A Trick in the Shadows

by Soad24k

Shadow Dreams

In the midst of night in the town of Ponyville, the moon illuminates the dark violet sky. As the stars faintly shine and wink, a shadow soars through the night air. The princess of the night and moon, Princess Luna, took flight on her search of ponies in need of guidance. As she scouted out the town, she felt an odd yet strong feeling of need come from the outskirts of Ponyville. Luna was puzzled on to why there was a pony settling outside of town for. As protector of the night, it was her duty to assist ponies in need of any internal conflict they may have. She turned and dove down towards the source.

Passing over trees and foliage, she had reached her destination. A rather large tent stood near a fireplace in the middle of a wide clearing. The tent looked like it could house up to three ponies, but there was only one set of saddle bags lying near the fireplace. Luna took a look back at the tent and made her way to the tents entrance. She pushed her head pass the flaps to see the interior of the tent. It may hold a small group of ponies, but it was set up as if a modern home in town. There was small desk in the far corner right with a laptop on it. The screen was black but a tiny orange light slowly blinked, indicating that it was running. Next it was a small safe with an old fashion turn dial combination lock. Luna thought whoever owned this doesn’t want anypony to see what secrets they might be hiding. Soon she turns to the other side. There she saw a familiar azure mare sleeping in a small bed. The bed was an ordinary wooden bed but was shrunken down some to fit inside the tent. The mare nestled under the covers of the bed was none other than the once well know show mare, The Great and Powerful Trixie.

Luna pulls her head out the tent as she covered her muzzle with her hoof to conceal a small gasp. “Now why would Trixie be out here for? Doesn’t she have her wagon with her?” she asked herself as she looked around but sees no wagons around. “Also, what problem could she be having that could so strong?” Luna tapped her chin with her hoof as she thought to herself. The sounds of the show mares groans broke Luna out of her thoughts and made her look to the tent curtains. Whatever problem she has, Luna had to help lean Trixie towards the right decision. Luna straightened herself and prepared her magic to leap into Trixie’s dream. Her horn lit up with a rich blue aura surrounding it and glows brighter. Her eyes flashed white as she was sent into the show pony’s subconscious and enters into the dream.

When Luna opened her eyes she expected to be in town where Trixie is doing one of her shows, but when she did, she was standing in the middle of some kind of cemetery. The fog in the area and eerie howls of the bare trees being blown by a chilling breeze gave the princess a slight shiver. She’s been to many dreams before, some silly, some very serious and even some really wacky, but never had she ever been in one so dark and depressing. She looked around the area, but didn’t notice anything she had seen before. She knows there are some graveyards in Equestria, but this is one she doesn’t recognize. Most of the graveyards and cemeteries in Equestria are not this ominous and bleak. As she looked more, she notices a tall cabin with a cross on top, not knowing what it means or what it stands for. All around her were unmarked gravestones, some having little to no engravings on them.

Luna observed the area for some time now, trying to piece together where she was. Soon a ruffle of grass and hoof steps caught her ear, making her turn to see a faded shadowed being walking around in the fog. It walked on four legs and had a small figure, but Luna couldn’t put her hoof on how it was. The figure continued on its way through the graveyard. Luna curious on how it could be, she processed to follow it, keep at least three tail lengths between her and them. The figure stopped a few times which made Luna stop. After several minutes the figure finally stopped at a gravestone that was near the building. Luna slowly stepped closer and closer to the figure before snapping a twig make Luna gasp and the figure turn to her. A light pinkish glow came from the figure’s horn; it was Trixie as she looked in surprised to see Luna.

“P-princess Luna,” Trixie said, a bit startled. “W-what are you doing here?”

Luna quickly regained her composure and looked back at the mare. “We came to aid you on your dilemma you may be having.”

Trixie then relaxed seeing that the princess could possibly help her in this situation. “Trixie is er- I mean, I am happy you are here Princess Luna. I’ve been having this….dream for some time now. It’s been happening for over the past 5 months. I don’t what it means. I come to this graveyard every now and then and just wonder, but I keep hearing little voices, but I can’t make them out too well.”

Hearing this, Luna put her hoof on her chin as she scoops area again then looks beyond the cemetery an old but working clock tower. “It seem like your dream took you to another world.” She stated, pointing the tower. Trixie looked towards it and both saw the hands nearing 12 o’clock. The old gears in the giant clock creaked within the wooden walls as it works its way to reach the last hour. With a loud “Ka-thunk” the minute hand stuck 12 and the bell to toll. With each ring of the bell, dark clouds begin to form over the sky, covering over to dim lit moon and shrouding the land into shadows. By the sixth toll, thunder rumbled in the skies as it now shaded over the entire land. The ninth bell toll rung out and the gravestone the two ponies were near began to glow a very hazy black. It grew darker with each ring then at the last toll; it sunk into the ground and up came a long handle.

The two turned to each other with equally puzzled expressions. “What was that all that about?” asked the azure show mare. “We do not know, but it may have to do with this object protruding out of the ground.” The moon princess replied, pointing at the long object. Trixie turned and looked at the handle then her ear twitched slightly as her pupils narrowed. She begins to moves forward and extends her hoof out. Luna quickly seized her motion, breaking Trixie from a trance like state.

“It would be wise not to touch it.” Luna said.

“But it’s my dream, can’t I control what happens?” Trixie asked.

Luna nodded “Yes, but this feel much different than from any other dream. Sure you may be able to shift your dream patterns through the mind, heart or emotions. This however, is much different. You never been to any graveyards that was outside of Equestria, yet you are having a dream about one you never been that comes back now and then.”

Luna’s words were false, Trixie has been to a cemetery in Equestria, but never out. The only cemetery Trixie has ever gone to and is the only one she does is the one in Canterlot where her parents are. As Trixie was lost in her past thought, the handle released a pulse that shook her out of it. She looked over to Luna who stared back. Trixie knew looked back to the handle and took a step back. Luna watched her and turned her attention to the handle. She reached her hoof out slowly but within mere inches, a powerful dark shockwave blasted Luna back. Her body slamming hard against another gravestone and was instantly pulled out of Trixie’s dream.

Author's Note:

This is for a blog I have.
http://asktrixandberry.tumblr.com/
Check it out.

Comments

[Obsidian Raindrop]

FOR
INSPIRATION AND
RECOGNITION OF
STORY
TELLING