Don't say if I were you
Or tell me what you'd do
How things would be if
You were in my shoes
'Cause you're not me.
Chapter 16: The Princess of the Shadows
---
The gray abyss. It's been a while since I've been here. It was a universe that only existed because my mind allowed it. This was where I first unlocked the truth. It was the truth that concerned my very existence. I was a life that was separated into two and then reunited as one.
I looked around for a bit. There wasn't much to look at. After all, it was pretty much empty gray space in every direction. Out of boredom, I decided to walk around the abyss. The 'ground' felt like grass, but it made a sound like a tile floor as I trotted.
"Just where are you going?" pondered a new voice. I took a pause in my walk, looked left and right, and turned around. Standing before me was a conveniently familiar sight. It was a pale, white woman in a white kimono, with grayish blue hair and blue eyes. Part of her hair was held up by a pentagon-shaped hair pin. This was the Zanpaktou spirit.
"Sode no Shirayuki," I referred to the spirit in front of me.
"There's nothing here in any direction," she added, "So why do you wander?"
I shrugged, "Because there's nothing else to do here."
"Is that so?" asked the woman. She pressed her hands together before slowly separating them. In the space between her hands, the sword that I had grown used to seeing appeared. Sode no Shirayuki was, in essence, wielding... herself.
"So-me-no-Mai," she said softly as she moved the blade slowly across in front of her, "Tsukishiro." A frosty circle appeared around my feet. I dived to my left just in time to avoid the frozen pillar that overtook that circle just a split-second later.
"What are you doing?" I shouted at her, "We're supposed to be on the same side!"
"A lowly human comes into this world and expects me to just let him wield my power?" Sode no Shirayuki rhetorically pondered, "I don't think so."
"You know," said a third voice, "For someone who's been a part of me this whole time, you don't really know me at all."
The lady gasped in shock as she turned around to see... the other me.
"What?" whispered the Zanpaktou spirit.
"Shirayuki!" I exclaimed in happy recognition.
"I'm not just a human," continued the snowy white alicorn. She walked a bit closer before adding, "I'm also a pony, a pony who has regained what was lost."
"We found each other," I carried her point further.
"We found the truth," said Shirayuki.
"And together," we said in unison, "We're stronger." The Zanpaktou spirit looked between us slowly back and forth.
"Impossible," whispered Sode no Shirayuki, "There's no way you could wield my power." The woman seemed to regain her composure and pointed the blade back at me.
"Tsugi-no-Mai," she declared, "Hakuren!" A white blast of ice emerged from her blade in my direction. An evergreen chest plate engraved itself on me before I held up both of my hooves to the incoming ice blast.
"Bakudo 39: Enkosen!" I shouted. A circular fan made completely of light blocked the ice, practically blowing it away. This seemed to catch the spirit off guard as she hesitated to make another move.
"Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro!" called the white alicorn. Six rectangular bars of light surrounded Sode no Shirayuki at the waist. Now she couldn't move even if she wanted to. I held up both front hooves toward her and Shirayuki did the same.
"Mask of flesh and blood, universe soar," I chanted.
"The one crowned with man's name," continued the other alicorn.
"Carve a twin lotus on a wall of pale blue flames."
"And await the blazing fires to reach the distant heavens."
The two alicorns said the last line together, "Hado 73: Soren Sokatsui!" Large, double bursts of blue flames left our hooves and exploded on contact with the paralyzed Zanpaktou spirit. I held up a hoof to shield my eyes from the bright explosion. When the smoke cleared, I was slightly surprised as was Shirayuki. Sode no Shirayuki looked to be in perfect health and was even smiling a little.
"Okay, with strength like that, perhaps you are worthy of my powers," she said with closed eyes. She then disappeared completely. In another couple flashes, both Shirayuki and I had a white katana and ribbon in our grasp. There was an awkward moment of silence.
"O... kay," I finally said, "That was random."
"Indeed it was," agreed Shirayuki.
---
A steady beeping noise woke me up. I guessed that was an indication that I was in the hospital again. I felt sore all over. Whatever happened last night must have been awful. Then, I remembered quick flashes of the fight with a Dalk look-a-like.
Well, she is technically one of the more formidable Bount dolls, I thought, I can't really take all the blame for her kicking my butt.
I'm... I'm alive? asked a familiar mind.
Hey, welcome back, I thought to her, I was worried I had lost you when you didn't respond.
Heh, sorry, was Shirayuki's reply. I decided not to worry about that right now and distracted myself with counting the number of places that I had aches. So far, I had found seven. My counting was interrupted by the room door bursting open.
"Tundra!" exclaimed the two ponies that entered. I fought a couple of the lower back pains to sit up a little more.
"Fluttershy, Rarity, are you doing all right?" I asked the pair.
"Are we doing all right?" echoed Rarity, "What about how you're doing?"
"You were covered in bruises and lacerations," muttered Fluttershy just loud enough for me to catch what she said.
"Well, the fact that I can feel the pain must mean something's working right," I told them smiling slightly.
"Darling, don't even joke about that," said the unicorn.
"I wasn't joking," I said in deadpan.
"W-well," stumbled the Pegasus, "As long as you're going to be just fine." She might of mumbled something else, but it was quieter than I could here. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to ask her what she had said. A loud, demonic growl hurt my ears as my entire body vibrated from a new pulsation.
"What was that noise?" quietly asked Fluttershy.
"Rarity," I whispered, "Did you feel that?"
She whispered back, "If you mean that 'spiritual pressure' thing that you told me about before, then yes."
"I have to- urgh!" I winced in pain trying to move. My back felt like it was on fire and forced me back into a horizontal position under the blanket.
"Don't strain yourself, darling," insisted Rarity, "I'll take care of it." I opened my mouth to argue, but she had a point. Even though I wanted to fight whatever was out there, I was in no condition to stand let alone run into battle.
"Be careful," I managed to say through the pain.
"I will," nodded the unicorn before turning to her best friend, "Fluttershy, please stay here and look after her."
"Um, okay," whispered the Pegasus. With that matter settled, Rarity ran out the door. After she left, I took a quick self-check of my body. With a few bandages here and a couple stitches there, I probably could have passed for a zombie pony. Well, except I didn't think brain consumption sounded appetizing. (I mentally gagged myself for even bringing it up.)
---
Two fillies had also felt the surge of spiritual pressure. They quickly galloped over in the direction of where the feeling was coming from. Various ponies in town were running in random directions. Just as many ponies were screaming in terror. Though, their screams were drowned out every time the source of disturbance let out a howl. It sounded neither like a pony nor an animal. It just sounded horrible.
The two fillies braving this terrifying situation stopped when they came to a crossroads. They saw each other and grouped up.
"Sweetie Belle?" asked one of the fillies in surprise.
"Apple Bloom!" exclaimed the other filly.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."
"Let's go then!" They continued galloping as fast as their little hooves could carry them. When they finally found the source of the horrible noise, they halted and stared in bewilderment.
It was a creature unlike anything they had ever seen before. It kind of resembled a white dragon, what with its clawed paws, clawed feet, and long tail. At the same time, however, it looked nothing like a dragon. It had sharp shoulder spikes that jutted out irregularly. It had a messed up mane on its head. Speaking of its head, it looked like a paper-mache project gone wrong. It had a distinct skull-like appearance with a strange pattern of red markings on one side.
The white creature held something in its left claw that looked a lot like a black sword. It had the same shape as the ones Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom remembered using. Ponies had been fleeing the area because the white creature was ripping gashes and holes through the ground and a number of houses. Plus, its occasional guttural sound wasn't exactly pleasant.
"What in Celestia's name is that?" Sweetie Belle asked with her eyes wide.
"I don't know, but one thing's for sure," answered Apple Bloom. She reached out a hoof and summoned her sword before continuing, "It's wrecking up Ponyville and needs to be stopped."
"All right," said the unicorn filly suddenly much calmer. She too summoned her sword and prepared for the worst. "You ready?" she asked.
"I'm ready!" declared the earth pony filly as she leaped at the bone-colored beast, "Now bloom, Fuji Kujaku!" Her sword briefly glowed before changing into a hooked shape. This hooked blade split into four identical blades attached at the handle. Just as Apple Bloom prepared to strike, however, the beast's white tail whipped around and smacked her out of the air. The filly yelped as she flew a bit before crashing into the ground just barely avoiding house wall behind her.
"Growl, Haineko!" called Sweetie Belle. Her blade changed to its ash form and swirled around the beast. The filly swung her empty handle a couple times and the ashes responded by cutting gashes into the creature's skin. Blood rushed out, but the cuts were almost instantaneously covered by new, white layers.
"Oh, come on," groaned Sweetie Belle. Unfortunately, she had been loud enough for the beast to change its focus on her. It lifted its right claw in her direction. A red sphere of light appeared just in its palm area. Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow in confusion. Then her eyes widened as the sphere changed into a fast-moving beam heading right for her. The attack was coming too fast for her to do anything and it was too broad to sidestep. She closed her eyes and shivered in place.
"Bakudo 81: Danku!" shouted a new voice. A vertical, transparent barrier of magic appeared in front of the filly just in time for the red blast to collide with it. The attack seemed to vanish after a few seconds. Sweetie Belle opened her eye and then blinked in confusion at the sight before her. The barrier lasted for a second longer before disappearing. The filly looked around until her eyes caught sight of a familiar pony.
"Sweetie Belle, what are you doing?!" asked the purple-maned unicorn, "It's dangerous out here. Go back to the boutique!"
Sweetie Belle shook her head, "No, Rarity. I have new powers same as you. I want to protect the town too!"
"Sweetie Belle," warned her sister, "This is a fairly reasonable demand. I want you to go home where it's safer."
"This isn't about what you want," retorted the filly, "It's about what's best and the best thing to do is get rid of the threat rather than running away from it."
"Uh, girls," interrupted the yellow, earth pony, "We still got a situation here." She pointed her free hoof toward the monster. It was clearly pissed at those that would dare oppose it.
Both unicorns anime sweat dropped, "Good point." The creature jumped toward the group of ponies. Said ponies quickly jumped out of the way. The creature left a large impression on the earth it landed on. Each of the ponies released their signature ranged attacks.
"Split and deviate, Ruri'iro Kujaku!"
"Growl, Haineko!"
"Scatter, Senbonzakur-AAAAAAH!" screamed Rarity as the creature's tail had managed to grab and toss her over a large distance.
"Rarity!" shouted Sweetie Belle in alarm. With two of the special sword attacks halted by distracted wielders, the only attack that made contact was the one with blue tendrils. Ruri'iro Kujaku did manage to channel some energy out of the creature. However, this was shortly stopped by a wild swing of its black sword. The severed branches retreated to the owner's handle before reassuming their curved sword form. Apple Bloom grunted in frustration.
---
The screaming bearer of Generosity flew far away from the battle scene. Before she braced for impact, she thought about how unladylike it was to be tossed by a creature's tail and how uncouth it was to let such a nasty thing even touch her. Karma decided she had enough flying for the day and gravity brought her down... into a full garbage dumpster. Luckily, she wasn't hurt. Unluckily, her looks and smell had paid the consequence.
"My hair," Rarity whimpered.
---
"Sweetie Belle, now!" shouted Apple Bloom holding her sword high as she charged in.
"Right!" answered Sweetie Belle doing the same thing.
Then, they both shouted, "Cutie Mark Crusaders: Beast Slayers! Yeah!" The unholy creature seemed to pause in its rampage at that sentence. This pause allowed both crusaders to stab an area of the skin near where a heart would be on any normal creature. A bright, white light burst out of nowhere and engulfed all three fighters.
---
Apple Bloom groaned as she slowly picked herself up. She opened her eyes and took in the sights around her. Several glass cases, alternating in shape from dome to box, were scattered all over this giant 'hall'. She then noticed the one thing in this place that wasn't behind glass. Her friend was lying on the floor.
"Sweetie Belle, wake up!" shouted the filly with a hair ribbon. Her friend groaned a bit before standing up as well. Apple Bloom waited a moment for her to get a good look at the surroundings.
"Where... are we, Apple Bloom?" asked the unicorn filly.
"I don't know," replied the farmer, "but it kind of looks like that museum we went to that one time."
"A museum?" echoed Sweetie Belle. She walked up to one of the glass boxes and noticed an figure of sorts levitating in place just inside the glass. A golden, engraved card was floating just underneath the figure. Sweetie Belle read it out loud:
Rainbow Dash: Coolest and fastest flier in all of Equestria.
Looking up at the figure again, the filly took more notice of the details. It did look like the 7-colored Pegasus. It had its wings open and a confident smile on its carved face. Apple Bloom walked around to the glass dome right next to it. That display's card said:
Princess Celestia: The oldest and wisest of all ponies.
A first glance at the figure hadn't shown that. But, as Apple Bloom looked at it again, it did look like the Princess. It was complete with a divinely blowing mane and the eyes of experience and wisdom. Apple Bloom could have sworn that the figure winked at her and jumped in surprise. The two fillies looked through more glass cases. Each held a figure that only revealed its true features after they read the engraved cards. Cheerilee, Big Macintosh, Princess Luna, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and even Snips and Snails all had a display showing them. Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle chuckled slightly after reading the two-for-one display of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon:
Diamond Tiara & Silver Spoon: What's there to know?
At the end of the row, the fillies looked in awe at their own respective displays:
Apple Bloom: Strong initiative; Great artist and crafts pony; Best friend.
Sweetie Belle: Caring; Awesome singer; Best friend.
"Wait a minute," said Apple Bloom as she stopped walking, "If whoever wrote these cards considers us their best friends, then who wrote them?"
"That's the million bit question, isn't it?" replied a voice, but it wasn't Sweetie Belle. Both fillies jumped in shock before turning to look. Beyond the end of the row was just black space as far as they could tell. But the voice had come from that direction. Soft hoof steps could be heard echoing on the floor. Within a few moments, the alleged speaker appeared in plain view.
For all purposes, it appeared to be a unicorn mare. But there was something different about her attire. It took Sweetie Belle a few seconds to realize what the outfit reminded her of. She recalled reading about older models of Royal Guard armor. The type that this unicorn was wearing resembled that of chain mail.
"Who are you?" asked Apple Bloom directly.
"Hm... I'm no pony... or any pony. You decide," replied the unicorn with a smug smirk on her face.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Sweetie Belle unsure of what to make of the newcomer.
"Oh, you two are so cute," said the unicorn, clearly dodging the question, "Why if you were just a little older, we could've gotten together for a little 'wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more'." Apple Bloom opened her eyes wide and blushed at the implications from that last sentence. In contrast, Sweetie Belle just tilted her head in even more confusion. Though, she had finally figured out the answer to Apple Bloom's 'million bit question'.
"Where's Scootaloo?" asked the sister of Generosity. At this question, the armored unicorn's mood seemed to drop immediately. She let out an audible sigh and turned around to face the empty space behind.
"I'm afraid my lady is ill," she said drooping her head and ears. This seemed to be the magic phrase that brightened up the dark abyss with light. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle covered their eyes with their hooves. As the light began to reduce its intensity, they looked again to see one final display case. Several spotlights were shining on the contents. The figure inside this glass did not require a second glance for detail.
"Scootaloo!" shouted both fillies as they rushed forward in a gallop. They came to an abrupt halt as they slid across the floor just in front of the glass. That was no statuette in the glass. It was magically levitating, yes, but it was clearly breathing and wriggling around. The Pegasus filly was shaking her head and scrunched eyes as one would while having a nightmare.
"Look!" Sweetie Belle gasped directing Apple Bloom's attention to the much larger engraved card.
Scootaloo: Blank flank; fool; loser; chicken; loner; freak; dodo; a no pony... a no pony... a no pony.
The phrase 'no pony' repeated several times covering the rest of the entire card.
"I... I don't understand," Apple Bloom shook her head crying in disbelief.
"Why?" asked Sweetie Belle with a similar facial expression, "Why would she label herself like this?"
"Her heart is ill," said the unicorn. She looked forlornly at Scootaloo, "My lady has tried to fight the feelings of hurt with light. The problem is, worlds exist in both light and darkness. The more light she shines to hide her dark feelings, the longer the shadows become and engulf her heart."
The fillies turned to the chain mailed mare, still teary-eyed.
"What does it all mean?" asked Apple Bloom.
"If my lady does not learn to harness her shadows," continued the armored unicorn, "Her own darkness will consume her and destroy her. I want to help her heal, but I cannot if she does not accept the shadows that are a part of her."
"How do we help her?" asked Sweetie Belle, "There has to be something we can do."
"Your best bet would be to relieve her of the lights of deception she's used to chase away parts of herself," said the mare.
"You mean all these spotlights?" asked Apple Bloom spreading her hooves wide to point at several of the lights at once. The mare nodded sincerely.
"I got it!" declared Sweetie Belle now with a look of determination. She summoned her sword and cried, "Growl, Haineko!" The blade turned into sentient ashes that floated around. The wielder swung her handle and the ashes sliced through the lights causing multiple explosions.
"Aw, yeah!" cheered Apple Bloom. When the smoke cleared, however, the lights had returned as they were: unbroken and shining brightly.
"I don't understand," claimed Sweetie Belle, "Haineko can cut through the toughest steel. Light bulbs are fragile compared to that."
"The lights on a heart are not physical lamps that can simply be broken," stated the mare.
"Now you tell us?" asked Apple Bloom while performing a face hoof, "What are we going to do now?"
"Hm..." hummed the other filly while rubbing her chin with a hoof. She looked over at the large engraving and suddenly smiled.
"Hey, Apple Bloom," she said, "What if we tackled this problem from a different angle?"
"Huh?" responded the confused farmer.
"If we can't destroy the deception lights directly," Sweetie reiterated "why don't we change what they shine on?"
"Oh!" exclaimed Apple Bloom in realization, "Yeah! Let's change the words!" At this, the armored mare looked up and hope sparked in her eyes.
"Scootaloo!" shouted Sweetie Belle, "You're not just a blank flank! You're a pony filled with opportunity!"
"You're a wonderful Pegasus pony!" piped in Apple Bloom.
"You're a great dancer!"
"You're a risk-taker!"
"You're an adventurer!"
"You have the best reflexes!"
"You never give up!"
"But most of all..."
"Most of all..."
The two fillies shouted their next phrase together, "You're my best friend! Cutie Mark Crusaders: Best Pony Friends Forever!"
As their voices echoed in the abyss hall, the entire environment began to shake violently. The spotlights began to flicker and short out. Cracks started forming in the glass dome that encased the orange Pegasus. Eventually, the tremors stopped completely as the case shattered into a million pieces. The magical levitation no longer held Scootaloo in place and she began to fall.
"Lady Scootaloo!" shouted the unicorn mare. She galloped forward and caught the filly before she could meet the floor. She managed to land on three hooves. The fourth held her master.
"Lady Scootaloo," said the mare in a gentler voice, "Please, allow my shadows to mend your heart's wounds." The filly slowly fluttered her eyes before opening them sufficiently to see.
"Kage...hime?" she whispered. The unicorn mare nodded with tears in her eyes. She held Scootaloo in closer for a warm embrace.
A huge gust of wind blew Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle off their hooves to the other end of the display row.
---
The fillies yanked their swords out of the white beast's body and jumped back. A pillar of dark magic surrounded the beast causing a huge gust of wind in all directions. Eventually, the pillar cleared leaving the beast as it was. Pieces began to fall off the white coat. Soon, the rest of the outer shell fell off in one motion. It left the impression that it had been a paper-mache project gone wrong. The 'beast' crumpled into nonexistent dust. An orange filly stood in the center with one hoof on the handle of a sword driven into the ground. She was breathing hard, but she was alive.
"Scootaloo!" shouted Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They ran forward to their friend. They shared a hug with her as she suddenly realized where she was.
"Guys, what... happened?" asked Scootaloo slowly. The other two shook their heads as if they were saying it didn't matter.
"You're back," said Apple Bloom.
"And you're never alone," added Sweetie Belle. The Pegasus filly decided to just roll with it and hugged them back. But then, a chorus of roars interrupted their reunion. Up in the sky, five gray dragon-shaped creatures circled the town area just above the Cutie Mark Crusaders' current position. What differentiated these creatures from average dragons were the exoskeleton skulls that covered their entire heads. The Crusaders looked up at the creatures in a mix of disbelief and fright.
"You got to be kidding me!" exhaled Apple Bloom, "We had enough trouble with just one bone-covered creature."
"We don't have the strength left for five," heaved Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo's expression changed from worry to one of fixated determination.
"Stand back, girls," she said while raising her sword, "I'll handle this." At this the other two moved back, not because Scootaloo asked them to but because they were surprised.
"What are you saying, Scoots?" asked the farmer.
"We just got you back," said the unicorn filly, "I don't want to lose you again."
"You guys saved me from myself," smiled the Pegasus, "The least I can do is save you from these things." She held her sword at a horizontal angle facing left.
"It's time to learn how to master my shadows," declared Scootaloo, "Shroud the world in darkness, Kagehime!" The sword glowed in a black color as it seemed to extend from the handle. When the color dissipated, the weapon looked like two swords attached on opposite ends of the same handle. Scootaloo lifted this weapon above her head.
"Shadow Blade," whispered the Pegasus. In midair covering a diameter equal to her weapon's length, a circle of dark swords appeared. Above, the would-be dragons had their mouths wide. Red spheres began to grow in that open space.
"Too slow," said Scootaloo as her dark energy swords were launched through the air. In less than a second, the swords had pierced all of the flying skull faces. The red spheres disintegrated as the beasts vanished in the smoke of shadows. With its work complete, Kagehime returned to its one-bladed default form. Scootaloo sighed in relief.
"Hey, Scootaloo," called Apple Bloom, "Want to come over to my place tonight?"
The Pegasus filly nodded, "Yeah, I'd like that."
---
"Cloud 4," said Fluttershy.
"Miss," I declared. Never have I ever played the My Little Pony equivalent of Battleship. But you wouldn't have known that given my current board play. Maybe I wasn't giving Fluttershy enough credit. After all, she could have just been losing on purpose to make me feel better.
"Farm 8," I called.
"Oh, um, you just rained on my Cumulus," said Fluttershy while removing said cloud from her field, "Um, you beat me... again."
"So it would seem," I replied with a tone of indifference.
"Um, I'm sorry," she muttered, "Did I not try hard enough for you again?"
"No, it's not the game," I waved her off (the pain in my front hooves had lessened greatly since I woke up), "I can't help feeling like I forgot something."
"Well, I'm sure whatever it is, it can wait until you're all better," assured the bearer of Kindness.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," I agreed, "Another round?"
"Oh, sure, that is if you want to," she answered.
---
"I need a shower," shivered Rarity as she trotted along. Pieces of garbage stuck to her in the most awkward places.
"I NEED A SHOWER!"
---
A/N: Special thanks to Leo Archon for "loaning" me the use of Kagehime.