Dawn of a New World

by KingBrony

2 - The Calm Before the Storm

One Day Earlier...

Fluttershy woke with a shock. After shaking her head, she realized something was stabbing into her side. She rose in a panic, but realized it was just Angel holding a carrot. He was poking her to get the butter pony to wake up.

"Oh, Angel, I'm terribly sorry I slept in! It was just a hectic night the day before...with Twilight blowing up and growing wings!" She quietly said. The way she said it made the whole thing sound like a dream. Am I sure I was not dreaming? No, I saw it happen! It was right in Twilight's library. Just last night! Angel was not moved, instead walking away. Fluttershy went downstairs and started her day by feeding the animals. "Here you go, you must all be very hungry!" She said as the rabbits and birds chowed down on a morning salad. She herself prepared her own breakfast of vegetables and fruits. It was fairly chilly outside and the wind was slightly breezy. "We have a big day ahead of us!" Fluttershy said as she looked outside, ready for her best friend's coronation.

********

It was a bright afternoon. The sun was out, the birds were chirping, and everypony was as content as they could be. As Twilight Sparkle would put it - Life in Equestria shimmers. Fluttershy had fun walking alongside her friend as she sang about the big achievement in her life. Princess Celestia even gave Twilight a flight spell so she could temporarily fly. The new princess looked so happy in the air that Fluttershy couldn't help but cry tears of joy.

Soon after Twilight's coronation, Pinkie Pie held a huge party in the palace ballroom. There was much laughter, music, and fun times to be had during the party. Even Discord, the recently reformed Draconequus, was there to partake in the merry gathering (and to provide a little "fun" too).

"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" Discord yelled as the blue pegasus stood with her Wonderbolt teammates. The blue pony turned to see an apple pie fly right into her face. Discord and the Wonderbolts laughed as Rainbow Dash wiped it off, revealing a look of scorn.

"Applejack, don't sell Discord your pies!" She screamed at the orange mare. Applejack only laughed; she was able to sell many pies during the celebration.

As with all things, it soon came to an end. The ponies went their own way, and the mane six, except for Rainbow Dash and Twilight, took a train back to ponyville. Rainbow had asked Twilight to a race, which the purple princess happily declined.

"You have to learn to use your wings eventually!"

Twilight tried flapping her wings and managed to hover for a bit, but she fell flat on her face. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but laugh. "...Well, eventually might be a while from now." Twilight said as he wings stood straight up. "I can't get these wings to...gah! This is nothing like the books described!" She tried tucking them back, but they just popped back out.

"Relax, egghead!" Rainbow Dash said, laughing. "Flying isn't something you can just read about to understand. You gotta be born with it!" Twilight gave her a look, causing the blue pony to take that back. "Or...with some practice and guidance! Let's get outside; I'll show you some basics."

The wind was blowing nicely, which Rainbow Dash took as a good sign. She spent a good hour teaching Twilight the basics of hovering in the air. Before long, Twilight was flying slowly across the grass. It was very slow, but Rainbow Dash nodded in respect.

"I think I've got the hang of this!" Twilight said as she managed to float up a little higher. "I think I can take you up on that race now!"

Rainbow Dash laughed. "I don't want to humiliate you that badly on your first night of flight!"

"Oh, so you don't want to take up the challenge?"

"You got me," Rainbow Dash laughed. "I guess I'll go easy on you this time...Now, I know you just got a hang of it and can't fly that well..." Rainbow dash said before being blown away by Twilight's take-off. "You know, the flight books did have some useful information!" Twilight replied. "...Egghead, it's on!" Was all Rainbow could say in retaliation as she took off.

Rainbow Dash soon found out that although Twilight had some knowledge, she wasn't very fast. The blue pegasus soon began to leave the princess behind in a rainbow trail. Before she got too far, however, she became enveloped in Twilight's aura, and soon froze in place as the purple princess zoomed past.

"Hey, no fair!" Rainbow said as the magical hold dissolved. Rainbow Dash sonic rainboomed into the lead. She laughed as she zoomed through the air, only to see Twilight use her magic again to teleport right in front of Rainbow Dash. "You gotta be kidding me!" Rainbow Dash yelled as the two flew back to Ponyville.

"I guess I'll have to teach you how to fly faster so you don't have to use magic to cheat-I mean win." Rainbow Dash said with a smirk. Both ponies laughed as they landed. "How's first thing tomorrow morning?" Twilight asked as they stopped near the library.

"Of course!" Rainbow replied in her confident tone, before flying home. Twilight herself walked into her house and went upstairs. She took a moment to stare at the magical spellbook that helped complete her destiny before drifting to sleep.

*********

For everypony else who took the train, they all parted ways at the station. Fluttershy immediately went off towards her cottage after saying goodbye to her best friends. Reaching her cozy home, Fluttershy went up to her room and went right to bed. She was so tired that she didn't realize that she had left the front door open. The pegasus looked to a nearby table and stared at the picture frame that sat on it. Smiling, Fluttershy drifted off to sleep.

*********

Rarity walked into her house and went upstairs. The place was silent, which was a good sign for Rarity. She passed Sweetie Belle's room and found the filly asleep in her bed. She gave a small smile as she closed the door quietly. Sweetie Belle was dropped off by her parents as they went on a business trip in Fillydelphia. Rarity had a whole day planned out for just the two of them the next day. After going on an adventure with Applejack, Apple Bloom, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo that one time, Rarity vowed to spend as much time with her sister as possible. She went through her bedtime ritual before seeing Sweetie Belle appear at the door.

"My, Sweetie Belle, what on earth are you doing up at this time?" The white unicorn said calmly as Sweetie Belle trotted over to the bed.

"I couldn't sleep..." Sweetie Belle slowly said. "I had a bad dream..."

"Oh, darling!" Rarity started. "I can assure you that nothing bad will happen to you as long as you're with me. I Pinkie Promise!" She said as she did the motions and placed a hoof on her closed eye.

Sweetie Belle gave a small smile and turned around to go back to bed. Rarity had a weak feeling in her stomach, but she brushed it off and went to bed. It better not rain tomorrow, that would be the worst possible thing!

*********

Applejack returned to her farm and found Big Macintosh tending to one last apple tree.

"Big brother!" Applejack shouted as she approached her fence. "Whatcha doin' up at a time like this? Ah think you'd best be gettin' to bed."

Big Mac turned to her, then back to the apple tree and said "...Eeyup." As he bucked the last tree. The red apples dropped right into the surrounding baskets. He piled them up into a wagon, pulling it back towards the barn. Big Mac looked even stronger now, Applejack noticed. We'll get a good fast harvest this year, Ah'm sure of it!

The siblings walked inside to find Granny Smith asleep on her rocker again. Applejack laughed as she brought her granny up to bed. She lay her grandmother lightly on her bed and tucked her in. She shifted a little before snoring. Applejack couldn't help but smile. "Good night, Granny Smith." She said quietly as she closed the door.

"It's been a long day..." Applejack said in a tired voice as she passed Apple Bloom's room. She was still up, huddled over a table.

"Apple Bloom, why are you still up?" Applejack asked. The filly turned around. The look on her face suggested that Apple Bloom was not tired at all.

"Tomorrow, Scootaloo and Ah are gonna go play baseball in the park!" She said, bouncing up and down. Applejack had never been happier to see her sister so happy. It was a nice feeling.

"Well, you'd best be savin' your energy for that. Get to bed, sugarcube." She said as she tucked her sister in.

"Good night, big sis!" Apple Bloom said. "I'll see ya tomorrow, bright and early!"

********

Pinkie pranced into sugarcube corner just as the Cakes were closing up shop. It was a busy day, by the looks of the kitchen and the flour all over Mrs. Cake.

"Oh Pinkie!" Mrs. Cake said as the pinky pony entered. "How did the party go? I trust our cakes were well received?"

"It was fantastic, Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly. "...But I'm a little tired now. Golly, that party was so fun that even I'm partied out!" She said as she stumbled up the stairs.Pinkie passed the baby cakes' room quietly, taking a quick look inside. Both Pound and Pumpkin Cake were sleeping soundly in their beds. Pinkie went into her own room and passed out as well.
The party pony had a bright smile on her face as she dozed off.

*********

Rainbow Dash flew up to her house and went inside. She passed a Wonderbolts poster and jumped right into bed, checking the time. "11:59," Rainbow Dash sighed before she began to snore. "This. Is. Awesome."

Just then, Rainbow heard a loud crack, followed by the sound of an explosion. Her entire house began to shake violently, and the pegasus fell onto the floor. She immediately jumped into the air and looked around. "What's going on?" She blurted as she went to the window. A complete look of horror was on her face as she saw the sea of red right in front of her.

**********

Sugarcube corner began to shake violently as well, causing Pinkie Pie to wake right up. Are there buffalo running through the streets? Not giving it much thought, she fell back asleep. A loud explosion made the pony jump right out of bed and run out onto the rooftop of Sugarcube Corner. The smile on her face deteriorated completely as her tail began to twitch violently. Pinkie Pie saw a giant meteor...no, lots of giant meteors! They rained from the sky like snow in a blizzard. She saw one pass right through Rainbow Dash's house, completely destroying the structure. "Oh no!" Pinkie Pie yelled. Soon after, the sky grew hot as fire poured out of the sky as well.

Pinkie's thought process immediately changed from a silly charging herd to one of actual concern. She screamed and ran back into the house. Her first thought was to protect the baby cakes. Pinkie ran through the hallways, bumping into the furniture and walls as the entire house shook. She finally reached the babies' room to find them crying, with pound cake flying around in circles. Pinkie grabbed him and Pumpkin cake and huddled under a nearby desk.

"Shh...it's gonna be okay!" Pinkie said, trying to hold back some tears. She looked out from under the desk for a second to have a sack of flour hit her right in the face. It wasn't enough to cheer the babies up this time.

"Pinkie!?" the pink pony could hear the cakes entering the room. Noticing Pinkie Pie with her children, Mrs. Cake ran right to the desk. "We've got to get out of here! If we can get far enough, we might be able to steer clear of these firestorms..." Mrs. Cake's voice was as shaky as the house. Tears smeared her face, but she kept a very strong look.

"Okie Dokie Lokie!" Pinkie Pie said in a tired voice as she handed the twins to their parents. The three of them quickly ran outside. Pinkie followed right behind the Cake family as her tail began to twitch violently again. Ponies were running in all directions, and soon enough, a mob of them enveloped the cakes, running off as a group in one direction. Pinkie Pie tried to chase after them, but her tail twitched once more. She looked up and saw a meteor falling right towards her!

With a loud crash, the meteor tore the ground apart right in front of the scared pony. The meteor stopped right in front of Pinkie Pie's face. With a sigh, Pinkie Pie turned to find the pony mob, but they were gone, with no other option, Pinkie Pie instinctively ran back to Sugarcube Corner. She pulled out a cupcake and began to eat it as a tear formed in her eye. The cupcake tasted sour.

*********

Applejack woke from her dream of another Apple Family Reunion to find that she was on the floor. The heat was unbearable and the entire building was shaking. She rushed out the door to Apple Bloom's room. She wasn't inside.

Panicking, she ran to Big Macintosh's room. "Big Mac!" Applejack called into the room. He woke up and looked around, noticing the hot air as well. "Something's up...let's get outside!" Applejack yelled and ran out of the room before her brother could respond.

Granny Smith was already out there. She hugged Applejack as the orange mare came outside. "It's the ponypocalypse!" She said in a squeaky voice.

"Ah'm sure there's a good reason for...." Applejack started to calm her grandmother down, but stopped short when she looked into the sky. All she could see was a sea of fire and meteors crashing down into the earth. Applejack was too shocked to notice that one meteor was falling right into the Apple Family Barn. As soon as the rock made contact with the barn, the sound of splintering wood and an explosion of sound shot through the air. The shockwave knocked her back into Big Mac.

"This...this can't be true...It just can't be..." Applejack muttered to herself as Big Mac gave her a nudge and pointed to the barn. It was on fire, although still standing. However, that wasn't what Big Mac was pointing to; Apple Bloom was at one of the windows! She was waving her hooves and had a look of pure terror on her face.

"What is she doing up there! Hold on, Ah'll get ya!!!" Applejack was about to charge after her sister, but Big Mac held her back. The red stallion only looked deep into his sisters eyes before running off. He busted the doors to the barn wide open as a blast of flames nearly singed his face. Darkness covered him as he made his way into the barn. Applejack felt helpless; she wanted to go and help, but she knew Big Mac could do it. Don't worry, Apple Bloom! Big Mac's got ya!

"Big Mac..." Applejack said to herself. Granny Smith was silent as she wrapped a hoof around the scared mare.

A red figure appeared at the window Apple Bloom stood in. He made it! Applejack thought with joy before looking to the sky again. That joy disappeared as she saw another meteor coming right down on the farm.

*********

"Big Mac!" Apple Bloom said with tears in her eyes. "Are we gonna be fine?" She noticed the meteor coming right for the barn. It looked like a train, chugging its way right into the earth. Apple Bloom started to run from the window, but the rest of the barn was in flames. She and her brother were trapped.

Big Mac hesitated for a moment, and with a tear in his eye, simply said "Eeyup." The next thing Apple Bloom knew, Big Mac had her in his mouth as he tossed her right out of the window. Just as he did so, the meteor hit the barn. As Apple Bloom fell, the little filly looked up at her brother for a second. She saw him smile as the barn light up in an explosion. The roof collapsed and a large cloud of smoke rained down on the filly. Apple Bloom was hit with a heat wave, which knocked her senseless as she hit the ground.

*********

Rarity woke up to the sounds of screaming. "Oh, what is going on!?" She yelled before feeling the intense heat in the room. She looked out her window to see nothing but fire. The unicorn's immediate reaction was to go find her sister. Rarity threw open the door to her sister's room to find the filly huddling in a corner, crying.

"Sweetie Belle!"

Before she could take a step, a meteor hit carousel boutique. The impact actually destroyed Sweetie Belle's room, causing the ponies to fall. Rarity hit the ground with a thud as wood dropped on her head. Shaking it off, she looked to find her sister laying a few feet in front of her. "Sweetie Belle! Are you okay!?"

"I'm...fine..." Sweetie Belle said weakly. "What's going on? I'm scared!" was all Sweetie Belle could say as both struggled to get up. The heat was intense. Carousel Boutique still stood, but an entire wall was knocked down. Rarity jumped through it, then turned to let her sister safely escape. Ponies were galloping in every direction as meteors and fire rained down on the poor town. Some unicorns tried protecting themselves with magic, but the force of the meteors were too great. Rarity saw a stallion put up a magical shield, but the meteor crashed right through it, crushing the poor pony underneath.

"What do we do, Rarity?" Sweetie Belle's voice was too squeaky to be understood.

"We run, Sweetie! Run!" Rarity yelled. The two ran off towards a group of ponies. They all looked scared and unsure of what to do, but they kept running. The group began to get larger, and soon Rarity lost sight of her sister.

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle screamed through the crowd, and eventually disappeared. The group began to split into two groups: One thought it would be best to head towards City Hall, while the other wanted to head in a different direction, towards the Apple Farm. Rarity was able to free herself from the group and ran back to the last place she saw her sister.

"Sweetie Belle!" She called out, but was only met with distant screams and falling meteors. Rarity wanted to run and find her sister, but she feared the meteors would crush her. The unicorn decided to return to Carousel Boutique.Tears were in her eyes as she ran, against the fire and the falling rocks.

"Sweetie Belle, please forgive me!"

*********

It didn't take long for Twilight to realize what was going on. Twilight was awake when the meteors began falling. The princess encased her tree in a magic field while searching her library to figure out what was going on.

The princess looked at one book, then another, and another after that. "Come on...come on! There must be something!" She yelled. "Raining fire...meteor shower...Nothing!" She yelled in frustration as she closed a book and tossed it aside. "Spike! Come help me!"

Spike ran into the room as quickly as he could and immediately began looking through books as well. He came across one book: "Supernaturals," he said as he opened it. However, a meteor broke through her shield and hit the library before he could read from it. The meteor crashed through the tree and burned through much of the wood before creating a large hole right in the center of the library. Twilight's Daring Do collection was immediately burned up, as well as one other book...Twilight looked in shock as she got up after the impact.

"Starswirl the Bearded's last spell!" She yelled as she saw the book catch fire. The last thing she read in the book, the spell she wrote, began to burn up. Twilight ran and held the book in her hooves, turning right to the very last page.

"From all of us together, together we are friends. With the marks of our destinies made one, there is...."

Unable to handle the heat, the princess dropped the book. As the chaos ensued outside, Twilight took a quick look at the object that made its home at the bottom of her tree. It was a meteor, Twilight could not doubt that. There didn't seem to be anything special about it...until Twilight tried to use her magic on it. The princess did her best to lift the rock up, but was not able to do so. As soon as her magic made contact with the meteor, it sent back a shockwave that knocked the purple pony backwards and to the ground.

"It...it is repelling my magic!" Twilight said in a low voice. She had no idea what this strange force was, but she had a feeling that the Princess knew...or, what if she didn't? Twilight took a closer look at the meteor. She saw strange, arcane symbols etched all over the rock. They were glowing a faint purple. There is something magical about these meteors...

All she could do was look to Spike, take him in her hooves, and huddle under a desk.

*********

As each pony told her story, Fluttershy just felt worse and worse after each one. Rainbow Dash explained that she flew out of her house as fast as she could before the meteor hit. Everypony fell silent after Applejack told of what happened to her brother, and Sweetie Belle hugged her sister after Rarity finished her story.

"...Other than that, I'm not entirely sure what caused the meteor shower. It is supposed to be a natural event, but..." Twilight said. "There was nothing in my books about anything of this magnitude." The others fell silent again as the train chugged along.

"The meteors are doing something to our magic; I can feel it." Twilight tried casting a spell, but wasn't able to. "It's best....not to think about it until we reach the Princesses." Twilight added quickly.

Fluttershy looked at Applejack hold her sister. Apple Bloom looked depressed, much different than the happy pony she had sleep over that one night. "It's...it's my fault Big Mac...is..." She sobbed.

Applejack quickly responded, "No, it's not, sugarcube. It's nopony's fault. Ah know Big Mac would have done anythin' to protect you...I would have done the same...but he stopped me." Applejack couldn't handle it anymore. She began sobbing right along with her sister. "...And Granny Smith...her poor heart simply couldn't handle what happened..."

"And the Cakes..." Pinkie Pie said. She sounded much more depressed than ever. "They all ran off after the sky fell. I was gonna follow them, but my pinkie sense..."

Just outside the window, the group could see Canterlot in the distance. It was a mess: buildings were destroyed, the castle itself was torn up, and the sky was still as gray as ever. Eventually the ponies made it safely to their destination. As the train slowed to a halt, the group all gathered themselves. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were given the outfits Rarity had made earlier, and they were all ready to go and find out what in Equestria was going on.