Slay the Shadow

A shadow slunk through the darker edges of the city. It-- no, she was not happy. After all, she was a shadow, in a city of light and happiness. How could she be expected to be happy in this vile place? No, this would not do. It would have to end... not even if, deep down, she wanted to join it. She could remember a time, over a millennia ago, when she had been a part of this happiness... all the more reason to stamp it out. If she could not have it, why should they?

The shadow slithered through the darkest streets she could find. Down one alley, up another. Eventually, she reached a crossroads. She could see down the road to her left. it led to a plaza, made of bright tiles, with a fountain splashing water and people mingling. And on the fountain was a statue... a statue of a very tall person, with long hair seeming to flow with the wind, her hand reached out into nothingness and a benign smile on her face. The shadow hissed. She was tempted by an urge to smash the statue, blow it to smithereens. And soon, her memory supplied a vision of a scene just like this-- a shadow and a Lady. But that time, it had not been a statue-- no, it had been a living, breathing, flesh-and-blood person... her sister.

***

The Three had been born to the High Lady and Lord Consort of the kingdom. Galaxia the Powerful had been respected throughout the world as High Lady of the great kingdom, while her husband lent a helping hand whenever she required it. Astra the Eternal was content in his position, doubting his ability to run such a large kingdom, but he was still beloved by the subjects.

The sisters were born into an era of peace, and the people rejoiced. The first child was a girl, skin pale as a wispy cloud on a sunny day, and with magenta eyes that carried all the wisdom of the world. Her beautiful, pink hair seemed to move without a wind, and grew to great lengths mere milliseconds after being born. She was named Celestia Surya, and when she heard her name, her smile seemed to shine like the sun.

Eighty years later, Celestia was a kind and generous child, and an aspiring genius, but she had yet to show a sign of magic. After a complicated test, it was confirmed that her body was devoid of all but the slightest trace of magic. Lady Galaxia and Lord Astra were forced to conclude that she had been born without either family's magic gene. This was not, however, unusual for the mostly magic-less world, and Celestia's parents were not worried.

The second daughter of the ruling couple was born eighty five years after Celestia. She was pale as the moon, and her silky, blue hair was light at the top, but gradually grew darker until it was the color of the night sky at the tips. For this, she was named Luna Selene. At the age of eighty, tendrils of magic had been found weaving through her body, but only enough to be used subconsciously.

The third daughter was born one hundred and twelve years after Luna. Her innate magic was immediately obvious in her flowing hair. It seemed to be a patch of the night sky, waving in an eternal breeze. She, too, was pale-skinned, and was quickly named Kali Nyx. The customary magic check on her eightieth year brought no surprising results: her magic was strong enough for conscious, everyday use. She seemed immensely powerful, and the monarch of the land soon began tutoring her in the arcane ways.

One hundred years after the youngest's magic check, they had all passed the quickest growing phase of an Immortal. Celestia had grown to be a compassionate and social genius, which, for their time, was quite an odd combination. Luna had trained hard, and eventually become a fearsome Swordmaster. Her minimal magic enhanced her agility, speed, and strength and her father was the only person to ever beat her. Kali had proven to be an exceptional mage at the young age of one hundred eighty, and her ethereal strands of hair were a warning of her immense magic reserves.

By her four hundredth birthday, the citizens of the kingdom were terrified of Kali. Multiple demonstrations of her powers had scared off even the boldest of the people, and her blunt personality was rather off-putting for the citizens. The biggest barrier, however, was her schedule. True to her name, Kali helped her father and Luna watch over the night, which gave her a nocturnal schedule. This, combined with her starry hair and dark armor was enough to start rumors about her true nature. The people whispered among the shadows about what her "real" self could be, what kind of savage beast she truly was, and her nickname in the castle, Nightmare Moon, caught on in the city, despite it originally being for the mischief she had caused as a child. This was, perhaps, the most effective insult, and the straw that broke the camel's back.

The other young sibling faced similar problems. Luna's sparring sessions were open to any citizen that wanted to witness her immense strength and all were horrified by them. They wondered, awestruck, about how a monster of her nature had been born to the kind rulers of their kingdom. They wondered how a person with scant magical powers could achieve such violent feats. Her cold outside kept everyone from discovering her charm.

Meanwhile, Celestia, the only diurnal Sister, was welcomed with open arms into society. Her intellectual and scientific discoveries were celebrated far and wide, and she was idolized in every corner of the kingdom. She was loved by the people, and she loved them back, leaving Luna and Kali alone to stew in the dark with no companion but one another and their father.

In the same year as Kali's five hundredth birthday, Lady Galaxia and Lord Astra traveled to an diplomatic visit to the Empire of Griffonia to discuss trade regulations. Six days after their departure, the Sisters received a message from the Emperor of Griffonia. The ruling couple had not arrived in the empire. Rather, they had washed up ashore with slits along their stomachs and a prominent lack of organs. Further investigations by the Sisters themselves confirmed this, and the funeral was open to everybody who wanted to come. Celestia was sobbing and Luna was in shock, her face stolid. Kali was angry, a towering mountain of rage. This frightened the guests.

The obvious answer to who would inherit the title of High Lady was Celestia. No one would trust either of the other sisters. And so Celestia was named Lady, and the other two were left with nothing. To her credit, however, Celestia did something other than sit back and enjoy the luxuries of her position. She introduced a title that hadn't been used for centuries, and named Luna the Lady of War. Essentially, she was the captain of the Guard, with somewhat elite status. Kali was introduced as the Archmage, but there was no royal title. She was the High Lady's sister, and the feared monster of darkness.

All alone for hundreds of years, misunderstood, left to let low blows fester, Luna was driven to despair, depression, and self-hatred. She put her all into everything she did, all of which went unappreciated. This merely spurred her to work herself harder, often to her limits. It was not surprising to see her passed out on her desk chair, and it was a rather frequent occurrence. Even Nighttime Immortals had limits, and her hard work eventually became very dangerous to her health.

But Kali had a much worse fate. She was forced to anger and insanity, turning it all into one ultimate plan: rebellion. All alone, the powerful mage used her powers to attempt to kill and destroy with an impressive show of dark magic. And then it changed. Kali screamed as she fought her own magic, attempting to keep it under control. But, ultimately, she was no match for the magic born of hatred. It turned inwards, twisting her mind and corrupting her soul. Kali shrieked once more as oozing, purple flames bubbling with black and green auras erupted from her fingertips, scorching the carpet near Celestia's feet. The same aura leaked from her eyes, her turquoise irises greener than usual, and her pupils replaced with red slits sparkling with mad glee.

Within a few seconds, Kali let out a heavy sigh and collapsed to the ground. Shadows began gathering around her body, surrounding her in a cocoon of inky black. As the darkness faded, so did she, and it was not long before the only evidence that the two Ladies had ever had another sister was the char marks where objects used to be... and the memories they kept close to their guarded hearts.

***

The shadow hissed in pain as she remembered days long past, and thought of days to come. She was nothing but an old grandma's tale to the populace now, and no one knew about her continued existence as she built her army in silence and secrecy, darkness and shadows. This time, she would be prepared. She had tamed the magic, and she had a backup plan. The shadow-- Kali Nyx-- was not going down without a fight.