Ponywatching

by ThunderTempest

Prompt #58: Ripples and Undercurrents

Rainbow Dash dove, faster and harder than she ever had before, save once. A cone of weather magic surrounded her, squeezing her entire body tighter and tighter. She closed her eyes and pushed, desperate to save Rarity and the Wonderbolts. Something behind her cracked. The air, which had been pushing back against her, suddenly smoothed out, and everything seemed to be in slow motion. It was the work of two wingbeats to catch up to Rarity, and Rainbow scooped up the unconscious Wonderbolts along the way.

But as Rainbow rejoiced in her recreation of the stunt from her childhood, looping around the stadium, the rainbow shockwave rolled across the land. Ponies looked up as it passed over them, noting the curious phenomena, but otherwise continued about their days unaffected.

But while Rainbow Dash and her friends were celebrating in Cloudsdale, and apologies were given and accepted, the shockwave continued to roll over the land. And deep in the southern badlands, a figure striding through a roughly circular tunnel carved into a mountain paused to lick the air.

"Powerful magic," muttered the Changeling Queen Chrysalis as the shockwave rolled through the mountain, "magic infused with desire to save?" Her tongue flicked out again. "Definitely Philia undercurrents."

Chrysalis about-faced instantly, trotting through the tunnels until she came to an outside overlook. She could see and taste the faint remains of the magic's passage, and focused her eyes to the north.

"Equestria," she muttered.

********

It was deeper into Equestria than Chrysalis had been before, very nearly at the Great White City. The magic was nearly completely faded, now, but Chrysalis could still taste the faintest whispers of it. Not enough to feed on, but enough that she could get an idea of why the magic existed. To her great dismay, nothing about it suggested that it could be a reliable food source.

"Excuse me, miss?" asked a pony from behind her, and Chrysalis nearly dropped her disguise out of surprise as she turned around. She came face to face with one of the warriors of Equestria, a white stallion with a blue mane and tail, and a great wellspring of love practically pouring off him.

"Hello," smiled Chrysalis, her disguised horn lighting up green, "you are going to take me back to your home and the mare you love."

"Okay," said Shining Armor, his eyes reflecting the green magic as it wormed itself into his head. As he lead the disguised Changeling Queen back to Canterlot, he dropped the letter he'd been intending to deliver to his sister.

Author's Note:

Written for Prompt #58: "Big Bang Theory"

The prompt: Rainbow Dash's first sonic rainboom gave the mane six their cutie marks. What did her second rainboom do?