//------------------------------// // Chapter Eight // Story: Past Shadows // by ChaosDragoon //------------------------------// He stood in a long hallway, on each side where large oak doors, each with numbers etched into the middle of them. He walked down the hallway until he stooped, eyes widened. At the end of the hallway was a large metal door with chains on the front with large locks in the middle. He turned to run but ran into a dead end. When he turned back towards the door it seemed to have moved closer to him. Something hit the door on the other side as it bent and the chains rattled. Again and again the door bent as something on the other side tried to get out. Suddenly it fell silent as a dark mist slithered from a small opening at the bottom right of the door. “I will not lose the means to take back my kingdom!” a voice bellowed as the mist slithered up Weaponry and around his horn. --- Weaponry’s eye shot open as he stood up and his horn glowed black and green. The black spear and sword quickly changed into black orbs and grew and a third flew out of his horn and did the same. The large orbs suddenly engulfed the three timber wolves. The orbs floated into the air before suddenly shrinking to the size of dots. The sound of cracking and breaking wood combined with the yelps of the timber wolves echoed in the air before the orbs suddenly disappeared. Weaponry’s vision started to get fuzzy before he fell unconscious. As he started to regain consciousness he saw a bright blue unicorn with a light green mane standing over him calling out to him. “Sacred Arrow?” Weaponry asked “Sacred Arrow? No darling it’s Rarity,” the unicorn said. Weaponry blinked and the bright blue unicorn turned into a marshmallow colored unicorn with a curly purple mane. “How long was I out for?” Weaponry asked as he slowly got up “About three minutes,” Rarity said as Weaponry got to his feet and stumbled to keep his balance as Rarity added, “Slow down, you’re going to hurt yourself.” “I’m fine, just needed to shake out the cobwebs,” Weaponry said before he sat down and placed a hoof to his head. The suddenly realization of the timber wolves shot into his mind before he quickly got up and looked around and added, “Where are the timber wolves?” Rarity looked at him in confusion as she cocked her head to the side. “You,” Rarity said before she stopped herself. Weaponry looked at her and knew that look she had on her face: The look of somepony seeing another kill “Killed them? I know somepony like yourself would be shocked to see a creature die, but somepony like myself has been desensitized towards that,” Weaponry said. Rarity looked at him and nodded. “I think we have enough gems, we should head back to the boutique,” Rarity said before Weaponry nodded but as he walked towards Ponyville, he noticed the wagon wasn’t moving. He tried to summon magic to pull the wagon but nothing happened. Looks like I’m doing this the old fashioned way. Weaponry thought before the wagon was suddenly pulled towards Rarity. “I’ll handle the wagon, just stick close to it,” Rarity said. Weaponry followed her as she pulled the wagon. He looked at the large hall they had gotten before the attack. There must have been at least three hundred gems in the wagon. He noticed that Rarity was struggling to pull the wagon. He walked behind it and placed his front hooves on the back and started pushing it. Even with Rarity pulling, the wagon felt like a large bolder being pushed through the mud. Rarity pushed the door opened with her front hoof as she and Weaponry placed the wagon into the boutique, sweat dripping from both unicorns as Rarity stumbled over to her sofa and collapsed on it. “Please-tell me we don’t need to make a second trip,” Weaponry said between every breath he took. “No, this should last me at least a few months,” Rarity said as she sat up on the sofa and levitated a towel towards her forehead and wiped the sweat from her brow. “Then I’ll be leaving,” Weaponry said as he turned to leave. “Wait a moment,” Rarity yelled as she got off the sofa and walked over to him, a sapphire levitating from the wagon and floating in front of Weaponry as she added, “I can’t just let you go without a thank you.” “I don’t need it,” Weaponry said as he bid her farewell and walked out. He felt absolutely exhausted after the whole ordeal. He just wanted to get to the Inn and fall into bed. He was almost near the Inn when he felt his body be pulled violently and a bright light shining in his eye. He lifted his hoof to block the light before it was turned off. He felt something on his leg, followed by a wet sensation. When he looked down and saw a baby alligator gumming his right leg, saliva rolling down to the floor. When he looked back up, he came nose to nose with a pink pony staring intently at him. “So, you think you can fool everypony here, but you can’t fool me!” Pinkie said as she walked behind him and added, “Don’t even think about fleeing. Gummy has you in his vice grip.” “What do you want?” Weaponry sighed “What are you planning? Why did you come to Ponyville? Who are you working for?” Pinkie asked. Weaponry’s eye twitched. Does she really-think I’m an alien? Is she that dense? Weaponry thought before Pinkie yelled, “Answer me!” “I’m planning on replacing everypony with fake pod ponies,” Weaponry sarcastically said. He held back a smile as Pinkie stepped back with a shocked look on her face before he added, “I’ve already gotten to your friends and I was on my way to get you.” Pinkie’s eyes widened as tears started to fill her eyes and her mane deflated as she lowered her head. Weaponry felt a sharp pain in his leg. He looked down to see Gummy had used one of his claws to make a small cut on his leg after what he said before he waddled away. Weaponry turned back to Pinkie who was still crying before he sighed. Celestia Damn it. Weaponry thought. “I’m only joking, if I was an alien: would I bleed like any other pony,” Weaponry said as he lifted his leg to show her the small amounts of blood dripping from the cut. Pinkie looked at him then at the blood before she wiped the tears away. “Pinkie promise?” Pinkie sniffled “Yes, whatever that means,” Weaponry said. “Do you: cross your heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in your eye?” Pinkie asked “Yes,” Weaponry said. “You have to say it,” Pinkie said. Weaponry sighed. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Weaponry said. What the hay is wrong with this pony? Weaponry thought. Pinkie’s mane poofed back up and a smile formed on her face. “Why do you think I’m an alien?” Weaponry asked. “You don’t like sweets,” Pinkie said. “That doesn’t mean I’m an alien, I just don’t like to eat sweets because of their effect,” Weaponry said. “But the sugar high is so awesome!” Pinkie said jumping in the air. “What about the sugar drop afterwards?” Weaponry asked. Pinkie stopped jumping and looked at him in confusion. “What drop?” Pinkie Questioned. She-she’s eaten so much sugar she’s immune to the sugar drop? Weaponry thought in shock. He blinked and Pinkie was gone. She soon reappeared in front of him with a cupcake in her hoof. “Just try one. You’ll like it,” Pinkie said. Gummy had climbed onto the table in front of Weaponry and was now staring at him. Her pet scares me more than she does. Weaponry thought. “It’s not that I don’t want one, it’s the simple fact that: at any point and time we could be under attack and I can’t take that chance to be sluggish,” Weaponry said. Pinkie looked down before her mane started to deflate. Weaponry sighed before he added, “But after we’ve defeated this threat. I promise, no, Pinkie promise I’ll eat a cupcake with you. Deal?” “Deal,” Pinkie said as he mane puffed up and she held out her hoof. Weaponry reached out and shook it. She quickly pulled him in close and added, “You better keep that promise, nopony and I mean nopony breaks a pinkie promise.” “O-Ok,” Weaponry stuttered. She’s insane! And so is her pet! Weaponry thought. After Weaponry left Sugar Cube Corner and walked into the Inn, he slowly walked up the stairs to his room and pushed the door open. The moonlight illuminated his room as he fell into the bed and instantly fell asleep, putting the insanity of the day behind him.