//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Dark Secrets 
// by SwiftShad0wWing1 
//------------------------------//

	A cyan pegasus walked through the halls of the Crystal Palace. Instead of a bright sky blue and prismatic mane, her coat was unusually dull and her eyes were snake-like and crimson. Her hoof-steps were unusually silent as she went down the dark hallways. Guards didn't even notice her as she passed them. 'I forgot how weird it is to use my shadow walking around other ponies,' was her only thought as she turned a corner and exited the castle through an open window. Out in the moonlight her colors returned and she flew into town before landing in an alley.

Rainbow Dash looked at all the buildings as she passed and remembered her days as a foal. She used to play in town with the other children when her and her father got into a fight. Her memories were interrupted by a Crystal Guard, "Hey! What are you  doing out here?" Dash turned around and took him in. He was a fairly large pegasus, he had a gray coat and a cropped brown mane.

"Sorry, just for a midnight stroll. Felt a little cramped in the castle."

"Due to the threat nopony is allowed outside after 10 'o clock. If you will please follow me-" The guard was cut off by Dash, well, dashing away. She chuckled to herself as she flew low against the buildings, blending in with the shadows. She felt kinda bad about just ditching him, but she wanted to explore her old home.





"This place hasn't changed much," Then she thought about it, "Well okay, I guess it has." Rainbow was currently walking around the back of the castle, her eyes a pale crimson as she used her magic to blend in with the darkness. She found a crack in the castle wall. It was just barely big enough to fit a filly maybe Scootaloo's size in it. But Dash knew what was inside. She forgot about her magic being detected as she focused and her form became completely shadows. She slipped through the crack, it carried on as tunnel that went underground before opening into a small cavern.

Dash let go of her magic and her hooves touched the stone floor. Inside the cave there was a small stream with rare crystals growing form the wall her it entered. There were also a few toys that had decayed in the millennium they endured without a caring touch. A breeze blew in from the tunnel, ruffling her feathers as she looked around her old safe haven. She would go down there as a filly to get away from everything, it was one of the few places her father's guard didn't know about. Her ear twitched and she realized the shadow's position were changing, meaning that the sun was rising. With barely a thought, shadows consumed the mare and she was back in her room in the castle.