Imperial Revision

by The Sound of Loneliness


Freedom Is Not Free

Shadow’s neck burned, her legs ached and her eyes threatened to close for exhaustion, but the damnable magical chain together with the stone it was fused into refused to let her go. Her captor had broken her horn off, rendering her shapeshifting expertise useless.
But Shadow couldn’t give up, she had to warn her Mistress… if it wasn’t too late.

Shadow pulled on the chain with all her remaining strength again, hoping to at least move the rock, if not break her chain out. In a few more days she would be too weak to make the journey and there was no hope for the rescue, unless Her Majesty's sister told the Empress of her captured trophy herself. By the stars, this miserable cave could easily become her grave!

Shadow desperately pulled at her chain again, pushing with all four of her legs, but it was not to be. Eventually, her strength failed her and the changeling collapsed back to the ground, panting for air.
This was pointless. The chain wouldn’t break, the stone would not move. It was over the moment she allowed herself to get caught.

But she couldn’t give up. Shadow stubbornly got back to her hooves and pulled on the chain again. The bound around her neck cut into her, drawing from the changeling a sharp hiss. Shadow stopped to run her hoof under her collar, it was covered in her brownish blood. Looking down to her hooves, Shadow found a tiny puddle of the same liquid. No matter.
Shadow continued pulling on her chain.

“Shadow!” The changeling stopped where she stood, did someone just call for her? She carefully looked into the cavern, where the vaguely familiar voice came from. She didn’t see anyone in the dark passage, was her mind playing tricks on her from hunger?
“Shadow, your horn! Who did this to you?!” The changeling heard the same voice right next to herself, causing her to sharply recoil a few steps, her chain clanging across the floor. Turning her head to the source of the sound again, Shadow didn’t see anything… at first. In the dark of the cave, the changeling could vaguely see the outlines of a large pony.

“Princess Luna?” Shadow asked, not quite believing her ears. The shape approached her once again and Shadow noted the lack of hoof steps. This wasn’t right.

“I am here, Shadow,” the pony responded, drawing near to examine the chain. “Did… Celestia do this?”

“No, Your Highness,” Shadow responded cautiously.

“But this is Celestia’s imprint! Shadow, why did my sister put you here?” The shadowy Princess was becoming more and more anxious.

“It wasn’t Princess Celestia, Your Highness.”
Shadow proceeded to cautiously step out of hoof reach, “Your Highness, I fear Princess Celestia is no longer… herself.”

In the mournful silence that ensued neither mare moved, Shadow almost lost the Princess’ outline again. This was… abnormal, the shadows seemed to stick to her. The fact that even the Empress herself never demonstrated such an effect triggered Shadow’s sense of danger. This needed to be immediately researched.

“Princess, if I may,” Shadow respectfully addressed, with a tiny bow, “how did you find me?”

Luna stared at her for a single long moment before finally responding,
“I... sensed you here.” Luna made a few audible sniffs with her nose, “You have a particular smell.” The response only served to puzzle Shadow further, for it contradicted what she had been taught in training. Changelings didn’t smell nearly strong enough, it would alert their prey.

Shadow bowed deeply,
“I am grateful, Your Highness. Couldn’t you...” She nodded at the glittering chain.

“Oh... yes. I am sorry, I almost forgot.” The Princess momentarily lit her horn with the familiar blue aura she shared with the Empress and Shadow’s bind almost instantly disappeared in thin air, from whence it once came. Shadow reached for her neck and found no collar there. A burst of joy from being free again was quickly suppressed. Shadow had to keep a clear head, as always. Her Majesty needed to be warned.

“Your Highness, we have to return to Her Majesty.” Shadow determinedly stated, “She is in danger! Miss Rarity has given the armory keys to the hippogriffs!”

“Rarity did what?!” The silhouette recoiled in shock, “No… this has to have some explanation. Rarity would never do something like this without a dire need!”

“Your Highness, I’ve seen the deed with my own eyes! Miss Rarity conspires with Her Majesty’s enemy! Please, Your Highness! We must return to the palace!”

“...Yes, that we must. Hold on to me.” Shadow followed the command and hugged the Princess’ foreleg.
Luna lit her horn again, preparing a teleportation spell.
Pony magic always was a point of wonder and envy for changelings. Pony spellcasters could effortlessly lift the weight that otherwise took a dozen changelings to lift and this was only the banalest way of using their magic. Teleportation spells were out of reach even for the Queens.
Shadow felt the space warp around them, but the Princess suddenly stopped casting.

“Sombra,” she grunted. Shadow knew the name — the stories about the ‘Shadow King’ had reached even the changeling ears.

The cavern silently filled with smoke, until the King’s gassy outline established itself in front of them, gazing out with his two glowing eyes.

“What do you want?” the Princess asked straight away, clearly already tired of the ancient despot.

Sombra hesitantly waited,
“To say goodbye,” he pronounced, chagrined. “Would you… send this creature away for a moment?”

“Say what you will and be done with it.” The harshness of Luna's response made the ancient King chuckle sadly.

“Is this what I get from you now, my love? After I used up what I had left to reverse your cute pet’s actions? Is it not enough to earn some of your favor?”

“Did you really think I would simply forget everything you did after a single favor from you? You continue to disappoint.”

“Hmm… No, I suppose you won’t forget.” The King dropped his eyes to the ground, while Luna said nothing, “I only wanted to protect you, for once.”

“You are a fool, Sombra,” the Princess sighed. “Why couldn’t you just let it go? That way at least our sorrows would remain our own,” she continued more softly.

“Because I am a fool.” Another period of silence ensued.

“I don’t think we have anything else to say to each other.” Luna began re-casting her spell.

“There is one more thing, my love. Something you need to know.
”Luna, I had to cast another spell while you slumbered. One your friend wouldn't have let me to.

“What spell? Did you do something again?”

“I… did, my love. Tell me, what is the last thing you remember before you woke in this forest?” The unexpected question left Luna confused for a second.

“We… were in your cave.”

“I did not do that, my love.”

“What is it you didn’t do? Sombra, if you have something to say, speak plainly. We have something to attend to.”

“You are dead, my love.” The Princess recoiled a step back.

“Sombra, what are you saying? Is this some sort of a ruse?”

“There is no ruse, Luna. You are dead for five long moons now. One of the Guards shot you, mistaking you for one of the golems I built. Was there snow in Canterlot premises when you last remember?”

“You lie!” Luna yelled suddenly. Sombra simply chuckled again.

“Ask this creature then.” The King shifted his burning gaze to the changeling still quietly standing beside Luna, “Tell us, wretch, what did you see in that room inside my palace?” Shadow didn’t produce a sound, revealing information was not her prerogative, “You won’t even tell the Princess the truth about herself?”

“Sombra, stop this charade. What do you want?”

“For you to know the truth. Luna, if this tool won’t help us, I would have to demonstrate. You’ll wish you had cooperated,” The King warned Shadow.

Sombra proceeded to draw closer and hit Luna on the forehead with his horn, Luna blinked from surprise.

“I am sorry, my love,” the ancient King said before retreating back out of the cave.

“Princess, do you feel differently?” Shadow quickly asked. For a second, Luna didn’t answer,

“I… am hungry,” Luna responded, surprising herself with the answer.

“The palace staff will be glad to alleviate.”

“It’s not that kind of hunger. Shadow you smell so...” Luna suddenly sniffed the air and looked down at the changeling.

“Princess?” Shadow recoiled from Luna, who started drifting nearer.

“...rich,” Luna finished her sentence.

“Princess?!” Luna heard a distant, panicking yelp.