What A Shadow Fears

What A Shadow Fears

Digital_Hex

Chapter Four

        “So, Rarity, how was your night?” Twilight asked with a grin, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

        Rarity groaned. Her mane was a mess, her eyes rather droopy. Whatever sleep she had gotten the night before was quite restless.

        “I do hope you not are suggesting that I engaged in anything uncouth,” Rarity muttered loudly enough for everypony present to hear the venom in her voice. She let her magic reach out to pick up a blue cup of coffee, bringing it to her lips.

        Rarity looked around the massive dining hall of the palace. The walls were a cold stone, a few banners hanging along them. She drank from the cup slowly, relishing in the warmth.

        As she took the cup from her lips, she cast an irritated look towards Twilight. The alicorn was still looking expectantly at Rarity, as if waiting for some juicy gossip.

        “Darling, nothing happened last night. Honest.”

        Twilight rolled her eyes.

        “Suuure,” she said sarcastically. “Then why do you look like you got absolutely no sleep last night?”

        “Well,” Rarity said as she stuck her nose in the air. “If you must know, I happened to have a dreadful nightmare last night, leaving me restless.”

        Twilight cocked her head to the side. “A nightmare? What was it about?”

        Rarity looked away, feeling a creeping feeling in the back of her head. “It was, ah... well, um, do you remember that one time I got rather, er... jealous?”

        Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

        “It involved the moon...”

        “Not following.”

        Rarity groaned loudly. “It was a nightmare about the nightmare, when I fell captive to that dreadful thing.”

        “Ah, when you were Nightmare Rarity?”

        Rarity subconsciously cringed at the mention of... what she once was.

        “Y-yes... it was just a nightmare, though. Nothing to fret about.”

        Twilight nodded. “I see. If you want, I can request Princess Luna to-”

        “No!” Rarity sharply interrupted, knocking over the cup she had before her. Twilight jolted back slightly, surprised by her friend's outburst. Rarity smiled sheepishly, fixing the cup with her blue magic.

        “Sorry, dear, I just... I'm fine, honestly. It was just a silly little dream, nothing serious.”

        “If you insist,” Twilight said carefully. “What... what was the dream about?”

        Rarity laughed ironically. “That was the funny part. I haven't yet shared how I found Somber yet, have I?”

        Twilight shook her head to the side.

        “Well, I... dreamed of that, actually. At least, that's how it started.

        “When we arrived in the snow fields, you split us all up to search for that stone Princess Celestia asked you to find. I was using my gem-hunting spell to try finding it, but it seemed useless. At first, anyways.

        “But after about twenty minutes, I started getting a pull, drawing me towards the top of a hill. I didn't really notice how far up it went, but it was very tall, very steep as well. I finally made it to the top, sensing I was close. I could practically feel what I was chasing, Twilight. I tried to pull it to me, uncover it, when I...”

        She paused, coughing politely.

        “My horn lit up something fierce, burning me. My magic fizzled out, and suddenly the snow beneath me flared a fiery red. I stumbled back, only to see a figure rise from the snow. He mumbled something, but I couldn't catch it. He was weak and shaky, and fell down. But the energy he released, we- we fell, and it started an avalanche. I tried to use my magic, but it wouldn't work! I...”

        She stopped again, her breathing rather labored. Rarity let herself calm down a little before continuing.

        “I watched us get swept up in the avalanche. I was just as terrified during the dream as I was when it happened, Twilight.”

        As she spoke, Rarity could feel herself grow cold, her breath freezing just beyond her maw. Her mane was clumpy, damp as the snow and ice clawed at her hide. She fell, left, right, over and under, smacking into snow and ice constantly. Her hide was bruised, raw from friction and numb from the cold.

        Finally, she stopped. With a sharp impact, her body stopped moving.

        She was hurt, but she blinked around, trying to see where she was. The figure from before, a dark pony, lay half-buried a short distance from her. Rarity tried to rise, only managing to rise to three hooves. One of them was burning with pain, most likely twisted. She was lucky to still be alive.

        “Hey!” she called to the figure. He lifted his head slowly, searching for her. Finally, his eyes made contact with hers.

        And then... she saw him. They were in a grand hall, empty except for three ponies.

        Rarity looked around. There was darkness everywhere, clinging to the walls. It was scary.

        “You can't be serious, Somber!”

        Rarity whipped around to see the two other ponies in the room. There was a mare and a stallion. She recognized the stallion as the one she had just found, a dark charcoal unicorn with a jet black mane. Before him, though, was a mare that Rarity couldn't place.

        Her coat was a very, very light teal, almost a dirty white in appearance. Her mane and tail were a royal purple, coated with a crystal sheen.

        “I've already told you, Sapphire, this is my duty as Captain!”

        Rarity took a slight step back, not wanting to interrupt. She bumped into a table, pushing it back sharply but neither pony paid her any mind. They continued arguing between themselves.

        To Rarity's credit, she listened to their argument. She didn't know what was going on, but from what it sounded like... the stallion named Somber was trying to protect Sapphire. But she... she didn't like it.

        “I cannot marry a stallion who would throw away his own life so willingly. I cannot, and I will not.”

        Rarity could practically feel Somber's heart break as Sapphire said these words. Very quickly, though, these feelings turned to anger. Rage. Hatred.

        She said something else, but the words were lost as the blood pumped furiously through Somber's skull. Rarity winced, rubbing her own skull as she felt the pain all too well.

        Sapphire opened the door to leave. As she passed through the door, a runner slipped by her, charging straight for Rarity. She braced herself, expecting him to run around her, but instead he raced right for her-

        And passed right through her, as though she hadn't existed.

        “My Captain,” the runner declared, “the shadows have breached through the first barricade!”

        Rarity felt the fear grip at Somber's heart. It was cold.

        “So soon?” he gasped. The runner nodded.

        “Very well... gather my court in the royal hall. We... will be ready for a response from the princesses.”

        The runner bowed before rushing away.

        As soon as he was alone, Somber dropped to a knee, breathing heavily, wheezing even.

        “S-Sapphire... why must you do this...” he whispered. Rarity almost shed a tear as she rushed over to the stallion. The sorrow he was dealing with was painful for the mare. She reached out to put a hoof on his shoulder, to comfort him, but it passed right through without so much as disturbing his cloak.

        A simple cough came from the doorway. Somber rose, looking towards a fiery red pegasus. His wild butter yellow mane stuck out at every angle, suggesting he had been flying very quickly only moments earlier.

        “Red Sun.”

        “My Captain,” Red Sun replied, nodding in respect. Somber hated it when ponies bowed to him.

        “You called for a court?”

        “Aye,” Somber replied, swallowing hard before stepping forward, using his magic to grasp his spear from where it rested along the wall. As he headed towards the door, he strapped the weapon to his back.

        “We must not keep them waiting.”

        Red Sun fell into step alongside Somber. Rarity chased after the two, keeping herself a polite distance behind them.

        “Sir, do... do you think we can hold the shadows at bay?”

        Somber snorted. “These shadows, they are a nightmare, are they not? I've never faced a force such as these... and I do not know how we may counter them.”

        “But... we'll try, wont we?”

        Somber stopped, turning to place a hoof on his friend's shoulder.

        “Red Sun,” he said evenly. “If the time comes to face this directly, you will be at my side on the front lines just as I will be at yours. This is a promise.”

        Red Sun nodded, a small smirk present on his lips. “As you wish, Captain.”

        The two then turned to the door before them, opening it wide and striding inside. Somber passed by Sapphire, refusing to make eye contact. She reached a hoof towards him as he passed, but said nothing.

        And they waited.

        The subtle sounds of destruction outside grew louder and clearer.

        “Sir,” Red Sun said quietly. “Are you sure that our soldiers can hold it off?”

        “No,” Somber said calmly. “But we will wait for our orders.”

        A moment later, they received them.

        Somber smirked devilishly, tossing the letter aside. Rarity had to side-step to the left to avoid having the scroll hit her. Not that it would have actually hit her.

        “Sergeant Red Sun,” Somber said loudly and clearly, making sure every word he said was intentional, “I can't sit idly any longer. We must meet this beast head-first.”

        Red Sun nodded with a sinister grin, a quiet snarl escaping him. The forces that assaulted them would feel the pain that it left his soldiers, tenfold.

        “We end this now?” he asked his Captain.

        Somber nodded. “Aye.”

        Somber enveloped himself and Red Sun with an aura of red magic, drawing his spear at the same time.

        Before he blinked away, though, he glanced at the mare he once called his fiance, standing across the hall. He locked eyes with her for just a moment, just long enough. His eyes were usually filled with hope and optimism.

        Now, they were blank and empty.

        And like that, the two ponies disappeared.

        Rarity looked at the mare, seeing a tear slowly well up in her eye. This was quickly joined by another, and another until they were dribbling down her cheeks. Her breathing was still calm, though. She wouldn't break. She had to be strong. He would return.

        She let a small smile come to her face, a depressing sight on the mare. It was a smile of pure sadness.

        “Be safe,” she whispered.

        Rarity blinked, looking down.

        Suddenly, she shifted. She was in an ethereal darkness, surrounding her from every direction.

        “My, my. Little Rarity, we meet again...”

        Rarity growled. “Nightmare!” she screamed at the darkness. “Leave me!”

        “But why would I do that,” the Nightmare cooed. “Why, when you are so close to learning how I made my first pawn?”

        With a start, Rarity jolted back awake. Twilight had a hoof on her shoulder, keeping her steady. Her face was drawn with concern, and... a touch of fear?

        “Rarity... are you alright?”

        “Hm? Twilight... what happened?”

        “You were talking, and then all of a sudden...” She shuddered. “You just kind of, zoned out. You kept muttering something, that.. it was jibberish. You really scared me.”

        Rarity placed a hoof of her friend's. “I'm... quite alright,” Rarity lied.

        Truth be told, she was terrified. She'd fallen right back into the nightmare, right back into that fear.

        “Quite,” she insisted. Twilight looked into her friend's eyes. It was like trying to read a wall.

        “If you say so...” Twilight said quietly. “Oh, the Princesses and Somber should be close to being finished! Let's go wait for them outside of the hall, okay?”

        Rarity nodded. Twilight trotted away, leaving the white unicorn to reach out for the coffee cup with her magic.

        She nearly screamed when the magic pulsed a blood red.

        “This isn't like the last nightmare,” she hissed. “This is much, much worse.”