//------------------------------// // Hurricane Incoming! Enter the Shadowbolt! // Story: Ponyville's First Warrior Meet // by Wise Cracker //------------------------------// “We could always try to get a pirating cutie mark.” Apple Bloom said, setting down the long list of things they’d tried and looking around the battered room. The Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse had been through a rough spot the past few weeks, after Scootaloo had learned to fly. Fresh out of Flight Camp, Scootaloo had insisted on making twisters to help harvest the apples from the nearby trees, trying her hoof at irrigation and, when that didn’t work out, she’d gotten another flying lesson from Rainbow Dash. Basically, the clubhouse had taken a beating. “Pirating? Don’t we need a boat to do that? And maybe an ocean?” Scootaloo asked. “I’m not so sure,” Sweetie Belle replied. “I heard Button Mash got his cutie mark in pirating, and he didn’t even leave his house to do it.” The two girls looked up from the list to stare at her. “What?” “I don’t think it was that sorta piracy, Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said. “Anyway, if pirating doesn’t work, we could always try martial arts. Didn’t your friend Wimpy get his cutie mark doing that?” There was that name again: Wimpy. Scootaloo’s mysterious friend from Flight Camp. A pegasus colt with, allegedly, super strength and Fluttershy’s demeanour. How much of the stories were true and how much of them were Scootaloo exaggerating things again, Apple Bloom could only guess. Scootaloo growled. “How many times do I have to tell you? His name’s not Wimpy!” “Apple Bloom?” A voice called out from below. “You wanna go get the supplies now?” Apple Bloom ran down the ramp of their clubhouse. “Yeah, thanks, Rumble. Anypony else comin’ to help?” Rumble nodded. “I got about half of our class to show. I did tell them there’d be cider, though.” “No problem, I’ve got my own stash just for such an occasion.” “You want us to come along?” Sweetie Belle asked, poking her head out the window. “Nah, I got it. I’ll scrounge up whatever old stuff we can use and get it on the cart. If half the class is helpin’ out, you’d better stay here and maybe make some room.” Sweetie Belle saluted as Apple Bloom left. “Got it.” Scootaloo grumbled and stared out of the window, looking on as Apple Bloom and Rumble pulled their carts towards town. “What’s the matter?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Don’t you like redecorating? We’re putting old stuff to good use, and the clubhouse does need a little TLC. We might even get our cutie marks for it.” Scootaloo glared at the little unicorn. “We didn’t get it the first five times we had to redecorate… or rebuild.” “You never know.” Sweetie smiled, then pouted. “Come on, what’s wrong? You know Apple Bloom was only kidding.” Scootaloo grumbled some more and shoved a chest towards the back. “It’s nothing, Sweetie Belle.” Sweetie frowned. “It’s Wimpy, isn’t it?” “No, it’s not. It’s Doldrum Whimper. It’s a traditional name.” Sweetie shrugged and wriggled her arms together in a begging motion she’d seen her sister do once or twice. “It might be easier to remember if you brought him along for once.” The pegasus girl groaned and looked around for anything else that might need moving. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” “Why not? Come on, Scootaloo, he’s your flying buddy. You and Rumble keep talking about him like he’s super strong and awesome, but he never shows. Flight Camp was in the summer, and it’s already halfway the fall now. You and Rumble have been over to his place plenty of times, you know how far it is. Why won’t you bring him over if he lives close by, not to mention if school’s out for a whole week? Wimpy’s your friend, right?” A nervous shiver went through Scootaloo’s body. Something in her stomach knotted and churned, loudly enough for Sweetie Belle to hear. “Right?” Scootaloo tried and failed to hide her nervousness with a smile. “Yeah, right. Whimper’s my friend.” “So why not let him come here?” “I don’t know. I’m just… Flight Camp was kinda different.” “Like kissing a boy in the cafeteria different?” Sweetie squeed. “I told you: it looked like a good plan at the time. And it did get the older girls off his back, so it worked.” “But?” Sweetie Belle nudged her friend in the sides, right above the wing. That was the ‘I know you’re hiding something’ region, as opposed to the shoulders, which in the ancient art of pony reflexology – taught only by oral tradition, and only to annoying little siblings at that – were known as the ‘please stop that right now, you’re embarrassing me’ regions. Rarity was fond of that particular one. “But things are different in Whimper’s hometown, and he’s different. He doesn’t act the same way there like he did in Flight Camp, and neither do I. I don’t think he’d act the same here, either. I wouldn’t want you to start off on the wrong hoof with him.” “Oh, how bad could it be?” “I don’t know, and I really wanna be sure before I bring him anywhere near here.” Derpy Hooves was doing her rounds through Ponyville, checking the last letter to be delivered. Since Rainbow Dash hadn’t responded at the door and the letter was marked ‘urgent’, there she was looking for the rainbow-maned mare. “Um, has anyone seen Rainbow Dash?” she asked the ponies passing her by. “I think she went up to Sweet Apple Acres,” Golden Harvest answered. A shiver ran up the mailmare’s spine. Derpy perked her ears towards a building behind her. She turned slowly, leaving Golden Harvest confused. “Are you okay, Derpy?” “Yeah, I’m fine,” Derpy lied, turning back to her friend. “Thanks for the info.” With a curt flap of the wings, the mailmare was off. She stole a glance towards the ground, before manoeuvring towards a cloud to shield herself from sight. “Okay, Derpy, keep it together. It’s just that time of the year again,” she told herself, closing her eyes and concentrating on the air around her fur. There was something following her, she was sure of it. She couldn’t tell how long, but it had given itself away when she’d asked about Rainbow Dash. There was nothing behind her, though. Nothing was following her now, she didn’t feel watched. But she knew she was, she’d felt it very clearly just then. Derpy sighed and held the letter in her hoof, looking out towards Sweet Apple Acres. “Definitely that time of the year again.” Rainbow Dash let off a sigh of relief when the last basket of apples was harvested, as did her friends. “Thanks for the help, y’all,” Applejack said, “I really appreciate it.” “It’s nothing, dear,” Rarity offered, setting down her own basket on the ground, “we were glad to help.” Twilight was about to add something, but the arrival of a grey mailmare distracted her. “Urgent message for Rainbow Dash.” Derpy handed the letter over. Rainbow Dash shivered for a reason she couldn’t immediately place. After opening the envelope and reading the message, her eyes went wide for just a second, before narrowing to dots. She gulped, and her whole body shook with a terror none of the other ponies had ever seen in her. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. "Derpy, did he follow you here?” Derpy bit her lip and looked around the orchards. She shook her head, clearly in doubt. “He might have. I don’t know for sure, though. I tried to lay low, but I just couldn’t tell.” “What’s the matter, Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked. “It’s okay, I’m fine. But you’d better get out of here, Derpy. This is going to get ugly.” “Alright. But are you going to be okay? It’s been a while, after all. He might hurt you,” the blonde mare inquired. Twilight narrowed her eyes at the exchange. “Rainbow, you’re starting to scare us.” Rainbow let out a deep and weary sigh. “It was gonna happen sooner or later. They did put up the signs two weeks ago.” “Yup. The rest is probably going to start coming in, too. Good luck, anyway,” Derpy Hooves said. And with that, she was off, leaving Rainbow to stare at the letter. Pinkie Pie leaned over to check what it said. “What is goin’ on, Rainbow Dash? What’s so important about that letter? Is it the Wonderbolts?” Applejack asked. “No. It’s worse,” she replied. “What does the letter say, darling?” Rarity asked. Pinkie Pie shrugged, reading aloud the only two words used to convey its message. “Hurricane incoming.” The figure lurked in the treeline, waiting for Derpy to depart. He hadn’t counted on the rest of the Elements of Harmony to be there, but it wasn’t a big surprise. He could handle the Elements. It was Derpy he didn’t want to have to deal with. Oh, Dashie, of all the towns you could’ve lived in, you had to live in one with a pony like that as the mailmare. He didn’t move as he felt the grey mare’s senses expand to him. She was good, he had to give her that much. She didn’t spot him, though. No pony ever did. Rainbow Dash didn’t even bother following suit. She just stared at the letter and seemed to resign herself to her fate. Gettin’ sloppy, Rainbow Dash. The stallion kept his grin suppressed when the mailmare finally departed. A little more time, make sure she was well and proper gone and then… Showtime. “Hurricane incoming? What does that mean?” Twilight asked. “Well, um… you remember Whimper from Flight Camp?” Rainbow asked. “That was the larger boy you spoke of, yes? The one with a talent for fighting?” Rarity tried. “Sort of, yeah. It’s not really a talent he had, more of a condition. Not thinking with his head, thinking with his body, umm, it made his reflexes like really fast, but he couldn’t control himself all the time. And he was not large, Rarity; he was… kinda ripped. You need to have been there to know.” “And what does Whimper have to do with this guy?” Twilight asked. “I gave the kid some advice because I kinda knew his condition, but he had it bad, real bad. And so do I.” Twilight didn’t look surprised, but the others did. Applejack was, of course, the first to speak up about it. “What are you sayin’, Rainbow? You’ve got a condition now?” Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah, sort of, but it’s not a big deal, really.” “A’course it’s a big deal. Are you taking pills for it?” “No, there aren’t any pills for it, most doctors don’t even know it-Look, what I’ve got is under control, but my point is that Whimper wasn’t, and he wasn’t the worst, either. What I’m trying to say is: there’s one other guy I know who has what Whimper has, in the final stages of it. He’s the one who gave it to me. He’s the reason I am the way I am. Imagine me, squared. That’s the guy Derpy was talking about. That’s who’s coming.” Thunder sounded in the distance. Clouds converged on the apple orchard, a vast darkness swirling and congealing above the six friends. The clouds themselves began to roar. “I am the terror that flaps through the night! I am the strand of hair that’s still greasy right after you showered!” a deep, male voice called out. Rarity gasped and quickly checked her own mane, just in case. “I am-squelch“ The sound of a rotten apple hitting a pony in the face cut off the threat. “Interrupting!” Rainbow Dash yelled at the cloud after that direct hit. “You can’t just show up out of nowhere! I am trying to explain something here!” A peal of thunder went through the cloud, accompanied by more of that booming voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once. “Mind your manners, Rainbow Dash.” “Rainbow, who is that, seriously? Who’s in that cloud?” Twilight asked. “I just told you. The guy who made me the way I am. It’s not anypony you know. Just somepony I know. Aaand he’s here to fight me.” “What?!” the other Elements of Harmony exclaimed, obviously confused. Fluttershy started shaking. Rainbow Dash put a comforting hoof on her shoulder, that immediately calmed her down. Up above, the silhouette of a pegasus stallion descended from its dark concealing cloud. His mane and tail were an obsidian black, with little flecks of black falling off like ash. His wings, ears, and the tip of his muzzle were air superiority blue, the most intimidating shade of blue known to ponydom. But the rest of him was covered. His eyes were hidden behind a yellow visor, his body was covered by a uniform that was purple over his midsection and black over his face and hooves, with yellow streaks of lightning in between. The costume rang a few alarm bells in the minds of Rainbow Dash’s friends. Twilight suddenly recalled a little something the pegasus had mentioned at Flight Camp. “Wait, is that the Ashen Blizzard? But he’s-“ “A Shadowbolt, like those guys I saw when we went looking for Nightmare Moon. Not a lot of ponies know they exist, but they’re real, and they’re pretty exclusive. There’s only one right now, as far as anypony knows. And yeah, that is him; the strongest warrior in Equestria. The great shadow to the light of all the Wonderbolts,” Rainbow Dash explained as she slowly took off. “It’s a long story.” “Rainbow Dash!” the stallion boomed, right on cue. He spoke with a slight Southern Pioneer drawl, too. “I challenge you to a fight, by the ancient rules of combat. One on one, my skills against yours. Do you accept?” “I-I don’t know, Rainbow Dash,” Pinkie Pie started, “this guy doesn’t look like he’s just playing around.” “He’s not. Don’t worry, I know what to do. Just let me do this alone, okay? Whatever you do, don’t step in. If you do, you become a target. I can’t fight to protect both me and you. And nothing you do is going to work on this guy, so don’t try it. Do you promise to let this go?” Reluctantly, Applejack nodded. Then Fluttershy, though she had to suppress a tear at the imposing spectacle in the sky. Pinkie Pie followed, then a grimacing Rarity. Twilight was the last one to agree. “If this guy’s anything like little Whimper, that means he can dodge spells, right? Even instantaneous ones?” “Kinda. He can turn that reflex on and off, and it takes a lot of effort to keep up, but you don’t wanna risk it. Don’t get involved, Twilight, it’s my fight,” Rainbow Dash assured. “But he is stronger than you, isn't he? He could kill you.” “He won’t. Just promise you won’t step in.” Twilight shivered. “I promise, if you promise to be careful. I don’t like this, Rainbow. You can feel the anger and hate in the air, it’s getting cold down here, physically cold. It’ll be worse up close.” “Don’t worry,” Rainbow Dash said as she flew up to the Shadowbolt’s height, “I’ve been waiting a long time to do this.” “Well?” the stallion asked, grinning wickedly. “I accept,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Same rules as before, last one standing wins.” “There’s a good girl.” Apple Bloom, Rumble, and the kids they'd recruited pulled their laden carts along the street, carrying all the things they got from the clearance. Ponies in Ponyville were always getting rid of old stuff, or giving it away to be recycled, or trading it at the annual fair. With the Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse being used by other hobby groups and fanclubs, there was no shortage of ponies wanting to help out and donate fresh materials. And with Apple Bloom and her friends being minor celebrities in town, there was no shortage in help hauling the cargo from town to the orchard, either. Apple Bloom stopped when she saw the signs on Town Hall. “Hey, guys, wait up.” Slowly, the lumbering caravan of foals ground to a halt. “What’s the matter, Apple Bloom?” Rumble asked. “Have y’all seen this?” she asked, walking towards the poster on City Hall. “Oh, that? Yeah, they put those up two weeks ago.” Apple Bloom stopped to stare at it. It was a poster showing a tough, rugged unicorn stallion in mid-kick, dressed in white canvas pajamas. “The Equestrian Warrior Society is pleased to present Ponyville’s first Warrior Meet: a week of martial arts, physical conditioning, and spiritual enlightenment,” Apple Bloom narrated. “That Wimpy kid from Flight Camp is into martial arts, right?” “Umm… sort of, I guess?” Rumble replied. “Who’s Wimpy?” Featherweight asked. “A friend of Scootaloo’s and Rumble’s. He’s supposedly this crazy strong kid, but they never bring him along, so we can’t really check,” Apple Bloom joked. Rumble rolled his eyes. “That’s just because he’s from Bogsdown. You have to go over Froggy Bottom Bog to get there.” “So? Scootaloo and you do that all the time,” Apple Bloom argued. “Sure, but that’s Scootaloo and me. We do lots of dangerous stuff. My mom doesn’t let me fly over there without anypony with me, and neither does Whimper’s. We don’t get in trouble, but Whimper would. Bogsdown has different rules about that sort of thing.” “Whimper? There’s pony named ‘Whimper’? Seriously?” One colt asked. Rumble groaned. “Yes, Featherweight, there’s a pony named Doldrum Whimper.” “Just checking.” “All grandmasters from the Warrior Society available for free trial lessons, lectures on meditation, posture, and strategy, ooh, and there’s even a challenger’s circle at the end!” Apple Bloom jumped up. “What does that mean?” Dinky Do asked. Apple Bloom didn’t stop jumping. “I don’t know, but it sure sounds excitin’!” “What are you planning to do?” Rumble asked, going back to his cart. “Take lessons with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom got back to her cart and led the way back to Sweet Apple Acres, albeit slowly. “Sure. Were you gonna try the same thing?” “Actually, yes. I’ve got a book by one of the grandmasters, I’ve been practising. I’d like to see what that grandmaster has to say about that.” Rumble blushed just a little. “Sounds like a great idea. What about everypony else? You plannin’ to take any lessons?” Dinky Do grunted as she helped push the moving cart. “I don’t know if I wanna spend a holiday fighting. Maybe a lecture or two, if it’s interesting, or if Mommy wants to go see one. She’s pretty big on that kind of stuff.” Apple Bloom shook her head. Something rattled in it, but it wasn’t anything important, so she didn’t contemplate the matter. And the rattling didn’t make what she’d just heard sound any different. “Really? Derpy’s a martial artist?” Rumble nodded. “Yup. She’s pretty good, too. So is Rainbow Dash.” “And… do you think Whimper might show up here for the Meet?” Rumble went silent. “What’s the big deal with this kid, anyway?” she asked. Rumble, trying and failing to be discrete, looked away. “Nothing, really. He might show up. You’d like him, probably. He does do that kind of stuff, and he’s got some kind of deal going on about skipping gym class if he just goes to the martial arts meets.” That got Apple Bloom thinking. “Maybe after the lessons, we could challenge him, then.” Rumble chuckled nervously as that fight played out in his mind. “Eheh, yeah, right… maybe, if you don’t mind getting your head handed to you.”