//------------------------------// // Darkness' Shadow // Story: Darkness' Embrace // by Tricondon //------------------------------// Chapter 1 Darkness’ Shadow “Sleep well, Tia. We shall see thou on the ‘morrow.” “Take care, Luna. I look forward to seeing your beautiful sky.” The two ponies smiled at each other before the larger white one headed inside. Princess Luna watched her sister head into the castle, then turned around, facing the sky. Princess Celestia had already set the sun before she retired for the night; now all that was left was for Luna to raise the moon and dot the sky with stars. She had missed this part of her life while imprisoned on the moon. Luna took pride in making the sky just perfect. The moon had to glow a certain way, the stars needed to be arranged to form the constellations that ponies used when travelling at night. A lesser being might simply throw stars around at random and call it finished, but not Luna. She knew exactly where each star should be, and took her time placing each one precisely where it should go. All in all, it was an hour after Celestia had left that Luna finally finished creating the night sky. She took a step back, admiring her handiwork. Her gaze gradually fell upon Canterlot itself. Though the sun had only gone down a short while ago, the city was mostly dark. Ponies of all walks of life were either sleeping or preparing to sleep, save for the guards patrolling the streets. There was some commotion in the city below, and Luna turned to look. A fair number of ponies, dressed up in their finest, were leaving the theatre. Among them a few ponies were carrying instruments - a flute here, a bass cello there – and Luna assumed that a concert or perhaps an opera had only just ended. The princess stood on her balcony watching the crowds disperse until the streets below were quiet once more. She gave a sigh. All over Equestria, ponies are sleeping. They never take time to admire my hard work! Luna shut her eyes tightly, shaking her head. No, no. Those kinds of thoughts are what corrupted me before. I will not be consumed by jealousy again. Opening her eyes, Luna looked over the silent city once more before heading inside the castle. From the bushes far below, a cloaked figure watched in silence. A grin spread across her face as Princess Luna finally went back inside Canterlot Castle. The mare poked her head out of her hiding spot and glanced down the streets. The guard patrolling was not here at the moment; by her calculations, she had another three minutes before he returned. She swiveled her head towards Canterlot Castle’s main gate. Four guards stood before it, each one meticulously keeping an eye on the path to the door and some of the surrounding area. Exactly as they should be. The mare thought to herself. Completely oblivious to any danger. She cast her gaze down the side of the castle. In ten seconds, a guard should come around the corner, and the west wing of the castle grounds would be free of any preying eyes. Silently, the cloaked mare counted off the seconds until the guard arrived, precisely on schedule. She held her breath as he passed by the shrub in which she hid, but he made no move towards her. Another smile formed on her face as she silently slipped out of her hiding spot and, hugging the wall of the castle, slipped around the corner. She heard no one call out for her to stop, so she assumed everything had gone according to plan. Quietly, she walked along the wall until reaching a stain glassed window near the back. The mare took a few deep breaths; from this point on, if she were caught before obtaining her goal, she’d be punished severely. Slinking around Canterlot Castle might get her a warning or a fine, but nothing long-lasting. She shook her head and stepped back from the wall. Levitating a small rock with her magic, the Unicorn launched it at the window, reveling in the sound of the glass shattering. Her ears perked up as she heard the sound of hoofbeats. Guards were rushing towards her location. With a nimble jump, the Unicorn leapt over the window sill and landed inside. She looked around for a moment, noting the position of Celestia’s throne and the main gates to the room. The mare quickly trotted through the room, to a tiny door just past the throne. She readied a spell, preparing to pick the lock, but was surprised to find it unlocked. Rolling her eyes she continued through the long hallway beyond. Her ears perked up at the sound of more approaching guards, but a quick glance around revealed no hiding spots. Snorting, the mare readied herself for a fight as three guards came bounding into the hall. “Halt in the name of Princess Celes-!” he never got the chance to finish his command as he soon found a knife lodged in his throat. Blood gurgled from his mouth as he sank to the floor, already dying. The other two Unicorn guards watched their comrade for a moment, and then drew their own weapons with their magic. The mare simply smiled for a moment, then charged the two Unicorns. They each swung their swords, but the mare ducked just before they hit, and the swords bounced off each other. The mare leapt between the two guards and kicked with her hind legs as she passed, hitting both in the face. She landed behind them and grabbed the dead guard’s sword with her own magic. She spun in space, swinging the sword in a wide arc. One of the guards saw her attack and leapt backwards, but his buddy wasn’t as lucky. The sword cut through half of his neck, and some blood landed on the mare’s cloak as it spurted from the severed vein. The mare paused for a moment, bringing her sword up to her mouth and licking the blood off. She eyed the third guard, grinning. The guard, realizing he was outmatched, turned and fled, crying out for help. The mare dropped the sword and resumed her mission. She took off back down the hall, away from the throne room. The linoleum tiles echoed her hooves as she ran, but she had no time to be stealthy by this point. Left, right, second right, then straight to the target. She thought, running through the map of the castle in her mind. The tiles gave way to a red carpet, and the mare slowed as she reached the end of the hall. She paused, wondering if she had made a wrong turn somewhere, but there, against the back wall, was what she was seeking. It was a very ornate door, coloured in purple and pink and inset with a number of jewels, and had a small sun sitting in the middle. To each side stood a statue of a Unicorn, and above the door was a carving of a winged Unicorn, which was probably intended to be Celestia herself. The mare walked up to the door, inspecting it. The sun had a hole in its center, and after a moment’s deliberation, she reasoned it must be for a Unicorn horn. Hesitantly, she slid her own horn into the hole, but as expected, nothing happened. “Only my sister and I are capable of opening that door.” The sudden sound of Luna’s voice made the mare shriek, and she quickly pulled her horn out of the door and turned to face her. Curiously, the Princess of the Night was alone, but considering how angry she was, she might not need any help. “Then you wouldn’t mind opening it for me?” “Ha, thou art a curious mare. Hast thou come to offer thy services as a jester? Thou makes an odd first impression, killing two guards.” Luna said coolly, readying a number of battle spells. “I never joke, Luna dearest.” The mare said, her voice dropping several octaves. She felt her face contort into a more sinister glare as she readied a number of her own spells. Wait, what’s happening to me? Luna’s eyes widened, and a few of her carefully crafted spells fell apart as she lost her focus. “That…that voice! It can’t be!” she stammered. “Oh, but it is. I’ve missed you, fair Luna.” The mare said, her voice considerably more stallion-like by this point. She flicked her head and Luna was engulfed by fire. Why can’t I control my body? Luna yelled out as she doused her burning body and formed a giant sword out of magic. She swung it at the mare, not caring about the windows and walls she ruined in her attack as the sword cut through them effortlessly. The mare called up a shield, made out of her own magic, which Luna’s mage sword bounced off of harmlessly. “No!” Luna yelled. “You cannot hope to stand against me! I will not fall for your tricks again!” The mare groaned; deflecting Luna’s sword had not been easy and had drained her magic considerably, but she couldn’t appear weak now. She looked up as Luna tried swinging her mage sword again, slashing through the other wall this time. The mare got an idea, and jumped backwards, gasping as Luna’s mage sword passed right in front of her. Luna, her horn glowing with a curious blue aura, swung the sword a third time. The mare closed her eyes, calling up the shield again, and braced herself. She didn’t have the magical reserves to completely block Luna’s attack this time, but she didn’t want to. The shield protected her as the attack sent her sprawling, flying through the air. She crashed against a wall that Luna had not cut through all the way and crumpled onto the floor. With a groan, the mare climbed back to her feet, but she knew she didn’t have the energy reserves to take another hit. CRASH! Both Luna and the mare turned to look. The ornate door had been cut in two by Luna’s last attack, and now rested on the floor. Beyond sat a single chest on a pedestal. Luna gave a small gasp and released her mental grip on her sword, which dissipated back into ether, and leapt for the chest. The mare, thinking quickly, hefted a piece of the door with her magic and smashed it into Luna. The Princess was knocked off course and came to rest on the floor. The mare leapt over Luna and knocked the chest off its pedestal. As it hit the ground, the chest opened, revealing its treasures. “The Elements of Harmony.” She said, levitating the star-studded tiara and inspecting it. “No! Put it down!” Luna said, climbing to her feet. “You can’t even use it!” The mare turned to look at Luna, still smiling in an unsettling way. “Use it? What ever gave you the idea I was going to do that?” she said as she lifted the tiara into the air, aiming the star down, and then sent it hurtling towards the floor. The star shattered, and Luna felt a surge of magic emanating from the broken Element. “Sister…help me…” the Princess whispered as she fell into darkness. The sun slowly crept down over the horizon as Twilight walked home, an extremely drowsy Spike perched on her back. Around her, a bright pink pony hopped around excitedly, the day’s activities seemingly having no effect on her energy levels; but then, very little ever seemed to dampen Pinkie’s mood. “OMIGOSH that was so much fun! Do you think she was surprised? I think she was surprised! It wasn’t easy keeping it a secret from her. But I did, ‘cause Pinkie knows how to keep a secret!” Pinkie Pie spoke at her usual accelerated tempo, and no matter how long Twilight watched, she never seemed to take a breath. Idly, Twilight wondered if Pinkie could somehow breath and speak at the same time. “Yes, Pinkie, I think Rainbow was very surprised. I don’t think she was expecting a member of the Wonderbolts to be at her birthday party.” Twilight spoke softly and nodded her head towards the napping baby dragon. Pinkie glanced at Spike, who opened an eye sleepily and looked around. Pinkie seemed to get the hint, since she clapped a hoof over her mouth. “Oh, good, we’re finally home.” The tiny purple dragon mumbled as he slid off Twilight’s back and wandered inside the library where the two of them lived. Pinkie giggled as she watched the door close behind Spike. “Well, thanks for walking Spike home with me, Pinkie. We both had lots of fun today.” “Sure thing, Twilight! I can’t wait for tomorrow to come! It’s gonna be so much fun!” Humming to herself happily, Pinkie trotted back down the street to Sugarcube Corner. Giving a small chuckle, Twilight walked inside her house. Once inside, Twilight shut the door behind her – quietly, of course – and headed to her desk. It was late, and Ponyville was, for the most part, quiet. The only sounds the purple Unicorn could hear were those of the nocturnal animals around Ponyville just starting their day, and the snores of a soundly sleeping Spike in the next room. Still, this was the time Twilight liked best; fewer distractions to take time away from her studies. With a final glance outside, Twilight turned away from the window and opened the book resting on her desk. Twilight awoke with a snort, the candle on her desk having long since burned out. With a sleepy mumble, she cast a tiny spell that lit up her horn enough to see by. She looked down at her study notes, which were surprisingly empty. She groaned and shook her head slowly. The party must have worn me out more than I thought, she thought. With a dejected sigh, Twilight rolled up her scrolls, closed her books and headed for her bedroom. Without warning, a sharp sudden jolt coursed through Twilight’s head. The abruptness of it caught her off guard, and she screamed in a mixture of pain and surprise. She fell to the ground as the pain subsided, still groaning and breathing heavily. “Twilight? Is everything ok?” the baby dragon asked, appearing at Twilight’s side. Twilight raised her head to meet Spike’s worried gaze. Though he had been peacefully asleep, her loyal assistant had genuine concern for Twilight in his eyes. “Yes, yes I think so, Spike.” Twilight said, shakily climbing to her feet. She flashed Spike a smile, though she didn’t feel quite so confident. Bringing a hoof to her head, she rubbed it slowly while trying to puzzle out what happened. Just then, a stream of light poured in through the windows, lighting the house. “Huh? It can’t be morning already.” Spike said, walking to the front door. He opened it and poked his head out for a moment before excitedly yelling, “Twilight! Come look!” Despite the lingering pain in her head, Twilight walked over to Spike. “What is it, Spike?” She asked, poking her head outside. Her mouth hung open as she took in the sight that the dragon had noticed. The light wasn’t the morning sun. Canterlot Castle was engulfed in a pillar of light, stretching up and disappearing into the sky above. Ponies from all over Ponyville were walking out into the street, murmuring amongst themselves as they looked at the bizarre sight. Suddenly, a thin band of black appeared on the horizon, steadily growing larger as it seemed to draw nearer to the town. One could make out tiny sparks of light jumping out from it, razing the countryside as it engulfed everything in its path. Twilight barely had time to register this before she realized it was dangerously close to Ponyville. Screams rose from the town as other ponies noticed what Twilight had. The ground began rumbling and shaking as the black void edged closer to Ponyville. Ponies and Unicorns began running, fleeing Ponyville in blind terror. Pegasus after Pegasus took to the skies, some flying away, thinking only for themselves, with the rest staying behind, directing the flightless to the quickest and safest ways out of town. “Twilight! We’ve gotta go! Now!” Spike’s voice broke through Twilight’s thoughts, and she picked up the tiny dragon with her magic, sitting him on her back before taking off at a run away from the black void approaching the town. A scream from behind her grabbed Twilight’s attention, and she turned back in time to see a light green pony get swallowed by the void. Her anguished cries ended as soon as she was immersed in the bizarre blackness. Twilight gasped; she hadn’t realized how fast the black band was moving. “Twilight! Look out!” Spike yelled. Twilight turned her head back around, but didn’t have enough time to react. She collided with another panicked pony, sending all three of them crashing to the ground. “Oh my, I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” the timid voice spoke up, despite the apparent danger. Twilight looked up into Fluttershy’s concerned gaze. “Oh, Twilight! What’s happening?” “Girls, we don’t have time for this!” Spike yelled before Twilight could respond. He motioned behind them at the already far-too-close blackness. Twilight scrambled back to her hooves, but the black void was nearly at the three of them and she knew they had no chance of escaping it at this point. Terror and panic filled her mind and she found herself unable to cast a spell, to teleport to safety somewhere. A bolt of lightning shot out from the blackness and Fluttershy squeaked. Twilight reached over to grab both Spike and Fluttershy in a comforting hug. Another bolt of lightning, another squeak from Fluttershy, only this time Twilight felt a surge of magic flow through her body. Fluttershy buried her head into Twilight’s mane as Spike buried his own into her chest. Twilight closed her eyes as she felt the familiar release that came with casting a spell, and a voice – her voice? – was shouting something. “Angel Wings!” Time seemed to slow as the words died, drowned out by the incessant noise of multiple lightning bolts being shot out by the black void. Twilight felt something sprout from her back. She turned her head and noticed a pair of wings growing, and they slowly wrapped themselves around Fluttershy, Spike, and herself. No sooner had the three been enveloped then Twilight’s panic and fear simply vanished. Twilight sagged as apathy overtook her, and she watched, completely uninterested as the black void inched closer. The wings Twilight now sported enveloped the three completely, leaving nothing exposed, yet Twilight could still somehow see through them. She felt the black void touch her wings and nothing happened. She had a brief sensation of being pushed, which gave way. She sensed, rather than saw, the black void go around her, passing over as if she didn’t exist. However, as the void touched Fluttershy and Spike she saw it engulf them as the poor Unicorn from earlier had been. Twilight wanted to cry out, to reach over and grab her friends, but found she could neither move nor speak. The strange apathy from earlier remained, and even as Fluttershy and Spike vanished from sight entirely, she felt nothing. Once the void enveloped her, a glint of light caught Twilight’s eye, and she turned to look. There, off in the distance, about where Canterlot should be, the beam of light she had spotted earlier still stood. She watched it as the pillar of light slowly shrank until Twilight was plunged into complete darkness and silence. There was no sound, save for her steady breathing. Twilight hung there immersed in nothing for what seemed like hours. Slowly, light started to trickle through. But from where? some rational part of her mind asked. Eventually, painstakingly slowly, dim light filled the world again. Her wings unfurled, and Twilight felt the familiar sensation of the ground under her hooves. The magical wings chose that moment to dissipate, blinking off into magical residue, visible even to those without magic, which hung in the air for a moment before disappearing from sight entirely. Twilight looked around groggily, blinking in the dim light. She took a step forward and immediately collapsed. Twilight had a dim sensation of immense pain, and incredible fatigue. Whatever that spell was that she had cast, it had drained her completely, in both magical energy and physical strength. Twilight closed her eyes as unconsciousness won the battle and she slipped into a dreamless sleep.