Nice to meet you. My name is... I forget...

Flash-Bang

Main Characters: This is mostly just a prologue, none of them are really in the spotlight for long.

Cameos: CMC, Mane 6, Spike, Mayor Mare.

Original Write Date: 1/19/2013

All day the Cutie-Mark Crusaders have been lounging around. They had a list of activities, but the scorching heat outside kept them in the clubhouse.

"Why did the weather team have to choose today to keep the skies clear?" The orange pegasus asks her friends.

"Ah don't know!" Apple Bloom laments after a moment.

"Maybe you should ask Rainbow Dash." Sweetie Belle retorts.

Dark clouds begin to from rather quickly around Ponyville. The weather team called in all available pegasi to help keep them at bay. In the hot summers day the groups are exhausting rather quickly, only one is driving them back. Rainbow Dash is piercing clouds as quickly as she can, the rest of the weather team barely keeping the storm from advancing. The ponies agree to just let the storm come, they'll clear it before the Summer Sun Celebration. As Rainbow Dash leaves the heights she hears a voice coming from the clouds. She looks back before the rest of the weather team call to her.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be right down!" She calls back, taking another glance at the storm before dropping to her friends.

"You know, Twilight, not everything has to be perfect for the Summer Sun Celebration." A young dragon tells the unicorn he is with.

"Spike, are you crazy? Nothing can be out of place for this holiday."

"It's not that special Twilight," he says, knowing the lecture he's most likely to get afterwards, "Celestia raises the sun every day."

Spike waits for a response, but Twilight is staring at the sky, dark, storm clouds circle over-head. The unicorn mare lets out a small shriek before tearing off toward Rainbow Dash's cloud home.

Rainbow Dash hears a yelling outside her house. She opens the door to see Twilight landing in a balloon.

"Hey Twi!" The cyan pegasus calls, "What are you doing up here?"

"You know exactly why I'm here!" Twilight yells at her friend, almost on cue the clouds above them begin to pour.

"C'mon Twi, the ENTIRE weather team couldn't push back these clouds. It was too hot outside anyway." Rainbow begins to close her door, but is stopped by Twilight's magic. The pegasus groans and steps back outside. The two hear thunder and look toward the Everfree forest. A brilliant light suddenly emanates from deep within the heart of the woods, Rainbow Dash screams as she realizes she's blinded. Twilight looks toward her friend, but can't see anything. The white light is gone and now nothingness takes its place.

The Cutie-Mark Crusaders play outside as the cooling rain soothes the sunburned fillies. The group quickly scamper to their clubhouse as the ground becomes marshy. On the small deck they look out toward town, and beyond that the Everfree forest. They see lightning strike the ground followed by a rolling thunder. Suddenly a bright flash tears through the town. Apple Bloom quickly closed her eyes as she saw it, the other two hadn't noticed until afterwards. When the light should have died to reveal Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres and her friends, Sweetie Belle looked to her right, at the sight - or lack thereof - of nothing she let out a small peep and fainted, Scootaloo screamed as she came to the same understanding. Apple Bloom looked at her two friends, one unconscious, the other feeling her way along a completely level platform. She said "y'all stay here." And ran toward the main building of Sweet Apple Acres.

Twilight slowly felt around her balloon with magic, she was able to help Rainbow Dash into the basket. As Twilight began to feel desperate she decided that they must get to the ground. She tries to remember exactly what is below the cloud home. The unicorn tentatively lifted the hot air balloon and used her magic to push it off of Rainbows' house. As it descends Twilight braces herself to collide with a structure. She and Rainbow Dash are relieved to feel the solid thump of the basket landing on grass, albeit rather wet.

The next day, many citizens of Ponyville are being guided by others who weren't blinded by the flash. The storm had cleared very shortly after the light and this day was beginning to show signs of being just as hot as the last was. At the town hall, The Elements of Harmony have gathered with Mayor Mare to discuss who should go investigate the Everfree forest.Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and Rarity blinded by the light. Twilight has Spike researching possible remedies for their flash-blindness. Applejack volunteers to take Pinkie Pie and some other earth ponies to comb the forest, Fluttershy decides to stay back and tend to any animals affected by the flash.

The farmer earth ponies are standing at the treeline of the Everfree forest, Each only a few meters from the next, Apple Bloom told her sister the general area she saw the flash come from. Applejack was in the center of the line, Pinkie Pie had 'trained' the others to giggle at the ghostly. Applejack had instructed each of the others to keep a keen eye and listen for anything that may be hostile. As the group entered the forest they became further and further apart from the center. Applejack was headed headstrong through the the dense woods.

Applejack looked into the sky, she could see the sun nearing the horizon. She heard her stomach growling, then something else. It was muffled, but Applejack was certain she heard somepony cough. As she neared the source of the sound, the mare saw a large crater. She looked closer discovering a pony in the center, covered with soot. Applejack called for the others to help, but most of them couldn't hear her through the thick of the trees. The mare groaned and lifted the pony on her back, preparing to make the long trek home.