the oracle.
“What is it you seek Leonidas; King of Sparta?” The priest tried his best to sound authoritarian and mysterious. Leonidas knew full well the priests held little power. It was the Oracle that he knew he should truly fear. He chose his words carefully.
“Several years ago, I came across a young filly. No ordinary horse, but Pegasus. Or so I thought. After raising her I see that she is not the same Pegasus that I thought she was; not the same one as from the legends. She is powerful and majestic, yes, but also innocent and kind. And intelligent: she speaks and acts any child would. I gave my word to my men that she’d be trained for battle to bring glory to my people on the fields of war, but I fear I could no longer do that.” He paused to let his words be understood. “You see, I am more than just her caretaker. I am her father, and she is my daughter. I care about her too much to risk losing her to the harsh training of our warriors.”
“Pegasus, you say?” It was a different priest to the one that had spoken before. He looked surprised.
“On my honour.” Said Leonidas.
With a “hmph”, the priest turned to the oracle and asked “What do you make of the King’s dilemma? Should he train this… Pegasus in the arts of war, or should he keep her safe and risk losing the trust of his men?”
The oracle glared at Leonidas, her head bobbing slightly. She inclined her head to speak to the priests but had barely opened her mouth before she began shaking. She threw herself upright, convulsing more violently, letting off a scream which was cut short. The priests meanwhile all collapsed to the ground. Panicked, Leonidas ran for the door but found it locked.
“Do not be afraid.” The voice didn’t belong to a priest, it belong to the Oracle. The Oracle who never spoke Greek in her prophecies, but used an ancient tongue lost to man.
Leonidas turned back to the Oracle. He noticed her eyes were glowing with a faint golden light. There was only one being who this could be.
“My lord Apollo.” He knelt before the oracle. He hoped he hadn’t offended the gods with his treatment of Pegasus. Oh, what had he done wrong?!
“Apollo?” The Oracle sounded confused. She furrowed her brow and suddenly Leonidas found his mind tearing through memories against his will. His childhood, his training, his wife, his coronation, his life in the palace, his many battles, his reign as king, and finally his experiences with Pegasus.
“Ah … Apollo. No. I am not Apollo. My name is Celestia. You are King Leonidas of Sparta, yes?”
“Yes, I am he” Leonidas spluttered. He didn’t know how to approach whoever this… Celestia was. A goddess? A demon? He didn’t know, and didn’t care to guess.
“I’m sorry I had to move through your memories so violently, but we don’t have much time. The one you call Pegasus is in fact called Rainbow Dash and she is from my world; one very different to your own. One without your wars, diseases, betrayal, and petty violence. You are very right to fear for her safety, Leonidas. She cannot stay here. We are lucky that she is very resilient – at least among my people. I wouldn’t care to imagine what would’ve happened if some others among my beloved subjects had been the ones to come to your world….”
Leonidas was stunned. He couldn’t doubt Celestia’s words, given that her power was so genuine. And while she had given him more answers than he could have hoped for, she had also said… his thoughts trailed off.
“What do you mean, ‘she cannot stay here’?” Those words ignited a cold flame of fear within him.
“She does not belong in this world, Leonidas. The barriers between worlds are difficult to cross, but now that I know for certain where she is, I can negotiate passage with the one you know as Hermes and be here in several of your days.”
“But… I…”
“You said it yourself. You felt it yourself. You’re worried for her safety. Tell her who she is- a citizen of Equestria and a dear friend to many. Tell her that she has been sorely missed these years and that she is needed back. We can restore her memories and her age.”
“No. She’s my daughter. I… I love her.”
“I’m not trying to deny your feelings, I have seen your memories. I know how you feel. But I will not repeat myself. She cannot stay here with you. I’m sorry, but it has to be this way.”
“Then let me go with her!”
“You know as well as I do how brash that decision would be. You have a wife and a son here, a kingdom to protect. Even now, a messenger from Persia marches to your palace, bringing tidings of war.” She stopped, and when she spoke again her voice was softer, less forceful. “I too know what it’s like to abandon a loved one for the greater good. It’s hard, I know. But remember: you are a Spartan. Your people are mighty warriors, throwing down all that would challenge their freedom and might.”
“I thought you disapproved of ‘our wars’” His tone was bitter and spiteful.
“What I think is irrelevant. The question is what do you think? Draw strength from your Spartan ways or do not, that is for you to decide. I’m not going to tell you who you are, only that I think perhaps you don’t know yourself. I must go now, this body will soon suffer irreparable damage and I am violating a number of divine codes merely by speaking to you. Say your final goodbyes with Rainbow Dash, for she’ll be back to where she belongs within two weeks. Goodbye, Leonidas. And I am, truly, sorry.”
The oracle convulsed again and screamed as the lights in her eyes faded and then returned to their usual blood-shot white-and-blue. The priests woke up, groaning and holding their heads. Leonidas stormed out of the room as his rage came to boiling point, slamming the door shut behind him. He shoved an overweight and flushed man out of his way as he stormed out of the temple. He was halfway down the hill before he realised he forgot his horse. He cursed and kicked a rock off the road before storming back. The stable boy handed the horseback without a word, his eyes wide in fear.
It was not until Leonidas was through the town and back on the open road that he could think of anything besides wringing the neck of this Celestia. Letting the cool night breeze wash over him, he calmed himself enough to stop shaking and start properly considering what had just happened. Celestia was clearly a ruler of some kind, the way she spoke and referred to her people as ‘my beloved subjects’ was proof enough of that. She was also very powerful, possibly even a goddess, given her ability to take over the mind of the oracle and put the priests to sleep from… another world? Is that how she had put it? He had no doubt that what she said was all true, there is no way that it could've been some trick on the part of the priests and it clearly was not the work of any of the gods he knew.
But that then left him to deal with what Celestia had said. Pegasus, or ‘Rainbow Dash’ as she had called her, was going to be taken from him, and there was nothing he could do about it. Here he was, having ridden all day in order to determine what was best for her and then along had come this creature from another world telling him that she didn't belong to him and that she needed to be taken away for her own protection! How dare Celestia! If she came to take Pegasus away while he was present, he wouldn't let her. He'd draw out his sword and die defending his daughter. Yes. That’s what he was going to do.
He rode on, determined to not let Pegasus go without a fight. He forgot Celestia’s warning about the Persian messenger, and by mid-morning when he arrived back home he could've sworn she’d never even said such a thing. Which is why he was so surprised to find one waiting there when he came through the palace’s towering red gates.
As Celestia had promised, the messenger brought tidings of war. He demanded the surrender of Sparta; ‘a token of earth and water’ in exchange for the lives of its people. Leonidas refused, and in a rage he picked up the messenger, carried him to the well and threw him into it, ordering for the same to be done to his escorts, disregarding all laws for the protection of emissaries. He was not going to be told what to do- not by men or by gods!
Yet this untimely arrival of Xerxes meant that his earlier determination to protect Pegasus now meant nothing. He would have to march to war in a matter of days, leaving Pegasus behind in Sparta. He now would have to indeed say his last goodbyes to her. He steadied himself against a sudden wave of dizziness, turning to his apartments on the east wing where he knew Pegasus would be waiting. Why? Why had fate seen to take his daughter away just as his kingdom is threatened?
Subduing his rage, he knocked on Pegasus door and when she opened it, he embraced her, much to her surprise. He sat down on her bed, shifting to get comfortable on the straw and thin wool, and beckoned for her to join him.
“What’s wrong, dad?” she asked, worry crossing her face. Leonidas was never this emotional, save for occasional outbursts of anger.
He sighed, struggling to grasp the words he sought. “I have something to tell you,” he settled on.
She looked expectantly at him when he stopped. He almost choked up as he looked into her wide magenta eyes, but found the courage.
“I know where you came from.” Said Leonidas.
He told Pegasus - Rainbow Dash - everything Celestia had told him. That she wasn’t from this world, and that she had friends and family who were worried about her and had been for the years she was away, and that now that they knew where to find her, they were coming to take her home. Then he told her of the messenger and that soon he would have to go to war. Not the minor battles he’d fought before, but a true war for the freedom of all of Greece. When he finished, Rainbow Dash spoke.
"So, my real name is Rainbow Dash." She rolled the unfamiliar words around her mouth. She liked them- the name suited her.
"Yes, it would seem so."
"It's nice..." She tried to give her father a brave smile, but found herself beginning to sob instead. “I’m scared”, she said as she hung her head.
Leonidas’ initial reaction was to tell her not to be, but then he realised something: “it’s perfectly fine to be scared.”
Rainbow looked up at him, her eyes beginning to clear “But you’ve always said… that fear is weakness.”
“I did think that, once. But I see now that fear has its place. After all, it’s only in fear that we can display great courage, is it not?”
“I… I suppose.”
He drew her closer, wrapping an arm around her just as she wrapped a wing around him. They stayed a while like that, before Leonidas spoke. “I love you. I would die defending you if I could, but Greece needs my leadership, and as much as I would wish to spend these last few days with you, the voices of the millions here that need me call as well. And even if… even if I never speak to you properly like this again, these few years I’ve spent raising you, caring for you, they haven’t been wasted. They’ve been the best years of my life. You’ve opened my heart again, something I didn’t even think possible.” He scoffed. “You should’ve seen me raising Pleistarchus. I’d never say something like that to him.”
Rainbow started to sob, then cry.
“I’ll never forget you, dad.”
He stayed with her a few more minutes, gentling running his hand through her mane, then rose and sullenly walked through the door, silently closing it as he left, taking one last look back at his daughter before he once again donned the mantle of the Spartan King he was. He consoled himself with the fact that she was undoubtedly going to a safer, happier place. But he needed to push her out of his mind, his people needed his guidance now, and Greece would need his aid for what was to come.
He sent for messengers, who shortly came. Leonidas bid them go to the city-states far and wide,
from Athens, to Thebes to see which cowards had succumb to the threats of Xerxes.
He called for his counsel, which organized at his bidding. He addressed them:
“Even as we speak, Xerxes vast armies march upon us from the north.” We must
meet them upon the fields of battle and there bring them to bear against
the wrath of our spears and the sting of our swords. “But,” one noble said,
“It is both the time of Carneia and of the Olympic Games. To send an army
now would surely be to the displeasure of the gods.” Consent was made,
in light of such circumstance, for Leonidas to march upon the pass of Thermopylae,
with but a mere force of three hundred of his guard, and as they
marched to bring as many Greek warriors to the fight as they could bear
so that when Xerxes came into Greece, he would find his way halted
by the shields and swords of thousands of free Greeks. The plan could not fail,
for the pass of Thermopylae is narrow, so that all numbers would count
for nothing. And so it was that Leonidas, with the three hundred of his guard
set off from Sparta to a battle which would test the mettle of every free Greek.
Three days after Leonidas had left, Rainbow Dash found herself pacing about her room. She had a bad feeling about this battle. She’d seen the plans, and they seemed solid. Not that she would know what a good strategy looked like, aside from the few great battles Leonidas had told her about. She also had a bad feeling about this Celestia person. Horse? She wondered if she was a pegasus too, or if she was some other creature. Maybe she was a human. And these “friends” she supposedly cared about. Were they pegasi as well? She was nervous about them, and this whole “going home” thing. What if she didn’t like her home? What if she found she didn’t like her friends? No, that was a stupid thought. They were her friends. Why be friends with someone you don’t like?
She’d been carrying on with this mixture of fear and excitement like this ever since Leonidas had gone. She’d hardly eaten or slept. She’d tried talking to Gorgo, but she just didn’t get Rainbow in the same way Leonidas did. He understood Rainbow. She kind of figured they were quite similar, with a kind of hard-as-nails exterior while being all gooey and mushy on the inside. True, he had a lot more hard-as-nails exterior, but it was the principle that mattered, right?
Rainbow crossed to the window and slumped down on its old wooden frame, wondering what her dad was doing now. Was he still marching there? How many men had he found along the way? Was he going to win? She’d seen him fight, he was unbeatable. But even so, Rainbow worried for him. She wanted him to come home, even if she wouldn’t be here when he did. He still had Gorgo and Pleistarchus to look after, and Sparta to run. Rainbow didn’t like waiting. She felt so powerless.
And so mighty Leonidas and the Grecian force of 20,000 men bravely held the
Pass of Thermopylae. But then, betrayal! On the third day, one of their own,
Ephialtes, led the Persians on the treacherous mountain path to come behind
the Greek army and there lay waste to them from two fronts. They passed the
Phocians sent to guard the pass, for they were not the prize they sought.
Wise Leonidas ordered their forces to retreat, so as to fight another day,
and there with his three hundred Spartans, four hundred Thebans, and
seven hundred Thespians held the pass from the countless thousands
of the Persian forces. Messengers were dispatched to ride back to the
families of these men and tell them that their sons, their fathers, their
husbands have died in the name of Freedom from tyranny!
“Your highness!” The messenger dismounted as Gorgo turned her attention away from the well she was filling a water skin from.
“Your highness!” he repeated. “I have news from Thermopylae. We have been betrayed. Our forces…. Were forced to flee. Your husband, his Spartans, and a few other contingents of Greek troops have remained to see that the rest can retreat safely.”
“Are you… are you saying….?”
“He fights to the death, your highness. Defending your people and the Freedom of all of Greece.”
“I...” She steadied herself. “Then, he dies with honour, as is the Spartan way. I could not wish for a more noble way for him to die, and nor could he. Thank you for bringing me the news, messenger. I’ll see to it that Sparta is prepared to meet Xerxes’ armies and that my husband and his men don’t die in vain.” She turned and went inside, not noticing Rainbow slumped against the other side of the wall.
Rainbow took a moment to digest what she’d overheard. Her father wasn’t coming home. She didn’t care much for the ‘honour in a good death’ thing that the rest of the Spartans so much loved. And she knew that Leonidas, deep inside, saw there was more to life than fighting as well. How could he be so selfish? What about Rainbow, and Gorgo, and Pleistarchus and everyone else that needed him here! She just wasn’t going to sit by and let him throw his life away. No, she was going to go over there, and she was going to knock some sense into him! How could he do this to her?!
Avoiding Gorgo and the servants, she went into Leonidas’ study and took a map of Greece. She found Thermopylae and committed its location to memory. So as not to run into anyone, she squeezed through a window and then quickly flew away. Thermopylae was over two thousand stadia away; she would need to fly very fast to get there before he… before he…. Died.
Letting her anger at him and the fear that she felt for his life consume her, Rainbow began flying faster and faster. Each beat of her wings carried her further, far further than they had any right to. She hardly had time to register animals or people below her before she had passed them by. It was an overnight ride to Thermopylae, even for the fastest horse and most skilled rider. Rainbow couldn’t take that long, or her father would already be dead. She continued to push herself, going even faster. The air began to vibrate and tremble as if filling with energy. She paid it no heed, continuing on at her frantic pace. Soon the pass came into view.
She flew down over the rough hills and slopes to the south of the pass, and sped over the heads of the warriors below. As she turned over the water to bring herself to face the battle, she noticed she was leaving behind a long trial of rainbow behind her. For some reason, the turn she pulled hurt like someone was crushing her, and for a moment she thought she was going to faint. But she was strong and stubbornly refused to. Now facing the battle, she spotted the Greeks, surrounded by a sea of people that she assumed was the Persian army. She gasped when she saw their numbers: they swarmed across the beach and hills, turning the land into a living being.
She didn't know what she had expected herself to do when took off from Sparta, but she was determined to do it. She flew towards the Greeks, the air becoming ever more turbulent before her. The ground was approaching her fast. She tried to slow down, but found that she couldn’t. She was going too fast! The best she could do was control her rapid descent as the ground came ever closer. And then, moments before she crashed, she saw a great flash of light from behind her, followed by a colossal noise. She didn't have time to wonder what caused them before she impacted and her world went dark.
As mighty Leonidas smote his enemies down before him, his strength never failing,
there from the distance a great sight to see! For over the hills and rocky crags
did Pegasus come speeding. Faster than an arrow did she fly, all colours
of light seemingly bending to her will as they streamed behind her form. Along
over the battle and out over the dark and crashing waves. There she turned
about in the sky, pausing a brief moment high above the weary warriors below.
and then she came down from the heavens, in a rushing descent that would shame
the fastest falcon. Down and down she sped, causing the very air to shake and rattle
around her. By now, the battle had ceased. All men, Persian and Greek alike, had stopped
to see the magnificent sight before them. Moments before the ground would meet her,
their eyes were beholden to a creation of the gods. Before them, light broke apart
and so emanated from Pegasus, scattering over the land, sending rays of greens,
blues, reds, and yellows, streaming like lightning. And with the breaking of light,
so too did it seem as though sound had come apart; the mighty clap of thunder
that sounded across the bay was worthy of Zeus himself.
And what happened to this noble beast? No one knew. For when
Leonidas ran to the site of her crash, where she tore earth asunder as if
it was mere parchment, but there was no sign of her. She had returned to
the gods, truly where she belonged.
With her actions the Battle of Thermopylae was won. The Persians,
fearing the wrath of the gods that could conjure such miracles, lay down their weapons
and fled. In the end, all of Xerxes might and power was earthy and feeble,
compared to the power of the gods. He conceded defeat and vowed that
never again shall Persia dare to challenge the Freedom and power of Greece.
Rainbow Dash woke up in a comfortable bed. Much more comfortable than the straw she was used to sleeping on. The ceiling above her was white marble, as were the walls, which were adorned with intricate carvings and gold leaf along the top. The place was cool and the atmosphere calm. Not at all like the pass of Thermopylae. Thermopylae!
“Dad!” Rainbow shot bolt upright only to be stopped by a sharp pain in her side. She lay back down.
“He’s fine, Rainbow”. The voice was smooth and calming, but even so, Rainbow hadn’t noticed anyone else with her in the room and nearly jumped out of her skin.
“Allow me to adjust the bed for you.”
The bed bent in half so that Rainbow was closer to a sitting position. As the bed adjusted, the owner of the voice stepped around to its foot. She was a tall and noble horse-creature with a gleaming white coat and a flowing mane. She didn’t look too much like Rainbow, but she still looked nothing like any earthen creature Rainbow had seen, so she assumed she had to be from whatever ‘world’ Rainbow was from. “Who are you?” Rainbow asked.
“I am Princess Celestia. I am, what you might call, the ruler of the world where I come from. Where we come from.” She smiled down on Rainbow. A genuine smile that seemed so full of reassurance that Rainbow felt she simply had to believe everything Celestia said. “I am assuming your next question will be an enquiry into your whereabouts? Well, let me tell you. You are currently on Mount Olympus.”
“Mount… Mount Olympus?”
“Yes. I was still in the process of negotiating passage for you back into Equestria - our home – when you went charging into Leonidas’ battle. You crashed and died…”
“I’M DEAD?!”
“No. Well, you were. Which was strangely fortunate as the rules regarding the transport of inanimate objects- including a body- are different to the rules regarding the transport of a living being. I was allowed to bring you here right away and, with the reluctant help of Hades, I was able to put your soul back into your body. I then healed your injuries as best I could so that you wouldn't slip back into the Underworld again as soon you were restored.”
“Oh.” Rainbow struggled to understand. “Wait… what?
“You must understand that the Grecian pantheon consists of a group of highly magical beings, not too dissimilar to myself. While I would not consider them to be allies of Equestria, I certainly have had dealings with them in the past. As they rule over Greece it is they who dictate all non-human activity. They send heroes to combat monsters and other magical threats, while also maintaining their own…. Particular style of justice- preventing any one city-state or alliance from overwhelming all of Greece, or aiding them, depending on their interests. While I don't consider them necessarily to be evil, I hope you understand that I hold them in very low regard.” She paused. “Does that elucidate the situation?”
Rainbow nodded, beginning to understand.
“Now, I do believe you wish to know about Leonidas?”
Rainbow perked up at the mention of her father. “What happened to him? Is he okay? Did I do something bad to him? Oh… I did…. Didn’t I?”
Celestia laughed, a beautiful melody that told Rainbow that all her worries were unneeded.
“Oh, my dear Rainbow Dash. Leonidas is fine. Because of your actions, reckless though they were, the battle was won. Xerxes was forced to retreat. I think he will not be bothering Greece again anytime soon.”
“So, I saved him?”
“It would seem that you did.”
“Good. Good.” Rainbow yawned, suddenly overcome with tiredness “I think I need to sleep now.”
“Indeed you do, you have been through a lot, Rainbow Dash. Rest well. In a few days, I will take you back to Equestria where there are some ponies who are very anxious to meet you.”
“Ponies. Huh. So not horses.”
“No. Now, rest.”
Celestia turned and walked out of the room, the door gliding shut behind her by some unseen force. A satisfied Rainbow Dash lay back down on her wonderfully comfortable bed and was very soon asleep. As she drifted into unconsciousness, she considered how strange all these dealings with gods and magic were; how fast she had flown; and most importantly to her, how glad she was to have proven herself to her father, one last time before she left him forever. She knew that she was going to a better world where she had friends and family, but she would never forget Leonidas, King of Sparta, her father. She wondered if anyone from this new world could live up to that name. To Rainbow, he represented the true Spartan heart. Even though in the end he was forced to turn away from kindness and plunge back into the fires that forged him, she would always carry his name in pride. Like her father, she was a Spartan after all. Although they were perhaps a different kind of one.
Author's Note
So, I did edit this as best I could. However, there are still bound to be mistakes. If anyone spots any, please let me know. I gave my explanation for the Heroic Verse under the description for the story, so... that covers that.
Now, I must also emphatically say that this is not a "300" cross-over. My story makes use of the historical events surrounding that movie, but I did do the research to find out the real events and used those over events as depicted in the movie (I do differ from historical events for the purposes of the story, obviously). I chose Leonidas and Sparta as my father-figure/setting respectively because he is someone from Ancient Greece everyone is likely to know (Thanks to "300") and also because Sparta's... unique attitudes provide an interesting contrast to the world of MLP.
