> Rainbow Dash and the Demon Sword > by DualityOfMan > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1: Accident or Fate? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Ouch!" Yelled Rainbow Dash as she gently rubbed her head with her hoof. "I gotta stop having midnight practice sessions in the Everfree Forest when I can't sleep!" She got on her hooves and prepared to take off once again, but she happened to catch a glimpse of a fleeing shadow out the corner of her eye. 'I wonder what that is...' She thought. Rainbow quickly took off in the shadow's direction, yelling "Hello? Who's there?!". However, it was too dark for her to see correctly. She turned around, discouraged, but was quickly pushed back by some unknown force in the darkness. It grabbed her by the neck, growling. "Who the heck are you?!" She spat out through raspy breaths, making slight croaking noises as the creature's grip grew tighter. "I'm the reason death exists ," the demon said, his horrid breath bringing tears to Dashie's eyes. It was then that Rainbow began to truly feel fear. She trembled and cried, knowing that this creature was out for blood. It began tightening it's grip, crushing her slowly. She heard a crack and was dropped rather unceremoniously to the floor, fading in and out of consciousness. During her time knocked out, she vaguely noticed another shadowy figure moving fluidly through the trees, apparently fighting the demon. The shadow appeared before her, and she fully knocked out as it lifted her up. ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Rainbow Dash woke up with a start, screaming loudly. However, she quickly recovered and looked around wildly. She appeared to be inside a tent of some kind, furnished with surprisingly good decor. She discovered she was in an actual bed, made of mahogany and covered in burgundy sheets. Rainbow got up and flew toward the exit flap, but was interrupted by someone entering the tent. "Hey there!" Exclaimed a cheerful little humanoid girl. She was clothed in a black dress with red stripes along the sides, and wore a pendant resembling a demonic eye. She had dragon-like wings and small, yellow horns jutting out of her head. She had eyes closely resembling those of her pendant, and a small tail with a spear-like tip. Her hair was blood red, long and curly. "How did ya sleep?!" "What the hay?!?!" Rainbow yelled, astonished by the creature's perfect pronunciation of words and it's appearance. "Oh, I see, it's my appearance! I can fix that..." Began the creature, and it began a quick transformation into a pony. She still had all the same features, save a completely black skin color and a red circle surrounded by a faint fire as a cutie mark. "I'm Lucy! Nice ta meetcha!" "Wh-what are you?" RD asked fearfully, slowly building up the courage to speak. "A demon!" Lucy replied cheerfully. However, sensing the fear it struck in her new friend, she quickly added that she was "one of the nicer ones." "What do you want from me?" Rainbow inquired, a bit more natural now. "You were being attacked by one of the more garden-variety type demons, and I saved you," Lucy explained, carefully choosing her words so as not to frighten her new friend. "You were lucky I was there! They would have done unspeakable things to a girl like you! Say... What's your name, anyway?" "Rainbow Dash! I'm the fastest Pegasus in all of Equestria! In a couple of years, I'll be in the Wonderbolts!" Rainbow recited proudly. She was starting to like Lucy. They exited the tent and began walking around aimlessly. "Well, I hope you don't mind me asking, but---" she quickly drew in a deep breath and raised one finger up, signaling for Rainbow to be quiet. "What's going o---" she began, but was rapidly shushed by Lucy and pulled into a bush. "More demons!" Lucy whispered fiercely, wishing her new friend would be quieter. "Why skulk around when we could easily take them out together?!" Rainbow inquired impatiently. "I barely got rid of the last one!" Luce (Lucy's nickname) replied angrily. "I say you surrender! Your deaths will be much faster if you do," answered a deep voice from behind them. "Nonsense! Death would be---" Lucy stopped, realizing that the voice was not RD's. She glanced at her friend, who began shaking uncontrollably. "This is not good," was the last thing she said before they were dragged out of their hiding place by the hair and roughly thrown into trees. Luce rebounded off the trunk and jumped straight toward one of the four demonic mercenaries, her wings transforming into two slim, sharp blades. She sliced, but the demon laughed and blocked it with it's war axe. It then kicked the disoriented demon fillie into another tree. This time, she did no acrobatics. "That was easier than we expected!" Gloated the fat, pig-like demon, squealing with delight. "C'mon, girls! Give us a challenge!" "Buck you!" Rainbow said, struggling to get up. She was answered in turn by a powerful slap to the face, causing her to fall to the ground again. "Hahaha!!! This is what the mighty princess of Hell can do? My great grandmother puts up a better fight than you losers!" The pig-demon oinked gleefully. "Well, boys: looks like we're gonna have a slaughter tonight! And the reward will feed us for millennia!". It prepared it's axe for the coming execution, raising it high over his head like an executioner. "Rainbow!" Lucy yelled desperately, "Open your mouth!" "What?!" Dashie replied in disbelief. "Just do it!" Answered Luce angrily. "DIE!!!!" Screamed the pig-demon gleefully, laughing like a maniac with his partners. *CCCCLLLLLAAAANNNNNNGGGG!!!* rang the metal as the axe bounced off a shining black armor, adorned with lightning bolts reminiscent to the design of the Shadowbolts. In place of her regular cutie mark, a small, extremely circular demonic red face was in its place, frowning angrily at the world with sharp teeth poking out of it's mouth. The face had horns, bat wings, and a forked tail all connected directly to it's edges. The pig-demon squealed in confusion. "What the---" it began before being sliced to bits by a sword placed in Rainbow's mouth. The sword was deep black and had blood red edges. It was incredibly long, yet unbelievably light. It's cross guard resembled bat wings, and the pommel was adorned with one giant red demon eye. "Holy hay!!!" Rainbow yelled, in disbelief. She stared at herself incredulously until a familiar voice in her head warned her of her incoming aggressors. Rainbow responded faster than ever before, bucking a particularly ugly gremlin-like demon in the knee and decapitating it as it fell. It's head rolled in the way of its partner, causing the attacker to stumble. Rainbow, wasting no time, stabbed the creature through its cold heart, mindlessly murdering it within seconds. The remaining merc began to flee, yet RD easily caught up to it and cut off one leg, laughing maniacally. "What in Hell are you?!" The demon asked fearfully, cradling the fresh stump and rocking back and forth. "I'm the reason death exists!" Dashie screamed. She felt a surge of power arising from her back, and spears of pure darkness erupted out of her back and impaled the helpless creature before her, instantaneously killing it. To add insult to injury, the spears flew off into different directions, causing the body to be torn apart. RD laughed psychotically, soaked in the crimson blood of her enemies. She laughed more than Pinkie did when she was with Discord. However, within minutes, her giggles turned into silent sobbing as she realized what the evil power stored within Lucy had done to her. As soon as she came to her senses, she threw the sword as far away as she could and was about to stomp on it until Lucy reverted back into humanoid form, causing Dashie's armor to disappear. "What the Hell did you do to me?!" Rainbow Dash sobbed uncharacteristically. "I just recruited you," replied Lucy nonchalantly, looking toward Ponyville and the rising sun. "Now come on. We have a job to do, and worlds to save,"