Elements of Failure

Chapter 5

Twilight whimpered quietly, keeping her head covered and trying to shield out the noise, she hadn't even noticed it had gotten quiet. After a few moments, she raised herself up moving her arms away from her head. She looked around spotting Rainbow Dash in the air as the pegasus came down and landed next to her.

"R.. Rainbow Dash... please... turn back. Twilight said pleadingly. "It's way too dangerous. Everyone else is gone, I don't want to lose you to."

"Twilight, I'm not gonna abandon you now." Rainbow Dash said smiling at her sadly. "Besides we don't have that much further to go. While flying over head I saw the Castle of the Royal Pony Sister's."

Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash quietly before giving her a faint smile in return. "Alright Rainbow... if there isn't too much further to go." She said sighing softly, they looked ahead, seeing the river. "We'll have to cross the river first."

Rainbow Dash flexed her wings a bit looking out over the river then back at Twilight. "I can fly, but how will you get over?" She asked sitting down trying to come up with an idea.

Twilight considered for a moment sitting down thinking about the best way to cross. "Oh, of course. I'll teleport myself. Since you can fly I can easily teleport just myself." She said looking at the river back on the other side finding a good spot before teleporting to it.

"Alright, I'll meet you on the other side of river." Rainbow Dash said extending her wings and flew across the river, high enough to stay out of reach of the serpent and landing next to Twilight who had just reappeared.

The two of them start to walk down the path, Rainbow Dash leading Twilight towards the castle she saw from the air. Both remained pretty quiet as they got closer.

Rainbow Dash stopped and pointed a hoof, "There it is Twilight, the Castle of Royal Pony Sisters," she said softly as they both look over towards the castle.

Twilight started to run towards the castle and squeals as she almost goes over the side of a cliff. Rainbow Dash flies over quickly grabbing her tail with her teeth and pulls her away. "What's with you and falling off cliffs today?" Rainbow Dash said looking at her.

Twilight blushed brightly at Rainbow Dash before looking over chasm then looked down, the bottom impossible to see through a thick mist.. "How are we going cross this one?" Twilight said looking at the other side.

"I got this," Rainbow Dash said extending her wings and flies to the other side grabbing the broken rope pulling it up. She lands and pulls the rope wrapping it around the post starting to tie it off.

"Rainbow....." A voice spoke up, causing her to stop and look around. The blue mist flies past her and into the haze of fog, completely unseen. "Rainbow...."

She turns quickly and scans the haze, "Who's there?!" She asked loudly, rearing back on her hind hooves, ready to attack, "I ain’t scared of you! Show yourself!"

"We've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the best flyer in Equestria," The voice spoke and Rainbow Dash settled down.

"Who?" Rainbow Dash said as she looked into the haze.

"Why, you of course," the voice spoke softly, stroking Rainbow Dash's ego.

"Really?" Rainbow Dash said before getting a more proud look. "I mean, oh yeah, me. Hey you wouldn't mind telling the Wonderbolts that would you? Because I've been trying to get into their group for like, ever."

"No Rainbow Dash, we want you to join us," The voice said as three figures came out of the fog, standing in front of Rainbow Dash, they had on purple and black flight suits with yellow lightning bolt designs to separate the purple and black. There was a mark of a skull with wings over the area cutie marks would be. They also had on flight goggles with yellow lenses and purple straps.

"The Shadow Bolts" one of the figures said, "We're the greatest aerial team in the Everfree Forest, as soon we will be the greatest in all Equestria. But first, we need a captain."

Once she said that Rainbow Dash's eyes practically shone with eagerness and excitement. "The most magnificent,"

"Yes," Rainbow Dash agreed as her ego was stroked more as the figure flew around her.

"Swiftest," she spoke again, increasing Rainbow Dash's eagerness even more as it flew around her.

"Yes," Rainbow Dash agreed more letting her ego cloud her judgment.

"Bravest flier in all the land," the figure added as she continued to stroke at her ego.

"Yes, it's all true." Rainbow Dash agreed from all the compliments as the figure flew away before going around and coming up to her from the side.

"We need," she said before leaning her head in close to Rainbow Dash's ear and whispered into it. "You."

"Woohoo!" Rainbow Dash said loudly and flew up into the air. "Sign me up!" She said before flying over to the bridge to finish trying it up so Twilight could cross. "Just let me tie this bridge real quick and then we have a deal."

The figure flew over and pushed Rainbow Dash back from the rope. "No! It's her or us."

Rainbow Dash paused for a moment to consider what she said until she heard Twilight call from across the chasm. "Rainbow! What's taking so long?!"

Twilight could see the figures in the flight suits standing near Rainbow Dash, "Oh no....." She said softly before yelling to her friend "Rainbow!"

The one that had been talking looked over at Twilight before its eyes glowed, causing the mist to pull in close and block Twilight's view. "Don't listen to them...." Twilight tried to yell but the thick fog also had a spell weaved into it that blocked out sound as well.

Rainbow Dash was still thinking it over, going over in her mind all that had happen to lead them to this point, the loss of Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity. They had all perished for this mission, and she wanted to see it through.

"Rainbow Dash... you will die if you go in there, just consider it. Certain death, or the chance of living your dreams?" The figure said looking at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes tight and sighed, it was a hard offer to pass up and with everything that had happen, her loyalty broke and she looked up at the figure. "You... I'll join you and your team."

The figure grinned and it's eyes flashed again as it turned into the mist and enveloped Rainbow Dash. "W.. what's going on?! Stop!" Rainbow Dash screamed, feeling as if millions of tiny pins started to pierce deep into her body. She could feel her energy drain out and her body shrivel up, her skin becoming tight against her bones.

The haze that had covered the area faded away and Twilight could see the blue mist covering Rainbow Dash's body, causing it to waste away rapidly as she writhed and screamed in pain. "No! Rainbow Dash!" she yelled and her horn flared as she teleported to the other side of the chasm now that she had a clear view of it and could form her target location safely.

"Get off of her!" Twilight yelled using her hooves to try and push the mist off Rainbow Dash, but her hooves moved through it easily and had no effect. She fired a blast of magic into the mist but it just seemed to absorb the energy into itself. She could only watch in horror as Rainbow Dash's body shriveled up even more.

The hair in Rainbow Dash's mane and tail falling out leaving small strands of it and her feathers on her wings dropped away leaving only a handful of them, her eyes turned black with just a pinprick of red in the center. The mist came off her body leaving Rainbow Dash just standing there for a moment before her wings snapped open and she took off into the air.

"No... no no no Rainbow Dash... why?" Twilight cried, watching Rainbow Dash fly off as little more than a shadow of who she once was. Twilight's eyes watered up, she knew what had happened and it made her feel sick. "Why did you listen to them? Now you're going to be cursed to fly the night sky, disloyalty your only companion.... for eternity.... a fate worse than death...."

She watched for a few more moments before turning away and closing her eyes tight, wiping at her tears with her hoof before preparing herself to go into the castle alone and face Nightmare Moon. She only hoped she would be able to defeat her and maybe make some good come from this tragedy.

Rainbow Dash just flew through the Everfree Forest over the tree canopy, unable to control her body. Her mind constantly replaying the moment of her disloyalty on an endless loop. Unable to stop it and unable to control her body or to end the endless cycle of pain and regret that filled her soul.