//------------------------------//
// Over in a Snap 
// Story: In The Shadow Of The Storm 
// by Summer Knight 
//------------------------------//

"So that's the situation." 
Rainbow Dash, who had hastily showered, brushed her mane, and guzzled about a half-gallon of water, finished her report to a grim-faced Spitfire. 
"No idea what these things are, or where they came from?" Spitfire asked.
"Afraid not, ma'am. All we know is that they work for some guy called the Storm King."
"But that unicorn, Tempest Shadow, she's calling the shots?"
Rainbow Dash nodded. Spitfire opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a file. She opened it to a blank page and readied a quill. 
"Describe her."
Rainbow Dash looked to the side for a second as she called an image of the broken-horned unicorn to mind.
"Uh, let's see... dark purple coat, red mane. I didn't get a good look at her eyes. She's big, like maybe Princess Luna's height, but more muscular."
"Identifying marks? Cutie mark?"
"The broken horn, obviously, and a scar on her right eye. I couldn't see her cutie mark, her armor was covering it."
Spitfire turned the page over. 
"And you say she beat all three of our princesses and Cadance with those smoke bomb things?"
Rainbow Dash swallowed the lump in her throat, but her voice was steady as she responded, "That's right, ma'am. She turned them to stone."
"Dammit," Spitfire muttered darkly as she made another note. "We heard that the Friendship Festival had been hit, but by the time we got there it was all over." 
She hoofed the file across the desk to Rainbow Dash. "I've had the 'Bolts keeping an eye on Canterlot, but we can't risk getting too close. See if you can fill in any more blanks for me."
Rainbow flipped through the thin folder filled with observations and reports on Canterlot. She landed on a page detailing the monstrous creatures that Tempest Shadow was leading.
"Some of them carry shields that can block unicorn magic," Rainbow said, pointing to the section labeled weapons and armor. "I don't know if they work against other kinds of magic."
"Good to know. What else?"
From there, Rainbow spent an exhausting twenty minutes going through Spitfire's file page-by-page. Spitfire grilled her on every detail that she could remember about Tempest Shadow, the monsters, and the situation in Canterlot.
Rainbow Dash would have rather taken ten Wonderbolts entrance exams than have to sit through this relentless questioning, but she endured it nonetheless. Finally, when Spitfire was satisfied that her brain had been picked clean, she put the folder back into its drawer. 
"It's a shame you didn't do a bit more recon while you were there," Spitfire said. Rainbow's ears drooped slightly. 
"But," Spitfire continued, causing her to perk up again, "you did good staying safe and getting your friends out of there. Glad to have you with the 'Bolts, Crash."
"Thank you, ma'am." Rainbow Dash saluted. 
"Now go get settled in," Spitfire ordered. "Starting tomorrow, you're officially on duty." She looked up to see that Rainbow Dash hadn't moved, and lifted her eyebrows in surprise. "Something the matter, Crash?"
Rainbow swallowed hard at the knowledge that she was about to contradict her captain. "Actually, ma'am, with all due respect, I have a mission from the Council of Friendship that I need to finish."
"The Council, huh?" Spitfire leaned forward on her desk. "Speaking of that, the two of us have a bit of a predicament. Know what it is?"
"Yes, ma'am." She'd spent half the flight over thinking about it, without coming up with a solution. "You're captain of the Wonderbolts, so you outrank me. But I'm part of the Council of Friendship, which means I, uh, outrank you." She involuntarily cringed away from Spitfire's stony stare. "Sort of. Maybe?"
Spitfire took a deep breath and sighed it out. She rubbed the bridge of her nose with a hoof. "Alright, Crash, long story short: I'm lead pony on military matters, the Council has command on everything else. Clear?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Rainbow Dash saluted sharply, relieved to at least know where she stood.
"So." Spitfire pierced Rainbow Dash with her eyes. "This mission you're on. Military or not?"
"Uh..." Was it considered a military matter? "I'm... taking a message to Shining Armor?"
Spitfire shook her head. "Political, then. Damn. Alright, the Council's authority supersedes mine on this one, you'd best get going. While you're gone I'll have to send someone to Ponyville to hash out which of us gets to keep you. The 'Bolts need all hooves on deck."
Rainbow Dash was struck with sudden inspiration. "What if the Wonderbolts came to Ponyville and set up a base there?" she suggested. "Then you could work together with the Council." And I wouldn't have to keep flying between Ponyville and Cloudsdale all the time. "It can't be safe to stay this close to Canterlot, anyway."
"Huh." Spitfire rubbed her chin. "That actually might not be a bad idea. I'll think about it." 
She thoughtfully drummed a hoof on her desk for a second, then her eyes snapped up to look at Rainbow Dash again.
"Well? What are you waiting for, a kiss goodbye? You're on a mission from the Council of Friendship, so get moving!"
"Yes, ma'am!"



A bleary-eyed Starlight Glimmer entered the map room and shut the door behind her. She'd been making lists and seeing to ponies' needs for hours, and there was no sign that it would stop anytime soon. Spike was still out there, but Starlight was grateful to finally have some peace and quiet.
"There she is!" Pinkie Pie squealed unnecessarily. 
Well, relative peace and quiet, anyway.
"Hi, girls." Starlight's voice was dry and hoarse, even after several cups of coffee. "Sorry I'm late."
"No apology needed," Fluttershy assured her. "You and Spike are doing a wonderful thing, looking after all those poor Canterlot ponies."
The others were all sitting in the seats marked with their cutie marks, and Starlight moved forward to take her own spot, such as it was. She sat on the floor and looked over the currently-blank map table. 
"Hey, shouldn't Starlight have a chair too now?" Pinkie Pie asked the others. She knocked on the crystal floor, which produced a strange ringing sound. "Hellooooo? There's a new councilpony here!" 
"I don't think it works that way," Starlight answered wearily. I don't have a throne because I'm not supposed to be part of this council.
"Y'all could take Rainbow's seat," the ever-practical Applejack offered. "She won't be back 'til tonight at the earliest."
"That... doesn't feel right. I'm fine here, really."
Although there was, in fact, another open seat at the table. Starlight's eyes were drawn to Twilight's empty throne, and so were the others' once they noticed where she was looking. Their captured friend's cutie mark watched over the proceedings like a faint echo of Twilight herself; or like a constant silent rebuke for leaving her in the hooves of their enemy.
Starlight shook her head to clear it.
"I've sent word to my contacts in Manehattan," Rarity picked up where she had left off, "though I'm sure I won't hear back for several days. I've asked them to, ehm, delicately spread the word about the situation in Canterlot."
"I've talked to all the ponies in Ponyville, and lots of them are ready to help out," Pinkie announced. "Making food, carrying stuff around. Even the Riches have offered to donate a few bits if we need!"
"A few bits?" Starlight rolled her eyes. "Gee, can they spare it?"
"And I've been gettin' word around to the family," Applejack said. "We'll have lots of supplies once the harvests start comin' in. Although, speakin' of that—" she twisted her hat nervously in her hooves, "—if we don't figure out a way to move the sun, crops all over Equestria are gonna be in serious trouble. Without the nighttime to cool things off, it's just gonna get hotter and hotter until nothin' can grow!"
"It's been upsetting my poor animal friends, too," Fluttershy added. "The nocturnal critters don't think they can come out, and the rest of them have no idea when to go to bed!" 
"Oh my," Rarity said. "Well, it does seem as though getting the sun to set should be a priority, but what can we do? Starlight, dear, you don't know of any spells or magical artifacts that could help, do you?"
Starlight shook her head. "Before the princesses came along, it took a group of the most powerful unicorns in the world to move the sun and moon. Nopony alive today could do it."
"Um, I had an idea about that, actually," Fluttershy said hesitantly.
"The way you said that makes me think that I ain't gonna like this," Applejack groaned. 
"Well, it's just, no pony can move the sun and moon. But we know that Discord can do it easily!"
"Well well," a gravelly voice droned, seeming to come from nowhere in particular, "it's about time somepony remembered me." With a flash of white light and a burst of confetti, the draconequus appeared. He was sprawled across the map table as if he were a lounge singer. He rolled over to face Fluttershy.
"Thank you ever so much for inviting me today," he said.
"You're very welcome," Fluttershy answered. "So, do you think you could help us?"
The others sat around the table with forced smiles on their muzzles, but Starlight didn't have to fake the sudden surge of elation she felt.
"Discord!" she practically shouted. The others flinched at the unexpected outburst. Starlight stood excitedly and put her hooves up on the map table like a filly who was trying to see on top of the counter. 
"I never thought I'd say this, but I am so glad to see you."
"Oh?" He skeptically raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, this is perfect! You can get rid of Tempest Shadow and save the princesses—"
"Oh, no no no." Discord waggled one finger of his lion's paw under Starlight's nose. "Deus I may be, but I am not your ex machina, Starlight Glimmer."
Starlight took a moment to mentally translate the Old Ponish words. 
"That... doesn't even make sense."
"It means that you don't get to ignore me for months, then suddenly demand that I swoop in and fix everything." Discord folded his arms petulantly.
"Are you kidding me?" Starlight demanded. She slammed her hooves down on the table. "Ponies' lives are in danger! You could end all of this with a snap of your fingers, and you won't do it because... because you don't like me?"
"Pfft." Discord stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry. The raspberry hit Starlight just under her horn, leaving a drop of sticky red juice on her face. Starlight's eye twitched, and her horn started to glow fiercely.
"Stop!" Fluttershy flew in between the two former villains and held her hooves out to separate them. "Could we have a moment, please?" she politely asked Starlight.
Starlight ground her teeth, but nodded and let the spell go. 
"Thank you." The pegasus turned to face Discord. "I have to say, Starlight Glimmer does have a point, and some very dear friends of mine are in trouble. Now," she held up a hoof to forestall his protest, "I know you feel like the others don't appreciate you, but you might be the only one powerful enough to fix this. Do you think you could go and rescue the princesses?" Her enormous, watery blue eyes stared deep into Discord's beady yellow ones. "For me?" 
Discord pulled back from Fluttershy's pleading eyes and stammered a bit, trying to come up with an excuse, or simply the will to refuse her. 
Fluttershy didn't relent. She didn't so much as blink.
Discord rubbed his chin uncomfortably, turned away from her, looked back over his shoulder, then threw his arms up into the air in surrender. 
"Oh, fine! Just this once." He leaned down and rubbed Fluttershy's head affectionately. "That's cheating, you know."
"I'll find us something extra-special for our next tea party to say thank you," Fluttershy promised. 
"Very well, I accept your terms." 
Discord snapped his fingers and vanished.



Tempest Shadow sat at her desk. She was drawing up plans for how to hold Canterlot in the unlikely event that the Crystal Army attacked before the Storm King's army was in place to defend it. She had little to fear from the air; between her airships and the storm creatures' weapons, the lightly-armored pegasi would be torn to pieces. On the ground, there were only two ways into or out of Canterlot: the train tracks, and the main road. Disabling the train tracks would be simple, and easy enough to fix once the threat was passed, so that only left one reliable way for an attacking army to reach her. 
The real problem was simply a lack of manpower. She could protect the skies, or she could protect the road, but her small force would be hard-pressed to do both. Then, if the ponies of Canterlot saw their chance and rebelled while Tempest was fighting the Crystal Army, it would spell the end for her. 
Tempest suddenly dropped her quill and glared around the room suspiciously. Something wasn't right—she could feel a presence. An ambush? A trap? There was a deep, unsettling itch in her horn that she usually associated with magic, but it felt different, somehow wrong.
The map she was marking with defense strategies grew mismatched eyes and winked at her. 
Tempest let out a rare cry of surprise and threw herself backward, landing in a combat stance with her horn charging up to blast... whatever this was. 
"You must be Tempest Shadow," a deep, vaguely threatening voice with no apparent source said. 
"Who are you? How did you get past my guards?" She felt slightly foalish talking to her desk, but she didn't allow her uncertainty to show.
"Ugh. Seriously, what do they teach you ponies these days? I'm a very important part of Equestrian history!" There was the sound of snapping fingers, and then the strangest creature Tempest Shadow had ever seen was sitting on top of her desk. It was like a grotesque, patchwork golem made from the ugliest parts of the exotic animal market in Klugetown. 
"Recognize me now?"
As a matter of fact, she did. 
"Discord."
"Correct!" The strange creature was suddenly wearing a gaudy suit, and Tempest found herself standing on a brightly colored platform with flashing lights and ringing bells all around her. "Tell the mare what she's won!"  
Tempest didn't allow herself to be distracted. With no warning at all, she pulled a petrification bomb from her belt and hurled it toward the intruder.
Discord snapped his fingers. He vanished, and suddenly Tempest was the one standing next to her desk with something flying toward her. She gasped and threw a foreleg up in a futile attempt to block, but she was too late. 
An egg hit her squarely on the forehead, splattering her from horn to chin. Tempest slowly lowered her foreleg, while Discord doubled over in wheezing, guffawing laughter. 
"Oh, that's... no, I won't say it, it's simply too cliché." He snorted and kept laughing. "But you should see the look on your face!"
Tempest had a fair idea of what look was on her face: sheer murder. She unleashed her fury in a single bolt of lightning that raced toward Discord—and instantly cooked the egg into her fur—only for it to disappear in a shower of glitter as the draconequus snapped his fingers.
"Now go on, my dear," Discord said with an oddly sly tone, "it's so rare these days to meet somepony who's studied the classics. What exactly do you know about me?"
Tempest snorted angrily. 
"Discord," she repeated. She'd done her research on this being, and any others who might be a threat to the Storm King's plans. "Only known draconequus in the world. Self-styled master of chaos. Extremely powerful; not to be confronted directly under any circumstances." As she spoke, she eased open a pouch on her belt.
"Good, good." Discord nodded in agreement with each statement. 
"Likes to play mind games," Tempest Shadow continued as she tipped out the contents of the pouch: a single chunk of worked stone that would fit easily in a hoof. The tingling itch in her horn instantly vanished. "Not as clever as he thinks he is."
"Yes, yes—wait, what?" 
"Easily outmaneuvered," Tempest continued as she picked up the rock. "Overconfident. Doesn't recognize danger until it's too late." She transferred the rock into her teeth to hold it more easily, then leaped forward and threw a wide hook with her front right hoof.
Discord scoffed and snapped his fingers, but nothing happened. He took Tempest's punch squarely, and his long, sinuous body thudded hard to the ground.
"Owww!" Discord rubbed his throbbing jaw. He snapped his fingers again, then looked at his paw as though expecting to see something wrong with it. "What in Tartarus?"
Tempest chuckled darkly. She spat the stone into a hoof, then gazed down at the now-powerless lord of chaos. 
"This stone negates all magic in a small area," she explained. "All magic; even yours. I'm told that it was once a piece of the Changeling Queen's throne." 
Tempest lowered her head until her nose nearly touched Discord's. 
"I got it just for you," she purred. "The good news for you is that my magic won't work, either. The bad news—" She struck Discord again, sending him sprawling to the floor, then gave him a wicked smile. "Well, I'm sure you've figured it out. Guards!" 
Discord looked around frantically, and his eyes fell upon a window. It was on the other side of the room, high up the wall and so narrow that no pony could crawl through it; but, as Fluttershy had noted, he was no pony.
Quick as a snake, Discord scuttled away from Tempest Shadow and toward the window. He stretched himself up and just barely managed to grab hold of the windowsill. Tempest lunged for him, but he pulled his tail up out of her reach and hurled himself into the glass, which didn't break.
Tempest snarled with fury. She could reach him with her magic, but she didn't dare put the stone back into its magic-dampening pouch.
Discord frantically scrabbled at the window, looking for the mechanism to unlock it. He finally found the latch along the side, flipped it open, then threw his snakelike body through the narrow gap. 
Tempest heard the sounds of fingers snapping frantically. She wasn't sure exactly how far the stone's anti-magic reached—she hoped it was far enough that this infuriating being would hit the ground outside.
Finally she heard, with some disappointment, one last snap and a magical pop. There was no wet sound of a body hitting stone. A moment too late, the door burst open and two storm creatures came charging in with weapons at the ready. One sniffed the air hungrily.
Tempest snorted angrily and scrubbed some of the fried egg off of her muzzle. 
"Never mind. Get out."
She hadn't planned to show her trump card so early; but then, she hadn't expected such a bold opening move from the Equestrians. She'd have to adjust her plans to include this new threat.



A bright white light appeared near the high ceiling of the map room, and Discord came crashing down on top of the table, eliciting surprised gasps from the ponies gathered there. 
The draconequus groaned and snapped his fingers, summoning two comically large bags of ice, which he held to either side of his rapidly-swelling face. 
"Discord!" Fluttershy gasped. She flew over to look at his injuries. "What happened?!"
"This might be tougher than we thought," the defeated god admitted.