Elements of Discord
Chapter 1
An MLP: FiM Fanfic by Midnight Shadow
"AJ!" yelled Twilight over the pouring rain from what was left of her balcony, "three more ponies to the mayor's house! Another tree went down!"
"Cornsarnit! But we ain't finished here yet!" protested AJ from the square below, where she had briefly turned around from the work-gang behind her working to clear the debris from a fallen branch which had badly damaged some pony's dwelling.
"Leave it! It's down, there's nopony left in that house and nopony's going back tonight, there might be at the mayor's place!"
"Ten-Four TS - MOVE 'EM OOOONNNN!" AJ bellowed above the storm to her crew. With the wind howling and rain lashing the normally quiet town of ponyville that was no mean feat. She always had been a tough pony and was a natural at getting things done - with a little help. However, the forces of nature this night were proving a trial for everypony, and keeping up with the situation was more than a full-time job.
If things don't ease up soon, thought Twilight, we're going to be in real trouble...
Normally the weather in Equestria was controlled by its princess Celestia, helped along by the pegasi ponies that ruled the skies. Nopony remembered a time when a storm like this had snuck up unawares - they'd had storms before but this was something else, and barely under control. Rainbow Dash, a brave if foolhardy and brash pegasus, was leading her flock fighting the worst of the thunderheads. Two ponies had been downed already by lightning, and five more were suffering torn pinions and very soon were going to be forced to retire.
Dash gritted her teeth and pushed harder, come on Dash, this is just like threading the needle in the flying competition, you can do it, you can't let everypony down!
She swept back her wings and punched upwards through the swirling vortex, breaking symmetry and dispersing the formation. For a brief moment, one brief quiet moment, she was above the noise and chaos. It was moments like this she lived for, when it seemed everything in the world was there just for her. The stars, above the dark heavy clouds, were bright and cold, the moon full, it's light illuminating the darkness. Since Luna had returned from her thousand-year exile, much had changed, and now it glowed brighter than ever.
Moments like that, however, seldom lasted. Dash's curve upwards flattened out and her smooth trajectory down was suddenly painfully bumpy.
Crosswind! No! Thought Dash to herself as her right wing was bent painfully back. With a squawk, she felt some important feathers being ripped away by the force of the gale.
"Oh horsefeathers," managed Dash, before any further words were stolen from her lips and she fell, plummeting like a rock.
Something heavy and yellow collided with her, it was Fluttershy! The normally quiet and reclusive pegasus was out here, for her! Dash felt a warmth that almost chased the pain in her wings away,
"I've got you, Dash," said Fluttershy softly, yet somehow through the noise was still heard, "but not for long...can you break our fall?"
"I think the ground's gonna do that Flutter...brace fer impact!"
The two ponies hit the treetops in a clutter of hooves, manes, tails and wings - the snapping noises as branches gave way was terrible, but the actual injuries were somehow minimal. When the motion stopped, both were groaning quietly.
"Oh my my my, this is just awful, awful!" came a posh voice, borne by what appeared at first to be a glowing horn. It quickly became apparent that the glowing horn was attached to a unicorn-pony, named Rarity. Usually found in her shop, sewing exquisite dresses, she had been press-ganged into first-aid and healing. True, she took a while matching swatches to hide-colour but her dressings were second to none.
"How's it look, doc?" quipped Dash
"A nightmare...simply awful!"
Dash groaned, "I'm never gonna fly again, am I? Are my wings torn off? They're gone, aren't they? I'm gonna be a groouuunddd pounndderrrr..." Dash started sobbing uncontrollably
"Oh dear, no, nothing like that, but your hair..your mane! awful! And yes...hmm...sprained ankle, I don't think the tibia is broken, but you might have a broken humerus...let me set that...thank goodness I have just the right blue colour for your bandages..."
Dash smiled weakly, fresh tears springing to her eyes as the bone was set by Rarity's magic, and the worst of hers' and Fluttershy's fleshwounds were sewn neatly and quickly. Whatever the weather, Rarity was Rarity...
As Dash passed out despite the attempts of her friends to keep her awake - she wasn't in shock, just exhausted - she noticed with a final clear thought that in the skies above, two powerful bright figures - one white and rainbow hewed, Celestia the elder sister, the other dark and light blue, Luna the now-reformed younger sister, had arrived, and were banishing the storm from whence it came.
"Oh good," mumbled Dash, "cavalry's here..."