Rainbow Dash was winging her way over to Cloudsdale, at speed. She'd heard of some trouble going on there. A lot of that was haooening recently.
"Seriously." she thought aloud, "Is there ANYWHERE that ISN'T in trouble?"
Suddenly, she saw the swiftly closing aerial city. Nearby, goin fairly fast as well, was a swarm of what -at a distance- looked like gigantic birds. Focusing her vision revealed that they weren't birds at all. Twilight had told her about these things once.
"Pterodactyls?!" Rainbow exclaimed, losing her focus. "This is getting ridiculous." she growled
She and her friends had been quick to ask Discord about the goings on. As it turned out, he was relaxing at home and had nothing to do with what was going on. But even he seemed concerned about some of the events occuring. She remembered well what happened next.
[he]
"There are far worse spirits than I'm, I fear. And I recognize the style of this one all too well."
Suddenly, a new voice rang out. A smooth Australian(1) accent. "Worse? Surely you don't mean that, chief? We're merely... different. It's our nature, after all. And that's fair dinkum, it is."
Everyone turned around to see what looked to be a medium-large blue-green cat. With wings.
Discord immediately bowed. "Lord Chaos(2). I had a feeling that it was you." Quickly, he warned the rest of the gathered friends. "Ladies, this is Chaos. Don't let his appearance fool you; he's got more magic than a room full of Celestias. And a smaller one filled with Lunas, to boot. He also has a darker sense of humour than I've. Be respectful."
Fluttershy sidled up to him, whispering, "H-how dark?"
Discord replied at a volume that only she could hear. "Let's put it this way: If I'm Poinson Joke... He's Killing Joke."
"Oh, d-d-dear." Fluttershy said, backing up again.
"Dark? I'm merely bringin' some, shall we say... excitement to this place. Since someone seems to be lyin' down on the job." At that last, he hiked an eyebrow in Discord's direction.
Discord looked mildly offended, but said, "Are you accusing me of being lazy? I've merely... mellowed out, you might say. Instead of making trouble for others, I make their lives more amusing. Most of the time, anyway. For example." he launched into an explanation. "I could, oh, turn the clouds into cotton candy that rain chocolate milk, but I already did that, for one thing. For another, what would it be like tomorrow? Would it be a different colour? A different texture? A different atomic mass? It's still a cloud."
"What I do is more minor things, like... making gravity optional. Something others can enjoy, or not, as they desire. I join two very good chums of mine every now and again for a most rousing adventure game, and there I can make a story that constantly evolves. Small things."
At this the newcomer briefly raised both eyebrows. "Hmm. Well, I'm mostly here to see what I'm dealiin' with, and to deliver a warnin'."
Applejack didn't like this character at all. "Do ya mean like an ulty.... altim... atlum..."
"Ultimatum?" Twilight corrected.
"That. One'a those."
Chaos tilted his head slightly, scrutinizing the orange mare. "Hmm... you're the... Element o' Honesty, ain'tcha? That would make the lot of you the shielas I've been 'earin' about? The... Elements o' Harmony. How interestin'." he clucked his tongue and took a short breath before continuing. "Well, in answer to your question, I suppose you could put it that way. I'll warn you right now. The Seeds have been planted, and once they sprout, then things will start to become REALLY interestin'." He gave a wicked smile at that. "Y'see, the thing is: Each of them has a different effect. Even I don't know what might happen! See, watch."
With a mere flick of his tail, he brought into being what looked to be a large globe. "I've scattered the Seeds across your world. Some might be good for the land." A small window opened that revealed a swiftly growing plant that revitalized the forest around it.
He frowned and stuck his tongue out in mild discust. "Blech. Others, well..."
A new window opened elsewhere, revealing what looked to be a polluted wasteland, at which everypony present gasped. In the middle was a large black tree, branches dripping with what looked to be crude oil
"Let's just say that it's fortunate for you that you still 'ave some time." Flicking his tail in the other direction dismissed the globe in a burst of flame.
"Which are good? Which are bad? Which to stop, which to let go? Only time will tell. The cat shan't. See if you can." He began to fade away from the paws up.
Twilight called out, her wings partially spreading in alarm, "Wait! Don't go yet!"
Chaos made as if she hadn't just spoken. "I look forward to what results occur. I',m sure it will be.... entertaining, at least. Hooroo, all!" His face was last to disappear, sinister laughter being all that was left behind.
Discord sucked a breath through his teeth, then released a sigh of relief. Turning to the rest of those assembled, he hestured to where the vanished guest was a moment ago. "See what I mean?"
Celestia nodded sullenly. "Well, we're glad that you're able to help us-"
Discord interrupted her. "'Fraid not. That wouldn't be a great idea."
Luna looked startled. "And whyever not?"
"A few reasons: Adding chaos magic to Chaos' magic will only make the perils more perilous. Even faster. Also, Chaos is exponentially more powerful than I am. I can't help in stopping this. My power would only make thingsa worse, if anything at all."
The gathered ponies all looked downcast.
"HOWEVER!" Discord continued, "I can offer advice, directions, resources that will help. Just because I can't actively stop it doesn't mean that I'm wholly helpless."
Shaking her head to clear it of those thoughts, Rainbow resumed her flight toward the place of her birth.
From that point, they'd each taken a separate path,each to a different city that was in peril.
Rarity was on her way to Manehattan with her sister, Sweetie Belle. There were reports of a skeletal horde that came and went seemingly at random.
Applejack was heading to Appleoosa, Apple Bloom in tow. There were reports of Changelings in the area. But they were described as looking a lot... different from the ones that they knew of.
Pinkie Pie was going to Las Pegasus, bringing the Cakes with her, because they wantd to open a new branch of Sugarcube Corner there.
Fluttershy decided to follow her roots and was going to Roamania, to meet up with the other side of the family. The Thestrali. With her were a select few of her animals. She was carrying a license (several copies thereof) that empowered her to bring them wherever she pleased, all signed by Celestia and Luna. Their word was law, after all. This made the forms literally almost indestructable by conventional means. Buut it was better toi be safe than sorry.
Twilight was going to her hometown, Canterlot. There was said to be a demonic prsence that came nightly. It would chase ponies -especially Unicorns!- through the streets, covering up any evidence that said pony had passed that way. Many had gone missing already. Nopony had goten a clear view of the thing, nut those who saw it at all said that it looked like a sentient fiery ball. She thought that Spike being there would come in handy.
As much as it pained her, Rainbow couldn't bring Scootaloo or Tank with her. Scootaloo had recently found out what she was doing wrong and coulkd finally get into the air, but she was still far too slow to follow along. She'd be a sitting duck for anything that they might encounter. Tank couldn't come for much the same reason.
No, she had to do this herself. Other than Ponyville (and kind of with her house?) Cloudsdale held everything else that she had. Her first friends; her parents, her high school. The Wonderbolts...
She'd had some tough times there, but she still regarded the place highly.
Back to the present!
As she winged her way toward the city of the clouds, intent on stopping the flying lizards, she leveraged her race's native agility, bouncing from one to another's wing, dislocating it ad causing the Pterodactyl to fall toward the ground. She bounced rfrom there to several more of them, but there were still so many; too many to count! There had to be several wing-worth.
As she alighted on the end of the city, she didn't stop as she ran forth, trying to keep up her momentum. "I have to find Spitfire; She'll know whhat needs to be done." she thought aloud.
Sure enough, Spitfire was aiding in the defense of the fleeing ponies. Soarin' was directing them toward disaster shelters; hardened clouds, made to be almost as hard as steel, if not more so. Until the all-clear was sounded, they would be safe there.
When Dash asked Spitfire what needed doing, Spitfirre replied, "Crash, if I have to tell you where to place youur hooves in a situation like this, you haven't been paying attention! Take a set of wing blades and get out there!"
Grinning widely, Rainbow Dash went to do just that. The pair that she got were a silvery-blue in colour, and they gleamed in the sunlight. Spreading her wings once more, she took off, dpeedily cutting through the ranks of the enemy. *Slash!* another flying lizard fell toward the ground, even poofing a cloud out of existence.
With a start, Dash realized something: The dinos couldn't land on clouds without destroying them.
"I've got to warn Spitfire!"
When she turned around, she was almost immediatelt slapped with a large wing and a blast of icy cold wind. This sent her careening toward the clouds below. She landed on the clouds and rolled for a time before stopping.
"Of course. They'd have to have elemental magic too." she said droly shaking her head.
When she opened her eyes and stood up, her wing-blades fell off. The fall and subsequent rolling had broken them.
"You've gotta be buckin' kidding me!" she growled in friustration.
Looking behind her, however, she saw a convenently placed sword embedded into one cloud. It looked to be white on most of it; around rhe same colour as her fashionista friend.(3)
"I can work with this." she said aloud. Getting to a bipedal stance, she grabbed the hilt. Tuggung, she felt that the cloud wasn't as soft as it appeared. It was harder than rocck, somehow.
{"Once you claim me, what will you do?"}
"Huh?!" she exclaimed, looking around in shock. "Who said that?""
{"I am known by many titles. Fearbreaker; Stormcutter, Eye of the Storm; to each their own. The name I favour most is: Nymbus. Sky blade of Courage. So I ask again: Once you claim me, what would you do? Who do you fight for? Why should I let you take me?"}
With every bit of determination she could muster, Rainbow Dash glared at the sword before saying, "I would rally the ponies that would help me. Together we would save the Ponies of this town, and then the world! I am Rainbow Dash! I fight for my home, my princesses, my family, my friends and myself. I can't say why else I would be worthy of you, but I knw it would be made easier with you at hand. But know this: With or without you, I intend to fight to my last breath!
She got the distinct impression of a smile in her mind. {"A lofty goal indeed. Very well, Rainbow Dash.Pull as hard as ever you can, and use my power to achieve your goal!}"
Grabbing the hilt with her other hand, she pulled withall her strength. She felt the cloud loosen its grip on the sword a little. Redoubling her effort, the blade began to slide out with painstaking slownes..
{"Is this the best you can do? Is this all one can expect from Rainbow Dash?"}
ritting her teeth, she growled, "No way! Not. Even! CLOSE!"
Instinctively, her magic flared to life, glowing sigils beginning to spread up her hooves, shining with all ther colours of her mane, a gale force wind kicking up around her..
"RrrrAGH!" With one more massive yank, the blade was freed, the remainder of the gathered wind energy shot straight upward, scattering some of the gathered swarm of enemies. When the wind cleared, a beam of cold blue light could be seen rising still toward the heavens.
{Well doe, my wielder. You are indeed worthy.}
Looking back at the sword, she found that it had changed in appearance(4). She could feel the power flowing through it, attuning to her own.
She shook off the sensation. "Standing around here will get me nowhere." With a mighty flap of her wings, whe went skyward fater than ever before. Rising high into the air, she could feel another power of the sword she now carried. Looking across the city, she could feel the numbers of Ponies that needed to be saved, protected. Looking in another direction, she saw the Wonderbolts, still bravely defending the rest of Cloudsdale's citizens. Among them were her parents, as well.
Choosing there as her destination, she sped back downward, taking out four more targets on the way.
She slammed into the cloud, skidding to a stop. "Careful! Those things can't land on clouds without destroying them."
Some of the other Wonderbolts were in a panic. Misty Fly, Cloud Kicker, Cloud Chaser...
The latter said, "We might just lose this fight!"
Thunderlane returned,, panting hare "That.... Isn't an option."
Rainbow Dash had had enough of what was going on, and decided to step things up. "Wonderbolys! Heed me!"
She began glowing bright blue as she said, ""I know you're afraid, and rightly so. Cloudsdale has never seen an invasion like this. But we can't give up now!! We fight for these ponies. We fight for Cloudsdale. We fight for princesses Celestia, Twilight and Luna"
The 'Bolts began to feel bolstered by her determination, gathering their courage.
Let us fight FOR EQUESTRIAAAA! she finished, receiving a chorus of "YEAH!"s from those assembled.
Strengthened by her presencxe on the battlefield, they began fighting more determinedly, and with greater power and speed. Whenever one was sent back to the clouds, they would be up and in the fray again shortly thereafter.
For her part, Rainbow Dash was slicing swiftly through the enemy ranks. She was actually able to avoid each and every strike that came her way. It was as if each swipe of a clau or wing, every shard of ice, every blast of lightning was as slow as molasses until she avoided each.
Soon enough, the remaining flying lizards were winging away from the city, most among their numnber thorouhjly trounced.
Rainbow Dash raised Nymbus skyward. "Victory is ours!" she exclaimed, met by cheers all around.
Spitfire looked at her curiously. "Uh.... Dash, you look... Different."
Taking a look at herself, Rainbow Dash discovered that Spitfire was indeed correct. Somewere in the interim, she'd taken on her Rainbow Powered form."Oh, this?" she said, closing her eyes and concentrating on ending the effect.
Reassuming her more or less normal appearance, she made to sling the sword along hwe back.... only to realize that she didn't have anything to sheathe it in. But that wasn't long to appear, the sword also ganining a scabbard.
"I'd better report back to Twilight and the pother princesses. Do you need me for anything else?"
Spitfire smiled and shook her head. "Nah, we're good, I think. But thanks for your assistance, Dash. You really saved the day. You go report to the princesses. We'll take it from here."
Windy Whistles trotted up to her, giving a tight hug. "There's my daughter, saving the day again!" much to the amusement of the gathered Wonderbolts,
Rainbow Dassh rolled her eyes. "Moooom. It was a team effort. You were part of it too."
She hugged for a moment longer before letting go. "I know, I know. But still! You really came in clutch, there. Maybe we shoukd take a-"
Bow Hothoof interrupted, "Uh... I think it would be best if we started on reparations and helping the injured. You go and tell the princesses what happened. We got this."
Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Ready to go, Nymbus?" she asked her sword.
{"Where you go, I shall go, chosen wielder mine."}
She wasn't actually expecting a response... but she shook that off. She then saluted and leaptinto the air, turning back toward Ponyville. She looked back and waved before speeding off.