//------------------------------// // Chap 23 // Story: Soarin and Rainbow Dash // by Ugly-Duckling123 //------------------------------// Over in the forest of the Everfree, now that the feud was over between the two Bolts, nopony exactly knew what to do any more, and were just waiting for those who went out to come back. However they seemed to be taking a wee bit longer than everyone was comfortable with. "Oh I do hope nothing bad happened to them," Fluttershy said quietly, as she was nearing the end of the 'Hurt Ponies From The Fight' line. "Me too," Spitfire said helping in any way she could. "What could be taking them so long anyway? And where did Soarin run off to?" "There you go Mr. Skywalker," Fluttershy said to her patient smiling gently as the stallion got up and inspected himself. "I hope you'll feel better soon." "Thank you Miss Fluttershy," the Wonderbolt said bowing his head a bit in thanks before heading off to the 'recovery room' which was the Great Hall where everyone was staying. Some were resting after the fight, others were getting to know each other, while others still were having late night/early morning snacks. "I'm a tad more worried about the foals really Spitfire," Applejack's voice said as she and her brother came over to them with three beakers of cider and one of apple juice for them to enjoy. "Not only because Bloom is one of them, but because of them being under Nightmare Moon's spell. Can you even imagine what that would feel like?" "Like all life is gone out of you," someone said making them turn to see Skye Storm her right foreleg in a sling as she came over not looking to anyone. "Like from when she enters your mind all you can feel is cold. Like nothing you try and do to get her to leave, she's always there. Like no matter what, you can never find happiness while she's with you. Your heart becomes as cold and dark as hers so you could be her puppets so she could come out into daylight through you, or you're put into a deep sleep like a coma." Applejack was lost for words her hoof tight around her pint of cider in front of her. "And how do you know how it feels Miss Storm?" Mac asked strongly but calmly resting a reassuring hoof onto Applejack's shoulder. "At some point or another," Skye Storm began sitting down "Every Shadowbolt has been 'Possessed' by Her. And from when she does, no matter how long ago it was, they remember how to felt." "When does that happen?" Applejack asked finding her voice again shaking with her words. "Either when they come of age, or have proven themselves as true Shadowbolts." Skye said. "There was something in there against puppets and daylight, wasn't there?" Spitfire asked thinking to herself. "Yeah," Skye said responding to the question "Because she's the Princess of the Night and all that, she's weakened when the sun comes out, a bit like a vampire I suppose, and if she is out in it too long, she will cease to exist." "Well isn't this nice," Fire Blitz called out coming over smiling "Instead of fighting, you're getting to know one another." "Well we don't really have that much else to do Uncle," Spitfire said rolling her eyes taking a drink of her cider. "Well I was coming over to ask if any of you would like to come with me to Ponyville to get the kids back." Blitz said smugly "But I see you don't want to do that right?" Spitfire nearly spat out her cider at that. Swallowing she asked "And how do you know if they'll be there?" "Well where else would they be?" he asked "If you were in that rescue squad and you had to decide from the nice safe town most of them came from, or the Everfree, to keep them safe while you go back to help defeat Nightmare Moon, where would you take them?" "He has a point there Spitfire," Fluttershy whispered laughing gently at how he outsmarted Spitfire and the look on her face. "So..." Blitz asked heading out "You coming or what?" With that, Applejack, Mac, Fluttershy, Spitfire, and a not sure she belonged Skye Storm followed the Wonderbolt co-captain out the castle. Over in Ponyville, the meeting in Town Hall had disbursed the parents taking their foals home, as they waited tapping-their-hooves-together-ly for those who went to Whitetail to come back. The only ones left in the hall were Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and a couple of other Shadow foals (all now fully awake) being watched over by Mayor Mare. Nyx was just finishing up a Shadowbolt ghost story. "Finally, there was just one little pony left," she said in a spooky voice surprised Apple Bloom was unfazed by it but carried on "Unbeknown that she was the only one left, she called out to her friends, but no one answered. Suddenly she began to hear noises. Almost like whispering. All around her, getting into closer, and closer circles. And then... with one loud scream that no one heard, she was never heard from again." "So... how can you be sure that that's how the story goes?" Apple Bloom asked challenging her still unfazed by the story while Shadow and Oscuro were trembling in each others arms shivering with fright. "She's got a point Nyx," Scootaloo said to the room not moving away from the window looking out towards Whitetail Wood hoping that everyone would be ok. "How were you not scared throughout the whole story?" Nyx asked amazed at Apple Bloom not answering her question. "I grew up in Ponyville," Bloom answered spreading her hooves wide a smile on her lips. "You might not believe me, but some major things happen in this small town. For example..." she began seeing a 'Yeah right' look on Nyx's face "A few years ago a Unicorn called Trixie stopped into town saying she once defeated an Ursa Major." "No one can defeat an Ursa Major," Scootaloo said coming away from the window slightly, rubbing her eyes a bit, they were getting itchy at how long she had had them open. "That's what Twilight Sparkle thought too. She's the towns librarian but getting back to the story. Wanting to see if she could do it. Two dodo's Snips and Snails went off to try and find one and stupidly brought it back to town where it attacked everything insight. Everyone expected Trixie to use her magic to defeat the Ursa, like she said she had done countless, countless times. But it all turned out to be a lie to get her popularity up. Then Twilight using her magic sorted it out, by making it tired and sending it back to the forest, and told everyone that it was only a Ursa Minor. Saying that it was just cranky because it got woken up." "Wow..." the Shadow foals said together amazed that a Unicorn was able to 'defeat' one of the most feared creatures in the Everfree - even if it was a baby. Just then the Hall's door opened and everyone looked up to see who came in. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo rushing to their family members the other foals going over to Skye Storm everyone relived that the others were safe. "WHAT TOOK SO LONG?" Bloom and Scootaloo cried out wriggling free from their elders and looking in their eyes slight annoyance on their faces. "Nice to see you two too," Fire Blitz said chuckling slightly as he came back from telling Mayor Mare they were here for all of them, and thanking her for looking after them. They were about to leave at head back into to Everfree when Scootaloo's ears picked up. Gasping she looked around and saw somepony's scooter resting by a wall with a helmet on the bars. Jumping on it and clipping the helmet on she zoomed off in the direction of Whitetail being pursued by Fire Blitz and Fluttershy since they were the only ones with both their wings still working, and someone needed to take the others home. But Scootaloo didn't hear them. All her mind was telling her, was to get to her sister. And forgetting what she promised her dad and Soarin, she entered the Woods and rushed to the center, just stopping at the border staying in the shadows eyes wide at Rainbow as she fought Nightmare Moon, nearly crying out when Rainbow crashed into the ground. Waiting for her to take off again Scootaloo rushed over to the others. "Scootaloo?" Soarin asked first to spot her since the others were all watching Rainbow. "Scoot?" Spectrum asked now spotting his youngest daughter was now there "What are you doing here I thought I told you to stay away from this place." "Well yeah..." Scootaloo said dragging it along a bit "But you also said 'Stay with Soarin'." "What's the real reason you're here Scoots?" Soarin asked trying to split up the two before Rainbow spotted her sister was there, making her not concentrate on the task at hoof as well as before. Before she could answer Fluttershy and Fire Blitz came into the garden as well rushing over to everyone. "Scootaloo, why would you take off like that?" Fluttershy asked hugging her relived she was alright. "I heard Rainbow calling for help," Scootaloo said quietly. "I... I don't know how I did, but I heard her, and... and knew I just had to get to her. Does that make scene?" she asked looking around at everyone. "Not really," Soarin answered "But with all the other junk that's gone on tonight I think it does." he said earning him a few laughs. "And how is Rainbow flying?" Fluttershy asked eyes wide on her friend in the air "I though her wing was broken?" "That's another thing that only makes scene tonight," Soarin said shrugging a I-don't-know shrug. Just then, a loud BANG came from above them and they saw Rainbow falling again only this time she seemed unconscious. "RAINBOW!" everyone cried as Spectrum rushed up to catch her returning to the ground. "How much... longer to... sunrise daddy?" she asked sounding very tired not noticing Scoots being there. Looking at the lightening sky Spectrum replied "Not much longer. Just hang in there my treasure." "Oh how sweet... "Nightmare Moons voice reached everyone's ears making nearly all of them shiver in fear at it. But for Soarin, Scootaloo, and Spectrum they were shivering in anger and turned to her fire burning in each of their eyes. "I always loved this moment in plays when I was a filly," she continued. "You know... when the hero is down and the villain wins." "One thousand years has affected your brain then Moon," Soarin cried "Even you should know that the hero always wins at things like this." he said though his teeth looking to the sky again. 'Come on... Rise already!' "You dare speak to me like that Colt?" Nightmare Moon asked charging her horn a bit eyes narrowing. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" "I have some idea," Soarin continued staying in front of Rainbow who was trying to get up to continue fighting only to fall down again. "But I wasn't here when you told everyone why you're doing this, so would you mind. Just to clarify that I understand who you are." After a few minutes of Nightmare Moon repeating what she told the Shadows earlier, with a few hold up by Soarin making her take longer he nodded with a thoughtful look on her face. "That's funny," he said looking to his dad signaling to 'play-along' "Because I was always told that Celestia was jealous of you." "What?" everyone asked looking to the young Wonderbolt. "Yeah we were taught that she was jealous that you were sooo much better at making nights than she was," Fire Blitz continued. "In fact how-ever-many-years-ago, we saw her at a Summer Sun festival moping that no one liked her days because what was it son?" he asked looking to Soarin since he had better ideas at this sort of thing. "Because the sun was always too bright, in summer because it stayed out longer everyone got too hot, er..." he began having trouble thinking of things "That there were, as you said no stars to see in the sky, and they nearly always complained about getting sunburnt." "Re... really?" Nightmare Moon said quietly stepping back a bit. "And just so you know," one of the Ponyville mares said speaking up "Most of us in Ponyville like the night. There's even a holiday when the idea is to stay up all night and play and scare everypony." she said speaking of Nightmare Night. "How many is 'most of us'?" she asked shifting to a slightly taller than normal mare, her helmet gone but still wearing hoof guard, and neck-ring, her hair blowing out behind her. Looking a lot more less scary than before. "Well, there's the librarian she likes to learn things so she study's the stars," the mare began "All the foals during Nightmare Night mostly because of the candy. Lets see... Um..." "So you're telling me," Nightmare Moon said anger in her voice again turning back to how she was before. "That only a hoof-full of welps for one night because of the sweets and a bookworm, out of that whole blasted town, prefer my night to my sisters day!" she cried not noticing the first rays of sunshine peaking over the trees. "Well that more than you use to have isn't it?" Scootaloo spoke up getting everyone's attention having to be grabbed and lifted out of the way of a shot Nightmare shot at her by Spectrum. "Do you want to get killed filly?" he asked glaring at her. "I was only asking a question?" she said looking at her dad "I didn't know she'd take it that bad? Beside..." she whispered "Someone needs to distract her or something so she doesn't notice the S-U-N." she concluded pointing to the sky. "I understand that Scootaloo," he said trying not to raise his voice to her "But putting yourself in danger like that is not the way to do it. Once this is over you're grounded." he said giving her to Fire Blitz and turning back to Nightmare Moon. "What is it with you and hurting my family?" he asked annoyed stepping forward to her. "It's their own fault Captain for those terrible words they say to me." Nightmare Moon replied standing tall eyes on Spectrum. "Besides," she carried on still not noticing the rays of sun "Little Rainbow's time was drawing near anyway. Remind me what birthday she celebrated just a few days ago?" she asked smiling slyly. "My... My 20th," Rainbow's voice answered since Spectrum seemed to be lost for words eyes narrowed to Nightmare Moon. "But what's that got to do with anything?" "I would of thought the Princess of the Shadowbolts would know exactly what it's got to do with." Nightmare said. "Not really?" Rainbow said confused. "20, is the year Shadowbolts 'Come of age', my dear," Nightmare Moon explained. "You mean the year they get to lead their own squadron of other Shadows?" Rainbow asked remembering the 'meeting' she had with her parents the next day. "Not really, but it's nice to know your parents made sure that they would have a plan so you could prove yourself to me." she replied still not giving any full answers confusing everyone and only making Spectrum look more annoyed. "You..." Fluttershy spoke up "You're talking about when you posses her. Aren't you?" she said hiding behind her mane. "And we have a winner," Nightmare Moon cried over the surprised calls from everyone. "Since when was that a thing?" Rainbow demeaned loudly stomping her hoof. "Since my very first Children of the Night, my dear..." Nightmare Moon said lighting her horn slightly as everyone waited with their breath held eyes shifting between the two mares, one with enjoyment written over her face, the other with fear and disbelief in her eyes.