The Legend of "The Darkside of the Moon"

Night envelops the three ponies as they walk in silence to the castle. The castle banners flap lazily in the warm southern breeze. Diamond decides now is as good as time as any to ask the thousands of questions on her mind.

"So," she timidly begins, "You tha Darkside of tha Moon, right?"

"Affirmative," Shade nods.

"So. . . did ya kill Tirek?"

"Without hesitation."

"And ya ain't from Equestria, right?"

"Nope."

"What are ya?"

"Tricorn. Female."

"Your eyes are pretty cool."

"They serve their purpose better than most."

"Whadda ya mean?"

"Night vision, thermal vision, and great farsight," Shade elaborates.

"How come ya flank is blank?"

"Why are you looking at my flank?"

"Because it's blank. . ." is Diamond's flat reply.

"I guess killing is not my calling in life, even though I am great at it," Shade responds whimsically.

"Why--"

Shade cuts the filly short with her own question, "What about you? Tell me about yourself."

"Not much to tell, really," Diamond shrugs.

"Luna just picks a random filly to become a Servant of Shadow then? Does the order not have the prestige it once held?" Shade directs the question towards Luna.

"The ranks of the SS are. . . lacking," Luna answers honestly. "I chose the six ponies I have now because they reached feats thought unreachable by pony standards."

"And Diamond's was flying? That is why she has Icarus Syndrome?" Shade concludes.

"How'd ya know?" Diamond wonders aloud.

"I named the disease after I found evidence of it in the ruins of Trot. I have several--"

"No," Luna states.

"Just because the twelve tests subjects before died does not mean she will," is Shade's weak defense.

"Twelve?!"

Shade purses her lips, "Ah, did only tell you two died, huh?"

"You. . . lied to me?"

Shade sees the heartbreak and betrayal in Luna's eyes. "Science requires sacrifices."

"Not the sacrifice of my ponies!" Luna storms off and teleports away.

Shade sighs and turns her attention to the filly, who had noticeably distanced herself from Shade, "I gave them quick and painless deaths. Each one answered questions and brought others to light. Their sacrifices were not in vain. I personally supported the twelve families when the experiments failed."

Diamond thinks that she does not want to be alone with such a dangerous pony but at the same time, she can sense Shade's honesty. "Ya think ya can cure me?"

"Anything is possible," Shade smiles.

Celestia sits up in her bed. A nightmare of fire and smoke wakes her up. She breathes heavy and tries to collect her breath. A strong magical presence radiates outside. A presence she did not want to feel. A presence that had happened to be the source of her nightmare. She trots to the window overlooking the garden and sees the ivory tricorn sparkling in the moonlight as she walks to the castle. She swallows hard. The tricorn locks onto Celestia with narrow, glowing eyes.

Twilight enjoys teaching, that goes without saying. Twilight had thought that a prestigious group such as the Servants of Shadow would be more than what she had been given. She has one Servant, Dinky Doo the Night's Student, paying absolute attention while the pegasus, Virga, is asleep with his eyes open, the earth mare is talking to spiders in the corner, and the last Servant is missing!

A sudden magical surge distracts her. The power is equal to that of Discord. That can not be right, Discord is in Tartarus and if there is danger Princess Celestia will be here.

Poof!

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight announces.

The Servants of Shadow go to attention. They notice Princess Celestia's distraught disposition as does Twilight.

Princess Celestia watches the library door.

"And then I was like WHAM BAM!" Diamond Dancer's exclamations muffle behind the oak door.

Crimson magic illuminates the door and it opens to reveal the silver, black splotch pegasus filly and a white pony with three horns. The pony enters the room behind the filly, not taking her eyes off of the princess. Tension builds and the ponies back away from the two alabaster ponies in the middle of the room.

Shade slowly smiles, revealing her canines, "Princess." Shade bows.

Celestia swallows her surprise, "Darkside of the Moon."

"No need to be so formal, Tia," Shade speaks as she circles the princess, "We are practically sisters. I dare say, we have spent more time together than you have with Luna."

"Luna believes your help is needed for this mission?" Celestia questions, ignoring Shade's banter.

"She did not send for me. I felt her. . . sense of urgency," Shade speaks slowly as she circles Celestia like prey.

"I see no reason why you should not go."

"And I see no reason why you should be here," Shade's voice turns sharp, her patience at an end. She stands behind the princess, "Gather your strength for the portal. You, Luna, and Miss Starbutt over there will have to power it to send us where the orb is."

"You already have a plan?" Celestia inquires.

"Of course I do. I knew you would bucking lose it sooner or later."

"I have one request."

"No," Shade declines instantly.

"Take my student, Princess Twilight Sparkle, with you," Celestia continues.

Shade huffs, "If she is your student then that is a definite no."

"Miss Darkside of the Moon," Twilight speaks up, earning the direct ire of the tricorn. She gulps and continues, "I have been to the Human world and know plenty about it."

Shade sucks her teeth, "I have been in the Human world for the past millennium. You are not required for the mission."

Celestia steps closer to Shade. "You what?" she asks in disbelief.

Shade furrows her brow and steps up to Celestia, taking Celestia's movement as a challenge. Celestia backs away. "I did not petrify myself. I left to the Human world to keep myself from killing you and razing the whole planet to ash."

Princess Luna enters the library and walks over to Shade. "You were in the Human world for the last thousand years?"

Shade grins devilishly, "Humans are such a destructive race. I love their wars and conflicts. They are such a powder keg of a species."

"Shade, please focus on the mission while you are over there. The retrieval of the orb takes precedent," Luna states.

"I kinda want to see them destroy themselves. Let them have the orb."

"I am giving you an order, Shade: retrieve the orb and do not let the Humans harm themselves," Luna says sternly.

Shade stares at Luna for a long time with a neutral expression. Her muzzle splits into a smile and she bows before Luna, "As the Darkside of the Moon, I will carry out your order, your Majesty. I will keep the Servants of Shadow as safe as possible, acquire the Orb of Chaos, and come back home."

"That is all I ask for," Luna smiles.

"As Shade," the tricorn stands up and frowns at Luna, "I still want those apes dead,"

"It is a good thing that what you want does not matter," Luna replies stiffly and leaves the library.