Glimmer had arrived in Sweetie Belle's room, stepping out of the shadows with a smug grin on her face, not a few minutes after her successful raid on Canterlot. She had done what she could not accomplice nearly two thousand years ago, only this time she had gone one step further then she had originally planned. Instead of walking away from her enemy's capital with one Sigil, she had managed to find a second Sigil, left unguarded in the middle of the mountain, and claimed it for her own master. A master, she was sure, that would be pleased with her progress.
Just as she climbed into the bed and prepared herself to leave her host behind she heard it, the familiar call of the shadows that came from either ruler of the Darkness, Nightmare Moon or her sister, her true master. She turned and looked at the nearby mirror, finding the surface pulse as if it was made of water and knew who was using it as her speaking device. She grinned once more and threw off the covers, approaching the mirror as a form began to take shape and noticed a familiar set of eyes staring at her. Once she was in front of the mirror she knelt before it and bowed her head, showing respect for the Ruler of the Darkness she was about to commune with.
And then she was there, Nightmare Moon's head was floating in the center of the mirror and staring at her, though even across the Veil she could feel the stare of her true master, lurking behind her sister.
"Princess Nightmare Moon," Glimmer said, keeping her head down until she was told to rise, "I was not expecting any contact from you until I had returned to the Darkness with my findings."
"Spare me the pleasantries and raise your head, Glimmer," Nightmare Moon remarked, giving her a moment to do so before continuing, "We have heard that you are still searching for the four Prime Sigils that reside across Equestria and may have actually received some good news about them for once. Tell us, what is this good news that you have received and why haven't we heard of it yet?"
"I'll cut right to the heart of it then, my masters," Glimmer replied, showing her smile to the mirror, "About an hour or two ago I snuck into Canterlot in search of any Sigils that the Princesses might have hidden in plain view of their precious ponies. I was forced to fight a couple of guards to get into the royal library, but I made sure that they had been wrecked so they couldn't tell anypony else about me. In the library I came across an hourglass, one that I soon discovered held the Sigil of Earth, so I collected it without delay and moved on before more guards arrived."
"That is good news indeed," Nightmare remakred, an eyebrow raised before she realized that she had interrupted the tale, "What else happened in Canterlot?"
"I found the Sigil of Water," Glimmer told the mirror, "and I stole it before anypony knew what was happening. In some related news I noticed that both Princess Nightfury and Prince Crimson Flare have returned to the public eye and have been reintroduced to the rest of Equestria. Both of them are still carrying their Sigils and I tried to recover the Sigil of Fire, but Crimson caught me in the act and made it impossible for me to acquire it."
"This is excellent news," Nightmare Moon said, and Glimmer could see the joy in her eyes, "though it is unfortunate that Crimson Flare continues to be a thorn in our side, more so than his annoying cousin that guards the Veil..."
Glimmer had know this part was coming, the part where her master spoke to Nightmare in her mind, so she could relay whatever instructions she had to tell her. Glimmer had only communicated with her master, face to face, only once in her entire life and she had felt the incredible power that she contained in that instant. Her master insisted that she speak through her sister, using Nightmare Moon like her mouthpiece, until the Veil was broken and they were free to cross over.
"As you wish, dearest sister," Nightmare suddenly said, her attention returning to Glimmer as whatever conversation she was having with her sister ended, "Glimmer, my sister has already contacted the other Shadows that have made Equestria their temporary home and has ordered them to make for the Everfree Forest. There they will meet and plan how to acquire the remaining Sigils from their Bearers, but they require an...expert...to guide them in their mission. Therefore, my sister has commanded that you are to venture into the Everfree Forest, find the meeting spot of the Shadows, and guide them in their mission.
Congratulations Glimmer Scale, you are now the leader of the Council of Shadows."
Glimmer's jaw nearly dropped at the mention of the secretive network of Shadows that served under her master and Nightmare Moon, as they were not talked about lightly. Back during the Dragon War she had received word from them that the Sigil of Fire had been located in the dragon's mountain, so she had followed that information and caused the war. Most of the members of the Council had caused some form of war or outbreak to earn their places amongst their numbers, but never would Glimmer have suspected that she would take over the Council.
That meant that she was the most devious, deceitful, and dangerous Shadow under her master's command, which is exactly what all the Alicorn's of Equestria believed she was.
"I will do as commanded," Glimmer said, collecting herself before a small grin sprung onto her face, "I will find the Council meeting and begin directing them in their mission to find the other Sigils."
"Do not fail us Glimmer," Nightmare Moon said, "We can create a new Council leader based on their skills, but that also means we can destroy them if they fail us."
Glimmer nodded and bowed her head once more, feeling the pressure of her master's gaze lift as the spell they were using to communicate with her faded. As she straightened herself up she considered where the other Shadows could have gathered in the Everfree Forest, but then she thought of a place that would be like spitting in Princess Nightfury's eyes. The Shadows could very well be meeting in the same place that the Veil was patched back up, where Nightfury made sure that the boundary between worlds remained stable. Glimmer grinned as she made a note to make herself a black cloak, one that would allow her to hide her current form while giving her the ability to use the power of the Sigils she had already acquired.
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The Sanctum of Nightfury, buried deep in the Everfree Forest, was a place that was not known to most ponies that called Equestria home, save for those the Princess truly trusted. The race of creatures called the Shadows only knew about the area because their masters could feel the Princess use the area to keep them contained in their world. As the seconds ticked by several forms materialized around the open area, appearing between the trees as they made sure that none of their enemies had discovered their meeting. They had been called to this area by their master, to welcome their newest leader and to listen to what he or she had to tell them about acquiring the remaining Sigils.
The six of them were the infamous members of the Council of Shadows, though most of them were unknown to the ponies of Equestria and each of them had no love for the others.
"I do hope our new leader doesn't jeopardize our mission by being late," one of the Shadows mentioned, not stepping out of the darkness as it stared at the others, "I'd hate to tell our master that he or she was...unable...to follow through with what was promised."
"Calm yourself," a second Shadow spoke up, "if our new leader is late to the meeting it will only be because they were given no idea where we were supposed to meet. Besides, if our leader is who I am thinking of then I daresay that we shall not be disappointed."
The other four Shadows remained silent, allowing the two of them to duke it out, but one of those four grunted once or twice while they waited, telling the others that he'd rather be in charge then taking orders. They took note of his behavior and made no attempt to stop it, leaving it for their new leader to take care of the moment that they decided to arrive. Fortunately they didn't have to wait long for their leader to arrive, as a minute after the one Shadow grunted the wind whipped around and a seventh form joined them. The six of them held their breath for a moment, making sure that they made the best first impression despite whatever each of them were feeling at the moment.
"Ah, I see that I was correct in my assumption of where you would be holding this meeting," Glimmer said, intentionally distorting Sweetie Belle's natural voice to make it more like the voice she had used when she was a dragon, "I know we have some order of business to take care of, but I would first like to know each of your names and what earned you the right to stand in this Council. Do this simple act for me and I shall tell each of you who I am."
"I am Grimwing," an ashy griffin said, stepping forward and revealing herself to the others, "It was I who caused the Griffin Wars between the griffins, the dragons, and the ponies, who joined during the third war. While searching for one of the Prime Sigils I caused the deaths of at least a thousand creatures, earning me the scorn of each race that was involved."
"I am known as Obsidian," the second Shadow said, stepping out and revealing an ashy scaled dragon, "During the time of the Dragon Wars I took the lives of at least seven hundred ponies, to which I will forever thank Princess Celestia for allowing her troops to continue to fight me in battle. I shall repay such a kindness by delivering to her the end of the world she tried to create and will enjoy watching her crumble in defeat."
"Poison Mist," an ashy pegasus mare said, appearing in the space next to Obsidian, "I was the one responsible for poisoning the water of Cloudsdale, thus poisoning several key areas of the Equestrian Government. My poison was responsible for the deaths of a few key politicians from each nation, but only Celestia appeared to be immune to my special blend. I also made sure to poison several small villages before I was found out, though I took quite a decent number of ponies and griffins down before that happened."
"I am Crater," the fourth Shadow, an ashy earth pony stallion, said as he stepped out of the shadows, "of the Terrible Twins. We were responsible for the near destruction of the Everfree Kingdom nearly two thousand years ago, but we were stopped by Princess Nightfury. How she discovered us has remained a mystery, but we have promised our master that we would stop her this time, before she ruined our latest plans."
"...and I am Boulder," the fifth Shadow, a stallion nearly identical to Crater save for a scar over his left eye, "the other half of the Terrible Twins. After waiting a thousand years since our first defeat we returned to Equestria, intending to bring ruin to Princess Celestia by destroying her new kingdom. We nearly destroyed the kingdom of Canterlot, but Celestia found us out and cast us back into the darkness, where we planned our revenge in secret."
Glimmer nodded her understanding to the five Shadows that had already spoke, knowing each of their names and deeds thanks to the constant information she had received from her master. She had made sure to keep constant tabs on possible members of the Council of Shadows, going as far to create her own personal folder of possibilities. Now she knew five of them, but as she turned to the sixth Shadow she believed she knew exactly who it was that was staring at her, though she wanted him to speak for himself.
"And you?" Glimmer asked, turning the attention of the Council to the last Shadow, "Who might you be?"
The shadows unraveled themselves and revealed a stallion whose unnatural dark grey coat and pure black mane stood out as he appeared before them. He was wearing a suit of silver steel armor with a lush red cape attached to the back of it, which covered his backside, and a steel crown on the top of his head. The strands of purple mist, the telltale signs of somepony who used Dark Magic, came out of his eyes and told everypony exactly who he was without him having to say anything.
"I am King Sombra," the stallion growled, almost as if speaking was something he would rather avoid, "the King of Monsters and Shadows. I am the sole pony responsible for the War of the Crystal Empire, where hundreds of ponies fell in my gamble for power until I had acquired control of the entire Empire. My rule was cut short when Princess Celestia and Princess Luna arrived and blew me into Oblivion, though I took the Empire with me until I was able to return. I came back a year ago, intending to take back what had been taken from me, but I was defeated by the Princess of Love, Cadence, and blown apart all over again. I shall use my full wrath to ruin all of the Princesses of Equestria, regardless of who they are and what powers they might have at their beck and call.
And what about you? You, who has hidden behind the shadows while each of us divulge our names, our deeds, and our personal reasons for wanting to bring harm to the Princesses. Just who are you?"
Glimmer chuckled as she walked out of the shadows, allowing her new underlings to gaze upon her small body, which was covered by a robe that she had made before coming here. She wore a hood that covered her head, preventing them from seeing that she was controlling the body of a filly, but she did enchant it to make her eyes look like they contained a fire that was full of fury. Behind her floated four dark green spheres, two of which were empty at the moment, but the other two contained a small spark in them, one light green and one deep blue.
"I am Glimmer Scale," she replied, staring right at Sombra until he was forced to break away from her gaze, "It was I who caused the Dragon Wars, though I eventually lost the Sigil of Fire to Prince Crimson Flare. We may have lost the Sigil, but during the course of ten years I was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of ponies, dragons, and the occasion griffin that wandered too close to the battlefield. Now, however, I have two of the Prime Sigils that were once kept hidden by our enemies, Earth and Water."
"Then tell us, Glimmer," Sombra challenged, "What do you have planned for recovering the last two Sigils?"
"We will infiltrate the staff that are going to rebuild the Everfree Kingdom," Glimmer said, pointing behind him in the direction of the ruined castle, "we will learn of each and every passage that exists in that castle, blend in with the workers, and, when the time is right, we will strike at our enemies. We will kidnap the Keeper of either the Sigil of Air, Princess Nightfury, or the Sigil of Fire, Prince Crimson Flare, and then steal their Sigil before the Sisters are even aware of what is happening. Once we have acquired one of the other two Sigils we will plan the final stage of our assault, where we will recover the final Sigil and complete the mission that our masters set out for us.
Now, go out into the night and return to the recruitment center in disguise. I shall contact each of you when the time has come to put the first phase of our plan into action."
After she gave her command each of the Shadows, save for Sombra, bowed to her in respect and disappeared into the shadows behind them, vanishing in a matter of seconds. Sombra stared at her for another moment, as if trying to decide between attacking her and stealing the two Sigils she already had, or folding and just go along with the plan for now. She glared at him and he backed up, disappearing into the shadows and leaving her to whatever evil act she had planned before she left as well. Instead Glimmer grinned and stared at the ruined castle, wondering if either of her enemies knew how close the danger was to their new home.
Soon she would have her revenge on Crimson Flare and Nightfury, and she would take great pleasure in bringing ruin down upon them and their parents.