//------------------------------// // The Dashed // Story: The Game of Shadows // by Zytharros //------------------------------// The Dashed It had been two days since we were supposed to head off for Ponyville, and three since we lost Boomdrop. Canuck Chuck had not turned anything up in all his searches at top speed all around Fillydelphia, going for over forty hours of straight flight and no rest just to find her and in the process giving real credit to what he said about his endurance flight time. We had found our other friends, returning to their campsite every night when we were met with no success. Discouragement was beginning to set in. “We’ll never find her now,” Sweetie Belle mourned. “She’s probably…” I shook my head. “I doubt it. This Black Silver organization that has her… I don’t think it wants her dead just yet.” I admit, I was feeling down about it, too, but we couldn’t give up on her. We needed her. She needed us. Most of all, Razortongue needed her. She had seemed so lost since we failed to find her anywhere in the city yesterday. Then we got some unexpected help. A magic wave passed over my mind. It showed a small warehouse complex on the edge of the city, not five minutes from where we were. A face appeared on the wave. “You did not look carefully enough for her,” the face in my mind said. “Who are you!?” I demanded, quickly projecting the image in my mind on the ground. The eight of us gathered around the circle and watched the conversation. The black stallion on the other end of the line cackled. “I am Megahorn, leader of Black Silver. If you want to see your beloved Boomdrop again, meet me at this warehouse.” Miscellaneous shouts, including a very out-of-place “do you have muffins?” from Derpy, peppered the air. Before I could get a word in, questions, explanations or anything, he vanished, leaving the picture of the warehouse imprinted in my thoughts. “Damn fucking bitch,” Razortongue muttered. “I’m gonna make him eat his ass. Twice!” “Well, we know where Boomdrop is,” I said. “Likely there’s going to be an armada of thugs waiting for us.” Scootaloo pulled her scooter out and stomped on it. “Well, what’re we waiting for?” Canuck Chuck nodded silently, the first time he decided not to speak in response. So Razortongue and Scootaloo took to the streets, while Canuck Chuck and I took to the sky. Of course, Canuck Chuck went ahead and found the warehouse first, shining a great beacon of light from the magic of his horn to alert us of his location. Scootaloo and I arrived at the same time. Razortongue followed shortly after. We landed at a small, iron door, the sole break in the building’s brick and metal exterior. I let Razortongue, Scootaloo and Canuck Chuck in, keeping an eye on what came in behind us. The sky began to cloud over, and a chilly breeze blew through. Rain was coming. I was glad we were headed inside. As I entered, stale, yeasty smells filled my nose, coupled with maturing grapes and an acidic smell atypical of wine-makers I couldn’t quite place… I noted some wine barrels, a few bottling products, several, cooled boxes of unused grapes, tall racks of wood holding thousands of bottles… a winery. A commercial-production winery, I identified. Noting a couple passing barrels and their caps, emblazoned with the logo of the manufacturer “Beachcomber Wines”, I realized this warehouse was dedicated almost exclusively to the production of Shiraz wines. I moped a little – Shiraz being my favourite wine, I was disheartened to think of all this wasted wine in a potential fight. I briefly wondered if this was where we were to meet, allowing myself to hope out this location as a battlefield but… “Boomdrop!” Razortongue cried, running away. We quickly joined her as we saw the broken, battered purple zebrasus tied down to a chair, bloodied and busted from head to hoof, consciousness flitting in and out of her eyes like the sun through the clouds viewable through a lone window high above us. Her mane and tail were caked in blood, her wings and two of her legs bent at wildly unnatural angles. She was tied back, her mouth full of a foam substance, preventing her from speaking. Razortongue nuzzled up to her marefriend. “I’m here… they’re gonna pay, Boomie,” she cooed, “They’re gonna fuckin’ pay…” I looked around anxiously. This was w-a-y too easy. “Keep on your toes, guys,” I warned. “This feels wrong.” Razortongue quickly unstrapped her girl, lifting her up onto her back. “I’m going to get Boomie to the fuckin’ hospital,” she said. We backed out slowly. Canuck Chuck took to the sky to make sure we weren’t being watched. We heard a door click, then something light aflame, then the door click and latch. I looked back to where we had entered – flames were climbing up the barrels! “We’re in shit city!” Razortongue shrieked. The rate the flames were clamoring for every square inch of the building led me to believe an accelerant had been used. The tongues of fire were licking up every square inch of real estate they could, even climbing on walls. We crowded together in the middle of the rapidly-expanding flames. A couple small explosions told me that wine wasn’t the only thing in this building... …which Canuck Chuck unceremoniously confirmed: “Gunpowder at six-o’-clock!!” We turned around, staring at what had to be the single largest collection of gunpowder crates in all Equestria. There had to be over nine thousand crates in that pile – and the flames were already working through the wood on almost twenty of them! “How the…?” I simply said, staring and dumbfounded. “I thought Equestria-” “Shut up, Zytharros!” Scootaloo shrieked in panic. “How do we get the fuck out of here before that blows!?” Canuck Chuck soared up into the sky, indicating the window I had observed earlier with his unmistakable top-speed speech. He bucked it, shattering the glass. I picked up Razortongue and Boomdrop. Canuck Chuck gathered Scootaloo up. We escaped that building as fast as we could, just before the building exploded, sending wine, glass, gunpowder and miscellaneous other debris flying in all directions. We settled down on a nearby rooftop to catch our breath. I wanted this guy brought to justice now. There was no need to put Boomdrop, me, Razor, or any of us through that. Where was he? I shot looks around me at random, now royally pissed off. It was then we noticed something odd. A shadow moved along the ground. There was no pony to shed the shadow. It was simply a shadow… an outline. I braced myself. Slowly, the shadow rose from the ground, staring straight at me. “Zytharros,” she said in that familiar tomboy scratch. Scootaloo looked at her quizzically. “Rainbow Dash? What happened to you?” I put a leg in front of the filly. “Don’t approach her.” “But-” she said, intending to object. I looked at her. “Don’t. She’s not Rainbow right now.” Scootaloo eyed her, confusion clearly evident on her mind. She was trying to calculate this new variation on Rainbow Dash. “All you need to know,” I said, “is Crystal Fist is now in control of her mind.” “So, Dash is…” Scoots asked me, tears in her eyes. I shook my head. “No, she’s not dead. She’s still in there somewhere, hiding behind that black façade.” “Fa-what-now?” Scoots asked. I looked back at Rainbow, who was now slowly walking towards us. Her actions indicated a hostile motion was coming next. “Mask,” I said, preparing myself. “Scoots, brace yourself.” The filly quickly snapped her attention back to Rainbow Dash. The pony had a very single-minded focus. “The burden you carry will be better if you just let it take you,” she cooed. She turned in an attempt to circle us. “Zytharros, would you not like to belong to the purest Empire in the universes?” “I already do,” I said flatly. “No forceful takeover is pure.” Dash looked at me, a little annoyed. “You stand opposite me, a former friend betraying my trust. I am the Element of Loyalty, and this is not being loyal.” I caught her eye. “Loyalty means staying true to your friends as well as to yourself. If a friend comes against you unwillingly, you must work your hardest to get that friend back. Must I remind you of the three times I wilfully submitted to your physical threats to drive the point home?” She snorted. “A weak action, showing nothing but futility.” “Exactly,” I said. “I had to submit to your will without reservation and without care to myself to get you to see what a true friend is. You yourself acknowledged this the third time.” Suddenly, Rainbow Dash’s face twisted. Scootaloo stepped back as the Shadow Magic fizzled. Flashes of Rainbow’s old colours began fluttering in and out of view. “Zytharros…” a weaker voice said. “Hold on, Dash! I’m here to get you back!” I shouted. Scootaloo bolted for the shadow. Grabbing a hoof, she tried to tear her idol out of the Shadow’s grip. “Let go of her, you meanie!” she said, tears rolling down her eyes as she pulled with all her might. “Bastard!! Let her go!!” Suddenly, the Shadow regained control and bucked Scootaloo hard, connecting solidly with her face and flank. The filly flew past us. Canuck Chuck caught her just before she fell into the alley below, bringing the unconscious Cutie Mark Crusader back to our group. “Great work, Loyalty,” I seethed. “You just bucked up your biggest fan.” Dash broke through again. ‘Shadowdash’ hadn’t moved. “N-no… S-s-sco… o-o-ota-ta-ta… l-loo…” she said, fighting for the right to gain her body back. Her spirit was weak… very weak. I closed my eyes and casted some magic on her. Instantly I found myself transported to a world of purple, where only lights existed. A pale blue light was being assailed by three black lights, fighting back with whatever could be mustered. With each hit, though she dimmed. I had no idea how things worked, so I went for it. I wanted to strike at those who were harming my friend… so I did. Hard. I wanted them to feel the pain they had inflicted on her, so they did. Badly. It seemed my will was what dictated my motions here. I wanted to protect Dash first and foremost. I myself wasn’t all that strong, having just escaped holding two mares from a burning building set to blow at the slightest spark, but dammit, they weren’t going to get the best of Dash! Some warmth came from the blue light, and her soul ‘stood’, reinvigorated. I’m not sure how much energy I’ve got left, Zytharros, she… I guess willed herself to say to me, but I’m gonna give it my all. I’ve been stuck inside this… this dark place… for far too long. I tried to exude the same friendly warmth to Dash. Let me battle them. You get some rest. Dash replied, I don’t think I get that luxury! Immediately, one of the black shadows pounced on Rainbow. Two took me on. Come on, beasties… I taunted. They struck at me, but I had a lot more energy than Dash did. I dodged them, delivering two powerful rams. Dash had significantly weakened one – I blew clean through it on the second try. This left the battlefield fair and square at one each. A faint voice in the distance caused me to lose my concentration for a split second, and soon I was ejected from Dash’s brain. I quickly reconnected, watching them beat the ever-living stuffing out of the unmoving soul of Dash once more. I pounced on one, catching it completely off-guard. I tore it in two, its’ vapor dissipating in a pulse of black light. The other turned on me, its full attention drawn to the one with the larger life force. I glanced over at the blue, formless creature. It was pulsing… fading… “No... Dash! Hold on!” I shouted, both internally and audibly. The last Shadow attacked me, striking me three times. I countered with a couple quick strikes of my own as the Shadow defended. I dodged. Again, several strikes came, but I defended them. I couldn’t tell if they were punches or kicks or simply belly-bounces. These amorphous blobs of... I guess soul would be the best word?... were just that – amorphous blobs of light. The pattern of striking and defending continued, heated, for several minutes. Eventually, though I could see the Shadow wearing down. Eventually, I broke him… or rather, Dash did. With a thrust of her body, she blew open the last assailant. I ‘caught’ her just as the battle ended and she fell into my body. “Dashie!!” I shrieked. The blue blob lay there, unmoving, but still flickering blue. I looked around, carrying the weakened soul, and to my surprise found a crystal containing the purest essence of Rainbow Dash. The full pony form was locked away in the crystal. “How do I get you back in there?” I asked myself. But it was not for me to decide. I was pulled out of her heart and back into my own. For the fourth time in my Equestrian life, I fainted. I had used up a lot of magic saving Rainbow Dash, and my body had just given out from the stress. I guess saving lives is tiring business.