//------------------------------// // A Mysterious Creature in the Academy // Story: Light and Darkness – The Shadow of Midnight // by Rakoon1 //------------------------------// With the end of the weekend, the students that had gone home for the weekend returned. Soon, the calm that had ruled the academy was over, while the students reunited with their friends and shared with them how they spent the weekend. Star, his sisters, Silver Wind and Timber got out of the carriage, with the former saying: “You know, as much as I love being at home, it feels good be back at the academy.” “Yeah, this place has really grown into me too and I’m here only for a few weeks” Sunny said. “I would feel the same thing, if I didn’t have to share the same room with Cozy Glow” Midnight told. “Come on, Midnight, you still haven’t befriend Cozy Glow?” Sunny asked. “She’s your roommate!” “I know that, but…” Midnight said. “I don’t know, I just can’t really trust her.” “Cozy is perhaps one of nicest ponies I have ever met” Sunny said. “Of course she has that childish behavior that is a little unsettling, but she’s always available to help anyone.” “Perhaps you see Cozy Glow in that way, Sunny, but I’m sure Midnight has her own reasons to not trust her” Star said. “She just need a little more time. Maybe she will learn to trust her in time, without rushing things.” Star looked to Silver Wind and noticed she didn’t look great. “Are you okay, Silver Wind?” “Yeah… I am” she replied. “You look a little… not well” Star observed. “I just have a little headache” Silver Wind said. “Then you need to go rest to our room” Sunny told her. “Come, me and Midnight will accompany you.” And they started to go to the dormitories. Star went to pet Timber before letting him go to the woods, before noticing a purple smoke crossing the sky. He knew that smoke, as it was how Purple Smoke liked to travel. What was he doing at the academy? Before his curiosity took over him, a voice called: “Star!” He turned and saw Moonlight approaching. “Moonlight!” he said, while he greeted his marefriend with a kiss. “I missed you so much.” “But we saw each other yesterday at your sisters’ birthday party” Moonlight remembered. “Seriously?” Star asked. “To me, it was an eternity.” They shared another kiss and then Moonlight replied: “And I was thinking you were way too evolved to those make-up phrases.” “The classics never get old” Star replied. “Hey, we still have time before curfew. Do you want to go to take a romantic stroll on Leafgreen.” “That really sounds nice” Moonlight said. “And perhaps we can take Timber. In that way, he can make sure we don’t get carried away.” “Sure, because taking a timberwolf for a walk is the most romantic thing a couple can do” Star replied. Moonlight chuckled and then she and Star started to go to Leafgreen, with Timber following them. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were waiting at the flying derby training ground that was now empty. Scootaloo was flying around impatiently “How long is he going to take to get here?” she asked. “We’re waiting for an eternity.” “We’re waitin’ fer five minutes” Apple Bloom replied. “What for me is an eternity” Scootaloo answered back. “He’s here” Sweetie Belle replied, pointing to the sky. Purple Smoke was indeed approaching in his smoke form. “Finally!” Scootaloo exclaimed. The General of Talent arrived and acquired his corporeal form. “What took you so long?” Scootaloo asked. “Do you know how much time we were here?” “Five minutes” Purple Smoke replied. “And yes, I heard that part. So, girls, what’s so urgent that you had to call me to come as quick as I could?” “We have some… news regardin’ tha mission” Apple Bloom said. “It must be really important to tell me personally” Purple Smoke said. “We found Rara” Sweetie Belle told. Hearing that, Purple Smoke got surprised. “You… You found her?” “She was in this strange island full of shadow creatures” Scootaloo said. “We tried to save her, but we couldn’t do it.” “It look’d like somethin’ was preventin’ her from gettin’ out an’ expell’d us” Apple Bloom continued. “Wait, wait, wait, you were actually there?” Purple Smoke asked, not wanting to believe. “How is that possible?” “You know that place?” Scootaloo asked. “Let’s just say it is not strange to me” Purple Smoke said. “But that place was supposed to be unreachable for common beings. Not that I’m calling you common, but you can’t possible have the way to get in that place.” “It was not like we had a choice” Sweetie Belle replied. “We were kind of pulled into a portal that led us to that place.” “But that’s not tha weird part” Apple Bloom said. “Somethin’ strange happen’d when we got there.” “Strange how?” Purple Smoke asked. The Cutie Mark Crusaders shared a look and then nodded to each other. They focus and, with a flash of light, they summoned the same cloaks that they got when they got to Neverland. Seeing that, Purple Smoke found himself caught completely by surprise. “Wow…” he said, starting to go around the Cutie Mark Crusaders and looking closely to the cloaks. “Wow, wow, wow, wow… But these are… I can’t believe it… It has been so long… Like centuries… Well, not to me, as I spent those centuries in stone, but…” “Purple, can ya explain this tah us?!” Apple Bloom asked. “Oh, right…” Purple Smoke said, blushing a little bit. “Sorry, but I just got excited when I saw your dreaming cloaks.” “Dreaming cloaks?” the Cutie Mark Crusaders asked at the same time, looking then to their cloaks. “They are, like… How do I explain this without being all technical like Mirror Coat? The dreaming cloaks are like the Talent version of the Thirteenth Note. They are given to talent scouts that have proved to be worthy of them.” “So ya gave these tah us?” Apple Bloom asked. “Does Melody pick up the prodigies?” Purple Smoke asked. “Of course not. That’s the job for my matrix. It can sense any being that has a talent to find talent and, when that being reaches a certain level of experience or proves themselves, it gives them special cloaks that better enhance their abilities.” “Yeah, that part we got it right” Scootaloo said, in an excited way. “Just look at this.” And she took flight and got very high with a very high speed and then she returned equally quickly. “I think I just got even faster than Rainbow Dash” Scootaloo said. “I can’t wait for her to see this.” “Be careful” Purple Smoke said. “The cloaks can sense when their wearers abuse of their power and can disappear in order to teach them humility.” But it looked like Scootaloo wasn’t listen what Purple Smoke had just said, continuing to admire her cloak. “Don’t worry, we’ll remind her of that later” Sweetie Belle told to the General of Talent. “Well, mah and Sweetie’s don’t allow us tah fly, but they really make us lighter an’ we make these big jumps an’ slow falls” Apple Bloom stated. “The cloaks make you weightless, that’s why you can jump very high, and it can also regulate your fall, allowing you to decide if you fall quickly or not” Purple Smoke explain. “They can also awake hidden powers that you normally wouldn’t have.” “Oh, but we have now!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “Do you want to see what I can do?” “No!” Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom exclaimed at the same time, remembering that her friend was not quite proficient with her lightning attacks yet. “I think it’s for the best if we explore these new abilities of yours on another day” Purple Smoke told. “I can help you control them. In that way, you’ll be prepared to deal with any threat that may come from that place.” “A place that you still didn’t tell us about” Scootaloo added. “Yet, but I will… later” Purple Smoke said. “But now I have to tell you the most important part of the dreaming cloaks.” “What can be more important than these cool powers?” Scootaloo asked. “The fact they can locate blooming talents” Purple Smoke said. “Now that you’ve earned the dreaming cloaks, you can now sense when somepony is close to find their talent, or needs help to find it or remember it, or has the potential to have their dreams come true. Don’t worry, it doesn’t activate all the time, only in times of great need.” “Wait, does that mean what Ah think it means?” Apple Bloom asked. “What?” Scootaloo asked, a little confused, along with Sweetie Belle. “What does that mean?” “Gals, that means we have tha edge on tha talent thief now” Apple Bloom explain. “With our new powers, we can pinpoint his next targets an’ help them before they are abduct’d.” “Oh my Celestia, Apple Bloom is right!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. “And so we can try to catch the talent thief and get Rara and all the others back!” “I’m glad that you understood that so quickly” Purple Smoke said. “Well, we can start the training tomorrow after work. Don’t be late.” And he turned into his smoke form and moved away. The Cutie Mark Crusaders made their cloaks disappear and Scootaloo said: “Oh, I can’t wait for tomorrow!” Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom smiled, while rolling their eyes. The night had fallen, with the full moon glowing, and Star and Moonlight had returned from her stroll, with Timber coming at the front. “That was wonderful” Moonlight said, laying her head on Star’s shoulder. “I was really needing this time alone with you.” “Well, it wasn’t exactly alone…” Star said, talking about his timberwolf. “But I know what you mean.” “It must be time for curfew” Moonlight said. “I have to go to the room. I already know Galena will throw me a lot of questions about this.” “Fortunately for me, Bramble is the quiet one of all of my friends” Star said. “That’s what makes him a great roommate sometimes.” It was then that they heard Timber grunting. “Timber?” Star asked. “What’s wrong, boy?” He barked and then started to run towards something. “Timber, wait!” Star called, following him with Moonlight. They followed Timber until the entrance of the academy, where they found claw marks everywhere: the carpet, the tapestries, some paintings and even the walls. “But what the…” Star said, looking around. “What happened here?” Moonlight asked. Timber continued to growl, while he sniffed and advanced with caution. Star got into his sage mode to try to sense something. “Something was here. It is not anymore, but something was here.” “What?” Moonlight asked. “I don’t know, but we need to inform the headmistresses immediately” Star replied, undoing the sage mode. At the next day, everyone was talking about the mysterious creature that had broken in the academy. It appeared that there was no other talking subject other than. At the cafeteria, the young ones were talking, trying to figure out what kind of creature may have attacked. “Do you think it was a chimera?” Gust asked. “I heard there are some living close here and that Star already faced one.” “He did, but I doubt it’s a chimera” Sunny said. “The claw marks are too small.” “Besides, I doubt a chimera would come here” Midnight said. “Come on, you guys are thinking too much on this” Gallus said. “So a wild animal got inside the school. Big deal.” “We don’t know what animal it was, Gallus” Sunny said. “That’s why it’s a big deal. Right, Silver?” She turned to Silver Wind that looked like she was falling as sleep. “Silver?” Sunny asked, making her look at her. “Are you okay?” “It’s just this headache of mine” Silver Wind replied. “It won’t go away.” “You really should go to the infirmary” Gust said. “You may be hatching a cold or something.” “I guess you’re right” Silver Wind said. “With a little luck, maybe I can get excused from classes to have some rest.” “Good luck with that” Gallus said. “I already tried to be excused from classes, but that nurse didn’t give it to me.” “Perhaps that has to do with the fact you tried to fake you were sick” Gust told. “Hey, I was sick!” Gallus replied. “You just had to look how my feathers were all ruffled and my throat was all scratchy.” That caused his friends to laugh. At another table, the older students were talking with the mysterious creature being the main topic. “What I don’t understand is how did that creature came in” Star said. “Well, it was night an’ it’s not like we are in a military school” Jonagold said. “Yeah, but we are in a school with many magical defenses that were only reinforced after all those invasions that happened last year” Bramble said, turning then to Moonlight. “No offense, Moonlight.” “None taken” she replied. “But I agree with Star. Outside there was no clue of that creature. For it to cause that much damage inside, it was to expect we found something outside.” “That really is strange” Gunter said. “So you’re thinking the creature is inside the academy?” That thought really left everyone uncomfortable. “I don’t know why, but I don’t like to think there’s a wild animal nesting in our academy and having night walks around the halls” Galena replied. At that moment, the first bell to the classes was heard. “Well, let’s not think about this for now” Star said. “Tonight, the headmistresses will put staff and older students patrolling the halls and the outside. We will go to the bottom of this, don’t worry.” Later that day, after the Cutie Mark Crusaders were free from their duties, they met with Purple Smoke at the flying derby training grounds. With the mysterious creature around, coach Gideon thought it was for the best to suspend the trainings for that day. The three mares already had their dreaming cloaks. “Okay, girls, like I told you yesterday, the dreaming cloaks can activate hidden abilities that are innate of you. Well, as the best way to explore this new powers is by experience, and since you have already used them, why don’t you show me what you have?” “Oh, I want to go first!” Scootaloo exclaimed, while raising her hoof. Hearing that, both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle quickly retreated to a safe distance. “Oh come on, it’s not like I’m going to hit you” Scootaloo proclaimed. “You saw how I used my powers against the shadow creatures.” “Yeah, but we don’t want tah take any chance” Apple Bloom replied. “All right, Scootaloo, show me what you have” Purple Smoke replied. “Here I go!” she exclaimed, taking flight and starting to focus. Lightning started to pass through her cloak until reaching her hooves and Scootaloo launched it, hitting the ground a few hooves away. It looked like she was doing fine, until she lost control and the lightning just went up in a fluent way against Purple Smoke. The Cutie Mark Crusaders got nervous for a moment, but Purple Smoke just created a barrier that absorbed the attack. “Interesting…” Purple Smoke started. “It may look like light nature, but it’s actually gale nature.” “Gale nature?” Scootaloo said. “You mean like that guy from Evermist?” “If you Prince Arcing Thunder, Queen Mystic Heart’s nephew, yes, I mean him” Purple Smoke replied. “Gale nature combines both light and water natures. It creates lightning that is fluent as water, allowing the user better precision. Although you still need to work on that control.” That caused Scootaloo to blush a little. “Apple Bloom, it’s your turn” Purple Smoke said. “Show me what you can do.” She nodded and then focused. Her cloak glowed and the same happened with her hoof that she raised. It was then that a few roots came out of the ground. “Now that’s interesting!” Purple Smoke exclaimed. “Apple Bloom, you’re using wood nature.” “Wood nature?” she asked, surprised. “But that’s Leaf Mane’s nature. Does that mean Ah can do what she can do?” “Of course not” Purple Smoke replied, much to Apple Bloom’s disappointed. “Leaf Mane is way too much powerful than you. But I’m sure you can make other things with this wood nature of yours. These roots have some potential. How did you used them last time?” “Well, Ah us’d the roots as a lasso” Apple Bloom replied. “Wow, that’s so country… and so you” Purple Smoke said. “I love it! I can see you have the control and the imagination.” “Thanks, Purple” the earth mare replied. “Now, it’s your time to show me what you can do, Sweetie” Purple Smoke told. “You mean this?” Sweetie Belle asked, while accessing the power of her cloak, what allowed her to create a powerful wind against Purple Smoke. The General of Talent was pushed back a few hooves before casting a spell that nullified the wind. “That was a very impressive wind nature, Sweetie Belle” Purple Smoke said. “But you could use it in other ways.” “Like how?” she asked, curious. “Well, you could combine it with your Thirteenth Note. After all, sound travels through air, so, combining your musical magic with your wind nature, you’ll be able to amplify the intensity of the attack.” “I can do that?” Sweetie Belle asked. “How I can wait to do it.” But Purple Smoke had also noticed something more in Sweetie Belle’s cloak’s magic beside wind nature, something he wanted to explore. “Sweetie Belle, do you mind if we try another thing?” he asked. “It’s just something to clarify a doubt I had.” “Sure, what?” “I’m going to attack you physically and I want you to try to dodge it as fast as you can using the power of your cloak” Purple Smoke told. “Why do you want me to do that?” Sweetie Belle asked, confused. “Just trust me, okay?” Having apparently no other option, Sweetie Belle got ready. Purple Smoke started to run towards her, preparing a hoof to attack. Reacting to the eminent attack, Sweetie Belle’s cloak started to glow and, suddenly, she started to see everything in slow motion. That really caught her by surprised, but she didn’t had time to think about that, as fast everything started to move slowly, it started to speed up. So she reacted and dodged Purple Smoke’s attack, while at the same time, shoving him. Everything went back to normal and the General of Talent was thrown to the ground, much to Scootaloo and Apple Bloom’s surprise. “Wow, but what was that?!” the former asked. “Sweetie, that was amazin’!” Apple Bloom asked. “Ah didn’t know ya had those reflects.” “Neither did I” Sweetie Belle replied, looking to her hooves. “I don’t understand how I did it.” “I do” Purple Smoke replied, while getting up and cleaning himself. “When I saw you use your cloak’s magic, I noticed there was more than wind nature in you, so I tested for something more advanced: swift nature, the combination of wind and light natures.” “Swift nature?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Just like…” “Yes, just like Heartbeat” Purple Smoke said. “Except Heartbeat, because she has a colossal amount of energy, can use her swift nature in a much more extensive way, while you apparently can only use it in a much minor scale, like you just did now.” “I… didn’t know I could move this fast” Sweetie Belle said. “Now I can see the full potential of your cloaks” Purple Smoke said. “And I have to say that, if you use them in the right, you may actually have a chance to defeat the talent thief and rescue all the abducted talents.” The Cutie Mark Crusaders traded a look and then Apple Bloom said: “Don’t ya worry, Purple Smoke, we’re goin’ tah do ya proud.” The night fell and Star and Moonlight were patrolling the academy in search for the mysterious creature, having volunteered to patrol. “What a great date this is” Moonlight commented. “Chasing after a mysterious creature at the academy at night.” “Don’t tell me you’ve already forgot our time at the Isle of Dread, where we were hunted by five-legged pony-eating monsters?” Star asked. “I was starting to, thank you very much” Moonlight said. “But, you know, despite everything it is quite nice, don’t you think? Even the night is perfect. Look, it’s full moon, just like last night.” What Moonlight had just said caused Star to think. “The moon…” he said, looking towards the nearest window and noticing his marefriend was right, the moon was indeed full. “Star, what’s happening?” Moonlight asked. He didn’t replied right away and she knew he was in his thinking mode and that, when he got in it, he would never listen anypony else. Star was thinking about the claw marks and how they were too small to be from any big creature and how there wasn’t any clues outside. Star quickly realized that was because the creature came from the inside the academy. He had already thought of that possibility, but he never came to think of a reason that could sustain that hypothesis, until Moonlight mentioned the full moon. Could it be what he was thinking it was? “Moonlight, we need to find that creature at once” he said. “Why?” she asked. “You’ll see once we found it” Star replied, taking flight. Moonlight then followed him. Apple Bloom was walking at the inner garden of the academy, patrolling. It was then that she sensed movement elsewhere. “Howdy there” she said, looking around. “Is somepony there?” But she didn’t have any response. That really left her uneasy. Could that be the creature? To play safe, Apple Bloom summoned her dreaming cloak and got attentive to any possible movement. Suddenly, she heard steps heading towards her and, instinctively, she used her wood nature to create a root that sprout at the place where the creature was and got it, raising it at the air. “Got ya!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “Wait!” a voice called. And Star and Moonlight appeared, landing. “Apple Bloom, you have to put it down!” Star exclaimed, who then noticed the root. “Wait, you’re using… wood nature? And is that a… dreaming cloak?” “Ah…” Apple Bloom replied, incapable of thinking of something to say. “Well, ya see… Wait, ya know what a dreamin’ cloak is?” “I spent a lot of time in both the library of my castle and the Mirrored Library” Star said. “Of course, I know about dreaming cloaks… But never mind that now. You have to put the creature down.” “But why?” Apple Bloom asked. “You’ll see why” Star replied. Despite confused, Apple Bloom made what Star asked and lowed the root, bringing the mysterious creature to the ground. It was then that Apple Bloom and Moonlight got shocked when they saw the mysterious creature. “It can’t be…” they said at the same time. The mysterious creature was nothing more than Silver Wind, but she didn’t look like herself. She was turned into a pony-wolf, with her coat and mane ruffled, fangs, claws and slit pupils, with her trying her best to get rid of the root that was holding her, squirming and trying to use both her fangs and claws.