The Lost Elements Saga

by PrismShift

Strangers in a Stranger Land

Higher and higher Rainbow Dash flew, dispersing clouds in her swift wake. She smiled as she felt gravity tug against her defiant form; with a flap of her wings she defied it, soaring even higher. Below her the ground hazed over into blobs of colors without definable shapes. Within a short span of time even the clouds looked tiny to her as she left behind the atmosphere.

She was now floating in the black reaches above her world, the moon her only company. Dash paused as she took this all in, smirking at her accomplishment. Uncharacteristically she paused to let the moment sink in. And then she let herself fall.

Plummeting fast she laughed. She laughed feeling the air break against. She laughed as she began to heat up on entry. She laughed as the ground loomed into view. She laughed as she smacked into a cloud, it breaking apart into bubbles. She laughed until she met face first with a mountain with Trotter's sad face on it.

“Gwha?!” Rainbow Dash shot up from the hard ground, wincing at the action. Her wing hurt and she was covered in dirt. Her ears were ringing and her vision was blurred. And she was so confused. It took minutes before she remembered the events aboard the Cloud Hopper and by then her vision was normal. However she wasn't quite sure what she was looking at. Not entirely at least.

The pegasus found herself at the bottom of a crater, with all her friends plus Trixie in it with her, the Sun shining right above them. The others were still knocked out cold, leaving the blue mare alone to scout. Further inspection on her part reveled that the crater was in some forest. A forest filled with bubbles. Stranger still the tree in front of the crash site had a massive eight written on it, with no other signs around to mach it.

'Eight? Eight what?' she though to herself as she continued to look around. As confused as she was a bit of silver lining did appear. Through a patch of trees she saw what looked like a building . It was fairly far away, maybe a hours walk at her best guess, yet flying there would take her ten minutes tops. And that was there and back. Dash smiled to herself, reading to take off. However a flex of her wing immediately stopped her as she doubled over in pain. Glancing at her wing she groaned, realizing she pulled it out its socket. With a sigh of frustration and pain she made her way back over to the crater.

Sliding down into it, she proceeded to shake Applejack, trying to wake her up. “Applejack? Come on, get up! I really could use a quick pony right about now,” Dash said as she moved over to Twilight. “Morning egghead! A super-smart princess could probably figure out where we are!” When neither woke up she continued to make her rounds to everyone in the pit. It surprised the young mare when lazy Spike was the first to get up.

“Five more minutes,” Spike yawned as Dash shook him, earning a far stronger reaction. “Fine! But if I don't know where the book is don't get mad at m- Rainbow Dash?” The baby dragon rubbed his eyes and shook himself awake. He glanced around, confused, before looking back at his friend with a frown. “So Trotter, I mean what happened last night; it all actually happened then? It wasn't just a nightmare?”

Rainbow Dash just nodded back at him while developing a pout. “Yeah, it looks like the jerk got us. Urgh! When I get my hoofs on that pony he's going to be sorry!” With a snort she looked at the nervous Spike with a look of determination. “Help me get the others up so we can figure out where we are and how to get back home.”

It took awhile however Rainbow Dash and Spike managed to wake their friends up, but thankfully everypony seemed no worse for ware. Except for one.

The ponies quickly found out that no matter what they did, Applejack wasn't getting up. In fact, as Fluttershy looked over the farm pony, it appeared she was getting worse. Using a now shredded pile of Rarity's latest design, the shy pegasus did her best to bandage Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “I've done what I can for Applejack but I think she really hurt her head,” Fluttershy said as she used some of the red toga to wrap around Applejack's head. “And her breathing is shallow. We need to get her to a doctor.” The pink maned mare bit back a sob at seeing her friend hurt.

“Then let's get her to one!” said a frustrated Rainbow Dash. Her injured wing would be fine however it currently sat useless in a makeshift sling. “I think I saw a town through the trees earlier; if we take her there I am sure somepony can help her.”

Fluttershy only shook her head. “Moving her might just makes things worse. She needs to be treated better first.”

Dash growled in frustration. “Then let's go bring help back! If a few of us leave now we can bring help back in a few hours.”

Twilight nodded, stepping next to her multicolored, pegasus friend. “Dash is right. I will go and Rainbow Dash can tag along. Anypony else?”

“I will,” said Spike. “You'll need me to send a letter to Princess Celestia when we get there anyway.”

Pinkie Pie also bounced to attention. “Let me go too, Twi! I have had a series of shudders since we fell here- I bet there is a doozy just waiting for us there.”

“Um, Pinkie,” said Twilight uncertainly, “Maybe you should stay here. That way, um,” the alicorn paused, not wanting the pink mare to tag along and scare away any help. “Um, stay here and prepare a party for the ponies who come to help us?”

Pinkie gasped, gaining about ten seconds of hang time as she did.. “Of course Twilight! How could I be so short sighted?! Because if the ponies who come and help us just get a thanks they will feel okay, but not GREAT! But a 'Thank You' party wouldn't just make then feel GREAT but REALLY GREAT because they not only helped somepony but also got a party for their troubles. Oh! And if they're already in a good mood they can feel SUPER REALLY GRE-!”

Twilight just silence the pink party machine with her hoof, smiling at her friend's enthusiasm. “You read my mind Pinkie. Well if that's all the volunteers let's head out.” However a blur of color stopped Twilight in her tracks as Rainbow Dash blocked her path, pointing angrily at the blue unicorn in the group, currently using the crater to separate herself from the others.

“Not so fast Twi! She's going to come with us,” proclaimed Dash with a slight frown.

To the magician's credit she only gasped a little. “You mean Trixie? Why does Trixie have to go trudging through the jungle? Why can't she stay here?”

Despite the current lack of flight Rainbow Dash managed to live up to her namesake. With a scant, short moment she closed the gap between Trixie and her, getting face to face with the other mare. “Why? Because I don't trust you.” The words left Dash's mouth like venom, causing Trixie to flinch, as well as Twilight and Fluttershy in sympathy. “You're a liar and a coward. You've taken over Ponyville, banished Twilight, and ripped Pinkie's mouth off before. I don't trust you anywhere near my friends unless I'm around; and I am leaving, so you are going with me.” The tone in the pegasus's voice left no room for argument from Trixie herself, however she did have one friend to speak a little on her behalf.

“Calm down Rainbow Dash, Trixie's changed,” calmlyspoke Twilight, trotting closer to the two. “And to prove it she's going to volunteer to join us and not be forced into it.”

A collective 'She is?' sounded from the crash sight, including from the blue unicorn herself. “Of course she is,” smiled Twilight, “It will be a perfect chance to show the rest of you that she's not the pony we used to know. Right Trixie?” She finished by meeting the topic mare's gaze.

“Right?” stammered Trixie before nodding her head. “I mean right! Of course, why Trixie was just getting ready to volunteer her abilities to the group when the rainbow one threw her off. Doing this she will prove that Trixie only wants to earn everypony here's friendship.” She ended with a forced smile to the others which earned a varied response back. Everything from Fluttershy smiling in return to Rainbow Dash literally growling at her occurred causing an uneasy air to settle. The tension was only broken when Twilight smiled to the assembled group and began to walk off.

“Very good everypony; let's head out.”

A walk that should only have lasted an hour for three ponies and a dragon riding bareback was dragged out to a slow crawl as little conversation occurred; that little that did wasn't pleasant nor relaxing. Considering this, Twilight was in the right when she exhaled a frustrated breath clearing the forest into town. “We're here! Now let's find someponies to help Applejack.” A rapid series of taps on her head turned the princess's attention to Spike. “What now?”

“Check again Twilight,” the young dragon said, pointing to the newly found settlement. “I don't think you need to get a pony for help; I don't think you could find another pony at all.”
Trixie and Rainbow Dash both stepped out of the foliage just in time for Twilight's gasp, their own following suit. They looked at the town, a busy street polluted with bubbles. Aside from the floating spheres the area seemed normal enough to the group. However the resident's caused the current reaction; because as the ponies looked at the locals they saw strange, ape-like things. They covered themselves in a variety of cloths and walked on two feet. Beyond that though no two looked alike. Some were short, others very tall. A few carried swords and many more carried other tools of war. Twilight specifically stared in awe as more than a few seemed to carry miniature cannons, a theoretical weapon Equestria had never needed thankfully. The four, three equines and a dragon, stood frozen in shock for well over a minute. In that time some of the ape-things had glanced at them, even stared, but none approached, seemingly too busy to feed their curiosity. This was not the case for the ponies.

“Um, Twi? What are we looking at here?” asked Rainbow Dash as she tapped Twilight's back. Trixie did like-wise, wanting to know just as much as the prismatic pegasus.

“I have no idea,” admitted Twilight Sparkle. “Never, in any of my research, have I ever come across creatures like these. Well almost never; I recall seeing a depiction once of a moon beast but that had wings. These don't.” She tip-hoofed closer to the biped crowd, a smile spreading across her face. “I think this is a whole new species. At least for us I mean- oh! I have to start researching! Spike, I need you to take some mental notes until I can ge-”

A blue hoof jammed itself inside of Twilight's mouth. This shut her up as the owner of the hoof, Rainbow Dash, gave her a sly grin with only the faintest hints of frustration. “Easy there, Princess Egghead! The textbook can come latter; right now we need to get some help for the cowgirl, followed by getting home. Got it?”

The princess just nodded sheepishly. “You're absolutely right. We need to focus!” Determined, Twilight lead the lot up to a group of the bipeds that carried many weapons; the scholar deduced that they must be a authority of some sort to carry around so many. “I hope you can understand me: my name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Equestria, and Student of Celestia. I humbly ask for your assistance in getting back home and getting a friend of mine some medical attention!” she pleaded as her speech immediately caught the attention of the strange group.

“Did that little horse just talk?!”

“Yeah! I heard it too!”

“Is it a devil fruit?”

“What? You suppose the two flanking the purple one ate the the same one? Not a chance!”

“Hey, guys, the unicorn-thing said it was a princess, right?”

“Yeah; so?”

“So how much do you think a pony princess's ransom is worth?”

“No idea- but I bet captain Luffy will know. With this find he may just overlook our low bounties!”

Spike and the girls understood every word of this. They were already galloping for their lives by the time several of the bipeds drew their weapons and chased after the scared and confused lot. “After them! We'll make a killing selling them to a circus if nothing else!”

“This way! I saw the talking horses run down this street! Hurry!”

A small mob of pirates tore down the street, passing by two people riding on a floating bike. One was man, with tanned skin, curly hair, and a long nose. He wore tall, yellow pants that went to his chest and a floppy white hat. Orange goggles hung around his neck and his ears were covered with headphones. The other was a woman with long orange hair and fair skin. She wore little, a green bikini top and some jeans, to cover her body. Her left shoulder had blue tattoo on it similar to a curvy 'X'. She was the first to comment on the chase occurring in front of them.

“Eh, Usopp; did you hear those guys?”

The man nodded. “Yeah, something about talking horses. Nami you don't think-?”

“It has anything to do with Chopper? Maybe- let's follow them to be sure.”

“Come a little closer! I dare you! See how quick I beat your flank!” The ponies and Spike had made a mistake as they ran, turning into a dead-end ally. Rainbow Dash was the first to turn on the strange things. Her bravado was daring but she blurted out a startled 'meep' as the one nearest to her lashed out at her with a curved sword. She was spared the slash as a flickering shield of energy burst between the weapon and her. It faultered quickly as the rainbow hued pegasus turned to her princess friend whose horn was struggling to stay lit. “Give it a little more gas Twi! These guys aren't playing around.”

“I'm trying but I still haven't recovered from whatever Trotter did to us,” Twilight gasped out in broken concentration. “I- I can't control my magic!” With Twilight's cry of disbelief her focus faltered and the shield vanished. In a single tense moment Rainbow Dash lept back to narrowly avoid another swing as Spike moved to the front of the pony group, breathing a gout of fire.

The pirate mob stumbled back to avoid the green flames, a little panick spreading amongst them. “Careful,” one with a massive hammer and a navy bandanna yelled out. “The purple thing can spit fire.”

“You bet I can!” yelled a panting Spike. “You think you guys scare me? I'm a dragon; I'll burn you guys up if you try to hurt my friends or me!” The action stunned both groups as the little dragon stood his ground. He was scared and confused but would do anything for his friends. Even if they hated it.

Twilight tried to grab her assisstant and oldest friend but her magic still failed her. “Spike!” she yelled, held back by a nervous Trixie. “Get behind me before they hurt you!”

“So we have a dragon, eh?” questioned the one with a hammer. He moved to the front of the group, causing Spike to take a step back. He held his weapon firmly, staring into the dragon's eyes with a strong determination. “Good- these ponies are a novelty that might pan out but you? How could captain Luffy turn me away if I'm a dragon slayer?” The comment made Spike flinch as the man started to swing his weapon. Spike inhaled in response to breath another gout of flame but he was too slow. The hammer connected with his head before he could exhale, knocking the baby dragon against the wall.

“Yes! From now on call me Dragon Killer Geti guys!” the hammer man yelled out while his companions cheered. Rainbow Dash used this moment to grab a groaning Spike who was trying to recover from the blow. She brought his to Twilight who grabbed the young drake inbetween her hooves, holding him tight.

“That was so stupid Spike; that monster almost killed you.” Whispered a worried Twilight as she tried to keep calm.

“And brave. Thanks bud,” said Rainbow Dash as she tried to be reassuring. With Spike down she took the forefront of her group again, ready to fight if needed. “That was pretty low of you,” she said to her smirking attackers. “Spike's a dragon but he's also a baby dragon. Do you usually go around smacking kids in the head with that thing?” The pegasus was speaking directly to the one with hammer in its limbs, Geti apparently, as it started to ready for another swing.

“Heh, only when they get in my way. You want to stay in my way?” Not waiting for an answer, the pirate started to swing but paused .His eyes followed a bubble, then two, and then three until he realized his group and him were surrounded by the floating things. Far more than normally hovered through the air. “What's up with thes- umpf!” Geti was cut short as the bubbles popped as one, creating a powerful gust. The miniature cyclone violently whipped the air around, doing likewise to most of the pirates, save for Geti who held his ground. In just few short moments all the men in the alley but one lay unconscious on the ground as Geti and the ponies looked around in surprise until their eyes fell on a woman at the entrance of the dead end. A woman with long orange hair.

“Hey there, can't you see you're scaring the horses? How could you do such a thing? I mean, look at how adorable they are!” The newcomer said in a sarcastic tone, twirling a blue staff a little bigger than she was. The ponies and Spike were just more confused than they were before, if not grateful, while Geti was instantly put off by the woman, knowing that strange and dangerous people swarmed the Grandline.

“Listen you witch! No one gets in my way and goes unpunished!” Hefting his hammer over his head with two hands he charged the strange woman. The girl just shook her head in response, stepping to the side to reveal a man with a pointy nose and a sling shot aimed straight at Geti's head.

“Usopp? Take this idiot out so we can get back to looking for the others.” The man nodded as he let his shot off. A green projectile launched from the weapon as it struck Geti in the center of his forehead. The attack impacted with enough force to knock the hammer wielder to the ground with a puff of smoke. From a seed, now lodged in the middle of a stunned Geti's forehead, vines rapidly grew out until he was bound, brought to the ground like the rest of his companions. “Good shot, even if they guys were really weak.”

On the the other side of the alley the Equestrian natives watched the conflict subside with a new rush of nervousness overcoming them. The strange creatures who had just taken down the mob chasing them were now closing the gap, nearing the ponies with their backs literally to the wall. It was Twilight Sparkle, after taking a very nervous gulp, who took a step passed a tense Rainbow Dash, that spoke to the two new beings. “He-hello. I'm Princ- just Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Rainbow Dash the pegasus, Spike the dragon, and Trixie the unicorn,” she said gesturing to each in kind. “And, well, thank you for helping us. Um, you did want to help us, right?” Twilight stared at the two nervously while she waited for a response. Their own reaction was the opposite as they seemed to be going through amazement. Especially the one with the pointy nose, Usopp if what Twilight had heard early was its name, whose eyes were as wide as saucers.

“Nami,” he, as far as Twilight could tell anyway, blurted out in astonishment as he pointed its claw at her. “They really can talk! And they have a dragon with them; how cool is that?!” Usopp said causing a bit of smirk to appear on Spike's face even as he nursed his head wound.

“Thanks! I don't even mean to try to be this awesome,” Spike beamed at he newcomers.

“Forget that Usopp, they have a unicorn!” Nami was gleaming at Trixie, who was a little taken back by the sudden praise. “Does she do magic? Can she grant wishes?”

Trixie nodded after a slight pause, thinking her next words through very carefully. “Well Trixie is a very accomplished mage, capable of astounding feats of sorcery and illusion-”

“Neat! I wish for a chest so full the gold is bursting out of it!.”

“That is a bit beyond Trixie's talents, apologies.”

The one named Nami seemed to grow very disappointed in this, instantly turning away with a huff. “Alright, I see. Come on Usopp! We have o reason to stick around here.” The red head began storming away, with Rainbow Dash's eyes burrowing ito her while the others just felt very confused, Usopp included.

“Wait!” shouted Twilight as Nami fled. Why are you leaving? Didn't you just help us?” The purple princess turned to the conflicted Usopp as he seemed to be stuck between following Nami and staying with those he just saved. “Can't you help us? My friends and I are lost, one of our own is injured, and we are so confused. Please, please help us?” Twilight didn't want to beg but her friends and her needed help and she wasn't where else she was going to get it.

With a sigh, the one called Usopp dropped to knee, meeting Twilight at eye level. She could see the sympathy and pity in his gaze but she could feel what the answer was going to be before he even spoke. “Look, I'm sorry but while Nami is being harsh she sort of has a point. We have our own things going on. The crew she and I are apart of has been separated for a while and we promised to find each other today and set sail. We just don't have time to help you.”

Twilight, desperate, tried again to convince him. “So you are apart of a crew? You have ship? That's great! Look at how much smaller we are then you; let us on board and you will barely even know we are there. Just please take us with you until we find our way home.”

“That's- that's really not my call to make.”

“Forget it Twi! I think we'd be better off without help from these....these...these whatever they are! Not like any of them are raising a hoof to help us.”

Trixie surged towards the front in a moment, as if coming to a realization. “Wait! That one from earlier said she wanted a chest on money; what if we pay our way on board?”

In and instant Usopp was knocked to the side as Nami returned, pushing him out of the way as her eyes gleamed with pure greed. “Well if it is for a good cause and helps adorable horses like yourselves ho could we say no?” She took a step closer towards Trixie as Rainbow Dash tensed up and Twilight took a nervous step back. “How much are we talking here?”

Spike shuck his head with a grimace. “And they say dragons have problems...”

Glancing down nervously, Trixie used her focus to open her saddle bag. The action made Usopp gasp in wonder while Nami frowned a bit as full but small sack came floating out. “Trixie admits it's not much but maybe it could do for now? At least until we find our way home?” Trixie added in a hopeful tone. Nami snatched the bag out of the air and looked inside before gasping in shock. Gems of all sizes and hues glistened in the sun. In Equestria the bag was worth a few nights at an inn, where the things were fairly common. Trixie figured they could likewise rent a room on a ship for a few days here as well. The unicorn had no way of knowing their rarity on the Grandline after all.

“Nam-nami?!” said Usopp as he looked over the woman’s shoulder. “That bag; that's gotta be worth an isl-!” The long nose man was silenced as Nami bashed him on the head with her pole from earlier, startling the ponies.

“Sorry Usopp,” she said with her eyes still focusing on the bag of jewels. “My hand slipped. Anyway, my talking horsey, you have a deal. A bag this full,” Nami said tossing it up and down a few times, hiding her grin with a neutral expression, “Is worth two or three weeks I'd say on board the Thousand Sunny. Give or take, and please consider I'm being generous.” Nami held out a hand to Trixie after bending down to the pony's level. “Deal?”

With a quick glance to Twilight who nodded while Rainbow Dash shook her head, Trixie smirked, shaking Nami's hoof-er claw with her own hoof. “Deal. And that's pony to you, not horse.

“And you're sure the rest of your friends are this way?” asked a skeptical Nami.

Rainbow Dash nodded a affirmative, still watching the two 'hoomins', as they called themselves, like a hawk. “Yeah, I memorized this route. Two more streets and then cut into the trees.”

“Understood- Usopp, follow the mare's directions.”

Currently Twilight's away team rode on top of Usopp and Nami's usually bubble-bike as thelong nosed marksman peddled hard, taking them through the various streets fulled of armed people. Few though spared any glances to the group as they made their way to the crater. Under better circumstances Twilight would have enjoyed the ride, asking a dozen or so questions about the vehicle alone; yet she held her tongue. The air, at least to the ponies, still felt pretty tense after they had to bribe the humans for help. To Twilight it just felt so wrong that help had to be bartered for. Rainbow's attitude, she had to admit, wasn't making things better as she glared at the two bipeds.

Due to this the trip was pretty silent, only broken up by Spike who came to a realization. “Eh, we never asked for a doctor?! Applejack was in a bad way when we left.”

Usopp just nodded at the drake's comment, giving him a thumbs up even as he peddled. “No worries,um, Spike, right?” he asked as the dragon nodded. “Anyway, no worries; our crew's doctor is one of the best in the Grandline. Whatever is wrong with your friend he can fix it.”

Rainbow Dash just blew some of her mane out face at that fact, clearly not believing the boast. “Yeah right. What's the miracle worker's name?”

“No reason to be so bitter. Our doctor's name is -”

“Usopp?!” a excitable voice called out from the sea of people.

Usopp and Nami both blinked in surprise, their eyes quickly narrowing something down in the crowd. “Chopper?” they both said in unison as they pulled the bike to stop. The two people jumped off the vehicle, as Spike and the ponies watched them rush towards their doctor Chopper- a reindeer in a blue hat apparently.

Rainbow Dash sighed in relief. “Finally, somepony normal in this weird place.”

The reindeer in question was getting hugged by his two crew mates, shedding soft tears of joy as the Equestrians watched in silence. “Nami, Usopp, I am so happy to have found you two- you both look really different.”

“We look different?” gasped Nami.

Usopp just laughed at the comment, patting his four legged friend on the side. “neither of us have changed nearly as much as you. Look at how big you've gotten; I can almost ride you now.”

“Hey!” barked out Rainbow Dash, interrupting the reunion. “This is touching and all but one of my friends is messed up- we don't have time for this!”

Chopper looked shocked, glancing at the ponies with awe. “It can speak?!”

“Oh, you are one to talk buddy!”