Shadows of Katsura

Several ponies in colorful, expensive clothing were hunched over a map. One of them slowly reached and put out a candle, on the wooden table beside them, as the first rays of dawn began to shine through the windows and slowly illuminate the massive stone room. Soldiers in beautifully decorated armor stood guard by the doors, slightly squinting as the sun rays began to fall on their face.

"Status" one of the ponies demanded, rising above the map.

"Last field report mentioned feeble resistance. By now, its safe to assume our forces have taken the Whispering Valley. We finally erased the Shadow Clan from existence" the pony nodded "Congratulations sir. Nothing stands in your way to conquering Kronos now"

The sound of heavy hoofsteps suddenly echoed through the stone and the doors to the room slammed open.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!!" A soldier shrieked, bursting into the room. The ponies around the map slowly rose, frowning at the pale soldier:

"Who" the ponies demanded.

"THE SHADOW CLAN! THEY'RE COUNTER ATTACKING!"

"What" One of the ponies scowled "... Hundreds of soldiers were sent to their village, we outnumbered them five to one. You're telling me, not only did the Shadows break our assault, but they are now marching towards our castle ?"

"YES" the soldier screamed in response. He was heavily sweating, the haunted look in his eyes began to slowly affect those around him.

"Enemy numbers?" another pony in expensive clothing asked, as he loosened his tie and hunched over the map.

"Two" the soldier quietly said.

"Two hundred?" the pony asked in a calm voice still looking at the map, but when no answer came he looked at the soldier again. The soldier slowly shook his head and smiled as hysteria began to set in:

"Two..."

* * *

Two cloaked figures were marching across the barren land of the desert. Dozens of soldiers hurled themselves at the figures, and like rag dolls they were tossed aside. Colorful magic strings danced over the land, erupting out of the figures and striking the soldiers around them. Nothing but death was left in their wake. The earth itself became scorched as the figures marched onward, to the old stony castle on the horizon.

Sam squinted as the rising sun fell into his eyes and pulled the hood over his head. His yellow eyes became red. He could feel it. He almost knew how his body was changing, ever since he touched the Medallion. The trinket whispered things to him and Sam listened. Raw knowledge was poured into his mind. Into the fibers of his body.

Reflexes, muscle memory he never had. Skills he never acquired. Knowledge he never learned. The knowledge he needed to kill a pony. Quickly. Efficiently. With as little or as much pain as Sam wanted. And Sam wanted pain. He wanted the soldiers to suffer.

Somewhere, deep in the back of his mind, his conscience screamed in horror at the things he was doing. But Sam didn't care. He stopped caring after he saw what was left of his village. Bitter revenge. That was all he had on his mind, when David let him hold the Medallion. The old, unremarkable trinket had latched on to Sams arm so hard it almost drew blood, and as it did, Sams talent mark had appeared. A sword, with a plain purple hilt.

Scythe and Katana. David and Sam.

They never talked about it but they both understood. Their marks turned into weapons of war. Because their talent was murder.

Sam shivered. It felt wrong. Why? Why now, after he'd already done the unthinkable. Thats right, because David was holding the Medallion now. They both stopped at the steps to the Castle. Sam tried not to look at the hundreds of figures, laying on the ground behind him. It didn't seem to bother him just a moment ago when he had the Medallion. Was it warping his mind?

The two figures lifted their heads and looked at the massive, closed doors of the castle.

"Looks pretty strong" David commented, slowly touching the surface.

"Can you punch through?" Sam quietly asked.

"Give me a sec" David said closing his eyes, firmly grasping the Medallion. The small trinket whispered formulas right into his mind and the spell formed itself on its own. David only had to point his horn at the door.

* * *

Several ponies in expensive clothing were hunched over an old map, inside a massive stone room. They looked haunted. A bewildered look in their eyes as they mindlessly stared into space. The doors to the room suddenly cracked and shattered into huge chunks of metal as streaks of fire flew in and spread across the area.

The ponies screamed and a moment later, all of them turned to ash. All except one. The one with the most pompous, expensive outfit. He stared in shock as two figures in cloaks entered the room. They lifted their hooves and slowly revealed their faces.

Unicorn and pegasus. Surprisingly short. They looked like every ordinary colts, except for their scarlet eyes. Something so unnatural, so monstrous reflected inside them, it made the pony stumble back and fall to the ground.

"...why" Sam quietly asked as he marched forward, together with David: "...why..."

"Why what?!" The pony shrieked in panic, trying to crawl away from them.

"WHY'D YOU DO IT!!" David roared and lifted his hoof. An invisible force lifted the pony off the ground and smashed him hard against the wall. He slowly fell down and covered his face in horror.

"YOU ORDERED THEM - TO SLAUGHTER - EVERYONE!!!" David screamed, the table before him exploded into a million splinters.

"... it was a good deal....a good deal..." the pony began mumbling, staring into the floor "... they offered to pay so much... the Shadows were a thorn in our side anyway-"

"BURN IN HELL YOU PIECE OF -" David shouted, his horn lit up and the pony was lifted into the air again: "No wings huh..." David giggled with a scowl "Have a nice flight-"

The air vibrated and the invisible force hurled the pony out of the open window. Sam covered his ears. He didn't want to hear what came next. Several moments ticked by, before he noticed David looking at the horizon. The Medallion on his neck started to glow again.

"Dave?" Sam quietly called, slowly approaching his friend. David didn't answer and Sam traced his line of sight. There was a village, some distance away from the castle. A normal pony village, just like the one in the Whispering Valley. Sam could see playgrounds and schools. Fillies and mares, moving about and looking up at the castle.

"Sam..." David quietly said "...I'm gonna burn down that village"

"W-WHAT THE HELL?!" Sam jerked backward, stunned, blinking for several seconds, trying to process what he just heard. David quietly looked at him with his cold, scarlet eyes. The Medallion on his neck started to glow brighter "I'm gonna burn down their village, just like they burned ours..."

"You... YOU CAN'T!!!" Sam screamed in horror: "ITS WRONG - THEY'RE INNOCENT! WE CAN'T JUST MURDER PONIES!"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE WERE DOING ALL NIGHT?!" David barked at him and Sam flinched back in fear. It took him a moment to collect himself and steady his breath. He slowly looked at David again.

David's eyes are meant to be green, not the cold, scarlet red that were staring at him now. Sam swallowed and raised his hoof: "The ponies we..." Sam closed his eyes hard and shook his head "The ponies we... Murdered, were soldiers. They were bad, David! They did horrible things! They destroyed our village and they would destroy Kronos as well. But the ponies down there have nothing to do with it! Let them be!"

"No" David bitterly shook his head "An eye for an eye Sam. I won't let this horror go unanswered"

"Listen to me!!" Sam screamed "The Medallion is warping your mind! Its not like you!"

"Sam, I like you" David muttered through gritted teeth "But if you stand in my way..."

Sam closed his eyes. The knowledge of martial arts the Medallion gave him, was gone. He could only use it, so long as he wore the Medallion. But some faint glimpse, some tiny trace of that knowledge still lingered inside him. Or was it his own memory this time? Sam took careful note of every fight thus far. Did he remember how his body moved, when the Medallion dictated his actions? Faintly. Sam opened his eyes, picked up a sword from the ground and dashed toward David.

David roared and sent a spark of lightning flying in his direction. Sam jumped to the side, dodging just barely and made a sharp swing with his blade - cutting the rope that held the Medallion. The round trinket heavily fell to the ground loudly bounced several times before it came to a stop. Its glow faded. David fell on his knees, grabbing his head.

"Dave?" Sam asked in fear.

"Oh Sam... what the hell did I do..." David mumbled, slowly rising his head and Sam saw streaks of tears running down Davids cheeks.

"Not you" Sam dropped the sword and hugged him "Its that vile thing!... The Masters Medallion..."

"... Mr. Barnes was right..." David quietly mumbled as Sam hugged him "I... I almost..." David sobbed "I almost did the same thing as the monsters who burned our village..." he hid his face in Sam's shoulder, quietly crying "... enhancing my talent, a thousand fold... its not cool...

Its not cool at all"

* * *

As the Dawn set over the horizon and the ponies of Kronos awoke, they shivered in wait for their imminent doom, but it never came. As they slowly reached out into the country side, they discovered the signs of a great battle that took place over night. Their foe has fallen. But so has the Shadow clan.

And in the coming years, it would be said, that the legendary Shadows of Katsura, had carried their duty until the very end. Sacrificing all that they had, to stop the wheels of destruction. They fought a battle they could not win. And when morning came, no Shadow was left. But their foe was defeated, and Kronos village lived on.

To honor the noble warriors of the Shadows, their village was left untouched, as a memorial to the selfless heroes of Katsura. Countless stories and ballads were written about the valiant heroes, inspiring many, to new acts of bravery.

To this day, it is believed that none had survived the tragic events of that night. And if they did, why they hide is anyone's guess. Many orphaned ponies were left, after several wars had swept over the land. And when peace finally settled, the orphans grew and disappeared into the average life of the cities.

No one was at the Shadow Village when the dawn finally came. No one heard a lone mare, screaming at the horizon, as the ashes from her home slowly fell at her hooves. No one asked her, her name, and she never said it was Claire. She came to the village at dawn, carrying her dying commanders request. His last order.

She would have died to, if he didn't tell her to run. Now she silently cried as she walked through the ruins. And she followed the order through, to the letter. At a broken fountain at the north of the village, decorated with peculiar, mysterious carvings of ponies in cloaks, one of the stones sat awkwardly out of place.

She went through a small opening in the ground, and lit a candle in the cramped basement. There she found documents, records and answers, to who was really behind the Village attack. The name and identity of the foe, that lingered in darkness and fought the Shadow Clan since the days of Katsura herself.

And with her answers she found a new mission. She would go to seclusion and practice her art. To perfect the ways of the Shadow, until the moment she can strike back, at the ones who still plotted evil in darkness.

* * *

Two young colts were standing in a dark alleyway, some distance away from a large orphanage, in the city the locals called Canterlot. So many ponies were orphaned after the wars, so many left without home or credentials that it was easy to enter Equestria, pretending you always lived here from the start.

The colts looked at each other and nodded: "...lets make a promise" the unicorn said: " We will never let ponies suffer again. We will protect them with our very lives"

"I promise..." the other colt nodded "We will train hard, and when we are old enough, we will join the military and fight to protect everyone"

"You got it" the unicorn nodded with a smile, then became a bit more serious after a moment "We will have to keep our identity secret. We'll have to change our names as well. Someone payed those soldiers to attack our village. I think someone wanted the Medallion from the start. No one can know we still have it. No one can know who we are.

"Does it still bother you... the Medallion?" The pegasus asked.

"No, not anymore" the unicorn looked at his chest. There was a strange vertical scar there: "Funny... the Medallion itself gave me the spell to seal it inside of me... inside my soul I suppose. There is no way we can use it now, even if we ever changed our mind. Even if we really wanted to. And this way, it can never affect me again." The unicorn grinned "Plus when I die, the Medallion will be destroyed with me, so if we want to live a long, happy life, we just need to make sure that no one ever knows who we are and what we have, lest they figure a way to pull the stupid thing out of me" The unicorn looked down:

"... we'll need Equestrian names too... Did you thought of one yet?"

"Y-yeah..." the pegasus looked away: "I just think that maybe, its a little too... arrogant..."

"Do you like this new name?" the unicorn smiled.

"... yeah..."

"Then its fine" the unicorn grinned again.

An elderly mare was sitting at the front desk of the orphanage when the front doors opened and two colts slowly walked in

"Can you help us?" the unicorn begged in an exaggerated, weak tone "We're reeeeally hungry and we have no where to stay..."

"Oh my goodness, of course we'll help you" the mare quickly walked over to them "My darlings, are you alright? What are you names?"

"Night Storm" the dark unicorn smiled, his green eyes shining bright.

"And you?" the mare looked at the purple colt. His yellow eyes seemed a bit hesitant before he finally said:

"Shadow"