Chapters The ebony shades of night had given way to the deep violets of the early morning. Soon the lonely blues would creep in followed by oranges and greens as the sun slowly crept over the horizon. The last hoots of the owls had slowly subsided to the chirps of the early morning sparrows, even in this period of semi-darkness.
In the early morning hours Zipporwhill snoozed quietly in her soft comfy bed, her dog Panchito curled up next to her. The cream colored pegasus snored quietly lost in her dream world, unaware of her bedroom door opening as her father slowly made his way to her bed. “Zips, come on Zips. Time to get up,” he said in a quietly as he gently shook her.
Zipporwhill slowly stirred making the unintelligible groaning that most children do when roused early in the morning. If left to her own devices she would drift back to sleep again so her father persisted, “Come on now, up and Adam. The bird catches the worm at this time you know.”
“Five more minutes papa,” murmured the groggy pegasus.
“Nope. You have school and it is a long flight,” said her papa as he opened the curtains and watched her to make sure she started getting up.
Zipporwhill yawned, her eyes at half-mast as she roused Panchito, who also stretched, before hopping to the floor. The young filly followed the dogs lead, stretching her wings as she continued to yawn and slowly amble toward the bathroom.
“Today we are having banana pancakes,” said her papa as he walked out of her bedroom and down the hall toward the kitchen.
Zipporwhill’s eyes widened, “Banana pancakes,” she shouted excitedly and raced into the bathroom to scrub her teeth and brush her light brown mane before zipping to the table. She watched her father flip the pancakes as he hummed. “Are they done,” she asked eying him from the table.
Her papa chuckled as he put one on the plate, “That depends on how many you want and if you want them to be cooked all the way through.”
“Three and yes!”
“Three,” said her papa as he poured the batter on to the pan, “You must be really hungry.”
“For banana pancakes I am,” replied Zipporwhill as she rushed to his side. Her wings fluttered as she hovered next to the large white pegasus.
“You get the juice and syrup,” he said flipping the second pancake, “And then get your glasses so you can see what you are eating okay?”
Zipporwhill nodded enthusiastically zipping from the fridge for the juice, then the pantry for the syrup before placing them on the table. She then whizzed up to her room and after a brief search found her glasses behind the nightstand and immediately put them on. In a flash she was back at the table and found the pancakes waiting for her as her father sipped some coffee and read the newspaper across from where she would be sitting.
Zipporwhill’s father was a large white pegasus with black neatly combed hair and a short dark tail. He had a well-kept beard that stretched from ear to ear and wore black rimmed glasses, similar to hers. In fact they even shared the same green eyes. She’d heard her mom, their band and the other adults at the box store where he currently worked part time call him Django, but to Zipporwhill he was papa.
She took her seat and dug into her pancakes and observed her papa as he read. The little pegasus began to grin, a mouthful of pancake puffing out her cheeks, as she hummed. She watched, as her father’s ears turned in her direction followed by him lowering his paper as the familiar tune registered.
Django smiled happily across from her, “Minor Swing eh? Is that your favorite song of mine?”
The little pegasus nodded. She loved her father’s music and the way he plucked the strings on his guitar. She loved it when her mother sang and the rest of their band played along. Their music was full of light, life and even on the gloomiest of days could bring at least a smirk to anypony’s face. Zipporwhill continued to hum the tune to herself as she poured some more syrup on her pancakes not noticing that her father had produced his guitar from under the table.
Without a word he began playing his part of the song, strumming along with his humming daughter, whose eyes lit up. Zipporwhill bounced in her seat humming the violin parts and tapped on the table for whatever other parts she could remember. Their eyes locked from across the table as the song neared its conclusion after a couple of minutes. When they reached the last few notes Django stuck out his tongue and made a silly face that caused the young pegasus to start giggling. “It is a fun song,” said Django with a smirk, placing his guitar back down before returning to his coffee.
“It is,” giggled Zipporwhill as she resumed eating her pancakes. “Mom comes home in two weeks right? That’s when the tour ends?”
“Yes. When your mama comes home and she will tell you all about the tour. That will be fun, yes?”
Zipporwhill nodded and finished off the second pancake. “It will be,” she said with a mouthful of food, “Hey papa how come you didn’t go with her?”
Django looked up from his coffee, “Well, it is not summer yet and you have school. I cannot leave you hear all alone now can I?”
“I could go with you!”
“Aye no. School is important,” replied Django, “You have to learn the maths, writing, history and science. You said you wanted to be a veterinarian so you have to go to school.”
“I know papa,” said Zipporwhill having heard this before.
“Plus, you never know who you are going to meet. Sometimes you find out that someone in your class has a similar goal and you can help each other out and be good friends.”
“I know. “
There was a short pause in the conversation as Django took another sip of coffee. He cleared his throat, “Speaking of school, your teacher called yesterday and said you were late again. Why is this,” asked her father, his voice tinged with disappointment.
Zipporwhill looked down as the blush rose in her cheeks. She slowly scratched her foreleg as she sighed, “I dunno. I guess I got caught up with playing with Panchito that I lost track of time.”
Her father sighed quietly and finished his coffee, “If I was late for band practice or at the box store I would be in trouble. I could get lose my position. They see it as a sign of disrespect you know. You do not want to be disrespectful to your teacher do you?”
“No papa.”
“Okay then,” he said matter-of-factly, “Once you finish eating, you head straight to school. Do not worry about the mess or Panchito I will take care of them before I head to work.”
Zipporwhill nodded quietly and finished her final pancake. The young pegasus knew that it wasn’t a good thing to be tardy but, like most foals her age, if there was one destination she wasn’t too keen on going, it was school. Yet, as much as she hated going to school, she hated disappointing her father more. Today, whether she wanted to go there or not would be different. She would be on time.
The cool, damp morning air rushed passed her face as her wings beat a steady rhythm carrying her to Ponyville Elementary. The sweet smells of edelweiss and honeysuckle tinted the air. Zipporwhill inhaled the scent deeply as she followed the winding road; a small smile crossed her face as she followed it along the edge of the Everfree Forest. She darted along the forest’s edge and focused on the road ahead as the sun continued to slowly climb over the hills. It was then that Zipporwhill saw her shortcut to the left and banked hard into the forest’s underbrush.
She’d used the small deer path for weeks until her father had found out about it. He warned her that it was far too dangerous for young fillies, even quick ones like her, to use. The Everfree Forest was a wild and unpredictable place. Everything from timber wolves to hydras were known to live within its boundaries. Not that Zipporwhill had ever seen any of them. However, her father had said not to go there anymore so she’d honored his wish, until now. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him and if being to school on time meant having to break her word then she’d just have to do it.
Zipporwhill whipped past the tall spruces and dove under a fallen elm as she continued her flight faster than she had ever done in the past. Her heart raced as her wings strained beating faster still as the breeze made her eyes water. The sounds of morning cicadas chirped as she neared the exit. Her smile grew wider as she flew upward toward the forest canopy before pulling her wings back and diving downward toward the forest floor, only opening them slightly at the last second to avoid crashing into the ground and zoom past the tree line into an open field, then over a railroad tie fence and back to the road. Zipporwhill cheered, spun in the air, and landed.
The young pegasus panted and looked over her shoulder, that shortcut had shaved at least a half hour off of her time. She was ahead of schedule. She would be early, and would have a little time to catch her breath.
Zipporwhill walked down the road humming Minor Swing as she approached the old Sugar Kiss Mill. Long before she was born Sugar Kiss Mill had helped to grind up wheat and corn for bread and had helped pump water to other parts of Ponyville. These days however, the mill wasn’t in use. Its roof had holes, the blades were ragged, and most of the equipment was missing. Yet, when a good breeze came a pony could still watch it slowly turn. Today however, was not such a day and the windmill remained very still.
Yet, as still as the mill was, the young pegasus felt her stomach knot as she approached it. Her brow grew damp with anxiety as she slowed her pace until she finally stopped in front of the mill’s crooked gate. It was an unusual feeling, one that she hadn’t experienced any of the times other times she’d passed by the mill. The world grew still as she peered into the mill’s guts when she saw something move deep within the gloom.
At first it appeared to be a shadow of another pony. Its head had the outline of a young filly about her age. Yet, when it moved it slid along similar to an octopus and pulled the pronounced gloom with it.
Zipporwhill’s heart pounded hard against her breast as tears formed in her eyes. She tried to move her legs, yet she couldn’t. Her entire body remained glued in place as she watched the shadow slowly slink its way across the mill’s floor, belonging to no other creature but itself. Zipporwhill closed her eyes and managed to take a half step back when the smell hit her. She couldn’t place it but, it was an acrid sweet stench that burned her nose and turned her stomach. She could feel the pancakes rising as she opened her eyes briefly, to see the black thing just outside of the mill, floating in place as two of its tendrils clutched the stonework in wait, its cold stare apprising her hungrily.
Zipporwhill’s eyes slammed shut as she quietly begged for whatever that thing was to pass. It was then she felt the sun’s rays slowly creep up her back warming her as she trembled. Yet, the warmer she got less noticeable the smell got until it was completely gone. Zipporwhill opened her eyes, the morning sun covered the mill and the shadow was nowhere to be seen. Removing her glasses the young pegasus wiped her eyes and tried to collect herself as she trembled. “You’re okay. You’re going to be okay,” she repeated until she heard the first chimes of the school bell.
“Oh no,” she muttered her eyes widening as her heart sank yet again. How long had she been standing in front of the mill? She couldn’t be sure but, if the bell was ringing there wasn’t a moment to spare!
Zipporwhill’s wings flapped harder and faster than she could remember. They ached with each down beat as she gasped still out of breath from her shortcut through the Everfree. She zipped along faster than she thought possible given how tired her wings were. “Please, oh please keep ringing,” she prayed, the front door clearly visible on the school.
Down the hill she bolted. Her wings carrying her with reckless abandon screamed in agony from overuse. As she reached the front steps of the school the bell quit ringing. “No,” she cried in despair falling to her knees gazing up at the wine colored pony that stood in the doorway.
“Zipporwhill are you okay,” asked a wine colored pony in an even tone yet concerned tone.
“Miss Cheerilee,” sobbed the little filly, “I didn’t mean to be late. I was going to be here early honest; but then I saw this shadow and and and-“
“I know you didn’t mean to be late,” said Cheerilee as she put a foreleg around the young pegasus’ shoulders, “But this is your third time in a row. You’re going to have to stay after today okay?”
“Oh no please,” sobbed Zipporwhill, “There really was this shadow thing!”
“It’s not that bad, I have to do it all the time. When your father comes to get you maybe we can figure something out to help you get here on time okay? “
“Yes Miss Cheerilee,” said Zipporwhill as she wiped her eyes.
“Okay then and no more stories about shadows okay? Go take your seat.”
Zipporwhill walked to her seat slowly and quietly as she fought back her tears. She muttered to herself as she passed by Diamond Tiara to get to her seat. “Way to go whimper will. You really put your hoof in it this time,” said the smirking pink pony with the garish hair accessory.
“It wasn’t my fault it was a shadow or ghost or something,” muttered quickly Zipporwhill.
Diamond Tiara blinked, taken aback by this revelation. “Wait, what? A-are you saying you saw a shade?”
“Thank you Diamond Tiara for your continued commentary,” said Cheerilee, “You get to help me clean up on Friday.”
“Oh come on!”
“Monday as well you say? Why thank you for volunteering. I’ll make sure your father gets a nice note about your behavior too,” responded Cheerilee, “Now if there are no more outbursts please turn to page fifteen in your vocabulary books.”
The sun was high in the sky and the birds were in full voice as lunchtime came with great fanfare. The young foals galloped outside to eat their lunches which would be followed by recess shortly thereafter. Zipporwhill lagged behind her jubilant classmates, occasionally looking over her shoulder to see if that ‘shade’ had followed her. Even when surrounded by other students in class she felt as if something was watching her. She’d glanced out the window whenever Cheerilee’s back was turned and while she hadn’t seen anything she knew it was out there somewhere.
She tossed her sack lunch on the table furthest from her classmates as she sighed deeply before sitting down and emptying the bag’s contents onto the table. On most days the sight of the flautas, an apple, a box of juice and a brownie would make the young filly’s mouth water, but not today. Zipporwhill shut her green eyes and buried her hooves into her mane. “Please just let this day end,” she muttered to herself.
“Sorry to see you got detention,” said a voice with a familiar country tone.
Zipporwhill jumped out of her seat, her eyes wide in panic, her legs and wings trembling. She glanced about to see Apple Bloom standing across from her. “Oh, Celestia,” said the nervous filly as she tried to regain her composure by breathing deeply, “You scared me.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,” said the yellow filly.
“I-it’s okay. It’s just been a bad day.”
Apple Bloom sat down across from her and nodded. “I’d reckon so,” she reached into her lunch bag and pulled out an apple tart, “Here, want one? Just my way of saying sorry for scarin’ ya.”
“Thanks but, I’m not hungry.”
“Well, if you say so,” said Apple Bloom as she began to eat her lunch. “So, why were you late today anyway?”
The breeze picked up as Zipporwhill explained what had happened that morning. Her eyes darted to the tree line near the playground as their branches swayed in the breeze. She wondered if it would be waiting there for her when school was out.
Apple Bloom looked over her shoulder in the direction of the playground unsure as to what Zipporwhill was looking at. “So a shadow scared you,” asked Apple Bloom cocking her head to the side.
“Yes,” said Zipporwhill as she opened her juice box, “But, like I said it wasn’t just a shadow. I heard it might be a shade that was just sitting there.”
“What was just sitting there,” asked Scootaloo setting lunchbox down that had Rainbow Dash’s picture taped to it.
“A shade,” responded Apple Bloom.
The orange filly rolled her eyes, “A shade? Don’t you mean a shadow? That’s what they do you know, just sit there.”
“Yes but this one wasn’t a part of the old mill. It was darker and moved on its own,” said Zipporwhill, who beginning to tire of repeating herself, “It was creepy.”
“What was creepy,” asked a little white unicorn named Sweetie Belle.
“Catch her up Scootaloo,” said Apple Bloom before turning back to Zipporwhill, “You don’t have anything to worry about. Shades are just shadows nothing really more than that, honestly. Maybe you let your imagination get the better of you. Oh, and don’t worry about detention either. You’ll have to bang some erasers, wipe down the blackboard, stuff like that. Miss Cheerilee will even walk you home if you tell her what’s bothering you.”
Zipporwhill smiled. It was the first reassuring thing she’d heard all day. She was about to thank Apple Bloom for being so nice when a voice from another table interrupted her train of thought. “It won’t help you. All of their well-wishing can’t help you,” said Diamond Tiara sternly.
Zipporwhill’s face dropped as Apple Bloom responded, “Oh shut up and leave her alone. You have two days of detention as is!”
Diamond Tiara gave Apple Bloom a sour glance before returning to Zipporwhill, “If you follow what they want you to do, if you do nothing, you’re doomed.”
“W-what do you mean I’m doomed,” asked Zipporwhill.
Diamond Tiara cleared her throat, “What you described wasn’t just some shadow or ghost. It wasn’t something you imagined. It was a shade and there are only five of those that we know about. They are what is left of the wife and foals of King Sombra.”
“Oh what a bunch of bunk,” shouted Scootaloo, “You’re just making it up!”
“Yeah,” chimed in Sweetie Belle.
“You blank flanks obviously don’t know the first thing about the Crystal Empire and its history,” growled Diamond Tiara, “There’s an old poem that explains all of this:
‘To grow his power, the shadow king
Did a very awful thing
His wife, the firs to face his wrath
Was melted in an acid bath.
When that wicked deed was done
He chopped his foals up one by one.
Threw them all in a wicked brew
For darker Gods, who he knew.
His powers grew over night
His family’s souls now, shunned the light.
Wicked and wrathful they became
All ponies now would share the blame.
Run, should they see you, hide if you can
For, the hunt is hardly their final plan
If they catch you, bitter strife
They will then, end your life.’”
“R-really,” gulped Zipporwhill.
“Oh please,” said Apple Bloom who crossed in front of the frightened foal, “If that were true Granny Smith would have told me that poem on Nightmare Night.”
“Yeah, and Twilight never even mentioned it either,” squeaked Sweetie Belle.
“Then why don’t you three go ask her all about it,” responded the pink pony sarcastically.
“We will and you’ll be wrong,” shouted Scootaloo.
Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes, pushed her way passed the yellow pony and sat next to Zipporwhill. “I can help you. You just have to trust me okay?”
“O-okay,” said Zipporwhill doubtfully.
“First if you stay in a well-lit area you should be safe. Sombra’s shades can’t stand the sun and will hide from it if possible. If they spend too much time in it they’ll be destroyed. They also aren’t fond of electric light either, it’s too bright. Second, and this should be obvious, they travel in darkness. One of them will travel from shadow to shadow to get to where it wants to go. The darker it is the easier it is for it to travel. Finally, you can injure or trap one of these shades with pure crystals.”
“Pure crystals,” asked Zipporwhill.
“Flawless diamonds could solve your problem permanently. However, those are rare and I don’t think you have the bits to get one of them. So, might I suggest this,” excitedly said Diamond Tiara as she galloped back to her bag and pulled out a large container of salt.
“Salt?”
“Add some butter, popcorn and a movie and we have a regular slumber party forming,” said Scootaloo sarcastically.
“Well, actually that makes sense,” responded Apple Bloom, “Zecora has used it before in her potion making and on occasion will sprinkle some about when-”
“Wait a second,” interrupted Sweetie Belle, “Why does she have a big container of salt in the first place?”
“What’s it to you blank flank,” shot back Diamond Tiara.
“Well, you say you know what it is that Zipporwhill saw. You show her how to prevent it from hurting her,” At which point Sweetie Belle’s eyes narrowed, “Why do you know any of this? What are you planning?”
You know,” shouted Diamond Tiara, “I was trying to do a nice thing here. I was trying to keep a fellow classmate safe. All you three can do is accuse me of having another reason for what I’m doing.”
“She’s right,” said Apple Bloom as she looked back at her friends shocked faces, “We’re being unfair. If she’s trying to help well, it’s up to Zipporwhill to decide whether she wants it or not.”
Zipporwhill picked up the salt and looked at it quietly and traced her hoof around the container’s top as she weighed her options. After a bit she could feel the eyes of the others on her at which point she looked up and said hesitantly, “Thank you very much for the salt Diamond.”
Diamond Tiara smiled proudly as the other three ponies were taken aback. “Well of course you’re welcome. I mean after all-“
“But,” said the little pegasus very politely, “I don’t think I can take it. Miss Cheerilee doesn’t want us bringing big containers like that into the classroom and I’m in enough trouble as it is.”
“Well then I’ll leave it by the front door and, when you can, at the end of the day pick it up. Fair enough?”
Zipporwhill nodded slowly as she looked to her other friends, “I’ll be okay, but, if you want to get Princess Twilight to weigh in on this it would be really great too.”
“No problem,” said Scootaloo, “I know all of the shortcuts around Ponyville. You’ll know the truth before you’ve even beaten your first eraser.”
“Thank you,” said the cream colored pegasus, “Now, let’s eat. All of this talking has made me hungry.”
The school bell clanged loudly from its belfry as the excited foals hurriedly gathered up their belongings and made their way toward the exit. Cheerilee shouted out a couple of reminders on homework that would be due the next day as she watched her students exit the school. Zipporwhill watched them as well, keeping an eye out on the front door where the container of salt lay waiting, just as Diamond Tiara had promised.
Zipporwhill waited as the last set of hooves charged out the door. She flapped her wings rapidly and zipped toward the entry way a whirring sound filled the classroom as she hurried toward the exit. “Just where do you think you’re going young lady,” asked Cheerilee just as the young pegasus had reached the door frame.
Zipporwhill gulped as she searched for an answer. Her eyes darted back and forth until she said, “I was just going to close the door Miss Cheerilee.”
Cheerilee sighed quietly, “Well, close it and help me get this room back in order. I honestly didn’t expect that arts and crafts would be as messy as it was. Next time it’s crayons and no glue.”
“Yes Miss Cheerilee,” said Zipporwhill shutting the door behind her, the salt still outside.
The chalk dust coated the outside of the school as Zipporwhill rapidly banged the erasers. As she brought the two erasers together with loud thud after loud thud the pegasus watched as the shadows began to grow slowly across the playground. She gulped quietly as she looked over at her teacher who was having a difficult time removing some gum that had been placed under one of the desks. Scootaloo and her friends were nowhere to be found and the dimmer the light got the more worried Zipporwhill became. “Miss Cheerilee,” said Zipporwhill over her shoulder, “Can I ask you something?”
“As long as it’s not what flavor of gum is under Snails’ desk yes.”
“Do you know what a shade is? Like the ghost type of shade. Like Sombra’s Shades.”
Cheerilee cocked her head to the side puzzled, “Well it’s a little early for Nightmare Night isn’t it? Why do you want to know about something like that?”
“Are they real?”
Cheerilee shook her head, “Well, that is something you’d study in a college literature course but, no. Sure there are stories about them and those specific ones. Some stories even say you could summon them but, they’re just stories. Nothing to worry about.”
Zipporwhill froze the moment Cheerilee mentioned that shades could be summoned. She bit her lip as she carried the two clean erasers back to the chalkboard and muttered to herself quietly before looking squarely at her teacher, “If they were real, could they be destroyed?”
“Honestly Zipporwhill what’s gotten into you,” asked Cheerilee a slight tenor of concern now in her voice.
Before Zipporwhill could answer her question a loud bang rang throughout the classroom making both student and teacher jump. The sweet and sour smell of death slowly filled the air; Zipporwhill gasped and backed into the corner farthest from the door. Cheerilee, now very concerned, hurried to Zipporwhill’s side, “Hey now it’s okay. What’s wrong?”
Zipporwhill mutely pointed toward the door as she hid behind her teacher. Cherilee looked down at her and placed a hoof on her head, “It’s okay. Those are just the trash collectors. They’re always here around this time today.” Yet, even those assurances couldn’t calm Zipporwhill who now clutched her teacher’s back leg.
“Okay okay,” said Cheerilee as she embraced her frightened student, “Listen I’m going to go out there and tell them to be quieter alright? I’ll be back real quick okay?”
Cheerilee gently unwrapped her leg from Zipporwhill’s grip and motioned for her to stay put before heading to the door. She opened it and propped it open with a small waste basket, as she began to shout and walk toward where the trash collectors were, “Hey Emilio, Sheen what did I tell you before about banging those cans around?”
“No Miss Cheerilee,” quietly squeaked Zipporwhill. She stared at the door and the basket that propped it open. The air grew heavy with death as the young filly cowered behind the desk and watched the door and the waste basket. The sounds of the arguing ponies fading until the only thing Zipporwhill could hear was hear own heart’s rapid pounding and her own ragged breathing.
Zipporwhill’s wings sat paralyzed at her sides as the silence continued to spread the sound of her heart and breathing rapidly became a whisper. She would have to run for it. If she could get outside, into the sunlight she would have a chance. Slowly the young filly stood her, legs wobbling violently. She took a shaky deep breath and counted, “Five… four… three….”
On three the waste basket lurched from its position and flew across the room at the young filly. Zipporwhill opened her mouth to scream but, her voice remained strangled deep in her throat. The classroom door slammed shut with a loud bang. Slowly from within the desk nearest to the door the inky black form of the shade spilled onto the floor. Zipporwhill eyes bulged, her legs again, paralyzed by the cold claws of fear that held her firmly in place.
The shade oozed from the door to the next row of chairs, then the next until it was directly in front of Zipporwhill, staring down at her. Zipporwhill gasped trying to scream. Tears ran down her cheeks her heart pounded through her chest; every muscle in her body wanted to move, to fly, to escape and all unable to do so as the dark mass slid closer to her until it was on top of her.
In the distance she heard it, the forgotten sound of a young foal’s scream that echoed through the mists of time. The screams of five betrayed and forgotten souls rang in her ears, her own voice joining them before the thud of an axe silenced them. The world went black.
Beep… beep… beep… beep…
Zipporwhill slowly opened her eyes. Her head throbbed steadily as if somepony were using it as a bass drum. Her body burned with fatigue as she looked about the small sterile room. In front of her and to the left next to the door was a small closet. Above her an I.V. dripped down a long tube into her foreleg. To the right sat her father Django and Miss Cheerilee. Both ponies looked worried as Zipporwhill slowly tried to sit up. “Papa,” she said her throat dry and her voice weak.
Django quickly moved to her side and adjusted the bed. He lowered his head so that his daughter wouldn’t have to see him wipe away his tears of relief. “Yes, Zips. Are you okay?”
“It hurts,” replied Zipporwhill weakly.
Django looked to Cheerilee, “Could you get the nurse, please?”
Cheerilee nodded and quickly exited the room to get a nurse. Django gently caressed his daughter’s forehead as he sat with her, “You are going to be okay. You will see they will have you back flying in a little bit,” he said giving her the best smile he could.
“Papa,” said Zipporwhill as her eyes filled with tears, “I’m so sorry papa.”
“Sorry? What do you have to be sorry for?”
“I cut through the woods. I know I wasn’t supposed to but, I wanted to make sure I got to school on time for sure, but I-I….”
“Shh,” said Django quietly, “I am just glad you are here and are going to be alright. We will worry about that another time okay?”
Zipporwhill nodded a little as Cheerilee came back in with Nurse Redheart. The white pony with pink hair asked Zipporwhill a few questions, asked her to follow a small light with her eyes and a few other things before writing something in a file. “Well, you’re going to have to stay here for a couple of days for monitoring but, by then you should be up and ready to go home,” said Nurse Redheart with a smile.
“So, what happened to her,” asked Django.
Nurse Redheart beckoned the two adult ponies off to the side and said, “That’s just it, we don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know,” asked Cheerilee her voice cracking in anger, “She was bleeding from her eyes, nose and mouth! I brought her here myself!”
“How can you not know,” added Django his frustration mounting, “What kind of hospital is this?”
Nurse Redheart sighed and looked at the two adult ponies, “I mean we don’t know. We’ve run the standard tests. We’re going to run some additional tests to be sure we haven’t missed anything; but, honestly we can’t fix something that isn’t showing up in testing. That’s why we’re going to monitor her for a few days to see if anything happens.”
“It was the shade,” said Zipporwhill.
Nurse Redheart and Django looked at her questioningly, waiting for some further elaboration. Cheerilee, trying to keep it together said to herself, “Shades again? They aren’t real we’ve discussed this.”
“What is this shades,” asked Django, “What is she talking about?”
“Well, as you know she was late to school. She said it was because she saw a shadow ghost thing. A shade.”
Django blinked unsure how to respond. He certainly didn’t believe in ghosts. He looked to the nurse and quietly asked, “Is there anything that could have perhaps made that happen?”
Nurse Redheart rubbed her chin thinking, “Well, again nothing came up on the scans, but maybe we missed something. It could be a tumor somewhere deep in her brain or the beginnings of epilepsy, though that wouldn’t explain the bleeding. It could be a combination of things like a stroke with some other cause.”
“You can check for this yes?”
“Well it should have shown up during the CAT scan,” began Redheart, “But we could use the full body scanner this time around. It’s much more thorough. It’s just that the other scanner was free and given her symptoms it seemed like the best course of action at the time.”
“When the full body scanner is free please let them know to do this, okay,” said Django insistently.
“Of course, I’ll tell Dr. Mixter to get her scheduled,” said Redheart, “You two look beat; if you want the cafeteria is down the hall to the left. It’ll be awhile and maybe you could use a cup of coffee.”
“Well somepony has to stay with her. We can’t both just get coffee,” said Cheerilee.
“I can,” said a voice from the doorway, “Stay with her I mean.”
The three adult ponies turned to see, much to their surprise Diamond Tiara standing in the doorway. “I heard about what had happened, we all did in fact and I came by with a few cards from her friends. Get well stuff and all,” she said tapping her backpack.
Cheerilee blinked, “I didn’t know you two were friends.”
“Miss Cherilee,” stated Diamond Tiara flatly, “I’m friends with many of my classmates. Silver Spoon may be my best friend but, she’s out of the country with her family on some diplomatic jaunt to Saddle Arabia. So why wouldn’t I be concerned when my good friend Zipporwhill wound up in the hospital?”
Cheerilee rubbed the bridge of her nose, “None of this makes sense and I’m too tired to try and think about it.”
“Go on home Miss Cheerilee you have done more than enough,” said Django, “I will let you know what is going on later okay?”
Diamond Tiara smiled up at the adults and made way for the exhausted teacher to exit. “Zipporwhill’s dad I’ll keep an eye on her. I can press the button if anything happens.”
“Come on, I’ll take you to the cafeteria. She’ll be fine for now.”
Django sighed and looked back at his daughter not wanting to leave for a second. As he looked at her he felt the hoof of nurse Redheart on his back, gently coaxing him to go to the cafeteria. “I just don’t want to leave her,” he said quietly before looking at Diamond Tiara, “You get help if anything and I mean anything goes wrong you hear me?”
“You have my word,” responded Diamond Tiara as the Django and Redheart exited the room. Diamond Tiara lingered in the doorway and watched as the two adults walked down the hall. Her eyes dampened; she turned her head so that Zipporwhill couldn’t see them. “Your father is a good guy.”
“He’s the best,” said Zipporwhill with a tired sigh, “Nopony believes me about the shade though. They think it’s something in my head.”
Diamond Tiara entered the hospital room. She scowled at the furniture before taking a seat next to Zipporwhill, “Parents, don’t tend to believe such stuff unless it happens to them. It’s just too weird for them.”
“I guess so.” Zipporwhill watched Diamond Tiara unpack her bag, placing four get well cards on the nightstand next to her, one of which was obviously store bought. Next, she pulled out the large canister of salt and sat it next to the cards. Zipporwhill’s gaze shifted from the salt back to Diamond Tiara as a small frown crossed her face, “Why’d you do it Diamond?”
“Do what,” asked Diamond Tiara as she stopped zipping back up her pack.
“You know what. I don’t know how you did it you can’t use magic, but you summoned that shade.”
Diamond Tiara frowned, her eyes narrowed and her voice became acidic, “Do you really think I’d do that? What have those blank flanks been saying about me behind my back?”
“Nothing but, you never really talked to me before.”
“I’m just trying to make a new friend and cheer her up when she’s in the hospital!”
“Yeah but, you knew the legend when nopony else did. You’re carrying around the largest can of salt I’ve ever seen for no real reason, unless it was for protection from something like this.”
Diamond Tiara blushed but, her sour demeanor remained and looked injured. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” she said in a measured and angry tone.
“Please,” begged Zipporwhill placing her hoof on Diamond Tiara’s foreleg, “If- if you really want to be friends you have to be honest with me. It’s what friends do.”
Diamond Tiara shuddered as she looked down at the hoof that rested on her. It was gentle and caring; a quiet plea from one would be friend to another to do the right thing. Diamond Tiara looked down at that hoof and began to tremble. As she shook, tears, the first in a long time fell silently onto the hoof. “He never came,” she said in a weak whisper.
“Who never came?”
“My dad,” she said look up her eyes starting to look puffy, “He never came to my birthday party. He never comes to any of them.”
Zipporwhill blinked, “Why not?”
“Because he always has to work,” she sobbed. “He’s always in Detrot, or Fillydelphia or overseas. He’s always making deals. The last time I saw him he made me wear a stupid bunny suit and hop around in a circle at that stupid farm.”
Zipporwhill forced herself to sit up. The world spun violently as she grabbed hold of Diamond Tiara and gently pulled her close to give her the best hug she could, given her condition. She felt the sad filly sob into her shoulder. “He hates me,” sobbed Diamond Tiara.
Zipporwhill gently rubbed Diamonds back, “No. He doesn’t hate you. “
“Yes he does,” said Diamond Tiara lifting her head from Zipporwhill’s shoulder to look her straight in the eye, “That’s why I needed that shade.”
“What,” asked Zipporwhill her eyes widening.
Diamond Tiara looked down and wiped her eyes, “Bits can buy you anything and on spring break I used some to find a witch in some hollow in Kenbucky to summon the one of Sombra’s foals. I was going to trap it in a large perfect blood diamond.”
“Why?”
“Because I could crush daddy’s competition by using the power of that shade, then he’d stay home more often.”
Zipporwhill tipped Diamond Tiara’s head up and looked her in the eyes, “Did you ever try talking with him? You know, tell him you miss him and that you want to do something with him?”
Diamond Tiara cocked her head to the side, “You think that would work?”
“Well it couldn’t hurt,” said Zipporwhill with a slight shrug and a smile, “It’s a better first step than resorting to dark magic that, let’s face it you can’t use right?”
Diamond Tiara sighed and wiped her eyes. She slid away from Zipporwhill and opened the blinds on the window. The crescent moon hung in the sky, its dim rays barely illuminating the hospital grounds. “Don’t be naïve,” said Diamond Tiara quietly, “There are always ways to do whatever it is you want. You just have to be willing to do them.”
Zipporwhill’s eyes widened more, “And you are?”
Diamond Tiara sighed, “I never meant for any of this to happen. I’m sorry you were dragged into this mess.” Diamond Tiara grabbed the canister of salt from the nightstand and began to pour it on the window sill. She looked up at the clock that read 10:30 pm, “This should help hold it off. It’s the easiest way for it to get in here.”
“What about the doorway?”
Diamond Tiara looked at it and shook her head, “I wouldn’t do it now. Too many ponies around and they’ll either sweep it up or will brush it aside. Besides, the hall lights are on. It should be safe. “
“Why is it still after me?”
“Sombra’s shades are very focused,” said Diamond Tiara, “It didn’t get you but, it did weaken you. It will want to finish what it started and will do whatever it can think of to reach that goal.”
“And the salt,” said Zipporwhill, “I know it weakens them but, how? What does it do?”
“The barrier it creates hurts it badly. If the salt isn’t disturbed by another pony it would be like getting a million bee stings for each grain of salt. Such pain would, more or less, make it not want to bother you again whether it is in its natural form or if it posess-,” Diamond Tiara looked over at the door and noticed Django silently standing in the doorway, “I should go. If you need anything, just ask okay,” With a nod to Django and not one other word Diamond Tiara trotted out.
“Is she the one who has been telling you about these shades?”
Zipporwhill nodded quietly as her father sat his coffee down and sat next to her bed. The young filly blinked as she looked at her father who looked at the salt by the window. He raised a hoof to brush it away but Zipporwhill’s plaintive whine stopped him in his tracks, “Please papa, you have to believe me. It was a shade, a ghost. “
“That will keep it out huh?”
Zipporwhill nodded again.
Django sighed and set his coffee down next to the cards as he took the chair next to her bed. “If it makes you happy I will leave it alone.”
“Thank you,” responded Zipporwhill weakly, “Papa do you know where my glasses are?”
Django sighed and rubbed his daughter’s forehead, “They broke at the school. We will have to get you a new pair.”
“Oh.”
“And do not worry about whatever it is you are worried about. I am not leaving here until you leave here. “
“Thanks papa.”
Django continued to rub his daughter’s forehead as he began humming a soft tune. It was an old tune; one that Zipporwhill had heard many times when she was still in diapers. Sometimes her mother would hum it to her when she had had a nightmare and was afraid to go back to sleep. Her father did it now. The young filly slowly began to relax; her eyelids drooped as sleep slowly wrapped its soft wings about her. The world was quiet, except for her father’s voice and what a low electronic hum somewhere off in the distance.
Zipporwhill furrowed her brow and looked out the doorway. The hallway light flickered and her eyes widened. Then, like flipping a switch, the hospital went dark. Zipporwhill bolted upright, her back pressed against the wall as the now familiar waves of terror washed over her. “No. Please no, “she whispered almost inaudibly.
Django hugged her trying to comfort her, “It is okay. It is okay. It is just a power surge.”
“It comes in the darkness! She comes in the darkness,” repeated the terrified foal.
Django shushed her gently and repeated that things were okay to his daughter, yet even when the hall light popped back on the room light remained off. “We must have blown a fuse.”
Zipporwhill stared at the corner of the room. It appeared dark, much darker than any of the other shadows in the room. Slowly the darkness slid along the wall prompting the trembling pegasus to whisper, “It’s here. Oh papa it’s in the room.”
Django closed his eyes and sighed. He would have words with Diamond Tiara’s parents for putting such fears in his daughter’s mind and driving her to hysterics. Zipporwhill was sick and somehow that spoiled little filly had gotten to her and convinced her of things that were not real. He opened his eyes again, “Where is it,” he asked.
Zipporwhill pointed toward the closet as the hall lights began to flicker again. Django looked at his daughter, her eyes wide, her face frozen and unmoving as she stared at the closet. Django’s gaze turned toward the closet. He released his daughter from his embrace and slowly began to walk toward the closet.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Each sharp knock that came from the closet caused Django to take a half step back. He looked back at his daughter. Her back legs had curled up into her torso, her wings wrapped as tightly as they could about her as she continued to point at the closet. He looked back toward the cheap wooden thing. This had gone on long enough. He strode toward the closet, took a deep breath and flung it open revealing only a few coat hangers that rocked back and forth on their bar and a strange rotten odor that made him recoil.
“Oh papa,” Whimpered Zipporwhill, “It’s above you.”
Django gulped and slowly he tilted his head upward. Slowly, he saw it, the black mass, its soulless malevolent gaze glared down at him as its tendrils slowly stretched across the ceiling. Before he could scream it fell on him and wrapped itself around Django and squeezed him tightly. Django gasped and tried to scream. The shade, sensing its opportunity, began to enter the large pegasus’ mouth, nose and ears. Django’s eyes rolled into the back of his head as Zipporwhill coward on the bed.
Django grunted as he fought against the shade. Each breath more labored than the last. His heart ached as it was squeezed from within. He could feel the darkness rapidly overcoming him. He was losing himself to it. He could feel it slowly turn his head in the direction of his daughter. He could feel as each tendril forced him into a standing position and through malevolent eyes he saw Zipporwhill, not as his daughter but as prey. He snarled, his teeth now long, sharp and hungry.
“Papa,” whimpered Zipporwhill to her father tears streaming down her face, “Please papa. Don’t let it-,” She trailed off, “Don’t leave me.”
It clenched about Django tighter in response and forced him toward the terrified filly, the moonlight glimmered off of its oily visage. Slowly, the shade forced the large pegasus to take one step after another toward the small one that had now found her way to the floor. Yet, as soon as it crossed in front of the window, its prey in reach, the shade found it could no longer move the hulking form of Django. Enraged, the shade slowly squeezed the heart and lungs of the large pegasus weakening him further and yet, he did not move.
Papa. The word hit his ears and slowly worked its way through what was still Django. Somewhere deep within it resonated. It meant something more dearly to him than anything the shade could fathom. Slowly and painfully Django placed his hooves just below the window sill. “No,” he whispered.
“Papa?”
Django stared straight ahead at the moon. “Not my daughter,” he shouted and flung himself across the salt barrier. The shade screeched loudly as it crossed through the barrier and through the window as the large possessed pegasus fell to the ground three floors below.
“Papa,” screamed Zipporwhill as she rushed to the window to see her father lying motionless on the concrete below, “No papa! No! Please no!”
Nurse Redheart burst into the room and gasped as she looked out the window, “Get a stretcher outside now and get the nearest OR prepped for surgery,” She shouted, “Go! Go! Go!”
Zipporwhill could only cry.
Three days passed before Django finally stabilized. He had suffered over one hundred fractures along with a collapsed lung, and other injuries. There was some talk that he might not fly again much less play the guitar if he ever woke up. Yet, through every misstep, every beep of the monitor Zipporwhill waited.
The shade hadn’t returned nor did Zipporwhill expect it to. She also hadn’t expected for Diamond Tiara to convince her father to pay for their medical bills, but somehow she had talked him into it. Cards and flowers soon followed as did her mother, who cancelled the rest of the tour to come home and be with her family.
The days fell off of the calendar. Then a month passed. Each day after school Zipporwhill would make her way to her father’s bedside and wait. On the weekend she would remain as long as she was allowed before being ushered out by hospital staff. Yet, after the longest month of her short life, she watched as her father finally opened his eyes for the first time.
“Papa,” asked Zipporwhill her heart pounding a million miles a second as she grinned widely, “Can –can you hear me?”
“Yes,” said Django painfully, “Where is it?”
“It’s gone papa. You got rid of it.”
Django’s gaze fixed slid to the clock then back to his daughter, “Shouldn’t you be in school right now? Who’s looking out for you?”
“Mama is home. She just went to get something to drink. Besides Papa, you promised we’d leave together. I’m keeping that promise. Besides, I’ve been getting my homework and all from Miss Cheerilee so I’m –I’m not behind on anything.”
Django nodded and was in no position to argue, “How is your mama? How is Panchito?
“Fine, I guess. Mama has been real worried though.”
“I did not mean to make her worry. I will make it up to her and you as soon as I can.”
Zipporwhill looked down, her eyes welling with tears, “I was so scared papa. I couldn’t get away from it and when it got you I- I-“
Django gently reached for his daughter and pulled her close. He kissed the top of her head weakly, “I know you were scared. I was scared too.”
“Really?”
“Of course,” said Django quietly, “You are my daughter. When I heard what had happened to you I feared the worst. “
“But papa,” started Zipporwhill, “What you did- they say you may never fly or play the guitar again. You love music so much and I-”
Zipporwhill wiped her eyes and gently hugged her father, “I love you papa.”
“I love you Zips.”