//------------------------------// // Urgent matters // Story: Homecoming // by seeker9709 //------------------------------// Being teleported without warning is not a fun experience. Even for unicorns, whose bodies are naturally set for, and have their own counters to, magic, sudden teleportation can be a violent experience. And the farther the teleportation, the more of an impact it leaves on the body. Even for a unicorn of Shining Armor's power and strength, this was no exception. Being teleported straight from the market to the castle; specifically to Celestia's chambers, which had been empty save for a few still lit candles and open books resting on her desk, was enough to rip the air from Shining Armor's lungs, leaving him rolling on the floor, gasping. Cadence and Rainbow, being unconscious, were spared the pain of their sudden arrival. Luna, however, did not focus on the captain. Instead she hurried over to the unconscious Rainbow Dash. Gently she levitated her students body off of the floor and over to her bed, leaving her suspended just a few inches above the mattress. She swept her horn up and down Rainbow's body, all the while shaking her head with a sick expression. Shining Armor watched with concern. Whatever Luna was finding in Rainbow Dash, it wasn't good. In fact, it looked a whole lot worse than just “bad.” The glow enveloping Luna's horn died after a moment. With two hooves, she opened one of Rainbow's eyes, staring intently with the same disgusted expression. After a few moments, she finally broke the long silence. “Captain,” she called. Instantly he jumped to his hooves, snapping to attention. Luna, however, barely noticed. “Bring Cadenza to me.” She ordered. Shining hesitated, giving a nervous glance to Luna then to his wife. He had never heard Luna speak like this. Her normal cheery and playful tone was gone. He had heard her give military instructions before, but when she gave them, her tone wasn't cold and distant. Her words were never spoken just below a whisper, trying to control the fury behind them. Her words were never this sad. Luna turned to him suddenly. “CAPTAIN.” She yelled again. Similar to how she had done, Shining levitated the pink alicorn in front of Luna. Luna repeated the same process with Cadance that she had done with Rainbow Dash. Shining watched on with a worried expression. “P-princess? Is she okay?” Luna remained silent as she checked Cadance's eyes. After a few tense moments, she gave a sigh of relief. “She's fine, Shining Armor.” Luna breathed. “She just needs to rest.” With her magic she drew the curtains. The bed sheets wrapped themselves around the sleeping mares and the candles extinguished, shrouding the room in darkness. She began walking towards the large doors. As she opened them Shining spoke up. “Um, princess?” Luna froze for a moment. “Yes, Shining Armor?” She replied, tiredly. The unicorn stood awkwardly. “Where are you going, exactly?” He bit his tongue after he spoke. He didn't mean to sound so demanding. Luna didn't pay any mind to it. “I need to retrieve my sister. I will be back soon.” There was a silence between to the two. “Is there anything else, Captain?” Shining took a moment to respond. “I...I just wanted to know...can I?” He motioned to his sleeping wife. “I just wanted to know if it was safe to...” Luna nodded her head as he went silent. “Yes, she is safe.” She said as the doors closed behind her. As soon as Luna had gone, Shining Armor practically threw himself at his sleeping wife, drawing her body into a tight hug, breathing a sigh of relief to himself. “Thank goodness you're okay.” He whispered to her. He nuzzled her neck softly as she breathed gentle puffs of air. He always found it adorable the way she slept. He loved listening to her soft breathing as they lay curled up together. Unconsciously she squirmed, moving her body around the familiar shape of his. Shining smiled as he rested his head next to hers. He laid with her on the edge of the bed, holding her and listening to the sound of her breathing until Luna returned, only a few minutes later. This time, Celestia and Fluttershy were with her. Almost as soon as they appeared, Fluttershy launched herself on top Rainbow Dash, embracing the cyan pegasus similar to how Shining Armor held Cadance. “Shining Armor,” Celestia called. While her tone was firm, her words were soft. “Luna and I need to speak with you and Ms. Fluttershy for a few moments. We'll be waiting outside when you're ready.” She said with a warm smile before she and Luna turned and left the room. Shining looked over to Fluttershy, who still held her friend. After a moment she looked up to meet his gaze, and the two locked eyes for a brief moment before returning their attention to their loved ones. Shining gave Cadance a quick peck on her head and Fluttershy mumbled a quiet goodbye to Rainbow Dash. A moment later, the two accompanied each other out of the dark and quiet room. Closing the door behind them, they saw the two alicorn sisters speaking together in hushed tones. Their words were quick and their tones serious as they whispered back and forth, both trying not to talk over the other. Fluttershy and Shining Armor watched the two for a moment, seeing that they had yet to be recognized. “Um, Princesses?” Fluttershy whispered bashfully. The alicorns continued, still unaware of their guests. “AHEM.” Shining called. The sisters turned towards the unicorn and pegasus. They shared a quick look before Celestia spoke. “My little ponies,” Celestia began. Her tone was serious. “It appears we have much to speak on.” The sun shone through the curtains in Octavia's home. The house was mostly silent except for a constant tapping of hooves against the cold floor. The beautiful sun, which earlier that day had brought hope and joy and happiness and warm feelings, now felt all to hot. The light felt revealing. It made Twilight feel as if she was under a watchful eye, which never averted it gaze. Almost as soon as she and Octavia had returned, she threw the curtains over the windows, trying to block out every trace of the burning light. And still it seemed to taunt her from the other side of the window, as if saying, “You think you can stay hidden, but I already know where you are.” Since returning,she had locked herself in the bedroom she and her lover shared. The only sound escaping from the cracks in the door was a constant tap tap tap of her hooves. Each step left a ringing in Twilight’s ears, like the crashing of glass on stone or the ringing of cymbals, as if even her hoof steps would give her away. Periodically Octavia had knocked on the door, asking if she was okay, and for over an hour her concerns were met with only the tapping of hooves on the cold wooden floor. Despite the guilt she felt in the incident, she knew that when Twilight panicked she wouldn't always listen to reason. After some time, Octavia quietly walked towards the door. She knocked three times with one hoof but was met with silence. “Twilight? Are you there?” Still nothing. Suddenly scared, she stood on her hind legs and retrieved a small key from above her door. Quickly, she fit it into the keyhole, the door swung open, and she walked into the room. There lay Twilight curled up on the bed. Her eyes were closed as she breathed gently through her open mouth. Octavia watched the sleeping unicorn for a moment before sighing in relief. She was safe, only sleeping. Octavia slowly made her way next to her partner, snuggling up against the purple unicorn. It was almost six o-clock. The winter sun had already set and a calm darkness had fallen over Canterlot. It had been a long and stressful day, and seeing her lover fast asleep made her realize how tired she was. She nuzzled Twilight's neck. The feelings surrounding her felt... magical. The two cuddled together and soon Octavia was fast asleep, lost in the presence of her companion. Silence fell across the room for a few moments, save for the soft breathing of the two mares. Suddenly, one went silent. Twilight's eyes snapped open. Slowly she turned towards her sleeping mare-friend. She pulled her neck away, catching Octavia's head in her magic. Twilight slid a pillow underneath her head, not wanting to disturb her. Grabbing her bags and coat,she crept silently out of the room, shutting the door behind her. A moment later she was out the front door, walking the Canterlot streets. Normally she would be going to the tunnels to continue working, but not tonight. Tonight she needed to pay somepony a visit. Shining Armor stood in the castle hall, his jaw hanging open. “What do you mean, possessed?” Luna and Celestia looked down at Shining and Fluttershy. The buttercup pegasus was silent as she stared at the floor. “I found traces of dark magic in Rainbow's system.” Luna began, downcast. “And it was not only present in her mind. Whatever it was, it practically ran through her veins.” Fluttershy was on the verge of tears. “C-can you h-help her?” she choked with a small voice. Luna and Celestia looked to each other for a moment, before the alabaster alicorn spoke. “We may not have to. From what Luna told me, it seems like the dark magic inside of Rainbow Dash is... gone.” “Gone?” Fluttershy asked, her voice hopeful. “Yeah, how can it be gone?” Shining seconded. “I don't mean to scare Fluttershy, but that magic was so deep-seated inside of her, she was going through physical attacks. That kind of black magic should be almost impossible to get out. Shouldn't she be in the emergency ward going through white magic transfusions?” “Believe me, Captain, I don't understand it myself.” Luna replied. “I went to their home after Fluttershy came to the palace and I spoke to Scootaloo. She told me what she saw and heard, and I'm glad I found you in the market before any damage could be done. But regardless, when I examined Rainbow, there were only traces of magic. Dark spots still lingering in her mind and body. Neither Celestia nor I can explain it. It is simply gone.” “But how it is gone is the question.” Celestia shook her head lightly. “Something of this nature does not simply leave. Magic like this manifests on fear and hatred and other negative emotions. You said that she had been having nightmares, correct, Ms. Fluttershy?” The small pegasus nodded her head. “If the magic had gone as far as to be present in her eyes, it would mean almost full possession. It could have taken over her body on a whim, and seems to have done just that.” “Great.” Shining mumbled. From bad to worse. “But what about Cadance? Why did she collapse. There was no transfer between them. They didn't even touch. Could it have be-?” Shining went silent. He stared forward, eyes growing large. “Shining?” Luna called. “What were you going to say?” The tall unicorn covered his mouth with one hoof, letting out a long breath. “She was there.” He breathed. “She was there when Rainbow screamed and when Cadance collapsed. I saw her. She was disguised, but I know it was her.” The room seemed to get colder for Shining and the alicorn sisters. Fluttershy, however, looked between the group as they all stood still. “Who was there?” Fear creeped back into her voice. “Someone with a grudge against Rainbow Dash, it would seem.” Luna said under her breath. Celestia took the time to speak. “If this is true, then we may have a serious problem on our hooves. Even bigger than before. We will be keeping Rainbow under guard until we deem she is ready to be released. If Rainbow's enemy is coming after her, then we can't be too careful. I think it best to leave some guards outside of your house, Fluttershy. You and Scootaloo could be a target.” Fluttershy nodded silently as Celestia continued. “We do not, however, need to keep Cadenza. I don't believe her to be the target for this 'attack' but we can keep her over night for observation, if you would like.” She said this to Shining Armor. “It'll be fine. If there's nothing wrong, I think it would be best to take her home with me.” He turned away from the others, walking back to Celestia's room. Celestia nodded. “As you wish, Captain.” “If only it was.” He mumbled to himself. Cadance lay silently on the large bed she shared with Shining Armor. Quietly he drew the curtains tight, cutting off the setting sunlight. Moving to where she lay, he gave her a peck on the forehead before turning and leaving the room, shutting the door behind him. He walked to the Great Room which, despite the name, was rather small considering the positions the couple held. It held a couch, some comfort chairs, and a bookshelf, but nothing else. Shining plopped down on the couch with his head in his hooves. He drew a shaky breath as he sat. A cold feeling settled on him. The past few days' events had left him shaken, and tonight he felt even worse. He felt vulnerable. He was by far one of the strongest unicorns alive, and yet compared to what he had heard of his sister, his power compared to hers was like a regular unicorn compared to an alicorn. Single-handedly she had taken on Render and his men in a five-on-one and defeated them with no injuries. He may not have had much respect for the greedy unicorn, but Render was strong. He was strong enough to be pretty high ranked in the guard. And yet he was defeated by a unicorn half his size. Something still bothered him about their battle though. Until Twilight had battled Rainbow Dash, nopony knew the limits of her strength. She could even channel power from the sun! If she really wanted to, she could have blasted Render and his men off of Equestria. But she didn't. She fought him like it was personal. Shining sat up. It was personal. He recalled a memory from after the accident of the morning when Twilight disappeared. Render was in the 'accident.' But after learning what his sister was capable of, he wasn't so sure it was just that. Shining stood quickly. He had just noticed something else. It was unnaturally cold in the sitting room. The chill he had felt earlier was gone. Something else had replaced it, something darker. The cold which wrapped around him was... unnatural. You could even say it was... “Magical.” He whispered. His breath turned cold as he made a final realization. He wasn't alone. He turned to see two eyes staring back at him. A cold voice spoke, cutting through the darkness like a knife. “Hello, brother.”