Urohringr

by Imploding Colon

This Little Rainbow of Mine

With a cool hiss, the Lounge sphere lowered to the forest floor. Above it, the towering clifface of the crater's southern wall loomed as a virtual wall of craggy granite. As soon as the doors to the black aircraft slid open, Kera came bounding out. She galloped giddily across the soil and grass, leaping in jubilant intervals.

"Woohooo! We get to blow stuff up! We get to blow stuff up!"

"Not so fast, Kera," Roarke uttered as she stepped out of the vehicle, dragging a metal crate full of tools and explosives along with her. "Don't go where I can't see you."

"I can't help it!" She leapt with a burst of filly magic and skidded to a stop in front of Roarke. Roarke calmly shoved a hoof forward and stopped the foal before she could slam into the crate of items. "Explosions are always so fun!" she exclaimed, hopping up and down in place. "It means loud noises and fire and stuff!"

"This is simply a test of my latest weaponry," Roarke said. "You will remain behind me at all times and do exactly as I tell you."

"And then we'll have wicked big explosions, huh?" Kera grinned wide.

"I am testing my weaponry's efficiency," the metal mare droned. "Not their explosiveness."

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww..." Kera fwumped down to the earth, propping a pouting chin atop two forelimbs. "But exploding stuff is fun!"

"But not entirely efficient." Roarke stood Kera up and trotted past her, setting up the first of many miniature turrets. "Not only have I made a promise to Bellesmith and Pilate to keep you safe, but I have committed myself to not upsetting the environment of this crater. That's why I've chosen to use this rock wall along the southern edge of Durandana for our testing."

"Huh...?"

"It's simple, child," Roarke muttered, joining metal pieces together. "The nature in this crater is extremely fragile, making for a delicate balance. The last thing anypony should do is impulsively throw herself into it with no regard for the consequences."

---

"Wooooo-hoooooooooooooooo!" Rainbow hollered, grinning against the beating winds as she plummeted into the treacherous canyon. She spun a few final times, then angled her wings so that they sliced viciously against the wind.

Below her—as her vision settled on an even plane—Rainbow spotted the tell-tail flicker of Smythe's green tail and mane. Not wasting any time, she hurled herself past the craggy rock walls blurring on either side of her and threaded her way even deeper into the belly of the ravine. She was within spitting distance of the stallion.

"Hey! Smythe!" She sputtered, giving his flank a light swat. "Look behind you!"

"Huh?!" The pegasus gasped and threw a look over his shoulder. "What is it?"

"Nothing! That's what!" Rainbow saluted with her tongue sticking out. "You're last, buckwiser!"

"H-Huh?!" Smythe glanced at her and nearly stalled in mid-air. He convulsed from muzzle to tail. "Valkyrie's shout! How in the heck did you do that?!"

"Watch and find out!" Rainbow took a deep breath. "Better yet, you can feel it!" With a grunt, she flapped her wings hard, propelling herself violently forward while simultaneously sending a huge gust behind.

"Whoah!" Smythe wobbled left and right, but gathered his wits. "Hah... hah hah hah! No way!" He grinned crazily at her.

Rainbow didn't linger around. As a bend came in the ravine, she fearlessly threw herself past a narrow cleft of rocks, her gaze locked on the bright flash of Jagold's gold mane ahead. Rather than coast along the shallow air currents, she flipped her body several times, planting her hooves on one rock wall and then the opposite one, kicking off so that her figure was launched jaggedly through the tight corner and into the natural straightaway beyond.

Here, the ravine walls were line with a porous array of caverns and tunnel entrances. Various leatherbacks rested inside these coves, several of the winged creatures sunbathing as the dawnlight wafted into the dusty ravine. As Rainbow rocketed furiously into view with a vibrant flash of color, several of the calves quivered and bleated.

This caught Jagold's attention. Blinking, she glanced behind her. "Eeeep!" She flinched, her whole body curling away from the incoming pegasus missile.

"Ha!" Rainbow curled around the mare, grasped her hooves with hers, and spun the two of them around in a silly mid-air dance. "Tag! You're fourth!." With a wink, Rainbow flapped her wings and flew ahead, facing backwards.

Jagold hovered in place, jaw dropped. "How... how did she—?"

"No excuse to be slower!" Smythe yelped as she soared past.

"Hey! No fair!" Jagold stammered, beating her wings frantically to regain her momentum as she chased the stallion. "She said I was fourth!"

Up ahead, the ravine narrowed again, morphing into a long thin trench with uneven walls that closed in and drew away at random intervals. Sivrem and Kitsune had this particular stretch memorized, and they flitted up and down and left and right with perfect timing to avoid grinding to a stop against the rocky surfaces.

Rainbow Dash squinted at the scenario up ahead. She smirked to herself. Without declerating, she held her breath and dipped low, threading her body through a long horizontal slit wedged into the base of the trench. Twiling upside down, she flattened her body and outstretched her wings. Rainbow faced straight up, and her eyes bore witness to a kaleidoscope of sun flashes as she narrowly traversed the lower end of the geological corridor.

While Sivrem and Kitsune were bobbing and weaving to make their way through the passage, Rainbow simply glided it out. Thus, she had more than caught up with them by the time the ravine widened once more into the final stretch.

"'Sup, dudes?" Rainbow ascended with an innocent smile.

Kitsune glanced breathlessly aside. Her bright amber eyes bulged. "Eggshells! How did you catch up so fast?"

"I flew!" Rainbow saluted. "What did you do?"

"No way..." Kitsune shook her head, gawking at Sivrem in mid-flight. "She cheated. She has to have!"

"Heh heh heh heh..." Sivrem only smirked and beat his wings harder. "Let's see her out-cheat this!" He soared ahead so hard that it knocked Kitsune off-balance.

"Sivremmmm!" she protested.

"You might wanna hang onto something," Rainbow said, then held her breath.

"Huh? What for—?" Rainbow thundered forward in a blinking, causing Kitsune to reel off course. The mare ultimately teetered to the side and grasped onto an exposed tree root hanging off the canyon walls. Dangling, Kitsune stared breathlessly at the two pegasi at the front of the race, streaking forward to the ravine's end.

"Wooohooo!" Jagold and Smythe soared past the First-Born. "Yaaaay! Fourth again! Just like she said!"

"H-hey!" Kitsune protested. With a smirk, she kicked off the canyon wall and glided after the rest.

Up ahead, Rainbow Dash and Sivrem were neck and neck. The wind tore at their eyes, turned their manes into multi-colored comet streaks. A shrill whistling noise echoed between them, and a few feathers flew loose from their outstretched wings with each passing second.

"You're good, outsider..." Sivrem stammered and panted. "But you can't beat a First Born like me..."

"That's just the thing..." Rainbow hissed through gritting teeth. "Beating you is a bonus. What I really wanna do is leave you and your friends' breathless."

"Huh?" He jerked his gaze towards her.

She looked aside, smiling tightly against the winds. "Just watch. And promise not to freak out too much."

"Hah! What are you planning now, Rainbow?"

"Figured I'd live up to my name." She winked. "Here's to the Valkyrie, pal." There was a flicker to her eyes, a mixture of blood and gold. Her pendant strobed—almost as if it was pulling her ahead. A cone of compressed air formed around her body, turning her figure into a sky-splitting projectile.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh buck..." Sivrem didn't realize he was slowing down until he spotted the canyon walls on either side of him oozing to a stand-still.

Breathless, the other three racers came up from behind.

"Sivrem! First-Born!" Smythe huffed and puffed. "I don't ge it! Why did you throw the race—?"

KAPOWWWWWWW!

All four cringed, crowding together as they were bathed in a prismatic aura of reflective colors.

"Oh..." Jagold murmured, clinging to Kitsune. "Th-that's why..."

"Leaping leatherbacks..." Smythe stammered, his eyes trailing up as he followed the perfect ring of spectral energy fountaining outward from Rainbow's ascending figure. "So much color..."

"Sivrem..." Kitsune gulped dryly. "Have you seen anything like it?"

Sivrem was dumbfounded. Slowly, a large grin on his face grew larger... and even larger. He let out a loud whoop, accompanied by Jagold and Smythe as the ponies cheered and hollered at the mesmerizing display.

---

Along the edges of the ravine, several pegasi gasped. Several more dashed behind trees and rocks, trembling.

Jerrio hovered in place, his neck nearly snapping as he jerked his head up to follow the colorful streak Rainbow's body was making through the sky. The mists parted overhead, giving way to a colorful glow that dwindled in the air like an aurora.

As the seconds dripped harmlessly by, the pegasi came back out of hiding and clapped their hooves against the earthen floor.

"Wooohoo!"

"Wow!"

"Did you see that?!"

"She brings Lights of her very own!"

"Not even Valkyrie Silver can make that!"

"That's so awesome!"

"Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!"

"Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!"

"That's... that's..." Rayvinne exhaled, fanning herself with a wing of golden feathers. She smirked and turned towards Jerrio. "That's some nifty stuff, eh J?"

"It..." He gulped nervously. "Certainly is..."

Comments

[Aatxe360]

And now her Awesomeness has triumphed over the Valkyrie's.

[Zaid ValRoa]

Well, my prediction came true, though certainly in a less fatal way.

---

"It..." [Jerrio] gulped nervously. "Certainly is..."

I have my eye on you, mister.

[Booster Spice]

Uhoh. Jerrios reaction fits into a whole range of stuff, and only a couple are the nice and tea party. The rest are Boston Tea Party.

[Hap]

I'm with you guys. Jerrio is pegging my "this isn't right" meter.

[Ms_Fruit_Bat]

First off.

"It's simple, child," Roarke muttered, joining metal pieces together. "The nature in this crater is extremely fragile, making for a delicate balance. The last thing anypony should do is impulsively throw herself into it with no regard for the consequences."
"Wooooo-hoooooooooooooooo!" Rainbow hollered, grinning against the beating winds as she plummeted into the treacherous canyon. She spun a few final times, then angled her wings so that they sliced viciously against the wind.

A reversal of roles it seems, that or Roarke's effort to be more social is working out while Rainbow is going native.

Second off, that last part may or may not be somewhat heretical to the Gray Feathers.
Okay, so maybe I'm leaning more towards the 'may' part, but c'mon it's incredibly likely.

[Sivrem]

Sivrem was dumbfounded. Slowly, a large grin on his face grew larger... and even larger.

This sounds very painful.
And Jerrio, stop being creepy and suspicious. We're paranoid enough as it is.

[Jonathon Smythe]

Jerrio is the one that knows, down to the last detail, the history of Durandana. The fact that he's nervous at the 'Boom worries me. Belief-shattering commences in three, two, one...

Also, Roarke is going to head straight towards the source of the Rainboom in case of emergency, isn't she?

[IceKitsune]

Jerrio knows that what they have been taught is going to come crashing down on them real soon. Hes going to try and stop RD from getting it out. Might try to kill her? Run her off for sure is a likely plan as well.

[VNilla]

WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT ROCKING THE BOAT

[RoboRed]

"That's... that's..." Rayvinne exhaled, fanning herself with a wing of golden feathers. She smirked and turned towards Jerrio. "That's some nifty stuff, eh J?"

"It..." He gulped nervously. "Certainly is..."

...That reaction can be interpreted any number of ways, and I have a feeling it's not one of the good ones...

[SilentBird93]

I'm suspicious of Jerrio.

[Hoof of Approval]

I'm not suspicious of anypony until they prove worthy of suspicion.

Let's see where this takes us.

Also, BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

[Lightning Bearer]

Inb4:

- There's some kind of ancient Durandanan prophecy;
- Rainbow fits the prophecy;
- Jerrio is familiar with the prophecy;
- The prophecy is not entirely good for Durandana.

That's my bet, anyway.

[Swan Song]

Rayvinne exhaled, fanning herself with a wing of golden feathers.

Rayvinne totally has the hots for Dashie.

I'm OK with this.

[Khao]

This is probably mindless paranoia messing up with my brain and making me miss something obvious that contradicts it, but...

Is the weapon-testing and the race happening at the same place at the same time?

'Cause that would probably end fucking badly.

[Tom the bomb]

4757572 BOOOOOOM!!!!!!! CALLED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Pilate]

mostly harmless

[Rayvinne]

4757854

So am I.

[durandana]

rainbow: "explosions fix everything!!!"

[CasualMarshmallow]

Jerrio seems pretty okay so far, but he might go crazy if Rainbow starts making his beliefs come crashing down. I'm not calling "bad guy" just yet.

[axxuy]

Jerrio, what do you know?

[AppleTank]

Jerrio -> J -> Jackass

[The 24th Pegasus]

So now let's see how Rainbow disturbed the local wildlife with that explosion. I mean, with Roarke mentioning how that's a bad idea right before that happens, something's gotta come out of it.
24

[Arcanist Ascendant]

"Twiling upside down, she flattened her body and outstretched her wings."

At first I didn't know what you were trying to say here and was extremely nonplussed.
How is Twilight alive? Why is she flying upside down? Wha-oh. twirling.

>jeeniuz

[dragonridergoku]

Now that I think of it, isn't this the second rainboom in this series? One at the Xona-Ledo warfront being the first. Anyway, time to see what the durandanans think of this force of awesome.

[xXshaydXx]

Rainboooms all across the sky.

[MuggyPony]

I'm getting a feeling that the Gray Feathers won't appreciate this, which would give Jerrio a reason to react the way he did... Or maybe they're gonna be cool with it, and Jerrio's overreacting/has some sort of ulterior motives. Could be any of it, all of it, or none of it, only time will tell.

4757658 Rainbow's like a 30 ft ocean swell, she rocks the boat by just arriving.

[Relevant Heavy Metal]

4757960

So Long, and thanks for all the fish

Or whatever meat they offered, I forget.

Joe Satriani - Motorcycle Driver

[Lone Gazebo]

It's Fine Jerrio. I still suspect Sivrem to potentially be the new shell. Or you. Like 50/50.

[mrjerrio]

Nooo! I'm not necessarily evil. Maybe I'm just really nervous.

4758032

[ForestFeather]

4757962 Let's face it, she has a lot going for her, no one'd blame you.

[dafiltafish]

The ghost of captain filta approves!

[Nevlamas]

4758813 Actually yes. Everybody keeps talking about that and I don't see why. At this point his every suspicious action has been in defense of his belief - defense, not offense. This could become a seed of villainy should he be unable to bear the revelation once it comes, but we have don't have sufficient reason to assume that will happen at the moment. Thus far, he's only afraid. More may come from that.

[YoshiFawful64]

4758148
No, there's also the one way back at Silvadel, remember? Besides, the one at the warfront was really four Rainbooms, so this is technically the sixth.

[Phoenix Kitten]

Dash.Becomes.a goddess....
she's gonna be hailed as the second coming of the valkyrie.

[Tchernobog]

4759061
Which, by all accounts, she actually is.

But... yeah. Dash, as much as you love showing off... this is probably gonna bite you in the ass.

[Tillion]

so, trouble on the SS Rainboarke
and a lot of unsettled wildlife
and an edgy Jerrio
also, damn, i was hoping the lore would be sooner than this
ah well, it'll be soon, and rainbooms are just irresistible

4758801 oh god... no, just please, god no, please........

[Cynderfall]

Pweeeeeeety lights...

[iloveportalz0r]

I was hoping the boom tests wud somehow hit the race ;_;

>the ravine walls were line with a porous array of
*lined

[Future Regret]

Easy

[not_a_rainbow]

yay

[Vandratha]

Way to probably have fulfilled some ancient prophecy, Rainbow. You totally haven't done that before.

[Zecoro]

4758852 oh yeah...i never realized he was named after you...i shoulda known...
<.<
stupid zecoro

[whizzball1]

They're going to find out some very big stuff very soon.

-Spirit

[JustAnotherTimeLord]

Dismantling age-old religions in minutes. That's what Rainbow Dash is all about.

[**Beert]

She smirked and turned towards Jerrio. "That's some nifty stuff, eh J?"

pinkie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/rsz/mlfw2604_small.jpg

And yay for sonic rainboom!

[Revan]

SONIC RAINBOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tim the Planes-pony]

Rainbow knows her finishers

[Hazard]

Something tells me only the valkyrie was supposed to be able to do that.

[Regidar]

THE ABSOLUTE MADMARE