Banishment is Friendship

Princess Cadance sobbed. She watched her baby through her crystal prison. If only Flurry Heart was born other than an alicorn. . . how was such a thing even possible? Long since her eyes stopped producing tears, yet the tears of her heart filled the hollowness inside her. One day, somehow, she was going to get her revenge on Discord.

He stole her baby from her mere minutes after her birth; which only gave Princess Cadance and Shining Armor the chance to name her. Discord immediately sealed the baby away to be used as his "recharge station". She knew her husband hurt but he could never comprehend the pain, anguish, and sorrow that clouded her heart.

She pulled herself away from the prison and climbed the forlorn steps to her chamber. On her immaculate desk sat a single stack of papers. Reports of the latest casualties at the front lines. Queen Chrysalis was growing bolder. If anything, Discord's selfishness in wanting to be the only villain to rule made sure that he kept the Changeling numbers in check as well as keep the others at bay. She climbed into her bed and planted her face into a pillow. She needed her aunt Celestia and Luna back, not just her, but everyone.

Shade panted and spat a chunk of flesh out of her mouth. A manticore hissed angrily at her.

She smirked at the frightened beast, "You fucked with the wrong pony!" She charged at the cornered beast with her horn leveled with its heart. The beast struck out with its stinger and missed. Shade stabbed its paw and when it lowered its head in suffering, she bucked her back legs into the jaw of the beast, which knocked it on its back. She maliciously bit at its jugular, sinking her four overly sized canines deep and ripping its throat out. The beast gurgled and blood spurt out of the new hole, showering Shade.

As much as Shade loved to kill things, she wanted to know more about the place her runt of an aunt sent her to. Her tally of kills so far would be ten, in just two days, which she considered to be a slow week. Her kills include those three dogs, now two manticores, three wolves that looked like trees, and two huge bats that just would not leave her be.

She emerged from the trees and the bright light blinded her sensitive eyes. She continued her walk but rested in the shade of tree every couple minutes to close her eyes. I wonder if they have sunglasses. After twenty minutes of walking, she saw a settlement up ahead. Before heading into town, though, she looked over her dirty, blood caked body and decide a bath was in order first. A long dip in the frozen river refreshed her coat, skin, muscles, and bones.

She walked down the cobblestone street and noticed how quiet the town was. The buildings did not seem kept up and most were already collapsed. The sound of her hooves echoed off the stones. She stopped in what used to be a market: broken stalls and scattered goods were the only survivors of some conflict. It was weak, but the scent of dog and fear clung to the ground. A bitter wind blew through the street. She tightened the tattered vest around her which she scavenged from a dog.

Shade shuffled through the disheveled town. Maybe she could find a library or map or. . . a castle. . . set atop a gnarled, dead tree. That   that had to be promising. She trotted a little faster towards her new goal.

The doors creaked and groaned open. Her hoof steps were the only sounds she heard through the desolate castle. Stained glass windows were shattered and glass covered the floor; tapestry was shredded and faded from its original colors. She searched through all the empty and disheveled rooms and only found rotted, ruined books and parchment.

She opened one door and was immediately blinded by white light. She reared back and her horn caught a banner which fell on her. She bucked and flailed wildly.

"Wh-who are y-you?" she heard a young male voice squeak.

"Who are you?" she countered and stopped her thrashing.

"I . . . a-asked you first!"

She saw light filter through the threadbare fabric and sighed, "Valkyrie."

"What are you doing here?" he questioned and shuffled closer to her.

"Just trying to figure out how to get home."

"I'm going to take the drape off you," he said hesitantly, "Do you promise not to hurt me."

"No."

She heard him gulp audibly, "P-Please?"

Shade huffed and rolled her eyes, "As long as you don't flash that light in my eyes."

"Sorry!" she heard a click and the cover was removed from her head. She saw a thin, emaciated looking drake standing before her, about the same height as her, with a wry grin.

Spike saw the alabaster white unicorn mare, with a short, wild, black and crimson mane, with fierce hay colored eyes. He cleared his throat and waved at her, "H-Hi. My name's Spike."

"Where am I?" she asked brusquely.

Spike stepped back from her advance, "M-My h-home."

"I don't care about that," she huffed, "What planet is this?"

"Oh! Uh. . . Equus?"

Shade stared at him dubiously, "Is that a statement or question?"

"Equus," Spike nodded.

"Do you know of a way to get to other worlds?"

"Yeah, I know of one way. . ." the drake said.

"If you haven't noticed: I'm not from around here."

"I thought as much," he replied, "Not many unicorns have two smaller horns. What are you? A trinicorn? A tricorn?"

"The Hell if I know. I wasn't born this way," Shade commented.

A long, awkward silence passed between them. The drake shifted nervously under the murderous gaze of his new guest.

"What happened here? I figure this place didn't always look like this, right?" Shade questioned and sat on her haunches.

"No," the drake answered crestfallen, "It all happen   "

"This isn't going to take long is it?" Shade interrupted.

"Do you have somewhere more important to be?" Spike cracked.

". . . Touche." She crossed her forelegs and rested her head on them, "You have my full, undivided attention."