//------------------------------//
// Shadow Pony 
// Story: The Journalist 
// by redspark 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 7
Shadow Pony


The Shadow Pony looked around the small alley he was standing. He was still getting used to the streets again. He had been gone from Canterlot for a long time now... Almost ten years. He needed to get his reputation back.

There was only one alight problem with that. The ponyhood that had stolen from him. They were quite a pain in the head, and pretty good too at evading him. He had almost captured the one called Silent Mane, but had managed to escape. Apart from the time they had tried to kill him in his sleep, he was mocked at by them at least a few times more. He was going to get rid of those ponies, no matter what it took.

Finally there was that curious pony that had thrown him the pen. He needed her captured, and provably the newspaper for which she worked for would pay a nice ransom. Yes, she was going to be captured. 

He looked at his two guards. They were two very angry-liking ponies that only looked uneasy while been beside Shadow Pony. At that he was very good, intimidating.

He smiled at all the faces that had looked at him surprised and lake when he returned to his ponyhood. He smiled when remembering that. They looked like if he was a ghost arrived to kill them all. The only one that had been actually angry at him returning was the leader of the ponyhood at the moment. Poor of him, he was no longer on his position, or he would never be in any position after all, except that one of an immobile dead pony.

Shadow Pony scanned his surroundings for any sign of trouble. Now everyone knew who he was again, and he had his old respect. Nopony dared challenge him or bother at all. He was the leader of all the ponyhoods... Except for that one he needed to get rid of. 

He was really tired also of all those newspaper articles about Lower Canterlot. They were attracting too much attention to Lower Canterlot, unnecessary attention. He was sure even the princesses now had Lower Canterlot in their heads. He couldn't think what would happen if the princesses decided to act and stop everything in Lower Canterlot. He couldn't let those newspaper articles to keep going to light. The faster he acted the better.

He made a gesture for his guards to move after him as he began walking into the dark streets of Lower Canterlot. He needed to think, and walking helped. He walked slowly, making no sound at all, like if he was simply floating like a ghost.

It was apparent even his guards were afraid of him as they stared at each other. Shadow Pony made like if he didn't noticed those scared, little filly faces his guards had when he was not looking at them.

What they didn't know was that he didn't needed to look at them at all. He saw it all.

He finally arrived by coincidence to the border between Lower Canterlot   and Higher Canterlot. He smiled as he saw the pretty buildings and the royal palace in the distance. If all his plans went as ye wanted, soon almost all Canterlot would be his. He smiled at the thought. 

Yes, he knew the dangers, especially the princesses and the elements if harmony, if by any chance the princesses used then against him, but his plan was perfect. There was no way he was going to lose, not this time.

He turned around and headed back to his hidden base. After the nasty surprise those two earth ponies had given him when they sneaked on him to murder him he bi linger slept in a known location. Only his most trusted ponies and guards knew about it. He walked around in case if any pursuers until ye arrived at the small building. Instead of going through the main door, he walked around the building and entered an alley. The guards remained behind him, now looking for any sign of trouble. Shadow Pony stopped beside a small hidden door and opened it with a key he took from his dark cloak. He made a sign for the guards to enter after him. 

He entered, closely followed by the guards. He then closed the door and locked it again. He placed the key again inside his cloak and told the guards to go away. The guards made a gesture of respect and left the room. He looked at a wooden door in front of him. He walked towards it and entered the room behind it.

It was a richly garmented room, with many books and a fireplace that lit it and warmed it. Shadow Pony sat on a desk and began to read some papers. He smiled at some and grinned at others.

Finally he stood up and walked to the fireplace. He had a protective shield that stopped anything going at him, even the heat if the fireplace. Even though he couldn't feel it, he imagined it. After so long time of not feeling his surroundings he had learned to imagine the feeling. He stared at the fire for some time.

Even at full light, the shadow enveloping him didn't left. His protective spells around him where many, and powerful. He liked not been recognizable without his cloak. It helped him move through his enemies unnoticed.

Shadow Pony stopped looking at the fireplace and walked back at his desk. He sat down and laid his head down. Finally tiredness won and he closed his eyes slowly, falling asleep eventually...








Shadow Pony