Shadow Strike woke to the sound of a knock at his door. He sits up and rubs his eyes before looking outside the window. It was still daylight outside. Why was he being woken up when his days...well nights didn’t begin till after Celestia had set the sun? He gets out from his bed and calls out to the one knocking.

“Who is it..?”

“I am a guard. I have been informed to tell you that the princesses have requested you to join them for lunch. I recommend you not keep them waiting, young one.”

Said the guard in a rough and gravelly tone. Shadow nodded and called back out. Making his way to the bathroom to get himself cleaned up.

“I will join them soon. I don’t think the two rulers of Equestria want their guest joining them fresh out of bed after all.”

The guard could help but let out a light laugh and agree.

“You are a smart kid. I will go inform them you are getting ready then.”

Shadow turns on the water to the shower head and gets in.The water feeling absolutely wonderful against his body and his eyes finally fully opening. If both of them wanted to see him, it must have been important. At least to some extent. Or maybe they finally found out that he was the one who hid Celestia’s cake baking ingredients from the royal kitchen and tossed out half the crates of bananas….naaaah. After getting cleaned up and dressed, he makes his way out of his room, down the stairs and into the dining hall where princesses were sitting across from one another speaking with each other. Shadow was about to step in until he heard them speaking about him in hushed tones. He leans against the wall to hide himself from their gazes and listens carefully.

“Tia...our young friend has been showing signs of progressing in his magical studies. But I am worried about his academics. It’s not that he is doing bad, not in the least. But he seems to be distracted by something as of late. When I am giving lectures, he seems to have this thoughtful look in his eyes. As if something is always on his mind that he must worry about.”

Celestia listened to her sister intently as she spoke about Shadow. After she finished, she gave her own response.

“Perhaps he is just concerned about what lies ahead. After all, receiving memories of magic from a strange phantom in one’s dream is certainly something to really worry about. I have seen his progress in controlling his magic. And I agree, he is doing a fine job of it. But he also has to wonder about the other memories that are locked away in his mind. Perhaps when Twilight gets here, he could speak with her and hopefully, their common ground will help settle both of them not worry so much about the future and the little things that come with it. They are quite the same in a way, but also extremely different. That could benefit them both, sister.”

Shadow came from behind the wall of the entrance and lightly cleared his throat to make himself known. He waves to them both and they in turn wave back to him. He makes his way over to the chair next to Luna’s and sits next to her after it was pulled out for him.

“Forgive me for asking, Princesses.But why am I awakened on one of my days off from both school and training? I was in a particularly good sleeping position and my body heat was just right enough to stay under the blankets…”

Both the sisters just giggled at him when he said that. They knew that kind of feeling all too well. That feeling when you are in a perfect sleep and don’t want to move at all for it would ruin it.

Well, we thought you’d like to join us for lunch. And I have a pony I want you to meet. She is my own student and I think you and her would make a great pair of friends if you got to know her.”

Shadow sat down while listening intently to Celestia’s words. A student of hers? He wonders who that might be. Soon enough though, she I revealed to him, and the pony who enters is really not all that surprising to him. After She called out to the mare, Twilight Sparkle walks into the room with a big smile and rushes to Celestia’s side and hugs her tightly, happy to see her mentor once more. Shadow’s response was just a little chuckle.

“Why am I not surprised this bookworm is your student? She certainly took an interest in me that night when Luna returned.”

Twilight gasped lightly as she looked over to Shadow. Her eyes scanning over his form and suddenly widening and sparkling with want….well, scientific want anyways. She never did get the chance to study him, and she wanted it bad.

“Princess Luna? He is the student that is under your wing…?”

She asked before taking a seat beside Celestia, her eyes not moving away from the anthro pony, not for one second. Even though that Luna knew why Twilight was ogling him, it made her feel...jealous? She shook the feeling from her and nodded to the lavender unicorn. She gently placed a hoof on his shoulder and gives a proud smile.

“Indeed, Twilight. He is a fine young stallion and his abilities have definitely been surpassing both me and my sister’s expectations.”

Shadow averted his gaze from the group and shook his head. Trying to deny such a nice praise. He puts a hand up and shakes his head in denial.

“Naah, Sure, I am gaining control of my magic and I am doing alright with school. But I am sure I am nowhere near as smart as Twilight here. I am still surprised that I am even here and learning under the princess of the night herself.”

“Well first off, you are a pegasus that can use magic So that’s reason enough. And not only that, but you are a pegasus that is quite different from every other pony in Equestria when it comes to physical appearance. A fine specimen to study and learn about indeed…”

Said Twilight as she leaned in to get a closer look at him. One thing odd she noticed about him though, was that his eyes were different from other ponies. They were reptilian like. Just like her little baby dragon companion. They were a beautiful sky blue, but his pupils were slitten. Apparently, she was getting more and more curious about him with every moment that passed. Luna cleared her throat before speaking up.

“You must understand Shadow. We have you here for both your best interest and for the kingdom’s as well. If any of our foes learned of you. Who knows what they would do to get you away from me-....us. You may not feel it now, but my sister and I believe that you are a valuable asset. That is why we both worry about your health and education.”

This was Celestia’s concern, true. But Luna’s was that and more. Little did Shadow know that Luna always kept a close eye on him. Anytime she had available to herself, she’d always follow him around and just...watch him. She is drawn to the young pony like she knows him on such a deeper level. And it bothers her but, not in a bad way. Simply because the mare saw the cloaked figure in Shadow’s dream wearing an extremely familiar mask and had a very familiar name. After a while, Shadow cleared his throat and looked to Celestia.

“You did not need to introduce me to her, princess. I am already good friends with her and the other five mares she is friends with. Even her little dragon as well. They are a very nice group, Rarity even gave me this long coat I am wearing before she left. She is quite sweet.”

“Mhmm! After all, he did help us with bringing Luna back to herself.”

Said Twilight. Shadow blinked a few times and looked back to Twilight. Slightly confused.

“I..I did? Only thing I remember from that is passing out…”

“You provided the distract my friends and I needed to prepare the use of the elements of harmony. I’d say you did quite well. Oh, I almost forgot. A new zebra friend of mine wanted me to give this to you. She said she found it on her journey here. And she said it belonged to you...even though she didn’t really know who you are. How odd.”

Twilight reached into her saddlebag and pulled out something with her mouth. She places it onto the table in front of him. Shadow’s heart suddenly feels a very cold feeling pass through his heart. Enough to make him jump up and back away, nearly stumbling over the knocked down chair behind him. He knew exactly what it was. The way he behaved towards the item drew concern for the three mares as they all gazed at him with surprised faces.

“That...that thing. The figure in my dream. He was wearing that…”

Shadow could feel his heart getting ready to burst out of his chest as he stared at the mask. As his gaze remained on it, it began give of a resonating glow that seemed to sync with his heartbeats. The color of the aura glowing around it was a mixture of cobalt blue and pure black. It suddenly took to the air and started levitating toward Shadow. Celestia and Luna were quick to act to prevent the mask from making contact with him. However, their magic even combined was not enough to pull or knock the mask away from him. Every nerve in his body was telling him to run. Suddenly he heard that familiar voice in his head. The one of the cloaked figure of his dream.

“The time has come to begin your awakening, Shadow. And the mask is the key to the beginning…”

Shadow only heard the voice in his mind, everything else around him was unheard. Even the scream of Celestia and the others were not heard. Luna wasn’t going to let this thing near Shadow without a fight, feeling that it was something terrible. She leaps towards Shadow and stands in front of him with a magical barrier surrounding them both. She stood there in a defensive stance, wings flared up and her eyes glaring daggers at the mask. Though it did not stop it from getting closer.

“Step aside, princess Luna. This must be done.”

“No, you stay away from him! I will not let you harm my student! How are you even speaking?!”

“Forgive me, my love….I did not want to do this. But this is for the future of all Equestria.”

The mask began to glow brighter, a sudden concentrated beam of dark magic and lightning magic shoots from the eyeholes and immediately shatters her barrier, the impact tossing Luna to the ground like a ragdoll. She lets out a yelp of pain as she hit the floor and then against the wall.

“Sister!”

Princess Luna!”

Shouted both Celestia and Twilight as they rushed to her side to help her up. In this time the mask turned its attention back to Shadow. The item now only a foot from his face. The light of the glow now illuminating on his body.

“The time is now, Shadow. Let your awakening begin. And learn the fate that could plague Equestria if you do not act…”

The mask suddenly latches itself onto Shadow's face, immediately lifting him up into the air afterward. His body spasming and his feet kicking as his eyes go wide in shock as the visions are shown to him. A magic circle appearing under him and the sounds of clock gears and bells with lightning sprouting from it filled the room. The visions faded in and out that showed a portal opening from the ground. That same cloaked figure he had seen in his dream. Then showed Luna bound in some kind of dark magic and blindfolded as well. A large dark monster that looked like it came from the bowels of hell. Then a sudden burst of pure lightning energy that filled the sky. After those visions, the mask glowed even brighter as it began to dissipate in the air from Shadow’s face. Lightning began to flow from Shadow’s hands and legs, his eyes sending out cobalt blue beams of light as he lets out a scream. A loud clap of thunder fulls the room, nearly busting out everypony’s eardrums in the process until Shadow falls to his feet and then to a knee. With everything over now, Luna gets to her hooves and rushes towards Shadow who was still sparking a bit. He was breathing heavily, but still conscious.

“Shadow!”

She called out to him in a worried and scared tone as tears threaten to flow from her eyes. She brings a hoof to his back and tries her best to see if he is okay. All he could do was look at her with a scared look on his face. This worried Luna even more.

“We need to be ready. We ALL need to be ready for this...six years from now. If we do not prepare, Equestria is done…”

Celestia and Twilight both approach the other side of Shadow. Celestia lowering herself in front of him. Twilight peeked from behind Celestia with a sad and worried gaze. Had she not brought this mask to him, this wouldn’t have happened. Little did she realize is that she may have helped save the world by doing so.

“What did you see, Shadow?”

She asked in a calm but firm voice. This wasn’t a memory per say. But the last effort vision of the future produced by Taylor’s spirit to make sure that things are well prepared before the event in question happen. He explains to Celestia what he had seen and this sparks a great concern in her mind and heart. The same thing with both Luna and Twilight. Celestia’s gaze falls to her sister and nods.

“Take him up to his chambers then meet me in the study. We have things to discuss.”

She looks back to Twilight.

“Listen to me my dear Twilight...the things I am going to discuss with my sister and you are strictly confidential. Can I trust you to not speak of them to anypony else?”

“Y-yes, of course, princess…”

“Good, follow me please.”

And this is only the beginning. As time marches on, the restoration and combining of two beings will happen. And the moment of truth will be upon them all.

Author's Note

Here you go everyone, enjoy!

May the darkness grant you peace.