Legion of Shadows

by Strythio

An Offer

The crystal caverns darkened considerably, as if within a few moments a living shadow would engulf the entire prison. Such was not the case, as the setting sun had merely shifted the lighting in the cavern. Celestia had been intently listening to Sunset at this point, in which time she turned her head towards the entrance.

"Seems it is that time of the evening again. Luna shall be visiting you within an hour or so; I will brief her what has occured so far and you may pick up your story from there, clear?"

Sunset nodded, having very little choice but to comply, and watched as her mentor rose from her place. Royal guards materialized from the shadows and swiftly took the cushion, ushering it and guarding their leaders flanks while eyeing Sunset as if she were going to run up and attack at any moment. Rather silly considering her situation, but when they disappeared from view, all Sunset could do was sigh. Things could not get much worse for her, no, not at this point.

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With the setting of the sun and the entrance of night, the streets of Canterlot buzzed with nightlife. Ponies carefully stuck to the street lights, however, as in recent weeks they had reason not to go down dark alleys all willy nilly. Not that they were too eager to go down them anyways, as among the high society unicorns there remained less than noble raff to tango with.

Celestia's castle even seemed darker than usual, the crescent moon adding very little natural lighting to the place. As the place had been designed to be at its greatest in the daytime, it was no surprise that at night it had an eerie feeling of being deserted. But Royal guards of the night variety patrolled, their intent not to be seen until it was too late to correct ones actions.

This night, within the throne room, Celestia and Luna stood looking towards the stain glass windows, darkened by the lack of light beaming through them. Luna spoke first, breaking a silence that seemed to suffocate lesser ponies.

"Execution is the only option. We do not want to encourage this kind of behavior." Luna was unblinking in stating this, and her tone was very even. As far as she was concerned, Sunset Shimmer should have been executed on the spot. Celestia's intervention, however, had made that an impossibility.

"Luna, something terrible will happen if she is executed," Celestia warned, "If she becomes a martyr, then we will have far greater issues to deal with."

"Sister, for once, can you put aside your concerns and face the facts?" Luna turned her head towards Celestia, still having to look up to her older sister quite literally in an attempt to make eye contact. "Sunset Shimmer is guilty of assassination, and even moreso guilty of tampering with dark magic in her attempts to become an alicorn and rule Equestria. She has to be gotten rid of."

Celestia blinked, avoiding her sister's gaze. "We need more information. Maybe we can find some reason not to..."

"Is it because she was your student?" Luna frowned even deeper. "Is that why you are so adamant about not executing her?"

"That has nothing to do with it." Celestia finally met her sister's gaze, though she had to look down some due to her height. "I cannot explain, but that dream..."

"Where she becomes the alicorn of revolution?" Luna scoffs, "That is not to be taken literally, as one cannot become an alicorn of something as non-magical as revolution. Not to mention there is no revolution to put down."

"Not yet, but if Sunset is executed, the Market will do anything in its power to make sure that we do not do the same to Gilda, whom I am far more willing to put down."

Luna gasped, her face showing the surprise at this declaration. "But Gilda's involvement is largely circumstantial. Not to mention her father demands her release, unharmed. I figured you would rather get rid of Sunset than risk a war."

Celestia chuckled, this no doubt being the opposite of what she had in mind. "Luna, as you know, Equestria is the most powerful military force in the world. IF they go to war with us, even if they last three months against us, it will be a losing battle. Even if they were to get the Crystal Empire involved somehow, they cannot beat us. And they know it."

"So you are saying execute them both at the same time?" Luna raised a brow, coming to this conclusion shortly after her sister finished, " That would solve many of our problems."

"Luna, that is not what I am saying at all." Celestia walked away from Luna, heading towards the door before pacing back and forth. "What I am saying is that I am more willing to execute Gilda. At least I do not have to fear her coming back from the dead."

"Dead is dead sister," Luna pointed out, "Not even Sunset can defy it."

"Not on her own."

Luna tilted her head in confusion. "And who, may I ask, can help her overcome death? Or are you just being paranoid because a ghost keeps coming back to haunt us?"

Celestia stopped to think of this for a moment, her gaze resting on the throne. If Sombra would have appeared and declared Luna correct, that would have been less unsettling than the silence that instead took back hold of the room.

Luna, assuming herself correct, shook her head in dismay. "Celestia, let it go. Sombra and Nightmare Moon both are gone, for good this time; if you want, I can bring the griffon, we can figure out how she is got involved, and then we can off the two, all before the mobs return in the morning. What say you?"

"No." Celestia was resolute, and turned towards Luna to make it clear that her mind was made up. "Take Gilda to Sunset and have her explain her involvement."

Luna sighed, clearly not looking forward to listening to a potential liar's story. "And what shall you do in the meantime? I presume you will get your rest?"

"Not yet," Celstia concluded, now turning and walking towards the double doors of the throne room, " There is a certain unicorn that I need to have a word with. And she is most busy at night, so there will be few chances of her, by coincidence, being out to lunch like earlier today."

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Back in the Canterlot Caves, Sunset hung her head low, impatiently awaited Luna's arrival. Granted, it had only been an hour, but it felt like years when there was nothing else to do. As much as she disliked having to give information, she did at least enjoy the attentive company, and the reflection that she was able to have.

The clopping of hooves and the clanking of armor should have announced the arrival of the princess; when Sunset looked up, however, it was not Princess Luna and her royal guards who had come.

It was a Flash Sentry and two day guard escorts.

"Flash?" Sunset started, fearing the worst, "Why are you here?"

The two day guards, with a nod from Flash, trotted back off towards the entrance. Flash turned towards Sunset with a smile, one far too wide in fact.

"Why don't you look lovely, even in chains. Tell me dear, how badly do you want out of here?"

"Very badly." Sunset was joking, but Flash's unchanging expression suggested that he had not been.

"Well, I can get you out of here, for a price. A prize that would certainly make up for what you did earlier."

Now Sunset was suspicious. Granted, she had made deals with Flash on more than one occasion, but this seemed a tad out of character for the way he did things. Something was not right here.

"Go on."

Flash seemed even more pleased, trotting around Sunset in a circle as he explained. "Well, as you know, alicorn amulets go for very high prices; however, the most recent addition to those has recently gone missing, if you catch my drift. Now, I want that amulet, but only you and your friends know where it is."

So that is what this was about? Sunset scoffed. "Sorry Flash, but I can't trust you with that kind of information. A good alicorn had to perish for that amulet to be made, and her love is literally seeping out of it still. It would draw quite the attention to you."

"Precisely the reason why I need to know its location." Flash stopped circling, now at Sunset's back. "That love will no doubt attract treasure seekers. You don't want all of your hard work to get into the wrong hooves do you?"

"Who says that your hooves are any better?" Sunset challenged, turning to face him, " You said that the Crystal Empire would be on high alert, but you did not mention that there would be griffons there as well for protection. Nor did you mention that Cadance would be finished giving birth by the time we were scheduled to arrive"

"They came of their own accord," Flash pointed out, "I can't predict everything. Besides, that weakened her so that you could take her down, so why are you complaining about that omission?"

Sunset and Flash locked eyes; one filled with a boiling anger and the other a steady calm. "Listen, I did not come here to have an extended chat. Your next listener will be here very soon. I need an answer."

Sunset went over her options in her head. On one hoof, Flash's offer seemed rather good to be true; after all, the amulet empowered and strongly influenced through love, and would make one's affectionate power quite considerable. One could quell entire entities with it by softening their hearts.

On the other hoof, she was beginning to have doubts that she was talking to the real Flash; either he was here on someone else's agenda, or someone had disguised themselves as him. If she were right, then the amulet would definitely fall into the wrong hooves; if she was wrong, then she would be hanged, and she would be giving up an opportunity to continue pursuit of her goals.

In short, how badly did she really want to live?

Before she could answer, clopping hooves once again echoed through the halls. This time they were heavier, and the magic that radiated from them signaled a more powerful being's entry.

"No deal," Sunset whispered, not bothering to turn to look at Flash, "I will take my chances."

"Very well then," Flash whispered back before fading into the darkness, "Try not to give up everypony involved hm? There has to be some confidentiality left."

Much to her surprise, Flash actually left a different way than he came in. Taking note of this for later, Sunset put on a smile for the arrival of Princess Luna and her night guards, none of which seemed pleased to see her.

"Hello Sunset," Luna greeted cordially, "I am guessing my hooves did not leave too many marks?"

"Not ones that you can see anyways," Sunset jested back, a few ribs aching upon being reminded of how she had been captured, "So, Celestia finally agree to executing me?"

"Not yet," Luna sighed, sounding genuinely upset that she had not gotten the go ahead, "Instead, she would rather we go over how Gilda got involved."

No sooner had Luna finished did the clanking of chains, the scraping of talons, and the clopping of hooves follow, once again from the main entrance that everyone seemed to be entering from. Sunset now had to wonder truly where Flash had gone, and how he knew of an alternate route in and out of the place.

These thoughts were purged once she saw Gilda who, other than the chains, shackles, and a slight limp, looked as if she had been treated rather well.

Gilda smiled once she made eye contact with Sunset. Sunset now noticed that there was something else around her neck, a pink-blue gem in the shape of a heart held in place by a golden chain.

Luna eyed this as well, and looked towards Gilda with some confusion. "That does not look like anything a prisoner should be wearing."

Gilda chuckled as her escorts stalked off. She limped forward to join Sunset on her side of the cavern, still smiling the whole way. "Yeah well, I am a special kind of prisoner. Daughter of the current Consul of the Griffia-Draconia Republic, or GDR for short, heir to the defunct Griffia throne. You know, that kind of status."

Luna rolled her eyes, and much to Gilda's surprise, Sunset found herself doing the same.

Other than showing surprise, Gilda did not show much more of a reaction to the ponies' response to her statement. She instead carried on. "Anyways, I already cleared it with Princess Celestia, and she permitted it on the condition that I liven up my living space some. You lot don't have alot of prisoners, but the ones you do sure were morbid before I showed up."

Luna refrained from sighing heavily, though Sunset could note the building in her chest for said action. Instead, Luna merely made it seem as if she were doing nothing more than taking a deep breath to calm herself before speaking. "Yes well, let us start from the beginning with you. Your origins, Gilda, and then we can work our way up to where you met Sunset."

Sunset would have protested, as she had yet to finish her tale, but Gilda jumped right into her story with no hesitation.

"Well, for starters, I was born in Grifais, Griffia, so right from the start Equestria influenced my upbringing thanks to the culture of that pseudo-Equestria. My barren old Aunt-in-law lamented that succession might would pass over her and her mate, so she sought to get rid of me. Naturally, my father, being a member of the Griffon Peacekeeping Forces at the time, thought it would be easier and more peaceful for everyone if I disappeared for awhile."

Here Gilda chuckled, gesturing with her talons a whisking motion. "One day I was the target of an assassination, the next, I was the newest camp member at the Junior Speedsters Flight Camp."

Sunset snuck a glance at Gilda, her interest at this point piqued.

Luna seemed interested as well, though she seemed to doubt the accuracy of the information."So, right off the gate you want to convince me that your father sent you here to Equestria, without a secret identity or even a name change, in order to get you away from jealous relatives who could have tracked you down rather easily?"

"Got that right," Gilda trudged on, not missing a single beat, " For a barren griffon queen, she was a pretty dumb bitch. No idea how Uncle Grackus put up with her."

Sunset sighed and shook her head. All things considered, there had hardly been any tactc in discussing her distaste for her own aunt.

Gilda did not notice this concern and carried on, using various gestures with her foretalons to get the point across. "Anyways, a funny thing happened at Flight Camp. It was here where I met Rainbow Dash, and we have our very first scuffle..."