The Legend of a Shadowmare 2: Journey for Firefly

by JasontheDemon

One Big Happy Family

It was dark... no, more than dark, it was pitch black. Nothing to see or to hear in the silent void surrounding him. No light, no sound, no warmth... no hope. Just as the thick shroud of nothingness was about to consume the stallion with inescapable depression, a light came on. It was like a spotlight that originated from nowhere. It was shining on a familiar figure. Ashy red coat; bat-like wings, five pointed horns, a crimson mane and tail... and two of the most startling red eyes you could ever see. The form before the stallion was a mirror image of himself, except this being was restrained by locks and chains, suspending him in midair.

“Wh-who are you?” the stallion asked as he approached the dark, mysterious copy of himself.

His doppelganger had his head hung down, shadows fell upon his face, making him seem almost dead. “Who am I? I am you... the part you sealed away.” His voice was deep, vicious, and dark.

“What do you want with me?” the stallion asked, hoping for a way out of the emptiness that surrounded the two.

A sinister chuckle escaped the copy’s mouth. “What do I want with you? You are the one who came here. You know HE is coming back and you are afraid. But if you really wish to know what I want, I’ll tell you...”. His head snapped up and he yelled with glowing, rage filled eyes.

Daemon awoke with a gasp, trembling from the recurring nightmare. It was the sixth time in two weeks that he had been awoken by the horrible dream. He was losing his sleep over what he believed it meant. He thought that his rage that had been sealed away seven years ago was getting restless and deep within the recesses of his mind, it was screaming to get back out. That wasn’t what terrified him though. What was really getting under his skin was what it said... ‘HE is coming back’. Daemon could only think of one who was able to even come back, the one who had nearly driven the Shadowmares to extinction and wanted to destroy all those who he believed to be weaker than him... General Lux. Daemon had told Princess Celestia about his concerns but she assured that he wasn’t going to escape from his prison anytime soon. This didn’t stop Daemon from worrying however. The funny thing was that Daemon had a chance to send Lux to his death for his deeds, but Daemon said that he wouldn’t send anypony to their execution, no matter what they had done.

As Daemon sat up in bed, trying to calm himself, he heard a small yawn. “Daemon? Is there something wrong? Did you have the nightmare again?”.

“Yeah, but I’m fine Shy. It’s about time to get up anyway.”, Daemon responded. He looked at his beautiful wife and smiled. His heart always melted when he looked at her. She made him the happiest guy in the world and it was all because he lost his memory all those years ago. Daemon gave Fluttershy a small kiss and got up to wake his most precious jewel. He tiptoed out into the hall and stopped right outside the room that once was his. He cracked it open ever so gently to find a small form snoring softly under the bed sheets. Daemon gave a pleasant sigh at the sight before him, before noticing the pair of gleaming yellow eyes in the corner. Suddenly the great beast pounced on Daemon, driving him to the ground. It’s fangs were as large as kitchen knives, its claws were razor sharp, and it’s barbed tail was swishing back and forth in the air. The monster opened it’s mouth, neared Daemon’s face and then... he licked him three times in rapid succession.

“Yeah yeah, I love you too Sting. Now be a good manticore and wake Firefly up, will you?”

The manticore known as ‘Sting’ was Firefly’s faithful companion and loving pet. Daemon found him in the chicken coop when he was just a baby and decided to give him to Firefly as her first birthday present. Normally manticores are vicious, but if they are raised from a young age, they are the most loyal and dependable creature you can come across. They make guard dogs look like lazy slackers. Firefly loved Sting like her best friend... since she had few others who she could actually call friend. She wasn’t the most popular at school, being a Shadowmare and all, but she wasn’t despised. To most she was just sorta in between being loved and hated. However, her inability to make many friends didn’t bother her. In fact she often said that it helped her find ‘TRUE’ friends who like you for who you are. She had the same positive outlook on things like her father. That was another thing about her... Firefly was determined to be just like her dad. She acted like him (even if she was smarter), she loved music like him, and she even wanted to get a cutie mark just like he did. That was going to be the biggest problem for her. Daemon was only able to get his cutie mark because he was the foretold ‘Warrior of Peace’. He was special and unlike other Shadowmares because it was his fate... which meant that the odds of Firefly gaining her cutie mark were nearly non-existent. Firefly didn’t care though and she even joined the new generation of ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’ along with Pumpkin and Pound, the Cake twins. Yes, life right now was pure bliss.

“Sting! Knock it off! It’s too early to be up on a Saturday! He he he!”, Firefly giggled as her manticore friend licked her out of her slumber.

“Well good morning my little Shadowmare!”, Daemon said, snickering in the doorway.

Firefly smiled and responded, “Good morning daddy!”.

“What do think about getting breakfast at Sugarcube Corner?”, Daemon asked with a devilish grin.

Firefly gasped and bounced with glee, “Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”.

“Well come on then!” Daemon hollered from downstairs, putting his trademark black jacket and shoes on. Firefly started to rush downstairs and tripped. Daemon quickly flew under her and caught her before she slammed against the hard wood floor.

“You need to be more careful! If you got hurt I would never forgive myself!”, Daemon said while checking for any injuries. Firefly sniffled, her face told the whole story. She was never happy with scaring her parents, but her sadness also stemmed from her being less than earthpony, pegasus, and unicorn. She didn't possess great strength or endurance like Applejack, she couldn’t fly like Rainbow Dash and she had no horn to perform magic like Twilight Sparkle. That was the thing about Shadowmares, they weren’t exceptionally gifted unless they went through ‘The Ritual’. Daemon and Fluttershy decided that they would let Firefly choose if she ever wanted to go through with it. So far Fluttershy had mostly been against it, not because she was afraid of her baby changing and looking like a whole new pony. No, Fluttershy was completely fine with the striking Shadowmare appearance... it was everypony else that she was worried about. They could tease her, or worse, shun her for being different. At least this way she was mostly normal. Daemon on the other hand was just waiting for the day when she would finally ask to go through the magical Shadowmare rite of passage. He was eager to teach her all kinds of things about flying and casting spells, but until the words flowed from her mouth, he would just have to wait.

On the way to Sugarcube Corner, Firefly cheered up as she saw Pumpkin and Pound Cake. They were bickering over some random thing like they always did, when they caught eye of the two Shadowmares approaching them. Pound flew at Firefly and tackled her.

“Squirt! How have you been?! Are you going somewhere?! Where are you going?! Are you excited for your-”

*SLAM!*

Pumpkin used her magic to shove Pounds face into the dirt. The twins took on some of Pinkies traits. Pound Cake was hyperactive and loved to talk at insanely fast speeds. Pumpkin Cake had the mysterious ‘Pinkie Sense’ and was able to seemingly bend the laws of reality. Both were like older siblings to the little filly (even if they were only two years older).

“Hey sweetie. How are you doing?” Pumpkin asked as she trotted over to Firefly.

“Great! We were just about to go to Sugarcube corner!”

Pound pulled his head from the ground and asked, “Do you know why?! Oh man, I am so excited!”.

Firefly just looked at him awkwardly and shook her head in confusion. The pegasus raised a hoof and inhaled deeply to tell her what he was going on about, but a zipper magically appeared and sealed his mouth shut.

“Oh no you don’t! You are not going to ruin it this time!” Pumpkin barked.

“What are you guys talking about?!” Firefly squealed in frustration.

Daemon knelt by her and asked, “Don’t you know what day it is?”

“Uh... Saturday?”, she replied. Her cluelessness made Daemon laugh. She certainly was a chip off the old block.

“Better... think about it. What were you too excited about to fall asleep last night?”

Firefly plopped on the ground and held a hoof to her lips, thinking deeply. The three ponies surrounded her with big grins, waiting for it to come to her. After a few moments her eyes glistened and a huge adorable smile stretched across her face.

“MY BIRTHDAY! IT’S TODAY!”

“That’s right... now lets go to the party! Everypony is waiting for us!”.

Firefly bounced all the way to Sugarcube Corner, unable to contain her joy. Daemon and the twins just followed her happy to see her in such a wonderful mood. She was positively beaming with glee as she opened the door.

Everypony popped out from their respective hiding places and yelled, “Surprise!”, but they noticed that she didn’t seem as surprised as they expected her to be. After Daemon walked in he felt a hoof smack against the back of his head. It was none other than Desdemona, upset with him once again

“How did you blow it this time?”, she asked Daemon, who was still rubbing the spot where she hit him.

“What makes you think I told her?!”

“I seriously doubt that Pumpkin would have told her, and after what happened last year I know Pound wouldn't... so that leaves you numbskull!”

Daemon giggled in a sprightly manner and replied, “Okay, you caught me, but I think it’s better this way! I mean it’s not right to forget about such a great day!”.

“You said it!”, Pinkie Pie chimed in from the back. Everypony was there to celebrate. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Aura Flash, Ezreal Lightmane... even the original Cutie Mark Crusaders! The only one who wasn’t there was Flara... since she was in charge of guarding Princess Celestia and containing General Lux, she spent very little time away from her post. Even though she wasn’t there personally, she still sent a gift... another spear. For some reason she believed that the best way to keep Firefly safe was to teach her how to use deadly weaponry. The others gave her gifts that also matched their personalities. Twilight’s gift was a book; Rarity gave a dress; Ezreal thought it would be funny to give her a spring-loaded can filled with fake snakes... he was punched by Desdemona. The greatest gift came from her parents though. Since Daemon had been playing in his own band with Ezreal and Aura, he had become quite famous across Equestria. He had earned a small fortune from the many concerts he put on and was easily able to buy anything that they wanted, so when he asked Firefly what she wanted most in the world and told her that he would make it happen, everypony knew he wasn’t just blowing smoke... that was left to Spike.

“Sun Shine! You can bring out the cake!” Pinkie yelled towards the kitchen. A Lightmare came out and was holding a yellow cake with pink letters that said ‘Happy 5th Birthday Firefly!’. The Lightmare known as Sun Shine was the same Lightmare that had been designated to serve the Cake family. After she was informed that she was free of her community service, she did what many other Lightmares decided to do... she asked to help of her own free will. The Lightmares that spanned across Equestria became attached to the families that they were assigned to and desired to stay close to those who taught them things of the outside world.

Daemon asked what Firefly greatest wish was right as she was about to blow out the candles on her cake. The crowd gathered close, listening intently as the little filly focused on what she desired most. Her expression grew determined as she mentally made her final choice.

“I... I want... I want to do ‘The Ritual’ and be just like you!”, she exclaimed, blowing out her candles right after making her wish. A hush came over the room as nopony new what to say. The silence was broken by Daemon.

“WOO! THAT’S MY GIRL!”, he shouted as he lept into the air.

Fluttershy brought him back down and whispered, “Meet me in the kitchen.”.

After Daemon entered the kitchen, Fluttershy was found pacing with a worried look.

“What’s wrong?”

Fluttershy stared at him in disbelief. “What’s wrong? WHAT’S WRONG?! Didn’t you hear her?! She wants to go through that ritual! What if something happens?! What if she isn’t the same sweet filly when she changes?!”, She bawled. Daemon went over to comfort her, wrapping his arms around her and embracing her in a tight hug.

“She will be just fine, I promise. There’s nothing to worry about. Besides we always told her that it was her choice... we can’t say no to her now. Trust me when I say it’s completely safe.”, Daemon said, wiping a tear from Fluttershy’s eye.

“Now let’s get back to the party. I’m sure they are having fun without me- US! I meant us!”. Fluttershy laughed and followed Daemon back to the celebration.

The games were beginning and Daemon had just barely managed to get a turn on ‘pin the tail on the pony’. he somehow managed to completely miss and end up pinning a second tail on Desdemona. It was a good thing it stuck with the use of tape and not a pin or else Desdemona would have threw his head into a toilet instead of laughing. Okay, maybe she wouldn’t have gave Daemon a swirly but that was only for Firefly’s sake. Firefly was like her niece and she would often call Desdemona ‘Auntie D. Monica’ (yes, young Shadowmare picked up the nickname that Daemon used). Desdemonas attitude since Lux was locked away had greatly improved. She still had that mean streak in her, she just didn’t show it as often, especially around Firefly. Ezreal was still a slacker at heart, but he was starting to grow fond of Pinkie Pie. Even though Rainbow Dash was a better match for him, something about her quirky, silly attitude attracted him... not to mention how he loved her curly bouncing mane. Aura was currently still dating Applejack. They didn’t always agree and sometimes hit a few arguments that ended up with them not talking to each other... Aura wasn’t much of a talker in the first place but when he was doing it on purpose it felt very different. They always managed to bounce back and apologize though.

When the party games were over, then came the finale. Aura sat on a stool behind some drums, Ezreal strapped on a bass... and Daemon took a small device from his jacket. With a press of a button the small rectangular box converted into his newly upgraded guitar. The only difference was he could carry it around in his pocket. Other than that it was exactly the same. The band hadn’t played a concert in two years, but they often played for the amusement of others in Ponyville, especially Daemon. The crimson maned stallion would go around town daily and just play for those he happened to spot. He liked bringing smiles to the faces of random ponies... but he loved playing for his daughter. He started out playing a few notes, but messed up and had to start over. When he gave it a second try, it sounded no different and cursed under his breath. He gave it one last shot and nailed it. He started singing a gentle melody of life and hoped that those listening would have ‘the time of their life’. Daemon sang of the unpredictability of everything and how you were led by fate. It was a beautiful song and when he looked into the eyes of his little filly she was tearing up... it was a priceless moment in time that everypony wished would last forever.

After the party was over and the sun had set, a question still roamed through the mind of the precious birthday girl. When she was tucked in she had to ask.

“Mommy? Daddy? Am I really going to do ‘The Ritual’?”.

Firefly looked to her mother, who simply smiled.

“Well we talked it over and if it’s what you really want...”. Firefly’s eyes lit up and she gave her parents the biggest hug she could muster.

“Thank you! I promise I’ll be the best Shadowmare ever! I’ll fly and learn magic and-”

“Whoa there!”, Daemon interrupted. “You still have to wait till tomorrow before we can do it! It’s not exactly easy to pull off and I’ll need Auntie D.’s help to make it work.”. Hearing her father’s words made her ears fall.

“Think of it this way... the sooner you fall asleep, the sooner you will wake up tomorrow.” Fluttershy reminded her, before kissing her goodnight.

Once they had left the room, Daemon was hesitant to go to sleep himself. He knew that he would be haunted by the same nightmare. Even after ridding himself of his flaw, the rage inside him had found another way to torment him in his dreams. Firefly didn’t have a flaw as far as they could tell. She was unique, gifted... miraculous to behold. As he drifted off into his inevitable slumber, he swore to himself that he would never let any harm come to his beloved daughter... even at the cost of his life.