//------------------------------// // Chapter One: A Journey Begins // Story: Shadow Rising // by Shadow Hound //------------------------------// The Hero depends on who is telling the story. In one story the hero is the champion who fights a villain. The villain might see themselves as the hero of their own story. It depends on who you ask… ---- Perspective ---- Once upon a time in the Land of Equestria. The kingdom was ruled by two sisters. The youngest ruled the night and the elder sister ruled the day. Everything was as it should be: balanced. The older sister gained all the glory of the kingdom, while the younger sister wept at night alone. Most ponies grew scared, tales of monsters scared them away from venturing into the night. That is except for a brave few. The elder sister forbade it and made them stay indoors so that they couldn’t enjoy the beautiful nights, thus leaving the younger sister alone with nothing but the moon to comfort her. That is until the younger sister stood up to her evil sister. The ponies that supported her fled to their freedom and into the night. The younger sister stayed behind protecting her supporters, never to be seen again. And that is why we Lycans howl at the moon to show our support for the younger princess. We await her return so that once more, in Equestria the nights will be celebrated. Shadow put down the book only to realize that the pups that he was reading to were now snoring. He gently walked away, making sure to walk on his paw pads instead of his claws so the tapping wouldn’t wake them. He didn’t even move a feather of his wings, afraid that the dust might get blown around and wake some pup up. Carefully he used magic to quietly open the door.  Just a little more, he thought to himself. Only a few more feet to freedom. Then, suddenly, he felt a tug on his tail. He bit his lower lip so he couldn’t scream in defeat. He looked back to see a tiny pup. “Shads?” the pup said as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. It took Shadow a few seconds to compose himself, “Yes my little brother?” “Do you think we will ever get to see Mother Moon?” Shadow smiled, “Yes.” The pup sat down next to him. “Shads, please promise me that you will come back and that you won’t let the ponies hurt you.” Shadow reached out a paw and moved the pup closer to him. He rubbed his cheek against the pup’s forehead. Making sure that his eye missed his brother’s horn. “Of course not. You are my brother, my family. Family sticks together. Family never leaves family behind.” Shadow patted the pup on the head. “Now get some sleep, Remus. Before you know it, I will be back.” He watched the pup curl up into a ball on the pillow. His eyes eagerly watched the door as his brother left. Shadow quietly left and gently shut the door behind him. ------- It was a cold and dark night in the Lycan Empire. Shadow walked alone on the cobbled paths. It was so quiet that all he could hear was the tapping of his paws. It was so cold that Shadow could see his breath in the air as he breathed. After a few minutes, Shadow was cold. Not even his fur coat was thick enough to protect him from the chill of the northern winds. It was a good sign that the heaters in the pup’s nursery were still working and that the dog in charge of putting wood on the fire didn’t fall asleep again. The cold was not a good sign. It meant that the Lycan Empire was running out of magic, The Heart of The Lycan Empire was dying. The darkness was not unusual; it was always dark in the Lycan Empire. This being an effect from the fact that the Lycan Empire was built into the sides of a ravine. Shops and homes dug into the rock walls and small wood bridges connected both sides. Cobblestone paths connected the houses and shops. During the day, on one of the few rare days, it is not cloudy, only a sliver of light peeks from the opening. Just enough light gets through to dimly light the top levels of the Empire. The lower levels, where some Lycans dig for metal, will never see the light of the day. They will only see the light from torches or from the sparks as picks and other tools struck metal. This was a small price to pay for safety, since to the outside world, a small crack was visible. Nothing has ever bothered to go near it, most likely because the drop would kill anything that fell in. This protected the empire from Titans, which were giant beasts that lived in the Shadow Valley. The empire was only accessible by a hidden entrance, which was only used to hunt and gather supplies. Shadow stood in the dark, thinking about the empire. As he breathed out into the night, he generally liked the feeling of his mane blowing in the breeze. “Sir,” a voice said from a distance. Shadow knew that voice from anywhere. “Yes, SherWolf. What is it now?” “Your father demands your audience right now,” he replied. “You can tell him that he can take my audience. I will just find another.” Shadow smirked. “You know what I mean. I suggest you see him right now. You know how he gets if you make him wait. “ “Then I guess I will have to go see him now. We wouldn’t want him to get his cape in a twist.” Shadow then followed Sherwolf to see the king. -------- A Stallion with a dark chocolate coat and a sand colored mane ran up the stairs of the Canterlot castle. He trotted up to the thrones of the two sisters with urgency, doing what he could so he didn’t step on his long blue cape. Luckily he had not missed them. They were both sitting there as if waiting for him. He straightened his Dali Mustache while he spoke. “Sisters, we have a very big problem indeed.” Celestia smiled at her brother “Cronos, it is good to see you again. What news do you have to tell me? I have a feeling you already know about Twilight’s future promotion.” “No, it is not!” Cronos yelled, “An event in four days has created a rift in time, which needs to be fixed.” Celestia asked, “What are you saying, brother?” Cronos replied, “The Grand Galloping Gala will be Equestria’s last.” Celestia’s lower jaw dropped as she looked at her sister, who had done the same to Celestia in return. Then they frowned, looking back at their brother. Cronos continued. “A great evil will return. There will be a giant war, and Equestria will fall. By this time next year, Equestria will be covered in darkness.” Celestia said, “There has to be a way out.” Luna continued, “Surely Twilight will stop the darkness. She is a capable Alicorn.” Cronos explained, “I have looked ahead into one thousand futures, and only seven ended well. Three of those were when you canceled the Gala, and in many of them Twilight fails when she fights the darkness.” Luna looked at her sister in concern. “Sister, there is no shame in announcing Twilight’s promotion at a later date.” Celestia explained, “You know as well as I do that we have been leaders of Equestria for far too long. The Heart of Equestria gets stronger with every new leader. It has kept us safe for thousands of years, but the increase of evil shows that it is weakening. We need a new leader if Equestria is going to remain safe.” Luna replied, “Sister you may be right, but so much can go wrong. There has to be a better night to do this.” Celestia thought through her logic. “That may not be the case. What you are saying is that, out of the seven good endings, two of them are if the Gala continues.” Cronos smiled. “Correct.” Celestia continued, “So there is still a reason to continue that Gala...” She paused for a moment. “Does the Heart of Equestria even last another year?” Cronos raised his eyebrow, “Sister, you are forgetting the other nine-hundred and ninety-three endings where if the Gala continues, the Kingdom falls.” Celestia panicked. “Guide me! Show me what to do to hit one of the two good endings.” Cronos explained, “I cannot tell you that. No pony should know about their future.” Celestia asked, “Will the Heart of Equestria last another year?” “I cannot tell you.” Celestia begged, “Please, for my subjects, I can’t let this kingdom fall! Do it for all the lives that you would be saving.” Cronos sighed, “I have watched this talk that we are having a thousand times over. I have seen the results of this conversation.” Celestia lost her temper and shouted, “Then why are you here?” Cronos grinned, “The same reason I visited you, and told you about Luna, Discord, Sombra, Discord’s Seeds, Tirek, and Chrysalis!” Luna rolled her eyes, “We get the point.” “I even told you about the annoying little cult pony with the freaky purple hair.” Celestia snapped back, “Show some respect for my student’s student! She has done well.” Cronos stomped his hoof to the ground, “Never! The little brat messed with my domain. I control the time. You don’t touch what is mine! Least of all with some spell that I told Star Swirl to keep safe.” Celestia relaxed, “Continue.” Cronos put a hoof to his chest, “Gladly. I even told you about both Changling invasions. They both turned out great. I even told you about the shadow pony and, as a bonus, your old friend Starswirl is now back. Good move sending him away.” Cronos waved both front hooves in the air, “And oh, I told you that one of Twilight’s students would try to destroy all magic. Did I leave anything out?” Luna snapped at Cronos, “I remember each one of those meetings. You didn’t tell us about any one of those events directly. You always came to us with some riddle that we had to solve or told us something so basic it meant nothing.” Cronos shouted, “Oh did I? Each one of those events I came to you and I did the same thing that I am doing now.” Celestia sighed, trying to hold her patience. The room fell quiet for a few minutes. The Sisters examined what would be best to say next. Cronos was the one to break the silence. He breathed out heavy and spoke softly. “When I say I can’t tell you, I mean I can’t tell you. You need to trust me, but you might want to consider cancelling the Grand Galloping Gala.” Cronos looks at his watch, “I must be going now. I can’t stay any longer either.” Luna stood shocked. “What does that mean?” “You know. Time stuff. Goodbye sisters.” Celestia waved a hoof in his direction, “Bye Cronos, thanks for your help.” In a flash of light and smoke, Cronos was gone. Both sisters looked at each other. Luna said to her sister, “Well, for being in such a panic, he was no help.” “That was more help than you think.” Celestia got up and started to smile. “I guess we are going to have to get ready for the Gala.” Luna screamed, “You heard him: big shadow over your kingdom! Darkness Rising! Last Gala!” Celestia responds, “He told me to consider canceling the gala.” Luna dropped her head to the ground. “Are you sure about this?” Celestia stood on her throne. “I am, sister, I have considered it, and there will be a Grand Galloping Gala, with a few changes. First, let’s double the guards. Second, let’s tell them to be on the lookout for a threat, just like we did for the wedding. And, finally, I will put Twilight in charge of the Gala.” ------ Shadow walked up the stairs to the king’s castle. The castle itself was huge. To the Lycans of the Lycan Empire, it seemed to touch the sky. To the outside world, it looked like a massive spire sticking out of the canyon. The walls of the castle were a dark blue, spikes decorated the tops of the buildings. One single spire covered in spikes sticking out of the ravine. Red flames sat in Cauldrons that framed the stairs and the doors. The door was burnt wood, reinforced with steel. A Guard was posted on each side. Shadow walked up to one of the guards. “I am here to see the king.” The guards looked at each other. And then at him “Who wants to see him? The king says he is very busy.” Shadow looked at them scornfully. “Are you seriously asking me that? I am his son. What garbage heap did he dig you two fools up in?” The guards jumped, “Just making sure, sir” Shadow bared his teeth. His voice got deep and gruff. “Don’t let it happen again, or I will make sure that you will never forget who I am.” The guards knocked on the door. After a few clicks, the door groaned as it swung open. Shadow sneered, “Next time don’t waste my time.” The guards responded, “Y.. Y.. Yee, Yes sir.” ----- Shadow stomped into the room. “I am here father, what do you want me for now.” A deep growl came from the end of the room. Two eyes glowed in the dark. “My Son, is that the way that you speak to a king?” Shadow turned around. “I don’t have to take this; call me when you stop yelling.” Shadow walked up to the door before he could grab the handle with his magic, and he heard the door lock; he thought he heard the two guards from earlier laughing. His heart sunk. Shadow turned around. “Where did you get the rent a guards from anyway?” “Shadow!” Shadow lowered his head in defeat. He breathed in and restated his sentence, “How may I help you?” “Shadow.” “My King.” “Shadow.” “Sorry, how may I help you sir?” King Archimedes grinned, his white teeth peaking through the darkness. “That’s better.” King Archimedes walked down from his throne into the light. Standing 2 times bigger than Shadow. He came into view. His golden crown and scarlet red robe became visible. “I have a mission for you.” Shadow snapped back. “What if I don’t want to go on a mission?” King Archimedes said, “Don’t make me, make you.” Shadow replied, “Why are you going to go with me?” King Archimedes replied, “I cannot leave the Lycan Empire, but I do have subjects that are loyal to me. I sense you need a babysitter, so Servo is going to go with you.” A small forest green dragon with tan colored horns and aqua eyes came out from behind Archimedes’ legs. Servo smiled at the Lycan prince “Hiya, it is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Romulus.” Shadow growled and ran up to Servo, their faces only inches apart. “My name is not Romulus. I changed it. Call me Shadow or Shadow Hound and if you don’t, I am going to have myself a dragon snack.” Archimedes put his foot in front of the dragon. “You will do no such thing. Servo is going to send me messages every hour. If I fail to receive one message, I will have General Claw come and drag you back. Am I clear?” “No, in fact you’re very opaque” Shadow grinned. “Doesn’t General Claw usually make the deliveries anyway? I have gone on the mission but never been in charge.” Archimedes sighed “As you know the Heart of the Lycan Empire is dying.” Shadow sat down. Servo sat next to him. Shadow moved several inches away. Servo sighed. Archimedes rolled his eyes at his son. “I sent Claw on a mission to the Crystal Empire. His mission is to look for magic to fix the Heart. Without Claw, I have nobody to lead the delivery team, at least nobody of a high enough rank.” Shadow grinned, “Aww, you do care. You could have started with the fact that I would be in charge.” Archimedes growled “No, I don’t trust you, but you will take the lead position in the pack. Servo is in charge of the mission. He knows what I want. When I am not here, whatever he says, do it.” Servo held out a list “As long as the iron gets delivered, I do not care what you do.” “Sweet! I can check out the clubs!” exclaimed Shadow. Archimedes gave a disapproving look. “Knock it off. You know what he means.” Shadow looked at Servo, “fine, so who are the wolves we are going to be working with?” Servo shrugged his shoulders. “As long as the King approves of the pack, it doesn’t matter to me.” Shadow thought for a moment and then responded “Ok, can Whitwolf go?” “I don’t see why not.” “How about Sherwolf, Blaze, and Eclipse?” Archimedes looked at Shadow “So far, I see one problem with your pack. Can you guess what it is?” Shadow responded, “How about Triage for medical needs?” Archimedes grinned, as he started walking toward the door, “Sounds like a great pack. Glad you figured it out, pup.” Shadow looked shocked, “What? No arguing. We agreed on something, what a surprise!” Shadow started following his father, “I thought you wanted to put loyal wolves on the team.” Servo Jumped on Shadow’s back, Archimedes responded. “Silly pup, they are all loyal to me. Any wolf that isn’t, does not belong in this Kingdom.” Shadow raised his voice “One more thing father. Stop calling me a pup. I am one thousand and four years old.” Archimedes turned to shadow “You’ll always be a pup to me. I am over two thousand years old.” Archimedes waved a paw at the door. “Go get your team and make the delivery. A bird told me you have to be there in three days.” Shadow asked, “So where are you sending me anyway?” Archimedes stopped in the doorway of the castle. “The delivery is in…. Equestria.”