Arctic Ace and Dark Ice were curious as they saw their baby brother Shadow Thunder scarfing down his breakfast. Lately, Shadow had seemed a lot happier and was more lively. Though given the current development of Starlight Glimmer now being in Twilight's custody after Shadow fought to protect her from Blitz Surge, it wasn't hard to guess why Shadow was so cheerful. After all, Shadow had been paying visits to Starlight ever since Twilight was officially given custody. And like all siblings, Ace and Ice saw the perfect chance to poke a little fun at their brother's expense.
"Off to see Starlight again, Shadow?" Arctic Ace asked as he took a bite of his toast. "You seem to be right on time. Girls do love it when you're punctual."
"Our baby brother's becoming a man!" Dark Ice said with a chuckle! "Next thing you know, he'll be proposing to her by tomorrow!"
"Funny guys. Real funny." Shadow deadpanned. "Well, staying in that castle all day must be pretty lonely. I figured that seeing a face besides Twilight ought to elevate her mood a bit." Shadow pouted as he left his brothers. However, he couldn't deny that spending time with Starlight made him feel good inside. "That, and I promised her that she wouldn't be alone. Not while I'm around. I'm keeping my word even if it kills me." 'That, and she's kinda cute when she smiles. . . '
"Oh, Shadow." Twilight said as she ran into the Element of Compassion on her way out. "Perfect timing! I've got something important to ask you regarding Starlight."
"Shoot." Shadow said with a nod. "What do you need me to do?"
"Well, I know that you've been keeping her company ever since she turned herself into my custody." Twilight began. "It's nice that you're willing to give her your time. But, instead of just staying in the castle all day, would you consider showing her around town? I just don't want her to feel like a prisoner."
"Uh, s-sure!" Shadow stammered as his face flushed red! 'This could technically be my first date ever! I AM NOW A MAN!' "I'd be happy to show her around!"
"Great!" Twilight said with a bright smile. "Have fun you two!" She then smiled mischievously. "A first date's a special occasion~."
"Ace and Ice beat you to the punch." Shadow said with a smirk as Twilight pouted. It didn't take Shadow long to find Starlight. The girl was reading a book in the library. "Hey there, Starlight!"
"Oh. Shadow." Starlight said. Surprised that the Element of Compassion was in the castle. "What's up?"
"Eh. Just thought you might get lonely with only Twilight here." Shadow said with a kind smile. He then noticed how Starlight's appearance had changed. "Did you do something new with your hair?"
"You noticed?" Starlight said with a bashful smile, and a slightly sad look present in her eyes. "Well, yeah. My days as a cult leader are behind me. I figured my look should reflect that."
"It's a change for the better I'd say." Shadow smiled encouragingly. "And your new outfit looks a lot nicer too."
"Oh, really?" Starlight said with a slight blush as she stood up to clearly show her new outfit to Shadow (her EqG outfit minus the cap). "Thanks. Rarity helped me put this together. She even gave me some extra clothes free of charge. Now I've got a real wardrobe."
"One that's a lot more colorful." Shadow chuckled. "So, what're you up to?"
"Not much really." Starlight shrugged. "I was kinda getting board reading. And, I don't think Twilight or her friends are ready to get close to me. And I'm pretty sure that your friends might threaten me considering a good number of them are in a relationship with Twilight and her friends."
"Don't worry. They'll warm up to you soon enough." Shadow smiled encouragingly. "We've got a bit of a history of making foes into friends. You'll just be the latest name on the list. And I'd be more than happy to help you make that transition!"
"Heh heh! Thanks Shadow." Starlight giggled before smiling at Shadow. "So. Do you have any prescriptions to my boredom?"
"You bet!" Shadow smiled enthusiastically. "First stop: Sugar Cube Corner! You don't know the true definition of sweets until you've tried Pinkie Pie's treats!"
Shadow triumphantly led Starlight towards Sugar Cube Corner, and the pair seated themselves after placing their order. Within a minute or two, Pinkie Pie zipped out of the kitchen with their treats while Akage appeared in a puff of smoke to deliver their side-order of his signature throwing star cookies.
"Wow! You weren't kidding!" Starlight said in amazement as she munched on a cupcake. "This is probably one of the best treats I've had in my life!"
"Glad to see you're enjoying yourself." Shadow smiled as he replied. He then looked at the newspaper copy he'd purchased, and began to read as he drank his milkshake. "Well, there's something you don't see everyday."
"What's up?" Starlight asked as she bit into a cookie. "See anything interesting?"
"Yeah." Shadow said with a nod. "Apparently, there's been some strange sights that have been recently observed. A rainbow that seemed to move across the sky, a circuit-like pattern trailing across the ground, and stardust shower in the lower atmosphere. But the weird thing is that as soon as these phenomena showed up, they disappeared not long after. And witnesses claim to have heard what sounded like a roar as each of the phenomena vanished."
'Those signs. . . it can't be! Paradox said he needed my help to capture them!' Starlight panicked within her mind! "Yeah. . . weird, isn't it? A-Anything else interesting?"
"Yeah. A face we'd all like to see a lot less of is on the front page." Shadow said with a frown as he turned the paper to show Starlight the front page article showing Blitz Surge and the rest of the Lancers being chewed out by Princess Luna. "Due to the little stunt they pulled in trying to nab you, Blitz and his cronies are going to be suspended for a while. Especially since they infringed on Twilight's jurisdiction."
"Looks like there's finally some good news." Starlight said with a relieved smile. "I can't believe that someone like Blitz Surge was ever a part of your team."
"We didn't willingly admit him." Shadow sighed, but soon smiled. "Still, even if it isn't that grand, it's comforting seeing him get some comeuppance."
"I bet." Starlight giggled. "So where do we go from here?"
"You ever been to an arcade?" Shadow asked with a grin. Starlight's reply was a shake of her head. "Well then. Allow me to show you all there is to know!"
The rest of their day consisted of Shadow showing Starlight around town after hitting up the arcade. And all the while, Starlight couldn't help but smile when Shadow did anything. Whether it was as simple as talking to her, or explaining various pop culture trivia that helped her catch up on what she'd missed while she was off leading a cult.
'Even when I was trying to hard to destroy him, he still showed me mercy.' Starlight thought as Shadow led her throughout Unityville. She then clenched her fist in regret and shame. 'And he was still compassionate to me, offering to try and help me despite all the times I blamed him for everything like a bratty child. So why?'
". . . Why?" Starlight asked as she froze in her tracks. "Why, Shadow?"
"Huh?" Shadow stopped, and turned to face Starlight. "What do you mean 'why'?"
"Why are you so compassionate, Shadow?" Starlight asked with teary eyes. "Don't you dare say it's just because you're the Element of Compassion!"
"So you want an answer, huh?" Shadow asked with a small smile. "Well, I'll tell you. It all started when by eldest brother, Dark Ice, ran away from home. After our house got trashed from a bad storm, Ice blamed himself for freezing up and not getting us out sooner. He was hurting pretty bad inside, and it hurt me to see him like that. When he eventually returned, he'd just begun to defect from the Nightmare Forces. All those years and he still had so much pain inside him. So, the first thing I did was welcome him back home. Tell him how much I missed him, and pretty much begged him to tell me all that went down. Because I knew then, at that moment, he needed someone to worry about him. And he needed to know that we missed him even more than he missed us. And look at him now. He's become the Element of Courage, and reconnected with a family he thought he didn't deserve to see again."
"Shadow. . ." Starlight was completely astonished at hearing Shadow's answer.
"There's my answer." Shadow smiled. "It might not be the most complicated, or compelling, but it's mine. And that's what makes it count. It's why I just can't ignore when I see someone who's hurting. Because it gives me a chance to help someone else find a better way. And even if I can't do anything for them, just having someone who's willing to listen works wonders for people."
". . . Thank you." Starlight said as she lightly blushed, and smiled brightly at Shadow. "For today. For not giving up. For everything."
"Oh, uh, you're welcome." Shadow blushed. He then saw how low the sun was getting over Unityville. "Hey, uh, it's getting pretty late. I should probably get you back to Twilight."
"Y-Yeah." Starlight stuttered. "Lead the way, hero." The two of them headed to Twilight's castle, and bid each other good night.
"Shadow." Starlight said with a fond smile as soon as her head touched her pillow. "Thanks for a great day."
"Well, this is a surprise." A voice all too familiar to Starlight echoed through her room. "You never sounded this happy around me, Starlight. I feel hurt by you casting me aside so easily."
"Paradox!" Starlight gasped as she jolted up from her bed in fright! "H-How are you talking to me?! The only way you could speak to me was through the mask!"
"Oh, this old thing?" Paradox said as materialized before Starlight! His entire outfit consisted of a sleeveless coat in the same pattern as his mask, a pair of grey pants, and a pair of boots that shared the same pattern as his mask and coat! His hair a pale gold along with his eyes! "I've decided a more personal approach is appreciated."
"If you're going to ask me to go back to you, forget it!" Starlight spat as she powered up her magic! "You were wrong about how things went, and about me! Because of you, I let myself be used like a puppet! No more! And besides, you captured the legendary dragons you were after!"
"While I may have accomplished part of my goal, you are quite mistaken." Paradox said with a wicked smile. "I still need you, Starlight. It's rather interesting you compared yourself to a puppet. Rather, you are more akin to a battery."
"Either way, I was just a thing to you!" Starlight growled! "And I won't let myself stay a thing any longer!"
"Those eyes. . . ah, you have the same look as her." Paradox had an evil smile as he took a step towards Starlight! "Your mother gave me the exact same look when I tried to use her as my power source, too."
"What?" Starlight said in shock. But this was all the window needed for Paradox to hit her with a paralysis spell! "Agh!" Right as Starlight fell forward, Paradox snatched her and opened up a portal!
"Soon I'll be able to bring my own world to yours." Paradox smirked as he walked into the portal. "That fool Starswirl sought to merely subjugate the spirits of legendary beasts. But I exceeded him! With the power of the Malefic World I not only extended my life, but I was also granted the means to subjugate legendary dragons! Of course, my influence over them is only manifest so long as I keep them in the Malefic World. But thanks to you, that won't be an issue any longer." And with that, Paradox vanished through the portal. However, he was unaware that he was being monitored by one of Nightfall's security cameras.
The next day, both teams of elements discovered that Starlight had been kidnapped by Paradox after viewing the footage from last night, and began a desperate search to find her! Among their number, none was more motivated to find Starlight than Shadow.
'Starlight's all alone with this creep. I can't leave her like that!' Shadow thought as he furiously searched any place he thought Paradox might have spirited Starlight away to! 'I promised her that I wouldn't leaver her alone, and that I wouldn't break that promise even if it killed me!' Shadow didn't have to search far as Paradox was sighted in the middle of Castalot with Starlight contained within some strange chamber!
"PEOPLE OF UNITY, I AM PARADOX TRUTH!" Paradox declared! "TODAY, YOU SHALL ALL WITNESS THE MIGHT I HOLD AT MY COMMAND! THIS WORLD REJECTED ME, SO I MADE MY OWN! GAZE UPON THE MALEFIC WORLD! A DIMENSION I BIRTHED MYSELF!" And Paradox activated the chamber Starlight was trapped inside! Starlight screaming in pain as her magic was forcefully initiated and drained from her very being alongside her lifeforce to fuel the bridging of dimensions!
In the skies above, a strange distortion materialized! As it materialized, the whole world seemed to be stripped away and leave everything looking like a purple space-like void! The buildings were still intact, the citizens still lived, but it looked like the everything had been stripped away! Wasting no time, both teams of elements rushed over to Castalot! They arrived just in time as Paradox's minions were menacing the civilians!
"We'll get these creeps off you all!" Inferno declared as both the Elements of Heroism and Elements of Heroism rushed into battle against the Malefic horde! "Get out of here!"
Once again, Castalot had become a battleground. While the elements were busy fighting their way towards Paradox, the princesses and all the guard branches were escorting the civilians away from the fighting! However, both teams of elements soon had unwelcome company in the form of the Lancers.
"All of you will leave." Blitz Surge commanded as he glared at Inferno and the other Elements of Heroism. "You have been disbanded, and therefor no longer hold any official position as peacekeepers. WE are the recognized heroes. WE are justice!"
"You want to take on all these things by yourself?" Inferno scoffed. "Get real! You're gonna need as many fighters as you can get! All the guards are busy escorting the people, and the princesses are covering them! We're the only ones who are trying to keep these things off them! You want to argue, you can do it afterwards!"
"Fine." Blitz Surge huffed. "I'll tolerate you lot playing heroes for now. If only to allow you all some semblance of recognition for your efforts. But if you're thinking this will give you a foothold into re-establishing the Elements of Heroism, you're sorely mistaken."
"No, that'd be you." Inferno said with a smirk. "Because once he's back, he'll make sure everything you've done comes right back at you, and that everything you've built up comes crashing down. And he'll show you what a real hero is!"
"What pathetic delusion is in your head?" Blitz said with a frown as he and the Lancers tore Paradox's minions apart! But like the last time both teams of elements encountered them, the Malefic Horde could alter their bodies and aggregate into a larger constructs! The battle was far from over!
Meanwhile, Shadow was cutting down the Malefic minions that tried to swarm him in the skies! All while desperately flying towards Starlight! Despite the numbers he was facing, and the odds being against him, Shadow refused to yield! Breaking through the swarm and landing right in front of Paradox and the captive Starlight!
"Starlight! I'm here!" Shadow declared as he landed! "I'm not breaking my promise!'
"Oh, so you're the little birdie that's caught Starlight's attention." Paradox said with a smug grin. "You needn't worry. As soon as I'm finished with the girl, you can have what's left of her. A battery doesn't have much use after it's run out of power to supply."
"No way in Tartarus I'm letting you drain her dry!" Shadow cried out as he flew at Paradox while thrusting his spear forward! The blade of it aimed right at Paradox's heart! But when his blade struck Paradox, it didn't even make a dent! "What?!"
"So. This spear and the weapons used by your friends are all products of Starswirl's research." Paradox said with interest as he smiled darkly. "I've made my own little toy that I can't wait to play with!" Paradox ripped off his coat to reveal his chest was covered in dragon-like scales! His pupils narrowing into slits while a warped smile spread across his face! "Dragons are creatures of power and majesty! If simply subjugating a few legendary dragons demonstrates my power, then becoming like one solidifies it! Enough of the cannon fodder! TIME FOR THE BIG GUNS!"
Paradox doubled over as a pair of dragon wings sprouted from his back that were the same pale-gold color as his hair! A bright red gem at the center of his chest that pulsated like a heart glowed with a dark red light! His fingers and toes sharpening into claws while his teeth became like fangs! In his hands, he materialized a spear made of the same substance as his minions!
Shadow was stunned by Paradox's transformation, and left himself open for a vicious swipe from Paradox's claws! Shadow managed to get some distance between himself and Paradox by taking to the air, but Paradox was relentless in his pursuit! Shadow countering each of Paradox's attacks with as much strength as he could muster! As their clash dragged on, Paradox grew more and more annoyed with Shadow's constant countering! However, when he spied Starlight out of the corner of his eye, he saw an opportunity to open another hole in Shadow's defenses!
Paradox hurled his spear at Starlight's chamber, and Shadow immediately took off towards the spear! Swatting it aside with his own spear! Shadow had a relieved smile as he saw Starlight was safe, but that relieved look on his face was replaced by shock when the spear re-materialized in front of him with Paradox thrusting it into his chest!
Starlight, and both teams of elements looked on in horror as Shadow fell to the ground in front of Starlight. Shadow's brothers and Starlight screaming out in horror.
"SHAAAADOOOOOW!"
TO BE CONTINUED!