> A Shy Pegasi's Wing
>  by Dark Tempest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Convinced
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Rainbow Dash flew over to Twilight's home, the local librarium where she made her home, to ask her if she would come to the princesses' special Galloping Gala in celebration of this year's Hearts and Hooves Day. Along the way, she thought about Princess Twilight's recent choice to stay in Ponyville. Dash didn't know why Twilight had not just moved into the castle in Canterlot, she's a princess now for crying out loud. She sighed and putting her feelings aside, dived towards the library. The rainbow-maned mare slowed to a hover when she got to the front door.
Rainbow Dash knocked on the door and waited a bit as muffled shuffles of movement could be heard upstairs, signifying that Spike was coming to answer the door. Sure enough, a few seconds later, the door opened and Spike poked his head out. "Yes? Something you need Rainbow Dash?" The mare asked for Twilight, and Spike, whom seemed very annoyed that he was awoken from his nap for practically nothing, disappeared inside. Next it was Twilight who opened the door.
"Hey Twilight! Wassup?" Rainbow Dash greeted. The two mares exchanged pleasantries and then the cyan mare asked if Twilight would be at the Gala. "Of course I am! I'm going to be at all ceremonies and royal celebrations now, remember?" "Oh," Rainbow Dash said, feeling quite embarrassed, "I forgot about that." Rainbow Dash apologized, but Twilight waved it off. "Everypony forgets something eventually, don't worry about it. Anyway, I'd better be going, I've got a few preparations to make for the setup of the Galloping Gala." After they'd finished speaking, Rainbow Dash departed again, setting off quickly towards Fluttershy's home.
When she finally got there, Rainbow Dash saw that Fluttershy was busy managing the chickens that she had in their coop. Elizabeak had gotten out again and Fluttershy talked her into going back into the coop, then she proceeded to feed her and the rest of the chickens as well as clean the coops. Rainbow Dash saw that this may take a while. She glided to a cloud and laid on it, waiting for Fluttershy to complete her chores.
Rainbow Dash yawned as she watched Fluttershy tend to her chickens. She didn't know how much more waiting she could take. All she wanted to do was make sure that Fluttershy would come to the special Gala night: I mean come on, this was the Hearts and Hooves Eve party, and they were all invited! But Fluttershy, saddened by what happened the first time they went to the Gala, has not gone back since... Rainbow Dash, however, was going to make sure that Fluttershy came to this one.
Rainbow Dash stretched as she prepared for take-off. She then dove off the cloud she had lain on and flew at the speed of light to Fluttershy's left side and then greeted her: "Hello, Fluttershy!" Fluttershy yelped in surprise, tripping over the feed bag she was using to give her chickens food, and very quickly, scrambled into one of the hens' nests. 
"Wh-who's there?" Fluttershy stammered quietly. "It's me," Rainbow Dash replied. "Sorry I startled you." Fluttershy's head poked up from the hen's cubicle, the nest perched on the top. Rainbow Dash, seeing this, had to strain to not crack up. She failed at the attempt, snorting loudly before she covered her muzzle to stop the tirade of laughter that now took over her. Finally, with the urge to giggle slowly fading, she began to recite what she had been practicing in order to get Fluttershy to come to the Gala with the rest of their friends. "The eve of Hearts and Hooves Day? Oh, Rainbow Dash... I don't think I should go, I mean from what happened last time I went, it just doesn't seem right for me to go again."
"That's ridiculous," responded Rainbow Dash, "you of all ponies should be able to go to the Gala. I mean, look! You've even gotten an invitation directly from Princess Celestia! Think of how much you will have if you go!" "I know," Fluttershy spoke quietly, "but I don't know if I should go again. I may be mocked or made fun of. Even if I don't get teased, I don't have a date..." "Don't need one," Rainbow Dash was using a low, kind tone, "we're just going to have fun, but I see now that you don't want to go... Actually, forget I even asked..." Rainbow Dash started trotting slowly down the path.
At this point, Fluttershy felt terrible about refusing so quickly. She was forced to choose between going and not going, and she was terrified of actually going. What actually made her say yes was her best animal friend, Angel who, overhearing the conversation, bounded over to Fluttershy, and pushed her right foreleg towards Rainbow Dash. "You're right, Angel, I need to go, for my friends. They would do the same for me." Although she felt better about the choice, she was still afraid.
Fluttershy then called to Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow Dash, as if sensing the change of heart, very quickly flew over to Fluttershy. "You called?" "Yes," replied Fluttershy, who then proceeded to tell Rainbow Dash that she would go to the Gala after all. "Woooooo-hooooo," shouted Rainbow Dash, "I'll see you there then!" She merrily waved in farewell and glided off towards her home.
Angel, whom was feeling very proud of himself, looked up at Fluttershy, only to see tears glistening in her eyes. Angel wondered about this, and hopped in her direction to 'talk' to her about it, but Fluttershy just turned and walked back to her home, her head hung low and mane covering her face, so as not to alert anypony to her sadness. But what if I am bullied at the Gala? she asked herself. She then closed the door quietly behind her, making Angel feel even more confused.
> New Stallion in Town
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   The train ride from the rest-stop to Ponyville was a very long one, and Matrixwing was starting to become restless. I want to find somepony to talk to... to become friends with... but what would I say? What if they laugh at me, or exchange gossip about me behind my back? He thought long and hard about the bad and good possibilities, but mostly Matrixwing thought of the bad ones. As Matrixwing thought, he lay his muzzle down sadly upon the empty booth seat next to him, and gazed out of the window of his empty compartment.
Never in Matrixwing's life had he ever gone to Ponyville, and he did not know what to expect. He was a quiet and slightly shy pegasus whom hailed from Cloudsdale, a major pegasi city, and as a result, didn't know much about the land below the clouds, as he had usually just worked on the weather. He was so used to feeling the wind flow through his mane and the always soft clouds that when he felt the ground for the first time, he was shocked at its overall solidness. The train lurched a bit as it took a turn over the hill and, feeling rather sick, Matrixwing laid back against the backboard of his seat to avoid letting go of his dinner.
Matrixwing was a stallion who, in spite of his quiet nature, felt great care for his friends. He had never once let them -as few as the were- get bullied or teased by anypony else. Matrixwing had great strength, although he had a very average build for such a strong-willed pony, but he would do whatever necessary to protect himself and his friends. He remembered back to when he was a young colt, when he had single-handedly protected one of the bullied fillies against three heavy-built colts at the junior flight camp. He hadn't felt scared then, so why did he feel so afraid now? He pondered this as the train fell into a steady rhythm of going up, then down again as it edged up and around hills.
Matrixwing had some features that were not too special, like his black mane with emerald-green streaks and violet tips, as well as his golden hide. His eyes were fairly large, but not oversized. What was strange about them though, was they were grey, the color of storm clouds, and there were very noticeable lightning bolts in his irises, which color changed depending on mood and strike rate increased or decreased with anger or placidness. Matrixwing's cutie mark was a very curious thing, a cluster of three overlapping thunderclouds with green, blue, and red lightning bolts exiting the bottom of them.
Just when Matrixwing couldn't stand waiting any longer, the train rounded a corner, and there was Ponyville, lights and all,  contrasted against the night. Unfortunately, it was still miles away and he had to wait a little longer. Eventually, for what seemed like an eternity, the train stopped at the Ponyville station. "All passengers may unboard! Next stop: Crystal Empire Station!" Matrixwing grabbed his saddlebags and left the train to see a bustling marketplace with ponies getting last-minute orders and closing their shops.
He avoided being seen, for he didn't want any new friends just yet, and trotted quietly down the cobbled streets to a small sweets store called Sugarcube Corner. Maybe I can find a place to sleep, or at least directions to a place where i can stay temporarily. He walked in to see a very happy and very pink pony tending the counter to a couple of customers. As he waited politely for them to finish their orders, he looked around at all the goodies. All sorts of goodies and delicacies could be seen and the sweet smell of brownies, cake, and other treats made Matrixwing's mouth water with temptation, but he tried to ignore it as he waited.
The customers finally left, and the pink mare beckoned Matrixwing over. He stepped up to the counter, and introduced himself, and the pony did the same, identifying herself as 'Pinkie Pie' and launched into an assault of random conversation topics and, when they finally stopped, Matrixwing asked her if she knew of any place he'd be able to stay for a while. "I know of two very good friends who just might be able to help you," Pinkie Pie told him, "their names are Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle. Hey, did you know that Twilight is a princess?" This conversation was a long one, but Matrixwing didn't mind, he was just glad that this was a friendly pony.
Then she asked him why he was in Ponyville. "Oh uh... I'd thought I'd come here to find my fortune, to discover why I'm who I am..."
Eventually, the mare known as Pinkie gave him a map with the directions to each house in turn, as well as a photo of her friends, so that he would find them easier. Matrixwing thanked her and set off at a slower pace, taking to the skies and following the map and directions that were given to him. First, I'll go to Fluttershy's. He did not know why he made the decision to go there first, but he knew that it just felt... right.
Eventually, after about an hour of getting lost he miraculously found the home. The little cottage was beautiful, and Matrixwing finally set down in front of the door. He saw that lights were on inside, and believed that somepony must have been home. Gathering his courage, he raised his hoof to the artistically crafted door... and knocked.
> Shy Greetings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Fluttershy was tending to one of her sick squirrel friends, Chesty, when there was a knock on the door. At first, she thought it might've been Twilight, or maybe Pinkie Pie, but as she opened the door, she found a pony she had never seen before. Fluttershy's heart leaped to her throat in surprise at this completely new face standing on the other side of the threshold of her door.
"Erm... hi," the stallion spoke quietly as he gazed at the pale yellow pegasus in the doorway," I-I thought I'd come and ask if I could stay here for a bit... I'm new in town and... A pony named Pinkie Pie pointed me in this direction so..." Fluttershy understood the poor stallion and relaxed.
She then queried: "Is it ok if I ask your name?" The stallion stood up a little straighter, feeling a bit more confident, and replied: "My name is Matrixwing. Are you alright? He asked Fluttershy this because her irises had become smaller with fear. "Yes," she replied in a higher pitched voice, then regained control of it and commented politely: "Oh, my... it's just... you are very tall..." Indeed this was true, Matrixwing stood slightly taller than Princess Luna, but a little shorter than Princess Celestia, which was a very rare occurrence. Her cheeks took on a pink hue, and Matrixwing, who upon seeing the color in them, also felt his face grow warm.
Fluttershy then quickly turned away and began talking to... someone. Matrixwing could hear only snippets of conversation, a variety of squeaks and what sounded like tiny thumps on the wooden flooring and Fluttershy's voice. Whoever she was talking to, it was about him, and he waited patiently. After waiting a bit, Fluttershy turned back to Matrixwing and spoke to him quietly, telling him: "If you want to stay for a while, you can... You can even have my bed. I'll sleep on the couch."
Matrixwing was very surprised at the generous offer, but he knew that Fluttershy was the host, and he the guest, and he answered her as such, telling her gently that he would sleep on the couch. 
Fluttershy agreed, feeling rather silly, and mentally facehoofing for not actually thinking her reply through, and invited Matrixwing inside.
Matrixwing had a weakness for anything small, cute, and furry, so when he stepped across the threshold, his mouth literally hit the floor. He had never seen so many types of animals in one place before. Even more surprising was how they were all in harmony with one another.
Fluttershy noticed Matrixwing's open-mouthed look and lowered her eyes to the ground, afraid of what he might say. "I-I've never seen so many animals... It's amazing!" Fluttershy gasped and looked up, feeling very relieved that the stallion had not low-rated her. She then looked into his eyes for the first time. He had no pupils, but his stormcloud-colored eyes had little orange bolts of what seemed like electricity (or lightning) striking in random points of where his pupils should have been. Fluttershy wanted to ask if he was blind, but staunched the urge.
"Do you take care of all of them by yourself?" Matrixwing gestured all around the room with a tilt of his head. "Yes," Fluttershy replied, "but it's no trouble, I love them all, as if they were my family." Matrixwing smiled warmly at her when he was told this, and thought hard before he said: "You seem like the kindest and most caring pony I've ever met. Is there anything special going on anytime soon?" He blushed, "I'm curious..." Fluttershy told him about the Hearts and Hooves special opening of the Galloping Gala that was happening in a week, and taking place in Canterlot. "Last time I went," she recalled sadly, "I chased after the animals that lived only there, and wrecked the party..." As she mentioned this memory, her eyes began glistening with tears and lip began quivering.
Matrixwing, who sensed that Fluttershy was about to cry, sat on his hind hooves and held out his forelegs. Fluttershy hesitated for a moment, but made up her mind and hugged him, tears rolling down her cheeks. Matrixwing didn't know how else to calm her down, but he attempted to sooth her with words. "Fluttershy, it's alright, I'm sure we all get a little frustrated now and then, don't worry about a thing..." He said these words gently, and eventually Fluttershy calmed down, and he let go. "I have an idea," Matrixwing talked quietly, "what if I took you to the Gala? I mean, if you want to..."
Fluttershy was both startled and pleasantly surprised indeed. He wants to take me to the Gala? She thought for a bit and she decided to go with him. Without thinking, she said out loud: "A date? Sounds wonderful!" Immediately, her face burned with embarrassment, but Matirixwing felt happy. Fluttershy found that she too, was inwardly sighing with joy: she had finally gotten a date.
"I'm sure it'll be a long day tomorrow, I'm going to bed now, have a good night," Fluttershy yawned. Matrixwing called to her as she was going up her staircase: "Thank you Fluttershy, for your hospitality, I really appreciate it." Fluttershy turned her head towards him to give a shy, but sweet smile in reply, then ascended up to her room.
> Preparations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   The next morning, Fluttershy got up from bed early to prepare a nice breakfast: some eggs (both scrambled and fried, as she didn't know how Matrixwing liked his), a potful of vegetable stew with a wide variety of them in it, and finally she got out the beverages: milk (low fat and regular dairy) and orange juice. Fluttershy had just finished setting the table with silverware when Matrixwing came into the room, drawn by the scent of expertly made food.
"That smells nice," he said tiredly, "but why did you cook an entire meal?" "For you of course," Fluttershy answered, "you looked very tired, and I thought you may be a little hungry too, so I made you some breakfast, that is... I-I mean... if you want it..."
"Well I..." Matrixwing found himself tongue-tied, for he hadn't expected to be trusted so quickly, much less have found an entire meal prepared for him. After a moment, he figured out what to say. "Thank you Fluttershy, for your amazing hospitality and kindness." With that cheerful note, they sat down to eat.
Her face half-hidden by her pink mane, Fluttershy smiled widely, feeling happy that she had been able to help a pony she didn't know anything about, especially one so friendly. She then noticed his eyes again, with little hotpink-colored lightning bolts striking rapidly within the gray center... Fluttershy felt a sudden urge to ask him what the bolts meant, ask if he was blind, and how they got that way. So she did, wording it carefully so as not to alarm him.
"Matrixwing, is it alright if I ask about... your eyes?" Matrixwing, whom was caught completely off guard, swallowed too much stew at one time and began choking. Fluttershy jumped out of her seat and thumped Matrixwing on the back -gently but firmly- and he quickly recovered.
"My eyes?" Matrixwing coughed, "Many ponies wonder about them all the time... but I never told them..." Fluttershy assumed she had gone too far, and stuttered: "Well I-I'm sorry to have bothered you about them, I won't pry any longer." It was not the case however, as Matrixwing quickly answered. "It's not that at all, it's just... surprising, that's all... Tell you what, when I get to know you a little more, I'll tell you about them."
"Okay," Fluttershy replied, relieved that she had not caused mistrust between them. Then she remembered that they had to prepare for the Gala, which was days away. She told Matrixwing this, and after they finished eating, set off together towards the town, to Rarity's shop -The Carousel Beautique- to get clothing suitable for the Gala.
Along the way, as the two pegasi made their way through some crowds in the town square, Fluttershy spotted Pinkie Pie hopping up and down, and bypassing the small crowds of ponies, then turning so that she could walk with Fluttershy and Matrixwing. "Guess what?" Pinkie quizzed, in which Matrixwing asked her what it was, and Pinkie Pie proceeded to tell him and Fluttershy her exciting news. "Princess Celestia has put me in charge of the decorations for the Galloping Gala!" Fluttershy congratulated Pinkie, and Pinkie thanked her and went on her way. "There is a lot to do, and little time to do it in!" Then she set off like a mare on a mission.
Fluttershy continued to lead the way to the Carousel Beautique, then she glanced back to find that Matrixwing was starting to lag behind as he gazed at the town hall -a tall and cylinder shaped building that was very grand and beautiful since it had finally been repaired. To compensate for the stallion, Fluttershy slowed her pace so that Matrixwing could admire the building's architecture.
Finally, after Matrixwing had an eyeful, they resumed their normal walking pace (which was shorter for Fluttershy, so Matrixwing had to take smaller steps), and proceeded over the bridge that led over a river to the park. Then, they continued back towards the town via the riverside bank, and then the Beautique came into view.
Matrixwing realized that they must've gone the long way. "Fluttershy, isn't this the long way around?" Fluttershy blushed and replied: "Yes, it is... I just, um, like looking at the scenery and nature around me as I go... It calms me down, and helps me think." Matrixwing thought about this idea, and assumed that Fluttershy was right.
"Well, I guess we'd better go inside..." Fluttershy said, snapping Matrixwing out of his thoughts. "Oh-of course, let's do that," he uttered numbly, and he opened the door for the kind mare, who thanked him, then he closed the door behind them.
Immediately, Matrixwing started feeling slightly uncomfortable. He had never been inside a beautique before, and all of the objects of sparkling high fashion and all the fabrics with colors ranging from all over the spectrum made his head ache. Fluttershy gave him a reassuring smile, then led him over to a mare whom was managing a schedule.
The mare had a perfectly groomed snow-white hide with an equally perfected long, curled mane-and-tail style. "Oh, hello there Fluttershy. Who's your friend?" she greeted them with a Trans-Atlantic English accent in her voice. Fluttershy introduced the two ponies. Matrixwing learned that the mare's name was 'Rarity' and that she was the owner of the Beautique.
"Nice to meet you darling," Rarity replied after shaking hooves with Matrixwing. "So, what brings you here today, Fluttershy?" Fluttershy was quiet for a moment, then proceeded to tell Rarity of her plans. "Well, you see... I've decided to go to the Galloping Gala, and I was wondering-" "Say no more! I can help you," Rarity told her with a note of delight in her voice. "Now, let's see about your dress size, maybe prescribe a treatment for your hair, make it as smooth as silk..."
Rarity began shoving Fluttershy and Matrixwing to the dressing rooms. She first measured their sizes, and after she did that, she instructed them to remain there until she got back.
It was about an eight minute wait, and when Rarity got back, Matrixwing and Fluttershy were knee-deep in conversation about what parasprites were (Matrixwing had never heard of them, and Fluttershy explained what they were and what they did). Then they finally stopped their conversation as Rarity went to work, first giving them instructions on how to use the specially made conditioner she made for each of them. Finally, after about two hours of trying on various garments, hide grooming, and mane styling, the two pegasi strolled out of the Beautique with amazingly groomed hides and manes, as well as two large bottles of the special conditioner for each of them. Fluttershy had offered to pay Rarity for the work she put into them, but Rarity had politely refused. "After all," she had said, with a smile on her face, "you are my friends."
Unfortunately, Matrixwing forgot when they were supposed to come back to get the clothing, so he asked Fluttershy, who reminded him that they had to be back two days before Hearts and Hooves night (for they had to travel a bit far to get to Canterlot), to not only pick up the garments, but to get additional styling and grooming as well.
After they got back to Fluttershy's home, Matrixwing took a long nap. The events of the day had worn him to great fatigue, and he could barely keep his eyes open anyway.
Matrixwing shivered as he slept, so Fluttershy put a blanket over him without disturbing him.
> A Beautiful Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Several days later, Fluttershy and Matrixwing (whom has become a lot more accustomed to being with the mare) returned to Rarity's Beautique to pick up their garments, and to have their hides and manes regroomed. Most everypony else had an early start, such as Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie (mostly because each pony was the representative of an organization) so they were left alone with Rarity, Apple Jack, and Spike to prepare.
As the three ponies dressed in their separate rooms, they discussed where Matrixwing had come from. "You came from Cloudsdale too?" Fluttershy asked. Matrixwing took a moment to think and replied: "Yes, and I've lived there until a week and a half ago. I was the head of the precipitation and weather control up there... and the fastest flier... 28.4 wingpower." Upon hearing these last few words, Fluttershy and Rarity's jaws dropped practically to the floor.
"Really?" Rarity asked, who was dumbfounded. "I could show you, if you like," Matrixwing said, "all I need is an anemometer." Rarity smiled and told him: "My dear Spikey-wikey can help with that." Then, Matrixwing and Fluttershy stepped out of their dressing rooms, looking very classy indeed.
Matrixwing looked at Fluttershy, and his mind went instantly blank as he gazed at her. "You look... amazing," he spoke quietly, almost a whisper. Fluttershy had tied her mane back into a beautiful bun, with no frizziness in either mane nor tail (Rarity had seen to that). Her dress was a forest green color, with an aqua secondary. She also wore her element of harmony: Kindness.
Fluttershy blushed a pinkish color, and replied in a quiet, but interested tone: "Thank you, and you look very nice too." Rarity couldn't help herself, she began tearing up and said in a breaking voice, "Fluttershy has finally found herself a date!" Matrixwing and Fluttershy looked into each others' eyes, and knew what the other was thinking: they had started falling for each other.
Rarity saw this and smiled to herself, then she looked at the clock on the wall: two thirty-six in the afternoon. She quickly decided that they needed to move on. "Matrixwing, do you mind showing us your speed now?" Matrixwing was still looking into Fluttershy's eyes, then he looked at Rarity with a confused expression on his face. "My speed?" Rarity giggled softly, and Matrixwing remembered "Oh, right... Sure."
Rarity led Matrixwing and Fluttershy to Ponyville library, which is also Twilight's home (she asked Princess Celestia if she could stay, and Celestia obliged)and asked Spike for the anemometer. He gave it to Rarity almost immediately. "Thank you my sweet little Spikey-wikey." She bent down and kissed him on his cheek, leaving lipstick marks and causing his irises to comically take on a heart shape before he fainted.
A few minutes later, after Rarity had put Spike into his bed, the small group of ponies walked onto the track field and put the anemometer into its place. Matrixwing walked onto the track itself, and closed his eyes in concentration. Then, when the signal was called, he used all of his strength, emotion, and soul to launch himself forward with so much force that bits of earth and tufts of grass came with him. He zipped past the anemometer so quickly, that little of him was seen but a blur, but Fluttershy studied the blur zooming past her, and found that Matrixwing left a trail similar to Rainbow Dash's, but his trail was a large bolt of white lightning.
Rarity had been looking at the anemometer, and saw the needle jump, all the way to 28.6 wingpower. "Oh my..." Fluttershy spoke quietly, "That was shocking..." Matrixwing had finally slowed down and trotted over to where the two mares stood. "How'd I do?" he queried as he got closer. "Twenty-eight point six wingpower," Rarity answered. "Wow..." Matrixwing had no idea that he was that fast.
The group then went over to Apple Jack's farm to retrieve Apple Jack. The three ponies went up to the front door, and Rarity knocked. The knock was answered by a familiar orange-hided and blond-maned mare who had just finished dressing herself.
"Oh, howdy all! Come on in, Ah was just helpin' somepony bake apple muffins." She led the group into the kitchen, where a gray and blond pegasus was taking a tray of muffins out of an oven, who turned toward them.The first thing Matrixwing noticed was her eyes. They were a dandelion yellow, and the right eye had a wall-eyed stare in which Matrixwing realized that it was dead, thus frozen there, unmovable.
"Hello," she said with an innocent note in her thick-sounding voice, which made Matrixwing even sadder, but he replied: "Hello there, you must be-" he was cut off as his statement was finished for him: "Ditzy Doo! But everypony calls me Derpy," she told him with friendliness.
"Wanna try a muffin?" She queried suddenly, and pushed an apple-muffin into one of his hooves, then smiling brightly. Matrixwing couldn't bring himself to refuse the wall-eyed pony, and tried the muffin.
Matrixwing's tongue was hit with the sweetness of the muffins themselves, then the finely diced apples and cinnamon. "It's delicious," he said, taking another bite. "Yippee!" Derpy exclaimed happily. Apple Jack told Matrixwing that they had been baking the muffins for the Galloping Gala, and that they had already been sent to Canterlot Castle.
"Well then," Apple Jack opened the front door, "Ah think we'd better get goin', it's gonna be a long trip, and we don't wanna be late."
The rest of the group agreed and made their way down the winding road to a carriage sitting at it's end, with team of four pegasi-stallions waiting for them. Rarity explained to the the other ponies that the carriage would take them to the Gala. She then told them to wait whilst she went to get Spike.
After waiting several minutes, Rarity returned with Spike, who had dressed himself in high-fashion clothing (everypony knew it was to impress Rarity), and they all filed into the carriage. They then were off, flying high through the sky, on the way to Canterlot.
Matrixwing marveled at the landscape as he watched it pass by the flying carriage's window. Despite their speed, it still took several hours to get to Canterlot. Finally, when they reached the Canterlot private gardens, they stretched their legs (and wings in the pegasi's case). They walked together to the private gardens front gate, where the princesses Twilight and Celestia were greeting guests.
"Hello everypony!" called Twilight gleefully as she shook hooves with each of her friends in turn, and then Celestia spoke: "It's good to see that Fluttershy will be joining us this time. Oh, who's your friend?" She had noticed Matrixwing standing next to Fluttershy, and Matrixwing responded with: "My name is Matrixwing ma'am." Celestia acknowledged his name with friendliness in her voice, and when they all finished talking, the small group of ponies moved into the gardens.
The first thing that happened was Rarity and Spike split one direction, and Applejack the other, each finding some activity to busy themselves with at the Gala, leaving Matrixwing, Fluttershy, and Derpy alone. "Oh, look! There's Doctor!" Derpy yelled, and after telling Matrixwing and Fluttershy goodbye, flew over to a brown Earth pony with an hourglass cutie mark, whom in which Matrixwing assumed was 'Doctor'.
So Matrixwing got Fluttershy some punch from the punch bowl (in which it wasn't hard to miss, for it had a giant ice sculpture of a heart in it), and proceeded to ask her: "So... what do you wanna do?" Fluttershy thought for a moment, then replied: "Do you want to go to the top of that mountain?" She pointed out the mountain right next to Canterlot. Matrixwing looked up at the stars. A beautiful assortment of stars, and not a single cloud in the sky, Luna had made an exceptionally beautiful night. "I don't see why we shouldn't, let's go."
It took them a bit, but they eventually got to the summit, then Fluttershy found a spot with a nice view, and sat down there. She motioned for Matrixwing to sit next to her, so he did, and as he did so, he handed her a rare pale violet rose that he had found whilst wandering around Ponyville the day before. Fluttershy stared at the sentiment in her hooves for a moment, then she put the rose into her mane and slid closer to Matrixwing until she had pushed her head under his chin.
"You didn't have to pick me a flower..." she said, but she had the tone in her voice that suggested that she loved it. Matrixwing wrapped a foreleg around her, and told her in a quiet voice: "It reminded me of you... It told me that even though there are many roses out there, they all are the same, even though they are different. They say that there's a mare out there for every stallion... Will you be mine?"
Fluttershy's irises grew wide as saucers and glistened as Matrixwing said this. She answered with a quiet "Yes," then Matrixwing suddenly remembered Fluttershy's question, and finally began to tell her what had happened.
"I was on a routine patrol of the weather during a storm, checking wind speeds and such, when it started to downpour. The strength of the winds had started throwing me around, and eventually I completely lost control and was pulled straight upward, into a cloud. I saw a tiny light when I was in the cloud, and before I realized what it was, I was struck by the lightning. It felt like a million white-hot needles being stuck into you all at once, and then I felt myself falling, then I hit a cloud. I tried to see where I was, but all I could see was... nothing. I am blind yes, for the lightning had fried my pupil, and when it was healed, I didn't regain it... But a unicorn cast a permanent spell which allowed me to see with my eyes, even though I can't see through my eyes. Although I can see again, I feel I will never be the same again..."
Fluttershy put a hoof on his face, and rubbed it soothingly. "It's ok..." Even though she was trying to calm him down, she was near the breaking point of crying, and through her tears she said: "I'd do anything to save you if I saw you in danger like that..."
Matrixwing saw her face moving closer to his, then he did the same, moving his head gradually until their muzzles touched. Then they closed their eyes as they embraced, their lips closed over one another's, and they kissed, becoming oblivious to the world around them, and hearts expanding from the love in which they felt for each other.
> A Shadow of Fear, A Glimmer of Hope
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   After seven minutes of kissing passionately, the two pegasi cuddled each other as they stared together into the moon-lit night. Matrixwing and Fluttershy both then looked into one another's eyes. As Matrixwing began to tell her these next few words, she began to rub her hoof on his cheek affectionately, and the love he felt for her was reflected by the pink lightning in the center of his irises, and as he stared into Fluttershy's, he began to see the beauty behind them. Her eyes were so captivating in the moonlight, a beautiful and perfect shade of Mountain Meadow... As he spoke his mind, he began getting tongue-tied.
"I've never felt for anypony like I am for you, Fluttershy. I-I have this strange feeling in my chest when I think of you, or when I'm near you, like now. It's as if it's hard for me to breathe... I have never felt this feeling before I met you... but I love the feeling... and I lo-" He was cut short by an agonized yell that sounded deep and male. Fluttershy yelped at the noise and grabbed Matrixwing's left foreleg with her foreleg, squeezing it in fear.
Matrixwing nuzzled Fluttershy to reassure her, then he told her to hold tight. Fluttershy did so, and Matrixwing took off as quickly as possible, and got back to the garden in less than eight seconds. Upon arrival, they found a small crowd of ponies who were causing a commotion about... something...
The two pegasi pushed to the center of the crowd, Fluttershy apologizing repeatedly as she pushed her way through them. When they got to the cause of the ponies' shock, they were paralyzed by what they saw. In the center, a guard had been torn to pieces, and as Matrixing checked for a pulse, he saw a bit of an electric blue mane protruding from his helmet. Matrixwing thought he had seen the guard walking around Ponyville a week ago, trotting around with Twilight. Flash Sentry, he thought the guard was called.
Luckily, Flash was still alive, and Matrixwing called for a doctor. Seconds after the guard was taken to the safety of the hospital, a dark force formed itself right in front of Matrixwing. He watched the creature slowly grow to his height from seemingly nowhere, and it looked at him with glowing red eyes.
The lightning in Matrixwing's eyes change to a pale yellow as he felt true fear for the first time. He tried to focus on the shadow staring at him, but every time he looked at a specific spot, it disappeared. It was impossible to detect it's aura, or to look at directly. He knew one thing though: this creature was very evil, possibly even a threat. Little did Matrixwing know how terribly correct his assumption would turn out.
Then, on the last time Matrixwing attempted to focus on the creature, it smiled. It was the kind of terrible, sharp, bloody grin that gives you nightmares for years on end. He felt a stabbing pain enter his brain, as if somepony was probing it with jagged forceps. He began seeing visions of both his past, and his future, but they were different... He saw himself as darkened, evil, with little color saturation in either his hide or mane, the lightning in his eyes an eerie black. He began to collapse to his knees in pain and fear as the creature got further and further into his memories, trying to corrupt his thoughts...
The darkness had slowly been pushing Matrixwing to the brink of insanity with increasingly dark images, but the golden-hide pegasus' will was like platinum, and he held off just long enough for Fluttershy to do a flying buck-kick on the shadow. The shadow dispersed with a dark chuckle and a few words that sounded guttural and demonic:
"You obviously do not know what I am, or I would have driven you insane long before now. But don't worry everypony, I will finish what I started long ago..." Matrixwing began to get angry, his mood-lightning flashing red in his eyes as he spoke in retaliation: "We will always have faith in each other and ourselves! You will not be able to 'finish what you had started,' because as long as I still believe, I will not let you!" But the creature was already gone long before Matrixwing had finished ranting, and he sat down, still arguing with himself slightly. Then Fluttershy walked over to him, and hugged him, with small rivers of tears streaming down her face.
Matrixwing finally calmed down and came to his senses, then he remembered all that he had seen... all the horrors of death and loss... and he held Fluttershy a little tighter. Seconds later, Princesses Celestia and Twilight sprinted into the garden, followed by their personal guard, and she asked Fluttershy about what had happened.
But Fluttershy, who had also felt the effects of the dark creature's visions, still wept quietly into Matrixwing's chest as he held her, a few tears springing into his eyes as well as he tried to calm her down. Derpy, who had seen the entire situation, told the Princesses everything that had happened.
"This is grave news indeed," Princess Celestia turned to Twilight and told her: "the time has come for the seventh element element of harmony to be retrieved... He has already presented himself..." She looked at Matrixwing, who looked back at her with slight confusion in his eyes but Celestia told him: "You are the seventh element of harmony... Hope..."
> Number Seven
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Matrixwing was dumbfounded. He had heard of the six Elements of Harmony, and even then it was because he was dating one. But he had never imagined that there was a seventh element. He was not alone however, as Twilight was just as confused as he was; she looked up at Celestia for an explanation. Celestia saw the looks on their faces and began to tell them of the tale of the seventh element, the expression on her face becoming deadpan as she struggled to remember:
"There were originally seven elements of Harmony, the ones we know of today: Kindness, Honesty, Genorosity, Loyalty, Laughter, and Magic. Then there was another, one that was very important to us all: Hope. The element of Hope was one of the few elements that could ward off the dark creatures that would live off the fear they instilled into ponies' hearts. The pony that owned the element was named Corefire. We were at war with the creatures of the dark, and we were losing when Corefire was assassinated. He had been trying to boost morale into our soldiers to help them to fight, to win. He had lived just long enough to witness their cheer, when he was run through by a dark creature: the Shadow himself. I saw the element of Hope hit the ground, and immediately I knew that Corefire had passed... After the battle, I banished the Shadow along with King Sombra shortly after we mopped up the rest of his minions. Unfortunately, shortly after Sombra had escaped, so did the Shadow. He had not been seen since. The rest of the elements and I mourned the loss of Corefire and we hid the element separate from the others in the hopes that another pony would have the strength to use it... That pony is you, Matrixwing."
"How could I be the element of Hope?" Matrixwing was uncertain as to how he'd be able to give anypony hope. Celestia explained it quickly, using the situation from just an hour ago as an example.
"I heard what you had told the Shadow whilst I was trapped in the great hall and right then, as you were retaliating against it, I knew right then that the words were from your heart, and that your virtue was hope."
She paused for a moment,then handed Matrixwing a map. It was a highly detailed map of Equestria with major cities and many minor areas labeled. Princess Celestia then 'highlighted' a location on the map using her magic, and began to explain to Matrixwing why she had marked such an unremarkable location.
"The edge of Whitetail Woods?" Applejack questioned incredulously as she came up to the map with the rest of the mane six to see the glowing dot on the map. They all had mud on their garments (much to Rarity's distaste) and leaves in their manes, as if they had chased something through the garden...
Celestia told the ponies that had just joined them about the gravity of the situation, and what had to be done. Rainbow Dash said in a very confident voice: "We'll get it done ma'am!" She snapped her hoof to her forehead in a salute, until she noticed that Celestia was shaking her head.
"I'm afraid not Rainbow Dash. For as you can see, if the Shadow were to attack Canterlot, Phillydelphia, or even Ponyville, the Elements of Harmony may be the only ones that can protect us until Matrixwing can get the seventh." Fluttershy walked slowly up to Celestia and whispered something into her ear.
The two ponies then walked a little ways from the rest and engaged in a conversation that lasted for fifteen minutes, then they came back to their original positions. Celestia then announced what she and a Fluttershy had conversed about. "Fluttershy shall go with Matrixwing. No arguments, please," she told Rainbow Dash this, who had geared up to do just that, "now, I think we all deserve a rest... Off to bed, the lot of you."
Many ponies still had questions, but they contained them and went into the castle to settle into their rooms. Matrixwing was given his own room, and he wasted no time in settling in. The Shadow's attacks had drained him, and he drifted off to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Matrixwing had a fitful sleep. Nightmares of death, destruction and shadow haunted his mind as he attempted to rest. Once or twice, he woke screaming at imaginary monsters, and a few ponies from next door would rush in to find him thrashing at his pillow in anger and fear. Eventually, he drifted off into a dreamless sleep, and he finally awoken again to sunlight streaming through the windows, making the fear of darkness seem like a distant memory.
Matrixwing got out of bed drowsily to go look out of the window, and to think. He wasn't sure of what was in store for himself and for Fluttershy, but he did know one thing: no harm was going to befall her whilst they journeyed, nor anytime else. Not while he still breathed.
Matrixwing then went to meet with Princess Celestia and the rest of the Mane Six to decide what to do. As he walked out, he glanced at the garden. An inky black substance tainted the spot where the Shadow had first emerged. Matrixwing realized right then that if he didn't find the element of Hope, then all of Equestria would become like that patch of soil.
> The Distance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   As soon as they were ready, the Mane Six, Matrixwing, and Celestia traveled back to Ponyville by train. Just before they left, Celestia announced a crisis warning, ensuring that everypony had a chance to prepare themselves for anything that may happen whilst she was gone. Finally, when they got back to Ponyville, Celestia allowed Matrixwing and Fluttershy three days to prepare to leave for White Tail Woods.
The two pegasi did the necessary preparations including purchasing supplies, ensuring the local fauna had plenty of food, water, shelter, and finally, on the last day, they said bye to all of their friends. "Take care of yourselves you two," Twilight said as she hugged Fluttershy. Matrixwing and Fluttershy each said their farewells to all of the ponies, then trotted over to where Princess Celestia was waiting.
When they got there, Celestia asked the guards to give Matrixwing and Fluttershy some extra supplies. They included tinderboxes, a survival knife, a small bag of torches, and some weapons (Fluttershy didn't want a weapon, but Celestia convinced her to keep a dagger, just in case).
Matrixwing picked up a short sword and held it up to the light to examine it. The sword's blade was well-polished and tempered into a graceful, sharp point. He found that the metal was harder than diamond, and a very dark lavender color. Celestia explained the sword: "That belonged to one of the best generals to ever run my armies, a unicorn named Silver Sting. Since he had served Equestria so faithfully, I had that sword fashioned for him. It is of the finest make, made up of multiple metals such as corundum, quicksilver, veridium, steel, and platinum.
Matrixwing looked at the pommel of the short sword, which had a small yellow topaz encrusted into it. He looked closer and saw that the topaz was glowing brightly. He blinked, and when he looked again, the glow was gone. He was going to mention the strange glow, but decided against it.
Celestia continued the briefing, giving Fluttershy the map as she did so. "You two may be the only ones able to make this journey and complete it. I have no idea of the dangers that may or may not bar the way ahead, but with your determination, I'm certain that you will overcome any obstacle ahead of you. Your objective now is to gain the element of hope and return to Canterlot, where the rest of the elements and I will be waiting. Then, we shall find the Shadow and put a stop to it forever. Now go, you must prevail, or all life as we know it will come to an end."
Fluttershy and Matrixwing soared for quite a distance before they gradually began to slow down. They stopped under a nice shady tree and sat down there. Fluttershy was not used to flying so quickly for so much distance, nevermind for half a day. She sprawled herself on the ground next to Matrixwing.
"Can... we... take... a break?" Fluttershy panted heavily as she spoke. Matrixwing looked up into the sky to check the position of the sun. He estimated that they had maybe four hours of daylight left. At last he made a decision. "Yes, we don't have long left till it's dark anyway. I'll gather some wood for a fire."
As he got to his hooves and turned away, Matrixwing heard a quiet whimper from behind him. He turned back to Fluttershy, who looked at him fearfully. "It's just so scary, being alone... you're coming back soon, right?" Matrixwing bent down and kissed Fluttershy's muzzle. "Of course I am, Fluttershy. I would never leave you alone."
With that, Matrixwing trotted into the small wooded area nearby.
As Matrixwing searched, he felt the night slowly closing in around him. He quickly gathered firewood, berries, and wild yams, thinking about night as it was now. At one time, night had seemed serene, tranquil, safe. Now it felt all wrong, as if Luna herself could no longer control it. Matrixwing brought the materials with him to the camp and placed the wood in a pile.
Matrixwing then gave Fluttershy some of the berries he had found (he had already identified them as raspberries, and tried one himself to make sure they weren't poisonous), then kindled a flame using materials from his tinderbox, and soon he was roasting yams over a roaring fire as the night grew darker.
After they ate, the pair began to settle in for the night, keeping as close to the fire as possible without setting themselves alight. Matrixwing soon got comfortable as he laid on his side, and eventually Fluttershy laid her head onto his flank and stared up at the stars.
She reflected upon all the events of the past month and realized that her life would never be "normal" again... it has all changed... forever. Fluttershy got into a more comfortable position. At least I've finally found my special somepony...
Eventually, Matrixwing and Fluttershy fell asleep. When they awoke again, they heard the sounds of singing birds and fresh morning sunlight filtering through the tree's leaves above them. Fluttershy was the first to stand, fully alert after such a deep rest. Matrixwing was not so lucky, grunting slurredly as he hauled himself to his hooves.
"Are you alright?" Fluttershy asked, sounding concerned. "I'm fine," Matrixwing replied, shaking sleep from his head, "Just not used to sleeping on the ground, I guess."
They ate a quick meal and did their business, then continued to fly towards White Tail Woods, this time at a much slower pace so as not to tire themselves.
After a few more hours, they finally came upon the White Tail Woods, which looked beautiful in the mid-noon spring sun, especially with the blossoms on the trees, baby birds singing, and animals that were just beginning to come out of hibernation.
Unfortunately, they were unable to stay and admire the scenery, for they were in a hurry to find the element. Fluttershy took out the map and began to guide both Matrixwing and herself towards the highlighted blip on it. Finally, after many twists and turns, they found the cave.
As Fluttershy looked into the cave, she began to get an unsettled feeling: somepony or something doesn't want them there.
Matrixwing felt a similar feeling but rather than grab Fluttershy and get out of dodge, he instead took out his tinderbox and a torch and began to light it. After a few seconds, he successfully lit the torch and placed it into a customized torch clamp on one of his saddlebags. The torchlight sent off strange shadows in the cave, making it seem even creepier than it was in pitch black darkness.
Matrixwing readied his weapon, unclipping the sheath for easier access, then he and Fluttershy descended into the darkness...
> Sun Aura Caverns
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   As Fluttershy followed Matrixwing, she tripped on a rock. She failed to catch herself, and was sent tumbling down the slope. She knocked Matrixwing down in the process, rolling them both deeper into the cave. The torch went flying as the pair slammed into something very large and wooden.
"Oh my, I'm so, so sorry..." Fluttershy turned scarlet in embarrassment. "It's alright, Fluttershy. Are you hurt?" Matrixwing stood and pulled Fluttershy to her hooves. "I'm okay," Fluttershy replied.
After helping Fluttershy up, he looked around in the darkness for the torch. He saw a faint glowing outline of the torch sitting next to the outline of a brazier, and picked it up. Then he relit the torch (as well as the brazier for good measure) and walked over to where Fluttershy was waiting. "That's better," he said.
Before Fluttershy could say anything, flashes of light erupted from behind Matrixwing. She yelped, which caused Matrixwing's eyebrow to raise questioningly. "What is it?" He levitated himself with his wings and spun around. A somewhat elliptical door was there, with glowing runes from the bottom of one side going all the way up and around to the bottom of the other side.
He recognized the runes as Ancient Equestrian, and began to translate them unconsciously aloud: "Here lies Corefire, the Element of Hope. Sun Aura Caverns are her final resting place, because they are also her home. Any adventurer who do not hold the Elements, or the Hope will never see the inside of this door."
Suddenly, the door began to vibrate and hum, then it swing open silently with a blinding flash of light, revealing an enormous cavern with sunlight streaming out of several holes in its ceiling.
As Matrixwing and Fluttershy stepped through the door into the cavern, they gaped at the vastness and beauty of it, marveling at the beauty. Small waterfalls ran through a few of the holes, making the light reflect rainbows across the walls of the caverns. It seemed that the caverns' name was perfectly justified.
The cavern itself was about twenty stories high and about half as wide as the Crystal Empire. Tears began to well up in Fluttershy's eyes. "It's so beautiful," she commented. Matrixwing said something intelligent like: "Ungh-huh... Whoa..."
They stood in silence for a few minutes, leaning into each other, then Matrixwing spotted something below them. "What's that down there?" He pointed out a small cobblestone platform with a pedestal and a wooden casket upon it. "Let's check it out." Matrixwing held onto Fluttershy's hoof with his own and they both flew down to it.
When they finally got down to the casket, it began to glow on a certain spot. Matrixwing examined the glow and found it to be more runes. He read them to himself: Hope. The casket itself was a hexagonal shape, and had a large clamp on the front of it.
Matrixwing picked up the casket into his hooves. He sat on his haunches and tried the clamp. It wouldn't open, even though it had no keyhole or lock. Matrixwing began to try multiple methods, including flying up and throwing it into the ground with all the strength he could muster, but nothing would open the casket.
"There has to be a way to open it," he said these words to himself, "and I'm not stopping until I do! We need this element, I know that there is a way to get to it." Almost immediately after he said these words, the casket un-clamped and popped open, revealing multiple dull gem fragments sitting in the arrangement of a circle, with the largest in the center.
Matrixwing was about to ask what the gems were when they flew out of the casket, encircling Matrixwing like a small dance party. Then, the gem fragments began to abruptly zip towards Matrixwing's chest, generating a bright golden glow from it. He rose a few inches off the ground, the lightning in his eyes turning into a pure white color.
As this happened, Fluttershy remained silent, watching as Matrixwing slowly grew brighter. Then, the light slowly dimmed as he floated back down to the cobblestone platform, around his neck was an amulet, encrusted in it was the Element of Hope. It's shape was that of Matrixwing's cutie mark, except the cloud and bolts of electricity were the color of bright gold.
"What... just happened?" Matrixwing was now aware of the amulet around his neck. Fluttershy trotted over to him. Then, as she nuzzled Matrixwing's chest, she told him: "You were chosen as the seventh Element..." Matrixwing blushed furiously, then he asked quietly as he wrapped his forelegs around her: "Ready to save everypony?"
"I-is it going to be dangerous?" Fluttershy asked this fearfully, but she already knew the answer. "I believe it will be... but I hope not. If it is, I'll protect you. I'd gladly give up my life for yours," Matrixwing replied. Fluttershy responded quickly: "It's not going to come to that!"
She hugged Matrixwing tightly, a lone tear dripped from her eye onto his chest. "Hey..." Matrixwing stroked the back of her head. "It's alright, you won't lose me."
They stood like that for what felt like an eternity, then Fluttershy calmed down enough to tell Matrixwing: "We need to get back to Canterlot, the girls are waiting for us." Matrixwing nodded, and adjusted his grip on Fluttershy. Fluttershy knew that they were about to fly, and braced herself by wrapping her hind legs around him as well.
Matrixwing then shot towards the ceiling, and through one of the many holes there. The torch that was clamped to his pack blew out and slipped out, falling to the earth below.
Fluttershy had been surprised by their speed that she began to hold on tighter, whimpering slightly as she did so. But Matrixwing kept concentrating on holding on to her and flight. They got to Canterlot in little over an hour, and Fluttershy started to feel a bit tired from holding on so tightly.
Suddenly, Matrixwing froze in midair. He stared at Canterlot silently, his eyes wide. "What's wrong?" Fluttershy asked as she turned her head towards Canterlot. She instantly saw what was bothering Matrixwing so badly.
Darkness covered the city, its tendrils creeping in and around everything: stores, homes, gates, nothing could escape it. The darkness was slowly making its way towards Canterlot Castle. Little creatures of shadow chased the residents, capturing them and changing them. Some appeared to be... eating the corpses of the dead ponies.
At the heart of all the darkness, trotting through the streets as if it owned Canterlot, corrupting everything it touched, was the Shadow itself, its dark body forcing fear deep into the hearts of everything that looked upon it.
> Survival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Fluttershy whimpered quietly as she witnessed the destruction of Canterlot. Matrixwing pulled her back into a hug so that she could no longer watch it. "We have to-" Matrixwing faltered for a second, then regained his composure. The fear he was feeling on the verge of overwhelming, as if an extra pair of weights had been laid upon his chest, pressed as hard as possible. All instinct told him to cut and fly.
But he knew in his soul that he had to take Fluttershy and get them both into Canterlot Castle. He attempted to speak again: "We have to get to the castle, I'm sure that's where everypony else is." Fluttershy just nodded, her emotions making it difficult for her to speak.
Matrixwing felt Fluttershy trembling, and immediately pulled her closer in an attempt to reassure her. He succeeded, and Fluttershy gradually calmed down. Then, he saw something out of the corner of his eye move. It was fast and blurred in his peripheral vision...
What happened next was hard for even Matrixwing himself to explain. It was if the world went into slow motion when Matrixwing grabbed Fluttershy and pulled her close to him. Where Fluttershy was hovering a second before, a black bolt of magic exploded. He dived to dodge a few more bolts as he carried Fluttershy lower, into the black smoke that hung around Canterlot.
"Hang on!" Matrixwing, and he darted towards the castle, a blur in the essence of the darkness. He pushed himself, straining in agony as he folded and unfolding his wings to dodge every bolt of dark energy that sought he and Fluttershy out.
At last, Matrixwing saw the enormous doors to the throne room of the castle, and he felt vigor. He sped towards the doors as quickly as possible, ignoring the screaming Fluttershy he held in his arms and the explosions bursting around his ears. He got closer and closer with every flap of his powerful wings. Thirty feet... Twenty feet... Ten...
The next thing that Matrixwing could remember was he finding himself on his side, with Fluttershy holding him tightly against her breasts, tears streaming down her face. She gasped as his eyes fluttered open, revealing those gray irises with purple mood lightning (she realized later that it meant confusion). "Matrixwing! Are... you ok?"
Matrixwing stared into those Mountain Meadow eyes, and spoke: "I am now." Fluttershy blushed and hugged him even tighter, and this time Matrixwing hugged her back. Fluttershy the heard a cough from behind her: a crowd of survivors had grown quiet as they watched this.
"Sorry..." Fluttershy mumbled as she hid behind her hair. "Oh, that's quite alright Fluttershy," the crowd parted and Celestia stepped forward, "But now we need to act. The Shadow is transforming ponies, one by one. They are forced to submit to his evil powers, becoming hideous, changing into creatures of fear, of death. But with you two, and the rest of the Elements of Harmony..." Ceslestia  gestured toward a door nearby, and Princess Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash trotted into the room wearing perfectly-fitting silver scale armor.
The armors themselves were very light, which allowed full mobility. The owners also wore their Elements, the magic causing their armors to react, taking on designs and color of each particular Element.
"...we will succeed," Celestia finished. Then, she used her unicorn magic to raise Fluttershy and Matrixwing into the air. Out of nowhere, armor pieces started to adorn themselves on the two pegasi. When they had the proper equipment, Celestia set them both back onto the ground, their bodies now with a shiny, hardened second layer.
Fluttershy looked at her hooves and body, admiring the armor. Matrixwing's jaw practically dropped to the floor as he stared at her flank (he had stumbled and fallen after his hooves had touched the ground). Fluttershy spotted the expression on his face, and blushed profusely before blowing him a kiss.
"Now, I'll gather soldiers and meet all of you outside." Celestia turned to a smaller group of guards, consisting of at least nineteen men. "I want each of you to stay here and protect the survivors." The soldiers saluted and began to silently set up barricades and defensive positions.
The Elements of Harmony met up one last time before they left for battle. Twilight looked at each of her best friends in turn, tears coming to her eyes as she remembered all the time she had spent with them. "Well... this is it everypony. I know that we are in a bad situation, but I'm sure that with all of our combined Elements, we will defeat the Shadow. We are all that stands between it and the annilation of the rest of Equestria. Before  we couldn't stand a chance, six Element could not defeat it. But now, with Matrixwing on our side, do we stand a chance in destroying it once and for all!"
The seven Elements cheered, and Twilight led the way to the throne room's exit, and was about to magically throw them open when she heard a noise. Her ears twitched along with everypony else's to find the source of the sound. It appeared to be coming from behind the door in front of them...
The unexpected happened: the throne room doors blew open inwardly, throwing back Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy and trapping them slightly with their massive weights, leaving Matrixwing, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash to face the next thing to be thrown at them. Ponies scattered in all directions to other castle rooms, and the Elements waited. They didn't have to wait very long however...
Celestia was hurled across the throne room with so much force that she skidded on the floor and collided with the far wall, unconscious. Matrixwing drew his sword, Silver Sting, and turned to face what came barging in. Ice-cold fear gripped his heart as one of the most dangerous enemies in all of Equestria glided to hover in front of him.
The Shadow had arrived.
> Alone
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   The next thing Fluttershy knew, she was underneath a very heavy object, along with Twilight and Rainbow Dash. Her vision blurred, and she realized she was still in great shock from the impact. Ahead of her, she saw the Shadow telepathically hoist the rest of her friends up in the air. They bucked, yelled, and flapped desperately. The Shadow cast a spell, and a wave of inky blackness surged from him, radiating through the room.
As the spell began to take effect, Fluttershy began to feel drowsy, and she called out her friends' names one by one as she slowly lost consciousness...
Fluttershy saw visions as she slept. She saw Rainbow Dash strung up, an enourmous gash lining her underbelly, dripping blood to fill a large black jug beneath her. Fluttershy saw Twilight sitting alone, weeping, her wings' feathers stripped from the bones, her horn ripped right out of its socket. Fluttershy tried to scream, but not a sound escaped her. It was as if she had no mouth, no voice. She turned about her, seeing more of her friends lying dead or dying all about the pressing darkness.
Just when she thought she could not take the sight of death any longer, she spotted Matrixwing's body, oddly positioned as he lay there, his chest pierced by a studded lance, thick, red blood seeping into his coat, his eyes staring blankly into the nothing, still blind, but no longer bearing any signs of life, none of the usual tendrils of emotion.
Fluttershy awoke, screaming at the top of her lungs: "Matrix! NO!" She eventually stopped as she realized that was only a dream, something the Shadow wanted her to see. Fluttershy was about to sigh in relief, but she let out a quiet and fearful scream instead as she heard a twig snap somewhere behind her.
She spun around as she pulled herself up into a hover, looking frantically about the dark wood she suddenly found herself in. Hot, fresh tears stung in her eyes as she realized that she was very much alone,not a trace of her friends anywhere in sight.
"T-Twilight? Applejack?" Fluttershy called out to her friends, but nopony answered her cries, nor made any effort to show themselves. She whimpered as she began to consider her dream. Could it have been real or premonition?
Then, she heard a distant rising whistle from the distance, similar to fireworks, from behind her. She turned to see a red magic bolt shoot up, over the distant trees, straight to the skies. She remembered what Twilight had told her a few weeks ago...
"When you see a red flare, it means somepony is in trouble," the purple alicorn had said. Fluttershy snapped out of her thoughts and began to sprint through the darkness towards the floating red light's origin point. After galloping for no more than a few minutes, she found herself tumbling into something squishy: she had tripped straight into a bog.
She pulled herself out by using the force of her wings, settling into a hover over it. She then realized that she could've already been flying her way to her destination. She blushed as she mumbled quietly to herself. "Oh... yeah... wings, right." She pulled herself together, then started to fly towards the treetops, getting closer to the top...
THUNK!
Fluttershy had hit an invisible barrier of force separating the treetops from the skies, which sent her spiraling back to earth. Luckily, she landed in a bush, the branches and their leaves breaking her fall.
Fluttershy hauled herself to her hooves, and instead of flying, she surveyed her surroundings. The magical barrier didn't stop moonlight, so her vision was a lot better than no moon at all. Through the tangles of trees (which were a little too thick to fly through), plants, and roots she saw what appeared to be a small stream leading straight towards the flarelight's origin. She also saw that she was in a swamp. Moss, fungi, and groundwater were clearly visible in the moon's silvery light. Fluttershy knew she had to save her friends and help them to stop the Shadow, so she gathered up her courage and stepped out of the bush.
Fluttershy began to follow the stream deeper into the uncharted forest, her eyes searching for the red light in the sky. A pulse of both relief and fear forced its way through her every time her eyes found it.
All around her, the forest was alive with the sounds of insects, the skittering of miniature nocturnal paws, the rushing of the water in the stream, and other sounds of the night. But it was not these sounds that caused the next chill to coax its way down Fluttershy's spine, but instead, something unnatural.
She heard a low, pulsating thrum that wasn't too distant from her current position, and she quickened her pace as she came to the realization that the flare was almost directly overhead: she was nearing its origin point.
As Fluttershy pushed onward, she began to hear screams and angry yelling, so she galloped the rest of the way, eventually happening upon Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Matrixwing. The three ponies were standing in a large clearing, having an all out argument, Rainbow Dash attempting to buck her way out of a magical bubble to get at Matrixwing's throat.
"...but can't you see?! He's a liar, he wants us all to die! He told me that as soon as we turn our backs, he would leave us to die!" Rainbow Dash cried out at Twilight. "Rainbow Dash! That was the Shadow! How can the Shadow possess the Elements? They're too pure to be touched by one so evil!" Twilight argued back her point, and Rainbow Dash fell silent. "Oh... umm..."
Fluttershy spotted something... off with Rainbow Dash's armour. "Dash... where is your Element?" Rainbow Dash spun around to face the yellow and pink mare, a strange expression on her face. Was it amusement? "I uhh... I lost it," she replied quickly.
Twilight splayed her wings angrily. "Impossible. Don't lie to me, Dash. You can't lose an Element of Harmony, especially when it's fastened around your neck." Rainbow Dash began cackling maniacally, her voice slowly warping into the Shadow's. "You catch on quickly."
The Shadow disappeared, his wild and insane laughter still echoing through the trees. "Erm... would you mind letting me out now?" Matrixwing nervously pawed at the ground beneath him. "Oh, right." Twilight Sparkle released her spell, and Matrixwing collapsed on the spot.
As Matrixwing stood again, Fluttershy rushed forward to hug the two ponies. "Oh, I was so afraid! I couldn't stand not knowing if my friends were okay or not! Where are the others?" Twilight gazed around, her eyes having a look of fear and sadness within them. "We're not sure..."
Fluttershy was suddenly with the realization that her friends could be in serious danger, or worse. "Can't we do anything?" Twilight was silent for a while before she began speaking again, explaining slowly. "Well... I learned a new spell a while back... Meant only for an alicorn. I can choose a pony, then teleport to that pony, taking anypony I wish with me."
"Well, why didn't you say so before?" As Matrixwing asked this, he raised his eyebrow questioningly. Twilight blushed as she looked away. "I've never tried it before, I'm not sure I can use the spell correctly." Fluttershy knew in her heart that the forest was too dense to fly through, and too foreign to try to walk through on hoof, so she turned to Twilight as she told her: "There may be no other way to find the others, we have to do this."
Twilight Sparkle sat on her haunches as she pondered her decision. Fluttershy could tell that she was debating the pros and cons of the results of the final conclusion. At last, Twilight stood back up, dead silence falling over the clearing, as if each blade of grass were holding their breaths, waiting.
"We have to rescue our friends and get back the Elements of Harmony. If we don't, all of Equestria will look like Canterlot. Stand close, you're both going to feel nauseous after this." Fluttershy and Matrixwing move closer, standing side by side.
As Twilight began casting her spell, her eyes began glowing white, her horn pulsating magic until a great flash caused the three ponies to disappear, leaving not a trace of their time spent in that clearing.
> ...And Through the Woods...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Fluttershy felt her stomach swirl about inside her as she felt her hooves hit solid earth again. She felt as if she had been spinning too long around the Cloudsdale's playground roundabout again (she still remembered that she had lost her lunch), and she fell to her side, her chest heaving.
As she attempted to re-gather her strength, she took a glance over at Matrixwing, who was in a similar state. The only pony of the three who didn't seem affected by the teleportation was Twilight, who stood over the pair of them. "Are you two alright?"
Fluttershy meant to answer: "Oh yes, I just need a moment to rest," but instead, her stomach decided to do a quick somersault, forcing bile to her throat. She decided to choke that back instead, her words being replaced by gagging.
Fluttershy watched Twilight's ears fold, then perk up again, as if she had just remembered something. "Just a second..." Twilight's horn began to glow as she cast a spell. Nothing seemed to happen at first, but gradually (and rather quickly), Fluttershy began to feel her nausea fade away, and she stood along with Matrixwing, whom looked less sick with the exception of exhausted eyes.
Matrixwing sighed gratefully. "I feel so much better than I had... I never want to teleport again." Fluttershy shook her head in silent agreement.
All of a sudden, each of the ponies' ears flicked in the direction of some rustling brush, and Twilight turned towards the noise, planting her hooves firmly in the ground. It was certain that she had heard the noise also. Her horn glowed in the dark as she prepared to cast a spell, and she glared at the noisy clump of bushes. "Show yourself," Twilight barked angrily, who was obviously determined not to lose any other Element of Harmony.
All of a sudden, two feminine voices began whispering to each other in a quiet argument. One voice, with an unmistakable cowfilly accent, was especially unhappy: "Now, ya'll better go first, Rarity. If anypony could withstand an accidental magic missile, it would be a unicorn!" Twilight quickly ripped away the brush, exposing Rarity and Applejack, looking very disgruntled as they were almost strangling each other.
The two mares quickly stopped their childish behavior and smiled sheepishly up at Twilight. "Twi!" Applejack looked very relieved to see that she hadn't been turned into an ant. "Fluttershy and Matrixwing too," Rarity added. "Are we glad to see you!"
Fluttershy grinned widely. "Well, umm... We're happy to see you too! It's great to see that you are alright." Rarity climbed to her hooves, her normally pure white coat spattered with dirt, mud, and other filth, similarly to Applejack's, who seemed to have gotten off a little better with her darker coat. Rarity harrumphed, "Oh, I wish I was alright, just look at my glorious coat! It's so filthy..."
Twilight rolled her eyes before remembering about the Rainbow Dash trick. She glanced at the two ponies' necks, checking for their Elements (which they had, fortunately), and proceeded to question them for the whereabouts of the real Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.
"Ah'm not exactly sure where they are... or where we are." Applejack pawed at the muddy earth in embarrassment. It was at that moment that a high, shrill scream could be heard from a distance. Everypony in the group stopped and stared in the direction of the screech with wide eyes and a few of the ponies with tiny "O"s of fear.
Fluttershy, who was hiding under a blushing Matrixwing, had her eyes covered up, and was shivering in fear. "W-what was that?"
Twilight turned to the other Elements. "That sounded like Pinkie Pie! We have to find them and end this now! We've no time to lose!" In response, the other ponies nodded their heads, and followed the princess of twilight deeper into the darkened forests, their fear nullified at the fact that an alicorn and friend was leading them.
As they galloped towards the origins of the scream, Fluttershy could not help but notice two large streams of freshwater running along the upraised mound of dirt and rock that the ponies were sprinting along. It was beautiful in its own way, but Fluttershy knew that this wasn't the time to stop and smell the flowers.
All that could be heard within the next ten minutes were the sounds of hooves' dull thuds upon the dirt as they raced in the night, the streams' rolling rapids as they followed in their eroded guides, and the occasional nocturnal animal howl or insect buzz.
As they continued, Fluttershy's mind was laden with thoughts of what may have been happening to Pinkie Pie. What if she is badly hurt? What if she is bleeding alone somewhere? What if the Shadow has turned her? Eventually, Fluttershy had delved so deeply into her thoughts and fears that she had not noticed that the rest of the ponies had stopped in front of her, and she slammed full-speed into the hindquarters of Matrixwing, then recoiled and fell back.
"S-sorry..." Fluttershy looked about the area in which they were in, and realized why everypony had stopped. Ahead, the two streams ran in from the sides and merged into a river, making walking forward impossible. Also, the thick brambles and branches which hung low over the river made flight impossible. Fluttershy saw that the river weaved through the brambles and continued onward, and she knew everypony was thinking what she was thinking: they needed a boat.
"And just how are we supposed to get through that??" Rarity looked to the others for the answer to her question. Applejack spied something large and wooden buried in bush, and she trotted over to it as the rest of the Elements discussed possible ideas for getting down the river.
Each Element turned at a new scraping sound as Applejack dragged a boat towards them. "How about we use this?" She dropped the rope she used to drag the boat and smiled.
"Ah mean, there are a few holes in the bottom, but with a bit of clay and patience, ah'm sure she'll be able to carry us down the river." Applejack smiled wider at the other ponies.
"Provided that we don't crash into those trees," Matrixwing pointed out, and Applejack gave him a look. "What? I'm just observing likely problems..."
Twilight stepped into the boat. "Are you sure we'll all fit?" Applejack climbed in next to her. " We'll have to, Twi."
The two ponies climbed back out and began to gather clay, and before long, the clay was filled in the holes and drying, the ponies waiting. The process was long and underwhelming, thoughts of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash weighing everypony's minds down.
Applejack walked over to take another look at the makeshift seals. "Aren't you finished yet, Applejack?" Rarity had asked this question twice more before, and it was evident that she was becoming impatient and restless. "Yes!" Applejack climbed into the finally-repaired boat, satisfied that the makeshift sealant would keep the ponies afloat (especially after Twilight had magically bailed out all the water that had filled the boat).
"All aboard ya'll!" Applejack scooted to one side, not noticing the boat stretching slightly to make room for the other ponies.
As soon as the rest of the Elements were safely inside the boat, it began to guide itself (with the help of some of Rarity's magic) down the river, flowing towards the trees and thickets.
"Looks like we are going to make it," Matrixwing said, "be ready for anything." It was at that moment that Rarity accidentally guided the boat into a patch of rapids that she lost control of the boat.
The ponies yelled as the boat lurched about, barreling at high speed further down the river, towards an uncertain destination.
> The Sigils
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The boat creaked and groaned as it washed further down the river. Fluttershy could not hear over the ponies' fearful yelling and the rapids steadily growing louder. She looked up from her hooves (which she had been covering her eyes with) to see the boat smash into a tree, the wooden frame splintering upon impact, and the force nearly throwing poor Applejack overboard.
So many things happened so quickly in the next thirty seconds that Fluttershy nearly passed out in confusion. At first, it seemed that Rarity's screams were gibberish, but as Fluttershy listened closer, it sounded as if she were saying "waterfall"...
At about the same time, a branch toppled from a tree, falling straight onto Matrixwing's head (who was busy attempting to stabilize the boat with his wingspan), and he was knocked unconcious.
As Fluttershy watched Matrixwing slump to the floor of the boat, she did the only thing she could think to do. She dived over Matrixwing's unconcious body, her aim to protect him from any other falling hazards that may hit the stallion. The strength that came to her aid at that moment was what should have been known as instinct.
As Fluttershy gathered Matrixwing's splayed wings and wrapped her hooves around him,  she felt the boat's magical resistance failing through every fiber of the old wooden planks. Sure, she could attempt to fly with Matrixwing to safety, but then she thought of her friends. She then began to doubt her strength to haul Matrixwing through the thick branches, which were still dangerous even as the ever encroaching rapids of the waterfall loomed into sight.
No, she decided, I won't be able to fly him... but I won't leave him and my friends here alone.
So out of the eternal love for her friends, the kind pegasus remained. A tiny squeal of fear escaped her lips as she heard the monsterous roar of the waterfall. Fear built quickly in her chest as she saw the edge of the drop. It was such a distance that she couldn't see the end, even in the brightly-lit night. Just before the boat turned into wood chips she distinctly heard one of the Elements call out: "Grab onto somepony!"
As the little boat exploded from impact, and the ponies were ejected from their seating, Fluttershy held tight as she could to the incognizant Matrixwing in her hooves. Almost as soon as she could could get a grip, she began to feel herself fall, screaming coming from all around her from her companions. She looked down the horrifyingly long drop below her, and she shut her eyes tightly.
Flying-feathers were wetted with the magical droplets of the falling water, sealing any attempts for flight. Horns were temporarily dispelled, forcing any attempts for magic to be nullified. Coats were soaked through-and-through, restricting movements from the amount of water it dampened.
Fluttershy began to scream in fear as she felt her mane and tail whip upward with the force of the wind resistance rushing past her, she dared look down once more to watch the plunge pool speed up to meet her.
Darkness and an icy sensation greeted the mare, and she saw nothing. But even as she saw nothing, she began to feel a great pressure -heavy, but somehow pleasant, peaceful even- upon her chest. It filled her lungs, her mouth, her nose, every orfice of her being.
The feeling began to intensify, and she began to feel weak. The feeling was no longer pleasant. Instead, pain began attacking her lungs and nose. Her diaphram felt as if it would explode, her lungs would pop. Then she began to stop feeling, and all she wanted in that moment, was rest. Peaceful, quiet rest.
Fluttershy then began to hear a soft whisper: "Fluttershy... Fluttershy, wake up."
Why?, the mare thought, can't I just sleep?
The voice began to become more urgent, and she stirred in her sleep. "Fluttershy? Come on, you have to wake up... please..."
But... I don't want to...
Fluttershy felt a harder pressure come down onto her chest, and she began to cough. She kept coughing until a liquid began to spurt from her mouth and nostrils, running lazily down her muzzle.
Immediately, her eyes flew open, and she sat up on her side, coughing and spitting up the water that had filled her. She then saw that most of the Elements of Harmony were standing around her.
Fluttershy's eyes grew wide and fearful as the realization dawned upon her. She had nearly drowned in that plunge pool. She looked around her at her silent and concerned friends, but as she laid eyes upon the unconscious Matrixwing, she immediately burst into tears. She scooted closer to him and rested her muzzle underneath his, shaking gently as she weeped.
"Fluttershy! Are you alright??" Applejack tried to take a step forward, but Rarity held out a hoof to stop her.
"Are you, dear?" Rarity asked in a much gentler tone.
Fluttershy took a few moments to calm down, her weeping soon reducing to hiccuping sobs. Each pony waited patiently, and the pegasus answered Rarity's question with a nod.
Only seconds after she nodded, Matrixwing began to cough, a groan escaping his mouth. Fluttershy gave him almost no time to recover before hugging him, her body pressed against his.
Matrixwing gasped quietly in surprise as he felt a familiar, warm body embrace his, and he cuddled Fluttershy as he uttered a sigh of relief. He gently nuzzled his muzzle underneath hers, remaining like that for a time before he asked: "Are you okay, Fluttershy?" Fluttershy replied with a quiet "Y-yes."
Matrixwing cuddled the kind mare a few seconds longer, feeling her soft mane against his cheek, her natural scent flaring his nostrils. He sighed once more as he kissed her forehead before standing with her. "Good."
The rest of the Elements waited silently, for the tender moment to pass, and as the two pegasi and separated, a multi-coloured flash smashed into Matrixwing, carrying the stallion a few feet into a tall pillar of a small gazebo in the middle of the waterfall's plunge pool.
As the rest of the Elements rushed over to the scene, Matrixwing stared into the cerise eyes of a familiar cyan mare. "Rainbow! Wha... urk.... what..."
Rainbow Dash began to rant at him loudly, the words extremely angry: "SHADOW! You liar! You can't fool me again, because I know for a fact that you are not Matrixwing! You won't fool me twice..."
Matrixwing was completely confused at this point, a choking sound mixed with his words as he attempted to speak with the ranting Dash. "But... erk... I am real, Dash! Urk... the Matrixwing you saw was fake..."
"How do I know you aren't fake too?!" The rainbow-maned pegasus practically barked at the choking stallion. The stallion ripped from her grasp and shoved her away strongly with his front hooves.
"Because we were with him the entire time," Twilight pointed out as she walked in front of Rainbow. "Now, calm down..."
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, and as she regained her senses, she glanced at Matrixwing, and spoke in a little-less-than sorry tone. "Sorry about that, Matrix. Just had to be sure, you know..."
The stallion nodded, still taking a few more gulps of air to stabilize himself.
The cyan pony then called out for Pinkie Pie, who peeked out from a nearby bush. "It's all safe, Pinkie! You can come out now."
"Oh? That's great, hehehe!" The pink party pony hopped over to the rest of the Elements of Harmony.
"Pinkie! It sure is great to see you!" Applejack grinned as she walked over to the giggling mare. Rarity also trotted over to give a friendly hug Pinkie Pie. "Finally! We're all here together, after hours of walking through the mud and filth..."
A small but bright flash of light interrupted Rarity and turned everypony's attention towards it. A few of the Elements murmured to one another as a cluster of runes began to glow a vibrant light with various colours.
Twilight gasped. "They're sigils! Magical symbols for each of the seven Elements of Harmony!"
"Erm... why are they here? Fluttershy studied the ancient symbol of Kindness carefully. As if to answer her question, seven ghostly pony-shaped figures appeared to fill the spaces of the sigils: the seven original Elements of Harmony.
A male unicorn the colour of midnight blue, who seemed to be the Element of Magic, spoke quietly and ethereally. "Is everypony prepared?"
Another stallion, a dark gray Earth pony (and apparently the Element of Loyalty), answered for the rest of the seven: "Ready and waiting, Ice." The rest of the Elements nodded in agreement.
"But how will we know when the Shadow will come?" A lime green female pegasus shifted uncomfortably: the Element of Genorosity, seeing as she was positioned on the sigil of the corresponding Element. The Element of Magic nodded towards another unicorn: one that had a dark orange coat and flame-coloured mane and tail. "Corefire, of course. His is the most sensitive Element to such a dark shade."
Corefire nodded, but short after, he winced. "He is close, we must ready ourselves and quickly."
The original seven each took their places, looking very determined as they closed their eyes in concentration.
The Element of Magic opened his eyes, then spoke: "I am the Element of Magic, and I draw upon the magics of Friendship and Harmony as my power."
Each Element followed his lead, speaking their places and their strengths, starting from the right of the Element of Magic (who faced the bridge heading away from the gazebo), Honesty, then proceeding clockwise until reaching the final Element: Hope.
"... I am the Element of Hope. I show my friends and any others that anything is possible through the power of believing in themselves, and capabilities of others. I draw upon the hopes of others to retain my strength."
The ghostly visages exploded in a flash of light, and the memories of the original seven faded, leaving the current Elements of Harmony mesmerized.
Rarity was the first to recover. "But wait! What happened after," she asked, "What did they do to stop the Shadow??"
Matrixwing began to feel an eerie pain in his chest at that moment: a mixture of pain, depression, fear, and anger. "The Shadow..." Twilight turned to face him, a look of fear in her own eyes. "Already?" Matrixwing nodded, his expression grim.
"Then we'll have to move quickly... Everypony, get onto your sigils. Let's end this now." Twilight stood upon the sigil of magic as she spoke, the carvings beginning to glow a bright purple, and a quiet hum replacing the silence.
> To Live Or to Die
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Right after Twilight gave her motivational speech, a dark shade emerged from the tree-line which surrounded the plunge pool and clearing. The inky blackness that followed it began to cover the entirety of the treetops, all the way to the cliffside. This created a great, ebony dome in which plunged the ponies' surroundings into darkness.
"It's here!" Twilight shouted this as each of the Elements sprinted to their sigils. Glows of each of the Elements' colours appeared to fill in their respective sigil's lines to form that Element's shape.
As soon as the last pony entered their sigil, a great wave of pure light filtered down from the outer awnings of the gazebo, creating a surrounding wall meant to temporarily keep out the Shadow and its corruption.
Great comfort washed over the fearful ponies, as well as their energy restored. Twilight Sparkle began to feel an urge to speak, the feeling building in her chest, and she let it out, her words coming out without real forethought.
"My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I-" Twilight's speech was cut short as she felt her entire jaw clench as a heavy pressure quickly eased itself into her head. She began to feel a grand urge to bite into her tongue, but she resisted as she looked around desperately. Her friends watched her in confusion, exchanging awkward glances between one another.
"Twi? Are you alright?" Applejack raised an eyebrow at the struggling alicorn. As Twilight mumbled incoherently, the light wall surrounding the gazebo in which the ponies stood flashed brightly, causing the darkness in the immediate to burn away slightly, and Twilight's urges faded away, and she was able to finish her sentence. "...and I draw upon the energies of all the friendships of Equestria to retain and strengthen my powers, for I am a princess."
The sigil of Magic grew brighter, and Twilight's irises began to glow. The alicorn closed her eyes, a white trail followed the marked indentation that led towards the symbol of Honesty, just as it had done when the original Seven had done the holy ritual.
Just as Twilight had, Applejack next spoke her 'incantation'. "Ah'm the Element of Honesty, and Ah draw upon the truths told and the work done by all ponies in Equestria to earn mah strength." An orange beam of light transported itself clockwise about the circle to the next Element: Kindness.
Fluttershy gulped as her sigil grew brighter, and then she spoke: "I am the Element of Kindness, and I draw upon the friendly, caring acts of everypony in Equestria to fuel my caring nature." A pink trail of light continued the clockwise trail to the next Element in line: Laughter.
Pinkie Pie spoke as quickly as she normally did, but even then she still managed to sound clear and serious. "I am the Element of Laughter, and I draw upon the happiness and giggles of jokes shared all around to assist me in my powers." Yet another trail of light, this one light blue, traced into the indentation leading to the Element of Genorosity.
Rarity flipped her mane as she spoke in the accented voice in which her friends knew so well: "I am the Element of Genorosity, and I draw upon the selfless, giving deeds of others to perfect my magics." Again, another trail of light (this one purple) blazed to the sixth Element, Loyalty.
Rainbow Dash stood tall, for she knew what was coming next. She let the words spill from her lips as her sigil grew brighter. "I am the Element of Loyalty, and I draw upon the bravery of Equestrians, those who would never fall prey to cowardice, that would assist any in need, to increase my speed and agility." Another line of light, this time red, traced it's way to the final sigil: Hope.
Matrixwing nervously shifted his weight left and right, the words coming to mind quickly, and sitting on the edge of his tongue as they forced themselves out. "I am the Element of Hope, once lost, now found and renewed. I draw upon the desires and wishes of all who believe in a greater future to aid me in my endurance." A final trail of gold sealed the circle of Harmony.
A bright flash of white light blinded each pony momentarily, everypony feeling some sort of odd metals and padding encasing the weakest points of their bodies.
The metals felt warm to Fluttershy, warm and calming. She felt her Element unclasp from her neck, and she knew nothing of where it went. Fluttershy began to panic, her heart leaping to her throat. A low hum began to be heard as she began to regain her sight.
She saw what had happened to her Element almost immediately: the necklace and the Element both had transformed into a pair of large but light battle daggers that were able to be held in her hooves.
As she inspected them closely, she saw that the blades were made from a metal that seemed closely related to silver, judging from the colour, and that the handles were padded with yellow cloth that seemed to be a velvety material.
She also noticed that her Element was set into each of the butterfly-shaped pommels, both were glowing brightly.
She looked around her, and was startled to see each pony in nearly-full combat armour. The armours that each Element wore were the exact armours in which each pony had worn in the attack before they were brought to the forest, only the armour seemed... enchanted.
Fluttershy realized her mouth was gaping open, and she closed it again as the rest of the Elements of Harmony gained their composure.
Each pony looked at their own weapons in turn, noticing the variance and brilliance of each one. Rainbow Dash held a shortbow, with a matching winged spear strapped across her back. Applejack had horseshoes strapped to her hooves, each one made of some unknown metal.
Fluttershy noticed that Rarity and Twilight did not have weapons, but instead that their horns were glowing even brighter than she had ever seen. Another odd thing that the quiet mare saw that Pinkie Pie was holding two small -what seemed like mini cannons with handles and triggers- in each of her forehooves, and she somehow balanced on her hind legs. The pink pony had an eyebrow raised in question.
Just as Fluttershy was about to ask the question that everypony in the group was dying to ask, Matrixwing asked the question for her, a buckler and shortsword in his hooves. "Pinkie... what are those?" Pinkie Pie blew a raspberry and held them up, their barrels pointing to the sky. "I'm not sure, never seen 'em before."
Fluttershy then noticed something odd about Pinkie's irises. In fact, now that she noticed it, everypony's irises had a noticeable glow in them. Their bright colours showed a sense of their inner spirit. Before she could point out the glows, however, the light surrounding the gazebo flickered, allowing the Shadow to attack the source, and damage the protective magic critically.
Where before, nothing could be heard other than the ponies' breathing and the hum of magical light, now there were screams of terror emanating from the new tears in the light wall. Voices from the Shadow's victims: helpless mares as they were literally torn apart, physically, mentally, and emotionally from the Shadow's long fingers and whispers, countless stallions being forced to watch their entire families become corrupted, and then being left to be slain by their own kin, young colts, fillies, and foals darkened to become something most terribly evil...
Then, as quickly as the voices began, they ended. So abrupt was the stop that Fluttershy almost felt her heart stop with the voices. Rarity began whimpering along with her, but even through their fear, they stood firm.
Directly in front of the gazebo, a large, dark mass began arising from the dirt ground, a twisted expression on its face, gleaming malice in its blood-red eyes.
The Shadow began to speak.
"Do you hear that? It is the sound of death... silence. It will be your silencing soon. Very soon." The Shadow laughed demonically, the sound chilling Fluttershy to the bone.
Twilight was the first to counter the Shadow's intimidation, taking a defiant stance. "That sound of silence will soon be the voice of peace, love, and Harmony! Face it, you will never be as strong as the combined strengths of the Elements!"
The Shadow did not waver. "Look, Twilight Sparkle. Do you see this?" In the midst of the writhing black mass that surrounded the small structure, visages of ponies faded in and out of view. Twilight immediately recognized the faces of the princesses of dawn and dusk. "This is their fate, your fate, the fate of all Equestria. We will eliminate all life from this planet."
Twilight leaned her head down, eyes still on the demon. "Not if we can help it." The purple alicorn then began to charge her magic through her horn, focusing on the spell to cast as she began its release.
As she fired her spell, the Shadow split seven times, each part of itself speeding towards an Element of Harmony.
Fluttershy instinctively dived out of the way of the duplicate that shot towards her. As she had dived, she had unknowingly brought up her own weapon into the darkness that flew by. The result was both terrifying and oddly satisfying: and ugly, shrill scream erupted from the darkness, and the duplicate pulled away from the weapon, leaving behind inky black blots on the ground.
The Shadow's duplicate then took on a shape: the likeness of a royal guard from one of Luna's court, but darker and with a horrifying, permanent grin on its face.
The "guard" then leaped upon Fluttershy, attempting to beat her into submission. Luckily, the pale yellow mare was able to stop the oncoming flurry of stomps after the second hoof slammed into her helmet by driving her knife into a chink of the dark armour near the Dark Part's chest. It recoiled, falling onto its back in its weakened and obviously painful state.
Almost immediately, whether out of desperation or hidden anger, Fluttershy renewed her attack. She countered the Dark Part's mauling maneuver by leaping onto the chest of it herself, impaling the "guard's" chest with both of her knives until she nicked herself on her foreleg in speedy carelessness. She felt her own blood oozing down her blade as she withdrew, now floating slightly with her wings extended and flapping, watching the Dark Part's body.
So quick were these movements that Fluttershy had not noticed just how quickly she had changed to combat these new experiences. Now that she did, everything she did everything she could to fight the waves of emotion trying to battle their way to her heart. The feeling of desparation, fear, pain, and anger had started to cloud her judgment, and she knew it.
The duplicate then disappeared, hovering away as an orb of dissipating blackness towards the centre of the gazebo. It then locked there from tendrils of pure light, the tendrils the same colour as that of Fluttershy's Element. Other sections of the Shadow morphed into hers as well, extra tendrils taking on the burden of holding the Shadow.
Fluttershy then felt a deep longing to return to her sigil in the gazebo, so she galloped for it, a few of her friends already reaching their spots. As she stepped onto her sigil, a small barrier began to form around the Shadow's orb, sealing it in the small circle of Harmony.
Even as the shy pegasus began to think the Elements were going to be successful in their endeavor, the Shadow, still trapped by the tendrils, burst through the shield with a flash of collapsing light, and swung a colossal, elongating arm in a wide arc, narrowly missing the ducking Elements.
It's voice was thunderous and deafening with rage: "Do you really believe you can defeat the Shadow? I will destroy everything you have ever thought about!"
All of a sudden, Matrixwing was in front of the Shadow, his lip busted and dripping blood, his teeth tainted with the same crimson colour. "Not if I can help it!" The seventh Element stomped his forehooves upon the stone of the gazebo.
The Shadow looked down upon his challenger, and laughed cruelly, and willed a long, blackened spear to appear. "Come face me then, pitiable pegasus."
Matrixwing blushed in deep anger, and to the rest of the ponies horror, threw down his shield, raised himself with his wings as he gripped his sword in both hooves.
The Element of Hope attacked the Shadow, scoring s few cuts at the enormous mass's eyes, but before he could come around for another attack, the enraged Shadow caught Matrixwing by the throat, shoving the spear straight through his chest.
Fluttershy could hardly understand the situation from the scream that now exited from her throat.