//------------------------------// // Prologue: Alone // Story: A Shiny Shadow // by DiscordFan //------------------------------// A filly, that was close to marehood, was counting with her hooves over her eyes. She was dark gray unicorn with cheerful red eyes. Her dark violet mane was slightly curly with a streak of white and flowed next to her right side of her face. Upon her flank was a four-pointed, white star that had a triangular shadow shooting down to the right. This filly was Shadow Shine. "37," she said. "38... 39..." She uncovered her closed eyes and took in a deep breath to scream: "40!" She opened her eyes. "Ready or not, sister, here I come!" Shadow Shine began galloping down a hallway of the gray, crystal castle she lived in. She giggled. "I'm going to find you, sister," she declared cheerfully. Shadow Shine stopped when she reached a door. She activated her magic and sloowly opened the door. "Buck," she cursed. "Sister isn't here..." Behind the door was an empty closet that had a crying mare in it. Shadow Shine closed the door and trotted away, ignoring the pleading cries from the mare to come back. "Sister," she whispered angrily to herself, "where the buck are you?" *Pwu-ooooOoOOOOOM...* "Huh?" Shadow Shine stared out a nearby window. "What's that noi-" *THOOM* Shadow Shine continued staring out the window, which now showed a barrage of every color imaginable. Two silhouettes flapped their wings in the air... Shadow Shine gasped. ... The silhouettes had horns as well. "B-but," she stammered, "that's impossible." She sat down on floor, still gawking at the winged and horned silhouettes. "Daddy said there are no more alicorns." Now here comes the sad part. Then, she heard screaming... Screaming that belonged to her father. A shadowy blob that sounded like her father and resembled her father zoomed through the air, and the blob was sent down an ice chasm that sides slammed together, encasing the shadow. "No," she whispered. She looked away from the window. Tears began to build up at the bottom of her eyelids. Her lower lip quivered. "No... No, no, no, NO!!" She shook as she cried. Her face was towards the floor, and tears fell freely. Shadow Shine's ears twitched. "Sister," a voice said, "we believe we hear crying in that direction. Shall thou or we look for its owner?" "Yes," another voice said. "Thou may go look for its owner. We shall try to soothe this young one, here." Silence reigned for about two seconds... Sweet Celestia. Twilight is giving me the Death Stare. ... Silence reigned for 2.3 seconds before Shadow Shine leapt into action. She charged her horn and cast the "Position Changer" spell. Instantaneously, Shadow Shine appeared in the castle's throne. She wobbled dizzily and fumbled with her hooves. "Stupid advanced spell," she muttered. She felt a hoof grasp her left shoulder. She whirled around and saw her mother. Her mother was an amethyst purple earth pony mare with an lapis luzuli mane and tail. Her eyes were a darker purple. Her body was crystalized. "Shadow Shine," she whispered fearfully. "You must hide. Go to the dungeons until you can only sense me within the castle or..." Her mother choked a bit from sadness. "... or until you can't sense anyone." Tears fell from her mother's eyes. Hoof-steps could be heard... and they were getting louder. "Go," her whispered with her eyes quivering. "Go now!" Shadow Shine cast the spell again, but she appeared in the dungeon hall this time. She sat down and curled her tail around her hooves. Then she thought, "Now to wait for only Mommy's to be present..." She felt tears well up in her eyes again. "...Or until I feel nopony to be present." She put her head between her hooves and cried. :×××××: Shadow Shine clutched the window's metal bars. She was trying to see what was happening outside. Mommy and Daddy's 'Snow-Shield,' as she liked to call it, was being over-layered by what felt like an invisible spell. She almost let go of the metal bars at the next thing she saw. Two winged and horn creatures, one with light colors of white and a mane and tail of pink, green, blue, and indigo, and the other with dark colors of dark blue and a mane and tail of a slightly blue with sparkles, were speeding with their wings to the sky to escape the spell shields. But what surprised Shadow Shine the most was what the lighter one was holding. A lavender, unicorn filly with a navy blue mane and tail, each with a pink and purple streak. Her sister. That's when she realized she couldn't feel her mother's presence. She let go of the metal bars and let gravity pull her down to the floor. "I'm," she told herself. "... I'm all alone..." She whirled away from the wall and bucked it. She bucked it over, and over, and over, screaming and crying, "Stupid, bucking world! Why bucking me!?" The wall earned a dent. "What did I do!?" Another dent. This time, deeper. "Why did you take away my father!?" Deeper. "Why did you take away my mother!?" Deeper. She panted. "WHY DID YOU TAKE AWAY MY SISTER???!!!?" The wall shattered as her hooves slammed against it. Shadow Shine collapsed and wept. "Why?..." She sniffled. "Why did you take my Sparkle?" She looked up at the ceiling. Her eyes were red and brimmed with tears; her cheeks were caked with dry tears. She then whispered, "Why did you take my Twilight Sparkle?" "Child," a male voice asked, reverberating around the unlocked cell, "why are you crying?" Shadow Shine's ears twitched, and her eyes widen. "Daddy?" "Yes, little Shadow," Sombra's voice replied lovingly. "Now, tell me your troubles, child." Shadow Shine burst into tears and blubbered out, "Oh, it's just tragic! You and Mommy are gone! And, and... And two alicorns took away Twilight! So now I'm all alone!" "Shadow Shine," Sombra said somewhat fiercely, "look at me..." Shadow Shine looked at one of the two remaining walls, that Sombra's voice sounded the most powerful from. Her shadow was now the shape of what Sombra would be facing forward. However, where his eyes would be were red shaped eyes with purple energy wafting out. The eyes looked concerned. "... Don't cry. Things will get better." Shadow Shine sniffled. She asked, "Shadow Promise?" "Fill my heart, with shadows," Sombra chanted, "may my eyes, be your windows." Shadow Shine smiled. She put her hoof on the shadow. "Thank you, Daddy." She laid her head against the shadow, that somehow felt warm and had a heartbeat, and she fell asleep.