A new shadow

by PrinERROR

Chapter I

What a pretty little town, what a pretty little princess

---

Right near the middle of Equestria, in its seas of lush green valleys and in one of its famous meadows lives the small remote town of Ponyville. Once a calm and small town created by travelling earth ponies it had grown into a popular tourist destination thanks to the summer sun celebration that had happened a few years back. Normally many ponies of all walks of life would walk through the town. Unicorns, earth ponies and Pegasus alike enjoying the calming atmosphere and keeping the many markets and shops busy. A happy and welcoming aurora would cover the friendly town and cheer would be heard at all hours. Ponies would walk on the brown and orange leaves in autumn, sell the towns many rare flowers in the hot months and reside happily in there humble abodes when winter would take its toll.

But not today.

The many streets that where normally full of life lay empty in the hot summer sun. Buildings painted pastel pinks and calm blues lay empty and abandoned doors creaked in the soft rolling wind. Ponyville could be described as nothing more but a ghost town, long grown out of its prime. Bits of rubble of what were merely a few days, houses covered the ground and the smell of small forest fires could be smelt all around.

Monsters and creatures of the night scurried occasionally out of the Everfree forest nearby as they learned about the new, abandoned territory. So unfamiliar to the warm almost quaint feel of the climate one could be seen every now and then either hunting the remaining livestock that still lived in the town, exploring they're new territory or most likely sitting like stone statues above the hilltops.

However, in the midst of the abandoned ghost town trotted a figure. A earth pony mare with a light shaded mane came out of the shadows, a small smile crept on to her face as her bright orange fur glistened with fresh sweat. A leather stetson sat neatly on the top of head and her lightly shaded mane was held up in a small ponytail by a even smaller red band. Three large red apples adorned her flank in the shape of a triangle, marking her destiny and life as a apple farmer. Most ponies would presume that she had come from the large farm, Sweet Apple Aces that in the midst of a ghost town, was still running.

The mare suddenly stopped. A large shadow of a mesmerizing building looked down at her and emerald eyes looked back up at it with a passion. In the middle of the town, sure to be a new attraction once the plans had gone through was a large sapphire tree-like castle.

The structure Gleamed like diamonds in the mid-mourning sun and "branches" of the structure grabbed on to the main rooms like they where leaves. Gold platted rooftops added a more magical feeling and greatly reflected the stunning symbol of glass friendship that lased on the top of it. A star with six points, representing the elements of harmony sat atop the heavenly structure. Loyalty, generosity , honesty, kindness, laughter and of course, magic being the main focus of the standing symbol.

Climbing up the stairs and entering the large castle the Simpleton mare began to climb up the castles winding maze of hallways and stairs. The move carpet streaking further and further up the tower as she walked higher and higher4 on every step. She passed a large glistening throne room filled with five thrones in one large circle hastily. A big kitchen with an even larger dining hall and a set of guest rooms.

The smile on the apple-farmers face disappeared suddenly as she almost reached her destination. A ear-splitting scream echoed near her as it echoed beyond and into the crystal walls. Hastily she stepped in her dear friends room. The princess had sent her just in time.

---

Twilight Sparkle sat up in her new king size bed as a familiar pony came into her sights. Royal purple walls and large ebony doors where covered by the warm orange color of her friend and her bruised wings, though battered and shaking, flapped with a calming familiarity.

"Howdy there Twilight I heard the scream'in, you alright?" Her voice was laced with caring and understanding " I know it's one of those nightmares the Princess has been talking to us 'bout, your not hurt are ya'?".

Twilight's one working eye looked away from Applejack and fell to her hooves. "Applejack..." her voice was croaky and raspy "It was strange,...I was in a pitch black darkness and I was reaching out for you. I was in a lot of pain....an-an..." a single tear fell from her purple eye and her friend rushed to her side "Y-y-you guys just got up and left me....."

Applejack placed a hoof on her shoulder as Twilight's breathing began to quicken after uttering the few lines of nonsense.

"Now, now Twilight your like a lil' filly crying over a bad dream. Ya'know will never leave ya."

The new princess of friendship calmed herself as she lifted her friend off of her and her mind pulled it self out of its shock. Twilight painfully straitened herself and spoke softly "mentally, I'm incredibly unstable but physically I am getting better, you don't need to worry about me I'll be just fine, Applejack."

The earth pony mare smiled back, she knew it was a lie but she hated to think what would happen if she pushed her friend any further. Memories of a not so distant past quickly passing through her eyes.

"Well I'll go do what I came here to do and make ya' some of Grannie smith's famous good mourning' breakfast and then we can talk bout' the plans for the new and improved Ponyville!." Applejack smiled warmly before shutting the door and leaving Twilight to her own thoughts. Even though she had wished to talk to Twilight more about her dreams, the princess had forbid her too in fear of early problems resurfacing.

The lavender alicorn's timid smile quickly turned into a frustrated frown as her friend left the room. Her glazed and tired eye scanned across her brand new abode and a sigh escaped her lips.

"Nothing is making sense...."

Those where the exact thoughts that had been going around in her head the four days she had spent immobile in her bed. After the Tirek incident Twilight had taken some major injuries, her left front hoof had been taken clean off and her left eye gutted out. Bruises cuts and scars were scattered all over her body and falling from great heights during the battle and badly damaged the feathers on her wings. Her body looked like it had been very bluntly, mangled and mutilated. Her feathers looked like purple and red lines of bone and thin bits of mashed up flesh and her bandages alone where covered and drenched in at least half of her blood. If she hadn't descended to a alicorn before the fight, she would pretty much have been dead right now.

After losing the fight itself Twilight had collapsed by the sheer pain and her friends had to escape and save Equestria without her.

It would have been to painful, Celestia had said ,to transport her to Equestria's best hospital in Manehatten after they found her bleeding to death outside her new castle. So instead, she was healed with some powerful healing magic and told to rest up for the next couple of months. One or two and she would be walking again. If she was lucky.

But then there was the thing that confused her so. How had the other mane six opened the box without her? How had they escaped Tirek's grasp? Where they not taken when she had gone to train and discover how to use her new powers and fight? Even sights of her friends in the last four days had been few and far between. Beside from Applejack, All her friends had told her was that together they had defeated Tirek and out of the ground had grown this castle, that was presumably, for her.

Half of her wanted to believe the story witch had too many plot holes and shifty eyes while being told to be true but another could see through the black, sin tinted lies like glass. She had been lied too, obviously; So the question still lingered in her mind about how her friends had defeated the Minotaur in her absence. And why she was being lied too in the first place.

But the days of doing nothing but thinking about the story had only brought her a few reasons as to why she was being lied too and one or two theories with more holes than a dragon could count on one hand.

Suddenly but softly Applejack several minutes, maybe hours later, opened the purple doors to Twilight's room. In her hoof she held a plate full of steaming eggs, hay buns and a calming cup of apple flavored tea. Her smile was wide but her posture showed how hard she had worked before she had gotten to the castle.

"Well these should help you feel better in no time flat" the earth pony grinned as she placed the various food items on to the lavender mare's satin bed. The scent of warm food and the very idea of having some energy attracted the lavender alicorn and Twilight rose from her relaxing stance and painfully grabbed the food to eat it silently.

Behind her Applejack searched through her bag and pulled out a silver tinted scroll and scrolled it out on top of the king sized bed. On the scroll, written in a very fine Canterlot blue ink where various plans, measurements and shapes depicting the idea of new residential houses. However unlike the neat official printed text the various rectangles, triangles and lines that made up the houses where crudely drawn on to the fine paper. They where obviously drawn by the cow pony herself.

"Since most ponies houses where destroyed after your fight with Tirek, me and the good ol' fancy council members in Canterlot have decided to start first with the houses." Applejack began, even though she herself couldn't read what the where plans that clearly. " The buildings will start tomorrow and I'm sure that we can get the residents of Ponyville back in there homes in no time! what do'ya think Twi?".

The lavender alicorn was only half listening as she stared down at her bandaged hooves as they rested in her satin covered lap. "Will the others be helping along with the construction?" she tried to ask confidently but it barley came out as a strained and raspy whisper.

Luckily Applejack heard and replied swiftly like the words where planned "Actually, no. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna called them on a meeting just last night."

"Then why didn't you go?" Twilight's voice asked meekly.

"Because ya'know I have to stay with Bic Macintosh and help look after the farm"

"Then...why can't I help?"

It was the question Twilight had been meaning to ask as soon as she had woken up three days ago and had began to sat in the cold room. It was big of course, ever turning Applejack for or against her, but it had to be asked. She was just damn tired of not being able to help people like her apple bucking friend who had been suffering in the last days! Her physical state would not matter to her if she could fix all the wrongs she had made while in her battle with Tirek.

The earth mares voice suddenly turned stern as she spoke "Twilight, you may not remember it but we've been over this before. You're to weak to even get out of bed, let alone carry some planks of wood, let alone levitate a god damn hammer. Wait for when your both mentally and physically ready; for faust damn sake your body is still in shock!"

Twilight watched in slight horror as Applejack's normally calm and collective manner, one of the things she just slightly envied about her friend, melted away in mere seconds and was now replaced by anger and concern.

Applejack's hoof inched slightly outward to the table by Twilight's bed side and her breathing quickened. If Twilights thoughts began questioning and thinking deeper they might have to turn to the the backup plan again quicker than they had expected.

Getting out of her slight shock, Twilight realized she had a point to make and stared her friend down with her only working eye.

A strong deep purple orb locked with two stonger evergreen ones. "Applejack I'm the brand new princess. It's my new duty whether I'm in good health or not to look after my subjects. And the whole of Ponyville is destroyed, they need a princess more than ever!".

Applejack's face turned to a face plastered with worry, her chest heaved slightly and the pain of the last few months weighed down her facade slightly. "I'm sorry Twilight, but the princess was right you are not mentally stable right now, let alone physical and I'll do more harm than good when your not thinking straight. Your not as powerful as you once was a few days ago."

"Look, I know I've never and never will have any control over your fancy magic. But going from one of the most powerful beings in Equestria to barley alive would take strain on any odd pony. And it's my duty while the others are away to look after you. I will not allow you to step one hoof outside this room!"

The air in the room became stiff as the two mares looked away from each others eyes, both waiting for the others reaction while questioning there own. Applejack had snapped far too soon and she knew she had just started yet another fit in her friend. Oh how she didn't want to do this!

And then it happened, something In Twilight's mind clicked. Did Applejack just say that she wasn't that powerful anymore? That the country farmer, her friend didn't think she was good enough? Twilight had tried her hardest, she really had. It wasn't her fault that Tirek and beaten her so easily!

Where her friends not visiting her because of this? Was it because she had somewhat failed them? Was she not good enough for them?

Where they not friends anymore?

A small tear fell from Twilight's only working but twitching eye at the very though of it. Her breathing became raspy and quickened while her body trembled slightly. Applejack quickly dashed for a small cup of tea by her friends table.

"H-h-how dare they! I was good enough for anypony, I was the most powerful being in the whole of Equestria!" Twilight's voice was trembling but a small peak of power rose up in her voice. At the end of her sentence it had started to sound venomous. Various voices joined in in her speech and her normally happy yet quirky voice seemed power hungry and demonic.

Then without warning in Twilight's mild rage of confusion and hurt her earth pony friend had tackled her to the bed. The lavender alicorn cried in pain as her already damaged limbs began to sting in a antagonizing purple fire . Her breathing hitched as Applejack pressed a cup of warm vanilla flavored tea to her lips.

"Drink."

The orange mares voice was and filled with worry and was that...fear? Twilight wasn't sure if her friend simply cared for her well being or hated her in that moment and she should fight back. However, Twilight had gone through days of stress, nightmares and seeing only slight fear in the only ponies who had cared for her till now; the latter option one.

The apple farmers eyes went wide as the bandaged and beaten Twilight began to protest and fight out in her tight grasps. Flames of dark purple and flickering light velvet's with great power began to dance up the earth pony's front hooves and she cried with sudden, urgent pain. Both soaked and dried blood fell and rubbed on the mares coat as she used all of her strength to fight off the alicorns force. Applejack, black spots clouding her vision quickly drew back her knee and deeply bucked Twilight in the stomach with a ear splitting crack as her friend finally began to draw back.

"Drink. Twilight, I'm so, so sorry but this is for your own good." Twilight wept slightly as she hung her head in defeat and let the warm, sweet liquid slide down her neck without a sign of annoyance or pain.

Her eyes locked with her friends as they both began to recede back into the pain they where going through. A lot of things had began to race inside of the lavender mares head. She was angry, hurt and confused all at the same time for what had felt like forever today. Not only that but she also felt extremely tired. Yes, tired.

Twilight yawned as her apple bucking friend arose from her with the cup held shockingly in her hoof. Applejack used her burnt crisp pain filled limbs to limp back to the edge of the door and quickly "run" from the castle.

Twilight didn't care though as she watched her friends limbs bleed out and leave a trail in the barren roads outside the castle through her large windows. She was much to tired to deal with current affairs.

And with that, the element of magic painfully covered herself in her covers and fell into a another nightmare filled black abyss of sleep.

---

Once upon a summer's day

Darkness will be held at bay

Power will become her norm

Enjoy the calm, before the storm

Author's Note:

A/N:

Well,where should I begin? It has not been laziness or self hatred that has stopped me from writing this but rather, lack of inspiration. This was originally a dream, that was then written down as a one shot that is now becoming a long thought out story. I knew this was going to be hard, but not unrewarding, however I had no inspiration.

Until, that was a dream hit me. And now I'm rolling on sweet cotton candy hills and writers block had been completely blocked down the drain.

And since I have gotten a bit better since the prologue, I want to note that I will be re-writing it to make it generally better.

I would like to thank some people as well.

Forgotten Legend, thanks for helping me write the first idea for the continuation for this story. Although I'm not using what we wrote I will be using some main ideas for that in the sequel, if there ever is one.

Scooterreader. Your loyalty to your princess knows no bounds, does it? You commented on almost every post I made about this story without fail and seemed sad when I had said it would go on hold. Consider this your Christmas present for being so damn awesome!

And to every single reader, thanks for reading and thanks for inspiring me to continue this story and make myself a better writer in the process!

p.s: There will be grammer mistakes and such so please point them out when you can and comment about how I can improve, it really inspires me!

Merry christmas, And to all a good night!

seriously I live in the Uk. It's like 12:30 right now! (I will comment in the morning)

Comments

[Bloodstone38]

Is this before she's imprisoned in the ice with Sombra? Also I hope we get more Sombra and Twilight bonding action.

[PrinERROR]

5415181

Yes and don't worry you will in a few chapters

I SHALL SHIP THEM LIKE CRAZY!

[Bloodstone38]

5415500 Yay

[GrayHope]

I find this to be much better than the first prologue well done!

[Tephera]

lack of inspiration?

Princess Erroria, you could nearly go anywhere with the materials in front of you. The detailing is quite nice, upon how Apple jacks feelings on what has happened. And with what could have really happened to Twilight if there were any side effects to the power transition. Psychologically mad I can see, I mean, If I felt like god for a day, and told me to fight a monster, I would have doubts to do what they say, I mean, I'm powerful as god, why don't I just go and do what I want and blow that person to dust?

Now listen; Sombra is a very, (and potentially) powerful foe. (Depending on how you would describe Sombra in the story). But he really is, Nightmare Moon may be one thing, but it was she made from jealousy and fake fear (Nightmares durr).

Sombra is MUCH more than that, what the fandom has done to make him have more of a back story, seem more sinister is beyond what I could imagine. Seriously, some people make Sombra seem like Hitler with necromancy magic. And let me tell ya', It's some dark shiz.

I await more my friend.

[Angelka157]

Really nice written.

[PrinERROR]

5845287

Thank you. You probably noticed the prologue was horrible though because I wrote that when I was new to fanfiction lol

[PrinERROR]

5994871

Really?! Finally a editor! When I finish writing the second chapter I will send it to you O.k?

I don't have any money but I would not mind writing a one-shot for you in return!

Thank-you so much!

[PurpleAcid]

when will this be updated ??
btw good story so far

[NightSong23]

PUPPET STRINGS CAN HOLD ME DOWN SO PATIENTLY I WATCH THIS TOWN ABNORMAL SOON WILL BE THE NORM ENJOY THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

"PAIN IS HILARIOUS"

[moonlightmare]

It's give me an idea for a story

[PrinERROR]

6685567
Brilliant! Though I would like to add that this story is on haitus now because I have to get ready for my exams and other such things. But otherwise I'm so glad I've given you an idea! Hope it makes something great!

[josue]

6694522 is the story dad because if it is I'll play the Super Mario game over music in the background and cry

[shadow12]

spelling please fix

[PrinERROR]

9119391
You commented on a dead fic dude you have GUTS.

[shadow12]

9122321
yea i know but still

[DarkSnowGaming]

I hope to see this continued p, I'm curious as to what happened.

April 4