Chasing Shadows

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Chasing Shadows, part 2

A door of fine oak slowly croaked as it unhinged and began to upon slowly to the dark of night. The street slowly filling with soft candle light that gently flowed from the house. In the doorway stood an exhausted looking pony. Her mane almost as equally pink as her flank. Her eyes a deep of blue, and she looked exhausted from a night of endless party.

“Where is everypony!” Pinky Pie shouted into the deadened night sky clearly blind to the situation that had befallen the ponies who had fallen alseep.

* * * * *

Groans erupted from an all but exhausted Twilight Sparkle who spent the entire day and evening practicing her magic. The work she had done left her exhausted, sleepy and even left Equestria in peril, but she feared sleep would only trap her as well in its grips as well.

“... But how can I face him after what happened?” Princess Celestia sighed almost seemingly defeated by her own conscience.

“If you don't face him, my sister, then this guilt will simply follow you forever.” Princess Luna, tried to encourage. Though often seemed to come off a bit brash instead. It was still hard for the young princess to shake old the ethics from before the days of Nightmare Moon.

“I.. I can't. He's right, it was all my fault that he ended up the way he is” Celestia hinged a bit. Clearly showing her own exhaustion around her eyes. In fact it seemed only Luna was the only pony wide awake. Luna commonly ruled at night while her sister slept and she herself would sleep as the sun rose as a trade-off.

“Celestia... it's not just you at risk anymore. All Equestria needs you. You must find a way to bring an end to this...” Luna pleaded to Celestia's protective nature. Luna was slowly getting to her sister who was battling within herself on what she should really do. She knew she had to face her past and meet with the great mistake she caused.

“...Princess... I think if we sleep we might have a chance to stop him.” Twilight said swaying a bit in place. “I know we chance getting stuck ourselves, but our friends need us...” Twilight continued urging the princess on as well not sure if she really wanted to just give up and sleep or if she actually wanted to face Shadow again.

Celestia took a deep breath and closed her eyes, but when she did all she saw was a small sad pony lying broken before her. His horn shattered and eyes watering. He looked more sad than angry in her eyes. It was a look that Celestia would never forget. “Okay... We can use the guest room nearby to rest then” she said, but couldn't avoid a bit of a wavering tone in her voice. She swallowed hard and then lead the two with her into next room.

As they entered the room it spanned before Twilight's eyes in there exhausted splendor. No sight like would have more grand to her at that moment. It seemed to ooze a comfy and soft feeling. Soft couches, pillows and blankets ran the course of the rooms length. She almost mistook it for a room specifically to pillow fight in. It seemed like it couldn't have had any other purpose with so many pillows and blankets around.

"I used to use this room for slumber parties when I was a younger pony" Celestia admittedly a bit sheepishly.

Luna was the first to enter fully sitting one of many massive pillows that made a big circle in the center of the room. Celestia followed after and sat across from her sister. Twilight was the last to sit and flopped onto the pillow drifting to sleep almost immediately with a groan of exhaustion.

“I'll stay here and watch over you two just in case something goes wrong.” Luna comforted to her sister.

“Thank you sister... If you notice anything odd please try your best to wake us. If that fails then Canterlot is in your care.” Celestia said rather grimly to her sister.

“Don't worry sister I have faith you will fix this.” Luna smiled believing even her own words beyond a doubt. Celestia wished she could find the same confidence as her sister as she laid herself into the pillow and closed her eyes.

Twilight winced as she came to, and she almost felt surrounded as she sat up, but only a familiar darkness surrounded her. This was nothing like sleeping she thought to herself. “Strange... I'm supposed to be asleep... but I feel completely awake now.” She spoke out to no one but herself.

“That's because you are awake Twilight Sparkle.” A voice brooded deeply from the darkness. Twilight jolted spinning on her hooves to see a pair of light glowing blue irises staring back at her, and with a slow methodical pace the large purple flanked Unicorn stepped forth towards Twilight. He looked powerful and yet lonely. Like he had spent all his time simply brooding on what had happened in the past. However Twilight still noticed his horn was still there. Massive sleek and perfect example of magical endowment. It was untouched unlike what Celestia had told her in the story. If Twilight recalled his horn had shattered in the backfire of his own spell.

“What do you mean? I know I went to sleep. It was only a moment ago.” Twilight replied with sure nod. She knew for sure she fell asleep just across from Luna.

“You did, and I took you and the Princess from when you began to slumber. Luna now sits alone flustered about where you have gone. Vanishing before her eyes indeed frightened her...” Shadow explained flicking his massive mane. He trotted about Twilight in a wide circle.

“How?... you shouldn't even be able to cast magic. Your horn shattered.” Twilight asked baffled by his power.

“Did it now? Yet here it is on my head.” Shadow exclaimed as he slowly trotted in is long arc. He was cocky and arrogant or at least appeared to be not at all like he was in the story she was told. It was clear what he was doing was planned with tedious detail or at least that's how Twilight saw it. He knew exactly what he wanted, and Twilight believed she knew too.

Twilight looked around a moment as Shadow notice Twilight not reply to him anymore. “Where... Where is Princess Celestia?!” She suddenly realized her absence as Shadow sighed.

“The Princess is living her worst nightmare on replay.” Shadow Shimmer said with a coy tone. “Perhaps you wish to save her?” He said bowing into the darkness. Soon he had faded back into the shadows and a light appeared like a portal where he vanished. And almost instantly Twilight found the darkness fading and herself in Ponyville in the middle of what she thought was a storm.

It took a moment before she realized she was in Celestia's “nightmare”. She saw a young Shadow Shimmer in the middle of town in front of a large parade. He was casting his spell, and power gathering about his horn. Celestia stood up high on her float she herself looking a bit younger too. She spoke like she had in her story and just as quick as it began Celestia ended causing his horn to shatter, and the crying pony to be dragged into a dark dimension by what appeared to be his own shadow. As soon as it ended the nightmare repeated again like a bizzare torturous loop. Was this really Shadow Shimmer's doing or was this all in Celestia's head? It was hard for the young pony to define the situation.

“I've gotta stop this somehow.” Twilight thought. It didn't take long for Twilight to come up with a plan. She believed that if she broke into the cycle it would end the looping. She darted forward head strong and determined as the storm began to pick up above her again. She couldn't stop wondering why he didn't stop her? Why let her save the princess? In a moment the questions faded from her mind, and Twilight stood between the enraged little pony and Celestia.

“Princess stop! Your being tricked. Your in a dream snap out of it.” she said cutting off the Princess in her mid cast.

“Twilight?” Celestia suddenly stopped the world around them, the dream, fading away like Twilight hoped. The world seemingly eaten by the darkness once again. It ate and ate until only the two stood together again. “I'm so sorry Twilight. I'm far to weak for this... I... I can't face him...” Celestia said the endless torture that pounded her conscience over the years still persisted.

“Then allow me...” A voice came that sent a cold shiver down the spine of the princess. Again from the darkness came the large pony. His relentless glare was poised at the princess who nearly crippled herself just from looking his way. “It's been a long time your highness. we had hoped we wouldn't have seen you for many more years, but we knew you would come in time.” He said cocking his head to the side. Even for him it was appearing to be difficult to hold back emotions from the loneliness and anger of what he had built up over time. His face twinged and his eyes looked moist and strained as though he was trying to keep from crying as himself.

“Shadow... I'm so sorry...” Princess Celestia blurted, but the apology did not seem to have the desired effect as Shadow's face twisted in disgust.

“Your sorry?!” He said almost in a spit, “We spent our entire lifetime in darkness alone watching people dream of a life we would never know, and your sorry!?” He growled.

“That's not fair!” Twilight interrupted.

“Oh? Destroying the only life we knew wasn't bad enough. We have nothing left?” He returned.

“She had to... you were going to destroy everypony and everything. You were out of control!” Twilight said defending Celestia.

“No Twilight that too is my fault. I forgot about him. He spent so much time alone that I caused him to spiral into madness.” Celestia admitted in guilt.

“Hmm and here I thought you would be on my side Twilight. Your so blind... you don't know what really happened...” Shadow shook his head in misguidance. “Truly you were like us. How can you stand to live under such a tyrant.” he snapped in hate. Clearly the thought of it sickened him to no end. In his eyes Celestia was nothing but a monster that tried to destroy him.

“Princess... Nothing gives him the right to do what he did. He was putting everypony in grave danger” Twilight stated clearly not siding in anyway to Shadow's argument.

Shadow grew tireless and with a wave of his horn opened a portal . It gleamed like a beacon stretching open in the darkness. Beyond the glass like portal was the streets of Ponyville where the trapped sleeping ponies layed there heads. “Then perhaps I should just finish what I started” he said as his horn began to crackle and glow. Beyond the window Twilight could see the clouds begin to darken and spiral like they had in Celestia's nightmare. Celestia's eyes shifted in tone suddenly watching intent on the spell he began to cast like noticing something she had not before.

“Y.. you would really destroy everything?” A voice came suddenly... It was soft quiet and calm, but amongst the silence it was the only voice that was heard. Out of the darkness prodded a pale yellow pony. Hair a gentle pink and eyes as silent as the wind. The sight of her caught Shadow by surprise. Her eyes... the loneliness that pressed from them was a look he once wore on his face. She looked disappointed in Shadow Shimmer. Not at all angry at him like he was expecting of her.

“We have no reason not to do it. They hated Us! They laughed at Us! We were nothing! We had no one!” He shouted at her.

“I don't hate you... Either of you” Fluttershy said without even being effected by his shouting. Twilight was surprised by Fluttershy's resolve. It was unlike her to be so open to someone and not react to shouting. Perhaps she saw something no one else was seeing. Shadow look effected by her words however... His eyes widened glossy and moist as a single tear ran down a cheek. He looked about to cry outright.

“Then I'm sorry, but this must be done.” He spoke turning from her, but Twilight would not allow it.

Her horn filled quickly with magic like Celestia had taught her, and she quickly charged the large purple unicorn. Cold determination ran through her and it pushed her to the limits she needed. Her horn flashed, and a great spark of lit all the darkness and vanished Shadow in an instant, but as she charged they still seemed to collide and tumbled smashing through the windowed portal destroying it and tumbling into Ponyville itself. Twilight shook and jumped up looking down only to find a much smaller and frailer pony then she expected to see.

Below her laid a shaking unicorn with a missing horn, cut clean through it's middle, who was only just as big as she was. A young pony who's hair laid flat and messy over his face untangled and uncurled. “No! Please don't hurt me!” He cried crawling away across the nights dirt road in the middle of town to get to his feet. The little pony was clearly much more frail and fearful than Shadow Shimmer was moments ago, but looked just like him. In fact this was the look she had expected to see him in when they first met. “Shade!... please come back!... help me!...” he said looking down hoofing desperately at his shadow cast from a street lamp.

Twilight then realized what had happened. The large pony had never been Shadow Shimmer. It must have somehow been the manifestation of his own shadow in the other dimension. Twilight Sparkle suddenly felt terrible about what had happened, and felt what Celestia had felt when she broke his horn. Behind her the open portal was just beginning to close as Celestia re-entered the real world looking much stronger than before, and saw the defeated Shadow Shimmer pawing at the dirt with a hoof as tears were falling down his cheeks. She clopped slowly to him in almost complete silence.

“Princess what about everyone else?” Twilight asked as Celestia stopped and turned back for a moment.

“They'll be fine Twilight... They should wake when the time comes in the morning.” Celestia nodded. It seemed Twilight's hunch rang true, and whatever she learned took her fear of Shadow away.

Celestia then continued towards the distraught pony. The real Shadow Shimmer who hid while his shadow masterfully spoke for him and protected him.

“No... please don't hurt me?” Shadow Shimmer cowered at the mere sight of the Princess. Twilight looked confused as Celestia and Shadow almost seemed reversed now in attitudes.

“Princess?” Twilight asked unsure.

“It's fine Twilight. I know now what happened. I noticed it when “Shadow” began casting his spell again. That spell would have never threatened Equestria.” She explained looking at Shadow who had tried to do his best to regain some kind of composure if a bit shaky. “I now know that the spell actually split Shadow's personality in two, and that's all it was meant to do. What he was actually doing long ago was taking all the hatred and madness that filled him and used magic to rip it from himself and push it into his shadow. He conflicted within and publicly tried to free himself of madness and anger. I miss judged the situation and stopped him mid cast causing the split to cause his entire being to split a bit more even across giving both sides equal shares of life. His own shadow became his second half and was what dragged him into the “shadow” dimension. It did so because his shadow thought I was going to destroy him.” Celestia shaking her head explained. “The Biggest mistake I ever made... was far worse then I had ever known.”

Twilight's heart sank as she realized just how wrong she was. “Then what was he doing recasting the spell?” Twilight asked.

“He believed that he was so hated that he had to shatter himself infinitely with the spell. He was going to destroy himself.” Celestia answered. “The sleeping Fluttershy must had been watching him and realized it before any of us.”

“In his world Shade said that we would be safe and he would protect me. He was the only friend I ever had.” Shadow chimed in slightly almost as soft as Fluttershy would, “we feared everything about the real world, watching everypony from the comfort of the darkness.” He said sitting with an uneasy plop, “When Twilight entered our realm Shade realized that you would come in time and prepared to bring an end to the nightmares that haunted us for so long. He said he didn't want me to suffer anymore. He really does care about us.”

“It was actually Twilight's spell that got everyone caught in there own dream.” Celestia added

Twilight took a deep long breath. She was the guilty party on all accounts and never realized it. Everything that happened was her fault. She couldn't help to feel like Celestia had. “I'm so sorry I had no idea that happened.”

“It's alright Twilight It's all fixed now...” Celestia sighed turning back to Shadow Shimmer.

As Shadow Shimmer's gaze met Celestia's he panicked and tumbled. “No please don't!” he rolled in fear tripping over himself.

“Shadow... I'm so sorry.” Celestia backed away as she realized her mere presence sent Shadow into fear and panic.

After all she had shattered his horn and nearly destroyed him when she caused his spell to backfire.

It was then as Shadow Shimmer looked up from his back that a set of big blue eyes caught his and they seemed wrapped by a rather pink face. “Hi, I'm Pinky Pie! I'm your new best friend!” Pinky smiled so big that it would unnerve the most level headed.

“I ummm...” He looked shyly up at her not sure what to say, “I've never had anyone ask me to be there friend before...” he swallowed a bit aqwardly.

“Great its settled your my new bestest friend in the whole world!” She grinned, but then noticed Twilight Sparkle nearby. "Where have you been. The Party was hours ago, and no pony showed up."

“Umm... Pinky do you even know what just happened?” Twilight asked a brow going up.

Pinky simply blinked looking around completely at a loss of words not sure if she did miss something or not. “Umm... Nope!” She giggled.

Shadow Shimmer slowly got back to his feet and looked down at his shadow. “Shade? What do you think?” he asked at the ground. “Okay... Yeah... I.. I wanna try.” Twilight and Celestia looked a bit nervous to see Shadow having a conversation with his shadow. But Pinky next to him seemed okay with it.

“I'd.... I'd like to come back to Ponyville... If that's alright, I mean?” Shadow nervously asked looking to Celestia and Twilight.

For the first time all night Twilight witnessed Princess Celestia smile. She looked almost at peace for the first time that night, “I would love that... in fact... Twilight what would you think about letting Shadow Shimmer stay with you and Spike at least for a short while? I think his magical knowledge might be able to help your studies in the best of ways”

With a smile on her face and the sun rising on her back she gave a big nod, “Yes ma'am”.

Then Twilight could see as the sunlight hit Shadow's eyes they began to shimmer brightly and a smile began rise across his face. His shadow stretching out behind him giving chase to the grounds he had not walked in so long.

THE END