“Yeah, right, I’m supposed to believe some awesome flying squad was just passing through the Everfree when a demonic Princess passed through and just happened to tell them that the best flyer in all of Equestria was passing through? The only part I believe is that I’m the best.” Dash snorted, “And even if it was true, you introduced yourself by attacking me and when you lost sight of me, you went after my friends and that’s not okay. Now go away, I’m not joining your team and I’m not letting you hurt my friends, not even Princess Twilight. I might not know her very well, but she’s worth a million of you.”
“Wrong choice, Rainbow Dash.” The mare growled out, launching herself at her. Dash narrowly escaped the strike by folding her wings, jumping off of the cloud and dropping like a stone out of the sky. The three evil pegasi followed her down at high speed, not wanting to lose her, only for Dash to open her wings at the last minute and pull up. The mare managed to copy her antics, soaring up after her, but the two stallions collided with the ground, hard and burst into clouds of purple and black mist.
“Two down.” Rainbow panted, trying to ignore the pain in her side and the complaints of her wings as she climbed again, fully aware that the mare was on her tail. “Just one to go…”
“Yes,” The mare shot up in front of her, forcing Dash to break hard, making her let out a pained whimper as her muscles, which were pushed to their limits, screamed for her to stop. “But that last one is me,” The mare smirked, “Nightingale. And I always deliver.”
“Yeah well, not this time.” Dash snorted, diving down and skimming the river, trying to keep an eye on where Nightingale was. “How the hell does a Shadow creature have a name, anyway?”
“If you have to know,” Dash started and nearly tumbled into the water as Nightingale pulled up alongside her, looking smug, “My brothers and I were normal ponies before we were banished to the Shadows. We live there now and when we’re defeated in this world, we just end up back in the dark. You’ll be joining us soon. Nightmare Moon has sworn it.”
“No way.” Dash snapped back, barging Nightingale and rowing for height, fully aware she was slowing down, “Even if you get me, my friends will fix it and I’ll be me again before you know it.”
“Not if your mortal form is dead.” Rainbow did not have time to react to that as Nightingale collided with her and forced her down into the river. The pair of pegasi plunged into the deep river, just down from where the others had crossed and Dash found herself caught in the currents.
Nightingale transformed into purple mist and fled, leaving Rainbow in the river alone. She struggled and fought against the current desperately heading for the surface, but the current was too strong for her and her muscles were too heavy from the heavily draining flying she had been doing before. The lack of rest between her practises and now and the fact she had had no chance to take a deep breath before she had been plunged into the waters did not help as she struggled for air.
Then, just as her world was going dark something orange plunged into the river next to her and grabbed her before pulling on a rope with her teeth. Somepony had to be on the other end of it as they were slowly dragged to shore but Dash was not conscious to see them touch down on dry land.
Twilight watched in stunned horror as Fluttershy shoved Applejack aside and started trying to get Rainbow Dash breathing again, her shock breaking a little as she heard cackling from above. She looked up as a shadow passed over them and revealed itself to be the same pegasus mare who had driven Dash into the water.
Something in Twilight snapped when she saw the mare was coming in for a fresh strike as they tried to save their friend and the puzzle glowed brightly, the same changes overcoming Twilight’s form as she stared up at the pegasus.
Nightingale pulled up sharply when she saw the unicorn grow taller and wings sprouted from her back. Wide purple eyes narrowed and turned a bitter, angry ruby red as the heavily damaged wings spread to cover the alicorn’s back and rump and dark magic swirled around her like flames. She was no fool. She recognised power when she saw it and the alicorn before her was nothing but power.
Still she had sworn that she would deal with the Princess and her guards when she had been summoned. Nightmare Moon had promised freedom for her and her brothers if they managed it so alicorn or unicorn, Princess Twilight was going down and going down hard.
“What’s the matter, Princess?” Nightingale sneered, glad at she did not have to outrun an alicorn in the skies. Rainbow Dash had proved a surprisingly good challenge and Nightingale was tired and sore. Up in the skies, however, she had the advantage. “Too afraid to fly? Oh wait, you can’t. Those wings wouldn’t lift a butterfly, yet alone a fat mare like you.”
Twilight glanced over her shoulder when she heard Rainbow coughing and spluttering behind her, bringing up the water she had swallowed and the momentary distraction gave Nightingale the opening she was looking for. She rammed into the Alicorn, sending her sprawling before rowing for height.
The Princess ignored the concerned calls of her allies as she carefully watched Nightingale’s flight trajectory. Just because she could no longer fly, it did not mean she did not know what to expect of an aerial combatant and the pegasus was overconfident. She chuckled darkly as Nightingale swooped in to finish her, taking a leaf from her earlier battle and calling up a card from her deck but not a monster this time.
Instead the mare, who, if her muzzle and ears were any indication, was actually of a similar shade of coat to Rainbow Dash, went crashing into a wall of light and bounced off, hitting the floor hard. One wing wrenched out of place in the collision leaving the pegasus in a great deal of pain as she picked herself up and just as ground bound as Twilight.
“You’ll pay! You’ll pay!” Nightingale screamed at her as she charged her, lowering her head with the intent to ram the alicon. Twilight dodged it easily and tripped the furious shadow spirit. She stumbled and staggered a few steps further than she had intended giving the Princess enough time to blast her with the same spell she had been using to keep the creatures from earlier at bay.
It sent Nightingale tumbling, the already injured pegasus going sliding across the ground before coming to a halt at the water’s edge, her goggles going tumbling into the river. Fear was clear on her features as Twilight approached, she knew she could not win. That had been clear from the moment that she had lost her ability to fly, but accepting defeat meant losing her chance to get her and her brothers out of the dark void they had been trapped in for so long. Even now if she died she would just return to that dark place instead of moving on. She had to get away.
The Princess seemed to have no intention of letting her do that as she stood before her, anger clear and magic crackling around her. Nightingale cowered, hoping that showing that she knew she was beaten would get her off lightly or make the Alicorn make a mistake.
“You hurt my friend,” Twilight snapped, her voice stern and disapproving as she glowered down at the terrified shadow spirit, “Trespassed in my soul, and you’ve lost at your own little twisted game.”
That was far too true for Nightingale’s liking and she let out a whimper before begging, “Please,” She tried, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know...”
“Yes you did, don’t lie, it only makes it worse.” The Alicorn hissed at her, cutting her off, “You were aiming to kill Rainbow Dash when you drove her into the river.”
“Please, I’m sorry,” Nightingale backed up, knowing she was in trouble, “Please, I’m beaten, you don’t need to...”
“Twilight.” Fluttershy called, causing the purple former-unicorn to perk an ear up, twitching it slightly in her direction. It was the only indicator that she had heard the pale yellow pegasus but Fluttershy cantered up to the Princess’s side and then stood between her and Nightingale. “You’re better than this. You’re not Nightmare Moon.”
Red eyes narrowed a little further as Twilight harrumphed and backed up a couple of steps, giving the flyer a little more room, her anger clear. “She hurt Rainbow Dash.”
“I know.” Fluttershy informed her, her voice stronger than normal. She had a soft but worried smile as she glanced towards the blue filly who was looking a little shaky but otherwise okay, “But Rainbow’s okay now. Princess Celestia wouldn’t want you to fall to the power and neither does Rainbow, right?” The last was directed to Rainbow Dash who shook her head, “See?”
“But...” Twilight started.
“A little kindness goes a long way.” The animal loving pegasus pony told her softly, before looking at Nightingale, “If we let you go, will you leave us alone?”
“I...yes, I swear.” Nightingale nodded rapidly, having already decided to stay far away from the possessed Alicorn in the castle in the middle of the forest and terrified of the dark flames licking around the Alicorn before her. She was fully aware that the Shadows she could feel from the Princess could do so much worse to her then kill her current form and send her soul back to the darkness and wanted nothing more than to get as far away from her as possible. If she could not win, after all, she had to survive, for her brothers.
“She’s not a threat. You can let her go.” Fluttershy told Twilight with all the care offered to one of the more dangerous creatures the pegasus dealt with on a daily basis. The angry Alicorn snorted but backed up a little more, watching as her friend turned to the Shadowbolt. “Are you hurt?” She asked, showing the same concern that she gave any pony.
Nightingale looked started as she nodded, extending her wrenched wing as far as she could. Fluttershy let out a worried sound as she started examining it, “This is going to hurt and you’ll need to rest it.” She warned, “I’d say for you to get this done properly by a Doctor, but do shadow things even have Doctors?”
“N...no.” Nightingale admitted, startled by the question, “You want to heal me?”
“I can’t heal it, but I can put it right so it’ll heal right by itself.” Fluttershy offered, “If you want. I mean.”
“Y...yes, thank you.” She stammered, nodding rapidly. Her form would reset when she was sent back into the darkness but she had no intention of going back yet and a functional wing would go a long way to helping her avoid the demon Alicorn that taken over the forest.
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