//------------------------------// // The Battle // Story: The Element of Love // by Servant Phoenix //------------------------------// Entering the lower part of the castle, Dash looked around, but did not find anypony inside. Maybe they're in the upper part where we defeated Nightmare Moon, she thought, then followed the stairs up and flew into citadel. She froze. Her friends, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie were hovering in green glowing bubbles, whimpering from pain. In front of them, stood a stallion unicorn, taller than Princess Celestia. His body was completely black. He was facing the five mares, his horn glowing green. Shaking down the initial shock, she glared at the black unicorn. “Darkness, leave my friends alone!” Rainbow Dash yelled. Darkness stopped torturing Dash’s friends, and turned towards her. His eyes were dark red. “Ah, the false Spirit of Loyalty. So you reached the castle. Congratulations,” said the unicorn with a deep, echoing voice, filled with mockery. Twilight gasped. “Oh Dash, you're finally here! I don’t think we could—“ “SHUT UP!” Darkness shouted, and with a quick spell, he closed the mouth of the unicorn. Dash, with a glare that could have burned a hole into the wall, said, “I’m the true Spirit of Loyalty, and you’ll now release my friends!” Darkness laughed as a reply and started walking towards Dash. Dash charged directly at the face of the unicorn, with her right front hoof stretched forward. She hit the black unicorn, but she bounced off. "Whoa!" Rocketing backwards, Rainbow Dash shook her head and began rapidly flapping her wings. At the last second, she managed to regain control of her flight before she could have smashed into the wall behind her. She charged again. Before touching Darkness, she did four incredibly fast direction changes: left, right, right, left, making her stand behind Darkness, and bucked. Her strength reflected from the unicorn’s body, making her fly through her captured friends, hitting the wall behind them. The ponies in the bubble watched Dash with wide eyes. “You poor pegasus,“ said Darkness. He turned his face back and telekinetically grabbed the dazed Dash on her tail. He moved her in front of him, upside down. “You really thought you can deal any damage to me with your muscles? To me? The Element of Darkness?” He smirked. “Without magic, you're a meaningless opponent.” “So you want magic?” Dash smirked back. “Then you'll get magic!” And with a strong flap of her wings, she released herself from the telekinetic grab and punched the ground under her. A dome of magic flared out from her punch, hitting Darkness and knocking him back. Dash jumped, flew to the unicorn, and began circling around him. A rainbow tornado emerged, lifting the howling Darkness up, and carrying him away. “Now how do you like this one?” Dash said. “Dash, stop fighting. You're doing no damage to him,” said Love in Dash’s head. “No damage? I’m winning this match!” replied Dash. Darkness dispelled the tornado, turned to Dash and started mass casting small fireballs, throwing them at her. Dash dodged all of them without any problem. “Slow! Slow! Slow again!“ mocked she the casting unicorn. “Now what do you think about this!” said Dash, and flew towards Darkness, but with a little angle to his right, and in a quick move, she did a strong turn to his left in flight, and kept banking left, creating an arc of rainbow. The rainbow arc hit Darkness in his head, but did not even make a scratch on him. Darkness stopped casting fireballs, and started laughing in a deep tone. “You really thought that you could hurt me with your pitiful pegasi magic?“ Still laughing, he jerked his head from left to right, making a blazing arc of fire that rushed towards Dash. Dash barely managed to evade it, ducking on the ground with her eyes shut. It still singed her mane. What's this? He's not trying to capture me. He's trying to kill me! “Oh, being so agile, little pegasus?” mocked her Darkness, “Then dodge THIS!” The black unicorn’s horn glowed in green and he swung his horn down. A wall of energy emerged, moving forward to Rainbow Dash. It grew bigger and bigger, filling up the whole castle. Dash hopped in the air, but when she opened her eyes, she could only have a glimpse of the spell she could not evade. The wall of energy spell smashed Dash to the wall. She fell down, paralyzed. And I have nothing to counter him. “Dash, let me defeat Darkness,” said Love. How? No magic or muscle can hurt him! “Have faith in me, Spirit of Loyalty, as you had when you faced the minions in the room of the professor!” Still laughing, Darkness started walking towards the fallen pegasus. Dash succeeded to regain control of her muscles, and with a few groans, she stood up. She glanced up on her nemesis. Darkness’s horn was burning with fire. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, and lowered her head. I trust you, defeat him. Wind began to blow.  Small comets of light were flying into the castle through the windows and gaps of the walls. They flew to Dash and circled around her, making her brighter and brighter. The power of the comets slowly lifted her body and her head up. She opened her eyes. They were no longer pink, but shone like the sun on a summer day. She looked down at the dark unicorn. Darkness stopped his advance, and quit casting. His smile withered away. The floating pegasus started to speak, but her sound was no longer the same. Her sound was echoing, filled with glory and majesty. “Element of Darkness,“ 'she' addressed him. “What have I to do with you, Element of Love?“ Darkness replied, his voice trembling. “You shall not keep the bearers of the Elements of Harmony as your prisoners anymore. Let them leave!”         Darkness tried to disagree, “They sinned, therefore they are sentenced to be under my captivity.”         Element of Love, speaking through the body of Rainbow Dash replied, “We have settled this before. I am the one who decides if the bearers have to be punished or not. And now, I give them grace.“         “Well, sure...” Darkness glared the pegasus. He moved to battle stance, and his horn began to burn again. He was casting a huge fireball, thinking that he could still incinerate the body of the pegasus, making the presence of Love go away. “WHO ARE YOU TO OPPOSE ME?” shouted Love at an ear-shattering volume, making the whole castle shake. “I AM THE ELEMENT OF LOVE AND I AM PROTECTING THIS PEGASUS! I WILL NOT EVEN LET YOU BURN A HAIRBREADTH OF HER!“ Love brought Dash's front hooves close to each other and an orb of light that shot arcs grew in them. Darkness slung his enormous fireball towards the pegasus. Love, holding the orb of light in Dash’s right front hoof, spun and threw the orb against Darkness. When the orb collided with the fireball, it emitted a huge flash, but the fireball could not extinguish the orb. The fire amplified the orb of light. Darkness flinched with eyes wide. The orb, with increasing speed, flames waving out of it, shot at Darkness and hit him on his head. Darkness shone from the impact. “NOOOOOOOOOO!” shouted as he was vanishing by the power of the orb, becoming brighter and brighter. When the light was finally gone, Darkness vanished.