“Racing Shadows” and Other Promptly Written Stories

by Narrative Style

Tactical Retreat

Author's Note:

This Story is a: Adventure

Description: Starlight Glimmer reflects upon her recent defeat.

(I like to think of Starlight Glimmer as the Morgana to Star Swirl's Merlin. Their names even match!)

Starlight Glimmer, the most powerful mage that she herself knew, had just been forced into retreat. That was all it was, she assured herself.

“That Princess and her ‘friends’… Argh! If they hadn’t shown up… I was so close!”

She kicked a stray stone with a forehoof, sending it flying into the darkness to dash against a cave wall. The impact echoed through the tunnel, but she wasn’t concerned about being heard. She had left magical tripwires that would have gone off if any of those ponies had pursued her into the labyrinth. The sound did give pause to her step, however.

“But Starlight, it was you who tried to take their cutie marks. If you had just hurried them out of our town, they couldn’t have caused any trouble.”

The Unicorn began walking again, lighting her path with a blue glow from her horn. She knew exactly where this tunnel led and what turns to take (it wouldn’t do to have an escape route that you couldn’t use) so she was free to reflect as her legs moved her forward.

“But that might have made them suspicious. And six marks: How could I have turned that down when I only needed a few more!”

She stopped again. “Exactly because you only needed a few more. Playing it safe would have been the best choice.”

She turned to a wall and summoned a sheen of magic to use as a mirror. When she was arguing, she liked to look her opponent in the eye. Even if her opponent was herself.

Starlight scowled at her reflection. “ ‘Playing it safe’ is exactly why it took so long to put this plan into action. If I had hurried it along, maybe I could have completed it before a princess of all ponies stumbled into town!”

“And drawn the attention of Celestia? Rushing things would have been simply foalish, as it always is. You are too impatient for your own good, Starlight.”

Not knowing how to respond to that, the mare broke eye contact with herself, looking off through the shadowed path, back toward the town she had ruled for years. She’d been so close-

-A tickle went up her spine, a tripwire had been set off. But it wasn’t one of the ones back up the tunnel. No, this was much more serious. She felt almost giddy at the thought of what it meant.

“I know you’re there. Come on out, now.” Starlight turned back to the mirror, unsurprised to see a face begin to fade into view; one that was not her own.

It was a stallion, old and gray, wearing a long, pointy-blue hat adorned with ridiculous bells. It had eyes of piercing intellect and a long beard white as an elder pony’s mane. The vision spoke.

“It seems you’ve been defeated again, Ms. Glimmer. Perhaps you’ve learned your lesson this time?”

Starlight smirked at the stallion in the mirror. “Hello again, Star Swirl. The incident in question was no more than a setback. I’m sure I can salvage the situation.”

The wizard offered a knowing smile. “Just as sure as you were last time, I presume?”

The smirk faded for a moment, before a chuckle escaped Starlight’s lips. “Yes, just as sure. Have you just called to chat? Perhaps you were hoping to get a fix on when I am? I’m sorry, but caves don’t tend to have much variety.”

The stallion’s smile widened. “Actually, I traced your temporal signature this morning. This is a courtesy call before I head out. We should be seeing each other within the next few weeks, your time. Think you can stay out of trouble until then?”

Starlight rolled her eyes. “Think you can stop asking ridiculous questions?”

Starswirl the Bearded lost his smile, his visage turning deadly serious. “I thought not. You aren’t getting away this time, Ms. Glimmer.”

Another smirk crossed Starlight’s face. “Are you just as sure about that as you were last time?”

Star Swirl’s eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. After a moment, his image vanished, leaving Starlight’s triumphant grin to reflect upon itself.

“It seems I have a time limit; which means ‘playing it safe’ is off the table.”

She giggled to herself, as she let the magic mirror disintegrate and continued down the tunnel. “Let’s see what you can do in a few weeks, Starlight. Who needs cutie marks, anyway?”