Rainbow Dash's Hidden Power

by Mudkipman98

Winsome Falls

Finally! After three days of solid travel, the mane six had made it to Winsome Falls, where there are literal rainbow waterfalls! Pinkie was so excited that she jumped into the nearest rainbow pool without hesitation, deviation, or whatever the other thing is. Her cannon ball covered the other ponies with the liquid, soaking them to the bone.

"Come on Pinkie, cut it out!" yelled Twilight. "We have to search the area for any sign of the ancient pegasis ruins. From what I read, they won't be some sort of dungeon or kind of structure at all. The books all told of a rock wall with carvings etched into it, detailing the transformation undergone by the pegasi who could wield the immense power granted to them."

Hearing the word transformation made Rainbow Dash nervous. "Whoa, hold up Twilight. What do you mean by transformation?" She feared being turned into an alicorn like her friend. While she didn't see anything wrong with alicorns and was not racist toward Twilight, she wouldn't want to be in her position.

"Well, from the little info on the matter at the library, it seems that every pegasis who could use this special ability underwent a physical transformation of sorts." Rainbow Dash began to sweat. "Apparently, their coats turned pure white temporarily-" This doesn't sound good. "-and their manes stuck up behind them. Other than that, there were no physical changes. An increased muscle mass was the closest thing that even came close to a permanant change, and even that disappeared at the end of the transformation." Rainbow let out a sigh of relief at hearing this, and she was ready to move on and begin the search.

Rarity, however, was not. Hearing the description of what happened to the pegasis' mane caused her to shiver.

"Well then, lets get searching," said an excited Rainbow Dash.

The group split up and began the search, mainly checking the walls of the cliff that was the edge of the falls. Rainbow and Fluttershy used their wings to check the overhanging cliff, while the rest of the girls checked the cliff wall that was on the other side of the falls. While working, Rainbow began to think. What would this transformation be like? Could she control the new power? Was she even capable of it in the first place? Was the change temporary? Could she control when she used it? What if her friends got jealous? She had already been reasurred about the last question, but she couldn't be sure until the change actually happened, and that was what scared her. She began to feel aprehension at coming on this trip in the first place.

"Hey Fluttershy?"

"Yes?"

"What's gonna happen to me? Ya know, after the transformation? Wil I still be normal, or will I have some sort of fifth leg? Or maybe I'll grow a third wing. What if that happens?"

"I think you're overthinking it Rainbow," said Fluttershy to her panicking friend. "Besides, even if something like that did happen, we'd still care about you and you'd still be our friend, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Thanks Fluttershy."

"No problem."

"I think I found somethin'!" yelled Applejack from above. Hovering up to the upper platform, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy began to think about what Applejack found. They flew over to her position and touched down next to her, ideas flashing through their heads. The other ponies soon arrived as well. They all began to stare at the rock face in front of them.

Etched into the stone were pictures of pegasi, ancient pegasi, no doubt from 2000 years ago according to Twilight's analysis. The ponies stared in awe at the fine craftsmanship that still survived to this day. One thing caught everyponys' eye. In the center hovered 10 pegasi, their manes sticking straight up behind them. Rarity nearly collapsed, but kept her composer long enough for her jaw to drop along with everypony else's. The legend was true. In ancient times, the pegasi had been granted a power by the elements of harmony and the princesses.

"OK girls, we found what we were looking for," said Twilight. "I'll study them to see if I can figure out how to unlock this ability. Maybe it'll give us some sort of insight on how the elements could grant this power."

Everypony nodded their heads and awaited further instruction. "There's nothing you guys can do right now. Go swim for a bit or fly around. Maybe you could practice using your elements. Here." Twilight handed a book to the group. " 'The Use of Personal Energy for Magic Application'. My own personal copy. Reading it might help you figure out how to channel your energy and use it from your body instead of your elements."

"But how can the rest of us use magic if we're not unicorns?" chimed Pinkie.

"You can't. However, getting an understanding of how unicorns channel their energy into magic might help you learn to do so in a similar way. Have Rarity try to help you if you get lost." Rarity heard her name and snapped to attention. She wasn't too happy about having to school everypony on how to use their energy, but she was still up to the task. "Go ahead and get to work while I study the ruins." Every pony walked away to begin their practice, all except Rainbow Dash who already knew the skill. She spent her short break swimming in the rainbow pools and flying high above in the clouds.

/)*#*(\

A short while later, Twilight called the girls back in, and they all gathered around her and the ruins.

"Have you all learned how to channel your energy?" she asked the group.

Everyone nodded their heads, eager to proceed. While they only had a small understanding and they could only shoot small bursts of energy and fly for a few minutes, they thought that was good enough for now.

"Great. I think I've figured out how to awaken Rainbow's 'super pony' level. Isn't that funny? 'Super pony'; just came up with it on the spot. Anyways, the only way I can help her regain this ability is by going back into her soul." Everypony's jaw dropped for a second time. Rainbow Dash didn't exactly feel comfortable having some pony inside her soul again. "It's okay. On our way here, I scanned her soul again, and she's perfectly fine. I'll be fine, and so will she. The only problem is it will put both of us into a small comatose state. Say, about three hours or so. What I need the rest of you to do is guard Rainbow and I in case any more of those space ponies or their commander shows up. I'll need you to keep guard on us even if night falls and we're still not awake."

The rest of the ponies nodded their heads in understanding, including Rainbow Dash who knew what this would mean for her and Twilight. Unfortunately, crossing souls was a very intimate process, and Rainbow Dash, being straight as a metal beam, didn't feel to comfortable with the thought. She felt violated when King Sombre broke into her soul earlier and tried to destroy it, and she was even less comfortable having Twilight jump in without her permission. She trusted Twilight though, and was ready whenever she was.

"OK girls, here we go. Remember, no matter what happens, keep guard over us. Are you ready Rainbow?"

"Yeah. Just don't mess me up when you're in there."

"Alright then." Twilight's horn began to glow with her purple aura, and she began to approach Rainbow Dash. As soon as her horn touched Rainbow's forehead, they both collapsed on the ground. Worry flowed from the group as the other ponies feared for their friends' safety.

"Come on now girls," said Applejack. She had to play the voice of reason here. "Let's leave them to their business and practice some of those new energy things Twilight was talkin' about." Slowly, one by one, the ponies began to back away from their sleeping friends.

/)*#*(\

0--Inside Rainbow Dash's Soul--0

As soon as Twilight fell, she immediately felt Rainbow's soul surround her. It was warm and welcoming, and Twilight almost became distracted by the feelings of protection and loyalty coming from her friend. She soon found herself standing in a black expanse, similar to the one before. Rainbow Dash stood next to her.

Twilight felt she should tell Rainbow Dash how to protect her memories from her just in case she stumbled upon something she shouldn't have. "Rainbow, if there's anything that you don't want me to see, imagine a door and shut it. I'll keep moving and avoid it."

"OK, will do." A little way's in the distance, the sound of about 30 doors shutting themselves could be heard.

"Let's get moving. We have to find out where that power is hidden inside of you," said Twilight.

"Alright then. I think I have some ideas. When I was in the hospital, I started putting together my broken soul. As I was searching, I found this odd source of power. When I fired those energy bursts from before, that source of power is what I used to fuel them. My element just filled the empty space that was left."

"OK then. We'll start there. But we have to be careful. Some of your deepest fears or troubles may come after us. Remember, your soul contains all of your memories, personality, and your essence. That includes all of the 'negative side effects'. As long as we're careful, we should make it out alive and with your new 'super pony' abilities."

"Wait a second. Alive? Are you saying we could die in here?!"

"Well, it's a definite possibility. Right now, I've just poured my soul into yours. That means that there are two souls in one body. Let's just say, it's easier to kill one pony than two, and when we're linked like this, if your body dies, then so does your soul and mine." This idea scared Rainbow, but she had to stay focused if they were to succeed.

Rainbow and Twilight began to walk through the dark expanse while Rainbow's memories flashed by in boxes floating around them. Memories such as her first sonic rainboom and the time she spent with the Wonderbolts after the Best Young Flyer's Competition could be seen in a few such boxes.

After walking for what seemed like an hour, they finally arrived at a big, floating ball of energy. This was Rainbow Dash's life source. Even though she didn't know it, Rainbow had been feeding her attacks with her own life energy!

"Rainbow!" shouted Twilight. "Do you know what you've been doing?!"

Rainbow Dash was taken aback by her friend's sudden change in attitude. "What's wrong Twilight?"

"What's wrong?! You've been using your own life force to fuel your attacks! You could die from doing that! No, this can't be where your super pony power is. Even if it is, we can't risk your life in using it. That's too much even for some pony like you. We have to keep searching. In my soul, I found my other energy cache when I was just a filly. That's what let me use my magic with my horn. If we can find your energy cache, then maybe we can unlock your super pony level there."

Rainbow Dash suddenly understood why she felt so drained after using her energy attacks. Without even realizing it, she had been slowly killing herself. "Well then, what are we waiting for? If I can't use my life force any more, then we'd better find my other energy source soon."

Twilight smiled inwardly. "You're right. Let's get moving. Time is of the essence." They began checking every corner of Rainbow Dash's soul that she hadn't blocked off. They're searching yielded something great. A second energy cache that was practically bursting with Rainbow's inner power. It was even bigger than Twilight's magic reserve.

"This must be it..." murmured Twilight in an almost inaudible tone. She immediately began to scan it. Rainbow then fell with an awkward look on her face. Twilight stopped for a few seconds. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just that your feeling a part of my soul that I've never even seen before. It's just surprising, ya know?"

"No, but I see what you mean. I'll be as careful as I can." Twilight proceeded, this time at a much slower pace as to not cause her friend any discomfort. While Rainbow still wasn't pleased with what was going on, she submitted to the search. It felt odd having another pony in her soul in the first place.

"There!" shouted Twilight. "Hold on Rainbow. I'm gonna try something that may hurt a lot, but you've got to stay with me and trust me. Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Do you trust me?" said Twilight, this time in a much more serious tone.

Rainbow Dash hesitated, but her answer remained the same. "Yes."

"Then hold on tight, and no matter what, don't fall unconscious."

Before Rainbow could ask what that was supposed to mean, she felt part of her being stretched. The feeling was accompanied by an extreme pain. One which she had never felt before. She endured for what seemed like minutes. When the pain finally stopped, she looked up towards Twilight. Floating in front of the alicorn was a pure white and gold ball. Half white, half gold. All Rainbow could do was stare at the piece of her soul. It was tiny, maybe only the size of a baseball. Yet it felt like something different. It felt foreign, like something that could be equally good or bad.

"This, Rainbow," Twilight began, "is exactly what we're looking for. I was right. You do have the super pony power. Now, there's just the problem of awakening it. Because it's part of you, I can only guess that it needs your energy to kick start it. Judging by it's size, it only needs the smallest amount. Try firing one of those energy balls at it. Make sure it's the smallest one you can make. We don't know what'll happen when your energy hits it."

"OK. Here we go," said Rainbow. She began to charge a small ball. It was about the size of a small marble. She shot it at the gold and white ball at full speed. They collided with each other, and then-

/)*#*(\

0--The Real World: Winsome Falls--0

The other ponies of the mane 6 had spent the last 5 hours partially on guard and partially practicing focusing their energy. Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie could now fire multiple bursts at a time without pausing. Fluttershy could still only create singular balls of energy, but it was progress none the less. While they were practicing, they began to hear a whistling sound. It started out as no more than a bird's whistle, but it soon grew to the noise created by a bomb falling. As the ponies looked to see where the sound was coming from, they found its source. Where Rainbow Dash and Twilight were, visible energy was building up around their area. Twilight's body was gradually lifted of the ground a few centimeters and thrown against the nearby rock wall, effectively waking her up if leaving her in a daze. Rainbow Dash was in another position entirely.

Her coat had begun to flash between cyan and white, and she was slowly being lifted into the air. When she was hovering above the ground at about five feet high, her eyes snapped open. Something was wrong though. Her eyes were a deep dark red and black, and a chaotic energy was emanating from her. As her coat stopped flashing and remained white, her mane began to stand up. She was then lowered to the ground and appeared to be fine. Apart from having barely noticeably bigger legs, both fore and back, she seemed alright.

"Are you okay Rainbow?" asked Applejack. She received a cold stare from Rainbow Dash as an answer. "Is that a yes?" Rainbow Dash then shot her where she stood with a burst of energy. Applejack was launched backwards into one of the pools. The splash from the impact could be seen from Ponyville. All of her friends looked on in shock as Rainbow Dash began to create energy from no where that would put anything within a 2,000 light year radius to shame.

As Applejack began to crawl out of the pool, her element vastly drained of energy, she watched as each of her three remaining friends were shot back away from Rainbow Dash, each stopping only because they crashed into other objects. Seeing this, Applejack let herself slip back into the pool, hoping not to be noticed. It worked, but she could only hold her breath for so long. Then, she heard Twilight yell from above the water. It was just audible enough for her to understand Twilight's command and explanation.

"Girls!" screamed Twilight, groaning in pain after being thrown against the stone wall. "We've got to unite our elements! We have to drain the excess energy from Rainbow Dash! She can't control herself yet, and the new power she has is taking over her body! Quickly! Get up!" As she shouted her last command, she saw her friends begin to crawl from their points of impact, their elements charged and ready to fire. "Perfect," she said to herself, a smile forming on her face.

She pulled herself up with her element charged to the most she could muster. "Now!" With this command from Twilight, the other ponies released the energy built up in their elements, sending arcs of burning plasma-like projectiles at Rainbow Dash. They all collided at the same time, leaving Rainbow Dash's back sizzling, but without any other damage. Their attacks had melted on impact with Rainbow Dash's outer energy layer. The raging super pony turned around to find her attackers, already charging up another attack.

0--Inside Rainbow Dash's Soul--0

As Rainbow Dash watched her friends gunned down without her control, she felt a tear run down her cheek. She watched helplessly as her body turned itself around and began to hover away. When she felt the burning plasma hit her back, the pain made her wince, but it felt good to know where it had come from as she turned her head around. Everypony seemed to be in shock that their attacks hadn't worked. At least, from Rainbow Dash's perspective. Seeing an opportunity of weakness on her body's part, she tried to force herself back to the surface, swimming frantically in the dark, sticky substance that threatened to pull her down.

0--Real World: Winsome Falls--0

As the ponies watched in fear of what could come from their raging friend, they saw a visual change. Rainbow Dash began to flash cyan, and her eyes began to flash back to normal. "Everypony," shouted Rainbow Dash with as much effort as she could summon, "you have to deal physical damage to me using your energy! That attack let me push myself to the surface! If you can distract my body long enough, I can regain contro- AAAHHHGGGG!" Releasing a loud scream, Rainbow Dash turned white again, her eyes turned reddish black, and she released a charged burst into the cliff face of Winsome Falls. It didn't create any damage to the landscape, but the energy radiation drained everyponys' power to nearly nothing.

Picking themselves up, each pony began to charge they're rapid fire bursts, except for Fluttershy who charged a single ball the size of the worlds biggest ball of yarn. At the same time, the ponies released the energy at their friend, engulfing her in smoke, ash, and fire.

0--Inside Rainbow Dash's Soul--0

As Rainbow Dash felt the fire engulf her, she saw a light in the murky darkness. She began to push for it frantically, using every last bit of energy left in her tired muscles to reach it. As she reached out her hoof, she finally made contact, and a warm light began to surround her.

0--Real World: Winsome Falls--0

Everypony watched as the smoke and flames cleared, revealing Rainbow Dash writhing in pain in mid air. She kept switching between her normal self and her super pony form. It was sickening to watch her struggle, but there was nothing anypony could do for her. They could only watch as Rainbow Dash slowly suppressed her super pony form as much as she could.

After struggling for about two minutes, Rainbow Dash turned cyan and stayed that way, and her eyes shut as she slowly fell to the ground, unconscious.

Every pony quickly surrounded her and stared down at her still body. Worry could be cut with a knife as thick as it was. It soon dispersed as Rainbow Dash's eyelids began to open, revealing her magenta eyes. "Oh, my head," she groaned from her prone position on the ground.

Twilight helped her up. "Rainbow Dash, are you okay?"

"Relax Twilight," said Rainbow Dash. "I think I've gotten that energy under control now. See? Watch." With that, she switched back to super pony form, all except her eyes which stayed their bright magenta. She then turned and fired a massive energy burst into the Everfree Forest. A few trees were vaporized, but the forest didn't catch on fire, and Rainbow missed Zecora's hut by a long shot. She reverted to her normal state after that.

Everypony sat there, unable to speak about what they just witnessed. In less than a minute after reverting to her normal form, Rainbow Dash had mastered control of her super pony form, fired a giant energy burst, then reverted back no problem.

"Wow Rainbow," was all Twilight could say. "You sure are strong."

"Yeah," piped Pinkie Pie. "I bet you could even beat that mean commander guy!"

"Yeah Rainbow. You could really give 'im what for," said Applejack. The rest of the ponies just nodded their heads in agreement. "So what happens now?" The question shocked everypony. Up until now, they're goal had only been to help Rainbow Dash increase her power. They had no clue where to proceed from there.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash picked up a familiar energy source flying at a high speed toward Canterlot. A quick check of its aura revealed what she feared. It was the commander. He must be after the princesses and Discord! She quickly relayed this info to her friends.

Hearing that the princesses were in danger, Twilight began to get antsy. "We have to hurry," she said. "Who knows what'll happen if the commander reaches them. We have to go and help." Everypony nodded in agreement. With that, they all used their energy, except for the two pegasi and Twilight, to fly off toward Canterlot in pursuit of the commander.

Author's Note:

Yes, I know. Being in a coma is different than sleeping. I simply felt that using the phrase 'coma' or 'comatose' or any other possible variation of the word within a few sentences was a bit much.

Comments

[PaxMano33]

Wil I still be normal, or will I have some sort of fifth leg?

YEAH she will (giggity)