//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 - Shadowfall 
// Story: The Twilight Struggle 
// by Lapis-Lazuli and Stitch 
//------------------------------//

The Everfree Forest, 7 Hours until Sunrise

Her hoofsteps were slow and deliberate, the sound swallowed up by the warm, suffocating darkness of midsummer's eve in the forest.  Time had no meaning here in the depths of the night, the light of the moon that hung above smothered out by the thick foliage from century’s old trees, each watching the solitary pony that made her way through the winding paths of the forest.  Only the barest hint of breeze relieved the warmth beneath the branches, seeming to catch the multi-hued mane and tail in its grasp and gently keep it brushed back from her abnormally clear eyes. Another hoof came down, and another, the pace as deliberate as the ticking of a clock.

Twilight's mind had long ago abandoned understanding what was going on. She had been ensnared, enraptured, her defenses worn to the merest nubbin. For all of her knowledge, her wisdom and inquisitiveness, she was just as vulnerable to the bite of fatigue, and the sweet sound of honeyed words upon a silver tongue. Those ancient weaknesses always been the greatest foes of even the most dauntless hero, and Twilight Sparkle was no better than they at resisting them.  

Time meant nothing to her, she only knew there was a place she needed to be, and a time she needed to be there. Shadow and darkness closed in behind her, wiping away her steps and any sign of her passing. A sinister power conspired to hide her very presence, and drove away all creatures who might seek to stop her.

The time was coming, and soon the world would change once again.  Music seemed to play from every brush of her hooves against the grass. Serene notes of music brushed up against the only ears that could hear it, and it was as though every nerve in her body was more alive than it had ever been before. Magic, as pure and as undiluted as she had ever sensed it, seemed to flow through her body without rhyme or reason.

The sensations drove a deep, slow heartbeat that seemed to emanate from the very earth around her, it was like walking inside the force of magic itself.  Even as her logical mind screamed and tried to force her to stop and make sense of it all, the sensation was far too deep, far too sensual and alluring for the unicorn to break away on her own.  The voice in her head just seemed to become more pleased with her with every step she took, the brush of its words like a warm fuzzy blanket to cuddle up to against the storms of thought and reason. 

~You're such a good little filly, Twilight. It wont be long now, and your questions will all be answered.~

A bright, if hazy smile lit up the Unicorn's face - she wanted to speed her step, to get to the answers quicker. Yet her hooves remained slow and sedate in their locomotion, her eyes focused, straining ahead as though if she looked hard enough she could see some of the answers her mind already hungered for. Her lips gently slipped open and a soft sigh of pleasure and impatience escaped from her throat. 

Surely, the voice could hurry, she wanted to get back to the party with her friends and tell them all about the new things she had learned. The voice laughed gently, a laugh she knew was meant only for her, that sent a shiver and a chill down her spine like a slow, electric jolt that suffused her limbs with tingling sensation.

~Oh my dear, dear Twilight. Fret not. You will have all the time in the world to tell your friends about what you've learned.~

Ponyville Town Square, 7 Hours until sunrise 

Spitfire was already gone. 

This of course, disappointed Rainbow Dash who was always happy to spend more time around a Wonderbolt, especially Spitfire. Duty called however, and Dash was off like a shot the instant Spitfire had taken off, her speed sufficient to quickly circle the entirety of the festivities, none of whom noticed her apparent seriousness this far into the party.  Finding Spike, however was not as easy as she had first assumed, realizing that the young dragon could conceivably be anywhere tonight. 

There were at least two dozen different places inside the town where Spike might've wandered off to, and three times that in places outside of town. Spike was legendary for finding the strangest places to take naps or to get down with a bowl full of gems and dance the night away. 

Dash hesitated in midair for a moment, knowing that involving other ponies could cause a bit of a panic, but there was no choice. With no sign of the dragon to deliver the letter to Celestia, Dash instead focused on rounding up a posse. Applejack first, then Pinkie Pie, between the three of them they could find spike - Then, they could find Twilight.  Plan firmly in mind, the pegasus pivoted in midair and took off for the Apple Family pavilion.

It took her exactly sixty-three point oh-four seconds, not counting the time she'd spent dithering in the air. Applejack was amidst a massive crowd of personal relations, friends, and well-wishers. Not to mention, of course, the truly epic crowd her early spring cider pressing had drawn in. It didn't take an egghead genius to know they were going to be making some truly amazing bank tonight, but right now none of that meant a thing to Rainbow Dash, who grabbed the cheerful earth pony by the shoulder and dragged her off behind one of the piles of cider barrels. 

For her part, Applejack only got about three words into an angry tirade before her mouth was stuffed with a cyan hoof and a look of serious desperation on Rainbow Dash's face made her stop and calm down.. Dash removed her hoof and spoke quickly, quietly. "No time to get into details, AJ, but Twilight's in trouble. We need to find spike as of ten minutes ago! I don't know who else to ask for help!"

Applejack re-seated her hat and nodded decisively. "Well ya' come to the right pony, Dash. Lemmie round up Big Mac and Apple Bloom, they've found some of spikes secret nappin' spots before."  Rainbow dash nodded enthusiastically and took to the skies as Applejack turned and started shouting commands at the members of the Apple Family all around her. Well, it would be a bit of a crowd, but maybe it would help speed up the search. Dash focused instead on strafing the towns every nook and cranny, sharp eyes ever searching for the little purple dragon, or his unicorn friend.

The Skies above Equestria, 4 hours before Sunrise

Breathing. Wingbeats. Course correction. Check heading, adjust primaries. More wingbeats. More breathing. Gliding, taking a moment to rest her aching wing muscles.

Distance flying was not the typical training for a Wonderbolt. Fast maneuvers, speed, lightning reflexes and superior handling in the air were the defining features of the prime flying team in the entire world. No one, not even the Griffon Special Deployment team could match them when it came to midair maneuver and what was often referred to as ‘dog fighting’ tactics, for its resemblance to diamond dogs leaping, striking and dodging each other in their ritual combat. 

Spitfire, however, was not a typical Wonderbolt, not after nearly a decade of service in the Equestrian Air Force.  She had trained herself, pushed her limits far beyond the typical Pegasus, so much so that she’d often been hassled for her seemingly hard-nosed dedication to training programs most Wonderbolts deemed to be too silly, or too unnecessary for their air shows. 

It had only been with the attack on Canterlot by the changeling army, now just a year in the past, that had proven that the readiness of the Wonderbolts was woefully out of date.  Even Soarin had admitted that their inability to respond to the emergency in time had been a black stain on the honor of their unit, and since then they had been performing distance and speed runs to prepare them for the day they might be called upon once again.

Today, that hard work was paying off in fruits beyond measure. She would be very tired upon arriving at the Everfree Guard Post, but it would not take her long for her stamina to return provided they had the emergency rations Celestia had ordered created for courier emergencies such as these. She beat her wings harder and turned her body into a perfect dive, feeling the wind whip past her chapped cheeks as the guard outpost’s signal light came into view over the horizon. Her goal in sight, she beat her wings furiously towards it, trying to get there all the faster to deliver the vital messages.

Without warning, a massive tendril of shadow reached up out of the Everfree forest below her and swiped at her flying form, coming down with an obviously overpowering amount of force towards the tired Pegasus. Spitfire didn’t even give the slowpoke a second glance, pulling a perfect Immelman maneuver right around the falling tentacle and using her new momentum to dive forward at even greater speeds. By the time the tentacle had come back for a second swing, Spitfire was well outside the range of the forest, sticking her tongue out at the force that had tried to stop her. 

It was all the proof she needed for her suspicion that Twilight was in the forest, and some dark force had either tricked, or captured her and was holding her within. She spun a tight turn towards the guard base’s courier landing strip, where a startled pair of earth ponies stared at her flaming trail coming blazing towards them. One of them ran for the command post, while the other hurriedly ran down the strip, lighting the oil lanterns to provide Spitfire with an easy landing approach, as the Pegasus descended to the earth, missive clutched against her breast and the hope that time would still be on her side.

Ponyvillle, 4 Hours before sunrise 

Spike was nowhere to be found.

Pinkie pie had rallied a fair number of ponyville's citizens into the search, turning it into a massive game of hide-and-go-seek, with a big prize for finding Spike who had spent all day finding a hiding spot. Or so she had told them at least, in truth the combined efforts of the Apple Family on the ground, Rainbow dash and several members of her weather team in the sky, and Pinkie Pie being...well, Pinkie Pie...neither tail nor scale of Spike had been found anywhere in town. Nor had any sign been found of Twilight Sparkle. 

Pinkie Pie and Applejack stood in front of the town hall, even as Rarity was being nosed along by a somewhat red-cheeked fluttershy. Rainbow Dash landed amidst them and could only trade a worried glance with Applejack. "Nothing?"

Each other pony shook their head in the negative, even as Rarity let off a loud groan, sinking to a sit.  “Darling, you mean to tell me she’s STILL nowhere to be found?” That was enough to get a withering look from the rest of the ponies that served to suitably chastise her in her dramatics.  Dash puffed out her cheeks and set her hooves for a moment, preparing to make a command decision when her eyes caught a bright light on the far horizon. Whipping herself into the air to make sure, she grabbed a nearby empty glass bottle and pressed her eye up against it to magnify the light, hoping beyond hope the news would be good.

The first green magical flare told her Spitfire had made it to the guard base. The red flare, followed by a blue told her that the VIP was still missing. That brought a heavy frown to Dash’s face, but the third flare confirmed her worst fear, that the target, meaning Twilight Sparkle, was thought to be somewhere inside the Everfree forest.

Rainbow Dash sank to her flanks on the dirt below, her closest friends watching her with a mixture of worry and fear on their faces. Dash took a moment and tried to smile encouragingly at them, but this whole leadership business was Twilight’s gig, not hers. Even worse, the Everfree Forest was massive, spanning hundreds of miles of dense foliage, winding paths, ancient ruins and deadly, mysterious monsters. To say nothing of the possibility of underground tunnels, caves, and at least two raging rivers she was aware of.  Even with Fluttershy, doing a thorough search of that place could take days.  Days they did not have to spare.  She inhaled again and spoke as decisively as she could possibly manage in this difficult moment. “Okay guys. Get your stuff together. We’re going in after her. “

 The Ponyville Train Station, 3 hours before sunrise. 

Eight train pulling earth ponies came to an exhausted stop in front of the station. Nurse Redheart, ready with her small battalion of assistants, immediately brought forage, water and medical aid to them, even as Shining Armor strode out of the train, sparing only a moment to stop in front of those who had gotten him here so fast. He bowed to them, touching his horn to the earth in front of him  and speaking in a low, gravelly tone. “I thank you, one and all. Your assistance will not go unrewarded or forgotten.” Then, he was off.  

Shining Armor at full speed was an intimidating enough sight. Shining Armor at full speed in his unicorn and earth pony forged battle armor was even scarier.  Yet these both paled in comparison to him now – He was a force of nature, the implacable look in his eyes turning aside those who might question his presence or his need to be there without a second glance. He tore across the town towards the paths leading to the forest.  Just as quickly as he had entered town, he left it, tearing his way across the farmed fields and countryside, plowing through obstacles in his direct path, leaping over fences and dodging scarecrows. 

Coming to the edge of the forest though, a small party of ponies was obviously heading in before him. He sighed at the necessity, but they needed to be warned off, which meant stopping. Yet as he came closer, the familiar colors and cutie marks of five very special ponies brought a fierce grin to his face. 

Even more so were the shining crystalline amulets hanging around each of their necks and an equally determined visage upon them. He ground himself to a halt beside them, earning a startled squeak and a sudden rush to hide behind Applejack from Fluttershy. The dust quickly settled as Shining Armor looked upon the Elements of Harmony, minus one – and given the small golden box gently sticking out of Rainbow Dash’s bags, they anticipated needing the sixth.

Each of them was stunned at the sight of him, his chest heaving with a little bit of exertion as he managed his smile. “Good, you got my message. We have to hurry.” He jerked his head towards the forest. “I don’t suppose any of you have any idea where she might have gone?”

Each of the five ponies shook their heads in turn, and Rainbow dash piped up after they had all answered in the negative, “No, but I think once we get inside we might be able to…Sense her, I think. Rarity seems to think so anyway.”

Rarity tossed her eternally well coiffed mane behind her and spoke in quiet, haughty tones – her usual flippancy all but gone in this moment. “Yes, Darling. I may not be as good with Twilight at magic, but I do know a thing or two about magical connections. It’s something we all certainly share with her, and if I am not mistaken, something you share with her as well Shining Armor, which is why you were able to sense the peril she was in long before any of us did.”

Shining Armor dug his hoof into the dirt and then shook his head with a noise of frustration, his eyes narrowing and muscles tensing again. “You’re probably right. Let’s hope whatever has her in its grip isn’t able to hide her from that too. Come on, we haven’t a moment to spare.” Six ponies turned and ran into the woods ahead of them, Shining Armor leading the way.

The Old Palace of Canterlot, 3 hours until Sunrise.

High above the Everfree forest, a shadow had crawled across the moon and settled in its middle. Its shape was that of a Mare with a long, slender unicorn horn and oval shaped, moon bright eyes. The moon was slowly coming down, just beginning to frame itself in a massive window within the ancient palace of the Alicorn sisters.  A window which stood behind a raised dais, upon which dusty scraps of black and turquoise metal lay forgotten, and a small purple unicorn was standing, eyes blank and as wide as the moon itself.  All around her, she could feel a maelstrom of magic begin to encircle the palace. 

Greenery, long untended, seemed to be growing from the very bare earth about the place. Trees long untended became trim and perfect again.  Windows, long shattered by wind, rain and beast slowly lifted their ancient glass shards from the ground, re-knitting them into the intricate panes within the royal hall and beyond. Stones of fallen walls began to lift from the ground, buoyed by shadow and darkness and replaced one on top of the other, mortared to one another with pure force of magic, the once massive building worn down over a thousand years was reversing its age before the very eyes of the astonished creatures of the forest.

They all knew that coming near the place now was as good as death, and so stayed far away from the inky shadows that blanketed the very stone walls, making them appear black as the night itself to the unskilled eyes that watched it. Pillars began to re-form along the ancient road, and a mighty stone bridge lifted its long forgotten rocks from the ravine up to rebuild itself, reconnecting the palace to the outside world once again.

But within the Palace, Twilight sparkle noticed none of this. She sat, like a child waiting for a school lesson it was very excited to learn about, gazing adoringly up at the shadows and the bright white moon slowly descending into its proper place.  The voice had not spoken since she arrived here, and then it had only given her a single instruction.

~Sit here, Twilight Sparkle. Your lesson will begin when the moon is framed perfectly in the window.~

Then it was gone, nothing more than a whisper upon the wind that seemed to rush around her, restoring and repairing ancient architecture, furniture and cloth hangings.  They would need to be changed of course, once the evening’s ritual was completed.  Banners bearing the Celestia and Luna symbol upon them would simply not do for the new ruler of this place.  The shadow felt satisfied. Soon, the lesson would begin. It could only wonder how Twilight Sparkle would handle the trial that was about to be forced upon her. 

The moon continued to slowly sink, the dark shadow upon it beginning to glimmer with power as it slowly moved into place…