Magnificent Malice‏

by ChaoticAce

Ch 3: Muffins and Rainbows

The howling winds continued to tear at the wings of the gray pegasus stallion. Dodging the strong winds was hard, but he had no choice. It was either that or risk taking damage to his wings. Brad's blue eyes scanned the area beneath him. It looked as though the purple flash came from the center of Ponyville so that was as good of a place to start as any. Besides, it was still too late at night to bother his favorite pony.

The thick drops beaded onto his coat and wings. Brad sighed and realized that his wings were probably going to get weighed down once more with the rain. Looking forward he scanned the skies for traces of other peagasi who might have come across the culprit. In the clouds before him a rainbow streak flew by and tried to penetrate the clouds but seemed to end up bouncing off them as a result. "Rainbow Dash!" Brad shouted. As he watched, the sky blue pony gave up and fluttered down to the ground. As Brad got closer he could see Dash panting. Her magenta eyes shifted upwards at Brad who gave her a reassuring smile. "Those aren't just normal storm clouds. Trust me, I've tried that too." Then his eyes were torn away from her to see another mare, slate gray, sitting off to the side. "Excuse me. I'll be right back," said Brad and trotted over to Derpy Hooves. She gazed into a puddle and tried to focus her golden eyes.

"I just don't know what went wrong," she murmured, holding at a muddy muffin.

Brad's eyes went straight to her flank. Her bubbles cutie mark was replaced by an ace of spades. Glaring, he pushed gently on Derpy's flank to release the card. The mare blushed and turned towards him. "Believe me," Brad began. "You've done nothing wrong. In fact, you've helped me find a clue." He looked at the returning bubbles and then the muffin. "Pinkie's shop will be open in just a few hours. I'm sure she'd be willing to make another one for you," he reassured.

Derpy sighed. "But this one was special."

Brad smiled and took a small wrapped package out of his bag and hoofed it to Derpy. The pony took it in her hooves and unwrapped a new special muffin. Her face lit up like a filly's. Brad rolled his eyes but could not help smiling. He put the card in his pocket. "Fair trade," he smirked, then turned his attention back to Rainbow Dash not wanting to see if the muffin survived or not. Dash's hooves were red from beating against the clouds. The stallion sighed and sat down next to the flustered pegasus. "Still trying stunts to try and get the Wonderbolts' attention?" he asked.

"I heard about the incident in the Crystal Empire. Spitfire's never left a storm like that," Rainbow Dash sighed as she kicked the ground with her hoof. The soupy soil clung to her hoof. "If I can beat this then they'll notice me for sure!"

"So you left Twilight's side for this?" asked Brad.

The mare blushed and narrowed her eyes. "Sure. A throne's great and all but it doesn't beat the rush of the wind through your mane!" she exclaimed. "The pride of making sure Celestia's sun shines through! The cheers of the ponies around you as you tame the storms! I love my friends. I'd do anything for them! Taming the weather is just as important as anything else they do."

"True," sighed Brad.

"Being a Wonderbolt is my dream! I'm never going to give up on it! Just like your dream is to... Um, it's to do that… thing."

Brad chuckled. "I'm trying to become the best-known bounty hunter in all of Equestria!" he said proudly, then remembered what Cadence said about Twilight's friends being in the Crystal Empire at the time. "What happened in the Crystal Empire? Cadence said that you ponies were down there when everything went down. Do you remember seeing somepony?"

Dash looked to the darkened sky and murmured, "Lemme think." She closed her eyes and thought back to the time they were in the Crystal Empire. "We all went to visit the Crystal Empire for different reasons. Twilight was there for some royal business, Rarity went for some fashion thing, Fluttershy was there with me, and Applejack went for... something about food?" She smiled sheepishly. "I was there for the best thing in all of Equestria! Daring Do herself was giving a book signing!" She looked back at Brad and narrowed her eyes. "I know you saved her a few times here and there but she's still a big deal to me. Anyway, I was so excited! I waited in line for FOREVER to see Daring! Then just as my patience paid off, I was bumped into by some freak in a cloak!"

"A weird pony in a cloak?" Brad pondered for a moment.

"Yeah! That freak owes me a new copy of my book!" Dash said bitterly, kicking the ground once again.

"Was it a mare or a stallion?"

"I don't know but I'm pretty sure it was a pink unicorn." Dash then perked up. "So you think you can help me find them and get them to buy a new book for me?" Seeing the irritated look on Brad's face, Dash smiled sheepishly. "Sorry," she chuckled, then closed her eyes again and tried to think. "Anyway, after I saw her there was a weird uproar. I wasn't there during that but I saw the purple flash and Shining Armor's… nub." Her magenta eyes lowered as she remembered the proud unicorn's fall. Her wings slumped.

"I saw it too," Brad admitted. As he spoke, a large drop of rain hit his ear. The clouds above them turned a darker shade of gray. Lightning struck and lit up the area around them. The two looked at the looming skies above. They were going to get drenched.

"No, you didn't," Dash said suddenly. "Not like us. Fluttershy still hasn't recovered. I didn't really see anything but when the crowd got crazy we got separated. Fluttershy saw everything. I just heard the shrieking. There was so much screaming and running and… blood…" She trailed off, then sighed. "Somepony even said that his arm was there and then it just wasn't! Totally brutal magic! Nopony saw who did it. It got so dark. I think their memories are blacked out."

Brad nodded. The bounty hunting profession was heartless but as exciting as ever. He couldn't wait to unhood this culprit himself! "So Fluttershy wouldn't be of any use?" he asked.

"I wouldn't recommend trying to ask her. Discord won't let anypony near her. I haven't seen her in a while," Dash explained. She sighed and narrowed her eyes. "Fluttershy isn't a filly. Sooner or later she's gonna have to face what's happened. She's at her cottage. In fact, everypony came back to Ponyville for the most part. Discord has Fluttershy trapped inside her home! Spike came back with Rarity. The only two by Twilight's side are Applejack and Pinkie Pie."

"So Fluttershy and Rarity?" Brad asked slowly.

"Don't tell me you're still after Rarity?!" Dash glared.

"Yup," chuckled Brad.

"Give it up! You can't keep chasing the same mare for that many years and keep getting your heart trampled on! Trust me! There's gotta be somepony waaaay better for you! You just have to look!"

Brad sighed. "You don't understand. There's just something about her." The sky began to get a little lighter. Dawn was just around the corner. "Anyway, I'd better go to her shop and wait for her. Maybe I'll find something along the way."

"You do that," said Dash in an annoyed tone. "And while you're playing house I'll try to do something useful." The next second a rainbow streak zoomed up into the clouds. The stallion heard sharp thuds as the mare beat herself up trying to undo whatever spell Ponyville was under. Each of them loved this place. Each of them would fight to ensure that it didn't end up like the Crystal Empire. Brad trotted away and folded his wings. He was in for a rough night. As he followed the familiar path to Rarity's shop he thought about Dashing Knight. She was going to find Discord at Fluttershy's cottage. What would she find out? Would he be able to find out anything useful at Rarity's other than the unicorn's heart?