Ch.1 "Unexpected Visitors"
It was cold in the ruins of Canterlot. As it usually was when winter hit. Without the magic of the pegasi to keep the weather under control, severe storms ravaged the north in what was now called "The Inhospitable Zone". They called it that due to the lack of fetile land, extreme temperature drops, and raging storms that continously battered the once great capital city. The ponies to the south, who lived in the more tropical and sustainable climate, believed the ruins of Canterlot to be abandoned. However, this wasn't entirely true.
Shadow Storm wrapped the scarf he wore around his neck, a bit tighter as he trudged through the deep snow surrounding Canterlot Castle. Normally he wouldn't have left the warmth of the castle in a raging blizzard, but this was an extreme circumstance. The pony he was carrying on his back has been exploring when she was caught in the storm. He first noticed her when he spotted a faint light at the bridge to the castle bastion. He'd watched for a minute or two as a pony appeared through the swirling snow and collapsed.
He'd debated at first whether to help her or not. After all, he didn't like outsiders poking around his home. But something in his heart told him to go out there and rescue her. And so he did.
Shutting the heavy wooden door behind him, Shadow took off his scarf and carried the pony to one of the many sitting rooms with a fireplace. She was a mare, of course. Young, probably 27 if he had to guess. And she was a pegasi. Her mane was jet black, while her body was, strangely enough, white. She wore a heavy coat with two pairs of snow boots for her hooves, and carried a saddlebag on her back. No doubt filled with supplies for her journey.
Sighing, Shadow set her down on the couch facing the fireplace. She wasn't heavy, nor was she light. In a way she seemed.. angelic. Shrugging to himself, Shadow turned and trotted to the fireplace, lighting the wood inside with a quick spell before adding on a few more logs. The fire would heat the room in about 10 minutes, and upon further examination of this mares body. He found no traces of frostbite, nor hypothermia. Taking a thick blanket from the nearby cabinet, Shadow covered up the pony and turned to leave. He figured he'd make her some food, and a warm drink to help her strength return.
~~~~~~
When Rose Petals awoke, she felt surprisingly warm. Was this heaven? Was she dead? The last thing she remembered before collapsing from exhaustion was a light in the window of one of the castles spires. She'd made her way towards it, but was unable to reach the castle through the deep snow. Rubbing her eyes, Rose looked around a bit at her surroundings. She was.. not dead? The first thing she saw was the fireplace, and merrily crackling fire within. The next thing she noticed, was the warm blanket covering her body. Not remembering how she got here, Rose began to panic a bit. Who brought her here? Was she a prisoner? Her questions were answered however, as the door behind her opened and a tall, all black alicorn entered the room.
Rose saw he was carrying a tray in his magic, laden with food and what looked like drinks. The stallion wore a mask that appeared to be made out of metal. It glistened in the firelight as he approached the couch. Rose, unsure of his intentions, immediately got up to back away from him, but ended up falling onto her side from the lack of strength.
"Relax, I'm not here to hurt you," he said, matter of factly, setting the tray down on the coffee table adjacent to the couch.
"W-who are you?? How did I get here??? Are you going to kill me?" Rose asked, looking up the dark stallion. The pony shook his head.
"No, I'm not going to kill you. But as for who I am, I'm you're 'rescuer' you might say."
The stallion sighed and sat on the couch, relaxing back against the soft fabric. Behind the mask, Rose saw a pair of serpentine eyes blink a few times before closing.
"H-how did I get here? Am I in the castle of the two sisters?"
The stallion opened his eyes again and looked at her.
"To a point. Yes, you are. However I was the one who brought you here. Saw you collapse outside the bridge." He said softly, closing his eyes again and letting out another quiet sigh.
Rose kept staring at him for a few more minutes before asking him more questions.
"What's you're name? Why are you wearing a mask?"
The pony on the couch shifted and unfurled his wings, stretching them, before folding them back once more.
"My name is Shadow, son of Darkness and Prince of Evil. I wear this mask to hide what others find disgusting." He said quietly.
"Disgusting? I'm sure you're not disgusting Shadow." Rose said, sitting up and managing to climb back onto the couch.
The stallion flicked his ears back, "No, I assure you I am."
"Let me see," Rose said almost immediately.
The stallion shook his head, looking at her.
"Absolutely not. I never take my mask off for others." He said.
Rose looked at him, then at the food he brought her.
"Um.. well, thank you for rescuing me then Shadow."
The alicorn nodded and then got up.
"You're welcome to stay the night, the storm will dissipate by morning."
Rose nodded, "Alright."
Shadow trotted to the door, but before he could leave the mare he'd just rescued shouted for him.
"Hey! Shadow!"
The stallion turned slowly and looked at her.
"Yeah?"
"How long have you been here?"
Shadow paused for a moment. He hadn't considered that the mare would ask him such a thing. And truthfully, he wasn't sure if he should tell her.
"I… uh.." he hesitated. "I.. don't know. Lost track of time a while ago. I only know the year and month it is now. Eh… if you need anything I'll be down the hall."
He nodded once to her, and then shut the door quietly. Exhaling through his mask, Shadow breathed deeply, sweat dripping down his muzzle.
"If only she knew…" he said to himself, slowly trotting away from the room.
Rose looked at the shut door.
"Well that was certainly odd. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was hiding something from me. But then again.. it's probably none of my business. This is his castle after all." She said, talking to herself aloud.
"But it's strange… I thought the alicorns went extinct centuries ago. After Princess Twilight's rule in ancient Equestria. Yet.. he has wings. And a horn. He's definitely an alicorn."
Rose looked at the food Shadow brought her, once more. Deciding it'd be unwise to not get her strength up, she began eating. And from the corner of the room, a pair of yellow eyes watched the pegasus.
"Well now… another alicorn? Seems like Tia's theory was correct after all." The figure said softly, stroking his goatee. "I shall return back with this information, her majesty will want to know who was responsible for all of this." And with a quiet snap of fingers, the figure disappeared into the night.
To Be Continued…
Author's Note
I have returned! Welcome to the new story I've been working on for months. I do so hope you all will enjoy. A reminder: comments are welcome, but hurtful ones are not. Please keep all comments respectful.
Ch. 2 "A Pony Called Shadow"
Equestria.... 3,000 Years Ago...
Shadow looked around him at the smoldering ruins of the once great town of Ponyville. His forces had been mostly successful in taking southern Equestria. Now it was time for the final push towards the capital. Of course Princess Twilight had sent her friends to try and stop him, however, even with their elements they were no match for the powerful alicorn.
"Sir," a pony in dark battle gear equipped with a spear landed in front of him. "All garrisons reporting in, Manehattan, Vanhoover, Los Pegasus, Appleloosa, and most of the Midwest territory is now under our control."
Shadow turned and looked at him, speaking a in a quiet voice. One that was devoid of emotion.
"Excellent, give the word for our forces to begin their assault on Canterlot."
The soldier saluted, "yes sir!" And turned to fly off.
"Commander," Shadow said. The pegasi turning and looking at him once more.
"Yes sir?"
"Remember, no casualties. They may be our enemies but they are our kin. They're only following orders, same as you."
The soldier nodded and saluted, then took off toward the edge of town. Shadow looked down at the five defeated ponies laying on the ground groaning. The orange one with the hat shakily sat up and glared at him.
"Y.. You'll never get away with this," she said, struggling to keep herself up.
Shadow didn't smile, nor did he frown. In fact he seemed quite calm and collected.
"I think you'll find I already have Applejack. It would've just been easier for you to not resist but... alas.. here we are." The dark alicorn said, raising a hoof to make his point by pointing out the destroyed buildings.
"Ah'll never let you take this town. Or Equestria!" AJ yelled back at him.
"Ooooo, such fire inside you. Still that need to protect what you love. I like it. You'll do wonderfully as my top lieutenant," Shadow said, smiling a little and ruffling her mane with a hoof, intentionally messing up her hat.
"Don't you touch her!!" Shouted a voice from behind him. Turning, the alicorn saw it was none other than Twilight.
"Why, Princess Twilight. Long time no see! I feel like it's been years," Shadow said, turning his attention toward the new arrival.
"Its over Shadow Storm, my forces will hold Canterlot, the castle is impenetrable. Order your armies to stand down!" The princess yelled, landing in front of him.
Shadow thought for a moment, rubbing his chin.
"Hm.. its a tempting offer. Really it is your majesty. However, there's just one tiny little problem."
The evil alicorn reached into the saddlebag he was wearing and pulled out a large crystal. It was made up of three crystals. The central and circular one, represented the earth ponies. The more rectangular shaped one represented the unicorns. And the majestic one that resembled a pair of wings, represented the pegasi.
"I control the Equine Polarex. The ultimate power forged by the ancients before the time of Celestia."
A look of fear appeared on Twilights face.
"No, you wouldn't dare! If you activate that crystal with malicious intent, it will cause a magical feedback wave!" The princess spread her wings and charged her horn, taking a defensive stance. Shadow smiled and lit his horn.
"If ruling Equestria requires the loss of magic worldwide, then so be it. I'll bend your citizens into submission one way or another."
Twilight lunged at Shadow who easily side-stepped her attack and tossed the crystal up into the air. Turning around, the Princess of Magic saw what was about to happen and started to panic. She needed to get that crystal away from Shadow no matter the cost.
Shadow, smiling evily, lit his horn and cast the spell he'd worked hard on for so many years. The crystal lit up and began to emitt a low pulsing sound.
"Watch now princess as everything magical you know and love about Equestria is taken from you. Just like you took everything from me!"
The wind around them began to pick up as the crystal shined brighter and brighter. Desperately Twilight thought of what to do. There was one thing she could do to stop Shadow, but it was extremely risky. If she succeeded, Equestria would be cast into a magic-less era that would span decades until the magic could be returned again. If she failed, then Shadow took over Equestria and imprisoned everyone she loved.
Charging her horn again, Twilight focused, closing her eyes as a beam of magic shot out of her horn and hit the crystal. Shadow's grin vanished as he looked at the now glowing Twilight.
"No! What are you doing!?" He yelled, shielding his eyes from the combined light of the Crystal and Twilight.
Twilight's eyes opened, completely white and glowing as she rose into the sky.
"I refuse to let you conquer my home!" She shouted.
As the crystal reached its peak, a bright shockwave emitted from it shooting out in all directions. However, as the wave hit Twilight, she refocused her magic towards Shadow and hit him full force with the magical feedback.
"Gah!!" The dark alicorn fell to the ground, severely injured from the spell cast by the princess. Looking up in fear at the glowing alicorn, Shadow gripped at his face and scampered away, hoping to find his soldiers. As he crossed a street, one soldier slammed into him full speed, causing them both to fall to the ground. Shadow shook his head and looked at the pony.
"Lieutenant? Why are you running AWAY from the fight!? Magic is failing across Equestria. Now is the time to strike down our enemy!"
The soldier quickly got up and began running away once more, yelling back over his shoulder.
"Because they have reinforcements!! Retreattttttt!!!"
Shadow looked confused. Reinforcements? Impossible. Who would help the ponies? Looking from where the soldier came from. Shadow's ears folded back and he quickly scrambled to his hooves, turning and running. On the hill overlooking Ponyville, thousands of different creatures poured down towards the small town.
"Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit!" Shadow said, galloping down the main path that lead into the Everfree Forest. He knew it'd be risky going into the forest with no magic. But he had little choice. If he remained there, Equestria's warriors would find him and take him down. He wasn't trained in hoof to hoof combat, only magical defense.
"There! Into the forest! The Shadow King is trying to escape! Get him!!!"
As if a piston suddenly lit a fire under his ass, Shadow started hauling flank through the trees. Jumping over logs, weaving around bushes, and crawling through thickets whenever possible. As the voices began to fade, he started to calm down, eventually reducing his speed to an idle canter. Looking around, Shadow found himself in a part of the forest he'd never seen before. The trees seemed to be dying and it appeared all vegetation had ceased to grow.
Stopping to take stock of his situation and to get his bearings, his thoughts began flying at a high speed through his mind.
"Damn it! That stupid princess! What the hell was she thinking!? Using a refractory spell to rebound the pulse wave back at me."
Shadow noticed a nearby puddle on the forest floor and went over to it. He knew he was injured, he could feel the blood dripping off his face. But he was afraid to look. Forcing himself to peek into the water, he saw that his face was horribly cut. Several deep gashes and smaller lacerations adorned his muzzle and areas around his cheeks and eyes. Luckily his eyes were undamaged, and most of the bleeding had stopped on its own from the coagulation. But he knew he needed immediate medical attention.
From behind him, Shadow heard some bushes rustling and whipped around, trying to charge his horn. He'd forgotten of course however, that he had just completely wiped out magic worldwide.
"W-who's there!? Show yourself!" He yelled.
"Hello Shadow, you look like you've seen better days." Said a strange sounding voice. It was almost like it had a buzzing sound effect added to each syllable.
From the bushes emerged a tall slender pony. However, the alicorn could see that it wasn't a full pony. Long silky hair fell around the creatures face, and fangs protruded from its muzzle. As it stepped into the light, he could see that it's limbs were covered in different shaped holes. There was no doubt what kind of pony-like creature this was. It was a Changeling. And big one at that.
"A... Changeling?? What are you doing out here? I thought you were all reformed decades ago by Princess Twilight-" But before he could finish a loud hiss escaped the Changelings mouth.
"Twilight Sparkle and her friends!!! How do you know them!? Explain yourself pony!"
The Changelings sudden outburst caught him off guard.
"First explain YOURSELF changeling. And then help with my wounds. I'd be happy to tell you how I know them if we.... share a common enemy?" He asked hopefully.
"I DESPISE everything that wretched little purple shit-stain is!!!! Her and her "friends" took my hive from me! My children!" She spat out, a look of pure rage forming on her face. Shadow wiped the spit from his face.
"Riiight. Alright then, we share a common enemy." He said, sitting on the ground.
The Changeling came out of the bushes, taking deep breaths to calm herself as she looked Shadow over.
"I can heal you using my spare magic. But it would appear someone was able to get rid of Equestria's magic by some means." The Changeling lit her horn and began working on his cuts. "I don’t suppose you had anything to do with that?" she asked.
Shadow sighed and closed his eyes as her horn came dangerously close to his eyeballs.
"Yesss, I did. In fact I was the one who did it." He said a little annoyedly.
The Changeling made an impressed grunting noise.
"Huh, I'm impressed. You got a pair of balls on you don't you alicorn?"
Shadow was taken aback by the crudeness of her vernacular, however he wasn't surprised considering most of the things he knew about the changelings came from books. They were said to be evil creatures who cared about no one but themselves. Which made him wonder why this one was helping him. He sat quietly for a minute or two before speaking up.
"So... why are you helping me? I read changelings were supposed to be cruel and sadistic creatures."
The Changeling laughed a bit at that.
"Oh no, not all of us. I would gladly help an ally who hates Twilight Sparkle as much as I do. My cruelty is best saved for my enemies."
"So... does that mean we're friends?" Shadow asked.
"Good God no. I don't need friends when I have loyal subjects. You are but an acquaintance."
Shadow shrugged and felt his face with a hoof when she was done. She'd done a decent job. But he knew there'd be scars. Looking up at her he nodded his thanks.
"Say, what's your name Changeling?" He asked.
The tall slender figure looked at him for a few moments, studying him. No doubt determining whether she could trust him or not. Eventually she answered him.
"Chrysalis. Queen Chrysalis. Ruler of the Changelings."
To be continued....
