//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: My Little Pony: Lights and Shadows - Part I // by OmegaTale //------------------------------// Spike sat alone in the castle throne room. Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Starfall had just left not too long ago for Griffonstone by call of the Cutie Map. Twilight had offered to him the chance to go, but he just wasn’t up for it. Spike had been tormented for the last few days thinking about Ember. Sometimes he waited for hours at a time in the castle hall waiting for a letter to arrive saying that she woke up and was going to be fine. Spinning an emerald on the table, Spike had his head leaned over on his claw, puffing out a sigh. He knew that moping around all day wasn’t going to help, so he tossed the gemstone in his mouth and got up off of his little throne, headed towards the door. Perhaps he could help Starlight and Trixie research in all of the books. He only took a few steps before his cheeks puffed up and he burped out a small spout of green flames, a scroll appearing from the magic. The little dragon picked up the scroll and opened it, his eyes reading it across. Dear Spike, Inform Princess Twilight upon her return that I have important news for her regarding the black dragon you heard of in the Dragon Lands. It is imperative that you relay this message to her personally. Tell no one else of this letter, this must be kept confidential. Princess Luna Zecora sat comfortably in her hospital bed, sipping at a cup of tea made for her by Nurse Redheart. Looking out her window, the clouds above blocked out the morning sun. Snowflakes floated peacefully down towards the ground, and everypony was wrapped up in scarves or sweaters. Returning her gaze back to her tea, Zecora sipped at it again. Her injuries were healing slowly, but getting better none the less. The initial paranoia and anxiety had gone away some time ago and she now sat quietly, appreciating the solitude. “Hey Zecora!” Apple Bloom said excitedly, breaking the silence. With a sigh, Zecora managed a smile. “Hello there little Apple Bloom, what brings you here to my room?” “Ah thought I’d stop by to see how ya were doin’.” The little filly answered, walking up beside her bed. “Are ya feeling any better?” Zecora replied with a nod, gently putting her tea cup down. “Ah brought somepony here to meet ya.” Apple Bloom continued. “He’s our newest Cutie Mark Crusader.” “Always a pleasure to meet new friends,” Zecora said, looking up at the door as it opened. “Now tell me how you-” Shadow stepped into the room and Zecora stopped mid-rhyme, her eyes widening at the sight of the dark pony. Shadow walked up to her bedside, a smile on his face. “You must be Zecora. My name is Shadow Light, I’ve heard a lot about you.” He said, being polite. Sweat beaded down Zecora’s head as she swallowed, offering a nervous smile in return. “Shadow is the Pony of Shadows!” Apple Bloom blurted out. “Ah have just been die’n to ask if y’all have met before!” Zecora’s smile disappeared instantly at the mention of the question. Looking down at his fellow crusader, Shadow shook his head, “Sorry Apple Bloom; but I can’t remember anything before I was freed.” “Yeah, ah know.” Apple Bloom recalled, nodding to him, and then looking at the zebra. “But Zecora here would remember, right?” Her mind and heart racing, Zecora thought up an escape from the question. “Oh my, look at the time!” the zebra said, pointing at the clock. “To sleep I must go, before the next chime!” Apple Bloom tilted her head. “Huh?” Shadow read Zecora’s reaction to him and knew nervousness when he saw it. She likely had seen him before, but he didn’t want to know about it. “I think she means the doctor wanted her to get more sleep.” Shadow said, getting Apple Bloom’s attention. “We wouldn’t want her to get into trouble now, would we?” The little earth pony pouted to herself, knowing he was right. “Alright….” She said, bummed out. “See ya later then Zecora, sleep well.” Apple Bloom trotted out the door, followed by Shadow, who glanced back at the zebra as he went. When finally she was alone again, Zecora let out her breath, which she had held. He was here? In Ponyville? Pinkie Pie and Applejack were walking along the road to Sweet Apple Acres, talking about their plans for Hearth’s Warming. A sudden shudder and shiver in Pinkie’s mane made them both stop. Applejack eyed her with a bit of suspicion and nervousness. “Pinkie Sense?” Pinkie stopped shuddering and paused for a moment, looking deep in thought. Her orange friend had never seen her do that one before, so she took a half-step away, just in case. “I think my Pinkie Sense is telling me that I’m missing something exciting.” Pinkie said, tilting her head. AJ sighed in relief, continuing her walk as the pink mare followed suite. “Pinkie Pie, you think just about everythin’ is excitin’.” The halls of Canterlot Castle were empty, apart from the guards posted at each of their stations. Princess Luna walked calmly past them on her way to the throne room. It was unlike Celestia to call for her this early in the day. Waiting for her to draw closer, the two guards posted at the throne room door opened it wide for her. Entering the massive room, lit up bright by the stained glass windows, Luna approached her sister. “You have good reason for summoning me this early, I trust?” Luna said as she walked, sounding tired. “These past few nights have kept me more exerted than I would care to admit.” Celestia looked down upon her sister with a hint of disappointment. “I imagine they have.” Luna quickly came to realize that something was wrong. “What is it sister?” she asked, walking up upon her own throne and sitting down. “Has something happened in Ponyville?” Using her magic, Celestia lifted a scroll to eye level without looking at it. “You would know, sending a letter to Spike about Twilight would mean you should know much more than I.” Luna grimaced, cursing herself for not having the patience to wait for a dream message like last time. “Who I send letters to is none of your concern, sister.” “Enough Luna.” Celestia demanded of her. “I know Twilight has been searching for the dragon, and I know that you have been helping her.” “She is just trying to help, Celestia,” Luna responded. “Why do you insist on handling this matter alone?” Celestia stomped her hoof. “I don’t want to hear another word about it! I am shocked that you would hide this from me.” Having held in her frustration long enough, Luna couldn’t take it anymore. “Me hide this from you?” she snapped, quick to rise off of her throne. “How dare you scold me for secrecy!?” It then occurred to Luna that she never asked how Celestia got the letter in the first place. It didn’t take long for her to figure it out, everything made sense. “You’ve been spying on Twilight and Shadow? Haven’t you?” The accusation left Celestia momentarily speechless. “You have royal guards watching their every move and monitoring any messages they send, don’t you?” Luna continued, unraveling the secret herself. “What has happened to you Celestia? Why are you doing all of this? Why have you been lying to me!?” Celestia raised her chin and looked away from her sister, saying, “My royal guards are doing no such thing; I have sent them to all corners of Equestria to find this dragon, and they shall find him in due time. As for you, I have told you the whole truth and kept nothing from you.” “Look at me!” Luna yelled, earning a startled look from her sister. “Why do you hate Shadow? What do you know that you’re not telling me?” The royal sisters had a few moments of silence between them, looking into each other’s eyes. Luna didn’t see anger in her sister’s eyes. It wasn’t denial, pride, or disappointment. It was sorrow, fear, and pure agony. Quick to avoid eye contact thereafter, Celestia rose from her throne and trotted away from Luna without a word, her head lowered to hide her pain. Luna watched her as she left, emotion finally building up past her ability to stop. Collapsing on the floor, she covered her face with her hooves. Shadow looked up at the sky as he walked, looking at the thick clouds. He hadn’t seen any pegasi in a while, perhaps they figured they had made it snow enough for now. Having gone around Ponyville with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo; Shadow decided to take a walk by himself. The back road around the town was long and not normally used, making for a good place to think. Shadow loved Ponyville, and everything about it. He loved waking up in the morning to feel the sun on his face. He loved the struggle, through progress, of getting over his shrinking fears. He loved seeing everypony so happy. He loved it all. Humming to himself a tune, which had gotten stuck in his head by Pinkie Pie, he walked slowly along the road, a smile on his face. All of a sudden, a chill shot up Shadow’s back, making him stop and shiver a bit. He looked around, all of the sound from Ponyville having yielded to the icy breeze. The silence lingered as everything began to feel cold. Resuming into a trot, he headed for the castle. “Where are you going?” whispered a voice from behind him. Shadow spun around in a flash, greeted only by an empty path and another cold breeze. His golden eyes scanned the area around him, seeing nothing. “Home to be with your friends?” the voice asked. No, not now. He had been doing so well. “You’re not real.” Shadow said to himself, trembling. “You have no friends.” Turning away and closing his eyes, Shadow shook his head. “No….you’re wrong!” “Stop resisting…..” The voice echoed into the air. “Accept who you are.” “I know who I am!” Shadow yelled, spinning around with his eyes open. “My name is Shadow Light!” An amused cackle echoed in Shadow’s ears, his whole body shaking. “No…..that is not your name.” “Go away….” Shadow said to himself, falling onto the ground with his hooves over his head. “Go away! Leave me alone!” “You already have a name….” the voice continued. “Do you remember?” Shadow winced away in fear, his eyes shut tight. “No! I don’t want to remember! I never want to remember!” “Your name…..is…..” Covering his ears, Shadow felt the cold seeping into every inch of his body like before. Sounds of horror began to shriek all around him. Whispers and screams echoed from all over. They all began to blend into the same, terrifying noise. Flashes of red engulfed his sight and the sounds all began to take form into one, single word. “Shadow!” pierced a voice from beyond. The flashes ceased, and all of the sounds fell to silence. Shadow slowly opened his eyes, his hooves still covering his head. “Shadow?” repeated the light-hearted voice. “Are you alright?” Peeking out from under his hooves, there was a pegasus beside him. Derpy leaned in closer, a worried expression on her face. “You were shouting….” She said, sitting down on her stomach so that they could be at eye level with each other. “You sounded scared.” By merely looking into the gray pegasus’ eyes, Shadow felt the freezing cold begin to melt away. All of the fear and horror, calmed by the perfect gaze of a friend. Not having the strength to reply, Shadow stayed down, his head lowered. Seeing her friend in such despair, Derpy leaned forward and hugged him without a word. “Whenever I’m sad or afraid….” She said quietly. “A hug always makes me feel better.” The cold made way for the warmth, which spread throughout Shadow like wildfire. He leaned his head onto her shoulder and she smiled. “Why don’t we go to Twilight’s Castle and get all warmed up?” she asked happily. Shadow only replied with a nod. Derpy used her wings to help get him up and she stayed holding onto him as they proceeded towards the castle. Walking was something Discord seldom did. What’s the point in taking the time to walk somewhere when you could just appear there by thinking about it? “I know, right?” Discord asked, pushing aside a low-hanging tree branch. Everfree Forest was just as dim and creepy as it always was, but the draconequus hardly paid any mind to that. He traversed the dark path paying no mind to the trees around him as he was deep in thought. “Oh, this is ridiculous.” He said to himself. “How can no pony else other than Celestia and I see this problem? And she has the nerve to ask me to spy on my own friends?” Discord lifted his chin and turned away. Looking forward again, he appeared having a Celestia-like mask on. “Oooh, look at me, I’m Tia and I can command Discord to do whatever I want!” Shaking his head in disgust, the Celestia mask flew off of him. Discord muttered to himself as he came across a few trees fallen onto the path. Without breaking stride, he disappeared and then reappeared on the other side of them. As he kept walking, he knew that wasn’t why she was doing it. “No I didn’t.” Discord scoffed. “Don’t write that!” Reporting to Celestia on letters that Twilight sends outside Ponyville was simple, but it wasn’t enough. Discord was not going to ride backseat as Celestia solved this issue herself. These were his friends after all, and no one, not even the royal pony sisters, were going to tell him how to protect his friends. “It’s bad enough that hotshot pegasus mouthed off to me like that….” Discord mumbled. “Now I have to deal with this whole thing myself.” Emerging out from a thicket, Discord spotted Zecora’s Hut. He had come here before in search of a few laughs in the past, but didn’t come for poison joke this time. Refusing to use the door, the draconequus appeared inside the hut, looking around. “Hmmm…..” he grumbled, spotting a particular shelf and walking over to it. There were seven potion bottles sitting on it in a line. “If I were a zebra….which bottle would I put the conspicuous, purple potion in?” Six of the seven bottles were plain glass, but one had a golden top and bottom, with the opening having carvings of creatures with red eyes. Discord eyed all of them, trying to decide. “Oh who cares!” he said, shaking his head. Snapping his claw, the right potion appeared in it, having been the gold covered one. “Huh, never would’ve guessed.” He chuckled, offering a blank expression to nowhere. Walking out from the hut, Discord glanced around, as if expecting something to happen. “That Starlight is such a liar.” He said to himself. “Walking around is by no means more fun that doing this.” He snapped his claws and disappeared. Closing the book with her magic, Starlight groaned, tossing it into the massive pile of books behind her. With only a few books left to search, the odds did not look too great that an answer would be found. Rubbing her eyes, she asked, “Trixie, would you ask Spike-” The blue unicorn stirred about, cuddling her own magician hat as she lie sleeping on her cushion. Starflight looked over at her and then sighed, shaking her head. “Never mind.” She said to herself, using her magic to grab the next book. A knock at the castle door made Starlight’s head rise, her ears perked up. She got up and trotted over to the library door, seeing Spike enter the main hall below. Walking to the entrance, Spike opened the door to see Octavia and Vinyl standing in wait. “Good evening Spike.” Octavia said happily. “May we come in?” Spike managed a small smile. “Yeah, sure.” Opening the door wider, the two mares walked on in, the three of them entering the throne room. Wanting to break away from her the books anyway, Starlight trotted over to the stairs. Spike sat in Twilight’s throne as the two mares glanced around. “What can I do for you two?” “Is Starfall here, by chance?” Octavia asked. Shaking his head, Spike replied, “Sorry, he left this morning with Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy to Griffonstone.” “Oh bother….” Octavia said, lifting her hoof to her mouth, thinking. “Now we’re going to have to-” She stopped when she noticed Vinyl had put her headphones back on. “Vinyl!” she snapped, prodding her friend with her hoof. “Take those off!” The white unicorn nonchalantly used her magic to lift her headphones. “I came along to help you apologize to Starfall,” Octavia said, lifting her chin and looking away. “The least you could do is pay attention.” Spike tilted his head in confusion. “Apologize for what?” Octavia returned her gaze to the small dragon, saying, “Vinyl here is responsible for Starfall returning so late last night, so it seems only proper that she apologizes to him.” Spike had no idea that Starfall had gotten back late. Shrugging his shoulders, he didn’t really know what to say. “Well Griffonstone is a long flight from here, I can’t imagine they’ll be back anytime soon.” “Hmm….” Octavia thought. “Vinyl, why don’t we-” She stopped herself once again at the sight of her friend nodding to the music in her headphones. “VINYL!” Luckily for the white unicorn, Shadow and Derpy walked across the hall, drawing the attention away from her. “Oh hey Shadow,” Spike said, not yet noticing the trauma in his eyes. “How was your walk?” Derpy looked at Shadow. “You should go get some sleep, I’ll come back tomorrow to make sure you feel better.” Shadow gave her a nod, resuming towards the stairs as Derpy flew over to the three, now concerned, bystanders in the throne room. “He got cold.” She told them, offering a big smile. “Bye!” Without looking where she was going, she flew straight into the wall. Shaking her head, she flew out the doorway. After getting pas the strange scene, Spike looked back at the other two. “Say, why are you only now coming here to apologize? Why didn’t you try earlier?” Vinyl grinned a sheepish smile as Octavia answered for her. “She slept in…..again.” “Well alright,” Spike continued. “Just come on back tomorrow around this time, I’m sure they’ll be back by then.” Immediately after completing his sentence; Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Starfall came walking in through the castle door. “Whoa!” Spike said quickly, rushing out into the hall. “That was crazy fast.” Starlight came down the steps, having gotten lost again, to see them all. “Twilight?” she asked. “You’re back already?” “Good, you’re here.” Twilight said, trotting over to her and up the stairs. “We have a lot of researching to do, come on.” Starlight’s expression dropped like a rock. “Ugh, okay…..” Spike looked over at the other three that had just returned. “What is it? What’s wrong?” “He showed up again.” Starfall replied. “That dragon was in Griffonstone.” Before Spike could say any more, Fluttershy asked, “Is Shadow here?” “Yeah, he just went upstairs to his room.” Spike answered. Spike and Fluttershy were quick to follow Twilight and Starlight up the stairs, leaving Rainbow, Starfall, Octavia, and Vinyl in the hallway. A somewhat awkward silence lingered in between Starfall and the musicians. Octavia nudged Vinyl forward, giving her an expecting expression. Lifting up a piece of paper with her magic, Vinyl wrote on it and then turned it around for them to see: Dude, last night was awesome! Want to go out again sometime? Starfall’s eyes grew wide in embarrassment as Rainbow stifled a laugh, dying of it on the inside. Octavia’s eye twitched. “VINYL!!!” Dusk fell over Equestria as the moon began to rise. A winter night in Canterlot truly was a sight to behold. The cold brings ponies together for dances and gatherings of other sorts. The brilliance of the stars in the black sky, shining just a bit more brightly than during other seasons. All of the world is brought to a standstill, and a certain kind of magic fills the air. Celestia’s chambers were void of sound. She lie on her bed, eyes open and filled with so many lingering emotions. This was not the first time she felt this, for the sickening feeling had come over her only a few years before. Celestia loved Luna, as any sister should. For a thousand years Celestia had to endure her life without her only family, and though she hid it well, their separation wounded her deeply. She never wanted to feel it again….which is why the truth became too difficult to say. It pained Celestia to imagine what Luna would think of her if she knew. But such was the sacrifice a ruler had to make to protect her beloved sister. “Oh my…” said Discord from the balcony, leaning against the wall. “Doesn’t this bring back memories?” This draconequus had the absolute, worst timing in the history of Equestria. In Celestia’s fragile state of mind, she had no patience for this now. Discord’s eye brow lifted. “No comments?” he asked. “You don’t want to command me to leave? Demand that I spy on more of my friends? Ask me to poof a slice of cake into existence?” His attempted at a humorous approach hit a stone wall. Celestia remained there at a level of defeat that just wasn’t enjoyable for Discord to see. All of the spirit and willpower that the princess had was gone. “I take it you haven’t told her the truth yet?” Discord asked, no longer joking. Celestia looked away from him, lying her head down on the bed in exhaustion. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Celestia.” The draconequus said lightly, standing up straight and walking over to her. “You know as well as I do that I could hear everything that transpired around me while I was that stone tourist attraction.” He chuckled, ceasing the humor thereafter. “I remember the night you came out to see me as well as all the rest, and I can recall every word you said.” Her gaze fell to look at the blanket, still too broken to lift her head. “Do you find enjoyment in exploiting my weaknesses?” Discord sat down on the bed beside her. “To be honest, I’m just glad you have weaknesses to exploit in the first place.” He said honestly. “Being perfect would be too boring, everyone needs a few flaws here and there. As long as we’re playing the honesty game; I have always liked your flaws. They make you so much more fun.” “You think any of this is fun?” Celestia questioned him, finally finding it in her to get up and face him. “What is the matter with you? Why must you torment me like this?” “Alright, alright.” Discord scoffed, waving his claw. “Let us dispense with the formalities then.” The purple potion from Zecora’s Hut appeared in his claw in front of her. “You want the truth? You got it.” Discord gestured towards the potion. Celestia froze when she the golden colors and the purple mixture. It was the same potion Twilight said she had used to solve the Plunder Seed problem that Discord caused. It granted the user the ability to see back in time based around a certain event, and could only be activated by alicorn magic. “I am not drinking that.” Celestia stated boldly. “Oh come on, why not?” Discord questioned her. Celestia looked upon the potion with a level of fear. “There’s no telling what I’ll see. Some things in history should remain forgotten, not remembered.” “You are being impossible.” Discord groaned. “You wanted to know the truth about that shadow pony, so here’s your chance! Don’t throw it away now!” “No!” Celestia yelled, turning away from the draconequus. “You have outstayed your welcome. Leave.” There were a few moments of silence in between the two. Celestia could feel his stare on her as she stayed motionless. He floated up into the air and sat the potion down on her night stand. Leaving to fly away, he stopped at the balcony door. “I admire your devotion to your sister.” Discord said without facing her. “But take it from me Celestia; don’t wait to tell someone how much you care about them. It will destroy you on the inside.” The statement made Celestia peer around at him, seeing him take off into the night. Her eyes then glanced over to the potion, which sat only a few meters away. Her gaze was removed from it and she lied down again, staring down at her blanket. A few more moments passed and she turned her head, looking at the potion once again. All of the answers….all so close, and yet, so far away.