//------------------------------// // Chapter XI: The Accursed Day // Story: Downfall of Equestria // by Shadow Storm //------------------------------// Titan and Pyro backed up, either afraid of how things kicked off or recollecting themselves after witnessing the death of a fellow member and friend. I only stepped closer to them, expecting Night or Prowler to make a move. Instead they stood still, their eyes daring me to come closer. It was a moment of deadly silence, tensions building up in the small confined space of the car. "You will all die..." I said, stepping one step at a time, slowly approaching the four remaining enemies whom I cursed with death. "You're the one who will die here today!" Pyro shouted, stopping me in my tracks. As I figured, they began bolting towards me, ready for the second round. However this time it would be Pyro, Titan, and Prowler charging at me all at once. I stopped moving towards them and readied myself for the inevitable attack. In an instant I found myself surrounded by all three, Pyro swinging the first attack. I countered the move by ducking and hitting him across the face with my hoof. He fell to the ground with a loud thud while the others thrusted their swords at me. I quickly turned and smacked my sword against Titan's, jumping up in the air simultaneously to kick Prowler in the muzzle. Fortunately for him he dodged my counter. I landed on the ground again, the train swaying like it's about to give way. Titan tackled me and began delivering punches to my face. With a fast reaction, I bucked him off, causing him to smack violently against the side of the train. Before long I found myself trying to stand up until the train continued tilting to the side, showing no signs of stopping. "Oh crap! The train is about to fall off the side of the cliff into the ravine! Black Squadron head out!" Night shouted before blasting off out of the train in a trail of black static. Prowler and Pyro quickly followed suit, Titan just getting up to follow them. "Oh no you don't!" I screamed, taking Titan back down, holding him down to the ground to prevent his escape. It wasn't long before the train finally got derailed off the tracks, falling fast towards the bottom of the mountain. While entering free fall, Titan and I began to fight again, his head smashing against mine to try to get me off. All of a sudden the train began to roll violently, knocking us around as if it was rolling down the rough edges of the tall landscape. It seemed forever until one last smack against the ground caused everything to stop. My side began to ache horribly, my eyes quickly trying to investigate the now obliterated train. Though the car was not entirely destroyed, large parts of the walls have been ripped off, the floor of the car filled with multiple holes and bumps. I turned my gaze to the now silently still body laying in front of me, which was obviously Titan. I got down and checked his pulse, verifying that he, too, had been killed. I stood up and grinned, savoring the defeat of not only one, but two Black Squadron members. It wasn't long before my grin faded, my eyes springing wide open as I turned to see the car that was also connected to ours. The one Rainbow Dash and the others were in. I galloped as best as I could towards the seemingly intact car, smashing against the door only to be bounced off. The door showed no signs of being budged as I got up, my fear growing more and more by the second. "Rainbow! Eagle! Wolf! Are you okay?!" I screamed into the door, hoping they could hear me. No response. "Please! Say something!" Still no response. "Rainbow!! Please be alive!! Come on!!" I screamed louder, only to be answered with more silence before hearing a muffled sound coming from inside as my hopes dramatically rose, a smile appearing on my face while tears swelled in my eyes. "We're... okay!" I heard Rainbow Dash respond, causing me to cry out loud, happy to hear that they were still alive. My heart leaped inside my chest to the sound of her voice. I lost Cosette today, and I didn't want to lose Rainbow or my two best friends. They were the only ones I had left in this crazy psychotic world. My friends, however, weren't the only ones alive. "Well well... look who survived!" A voice came from behind, my head turning by instinct to find Night landing down on the ground with Pyro and Prowler. My smile faded, only to be replaced with a large scowl at the sight of the trio. "You seemed to have killed Titan too..." Night admitted, looking at her dead comrade laying on the ground without motion. "Your punishment for your actions will be paid back a thousand fold, Shadow. Pyro... Prowler... finish him off!" Night commanded before the two surprisingly bolted at me fast enough to slam my body against the door of the last car. They held my hooves against the walls, using their hind hooves to land blows to my stomach. Each blow sent waves of memories from the past, each feeling of pain was another image of Cosette smiling happily. The more I saw her the more energy I felt surging through my body. I began to scream loudly in frustration and resistance, slowly fighting against their hold. My hooves made it off the wall, their attacks becoming harder. I was far enough off that I slipped down from underneath them, taking both of their hind hooves and throwing them down against the rocky ground. I got on top of Pyro, grabbing his head as I twisted as hard as I could, grinning in delight as his screaming and struggling beneath me grew. Prowler jumped on my back after I heard the somewhat enjoyable sound of bones cracking and the silence of Pyro's screams. He wrapped his hooves around me, putting me in a choke hold. His grip only grew tighter around my neck, breathing becoming more difficult. "Y-You... will die l-like the... rest of them!!" I forced myself to say through his suffocating grip, my wings expanding valiantly before flapping strongly, blowing myself towards the mountain, smashing Prowler's back against the wall of the mountain. His grip seceded and I turned around, slamming my hoof against his stomach. His face was twisted with pain and fear, my eyes finding his sword on the ground. I picked it up and shoved it into his neck. He suffocated in his own blood before falling on the ground, lifeless. I succeeded in killing off all of the Black Squadron except for one, who was standing in awe right behind me. I turned and faced her, blood covering my face. We both stood there, staring at each other in silence. Her eyes were as cold as her soul, their light blue eyes failing to pierce into my soul. The wind picked up and her sparkling navy blue hair flowed with its current. Not only was I covered in blood, but her dark black coat was also showing signs of blood stains. After awhile, she grinned at me, breaking the long silence. "I can see you're still upset about your loss. Oh Shadow... her death was necessary... after all, she ran away with a traitor." Night confessed, which felt like a slap in the face. It wasn't only anger that was building up in me, it was the pain and the depression that was ascending to it's boiling point. On this day, I lost the one pony who I ever cared about, a mare who I gladly called mine. She was everything to me and I was too weak to prevent her death. Darkness entered my heart and corrupted my soul, a forever feeling of being alone already taking hold on me. It felt like thousands of daggers were terrorizing my heart at the thought that without her I was nothing, and my future was nothing but a dream, a fantasy that would never come true. Without thinking I charged at her, tears streaking my face before I felt a sharp pain in my chest. My charge was suddenly halted and my eyes shot wide, a faint gasp escaping from my mouth. I slowly looked down to see her sword piercing through my chest, blood staining the blade and dripping on the ground. "Shadow... you'll meet her soon enough..." Night said, twisting the blade, an immediate rush of pain forcing me to let out a scream, blood escaping my mouth and onto Night's shoulder. She pulled the sword out of me and pushed me forcefully to the ground, my hooves immediately holding the wound to stop the bleeding. I squinted my eyes shut, trying hard to push the pain out, but failed to as I felt my hooves being kicked away, a large force slamming down on the wound, another wave of pain rushing through my body, a more horrific scream escaping from me. "Goodbye, Shadow." I heard her say as a moment of silence filled the air. I slowly opened my eyes, the edges of my view growing darker and darker, my vision becoming a blur. I could barely make out her sword lifting in the air as a noise from behind caused her to stop her movements. The noise was muffled to me, so I couldn't make it out. Night suddenly backed off of me, the sound of ponies conversing now surrounding me. My body began to go numb as more blood escaped my body, a cold feeling creeping up my spine. The darkness engulfed my eyes, all feelings suddenly disappearing. I figured I was dead. Similar images began to enter the surrounding dark abyss I entered. It was images of Cosette, back when we were happily alone...