Appledashery

by Just Essay

Dreamers and Doers

"Your... y-your wings!" Flim stammered, pupils shrunken to pinpricks. He cowered behind his mustached brother and pointed a shaky hoof at Rainbow Dash. "You're not supposed to have your wings!"

"Funny." Rainbow Dash smirked, wings twitching. "You two still have your heads." FWOOOOSH! With that, she rocketed forward.

Flam barely had time to summon a magic shield. Rainbow slammed into it, and the resulting impact not only knocked the two brothers back—but it also stripped the plaster off half of the ampitheatre's stage.

Stu Leaves and Donut Joe went fumbling. Epcot darted over, dragger her hooves into the structure, and steadied the two ponies. As the shock wave settled, they looked up to see Rainbow Dash lifting up. A crackle of lightning rippled across Philanthropy, and she came diving at Frederick and Felix.

The sons of Shindig hopped up to their hooves. "Together, brother!" Flam shouted.

"Right on, buddy!" Flim gnashed his teeth, channeling unbridled energy into his horn.

The siblings' magic converged, turning into an electrical bullwhip that ripped the air apart.

Rainbow Dash dodged left, dodged right, and then twirled through sparkling branches of electricity.

Flim and Flam leapt out of the way before she could impale them. The ground exploded with chunks of marble and plaster. The two stallions were quick to collect them with telekinesis, then hurl them Rainbow's way. The debris collected around Rainbow Dash like a cocoon, and before she could fly off the shell collapsed, encasing her figure.

"Rainbow!" Stu hollered.

Apple Jewell blinked in surprise from where she cowered at the sidelines along with Shindig.

"Crush her, Flim!" Flam hissed. "Don't let her get another chance to—"

"I-I can't contain it!" Flim's voice cracked. "The fabric! It's suddenly unstable! I—"

POWWW! Rainbow burst through the egg of debris. With burning eyes, she slammed into Flam, shoving him off the stage and into the seats. Chunks of shrapnel flew in opposite directions as the two grinded to a stop. Rainbow straddled Flam and brought two hooves up, preparing to knock his teeth in.

FL-FL-FLASH! Flim fired multiple shots into her spine.

Rainbow grunted, barrelling off from the impact. She landed at the rear of the seats, her body recoiling under a settling cloud of dust.

"This is insane..." Flam stood up, grumbling. "Give it everything we've got!" He hollered to the air. "Forces! Move in! Take out the Blue Jay at all costs!"

Rainbow flexed her wings—but froze upon hearing several roaring engines. She turned and looked straight up.

Several gyrocopters came sailing down at her. As soon as she made eyecontact, the ponies inside hollered to one another and fired all of their gatling guns at once. RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Rainbow stood her ground.

When the bullets reached her, she did nothing—save for spread her wings. As soon as the bullets grazed her, they morphed into rain drops, splattering ineffectually across the ground.

Flim and Flam gasped—as did the pilots of the vehicles. "Pull up! Pull up!" The officers tried flying away from Rainbow, but it was too late. As soon as they passed over head, some invisible force yanked them from their craft. The gyocropters went exploding into building faces behind Rainbow Dash. In the meantime, the officers floated down by her side, flailing in midair.

"Stop struggling," Rainbow's lips moved. Then, a smile. "Be cool."

The bodies went limp. Everypony exhaled as their uniforms, coats, and manes peeled off, rolled inside out, and reconstituted themselves into different colors. Within seconds, the defenders of Philanthropy had turned into Spitfire, Soarin', Fleetfoot, and other members of the Wonderbolts. Icily, the group turned around, spreading their wings as their goggles glinted in the morning light.

"Now then..." Fleetfoot cooed.

Spitfire grinned. "Where were we?"

"Go." Rainbow pointed. "Chill them out."

Fw-Fw-Fwooooosh! A swarm of blue-and-gold uniformed ponies descended on the remaining officers gathered before the ampitheatre. The forces of Shindig shrieked, and half of them retreated as they were savagely thrashed by the pegasi fliers. Those fighting alongside Gustave and Mulia cheered mightily, and the battle began its epic turn.

"I... I can't believe this!" Flim yelped. "How is she doing this, brother?!"

"I... I don' tknow..." Flam wretched. "We had thrown her into the jaws of death! We had killed her!"

Stu glanced at Apple Jewell across the way, then at the Chaperone nearby. "Epcot...?" He had to duck as Rainbow Dash flew closely overhead, summoning thunder as she plowed through a wave of shrieking guards. "...I don't get it! What's Rainbow doing?"

Epcot smiled wide. "She's dreaming..."

Comments

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

Aw, yeah!

Can we say "The cavalry has arrived!"?

As for the twin dipsticks.........

Flim, Flam, your little scheme is done for. Just...quit while you both still have your hides...and your heads...intact, okay? You've lost; accept it.

(And this basically says it all:

and the battle began its epic turn)

But then again, you lost everything you'd planned the minute your tried to take Applejack away from Rainbow.

And that, my boys, is a major no-no.

In all honesty, you'll both be damned lucky if she even deigns to show you any mercy at this point.

As to this:

Stu glanced at Apple Jewell across the way, then at the Chaperone nearby. "Epcot...?" He had to duck as Rainbow Dash flew closely overhead, summoning thunder as she plowed through a wave of shrieking guards. "...I don't get it! What's Rainbow doing?"

Epcot smiled wide. "She's dreaming..."

What the heck does she mean by that?

[Lord Dragon]

5874965 You don't get, do ya?

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

5874996 If you're talking about what Epcot said at the end of this chapter, not really.

Not yet, at least.

But my l'il pea-brain is starting to cogitate a bit, and I'm kinda thinking that it has to do with the gyrocopter pilots being turned into the Wonderbolts.

So, by that reasoning (I think), Rainbow is now the one in charge of this dreamscape.

Correct guess on my part?

Or a wrong one?

[Lord Dragon]

5875011 Dude, PM me, you need some education in the art of inference and deduction.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

5875017 Okay, I will in a little bit.

Right now, though, I'm trying to get caught up on reading my updates and all of the stuff in my feed that I got behind during the DDOS attack and site disappearance.

[Lord Dragon]

5875032 Okay then. Remember the Alamo.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

5875036

Always.

Even if I'm not from Texas.

[Lord Dragon]

5875068 'Twas a phrase coined by a drunken fool. A brave drunken fool. A fool that died shortly after in combat for his state. A phrase to then be remembered by.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

5875074 Indeed.

[Mister Saxon]

I hate to say it, but this ending is certainly below my expectations for what Skirts is usually capable of. Rainbow Dash gets thrown into the surprisingly ineffective door of death, sees her father, then becomes the One. I mean, I get that she suddenly hijacked the dream, but it all feels like too much of a deus ex machina for me.

In other words: Rainbow ex Machina. *ding!*

[Skunkiss]

Gahhh..,,

Epicness intensifies!!!

derpicdn.net/img/2013/1/4/201996/full.gif

[FloydienSlip]

Wooo!

[viofriedsevey]

Holy fuck this is epic, although a part of me was really hoping for a situation where Rainbow is at Applejack's and shindig's mercy, and rainbow tells Applejack she loves her, or Kisses her or something, then theres like a moment of realization for Aj, then she saves Rainbow. Haha, specific I know. I look forward to seeing what ends up happening! Because this still seems too easy for Rainbow to me...

[BabySkittleMonster]

Well, Flim and Flam are dead. They are dead ponies walking. And what's even better? Not only that the two idiots know it, but AJ's seeing RD being heroic and plain awesome. Now hurry up and kiss already. Or at least cuddle.

[zaponator]

Dayum, she good.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

5875357 She is that.

[Lightning Bearer]

[Bulbajer]

I can't help but feel that Shindig's husband will be the Special Final Secret Evil Boss.

[MidnightReflection]

I was so depressed yesterday... and now I am euphoric again! Woohoo! Fimfiction is up again! And RD, go crush 'em all. Destroy everything.

[Phoenix Kitten]

Awww yeah!

[Dash32]

I've got something I'd like to say to the Flim Flam brothers...ahem.....YOURE FUUUUUUCKED!!!! FALALALALA–LA–LA YOURE FUCKED!!!!

[DrEggnog]

On the one hand, I'm with Mister Saxon. Rainbow's powers feel very deus ex machina. When the bullets didn't touch her, I thought "Really? This fight is going to be THAT easy for her?" (Though that moment did remind me of a very awesome Buffy moment from the fight with Adam.)

On the other hand, I'm still excited to see what happens next, so these chapters must be doing something right. It all does have a big, epic, exciting feel, and it's moving at a good pace.

[Seraphimus]

7052580 whilst i do agree that its a bit deus ex. That last line "she's dreaming"... i interpret it as dash is finally letting herself go daring for a moment that she's as truly awesome and unstoppable a pony as AJ deserves. That she could be the pony that AJ could love. This is the result... to me shes kinda earned the deus ex moment.

[arancaytar]

When the bullets reached her, she did nothing—save for spread her wings. As soon as the bullets grazed her, they morphed into rain drops, splattering ineffectually across the ground.

"Okay, you have some skill."

(Alternately, there's that Buffy versus Adam scene.)

Epcot smiled wide. "She's dreaming..."

"She is the One."

[arancaytar]

5876886

and now I am euphoric again

And not because of any pony god's blessing, but because you are enlightened by Dashie's flank-kicking awesomeness.

(Sorry)