Chapters ThunderClan
ShadowClan
WindClan
RiverClan
Cats Outside the Clans
Author's Note
I've read Bramblestar's Storm now and oooh the inconsistencies!
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Rainbow Dash the pegasus was lying on her sofa inside her cloud-made home. Her nose was buried inside her new favourite book: Daring Do and the Ring of Destiny.
“Daring pulled as hard as she could, lifting the bottom ring only a smudge. If she were doing this alone, there would be no chance of even moving it. Though with the help of Rainbow, it proved easier.” Rainbow read and reread her favourite part of the chapter, letting the book close as she finished.
A knock at her door made her jump to her hooves. Stretching the stiffness out of her legs and wings, she trotted over to the door and pulled it open. “Twilight! What are you doing here?”
The purple alicorn looked serious. “Come with me.”
“Wh–”
“Just come with me!”
“Okay!” Rainbow complained, following Twilight outside and down to the ground.
Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie were waiting for them as they landed. They all – even Pinkie – looked serious.
“Girls, I asked you all to come because Princess Celestia has sent me a spell to stop the solar eclipse!” Twilight told them, pointing to the rapidly rising moon.
“Um, Twi? Remember what happened last time you were tryin’ a new spell?” Applejack cautioned.
Twilight sighed. “Yes, AJ, I do. But this is gonna be different. We’re gonna save Equestria!” She then opened her saddlebag to reveal five golden necklaces and a single gold crown.
All six ponies were lifted into the air as the necklaces fastened around Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rarity. The crown sat itself upon Twilight’s head. Light surrounded them and the six ponies blacked out.
Dovewing took a large bite of the fat mouse in front of her. Green-leaf had made prey and herbs plentiful, and with her daughter, Spottedpaw, helping Jayfeather, cats who went into the medicine den came out just as quickly.
Spottedpaw was eating with her littermates, Brownpaw and Blackpaw by the apprentices’ den.
Bumblestripe, Dovewing’s mate, came over to her, picking a thrush out of the pile and setting down next to Dovewing.
Dovewing tensed as something in the air rippled, almost. “Excuse me, a moment.” She told her mate, before expanding her senses to the whole territory. She searched between the trees, under rocks and inside bramble thickets. Then she found it. Six strange cats were lying, seemingly unconscious, in a clearing deep in the forest.
Dovewing quickly said sorry to Bumblestripe; then jumped to her paws and ran to Lionblaze, who was about to leave on a hunting patrol. “Strange cats in the clearing near the lake.”
Lionblaze seemed to understand instantly and nodded to his patrol, “Let’s go down by the lake!” Dovewing tagged along behind the patrol, catching a starling on the way.
When they reached the clearing, the cats were beginning to wake. They wore collars, so Dovewing guessed they were kittypets. But they were very strangely coloured. They were all she-cats.
The first was light purple with violet eyes. Her ears and tail were dark purple-blue streaked with a brilliant rose colour and violet. Her nose and inner ears were dark purple. On each flank was a white star overlaid by an indigo star surrounded by little white stars. Her collar tag looked like the indigo star on her flank.
The second was light cyan with dark rose eyes. Her ears and tail were all the colours of the rainbow, excluding indigo. Her nose and inner ears were dark cyan. On each flank was a cloud, with a red, yellow and blue lightning bolt underneath it. Her collar tag looked like the red part of the lightning bolt on her flank.
The third was bright pink with light blue eyes. Her ears and tail were dark raspberry. Her nose and inner ears were dark pink. On each flank was two blue circle-like things, balloons, Dovewing thought they were called, that had yellow strings, and one yellow balloon with a blue string. Her collar tag looked like one of the blue balloons on her flank.
The fourth was a very, very light grey with blue eyes. Her ears and tail were purple. Her nose and inner ears were dark grey. On each flank was three light blue diamond shapes with dark blue lining. Her collar tag looked like one of the diamonds on her flank.
The fifth was pale yellow with dark blue eyes. Her ears and tail were pink. Her nose and inner ears were dark yellow. On each flank were three pink-winged, cyan-bodied butterflies. Her collar tag looked like one of the butterflies on her flank, except completely pink.
The sixth was orange with green eyes. On each cheek were three white dots. Her ears and tail were yellow with a red stripe towards the tips and her nose and inner ears were dark orange. She wore an oddly shaped brown leaf-like thing on her head. On each flank were three bright red apples. Her collar tag was an apple like on her flank.
Lionblaze held out his tail to keep the patrol back as the strange cats began to sit up.
“Where in the hay are we?” hissed the orange cat, “Twilight, where did you send us this time?”
The purple one, probably Twilight, spoke next, “I have absolutely no idea, Applejack. Though I notice we’re in a forest, and we’re cats.”
“Like that wasn’t obvious.” Meowed the blue one.
“C’mon, Dashie, there’s no need to get pushy!” chirped the pink cat.
Dashie growled back at the pink cat, “Pinkie, I keep telling you to stop calling me that!”
“Sorry, Dashie!” giggled Pinkie.
“Stop it!” yelled Dashie, “I may be new to these claws, but I do know how to use them!”
The white one stepped in between them, scolding Dashie, “Rainbow Dash, darling, stop squabbling!”
“Sorry, Rarity.” Rainbow muttered, pouting.
Twilight spoke again, “Ok, we need to –”
Pinkie interrupted, twitching like crazy, “Twitch! Twitchety twitch twitch twitch!” The twitches began to form a pattern. “Hoof flick, ear flap, tail shake and eye flutter!”
“Hoof?” Thornclaw hissed from the back of the patrol.
“A horse’s paw.” Lionblaze told him.
“What does it mean, Pinkie?” asked the yellow cat.
“Well, Fluttershy, I’ve never had that combination before, but something tells me it means somepony is watching us!” Pinkie replied, glancing around warily.
Fluttershy squeaked and flattened herself to the ground.
“C’mon out, I’m not afraid of you!” Rainbow growled, rearing up on her hind paws.
Dovewing crept forwards and whispered into Lionblaze’s ear, “We ought to get out of the bushes and actually say hi or something to them.”
Lionblaze nodded, stood up, and motioned for the rest of the patrol – Dovewing, Thornclaw and Thornclaw’s apprentice, Seedpaw – to follow him. As soon as the six strange cats saw them, they fell into a messy defensive line.
“Who are you and what are you doing in ThunderClan territory?” Lionblaze asked, stepping closer to them.
Twilight paused before introducing them, “I’m Twilight, the pony who sensed you were here is Pinkie Pie, the one who challenged you is Rainbow Dash, the white pony’s Rarity, that’s Fluttershy and the one with the hat is Applejack.” And then continued with an explanation, “We don’t know how we got here, we just woke up in this clearing,” and finally asked them a question, “Who are you and what is ThunderClan?”
Lionblaze blinked a few times as the sun rose above them and shone in his eyes; then replied, “I’m Lionblaze, this is Dovewing, the golden tabby over there is Thornclaw, and that’s his apprentice, Seedpaw. ThunderClan is one of the four warrior Clans that live around the lake.”
Twilight looked dumbfounded, “Please take us to your ruler.” She told the patrol, lifting her head puffing out her chest fur.
“Um, ruler?” Seedpaw squeaked, “What do you mean?”
“She probably means leader, Seedpaw.” Thornclaw told his apprentice. Dovewing felt worried. What if these cats are lying? She thought.
Lionblaze nodded, “We’ll take you to Bramblestar.” He meowed, beckoning them to follow him.
Author's Note
Oh, and any continuity errors with dead cats, or mentors and apprentices is because I originally wrote this before Bramblestar's Storm. Just so you know.
Rarity stared at Twilight, “Dear, should we follow them?”
Twilight shrugged, “We may as well…”
Rainbow rolled her eyes and quickly padded after the leaving group of cats. The others hesitantly followed. After a few moments, Rainbow slowed to let them catch up.
“So, um, what do you think ThunderClan will be like?” Fluttershy asked.
“Well, seeing as they’re named after thunder, I reckon they’ll be very strong and fast and scary!” Rainbow chuckled.
Pinkie bounced up to Rainbow and commented, “My Pinkie Sense told me they’re very nice, actually.”
“Aww…” Rainbow pouted, contently sheathing and unsheathing her claws.
“We’re here!” the golden tom called Lionblaze shouted back to them.
Rainbow hurried ahead to be first into ThunderClan’s home.
It was a large stone hollow, with cracks in the walls that seemed they could lead to rooms. Brambles covered the entrance and on one side of the hollow there was a ledge with a tumble of rocks leading up to it.
Cats strolled around the clearing, some play-fighting, some joking and some eating squirrels and rabbits – which disgusted Rainbow. As soon as the cats saw the new arrivals, some began hissing, while others murmured warily amongst themselves.
A large brown tabby tom with amber eyes strode towards them. “Lionblaze, why have you brought these kittypets into our camp?” he asked, fixing the golden tabby with a harsh stare.
“They asked to see our ‘ruler’.” Lionblaze replied.
“Well then… Squirrelflight!” Bramblestar yowled. A dark ginger she-cat ran to them. Her right forepaw was white, and she had green eyes. A scar stretched from her chest down her left hind paw.
“Yes, Bramblestar?” she questioned.
“Fetch Jayfeather and Spottedpaw and meet me in my den.” He motioned for Rainbow and her friends to follow him.
After a few moments of scrambling and falling, they were in a small cave. On the far side of the cave there was a spread-out clump of moss that looked a bit like a bed.
Rainbow looked at the cats in the den. There were her friends, Bramblestar, Squirrelflight, Jayfeather and Spottedpaw.
Jayfeather was a grey tabby tom with clear blue eyes. A long scar ran along his side.
Spottedpaw’s pattern was a little more complicated. She was dark brown, with a spotted back, striped legs and a tail, and a black patch of fur on her forehead. Her right foreleg was covered in scars and thin scratches that were clotted with dots of blood.
“So, could you tell me who you are? Lionblaze said you just woke up here, but I sense there’s more to this story then that.” Bramblestar meowed.
Twilight took a deep breath before blabbing the whole story: “Well, we’re actually from another world. We’re ponies there. These ‘collars’ as you call them are actually our Elements of Harmony, a very strong power source where we come from. These marks on our flanks are called our cutie marks. As you can see our Elements of Harmony look like our cutie marks. I, Twilight, am the Element of Magic, Applejack is the Element of Honesty, Pinkie is the Element of Laughter, Rarity is the Element of Generosity, Fluttershy is the Element of Kindness and Rainbow is the Element of Loyalty. You see, I got a letter from our princess telling me of a spell, because I‘m an alicorn – a magic pony, or horse, with wings – where we come from. But when I tried it, it turned us into cats, our Elements into collars and sent us here.”
Bramblestar stared at them, mouth agape. “Well… That’s a very strange story… Jayfeather, have you had any sign about these cats?”
Jayfeather nodded. “A few days ago, I had a prophecy. But it wasn’t from StarClan. It was in another tongue, but I could understand it." the medicine cat proceeded to relay his dream to his leader.
Sounds like Zecora… Rainbow thought.
“I suppose I could let you join the Clan.” Bramblestar murmured. Then he nodded. “Come on then.”
Rainbow stood under the Highledge, as everypony seemed to call it, with the rest of her friends. Bramblestar had called the Clan together.
“I have found some cats who are willing to become apprentices for the Clan.” Bramblestar announced.
“Lucky to!” yowled a voice. The crowd separated to reveal a black tom. He had a brown belly, long legs and light amber eyes.
“Spiderleg, sit down!” hissed a white she-cat with blue eyes and a torn ear.
Rainbow turned and growled back at the warrior. “You want me to prove we’re good enough?”
“Go ahead!” Spiderleg laughed.
Without warning, Rainbow lunged. Her claws were unsheathed, her teeth were bared, her fur was bristling; her tail was lashing.
Spiderleg was unprepared for her attack, and fell straight over beneath her claws. Rainbow ripped at her opponent’s fur, feeling flesh tear in her claws. The black tom beneath her screeched and, being much, much more used to being a cat, launched Rainbow upwards with a swift hind kick to the stomach.
Rainbow landed hard on the cold stone floor of the hollow, but felt no cracks in her back as she rose to her paws. Spiderleg charged at her, and managed to rake his claws along her side as she dodged out of the way.
Hissing, Rainbow leapt again, this time aiming more carefully. From what was just a pure bout of luck, she landed square on Spiderleg’s shoulders, pushing him to the ground. The black warrior growled and turned his head to snap at Rainbow’s ankles.
Rainbow felt as if the battle was over, so she loosened her grip. But she wasn’t prepared for Spiderleg’s next move. He pushed himself upwards, knocking Rainbow straight over and causing pain to lance up her back.
Then it happened.
Spiderleg raked his claws across Rainbow’s flank, right on her cutie mark. Rainbow suddenly felt pain grip her, causing her to screech. She began to writhe around in distress, the pain filling her body.
The white she-cat who had told Spiderleg to sit down earlier pushed to the front of the crowd and yelled, “Spiderleg, what did you do?”
“I-I don’t know!” Spiderleg told her.
A very light grey tom stepped forwards. His tail-tip, ears and paws were black. His eyes were a medium blue.
There was a brown she-cat standing next to him. Her paws, belly, chest and muzzle were light brown; her eyes were amber. Her tail-tip was black, along with a black stripe on her tail. A tuft of fur on her forehead was also black. The two had a similar structure to Spottedpaw, so Rainbow, only being able to see them very faintly through her haze of pain, guessed the three were siblings.
“It might have something to do with that mark on her flank. She was fine until you scratched it.” meowed the brown one.
“Maybe it’s something to with a prophecy or something? Or she could have old wounds that you just aggravated.” agreed the other.
Spiderleg was looking terrified by now, his eyes wide, his tail between his hind legs. “W-w-what do I d-do?” he stuttered.
It was then that the pain ebbed and pressure settled on her back. Rainbow let out another screech as the skin burst on her shoulders. Then, as if someone had planted seeds in the wounds, fresh, new skin seemed to sprout like plants.
Rainbow felt her Element of Harmony lift her into the air. Her tail grew messier, like in pony form and between her ears grew a scruffy rainbow-coloured mane. As the lightning-bolt necklace began to glow in a calm red light, Rainbow felt something feathery spread out behind her back.
When the light faded, Rainbow was surprised to find herself hovering in the air. Turning her head slightly, she saw wings connected to her back, flapping gently.
“Aw yeah!” she grinned.
Author's Note
The inspiration for Rainbow's transformation comes from a 'Human Turned Cat' story that has sadly been lost in the depths of Quotev.
Dovewing sat underneath the Highledge, head tilted as she waited for the ceremony to start. It wasn’t time for the new cats’ ceremony yet, because the blue one – Rainbow, Dovewing remembered her name – wasn’t quite well enough yet. But alas the light cyan she-cat sat at the entrance to the medicine cats den with Spottedpaw, her multi-coloured tail over her paws.
After a few moments, Bramblestar and Squirrelflight emerged from the leader’s den onto the Highledge.
“Cherrypaw, Molepaw, step forwards.” The dark tabby leader called.
The two apprentices emerged, shivering, from the crowd.
“I, Bramblestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn.” Bramblestar paused, “Cherrypaw, Molepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your lives?”
“I do.” Meowed the two apprentices in unison.
“Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Cherrypaw, from this moment you will be known as Cherrymask. StarClan honours your enthusiasm and determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.” Bramblestar then turned to Molepaw, “Molepaw, from this moment you will be known as Molefoot. StarClan honours your loyalty and intelligence, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.”
“Cherrymask! Molefoot! Cherrymask! Molefoot!” yowled the Clan happily.
Dovewing noticed that the other five cats that had been found with Rainbow were not joining in. Instead they stood up, their collar tags swinging in the breeze, and made their way over to their friend. Dovewing also noticed that the yellow one was a bit skinnier then the others – she probably hadn't eaten the rabbit Jayfeather had taken to them.
As the cheers died down, Bumblestripe made his way over to Dovewing. “Hey, Squirrelflight just told me whose going to mentor the new apprentices!” “Really? Who?” Dovewing asked.
“Me, you, Lionblaze, Spiderleg, Whitewing and Brightheart.” He told her. Dovewing brightened up at this. Her mate had once again made her day.
The Clan gathered beneath the Highledge at Bramblestar’s command. Dovewing could tell the six new cats couldn’t tell why the group of cats did this just because an ‘ordinary cat’ told them to.
“Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack, please step forwards.” Bramblestar called.
The six cats padded to the front of the camp. Rainbow still had a bit of marigold poultice and cobweb on her flank, and she had a torn ear, but that was the only evidence of her fight with Spiderleg.
“Twilight, you are willing to become an apprentice of ThunderClan. From this day on you will be known as Lightpaw. Your mentor will be Dovewing.”
Dovewing happily stood up and padded over to Lightpaw.
“Rainbow, you are willing to become an apprentice of ThunderClan. From this day on you will be known as Rainpaw. Your mentor will be Lionblaze.”
Lionblaze stepped forwards and padded up to Rainpaw.
“Pinkie, you are willing to become an apprentice of ThunderClan. From this day on you will be known as Pinkpaw. Your mentor will be Brightheart.”
Brightheart stood and padded up to Pinkpaw.
“Rarity, you are willing to become an apprentice of ThunderClan. From this day on you will be known as Rarepaw. Your mentor will be Bumblestripe.”
Bumblestripe jumped to his paws and stood next to Rarepaw.
“Fluttershy, you are willing to become an apprentice of ThunderClan. From this day on you will be known as Flypaw. Your mentor will be Whitewing.”
Whitewing stepped forwards and next to Flypaw.
“Applejack, you are willing to become an apprentice of ThunderClan. From this day on you will be known as Applepaw. You mentor will be Spiderleg.”
Spiderleg proudly stood up, his wounds from his and Rainpaw’s fight still visible, and padded over to Applepaw.
“Now before you all go off, I should warn you all to avoid scratching or biting the mark on these six apprentices’ flanks.” Bramblestar told the Clan. “And another thing, I have been told that these apprentices refuse to do anything unless they are together.”
With that the Clan dispersed. The mentors touched noses with their new apprentices before gathering near the Highledge.
“So what should we do first? Hunting or fighting?” Spiderleg meowed.
“Um, will hunting include killing animals?” Flypaw whimpered.
Spiderleg nodded.
All six apprentices – excluding Flypaw, who just whimpered meekly – immediately mewed: “Fighting.”
Dovewing rolled her eyes and sighed. “Fighting it is.”
Soon enough, all twelve cats were in the training hollow.
“Okay… first exercise…” Bumblestripe muttered.
“Idea!” Dovewing meowed.
She quickly whispered into the ears of the other warriors before copying them, falling into a defensive line.
“You six have to work together to beat us.” Dovewing told the apprentices. “Ready? Go!”
Rainpaw was the first to react, leaping straight onto Lionblaze back. She gave him a hefty blow to the head with a sheathed paw.
Lionblaze reared up in effort to shake her off, but Applepaw took this to the advantage and rammed into his exposed belly.
Rainpaw quickly leaped off Lionblaze as Spiderleg leaped and Lionblaze toppled over. “Okay, I’m down.” He admitted.
Rainpaw and Spiderleg were wrestling now, so Dovewing focused on her apprentice instead. She leaped at Lightpaw, hissing. At the last second the purple she-cat dodged, sending Dovewing sprawling onto the mossy ground. Lightpaw pinned her down easily, and Dovewing sighed, pushing her apprentice off and padding to Lionblaze, who was sitting at the edge of the clearing.
Applepaw had yanked Spiderleg off of Rainpaw and was struggling to keep him down as he refused to give up. Applepaw swiped him in the head, and he went limp. Sadly, he pushed her off and came to join Dovewing and Lionblaze.
Flypaw was slowly creeping up on Whitewing, who was watching Bumblestripe struggle with Rarepaw. Hesitantly, Flypaw leapt and pushed her mentor to the ground. Whitewing instantly gave up, feeling sympathy for her scared apprentice.
Only Bumblestripe and Brightheart were left.
Rainpaw was struggling with Rarepaw against Bumblestripe, meanwhile Brightheart was rearing with Applepaw on her back and Lightpaw and Pinkpaw tackling her chest.
I just noticed, Dovewing thought, these cats are acting as if they’ve fought before. But they were kittypets!
Lightpaw and Pinkpaw finally managed to knock Brightheart down, causing her to fall with a thump. The ginger-and-white warrior smiled before pushing the apprentices off her and joining the others at the edge of the clearing.
All the apprentices – excluding Flypaw, who was sitting with her ears flat near the tussle – jumped on Bumblestripe. A few moments later, all the mentors were gazing at their apprentices. “Good job. I think that’s enough for today, it’s nearly moonrise. Come on, back to camp.” Whitewing told the apprentices.
The twelve cats set off, through the forest, towards the camp.
Author's Note
I really don't understand training.
Rainbow lay, curled up in the apprentice’s den with her fur pressed against her friends’. Brownpaw and Blackpaw were lying nearby. The apprentices’ den was cramped with eight cats in.
Brownpaw suddenly stood up, stretching. “Dawn! C’mon, Blackpaw, I’ve got hunting and you got the dawn patrol.”
Rainbow opened one cerise eye grumpily, “Could you be a bit quieter, please? Geez, who wakes up at sunrise? Sheesh!” Turning so her back was to Spottedpaw’s siblings, she closed her eyes again and tried to get a bit more sleep.
Only seconds later a paw was prodding her in the ribs. Sighing, Rainbow opened her eyes again and sat up. “Whaaat?” Lionblaze stood in front of her, Dovewing beside him, “Time for training.”
“Seriously? Celestia has only just raised the sun!” Rainbow frowned and flopped back down.
“Celestia?” Lionblaze snapped, “For StarClan’s sake, I know you were kittypets but cats can’t move the sun!”
Rainbow jumped up one last time and growled, “Don’t you talk about the princess like that! And she isn’t a stupid cat!”
“THEN WHY’RE YOU CALLING YOURSELF STUPID?”
“I’M NOT!”
“YOU JUST CALLED CATS STUPID!”
“WELL I’M NOT SUPPOSED TO– hey!” Rainbow gasped as she jumped backwards, just in time to avoid Lionblaze’s clawed paw scratching her flank.
“Lionblaze!” Dovewing gasped, swatting the golden tom over the head, “You heard Bramblestar! Why are you being so impatient? You’re not usually like this.”
Lionblaze grunted, eyes blazing, and sheathed his claws grumpily. “Whatever. Come on.” He turned his back and walked out of the den. Dovewing sighed and padded out after him, followed by the six new apprentices.
After an hour-long tour of the territory, the eight cats were joined by Brightheart, Bumblestripe, Whitewing and Spiderleg. The group of a dozen made their way to the training hollow, Fluttershy dreading what was coming up next.
“Now we’re going to practise the hunting crouch, then test it out in the territory.” Whitewing told them. Then she lowered herself into a crouch, head down, tail straight, hovering slightly above the ground. “Now you try.”
“Okay, easy now, remember, head down, tail low but not touching the ground. You don’t want to stir up leaves.” Lionblaze told Rainbow. The cyan she-cat lowered into a crouch, tail stiff and chin brushing the moss on the ground.
“No, no, no, not like that! Keep your tail loose, not like a twig! And chin up, kittypet.” The golden tom hissed.
Rainbow growled slightly, loosening her tail so that it hovered very slightly above the ground. Her head was down, but her chin was above the ground, the very end of her chin fur tapping the ground.
“Better, but keep the power for your jump in your hind legs. Bunch your muscles!”
Grumpily, she shifted her weight to her haunches, tensing her legs.
“Perfect.”
Being one who doesn’t back down from a chance for revenge, Rainbow bunched her muscles, aimed, then leapt straight at her mentor. Taken by surprise, Lionblaze let out a yowl and struck out with a clawed paw. Rainbow felt a sudden impact on the side off her head and she was sent flying to the side. The ground hit her hard and she tumbled head over tail across the mossy floor.
Stumbling slightly, Rainbow rose to her paws. “Oh, it. Is. ON!”
She leapt once more, this time expecting the swipe, and ducked under his paw. Rainbow slid under her mentor and kicked upwards, dragging her hind claws across his stomach. But, they didn’t break the skin. Once behind him, she lashed out at his flank, claws unsheathed. Once again, Lionblaze’s skin didn’t break. How? It was like he was invincible!
“Hey, what’s the big idea?” Rainbow muttered angrily, preparing to leap once again. Suddenly, a figure slammed into her side and pinned her to the ground. Rainbow struggled angrily, until she realised the cat holding her down was Twilight.
“Rainbow! What are you doing?” Twilight hissed.
“He called Celestia stupid!” Rainbow stared up at her friend.
Twilight froze for a few moments, before sighing and stepping off of Rainbow. The blue cat rose to her paws and shot Lionblaze a dirty look before leaving the clearing at a run. She pelted through the trees, darting side to side to avoid the oddly common bramble patches. Every now and then, she would take a second to long, and was rewarded with a scratch along her side. While none actually hit her flank, they were getting dangerously close to the slightly scarred patch of skin and fur.
When she felt she’d left a somewhat safe distance between her and the clearing, she slowed to a trot, to a walk, eventually stopping. Rainbow sat down and began trying to sort her thoughts. Whenever she got angry enough to lose her bearings, she played a little mind game with herself, where she stated everything she knew was true, and used the facts to figure out the fiction. In all honesty, she'd learnt it from Twilight.
My name is Rainbow Dash. I am the Element of Loyalty. I was born in Cloudsdale. My friend Twilight used a spell on me. We were teleported to another world and turned into cats. The cats here hate us. No. Only some of them do. Like Lionblaze. I don’t want him as a mentor. He called Celestia stupid. He’s invincible. Or does he wear armour? Invisible armour?
Lost in thought, she didn’t hear the pawsteps until they were right beside her. She knew instantly she was in danger. The cat flew out of the bushes at her, barrelling her over and pinning her forcefully into the ground.
“What are you doing in ShadowClan territory, kittypet?” her attacker seethed. It was a tom with amber eyes. He was grey with a black stripe running from his head, down his back, to his tail.
“I’m not a kittypet!” Rainbow growled, wriggling beneath the tom’s claws.
“Then why have you got a collar?”
“It’s not a collar!” Rainbow yelled. She twisted her head from side to side in attempt to snap at her attacker’s legs.
The tom above her hissed and swiped at her muzzle, winding her. “Liar! Even if you’re not a kittypet, which you are, you reek of ThunderClan. You wouldn’t smell like that unless you’d been around ThunderClan cats for a long time. Wait…” he smirked. “So ThunderClan’s taking in still-owned kittypets, huh?”
Rainbow laid her head back against the thin grass. ShadowClan… In her haste to escape, she’d ran straight across the border. A sudden thought occurred to her. It was her turn to smirk. “You know, I can prove I’m not a kittypet.”
“Oh yeah? And just how are you gonna do that?”
“Scratch my flank.”
Author's Note
Lionblaze's anger issues in this will make sense in about... four chapters?
Dovewing paced back and forth across the clearing. Rainpaw had attacked Lionblaze and then ran off. Flypaw was cowering in the shade of a tree, while the other apprentices and mentors were muttering to themselves.
Finally, Dovewing became sick of the uneasy silence. “That’s it! We need to go and find Rainpaw. What if she got stuck in brambles and scratched her flank? What if she got lost? What if she ended up in another Clan’s territory?” The last option was the most worrying, and filled her voice with concern.
This seemed to snap everyone out of their unsure silence. Lionblaze nodded. “I may not like her right now, but I don’t want her blood on my paws. Spiderleg, Whitewing, Bumblestripe and Brightheart, take your apprentices and check the inner part of the territory. Dovewing and Lightpaw, come with me. We’ll check the borders.”
Nobody wanted to argue with the still agitated golden tabby, so the eight cats exited the clearing, leaving only Lionblaze, Dovewing and Lightpaw. The three cats quickly left in the opposite direction.
The trio soon arrived at the ShadowClan border, to the sounds of screeching and tearing. Further down the scent line, they saw Rainpaw, wings outstretched, mane bloodied and flank torn, pinning a ShadowClan tom to the ground. Her paw was raised, ready to deal the final blow. Without warning, Lightpaw ran at full pelt towards Rainpaw.
“Rainbow, no!” She screamed, leaping at her friend. The two cats collided in mid-air, and began rolling around on the grass. Lionblaze quickly followed, helping Lightpaw hold Rainpaw down, while Dovewing padded over to the ShadowClan cat. “Are you okay?” She asked nervously, stopping beside the fallen cat. There was something familiar about this cat.
The cat rose to their paws, staggering slightly, and turned to Dovewing. “I was, until that… that thing appeared! Is that one of your cats?” The cat licked a forepaw and wiped away some of the blood from their face.
“Yes, she’s one of our apprentices.” The cats name suddenly hit Dovewing: Bladepaw. “I’m really sorry, Bladepaw.”
The cat seemed momentarily confused as to why she knew his name, but continued anyway. “Well, I’d thank you to keep her away from ShadowClan. She almost killed me!” Bladepaw paused. “What even is she?”
Dovewing sighed. “All we know is that she came from somewhere without many cats. Bramblestar, Squirrelflight, Jayfeather and Spottedpaw seem to know more, though.”
Bladepaw’s attention was diverted from the blood on his pelt to Dovewing in less than a second when Spottedpaw was mentioned. “Wait, so you mean to say that you’ve been letting that thing sleep in your camp? Aren’t you afraid she’ll kill everyone?”
“Well… When she transforms, she tires within a few minutes and then passes out.” Dovewing risked a glance over to Rainpaw. Lionblaze was pinning down a writhing Rainpaw, whose wings and mane were glowing slightly, whilst Lightpaw tried to talk some sense into the crazed apprentice.
“Good!” Bladepaw hissed. “Look, I’m going to have to tell Blackstar about this, regardless the outcome. There’s no way this can go unsorted! If our Clans have another battle, she’ll kill all of us!”
Dovewing sighed and shook her head. “We know, we know. We’ll try to keep her under control from now on.”
“Good. Now, I’m going to clean up and head back to the Clan. Expect some conflict, foxdung!” Bladepaw stood and limped away. He scowled angrily as he passed Rainpaw, who was now lying limp beneath Lionblaze’s paws.
Dovewing padded over to her companions and gently pushed Lionblaze off of Rainpaw. She carefully lowered her head and clamped her jaws in Rainpaw’s scruff, lifting the smaller cat off the ground. Lionblaze and Lightpaw in tow, she set off back to the camp as Rainpaw’s wings and mane glowed brightly, sparked, and disappeared.
Dovewing pushed through the bracken and into the camp. Upon entering the hollow, a crowd of cats almost instantly gathered around her. One cat forced her way to the front of the group. Spottedpaw.
“Bring her through to the medicine cat den.” She meowed calmly. The wounded apprentice limped through the crowd with enviable authority; cats parted to make a path for her.
Soon Dovewing reached the small cave and padded inside. She laid Rainpaw down on a bed of moss before stepping away. Spottedpaw carefully examined the blue cat, eyeing her few injuries cautiously.
“Hmm… It seems that each time she transforms, her previous wounds reopen. This is going to get really repetitive really fast.”
Spottedpaw sighed, padding to the back of the cave and returning with some leaves and a wad of cobwebs in her paw.
“Is she going to be okay? I think Lionblaze cut off her air so she’d pass out quicker.” Dovewing asked as Spottedpaw began to chew up some of the leaves.
The pulp was spat back out and spread across Rainpaw’s scratches with practised accuracy. Spottedpaw glanced up at Dovewing. “Well, she’s breathing fine now, if a little quickly.”
Dovewing shifted from paw to paw anxiously. Spottedpaw sighed and stopped pressing the cobwebs to Rainpaw’s fur. “Why don’t you go and find Bramblestar? He’ll want to know what happened.”
Dovewing nodded and darted back out of the cave. She padded over to the rockfall leading to the Highledge and began climbing. Soon, she reached the small cave in the wall of the hollow and called through the crack. “Bramblestar? Are you there?”
“Come in.” Came the reply.
Inside the den, Bramblestar was lying in his bed of moss, Squirrelflight curled up beside him.
“Dovewing.” Bramblestar mewed happily. He stood up, and Squirrelflight rose into a sitting position.
“What’s wrong?” asked the ginger she-cat. She twitched a nervous ear.
Dovewing took a deep breath before repeating the scenes she had just viewed to her leader and deputy. “We were training, in the training hollow, and apparently Rainpaw and Lionblaze had a fight earlier, so Rainpaw got her hunting crouch perfect and leapt at Lionblaze. She had her claws sheathed, so she hadn’t meant to hurt him, but she surprised him and he reacted without thinking. He sent her flying against a tree. Then she got up and attacked him, but of course he can’t be hurt, so it didn’t do anything. Lightpaw pinned Rainpaw down and then Rainpaw said something about someone named Celestia. Lightpaw let her go and then she ran off! We found her at the ShadowClan border, fighting with Bladepaw, and he’d scratched her flank. Lionblaze had to cut off her air so that she’d pass out and transform back.”
Bramblestar stared at her, eyes wide. Squirrelflight rose to her paws and carefully pushed past Dovewing, out into the clearing. Bramblestar quickly followed, Dovewing in tow.
“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!”
Dovewing fidgeted nervously under the looming rock. Was Bramblestar going to tell the Clan the truth about the new cats? Was he going to tell them what had happened earlier? Was he going to send them away?
The Clan gathered around her, and she found herself sitting beside Cherrymask and Molefoot. Icecloud sat behind her, and she could see Cinderheart, Flamekit and Waterkit watching from the nursery. Bramblestar stood with an air of confidence above them, looking down on the cats below him.
“As many cats know, the Gathering is coming soon. It is time to decide which cats will be going.” The dark tabby called out.
Dovewing felt almost angry. He hadn’t even acknowledged the fact that Rainpaw not only transformed again, but attacked a ShadowClan cat!
“The cats going to the Gathering will be Spiderleg, Lionblaze, Whitewing, Dovewing, Ivypool, Blackpaw, Brownpaw, Rainpaw and Flypaw.”
The last two names caused instantaneous muttering among the Clan, especially the former. Dovewing gulped anxiously. Would Rainpaw have recovered in two days? Spottedpaw and Jayfeather had twice as many injuries to heal this time. And how would the other Clans react to Rainpaw and Flypaw? Especially Flypaw, whose every rib was showing. And what about ShadowClan? Why would Bramblestar take their latest assailant to the Gathering?
Dovewing bit her lip (bad idea for a creature with sharp canines) before rushing away from the uneasy crowd and back to her den. She needed time to think. Right now she didn’t know if she even wanted to go to the Gathering.
Author's Note
I'm so bad at this.
Rainbow limped away from camp, Fluttershy by her side as they followed after the Clan. Dovewing, Blackpaw and Brownpaw, who were at the back of the group, kept glancing back to see how they were keeping up. When Rainbow had come to, she had felt a sting in her shoulder. Spottedpaw had told her that whenever she transformed, her previous wounds reopened. But upon standing, they discovered that she had managed to dislocate her shoulder. Probably when Twilight smacked her into the ground.
Spottedpaw had popped the bone back into place, but was still reluctant to let Rainbow go until the bruising had gone down a bit. Jayfeather had reassured his apprentice that she would be fine, so Rainbow was still able to go to the Gathering. According to her friends, it was when all four Clans met on an island in the middle of the lake. Yet nopony had explained how they were going to get there. There was no way Rainbow could swim like this.
“How’re you holding up, blue?” Blackpaw asked, falling back behind his sister.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I’m fine. And don’t call me that.”
“You’d rather I called you Dashie?”
“You’ve been hanging out with Pinkie, haven’t you?”
Blackpaw snorted before running back to the main group. Rainbow winced as pain jolted up her foreleg. It was going to be a very long walk.
Rainbow stared out at the great, wet tree trunk stretching across the lake. It spanned the length of the water, plus enough to dig into the ground on both sides.
“How am I meant to get across that?” the blue she-cat hissed. Most of the group had jumped up and were crossing the tree, claws digging in to hold them steady. The only cats left were Rainbow, Fluttershy, and a few cats from the back of the group.
“I’ll help support you if you want, blue.” Blackpaw grinned. Rainbow sighed and reluctantly accepted. As much as she hated to admit it, she did need help.
With Fluttershy on one side and Blackpaw on the other, Rainbow felt herself being lifted up slightly. She reached out her good paw and dug her claws into the dampened bark. A few seconds later she was able to lift her hindpaws and dug them in, too. With some effort, she was able to scramble up onto the trunk and begin her slow, close to the bark crawl across the tree.
Soon, Fluttershy and Blackpaw were slinking along behind her, reaching out a paw to steady her if she slipped. Even so, it took a few minutes to reach the island. When they did, however, she was blown away.
The entirety of the island was covered in thin, flowing grass, dotted with flowers. The middle of the island was surrounded by tall trees, with one huge oak tree in the middle. Bramblestar and three other cats were sitting in the tree, and Squirrelflight was sitting with three other cats at the roots.
Rainbow limped slowly into the clearing, head turning slowly from side to side. Crowds of cats were gathered around the large tree, chattering and playing happily. The cats seemed to be mostly split into four groups, each with different postures and builds.
One group of cats was ThunderClan; compared to the other cats, they had sturdier frames and thick fur. Another had thin bodies and slick fur. One group had really thin fur, with skinny bodies but lean muscles. The final group had really dark pelts, stocky builds and thick fur. Despite all the differences, the four groups of cats were all mixed together, chatting, laughing and having fun.
Rainbow couldn’t help but think of home, where all different types of ponies lived as friends. Only, from what she knew, these cats were only allowed to be friends, and nothing more. And outside of the Gathering, those friendships almost died.
Fluttershy and Blackpaw quickly appeared beside her, the latter taking off just as quickly and disappearing into the crowd.
“I’ve never seen so many cats!” Fluttershy gasped.
“The only cats you saw back in our world were Opal and that ‘puddy tat’.” Rainbow stated.
“Oh, um, never mind.” She sighed.
Rainbow lay her tail across the timid she-cat’s back, giving her a reassuring smile. Fluttershy looked up and smiled back. The two cats padded towards a group of cats that consisted of Blackpaw, Brownpaw, and three other apprentices.
“Oh, hey, blue!” Blackpaw shouted as they drew near.
“What did I say?” Rainbow hissed. ‘Blue’ was almost worse than ‘Dashie’. Almost.
“Woah! You guys look weird.” Mewed one of the other apprentices.
Fluttershy whimpered and hid behind Rainbow.
“And what’s with that thing on your flank?” meowed another.
“Why do you have different coloured tails?” asked the third.
“Now, now, guys. That’s a lot of questions.” Brownpaw took a protective step in front of the two offended cats.
“Logpaw, Swiftpaw, Mistpaw, this is Rainpaw and Flypaw.” Blackpaw explained to the other apprentices. “Nobody in ThunderClan is quite sure why they’re so weird looking. Well… Except Bramblestar.”
Mistpaw, a blue-grey she-cat gasped and stared at Rainbow and Fluttershy. “What if they’re some sort of super-secret weapon?”
Swiftpaw, and black tom with white paws, spoke next. “Do you really think a super weapon would be wearing a collar?”
“I guess not.” Mistpaw sighed.
“Wait a minute.” Logpaw was a brown she-cat with darker brown paws. “Aren’t you that mousebrained apprentice who attacked Bladepaw?”
“You have no proof!” Rainbow yowled.
“Let the Gathering begin!” shouted Bramblestar.
Suddenly all the cats around the turned their attention to the large oak tree, staring up at the four cats nestled in its branches. Rainbow glanced at Fluttershy, but soon copied the rest of the cats.
“RiverClan will speak first.” Called a blue-grey she-cat from her place in the tree. “I am happy to announce that we have a new apprentice: Lightpaw!”
The cats in the clearing broke out, cheering the new apprentice’s name.
“But slightly regretful when I say that our medicine cat, Mothwing, has retired to the elders’ den. Her apprentice, Willowshine, had taken over her duties. That is all.” With that, the she-cat lay down on her branch, one paw dangling into empty air.
“WindClan will go next.” A tabby tom stepped forward on his branch. “We also have a new apprentice this moon: Heronpaw.”
The clearing was filled with cheering once again for the new apprentice.
“Also, our deputy, Ashfur, has stepped down and retired. Our new deputy is Crowfeather.” The tabby tom dipped his head before laying on his branch.
“ShadowClan is next.” Hissed a large white tom with black paws. “While I am sad to say we have no new apprentices, one of our queens, Shrewfoot, has given birth to a litter of three kits. I also know that ThunderClan scent has been found within our territory. Do you have anything to say for yourself, Bramblestar?”
“No, I don’t, Blackstar.” Bramblestar meowed calmly. “I have heard the story, and I don’t think the other Clans need know it. It only concerns our Clans, does it not?”
Blackstar looked as if he were about to shout at the other leader, but instead huffed and lay down on his branch. Bramblestar quickly did the same, apparently refusing to speak his part in the Gathering. The other two leaders exchanged a worried glance.
“The Gathering is over.” Bramblestar suddenly meowed, leaping down from the tree and padding swiftly towards the fallen tree.
ShadowClan were the last to leave the clearing.
Author's Note
Why am I so bad at this?
Chapter 8 and Cancellation Notice
Author's Note
For those of you who enjoyed this story, I am deeply sorry. I simply lost the will to finish this story. I started FiMFiction without realising just how hard it would be. Having three active stories at once is draining, even for people who don't update often. I believed Hiatus would give me some relief, but I found that I was constantly checking back here anyway.
Cancelling it for good will put my mind at ease; let me get on with The Life of Princess Twilight Sparkle , Harmony and Courage and a new story I'm working on. It will also let any followers know they need not check this story.
Someday in the future, I may restart the story, but it would take me at least a couple months to find the strength for this again. But for now, Warrior Ponies is cancelled, and will stay that way for the forseeable future. Again, it may restart someday, but no time soon.
Apologies to those who enjoyed the story. For those who did, this is the last chapter I have written so far. It's unfinished and lacking finer editing and details, but it's the basis of where I was going with this story. I was planning to explain most things in the next chapter, but as I've said, I've lost the will to do it.
Once again, sorry, and I really do hope to someday see you in Chapter 9.
Chapter 8 and Cancellation Notice
Rainbow hissed in frustration as the plump mouse slipped from in between her claws. The crazy powerful rain made everything slippery, not to mention stupid Lionblaze and his stupid teaching methods not working! The blue she-cat jumped forwards, chasing after the tiny creature until one clawed paw landed firmly on its back. Rainbow smiled proudly.
“It was rather messy, but at least you caught it.” Dovewing sighed, padding up to the blue apprentice. “That’s better than can be said for my apprentice. You should really try harder to be proud of Rainpaw, Lionblaze. Lightpaw can’t even pick up a scent.”
Lionblaze grunted as he approached the two she-cats. “It’s time to head back. Rainpaw, you carry this, I’ll go find the others.” He meowed, tossing a rabbit at Rainbow’s paws.
The blue cat hissed angrily, grabbing the rabbit whilst Dovewing took her mouse and ran ahead.
When they got back to camp, Rainbow almost dropped her rabbit in shock. The scene before them was chaos.
Cats were huddling in fear on the higher areas and ledges of the hollow. The entirety of the first level of the hollow was submerged in water. A few cats, including Dovewing, Ivypool and Lionblaze, were splashing around in the water, salvaging moss, prey, and whatever else floated to the surface. But what Rainbow saw directly in front of her, on the other side of the hollow, was what terrified her the most.
Cinderheart was standing chest-deep in the water, her kits clinging desperately to her back, on top of one of the large rocks that decorated the edges of the hollow. There was no way out of it for her. If she jumped, her kits would fall. If she swam, her kits would fall. There was nothing she could do without a cat to help her.
Without second thought, Rainbow tossed the rabbit at her friends’ paws and leapt into the rising water. She was surprised by how high the water had actually risen. Behind her, she could hear her friends calling out to her, but she ignored them. She organised her paws and began swimming steadily towards the queen and her kits.
When she reached the rock, she scrambled on top and gently took one of the kits from Cinderheart’s back. The grey she-cat glanced at her gratefully, before grabbing the other kit and leaping to a ledge not far above them.
Rainbow took a deep breath (as deep as she could through her nose, anyway), gathered her haunches, and leapt. Almost as soon as she left the rock, she knew there was no way she would make it. The ledge drew closer, but not close enough. With one last ounce of effort, she tossed the kit towards the ledge, hearing a small thump and a squeak as the tiny kit landed beside its mother.
The blue she-cat plummeted back down into the water, feeling her paws brush the bottom of the hollow. The water rushed around her, filling her ears, eyes, nose. She could hear muffled shouts and screams, but didn’t recognise any voices. Suddenly she heard something shift behind her.
She turned in the water, only to see the rock flying towards her.
Then everything went black.
Rainbow let out a low groan. Her head hurt, pounding hard at her brain, scrambling her thoughts. The water was gone. There was no water! But then, she wasn’t in camp.
She opened her eyes and stood up slowly. She was in a hollow. There were four trees at the edges of the hollow, and a large rock in the middle. The blue-furred apprentice whipped round as a twig snapped behind her.
Standing there was a ginger-furred tom with bright green eyes and a pelt full of stars. Rainbow hissed and took up a defensive stance.
“No need for that, Rainpaw.” The tom meowed calmly.
“Wh- how do you know my name?” she growled.
“You probably won’t know me, but my name is Firestar.” He continued.
“Wait. No, I do know you! The elders talk about you all the time. Especially Graystripe and Sandstorm. But… you’re dead!” Rainbow mewed, confused.
“And so are you.”
“WHAT?”
“No need to worry, kit.” Firestar told her firmly. “You see, your destiny does not include you dying here.”
“My… My destiny?” Rainbow cocked her head slightly.
“Indeed. Every cat’s life, from the second they’re born to the moment they die, is predetermined before the cat is even birthed. When you and your friends arrived here, your destiny was instantly written. Yours does not include you dying in the flood.” He explained.
“Does that mean we’re in trouble?”
“No. You see, if a cat has not completed their destiny, StarClan can allow their soul passage back to their body.”
“So I can go back?” Rainbow gasped excitedly.
Firestar nodded. “Now, follow me.”
The former leader turned and ran from the hollow, quickly followed by Rainbow. Firestar was forever gaining speed, paws barely touching the ground, yet Rainbow found herself never struggling to keep up. They sped across a moor, over a hill, at one point Rainbow thought they were on a mountain.
“Everything you are seeing now is involved in your destiny, Rainpaw.”
“You mean, I’ll have to travel here one day?”
Firestar didn’t answer. The ginger tom was gone. Rainbow looked around, panicked, until giving up a few minutes later. Sighing, she padded into a nearby forest.
Suddenly she was at the camp, staring down into the hollow, steadily filling with water. The rain, as heavy as it was, seemed to pass straight through her. Right, I’m a ghost. Rainbow thought. She scanned the hollow, looking for her body.
There it was! Bobbing at the surface of the water, magenta eyes dim. It was both sad and disturbing to see her own dead body, but she quickly passed off her fear when she heard her friends’ anguished cries.
Breathing deeply, she leapt into the hollow, aiming for the sad lump of stained blue fur floating in the water. She closed her eyes right before impact, and when she opened them again, she was staring up at the sky.
Her breath was filling her lungs with sweet, sweet oxygen. She flipped over in the water and straightened her neck, forcing her head above the murky liquid.
Rainbow yelped as teeth fastened in her scruff, yanking her from the water and onto dry land. Water streamed from her jaws as she choked up the swallowed liquid. She looked up as she hit the rock, to see a sodden Lionblaze staring down at her.
“You okay?” he meowed worriedly.
Rainbow nodded feebly.
“You stupid little… Don’t… Don’t scare me like that, okay?” he sighed before leaping from the ledge.
Slowly, Rainbow rose into a sitting position, water still trickling from the corner of her mouth. “Why did he save me?” she wondered aloud.
“It might not seem like it, but he cares for you.”
Rainbow whipped round to see Dovewing sitting behind her, showing no sign of emotion.
“You’re his apprentice, so you’re his responsibility.” She meowed, before leaping to a ledge further up the hollow.
Rainbow stared after the grey she-cat, claws gripping the rock below her. The water was still rising, but nowhere near as fast. So she sat there, waiting, until the water splashed onto the ledge. Only then did she jump a ledge higher.
“What were you thinking, Rainpaw?” Spottedpaw hissed as the blue she-cat reached the ledge she was camping on.
“I couldn’t just let Cinderheart, Flamekit and Waterkit drown.” Rainbow turned away from the brown she-cat.
Spottedpaw sighed. “Rainpaw. I was watching you, and I saw you die. Why are you not dead?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Try me.”
“Very well. I died and then woke up in a hollow with four oak trees and a huge rock. Then I saw Firestar, the dead leader of ThunderClan, and he said that it wasn’t my destiny to die here. After that he led me across a moor and over a mountain in less than a couple seconds until I was back at camp. Then I jumped into the hollow, into my body, and I was alive again. The end.” Rainbow nodded.
Spottedpaw raised an eyebrow. “Somehow, I believe that. Maybe it’s because I see dead cats in my dreams, or maybe it’s because you’re from another world, but I believe you.”
“You see dead cats?” Rainbow grinned.
“That’s why I’m a medicine cat. It’s our job to heal cats, but also to speak with StarClan. I was chosen as a medicine cat after I spoke to some dead cats I’d never heard of when I was a kit. When Jayfeather found out he basically begged Bramblestar to let me be his apprentice.” Spottedpaw laughed.
“I did no such thing.” An annoyed voice sounded besides them as Jayfeather leapt up to their ledge.
“You did. Dovewing said so.” The apprentice smirked.
“I can read your mind. I’ll know if you’re lying.” Jayfeather stated.
Spottedpaw’s eyes grew wide and she let out a nervous laugh. “R-right…”
Jayfeather sighed before jumping away, surprising Rainbow by how easily he found the next ledge.
“So what’s this about him reading your mind?”
All the cats below her gasped in a mixture of shock, awe and disbelief.
Rainbow saw her friends smile knowingly, except Pinkie, who was bouncing in excitement.
Spiderleg seemed to be the first to calm down, and got himself back into a battle stance.
Rainbow smirked, positioning herself into a dive, flying speedily down towards the black tom. Her claws unsheathed, she barrelled straight into Spiderleg, knocking him over easily.
She pulled up at the last second, leaving her opponent winded beneath her. Then Rainbow dived again, dive-bombing into his belly and knocking the air out of him.
She didn't want to go too far, but took the time to prove her point with a scratch across Spiderleg's chest.
Rainbow then stepped back, blood trickling from her flanks, belly and left ear. She folded her wings into her sides, relishing the feel of feathers on fur. Her cerise eyes were tired, as were her muscles. She sheathed her claws, which were stained with blood, and let herself fall into a sitting position.
“Good job, sugarcube! Even if you were a little harsh.” Applejack’s hearty country accent entered her ear, and Rainbow felt her friends’ presence around her.
“Yeah, you showed that big meanie, didn’t ya, Dashie?” Pinkie purred.
For once Rainbow didn’t mind Pinkie’s stupid nickname, and instead nodded very slightly.
Rarity was the next to speak, her voice full of concern, “Rainbow Dash, darling, are you alright?”
Rainbow was about to reply, when the shock of her wounds hit her. She hadn’t noticed before how much it hurt. Her breathing quickly became too fast to be healthy, and darkness pricked the edge of her vision.
Her forelegs gave way and she splayed out on the ground. She held onto consciousness, but that only caused pain. Her Element of Harmony suddenly felt strangely tight around her neck, and she blacked out.
Rainbow awoke in a small cave. She was lying on a bed of soft moss. The cave smelled of strange plants and medicines. Her light cerulean pelt was coated in cobwebs and a strange-smelling, sticky, thick liquid. She couldn’t feel her wounds, only aching in her muscles. There was another moss nest just across from her, with Spiderleg lying in it. At the back of the cave, there was a trickle of water leading into a small pool.
“Ugh, my head…” Rainbow complained, rubbing her head with her paw. Slowly, she rose to her paws and stretched, spreading out her wings – wait. Her wings weren’t there!
“You’re finally awake!” a happy voice chirped, and Rainbow turned to see Spottedpaw rolling some berries beneath her paw.
“Spottedpaw? Can you tell me why my wings and mane are gone and what this stuff is all over me?” Rainbow asked the small she-cat.
Spottedpaw picked up one of the berries and quickly carried it over to Spiderleg, where there was a small pile of leaves. “Well,” she meowed as she put the berry down, “Your wings and the… mane, was it? Anyway, they disappeared as soon as your flank stopped bleeding. And that ‘stuff’ is a marigold poultice. To stop any infection, and then cobwebs to stop the bleeding. Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t die of blood loss, especially from your flank.”
Rainbow took a deep breath before asking worriedly, “What happened after I blacked out?”
The small she-cat began chewing up one of the leaves, spitting it back out onto Spiderleg’s chest wound. “Well, Bramblestar tried to continue the ceremony, but your friends refused, saying they would only do it when you were well enough to become an apprentice with them. Then Jayfeather and I dragged you in here and treated you. You were somehow the worst hurt, so we dealt with you first. Then Blackpaw and Brownpaw, the two cats who said your sudden burst of pain might of had something to do with your ‘cutie mark’, who are also my mouse-brained siblings, dragged Spiderleg in here a few minutes ago. That about brings us up to now.”
Rainbow sighed, lying back down in her bed. “Just one more question.”
“Yeah?” Spottedpaw mewed, turning and, as always, favouring her right foreleg, which was still covered in scratches.
“What happened to your leg?” Rainbow questioned.
Spottedpaw stiffened at this. “It’s broken. I ended up by one of the lake cliffs; a rock fell on me.”
Rainbow felt pitiful, but sensed Spottedpaw wouldn’t appreciate her sympathy.
Spottedpaw trotted to the entrance of the cave and poked her head through the brambles, “You can come in now.”
She then stepped back to let five cats in. Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Applejack.
“Hey, guys…” Rainbow croaked.
“Are you ok, Dashie?” Pinkie chirped worriedly, staring at Rainbow extensively injured body.
Rainbow sighed and managed to sit up again, replying, “Yeah.”
“So what happened out there?” Twilight asked, resting her tail over Rainbow’s shoulders.
“Well, when Spiderleg scratched my cutie mark, it felt like nothing existed except pain. It hurt so much! But then the pain went, and I felt a lot of pressure on my back. Then it was like the skin just burst and I felt something sprout from the wound. Then my Element of Harmony started glowing and lifted me up into the air, my mane appeared, and I grew wings.” Rainbow explained.
“Hmm… it sounds like whenever our cutie marks are scratched, we get what we have in pony form. So we’d get our mane, tail, wings if we have any, and horn if we have one.” Twilight meowed.
“But what ‘bout me an’ Pinkie? What’d we get?” Applejack questioned.
“Perhaps you’d get something you use in pony form. Like Applejack, you might get your lasso. Pinkie, you might get your… Um…” Twilight trailed off.
“MY PARTY CANNON!” Pinkie screeched, causing Spottedpaw to flatten herself to the ground with her paws over her ears.
“What’s a lasso, what’s a cannon, what’s a party; what’s a horn?” Spottedpaw squeaked.
“A horn is a pointy thing on a unicorn’s head, a lasso is a looped piece of rope – a bit like ivy, almost – and a cannon’s a big heavy thing that fires stuff out of its mouth.” Rarity explained.
“And a party is a group of ponies that dance and sing and laugh and eat cake and drink punch and –” Pinkie was interrupted by Applejack shoving her paw in the pink cat’s mouth.
Twilight winced, “You know, I think it would be more likely for you two to get your earth pony strength…”
Spottedpaw raised an eyebrow but said nothing except: “I’ll go tell Bramblestar you’ll be ready for the ceremony in a day or two. Oh, and Jayfeather went to get you something to eat.”
Twilight perked up at the mention of food, pricking her ears attentively, “Great, I’m starving!”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. Usually Pinkie’s the one to say she’s hungry!
A grey tabby head poked through the bramble entrance a few minutes later. “Are you all here?”
“Um, yeah! What are you, blind?” Rainbow snorted.
“Actually I am.” Jayfeather hissed. “Anyway, I brought you some prey.” He retreated momentarily, pushing a rabbit into the den before vanishing.
After a few moments of disgusted staring, Applejack broke the silence, “We’re supposed to eat that?”
Spottedpaw padded back into the den at this point, “Um, yeah!” she mimicked Rainbow from earlier, “Well, what else are you supposed to eat? I know you used to be horses, which don’t eat meat, but you’re cats now, and we do eat meat. Just try some!”
Twilight was the first to lean forwards. Hesitantly, she took a small nibble, just to see what it tasted like. The next moment she was taking proper bites, obviously enjoying it.
Rainbow was next, first taking small bites, then letting her new instincts and tastebuds guide her.
Then came Pinkie and Rarity, Pinkie digging straight in while Rarity was more reluctant.
After came Applejack, so only Fluttershy was left.
“Fluttershy? Aren’t you gonna come eat?” Rainbow asked, turning her head.
Fluttershy replied by turning away and padding to the back of the den and taking a sip from the pool.
Rainbow sighed before returning to eating. If they were going to be cats, Fluttershy would have to learn how.
Author's Note
For some reason I felt bad writing this one...
