Royal Road: The Chariot of Fortune

by Silverness

Rating: teen
Tags: Other, Adventure, Alternate Universe, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Rainbow Dash, Comedy
Length: 6845

Rainbow Dash and Silverbuck head off to the Holy Lands to stop Discord.

Across the ancient lands of Equestria, the harbinger of an eternal threat echos through to threaten civilization once again. Desperately seeking the peace that it has craved for since the dawn of time, the three realms send for their generation's elements of harmony, ponies of valor who make the ultimate sacrifice in order to keep the peace.

In the dignified Republic of Solaris, through miraculous fate, the ever humble and reliable Rainbow Dash finds herself chosen as one of the elements that will one day save all of Equestria. Unable to deny or run from her duty, the pegasi abides to the task and begins the trek to the holy realms in order to insure that the Spirit of Chaos remains unable to return.

However, pilgrimages to the holy realms are seldom undertaken without changing a pony, and after a chance encounter during her journey to destiny, Rainbow Dash starts to learn what Loyalty and Friendship really mean.

Cover Art by Manicverse

Published 2012-12-01 02:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-12-01 02:50:01 UTC

Prologue - Beginnings

Royal Road: The Chariot of Fortune

Prologue: Beginnings

Written by Silverness

Co-authored & proofread by Setokaiva

The Wheel of Fortune

One, two, three... swing!

The sound of a pickaxe meeting its mark echoed in the stallion’s ears as pieces of rock crumbled to the floor. He grunted as drops of sweat dripped from his snout; he was clearly tired after going at it for four hours. He wished he could leave, but bits didn’t grow on trees; besides, the forestallion was paying him a lot for this kind of work.

Hopefully I’ll get enough to travel towards the nearest port. I heard there was a boat going to Kirkwall, he told himself, striking the rock again. This time, his hit knocked down a few large stones, forcing him to back up into another pony.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” Came a rough growl as the stallion wheeled about, glaring directly at Silverbuck. He fell to the ground, fearing for his life as his own bright orange eyes stared back into the pony’s dark gray orbs. The old stallion continued glaring at him for a few seconds before noticing who he was getting mad at. “Oh, it’s only you... uh, Silverbuck right?” He chuckled lightly, offering a hoof to the frightened pony.

Silverbuck nodded, whimpering as he took ahold of the appendage, noting the myriad scrapes and scars running all along its length. He slowly picked himself up, rubbing the back of his head. “Um, sorry about that, Hammerhead; I got scared.” No kidding; you’re a wimp, Silverbuck.

Hammerhead smiled warmly. “Ah, it’s alright. I know how it is for you ‘green stallions’ on your first week on the job.” He turned around, pointing to a bright red earth stallion with a light green mane. “You see him? He was green just like you a month ago,” he said before chuckling. “He ended up falling down into a hole where he found some rare gems and this weird green creature. We ended up calling it a ‘Crawler’ after he explained his journey down there.”

“A what?” Silverbuck deadpanned.

“A Crawler. It’s a... um, boxy-like creature thing that lives in caves. They crawl up behind you, hence why it’s called a Crawler.” Hammerhead scratched his head as he tried to explain the creature.

“Right, made up beasts to frighten me. Thanks.” Silverbuck sighed.

“It’s true, if ya don’t believe me then you don’t have to.” Hammerhead sighed before pointing at another pony, a teal unicorn mare with a dark blue mane. “Oh, her! She has a curious story too. Oh yes, it’s truly magnificent. In her hooves, she holds the dreaded Pickaxe of Doom.” He made a “ooooh!” sound, raising his forelegs like a zombie.

“A dreaded pickaxe of d-d-doom?” Silverbuck stuttered. Why would such an object exist? There doesn’t seem to be any reason for it at all.

“Yes, legend tells that long ago, a pony dug too deep, and struck an unusual black gem. It was supposedly cursed, because after making contact he was possessed to kill each of his co-workers one by one, and ever since the pick has been glowing with that strange dark aura. Eventually, he caused the mineshaft to collapse, killing himself and a few others. The survivors ended up finding his pickaxe, saying that doom shall befall the wielder of this pickaxe, if his luck is bad.” Hammerhead finished his tale, smiling to himself. “And that’s the tale of the dreaded Pickaxe of Doom, which is usually considered hogwash to most newcomers,” he said before staring at Silverbuck.

Silverbuck was shivering in fear, the thought of such a pickaxe imprinted in his mind. He didn’t even notice that the story was over until he heard the old pony chuckle. “You sure are a green one, aren’t ya?” He placed a hoof on Silverbuck’s back. “That’s what I like about ya. You’re not like the other ones; you actually listen to my stories.”

“Don’t the others listen, too?” Silverbuck asked, feeling a little uncomfortable with Hammerhead’s hoof on top of him.

“Oh they do, but they just call me an ol’ coot.” Hammerhead smiled before waving his hoof in front of him. “I don’t let it bother me, no siree. I’m always optimistic and it helps to enjoy the little things in life.”

Silverbuck managed a smile. He had never met someone like Hammerhead before. It created an unfamiliar feeling inside him, something he had never felt in his life. What is this feeling? Does it have to deal with ‘friendship’? He pondered on the thought, but was quickly jerked back to reality.

“Something wrong?” Hammerhead stood beside him, looking concerned.

“Oh... uh... I was wondering about those creatures you mentioned earlier. Did you make them up, or do they really exist?” he asked, covering his thoughts. Still though, he genuinely did want to know if Hammerhead was just making up stories, or if he was actually being honest.

“You’d be surprised. Once you’ve seen a lot of bizarre stuff, you only keep seeing more.” Hammerhead grimaced at his comment. “There were those psycho ponies from way back, a crazy general, those weird parasprites, the ancient Wall of Harmony, then the--”

“Wait, what wall?” Silverbuck asked curiously.

“You don’t know? Apparently, there is an ancient wall in the middle of the San Palomino Desert. I’m not sure about this, but ponies say it was part of the ruins of Canterlot. Princess Celestia placed it there, carving an inscription on it. Naturally, I went there to check it out myself.” Hammerhead paused for a second before continuing. “I don’t remember what was on the wall, but I do know that there was this odd... feeling about it. I’m not sure what it was, but it didn’t feel like any normal feeling; more like the magical kind.”

An... unusual magical feeling? Why would somepony put magic in a wall? And wait... I thought only unicorns could sense those kind of things...? Oh, well.

“Hammerhead, you are probably the most interesting pony I’ve ever met. You might also be the friendliest.”

“Oh really? Don’tcha got any friends Silverbuck?” Hammerhead cracked a smile. “You sure seem like the type to have a lot of friends.”

“Oh, um, I don’t really have any friends.” Silverbuck stared at his fidgeting hooves, trying not to look directly at Hammerhead.

“What!?” Hammerhead shouted, causing a few ponies to yelp and stare in their direction. “That’s nonsense! Everypony should have at least one friend.” He looked at Silverbuck with abject pity and disbelief.

Silverbuck trembled a bit after Hammerhead’s sudden outburst, but regained his composure. “Well, I seem to be the only pony not to have one. It’s hard trying to make friends when I don’t even know how.” He stared at the ground, tears forming in his eyes.

It’s always been like this, but why...? Why am I so different...

Just as a tear slid down his snout, Silverbuck felt something heavy on his back. He turned around to find Hammerhead smiling at him. “Don’tcha worry, kid. You’ll make a buddy, trust me.” His gray eyes sparkled and a wide grin spread across his face. “Why, as a matter of fact, I’d be honored to have ya as my friend.”

Silverbuck’s eyes widened at the old pony. “R-Really? You want to be my f-friend?” He slowly smiled, quickly realized what had happened and jumped into the air. Hammerhead watched the ecstatic pony idly, the grin still plastered on his face. When Silverbuck looked at his new friend again, he saw him pointing in his direction with a hoof; specifically, at his mouth. Confused, he lifted a hoof to check if there was something on his face -- and found it still wide open from his exuberant outburst. He blushed crimson with embarrassment and slammed his jaw shut with a clack.

Hammerhead shook his head, keeping his devilish grin. “Congratulations! You’ve just moved up from being a green stallion to a red one.” He laughed, slapping Silverbuck on the back. The once-giddy pony staggered, falling face first into the hard floor. He lifted himself up onto his haunches, staring at an outstretched orange hoof.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” The old pony apologized, the devilish grin gone from his face and replaced with a warm smile. “Do ya need a hoof?”

Groaning, Silverbuck nodded, took Hammerhead’s hoof and picked himself up. “Thanks, Hammerhead. Ow...” He rubbed his face in pain. “Try to warn me next time when you do that.”

“Gotcha buddy ol’ pal.” Hammerhead placed a hoof around Silverbuck. “I got the feeling we’re going to be great friends. Yes, I can see it now: Hammerhead and Silverbuck, mining buddies.” He chuckled, staring through the corridor of the great mine.

“Mining buddies? I never had a mining buddy before,” Silverbuck piped up, his interest growing at this ‘friend’ concept.

“Oh yeah, it’s when your friend is a miner. It’s pretty simple really.” Hammerhead held his hooves in the air, putting them together to prove his point, only to confuse the learning pony. “Woops, sorry. It means we’re like two peas in a pod or two ponies... in a mine.” He suddenly began to laugh raucously, grasping the wall to keep from falling.

Silverbuck joined in the fun, wanting to fit in, causing some of the other miners to watch as the duo could hardly contain their laughter. A few of them shrugged it off, continuing their work; others simply watched, wondering what was so funny. Just as everything seemed to be settling down, a loud scream echoed from the mine.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, including the duo as they watched a brown earth pony mare run straight out of a mineshaft, screaming at the top of her lungs. “OH MY GOD! WHY DO THEY KEEP FOLLOWING ME!!” She ran into another mine shaft, followed by an oddly shaped creature. It was tall, walked on four legs and had a green camouflage skin, which seemed very eager to catch her. Behind the two, the same bright red stallion from before ran after them, trying to keep up. “I TOLD YOU THEY WERE REAL!!” he shouted, running straight into the same mine shaft.

Silverbuck stared in disbelief at the scene, his eye twitching slightly as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. Beside him, Hammerhead stared at him with a smug look on his face. “Told ya they were real,” he parroted the hysterical stallion with a grin, the rumors about him totally debunked from Silverbuck’s mind.

“Uh, I think I’m afraid of what you’ll say now,” Silverbuck replied, his hooves shaking.

Hammerhead chuckled. “Don’t worry ‘bout a thing. I’m sure nothing will har--” He paused mid-thought. “Wait, what’s that hissing noise?”

Now that he mentions it, there is a hissing sou-

He was cut short by a sudden hugging sensation from behind, followed by a loud boom that propelled him a few feet into the air and face first into the ground. Hammerhead quickly ran over to him, his orange coat scorched from the explosion, and helped him to his feet. “Silverbuck! How many hooves do I have?” he asked the dazed pony.

“Ohai mom, when did you get so many hooves?” A quick buck to the face brought him back to his senses, making him whimper in surprise. “Ow, what was that for?” He rubbed himself, noticing half of his tail was burnt off. “Was that an explosion?”

“Indeedy. That, my friend, would be a crawler explosion. When they reach their goal in sneaking up on you, they quickly become really excited and get as close to you as possible, causing a huge orgasmic explosion,” Hammerhead explained with a completely straight face, frowning at Silverbuck’s burnt tail.

“Wait, you’re telling me that the crawler fell in love with me and blew itself up because of that?! That is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard!” Silverbuck backed away in disgust at the remaining pieces of what used to be the crawler. He tried to comprehend everything, including the crawler explosion, but it all led up to one question: How is all this possible?!

Hammerhead tapped Silverbuck’s head in response, bringing the stallion back to reality. “Ya sure do space out a lot.” He trotted over to his fallen pickaxe, picking it up. “Anyway, since you’re not in any condition to be fighting; I’ll leave you here while the rest of us clear out any crawlers left in this ol’ mine.” He placed the pickaxe in his mining utility belt and walked over to the gathering group of miners before looking back at Silverbuck.

“Before I go, here’s a little tip: If a crawler comes crawling after ya, find something to slam it with.” Hammerhead gave a demonstration, swinging his pickaxe down at the ground, creating a large hole. Silverbuck was about to question him, but the orange pony shook his head, smiling. “No need to say anything, I’ll be fine. Just make sure ya stay alive, got it?” he commanded firmly.

Silverbuck nodded, leaving Hammerhead’s smile on his face. “Good. When I get back, I might tell ya some more amazing stories, or maybe you could tell me a little bit about yourself.” He turned around, only looking back to wave as he trotted over to the group.

“O-Okay, bye then,” Silverbuck waved back as he watched the group head off into the mineshaft after the crawler. Now, that left him alone in the dark corridor, his pickaxe gone from sight, leaving him weaponless against any threats. Alright, I’m alone. I’ll be fine. Should be fine. Right?Silverbuck repeated the thought in his mind, hoping that nothing would come for him. He stayed on the edge, worried that these so-called crawlers were out to get him. Besides, what if there were other mythical creatures that wanted to love him and explode?

“Don’t worry Silverbuck. Everything is going to be fine, alright?” He placed both his hooves over his head. “Just stay cal-- Dear Celestia, what is that?!”

Coming out of the shadows, a tall black rectangular silhouette stood ominously in the shadows, slowly coming closer. Silverbuck scooted back, still injured from the explosion as he tried to avoid whatever was coming after him. Just keep scooting, Silverbuck. You’re doing good. He continued to stay positive, hoping it would encourage him. It did, but wouldn’t last for long. The pair of eyes slowly inched out of the darkness, the legs coming first, then the entire body. His eyes widened with fear as he stared at his worst nightmare: a smiling crawler, which began to shuffle towards him.

“D-d-d-dear Celestia...” he stuttered out, continuing his escape. The crawler gained a little ground on him, getting closer with each second. Silverbuck knew he was running out of space, but there had to be at least something nearby. A pickaxe, a hammer, anything! His eyes darted left, then right, searching for any kind of weapon.

A small rock? No, that wouldn’t do much damage. Maybe that rag? Nah, that wouldn’t help either, but why is it on the ground anyway? You know what, I’m not even going to question it. He was already convinced that if he tried to think anymore about things he didn’t understand, he’d just make himself go crazy.

Silverbuck continued searching frantically, but other than the rock, there was absolutely nothing useful around him. Why isn’t there anything around to help me at a-- Oh look, a bit!Silverbuck grabbed after the shiny golden coin, gleefully pocketing it in his belt. Those few seconds helped the crawler gain even more ground on him, causing him to gulp and scoot back faster as he watched it inch closer to his hind legs. It was as if the crawler was laughing, getting closer with every passing moment.

Silverbuck cried out in fear, backing up against the wall. He was surprised to find that what he felt was not the coarse, bumpy rock wall, but instead a cold, notched metallic arch. Hope filling his being, he reached behind, and pulled out the thing he needed most: a pickaxe. It wasn’t any normal pickaxe, though; it was a notched pickaxe. It was heavy in his hooves, the handle long and the iron cold. It would prove a deadly weapon.

Finally! Thank you Celestia! Silverbuck brought the pickaxe closer to him, kissing it multiple times with joy. He looked up, watching as the crawler was getting within striking distance. The desperate stallion raised the pickaxe with both hooves, prepared to put all of his energy into the attack. Bring it on! I’m not afraid of you... not yet anyway.

The crawler answered his thought with a terrifying hiss, the same emotionless stare drilling into Silverbuck’s eyes as it approached him. At the same moment, he swung his pickaxe down at the crawler with full force, impaling it through the skull with a sickening crack. He released his hold of the wooden handle, watching in horror as the corpse collapsed onto the ground, gray dust spewing from the disfigured creature. A small pool of blue liquid formed around the pickaxe, the sight of it causing a sick, bubbling feeling in his stomach.

"I killed something... that... that’s blood!" Silverbuck turned around, bile filling his mouth and throat. Not again. He placed a hoof over his mouth, swallowing the bile back down. Gasping for breath, he took two deep breaths and slowly closed his eyes after being worn out. Thank Celestia that's over, now I can rest. A small smile crossed his face as he laid his head against the rock wall in a moment of peace. That moment, however, was soon broken as he heard a deep rumbling sound growing in volume coming from within the earth.

Silverbuck opened up one eye, watching a small pebble bounce off his head. He winced, rubbing the spot where it hit and looked up. His eyes widened as a larger rock landed on top of his head, cracking on impact. The stallion quickly slumped to the ground, uttering a groan as he heard the sound of a few voices echoing through his head, repeating the same words over and over again:

“Silverbuck! Silverbuck!”

The Chariot

The bright sunlight shone through one of the many houses in the walled city of Valimore. Inside, the dark bedroom slowly lit up, a small shape covering the feathered bed near the window. A cyan limb hung out, moving back and forth as the owner snored lightly in her sleep. Her mouth was open in a slight smile, regardless of the rivulets of moisture running down her chin.

A few minutes later, the light grew brighter, but the mare stayed asleep in her bed. She only made small movements under the covers. The sounds of early morning began, as the noisy town square slowly came to life. The mare’s smile faltered, a small grumble coming from her as she placed the white pillow on top of her head, covering her ears. The noises faded, and her smile returned as she slowly began to dream again.

“Rainbow Dash!” A familiar voice rang from below, followed by a series of knocking noises. “Wake up you lazy filly before I come and make you!”

Rainbow Dash groaned, keeping her pillow firmly glued to her temples. Ugh, why can’t anypony let me sleep in peace? She tried to go back to sleep, but the loud knocking continued, sufficiently irritating her. “Alright! I’m up, I’m up!” she yelled out, throwing off the pillow and raising her hooves in frustration.

“Good, now hurry up!” The voice replied, followed by a grumble from Rainbow. She laid on her bed, eyes open as she tried falling back asleep. Ugh, I can’t go back to bed. Might as well get up. She picked herself up, stretching her legs out and gave a long yawn. Her body still ached from all the flying she had done the day prior. Even though she had a temporary ban from flying in the city limits, she was still able to fulfill her role as the leader of the Valimore Weather Team.

Rainbow chuckled. I remember when they ordered that ban. She smiled, recalling when she accidentally caused a snow storm inside the walled capital of Solaris. Her best friend, Pinkie Pie was with her during that time after they did they a series of pranks throughout Valimore. The snowstorm caused flight to be suspended throughout the area so they could clean up the snow and melt the ice that had formed on buildings. Heheh, it was totally worth it.

“Hey, sleepyhead! Stop daydreaming and get your lazy flank up! The annual Rainfall Celebration is this month and we need to be gathering all the clouds right now!” Startled, Rainbow jumped up from her bed, falling to the floor. A giggle came after, causing the cyan pegasus to look around ‘till her eyes met the window. Outside, a lavender blue pegasus with a dark-light amber and light lemon mane and tail hovered, a hoof covering her mouth. She waved her other hoof slightly, Rainbow noting that the pegasus had seen her.

“Ugh, Cloud Kicker, were you the one trying to wake me up?” Rainbow asked, picking herself up. She turned around, checking herself for any cuts or bruises that might be trouble later. She spread her beloved feathered wings open with an elegant sweep, the feathers illuminated in the sun. She smiled, closing them up. No damage on my wings, good. Then thebruise on my stomach was the only injury, but that’s nothing.

Cloud Kicker uncovered her mouth, giving her cyan friend a guilty smile. “Yeah, sorry about that. But, did it work?” she asked, her smile broadening into a huge grin.

Rainbow stared at Cloud Kicker, an annoyed look on her face. “I am on the floor, clearly awake. What do you think? You didn’t need to startle me like that, ya know.”

“I know, but we’re late for a very important date!” Cloud Kicker explained, eliciting a jaw-dropping expression from Rainbow. “No, it’s not that kind of date, you naughty mare. We’re supposed to be working today, remember?”

Rainbow’s eyes widened at the mention of work. “We’re working today? Since when?! Today is supposed to be our day off to go to congregation!”

“Starting today, I guess? It’s completely stupid and unfair, right?” Cloud Kicker asked, shrugging.

“Yes! I wanted to sleep in some more after yesterday.” Rainbow groaned, slapping her head in response. She wasn’t that tired, but every bit counted for her job. Cloud Kicker nodded in response, pointing towards her eyes. Rainbow could see the small wrinkles and black circles forming from sleep deprivation.

“Wow, even I have to admit that’s bad.” Rainbow grimaced at her friend’s eyes, hoping that her own weren’t as bad as Cloud Kicker’s.

“Yeah, well enough wasting time. We need to get working immediately so we can get this over with quick. But first, you need to finish that letter you mentioned yesterday to Princess Celestia. I’ll meet you outside, Dashie.” Cloud Kicker grinned, sticking her tongue out before disappearing from sight.

Rainbow frowned at her friend. “Ugh, that cute nickname again?” As Pinkie phrased it, Dashie was her ‘Super duper cute nickname.’ Only Pinkie Pie was allowed to say it, seeing as her attempts to stop her failed countless times. She decided that it’d be better to let her slide. Now though, Cloud Kicker had begun to say it after hearing Pinkie call for her one day.

It’s a pretty cutenickname, though; I just hate Cloud Kicker using it every single time she can. Thank Celestia that nobody heard me say that. Rainbow walked slowly over to her desk, taking out a cyan feathered quill and ink bottle. A piece of parchment was already on the desk and ready to be written on. She deftly gripped the quill with her mouth, opening and dipping it into the inkwell. Drops of black ink dripped onto the parchment, leaving small dots.

“Alright, so a letter to Princess Celestia about the weather team, right?” she asked herself. Nopony was there to answer, but she nodded and touched the tip to the parchment. “Might as well give it a go. I’m horrible with letters, but I’ll make this one an exception. So, Dear Princess Celestia...” She repeated the same words aloud over and over again, hoping that some idea would come to her.

“I really don’t write letters... but this is important; yeah, that sounds good.” She rested her quill on the parchment for a while longer before she began to move it. She slowly created letters, then words and finally sentences as the idea appeared in Rainbow’s mind. After a few minutes she dropped the quill onto its usual place on the desk, long since marked by several dried black splotches, and took a moment to read the letter over.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I really don’t write letters, but this is important. So far, the weather team is doing an awesome job with gathering all the clouds we need to produce rain. But, I don’t think we have enough for every single settlement in Solaris. Still, I’ve told my team to gather every single patch of cloud they find, and hopefully that’ll help. I’ll try my best and get my team to deliver the clouds according to schedule. So that’s all I have to say, thanks for reading, or something, uh, have a nice day.

Sincerely,
Rainbow Dash, Captain of the Valimore Weather Team

“Wow, I’ve got to admit, even I impress myself sometimes.” Rainbow grinned at her work, rolling it up and sealing it with a sky-blue string. She grabbed it with her mouth, walking over to a saddlebag lying next to her bed. Picking it up, she stuffed the scroll deep within the confines of the rugged cloth pack, throwing it over her flank. She strapped it on, the belt snapping very quickly as always, which was very useful if you were ever tired from working.

“Okay, that should be everything,” Rainbow said, making her way to the bedroom door. She looked down at the straight handle, pressed one hoof against it with a satisfying click, then pushed the wooden frame open. The door revealed a small hallway with a flight of stairs going down to the front door. Rainbow smirked, staring at the stairs as if they were an opponent.

“We meet again, old friend. Too bad you won’t win this time, heheh...” She opened up her wings and began flapping them. Her body slowly lifted upwards, now hovering above the floor. She chuckled, hovering down the staircase. “See, I told you couldn’t wi-- Oof!” Rainbow’s head smacked the ceiling, causing her to fall and slam against one of the steps of the staircase.

“Ow, my head!” She clutched her head, but her side slammed into another step. It wasn’t long until the pegasus came tumbling down the stairs in a pile of cyan feathers. She lay flat on the floor, her entire body aching from all the steps she had struck on her way down. “Ugh, nevermind, you win... ” She groaned before picking herself up and rubbed the side of her head.

“Note to self: Find a potion or bandage at the marketplace,” Rainbow mumbled, staggering over to the wooden door as she placed her hoof on the brass knob. Turning the knob, she slowly pulled open the door only to be jumped by Cloud Kicker, sending her back to the ground. She winced in pain, feeling the places where her body hit the steps.

“There you are, finally. What took you so long?” Cloud Kicker asked, giving Rainbow her signature grin. “Geez, you look horrible, Rainbow. Did you fall down the staircase or something?” She laughed, receiving a glare from the pegasus. Mental note: Give Cloud Kicker a piece of her own mind.

Rainbow frowned, restraining herself from bucking the blue pony off her and sighed. “Cloud Kicker, would you please get off my back?” Her pegasus friend moved away from her, a concerned look on her face, which Rainbow took note of and waved off. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. I just need a bandage for my head... ow.” She wobbled out the door, only to lurch forward towards the ground. Gasping, she closed her eyes and covered her face as she anticipated the impact. Something quickly grabbed her though, holding her up. Huh?

Opening her eyes, Rainbow turned around. Cloud Kicker hovered above her, holding her from under her chest and keeping her from falling. “Maybe you do need some help, and I’m not taking no for an answer. I know you, Rainbow. You’re too proud to accept help, aren’t you?”

Yes, I am. Rainbow cracked a smile. “Nah, I’m fine, Cloud Kicker. You don’t need to help-- Woah!” Cloud Kicker’s grip suddenly faltered, causing the cyan pegasus to fall forward again. Her cheek almost slapped the ground, but her friend saved her a second time. She gasped, taking a deep breath and looked up at Cloud Kicker, her eyes screwed into a disapproving grimace. In response, her friend stuck out her tongue and gave a goofy grin.

“That wasn’t funny,” Rainbow growled, kicking away from Cloud Kicker’s grasp and dropping to the ground on all fours. Her friend floated back, a bit surprised, but continued grinning.

“Nice growl. It needs some work though; it didn’t scare me,” The lavender pegasus replied cattily, sticking her tongue out again.

Rainbow stared hard at her friend, angry, yet somehow caring. She opened her mouth to argue, but instead took a deep breath and turned her head around. “Whatever, lets just get to the Post Office; I need to deliver this letter,” she muttered, walking out the door followed by Cloud Kicker, who shrugged and hovered right behind her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So where’s the post office again?” Rainbow Dash asked for the fourth time, turning down a street.

Cloud Kicker sighed. “How many times do I have to tell you? It’s right next to the Grand Corona building. Can’t you see it?” She pointed towards the large building standing on top of a hill, looming over the entire city.

Rainbow nodded. “Oh okay, so it’s the building that looks like it’s falling apart?”

“Yes; wait no! That’s a warehouse. You know what,” said Cloud Kicker, “just follow me. We really don’t have the time to be searching all over Valimore for a post office

“Do we really have to come through the marketplace? All they ever do is try to sell you something,” Rainbow complained, crossing her front hooves. Last time she went, she was bombarded with sales pitches for clothes, saddlebags, weapons, fruit, even paper!

Cloud Kicker paused for a moment, turning back to face Rainbow. “Yes, now stop whining. Do you want to get to the post office or not?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. Sighing, Rainbow nodded, accepting that she was going to be flooded by the wares ponies were constantly trying to peddle. “Good, now onwards!” Cloud Kicker exclaimed, opening her wings and lifting herself off the ground.

Rainbow grinned. Finally, this solves everything. She unfurled her wings and started flapping them. Slowly lifting off from the ground, she followed after Cloud Kicker, who was already way ahead of her. When she caught up, they followed the path into the marketplace where they could see many ponies buying items of many sorts. Others, were trying to get through the massive crowd that flooded the small pathway.

“Good thing we’re flying,” Rainbow said, noticing that there were few gaps in the crowd. It would’ve proved difficult to get through by walking. At least we have wings, heheh.

“I know, right?” Cloud Kicker grinned, making a loop in the air. “It’s great to be flying around in the city when there’s so much to see. For example, you can see the fountain from here.” She pointed to a large flowing fountain resting in the middle of town square. It had three levels: the first one the widest, bearing the unique design of Solarian architecture; the second one, having four large statues of ponies on each side of the cylinder block that held up the third level; the final level had the tip and waterspout. Rainbow knew exactly what it was. It was the Waters of Cadence, or as ponies said “The Heart of Valimore.” It was said that the waters were supposed to highlight the colors of the sun.

“Wow, it looks so awesome from up here. Maybe I should find a cloud and place it right here sometime. I can watch the waters and take a nap at the same time.” Rainbow grinned at her statement, eliciting a mirror expression from the other pegasus.

“You better invite me you lazy mare; I need the extra sleep,” Cloud Kicker teased, sticking her tongue out.

“Fine, but first let’s get to the post office,” Rainbow said before smirking. “I’ll race you.”

Cloud Kicker eyed Rainbow curiously. “Really? Are you sure? I’m pretty sure I can beat you in a race,” she declared.

“Are you kidding? I’m the fastest flier in Valimore, Cloud Kicker! I can beat you anywhere, anytime, and any day,” Rainbow boasted, a smug grin on her face.

“Alright then, prove it. First one to the post office wins and gets bragging rights,” Cloud Kicker said, smirking. “Which will be me.” At this, Rainbow laughed, almost falling from the sky.

“Yeah right, you know that’ll be me,” Rainbow chuckled before flying to Cloud Kicker’s side, who prepared herself for the race. “So, we start on three?”

Cloud Kicker nodded, sweat already dripping down her forehead. “Alright, get ready on the count of three. Three...” Rainbow narrowed her eyes down at her target, the post office building which was in view, about ten blocks away from them. She licked her lips in satisfaction, glad that they were doing something awesome and fun while on a job, even if it was a small one.

“Two...” Rainbow could feel the air blowing her mane away from her face, giving her clear eyesight. She loved the tense, adrenaline fused feeling whenever there was a race. To her, it was such an exciting sensation.

“One...” One more, just one more and we’ll be off. I hope my wings weren’t affected in that fall, or this is going to be one hard drop.

“Go!” Both ponies rushed out of their starting positions, flapping their wings towards their goal. Rainbow closed her eyes, grinning as she felt the air rush around her. Her entire body felt weightless, her wings flapping faster and faster. She opened her eyes, noticing that Cloud Kicker was nowhere to be found. Instead, she was actually ahead of Dash and they had already gone three blocks ahead.

No! Rainbow Dash never loses! She gritted her teeth, flapping her wings even harder, adjusting her pitch. She gained an increase of speed, inching closer and closer to Cloud Kicker. It was about six blocks when her opponent finally turned around and the look on her face said it all. Rainbow was right next to her, noticing the shocked look on her face. Grinning, she kept her speed up while accelerating, knowing she was so close. The post office was clear in view, the front doors the finish line.

Come on, you can do it. Rainbow stuck out her arms, hoping they would give her the aerodynamic edge. She was still off by a little bit, but they still had two blocks left. Beside her, she could see Cloud Kicker giving everything she had. They both were, but only one of them could prevail. Only one more block stood in their way.

She desperately flapped her wings one more time, hoping to gain the final inch against her friend. As she did, Cloud Kicker halted to a stop at the lamppost, collapsing to the pavement. Rainbow smirked. “Ha, I told you I’d win, Cloud Kicker! I to--” Before she could finish, she slammed face-first into something hard, knocking her to the ground, losing all her momentum. She slapped the floor, silently wishing for something soft to land on next time.

“Argh, two times in a day?” Rainbow asked, rubbing her head. She picked herself up, grumbling about her bad luck. Thank Celestia pegasus skulls are thick, but what exactly did I hit anyway?

Rainbow looked over to the post office door, finding a gray pegasus mare with a blonde mane within the doorframe. She looked dazed, her mane in a complete mess. Other than that, she seemed okay. Her cutie mark was a cluster of bubbles, which meant that it could only be one pony. “...Derpy Hooves?” Rainbow asked, looming over the fallen mailmare.

Derpy lifted her head up, groaning as she looked around. “Rainbow Dash? Why did you crash into me?” the pegasus asked, clearly hurt.

“Sorry, I was racing Cloud Kicker to the post office. I didn’t know you’d be coming out of those doors at the same time I was finishing.”

Derpy gave the pegasus a warm, cross-eyed smile. “It’s alright, no harm done. I was preparing to start my mail route anyway. But first, let me check my saddlebag.” Rainbow watched her pick up her brown cloth container, which she had dropped to the floor after the collision. A few white envelopes stuck out of the bag, clearly filled with mail. “Aaah! I’m missing some letters. Where are they?!” Derpy cried out, scurrying around the area, searching for the letters. Cloud Kicker dazedly walked up beside Rainbow, holding up a pack of letters.

“I believe you dropped these. They sort of landed on me while I was catching my breath,” Cloud Kicker said, handing the letters back to Derpy. The gray pegasus happily took the letters, going through them to make sure she had them all.

When she finished, Derpy smiled at both of them. “Thank you for finding my letters! The boss would’ve gotten mad if I lost any of them. Which reminds me,” she said before searching through the back pocket of her saddlebag, pulling out a golden envelope. Both ponies stared at it curiously. A gold envelope? Why is it gold?

“I goth tiss letter fwore you, Raingo Dash,” Derpy said through her teeth, holding up the letter with her mouth. Rainbow tilted her head in confusion as she beheld the immaculate, gold-colored stationary. That’s strange. Who would send me a letter like this? Heh, maybe it’s an award for being so awesome.

Rainbow shrugged, taking the message from the blonde pegasus with her hooves. “What’s the letter about?” She eyed the paper, turning it around to see her initials: R.D., written in the front of it. On the left, the name Shimmering Ray in another hue of gold followed by the words “The Fellowship of the Golden Sun.”

...The church sent me this message? What for?

Derpy threw the saddlebag over her flank, securing it with a belt. “I dunno. Some pony in a cloak brought it in. She gave it to me, telling me that it was specifically for you.” She shrugged lightly, keeping the warm smile on her face.

“Strange,” Cloud Kicker replied, taking the letter from Rainbow. “The church sent you this? What would they even send you, more importantly, why?”

Rainbow shrugged, watching Cloud Kicker rip open the letter with her hooves. Derpy watched them, suddenly gasping. “OH, I’d love to stay and watch, but I have to deliver these letters.” She opened her own wings, lifting herself off the ground. Before she could fly off, Rainbow remembered something and quickly took out her own letter that she had totally forgotten about.

“Wait, Derpy! Here, I need you to deliver this letter to Princess Celestia,” Rainbow asked, handing her the cloud report. Derpy gladly took the envelope in her mouth, stuffing it inside her saddlebag, saying she would deliver it after she finished her route. With that, she took off into the air, desperately trying to keep all the letters inside the bag. Rainbow smiled at the gray pegasus leaving. Derpy is being herself, I guess. Maybe I should bake her some muffins next time when she delivers my mail. She would like that.

“Rainbow...” Cloud Kicker stared grimly at her, then back at the letter she was holding. The cyan pegasus cocked an eyebrow in curiosity, wondering what had prompted the change in tone. As if on cue, Cloud Kicker slowly walked over to her, holding out the paper for her to read. She took hold of the letter, going over every single line on it until she reached the end. Shrugging, she had no idea why Cloud Kicker was looking really sad. The lavender mare slapped her face in exasperation, pointing at one part of the letter. She read it again, suddenly realizing what the letter was saying.

“Oh... hayfeathers.”

Author's Note

Second fic that I've published (not counting Waking Nightmare), but yeah here it is. Chapter One is on it's way and shall reveal more of what is happening.