//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: Unleashing the Shadowbornes // by Golden Scrolls //------------------------------// More and more time passes in the clearing and nothing continues to change. I am still knocked out, the unicorn is clearly still in the recovery phase, Shy is still watching over me closely and Shadow is still watching over the unicorn. Shy turns to Shadow. "What do you think caused him to react this way?" She asks, concern in her voice. Shadow shrugs, "Your guess is as good as mine, I have my own pony to worry about here." "Oh..." Shy turns back to me, watching the rise and fall of my chest. "How long would it be until the unicorn wakes up?" "Hopefully soon," Shadow responds. Seemingly in response to his call, said unicorn stirs slightly. Shadow's ears perk up and he gazes expectantly at the unicorn. "And it appears she heard me." "Or it was just coincidence," Shy replies. The unicorn's eyes slowly open and she sits up, rubbing head. "W-where am I? What... what happened to me? The last thing I remember is somepony cornering me and she pulled something out..." She falls silent for a while, mind eventually recalling the specific events. She continues with a shaky voice "The pony injected me with whatever it was and that is the last thing I remember." Shadow frowns at this revelation. "That's what happened? I heard a scream and rushed to you but you were already..." His voice trails off. "N-no," The unicorn whispers. "It can't be, how am I here then?" Shy decided to speak up here. "You have me to thank, I was the actual one to revive you. My efforts wouldn't be possible if my friend here never decided to figure out where you were at," She indicates me. "I thank you both," The unicorn says, glancing at me. "What happened to him?" "I don't know what caused him to fall unconscious. It happened after I finished your revival," Shy responds. "Maybe he helped you revive me? Either way, my name is Marly Adams" "Strange name for a unicorn," Shy quips. "Why that last name?" Marly paws the ground, uncomfortable, "Just because that's how it works." "Touche," Shadow grumbles impatiently. "Shall we go?" Marly's gaze moves from me, to Shy, then to Shadow. "Wouldn't it be rude to leave if the pony that helped revive me is like that?" She indicates me. "I guess it would be," Shadow grunts. "How long do we have to wait?" Shy's ear flicks and she glances at me. "Not long now, apparently he has recovered once you woke up. All we have to do is wait. Be patient Shadow, I know you'd like to spend time with her." Shadow nods in response and glances at me. "I was angry that you died. I should've been there to save you. I took out my anger on other ponies foolishly." Marly glances at Shadow, blinking in disbelief. "No way... you? The pony that won't hurt a fly?" Shadow sighs softly. "Yes me, the pony that won't hurt a fly even if it attacks me. Why are you so surprised about this?" Marly frowns lightly, "Maybe because I care about you. That and-" Her voice fades and gaze flicks to me. "Looks like he finally decided to wake up..." At her words, my eyes flutter open to Shy's gaze. I blink and slowly sit up. "What... what happened?" "You tell me..." Shadow says, staring at me with half concern and half anger at previous events. "Hey..." I hear the soft voice of Marly and turn to face her. She smiles and nods gratefully. "I thank you for reviving me." "No, you should thank Shy. She did the actual revival, not me." Marly shakes her head. "Then why did you get knocked out? I'm not saying you did revive me, I'm saying that you helped her." "Oh, okay then," I respond, stretching out slightly. "That certainly helps things. I unknowingly helped with the revival?" "Well.you certainly came to mind when I woke up," Marly says somewhat quieter, fidgeting slightly. "I didn't know if I should have thanked you or not." Interesting," I mutter, glancing at Shy. She glances back and nods. "Well, what do.you want to do now?" She asks. "We don't seem to be needed here anymore." "There is always Sugarcube Corner," I respond, a smile tugging at the edge of my lips. "We can go there and hang out for a while. Maybe have some muffins or cake." "That actually sounds like a good idea right now," Shy says, tail flicking happily. "It might recover the marginal amount of energy I lost." "You actually lost energy?" I coyly say, getting up. "You surprised?" Shy responds, nudging me slightly and playfully before she trots ahead of me. "Not fair!" I call, catching up to her. Marly watches us go with a mixed expression in her eyes. Shadow turns to her and notices her expression. "What is it Marly?" Shadow prompts. "Ever since you woke up, you haven't been acting yourself. What has been bugging you?" Marly doesn't return the gaze but looks at her forehooves distractedly, quietly speaking. "I dunno, ever since he woke up, something stirred inside me. Maybe it was the thought that he helped revive me. Maybe it was something else." Her voice trails off. "Let's hope it was only that," Shadow says. Marly's expression shifts slightly and she stares up at Shadow. "What do you mean by that?" Her voice came out angrier than she wanted it to and she instinctively gets up. Shadow falters slightly, not expecting to stir up quite a reaction. "I didn't mean it that way." "Well then how did you mean it?" She says in a harsher tone and then bolts off toward Ponyville. Shadow sighs and looks at her retreating figure. "I guess I blew it..." He mutters before trotting towards the Everfree Forest. "I always have." Eventually, Shy and I reach our destination and grab a basket of muffins. "Y'know, we should go back to that village sometime so.I can get more candy." I quip, eyeing the basket hungrily "Are you seriously out of candy?" Shy responds. "No, I was just fooling you. Besides, it seems to be dangerous because of that last attack when we were there." I grimace at the memory of the mental assault. "And we don't know what lies down that other path." Shy nods and takes a muffin in hoof. "I know, we should investigate sometime. Tomorrow perhaps?" "Wait, we are actually going down that path? Shy, we have no idea what is." I gaze at her pleadingly, not wanting to go down there. "We wouldn't be investigating if we know what it is. Be honest, have you even been slightly curious as to what is down there?" "Um... yeah, I guess," I mutter, defeated. "Fine, we'll see what it is tomorrow." Shy nods, pleased at the response I give her. I sigh softly and bite into a muffin. The opening of a door attracts my attention and I glance at the door having been seated at an advantageous position. I see Marly trot in and scan the room. Her gaze sweeps over mine and a smile appears. She trots toward our table. "Mind if I sit here and keep the both of you company?" She asks, jade green eyes boring into mine. Wait, what? She wants to sit here with me? No, with us? Why? I think to myself, finishing off the muffin distractedly. Before I could respond, Shy did it for me. "No, I don't mind. What happened to Shadow?" Shy smiles slightly. "Shadow? He didn't follow me if that is what you are wondering. He... I don't think he wanted me to hang out with either of you." Marly sits down across from us, taking a few muffins. "Do you know why?" I inquire, leaning back in the seat. "N-no, I don't know why," Marly responds, stuttering slightly. "I honestly think that he just wants to keep me by his side". I frown at that revelation, "Why would he want to do that?" "He spent the majority of his time with me when I was here. He isn't used to being apart like this." Marly says, eating her muffin in one bite. "Ah, that makes sense. I am curious though, what made you decide to stay with him?" "It wasn't my decision, he was so caught up on being alone that he took the first chance to be a friend. He wanted me to stay with him, begged even." Marly sighs and grabs another muffin. "Eventually, I relented and agreed to stay with him. We became fast best friends but I could tell that he wanted to take it up a step." "Well, did you?" Shy looks up from her half eaten muffin. Marly shook her head. "No, I never felt anything around him at all. He insisted that time was necessary but I knew that even if we had a million years, nothing would change. I tried to keep telling him about it but he never listened." Marly takes out another muffin and looks at it. "Sorry to hear that. He must be pretty stubborn to do that to you." Shy finishes off her muffins and gets another one, hoof scraping the bottom of the basket. "He is, but I deal with it. I just wish he wasn't so clingy," Marly flashes me a slight smile and that feeling I felt when I saw her stirred to the surface once more. What is this emotion? Or is it an emotion... is it a connection? N-no, I don't even know. I growl softly and shake my head. I don't even know why in the hell I am thinking about this. Let's just set that thought aside for a while. Shy turns to me, a questioning gaze in her eyes. Sensing a question, I tear my gaze away from Marly and stare at the space on the table directly in front of me. "Golden, you have been acting a bit strange. Or, at least, your mind is being a bit strange. Why is that?" I shrug, not wanting to answer it but not wanting to leave that question up in the air. "It's nothing Shy." I immediately know that my response wasn't good enough. "No, from your thoughts, something seems up. What is it?" I glance at Marly and she slowly nods. "Ever since the first time I saw her, I felt something stir inside me. I couldn't tell if it was an emotion, a connection, or something unknown." I confess, Marly nodding. "I can confirm it too, I never felt anything spring up ever before. I don't even know what it is." Marly says quietly. "It feels so... different." "Huh," Shy mutters, finishing off another muffin. "Interesting". "Yeah, it really is." I pick up the basket and look into it. The muffin basket is empty. "Well, now what?" "Since we actually have legit company, we can do that one thing." Shy quips. "What thing?" "Wanna explore?" Shy grins and the basket is warped away. Marly's face lights up and she nods. "I like exploration, where to?" "Follow me," Shy gets up and trots out with Marly and I following. "Why though? I thought you were going to wait," I say. "I just want to get it knocked out of the way so we can be free tomorrow," Shy explains. "Why would you want to be free tomorrow if we can be free today?" "I'm just curious Golden," Shy replies, somewhat exasperated. "Admit it, so are you." I nod, "Fine, yes I am curious." The two ponies and I make our way to the familiar clearing that I always loved since I saw it for the first time. Marly looks around. "Nice place, it looks well used." She indicates the worn grass around the trees. "It is a nice place, we go here almost every day. Maybe the three of us can come here?" I ask, gaze sweeping over the two other ponies. "Make that four and we're good," A familiar voice calls from the brush. Shadow steps out and advance on us non threateningly. "Shadow?" Marly says, glancing at him. "What are you doing here?" "Getting you away from them, him specifically." His hoof points right at me and I take a step back. "Now Shadow, you can't just tear me away from my friends," Marly pleads, backing up as well. "Why are you being so damn defensive?" Shadow growls. "Why do you care? If you want to take her away from us, you'd have to come with us." I turn on my hooves and trot down the path. "Sometimes I need a break from you," Marly quips, eyeing Shadow with a mixed expression. "I need a break from your clingy-ness and your obsession over starting something with me. Why else do we have a rift in our friendship?" Before Shadow could respond, Marly gallops after me. Shy sighs and follows me. Shadow sighs softly. "Damn... I have to stop this," He looks on after us and follows. "I really do, but I can't. I know I'm Golden's friend but, I want Marly back with me. Don't they understand?" He trots a bit faster. Once we come to the split in the path, Shy halts us. "We know nothing about what is down this path. That is why we are doing this obviously." Marly and I nod before trotting down the right path. Shy follows close behind, keeping watch of anything strange. My ear flicks and I sense Shadow's presence. Shy also senses it through the link but neither of us pay it any mind. I knew he wouldn't give up, I muse, unsure of his intentions. He doesn't seem the type to give up "Woah..." Shy says, stopping abruptly in front of a clearing. "Something is up here, something strange. I can sense other ponies but nothing is here." "Let me see..." I push past Shy and step into the clearing. I hit something that feels like thickened air. I glance back at Shy, a questioning look on my face. "Yo Shy! I think I hit something!" I call back. Shy obediently trots up next to me and halts, motioning back to Marly. Marly then trots up behind me. "Now that is interesting. Keep going forward." I nod and keep trotting, hoofsteps getting more labored as I get farther into the clearing. The pressure around the air fades away. "Holy-" I then begin looking around. The ground remains as it was but all around us were massive stone walls. Large, arched windows were placed in the center of each wall. My gaze then turns to the ground and I notice a stone walkway running to a large set of double doors. "H-how is this possible?" Shy frantically says, looking around. "Where are we?" I fly to the windows. "Still in the clearing, look." Shy flies up next to me and stares out the window. "Impossible," She says, eyes flicking towards me as I dive to the doorway, knocking on it as my hooves touch the ground. The door slowly opens and I glance into it. Curiosity eventually overcomes me and I trot into a dark hallway. Torches flare up along the walls and I glance back at Shy and Marly before trotting ahead. They follow close behind me, looking at the bare walls. "Seems rather empty," Shy observes. The sound of an extra set of hooves breaks the void of silence. "Not so, somepony is coming," I look ahead, squinting in the very dim light. "I can't tell who it is though". The mysterious pony trots up to us. His coat and mane is completely black, allowing him to blend in the dim light. He has red eyes that glow in the light. The pony nods, turns around and trots down the corridor. He looks back, continuing to trot. "We should probably follow," I say, following the pony down the hall. Marly nods and follows me along with Shy. He leads us down a set of stairs into a large room which held around twenty more similar looking ponies. "This is strange, I never thought that a clearing would lead here," Marly says, glancing around the room. "Hey Golden, take a look at them." She indicates a group, milling about in the corner. "What are... those things that they are wearing?" Shy indicates a few dark gray anklets ringed around their left hind legs. "They look like anklets. Why though?" I wonder aloud, looking at the ponies as the one in front of us leads us down another hall. He walks up another set of stairs and leads us through a maze of corridors. Eventually, he stops in front of a red door and knocks on it. The door swings open and he steps aside. I trot into the rather spacious room. The walls are as bare as the rest of them were. A lone pony stands next to a chair situated atop a platform with stairs leading up to it. The room was bathed in a brighter light and a map of Equestria lined the back wall. "Welcome," The pony speaks, stepping down onto the red carpet lining the floor. "My name is Cyrus Silver and on behalf of the Shadowborne race, I welcome you to our halls." I step back in shock, mind slowly comprehending the surroundings. "Wait, I thought you looked familiar. The glowing red eyes, the black coat. Aren't you from my mind?" "You could say that, yes," He laughs. Why didn't I notice that one before? He looks just like the other guy and that group. "Shadowborne?" Shy giggles. "Is this a joke?" My gaze shifts to her in response and I shake my head. That quiets her completely. "Anyway, the last time I interacted with you, you forcibly pushed me out because you thought that it was an attack. Remember? You were in the village when that happened." Cyrus says, sighing softly. "I didn't get enough of the information on you so I could channel it to others." "What others?" I ask, somewhat miffed at the breach of privacy. "The other leaders of the bases that are now spread around Equestria." Cyrus indicates the map behind him. "There is an issue though. With the increase of bases and strict leadership inside them, we lack a third party." "The ones being the beings that reside inside the bases and the ones that lead them right?" Marly asks and Cyrus nods. "Yep, in short terms, we need two ponies to keep watch over the bases and make sure that communication goes on not only between those two but those two and you. Not only that, but, we need said ponies to push us in the right direction." "Cyrus, enough about the whole 'being vague' thing. You told us what we can do, tell us what we have to do," I say, somewhat angrily. "Fine, we need two of you to lead us and the other two to serve as an advisor." Cyrus nods toward the door as it opens and a Shadowborne pushes Shadow in. "This one was following them around," He grunts before trotting off. "Ah, so glad you could make it," Cyrus says, glaring at Shadow. "Not my fault I had to follow, they left me." Shadow glares at me. "Come on Marly, we're leaving." He moves towards Marly. I step in between those two. "Absolutely not Shadow, you do not tear her away from us now." My eyes narrow and they flash a hint of silver. Shy steps back, escaping my personal bubble. "Just stay back and you'll be alright, okay?" Shadow steps back as well, not wanting to stir up conflict here. "Good," I turn to Cyrus. "How much longer will this take?" "Only as long as you make it. Golden, I do know you want to be a leader. Don't even attempt to deny it. All we need is-" Cyrus is cut off as Shy steps forward. "If he undertakes this task, then I will too," Shy's voice is determined and her gaze matches the tone. I nudge Shy questioningly. "You sure?" "Yeah, I am. Cyrus, do whatever you need to do." Cyrus then nods and a giant chain appears in his hoof. It is made up of thousands of silver links. He stares us down and raises the chain as if he means to strike us. Some fear creeps into me until his pose slackens and chain drops to the floor The torches along the wall are slowly extinguished save for the two closest ones. "Since there are two of you, normally I'd have to do this twice. Since I have a feeling you four are pressed for time, I'm doing the shorter version. Do you both, Shybeat Storm and Golden Stream, accept all.the rights and responsibilities of becoming a leader of the Shadowborne race? If so, touch the second and first links respectively." Shy and I both nod and touch the aforementioned links. They shift to the color of gold and our names and cutie marks are engraved on them. The links are then copied and the copied links begin glowing and unraveling. They snap around both of our left hind legs. Two more links change to a color of gold and silver and they are copied and sent to both Marly and Shadow. They stare at their newly acquired anklets and stare at Cyrus. "Uh, thank you I guess," Marly quips. "Now can we go?" Shadow says impatiently, hoof tapping on ground. "You two can, Golden and Shy stay here." Cyrus pokes at the both of our anklets. "C'mon Marly," Shadow begins dragging Marly away. "B-but Shadow," She whines. "I don't wanna-" "I don't care, you will spend time with me" Shadow says, glaring at me as he drags her out. "What's up with them?" Shy asks, glancing at me. "She didn't want to leave and she has been acting against Shadow all this time. Why is that?" I fall silent, sitting on the ground. Why do.I want her back? "Eh, I guess we'll.figure that one out later. Huh? Golden, what's up? Again with the strange acting." Cyrus interrupts us, "We'll.figure it out after we figure this out." "What exactly are we trying to figure out?" I ask "Simple, where we belong in this world. Normally, we'd be allies with everypony that is not Changeling. After a few hours of thinking, I decided that we should take a neutral standpoint. That would not screw things up and we would be able to watch over the pony race. I do know that Changelings will attack anything, even us. If we became allies with the pony race, they'd attack them first. If we were neutral, they would know that we can attack them back and they'd come after us instead." Cyrus explains. "It would protect the ponies but throw the Shadowbornes into danger. Not enough danger for war though?" I ask, hoping for a good response. I wasn't disappointed. "No, it won't blow up into full-scale war. Do you accept these terms?" Both Shy and I nod, much to the relief of Cyrus. "How are you going to face the world though?" Shy stares at Cyrus. "No need to worry about that one Shy. You two are free to go." I nod. "Shy, wanna go back to see both Shadow and Marly?" I ask hopefully. Shy nods and she warps us back to the entrance of the base. She trots to the wall and touches it, hoof sinking into it. The rest of her body follows after. I tentatively follow her out, stepping into the same forest trail. "Alright, where did they go?" I wonder aloud, staring down the path, eyes flashing silver. "Screw asking, I can just find out on my own." I expand my mind out, sensing nothing from the village. I notice two presences in the clearing. "Where are they?" Shy breaks off a branch and twirls it in hoof. "The clearing, but I am too impatient just to trot there." I highlight my point by teleporting to the clearing. Shy sighs, "Ever heard of flying?" She mutters, spreading her wings and taking to the sky after me. My sudden presence in the clearing startles Shadow, who is laying by the base of the tree. "I thought I was done with you," Shadow growls. "Easy Shadow, I hope.you don't mind that we used your clearing." Marly says, flashing me a smile. "It is a nice place after all." I return the smile with my own. "Why thank you Marly. The clearing could be shared with anypony." "Good, I might have to go here more often." "Great, just great," Shadow groans. Marly turns to him, "What is your problem? Do you have an issue?" Shadow growls, gets up, and quickly trots away. Marly sighs softly and watches Shadow. "Sorry about him." "You don't have to apologize for him at all. It is his issues that I shouldn't be concerned with." I say, gaze flicking at Shy as she lands atop a cloud. "Yeah..." Marly flashes me yet another smile and I stare into her eyes. Those eyes, they are... I mentally slap myself. Why am I thinking this? I sigh lightly and lay down in front of her. "Is something wrong Golden?" She prompts, frowning at my sigh. "N-no, there is nothing wrong here. It's just that, ever since you woke up-" "Say no more Golden, I know exactly what you mean. I know you didn't really do the saving, but I never cared about that. The thing is, why haven't I forgotten? Why haven't I let go of the thought that I was revived?" "I-I don't know either Marly," I stammer, thoughts whirling about in my mind. "Neither of us let go during that. You wanted to be by my side since then. You even went against Shadow. Why?" "Well because..." Marly trails off. Ah geez, now I have to give him a legitimate reason. Marly thinks before continuing. "Because, I wanna spend time with you. More than I wanna spend time with Shadow. It drives me crazy, he thinks he can drag me away." "That's why you didn't want to leave, right?" Marly nods and I feel that same feeling again, this time much more intense. "Yes, that and I feel like I should be with you. It exists deep down inside me and I cannot change it no matter what I tell myself. No matter what Shadow tells me, I won't go back to him being overprotective of me. So please, save me from him and do me a favor and just, be with me. I don't care what he thinks about me anymore. Hell, he can go off and be with somepony else and I won't even bat an eye." Once Marly finishes, she lets out a soft sigh and moves closer to me, much to my hidden enjoyment. This... proximity between us, it feels so right somehow. I secretly smile and move closer to her in return. "Is it bad that I feel your heat all the way from here? You sure you don't have powers involving fire?" Marly quips, smile widening slightly. "I am pretty sure I don't have powers involving fire. I wish I do though, fire is the one thing that totally calms me down. When I look in the flames, the dancing movements help me feel at ease." I explain, gaze washing over her. Feelings I never experience come to the surface as I did so. Okay, now this is really bugging me. What are these feelings that have invaded my body? Why can't I stop not only thinking of her but wanting to spend legitimate time with her? Do I even need time to sort this one out anymore? Is this even remotely possible that I feel this towards her because it has only been a few hours. I mean, I can grant her this favor but is it worth it in the end? My train of thought kept going and going. Questions kept repeating over and over in my mind with no end in sight. Is it right? Can it possibly happen this way? Will it work out? I just lay there, mind continuing to whirl. Eventually my mind forms a simple question. "What exactly do you mean by me spending time with you?" I ask shyly, glancing at my forelegs. "Well, that is for you to decide. In order to keep Shadow off my back, you and I would have to be together..." She trails off and glances up at me, hope shining in her eyes. "If that is to soon for you or, if you don't feel like-" A single word then cuts through the still air. "Wrong..." Marly's ears perk up and her eyes widen slightly as she hears the word coming from my lips. "That is wrong and deep down, both you and I know it." I move closer toward her. "It may be a little soon, but from the moment I saw your chest rise and fall, something stirred up inside me. Hell, when Shadow mentioned something about the body,.something stirred inside me. I don't know why it did, nor do I care. The only important thing is, I do feel something and it is directed towards you." I poke her chest and her hoof descends upon it swiftly and softly. "My eyes opened back there and I took a look at every face there. They all glanced over my eyes but one stopped me in my tracks. That one was yours," Her hoof presses down over mine. "There was always something about the way you look. The feelings confirm many things. Yes, I want to be with you. Yes, I do think you are kinda... cute," Her cheeks flushed lightly when she said that. "Yes, I am aware you think the same of me. Why be forever apart when we both know that we can be together?" "I... I agree," I manage after a moment of thought. "Is it too soon though? That is my main concern." "Yes, I understand your hesitation fully. If you don't want this..." "Oh b-but I do," I stammer, a slight blush creeping through my cheeks. Yes, yes I do want this. It took me hours to realize that I was in dismay as Shadow tried to take her away. I was defensive because he tried to take you, the mare that actually matters to me, away. Screw the too soon thing. Before I could say anything else, she leans in close to me. "That's good, so do I." She plants a light kiss on my cheek and I recoil in pleasant surprise. "I-I never expected a... kiss on the cheek. I thought you would hug me or something," I say, speaking the truth. Marly just nods and she moves so her body is curled up against my chest. "Just give it time, maybe later okay?" She yawns and nuzzles my chest. "I don't suppose you expected this to happen to you eh?" I chuckle lightly, "No, you caught me off guard there for a little bit. My mind was being assailed by many questions. I wondered if it would work or not especially when those feelings arose again." My hoof runs through her mane, feeling the softness of it. Marly stretched out when I did that. "That is really sweet of you though. I was afraid that you would never accept. Why did you?" "I didn't because I had three reasons. The first was quite obvious, Shadow. I was getting real tired of his shit around you. I wanted him to just go and leave you alone. The second reason is that I didn't really want to see you alone around him. The third, is slightly more personal but I can tell you now. "Ever since I came to Ponyville and met Shy, I honestly believed that I would be good with her. Then I met you and whatever that was missing kinda showed up again. I also felt something I haven't felt before and I just knew that you were the one to be with me. It took me being... nearly alone with you to figure that one out " I explain, noticing Shy's presence atop the cloud. "Let me guess, Shy's still here eh?" "Yeah, she was tired though and decided to take a nap. I'm not surprised at all though," I yawn softly. "Wanna just, I dunno, sleep here for a while?" Marly continues to nuzzle my chest. "That little trip into the clearing wore all of us out." I nod and I form a silver shield around the clearing. "Clearing is shielded just in case," I say, closing my eyes, Marly following suit. Just in case of Shadow and well, my parents. My thoughts then died down as sleep slowly overtook me.