A Rainbow's Shadow

Rainbow Dash's P.O.V.

I was walking through Ponyville, rather enjoying my victory on the soccer field today. I decided to stop in on Mr and Mrs Cake, knowing that Pinkie Pie was probably there too. I swung the door open with a chime of the bell.

"Sup guys?" I said, walking in. "Hey Dashie!" I heard Pinkie Pie exclaim as the overexcited woman bounced over towards me, her curly pink hair bouncing as she did. "Hey Pinkie Pie. Where are Mr and Mrs Cake?" I asked, looking around and realizing that they were no where to be seen. "Yeah. They had to go out to get a special cake and they asked me to watch the shop till they got back." she replied, smiling the entire time. "Oh, alright." I said. I suddenly felt a strange sensation. As if I was being watched. "Hey Pinkie, I'm gonna go alright?" I said to her. "Alright. See ya later, Dashie." I walked out and decided to walk a while longer. As I walked, that strange feeling crept up on me again. I spun around, thinking someone was watching me. But there was no pony there.

Arcanon's P.O.V.

I sat there, watching her from the shadows. Staring at that beautiful woman, with her long, rainbow colored hair, and those angelic blue wings. She spun around and stared at where I was hidden, as one with the shadows. Her gorgeous magenta eyes staring right at me. She then turned around and began flying back to Cloudsdale.

The shadows began to warp and move, forming a figure as color started to return to my form. I was wearing ebony armor colored void black with a touch of crimson blood red. All the runes that covered the armor were a deep, rich purple except for the runes that made up the eyes, which were colored a bright crimson red. My helmet folded back to reveal my face. My pale skinned face had the look of sadness and disappointment as my crimson red, dragonic eyes stared at where Rainbow Dash once stood. I really wanted to talk to her, to let her know I was still alive. But my job is too dangerous. I don't want her to get hurt... or worse. I let out a sigh. 'Time to get to work.' I thought as a gentle breeze blew past, ruffling my hair. My body darkened to black, then faded back into the shadows.

At another location...

I was hidden within the shadow of a tall apple tree. I looked around till I found what I was looking for. My target... Soarin. I jumped from shadow to shadow, following him as he walked towards the Everfree Forest. He must've sensed that someone was following him because he suddenly began to quicken his pace. Once deep inside the Everfree Forest did Soarin finally stop walking. He was wearing the traditional blue flight suit with the iconic yellow lightning bolt design signifying him as a member of the Wonderbolts. His black hair swayed as a breeze past.

"Who's there?" he asked. I let a laugh echo out of every shadow surrounding him. Soarin began spinning around in every direction, attempting to pinpoint the source of the laugh. "Soarin." I said in a voice that caused every word uttered to sound of a deep boom and vile growl. "Where are you?" he asked, fear clearly visible in his voice.

"You can't see me? Aww. What a shame. But you know what?" I said/asked sarcastically. I jumped to Soarin's shadow, morphing it so that my face was next to his ear. I then whispered in a sing-song tone, "I can see you." Soarin jumped and spun around, only to see that there was nothing there. Toying with my targets, scaring them, it all brings me great pleasure. As Soarin was still searching for me, he backed up into a tree. 'Now!' I thought. The shadows cast by that tree shot out and wrapped around Soarin, holding him in a crushing vice grip. Soarin began thrashing around, attempting to break free of my grasp. "Who or what are you?" I pulled out a small dagger and held it against Soarin's back.

"My name is Arcanon and I'm your end." With that said, I stabbed the dagger into Soarin's back. He let out a silent scream of pain as blood trickled from his back, onto the dagger, and then onto the grassy soil of the Everfree Forest. Soarin fell to his knees before his body went limp and he fell onto his side. I withdrew the dagger and looked up into a near by tree. A shadowy figure with blue eyes nodded and jumped away. I looked back down at Soarin, my helmet folding away behind my head to reveal my face. I picked him up and began to walk out of the forest.

"Wha?" he asked, a little dazed from the moment and the blood loss. "It's alright. I've got you now Soarin." I told him reassuringly. "But, you tried to kill me." "I only pretended to kill you. I'm after someone and they were targeting you. So, by making it look like I killed you, I ruined their plans. My partner has probably already found her and killed her." I said, almost the the entrance of the forest. "Thank you, Arcanon." I put him down and pointed towards the opening. "Go out there and call for help. Someone will come help you." I informed him. He nodded and walked out as I melted back into the shadows.

I reappeared in the center of Princess Luna's Lunar chambers. The princess of the night sat on a bench in front of a large black oak desk. Atop the desk sat paper documents currently being written on by a feather. Princess Luna was dressed in a rich, dark purple dress with silver frills at the ends. Her ethereal hair, reflecting the very moon and stars, flowed on a nonexistent wind current. Around her neck was the royal onyx neck plate of the night Goddess and on her head sat a crown made of black onyx. She looked up from her work as her teal eyes locked with my red ones. "Was thy mission a success?" she asked, her voice full of royalty and laced with the tone of a era long since passed. My helmet folded back to address her fully. "Yes, my princess. I faked the murder of Soarin of the WonderBolts to avert the person at large. I then took him to a hospital where he is currently being treated." I explained to her, my voice sounding silky and soft without my helmet. "Very good. Get some sleep thy assassin of the shadows. Thy are dismissed." she said with the wave of her hand and a friendly smile on her face. I nodded and disappeared, only to reappear back in my room in Old Canterlot. My armor dissipated and I threw myself onto the bed, which was extremely soft. As I crept closer and closer to sleep, one thought entered my head at the last moment. "Rainbow Dash..."