The Tale of KyuubiDash

by TheLunarArmy

Chapter 8: Surviving the elements

Chapter 8: Surviving the elements

Written by TheLunarArmy

Edited by Ezn

Alarms rang. The usually serene emerald castle in Bronkonia was filled with absolute chaos as unicorns scrambled throughout its great halls, quickly scurrying to fetch scepters and artifacts kept in the magical armories.

In the great lobby, Faerie Fyre was readying her own armour. Her silver shoulder guards and horseshoes fit snugly in their respective places. Her green cape bore the Master of Magic symbol and her flank shields matched her cutie mark.

The masters had certainly not wasted their twelve month grace period. They had spent every minute researching demonic energies, looking for ways to detect and weaken their power in the case of a full manifestation. Faerie and Daylight Scribble were the leading researchers in the matter, so all the other unicorn guards would follow their commands to letter.

"Attention! Bronkonia Magic Korps!" yelled Faerie.

All the guards stopped in place, paying close attention to their commanding officer. Faerie scanned their faces, seeing both fear and anxiety.

"You have been scrambled because our greatest fear have come true. Three minutes ago our Chakra sensors rang off the hook due to a massive influx of demonic energy detected overhead Ponyville. This has most likely been caused by the demon in the Element of Loyalty."

Everypony started to whisper to one another. The Element of Loyalty? A demon? Confusion lingered.

"We have anticipated its presence for quite a while now but have not seen its full potential until just a few moments ago. Princess Celestia has kept us on standby should the other Elements of Harmony fail to suppress the demon's power. This may be your first encounter with this kind of evil, but as long as you follow my orders correctly, you will come home alive."

Faerie paused until a nod from Daylight bade her to continue.

"Alright! We are moving out in ten minutes! Make sure you have your cloaks ready and your teleportation spells warmed up. Dismissed."

She vanished in a flash of blue flame and then reappeared next to Daylight. The two masters scurried down an empty hallway, discussing their plan of attack. Both looked very nervous.

"Faerie, are you sure you can handle this? I mean, from what I've read, demons don’t go down easy, nor do they play fair."

"I am a bit worried, yes, but I need to be strong for Celestia and the troops. Additionally, I believe Twilight and her friends will be able to calm Rainbow Dash. All they need to do is trust in their friendship."

"Have you thought of a backup plan? Just in case the demon takes over completely?"

Faerie stopped in her tracks. She looked at the floor and closed her eyes. Her backup plan was not pleasant. It was considered the ultimate fail safe against an entity they could neither defeat nor control. Faerie doubted if the princesses would allow this technique, but it was available if there was no other way to save Dash.

"I do, but it's a horrible one. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that."

The masters continued through the only doorway leading out of the passage. They entered a room with a large crystal ball (roughly the size of a juvenile hydra) placed directly in line with the sun. There were also various wooden tables, chairs, bookshelves and opened ledgers scattered across the room.

This was the new Inter-Stellar Communication Array that Ginger Blitz had constructed in the castle. The room was the center of all communication between castles throughout Equestria and beyond. Faerie and Daylight used this room regularly to relay messages to Canterlot and today would be no exception.

"Hey, White Noise!" yelled Faerie, "Where the hell are you?"

A set of grey eyes peered out from behind a large pile of books. The stack of codexes tumbled down to reveal a white unicorn stallion with bright blue mane and a set of speech bubbles for a cutie mark.

"Sorry ladies," said White Noise. “Guess you caught me daydreaming again.”

"No time for chit-chat, we need to talk to Celestia right away!"

White Noise lit up his horn and projected his magic into the large crystal ball. He had to focus all his power into establishing a connection to Canterlot castle, which was an impressive distance from Bronkonia. After a few seconds the crystal ball flickered to life and they could suddenly see a grey unicorn with red curly mane looking directly at them.

"Morning, Copper," said White Noise, "We’d like to request an urgent audience with Princess Celestia immediately!"

"No can do, Bronkonia," replied Copper. "She is currently out on royal duties. Is there any way I can help?"

"Listen!" yelled Faerie Fyre, "This is bloody important! Our demonic sensors are off the hook this side, so something is happening in Ponyville at this very moment. You'd better get a hold of Celestia immediately! Hell, even Princess Luna might be able to help!"

Copper's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates.

"D-d-did you say demon? I-I-I'll wake Luna right away! Thank you for the heads up."

The crystal ball dimmed again as the Copper cut the connection from her side.

"Connection lost," confirmed White Noise.

"Damnit! I had hoped to tell Celestia my plan before heading out, but it looks like I'll have to inform her while in the field."

"What should I do from this end, Faerie?" asked Daylight.

The Master of Combat Magic stared at White Noise, who attempted to shuffle out of her uncomfortable glare. She knew well his recent achievements in the field of long distance communication and, somehow, she got the feeling that he would be a vital asset in the upcoming confrontation. Faerie turned to Daylight.

"I need you and White Noise to get in contact with them again."

"What?! Do you have idea how much magic it would take to bridge a stable conn-" White Noise couldn't finish his sentence, as he was being held quiet by Daylight.

"Don't worry, you silly stallion," said the Master, "With your brains and my scrolls, I'm sure we can make a plan."

White Noise gave an unsure huff. Although he had not yet mastered the frequency stabilization, he knew that they might be able to help.

"Alright, fine, we'll give it try. But I can't promise anything."

On that cue, Faerie closed her eyes and disappeared in a puff of blue flame once more.

<>--<>

Back in Ponyville, a dark storm was brewing overhead. The fire from town hall was starting to blaze out of control, causing a lot of heat to seed the overhead clouds, fueling the ever-growing tempest. Any pony not involved in stopping the inferno was desperately trying to evacuate their friends and family from their homes, hoping to save what little they could.

In the grassy fields between the town and the Everfree forest stood the six Elements of Harmony - five of whom were mortified to see what had happened to their closest friend.

Rainbow Dash had unleashed the fox's full strength and, bit by bit, he was feeding her hunger for vengeance. She remained eerily calm, soaking up the terror expressed by her former friends while buying time for her body to adapt to the demonic energies.

"Friendship," said Dash in an ominous tone, "What a truly laughable concept. I mean... I spent all this time sharing my loyalty with you guys, just to be betrayed for a little suck-up action with Celestia."

"Horseapples Dash!" scorned Applejack. "These last few weeks were to help you keep your emotions under control. To prevent... this."

Rainbow took a few slow steps forward. Every pony watched her, unsure what to expect. Suddenly she moved again. Her movements were so fast that all her friends saw was a splash of rainbow before she stood in the middle of the group and placed her head on Applejack's shoulder. Her coat was so corrupted with dark energy that Applejack could feel her flesh burning just by making contact with Dash.

"Feels bad, doesn't it?" whispered Dash. "This is how I felt every day since you guys abandoned me."

Applejack shrugged Dash off her shoulder and crumpled to the ground in pain.

Pinkie Pie’s mind started to flicker - seeing Applejack throbbing in pain and Dash slowly growing into a monster caused her fragile mind to slowly rattle under the stress of the situation. A slightly harsher Pinkamina now stepped forward.

"Dashie, why are you hurting Applejack, huh? She has been nothing but honest with you! You’re becoming such a meanie."

"Haha! Oh, Pinkie Pie. You're still the same weak fool you’ve been since the first time I met you. Applejack, honest? What a laugh. Just look at her. You all knew about Celestia's little plan for two months. Did she come forward to tell me about? No. I had to force it out of Twilight."

"But we were trying to keep you safe, Dashie! Doesn't that count for anything?"

Dash placed her hoof on Pinkie's chin.

"You silly, little fool! Why don't you just go back the candy shop and fill your gluttonous face with sugar? Leave the serious business to the real ponies."

As tough as Pinkie tried to be, there was no mistaking that the burns on her chin were excruciating. It was not long before she joined Applejack on the floor, crippled by intense heat generated by Dash’s deadly touch.

"Who's next?"

Rarity took her chance leap at Dash, landing a solid kick in her torso.

"Rarity! No!" yelled Fluttershy. "We said we wouldn't..."

Rarity landed back on the grass, perfectly poised. Her eyes focused on Dash.

"This is not Rainbow Dash, my dear. Rainbow Dash would never knowingly hurt our friends.”

"Then you are not the real Rarity," laughed Dash, "because the real Element of Generosity would never selfishly withhold secrets from her friend, now would she? Oh wait... you never gave a rat's ass about sharing squat, you selfish cow!"

"WHAT?"

"You heard me. You've selfishly tried to grab everything within your grasp, from the Photo Finish contract to the diamond dogs’ gems, and even the Best Young Flier award - the one that rightly belonged to me. You've always been generous to number one and no-one else."

Rarity softly whimpered: "I... I... never intended to."

"Haha! You're just as weak as Pinkie Pie, you selfish filly. Now let me return the generous smack you gave me."

"No! Dash... I...."

Twilight and Fluttershy jumped in between the two. Fluttershy's anger was now at a level sufficient to oppose Dash. While Twilight tried to comfort Rarity, the two pegasi locked each other in a stare down.

"Now there’s a sight I never thought I'd see: wimpy little Fluttershy pretending to be tough," mocked Dash.

"Oh no? Well I can say the same about you, demon! Using an innocent pony to do your dirty work for you! How shameful!"

"Demon? You think the demon is controlling me? It's me, Fluttershy - the REAL me. All he's doing is giving a little help... since, you know, real friends do that for each other."

"No! Dash would never need some corrupt evil thing's help to be strong! She’s not weak!"

Their eyes were still firmly locked, and neither pony backed down for a even a second. However, from deep within Dash's mind, the Kyuubi made a startling discovery while looking into Fluttershy's eyes through Dash's sight. It can't be, he thought. This pony possesses enough willpower to... DASH! GET AWAY FROM HER!

Dash followed the fox's orders immediately and pulled up into the sky. She soared high into the dark clouds, with Fluttershy right behind her.

"Running away? Who's the big scaredy cat now, huh? Come out and play, Dash!" mocked Fluttershy as she entered the clouds.

This turned out to be a big mistake. Just as Fluttershy got above the cloud cover, Dash swooped in from above her and kicked between her wing joints with all four hooves, knocking Fluttershy back down to earth.

Back on the ground, Pinkie Pie's tail starting twitching and, although her skin was still burning, she let out a ear splitting yelp: "TWILIGHT! Look up!"

Twilight saw a motionless Fluttershy break through the clouds, falling towards the ground like a rag-doll. The monster was nowhere to be seen.

"Quickly Twilight!" urged Pinkie. "Dash won’t be far behind."

Twilight quickly got on her hooves and fired up her horn with her magical maroon aura. After saying a few enchantments, Twilight opened her eyes to reveal her spell. With a sudden burst of lightning, she summoned the Elements of Harmony.

Each one appeared on its respective bearer, except for Loyalty. With the sudden boost in power, Twilight easily teleported next to Fluttershy and used her protective bubble to catch her. The bubble slowed their descent until they touched down on the ground.

"Are you okay, Fluttershy?" asked Twilight.

"Yes. She got me with a cheap shot, but luckily this necklace healed me and got my strength back."

Twilight then teleported herself and Fluttershy back the main group. Both Pinkie Pie and Applejack's wounds had healed, and even Rarity snapped out of her emotional lockdown. The five ponies were now certain that their friend had been taken by the demon. Holding back would only endanger the citizens of Ponyville.

"Listen girls," said Twilight, "We have to stop Dash before the demon takes complete control. She still has the strength of the Element of Loyalty; so don't worry about holding back. If we need to break every bone in her body to get her back, then I say we do that."

Applejack took off her hat to reveal her trusty rope nestled inside. She took it out and knotted a loop in it. At that moment Pinkie Pie's Pinkie sense started to kick in. Eye flutter, twitchy tail, knee wobble and ear flop? Uh oh.

"Look out! Behind us!"

Sure enough, Pinkie’s sense were spot on. They could see a darkened rainbow streak above Ponyville - curving down and then parallel to the ground. Rainbow had taken the opportunity to gain speed from the high altitude and was proceeding to form a Mach cone around her fore hooves.

"That's the Rainboom! We have to slow her down!" yelled Rarity.

They knew a point-blank Sonic Rainboom could easily shatter their eardrums, causing massive hemorrhaging and ultimately death. Time was short and they had to act fast. Luckily Applejack noticed a nearby stack of hay bails.

"Rarity, Twilight, use yer magic and toss those bails of hay directly at Rainbow. Fluttershy, fly up and intercept her when she gets closer to us. Pinkie, you stay behind me and hold on. I'm gonna lasso me a bucking bronko."

The two unicorns sprung into action, combining their magic to instantly lift the bails of hay into the air and firing them at Dash in an artillery-style salvo.

Rainbow had to take evasive action, narrowly dodging several bails but slowing her speed in process. She flew faster to compensate, causing the Mach cone to ripple but leaving herself wide open. Just as she got in range Applejack flung the lasso at Dash, scoring a direct hit on her left wing. She pulled back, and with Pinkie's help, was able to swing Dash over their heads and crash her into the ground behind them, immobilizing the deranged pegasus.

Suddenly from out of the sky came a streak of yellow and pink. Fluttershy had also gained massive momentum thanks to the high altitude and promptly used all of it to crash into the grounded Rainbow Dash, delivering the same maneuver she had experienced earlier right back at her.

This time Dash could definitely feel the pain. She let out a deafening scream as both her wings were snapped in half. Fluttershy quickly hopped off her back to rejoin the others, who were racing towards the crash site.

Dash struggled to her hooves, burning with pain, and with her wings hanging limp at her sides. She had underestimate her former friend’s creative solutions, a mistake she did not intend to make again.

"You...you think this will stop me?!" muttered Dash.

"Dash, please stop. We don't want to hurt you anymore. Just come back to us," begged Rarity.

"Like hell I will!"

"Then you leave us with no choice, Dash," said Twilight, "If you won't come quietly, then we will drag you back to Princess Celestia."

<>--<>

Dash knew she wouldn't be able to harm the others in her present state - she needed more power. She retreated to her thoughts and quickly manifested herself back in front of the Kyuubi. The fox was at ease, sitting in his former cell and enjoying the performance all the ponies were putting on.

"I need your help. Can you fix my wings? It's the only advantage I have over them, and the only way I can beat their Elements."

The fox raised a claw to his chin, looked down and snapped his fingers.

"Done. Oh, and one more thing: the Element of Loyalty is bound to you; this relationship is inseparable. Using it is just a matter of willpower."

Dash could fell her energy being restored, but her strength felt much darker now.

"What is this power?" asked Dash, with a wide grin.

"That? Just a little boost I thought you might like."

"This is... awesome! Hell, with this I don't think I even need Loyalty!"

"Don't underestimate your former friends - especially not that yellow one! Avoid eye contact with her at all times."

"You got it," said Dash, before disappearing in her usual puff of black smog.

<>--<>

Back outside, the five Elements were encroaching on Rainbow when she suddenly sprung back to life. She laughed maniacally, causing the air around her to ripple with such power that it actually ignited the grass around her hooves. Dash stared daggers into Twilight Sparkle.

"Let’s up the game, shall we?"

A bright, sinister red mist formed around her entire body, enveloping it in a translucent armour of some kind. Additionally, Dash's teeth became longer, the tears on her cheeks widened, and small black lines formed around her eyes. The next step of her transformation was now complete.

"My buddy likes to call this a demon fox cloak, hehe. And it's wicked-awesome," taunted Dash.

"Dashie..." whimpered Pinkie, "What is happening to you?"

Dash's dark expression almost spoke for itself. She had had enough with games - now was the time to get serious. Her “demon cloak” started to bubble and swirl as the pegasus jumped into the air.

"I’m aligning my Loyalty elsewhere," exclaimed Dash with a dark, sinister voice, "and without it, Harmony will be extinguished."

<>--<>

Copper ran through the white halls frantically, startling various business ponies and guards. It had been a long time since the assistant had ran at top speed, but she needed to wake the princess as soon as possible.

Her eyes narrowed as her destination came into view. She opened the door and stepped into the dark room.

Princess Luna lay in her bed, fast asleep. She spent her nights keeping watch over Equestria, and was therefore very exhausted during the day. As much as Copper respected Luna's rest, this matter demanded her immediate attention.

The unicorn slowly walked over to the bed. She placed her hoof on the princess's shoulder, nudging it slightly.

"Princess, princess! Please wake up, we are in grave danger."

Luna's eyes sprung wide open as soon as she heard danger. Copper took two steps back and knelt as Luna stood upright.

"What's going on, Copper?"

"Bronkonia contacted us. It seems the Element of Loyalty has gone wild."

The princess sighed, remembering the instructions her sister had given her, should this day ever come. She quickly used her magic to attach her clothing to her body and then walked out the door. Copper was close behind her.

"What are you going to do, Princess?" asked Copper.

"Where is my sister at this moment?"

"Oh...uh... Botanical Garden opening in Fillydelphia. She should return within the next hour or so."

The two ponies made haste toward the vault in the west wing of the castle. Upon arrival, Luna opened the vault, revealing two cases protected by a luminescent blue barrier. The guards on duty and Copper watched closely as Luna slowly removed the necklace from the box using her telekinesis.

"Princess... are you sure that this is a good idea?"

"Oh yes. I’ve been wondering how powerful this thing still is..."

It was at this time that Copper noticed the another case hanging on the wall inside the vault. With Element in hoof, Luna now levitated the second case down. The long black box had a crescent moon engraved on its cover and silver adornments attached to its sides. The curious guards and Copper stood around Luna as she slowly creaked open the black box. They immediately gasped upon seeing the large curved blade nestled in between the purple padding; the marvelous saber was well known throughout pony legend.

"Is that... the Dusk Blade, milady?" asked a guard.

"Thou art correct," smiled Luna.

"But...but... it’s only a legend! How...?" gasped Copper

"The moon holdeth many secrets, my dear. Now, let us see if this will work..."

Luna levitated her sword out of the box, revealing an incomplete hilt. She moved the necklace close the blade, causing both to vibrate. The ruby necklace disassembled in midair, startling the three observers. Luna watched in awe as the gold pieces created a new hilt from the bits of necklace. After assembly, it had a new red glow which stood in stark contrast to its sleek black finish. The ruby lightning bolt was firmly attached to the chappe.

With the transformation complete, Luna placed the sword in its scabbard and strapped it to her back. She signaled for the guards to follow her as she walked towards the main lobby, donning her infamous black cloak. As usual, Copper was following close behind.

"As soon as my sister returns, tell her to come to Ponyville."

"Are you going there now?"

"Yes. Without the Element of Loyalty, I fear Twilight and her friends might not be able to hold out against a possessed Rainbow Dash for very long."

"But... Princess, isn't Dash the Element of Loyalty?"

"Well, we are about to find out."

Luna and the guards extended their wings and took off into midday sky, flying straight toward the dark clouds lingering in the direction of Ponyville, and leaving the tranquil Canterlot for battle.

To be Continued...

Writer's note: Chapter nine may be a little delayed due to upcoming examinations, expect it around the 10th of November. Thanks again for all your comments!

Comments

cool chapter

[bradhadair12]

Nice action scenes there! And take all the time you need. Exams are slightly more important! Not by much, though :P

[KaijinZero]

well, everypony's fucked if luna doesnt get there fast.
btw, how many tails does dash have right now?

[TheLunarArmy]

Only one

[Professor Donger]

Dash should go full on six tails on their ass

[Sweetie_Belle_Derelle]

Damn!

Shit got real!

When I first read the title of the fic, i was like now I'm like

i couldn't help but to laugh when the kyuubi started to panic with fluttershy's stare, buck ya this is awesome!!!!!