Being a mom is though without assassins trying to kill you every other day.
Crystal is a unicorn mare who meets with her friends for tea, raises her son, and loves her lover. But this apparently average pony has a problem. A secret organization wants her six feet under!
"Come on Crystal just one listen." Crystal sat across from a white unicorn with a jaggedly cut purple mane. Sitting next to her was a well groomed grey earth pony.
Vinyl, you really shouldn't try and force your musical preferences on others."
"Says the pony that makes me go to every single one of her boring concerts."
"I don't find Tavia's concert's boring." Inserted a cream colored mare.
"Thank you Bon-Bon"
"How do you play the cello so well without fingers?" As with most of her comments, all the sea foam green unicorn got blank stairs from all of her friends.
"What I don't understand is why none of your mares found yourself a good stallion like me."
"Yeah he was a great guy, the custody battle lasted for what a year or so?"
Vinyl's question made the pale blue unicorn look down in shame. "It was only eight months"
Lyra then came to her friends defense. " Well she's over him now, and is seeing someone on new!"
Octavia looked shocked. "Is it true Crystal are you dating again?"
Crystal smiled a bit. "Well, yeah."
"Tell us all about him." coaxed Bon-Bon
"Well his name is Shadow Blade. He's a black pegasus, with white mane. Very handsome."
"That's of the utmost importance." said Vinyl
"He likes fencing, archery, and speed flying"
"Sounds like quite the sportsman." Lyra said.
"Sportspony." Bon-Bon corrected.
"That's what I said"
"Other than that he keeps to himself."
"A mysterious one I see." Octavia gave her a mischievous grin.
"You when ya, seeing him again?" asked Vinyl
"Tonight actually He's treating me to a fancy dinner and everything."
"Well good for you." Lyra said.
"Make sure and tell us how it goes." Bon-Bon pressed.
"Of course."
.........
Crystal's home was fairly modern compared to the one's around it. She made sure her lawn was well kept, and that her flowers were well watered. a fairly average home if you asked any pony. "I'm home!"
"Hi, mom." her eleven year old son was sitting on the couch playing a video game.
"How was the first day of school?"
"It was great." the grey colt kept his eyes glued to the TV.
"Did you like you teacher?"
"Yeah Miss.Cheerilee was great."
"How 'bout your class mates are they treating you right?"
"Yeah they were great."
"Are you just going to keep calling everything great until I leave you alone?"
"yup"
Crystal smiles."Ok then." She starts ascending the steps. "Oh and Silver Spark."
"Yeah mom?"
"I'm going out on a date with Shadow tonight so please don't destroy the house while I'm away."
"Sure thing mom."
.........
Cyrstal and Shadow were sitting across from each other in a five star restaurant. Both Shadow and Crystal ordered a salad. It was an average date. Throughout the night the couple laughed and chatted happily. Until the conversation took a strange turn.
"I can't believe you can go reservations for place. The wait line for this must be massive!" She was wearing a tight fitting black dress and pear ear rings.
"My organization, has connections." Shadow was were a black suit over a black dress shirt with an unbuttoned collar.
"Who do you work for anyways?"
Shadow leans closer. "I'm not meant to tell you this. But..." Looks around. "I'm part of a secret society called the shadow council."
Crystal gives him a disbelieving smile. "the shadow council? Let me guess they control Celestia's every move."
"Well not her every move."
"If this meal wasn't so good I'd be outta here right now." She forked another bite into her mouth.
"Yeah pretty unbelievable story right?" He looks down at his own salad. "The true is I work in a office in Canterlot."
"Now that's believable,"
.........
After dinner Shadow took Crystal back to her house. "Thank you for the wonderful night." she gave him a peck on the check.
"When can I see you again?"
"You can see me any time but you can take me out next Tuesday."
"Next Tuesday then." Shadow walked away. While he was passing by a dark alleyway a gruff voice called out to him.
"The council is disappointed with you." Shadow looked around then walked into then ally way.
"Listen man, the mare didn't even believe me."
"That doesn't matter..."
.........
After Shadow left Crystal she noticed something on the front step. "He dropped his wallet!"
Crystal looked around then deiced to pursue Shadow. After running for a while she stopped. Then she heard some pony talking in the ally way.
"That doesn't matter. You told her about us. You are a traitor to the plan!" Crystal put her back against the wall and looked in.
"Well maybe I don't want to be part of the plan!"
Is that shadow?
As Shadow tried to flee a gloved hand reached out. The creature caught Shadows tail and lifted him up.
Is that one of the humans Lyra keeps babbling about?
"YOU SWORE AN OATH!" The biped almost spat in Shadow's face. "AN OATH NOT EASILY BROKEN!"
"Alright alright, I'll never breath another word."
"We'll make sure about that." Somehow the biped opened a portal and both he and Shadow disappeared through it. As the portal closed Crystal came out of her hiding place.
She put her hoof on the wall where the portal was "So strange..." Crystal starts feeling the wall. "I never seen a unicorn pull that off." Cobalt put's her hooves back down on the ground. "I sincerely hope Shadow's ok. That human seemed pretty mad."
.........
Shadow was being help upside down by a cloaked human while they were walking though a corridor made of obsidien.
"We're friends right?" Shadow asked.
The human remained silent.
"You won't let me to the mercy of the council, will ya?"
"You deserve what ever fate they choose for you."
"You know what the do to people! You would have me put through that?!"
"The answer is yes." The stop at a pair of large doors. "This is your stop." The human tosses Shadow in. "Have fun."
"A human? Are you sure? What did it look like?" Crystal had told her friends about her date with Shadow and how at the end of the night he was taken though a portal by something.
"It was about six feet tall, walked on two legs. It was wearing a hood so I didn't see it's face."
"Hands! Did it have hands?!" Lyra pressed.
"I think so. But it was dark and I couldn't tell."
"Um, Crystal how much did you have to drink last night?" Octavia had a look on her face that said. 'I fear for your sanity'
"I wasn't drunk if that's what you mean" Crystal shot Tavia a glare. "I saw that...that...thing that Shadow away."
"Seriously Crystal how gullible do we look? Your telling me a human came outta know were, snatched up Shadow then disappeared again? Did you really expect us to believe that? Well maybe her." Vinyl tilted her head towards Lyra.
"Well he did tell me about some sort of shadow council. And the human yelled at him about breaking some sort of oath."
"The human could talk!?" Lyra looked absolutely dumbfounded.
"Listen Crystal, were all your friends here and we care about you But.."
"You don't believe me do you?"
"Well your story is very... surreal."
"It's not a story!" Crystal slams her hoof on the table I saw Shadow taken with my own to eyes."
"Sit down Crystal." Bon-Bon gently pushed her friend back into her chair . "I'm sure shadow fine.
.........
A cloaked human pulls Shadow out of a tub of ice water by his mane. "How much did you tell her!"
"I swear I did tell her any thing."
"Lair!" The human forces him back down for another moment or two then pulls the coughing stallion back up.
"All right, all right. *cough, cough* I told her I worked for you and that we influenced the government."
A new voice echos from the darkness. "You let your heart rule your head." The voice was as smooth as silk yet chilling to the bone. "You let yourself get involved and know the plan is compromised."
"What is the plan anyways?"
"Punish him."
As the first human takes him away Shadow calls out. "No, No! Please give me another chance. I can help you!"
.........
Well Crystal if your friends don't believe you you'll just have to get some proof. Crystal takes a camera out of her drawer. I knew I kept you for a reason. The camera had been a birthday gift from an old friend ,Snapshot. She often though about selling it or giving it away ,but for some reason she had always deiced against it.
She went to the ally way where see saw Shadow disappear. Now how does the recreation spell go? Crystal lowers her head and her horn starts glowing with a pale blue aura. a small portal starts to open Come on! Come on! The aura grows at the same rate the portal does. Crystal now physically strained every ounce of magic to her horn.
A sudden burst of magic launches her back. She shook off her daze and saw she had created a stable portal. Sweet. Crystal get's to her hooves and walks through the portal. She then found her self in a spacious corridor. The obsidian walls reflected the eerie light from blue flames. It seems that a cold wind blew down from the end of it. After stuttering she snapped a picture.
She ducked behind a pillar when she hear two humans coming. "Did you hear about the pony."
"The one that broke the oath? Oh, I heard he's going to wish he was never born." *click*
"What was that?"
"Most likely nothing, Let's get outta here HQ gives me the chills"
"Yeah me too."
Crystal watched to two humans walk through a portal. The pony? Are they talking about Shadow? Crystal then deiced to follow the corridor towards the origin of the icy wind. Crystal didn't see any other humans after that first encounter. Until she heard a conversation from behind a door. She put here ear against the door.
"Canterlot? I would have to turn myself into a pony to go unnoticed there."
"Then do so. The plan requires the utmost anonymity."
The plan? What is this plan? Crystal continues down the corridor. Suddenly she hears a moan of pain. Shadow!
Crystal ruses into a room full of racks and whips and other devices of torture. Chained to the wall a black pegasus ,he was beaten and whipped.
"Crystal! I am so glad to see you get me outta here!"
"Shh! They might hear!" Crystal shoots a blast of magic at the right cuff and it fell off.
"How'd you get here anyways?"
Crystal shot the other cuff. "I reopened that human's portal."
"Are you sure no one saw you?" Shadow rubbed his wrists.
Suddenly a Cloaked human bragged in. "THE PRISONER IS ESCAPING!" He bellowed. "THE PRISONER IS ESCAPING!"
"Out of my way!" Shadow pushed past Crystal.
One the humans caught sigh of Crystal camera. "She has evidence!" Suddenly a mass of humans come after her.
Oh, dear! She did a magically assisted flip over the crowd while snapping photos in mid air. When she touched down she started running the way she came while a horde of humans gave chase.
Crystal ran fast and hard. Shadow's tale end got suck in portal preventing any further collapse.
"Um, help."
Crystal started to push Shadow in further. "You and your fat flank are going to get us..." The clicking of machine gun bolts being pulled back echoed though the chamber. "caught."
Bon-Bon and Lyra owned a Sweetie Shoppe together on the corner of Mane Street and Sugar Lane. They provided the only competition to Sugar cube Corner for sweet confections, in all of Ponyville.
"The Cakes are doing it again Lyra." Bon-Bon peered though a pair of binoculars.
"Doing what?" Lyra was setting up a stand of lolipops.
"There pacing and you know what that means."
"No I don't"
"That means there thinking of a new cake recipie which means I need to think up a new type of candy to keep the universe in balance!"
"Well we could always try..."
"No Lyra I'm not going to make vomit, and dirt flavored jelly beans, they just won't sell."
A little grey colt walks in.
"Hello there Silver Spark. Can I get you some thing?"
"No thanks Bon-Bon. Have two seen my mom? She didn't come home last night."
"Can't say that I have. I'm sure she's fine."
"I'll help you find your mom. I mean if that's OK with Bon-Bon."
"Yeah, go ahead I need some time alone anyways."
.........
Crystal had spent the night sleeping on a cold stone floor of the shadow councils dungeon. Would It have killed them to at least set some hay down!?
Shadow was in the next cell over. "Hey, Crystal I'd..."
"Shut up, I'm still mad at you."
A cloaked human walks in and opens Shadows cell door "Time to move traitor." Shadow then was escorted out shooting a 'I'm sorry' look at Crystal.
.........
Lyra's horn is faintly glowing pale blue. "What are you doing?"
"It's a tracking spell. My horn will glow brighter when where closer to your mom."
"Oh that makes sense." As they walk past an ally way Lyra's horn brightens up a bit.
She walks a little further and it dims "Hun?" She backs up and it brightens again. "Interesting." She turns into the alleyway and it brightens up even more. "This way!"
.........
Shadow was sat down in a chair there cuffs then clamped around his hoofs so that he couldn't move.
"Your a bigger blabber mouth then previously thought. No only did you break your oath of secrecy, but you divulged the location of our head quarters to your little friend."
"I did no such thing she found this place by herself!"
"LAIR!" A gloved hand was brought across his face. "Nothing can penetrate our security but members of the council."
"I did not bring her here." Shadow is slapped again. This opens a cut on his check.
"How many times do I have to tell you." A the one with the smooth voice steps out of the shadow. "You can't rely on brute strength to get you every where." He removes his leather gloves. And set's his pale white hands on Shadow's checks. His hands are as cold as ice. "We'll find out soon enough how your little friend got in." Shadow begins to shutter and shake as he feels an outside force hack into his mind.
.........
Lyra and Silver Spark run down into the alley. Lyra's horn counties to grow brighter and brighter until they reach a dead end. "I could have sworn..." Lyra the glow on Lyra's horn changes from pale blue to bright green.
"What are you doing now?"
Lyra waves here horn over everything like its a metal detector. "Seeing if any spells were used her recently." When her horn goes over when the portal was a shadowy cloud appears. "What kind of spell aura is that?"
"Spell what?"
"Spell aura, It's the glow unicorns horns give off It's unique to each pony. Sorta like a finger print."
"What a 'finger print'?"
"Never mind. Your mothers spell aura is around this one. She probably used a recreation. Spell why don't we do the same?" She lowered there head and squeezed magic into her horn.
"How do you know so much about this stuff?"
"What do you think Twilight Sparkle is the only smarty pony in his town?" A portal opens. "You stay here." Lyr
........
I wounder what there doing to Shadow? Crystal was sitting down on her cell floor. She continued to look at her hooves until she heard her door opening. Was it a human come to take her away just like Shadow.
"Good Celestia,Crystal what are you doing in such a creepy place?"
"Lyra, thank goodness."
Lyra unlocked the door with magic. "Let's get outta here."
"Wait we need to find Shadow!" Crystal's horn glows black, and starts running down the corridor.
"No time!" Lyra levitates Crystal up and makes her go back through the portal.
.........
"She reopened one of our portals." The human removed his icy hands. "She must be eliminated."
"Sir."
"What?"
"The mare is gone."
"She's what!?!"
"Gone ,Sir."
"RRRAAAAA!!! YOU!" The humans grabs Shadow by the throat. "IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE YOU WILL FOLLOW HER AND DESTROY HER!"
"Yes,Sir!" Fear was plastered on Shadow face.
"GO!" The human opened a portal and tossed Shadow through
.........
Crystal passed the photos she got at the Shadow Council HQ.
"I still can't believe humans actually exist." Octavia passed the photos Vinyl
"Believe it Tia," Vinyl passes the photos to Bon-Bon.
"The question now is what do they want with us?" Bon-Bon passes the photos to Lyra.
"So Bon-Bon looks like you owe some pony an apology"
"Yes, I'm sorry I didn't believe you Crystal." Lyra sinks down in here chair looking very sullen. She had being trying to convince Bon-Bon of humans existence for years.
"Hopefully now we can all go back to regular lives." Crystal shipped her tea unawares what the next few months would bring.
