Broken Harmonyby KadzietChaptersA World of Gray: PrologueMemories and Realizations: Chapter 1Dreaming for Rainbows: Chapter 2The Tarnished Memories of One Called Loyalty: Chapter 3A World of Gray: PrologueHarmony destroyed. Hope is but a memory. The six divided, Fight. What hope they have, Wanes beneath the sunless sky. A cerulean pegasus opened her eyes as she awoke from her uneasy sleep. She appeared to not have slept long as bags hung heavy beneath her eyes, but she merely yawned, whipped back her rainbow mane, and stood; her bronze armor making moderate noise. She glanced down at the golden necklace hung around her neck. It was a symbol of her element. A symbol that she lived by. A symbol that nopony remembered. She shook her head and yawned once more before stepping out from the dark cave. As she stepped outside the rainbow maned pegasus was greeted by a cloudy sky. She sighed and hung her head low as she was reminded of the events that had taken away the sun those five years ago. Memories that burned deeply within her heart. ///// A black furred alicorn with piercing green eyes and a flowing red mane stood among six young ponies. The Elements of Harmony were defeated. Their fur was burned and their bodies were bruised. Princess Celestia, the once ruler of Equestria, wasn't faring well either. “This was easier than I thought.” Celestia glared. The alicorn spoke once more. “I had expected some resistance, but this is embarrassing”, she said with venom. 'Luna... where are you?', Celestia thought to herself. The alicorn smirked and gave Celestia a knowing gaze. “Luna? She's vacationing on the moon for awhile. I don't think she'll be returning anytime soon”. She chuckled. “What have you done with my sister?!”, Celestia asked angrily. The alicorn laughed. “It's better if I show you.” Her horn began to glow as Celestia was covered in a reddish aura of magic. “I may not be able to kill you as you are immortal”, she said, “But I can get rid of you”. The princess struggled against the powerful magic, but to no avail. She knew what was coming. Celestia gave the Elements of Harmony one last look. “Wait...”, she said suddenly. The alicorn raised a brow. “Last words?”, she asked with a look of annoyance. Celestia saw this pause as her chance. Her horn began to glow brightly. The light enveloped the area. “What's this?!”, the alicorn spat angrily. The light dissipated. Nothing had seemed to change. The unknown alicorn was still holding the princess within her magic, but her gaze shifted to where the elements had been. They were gone. All six had disappeared. She gazed angrily at Celestia. “Y-you!”, she began. Her eyes were filled with rage. “Agh! I will find them! You cannot hide them from me! I WILL FIND THEM!”. With that, the alicorn's horn glowed brighter. If Celestia was afraid, she didn't show it. She merely closed her eyes and smiled as her body disappeared from sight. ///// “Celestia...”, the cerulean pegasus muttered under her breath. She knew what the princess had done. She knew that she deliberately separated the elements in order to keep them all hidden, but it still hurt knowing that she couldn't see her friends. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and lastly herself. Rainbow Dash. Together they were the Elements of Harmony. An unstoppable magical force, or so they once thought. Rainbow Dash shook her head and took a deep breath. Now was not the time to reminisce. She had to get moving, otherwise they would find her. She knew the alicorn would easily find the elements if they were close, but she also knew the elements gave off a magical resonance. Although the resonance was weak, it wasn't difficult to track. With that thought, Rainbow spread her wings and took off into the sky. Her rainbow tail the only color against the dark and gray clouds. Hours had passed since Rainbow Dash had left the cave. Days had passed since she had anything to eat. That fact had begun to show on her body. Years ago she was the top athlete in Ponyville. Physically fit and well fed, Rainbow Dash had prided herself on her speed. Now, years later, her muscle tone was there, but it had become lean and malnourished. Her once muscular frame was now wiry and light. She grimaced as hunger pains shot through her. She knew she wouldn't survive long if she didn't find anything to eat, but her hope was beginning to diminish with each passing moment. Rainbow hadn't the slightest idea of where she was. She had spent the last five years running. She avoided large cities and small towns, whatever was left of them, and kept to the forests and mountains. Rainbow sighed. A town. She would need to find a small town for something to eat, but that could prove difficult. Ever since that black furred alicorn had taken over, cities have fallen and towns were destroyed. What little civilization was left, was kept in line. Most of Equestria's population now stayed in Canterlot. You must be thinking that Canterlot wouldn't be large enough, but it has grown in the last five years. The royal city was quickly becoming it's own country in terms of size, hence the fallen cities and destroyed towns. Rainbow stopped in midflight. Music? Bewildered, Rainbow began a descent below the clouds. Her jaw dropped at what she saw. It was a fairly large town. It was located between two mountains with high walls constructed in between. As she came closer, Rainbow noticed something odd. At first she thought it was a griffin only town, but was surprised to see ponies of every variety walking about. Dumbstruck, and in minor shock, she hadn't noticed the two griffins behind her. “Who are you?!”, one of them shouted. Rainbow nearly jumped out of her fur and turned around. She was greeted by griffins in steel armor and sharp talons. “Who are-”, the one on the right stopped in mid-sentence as he noticed the necklace around the pegasus' neck. “You're an Element?”, they both asked in unison. Rainbow was surprised at their sudden change in tone, but was even more surprised the griffin's even knew what the Elements of Harmony were, but that thought was quickly answered by the ponies she remembered that resided in the town alongside them. “The Element of Loyalty”, Rainbow saluted, “At your service!” The griffin's saluted. “We are under orders to bring any elements to the front gate and to assist them with anything they may need”, they, once again, said in unison before taking off to the ground below. Rainbow was hesitant. She didn't really trust griffins. After her fallout with a friend of hers, who happened to be a griffin, her trust in them wasn't exactly reinforced, but she decided to tag along. If they knew she was an element, maybe... Rainbow shook her head at the thought. The Elements of Harmony were separated for a reason. If Rainbow was in the Griffin Kingdom, then the others must be in other parts of the world as well. Shrugging, Rainbow quickly caught up to the pair of griffins and followed them to the gate. Memories and Realizations: Chapter 1Memories torment a past of red. Can the rainbow remember it's other colors? Or will the past rob her of them instead. Rainbow Dash was suprised at the reaction of both the ponies and the griffins at her arrival in the town of "Hope", as it was called. She had expected something a bit more critical than cheering and food offerings, especially since the defeat of the Elements was such common knowledge around the world, but she just decided it was best not to ask too many questions and to just enjoy whatever they had to offer at the moment as it may be awhile before she came across a town so willing to help an Element. "Well. Well. Well.", came a familiar voice from behind. Rainbow froze. She knew that voice anywhere. It can't be, she thought to herself as she turned around, and was ultimately greeted by a griffin whom she thought she would never see again. "Gilda?", Dash raised a brow. "What in Eque-- What in the world are you doing here?" Gilda smiled. She was wearing a steel grey armor and a helmet to match. Her wings were covered in some sort of lightweight material and her talons appeared to be sharpened to a gleam, but the most notable feature was her eyes. Gilda appeared to look much older, and matured, than when Rainbow had last seen her. "Oh, you know. Nothing special", Gilda said nonchalantly with a cocky grin. "Just doing my duty as captain of the local guard." Rainbow's mouth dropped open. Gilda? Captain of the guard? B-but, s-she was-- she was a jerk! How the hay did she ever become captain of... anything! Her thoughts were cut off as Gilda spoke. "Look, RD. I-I know what you're thinking.", Gilda appeared to look rather nervous, but Rainbow decided it was just the shadows from the helmet playing tricks on her and decided to listen for the moment. "But I've changed. Honest. I know I was a bully in the past. I...", Gilda sighed and lowered her head. Dash was stunned for a moment. How, and when, the hay did Gilda change?. Gilda was silent. Dash realized that she had been quiet and was staring with her mouth wide open. She quickly corrected herself and cleared her throat. Was she really sincere? Only one way to find out, she thought. "Gilda? Change?", Dash began. "Puhlease! I don't know how you became captain, but I wouldn't doubt you cheated your way to the top. Or did you happen to blackmail whoever's in charge?" Rainbow pressed forward with every word. "Or, did you scare the old captain away and take his place? I wouldn't doubt any of those options, Gilda", Rainbow emphasized 'Gilda' with a flick of her mane. Silence. Ponyfeathers. Oops. "G-Gilda. I-I'm sorry. I was just testing you. I had to be sure you were telling the truth. Honest". Rainbow attempted to put on a sincere smile, but could only muster up a sheepish grin. "I understand, Dash." Gilda moved closer to Rainbow as she spoke, "I was a jerk. Really, I was. I realized that after I lost my only friend all those years ago", she began. "Change didn't come right away though, but that's besides the point. I'm changed now and..." Gilda looked away for a moment. "Can you ever forgive me?" Rainbow Dash thought for a moment. Specifically what Twilight would do in a situation like this, but it didn't take long as she already knew in an instant what Twilight would do. As much as she hated to admit it, she forgave Gilda a long time ago. Probably without even realizing it. And she had to face the fact that she would need all the friends, and help, she could get her hooves on at a time like this. "Rainbow Dash?", Gilda asked with a slight hint of worry. Rainbow shook her head to snap herself out of her inner monologue and smiled as she held out her hoof. "Thanks, RD." The griffin said with a smile and returned the hoof bump. Rainbow Dash was woken up by a loud banging on her door. She had decided to stay for a few days to fuel up and to let Gilda get together a saddlebag of supplies ready for her. Knock knock knock Rainbow Dash mumbled. Knock Knock Knock Rainbow's head shot up out as she was now wide awake. "Who is it?" "The Captain requires your presence at the town center, miss". It was one of the guard griffins from earlier. Rainbow yawned. As stood and stretched her wings, her bronze armor creaked. She winced at the sound before replying. "Yeah yeah, I'll be right out". What does Gilda want with me?, she thought to herself before opening the door and stepping out. The griffin looked at her with a slight head tilt. "Miss?" Rainbow did the same. "Yeah? What is it?" "Your mane, miss. Would you like a mirror?" He appeared to be stifling a laugh, but Rainbow ignored it as she realized what he had just said. The griffin took her silence as a 'yes' and quickly produced a mirror for her to use. Rainbow Dash quickly looked into the mirror, which the griffin held up, and her jaw dropped. Her multi-colored mane was sticking out in all directions as if she had been the subject of a bad lightning storm. She quickly brought her hooves up to her mane and began to rigorously pat all the hair down. With one last shake she took one more look into the mirror. Satisfied, Rainbow nodded. "Thanks." The griffin nodded in return. "Anytime. Oh, and by the way. I'm Steel." He bowed before placing the brush and mirror back under his wing. "Steel... cool name. I'm Rainbow Dash. Element of Loyalty." She held out her hoof. The griffin obliged with a smile and shook her hoof. "Hey, Rainbow Dash." Gilda was standing near a small statue of the sun. "I didn't expect you to take waking up this early so well." Rainbow trotted over with a smile. "Yeah, well, you're not the only one who has changed." Silence. Changed. The silence hung for a few moments until Gilda spoke up. "I guess you're wondering why I woke you up so early." she said. Rainbow nodded and looked to the sun statue. "So what is this thing anyway?" "A statue." Gilda said with a slight smirk. Rainbow facehoofed. "No, I mean, what's it for?" "Twilight made it." Rainbow Dash's eyes widened at the mention of her friends name. "T-Twilight was here?!" she asked a little louder than she thought. Gilda nodded and turned to the statue. "Yeah, actually, everyone's been here. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and even Applejack. You're the last one to show up." She turned to see Rainbow Dash apparently still stunned. The griffin couldn't help but chuckle. "Anyways. It's a shield of some sort." she said as she looked back to the statue. "Only the Elements can activate it, according to Twilight." Rainbow shook her head. "What, why? Why only the Elements and what's the shield for anyway?" "I dunno. Twilight designed it, but left shortly after. I never did get a chance to ask her about it." The Element of Loyalty was the only one left. She knew she had to do something, but she didn't know what the statue would do, especially being made by Twilight. Rainbow didn't doubt her friends' magical ability, but it has been five years since she's seen her. She let out a sigh, but suddenly realized she could feel a small pulse coming with within the stone. She felt them all. The other Elements. Her friends. They may not be there physically, but she could feel their presence. She smiled as she now knew what to do. "RD?" Gilda asked, worried. Rainbow shook her head once again to clear her thoughts. "I know what to do." Gilda shrugged and stepped aside. Loyalty looked up to the large concrete sun bearing over her. She closed her eyes for a moment to focus. Twilight. Applejack. Pinkie Pie. Rarity and Fluttershy. You were all here before me. I don't know where you all are now, and I know you're not here, but I know you're with me in spirit. We're the Elements of Harmony, no... we're more than that. We're friends. Best friends! I just want you all to know that I've never once doubted our friendship. I know that someday we will all see each other again and I look forward to it. I'll always be loyal to you guys. You mean the world to me. "Rainbow Dash?" Gilda began. Rainbow heard her, but chose not to respond. Her chest felt warm and she didn't want to spoil the sensation. For a second she thought she heard her friends laughing. They sounded happy. "Your necklace!" Gilda said with slight enthusiasm. "It's glowing!" She snapped out of it and looked down to see her Element emanating a warm red glow. Rainbow, initially surprised, beared a look of determination across her face and moved closer to the sun before her and placed her hoof against the hard concrete. A red pulse washed over the concrete sun immediately after the Element of Loyalty had made contact. Rainbow quickly took a few steps back and watched the magic unfold. Gilda too stepped back and stood beside Rainbow Dash, her beak agape. The sun began to emanate it's own heat as a purple glow began to overtake it. Twilight, was all Rainbow Dash could think of. Suddenly a purple light shot out from the sphere and into the sky. The light stopped high in the sky as a dome began to form around the entire town. Ponies and griffins looked in awe as the magical barrier continued to shape around them. Silence followed the barriers completion, but it was shortlived as cheers and shouts rang out around the large town. "Hope" was beginning to live up to it's name. "Well. Ain't that something." Gilda said with her beak still wide open. Dash only nodded in agreement. The day went by with Rainbow Dash signing autographs and telling stories of her years on the run from the "evil queen". It was an eventful day full of celebrating and music. The town appeared to be visibily happier as they would always be smiling when Rainbow Dash walked by. Smiles. It's been years since Rainbow Dash had seen a genuine smile. It reminded her of Pinkie Pie. The Element of Laughter. If Pinkie were here, Dash thought with a smirk. It was getting late and the sun was beginning to set on the horizon. Rainbow watched with a mixture of sorrow and anger. Celestia was long gone. Banished into the sun by the mysterious alicorn those five years ago. Come say that to my face!" Rainbow Dash yelled at the black alicorn with the flowing red mane and piercing green eyes. "Oh? Have I hurt your pride?" the alicorn said; each word dripping with malice. "Shut it!" Rainbow was the last one standing. The others lay, unconsious, to her left. Even Celestia herself was struggling to stand. "The Element of Loyalty. I can now see why it chose you." the alicorn began. "A foolish choice." she spat before sending a magic beam of energy from her horn. "Just stay down like the rest of your worthless friends!" The Element of Loyalty barely had anytime to react, but she managed to call up a dome shaped shield infront of her, courtesy of the Element hanging around her neck. The blast was halted for a moment, but it pressed onward. Rainbow's necklace, glowing brightly, began to burn under the immense pressure of the alicorn's powerful magic. I've... gotta... hold. It. she thought to herself as cracks began to run along the length of the shield. "Foolish." the alicorn said once more before sending her full power against the shield. Rainbow Dash cringed as the shield buckled and shattered. "Gah!", she screamed as the blast hit square in the chest. The world went black. "Rainbow?", came a voice from beyond her dream. "Rainbow Dash?", it called again. For a second, Rainbow Dash envisioned herself in the Ponyville Library. "Not now Twilight." she said as she buried her face back into the latest Daring Do novel. "Uhh... it's Gilda, RD." The pegasus snapped out of her memory and opened her eyes to see Gilda grinning at her. She appeared to be holding back a laugh. Rainbow turned red and stood up from the steps under the sun statue. "Oh, sorry". From what she could see, it was now dark out, but the glow from the forcefield enveloped the town around her. "Don't be. Besides", Gilda motioned for the pegasus to follow. "I've got something to show you. Something Twilight said to give to you once the shield was up." Nodding, Rainbow followed Gilda back to the griffin HQ. "So tell me, Gilda." Rainbow said as she caught up. "How did you get to be captain anyway?" The griffin smiled and shrugged. "Long story, but short version is I saved somepony's life. Turns out they were important to some military official. Hearing about my skill in claw to claw combat, he enlisted me, promoted me, and sent me here." Rainbow Dash tilted her head in confusion. "That's it?" she asked. Gilda nodded. "That's it." "Talk about a boring story." "Hey! I told you it's longer than that." "I'm sure it is, Gilda." Rainbow grinned. "Ok, tell me your story." Gilda raised a brow. "Uhh..." was all the pegaus could say. Gilda facepawed and realized what she just said. "Oops, sorry RD. Heat of the moment." Rainbow nodded understandingly. "It's cool. There's not much to tell other than what's already been said." she began with a hint of sadness. "But! I was the last to go down. No one beats Rainbow Dash that easily." The prideful pegasus puffed out her chest to emphasize her point. Gilda chuckled before she said, "Whatever you say, Rainbow Crash.", which awarded her with a playful jab into her side. Both the pegasus and griffin laughed, but stopped as they reached the door to the griffin HQ. "That reminds me", Rainbow began, "What did you want to show me?" Gilda smirked. "Come to my office and I'll show you." Rainbow's mouth was wide open at the sight. Gilda chuckled. "I knew you'd like it." Rainbow was staring at a set of pegasine armor which appeared to have been modified just for her. The color was black and outlined with gold accents. She recognized the design. It was similar to the one she wore when she was playing Commander Hurricane during that play. However, it was still different. The gold lightning bolt on the front was missing, but in it's place was a grove that matched her necklace perfectly. Greaves of the same color were placed near it. The most notable feature on the armor was a sword that appeared to be built into the armor. It was located on the backside. The sword appeared it wouldn't hinder her flying with the way it was positioned. Everything was perfect. Except for one problem. Weight. "Uhh...", she began, "How much will all this weigh?" Gilda tapped her beak in thought. "I dunno. I remember Twilight saying something about some sort of enchantment she put on it, but I wasn't really paying attention. I was already half asleep halfway through her monologue". Rainbow nodded in understanding of her pain. "So... enchanted." Rainbow took a closer look at the set of armor near her. She picked up a greave and was surprised. "I-Its... weightless!" "Whaaa?!" "Look, check for yourself." Rainbow tossed the greave to Gilda. The griffin caught it, but was surprised by the weight of it. "Rainbow. It's kinda heavy". She said sheepishly. "Really? Cause I don't feel a thing." Rainbow thought for a moment. "Oh! She must have enchanted it so only I could use it!" she exclaimed. "Kinda like that mjoljor... or something." Rainbow said with a wave of her hoof. Gilda tossed the greave back to Rainbow. "Well I'll leave you to put it on." Rainbow tilted her head. "Why?" The griffin quickly scratched the back of her head, as if she'll find the answer somewhere back there. "Well... it's just weird seeing somepony undress." Rainbow quickly turned red and looked away in embarrassment. "Oh, right. That would be kinda awkward wouldn't it." "Yeahhhhh..." Gilda said before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. A few moments had passed and Gilda decided to knock on the door. "You alright in there Rainbow?" No response. She tried once more. Silence. Curious, Gilda opened the door and walked in to the sound of metal crashing against the ground. Her face immediately turned red upon seeing Rainbow Dash. The pegasus appeared to have had trouble sliding into the armor and must have fallen, knocking over the greaves. She probably didn't hear Gilda as her head and upper body was halfway inside, but her flank was raised to the sky and pointed directly at the door. Rainbow stopped struggling as she suddenly became aware of another presence in the room. "Gilda?" "Y-Yes?" "Help?" Dreaming for Rainbows: Chapter 2False hope has been given. Hope itself becomes a bitter memory. Rainbows will fly away. I knew I was dreaming. It wasn't hard, because I had this same dream in the past. I think it was memories coming back, but I couldn't always be sure. I knew I never experienced any of these events myself, but I had eventually written it off it as the Elements showing me the world after we were defeated. Memories of the Elements? I don't know. It started as it usually had. I was in the sky, flying. The world seemed so peaceful. Perfect, almost, but it was cut short by a black shadow moving across the land. I looked up to see the sun. Not because I wanted to see if something was blocking it, but because I knew Celestia was in there somewhere. Waiting. Hoping. Alone. The shadows stopped. I flew down to take a closer look at what had happened and then the smell hit me. It smelled like something was burning. It was unfamiliar, but it reminded me of.... burns. As I got closer everything changed. The shadows were no longer permeating the ground which now gave me a clear look at the ruined cities, burned out towns, and bodies. When I first had this dream I couldn't sleep for a few days. I would be crazy if I wasn't disturbed by this all, but it still hurt to know what had happened following our failure. The pain in my heart was back. I'm an Element. I'm the Element of Loyalty! I let everyone down. If I hadn't... it's my fault all this happened. If I didn't grab that stupid amulet from Trixie, then maybe everything would have been alright, but I did grab the amulet and I invited that corrupting power into my body. I'm sor- "Rainbow Dash!" I was awake in an instant. I yawned as my mind began to reboot slowly. Whoever was at the door better have a good reason for waking me up so early. I just shook my head and made my way to the door. I stopped on one side, but didn't bother to open it. "Who is it?" I asked with a yawn in between. "It's me you silly filly!" I froze. Pinkie? "Pinkie Pie?! I-is that you?!" I shouted out as I swung the door open; effectively ripping it off it's hinges. "No." I looked up into those piercing green eyes. The alicorn smiled as her horn began to glow. "-inbow Dash!" Huh? "Rainbow Dash! Wake up!" Someone was calling my name. I really don't want to wake up right now. The Weather Team could get along fine without me. Maybe I'll go see Twilight today. Last I heard she had the latest Daring Do novel and I couldn't wait to get my hooves on it, but sleep was still number one on my internal checklist. Daring Do could wait until I got some more sleep. Fluttershy was probably awake by now and was probably feeding her animals. Food. Right, breakfast. Maybe sleep could wait. "Rainbow Dash. I said, WAKE UP!" I opened my eyes as the haze of memories disappeared into the back of my mind, again. I looked to the side of the bed to see Gilda impatiently tapping her claws against the floor. She didn't look too happy about my trying to sleep all day. I yawned. I couldn't think of anything to say at first, so I just stared blankly with half lidded eyes for a few seconds before I finally spoke. "Oh, good morning, Gilda." At least, that's what I thought I said, but Gilda nodded. "I know it's a bit early, RD, but I need you to come with me. The outer patrol reported some strange activity not too far from the town," she said with a hint of nervousness as she turned and made her way to the door, "I need to send someone in to check it out, but all my griffins are too large to even have a speck of stealth inside them." All I could do was nod. Gilda was right about the griffins. They were far too large and cumbersome to be of any use in a stealth mission. Not only is their armor heavy and loud, but their wings make a lot of noise when they fly. They may be stronger, but griffins were not as fast or quiet as a pegasus. Gilda seemed alright with my lack of an answer and exited the room. It was going to be a long day. Tomorrow, I told myself. Tomorrow I have to leave. The sun was still rising when I left my quarters. The sun. Celestia. I always thought the sun would just disappear if Celestia was absent, but it appeared that the mystery alicorn has taken it upon herself to raise both the moon and the sun. That alone could tell you how powerful she really was. I was still watching the sunrise when Gilda the Griffin landed beside me. I had heard her coming, because, like I said, they're too loud. We didn't talk for awhile as we both watched the sunrise. It was nice. For a second you could forget the world was dying and there was nothing you could do about it, but to keep fighting. It was quiet in the town so I guess that added to the moment. "Let's go RD," Gilda said as she began the walk to the main gate, "We should do this before everypony wakes up." I nodded and followed alongside. A few minutes had passed when we reached the gate, but I wasn't really keeping track of the time. My mind was too preoccupied with the gate being wide open and there being a lack of guard griffins. It made sense, I guess. Twilight must have made this forcefield of hers to be impenetrable. With the help of the Element's magic, maybe it was impossible to break through. What's the point of having the gate closed when there's an invincible shield just outside of it, right? "It's a few miles north of the city. My griffins couldn't get a good look, but they say they saw some of the "princesses" royal guards." Gilda didn't seem too bothered by this fact. She just simply rolled her eyes and stood before the forcefield. Why wasn't she stepping through? I was about to ask when Gilda answered. "I can't leave the town," she said, turning to face me, "I have duties here that need my full attention. I trust you can handle this on your own?" I waved a dismissive hoof and grinned, "In my sleep." I expected her to smile, but she simply walked back into town without looking back. Well, that's weird. Maybe she isn't much of a morning griffin. I shook my head to clear it. Right, just in and out. Easy. Either the griffins were really stupid, or I was being setup. Both. The clearing was empty. Nothing but rocks and the occassional plume of dust in the wind. Why would they send me here if- then it hit me. Why hadn't I noticed before?! Maybe I was too tired, or maybe I was the stupid one here. I knew Gilda better than anyone, but I just assumed her strange behavior was due to her supposed change. I took one last look at the empty clearing. I should have seen this coming. I was in Hope for a week and there was no disturbance of any kind. My Element should have been tracked, but they never came. Unless... the forcefield. It must be blocking magic from going in or out. Leave it to Twilight to think of every possible scenario, but I don't think anyone was prepared for this. The second I left the protection of the magic blocking forcefield was the second the alicorn would be able to track the inate magic that lay within the Element itself. Wait, why am I here and going off on an inner monologue when I could be flying back? That was all the push I needed as I took to the sky. If they were already there, then stealth was no longer an issue. Thanks to the wind cancelling enchantments around my armor, I rainboomed straight for Hope. A few miles was nothing when I was going at the speed of sound. Ten seconds later, I had already landed and was making my way through the forcefield. It was quiet. Too quiet. I shook my head. No time for bad wordplay. With my mind set, I began walking into the town at a cautious pace. It felt strange to see the entire town empty like this. It was always full of ponies and griffins doing whatever they needed to do during the day, but it was now a quiet and creepy ghost town. "I hadn't expected you to come back so early, Rainbow Dash." It was Gilda's voice, but I knew better. Gilda was a lot like myself and she wouldn't be up early just so she could wake me up and tell me to go do something. I knew Gilda and her eyes weren't green. I turned around to see what looked like Gilda smiling at me. Those green eyes were unmistakable. I doubt the alicorn would make an appearance, so there was only one other explanation. I got into a battle stance and held my head low in anger. "I thought you learned your lesson the first time," I said through clenched teeth, "Chrysalis!" Gilda laughed, but it was no longer her voice. "I knew you would figure it out eventually, but it's too late. The Princess shall be here shortly. I didn't think my slip-up on the eye color would go so unnoticed," she said with a smile, "But it appears I had overestimated you, Element bearer." I wouldn't be surprised if my coat was suddenly red. She tricked me, insulted me, possibly hurt Gilda, and has now endangered the lives of everypony in this town. It's your fault. You fell for this simple trap N-no, it's not my fault! You followed her commands. You betrayed everyone, because you were too stupid I'm not stupid! I didn't betray anyone! Was I seriously doing this? I pushed those thoughts to the back of my head. I could beat myself up over this later. I just hope I wasn't too late to do anything. Chrysalis would already be dead if the daggers I glared had been real. Maybe it was my fault, but I'll be damned if I let her hurt anypony else. "Where's Gilda?!" I was surprised at the volume of my voice and Chrysalis even took a step back. Was it the enchantments on the armor? Chrysalis, still as Gilda, smiled and regained her composure. "I'm sure she'll be alright, little pony," she began with a hint of laughter, "She's made of much tougher stuff than she lets on." Your fault. I continued to push those thoughts to the back of my head. "I hope for your sake that she isn't hurt," I said with a slight stomp of my hoof, "Otherwise I'll have to hurt you pretty bad." My threats seemed to roll off of her as she began to laugh. "Tell me, Element bearer, what can you possibly do to hurt me?" she said with enthusiam, "I am a Queen and you are nothing but a lowly warrior who is long past their due." You can't beat her. No, but I can make it hurt. The Queen of the Changling's mouth was open in shock and surprise. She was on the ground a few feet away and her griffin disguise was gone, and, to top if off, two hoof prints were embedded firmly into her chest. "W-what?! Y-you're not that f-fast! Nopony is t-that fast!" she stammered in surprise as I stood over her. "I'm just full of surprises aren't I?" I didn't want to give away the secret of my speed. For all I knew, she could take apart the enchantments in my armor. I knew Twilight, and she would be pissed if she found out all her hard work was taken apart by the Changling Queen. /ZZZZZTTTT/ Huh? Why was I looking up? I was- oh. "But you're not fast enough it would seem, little pony." The Queen was already on all fours. Her horn was glowing. Crap. I got back onto my hooves and shook off the dirt. I didn't even see her horn glow when she hit me. Someone's been practicing, but unfortunately for her so had I. Five years of constant battle can really teach you how to approach enemies who could sling magic around. Chrysalis began circling me. I had to keep an eye out. My armor may protect me from elemental attacks, as it seemed to do, it wouldn't protect me from blunt force. I focused some of my Elemental magic into my necklace and kept the thought of a forcefield in my head. If she was going to sling powerful magic around, I needed help from the Element that hung around my neck. Chrysalis let out a sickly green bolt of magic and I quickly brought up the shield. The bolt slammed against it and disappeared. That didn't feel like an all out attack. She was testing my ability. This was bad, because if I used all my tricks at once, she would learn how to deal with them rather quickly. I had to end this as quickly as possible. She sent out a few more bolts only to be stopped by my forcefield. Usually, whatever magic the Element had would nearly be drained, but I think the magic that surrounded the armor gave it some extra juice to stay up. Thanks, Twilight. The Changling continued to circle me. I was watching her legs when it hit me. First, it was literal, but I then realized what she was doing. We were nearing the town center where the concrete sun- oh no. I guess she hadn't expected me back so soon. I suppose she decided to do the next best thing and push me to the center of town. It's no wonder her attacks were half-assed up until now. How could I be so stupid! It will always be your fault. I shook my head. These thoughts were seriously becoming annoying. Another bolt of magic broke me out of my inner monologue and I glared at the Queen, but that's when I saw some movement behind her. I moved slightly to the right and saw Gilda, who was covered in cuts and bruises, sneaking behind Chrysalis. She winked at me and continued her silent approach. I looked back to the Queen and just in the nick of time as another bolt slammed against my shield which caused me to stagger back. She was tapping into more mojo that time. It was only a matter of time before she decided to let loose, and, if her status was anything to go by, she was extremely powerful. Not in the same ballpark with the Princesses, but she was well above any regular unicorn. I needed a plan. No, she would figure it out. I needed an anti-plan. Something that would take her by surprise and leave her flank open for attack. Oh. It was so simple! Even I was surprised by my train of thought, so it just might work. "Hey! Holes for brains!" I shouted with a grin. "CHARGE!" I galloped straight for her. I expected her to take a step back in surprise, but she stood her ground. Oh well, it's too late to turn back now. I looked behind her to see Gilda had already taken to the air and was coming down on Chrysalis from behind. It was going to work, is what I would like to say, but I noticed the glint in her eyes as she saw what I was doing. Oh. Crap. She disappeared in a flash of green as Gilda crashed into my chest and sent us both rolling to the ground. Ow. "Shit, RD! You were supposed to be distracting her!" Gilda shouted as she got up. "Me?! You're blaming this on me?! You're the one with wings the size of a house! It's no wonder she heard you coming!" I yelled back. We both went silent and turned our heads to face Chrysalis, who was laughing at the both of us. Gilda and I both had the same idea as we took a step forward. That was a mistake. Chrysalis was right infront the concrete sun statue; her horn aglow. I knew what was coming next and I'll be damned if I let it happen. I flapped my wings a few times as I shot off like a bullet towards Chrysalis. All your fault. What?! I suddenly realized what was happening as if time had slowed to a crawl. I saw Chrysalis holding Gilda down. I turned to look at the Chrysalis standing infront of me with a grin right before I phased right through the copy and crashed shoulder first into the sun statue. You've done it now. I quickly recovered and looked down to the chunks of concrete and rock that was once the concrete sun. A symbol of Hope and a beacon of light in these times of darkness. Now it was gone. You've failed them all. Just like before. I closed my eyes. I heard the sound of the barrier shattering around the town. It will always be your fault. You can't stop it. I was right. It was my fault. I let everyone down. You don't belong here. I didn't open my eyes as I took to the sky. I didn't open my eyes as I chose a direction to fly in. I didn't open my eyes until the tears began to sting. It's all my fault. Just like before. I let everyone down. The Tarnished Memories of One Called Loyalty: Chapter 3Cannot stop. Cannot turn back. The frayed wings of a once proud rainbow blow in the winds of regret The Crystal Empire, or rather what's left of it. Why did I come here? It's all ruins now. No Cadence. No Shining Armor. No Crystal Heart. Not a single damn thing left. And it's all your fault. Shut up! It wasn't... I mean.... I didn't want it to be. Hm? I looked up to the clouds to see it was raining. Rain. Was I crying? I can't even tell. I remember when the rain used to mean something to me. To everypony. A rainbow always followed the rain, but now I'm not so sure. My eyes stung. Was I really crying? Your fault. Yeah. It was. I looked to the ruined buildings around me as I walked through the ruined empire. Hard to believe anypony ever lived here, but they did. I saw them. Hay, I even knew most of them. I sighed. Now's not the time to wallow in my self pity. I need to keep moving. The alicorn's forces will be following me. //SNAP// I stopped in an instant as my wings flared at the sound. I quickly turned my head in search of the source of the sound. Left. Right. Nothing. I sighed and gave a little smile. Come on, Rainbow. Stop being so jumpy, I chuckled; the rain still pouring down my face as I broke into a soft laugh. Or was I still crying? I bet Pinkie Pie would start planning a 'Turn that frown upside down' party the moment she saw me. She did always like making me laugh. I looked up to the rain and closed my eyes, silent. I remained that way for a few moments before my thoughts broke my temporary peace, and I looked back down to the ground. Keep moving. They're coming. Right. Gotta keep moving. Against the rain. My gaze returned to the cloudy sky above. I doubt even a rainbow would show. I shook my body, my armor making a bit of noise, but not enough to carry more than a few feet in the rain. I felt my wings unfold against my sides and open up before giving a few practice beats and lifting my body into the sky. The rain and wind pushed against my body. Even with the armor, I was unable to break the sound barrier. I sighed, but quickly regretted it as I got a mouthful of rainwater. I choked and coughed it up and quickly shook my head clear. Guess I was right about there being no rainbow in the rain, I thought, smiling weakly. The Crystal Empire, or rather the Crystal Ruins were now long behind me. I hadn't known I would end up there. I just wanted to get away from Hope. I followed my instincts, and they brought me straight to the Crystal Empire. It was the first to fall. The Crystal Empire. 6 Years Ago. "Rainbow Dash!", Twilight called to the pegasus hovering above. "I need you to take out as many changelings in the air as you can. Can you do that?" The rainbow maned cerulean pegasus nodded and saluted before taking to the sky. "Pinkie", The unicorn turned to the bright pink earth pony who was smiling brightly. "I need you to man the cannons on the walls, but be careful. These aren't filled with a party." Pinkie nodded and giggled. "Well of course, silly filly! I know they're real cannons!" Twilight rolled her eyes and remained silent. Pinkie smiled as she got the hint and bounded to the castle walls. "Look at you being a little leader.", came a soft and reassuring voice. Twilight turned and immediately smiled at her step-sister, best friend, and old foalsitter Princess Cadence. "Well, somepony has to be in charge. Might as well be me." Twilight's smile faded as she noticed the strained look in her sisters' eyes. She wouldn't last any longer. This wasn't like when King Sombra attacked. The Crystal Heart was proving to be useless against this new foe. Cadence smiled weakly and embraced Twilight in a hug. "It'll all be over soon." Rainbow Dash had already begun her work as she noticed the shield surrounding the Crystal Empire beginning to crumble. There was only one explanation, but she pushed that thought to the back of her head and flew straight into the oncoming army of changelings when there was a bright flash of red and everything turned black. The first betrayal. Maybe if I hadn't just flown straight into the fight like that. Maybe the empire would still be standing. Maybe Cadence and Shining would still be around. If I hadn't have been a stupid idiot, then everything would have turned out differently. You betrayed them. You did this. You destroyed the empire. Then a bright flash of lightning flooded my vision. The Crystal Empire 6 Years Ago. Sometime after the fall. The empire was empty. The homes were nothing but blocks of shattered crystal. The bodies of ponies lay everywhere. The castle itself, once a beacon of light, love, and hope, was simply gone. Turned to dust, and all who dwelled within, by the power of the mysterious alicorn. A pegasus stood before the mound of crystal sand. She wore no expression as she saw what had happened when she was knocked out of the fight so early on. Twilight had told her that Cadence and Shining were in there when it was disintegrated. They were gone, and it was all her fault. I awoke within a cave. When did I fall asleep? It suddenly hit me, no pun intended, that I was in pain. My body ached and it hurt to move. There was a fire next to me, and somepony was sitting beside it. I couldn't really make them out through the flames, but I could tell it was a unicorn and I thought I could see some purple fur through the dancing reds and yellows. Twilight? Twilight?! "T-Twilight?", was all I could sound out. My voice was dry and raspy. But it seemed to have gotten her attention. My vision began to blur as she moved around the flame and stood infront of me. Twilight Sparkle. She was here with me. I gave a weak smile as she kissed my forehead, painfully, but I suddenly realized that my head hurt and that the world was getting darker. She tried whispering something to me, but I couldn't hear through the haze now clouding my head. She gave one last kiss to my forehead and walked out of the cave before I blacked out completely. "Twilight?!", I shot up from the cave floor and looked around. The remnants of the fire were there, but Twilight wasn't. I looked to the cave floor and only saw one pair of hooves. Was I dreaming the whole thing? //Clack// It took a moment for the sound to register as a small rock falling before I put out the fire with a quick flap of my wings and slowly went down to my stomach. Somepony was out there. Did they find me? No, the rain would have masked my scent. And the visibility was too low for me to have a tail. //Coughcough// Were they coughing? Not very sneaky. "R-Rainbow Dash...", came a familiar, but weakened, voice. "I know you're here". Gilda coughed a few more times before collapsing at the cave entrance. Gilda? Why was she here? She should have been dead! I... I left her. Was she being mind controlled? Was she hear the kill me? Was she acting? She's dangerous. Kill her. She's my friend. She needs my help! She'll kill you. Kill her first. I... I don't know. My mind was fighting with itself. An internal debate of literal life and death. I could only watch as my body moved on it's own to stand over Gilda, my oldest friend. I could only watch as I raised my hoof and brought it down to bear on her head. Loyalty, indeed.
A World of Gray: PrologueHarmony destroyed. Hope is but a memory. The six divided, Fight. What hope they have, Wanes beneath the sunless sky. A cerulean pegasus opened her eyes as she awoke from her uneasy sleep. She appeared to not have slept long as bags hung heavy beneath her eyes, but she merely yawned, whipped back her rainbow mane, and stood; her bronze armor making moderate noise. She glanced down at the golden necklace hung around her neck. It was a symbol of her element. A symbol that she lived by. A symbol that nopony remembered. She shook her head and yawned once more before stepping out from the dark cave. As she stepped outside the rainbow maned pegasus was greeted by a cloudy sky. She sighed and hung her head low as she was reminded of the events that had taken away the sun those five years ago. Memories that burned deeply within her heart. ///// A black furred alicorn with piercing green eyes and a flowing red mane stood among six young ponies. The Elements of Harmony were defeated. Their fur was burned and their bodies were bruised. Princess Celestia, the once ruler of Equestria, wasn't faring well either. “This was easier than I thought.” Celestia glared. The alicorn spoke once more. “I had expected some resistance, but this is embarrassing”, she said with venom. 'Luna... where are you?', Celestia thought to herself. The alicorn smirked and gave Celestia a knowing gaze. “Luna? She's vacationing on the moon for awhile. I don't think she'll be returning anytime soon”. She chuckled. “What have you done with my sister?!”, Celestia asked angrily. The alicorn laughed. “It's better if I show you.” Her horn began to glow as Celestia was covered in a reddish aura of magic. “I may not be able to kill you as you are immortal”, she said, “But I can get rid of you”. The princess struggled against the powerful magic, but to no avail. She knew what was coming. Celestia gave the Elements of Harmony one last look. “Wait...”, she said suddenly. The alicorn raised a brow. “Last words?”, she asked with a look of annoyance. Celestia saw this pause as her chance. Her horn began to glow brightly. The light enveloped the area. “What's this?!”, the alicorn spat angrily. The light dissipated. Nothing had seemed to change. The unknown alicorn was still holding the princess within her magic, but her gaze shifted to where the elements had been. They were gone. All six had disappeared. She gazed angrily at Celestia. “Y-you!”, she began. Her eyes were filled with rage. “Agh! I will find them! You cannot hide them from me! I WILL FIND THEM!”. With that, the alicorn's horn glowed brighter. If Celestia was afraid, she didn't show it. She merely closed her eyes and smiled as her body disappeared from sight. ///// “Celestia...”, the cerulean pegasus muttered under her breath. She knew what the princess had done. She knew that she deliberately separated the elements in order to keep them all hidden, but it still hurt knowing that she couldn't see her friends. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and lastly herself. Rainbow Dash. Together they were the Elements of Harmony. An unstoppable magical force, or so they once thought. Rainbow Dash shook her head and took a deep breath. Now was not the time to reminisce. She had to get moving, otherwise they would find her. She knew the alicorn would easily find the elements if they were close, but she also knew the elements gave off a magical resonance. Although the resonance was weak, it wasn't difficult to track. With that thought, Rainbow spread her wings and took off into the sky. Her rainbow tail the only color against the dark and gray clouds. Hours had passed since Rainbow Dash had left the cave. Days had passed since she had anything to eat. That fact had begun to show on her body. Years ago she was the top athlete in Ponyville. Physically fit and well fed, Rainbow Dash had prided herself on her speed. Now, years later, her muscle tone was there, but it had become lean and malnourished. Her once muscular frame was now wiry and light. She grimaced as hunger pains shot through her. She knew she wouldn't survive long if she didn't find anything to eat, but her hope was beginning to diminish with each passing moment. Rainbow hadn't the slightest idea of where she was. She had spent the last five years running. She avoided large cities and small towns, whatever was left of them, and kept to the forests and mountains. Rainbow sighed. A town. She would need to find a small town for something to eat, but that could prove difficult. Ever since that black furred alicorn had taken over, cities have fallen and towns were destroyed. What little civilization was left, was kept in line. Most of Equestria's population now stayed in Canterlot. You must be thinking that Canterlot wouldn't be large enough, but it has grown in the last five years. The royal city was quickly becoming it's own country in terms of size, hence the fallen cities and destroyed towns. Rainbow stopped in midflight. Music? Bewildered, Rainbow began a descent below the clouds. Her jaw dropped at what she saw. It was a fairly large town. It was located between two mountains with high walls constructed in between. As she came closer, Rainbow noticed something odd. At first she thought it was a griffin only town, but was surprised to see ponies of every variety walking about. Dumbstruck, and in minor shock, she hadn't noticed the two griffins behind her. “Who are you?!”, one of them shouted. Rainbow nearly jumped out of her fur and turned around. She was greeted by griffins in steel armor and sharp talons. “Who are-”, the one on the right stopped in mid-sentence as he noticed the necklace around the pegasus' neck. “You're an Element?”, they both asked in unison. Rainbow was surprised at their sudden change in tone, but was even more surprised the griffin's even knew what the Elements of Harmony were, but that thought was quickly answered by the ponies she remembered that resided in the town alongside them. “The Element of Loyalty”, Rainbow saluted, “At your service!” The griffin's saluted. “We are under orders to bring any elements to the front gate and to assist them with anything they may need”, they, once again, said in unison before taking off to the ground below. Rainbow was hesitant. She didn't really trust griffins. After her fallout with a friend of hers, who happened to be a griffin, her trust in them wasn't exactly reinforced, but she decided to tag along. If they knew she was an element, maybe... Rainbow shook her head at the thought. The Elements of Harmony were separated for a reason. If Rainbow was in the Griffin Kingdom, then the others must be in other parts of the world as well. Shrugging, Rainbow quickly caught up to the pair of griffins and followed them to the gate.
Memories and Realizations: Chapter 1Memories torment a past of red. Can the rainbow remember it's other colors? Or will the past rob her of them instead. Rainbow Dash was suprised at the reaction of both the ponies and the griffins at her arrival in the town of "Hope", as it was called. She had expected something a bit more critical than cheering and food offerings, especially since the defeat of the Elements was such common knowledge around the world, but she just decided it was best not to ask too many questions and to just enjoy whatever they had to offer at the moment as it may be awhile before she came across a town so willing to help an Element. "Well. Well. Well.", came a familiar voice from behind. Rainbow froze. She knew that voice anywhere. It can't be, she thought to herself as she turned around, and was ultimately greeted by a griffin whom she thought she would never see again. "Gilda?", Dash raised a brow. "What in Eque-- What in the world are you doing here?" Gilda smiled. She was wearing a steel grey armor and a helmet to match. Her wings were covered in some sort of lightweight material and her talons appeared to be sharpened to a gleam, but the most notable feature was her eyes. Gilda appeared to look much older, and matured, than when Rainbow had last seen her. "Oh, you know. Nothing special", Gilda said nonchalantly with a cocky grin. "Just doing my duty as captain of the local guard." Rainbow's mouth dropped open. Gilda? Captain of the guard? B-but, s-she was-- she was a jerk! How the hay did she ever become captain of... anything! Her thoughts were cut off as Gilda spoke. "Look, RD. I-I know what you're thinking.", Gilda appeared to look rather nervous, but Rainbow decided it was just the shadows from the helmet playing tricks on her and decided to listen for the moment. "But I've changed. Honest. I know I was a bully in the past. I...", Gilda sighed and lowered her head. Dash was stunned for a moment. How, and when, the hay did Gilda change?. Gilda was silent. Dash realized that she had been quiet and was staring with her mouth wide open. She quickly corrected herself and cleared her throat. Was she really sincere? Only one way to find out, she thought. "Gilda? Change?", Dash began. "Puhlease! I don't know how you became captain, but I wouldn't doubt you cheated your way to the top. Or did you happen to blackmail whoever's in charge?" Rainbow pressed forward with every word. "Or, did you scare the old captain away and take his place? I wouldn't doubt any of those options, Gilda", Rainbow emphasized 'Gilda' with a flick of her mane. Silence. Ponyfeathers. Oops. "G-Gilda. I-I'm sorry. I was just testing you. I had to be sure you were telling the truth. Honest". Rainbow attempted to put on a sincere smile, but could only muster up a sheepish grin. "I understand, Dash." Gilda moved closer to Rainbow as she spoke, "I was a jerk. Really, I was. I realized that after I lost my only friend all those years ago", she began. "Change didn't come right away though, but that's besides the point. I'm changed now and..." Gilda looked away for a moment. "Can you ever forgive me?" Rainbow Dash thought for a moment. Specifically what Twilight would do in a situation like this, but it didn't take long as she already knew in an instant what Twilight would do. As much as she hated to admit it, she forgave Gilda a long time ago. Probably without even realizing it. And she had to face the fact that she would need all the friends, and help, she could get her hooves on at a time like this. "Rainbow Dash?", Gilda asked with a slight hint of worry. Rainbow shook her head to snap herself out of her inner monologue and smiled as she held out her hoof. "Thanks, RD." The griffin said with a smile and returned the hoof bump. Rainbow Dash was woken up by a loud banging on her door. She had decided to stay for a few days to fuel up and to let Gilda get together a saddlebag of supplies ready for her. Knock knock knock Rainbow Dash mumbled. Knock Knock Knock Rainbow's head shot up out as she was now wide awake. "Who is it?" "The Captain requires your presence at the town center, miss". It was one of the guard griffins from earlier. Rainbow yawned. As stood and stretched her wings, her bronze armor creaked. She winced at the sound before replying. "Yeah yeah, I'll be right out". What does Gilda want with me?, she thought to herself before opening the door and stepping out. The griffin looked at her with a slight head tilt. "Miss?" Rainbow did the same. "Yeah? What is it?" "Your mane, miss. Would you like a mirror?" He appeared to be stifling a laugh, but Rainbow ignored it as she realized what he had just said. The griffin took her silence as a 'yes' and quickly produced a mirror for her to use. Rainbow Dash quickly looked into the mirror, which the griffin held up, and her jaw dropped. Her multi-colored mane was sticking out in all directions as if she had been the subject of a bad lightning storm. She quickly brought her hooves up to her mane and began to rigorously pat all the hair down. With one last shake she took one more look into the mirror. Satisfied, Rainbow nodded. "Thanks." The griffin nodded in return. "Anytime. Oh, and by the way. I'm Steel." He bowed before placing the brush and mirror back under his wing. "Steel... cool name. I'm Rainbow Dash. Element of Loyalty." She held out her hoof. The griffin obliged with a smile and shook her hoof. "Hey, Rainbow Dash." Gilda was standing near a small statue of the sun. "I didn't expect you to take waking up this early so well." Rainbow trotted over with a smile. "Yeah, well, you're not the only one who has changed." Silence. Changed. The silence hung for a few moments until Gilda spoke up. "I guess you're wondering why I woke you up so early." she said. Rainbow nodded and looked to the sun statue. "So what is this thing anyway?" "A statue." Gilda said with a slight smirk. Rainbow facehoofed. "No, I mean, what's it for?" "Twilight made it." Rainbow Dash's eyes widened at the mention of her friends name. "T-Twilight was here?!" she asked a little louder than she thought. Gilda nodded and turned to the statue. "Yeah, actually, everyone's been here. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and even Applejack. You're the last one to show up." She turned to see Rainbow Dash apparently still stunned. The griffin couldn't help but chuckle. "Anyways. It's a shield of some sort." she said as she looked back to the statue. "Only the Elements can activate it, according to Twilight." Rainbow shook her head. "What, why? Why only the Elements and what's the shield for anyway?" "I dunno. Twilight designed it, but left shortly after. I never did get a chance to ask her about it." The Element of Loyalty was the only one left. She knew she had to do something, but she didn't know what the statue would do, especially being made by Twilight. Rainbow didn't doubt her friends' magical ability, but it has been five years since she's seen her. She let out a sigh, but suddenly realized she could feel a small pulse coming with within the stone. She felt them all. The other Elements. Her friends. They may not be there physically, but she could feel their presence. She smiled as she now knew what to do. "RD?" Gilda asked, worried. Rainbow shook her head once again to clear her thoughts. "I know what to do." Gilda shrugged and stepped aside. Loyalty looked up to the large concrete sun bearing over her. She closed her eyes for a moment to focus. Twilight. Applejack. Pinkie Pie. Rarity and Fluttershy. You were all here before me. I don't know where you all are now, and I know you're not here, but I know you're with me in spirit. We're the Elements of Harmony, no... we're more than that. We're friends. Best friends! I just want you all to know that I've never once doubted our friendship. I know that someday we will all see each other again and I look forward to it. I'll always be loyal to you guys. You mean the world to me. "Rainbow Dash?" Gilda began. Rainbow heard her, but chose not to respond. Her chest felt warm and she didn't want to spoil the sensation. For a second she thought she heard her friends laughing. They sounded happy. "Your necklace!" Gilda said with slight enthusiasm. "It's glowing!" She snapped out of it and looked down to see her Element emanating a warm red glow. Rainbow, initially surprised, beared a look of determination across her face and moved closer to the sun before her and placed her hoof against the hard concrete. A red pulse washed over the concrete sun immediately after the Element of Loyalty had made contact. Rainbow quickly took a few steps back and watched the magic unfold. Gilda too stepped back and stood beside Rainbow Dash, her beak agape. The sun began to emanate it's own heat as a purple glow began to overtake it. Twilight, was all Rainbow Dash could think of. Suddenly a purple light shot out from the sphere and into the sky. The light stopped high in the sky as a dome began to form around the entire town. Ponies and griffins looked in awe as the magical barrier continued to shape around them. Silence followed the barriers completion, but it was shortlived as cheers and shouts rang out around the large town. "Hope" was beginning to live up to it's name. "Well. Ain't that something." Gilda said with her beak still wide open. Dash only nodded in agreement. The day went by with Rainbow Dash signing autographs and telling stories of her years on the run from the "evil queen". It was an eventful day full of celebrating and music. The town appeared to be visibily happier as they would always be smiling when Rainbow Dash walked by. Smiles. It's been years since Rainbow Dash had seen a genuine smile. It reminded her of Pinkie Pie. The Element of Laughter. If Pinkie were here, Dash thought with a smirk. It was getting late and the sun was beginning to set on the horizon. Rainbow watched with a mixture of sorrow and anger. Celestia was long gone. Banished into the sun by the mysterious alicorn those five years ago. Come say that to my face!" Rainbow Dash yelled at the black alicorn with the flowing red mane and piercing green eyes. "Oh? Have I hurt your pride?" the alicorn said; each word dripping with malice. "Shut it!" Rainbow was the last one standing. The others lay, unconsious, to her left. Even Celestia herself was struggling to stand. "The Element of Loyalty. I can now see why it chose you." the alicorn began. "A foolish choice." she spat before sending a magic beam of energy from her horn. "Just stay down like the rest of your worthless friends!" The Element of Loyalty barely had anytime to react, but she managed to call up a dome shaped shield infront of her, courtesy of the Element hanging around her neck. The blast was halted for a moment, but it pressed onward. Rainbow's necklace, glowing brightly, began to burn under the immense pressure of the alicorn's powerful magic. I've... gotta... hold. It. she thought to herself as cracks began to run along the length of the shield. "Foolish." the alicorn said once more before sending her full power against the shield. Rainbow Dash cringed as the shield buckled and shattered. "Gah!", she screamed as the blast hit square in the chest. The world went black. "Rainbow?", came a voice from beyond her dream. "Rainbow Dash?", it called again. For a second, Rainbow Dash envisioned herself in the Ponyville Library. "Not now Twilight." she said as she buried her face back into the latest Daring Do novel. "Uhh... it's Gilda, RD." The pegasus snapped out of her memory and opened her eyes to see Gilda grinning at her. She appeared to be holding back a laugh. Rainbow turned red and stood up from the steps under the sun statue. "Oh, sorry". From what she could see, it was now dark out, but the glow from the forcefield enveloped the town around her. "Don't be. Besides", Gilda motioned for the pegasus to follow. "I've got something to show you. Something Twilight said to give to you once the shield was up." Nodding, Rainbow followed Gilda back to the griffin HQ. "So tell me, Gilda." Rainbow said as she caught up. "How did you get to be captain anyway?" The griffin smiled and shrugged. "Long story, but short version is I saved somepony's life. Turns out they were important to some military official. Hearing about my skill in claw to claw combat, he enlisted me, promoted me, and sent me here." Rainbow Dash tilted her head in confusion. "That's it?" she asked. Gilda nodded. "That's it." "Talk about a boring story." "Hey! I told you it's longer than that." "I'm sure it is, Gilda." Rainbow grinned. "Ok, tell me your story." Gilda raised a brow. "Uhh..." was all the pegaus could say. Gilda facepawed and realized what she just said. "Oops, sorry RD. Heat of the moment." Rainbow nodded understandingly. "It's cool. There's not much to tell other than what's already been said." she began with a hint of sadness. "But! I was the last to go down. No one beats Rainbow Dash that easily." The prideful pegasus puffed out her chest to emphasize her point. Gilda chuckled before she said, "Whatever you say, Rainbow Crash.", which awarded her with a playful jab into her side. Both the pegasus and griffin laughed, but stopped as they reached the door to the griffin HQ. "That reminds me", Rainbow began, "What did you want to show me?" Gilda smirked. "Come to my office and I'll show you." Rainbow's mouth was wide open at the sight. Gilda chuckled. "I knew you'd like it." Rainbow was staring at a set of pegasine armor which appeared to have been modified just for her. The color was black and outlined with gold accents. She recognized the design. It was similar to the one she wore when she was playing Commander Hurricane during that play. However, it was still different. The gold lightning bolt on the front was missing, but in it's place was a grove that matched her necklace perfectly. Greaves of the same color were placed near it. The most notable feature on the armor was a sword that appeared to be built into the armor. It was located on the backside. The sword appeared it wouldn't hinder her flying with the way it was positioned. Everything was perfect. Except for one problem. Weight. "Uhh...", she began, "How much will all this weigh?" Gilda tapped her beak in thought. "I dunno. I remember Twilight saying something about some sort of enchantment she put on it, but I wasn't really paying attention. I was already half asleep halfway through her monologue". Rainbow nodded in understanding of her pain. "So... enchanted." Rainbow took a closer look at the set of armor near her. She picked up a greave and was surprised. "I-Its... weightless!" "Whaaa?!" "Look, check for yourself." Rainbow tossed the greave to Gilda. The griffin caught it, but was surprised by the weight of it. "Rainbow. It's kinda heavy". She said sheepishly. "Really? Cause I don't feel a thing." Rainbow thought for a moment. "Oh! She must have enchanted it so only I could use it!" she exclaimed. "Kinda like that mjoljor... or something." Rainbow said with a wave of her hoof. Gilda tossed the greave back to Rainbow. "Well I'll leave you to put it on." Rainbow tilted her head. "Why?" The griffin quickly scratched the back of her head, as if she'll find the answer somewhere back there. "Well... it's just weird seeing somepony undress." Rainbow quickly turned red and looked away in embarrassment. "Oh, right. That would be kinda awkward wouldn't it." "Yeahhhhh..." Gilda said before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. A few moments had passed and Gilda decided to knock on the door. "You alright in there Rainbow?" No response. She tried once more. Silence. Curious, Gilda opened the door and walked in to the sound of metal crashing against the ground. Her face immediately turned red upon seeing Rainbow Dash. The pegasus appeared to have had trouble sliding into the armor and must have fallen, knocking over the greaves. She probably didn't hear Gilda as her head and upper body was halfway inside, but her flank was raised to the sky and pointed directly at the door. Rainbow stopped struggling as she suddenly became aware of another presence in the room. "Gilda?" "Y-Yes?" "Help?"
Dreaming for Rainbows: Chapter 2False hope has been given. Hope itself becomes a bitter memory. Rainbows will fly away. I knew I was dreaming. It wasn't hard, because I had this same dream in the past. I think it was memories coming back, but I couldn't always be sure. I knew I never experienced any of these events myself, but I had eventually written it off it as the Elements showing me the world after we were defeated. Memories of the Elements? I don't know. It started as it usually had. I was in the sky, flying. The world seemed so peaceful. Perfect, almost, but it was cut short by a black shadow moving across the land. I looked up to see the sun. Not because I wanted to see if something was blocking it, but because I knew Celestia was in there somewhere. Waiting. Hoping. Alone. The shadows stopped. I flew down to take a closer look at what had happened and then the smell hit me. It smelled like something was burning. It was unfamiliar, but it reminded me of.... burns. As I got closer everything changed. The shadows were no longer permeating the ground which now gave me a clear look at the ruined cities, burned out towns, and bodies. When I first had this dream I couldn't sleep for a few days. I would be crazy if I wasn't disturbed by this all, but it still hurt to know what had happened following our failure. The pain in my heart was back. I'm an Element. I'm the Element of Loyalty! I let everyone down. If I hadn't... it's my fault all this happened. If I didn't grab that stupid amulet from Trixie, then maybe everything would have been alright, but I did grab the amulet and I invited that corrupting power into my body. I'm sor- "Rainbow Dash!" I was awake in an instant. I yawned as my mind began to reboot slowly. Whoever was at the door better have a good reason for waking me up so early. I just shook my head and made my way to the door. I stopped on one side, but didn't bother to open it. "Who is it?" I asked with a yawn in between. "It's me you silly filly!" I froze. Pinkie? "Pinkie Pie?! I-is that you?!" I shouted out as I swung the door open; effectively ripping it off it's hinges. "No." I looked up into those piercing green eyes. The alicorn smiled as her horn began to glow. "-inbow Dash!" Huh? "Rainbow Dash! Wake up!" Someone was calling my name. I really don't want to wake up right now. The Weather Team could get along fine without me. Maybe I'll go see Twilight today. Last I heard she had the latest Daring Do novel and I couldn't wait to get my hooves on it, but sleep was still number one on my internal checklist. Daring Do could wait until I got some more sleep. Fluttershy was probably awake by now and was probably feeding her animals. Food. Right, breakfast. Maybe sleep could wait. "Rainbow Dash. I said, WAKE UP!" I opened my eyes as the haze of memories disappeared into the back of my mind, again. I looked to the side of the bed to see Gilda impatiently tapping her claws against the floor. She didn't look too happy about my trying to sleep all day. I yawned. I couldn't think of anything to say at first, so I just stared blankly with half lidded eyes for a few seconds before I finally spoke. "Oh, good morning, Gilda." At least, that's what I thought I said, but Gilda nodded. "I know it's a bit early, RD, but I need you to come with me. The outer patrol reported some strange activity not too far from the town," she said with a hint of nervousness as she turned and made her way to the door, "I need to send someone in to check it out, but all my griffins are too large to even have a speck of stealth inside them." All I could do was nod. Gilda was right about the griffins. They were far too large and cumbersome to be of any use in a stealth mission. Not only is their armor heavy and loud, but their wings make a lot of noise when they fly. They may be stronger, but griffins were not as fast or quiet as a pegasus. Gilda seemed alright with my lack of an answer and exited the room. It was going to be a long day. Tomorrow, I told myself. Tomorrow I have to leave. The sun was still rising when I left my quarters. The sun. Celestia. I always thought the sun would just disappear if Celestia was absent, but it appeared that the mystery alicorn has taken it upon herself to raise both the moon and the sun. That alone could tell you how powerful she really was. I was still watching the sunrise when Gilda the Griffin landed beside me. I had heard her coming, because, like I said, they're too loud. We didn't talk for awhile as we both watched the sunrise. It was nice. For a second you could forget the world was dying and there was nothing you could do about it, but to keep fighting. It was quiet in the town so I guess that added to the moment. "Let's go RD," Gilda said as she began the walk to the main gate, "We should do this before everypony wakes up." I nodded and followed alongside. A few minutes had passed when we reached the gate, but I wasn't really keeping track of the time. My mind was too preoccupied with the gate being wide open and there being a lack of guard griffins. It made sense, I guess. Twilight must have made this forcefield of hers to be impenetrable. With the help of the Element's magic, maybe it was impossible to break through. What's the point of having the gate closed when there's an invincible shield just outside of it, right? "It's a few miles north of the city. My griffins couldn't get a good look, but they say they saw some of the "princesses" royal guards." Gilda didn't seem too bothered by this fact. She just simply rolled her eyes and stood before the forcefield. Why wasn't she stepping through? I was about to ask when Gilda answered. "I can't leave the town," she said, turning to face me, "I have duties here that need my full attention. I trust you can handle this on your own?" I waved a dismissive hoof and grinned, "In my sleep." I expected her to smile, but she simply walked back into town without looking back. Well, that's weird. Maybe she isn't much of a morning griffin. I shook my head to clear it. Right, just in and out. Easy. Either the griffins were really stupid, or I was being setup. Both. The clearing was empty. Nothing but rocks and the occassional plume of dust in the wind. Why would they send me here if- then it hit me. Why hadn't I noticed before?! Maybe I was too tired, or maybe I was the stupid one here. I knew Gilda better than anyone, but I just assumed her strange behavior was due to her supposed change. I took one last look at the empty clearing. I should have seen this coming. I was in Hope for a week and there was no disturbance of any kind. My Element should have been tracked, but they never came. Unless... the forcefield. It must be blocking magic from going in or out. Leave it to Twilight to think of every possible scenario, but I don't think anyone was prepared for this. The second I left the protection of the magic blocking forcefield was the second the alicorn would be able to track the inate magic that lay within the Element itself. Wait, why am I here and going off on an inner monologue when I could be flying back? That was all the push I needed as I took to the sky. If they were already there, then stealth was no longer an issue. Thanks to the wind cancelling enchantments around my armor, I rainboomed straight for Hope. A few miles was nothing when I was going at the speed of sound. Ten seconds later, I had already landed and was making my way through the forcefield. It was quiet. Too quiet. I shook my head. No time for bad wordplay. With my mind set, I began walking into the town at a cautious pace. It felt strange to see the entire town empty like this. It was always full of ponies and griffins doing whatever they needed to do during the day, but it was now a quiet and creepy ghost town. "I hadn't expected you to come back so early, Rainbow Dash." It was Gilda's voice, but I knew better. Gilda was a lot like myself and she wouldn't be up early just so she could wake me up and tell me to go do something. I knew Gilda and her eyes weren't green. I turned around to see what looked like Gilda smiling at me. Those green eyes were unmistakable. I doubt the alicorn would make an appearance, so there was only one other explanation. I got into a battle stance and held my head low in anger. "I thought you learned your lesson the first time," I said through clenched teeth, "Chrysalis!" Gilda laughed, but it was no longer her voice. "I knew you would figure it out eventually, but it's too late. The Princess shall be here shortly. I didn't think my slip-up on the eye color would go so unnoticed," she said with a smile, "But it appears I had overestimated you, Element bearer." I wouldn't be surprised if my coat was suddenly red. She tricked me, insulted me, possibly hurt Gilda, and has now endangered the lives of everypony in this town. It's your fault. You fell for this simple trap N-no, it's not my fault! You followed her commands. You betrayed everyone, because you were too stupid I'm not stupid! I didn't betray anyone! Was I seriously doing this? I pushed those thoughts to the back of my head. I could beat myself up over this later. I just hope I wasn't too late to do anything. Chrysalis would already be dead if the daggers I glared had been real. Maybe it was my fault, but I'll be damned if I let her hurt anypony else. "Where's Gilda?!" I was surprised at the volume of my voice and Chrysalis even took a step back. Was it the enchantments on the armor? Chrysalis, still as Gilda, smiled and regained her composure. "I'm sure she'll be alright, little pony," she began with a hint of laughter, "She's made of much tougher stuff than she lets on." Your fault. I continued to push those thoughts to the back of my head. "I hope for your sake that she isn't hurt," I said with a slight stomp of my hoof, "Otherwise I'll have to hurt you pretty bad." My threats seemed to roll off of her as she began to laugh. "Tell me, Element bearer, what can you possibly do to hurt me?" she said with enthusiam, "I am a Queen and you are nothing but a lowly warrior who is long past their due." You can't beat her. No, but I can make it hurt. The Queen of the Changling's mouth was open in shock and surprise. She was on the ground a few feet away and her griffin disguise was gone, and, to top if off, two hoof prints were embedded firmly into her chest. "W-what?! Y-you're not that f-fast! Nopony is t-that fast!" she stammered in surprise as I stood over her. "I'm just full of surprises aren't I?" I didn't want to give away the secret of my speed. For all I knew, she could take apart the enchantments in my armor. I knew Twilight, and she would be pissed if she found out all her hard work was taken apart by the Changling Queen. /ZZZZZTTTT/ Huh? Why was I looking up? I was- oh. "But you're not fast enough it would seem, little pony." The Queen was already on all fours. Her horn was glowing. Crap. I got back onto my hooves and shook off the dirt. I didn't even see her horn glow when she hit me. Someone's been practicing, but unfortunately for her so had I. Five years of constant battle can really teach you how to approach enemies who could sling magic around. Chrysalis began circling me. I had to keep an eye out. My armor may protect me from elemental attacks, as it seemed to do, it wouldn't protect me from blunt force. I focused some of my Elemental magic into my necklace and kept the thought of a forcefield in my head. If she was going to sling powerful magic around, I needed help from the Element that hung around my neck. Chrysalis let out a sickly green bolt of magic and I quickly brought up the shield. The bolt slammed against it and disappeared. That didn't feel like an all out attack. She was testing my ability. This was bad, because if I used all my tricks at once, she would learn how to deal with them rather quickly. I had to end this as quickly as possible. She sent out a few more bolts only to be stopped by my forcefield. Usually, whatever magic the Element had would nearly be drained, but I think the magic that surrounded the armor gave it some extra juice to stay up. Thanks, Twilight. The Changling continued to circle me. I was watching her legs when it hit me. First, it was literal, but I then realized what she was doing. We were nearing the town center where the concrete sun- oh no. I guess she hadn't expected me back so soon. I suppose she decided to do the next best thing and push me to the center of town. It's no wonder her attacks were half-assed up until now. How could I be so stupid! It will always be your fault. I shook my head. These thoughts were seriously becoming annoying. Another bolt of magic broke me out of my inner monologue and I glared at the Queen, but that's when I saw some movement behind her. I moved slightly to the right and saw Gilda, who was covered in cuts and bruises, sneaking behind Chrysalis. She winked at me and continued her silent approach. I looked back to the Queen and just in the nick of time as another bolt slammed against my shield which caused me to stagger back. She was tapping into more mojo that time. It was only a matter of time before she decided to let loose, and, if her status was anything to go by, she was extremely powerful. Not in the same ballpark with the Princesses, but she was well above any regular unicorn. I needed a plan. No, she would figure it out. I needed an anti-plan. Something that would take her by surprise and leave her flank open for attack. Oh. It was so simple! Even I was surprised by my train of thought, so it just might work. "Hey! Holes for brains!" I shouted with a grin. "CHARGE!" I galloped straight for her. I expected her to take a step back in surprise, but she stood her ground. Oh well, it's too late to turn back now. I looked behind her to see Gilda had already taken to the air and was coming down on Chrysalis from behind. It was going to work, is what I would like to say, but I noticed the glint in her eyes as she saw what I was doing. Oh. Crap. She disappeared in a flash of green as Gilda crashed into my chest and sent us both rolling to the ground. Ow. "Shit, RD! You were supposed to be distracting her!" Gilda shouted as she got up. "Me?! You're blaming this on me?! You're the one with wings the size of a house! It's no wonder she heard you coming!" I yelled back. We both went silent and turned our heads to face Chrysalis, who was laughing at the both of us. Gilda and I both had the same idea as we took a step forward. That was a mistake. Chrysalis was right infront the concrete sun statue; her horn aglow. I knew what was coming next and I'll be damned if I let it happen. I flapped my wings a few times as I shot off like a bullet towards Chrysalis. All your fault. What?! I suddenly realized what was happening as if time had slowed to a crawl. I saw Chrysalis holding Gilda down. I turned to look at the Chrysalis standing infront of me with a grin right before I phased right through the copy and crashed shoulder first into the sun statue. You've done it now. I quickly recovered and looked down to the chunks of concrete and rock that was once the concrete sun. A symbol of Hope and a beacon of light in these times of darkness. Now it was gone. You've failed them all. Just like before. I closed my eyes. I heard the sound of the barrier shattering around the town. It will always be your fault. You can't stop it. I was right. It was my fault. I let everyone down. You don't belong here. I didn't open my eyes as I took to the sky. I didn't open my eyes as I chose a direction to fly in. I didn't open my eyes until the tears began to sting. It's all my fault. Just like before. I let everyone down.
The Tarnished Memories of One Called Loyalty: Chapter 3Cannot stop. Cannot turn back. The frayed wings of a once proud rainbow blow in the winds of regret The Crystal Empire, or rather what's left of it. Why did I come here? It's all ruins now. No Cadence. No Shining Armor. No Crystal Heart. Not a single damn thing left. And it's all your fault. Shut up! It wasn't... I mean.... I didn't want it to be. Hm? I looked up to the clouds to see it was raining. Rain. Was I crying? I can't even tell. I remember when the rain used to mean something to me. To everypony. A rainbow always followed the rain, but now I'm not so sure. My eyes stung. Was I really crying? Your fault. Yeah. It was. I looked to the ruined buildings around me as I walked through the ruined empire. Hard to believe anypony ever lived here, but they did. I saw them. Hay, I even knew most of them. I sighed. Now's not the time to wallow in my self pity. I need to keep moving. The alicorn's forces will be following me. //SNAP// I stopped in an instant as my wings flared at the sound. I quickly turned my head in search of the source of the sound. Left. Right. Nothing. I sighed and gave a little smile. Come on, Rainbow. Stop being so jumpy, I chuckled; the rain still pouring down my face as I broke into a soft laugh. Or was I still crying? I bet Pinkie Pie would start planning a 'Turn that frown upside down' party the moment she saw me. She did always like making me laugh. I looked up to the rain and closed my eyes, silent. I remained that way for a few moments before my thoughts broke my temporary peace, and I looked back down to the ground. Keep moving. They're coming. Right. Gotta keep moving. Against the rain. My gaze returned to the cloudy sky above. I doubt even a rainbow would show. I shook my body, my armor making a bit of noise, but not enough to carry more than a few feet in the rain. I felt my wings unfold against my sides and open up before giving a few practice beats and lifting my body into the sky. The rain and wind pushed against my body. Even with the armor, I was unable to break the sound barrier. I sighed, but quickly regretted it as I got a mouthful of rainwater. I choked and coughed it up and quickly shook my head clear. Guess I was right about there being no rainbow in the rain, I thought, smiling weakly. The Crystal Empire, or rather the Crystal Ruins were now long behind me. I hadn't known I would end up there. I just wanted to get away from Hope. I followed my instincts, and they brought me straight to the Crystal Empire. It was the first to fall. The Crystal Empire. 6 Years Ago. "Rainbow Dash!", Twilight called to the pegasus hovering above. "I need you to take out as many changelings in the air as you can. Can you do that?" The rainbow maned cerulean pegasus nodded and saluted before taking to the sky. "Pinkie", The unicorn turned to the bright pink earth pony who was smiling brightly. "I need you to man the cannons on the walls, but be careful. These aren't filled with a party." Pinkie nodded and giggled. "Well of course, silly filly! I know they're real cannons!" Twilight rolled her eyes and remained silent. Pinkie smiled as she got the hint and bounded to the castle walls. "Look at you being a little leader.", came a soft and reassuring voice. Twilight turned and immediately smiled at her step-sister, best friend, and old foalsitter Princess Cadence. "Well, somepony has to be in charge. Might as well be me." Twilight's smile faded as she noticed the strained look in her sisters' eyes. She wouldn't last any longer. This wasn't like when King Sombra attacked. The Crystal Heart was proving to be useless against this new foe. Cadence smiled weakly and embraced Twilight in a hug. "It'll all be over soon." Rainbow Dash had already begun her work as she noticed the shield surrounding the Crystal Empire beginning to crumble. There was only one explanation, but she pushed that thought to the back of her head and flew straight into the oncoming army of changelings when there was a bright flash of red and everything turned black. The first betrayal. Maybe if I hadn't just flown straight into the fight like that. Maybe the empire would still be standing. Maybe Cadence and Shining would still be around. If I hadn't have been a stupid idiot, then everything would have turned out differently. You betrayed them. You did this. You destroyed the empire. Then a bright flash of lightning flooded my vision. The Crystal Empire 6 Years Ago. Sometime after the fall. The empire was empty. The homes were nothing but blocks of shattered crystal. The bodies of ponies lay everywhere. The castle itself, once a beacon of light, love, and hope, was simply gone. Turned to dust, and all who dwelled within, by the power of the mysterious alicorn. A pegasus stood before the mound of crystal sand. She wore no expression as she saw what had happened when she was knocked out of the fight so early on. Twilight had told her that Cadence and Shining were in there when it was disintegrated. They were gone, and it was all her fault. I awoke within a cave. When did I fall asleep? It suddenly hit me, no pun intended, that I was in pain. My body ached and it hurt to move. There was a fire next to me, and somepony was sitting beside it. I couldn't really make them out through the flames, but I could tell it was a unicorn and I thought I could see some purple fur through the dancing reds and yellows. Twilight? Twilight?! "T-Twilight?", was all I could sound out. My voice was dry and raspy. But it seemed to have gotten her attention. My vision began to blur as she moved around the flame and stood infront of me. Twilight Sparkle. She was here with me. I gave a weak smile as she kissed my forehead, painfully, but I suddenly realized that my head hurt and that the world was getting darker. She tried whispering something to me, but I couldn't hear through the haze now clouding my head. She gave one last kiss to my forehead and walked out of the cave before I blacked out completely. "Twilight?!", I shot up from the cave floor and looked around. The remnants of the fire were there, but Twilight wasn't. I looked to the cave floor and only saw one pair of hooves. Was I dreaming the whole thing? //Clack// It took a moment for the sound to register as a small rock falling before I put out the fire with a quick flap of my wings and slowly went down to my stomach. Somepony was out there. Did they find me? No, the rain would have masked my scent. And the visibility was too low for me to have a tail. //Coughcough// Were they coughing? Not very sneaky. "R-Rainbow Dash...", came a familiar, but weakened, voice. "I know you're here". Gilda coughed a few more times before collapsing at the cave entrance. Gilda? Why was she here? She should have been dead! I... I left her. Was she being mind controlled? Was she hear the kill me? Was she acting? She's dangerous. Kill her. She's my friend. She needs my help! She'll kill you. Kill her first. I... I don't know. My mind was fighting with itself. An internal debate of literal life and death. I could only watch as my body moved on it's own to stand over Gilda, my oldest friend. I could only watch as I raised my hoof and brought it down to bear on her head. Loyalty, indeed.
