Aetiology

by causefly

Chapter I - Faith

Aetiology
Chapter I
Faith

“For the last thousand years, you and your family have been acting like you’re different from us, like you’re not one of us. Well, I’ve got news for you, Spark Shadow. The darkness is all around us, and it’s inside you. You can fight it all you want, but one day you’re going to realize it’s there. And I sincerely hope I’m around to see it when it happens.”

***

Spark Shadow rubbed the sleep from his eyes as they adjusted to the sunlight. He looked out of the mouth of the cave, smiling at the familiar sight of the rippling sea of green grass; the dew was sparkling on each blade as the sun began its ascent through the sky. His eyes fell on his hooves, and he scooted back in a panic when he noticed that he had rolled closer to the edge of the cave in his sleep.

Safe in the darkness, he looked outside again. He knew he’d been out there once, a long time ago, but it was an ancient memory by now. He hadn’t been out since; the magic barrier went up at night and went down during the day, but to step into the light was sure suicide.

He sighed and turned away from the light. It doesn’t matter how long I stare outside, he thought bitterly. I’m still stuck in this cave. My brothers and sister are still stuck in this cave. And those damned shadow ponies are still stuck in this cave. He glanced back outside, the corner of his mouth rising slightly when he saw the cliff in the distance. At least we won’t be stuck for long.

“Wake up, guys,” Spark said with a yawn, pushing himself to his hooves and stretching his legs in the dim light of the cave. He rubbed his purple mane with a hoof and frowned at the five sleeping ponies around him. “You hear me? Come on, let’s go!” His horn began to glow a soft, pure white, and he used his magic to nudge them all at once.

The first awake was Jasper, his unicorn brother. He yawned and stretched on the floor, then stood up; with only a terse nod, he began to groom his immaculate blue mane and rust-colored coat.

The next to stir was Storm, their only sister. She stretched her light-brown wings before nuzzling her white-tipped nose right back into Flex. She seemed tiny next to him; but then, she seemed tiny next to everypony. I’ll never understand how that little pony is the fastest thing in the cave, Spark mused with a smile.

Flex’s massive, sculpted earth pony frame dwarfed his sister’s. His blond mane mingled with her tan one on the stone floor around them. He surreptitiously fluttered open one purple eye to look at Spark before quickly closing it again. A moment later he began snoring dramatically.

Spark rolled his eyes and looked down at his other two brothers. “Ghost? Dream? You guys awake?” Dream rolled over to face him and smiled lightly. He flapped a lazy wing in response, and then shifted his gaze to a nearby wall. Spark followed his gaze to see a line of bugs emerging from a crack in the wall, bringing them small worms, mushrooms and moss. Dream had a way with animals.

Two knocks echoed from beside him, and Spark turned around to find himself face-to-face with Ghost, who smiled as Spark inhaled sharply in surprise. Ghost was pure black and had had his eyes gouged out by two of the other shadow ponies, a terrifying sight to behold for everypony except his own siblings.

“Let’s get outta here before the idiot squad shows up,” Storm said, prodding Spark’s flank with a hoof.

Spark nodded. The mouth of the cave was a dangerous place to be after sunrise. Not only was it the only place in the cave where you could be touched by the sunlight, but Black Moon’s goons would be arriving any moment to carry out his newest scheme to escape the cave after centuries of imprisonment.

He scowled at the thought of Black Moon, the only alicorn in the cave. Black Moon was the self-proclaimed Shadow King, and Spark and his siblings were the only ones to refuse him their allegiance. They were all shadow ponies in the cave, but Spark and his siblings had been deemed the Shadow Six centuries ago to remind them that they weren’t as different as they thought.

Black Moon was also the only pony other than Spark who could remember the day the old wizard had sealed them away in the cave. Since then, not a day had gone by where the alicorn hadn’t sent out a few of his shadow ponies to test yet another fruitless escape plan of his. Many of those ponies had not come back. Their bones sat in the grass outside, being bleached by the sun.

I can’t really blame him. On that first, glorious day, we had all that space to ourselves, and now…

“Spark, are ya coming?” He was shaken from his thoughts by Storm’s voice, and he looked up to see his family trotting away from him and further into the cave. Spark cast one last look at the daylight outside, and then followed his siblings into the darkness.

As they made their way through the cave, they passed several shadow ponies who gave them wicked glares and growled in their direction. The Shadow Six took no notice of them; after nearly a thousand years, they’d gotten used to it.

A group of ponies in single file trotted past them, each clad in crude armor. “Haven’t you tried dragonscales already?” Spark called, stifling a giggle. “Don’t forget to hold each other’s hooves so you don’t get stuck out there!” The family shared a laugh as the shadow ponies continued towards the entrance without a word.

After a few more minutes of navigating the dark tunnels, they arrived at their destination: a large pit in the ground. Spark was the first to jump down, his hooves sliding against the rocky slope as he made his way to the bottom. Jasper followed suit while Flex opted for a mighty leap. Dream flew down slowly while Storm zoomed past them, and Ghost still managed to beat them all to the ground.

“Yeah, yeah,” Flex said, nudging his brother playfully. “You’re a buckin’ ninja. Now hurry up ‘n check if anypony’s around.”

Ghost took a sharp breath in through his nose, swiveled his ears, and knocked once on the ground. He rarely spoke, choosing to use his hooves to communicate instead. The only times he did speak were when it was absolutely necessary—or whenever he wanted to make a joke aimed at Jasper.

Flex moved next to the biggest boulder in the pit—one that matched the shiny boulder on his flank, although he’d tried to convince everypony that it was actually a raw diamond—and shoved. The boulder rolled aside to reveal a wooden door built into the wall of the pit. Jasper opened the door and the Shadow Six trotted inside.

When they had first discovered the cavern centuries ago, Dream deduced by the single dragon’s egg which lay in a nest of wood that it had once been an egg chamber. Jasper had used the wood to create a door, among other things, and Dream had taken care of the dragon’s egg until it had hatched centuries later.

“Surty? Are you in here?” Dream called through the pitch black. “Spark, please turn on the lights.”

Spark was already charging his magic; in his entire life, he’d only been able to master two spells, and one of them was the ability to form lightning from his horn. It was an ability he’d been forced to teach to Black Moon soon after he’d gotten his cutie mark, a white lightning bolt.

The white lightning crackled around his horn and burst in all directions, hitting the crystals they’d set in the walls and illuminating them, bathing the ponies in a soft glow. The glow always brought a smile to Spark’s face. It was the closest he could come to sunlight in the darkness of the cave. The smile disappeared briefly when he remembered why the cave was so dark in the first place.

Long ago, there’d been a unicorn whose power had been harnessing the light. He’d enchanted the entire cave to glow as brightly as Spark’s crystals did now. And then five hundred years ago, Moon threw him and some other ponies outside without protection to see if he could protect them from the light, Spark recalled, shivering. And then the dragon came... The lighting had dimmed significantly since then.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Surty the baby dragon, who screeched happily from a far corner of the room. Dream flew over in a blur of black and blue to hug him. As much as Spark enjoyed sleeping at the mouth of the cave to watch the sunrise, this cavern was their true home.

His other siblings had already begun to help themselves to the food that Dream’s bugs were providing via cracks in the wall. Spark took some mushrooms in his magic, and then made for the open door as he remembered something he’d wanted to do that morning. I hope she hasn’t eaten yet…

“I’ll be back soon,” he called to nopony in particular. He was nearly at the door when he was cut off by Flex, who took up most of the doorframe.

“Where ya goin’? You’re gonna miss breakfast, and I’m damn hungry so I’m not gonna wait for you. Can’t let these muscles deteriorate,” Flex added with a wink.

“There’s something I want to do. You can replace the rock and close the door. I’ll be back in a few,” Spark said quickly before dipping under Flex’s burly foreleg and galloping out the door. “Start without me!”

“Well,” Flex called after him as he struggled to climb the steep walls, “when you’re done with your li’l fillyfriend, you can open the door yourself!” Spark heard him chuckle to himself, and a moment later the rumble of the boulder sliding back into place echoed through the pit.

***

“Good morning, Equinivere.”

The unicorn mare smiled at the sound of his voice, turning away from the vines she’d been placing along the wall to greet him. “And good morning to you, Sparky,” she replied, brushing her flowing mane with a blue forehoof. The white flower perched behind her ear teetered precariously, and she adjusted it quickly with her magic.

Spark looked at the wall behind her and grinned. “I see you’ve been doing what you do best.”

“Oh, you know me. Anything to make this place a little more beautiful.” Just like my poor brother used to do, she thought with an internal sigh.

“Beautiful just like you.”

Equinivere blushed and they shared a smile.

“I was wondering if you wanted to join me for some breakfast,” he said, hovering the mushrooms between them.

“Oh, Sparky, you sure know how to treat a mare,” Equinivere giggled, and now it was Spark’s turn to blush. “Well, I am a tad hungry. Why don’t we go down to the mouth of the cave and watch our brave heroes as they venture into the sun yet again? I could use a little entertainment.”

“If you like,” said Spark, the smile on his lips faltering for a fraction of a second.

It had been nearly four centuries since their relationship had begun, and still her heart would skip a beat whenever she’d hear his voice. He wasn’t like the other shadow ponies in the cave. Every pony in the cave feared the sun and ran from it. Spark was the only one who embraced it.

She could listen to him for days on end as he would describe the sunrises he’d seen and the creatures that roamed outside when he’d wake up at the entrance. “Imagine being out there, the grass brushing your ankles as you gallop through endless fields of green, the wind rustling through your mane and tickling your coat, the warmth of the sun all over you and the sky so big and blue you could drown in it.”

She’d tried to imagine it, but it had been outside the limits of her imagination. Spark and Black Moon were the only ponies who could remember how it felt to be outside, and Equinivere had always been jealous of their memories. I wish I could feel it, Sparky. I wish I could experience it all with you, but if you had to choose between escaping with me and staying here with your family, I know what you would pick.

The walk to the entrance took less time than they would have liked, but it had been filled with new tales of birds and dragons. As they approached the entrance, they came across the group of shadow ponies who were preparing to go outside. They wore crudely-made suits of dragonscales and were giggling madly as they tied themselves together with rope.

“Remember those trades I’ve told you about?” Spark said in a low voice, nodding at the rope. It was made of vines. “That’s one of them.”

Equinivere nodded. When Spark had told her about the exchanges they would make with Black Moon, she’d told him that it was very generous of the King to allow them peace in return for things that his brother Jasper could fashion so easily. Spark hadn’t thought so.

They sat down near the entrance and ate their mushrooms as they waited for the show to begin. They didn’t have to wait long. A minute later, the group of scaled ponies lined up together at the edge of the darkness, the end of the rope held tightly in the jaws of another group that would remain inside. Finally, slowly, they all took a single step into the light.

A moment later they were pulled back into the cave. Equinivere had had a fit of the giggles when they’d stopped in their tracks and turned on each other, but her laughing stopped abruptly as she watched them re-enter the cave. Their eyes are so empty…

“This is wrong, Equi,” Spark murmured. “Moon shouldn’t force them to do this. I’ve seen enough ponies die out there in the sun.”

“But at least he gives them some sense of hope, Sparky,” Equinivere argued. She knew what was coming next. He was always trying to convince her to break her allegiance to the Shadow King, and she was always arguing that Black Moon was the only pony in the cave that had a plan… even if those plans did fail every single time.

“But does he give you hope?”

“You know where my loyalties lie,” she said in a small voice, not for the first time.

“Why won’t you join my family so we can be together? At least we aren’t his slaves.” Spark turned to look at her and she looked away, ashamed.

Because if Black Moon does finally manage to escape, you are the last pony he is going to take. And as much as I love you, Sparky… She hesitated for a moment and then said, simply, “That isn’t enough.”

“What if I could promise you freedom? What if we could escape, just you and me and Jasper, Storm, Flex, Dream and Ghost?” She felt a hoof on her cheek and looked up to see Spark gazing at her with determination. “Would you come with me then?”

Equinivere gazed back at him, her mouth half-open, but she closed it after a long moment and looked down at her hooves. Spark dropped his hoof from her cheek and sighed. He abruptly rose to his hooves and began to address the shadow ponies around them.

“My friends and brothers, why are you still going along with this crazy crusade for a mad pony? Even if you do end up walking out of here alive, you’ll always be his slaves. You may think you’re working towards freedom, but as long as you’re working for him, you’ll never be free.”

Equinivere looked up; the shadow ponies were staring at Spark with blank expressions, and Spark was rubbing his brow with a hoof. Why does he even attempt to reason with them? He knows as well as I do that—

“My dear Spark Shadow, do you really think I’m a mad pony? I’m so hurt.” Equinivere jumped to her hooves and Spark slowly turned in the direction of the voice. “Besides, at least they’re working towards a common goal. What have you ever done for your fellow pony?”

From the shadows of the cave trotted forth a tall, pitch black alicorn. On his face was an expression halfway between a sneer and a smile.

“Now is that their goal or your goal, Moon?” Equinivere’s eyes drifted to the dragonscale-clad ponies who were now being dragged to another part of the cave, confused looks on their faces. “You wipe their minds in the sunlight and the first thing those blank slates are introduced to is your next plan for escape. Are you really going to pretend they’re not your slaves?”

Black Moon approached them and held out his forehoof. Equinivere quickly bowed and kissed it, keeping her gaze to the floor. “My King,” she said dutifully.

Black Moon turned to Spark, his forehoof still extended. Equinivere looked up to see Spark balance on his hind legs and give the alicorn a dramatic bow. “My dear king,” he said mockingly as he dropped back onto all fours. “I’ve noticed that you still haven’t tried any of your plans for yourself. I guess royalty doesn’t exactly lead by example, but then again I suppose you’re just too busy being a royal pain in the ass.”

The Shadow King growled, dropping his hoof and spreading his wings menacingly. His horn started to glow, black lightning crackling along its length.

“Oh! I see you’ve added your own personal touch to my spell. How’s that working out for you?” Spark grinned and tensed his muscles. White lightning began to crackle around his horn. Oh, Sparky, please stop provoking him…

“Are you really ready to die, Spark?”

“I’m always ready to die, Moon,” Spark replied casually, dropping into a fighting stance. “And when it happens, I can promise you that I’m taking you out with me.”

There was a tense pause. The two stared each other down, lightning crackling threateningly on their horns, echoing in the cave. It sounds like a thousand tiny pebbles ricocheting off the walls of an endless pit, Equinivere remarked as she watched, her heart pounding in her chest.

Then the lightning faded and Black Moon dropped his stance, chuckling as his wings fell to his sides. “My magic is working out quite well, actually. It’s only a matter of time before I break through that barrier and step into the night.”

He turned to Equinivere and smiled a gentler, friendlier smile than before. “Equinivere, dear, your King desires your company.” He moved closer and bent low. His muzzle brushed her ear. The white flower shook and fell from her hair as he whispered, “You wouldn’t want to disappoint your King, now would you?”

“No, my King,” she murmured, her eyes to the floor. Black Moon moved away from her and she picked up the flower with her magic, carefully replacing it behind her ear.

“Good mare.” Then, addressing Spark, he said, “Good things happen when you fall in line and listen to your superiors, Spark Shadow; perhaps you’ll learn that someday. And tell that unicorn brother of yours that I would like to make another trade. I need more rope, and he needs to sharpen our knives. And in return…”

He leaned in closer to Spark, their snouts nearly touching. Equinivere could see the alicorn’s bright red eyes reflected in the darkness of Spark’s, and wondered how the smaller unicorn wasn’t flinching under his gaze.

“…I’ll make sure nopony finds out about that secret little room of yours.”

***

Jasper’s hooves and horn were tingling. It was a constant reminder of all the ore deposits under his hooves that he’d never be able to touch. He’d found iron once and hid it away, using it to make a hammer and a spike—which had resulted in his cutie mark, a hammer and shield (why it wasn’t a hammer and spike, he didn’t know)—but Black Moon had soon discovered it and forced Jasper to trade it to him.

He ignored the tingling—an ability that now came as easily as breathing—as he slid the stone greaves off his hind legs. The sound of the boulder rolling aside prompted him to look up at the door. Spark trotted into the cavern a moment later.

“So, how is that fillyfriend of yours?” Jasper asked.

“She get fat from eatin’ our food yet?” called Flex from the back of the cave.

“No fatter than your lazy flank,” Spark called back with a smile. Then, lowering his voice, he turned to Jasper and asked, “You finish the stone armor yet?”

“I’ve only ten years’ worth of work left to do,” Jasper replied, snorting. “Truly, Spark, I don’t believe these stones will work as well as you seem to think. And even if they could shield us from the sun, nopony except Flex has the physical ability to fight his way out.”

“Make it five years. And don’t worry about us getting out, just worry about making something that’ll keep us safe outside until nightfall.” Spark paused, and then chuckled to himself. “’Don’t worry.’ I’m talking to the grand master of worrying. Before you got your cutie mark I coulda sworn it’d end up being your worried face.”

Jasper chucked a rock at him, which Spark promptly caught it in his magic. They both laughed. Despite my trepidation, it’s the only plan we have. And there is so much ore out there, just waiting to be turned into armor and hammers and… “How much longer will it be until the meridian?”

“Five years, like I said. And if we miss that, we’ll have to wait another two hundred for our next chance.” Spark looked down at his hooves and coughed awkwardly. “Is there going to be enough for all six of us and Equinivere?”

Jasper shot him a dirty look. “There is barely enough for our family, as I’ve told you before.”

“Well, do what you can. But I’m not leaving this place unless we all leave together.” Spark looked past Jasper and he followed his brother’s gaze. Flex was throwing rocks at Ghost and Storm; whether it was to help them hone their agility or to hone his aim, Jasper couldn’t be sure. Dream was trying to teach Surty how to fly.

“Jasper, I think it’s time we tell them what we’re planning.”

***

“You bastards!” Storm cried, her cerulean eyes wet with tears. “Why didn’t you tell us? We coulda been helping! Prepping!”

Because we didn’t want to give you false hope in case I was wrong. Because we didn’t want Black Moon to somehow find out about our plans. Because we didn’t want anypony to know until we were absolutely sure that we would succeed, Spark thought as he watched his sister cry.

She flew over to Spark and started punching him weakly in the chest. He tried wrapping a foreleg around her, but she pushed him away and flew back to Flex, burying her head in his dark brown fur. Maybe we should have told them earlier. I hate seeing her like this.

“How much time’ll we have?” Flex asked. He seemed unperturbed by the fact that two of his brothers had been keeping an enormously important—the most important—secret from them for years. In fact, with the exception of Storm, Spark was surprised by how well they were all taking it. Their excitement seemed to override any anger they might have felt.

“Once the sunlight hits the barrier, the barrier’ll go down,” Spark explained, gesturing in the air with a hoof. “The sun will then disappear behind a cliff, giving us two seconds of darkness before it touches the entrance of the cave again. Once we’re out there, we’ll have seven seconds to get the armor on and find shade before the light touches us.”

Nine seconds. Nine seconds, and at the end of those nine seconds we’ll either be in the shade or ripping each other’s throats out. That, or Black Moon will be dragging us back inside to be his slaves for eternity... “So,” he continued, shaking the thought from his mind, “any of you fillyfoolers in? Or wouldya rather stay in this hole for the rest of your miserable lives?”

Flex merely grinned in response. Storm lifted her face from his chest and said, “M-my wings could use a good stretch, I guess.”

Dream smiled down at his dragon. “Surty, I hope you can fly by the time we get out there.”

“And what about you, Ghost?” asked Jasper, turning to face his blind brother who was sitting on the floor. “We will not have the time to show you where the armor is once we exit the cave. You might not make—”

Ghost interrupted him by holding up both forehooves and punching them together. He nodded vigorously and smiled.

“Well, guys,” Spark said, breathing an internal sigh of relief, “we’ve only got five years to get ready for this. Let’s get to work!”

***

Storm could hear the screams as she sobbed quietly into Ghost’s chest. Calm down, girl. I’m safe here. I’m always safe here. I have nothing to worry about. Calm down. She glanced up at the door to their cavern, half expecting it to burst open any moment. That’s insane. Stop it. I’m safe.

Her other brothers stood near the door, bent low and ready to attack just in case. The Shadow Six went through the same thing once a month; Storm would cry relentlessly while her brothers prepared to kill anypony who burst in through the door.

Every full moon, Black Moon would allow his male subjects a night of indulgence. Every female in the cave was free game on those nights, and even though it had been centuries since Storm had been subjected to it, she couldn’t help but feel utterly terrified whenever those nights came around.

And in a few months the new foals will be born and in a hundred years those foals will be colts and fillies and they’ll all get to participate too and it’ll never, ever end…

Storm buried her head deeper into Ghost’s fur and he stroked her mane softly, fruitlessly trying to calm her down. She cried harder as the noises became louder. It was a terrifying symphony of hysterical laughter and blood-curdling screams that echoed from the cave above and shook her bones.

Through it all, she could hear Spark speaking quietly to himself. “Hide, Equinivere,” he murmured, repeating it over and over as though she could hear him. “Don’t let them touch you.”

***

Five years passed much faster than Jasper would have liked.

Each time he’d finished a new piece of stone armor, his siblings practiced putting it on again and again until they could slide it on within a second. Once they’d gotten that part down, either Flex or Dream would go to the cave entrance with the piece and, feigning frustration with it, throw it just outside the barrier. To anypony looking outside, the armor would just look like chunks of rock.

They’d also spent much time training their muscles and building their speed. Surty had finally learned to fly, but, like all the pegasi in the cave, failed to keep up with Storm, who could now circle the perimeter of the cavern faster than anypony could blink.

Ghost had taken to wearing his stone armor around the cavern in order to become accustomed to its weight. Dream was teaching his bugs to meticulously fill the gaps in their armor so that no sunlight could breach it.

Flex wasn’t taking any chances. He had hollowed out the center of a large rock which they would bring outside to provide them with a tiny, makeshift cave. It had holes and cracks, but it would be safer than being in direct sunlight with just the armor on.

It was all enough to make Jasper feel slightly optimistic about the whole thing. The only thing he was really worried about now was Spark. Spark had been spending all his spare time with Equinivere instead of training, playing innocent games with her in order to surreptitiously prepare her for being outside.

Jasper shook his head bitterly at the thought of Equinivere. If anything is going to prevent our escape, it is going to be that mare.

“You should lighten up every now and then, Jasper,” Spark said suddenly, derailing his train of thought. “I’m surprised your face hasn’t warped into a permanent frown already.”

Jasper sneered playfully at Spark, but he couldn’t shake the worry he felt. We only have a few hours until we attempt our grand escape, and he and his fillyfriend are the only ones who are not prepared. And he has yet to even tell her of our plan…

Spark turned away from Jasper and called out to the other ponies in the cave, “You guys all know your game plans for tonight, right?”

Storm zoomed across the cavern and hovered to a stop before him. “Yup! The barrier goes down and we plunk ourselves outside and put on all our armor and go rollin’ down the hill and dive into that cave-thing Flex made, right?” She sped off with a wide grin on her face before he could reply.

“More or less,” Spark called after her with a laugh. “Anyway, I’m gonna go get Equinivere. Think you’ll all be ready in time?”

The question is, Jasper thought as he watched his brother turn to leave, will you be?

Once Spark had left, Jasper turned to the rest of the Shadow Six and addressed them with newfound determination. “We are going to succeed tonight, with or without the help of our dear brother.”

His family all stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him in concern. Flex and Storm exchanged looks, but he continued, undaunted. “Look, we have worked long and hard for our freedom, but if Spark’s fillyfriend cannot keep up with us or if anything else goes awry…” He paused and swallowed nervously. “Do any of you truly believe you would be able to continue on without looking back?”

Dream trotted over to Jasper and put a navy blue foreleg on his shoulder. “Jasper, we’re going to make it. Nopony is going to be left behind.”

“Well, I hope you are correct. Black Moon will most likely kill any of us who do not make it out of the cave. I just wanted to make sure that all of you know what we have to lose,” Jasper said solemnly, looking over at his family. “I love you all, and no mare is going to stand between us and our freedom.”

Dream nodded at a part of the cavern wall and smiled. “Don’t worry, brother. If any of us don’t make it, the chest we put in the wall will keep whoever it is alive until they can be rescued.”

Jasper had carved out a hole in the wall years ago. They’d filled it with everything they’d need to survive in case something went wrong: enchanted crystals that would give off light for the next two hundred years, a few dozen bugs who’d be able to collect food, maps of all the hiding spots in the cave, an enchanted tuning fork that would vibrate whenever a source of fresh water was nearby, a hammer and a small blade, and a light brown feather to remind whoever was left behind that their family would come to their rescue.

“Dream, if something goes wrong tonight, I doubt we will even be able to return here, much less find solace in the contents of that chest.”

Dream chuckled and mussed Jasper’s mane with a forehoof, prompting the unicorn to smile in spite of himself. “Have faith, brother. Nothing can stop us now.”

***

“So, Sparky, what was it you wanted to speak to me about?” Equinivere yawned and blinked her pale blue eyes repeatedly before rubbing the sleep out of them.

“Shh!” he hissed, glancing around nervously. In a low voice, he said, “I don’t want anypony else to hear. Come with me.”

Spark led her to the entrance of the cave. It was still dark outside; sunrise would be in nearly two hours. None of the shadow ponies would be there until daylight, so they stood alone in front of the barrier. The starry night sky was laid out before them in the distance.

“So, my mysterious pony, what have you brought me here for?”

It’s now or never. Spark took a deep breath and kneeled before her, taking her hoof in his own. “Equi,” he began nervously, looking deep into her eyes, “I love you. Will you spend forever with me? Also—” He glanced to his right, searching for the cliff in the distance. “—there’s something special I’m gonna want to do with you in about two hours.”

Spark looked back up to see Equinivere with tears in her eyes. She blinked them back and nodded enthusiastically. “Of course, Sparky! I will do whatever it is you want me to do, as long as you are always by my side.”

“I’ll always be by your side, Equinivere.”

“Do promise me, Sparky.”

“Equinivere,” he murmured solemnly, “I swear by the blood in my heart, by the strength of my hooves, and by our yearning for the light that I will be by your side forever and always.”

Her face broke into a grin at that and she pulled him to his hooves, pressing her lips against his. Spark could feel her smile against his own, her tears wetting his muzzle.

“There is something that I want you to have,” she said suddenly, pulling something from her mane with her magic. A small knife floated out of her royal blue hair and hovered before Spark. “This belonged to my brother once. He gave it to me for safekeeping, before he went outside… where the dragon…”

Her voice hitched and she trailed off. Spark nodded sympathetically as he took the knife from her and placed it in his own mane. Where the dragon tore his head off before swallowing his body whole, 500 years ago. At least he put up a good fight before he died.

At that moment, Spark wasn’t sure what was making him the happiest: knowing that Equinivere would be by his side forever, the honor of owning the knife of an old hero, or the pride of having his true love trust him with it. Focus, Spark. We don’t have time to waste.

“There’s something you need to know, Equi, and we don’t have any time to spare,” Spark said, his smile replaced by a serious grimace. “My family is escaping tonight and you’re coming with us.”

Equinivere’s eyes widened, and then she giggled at him. “Sparky, you truly should not joke like that.” Her laughing stopped abruptly when he placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Sparky, tell me you are joking.”

“I’m not joking,” Spark said softly, and her eyes seemed to widen further. “We’ve been working towards this for the past two hundred years, ever since I first noticed the barrier fail.”

“What?” she whispered back, and Spark could see that her mind was racing. “The barrier failed? Why did you not tell me? Is that what is going to happen tonight?”

Spark pointed to the cliff in the distance. “That cliff over there is what makes it happen. By my calculations, in two hours that cliff will cover the sun, giving us a few seconds to get outside while the barrier is down. Those rocks in the grass there are pieces of armor. They’ll protect us until we can find shade.”

He turned back to Equinivere, who appeared to be in shock. “How… but… we… we are finally going to be free?”

“Yes, Equi. We’re going to be free.”

“Wait,” she said after a moment, brushing her mane with a hoof. No, please, now is not the time for second thoughts… “I need my flower! It must have fallen off while I slept.”

Spark cocked his head in confusion. “The flower you always have in your hair? Equi, we need to be ready now! You can have all the flowers you want once we’re outside.”

“Sparky, you know what that flower means to me. I will not leave without it.”

He thought about that for a moment. He could see Jasper’s angry face in his head, telling him that she was going to cost them their freedom. No, she’s right. She tore that flower from her brother’s hooves the year before his death, when he was being dragged back into the cave. She got her damn cutie mark by learning to enchant it to stay fresh forever. She’s not going to leave without it.

Spark looked back up at her and sighed. “Then go. Now. Grab it and come back, and don’t stop for anything or anypony. I don’t care if Black Moon himself wants to talk to you. Don’t you dare stop. Come to our cavern as soon as you find the flower.”

Equinivere let out a long breath that Spark hadn’t noticed she had been holding. “Thank you,” she said, kissing his cheek before turning back to the endless network of caves. “I love you,” she added over her shoulder, flashing him a smile before breaking into a gallop.

Please, Equi, don’t prove Jasper right, he thought sadly as he watched her go. He remained at the entrance, watching the sky brighten slowly in the distance. After a few minutes, he made his way back to the cavern.

***

Careful, careful, you cannot risk waking them up, now, Equinivere thought to herself as she tip-hoofed around the sleeping ponies. All you need to do is grab the flower and then you will be free. Just grab the flower and you can be with Sparky forever.

The thought made her giddy, but she kept her focus as she crept carefully through the room. When her white flower came into view, she sighed inwardly in relief. One step closer to freedom. She lifted it with her magic, tucked it gently behind her ear, and began to make her way back.

“Couldn’t sleep, my dear?” She froze in place as the loud whisper of Black Moon’s voice struck her ears. He stepped out of the shadows. His eyes were trained on hers, staring into her soul as she stood perfectly still, watching him back. “Come. We don’t want to wake up your brothers, now do we?”

“Of course not, my King,” she whispered back, fighting to keep her voice even. She trotted slowly over to him and bowed obediently, kissing his hoof. “I… I was feeling chilly so I went for a walk. But then I felt lonely, so I returned to retrieve my brother’s flower.”

Black Moon let out a low chuckle and ran a hoof through her mane. She shivered at his touch. “My loyal subject, how long have you been a favorite of mine?”

“I am afraid that it has been too many years to count, my King.”

“Then you must be aware that I can read you like a book, correct?”

Equinivere began to tremble. No, no, this cannot be happening. “Of course, my King. Nopony could ever know me better than you.”

“Then you wouldn’t lie to your king, would you?” His voice had dropped much lower, accusation dripping from each word.

“M-my King? I do not understand,” she replied, her voice catching in her throat. Black Moon leaned closer to her; she could feel his breath on her muzzle.

“Come, my dear,” he whispered, a faint smile forming on his lips. “Tell your king what you know.”

***

With Flex doing the bulk of the lifting, the Shadow Six managed to haul the hollowed-out rock he had made out of the pit. Storm had flown up ahead to scout the tunnels. Her all-clear signal echoed back to her family, who stood nervously at the edge of the pit.

“Alright, guys,” Spark whispered. “It’s time.” I just hope Equinivere is by the entrance. Why didn’t she come to the cavern like I asked?

They moved out, inching through the twists and turns of the tunnels, working their way towards the entrance. A smile broke out on Spark’s face when he saw Equinivere standing by the entrance. “Equinivere,” he called out as quietly as he could, “come over—”

“SPARKY, RUN!”

Her voice died in her throat as black lightning enveloped her and she collapsed to the floor. Spark froze in place, his heart pounding in his chest as he watched her body twitch for a moment before going limp. And then the laughter began. Soft giggles echoed all around him, growing to hysterical cackling, and he tore his eyes away from her lifeless body to see the glowing eyes of Black Moon’s shadow ponies.

“My congratulations, Spark,” Jasper said flatly, though anger was evident in his voice. “Your fine fillyfriend just murdered your entire family.”

Spark’s mind raced as he struggled to come up with a plan. It’s not going to end like this. Not now, not after we’ve worked so hard… Wait, I’ve got it! He turned to his siblings, his voice low as he said, “Listen. On three, we toss the rock at the shadow ponies and make a break for the opening.”

“I’m afraid that your greed and all your little secrets have made it much too late for that,” Black Moon said, stepping out of a side-tunnel and trotting over to Equinivere’s body. “Oh, and don’t worry about her. She’s merely unconscious.” Spark sighed in relief. The alicorn pouted at him. “What, did you think the rest of us didn’t deserve to know about the barrier lapse? Well, it makes no difference now.”

Black Moon moved to the entrance and placed a hoof on the barrier. It vibrated at his touch and he tilted his head upwards to look at the sky. The sun was beginning to break the horizon. “You know, Spark Shadow, when I’m free, I’m going to build a grand entrance at the mouth of this cave, right through the barrier. Your fellow ponies will be able to wait out the sun and escape into the night, but not you. No, you and your family will never see the light again.”

“Storm?” Spark whispered, not taking his eyes off Black Moon.

“I’m with ya ‘til the end, big brother.”

“No, don’t worry about me. Just take care of the others.”

“Wha—?”

“Three!”

Flex lifted the hollow rock and launched it at the ponies behind him. Spark charged Black Moon, lightning crackling down his horn as he ran, his siblings following behind him, bolting towards the entrance as sunlight began to hit the cave. The barrier dropped. Both Spark and Black Moon’s horns were lit with electricity.

The sun disappeared behind the cliff. Now or never.

The white lightning bolt collided with the black one, and the air exploded.

Spark was thrown into the air. He landed on his hooves and felt the soft ground beneath him. Letting out a breath, he swiveled his head to congratulate his family on escaping, but the words died as he looked back at the cave.

His siblings had been thrown to a back wall. They lay on the floor in a heap, staring at Spark in disbelief. Black Moon was against another wall, his eyes wide with rage. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this, was all Spark could think as he swiftly turned and galloped away. The sunlight fell across the entrance behind him, trapping those inside once again.

“I’ll come back for you! I promise!” he screamed over his shoulder, tears beginning to fog his vision as he sprinted down the mountain, sunshine on his tail. He felt a twinge of guilt for not having the time to use the stone armor Jasper had worked so hard on, but right then, he felt guilty about a lot of things.

In the distance behind him, Black Moon’s howl of fury echoed in the cave.

***

Jasper grabbed Equinivere in his magic and what was now the Shadow Five began to gallop back to their own cavern, hoping against hope that they would be able to reach the pit, but it was useless. Moments later they were surrounded by shadow ponies.

Black Moon, who had been watching Spark as he disappeared down the mountain and out of sight, now turned back to the Shadow Five, panting hard. Equinivere was beginning to come to, and she left out a soft moan from the ground as her eyes fluttered open.

All these ponies are carrying knives in their manes; I can feel it. If I can focus my magic enough, maybe I can—

“You’re Jasper Shadow, am I correct?” Jasper blinked and looked up at the black alicorn who now stood before him. In the silence that followed, Dream grabbed Surty in his hooves and threw him towards the entrance.

“Surty, fly and get somewhere safe!” he called after the green dragon, who flapped his wings, flew past Black Moon and stopped in the sunlight. He swiveled in the air and looked to Dream with confusion before flying back inside and lying down next to the entrance.

Black Moon chuckled, watching the dragon. “Well, at least one of the things you love isn’t willing to abandon you.”

Jasper glared at him. “’Jasper Shadow’ is correct,” he said, fighting to keep his voice steady as he prepared to bring the knives around him to life.

“You know, your brother did a very good job of keeping all of you hidden from me. It was such a pain trying to find you,” Black Moon said plaintively. He pulled a knife from his mane with his magic and inspected it. “You do such good work, Jasper Shadow. It would be a shame to lose a talent like yours.” He placed the knife back in his mane. “I guess this makes you the new leader of the Shadow Six—make that Five,” he amended with a smirk.

“Perhaps it does, but do not expect me to aid you. Unless you believe our bones would be more willing to help.” Jasper’s family snickered behind him.

“Oh, but you haven’t even given me a chance, my loyal subject,” Black Moon replied with mock hurt. His eyes drifted to the injured unicorn behind Jasper and he narrowed his eyes. “But first things first, yes? You have somepony that belongs to me.”

Jasper turned his gaze to Equinivere, suddenly feeling foalish for having grabbed her in the first place. He looked back at Black Moon, and now it was his turn to smirk. “According to my brother, she ceased to be ‘yours’ a few hours ago.”

A look of surprise crossed Black Moon’s face, which was quickly replaced by an expression Jasper couldn’t read. “Is that true, my dear?” he asked her, his voice even. “Are you no longer your king’s faithful subject?”

Equinivere rose to her hooves. For a moment, Jasper thought she would deny everything; after all, despite her love for Spark, her loyalty had always been to the Shadow King. But to his surprise, she told the truth.

“H-he asked me if I would spend forever with him, and I t-told him that I would,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Then he s-said that we would escape tonight, and I agreed to go with him. I am so sorry. I do not know what I was thinking. Please forgive me, my King.”

“Well,” Black Moon said after a pause. “I guess this night has been disappointing in more than one way. Your brothers will not be pleased to hear this, my dear.”

“We will gladly take her in,” Jasper said without thinking as he readied his magic. What? Why?

“And are you sure about that?” Black Moon said, echoing Jasper’s thoughts. “I actually have a few options for you, Jasper Shadow. That is, if you’re at all interested.”

“If you mean to kill us regardless, why would we be interested in your pathetic little games?”

The alicorn laughed. “Because, my little pony, I don’t want to kill you. Frankly, I’ve always wanted Spark’s head to keep as a souvenir, but that’s not likely to happen now. No, you’re much more valuable to me alive.”

Jasper stiffened. Black Moon was beginning to get under his skin. “What is it that you’re offering?”

“You have your pride. I respect that. But you’re also the leader of your little family now,” the alicorn drawled. Looking past Jasper, he remarked, “Your poor sister looks like she’s about to cry.” Jasper twisted his head far enough to look at Storm. Three distinctly large pegasi were standing behind her, laughing and staring at her coat. Flex shifted to block their gaze, but their eyes never left her rump.

“And you still have a unicorn that I would like to see returned to my side,” Black Moon added. Jasper’s legs suddenly felt weak. He longed to return to their cavern, to seal it shut for the next two hundred years and wait for Spark to rescue them. He did promise to save us, right? “I’ll even give you and your family safe passage back to your room.”

His ears perked up. He heard Storm’s sniffling, heard Dream murmur prayers. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Ghost shaking his head. But this is not his choice. It is mine. “Perhaps we will entertain your offers,” Jasper said slowly, turning back to face the alicorn. The shadow ponies gave a collective laugh, and he could feel their eyes piercing his coat, but he did his best to ignore it.

“First of all, we can kill you all right here and now, quickly and painlessly.”

Jasper rolled his eyes. “If you were going to kill us, it would most certainly be neither quick nor painless.”

“True,” the Shadow King replied with a grin before taking a few steps back towards the mouth of the cave. “Second, you and your family can venture out into the sun.” What? Surely he would not allow us to depart just like— “Well, not you,” he continued. “But the rest of your family can spend their days carrying out my plans to escape.”

Oh, that is it! Jasper thought as he grabbed a knife from the crowd of shadow ponies. It flew out of an earth pony’s mane and came to a stop against Black Moon’s throat. A silver sheath of magic held it firmly against his black coat.

“I guess that’s a ‘no’, then,” Black Moon said flatly, raising an eyebrow.

“That would be a ‘no’,” Jasper said, pushing the knife a little harder. “If the third option is as terrible as the first two… Well, we will see who will have whose head as a souvenir.”

Black Moon snorted in disgust. “Then I think you’ll like this option best. How about this: we do nothing to you. You and your family go back to your cavern, only coming out when I require your services.”

“And the catch is…?”

He motioned to Equinivere. “All you have to do is leave her here with me. And considering everything she told me about your plans tonight, I think it’s a fair trade.”

Jasper thought this over. He could hear his family behind him, telling him not to give in, but he couldn’t understand what they were saying. Everything we have done, all our planning, our years of hard work… all of it is now gone, and it is because of this mare.

He dropped the knife from Black Moon’s throat, picked up Equinivere in his magic, and tossed her at Black Moon’s hooves like a ragdoll. The Shadow King smiled at him, looking almost grateful, and then nodded at the shadow ponies that surrounded the family of five. They split in half, a path forming down the middle.

Slowly, wordlessly, Jasper led the group through the path and back towards their pit. They had barely taken ten steps when they heard Black Moon call after them. “Then again,” he said, “you did try to escape and leave all of us here to die. Perhaps a little revenge is in order.”

The Shadow Five had half a second to think before the wall of shadow ponies came crashing in on them.

***

Black Moon’s howl of anger echoed in his ears, but Spark didn’t have time to worry about that. He didn’t even know where he was going, only that the mountain sloped down before him and the sunlight was catching up to him from behind.

He galloped as fast as he could, but the heat was overwhelming, and the sunlight was nearly blinding him. His eyes darted around as he sprinted, searching desperately for shade.

On his way down the mountain, he tripped over a rock and caught his ankle in a patch of weeds, adding to his agony and exhaustion. Pushing the pain from his mind, he forced himself to run faster even as his body protested with every move he made. I promised them I’d save them. I can’t stop now.

Spark was wheezing now, his legs aching beneath him, his hooves cracking, his head pounding, his eyes burning—but he couldn’t stop. There was too much at stake. Please, Sky Pony, just give me some shade…

And then he saw it. It was square and made of wood and he wasn’t quite sure what it was, but it had an open door. And inside the door was shade.

He pushed his body to move faster than it ever had before, and as the sunlight licked his tail, he dove in through the doorframe. Safe in the darkness, he rolled onto his side, reveling in the coolness of the shade as he watched the sunlight hit the spot he’d been standing a moment ago.

Catching his breath, he looked around. There was light peeking through the cracks in the walls, but it wasn’t touching him. I think I would know if I was in the sunlight… What’s that tinkling sound?

Spark’s panting was erratic and his vision was beginning to blur. As he rolled onto his back, he could barely make out the face of the pony who stood over him. The pony’s long white hair nearly reached Spark’s muzzle.

“What an unexpected surprise,” the pony murmured. “White streak on your back… Running to avoid the sun… Yes, I think you’re just the one I wanted to see.” He looked up towards the door. “I suppose this will have to do until nighttime...”

Black smoke appeared and wrapped itself around Spark’s entire body. Not having the energy to fight back, he lay limp on the floor, his eyes fluttering shut in exhaustion. The smoke was surprisingly cool and comfortable on his coat, and his breathing slowed as he finally slipped into unconsciousness.

“I have big plans for you, colt,” the pony said, his voice fading into the darkness. “Big plans, indeed.”

***

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[Neon Czolgosz]

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