//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: The Shadow Keeper // by derpyland //------------------------------// CELESTIA LED THE GROUP across the cavern floor, which was now littered with dust and broken pieces of rock. At first no one could tell where she was leading them; there didn't seem to be anything important in that part of the cave. It wasn't until they had almost reached the far wall that they saw an opening hidden in the shadows, behind a large stalagmite. Celestia stepped through the opening without even glancing back. The other three ponies followed cautiously behind her. Twilight, still injured from falling out of the ceiling, limped along behind them. The opening in the cave wall led to a short hallway that was lined with ancient blocks of stone. At one time the stones had been carefully polished, but now they were cracked and dirty. The only light in the hall was provided by Celestia's magic. Judging by the amount of dust on the floor, it was obvious that no one had set hoof in that hall for a very long time. At the end of the hallway was a stone arch that opened up into a circular room. This room was a great deal smaller than the cavern they had just entered. It also looked a great deal more ominous. Celestia stepped into the room and looked around. She nodded with satisfaction, then turned around to face the group. “Here we are, at long last. The nightmare is almost over. This is the entrance to the Vault of Shadows.” Trixie, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight crowded into the room and took a careful look around. The walls, floor, and ceiling were made of a dull white stone. The most striking feature in the room was a large five-pointed star that was embedded into the floor. The star was easily ten feet across and had plenty of space for a pony to stand in its center. At the tip of each of the star's five points was an ancient, cryptic symbol that none of them recognized. Each symbol was made out of a different colored crystal. The symbols came in five colors: purple, pink, yellow, blue, and white. On the far wall, opposite to the entrance of the room, was an arch that was about thirty feet across and thirty feet high. The arch was made out of an ancient black metal. Underneath the arch was a dull purple substance. Rainbow Dash pointed a hoof at the purple barrier. “What in Equestria is that supposed to be?” Celestia walked across the room to the arch, then reached out and touched the strange purple material with her hoof. It rippled, but it did not break. “This is the barrier that separates our realm from the realm of the Shadow Keeper. In order to reach the Keeper and bring him back to life we must pierce this barrier.” Trixie spoke up. “And that's why you brought the stone dagger, right? Although it's really much too long to be called a dagger. But the point is, it has some kind of part to play here. We just need to figure out what to do with it.” Celestia nodded. She took out the stone weapon and laid it on the ground next to the star. The dagger was nearly three feet long. “The first thing we need to do is–” Rainbow Dash interrupted her. “Hold on just a second. Let's back up a little bit. What do you mean, bring the Keeper back to life? Do you mean he's dead?” “He gave up his mortal form nearly a thousand years ago. It is a long story, and this is not the time or place to tell it. There is simply too much at stake to allow ourselves to get distracted – especially when victory is so close. All that matters now is that we need to cross into the shadow realm he created in order to bring him back.” “And that realm is in the Shadow Vault?” Trixie asked. Celestia nodded. “Exactly. Now, everypony, please stand away from the star. I haven't tried to do this for a very long time, and I don't want anypony to get hurt.” The entire group took a step back. Celestia looked down at the star and lit up her horn. She fired a dazzling beam of light at the symbol at the top of the star, nearest to the portal. It lit up blue. Celestia then fired the same beam of light at the symbol to its immediate right. When it lit up red she fired again, and then a third time. When it finally registered blue she made her way to the third symbol. Twilight looked at Trixie. “What is she doing?” “I have no idea,” Trixie replied. “Silence!” Celestia hissed. “Let me concentrate. This is a very difficult artifact to unlock. It does not take kindly to mistakes.” “Oh,” Rainbow Dash said. “Got it.” It took Celestia nearly twenty minutes to turn all of the crystals blue. Twice she made a mistake on the last symbol and had to restart the entire sequence. Finally, after a great deal of strain, the star came to life. The dark lines that made up the star's outline lit up into a brilliant blue color, and the dull purple substance under the arch turned white. Celestia stepped back, satisfied. “That's much better! I think we are ready now. There is only one more thing that we need to do, and then I can finally put everything back as it should be. I have waited such a long time for this moment. Trixie, will you step into the center of the star?” “Certainly,” Trixie replied. The pony took a step toward the glowing star, and was about to take another one when Twilight reached out and grabbed her. “I really don't think that's a good idea,” Twilight said urgently. Trixie pushed her away. “Don't be silly! I'm sure this will be fine. There's no way Celestia would ever do anything that might hurt somepony.” Rainbow Dash frowned. “Are you sure? I mean, are you really sure?” Celestia stamped her hoof impatiently. “Hurry up and get into the star! The lock won't stay open for long, and I don't know if I will have the strength to unlock it again. A thousand years of waiting is riding on this! Do you have any idea what is at stake here? You must act quickly!” Trixie turned her head and looked back at Rainbow Dash. “Yes, I'm quite positive. Everything will be fine.” Trixie stepped into the center of the star and looked at Celestia. “All right. So what happens now?” In the blink of an eye, Celestia levitated the stone dagger and rammed it through Trixie's neck, impaling her. The blue pony instantly disappeared in a flash of light. Twilight screamed. Rainbow Dash screamed. Celestia eagerly looked at the gate – but it remained unchanged. She galloped over the star and leaped into it, but the white liquid pushed her back. “I don't understand. It should have worked! Why didn't it work?” Rainbow Dash flew across the room and slammed into Celestia, knocking her off her hooves. “I can't believe it! You killed Trixie right there in front of us! You – you monster!” Celestia tried to get back up, but Rainbow Dash slammed into her again. This time Celestia teleported out of the way. She quickly used her telekinetic magic to grab Twilight and Rainbow Dash and throw them out of the room. While the two ponies were struggling to get back onto their hooves, Celestia cast a protective barrier that sealed the archway and kept them from reentering the star chamber. Rainbow Dash beat against the barrier, but she could not breach it. She started screaming hysterically. “Celestia! You will answer for this! Do you hear me? I will make you pay for this if it's the last thing I do!” Twilight stepped toward the translucent barrier and looked through it. She had a look of utter confusion on her face. “You seriously killed her? After everything that you said about her and after telling her that she wasn't in any danger? Why would you do that?” Celestia stopped what she was doing and turned to face Twilight. “I keep trying to tell you, Twilight, that sometimes the lesser ponies must be sacrificed for the greater good. When are you going to learn that lesson? I needed to get into the Shadow Vault to right an ancient wrong, and the only way to do that was to sacrifice somepony. Therefore, a pony had to be sacrificed for the greater good. The only question was who it should be, and the obvious answer was Trixie. If Trixie was dead then you would once again become the Element of Magic. Trixie was always a terrible choice for that position; the only reason I put her there in the first place was because you were dead and I wanted to kill her. Once Discord raised you back to life there was no longer any reason for Trixie to keep that position. It all made sense. Killing Trixie allowed me to enter the Vault and restore your title in a single action. It was the logical thing to do.” “Are you out of your mind? It was an incredibly stupid thing to do! You have made a terrible strategic error.” “Oh, Twilight, you have so much left to learn. Being a ruler means that sometimes you have to make hard decisions. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices. Trixie was a brave and noble pony, but there are greater things at stake here. For a thousand years the world has been all wrong, and I finally have a chance to put it right. That chance had to be taken at all costs. Trixie's life was a small price to pay for restoring order to the entire world. It was nothing personal.” Rainbow Dash screamed at her. “Nothing personal, eh? Well, here's something personal: you are not getting out of here alive!” The blue pegasus darted out of the hallway and vanished back into the cavern. Celestia ignored her. The princess turned her attention back to the white portal. “Well, let's try this,” she said aloud. She energized her horn and fired an intense beam of dark green magic at the portal. When the white mass started to glow and crack, she intensified the beam of energy. Twilight, meanwhile, did nothing. She didn't scream, she didn't collapse, and she didn't break down into tears. Oddly, she didn't even seem upset over what had just happened. She just watched with a sort of detached interest. The purple mass started to ripple, and then it began bubbling. After a few minutes of continued magic it turned into a frothing mass – but Celestia did not stop. With sweat pouring off of her she intensified the beam – and then the mass shattered. The portal vanished, revealing a stone tunnel that led to a small crypt. Five white statues lined the walls, and a large granite coffin was placed in the middle of the room. “Finally,” Celestia gasped. “Almost there. Now I just need to talk to the Keeper and this thousand-year nightmare can be over. I can finally be at peace again.” Celestia started to step forward when a familiar voice called out behind her. “Oh Celestia? Before you leave, there's something you should know.” Celestia froze. The sound of that voice – that unique, grating voice – chilled her blood. She turned around and saw Trixie standing outside the barrier she had erected. “No,” Celestia whispered. “You're lying! It can't be. Trixie was sacrificed – she is dead. You can't possibly be Trixie! This must be some kind of hoax.” Trixie shook her head. “Nope! I'm afraid not. The pony that you just sacrificed was Twilight. I mean, seriously: couldn't you tell it was her by how much she trusted you? The real Trixie would never have stepped into that star. Her trust was kind of sickening, actually – but you bought it. “You see, Celestia, the two of us switched places back when we were still in the courtyard, before we rejoined your little Vault party. I was convinced that you were up to no good, and Twilight was equally convinced that you could be trusted. In order to test your intentions I turned into her and she turned into me. The pony who saved your life in the cavern back there was actually me, and the pony you just skewered with that dagger was your beloved student Twilight. The hated Trixie is still very much alive – and she intends on staying that way. You, however, are in a lot of trouble.” “No! There is no way I just killed my beloved student. You're lying!” “Oh, I doubt you killed her. If you had then she'd be lying on that star right now in a pool of her own blood. Since she disappeared I'm guessing you sent her into the shadow realm – whatever that is. But I do know that Rainbow Dash just went to fetch her private air force, which is going to see to it that you get the justice you so richly deserve. If you go with them willingly then they just might let you live. If you put up a fight, though, then the tomb you're standing in will become your grave. But in either case you are finished. Your days of ruling Equestria are over. I knew you couldn't be trusted. I guess Twilight knows it now too.” Celestia angrily turned around and stormed into the tomb. “I don't have time to deal with the likes of you! Do whatever you want – I've got a job to do and a world to save, and I will not let anypony stop me. Get out of here!” “If that's what you want! I'll just get out of your mane, then. When Rainbow Dash returns with the Wonderbolts I'll let you try to explain what happened to me. If you want, you can always tell them that you actually killed Twilight instead of me because you got the two of us confused. I'm sure that will go over well. You should never have tried to kill me in front of so many witnesses.” Trixie then teleported out of sight, leaving Celestia alone. * * * * * Rainbow Dash raced out of the underground tunnel as fast as she could fly. She then flew back up the stairs, out of the castle ruins, and into the air. Rainbow was filled with anger and betrayal. She knew that Celestia couldn't be trusted, but she had no idea that the princess would dare to hurt Trixie in front of her and Twilight. Trixie had been killed for a second time – but this time Rainbow Dash could do something about it. She couldn't bring Trixie back to life, but she could bring Trixie's killer to justice. And she was going to enjoy every minute of it. The pegasus flew so fast across the sky that she created a sonic rainboom. The color spectrum shattered and sent out a circular rainbow shockwave that spread across the sky. It created a beautiful sight that was visible for miles. Rainbow was the only pony alive who could achieve that feat, and it normally would have been a great source of pride for her. Today, though, she scarcely noticed. As the rainbow shockwave spread through the air she strained to fly even faster. She was determined to reach Cloudsdale as quickly as possible, before Celestia had time to escape. Anger and rage fueled her speed, and she flew faster than she had ever flown before. By the time she arrived in the city a huge crowd of pegasi had already assembled. They had seen Rainbow's signature shockwave in the distance and knew what it meant, and the pegasi wasted no time forming their air force. Rainbow didn't even bother to land; she just came to a stop in front of the crowd. The Wonderbolts were already armed and in the air. In fact, all of the pegasi had swords strapped to their sides. Rainbow had never seen them armed for war before. It was an unsettling sight. It also made her wish that she had a sword. Spitfire flew over to where Rainbow was hovering. “We saw you leave the Everfree Forest like a bat out of Tartarus, and we knew something terrible had happened. What's going on?” “It's Celestia,” Rainbow Dash said, as she paused to catch her breath. “She killed Trixie! I saw it with my own eyes.” The crowd gasped. “Are you sure, Dash? That's a pretty serious accusation! Is it possible you just misunderstood what was going on?” “What is there to misunderstand? Celestia took that great big stone sword of hers and impaled Trixie with it, right in her neck. Trixie died on the spot. You don't have to take my word for it – Twilight was there and saw it too! I'm telling you, Spitfire, Trixie is dead. Celestia even confessed – she said she planned the whole thing so she could make Twilight the Element of Magic again.” The crowd burst into angry conversation. Dozens of voices called out, demanding that Celestia be arrested. The captain of the Wonderbolts silenced them. “Well, I guess that's it, then. It looks like Rainbow's fears about Celestia's intentions were entirely justified. The Wonderbolts were hoping that you were just being paranoid about all this, but it's clear that you were right all along. There's only one thing left to do: it's time to take Celestia down. Soarin, spread the word to the pegasi in Canterlot and let them know what happened. We're going to need all the help we can get to restrain Celestia.” “Restrain nothing!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “She's far too dangerous for that. Celestia didn't bother to give Trixie a chance; I don't see why we should give one to her.” “She's got a good point,” Lightning Dust commented. “If we try to go easy on her then she could put up a real fight. There's no telling how many ponies might wind up getting killed.” “And there's no telling how many ponies could die if we don't stop her,” Spitfire replied. “If Celestia is willing to kill the Element of Magic in broad daylight, in front of witnesses, then she would kill anypony. She needs to be taken down.” Soarin spoke up. “When I'm in Canterlot I'll send word to her sister Luna. Perhaps she can come and convince Celestia to surrender. They are sisters, after all.” “Good idea,” Rainbow Dash commented. “Having Luna on our side could really help. We're going to need all the firepower we can get.” Spitfire nodded. “Where's Twilight? Can she help?” “She's still with Celestia. When I left she was trying to get Celestia to surrender. I'm not sure how much help she's going to be, though. She was injured earlier in a rockslide and she hasn't been feeling well today. Trixie's had to help her out with what should have been some simple magic. I'm sure Twilight will do whatever she can, though. She and Trixie were very close.” “They certainly were. All right, Rainbow, take the lead. We'll secure the Castle of the Two Sisters and will wait there for reinforcements to come from Canterlot. How long do you think we will have until Celestia tries to escape?” “I don't know. I'm sure Twilight will stall her as long as she can. But there's just no telling. Celestia is dangerous – that's all I really know.” “Then we will have to be on our guard. Rainbow Dash, lead the way!”