Shadows Can Be Friendly

He had no idea how much time had passed before he finally woke up, but it felt like he'd been out for several hours at least. He now found himself lying on the floor in what appeared to be a makeshift holding cell. There was a door, presumably locked, on the far wall, and the only illumination came from light overhead. The room was devoid of all furniture and decorations.

Pushing himself into a sitting position, it took a moment for his still groggy mind to register the fact that he wasn't alone. Rainbow was sitting with her back against the wall in the opposite corner.

"What are you looking at, changeling"

He was confused for a moment, until he remembered what happened before.

Damn, she sure is angry.

There wasn't anything more to say, and so they sat like that for a good ten minutes before the door opened with a loud swoosh.

Twilight came into room, accompanied by the rest of the group, and set a small wooden chair down in the center of the floor. As she settled into her seat the rest of the six took up positions on either side of the door, which remained open.

"You realize this is a death sentence for me," Shady told her.

"Princess will protect you," Twilight assured him. "You have valuable information on Chrysalis. Princess will want to keep you around.

"They can't protect me," Shady answered, shaking his head. "It might take a month, or maybe even a year, but sooner or later one of her agents inside the Canterlot will get to me."

"What do you expect me to do?" Twilight asked him. "I can't let you go"

"No," he said softly. "No, I suppose you can't"

"You had to know this was going to happen," she told him. "But you did it anyway"

"It was never meant to be like this," he said softly, hanging his head

There was a awkward silence in the room.

Twilight stood up from her chair, and then she nodded to the others. They slowly walked towards the door. Twilight paused just before closing the door.

"Don't get too comfortable," she said, getting the last word.

       >:<

"Keep a close eye on him," Twilight warned Rainbow and Applejack charged with guarding the door. "We're not taking any chances with him"

They nodded in an acknowledgment, and Twilight left them there, heading for her bed. It was already past midnight, and she was ready for some shut-eye. But there's something she must do before that.

    >:<

He was trapped in a storage room, not a real jail cell, and the walls imprisoning him were nothing but the equivalent of drywall. Standing up, he went over to one of the side walls and began to slam the bottom of his hoof hard against the surface.

If the 'guards' were still out there they'd hear what he was up to. But Shady was banking on them being otherwise distracted.

        >:<

"Why are we even guarding this door?" Cyan pegasus asked.

"We don't wan't that changeling to break out free and impersonate somepony" Applejack said.

"I am bored" Rainbow informed her.

"Would 'ya like some cider?" Applejack suggested

"Of course I do!"

        >:<

After a few hard kick his hoof broke through to the other side. He put his eye to the hole to see what lay beyond. Kitchen. He continued his assault on the wall, and five minutes later he had broken away enough of the material to crawl through. No one had come to on him during his slow-developing escape, so he assumed none of the 'guards' were around.

He looked around the kitchen. Empty. Just then he heard hoof steps.

Shady hid behind a large locker. He then saw a orange mare stepping into the room. She was heading for a small room, that looked like a food storage.

Shady sneaked next to the storage door, and closed it.

"What the hay!"

I am so sorry... There's no other way...

          >:<

What take's her so long. I am hungry for some good old fashioned apple cider.

Rainbow Dash was keeping an eye on the door while her partner would get them cider.

"There you are, what took you so long, and where's the cider"

"Twilight didn't have any" Applejack replied

"You sure?"

"Ah'm pretty sure sugarcube. Now, if ya'll excuse me, I have some chores to do."

         >:<

Shady was moving quickly but quietly, he rounded the bend to find himself standing face to face with 5 members of mane six. Including Applejack and Twilight.

"Ya'll forgot to lock the door" Applejack said

Shady raced upstairs and he changed his form on the go.

This is NOT happening

Shady had been thinking this one thought over and over, ever since he'd wake up.

There's no way out...

Something caught his sight. A big window behind Twilight's desk. That's his only way out.

Shady was now dashing towards the window, but suddenly he felt relaxed. He suddenly fell down on the cold and hard wooden floor. He was tired. He needed to sleep it off. Nothing else he could do.

Don't you dare black out!

Somehow he found the strength to push himself up onto his hooves. That's when he saw Twilight Sparkle. Her horn was glowing, and it was not hard to realize what happened.

"Nice try, changeling" she said, getting the last word in.

The world blacked out.