Shadowbloom

by Matthais Unidostres

Chapter 3: Fetch Quest

"Is scáth tú. . . An fíor féin. . . Is scáth tú. . . An fíor féin. . . Is scáth tú. . . An fíor féin. . . Is scáth tú. . . An fíor féin. . .Is scáth tú. . . An fíor féin!"

Roughly ten minutes after midnight, another photo of Applebloom was burned, and Shadowbloom reappeared within the octagram and candles down in the basement of the Rich family mansion. With pencil and paper at hoof, Spoiled Rich looked intensely at the demon and said, "Alright, you. Tell me the formula for Zap Apple Jam."

"That information is now forever out of my reach," the shadow said, still in its singsong voice and wearing its constant glowing red smile.

"WHAT!?" Spoiled Rich said in displeasure.

"The Cutie Mark Crusaders are for more clever than they appear," it replied nonchalantly.

"Don't give me that garbage!" Spoiled Rich shot back in response, "We had a deal, and you've failed to deliver your end of the bargain!"

"Then we shall call off that deal, and create a new one."

Spoiled Rich scoffed and stuck her nose into the air, "You've already failed once. Why should I give you a second chance, you worthless demon?! Especially after I had to give that scrawny pegasus another 200 bits to get another photo!"

". . . Picture this reality, Spoiled Rich:" the demon began slowly, it's smile seeming to get slightly wider, "Imagine, Sweet Apple Acres, the land completely barren. The trees decaying, fruit rotting on the ground, the once prosperous farm completely devastated. . ." the shadow then leaned forward towards Spoiled Rich, her own wide eyes meeting the being's glowing red ones, "and then, the once self-righteous Apple Family coming to you, begging and pleading for you to buy their land at the cheapest price possible. And then, they leave Ponyville, or perhaps even Equestria itself, forcing your daughter to see how pathetic Applebloom and her world view truly is."

Spoiled Rich's heart was pounding, and ambition was clouding her mind. She nodded her head with enthusiasm and said, "Yes. Of course I want that. . .but how could you make that happen?"

"What do you know of Starlight Glimmer?"

Spoiled shrugged and said, "Just that she's Princess Twilight's student and has very powerful magic. Apparently she's an ex-criminal or something."

"There is. . .a staff that she wielded at one point. That staff is key to my plans of destruction."

Spoiled nodded, "I see. . . So you want me to get it for you?"

The shadow nodded in response and said, "Now, let us discuss the terms of our new agreement. I will utterly destroy Sweet Apple Acres and ruin the livelihood of the Apple Family if you do three things. One, you aid me in my master plan to its conclusion, which means getting the objects I require and using them in the way I tell you to use them. Two, you allow me in inhabit your own shadow-."

"Stop," Spoiled Rich said sourly as she held out her right forehoof to the demon, "I will not have you possessing me in any way, shape, or form."

"It is not possession," the shadow said in an almost soothing manner, like a parent telling their child that a shot wouldn't hurt all that much, "I am currently bound to Applebloom and only her. What I am asking is for you to let me use your shadow as a second set of eyes and a means of communicating to you. Inhabiting your shadow will not allow me to take control of your body."

Spoiled was listening intently to the shadow's words. The fact that the demon could not lie within the octagram gave her some comfort, and she found no signs of trickery within the shadow's words. The image of the end of the Apple Family filled her with determination to see this through. So, she nodded and said, "Okay then. I understand, and I am fine with that. Now, what is your third condition?"

The shadow's smile seemed to grow wider yet again, and its eyes narrowed slightly as it said, "You will address me as Shadowbloom."

". . .Fine. I solemnly swear to abide by your terms in exchange for the destruction of Sweet Apple Acres and the Apple Family as you have planned, Shadowbloom," Spoiled said as she once again extended her hoof through octagram's invisible barrier.

"So shall it is said, so shall it be done," Shadowbloom said as a foreleg sprouted out from its body and shook Spoiled Rich's hoof.

The chills and icy breeze from last time returned with a vengeance, and there was a loud shattering as the octagram was obliterated from the floor, the candles thrown back as Shadowbloom dived down into the ground right beneath Spoiled Rich's hooves. She let out a shriek as she felt something latching onto her hooves, causing her to kick and stumbled around wildly as her heart pounded in terror.

However, the moment seemed to end as quickly as it started, leaving Spoiled Rich alone in the dark, quiet basement.

Still greatly unnerved, Spoiled Rich reached out to the lantern she had brought down with her and switched it on, bathing her in light.

"You should get some sleep, Spoiled Rich."

Spoiled turned quickly and looked down at her shadow, which now had two red glowing eyes and a glowing smile in it.

"Tomorrow is going to be a big day for us."

---

Spoiled Rich stepped off of the train and let out a sigh of relief that she'd arrived at her destination without incident. She took a moment to check that her hair was still tied in a bun, and that the long light pink dress she wore covered her Cutie Mark.

"I still can't believe how gullible my husband can be at times," she said to herself.

"The lie I provided for you was quite logical," Shadowbloom said in a voice only Spoiled could hear, "You are already the head of the school board, so the idea that you wished to create a group devoted to the safety of young colts and fillies is not all that hard to believe."

Spoiled Rich made a face as she briskly trotted onward, "But it would have fallen apart completely had he discovered that I was not boarding a train to Canterlot, but to this backwater town."

"It is called Our Town, the place where Starlight Glimmer once ruled using the staff we seek," Shadowbloom said as it peered up at Spoiled from her shadow, "Applejack told her little sister all about the events surrounding Starlight's first defeat here, and those details added to my own knowledge of magic clearly show an opportunity for us to achieve our ultimate goal."

Spoiled grinned wickedly and said, "As long as I get to hold the staff when we use it on Sweet Apple Acres!"

"Don't worry, you will be the one holding the staff soon enough," Shadowbloom said cryptically.

The short journey to Our Town was rather uneventful, and Spoiled Rich found herself largely unimpressed with it when she arrived. There were some new plants and greenery around, and the houses had all been recently painted.

"Hey! A new visitor!" a voice cried out.

Spoiled turned to see a white Earth Pony stallion approaching her.

"Welcome to Our Town, ma'am. My name's Double Diamond," he said with a smile.

"Remember the plan, Spoiled," Shadowbloom reminded her before the red eyes closed and the smile disappeared into her shadow.

Spoiled nodded and said to Double Diamond, "Thank you, gentlestallion. My name is Pink Milk.^* I am an author, and I'm writing a book about unique objects, special places, and strange occurrences all around Equestria. A unicorn by the name of Starlight Glimmer told me that this town would be the perfect subject for my book. Apparently she was responsible for something that had happened here. She seemed rather ashamed of it, but gave me permission to come here and ask around for details for my book."

Double Diamond's smile faded halfway through Spoiled's carefully rehearsed speech. He let out a said sigh at first, but then got a determined look on his face and said, "Well, if Starlight wants you to know. . ." Then he turned and said, "Follow me, Ms. Milk."

---

Double Diamond and Spoiled Rich stood within the long abandoned chamber. Once it had been a simple cave, then it had been a massive vault, and now it stood as a memorial to a horrible time that nopony wished would ever happen. Bits of smashed crystalline glass still remained on the cavern floor in front of the huge rectangular impression in the far wall. It was clear that no pony saw any need, nor felt any desire, to clean or maintain this haunting locale.

"I. . .almost can't believe that what you told me was true," Spoiled Rich said, sounding legitimately amazed and impressed for once in her life, "The very idea, that a unicorn could be powerful enough to remove Cutie Marks. . ."

Double Diamond nodded, seemingly lost in thought as he stared at the destroyed Cutie Mark Vault, "I know. . .but she did. And she really thought she was doing the right thing. She was alone and friendless for so long, and she was in so much pain. She must have thought that the only way to fix it would be for her to just . . .ya know. . .control everything I guess. Force ponies to stay with her. Of course, you can't make real friends that way. Princess Twilight and her friends showed that to her. . .and to all of us too, I suppose. We were all slaves to liar, but we either didn't see it or didn't want to see it."

"You confused, backwards idiots," Spoiled muttered to herself.

Double Diamond had still been deep in thought, so he turned to Spoiled and asked, "Hmm? Sorry, Ms. Milk, I didn't catch that."

Spoiled cleared her throat and said, "Ahem, yes, well, Starlight mentioned a staff of some kind. . ."

Double Diamond chuckled at this and said, "Oh, that. The Staff of Sameness. Huh! Yeah right. It as just a piece of wood. Starlight had to pretend that she had given up her Cutie Mark, and her magic, so she just carved a stick and acted like it was some kind of magical relic. It's kinda funny, when you think about it."

Spoiled stared at Double Diamond in wide eyed shock and said, "It was just a piece of wood?"

"Yup! Starlight created a spell to remove Cutie Marks all by herself. It's kinda creepy, sure, but still pretty impressive," Double Diamond replied with an awkward smile.

"Don't pay any attention to what he's saying. We need that staff," Shadowbloom said in Spoiled's ear.

Spoiled Rich shook off her surprise and said, "Well, then, incidentally, whatever became of that stick?"

Double Diamond didn't answer right away. Rather, he put a hoof to his chin and said thoughtfully, "I. . .don't know. . . Hmmm. Funnily enough, we actually ended up using it to destroy the vault." He looked around the cavern and said, "I'm pretty sure we just- aha, there it is!"

Double Diamond pointed with his right forehoof, and sure enough the Staff of Sameness lay forgotten, next to the far right side of the chamber.

"Can I have it?" Spoiled blurted out.

Double Diamond's head snapped over to her, surprised by the question. "Huh?" was all he could say.

Spoiled silently cursed herself, then put on a smile and said, "Oh, well, I'm sure that having it with me would help me with my book. That is, it's a unique object and I want to do it justice when I write about it."

Double Diamond blinked, then he said, "Well, I understand. But I really don't think you should take it with you-."

"You said it was just a piece of wood," Spoiled said flatly.

"Ms. Milk, please," Double Diamond said slowly, "I really think this cave should just be left the way it is. As kind of a. . .reminder of what happened her, so that it never happens again. Nopony, no creature, should have their originality taken away from them. Living creatures aren't dolls or gears or chess pieces-."

"I know all that!" Spoiled snapped, "I just want to borrow the stick!"

Double Diamond put his hoof down and said firmly, "I can't do that, Pink Milk. It all needs to stay here. And I don't think Starlight would be comfortable with you carrying it around either. I know it's just a piece of wood, but it's still a symbol of something serious, so it's gotta stay here!"

"He's standing in our way. Get ready for when I say 'now'," Shadowbloom said in Spoiled Rich's ear.

Double Diamond sighed and said apologetically, "Look, what happened here is still kinda painful for a lot of us. You don't know how it feels to have your Cutie Mark ripped off of you and held out of reach. You have every right to write about this, and you really should. But can't you just take a bunch of photos of the staff? Or just sit here a take some notes? You could even stay here in Our Town for a while until that part of your book is fin-."

The stallion froze mid-sentence as his eyes were drawn to something on the cavern wall to the left of the mare he was talking to. His eyes widened as he lifted his head up to stare at something quite tall. Double Diamond's widened eyes then began filled with terror as he stammered out, "Wha-wha-what is. . .?"

Spoiled Rich turned to look as well, and to her surprise, she saw that her shadow had fallen up against the wall, and had grown almost as tall as the cavern itself. What's more, the shadow had two glowing red eyes that looked down upon Double Diamond.

The stallion backed up, trembling in fear as he said, "What is that thing!?"

Shadowbloom's red smile appeared, and it said one word, "Now."

Spoiled Rich galloped towards the distracted Double Diamond, and as she skidded to a halt, she spun on her fore hooves and swung her rear hooves right at the stallion's head. The kick sent Double Diamond sprawling, and he fell on his side, knocked out cold by the blow.

The mare wasted no time in picking up the Staff of Sameness with her mouth and running out of the cave as fast as she could, already planning to give Our Town a wide berth on her way back to the train station.

---

Lucky for Spoiled Rich, the long walk to the cavern, combined with her taking the long way back to the train station, had killed quite a bit of time. It still left her with a fair chunk of time she was forced to wait out on the train station platform. The mare fidgeted and paced nervously, constantly looking behind her, worried that she'd see an angry mob charging towards her from the town. When the train finally pulled back into the station, Spoiled nearly cried tears of joy as she jumped on and retreated to compartment.

After locking the doors and pulling all the shades down, Spoiled rich let out a sigh of relief and let her tense body relax. However, she didn't have much time to relax as her shadow rose up against the doors and those now familiar red eyes and mouth appeared.

"The first step of the plan is complete," Shadowbloom said.

Spoiled raised an eyebrow at Shadowbloom and said, "But this staff doesn't have any power. What use is it to us?"

"You are forgetting. I have roamed throughout Equestria, going back and forth on it. For centuries. I have learned much magical knowledge. Enough knowledge to know that when a unicorn uses an object as conduit for the same spell many times, those magical energies can become ingrained in that object. So much so that, under the right circumstances, the object can be used to cast the spell without the original unicorn."

A big, malicious smile that rivaled that of Shadowbloom's in terms of creepiness spread across Spoiled Rich's face. She let out a quick cackled and said, "Of course! I'll rip the Cutie Marks off of the the entire Apple Family. Those idiotic country bumpkins don't deserve special talents! And without their Cutie Marks, their worthless farm will-."

"The staff only has enough energy to fire the spell once" Shadowbloom interrupted.

Spoiled Rich's smile fell flat at this, "What? Only once?" Spoiled scowled and said, "Well, fine, I'll just take Applebloom's-."

"None of the Apples are our target," Shadowbloom said, the ghost of a chuckle in her voice.

"Well then who is?!" Spoiled Rich shouted in annoyance.

"All in due time," Shadowbloom said calmly, "Now, do you remember the lie a provided for you to tell your husband?"

Spoiled nodded, "Yes. About creating an organization dedicated to protecting children."

"We are going to make it real."

"How will that destroy Sweet Apple Acres?" Spoiled Rich demanded impatiently.

"All in due time," Shadowbloom repeated, but then it said, "But it involves the worst nightmare Ponyville has ever experienced. . .well. . .two of them, to be precise."

Author's Note:

*

Nom Yen (นมเย็น) or Thai pink milk is a refreshing drink commonly sold, along with Thai iced tea, on the streets of Thailand. In Thai, "nom" means milk, while "yen," in this case, means iced. Literally, nom yen means iced milk but when we're talking about the name of a drink, it more specifically means this Thai pink milk. Though, recently many have adopted the cuter name that is nom chompoo, which translates to pink milk. So you might hear Thai people use those names interchangeably when they're talking about this pink drink.

-Quoted from cookingwithnart.com