Star Shade took a deep breath as she approached the Castle of the Two Sisters. She was grateful that the bridge was much sturdier after being repaired; she was scared enough about coming to this place and the last thing she needed was to fall into a misty gorge in the middle of the night.
“You really used to live here?” she asked, her voice hushed as if she was afraid somepony would be around to listen.
“Indeed,” replied an older mare’s voice in her head. The voice took the form of a tall Unicorn, almost Princess Luna’s height. She was dark and translucent, like a shadow come to life. “And it was in much better shape when I did, I assure you.”
The shadowy mare was Night Spark, Star Shade’s ancestor from over a thousand years ago. She was an aspiring wizard studying under Princess Celestia herself, but their philosophies created a wedge in their relationship; Night Spark wanted to learn and study dark magic, so she could develop counter-spells and cures for curses. Princess Celestia had refused her every time, saying dark magic was too dangerous for anypony but an Alicorn to control.
Night Spark’s frustration and anger broiled into desperation, and she decided to prove her mastery of dark magic by successfully conjuring a soul-transfer spell on herself. Her body was destroyed in battle against the Princesses, but her spirit had been moved into a pendant, which laid dormant in Canterlot for centuries until her descendent came to collect it. She was a model student at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and she had done a good job keeping her secret.
Star Shade pressed a hoof against the pendant. The black fire inside was much stronger than the flicker it had been when she’d acquired it from the backstreet curios shop.
She looked back at her saddlebags, bulging with the items Night Spark had told her to get. Some were bought, some were stolen. A necessary evil, the witch had assured her.
“You’re nervous,” the voice said.
Star Shade nodded. “I just don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“My body will be restored and I will leave your mind. What’s there to be nervous about that?”
“What if somepony finds us? Like the Princesses?”
“You let me worry about them,” Night Spark said, the shadow’s muzzle moulding into a smile. “All we need to do is travel to my chambers and begin the process. At least that is still standing. Honestly, did Celestia just fire the cleaning staff?”
Star Shade rolled her eyes and looked back at the castle. A thousand years ago, the Royal Sisters ruled here with a magnificent castle she had only seen in illustrations. But after it was mostly destroyed when Princess Luna was banished to the moon, Celestia abandoned it and had a new castle built in Canterlot.
“Such a self-congratulating eyesore,” Night Spark had said when she first saw it.
Now, the Castle of the Two Sisters was reduced to almost nothing. What was left of the outer walls was overrun with moss, trees sticking out of the side. Only a pair of tall towers remained somewhat intact, the top of the leftmost one being where Night Spark’s chambers once were.
The full moon had risen behind the ruins, and Star Shade felt her chest ache. It was almost like Princess Luna was watching her, daring her to do the deed.
A caw got the student’s attention, and she looked up to see a raven flying toward her. It swooped around and landed on her back.
“It seems Dunwich didn’t find anypony inside,” said Night Spark. The raven proudly raised his head. “Come now, while the night is still with us.” The tall silhouette evaporated.
Star Shade took a deep breath and climbed the steps to the doors, weeds sprouted between the ancient stones. She carefully pushed one of the doors open with a loud creak.
The entrance hall was dank and unwelcoming. The doorways to each side led to darkness, and the floor was littered with fallen pillars, weeds and moss. The banners above the balcony over the divided staircase were tattered and torn, the embroidered Royal Sisters and their colours almost faded into nothing. Night Spark got a good chortle out of it.
Star Shade walked through old wooden doors and dark doorways. The hallways were silent apart from the occasional howl of a breeze, the echoed clops of the Unicorn’s hooves on the stone floor, and Night Spark’s directing her descendent through to the tower.
Star Shade, despite her reluctance, was impressed. Despite spending a thousand years under a shop counter and the castle being misshapen from destruction and centuries of neglect, she still knew her away around like the back of her hoof. She even knew secret doors hidden behind the walls!
Though, with sconces either missing or unable to light, she only had the glow of her horn to light a short distance ahead of her.
She flinched when she came across a row of armour suits, standing stalwart by the wall. They were covered in dust, rust and cobwebs, but she could still make out their colours. One side had yellow-ish armour, the other blue.
“Ahh, the old armours,” Night Spark sighed. “Reminds me of that very night. Much more regal than the current designs, don’t you think?”
Star Shine was less fond of the suits. She couldn’t help but feel like they were going to come to life any moment and chase her.
“I wonder if the old organ in the basement still works,” Night Spark mused as the two mares rounded a corner. “If we can somehow get it to play during my resurrection, it would make for some good dramatic-- trap door.” She smirked as the smaller Unicorn halted mid-step before a square tile and crept around it.
A door led back outside, into what Star Shade assumed used to be a courtyard. Overgrown grass and weeds made her think she was in a field for a moment. The tower stood tall before them, pieces of the walls and roof missing.
Star Shade bit her lip, and looked to her side. She saw a big chunk of the wall separating the courtyard from the outside. She furrowed her brow.
“Wait, we could have just gone through the hole in that wall there.”
Night Spark tilted her head. “Yes?”
“Instead of the dark halls and almost going down trapdoors.”
“True.”
“So why didn’t we?”
“My old home may be in some disrepair, but I’m still quite proud of it.” Night Spark shrugged. “I may have it restored when I have my body back too.”
“It was all dark in there. And there were creepy suits of armour and trap doors. Were you trying to scare me as well?”
“Did I scare you?”
“A little bit.”
Night Spark nodded. “It will suffice.”
Star Shade rolled her eyes and walked into the tower. It wasn’t nearly as dark as the castle corridors, thanks to the patches of moonlight getting through the walls. She climbed up the spiral staircase, Night Spark floating behind her.
At the top, she pushed through the single door. Inside was a round room, the walls lined with shelves. Books and tomes were scattered all over the floor, their pages yellowed and ruined by centuries of rain damage. A workdesk laid on its side by the wall, next to it a thin black pole with a perch on top. Dunwich hopped off Star Shade’s back and landed on it, happily ruffling his feathers. A bed was overturned beneath a huge wall in the ceiling.
“Of course the bird’s seat is fine,” Night Spark mumbled. “And all my books, ruined or missing. Some filthy thieves have been here, but I’ll worry about that another time.”
“What about your new skylight?” Star Shade remarked, nodding up to the hole.
“It’s nice, I suppose,” Star Shade said with a wave of her hoof, “but it’s still too dark. Lift the table and light the candles, would you? We need to see what we’re doing in here.”
Star Shade used her magic to right the table and lift the candles and holders from her bag, setting them on the desktop and lighting them. She set a few on the shelves around the room, giving a warm glow.
“Much better,” Night Spark said. “Now, you brought the book, yes?”
“You know I did,” Star Shade said, and used her magic to levitate a book from her bag. Its pages were yellow and coarse, and its binding was black and rough, the cover almost like a pony’s face distorted in pain. Just looking at it made her feel uneasy.
“Just felt I should ask,” said Night Spark. “You remember which page the--ah, a bookmark. Clever girl. Well, the night is still on our side. Let’s begin.”
Star Shade bit her lip and took a stick of chalk from her bag.
Twilight Sparkle leaned on the balcony of her castle, taking a deep breath as she looked over how peaceful Ponyville was at night. It gave her a moment to think. Being the Element of Magic, the Princess of Friendship and the Headmare of the School of Friendship were all important jobs, but she balanced them all surprisingly well. She allowed herself a grin for that.
Then, something in the distance caught her eye. Some kind of glow. It came from the direction of her friend Fluttershy’s cottage.
No, beyond it.
The Everfree Forest? Perhaps Zecora was working on a new potion?
No, even further beyond.
She was sure that glow was not common. Part of her wanted to investigate.
Her ears pricked up from a knock at the door. Who could that be at this time of night? She figured she could answer this time, so Spike didn’t have to get out of bed.
Her horn glowed, and with a soft pop of magic she was stood behind the front doors of the castle. A purple aura surrounded the handle and pulled the door open.
“Hell--oh!” she gasped, looking at her visitors.
“Twilight, come with us,” said Princess Celestia, desperation in her voice. “We need your assistance.”
“What’s going on?” asked Twilight. “Are we under attack?”
“It is too much of a possibility for us to ignore,” answered Princess Luna. “We called for you because your expertise in magic will likely be required.”
“Ooh, a magical problem?” the purple alicorn gasped, sounding a little more excited than the Royal Sisters had expected. She felt a warmth in her cheeks and cleared her throat. “So, what are we possibly dealing with?”
“Come with us,” said Celestia, walking away from the door. Twilight followed, shutting it behind her. “Luna and I will explain everything on the way.”
The three Princesses spread their wings and took off toward the Everfree Forest.
Dunwich swooped in from the huge hole and landing on his perch. He flapped his wings and cawed with alarm.
“Just as I expected,” said Night Spark. “Dunwich says our guests are on their way.”
Star Shade groaned, her horn pulsing with a sharp ache. “N-not… not yet…”
“Not to worry, dear,” the older mare murmured softly, “you let me deal with them. In fact, would it be okay if I talked to them for a little bit before we finish the process? It won’t take long.”
“Y-...y-yes…”
“Thank you, dear. It will all be over soon.”
The black flame blazed violently inside the pendant.
The Princesses flew low as they neared the castle ruins, and softly landed in front of the tower. The doors laid open wide.
“She used to live here?” whispered Twilight, her voice peppered with a hint of jealousy.
Luna nodded. “And it is where we confronted her before. Now it seems we must do it again.”
“We can’t act hastily,” warned Celestia. “We don’t know what she’ll be doing up there.”
The three slowly slipped through the doorway and up the spiral stairs. Twilight wasn’t sure how to feel. Nervous? Excited? She was a mixture of both. Nervous because she could be facing a serious threat if it had the Royal Sisters themselves acting wary. Excited because it was a potential magical threat, which meant she could put her vast knowledge to the test.
On the top floor was a single door, light glowing inside from around it. Whatever this threat was, it was behind this ancient, rotted wood.
Twilight slowly opened the door and dared a peek through the crack. A magic circle had been etched onto the stone floor. A young Unicorn mare floated in the middle of it, her eyes closed. Her body was almost limp, like she was asleep. A pendant floated beside her, a black fire burning like it was trying to break free.
The three Alicorns entered, and Celestia put a hoof to her mouth in shock.
“Star Shade?” she gasped. She slowly approached the mare. “Star Shade, can you hear me? It’s--”
Star Shade’s head snapped up. Her eyes were black and missing their pupils. Her smirk didn’t fit on her face.
“Princess Celestia,” said Night Spark. “It’s been a long time.”
Celestia stepped back. Her breathing quickened. “You…!”
“Oh, you remember,” said Night Spark. “I’m touched, honestly. I see Luna’s back from her little trip to the moon, and…” she trailed off as she saw Twilight peeking her head out. Her smirk grew. “Well well, and who have we here?”
Twilight took a breath and stepped out, chest puffed. “I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship.”
“Ahh, the elusive Twilight Sparkle. I’ve heard that you’re the latest ‘personal student’ of hers.” Night Spark nodded Star Shade’s head to Celestia.
“And you were the first, Night Spark?”
“Oh, so she did tell you? Now there’s a surprise, I thought I was going to be the skeleton in the royal closet for all time.”
Luna stomped forward, ready to have her say. “Enough of this prattle, witch! Release Star Shade from your imprisonment!”
“Imprisonment?” Night Spark repeated, then chuckled. “I’m not hurting her, I’ve just been using her as a vessel for the past few months. Consensually, of course.”
“What are you going to do with her?” Celestia demanded.
“Don’t mistake me, she’s in no danger at all. She’ll be a little unconscious when I’m done, but she’s done so well keeping my return a secret, I think I owe her a chance to return to her regular life.”
“For your own sake,” Luna growled, “you had better adhere to that.”
Night Spark giggled, then looked to Twilight, who was looking down at the magic circle. “Admiring my little helper’s work?”
“This is a reanimation circle,” Twilight said, then looked up at Night Spark. “Your body was destroyed a thousand years ago, and you used the soul transfer spell to keep yourself alive in that pendant.”
Night Spark nodded, puppeting Star Shade’s hoof in a ‘Go on’ gesture.
“But body restoration takes a lot of magic,” Twilight continued, “so you’ve been waiting for a thousand years until you were powerful enough to proceed with it.”
“Ahh, a fellow scholar,” Night Spark chortled. Twilight looked disgusted by the compliment. “You’re absolutely correct.
The Princesses watched, horns aglow and ready to attack, as Night Spark lowered her possessed body to the floor. The pendant landed softly at her hooves.
“It already took a lot of magic to enchant this pendant to house a soul,” she explained, “and even more to move my soul into it. So when my body was sent to oblivion--thank you again for that, Celestia--I had to take some time to gather my power back.
“Why do you think I hid in Canterlot for so many centuries? It has the highest population of Unicorns in Equestria, so I could subtly gather their magic. Just little trickles that nopony would ever notice. Not even the Royal Sisters.”
Twilight’s discomfort grew at the thought of her own magic being used to fuel a dark pony’s revival. “But where did you learn how to take magic?”
“You’d be surprised what you’d take to researching after a history lesson,” Night Spark said, “especially a particular one about a certain centaur. By your face, I’m guessing you know of him, Twilight?”
Twilight had stepped back, eyes wide with terror. Just what kind of pony was Night Spark, that she’d talk about stealing others’ magic so casually?
“And what if we stop you from getting your body back?” she asked.
“Well, truth be told I’ll be a bit miffed,” Night Spark admitted. “I went to a lot of trouble for this. Waited a thousand years and all. But you’ll have a bit of trouble stopping me now.”
“And why is that?” asked Celestia.
“Because the final, crucial step has just been completed.”
Night Spark raised a hoof. Luna stepped forward.
“And what is this ‘final, crucial step’?”
“Keep you all talking long enough for the moon to get into position.”
The Princesses looked up to the hole. The moon was shining through it, pale glow covering the circle.
The Princesses moved to act, and froze at the shatter of glass.
A streak of black flames rose from the pendant and swirled around Night Spark. Her possessed body twitched, eyes squinting, teeth bared and muscles convulsing. She moaned and gasped, her horn spitting violent sparks of black and purple. The flames grew bigger and stronger, enveloping her in a blazing abyss in the centre of the room. The magic circle’s white lines turned purple.
“We need to help Star Shade!” Twilight yelled, and tried to fire a tether of purple magic toward the fire. The purple blast disappeared on contact, and was met with a pulse of black energy, sending the Alicorns hurtling into the wall and smashing the rotted shelves.
They took a moment to stand and check for injuries before turning their attention back to Night Spark. The flames flowed up above her in a flickering orb, and her horn spewed out dark energy into it. Her screams changed. The blackness drained up from Star Shade’s eyes, her pupils rolled up into her head.
She collapsed on the floor and the dark energy convulsed with the black fire, spinning more and more hectically before another pulse doused the candlelights. The raven cawed in shock as his perch was toppled.
The blob of black magic and fire began to take a form as it lowered to the ground. A svelte body, not unlike Luna’s, with tall legs standing over Star Shade’s body. A narrow face formed over a thin neck. The blackness shifted to both ends to reveal a violet-coated Unicorn, and formed a long mane and tail, straight and black as a moonless night. Her cutie mark was of a rolled-up scroll with spread black wings. She looked over herself, and her muzzle contorted with a smirk.
The raven landed on her back, and the candles lit themselves with black flames.
“Finally,” Night Spark sighed at last. “Finally, after a thousand years. I have the power, and the body. I have returned!”
Twilight backed toward the door as the new mare enjoyed a cackle mixed with pure evil and delight. “No…!”
Celestia and Luna could only stare, defeated. “This… this can’t be happening…!”
“It can be,” Night Spark said, her cold blue eyes fixed right on the Princesses, “and it is. Thank you for still being as chatty as you were a thousand years ago, I was actually counting on it.”
“Enough of this, Night Spark!” demanded Twilight, steeling her nerve with a stomp. “Give Star Shade back!”
Night Spark looked between her legs and, with a shrug, lifted the unconscious mare in a purple aura, darker than Twilight’s. “Very well. She’s served her purpose anyway.”
Celestia caught Star Shade before she hit the ground from Night Spark tossing her toward them. “You have your body back. Are you happy now?”
“Well, almost,” the dark mare admitted. “My body’s restoration required a lot of magic, so I’ll need to go into hiding for a little while. But don’t you worry, Princesses. We shall see each other again, and it will be such fun.”
Night Spark allowed herself another cackle before vanishing in a flash.
The three Alicorns stood in silence in the room, nopony being certain of what to say or even think.
“What will we do now?” Twilight finally asked.
“We can only prepare ourselves for what Night Spark may have planned next,” Luna said, and looked down at Star Shade, still floating in Celestia’s golden magic. Her face was peaceful, as was her breathing. “We must also consider this one’s protection.”
Celestia tapped her hoof on her chin, then raised her head. “Indeed. My school might not be safe for her.”
Twilight’s ears pricked up and her eyes widened. “I might just have a solution.”
Star Shade dragged her suitcase behind her as she walked through Ponyville, frowning and trying to avoid speaking to anypony. She wasn’t feeling too ecstatic about this new arrangement her parents and Princesses Celestia and Twilight had made for her; she didn’t think she was in that dire need of friends.
And yet, there she was, walking toward the School of Friendship. A place she always thought was made for those who were either too introverted or too awkward to know how to socialise. She wondered for a moment which one she was. Probably a mixture.
At least she got to take some time to recover and then enjoyed a peaceful summer break, practicing and researching different forms of magics. Safe forms of magic; She vowed to stay far away from dark magic for a long time, no matter how curious she got.
She wasn’t going to go through that again. If she didn’t see Night Spark again, it’d be too soon. Just remembering her name made her uneasy. She and her parents dared not to tell the Princesses about their relation to the witch; the last thing they wanted was suspicion.
She shook her head and she kept walking down the path toward the School. There was nothing she could do now but make the most of the situation.
She stared in awe as the School of Friendship came into view. It was definitely an impressive looking place, set in front of some hills and waterfalls and surrounded by lush countryside. The School was practically built over a pond, too. Much more impressive than just another building on the city street that the School for Gifted Unicorns was, as much as she liked it there.
She looked around her as not only Ponies, but Changelings, Yaks, Griffons and even Dragons were approaching the School. She swore she even caught a glimpse of a Hippogriff.
This would definitely be more interesting than staying surrounded by Unicorns, she figured. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all?
She walked forward toward the front doors, trying to avoid eye contact with anycreature for the time being. She could start making friends when she felt the need to.
As she crossed the stone bridge leading to the door, and pictured herself hopping across the surfaced stones in the pond, she spotted a Dragon ahead of her. Female with red and gold scales, and looked to be around her age if she remembered her Dragon physiology.
She flinched as the reptilian creature tripped on an incline and collapsed in a heap, dropping her books all over the platform. Some looked at her with pity, some giggled.
She blinked as she spotted one of the dropped books was hanging off the edge of the platform, daring to take a dip into the pond. And if there was one thing Star Shade hated, it was ruined books.
“Oh no!” The Dragon gasped, and set the stack she’d regathered on the ground before practically diving for the dangling book. “No no no no!”
The Dragon froze as a navy blue aura of magic surrounded the book, and she looked back to see Star Shade’s horn glowing the same blue.
“It’s okay,” she assured her, “I’ve got it.”
“Oh, thank you,” she said, standing up and taking the book from the air. “You’re a lifesaver! Or, well, a booksaver.”
Star Shade shrugged. “Yeah, well, I know what it’s like to lose a good book to water damage. It’s why I never drink while I read anymore.”
The Dragon gave a nervous, awkward grin. “I hear that. Your first day too?”
“Yup,” said the Unicorn, returning the grin, and held out a hoof. “I’m Star Shade.”
“I’m Ruby,” the dragon replied, wrapping her claws around the hoof and they shook. “You wanna be friends?”
Star Shade shrugged. “It’s the School of Friendship, I think we’re kinda obligated to be friends now.”
The two walked together into the School, unaware of the black raven watching them from the tree.
