Race 22
Race 22: Welcome to Equestria Team Flash!
Rainbow Dash's sense of wonder was palpable as Team Flash finally relented and welcomed her into S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry had often talked about the importance of his support network, and his memories had given her brief glimpses into his home away from home. The reverence with which he had described his team had only served fuel Dash's desire to experience the life that her mentor, her idol, loved so much. She could finally feel what it was that was so special.
She had a million questions, but she had to be content to talk at a pace the others could follow. This was a place straight out of Spike's comic books; never in a thousand years would she have imagined a world with so many metapeople. As her questions were answered, she could scarcely believe this was a world without magic; compared to ordinary ponies, the poor humans were practically crippled.
Despite Cisco's reassurances, Caitlin, Iris, and Joe had a hard time believing that Rainbow Dash's native form was a pegasus pony that came up to their waists. Such creatures were the stuff of children's cartoons, not the dark vigilantes who were the scourges of the underworld. Hearing of the ills of the human world manifesting in what should be an idyllic setting was more than a little disconcerting. Had it not been for Cisco's reassurances, they would have suspected that the speedsters had broken a few too many falls with their heads.
Barry smiled as he watched Rainbow Dash bouncing off the walls . . . and the floor . . . and the ceiling. "Rainbow, I know you're excited, but I need you to stay still for a bit. We to have you take a few tests before we can go to Equestria."
"Tests?! You know how much I hate studying!"
Caitlin laughed. "Not that kind of test. We need to learn more about you to figure out how to get to your world. We need to see what sort of shape you're in to make sure you're ready for a trip back. We need to capture and analyze your energy signature at speed to figure out how to steer the portal back to Equestria."
Rainbow Dash groaned. "You lost me at 'test'."
Caitlin sighed, and showed her a treadmill. “Just let us connect a few sensors to you. Then, we'll have you run on this treadmill. It can withstand Barry's top speed, so you should do just fine."
“Okay!” Rainbow eagerly hopped onto the treadmill. She tried not to giggle as Iris and Caitlin inadvertently tickled her as they stuck the sensors in place.
Cisco studied the information being relayed to his computer monitor. "Biorhythm readings are go. Vital signs are go. Energy spectrum and vectors are go. We're all set."
Caitlin nodded. “When you’re ready, Rainbow Dash!”
Rainbow smiled, and began to run as fast as she could with this new body. Magnetic bearings easily withstood the stress as she accelerated to super speed. Cisco, Barry and Caitlin monitored the displays in real time as the data was automatically recorded.
“She’s running at the same speed we'd expect for a rookie; she's about where you were in the first couple of months,” said Cisco.
“I'd say she's a bit slower," said Caitlin, hesitantly. "Do you suppose it's because she's not quite familiar with a human body?"
“I'd say it's because she's a lot more comfortable flying,” explained Barry. “In her base form, I've seen her go a lot faster than this, but it's always been out in the open. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to measure her true abilities until we get to her world.
“Speaking of that, it may take a longer than I thought,” said Cisco as he scrutinized the girl's energy signature.
Caitlin quirked an eyebrow. "Do you mean you can't do it? Why can't you use your glasses like you did when you opened the portal to Earth 2?"
Cisco huffed. Irritably, he said, "Of course I can do it. It's just a lot more complicated that I had thought. Earth 2 is in our dimension, but on a different timeline. She comes from a completely different plane of existence. In terms of effort, it's like comparing picking up a feather to giving Vandal Savage an atomic wedgie. It'll take a bit of time for me to calibrate my glasses."
“How long are we talking about?” asked Iris, looking at Rainbow Dash with concern.
"I don't know, but I won't rest until I've solved it," said Cisco. "All I need is time alone with my systems, and a few liters of caffeine." Suddenly, he looked up and smiled. "Speaking of caffeine, why don't you follow the tradition and take her to Jitters? While you're at it, bring me back a party pack of Flashes."
Barry smiled at his friend. "Don't push yourself too hard, Cisco. Don't forget that more haste means less speed."
“Barry is right, Cisco,” said Joe, placing a hand on the scientist’s shoulder. “Just upload the data to the mainframe computer and rest for tonight. We'll all start this fresh after breakfast.”
“We'll have breakfast at Jitters -- all of us,” added Barry.
Caitlin grinned. “I didn’t know you were into that stuff, Cisco. Should I pick up a bridle and saddle for you?”
Iris added, "I know! What about a little pony plush?" She eyed Rainbow Dash critically. "It might be hard getting one in her colors, though."
“Hahahaha. Come on, you two know what I mean. It’s a whole new universe with its own physics, logic, and even magic! Aren’t you even a little bit curious?”
“Maybe a little,” admitted Caitlin. “Honestly, what you told us makes absolutely no sense to me. I don't think it'll make any sense until I see it for myself.”
Barry smiled at his friends, and then he looked at Rainbow. “Okay, you can stop now, Rainbow Dash. We have all the data we need!”
The young speedster leapt from the treadmill. Joe would have sworn she was flying as she did a somersault and twist before landing right behind Caitlin. Eagerly, Rainbow Dash stared over her shoulder, reading the results.
“And how is it? Awesome, right?” asked Rainbow Dash, proudly. “After all, I was the best of the best, even before Twilight hit me with that lighting.
“Not bad for a speedster, but, as Barry said, in order to see your full potential, we must see you performing in the air," explained Caitlin calmly.
Cisco stretched lazily over his chair as he started the data upload to the mainframe.
“And, with this, we’re done for tonight. As Barry said, we need our rest. We have a big day tomorrow.”
“Huh, guys, just one thing,” said Rainbow Dash. “Where I’m going to sleep? Sorry . . .”
Iris glanced over at Joe, who shrugged. She said, “I guess you can stay with Barry and dad, right? You can use my old bedroom”
Joe nodded. “I don’t mind. What about you, Barry?”
“Sure. You can tell me how everyone is doing, you know, beside your reverse.”
Rainbow forced a smile. There was no avoiding it now. She would have to tell Barry she'd failed to keep her promise; she'd failed to protect Blue Blood.
The back seat of the nondescript SUV should have been roomy for the young speedster, but she was clearly uncomfortable as she fidgeted. "So, this is a car," she grumbled. “I don’t know if I can get used to it.”
“Why? Too slow for you?” asked Barry, from the shotgun seat.
Joe frowned, and looked sternly at Barry. “Come on, it's paid for. It runs just fine, and no one would give it a second glance. Besides, it'll go as fast as any production car in the city.”
Barry chuckled at this, but Rainbow shook her head.
“No, it's too small! I’m used to the open sky!”
“Never thought you were claustrophobic.”
Rainbow Dash looked around. Traffic was bumper to bumper in all directions. She groaned. "This is slower than the line on Cider Day. How often do you have to deal with this?"
"This is normal," replied Joe. "You'll get used to it."
"How?! It's so hot and stuffy I can hardly breathe!"
Barry smiled as he turned on the air conditioner.
“Better?”
“Think so . . .” said Rainbow. “Whoa, are you sure you don’t have magic in your world?”
“Nope, just some good old human inventions,” explained Joe calmly. “And, what about your world? You don’t have any vehicles?”
“Not like this one. Just about everything runs on pony power. Usually, we walk, or fly, if you're a pegasus. We have ponies who pull carriages and trains for the short trips. We use steam for trains for the long ones.”
“Yeah, pegasus, and magic?” said Joe scratching his head. “I still don’t get it. How does that even work?”
Rainbow shrugged. “Beats me; I'm no good at the egghead stuff. Besides, magic is more my friend Twilight’s field.”
“Your friend the princess,” said Joe, skeptically.
“Eeyup, the Princess of Friendship herself,” assured Dash.
“Right . . .”
Traffic continued at a crawl until they got out of the downtown area. The further away they went, the lighter traffic became. Finally, they made it home, where Iris was already waiting for them.
“Iris? What are you doing here?” asked Joe. “And how did you get here that fast?”
“I took the long route, less traffic,” she explained as she handed Rainbow Dash a bag of clothes. “I thought you may need some normal clothes. I don’t know if my high school stuff fits you, but, it's the best we can do.”
Rainbow took a look of her suit and blushed. “I guess we don't want to draw too much attention, right?”
“Let’s just go inside,” said Joe. “Are you joining us for dinner, Iris?”
“Sure, thank you dad.”
Barry showed Rainbow the bathroom, where she could change. Two seconds later, Rainbow Dash walked out, looking every bit like a teenager -- from ten years ago. The clothes hung loosely on her; the embroidered white blouse with puffy sleeves and the embellished ripped blue jeans showed just a hint of rebelliousness.
Nervously, she asked, “Okay, how do I look?”
“Pretty nice,” complimented Iris. “How does it feel?”
“It's just like a Nightmare Night costume, loose enough to hide something underneath." Pulling out the chest, she asked, "What are you supposed to put in here, anyways, a cat?"
The others laughed heartily.
Rainbow Dash shifted uncomfortably. “It just feels weird all covered up like this on such a nice night. How can you humans live like that?”
Joe shrugged. “Lack of fur I guess. Now, let’s sit. The pizzas should be here any minute now.”
As the conversation over pizza wore on, Joe and Iris felt progressively more disoriented by Rainbow Dash's answers to their questions. It seemed that every time they asked an innocuous question, the response from their guest was something out of a fairy tale, or a hallucination.
“So, you’re telling us that there’s a magical princess who raises the sun, and another one who raises the moon? What? How’s that supposed to work?” asked Iris.
Rainbow shrugged. “According to Twilight, is some kind of gravity manipulation spell, a really strong one.”
“Huh, that makes sense . . . kind of.” said Barry, thoughtful.
“Right, all the sense in the world,” mocked Joe, rolling his eyes.
Iris said, "It sounds like you and your friends are quite the adventurers. Was there any time that you actually lost?"
Rainbow Dash slumped. "The changelings beat us, twice; they're shapeshifters who feed on love. Their queen impersonated the Princess of Love before her wedding, and she stuck her and my friends in the throne room, just so she could gloat."
"How did you guys get out of that?"
Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Twilight freed the princess and her fiancé. They gave the changelings what they asked for -- all at once. I never would have guessed love could be a lethal weapon. Then, the next time they got us by surprise, and captured us all. It was our friend Starlight who got together a rescue party to help us all."
Joe stifled a yawn. "I think it's time to hit the hay. Tomorrow's going to be a long one."
Jitters was bustling with customers as was normal for that early hour. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find a time of day when the shop wasn't at or near capacity. Despite the shop's popularity, there always seemed to be enough room for everyone, and it seemed that everyone dropped by at some point. The diversity of the crowd was underscored by the fact that Barry's group wasn't even close to being the most unusual.
Although Rainbow Dash's mane was on full display, her appearance was tempered by her choice of clothing. She still wore the same jeans, but for her top, she selected a white T-shirt sporting the logo of a long-defunct band. A beige denim jacket with riveted metal buttons and decorative stitching completed her outfit. A casual observer would have dismissed her as a more or less normal teenager who was forced to wear hand me downs.
Rainbow Dash grumbled as she stripped off her jacket and draped it on the back of her chair. "Three layers of clothing in the summer?! What is wrong with you humans?
“Take it easy; you can change to your speedster suit when we’re at the lab,” replied Caitlin.
Cisco walked up to the table, laden with shipping bags. He set two on the floor and gently emptied the third onto the table. "Let's get the breakfast stuff out of the way. I went with oatmeal and scones for everyone." Once the food was distributed, he took trays of drinks out of the second bag.
Rainbow Dash asked, "What's in the third bag?"
Cisco replied, "It's the Flash Party Pack, enough Flash coffee and doughnuts to keep me going for a whole day."
Cisco then started to distribute the drinks. "Caitlin, here's your latte and oatmeal cookie." Pulling out two tiny cups, he continued. "Espresso for Joe, espresso for Iris." Three half-liter cups remained. "For Barry and me, the good old Flash!"
“What about me?” asked Rainbow.
"Decaf." The others looked at him in shock. “Psych! I got you another Flash," said Cisco, putting a cardboard cup in front of Rainbow. “You cannot leave Central City without trying the drink named in honor to your teacher.”
Rainbow quirked an eyebrow at this, and then took a sip of the drink. A smile came to her face as the bouquet danced around her mouth. Double strength coffee mixed with cream and foamy milk. Just enough sugar countered the bitterness and acidity. Hints of caramel, hazelnut, and nutmeg tantalized the senses. More importantly, she felt the jolt of caffeine. This was now officially her favorite energy drink.
“Whoa! This is in a league of its own.”
“I know, right?” asked Cisco. “A couple of these, and I bet I could make it to your world without the Speed Force.”
“Speaking of that, what’s going to be the plan when we arrive?” asked Iris.
Rainbow shrugged, as she took a sip from her Flash. “Introducing you to my friends and the princesses would be a good start. But, after that, I have no idea. Normally, I wing it.”
“You seriously need help.” groaned Iris.
Joe said, "Wait a minute. If Reverse Dash is a version of you, we can work with this! We can figure out how to make her do what we want her to do without her realizing it."
Team Dash briskly walked from Jitters to S.T.A.R. Labs, where Cisco immediately went to work.
“Don't worry about a thing; you have the awesome Vibe at your side, Fruityloos,” Cisco bragged. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot to do.”
Rainbow Dash watched irritably as he locked everyone else out of his workshop.
"Great," she grumbled. "What are we supposed to do in the mean time?"
Caitlin said, "I'll work on strategies we can use to counter your reverse." With that, she left the others.
Rainbow looked back at those left behind. Joe's smile was particularly disquieting. "What?" asked Dash.
Joe said, "Today, you are going to learn all about the OODA Loop. Then, we're going to figure out exactly what makes you tick."
Rainbow Dash's scream of anguish echoed through the halls.
After many mind-numbing hours, Rainbow Dash found herself thinking about facial hair. How in the world could some stallions manage to grow whiskers while the majority failed? Her keen eyes noted that both Joe and Barry were growing stubble while she and Iris were not. The sound of a door slamming broke her out of her reverie.
“Sorry for make you wait, Fruityloos. It’s ready. I told you; you can trust good old Vibe.”
Rainbow smiled.
“Thank you, guys. You don’t know how much this means for me.”
“Hey, you’re my student, and I’ll help you in whatever way I can.”
“And, most important, you brought us the old Barry back,” said Iris. “We’re going to be with you until the end.”
Rainbow smiled. “Thank you. And, now, shall we go?”
The team nodded, and everyone, except for Cisco, took a step back.
Cisco took a deep breath and activated his goggles. As the field they projected synchronized with that of the other world, he slowly began to visualize the colorful world from which Rainbow Dash had come. He saw all the ponies gathering at Twilight’s castle. It took every last bit of self-control he had not to laugh.
Much to Rainbow’s surprise, she visualized a distortion right in front of her, a distortion that slowly became . . . Equestria! Rainbow was about to shriek in excitement when suddenly, the distortion swallowed Cisco, followed by her and the rest of Team Flash.
Only Joe stayed behind, vigilant against any metahuman threats while Flash was on the other world.
Equestria 1:
Starlight's funeral had been an elaborate affair, befitting the nation hero that she was. All of the princesses had been in attendance, and Spit Fire herself had insisted on flying in the missing mare formation. Now that the ceremony was over, six friends sat around a table in the foyer of the Castle of Friendship. On the middle of the table lay an urn to which was affixed the Order of Harmony, the highest honor that Twilight could bestow.
It had been an incredibly depressing day for everypony. Starlight had died purely for the amusement of a deranged pony, just to hurt Rainbow Dash. What hurt the most was that everypony had agreed that at least one pony had to die in that situation; everypony agreed that Rainbow Dash had made the right choice. Nopony was happy about it.
“Why?” asked Twilight. “Just why did somepony have to die?”
But nopony answered, they were lost in their own thoughts.
Rarity furtively looked about for a way to gracefully exit. She just had to find the Arrow. Where harmony failed, they must prevail, lest somepony else pay the price.
A preternatural distortion appeared in one of the walls. Its gentle roar drew everypony's attention. Blurred shapes resolved into familiar objects as they entered the room. Cubicle walls, laboratory furniture, and transit cases were deposited on the floor. Shortly thereafter, six figures came through the portal. Two of those were known all the ponies present.
“Rainbow Dash! Barry!”
Rainbow smiled at her friends.
“Hi girls. I made it; I brought my teacher with me . . . along with some friends.
Cisco, now a brown unicorn with long mane and very long tail, smiled at them.
“And, we’re ready for everything.”
“We brought more than enough equipment to build a small S.T.A.R. Labs in here,” asserted a light purple unicorn with curly brown mane and a matching tail. "It’s a pleasure, by the way. My name is Caitlin Snow.”
“Oh right, sorry,” apologized the first unicorn. “The name is Cisco, Cisco Ramón.”
“Iris West,” announced a beige earth pony with dark brown mane and a blonde tail.
Twilight recovered from the shock first and greeted the newcomers.
“It’s an honor. Welcome to Equestria, Team Flash.”
“Pssst, Fruityloos, is that the Princess?” asked Cisco.
“One of them.”
Team Flash bowed to her.
“It’s an honor princess.” said Iris.
Cisco grinned. “Now, who’s ready to play ‘catch the evil speedster’?”
Caitlin eyed the equipment critically. "Say, Cisco. How are we supposed to use this stuff with hooves? And where's the electrical outlet?"
Cisco facehooved. He packed a generator, but, somehow, he'd forgotten about fingers.
Twilight smiled brightly. "Do you believe in magic?"
Stats
Page generated in 0.021 seconds
Total duration
1,105 users online
1,636,936 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
this made me remember the Meet the Pyro video
Someone make a picture of team flash as ponies please. I am hyped to da max!
Still sad about best pony's death but I'm excited see what happens next.
the last line. i laughed and woke up my brother. thanks
8602648
Yep
I was hoping Catlin would have a snowflake for a cutie mark.
I expected her to be a bit more white or light blue in color