• Published 18th Oct 2015
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The Shadow Keeper - derpyland



Celestia decides it's time to right an old wrong – but the price of undoing her father's crime may be much too high.

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Chapter 3

TWILIGHT SPARKLE REAPPEARED next to Trixie. The blue unicorn was staring dejectedly into a large puddle on the ground. Her face was stained with tears, but she had stopped crying. Twilight knew that even though the tears had stopped, Trixie's mood had not improved. The alicorn felt terrible about the way Trixie had been treated. She wanted to say something to comfort her, but she had no idea where to begin. Words somehow seemed futile. How do you repair a broken heart?

Trixie was the first to speak. She pointed a hoof at her reflection in the puddle. “Do you see how magnificent Trixie looks with wings? They look very good on her. Trixie would make a wonderful alicorn. Maybe the great and powerful Trixie should become a princess and rule over all of Equestria.”

“I agree,” Twilight said gently. “That is actually the plan, you know. I've already talked to the princesses about it. In a few years Celestia and Luna are going to retire, and you and I will take their place. I am going to become the Princess of the Sun and will raise the sun each day, and you will become the new Princess of the Night. Celestia is going to turn you into an alicorn at the crowning ceremony, and Luna will give you some of her magic. Your cutie mark won't change, but you will gain power over the moon. I know you can't raise it into the night sky right now, but with alicorn magic I'm sure it'll be a lot easier.”

Trixie angrily slammed a hoof into the puddle of water. The water splashed out in all directions. “Don't lie to me! Trixie remembers what you told Rainbow Dash. You said she was stupid and had no potential!”

“That is not what I said at all! Look. I admit that you don't have the same talent for magic that I do, and that probably isn't going to change. But that's because your talent lies in strategy and cunning. I have a tremendous amount of raw power, but I'm not a strategic thinker. You know how to achieve fantastic results without blowing up everything in sight. Since my strength is raw magical power, I tend to solve problems with brute force – and that's not a good thing. What I actually told Celestia is that I need you. I need your insight and your problem solving ability.”

Trixie looked at up Twilight. “You told her that?”

“I certainly did. Trixie, together we could make a great team. I may be a powerful force, but I need guidance. I need someopony to tell me what to do, and to suggest an option that isn't 'zap them with magical friendship beams until they surrender'. You are a great strategist – you proved that in the way you defeated the Necromancer. Together the two of us would make wonderful leaders. We could protect Equestria – but it's going to take both of us. I can't do it alone.”

Trixie didn't say anything. She just stared at the ground.

Twilight wiped away Trixie's tears and hugged her. “Trixie, I know that making friends is hard. I know that you've lost trust in everypony, and it takes more to regain that trust than a few words. I understand that. But do you realize that Rainbow Dash has assembled an entire army of pegasi to protect you?”

“Trixie heard,” she replied.

“Do you know what that means? Rainbow is so concerned about your safety that she put together an entire army. Well, maybe army isn't the right word. Since they're pegasi I guess it's more of an air force, but you get my point. Those pegasi used to be loyal to Celestia but now they're loyal to you instead. They are actually willing to fight Celestia in order to protect you. Do you have any idea how much they must care about you to be willing to take that step? That's more than just words, Trixie! That is action. Those pegasi are putting their careers and their lives on the line – and they're doing it because they care about you.”

Trixie looked surprised. “I guess Rainbow Dash really is my friend after all. It's not just guilt that's driving her.”

“That's what I've been trying to tell you! We all care about you. We just haven't had a chance to show it before now. Equestria cares so much about you that it's on the verge of revolt. Celestia is going to be lucky if she makes it through the day without getting arrested and thrown in prison. And it's not just the pegasi from Cloudsdale either. Believe me when I say that I love you and I care about you, and I'm going to be here for you no matter what. I will do whatever it takes to help you. You've already seen what I will do when it comes down to it, and nothing has changed. I know trust is hard, but I'm not lying to you. We have a bright future ahead of us. These hard times won't last forever. Things are going to get better.”

Trixie looked up at Twilight. “Promise?”

“I promise,” Twilight said firmly.

“All right. So does that mean we can send Celestia away now? I don't like her.”

“I know you don't, and given your history with her I don't blame you. But Celestia isn't here to hurt you. She needs our help – and what she's doing is important.”

“Do you know what she's doing?”

“Um, well, not exactly. But if it wasn't important she wouldn't be here. Celestia doesn't usually leave her castle if she can avoid it. There's no way she would ever visit the Everfree Forest if she had any other option.”

“Then how do you know she's not planning on sacrificing Trixie?”

Twilight wanted to tell Trixie that she was being incredibly paranoid and dramatic, but she decided this wasn't the right moment to have that particular conversation. Trust would come with time; she just needed to be patient. “Trixie, I promise I won't let Celestia hurt you. I know you don't trust her, but you can trust me. I'll be right here beside you the whole time.”

Trixie paused to think. “If you are so certain that Celestia means Trixie no harm, then I have a proposal to make. Let's prove her intentions. That way there will be no more doubts or suspicion. The truth will finally come out, one way or another.”

“And just how do you plan on doing that?”

“By testing her,” Trixie replied.

* * * * *

A few minutes later Trixie and Twilight reappeared next to Rainbow Dash. “Sorry about that!” Twilight said cheerfully. “We had some things to discuss, but everything is good now. Trixie is feeling much better.”

“Right,” Trixie replied uncertainly. “Sure. Much better. Let's go with that.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “You two are way too trusting. I think we ought to forget this whole expedition and just go home. I don't like this Shadow Vault thing one bit.”

Celestia spoke up. “I assure you that this is a very urgent matter! This problem has tormented me for centuries, and my return here is long overdue. This cannot wait any longer – in fact, we have waited much too long as it is. Our task is not a difficult one. All we need to do is enter the cavern that lies below this castle, enter the Vault, and awake the Shadow Keeper. He will know how to reforge the broken shards and restore order to the world. Come with me.”

Celestia started to walk off, but Twilight refused to budge. “Hold on just a second! I'm not going anywhere until I get some answers. Who is the Keeper, what is the Vault, and how is the world broken?”

Celestia stopped and glanced back at Twilight. “This is not the time for a history lesson! We need to move quickly, before it grows dark. The forest becomes a dangerous place once night has fallen.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “It sounds to me like you're trying to avoid the question. What is it you don't want to tell us? What are you hiding?”

The princess glared at Rainbow. “I am not hiding anything – but you are being incredibly rude. I assure you that I will explain everything after the Keeper has returned. In fact, he will be able to explain things better than I could, for he was directly involved with the Five. I actually have very little knowledge of what my father did. I was quite young at the time.”

“Your father?” Trixie echoed. “How was your father mixed up in this?”

“The Keeper will explain,” Celestia said.

Twilight spoke up again. “And how do you plan on waking him up? Are you really planning on stabbing some poor pony to death?”

“Of course not!” Celestia replied, irritated. “Yes, it is true there are some old, dubious legends about the Shadow Vault. One of them does say that the Shadow Vault can only be opened if a pony is sacrificed on the five-pointed star, but I am sure that is complete nonsense. My plan is to go down to the Vault, see what the situation is, and make our plans from there.”

Twilight frowned. “No offense, princess, but that legend is really stupid. I mean, a pony sacrifice? Really? Was the Shadow Keeper some incredibly evil pony overlord or something?”

Celestia shook her head. “Not that I recall. He was actually a kind, friendly pony. He tried to help me repair the damage that my father had done to the world.”

“Then why would he require somepony to be killed just to open his vault? That is, like, super evil. It doesn't make any sense! That stone dagger has to be meant for some other purpose. If the Keeper is as nice as you claim then he can't possibly have intended for anypony to be killed.”

Celestia stamped the ground in irritation. “Twilight, we're wasting valuable time here! Do you have any idea how much this problem has tormented me? Every night I am plagued with nightmares of the day my father broke the world. His terrible crime has haunted me since the time before my sister was banished, and with every passing year the burden grows heavier. I cannot stand to bear this burden for even one more hour. The broken shards must be reforged, and it must be done now. I will not let anything stop me. I will do anything and pay any price to restore the world to the way it used to be.”

“Woah,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “You're getting kinda intense there.”

“And what about you?” Celestia asked. “You still bear the guilt of killing Trixie. How would you like to bear that guilt for a thousand years and be unable to do anything about it? What would you do if you were finally given a chance to make things right again?”

“I would take it, of course! Who wouldn't?”

“And that is precisely what I intend to do.”

Celestia started to march off, but Rainbow Dash flew in front of her and held up a hoof. “Hold on just one second – I want to make something perfectly clear. If we do this and you do end up killing Trixie, you are going down. I promise you that I am not bluffing. You're not going to get out of that vault thingy alive.”

Celestia sighed. “You're being ridiculous. Shall we get on with this? I don't remember even inviting you to be here.”

“Which is precisely why I made it a point to be here in the first place! I'm watching you.”

Celestia snorted angrily and marched off in a huff.

Trixie did her best to hide a smile. Seeing Rainbow stand up to Celestia like that made her feel a little better. Perhaps she really did have genuine friends after all.

* * * * *

The four ponies made their way through the ruined castle. Nopony said anything. There was something about that place that made it feel like they were walking through a graveyard. Shadows seemed to linger around every corner, and a haunting breeze crept through the tall weeds. Words were somehow unnecessary – even to the point of being unwelcome. There was a sense of sadness and mourning in the air, as if something precious had been lost.

The courtyard was overgrown and in complete disarray, and the castle's tall towers were crumbling away into dust. A year ago Twilight and her friends had tried to clean up the ruin, but all traces of their efforts had been erased by the relentless growth of the Everfree Forest. The castle had been abandoned for centuries and it looked it.

Celestia led them through the courtyard and into the castle's old throne room. She then took them down a short hallway that led to a set of rickety stone stairs. After lighting up her horn to illuminate the darkness she led the group down the stairs. The staircase was surprisingly long; it wound around and around in a tight circle, leading deeper into the abyss. The clatter of their hooves striking the hard stone echoed in the confined space.

After what seemed like far too long, the staircase finally ended in a small basement. There were four ancient wooden doors – one in each wall. A thick coating of gritty black dust completely covered the floor. The air was thick, musty, and decidedly unpleasant.

“So which way do we go?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Also, just in case anyone cares, I'm taking notes of how we got here in case I have to go and get backup.”

Celestia ignored her. “None of those doors matter. What we need to do is reach the cavern that lies beneath the castle. In order to do that we must descend still further.”

The princess walked into the corner of the room and felt around in the dirt with her hooves. She finally uncovered a rusted iron ring. Instead of grasping it with her hooves, she stepped back and pulled on it with her magic. A large trapdoor slowly creaked open.

Rainbow Dash flew over and peered down into it. “Um, I'm not seeing a ladder or anything. That looks like a sheer drop for, oh, thirty feet or so.”

Twilight spoke up. “But all of us have wings, right? So we can just fly down. Who wants to go first into the creepy and unfriendly darkness?”

“I will,” Celestia said. “But be careful. This crypt was built for the Keeper, and it was never a cheerful place even in the best of times. I fear that an ancient evil lingers there. Stay on your guard. Twilight, once we reach the ground I want you to cast a protective shield around us. I do not trust what lurks in the darkness.”

Twilight shook her head. “I think I'll let Trixie handle that. That sounds more like her kind of thing.”

Celestia looked surprised “What are you talking about? Our lives could be in danger down there, and I don't want anypony to get hurt. You have ten times the magical ability that Trixie will ever have!”

“Right. Well, you see, I'm feeling a little off my game today. Must be a side-effect of when Discord raised me from the dead. I've been training Trixie, though, and I'm sure she's got this. We can at least try it, right? If something goes wrong then I can take over.”

Trixie suddenly spoke up. “That's right – I should be the one to handle this. I'll take care of it, princess. I can do a lot more than you think.”

Celestia was clearly irritated, but she said nothing. She just shook her head and flew into the shaft. Trixie flew down next, followed closely by Rainbow Dash. Twilight was the last one to descend. Her flight down was a bit unstable, but she landed without injury.

As soon as all four ponies reached the bottom, the blue unicorn cast a spell and surrounded them with a glowing protective sphere. Celestia reached out and touched it to verify that it was solid. She eyed Trixie critically but didn't say anything.

“I've got this,” the unicorn said.

“If you say so. Shall we continue?”

Ahead of them a gloomy passageway stretched out into the darkness. It appeared to be a circular tube of some kind that had been carved out of a rough gray stone. It almost looked like an abandoned underground river – but if water had ever flown through it, the source had dried up long ago.

A thick, black mist hung in the air. When Celestia saw it she fired a bolt of white light down the passageway. The mist dissipated.

“Quickly!” Celestia whispered. She darted down the ominous passageway. The other ponies followed close behind her, taking care to remain within Trixie's protective shield.

Minutes passed, but the hallway did not end. The dreary circular passage seemed to stretch on forever. After a while it sloped downward. The ground beneath their hooves became rougher, and small boulders began to appear. Since visibility was limited it was extremely difficult to avoid tripping over the rubble. The ponies eventually started flying instead of running – all except for Twilight, who continued to gallop along the ground.

Around them the sinister black mist began to reform. A dark cloud moved right in front of Trixie's shield, and seemed to deliberately obscure their view. Visibility dropped to almost nothing – and then they began to hear noises.

“Is that a tapping sound?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Are there some kind of bugs down here?”

Trixie spoke up. “Something's hitting against the shield – but whatever it is isn't hitting it very hard. It's like the mist is trying to test its strength.”

“We must hurry,” Celestia said urgently. “I fear that the Vault now knows we are coming, and I cannot fire another bolt of magic while the shield is up. We need to reach the Cavern of Shadows as quickly as possible. We must not linger in this shaft. It isn't safe here.”

Celestia was interrupted by a low moaning sound. Behind them an enormous black creature with glowing red eyes blinked into existence. The winged creature lunged at them and slammed into the back of the shield. The creature let out a howl of rage and pain. It then lifted up a dark paw and swiped at the protective bubble.

Rainbow Dash spoke up. “I think it's time to go, everypony! We've picked up some company and it's not very friendly.”

The four ponies raced down the passageway as fast as their hooves could carry them. As quickly as they galloped, though, the glowing red eyes remained right behind them. They heard the sound of teeth snapping and wings flapping. The snarls became louder. Every failed attack seemed to enrage the monster even more. The ponies were running faster, and faster–

–and then they were falling through space. Without warning the bottom of the tunnel disappeared, and there was nothing under their hooves but air. Trixie screamed and let go of the protective shield that surrounded them.

As the ponies fell through the darkness, Celestia lit up her horn and shot out a magical flaming orb. The miniature sun lit up the area and revealed that the group had reached a limestone cavern of some kind. The cave was so large that they could barely see the far walls. In the ceiling above them was the hole that the four ponies had just fallen through. Below them – coming up much too fast – was the hard ground.

Celestia spread her wings wide and swooped out of the way, narrowly missing being impaled by a stalagmite. Rainbow Dash quickly darted away and zoomed back into the air. Trixie flapped her wings and managed to make a rough landing.

Twilight, though, was not so lucky. When she fell out of the tunnel she had tumbled upside down, and the pony was desperately trying to right herself. By the time she got reoriented, though, it was too late. Twilight plowed into the ground and let out a shriek of pain.

But the ponies had bigger problems. Above them a dark cloud streamed out of the hole and headed straight for Celestia. The princess quickly banked in the air and fired a bolt of light at it. The darkness scattered apart.

As Celestia flew around the room, looking for any further signs of danger, Trixie fired her own bolt of energy – not at the darkness, but at the cave walls. The energy splashed against the limestone walls and made them glow. A soft white light began spreading throughout the room.

“What did you just do?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“The walls have veins of glowstone ore,” Trixie explained. “Celestia's star isn't going to last forever, but the glowstone will burn for hours. I thought its light might help us on our journey.”

Celestia landed on the ground and quickly walked over to Twilight. She helped the purple alicorn stand up on her hooves. “Are you ok?”

“Just a little winded,” Twilight panted. “And in lots of pain. My side is killing me. Just trying to breathe is rough.”

Celestia quickly looked her over. “It doesn't look like you have any broken bones. I think you'll be all right. Really, though, I'm surprised at you. I thought you were a better flyer than that. You may need to spend more time practicing. Perhaps Rainbow Dash could give you some pointers.”

“My flying is fine! I just didn't expect to fall through the floor. That kinda took me by surprise there. So is this the cavern you were talking about?”

Rainbow Dash spoke up. “Not to interrupt, but I think we've got more company!”

A rumbling sound filled the air, and the ground beneath their hooves began to shake. Seconds later a giant black monster with bright red eyes burst out of the hole in the ceiling. The winged creature dove straight for Celestia.

The princess immediately jumped into the air and fired a bolt of energy at it. The energy splashed harmlessly over the monster – but not before briefly illuminating it.

“What is that thing?” Rainbow Dash asked, as she tried to chase it.

Trixie spoke up. “It looks like a stone sentinel of some kind.” The blue unicorn leaped into the air and tried to catch up with Rainbow Dash. “I've read about those things! This is so exciting. I didn't realize there were any still around, though. No one has seen one for centuries, and most scholars think that they are extinct. Or they did think that, I guess, until right now. The book says they're made out of a dark, crystallized rock.”

“Did you say rock? How could something made out of rock possibly fly?”

“Magic, I guess. It must be enchanted or something. That's how everything flies – even you! Wings alone don't provide nearly enough lift to get off the ground.”

Twilight remained on the cavern floor. She looked up at the sentinel and watched it chase Celestia through the air. The creature's enormous spiky jaws kept snapping at the princess. “So how do we defeat it?” Twilight asked. “What are its weaknesses?”

“It's made of stone!” Trixie called out. “Stone doesn't really have a weakness. That's why it makes such a perfect guard – it's pretty much impossible to defeat! Dragon fire might be able to melt it, but I'm pretty sure we left Spike at home.”

The sentinel lunged at Celestia, barely missing biting off one of her legs. Celestia teleported to the other side of the cave and angrily fired a bolt of magic at it. The magic simply bounced off. The stone monster turned around and began chasing Celestia again.

When Trixie saw that the princess was in danger, she jumped into the air and chased the sentinel herself. She tried to grab it with her telekinetic magic and hold it still, but the stone monster went right through her grasp.

Twilight stared up at the fight. “So it's immune to magic, apparently. Great. So what do we do now?”

“We knock it into next week,” Rainbow Dash said confidently. The pegasus quickly flew toward it and landed on its back. The sentinel howled in rage and turned over in midair. Rainbow Dash hung on to it and beat it with her hooves, but since it was made of solid stone it didn't take any damage. When the sentinel realized that it couldn't shake Rainbow off, it reached up, grabbed Rainbow with one of its stone paws, and threw her across the cave. Rainbow smacked into the cave wall and fell onto the floor.

The stone monster then turned its attention back to Celestia.

“I'm fine!” Rainbow called out, as she laid upside-down on the ground. She winced in pain. “All right. Make that mostly fine.”

Twilight noticed the monster's odd behavior. “That sentinel really doesn't like Celestia for some reason. Trixie, can you get its attention?”

Trixie tried to dart in front of it, but the sentinel moved too fast. When Celestia saw what the unicorn was trying to do she flew straight up, then turned around and dove underneath the monster – narrowly missing crashing into the vicious beast. With Celestia out of the way, Trixie flew straight for the sentinel and fired a bolt of white magic directly at its face. The blast washed over the sentinel and did no damage. Instead of attacking Trixie, though, the monster ignored her and turned around to chase Celestia again.

Twilight spoke up. “It's acting like it knows Celestia! She's the only one it cares about. Princess, have you ever been down here before?”

“Maybe a thousand years ago,” Celestia shouted back. “I don't remember. It's been a really long time. Can't you do something?”

“I'm thinking. There's got to be something we can do! What am I missing?”

“I got it!” Rainbow Dash called out. “I'll just whip up a tornado. That will tear it to pieces!”

Trixie spoke up. “Inside this enclosed space? Are you out of your mind? We'll all be killed!”

“That's it!” Twilight exclaimed. “I think she's on to something. If we can't magic the monster to pieces then maybe we can bury it. Rainbow Dash, do you think you could break apart the ceiling and cause a rockslide? If you time it just right you should be able to crush that thing under thousands of tons of rock.”

“Seriously?” Rainbow said doubtfully. “Won't we be crushed too? I mean, the whole ceiling could come down on us! That seems like a really bad plan.”

“I can't keep this speed up much longer,” Celestia shouted. The sentinel was hungrily snapping at her tail. Despite her best efforts the monster kept gaining on her. She was about to collapse from pure exhaustion. “If you're going to do something then do it now!”

Rainbow Dash looked at the ceiling. “Fine, fine. But how am I supposed to crack the ceiling? All I've got to work with is air! I can't break apart solid rocks with my hooves. Only Maud Pie can do that.”

“I'll handle it,” Twilight called out. She tried to leap into the air, but she immediately fell back down to the ground. She grimaced in pain. “I guess I'll do it from here, then. Celestia, head straight for that overhanging rock – the big one that looks like Pinkie!”

Celestia looked around. The sentinel was just a few feet behind her. “None of those rocks look anything like Pinkie! What are you talking about?”

“Just turn fifteen degrees and go straight for two hundred yards!”

Celestia made the course correction and blindly darted forward. Twilight's horn began to glow, but instead of firing she waited. The pony held steady until the last possible moment, and then fired a concentrated beam of energy directly at a large stalactite.

The ceiling cracked.

Celestia maintained her course.

The stone sentinel lunged for her.

Then, suddenly, the ceiling gave way. As tons of rock crashed down, Celestia teleported out of range. The sentinel howled in surprise as it was caught in an avalanche of hard stone. The monster tried to escape but was unable to do so. The sentinel screamed in pain – and was then no more. It had been completely obliterated by the weight of the falling ceiling. Its evil remains were buried under a large mound that came to rest on the cavern floor.

An enormous cloud of dust filled the air. Trixie cast a spell that settled the dust and purified the air. “Is everypony ok?” she called out.

“I'm still suffering over here,” Twilight said sourly. She was lying on the ground, moaning in pain. A falling rock had grazed her and knocked her over.

Celestia landed beside her. “Are you all right?”

“I'll live, I guess – but I've had better days. Rainbow Dash, where are you?”

“Up here,” Rainbow called out. The ponies looked up and saw that Rainbow Dash was inspecting the ceiling. “It looks like our passage out of here is still intact. We're not trapped down here forever. Just, you know, in case anypony was wondering.”

“Well, that's a relief,” Trixie replied. She landed beside Twilight and helped her stand up.

Celestia spoke up. “Twilight, that was brilliant thinking! Burying the sentinel in rock was a clever way of dealing with the problem, and your aim and timing was fantastic. It's nice to see you starting to think more strategically. You have achieved another stunning victory.”

Twilight looked at Trixie and grinned. “Thanks, princess. I'm glad you approve of my methods. And you are welcome, by the way. Saving the lives of ponies is just part of who I am.”

Rainbow Dash landed beside the group. “All right. That was fun – while it lasted, anyway – but I think it's over now. Let's get this quest finished so we can leave this spooky place of darkness. Which way do we go now? Is it possible that the only path to the Shadow Vault was just buried under tons of immovable rock? Because if it was, I would consider that to be a super bonus. I still think we shouldn't be down here.”

Celestia looked around for a moment, then gestured to the left. “It's this way. Follow me.”