Past Actions, Future Consequences

by Rill

Ch. 15 Revelations

The young colt lay on his side, his mind blank as he watched the bit-sized snowflakes falling outside the window. Heaving a sigh Shadow slowly rose, quietly jumping from the extremely plush bed. Freezing at the sound of his hooves hitting the crystalline floor, the young alicorn sighed in relief as the room once again grew silent. Shadow didn’t know what he was so worried about. With Twilight and Spike sharing a room, he had been given his own which, while small by palace standards, was still larger than his room back in Ponyville, never mind the one he had had back home.

Slowly walking over to the doors that led to the room’s small balcony, Shadow stood there, the sound of his breathing the only thing breaking the night’s silence. Outside, the white fluff continued to fall, having never let up once since noon the previous day. From his vantage point, the Crystal Empire lay dark under a slowly growing blanket of snow, the light from the numerous streetlights being the only thing marring the night’s darkness. Flipping the latch on the door with a burst of magic, the colt stepped out onto the balcony, his hooves sinking into the fresh powder. Outside, the world was just as quiet as his room, the only sound he could hear coming from the snowflakes as they hit the balcony.

Standing still, the young orphan watched as his breath billowed out, the small cloud of warm air quickly vanishing. He didn’t bother to try and stop the memories of the past as they rose up. If he was still back home, him and Star Gazer would be taking full advantage of an opportunity like this, their wings cutting through the still air as they claimed the sky above the town’s forest for themselves, ducking and weaving as they chased each other while trying to avoid getting hit by the falling snowflakes. Shadow couldn’t help but smile at the memories of flying with his twin, how she’d always push him to keep up with her, but never leaving him behind, even though there was nothing he could do if she wanted to.

The colt wiped a couple rebellious tears aside with a leg. All his life, there were two times he looked forward to the most: the night and heavy snowstorms like this, since both meant that he could fly without having to worry about being seen by anypony. Snowstorms held a special place in his heart, since they allowed him to fly during the day and not have to worry about suddenly finding a tree in his way.

Ruffling his wings as he felt the snow slowly building up on him, the young alicorn slowly spread them before pushing down with a single stroke like Rainbow Dash had showed him. A heartbeat later, the balcony was barely visible to the colt through the snow as he shot into the air, the Crystal Palace’s spire quickly falling away a moment later. Rising into the air, the young pony pointed his face toward the low hanging clouds, his mind blank as he shot through the air. Closing his eyes against the falling snow, Shadow flew higher, his mind focused on nothing but the air around him. Beating his wings, the colt felt himself hit the cloudbank, his passage leaving a small hole that quickly disappeared. Letting his senses spread out, Shadow could feel the moisture around him, his mind unconsciously telling him that the snow storm would likely last until the middle of the day at the very least. Was this what it was like for his sister? Was her ability to predict the weather back home based on her ability to tune into the world around her better than everypony else? The filly had tried to explain to him once what it was like for her, but much to his shame, he hadn’t paid much attention at the time. It wasn’t until Rainbow Dash had explained a pegasi’s ability to manipulate the weather around them that he had remembered what Star Gazer had told him.

Feeling himself break through the clouds, Shadow opened his eyes, smiling at the sight of the moon shining overhead while the sky above was painted with stars. Relaxing his wings, the alicorn felt his momentum slow; then disappear as he finally stalled. Letting himself roll a few times for the fun of it, he spread his wings as gravity embraced him. Locking his wings, the young flier put himself into a gentle glide, enjoying the feeling of the wind in his mane as he slowly lost altitude. Pulling up after a minute, Shadow bled off the last of his speed, the clouds beneath him taking his weight as he landed on them. Lying down, the lone colt let himself marvel at the beauty of the sky above him. If he hadn’t known better, he’d have thought that Princess Luna had put extra effort into getting the night sky just so.

For a while, Shadow ignored the world beneath him as he relaxed. More than once, he found himself wishing he could stay up here, the worries and concerns of his life on the ground staying there. Up here, there were no worries about the solar tyrant; there was no school, no pain. There was just him and the air around him, with the sky above him and the ground and all its problems far below. As much as he was tempted by the fantasy, Shadow knew it could never be more than that. He’d have to go back to the palace eventually, but now that he didn’t have to hide what he was, he could always take to the air when the world around him became too much.

Slowly standing an hour later, the alicorn smiled before blasting a hole in the cloud beneath him. Throwing himself into the hole, Shadow felt his eyes water as he plummeted, his wings ready to catch him. Shooting his wings out a moment later, the colt gritted his teeth as he caught the air, straining to slow himself down. Banking, the flyer silently glided over the sleeping city beneath him. Flapping his wings every now and then as snow built up along the leading edges, Shadow took his time, his eyes noting how the glow from the street lights gave the city a peaceful, almost painting-like quality. All too soon it seemed the solo flight came to an end as he landed on the balcony.

Shaking himself free of any lingering snow, the colt walked into his waiting room, the palace’s warmth a welcome change from the cold outside. Locking the balcony door, Shadow crawled back into his bed, feeling like he could finally fall asleep.

---

Twilight felt the seat beneath her vibrate as the train pulled them up the side of the mountain. Other than the rumble of the engine and the sound of the wheels on the tracks, the car was silent. On the seat next to the young Princess, Spike lay under a blanket as he slowly paged through his newest Power Ponies comic, completely absorbed by the book’s colorful pages. Looking up from her book on defensive magic, Twilight eyed the car’s only other occupant. Curled up against the car’s wall and his seat’s backrest, Shadow hadn’t moved in hours. Despite Cadance’s advice two days earlier after he had cried himself to sleep and she had put the colt to bed, Twilight didn’t know what to do. After leaving the Crystal Empire the following morning, the orphaned alicorn had parked himself in his current spot and, other than getting up to use the bathroom, hadn’t moved from that spot. Neither the offer of food, nor the loss of his crystalline coat, had gotten so much as an ear flick from him.

Marking her place in her book, Twilight slowly stood, taking a moment to stretch her legs. Ignored by Spike, the older alicorn walked across the passenger car’s aisle, settling down next to the young colt. Gingerly, the young Princess slowly wrapped a leg around Shadow, following Cadance’s advice of letting him know that she was there for him. In a response that surprised the older alicorn, Shadow leaned into her, his head buried against her side. As they lay there, Twilight slowly rubbed Shadow’s shoulders, his back shuddering as he cried against her, his muffled sobs drowned out by the slight noise of the car around them. Feeling her fur starting to get wet, Twilight sighed to herself, wishing that her friends had been with her. Fluttershy would no doubt have a better idea than her of what to do, while Rainbow Dash would be able to keep Shadow’s spirits up better that she could.

Staring out the window, Twilight watched as the side of Canterlot Mountain whipped by the car’s window in a grey blur. Through the window above Spike, she could see the plains beneath the mountain spreading to the horizon, the normally waving sea of grass and flowers silent under a thick blanket of blinding snow. In the distance, she could see the remains of the Everfree, the greatly diminished forest silent as a grave under its wintry blanket.

As the train rounded a bend, Twilight got her first real glimpse of her foalhood home, the early morning sunlight shining off the white and gold spires of the quite literal mountain-side city. Turning away as her former home disappeared behind a stand of pines; the alicorn looked down at the young pony next to her. Slowly, Shadow’s back stopped shuddering. “Feeling better?”

The younger alicorn shrugged as he wiped his nose across a foreleg. “Tired” he eventually said as he dried his eyes with his other foreleg. “Empty.”

“You’ll feel better eventually” Twilight replied, rubbing his back.

Shadow sincerely doubted that. How could he ever feel better, when every thought about his family practically had him crying like a filly? “How much longer” He asked a few minutes later.

“Probably another ten minutes or so.”

Nodding, Shadow slowly stood, mumbling a barely audible thanks to Twilight as he left. Watching him disappear into the car ahead of theirs, Twilight looked beneath the seat, surprised to see the saddlebags that Shadow protected so fiercely laying on the car’s floor. Did he forget to take them with, or did he leave them because he trusted her? Igniting her horn, Twilight silently scanned the bags, not at all surprised to find the protective spells on them at full power. One wrong move and the resulting backlash would probably knock me out. Leaving them where they were, Twilight went back to her seat, more than a little happy to see that Spike was still engrossed in his comic book.

Feeling like he was back on the Tranquility, the young colt moved in time with the sway of the passenger car, deftly avoiding the numerous ponies around him. Reaching his destination, Shadow ignited his horn, the door to the bathroom opening for him. Locking it shut behind him, the disguised alicorn turned to the nearby sink, finally getting the first good look of himself in two days. I look like shit. Shadow barely recognized the pony staring back at him, the bags under the puffy, bloodshot eyes matching perfectly with the unkempt grey mane that hung limply over his face. Turning the faucet’s lone handle, the colt let the water trickle for a few seconds before gathering some and splashing his face. Wincing as the ice cold water hit him; Shadow grabbed a nearby towel with his hoof, using it to scrub his face until it looked like something approaching normal.

Yawning as he walked out of the small room a couple minutes later, the young pony finally noticed the other ponies in the car. Most of the mares and stallions around him looked like they wanted nothing more than to be somewhere else, while one couple was trying to keep their two foals occupied. In the back, ensconced by more luggage than Shadow thought was necessary for anypony, was a pair of rich-looking unicorns who took one look at him, before turning their noses up at him. The disguised alicorn frowned as he walked back into the last car of the train. In Ponyville, he had overheard more than one resident talk about the nobles of Canterlot in less than glowing terms, with several referring to the nobility in general as having their horns up their own plots. At first, the colt had brushed the comments aside, dismissing them as earth pony envy, but hearing the same types of comments coming from fellow unicorns had brought him up short. He had almost dismissed them as well until he heard ponies like Rarity and Lyra gossiping about the latest scandal among the nobility and how they seemed to take secret pleasure in the nobles’ misfortunes. He hadn’t wanted to believe them, but as the two rich ponies turned their noses up at him, a fellow unicorn as far as they were concerned, he couldn’t help but wonder how much of what he had heard was true.

Igniting his horn, Shadow opened the door leading back to Twilight’s private car. As he stepped through, the colt flicked his tail at the two encamped unicorns in a way that, if he had done so back home, would have earned him a well-deserved beating if he had been caught. Smirking to himself, the young alicorn let the door close behind him as he stepped into the train’s final car. Watching for a moment as Twilight carefully stowed her book in her saddlebag, Shadow slowly walked over to his bench, his bags right where he had left them. Feeling the car slowing down, the lone colt levitated the bags onto his back. Behind him, he could sense Twilight doing the same with her bags while Spike was busy putting his comic book into his custom made backpack that Rarity had made for him.

“So, what’s the plan” The young dragon asked as he slung his bag over a shoulder.

“You’ll show Shadow around town so he can finish his research, while I visit our parents.” Twilight said as she tightened the strap around her waist. “We’ll be having dinner with Celestia and Luna as soon as the sun sets and we’ll spend the night at the castle, before catching the train back home tomorrow.”

“I don’t get why we can’t join you with mom and dad.” Spike whispered as he helped Twilight adjust her bags.

“I wish you could too Spike, but…” The youngest Princess glanced over at Shadow “Considering everything he’s been through, I don’t think it would be a good idea to remind him of everypony he’s lost this year.”

Spike seemed to consider Twilight’s reasoning for a moment. “Makes sense” he eventually said, as the car around them slowed down. “Give my best to mom and dad.”

“Will do” Twilight replied, giving the young dragon a quick nuzzle.

As the train screeched to a halt, Shadow fell in line behind Spike and Twilight as the larger alicorn led them off the train and into the bustling station. Stepping to the side, the young colt and dragon waved at Twilight a final time before she disappeared into the crowd. “Is it always this busy?” Shadow asked as they stood unnoticed by the ponies around them.

“More or less” Spike replied as he stepped into the crowd, with the young alicorn on his tail. “This place tends to be pretty busy every day, since this is Canterlot we’re talking about, but things tend to get a little crazier around all the major holidays.” Stepping into the station’s main lobby, the dragon led his companion over to a wall-sized map of Equestria’s capital “So, where to first?”

Shadow scanned the wall for a moment. How much had the city grown over the past thousand years? “We should probably start at the Royal Library” He said after a while.

“Sure thing” Spike replied, leading the way out of the station.

Trotting down the steps leading up to the station’s entrance, the two paused, squinting as the morning sunlight flashed off a nearby roof that somepony had covered in a layer of gold. Igniting his horn, Shadow cast a darkened shield above them, blocking out the offending light and allowing them to see again.

The first thing Shadow noticed was how nearly every pony he saw was wearing something, either a hat or in many cases, full blown dresses and suits. The very idea that anypony would voluntarily wear clothing everyday left the colt speechless. That speechlessness quickly soured as he wondered how much each dress he saw cost. All he had to do was imagine the overdressed unicorns without their horns and he could almost see himself back home. If they had a little more money, the young orphan didn’t need to imagine how the earth pony majority would wear clothing to lord their status over the other two tribes. Shaking his head, Shadow trotted to catch up to Spike. He wasn’t back home, he was in Canterlot, and these weren’t earth ponies; they were unicorns. While he didn’t know any of them, the colt couldn’t help but think that these ponies would be different than the ponies back home, or the two rich snobs on the train.

---

Twilight trotted down the cobbled street, her eyes roving over every building and pony she passed, a smile growing on her face as got closer to her old home. While she loved Ponyville and everypony who lived there, Canterlot would always occupy a special place in her heart. Maybe it was the familiar sound her hooves made as she made her way down the street, or maybe it was how everywhere she looked, she could recall something from her foalhood; whether it was playing in the park with Cadance, or going out for ice cream with her family on a warm summer evening. Whatever it was, Twilight knew that she would always love this city.

Rounding a corner, the young Princess had to force herself from breaking into a gallop as she spotted her old home in the distance. While she didn’t care about what other ponies might think or say if they saw her running, she didn’t want to ruin the day with her parents by slipping on a patch of ice and spending most of the day at the hospital. Feeling her smile grow as she reached the front gate of her parent’s house, Twilight spread her wings, a quick pump of her newest appendages sending her soaring into the air and over the gate and fence. Landing on the front steps a moment later, the young alicorn took a second putting her mane back into place before gently knocking on the door.

Twilight could barely contain herself as she heard her father walking toward the door. While she couldn’t see him, she would have recognized the offbeat gait he had gotten from a high school hoofball injury anywhere. Seeing the door open, it took everything Twilight had to stay where she was.

“How much for a case of thin mints?” Night Light asked as he spotted his daughter.

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at her dad’s humor “Dad, you know I was never a Filly Scout.”

“It’s still a legitimate question” the older stallion said as he embraced his youngest child “How have you been Sparky?”

“Busy” Twilight said as she hugged her dad. Pulling away after a moment, she noticed her dad looking around behind her. “It’s just me dad. Spike’s showing Shadow around the city.”

“Pity” Night Light said as he stepped aside to let his daughter in “I was hoping to meet the little guy.”

“I know” Twilight replied as she removed her scarf “but there was a slight complication in the Crystal Empire.”

“Well, let’s get you to the kitchen so you can take a load off and tell us all about it.”

Twilight smiled as she followed her dad into the house. Maybe her parent knew of something that might help Shadow…

---

Standing at the base of the steps of the Royal Library, Shadow gawked at the massive building before him and Spike. Like nearly every other building they had seen, the library was covered in what looked like a single slab of white marble, as if the entire building had been carved from a single massive block of stone. Ignored by the ponies around him, the young colt craned his neck, the pony gargoyles around the base of the roof clearly visible; thanks to the decision on somepony’s part to not cover the nearby roofs with gold. Trotting up the short set of steps, the young pony’s eyes soaked up the details of the statue next to him, the unicorn mare’s head lowered as if she was pointing her horn at a distant enemy while her main billowed behind her. Wanting to know more about the statue and its twin, the disguised alicorn mentally noted to himself to ask Twilight about them.

Holding the door open for Spike, Shadow felt his jaw hit the ground as they stepped out of the low ceilinged entrance and into the library’s lobby. Whoever had designed the building had clearly wanted to impress any creature who walked in, and the trick of having the library seem to explode in size after the low-ceilinged entrance was a stroke of genius as far as Shadow was concerned. All around them, every wall was hidden behind shelves of books that stretched from the ground floor to the ornate ceiling far above them, the columns of shelves only interrupted by the building’s other floors.

“Where to first” Spike asked, breaking his companion from his silent awe.

“Probably non-fiction to see what they have on the Lunar Rebellion” Shadow replied. “Then I need to see how far back their city records go” the colt paused as something occurred to him. “Not to be rude or anything Spike, but why are you allowed in here?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Shadow winced at the young dragon’s irritation. That could have been worded better. “What I mean is, nearly all of the books in the Imperial Library are made from crystal, which is naturally flame proof, but everything here…” The colt swung a leg, gesturing to the thousands of shelves of paper.

“Oh, that. Magic” Spike said, smiling as Shadow mentally face-hoofed at the obvious answer. “Considering that this is one of the biggest libraries in Equestria, somepony thought it might be a good idea to make it impossible for fire to burn anything but candles.” Making their way to the second floor, Spike continued “On top of that, the building itself is protected by numerous anti-fire spells. There are so many different spells in place that I couldn’t burn anything even if I wanted to.” To demonstrate, the dragon took a deep breath before blowing out like he did when he wanted to light something on fire. Instead of the bright emerald green flames that Shadow had come to expect, nothing happened, except for Spike’s breath to ruffle the pages of a nearby book that somepony had left open.

Pausing for a minute to look at a large vase that was in a display case, Shadow followed his draconic guide deeper into the library. Reaching the floor’s history section, the colt opted to follow Spike, picking up with his magic every book the dragon offered. While he could have helped with the search, both had silently agreed on the current arrangement, much to Shadow’s relief, since it meant he wouldn’t be spending several precious minutes trying to read the title of one book, while his companion gathered a dozen more in the same amount of time.

Slowly backing his way out of a narrow aisle between two large bookcases with a towering column of precariously stacked books in tow, Shadow walked over to Spike, who had managed to locate an empty table. Setting the books into smaller piles across the table, the world quickly vanished for the pair as they slowly worked their way through the stacks of books. Occasionally one of them would find a book with something interesting, but much to Shadow’s growing annoyance, nearly every book they had found never bothered to look at the Rebellion from any point other than the victor’s. Placing the rejected books in a stack on the floor, the column quickly grew and multiplied as the lone alicorn rejected one book after another.

Slamming the cover shut on one book whose author insisted that the idea that Nightmare Moon had help during her rebellion was nothing more than a thinly veiled lie to explain away her early successes, the colt set it on top of another book that insisted that those very same successes were due in large part to ‘a large number of Equestria’s criminal underclass’. You have got to be fucking kidding me Shadow thought as he slumped in his seat with a groan as he stared at the bottom of the floor above him. How was it that no pony in over a thousand years had never even bothered to look at the Nightmare War from the other side’s perspective? Letting his eyes fall on the half-dozen books left, the colt felt his mood sour at the ‘objective’ books, which in his opinion, was being generous. While they weren’t as blatant as the rejects piled next to him, Shadow held out little hope for them. Glancing at a nearby clock, the alicorn felt his stomach rumble as the morning officially ended and the afternoon began.

“Any hope?”

Shadow shook his head as he quickly scanned the remaining books, before sending them to join their siblings on the floor. Even the ones that had survived the initial cull had dismissed Nightmare Moon’s supporters as either deluded opportunists or brainwashed minions.

“What now?”

The colt sighed as he massaged the base of his horn. “Take a look at the city records” he eventually replied; “though I suppose we have to put these away first, which is going to take forever.” Shadow added, a look of loathing crossing his face as the two looked at the nearby stacks of books.

“Follow me” Spike said, the knowing smile on his face leaving the young colt curious as he followed with the dozens of books following in his wake. “Put them in here” Spike said a minute later, gesturing to a large, three sided metal bin. Doing as he was bid, Shadow set half of the books he had in the bin. Theatrically cracking his knuckles, the alicorn’s companion pressed a nearby button marked ‘return to shelf’. With a small pop, the books vanished, much to Shadow’s shock. “This is a little something Twilight created when she went to school here” the young dragon smiled at the colt’s stunned silence. “She got tired of having to return her books to the shelves, so she created this thing. Now, instead of taking two hours, the same task takes two seconds.”

Shadow couldn’t help but be impressed. Smiling, he placed the rest of the books in the bin, and then hit the button himself, his smile growing as the books vanished. With a sigh of relief, the disguised alicorn followed his guide to the library’s fourth and final floor, which also turned out to be the building’s smallest. Wandering alongside Spike, the colt read the labels on the floor’s bookcases, a sense of despair slowly growing inside him as he saw the years marked on the shelves slowly crawl upward. Finding himself back where they started a few minutes later, the colt wondered if it was coincidence that he couldn’t find anything he wanted or if there was somepony behind this.

“Wait here” Spike said, before dashing off to a nearby desk. Shadow watched as he spoke with the young stallion on the other side, the older pony shaking his head a moment later. “I got good news and bad news” Spike said as he returned. “The bad news is they don’t have any records here over two hundred years old, but the good news is that everything older than two hundred years is in the Royal Archives.”

“Which is where?”

“The palace.”

Of course it would be there Shadow thought as he and Spike walked down the stairs. What better way to keep an eye on them than keep them where you live. Stepping outside, the colt shivered as a breeze blew across his fur. Next to him, he could see Spike blowing into his hands, a green glow emanating from between his claws with every breath “Which way?”

“That way” Spike replied, tilting his head to the side, his voice muffled by his hands, “But we need to hit one other place along the way” he added as the two walked down the library’s front steps.

“Where?”

“I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.” Following in silence, the question on Shadow’s mind was answered two minutes later as the colt and dragon stepped into a small building that had windows along the two sides facing the outside. As soon as they stepped inside, the colt’s stomach refused to remain silent as the variety of scents washed over him.

“Well, well, well, look what the wind blew in.” Behind the counter, the apron-wearing unicorn stallion smiled as the two walked in. “What brings you here today, Spike?”

“Hey Joe” The dragon replied as he rubbed his hands together. “We just needed to get out of the cold and get something to eat.”

The tan and brown stallion smiled. “What’ll it be?”

“Two large hot chocolates, an emerald and ruby doughnut and…” Spike looked over at Shadow, who was pointing at an enormous muffin “One of those things.”

“Latest creation” the stallion said as he filled the dragon’s order. “That’s my double XL, triple-berry muffin.”

“Are they any good?”

“I can barely keep them on the rack” the stallion deadpanned as he bagged the doughnut and muffin.

Setting a half-dozen bits on the counter, Shadow grabbed the bag with his magic and nodded his thanks before trotting out behind Spike. “I like him” Shadow said as they crossed the street.

“Joe’s pretty cool” Spike replied as he sipped from his cup. “I don’t care what anypony else says; claws down, outside of the Royal kitchens, he has the best food in Canterlot.” Shadow was more than happy to agree as he tested the hot chocolate floating next to his head. While he had gotten his first taste of the stuff from Sugarcube Corner, the colt found himself preferring Joe’s version more, though he mentally noted to keep that to himself. The oversized muffin on the other hoof filled the empty hole in the colt’s stomach that he hadn’t realized existed until just then. I hope I live long enough to try another one of these Shadow thought to himself as he tossed the remains of the muffin into his mouth.

Looking up, the young alicorn felt a sense of nervousness grow in him as they neared Celestia’s palace, the building’s spires looming far overhead. Trying to look as unassuming as possible, the young alicorn followed his dragon companion through the front gates, the golden-armored guards on either side never even glancing their way. Walking through the main entrance, the colt was surprised at how different it was from what he had imagined. While there were a number of ponies in the foyer, most of them were regular looking ponies, instead of the numerous guards he had expected. In fact, the only guards he saw were the two standing by the main door, and two more that seemed to be passing through as they worked a patrol. Keeping his mouth shut, the disguised alicorn followed Spike down a series of stairs and hallways, every new hallway quieter than the one before.

As he began to wonder if this wasn’t anything more than an elaborate trap, Shadow blinked in surprise as he stepped through an open doorway and into a room that was the exact opposite of the Royal Library. Around the room, the aged shelves bowed and silently groaned under the weight of thousands of scrolls and documents. Each row of shelves was marked with a year, but other than that, the colt couldn’t discern any kind of filing system, with scrolls piled on papers, and papers draped over scrolls. About the only thing that held true throughout the room, other than the seeming lack of organization, was the dust that covered everything. Grimacing, the colt walked deeper into the large room, the layers of dust visibly thickening the farther they went. “If you find a solid grey pony, it’s me” The alicorn muttered to Spike as they neared the back wall.

The dragon snorted. “Now you know why I never liked this place.” He looked around “What are we looking for, again?”

“Any city records for the first few years after the rebellion that mention a mare named Crystal Clarity.”

“Who was she?” Spike asked as he read the tag on a scroll.

“An ancestor” Shadow replied as he shook the dust off a dozen scrolls. For a while, the two looked in silence, the only sounds disturbing the silence coming from anything they moved or when they sneezed, which was often. Glancing to the side, Shadow watched as Spike sneezed for the hundredth time, his flameless breath sending even more dust into the air. Guessing that the room had the same spells in place as the library, the alicorn carefully lifted a decrepit looking bound stack of papers. Leafing through it, the colt paused as he his eyes fell across a name he hadn’t really expected to see. Barely breathing; lest a stray breath cause the piece of paper to crumble to dust; Shadow read the half-page summary of his ancestor.

Date: 27 Jul 1CE

Name: Crystal Clarity

Gender: M

Age: 63

Tribe: Unicorn (crystal)

Cause of Death: Suicide.

Notes: The decedent was found alone in her home with a rotted rope around her neck after neighbors complained of the smell. The single mare lived alone and appears to have kept to herself. Neighbors mention that the decedent’s daughter was exiled for her participation in the failed Rebellion a year earlier. Despite her daughter’s treason, Ms. Clear was allowed to stay in the city. At the request of Princess Celestia, the decedent’s body was released to the palace for burial in the Royal Cemetery.

Shadow felt a few tears streak down his face as he read the page again.

Suicide.

The single word blazed in his mind as he blindly sat down. How long had she lasted after Summer Breeze had been banished, taking her newborn daughter with her before she decided to end it all? After all she had been through, the loss of her home, her friends, her husband and then her daughter and granddaughter, what had been the final straw; the final thing that pushed her over the edge? “I found her” the alicorn eventually said, his whisper just loud enough for Spike to hear.

Wordlessly, the dragon walked over to the sitting colt, reading the offered page, his fins sagging as he reached the end. “What now?”

“I have to find her” Shadow replied after a while.

“I know where she is” Spike said, rubbing the colt’s back in comfort.

Looking up, Shadow stared at himself in the mirror, the young pony looking back slowly starting to look familiar again as he worked to scrub the dust from his mane and fur. Grabbing a towel, the colt scrubbed his face a final time, the pure white towel coming back an off-white instead of grey, like its brothers.

Tossing it onto a pile of its siblings, Shadow ignited his horn, focusing his magic on Spike to help the young dragon get dry again. Wordlessly, the pair left the small bathroom, with the young alicorn once again following his reptilian companion. As they walked, Shadow’s thoughts turned back to his ancestor, Crystal Clear. What had it been like for her? How did she handle getting swept up in two wars, only to lose everything and yet last as long as she had?

How had he?

If he was honest, Shadow didn’t know how he had survived to this point. Almost as soon as he had woken up that first morning, everything he had done, everything he had thought about, had been about seeing him through to the next day. Everything else, his feelings, thoughts of his family, had been relegated to the back of his mind. It hadn’t been until he had gotten that photo of his parents and sister a few days earlier that he had truly thought about them since he left home. What would they think of him now? What would they say? As Spike disappeared around a corner, the young orphan stopped to wipe his eyes, banishing the hoof-full of tears that had come out of nowhere.

Trotting to catch up with Spike, the colt winced as he stepped into the castle’s main foyer, the afternoon sunlight streaming through the glass around them, colorful images splashed across the floor as the stained glass glowed in the light. Looking around as he caught up to Spike, the colt stopped in his tracks. Across the lobby, a pair of golden armored stallions were talking, but what had caught the young alicorn’s attention was the third pony in the group. Standing in the shadows cast by a pillar, the lone mare smiled as she chatted with her companions. The dark grey mare’s fangs gleamed as she laughed, her mirth clearly filling her from her tufted ears to her bat-like wings. Knowing full well that he was very obviously staring, the colt jumped slightly as he felt a dull claw poke him in the ribs.

“No need to freak out, dude” Spike said as he moved to stand next to his companion. “Everything alright?”

“I’m fine” Shadow lied. How could he be fine, when there was a thestral in full Night Guard attire chatting with a pair of Solar Guards fifty feet away?

“Uh huh” Shadow winced at the dragon’s expression. Spike looked across the lobby at the trio of guards. “I’m guessing you’ve never seen thestrals before” he added as the lone mare’s laugh filled the foyer. Shadow didn’t know what to say. While he had grown up around the tribe and considered a thestral a close friend, would Spike believe him? “I can’t blame you” Spike continued as he led the stunned colt out the front door “After all, she’s one of only a few thestrals in the guard.”

“Really?”

Spike shrugged. “It’s not that big of a surprise when you consider that until recently, they were thought to be nothing but myth.”

“What happened?”

“Daring Doo happened” Spike replied with a smile as they crunched through the snow. “Apparently during one of her adventures, she stumbled across an entire colony of them living along Equestria’s far southern border. According to Twilight, Daring was being chased by a horde of hydras, when a group of thestrals dropped in out of nowhere and sent the hydras running. Long story short, they invited her back to their colony, and after she could fly again, she flew straight to Canterlot to tell the princesses what she had found. Within a week, Princess Luna was out there, meeting with the colony’s leaders. While they weren’t too keen on becoming part of Equestria for some reason, more than a few colony members offered to join Luna’s Night Guard.”

Shadow thought about what Spike had said. He had always known that there were more thestral colonies out there than the one back home. It was something that everypony on the island knew, but what had really caught his attention was the fact that some of the colony’s members were willing to become part of the guard that had so utterly failed them in the past. Could Equestria have really changed that much? If it had, what did that mean about Celestia and everything he thought and believed about her? “How many are there?”

Spike looked up as he thought “About a dozen or so” he replied a moment later. “They’re all in the Night Guard since they have trouble with bright light, but according to Twilight, Canterlot’s crime rate has already dropped thanks to them.” Shadow wasn’t surprised; there was a reason ponies back home treated thestrals with respect. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, the colt looked over to Spike, who gestured to something up ahead with a nod. Looking up, the young alicorn realized they had finally reached their destination. “I’ll wait here for you” Spike whispered as he planted himself on a nearby bench.

“Thanks.” Now alone, Shadow slowly walked through the ivy-draped arch that acted as the entrance for the Royal Cemetery. Around him, the world was perfectly silent, as if it didn’t want to intrude on the moment. Stepping through the fresh snow, the colt slowly walked deeper into the cemetery, the headstones getting older and less ornate as he did. Feeling a lump in his chest, Shadow paused at a plain, yet oddly fresh-looking headstone. To his surprise, he could easily read the inscription on the white marble slab.

Crystal Clarity

B. 62 BCE

D. Jul 1 CE

Wife, mother, grandmother,

Your memory will never fade

Slowly, Shadow lowered himself until he was sitting in the snow. Despite the cold around him, he felt none of it as he stared at his ancestor’s grave. Ever since he had learned about his family’s history, he had always wondered to himself what had happened to Summer Breeze’s mom. Now he knew and, as odd as it felt, he felt strangely happy to know that she rested here, in what was likely the most exclusive cemetery in Equestria. Why had Celestia let her be buried here, since it was by her permission only that a pony could spend eternity here? Shadow didn’t bother to try and understand the princess’s thinking. The young alicorn felt that he should say something, but what did one say to an ancestor who’s been dead for over a thousand years? “I’m sorry” He eventually said. “I’m sorry you lost everything and everypony you loved. I’m sorry you died alone, but I hope you can take some comfort in where you rest. I doubt even Summer Breeze would object to this place. I guess it’s better than a random forgotten unmarked grave somewhere.” Feeling a slight breeze play with his mane, the young colt smiled. “I honestly never expected to find you. If anything, I thought that it would have been asking too much. I’m sorry that you’ve spent the last thousand years alone, but now you aren’t alone anymore. I promise to visit you as often as I can. Until I can finally meet you and see my family again, could you keep an eye on them, especially Star Gazer? Fates know she needs somepony to keep her from being too reckless.” Laughing gently to himself as a couple incidents came to mind, Shadow slowly stood, his leg protesting the sudden movement. Pausing for a moment as he reread the fresh headstone, the colt slowly bowed to his ancestor’s grave.

Rising to his hooves, Shadow slowly made his way back to the cemetery’s entrance, his heart feeling strangely light, knowing that he now had a link to his past that he had never expected to find.

“Feeling better?”

Shadow nodded as Spike hopped off the bench. Trudging through the unblemished snow, Shadow barely paid attention to the dragon behind him as he went over things in his mind. Why would Celestia let the mother of a sworn enemy be buried here? Was it so that she’d be reminded of all of her failures every time she looked out the window, or of all her triumphs? Why had the headstone been replaced? Shadow sighed, growling to himself as the numerous new questions swirled in his head. While he knew he should just be glad that he had a family member he could always visit, the more suspicious part of him demanded to know why she was here at all.

Rounding the corner of a tower, the young alicorn stopped in his tracks as he stared at the large number of armored ponies in the large field before him. Around the field, groups of armored stallions and mares faced each other, the afternoon light glinting off their swords and armor as they fought. Frowning as he wondered how he didn’t hear all of this noise earlier, the colt watched as a mare and stallion nearby exchanged a furious volley of strikes, the sound of steel on steel ringing across the training grounds. As he and Spike watched, the mare ducked under her opponent’s swing before pivoting on her hooves and bucking the larger stallion in the chest. The fight ended abruptly as the mare swept the legs out from under her opponent who laughed, even as his opponent held the edge of her blunted blade to his neck.

His head canting in confusion, the two watched from the sidelines as the stallion accepted the mare’s hoof as he got back up, the stallion’s good natured promise of retribution leaving the colt confused at how he could brush off such a defeat so easily. While everypony knew that mares were generally more flexible and maneuverable than stallions that didn’t make it any less humiliating when a stallion lost to one. If anything, it usually ensured that that unfortunate stallion would face weeks of jabs and snide comments and questions about his stallionhood and whether he lost on purpose or was just getting soft. Was this stallion trying to save face in front of his fellow guards, or was there another reason he was laughing it off. Next to him, Shadow felt a brief burst of heat as Spike blew flames into his hands as a breeze sprang up and the temperature promptly plummeted. Ignoring the young dragon, Shadow watched as two stallions, an earth pony and unicorn squared off against the other, using no weapons other than the hooves they had been born with. From where he stood, the colt couldn’t help but feel more than a little pride as the unicorn held his ground against his opponent, even though his horn remained unused. The fact that the unicorn was holding his own without having to rely on his magic told the colt that this unicorn was not one he’d like to cross. That thought sent a chill down the alicorn’s spine. If this unicorn was able to do such a feat, what did it mean about every other pony he could see on the field? If they were so well trained that they didn’t need to rely on their magic or their wings, what would it mean for his home if Celestia found out where it was and decided to invade it?

"For spies, you two are doing a remarkably poor job."

Shadow and Spike jumped at the sound of somepony speaking behind them. Spinning around, Shadow raised a leg to shield his eyes from the light gleaming off the polished armor of the stallion standing before them. "Hey Commander, how's it going?"

To the colt's surprise, the imposing stallion, whose face seemed to be carved out of solid granite, broke into a broad smile at Spike's casual greeting. The young alicorn was shocked even further when the larger stallion bumped an armored hoof against Spike's waiting fist. "Not bad, if I do say so myself Spike, though you might want to get your eyes checked."

"Why?" In response, the armored earth pony angled himself a little so the two could get a better look at him. For his part, Shadow couldn't figure out what the stallion was talking about, but Spike apparently had, since a low whistle escaped the young dragon's lips. "Since when did you get the fourth bar, Captain?"

"Almost three months ago. I'm in Canterlot until they finish building my first command."

"Well, congratulations. I bet Shining Armor was thrilled."

"Since he was there when I got promoted, I think it’s safe to say that he was." The Captain smiled as he polished his new insignia. "So who's your young friend, Spike?"

Spike face palmed at the stallion's question "How could I forget. Captain Steel Gaze, this is Shadow. Shadow, Captain Steel Gaze."

Shadow took the officer's proffered hoof and shook it. "It's an honor, sir."

"Interesting accent; I take it you're not from around here."

"He's not" Spike answered. "He's visiting a distant relative in the city and I was showing him around town." Internally, Shadow sighed in relief at the dragon's cover story. While it was mostly true, the alicorn was glad that Spike had left out the details, allowing the larger pony to fill them in himself.

"Then allow me to officially welcome you to Canterlot." Steel Gaze said as they surveyed the Royal Guards' training grounds. "What do you think so far?"

"It's a lot bigger than I was expecting."

“I know what you mean” the officer replied as he surveyed the field “I can still remember how surprised I was when I arrived for basic. Harmony Bay isn’t much larger than Canterlot, but I still couldn’t believe how you could fit an entire city on the side of a mountain.” The Captain shook his head, smiling at the memory.

“So what brings you down here?” Spike asked, blowing into his hands again.

“Officially, I’m here looking for possible crewmembers. Unofficially, I’m avoiding a certain pain-in-the-dock royal who insists on following me everywhere I go.”

Before Shadow or Spike could ask who that pony might be, a pompous-sounding voice cut through the cold air. High stepping through the packed snow like it might stain his white coat, a blonde-maned stallion quickly trotted over to the three spectators. “For a moment, I thought I lost you Captain.”

Seeing Spike trying to hide a snicker, Shadow frowned as he studied the new arrival. The stallion, his flanked marked with a compass rose, didn’t strike the young colt as anything special. If anything, the blue-eyed stallion seemed perfectly normal, which only confused the alicorn even further as to why the officer would actively avoid him. The new stallion, having caught his breath, looked down, finally noticing the colt and dragon. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything, Captain. I didn’t know you had company.”

Didn’t know my flank Steel Gaze thought as he composed himself. One couldn’t stand out against the snow more if he tried, and the other’s a freakin’ dragon! “My apologies, your Highness” The officer replied as he bowed his head “I ran into Spike and his companion Shadow as I was looking over the latest batch of recruits.” The older unicorn turned to look over the two smaller members of the group. “Prince Blueblood, Shadow. Shadow, Prince Blueblood.”

Shadow barely noticed the lazy salute Spike tossed at the royal, his mind having ground to a screeching halt at the Captain’s introduction; Prince?!? Feeling the gears in his head finally start to turn again, Shadow took a longer look at the stallion before him. From his mane to his fetlocks, the colt couldn’t find a single out of place hair on the prince. In fact, everything he saw seemed to speak of nobility. Even the crisply folded blue bowtie around the stallion’s neck only seemed to enhance that sense. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, your Highness” Shadow said as he bowed.

“I assure you, the pleasure is all mine” Blueblood replied, nodding his head in approval at the colt. “It’s not often I meet a pony such as yourself, who knows how to properly act around nobility.”

Shadow smiled. “Thank you, sir.”

Smiling, the prince turned to Steel Gaze. “I am sorry to interrupt, but I believe I may have found a couple potential candidates for your crew.”

Seeing no way out, the captain sighed to himself, though he made sure to keep his feelings masked, “Then by all means, my Prince, please lead the way.”

“Poor bastard” Spike whispered to Shadow as the two waved at the retreating figures.

“What do you mean?”

“He’s stuck with Blueblood” the dragon replied as the pair made their way around the training grounds to a non-descript door in the castle’s wall.

“So?”

“Sure he seems nice to those who don’t know him, but once you get to know him, you quickly learn that Prince Blueballs is one of the biggest plot heads in Canterlot, which is saying something.”

“Well, I’m sure that that’s just your opinion” Shadow replied testily. The colt didn’t care what Spike said. Prince Blueblood seemed like a perfectly respectable unicorn. The fact that he was a noble as well only served to increase the colt’s admiration, and nothing anypony – or any dragon – said would persuade him otherwise.

Comments

[TheCommunistDog]

Why the hell is captain a higher rank. Like a commander is normaly higher

[Rill]

11217460
Not in the navy, which I based the ranks off of. In the US Navy, the rank of Commander is below Captain.