//------------------------------// // 9~Empire of Light // Story: The Shadow's Edge // by Centurion Pike-Wall //------------------------------// Twilight huffed as she finally came down to the bottom of the stairs. "Whew! What was King Sombra's obsession with stairs?" "You tell me", Spike said, gripping his knees as he let out his own ragged breath. The two of them moved to the base of the citadel, Twilight being careful to keep the shining, heart-shaped crystal out of sight from the Crystal Ponies that milled around. She waved to Applejack, who stood near a covered plinth directly below the Citadel. "What took ya so long?", Applejack hissed, lifting up one side of the cover to reveal the fake. Twilight said, "Sorry. I got caught in a trap. It took me a while to get out. I sent Spike ahead, but-" "I don't have long legs", Spike said, climbing on Twilight's back and taking the fake off its pedestal. "And Sombra had a fetish for stairs." "Spike!?", Twilight hissed, taking the fake and passing Spike the real Crystal Heart with her magic. "Where did you learn that word?" "Let's just say that Princess Celestia has some weird books in her personal library", Spike replied. As he placed the blood gem upon the pedestal, the snowflake-shaped pattern beneath the citadel began to glow. Beams of blue light shot out as the Heat began to spin. All around them, the Crystal Ponies stopped what they were doing to watch, excitement overwhelming what remained of their despair. A dome of light expanded outward, causing the coats of all those it came into contact with to sparkle. A beam of light shot up into the sky, multi-hued beams of light spreading outward and towards Equestria. Cheers and the stamping of hooves accompanied the low warbling of powerful magic. Twilight looked over to Applejack, both of them marveling at the gleaming crystalline coats. "You look amazing, Applejack!", Twilight said. Spike couldn't help but grin, looking around. "Yeah. This is so cool!" The others soon joined them, Rarity giggling like a madpony as she gazed at her coat. "By the Princess'!", she cried. "I look absolutely fabulous!" "Gotta admit", Rainbow said, twisting around in the air as she examined her coat and wings. "I could get used to this!" "I'M SO GLITTERY!", Pinkie yelled, drawing a wave of laughter from her friends. Twilight shared their smile, before it drooped. "I just wish Shining could see this." The others dropped their own enthusiasm, looking to their sullen friend with sympathy. Fluttershy placed a hoof on her shoulder, saying, "We'll help you find him, Twilight. Don't worry." "Yeah", Pinkie said. "We aren't just gonna help out at his wedding and then let him disappear on us!" "No", a new voice said. They all turned around, watching as Cadence made her appearance. None of them had seen her since their own arrival; after she had greeted them and given them a brief update, she had more or less secluded herself in the Citadel. Twilight, sharing her grief at Shining going missing, had thrown herself into preparing the Crystal Faire to try and ignore it. "I'm not leaving my Shining out there with him", Cadence said, her harsh expression contrasting with the soft glow put off by her coat. Twin flares of magic signaled the arrival of the Royal Sisters, who appeared near them. "We are sorry to hear about Shining Armor, but-" "There is no 'but', Auntie", Cadence said, glaring at Celestia. "I don't care if I have to scour every inch of the Frozen North! I am going to find him!" "My sister is not saying that we would hinder you in any way, Cadence", Luna said. "However, we cannot simply leave the Crystal Empire without a leader." "Yes", Celestia said. "Sombra murdered the old Royal Family, and with him gone-" "I don't care!", Cadence said. "You don't get it, do you!? I don't care about any of that! I just want my Shiny back!" The Royal Sisters looked at one another, practically stunned into silence. Cadence continued to glare at them, eyes narrowed and nostrils flared. Twilight couldn't help but be reminded of Shining Armor when he was angry; the wrath of her brother when he was really mad was something she wouldn't wish on anypony. "Princess, Cadence is right", Twilight said. "He's my brother. I'm not just going to abandon him. Especially not with Sombra still out there." "Sombra lives?", Luna asked. Cadence said, "He hasn't been seen since... since he took Shiny. Not even when the girls were trying to find the Crystal Heart or run the Faire." "Very well", Celestia said. "We'll need to work this out better, but I can understand your desire to find him. My apologies for my callousness; I... I merely got ahead of myself." "Besides, it shouldn't be too hard", Luna offered. "If we can get ahold of some of his fur or mane, then we can cast a spell to find him." "No, we can't", Twilight said. As soon as the words left her mouth, she clamped both hooves over her mouth. Everypony was staring at her, confusion adorning most of their faces. The exceptions were Cadence and Celestia, who wore looks that signaled both that they knew what she meant and shared her melancholy. "She's right", Celestia said. "Most tracking spells simply... won't work for my Captain." "What do you mean, Princess?", Rarity asked. "It's just magic. Why wouldn't it work?" "Most tracking spells are based around finding the life force of a creature", Celestia explained. "I'm afraid, that in Shining Armor's case, it simply won't be possible with those spells that exist." "What are you saying, sister?", Luna asked. "Is Shining Armor... undead?" "No!", Cadence said. "He's just... He isn't like other ponies." Celestia held up a hoof, preemptively putting a halt to the wave of questions from both her sisters and the Bearers of the Elements. "Such things are perhaps better discussed inside. Come; Cadence, Twilight, and myself will explain everything." The three named ponies led the others up into the Citadel, the celebration of the Crystal Ponies echoing around them.