the Light within Darkness

Comet sat in his cell the two changeling guards watching his every move like hawks waiting for him to do something. He didn’t. This was causing the guards to be tense as hell. Most pony prisoners would be begging for freedom or trying to overpower the guards or trying to make deals with ‘em, something at least. Comet, on the other hoof, did nothing, he just sat only moving when he breathed, ate, drank and slept and the guards hated it they wanted any chance they got to punish a prisoner, however, Comet didn’t give them the slightest of reason. He was playing with them in some sadistic game. A game he was winning.

Unbeknown to the guards, small smoke-like flames came out of the sides of Comet’s normally amber, now reddish, eyes, hidden with a perception filter. After Comet felt confident enough that the guard only saw what he wanted them to see, he rose up and walked forward, stopping only a few hoof lengths from them. He never broke eye contact, lest the spell fail before he wanted it to. He then altered the perception filter to show his current location, tilting his head and grinning madly.

The guards blinked. Twice. When the realization that the prisoner had moved without them came, they quickly backpedaled, seeing as the prisoner just appeared before them, plastered with a grin that had both guards shuddering. “B-back off, food. I-I’m warning y-you!”

They were expecting some kind of insult or snark, but Comet didn’t answer, or move at all, he didn’t even breathe, he just kept grinning. Or that was at least what the spell made the two changeling think. He still breathed but trying to be as quiet as possible, the spell doing nothing to alter the sound. But soon enough was it starting to get hard for Comet to not blink, He moved back to the same place he had been most of the time since his capture, quickly ending the spell afterwards.

The guards finally recovered their stoic mask for the spell to end. They tensed up as Comet rose and stretched some, but instead of rushing towards them, he simply laid down on his cot. He gave them a lazy look, before yawning and laying down his head on one of his forehooves. He was quickly asleep, a somewhat unrestful one. The guarding changeling was tense the whole time, fearing that something might happen if they looked away, even for only a second.

“Princess Shadow.” A small drone messenger said as Shadow walked the corridor towards Comet’s cell.

“Yes little messenger?” Shadow asked looking at the drone with a fake smile after her meeting with her mother she always felt like shit. “What do you wish to tell me?”

“The prisoner he’s uh… scaring the guards.” The young messenger said kinda scared of what he thought her reaction would be. But that reaction never came.

“Don’t tell the queen about this, unless you want your fellow changelings killed.” Shadow said calmly as she looked at the messenger with a sigh “I’ll deal with the matter myself.” The drone nodded and left as Shadow headed to the cell a little faster than she was before.

“P-Princess?” The guard at the door quivered seeing her “I’m s-sorry he…. He moved without us seeing…. We failed to, uh, see?” He was expecting a punishment, however, it never came.

“I don’t blame you…. Just don’t tell the queen, otherwise, you won’t be let off lightly.” Shadow sighed as she opened the cell door turning to the guard once more “I’ll deal with him” She said sternly before entering.

The metal door swung open, waking Comet up from his, yet again, restless sleep. Groggily he noticed a black figure heading in. The voice, however, removed the cobweb of sleep, being all too familiar. “Hello, food.”

Blinking away the last of the fog, he replied. “Morning, Princess. Though, if I’m perfectly honest, I think it’s due time we had a proper introduction. I am Comet Trail, also known as the wandering mage or the dark mage.”

The changeling princess stared at the unicorn for a few seconds. “Dark mage?” She asked confused “You don’t seem too dark to me… my mother could do a lot darker things than to just scare a few guards.” She tried to boast about her mother, but if he would have looked closer at her sides he would see her mother’s ‘work’ on her body. Thankfully for her he didn’t notice it, or simply not showing that he did.

“Well yes, I try to fit into society, but I am, in fact, what ponies call a dark mage. Though, I would have thought that you knew that, that is if you went through my things you would know.” Comet replied, looking somewhat confused. “You did look through my stuff, right? Right?”

Shadow gave him a look that said, ‘Should I have?’ She asked with a look of confusion on her face. “We have no need for your belongings, and so, we don’t bother looking at them, we just left ‘em where we found you, food.” She then added more sternly to not show him any weakness.

Comet stared at the changeling princess. Then blinked. “You’re kidding, right? Right?” With a shake of his head, he continued. “Not a single pony have done something as stupid when trying to capture me, not a single one out of three hundred and sixty-one. You never, and I repeat, never leave the one who you’re foal napping's stuff at the crime scene! Why would somepony just leave books about complex, and in the hoof of an experienced caster, dangerous spells! You don’t leave books in general, have you no respect for literature?” Comet was getting ready to snap at the next thing that spoke. Nopony treats books that bad, nopony!

Shadow was surprised, to say the least. The unicorn had been calm the whole time before, but when he started to talk about books, especially them being ‘mistreated’, had riled him up quite effectively. Hmm, perhaps I can exploit this? Shadow thought as ideas, while silly sounding at first, but with their findings giving them more ground, entered her mind. Even though she actually had her own library but that didn’t matter in exploitation. “What it’s easier than burning it. We are low on coal” She teased her fangs in a smirk. “And what’s so special in these books that mother just can’t teach me?”

Comet managed to calm down, seeing the empty threat for what it was, an empty threat and gave the changeling a weak smile. “I prepared for that, it won’t work. As for what the book can teach you that your mother can’t? Well, I wrote it, those are my spells, spells that I created. But to you, it wouldn’t show you anything, as I said, I was prepared.”

“Prepared…? You knew we would capture you effortlessly? And besides, I don’t require you puny spells.” Shadow said looking at him her fangs in a profound smirk “You’re nothing compared to the darkness of mother.” she sounded more arrogant than usual since her last ‘talk’ with Chrysalis.

Comet burst into a fit of laughter, not really trying to hide it. “Sorry, sorry, it just that I don’t believe you. You and your kind reek with fear, fear that strengthens me. Next time we meet it will be on my terms. Now I believe your ‘mother’ might want to have another ‘chat’ with you.” Comet smirked at the now silent changeling.

Just as she was about to rebut, a guard came, informing her that the queen wished to talk to her. Shadows snout turned into a snarl as she left, cursing at the unicorn for his luck.

Not soon did Comet slump down, yawning out of tiredness. Well, I think I at least an idea to get this thing off me. Getting a guard to do it should work, and once it’s off I can finally get to use my latest spell.