New World: Land of Shadowsby Fire FeatherChaptersLand of Shadows: The AwakeningLand of Shadows: The MeetingLand of Shadows: After the CouncilLand of Shadows: The Dinner Land of Shadows: The EncounterLand of Shadows: The AwakeningKnock, knock. "Princess? Are you awake?" Twilight rolled over in her bed, trying to get away from the irritating knocking. "Go away," she groaned. "Go bother somepony else." The knocking continued. "I'll report you to my mother!" Twilight threatened the knocking guard with the most dreaded form of punishment, being brought before the Queen herself. The knocking stopped. Twilight sighed and rolled back over. "Actually, Your Highness, the Queen asked me to summon you," the guard replied. Twilight paused. The voice was familiar. Who did it belong to? "Princess? Are you okay in there? The Queen said it was urgent." Upon hearing that, Twilight got to her hooves and opened the door of her bedchamber, bringing her face to face with the guard. "Oh! Captain Dash! What brings you here?" "Trying to get you to wake up, lazy," the Captain replied, her rainbow tail twitching with annoyance. One of her gauntleted forehooves kicked the ground aimlessly, but her helmeted head was straight up, allowing her to stare Twilight in the face. "The Queen has called a secret meeting." "Which means that only her trusted advisors and the other rulers will be there. Excluding you, of course. You're still in trouble for performing tricks during practice," Twilight replied, a dry expression on her face. "Not even the Captain of the Shadowbolts can escape getting in trouble." Rainbow responded, not amused at Twilight's remark. "Just get ready, Princess Egghead. We need to get down there. Oh, and the Queen said that I am no longer in trouble, because she needs Equestria's best warriors to combat the threat. Hah." Rainbow couldn't help but shove it in Twilight's face. Ever since the ascension of Twilight, the two had been engaged in a friendly rivalry. But of course, Twilight came up with something that distracted the rainbow Pegasus. "Speaking of 'Equestria's best warriors', is a certain blue Lieutenant going to be present?" A thump was heard from the other side of the door as Twilight walked toward her dressing table to get ready. She smiled a satisfied smile. It was no great secret that Rainbow Dash, the incredible Captain of the Shadowbolts, had a crush on Lieutenant Soarin of the Lunar Army. The Lunar Army was good, but the Shadowbolts were the elite. Hoof-picked by the Queen and King themselves for fighting skills, cunning, and bravery. The Lunar Army, however, would accept just about anypony as long as they were good fighters. Twilight calmly fastened the silver clasp of her deep purple cape and placed her silver crown adorned with purple gems on as Rainbow Dash struggled to think of a comeback. Finally, she settled on, "How many ponies know?" Twilight dropped one of her gauntlets as she heard what Rainbow said. Of all of the questions and comebacks available, she had asked how many ponies knew? Very unlike her. That must mean that she actually liked him and he liked her. Pausing to fix the gauntlet, she replied, "Don't worry, only I know. And my hoofmaiden, but she won't tell anypony. Your secret's safe with me." As Twilight walked out of her room, she was greeted with the sight of a blushing Captain. "How long have you know?" Deciding to give her a truthful answer, Twilight replied, "Oh, ever since he got shipped off to the Everfree Castle. My hoofmaiden knew longer, but I didn't believe her." Dash sighed. "Your hoofmaiden. She knew about my crush and you didn't believe her?" "No. Why would I? Although, I don't know much about crushes and special someponies. I need to spend more time with Cadenza. But for now, I have a meeting to get to. Lead the way, Captain." "Gladly," Rainbow replied, leading the way down the corridor. "Cadenza? I thought she was a prisoner. Why would you ask her?" Twilight replied with a straight face. "She's not a prisoner anymore. The Queen liked what she had to say about relationships and love, so now she is the Royals' personal Love Advice Giver thingy. It's confusing." Rainbow was laughing so hard, she could barely talk. "There's such thing as a Love Advice Giver?! Seriously? You're joking, right?" "...No. The actual term is Royal Love Advisor." ".....Royal Love Advisor. That.....just......seriously?" "Yes, seriously. I didn't believe it either, but when Mother told me, she sounded very serious. Like, super serious." Rainbow just shook her head. "Royal Love Advisor. What are they going to think of next? Royal Taste Tester? Royal Spear Sharpener?" "..." "What?" Twilight looked at her with a frown. "Those are both actual things, Rainbow. The Royal Taste Tester is to make sure none of the food is poisoned, and you should know who the Royal Spear Sharpener is. She comes every day." "Do you mean that gray pegasus with the funny eyes?" Rainbow asked, rubbing her chin in thought. "She's always knocking the spears over and nearly impaling my crew. We just pick her up and deposit her outside. She's mostly harmless. We sharpen our own spears, anyway. We don't need a pony who does that for us. How will we know if they're as sharp as we want them?" Twilight cringed at the description of the pony. "Yes, I think that is the pony. I was not aware that she was that problematic. I'll inform my mother. She'll have her removed immediately." "Thanks." They walked in comfortable silence for a while, traveling down corridor after corridor and descending flights of stairs until they came to a simple black door that shimmered with the magic of silencing and secrecy spells. Nothing could be heard from within, and to get in you had to open a lock. Twilight walked forward and inserted her horn, bubbling with dark magic, into the lock. The lock bubbled with the same magic, and the door swung open. Author's Note This alternate universe thing hurts my brain. I have to decide what to keep, what to change, and how the characters tie in. If you have suggestions, please comment. Land of Shadows: The MeetingTwilight and Rainbow Dash stepped through the open door and into the room behind it. The room was beautiful but simple, designed for council. It had a large round table in the middle, complete with a raised map of Equestria on it. Throne-like chairs sat around it, and most of them were occupied. All of the thrones had some sort of carving at the top, whether it be a coat of arms or a cutie mark. The largest had a carving of a crescent moon, and in it sat a tall, black-coated alicorn who was clearly the one in charge. She wore the adornments of a queen and had a blue mist swirling around her. The smaller throne on her left was empty, and the top bore a carving of Twilight's cutie mark. After bowing to the Queen, Twilight sat in her throne. Rainbow bowed too, and soared over to her throne, which had the Captain's Insignia at the top. On her right was the Captain of the Lunar Army, and on her left was a black stallion who wore a cape and armor. His throne had a carving of crystals, and Rainbow recognized him as King Sombra, ruler of the Crystal Empire. Next to the Captain of the Lunar Army was the Lieutenant of the Lunar Army, and then next to the Lieutenant there were three empty seats. On Twilight's left, there was the Changeling Queen, Chrysalis. Her chair had the Changeling coat of arms at the top. Finally, the Queen spoke. "Greetings, Royals and little ponies alike. The Council will begin shortly, once the Lord of Chaos gets here." The Queen's voice was cold but regal, and spoke of a pony who ruled with an iron hoof. Just as she had spoken those words, however, a draconequus appeared with a bright flash of light. He sat in one of the empty thrones, right next to Chrysalis. "Here," he said, raising his lion's paw into the air. Nodding, the Queen began to speak. "I have called you here today to discuss a matter of utmost importance. My guards have found and captured the fourth alicorn. She eluded us for some time, but Lieutenant Soarin of the Lunar Army captured her near the Everfree. It would appear that she was hiding out in the nearby town and was going to the Everfree Castle to free Celestia. Discord, as Celestia's guardian, have you anything to say?" Discord coughed nervously. "Uh, yes. Although Cadenza did not manage to free Celestia, something else happened." The entire council gave Discord an expectant look, waiting for him to continue. He had sunk down in his throne (whose carving changed every minute or so) and was refusing to look any of the rulers in the eye. "What? What happened? Speak," the Queen demanded, staring at Discord. Discord pointed to the Everfree Castle on the map, and then pointed to the nearby town. “Celestia.. she managed to...um......escape. The Queen spoke again, her voice loaded with deadly calm. "Repeat what you just said. Now." ”Uh, she........escaped?" "Hmm," the Queen hummed. "How very disappointing, Discord. I thought you stripped her of her wings and horn. How exactly did she manage to escape, especially when there were guards? Did she overpower you? That pathetic flightless, magicless alicorn overpowered the Lord of Chaos, everypony!" Laughter rang throughout the chamber. Discord wasn't sure if he should mention that she hadn't, technically, overpowered him. Finally, he decided that telling the truth might actually be better. "Um, everypony? She didn't exactly overpower me. She more, uhhhh, kind of, not exactly...." "Just get to the point, Discord!" Sombra yelled impatiently. "I'm sure we all have better things to do than to sit around and hear you stutter." "Okay, okay! She.......seduced me." Silence. Complete and utter silence. Finally, Twilight spoke. "A wingless, magicless alicorn prisoner seduced you?" "......Yes?" Twilight facehoofed. "Seriously? Please don't tell me you slept with her." "Yes?" Another facehoof. "So we're looking for a possibly pregnant alicorn who my or may not have wings and a horn? Is that what you're saying?" "Yes?" "Would you stop answering everything with a question! Yes or no?!" "Yes?" "AHHHHH!!!!! Can I kill him, Mother? Please? PLEASE?!” "No. Not right now." Queen Nightmare Moon finally intervened, placing a calming hoof on her daughter's shoulder. "There is no killing in the Council. Wounding, however, is permitted. But before we punish Discord, the other rulers must report." "Fine. But who will retrieve Celestia?" Twilight sat back down grumpily, but plastered on a face that made it look like she cared. "Queen Chrysalis, report." Nightmare Moon ordered, not answering Twilight. "All is well, Queen. As you are aware, we have taken out any threats you have requested us to. They are safely cocooned, and my subjects and I thank you for letting us roam your cities. One of my small sub-hives has been destroyed, but it means little. We are still strong." Chrysalis sat back, pleased with her hives. "Very good. I have a few targets, but we shall discuss those later. King Sombra, report," Nightmare Moon ordered the king of the Crystal Empire. "My empire is as strong as ever. A few slaves revolted, but their leader was.....dealt with. The crystals which you ordered will be arriving, and glow crystals will be distributed to your hives according to you instructions, Queen Chrysalis. Queen Nightmare, your shipment will be arriving soon as well." "Thank you for your report, King Sombra," the Queen replied. "Have we any other matters to discuss?" Twilight raised her hoof. "May I speak?" "Yes." "Who will capture Celestia?" "That will be discussed at dinner." "Okay. Also, can I punish Discord now?" Twilight had a sweet innocent smile that spoke very clearly of dangerous things to come. Nightmare Moon looked around. The other leaders all had interested looks, and Discord was looking slightly reassured. He probably figured that whatever punishment the Princess gave out wouldn't be nearly as bad. Nightmare Moon smiled and spoke. "Royals and guards alike, I would like to present my daughter, Princess Twilight Sparkle. As you know, failure is treated quite harshly, and Twilight has been learning how to treat failure. Today, she will use what she has learned." Twilight shot a beam of magic up to the ceiling. It hit the ceiling and spread over the walls, trapping the Council in. Not even Discord could escape. Still smiling, Twilight proceeded to bring twin magic blades into existence. They shimmered in the candlelight, their sharp blades glistening. "Hold still, Discord," she purred, her voice sinister and dark magic trailing from her eyes. "This won't hurt. Much." Author's Note Please comment on how you would like Spike and the rest of the Main 6 to come into the story. Land of Shadows: After the CouncilRainbow Dash stood outside Twilight's room, waiting for her to be done. After the punishment of Discord, Queen Nightmare Moon had ended the council and told everypony that they could go back to whatever they were doing before. Twilight had gone back to her room so that she could clean Discord's blood off of her. Apparently Dark Magic could hurt draconeqii. Personally, Dash was a bit freaked out. Twilight had been so calm, and it looked like she had enjoyed it. If that wasn't freaky, Dash didn't know what was. Inside the room, Twilight stood in front of her mirror. Her purple cape had dark stains on it, and her silver gauntlets were stained with red. Overall though, she was pleased. Opening her mouth, she called for her hoofmaiden. "Hoofmaiden! I am in need of your assistance!" A small, dirty yellow pegasus scurried frantically out of the servant's door and into Twilight's room. "Yes, Princess?" She asked, her voice trembling as she bowed. "What do you need?" But instead of demanding something, Twilight asked a question. "What happened to you?" The pegasus's eyes were red, her coat was grimy, she had red marks all over her back and wings, and she couldn't stop trembling. But all the pegasus could do was whimper in response. Moving closer, Twilight repeated the question. "What happened to you?" However, moving closer had the exact opposite effect. The pegasus took one look at the blood on Twilight's gauntlets and panicked, running straight into the wall and knocking herself out. Sighing, Twilight used her magic to levitate the unconscious pegasus onto her bed. "Rainbow Dash," Twilight called out, walking back to the mirror. "Get in here." Rainbow Dash burst through the door in a fighting stance, looking around for enemies. When she saw the yellow pegasus on Twilight's bed, she charged, only to be halted by Twilight's magic. "She's not a threat, Captain. Why are you so violent all the time?" "Hmph. I'm a soldier. It's my job to be violent. Why'd you call me in here?" Rainbow Dash asked, still shooting suspicious glances at the pony on the bed. "I need help with my gauntlets," replied Twilight. "They're stuck." "Isn't that what hoofmaidens are for?" Dash asked scathingly. "I'm a Captain. I'm a warrior, not some servant." "Well, seeing as my hoofmaiden is unconscious on my bed, I don't care if you don't want to. You're my friend, and friends help each other. Plus, I could always report you for failing to obey a command." Twilight replied dryly, ignoring Rainbow's complaints. "Fine." Rainbow Dash grumbled, walking over to Twilight's outstretched hoof. "Good servant.” Twilight said with a teasing smirk on her face, almost like she was daring Dash to refuse. "Eew, draconequus blood. It smells bad.” Rainbow whined as she yanked the first gauntlet off and set it on the floor. "I don't care.” replied Twilight. "And be more careful. Pulling my gauntlet off hurt my hoof." "Oh, so now the Princess is stuck up and whiny.” Rainbow Dash teased Twilight, laughing internally at her angry expression. But then Twilight's face turned into a mask of calm as she summoned her Shadowblades, which were still stained with Discord's blood. "Care to repeat that comment, Captain Dash?" The blades now hovered in front of Twilight, aimed directly at Rainbow Dash's heart. "No, Twilight," Rainbow mumbled meekly. "What did you call me?" Twilight exclaimed as the blades inched towards Rainbow Dash, who backed up as they approached. "S-sorry Princess Sparkle." Rainbow Dash bowed down, still inching away from the Shadowblades. The Shadowblades retreated and dissipated. "Apology accepted, Captain Dash. You need to learn respect for the Royals." "Yes, Princess. I'll do my best." Good. You better." Rainbow Dash looked confused as Twilight then promptly fell over laughing. "What was that about?" "You should've seen your face! That was priceless!" "That was mean. That was just mean." Rainbow Dash turned away from the incapacitated-by-laughter Twilight. Still laughing, Twilight replied as best she could. "Not mean, just evil!" "Grr. Not funny," an angry Rainbow Dash snarled over her shoulder in the general direction of Twilight. “Yes, funny!" Twilight exclaimed happily, pleased with how well Dash had been scared. "Not funny. At all." "Very funny. Totally." "No!" "Yes!" "No!" "Yes! This is pointless, by the way. As a princess, my opinion is always right." "What? That doesn't make any sense!" "Um," a small voice interjected, but neither of the arguing ponies noticed. So the voice tried again. "Um, please stop fighting." Once again, the voice went unnoticed. "Stop fighting. Now.” the voice said assertively. Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash froze. They slowly pivoted to face the bed, and were captured in an unforgiving stare. After a long moment, the stare stopped and Twilight spoke. "Um, Captain? Would you mind leaving?" "Not at all," was the reply as Rainbow stepped out of the room. After Rainbow Dash left the room, Twilight stepped forward cautiously, making sure not to startle the poor pegasus. In as gentle of a voice as she could muster, Twilight asked the same question she had asked earlier. "What happened to you?" The pegasus replied in a small, trembling voice. "I got in trouble." "What for?" Twilight had a confused look on her face. As far as she knew, the pegasus's only job was that of her hoofmaiden, and how did a pony as shy as her get in trouble? "Do you remember the blanket and cloak you gave me?" Yes, Twilight remembered. The cloak was old, and she hadn't needed the blanket, so she had given them to her hoofmaiden. "They were found during a chamber search, and the ponies thought that I had stolen them." The words came out in a rush. "And you got in trouble?" Twilight asked, hoping for some more information. The yellow pegasus nodded. "I got beaten, too. I tried to explain, but they said I was lying." By now, tears were flowing down her face as she told this all to Twilight. She knew that she was crying in front of the Princess, and that she might get in trouble, but she couldn't help it. "I'm sorry," she blubbered frantically as Twilight moved closer. "I don't mean to cry." But all Twilight did was hug her, gently wrapping her hooves around the distraught pegasus. "Shh, shh. It's okay," Twilight said as she attempted to sooth her. "What's your name?" "Fluttershy," the pegasus managed to get out between gasping sobs. "Shh, it's okay. Don't worry, I'll explain it all. You'll get your things back, and the pony who beat you will get talked to. It'll be fine," Twilight said as her horn begin to glow with a soft pink light that had no hints of dark magic. Fluttershy gasped as she felt a faint warmth on her back. Turning her head, she noticed a faint pink mist that had spread over her beaten up back and wings, soothing her injuries. "Thank you," Fluttershy said. "But you really didn't need to do that." Giving Fluttershy a smile, Twilight responded, "Friends take care of each other, no matter what." Author's Note I have ideas on how the rest of the Main 6 are coming in, but reader feedback is always appreciated! Land of Shadows: The Dinner Land of Shadows: The Dinner Once Fluttershy was sufficiently calmed down, Twilight sent her back to her quarters so she could finish calming down. Twilight then proceeded to stomp royally out the door, startle Rainbow Dash, and drag said blue pegasus down to the servant's area. She didn't care that her gauntlets and cape were missing, or that her mane and tail were slightly messy. The only thing she cared about was disciplining the pony who punished her hoofmaiden when she had done nothing wrong. Arriving at the door of the Head of Servants, Twilight knocked impatiently, ignoring Rainbow Dash's questions. Within a few seconds, the pony had opened the door and almost panicked upon seeing Twilight's expression. "Prin-Princess. What are you doing here?" The Head of Servants was a slightly plump brown unicorn, and he had a pyramid cutie mark that symbolized a system of order. Presumably he was on top. Replying in a haughty voice, Twilight said, "Why do you not bow before me?" Her tone was imperious, and Rainbow Dash could barely keep her laughter in. "Well? Bow!" Twilight demanded, giving Rainbow a slight shove with her back hoof. Oh.....I get it. She's playing the angry princess and I'm playing the fierce guard. Dash immediately understood what they were doing. They had done it a few times before, and the servant's reactions were priceless. "Bow before your princess!" Rainbow Dash added in as the stallion took his time. He immediately scrambled to bow faster, falling on his face in the process. Shaking, he looked like he was trying to melt into the ground. Twilight smiled in amusement, then quickly changed it to a fearsome frown. "I heard that you disciplined my hoofmaiden. Why is that?" The stallion lifted his head, clearly trying to regain some of his pride. "Some items of yours were found in her quarters. Obviously, she took them from you when you weren't present, so I returned them to your quarters and had her disciplined accordingly." He stated this in a tone of voice that made him sound quite proud of what he had done. "And how did you punish her?" Twilight kept her facial expression carefully neutral, betraying none of her emotions. "By whipping, of course. Each of the various tribes has different punishments, and whipping a pegasus's wings and back is the most effective for their tribe. Walking across hot coals or nails are the best forms of punishment for earth ponies, and the best kind for unicorns is-" "FOOL!!!" The force of the Royal Canterlot voice blew the stallion's mane and tail back and pushed him backwards a few steps. Twilight advanced on him, dark magic vapor trailing from her eyes. "Why did you not ask me why those items were in her quarters? Surely I would have noticed that they were missing. Or did you think that I didn't notice?" By now, her voice was a deadly whisper. The stallion's rump hit the wall as he tried to distance himself further. "No, no! You do notice things! I never meant to imply that you didn't!" He stammered out a panicked reply, trying not to make her any angrier. Rainbow Dash just stood nearby, barely managing to conceal her laughter. Twilight stepped back a few steps. Speaking in a calm tone of voice, she asked the terrified stallion a question. "In your cutie mark, who is on top?" The stallion immediately replied, his response arrogant and stupid. "Myself, of course!" Twilight brought her Shadowblades into existence, thoughtfully running a hoof over the sharp edge. "Is that so?" "Quite." One of the Shadowblades hovered at his neck. "No. The Queen is on top. I am directly below her. You are quite close to the bottom, actually." Twilight spoke simply, ignoring his hyperventilation. "My hoofmaiden is above you. She is a direct aide to me. You are not. You can be replaced. She can't. Understand?" "Y-yes." "Good." The Shadowblades disappeared. "You would do well to remember that fact. Come along, Captain." Rainbow Dash followed Twilight as she walked away from the now passed-out stallion. "Was that really necessary?" "No, but it was fun seeing how scared he could get." Twilight covered a snicker with her hoof. The next few hours passed without incident. They got lunch and Twilight watched the Shadowbolts's aerial performance. When the bell chimed six times, the two headed towards the dining hall, stopping by Twilight's chamber to put her royal regalia on and make sure that Rainbow's armor was spotless. Stepping into the dining chamber, they took their seats at the long table that was for the council. The seating arrangement was similar to that of the council room's, but the table was rectangular instead of round. Twilight noticed that Discord had bandages wrapped around parts of him, and multicolored bloodstains were present. Taking her seat, Twilight dipped her head to her mother. Standing up, Nightmare Moon declared, "Let the feast begin!" Servants entered the room immediately. Some carried large platters, while others carried glasses. Pegasi quickly set the empty plates in front of the diners while unicorns gently placed large platters down. Levitating a fork, Twilight speared various vegetables and dropped them onto her plate. As she ate, Nightmare Moon leaned over to speak with her. "I heard that you traumatized the Head of Servants." Finishing her mouthful, Twilight replied, "He deserved it. He found some old things of mine in my hoofmaiden's room and immediately assumed that she had stolen him. She was then whipped across her wings and back, rendering her unable to fly for some time." "So you terrorized him with your Shadowblades." "No. All I did was hold them in front of his neck. You're always saying that I should act more like you." Twilight then went back to eating. Nightmare Moon facehoofed. Turning to her left, she began talking to Sombra. Just then, loud laughter erupted from where the high-ranking soldiers were sitting. A light blue stallion with darker blue hair was waving his hooves around wildly, reenacting some scene. "So then, he's all like, I should go kiss the Princess! Who wants to come with me to kiss the Princess?" Rainbow Dash laughed. "Whadiya say this guy's name was?" The blue stallion laughed. "Flash Sentry. Anyway, I was trying not to stab the guy as he ran out of the bar, still going on about kissing the Princess. But just as I was about to go after him, this group of changelings swoops down, drain him dry, and then they cart him off to some hive thing! I guess he was pretty tasty, because they looked really happy." Chrysalis overheard them, and decided to interject her two cents on the matter. "Oh yes. That guy. You wouldn't believe his dreams about that girl! So much love......" She trailed off, remembering just how much love energy had been received. "Okayyy.........anyway, have you guys heard about how Spitfire's got a crush on me? Crazy, right?" The blue stallion kept on talking, oblivious to the hurt expression of Rainbow Dash. Rolling her eyes, Twilight focused on her mother, just in time to hear her say, "Would you be interested in.....visiting my chambers this evening?" Sombra reply was quick and pleased. "But of course, my Queen. I exist to make you happy while I am here." The two shared a suggestive smile, then went back to eating. Bleah. Remind me to steer clear of Mother's room tonight. And put up soundproofing spells. Twilight thought to herself, remembering the first and last time she forgot to do that. The noise had kept her up all night. Shaking those thoughts out of her head, she turned to talk to Chrysalis's daughter. Chrysalis's daughter was pretty in a changeling sort of way, but like her mother, she was more pony-like in appearance than the drones. Twilight was pretty sure that her name was Amethyst, but she wasn't sure. "Hi." "Hi." The two lapsed into awkward silence. Soon, Nightmare Moon stood up. "The feast is over. You may retreat to your chambers." Chairs scraped against the floor as everybody got up and did just that. Author's Note Yay! Another chapter! I like feedback. Land of Shadows: The EncounterGetting up from the table, Twilight turned to walk away, only to be stopped by someone calling her name. "Princess Twilight?" Turning around, she replied crossly, "What?" "Your mother mentioned how interested you are about learning new things, so I decided to bring something for you. A gift for your upcoming birthday, shall we say?" Sombra smiled as he watched Twilight go from anger to curiosity. "A gift? Um, okay, I guess. What is it?" Twilight didn't trust Sombra at all, but her scholarly instincts took over, ignoring any distrust she had. Chuckling, he replied, "Can't tell you that. All I can tell you is that it is in a cave near the castle. Happy hunting!" With that, Sombra turned away and walked off towards the guest hall. After a few steps, he paused and turned back towards Twilight. "Oh, and it's alive. Be careful." "What?" Twilight froze her mental calculations for a second. Whatever the thing was, it was alive? And she should be careful? Was it a changeling? No, Queen Chrysalis would have killed Sombra. A manticore? No, she could have the guards capture one for her. Same went for sea serpents, hydras, cragadiles, giant spiders, and a plethora of other Everfree-native creatures. Maybe a chimera? It would make sense, seeing as chimeras were to be avoided at all costs. As for caves near the castle, there were a few. There was one big one down in the gorge, and it was close to the castle, so Twilight decided that she would check there first. Not bothering to grab a guard, she trotted out of the dining hall, through the great hall, and out the main doors. Spreading her wings, she leapt into the gorge, carefully controlling her decent. The pegasi and thestral guards liked to race in the canyon, a dangerous pastime, but Twilight had seen what happened when just one wingbeat went wrong, so she always flew with the utmost caution. Landing in front of the cave, she noticed the huge bars of shadow crystal that covered its entrance. Sombra could be overdramatic. Calling on her dark magic, Twilight lowered a few of the bars into the ground, stepped over them, and pulled them back up once she was inside. The cavern glowed with a soft blue light, courtesy of a crystal tree which had resisted all attempts of destruction. However, there was another glow, one that Twilight had never seen before. Stepping further into the cave, she found the source of the glow. There, right in front of her, was a dragon! Its belly glowed faintly green as it turned one eye to look at the purple alicorn who felt like shadow and light at the same time. For a moment, Twilight could've sworn she saw a pony by the dragon, but when she looked again, nothing was there. Stepping forward a bit more, Twilight noticed the heavy restraints that the dragon bore. A ring was clamped over its jaw, and heavy cuffs bound its front and back legs together. But worst of all, in Twilight's opinion, were the chains that were strung through the dragon's wings, rubbing raw, bleeding holes every time it moved. Gasping slightly, she stretched a hoof out to touch the ring. She agreed with Sombra on the fact that dragons were dangerous, but no creature should ever be treated like that! The dragon looked at her as she trotted over to its wing. What was with this pony? It had wings, but it also had a horn. It felt like light, but it also felt like shadow. Judging by the color, adornments, and body shape, it was a female. She was perhaps a head or two shorter than him, and acted nothing like any other pony he had ever seen. Most ponies ran around shrieking "The horror, the horror!" or threw projectiles at him. This one didn't. Weird. Walking over to the dragon's wing, Twilight touched her horn to the chain. Gathering all of her knowledge on teleportation and disintegration, she slowly disintegrated the chain and teleported the ashes away. She then began to cleanse and patch the holes in the wings, deciding that the shadow bars would prevent it flying away. As the magic patched the holes in his wings, the dragon sat up, eliciting an "EEP!" from the purple pony. Although he was only about a head and a half taller than her, his wingspan was much wider. How did the ponies fly with their dinky wings anyway? Noticing the armor on her, he had to laugh, a rumble that made purple "EEP!" again. Ponies were pathetic, really. They had no natural armor, no clawed hands - no hands or claws at all, for that matter! They also had no spiked tails. All in all, Spike couldn't understand how ponies were still alive. Sure, their single horn could control magic, but only certain types of spells did things to dragons. Twilight stepped back, looking at its wings. Although the skin of the dragon's wings was raw, they looked better. Taking a deep breath, she put up a magic shield and removed the lock on the dragon's noseband. The dragon crossed its eyes, shaking its head and attempting to open its mouth. When the noseband failed to fall off, Twilight carefully levitated it off, lowering it to the floor with a clunk. "Um, hello? My name is Twilight Sparkle." Twilight talked slowly, enunciating each word. "Hello, Twilight Sparkle. My name is Spike," Spike replied in a voice that rumbled slightly. "I thank you for your help." "You can talk?!" Twilight yelped, looking up at him with shock. "Uh, that is, I mean..." She was cut off by a frustrated growl from Spike. "Pony fools. Not you, though. You willingly approach me, and remove some of my restraints, even though it could mean death for you. Why is that? Why are you so different?" Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but failed to come up with an answer. "You look like a fish," Spike chuckled. "Do you not know why you helped me?" "I guess not," Twilight finally replied. "Hmm, light." Spike looked at her appraisingly. "You are a mystery, little pony." "Light? What? How old are you?" Twilight remembered that dragons could be hundreds of years old, but this one wasn't a whole bunch larger than her. "How old are you?" Spike countered, grinning. "Twenty, in a few days," Twilight replied swiftly, eager for his answer. "Twenty-five, as of three days past," came the reply. Twilight paused. He talked like he was from an older time, with slightly different wordings, and calling her 'little pony'. In all fairness, he was taller than her, so that could affect it. "Were you time-frozen, by any chance?" "No. Why?" "It's just that you talk slightly differently, like you're older." "That's probably my teacher's fault," Spike relented. "Dragons are taught to convey an image of knowledge and superiority. We're also taught to refer to all creatures as little, mainly because most creatures are smaller than us. My friends and I are all annoyed with the lessons, but apparently I have actually been listening." "Oh. I guess that makes sense. So you normally talk-" "Like any normal pony. Dragons are also taught a whole bunch of different languages, so I also know Griffon, Zebra, Minotaur, and a few words of Changeish." "Interesting. So, as you age, will you get bigger?" By now, Twilight had materialized a notebook and was frantically scribbling down everything Spike said. "Uh...yes and no. I was hatched by magic, so this is probably as big as I'll ever get. Apparently, the magic unintentionally restricted my growth..." Twilight paused. "I'm sorry. Maybe we could see if there's a way to remove the spell later. Right now, I have to go. Sorry..." "Eh, it's okay. I'll see you tomorrow?" "Sure!" With that, Twilight left the cave, making sure to close the shadow crystal bars behind her, and made her way up to her bedchambers. Removing her armor, she promptly fell on her bed and was enveloped in sleep. Author's Note Spike has entered! I like feedback/comments.
Land of Shadows: The AwakeningKnock, knock. "Princess? Are you awake?" Twilight rolled over in her bed, trying to get away from the irritating knocking. "Go away," she groaned. "Go bother somepony else." The knocking continued. "I'll report you to my mother!" Twilight threatened the knocking guard with the most dreaded form of punishment, being brought before the Queen herself. The knocking stopped. Twilight sighed and rolled back over. "Actually, Your Highness, the Queen asked me to summon you," the guard replied. Twilight paused. The voice was familiar. Who did it belong to? "Princess? Are you okay in there? The Queen said it was urgent." Upon hearing that, Twilight got to her hooves and opened the door of her bedchamber, bringing her face to face with the guard. "Oh! Captain Dash! What brings you here?" "Trying to get you to wake up, lazy," the Captain replied, her rainbow tail twitching with annoyance. One of her gauntleted forehooves kicked the ground aimlessly, but her helmeted head was straight up, allowing her to stare Twilight in the face. "The Queen has called a secret meeting." "Which means that only her trusted advisors and the other rulers will be there. Excluding you, of course. You're still in trouble for performing tricks during practice," Twilight replied, a dry expression on her face. "Not even the Captain of the Shadowbolts can escape getting in trouble." Rainbow responded, not amused at Twilight's remark. "Just get ready, Princess Egghead. We need to get down there. Oh, and the Queen said that I am no longer in trouble, because she needs Equestria's best warriors to combat the threat. Hah." Rainbow couldn't help but shove it in Twilight's face. Ever since the ascension of Twilight, the two had been engaged in a friendly rivalry. But of course, Twilight came up with something that distracted the rainbow Pegasus. "Speaking of 'Equestria's best warriors', is a certain blue Lieutenant going to be present?" A thump was heard from the other side of the door as Twilight walked toward her dressing table to get ready. She smiled a satisfied smile. It was no great secret that Rainbow Dash, the incredible Captain of the Shadowbolts, had a crush on Lieutenant Soarin of the Lunar Army. The Lunar Army was good, but the Shadowbolts were the elite. Hoof-picked by the Queen and King themselves for fighting skills, cunning, and bravery. The Lunar Army, however, would accept just about anypony as long as they were good fighters. Twilight calmly fastened the silver clasp of her deep purple cape and placed her silver crown adorned with purple gems on as Rainbow Dash struggled to think of a comeback. Finally, she settled on, "How many ponies know?" Twilight dropped one of her gauntlets as she heard what Rainbow said. Of all of the questions and comebacks available, she had asked how many ponies knew? Very unlike her. That must mean that she actually liked him and he liked her. Pausing to fix the gauntlet, she replied, "Don't worry, only I know. And my hoofmaiden, but she won't tell anypony. Your secret's safe with me." As Twilight walked out of her room, she was greeted with the sight of a blushing Captain. "How long have you know?" Deciding to give her a truthful answer, Twilight replied, "Oh, ever since he got shipped off to the Everfree Castle. My hoofmaiden knew longer, but I didn't believe her." Dash sighed. "Your hoofmaiden. She knew about my crush and you didn't believe her?" "No. Why would I? Although, I don't know much about crushes and special someponies. I need to spend more time with Cadenza. But for now, I have a meeting to get to. Lead the way, Captain." "Gladly," Rainbow replied, leading the way down the corridor. "Cadenza? I thought she was a prisoner. Why would you ask her?" Twilight replied with a straight face. "She's not a prisoner anymore. The Queen liked what she had to say about relationships and love, so now she is the Royals' personal Love Advice Giver thingy. It's confusing." Rainbow was laughing so hard, she could barely talk. "There's such thing as a Love Advice Giver?! Seriously? You're joking, right?" "...No. The actual term is Royal Love Advisor." ".....Royal Love Advisor. That.....just......seriously?" "Yes, seriously. I didn't believe it either, but when Mother told me, she sounded very serious. Like, super serious." Rainbow just shook her head. "Royal Love Advisor. What are they going to think of next? Royal Taste Tester? Royal Spear Sharpener?" "..." "What?" Twilight looked at her with a frown. "Those are both actual things, Rainbow. The Royal Taste Tester is to make sure none of the food is poisoned, and you should know who the Royal Spear Sharpener is. She comes every day." "Do you mean that gray pegasus with the funny eyes?" Rainbow asked, rubbing her chin in thought. "She's always knocking the spears over and nearly impaling my crew. We just pick her up and deposit her outside. She's mostly harmless. We sharpen our own spears, anyway. We don't need a pony who does that for us. How will we know if they're as sharp as we want them?" Twilight cringed at the description of the pony. "Yes, I think that is the pony. I was not aware that she was that problematic. I'll inform my mother. She'll have her removed immediately." "Thanks." They walked in comfortable silence for a while, traveling down corridor after corridor and descending flights of stairs until they came to a simple black door that shimmered with the magic of silencing and secrecy spells. Nothing could be heard from within, and to get in you had to open a lock. Twilight walked forward and inserted her horn, bubbling with dark magic, into the lock. The lock bubbled with the same magic, and the door swung open. Author's Note This alternate universe thing hurts my brain. I have to decide what to keep, what to change, and how the characters tie in. If you have suggestions, please comment.
Land of Shadows: The MeetingTwilight and Rainbow Dash stepped through the open door and into the room behind it. The room was beautiful but simple, designed for council. It had a large round table in the middle, complete with a raised map of Equestria on it. Throne-like chairs sat around it, and most of them were occupied. All of the thrones had some sort of carving at the top, whether it be a coat of arms or a cutie mark. The largest had a carving of a crescent moon, and in it sat a tall, black-coated alicorn who was clearly the one in charge. She wore the adornments of a queen and had a blue mist swirling around her. The smaller throne on her left was empty, and the top bore a carving of Twilight's cutie mark. After bowing to the Queen, Twilight sat in her throne. Rainbow bowed too, and soared over to her throne, which had the Captain's Insignia at the top. On her right was the Captain of the Lunar Army, and on her left was a black stallion who wore a cape and armor. His throne had a carving of crystals, and Rainbow recognized him as King Sombra, ruler of the Crystal Empire. Next to the Captain of the Lunar Army was the Lieutenant of the Lunar Army, and then next to the Lieutenant there were three empty seats. On Twilight's left, there was the Changeling Queen, Chrysalis. Her chair had the Changeling coat of arms at the top. Finally, the Queen spoke. "Greetings, Royals and little ponies alike. The Council will begin shortly, once the Lord of Chaos gets here." The Queen's voice was cold but regal, and spoke of a pony who ruled with an iron hoof. Just as she had spoken those words, however, a draconequus appeared with a bright flash of light. He sat in one of the empty thrones, right next to Chrysalis. "Here," he said, raising his lion's paw into the air. Nodding, the Queen began to speak. "I have called you here today to discuss a matter of utmost importance. My guards have found and captured the fourth alicorn. She eluded us for some time, but Lieutenant Soarin of the Lunar Army captured her near the Everfree. It would appear that she was hiding out in the nearby town and was going to the Everfree Castle to free Celestia. Discord, as Celestia's guardian, have you anything to say?" Discord coughed nervously. "Uh, yes. Although Cadenza did not manage to free Celestia, something else happened." The entire council gave Discord an expectant look, waiting for him to continue. He had sunk down in his throne (whose carving changed every minute or so) and was refusing to look any of the rulers in the eye. "What? What happened? Speak," the Queen demanded, staring at Discord. Discord pointed to the Everfree Castle on the map, and then pointed to the nearby town. “Celestia.. she managed to...um......escape. The Queen spoke again, her voice loaded with deadly calm. "Repeat what you just said. Now." ”Uh, she........escaped?" "Hmm," the Queen hummed. "How very disappointing, Discord. I thought you stripped her of her wings and horn. How exactly did she manage to escape, especially when there were guards? Did she overpower you? That pathetic flightless, magicless alicorn overpowered the Lord of Chaos, everypony!" Laughter rang throughout the chamber. Discord wasn't sure if he should mention that she hadn't, technically, overpowered him. Finally, he decided that telling the truth might actually be better. "Um, everypony? She didn't exactly overpower me. She more, uhhhh, kind of, not exactly...." "Just get to the point, Discord!" Sombra yelled impatiently. "I'm sure we all have better things to do than to sit around and hear you stutter." "Okay, okay! She.......seduced me." Silence. Complete and utter silence. Finally, Twilight spoke. "A wingless, magicless alicorn prisoner seduced you?" "......Yes?" Twilight facehoofed. "Seriously? Please don't tell me you slept with her." "Yes?" Another facehoof. "So we're looking for a possibly pregnant alicorn who my or may not have wings and a horn? Is that what you're saying?" "Yes?" "Would you stop answering everything with a question! Yes or no?!" "Yes?" "AHHHHH!!!!! Can I kill him, Mother? Please? PLEASE?!” "No. Not right now." Queen Nightmare Moon finally intervened, placing a calming hoof on her daughter's shoulder. "There is no killing in the Council. Wounding, however, is permitted. But before we punish Discord, the other rulers must report." "Fine. But who will retrieve Celestia?" Twilight sat back down grumpily, but plastered on a face that made it look like she cared. "Queen Chrysalis, report." Nightmare Moon ordered, not answering Twilight. "All is well, Queen. As you are aware, we have taken out any threats you have requested us to. They are safely cocooned, and my subjects and I thank you for letting us roam your cities. One of my small sub-hives has been destroyed, but it means little. We are still strong." Chrysalis sat back, pleased with her hives. "Very good. I have a few targets, but we shall discuss those later. King Sombra, report," Nightmare Moon ordered the king of the Crystal Empire. "My empire is as strong as ever. A few slaves revolted, but their leader was.....dealt with. The crystals which you ordered will be arriving, and glow crystals will be distributed to your hives according to you instructions, Queen Chrysalis. Queen Nightmare, your shipment will be arriving soon as well." "Thank you for your report, King Sombra," the Queen replied. "Have we any other matters to discuss?" Twilight raised her hoof. "May I speak?" "Yes." "Who will capture Celestia?" "That will be discussed at dinner." "Okay. Also, can I punish Discord now?" Twilight had a sweet innocent smile that spoke very clearly of dangerous things to come. Nightmare Moon looked around. The other leaders all had interested looks, and Discord was looking slightly reassured. He probably figured that whatever punishment the Princess gave out wouldn't be nearly as bad. Nightmare Moon smiled and spoke. "Royals and guards alike, I would like to present my daughter, Princess Twilight Sparkle. As you know, failure is treated quite harshly, and Twilight has been learning how to treat failure. Today, she will use what she has learned." Twilight shot a beam of magic up to the ceiling. It hit the ceiling and spread over the walls, trapping the Council in. Not even Discord could escape. Still smiling, Twilight proceeded to bring twin magic blades into existence. They shimmered in the candlelight, their sharp blades glistening. "Hold still, Discord," she purred, her voice sinister and dark magic trailing from her eyes. "This won't hurt. Much." Author's Note Please comment on how you would like Spike and the rest of the Main 6 to come into the story.
Land of Shadows: After the CouncilRainbow Dash stood outside Twilight's room, waiting for her to be done. After the punishment of Discord, Queen Nightmare Moon had ended the council and told everypony that they could go back to whatever they were doing before. Twilight had gone back to her room so that she could clean Discord's blood off of her. Apparently Dark Magic could hurt draconeqii. Personally, Dash was a bit freaked out. Twilight had been so calm, and it looked like she had enjoyed it. If that wasn't freaky, Dash didn't know what was. Inside the room, Twilight stood in front of her mirror. Her purple cape had dark stains on it, and her silver gauntlets were stained with red. Overall though, she was pleased. Opening her mouth, she called for her hoofmaiden. "Hoofmaiden! I am in need of your assistance!" A small, dirty yellow pegasus scurried frantically out of the servant's door and into Twilight's room. "Yes, Princess?" She asked, her voice trembling as she bowed. "What do you need?" But instead of demanding something, Twilight asked a question. "What happened to you?" The pegasus's eyes were red, her coat was grimy, she had red marks all over her back and wings, and she couldn't stop trembling. But all the pegasus could do was whimper in response. Moving closer, Twilight repeated the question. "What happened to you?" However, moving closer had the exact opposite effect. The pegasus took one look at the blood on Twilight's gauntlets and panicked, running straight into the wall and knocking herself out. Sighing, Twilight used her magic to levitate the unconscious pegasus onto her bed. "Rainbow Dash," Twilight called out, walking back to the mirror. "Get in here." Rainbow Dash burst through the door in a fighting stance, looking around for enemies. When she saw the yellow pegasus on Twilight's bed, she charged, only to be halted by Twilight's magic. "She's not a threat, Captain. Why are you so violent all the time?" "Hmph. I'm a soldier. It's my job to be violent. Why'd you call me in here?" Rainbow Dash asked, still shooting suspicious glances at the pony on the bed. "I need help with my gauntlets," replied Twilight. "They're stuck." "Isn't that what hoofmaidens are for?" Dash asked scathingly. "I'm a Captain. I'm a warrior, not some servant." "Well, seeing as my hoofmaiden is unconscious on my bed, I don't care if you don't want to. You're my friend, and friends help each other. Plus, I could always report you for failing to obey a command." Twilight replied dryly, ignoring Rainbow's complaints. "Fine." Rainbow Dash grumbled, walking over to Twilight's outstretched hoof. "Good servant.” Twilight said with a teasing smirk on her face, almost like she was daring Dash to refuse. "Eew, draconequus blood. It smells bad.” Rainbow whined as she yanked the first gauntlet off and set it on the floor. "I don't care.” replied Twilight. "And be more careful. Pulling my gauntlet off hurt my hoof." "Oh, so now the Princess is stuck up and whiny.” Rainbow Dash teased Twilight, laughing internally at her angry expression. But then Twilight's face turned into a mask of calm as she summoned her Shadowblades, which were still stained with Discord's blood. "Care to repeat that comment, Captain Dash?" The blades now hovered in front of Twilight, aimed directly at Rainbow Dash's heart. "No, Twilight," Rainbow mumbled meekly. "What did you call me?" Twilight exclaimed as the blades inched towards Rainbow Dash, who backed up as they approached. "S-sorry Princess Sparkle." Rainbow Dash bowed down, still inching away from the Shadowblades. The Shadowblades retreated and dissipated. "Apology accepted, Captain Dash. You need to learn respect for the Royals." "Yes, Princess. I'll do my best." Good. You better." Rainbow Dash looked confused as Twilight then promptly fell over laughing. "What was that about?" "You should've seen your face! That was priceless!" "That was mean. That was just mean." Rainbow Dash turned away from the incapacitated-by-laughter Twilight. Still laughing, Twilight replied as best she could. "Not mean, just evil!" "Grr. Not funny," an angry Rainbow Dash snarled over her shoulder in the general direction of Twilight. “Yes, funny!" Twilight exclaimed happily, pleased with how well Dash had been scared. "Not funny. At all." "Very funny. Totally." "No!" "Yes!" "No!" "Yes! This is pointless, by the way. As a princess, my opinion is always right." "What? That doesn't make any sense!" "Um," a small voice interjected, but neither of the arguing ponies noticed. So the voice tried again. "Um, please stop fighting." Once again, the voice went unnoticed. "Stop fighting. Now.” the voice said assertively. Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash froze. They slowly pivoted to face the bed, and were captured in an unforgiving stare. After a long moment, the stare stopped and Twilight spoke. "Um, Captain? Would you mind leaving?" "Not at all," was the reply as Rainbow stepped out of the room. After Rainbow Dash left the room, Twilight stepped forward cautiously, making sure not to startle the poor pegasus. In as gentle of a voice as she could muster, Twilight asked the same question she had asked earlier. "What happened to you?" The pegasus replied in a small, trembling voice. "I got in trouble." "What for?" Twilight had a confused look on her face. As far as she knew, the pegasus's only job was that of her hoofmaiden, and how did a pony as shy as her get in trouble? "Do you remember the blanket and cloak you gave me?" Yes, Twilight remembered. The cloak was old, and she hadn't needed the blanket, so she had given them to her hoofmaiden. "They were found during a chamber search, and the ponies thought that I had stolen them." The words came out in a rush. "And you got in trouble?" Twilight asked, hoping for some more information. The yellow pegasus nodded. "I got beaten, too. I tried to explain, but they said I was lying." By now, tears were flowing down her face as she told this all to Twilight. She knew that she was crying in front of the Princess, and that she might get in trouble, but she couldn't help it. "I'm sorry," she blubbered frantically as Twilight moved closer. "I don't mean to cry." But all Twilight did was hug her, gently wrapping her hooves around the distraught pegasus. "Shh, shh. It's okay," Twilight said as she attempted to sooth her. "What's your name?" "Fluttershy," the pegasus managed to get out between gasping sobs. "Shh, it's okay. Don't worry, I'll explain it all. You'll get your things back, and the pony who beat you will get talked to. It'll be fine," Twilight said as her horn begin to glow with a soft pink light that had no hints of dark magic. Fluttershy gasped as she felt a faint warmth on her back. Turning her head, she noticed a faint pink mist that had spread over her beaten up back and wings, soothing her injuries. "Thank you," Fluttershy said. "But you really didn't need to do that." Giving Fluttershy a smile, Twilight responded, "Friends take care of each other, no matter what." Author's Note I have ideas on how the rest of the Main 6 are coming in, but reader feedback is always appreciated!
Land of Shadows: The Dinner Land of Shadows: The Dinner Once Fluttershy was sufficiently calmed down, Twilight sent her back to her quarters so she could finish calming down. Twilight then proceeded to stomp royally out the door, startle Rainbow Dash, and drag said blue pegasus down to the servant's area. She didn't care that her gauntlets and cape were missing, or that her mane and tail were slightly messy. The only thing she cared about was disciplining the pony who punished her hoofmaiden when she had done nothing wrong. Arriving at the door of the Head of Servants, Twilight knocked impatiently, ignoring Rainbow Dash's questions. Within a few seconds, the pony had opened the door and almost panicked upon seeing Twilight's expression. "Prin-Princess. What are you doing here?" The Head of Servants was a slightly plump brown unicorn, and he had a pyramid cutie mark that symbolized a system of order. Presumably he was on top. Replying in a haughty voice, Twilight said, "Why do you not bow before me?" Her tone was imperious, and Rainbow Dash could barely keep her laughter in. "Well? Bow!" Twilight demanded, giving Rainbow a slight shove with her back hoof. Oh.....I get it. She's playing the angry princess and I'm playing the fierce guard. Dash immediately understood what they were doing. They had done it a few times before, and the servant's reactions were priceless. "Bow before your princess!" Rainbow Dash added in as the stallion took his time. He immediately scrambled to bow faster, falling on his face in the process. Shaking, he looked like he was trying to melt into the ground. Twilight smiled in amusement, then quickly changed it to a fearsome frown. "I heard that you disciplined my hoofmaiden. Why is that?" The stallion lifted his head, clearly trying to regain some of his pride. "Some items of yours were found in her quarters. Obviously, she took them from you when you weren't present, so I returned them to your quarters and had her disciplined accordingly." He stated this in a tone of voice that made him sound quite proud of what he had done. "And how did you punish her?" Twilight kept her facial expression carefully neutral, betraying none of her emotions. "By whipping, of course. Each of the various tribes has different punishments, and whipping a pegasus's wings and back is the most effective for their tribe. Walking across hot coals or nails are the best forms of punishment for earth ponies, and the best kind for unicorns is-" "FOOL!!!" The force of the Royal Canterlot voice blew the stallion's mane and tail back and pushed him backwards a few steps. Twilight advanced on him, dark magic vapor trailing from her eyes. "Why did you not ask me why those items were in her quarters? Surely I would have noticed that they were missing. Or did you think that I didn't notice?" By now, her voice was a deadly whisper. The stallion's rump hit the wall as he tried to distance himself further. "No, no! You do notice things! I never meant to imply that you didn't!" He stammered out a panicked reply, trying not to make her any angrier. Rainbow Dash just stood nearby, barely managing to conceal her laughter. Twilight stepped back a few steps. Speaking in a calm tone of voice, she asked the terrified stallion a question. "In your cutie mark, who is on top?" The stallion immediately replied, his response arrogant and stupid. "Myself, of course!" Twilight brought her Shadowblades into existence, thoughtfully running a hoof over the sharp edge. "Is that so?" "Quite." One of the Shadowblades hovered at his neck. "No. The Queen is on top. I am directly below her. You are quite close to the bottom, actually." Twilight spoke simply, ignoring his hyperventilation. "My hoofmaiden is above you. She is a direct aide to me. You are not. You can be replaced. She can't. Understand?" "Y-yes." "Good." The Shadowblades disappeared. "You would do well to remember that fact. Come along, Captain." Rainbow Dash followed Twilight as she walked away from the now passed-out stallion. "Was that really necessary?" "No, but it was fun seeing how scared he could get." Twilight covered a snicker with her hoof. The next few hours passed without incident. They got lunch and Twilight watched the Shadowbolts's aerial performance. When the bell chimed six times, the two headed towards the dining hall, stopping by Twilight's chamber to put her royal regalia on and make sure that Rainbow's armor was spotless. Stepping into the dining chamber, they took their seats at the long table that was for the council. The seating arrangement was similar to that of the council room's, but the table was rectangular instead of round. Twilight noticed that Discord had bandages wrapped around parts of him, and multicolored bloodstains were present. Taking her seat, Twilight dipped her head to her mother. Standing up, Nightmare Moon declared, "Let the feast begin!" Servants entered the room immediately. Some carried large platters, while others carried glasses. Pegasi quickly set the empty plates in front of the diners while unicorns gently placed large platters down. Levitating a fork, Twilight speared various vegetables and dropped them onto her plate. As she ate, Nightmare Moon leaned over to speak with her. "I heard that you traumatized the Head of Servants." Finishing her mouthful, Twilight replied, "He deserved it. He found some old things of mine in my hoofmaiden's room and immediately assumed that she had stolen him. She was then whipped across her wings and back, rendering her unable to fly for some time." "So you terrorized him with your Shadowblades." "No. All I did was hold them in front of his neck. You're always saying that I should act more like you." Twilight then went back to eating. Nightmare Moon facehoofed. Turning to her left, she began talking to Sombra. Just then, loud laughter erupted from where the high-ranking soldiers were sitting. A light blue stallion with darker blue hair was waving his hooves around wildly, reenacting some scene. "So then, he's all like, I should go kiss the Princess! Who wants to come with me to kiss the Princess?" Rainbow Dash laughed. "Whadiya say this guy's name was?" The blue stallion laughed. "Flash Sentry. Anyway, I was trying not to stab the guy as he ran out of the bar, still going on about kissing the Princess. But just as I was about to go after him, this group of changelings swoops down, drain him dry, and then they cart him off to some hive thing! I guess he was pretty tasty, because they looked really happy." Chrysalis overheard them, and decided to interject her two cents on the matter. "Oh yes. That guy. You wouldn't believe his dreams about that girl! So much love......" She trailed off, remembering just how much love energy had been received. "Okayyy.........anyway, have you guys heard about how Spitfire's got a crush on me? Crazy, right?" The blue stallion kept on talking, oblivious to the hurt expression of Rainbow Dash. Rolling her eyes, Twilight focused on her mother, just in time to hear her say, "Would you be interested in.....visiting my chambers this evening?" Sombra reply was quick and pleased. "But of course, my Queen. I exist to make you happy while I am here." The two shared a suggestive smile, then went back to eating. Bleah. Remind me to steer clear of Mother's room tonight. And put up soundproofing spells. Twilight thought to herself, remembering the first and last time she forgot to do that. The noise had kept her up all night. Shaking those thoughts out of her head, she turned to talk to Chrysalis's daughter. Chrysalis's daughter was pretty in a changeling sort of way, but like her mother, she was more pony-like in appearance than the drones. Twilight was pretty sure that her name was Amethyst, but she wasn't sure. "Hi." "Hi." The two lapsed into awkward silence. Soon, Nightmare Moon stood up. "The feast is over. You may retreat to your chambers." Chairs scraped against the floor as everybody got up and did just that. Author's Note Yay! Another chapter! I like feedback.
Land of Shadows: The EncounterGetting up from the table, Twilight turned to walk away, only to be stopped by someone calling her name. "Princess Twilight?" Turning around, she replied crossly, "What?" "Your mother mentioned how interested you are about learning new things, so I decided to bring something for you. A gift for your upcoming birthday, shall we say?" Sombra smiled as he watched Twilight go from anger to curiosity. "A gift? Um, okay, I guess. What is it?" Twilight didn't trust Sombra at all, but her scholarly instincts took over, ignoring any distrust she had. Chuckling, he replied, "Can't tell you that. All I can tell you is that it is in a cave near the castle. Happy hunting!" With that, Sombra turned away and walked off towards the guest hall. After a few steps, he paused and turned back towards Twilight. "Oh, and it's alive. Be careful." "What?" Twilight froze her mental calculations for a second. Whatever the thing was, it was alive? And she should be careful? Was it a changeling? No, Queen Chrysalis would have killed Sombra. A manticore? No, she could have the guards capture one for her. Same went for sea serpents, hydras, cragadiles, giant spiders, and a plethora of other Everfree-native creatures. Maybe a chimera? It would make sense, seeing as chimeras were to be avoided at all costs. As for caves near the castle, there were a few. There was one big one down in the gorge, and it was close to the castle, so Twilight decided that she would check there first. Not bothering to grab a guard, she trotted out of the dining hall, through the great hall, and out the main doors. Spreading her wings, she leapt into the gorge, carefully controlling her decent. The pegasi and thestral guards liked to race in the canyon, a dangerous pastime, but Twilight had seen what happened when just one wingbeat went wrong, so she always flew with the utmost caution. Landing in front of the cave, she noticed the huge bars of shadow crystal that covered its entrance. Sombra could be overdramatic. Calling on her dark magic, Twilight lowered a few of the bars into the ground, stepped over them, and pulled them back up once she was inside. The cavern glowed with a soft blue light, courtesy of a crystal tree which had resisted all attempts of destruction. However, there was another glow, one that Twilight had never seen before. Stepping further into the cave, she found the source of the glow. There, right in front of her, was a dragon! Its belly glowed faintly green as it turned one eye to look at the purple alicorn who felt like shadow and light at the same time. For a moment, Twilight could've sworn she saw a pony by the dragon, but when she looked again, nothing was there. Stepping forward a bit more, Twilight noticed the heavy restraints that the dragon bore. A ring was clamped over its jaw, and heavy cuffs bound its front and back legs together. But worst of all, in Twilight's opinion, were the chains that were strung through the dragon's wings, rubbing raw, bleeding holes every time it moved. Gasping slightly, she stretched a hoof out to touch the ring. She agreed with Sombra on the fact that dragons were dangerous, but no creature should ever be treated like that! The dragon looked at her as she trotted over to its wing. What was with this pony? It had wings, but it also had a horn. It felt like light, but it also felt like shadow. Judging by the color, adornments, and body shape, it was a female. She was perhaps a head or two shorter than him, and acted nothing like any other pony he had ever seen. Most ponies ran around shrieking "The horror, the horror!" or threw projectiles at him. This one didn't. Weird. Walking over to the dragon's wing, Twilight touched her horn to the chain. Gathering all of her knowledge on teleportation and disintegration, she slowly disintegrated the chain and teleported the ashes away. She then began to cleanse and patch the holes in the wings, deciding that the shadow bars would prevent it flying away. As the magic patched the holes in his wings, the dragon sat up, eliciting an "EEP!" from the purple pony. Although he was only about a head and a half taller than her, his wingspan was much wider. How did the ponies fly with their dinky wings anyway? Noticing the armor on her, he had to laugh, a rumble that made purple "EEP!" again. Ponies were pathetic, really. They had no natural armor, no clawed hands - no hands or claws at all, for that matter! They also had no spiked tails. All in all, Spike couldn't understand how ponies were still alive. Sure, their single horn could control magic, but only certain types of spells did things to dragons. Twilight stepped back, looking at its wings. Although the skin of the dragon's wings was raw, they looked better. Taking a deep breath, she put up a magic shield and removed the lock on the dragon's noseband. The dragon crossed its eyes, shaking its head and attempting to open its mouth. When the noseband failed to fall off, Twilight carefully levitated it off, lowering it to the floor with a clunk. "Um, hello? My name is Twilight Sparkle." Twilight talked slowly, enunciating each word. "Hello, Twilight Sparkle. My name is Spike," Spike replied in a voice that rumbled slightly. "I thank you for your help." "You can talk?!" Twilight yelped, looking up at him with shock. "Uh, that is, I mean..." She was cut off by a frustrated growl from Spike. "Pony fools. Not you, though. You willingly approach me, and remove some of my restraints, even though it could mean death for you. Why is that? Why are you so different?" Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but failed to come up with an answer. "You look like a fish," Spike chuckled. "Do you not know why you helped me?" "I guess not," Twilight finally replied. "Hmm, light." Spike looked at her appraisingly. "You are a mystery, little pony." "Light? What? How old are you?" Twilight remembered that dragons could be hundreds of years old, but this one wasn't a whole bunch larger than her. "How old are you?" Spike countered, grinning. "Twenty, in a few days," Twilight replied swiftly, eager for his answer. "Twenty-five, as of three days past," came the reply. Twilight paused. He talked like he was from an older time, with slightly different wordings, and calling her 'little pony'. In all fairness, he was taller than her, so that could affect it. "Were you time-frozen, by any chance?" "No. Why?" "It's just that you talk slightly differently, like you're older." "That's probably my teacher's fault," Spike relented. "Dragons are taught to convey an image of knowledge and superiority. We're also taught to refer to all creatures as little, mainly because most creatures are smaller than us. My friends and I are all annoyed with the lessons, but apparently I have actually been listening." "Oh. I guess that makes sense. So you normally talk-" "Like any normal pony. Dragons are also taught a whole bunch of different languages, so I also know Griffon, Zebra, Minotaur, and a few words of Changeish." "Interesting. So, as you age, will you get bigger?" By now, Twilight had materialized a notebook and was frantically scribbling down everything Spike said. "Uh...yes and no. I was hatched by magic, so this is probably as big as I'll ever get. Apparently, the magic unintentionally restricted my growth..." Twilight paused. "I'm sorry. Maybe we could see if there's a way to remove the spell later. Right now, I have to go. Sorry..." "Eh, it's okay. I'll see you tomorrow?" "Sure!" With that, Twilight left the cave, making sure to close the shadow crystal bars behind her, and made her way up to her bedchambers. Removing her armor, she promptly fell on her bed and was enveloped in sleep. Author's Note Spike has entered! I like feedback/comments.
