Dawn of the Storm

by Real Solaris

Taking Measures to Stop the Spread (Edited)

“That’s… that’s the Storm King.”

“Um, no offense here, sugarcube, but that ain’t the Storm King,” Applejack points out, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, the dude was only about this tall,” Rainbow flies up and holds a hoof about four feet above Twilight. “He was way furrier, and he definitely didn’t have half of his body missing.”

“N-no, this… this IS the Storm King, it’s just...” Real stammers, trying to form a proper sentence through his dread. “This is from my world. That monster was created there.”

“Wait, you had this thing running amok on your world?!” Twilight exclaims worriedly.

“W-well, not exactly,” Real says, attempting to swallow the lump in his throat as he slowly regains his composure, but he only gets a part of it. “Okay, I should probably explain what I'm talking about…”

---

Now, to clarify, do you ladies know anything about video games?

Mobius has been around long enough to help Equis advance in more ways than one, especially in the gaming industry. I'm sure almost everypony in Ponyville has a console or computer by now.

Well, that makes this a little easier. I’m guessing you two know about them, too?

Yes. Since Mobius and Equestria made contact with each other, my sister and I have kept up with what Sonic’s world has to offer, and I must say, they have quite a variety of things that Equestria does not yet understand.

We have found pleasure in indulging ourselves in their gaming culture. It’s quite extraordinary!

Nice, Luna. Okay, so the story goes like this…

---

A world is at peace when all of a sudden, satellites across the planet pick up what looks like a giant purple storm, engulfing the entire planet in just minutes. 98% of the population dies within moments, and the remaining survivors are in for a nasty surprise. With the storm came acid rain and Storm Zombies and their many variants. These monsters will stop at nothing to reach their target, running it down to exhaustion until they can't go any farther.

These zombies are led by the one controlling them all - The Storm King. He has complete control of the Storm, able to summon lighting to attack, summon Storm Zombies, and make himself stronger. The madder he gets, the deadlier the variety of Storm Zombies becomes.

Luckily, a few remaining survivors manage to band together and build a base of operations. This allowed them to learn valuable information about the Storm and its king. Once they were ready, they fought the king and destroyed him for good. As the king fell, the storm around the planet disappeared, almost as if it wasn't even there to begin with. Groups of Storm Zombies still litter the globe, keeping to dark places to stay alive. The survivors continue to rebuild their world, slowly destroying every last zombie until they are entirely purged from their world.

---

“And now you have a gist of what we’re up against,” Real finishes with a shaky sigh. “We need a plan to take this thing out before it can engulf all of Equestria in acid rain and quite possibly zombies, which luckily hasn’t happened yet. Any ideas?”

“I say we go in and kick some flank!” Dash exclaims, throwing a quick one-two-three combo into the air. “We gotta take ‘em out before they know what’s coming!”

“And when exactly, has that ever gone well for us when we rush headlong into things without a plan?” Twilight asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Uhm…”

“Exactly. Now, are there any other ideas?”

“OOH! OOH! Maybe we could throw them a party!” Pinkie says, jumping around them.

“…and why would we do that when they’re out to get us?” Sonic asks with a deadpan look.

“Oh yeah, that wouldn’t be very fun,” Pinkie ponders, stopping her bouncing, but for only a second. “Guess I’ll have to bring an extra cannon or two!” She then pulls out two full-sized party cannons from her mane and tail.

‘Where the everliving buck did she have those?!’ Real wonders with amazement. ‘Wait, what am I saying?!’ He internally facepalms. ‘This is Pinkemane Dianne Pie I’m talking about here. She always seems to pop out of places she clearly can’t fit in and breaks the fourth wall on a daily basis! Heck, she's probably doing it right now!’

Pinkie notices the reader, waving to you, surprising you as she sticks her cannons back in her mane and tail.

“Pinkie Pie, who were you waving to?" Twilight asks.

“Oh, the reader, silly! Who else?”

“…have you been eating raw sugar packets again?”

“…maybe…” She proceeds to pull one out of her mane, tear it open, and dump its sugary contents into her mouth.

*Sigh* ‘Oh Pinkie, never change,’ Twilight shakes her head before dragging her attention back to the conversation at hoof. “Now, any ideas are helpful, but maybe we should get some advice from the…huh?” She tries to gesture to Real, but he no longer stands beside her. Looking around, she spots him by a nonstained glass window, staring intently at something outside in the skies. The group walks over to him, a little confused.

“Hey bud, you good?” Sonic asks, nudging Real with his arm. That snaps him out of whatever trance he is in, and he looks at the others around him. “Sorry about that,” He apologizes, then looks out the window. “I noticed another batch of Storm Clouds passing by Mount Matterhorn and thought I saw something different about it.”

“What do you mean, Real?” Celestia pries, spotting the clouds he was talking about.

“I’m not sure if I was seeing things or hallucinating, but I coulda sworn that cloud just got even bigger.” Right as he says this, the purple cloud doubles in size, making everyone backpedal.

“I take that is not normal?” Celestia asks, and Real shakes his head.

“Nope, not even close. If that’s happening here, it could be happening to the other storm clouds dotting the continent. If these things get out of control…”

“It could take over all of Equestria and wipe away life as we know it,” Twilight finishes in a panic. “You’re the genius on these things, Real! What are we gonna do?!”

“Hmmm… actually, I might have an idea.” Looking out the window again, he points to the nearest one. “Correct me if I’m wrong here, Dash, but those are essentially lightning clouds, right?”

“Um, yeah, we’ve been talking about them for the past twenty minutes,” She says, wondering what Real was getting at.

“So, that means that they’re a type of cloud, right? No matter what it spews out, it’s still a piece of weather. And here in Equestria, the weather is controlled - “

“ - by the Pegasi!!!” Dash finishes, finally realizing what he was implying.

“Exactly. So if we can get enough together, they could take the storm clouds out before they get stronger," He grins, but it falters as he sees the major flaw in his plan. "There's just one problem. Where the hay are we gonna get a whole platoon of weather-busting ponies for this?”

“We may be able to help with that,” Luna says, a knowing smile on her muzzle.

---

One order from the Lunar princess and five minutes later, an army of Solar and Lunar Guards stand attention in the courtyard, totaling three hundred strong. It consists of two hundred and forty Pegasi and Thestrals and sixty unicorns with cloud-busting spells of varying degrees. The Mane Eight watch from the side, and Sonic whistles a low note.

“I gotta admit, I didn’t expect them to be ready so fast,” The hedgehog says, folding his arms and smirking. “I’d be impressed if they weren’t four minutes too slow.”

“Compared to you, yeah, they’re slow,” Tionic chuckles, jabbing Sonic’s shoulder. He then looks out around the guards, and any that look at him nod slightly, acknowledging their former fellow guard. Tionic smiles, happy they remembered him even after he left the program years ago. “But their captain thinks it’s fast. They are the ones keeping watch and protecting the city day and night. They must be ready if they’re called into action.”

Sonic nods, but his attention is drawn up front, where Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Real stand. Celestia nods to Real and her sister, and Luna clears her throat to grab the guards’ attention.

“ATTENTION, GUARDS OF CANTERLOT!” She shouts, her voice amplified many times over by the Canterlot Royal Voice. All eyes were on her in an instant. Luna nods to Celestia, letting her take the stage. “You have all been called here to help save Equestria from a mysterious threat that has arisen. I have called upon you because you are the most capable ponies suited for this task. I want to introduce you to a newcomer to this land and expert on this threat, Real.” Celestia gestures to the human, and he salutes sharply in greeting. “He has formulated a plan to help expel this evil from Equestria. Real?”

“Thank you, Princess,” He bows slightly and turns to the army. “Alright, everypony, listen up! You've probably noticed strange purple clouds appearing in recent weeks. Those clouds are starting to grow in both size and power. I’ve noticed that since pegasi, and thestrals, to a degree, can control the weather, and some unicorns have spells that can interact with the weather. So I thought they could do that to all weather, regardless if it's not native to Equestria?”

“There are currently six large clusters across Equestria, excluding the many smaller ones dotted around, which Princess Celestia has warned nearby towns and cities of. They should be able to take care of those while you concentrate on the larger clusters. Now, you’ll split into six groups of twenty Pegasus and Thestrals and ten unicorns each, in which you will follow one or more of the Elements of Harmony and Princess Luna to take the clouds out. We’ve got Sonic and Rainbow Dash going to the San Pelomine Desert as Team Speed, Princess Twilight to the Crystal Empire as Team Magic, Applejack and Rarity to the Changeling Kingdom as Team Fashion Project, Prince Tionic to Manehattan as Team Lightning, Fluttershy and Princess Luna to the Amarezon as Team Lunar Moth, and Pinkie Pie to the Smoky Mountains as Team Surprise. Alright, now that you know what to do, spilt into your groups.”

The army does so with practiced efficiency, and within moments, they’re ready for deployment. Nodding, he walks over to the Mane Eight, the princesses in tow. “Stay safe out there, everyone,” Real says grimly. “And be careful out there. Those storms can escalate things pretty quickly.”

“Don’t worry about us. We’ll be perfectly fine!” Dash says, her confidence brimming. Sonic gives a thumbs-up in response.

“We’ll be in and out before you know it,” Tionic nods, folding his arms across his chest.

“I’ll do everything I can to stop them,” Twilight assures, holding a hoof to her chest.

“We’ll do our best,” Fluttershy whispers, rubbing her foreleg. Luna trots over to her side, places a comforting hoof on the mare’s shoulder, and gives it a reassuring squeeze. How that’s possible with hooves, I have no idea. Magic is just weird like that.

“Do not fret, dear Fluttershy,” Luna says warmly. "You have us by your side. Besides, it is those monsters that should be worried."

“The sky will look fabulous before you know it!” Rarity says with a flick of her mane.

“After this, I’m throwing a ‘We Saved Equestria Again!’ party for us!” Pinkie exclaims, bouncing around.

“Tionic?” Twilight says, grabbing his arm and pulling him into a hug. “Stay safe out there, alright?”

“I will,” He says, cupping a hand under her cheek. “I love you, Twilight.”

“I love you too, Tio,” She says back before closing the gap and pressing her lips against the Spark’s. He reciprocates the gesture, reaching a hand to stroke her mane as the kiss deepens. The two lovers hold each other like this, relishing in the warmth flowing through the contact until the need for oxygen forces them apart. They look into each other’s eyes lovingly, and they hug one last time. Their friends happily watch the two hold each other, and Rarity’s eyeliner runs down her cheeks as happy tears pour from her eyes. She pulls a handkerchief out to wipe the trails away as she watches the display of love between her best friends. Sonic smiles, then wraps an arm around Dash’s back and pulls her for a side hug. He pecks her cheek, and she surprises him by planting her lips against his.

“Youthful love at its finest,” Celestia giggles, but a wistful look flashes in her eyes, one only her sister noticed. The friends and lovers separate, moving to a group of guards. Once everyone is in front of a squadron of guards, Celestia’s horn glows, readying a mass teleportation spell. With a swing of her head, the mini armies flash out of existence and leave the solar princess and the human alone in the courtyard.

Real lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Hoo, thanks for all the help, Celestia. Couldn’t have done it without you or your sister.”

“It was our pleasure, Real,” Celestia says, walking to the royal garden. “The safety of our ponies always comes first.”

“As any wise ruler would do,” Real agrees, catching up to Celestia. Slowing his stride to walk even with the princess, he pops a question he has had on his mind since the train ride to Canterlot. “Hey, can I ask a favor of you?”

“Oh? A favor from me?” Celestia asks, surprised. “What do you have in mind?”

“Well, I was wondering if it would be alright if you could teach me how to use magic properly,” Real says, causing Celestia to double-take.

“Wait, teach you how to use magic? Celestia asks incredulously. “Not to sound rude, but you can not use magic if you do not have a wellspring or magical pathways, and I cannot sense either inside you.”

“True,” Real smirks. “But not when I have this!” He pulls out his golden necklace, the blue gem shimmering in the light. He aims his hand at a nearby potted plant, and his hand glows blue. The pot does as well, and with a flick of his hand, it shoots up like a rocket, stopping abruptly before the cloud layer before quickly bringing it down and setting it back on its pedestal.

“Incredible!” Celestia gawks, but not at the display of magic. “When you used the pendant, I sensed magical pathways coming out and spreading throughout your body! It was almost like it was implanting them inside you while you used it, and when you stopped, they retracted back inside.”

“Wait, really?” Real gawks, holding the pendant out. “I guess that explains the weird shiver that goes through me every time I use it. I just chalked it up to the magic flowing through me, not something making itself a part of me!”

“You have a truly unique artifact, Real,” Celestia praises. “I have never encountered anything like it in my many years of ruling, and I have seen many a strange artifact. This is something I will gladly help with, Real. Learning a new way to use magic is too intriguing an opportunity to pass up! The things we could learn might revolutionize how Equis understands and uses magic on a daily basis! Ooh, I haven’t been this excited to learn about something new in eons!”

“So, I take that’s yes?” Real asks, chuckling at the solar princess’s sudden change in attitude. He then raises his fist to her, but Celestia looks at his fist in confusion. “C’mon, don’t leave me hangin’ here!”

“What do you mean?” She asks, still unaware of what Real was trying to do.

“Just bump your hoof against my hand,” He says, and the solar princess hesitantly raises her hoof to meet Real’s fist. Rolling his eyes, he closes the gap and bumps his fist against her hoof. “There we go, much better!”

She looks at her hoof for a second, then looks back at Real, squinting her eyes slightly. “So, what exactly did you make me do?”

“It’s called a fist bump, but in your case, it’s a hoof bump,” Real explains. “A fist bump is a greeting between friends or the affirmation of a mutual agreement.”

“Are you saying you consider me… a friend?” Celestia raises an eyebrow. “We only met a few minutes ago, and not to mention that I’m the princess.”

“So?”

“So… what?”

“So what if you’re the princess? You could be the god of everything, and I’d still talk to you like I am now. I do respect your title, but I don’t see it as something that defines who you are. I see that deep down, you’re the same as everypony else. Somepony with feelings and dreams, and not just a machine that only raises the Sun in the morning and lowers it in the evening.”

“… you somehow managed to hit every mark perfectly, Real,” She sighs, looking into the sky, reminiscing. “And it is one of the many things I hate about being a princess.”

“Ever since I was coronated alongside Luna, ponies have been bowing to me for generations. I don’t want them to always bow before me when I enter a room or if I simply walk by them. I don’t want them only to treat me like a god…”

Real looks at Celestia, wondering what to do in this situation. He was about to place a hand on her shoulder, but he decided against it and pulled it back. “I am in no way good with words, as I never know what to say in the moment. I may not know what you’re going through, but the least I can do is help you with whatever you need. I can be the friend who treats you how you want to be seen, not as a god, but as a pony. How does that sound?”

Celestia stares at Real, shocked by his offer and even more so at how sincere it was. She mulls over it for a moment, and after giving it some thought, she smiles. “That sounds wonderful. Thank you, Real,” She then sighs, her ears falling flat against her head. “You know, as much as I would like Twilight to look at me like she would with her friends and family, she still thinks too highly of me. And yes, I do have my sister, but she is family. Family members do not exactly count as friends since you have grown up with them most of your life.”

“That’s the biggest load of horseshit I’ve ever heard,” Real says, shocking Celestia with his sudden cursing. She doesn’t get to ask why he said that as he continues speaking. “You should always consider the ones you call family as your best friends. They know you better than most since they grew up with you, so they can help you feel better when your down, they help you when you’re in trouble, and care for you no matter what! That’s exactly what a best friend does! If family doesn’t do that, you shouldn’t consider them friends, much less family.”

She thinks over what Real said, and she could see that every point he made was 100% true. “That… is true, I suppose.”

“Do you consider your sister as your best friend?”

“Huh?”

“I said, do you consider your sister your best friend? Are you two close?”

“I… I’m actually not sure. Ever since Luna resumed her duties when she returned, we rarely see each other outside of our schedules. Even when we are not attending to our ponies, it is mostly pleasantries when we eat together.”

“I know for a fact that I am no expert on family relationships,” says Real, chuckling. “And I certainly shouldn’t be one that you should be taking advice from, but I think you should try to get to know your sister more. Bond with her and have sisterly moments you should’ve had over the years. It may help with ruling if things get rough between you because you’ll know how to help each other.”

“…” She stays silent for a moment, then smirks. “Are you sure you are not an expert? Because that sounds exactly like what an expert would say.”

“Pfft, no. I’ve just read one too many fanfics and love stories,” Real laughs, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m just taking what I read and applying it here, which is working far better than I expected.”

“Hmhmm!” Celestia giggles. “Thank you for this little talk. I will keep what you said in mind and try that later if I have some free time. Now, shall we start working on your magic? We don’t have all day, you know.”

“Absolutely!” He exclaims, pumping a fist in the air. “I’m excited to see what the teacher of Princess Twilight Sparkle can teach me!”

“Follow me then,” Celestia gestures for Real to follow her as she trots towards the garden exit. “We will head to the Royal Archives to fetch some spell books and start from there. You have much to learn but little time to do so. When this is over, I will teach you properly and go from there.”

“Alright, let’s do this!”

---

While Real begins his training with Celestia, the teams that she dispersed across the continent start their missions. Team Speed was dropped on the edge of the San Pelimine Desert. Behind them, cracks and canyons cut deep into the sandy earth, created by wind and water wearing down on them for centuries. The closer to the desert it got, it transitioned to large mounds of dirt and rock with the occasional abandoned mine here and there, and then flattened out to the desert. Small patches of green cacti dot the yellows and browns of the desert, and a few miles to the north sits the skeleton of a ghost town. Old train tracks lead to its long-abandoned station and further into the sandy expanse, presumably another ghost town. The rusted husk of a locomotive and its tender sit by the platform, and a water tower sits next to it, its contents long since evaporated. Sonic gives a low whistle, holding a hand to block the sun’s rays as he admires the view.

“Wow. Doesn’t matter how many times I come here, it still looks amazing. The ghost town over there adds to the feel of the place!”

“We’re not here for a sightseeing tour, babe,” Dash reminds him. “As much as I would love to check that out, we got bigger things to worry about, remember?”

“Right, right, the storm,” He says, frowning as he scans the desert. “Though, we have to find it first.”

---

Meanwhile, in Manehattan, Team Lightning arrives in the plains near the city. The Spark looks around, getting his bearings on the area as a sea breeze blows past him, billowing his scarf. Tionic couldn’t see the foreign clouds anywhere, so he turned to the squadron assigned to him.

“Alright, troops, here’s the plan,” Tionic says. You’ll split up into five teams, consisting of two Thestrals and Pegasi and one unicorn. Do a quick fly-by of the city, and if you spot anything, send up a flare spell. If not, rendezvous back here. Does that sound good?” He gets a nod from his team. “Alright, I’ll see you in a few. Good luck.” Tionic speeds off into the bustling city, and the guards split into their groups and do the same.

---

Team Magic arrives at the entrance to the Crystal Empire, ready to do what they were sent out to do. “Okay, is everypony accounted for?” Twilight asks, looking around the squadron. Seeing nopony missing, she nods. “Good. Now, before we do anything, I need to head to the Crystal Castle to warn Prince Armor and Princess Cadance of this threat. Once I do that, I’ll see if they can lend a hoof to deal with the storm. Does that sound good?”

The guards nod in acceptance, and Twilight trots over to the castle. “Good, let's get going.”

---

Team Lunar Moth arrives in the middle of the jungle, and they're instantly hit with a wall of humidity. They immediately start sweating, and it's much worse for the Solar Guards since their armor was designed with protection in mind, not ventilation. The Thestrals were fine, though, as their armor was light and meant for being quiet and sneaking around. That, and they could easily slip into the shadows at a moment's notice and cool off inside the darkness. Luna turns to the guard, addressing them with the RCV (Royal Canterlot Voice) to get their attention. "Guard of Canterlot!" She shouts, startling Fluttershy, causing her to curl into a ball and wrap her mane and tail around her.

"My sister has asked us to take this mission to clear the skies of Equestria of these foreign storms! We shall vanquish them with ease and return the skies to their former glory!" Luna rose into the air, her powerful wings easily carrying her. The guard followed her example and flew up into the sky, two fliers taking a unicorn and heading into the dense jungle. But before she took off, Luna noticed that Fluttershy hadn't moved since their arrival.

"Fluttershy? Whatever is the matter?" She asks, landing next to the timid pegasus. "Are you not going to help us with the mission?"

"N-no, I really do want to help," Fluttershy stutters, uncurling slightly to face the lunar princess. "It just feels like I won't be any help to you guys. A-and I'm kind of scared."

Luna puts a hoof on the pegasus' shoulder, causing her to look up at the princess. "Fluttershy, do not worry about such trivial things," Luna consoles. "You are not a burden to us. You are a very capable pony who can do her part better than anypony else can. And being scared of something is not a sign of weakness. It shows that you know what can put your friends in harm's way, and that is a good thing. If it helps you feel better, we will have your back, as one would say."

"T-thank you, Princess Luna," Fluttershy smiles. "I feel a lot better now."

"Good," Luna says, unfurling her wings. "Now, are you ready to go join the rest?"

"Yes," Fluttershy nods. She stands up, feeling better than before, as she unfurls her wings. "Yes, I think so."

---

Applejack and Rarity trot along the outskirts of the Changeling Kingdom, heading toward the entrance. They had sent the guards ahead to see if they could spot the storm clouds since the two of them couldn't fly. They decided to warn Thorax of the impending danger looming over them and ask if he was willing to help them.

"Hoo-wee, this place is lookin' a whole lot better than th’ last time we were here!"

"Yes, but we didn't come of our own volition, now did we?" Rarity shudders, the memory still fresh. "I still feel like I haven't gotten rid of the smell those cocoons left behind. I can still feel the slime in my fur."

They both cringe. That wasn't exactly the most pleasant experience.

"It's too bad Spike couldn't come along. He would've been delighted to see Thorax."

"We'll be fine without 'im. He'll help us faster than Rainbow Dash chuggin' apple cider durin' cider season!"

---

Down south in the Prancing Plains, where the first sightings of the storm originated from, rocky formations tower high into the sky, their jagged edges pointing inwards like the ground had closed the hidden hand buried underground. The green landscape where life once flourished is now long gone, replaced with rocky terrain. Purple clusters of crystals could be seen on the sides of the peaks, along with holes in the ground that emitted a pink aura. Winds howl through the mountains and hills, and alongside the patches of deep purple mist around the place, it gives the area an eery vibe. Out of nowhere, a distorted voice speaks, cranking the creepiness factor up to eleven.

"Ooh, they're trying to stop me again, are they?" The voice echoes around the rock faces, making it impossible to pinpoint its source. "Not this time. I will prevail, and I will destroy those goody two-shoe heroes once and for all. And thanks to that odd surge in dark magic I sensed earlier, I think I have the perfect plan to do that...