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// Prologue and Chapter 1 
// Story: Beyond Equestria 
// by AshleyFlutter 
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Prologue 
“Cadence, Shining Armor!” Twilight yelled, the mare was pinned down under one of the castle pillars that had fallen during the ensuing battle. She lifted her head and craned her neck to try and focus on it so she could perform her levitation spell but it was no use. Her head was foggy from the attack. Queen Chrysalis had targeted her first, even though it had been Cadence and Shining Armor’s spell that had defeated her, as Chrysalis put it, “if it wasn’t for Twilight, Cadence wouldn’t have been there to perform her spell in the first place.” Twilight’s thoughts drifted back to that morning, the day had started out so joyously, so perfectly. It was as if fate was punishing them for assuming that nothing bad could happen on this day, or on any day for that matter, as the kingdom had been experiencing an unprecedented time of peace and harmony.

Chapter 1 
Earlier that day . . .
“Oh I can’t wait to see the new baby pony” Pinkie Pie said as she hopped around the room. “Pinkie do hold still, I need to fit you for your fabulous gown” Rarity said. She had tried to chase the pink pony around the room as she hopped and jumped to no avail. She gave up, collapsing on a tufted sofa, one of the many ostentatious decorations in Twilight’s guest room, and sighed, blowing a strand of her violet mane out of her face. Suddenly an aura of pink light surrounded the pink pony, gluing her to the spot. “Thank you, darling” Rarity said, nodding in Twilight’s direction. Twilight smiled, but Pinky began to struggle against her spell. “Pinky, come on we can’t be late” Twilight said, exasperated. “Cadence and Shining Armor are coming all the way from the Crystal Empire to present their new filly to Equestria.” “Just a few more seconds” Rarity said, festooning pink carnations into Pinkie’s Mane. She stepped back to admire her work, “there, perfect” she said smiling. Twilight sighed, “thank Celestia” she said, as she released Pinky from her spell. “Yay” Pinkie shouted as she began to hop around the room again, effectively shaking loose the flowers Rarity had just put in her mane. “hmmff” Rarity groaned. “I can’t wait to met the new pony,pony” Pinkie sang, oblivious to Rarity’s frustration. “She will have a super duper fun time with me, with me, we will be the bestest friends, wait and see, wait and see” “Twilightttttt!” Rarity screamed, “There’s no time, just leave her, she’s just being Pinky Pie.” Twilight shouted above the din. Rarity rolled her eyes, “okay fine”, she relented. “Good I’ll go check on the proceedings and you. . .” “Handle all things fabulous and fashionable, I know” Rarity said haughtily, “as Apple Jack would say,‘this isn’t my first rodeo’ as t’were.” 

“I can’t wait to meet the new ponnnyyyy” Pinkie dropped to her knees and slid across the floor, arms spread for her big finale. “Hey” she said, breathing hard, “where’d every pony go?”

*  *   *

“Okay Rainbow, you got this” Rainbow Dash said, shaking her tail in anticipation. “A sonic rainboom, psh, It’s been so done to death, but a double rainboom, that kind of move could get a pegasus into the history books”. She was perched on her cumulus high over Equestria. All those fancy ponies, even the Wonder Bolts looked like little ants from up here. “Um, excuse me, what’s a double rainboom?” a voice whispered behind her. “Gahhh” Rainbow Dash jumped at the interruption of her little utopia and plummeted towards the ground. She managed to even out at the last second, spreading her wings the their full span, flying so close to the ground that the blades of grass tickled her stomach. She looped around and flew up, up, up, finally arriving back at her cloud. “Hey, what’s the big. . .” Rainbow said, ready to give whoever made her fall a piece of her mind. “Oh, I’m so sorry Rainbow Dash” Fluttershy squeaked, even though it had been Rainbow who had fallen, Fluttershy was the one who looked like she might cry. “It’s okay Fluttershy” she said, draping a wing around her friend as she sniffled. “Way to test my limits, girl” Rainbow teased, punching her playfully on the shoulder. “A double rainboom is when you create a sonic rainboom. but instead of flying overhead and making a rainbow, you fly back through the rainboom, do another one and then, wham! double rainboom!” she shouted, posing as if she were about to fly off to save the day. Fluttershy smiled and wiped her tears. “Did you do it?” she asked, eyes gleaming. “Ummm, well, not exactly” Rainbow muttered, rubbing her shoulder. “Ugh, okay not at all” she groaned, burying her head in her wing. “I keep trying but after the first rainboom, its hard to keep my momentum going to fly back into it.” “Um, well, if you don’t mind me asking, why are trying to do a double rainboom?” Fluttershy whispered. “Ummm, Hel-lo” Rainbow shouted, nearly knocking Fluttershy off the cloud. “This is like, a once in a lifetime opportunity, everypony in Equestria is coming to see the new filly, do you know what that means?” Rainbow asked, looming over Fluttershy. “Um, nooo” Fluttershy gulped, “it means that I finally have an audience worthy of my awesomeness” Rainbow shouted, striking a pose once more. She turned towards the horizon, a determined look spreading across her face. “Okay, hold on to your hooves Fluttershy, here. . .I . . .go!” Before Fluttershy could protest, Rainbow Dash launched herself into the sky. Fluttershy screamed and hugged the cloud tightly as it spun in the wake of Rainbow’s take off. She reappeared in the sky as a streak of color and before Fluttershy could blink the sky exploded in a sonic rainboom. The cloud spun even faster and the sound of the rainboom made Fluttershy’s ears ring, she closed her eyes, bracing herself until the cloud finally came to a halt. Fluttershy cautiously opened one eye, just in time to see Rainbow Dash Barreling through the sky, at first glance she thought the daredevil pegasus was performing some sort of dive act, but she was unconscious. She’s gonna crash Fluttershy thought, gasping in horror as Rainbow inched closer and closer to the ground.