//------------------------------// // Bad Moon Rising // Story: Army Of Shadows // by lordcurly972 //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash coughed up blood as she fell to the ground. She cringed in pain as she tried to roll over onto her back. Her body was battered and broken, everything ached. She placed a hoof on her chest and inhaled deeply. Her lungs flared up in pain, it felt as if she had been stabbed several times in the chest. She continued to lie there, looking around at her surroundings. Fire and ash rained down from the sky. What was left of Ponyville was left to burn. All of the businesses and homes destroyed and set ablaze. She rolled and looked up at the sky, she was just about to cry when she heard a noise in front of her. She darted her head upright hoping it wasn’t who she thought it was. As the figure grew closer her fears were confirmed. A fiendish grin spread across the figures face when the figure noticed the fear in Rainbow Dash’s eyes. Rainbow Dash tried to put on her best brave face as the figure grew closer. “Come back to finish me off?” Rainbow Dash said gulping down the lump that had formed in her throat, she never thought she would be afraid of Scootaloo, but ever since Shadow Dash had possessed her she had become an absolute tyrant. “On the contrary,” Scootaloo said chuckling a little, “I’ve come to offer you a proposition.” “So you think you could nearly beat me to death, burn down Ponyville, kill all my friends and then expect me to listen to anything you have to say,” Rainbow snapped straightening up into a sitting position. Her bones creaked and groaned as she sat up, “you must be denser than I thought.” “Look Rainbow, I didn’t enjoy doing all of those things, I was just following orders,” Scootaloo said sitting down beside Rainbow Dash and throwing her foreleg around her shoulders, “And I’d appreciate it if you would just hear me out.” Rainbow Dash turned away indicating she wanted no part of it, but Scootaloo continued anyways. “I’ve come to ask you to join our side, to join my side,” she said, “Imagine it; you and I having ponies bowing at our hooves as we pass, everypony fearing us. We could have anything we want.” Rainbow Dash turned to look her in the eyes, causing Scootaloo to continue onwards. “Just think, you could have the Wonderbolts performing for you every day and night if you wish. Heck! You could even become one! So, what do ya say?,” Scootaloo stopped and waited for Rainbow to respond. “Go to hell,” Rainbow muttered under her breath. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that,” Scootaloo said leaning in closer to Rainbow. “I said, go to hell!” Rainbow shouted sending a powerful right hook to the side of Scootaloos head. The action caused her entire body to ignite in pain. She fell back on her back, as her breathing began to grow more and more troubled. That hit had taken all she had left; she hoped it was a good one. She rolled her head over to see if she had knocked Scootaloo out. To her horror, Scootaloo was picking herself up. Rainbow knew she was in for a world of hurt. She watched as Scootaloo wiped blood from her mouth, her look growing more and more grimace. She slowly trotted over to Rainbow. “So that’s how it’s going to be huh?” Scootaloo asked standing over Rainbow Dash, “Any last words?” Rainbow Dash cleared her throat and spit into Scootaloos eye. Scootaloo growled with anger and didn’t say another word. She kicked Rainbow Dash over onto her stomach and placed a hoof at the base of her neck. “Equestria could have been ours to own,” she said as she leaned closer to Rainbow’s ear, “It’s just too bad.” Scootaloo mashed her hoof down as hard as possible, causing Rainbow’s neck to snap. “AHHHHHHH!” Rainbow Dash screamed as she awoke from her nightmare. She was drenched in sweat, so much so she could feel her mane sticking to her forehead. She reached up to brush it aside, but realized it wasn’t her mane stuck to her forehead, it was a bandage. Wait, why was she even alive? Last thing she remembered was Scootaloo leaving her to burn to death in her house. Her heart sank at the thought of Scootaloo. She couldn’t believe what had happened to her. She sat up right against a head board behind her. Where was she? She looked around the room, this wasn’t her house. The room was only illuminated by a single candle to the right side of the bed she was in, so it was hard to see anything that would indicate to who’s home she was in. She looked to her left and noticed a few crooked hanging pictures on the wall. She threw the covers off and walked around the bed to get a better look. There were two ponies in one picture, a filly and I suppose the other was her dad. The colt was a unicorn with a curly brown mane, a light brown coat and green eyes. The filly next to him looked a bit familiar, but she couldn’t recall where she had seen her before. The filly was also a unicorn with a long red mane, freckles, an eggshell white coat and purple eyes. She continued to stare at the photos when suddenly she remembered where she had seen the filly before. She was one of the ponies that found her in Scootaloos house and brought her out just before it collapsed in on itself. She was just about to look at another one of the pictures when she heard the door creak open. She turned to see the same filly from the photos walking in with a tray of food in her mouth. She placed the tray on the floor to speak. “Oh good, you’re awake,” She started, “Daddy and I were growing worried that you wouldn’t wake up.” “Yeah, I probably wouldn’t have if you guys hadn’t have saved me,” Rainbow Dash said rubbing the back of her head out of nervousness, “Thank you, I owe you my life.” “Don’t mention it, it’s not like we could’ve left you there,” she said as she picked the tray up again and placed it on the bed, “I’m Eleanor Rose by the way, but you can call me Ellie. And my dad’s Curly Q.” “Well hello Ellie,” Rainbow Dash said as she walked over beside her, “And I don’t mean to be rude, but is this food for me because I’m starved.” Ellie nodded and stepped out of Rainbows way so she could eat. “I’m Rainbow Dash, but my friends just call me Rainbow for short,” Rainbow Dash stated as she began to chow down. “It’s very nice to meet you Rainbow Dash,” Ellie stated with a chipper tone in her voice, “Do you think when you’re finished eating you could go and introduce yourself to dad, he would be so glad to see that you’re okay.” Rainbow nodded as she continued to slurp down food. Ellie gave her a quick smile and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Once Rainbow had finished eating she walked out of her room and into the hallway. The rest of the house outside was just like her room, only lit with various candles placed around the house. . Their power must’ve been out. She also began to notice that all the windows were boarded up, she couldn’t find a viable explanation for this. They seemed like nice enough folks, so there had to be a reason for it. She continued to walk through the house until she noticed two shadows dancing on a wall at the other end of the living room. She could tell one was Ellie; the other must’ve been Curly Q. She walked to the end of the living room and saw that they were standing in the kitchen. “Ah, so you are awake,” Curly Q exclaimed when he caught sight of Rainbow. “What? Did you think I was lying?” Ellie asked in an angry tone. “No honey, I just…I don’t know… you do tend to lie often,” Curly Q said jokingly. Ellie smiled and gave him a playful shove, “I never lie!” “Oh please! I could already see your nose growing,” he responded. Ellie squealed in surprise and reached up to grab her nose. “Gotcha,” Curly teased. Rainbow giggled at this sight, she could truly see that they cared for each other. It made her think of her and Scootaloo. Her expression saddened and Curly must’ve taken notice. “I’m sorry, we didn’t mean to leave you out,” he said, “you could come and joke with us if you want.” Rainbow laughed, “No that’s fine I was just thinking about somepony special to me.” “Is it Scootaloo?” Ellie asked. “Yeah, how’d you know?” Rainbow asked shocked that Ellie knew about Scootaloo. “You kept mumbling her name in your sleep,” Ellie responded, “Who is she?” “Eleanor Rose!” Curly scolded, “Don’t prod; it’s none of your business. You could clearly see she was hurting.” “No, no,” Rainbow Dash responded, “It’s quite alright. Scootaloo was an orphan I took under my wing and loved like a sister.” “What happened to her?” Ellie continued to pry. Curly shot her a displeased look. “We were throwing a party at her house when a pitch black pony that kind of looks like me attacked,” Rainbow continued, “She came through the ceiling and possessed Scootaloo. She turned her against me and Scootaloo and I fought, she knocked me out, leaving me to burn in her house. And that’s when you guys saved me.” A deathly eerie silence fell upon the house. Neither of her saviors wanted to speak, but Ellie decided that it would be her to talk first. “Sweet Celestia, that’s horrible!” she exclaimed. All Rainbow could do was hang her head in agreement. “We’ve had a run in with her as well,” Curly Q started, “She almost got Ellie here, that was moments before we found you.” “I would be a goner if my dad hadn’t have been there to save me, “Ellie exclaimed jumping up onto Curlys back to give him a hug. Rainbow Dash looked at how happy they were, she couldn’t imagine what either of them would go through if something happened to the other. She began to think back to how happy they looked in the pictures and noticed something odd. “I noticed that Ellies mom wasn’t in any of the pictures in my room,” Rainbow Dash stated. Ellies joking attitude ceased, she jumped down of her dads back and ran out of the room crying. She ran into a room in the back of the house and slammed the door shut behind her. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Rainbow Dash clambered, “I didn’t mean to upset her.” “I know, I know,” Curly sighed, “its ok you didn’t know.” “I know, but I shouldn’t have pried,” Rainbow Dash said truly feeling like an ass for what she had done, “Like you told Ellie earlier, it was none of my business.” “You were just curious is all,” Curly said calmingly sitting down at the kitchen table, “Don’t worry she’ll be fine in a couple of hours, she just needs to be left alone for a while.” “So what happened to her, did Shadow Dash get to her?” Rainbow Dash asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. “Who’s Shadow Dash?” Curly asked, shooting Rainbow a confused look. “I’ve decided to call the pitch black pony that,” Rainbow Dash explained, “You know, because she looks so much like me. “Basically like your shadow,” Curly Q said catching on, “Any way, Ellie’s mother died when she was very young, causing her to be orphaned. She was put into a home and I adopted her when she was about four. We’ve been inseparable ever since.” “I feel so bad for bringing it up,” Rainbow stated hanging her head, “but she’s lucky to have you as a father, you two look so happy together.” “Yeah, I don’t know what I would do without her,” Curly chuckled to himself, “She truly is my best friend.” Suddenly Rainbow Dash remembered her friends, she didn’t even know if they made it of Scootaloo’s. “I’ve gotta go find my friends!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she took off towards the door. “Wait! Stop!” Curly shouted after her. She opened the door to step out and was horrified at the scene that lay outside. Ponyille was set ablaze. Buildings were burning and crumbling to the ground, just like in her nightmare.