The Chronicles of Rainbow Flameborn Dash

Chapters

Rainborn
The Flameborn Fields
Emerald's Dungeon
A Tale of Dragons

Rainborn

It was six p.m. Night was eclipsing its way over the pony kingdom of Equestria, its hold slowly strengthening as the night hours progressed nearer and nearer towards midnight. Yet despite night’s tight grip upon one’s surroundings, the feeling of most nights, including this particular one, was a feeling of tranquillity and peace. Night was the introvert to the day’s extrovert, or so Pegasus philosophy went. Most believed that others perceived night as a bringer of darkness, of danger and of unknowing, and of one’s greatest fears. It was a rather tragic belief, with criticaly flawed foundations. Night was, in its own way, beautiful.

It was on this particular night, when two Pegasi, Emerald Dash and Flameborn Dash sat with Zecora in the same room, in an exotic yet well-heated hut. Zecora was a zebra, with tribal ear-rings and an odd sun-like symbol upon her flank, seemingly the equivalent of a pony’s Cutie Mark, a symbol which all would develop at some stage, once they discovered their greatness and allowed it to flourish. She was introverted, with a peaceful aura, but at the same time, open with her thoughts.

(It should be noted that Zecora was not trusted by most ponies. The fact that these two trusted her indicated their class and level of education. Emerald Dash, although not noble-born, was of a scholarly background and had lived in Canterlot for several years). Flameborn Dash was born as Flameborn Skylighter, and the Skylighters were well known for many generations due to having brought some of the fiercest Pegasus warriors around.)

Amidst their company was a newborn female foal, of whom Flameborn was keeping warm in her hooves. “Flameborn Dash, a mare so brash. The foal I shall need, so her mind I can read. Do not fret, o proudest mare, for my hooves give warm and tender care.” The zebra’s voice sounded deeply spiritual, even magical, being multi-layered, as well as soothing and almost musical, with an unusual accent to accompany this. She was trustworthy though – Zecora said that the foal would be in warm hooves, and Zecora’s voice seemed to emit a relaxing ray of warmth.

Flameborn Dash was weak from the birth she had just given, yet the position of her cheeks made it clear for all to see that she was in a relaxed state of mind. “Here…” Emerald Dash, though not exactly sure how his mare was feeling, smiled as she spoke, for her voice sparkled with life even in its weak state.

“Flameborn is well, this a truth I tell.” Zecora’s relaxing words served almost as commentary.

Emerald Dash was named because of the colour of his mane and tail, which were a metallic dark green. The overall feel was a strongly dynamic, but not aggressive presence. His mane and tail combined with his body, which was deep blue in colour, and these two put together made him look rich: not as in wealthy, but deep and philosophical, internally strong-rooted, and yet, at the same time, lively. His eyes were green, but glowing. In general, describing him as deep may have been an understatement – he was always somewhere below the surface, but had a very well-developed and intensive thought process, which was very well networked, but despite this his mind was hardly computerised.

Meanwhile, Zecora studied the foal’s features very closely. “Her gaze is strong. She is deeply in-tune with her senses. Her mane it flares with energy, of power and light for all to see. (At this point, Zecora passively raised her voice and shut her eyes as she appeared to be entering some kind of trance, and the trance’s power could be recepted by touch as well as hearing. The trance brought a dreamy and sleep-inducing, yet pleasant sensation.) Strong of hoof, brave and bold, and passion from a heart of gold! Fighter-born, wild by dawn, she’ll never be a pawn!” At the end, Zecora opened her eyes once more.

“Yet, she will not be easy, for she yearns to be free. She will feel unsettled, endangered and weak, if you don’t grant her what she seeks. And she is proud, perhaps too proud.” Zecora warned, now taking a more serious tone.

“Will we be proud of her? Does the good outweigh the bad?” Emerald asked, trying desperately to subtly suppress any emotions in his voice, but not quite succeeding and bringing out very obviously suppressed worry.

“She means nothing but well, this for sure I can tell. She may not show her love for ye, but proud of ye she’ll always be. Ye soon shall be just as proud, this I am sure – I have no doubt.”

Energy was slowly recharging through Flameborn’s veins, as she now spoke – “Seems you’ll have more than one strong mare to handle.” She gave a smile as she said this.

Flameborn was a fierce mare, and by all accounts one of the best fighters that Cloudsdale had witnessed. It showed in her appearance – the most distinguishing of her features were her two dark rose-coloured eyes, which were far brighter than anypony else’s eyes should ever be. She had maintained this brightness even in her weakened state. Her mane and tail were orange, but a very reddish-orange, almost flamelike, a colour which makes one think of passion. Her body was a sun-like orange, radiating with just as much heat and energy. This powerful appearance was aided by her mighty wings, which were sharply angled like blades. Many Pegasi had very light and thin wings, but hers were tough and thick, and soared against the wind with ease. Her appearance was that of a warrior, and although as a mare this was not encouraged, she was needed. She looked far too strong for anypony to even think about not recruiting her for dangerous missions, and with her daredevilish nature, she was the first to volunteer.

Emerald Dash laughed at what she had said only to follow this by quietly contemplating in his head whether this was a serious matter or something to laugh about. He’d come to the conclusion that it was the former.

Zecora interrupted them: “Perhaps ye wish to stay for tea, for all that I provide is free.”

Emerald Dash gave a prompt reply: “We would gladly do so.”

Flameborn spoke up, somewhat bluntly. “Zecora, when can you return the newborn?” She was always somewhat blunt (for want of a better word) in conversation. She didn’t quite seem to understand the fine complexities of manners.

“Flameborn, you may now have her back. For I now know her winding track.” Zecora said, handing over the newborn.

Flameborn turned to Emerald. “What name is she worthy of?”

Emerald replied, his thoughtstream speaking aloud: “She has a rainbow mane and tail, an undisputed rarity among ponies. Rainbows are filled with colour, these six colours reflecting a wide variety of tones and moods. It’s a spectrum of complexity, and rainbows are of intense beauty. I believe Rainbow should be her name. Rainbow Flameborn Dash.”

Flameborn replied: “Seems fitting. A truly awesome name, rather befitting for the daughter of one of Equestria’s finest warriors!”

“I only hope she’s more modest than her mother.” Emerald snarked.

Flameborn was typically belittling to anypony she ever spoke to. “Unlikely. And the mother is always right!” She attempted to stare down Emerald and frighten him into submission.

“Alright, you win this time. Stop rubbing it in everypony’s face.” Emerald said lightly.

“I do not rub stuff in everypony’s face! I just state the truth! False modesty doesn’t unveil a pony’s greatness!” Flameborn said, in a tone that created a thin line between joking and arguing, and nopony (or zebra) in the room could be sure which it was.

“You hate false modesty? Wouldn’t have guessed.” Emerald said, very obviously sarcastically.

Emerald was the notably softer of the two, but Flameborn (and Flameborn’s mind is the law here, because she was the figure of dominance) had nothing but utmost respect for him. Emerald was highly analytical and a deep thinker. He always had a lot more in his mind than what he spoke. This latter point was made even stronger by the fact that he found it easy to analyze situations, but very difficult to come to any sort of conclusion. Hilariously enough to Flameborn, he was still quietly contemplating inside his head all of the potential problems that may be offered by his seemingly troublesome daughter, what may happen, how to solve it and whether or not this will actually do anything to solve the matter.

Flameborn did not want to get into a philosophical discussion with Emerald, least of all when Zecora was present. Whilst warmly holding Rainbow, she found a quick chance to change the subject:

“Hello, Emerald. Hello. What planet did you make it to?” She said somewhat mockingly. She was referring to one of Emerald’s psychological theories (and he had many, because he couldn’t be sure which one was correct, or if any of them were) – his own idea that he had a vast solar system inside his head.

“Not one that I haven’t been to before.” Emerald replied, having a good laugh.
(She softened her voice, raising her pitch at the same time): “Rainbow, see Daddy over there? He’s always contemplating. Always contemplating, isn’t he?” Flameborn joked. The foal seemed to find this somewhat funny, judging by a slight movement in her mouth.

The Flameborn Fields

The pony kingdom of Equestria was vast. Earth ponies, Pegasi and unicorns all lived in harmony, each fulfilling a much needed role. Earth ponies were strong, and naturally durable, allowing them to be great farmers who provided food for the Pegasi and the Unicorns. Unicorns were scholarly and regal, with a strong sense of order that allowed them to handle their duties with maximum efficiency. They were also the only ones who had magic, allowing them to be specialized craftsponies. The Pegasi, who had wings were in charge of military duties. From days even before Celestia reigned, the tribes had fulfilled these roles, depending on one another to live. The pony land of Equestria had been united for milleniums.

It was the duty of one Pegasus stallion, Commander Windblazer of the Wonderbolts, to take immediate action against disorder in Celestia's lands. He was of average height, but his face was naturally extremely forward, which made him look far taller than he was. The latter was strengthened by his thick and straight eyelashes, which gave a strong and intimidating presence.

Once you had seen beyond Commander Windblazer's forwardness, you realized that he was mint-green in his colour, with strong yet oddly gentle-looking wings, that seemed to have miraculously avoided blemishes (he was, after all, extremely cautious in his duties). His wings looked as though they could take a fair bit of pain, but it was never put to the test. His mane was short and of a golden blonde colour, which gave him a presence that was regal but at the same time, sharp. His Cutie Mark was that of a tornado, for like many Wonderbolts, his career had started with a grand success at tornado duty. He had a strong enough presence so that if he was in the same room as you, you'd know he was there, even if you hadn’t seen him. Commander Windblazer was awake early in the morning at five, in the Cloudsdale barracks, when he received a letter from Princess Celestia.

He read the letter to himself:

“Dear Commander Windblazer,

An emergency has arisen in north-west Equestria. Wind demons are ravaging the isle of Gallopoli, and we require a force to quell the threat. Gather no more than five of the hardiest warriors, but nothing less than the hardiest warriors we have. Immediate action is required. Signed: Princess Celestia.”

And there was nothing more (as there so often wasn't, for usually if Princess Celestia had anything to send him, it was urgent.) Regardless of this, Commander Windblazer knew exactly who he wanted for this mission. Up and coming Wonderbolts Spitfire and Lightyear, great warrior Brazen Skylighter, Brazen’s sister Flameborn Dash and an old friend of Windblazer’s, Thunderblade. Commander Windblazer believed that they and himself were the six mightiest Pegasi in Equestria.

With no further delay, Commander Windblazer sheathed his wings, and took off to immediately inform his chosen five. Within fifteen minutes, they were off to Gallopoli. It was a magnificent sight, to see six of the best fliers racing to their destination – heroes as they were. Furious turbulence was created behind them, a weapon strong enough to knock out all those who were within twenty metres behind. The image of six of the fastest fliers, six of the most daring warriors, as friends, side by side, wind in their manes as they fly together on their adventure undoubtedly brought strong and moving feelings through anypony foolish enough to be near the raging storm. It felt rather like a romance, except without lovers. There was no disputing the power of friendship. Some said that friendship was magic, and the saying may’ve seemed crazy at first, but if one sat down to think about it, it would not be long before one realized just how true the saying was. (Flameborn and Emerald had taught this to Rainbow, and while at just under two years, she was far too young to understand it, both her parents were sure that the phrase would subconsciously etch itself inside Rainbow’s mind.)
It was a long journey to the island of Gallopoli, one that for most Pegasi, was far too aggressive upon one’s wings and hooves (perhaps surprisingly, most Pegasi were not strong fliers). They either lacked strength or lacked stamina (or in many cases, both). The ideal flying directions depended on the wind, and one had to be alert to make sure that they were taking the line with the least turbulence, whilst still travelling in the right direction. One had to pay close attention to avoid thrusting themself into turbulence, as the directions of wind could change whenever it pleased them to, and sometimes without warning. Tornadoes often lay ahoof as well, and they could easily slaughter Pegasi, for if a Pegasus ended up on the inside of one, they would lose all their flight control, and consequently be thrown wherever the laws of physics pleased, wings battered and hooves limp.

The six Pegasi arrived at their destination. The island of Gallopoli was sparsely populated, with no border patrol. Yet there were ponies who lived here – and ponies of all three tribes, albeit few. There was, however, a vital reason to keep Gallopoli defended. The island was a rich source of a very precious gem – sapphire, as well as being rich in a very rare pink copper. Princess Celestia could not, if Equestria were to continue functioning properly, allow this island to fall to the wind demons. The six studied the skies to see if they could spot any influence of disorder around.
“Anypony see any unusual wind levels?” Commander Windblazer asked, his voice very serious, yet he spoke on a steeply rising intonation, which made him sound a little softer.

All six looked around, but none of them could see anything. Commander Windblazer, sensing this, gave a quick order. “Spitfire and Lightyear, we shall scale this island together clockwise. The rest of you, scale anti-clockwise together. If you find the wind demons, shout to me. We’ll do the same in our case. Everypony understand?”

“Yes, sir,” was the response of the other five, all spoken in unison. Without another word, the six scaled the island, saying nothing to one another, but their faces, mouths slightly open and teeth gritted indicated nothing other than fiercely intensive focus, trying to spot the slightest of oddities in the sky, yet at the same time, not dallying, for the threats became more and more by the minute, as the wind demons expanded their territory.

Soon enough, a call from the keen-sighted Brazen Skylighter alerted his two companions.

“I think I’ve found them!” Brazen Skylighter called out to Flameborn and Thunderblade.

“Where?” Flameborn Dash asked.

“Follow me!” Brazen did not wait for their response before making the charge. Nonetheless, as the three of them moved together, the grotesque faces of wind demons (they seemingly had no bodies) became larger. They were a company of five clones, roughly ten feet tall, with stone black eyes, bumpy foreheads and mouths that resembled black holes. They were far removed from any sense of civilization. Wind demons were as cold on the inside as they were on the outside – should a pony make even the slightest brush with one, there was no avoiding imminent death from hypothermia. They bathed within mercilessly strong and cold winds, these winds far removed from any civilization or comfort. Their force field of wind – which was a circle of roughly a twenty-five metre radius, could have safely been called a death zone.

“I’m going in first!” Flameborn Dash shouted fearlessly, and dived straight into their force field. She was now flying at full speed, leaving a magnificent and warming trail of fire behind. She spent half a second studying the wind demons (and no more), and without further delay whirled around one of them, creating a ring of fire. She rose up, and flew less than a metre above it, praying that she had not misjudged her distance. The flame from her trail touched the wind demon’s head and with a demonly cry of pain, the wind demon vanished. Flameborn shook slightly from the cry, but it was impossible to notice as she continued her flaming flight within the force field, seemingly immune to the effects of the mighty winds. She zoomed in all directions, the slow moving wind demons without a hope of touching her. The line she had taken led perfectly to taking out the second wind demon. She created her ring of flame once more, sealing the demon’s chances of escape. She opted to dive beneath the demon this time, roughly a quarter of a metre away from its minimum point. Once again, the demon let out a cry of pain, but this time Flameborn had hardly heard it due to the intensity of the winds around her.

Three wind demons remained, with three Pegasi to bring their doom. Thunderblade was now directly above the battle zone, attempting to use nearby rainclouds to bring a lightning bolt upon one of the wind demons. The demon seemed oblivious to this, refusing to look anywhere outside of its sky-surrounded cave. Thunderblade jumped upon the cloud, sending a deathbolt to fall upon the wind demon. One more wind demon had vanquished, leaving only two. Meanwhile, Brazen Skylighter had joined the fray, his presence combined with Flameborn’s bringing heat into the twenty-five metre circle of doom. Or at least, it should've done. Yet, there was no heat being brought, which meant that something must've been negating such effects. Thunderblade took another cloud, and set that one to bring a storm upon a wind demon, to which it did. A silent bolt, made inaudible within the crescendo of wind drove itself through one of the remaining wind demons. Flameborn had the last one in her sights, as she proceeded to create her ring of fire around the demon, and to skylight up to its forehead, burning it. But all was not well, as the last demon had forged a tornado within these winds. It had not fully formed until after the demon had met its doom, and Flameborn Dash was stuck inside of it. She screamed, but it was reasonless: there was nothing she could do. The winds ravaged her wings and hooves, ramming her from high in the skies to a groundbound plummet. There was no escaping this fate. The tornado disintegrated much like the wind demons, but they had taken a victim with them. Thunderblade and Brazen Skylighter raced over to Flameborn Dash, who was lying on the ground, her once burning colours now weak and pale. Commander Windblazer’s team had arrived just at this moment, and the five Pegasi stood together, unable to believe their eyes. Flameborn Dash? Defeated? All was completely silent as she said her last words, with her five companions feeling just as lifeless inside as she was.

“Don’t mourn me, friends. Rather, remember me as a fine warrior who fulfilled their duty. I always dreamed of being a heroine, and I’m proud of my bravery. Have you ever seen me cry? I doubt it. Ask yourselves, what would a brave pony like Flameborn Skylighter do? (Her voice weakened) Emerald, don’t let my death tie you down! And I don’t doubt you, Rainbow. I… know you’ll… be… strong.” Without a further word, she passed away. Her words upon death, telling the others not to mourn her made the death even more sorrowful. Flameborn, brave, strong, brimming with life, boisterous, yet kind-hearted, with undying loyalty. Everypony loved her for her free spirit. Trying to imagine an Equestria without her was unbearable, and nopony was brave enough to think about it.

All of them wept, but the one who wept most of all was Brazen Skylighter. He was Flameborn's older brother by a year, and even as they'd aged, their bond had never weakened. His mind was now overloaded with buzzing thoughts and the sheer overload was making it impossible for him to focus on anything. It was impossible not to shed tears now, for by doing so, he could slowly release everything inside.

Videos of memory played inside Brazen's head. They were both proud athletes, and had engaged in many competitions - fights, hoof wrestles, races on hoof and races in the sky. They'd constantly traded insults back and forth, yet their friendship never weakened. Even though there was always going to be a loser in all their competitions, that status never lasted long, because afterwards they would go on extensive pranking sprees (and Brazen couldn't help but give a slight chuckle at some of them even in his current state of mind), where they required each other for successful and fun mischief. After that, they'd hoofbump one another and by this point neither would have anything left in them.

It was largely due to being the younger of the two that Flameborn became the pony she became. She'd felt as though she was always in Brazen's shadow and was determined to rise above. It took a long time, but through various feats, she had proved that she was the stronger of them. She'd committed possibly her most incredible feat of bravery ever against the wind demons, and had never been able to celebrate it. Brazen now looked around, to see that even the usually cold Commander Windblazer's fur was discoloured. Commander Windblazer made a command, his voice gloomy and downbeat: "Let us return the body."

It was a silent return. None of the companions even looked at one another, not even Brazen Skylighter and Thunderblade, who were carrying the cold body. Not even the wind in her mane, a feeling that Flameborn had always enjoyed, made the body any warmer. Nor did the thought of Flameborn, now resting in her own golden field far away, give the downtrodden warriors any joy.

Author's Note

It's disputable as to whether this actually fits the Alternate Universe tag. I've added it, because there are decidedly non-canon happenings in this. Please do comment, whether or not you've anything good to say about these stories.

Emerald's Dungeon

“I know you’ll be strong…”

Sure enough, Flameborn’s words proved true. Rainbow was now six and already seemed to display many of her mother’s naturally warrior-esque traits. She had turned out very physically-oriented – in her flight school, she was one of the best fliers, regularly proving herself to be far more durable and far quicker than most. She may well’ve been the best flier in her class if she was less erratic, but it could easily be worked on. She was physically very strong for her age, especially in her hind legs. Her front legs weren’t as strong (but still fairly strong), because when airborn, a Pegasus would use their front legs for stopping, as well as steering. Rainbow Dash often used her front hooves at the latest possible moment, and being that she was only a filly, they were not well developed enough for her to pull off such a move without her landing going wrong.

Being that Pegasi were traditionally the warriors of Equestria, the curriculum was very P.E oriented. Karate, rodeo and hoof wrestling were frequently practiced to keep one physically strong, as well as extensive flight training. In general, Rainbow Dash excelled in all of these fields.

There was also the more academic side. The closest thing to anything academic that Rainbow Dash enjoyed were her father’s tales of brave Pegasus warriors. Being that it was a flight school, Physics was regarded as especially important (although the subject wasn’t taught until a Pegasus reached their third year.) Nonetheless, when it came to numeracy or literacy, Rainbow Dash was distinctly average in her abilities, and more significantly, showed very little interest. One got the impression that if she were a little older (and a little braver), she’d end up using these lessons as naptimes.

And the thought of Rainbow Dash getting any braver than she’d already become, was a thought that was better off not being dwelled on for too long. She loved adventure, and routinely enjoyed heading out to new places that she’d never been to before with her father. Being that she fortunately still wasn’t that durable, she couldn’t travel that far, so she wouldn’t take up too much of Emerald’s time each day (it also meant that she’d be tired by the end, thus providing a peaceful evening). She was always the first to try anything unfamiliar, and fillies and colts alike of her age saw Rainbow as a protector, one whom they believed would keep them in safe hooves. If Emerald were to give his opinion, he’d say they were right on the former, but spectacularly wrong on the latter. Rainbow Dash loved mischief, and Emerald learned that the hard way. Emerald had hidden the cupcakes in a box atop a cupboard twenty feet above the floor, where Rainbow shouldn’t have been a strong enough flier to reach. Unfortunately, just because there were twenty metres (that a six year old filly shouldn't be able to fly) between her and the cupcakes was no reason for Rainbow not to claim them. In retaliation, Emerald hid them in the depths of his cellar, convinced that Rainbow's fear of confined spaces would take over.

Rainbow Dash braced herself as she blindly flew downwards into the dungeon. She may've been afraid of confined spaces, but she wouldn't let that stop her. She was far too awesome for that kind of stuff. Daddy had placed the cupcakes in the dark dungeon of fear, thinking that Rainbow would be too frightened to be able to claim her prize. But Rainbow did not succumb to that fear, instead braving all the evils around her, as house spiders tried to trap her in their webs of doom. Soon, she had made it to the far end, and in doing so, she smelled around for the sweet aroma of cupcakes. Soon enough, her nose had detected them and she delightfully kicked the cupcake box open, with a proud and mischievous grin. She used her front hooves to feel for the holy grail and cup it, in order to finally allow herself a taste of the dungeon's treasure.

At this point, the dungeon door opened and Rainbow would have to act fast to beat this powerful adversary that stood between her and the way out.

"Welcome to the lair of Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow made her best attempt to pull an evil sounding voice, but unfortunately her attempt was undermined by the cupcake that she had in her mouth.

"Nice try, Dashie. I believe, however, that this dungeon is mine." It was very clearly Emerald, whom through his deep voice he was able to give out a booming evil laugh that echoed all through the cellar.

By this time Rainbow had wolfed down the cupcake. "Oh yeah? I'm not scared of you!" Rainbow barked, in her best attempt to sound tough. She backed this up by unleashing a loud fart to establish her territory and show her defiance. After braving the cellar's "perils" successfully, what was there to be afraid of?

Unfortunately, though Rainbow usually succeeded at sounding tough, she also usually ended up seeming more cute than she did intimidating. Emerald verbally pounced on his daughter with: "You are unusually cute for a dungeon master, one must say." He'd deliberately emphasised the word "cute," in his best attempt to catch Rainbow Dash off guard and in the process, prove that he was the master.

"I'm not cute!" Rainbow protested.

Emerald gave a snarky and smug looking grin, rather akin to that of a lawyer who was winning a court battle and knew that he still bore an ample supply of evidence. "The evidence states otherwise, RD. If you weren't cute, I'd have chosen a gravecloud by now. Your cuteness merely serves as a ticket to mischief."

"Mischief? What mischief?" Rainbow asked, trying to look as innocent as possible by exposing her cheeks.

"Where do I begin?" Emerald snarked, in an entirely rhetorical question. He really didn't want to say all the acts she'd committed, because he knew that Rainbow was proud of every single one. Rainbow didn't reply, and at this stage, Emerald flew towards Rainbow, who was standing next to a cupcake box with only two cupcakes in it, unlike the three that should've been there. Examining the contents, Emerald said: "Rainbow, why are there only two cupcakes in the box?” Emerald asked. The worst part for Emerald was that deep down, he was proud of his daughter for doing this. After all, how could you not be proud if your daughter had the guts to fly through that cellar?

“I don’t know, Daddy. Did you take one?” Rainbow asked, with a mischievous grin that gave everything away. Despite the fact that she could not tell lies, she could use her grin to negate any feelings of annoyance. Irritatingly enough, it worked. Everytime.

Trying to raise Rainbow Dash brought once dangerously close to a paradox – on one hoof, she was good at doing exactly what you didn’t want her to do (such as flying to the house’s ceiling twenty metres up to steal a cupcake, a height that fillies of her age should never reach in flight. Emerald Dash had consequently hidden the cupcakes in a confined cellar filled with spiders, because Rainbow Dash really hated confined spaces. She managed to steal a cupcake anyway.) On the other hoof, that meant resorting to an environment of extreme safety – and with Rainbow Dash’s love of getting into a few dangers more than she could handle, this was highly tempting. It also meant not being a good father, so Emerald was forced to indulge her anyway.

“No I didn’t, Dashie. Did you take one?” Emerald said, deliberately mirroring his daughter.

“Me? I don’t steal! I’m a good filly!”

“Listen, RD, if you steal anymore cupcakes, I’ll have to terminate an adventure or two. You don’t want that to happen, do you?” Emerald Dash asked, bringing down the hoof of justice upon the rebellious filly.

“Alright. Where do you get the cupcakes from, anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked, her bright rose eyes looking deep into Emerald’s strong green eyes. One could tell from her deep look that she was interested. Emerald wanted to tell a lie, but unfortunately, whilst Rainbow was no good at telling lies, she had an impressively good ability to tell a lie from the truth.

“Do you remember when I took you to the town of Ponyville, some time back?” Emerald Dash asked.

“That place beneath us?”

“None other. Within the town of Ponyville, there’s a shop named Sugarcube Corner."

"Sounds like a place full of sugarcubes." Rainbow replied. She hadn't yet mastered her father's acts of snark.

“The amount of sugar in the cakes they make there is the equivalent of more than a few sugarcubes. And that’s where I got the cupcakes from.”

“What does “equivalent mean?” Despite Rainbow Dash’s lack of interest in literacy, she rather enjoyed being taught by her father. He made lessons fun, and not boring, much unlike the teachers at flight school.

Emerald quietly contemplated (he did this a lot), putting a hoof on his chin. “How should I explain this? Equivalent… it’s basically equal. But it means more than equal. It’s mathematical. But I can’t say that – I like teaching her new words, but some concepts are far too tricky at her age.” It was quiet enough so that Rainbow couldn’t hear him, but it definitely wasn’t silent. Emerald believed that he’d found the way, so he removed his hoof and began speaking, with all ears on him before he’d even started. “Equivalent is similar to equal. It’s a very numerical word. For example, you would say that eight is the equivalent of two fours, rather than eight is the equal of two fours. But unlike with equal, you couldn’t say “My front legs are equivalently as strong as my rear legs.”

“Seems complicated to me.” Rainbow Dash replied. Emerald Dash was quietly satisfied – she was as correct as one could possibly be without understanding what the word actually meant. And Emerald Dash didn’t expect her to understand it – yet.

“It gets easier. Or more accurately, one gets better at understanding words. It’s like flying really – the more you do it, the better you become. You see, at your age, you don’t yet have the vocabulary, or the experience to understand the true beauty of language. But as you grow up, you’ll understand it more and more. You don’t grow up naturally though, Rainbow. You grow up through your experiences, and all that you learn in this world. Do not wait to grow up. Make yourself grow up. You don’t grow up with age. It’s a mistake that many ponies make. But this is your world to learn. Allow your experiences to guide you, not my words. You may take my words as advice, but treat them as no more than advice. You will make mistakes, but the fact that you’ve made a mistake is important. What’s important is that you know you’ve made a mistake when you make one.” Emerald said.

Emerald enjoyed taxing Rainbow to her limits. He was a rather cynical pony, and not entirely sure how good the teaching was in flight schools. Regardless, Emerald firmly believed that his teaching was correct, and that although Rainbow did not understand some of the vocabulary he used, she could, through the words that she knew, put two and two together.

Rainbow was silent. Whether or not she was especially wise, she was clever enough to realize when there was nothing to say. But she was thinking about it. Why would she take this advice on? It didn’t make sense to her. She was sure it was good advice, but why should she take it? The facts didn’t add up! Surely mistakes were best avoided in the first place! Surely age was how one grew up! The older fillies and colts in flight school, with several years more of age, were clearly more grown up!

Emerald knew his daughter inside out. Even when she wasn't speaking, he knew how she felt. Emerald Dash was sure that Rainbow felt unsettled. “What’s wrong, RD?” He asked, studying the filly’s face.

“You give me advice! But I don’t understand it! It doesn’t make any sense to me! And it should do, because everything you tell me makes sense, Daddy!” Rainbow was angry now, not with her father, nor with herself, but with the words that were between them both. And Rainbow Dash did not like things that were abstract. She loved the wonders of her five senses, but the abstract was something quite different. It was weird. It was far too powerful. It was a confined dungeon, one where the air was shared with so much else that it was impossible to breathe. It wasn't anything like Emerald's cellar either. This was a real dungeon. It made Rainbow feel powerless, which in turn made her feel restless, endangered and weak.

Rainbow was relieved when her father replied. She loved him, and his words were warming, even when they weren’t what she wanted to hear. “You aren’t meant to understand them, Rainbow. You’re only six. I’m thirty-five years of age. I’m far more mature than you, and it shouldn’t be any other way. Yet, when the time comes, you’ll understand what I’m telling you. And I don’t believe you’ll listen to me when my advice is needed most. But I have no doubt you’ll learn everything I’ve said at one stage of your life or another.” Emerald hugged his daughter, reminding her of his deep colours, warming flare and that she was safe.

Rainbow yawned, her focus weakening. But her face was too forward, and her eyes too open for there to be any doubt that she was listening. Rainbow was tired now of mental exertion. But she did have something else on her mind...

“Can you take me somewhere I’ve never been before?” Rainbow asked. She gave a wide and toothy grin at even the thought of a flight, knowing that she was far too cute for Emerald to refuse such a request. Rainbow used it as a get out of jail free card all the time, as well as using it as a bartering technique to get her way. She knew all too well that it worked, as Emerald did not want to restrain Rainbow, unless she was being a troublemaker. She'd been a troublemaker earlier, but that was all in the past.

Emerald hesitated. He was entirely sure that he wished to take Rainbow on a short flight, but couldn’t think where he hadn’t taken Rainbow before. Then a thought hatched inside his head – “We could make for that cloud. Flameborn’s cloud. She may be strong enough to manage it now.” Clouds were cleared all the time, but that one was high enough to be kept intact. Emerald knew its exact location.

“Rainbow, I shall take you to a cloud. It’s a cloud that Mummy once liked to rest upon.” Emerald said, somewhat solemnly. He couldn’t help but wish that Flameborn was with him. Rainbow was far closer to Flameborn in personality than she was to Emerald. Emerald understood Rainbow very well, but he ultimately felt as though he was missing a few pieces in the jigsaw.

“Aw yeah!” Rainbow said, using none other than her trademark
words of happiness. Sometimes it meant pride, sometimes it meant success, sometimes it meant joy, but it always meant something good, in this case excitement.

Emerald and Rainbow soared off, initially at a slow pace. “Remember to warm up your wings first, Rainbow. Your wings are likely stiff, as you haven’t stretched them. Flexing your wings will enable you to fly faster.”

“Fly faster…” The moment Emerald said these words was the moment that Rainbow realized that Emerald was telling her exactly what she needed to do. Rainbow flexed her wings, flapping them slowly and stretching the muscles within them. She used her rear legs to maintain speed, until it was time to make the flight.

“I’m ready, Daddy.” Rainbow said, brimming with confidence.

“Oh, are you now? How’s this?” Emerald said, trying his best to sound like his daughter, and giving the same mischievous and cocky grin. Less than a second later, he was zooming through the sky. He wasn’t making it easy for Rainbow. But Rainbow loved competition. She was not going to let him zoom off without her. Rainbow fiercely flapped her wings, with numerous strong kicks in her rear hooves, refusing to cease the kicks until her speed was enough to match Emerald’s pace. She followed every line Emerald took, trusting that he was taking the least turbulent lines. She grinned as she saw herself catching Emerald. There were about two seconds between them. Then it became less than two. Soon it reached one. A few moments later, they were side by side.

“Think you’ve got a little more, Rainbow?”

“Absolutely!”

“Then how about this?” Emerald disappeared. Rainbow was flying the fastest she’d ever flown, but he was quicker by a long shot. Rainbow grimaced. She would not let Emerald get away with this. Emerald believed that Rainbow was capable of it and she wasn't going to prove him wrong. She flapped her wings just as strongly as before, but twice as fast. She continued a fierce kicking rhythm in her rear legs. She wasn’t catching Emerald. But he wasn’t pulling away from her. And this was exactly what Emerald wanted. This was her limit. It wasn’t the fastest speed a Pegasus had ever travelled (far from it, in fact), but not many fillies of six years had ever achieved this speed. Rainbow could see Emerald ceasing the kicks in his rear legs, and using his front legs to slow down. Rainbow did the same. It was quite unlike flight school, where she was always the fastest, and thus had to choose her own braking points, where there never seemed to be any pattern, and consequently, it was incredibly difficult to judge when to slow down.

Emerald stopped to rest on the cloud. A few seconds later, Rainbow was there as well. Both had looks of intense joy on their faces.

“Mightily done, Rainbow. Your flying skills have improved.”

“I know, right? I’m the best flier in my class, and tomorrow I’ll amaze them beyond belief with how much the best flier has improved!”

Emerald raised his hoof, and Rainbow did the same, as they bumped hooves together. Emerald’s words echoed through the silent sky. It was silent here, being far above any kind of sound. It was around seven pm, so the sky was dark, but nonetheless the cloud’s position brought a strong feeling of power, and freedom. It made one feel safe, and unharmable, because sounds were heard far too easily. Even in the deepest of sleeps, one would be woken by even the quietest of trespassers. It was wonderful to Rainbow. The feeling of the winds against her body, bringing life within her, as well as strength. Rainbow felt like a warrior here. And what Rainbow wanted, more than anything, was freedom. The feeling of knowing that one can do anything, unrestrained. It was magnificent - dreamlike, even. This cloud felt like it was straight out of her dream.

"I like it here." Rainbow said.

It was at this point when Emerald delved into his explanation. "So did Mummy. Very often, she would sleep on this cloud. She said it made her feel free, and safe. She could see much beneath her, but none would think to look for her here. Feel the air around you, Rainbow. Surely you feel... refreshed."

"Oh, I do. I feel stronger than ever, and even more powerful than I should be. (her eyes at this point moved forward) I feel like I could take on you!" The young Pegasus, who should've been exhausted by the flight, was finding new energy through this cloud.

Emerald had to laugh. Rainbow was being deadly serious in her words. And yet, Rainbow, with the physical strength she already had displayed may well have the strength to take on, or at least give Emerald a run for his money in a few years time. Which was humiliating, as he was far from physically weak, but despite this, he had never come close to Flameborn's strength (and stallions were meant to be stronger than mares). Then again, Emerald Dash couldn't actually remember living with a mare ever since he'd been in a relationship with Flameborn. Both she and her daughter seemed to shun just about any typically feminine practices. Rainbow despised fashion, declaring it as "cumbersome" and "restraining on the wings."

Emerald's laughter ended. "Think you got what it takes? Then prove it!" Emerald said, his own eyes moving forward, which made his usually passive self lurch into a sudden explosion of ferocity and intimidation.

"Gladly!" Rainbow replied, her eyes filled to the brim with a warrior's flare. Without a second thought, she dived straight over to Emerald and pushed her front hooves upon the front of his body to knock him onto his flank. Of course, Emerald was going easy - the filly didn't act as though she were weak, but at her age she would still take injury very easily. Nonetheless, Rainbow's hooves gave a fierce tug, which refused to stammer from Emerald's resistance. After seven seconds, Emerald was on his flank. And this was an exceptionally vulnerable position for anypony to be in. If one successfully drove an enemy onto their flank, there was no hesitation in bringing them the killing blow.

Emerald's face, upon examination revealed a smile. A smile of the knowledge that he had a fine daughter. Emerald shouted out "All hail the mighty Rainbow Dash!" In the silence, Emerald's shout boomed out, echoing all around, as though one stood too close to a loudspeaker. Yet it didn't sound deafening in any way, rather it sounded oddly soothing, and yet this soothingness did nothing to harness the power of his voice.

Rainbow Dash smiled. She was proud of her feat.

"I have a truly great daughter." Emerald said, his eyes staring deep and piercing Rainbow's gaze.

"Yeah, well, I knew that already!" Rainbow replied, in her trademark cockiness.

"I know that you'll go far. Aim for the heavens, and never look away. The only way is onwards, after all. There is no turning back."

Rainbow was silent.

"Rainbow, I would like to sing you a song that Mummy once sang. This was her favourite."

Emerald raised his left hoof, and his singing voice unleashed itself, deep but strong.

May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay,
Forever young.

"And I don't doubt you. You're a truly special filly." Emerald said, placing a hoof upon Rainbow's shoulder.

"You're a truly special daddy. The best I could have!" Rainbow was loud, and sincere. Emerald couldn't help but shed a slight tear at his daughter's compliments.

A proud father, and an even prouder daughter looked to the stars above. "See that bright star, RD? That's Mummy. She'll always be watching over you, a strong and fiery presence to aid you on. And she's not the only one to help you in your darkest hour. I'll always be there for you. Always."

A Tale of Dragons

Chapter 4 takes place directly after Chapter 3.

Rainbow lay in Emerald's hooves, his warm and deep indigo shielding her from the cold. After a minute of silence, Emerald's deep, powerful and warming voice enshrouded the wind in softness: "Dashie, I must know: what is it about dresses that you don't like?" He liked to ask these kinds of questions in order to get the responder to unintentionally reveal more information about themselves. This allowed him to understand a few things about his daughter that he would only be able to guess otherwise.

"They make my wings feel trapped." Rainbow replied, jerking her wings to make sure that they were free.

Emerald had been skeptical of Zecora's words, as they seemed like superstition, a concept which he didn't trust. Yet, despite this, Zecora's words were proving true. He suspected that Zecora had picked up her information through signals of feeling, as this was the only concept that made any sense. Zecora had specifically told him, "She yearns to be free." She wasn't wrong.

Emerald thought about everything. Rainbow governed her life by her desire for freedom. It was why she'd stolen the cupcakes twice. Emerald had bound her by a weight, and his daughter was determined to lift it, carefree of any cost that lifting the weight may bring. His understanding of Rainbow was growing as she grew, her personality blossoming minute by minute.

"You're thinking about something, aren't you?" Rainbow asked bluntly. This caught Emerald completely by surprise.

"That I am. If I didn't think, I would be worse than a blind stallion." Emerald said, in his typically cryptic philosophy. He was deliberately cryptic because he wanted Rainbow to learn to fill in the gaps. He'd tried to create a balance between crypticism and spoon-feeding, but knowing where the balance lay was a blind guess and Emerald had failed to find it.

Even before Rainbow began speaking, Emerald knew that he'd been far too cryptic. The problem was that one can think one thing, and when the same thought is spoken out loud, its meaning changes totally. "Not to worry," Emerald thought to himself. "I can learn from this. After all, although Rainbow is my daughter and it's my duty to raise her, it's also my duty to know what I can know. The balance I'd sought clearly lies elsewhere." Emerald's thoughts were muddled, but he'd learned to understand his muddled thought patterns. Or at least, he believed he understood them. No, he could never quite be sure. This was delving into assumptions now, which were probably correct, but one had to account for the unlikelyhood that they weren't. Emerald refused to resort to assumptions, because if he did, eventually he'd mistake them for facts. It happened every single time. Fortunately, Emerald was woken up by the boisterous voice of his daughter.

"Could you tell me a story? One about those great Pegasus warriors!" Rainbow Dash asked, combining her boisterousness with an innocent and high pitched tone that sounded far too cute for Emerald to even consider refusing.

Emerald Dash had his own voice for storytelling; a voice that was deeper still than his normal voice. Within his voice lay a mysterious quality that sounded as though he was speaking from a bygone and forgotten age. "I know of one. Your mother, Flameborn Skylighter was one of the finest warriors that Equestria has ever bore. Everypony respected her for her bravery, and for her ferocity as well as determination. She was wild at heart, but her wild nature stemmed from a passion to show her patriotism to Princess Celestia. She died through her bravery but were it not for her, the Island of Gallopoli would've been taken over by wind demons. Flameborn however, stopped more than just wind demons. She slew vicious dragons also, through nothing but her sheer strength." Emerald paused, to study Rainbow's eyes. They were positioned a long way forward, and were wide open. She wasn't even blinking.

"She'd returned from one of her flights to inform Commander Windblazer of the Wonderbolts that dragons were in Equestria. Commander Windblazer, being a stallion that preferred thorough action to immediate, told Flameborn to wait. Of course, being the rebel she was, Flameborn refused, convinced that she could take on a dragon. She took only one companion with her - Emerald Dash, who had utmost trust for all of Flameborn's words and actions. Other ponies doubted her, but he knew that Flameborn would keep to her word. Flameborn knew her capabilities, impressive though they were."

"You saw one of the best warriors in their awesome moments firsthoof?" Rainbow asked, squeeing with excitement.

"Indeed I did, Rainbow. And I didn't fight - I was too afraid. Much like Flameborn, I know my capabilities. And I didn't have the strength to survive against such a foe. I also lacked the courage - I was not willing to risk my life. While courage may not be physical, courage can create power in one. Flameborn bore it in abundance."

Emerald shut his two emerald green eyes, and they re-opened, appearing to be a deeper shade of green than before, one that accompanied his deep storytelling voice perfectly. "Flameborn raced through the skies, a flaming trail behind her made of nothing other than the burning flames within her heart. Her rear hooves kicked back with the force of a tornado, as she fearlessly raced where her danger detector guided her. Her heart pumped faster than before from the adrenaline, with the wind to cool her sweating mane. I followed, myself exhausted and wrestling fatigue to avoid being engulfed by the hurricanes of wind. I fought the wind only because I knew that the feisty mare would stay by my side through any weather, cold or warm." Emerald had now forgotten the last time Rainbow had even blinked, it was that long ago. Even though her eyes were wide open, the cute little filly was in an unbreakable trance within Emerald's story.

"The two bold Pegasi swiftly progressed towards the volcanic realms of Kulath-Akhrenta, the gateway between the pony and dragon kingdoms. Such a name was chosen for its dreadful sound; and dreadful was a rather fitting term to describe the place. All dragons who even came close to this gateway had their sights set on ruthless destruction within Equestria. They were beastly, to the extent that civilized behaviour was unteachable - for their stone hearts had no place for kindness. They were not allied to each other, for they were far too selfish to think anything of generosity, and certainly far too dishonest to be loyal to one another. As for the typical dragon game - well, whether you could call it a dragon game is quite disputable. Dragon games typically consisted of menacing one another, asserting their dominance. If a dragon wasn't the alpha, they'd better be ready to learn their place quickly - although backstabbing usually prevailed in the dragon kingdoms. They seemed incapable of knowing anything of laughter. Well, they knew of laughter rather. But they certainly didn't know what it was for. If a dragon were to laugh, you could guarantee it was at somedragon else's expense, or maybe even somepony if they got lucky. And dragons weren't weak. They bore quiveringly sharp teeth - all of them canines with the steepness of spikes. They bore mighty claws, of which a single swipe could bring an oozing cut to even the toughest of ponies. Their tails were clubs, which if swung would knock out ponies, and even other dragons, in seconds. And if you accidentally impaled yourself on their shining scales, well. Nopony ever lived to tell the tale. And dragons weren't slow. They were not as fast as Pegasi, but were many times bigger with greater wings to accompany them; these brought intensive resistance behind them. Ah, but I forgot to mention one thing, for a dragon's flaming breath is their deadliest weapon of all. Dragons made pretty good cooks - if you liked your food nice and crispy, that was."

"But Flameborn was not afraid, in much the same way that she wasn't afraid of anything. She landed aground, taking a few seconds to catch her breath. But she knew that she couldn't spare any more time, for if she did, the malevolent and savage dragons would be all over her without even a warning. Dragons knew nothing of any moral codes. But I diverge - for I took landing side by side with Flameborn - the mare and stallion looking closely into each other's eyes, shimmering lights of green and rose intertwining, these lights together bringing energy and strength.

"Impressive flying, Emerald. But still not as great as me." Flameborn joked. Well, almost. Eventually I’d gotten used to them. “Flameborn jokes,” I guess you could call them – she told them all the time.

"Do you have a plan of attack?" I asked, snarking the fireball.

"I have a plan. ATTACK!" Flameborn nearly dashed off, except that I, in a sudden burst of energy bit her by the tail. Flameborn's look of passion quickly turned into a sulk.

"Hey, let me go!" Flameborn said, nearly but not quite shouting.

"You mean, your plan is to make a rapid flight, circling around dragons?" I asked.

"Oh sorry. I forgot you don't like flying." Flameborn taunted, her apology being very clearly sarcastic.

"I don't mind flying, but what you're planning is suicide!"

"It's not suicide if I can survive it!" Flameborn said, in an excited sounding voice with a boisterous fuelling.

And yet, as wild as Flameborn could be, she never overestimated her capabilities. I thought that I was probably being a fool, but in all the outcomesof which I could imagine this dragon battle, Flameborn would triumph, the proud mare once again victorious. I was suddenly woken up by Flameborn's loud voice "What're you thinking about, egghead?"

At this moment, three dragons were seen in the skies. "I have another plan. Sit back and watch this - I'm telling you it's awesome!" Without another word, Flameborn skylighted off to the dragons.

"Hey, dragons!" Flameborn called out playfully.

The three dragons clearly heard this, as they flew towards Flameborn, their wings flapping back and forth. But they weren't following one another - they were all choosing a different route to take through the skies, seemingly determined to prove that their route was the most direct of the three. When two dragons' paths crossed, one would usually say "Move over, idiot! You're in my way!" And without another word, they'd knock the other dragon to the side.

After about fifteen seconds, one of the dragons arrived, giving out a guttural laugh. He was a male dragon, red in colour, with an armoured, rather than spiky tail. A dragon's tail made a slight difference as to the dragon's personality - if it was scaly, they seemed a bit nicer at first (of course, “seemed,” in this instance, did not mean “was.”) But Flameborn wasn't looking at his features. She was looking at him. His eyes were large and down-facing. They were a light green, but with a very sombre texture. But it was a sombreness without depth. There was no depth to a dragon's character, unless one considered political strategizing to be a character depth.

"Derek! Barry! We got a little pony here!" The dragon shouted at the other two dragons, who were now facing Flameborn, one in front of her and left, and the other in front of her and right, all about three metres away.

The dragons began singing. If you could call it singing, that was. It sounded like extremely guttural death metal that may have been caused by burned lungs, combined with an attempt to sing in a patronisingly sweet voice (or more accurately, it vaguely resembled one, as dragons were hardly capable of singing in sweet voices). "My little pony, my little pony." "It's a shiny new day, where everything's pink and friendship is magic."

"You know all about us! Congratulations!" Flameborn snarked.

"So, my little pony, what are you here for?" The red dragon spoke once more.

"You're on the Equestrian border, and it's my duty to protect ponykind!" Flameborn's voice rose, making her sound very aggressive, and almost intimidating (it undoubtedly would've been intimidating if she wasn't a fiftieth of the size of an average dragon.) Unfortunately, the dragons thought that Flameborn's attempt at intimidation was hilarious more than it was scary.

"Oh, I'm everso scared." One of the dragons said sarcastically. He was a shiny green colour, with spikes on his tail, and small but sharp scales of a white colour down his back. He was thickly armoured, with a strong plate all down his front to protect him. And he had claws, two sharp and lengthy claws that gave him a pleasurable selection of crush or cut against Flameborn. But she was ready. Her deep rose eyes sparkled with a mighty glare filled with strength.

"You will be!" Flameborn quipped. In less than a second, she dived towards the dragon, her focus upon his face. She moved as close to his nose as possible, before unleashing a staggering kick that sent the dragon's face flinching and in turn, momentarily disabling him. While the dizzy dragon was recovering, she flew off to circle him and confuse him, as the dragon's menacing claws felt around for pony flesh. But in all his clawfuls, there was no pony. Finally deciding that he was confused enough, Flameborn moved towards his nose once more, preparing for a kick of equal ferocity. She felt her hind legs spring back to strike the dragon, a movement strong enough that she kicked wind along with the dragon.

Her hind hooves finally struck the dragon, leaving the dragon helpless as he could handle no more of Flameborn's club-like hooves. His wings temporarily disabled themselves, offering Flameborn a chance to send him to the ground. Her trails of flame could do nothing against these beasts, thus she was forced to use an alternative method of attack. While the dragon was still stunned, Flameborn grabbed onto the dragon's foot, an overwhelmingly brave and risky move, as the spikes upon its tail could stab her if she mispositioned herself even a centimetre within the weapon's range. Flameborn tugged onto the foot from above, holding him firmly in place as he fell to the ground. Once he was on the ground, Flameborn found herself in the perfect position to kick the dragon's hindquarters; their hidden weak spot, but now in reach of her hind legs. She blindly threw out her hind legs, hoping for gold. Much to her delight, her hoof hit something soft - and from that moment she knew she'd succeeded. The dragon writhed in pain, falling to the ground as though he had been paralyzed. Flameborn's strong legs had brought upon him more pain than he could take. She darted away to my side, waiting for the entertainment that was to come.

"You're gonna love this, Emerald." Flameborn said, somewhat mischievously.

The other two dragons were not following Flameborn. Instead, they were feuding with each other, and mocking the beaten dragon. "Haha Derek, you got your hinds kicked by a pony!" The familiar leader called out.

"How embarassed do you feel, Derek?" The other one said, condescendingly and maliciously. He spoke far too slowly for the insult to be meant in good fun. Flameborn insulted others all the time, but she always had a touch of mischief in her voice when she did so, in stark contrast to the dragons. Flameborn could now finally see the true appearance of the last dragon - he was white, very tall but very thin. He looked like a white beanstalk with wings, such was his build. His wings, however, were gargantuan, and his mouth was sharklike. That was Emerald's description anyhow. Flameborn's description would've gone along the lines of "a very ugly white dragon whose hinds I could kick in seconds."

The red dragon was now on Derek, ready to make a vicious swipe. Derek was defenseless, as a razor-sharp claw dug for blood, and struck rich in the tiny gaps between Derek's plates. Pale green blood spattered out like water from a fountain as Derek lost consciousness. It was one dragon down, two to go. But the dragons weren't going for Flameborn.

"You got gems, didn't you, Winston? Dumb Derek's always got some hidden on him!" The white dragon asked, in a tone halfway between a death threat and a child-like tantrum.

"Hey, why don't YOU kill a dragon, Barry?" Winston retorted. Without a second to spare, Winston tore at Barry's leg, and without another word, soared into the sky, realizing that Barry was cut deep and stranded, doomed only to follow the footsteps of fellow dragon Derek.

"I think they're ready for me." Flameborn winked. She accelerated into the sky, her flaming trail behind her for all to see. She stopped about fifteen metres from Winston, with a loud call of "I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR ME!" Without a second thought, she charged, attempting to ram his neck (a weak spot) headfirst. She angled herself very carefully (or her version of carefully), aiming straight for the neck in her relentless dash. She felt herself travelling faster. And faster. And faster. And then...

BOOM! She'd felt Winston tip back, as the dragon and pony split from each other like repelling electrons. But being much smaller and more agile, Flameborn was faster to recover. She was sure that a second neck strike would be enough. Praying that she was too quick for Winston to react, she threw herself headfirst into the neck once more, faster even than
the previous time. This time it was only Winston who lost himself - Flameborn maintained her composure even after the strike.

Now it was time to try something extremely daring. If Flameborn stayed near Winston's mouth half a second too long, Winston could breathe his flaming armageddon upon her. Through skill, and skill alone, Flameborn was quick. She sweep-stroked herself so that her hind legs were next to Winston's mouth - and ready to strike. With the aggression of a hungry dragon, Flameborn gave her parting blow, using every inch of strength that her flaming heart could give her. The dragon growled in pain, and Flameborn realized that she had succeeded. He fell to the ground, where he lay, his face shaking all over from the kick.

"Now you've seen how a pony fights!" Flameborn taunted, dancing all over Winston.

"Spare me." Winston said, in an emotionless monotone.

"As a devout advocate of love and tolerance, it is my duty to protect ponykind from the clutches of threats. Your request is overruled." Flameborn said, in her best attempt to mock Emerald's formal speech, whilst very clearly getting her point across.

Flameborn stepped up to the dragon, attempting to break his right leg. She gave a tug with her front legs, as slowly, but surely, the two sides of the knee moved inwards to one another. She gritted her teeth whilst her body wildly quivered. Then all of a sudden, a loud tearing noise could be heard. Flameborn had succeeded, her strength proving phenomenal!

Emerald, watching in sheer awe, now flew over to Flameborn.

"Impressively done, Mrs Flameborn Dash. And a nice speech to round it up!" Emerald shouted.

"This will go down as one of the greatest warrior feats ever done! YES!" Flameborn's voice was full of almost filly-like excitement.

"I don't doubt you. You said that you could kill a dragon, and did exactly that. A badflank if ever there was one. I don't think many ponies have beaten a dragon. There have been a few, but not many. (he quickly scanned through his head) Yet yours may actually be the most impressive-" Flameborn interrupted Emerald.

"Commander Windblazer said it was too dangerous. And now it's time to tell the wimp just how wrong he was." Flameborn said, playfully.

(Emerald switched back to his normal voice) "And thus ends the tale of Flameborn's greatest triumph."

Rainbow gasped for air, suddenly returning to the real world. "You seem a little breathless," Emerald joked.

"Well, um, cool story!" Rainbow shouted. After the breathtaking tale of heroism that she had just heard, she had become dangerously close to turning into a part of Emerald's quicksand mind.

"A truly great warrior deserves only the best stories." Emerald replied.

"Hey Emerald! Race you home!" Rainbow Dash blurted out, suddenly raising her wings to take off.

"Don't jump the start, Rainbow!" Emerald bit her by the tail. Rainbow sulkingly frowned, as though she were a rebelling slave who realized that their escape plot was a plan for failure.

Three! Two! One! GO!" Emerald Dash boomed out.

By the time that they'd got home, Rainbow was shattered. She fell onto her bed, and sleep took hold of her - a pleasant sleep that was far too deep for Rainbow to even think about waking up - not that she wanted to, anyway.

Emerald grinned. "Goodnight, Dashie." He said it more for his own comfort than hers - his daughter was certainly in no place where Emerald's voice could be heard. When Emerald was completely certain that he was getting no reply, he regally exited the room, sweating with pride over his daughter.

Author's Note

I'm aware of the considerable lack of direction in this story - as of Chapter 5 onwards, things will be more consistent and time skips will be less. Rainbow Dash will be ten years of age for quite a few chapters.