With the serpent and the river behind them, the six continued their journey. The walked deeper into the forest, working their way closer to the heart of The Everfree. As they walk, the trees began to clear away, letting them see more of what was ahead.
"There it is," Shining Armor called out. "The remains of the castle of The Royal Pony Sisters." Excited at the site of the castle and the prospect of being near the end of the quest, Shining started to run at the castle. His tail flicking with excitement, he headed toward the bridge supports, running as fast he could.
As he went, a part of him realized something was wrong. Reaching the supports, he realized that the bridge had fallen. Shining dug his hooves into the dirt, trying to stop. Although able to slow down, it was not enough for him to completely stop in time. Shining Armor's forelegs went over the edge as he started to fall.
Had somepony not grabbed his tail, he probably would have. Instead he found himself dangling halfway. Feeling his tail being yanked in an attempt to pull him back, the stallion shifted to try and get his hooves on the portion of the bridge dangling beneath him. Getting into the slats as best he could, he began to push himself up and back, until that and the pulling was enough to get him back on solid ground.
"Didn't anypony ever tell you to watch where you're going?" Rainbow Dash asked, and Shining could just hear the amusement in her voice. Getting back up, he and the others walked toward the edge of the cliff, looking down at it. A thick fog filled the crevice, preventing them from seeing how far it was to the bottom. The six at them stared at the foggy chasm between them and the castle.
"What do we do now?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Duh," Dash replied giving her wings a quick flutter. She then took off, rising up in the sky before turning to dive down into the chasm and out of sight.
Gliding down with ease, she followed the bridge until she found the end. Grabbing the ropes in her mouth, the rainbow maned pegasus flew back up and took the side she had with her to the other end of the crevice. Pulling the rope tight, she got ready to tie it off.
"Rainbow," a voice seemed to call out on the wind.
"Who's there?" Dash called out, dropping the rope she was holding between her teeth. She glanced around to look for who was talking, but all she saw was fog.
"Rainbow," the voice repeated.
"I ain't scared of you" Rainbow Dash shouted out as she reared up on her hind legs to kick at the air. "Show yourself!"
"We've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the best flyer in Equestria."
"Who?"
"Why, you of course."
"Really?" Dash asked, her voice getting high pitched as she started smiling again. "I mean, oh yeah. Me! Hey, uh, you wouldn't mind telling The Wonderbolts that, would ya? 'Cause, I've been trying to get into that group for, like, ever."
"No Rainbow Dash," the voice said. "We want you to join us."
The sound of hooves echoed from out of the fog as three figures rapidly approached. Coming to a stop, three ponies now stood there. All three looked practically the same. A trio of pegasi, with dark blue manes and tails. They each wore a black and purple jumpsuit with yellow trim styled to look like lightning. On the flanks where their cutie marks would be, the outfit had a grinning skull with a wing protruding from it. The three wore goggles, their eyes covered by smokey yellow lenses.
"The Shadowbolts," the one in the middle said as they came to a stop. "We are the greatest aerial team in The Everfree Forest, and soon we will be the greatest in all of Equestria.
"But first," she moved closer to Rainbow Dash, getting face to face, "we need a captain."
Rainbow Dash could not stop herself from grinning at the idea. Not only was she being offered the opportunity to be part of an aerial stunt team, but to be their captain and help them achieve fame all across the land. She might even be able to make it as big as -- or even bigger than -- The Wonderbolts.
"The most magnificient," The Shadowbolt continued, "swiftest, bravest flyer in all the land."
"Yes," Dash said excitedly. "It's all true."
"We need," leaning forward, The Shadowbolt whispered in Rainbow Dash's ear "you!"
"Woo-hoo!" the cyan pegasus squealed as she shot up into the air. "Sign me up. Just let me tie this bridge real quick, and then we have a deal."
"NO!" The Shadowbolt shot toward Rainbow Dash, blocking her from grabbing the rope. "It's them or us!"
"Rainbow!" Shining Armor called out. "What's taking so long?"
Shifting, he moved to try and get a better look. A shiver went up along his spine as he saw that Dash was not alone, but talking to three figures dressed in dark colored outfits. Before he or the others could say or do anything, the fog grew thicker, blocking Rainbow Dash and the other pegasi from their view.
"Well?" The Shadowbolt asked now that their were no other distractions in their conversation.
Rainbow Dash shifted, staring at the ground with her ears drooping. Here she was being offered what sounded like the opportunity of her life time. She would get to travel Equestria, showing off her flying skills and performing aerial stunts for thousands of ponies. Not only would she get to be famous, she would get to be the leader of her own flight team. All she had to do was give up searching for The Elements of Harmony and abandon her friends when they needed her help.
"You," Rainbow Dash said, getting a grin from The Shadowbolt leader. "Thank you, for the offer I mean. But I'm afraid I have to say no."
The Shadowbolts stared at her with their jaws hanging open as she grabbed the rope and tied it back around the support pillar of the bridge. With that, Dash took away, leaving the trio behind in her rainbow contrail. Her wings flapped as she flew across the gorge to the other side, her wings clearing away the fog to let the bridge be seen. With her friends cheering, Rainbow Dash landed, standing on her hind legs with wings spread wide behind her.
"Good job, Rainbow," Shining Armor said as he started leading the others across the bridge and to the other side.
"See?" Rainbow said as she flew beside Shining Armor, "I'd never leave my friends hanging."
Shining could not stop himself from smiling. He and Dash may had started off on the wrong hoof, but he could see that it was true. She was not as bad as he thought, and certainly somepony you could rely on.