• Published 4th Dec 2013
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Rainbow's Quest - Zetriax



Rainbow Dash is having a lazy day when Pinkie Pie gives her a strange stone. Through many trials and discoveries, she embarks on a quest like never before.

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To Build an Army

Chapter 24- To Build an Army
Rainbow stood atop the raised platform in front of the City Hall in the center of Ponyville. Shadow Flare stood resolutely behind her. Various ponies of all shapes and sizes crowded around the stage, cold and confused. Scootaloo had gone around all of Ponyville, telling the residents of each building to meet at the City Hall before rushing off to the next. Now she was with Jade, down near the base of the stage, shivering in the cold, stagnant air.
The ponies gazed at Rainbow expectantly, waiting for her to speak. The sky-blue pegasus took a deep breath. “Citizens of Ponyville,” she began, “You may be wondering why I summoned you here today during such a dark time.” A few voices sounded in fuming agreement. “Now listen. This is very important… I am not the Rainbow Dash you all know. I am from ten years in the past.” The crowd gasped. “When I came forward in time, the timeline was broken. From that rift in time came the Fallen, the creatures that have been attacking you. The ponies they abduct are sent to a place called the Void. We need to stop these creatures. If we can kill a Fallen, the pony they abducted will return to this world. However, there is evidence of many Fallen and Shadow, Scootaloo, and I can’t stop them on our own. We need as much help as possible. Will you assist us?”
“Do you expect us to believe all this? We know strange things are going on, but time-travel and voids? Rainbow, you must be going crazy! I say you go to a counselor and we’ll wait in the safety of our homes until the shadow creatures go away,” said a brown pony in the center of the crowd. Many shouted in support.
Rainbow took a few steps back. Crazy? She wasn’t crazy. Dash was. Or was she? Maybe she was crazy and Dash was sane. Maybe this whole thing is a giant illusion conjured by her mind. She ducked her head low and turned away from the crowd. Shadow was looking at her. He wore an expression she had never seen on him before: anger.
He took a few steps forward. The red-maned unicorn halted beside Rainbow. “I’ll take care of this,” he whispered comfortingly. So, it wasn’t her he was angry at. It was the civilians. Shadow walked up to the front of the stage.
“Listen everypony! Rainbow is not crazy. There is countless proof of her story’s reliability. But it isn’t about her. It’s you! Here she is, trying to help you, and you treat her as if she is mentally insane? Listen here! The world around you is falling apart. We are literally on the brink of an apocalypse and you merely treat it as happenstance when the strangest things go on. The Fallen are trying to tear us down, and we are the only ones who can stop them from succeeding. Are we just going to sit here or are we going to stand and fight!”
There was a prolonged silence as Shadow Flare’s gaze swept across the audience. Rainbow was moved that he had tried to defend her, but it seemed that the speech was ineffectual. That was until somepony broke the silence. “Fight!” shouted a mare in the back, her lone voice echoing in the quiet. “Fight!” joined in stallion somewhere to the left. “Fight!” joined in three more. The chanting began to spread across the ponies, rising in volume and intensity until everypony was chanting, “Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!” Rainbow smiled and a tear rose to her eye as she saw the conviction of these ponies.
“Alright!” said Shadow, “Let’s build an army!” Cheering roared across the gathering. It was time to prepare.
---
“Now, when one of you flies toward the enemy, it’ll draw the attention, allowing another of you to attack from behind,” Rainbow addressed the pegasi gathered around her. They had decided to train them in groups based on their races. Rainbow trained the pegasi while Shadow trained the unicorns and Scoots trained the earth ponies.
The training was tough as she wasn’t especially learned in combat herself. She only knew basic skills; most of her advanced attacks being completely improvised. Quite a few other ponies contributed to strategy ideas. That at least made it easier to work with them.
Rainbow sighed and gazed at the clouded sky, now shaded orange with sunset light. They had been training nonstop for several hours. Would these ponies be ready when the Fallen showed up? She sure hoped so. Then she got a brilliant idea. Fluttershy could possibly convince some of her animal friends to assist in battle.
“Time out you guys!” she called across the clearing of practicing pegasi. “You’re all doing great! Take five. You’ve earned it. Now, has anypony seen Fluttershy?” Many shrugged, a few shook their heads. Where was she?
“Um, I saw her with Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie yesterday boarding the morning train,” said a pony Rainbow recognized as Flitter from her time. She had aged a bit but was still the calm pony she had known ten years ago.
“Hm, I was on that train. I wonder why I didn’t see them,” Rainbow asked herself.
“Maybe they were riding first class?” Flitter suggested.
“Possibly. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go ask Shadow Flare something. Get your sister to supervise the training sessions while I’m gone.”
“Oh. Where is Cloudchaser? I haven’t seen her since an hour ago.”
“I think she joined a group with Thunderlane and Raindrops.”
Rainbow watched as Flitter nodded and flew off to find her sister. Then she took off from the park where the pegasus training was taking place and located Shadow’s training area which was just over the rise. She landed next to the unicorn and took in his progress. The unicorns were levitating many items including rocks, poles, and a few even had swords or knives. Some of the more advanced spellcasters were conjuring spurts of flame and the such. All seemed to be going well.
“Looks like you’re doing a great job,” Rainbow commented.
“Ah. Most of them already knew levitation. I’m really only coaching them on how to use it,” he replied modestly.
“Certainly is getting the job done, though.”
“So, how are the pegasi coming?” Shadow asked.
“They’re coming,” Rainbow replied. “Derpy can’t fight well at all, but she has some of the most amazing strategies I’d ever seen! And here I was, thinking Derpy was as dumb as she looks.”
“Don’t let her hear you say that. It’d break her heart.”
“Yeah, I should be a bit more careful about what I say.”
“So what’s up?” Shadow asked.
Rainbow looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“Did you just come to make idle conversation or did you have something to say?” he asked.
“Oh!” exclaimed Rainbow, remembering. “Twilight’s friends have all gone to Canterlot. That means we won’t have their help during the battle. It sucks because they have more experience in battle than most of these others.”
“We’ll make do without them. We’re doing well now aren’t we?”
Rainbow sighed, “I guess I just wish they were here.”
“It’s not them you want. It’s their past selves you’re missing. It’s homesickness,” said the unicorn. “I understand the feeling.”
Rainbow lowered her gaze. She had no pride left. She let the tear fall to the ground. She was homesick.
Shadow pressed himself against her. “It’ll all be okay. The world has a funny way of doing things. Even when something that wasn’t meant to happen happens, we all still have our destinies. Everypony has a fate, even those who don’t belong.” He gazed deep into her rose eyes and suddenly the homesickness vanished, leaving behind a warm, comforting emotion she was rather unacquainted with.
“LOOK!” cried a unicorn from a training circle. The mare was pointing towards the setting sun with her hoof. The clouds in the sky thickened tenfold, giving the entire field the impression of night. Temperatures went from cold to subzero within seconds. Then a pair of tiny blue orbs appeared on the horizon. They were eyes. Then another pair appeared. Then another, and another. A black hole yawned in the pit of Rainbow’s stomach. She had expected maybe thirty of the dark creatures. But this was not fair at all. This was a horde of darkness. A thousand pairs of eyes shone in the near pitch black sky, giving the illusion of a starry night. It was a night that would be filled with pain. The nightmare had begun.