Charmer nodded to Shadow. The two of them stood in the dark of the night. The wind rushing by whipped through their manes. Together they stood on the back of the last train of the night. Home was far away, but had a train station close enough that they could catch one that went almost anywhere. And included in anywhere was Ponyville. Shadow stared up at the nighttime sky as they moved. She took a deep breath.
“Is it weird yet,” Charmer asked. “Going back after all these years?”
“Kinda,” Shadow replied. “But at the same time, it's kinda exhilarating too.”
“It's been over four years since we've been here,” Charmer asked. “Almost five. You do know our anniversary with Ebony is coming up soon, don't you?”
“I remember,” Shadow said. “How could I forget that?”
“Just making sure,” Charmer said.
Charmer cast a quick spell over her mane to keep it down, mostly. She didn't mind a little breeze blowing through it but this was a bit much for her. Not for Shadow, though. She was enjoying it as much as she possibly could. Charmer always liked seeing her out and about at night. She always seemed happier then. Under the shining stars and dark sky. Then again, that pretty much matched up with completely. Even her cutie mark was seemingly designed around it. A silver star streaking across the horizon on her flank. One half of the star was above the horizon, sharp and silvery. The other half was below the horizon, a darkened, hazy wisp of a star. Behind it all, the whole horizon was bathed in a lovely green light that matched her eyes. Charmer gazed at her friend for a moment more before her eyes snapped open.
“We're close,” Shadow said with a smile.
Charmer peered over the railing and sure enough Shadow was right. Not far off in the distance was the looming shadow of the Crystal Castle. As the train neared Ponyville more silhouettes of buildings appeared. Shadow nodded at Charmer and then lifted her head. A flash of darkness, indistinguishable from the night, and they were gone.
Charmer thanked whoever she had to that she had gotten used to teleportation over the years. She almost never felt that small tug in her midsection anymore. It still did take her a couple of seconds to get her bearings afterwards, though. Hence, she found herself staring a brilliantly bright wall of pink crystal while Shadow looked around.
Shadow motioned her forward with a hoof, but also made sure to tell her to keep quiet. And so they crept forward lightly and slowly. They peered around the corner at the entrance to the castle. This was probably one of the only places in all of Equestria that she couldn't just pop right into. She knew the layout of this place by heart, but it was warded against all types of magic and the wards themselves were extremely powerful. Most likely they were put in place by Twilight herself. Luckily for them, Twilight's own intelligence was her own downfall.
“Intelligence leads to arrogance,” Shadow hissed in a hushed tone as she observed only two guards watching the entrance.
“Perhaps,” Charmer whispered. “Or perhaps more await us just inside. Can you know for certain?”
“Yes, actually,” Shadow grinned. “Ebony taught me a new spell just for this.”
“Oh, really,” Charmer looked at her friend. “And when was this?”
“We've been practicing whenever we have time,” Shadow explained. “Off and on for about a year now.”
“About a year,” Charmer repeated. “You better know this spell, then, for your sake as well as mine.”
Shadow stepped back and raised her horn. Charmer stepped back from her. She liked watching this. There was something surreal about watching the shadows themselves bend to the will of another pony. Especially one who did as lovely as Shadow did.
Darkness lingered in the nighttime air. The only light shining down came from the dim stars above them. The whole area around Shadow seemed to get darker. Shadows descended upon her from the sky above it seemed. Darkness rose up from the beneath her, enveloping her. Light itself was warped and twisted, devoured as Shadow became one with the shadows. Charmer watched in awe as she saw her friend go form a physical pony to a shadow in less than a seconds time. She watched as the shadows dispersed into a barely visible fog along the ground. This dark mist rolled beneath the hooves of the guards without them even moving to notice. If she hadn't seen it herself, Charmer would be hard pressed to believe it. She could make illusions of such things effortlessly, but to actually do it was baffling to her. The last she saw of her friend on the outside was the tiniest silver streak in the dark mist slipping between the cracks of the doors. Charmer smiled widely. Her turn was up.
Shadow focused everything she had on herself. She brought forth every memory, every thought, every little thing that made her who she was, and she focused on it. She stepped forward cautiously, her hoof dissolving into nothing at the slightest step. She focused more. She had to bring herself back. She had to pull herself together, literally. She had to make herself solid again. She put a hoof on the floor, a solid hoof. Happily, she stepped again. And again. She peeled herself away from the shadows just as the doors opened. Before she could cast any spell a large guard pony stepped through. They didn't look the slightest bit surprised as they shut the door behind them and looked back at Shadow. A sly smile appeared as the illusion fell and Charmer greeted her friend.
“That was amazing!”
“I almost thought I couldn't bring myself back,” Shadow said with a heavy breath.
“Oh, my dear friend,” Charmer said. “If anyone could turn themselves into shadows and come back, it's you. Remember, you own the dark.”
“Nopony owns the dark,” Shadow said. “You just have to know how to walk in it.”
“Is that one of Ebony's lines?”
“A direct quote,” Shadow giggled softly with Charmer. They hurried to move away from the doors before they were caught. They heard soft murmurs coming from the other side of the door but weren't sure if they were the cause or not.
They found themselves standing at an intersection before long. Long corridors ran our in five separate directions not including where they came from. This was right where they wanted to be. Five directions to go, and each one leading to a different part of the castle. Shadow had studied this place. Ebony managed to find her some leads on a few books that held detailed layouts of the castle. She took all the time she needed to study them thoroughly. She felt as if she knew this place almost as well as if she lived here as well.
“From left to right,” She whispered, waving her hoof in front of each corridor as she spoke. “Kitchens, ballroom, guest wing, library, royal chambers.”
“Good to know,” Charmer replied. “Well then, let's get moving, shall we?”
“Hold up,” Shadow said sharply. “I know the layout of this place well, but there are some things I couldn't prepare for.”
“No royal accommodations have used defensively based magic in near a thousand years,” Charmer assured Shadow. “And between the two of us we can handle any guards we might happen upon, one way or another.”
“You always got my back,” Shadow said.
“When I made that illusion over your body permanent those years ago, I'm fairly certain that made me have all of you,” Charmer replied. “Figuratively speaking.”
“Of course,” Shadow said before heading off in the direction of the library.
Charmer followed behind a few paces. Each had their own way of blending in. Shadow of course was one with the darkness of the halls. With each passing shadow she walked through she was as invisible as the air itself. Only the faintest of glows from her eyes could possible give her away and that would only happen if she was staring right at that pony in question. It was more than just physically blending int, though She even moved quieter. Every step with every hoof was as silent as the nightly breeze outside. It was almost as if she was gliding across the floor with each darkened step. Meanwhile, Charmer was using her own strategy to keep herself hidden.
Charmer had always admired the crystal structures of this Castle, as well as the Crystal Palace. She loved the way the light bounded off the shining facets of the walls and ceilings and the floors. It was so perfect for illusions and magic. And so was she.
She cast a blanketing illusion across the immediate area surrounding her body. A simple trick of the light at heart, but she powered it up immensely. Light bounced off every available surface to shroud her in a mirage of sorts, making it seem like nothing more than an empty hallway where she stood. Runner had once asked her why she didn't simply use an invisibility spell. Charmer replied with a simple answer. There was just no fun in that. It was true enough, but that wasn't the only reason. Even an invisible pony still leaves tracks and evidence. With this spell she can control what gets left behind by her steps. She's mislead more than a few ponies with it. Together they moved silently through the empty halls.
All was quiet for a while. They had been walking for a solid ten minutes and up two floors before they ran into any troubles. A patrol of guard ponies. Three of them. They walked opposite the two of them in a triangular formation. One in front with the other two on either side behind him. There was no way to move past them unnoticed. Shadow couldn't cast the mist spell again. Truthfully, she just didn't want to. It took to much out of her to use and she didn't like how long it took her to regain her form the last time she used it. Thankfully, the guards hadn't seen them yet.
Shadow shot to one side of the hall and Charmer the other. It still didn't help the situation at all. The lead pony would move right past them but the two behind him would most certainly feel them as they walked past. It didn't help at all that this particular hallway was along the outer edges of the castle so tall, thin windows decorated this hall from one end to the others. Soft moonlight shown down, leaving Shadow less and less area to hide in.
Charmer glanced over at Shadow. She glanced back shrugging. Charmer sighed and looked back at the ponies. Something almost immediately caught her eye. The pony in the lead. He wasn't just any pony. His armor was different. It was gilded around the edges, padded with more cloth around the bottom edges by his flank. He even had bracers to go over his forehooves. Charmer frantically waved her horn at him, trying the get Shadow to see it. Shadow was already keenly aware of his armor. He was Twilight's royal guard captain. No doubt about it. They didn't have time to think any more as they heard them talking just a dozen or so paces away.
“Are you sure about this, Captain,” One of them asked.
“There was a spike in magical energy at the entrance to the castle a little over ten minutes ago,” The heavily armored lead pony said. “It was brief, but powerful. Worth investigating. I expect a 'yes, sir' from here on out.”
“Yes, sir!”
The two on back echoed the words in unison. Shadow wasn't sure what to do. This was the absolute worst place for her. She could try and get above them but there was more light up there and they were so close they were sure to notice anything she did. Charmer was feeling similar anxiety. An unusual feeling for her and not one she liked. Only one thing came to her mind to stop them. Magic flowed out of her horn for a brief second.
The guard ponies stopped in their tracks, all three of them. Behind them they heard something. The tow in the back turned around to find the source. The sound of a pony running across the floor doesn't just come out of nowhere. And yet it seemingly did to them. No pony was in sight when they looked. As they scanned the hallway they heard it again. It was more distant this time.
“Perhaps they turned a corner,” One of them said.
“Even if they did they're still an intruder,” The Captain said.
Charmer smiled to herself. She could barely contain her smile, her joy. Such a simple little trick, hardly even a spell at all and it was working. She let another quick burst of steps loose, They sounded even more distant than the last, but she added to it the faintest sounds of whispering. Nothing coherent of course, but it was believable. Meanwhile, Shadow was slowly backing up, tracing her path back the way she came. Charmer moved as quickly as she could to follow her.
The Captain pony growled to himself. He heard the steps again. Whispers too. Something was off about them but he couldn't quite place what. He knew nopony should be out an about in the castle at this hour, but he also knew several of the maids and cooks liked to misbehave and stay up late into night. He stared forward, certain that something wasn't right. He could feel in his coat. And then he saw it.
Nopony would believe him if he said it out loud, but he saw it. A flicker, faint and barely even perceptible at all. It was flicker in the air itself. Moonlight poured in from the windows. For a moment he thought it was just a trick of the night, but then he saw it again. That same flicker in the air.
“Go and follow the steps,” He told his two followers. “I will continue down this hall. Regroup in ten minutes time if you find nothing.”
“Yes, sir,” They said in unison before turning and walking down the hall.
Shadow and Charmer half ran and half crawled all the way back to the intersection. They let loose all the breath they had been holding in since they saw the Captain. Charmer shot quick, nervous looks back down the hall. She didn't want to be surprise by any of them. Shadow on the other hoof, seemed distracted. Her mind was elsewhere.
“We don't have a lot of time,” Charmer said. “What do we do?”
“Did you see who that was,” Shadow asked.
“Of course I did,” Charmer replied. “That was the Captain of Twilight's Royal Guard. And he is going to be here any second.”
“I've met that pony somewhere before,” Shadow said. “I know I have. I just can't recall where.”
“You can ponder it later, Shadow,” Charmer urgently pleaded. “Once we are a few floors away from him, for instance.”
“You are not going anywhere.”
Both of them froze in place. From the hallway came a large Crystal Earth pony with equally large armor. He stepped out into the intersection with them. Charmer could swear he seemed bigger now than he did before. He towered over them like a kind of monster. His eyes looked down on them. Only then did Shadow realize it.
“You,” She breathed ever so softly. “I know you.”
“I doubt that,” He replied automatically. “I am not associated with any pony of your kind.”
“Are you so sure,” Charmer said, calmness coming over her. She finally saw it as well. She was mentally kicking herself for not recognizing him sooner. He had grown some in four years, and that armor did wonders with his frame. “Look at her again,” She whispered.
Shadow could feel a certain something lifting off of her. Like a piece of her was melting away and a part of her was slowly fading. Charmer's horn was glowing with a dim light. She knew what it was. For the the first time in years her eyes were her own again. She closed them tightly for a just a second for the spell to fade completely. When she looked back up at him his face contorted into a face of shock and disbelief.
“No! No,” He said. “It cannot be true. You can't be here.”
“Why not,” Shadow pursed her lips and bat her eyelashes in a fake attempt to look innocent or cute. “Why can't I be here?”
“Because you are dead,” His voice trembled. “You died four years ago, when beasts attacked a train leaving Ponyville.”
“Is that so,” Shadow asked. “Well, I've never been dead before. I wonder what it feels like.”
“NO! This can't be,” Princess Twilight herself confirmed it. You can't be here. She said you were dead.”
“Twilight said I was dead,” Shadow repeated. “Well, good for her. She got the whole family.”
“What-”
“Oh, didn't you know,” Shadow prodded the Captain. “Your beloved Princess Twilight had something to do with the night Luna and Spike died. She might have even been behind it. Who knows?”
“Impossible!” His voice no longer trembled. He spoke with conviction. “Be you spirits or no, I will not let you speak of the Princess that way.”
“What are you gonna do about it,” Shadow pressed further. “Are you gonna go and confront your princess, the liar?”
“ENOUGH!”
Charmer didn't even bother hiding her wicked grin. She was getting inside. She was scratching away at the walls of his mind and he didn't even know it. He was so focused on Shadow that he hadn't even bothered to look at her again after he saw her eyes. Not that Charmer was bothered by this. She took the time she had to craft the perfect illusion. She could see it already working its way into his mind.
“Begone, whatever you may be,” The Captain said as he rose up on his hind legs. Shadow jumped back as his massive hooves slammed into the floor. Shadow could feel the wall behind her. She had missed the hallway behind her and now she had nowhere to go. If he hit her with even one of those hooves, she was going to feel it.
“Captain!”
His eyes shot up to the voice that called out to him. Shadow followed his gaze. Charmer was gone. In her place stood a princess. Tall and regal with beauty enough to match any pony in all of Equestria. Twilight stood before him. The anger in his eyes subsided as reverence took its place, and then confusion. He shook his head.
“Captain,” This Twilight said once again. Shadow knew it was just Charmer with an illusion, but the voice was impeccable. Even though she hadn't heard Twilight's voice in a long time she would swear that that was her voice. “What are you doing?”
“No, no,” His body trembled. “You're not her. You are not her.”
“Oh, am I not,” Charmer as Twilight whispered. Her tone was soft, yet alluring. Compassionate, and yet sultry. “Do I not look like her? Do I not sound like her?”
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no,” He stammered to himself more than anypony else.
Twilight came up to him. She sauntered around him where he stood. She brushed up against him for only the briefest of moments. But it was enough. She could feel him shudder under her touch. “Do I not feel like her?”
He fell into a slump on the floor, barely sitting up with his chin to his chest. Even so, his eyes were wide open with confusion. They darted every way they could as they tried to make sense of this. If only he could think clearly, though. Something was in his head. He could feel it. Whenever he tried to think of the real Twilight he could feel a wall pressing back against him. How could he fight his own thoughts?
“I know what you want,” Twilight whispered into his ear. “You want Twilight. You can have her. I can give you to her. For as long as you wish. How does that sound, hmm?”
“N- n- no, I c- can't,” He stuttered.
“But why not,” She taunted as she continued to saunter around him so seductively. “The pony you admire most. The Princess herself. The pony you can never have in this life. I can give her to you. And so much more,” She shot a quick glance at Shadow and she stepped forward.
He looked up at Shadow. The pony he saw before wasn't there. Somepony new was standing before him. She was more beautiful than any mare he'd ever seen. A coat as dark and lovely as the night sky. Silver streaks in her mane and tail like pure starlight had taken rest there. Eyes like dazzling emeralds, split by black slits that pierced through his very being.
“You can have them both,” She told him. “The daughter of your greatest hero. Alive again, just for you. Both of us at your side, lasting as long as you like. Would you like that?”
“Yes,” He weakly admitted.
“You shall have them,” She hissed, brushing by him one more.
He left their company a broken stallion. Charmer and Shadow left with one last piece of information from him. He told them the fastest way to the library since the hallway was blocked by guards. Another hall, a few turns, and they were there with no more trouble. They weren't expecting anymore, either. The Captain was supposed to keep everything calm so long as they were quick and quiet. And that they were.
They darted into the first door they saw on the library floor. It was an unused guest room as far as they could tell. Sparse furniture, plain but functional. It was clear that nopony or any other had been in this room for a while. They caught their breath as they heard a couple sets of hooves hurriedly move past. Judging by the low giggles and the whispers it was most likely just a couple of maid mares.
Shadow panted softly by the door. “Why am I so tired,” She thought to herself. “I've been through tougher jobs than this without breaking a sweat.”
Charmer was feeling it too. She leaned against a bed for a moment to collect herself. Shadow listened against the door for another moment longer. When she felt it was safe she waved Charmer over. She took a step before stopping. Something caught her eye. She walked over to a bookshelf on the side of the room.
“These could be useful,” She said as she removed a pair of saddlebags from the shelves. She tossed one to Shadow. “Quality souvenirs if nothing else.”
Shadow looked over the bags. They were made for some kinda diplomatic part near as she could tell. She'd seen similar bags on ponies during her years growing up with Celestia in Canterlot. They were in pretty good condition, too. She couldn't guess as to why they were just sitting on a shelf in an empty room, but she wasn't complaining. The only the she didn't like was metal clasp in the shape of Twilight's cutie mark that dominated the front of the bags. She tolerated it for the time being, though. More important things had to be done tonight.
They were close to library now. They took a chance and didn't use any magic to conceal themselves, relying instead on the experience they've gained over the past few years and Ebony's insistence on training. They moved quickly, yet carefully and made it to the library with little effort. It hadn't changed much since the last time they were there. More books were added, obviously. It was Twilight's castle after all. But they only needed to find two, and they didn't have a lot of time to do it.
Charmer moved to the center of the library. From there she did her best to remember the books she looked over last time she was here. One in particular was her target. She sent a small pulse of magic out of her horn. It was a simple spell she stole from the Unicorn who developed it. It was a radar of sorts, but it only pinged objects with strong magics tied to them. She attuned her spell to enchantments and waited for something, anything to get her attention. Meanwhile, Shadow moved quickly from one end of the library to the other. She checked every door and every window. She locked the doors, doubling her assurances by casting a simple, but strong sealing spell on the locks. True to her nature, the darker the area around the locked door, the hard it would be to open. She didn't bother sealing the windows magically, but she did make sure all of them were closed and the curtains drawn shut.
“Shadow,” Charmer whispered in a hushed tone. “I found it.”
She followed Charmer over to one of the aisles and Charmer lifted a book off one of the higher shelves. She brought it down and took it over to a nearby table. It was dustier than she thought it'd be. Perhaps Twilight was getting lazy with her cleaning, or maybe the maid pony was incompetent. Either way she lightly blew away most of the dust and then she opened the book.
“It's blank, Charmer,” Shadow remarked. “Why is it blank?”
“It's Twilight's enchantment,” Charmer explained. “Take the book. It's connected to every book Twilight has ever owned and can find them. Focus on what book you want. This book will find it. Do you understand?”
“Its a magical catalog for library books,” Shadow answered as she placed her hooves on the book. “I think I can understand that.”
She closed her eyes and thought about the book. Or at least she tried to. She couldn't quite get the image of the book directly. She angrily sighed as she knew what she had to do. She focused again, but not on the book itself this time. Rather, she brought forth in her memory the place and time where that book may be found.
Darkness filled the room beyond the door. Pages from various other books littered the floor. Candles, half burned and unlit were scattered about. Farther into the room light from the night outside glinted off the shards of the broken mirror on the floor. At the balcony two being lay still. Shadow pushed herself toward they mirror shards. She looked away from the balcony. She focused on the shards. Sitting among the shards was a book. It was faded red, with the letters that made up the title so faded she couldn't even make out what they said. Not that it mattered, she found what she was after. She was about to pull herself out when something else caught her eyes. It was tiny. Minuscule. Past the shards of broken mirror lay the standing frame that housed the mirror. It was overturned, on its side and bent out of shape. In the limited light that she had she saw something. Something so small she couldn't even get mad that nopony else saw it. A strand of hair from a ponies mane or tail. It was purple. That was all she could see before something pulled her back.
“Shadow,” Charmer's voice whispered. “Shadow, I've got it.”
Charmer shook Shadow gently at first. She shook a little harder the next time. Shadow's eyes snapped open suddenly. There was something in her eyes that worried Charmer. It was familiar, but not in a good way. The look she had reminded her way too much of the old days. The days where she was just angry at everything and took it out on anypony. The days where she was reckless and didn't think far enough ahead to worry about consequences.
“I've got the book, Shadow,” Charmer told her. “We've got to go. I heard some commotion a moment ago. I think the guards are searching for us.”
“What?! I thought the Captain was supposed to keep them under control,” Star fumed.
“Let's just leave,” Charmer hurried her friend to the nearest door.
Voices greeted them as they neared the door. At least four separate voices could be heard. All guards judging by what they were saying. They were searching for something. Or somepony. The voices were still some distance away, but they were getting closer. There were two other exits out of the library. Charmer didn't waste time turning around and running for farthest one.
“Go, Charmer,” Shadow said. Charmer stopped and looked back at her.
“What did you say?”
“You have the book,” Shadow ordered. “Take it and go. I'll lead them away.”
“That is a terrible idea,” Charmer replied. “I am not going to do that.”
Shadow glared at Charmer. “We do not have time to argue. Just get out of here. Go!”
“And what of you, Shadow,” Charmer asked. “What am I supposed to do when I learn that you've been thrown into Twilight's dungeon?”
“They have to catch me first,” Shadow said with a grin. “They can't catch what they can't see, and nopony can see in my shadows.”
“A Shadow Chase,” Charmer questioned. “You want to pull a Shadow Chase? That barely worked the last time you did it, and that was just a few thugs. Official, highly trained royal guard ponies are looking for us.”
“It's been over two years since I last tried it,” Shadow replied. “I've grown a lot more powerful since then. I can do it.”
“Do you even have enough energy left for something like that?”
“Oh yeah. Do you have enough to get out with the book?”
“Yes, I believe so. I might have to enlist the help of a guard or two, but I can get out. I can assure you of that.”
“Good,” Shadow replied. The voices were very close now. They would be just outside the doors momentarily. Shadow darted over to them and waited a few back from them. Charmer darted away to the farthest set of doors. She couldn't see Shadow anymore but she knew what to do. She would wait. She would listen. There would a moment when she could leave. A moment, where everypony would be caught up in the confusion of Shadow's diversion that she could slip out unseen. And so she waited and listened. Meanwhile, Shadow was also waiting.
Shadow watched the doors intently. She only had a single moment to pull this off. One try. That's it. She'd learned the best time to start this. There was a second of time between when somepony opened a door, and when they actually saw what was on the other side. That was her time. If she could pull this off in that brief time then she could set off with a huge advantage. If not, then she would have a lot more trouble getting away. It wouldn't be impossible. Just harder.
She spent the moments leading up with her body tensed up. She shifted her hooves about ever so slightly. Part of it was just to make sure her legs didn't get stiff. The other part was the sheer anticipation of what was coming. She felt a whole new burst of energy in her. She was gonna make sure to put it to good use. And so she also spent the time charging up her horn.
She weaved magic around herself like a veil. A constantly shifting, amorphous fog of shadows danced around her, waiting to be unleashed. She kept it up, pouring just enough magic into it to keep it active. And then it happened. She was ready.
She half heard it, half saw it. The voices had died down for some reason but whispers could still be heard. But she knew they were just on the other side of the door. She could sense it. Then the door handle moved. Just barely it twitched as a pony first gripped it before turning it. She charged up her spell completely and the mist around her pulsed. She smiled wide as the door opened just a tiny bit. A sliver of light shone through and into the library when she launched her spell.
The guards swung the door opened expecting to see the library. Instead, only a wall of darkness fell upon them. They had no time to react before they found themselves encased in a dark mist. All of them, six in total struggled to keep their composure midst the dark. They couldn't see so they collided with each other often. Their voices blended together as they each tried to call out to one another. It didn't help when Shadow leaped into the fray. She could see everything.
Shadow leaped at the guards. Her goal wasn't to fight them, but slow them down. Her perfectly timed darkness spell was doing its job. She jumped in front of one of the guards, raising her hoof to strike him right across the jaw. He recoiled as she ran at two other guards. They were stumbling back towards each other. She sidestepped one of them and slammed her body into the guard. The guard stumbled over, tripping over the second. They both fell into a mess of armor, wings, and angry shouting. Finally, it was time for the second phase.
The darkness was beginning to die down. As it faded away she ran out of area of effect. She waited a second before pulling the darkness away and surrounding herself with it. The guards were stunned for a moment as they had to wait for the eyes to adjust to the new light even though it was still night. Shadow coated herself in the shadows and shaped the remaining shadows into three other versions of herself. It took a moment longer than she wanted. The guards were already getting up when she was just finishing the last one.
“Look, there!”
One of them called out. Her voice carried over with her hoof as she pointed to the three dark ponies standing several paces away. All of them the same color of unnatural darkness. In unison the three ponies darted off down separate halls. The guards growled in frustration as they split into teams of two and each team followed a different pony. Shadow was grinning a very despicable grin in the hallway as she watched them all leave.
“Can't believe that worked,” She thought to herself. “Guards are so dumb sometimes.”
She left with her grin and ran to the nearest door that lead away from the directions that the guards went. The door opened to a stairwell that only went down. Luckily for her that was the way she needed to go. She ran down quickly, not even bothering to hide the sound of her steps. Her hooves almost failed her, though, as she ran. She nearly tripped and fell down the stairs. A sudden sensation flooded over her coat. She caught herself, leaning against a wall, and stopped for just a moment. One of her shadows was just vaporized. That feeling always took her off guard. It was a strange tingling that she never quite got used to. She forced herself to keep going after that.
A single, solitary door was at the bottom of the stairs. It opened up to a grand and empty space. Her hooves carried her through the door with little care for what was actually on the other side. She slowed to a stop as she got further and further inside. Her eyes widened as she gazed about the room.
“Whoa,” She whispered under her breath.
Windows taller than even those at the Royal Canterlot Castle lined the walls of this great hall. Even in the night she could see the light of the stars glistening off the patterns of the stained glass. Colored glass in amazing patterns captivated her. Images of Equestria, ponies and lands she had never seen before were captured in the glass. She stared at it for longer than she knew, or would admit.
Hanging down from above her was a chandelier. A truly massive thing made of crystals of varying colors. Thin, shining metal chains draped around this rims of the layers. Unused candles sat in their places waiting to be lit, casting their warm glow across the room below. She gasped as she moved away from underneath it. Two smaller, but similar chandeliers were on other side of it, going down the length of the room.
“This must be the ballroom,” She whispered to herself. “Have to admit, it's pretty beautiful in here.”
She took one last moment to take everything in before leaving. A set of double doors on the other side of the room drew her attention away. She ran toward them, wanting to leave this place as soon as she could. Her hooves reached out for the door. And then she stopped.
Something was there. She could feel it. An overwhelming feeling washed over her. She couldn't place it. She knew it, the feeling to fear and anxiety. She knew it because she often gave that very same feeling to others. Now she was on the other side of it, but from where? Something was there, she could feel it. Her hoof hovered just barely an inch away from the door handles, but she shook as stood there. And then she wasn't standing there anymore.
In fact, nothing was there anymore. She was shaking where she stood, and the next thing she knew she heard a loud crack. A deafening, thunderous sound from nowhere and everywhere. A pressure built up against her chest. She could feel it pressing against her. It was the last thing she felt before a sudden, shocking pain erupted in her chest. A flash of light. A moment of darkness.
Shadow's eyes opened and shut every few seconds. Her mind was filled with thoughts of nothing but the pain. It coursed throughout her chest, radiating up to her neck and shoulders. Not even breathing was free from pain. Each shallow breath she took was a reminder how much it hurt.
“Who are you?”
Shadow lay on the floor. She was facing away from the voice, but she still knew it. She could never forget that voice.
“I'll ask again,” Twilight said. “Who are you?”
Twilight stepped into the room. She easily stepped over the debris of the now shattered doors. A dozen guards streamed in after her, taking up positions all around the center of the room. All around where Shadow was laying now, barely breathing. Each of them carried a spear with them. Twilight's horn cast a soft glow for just a second before the largest of the chandeliers lit up. Candles lit with small dancing flames. The center of the room was cast in an eerie orange glow.
“Princess,” A voice called out from behind Twilight. She turned to see her Captain walk up with two guards behind him.
“Captain,” Twilight said flatly. “Care to explain this?”
“I have failed you, my Princess,” The Captain said. “Two have infiltrated the Castle. One has escaped. I had my guards searching for the other, but it would seem you found her first.”
“Of course I did,” Twilight said. “Her blatant use of magic left a clear trail to follow.”
“Shut up.”
Twilight looked back at the center of the ballroom. The unknown pony was shifting. The dozen guards surrounding her stepped back and lowered their spears at her.
“Don't move,” Twilight ordered. “The spell I hit you with is meant to keep you immobilized. The more you fight it the more pain it will cause.”
Shadow got her hooves underneath her. She grunted with effort. Through ground teeth she stood up. “Shut up,” She hissed angrily. Each second of pain was worth it as she stood on all four hooves. Her head still hung low, but she glared up at Twilight. Twilight herself was having a hard time believing what she was seeing.
“Star Shadow,” She said in disbelief. Even though her guards were well trained a silent murmur traveled between them. Their eyes darted back and forth, from Star Shadow herself to the other members of the guard. Their hooves shifted and they did their best to hide their nervous glances and curious looks. “Star Shadow, is that you?”
“Shut up, Twilight,” Shadow said through her teeth. She was still reeling from the pain in her chest.
“Star,” Twilight said. “Guards, lower your weapons. Lower them now!”
Twilight waved a hoof and the guards took their spears away. Her horn glowed slightly and she pointed it at Star. Star could feel the pain leaving her ever so slightly. The magic did a lot, but she also felt the physical effects of flying across the room and slamming into the floor. She panted heavy breaths and stared at Twilight. Twilight stared back into her slit green eyes.
“That was a mistake,” Star Shadow said confidently.
Without another word the room shook. Tremors overtook the guards surrounding her. They seemed to struggle to try and remain standing where they stood. The chandelier shook violently above her head. Star's horn wrapped her in darkness. From the corners of the room the shadows warped and grew. They extended outward, into the room. They reached farther into the room as she angrily sneered.
She screamed, cried out as the dark surged forth like a storm.
Rolling waves and shifting mists blew forth like a raging storm cloud. The shadows collided with one guard after another, enveloping them just as they called out in fear. Twilight looked on in stunned silence.
“Star, why are you doing this?”
Twilight called out to her, but she got no answers. The only thing she found when she looked at Star was a seething rage, an anger she had never seen before. She saw in Star a darkness that reminded her of bad times in the past.
She watched as her Captain of the Guards moved past her. He walked past Twilight and approached Star with no hesitation. Twilight couldn't believe it.
“Captain,” She said as he walked by.
“Princess,” He whispered absentmindedly. “We'll be together forever.”
The two ponies behind him followed him to Star's side. One of them flickered in the light form the chandelier. It disappeared as they got close to Star, along with the illusion around Charmer. She smiled as she turned to face Twilight.
“Goodbye, Princess,” Charmer purred. The warping shadows cascaded around them. In mere moments they would be gone in a blanket of shadows.
Twilight finally was able to get a grip of herself. She charged up more magic in her horn. She was intent on not letting them leave. She focused and unleashed a blast of magic that would dispel the darkness.
Star screamed again, but this time was not effort. Twilight's spell slammed into her as she finished her own spell. It had taken her this long just to bring about enough energy in herself to cast the spell to begin with. Twilight's first hit took more out of her than she thought. And now she got hit again, just as she was teleporting back.
=====
Back at home, Talon and Runner sat together for a meal. The dining hall was a little less full than it usually was. Only about a dozen others were there. It was quiet, too. It wouldn't stay that way for long, though.
Out of nowhere tremors shook the whole building. Spoons and forks clattered across tables. Glasses and cups shattered as they fell to the floor. Worried whispers and distressed talk filled the whole room. The level of light in the room dropped. Suddenly, Charmer was standing in the middle of the room. She was already moving when Star's body flew through the air. Moving faster than anyone believed he could Talon leaped into the air. With a few powerful wing beats he caught the unconscious pony. He carefully glided back down to the table with her in his arms.
“What happened,” He demanded an answer, yet his voice was full of compassion.