Shadows of the Night

(Author's Note: I would like to thank Moon_Fire for acting as pre-reader for this chapter.)

I may not have given the most apt description when I wanted to express how utterly, entirely, awesomely, sweetly, and unabrigedly fun it is to shadow-walk. Taking a step in the absence of light and then reappearing feet, yards, (or if enough effort is put into it) miles away is a thrill of the utmost exhilaration. All of that delicious speed, it was like flying, but without all that mucking up about in the air. Look, I don’t have anything against birds, and I don’t suffer from a fear of heights, it just seems sort of… silly. (It’s hard to adequately explain, so back to the story!)

I was having the time of my life, adrenaline rushes will do that to a guy. And if I had one complaint, it would have to be the moon. Don’t get me wrong, it was beautiful. It almost seemed to glow in and of itself, and not just from the reflected sunlight, giving off an almost immaculate and serene presence. It’s just that it was so, well, big. I would easily be able to make my way through the forest, thick canopy and all, with my old human eyes. But in all seriousness, that was me just being nit-picky. It really is nice out, I thought as I looked up to the stars, which seemed to share my glee of the night with their twinkling.

The trees were starting to look more ominous, as their bark gave off the impression of scrunched up faces. I must be going the right way I thought, staring at a particularly detailed looking face as I went by, throwing off my vision as I shifted to the next shadow. The sudden change, since I hadn’t been paying attention to it, threw off my balance, and I tumbled down a conveniently placed hill of rocks and gravel.

Oofing, again (having done it the whole way down), upon final impact I just laid there letting my scrapes mend and my head get out of a swirl. I was just about to get up when a rather dull sounding voice said, “Oooo, that one look like good worker, has hands.” The last thing I remembered was the sound of shattering glass, and an obnoxious smell before darkness settled further upon my mind.

***

Waking up to stretch, to my chagrin, I found I couldn’t. It didn’t stop my yawn, but it certainly threw off my groove. Noticing that my hands and feet were bound on a pole leaving me hanging like a caught pig only served to throw it off further.

“Hee hee, you were right Boulder Claw, it is resilient, was only out for few minutes. Will make excellent slave worker with other ponies” a high pitched voice yapped.

‘Slaves? Ponies?’ I thought, my mind still a bit foggy. Looking around, my hood down at my shoulders, I was at the front of a procession, being tied to a pole carried by two diamond dogs with one crude spear each, followed by a procession of clinking chains attached to a number of earth ponies, about five in all.

“Of course, it will dig many gems” a gravelly voice replied, “Otherwise it won’t foind itself good fuh anythin’ but din-uh.” My head swiveled to the sounds origin, a big bulked up yellow coated dog, using my shield as a back scratcher, his massive arm unable fit either strap.

Ok, maybe I’m just delirious, I thought trying to keep from flying off the handle like last time. I’m probably just hearing things. There’s obviously been some sort of misunderstanding on some ones part.

“My apologies sirs, I’m sure I misheard you, but did you say that I was to be a slave digging for gems?” I asked in one of my most polite tones.

“Heh heh, well, most prefer to be called Executive Non-paid Intern, but yes. Now be quiet” the small yappy one said slapping my head, “interns only speak when spoken too.” He then proceeded to laugh in a very high pitched, and incredibly annoying, manner which was then shared by the other four diamond dogs.

The blood in my face drained, as a small, cold, so very cold, ball of emotion welled beneath my chest. I looked through my legs at the pony at the head of the chain gang. It was definitely a female, with sea foam blue coat, white mane, and a gear piece cutie mark. Directly behind her were two smaller ponies, children by their size, but both sported cutie marks, each dealing with some form of clockwork. “Are those your children ma’am?” I asked the lead pony. This quickly was responded with another slap to the head by the small yappy dog and a small nod from the female pony, as well as a worried look. Whether it was due to my, admittedly, unique appearance or from the idea of the life that awaited her and her children I’ll never know, all I did know was that the ball in my chest grew colder, almost feeling as though it were burning.

Ladies, children, mothers, and families were all in trouble right before me. My neck gave a twitch, making my head spasm to the right. Barnacles, I’d have to do something if I was going to save these ponies. It wasn’t a question of if I was going to. I could have easily just teleported myself out. I might have been able to shadowport them all away with me, but the dogs might notice something before I finished and knock me out again. My heart began to hammer in my chest, playing the hero was much easier in my imagination then it was in real life.

I thought about trying to muscle my way through them, but they might just as easily get a lucky shot in. Besides, they may have enough intelligence to take one of the ponies’ hostage if I really did start taking them out. It would be really nice to see how well my new muscles worked, but testing it out right now seemed like a poor place to begin. I couldn’t run away, I couldn’t muscle my way out. I’d have to try and bluff, but how was I going to doo… riiiight, darkness powers.

Concentrating, having to close my eyes, I pulled the shadows around the trees and along the path, as many as I could. They formed into a veritable army of hulking armored knights, each one holding a sword in the left hand and a kite shield in the right. The diamond dogs stopped in there track, confused at the silent approach these newcomers had shown, having not been able to smell them or hear their steps. They started to back up when I made more walk up on both their flanks and the rear, stepping up out of the shadows, almost as though they were stepping out of some dark underworld. Ok, show time, I thought, my heart practically in my mouth with worry.

“It is about time you lot found me.” My voice called out in as commanding a tone I could muster, hoping my agitation didn’t come through too much.

“Thuh-thees your guards?” the small yappy dog asked, fear as evident in his eyes as his, comically, knocking knees.

“Indeed” I smiled, “Now if you would be so kind as to release me, I won’t have them do anything” I paused for dramatic effect rolling my eyes up thinking of just the right word, “unpleasant, to you and your friends.” I finished with a smile and made all the shadow guards take a step closer in unison.

The diamond dogs all jumped at that, the large yellow one, not wasting any time to give orders, rushed over to me and slashed my bonds with a knife from his vest pocket in quick succession. Upon me hitting the dirt road with a small “oof” he began to quiver and realized he should have tried to be a little bit more careful with my handling, but I just gave him a smile, stood up, and brushed some of the dirt off myself. Once done I simply held out my hand to him, continuing to smile, it took him a few seconds, trying to think past the fear that was starting to really get at him, as he handed my black tower shield and I replaced it on my back.

I was now in complete control of the situation, I must admit it left me feeling a little heady, in part due to some slight elation that this was working, but also due to the fact that if any of the dogs realized that my “guards” were as substantial as a waking dream everything would go to heck in a FedEx overnight delivery hand basket. I was starting to feel a little strain from animate shadow puppetry of this scale, but I just grinned and bared it.

“Now,” I said in one of my most pleasant tones, but akin to reprimanding a naughty child, “You are going to unshackle these fine ponies.” When they started to object, I merely had all my shadows all point their swords at the dogs, the eerie silence, again, rendering a level of fear I don’t think would be possible to create if sound was used, and the large yellow one again searched through a vest pocket. A trembling hand brought them out, and immediately dropped them upon the ground. He picked them up, and dropped them again. Only using two hands was he able to keep a sufficient grip on them. And he quickly unshackled the ponies. The speed at which this was done, despite his overly evident fear bespoke of an ease of use I did not wish to contemplate.

I motioned my hand, and the guards parted so that the ponies could walk back. I tried to give some sort of reassuring sign, but looking on them showed them to be quite frightened as well. So I instead had a few guards form around them and walk them a distance down the path, the further they got, the harder it became, but it was still manageable, it had to be.

I turned my attention back to the four dogs before me, each one scared to the point where they were no longer capable of standing, I almost felt bad for doing so, until both the logical and emotional parts of my mind teamed up, for probably the first time ever, and wiped away any such feelings, reminding me that these, these, mongrels were slavers. But some niggling thought deep within me wanted to spare them; another said they’d do it again. The only thing I could think to do was to continue the charade, and hope for the best.

Putting my right hand into my left hand sleeved I wiggled it around, like I was fishing for something, and pulled out a balled hand. I slowly thrust it out in front of me, and carefully opened it. Four strings of shadow uncoiled from my palm, took wing, and slowly start to fly around my hand in looping arcs.

“These… are shadow worms. They are my own personal creation, and while I would normally kill you for the indignities you have placed upon me, I am in a forgiving mood and have decided to let you off with a chance to start a new life, and a warning.”

The dogs looked up, seemingly confused, but grateful at this benevolent turn of events. Until I sent the stings of shadow directly into the heart, or at least where I thought they would be, of each respective dog. As they fell back clasping at their chests in hopes to take out what they thought I had placed upon them. I just smiled, my cheeks starting to hurt at this point, smiling was never my forte, and always came off as a little creepy looking when I forced one, and said, “Should you return to your slave mongering ways, those worms, which have by now worked, irreversibly, into your souls, they will devour it, The process of which will bring you the boon of a long life, the likes of which many gods are not even privy to as it keeps you alive, in pain beyond your ken, as it is slowly eaten over the course of the next three eternities. Should you die, the worm will return to me, but rest assured, there is no way to remove it without removing your own soul. Now, I do believe this is the part where you run away.” My guards parted behind me, the path now clear to them. “Any time now.” I said, turning to gesture the path they might take. They didn’t hesitate as they practically blasted away from me in a flurry of claws and tails between the legs.

Problem gone, my legs started to give way as I released the darkness from my grasp. The weight of all that could have, didn’t, and succeeded all came crashing down on me. I just couldn’t believe it had worked. I was just about to fall over, the strain of emotional, mental, and physical exhaust began to overwhelm me as my heart finally started to beat at a more sedate pace, when the shrieks from the ponies behind me, at the sentinels having disappeared reached me. I shadow walked over, appearing almost instantly in their mists, which only served to drain me further, as I called for quiet. They were in full panic mode at this point and were starting to run around, I was not about to let one of them hurt themselves from dashing about in a dark forest at night, and yelled, “SILENCE!” That got their attention, freezing them all in mid-gallop. Sighing, I asked if any of them knew their way back to the nearest town. A chorus of head-shaking met me, the ponies being too stunned to answer.

Crud, this is gonna hurt. “Alright, everyone please gather up, I’ll take ya’ to Ponyville, they’ll be able to help you get things sorted out.” My voice, slightly, rasped, as the command was recognized and they formed a group in front of me, I asked them to close their eyes, and once more called the darkness to swallow me as the group and I reappeared in Ponyville, near the reservoir. The gaspings of surprise that followed were lost upon me as my vision swam. I had overextended myself, and fell back with a small thud upon the ground as unconsciousness greeted me.