//------------------------------// // Chapter I: Evil's Return // Story: A Dash of Hope // by CaptainAwesome9 //------------------------------// The sun shone on the on the grassy field, only interrupted by the shadows of tall trees. The spring breeze blew though the budding plants and leafing trees. It was perfect weather for flying. At least, according to the cyan pegasus soaring though the air high above the clearing. Rainbow Dash loved days like this. Not only had the pegasi cleared the sky of any clouds, there was a breeze that was just the perfect speed to allow her to reach her top speeds. Of course, she didn’t need the help of the wind to go fast, but it didn’t hurt. The tops of the trees below her were just blurs as she sped at speeds any pegasus would be proud of. But she was just getting started. ********************************************************** Far away, in a not so bright valley holding the ruins of a long forgotten castle, something much more sinister was taking place. At first the valley was quiet and uneventful. But that changed when the space above the ruins exploded A wormhole opened up in the midst of the explosion, throwing two beings out at a tremendous speed. The beings were lock in tight grip of one another, neither able to let go. They hit the ground with such a force, it would have smashed them into pieces had they not been frozen in a magical barrier. Just as swiftly as it had come, the wormhole closed up, leaving the two beings lying in a huge crater next to the castle ruins, which were now even less intact. At first neither moved, frozen in the position they had entered the world in. Then, one of the beings shattered out of the spell and sat up. At first, it took in its surroundings with an uncertain gaze. After determining that they were real, it shot up with a triumphed grin. It was in awe that it was finally free, after so many years. With no time to waste, it morphed into a cloud of darkness and faded into the night. When the pony that was still lying in the crater finally managed to break the barrier and sit up, a different emotion crossed his face; despair. He had failed everyone; he hadn’t been strong enough to hold that vile creature for eternity. He got up, head hung in defeat. It was over, they were all doomed. He had only postponed their fate, he couldn’t stop it. A surge of anger shot though his body. Just because he had failed at holding the monster didn’t mean he was going to go down without a fight. He prepared to chase after the cloud, but then stopped short as he felt a presence like he never had before, far away. It was a strong presence that shone like a beacon of light in the darkest reaches of a cave. And it was destined to vanquish the dark forever. The pony’s eyes lit up. It wasn’t over! There was one who could defeat the monster once and for all. But she wasn’t ready, not yet. Suddenly filled with hope and purpose, the pony charged up his horn. He hoped he had enough power left to cast a locate and teleport spell. When he felt the same presence tugging on his horn, he knew he had succeeded. With a flash, he was gone, leaving the valley as quiet as it had been before. ********************************************************** With her mane flat against her neck, Rainbow Dash shot upwards at a ninety degree angle at tremendous speeds. She was about test a new move of hers that was sure to impress even The Wonderbolts. She called it the Swirling Rainburst. First, she flew up to a high altitude. Then, she would start spinning in a wide circle slowly descending towards the ground. Eventually, when she was close to the ground, the circle was tight enough that it created a wind tunnel. When Rainbow Dash was about 50 meters from the ground, she suddenly reversed directions and shot up though the small opening of the tunnel. The effect was far better the Rainbow Dash could of ever imagined. She reached a speed that was not far behind a Sonic Rainboom, but that wasn’t the big the amazing apart. She was defying gravity to a full extent; completely weightless as she sped towards the heavens above. And she loved it the whole way. She felt so wonderful; so free. Nothing controlled her while she was flying. In the air, she was the master. Rainbow Dash continued to rise until she was past even where the highest clouds would pass over the ground, had there been any. She continued until even the air seemed to freeze onto her face and decided she shouldn’t go any further. No pony had ever passed too high above the clouds, not even Princess Celestia. ‘Maybe someday…,’ Rainbow Dash thought hopefully as she dropped back down to the ground. As Rainbow Dash touched down in the meadow, she realized the Swirling Rainburst had taken a lot out of her. She could barely move her wings. She had been flying most of the evening and Celestia’s sun was almost below the horizon. She was so tired she didn’t even notice the hooded unicorn approaching her until he was right in front of her. When the unicorn came into Rainbow Dash’s sight, she jumped back so fast she tripped over her back hooves and fell down into the clover. The hooded unicorn heisted, and then waited for Rainbow Dash to get back on her hooves before speaking. “Art thou the one named Rainbow Dash?” he asked with a heavy accent. Right away, Rainbow Dash could tell there was something different about this unicorn. He appeared out of nowhere, no sound, no anything. It didn’t faze her that he knew her name; lots of ponies knew her name. But the way he was dressed was what made her the most uneasy. He was wearing a jet black cloak that covered all of his body and cast a shadow across his face that hid all the features except his eyes and the tip of his horn. The cloak didn’t seem to be made of any kind of material Rainbow Dash was familiar with. She was so lost in his appearance, she had forgotten he had asked her a question, and it took the unicorn to ask again for her to answer. “Um…yeah that’s me,” Rainbow Dash managed with a small smile. The hooded unicorn’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Excellent, then thou must come with me at once. We hast very important things to discus.” “His accent…is so much like Princess Luna’s,” Rainbow noted to herself as she continued to back away. Suddenly her wings didn’t feel so tired. Meeting a strange pony in the woods that wanted her to come with him wasn’t setting right with her. “You know… it’s getting late, I really should be hitting the hay,” Rainbow said as she lifted off the ground. Being late, however, was only half the reason she wanted to leave. Immediately, the unicorn’s expression changed from joy to rage. “NO…THOU MOST COME WITH ME! I COMMAND IT!” The tone alone sent Rainbow flying backward in fright, nearly hitting a tree in the process. Realizing he was only scaring Rainbow Dash, he stopped a moment to regain some sanity before continuing. “I apologize for upsetting thou, but thou most listen to me. A great evil is rising, and I believe thou art the only one that can stop it.” With a pleading look, he waited for a response as Rainbow took in what he was saying. Rainbow knew what she needed to do. With a confident nod, Rainbow declared, “Well let’s go then. Just give me a second to…OH NO WHAT IS THAT!” Rainbow pointed behind the unicorn in a frightened stare. The unicorn whirled around, horn charged, ready for any creature that posed a danger. However, he scanned the forest for anything at all, but found nothing. Turning around in a confused gesture, he asked, “What art thou speaking o…,” before realizing he was alone the clearing. ********************************************************** Rainbow Dash was already out of sight of the clearing. She had left the second the unicorn turned around, and she didn’t prepare to stop until she got to her house on the outskirts Ponyville. She didn’t know what was wrong with the strange unicorn in the wood and she didn’t care. All she wanted to do was to go home and forget the encounter ever took place. When she finally caught sight of the cloud her home sat atop of, she was exhausted. She had been flying non-stop for 20 minutes after her wings were already tired from practicing all afternoon. Rainbow touched down softly in front of her front door and let out a large sigh. She couldn’t get the conversation with the hooded unicorn out of her head, even when collapsed down onto her bed. “He was just some hermit pony who went crazy from living in the woods too long,” Rainbow whispered to herself as she closed her eyes. But as her eyes closed, her mind wouldn’t stop repeating what the unicorn had said. “A great evil is rising, and I believe thou art the only one that can stop it.” ********************************************************** Back in the forest, that same unicorn was trying to locate Rainbow with the same spell he had used before, but found he was too weak. He needed to rest before he could perform it again. With an agitated sigh, he trotted away to find some shelter. He would find her again. He just hoped it wouldn’t be too late…