Rainbow Dash hardly ever walked anywhere. Applejack noticed this and, out of the blue, decided to make a bet with Rainbow: "If you can go the whole day without using your wings, I'll let you be the very first in line for cider season." She knew Rainbow couldn't turn down a challenge; she was right. Five hours after the bet was made, Rainbow Dash came across something...odd. What is it? What will she do with it?
(An idea using the Shinespark ability in the Metroid series, hence the "Crossover" tag) [Chapter WIP: Chapter 3]
Rainbow Dash stared at the object in front of her for about thirty seconds. The object in front of her is a 1 meter high and wide glass cube attached to a metallic stand. Within the glass cube is a projection of a pastel green arrowhead. The object looks odd to Rainbow Dash. Almost not of this time. She isn’t well-versed in science and technology, but something about this cube feels otherworldly to her. And yet, she can’t help but want to take it to show Twilight. After all, she is the science whiz among the six of them. Perhaps she’d know what it is? Rainbow Dash thought.
Doing the only thing that makes sense, she attempts to lift up the object with her head. The moment she touches it, however, a flash of light surrounds Rainbow Dash and the cube slowly begins to dematerialize. She looks around herself frantically, repeatedly muttering “Ohmygosh” louder and louder as the light becomes brighter and the purple electricity surrounding her hooves becomes more intense. Then, as if it were on instinct, she crouches down and quickly jumps up. She is rapidly propelled upwards in seconds with energy and lightning in various purple hues swirling around her as she ascends higher and higher and higher. Until...BAM! She hits the spot where the atmosphere ends and the energy dissipates with a massive pink shockwave.
Finally, she starts to descend. At the last second, she flaps her wings rapidly to save herself from the impact. She lands, breathing quickly and heavily for a solid minute. Once she recovers, she slowly begins to chuckle to herself until it becomes a laugh of pure joy and thrill.
“YAHOO! WHAT A RUSH!” Rainbow Dash exclaims giddily.
She looks around herself, checking for any remaining light or electricity. None. It all dissipated once she nearly left the atmosphere. She looked up, hoping to see an impression in the sky. None. Then again, it is the sky. It wouldn't leave any visible mark of whatever she did. There was, however, a crater where she'd propelled herself.
"I gotta tell the others! Oh, Celestia! They'll think it's so awesome!"
Rainbow Dash just about attempted to fly, but she remembered the bet. She chuckled to herself when she stopped herself from flapping her wings. "Whoops! Just about used my wings to fly there." She said to herself, finishing out her chuckle.
She gallops towards Sweet Apple Acres, wanting to tell Applejack about what happened. She's the one who made the bet, so Rainbow Dash thought, by Applejack hearing that something awesome came from the bet, Applejack would be just as giddy as her. Plus, the way she shot up technically didn't count as using her wings; even when she did use her wings, it was to save her from an injury. Even Rainbow Dash knew that Applejack wouldn't be such a stickler about the rules if bending them meant preventing harm.
She gallops and gallops, keeping her destination in mind. She felt herself going faster, and she felt the energy inside of her flowing. She gallops for three seconds before blue light and electricity surrounds her. She sees this, then immediately thinks of the pastel green arrowhead. She gasps as she realizes what the symbol represented, and she starts galloping faster. She's now going as fast as her flight speed.
"This! Is! AWESOME!" Rainbow shouts from the top of her lungs.
She is fully enveloped in energy and lightning. She's reached maximum acceleration. She can feel the wind hitting her face endlessly. In just a minute of galloping, she sees Sweet Apple Acres rapidly come to her vision. She stops herself once she reaches the trees. In doing so, however, she crouches. allowing the purple light and electricity around her hooves to return. Rainbow's grin widens as she realizes that she can show Applejack what happened to her rather than telling her about it breathlessly.
She gently trots, deciding not to risk destroying any trees if she were to speed up again. After five seconds of trotting, the energy enveloping her dissipates. Rainbow stops in her tracks and glances around her body.
Wait, what the-? Where'd the cool light go!?! C'mon!" She says to herself before groaning frustratedly and heading towards Applejack.
After finally finishing her chores, Applejack decides to take a rest. She sighs contentedly, sitting down and looking at the clouds. Her mind immediately goes to the bet she made with Rainbow Dash. Ah wonder how she's doin', not flyin' and all? Applejack thinks to herself. She's probably alright...ah think. As she ponders what Rainbow Dash is doing, she looks towards the orchard and spots the very person she's pondering about. She stands up and starts walking towards her.
"Rainbow Dash! Ah was just thinkin' of ya!" Applejack calls out.
Rainbow Dash looks up. She sees Applejack, and calls back to her.
"Yo, A.J.! I have something to show you!"
Applejack responds back "Well, what're ya waitin' for!?! C'mon up here and show me!"
"I can't show you right here! It might mess up the trees!"
Applejack looks at Rainbow Dash with instant confusion. "It might mess up the trees?" What'n the hay is she tryin'a show me? Applejack gallops towards Rainbow Dash, still looking confused. It isn't long before she reaches Rainbow.
"Rainbow Dash, what're you tryin'a show me? And why would it mess up the tress?" She asks immediately upon reaching her.
"Okay, you're not gonna believe this, but...I found an item that made me able to gallop real fast and shoot up into the air in, like, a second!" Rainbow Dash uttered in a hurry.
Applejack scratched her head in even more confusion. She thought that she'd misheard Rainbow Dash, since she'd spoken so fast.
"Uh, beg your pardon?" Applejack replies.
"Okay, listen. It sounds weird, but...it's sorta hard to explain properly. I'd have to show you." Rainbow explains.
"Alright, but do ya have a place in mind where we won't hurt the trees, like you're suggestin' it could?"
"Actually, yeah! I was exploring Ghastly Gorge on hoof when it happened! I think the crater is still there!"
Applejack was intrigued. An item that allows one to gallop really fast, shoot up into the air in a second, and create a crater oddly seemed interesting to Applejack; it was interesting enough for her to follow Rainbow Dash to Ghastly Gorge Ah'm itchin' to see this, now! Applejack thought to herself.
Applejack's Encounter with the Speed Booster-y Kind
Ghastly Gorge. A perfectly long place to run to and fro; a perfect place to show Rainbow Dash's newfound ability to Applejack. They have just arrived at Ghastly Gorge--albeit at a slow pace that Rainbow Dash would never even think to move at--and Applejack could see the excitement on her friend's face. What 'n tarnation is she so gung-ho t'show me? She said it made a crater of some kind, so...prob'ly some fancy power or item.
"Yo, A.J. When I start moving, watch closely for a light around my body. When I stop moving after the light surrounds me, look at the sky." Rainbow Dash instructs, then smirks confidently. "Trust me when I say it'll be a real blast you won't wanna miss!"
Applejack chuckles and rolls her eyes before speaking. "Rainbow, ya tryin'a show me the Sonic Rainboom? If so, ah've already seen it. Ain't no need to go an' glorify it just to impress me."
That gets Rainbow thinking. I mean, it's sorta like one...
"Now that I think about it, it's sorta similar to it. Except I don't have to already be flying." Rainbow Dash explained with a straight face.
Seeing her say that with a straight face catches Applejack by surprise, as she expected Rainbow Dash to say "C'mon, it's so much better than my normal one!" However, when she says it was like a Sonic Rainboom, but performed without being airborne already, it really grabs Applejack's attention.
"Huh. So, it ain't no glorified Rainboom. What is it, then?" She inquired.
"Well, it's a...I dunno, actually." Rainbow Dash replies, briefly confused. "Doesn't matter. Besides, Pinkie'll probably think of a name for it when we tell her about it."
Applejack simply nods while Rainbow Dash prepares to gallop at high speed.
"Ready when you are, A.J.! Say 'when', and let the awesomeness begin!" Rainbow Dash said with great confidence and excitement.
"Uhhh...when-oh! Okay then, she's off...."
At that split second, Rainbow Dash gallops as fast as she can. She looks ahead, imagining a target on the ground. She gallops faster. Her legs are almost a blur. Then, her body is surrounded in blue light and electricity. It's happening! She thinks. After a second longer of galloping, she crouches down, instantly forcing the light and electricity to turn purple.
Applejack watches as Rainbow Dash takes off. A second or two passes by, and, indeed, Rainbow Dash is surrounded by light. Applejack's jaw drops at the sight. Holy hay, Rainbow ain't kiddin'! Once Rainbow Dash stops, Applejack looks up and sees a glowing, purple silhouette of Rainbow Dash shooting upwards in the air. Applejack is dumbfounded. Rainbow Dash told her she would see this, but she is no less amazed by it. No, captivated by it. She doesn't know what to say. She doesn't know what to think. She doesn't know what to do.
Once Rainbow Dash is high enough, the energy field dissipates in a pink shockwave and she descends rapidly to the ground. Right before she hits it, she rapidly flaps her wings to avoid injury from the impact. Then, she looks in Applejack's direction.
"C'mon over here, A.J.!" she calls out.
Applejack, still quite captivated, gallops over to Rainbow Dash. She's still in shock after what she just saw, and she makes no attempt to hide that from Rainbow Dash. It doesn't take but a few minutes for Applejack to reach her. Rainbow Dash sees her and has a look of confidence.
"So, A.J., whaddya think of my awesome new move?" Rainbow Dash asks, confidence oozing from her.
"Ah...ah'm..." Applejack mutters.
"Hm? Cat got your tongue, A.J.?" Rainbow Dash asks jokingly with a small chuckle.
Applejack stands speechless for a minute. She just witnessed something she has never seen before; that's saying something, considering that magic is a regular part of life. However, something tells her what Rainbow Dash performed was unlike anything that she, or any other pony she knows, had seen before. Finally, after much pondering, she lets her euphoria burst out.
"That was awesome!" Applejack exclaims.
Rainbow Dash's eyes widen and her jaw drops as she lets out a long gasp. She can't even remember the last time Applejack said "awesome", let alone if she ever said it at all. If Applejack says "awesome", then this is something truly worthy of the word. And her saying "awesome" is worthy of the repeated utterance of "ohmygosh" from Rainbow Dash. As Rainbow Dash continues uttering the phrase while Applejack shakes off the euphoria, a thought comes to Applejack's mind: This whole speedy power she has is real nice and all, but...the lights n' electricity surrounding her kinda presents a potential danger. Ah should tell 'er.
"Hey, Rainbow?" Applejack says.
Rainbow Dash snaps out of her own euphoria to answer Applejack.
"Yeah, A.J.?"
"Ah think we oughta tell Twilight about this. Ah mean, it's neat n' all, but with the energy surroundin' yer body...that's a bit concerning. Fer all we know, there could be some long-term voodoo nastier than bein' skewered by a bull's horns."
Rainbow Dash ponders this and sees that Applejack is right. The item she had obtained looked not of the known world; if anybody can find out what Rainbow Dash obtained, Twilight can. She is, without a doubt, the smartest of the six, and she has many books that can potentially give some insight on Rainbow Dash's new ability. She can easily find out what my awesome new power is! She thought to herself.
"Yeah, you're right, A.J. Twilight oughta have a book about my weird, glowy, torpedo power." Rainbow Dash replies to Applejack. Then, out of the blue, a high-pitched voice pops up out of nowhere.
"You could call it the 'Electro Propello'! Or, you could call it-!" the voice, coming from Pinkie Pie, is cut off by Applejack.
"When the hay did you get here, Pinkie? An' how long have ya been 'ere?" She asks.
"Oh, I've been here the whole time! I mean, I wasn't originally listening to you guys. You see, I was at a birthday party when a balloon just randomly flew off. Naturally, I had to follow it. I didn't really realize I got here until I got the balloon, and that's when I heard you two talking and trying to think of a name! So I thought-!" Once again, Pinkie Pie is interrupted, this time by Rainbow Dash's hoof.
"Okay, Pinkie. We get it. Now, can we please head off to the castle? The sooner we meet up with Twi, the sooner I can learn what my new power is." Rainbow Dash interjects.
Both Applejack and Pinkie Pie nod in agreement, then all three of them head off to Twilight's. At least, after Rainbow Dash catches herself before she starts flying. She lets out a small chuckle before speaking.
"Whoops! Forgot the bet was still on." She says with a smile before galloping along with her friends.
