//------------------------------//
// Shadows 
// Story: The Rings of Dusk 
// by Scribblestick 
//------------------------------//

Unicorns... Pegasi... Alicorns... Relics...

The four words circled around and around in Twilight's mind, like shining hooks upon which she hung scraps of memory. Mental strands wove through and around each bit of information, forming and reforming in ever-changing webs. Unicorns... Pegasi... Alicorns... but no earth ponies. Why had they been excluded from her notes?

The simplest answer lay in the nature of alicorns - wings of a pegasi, horns of a unicorn, but nothing distinctive from earth ponies. Simplest, perhaps, but that was what Twilight hated most about it. Spike had said her notes contained detailed diagrams of pegasus wings and unicorn spells. Why hadn't she delved into the unique qualities of earth ponies? Or, perhaps more accurately, why had her research materials led her to believe that such a search was unnecessary?

It was frustrating to her that Spike couldn't differentiate between her notes and the materials upon which her notes were based. Her frustration wasn't directed toward him, but rather at the uncertainty it created in her analysis. Where did her factual basis end, and her own speculation begin?

Twilight shook her head and shivered against the cold. Unicorns. Pegasi. Alicorns. Relics. Spike said he'd found a picture of the rings somewhere in her materials. Had she been searching for them all along? Given their powerful nature, she had to assume they were the goal of her initial trip into the forest. She opened her mental file of the rings and reviewed the facts. They could suppress magic and prevent flight. Clearly, they were not designed to be worn by an earth pony. They only worked when worn together, which meant pegasi, lacking horns, could not be their intended wearers. A unicorn could wear both, but why bother preventing the flight of a flightless creature?

No, she decided, these rings were intended to be used on alicorns. Given their ancient origins, that meant they were meant to be worn by Princess Celestia or Princess Luna.

Perhaps that was why earth ponies had no place among her notes. As Luna has said earlier, alicorns possessed the magic of both pegasi and unicorns, so it would make sense that her research had focused on those two pony types so extensively. But why the weather patterns? And why the progress of early Equestrian magic? Perhaps the creation of these artifacts required some aspect of both abilities? But without knowing more about their origins, that line of thinking amounted to little more than speculation.

Twilight massaged her temple against a growing headache - one born of extended thought, rather than whatever affliction she suffered through. She took a deep breath and let her thoughts settle. Sometimes, it was best to give the web some space.

A branch snapped nearby. Her head whipped around. She saw nothing in the gloom, but scanned the darkness anyway for a sign of movement. Spike snored beside her, and Luna was sound asleep. Her heart thudded in her chest. She was hard-pressed to remember a time she had felt more vulnerable.

Then she saw them - the glowing red eyes watching her from just inside the treeline. For an instant, she thought she would bolt in the opposite direction, but she forced that instinct down with every bit of strength she had. She stood, careful not to rouse Spike, and faced the creature. "What do you want?" she called.

Twilight...

The voice echoed through her mind, creating a jab of pain as it went. Twilight shook off the sensation and returned her gaze to the creature. "That's me," she said. "What do you want?"

We want Dusk...

There was something about the way it said that word, Dusk. Twilight was certain it was intended to be a name. "I'm not Dusk. I'm Twilight," she answered. "You have the wrong pony."

Twilight... Dusk... TWILIGHT... DUSK...

The pain grew in Twilight's head, so great her vision blurred, and she was forced to close her eyes just to keep the ache contained. When she opened them again, the eyes had gone.





"It was just one," Twilight explained as dawn rose upon their little camp. Luna ate her breakfast in silence as Twilight relayed the events of the night. "I don't know what it wanted. It just said Twilight and Dusk over and over, and then disappeared."

Luna nodded as she swallowed her food. "Just like your dream."

"Just like my dream."

It was Twilight's turn to eat while Luna spoke. "You did not run. This, in itself, is encouraging; you seem to have greater control over your reaction to these creatures. However, it is concerning that you saw this creature, even while wearing the rings. It suggests that this shimmer you spoke of is beginning to break through their magic."

"That's just it. There was no shimmer," Twilight answered. "It wasn't like in the cave. I didn't see a huge plain, and you and Spike were still there. Everything else was just as it should have been."

Luna nodded. "Then, perhaps, these creatures have learned to find you in the real world. What do you make of it?"

Twilight tapped her hoof thoughtfully. "For starters, it means these creatures are real. They're not just in my mind. That means they're a real threat, but it also means you can help me fight them if we have to."

"That also means they can fight us," Spike said. He was busy stuffing supplies into his backpack - extra bandages, spare gemstones, and a few scrolls he'd brought in case they needed to send a message to Princess Celestia.

"Indeed." Luna swallowed the last of her breakfast and stood. "We must redouble our vigilance. We do not yet know the full extend of their capabilities."

Twilight stood as well. "Spike, write this down." Spike dutifully opened one of his scrolls and held a quill ready. "Dear Princess Celestia," she started, then stopped. "What should we tell her?"

"What do you mean?" Spike asked. "We should just tell her what happened."

"If she hears Luna is hurt, she'll come after us," Twilight explained.

Spike frowned. "And that's... bad?"

"It's..." Twilight wasn't sure how to speak her thought out loud. "I don't know if it's a good idea for her to be out here with us."

"Seems like we can use all the help we can get, especially since you decided none of our friends should come along," Spike replied. Twilight shot him a dirty look. "I'm just saying. Having more ponies to help would give us more options."

MORE PONIES.

The deafening whisper made Twilight jump. Before she could recover, a shadow streaked from the forest and struck her side, knocking her to the ground. She heard Luna's magic and Spike yelling. She scrambled to her hooves and whipped her head around, searching for her attacker. She had just enough time to see the shadow carrying a screaming Spike into the forest, Luna's magic bolt missing it by a hair's breadth. "Come," Luna said, racing past Twilight at a full gallop. Twilight followed. "That creature won't get away from us!"





Spike screamed Twilight and Luna's names as the clearing quickly disappeared from view. He swung his arms and legs at his captor, but was unable to break free. The creature moved faster than anything he'd ever seen, even Rainbow Dash in a full dive. It swerved and wove through the trees, and Spike soon found himself completely disoriented and somewhat nauseated.

It was that second part that saved him. A flaming burp that escaped his mouth must have startled the creature, because it suddenly let go of him and darted away. Spike crashed into a puddle. Spluttering, he pushed himself up and looked for the creature. It didn't take long to find it whizzing in circles above its head, its glowing eyes painting red streaks against the green canopy and patches of blue sky.

Spike picked up a stick, the only weapon he could find nearby, and held it in front of him. He'd often dreamed of being a mighty warrior, but now that he stood alone, facing a monster of unknown power, he began to have second thoughts. He gripped the stick with both claws and did his best to keep it between himself and the creature. It lunged toward him a few times, but never made contact. Spike wanted to believe it was too afraid to strike, but doubted it very much.

After what felt like forever, the sound of hoofbeats reached Spike's ears. The creature's darting paused, and Spike swore in turned to listen. "Hah! Not so tough now!" he said, hoping he sounded tougher than he felt. "Just wait 'til Twilight and Luna get here. You'll be sorry!"

To his surprise, the creature darted away, weaving through the trees. Spike stood still for a moment, half-expecting the creature to double back and ambush him. When nothing hit him from behind, he dropped the stick and took a moment to catch his breath.

He stood alone, surrounded by dense, tangled trees and shrubs. The forest was unnervingly quiet, save the sound of his own breathing and the approaching hoofbeats. What he'd thought was a puddle turned out to be a small freshwater pond, fed by a tiny stream. At its center stood a stone obelisk, very much like the one they'd found last night. He wondered if it might have secret markings, too, but that could wait. The hoofbeats grew louder, running in his direction. He ran out to meet them. "Twilight!" he called. "Luna! Over - ow!"

Spike crashed headlong into something soft and furry. When the daze wore off, he found himself facing an unfamiliar orange face that was nearly overrun by a dark blue mane. "S-Sorry," he stammered. "I'm, uh, looking for somepony."

"Somepony?" The pony's face broke into a wide grin. "It's your lucky day. I'm a pony."

"Y-Yeah, but, I meant somepony I actually know," Spike said, getting to his feet.

"Oh. Yeah." The pony frowned and tapped his chin. Then, he grinned again. "Easy fix! I'll tell you my name, and then you'll know me."

Spike wasn't sure what to make of him. He was definitely an earth pony, unless his unkempt made was hiding a horn. His oversized leather saddle bags covered his cutie mark completely. Other than his wild mane style, there was nothing especially remarkable about him.

"Okay," Spike said, "I'm Spike."

"Spike." He repeated. "That's a good name. I'm Tinker."

"Tinker." It seemed an appropriate name. "You haven't seen two alicorns wandering around, have you?"

"Alicorns?" Tinker laughed. "I wish. Nope, haven't seen anypony but me. Well, and Inky, but it looks like it's gone now. Didn't hurt you, did it?"

"Inky?" Spike repeated. "You mean that shadow monster?"

"That's the one. I've been out here trying to figure out what's up with that thing for a while now. Hence my... unique mane style." Tinker walked over to the pond and took a long gulp of water. "Hey, at least it dropped you off somewhere you could get a drink."

"Wait, so, you're an expert about it?" Spike pressed. "My friends and I are trying to learn about it, too."

Tinker's grin widened. "No kidding? Well, lucky thing I met you then." He paused to adjust his saddle bags. Spike saw what looked like a few herbs sticking out of them. "Let's go to my house. I'll send up a signal so your friends can find you. You said they were alicorns, right?" Spike nodded. "Awesome. Always wanted to meet one of those."