//------------------------------//
// Chapter 9 
// Story: My Little Pony: Lights and Shadows - Part III 
// by OmegaTale 
//------------------------------//

                The trees of the wilds had cleared away some time ago, opening up to green, hilly plains that rolled on for a long distance, all the way to the mountains in the far north.  The brilliance of the Crystal Empire was unparalleled in all of Equestria.  The high spire of the castle like a beacon, its light cast upon the world around it, and the castle stood tall, a symbol to all the land.

                Still under the cover of his cloak, Shadow stopped at two, tall crystals jutting up from out the ground, with smaller crystals hanging in between them overhead.  From here he had a much greater view of the empire, and it was magnificent.

                Shadow had heard about the ponies’ endeavors there against King Sombra and afterwards when Flurry Heart accidentally brought forth the Deep Freeze.  He had always wanted to see it for himself, having heard so much about its beauty from Rarity and its ponies from Twilight.

                Walking through the two crystals, Shadow stepped onto the path winding around and towards the massive city.  While he was excited to see the many places there he had been told about, the castle, library, stadium, and so forth, he was most eager to reach this Crystal Heart.

                As his thoughts lingered on the artifact, his muscles twitched and the chilling cold breathed back into him.  As he closed his eyes and shivered, it returned.

                “Your efforts are futile, there is no power in this world that can change what you are.”

                Shadow shook his head and lifted it, his eyes opening.  “No, I don’t believe that.”

                “Your beliefs are irrelevant.  You are darkness, and darkness cannot stay within the light.”

                “You are darkness,” Shadow growled.  “Not me.”  Putting one hoof in front of the other, he resumed his approach towards the city despite the cold biting at him from the inside.  The closer he moved towards the empire, however, the less unbearable the cold became.

                “You think yourself wise?  That this will change your destiny?  By clinging to the light, you only prolong the inevitable.”

                Entering the city limits, Shadow kept his head lowered a bit, almost positive that Princess Cadence had her guards on the lookout for him.  As he walked on, however, his head steadily lifted, watching the crystal ponies around him.  They smiled and waved, hugged and laughed, just like Ponyville.  Little fillies and colts played with each other, friends greeted one another, and the air was ablaze with a kind of cheer.

                There was a scowl and a growl, the cold lifting away from Shadow.

                “The warmth is an illusion, you fool.  A cruel trick played on the weak at their expense, thrown aside in pity and anguish whilst the strong play on their weaknesses.”

                “You’re wrong.” Shadow replied, feeling the warmth strengthen the further into the city he delved.  “Friendship is the only thing I need.  Whatever terror I once was, that time is passed.  Whatever memories I have yet to see, I care nothing for.”

                “In time you will understand.  Not today, not tomorrow, but in time you will see.  We are the same, you and I.”

                “You are nothing but a shade.” Shadow said softly, the buildings clearing as he reached the center of the empire.  “And your time has passed… now let me live my life.”

                There was a pause, Shadow awaited an answer before continuing on.  It lasted for a few moments, and all other sounds seemed to fade away when he heard its answer.

                “No matter how strong the light may be, the darkness shall last for eternity.”

                Those words resonated in Shadow’s ears, echoing like the serenade of sounds he once heard in his many visions.  Despite this, the shadow pony walked on, towards the castle.

                At first the brightness was blinding, making him covering his eyes with a hoof, but the longer Shadow remained within its radiance, the more it drew him in.  Lowering his hoof, his golden eyes became locked onto the Crystal Heart, hovering there at the center of the floor underneath the castle.  The warmth overwhelmed what little cold there was left within him.  Through the waves of heat he felt, he also felt something inside of him wasting away, disappearing without a trace.

                “This power…” he said quietly, stepping closer to the artifact.  He halted just in front of the glowing heart, his eyes full of wonder at the sight of it and the sheer force of its purifying power.  Lifting up his hoof, he moved to reach towards it.

                “Quite the sight, is it not?” asked a voice beside him.

                Shadow immediately lowered his hoof to the ground, keeping himself from reacting too frantically, he turned to face the pony beside him.  He was a gray furred unicorn with a dark blue mane and tail.  He was rather small for a unicorn, his horn was shorter and pointier than others he’d seen.

                “Did I startle you?  I apologize.” He continued.

                “No, no,” Shadow replied, his hood keeping his eyes out of sight.  “I am easily surprised, it’s alright.”  Turning back to the Crystal Heart, he smiled faintly.  “Besides, I had a decent distraction.”

                The unicorn chuckled slightly, looking at it as well.  “Yes, I know.  I had been wanting to come see this artifact for some time now, I have heard so much about it.”

                Shadow smiled wider.  “I know what you mean…”  After a few more moments, he turned to the unicorn.  Having felt the darkness inside of him fall away, he could no longer hear the voice, or even feel its presence.  Because of this, he felt ready to take a chance.  “My name is Shadow.”

                The unicorn looked at him and nodded.  “I am Stygian, pleased to meet you.”

                The name struck Shadow as familiar, and it didn’t take long for him to remember.  “Stygian, the pony who was trapped in Limbo, Stygian?”

                Rubbing his head with his hoof, Stygian managed an uneasy smile.  “Yes, well, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that word spread about us.”

                Shadow had recalled back to when this whole ordeal had occurred.  Back when he had first overcome the voice in his head, after having heard his true name from Stormclaw, Sunburst had called Twilight and everypony to Canterlot for a discovery he had made.  Shadow stayed in Ponyville at the request of the CMCs, but everypony returned awfully excited.  They researched in the library for a few days, but once again, Shadow had been kept busy by his fellow crusaders, their Cutie Mark Camp had become much more successful, and so they needed a helping hoof.

The next thing Shadow knew, his friends freed legendary ponies who had been trapped in Limbo for over a thousand years.  Twilight had asked Shadow to look after everything in Ponyville while she and the others went out to face a dark creature they had accidentally freed as well.  When they returned, Twilight told him about how the Pony of Shadows legend, the title Shadow had been given during his years still trapped within the castle ruins, was actually a legend that had started when a pony named Stygian turned to darkness in spite of his friends who he thought betrayed him.

To make a long story short, those legendary ponies, including this Stygian, went out to explore the world they had been kept from over the past thousand years.

Shadow couldn’t believe he actually crossed paths with him.  “You’ve been out exploring Equestria, right?”

Stygian nodded.  “I have.  The world has changed so much since last we were here.  I was planning on returning to Canterlot after my visit here, but I’ve decided to stay a few days longer.” He glanced around at the ponies and crystal buildings.  “Something about this place… it just yearns for me to stay.”

“Ha, again, I know what you mean.” Shadow chuckled.

Stygian laughed lightly and then glanced up at the sky, the sun nearing the horizon.  He looked back at Shadow, whose cloak told the unicorn that he had been on the road for a long while.  “You look as if you need some rest, have you somewhere to stay the night?”

Shadow shook his head.  “I only just arrived… my next move was to find somewhere to sleep.”

Stygian turned around.  “Come, you look weary, I am staying in a hotel just down the road there, we can get you a room.”

“But I… umm…” Shadow sighed, shaking his head.  “I have no bits.”

Stygian waved off the concern.  “Nonsense, my treat.”

Shadow smiled.  “Thank you… that is very kind.”

As the shadow pony followed the unicorn down the street, the Crystal Heart glowed brighter, the air about it sparking for just a moment before calming.





With a bright flash, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Discord appeared at the entrance to the empire.  The sun was still rising, bathing the land in its morning light.  Twilight shook her head for a moment and then held her hoof to her horn, feeling dizzy.

“Are you okay, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked, noticing her friend’s disorientation.

“It’s been a while since I’ve teleported that far before…” the princess replied, standing upright and lowering her hoof.  “I’ll be fine, at least it worked and got us here.  If what Lucille said was correct about the way Shadow seemed, he wouldn’t risk using his magic and being detected, which would explain why you’ve had no luck finding him, Discord.”  She turned to face the empire, stepping through the two crystals.  “If my calculations are correct, he would’ve arrived sometime yesterday evening.”

Fluttershy followed her with both a level of anxiety and worry.  What if when they find Shadow, he runs away again?  What if he didn’t find what he was looking for?  Or what if he arrived, saw how many ponies were there, and left for fear of being seen?  The questions were flooding her head.

Twilight looked over at her, offering up a smile.  “I’m sure we’ll be able to find him and talk him into coming back to Ponyville, Fluttershy.”

Before she could reply, Discord cut in.  “And don’t worry.  If words don’t work, we’ll just tie him up and bring him back anyway.”

“Discord!” Twilight exclaimed.

The draconequus shrugged.  “What?  Isn’t the whole point to bring him back by any means necessary?”

Fluttershy was able to answer Discord for her.  “The point is to convince him to want to come back.  Forcing him won’t work, and it will do nothing to help him overcome whatever it is that he’s struggling with on the inside.”

Discord grunted and Twilight glared at him.  “No forcing, Discord, understand?”

With an exaggerated lean, he looked over at both of them.  “Then why in the name of Lauren Faust did you bring me with you?”

“Your magic may have been weakened, but it’s still helped us along the way.” Twilight explained.  “Even in your condition, you are able to sense magical imbalances, which means you could’ve sensed Shadow if at any point he cast any spells.”  Discord crossed his arms and groaned to himself, his eye brows furrowing.

As the three reached the edge of the city, Twilight knew exactly what to do first.  “We don’t want to risk looking for him quite yet.  Let’s go see Shining Armor and Cadence, and tell them we’re here looking for Shadow.  There’s no way he’d go to the castle if he’s trying to stay out of sight.”

Discord rolled his eyes.  “Well, for one thing, he came to one of the most populated places in all of Equestria.  Why wouldn’t he pop his head in and say hello to the princess?”

Fluttershy tapped his side.  “Discord, what did I tell you about sarcasm?”

“That it’s Spike’s job, not mine?” Discord offered, along with a chuckle.

Despite the joke targeting one of her closest friends, Twilight couldn’t help but let out a cough to hide her light laugh.

“No…” Fluttershy continued, looking at the draconequus with expecting eyes.

Discord sighed, the fun literally draining out of him as he replied blankly.  “It’s never to be used at somepony’s expense.”

Fluttershy nodded, continuing on.  “Thank you.”

“Killjoy…” He muttered.

“What was that?” Fluttershy asked, whipping her head back around.

“My pleasure!” Discord recovered, a halo appearing over his head.

Twilight shook her head, a light smile on her face as they all approached the castle.  They were greeted by the guards and escorted to the throne room, where Cadence and Sunburst were speaking.

Upon seeing Twilight, Cadence’s face lit up.  “Twilight!” She said happily.

Sunburst turned about, also lighting up.  “We weren’t expecting you-”

“I know,” Twilight replied.  “It was short notice.”

“What can we do for you?” Cadence asked, stepping down and off her throne, walking to them.

Twilight turned to Fluttershy, letting her answer.  “Shadow is here, somewhere in the empire.”

Sunburst used his magic to adjust his glasses, astonished by this.  “You are certain?”

“He left from the remains of Charon to the south only two days ago,” Twilight resumed.  “To avoid detection, he would’ve traveled by hoof, which means he likely arrived sometime last night.”

Cadence tilted her head.  “Did you say… Charon?”

“You and I can talk about that another time, Cadence, we must find him immediately, before he has the chance to leave and disappear again.” Twilight replied, keeping them on track.

Cadence nodded.  “I’ll have Shining Armor inform the guards.”

Fluttershy shook her head.  “No, we can’t risk scaring him away, it has to be us.  Only us.”

“Will you come with us?” Twilight asked her fellow princess.

“Of course, Twilight.” She answered without hesitation.  “If he’s still here, we’ll find him together.” She then turned to Sunburst.  “Sunburst, please go tell Shining to watch over Flurry Heart while we’re out.  Then come help us and soon as you can.”

Sunburst nodded.  “Yes, princess.”

The ponies and Discord all exited the throne room, headed down the stairwell to the castle entrance.  As they went, Discord looked up and around, his head turning a full 360 degrees on his neck as he did.

“Hmm… so hard to believe I’ve never actually been here before…” he said to himself.

Cadence rolled her eyes.  “Believe me, it was quite the consultation to Shining Armor and I.”

Discord exaggerated a recoil at her statement.  “You wound me, Cadence.  More truth to the matter, I’ve never actually met your little girl before, have I?”

There was a hesitation in her voice, but Cadence managed a sigh.  “If you want, you can, but if you so much as try anything funny-”

Discord muffled a laugh.  “Now, now, you know me better than that, don’t you?”

“No.” Everypony else said in unison.

“Humph, the nerve of someponies.” Discord scoffed, Rarity’s mane appearing from out his head as he swished it to the side like she did.

Reaching the door, the three ponies and draconequus stepped out from the castle and onto the stone plaza beneath it.  Twilight had gone over several different ways they could search the empire in her head; grids, checkpoints, perimeters, those sorts of things.  She knew Fluttershy was right, and that if Shadow became spooked, he could very easily slip out from their sight.  That said, if he did bolt, she was going to have to give chase; who knows how long it would be till he appeared again.

During the compilation of these strategies in her head, Twilight caught sight of two ponies on near the Crystal Heart, and she froze in place.  Fluttershy stopped, having been distracted by her own deep thoughts, and looked to Twilight, confused.  Following her gaze, the pegasus, other princess, and the draconequus froze as well.

Stygian’s ears perked up and he turned his head to see them all there, watching him as his new friend.  “Twilight?” he asked, a smile on his face.

The cloaked pony at his side remained still for a few moments, the sound of the name ringing in his ears.  Stygian saw the mares’ and Discord’s faces and looked to his hooded friend.  Shadow turned slowly, lifting his gaze so that his golden eyes shined from underneath the hood.

Fluttershy took a small step forward, taking a quiet, sharp breath as her eyes teared up.  Shadow lifted the hood from his head, the fear gone from his eyes.  Fluttershy and he both took another few steps, which turned into a trot, which ended in full gallop into each other’s embrace.  Fluttershy buried her head into his shoulder, holding him tight, as if afraid of letting him go.  Shadow lifted his hoof up to her head and stroked in gently, closing his eyes as he hugged her tighter.

Twilight, Cadence, Discord, and Stygian all walked up to them, but gave them their space.  Twilight knew this was something Fluttershy had dreamed about for months now, something she herself had been worried over for a long time as well.

Shadow and Fluttershy both pulled back from one another, still holding each other though.  Fluttershy took in another shaky breath.  “Please don’t go again…”

Shadow shook his head, smiling faintly.  “I’m not going anywhere this time.”

This warranted one of the happiest smiles Fluttershy had ever given anypony, hugging him again.  Only this time, Twilight joined in on the hug too.

“You had us so worried, Shadow.” Twilight said softly.

Shadow looked to her, wrapping a hoof around her as well.  “I know… and I’m sorry.  That night… something happened to me.  The darkness, it came back… but coming here… it has freed me from it.”  The three separated, and when Shadow turned to the Crystal Heart, the others did as well.  Cadence looked back and forth between him and the ancient artifact, wondering what he meant.  Shadow took a deep breath, turning back to the mares, his own eyes tearing up a little.  “Can I… can I come home…?”

Fluttershy sniffed back her own tears.  “As if you even need to ask.”

Twilight smiled, and then looked over at the unicorn nearby.  “Stygian… I take it you’ve met Shadow?”

“I have.” He said, walking up to the shadow pony’s side.  “We met just yesterday upon his arrival.  This was my last stop before heading to Canterlot, seems we both wanted to see the Crystal Heart for ourselves.”

Sunburst came trotting out from the castle, spotting them and galloping over.  “Stygian?  We didn’t know you were here.”

Stygian rubbed his neck and offered a sheepish smile.  “You must forgive me, I did not want to burden you with entertaining me.  I had originally planned to only stay for the night, but the heart…” He turned and looked at it once again.  “It fascinates me beyond all measure.”

Cadence smiled.  “Yes, well, it does have that kind of effect.”

It was at this point that Twilight needed to ask the big question.  Turning to Shadow, all of the seriousness returned in the blink of an eye.  “Shadow?  What really happened that night?” She asked, making everypony look to him as well.  “What did you see that made you run away like you did?”

Shadow could hear the destruction in his ears even now.  The voice was gone, but nothing could ever dull the fangs of that horrifying vision.  He was afraid to close his eyes, in fear of seeing it unfold again, but it stayed as it was… just a broken memory.

“I don’t remember.” He lied, lowering his head slightly.  “I know I saw something, but I’ve been having a difficult time with my memories ever since that night.”

Fluttershy lifted a hoof up onto his shoulder.  “It’s okay, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

He nodded.  “You’re right, it doesn’t.  The Crystal Heart, I think it has banished whatever this force is that’s inside of me.  I don’t hear it anymore, and everything now is as it was… I feel free again.”

Twilight let out a sigh of relief, satisfied with the answer.  “And we are so happy for you.  Now you can come home, everypony has missed you.”

A thought crossed Shadow’s mind like a storm cloud, bringing back some dismay.  “Twilight… I am so sorry…”

This reaction made Twilight tilt her head.  “Sorry for what, Shadow?”

Shadow lowered his head again.  “Starfall… I wasn’t there for you when he…” Not able to say it without breaking down, he turned his head, closing his eyes tight.

This is when it became apparent to Twilight that Shadow didn’t even know what happened.  “No, Shadow, you don’t understand.”  This caused the shadow pony to look up at her, confused.  “Starfall is alive.”

Like a shift in the world beneath them, Shadow felt his core tremble.  His eyes went wide, and his legs shook slightly.  For all this time… he had thought Starfall was dead, killed by Stormclaw during the fight.

“He…” Shadow said slowly, still trying to process this.  “He’s… still alive…?”

Seeing Shadow’s reaction to this, it actually made Twilight pain for Starfall lessen greatly.  She had been in agony for months over Starfall being in a coma, but Shadow… he thought his friend had died.  “While you were caught in your trance, he sacrificed himself to save me from Stormclaw, but Discord managed to save him.”

Shadow looked to Discord, who had on a Discord sports jersey and a hat that said, “Number 1” on it.  He gave a nod to the draconequus, who nodded back.  The two of them both understood that they weren’t the most compatible of friends, but they now had a mutual respect for one another.  But something puzzled Shadow, and he looked back to Twilight.

“Why isn’t he here then?” He asked, now curious as to why he didn’t come.  “Isn’t he still supposed to guard you?”

Twilight knew that this was coming, and even now she regretted getting Shadow’s hopes up too high as to his friend’s health.  “He’s in a coma.”  Hearing this drained away the happiness from Shadow’s eyes.  “He’s been in it ever since Discord saved him.”

Shadow looked to Twilight with sorrowful eyes.  “Twilight…”

She smiled at him.  “It’s alright, Shadow.  It will all be alright.”

Shadow smiled as well, the three friends all so happy to be reunited once again.  Stygian watched this with a smile as well.  “I warms my heart to see you have found your peace, Shadow.  And it makes me want to find mine as well.”

Shadow looked to him.  “Thank you, Stygian, for everything.”

“You said you’re heading for Canterlot?” Sunburst asked him.

Stygian nodded.  “Indeed.  I have a few friends waiting for me there that I am very anxious to see again.  Watching you all be reunited… it has made me look forward to it even more.”

Twilight walked up to him, offering her hoof.  “It was great to see you again, Stygian.  See you again soon?”

The unicorn took up her hoof.  “I hope so, my friend.”  With that, he turned and trotted away, headed for the train station.

Cadence looked to Twilight.  “I understand you want to return to Ponyville, but you’ll be returning for the festival, right?”

“The festival?” Twilight asked, her eyes then widening.  “Oh, right, the festival.  When will that be, again?”

“A week from today,” Cadence replied.  “It’s going to be quite the event.”

“We’ll be there.” Shadow replied for her, looking to Fluttershy and Twilight.  “Right?”

Both of them nodded.  “Of course we will.” Fluttershy answered.

Cadence smiled even wider.  "We'll all the more glad to have you."

Twilight turned to everypony else.  “I have a few letters to write before we head out, I’ll meet you all at the train station for when you’re ready to head home.”





Fluttershy sat beside Shadow, her head leaning on his shoulder.  He stroked her mane with his hoof, the two of them sitting up on the castle balcony.  They were silent for the longest time, it seemed, just so happy to be in each other’s company once again.

With the worries and fears of not finding him again gone, Fluttershy reminisced back to that night, before all the chaos struck the gala.  The music, the lights… and the dancing.

“I’ve been meaning to ask…” Fluttershy said softly, glancing up at him.  “How did you become so good at dancing?”

Shadow looked down at her and smiled.  “I asked Rarity to give me dancing lessons.  I’m glad to hear they paid off.”

Fluttershy smiled warmly, her gaze returning to the horizon, the two of them watching the brilliance of the empire as the sun’s light reflected off the crystal buildings.  “All this time… and all you had to do was come here?”

“I suppose so.” He replied, feeling the warmth swelling up in his chest again.  He leaned his head over to hers, the two of them having wished to be reunited once again.  “Now, we don’t have to be apart anymore.”

The two of them stayed in this moment, absorbing every last ounce of hope that they could from it.  So many times now, Shadow had been torn away from Fluttershy and the rest of his friends.  Be it the visions, the memories, or his past trying to return to him.  The two of them now hoped their days of being apart were over.

“Shadow?” She asked quietly.  The two of them looked to each other again, her blue eyes capturing his gaze.  “Promise me you won’t leave again…”

The shadow pony felt the warmth flare up inside of him and it only made his response all the easier to say.  “I promise.”





Twilight sat in the castle study, a few scrolls written and ready to be sent at her side as she finished up the last one.  Letters to each of her friends out beyond the borders of Equestria.



Dear Friends,

Fluttershy, Discord, and I have found Shadow and are bringing him home to Ponyville.  I understand you are still in the midst of searching, but I need you all to return at once.

                Twilight