//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 :The Element of Loyalty. // Story: The future of harmony // by Storm Rival //------------------------------// "Um, Rainbow Dash," I hear my soft spoken friend say, "Twilight wanted us to go to the castle straight away." "Huh?" I ask slowly waking up from a good night's rest. I saw her yellow coat. Her pink mane was just about resting on my cloud as she was a good yet talking distance away from me, at least for her. "Oh. Hey Fluttershy." I say yawning. "Hey, um, Twilight wanted us all to head to the castle. She got a letter from Princess Celestia." I thought about it for a moment stretching out from a good night's sleep. "It has been a while since she got one from her." I said to my shy friend. "It really has been that long," Fluttershy replied to me in her usual whisper. "I haven't heard about Twilight getting a letter from Princess Celestia since she was crowned Princess of Friendship." "It's been that long huh?" I asked not really paying attention to the details. "It really has." "Man if I were Twilight, I'd feel a bit left out by now." "Well, uh, Twilight wants us to go to the castle," my soft spoken friend said. I started flying and said "Let's go then." I kept pace with Fluttershy as we both went to the castle. It was a slow but easy flight. I could circle the world 100 times at this speed. Fluttershy's been my friend for the longest time and yet, I still show her the utmost kindness I can. We open the doors to the castle and find that our friends are already here, but what can I do, I like flying with Fluttershy. "Glad you two could make it." Twilight said "I just got a letter from Princess Celestia and it seems very urgent. "Well what are you waiting for go ahead and read it!" I blurted ready for any kind of action. Twilight began reading what the letter from Celestia said: "Twilight and friends, I have written you on account of a vision I had on my little ponies of the future. I foresaw that Tirek would return and bring Tartarus with him. He wants nothing but revenge on everything and the most unfortunate news of this is that you won't be there to put a stop to his mayhem. I, in response to this, have made a machine to help see the future and help bring the future element bearers together and stop his madness, once and for all. I need you and your friends to come to my castle to rewrite history and hopefully bring tirek to his future justice Princess Celestia. "So, is everyone ready to go to Canterlot?" Twilight asked we all replied, "Yeah!" ----- The train ride to Canterlot was as anyone could expect of it being that it was going to a widely familiar place being Twilight's new status in Equestria. The summer breeze was as good as a dip in a pool the sky just nearly devoid of clouds though from what was heard there was a storm coming ,a storm said to last a few days in Ponyville. A storm Rainbow Dash and her friends wouldn't see... ----- The train stopped and Rainbow Dash and her friends stepped off the platform to let other ponies go where they needed to. They all knew where to go as they've had many events happen in Celestia's Castle. The fight against the changelings, the first and second time they all went to the Grand galloping gala, Discord... All those events raced past in Dash's mind as she visited the castle where the fate of Equestria hung in the balance. The air though being calm had a hint of tenseness to it as everypony slowly made their way through the fancy mountain streets of Canterlot. The city its self is home to many rich ponies and those of high class society. the streets were quite active as any other Monday would be. as the castle loomed closer, Twilight and company could see that this was only the beginning of their adventure. "Come on guys let's go already!" Ranbow dash said ready and rearing to go. "Hold on now Dash," Applejack said pulling Dash's tail. "I've been going too slow all day." she said back to Applejack "Just wait for us a bit longer sugarcube and you'll be the first to use that machine." "I just hope this goes faster." Dash said ----- Rainbow Dash and company finally made it to what seemed to be quite literally an inner sanctum to what was a great science experiment. All about the room, electrical current flowed. There were beds with helmets at the top of them. There were six total beds and six small shards of each of the elements embedded into the helmets. the atmosphere was something indescribable. "Ah, welcome to the precipice of the future." A somewhat familiar yet unfamiliar voice said. "Who's there?" Twilight asked "Its me Doctor Whooves." the colt said revealing himself at the far end of the room. "Y-you've been here this whole time?" Fluttershy asked. "Derpy's been wondering about you for ages about where you've gone, thinking you hopped on some time machine to go places." Dash said. "What!? That's completely absurd she knows far too well that I don't have a time machine." he said. "Anyhow, without further ado I wish to present the way you will save Equestria. "This thing," Applejack asked puzzled. "How the hay does this even work?" "Ah, That's the thing it needs the Elements of Harmony to work and each one of these beds here has been fitted to your specific element. When Bill, Nyer and I tested it, it took a combination of each of the elements for us to only get about an hour or so glimpse of the future. I'm assuming that you each have a good link with the Elements of Harmony that it will give you more time to do what you need to for the sake of Equestria." There was a slight creepiness of the atmosphere, this creepiness was something that had all the ponies' hair stand on end for just a moment. "Well, uh, Totally not going first." Rainbow dash said immediately. "Oooh no, you wanted to go first, I remember it." Applejack said to Rainbow dash. "Well, alright," Dr. Whooves said. "As soon as you're ready I'll prepare your time jump." Dash gulped as she was just about ready to take the 'first' jump to the future. "See you guys on the other side?" She chuckled laying down. The helmet came down and Dr. Whooves fastened it around her head. "Tell me when." Dash took a few deep breaths and said "Ready." The machine powered up and as it did, everything in Dash's vision faded to black... ----- Suddenly Dash couldn't move or feel much of anything except the new somewhat bulkier body as well as the wings of a pegasus. "That was weird." Dash thought, Though that thought its self was more aloud than in her mind. "Ugh," dash hears a colt's voice say. "I knew I shouldn't have read with a headache." "Who are you?" Dash asked aloud this time. "Me?" the colt asked. "who are you and why are you interrupting me and where are you?" Dash tried to move about but was confined where she was, the stallion though could feel some movement. "So, you're in my head?" "I think so." Dash replied. "How do you not know?" he asked. "And who are you?" "You might be a bit shocked at this, but I'm Rainbow Dash." "You're one of the element bearers of harmony?" "You bet. And I'm twenty percent cooler than the rest of them." "Yeah right," he said. and I'm quite honestly the foal of Celestia herself." Eclipse replied sarcastically. "No seriously, I'm Rainbow Dash." "Prove it." he said. "Tell me who saved the crystal empire when the first natural born alicorn was born." "It was Starlight's friend, I Can't remember his name sunbeam, Starburst." Dash thought for a moment. "I'm kinda drawing a blank." "Uh huh." he said. "Alright if you really are dash without looking what element do you represent, and what happened during the event of the Magical mystery cure?" "The what what what?" dash asked. "I know I'm the element of Loyalty, but I don't know what the magical mystery cure is." "What happened to Twilight when your cutie marks got all rearranged?" "Oh, I was trapped by animals, Rarity was working the weather, Pinkie worked AJ's farm Aj made dresses, and Fluttershy tried being Pinkie." Dash said. "What?" eclipse simply asked. "Oh and Twilight grew wings and became an alicorn." "That's the answer I was looking for, sort of." "What happened to the crystal empire after the crystaling?" "That I don't know buddy, and no spoilers please." Dash said. "Alright, what just happened to you?" "Starlight just became a friend of Princess Twilight." Dash replied. I kinda don't trust her, but I know that Twilight trusts her and that's enough for me." "Alrigh-" Suddenly, out of nowhere, a large gray unicorn with a black coat came through with a sword made of crystal ready for action. "engarde!" He yelled. The stallion pulled his own sword and maneuvered it pretty well considering he only had his mouth and wings to hold the sword with. Slowly but surely the features from the fast moving motions between both the combatant and Dash's host. A red horn a red cape this all seemed too familiar. "Sombra?" dash asked. "Be careful whoever-you-are, Sombra's attacking the crystal empire and-" Dash was cut off. "Quiet he's teaching me, and no not attacking the Empire," He said "I'll fill in the details after this small practice is over." The battle between him and Sombra was intense full of many nearly connecting hits from Sombra's end. finally after about five minutes back and forth, Dash's stallion pulls a second sword that pokes Sombra. "Haha, I was wondering when you'd pull that one Eclipse." he said kindheartedly to him. "I'll see you in the court yard for another bout ok," Sombra said "Son?" "Yeah I can't wait." "Son!" Dash said. "Well, Rainbow Dash, being that you don't know what happened a few years after the crystling, I might as well say that if I said who I was, that it'd shock you." "Well go a head and say it." "I am Sombra's son, Eclipse." ----- Dash shook Somewhat in her tightly held restraints that were courtesy of the time machine. "What just happened?" Dr. Whooves asked "Knowing Dash, she just received some shocking news." Apple jack said, with the rest of her friends aside Rainbow Dash nodding in agreement. ----- "What! How! why! When!" Dash frantically asked. "Geez, calm down." Eclipse said "I want to know how!" Dash exclaimed. "But I thought you didn't want to know your future." Eclipse retorted back. "Bu-" "No buts this is my world and I'm the prince and I command silence." Dash was angrily silent. "So, what is it, why are you here?" Eclipse asks. "Equestria in some grave danger again?" "Yes it is, Tirek is going to return and... "Tirek's already here, and even said himself that he 'wants to turn over a new leaf." "Wha- how? why?" "Shouldn't you know?" "All I know is what not why." "Ok, all I know is that he's back from his banishment from tartarus, and that's just about it." Eclipse says. "My father trusts him completely though I have my doubts that he's really here for 'turning over a new leaf'. He's probably here to get revenge on Celestia Luna and Flurry." "Flurry..." Dash thought again. "Do you mean Cadence and Shining's baby?" "Baby!" Eclipse said astounded. "Guess you really are five hundred years old then." "Hey don't you know its rude to talk about a mare's age?" Eclipse blushes, then suddenly, Sombra comes into the room. "Son," he says. "Are you ready for the sword lessons?" Dash remains silent and is somewhat confused by how Sombra is alive and she and her friends aren't. "I will be in just a few minutes." Eclipse said. "Alright, I'll be waiting at the practice ring when you're ready." Sombra replied. "Ok Dad." Eclipse replied. "How's he still alive?" Dash asks. "There's a red rock at the edge of the crystal empire out where the snow is, its a portal to the world of the Umbrum." "Umbrum?" Dash asks. "They're the species my dad is derived from, they're nothing but pure hatred and malice and were banished to the snow. That is until they made my father, a solid umbrum." "What happened after that?" Dash asked "Too much to cover now." Eclipse put an end to that. "One thing I can tell you now is that My father and I are currently overseeing things in the Crystal Empire as Flurry Heart receives her training from Princess Celestia and Luna themselves being that they all share the fact they're all natural born alicorns." "What's he doing now?" "He's been obsessed with reforming the Umbrum, much how you have reformed Discord in the past." "It really wasn't me it was actually Fluttershy who 'friendshipped' him into submission." Eclipse chuckled a bit. "What? What's so funny?" "I thought it was you, you're said to be the only one cool enough to deal with Discord's chaos." "Why would it be, I don't trust him as fast as I can fly," Dash said "And quite frankly, I don't trust Sombra nearly that much either." "I know how you feel," Eclipse said. " I feel like he's going to try to wage a war against Celestia and Luna." "I wouldn't put it past him," Dash said. "But no matter what, the Lives of your Empire and your family matter most." The last part dash blurted for no reason whatsoever. "I know that." Eclipse said. "But to be truly loyal you must prove it." Dash said again for no reason "I suppose so." Eclipse said. There was a knock at Eclipse's door. "your father's waiting Eclipse!" A mare's voice protruded through the door. "Coming!" he said Things for dash started to become dark. "I think I'm going back to my time 'Clipse." she said. "Alright, suppose I'll hear you sometime later then right?" There was no response. Dash was now again in darkness. She felt as though there was a light pulling her through the void. When she opened her eyes, she saw her friends again. "Dashie!" Pinkie said excitedly "What was the future like?" "Well, I'm not sure how to put it," she started. "But we all kicked the hay sometime before five hundred years." "Well for us all I'd understand, but Twilight, I thought with your transformation you'd become well..." Applejack somewhat couldn't bring herself to say it given her past. "Immortal?" Twilight asked. "Yea." Applejack said. "Well," Pinkie blurted "This just isn't right." "I know and even worse, Tirek's already there in the future waiting for us." Dash said. Everyone in the room paused and looked at Dash. "You mean he isn't there threatening everypony?" Fluttershy asked. "No, and somehow Sombra too is alive then." Dash said. "Well that's a double negative future." Pinkie yet again blurted. "I don't know." Dash said "All i know is what happened, not how." "I need to talk to Princess Celestia." Twilight said walking out of the room. "I need some rest." dash said getting up from the machine and flying out in search of a high cloud for a nap. "This is very important for all of you and the state of future affairs of Equestria." Dr. Whooves said " I need you all back within the hour!" he yelled the last one out was Pinkie, who said "Okie dokie" before bounding off. --- Sombra and Eclipse were fencing in the court yard, each round would last a long time neither of them gaining an edge nor parrying the other's sword out of their good grasps. "Father," Eclipse asks. "Yes," Sombra said going for a strike. "What would you do if I told you I was the element of loyalty?" "I'd-" Sombra was hesitant at the sudden question, that hesitation caused his sword to be flung out of his magical grasp. "I'd say those are nothing but a rumor, but given how you rule when I'm away on business with my own ponies, I'd say you do a mighty fine job and would totally fit the bill of Loyalty." "Thank you," Eclipse said "What's the deal with Tirek?" "He's merely staying until I can be sure he completely has 'turned over a new leaf.'" "And why am I being sent to that ' insect horde of changelings for a treaty?" "Because, even though Ponies and Changelings don't get along even now there has been moves for acceptence and our move towards that will prove that they are ready for such an undertaking." "Alright, When am I leaving for that?" "In about a week," Sombra finished.