//------------------------------// // Shadows of the present past // Story: Dark Butterfly // by Questionable Brony //------------------------------// Fluttershy didn't provide any immediate answers, instead she asked everypony to follow her to one of the corridors. This one was filled with paintings hanging from each side of the wall, mostly showing King Sombra. However, at the end of the hallway right above some huge double doors. Twilight took the liberty of opening the doors with her magic. Inside were a lot of paintings, covered in dusty white sheets. "I'll say, the maids certainly didn't do a good job, keeping this place clean of dust." Rarity stated, sneezing because of a few particles. "So what's in here Flutters?" Applejack asked, ignoring Rarity's question. Fluttershy answered by pulling of one of the sheets and reveal the painting in the middle of the room. A few of the ponies awed, as they saw a beautiful scenery in the Crystal Gardens. There under an orange tree was a crystal pegasus, playing with various animals. From a black cat, a few dogs, birds and even a butterfly sitting on top of her mane, a lot of animals were present in the picture. Around the pegasus, some toys were on the ground. The dog played with a stick, a cat had a ball in her claws, a bird held what seemed to be a glass ball, squirrels were carrying plush versions of mice. At first it looked like an ordinary picture with a few flaws in it. But when taking a closer look the ponies could see something strange. The bird's eyes were red dots, the cat had some tentacle thingies growing out of its back, the dogs turned out to be not normal dogs, but young hellhounds as Celestia realized, the squirrels had sharp teeth and the eyes of the pegasus had the same sick color as those of King Sombra. "That's...it's....I dunno, weird?" Twilight tried, after inspecting the painting carefully. "I mean you have this beautiful scenery, but then the artist added those strange details." "Strange indeed darling. Those animals and the pony clearly ruin the overall picture. Why aren't there normal animals instead of those things? And the pony. Who is this supposed to be anyway?" the fashionista asked. Celestia, Cadance and Shining Armor looked at each other, knowing full well that they could not hide the truth about Sombra's daughter anymore. "Hey Fluttershy. How did you find this place anyway?" Pinkie asked, looking under one of the white covers. "I...er...got lost a little, after we arrived. And I happened to carry the ball with me. I must have accidentally packed it in my luggage. And when I saw the poor kitty, I knew it must miss his or her owner. Whoever the owner is." Fluttershy looked at the painting. "Guess we're lucky you're around. But" AJ cleared her throat "ya gotta admit, this ain't no kitten out there." "Oh Applejack. Sometimes it's what lies under the mask." "Well said, my little pony." Celestia nodded. Back in the throne room, Celestia took a sip from her tea, watching the Element of Kindess slowly scratching the chin of the large creature. Ignoring the weirdness of the situation, she began her explanation. "You see, Sombra wasn't the only one who was a master of using the dark arts. Over a thousand years ago, he had a daughter." "A daughter?!" Everypony exclaimed. "Does this mean it isn't over?" Twilight asked. "I...can't say for sure." Celestia took another sip and put the cup aside. "You see, Sombra's daughter disappeared around the time Luna and me defeated the dark king. Personally, none of us never met her daughter and only heard rumors about her abilities of taming monsters from Tartarus and letting them "play" with the populance of the city." "Sounds like an evil version of Fluttershy." Spike commented as bluntly as always. "So, we have to deal with her now?" "We don't know." Cadance spoke up. "After the fall of her father, she has never been spotted. Maybe she died as the city fell for the first time, maybe she escaped and went to Tartarus to live with the creatures she so loves." "The fact is, we don't know." Shining Armor took over. "And as long as there's no proof of her even being still alive, we think it would be best for you to go back to Ponyville." "What?! But we can help!" Twilight and Rainbow Dash shouted at the same time. "Yeah, we're not quitters!" Rainbow shouted. "Ya take the words straight outta mah mouth." AJ stated. Celestia couldn't help, but smile. "We appreciate your eagerness, but you have done for Equestria already more than enough. You clearly deserve a break and as of now, we don't even know if a threat really exists. Be assured that we call for you, IF the elements are needed, but until then, you deserve to go home and return to your normal lives." While everypony wanted to protest, nopony would even dream of even going against a suggestion of the princess of the sun, unless the situation really asked for it. So in the end, everypony nodded reluctantly, minus Fluttershy, who had a very question to ask. "Uh...so, your highness. Do you mind,if I keep him?" Outside in the woods near the crystal empire, various monsters gathered in the darkest part of the forest. No words were exchanged, but there was no need for this, for there was only one reason they would gather like this: their mistress had finally returned. They could smell her scent, although it was going away. It didn't matter. If they hurry, they would be able to follow their mistress towards a new home. As if on an invisible signal, all of them began to move at once through the wilds of Equestria, avoiding settlements to the best of their ability, but still trying to stay close to the scent.