The Shadow of Equestria

Twilight Sparkle stood on the train platform. She glanced up at the clock every few seconds, nervously checking to see if the train was on time. She began to pace. Spike, standing nearby, watched with concern.

"Twilight, calm down!" He finally said. "Why are you so nervous anyways?"

Twilight stopped pacing and stared at him. "Why are you NOT so nervous?" She retorted. "The princess herself has asked me to greet somepony at the station, I don't even know who it is, and you aren't nervous?!" Some steam flew out of her nostrils.

Spike shifted uncomfortably. "Um..."

Spike was saved from Twilight's glare by a loud whistle. They both looked up as the train rolled to a stop in the station. The doors rolled open and ponies began walking out. Twilight craned her head up above the crowd to see better.

"Spike, help me look!" She said, using her magic to levitate Spike onto her head. The two of them looked around. Finally, all the passengers exited the train. Twilight sat down in confusion.

"I assume you're Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight jumped. Her head spun around, before her gaze settled on a pony directly next to her. "Where did you come from?" She sputtered. The stallion grinned.

"Celestia sent me," he said, dodging Twilight's question. "Apparently, you're supposed to be rehabilitating me and teaching me about friendship."

"Um, yes," she said. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. What's your name?"

The stallion took on a slightly defensive look, then replied with a hint of wariness creeping into his voice. "My name is Stratus," he said finally.

"You look familiar," said Twilight. "Have I seen you before?"

The stallion said nothing.

"Wait," Twilight exclaimed in realization, "You're that pony from the theater! The one that saved me and my friends!" Stratus nodded. "Why didn't you say anything? You saved me and my friends lives!"

"It wasn't some generous act, if that's what you're wondering." Stratus snapped. Twilight recoiled for a moment. Stratus took a deep breath to calm down. "You and your friends are the only real defense Equestria has against most forces. If some crazy pony kills you, then where does that leave me the next time some demon tries to kill us?"

Twilight felt her mouth hanging open. She shut it quickly. "Oh...okay."

Spike noticed the tension and spoke up. "How about we head back to the castle, Twilight? We can show Stratus where he's staying."

Twilight looked gratefully at Spike. "Yes, that sounds good. C'mon!" They all began walking toward the distant castle.

As they walked, Twilight tried to strike up a conversation with Stratus. "So, where do you live? Do you have any friends or family?"

Stratus looked at her sideways. "I live where we met. And no, I don't have friends. And I would rather not talk about my family."

"Okay," Twilight said as conversation was cut off. "Is there anything that you'd like to tell us about yourself?"

"No."

...

"And this is your room, where you'll be staying!" Said Twilight. Stratus looked at his room. It was fairly nice, he thought. Much nicer than his own home. There was a large bed in the back corner, with a night stand and a lamp. A bookshelf was pushed up against one wall. Several windows allowed light from the setting sun in. A large circular rug covered the center of the floor.

"Thank you, Ms. Sparkle." He said. Twilight closed the door.

"Now, for the reason you're here." She cheerily said. "Now, I've prepared a list. It has the order of which of my friends you'll meet and when. Tomorrow, it will be Applejack. Spike will show you to Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack will teach you all about honesty."

"Great," Stratus sarcastically remarked. Twilight frowned.

"Is there a problem?" She asked him.

"No," replied Stratus.

"Alright then. I'll wake you up early tomorrow morning, so get your rest!" Twilight called out cheerily as she walked down the hall.

Once she and Spike were outside of Stratus's line of sight, Spike began talking.

"Twilight, is this really such a good idea?" He asked. Twilight quizzically looked at him. "I mean, he's a thief! The guards didn't catch him for months!"

"But he could have still been free!" Twilight retorted. "Think about it, Spike. He was a wanted criminal. He should have been laying low. But he wasn't! He went right into a hotbed of guard activity just to rescue me and my friends! He has good in him, I know it!"

Spike looked unconvinced. "Okay, Twilight. If you're sure that we can trust him. Beside's, what's the worst he can do?"

...

The foal ran through the dark streets. Debris and junk lay scattered about on all sides. He panted heavily, checking behind himself every few seconds to see if his pursuers were still following him. He saw nothing, and stopped to catch his breath, taking a seat on a pile of bricks.

Wham!

The foal went sprawling as a force struck his chest. He shakily pulled himself to his feet, and lifted his head. Surrounding him were three larger foals, with unpleasant grins on their faces. The largest, the one who had just struck him walked over. Stratus weakly held a hoof in front of his face to defend it.

Pow!

The larger foal struck him again, knocking him over. All three attackers laughed. The one hitting him laughed.

"What's the matter?" He jeered. "To scared to fight back? You're only getting what you deserve." He leaned in closer. "Just like what happened to your dad." He reared up to kick the smaller foal.

Stratus didn't know how the brick ended up in his hoof. One second the large foal was about to kick him, the next, that same foal was clutching his cheek. He pulled his hoof away and Stratus could see the damage he had done. The foals cheek was completely smashed in, and several bones were obviously shattered. His eyes were wide with shock.

"Stratus?"

He heard his voice called. He looked around. Nopony was there.

"Stratus!"

With a jolt, Stratus leapt from the bed. His gaze flashed wildly around the room. It finally settled on the small purple dragon.

"Are you okay?" Spike asked, concern creeping into his voice.

Stratus held a hoof against his forehead. "Yeah," he said after a moment. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay," Spike said, sounding unconvinced. "Breakfast is ready. You should hurry down and eat up. Twilight wants you down at Sweet Apple Acres in half an hour."