Disturbance in the Skies

Chapter 3

Author: Quillfeather

Bang, baa-ng, clop! Blue ears perked up as soon as the sound was made, followed by a head swiveling to the right. Dash's eyes looked towards what looked to be the checkout counter. Right behind it led some stairs up into a second level and whatever the Pegasus had heard had come from that general area. She tiptoed to the side of the counter, ready to pounce or run determining what she needed to do. Her heart was beating so loudly that she could hear it in her ears. As she got closer, grey colored fur could be seen. Rainbow Dash extended her wings to show how big she was to the potential threat in front of her after taking a jump to get closer to the being.

"Hah," she exclaimed as he came just about two feet from the pony. It stared at her in complete bewilderment as if it was about to scream. Upon closer inspection, Dash could tell this was a business pony. He had on his head a black top hat, an eyeglass on his left eye, and a black mustache that helped to complete the look. Right now it looked like he has just fallen from the stairs based on his flailed body.

"Oh, good heavens, don't kill me," he cringed as he took in the rough looking Pegasus. The storm had ruffled her wings and mane enough that she looked like a wild pony, not a resident of Ponyville. Dash narrowed her eyes at this and puffed out her chest.

"Who are you? Are you a spy," she asked indignantly.

At this, the pony seemed to loose all fear and his shaking stopped. He righted his hat and puffed out his chest as well, as he got onto all fours. "For Celestia's sake no, but I could ask you that same question. My name is of no importance. What are you doing about when Princess Luna called an emergency," he asked now with his full dignified and pompous attitude showing through.

"I was checking out the storm. I'm a resident from Ponyville and several of us have wondered what was going on. Now what's this about an emergency called by Luna?"

"Oh, that explains a lot. Well, most ponies have evacuated, gone to the castle, or are hiding within their homes. We don't really know what's going on either, but I advise you to get the flank out of here if you know what's good for you." He looked at the cyan Pegasus as if looking down on her and that she was only a waste of his time. With his final words, he flicked his tail in her face and clambered back up the stairs to go hide under a bed.

"Well thanks anyways," Dash said as he closed the door. She didn't care if the cowardly stallion heard her or not. Taking one long last look around, she went back out the door only to find it pouring. Fog had begun to set in and the castle was almost barely visible. A new task was set in her mind: go to the castle and speak with the Princesses. If anyone knew what was going on they did, especially Luna because she had been the one to notify the civilians of emergency protocol.

Soon her hooves were tromping on the stone pathway again, but this time she knew where she was exactly going. As she got closer to the castle she noticed a few things that set her on edge. First, the fog. It seemed to envelope everything in its path and now the only reason she knew where she was going was by the feeble light coming through the cloud cover. Second, weird shadows were everywhere and one she swore was the image of a manticore staring right at her. It didn't help either that her eyes like playing tricks with her anyways, but now there were sounds with the images she was seeing that made her heart beat frantically. C'mon Dash, keep it together.There's nothing there. Once, when she had gotten close to something that looked like another pony, she'd run up to it, only to stop herself short because she had almost run into a lamp post. The third thing she noticed was that there were sounds besides thunder bouncing off the walls no and again. These seemed to fit the creatures she saw which didn't help her mental psych very well. Soon, she found herself shaking like a leaf, but before she could do anything about it, a loud roar made her turn around with wings flared. Her fear had melted with determination to face whatever was behind her.

When she looked up though, she wasn't happy at all whom her opponent was and took off for the castle at a full gallop while flapping her wings to gain more speed than a regular earth pony could even hope to achieve. What had set the brave pony into a fluster was a towering shape that mirrored the dragon that had been sleeping in a cave that the mane six had to help move. However, this one was black and had wispy features just like the fog. One would take it that it was only the mind messing with someone, but it was the enormous lighted green eyes that made sure no one took it by mistake. As it saw Dash curl tail towards the castle, it roared again and flapped mighty mist like wings. It flew towards the pony and stopped to land when it was but a foot from its victim. Claws smashed into the stone, sinking deeper into the ground as the full weight of the beast landed.

Having about enough with running, Rainbow Dash flew into the air just in the knick of time before a mighty cloudy tail whipped under her. Within seconds, she had opened the door of the castle by sheer force and closed it as the dragon let loose a torrent of flames as bright as the sun. Dash found herself blinded for a second from the intensity of it, but luckily nothing on her was scorched. Turning around from the doors, she rubbed her eyes before looking into the main chambers.

Ponies of many different colors littered the floor. Some were chatting while others were trying to get some sleep. In the midst of it all, a dark colored pony could be seen running into the chamber towards Dash with wide eyes. All the guests within the castle had stopped what they were doing to look at the cyan Pegasus with about the exact same expression. Looking to her sides, she noticed several guardsmen near the doors with her. It seemed they had helped open and close the doors with her which was the only way physically possible for a pony like her to even get in. Several of them nodded to her with a brief smile or two before going back to their posts, some looking out the side windows, which would explain when they knew she was coming.

Hoof steps right in front of her alerted the Pegasus that the pony she had seen enter the chambers was right in front of her. Her eyes traveled up the form to find a dark purple alicorn with a moon for a cutie mark. A wavy star filled mane confirmed that this was Princess Luna. To Dash's surprise though, she looked rather banged up and worn out as if she had just come out of a fight.

"If my memory serves me right, you are Rainbow Dash from Ponyville," the Princess spoke with the strain of talking on a normal level peeking through. She was still trying to talk like a normal pony like she was taught to from the Nightmare Moon festival a while back. Before, she had been using the Royal Canterlot Voice that dated back about a thousand years in customs. From what Dash was hearing, the effort was going rather well and she was happy to note that the ponies around them seemed to be going about their business without cowering in fear from the moon affiliated alicorn.

Rainbow Dash bowed and then replied to her princess. "That's my name and don't wear it out."

"Well I'm glad you're safe, but why are you here?"

"I noticed the clouds from Ponyville and at Twilight Sparkle's pleading; I came to check it out. I thought it was only a regular storm cloud and was going to ask someone in the city to tell me so, but I found nopony anywhere. I then came towards the castle and was attacked by that dragon. It shot a freaking beam of light at me for Pete's sake!"

At this, Luna's eyes seemed to widen a bit, but then went back to normal and a long sigh came out, urged on by the fact by what the dragon had done. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. However, I have to tell you right here and now that that is indeed not a normal storm. That's why I told everypony that it was an emergency and to seek shelter."

"Well, then what's going on?" The cyan Pegasus looked intently at her princess whom was looking so depressed that it kind of unnerved her.

"I would urge you to go back to Ponyville. I will see to it that a fleet of guardsmen Pegasus will take you back unharmed."

At this Dash knew that Luna was trying to keep something from her and she wasn't having anything of it. If Canterlot needed help it was going to get it. She didn't like getting half a story and she knew Twilight would not be happy with the answer she got later. Right then, she stamped her hoof which caused the dark alicorn to look at her in surprise. "I'm not going home until I know what's going on."

Luna took in the Pegasus and was about to open her mouth open in reply, but she suddenly turned her head around and swiveled her ears. Rainbow cocked her head in confusion, but then she heard something that set her on edge. A scream of rage echoed through the many halls towards the main chamber. Every pony within looked up again just as they had done when she had entered.

"You're going back home now! Guards cease this Pegasus and get her to safety then continue back on the evacuation schedule immediately," Luna barked before running up the stairs she had just come from and disappeared.

Immediately, guardsmen flew down from the rafters and took hold of Rainbow Dash. "No! I'm not going until I get a proper answer! Princess Luna! LUUNA," she screamed as she began to kick at the stallions and mares in armor trying to grab hold of her. She bucked and folded out her wings, flinging the ponies around. "Miss, you have to come with us. Don't make this harder than it needs to be." Several more ponies came down and the group finally managed to get a hold of the Pegasus.

"Luna, come back here and tell me what's going on! Luna! For heaven's sake, Princess Celestia, anypony, tell me!" At this the ponies around her merely looked on and some even seemed to shrink back in fright. Soon, she was up in the air, the doors to the castle opened with the effort of other guards, and the Pegasus was slowly coming out into the fog filled sky. Before being completely taken away from the view of the castle doors, a bright light shot out of it and through the many windows surrounding the castle. Growls from within the fog suddenly grew louder. As she got farther up in the air a dark shape could be seen being thrown onto the stone pathway. It looked up at her and then ran back into the castle at amazing speeds. Another light shot out, but this full of dark tinting, coming from Luna herself.

Eventually, the guardsmen had her several feet outside of Canterlot and her bucking had stopped which was a relief for them. Well, now she was being taken back to Ponyville with absolutely nothing to tell Twilight other than the weird way Luna had acted and how weird the storm was inside. She turned her head towards a brown looking Pegasus holding her right hoof. "You wouldn't know what was going on either would you?"

Green eyes looked at her and then back towards the direction they were going. "Not at all. All I know is that we have to take you to Ponyville. What the Princess says goes, sorry."

Rainbow huffed at this and would've crossed her legs if they weren't being held apart by the Pegasus guards. "Lame."

A sudden eruption could be heard from behind them, one as if something had charged through stonework. She'd gone through several building made of the stuff to know that sound. She turned her head as far as she could get it to see what had made what her ears had heard. A tower of grey smoke erupted from the central of Canterlot and the outline of an alicorn could be clearly seen. An enormous white light appeared around it and the heat emanating from it could easily be felt. Dash blinked her eyes several times to get rid of the imposed image in her eyes. When she could see again, she looked to where the alicorn had been, seeing scorch marks lay about the area as if an intense flame had just hit the area, leaving nothing in its path. "What the hay?!"

Another form full of dark energy then came towards the lighted figure and slammed into it, causing it to fall back into Canterlot. After a brief few beats the force of the impact hit the Pegasus group hard enough that it tossed them towards the forest floor below and a dirt path. She felt the grip on her slacken and she forced her hooves free, but it was too late for even her powerful wings to get her into a safe landing. Something hard hit the back of her head as she struggled to gain altitude. Immediately she saw stars and then nothing. Her body continued to barrel towards Equestria, gaining speed as it went.