Shifting Shadow

by PrelateZ

Chapter 6: The Battle Begins

Chapter 6

Nightshade paced the room anxiously, glancing down the hall every few seconds. She awaited a report, a soldier rushing in to tell her that Umbra had been found, or that the enemy had been captured, or anything that might better her position as her unicorns prepared the gate. She ran a hoof through her mane and looked down the hall; finally, somepony was coming! The white pegasus leapt up to her chair to wait for the stallion to reach her. He was traveling rather slowly, Nightshade noted. What could have happened to him? The question was answered as he walked directly beneath one of the torches lining the hall and came more fully into view; he was carrying Umbra! The gray unicorn was hung over this stallion's shoulders, his energy completely drained.

"What is the meaning of this?" Nightshade shouted at the soldier, gliding down to him from her chair. "Umbra was not to be harmed, only found and returned! He's needed to open the gate!"

"My lady, I don't know how...Umbra wasn't alone on the path. He brought seven others, including Princess Celestia herself!"

"Celestia?" The pale mare took a step back. "How did he..."

"We believed he had been leading them into the base, to bring Celestia directly to you. However, when we struck the group, she vanished in a great ball of light. We were able to capture the other six, though. They now lie in the barracks."

Six ponies, traveling with Celestia. "He brought the Elements of Harmony with him! Take him to the barracks immediately." Nightshade moved to the door. "And make sure all of them are secure. We'll wake him once the enchantment wears off."

"Yes, my lady."

---

The room was scarcely lit, most of the torches having long since lost their flame. Beds lined either side of the long room, each with a small blanket and a single pillow. Currently, six of these beds were occupied by unconscious mares, those captured by the unicorns' attack. A clever attack indeed, noted the medic sitting beside Rarity. She noticed all six had been drained of all energy, leaving them completely exhausted and helpless. It must have taken much practice to develop such an ingenious spell, one that could bring its victim so close to death without causing any visible damage. They would recover in time - the purple unicorn lying adjacent to Rarity seemed ready to awaken after just two hours - but by then it would be too late. The gate would be prepared at any minute, and the whole of the Nocturne's army would fall upon Canterlot and bring the royal city down.

A shout ran down the hall and echoed in the room, nearly waking the mares. Within moments a short, blue stallion appeared at the door, struggling to breathe. "Dr. Melior!" he gasped. "Lady Nightshade will be here in minutes. She wants to question those patients of yours."

"Already?" Melior asked, her expression feigning surprise. It came as no surprise that her latest employer was more impatient than ever when it came to these mares. With the attack nearly underway, Nightshade would want any information they could provide that might point out a weakness in the castle, or in the now-absent Celestia. "They won't wake for at least a few hours. You'll have to tell your Lady to wait."

"T-tell her t-t-to...wait?" the stallion stammered. "B-but she'll..."

"Don't worry." Melior waved a hoof across to stop him. "She thinks she can get anything she wants whenever she wants. It comes with the power she has. But even she can't make my patients recover any faster, no matter how many threats she makes or how many soldiers she has under her. That power lies solely with me." To prove this, Melior's horn pulsed a bright teal aura, which soon enveloped the sleeping Rarity. The white unicorn lifted her head for a second, mumbling something about fabric, and fell back to the bed. "See? They simply can't stay up yet. You go and tell miss Nightshade she can wait to speak with my patients, or she can leave."

The stallion was stunned for a moment. He was about to form a reply when the white pegasus mare locked eyes with him. "L-Lady Nightshade, I was just..."

"There, put him in that bed." she directed the struggling soldier behind her.

He heaved Umbra onto the bed and adjusted the blanket over him, then took a few steps back. He arched his back, was met with a sound that could be heard all around him, and sat on the stone floor with a look of great relief on his face. "Felt like a sack of rocks." he sighed.

"I could get you a sack of rocks, and much more," the pegasus promised, "or you can return to your post and I can pretend you didn't say anything you'd have regretted."

Not sure if this reply was genuine or sarcastic, the soldier rose and trotted down the hall toward his assigned location. Nightshade turned next to the blue stallion, who was now simply standing still, waiting for an order. "Yes, you may leave. Go on." As he exited the barracks, she finally addressed Melior, who had been examining Umbra on the bed. "Well?" she asked.

"Well, to start, he appears to be in the middle of an exciting dream." Melior began, "Based on the eye movements beneath the eyelids, he's looking all around him for whatever reason. Wonder what he's dreaming of..."

"That isn't important!" Nightshade snapped. "I need him to be awake before we strike; he's to lead the main force through Canterlot castle!"

"Oh, it's very important, I assure you." Melior responded, her tone irritating the pegasus further. "If we try to wake him in the middle of a vivid dream, one in which he's casting a strong spell, for example..."

Nightshade was able to understand the rest, to imagine what would happen if Umbra was performing a great spell just before waking up in this room. Who knows what would happen? "Fine," she muttered, "just make sure he's awake when the gate opens."

"Of course I will. That is what you pay me to do, right?"

"Pay you too much, it seems." Nightshade stormed out the door, slamming the door behind her.

"Finally." Melior sighed. She faced the six mares in the room with her. "Alright, time to get up." She closed her eyes, and her horn glowed fiercely, covering all six for several seconds. When she thought she had exerted herself enough, she released the spell and fell back into her chair to catch her breath. They were already beginning to wake.

---

Umbra stood up, checking his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was a net being thrown over him, and his strength draining away. Somepony had captured him and brought him somewhere, he reasoned, but where? This place didn't resemble anything Umbra had ever seen. In every direction, shades of black and gray swirled around in the wind. The ground felt like polished stone, perfectly smooth. There seemed to be no ceiling to the place, but he could not see the sky anywhere, either. It wasn't even noon; how could it possibly have gotten so dark?

Umbra heard the echoing steps of somepony approaching, and soon saw the silhouette of whoever was coming near. He waited for the figure to come into view, standing for the few seconds it took before he met face-to-face with...Umbra. He was looking at himself, as if through a mirror!

"My, my, it's about time we met." The strange copy of Umbra said with a laugh. "I can't tell you how boring the last few days have been, stuck here while you wandered around and wasted my time." This can't be happening, Umbra thought. It's...me. How is this possible? Where am I?

"Don't get it yet, do you?" the copy asked. "Let me explain. This is your mind. We stand within the shifting shadows of your memories, of my memories. When you were injured in the Everfree forest, the blow to your head caused a case of what appeared to be simple amnesia. But that's not exactly what happened; you see, I was thrown into the back of your mind, and you wandered about Ponyville making friends." He spat the word friends like it was something distasteful. "Your order, my order, was to see if the town could be directed against Princess Celestia, in favor of bringing Princess Luna to the throne. We had heard of Celestia's banishment of her sister, of Luna's centuries of imprisonment within the moon, and decided to act. Nightshade, our leader, came to us, agreed with us, and explained her own goal: to end Celestia's reign, and allow the Night Mare rule over all Equestria! For our efforts, we would become royalty, wealthy beyond imagination!"

Now Umbra was worried. This is insane! Why would anypony ever want something so extreme? Celestia had seemed so kind, so caring for her subjects. What reason could there be to bring her down?

"There is one small problem, though." the copy continued. "I, General Umbra, was to lead the main force into Canterlot, while the auxiliary unit distracted the royal guard at the main palace gates. I am the one meant to bring my mistress and my allies the power they seek, and give Luna the rule she deserves. You, foal, are to be taken out. There is room only for one here!" With that, the copy's horn began to glow; it gave out no light, but seemed to drain the light around it, like it radiated darkness. A bolt of black lightning shot into Umbra, blasting him backward. As Umbra struggled to get back up, the copy approached him again, its laughter louder than before. "This is too easy! You have no idea who I am, who you once were. I am the most powerful unicorn you'll ever see! The last you will ever see!"

Umbra focused his own magic, remembering how he had teleported at Pinkie Pie's party. He saw himself standing behind this copy, away from his next attack.

The dark copy launched his next spell, one of his favorites. From his horn grew a ball of black lightning, shooting smaller bolts out at random angles. He watched it fly forward, waiting eagerly for the moment of impact.

It never came. The ball sailed onward and was lost in swirling shades of gray. It took the unicorn a second to realize what had happened, but by then it was too late. Umbra barreled into him from behind, sending both rolling across the floor.

Guessing that if the two were indeed the same, they must share the same spells as well, Umbra cast his own bolt spell, a beam of white light that blinded the copy and left him disoriented for a moment. Hooves flew, magic flared left and right, and soon both opponents were lying on the floor, exhausted.

The copy laughed again. "You catch on quickly. Not quite as weak as I'd thought. But that doesn't change anything." The unicorn stood up, shadows flowing in a circle around him. "I know every spell you can cast, your every limitation. Nothing you do can ever surprise me, can ever hope to defeat me." A great ball of darkness hovered overhead, growing to immense size. "It is time to end this pointless battle!" the dark Umbra screamed. "There can be only one! Begone!"

---

"So, what do you all plan to do now?" Melior calmly asked. Her six patients had woken up mere moments after Nightshade left, and now sat in a semicircle around the doctor, the strange mare who had just saved them from a harsh interrogation for no obvious reason.

"We plan to ask you some questions now, like where are we?" replied Rainbow Dash as she moved even closer to Melior. She attempted to stare the doctor down, but if Melior was intimidated at all, she didn't show any sign of it.

"That's easy. We're in the underground complex that my employers have been living in for the past few years. Specifically, this is the barracks, since this place doesn't really have a designated wing for treating the ill."

"And just who are your employers, and why'd they do this to us?"

Applejack approached the pair, gently pushing the irate Rainbow Dash away. "Easy there, sugarcube, don't start hollerin' like that unless you want whoever did this to come right back an' do it again." She turned to Melior. "Alright, doctor, would ya mind explainin' exactly why we're here? Does this place have somethin' to do with the..." Applejack looked over to Twilight Sparkle, who was helping Rarity clean her mane of loose pebbles and dirt. "Twi, tell me ya can feel that; that magic we were looking fer."

Twilight stood still for a moment, her eyes closed. "Yes, I feel it, too. We must be close to its source. What do you know about it, doctor?"

Melior took a moment to figure out what Twilight meant. "Magic? Ah, you mean the gate. Yes, well, there's a magical door being constructed that will link this place to Canterlot Castle. My employers wanted to be able to reach Celestia that way, but now that she has vanished, they'll most likely just take a defensive position around the castle and wait for her return."

"Defensive position? You make it sound like some type of battle."

"That's precisely what it is. They plan to have Luna take the throne and be rid of her sister, banish her as she banished Luna years ago. But I'm not too concerned with it. In fact, I was planning on moving soon anyway. No need to be involved in such a dramatic event, right? Maybe Fillydelphia could use a doctor, or Manehattan..."

None paid any attention as Melior quietly exited the room, shocked as they were by the news she had just given. To further surprise them all, even Pinkie Pie was silent and still, a rare sight indeed for the ever-cheerful baker. Her mane appeared to have lost its usual bounce, looking a bit deflated. She walked across the room to Umbra, the only one of the seven to have not woken up from Melior's rejuvenating spell. Fluttershy, standing beside him at the bed, exchanged a worried look with Pinkie. "What happened to him?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

"I don't know. We all woke up at the same time, but he hasn't for some reason. Poor thing looks like he's having a nightmare."

Twilight approached them. "Look, Fluttershy, I know you're worried about him, but we have something much more important to do first. We need to find this gate the doctor told us about, and stop it from opening before Canterlot...no, before all of Equestria is put in danger! We can come back for him once we..."

"No, Twilight. I won't leave him behind, even for a minute. He's our friend, and I refuse to abandon a friend in a place like this, especially when he can't defend himself. He's coming with us."

Twilight sighed. "You're right, Fluttershy. I would never abandon any of you. You're all my friends, my first priority." she looked to Umbra, noticing the pained expression on his face. "Whatever happens, we'll face it together."

"Thank you, Twilight. Now, how can we bring him with us?"

"Ah've got the answer ta that!" Applejack announced. She lifted the stallion from the bed and onto her back. "There you go, problem's solved. Let's get movin'!"

"Are you sure you can handle the weight, Applejack?" Twilight asked. "I don't know how far we'll have to travel."

"Please. You seen how many apples Ah've been bringin' home every day? Ah could carry him in mah sleep!" None doubted the claim; Applejack had been seen pulling carts of apples that were easily three times Umbra's weight.

"Alright, now we have to somehow find this gate and close it before it's finished. Applejack, you'll go in front to set the pace; I'll follow close behind. The rest of you, stay close. If you see or hear anything, let us know. Ready?" Five heads nodded in agreement. Applejack led the way, sleeping Umbra in tow, out the door and into the stone hallway.

---

Umbra watched in terror as the ball of darkness began to descend. It's hopeless to try avoiding it, he thought, it's all over. He crouched low, closing his eyes as he waited for the darkness to envelop him. Just when he was sure it was finished, he dared to open his eyes.

Nothing. There was no meteor above him, no mirror image laughing at him, only pitch-black darkness, and silence all around. "Is this...am I...dead?" he asked. There was no answer. All was quiet.

Then, a voice came. It was faded, as if heard from a distance, but it didn't sound like it came from any specific direction. "What happened to him?" it said. Who was that? The voice was somewhat familiar, but Umbra couldn't quite match a name or face to it.

Another voice echoed, "Poor thing looks like he's having a nightmare." This voice was definitely Fluttershy. She had said, "he." Was she talking about Umbra? Was all this some kind of terrible dream? No, he corrected himself. This was too real to be any dream; he was trapped, and his friends sounded worried about him.

Fluttershy spoke again. "I won't leave him behind..."

"Whatever happens, we'll face it together." Twilight was there as well.

It wasn't a dream. They had been captured along with him, when Celestia had brought them all looking for some sort of magical energy. Now they had a second concern, Umbra's health, as he battled that strange copy of himself. Even with the danger of whatever possessed that huge amount of magic, they were still willing to take him along. He couldn't possibly help them against anything - in fact, he would only be a hindrance while asleep - but they were going out of their way to help him even while they went to face this unknown danger. Umbra would simply have to find a way to help them in return. He would end this nightmare.

General Umbra breathed heavily, exhausted by the use of his strongest spell. He watched the fallen meteor, certain that nothing beneath it could ever survive. In mere moments, he would once again be in control of his mind, rid of this weakling that had taken his body for the past few days. He would join Nightshade and her unicorns, and open the magical gateway that would allow the whole force of the Nocturne entry to Canterlot castle. Soon Celestia herself would be forced to meet their demands - a simple choice of banishment or war - and Luna, the Night Mare, would be given the throne she deserves. Just a few seconds...

The ball of darkness sank into the floor, dissipating into nothing. In its place was Umbra, stepping slowly toward the General. "Hello again. Sorry to keep you waiting, but after thinking about what you said earlier, I agree with you. There can only be one, and I intend to be the one who leaves here intact."

The dark general was awestruck, not only at the statement, but the fact that this weakling Umbra was even alive! "That...thats's impossible! You can't be here! You should have been reduced to nothing! How can you..."

"That's simple." Umbra calmly replied. "You said yourself that this place is a part of my mind. If that's true, I should be able to do whatever I choose here; I choose to defeat you, whatever you are, and return to my friends in the real world."

"Defeat me? You are nothing more than a weakling, spawned when I suffered an injury to the head. I am Umbra, general in Nightshade's force, the most powerful unicorn in generations! My magical strength is unrivaled, honed by years of training that you could never hope to match! How can you think, how can it ever cross your mind for even a second, that you have the slightest chance of defeating me?"

Umbra halted his advance. "Alone, I would have no chance at all," he admitted. "You're right; I have no experience to fall back on. You would easily overwhelm me. But I'm not alone." The gray unicorn resumed his path toward his copy, advancing steadily. "I have made many friends in the short time since waking up in the forest. They have helped me in any way they were able, even when I could do nothing for them in return. At this moment, my friends are trying to wake me from what they think is a nightmare. They are what allowed me to survive your attack: my friends, my allies, the reason I will defeat you and end this battle here and now." Umbra stopped a few paces away from the general. He lowered his head, and his horn began to glow.

"Never!" the general howled. He launched a flurry of bolts at Umbra, followed by another ball of lightning. Given how close Umbra was standing, they closed the short distance to their target within a second... before hurtling back to their caster, sending him tumbling backward to land painfully on the floor. "What? How is this..."

"Teleportation, one of the two spells I learned this week in Ponyville." Umbra answered. "This is a bit more complicated: I took your spell and had it reappear in the same place, but changed its direction. You've had your turn. Now it's mine."

Umbra sent out his own attack, small balls of light that whirled around the general, launching minuscule tendrils of electricity into him from every angle. Each hit was hardly noticeable, but they added up, and they took some of the dark unicorn's attention. Next came wave after wave of bolt spells, more than the distracted general could block or counter. When Umbra stopped his assault, the general collapsed to the floor.

Cautiously approaching the fallen unicorn, Umbra focused on another spell, readying to defend himself at a moment's notice. Sure that he had won, he jumped when he saw the dark general rise up, now appearing in perfect condition, as if all their fighting had never occurred.

"I am defeated," the dark Umbra said. His voice had changed; it was no longer evil and enraged, but calm and peaceful. "You have bested me, even within my own mind, where I had thought myself invincible. There is nothing I can do but restore you. You will be given all my memories, all of your life up to this point." He now stood directly in front of Umbra, smiling. "Perhaps you might even see my reasoning behind my actions, though you obviously mean not to finish them. Farewell."

Umbra watched, mystified, as the mirror image of himself dissolved into a fine, gray mist. The mist swirled around Umbra, ending its path on either side of him, where it flowed into his flanks. When it was gone completely, there remained a white, four-pointed star. Set within it was a smaller, black star.

The world began to fade. Umbra felt himself pushed forward by a strong wind, hopefully moving him back to the real world. He closed his eyes, allowing the current to carry him.

---

Applejack paused at an intersection in the stone passageways, the third one they had met with in the last minute. She lowered Umbra to the ground. "Hey, Ah think he's tryin' to wake up. Let's stop here."

Umbra slowly opened his eyes, allowing them to adjust to the dim torchlight of the hall. He was met with six smiling faces, all standing around him.

"Good to have ya back, partner." Applejack greeted him. "Had us worried sick, ya did." The other five nodded in agreement.

Five.

"Where is..."

"We don't know where Princess Celestia is." answered Twilight, knowing what Umbra's question would be. "I think she's more than strong enough to take care of herself, though." She paused, looking a bit nervous. "So...what happened to you? Why were you the only one who didn't wake up earlier?"

"I'll see if I can explain it when we're done here. First, we need to close that gate."

Twilight's eyes widened. "You know about the gate?"

"Better than that. I know exactly where it is. Follow me!" Umbra trotted down the left-side passage, followed closely by the six mares. The gray unicorn seemed to know exactly where he was going; he turned at each crossing without hesitation, barely glancing down the side passages as he drew nearer to the magical gate. At one such crossing, his path met with a large, black-armored stallion, who eyed the six mares behind Umbra suspiciously.

"What are you doing with the prisoners, General? I thought they were to sit in the barracks for interrogation. Just where are you taking them?"

His memories slowly coming back to him, Umbra recognized the captain of Nightshade's Black Guard. "Taking them directly to Lady Nightshade herself; the one watching them ran off and left them unguarded, so I decided to take the matter into my own hooves. Now, I'll go on ahead. Carry on, Captain."

"You sure you don't need some assistance, General?" asked the guard as he walked around Umbra. "I'd gladly take one out of your way." He gave a wink to Fluttershy, making her recoil in disgust and fear. "How about this one?"

It all happened so quickly, nopony saw it. Suddenly the captain was flat on his back, Umbra standing atop him. The unicorn's horn crackled with black lightning as he lowered it toward the helmeted guard. His voice sounded like it was being forced to appear calm and level. "Let me make myself very clear, Captain; you are going to walk away and pretend that didn't just happen, and I'm going to let you live. Does that sound like a fair agreement?"

"Umbra, stop!" The voice was so powerful, Umbra found himself stepping back against his will, away from the paralyzed guard. Celestia had appeared in the hall, illuminating it as the sparse torches never could.

"There is no need for this, Umbra. Calm yourself, and focus on why we came here in the first place; our only concern is the magic growing nearby." Celestia allowed the guard captain to rise; without a word he galloped down the hall he had come from, then disappeared down a side passage.

Twilight ran up to her mentor. "Princess! You're back! I was worried you wouldn't be able to get here."

"And why is that, my student?"

"The guards everywhere, the soldiers...they want to invade Canterlot, and force you off the throne!"

Celestia's expression turned grave. "Is that what this magic is being prepared for? To attack Canterlot?"

Umbra answered her. "Yes. It's a gateway; when it's finished, it will link this place to somewhere within Canterlot castle, far from the heavily guarded walls. The pegasus Nightshade and her army will sweep through the castle and search the place for you, Princess, and try to force you to relinquish your throne. The choice they have for you is banishment to the moon, as Princess Luna suffered before; the alternative is to begin a war against this force which, until today, has been perfectly hidden."

A silence fell over the hall as everypony considered this. Pinkie Pie broke the silence as she approach Umbra. "Wait a minute... you were asleep when the doctor told us about the gate, and she didn't even tell us everything you just said. How do you know about all that?"

Celestia gently placed a hoof on the pink pony's shoulder. "That isn't the greatest of our worries, Pinkie Pie. A war to take my throne...would be the worst experience of your lives. War destroys homes, burns forests, and levels anything else in its path. Hundreds, thousands of innocent creatures would be hurt. The world as you know it would be gone, replaced by a barren wasteland." The alicorn rose to her full height. "Gather around, everypony. We need a plan before we approach that gate. With as much power as there is down that hall, we can't afford any mistakes. Umbra, you've been here before, and you seem to be regaining your memory of this place. What would you suggest?"

"Give me a minute, please."

"I'm afraid we might not have much more than that."

"Alright, I have one idea that might work. How good are you at illusions?"