Wind blows furiously past me as I fly carelessly above the landscape, trees but blurs from below. I let out a cry of delight, ravishing in my new form. I was the best bird in Equestria: a phoenix. Embers hop from my incendiary wings while ponies from the ground marvel at the sight of a phoenix. From my understanding, I was quite the rare occurance.
Flying is so much fun as a bird. I got a little bit of experience as an owl, but just taking time to seize the opportunity of more fluent flight is really a joy. As a bird, especially something as majestic as a phoenix, my drag is less, I have more control over my direction, and my wings better allow me to fly for long periods of time.
Somehow, after about a full 30 minutes of large swoops and midair tricks, I find myself just outside Canterlot, though more specifically I'm just outside Celestia and Luna's castle. I blink. I really don't have the urge to screw with the leaders of my country, but it would be easy enough to get to the throne room. Regardless of my hesitancy, I find an open window, most likely ajar to cool the building off from the summer heat, and hover above the room, careful not to be sighted.
Peering down below, I gape in awe as I see Celestia and Luna. While its not the sight of them that is amazing, its that they're currently in the middle of a chess game, of all things. I never imagined this is what the rulers of my country did in between of royal duties. I let out a snicker at the sight of Celestia's side of the board being considerably more sparse than Luna's.
"Your majesties!" I hear a voice say. I look at the throne room door to see a royal guard. "You are requested in the military defense meeting at once!"
Celestia and Luna depart for the meeting almost immediately, very quickly leaving me alone in an enormous throne room. Figures I'm small so the proportions of the room seem a bit overwhelming, but I'm sure as a pony it'd look a little less intimidating.
I sigh, or at least to the degree that a bird can, at that troublesome thought that keeps ricocheting back into my head; that I'm not a pony right now. I look over myself once more and put on an admittedly smug grin at how majestic I look. Although, actually , I shouldn't call myself 'majestic', I think 'cool' fits me better. Maybe not in this form, but at least my old self was the definition of cool. Sure, these phoenix wings are great and all, but I kind of miss my Pegasus wings. A whole bunch. A damn lot in fact.
I miss talking to ponies, too; I remember that being a decently big part of my life. Things like friendly gossip, afternoon picnics, tea times, pet play dates; any sort of fucking social interaction with another pony would be the best right now. To think I thought this was a dream at first... I was naive back then. Dreams don't tend to last this long.
Now it seems more like a cruel punishment, as if the universe is trying to make me learn a lesson by the end of this. It wants me to enter in my diary about how I should treasure the things I have, never take anyone for granted, and how this whole experience has been one of learning. I know that's what the universe wants from me!
"Well, guess what universe?" I shout a little louder than intended, rage giving every word a few extra decibels. "I'm just not going to learn a lesson then! Does that put a spanner in the works? A bump in the trail? A fork in the road? A cease and desist letter for your plan of how to fuck my life? Well good then!" I finish my tear-driven speech with a few sobs. Feeling a warm body on my shoulder, I recoil away to see a second phoenix, one that I feel like I've met before.
"Philomena...?"
She smiles kindly at me. "You thought you were alone, Rainbow Dash."
-----------oOo-----------
"So, how did you know it was me?"
Philomena gazes off towards the horizon, unaware of my question. When she told me we had to talk on the roof of the palace, I thought is was for security reasons. Now I think she just didn't want to miss the view. Though, I can't lie; that is one very awesome rainbow I'm staring at.
"I've never seen this green in a rainbow before," Philomena muses.
"It just looks like regular green to m-"
"No." She cuts me off. "Look harder." I blink. What could someone possibly hope to glean from a rainbow? Alhough, now that I'm looking at it, that green does seem... offputting. Even as I try to critically examine it to spot the irregularity that is making it seem off, I can't focus my full attention on it.
"What gives?" I inquire to Philomena. "Why am I having difficulty looking at a rainbow?"
"It is the same reason you cannot seem to become your true self anymore, Rainbow Dash," she replies simply. She says it in such a tone that makes me want to feel like someone has calmed me down, but it instead only raises questions.
"What do you mean?" I shoot back, almost trying to challenge her. "Maybe whoever made the rainbows today added in a foreign ingredient, what does that have to do with my current situation?"
"Bargaining and denial are the biggest signs of someone in distress." She turns to me. "Would you happen to be in distress right now?"
"What? Me? No, never!" I put on an unconvincing grin. "Who would be in distress when you've been given such an amazing opportunity like this? Not me!" I add at the end very loudly. "I mean, I was of course confused at first; I behaved myself nervously, kissed a bunny, became a stallion, almost shagged a dog, but I regret no part of my travels!"
Philomena keeps her gaze locked on me for a second, then turns back to the rainbow. A minute passes. "Look at it again," she says. I partake in a sigh of relief as she seemed to have believed my lie, but can't enjoy a happy-go-lucky feeling for very long.
"What the..." I breathe as I see, or rather don't see, the rainbow in front of me. I mean, I can't exactly make out the colors from here but I know it's still there; I can sense its presence. That doesn't make much sense, I know, but neither does anything in my life as of late, including this colorless rainbow that...
"It's gone," I tell Philomena the second I sense the unbalance around me. "Where did it go?" At first I get no answer. I look a Philomena and see no activity.
She appears to have drifted off to her thoughts but quickly shakes herself back into reality with a jolt and looks at down with the eyes of an eagle and the intimidation to match it. I see a shadow lurk up on her and gasp as it seems to take control of her. I regress to a cowered position, truly scared of what's happening. The wind picks up, making me use my talons to grip tighter the hold I have. What the actual hell is going on here?
"Rainbow Dash," she says with a booming, otherworldly voice, "we have been unpleased about your behavior. You are too stubborn and not selfless enough to remain as the Element of Loyalty."
"What!?" I cry out.
"You will soon disappear as the rainbow did," Philomena continues, though her voice is clearly not the one being projected. "We have moved you to a place in the universe where you shall wait for your end. If you can somehow manage to display all six qualities that an element holder should have, we will free you."
I'm trembling and well past the point of tears. "Wh-what are the six qualities?" I manage to get out through the buffeting winds and my shaking self. My attention is drawn to where the rainbow was.
"They are the qualities of passion," the voice says as I see the red band of the rainbow rematerialize, "determination," the orange band illuminates, "life and it anew," some of the wind clears as I make out the yellow stripe, "selflessness," green appears in my scope of vision, "security and trust," the voice loses some of its loudness as the blue of the rainbow fades in, "and leadership," the list finishes off as a purple streak makes the rainbow complete again.
"I promise, I'll do everything you ask!" I desperately yell.
"We'll see."
"I will! I will! Please, believe me... I will..." As I'm speaking, the wind returns to normal and Philomena is left in front of me. "Who was talking to me?" I ask her.
"They were the original element holders," she informs me. "They all care very deeply that the Elements of Harmony end up in the right hooves." She gets ready to take off but hesitates for a second. I tilt my head in confusion; it looks like she's listening to a voice.
"The element holders have informed me that you will wake up as your pony self for the time being but will be able to manipulate your body's form on command." She gives one more glance at me before flying off.
And then I get the strangest feeling. Normally, I would want to track down these element holders and buck 'em where the sun don't shine, but the only thing I want to do right now is face the facts; I am stubborn. I don't do many selfless things. Hell, I'm not sure if I ever showed any respect, even once in my life, about... life. It's a miracle, and what connection do I have to it?
I really do want to write that diary entry right now. The world dims as my senses fade, and I'm left in the absence of consciousness.