The Element of Love

It took half an hour for Rainbow Dash to reach the Everfree Forest. She flew around the forest, as Love suggested, and soon, she found the entrance. Hovering in front of it, she glanced into the woods. It was eerie and terrifying, especially since Dash knew that her greatest enemy would feel her presence inside. With a big gulp, she entered the forest, flying slow and carefully.

As she was flying, she sometimes glanced at her sides. The shadows and the trees created images of monsters in her mind; sometimes she could even see pairs of eyes watching her. Luckily, they were mostly harmless wild animals wandering in the forest.

In a few minutes, she reached a junction with three ways to choose from, but no signs showing the path to the castle.

Okay, now where to go from here? As she was thinking, three stallion pegasi emerged from the shadows at her left.

“Oh look, somepony is lost?” said one of them.

Dash looked at the direction of the voice. She could not completely see the stallion talking to her, but she tried anyways, “Oh, hey guys! Could you help me—”

The three shadows burst out in laughing.

She frowned. “What are you laughing at?”

“What’s up, Rainbow Crash?” said the other one.

That name... Now Dash knew who her visitors were, even though they all seemed gray under the shadows. “Hey, how dare you to call me that name!”

“You crash all the time. What else should we call you, Crash?”

“I made a Sonic Rainboom in front of your eyes; I've spent a whole day with the Wonderbolts!”

“Oh, and did they invite you into the team?” asked the other one.

Dash shut her mouth. The fact that the Wonderbolts didn’t invite her, even after all what she had done, was wound in her heart.

The stallion spoke again, “Of course not, who would want to hang out with somepony who crashes all the time?“

Dash stomped with her hoof, her heart filled with anger. She was about to rush forward and buck the stallion in the face. “Oh you.. you big...”

“Dash, stop fighting! This leads nowhere,” Love’s voice sounded in her mind.

“But they're mocking me!” Dash complained.

“Oh watch this! Rainbow Crash is now talking to herself,” said the stallion with a grin.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Dash glared at the stallions. Still fighting with her pride and a desire for revenge, she lowered her head, clenching her eyes. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath, and started to speak, “You know what... I think you are right.“

“Ha-ha-ha... Uhm... What?” the stallion asked.

Dash raised her head. “They didn’t invite me. That means I’m not ready. I might know a few tricks like the Sonic Rainboom and of course I can fly fast, but as you say, I still crash a lot.”

One of the stallions poked the other one and whispered to him, “What’s up with her?”

“So please, until I’m not a Wonderbolt of course, just keep calling me Rainbow Crash. It'll remind me that I must train harder and keep up learning and practicing.“

To Dash’s surprise, the bodies of the mockers collapsed into a small glowing orb, and flew away through the path on her rightest.

“Follow it,” said Love.

Dash followed its trail. As the hope she gained from her first trial lifted her heart up, her speed increased. The trail with the orb disappeared after a few minutes, but there was no need for it. I already know which way to go.

She heard a growl. Timberwolves had smelled the pegasus flying past them, and followed her through the dense branches of the forest. Dash glanced around nervously, taking big breaths and quickening her pace. She could hear the rustling of the leaves as the wolves stepped on them. Suddenly, a timberwolf jumped out of the bushes in front of Dash, facing the flying pegasus and growling. Dash glanced behind her, but three other wolves already blocked her path and were walking towards her. She knew that flying out of the forest was not the option because of the magical mist hovering over the forest, and rocketing through the forest was a sure way to crash into something, leaving her defenseless against the wolves. The wolf in front of her leaned back, and got ready for a jump. Rainbow Dash glared at the timberwolf in front of her, and got ready to evade the leap.

However, it didn’t jump. The eyes of the timberwolf grew big, and the monster froze in its place. Dash's eyes went wide and she glanced back. The wolves behind her were shaking. Rainbow could not see, but the timberwolves were almost blinded by the light radiating out of her. They all backed off, and in a quick turn, each of them fled in fear.

Dash sighed in relief when the wolves got out of her sight. She could have taken out a wolf or two, but there were four of them, and probably a lot more, based on all the noises she heard when they retreated. She continued on her path still wondering about the unexpected behavior of the timberwolves. In half an hour, she reached another junction, but this time it was easy to choose, as the other path was coming from the western part of the forest. She soon started to notice things that seemed familiar. The forest slowly rarefied, and she now could see the silhouette of a castle through the branches.

Yes. “I’m finally here!” Dash cried.

“Yes, Dash. You reached the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters,” Love affirmed her.

“Rarity, Twilight, I’m COMING!” she cried, and shot herself forward.

“NO! WAIT!”

Dash didn’t notice the mist before the bridge. When she flew through it, she immediately lost her wings in flight. She fell on the ground, rolling towards the abyss from the momentum. She could barely catch the edge of the cliff. With a big strain on her muscles, she managed to pull herself back onto the ground. After feeling the ground under herself, Dash looked at her flanks.

“My wings. MY WINGS! AAAAAAAAAA”

Flying for Rainbow Dash was like breathing. While Fluttershy moved around on hoof, Rainbow Dash almost always stayed in the air. When Discord had taken her wings, at least she had been with her friends. Now, she seemed to be alone, beyond the Everfree Forest, with everything around her hostile.

“Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, what should I do, what should I do?” Dash was breathing fast, jerking her head between the castle and her lost wings.

But she was not alone. “Calm down, Rainbow Dash,” Love tried.

“I HAVE LOST MY WINGS!” Dash yelled.

“Everything will be alright, just calm down, please.”

Dash, still breathing fast, closed her eyes and tried calming herself. “Okay...Okay... Everything will be alright...Everything will be alright,” she whispered. She opened her eyes again, and examined the situation.

“So now what? The bridge is down, and I have no wings!” Dash said, staring at her side.

“Walk over the abyss,” said Love.

“WHAT?”

“Trust me. Walk over the abyss,” repeated Love.

“No... You are crazy! There is no bridge!” opposed Dash.

“Trust me.”

She walked to the edge of the cliff and glanced down. This is crazy. Without wings, I'll fall down. I'll die. She stepped back, facing the ground under herself. Fighting with her fears, faith was winning her heart. She furrowed her eyebrows. No. Love told me that I could walk over the abyss, he told me to trust him. She raised her head and stepped back to the edge. Rainbow Dash looked up to the castle. And. I. will. She closed her eyes and after a big breath, with faith in Love, stepped forward.

She stepped on... the nothing. She glanced down with mouth open. Something was glowing under her hoof. She carefully put another hoof on the nothing, and it stood firm. She passed over the abyss with slow, careful steps. She was more than happy when she reached the other side.

Dash turned back to the chasm, smiling. “Oh yeah, I did it!” cried she. She looked around for a small object, and found a stone. She grabbed it and threw it where she crossed. The stone fell into the abyss, bouncing from the two stone walls in snaps, much to her surprise.

Dash then turned towards the castle and started walking, wingless. Thinking about the crossing over the chasm, she did not notice that the wind started to blow when she left the bridge. The things that grabbed her attention were small dark clouds, coming together a little ahead of her. Her eyes grew wide, when two shadow pegasi materialized.

“We finally found you, false bearer of Loyalty."

Dash flinched and gasped. She tried to take off, but realized that she lost her wings.

“Oh no... NO!” Dash panicked.

“Come, Rainbow Dash. Let us take your burden,” spoke the other one.

Fluttershy began to scream again in Dash’s head. Dash dropped herself on the ground with hooves on her ears.

“Oh, please make it stop. Please make it stop!” Dash begged, clenching her eyes.

However, another voice spoke over the scream in her head. “Rainbow Dash, you are forgiven. The sins of the past cannot condemn you anymore.”

“Come with us, get what you deserve,” said the dark one walking towards the grounded pegasus.

“They are lying to you. Do not listen to them!” said Love.

“Then what should I do? I have nowhere to run!” Dash said.

“Let them touch you.”

“WHAT?” cried out Dash, still not being used to Love's ideas.

“Trust me, your sins are forgiven. They cannot hurt you.”

After a few seconds of hesitation, Dash took a deep breath. I trusted you before, and you helped me. I trust you again. She stood up, and locked her frowning eyes on the minions. The minions reached her, and one of them touched her rainbow mane, casting the wrap up spell.

It was blasted about 30 feet away from Dash by the power that she emitted, hitting the ground hard. The other one, after seeing its companion fall, stepped back. Dash darted her eyes between the two pegasi. The closer one was trembling. Dash, with courage now filling her heart, stepped forward with a grin. The minion jumped and fled in fear towards the castle, slowly vanishing. The fallen one succeeded to stand up, and glanced at Dash.

Dash looked in its eyes. “Boo.”

The minion flapped its wings and flew away in panic. Dash was left alone again, but she knew she was not alone. I am forgiven. These guys have no power over me.

Dash’s sides glimmered. She glanced back, and a smile grew on her face. In a few seconds, both of her wings were back again.

“Oh, my wings!” she cried. She raised them, and flapped, ascending to the air again. “Ah, yeah!” She then turned to the castle.

“Watch out, Darkness. I’m coming!” said she and flew into the castle.