//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: Trixie's Shadow // by Paul_Daniel //------------------------------// 11. Twilight chose the third quickest route to the plaza, sacrificing speed in order to pass through areas that were more likely to be well lit, either from house lamps or from the candles and torches placed by the unicorns. The streets themselves were almost entirely deserted. Most ponies, it seemed, had stayed in their houses and locked their doors, or retreated to the brightest and safest sections of town. Of those few brave souls who were still outside, none paid any attention to Twilight. Instead, they ran swiftly past her, some looking lost and panicked, others clearly determined to reach their loved ones. Not all were destined to make it, a point that was driven home to Twilight when she heard hoofbeats from a nearby alley, as though someone were running hard. But the beats stopped abruptly, and when Twilight glanced into the alley as she passed it, there was nothing inside but empty cobblestone and a single candle, rolling slowly over the shadowy ground. After that, every patch of darkness took on a new menace. Twilight steered clear of them whenever possible, and kept Rarity and Applejack close beside her, so that she could teleport away with her friends at a moment’s notice. Had she not used up so much magic already, she would have skipped the journey entirely, and teleported everyone directly to the plaza. But in the end, she decided to keep as much of her power in reserve as possible, for the probability that she would need it inside the night pool was high. Fortunately, luck was with them, and the three ponies reached the plaza in safety. Like the streets, it was eerily empty. Twilight rushed past the place where Princess Celestia had disappeared—refusing even to look at it—and hurried to Trixie’s wagon. “It seems much worse than I remembered,” said Rarity, as everyone stopped and she peered into the ruined, bombed-out mess of Trixie’s living quarters. “Where do you suppose she keeps her fireworks?” “Not inside,” said Twilight. “We’d have seen them earlier.” She moved around to rear of the wagon. In this location, a number of wooden compartments had been attached to the underside of the carriage. Each compartment was secured with a padlock, and had “T. Lulamoon” painted on its front flap. “Maybe they’re in here,” said Twilight. “I’ll try an unlocking spell.” “No need for that,” said Applejack. “I’ll have these open in a jiffy.” She turned around, lowered her head, and lashed out with powerful hind legs. Instantly, Twilight saw the flaw with Trixie’s security, for although the padlocks were strong, the metal loops binding them to the front of the storage compartments were not. True to her practical nature, Applejack had been the first to realize this. A few seconds later, she had kicked both rings and padlocks away from their moorings, so that each compartment could easily be opened. Twilight did so at once. Now everyone could see a number of packages bound with coarse brown paper. Twilight and Rarity levitated them out, spread them on the ground, and magically unwrapped them. “I must say,” decided Rarity, “Trixie is very well organized. Shells in one package, fuses in another… along with wadding, glue, and pyro dust. Everything you need for a colorful explosion.” “Pyro dust?” said Twilight. “I thought fireworks were made from black powder?” “So did I. But this dust is much better. I use it all the time to create special effects in my fashion shows.” “Does that mean you know how to whip up the right kind of fireworks?” “Unfortunately not. I’m familiar with the basics of using these ingredients, but I’d need some kind of guide to make anything complicated.” “You mean like this kind of guide?” asked Applejack. She was holding a scorched-looking book in her mouth, having apparently retrieved it from Trixie’s wagon. The book’s title was: Aerial Alphabets and Sky-Written Words: Making a Statement without Making a Mess. Rarity levitated the book forward and magically flipped through the pages. “Perfect!” she said. “It will take time, but I can do it with these blueprints.” “How much time?” asked Twilight. “I don’t know. I’m terribly sorry, but I’ve never done this before. I’ll move as fast as I can.” “All right, you get to work. Applejack and I are going to start a fire.” Rarity nodded and began levitating some of the different components. After watching her for several seconds, Twilight about-faced and cantered toward the pile of bonfire logs. Applejack followed close behind. “Twilight, why do you suppose the princess isn’t here already? You don’t reckon she’s scared of Darkness, do you?” “I don’t think Princess Luna’s scared of anything. My guess is that she’s confused—one moment, she’s relaxing in the countryside, the next, there’s an impossible shadow clouding the sun. Princess Luna must know that means something’s happened to her sister. But she doesn’t know what. So she fights back by creating her own light to neutralize the darkness. And all the while, she’s trying to decide what to do. Does she fly to Canterlot, gallop to Ponyville, or stay where she is? Her decision could mean the difference between saving Equestria and unwittingly destroying it. Worse, Princess Luna’s got no data to base her thinking on. So it’s safer to stay put and be patient while trying to gather some facts. That’s what I’d do.” A few more paces and they had reached the log pile. “Are we really gonna start a bonfire?” asked Applejack. “We thought it would be useful before, but with all that’s happened, won’t it just attract trouble?” “Believe it or not, that’s exactly what we want. We have to get Princess Luna and Darkness here at the same time. I need them to fight each other.” “I thought you said the princess’d lose if she did that?” “She will. But it’s the only way of diverting enough of Darkness’ power to let me reach Trixie. And we’ve got another problem; shadows all over Ponyville are starting to wake up. According to Princess Celestia’s book, that’s a side effect of Darkness getting stronger. And like him, the shadows are hungry. A bonfire will help us keep them away.” Twilight glanced toward the edge of the plaza. The candles and torches still burned brightly, as did the heavens above. But the blackness beyond their radiance seemed more plentiful now, and there were moments when it appeared to move on its own. Applejack required no further convincing. Together, she and Twilight secured the base of the log pile and cleared away any loose debris that might accidentally spread the fire to some of the buildings nearby. Once all was ready, Twilight cast a heating spell and a dull orange flame appeared in the wad of twigs and grass that served as the bonfire’s kindling. The logs had already been doused with flammable starter, allowing the blaze to spread. Twilight and Applejack helped it as well as they could, either blowing gently over the flames or adding more kindling to make them grow. After several minutes of this, the whole base of the log pile was burning. Nor did it take much longer until the fire roared suddenly upwards. A wash of light and heat moved across the plaza, banishing every bit of darkness to its edges. The bonfire had been lit. As its flames subsided into a slower, steadier burn, a sharp CRACK! moved over the area. This noise was swiftly repeated, and when Twilight and Applejack looked toward Trixie’s wagon, they saw half a dozen fireworks shooting upward. At the apex of their flight, the fireworks burst in clouds of blue and gold, leaving a message of similar colors in the sky. P Luna, come Pnyvll Plza –Twi It was crude writing, nothing at all like the glamorous script of Trixie’s advertisements. Still, it was legible, and the pyro dust kept the letters burning long after a normal fire would have gone out. “So, what do you think?” asked Rarity as she joined the others. “Hardly the most elegant message, but I suppose it makes our point.” “You did a right peachy job,” said Applejack. “And a fast one, too,” added Twilight. “Thank you. All we have to do now is wait.” “Here?” asked Rarity. “What happens if that awful Darkness shows up before the princess?” “‘A god does not concern himself with ants.’ You heard what he said. I’ve a feeling he won’t be paying much attention to us. At least, not until he deals with Princess Luna. She’s the last one who can threaten him.” Twilight fell silent and turned her attention to the heavens. Luna’s silvery moon had been fixed in the same spot for hours, so brilliant that it seemed impossible for anything to eclipse. Behind and beside it, the stars shone on, innumerably splendid. “Twilight… she’s here.” Applejack’s voice was barely a whisper. Twilight shifted to see her friend facing west, and in that direction a silver-white flash had appeared in the sky. Like a meteor, the flash raced downward, traveling with incredible speed until it reached the plaza and burst into a plume of ghostly radiance. Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack nerved themselves to move forward. And there, waiting patiently to meet them amid the remnants of her light shroud, stood a slender sapphire-hued alicorn with light-blue eyes and a cloudy crescent moon for her cutie mark. “Princess Luna,” said Twilight. Luna stared evenly back at her. The princess’ mane and tail were dark blue—turning lighter near the edges—and both were filled with tiny light flecks, as though Luna had bound herself to the stars that fell under her dominion. Like Celestia, Luna’s intense magical power caused her mane and tail to flutter, and though she was not quite as tall as her sister, Luna was still taller than any of the ponies who were now bowing before her. “Twilight Sparkle. It is good to meet thee again. We came as soon as we saw thy signal. Canst thou tell us what hath transpired here?” “Princess?” Luna shook her head, like one who has realized an obvious truth. “Yes,” she said. “Yes, of course, you are right. My apologies. It is only concern for my sister that allowed me to slip into my old manner of speaking.” She closed her wings and bid her subjects to rise. Twilight hurriedly explained about Darkness. “So,” replied Luna, “another ancient foe has been freed. And he has taken Celestia. My worst fear is realized.” “We tried to help her, your majesty,” said Applejack, “but we couldn’t do anythin’! And Twilight—” “I have no doubt that all of you fought bravely. Nor do I doubt that Twilight has summoned me without a purpose in mind.” Twilight scuffled her hoof through a wisp of bonfire ash. Her mouth felt dry and her heartbeat thundered. But when she nerved herself to look at Luna, she found that—somehow—the princess was already aware of her thoughts. “So be it. I will make my stand here and entrust the rest to you. And before this night is over, perhaps you will take your place alongside of Star Swirl and Silver Mane, as the only mortals to defeat the most insidious Brother. I would like to see that. It would be a fitting tribute to Equestria’s wisest sorcerers—they who were once my friends, and whose company I have dearly missed.” As she spoke, Princess Luna glanced upwards, where two stars—one a grizzled white and the other purest silver—shone from the heavens. The stars grew brighter as Luna stared at them, and, for a moment, it seemed to Twilight and the others that they heard a pair of distant voices, offering words of hope and encouragement. “I believe that Darkness challenged me earlier,” said Luna. “I did not answer him then, but if you are ready to enact your plan, I will do so now.” Twilight gave the smallest of nods. With no hesitation, Luna stepped away from her, away from everyone, leaving the warmth and safety of the bonfire to walk boldly over the cobblestone. How she answered the challenge was a mystery, even Twilight was unable to discern the magic that made Darkness aware of the princess’ presence. But it was impossible to miss his response. First, a mocking laughter was heard. The sky shuddered and some of its stars went out. Then a mass of shadows boiled up from the ground near Princess Luna, and the awful form of Darkness rose out of their depths. He looked much different now. His mane and tail no longer fluttered; instead, they burned, as though a dark fire were consuming them. The crown on his hindquarters had melted to a point where it was unrecognizable. And his eyes… They were no longer icy blue. They were no longer there at all. “Princess Luna. You have finally come to meet me.” His deep voice rumbled the pavement and stirred leaves from the ground. Luna did not reply, but she raised her head and her long horn shone like a diamond. “No,” said Darkness. “What I have wrought will not be undone by you.” Twilight felt his power gathering, and Luna’s welling to match it. The air howled, even as the earth trembled under their hooves. There was no mistaking would what happen next; Twilight leapt backwards and shouted a warning to her friends. “RUN!” She was still whipping around when the explosion struck. The force of it picked her up and slammed her into Rarity. Both ponies went down in a jumbled heap near the bonfire, lying stunned until Applejack dragged them up. “Come on!” she said. “This way!” The next burst of magic was already building as the trio tore out of the plaza. This time they were far enough to escape the explosion, though its roar rattled their teeth and shook every building in sight. “Go to Fluttershy’s!” cried Twilight. “That’s where the pool is!” Her friends buckled down to run faster. They were dashing past the darkened front of Sugarcube Corner when Rarity shrieked and tumbled across the ground. Twilight and Applejack skidded to a halt and looked over their shoulders. A pony-sized shadow had appeared on the street behind Rarity, spewing black tendrils that were wrapping themselves around her hind legs. “Hang on!” cried Twilight. She summoned her magic and prepared to go back. Applejack leapt in front of her. “No! I’ll help Rarity. You get to the night pool.” “Are you crazy?! I’m not leaving either one of you!” “Oh, yes you are! Because you’re the only pony who can stop this. And if you stay…” Twilight glanced frantically about. There were dozens of shadows now, bubbling out of the pavement cracks or flowing from the sewer grates. Whether they had been sent by Darkness or whether they were acting on their own was impossible to tell. But there were far too many to fight. “Good luck,” said Applejack. “Give Darkness a hoof to the kisser for me!” Before Twilight could answer, her friend whirled about and charged down the street. With her mouth, Applejack grabbed a torch as she passed it, and flung the fiery brand into the shadow that had captured Rarity. There was a loud hissing and the shadow retreated. At once, Rarity stood and deployed a telekinesis spell, levitating every torch, lantern, and candle in sight, and bringing them closer. The last Twilight saw of her friends, they were standing back to back in a circle of light, with the shadows rising around them like floodwater. A nasty jolt made Twilight drop to her knees. Another shadow had closed in, and was attempting to bind her legs. Twilight blasted it away with a beam of light from her horn. Scrambling up, she took one last look at the mound of blackness that covered the street where her friends had been. Then she swallowed a deep breath and teleported. She materialized at the edge of the Everfree Forest. It was bright here; without the distraction of town, Luna’s moon seemed closer than ever. Twilight sat and stared at it while she fought to catch her breath. Her magic was still weary after so many exertions, and she realized that she would not have had enough power to bring Applejack and Rarity with her during a teleport. Perhaps they had known. Perhaps that was why one had not cried out for help and the other had been so insistent that Twilight desert her. The thought made Twilight’s eyes go misty. She wiped them clear and wobbled to her hooves. Then she had a good look around. As expected, she was only a short distance from Fluttershy’s cabin, and the place where her friend had found the night pool. If Twilight had been more certain of the pool’s location, she could have teleported directly to it. Unfortunately, that was not the case, so she must walk into the forest and hope she remembered the way. At any rate, those were her plans. But when Twilight hurried beyond the first few trees, she found that navigating the Everfree Forest was unnecessary, because the Everfree Forest was gone. The night pool had swallowed it. Nothing had been left behind. Twilight felt as though she were standing on the rim of a lightless ocean, one that stretched as far as her eyes could see. The ocean’s surface cast no reflections; even when Twilight peered over the edge, she could not see her face in the water. Nor was there any hint of motion or depth. It was as if reality itself had been destroyed. A loud CRACK! made Twilight flinch and glance overhead. The ambient radiance was dimming and a dark chasm had appeared on the moon. “It’s breaking apart! Which means Princess Luna…” Her legs trembled as she finished the thought. There was no one left to help her now, and no reason for further delay. Twilight pictured her friends and stepped forward into oblivion.