Shadows and Sunlight: Shady's Origin

A portal of cherry blossoms opened up and Shady tumbled out of it. He landed in the downward dog position, wincing from the pain of landing suddenly on a dirt path. He stood himself back up and shook his head to gather his bearings. Looking around, the scenery was a sharp contrast to the battle-torn Celestial Plain that he just came from. The air was pleasant with a warm breeze. His gaze shifted to the tree that he was next to, as it was shaking rather unusually.

He looked up and couldn’t believe his eyes. A yellow pony with a pink mane was clamped to the branch that stuck out for dear life, very distraught by his sudden appearance. Recognizing who it was, his expression changed to shock in the blink of an eye and he fell back onto his rump.

“NO WAY! F-FLUTTERSHY?! H-HOW IN THE NAME OF- BUT EQUESTRIA DOESN’T-”

He continued mumbling what seemed to be gibberish and incomplete sentences. Seeing as he appeared way more distraught by her than her of him, she slowly came down from the tree branch and gave him a good look over, ears drooped down. Given his color palette and bodily features, the yellow mare was cautiously curious about who he was.

“A-Are you alright…? I hope I didn’t scare you. I don’t think we’ve met, either…”

She kept her distance, raising a hoof slightly off the ground while keeping the worried expression on her face. No response to her inquiry was given based on the amount of shock that Shady happened to be in. He simply stared back at her, mouth agape and eyes shrunken to the size of pencil erasers. She slowly reached forward and touched his nose with a hoof.

Finally, he snapped back to reality and shook his head again, which made the mare retract her hoof in record time. He reached out with his front legs and grabbed her face, showing her the third most fearful expression you’ve probably ever seen.

“FLUTTERSHY, I KNOW YOU DON’T KNOW ME, BUT PLEASE HEAR ME OUT. MY NAME IS SHADY. I’M KIND OF IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION BACK WHERE I’M FROM, AND DESPERATELY NEED THE HELP OF PRINCESS TWILIGHT! WOULD YOU BE SO KIND AS TO DIRECT ME TOWARD CANTERLOT??”

Fluttershy playfully chuckled a bit. She was laughing with him, not at him. Shady had dropped his legs from her face and looked at her with a calmer, yet lost expression.

“It would be quite silly to travel all the way to Canterlot for that. Twilight is actually visiting Ponyville right now!”

Shady looked around the area, trying to get a sense of direction. From the looks of it, they happened to be on a hilltop that overlooks Ponyville off in the distance.

“Could you perhaps… take me there? I’m not from here, in case my appearance doesn’t already give that away. I’d feel better if someone went with me.”

The shy pony’s face lit up, and she did a quick little happy trot in place before collecting herself.

“I would love to! There’s just something that’s been bugging me…you say you aren’t from here. Are you... sure?”

He had to process that for several seconds before being able to formulate a response.

“What? Of course I’m sure! I’m a canine.”

Fluttershy only needed to raise an eyebrow at him before he got the hint. He looked behind himself and noticed his tail was more made from hair, with what appeared to be a symbol on his hind legs. Across his midsection were a pair of pristine, snow white wings. The color was sharply different compared to his coat. Their collapsed shape kind of resemble Ammy’s swirls. Returning to freak out mode, he rushed over to the small puddle that happened to be close to the tree that Fluttershy was hanging on earlier. His reflection told no lies. Quickly trying to check out his entire body, he made one last look straight on and gripped his head in his hooves, letting out a rather obnoxiously loud scream.

“I’M A HORRRRRRRRRRRSE!!!!!”

He backed himself away from the puddle and got into the downward dog- or, well, pony, pose and held his head again, hyperventilating. Fluttershy didn’t know how to respond, so she simply stayed put and looked in his direction with a worried expression and folded back ears.

“ALL MY THINGS ARE HORSE THINGS!!!!”

The mare’s eyes darted back and forth quickly before stammering a sentence.

“I-I mean... yes? They s-should be?”

Shady moved his hooves away from his face and looked back at her, confusion and panic bleeding out of his eyes.

“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!! I WAS NOT LIKE THIS TEN MINUTES AGO!! BEFORE I DROPPED OUT OF THE PORTAL!!”

He continued to sob, clearly afraid of what had happened to him. Fluttershy finally moved next to him, putting a hoof under his chin, speaking softly.

“Hey now... shhhhh... you’re going to be okay! I’m not sure what’s gotten into you, but I think a visit to Twilight wouldn’t hurt. She’ll know what to do! Come on, up you go.”

Shady was noticeably calmer and had stopped sobbing. He let her help him back on his feet. She patted his back with a hoof and smiled at him warmly. They began their casual-pace trek down the hillside to Ponyville. Along their twenty minute walk, they opened up to each other, bickering back and forth as if they’d known each other since they were foals. The sun was shining, the temperature was pleasant, and the air was filled with giggles and laughter.

Once at the limits of Ponyville, the destination was on the horizon: Twilight’s castle on the other side of town. As a pony, Shady really fit in with the populous. A few stallions and mares gave awkward glances, but he barely paid any mind to them. Fluttershy gazed all around her, noting all the ponies flying about, fillies playing, and other creatures just going about their day to day lives. Such harmony filled her with peace.

“You know, it’s been quite peaceful here in Ponyville since Twilight conquered those three baddies. Even more so after her coronation as next ruler of Equestria.”

He looked around as well, slightly smiling at the surroundings.

“It’s pretty nice here. I do have to pity Twilight, though. It must be stressful, being ruler of an entire kingdom- no, practically the whole continent. There’s no way she’s not tied up with something when we get there. Kind of don’t want to disturb her...”

His ears folded back and he lowered his head a bit, being a bit nervous about the whole situation.

The mare chuckled, looking at him with her continued warm gaze.

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry that much about it. She’s busy, sure, but she’s always ready to help a friend in need.”

Both of them happened to not be watching straight ahead. A white mare with a lavishly beautiful purple curly mane was rushing out of a clothing shop in quite a hurry, with a rolling clothes rack in tow, pulled by magic. Fluttershy saw it coming and stopped in her tracks, swiftly jumping up and flying in place. Before she could warn him, Shady had collided with the white mare’s clothes rack, toppling him onto his side and the clothes flung off the rack. They were caught with magic before hitting the ground, and quickly reattached to their hangers. He groaned a little bit from the resulting impact, and the unicorn went over to him, worried.

“Goodness! Are you alright, darling? I do apologize about that, I was in a hurry. Looks like we both weren’t watching where we were going, heh...”

She took a second look at him after helping him up, cocking her head to the side in slight confusion.

“...I don’t believe we’ve met! Are you a friend of Fluttershy’s?”

He prepared to answer, until Fluttershy stepped in and covered for him without missing a beat.

“This is Drop Shadow! I don’t believe I’ve mentioned him to anypony before. He’s a childhood friend of mine from the flight academy, just like Rainbow Dash. Shadow, meet Rarity!”

Drop Shadow simply goes along with it, and he responds very formally to the white mare.

“Well now! It’s a pleasure to meet you, lady Rarity. Aside from the coat rack bruising me on the side, of course, heh.”

The white mare’s face lit up and she blushed a bit. No one had addressed her like that in a long time. Spike doesn’t count because she essentially friendzoned him years ago. Just don’t go reading any of Spike’s fanfics, because you know they exist. They’re at home. Under his mattress.

“Ohohohoo stop it you~ Not to be a party pooper, but I’m closing in on the deadline for a new line of coats and I’ve ‘conveniently’ run out of the gem that Spike likes the most… but we should definitely have tea or go to the spa sometime, handsome~”

She went on her way and the two reached the castle shortly thereafter. On the way up the stairs, the two were halted rather abruptly by a teal-blue griffon in soldier armor.

“Halt! Who goes there? This is the castle of Princess Twilight Sparkle. What business do you have?”

The mare was thrown completely off guard and began to stammer, stepping back once or twice.

“Oh! Gallus- I- well- really nothing... I’ll just be g-going now...”

The griffon cackled and lowered the tension, tilting his head and raising a paw.

“Come on, Fluttershy! I’m only kidding. You’re free to go in. Who’s your friend here? Don’t believe I’ve seen him before.”

Shadow stood up for himself this time. Putting on the same story that Fluttershy gave to Rarity.

“The name is Drop Shadow. I’m a pegasus from Cloudsdale that’s known Fluttershy since we were in the flight academy.”

Gallus looked him over once and shrugged.

“Good enough for me. Anypony who’s a friend of Fluttershy is a friend of mine. Princess Twilight is upstairs in the library. Heard she was looking for a particular book, but that couldn’t be hard for a bookworm like her, right?”

He stepped aside and let the two pass. Both walked into the castle and headed straight for the library room. On the inside, princess Twilight, rather than having her face deep into another book like a true egghead, was making a house of cards. She stood on top of a comically wobbling tower of books, tongue out of the side of her mouth in concentration. On the floor lay an assortment of countless other books. A goldenrod colored unicorn with a two toned mane was also there, helping stack some of the cards using magic. She greeted the yellow pegasus upon entry, while Twilight herself stayed silent. She was too focused on getting another card on top of the impressive stack. There had to be at least five decks of cards already on display.

“Fluttershy! How are you? Twilight and I were looking through her library for a certain book... and got sidetracked by making a house of cards...”

A small series of black sparks around Twilight’s horn interrupted the alicorn’s concentration. She lost her balance, sending herself plummeting to the floor and landing with a thud, the book tower coming down around her. The two-toned unicorn didn’t react fast enough to save the cards, which made her ears droop.

Upon shaking her head to gather her bearings, Twilight gave him a puzzled look. She idly gazed around the room, looking for the reason that black sparks showed up. No one else in the room made a move. She stood herself up and looked directly at the goldenrod mare.

“That’s odd... black sparks only manifest if extreme levels of darkness show up... right, Sunset?”

Sunset raised a hoof and looked right back at the princess.

“Generally speaking, yeah. Though I’ve only ever seen it happen with you, Twi.”

She turned her head to look at their guests, and Twilight followed suit.

“Nopony in this room could have that much darkness. I definitely know Fluttershy doesn’t, but quite frankly... I’ve never seen that stallion before...”

Without hesitation or a response from Sunset, Twilight walked up to Drop Shadow and got up in his face. This made him pull his head back and lean a little bit in surprise. She was optically looking him over. Just being this close to a pony of high importance was nervous enough, but he was unsure if this part was necessary.

“Pardon me, uh, P-Princess Twilight, but can we skip to introductions...? I’m kind of in an emergency and need your help...”

Following his statement, the black sparks appeared around her horn in mass quantities, making her head hurt. She took a few steps back before removing the hoof from her head, mostly in awe but also confusion.

“Wha? Are YOU the one with the darkness??”

She stopped being confused and switched gears to self-defense. Without casting any particular spell, her horn became enveloped in magic, ready to be shot if need be. She approached him slowly, a serious look spread across her equine face. As she got close to him, his fight or flight response activated, and he began backing up in time with her.

“Whoa whoa whoa!! Hey! Twilight! Can we talk about this?? H-Hold on a second!”

The princess did not falter. Her advances did not stop for anyone. Drop Shadow looked over to Fluttershy, hoping she’d lend a hoof. She attempted to get between the two, but the alicorn pushed her aside using magic, stopping her own advancement toward the stallion and looking right at the yellow pegasi.

“Fluttershy, I’d like to ask you just one thing: why the HAY would you bring him here?? Do you realize how much darkness he carries in his body?!”

She had gotten right up in her face in the second half, prompting Fluttershy to push back and defend him.

“Darkness? That’s no way to treat a friend!! He expressed a sincere need to get your help when we met! Could you just listen to him?”

Without providing a response, the princess turned away from the pegasi, grunting in frustration. She went back over to Drop Shadow and got as close as she physically could, booping her nose against his but not romantically.

“I’m not sure what you’re playing at or what you’ve put Fluttershy up to, but black sparks don’t just appear for no reason. If it turns out you- whoaaaa!”

Twilight was abruptly cut off by being dragged away from him by Sunset’s magic. She had heard enough.

“Twilight, that’s enough!! Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little bit?? Fluttershy brought him directly to us. That should be evidence enough. I insist that you at least listen to what he has to say. I mean, look at him! He was downright terrified when he walked in the door!”

Sunset was staring sternly at the princess, agitated at her idea of jumping to conclusions. Twilight did not say anything, only staring back before giving a heavy sigh and looking toward the ground, the tension having left her body.

“Precisely. I do see where you’re coming from, but surely you must remember that both of us know two different Fluttershys? Neither of them would deliberately steer you wrong.”

The alicorn knew what to do without another word. She turned to face the stallion, raising a hoof.

“I sincerely apologize for all that. We’ve been so peaceful ever since those three were taken down a few years ago, that seeing black sparks had me on edge. Please explain what’s going on. What’s the situation?”

Drop Shadow stepped forward, getting about halfway across the room, making a kind of triangle between himself and the two unicorns.

“No hard feelings, Princess Twilight. Considering what I had gone through a couple hours ago... I’ll take it. Getting on track, my appearance may not look it, but I’m not actually from Equestria. Not Cloudsdale, not Canterlot, not even a remote place like Saddle Arabia. I already told Fluttershy this on the way here, but she seemed a bit skeptical and suggested we come to you.”

Twilight raised a hoof, getting a far fetched idea.

“That doesn’t leave a lot of options. I’m going to assume you aren’t from the other side of the mirror, either? I would’ve probably seen you. But then again, I never saw another Sunset while in that world. But now you’ve got me confused... What exactly is the issue?”

“My world has been compromised by the biggest threat it has faced in many centuries. A canine creature by the name of Kai, who’s about six times my size, is much stronger than we expected. He has ties to both me and my own mother, and neither of us could even put a scratch on him in this second battle. Not sure if I was meant to end up here, but it’s better than nothing.”

The alicorn was visibly pondering a response. That was a lot to take in at once. It took awhile for her to open her mouth again, which had Sunset looking at her.

“That’s... definitely not good. Don’t get me wrong, the rest of the girls and I have defeated formidable foes in the past. It’s just that... all of these were in THIS world. How am I supposed to help with something outside of Equestria or the other world?”

The stallion’s ears dropped down. He felt defeated. If Twilight couldn’t do anything, and he was stuck here, it was indeed hopeless. Fluttershy noticed his change in mood and came over to hug him warmly. There was a prolonged period of silence, with Twilight staring at the mirror to the other world. She turned back around to face the other ponies, a serious expression stretched across her face.

“Alright. We’re going to Canterlot. All of us. We need to see Princess Celestia about this. This is out of my hooves. I won’t sugarcoat it: I’m not sure if any of us can help, but if anypony knows a more direct answer, it would be her and Princess Luna.”

Drop Shadow raised an eyebrow and lifted a hoof off the ground.

“Wait. There seems to be a hole in your statement, Twilight. Aren’t you the ruler of Equestria? Why would either of them be there? They’re retired in Silver Shoals, right?”

The alicorn chuckled slightly, with a hint of nervousness in her voice.

“Pffffft, of COURSE they retired! Don’t be silly! I totally don’t ask them for advice from time to time, what on earth would make you think that?? Eh heheh…”

What followed was an episode of Twilight internally panicking over yet another reminder that she was ruler of all of Equestria. Despite being in a serious situation, Drop Shadow tried to hold back a snicker. Seeing her go into ‘Twilighting’ mode, Sunset got next to him and whispered in his ear.

“Between you and me, even though it’s been over a year since her coronation and transfer of power, she still hasn’t gotten over the fact that Equestrian decisions are in her hooves. Her so-called ‘Twilighting’ moments make me giggle a bit.”

Shady finally snickered in response, which made Twilight snap out of her internal panic. Her expression returned to being non-aggressively serious.

“Ahem... Anyway... Getting back on track, catch the next train to Canterlot and meet me there.”

Sunset turned and looked at her.

“Aren’t you going to just come with us to the station?”

Twilight looked to the side, before gazing back at Miss Shimmer.

“I still have a couple things to do before I head out. Go with them, Sunset.”

The goldenrod pony nodded that she understood, and walked with the other two out the door and out the front entrance. On their way out, Twilight could be heard telling Spike to take a letter.

Fluttershy led the other two down to the station with her, and to her surprise, there was only one other pony waiting at all. A pink unicorn with a purple mane highlighting a seafoam green accent, and a cutie mark resembling a two toned ribbon with a four pointed star. She appeared to have her head deep in some kind of book, appearing like a spell tome of some sort. It had an exact replica of her own cutie mark on the cover. The mare was sitting on her plot, holding the book up with magic. Upon noticing movement in her peripheral vision, her head turned to face the visitors, and it lit up. She closed the book and put it back in her saddle bag before conversing with them.

“Hey, Sunset, Fluttershy! What’s up? And who’s your friend here? I don’t believe I’ve seen him before.”

Sunset Shimmer was the one to respond to her inquiry.

“We’re on our way to Canterlot to discuss an important matter with princess Twilight and the two sisters. I’m assuming you were already heading that way, Starlight?”

Starlight stood up and outstretched a hoof, looking a bit confused.

“You’d be correct. My plan was to do some research with Sunburst in the Canterlot Library, but now I guess I’m seeing Twilight. Her letter wrote itself in the back page of my book, before promptly erasing itself. The letter was quite... vague, so I’m not sure of the severity. Regardless, good thing I was already heading that way.”

Before any of them could fathom a response, Starlight put her hoof back down.

“Oh! Sorry, kind of rambled on there. Who’s this?”

Once again, Sunset filled in for him and gave the introduction.

“Right! Whoops. This is Drop Shadow. According to Fluttershy, he’s known her ever since they were in the Cloudsdale Flight Academy as foals. Though, oddly, she’s never mentioned him prior.”

He stepped forward and outstretched his hoof. She took it and they shook.

“Pleasure to meet you! You’re a close friend of Twilight, I assume?”

The hoofshake was dropped appropriately and the pink unicorn properly introduced herself.

“Sunset already mentioned it, but I’m Starlight Glimmer. I’m the former protege of princess Twilight and currently run the School of Friendship as Headmare. Likewise, it’s great to meet you!”

The two continued conversing lightly before the train showed up, everypony in a good mood. Upon boarding, they took their seats. Drop Shadow sat himself by the window, and Sunset sat next to him. Fluttershy and Starlight sat opposite. After settling in for a long train ride, Starlight broke the silence.

“While we’re here, do any of you have more info on why Twilight wants to meet us in Canterlot? Like I said, the letter was rather vague...”

The stallion quenched her inquiry, raising a hoof from the seat.

“You see... I’m in need of some help from where I’m from. My home is under attack from a ginormous threat. After I spilled the details to princess Twilight, she suggested we head to Canterlot and discuss it with both Celestia and Luna. She also thinks I’m... full of dark magic...”

That prompted a confused look from the pink mare, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

“What do you mean by that? I thought you came from Cloudsdale like Sunset said? That you’ve known Fluttershy since the flight academy?”

He threw his head back at the seat and sighed in frustration, before bringing it back forward.

“Well, yes, but actually no. I may appear like a pegasi, but I’m not from Equestria. I’m from another world entirely. This is how I appeared after getting here earlier this morning.”

It took a few moments, but a lightbulb went off in Starlight’s head.

“Wait, is this something like how Sunset came here from another world beyond the mirror in Twilight’s castle?”

Sunset had to interject, as it was a common misconception among a handful of ponies.

“Actually, I was born in Equestria and went to the other world on my-”

She was cut off by Shadow, responding to Starlight’s question. It made her roll her eyes a bit.

“I guess you could say that? I arrived here through a portal made from cherry blossoms.”

Starlight’s eyes darted around a few times before gathering the correct sentence.

“Well, that certainly clarifies things, a bit. I think...”

She looked around hastily, before getting close to his face. You could tell what she was going to ask was something that made her positively giddy.

“...What kind of magic do they have over where you’re from? Could you demonstrate?”

Drop Shadow was taken back by her quick acceptance of his story. It’s just like her to get excited over magic. He took a deep breath before explaining.

“From what I’ve seen, most of my own abilities have been nullified. Normally, I would be able to do a handful of things like spew toxic liquid, harden my own tail to the level of steel, and even breathe fire. All of which I have not been able to do. I don’t know if it’s a limitation of being a pony, but I would prefer to have those abilities should I need them.”

Fluttershy was the one to truly react to that, placing a hoof over her mouth.

“All of those things sound super dangerous... who would need powers like that?”

The stallion casually carried on, answering her but trying to be informative and not disregard her feelings about it.

“Where I’m from, Fluttershy, everyone gets four of these abilities from when they’re born. As they grow, these powers can change, but they can only hold onto four at once. In the wilderness, they prove very useful in staving off attackers.”

The shy pony nodded in understanding, letting Sunset have the spotlight. Admittedly, she had been curious about both his tail and the necklace he wore ever since he showed up at the castle. She kind of awkwardly dipped her hooves in the water.

“That leaves me, I guess. Drop Shadow, allow me to ask... what’s up with your tail? And that necklace you wear? Personally I’ve never seen a pony with a tail that had an accent only on the end, and that orb just screams like it’s an artifact.”

He first took the orb under his hoof and showed it to the other three, without detaching it from the holder.

“This... this would take time to explain. I don’t feel comfortable explaining it here, and I’m not even sure it works in Equestria. I’ll show it to you all once we get some time to ourselves.”

Letting it back down, he then looked over his shoulder and at his flank. His red and teal-green cutie mark sort of resembled a weapon that he’s seen Ammy use, but his focus was on his tail.

“The black tip on my tail isn’t just something for show. It’s part of a power I inherited from my mom, who happens to be the one who’s in trouble at home... With it, I can perform a hand- or rather, hoof-full of her environment manipulating abilities. Honestly, I’ve rarely ever used it, thinking about it.”

That certainly piqued Starlight’s interest, as she leaned in closer to him without uttering a word. Shadow got the hint.

“Alright, alright. Please turn your attention to the sunny daytime sky. I hope this works...”

The mares all turned their heads out to the sky. A clear, bright, warm, and sunny day was on display. A swish and flick of Shadow’s tail caused a kanji to appear in the sky, and the dark night time sky as well as the moon quickly replaced the sun. Not only were the three of them with their jaws to the floor, metaphorically, the rest of the train started looking at the sky from their seats, wondering how the sun just set on its own and why it did so quickly. Realizing the commotion that arose, he kind of dipped low in the seat, burying his head under his hooves.

“You can control the sun and moon?! I know for a fact that Princess Celestia and Luna would LOVE to meet you!!”

Starlight excitedly exclaimed while also keeping her voice low. Drop Shadow, on the other hoof, hurriedly tried to correct the magic, but found he was unable to cast another brush technique, likely due to anxiety.

“That’s great, Starlight, but I’m trying to turn the sky back to daytime, but I can’t use more of the magic. For some reason my body just can’t do it. Apparently they aren’t stopping the train because of it, so let's just lay low until we get to Canterlot...”

Her ears drooped, upset at herself a little bit.

“That’s not a bad idea... sorry about that, Shadow...”

He patted her shoulder, before deciding to fall asleep. He curled up like a pony traditionally would. The rest of them followed suit, given that they had many hours before arriving in Canterlot. Sunset fell asleep while still sitting up, which was not uncommon among Equestria’s inhabitants. What she didn’t know was that she must’ve fallen over while unconscious, resulting in her laying on top of Shadow.

*******************************************************************************************

“Luna, are you aware of what time it is? You seem to have brought the moon up...”

A soothing yet commanding voice called out, looking behind themselves as they did so. A slow and steady trot was heading in the direction of the call.

“Whatever do you mean, dear si-”

The other princess started a response but cut herself off as soon as she saw what Celestia was getting at.

“...this was not my doing. Wait, do you see that? Along with the moon! There's kanji! Is this what I think it is?”

Celestia’s eyes squinted in typical cinematic fashion.

“If that’s what is happening, then we have to prepare to help her in any way we can. Tell the royal guard to go on watch around the castle.”

Luna looked at her, raising a hoof off the ground.

“But we’re not the rulers of Equestria any longer, Tia. The royal guard will only listen to Twilight!”

The white alicorn turned away from the window.

“Then we’ll just have to wait until she gets here.”

*******************************************************************************************