Past Actions, Future Consequences

by Rill

Ch. 16 Witness to History

The train rolled down the tracks, the sound of the wheels on the cold rails lost on the ponies in the dozen cars. While most of the passengers were glad - if not somewhat reluctant - to be going home and were talking about their holiday, one particular pony wasn't part of the post-holiday atmosphere. The young colt stared out the window next to him, his eyes unfocused on the landscape as it blurred by. Despite the bags under his eyes, he didn't sleep. Despite the protests from his stomach, he didn't eat. Twilight looked worriedly across the aisle at Shadow, not knowing what to say. What could she say?

As far as she could tell, he hadn’t slept at all since the meeting. It was only after breakfast the morning after the meeting that he had finally returned to their suite, only to join her and Spike for the trip to the train station. Along the way, she had only managed to get a hoof-full of full words out of him, with the rest of his answers quickly devolving into a series of barely enthusiastic grunts. The moment they had gotten to their private car, the colt had relieved himself of his saddlebags and had retaken his position next to the window. Other than occasionally getting up to relieve himself, Shadow hadn’t budged from his spot. Twilight had set a tray of food next to him, but when she had woken up the following morning, it was still where she had set it, completely untouched.

How much sleep has he gotten? Twilight wondered as she tried to mentally calculate the answer, not liking what she arrived at. The lack of sleep didn’t particularly surprise Equestria’s youngest Princess. Would I react any differently in his place? The purple alicorn couldn’t honestly answer that question. How would she have reacted to learning that she had lost her entire family because somepony wanted her dead? Twilight looked down at the rolled up letter next to her. Spike had burped it up the previous morning as their train had reached the base of the mountain that Canterlot resided on. She had been surprised to get a letter so soon after leaving the city, but that surprise had been replaced by the shock of seeing the dark blue wax seal of Princess Luna. Inside had been a detailed report from the lunar princess of what she and Equestria’s youngest alicorn had talked about. Twilight had been more than a little shocked to read that Shadow had talked about his family, even going so far as to tell the princess a couple stories from his previous life, including how he got his mark. He had never told her that story. Whenever she had asked him about his mark, the colt simply brushed it off, or suggested she ask again later.

Picking up the letter, Twilight reread it again for the umpteenth time. Other than the stories of his family, most of the night had involved the young alicorn asking Luna about his ancestor, Summer Breeze. Twilight frowned at the name. Who was this mare and why was she so important, beyond the fact that Shadow was her direct descendent? Twilight couldn’t get the look of her teacher’s shock at the revelation of Shadow’s ancestry out of her mind.

Getting to her hooves, Ponyville’s resident Princess moved to sit next to Shadow. The colt didn’t even flinch as she sat. He didn’t move a muscle as she gently set a hoof on his shoulder. It was as if everypony and everything around him didn’t exist. Looking across the aisle, Spike shrugged, the look on his face mirroring her own. In the window, she could see the vacant look in the colt’s eyes. It was a look she had seen before. When she and her friends had been interviewing the crystal ponies after the Empire had returned, a number of ponies had developed the same look as they recounted the things that they had seen. It was a look that was burned in her memory. It was a look she had hoped to never see again. Now she was seeing it again, this time on a young pony she cared about, and she had no idea how to help him.

Running her hoof down his back, the older alicorn did what she could to try and let him know that she was there for him. For his part, Shadow simply blinked as he continued to stare out the window. Sighing, Twilight gently patted the young orphan’s shoulder before moving back to her seat.

“How is he?”

Twilight shook her head as she got comfortable. “I don’t know, Spike. He’s here, but mentally, it’s like he’s on the other side of the world.”

“Anything we can do?”

“I don’t know” Twilight whispered. While there were a number of books in the library on grief and loss, she doubted they’d be much help in this case.

For a while, the final car in the train fell into silence as two of its occupants thought about the lone colt. Hearing the screech of brake pads on wheels, Twilight sat up. Outside, she could see her home rapidly growing. It always brought a smile to her face every time she saw the town rise up from the surrounding farm fields. This time was no different, though she had another reason to smile. Now that she was home, she could turn to her friends for help. Privately, Twilight wondered what Applejack would have to say. Even though she had never talked to Twilight about them, the purple alicorn knew that her farm friend had lost her parents when she was around Shadow’s age. How had she dealt with it?

Feeling the train slow as it rounded the final turn and came into the station, Twilight felt her stomach sink. Even from her position, she could see a rather distinctive mare standing on the platform, her purple mane as well maintained as ever, while her winter vest and matching set of boots were a stylish combination of form and function. Next to her ever fashion conscious friend, the alicorn could see three particular fillies standing as still as could be expected, excited smiles plastered on their faces. This is going to be interesting. “Hey Spike, could you make sure Shadow gets back to the castle?”

“Sure thing, Twi” Spike said as he stood and stretched. “What about you?”

“I’ll try and keep you two from being mobbed.”

“Good luck” Spike replied, looking out the window, knowing firsthand how determined the crusaders could be when they got an idea stuck in their head. Seeing the older alicorn head toward the door as the train crawled the last few yards, the young dragon looked over at the car’s other passenger. How could he get Shadow’s attention when Twilight couldn’t? Sucking on a claw as he studied the lone alicorn, the young drake’s attention settled on one of Shadow’s ears. Frowning, Spike pulled the claw from his mouth, a couple drops of saliva dripping tenaciously to his scales. Feeling an idea form, the dragon walked over to the unsuspecting colt, fervently hoping he’d be forgiven for what he was about to do.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Twilight forced herself to smile as the door opened for her, wincing as the cold air hit her face. Around her, the world went about its business, though she could feel more than a few eyes staring at her from the train’s numerous windows “Twilight, darling!” The alicorn felt her forced smile melt into a more genuine one at the sound of her friend’s voice.

“What are you doing here, Rarity?”

“Welcoming you back home, of course” the perpetually elegant mare replied, returning the alicorn’s hug. “So, how’s the family?”

“Mom and dad are fine.”

“What about your brother and Cadance? Is she showing yet? We’re going to have to set a spa date so you can tell me about everything…”

Twilight frowned as her friend’s voice trailed off. Turning to see what had caught her friend’s attention, the mare felt her ears drop. Picking his way around some waiting freight, Shadow exited the train, a hoof absently rubbing at his ear for some reason. Behind him, Spike followed. The young dragon glanced over at his friends, waving slightly before jogging to catch up to the young alicorn, who had neither glanced their way or had given any indication that he knew they were even there. Igniting her horn at the sound of a dozen hooves hitting the wooden decking, Twilight levitated the crusaders as they tried to chase after their friend. If it weren’t for the circumstances, the purple mare would have found it funny how they continued to run for a few seconds until they realized they weren’t going anywhere. “I’m sorry girls, but you might want to give him his space for a while.”

“What happened Twilight?”

“Yeah; why does he look like Santa skipped him?”

“That’s a long story but please trust me on this.” Seeing the three fillies sag, the alicorn lowered them to the ground “Maybe later?” She asked, turning to her friend.

“O-of course Twilight, but-” Rarity’s eyes widened as her friend mouthed a very obvious later, before teleporting across the platform to join Spike at Shadow’s side.

“Hey Rarity, what’s going on?”

The fashion designer barely registered her younger sister’s question as she watched the two alicorns and dragon disappear around the corner. What was going on? He looks like somepony just died. Feeling her stomach sink, the unicorn turned to shepherd her charges back into town, a sense of dread slowly filling her as she thought about what Twilight might tell her.

---

Shadow collapsed into his bed with a sigh. He could feel the strap of his saddlebags digging into his scars. It didn’t matter. Nothing did. His throat felt like paper and his stomach complained loudly about the lack of food, but he didn’t care. Igniting his horn, the young alicorn undid the buckle for his saddlebags before setting the bags on the ground. For a while, he simply let himself lay there. Try as he might, he couldn’t bury the memory of seeing that warning appear in that accursed book. How could he not have seen that something was up? It should have been so obvious! Groaning, the colt lifted his head, shifting around until his chin rested on his pillow. A stray thought flitted through his mind and a moment later, his vest found itself on the floor next to his saddlebags.

Feeling fresh tears slowly sliding down his face, the young orphan ignored them as they stained his pillow. What was he going to do now? Feeling his emotions tear through the poorly constructed dam he had been trying to hold them back with, Shadow blindly reached for a nearby pillow, burying his head under it a second later as he vented his pent up pain and emotions.

Tossing the pillow covering his head across the room, Shadow rolled over onto his back, his mind blank as he stared at the crystal ceiling above. What had his parent been thinking when he was born? Why didn’t they leave him for the wolves the moment they saw his wings? If they had, they’d still be alive.

“True, but then you wouldn’t be.” Starting at the all too familiar voice, Shadow bolted upright, his jaw slack at what he saw. The light green pegasus mare smiled at him as she settled herself next to him on the bed. “We never even thought about leaving you to the wolves because we loved you too much.”

“Wha-” The stunned orphan looked at the faces of his family “How?” Feeling an elbow nudge him in the ribs, the colt looked over at his twin, who simply tapped her forehead. Groaning, the colt let himself collapse back into his bed, his forelegs splayed out “Of course.”

“It’s not your fault, you dummy” Star gazer said.

“…Says the clone of the filly whose screams still haunt me.”

“She’s still right” The room’s lone stallion said. “You’re not psychic. You couldn’t have possibly known.”

“That doesn’t make them any less dead.”

“True” the Willow clone said “but you know your parents wouldn’t want you beating yourself up like this.”

“Not to say anything about me” Star Gazer added, glaring at Shadow. “Look at where you are! Look at what you’ve done! You fought an honest-to-Luna sea monster! How many lives have you saved so far? Huh? Yeah being dead sucks, but what if that fire never happened? We’d still be getting up every morning, wondering if today was the day somepony discovered your wings.”

“Shut up, Star.” Shadow whispered.

“Look at you now” his sister continued. “You’ve gone farther than anypony from our island ever has. You have friends who know exactly what you are, and don’t care!”

“I don’t care!” Shadow exploded, rolling out of bed a moment later. “I lost everything that night, and nothing you three say will change that! I would gladly give my life if it meant they could come back!” Growling, the colt all but ripped the door to his room off its hinges as he stormed out. Charging his horn, the colt disappeared in a flash of light and magic a moment later.

---

“… and after that, he stormed out” Twilight said, staring distantly at the cup of tea before her that had long ago gone cold, as she concluded her tale. She had left out quite a bit, but she had told Rarity everything that mattered. Across the table from her, Rarity sat stunned, her jaw scraping the table in shock. “We didn’t see him again until Spike and I were getting ready to catch the train. Since then, I don’t think he’s eaten or slept.”

“That is absolutely terrible, darling” Rarity said, once she found her voice. “Why would anypony want to kill such a nice colt?”

“I don’t know” The lone alicorn replied, slumping in her chair, “but from what little he’s said, Shadow’s home hasn’t had the best history when it comes to alicorns.”

“How so?”

“Apparently Shadow’s family sided with Luna during her rebellion a thousand years ago and were banished as a result. Luna’s supporters eventually settled the island he’s from and have held a grudge against Princess Celestia ever since.” Twilight absently sipped at her tea, a look of disgust crossing her face at the taste of the cold liquid. While she didn’t have anything against iced tea, this particular blend didn’t lend itself well to being consumed cold. Igniting her horn, the alicorn reheated her tea; steam slowly wafting into the air seconds later. “There’s more” Twilight said, finally enjoying her drink “but I’m sure Luna wouldn’t appreciate having to deal with the nightmares you’d have if I told you.”

“That bad?”

“Worse” The alicorn replied, staring pensively into her cup.

“How did they get him to try the spell?”

“Whoever’s responsible got an adult he trusted to convince him to try it.” The former unicorn set her tea cup back on the table with a sigh. “I just don’t know what to do, Rarity. I’ve read every book in the library on child psychology, but none of them are any help right now.”

“I wish I could help you, darling, but this kind of thing is well outside my forte.” The alabaster mare smiled thinly at her friend. “Though if the situation was reversed, I know I wouldn’t be doing half as well as he seems to be.”

“The key word there is ‘seems’.”

“Obviously we can’t replace his family” Rarity said as she stood to clear the table. “Unless we can find another pony who’s gone through the exact same thing, which is highly unlikely, the best we can probably do is simply be there for him. He probably thinks he’s alone in all this, but if we let him know that we’re here for him… who knows.” Setting the tea set aside for later, Rarity sat back down at the table. Across from her, Twilight seemed to be thinking about the fashionista’s advice. Rarity watched, hoping that it was enough.

“Thanks for listening” Twilight said after a while.

“Of course, darling. What are friends for, after all?” Rarity gently smiled. “Do you know what you’re going to do?”

“Not quite yet” Twilight said, her horn starting to glow. “But first, I think there are three other ponies we should talk to.”

On the other side of the room’s closed door, Rarity heard the sound of three distinct voices yelping in surprise. A moment later, the door opened under Twilight’s magic, Sweetie Belle and her fellow crusaders floating through a moment later “Sweetie Belle! Were you and your friends spying on us?!”

“Sorry, sis” The small white filly said as she was set on the floor in front of the two adults. “We saw that something was wrong with Shadow, and we didn’t know what it was.”

“We promise not to tell anypony what we heard” Scootaloo quickly added, making the motions of a Pinkie Promise as she spoke. Next to her, her friends followed suit.

“So” Twilight said, her horn glowing as she maneuvered a couple chairs so the Crusaders could join her and Rarity at the table. “What do you think we should do?”

---

Rainbow Dash tore through the sky. Below her, the ground was an indistinct blur of white and grey, interrupted on occasion by the brighter colors of a pony out enjoying the cold winter’s day. Angling her wings, the world flashed around the athlete as she executed a rapid series of barrel rolls that would have left most other pegasi dizzy, if they were lucky. Pulling up, Rainbow felt the muscles in her wings strain at the sudden change of direction. Smiling, the mare rocketed into the sky, the low hanging clouds she had helped the Weather Team set up providing not even a token amount of resistance as she punched through the grey barrier.

Breaking through the top of the clouds, Rainbow Dash felt her smile grow as she felt the sun’s light warm her fur. This is what she loved so much about flying; pushing herself to her limits, with nothing between her and the ground except several thousand feet of air. Pumping her wings, the lone pegasus shot higher into the air. Shifting her wings slightly, the world once again danced around the athlete; the sky and clouds rapidly trading places as she threw herself into a vertically oriented flat spin. Reaching the top of her arc, the lone flyer let her outstretched wings catch the still, cool air around her. Aww, yeah the blue mare thought as she caught her breath. I wonder what I should call that move… Shrugging, the living embodiment of loyalty let gravity take over as she slowly lost altitude, her wings locked in a gentle glide.

Breaking through the bottom of the solid layer of clouds a couple minutes later, the flyer adjusted a couple feathers, slightly altering her flight path so that it took her around the town she called home. Below her, Ponyville lay under a thick blanket of snow, the roofs of the towns buildings looking comically oversized thanks to the thick layer of snow that had built up over the last few months. On the ground, ponies smiled as they went about their business, warmly greeting each other as the post-Hearth’s Warming buzz refused to leave the air. Passing over the Everfree, Rainbow Dash felt a shiver crawl up her spine. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t quite get over how close she had come to dying that day. Below her, the infamous forest lay silent, having lost none of its well-earned menace, despite the hundreds of burned trees reaching for the grey sky, their blackened bodies and limbs contrasting sharply with the white of the surrounding snow.

Dipping a wing, the lone mare turned, her wings beating as she put as much distance between her and the forest as she could. Get a grip Rainbow the mare thought, chiding herself That Celestia-damned forest isn’t going to hurt you, and it certainly isn’t as dangerous as it was before. Rainbow Dash felt an involuntary shudder pass through her. It had come as a shock to find herself waking up in a hospital bed the morning after the fire, and it had been even more heart-stopping to find out how she had gotten there, especially when the only thing she remembered from that day was waking up to help water the local farms.

Seeing a bright flash in the distance, a smile slowly grew on the mare’s face. She didn’t know what Twilight was doing in Whitetail Woods, but the athlete was never above pranking her friends when the mood struck her and opportunity decided to cooperate. Angling her wings, Rainbow Dash soared over the edge of the woods, her eyes searching for the purple of her friend’s coat and mane. Frowning in confusion, the flyer came to a halt a hundred feet above the trees. Below her, instead of finding the town’s resident Princess, the mare saw a small black and grey figure curled up at the top of a small hill that dominated a minor clearing in the woods. Silently losing altitude, Rainbow knew instantly who it was. What is he doing out here?

Landing with a slight crunch, just feet from the lone colt, Rainbow was shocked to see Shadow’s body shaking and heaving. The mare’s ears twitched as she heard the colt’s full-throated wails. Trotting over to her young friend, the flyer settled herself down into the snow next to the colt, extending a wing to cover her heartbroken colt. A heartbeat later, the young alicorn had sidled up next to her, burying himself into her wing.

“Shh” Rainbow said, gently stroking her wing against the colt’s back. “You’re okay. Everything’s gonna be fine.” Beneath her wing, she could feel Shadow slowly shake his head.

“No it’s not.”

“Of course it is” Rainbow said.

“No it’s not” Shadow replied, a little more forcefully. “They’re dead and it’s all my fault.” With that, the colt crumbled under a fresh wave of pain and guilt; his cries renewing themselves.

Frowning, Rainbow Dash held her ground as her young friend emptied himself against her. What did he mean by it being his fault? While she knew about how he lost his family, she couldn’t see the colt being a pyromaniac. For a while, the mare simply lay there, the air’s chill slowly cutting through her coat. As the sun began to sink toward the horizon, the athlete gently lifted her wing, the colt beneath it having cried himself to sleep an hour earlier. How long has he been up? Rainbow wondered at the sight of the bags under his eyes. On top of that, his mane was a mess, and if she had to guess from the smell, he probably hadn’t showered in the last few days. Sighing, she slowly stood, wincing as her muscles, which had gotten used to lying there, protested the sudden movement. Quietly moving her legs to get her blood moving again, she cautiously stepped around the sleeping colt, until she was standing directly over him. Extending her wings, she slowly rose into the air, her hooves sliding under Shadow until she had a firm grip on him. With a strong grip on the sleeping colt, the mare quickly took to the air, the effort of carrying a sleeping passenger not even registering with her as she flew. Below her, Ponyville quickly passed by, completely ignored by the town’s resident Wonderbolt as she aimed for Twilight’s Castle.

Pulling up short of the distinctive building’s doors, Rainbow had barely had a chance to lift her hoof before the doors glowed in a well-known purple aura, opening a second later to reveal a relieved Twilight and Spike.

“Where did you find him?” The older alicorn asked as she gently relieved her friend of her sleeping passenger.

“Whitetail Woods” Rainbow said as she stepped inside. “He was crying his eyes out. What happened, Twi?”

Twilight disappeared in a flash, much to the pegasus’s annoyance, only to return a minute later. “It’s a long story” Twilight replied. “Is there any chance you could get the rest of the girls and bring them here?”

“Sure thing, Twi” Rainbow replied. Normally the experienced flier would have pushed for an answer to her question, but something in her friend’s voice had told her to hold off. Taking to the air, she set her sights on Rarity’s boutique. If somepony tried to hurt him, Celestia help them.

---

Shadow lay in his bed, his eyes unfocused as he stared at the darkened ceiling above him. How long he had lain there, unmoving and uncaring, was beyond him. In his mind, he replayed every memory of the day he had lost his family, his mind searching for anything that he missed, anything that might have told him something was up if he had been paying more attention, yet, other than the bet his teacher had supposedly made, nothing stood out to the colt. Rolling over, Shadow felt a couple tears roll down his cheek, his nose already starting to run as he whispered to the empty room, “I’m sorry.”

For a while, he simply lay there, letting the tears soak his pillow while he tried to forget how much of a foal he had been in front of Rainbow Dash. Even though she had barely said anything, he had heard the pity in her voice, had felt it in her gaze. The memory made the young colt’s stomach turn. How could he have been so weak in front of one of the strongest ponies in the world?

Groaning as his stomach protested its seeming abandonment by him, Shadow slowly sat up, not bothering to light his horn since he had long ago gotten used to the darkness. Quietly getting out of his bed, the young alicorn slowly opened the door to his room. Lighting his horn, the colt crept down the hall; not wanting to wake the castle’s other residents. He didn’t want to see, much less talk, to Twilight at the moment.

Feeling a sudden breeze ruffle his mane as something passed by overhead, the young orphan channeled more energy to his horn, the resulting light banishing the shadows that had overtaken the long corridor. Wheeling overhead, the large owl turned in the air as it realized it had been busted. Sighing in silent relief, at what he wasn’t sure, Shadow reduced the magic in his horn, allowing his namesake to reclaim much of its lost territory. Glaring at the large bird, the colt managed to hold the glare for several seconds before a small smile slowly grew on his face “You trying to scare me or something?” Above him, the owl lost altitude as it came in to settle on the young pony’s back. “First you try to scare me and now you want a ride?” The owl hooted softly. The colt smirked at the owl’s apology “It’s nice to see you again too, buddy.” Continuing his journey, Shadow walked in silence, his passenger deciding to hold his beak. Pushing a door open with a hoof a few minutes later, the alicorn felt a sudden loss of weight as Twilight’s feathered assistant took to the air briefly before perching on the back of a chair, silently watching the colt walk around the kitchen.

Ignoring his unexpected companion, Shadow opened the refrigerator, wincing at the sudden, blinding light. Grabbing a jar, the colt quickly shut the door, setting the jar aside on the counter. Grabbing the nearby loaf of bread, the young alicorn silently spread a generous helping of the strawberry and apple jam across a slice of bread, before covering it with another slice. Pausing as an idea flashed across his mind, the young colt grabbed a small bowl from a nearby cabinet. Setting the jar back where he found it, he opened the door to the freezer and pulling out a small bucket of ice cream. Never in his wildest imagination had Shadow ever thought it possible to create a sweet, ice cold treat that could be enjoyed even during the hottest days of the year. He had gotten his first taste of the sweet, frozen treat while in the hospital and had been hooked ever since. Using his magic to remove a more than generous portion, he set it in the bowl before returning the bucket to its frozen home. Grabbing a spoon, the colt took his impromptu meal to the table, noting his companion’s raised eyebrow. “Don’t give me that look” Shadow said as he settled into his chair “After everything I’ve had to deal with over the past few days, I’ve earned this.” Seeing the unconvinced look on the bird’s face, he loaded the spoon with some of the frozen treat before levitating it over to the owl. “Besides” Shadow said, taking a bite from his sandwich “I’d be more than happy to share.”

The two whiled away the rest of the hour together, sharing the ice cream while Shadow made short work of his sandwich. Sighing in relief as his stomach finally decided to settle down, the alicorn quickly disposed of the evidence, silently washing the bowl and spoon. With the owl on his back once more, Shadow slowly walked down the hall back to his room. Stepping inside for a moment, the colt grabbed his saddlebag before turning around and making his way to the library. “Hope you don’t mind if I leave the lights off” He said to his feathery companion as they reached the library’s main floor. Taking a seat in his favorite chair, Shadow opened the bag Rarity had made him, removing a number of crystals.

Igniting his horn, the colt activated the spell on the amethyst crystal that would play back everything he had recorded onto it. As the spell took over, the dark purple crystal slowly floated into the air, until it hovered just to his left. Around him, the crystal played back everything on it, images of the throne room and the crystal caverns filling the air around Shadow’s chair. Letting it play on a loop, the young alicorn grabbed the large quartz crystal before him. Closing his eyes, Shadow felt his magic connect with the dormant spells in the crystal. In his mind, he could see the spells’ matrices and the numerous connections between them. Sure he could have gone for something less complex, but Ms. Cheerilee had stressed how she wanted each project to be unique. What could get more unique than this? During their work time, he had overheard a number of his classmates talking about what they planned to do. Diamond Tiara had been especially vocal about how she was going to get the most points for creativity and how her project was going to be the best of them all. This had earned her more than a few glares and snarky comments from the other kids, especially Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. For his part, Shadow had remained silent. What did he care about what a noisy braggart was saying? If anything, her words only encouraged him.

For the next few hours, the alicorn and owl sat in silence; Shadow working on his project, while Owlowiscious read a book he had grabbed from a shelf, occasionally glancing over at the young alicorn. Outside, the darkness of Luna’s night slowly gave way to the light of her older sister’s sun. Hearing the sound of hooves on wood, the large brown owl looked up from his book, watching in silence as Twilight slowly walked down the stairs, her eyes shifting from the owl to the young colt who hadn’t moved from his spot since he had sat down.

“How long has he been there?” Twilight asked, moving to stand next to her feathered assistant’s perch. From her position, she could see a number of images slowly flicker in and out of existence around her young guest’s chair. Recognizing a number of scenes from Canterlot, Twilight tilted her head as a large green crystal table appeared in one of the images, disappearing before she could note the details. Letting her horn come to life, the older alicorn gently probed the younger alicorn’s magic. Letting her magic go dormant again a moment later, Twilight frowned. While she didn’t recognize the spells he was using, she could tell that while they seemed to be relatively simple in nature, Shadow had combined a vast number of them in a series of matrices more complicated than she had ever expected to see from somepony his age. “I’m going to get breakfast ready” Twilight whispered to her feathered friend before making her way to the stairs. The young Princess knew that Owlowiscious would make sure Shadow got something to eat.

Hearing the eggs sizzle, Twilight took the spatula to the skillet, moving the yellow and white liquid inside around. Grinding a generous pinch of pepper into the mix, the mare stirred the mixture one last time before setting it aside on the stovetop to finish cooking. Grabbing a pair of apples, the princess had barely gotten them cut in half when her ears rotated at the sound of the door behind her opening. Looking behind her, the purple alicorn smiled at the sight of Shadow walking into the kitchen, barely hiding a yawn while Owlowiscious rode on the colt’s back, the owl not even bothering to hide his tiredness “All done?”

“Barely” Shadow replied, letting his head rest on the kitchen table as soon as he claimed a chair. His passenger had claimed the same chair’s backrest as his perch and had seemed to decide to take the chance to sleep. “You would be surprised how much I had to change.”

“Try me” Twilight said, splitting the pan of eggs onto two plates.

“More than half” Shadow replied, nodding his thanks as he took a plate with his magic.

“Ouch.” Twilight commented. “I remember having to rewrite an entire twenty page report once when I found a book that led me to a completely different conclusion.” The mare silently shuddered at the memory. “That was not fun” She added.

The two alicorns finished the rest of their meal in silence, one wondering what the other’s project was about, while that pony silently hoped he didn’t fall asleep during class. Quickly cleaning their plates, Twilight followed Shadow out of the kitchen, her faithful owl silently clinging to her back. Leaving him to a well-earned rest in his own small room, the older alicorn made her way to her home’s front door, settling her saddlebags across her haunches while Shadow stifled another yawn. Normally she’d have stayed behind to run the library, but after hearing the nature of the project, she knew she couldn’t miss attending Cheerilee’s class today.

Closing the door behind her as she followed Shadow outside, Twilight barely held back a laugh as the young orphan set an errant hoof in the snow bank and yelped at the sudden cold. “Are you awake now?” The colt’s glare was well worth the comment.

Sighing in relief as the building’s warmth washed over him, Shadow kicked his hooves clean of snow before making his way to his desk. Setting his saddlebag next to him, the colt settled into his seat, letting his head rest on the desk’s top while the other students trickled in. Watching from where he sat, the young alicorn could see that he wasn’t the only pony fighting back yawns. On the other side of the room, he could see Snails unload a number of rolled papers from his bags, the sound of the dull-witted unicorn’s yawn filling the schoolhouse as he did. Glancing to his right, Shadow could see Twilight talking to Ms. Cheerilee. The colt didn’t know what it was about, but considering the number of glances that the two mares were sending his way, he doubted he’d have to guess too hard.

Hearing a commotion behind him, Shadow lifted his head, only to watch as Diamond Tiara strode in, an elderly stallion who looked like he should have retired long ago, pulling a small cart behind her. As her servant unloaded the cart, the pink filly scanned the room, her eyes falling on Shadow. The colt glared back at the self-important annoyance. What in Tartarus does she want? Seeing Diamond Tiara walking toward him, the colt silently cursed under his breath. I just had to ask, didn’t I?

“Don’t tell me you forgot your project.” Smiling to himself, Shadow opened his bag, pulling out the single large crystal he had been working on. “That’s it? How pathetic.”

“At least he didn’t have to pay a servant to haul it for him.” Behind the antagonistic filly, a certain trio of fillies stood, glaring at their mutual enemy.

“Besides, Ah bet his presentation’s a thousand times better than yours, Diamond Tiara.”

“Somehow I doubt that” The pink coated filly replied, looking down her nose at the three fillies like they had stepped in something unspeakably gross. “Besides, he looks like he’s about to fall asleep right now. Ten bits says he falls asleep halfway through his presentation.”

“You’re on!” The fuchsia-maned pegasus next to Apple Bloom shot back. For her part, Diamond Tiara simply smiled as she sauntered off to sit next to Silver Spoon. “Are you alright?”

Shadow nodded as he slowly sat up, not bothering to hide how tired he was. “Yeah, I’m fine” He said, feeling a couple joints pop as he stretched. “I haven’t slept much the last few days. My break wasn’t that pleasant.”

“We heard” Sweetie Belle replied. Seeing her friend’s confusion, she explained.

“So if anypony gives you any horseapples” Scootaloo said, glaring at Diamond Tiara as she spoke “let us know, and we’ll deal with them.”

“Thanks” Shadow couldn’t help but chuckle at the offer. While he didn’t need others to fight his battles for him, it did lift his spirits a bit to know that he had friends willing to do so, even though two of them were from different tribes.

“Alright everypony, take your seats” Cheerilee called as the clock hit nine. “I hope everypony’s holiday was a fun one.” Across the room, her students nodded enthusiastically, with the noticeable exception of a certain alicorn colt. Considering what Twilight had told her, this didn’t surprise her in the least. “So, since you all seem so eager, who wants to go first?” Just as it had been like when she went to school, the enthusiasm her students had just had suddenly disappeared, the room growing suddenly quiet as several students quickly found something more interesting than their teacher to occupy their attention. Looking across her students, the mulberry earth pony was pleasantly surprised when a pink hoof rose into the air. Smiling, the town’s lone teacher nodded to the filly. “Are you ready, Diamond Tiara?”

“Yes, Ms. Cheerilee.”

“Then come up here and show us what you got?”

Sliding herself out from her seat, the most loathed filly in the class sauntered up to the front of the class, her servant following a moment later with a number of objects covered in white sheets. Behind him, Shadow could hear a couple of familiar voices whispering. Sparing a quick look as Diamond Tiara got set up, the colt saw Twilight’s friends sitting in the back of the class. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were whispering to each other, while Rarity filed one of her hooves, eyeing the appendage like it was a gem. Next to her, Fluttershy sat, looking nervous, but less so than he would have expected. In between Applejack and Rarity, Pinkie Pie sat, a large grin plastered on her face as she seemed to vibrate in place looking like she wanted to be racing around the room but was using super pony strength to remain in place. When did they get here? Shrugging to himself, the alicorn colt turned to face the front of the class.

“For my presentation, the pony I chose was my great-to-the-nth-degree-grandfather, Captain Steel Hoof.”

Fuck.

Shadow barely heard anything the pink bully said. Throughout her presentation, the stallion’s name kept repeating in his head, barely allowing any other thought to get through. Of all the ponies in all of Equestria’s thousands of years of history, she had to go and pick him. As if that wasn’t enough, she was related to the bastard! If he hadn’t been surrounded by a bunch of other ponies and if it wouldn’t have attracted everypony’s immediate and undivided attention, the alicorn would have started banging his head on his desktop in sheer frustration. Barely managing to rein himself in, the alicorn forced himself to pay attention to the snobbish filly’s presentation. Unsurprisingly, the bully painted her ancestor as being one step below the Royal Sisters in terms of honorability and nobility, painting the stallion as a hero as she explained how he selflessly gave his life during the final battle of the Lunar Rebellion to help end the fighting and restore peace. Next to her, a framed painting of the stallion in question rested on a stand, his stern, cold gaze seeming to sweep across the room, practically daring anypony to question what Diamond Tiara said. To her left, a flawless guard helmet sat on a small table, the morning light shining off the mirror polish and filling the room with a golden light.

Ten minutes after she started, the pink filly gave an exaggerated bow before strutting back to her seat, leaving her servant to put away everything up front. Around her, everypony gave a polite round of applause, though the colt couldn’t help but notice how the slightly more enthusiastic clapping came from the adults. For his part, Shadow went through the motions, letting his claps join the noise.

“Shadow” The colt looked up at his teacher, who only smiled. “You’re next.”

Groaning to himself, the young alicorn didn’t move from his seat. “Is there any chance I could go after lunch Ms. Cheerilee? Mine will take a while to set up.”

“Sure” The teacher said, skipping to the next student on her list.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the colt slowly slumped in his seat. What was he going to do now? Slowly, the day crept by as one student after another gave their presentation. While most of the ponies being talked about held little to no interest to Shadow, he found himself sitting up a little straighter as one by one, Twilight’s friends came to the front, apparently as the subjects of a number of presentations. The alicorn wasn’t surprised in the least that his three closest friends had chosen their sisters, though he found himself paying more attention than he had earlier that day as they related their accounts of how they had saved Equestria, and the world if they were to be believed; on several occasions.

Finally, mercifully, as the arms of the classroom’s clock came together at the top, Shadow’s teacher called a timeout for lunch and recess, the building quickly emptying until only Shadow, Twilight and Ms. Cheerilee remained. The two mares shared a glance. They had both noticed that something about the colt had changed when Diamond Tiara had presented her report. “Is everything alright, Shadow?”

“Not really” The colt replied as he walked up to the front of the class.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Twilight ventured.

“Could you move all the seats off to the sides and close the blinds? I need to make some emergency changes.”

“Why?” Cheerilee asked as she pulled the room’s shades. Nearby, Twilight’s horn glowed as she effortlessly lifted every desk in the schoolhouse and lined them up along the walls.

“Because Diamond Tiara’s ancestor killed one of mine, and he’s mentioned by name in my project.”

The two mares looked at each other at Shadow’s announcement. Glancing behind her, the glow from the young alicorn’s horn lit the room as it plunged into darkness.

Outside, Shadow’s friends looked at the schoolhouse in concern. “Do you have any idea what he’s up to, Darling?”

“Ah’m just as in the dark as you, sugarcube” Applejack replied as she pressed herself a little closer to her younger sister. “What about you, RD?”

The rainbow-maned mare looked across the schoolyard from her perch in the tree she and her friends had settled under. “I think I know what’s going on, but if I’m right, then it’s probably better that I don’t say anything.” The blue pegasus had instantly recognized the name of Diamond Tiara’s ancestor, not from any history book, but from the book that Shadow had loaned her, where he had been mentioned several times, mostly in less than flattering terms.

“Do you know who he chose to do his report on?”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “Probably, but I’d hate to spoil it for you. If I’m right, I have no doubt that he’s going to blow us away.”

Before they could speculate any further, the group of friends spotted the school’s doors open; with Twilight stepping out into the cold sun a moment later “Hey girls.”

“Is everything alright, Twilight?”

The purple alicorn nodded, smiling slightly as she sat next to her friends. “Yeah, Shadow’s just making a couple last minute changes.”

The group of six friends fell silent for a while, content to enjoy what little heat they could feel from the sun while watching the town’s children play. As the half hour of free time came to a close, the mares helped Cheerilee round up her students, watching them as they milled around the school’s entrance, much to many pony’s confusion. Once she was sure that everypony was accounted for, the school’s lone teacher gently knocked on the door. The doors glowed with a golden aura for a moment before opening. Inside, the schoolhouse was pitch black, the light from the open doors barely reaching halfway across the open floor. Smiling gently at the sounds of confusion and fear in a couple of her students, Cheerilee gently ushered them inside, the doors automatically closing behind them a moment later, plunging the entire room into total darkness.