Rainbow's Wrath

Rainbow's Wrath

Part 2: Rebirth

Chapter 7: A Mother's Duty

Rainbow slowly awoke to the calm silence of Limbo, hanging by one arm from the same tower she found herself on her first visit. Her vision was blurred a little and she felt dizzy, but she could hear voices above her. She gazed up to see the pony she'd met before, Alice, talking to a green pony with an even deeper shade of green for his messy mane, and a pair of draconic wings on his back. His eyes were green and his pupils were red and blue balance symbols. He dressed a little more casually than her with blue jeans and a teal T-shirt with a red X on it.

The green pegasus pony crossed his arms and said, "You play a dangerous game here. What do you hope to gain out of this? Can you not see how this will backfire?"

"I only see potential," Alice responded with a glare. "She's just what I need. Her wrath shall change her world. Don't try and stand in my way Xam."

"I won't, but when all of this blows up in your face, I'll be there to drag you to your fate. You know the consequences of abusing my dimension, as well as others."

"Pft! Whatever…" Xam shook his head and took off from the side of the tower, flying down into the foggy abyss. Rainbow watched him go, and when he was no longer visible, she looked back up to see a familiar blonde furred vixen waggling her tail as she sat on the side of the tower looking Rainbow in the eyes through her small glasses. She gave the glasses a nudge and said, "We meet again. So, what now? You are a demigod just as they are, you know. If you can accept their actions, perhaps you should let go and allow your soul to be judged by Limbo." Rainbow grunted and reached her second hand up, pulling upward and beginning to climb. Alice scurried alongside her and said, "You choose to move forward? This is exactly why your soul will never belong to the Blanks, or the Seven Deities. There is a great power hidden in you, one I've been looking for. So, Celestia is to bring salvation to Equestria, to all of Gaea. But it seems she can't do it without your daughter's power.

Rainbow Dash froze in her climb and stared at the wall before her for a moment. She muttered under her breath, "Zap Apple…"

"Now, remember why you're here in the first place. It will spur you on, girl! Fuel the fire of your rage!"

Rainbow Dash made her way forward, glaring at a large group of ape Blanks, with a gorilla Blank in their ranks. The area was dry like a savannah, the trees lacked foliage, and there were rocks about stacked upon each other. The gorilla stood atop the highest one like a general and roared at Rainbow Dash as the many apes began to surround her. Rainbow Dash wasted no time in slamming the back of her arm into a pair that got too close, and she rushed forward to uppercut another. She roared and spun around, releasing her aura to not only knock away the airborne ape, but to smack away all of his allies.

As what little of them that survived the blow began to climb back to their feet, Rainbow hurried over and made short work of them with her fists. Enraged by this, the Gorilla leapt from his high place as more ape Blanks rose from the ground. He slapped both hands downward towards Dash, but she easily flipped back out of the way before slamming her knee into his face. This knocked him off the floor, and she grabbed him by his ankle and swung him into some of the smaller apes as they approached. She grabbed held out her hand charging aura into it, using her other hand to hold her head as the sheer force it took to accomplish this showed in her face while she grit her teeth. She thrust her fist skyward, and her aura sent the entire group upward with a powerful blast as if a giant ghost fist had emerged from the floor beneath them.

She screamed to the heavens and a blast of aura emerged from her body like a shockwave, spreading out in a massive explosion the wiped out the ape like Blanks. As she pants to regain her breath, the ground began to shake, causing her to search for the source. An Elephant like Blank erupted from the rocky walls, raising its foot high in the air to stomp down on her. Rainbow flipped backwards and spun like a gyro ball before landing on her feet facing the beast. The Blank trumpeted in an intimidating manner, swinging it's trunk about, but Rainbow Dash simply took a fighting stance ready to keep going.

Rainbow started by firing ki blasts from her palms at the creature, which was responded with another stomp of its mighty foot. The pegasus easily flew over the shockwave and dive bombed into the foot, punching it hard enough to make the tusked creature rear it's foot back in pain. Its trunk glowed red as it lobbed a blast of energy at Rainbow. She flew to the side, watching as it exploded on contact with the floor. While the cyan pony was distracted though, the Blank raised both its feet high in the air before slamming them into the ground. This created a giant shockwave that hot Rainbow Dash in mid-air, sending her flying backwards and into the rocks.

The Blank continued its attack by lobbing several more explosive blasts of energy at Rainbow, but the pony wasn't down and out yet. She leapt off the rocks to avoid the attacks, and rushed back towards the beast as she dodged around its continued assault. The Blank reared back like before, and sent another large shockwave at Dash, but this time she shot into the air far over the blast and the elephant Blank. She then dive bombed towards the beast with her fist reared back, punching it hard enough to break off one of its tusks.

As the tusk hit the dirt, the Blank angrily tried to stomp Rainbow Dash, only to have her leap back out of its way. Rainbow skid to a halt and looked up at the beat, both opponents glaring at each other as the elephant began to twirl its trunk. It then swung it's trunk down at Rainbow Dash, which she dodged to the side of, but as it made contact with the earth it tore it up and made much of the surrounding earth spike from the ground, which in turn hit Rainbow Dash and sent her twirling to the side with a loud cry of pain. The elephant Blank swung at her from the side with its trunk. Rainbow managed to push herself off the ground and over it, and as the trunk came back she rolled under it. She then made her way towards the demon, and as it swung at her again, she leapt over the trunk and gave the beast a good punch.

The Blank trumpeted angrily and leapt back, spraying from its trunk something similar to the dark blasts as before, only now it was like a concentrated beam. It swung its trunk and the beam cut through the area's stones, but Rainbow Dash took flight over the blast. The Blank and Dash both reared back and charged each other, but a powerful punch from Dash to the beast's forehead stopped it dead in its tracks. It shook its head and cried at Rainbow, smacking her back to the ground with its trunk.

Rainbow Dash rushed back towards the Blank by foot. The Blank swung at her with its trunk, but she slid under it on her knees and then jumped off the floor, landing on the elephant's face. She flapped her wings hard, her eyes went wide, and her teeth grinded together as she swung with all her might to send the large heavy creature spinning into the sky before dashing after it. Pinkie Pie arrived on the scene with a stretch, and looked up with a rather surprised expression to see a large elephant Blank falling directly towards her, with an angry Rainbow Dash close on its trail.

When the creature got close enough, Pinkie flicked it with her finger, and it bounced over her like a beach ball. She blinked seeing Rainbow Dash was still coming, her expression like a wild animal out of control. Pinkie grinned with open arms accepting this, and reared a fist back, as did Rainbow Dash. As they got close to each other, Rainbow's fist met Applejack's palm as she leapt between them with a sour expression. Rainbow snapped out of it, just in time to be flipped over their heads like the Blank before her, making Pinkie pout a little as she watched her spin away.

Rainbow Dash landed with a loud thud on her back, and Applejack turned back to her to say, "Control yourself!"

Pinkie placed her hands on her hips and broke into wild laughter. "Immersing yourself in battle like that? Well done, Rainbow Dash!"

Applejack rolled her eyes with a sigh, and made her way over to Rainbow Dash who was pulling herself to her feet. "Now that y'all have something to protect, why are you so full of rage?" She offered her hand to help Rainbow up. "Or, perhaps that's exactly why." Rainbow Dash scoffed, looking away.

"Something to protect?" Pinkie Pie started, clenching a fist. "Don't be a silly filly! The only reason to fight is the fight itself."

The two other ponies stared at her for a moment, till Applejack said, "That's so like you Pinkie. We've cleared this area of Blanks. Let's return to Canterlot."

She placed a hand on Rainbow's shoulder, only to have it quickly swatted away. Rainbow muttered, "Right," before she began to walk off ahead of her friends, several dead elephant Blanks strewn through the background behind them as they began to disintegrate.

Back at home, Rainbow Dash entered her house to see Big Macintosh cradling her baby in his arms. He gently rocked her back and forth and said, "Zap Apple, your mother is home. Welcome home, dear."

Rainbow wrapped an arm around his waist with a soft smile and said, "Thanks." The filly opened her eyes and smiled seeing her mother, reaching out to her.

In the doorway to their house leaned Applejack, Pinkie standing at her side. The pink pony crossed her arms and said, "So, that's what she has to protect?"

Applejack nodded and said, "Eyup, though you might not understand why." They both looked shocked as they heard the baby pony begin to whine, gazing over to see Rainbow trying rather pathetically to rock her daughter in her own arms. She bounced up and down and wiggled her back and forth, looking rather distressed before she quickly handed her back to Big Mac. She pouted and marched past him, Big Mac watching her go with a sigh. "Big Mac."

The stallion looked to see Applejack approach and said, "Little sis…"

"She almost looks scared of her."

Big Mac shook his head and said, "She just doesn't know what to do when she starts crying."

Applejack gently rubbed her niece's forehead and said, "Then she should pacify her."

"Her?" Big Mac had a good chuckle at the thought as they both watched Rainbow Dash march off.

Rainbow Dash made her way down the street, thinking quietly to herself. She stopped as blocking her path were her friends: Rarity, Derpy, and Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash glared at them and muttered, "Move."

Rarity rubbed her chin and smirked. "Not bad, Rainbow Dash. That uncontrollable rage of yours suits you well." She glanced at the others, receiving a nod from them before they stepped aside, Rarity offering her the right of way. "See what I mean?"

Unsure how to react to this, Rainbow Dash simply shot each of them a final glare before walking past them. Derpy rushed after her and said, "Rainbow Dash, join us. If we worked together, we could more effectively exterminate the Blanks…"

"Don't test me." Rainbow's sharp words froze Derpy in her tracks, her ears folding back as she watched her friend walk off.

Fluttershy quietly stated, "You are aware Zap Apple is the only suitable vessel to become priestess?" This froze Rainbow Dash in her tracks this time. "Raise her with care." She wiggled her Angel doll and said in her ventriloquist voice, "As incompetent as you may be dummy head!" Fluttershy snickered, as Rainbow scoffed at her and continued to march off.

Rainbow Dash snapped back to reality and continued her climb. Alice continued to follow alongside her and said, "Well you certainly are incompetent. I wager this is one of your more charming features, aside from your flank. At least we know now the source of the flame that burns in your soul. In other words, you-"

"Stop…"

Alice stopped when she saw Rainbow stopped and crawled in close. "Hm? What was that?"

Images flooded into Rainbow's head of her daughter Zap Apple as a baby, crying. She held her head and said, "The… crying! Stop it!" She slammed her fist on the tower as more images came to her of her husband's smiling face.

Alice blinked in confusion and said, "Crying? What do you mean? I'm not crying."

Rainbow Dash's visions continued in her head. She could see Big Mac holding their baby in his arms. She reaches out to Zap Apple, only to receive more cries, making her hesitate as Big Mac tried to nuzzle her. Rainbow Dash screamed to the sky in frustration with these visions. Big Mac smiled at her in her vision and said, "Even one of the Eight Guardian Generals is no match for her own daughter, is she?"

Rainbow Dash looked at her hand and said, "She's… so small…"

Her husband chuckled and said, "Do you know what I think? I believe that you only wish the best for our daughter."

Rainbow Dash griped the tower and leapt forward, skyrocketing and making Alice spiral off to the side with a yelp. The vixen surprisingly caught up, scurrying as fast as she could at the enraged pony's side, listening to her growl and grunt as she climbed. "Why? Why are you so full of rage, Rainbow Dash? Where does this wrath come from?"

Rainbow Dash no longer climbed, but ran. She ran sideways up the tower at full speed, performing a sonic rainboom as she shot forward with a colorful trail in her wake. She screamed angrily as she rushed for the top as fast as she could.

A great stone stood in the middle of an open area, atop a stone rise surrounded by a bottomless foggy abyss with only a single bridge leading to the shrine at the base of this stone. The surrounding walls were snowy, as was the shrine itself. A single wooden table, along with several vases filled with plants that could survive the harsh temperatures, all lay at the foot of the stone. A single young pony girl kneeled before the shrine, the baby filly strapped to her chest beginning to cry. She stood up and began to cradle the filly, singing a little lullaby to calm her.

She set a single flower on the table, and smiled up at the stone. Lodged in a crack down the middle of the stone was the image of Rainbow Dash, trapped by magma. Her people brought the stone here and created this shrine seven hundred years ago, always believing in Rainbow Dash's protection amongst the other so called gods.

She bowed to the stone that was believed to be Rainbow's grave, her baby continuing to wine and cry. As the baby went on, the pony noticed something odd. The statue of Rainbow Dash trapped in the stone began to glow, and she stared at this with a gasp.

Rainbow Dash was at dinner with her husband, her sister in law, and her daughter. Big Mac smirked and said, "I hear you made quite the impression in the last battle."

Gulping down some food, Rainbow Dash muttered, "Is that so?"

Big Mac nodded and gave her a wink. "Zap Apple was praying for you the whole time."

Zap Apple giggled and said, "Did you hear my prayers mom?"

"I did," Rainbow Dash answered. "I felt your presence with me the whole time."

Big Mac crossed his arms and said, "So you didn't think of me at all, hmm?"

Rainbow Dash blushed and began to stutter, "N-No, I m-meant…"

"Oh mom." Zap Apple had a giggle fit.

A unicorn soldier walked in, and Rainbow Dash scowled and stood up. "General Rainbow Dash! The next priestess has been chosen."

Rainbow's brow only furrowed further. "What?"

"General Rainbow Dash's daughter, Zap Apple, is to be priestess. Congratulations general."

Rage showed on her face as she stood there quietly for a moment. She slammed her fist on the table and marched for the door as she said, "I won't allow it!"

Zap Apple rushed after her and said, "But why, mom?!"

She glared back at her daughter and said, "I won't have you become a tool for war!"

"If it will give me the power to protect you I'll gladly become priestess!"

"But…"

Applejack took her sister in-law's shoulder and said, "Zap Apple is gifted with the power to save the world, sugar cube. She could be the key in eradicating the Blanks."

Rainbow Dash smacked her arm away and said, "Shut up!"

As the angry pony walked off, Applejack said, "Rainbow, wait! Where y'all going?"

Rainbow Dash didn't answer, she just walked off as she thought to herself, "Nothing good will come of this… I just know it."

Her vision slowly faded away, as the only thing she could see now was the ceiling to Limbo she approached.

End Pt. 2 Ch. 7