Chapters The hallway seemed to go on forever as Spitfire walked along. She could hear her every hoofstep echo off of the marble floor in the eerie silence of the night. Positioned along the hallway were stainglass windows depicting scenes from Equestria's history. There was one depicting Princess Celestia imprisoning Nightmare moon in the moon for a thousand years, another telling of her return and defeat by the Elements of Harmony.
As she put one hoof in front of the other, Spitfire tried to figure out why she had been called here so late at night. It couldn't be because she had done anything wrong. As Captain of the Wonderbolts it was her job to solve problems and overlook important events. The only thing she could think of had happened a couple weeks ago, but it couldn't be that. Spitfire had personally seen to the repairs of the shop and paid for all the damages.
Spitfire stopped as she reached the massive door to the throne room. Inside, she knew, the Princess was waiting for her. Spitfire took a minute to look herself over. Her golden hair had finally laid back in it's normal un-windblown style. Spitfire breathed a sigh of relief as she noticed her red highlight's were still in her mane from her last haircut. "Amber Locks does do a wonderful job," said Spitfire to herself knocking on the door.
Spitfire waited patiently, as was custom, until the door opened. A guard stepped up to her and, with a confused look on his face, asked, "Spitfire, is that you?"
"Yes, it's me," replied Spitfire, with a bit of a chuckle. Spitfire had chosen not to wear her Wonderbolts uniform. She was hardly ever seen without it, so it's no surprise someponies get confused when she doesn't wear it. "Decided to leave my uniform back at home tonight. I hope that's not a problem?"
"Not at all," said the guard, a blush of embarrassment on his face, "The Princess will see you now. Please come this way." Spitfire followed the guard into the throne room the door being closed behind them. Spitfire began to wonder again why the Princess had called her out here in the middle of the night alone. If the rest of the Wonderbolts had been called then it would be a formal visit.
"Princess, Spitfire is here to see you," said the guard bowing his head.
Princess Celestia was high atop her throne at the end of the room. Yet even so, her presence dominated the entire room. Her multicolored mane was blowing as if by some unseen force, light sparkling through it. "Thank you," she said gracefully, clapping her hooves together.
As if hearing some unspoken message, all the guards left the room, leaving Spitfire alone with the Princess. Spitfire began to get a little anxious at this point. As if sensing her discomfort Celestia asked "Spitfire is something wrong you seem ill at ease?"
"Nothing, your highness" replied Spitfire at once "I am merely wondering what it is you called me here for."Spitfire took a step forward as she continued "Listen if it's about that incident back in Las Pegasus..."
"Oh no it's not about that" replied Celestia reassuringly "I need your help with something"
"Need my help with what exactly?" asked Spitfire cautiously, wondering if she would regret asking
"It started 800 years ago" started Celestia taking a deep breath "Back then a great evil named Erebus tried to plunge Equestria into a state of Darkness and extinguish all light in the land. Even the light in ponies hearts..."
"How is that even possible?" asked Spitfire confused
"Erebus had made a pact with a great darkness called The Nightmares" said Celestia "They are beings from another plane of existence. They are beings made of the night itself. He swore he would never stop until all light was extinguished, in return The Nightmares gave him the power to do it."
"What happened to Erebus then?" asked Spitfire curiously "Where is he now?"
"Defeated, with the help of an old friend of mine Star Swirl the Bearded. We cast him out of Equestria and imprisoned him in the Shadowlands to the south forever.... or so we thought." said Celestia with a sigh
"What do you mean you thought?" asked Spitfire watching Celestia get down from the throne and walk over to the window on the left side of the room
"About a week ago my sister Luna went to our souther border on a diplomatic mission. She was to meet an emissary from the Shadowlands about the state of Erebus's seal. Yesterday she was abducted from her room by an unknown assailant. All that was found in her chambers was this" Celestia's horn glowed a soft gold as a photograph hovered out from behind the throne and landed in front of Spitfire.
At first glance it seemed a normal enough photograph. It looked to be a rather expensive looking rug, at a hotel room. On second glance however it was actually a carving into the stone floor of the hotel. It seemed to have been burned into the floor. It looked like a moon with a ponies face in it.
"What exactly am i looking at?" asked Spitfire curiously "I've never seen anything like this before"
"What you see is a glyph left from a rather powerful forbidden spell. One I haven't seen performed for 800 hundred years." said Celestia "I fear that somehow Erebus has broken free from his imprisonment and has taken Luna. If that is indeed the case I fear I may not be able to stop him this time."
"Then why call me?" asked Spitfire confused "This seems more like a job for Twilight and her friends. They're the Element bearers after all."
"You are half right Spitfire" said Celestia turning to look at Spitfire "This is a job for the Elements of Harmony, but Twilight and her friends are still unexperienced in real combat. I fear they are not yet ready to handle this task on their own."
"So you thought it best to call me in to lend a helping hoof?" questioned Spitfire
"Yes they need a pony like you who has had real combat experience and knows how to handle herself in stressful situations." said Celestia with a nod
"In that case I am happy to help Princess" replied Spitfire "Where should I begin?"
"I believe that my niece is doing some late night studying in the Royal Archives." said Celestia waving a hoof giving Spitfire permission to leave "That is a good place to start I think."
"Thank you Princess" said Spitfire turning to leave
"One more thing" said Princess Celestia with a wink "Try to catch her between books"
Spitfire bowed respectfully and turned to leave. As she stepped out of the door she took a deep breathe. "How do i always end up getting dragged into these sort of things" thought Spitfire starting out in the direction of the Archives.
Spitfire rounded the first corner on her right and continued down the hall, until she reached the staircase to the upper levels of the castle and the Archives. She spread her wings and flew up the staircase in a matter of seconds. As she reached the top she gave a strong beat of her wings to stop her momentum and tucked them back in to her sides as her hooves hit the floor. "Much better than walking" thought Spitfire to herself as she trotted into the archives a smile on her face
Spitfire had only been in this part of the castle a few times to get a book on flight mechanics, but that had been during the day. There seemed to be something different about it at night. For one it seemed bigger, hauntingly so. It felt as if it the shelves were trying to swallow her and never let her escape. Spitfire decided to find Twilight and get out as quickly as possible.
Spitifre walked down the first isle she could find. Before she could get halfway down the books were enveloped in a purple glow and began floating off of the shelves. Spitfire trotted after the books hoping that she could follow them to their source. As she made a final turn around a shelf and ducked another book whizzing overhead, Spitfire looked up to see Twilight.
Twilight was floating in mid air in a meditating state flipping the pages of five books at once with her magic. Her eyes were shining with an eerie light and flittering between all five books simultaneously. Spitfire began to wonder if she should wait for twilight to be finished, when five new books replaced the five old books as soon as they were finished. The old books were then levitated over to the side and stacked into a neat pile.
Spitfire realized it would take way to long waiting for her to be finished, so she took a leap of faith. "Twilight" she said hoping to get the unicorn's attention She immediately regretted her decision as the unblinking eyes shifted to look in her direction. They seemed to look straight through her and it gave Spitfire a creepy feeling. The books floating around the room stopped and Twilight lowered herself to the ground.
"Spitfire?" asked Twilight curiously "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in four years"
"It's been a long time Sparkle" said Spitfire extending a hoof for a friendly shake "Sorry to interrupt, I wish I had come with better news."
"It's no problem I can study anytime" said Twilight with a wink "What's the bad news" she finished more seriously
"It seems that an old evil has resurfaced and is threatening Equestria once more" relayed Spitfire "Celestia has reason to believe it has kidnapped Princess Luna and seeks to enact it's revenge upon all of Equestria."
"That sounds awful" said Twilight using her magic to put the books back where they belonged "Any Idea what this evil force is? I may have a book on it somewhere in here."
"It's name is Erebus" said Spitfire "Princess Celestia said she and Star Beard the Swirled fought it 800 years ago. That's all I know"
"Let's see here" said Twilight her horn erupting with purple sparks "A list emerged floating in front of Twilight. It read "Archive Index" It unrolled and twilight sped through it until she let out a "Ah- Ha" A book on the far side of the library flew over to Twilight who read aloud "Star Beard the Swirled's Biography. Written by princess Celestia herself. There should be something in here."
Twilight opened the book and pages flipped like a gust of wind was driving them to turn. She stopped at a page and showed it to Spitfire. It read "The founding of the Shadowlands. Where Nightmares come to life."
"Well that doesn't sound good" said Spitfire looking at Twilight "Anything else in there?"
"It says here that Erebus was once a pony himself, but he was corrupted by darkness and twisted into something sinister and wicked. His name even means Darkness" said Twilight
"You think somepony would have seen that coming?" said Spitfire with a shrug "Is that all it says?"
"That's it" replied Twilight closing the book "Though it does mention a third pony helping Star Beard and the Princess fight against Erebus but it doesn't give his name."
"What do you mean it doesn't give his name?" asked Spitfire confused looking at the book over twilight's shoulder
"There's a page missing and it doesn't mention him again" said Twilight with a sigh "to think somepony would deliberately damage a book"
"Well at least we know a bit more about this Erebus" said Spitfire with a look of appreciation "I assume your coming with me then?"
"Of course" said Twilight "It is my duty as an Element bearer to help in any way I can. Besides I never miss an opportunity to study something new. I don't think I've every read anything about the Shadowlands before."
"That's one way to look at it I guess" said Spitfire looking for the exit "Um.. Twilight you wouldn't know how to get out of here would you?"
"Of course" said Twilight with a smile Her horn flashed bright purple as Spitfire felt a kind of nausea. It was as if her body had been shifted inside out and then put back almost instantaneously. Then suddenly they were both standing outside the castle gate.
"Warn me a little before you do that next time" said Spitfire shaking off the oncoming waves of nausea "I'm not used to that kind of stuff"
"Oh sorry I forgot" said Twilight with an apologetic smile "Rainbow Dash was the same way"
"It's fine just warn me next time" said Spitfire feeling a little better then a realization hit her "Did you just mention Rainbow Dash... Teleporting?"
"Yes why?" said twilight a confused expression on her face "She used to love it when I teleported us too and from her cloud home and the library"
"But I thought you said Rainbow Dash didn't like teleporting" said Spitfire accusingly
"Oh yeah..." said Twilight blushing a bit "It's not that she didn't like it she just disliked the nausea. You get used to it though trust me."
"So you and Rainbow Dash?" started Spitfire jokingly "Was she really as good as she says she is?"
"She was fantas...I mean she was okay" blushed Twilight "We were just friends"
"I understand" said Spitfire with a warm smile
"Besides she was always more interested in Fluttershy anyway" sighed Twilight her horn glowing as a dark purple cloak levitated out of one of the tower windows and descended wrapping around twilight's neck and a pair of glasses blinking into existence on her nose.
"Sorry to hear about it" said Spitfire noticing the change of uniform "What's with the cloak?"
"It's a gift from the princess" answered Twilight "I got it when i passed my final exam and entered my independent studies. It means I'm an official archmage."
"Congratulations" cheered Spitfire giving her a hoofbump
"So where to now Spitfire?" asked Twilight adjusting her glasses
"Now it's off to Wonderbolt Headquarters to pick up Rainbow Dash" replied Spitfire with a empathic glance at Twilight "Sorry if it makes you uncomfortable"
"No" said Twilight reassuringly "It's quite alright. It was 4 years ago anyways. Me and Rainbow Dash will always be friends"
"Good to hear" said Spitfire starting out for the cloud district of Canterlot "Follow me"
Alright Twilight x Rainbow Dash Shipping alert Everypony. Also you might not agree with everything stated in this chapter but believe it will all work itself out in later chapters. Enjoy : )
Spitfire and Twilight arrived at Wonderbolt Headquarters around noon. It was a rather large building made out of toughened clouds. It had a rainbow staircase leading to the front door.
"I don't remember that stairway when Rainbow Dash brought me here 4 years ago" said Twilight
"Rainbow Dash added that about 6 months ago actually" said Spitfire pride in her teammate shining through her voice "She's been doing a lot of wonderful things since she's joined the team."
"How many years ago was that?" asked Twilight following Spitfire through the front door making sure to cast the cloud-walking spell on herself.
"About two years ago I think" said Spitfire with a chuckle "made Soarin upset. Wonderbolt handbook says you can't date a teammate"
"Must be torture for him" giggled Twilight
"Spitfire is that you?" asked a familiar voice
"Yeah it's me Scootaloo" replied Spitfire as Scootaloo came walking into the front room. She had done a lot of growing up in the last 4 years. Her wings had finally developed and her mane was long and styled just like Rainbow Dash's. Twilight felt her heart tinge at the sight of a miniature Rainbow Dash, but it left soon after.
"Twilight good to see you again" said Scootaloo in greeting "Heh, Finally got my cutie mark" On Scootaloo's flank was a picture of a scooter with a jet of flame behind it.
"Let the little pony try out a few of our new vehicles we got last year" said Spitfire ruffling Scootaloo's mane with a hoof "Turns out if it's a vehicle Scootaloo here can do just about anything in it"
"I'm glad to hear you finally found your special talent" smiled Twilight in congratulations
"So Spitfire why are you out so late at night?" asked Scootaloo giving Spitfire a questioning look Then her face brightened noticeably "Could it be that you and Twilight...?"
"No not that" said Spitfire dismissing it with a hoof "I want to talk to your mother. Go and get her for us will ya?"
"Sure thing Spitfire!" said Scootaloo
"Her mother?" asked Twilight confused "Aren't we looking for Rainbow Dash?"
"When Scootaloo lost her parents in that accident 3 years ago Rainbow Dash adopted her" said Spitfire
"Oh.." said Twilight "I had no idea"
"Ah it's alright" said Spitfire reassuringly"I didn't know it either until i came to work one day and saw her moving in. Boy I bet I looked silly"
"But doesn't that mean since Rainbow Dash adopted Scootaloo she can't be a Wonderbolt?" asked Twilight
"Typically yes" said Spitfire "But since Scootaloo is a junior Wonderbolt and since Rainbow Dash is such a valuable member of the team we've decided to look the other way this time. Besides Scootaloo is the only one here able to wake her up in the morning with out getting bucked in the head."
"Come on Dash" said Scootaloo coming back into the front room "Spitfire's out front waiting"
"This had better be good Spitfire" demanded Rainbow Dash coming into the room rubbing the sleep out of her eyes "You woke me up halfway through my scheduled nap ti..." Rainbow stopped as soon as she saw Twilight standing there.
"Hello Rainbow Dash" said Twilight with a nod
"Uh.. Hi Twilight" said Rainbow Dash immediately fixing her mane with a quick run through of her hoof "What brings you here so late?"
"The Princess has asked me to collect the Element bearers" said Spitfire directly "I need you to come with me right away"
"Spitfire can't it wait till morning?" whined Rainbow Dash "I don't think a few hours more sleep would hurt anypony"
"Dash is right Spitfire" winked Scootaloo giving a signal to Spitfire to agree angling her nose towards Twilight "You all need your sleep if your going on another quest. Besides there's no immediate danger."
"I'm not sure" said Spitfire unsure of the signals meaning but debating whether to go along with it
"It's fine Spitfire" said Twilight adjusting her glasses once more "We can rest for the night, and set out first thing in the morning"
"Twilight!" shouted Scootaloo excitedly "Why don't you sleep here?! It could be like a slumber party from old times"
"Sounds like fun" said Spitfire yawning "But i think I'm going to head off to my own bed. Have fun you three, try not to wake the others" As Spitfire left the room a awkward silence descended on the old friends. It was broken occasionally by the kneading of a hoof on the floor or a muffled cough.
"So.." said Rainbow Dash "How have you been Twilight?"
"I've been studying" said Twilight simply
"Business as usual then huh?" chuckled Rainbow only to stop as soon as Twilight looked at her The amount of pain in those eyes drove Rainbow Dash to look away.
"So have you enjoyed being with the Wonderbolts?" asked Twilight
"It's been a blast" replied Rainbow "Especially since the squirt came around a few years back"
"Good to see you've had fun" said Twilight looking around "Now where is your guest room?"
"We don't have a guest room" said Scootaloo with a mischievous smile "I took it when I moved in"
"In that case you can share my room Twilight" said Rainbow Dash a heavy blush on her face "I mean I can bring in a second cloud for you to sleep on if you like. You don't have to share mine or anything"
"Rainbow.." started Twilight
"Come on Twi" said Rainbow using her pet name for Twilight "I swear I won't try anything"
"Oh alright" caved Twilight pointing her hoof at Rainbow Dash "but you had better bring in that second cloud"
"Scootaloo take Twi to my room" said Rainbow trotting outside "I'll be right there"
"In ten seconds flat?" giggled Scootaloo as Rainbow flew out the door leaving a rainbow streak in her wake
"You two seem to be getting along well" said Twilight as they walked along the hall to Rainbow Dash's room
"Yeah I love having Dash be my mom" said Scootaloo with a grin "She's so awesome" Then Scootaloo gave a sigh "I just wish Fluttershy was here. She made Dash so happy"
"What happened between those two?" asked Twilight inspecting the hallways as they went They seemed a bit thick to her untrained eye. Twilight suspected it was to defend against storms and possibly even invasion. Hardened cloud could pretty tough if done correctly. "I thought they were practically made for each other"
"I'm not sure exactly I wasn't home when it happened. If you want to know more you should ask Dash. " replied Scootaloo opening a door with a Rainbow sticker on the front "Anyways here you are"
Stepping inside the room Twilight was assaulted by a range of smells the first of which was horrible body odor. There was food laying all over the place, and clothes lying out on the floor. The only tidy things she could see were a stack of familiar looking books on her bedside table. On closer inspection Twilight realized they were the Daring Do book she had given Rainbow Dash as a present for they're one year anniversary.
"Sorry it's such a mess" replied Scootaloo scratching her neck with a hoof "Between practice and sleep ash doesn't get much done. Fluttershy used to come in and clean this place up once in a while but...."
"It's alright Scootaloo" replied Twilight her horn lighting up a dark purple "I'd expect nothing less of Rainbow" Twilight looked around the room grabbing all the clutter and levitating it off the floor. She then organized it as she threw the trash away and put the clothes in a neat pile over in the corner of the room. Finally she let off a spark of magic and let it rain down giving everything a lavender scent.
"Wow" said Scootaloo looking at the suddenly clean room, then she had an idea "Think you can do that to my room too?"
"Did Rainbow tell you to clean it?" asked Twilight suspiciously
"Yeah why?" asked Scootaloo confused
"Well if you had cleaned it back when Rainbow told you to then you wouldn't need me to clean it for you" replied Twilight with a wink
"Your no fun" mumbled Scootaloo walking out the door and turning towards her own room down the hall
Twilight felt a little bad for Scootaloo, but it's lessons like this that will prepare her for life's twists. She turned her attention to the now clean room. The first thing that caught her attention were the Daring Do books. Twilight trotted over and picked up the one on top. It was in pristine condition not even the binding wasn't even creased from constant use.
"Twi?" asked a surprised Rainbow Dash mouth agape looking at her miraculously clean room "What happened in here?" she asked as she pulled a rather poofy looking cloud through the door
"I tidied the place up a bit" replied Twilight putting the book back on the bedside table "Judging from the smell it needed it badly" Rainbow noticed Twilight put the book down and sighed.
"I've read them all you know" said Rainbow Dash with a smile
"But how?" asked Twilight in amazement "They look untouched"
"I restored them myself" answered Rainbow Dash uncomfortably She put the cloud on the opposite side of the room from her cloud "It took a bit of practice and i ruined a few books learning how, athlete's hooves and all that."
"That must have took a lot of time" said Twilight "but why would you restore them? Why not just buy a new copy"
"Just look in the third book on the pile" said Rainbow Dash not turning to look at Twilight "page 47"
Twilight grabbed the book with her magic gently removed it from the pile and opened it up. She flipped through to page 47 and a photo fell out form between the pages. Twilight picked it up and looked at it. It was a photo of Her and Rainbow Dash from a few years back. It was a picture they had taken on Hearts and Hooves day.
"Rainbow..." said Twilight not looking up from the photograph
"That's why I restored them." said Rainbow Dash turning to face Twilight
"What are you trying to say?" asked Twilight her ears perking up listening intently to what Rainbow Dash was about to say
"You know I'm not good at this kind of stuff Twi" replied Rainbow Dash her face growing crimson
"Try..." asked Twilight taking a step toward the cyan pegasus locking eyes
"I wanted to give them the care they rightly deserved" said Rainbow Dash taking a step towards Twilight "Just like i should have done to you Twi. I'm sorry I wasn't there..."
Rainbow was cut off mid-sentence by a deliciously delicate pair of lavender colored lips. She felt herself melting into the kiss as all of the worry and doubt she had felt was cast of like a bad cold. Twilight pressed herself into the kiss with all the feeling she had been holding in for what seemed like an eternity. It made her a little sad when Rainbow Dash pulled back to breathe.
"I'm sorry" said Twilight playing with her mane in an unusually adorable fashion "You were saying something?" The look on her face was such a mask of innocence Rainbow Dash couldn't help but think she'd been practicing it just for this moment.
"You know that is probably the nicest way I have ever been told to shut up before" smirked Rainbow Dash still in a bit of euphoria from the kiss
"Oh really?" asked Twilight putting a hoof on Rainbow Dash's muzzle "Would you like me to do it again then?"
"Wait does this mean?" asked Rainbow Dash as Twilight leaned forward and put her lips to Rainbow Dash's. Twilight threw herself into the kiss wrapping her hooves around Rainbow Dash's neck and pressing her chest against the cyan mare. Rainbow embraced the lavender unicorn. She began to run a hoof through Twilight's hair feeling it's almost velvety texture and getting a whiff of it's lavender scent.
"Yes it does" replied Twilight pulling her head back and staring into Rainbow Dash's eyes. She felt like she could lose herself in those magenta pools. "I've missed you so much Rainbow"
"Glad to see you too Twilight" replied Rainbow Dash nuzzling the unicorn affectionately
"Mom?" came a startled cry from the doorway Rainbow Dash and Twilight turned to look at a very startled Scootaloo.
"Squirt I can explain" started Rainbow Dash letting Twilight go
"How could you?" asked Scootaloo pain obvious in her deep purple eyes "How could you do this to Fluttershy?!" She turned and started to run down the hallway tears streaming from her cheeks. Twilight pulsed her horn and Scootaloo poofed out of existence and reappeared in front of Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo eyes closed ran straight into Rainbow Dash's out stretched hooves.
"I'm so sorry Scoots" said Rainbow Dash hugging Scootaloo tightly "You know I loved Fluttershy very much"
"Then why give up on her?" asked Scootaloo trying to ebb her flow of tears "I don't get it"
"Because she needed to learn to take care of herself" said Rainbow Dash in explanation "She had to learn to stand up for what she believed in. I was the only thing holding her back from facing her fears. As long as I was around she didn't have to"
"So you let her go?!" cried Scootaloo tears streaming down her cheeks "just because she was being herself? I don't understand. What did she do wrong?"
"I'm not sure she did anything wrong Scootaloo." replied Rainbow Dash "Maybe I just wanted a reason to leave. All I know for sure is that it was the second most difficult thing I've ever done" said Rainbow Dash releasing Scootaloo so Twilight could embrace her from behind "The first was leaving you"
"Then why did you do it" asked Twilight placing her head on Rainbow Dash's shoulder
"You know me I'm the Element of Loyalty" replied Rainbow Dash hugging her back "I thought Fluttershy needed me more. She was so helpless, while you were so independent. I knew that even if i left you would be okay"
"You could have said something" replied Twilight attempting to look in Rainbow Dash's eyes The cyan pegasus couldn't bring herself to look in Twilight's eyes
"You know I'm no good at goodbyes Twi" said Rainbow Dash quietly "Besides I would never have been able to leave if I had"
"Dash?" asked Scootaloo using a hoof to lift her mothers head to look into her eyes "Do you still love Twilight?"
"Yes" replied Rainbow Dash
"Then this time I suggest bringing her with you" said Scootaloo wiping the last tear from her eye "After all she does make you look 20 percent cooler. Just promise me you'll never forget Fluttershy?"
"Thanks Scoots" said Rainbow finally meeting Twilight's eyes "I never will"
"Well I'm going to go back to my room now" said Scootaloo stepping out of the room "Have a good sleep you two"
"So what do you say Twi?" asked Rainbow Dash taking a leap onto her cloud bed "Still want your own cloud?"
"No" said Twilight teleporting onto the cloud beside Rainbow Dash "I wanna make it just like old times" She wrapped her hooves around Rainbow Dash and dragged her down on top of her
"Let's hope this time no one will call us fillyfoolers" laughed Rainbow Dash sarcastically nuzzling Twilight
"This time Rainbow" whispered Twilight letting out a yawn snuggling into Rainbow Dash's chest "I don't really mind"
Alright I'd like to thank my friend Ricky for helping me out with this chapter. He was a good insperation and kept me writing even with Black ops 2 releasing recently. And as many of you have surely noticed I have horrible grammar, and worst of all no regular editor. So thanks for reading and sorry for my wordz.
Warning contains Fluttershy having a rather nasty breakdown. if you don't like how she is played in this story you should put your fist through your monitor, jump in your car drive into the middle of the nearest four way intersection and then scream come at me bro while dancing shirtless.
The three friends stepped off the train, their hooves sinking into the snow covered earth. A blizzard had started up on the train ride north to Stalliongrad and it had only gotten worse, since their arrival. The winds had picked up covering everything in a snow filled haze.
"Where's that pony?" asked Rainbow Dash wrapping her scarf around her face her goggles blocking the snow from her eyes "He was supposed to meet us here"
"Don't worry he'll be here" yelled Spitfire over a sudden gust her own scarf already wrapped around her muzzle
"Twi" pleaded Rainbow Dash placing a hoof on her marefriend "Please tell me you can do something to get us out of this blizzard?"
"Hey I thought that was my job" said a figure appearing out of the blizzard
"Soarin" replied Spitfire giving her teammate a hoofbump "I knew you'd never let me down"
"Not a chance Captain" said Soarin with a smile He was currently wearing his wondersuit which was well insulated from the cold and was keeping his eyes clear of snow. "I see you brought friends"
"I'd say hello Soarin but I can't seem to find my lips through all this blizzard" remarked Rainbow Dash bluntly
"Yep that's Rainbow alright" said Soarin waving them to follow him "Always so straight to the point"
"So Soarin why did you choose to go vacationing up here?" asked Twilight curiously, wiping some snow out of her goggles
"Truth be told I only came up here because Scootaloo asked me too" replied Soarin with a nod "She wanted me to find out where Fluttershy was and to make sure she was okay. I owed her for covering for me a while ago so it was the least I could do."
"So what have you found out?" asked Rainbow Dash worry noticeable in her voice
"Not much" replied Soarin regretfully as he led them over a snow dune "What I have found out is that she has taken refuge in a forest close to here."
"Well that's good" replied Spitfire hopefully "Right?"
"No not if what I've heard from the locals is true" said Soarin shaking his head "That forest or Wolf's Bane Forest as it's called locally," The three mares all looked at each other in worry "Is home to creatures of all kinds including Dire Wolves."
"I thought Dire Wolves were extinct?!" yelled Twilight
"So did everyone else" replied Soarin stopping suddenly "But a Dire wolf has been spotted entering and leaving that forest for the last 2 yeaars now. And sometimes ponies say they saw it carrying the body of a cream colored Pegasus"
"Fluttershy..." mouthed Rainbow Dash looking at her hooves Twilight noticed the motion and wrapped her hooves around her mare friend
"We'll find her Rainbow, don't you worry" comforted Twilight
"Thank you Soarin" said Spitfire waving goodbye to Soarin as he walked away and was lost to the blizzard once more
"Wait he's not coming with us?" asked Twilight confused
"And I don't blame him" answered Spitfire shaking her head "Why in Celestia's name did it have to be a dire wolf?"
"We're still going after Fluttershy" said Rainbow Dash shrugging off her marefriend's embrace "Now is no time for second thoughts we came up here to get her and that's what we're going to do"
"Rainbow is right" said Twilight in agreement
"Alright then Soarin said the forest is this way." said Spitfire trotting off to the west After what seemed like an eternity the forest came into view. It was so massive it stretched long enough that you couldn't see it end no matter which direction you looked. Not to mention how tall the trees were. This forest must be almost ancient.
The three mares started into the forest at a brisk trot. Immediately upon entering the wind died down to a mere whisper and the blizzard let up. Now that they could see better the forest didn't seem as bad as it did from the out side. It was still massive, just not as foreboding.
"How are we supposed to find Fluttershy in this place?" asked Spitfire in puzzlement "It looks like it goes on forever"
"We just have to keep looking" said Rainbow Dash taking a step forward ready to charge in head first, when she was blocked by a purple hoof.
"If I may try something first?" asked Twilight with a chuckle at her marefriends determination, it was something she admired Rainbow for after all. Without waiting for an answer she began to weave her magic, her horn glowing bright. She released her spell and four shimmering owls appeared in the air around her.
"Wow Twilight" said Rainbow Dash in admiration at the unicorn's talent "When did you learn to do that?"
"Well when you left I took the time to study up on just about everything" replied Twilight bopping Rainbow Dash on the nose "These are called Familiars. I can use them to scan the entire forest and report back to me. I can see what they see, hear what they hear."
"That's great Twilight" nodded Spitfire with appreciation "I'm glad we have you along"
Twilight casted out her influence and the owls took off in four different directions. She cast her eyes open wide letting her magic flow through her. The four owls cast their sight back to her all at once. Normally this would be impossible for any normal unicorn, but not Twilight. To her it seemed rather simple.
She looked around with her new eyes, but could only see snow covered earth and trees. Once she thought she saw movement but it was only a branch blowing in the breeze. She cast her influence out even wider this time stretching herself to her limits. She could feel her hold loosening, when suddenly a massive paw caught the western owl and it's vision blinked out casting darkness on Twilight.
Curious as to what happened Twilight redirected all three remaining owls in that direction. One by one just as they reached her range of 10 miles they got taken down by a massive paw, or sharp teeth. As the last image of her familiars lingered in her eyes she shut them on a pair of ferocious teeth. When she opened them again she was looking right into the face of Rainbow Dash.
"What did you see Twi?" asked Rainbow Dash curiously "It's not something good I can tell from the look on your face"
"I found where she is I think" replied Twilight putting a hoof on the cyan pegasus's shoulder "but it's guarded by what could only be described as the dire wolf Soarin mentioned."
"So it's true" said Spitfire looking down at her hooves in dismay "This is going to be harder than I thought"
"So what" yelled Rainbow Dash "We are still going after her aren't we?"
"It's not that easy Rainbow Dash" answered Spitfire trying to get the brash Pegasus to understand
"Yes it is" said Rainbow Dash confidently "we go in there we find Fluttershy and we get out. Simple as that"
"Rainbow Dash have you every seen a dire wolf before?" asked beginning to lose her temper Spitfire "Do you even know what they are?"
"No, but I don't see what..." replied Rainbow Dash stumbling over her words
"Exactly you have no idea what you're dealing with" said Spitfire anger burning through her voice making Rainbow Dash cringe away a bit "If you go in there without a plan your going to get your self killed!"
"How can you be so sure" asked Rainbow Dash defensively "You've never seen them either"
"A dire wolf killed my parents..." said Spitfire her voice cold as ice "They were on a mission with the Royal Equestrian Air Force for Princess Celestia searching for signs of Nightmare Moons return. The only one who made it out of their unit alive to tell us what happened died a few days later from severe blood loss. He started out a pegasus but he wasn't when he died..."
"Sounds like we all have secrets better left buried" said Twilight trying to salvage the situation as best she could She desperately tried to change the subject "What do you suggest we do Spitfire?"
"Stealth will do us no good" said Spitfire shaking her head regaining her wits, glad to ge rid of those bad memories "Dire Wolves have incredibly sharp senses of smell and hearing. We need to play on it's sense of sight if we are to succeed."
"You think an Illusion would work?" asked Twilight hopefully
"Maybe but we'd still need to mask our scent" replied Spitfire thinking hard "Any ideas about how to do that though?"
"What if it just doesn't notice us?" replied Rainbow Dash grabbing an idea out of thin air "It can't hear or smell something it never notices in the first place"
"Rainbow that'll never work..." started Twilight then sudden sprang up and clacked her hooves together "Rainbow your a genius!" She hugged the cyan pegasus and twirled her around before stepping back and revealing her plan.
_______________________________________________________________
"You sure this is gonna work Twi?" asked Rainbow Dash trying to hide the nervousness in her voice
"Have a little faith Rainbow" said Twilight giving her marefriend an affectionate nuzzle "I'd never let anything hurt you"
"You know I'm beginning to feel like a third wheel here" giggled Spitfire watching the two mares smile at each other awkwardly
Twilight's plan had been pure genius of course. She had been doing a late study session a few weeks ago and stumbled upon what she believed was an invisibility spell. Upon further inspection she realized it was an inperceiveable spell instead. One might wonder what the difference is between the two.
Well Invisibility make you unable to be seen. It doesn't cover up your tracks or smell or soften your hoof steps so you can't be heard either. Inperceivability on the other hoof does something ingenious. Instead of affecting the user it effect others. It makes them so they can perceive nothing you do. They can't heard, see or smell you or anything you do or touch as long as your within range.
So using this spell Twilight covered everything in a half a mile radius with it with her as the epicenter. They can see everything but no one can see them.
"This was pure genius Twilight" commented Spitfire with a smile
"Thanks" replied Twilight sending out a hoof as a silent word to stop advancing "We're here"
"I can see smoke over in the distance" said Rainbow Dash straining her eyes and using her hooves as makeshift binoculars "I bet that's where Fluttershy is"
"Alright let's move keep your eyes out for any sign of movement" said Spitfire cautiously taking a step forward
The three made there way slowly forward. Every so often they would turn around and make sure there was nothing following them. It began to grow quiet the farther in they went. The smoke from the fire was just over the next hill.
"Wait did you girls here that?" asked Rainbow Dash looking around nervously There was a crunch just behind them. Rainbow whirled around to look behind and saw a bush tremble. "Um... Girls I think we have a problem"
A massive wolf erupted out of the bush as Twilight and Spitfire turned around. It towered over them easily twice to three times their height. It had gray dappled white fur and you could see muscles rippling under it's pelt with every step it took. It opened it's mouth to lick it's shoulder revealing it's rows of deadly razor sharp teeth. It flexed it's paws into the soft snow revealing the unmistakably deadly claws on it's paws.
"That's a Dire Wolf?" whispered Rainbow Dash suddenly feeling very small compared to what she could only describe as a walking behemoth
"Yes" whispered Spitfire covering Rainbow Dash's mouth with her hooves "now shut up"
The dire wolf looked around. When it got to where the three mares were sitting it stopped. It took a long sniff and then shook it's head and began to walk up over the hill. As it took the step over the hill, Rainbow noticed a lock of unmistakably pink hair flowing off it's back. She immediately tried to go to her friends rescue, but was restrained by Spitfire.
Once it was over the hill and gone Spitfire released her grip on Rainbow Dash but put a hoof down firmly on her tail, so she couldn't fly off.
"That thing has Fluttershy" said Rainbow Dash "What are you doing" She began a weak attempt at un hooking her tail from Spitfires iron grip
"And what is it you plan to do?" asked Spitfire sarcastically "Fight the dire wolf for her?"
"Rainbow listen to Spitfire on this one" said Twilight putting a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder to calm her down "Chances are that Fluttershy is still alive otherwise the wolf would have already eaten her. There's a reason it's keeping her with it. All we need to do is wait and then we can sneak her out"
"Fine" muttered Rainbow Dash looking defeated
"I know you feel like this is your fault Rainbow" said Twilight hugging her marefriend "but please keep your wits about you. I don't know what I would do if I had to lose you again, okay"
"Alright" said Rainbow Dash submitting herself to Twilight's embrace
"We'll wait until nightfall and plan our next move" said Spitfire "Make sure your spell holds Twilight"
The three friends took refugee in a near by snow drift and waited for nightfall. As the sun dipped below the treetops Spitfire made ready for what was to come next. She roused her companions and made her way up the hill to peak over the top. She waited for Twilight and Rainbow Dash to join her before continuing.
"What should we expect?" asked Twilight nervously following Spitfire
"To tell you the truth I've never seen a Dire Wolf myself" said Spitfire with a weak smile "This is as new to me as it is to you Twilight. Let's just stay calm and hope nothing goes wrong"
"If anything does go wrong Twi" said Rainbow Dash punching her marefriend lightly in the shoulder "I'll distract it and you just teleport us out of her alright"
Reaching the top of the hill they pressed themselves belly down into the snow and crawled up over the crest to see what they are dealing with. The snow on the other side of the hill had been removed. From the look of the grass, it was removed with a gust of wind of considerable force. A fire pit had been dug into the ground and the timber inside had been lit.
Through the flickering of the flames Rainbow spotted a little cream colored figure laying in the grass. It had long pink hair flowing down covering it's face from view.
"Twi" said Rainbow Dash standing up and sliding quietly down the hill "watch for the wolf I'm going in"
"Rainbow Dash" said Spitfire right on her heels "I'm right behind you" turning back to Twilight she waved a hoof and added "Be ready to get us out in a flash Twilight"
Rainbow Dash and Spitfire split up and walked around both sides of the fireplace taking painstakingly slow looks around watching for the dire wolf. When Rainbow Dash reached Fluttershy she put a hoof on her friend and shook her gently.
"Fluttershy?" whispered Rainbow Dash gently "Are you asleep?"
"Rainbow?" muttered Fluttershy twitching in her sleep her tail flicking once
"Oh thank Celestia she's alright" said Spitfire looking the cream colored Pegasus over quickly "I don't notice any signs of bodily harm at all"
"Who's that?" asked Fluttershy starting to sit up She brushed aside the hair covering her face with a hoof. Fluttershy's eyes went wide as she saw a familiar looking cyan colored Pegasus sitting only inches away from her. "Rainbow?"
"Shy your okay" cried Rainbow Dash hugging her fillyfriend tightly "I was so worried about you"
"Were you really" said Fluttershy sarcastically pushing Rainbow Dash off of her "Took you quite a long time. What's it been 3 years?"
"Shy?" asked Rainbow Dash confused "You feeling okay"
"I'm fine" replied Fluttershy opening and closing her wings "In fact I don't think I've felt this great in years"
"What's gotten into you Shy?" asked Rainbow Dash taking a step back She could feel it something was wrong here.
"Is something wrong Rainbow you seem lost?" said Fluttershy with a mischievous grin "All I did was follow your advice. I've learned to stand up for myself"
"Shy I never meant..." started Rainbow Dash trying to find some hope in her old friend
"Meant to what?" growled Fluttershy "Toss me aside? Break my heart? Shatter all my dreams?"
"Fluttershy leave Rainbow Dash alone" yelled Spitfire her temper flaring again "She was the one who dragged us here to rescue you in the first place"
"Spitfire stay out of this!" yelled Fluttershy fixing her gaze on Rainbow Dash "This is a personal matter"
"What do you want me to say?" said Rainbow Dash tears streaming down her cheeks This isn't what she expected at all. What had she done to Fluttershy?! "What is it that you want from me?"
"I want you accept me for me Rainbow that's all I ever wanted" said Fluttershy taking a few steps towards Rainbow Dash closing the distance between them fast. "I am shy. That's who I am and always will be. That doesn't make me weak."
"Fluttershy I'm sorry" said Rainbow Dash looking Fluttershy in the eyes She let out a cry of pain as a hoof met with her chest. There was no impact, but the light tap pushed the air out of Rainbow Dash's lungs muffling her scream and making her fall to the snow. It felt as if a hot knife had pierced through her chest and impaled her heart.
"What did you do?" yelled Twilight sprinting towards them at full gallop "Rainbow!"
"I only did to her what she did to me" replied Fluttershy inspecting her hoof, simply not noticing the cyan pegasus writhing in pain on the ground next to her "Nothing more, nothing less"
"She only did it because of me Fluttershy" cried Twilight trying desperately to stop Rainbow Dash's trembling "I'm so sorry that this happened. Rainbow Dash never meant for this surely you know that"
"She had the ability to choose between us Twilight" said Fluttershy with an icy chill to her breath her breathing was fast and shallow and her eyes had a eerie glaze to them "In the end it was her decision who she chose. She knew that she never truly loved me. Not like she did you. She used me, and tossed me aside. I have no quarrel with you Twilight so don't get in my way"
"Stop it now Fluttershy" cried Twilight "You don't want to do this"
"In that case you leave me no choice Twilight" said Fluttershy beginning to walk slowly towards Twilight
Spitfire raced forward to try and help but felt a great weight descend on her back crushing her into the dirt. Twisting herself around to look at her assailant she felt a wave of despair as she realized she was crushed under the paw of the dire wolf. She struggled helplessly against it's iron grip, but it was no use she was forced to watch the following confrontation and there was nothing she could do about it.
Fluttershy was about to tap Twilight with her hoof, when Rainbow Dash stood up abruptly throwing Twilight out of the way and taking another hoof to the chest. The pain was almost unbearable. She stumbled onto her knees and her vision began to blur. Another knife had dug itself into her chest and refused to leave.
"Rainbow!" cried Twilight getting back to her hooves She tried to use her magic, but her concentration wavered. Twilight's mind was a tempest of emotion and terror. She couldn't cast a spell if she tried.
"Fluttershy" groaned Rainbow Dash coughing up a little bit of blood getting to her hooves. She was shaky but determined "You can do what you want with me, but I will not let you hurt Twilight! Not because of something I did"
"As you wish" said Fluttershy taking a seat on the ground and just staring at Rainbow Dash for an uncomfortably long time "Do you really love her?"
"More than life itself" answered Rainbow Dash determination read clearly on her face
"Aren't you going to do anything more" asked Twilight using her shoulder to help steady Rainbow Dash
"No" said Fluttershy shaking her head to clear it "I'm done" She looked behind her at the dire wolf and said "Fang let Spitfire go I'm done here"
The dire wolf raised it's paw off of Spitfire and grabbed the scruff of her neck in it's teeth and gently picked her up and put her back on her hooves. Spitfire's face was a mask of shock and fear.
"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry Rainbow Dash" said Fluttershy apologetically blushing a bit from embarrassment "I feel horrible about doing that to you Rainbow Dash. I usually don't hold a grudge on anypony"
"Funny how usually works huh?" chuckled Rainbow Dash weakly coughing up a little more blood "Are we cool now?"
Fluttershy looked at Fang as if a silent message was going between them before replying "We are more than cool Rainbow. I don't know why I snapped like that." Fluttershy wiped something off of her hoof before grabbing something from a bag stashed under a nearby fallen tree "Here take this hurry" Fluttershy handed Twilight a handful of herbs
"What are these?" asked Twilight sniffing them cautiously
"That's Sageroot" said Fluttershy "When crushed it make a soothing sap. It should soothe Rainbow Dash's pain and get her back on her hooves"
"How do you know so much about herbs?" asked Spitfire "I though you were an animal caretaker"
"Living on your own makes you pick up a few things" smiled Fluttershy "Of course Fang has been helping me out as well. He knows just about everything"
"Fang?" asked Spitfire slowly backing away from the dire wolf not taking her eyes off of it
"Yes" replied Fluttershy with a chuckle "He's my best friend"
"Your joking?" said Twilight in disbelief
"Nope" said Fluttershy walking over and patting the big wolf on the side receiving a lick in return "Thing about Dire wolves is they can imprint on a pony. Fang here imprinted on me when I nursed him back to health 2 years ago"
"Imprint?" asked Twilight confused
"When a Dire wolf imprints on a pony" explained Fluttershy "It creates a mental link between the two. They can talk to each other and share thoughts and feelings with out the hassle of language barriers"
"What did you use on me?" asked Rainbow Dash sighing as Twilight rubbed the sap onto Rainbow Dash's chest "Some kind of herb?"
"I used a herb called Firestalk" said Fluttershy clacking her front hooves together in a familiarly shy way "Is's a very dangerous herb found in northern climates. When touched it releases a kind of toxin which seeps through the pores on your skin and starts to release a burning pain at the point of contact and spreads slowly to the rest of the body"
"Why did you do it?" asked Rainbow Dash letting out a breath of relief "and why weren't you hurt by it?"
"I had some mint between my hoof and the firestalk to stop it from hurting me" said Fluttershy "As to why I don't know..." Fang bumped into Fluttershy with a grunt "Alright" whined Fluttershy looking down at her hooves "I guess I was just hurt. I couldn't understand how you could say you loved me everyday and then just tell me to leave. I became angry at you and wanted to get revenge for what you had done"
"You know you could be exiled for what you just did?" asked Twilight seriously
"I know" said Fluttershy remorsefully "I'm sorry Twilight"
"How about this instead?" asked Spitfire "We came here because Princess Luna has been kidnapped and we need your help to get her back. Help us with this and we'll forget this whole thing ever happened?"
"But I almost...." tried to object Fluttershy pointing a hoof at Rainbow Dash
"Shy I'm fine look" said Rainbow Dash doing a quick aerial somersault "Your my best friend and the element of kindness itself. I don't know what happened but I do know, that when you say your sorry, your actually sorry"
"You were coughing up blood Rainbow!" said Twilight "You could have died!" At the word died Fluttershy let out a small yelp. She was still trying to come to grips with what she had just done.
"How many times have I been in the hospital in just the last month?" asked Rainbow Dash with a grin "Me and danger have a special relationship by now" She gave Fluttershy a warm smile and the cream colored pegasus let out a sigh of relief.
"Let's just get out of here" said Spitfire trying to lighten the mood "I'm freezing my tail off just sitting here"
Had fun with this chapter it makes use of a fav phrase of mine. Every rose has it's thorns. even fluttershy. please comment and tell me what you think
Warning first fight scene below! if you enjoy violence and or like ponies favorie this story cause there is more to come!
"I still can't believe that guy wouldn't let us on the train" said Rainbow Dash a little irritably "Just tryin to save all of Equestria from darkness you know" They had been kicked out of the train station a little to harshly as soon as they tried to board.
"Rainbow calm down" said Spitfire "It's not us he wouldn't allow on the train. I have to admit if I saw a 2 and a half pony tall dire wolf wanting to board a train full of helpless ponies, I wouldn't let him on either"
"Come on Rainbow cheer up" said Twilight nuzzling the cyan pegasus affectionately "At least Fang was kind enough to allow us to hitch a ride" Spitfire, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight were resting a top a cloud being pulled by a rope which was wrapped around Fang's tail. Fluttershy however was resting peacefully on Fang's back hooves tucked under her body as she laid down.
"Fang's just a big softy once you get to know him" replied Fluttershy with a giggle Fang gave a little bit of a growl at that comment. "Oh you know you are" replied Fluttershy to the wolf "No matter what, you will always be a softy to me" Fang let out a breath of air. Rainbow didn't know if a wolf could sigh, but that was darn close.
"I have to say I thought all Dire wolves were rabid monsters" said Spitfire a little embarrassed "I guess I owe Fang an apology" Fluttershy looked down at Fang for a second chuckled to what was obviously an inside joke then replied
"And Fang thought all ponies were pieces of meat with tiny brains" said Fluttershy "Looks like u both deserve apologies"
"So how close do you think we are to Ponyville?" asked Twilight looking at Spitfire
"No idea" replied Spitfire looking to Rainbow Dash "You have any idea Rainbow Dash?"
"We should be there soon" said Rainbow Dash looking at the clouds "Those clouds there we scheduled for Ponyville"
Twilight and Spitfire looked at Rainbow Dash with confused looks on their faces. Rainbow Dash looked back at them a little hurt at their reactions.
"What I may be a wonderbolt but a lot of my friends are weather pegasi" said Rainbow Dash defensively "I like to know what's going on maybe lend a hoof once in a while"
"Dashie" started Fluttershy with a large smile "Once a weather pegasi..."
"Always a weather pegasi" finished Rainbow Dash right on cue a little over dramatically "See some pony gets it"
"Sorry Rainbow Dash" said Spitfire apologetically "I've never been a weather pegasi i wouldn't know"
"Well now you do" replied Rainbow Dash picking up a part of the cloud and throwing it in Spitfire's general direction. It flew through the air and puffed into mist, as it hit Spitfire in the shoulder. Spitfire merely picked up a chunk of cloud and chucked it at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow dodged it and it hit Fluttershy on her nose causing Fluttershy to sneeze a look of bepuzzlement on her face.
Everypony broke out laughing as Ponyville finally came into view. Not much had changed in 4 years they realized. Everything looked pretty much the same. Fond memories came back to the three friends as they looked upon Ponyville. The tranquility was broken when an explosion sounded off in the distance.
The barn at what they all remembered to be Sweet Apple Acres had erupted and burst into flames.
"Everypony hang on" yelled Fluttershy getting to a better riding position, wrapping some of Fang's fur in her hooves as anchorage "Fang get us there, hurry"
Twilight and the two pegasi barely had time to remember to grab the cloud before Fang dug his paws into the ground and launched himself forward. Immediately they felt wind rushing past them stinging they're eyes and threatening to blow them off their cloud. Land faded into a blur as it went by Fang gaining speed every time his paws touched the ground.
"This must be what's it's like to fly" thought Twilight adrenaline pumping "Now I know why Rainbow Dash keeps asking to take me to go flying with her"
They reached Sweet Apple Acres in a few moments. As Fang gradually came to a stop it became clear that things were much worse than they seemed. The fire that had started at the barn was now spreading all over Sweet Apple Acres. It had engulfed the main house and was threatening the apple trees.
"We need to get some water fast" yelled Rainbow Dash launching herself into the air "There should be some rain clouds nearby for emergencies"
"Spitfire go with Rainbow quickly. Gather as many rainclouds as you can and bring them back here" said Twilight turning to Fluttershy "Fluttershy and i will stay here and try to find Applejack and her family. Hopefully they got out in time"
"Alright Twilight" said Spitfire launching into the air in pursuit of Rainbow Dash and flying away to disappear into the distance
"Fluttershy you and Fang search the house" said Twilight pointing her hoof at the house slowly being enveloped in flame "I'll check the barn"
"Good luck Twilight" said Fluttershy flying onto Fang's back as he sprinted full tilt towards the house
Twilight turned her attention to the barn. It was almost completely engulfed in flame. Somepony could be stuck in there was all that ran through Twilight's head as she ran inside. Immediately the smoke stung in her eyes and invaded her lungs. She put a hoof over her mouth as she cast a spell of protection on herself. Her eyes ceased to sting and her choking stopped. Twilight proceeded into the barn avoiding the occasional falling beam.
"Applejack?" yelled Twilight stepping carefully over a pile of un-ignited hay "Applebloom?"
"Twilight is that you?" called a weak southern accent
"Applejack!" answered Twilight heading in the direction of the voice "Are you alright" She found the earth pony trapped under a few columns that had fallen in the initial explosion. Applejack's hat was on the floor covered in soot and the earth pony was reaching for it weakly.
"I've been better sugarcube" replied Applejack weakly "Might ya lend a hoof there Twilight?"
"I'll have you out of there in a second Applejack don't worry" Twilight focused as hard as she could her horn flaring bright purple The columns on Applejack launched themselves off further into the barn. Applejack's hat then floated back onto her head.
"Thanks Twilight" said Applejack getting to her hooves shakily "I think I'll be okay now"
"We should get out of here" said Twilight reaching her hoof out to Applejack "Grab my hoof and I'll teleport us out of here" Applejack reached for Twilight's hoof when a fireball came from their right and impacted her on the side. It exploded and sent the pony flying through the wall of the barn breaking a few beams as the wall caved in.
Twilight was launched backwards head over hooves her protection spell cracking a bit. She impacted the ground hard on her right side breaking her protection spell the rest of the way. She stood up a little dazed and shook her head to clear it. Twilight immediately put up a stronger protection spell and looked around.
"Twilight Sparkle" said a rather obnoxious voice echoing around the barn "Why must you always interfere with my plans?"
"Who are you?" asked Twilight furiously "Why are you attacking Sweet Apple Acres?"
"You should be proud of yourself Twilight" said the voice with an echoing laugh "It's your fault"
"What do you mean?" asked Twilight confused
The flames parted in front of Twilight. Out from the smoke walked a frosty blue unicorn that Twilight had hoped to never see again.
"Trixie!" screamed Twilight furiously "Why are you doing this?" Something was different about Trixie this time though. She had on a heavy dark blue robe and she wore a proper wizards hat instead of the showy one she wore before. Twilight noted that the hat was jet black, and reflecting the dance of the flames on it's silver band.
"It's called revenge Sparkle" said Trixie "You thought you could beat me in magic and get away with it, did you?"
"I never meant to do that and you know it" yelled Twilight in her defense "An ursa was attacking the town. If I hadn't stepped in when I did Ponyville would have been demolished"
"What's done is done Sparkle" said Trixie in a grim tone "You beat me once. It won't happen again" Trixie's horn glowed a shadowy blue and flames erupted around her. They began swirling into a vortex and shooting straight at Twilight.
Twilight acted on reflex bringing up a ward between herself and the flames. The flames hit against it with their full force cracking it. Twilight dug her hooves into the ground and strengthened her ward repairing the crack and driving the flames back at Trixie.
"Oh no you don't Sparkle" yelled Trixie her eyes flashing red as she stood back on her hind hooves and made a pushing motion with her front hooves. Her horn erupted in dark blue light as two more jets of flame were flung at Twilight's ward.They smacked into it one after another and fused with the previous one. The ward cracked but held, Twilight could feel the heat of the flames on her muzzle.
Trixie made a swirling motion with her hooves and the three flame jets combined into a tempest. The spinning acted like a drill shattering Twilight's ward and hitting her full on picking her up off the ground and driving her spiraling out of the barn. She blew through the barn doors on her way out.
Twilight hit the ground hard the dirt putting out the flames as she skidded to a stop. The spell of protection had been broken by the barn doors so she had caught all of the shock of the fall herself. She could feel a few ribs cracked under her lavender pelt. She dragged herself to her hooves just in time to dodge another fire tempest coming her way. Twilight could feel the heat as it wizzed past her muzzle.
Trixie stepped out of the barn, it crumbling to flaming rubble as she did so. She raised her hoof to send another jet of flame at Twilight. Twilight braced herself and waited. As the jet came racing towards her she cast a spell of reflection launching the jet of flame back at Trixie. She then punched her hoof into the ground creating a fissure spreading right towards Trixie.
"You think that will work?" mocked Trixie knocking the flaming tempest away with one swipe of her hoof "What the..." Trixie had been so focused on the fire coming towards her she had completely missed the fissure growing rapidly beneath her. She had barely enough time to hop backwards before the ground shuddered and broke apart where she had been a few moments ago.
Twilight didn't stop there. She tapped her hoof on the ground twice launching two boulders into the air and sending them shooting them towards Trixie. The first one made contact with the now mid dodge Trixie sending her flying backwards the other one followed her to the ground, slamming her into the dirt hard enough to crack the earth where she landed.
Taking a second to make sure Trixie was at least dazed for a bit Twilight ran over to the still not moving, now soot covered Applejack.
"Applejack you okay?" asked Twilight concerned for her injured friend
"I'll be fine sugarcube" said Applejack coughing blowing soot of her nose "Just a little beaten up is all."
The ground under Twilight thundered and two dark vines erupted from the ground wrapping themselves around Twilight. She tried to use her magic but she was lifted off the ground breaking her concentration for a second. Twilight gasped as the vines began to constrict her crushing the breathe from her lungs.
"You thought you could defeat me so easily" roared Trixie darkness flowing from her hooves "I've become more powerful than you could even imagine Sparkle"
Twilight winced as the vines began to squeeze harder and harder. She began to feel light headed and dizzy. Twilight knew she didn't have much time before she blacked out. She took the biggest gulp of air she could and focused all of her magic to her core. Then she ignited it and let it go.
__________________________________________________________
"I've got all that I can carry Spitfire" said Rainbow Dash rounding up another cloud to add to her pile "let's get back to put out those flames"
"Right behind you" replied Spitfire grabbing her last cloud as well "Let's hurry"
An explosion of Lavender fire erupted in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres catching both Spitfire and Rainbow Dash off guard. Spitfire rubbed her eyes and said
"What in Celestia's name...." she didn't get any farther
Rainbow Dash wasn't certain of what happened, but she could feel it in her heart. Twilight needed her and she needed her NOW. She had never done a Sonic Rainboom right from the start but there is a first time for everything. Rainbow Dash flew faster than she ever did before, praying to Celestia that she made it in time.
Reaching Sweet apple Acres in ten seconds, flat Rainbow Dash realized immediately what that explosion was. Twilight was lying unmoving in the grass. A unmistakably familiar light blue unicorn was standing not far off. She was standing shakily wiping soot off of herself, an evil looking smile printed on her face. Rainbow started into a nosedive.
She pumped her wings on her way down going faster and faster, until it happened. If the Sonic Rainboom was a myth than a double Rainboom was just plain impossible. Rainbow Dash could feel the shockwave behind her as she was catapulted forward yet again a Rainbow colored explosion erupting behind her. She'd done it. A double Rainboom!
She was going so fast that time itself seemed to be moving slower. She continued her dive head first at Trixie pumping her wings to slow down. Rainbow Dash wanted to be slow enough so that when she met Trixie she could throw all of her momentum into a single unforgiving punch with the sentence "Get the buck away from her you Bastard" yet still be able to stop without faceplanting the dirt.
Rainbow Dash's hoof met Trixie right in the crook of her jaw. The force alone should have been enough to kill her on the spot, but she took the full force of the blow, being launched off her hooves unconscious spiraling wildly out of control. She flew faster than a bullet through the air crashing into the post at the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres and bouncing off the ground and flying head over hooves a few more feet before she finally hit the ground and skidded to a halt.
Rainbow Dash hit the ground hard, enough of her momentum used in that punch to safely come skidding to a stop. She looked at the light blue unicorn to find her disappear into a black mist and fade away without a trace.
Rainbow Dash ran back over to where Twilight was laying and put her head to her chest. She could hear a steady thump thump. Rainbow Dash wrapped her hooves around the lavender unicorn and lifted her into an embrace, as Applejack approached limping in from behind them.
"I knew your barn door swung that way RD" said Applejack with a laugh
"Now is not a time for jokes AJ" growled Rainbow Dash back at the earth pony
"You must really love Twilight" said Applejack putting a hoof on Rainbow Dash's shoulder in a gesture of understanding "I've never seen a punch like that and I've been bucking apple tree's mah whole life"
"Is everypony okay?" asked Fluttershy flying in a saddle bag hanging around one shoulder
"Twilight could use some help Shy" said Rainbow Dash laying Twilight carefully back on the ground Fluttershy put her hoof on Twilight's chest and traced a well rehearsed looking line around her chest.
"She's used up way to much of her magic" said Fluttershy with a smile "She'll be fine she just needs rest. I'd probably take her to the hospital though" Fluttershy lightly tapped Twilight's chest "Feels as though she's broken a few ribs. How did that happen?"
"Trixie" replied Rainbow Dash through gritted teeth, gently picking up the lavender unicorn and flying off in the direction of the hospital
"Trixie?" asked Fluttershy confused "Didn't we kick her out of Ponyville?"
"We did sugarcube" replied Applejack "But it would seem that she's come back, this time for revenge" The sun disappeared as twenty rainclouds flew over Sweet Apple Acres putting out the fires. Spitfire landed gracefully next to Applejack and looked around.
"Where are Twilight and Rainbow Dash?" asked Spitfire worriedly "Are they okay? What was that explosion?"
"Calm yourself" replied Applejack placing a hoof on Spitfire's shoulder comfortingly "They're fine Twilight is a bit beat up but they'll both be fine"
"What are you talking about beat up?" asked Spitfire looking around at the battle scorn earth "What did I miss?"
"Trixie an old show pony returned to Ponyville to seek revenge on us for humiliating her and getting her kicked out of Ponyville." said Applejack in answer "As it turns out she's learned some powerful new tricks. She had a fight with Twilight and if it wasn't for Rainbow Dash's interference, Trixie would have won"
"But that's impossible" cried Spitfire in disbelief "Twilight is the most gifted unicorn in all of Equestria. How could she get beat in a magic duel?"
"I don't now" replied Applejack "All I know is I better make sure Applebloom and Big Macintosh made it out okay"
"They're taken care of Applejack" smiled Fluttershy "I had Fang take them to the hospital already, Big Macintosh broke a foreleg and Applebloom got a bad case of smoke inhilatioh but i think they'll be just fine"
"A hundred thanks Fluttershy" said Applejack giving a weary yawn "I better go and get myself checked into the hospital as well. Not everyday you get hit by a fireball you know"
"You did what?" asked both Fluttershy and Spitfire in shocked unison
Man do i love the feeling I get when I finish a chapter. Hope you enjoyed and stick with me for the rest. leave grieviances or comments down below and i'll see what I can do for future chapters.
Twilight opened her eyes to find herself lying on a cold stone floor. She stood up and looked around to see only darkness. She was completely alone. Twilight felt so cold and tired. "Where am I?" asked Twilight to herself "Am I dead?" the last thing she could remember is getting free of those vines and then hitting the ground.
"Twilight Sparkle...." said an echoing voice
"Who's there?" asked Twilight trying to hide the fear in her voice
"The Element of Magic itself...." the voice said with a hearty laugh
"How do you know that?" yelled Twilight in response "Who are you?"
"I am the shadows in the night. I am the darkness that fills your mind. I am the blackness in your heart." replied the voice coming from behind her now "You know who I am and I know who you are"
"Let me see you then. If you know me, then you already know I won't try anything" said Twilight firmly
A dark fog rolled over Twilight's hooves. As it touched her it made her feel despair, as if everything was lost and their would never be hope again. The sensation passed as the fog moved in front of her and began to solidify into a pony-like shape.
"Erebus" mouthed Twilight
"You know my name" said the fog it's mouth moving in a very unnatural way "That is very good"
"Where am I" asked Twilight "Why did you bring me here?"
"I do enjoy a good game Twilight" said Erebus putting a cloudy hoof on Twilight's muzzle The sinking feeling reaching out and grabbing her once more "But I hate to lose."
"I've done you no wrong" replied Twilight taking a step back and glaring at the apparition "Yet"
"More than you know Twilight" replied Erebus shrinking away into a mist "More than you know"
_________________________________________________________________
Twilight opened her eyes slowly light flooding her vision making her squint. She felt like a block of wood, all of her muscles were either stiff or sore, some were even both. She realized she was in the Ponyville hospital. Before she could look around anymore a white coated pony walked in the door.
"Ah Miss Sparkle good to see your finally awake" said Nurse Redheart with a sigh of relief "you had us worried"
"What are you talking about?" said Twilight tapping her forehead with a hoof "Come on brain" she thought to herself "Wake up I need you"
"You were asleep for three whole days Miss Sparkle" replied Nurse Redheart "I haven't seen a pony as beaten up and tired as you were since the last time Miss Dash paid us a visit"
Twilight looked to her right at the chairs along the wall and was surprised to find Rainbow Dash asleep in the one hidden back in the corner. Nurse Redheart noticed the look and smiled.
"Miss Dash was the one who brought you here" said Nurse Redheart softly "It's thanks to her you were able to recover at all. She's been here the last three days and hasn't moved an inch from that chair the entire time. She wouldn't eat or sleep, even if we offered. Must have finally dozed off from sheer boredom the poor thing."
Twilight looked at the cyan pegasus snoozing quietly over in the corner. She always new that Rainbow Dash was the Element of Loyalty but now she realized just how much she meant to the pegasus. Twilight couldn't help but smile at her marefriend, and not just because of how uncharacteristically feminine she looked while sleeping either.
"It's not my place to say" said Nurse Redheart lightly "But In my opinion you couldn't have put yourself into better hooves" with that she ducked out of the room
Twilight continued her examination of her room with little to no results. She was in a hospital bed in a hospital gown a bowl of ice cream next to her on her bedside table. Twilight tried to sit up and howled in pain as she felt her ribs bend. Rainbow Dash's ears twitched and her eyes shot half open.
"Twi are you okay?" asked Rainbow Dash with a tired yawn
"Yes Rainbow" replied Twilight laying back down "I'm fine go back to sleep"
Soon Twilight could see the steady up and down movements of Rainbow Dash's chest. She lifted up her gown to reveal some bandages around her chest and abdomen. She let out a frustrated sigh as her head hit the pillow. "How could Trixie beat me?" said Twilight to herself "What did Erebus mean by more than I know?" Twilight face hoofed herself that her brain still wasn't in overdrive as usual.
"Twilight" called a soft friendly voice from out in the hallway
"I'm in here Fluttershy" replied Twilight Fluttershy walked into the room followed by a bright white unicorn with a very diligently groomed purple mane.
"Twilight my dear" said the unicorn "you look simply dreadful, just look at that mane"
"Good to see you too Rarity" said a now very self-conscious Twilight trying to fix her mane
"Oh stop messing with it Twilight" said Rarity levitating a comb out of her jewel encrusted saddlebag "I'll fix it for you. It's the least I could do for you after saving Applejack like that"
"Oh yeah" said Twilight raising her head off of her pillow and allowing Rarity to get at her mane "How's Applejack?"
"I know she'll be fine. I'm more worried about her home." said Rarity with a sigh "It was destroyed almost completely in that fire. At least the apple trees survived"
"Well maybe Applejack and her family can stay at your house Rarity" suggested Twilight "At least until they're house is rebuilt" Rarity stopped grooming Twilight's mane.
"Now Twilight that is an idea" said Rarity clapping her hooves together excitedly
"See not all bad?" replied Twilight with a knowledgeable smile Applejack had been the only one who had sent letters to Twilight since her departure to Canterlot. She mentioned a crush on her glamorous unicorn friend. I guess this means she feels the same way.
"Twilight that you in there?" asked Spitfire stepping into the room
"Hello Spitfire" said Twilight "How are you doing?"
"I'm good" said Spitfire looking at the sleeping Pegasus in the corner "Can't believe Rainbow Dash pulled on off"
"Pulled what off?" asked Rarity
"A Double Sonic Rainboom" replied Spitfire shaking her head "I didn't think it was even possible to do one, but two?"
"A Double Sonic Rainboom" echoed Fluttershy jaw dropping
"But how?" asked Twilight shocked "She's never been able to do it before, why now?"
"Because of you Twilight" replied Spitfire looking through the window to the cloudy skies beyond as if transfixed "When she saw your explosion of magic she Sonic Rainboomed to your rescue. I only just got there in time to see the second one"
Twilight stared at her marefriend sleeping peacefully in the corner "I know she likes me but I had no idea..."
"It gets better" said Spitfire feeling great pride in her teammate "I talked to Applejack afterwards. She said that Trixie was about to finish you off when Rainbow Dash fell from the sky and punched her right in the face. It had enough power behind it literally sent her catapulting through the Sweet Apple Acres sign and flipping head over hooves a few feet further."
"Is that even possible?" asked Twilight in shock and amazement
"I heard it from the Element of Honesty herself" said Spitfire "I have no doubts it's true"
"Wow" said Fluttershy smiling "She must like you a whole lot huh Twilight?"
"Like?" asked Twilight beaming "She loves me"
"Twilight aren't you forgetting something?" said Spitfire with a chuckle
"Oh yeah sorry" said Twilight scratching her head with a hoof a blush of embarrassment on her face
"Now, Rarity" said Spitfire addressing the unicorn "We came here originally to get the Elements of Harmony back together again. We needed Applejack, but I don't think she's going anywhere soon."
"Whatever do you mean?" asked Rarity "I checked on her yesterday and they said she'd be fine with plenty of rest"
"She's perfectly fine" said Spitfire in explanation "But with most of her close relatives injured there is no way to fix Sweet Apple Acres in time for the harvest season. If we took her now then we would be leaving Ponyville without their main food supply"
"I see" said Rarity clearing her throat "and i suppose you want me to come with you then?"
"Yes I do we need your Element of Generosity now more than ever" said Spitfire "If we are to defeat Erebus and save Princess Luna from the Shadowlands"
"Did you say Erebus?" asked Rarity a look of understanding on her face
"Yes," answered Spitfire "Why?"
"A strange stallion wandered into my shop three days ago" replied Rarity thinking back "He started rambling on about a whole array of things as I was filling his order for him. He mentioned an Erebus and Princess Celestia quite a lot. Though there was a bit of Alcohol on his breath"
"What did this stallion look like?" asked Spitfire "What was his name"
"He was a light brown with black soot coated hair" said Rarity in disgust "It was so revolting a color. He smelled of burned metal and wore bandages around his eyes. I don't quite remember his name, sorry"
"Sounds like quite a character" laughed Twilight looking to Spitfire "Right Spitfire?"
"Where is this pony now?" asked Spitfire very seriously, much to Twilight's surprise
"Last thing he said before he left was that he was going to get a drink" said Rarity in disgust "As if he didn't stink of the stuff already"
"Twilight I'm going for a walk" said Spitfire backing out of the room "You and Applejack's injuries are going to keep us here for awhile anyways"
"Alright?" said Twilight suspiciously "Have fun and be careful" Spitfire nodded acknowledgment and walked out the door her hoofsteps speeding up as she galloped down the hall.
"What was all that about?" asked Rainbow Dash sleep thick on her voice
"Rainbow Dash are you still over there?" asked Rarity addressing the Cyan Pegasus snoozing over in the corner "Have you at least eaten?"
"Maybe" replied Rainbow Dash trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes "Is Twilight okay?"
"I'm fine Rainbow" replied Twilight waving a hoof in greeting "Good to see you awake finally"
"I was only taking a nap geez" replied Rainbow trying not to blush in embarrassment "So how soon you gonna be getting out of here?"
"I don't know" said Twilight looking to Fluttershy "You know?"
"I don't know sorry" replied Fluttershy "but I think I should go and see if Fang needs anything" She bowed her head out of courtesy and excused herself from the room.
"And I need to go and finish up my newest order" said Rarity winking at Twilight "You two have fun now" and Rarity shot Rainbow Dash a fleeting glance "You be gentle got it?" then walked out of the room
Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked at each other and blushed. They still hadn't gotten quite used to ponies knowing how they felt about each other quite yet, so Rarity's comment had struck a very awkward cord.
"Well that was weird" said Rainbow Dash smiling "huh Twi?"
"Rainbow Dash" said Twilight looking at her marefriend a coy smile on her face "I know what you did for me"
"Oh that" said Rainbow Dash a look of embarrassment on her face "I'm the Element of Loyalty. I'm always gonna be there for you Twi"
"No matter what?" asked Twilight gesturing for Rainbow Dash to come closer
"No matter what" replied Rainbow Dash walking to Twilight's side "I'll never let anything happen to you"
"Well it seems the doctor forgot to give me part of my medicine" said Twilight putting a hoof on Rainbow Dash's muzzle
"And what would that be?" asked Rainbow Dash smiling
"I'm afraid I need a Miss Rainbow Dash in my bed stat" said Twilight scooting over to open room for her marefriend
"Well who am I to argue" answered Rainbow Dash sliding under the covers wrapping her hooves around Twilight pulling her close
"Ouch" said Twilight cringing in pain from her injury
"Sorry" said Rainbow Dash laughing "Now I know what Rarity ment when she told me to be gentle"
_________________________________________________________________
Spitfire walked out of the hospital her mind feeling weighed down. "That Stallion Rarity described" said Spitfire to herself walking down the street "Could it be him?" She looked to a bar on her left and found a bar named Berry's Punch. It wasn't all that big but there was a loud commotion on the inside.
Spitfire heard somepony yell "and stay out" as a light brown stallion was thrown out of the bar. He was wearing a trenchcoat. A hat flew out the door after him. It was an old top hat with a small gear on the left side of it. Spitfire looked at the stallion and smiled.
"Well if it isn't Rusty" mocked Spitfire smiling"Still getting thrown out of places I see"
"Spitfire?" said the stallion standing up "What the heck are you doing here anyways?"
"I could ask you the same question?" asked Spitfire curiously
"Erebus has set his sights on this town" answered Rusty "I'm here in case he tries to do something"
"He already did" said Spitfire shaking her head "You missed it"
"No I just saw no reason to interfere yet," replied Rusty putting his hat back on his head "Celestia's student had it covered, her and her friends"
"So that was Erebus who sent Trixie back" said Spitfire nodding
"You mean you didn't know?" asked Rusty surprised
"I do now" smiled Spitfire "The more info I have on him the easier it will be to take him down"
"You always were a mischievous one Spits" laughed Rusty "I haven't laughed in a long time"
"Why'd you let yourself get thrown out this time?" asked Spitfire "I know you have money and you could probably take that entire bar on by yourself"
"Someone has to stop me from drinking till I pass out right?" laughed Rusty a huge smile on his face
"At least you realize you have limits" sighed Spitfire sitting down next to him "I haven't seen you in a long time Rusty"
"It has been awhile hasn't it? 12 years now I think." replied Rusty putting a hoof on Spitfire's shoulder "I'm sorry I never came around more often..."
Spitfire pulled her elbow back and threw it in the general direction of Rusty's muzzle. He could have dodged it easily but took it instead. He remained on his hooves the force of it not near enough to knock him to the ground, but enough to hurt all the same.
"Don't you ever leave again you hear me?!" yelled Spitfire angrily "You are the only one I have left"
"It must have hurt" said Rusty looking at Spitfire with his sightless gaze "Being alone for all that time. I know how that must have felt for you"
"Then why did you leave?" asked Spitfire frustration echoing through her voice
"I'm not sure" replied Rusty looking into the sky letting out a long sigh "But I can't say I'm sorry for leaving. You've turned into a great mare Spitfire. You have a great life and wonderful friends. You hardly remind me of that little filly I used to know so many years back"
"You really live life without regrets huh?" said Spitfire her anger fading
"I live my life to have no regrets it's true" answered Rusty with a smile "Which is why now that I'm back, I don't plan on leaving again. If your going after Erebus, I'm not going to sit idly by. I'm coming with you"
"Wha.. What is it?" asked Fluttershy looking up at the massive ship in front of her. It was a little scary to see a ship this massive resting on land and not water. It was easily 100 pony lengths across and 150 pony lengths tall. It was made of what looked like a bolted chrome plated metal. It had normal sails and no ballons of any kind.
"It has very powerful engines Rainbow Dash" yelled Gear in reply "This isn't a quarter of what this ship is really capable of"
"What is your secret to having lived this long and what kind of pony are you?" asked Twilight
Rainbow Dash let out a sigh as she stared at the dimly lit ceiling. She looked down to the lavender unicorn sleeping in her embrace. It was hard to forget the look Twilight had had on her face when she had come to bed. It was a mixture between fright and curiosity, something Rainbow Dash had thought impossible until tonight.
"Okay i think I've got it" said Rainbow Dash panting from exertion She'd been giving it her all for about 8 hours straight. She'd been practicing with the Wonderbolts for four years and never had to work this hard. She just hoped that she was able to keep up with her mentor. He may be blind but he was incredibly agile.
Fluttershy dug her hooves into Fang's fur as he thundered through the flaming streets. They hadn't seen one pony yet and it's been nearly 15 minutes. "What's going on?" thought Fluttershy to Fang "Where is every pony"
"Twi do you see anypony?" yelled Rainbow Dash ducking inside another house
Steam Gear had been waiting only forty minutes when he heard hoofsteps on deck.
It's been a week since the incident at Las Pegasus. The crew of the Albatross, have gotten into the swing of things. Twilight trains with Rainbow Dash and Steam Gear. Fang does the night watch, on nights when training last longer than usual. Fluttershy treats any injuries sustained during training. Spitfire on the other hand feels a little left out.
"Hey dude just cause we're college room mates, don't mean you can try and set me up on dates" said Vinyl with a menacing glance
"Miss I must inform you that only ponies are allowed to participate in this event" said the announcer doing his best not to flee in terror of the wolf now towering over him "It is tradition"
Vinyl stepped into the small enclosed room carefully. She didn't know anything about this strange stallion, but she had heard rumors about those that could hear the Melody. It's said those who can hear it but don't understand it go mad and end up killing themselves.
"Why doesn't he just tell me all this himself?" asked Spitfire wanting more answers
Twilight walked out of the hospital Rainbow Dash on her right side. She had thrown her wing over Twilight and was using it to keep them close together. Their flanks kept touching as they walked.
"Don't you think your being a little obvious Rainbow?" asked Twilight with a chuckle
"Hey if Rarity knows about us that means Applejack knows too" replied Rainbow Dash "And if I know Applejack she's told just about all of Ponyville by now"
"Spitfire told us to meet her in the library right?" asked Twilight starting down the main drag of town
"Yeah" said Rainbow Dash faking a yawn and taking her wing off her marefriend warily looking around to see if any one had seen them "I wonder how Spike has been doing since you left?"
"Very suave cassanova" giggled Twilight bumping her flank into her marefriend playfully "I haven't heard from him in a while though I wonder how he's been"
"Well we'll soon find out" said Rainbow Dash opening the door to Golden Oak Library
As they stepped in they were ensnared in a very scaly pair of arms and whorled around. When their hooves touched the ground again they looked at their assailant to find a very much matured Spike. He had grown tall in these past 4 years. He was easily another tail length taller than Twilight. His scaly arms showed muscles which only dragons could have.
"Spike?" managed Twilight in surprise
"Twilight" said Spike with a toothy grin "Good to see you again. You too Rainbow Dash"
"Man you sure grew up fast" said Rainbow Dash hoof bumping her dragon friend "Surprised the heck outta me"
"I am a dragon after all" laughed Spike in his deeper voice
"Twilight, Rainbow Dash, there you are" said Spitfire rounding the corner "I have someone I would like you to meet" Rusty stepped out from behind the wall and gave a small bow. "This is Rusty. He has been a friend of my family for as long as i can remember"
"Greetings Honored Student and Wonderbolt" bowed Rusty removing his hat to show his now washed rustic red colored mane "Good to meet you"
"Dash will do" replied Rainbow Dash beaming with pride
"He will be joining us on our journey to defeat Erebus" said Spitfire
"What about Applejack and Rarity?" asked Twilight confused "Why aren't they here? We need the Elements of Harmony to defeat Erebus remember"
"Twilight even with all of your knowledge you still have more to learn" laughed Rusty "You don't need the Elements of harmony to defeat Erebus. They will do nothing against him"
"What are you talking about?" yelled Twilight "Princess Celestia said..."
"Oh Tia said it now did she?" said Rusty with a coy smile "how very much like her. The Elements will only imprison Erebus for another 800 years, maybe a little less the second time. Just as they did last time"
"Just what are you saying?" growled Rainbow Dash
"Your wasting your time" replied Rusty simply
"Tia?" said Twilight thinking hard only "Not many ponies call Princess Celestia, Tia. Your Steam Gear aren't you?"
"My my" said Rusty clapping his hooves in congratulations "You found me out sooner than expected. I'm impressed Twilight. I am curious as to how you knew my name though, surely Tia never mentioned me"
"No your right the princess never mentioned you directly" said Twilight shaking her head "But I intercepted some letters from you a while back and skimmed them over before handing them to her"
"So sneaky" said Gear scratching his chin with a hoof "Under your own teachers nose too. Very well done"
"Just who are you?" asked Twilight stomping her hoof down "How do you know Princess Celestia's wrong?"
"Rusty explain it to them" said Spitfire taking a seat "I'm still trying to accept it and I've known you my whole life."
"My real name is Steam Gear. I have known both Princess's since they were fillies" said Gear with an authoritative voice
"But that would make you?" said Rainbow Dash trying to do math on her hooves "Like really old right?"
"I am twelve years older than Princess Celestia" said Gear nodding his head "Which makes me over a thousand and four hundred years old"
"But that's impossible" cried Twilight shaking her head "It's scientifically impossible. You can't be that old you would be dead long before now"
"Believe what you will Twilight" replied Gear "but it is the truth. And the reason I know Tia is wrong is because I have this" He reached into his trenchcoat and pulled out a very ancient looking leather bound notebook. Gear tossed it to Twilight who caught it with her magic.
"This can't be" said Twilight "Celestia said it was destroyed long ago" She blinked her eyes at the very neatly printed words on the cover. They had begun to fade with time, but could still be read faintly.
"That is Star Swirled the Bearded's logbook" said Gear "It was very nearly destroyed, but I saved it just in time. Took me a while to restore it though, a lot of the pages were singed in the fire. That and I'm good with metal not paper" He wore a large smirk at his own humor.
"But I don't see how this..." started Twilight flipping the pages skimming the contents
"Year 52 day 256" said Gear reciting from memory "Page 214, I think. Read it out loud please"
Twilight flipped to the page Gear mentioned and read what was written out loud.
"Year 52 Day 256 of my time here in Equestria. The Princess and I have come upon the lair of the entity know as Erebus. I suspect the Princess knows more than she is telling me, but have refrained from asking up till now. It would seem pointless since she keeps saying that all we need are the Elements of Harmony. Her friend Gear hasn't returned yet, I'm starting to wonder what has become of him. We are making camp outside his compound in hopes that he returns."
The entire room went quiet and all eyes fell on Steam Gear. Twilight couldn't believe what she had read. "He was telling the truth" she thought to herself her eyes wide "Just who is this pony?"
"Wow" said Spike in disbelief
"Read the next page if you would Twilight" said Gear as calmly as ever
"Year 52 day 263 of my time here in Equestria. The princess's friend returned a few days ago. On his return she decided to confront Erebus immediately. He was like nothing I had imagined possible. He was made entirely out of darkness itself, his physical form apparently gone all-together. Princess Celestia addressed him and made a demand. After which she used the Elements of Harmony on him. Their power is truly impressive. It defeated him in one blow. We left shortly after and made stop in a city called Cloudsdale just north of the border of Equestria. Apparently it moves around Equestria like any normal cloud"
"Ha the Elements did defeat Erebus" said Rainbow Dash triumphantly
"Keep reading" replied Gear not even taking notice of Rainbow Dash's outburst
"Year 52 day 271 of my Time here in Equestria. I decided to go back with the help of Gear and see if Erebus was truly gone for good. To our disfortune it would seem he was only disrupted. His body being made entirely out of darkness seems to have been a factor in it. It crystalized his body into solid form and froze him on the spot. However he remains as strong as ever. Even now I can feel his darkness spilling out of his prison trying to break free. The Elements have merely imprisoned him. I predict that he will remain this way for about 800 years."
"I hope that validates my hypothesis Twilight" said Gear smiling warmly
"Why did the Princess not tell us this?" asked Twilight "Surely she must have known the Elements would merely imprison him again"
"I'm sure Tia has her reasons" replied Gear shrugging his shoulders "just be happy Spits here found me when she did. If not you'd still be waisting time"
"You are one arrogant pony" grumbled Rainbow Dash "You know that?"
"Indeed" replied Gear nodding "the same could be said of you Dash"
"Whatever" said Rainbow Dash taking off and flying out the library window
"Where you goin?" yelled Spike
"She's awfully picky isn't she?" laughed Gear
"So what now?" asked Twilight scratching her forehead with a hoof "Without the Elements how will we defeat Erebus now"
"You have all you need already, you just don't know it yet" said Gear taking a step towards Twilight "Bearing an Element of Harmony is more than wearing a Tiara. Do you even know what the Elements are?"
"Arn't they an artifact of somekind?" said Twilight hopefully
"In scientific terms maybe" said Gear shaking his head "The Elements are more than just Tiara's. The Elements only come around every thousand years. They are gifted to six ponies. Always two of each kind, unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony. Not just because it's fair but because of the equilibrium of Harmony itself."
"What are you getting at?" asked Twilight trying to understand what Gear is saying
"I'm trying to say that you didn't get the Element by wearing the Tiara. You are the Element, you always were. Only once you realized that did their powers work for you and your friends." said Gear in explanation "The Tiara's responded to your will and acted in response. They are merely a way to channel the energy of the Elements"
"But your saying we don't need the Elements to defeat Erebus?" asked Twilight confused "Why are you telling me all this?"
"I said we don't need the Elements" said Gear with a coy smile "What we do need are the Bearers of the Elements. We need Magic, Loyalty and Kindness. These are the strongest of the Elements and in my opinion the most important."
"I still don't get it?" replied Twilight shaking her head
"You think you are so good at magic just because your talented?" said Gear reaching a hoof out to place it on Twilight's forehead "There is always talent, but real ability is special. You are the Element of Magic Twilight. It's about time you realize your true potential."
As Steam Gears hoof made contact with Twilight's forehead, she let out a gasp of breath, and light clouded her vision. She felt herself rise from the ground and the world start to spin around her. Twilight let out a gasp as she felt a power flow through her. It was incredible, she felt as though she was limitless, that there was nothing she could not do.
The light began to dim as the power flowed through her and began to slow down. As it settled her eyes opened to be staring at a familiar face. Even through the bandages she could feel his sightless gaze staring straight into her soul.
"Do you get it now Twilight?" asked Gear taking a step back "Where your ability comes from?"
"I never thought it could be possible..." mouthed Twilight starring at her hooves remembering the power she had felt "What was that power"
"Your future" answered Gear with a smile "if you unlock the powers of the Element of Magic"
"What about Rainbow?" asked Twilight "Will she feel like that?"
"Let's find out" said Spitfire getting to her hooves "That is if you know where she's run off too, Twilight"
"I have an Idea" said Twilight bidding farewell to Spike "Follow me"
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"Who the heck does that guy think he is?" growled Rainbow Dash to herself She had been to frustrated to fly really far. She had made it to her usual spot in a tree in Sweet Apple Acres. It's not exactly a cloud, but it was worth it to get some peace and quiet. Besides she was a pegasus, after all, hiding on a cloud would be too obvious.
"Rusty" snickered Rainbow to herself "More like featherbrain, if you ask me. No way am I arrogant." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Why didn't Twilight stick up for her?" she thought to herself "Does she think I'm arrogant too?" Rainbow Dash shook her head "Nah that can't be it. Maybe she was just shocked that he could be so rude?"
"Hey anypony up there?" called a masculine voice
"Who wants to know?" replied Rainbow Dash questioningly
"It's me Steam Gear" he answered back
"Come here to apologize?" asked Rainbow Dash inquisitively
"What have I to apologize for?" asked Gear confused "All I did was tell the truth"
"I am not arrogant" said Rainbow Dash angrily "Now go away I'm trying to sleep here"
"I'm not leaving" said Gear sitting down "Not till you hear me out"
"Well I'm not talking to you anymore" said Rainbow Dash smugly "Sit there all day I don't care. I'm not coming down till you apologize."
"Twilight will be so disappointed to hear that" said Gear standing up
"Wait what?" cried Rainbow Dash losing her cool falling out of the tree and hitting the ground with a thud
"See it wasn't that difficult to get out of that tree now was it?" asked Gear laughing "To think just mentioning Twilight got you that flustered"
"Not cool" said Rainbow Dash brushing dirt off herself "What do you want anyways?"
"I wanted to show you I'm not a, what did you call me?" thought Gear scratching his chin "A featherbrain?"
"How exactly do you plan on doing that?" asked Rainbow Dash
"I want to show you something" said Gear placing his hoof on Rainbow Dash's forehead The ground fell out from under her as wind blasted her in the face. She was going fast, really fast! She felt the wind under her wings and the morning breeze as she flew through the air.
Something was different though. She felt strange as if she was stronger somehow. Like she could fly faster than ever before. She pumped her wings to gain speed and a streak of rainbow erupted behind her soon followed by another one. Just like that she felt the ground rise underneath her hooves, and she opened her eyes to see a smiling stallion.
"What did you just do" asked Rainbow Dash sitting down looking at her hooves
"I merely gave you a glimpse of what you are truly capable of" said Gear helping Rainbow Dash back to her hooves "You are the Element of Loyalty after all"
"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Rainbow Dash confused
"I think I can handle it from here" said Twilight stepping out from the bushes Spitfire right behind "You better go and find Fluttershy, Steam"
"As you wish" replied Gear walking off "Coming Spitfire?" he called over his shoulder
"Right behind you" she called after him trotting after him "You know sometimes I'd wish you'd slow down for the rest of us"
"What's the matter Spitfire I thought you liked fast?" remarked Gear as they walked out of view their hoofsteps fading into the distance
"What is going on here" asked Rainbow Dash receiving a hug from her marefriend
"Let me explain" chuckled Twilight giving her marefriend a peck on the cheek
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"What's the matter Fang?" asked Fluttershy in her timid voice looking at where Fang was staring "is somepony coming?"
A "Yes" echoed in her mind. She got to her hooves patted Fang's paw and walked to answer the door. Her cottage was smaller than she remembered. Either that or Fang just took up nearly all of it. His massive body dominated the room. She had had no trouble getting him in but she was more worried about getting him out.
There was a knock of a hoof on her door right as she got to it. Fluttershy opened it and said "Hello?"
"Hello Fluttershy" greeted Spitfire "I hope we are not intruding on anything"
"Oh no" said Fluttershy motioning for her to come inside "You are welcome to come inside" then a thought struck her "Did you say we?"
"Yes she did" said a light tan stallion with bandages around his eyes and a trenchcoat. He was wearing a small top hat with a small golden gear on one side. "The name is Steam Gear. I thought it best to introduce myself before coming inside"
"Thank you Steam" thanked Fluttershy looking at the now growling Fang "Fang what is it?"
"Is that a Dire Wolf?" asked Gear with curiosity taking a step towards Fang
Fang growled and bared his fangs. Gear merely stopped advancing and held out a single hoof. He then spoke in what Fluttershy and Spitfire assumed to be a very old language. Fangs ears propped up and twitched.
"Fang what do you mean you know this pony?" said Fluttershy a confused look on her face
"Me and what did you call him, Fang, here go way back" said Gear with a smile "I knew him when he was a little pup"
"Is that true?" said Fluttershy asking Fang looking into his eyes
"Seems I learn something new about you every 5 minutes" sighed Spitfire "First your a thousand years old, next your a wolf whisperer. What's next?"
"Wait a thousand years old?!" chirped Fluttershy
"Yes, I knew the previous companion of Fang here" said Gear looking at Fluttershy "She was the previous Element of Kindness a thousand years ago"
"Well at least that one I saw coming" chuckled Spitfire "Fang here is certainly older than he looks"
"Actually to Dire Wolves that's not very long at all" said Gear "They are very intertwined with the Elements of Nature. They can live thousands of years if they don't get themselves killed fighting each other first"
"Is there anything else I need to know?" asked Fluttershy giving Rusty a curious glance
"Fang there is more than a Dire Wolf. He is a Guardian of Nature itself, chosen long ago. Probably the reason he impressed upon you, like he did." said Gear "You being the Element of Kindness makes you the best candidate"
"What do the Element's have to do with this?" asked Fluttershy confused "I thought it was because I was good with animals"
"You are good with animals" said Gear "But you being the Element of Kindness amplifies your abilities in ways you couldn't possibly begin to imagine." He looked to Fang and asked "With your permission I would like to show her something"
At Fang's nod Gear reached out and laid his hoof on Fluttershy's forehead. She saw a flash of light and felt an odd sensation flowing through her. She felt the warm kiss of the morning breeze envelope her and pick her up as if she was a fragile leaf. As her hooves touched the ground she felt it pulse with life.
Fluttershy could feel the energy of nature itself flowing around her, welcoming her as if she was a long lost friend. The light faded and she opened her eyes to see Gear smiling at her.
"How was it?" asked Rusty curiously
"It was amazing" said Fluttershy putting a hoof to her forehead "What was it?"
"It's what you are possible of as the Element of Kindness" answered Gear
"Wow" mouthed Fluttershy looking back at Fang "Did you know this Fang?"
"I imagine he has always known" said Gear
"So what now?" asked Fluttershy curiously
"Now we start our journey to the Shadowlands. We still have a mission to complete" said Spitfire encouragingly
"But how?" asked Fluttershy confused "We don't have all the Elements of Harmony yet"
"I'll explain on the way" said Spitfire opening the door "First things first we need to find a way to travel faster. We've lost to much time already"
"I think I may have a solution to that" said Gear with a smile "I am an Inventor after all"