//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: A Tale of Shadows and Chaos // by cuddlyluna //------------------------------// Hours have passed since Shadow Lock witnessed the heroes enter through the mirror portal. He grew drowsy as the day reached it's closing sunset. As the stallion struggled to stay an alert guard, a voice called out from the entrance. "Hello, anypony there?" a pink alicorn spoke as she descended some stairs to find Shadow Lock standing next to a mirror. "Princess Cadance, what are you doing here?" the dark unicorn asked, perking up from the event of a visitor. She would step down and approach him. "Twilight wrote me a letter to come here if I did not hear back from her. She said that it was of great importance, how long has she been gone?" Shadow Lock let out a sigh as he turned his head. "A few hours, she entered that portal with her friends and the alicorn sisters." Cadance walked over and scanned the mirror up and down. "That explains why she asked me to lower the sun." As she looked it over, she leaned her head in close to examine the hints of magic that ran through the glass. "This mirror portal, where does it lead?" Shadow Lock thought about what he heard the others saying about it. "An evil shadow casino I think." As her eyes widened in surprise, two others started to make their way down the staircase. "It has been a while since I've been down here." Sunset Shimmer said as she descended. "You're lucky, Twilight hasn't shown me this room before." Starlight responded. The two unicorns spotted Cadance and another unicorn next to a mirror missing a piece. They hopped off the stairs and looked at them with puzzled expressions. "Hey, so what is going on here? Where's Twilight?" Starlight began. Cadance steered towards Shadow Lock also wanting to be filled in on the situation. "Here is the quick version." He began. "Time itself is falling apart, the Lord of Chaos might have some involvement in it, some pony in a suit said it's the shadows doing, they went into an evil casino dimension to stop it." The three mares stood frozen. "Twilight probably should have mentioned the time thing in her letter," Sunset said to the others. Shadow Lock would levitate up the missing piece of the mirror. "Not to put too much stress on you, but you three might have all of existence resting on your hooves," he said, sliding the piece into the mirror, causing it to light up. "I guess we don't have much choice then." Starlight said. She took a deep breath and bravely stepped through the mirror, followed by Cadance and Sunset. As soon as they were through, the mirror began to turn black. Shadow Lock backed away as he didn't understand what was happening. Suddenly, the mirror shattered, and it's pieces dissolved into dust. All Shadow Lock could do was watch the ground. He shut his eyes as his head fell. Only a miracle could save them now. On the other end, the mares were concerned about the sudden shadows destroying their escape. Starlight took a deep breath and began towards the casino. "Come on. If we find them, we will have plenty of magic power to make a portal home." After a quiet walk through the empty casino, they soon found a pitch-black portal that lead to the unknown. Starlight began to step towards it, until Sunset called from behind her. "Wait. I know that I have been away from Equestria for a long time now. But is there any chance that some portals can be dangerous?" Starlight would ease her foot back to the ground as he turned back to her. "I suppose, what makes you say that? Aside from the shadows and darkness." "A team consisting of the most powerful beings in the known world has not returned. There is a chance that the portal in front of us has something to do with that." Cadance pitched in. "She has a point. Shadow energy is something that not even Celestia has a full understanding of." Starlight would put her hoof on her chin for a moment. "Alright, let's say the portal is dangerous. Does anyone have any ideas for us to make it through safely?" They would think for a moment. Sunset would speak up, hesitantly speaking. "I... know a spell that transforms the user into a demon. I think a demon could safely make it through the portal." "Alright, I suppose we don't have any other options. Go ahead." Starlight responded. "The problem with it is that it requires a magical artifact. I could only do it when I had the element of magic. I think another one of similar power would do, but we empty hoofed at the moment." Starlight started to become nervous. She looked to Cadance hoping she had a solution to the issue. Cadance just shook her head, she lit up a magic barrier around herself and approached the portal. "I guess we have to risk it." "... Stop." Starlight said. Cadence curiously spun to look at her. "I have an artifact." Starlight quietly admitted with her head hanging down. Sunset would hold out her hoof. "Alright, let me see it." Starlight would remove something from the back of her neck, hold it up to her horn, and uncloaking before everypony was the alicorn amulet. Cadance and Sunset approached with baffled expressions. "Please don't tell Twilight! It's not evil anymore, I just needed a way to keep up with alicorn magic!" Starlight pleaded. Cadance looked to Sunset. "Situation at hoof, we can discuss the amulet when time is safe." Sunset agreed and took the amulet, strapping it to her neck. "I'm going to transform and step through first, after that I will revert before I lose control. You two follow behind me and I'll make sure nothing bad happens to either of you." "It's still risky, but it's better than going in entirely unprepared," Cadance stated. "Whenever you are ready." With a deep breath and the glow of her horn, Sunset erupted into a demonic version of herself. After getting her bearings, she quickly hopped through the shadow portal. Upon reaching the other side, she reverted to normal, surprised she successfully made it through. Sunset found herself in a palace seemingly made of shadows. Outside the windows revealed nothing other than an empty expanse of purple and black. She kept her breaths quiet, walking around the entrance as silently as possible. As she was examining the area, Starlight and Cadance fell through the portal, entirely unconscious upon arrival. Sunset was worried at first that the plops of them landing would alert someone, but the coast seemed clear. Sunset cast alert on both of them. Cadance managed to quietly stand up without much issue. Starlight would begin mumbling forcing Sunset to plug her mouth with her hoof. "Shhh!" Sunset helped Starlight up. She wobbled a little but returned to her senses after a moment. The group stood in a triangle formation to make sure nothing snuck up from behind. "I'll take the lead down the main hall, you two watch my back," Cadance said softly, proceeding down the only way forward from there. As the group began, a shadow whooshed past them from behind, startling Starlight. "I think they know we're here." She whispered to Cadance. "Stay ready to fight, we might have a chance if they come at us one at a time." Starlight gulped, feeling uneasy without her amulet to back her up. She looked over to see it on Sunsets neck. The yellow mare noticed her friend watching it and made a motion asking if she wanted it back. Starlight held her hoof up to say no. She knew Sunset was less up to scratch on magic from not being in Equestria. She continued along nervously until she bumped into Cadence suddenly. "Why did you stop?" She whispered to a frozen Cadance. After no response, she turned the corner to peek. Before the team was Twilight and her friends, out cold and trapped in a magic casing. "My Flurry." Cadance quietly said to herself as she watched a filly version of her daughter in the pile. Sunset scanned the room. Aside from an empty throne, there was a shining ball sitting on a pedestal. "Maybe if we break that ball over there, they'll be free." Cadance's eyes went from fear for her child to full-on aggression. After both the sphere and the pedestal refused to levitate, she spread her wings and charged in as fast as she possibly could. Just before she made it to the sphere, a shadowy figure appeared between her and the artifact. The figure caught her in a magical grasp and held her. "I would appreciate it if you would be more careful with things that are not yours." The shadowy creature spoke. "Release my child or I will end you where you stand!" The wrathful mother exclaimed as her horn lit up brighter than ever before. Members of the original group would begin to awake from the commotion. With a wave of the creatures hand, the magic flow between her and her horn would be canceled. The same would happen to both Starlight and Sunset as they were teleported next to Cadance, also locked in a magical grasp. "I sensed you enter, though I decided to let you stumble upon the big surprise yourselves. I am Algea, Spirit of Shadows." Cadance was still huffing from anger, so Starlight decided it would be best if she did the talking. "Why do you want to destroy time? What could you possibly gain from that?" "Absolute victory is what I would gain. Shadows do not require time to exist as your kind does." Twilight would begin speaking form within the magic barrier. "Equestria surrenders. We are willing to meet any demands you may have, just leave the timeline alone." Algea turned to Twilight, looming in towards her. "I have been dying to meet you face to face Twilight Sparkle. Might I say you are the most adorable little pony princess I have ever seen." Algea made the barrier vanish. Immediately after, all the heroes were unable to move anything from the neck down. The spirit appeared directly in front of Twilight's face. "My demands happen on a whim, you have nothing to offer me. Your adventures end here." The group silently exchanged looks, this seemed like the end for all of them. Slowly, a light would begin to appear above them. From the aura above, a powerful bolt of energy would strike the Eclipse Sphere, shattering it. "NO!" Algea would have massive amounts of energy running through her claws as she looked up. Above her was a partly transparent Twilight looming in the air with light all around her. Algea fired a blast of energy at the figure, while she used a shield to disperse the blast in a ring formation. The ring destroyed everything it came into contact with. The entire palace became slightly shorter from its impact. Before more harm could be done, the transparent Twilight brought the heroes into her light. The aura faded after, letting darkness fill the area once again. The other villains entered the throne room. "What happened, we saw the blast cut through the ceiling," Cozy said. Algea would have her eyes firmly closed. She lifted her open hand and crushed it into a fist. This action brought the pieces of the Eclipse Sphere back into one. "Prepare to attack."