Battle Born

As Darkened Hallow and Rainbow Dash were leaving their recent picnic with Night Rose and White Flame, Dash had a very uncertain look on her face. “Why is he so judgmental towards White Flame?” she thought to herself. She had of course judged plenty of people before, but for some reason she felt as if this new pony hadn't actually done anything wrong, perhaps it was all just a big misunderstanding. But then again, she never really had any time to understand what happened, as Darkened Hallow hadn't given the best of explanations. So it was probably best to keep quiet, it wasn't any of her business anyway.
She couldn't resist though. To understand his hatred towards White Flame, she had to understand what had happened to him one hundred percent. So as they trotted along the winding dirt path that led back to Ponyville, she nudged Darkened Hallow. “Hey um, Hallow? You never really gave that good of an explanation of what happened with White Flame and all that, so could you maybe-“
“No,” interrupted Darkened Hallow before she could finish.
Normally Rainbow Dash would keep quiet by now, but she couldn't resist, the urge to understand her friend was too strong to just shut up like that. “But why not?” she asked.
“Because it’s none of your business,” he snapped.
Dash sighed, and gave up. There was no way he would tell her.
However, as they walked, Darkened Hallow came to halt. “You want to know what happened? Fine, I’ll tell you, and with a better explanation this time.”
It was a calm winter night as Darkened Hallow and his wife sat by a fire. Their daughter, Night Rose, was out with her lover. The two honestly didn't care about her love life, as they believed that she had the right to love anyone she wanted. They just wanted her to be happy, and happy she was, so they were fine with it. They sat together, cuddling in the warmth of the flames beside them, while Darkened Hallow listened to his wife talk about how excited she was for the day that she would have grandchildren. She herself was friends with White Flame, and she knew that he would make a good father. While on the other hand, Darkened Hallow saw him as a traitor and a dishonest savage. However, there was one thing Hallow and his wife could agree on: Shadow Fang, the old marefriend of White Flame, would certainly try to ruin their daughter’s life. And ruin it she did, because while none of them were aware, Shadow Fang and White Flame were having a secret relationship. Night Rose had no knowledge of this either. But one day, in an encounter with Shadow Fang, she found out. It was only that day that she encountered White Flame about it, that day in which peace was shattered. Darkened Hallow and his wife sat together, and after a while Night Rose came weeping to them. She told them what happened. Darkened Hallow was furious, but his wife was not. She thought that maybe he did it for a reason, but she made the mistake of telling that to her daughter. Night Rose, infuriated, ran straight into her mother head first, impaling her with her horn. She then used her magic to shoot through her heart. Realizing what she did, she ran off crying even more. Darkened Hallow tried to help his wife, but it was too late. She was dying. Her last words have stuck with Darkened Hallow to this day: “I love you, Darky. Don’t ever forget that.”
As he finished telling the story, Darkened Hallow couldn't help but to break down into tears. The loneliness he felt ever since his wife’s death was just too much to bear. He dug his head into Rainbow Dash’s fur and sobbed. Stroking his mane, she tried to soothe him. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Everything will be okay. At least your wife is in a better place now,” Dash said, in an attempt to calm him down, but hearing that only made Darkened Hallow cry even more. Tears soaked Rainbow Dash’s coat. Then Rainbow realized what Night Rose had meant when she said that Darkened Hallow felt terrible after what happened. She saw the depression, the loneliness. He truly was lost, he needed someone who would always stay by his side and someone that would never ever leave. He needed someone who would be there to give him comfort whenever he needed it. He needed someone loyal. Rainbow Dash did love her friend, but not like she’d give her life for him. Only a little crush. But now that changed, she would do everything she could to make him feel whole again. She wanted him to be the best pony he could be. And even if that meant she had to risk everything she had, so be it. Rainbow Dash was ready. No more would his ghosts haunt him, no more would he be scarred by the memories of pain and sorrow. She loved him, and she was tired of hiding it. It was obvious that he needed someone, and Rainbow Dash wanted to be that special someone.
“Darkened Hallow, I don’t know if this will help any, but look at me,” she ordered. Darkened Hallow looked up, and with his tearful eyes he saw those beautiful magenta eyes staring into his. Rainbow Dash drew closer to him, and kissed him on his lips. Darkened Hallow was startled, but he went along with it anyway. They savored it, staying in that position for minutes. Afterward, Rainbow Dash moved her head back to where she could speak. They stared into each other’s eyes and stood there blankly. Finally, Dash smiled, rubbed her head against Darkened Hallow’s neck.
“Um... Rainbow Dash? What was all that?” Darkened Hallow asked as he brushed the dried tears off of his face. All Rainbow Dash did was smile and continue to brush her head on his neck. After a while, she looked back up to his clueless face, and made the statement that would make him love her as much as he did his wife.
“Darky, I love you. Don’t ever forget that.”