Paper Spike and the Thousand Year Door

by Sakunyan

Chapter Twenty One: Shadow Queen

Chapter Twenty One: Shadow Queen

Sweetie Belle, Spike, and Twilight tried with all their strength to get past the stallion guards and free Rarity. They were dragging her off to some location beyond them and Filthy Rich and Diamond Tiara were walking along with them, heavily guarded themselves.

"Let her go!" Spike yelled. Twilight tried to use her magic against them, but some retaliated with their own magic, making it useless. Rarity reached out to the group as they dragged her away. They finally stopped at the top of a set of stairs in front of an unopened chest.

"Finally… the moment we've been waiting for, for so long. It's finally arrived. Imagine all the power we will possess, my daughter!" The guards formed a barrier around the two and Rarity, preventing Twilight and the others to reach Rarity. At Filthy Rich's command, two of the guards set Rarity down in front of the chest, she too weak to move from the spot.

"My lady, we have brought you our sacrifice. Now take the body of this mare and let your power rise and grow. Let yourself revive and help me in your name. Show us your great powers, oh Shadow Queen!" As he spoke, the chest began quivering, a dark aura forming around it. The group couldn't see what was going on, but Rarity was fearing for the worst, though she knew she could do nothing. The lid of the chest flew open suddenly, a wave of shadows flooding out into the air like a dark, menacing cloud. The sounds of whispering filled the air, striking fear into Rarity's chest.

"What… is that, Twilight?" Spike asked, shaking with fear. She was too terrified herself to respond, nor did she even know the answer. They watched in awe as the shadow formation twisted through the air down to Rarity, her unblinking.

"Take my sacrifice, Shadow Queen. Rise up and regain the power you once possessed!" The shadows quickly surrounded the Unicorn, trapping her in a vortex of darkness. The shadows penetrated her chest, causing her to fall over, wincing in pain. The shadows lifted her into the air, still flowing from the chest and increasing in size at a fast pace.

"Rarity! What's happening to her?" Her eyes had gone dark, yet she still seemed to be trying to fight for control of her body. She tried to use her magic with the strength she had left, but the shadow overtook it, turning her blue magic a dark, dull purple. She screamed and writhed in pain, but it stopped once the shadow had taken its final form. It now looked like a large, shadowy mare with Rarity trapped at its center. The Shadow Queen was now living once again.

"This is magnificent! Better than I ever dreamed to be possible! My Queen, you and I together shall take over this filthy planet! Your powers go beyond even that of the greatest Unicorns! You can't be stopped!" Filthy Rich laughed evilly while Diamond Tiara gaped beside him, unsure of how to feel about the shadowy form.

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle squeaked, more worried about the state of her sister than the monster that loomed ahead. Filthy Rich beckoned for his guards to part.

"Now, Shadow Queen, my first command is that you dispose of these filthy creatures that are so persistent in stopping me. They've become a nuisance and for that must die." The shadow beast began floating towards them, the strange whispers still filling the air. Twilight was filled with dread, not sure of what she should do.

"Spike, do you have any…" Spike looked up at her with worry. Twilight was never the one to ask him for help, so he knew how dire the situation was.

"Twilight… I… I don't know." She was hoping his attitude of persistence hadn't given up yet, but was too afraid to know. Sweetie Belle stared past the shadows at her sister, who was trapped in the vortex of darkness. Tears began streaming down her face as her mind went blank. She had no idea of what to do, and that worried her more than anything.

"M-maybe the Elements?"

"They're with Princess Celestia and the other ponies are who knows where. Besides, you couldn't even use them without Rarity!" Twilight bit down on her lip, trying to prevent herself from crying. Fluttershy walked up to her and leaned on her shoulder, crying herself. Scootaloo tried to soothe Sweetie Belle.

"Rarity! I know you can hear me! Please, fight harder! Just try to beat that thing, I know you can!" Filthy Rich began laughing beside the Queen.

"Do you really think the simple sound of your voice can save her, dragon? The Shadow Queen is so much more powerful than Rarity is, she wouldn't be able to free herself if she had the strength of Princess Celestia." Spike glared at him, but realized how small their chance of winning was. "Now, my Queen, let's rid of this group once and for all." The Shadow Queen's shadowy horn glowed with a dark, gloomy light, Rarity's glowing as well. The magic shot forward, but was suddenly matched with a different beam of magic.

"Twilight!" Spike cried out as she tried to hold it back. It was much more powerful than her and was gaining a quick advantage.

"Run, Spike! Get back to Canterlot and bring Princess Celestia! I'll distract them as long as I can!"

"What? There's no way I'm going to leave you, Twi! I would never do that!" She held the magic at bay longer, but there was no way she would win.

"Rarity… I'm… sorry…" Suddenly, though, the magic was canceled out before either had a chance to reach its opponent. Twilight looked back to see what had happened.

"Twilight Sparkle! We have come while my sister watches over the lands of Equestria! She has sent us forward to aid you in your mission." Princess Luna bowed before her and Spike, but quickly returned to her prepared stance. "Shadow Queen, you shall not attempt to rule over Equestria once again. We shall banish you once more!"

"Foolish Princess, you cannot defeat me alone. You no longer wield the Elements of Harmony, either, so you shall not win." The voice of the Shadow Queen was one that sent shivers up the spines of the group, a voice that seemed to be from beyond the grave and the realms of light. Luna stood her grounds.

"Thou may think the advantage is in their favor, but we are much stronger now than before. Besides that, we have our own aid." She shot a magical beam from her horn at the Shadow Queen, but it was matched. "Twilight Sparkle, we need you to come to our aid." Twilight nodded and combined her magic with Princess Luna's. Their combined abilities began to overtake the magic of the Shadow Queen.

"What? Impossible!" Filthy Rich cried out. "You can't let them win this easily!" The Shadow Queen laughed sinisterly.

"There's no way they could possibly win this easily. I have not shown them my true powers yet." She reared back and the shadows grew around her. The magic from her horn grew stronger and pushed against Twilight's and Luna's quickly, causing them to fall to the ground.

"Twilight! Princess Luna!" Spike and Fluttershy ran to the two, helping them get back up, as they were weary. Sweetie Belle pushed Scootaloo's hoof from her shoulder and stepped forward to confront the Shadow Queen.

"Let my sister go! You can't keep her like this forever!"

"Ahh, but I believe she can, young Sweetie Belle. Do you regret your decision now to not hand over the Element in exchange for you sister?" She wanted to say yes, but Rarity had seemed happy that she had kept her word. Besides that, she knew they could get out of this, she just needed a plan. What the plan could be, she didn't know. She looked over at Spike.

"Spike! Do you think it's possible we could try to break through and free her? I think if she just hears the voices of those who love her, she might be able to regain some of her strength!" Spike looked over at her, agreeing.

"But I tried that and my voice alone wasn't enough."

"I have a plan, though! It might be dangerous, so you have to let me know if you're in for it!" Spike took no time to consider.

"I'll do it, just tell me what I need to do." Sweetie Belle nodded and turned away.

"Fluttershy! We need you to fly us into the Shadow Queen!"

"What? Are you crazy? No no no, that is NOT a good idea, Sweetie Belle! I couldn't possibly do that!" Sweetie Belle began looking frustrated.

"Fluttershy, we have to do it! It might be the only way to save Rarity!"

"But… I don't know if I can… I…" Spike gave her a hard stare.

"Fluttershy, you've been saying things like that this whole time, but look at how much you've accomplished! I know you can do it. You have to. Do it for Rarity!" Fluttershy looked over at the Shadow Queen, who had begun to do battle with Princess Luna and Twilight once again. She gulped.

"W-what do you need me to do, exactly?"

"Do you think you could carry both of us?" Fluttershy nodded to Sweetie Belle, although she wasn't sure if it was actually possible. "Good, then get ready to fly us as close to Rarity as possible." Fluttershy squeaked as they climbed onto her back. "You can do it, Fluttershy!"

The Pegasus lifted herself into the air, flapping her wings harder than she normally did to compensate for the extra weight. Once in the air, she gazed into the body of the Shadow Queen, scouting out Rarity. Down below, Scootaloo ran up to Twilight and Princess Luna.

"Keep her distracted as long as you can! We can't have her attacking Fluttershy, make sure she focuses her magic on you two!" The two nodded in understanding, pushing their magic to the limit. Scootaloo signaled up to Fluttershy, who began homing in on Rarity.

"Can I even pass through the shadows?" she asked Spike and Sweetie Belle with a fearful tone.

"I-I don’t know, you just have to try!" Fluttershy whimpered as she approached the vortex. Luckily, they're plan was working as the Shadow Queen was focused on overcoming Twilight and Princess Luna. Filthy Rich, though, had taken notice of the trio.

"My Queen, look above you! They're trying to stop you, stop them before it's too late!" The Shadow Queen, though, was too focused on her opponents to look over. Fluttershy, although frightened, quickly flew through a gap in the shadow. Inside the Shadow Queen was empty except for Rarity, who was being held by ropes of dark material. Fluttershy flew in close enough to see into Rarity's now dull, pitch black eyes. She didn't seem to take notice of them.

"Rarity! Can you hear me?"

"Big sister! I know you're there, please, snap out of this!" Rarity took no heed of their words, still staring lifelessly.

"Shadow Queen, please! Stop them, quickly!" She increased her magic to overcome the two, who were more prepared, but were still losing their advantage slowly. Spike and Sweetie Belle persisted in their efforts.

"Rarity, please! Listen to me! Push the Shadow Queen away and be free! I know you can do it, you just have to follow our voices!" Sweetie Belle had begun to cry again, leaving Spike to speak in coherent sentences.

"Sister… p-please, come back! Come back!" The young filly reached out a hoof to her sister's lifeless body and Fluttershy flew in closer in response. She touched Rarity's fur, but retreated quickly as the shadows felt as though they burned her skin. She shook off the pain and tried again, hugging her sister. Tears still flooded from her eyes.

"Sweetie Belle…" Spike leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Rarity as well. "We can get through to her. I know we can." They hugged her tightly, careful not to lose their balance. "Rarity, please listen to us. We all love you and we just want you back." A tear fell down his cheek as well. Rarity's eyelids fluttered, her eyes beginning to fade back to their normal color.

"S… Spike? Sweetie Belle?" Within an instant, all of the shadow vanished back into the chest. Rarity, Spike, and Sweetie Belle found themselves falling through the air, Fluttershy attempting to catch them. Princess Luna rushed through the air in time to help her bring them safely to the ground.

"No, it's impossible! You destroyed my Queen! How could this happen!" Filthy Rich fell to his knees. "You couldn't possibly do this… yet, my Queen…" He glared at them, but his expression turned to one of fear as Princess Luna approached him.

"Thou has attempted to awaken the powers of the Shadow Queen. Does thou not know the consequences of one's actions? For that, you shall pay under the divine judgment of the Princesses." Diamond Tiara and Filthy Rich trembled beneath her might. "You shall return with us to Canterlot to receive your punishment. Come." They rose up, heads hung low, and followed her. "Twilight Sparkle, Spike. We are certain Princess Celestia will wish to see you and your friends soon enough. We wish you a good day, but we have further business to attend to."