Rainbow Dash couldn’t sleep well that night. Her mind was filled with one face... the face of Fluttershy, screaming and flailing as she fell to her death. How could I just leave her? How could I forget about Fluttershy?
The wind blew into her cloud room, and a whisper hit Dash’s ear, “Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash. We will end your pain.”
“What?” She sat up in her bed, “Who's there?”
A menacing laugh was the answer. She looked at the direction of the laugh, and gasped as two mist-creatures began their emergence from the mist that was flowing into Dash's room.
The pegasus jumped on her hooves, reared back, and flared her wings.
The two minions of Darkness materialized into form. Coldness ran through Dash's spine at the sight of the dark creatures, but she narrowed her eyes and asked, “Who are you? What are you doing here in my room?”
“Rainbow Dash, the false Spirit of Loyalty. We found you guilty in using the Element of Loyalty without being worthy.“
Dash raised one of her eyebrows. “False Spirit? I’m the one and only true Spirit of Loyalty!”
“Then why are you haunted by your past?” asked the minion.
“I...”
“How many times did you send your friends away when you were reading Daring Do? You called the bearer of Magic an egghead, but you were too proud to admit that you loved reading. You instead alienated yourself from your friends.“
Dash bowed her head. She let her wings down as her pride vanished.
“When you became the hero of Ponyville, all you cared about is your fame and glory. You left your friends, and the only reason you didn’t lose them is because they created Mare Do Well.”
It's true...
“And about the bearer of Kindness,”—it snorted—“do I even have to say anything?"
Fluttershy's scream reappeared in her head. Dash clenched her eyes, bowed her head on her bed, and put her front hooves on her ears.
“Make it stop! Make it STOP!”
“Don’t worry, poor Rainbow Dash. We will end your pain, as we ended your friends’ as well.“ it laughed at the last part.
Dash jerked her head up. “What? What did you do with my friends?”
“You will see soon enough,” replied the shadow, and started walking towards Dash.
Dash narrowed her eyes, and went back into charge position.
“Stop where you are!” yelled Dash.
More laughter was her answer.
Dash did not hesitate. Flapping her wings, she shot herself towards the laughing one with her right front hoof stretched forward.
She flew through the body of the minion, then stopped in midair behind them.
“What the?” said Dash, and turned around.
The minions also turned and walked towards Dash.
“You fool, no muscle can hurt us!“ roared the minion.
Dash, her breathing becoming more and more rapid, looked around, but found nothing to fight her opponents.
“Twilight, TWILIGHT!” she cried and rushed out of her room, evading the two minions. She flew out of her house and glanced back. The two creatures were not grounded either. A pair of black wings emerged from each of their bodies, and with a flap they ascended, flying towards her.
Dash did not think twice. She aimed for Ponyville's library, and shot herself towards it. She sighed in relief when she glanced back. The dark pegasi were becoming smaller and smaller in her sight. Heh, you got wings, but nopony can keep up with me.
She rushed in through the window of the library. “Twilight! Where are you?” she asked. She was not surprised that the lights were on, as Twilight maintained the habit of staying awake through the night if she was doing research.
A shriek broke the quietness of the night. “Rarity? I’m coming!” shouted Dash, and with a flap of her wings she was already flying towards her new destination, the Carousel Boutique.
When she spotted the boutique, she also spotted two things that emitted green light. As she flew closer, the sight became a nightmare. Rarity and Twilight were wrapped up in two sickly green glowing auras, and four mist-creatures were walking with them, two with horns. Twilight looked up and spotted Dash.
“Run, Rainbow, RUN!” shouted Twilight.
Dash, now full with confusion, fear, and anxiety for her friends, glanced behind herself. The dark pegasi were getting close.
The grounded minions were laughing.
“Run? But where?” Dash yelled down.
“Go to Princess Celestia!” Twilight answered. “She must know how to counter these creatures.”
Dash turned towards Canterlot, but glanced down to her friends once more. “Don’t worry, I'll save you all!” she cried, and flew forward.
“You see, Twilight,” said Rarity, after Rainbow Dash left, “we still have hope!”
One of the horned minions just kept laughing.
“What are you laughing at, evil one?” Twilight asked. “Princess Celestia will—”
“Princess Celestia, Princess Celestia,“ it said with a mocking voice. “She even failed to defeat Queen Chrysalis. And also, both she and her puny sister were once prisoners of our Lord.“
Twilight and Rarity flinched, and the horned one burst out into another gloating laugh.
Must... fly... faster.
Rainbow Dash flapped hard to gain advantage over the minions. She managed to collect a few minutes when she reached the Canterlot Castle. However, she forgot about the guards.
“What do you think that is, Fill?” asked one of the guarding unicorns.
“I think it’s a pegasus,” replied the other one.
Rainbow Dash noticed the guards, but ignored them.
“Intruder! Stop where you are!” shouted the guard.
Rainbow Dash stopped when noticed that the guards were unicorns. Behind them was the entrance to the royal quarters, but getting through a group of military-trained spellcasters was even beyond Dash's abilities.
“I have to talk with Princess Celestia, now!” she yelled.
Inside her room, Princess Luna raised her head at the shouting. What is going on out there? She trotted to the window.
“Princess Celestia is sleeping, but even if she weren't, who are you to bother the princess without an appointment?” the guard shouted back.
“I’m Rainbow Dash!”
Oh Rainbow Dash, the bearer of Loyalty. She must be in a very urgent mission. Luna trotted out of her room.
“You cannot meet the princess at this hour!”
“Oh really? What if I do this?” Dash shot herself right at the entrance. However, the guards were ready, and grabbed the cyan pegasus in their telekinesis.
“Ah... let me go!”
Princess Luna landed on the balcony. “Guards, let her go."
The guards looked at her, and the captain answered, "Yes, my Princess." They positioned Dash on the ground and released their grab.
“Oh, Hi, Princess Luna!” Dash greeted her with a sheepish smile.
“Welcome. What brings thou here, young pegasus?” Luna asked.
Dash's smile withered and she looked at the direction she came from. “Two shadow pegasus ponies are chasing me. Other shadow ponies are in Ponyville. They took Twilight and Rarity."
“Oh no,” Luna's face darkened. After a moment of thinking, she said, “Follow me, Rainbow Dash. We need a safer place for thee. Guards!”
“Yes, my princess?”
“If you see two grey, mist-like pegasi with black eyes, fire on sight! Lethal spells permitted.”
“Acknowledged!”
Princess Luna walked into the castle, Rainbow Dash following her.
“Black eyes? You know the things I faced?” asked Dash.
Luna nodded. “I knew that this would happen, but Celestia hoped that you will not meet the minions of Darkness, because of your purity.“
“Oh, Darkness,” Dash said with a scratch of her head. “Twilight told us something about that. We all thought that it’s just a mistake in the book. I guess it’s not, then.”
“Indeed. Because you've failed to stay pure to your elements, you will face the Element of Darkness, and his minions. By this time, all of you must have been visited. I'm sorry to say Rainbow Dash, but thou must be the last one still free.“
“But you're more powerful than them! I’m sure that they're no match for you or Princess Celestia.”
Luna shook her head.
“What? How do you know?” Dash asked.
Luna stopped walking for a moment. “Because we tried.”
Dash's eyes grew. “Tried? When? How?”
Luna looked up through a window of the castle, and began storytelling in a voice that could have carried Dash to sleep, were she not terribly frightened. “Thousands of years ago, after we banished Discord from this world, the minions of Darkness came for us. We were accused of not being pure to our elements, which was true of course, as such a feat was impossible to achieve. Everypony makes mistakes, and we have lived for thousands of years. We made more mistakes than there are stars in the sky.“
“And how did you defeat Darkness?” asked Dash.
“We did not,” replied Luna and resumed walking. “Darkness imprisoned us. The day-night cycle stopped, and the moon was high on the sky when this happened. That was the longest night ever in the history of Equestria.
“Two months passed, and the vegetation was dying all across Equestria. When we thought all hope was lost, a young filly named Penny Light came for our rescue.”
Dash blinked A young filly? How could a young filly defeat an evil that is stronger than Princess Celestia?
“We thought that although she was brave, it was a foolish act to face Darkness alone. But something happened that we could not imagine: the little filly won. She banished Darkness and freed us from our prison.“
“How?"
“She said that the Element of Love aided her, and that is how she could defeat the Element of Darkness. She—"
“GUARDS, CHARGE UP!” the captain's voice was heard. Both Luna and Dash jerked her head towards voice.
Dash began shaking. “No! They're here, they're coming for me!”
“FIRE!”
Guards began rapid-firing magic bolts towards the flying minions. The creatures were working hard to evade the shoots, and although the bolts that hit them did push them back, they did no harm. They were slowly getting closer to the castle’s entrance.
“Please, Princess Luna, protect me!” Dash begged.
Luna shook her head. “I cannot. I have no power over Darkness.”
“Please, please! At least try!”
Luna sighed and looked down, thinking, then she looked at Dash. “Come with me!”
She trotted down the corridors and stairs of the castle, Dash flying behind her. They stopped at an old-looking wooden door, which Luna opened with her magic.
The room was almost empty, with just a bed and a desk with a few candles on it. There were no windows on the room.
Dash flew in. “What is this place?”
Luna walked in and lit up the candles with a small firebolt. “This room was once used by a professor who spent nights and days working on his research project. All that he requested was a quiet room, with furniture enough for sleeping and working."
“And what happened to him?”
“He died, fifteen centuries ago,“ answered Luna.
Dash winced.
“So I presume this will be the best place for thee to hide in the castle,” said Luna. “Nopony visits this room.”
“And what if they still find me?” asked Dash.
Luna walked out of the room and turned back. Her horn shimmered.
“I will cast the strongest barrier spell I know. Let us hope it will keep them out,” said Luna, then executed the spell. A half-transparent blue force-field appeared in the doorway.
“Oh thank you, Princess Luna. Thank you!“ Dash said, but Luna shook her head.
“Do not thank me, young pegasus. I doubt my magic will help here. But now if I stay with thee, the minions will locate thee. I am sure they can feel my presence, so let us hope that they cannot distinguish the magic of my barrier from the other sources of magic in the palace. Good luck, Rainbow Dash,“ said Luna, then teleported away.
With that, Rainbow Dash was left alone. She landed on the ground, looking around nervously. What if they find me? I... I don't know what this Element of Love is. She hung her head and closed her eyes. I wish I could have stayed pure.
Half an hour passed. Everything was quiet; however, Rainbow Dash was not the pony who could just stay in one place and do nothing.
I can't just sit here while my friends are in danger! I have to do something! She jerked her head up, and with a flap of her wings she was airborne. She tried flying out of the room, but froze at the door. The two dark pegasi were standing in front of her.
Dash flinched, staring at the minions. They were not moving; they stopped at the door. The barrier works. Rainbow Dash’s heart lightened, as her hope came back. She smiled.
“Haha! Now what you gonna do, huh? Princess Luna herself cast this spell,“ she challenged.
The dark creatures looked at each other. They began to laugh, looked back at the pegasus, and stepped through the force field.