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// Chapter 10 Part III: Star Chaser 
// Story: Light and Shadow 
// by oop 
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	The Canterlot pastry shop’s recent business had been absolutely abysmal. Somehow rather than stimulate a rush of customers, the promise of free food had all but driven them away. That didn’t stop Joe though, and he was as ready as ever to serve any customers that would happen upon the shop. Of course he had heard of the supposed doomsday happening up at the castle, but he didn’t really believe it was happening. Anyway, even if Discord was running amok in Canterlot Castle it hardly affected him.
The slow patter of rain started to beat a fast tango on the roof as he stood, ready at the counter, prepared for whatever would come his way. His spirits may have sunk below the threshold of hope long ago, but he had to be ready for a customer even if he believed none would come. Some poor soul might trudge through the rain that didn’t know the castle’s plenty, and they could theoretically need service…what a joke…
A dull thud came from the storage room, causing Joe to turn sharply. It was Bumblesweet’s day off, who was making that noise? He moved away from the counter, making sure the bell was still there in case someone came calling, and moved toward the storage room.
Some part of the storm had knocked out the lights in the building, so Joe grabbed a flashlight and beamed it around the room. Some of the older machines for doughnut making and glazing were here, gathering dust and cobwebs, but it was mostly empty shipment boxes. More than likely it was some animal had come in scavenging for some scrap of food or another left unused and thrown away back here. This thought was emphasized by the sight of a small shape skittering just outside the light.
“Alright you little varmint,” said Joe, turning the light around, unsuccessfully trying to get a glimpse of the creature “I ain’t gonna hurt you, just come on out and you can get some leftovers and be on your way.”
Joe gasped as the light fell on the back wall where a dark, square hole had opened in the wood work. It was some sort of secret passage! This was no animal come in the night, this was a robbery! He quickly turned about, intent on catching the thief quickly, when the light illuminated a small shape.
“Joe!” Shadow shouted, relieved not to have found his way into a strange house “You have no idea how much of a relief it is to see you!”
“What?” Joe said incredulously “You’re that kid from the other day! Bonbon’s friend! How did you get in here?”
“Your house has a secret passage to the castle,” said Shadow matter-of-factly “Which just so happens to be under siege by Discord. I’m coming from the other side as an escape route!”
“So it is true…” said Joe slowly “Well gosh kid you’ve got some guts. Here to raise the alarm I suppose? Come on, we can call on the buffo maybe, they could…”
“Nope,” said Shadow “I’m really kind of just passing through. I needed to get out of the castle before I could do my stuff.”
“Wait, do what?” asked Joe.
“No time to explain,” Said Shadow quickly “I need to get somewhere I can fly.” He moved toward the door but Joe stepped in his way.
“Look, kid, I can see that you’re trying to be the hero,” said Joe “If you take two seconds to think about what you’re doing it doesn’t make any sense. I can help you out, but you do need actual help.”
“Get out of my way!” said Shadow angrily, his wings bursting out making himself appear larger than life “I have a plan and I fully intend to go through with it. You are not going to be the one to stop me!”
“Kid, don’t…” Joe started, but Shadow wasn’t listening anymore. He pushed Joe out of the way and burst out the front door into the pouring rain. Joe stared after him, stunned out of speech. That colt had just pushed out of the way. He had hoof wrestled with horsepower in his college days, and that kid had just knocked him out of the way like it was nothing? It was clear he had the determination to make this plan of his work… What he didn’t know was if this kid was very brave, or very, very stupid…
Shadow launched himself off the empty cobblestone road and up into the air. It was lucky most of the ponies had been trapped, or else he might not have gotten such a firm leap. The rain tore at his face as he climbed higher into the sky; eyes wide open against the downpour. His wings flapped repeatedly, sending him upward faster and faster. He remembered the incredible wind under his wings when he had been “older” the slow, steady, constant wing-beat that carried him higher and higher, but hardly any faster.
He burst up through the clouds, blinking away water droplets and keeping his eyes firmly closed as he kept going higher. The light of both sun and moon were lighting up the sky, Discord’s sign of dominance across Equestria. He was able to slowly open his eyes as he felt the air around him grow steadily colder. The blue of the sky was beginning to melt away, fading to an awful black color that quite frankly frightened him. Surely no pony had ever dared fly this high! It was as terrifying as it was exhilarating, the feeling of wind around him lessening even as he sped faster. The air escaped from his lungs with each shallow breath.
Quite suddenly, he came to a halt. He wasn’t sure what brought him to a stop; his wings simply ceased their flapping movement. The simple shock of not falling was enough to take what little breath he still had away from him. It was a struggle to keep air in his lungs at this altitude, and he was sure if he were to go any higher it would be totally impossible. Stars twinkled in the pitch black sky around him as he watched in awe. This was a brand new alien world, the place beyond the sky. Cold and still as it was, it somehow felt right, like this was his calling, like this was…
The sudden sensation of heat shattered the tranquility that was the edge of the atmosphere. Shadow turned in the air to see a huge chunk of pot-marked rock, slowly turning in the sky toward him. Not falling, he had to remind himself, there was no falling at this height. It was coincidence that this rock was coming toward Equestria, to cross the sky as a trail of light and fall to the ground as nothing but fine powder.
But not this time… Shadow took as deep a breath as he could and pushed toward the massive rock. For all the heat it was generating against the open air the surface was quite cool. He placed his front hooves firmly onto it and pushed, finding it no harder to move than a playground ball. The weightlessness affected everything in this world of blackness, and he was going to take advantage of that.
Hooves firmly placed in two indentations on the asteroid, Shadow began to beat his wings again. The rock, nearly three times his own size he noticed, responded readily to his action as he carried it through the dark. The blaze at the front of the stone grew more intense as they fell closer to the planet, gravity beginning its ferocious wrestling match to win the rock from him. But Shadow remained persistent, pushing forward with all the strength he had in both his hooves and his wings.
Careen straight downward: that was the plan. If he allowed the meteor to take too much movement left or right it would incinerate in the atmosphere, not only ruining its intended final effect, but also swallowing him in the flames it left behind. More than anything else, Shadow realized he was playing a very dangerous game. If anything went wrong, even in the slightest, he would be killed instantly. The only thing standing between him and a fiery death would be the utmost care as he fought with the stone, bringing it oh so slowly downward…
The sky brightened to blue again as the cone of fire around Shadow began to grow into a blaze. The meteor shot off a few fragments which were dust before Shadow could do anything about it. He saw the overcast sky and aimed for it hard. There was no telling where Canterlot really was under the dark cloud cover, but he had to try…
A speck of pink caught his eye as he watched the clouds. Yes! That was it! Discord’s dome was tall enough to be seen above the storm! Shadow threw his whole weight against the stone, angered as it hardly shifted. He wasn’t about to stop though, not when he was so close…
The shooting star was bright enough that even those under the clouds and dome could see its light like a mass of lightning, ready to pour down from the sky at any second. It was a curiosity to say the least, and even Discord had found his way out of the castle to watch the strange phenomenon. Those still trapped inside the castle watched with awestruck faces as the clouds grew brighter and brighter until they seemed to be all in flame.
It happened in less than an instant, the chances like that of aiming an arrow at the tip of a quill. The split second image of a cone of fire blasting the clouds away was frozen in time to the watching eyes of Canterlot. It would be said later that many ponies had seen it happen as if it were in slow motion; a great jet of flame that parted the clouds and fell upon the dome. And just like a pane of glass, the crystal dome shattered at the force of the great celestial punch.
A huge crater was rent in the ground near the castle as the sphere of flame landed in a smoking wreck. Pieces of the dome came thundering down, falling into smaller chunks and finally being crushed to a fine pink dust against the ground. By some miracle a shooting star had descended from its haven in the sky in just the right place to destroy the inescapable prison. The ponies of Canterlot would watch with awestruck faces turned upward, then burst into cheers of wild abandon and joy.
Discord’s defense had fallen!
But it wasn’t over yet…