//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: As the clock ticks // Story: The Tale of KyuubiDash // by TheLunarArmy //------------------------------// Chapter 7: As the clock ticks Written by TheLunarArmy Edited by Ezn and SciontheKitsune It has been twelve months since that fateful day when Rainbow Dash met the fox for the first time. The pegasus pony was resting on top of a single cloud hovering over Ponyville. It was like a spec of dust on the clean canvas of the beautiful blue skies and lustrous sun, which brought warmth over the entire area. However, unlike the serene atmosphere and crisp afternoon air, Dash was a bundle of emotions and unhappiness on top of her perch.She had dark rings around her eyes, her face was blushed in a puffy red coloring and from her tangled mane one could see had not had a decent night's rest for days. She had been on the cloud for nearly a day now, too weak to fly home and too insecure to hover down to Ponyville below. Dash had been crying. It was hard to accept, but even under her cantankerous persona, cool bravado and stubborn exterior was a sad pony with a heart made of glass. On this day, a crack had appeared on said glass and the events that were to unfold would forever change the fate of the Element of Loyalty. "Rainbow!" came a yell from down on the ground. Dash wiped the tears from her face and slowly peered over the side of her puffy mattress. Down below was Twilight Sparkle. Rainbow Dash and Twilight had become very good friends over the last few months. However, this made the reality of her actions all the more shocking. How could they have done this to me? Why now? Dash kept staring at the unicorn, trying to search for an emotion to help the situation. Her magenta eyes met with Twilight's purple ones. Her mind raced until finally... How could they? How... dare they? Dash had found anger instead of remorse. "Dash, PLEASE! Please come down and talk to me!" The pegasus stood up. Her sadness was no more. Where once there was a broken and betrayed pony now stood a pony with a vendetta. The white cloud underneath her hooves turned dark. Not just a simple rainstorm grey, but nebulous black. Electricity could been seen dancing around the rim of the cloud - this was the type of cloud any regular weather pony would be terrified to face. Dash looked down at her "friend" again. This time she had an answer. This time she would not place her loyalty in her. "No." <>--<> Two months prior, the six Elements defeated Discord, the evil lord of chaos, and sealed him back into a stone statue. For this, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash were the heroes of Equestria. Who would have thought the six ponies from Ponyville would be able to divert danger for a second time? After the festivities in Canterlot were concluded, Princess Celestia and Luna decided to evaluate each pony. They could see Discord’s game had affected them personally, and their will needed testing. A few guards escorted the six to throne room. Pinkie Pie was especially worked up, thinking that the royal bakery would give them all some of their famous donuts as reward. Her antics lightened the mood a little, but Rarity and Applejack were still on edge. Twilight and Rainbow Dash walked into the large, marvelous court room first. Celestia and Luna both sat upon their respective thrones. The two alicorns heartily welcomed Twilight and her friends, before jumping right into business. "WE ARE VERY INTRIGUED BY DISCORD'S RETURN. WHAT EXACTLY DID THE DASTARDLY DRACONEQUUS DO?!" said Luna with her royal Canterlot voice. The six ponies, Celestia, guards and all were surprised to hear her overpowering voice; it was obvious Luna still had not been able to differentiate between personal conversations and common prattle. Fluttershy cowered in fear behind Applejack. "Luna, you don't need to speak to the Elements like that," giggled Celestia, "After all, they did save our hides." The moon princess felt very embarrassed. She blushed, took two steps back and then lifted her head in remorse. "You're right. Sorry." "Aw shucks, don't worry about it Princess. Honest mistake!" reassured Applejack, as Fluttershy crept out from behind her. "Back to your question," said Twilight. "Discord tried to turn our strongest attributes against us. He knew exactly how to hit us where it hurt." She felt a little nervous, but knew full well Luna’s question was inevitable. "So you had to face the harsh realities of your true inner spirits?" asked Celestia, "Tell me, what have you all learned?" Each pony’s ears spit upright, ready to answer her majesty’s question. Applejack took the lead: "Stick to the honest truth, no matter how harsh reality may be." "Always be HAPPY with everypony around you! Even if they seem a bit down in the dumps!" "Don't place your own personal interests above those around you." "...Don't be mean..." It was now Dash's turn. Knowing full well she had chosen to leave Discord's game, she felt a bit ashamed to answer, but came up with a response nonetheless "Give your loyalty to those you trust." "Always stay true to your friends," finished Twilight, looking at all her friend's proud expressions. "Excellent!" said Celestia. She pretended not to notice, but Dash's false statement was very easy to detect. When one expresses their true feelings they do not hesitate or doubt, and Rainbow Dash failed did both of those. This brought worry to Celestia. The Element of Loyalty was showing signs of weakness. The Princesses thanked the ponies for their hard work once again and then allowed them to leave for home. However, before leaving the door Celestia called Twilight for a private consultation. Twilight had her suspicions about Dash, and when Celestia told her to stay back she knew exactly what the subject of discussion was going to be. "Spike, why don't you head back with Rarity? I'll be back home before you know it." "You got it!" replied the daydreaming dragon as he wallowed aimlessly behind the rest of the group. Celestia and Twilight walked into the Element vault. The guards were not at their posts. Twilight knew that this had to be a very serious discussion - even more serious than the Discord ordeal they had just been through. Celestia opened the vault and levitated out the magical case where the Elements were stored. Twilight her mentor closely as she levitated the ruby necklace out of its place. At first they she saw nothing out of place, but after a quick enchantment Celestia revealed her worries to her student. The ruby necklace was fractured; a sign known among all magic users of broken spirit. “Princess… what does this mean?” Celestia could no longer withhold the truth from Twilight. Poly Cure’s spell would wear off within the next six weeks and nearly all the preparations had been made. Judgment was around the corner and the princess would have to inform the other Elements of the upcoming events. “Your friend, Rainbow Dash… is possessed.” “What?” yelled Twilight in utter disbelief. “That can’t be true! She’s the Element of Loyalty! She’s my friend! No way is she possessed.” “Twilight, I am sorry to say this, but it’s true. Dash has a demon locked inside her soul. This demon once lived inside this necklace, but when Rainbow Dash first used its magic to defeat Nightmare Moon, we fear it may have escaped and trapped itself within her heart.” “We?” “Yes, we,” said a voice from behind her. Twilight jumped out of shock to see Luna behind her, levitating a crystal ball with her telekinesis. Inside the crystal ball was another unicorn with a bright red mane. “I am Faerie Fyre, you must be Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic. I am impressed.” “Don’t feel threatened Twilight,” explained Luna, “We are all desperately trying to find a way to save Dash, but so far very little can be done without sacrificing her life.” The sudden rush of information was difficult for Twilight to comprehend, her mind was racing. So many questions started to pop up and her own suspicions started to take on new light as well. She took her time evaluating every pony’s facial expressions. They seemed very serious about the matter; this was no joke. “What can we do then?” asked Twilight. “Right now: nothing,” answered Celestia. “The potion we used on Dash will expire in about two months’ time. Until then we-” “Potion?” interrupted Twilight, “Are you talking about that protective potion you poured on her nine months ago? It wasn’t a protection spell?!” “No,” said Faerie, “It was a special brew that suppressed a mystical energy we identified as Chakra. All beings, from creatures to plants seem to posses it, however this demon seems to have an unnatural reserve of the stuff." “So why suppress some mystical energy? I don’t understand!” “If we hadn’t intervened then Dash would have been slowly consumed by the demon’s energy and who knows what would happen next? We can tell she isn’t very strong willed, you know.” “Hold on one second! Rainbow Dash has one of the most pure and powerful spirits of any pony! She bears the Element of Loyalty, after all.” Both the princesses and Faerie could see how emotional Twilight became over her friend. They needed her on their side, or else they might lose the Elements of Magic and Loyalty for good. Celestia could also see how she is getting hurt, so she walked over to Twilight and wrapped a wing around her. “It’s okay Twilight,” she whispered. “We have a plan to save her, but we need you, and all your friends’ help.” “What can I do? What can we all do?” Celestia took a step back and used her magic to levitate the elemental tiara out of the case. She placed it on Twilight’s head where it instantly disappeared. “I had found a way to seal each Element into its bearer for storage until you need it,” replied Celestia. “Keep your tiara close to you and keep watch over Rainbow Dash. The demon feeds on negative thoughts, so do everything in your power to keep Dash happy for the next six weeks.” “If she can strengthen her will,” continued Luna, “Then we may have a fighting chance against this evil. However, if she-” Luna stopped. Faerie Fyre gave her a stern look. “If she what?” queried Twilight. “If she were to give into her hatred, then the demon would be able to take over.” Twilight could now comprehend the entire problem. She gazed at Celestia and delivered her response: “I swear I’ll protect my friend, Princess.” “I know you will Twilight,” replied Celestia, “Be careful: do not under any circumstances reveal our plan to Dash. Soon we will be able save her with Faerie Fyre’s help.” The princess handed the other Elements to Twilight and explained how to bond them to Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity. The ruby necklace would remain in the vault for safe keeping. “Good luck Twilight,” said Faerie Fyre, before disappearing from the crystal ball. Both alicorns walked Twilight to a waiting chariot. The moon was in full view, their plan was set in motion and all they could do was hope that their preparations would be good enough. <>--<> Six weeks later, an infuriated Dash stood over Ponyville on top of the dark cloud she had manifested. The Element of Loyalty stared down at Twilight Sparkle. It had taken her a whole month to unravel what she had been doing behind her back. “TWILIGHT!” cursed Rainbow. “I thought you were my friend! How could you have done this to me?” “We did it to protect you Dash!” “You mean Applejack, Rarity and others were in league with this sinister plot?” Twilight bit her lip - the one rule was not to reveal what was going on. But at this point, there was no longer any need to keep her lie. With tears in her eyes, she responded: “We all love you, Rainbow! Celestia, Luna and myself devised a plan to help you with your ‘problem’, but we needed every pony to go along with it. We didn’t want any of this to happen!” “You mean you told them to lie to me?” “Yes.” “You all pretended to be my friends this entire time? Just to make sure I didn’t give in to that damn fox’s temptations?” “NO! We truly are your friends Dash!” “THEN HOW COULD YOU LIE TO ME?! I am the damn ELEMENT of LOY-AL-TEE. How can I trust any of you now?” Twilight was in tears. She thought back to the last few weeks, when she tried to keep Dash happy. Her friends had done everything to make sure no pony would complain about the weather, Dash had front row tickets to the Wondershow in Cloudsdale and she even had a chance to meet with Spitfire and Soaren afterwards. It was Dash’s dream come true. Now it all came shattering down around her as she discovered it had all been a lie. “I’m sorry Dash. We just wanted you to be happy…” The rainbow pegasus’ rage started to overwhelm her. She wanted to accept Twilight’s apology, but something was forcing her to let her hatred to flow. Her body started to move by its own accord. Dash lifted her forehooves and slammed them into the dark cloud, causing a massive bolt of lightning to jolt across the sky and hit the roof of the mayor’s office, setting it ablaze. “Dash!” yelled a familiar voice from down below. All her friends were now alongside a weeping Twilight. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie embraced Twilight while Applejack and Rarity tried to talk to the pegasus. “Dear, please calm down and talk to us!” “Yeah, we’re all your friends here.” “Yet you LIED to me for two months! You, the princesses, Twilight, the whole lot of you couldn’t tell me about your plans to capture me and betray me to…” “I told you!” whispered a dark voice within Dash. “I told you they would betray you.” Dash froze in horror. She could hear the fox’s voice in her ears. It was clear as day and the sheer force of his words rattled her nerves. “Sugarcube? Are you okay?!” yelled Applejack All the other ponies now stared up to Dash. She stood motionless on the cloud. The same way she had stood in one spot the previous year. <>--<> Dash found herself back in front of the fox’s cage. This time it was different; instead of him lurking in the darkness, he was in full view, openly talking to her. “It’s been a while, Rainbow. You must thank whoever kept you away from me. But now that we meet again, let’s have a chat. Hmmm?” “I have nothing to say you,” said Dash as she looked away from his bright red eyes. “No? What about your friends? You said it yourself, they betrayed you. Aren’t you upset?” Dash peered back at the fox. He was reading her like a book. “So what if I am?” snapped Dash, “Friends lie to one another every now and then…” “Hahaha!” laughed the fox, “You silly pony! You think this is the first time they have lied to you?” “What do you mean?” The dark pool of water around Dash stirred, revealing her memories of the previous twelve months. One by one the fox manipulated her thoughts to show her friends betraying her. The twisted images he used caused Dash to stand in absolute shell shock. Although her memories didn’t actually change the true events that occurred, the fox warped her perspective of what happened. These visions, coupled with the recent string of lies her friend had sold her, were enough to win over Dash. The pony crumbled back into the dark water as an absolute wreck. “They never… they never wanted me around at all?! But I was so loyal! I was always there for every pony!” whimpered Dash. The Kyuubi marveled at his victory. Now it was time to claim his prize. “Rainbow Dash.” The pegasus looked up. “Let me be your friend.” “Wh-why… why would anypony want to be my friend? Just look at me. Everypony just wants to stab me in the back.” “Why have a group of bad friends when all you need is one good one?" The Kyuubi extended his claw between the bars and held his hand out to Dash. “I promise. I will never betray you, pony. Together we have a beautiful future.” Rainbow Dash looked at his hand, then at his face. She could not detect any sarcasm or deception. His offer was irresistible and at this point it seemed like nopony would care what her decision would be. She smiled. “Friends? You and me?” “Of course,” said the fox, “Together we will have more fun then you have ever had before!” Dash wiped the tears from her eyes. Her sadness was gone. She looked straight into the Kyuubi’s eyes one more time and then reached out to his awaiting claw. The Kyuubi picked her up and pulled her closer the cage. Her smile grew as sinister as his. The demon’s influence was now in full swing. “How’s about we had a talk to your old friends again? What was it… Dashie?” The pony giggled at the name Pinkie Pie gave her, weird, it was used by a being she never thought existed. “Yeah, I think I should give them a piece of my mind,” whispered Dash in a dark voice. The fox pointed at the seal on his cage. “Let me out. With my strength, you can punish all those who have abused your loyalty. Fair, don’t you think?” Dash didn’t even doubt her actions. She simply reached out, clenched the piece of paper firmly between her teeth and, in one swoop, ripped it off the wooden bars. The Kyuubi gently put Dash down and proceeded to smash his prison to pieces using his tails. The pegasus stood in awe of her new friend’s might - his violent attack somehow excited every fiber in her body. Maybe being this bad would be fun. After the fox was satisfied with his rage he looked down at the small pony in front of him. He had grown fond of her. Her new dark personality was strangely appealing: it was as if his influence had shaped her character - she was a splitting image of himself in the making. For years he had tried to accomplish this goal with Naruto, yet in a measly twelve months his new host bowed to his every whim. There had to be a change in the plan. Instead of killing Dash, he thought about giving her the power she needed instead. Let her have the fun she wanted, and gain a powerful ally in the process. He picked up Dash and brought her closer to his face. “I like you, pony. I truly mean it. You may take all the power you need. Get your revenge.” Rainbow Dash felt a burning sensation ripple across her skin. It felt… tantalizing. She closed her eyes in pain for a second, only to reopen them to her new self. Her magenta irises were gone. In their place were two bright red fox eyes, glaring with fury. “You look beautiful, my dear.” The new Dash blushed at his compliment. “Thank you.” “Now, go and have your fun. If you need any help, just let me know.” Dash nodded, disappearing a black haze. <>--<> “…are you okay?” came a voice from a distance. Dash recognized it. It was that liar, Applejack. In reality, Dash had only been contact with the Kyuubi for a few seconds, and she returned to find herself still perched on top of her cloud. She could feel her eyes starting to burn, and she knew her body was transforming to match her new awesome persona. She closed her eyes and smirked. “Am I okay?” she laughed. All the ponies were shaken by her response. They saw her spread her wings and jump off the cloud straight into the skies above. She flew high into the cloudless atmosphere. Her body was tingling all over as she felt the fox’s strength seep into it. It felt amazing - even more amazing than the power she felt a year prior. Her eyes remained closed as she performed one of her signature loops with precision accuracy. Then she bolted straight down towards the ground at full speed, causing her friends to yell her name in shock. “DASH NO! Pull up! Don’t do it!” yelled Twilight. “Dashie! No! What are you doing?!” cried Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy and Rarity stood in shocked silence. “Arr Dee! We are your friends! We can help you!” Dash could only laugh maniacally as she swooped out of the dive mere meters away from ground, swooping low and landing in front of the group of shocked ponies. It was at this time that they saw her new appearance for the first time. Her coat had become darker, her wide grin bore large sinister teeth and three whisker tears had developed on each cheek. At long last she opened her eyes, revealing her bright red irises and dragon-like pupils. “My friends, you say?” giggled Rainbow Dash. No pony said anything; they slowly took a step back, unsure of what has happened to Dash. “Let me tell you guys something… about friendship…” To be continued... <>--<> Writer's Note: Thanks for everyone's continued support. As a reward I will release the next chapter within 24 hours! Additionally thank you ScionTheKitsune for the great Rainbow Dash vector artwork.