17 The Shadow
Ten seconds of ringing, horrible silence followed the words of the Wonderbolt Captain. Spitfire glanced down at her sunglasses lying on the dusty floor, but made no effort to retrieve them. Rainbow Dash looked straight into Soarin's eyes with concern and worry. Gruffly, he patted her shoulder. She was taken aback by his abrasiveness, something Soarin had noticed. Dash watched him give her an apologetic look in return.
“Look, ma'am...” Applejack began, walking forward. “When y'all say ya 'failed'...”
“I'm sorry, did I stutter?” Spitfire spat back.
“Now see here! I only meant t' say...” Applejack continued, but Spitfire cut across her.
“I know PRECISELY what you meant to say, farm girl!” Spitfire snapped, scooping up her glasses with her wings and ramming them back on her nose as she began to pace. “We were sent to Saddle Arabia to deal with a threat made on that kingdom by a rogue group of dragons. The Saddrabian leader requested aid from Princess Celestia, who sent the greatest flight team in Equestria. There was only one little problem: Dragons attacking Saddle Arabia? This was a lie.”
“As far as I have been able to understand it...” Twilight Sparkle spoke up, getting to her feet. “The Wonderbolts split into two groups. One went to scout for potential dragon hideouts, while the second group investigated the security measures around the kingdom.”
“Yeh got that right, kid!” Rapidfire spoke up. “So look, we Wonderbolts have dealt with a few measly dragons in our time. But dis... Dis right here was a diff'rent matta entirely.” He bowed his head, shaking it back and forth.
Rainbow Dash's stomach was churning again. What precisely had happened? She caught Rarity's eye, noticing the unicorn seemed to be looking exactly as Rainbow was feeling. Dash looked beyond Rarity and found Pinkie Pie sitting on the floor with a hoof to her chin, alert and listening with a frown on her face. It was unnerving to watch; she had never seen Pinkie Pie so serious.
“There was no logical geographical location around the desert that would be a proper hideout for an intelligent group of renegade dragons.” Fleetfoot explained, pulling up her goggles and rubbing her eyes.
“Blaze and I lead a squadron into the desert...” Soarin said, speaking to the group at large. “Rapidfire, Fleetfoot, and Fire Streak came with us.” Soarin pointed out each Wonderbolt as he spoke. “Spitfire took care of investigating the security in the capital, along with my brother Wave Chill, Lightning Streak, Misty Fly, and Surprise. We left Silver Lining and High Winds to man the headquarters while we were abroad. This was a mistake. We needed them...”
Rainbow Dash grew more worried still as she noticed Soarin's composure slip further and further. He looked as though he was in great pain, but doing his best to disguise it. Dash suddenly understood why, as she looked around the room as he named the Wonderbolts.
“Soarin... Where's Wave Chill?” She asked in a croak. He opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out.
“We don't know.” Spitfire said gravely, closing her eyes. “He disappeared on the way home. Long story short, my group in the capital was attacked. Ambushed! We don't know who or what attacked us, but it was like... like a dark cloud! A shadow.”
Dash felt her stomach plummet another dozen feet or so. This was so difficult to imagine. She watched as Soarin's eyes fell to the floor. His face was blank and expressionless. It was impossible to tell how hard he was suffering. It was horrible for her to witness.
“Whatever it was, the guards of Saddle Arabia immediately took up arms against the Wonderbolts. It was working with their military. Fleetfoot said there was no way for the dragons to hide in the desert, and we returned to the capital to find the conflict already underway.” Blaze said, folding her arms. “It was something out of a nightmare. The screams...”
“We failed to deal with the threat.” Spitfire spoke. “We were overpowered and had to flee for our lives. I don't blame the Saddrabian leaders, or the country itself, because the guards were attacking the innocent. We got backup from the ambassador's personal militia, but they were... torn to pieces. We had no choice but to leave! We were completely outnumbered!” Her eyes flew open, and she was looking furious with herself.
“So, we had ta act like cowards and escape wid our lives! But it didn't matta! It followed us. There was always a dark cloud on th' horizon as we flew home. Wave Chill disappeared when we flew low t'rew the mountains, and nopony saw him vanish.” Rapidfire said gloomily.
Rainbow Dash gave Soarin a quick hug, squeezing his hoof with her own. Soarin seemed not to notice, his emerald green eyes were still fixed on the floor as if he was trying to burrow into it with them. His body was shaking, his arms and legs quaking as if his body was too heavy to hold up. His eyes appeared glazed over.
“Oh my gosh...” Fluttershy said fearfully. “Is that... is that why you all came to Ponyville?”
“We came to the Princess' protegé, Twilight Sparkle, yes.” Spitfire confirmed, trying to keep herself calm. “We would not risk leading The Shadow back to Canterlot or Cloudsdale. They are both far too visible and open. Ponyville is practically invisible from a distance due to the hills, and Canterlot would draw eyes to the mountain. The moment we gained a considerable lead on our pursuers, we made a beeline for here. Twilight's assistant Spike sent a letter to the Princess, she wrote back telling us to stay put. We've been waiting ever since.”
“It is clear that this threat is far greater than the Wonderbolts can deal with alone. It is rumoured that you six command the Elements of Harmony...” Blaze said, walking forward so she stood in front of the four by the stairs, as Rainbow Dash was still by Soarin, and Twilight was still in the centre with Spitfire. “I expect the Princess will team us up.”
“Exactly!” Soarin said in a fierce voice, seeming to abruptly snap back to reality. He looked to Twilight, and then to Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. “The Shadow dared harm my baby brother. Wave Chill is one of the toughest stallion I've ever met. I know he's still alive, and we're going to get him back with your help, girls...” He turned to look Rainbow Dash straight in the face. She felt him squeeze her hoof back. “I want you by my side when we confront this, Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow gave him a fierce look in return. “Absolutely!” She said confidently.
“Do you guys know where that shadow is now?” Pinkie Pie spoke up at last, ears drooped. “What if it hurts our friends? What if it reaches Ponyville?!”
“Look, dis threat ripped up the horses in charge a' Saddle 'rabia pretty easily!” Rapidfire said. “I expect who or what dis is will see Ponyville as too little a target. If ANY'TING, it'll go after Cloudsdale or Cantalot if it managed t' follow us 'ere.”
“The biggest mistake it'll make is attacking either!” Spitfire snarled. “Making its presence known on the front porch of the Regal Sisters? I almost welcome the possibility! The entire strength of the Wonderbolts is in Cloudsdale! The wielders of the Elements of Harmony are here in Ponyville. If this shadow makes a move, the combined forces of ourselves and Canterlot's Royal Guard, not to mention the power of the two Sisters, will annihilate it! We owe it for Wave Chill.”
“The Wonderbolts do make an excellent point, Pinkie!” Rarity said reassuringly, giving her a pat on the head. “It's just far too risky for anything to attack us! The good ponies will destroy it the second it does, my dear Pinkie Pie!”
A horrible possibility occurred to Rainbow Dash. She gave a shrill whistle to immediately gain everyone's attention. Spitfire threw her a sharp look, eyebrow raised as she glanced over the rim of her sunglasses.
“What if this shadow is aware of that?” Rainbow Dash said, frowning. “Yeah, okay, we'll beat the stuffing out of it if it rears its ugly head, but what if it tries a more stealthier approach? It targeted the Wonderbolts by LEADING them there! I'm sure it's behind that plea for help that Saddle Arabian royalty sent the Princess. I mean...” Dash said, running her hooves ruefully through her mane. “I like to pretend that my opponents are a buncha dummies, but this dark cloud or whatever... it sounds smart. Dangerously intelligent.”
“I subscribe to this possibility, Rainbow Dash.” Fleetfoot said, moving to stand next to her. “The Shadow was deceiving enough in its plans to draw the Wonderbolts far from our home territory. I believe it understands not to challenge us on our own turf, with the Elements and the forces of Canterlot so close at hoof. To increase the already escalated levels of danger The Shadow poses, another distinct probability is the fact that it may decide to use Wave Chill's safety as a weapon against us. The Shadow will realize that it is prohibitively unprofitable to make an obvious move. I believe it will use subterfuge.”
“So... 'the hell do we do?” Applejack asked, her voice almost sounding panicky. “Just sit n' wait for it that there shadow to try n' pick us apart separately?!”
“We will just sit and wait for the Princess' take on this whole matter.” Spitfire said simply. “The Wonderbolts will make no action without the command of one of the Sisters... So I'm going downstairs to wait. If you'll all excuse me...”
Spitfire pushed through the group to the stairs and proceeded down, lifting a hoof to adjust her sunglasses as she went. The rest of them fell silent. The Wonderbolts who had so far remained silent pushed by to join her, giving nods to each mare as they marched in single file.
“I will accompany the Captain as well.” Blaze said, inclining her head to Twilight Sparkle. “It was great to finally meet you all.”
The only ones left on the second floor were the six mares, Soarin, Fleetfoot, and Rapidfire. Fleetfoot and Rapidfire fell into quiet conversation, both looking very grave. Every now and then, Rainbow Dash could hear Rapidfire swearing. Soarin walked off to the edge of the circular room, sitting down and throwing his back against the wall. Dash hesitated to follow. She gave a little groan to herself, turning to Fluttershy.
“I dunno what to do... This is all, y'know, kinda scary... This whole thing is pretty lame.” Dash sighed, rubbing her arm absentmindedly.
“Do you think the Elements of Harmony will be strong enough to beat The Shadow? Whatever, um, it is...” Fluttershy asked meekly, sitting down and bowing her head.
“There's nothing we haven't been able to accomplish together!” Twilight Sparkle said, moving to sit next to Fluttershy. “I'm less concerned about our safety than that of the horses in Saddle Arabia. The country's military forces are with The Shadow.”
“I wish we had another name for this dreadful thing!” Rarity said, shivering. “Calling it 'The Shadow'... it makes it sound like it's a terrible curse. Like a nightmare!”
“Actually, that sounds like the perfect freaking way to put this!” Rainbow Dash said, feeling close to hysterics. “This IS like a nightmare. Imagine... the Wonderbolts couldn't stand a chance. I know we're amazing, but exactly how great are we? We couldn't even defeat King Sombra without Princess Cadance or the crystal ponies. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor defeated Queen Chrysalis themselves after we totally BLEW IT against the changelings! We're NOTHING without the Elements of Harmony! They're the only thing that makes us special!
“That's not true, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight said defiantly. “We are all resourceful and determined enough to overcome any obstacles we've had to face. Think of everything we've done without wielding the Elements. The Elements of Harmony don't make us, Rainbow Dash! They amplify the power and strength we already have!”
Rainbow fell silent, but nodded slowly. She had to admit, Twilight did have a point. Her mind wandered as she recalled everything they had all been through together. She felt a little more confident. She gazed quietly in the direction of Soarin, who was resting with his head in his knees, thinking. She just wanted to go get Scootaloo and go for a walk in the park, maybe visit her pet turtle Tank. She just wanted to put the worry and responsibility behind her and go eat some stupid ice cream. Was her life destined to be a roller-coaster? Every time things were looking up, they hit a peak and dipped back down into horrifying circumstances.
What could she do for Soarin? His brother could be in terrible danger. Or he could already be dead. Where was Princess Celestia? Why was this taking so long? Would she know what they were up against? 'The Shadow...' Rainbow thought to herself. What could it possibly be? Blaze said there was a conflict already ongoing when the other group of Wonderbolts returned from the desert. Could this shadow fight? How? Maybe The Shadow didn't fight at all, and the conflict was simply between the guards and the Wonderbolts.
Rainbow felt a hoof on her shoulder and she escaped from her reverie. She looked at it, seeing it was a light orange colour.
“Go to him, Dash. He needs ya right now.” Applejack said, jerking her head in Soarin's direction as she removed her hoof from Rainbow's shoulder.
Dash nodded and made her way over to sit next to Soarin. He lifted his head as he heard her sit down and turned to look at her. Rainbow Dash could see the fear in his eyes. She hated seeing him in this pain. Stretching out her arms, she wrapped them around his torso.
“Are you alright?” She asked him quietly, placing a kiss on his cheek.
“I'm...” He began, eyes darting as he seemed to be casting around for words that seemed to be lost in the sea of his thoughts. “I'm... I'm fine, I suppose. Just worried. I remain convicted that my brother is alive, but I should have kept a closer eye on him. I was focused on ensuring Blaze was with the group; Blaze is unfortunately not as fast as the rest of us, I was worried we would lose her to The Shadow. I should have watched out for Wave Chill just as much. He's my brother!”
“It's not your fault!” Dash said sternly. “You were all fleeing for your lives. You guys just gotta... regroup and figure out a plan. Once Princess Celestia arrives, we'll all plan together... and we'll get him back and destroy that thing!”
Soarin sighed. “It seems silly to think of now... it was my plan, you know, once we all got back from Saddle Arabia... I was going to ask you out on another date. Somewhere in Canterlot, maybe... a place where we could go dancing, see a show, chill out under the stars... I wanted to return triumphant! And now I don't know if I'm ever going to see my baby brother again...”
“Don't waste your time worrying about little ol' me!” Rainbow gave a laugh, trying to paint some humour into the proceedings. “There's more important things at stake right now... Yes, somehow more important than Rainbow Dash herself! You'll see Wave Chill again, man. We'll win this! Besides, he's not your 'baby' brother! You're fraternal twins! You're both thirty!”
“I was born five minutes earlier than him! I'm the big brother!” Soarin said, smiling in spite of himself. “I've always felt like I had to watch over Wave Chill. Funnily enough, there have been times where he's had to watch over me... but he'll always be my 'baby brother' in my eyes. I never once ever wanted anything to happen to him, even when we were kids and disagreed with each other...” He trailed off for a moment. He gave his head a vigorous shake, and slowly got to his feet, flexing his wings. “But you're right, Dashie. We're gonna get him back.”
He punched his hooves together, looking determined. Rainbow beamed at him in adoration. She stood up next to him, not even noticing the sudden, creeping darkness outside of the windows. The clouds had begun to gather and swirl around Twilight's house. There was a bright flash of lightning and roaring thunder.
“Guys!” Spike said, running into sight from the lower floor. “Everypony get down here!”
Dash looked out of the window, mouth falling open with surprise. The sun had gone out. It was suddenly as dark as twilight. For the briefest moment, she thought it might be The Shadow. But no, she had seen the clouds act like this before. She turned from the window, noticing that her friends had already rushed down the stairs. Rapidfire and Blaze tore after them. Only Soarin had stayed behind, waiting for her to join him.
“It must be Celestia. Hurry Dashie!” He said, extending a hoof to her.
“That's not Celestia!” Dash said, glancing back at the window as Soarin lead her back to the first floor.
Twilight's front door was open and everyone was proceeding outside. Rainbow could just see the tip of Blaze's bright orange tail whipping out of sight. Following Soarin into the street, Rainbow saw dozens of ponies in the square standing perfectly still, gazing enraptured at the sky.
As they raced to join the other Wonderbolts and her friends, all of which were dropping in a bow with the other townspeople, Dash glanced up at the swirling clouds and lightning. A great Gothic-styled chariot flew overhead, pulled by heavy chains connected to dark grey, bat-like pegasai in violet armour. Dash dropped low on her hooves, bowing her head.
She heard a clatter of hooves and the great swishing noise as a cloaked figure landed, their clothing transforming into a swarm of bats. She glanced up in wonder, still respectfully bowed. It, very clearly, was not Princess Celestia.
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Yes entering stage left Luna!!!
Wooh! If you make Luna save the day for a change... OMG That'd be awesome!
Can't wait for the next chapter :)
2442241
dem desert vipers
2442762
Thanks much!
2442892>>2443603
You want more? Have some!
2443410
I'm devious that way!
2443673
Seems like a logical thing for them to call a dude pony!
2446265
Now for the hardest decision of all: Royal Canterlot Voice or no?
2446307
Stay tuned!
2446326 Indeed I shall!
I love this story! I've only found like two decent Soarin'Dash stories, and this is one of them! Keep up the AMAZING work! 
2446324 No, it's been three years, Luna has had plenty of time to adjust. And while I believe she would still speak very formally, her use of archaic language should only occur if she's distracted, deep in thought, or surprised/scared.
2446607
Aww, but that's not funny :(
2446631 I know, but I think a more realistic Luna would fit the more serious feeling of the story.
2446651
Y'hear that, Scoots? You're the jester now.
its the remains of night mare moon isn't it ?
Oh, I should also say your editors are doing a great job, no didn't notice any grammar or spelling mistakes this time!
2446703
I want credit for that one! My proofer said this chapter was fine!
2446324 might i suggest have her go into the royal voice when she gets to frantic or angry and have her also talk old like as well when it happens.
2446727
2446791
That sums up my last showdown with Max during Poker Night at the Inventory.
... he was saying it :(
Well shadows are Luna's specialty.
And the tension increases. I really cannot get enough of this. The scope of the problems faced has grown from personal uncertainties and a search for love to something epic. A military attempting to ambush the wonderbolts, whilst working for some unknown powerful entity and turning on their own people. I cannot wait to read more into it. An adorable romance now combined with events on such an epic level, you truly are spoiling me. Once again, really well written both in dialogue, events and emotions and most immersive, the chapter was over before I realized it.
ohmygoshx9000000000!!!!!!!!! Moremoremoemore!!!!!!!!!!!
Well now...I regret not reading things yesterday. This is certainly an interesting situation. Hope Wave Chill's alright. I'm predicting this is Sombra's return. Though it'd be interesting if it was remnants of NMM. Wave Chill could show up as a Shadowbolt, that would be interesting.
OH! The shadow is the combined remnant powers of Nightmare Moon AND Sombra! They were both shadowy and ethereal at points.
Also Luna showing up to help is awesome, and you should feel awesome.
Thing of everything we've done (Think)
LUNA IS AWESOME!!! She is the best :)
way to make an entrance Luna!