What Lies Beyond

by Sparx

Reign of the Hammer

Reign of the Hammer

"Rarity, this is AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash looked down at her new armor.

"But of course it is Darling. Dragon leather almost never comes off less then fabulous." Rarity responded. "I had no idea what I was going to do with all those scales I'd been holding onto for the past year, so when I saw that incredible weapon of yours I just knew that I had to make some truly spectacular armor to match." And spectacular it was. The rainbow of scales glistened in the light, with a lightning shaped sapphire right at Dash's throat holding the piece together. It all flowed over her body, stronger than steel yet light as a feather. With a band for each of her legs, this little pony would be well protected.

"I can't thank you enough for this Rarity. Wow... Amaranth." Rainbow Dash looked at the armor in the mirror. Suddenly she saw something come in the door. An orange and blonde pony. "Applejack?" Dash turned away from the mirror and looked at the country pony in the eye. "What brings you around Carousel boutique?"

Applejack didn't say anything, a frown was dressing her face. "Ah need ta talk to ya Sugarcube..." Rarity looked over to the two of them. "...Alone." Applejack said requesting with her eyes.

"Oh, but of course Applejack." Rarity nodded and started nudging Rainbow Dash out the door. "Now, you two have some speaking to do. I'll see you later Rainbow Dash." And with that Rarity closed the door behind the two of them.

Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack and the earth pony looked back. "Come along Sugarcube, I... This is important."

The two approached the barn of Sweet Apple Acres. "Now... Sugarcube... Ah know that you an' Spitfire have a...a bit of a relationship." Applejack looked to the ground as she opened the barn door slowly. "And ah know that we... have been really close like for a while now... But ah also know that you an' Spitfire have... well..." She knocked her forehooves together nervously, looking about the barn with a red hue on her cheeks. "Been... intimate... so ah figured... if ah even wanna be on even grounds.... jus'..." Applejack walked over to a pile of hay and plopped down on her back. She blushed like mad. "Come an' get me Sugarcube... jus'...be gentle. Mah first time an' all."

Dash just looked at her friend lying there, face red and looking to the ground, hat covering her muzzle. "Applejack..." Dash walked over to her friend, and pressed her lips against the orange mare's. The two kissed for half a minute, lovingly embracing one another's lips. "AJ, you don't have to do this..." Rainbow Dash pulled back and replaced The earth pony's hat on her head. "I don't like you less than Spitfire because we haven't slept together... I like you for the way you are Applejack, and... I just..." Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. "I know I haven't been fair... to either one of you. I need to decide or it'll hurt the three of us a lot more than it needs to." She pulled AJ back up onto her legs. "But I need you to stay as just you if I'm going to decide. Don't do something out of your nature just to try and change my view of you, because I like you the way you are AJ." The rainbow pegasus smiled and lifted the chin of her close friend.

Applejack smiled as tears rushed to her eyes. "Oh Rainbow..." She leaped onto Dash, forcing their lips to join once again. She pulled back, tears dripping down her face. "Well then, Ah have another proposition for ya Dash." She pulled her back up to her hooves. "Let me come with ya on your adventures."

"I'm sorry?" Dash shook her head, trying to clear her head.

"Ah wanna come with ya over the mountains. Somepony has to watch your back after all, an' ah can't think of nopony better than me ta keep ya safe." AJ wrapped a foreleg around Dash's neck.

"No way, it's dangerous out there Applejack, I can't risk-"

"An' ah can't risk you Dash. Ah'm comin' with ya whether ya like it or not. If'n yer so worried about me, then ya best protect me ya hear." With a wink and a grin Applejack walked out the barn doors. "Now are ya comin'?"

Later, in the forest, Dash led Applejack to Smith's hut, popping up over the trees every now and again to get a view of the landscape. "So, what weapon interests you miss Applejack?" Nilt asked from Rainbow's back.

"Well, ah hadn't thought about that. Ah have much more trust in my own legs than some relic." Applejack walked over to a tree and demonstrated her bucking prowess, knocking down nearly every leaf on the tree.

"Ah! Most admirable." Nilt responded, impressed.

"We're almost there" Dash said. "It's just across this moat." coming out through the trees the ponies and sprite saw the hut ahead of them with weapons scattered about with a stretch of water encircling it. "Now, I know there's a shallow end right about... here!" Dash stepped her hoof in the water and it sank about only an inch. "Come on, make sure you go straight though, the rest is pretty deep and full of monsters. Wait a minute... Why is his door open?" Rainbow flew for the hut, Applejack racing by closely after. At the door, Dash stopped and covered her muzzle. "Blood?" The smell was overwhelming. She peeked her head in and pulled it right back out, gagging. "Oh Smith... Who did this?" Applejack came over and prepared to open the door. "NO! Don't look, it's bad." Rainbow Dash pulled on her friend's tail to stop her from going in the hut.

Nilt flew up onto Rainbow Dash's head and peeked into the hut. "This stallion... His... His head is..."

But he didn't need to say it. Applejack pulled the door closed.She looked around, noticing blood spatters, and a number of hoof prints left in blood in the dirt. "This weren't no monster, somepony did this themselves..." Applejack walked over to a nearby hammer and lifted it in her teeth. "On second thought, maybe ah will need one of these things... Nilt, Rainbow, let's get going."

Comments

[Krix]

I can't find words to describe how good this story is
This story has everything I love in it: Fantasy Rainbow Dash + DashFire + Appledash + metal!
I absolutly love this story. Can't wait to see what you've got install for later chapters
(oh and dasfhire ship is best ship)

[Sparx]

2739356>>1857992>>1325544>>1325345>>1310587>>518784>>294096>>315103>>220110>>206940>>204408>>204155>>204408
Soooo...Ol' Sparx got some 'splainin' to do.

My apologies to those of you who have been waiting oh so patiently for an update on this story you have followed and enjoyed, but this is where the rainbow stops. However! I must let you know that at the end of every rainbow there is gold, and I am currently at work on that.
I have reluctantly brought this story to it's cancellataion, for the fact that I feel I can deliver better. Now I'm not saying that this story is bad, simply that I wish to build something better from it. For most of my earlier fics, including this one, I simply went along without any plans or editing behind it, but in the more recent days I have become much more active in the community and found myself a grand pair of editors and dozens more plans for stories.
THIS fic has ended, in order to evolve into what I originally wished. There is a new story that I will be releasing by some point around the end of December or the beginning of the new year. Fitting really as a theme for new beginnings. It will still hold much in common with this story; inspirations from my beloved Power Metal, Song titles as chapter titles, Exploration beyond Equestria's borders, Plenty of Rainbow Dash, Swords and sorcery, Spitfire and Applejack, hideous monster battles. But it will also have a lot more, as if this all goes to plan, it will spread across more than a single story. I'm talking a potential fantasy series. If that excites you than I greatly encourage you to keep an eye out for it when I release it. If it doesn't and you wish to stick with what remains here, I am keeping it up for you all to enjoy as it was.
I truly am grateful for you all enjoying my story, and am deeply sorry I won't continue it, but I hope that what follows makes up for it and is worth your wait. I truly do love you guys.

Here's to adventure and ponies!
-Sparx Skywriter

Here's a slight preview for those of you interested in the new fantasy fic. Consider it a thank you:

A few miles to the east of Appaloosa, was a settlement built upon a prosperous and thriving mine. The desert winds carried the consistent clinking of pickaxes and scratching of claws against dirt. These were Diamond Dog lands, and that could be seen by the various tunnels and holes surrounding the place. There were a few wooden buildings throughout the town, primarily bars and inns for travelers, as most of the dog's homes resided underground. One such tavern, titled "Diamond in the Ruff" as an attempt to be clever, was currently serving a particular pegasus with multicolored mane. She sat at the bar with a glass in her hoof, motioning for the barkeep for a refill.
"We don't get very many flying ponies in these parts. What you doing out here in the desert?" The dog asked as he poured another glass of hard cider.
The winged pony kept her eyes to the table as she let out a chuckle. "Believe you me, buddy, I never expected this either." A melancholy sigh came from her mouth. "But, it's like dad used to say..." She paused for a moment, then took a swig of her drink. "...Shit happens." The bartender nodded as he cleaned glasses with a rag. Dash started with another sigh. "I'm just traveling. Getting a better feel for this wide world we live in, after all, I kinda lost the only thing keeping me around back home. I thought about moving back to Cloudsdale at first, but I left that place a long time ago. There's nothing there for me anymore."
The dog gave a small chuckle. "Ah, sounds like very sad story for a pony. Usually heard things like that from Gryphon or other dogs."
Dash gave a chuckle in return. "Yeah. It ain't all sunshine and rainbows for us buddy. Don’t get me wrong, that's a lot of it, but we get the bad times too."
Another nod from the bartender as he replaced the glass he was cleaning with a new one. "If the pony doesn't mind, might I ask her story?"
A smile returned to Dash's face. "Sure...why not? It's a tale worth telling." She chugged back the rest of her glass and put it to the side as she gathered her memories. "Never saw it all coming y'know. The six of us always stood together, through everything, even a god couldn't tear us apart from one another. But see, thing is that Twilight had always been there to keep us connected. We'd all known of each other, but I didn't really spend too much time with Pinkie or Rarity before Twilight brought us all together, hadn't seen much of Fluttershy either in those days. Twilight was always the one who brought us back together when things were strained, united us against Nightmare Moon, stopped the changeling invasion, saved a whole 'nother dimension, and even managed to keep us together when our whole lives got swapped. So, you'd think we'd all be good so long as we had Twilight... and we were." The diamond dog never tore his eyes from Dash's face, just as her own eyes were focused on the table, looking more into her memory than the world around her.
"But what do you do when that major piece of the puzzle is taken away?" Her smile vanished. "Duty calls and she left...and gradually...so did everypony else." She reached for her glass, but stopped when she realized it was still empty. The bartender gave her a quick refill and she took her gulp. "You see, one day, Celestia and Luna just up and vanished! No explanation, no warning, no nothing...Just gone. 'Course Twilight did the only thing she could, she took over as the only available princess at the time. We all supported her and knew it was what she had to do. She tried to keep us informed on what was going on everyday, sending us all letters through Spike, who she had left with us to get those messages." The dog looked a bit confused. "He's an enchanted dragon...bit of a different story there." The dog shrugged and let her continue.
"Well as she got busier and busier, we heard less and less from her ya see...and..." Dash found it a bit difficult at this point, but pressed on. "Eventually, the letters stopped altogether. AJ and I did our best to try and keep the gang together...it didn't really work out too well." She took a pause. "Fluttershy went first. Went to spending most of her time in the Everfree Forest. She seemed to never be in her cottage when any of us came knocking. Rarity and Spike moved her business off to Canterlot. Pinkie Pie....well... you'd never have expected the loudest of us to leave without so much as a 'bye', but nobody knows where she went, or even when she left." A small chuckle escaped the rainbow maned pegasus. "She was the last one I'd ever have expected to act like that. So, then it came down to just me and AJ, I mean I would often fly off to see Twilight, but the two of us were the only ones left in Ponyville anymore."
It took about a full minute and another glass of cider before Dash could find her voice again. "I swear to you, I would have stayed with that mare forever, heh... but she said we had to be honest with ourselves and that..." Dash had to stop and chuckle again. "Get this. She told me to be loyal to myself." Her chuckle became a full out laugh as she drew the attention of a few of the other patrons in the bar. "She tells me, the Element of Loyalty, to be loyal to myself." She tried to take a swig from her empty glass before letting out one last chuckle and turning it upside down on the counter.

[SolidFire]

3550030
Gah! Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!! Personal favorites of mine are always getting cancelled man! First it's Leaving Their Legacy, and now it's this! I know you're going to do a re-do/ complete new story out of it, but it sucks to have to put this one down in order to bring another into the world.

~SolidFire

[Sparx]

3550641
I know. I'm sorry. Wasn't easy on me either.