//------------------------------// // March // Story: Hollow Shades // by Dilos1 //------------------------------// The ground was wet and damp from the brief rainstorm the previous night. The storm itself had been localized over Hollow Shades and some of the surrounding area, after a number of the clouds brought in by the weather pegasi melded together, creating a light downpour that soaked everypony. Almost none of them bothered to go inside however to escape the deluge, choosing instead to brave the elements and wait for the errant storm to be cleared up. As a result everypony still outside felt chilled to the bone as the moisture sapped the heat away from them, and all they had to ward to ward off the cold was their fur. Even then however they remained vigilant, keeping their gazes fixed on the tree line just a few hundred yards away. All of this Rose Flare saw from within the perceived safety of the quaint little home which the magenta coated unicorn shared with her husband. She also spied through the window of their bedroom the suns rays reflecting on the moisture still hanging in the air, creating a rather brilliant rainbow over the town. It was quite the contrast thought; the general mood of the town with marvelous display of color hanging just above their heads. It was almost funny in a way. Rose sighed as she closed the curtains, cutting off her view of the world outside, which only seemed to be growing more and more dismal each day ever the bug bear had first appeared and taken a life. The beast was dead now, and Rose knew better than to doubt the veracity of her husbands claim. But even with this piece of news, which should have been a cause for celebration, everypony still had fear in their hearts, for the bug bear had been replaced by something that was far worse, at least according to that old griffon she had seen lingering by the cafe from her window, speaking loud enough to wake the dead. Rose had noticed that his right wing had been wrapped in a set of bandages keeping it in place. She forgot how long she had listened to the griffon regale whatever pony that happened to pass by with his tale, but she knew that she had begun to tune him out when he started going on about the creature was like a large flying serpent with the power to make itself grow to ten times its size. The whole thing just sounded so far fetched to her. That was not to say that she was not concerned about the threat that this new creature, whatever it may be, presented. In fact she was downright terrified of the thought of some unknown horror coming into town and killing them all. And the thought of Roughshod putting himself between it and her in a noble effort to protect his wife and unborn foal. . . That thought alone scared her more than anything. Rose knew that Roughshod would not hesitate to do absolutely everything in his power to defend her. It was his devotion that had initially attracted her to him in the first place. But at the same time it was also one of his least appealing qualities at times. Sometimes Rose found herself wishing that Roughshod would not take so much responsibility on himself. She had supported his decision to patrol the wall at night because back then there had been nothing more serious than a small pack of lupis minors and the occasional mountain lion to worry about. But the moment she heard that the bug bear was lurking in the woods, she had attempted to convince him to give up the position to somepony else. And now there was something even worse than that. She did not think that she would be so worried for him if he had only let her stay with him through this ordeal. But of course he had to make a good argument to her, saying that it would be far safer not only for her but also their child if they left, at least for the time being. Their conversation had been somewhat testy, which she blamed on how far along she was into her pregnancy, but eventually she had relented, and she could see that the decision was just as hard for him as it was for her. And now here she was, silently packing up various items into a bag to take on her trip to Canterlot, and from there to Ponyville. All the while she felt an uncomfortable weight pressing down on her heart, and she knew it was the fear that if she left, she might never hear from Roughshod again. But as he had already said, there was a vastly more important reason for her to leave. A reason that made itself known with a very light brush against her stomach. Rose nearly jumped from the movement. She had been so engrossed in her own thoughts that it had startled her a little, but a soft smile soon found its way to her muzzle again as she glanced at her distended belly. "It won't be long now," she said quietly, gently caressing her stomach with the tip of her snout. That was another reason she was hesitant to leave. Considering how far along she was, there was the possibility that the foal would be born without him. But the doctor had already told them the foal was not due for at least a few more weeks, so it was a necessary risk to take. And it was unlikely that t would take that long for the royal guards to deal with when they arrived. When Quartz had announced to the town that reinforcements were on their way from Canterlot, Rose had felt an odd mix of relief and worry. Relief that the creature would soon no longer be a problem, and worry that it had warranted such an aggressive response. It was hard to believe that any animal could. Rose let out another sigh at the directions things had been going as of late, mourning for the days when Hollow Shades was not plagued by events such as these. But Rose was never one to mope over the present as she refocused on simply packing up what she needed to bring with her. Some warm wear was necessary, as Canterlot was often a cold place to be, what with it being built on the side of a mountain. Along with that she packed some extra bits, a few toiletries, and a small wooden frame with a photograph of her and Roughshod. To her that was essential. The sound of somepony knocking on the bedroom door interrupted her thoughts, which was followed by the voice of her husband. "Are you alright in there?" Roughshod asked as he opened the and peeked inside. "You need any help with packing?" Rose shook her head as she closed the suitcase, the latch clicking into place and securing the contents. "No," she replied. "All taken care of." Rose tried to put on a smiling face for Roughshod, hoping that she was covering up the worried look that seemed to want to break through. But right away she could tell that Roughshod could see right through her false expression as he slowly trotted up to her, his grey hooves clicking on the hardwood floor. For a moment he simply looked her with a blank face. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, as though he were about to speak. "Rose, I. . ." he manged to say before faltering. Apparently deciding to give up words altogether he gently pulled Rose Flare into a hug, one which she returned as she felt a thin stream of tears run down her cheeks. In that one simple embrace, Rose felt all of the love and care he had for her, setting her heart and mind and ease. Eventually they parted, and Rose wiped the moisture from her eyes with a fetlock. "Well," she said. "We'd better get going." Roughshod nodded before he gripped the handle of the suitcase in his mouth and followed her out of the house, making sure to keep a careful eye on her the entire time. The two ponies exited the house, and as Rose locked the door behind them she once again felt a sense of dread that she might never see this place again. Just then she felt the weight of a hoof press down on her shoulder, and she turned her head to see Roughshod giving her a reassuring smile. Rose smiled back as he led her down the street to Quartz's house. As they trotted along at a gentle pace, a small sound reached Rose's ears, causing them to flick in response. It was an oddly familiar sound mixed with the far off clanging of metal. Roughshod and some of the other ponies on the street with them noticed it as well, and they glanced upward to where the disturbance was coming from, somewhere towards the Canterhon Mountains. At the edge of their sight they saw a gathering of small dark shapes heading steadily towards the town. And almost immediately Rose saw that they were in fact royal guards from Canterlot. At first all they saw were pegasi, dressed in their distinctive golden armor, but as they drew closer she also saw that a good number of them were pulling floating carriages behind them, most of them laden with more ponies in golden armor. The rest bore weapons and other things that looked more suited for a battlefield rather than a hunting expedition. In addition there were two armored airships trailing behind, most likely to carry supplies. It would seem that those reinforcements Quartz had spoken about had arrived a little earlier than expected. Rose would have stayed where she was to watch them land, but she could tell by the increasingly worried expression from Roughshod that he would rather get moving. She was about to resume her journey, but then she caught sight of something else amid the standard guards. Near the center of the gathering, a smaller contingent of ponies clad in dark indigo armor flew alongside their golden armored brethren, and as she looked more closely at them Rose noticed that opposed to feathers their wings more closely resembled those of a bat or dragon. Among their number two of the strange ponies pulled a decorated chariot. But it was what, or rather who was riding on the chariot that made Rose gasp quietly, although she was not sure if it was from wonder or worry. "Well that's something you don't see every day," Roughshod commented beside her. Rose could only nod in agreement. As the majority of the royal guard landed just outside the high walls of the town, the two thestrals pulling the enchanted chariot behind them circled around once to find a spot to land in the town. Before long they began to descend in a downward spiral before eventually coming to a stop before a large water fountain located in a circular plaza almost directly in the center of the town. When her gothic styled chariot came a stop, Princess Luna lightly stepped off of her transport, her silver clad hooves clicking on the cobblestone street and her glowing ethereal mane and tail trailing behind her. All around her, no less than a dozen ponies from her Lunar Guard landed beside her, forming a rough circle around their Princess. Luna briefly surveyed her surroundings, noticing that many ponies had come out of their homes to see the spectacle. She even saw a magenta coated mare that seemed to be close to having a foal very soon and who she assumed to be her husband looking on with a mixture of awe and concern. Luna ruffled her wings a little, feeling that she could not blame them for their reaction,as she had arrived under some rather. . . unusual circumstances. An issue that Luna knew had to be dealt with, and one that she herself had a vested, personal interest in. As the crowd of ponies continued to swell in number, the Lunar Princess that she should address them, as it seemed more than a few were starting to become a little anxious in her presence. She refrained from using the Royal Canterlot Voice however. The ponies were likely shaken up enough as it was already, she did not need to unsettle even more. "Ponies of Hollow Shades," she said loudly. "We have received your plea for assistance, and you need not fear any longer. We have come to help you in your time of need." Her short speech seemed to have the desired affect, as many of the ponies began cheering and stamping their hooves on the ground in appreciation. A few even looked like they wanted to try and approach her, but they were held back by her guards. Smiling at the praise, Luna addressed them again. "Now, where is the pony who sent the message?" she asked, wanting to get underway as soon as possible. "Where is the mare known as Rose Quartz, the mayor of this fine place?" Luna was glad to see that she did not have to wait long for an answer, as a middle aged pegasus mare flew above the heads of the other ponies and raised a hoof while saying, "That would be me your highness." Satisfied, Luna beckoned for the mare to come to her, and it seemed that she could not fly fast enough to reach the Princess. Immediately upon landing Rose bowed deeply before Luna, sounding somewhat out of breath as she said, "Thank you very much for coming your highness. You grace us with your presence." Luna felt compelled to roll her eyes at the statement, having already had more than enough of what her elder sister often referred to as "kissing up" from the nobles in Canterlot to last another thousand years. It was honestly quite tiresome at times, but Luna made sure to keep such thoughts to herself in front of the mayor. "Rise, mayor Quartz," Luna said, trying not to make it sound like a command. "There is no need for such pleasantries, especially given the situation you have called us to address." Upon hearing this, Rose quickly stood up straight and dusted herself off. "My apologies your highness. It is just that I feel honored that you would come and help us personally in our time of need." "And why would I not feel obligated to lend you assistance when it is needed?" Luna asked with a raised eyebrow. "Should help only come after you have requested it?" Quartz began to blush profusely at Luna's question, and she quickly said, "I'm sorry! I meant no offense Princess! It's just that when Celestia responded she neglected to mention that you were going to be here as well. What I mean to say is that you just caught us a ll by surprise." Luna nodded in understanding. "I see," she said thoughtfully. "Well then, it might actually interest you to know even my sister was not aware of my desire to come here." Luna saw the confused expression on Quartz's face. The mare opened her mouth to ask a question, but Luna cut her off with a raised hoof. "I do not think that right here is not the place to be having this discussion," she said while indicating the crowd of ponies around them. "Perhaps we can go somewhere where you can tell me all that there is to know about this creature that has lurking in the woods, and in return I will attempt to explain my meaning?" In response Quartz quickly nodded in agreement. "Of course! Right this way," she said, leading the midnight blue alicorn through the throng, the thestral guards clearing the way for them. Before long the two ponies were sequestered in Quartz's office, with the mayor sitting behind her while Luna opted to stand despite Quartz's insistence. Two guards were stationed just outside the door in case they happened to be needed. In the privacy of her home Quartz proceeded to tell Luna about everything hat happened to Hollow Shades in the past few weeks, leaving nothing out. The Princess was especially surprised to hear that the bug bear had appeared. She remembered encountering that foul beast and others like it numerous times since before her thousand year absence, banishing them to Tartarus. Not long after her return she had learned that one had somehow managed to escape. Just the presence of such a beast was enough to cause a great deal of concern, and she wondered why nopony had seen fit to alert either her or Celestia sooner that it was stalking the woods of Hollow Shades. But her thoughts on the matter were supplanted by the revelation that not two days ago, the bloody remains of the beast had been discovered not too far from the town by a group of ponies investigating a disturbance. "Are you certain it was the bug bear?" Luna asked in a serious tone. Quartz did not impress her as the type of pony to stretch the truth about such things, especially where ponies lives were concerned, but there was still the possibility that there might have been some confusion when the body was first found. Quart however shook her head and stated "Positive. I made sure to ask Roughshod when he came back. And with everything that has happened since then, I feel I must say that I am inclined to believe." Luna nodded in understanding. "Yes, I recall your message explaining the creatures attack on ponies. However I believe that I would like to speak to the ponies that found the body myself to be certain." She sighed as she considered the information she had just been given. "And what of the others? The ones that saw the creature for themselves? Where are they now?" "Well," Quartz replied, "the griffon, Gerald he calls himself, just got out of the local hospital a few hours ago from what I've heard. Harp went home last night, and I haven't seen him since. But the third pony, some mare by the name of Miss Drops that Gerald kept insisting was with them, has yet to appear. Gerald says that she led the creature away to let them escape, but if I'm being perfectly honest I'm not sure if I buy the notion of some freelancer pony fighting monsters for a living." Quartz chuckled lightly at her statement, until she saw the Princess's raised eyebrow. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked. Luna simply let out a heavy sigh and said quietly, "Mayor Quartz, I feel that I must inform you that Miss Drops, or Bon-Bon as she has taken to calling herself, is very much as real as you or I. And if what this Gerald has said is true, then even the possibility of her death is a tragic one." Quartz's shoulders sagged when she heard that. "I see." Looking up at the Princess she asked, "But what was she doing out there in the first place? Gerald mentioned something about some sort of agency when he told me what happened, and he and Miss Drops know each other from the way he spoke." To Quartz's surprise Luna sighed angrily, closing her eyes and putting a hoof to her forehead just below her spiral horn. Unsure what exactly she said that was wrong, Quartz quickly began to apologize until the Princess cut her off with a wave of her hoof. "There is no need for you to apologize mayor. However I believe I am going to have to have a conversation with this Gerald in regards to his apparent tendency to speak before he thinks." "What do you mean?" Quartz questioned, but rather than answering right away Luna simply regarded Quartz for a brief moment before her horn lit up in a blue aura for a few seconds until it dissipated. "What was that?" "I have just ensured that no sound can leaves this room. I do not want anypony eaves dropping on our conversation. And Quartz?" "Y-yes, Princess?" Quartz replied, her voice suddenly sounding rather nervous in Luna's ears. "I am trusting you to not disclose what I am about to tell you to anypony outside this room without my express permission. Normally I would be against revealing such sensitive information considering how damaging it could be if it was ever public knowledge, but given how dire your situation is, not to mention how much Gerald has already told you in his foolishness, I feel that it is only right that you are made privy to what both he and Miss Drops were a part of." Princess Luna and Quartz walked side by side together to the gates, the latter of which still attempting to process what she had just learned. Surrounding them in a rough circle were the thestral guards, numbering around a dozen or so, keeping a watchful eye on both her and the various ponies who had come to see the Lunar Princess. The alicorns horn glowed constantly, letting Quartz know that the spell meant to keep their conversation private was still in effect. "That's quite a bit to take in," Quartz said to the Princess, although she made sure to keep her voice low so other ponies would not hear her despite the precaution. "I mean, all this time and there was some sort of secret agency that monsters?" "And not just monsters, I am afraid," Luna added. "You should know as well as I that in many cases, the worst creatures to pose a threat to Equestria as a whole are not as easy to spot as what you are dealing with. Foes such as Sombra or Chrysalis may have been dire enemies, but they are not very subtle. In actuality, the greatest challenge to the stability of Equestria came not from monsters or other such things, but from scheming ponies intent on enforcing their will on others through the subtlest means possible. The main task of these agents was to root them out and deal with them. That is actually part of the reason why Miss Drops was in Ponyville to begin with." "Ponyville?" Quartz spoke up. "Isn't that where the Element Bearers live?" "Precisely," Luna answered. "I'm sure you must know that after I returned and they were named heroes, that there would be certain forces at work to ensure that they were. . . dealt with?" Quartz's eyes widened when she realized what the Princess was getting at. "But that doesn't make any sense!" she stated. "Without them, Equestria would have been up a creek a long time ago. Why would anypony want them gone when they are pretty much all that can even stand up to things like Discord and Sombra or whatever else?" "As of yet that answer remains largely unknown, although one could venture a guess that they would be seen as a threat to the plans of whoever might wish to do with Equestria as they will." Quartz took a moment to ponder what she had just learned. She noticed that they were still some distance away from the gate, so she felt that she had enough time to ask another question. "So, why was this agency or whatever you call it disbanded? Why shutter the whole thing?" Luna paused for a moment, apparently choosing how best to answer the mare, before she eventually responded. "Well, my little pony, that is a question that my sister would be able to answer better than I, as she was Equestria's sole Princess at the time while I was. . . indisposed. Still, I have been informed on some of what happened, and will attempt to fill you in as best I can." Luna cleared her throat before continuing. Quartz could not help but notice that there was a look of contempt in her eyes as she spoke. "You see, fairly recently before my return, approximately ten years or so, certain ponies from an unknown group had heard rumors foretelling the arrival of a dark entity known as Nightmare Moon. But rather than find a way to fight this entity, they embraced it as something to be worshiped and praised, presumably believing that if they sided with it and helped it to overthrow my sister, they would be greatly rewarded. And so they began to scheme. "Supposedly during the process they came up with the idea to use monsters, creatures from Tarturus to be precise, as beasts of war to aid them. And so they set out to free them from their prison. However as I understand it Celestia was alerted to their ploy before it could come to fruition, and they were stopped. But not before one of the prisoners got loose however." "Let me guess," Quartz said. "The bug bear?" "You are correct," Luna confirmed, her tone becoming noticeably somber in Quartz's ears. "It was considered by the agency to be their greatest failure. And they knew that once the bug bear began to make its presence known, ponies would begin to question why, and look for someone to blame. Celestia wanted to spare the ponies of the agency from this, so she ordered for the organization to be quietly disbanded, while the agents continued their work, protecting Equestria in secret. As I understand it from my sister, the very existence of the agency is little more than a conspiracy theory to Equestria at large. And she has been trying to rebuild it ever since." Quartz fell silent at what she had just been told. It was all so much for her to take in. Just then another thought entered her head, one that was rather worrying to her. "Um, Princess?" she asked, looking around at their surroundings. "Are you sure it's okay for me to know about all of this? Aren't you worried that I might become a liability to you if anypony found out what you told me?" "No," Luna replied simply, barely casing a glance at Quartz. The mayor was caught off guard by the answer to say the least, and she wondered if maybe the Princess did not consider her to be too much of a target, or if there was something she was not telling her. She would have liked to ask, but did not have the nerve to question the Princess statement. She still had one more question left however, but she was not able to ask it quite yet, as they had just reached the gate. The large wooden doors began to part, and Quartz felt a small pang of worry take place in her mind as she beheld the sight before her. Dozens of ponies, both mares and stallions alike, dressed in golden armor were marching back and forth as they unloaded the chariots. Everywhere she looked somepony was shouting orders. Ponies were carrying supplies ranging from food to spears where they belonged. Many tents had been erected as well, making it look like a small city. Quartz also noticed that one of the airships had also landed while the other remained in the air, slowly circling above. On the bottom of its hull a metal and wood ramp extended down to the ground, where ponies were pulling huge contraptions that resembled giant crossbows with wheels on the bottom behind them. And behind them were wagons filled with their ammunition; enormous harpoons that one would imagine would be more suited for hunting sea monsters. "Quite the operation here," Quartz observed. Luna simply nodded as she surveyed them going back forth. Quartz figured that now was as good a time as any to ask her question. "Princess?" she said, making Luna turn her head towards her. "You said earlier that you had your own reasons for coming here." Luna nodded. "Yes, I did." The Princess sighed deeply before continuing. "As you know my little pony, I have the power to see into the dreams of others. This allows me to determine if they are also in pain. You see, a short while ago I felt a rather unsettling disturbance originating from this area." "Somepony was having a nightmare?" Luna nodded in confirmation. "A bad one as well. However I was unable to make contact whenever I reached out to them, and I don't know why. Whoever this individual is, it is like their mind has been closed to me, preventing me from helping them. And I believe that your creature may somehow be responsible for it." "How so?" Luna shook her head. "I don't know, and that is rather unsettling to me. And I have the distinct feeling that this creature is somehow responsible for it." "So," Quartz said, sounding unsure if she really did not want to know the answer to her question, "what do you plan to do if you find it, Princess?" "To be honest mayor, I am not quite sure," Luna replied. "I would like to avoid killing it if it can be helped. But your message has made it rather clear that it is hostile. If we can, we will at the very least try to subdue it. But if it fights and any ponies are injured in the process. . . I think you and I both know the eventual outcome."