Past Actions, Future Consequences

by Rill

Settling In - Part 2

Shadow didn’t move a muscle as he felt the spell’s magic fade. For a moment, the colt wondered if the spell had even worked. Sure, there was a lack of smoke and coughing, but other than that, Shadow didn’t notice anything different. Feeling a small breeze gently play with his mane, Shadow opened his eyes, wincing as the bright midmorning light burned his eyes. Squinting, the colt lifted a hoof, shielding his eyes as they adjusted to the sudden brightness. Below him, the thatched roofs of Ponyville lay before him, the town a hive of activity as ponies of every color walked along the streets while foals ran laughing and screaming around the slower moving adults. Beyond the town, he could see the charred remains of the Luna-forsaken forest that had nearly killed him. How anypony, much less an entire town, could live next to someplace so dangerous was beyond the colt. Looking down, Shadow backpedaled at the sight of a multi-story drop inches in front of his hooves. Catching his breath at the sudden shock, the colt looked around; finding himself alone on what he could only guess was the castle’s roof. Closing his eyes, Shadow sighed in pleasure as he extended his unbound wing, the breeze whispering in his ears as it played with his feathers and what little of his mane he had. Glancing behind him, Shadow looked at the wrapped stump that was his tail. At first, he had been more than a little disturbed at the loss of it, but the doctor had assured him several times that the hair would eventually grow back, likely before the first snowflakes fell.

Smiling at the thought of getting his tail back, Shadow didn’t notice that he was no longer alone until the mare behind him spoke, “Well, this is an odd place to find you.”

Shadow jumped at the slightly coarse voice, turning to face his guest as soon as his hooves hit the crystal roof. “I’ve found myself in stranger places” He replied, smiling as Rainbow Dash landed next to him. “What brings you around here?”

“I saw a flash while patrolling for stray clouds and thought you were Twilight.” The sky blue mare stretched as she spoke. “So what are you doing up here, besides admiring the view?”

Shadow shrugged as he turned to look over the town, “Twilight was teaching me how to teleport and I kinda…” Shadow paused as he looked for the right words “Overshot my target.” He looked over the roof’s edge at the ground below, “By a couple stories.”

Next to him, Rainbow Dash snorted, “I’ve done that a couple times with high speed landings. It happens.” The mare smiled as she looked over the town she called home “So what do you think of this place?”

“It’s different” Shadow replied after a while. “It reminds me a bit of home, except there aren’t any mountains and timberwolves aren’t the worst thing you have to worry about in the woods.”

Rainbow nodded absently as she listened, “And Twilight?”

“She’s alright, I guess.” Shadow could practically feel his companion’s raised eyebrow. “I’ve never met another alicorn before and I’ve always identified as a unicorn?”

“So nopony back home knew about your wings?”

Shadow shook his head. “Wings are easier to hide than a horn.”

“Why hide them in the first place?”

“It’s not a pleasant story.”

Rainbow Dash looked at her companion, eventually letting the question on her lips go. She didn’t need to pry; he’d tell her when he felt like it. “What about Spike?”

“That was… interesting” The young alicorn said after a while.

“How so?”

“Remember when I mentioned Stone Crusher?” Shadow saw Rainbow Dash nod “He was killed after torching two ships full of innocent ponies, and is the only dragon I’ve ever heard of.” Shadow stared out at the town below as he recalled the previous evening’s incident. “Now imagine how you’d react in my position knowing that, and then suddenly seeing a dragon running toward you.”

Rainbow winced as she imagined what happened, “How bad was it?”

“Let me put it this way, it’s a very good thing my special talent is defensive based magic and not offensive based.”

The polychromatic-maned mare cringed at the thought, “I’ve known him since he and Twilight first came here, and you can believe me when I say that’s he’s no threat.”

“Twilight pretty much said the same thing.”

“And?”

“I have little choice but to trust her judgement, though that doesn’t mean I’m going to lower my guard anytime soon.”

Rainbow sighed. If what Shadow had told her was true, she couldn’t blame him for feeling like he did, though that didn’t mean she liked it. Silently, the mare hoped he’d warm up to the little dragon. Celestia knows Spike had done more than enough to earn everypony’s respect. “So where’s Twilight right now?”

“Down below, more than likely looking for me.”

“Why didn’t you just teleport back?”

“This is the first time I’ve successfully teleported on purpose, and I wound up here.” Shadow looked at the mare next to him incredulously, “If I tried again, who knows where I’d find myself.”

“Well then” Rainbow said as she took to the air, “let me help you down.” Seeing the colt fold his free wing, Rainbow gently grabbed him around his upper body, making sure to avoid anything that was wrapped in bandages. With a single pump of her wings, she lifted the injured alicorn off the roof, his hooves dangling as she flew them over the edge of the castle. Locking her wings, the pegasus set herself into a simple glide, smiling as her passenger extended his wing too. She had watched him for a moment after she knew it was him. It didn’t take a genius to see his desire to fly, and his frustration at not being able to. As Rainbow slowed down to land, a smile slowly grew on her face. It would be a couple months before his feathers grew back enough to fly, but she couldn’t wait to see how he flew. Who knows, maybe he can help Scootaloo get airborne…

---

Shadow slowly walked along the gravel road, his mind barely able to comprehend the seemingly infinite rows of evenly spaced trees around him. When he had seen the farm from the Everfree, he hadn’t given much thought about how many trees had been planted. He had been more interested in their fruit, since it was either that or eat grass. Now that he had a chance to take a good look, the colt was staggered by the mind numbing number of trees he saw. Back home, the Apple’s had at least five hundred trees on their farm, according to their estimate, but one glance told Shadow that Sweet Apple Acres probably had over ten times that.

Twilight smiled as she watched the young colt look around “So, what do you think?”

“How many trees are there?”

“A couple thousand at least” Twilight said, shrugging. “I don’t honestly know, but I’m sure Applejack would.”

“Why are there so many trees?”

“The Apple family has been growing apples for centuries, and Sweet Apple Acres happens to be the single largest producer of apples in Equestria.”

So they are Apples Shadow thought as the two alicorns walked. The colt wasn’t surprised. I wonder if they’re like the Apples back home and talk about nothing but apples he mused. It was common knowledge that the Apple family grew all of the apples on the island and maintained an iron grip on the supply, despite numerous attempts by other ponies to cut into their monopoly. Coming around a turn in the road, Shadow felt the all too familiar sense of his jaw hitting the ground at the sight of Sweet Apple Acre’s main barn. What caught Shadow’s attention wasn’t the fact that Equestria had barns similar to those back home, but instead the sheer size of the structure. The monstrous building was at least twice the size of the largest one back home. On top of that, not only was the building all wood, but it had been painted an unsurprising apple red as well.

“Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres.” Twilight said as they stopped next to the farm’s well. Next to her, Shadow seemed to be having trouble believing what he saw. Looking around herself, Twilight was amazed at how well Applejack’s farm had weathered the forest fire. Other than a dozen or so trees, the family had gotten through the fire without any losses, despite being right next to the Everfree Forest. If Twilight knew her friend, AJ would have a dozen replacement trees ready to be planted by the time winter was wrapped up.

As a couple party goers walked into the barn, Twilight noticed the rodeo mare step out, taking a moment to fan herself with her trademark Stetson. The orange mare looked around at her farm in the fading light, almost overlooking the two alicorns. Smiling, she set her father’s old hat back in place before trotting over to her friend. “Well howdy, Twilight. What are you doing over here? Ah swear, Pinkie Pie is practically bouncing off the walls.”

Shadow’s head snapped up at the sound of another mare’s voice, his attention now focused solely on the approaching earth pony mare. Next to him, Twilight chuckled as she replied to whatever the other mare had said, but whatever she had said had been lost on the young colt. Watching Twilight and the hat wearing mare talk, Shadow slowly backed away, trying to put Twilight between him and her friend. Hearing his name, the colt froze as he felt the earth pony mare’s eyes fall on him.

“Well howdy there, Sugarcube.”

“Hello” Shadow replied, wondering why she was referring to him with a piece of food.

“Ah’m glad to see you up and about.” The colt watched as the mare removed her hat, holding it gently to her chest as she bowed her head to him “Ah just want to take this chance to thank you for savin’ mah sister Apple Bloom. If you hadn’t been there…” A few rebellious tears tried to escape from Applejack’s eyes, only to be hastily wiped away. “But you were, and you nearly died because of it.”

“It’s nothing.” Shadow replied, feeling uncomfortable at the mare’s attention.

Applejack raised an eyebrow at the colt’s reply, nothing mah plot. “Perhaps to you, sugar, but AB’s mah younger sister and ah don’t rightly know what ah would have done if anythin’ had happened to her.” Putting her hat back, the farmer looked down at the vest wearing colt with a broad smile. “No words can express mah gratitude, so if there is anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask; yah hear?”

Shadow nodded, a smile slowly growing as a thought occurred to him “You wouldn’t happen to have any apples, would you?”

Both older ponies stopped at his question. A second later, Applejack was laughing hard enough to be heard inside the barn, “Oh sweet Celestia; that was a good one.” Wiping a few tears, the mare extended her hoof to the colt, “The name’s Applejack.”

Shadow took her hoof before shaking it, “Shadow.”

“Ah don’t got any on me, but ah know there are a bunch in the barn.” Applejack answered, turning toward the large building. Falling into step next to Twilight, Shadow tuned the orange mare out as he found himself slightly confused by the mare’s behavior. She was nothing like the Apples he knew. Instead of being stuck up and lording her position over everypony else, this mare seemed to be much more friendly and welcoming, almost as if she was a unicorn or pegasus stuck in an earth pony’s body. If her name didn’t make it clear, the trio of apples marking her flank left no doubt that she was an Apple, which left the young alicorn all the more curious how distantly related she was to the Apples he knew.

Shelving that line of questions for the moment, Shadow stepped through the open door, his jaw scraping the ground once again at the sight before him. Not hearing the gentle chuckle of Applejack behind him as she and Twilight walked in after him, the colt tried to wrap his mind around everything before him. Unknown to the colt, Pinkie Pie had over a month to plan this night, and she had not wasted a single moment of that time. From the ceiling, a banner stretched from one side of the barn to the other, with the words Thanks for Saving Ponyville and Welcome to Ponyville, Shadow painted in multiple colors on the oversized sheet of paper. From the rafters, streamers of various colors hung or fluttered in a breeze stirred up by the several dozen pegasi fluttering or hovering above the barn floor. Hanging in the air, a dozen large tables had been enchanted so that they floated among the rafters. As he watched, a pegasi couple fluttered over to a pair of open chairs next to one of the enchanted tables, the two ponies quickly claiming the chairs, their hooves swinging freely beneath them as they talked.

On the ground, Pinkie had set up a number of long tables where ponies could sit and eat, while another area nearby had been left open, the only indication that it had been on purpose was a bunch of equipment sitting nearby seemingly unused except by a white unicorn mare with a vividly blue mane and tail who was bobbing her head to something only she could hear through her headphones. In between the two areas, a pair of long tables had been set up, and on top of them was more food and snacks than Shadow had ever seen before. Each table had a large cake at either end with everything from raw apples and various fruits and vegetables to cookies covered in frosting, cupcakes, muffins, brownies and other sweets that Shadow had no name for seemingly covering every inch of open table. Already, a number of ponies had lined up to sample the fare, a few impaling their fruit slices on sticks before dunking them in a fountain of brown liquid that Shadow thought smelled suspiciously like chocolate.

“So, what do you think Sugarcube?”

Shadow working his mouth, trying to give voice to what he thought. After a minute of being unable to speak, the colt said the one word that he could think of, “Wow.”

Both mares behind him chuckled at his understatement. “Pinkie Pie really outdid herself this time” Applejack said as she led the two alicorns along the wall, skirting the main eating area. “Normally ah would have expected something a little more… Pinkie” the farm-mare continued, “but this is actually a refreshing change of pace.”

“Really?”

Applejack smiled at Shadow’s question “Eeyup. Normally Pinkie’s parties involve a lot of loud music, confetti and partying, so this is much more calm and relaxing in comparison. Not that ah’m complainin’, mind you.” The older mare added hastily, as if somepony might think otherwise.

Coming around a large support beam, Shadow froze in his tracks at what lay ahead. While the three large eating tables on the ground had been set up in a roughly horseshoe shape, the open side, which had been hidden from Shadow’s view by a support beam had been filled with a number of hay bales that had been set up like a small platform or stage. On that stage, three ponies sat, relaxed and chatting with each other. It took Shadow no effort to recognize Rainbow Dash, the sky blue mare’s rainbow mane unmistakable, even from halfway across the barn. Next to her lay a larger mare, her black and blue body contrasting against the hay’s tan while her mane seemed to flow in some unseen breeze. When he had gone over the surviving clone’s memories, Shadow had dismissed the memory of Princess Luna, chalking it up to either exhaustion or a trick on the solar tyrant’s part. Seeing her sitting there, part of Shadow seethed at the audacity of Princess Celestia to try and cover her crimes with such an obvious fake of her sister. Behind the faux-Luna, she sat, as relaxed as everypony else as she talked with Rainbow Dash.

Shadow felt his heart stop as the solar tyrant’s gaze shifted, focusing on him and the two mares next to him. The eldest alicorn did nothing, instead saying something to Rainbow, whose head whipped around, spotting him and his escorts, a smile blossoming on her face as she stood. Shadow wasn’t surprised at Celestia’s actions. Even here, there were too many ponies for her to do anything to him, which, to the colt’s great relief, meant that he was safe for the moment. Sighing in relief to himself, Shadow smiled as the one pony in the town that he considered his friend approached.

“Hey kiddo, how’s it going?” Shadow shrugged, not sure how to respond. “You haven’t been causing Twilight too much trouble, have ya?”

“Give it time” Shadow replied “I’m still getting settled in.”

Rainbow Dash cackled at his response, as well as Twilight’s glare. Getting control of herself a couple seconds later, the mare tilted her head before turning to lead them to where she had been a moment earlier. As they approached, Shadow eyed the pair of golden armored guards standing behind the older Princesses warily, his attention turning back to the two royals as he saw the three mares bow. Following their lead, the colt bowed as well, though he had turned himself slightly so that he was facing the clone of Luna when he lowered himself. She may have been a fake – albeit a good fake Shadow had to admit, now that he was closer, - but that still didn’t excuse any disrespect to her memory, even if it meant bowing to a fake.

Getting up after a moment, Shadow resisted the urge to struggle as a cloud of magic enveloped him, lifting him into the air before gently depositing him next to Luna. “It is good to see you here.” The faux-Princess said as Rainbow Dash got comfortable next to Shadow. “We had feared that you might not survive your wounds.”

Shadow shrugged, the move hiding his nervous gulp. He had no doubt that Celestia was somehow controlling this clone of her sister, but he didn’t want to let the white alicorn think he suspected anything. At the same time, he knew he couldn’t afford to look weak. “Thank you, ma’am” He replied, “I’m a lot tougher than I look.”

“Indeed.”

Turning his attention back to the party around him, Shadow watched as Twilight and Applejack walked to a comparatively well-dressed tan and grey mare. The older mare looked over at Shadow and the mares next to him before nodding to Twilight and Applejack. Stepping away, she moved into the open space in front of the eating tables, the general noise level in the barn fading away as she did. “Mares and gentlecolts” She began, raising her voice so that everypony could hear “We are here tonight to celebrate, not just a new pony becoming part of our community, but also our deliverance from that terrible fire by him and the other heroes we honor here tonight.” Around them, ponies clapped or stomped their hooves in approval. “We are here to honor Princess Celestia, who not only tamed that fire, but also helped save the lives of five ponies, two of whom we also honor tonight.” The princess in question nodded at the mare’s words, a faint smile on her lips. “We are here to honor Princess Luna, who got the weather factory in Cloudsdale working again, breaking the historic drought and ending the Everfree fire.” The cheers of the crowd were just as loud for her as it had been for her sister. Like her sister, the dark blue mare nodded at the speaker’s generous words. “Tonight we honor Rainbow Dash, who, with no thought of her own safety, flew into the thick of the fire when three young fillies were in danger.” A couple ponies whistled as everypony cheered; one pony in particular, a purple-maned orange pegasus filly cheering loudly enough to be heard above the crowd. “Last, but by no means least, we are gathered here tonight to honor Shadow Dancer, who is not only becoming a part of our little community, but who also saved Rainbow Dash when she was overcome by smoke and three young fillies who had been trapped by the flames. Without him, we would have lost four beautiful lives, and the world would have been less as a result.” The barn shook under the resounding pounding of hooves and cheers, dust gently falling from the shaking rafters. Lifting a glass, the mare turned to Shadow and the ponies next to him, the crowd doing likewise until everypony had a cup raised in the air “To the four heroes of the Everfree Fire!”

“Hurrah!”

Shadow felt his ears pin themselves against his head at the unified roar of the crowd. As everypony took a sip from their cup, the magic of the moment seemed to linger as everypony returned to what they had been doing before. As the older mare approached Princess Celestia, Shadow found himself relaxing as everypony’s attention shifted to something other than him. “So, what would you like to eat?” Shadow looked up at the dark blue clone next to him. “There are tables full of food, and it would be rude of us if we did not try to put a dent in all that food.”

Shadow frowned slightly. He hadn’t gotten a good look at the food, but Applejack had said that there were apples “Anything with apples.”

‘Luna’ nodded at his simple request, “And what about you, Rainbow Dash?”

“You don’t have to get anything for me.”

“Since you served our little ponies so valiantly during the fire, I insist on serving you.”

Rainbow Dash smiled at the larger pony’s insistence, “If that’s the case, then whatever looks good. Considering the ponies who made that spread, Fates know that it’s all going to be good.”

Smiling, the dark blue alicorn excused herself, one of the golden armored solar guards falling into step behind her.

“So what do you think of this party?”

Shadow looked around the barn before turning to look at the athletic mare to his right, “I’ve never been to a party this big, let alone been one of the ponies being honored.”

“Really?”

Shadow shrugged. “My family was never the most popular in town, so we almost never got invited.” The colt frowned as he thought about it, “I think the last party we attended that wasn’t at home was one thrown for my dad after he helped stop an outbreak of feather flu.”

Unnoticed by Shadow or Rainbow Dash, Celestia had heard everything the colt had said, despite talking to Ponyville’s mayor the entire time. Most ponies she knew liked to brag how well they could multitask, but with over a thousand years of practice, if a pony could get a degree in multitasking, Princess Celestia would have not only had a doctorate, she would have written the book on the subject as well. Smiling at the mayor as the mare excused herself, Celestia turned to look at the two ponies next to her, noting that her sister was coming back with three trays of food so heavily loaded, that the elder sister doubted that anything else would be able to fit. As Luna returned, Celestia quietly excused herself. While Luna had the freedom of being able to mingle with whoever she wanted, Celestia wasn’t so lucky, not that she minded in this case. The citizens were the complete opposite of the nobles she dealt with every day, which made opportunities like this all the more precious to her. As she slowly made her way to the food, the eldest sister smiled to herself. This, the mingling with her subjects, her ponies, is what made putting up with the nobility worth it.

Shadow suppressed the urge to move as he felt a shiver crawl down his spine. He knew the solar tyrant was looking at him, but he steadfastly refused to grant her even the most minor of victories, instead focusing his attention on Rainbow Dash, who was regaling him with the story of how she earned her cutie mark. Despite how earnest she was, Shadow didn’t believe her. Everypony knew that the Sonic Rainboom was just an old mare’s tale. Noticing that her attention had turned, Shadow turned to follow Rainbow Dash’s gaze, his eyes bugging out slightly at the sight of the three trays of food next to Luna. In a skilled display of magic, especially for a clone, all three trays came to a rest in front of them. Rainbow Dash’s tray was loaded with cookies and fruit, while the faux-Luna had taken Shadow’s request seriously as she had filled his tray with a sample of every apple-based confection she and Applejack could find.

Without waiting for permission, Shadow ignited his horn, an apple fritter meeting its end a moment later. Enjoying his piece of apple and sugar bliss, Shadow glanced to his left as ‘Luna’ nibbled on a cookie with chocolate frosting. Slowly, the sense of joy he felt faded as he thought about where he found himself. He knew that the mare next to him was not Luna. He was sure of it. Yet around him, everypony accepted the fake as if she was the real thing. Looking around, only a complete idiot wouldn’t know that it had taken a lot of effort to put this party together, and Shadow knew that what he was about to do would likely ruin it. Closing his eyes, the colt ignited his horn, blasting the barn with the spell he used to dispel his clones, along with an anti-illusion spell Trixie had taught him as well.

Opening his eyes, Shadow felt his jaw drop as the faux-Luna blinked rapidly, her eyes eventually focusing on Shadow, a smile on her face. Completely unable to comprehend what he saw, Shadow slowly reached out, gently poking the larger mare with a hoof. Feeling the natural resistance of flesh and bone, Shadow poked a few more times, not sure if he was dreaming or not.

Next to him, Luna smiled as she popped another cookie into her mouth while Shadow prodded her. Ever since she had seen the monster that resembled her sister in his dream, the younger diarch had been thinking about the thing’s words. What had that monster meant by ‘not killed you enough’? She had just gotten her answer with Shadow’s spells. Even though she had been gone for a thousand years, the younger Royal Sister had all but thrown herself into catching up on everything she had missed when she had returned, including the latest spells and charms. Thanks to her studies, Luna knew that he had used an anti-illusion spell, while the other one she could only assume was his anti-clone spell. So he thought I was an illusion? Looking down, her smile widened as the young colt poked her one final time before slowly looking up at her. Chuckling, she swallowed her cookie, “Yes my little pony, I am real.”

Gently pulling his hoof away from the very real Princess Luna, Shadow felt the world around him spin. How could she be real? She was dead! That was the only explanation; right? Unable to take it anymore, the thoroughly confused alicorn laid his head on his hooves, wishing the world would stop spinning and that it would start making sense.

---

Celestia walked among the ponies of the party, a mug of Sweet Apple Acre’s finest cider floating nearby as her subjects smiled at her or occasionally waved. This was something she had missed since her and Luna’s ascension, the ability to mix and mingle with other ponies without them bowing or scraping to her or having them approach her with one proposal or another. Coming up short, the princess looked down to see a young filly looking up at her, the young pony’s eyes the size of dinner plates. Without warning, the filly rushed up to the princess, wrapping herself around one of Celestia’s legs, giving the diarch what the filly probably assumed was the biggest hug possible. Igniting her horn, Princess Celestia lifted the young filly into the air so that she could hug her young admirer back. Setting the giggling filly down a moment later, Celestia tried not to laugh as the young pony darted off with the speed of a small child, squealing in delight that the princess had hugged her.

“I think you just made her year, Princess.”

Celestia turned to the lavender mare next to her, “And she may have just made mine.” Turning to her former protégé, each mare embraced the other. “How are you doing, Twilight?”

“Better” Twilight admitted as she led her mentor away from the crowd, “nothing relieves stress more than one of Pinkie’s parties.”

“I’ll have to thank Pinkie later for this wonderful party” Celestia replied as she walked. “So how is our youngest hero settling in?”

“All things considered, it could have gone worse…” Twilight said after a moment to consider her words. Seeing her Princess’s questioning look, she related the previous night’s incident.

Celestia listened, a sense of dismay growing at her student’s words. “Oh dear; I hope Spike is alright.”

“He’s fine, though he’s still nursing a bit of a grudge over the incident” Twilight finished.

“Have you learned anything new about him?”
Twilight shook her head “Not really, though I am fairly confident that he isn't from the Crystal Empire, like his clone said."

"But..."

Twilight looked up at the Princess "How did you know?"

Celestia smiled knowingly "When you've been at this as long as I have, you learn that there's always a ‘but’."

"But" Twilight continued "There are a number of inconsistencies I can't account for."

"Like what?"

"He's fluent in Crystallic, like he’s used it his entire life. I had Cadance send me something to test him with, and he translated the text she sent like it was nothing. Second, he loaned Rainbow Dash one of his books, which was not only written in Crystallic, but it took place in the Crystal Empire and was printed years before the Empire returned."

"Interesting" Celestia said, glancing at the colt.

"That's not all."

"There's more?"

Twilight nodded. "According to Rainbow Dash, the book he loaned her contained names no one would know unless they had an intimate knowledge of the Empire before it fell, as if they had lived there." Twilight frowned as an idea slowly grew in her mind. While she had never seen any proof for it, it could provide an answer to a few questions. "Princess, did any ponies escape the Empire before it disappeared?" The signs were subtle, even for Twilight, but the larger alicorn's shock didn't escape her former student's notice. Lowering her mug of cider, the Princess's expression told Twilight everything.

"Yes."

"What happened?"

Leading Twilight to a quiet corner of the barn, Celestia sighed as she sat down on a nearby hay bale. "We first learned about the Empire's fall to Sombra a few months after it happened when a small band of Crystal Ponies staggered into Canterlot one night. We couldn't do much about it at the time because of the approaching winter, but by the start of spring, Luna and I led the army to retake the Empire." Celestia shook her head. "We failed. Hundreds of ponies on both sides died in the fighting, but Sombra still won in the end." Twilight could see her former teacher close her eyes as she clearly fought against the memories of the fighting. "But before it disappeared, the group of survivors that told us of Sombra's takeover made it into the city and managed to free several hundred ponies that had been enslaved, leading them to safety before that bastard's curse took over."

"What happened to them? Why didn't I know about them before now?"

"You didn't know about them because they only spent a year or two in Equestria after the Crystal Empire disappeared before leaving."

"Why did they leave?"

"They blamed me for the loss of their home. After the Lunar Rebellion, they blamed me for Luna's fall as well" Looking up, Celestia watched Shadow as he talked to Rainbow Dash "Not that I blame them. It could very well be that Shadow is a descendant of one of those survivors. If that's the case, it would explain much." Celestia knew she was leaving a lot out of what she told Twilight, but for the moment, Twilight didn't need to know every detail of how she had failed - both the Crystal Empire and her sister - so badly.

"Does the name Summer Breeze mean anything to you?"

Celestia nodded. "She was an Imperial Knight and the leader of the ponies that warned us of Sombra. Why?"

"The book that Shadow gave Rainbow was a supposed copy of her diary."

"Have you read it?"

Twilight shook her head "He still doesn't trust me."

"Give him time, Twilight. He has been through much." Celestia paused as she considered her next words. "If he lets you read Summer Breeze's diary, please keep your mind open." The eldest Princess hoped Twilight wouldn't lose too much faith in her if she ever got the chance to read that book.

Twilight frowned at Princess Celestia’s words. Why would she ask her to keep an open mind? Was there something in his book that she might not like? While she now wanted to know even more than before, the young alicorn clamped down on the building desire. It wouldn’t matter if she couldn’t read the book, and she wouldn’t get the chance if Shadow didn’t trust her. As she watched, a pair of pegasi approached Rainbow Dash and Shadow. At first Twilight couldn’t place their faces, but as soon as she saw Scootaloo in between them, she recognized them instantly. “Cadance will want to know about this” She said after a while, her mind already composing the letter to her sister-in-law.

“True” Celestia replied as she stood, “But I think it can wait until tomorrow.”

Smiling, Twilight followed suit, joining her mentor as they both returned to the party.

---

Twilight slowly walked down the road, the sound of gravel crunching beneath her and Princess Luna’s hooves the only noise disturbing the otherwise pleasant silence of the night. On her back, Spike lay curled up in a ball, the young dragon out like a light after having spent the better part of the night partying. Likewise, Shadow lay draped across Luna’s back, though for him, his sleep was less pleasant as he occasionally moaned.

“Who knew you could stuff yourself on apples” The young alicorn moaned, before letting out a small belch a second later. Smiling, Twilight easily recalled how Applejack had introduced herself and her family, and had then proceeded to nearly make Twilight sick with all the apple related products her family produced. Sighing in relief, Shadow seemed to settle back down “I regret nothing.”

Both Twilight and Luna chuckled at this, the larger alicorn turning to look at her passenger as she walked, “We are happy to hear this, but if you are going to be sick, please warn us so we may point you in the right direction.”

Though she couldn’t hear exactly what he said, Twilight thought it sounded suspiciously like yes, my Queen. Next to her, Luna smiled as the young alicorn fell asleep. For a while, the two Princesses walked in silence. As they did, Twilight could feel one of the biggest questions on her mind pushing at her. Stepping into the main section of Ponyville, Twilight finally couldn’t stand it any longer. “Princess, I hope you don’t mind my asking this, but does the name Summer Breeze mean anything to you?”

Next to her, the lunar diarch froze at the name. Catching herself a moment later, Luna nodded as she slowed her pace, "She was one of the few ponies I truly considered a friend before my fall. Why do you ask?" As Twilight explained to the princess her theory of Shadow’s history, Luna looked at her sleeping passenger. “You may be more right than you know, Twilight.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have been watching our young friend since we first learned of him, and there have been some things about him that have struck us as odd.”

“Like what?”

“Like his addressing me as ‘Queen’ for one; as far as I can recall, he is the first to do so in a thousand years. As well, at the party, he bowed to me and not to Celestia and I don’t know if you saw it but we suspect that he may be afraid of our sister.”

“Why would he be afraid of Celestia? No offense, but wouldn’t it make more sense if he was afraid of you?”

“It would, unless…”

“Unless…?”

Luna frowned as the idea in her head solidified, “Unless he was raised as a Lunar Loyalist.”

Twilight frowned at the unfamiliar term, “Lunar Loyalist? Like Pipsqueak?”

Luna smiled at the mention of the young colt’s name. “No. If anything, he is more of a devoted fan. I assume you’ve heard of the Solar Guard?” Luna wasn’t surprised to see her sister’s former student nod at the mention of her older sister’s devoted followers. “Think along those lines, but more fanatical and devoted to Nightmare Moon.”

“Who would devote themselves to such a monster?” Twilight asked, “No offense” she added a heartbeat later.

“None taken, Twilight” Luna replied, acting like the younger mare had never made the comment. “As for why, that is a story that is best reserved for after we get the two young ones to bed.”

Reaching her home, Twilight held the door open for the princess and her two Night Guards who had been flying overhead the entire time. As she led the princess up the stairs, Twilight ignited her horn, quills and sheaves of paper already flying through the air. She didn’t want to miss a single detail.

Comments

[Tale Swapper]

...looking forward to the next chapter.

[tkepner]

Always a good read.

[Rill]

8512461
Thank you.