The Black Hours

It was an odd transition from the ruin of Manehattan to the relaxed atmosphere of the lunch hall at the team’s main base. Rainbow Dash was seated alone at one of the tables, letting the noisy chatter fade out of her hearing. Lost in her thoughts, she was staring sullenly at the empty space on her table.

As a leader, she often found herself questioning her choices, wondering if she had done the right thing for everyone around her. Now she was feeling this more than ever. Had she made a mistake by sparing a changeling? Rock Rush had made it very clear he was opposed to the idea, and she would usually trust his opinion on anything. She wasn’t sure what had brought on her actions. Perhaps it was just her experiences; she had seen enough death and misery over the years, especially during this stressful time in her life. Had it made her sympathetic?

As soon as the word entered her mind, she pushed it away with annoyance. She would not accept that. 'Sympathetic' was not a characteristic she often beheld, and she was determined she never would.

A second later, the sharp thud of a plate hitting the table broke Rainbow out of her daydream. She blinked lazily, lifting her head from its place on her folded fore hooves, looking up to see Rock Rush gazing at her with concern.

She could have smirked. If anypony around here was the sympathetic one, it was Rock.

“Here,” he said calmly but firmly, nodding at the steaming hot food he had placed beside her. “Eat something. You need it.”

“Thanks, but I’m not hungry,” Rainbow replied, resting her head on her hooves again.

“You think you’re not hungry,” Rock pressed on, “but you haven’t touched food for at least a day and you’ve been working without a break. Trust me: you need something.”

Rainbow didn’t have the energy to argue further. Letting out a heavy sigh, she looked up at him. “Fine. Thanks, Rock.”

She drew the plate towards her to take in the scent of warm food. It was spaghetti, drenched in a succulent looking sauce. She took a fork and consumed a small mouthful, chewing gently at first, before realising how hungry she truly was, and suddenly eating larger mouthfuls more quickly.

“Mmmm!” she hummed eagerly. “This is good!”

Rock had to stifle a laugh, noticing how muffled her voice was while eating, as well as how little she seemed to care about table manners. “Knew you were hungry,” he commented with a wink.

“Who made this?” Rainbow asked, wide-eyed with excitement, stuffing a final forkful of spaghetti into her mouth.

“Who do you think?”

Rainbow considered for a second, then realised almost immediately. “Beryl?”

“Of course.”

She smiled knowingly, shuffling over to let Rock have a seat next to her. “She’s the best: great at cooking, cheering ponies up, patching them up after a battle. Don’t really know what we’d do without her.”

“She certainly keeps a keen eye on you,” Rock added, earning a sceptical stare from Rainbow. “Hey, I’m serious. She notices how hard you work, as well as the pressure you’ve got on your shoulders. She’s more of a mother to you than anyone else in the team.”

Her eyes clouded over in thought. “Yeah, but... I didn’t ask her to be. I’ve always preferred doing things like this by myself.”

“I don’t doubt that,” he whispered, giving her a friendly nudge. “But there’s nothing wrong with support to back you up. You know that better than anypony.”

She nodded in agreement, beginning to reminisce. She did indeed know that, considering all the things she’d been through. Those memories seemed distant to her now, only made worse by the situation and atmosphere she was in every day, and the chaos that surrounded herself and innocent ponies. How long would it go on for? Forever? Right now, that seemed likely. No end was in true sight. But that didn’t mean she was going to stop for anything.

They didn't speak for the next few minutes, the only movement coming from Rainbow Dash as she munched eagerly on her food. She felt an occasional twinge from the wound on her back, despite the comfort of Beryl’s bandage. She subconsciously wondered how Rock was feeling in regards to his own injuries; after all, she had found him almost dead only hours previously. As she took occasional glances at him, she felt happy to see that he looked content, sitting calmly beside her and sparing friendly gazes to the ponies that passed.

When he eventually met her eyes, she turned away quickly, returning her focus to her meal. It wasn’t long before he spoke again, his voice quiet. “That was a brave thing you did back there.”

She froze, biting the inside of her cheek. This was the last thing she wanted to talk about right now.

“Dealing with the changeling in the way you did,” Rock continued, encouraging Rainbow to look at him. “I mean – it’s not what I would have done, but you have your reasons, and it takes guts to do something like that.”

She rolled her eyes, not really taking his words as a compliment. “It’s not something I would have done a few months ago – that’s for sure.”

Rock raised his eyebrows curiously, sensing her remorse. “So… why did you spare its life like that? I’ve known you for a while, and it’s not something I expected of you.”

Rainbow exhaled, putting down her utensil. She knew she was going to have to explain herself in some way, but even she didn’t really know how to. It was bizarre: she understood herself better than anyone else, and yet she couldn't understand her own actions.

“I guess, with everything that's been happening – you just end up changing,” she admitted sadly. “I don’t feel like I’m the same pony I used to be, before all of this started. I’m not proud of the things I’ve done in the past, so maybe I’m just trying to make up for that.”

She met Rock’s eyes to study his reaction, only to find that, surprisingly, he was grinning at her. “Who would have thought it? Rainbow Dash – the daring flier, the born leader – not being proud of herself? Are you sure you’re the real Rainbow Dash?”

She cracked a smile as he gave her an affectionate push, but it quickly faded away again. “I don’t think even I know,” she replied morbidly. Her eyes were fixed on the table, her expression sullen, and there was only a response of silence from Rock by her side.

“Rainbow Dash!”

Her ears pricked up at the sound of a female voice calling her. She and Rock looked up to see one of the younger medic ponies, Petal, approaching them, in an apparent hurry. She stopped at the table, pausing to take a breath before speaking.

“Brisk Shade asked me to find you. He wants you to come to the prison room and talk to the changeling.”

Rainbow frowned, immediately confused. “Why?”

“Beats me,” Petal said with a shrug. “But it sounded pretty urgent. You know what Brisk is like when he's agitated.” She paused to meet her eyes questioningly. “Will you go?”

The pegasus sighed, looking to Rock for advice. The expression in his eyes was just as baffled as hers, but after a moment’s thought, he replied with a single nod.

Her shoulders feeling tight with anxiety, Rainbow left the table and followed Petal to the prison room. The journey felt agonizingly long to her, though it only took less than a minute to get there. Despite her nerves, she held her head high. A conversation with a changeling she had kept alive was not something she looked forward to, but she felt ready to approach the situation with confidence, unafraid to give the creature a piece of her mind if necessary.

When she finally came to the door of the cell room, Petal quietly left her side, feeling she wasn't needed. The metal door suddenly appeared very forbidding as it loomed before Rainbow Dash. Taking a collected breath, she gently pushed the door open, hearing the loud creak of the hinges as it swung forth, revealing a dark, shadowed room. It was by far the worst-kept room of the entire base, which was hardly surprising due to the way it was used. The walls were scratched and peeling from old paint, the floor was more than often damp and slippery, and only a few small candles provided a meek source of light. Not only that, but the room was unbearably cramped. It only had one prison cell, where the changeling was currently being held.

As she trotted across the floor, the shadow of a stallion lingered at the other side of the room. His jet-black body was vaguely visible in the darkness, as well as his luminous green mane and tail, the colours so bright they seemed to shine like neon. His blue eyes were focused intently on the cell in front of him, but upon hearing Rainbow Dash enter, he immediately looked up to meet her stern gaze.

Brisk Shade was the blacksmith of the team, who created all the steel equipment needed for their travels, like weaponry, armour, and basic tools, including contraptions used for prisoners. He was a loyal pony, always by Rainbow Dash's side when she needed him, but despite that, he had a mysterious and sinister quality that made most ponies quite wary around him.

“Well, well,” he jeered, his eyes retaining their dark, intense look as Rainbow approached. “I hear somepony's gone soft.”

“Don't you ever call me soft!” Rainbow Dash burst out angrily, raising herself a foot from the ground as she jabbed her hoof at Brisk Shade's chest. “I did this for a reason, not out of sympathy, so don't get any crazy ideas about me!”

“I never said I would,” Brisk Shade replied calmly, his eyes turning serious. “Nonetheless, I want to know what your reason is, if it's at all logical.”

Rainbow bit hard on her bottom lip, trying to contain her anger, still nose-to-nose with Brisk Shade. He would often have the nerve to challenge her position as leader, but this time she wouldn't let it slide. “Why should I have to explain myself to you?” she spat defensively. “I'm the captain, I do what I want!”

“Perhaps. But not where changelings are concerned. I can't think of any good reason for keeping one alive myself.” The black stallion's voice dripped with malice and hatred at the mention of the creatures.

Snorting irritably, Rainbow placed her hooves back on the floor. “Cut it out, Brisk Shade, it's not important right now.” She met his eyes again, with seriousness. “Why did you ask me here?”

Brisk's eyes turned cold. “The creature, while I was guarding it... the stupid thing just wouldn't stop staring at me.” He let out an irritable snort before calming himself. “After a while, it suddenly said asked to speak to you.”

Rainbow raised her eyebrows nonchalantly. “Did it say why?”

“Not that I could decipher. It's been mostly jabbering to itself ever since we threw it in here.”

His eyes went to the cell again, allowing Rainbow's gaze to follow. There was a faint shadow visible behind the bars – a crouched figure sat hunched up beside the far wall. “If you want to know what it wants,” Brisk began to say, “you'd better ask it yourself.”

Rainbow watched the figure of the changeling closely. It was only now she realised how small it actually was compared to its relatives, even in the darkness of the room. Its shadow barely covered the floor beneath it, and she guessed it would barely come to her shoulder if standing up.

Then, it began to stir, realising the two ponies were staring at it. Its head turned to reveal the familiar pair of hollow blue eyes that sent a chill down Rainbow's spine, although she would never admit it. There was unmistakable fear in the animal's eyes, the kind that an innocent child gives a complete stranger. But Rainbow was in no mood to be compassionate. She wanted answers, and she was going to get them.

She kept its gaze firmly locked with hers, stepped forward and began to speak with a loud, vicious tone. “Tell me why you wanted to see me. And fast.”

The changeling was clearly nervous, staying quiet for a moment as it shifted its body around to face her properly. “In the city – before you found me... I... I thought I was going to die. But then you came along and--”

“Are you seriously trying to thank me?” Rainbow Dash snapped furiously. “What I did was not for you! It was for my team, nopony else, so I don't want your gratitude!”

“Huh.”

Rainbow shot Brisk Shade a deadly glare after hearing his derisive snort.

“I don't – w-want... say thank you. I – j-just wanted to talk,” the changeling stammered. Rainbow's eyes returned to its face inquisitively, noticing how its gaze anxiously avoided her.

“Oh yeah? About what?”

The changeling's jaw was visibly grinding with tension as it considered how to phrase its next sentence. “You're – you're R-Rainbow Dash?” it asked timidly, raising its eyes to meet hers.

She frowned, trying to contain her slight shock from it saying her name. “Yeah. What of it?”

“I – I remember you. From – long time ago...”

Rainbow stared curiously as its words trailed off. Now, all of a sudden, she had become intrigued by what it was saying. “What are you talking about?”

It shuffled uncomfortably, eyes wandering to the ground again. “My species …” it began to stutter, “they were in huge battle. I don't remember much – I was only young – b-but... you were there. I remember your face – and I remember five other ponies. My species... they fought you. And we lost.”

Rainbow Dash hung on every word that the changeling forced out as its recollected its memories. This did indeed seem familiar. It was a day that she would never forget; blurred images easily came back into her mind of that very event.

“Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way!” the pegasus snapped, clamping her hooves together aggressively.

She stepped forward... only to find her own self staring back at her. But -- what? This was confusing. She examined her doppelgänger uncertainly, only to be swiftly knocked to the ground by a powerful hoof.

“How did you...?” she asked, rubbing her sore head.

Before long, they were all there: replicas of herself and her friends, staring maliciously at them with evil grins that didn't seem to fit the usually kind-hearted faces of the six mares.

“Don't let them distract you!” Twilight Sparkle commanded. “We have to get to the Elements of Harmony! They're our only hope!”

Feeling prepared, Rainbow kept the words in mind – and then they charged together into the midst of insane conflict...

“My love will give you strength.”

She remembered hearing those words. And then magic; a powerful force... screaming... and then nothing.

All was quiet. The battle was won.

Rainbow Dash blinked, coming out of her flashback, the image of the dark room materializing around her again. She noticed the young changeling staring at her curiously, making her realise she hadn't spoken for at least ten seconds.

Retaining her composure, she said smugly, “Yeah, I was there. And you did lose. Really badly.”

“When you found me in the city...” the changeling continued, appearing to ignore her words. “I knew I s-seen you somewhere. Only when I – w-was brought here... I realized who you were.”

Rainbow felt her irritation rising. She didn't rescue the damn creature to have it talk her to death!

Before she could reply, Brisk Shade interrupted. “I'm surprised you remember that day so well,” he said with an air of sarcasm. “It was a long time ago after all, and you would have been even younger than you are now, but you're able to remember a specific pony out of it all?”

The changeling shied away, turning its head and curling into itself. Rainbow sensed that Brisk Shade made it nervous. “Does … he … h-have to be here?” it murmured.

“Yeah. He does,” Rainbow replied firmly. “And I want you to stop wasting time and get to the point. Why is you knowing who I am so important?”

Its nerves appeared to ease slightly as it let its eyes drift back to Rainbow Dash, trying to avoid Brisk's malicious gaze. “I need know something,” it croaked. “You seem like … s-special pony. Mother said... you and others had magic inside you. We never saw it before then. I remember my family was sc-scared.”

It mustered a significant amount of effort before continuing, as if speaking was a demanding challenge. “I remember explosion. Lots of – b-bright light. Everyone around me, everyone I knew just... just...”

It was unable to finish the sentence, its face shrouded in a look of trauma. Rainbow wasn't sure, but she thought she saw the glimmer of a tear in the corner of its eye. “I knew my family were lost – because of magic. I remember your face from that day, and I knew you were important; someone helped to destroy my race.”

It gazed into her eyes again, some of its previous shyness fading away. “Miss Rainbow Dash...” it began, with an awkward attempt at politeness, “I heard lot about you, during my time in battle. The other changelings always talk about you. After what happened all that time ago, we have reason to fear you. If I'm kept alive, I want to know – w-what you'll do with me now. How am I going to be used?”

Rainbow Dash found herself stumbling on her words. At the time, it made sense to keep a lone changeling prisoner, but now she was faced with the question, she didn't know how to answer it. What use would the changeling really give her? Bargaining perhaps? A form of leverage? It was possible, but she was still unsure.

And now she was faced with the guilt of knowing its family had been lost because of what happened that day; actions that she was almost certainly involved in. How would she have felt if her family had been lost in that way?

With its questioning stare right on her, Rainbow was forced to reply. “Why should I tell you? You take orders from me, not the other way around.”

“Please...” the changeling stuttered, beginning to cower like a crying child, “T-tell me what--happen to me next...”

“You whine like a baby one more time and you'll find out soon enough,” Brisk Shade spat, glancing at some of his famous metal instruments in the corner of the room.

“Leave it, Brisk,” Rainbow snapped. Violent threats from him were hardly going to help.

She took a breath to relax herself, before addressing the changeling again, talking as calmly as she was able. “I don't really know what's going to happen to you – not yet anyway. But for now, I'm keeping you around so that you can help us, like you said you would. I don't know how you'll help, but I'm going to make sure that you do help us in some way, or you're out of here.”

The changeling visibly swallowed, its round eyes not leaving her face. “I will help. I p-promise.”

“We'll see,” Brisk Shade muttered, turning away from the cell and into a nearby corner.

Rainbow ignored his attitude, though she also remained sceptical about the changeling's words. Still, she tried to keep herself moderately polite. “Look – if I'm going to keep you here, I need to call you something. You got a name?”

It nodded.

“Well, spit it out.”

Another timid pause.

After a minute, it tentatively forced out a word: “S-Stra-t-tus...”

Stratus. Kind of interesting, Rainbow thought. She had never heard anypony, or any changeling for that matter, with a name like that. But at least now she had something to refer to when addressing their prisoner.

Casting a dark look into his eyes, she asked calmly, “Is that it then?”

Hesitantly, it gave a small nod, its forlorn gaze never leaving the ground.

Slightly relieved by the fact she'd at least accomplished something, Rainbow went to Brisk Shade, who was now toying with some of his newly carved weapons with an intense look in his eyes. He gazed upon his tools with an almost obsessive manner, examining every small detail he had managed to create, letting the sharp tips of his blades glint in the light.

Being used to his sinister behaviour by now, the mare nudged him roughly on the shoulder. “I'm gonna go,” she said firmly, meeting his foreboding stare. “I want you to keep an eye on the changeling until I tell you what we'll do next. When we meet the rest of them again, which will probably be soon, I've got ideas on how to use - … uh, Stratus, to help us.”

Brisk Shade raised his eyebrows, a mildly interested spark in his eyes, and his face remaining emotionless. “Whatever you say, captain,” he replied nonchalantly, beginning to sharpen one of his neatly carved daggers. It reminded Rainbow Dash of a proud owner stroking their beloved pet.

“Don't do anything with it unless you've got permission from me,” she said firmly, while heading to the door.

“Of course not, Rainbow Dash.” The tone in the stallion's voice was almost sarcastic, his gaze never leaving his careful handiwork as he brandished his knife. Despite being unconvinced by his words, Rainbow made to leave, before a voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Before you go...!” She turned abruptly, meeting the eyes of Stratus through the bars. “I want t-... know.... you still have your element?”

The pegasus blinked, trying to process what it had just asked. “What did you say?”

“Do you still have your element? Are you still the bearer of Loyalty as well as a captain?”

Now that was something she hadn't expected a young changeling to know about: the Elements of Harmony and her own element? Clearly news spread fast throughout the colony.

“I... don't have the element itself anymore,” she admitted, with a hint of sadness. “But I still represent loyalty, so don't you forget that.”

After a final look at Brisk Shade, Rainbow immediately went out and closed the door, leaving the prison room in a deadly silence. The only sounds came from Brisk Shade's knife as he sharpened it carefully, all the while sending threatening glances at the extremely nervous changeling.

A lump formed in the prisoner's throat. For Stratus, it was going to be an unpleasant night.