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.