//------------------------------// // 363. Rainbow Dash by Jonesly // Story: The Sun and the Stars: A Twilestia Prompt Collab // by Fuzzyfurvert //------------------------------// by Jonesly *** Four ponies stood on a field. Littered about were bright red dodgeballs. It had been a week since the last challenge and the parties involved had gathered again. Twilight Sparkle stood next to Celestia Morningstar. Across from them, Rainbow Dash confidently stood next to Luna Morningstar. “So we are agreed?” Celestia asked. “A rematch, magic disallowed, Twilight wins, the dates go on. Rainbow wins, the dates stop.... Remind me again why I'm going along with this?” Luna grinned, “Because you looo-oove me and want to huu-mor me and my ec-cen-tri-ci-ties.” Celestia sighed, rubbing her face with her hoof. “Ok, why are you going along with this?” Luna's grin soured. “Rainbow whined. A lot.” “I did not whine!” Rainbow whined, “It was just totally unfair of the egghead to use magic against me! She's like, a bajillion times better then me with magic. She's an Alicorn! Take away the glowy wooshy stuff though and there's just no way she can keep up with The Dash.” Celestia just smiled faintly. “Fine. Let us see how this turns out.” She turned to Twilight. “Are you ready?” Twilight nodded silently. “And you, Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow grinned. “Born ready.” Celestia lit her horn and with a flash, teleported herself and her sister to the far side of the clearing. “Go!” She called. Rainbow exploded into motion. She spun into a barrel roll, a wing curling about a dodgeball, guiding it into her hooves. She flapped hard twice, gaining some quick altitude. “Bombs away!” She crowed, angling towards the ground and Twilight. She dove, releasing the ball as she reached top speed, pulling up and skidding to a stop on the ground, she watched the ball fly towards her friend. As the ball streaked at Twilight, her eyes wide as she jumped to the left. The ball whistled past, rustling Twilight's tail as it passed within inches of the purple mare. So the battle went, Dash using her speed to snatch balls before Twilight could get to them, only to rise into the air and dive bomb the scholar. Twilight kept up as best she could, dodging at the last moment several times, using her wings to give herself microbursts of speed, dipping at direct shots and rolling away from indirect ones. She never took the offensive away from Dash, seemingly using her entire focus on the monumental task of not getting hit by the balls kept in motion by her prismatic foe. Her brows furrowed in concentration, Rainbow Dash worked her opponent towards the edge of the clearing, where the trees were more numerous and dodging was harder. “Almost, almost...” She muttered, “Now!” Rainbow flashed downward with what she hoped was her finishing shot. She released the ball at just barely below rainboom speeds and watched as the ball flashed out towards Twilight. Twilight whirled around and kicked out with all the strength she had in her legs. The ball that had been flying so fast towards her reversed direction in a heartbeat. Rainbow casually moved her head to the right, letting the ball zip past her, rustling her mane. “You missed, Egghead.” Rainbow taunted. “Did I?” Twilight spoke for the first time all day. Her eyes flickered to something behind Rainbow. Rainbow whipped her head around just in time to see the dodgeball ricochet off of the tree behind her at rocket speed, flying directly at her face. Rainbow's world exploded in a flash of brilliant light and pain. As everything faded to black, the last thing she heard was a grim voice. “Don't EVER try to stand between me and My Celestia.”