Lunar: Caught Somewhere in Time

Chapter 2

'Some people will ask what drives a man to ask questions... I ask them what drives them to answer them'

Rainbow Dash had been drifting closer to land for hours, but had not reached it yet, and the fact that the water was a chilling cold made it hard for her to stay conscious. Twilight gained the ability to get up and walk to the water, and from there she could see that Rainbow Dash was floating in the water. She was trying to scream out to her, but her voice gave way to the pain and all that came out was a crackling sound like she had built up mucus.

She had to walk farther than before, and her magic was useless because of the pain. All her strength was gone from her and she was using the rest she probably shouldn’t have had to go get Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash was falling asleep, and this time she probably wouldn’t wake up, but she wouldn’t let that happen. She started to flap her wings, but she couldn’t lift herself out of the water, because her wings were frozen and she was too tired. The pain from her legs just returned to her, and she started to use her wings to paddle her.

She hit her head on the shoreline, and she turned around to face a warm ground. Her arms were weak but she still used her emotional strength to pull herself onto the beach. Twilight spots Rainbow Dash on the shore, and she starts to run, but she collapses and her wound opens up again, spewing with blood. She starts to scream, and Rainbow Dash is alarmed to hear her. Rainbow Dash gets up and tries to walk over to where the screams are, and she sees Twilight pouring with blood.

Shadow and Spike arrive at the Gates of the Canterlot Castle, but immediately, Spike is faced with the problem of getting Shadow into the castle. “Umm… Shadow?” Shadow looks down at him, “Yes Spike, what is it?” Spike looked up at him worriedly and asked him, “Could you take a letter for me?” “Sure, but…” He was interrupted by Spike handing him a Quill and Paper. “Ahem. Dear Princess Celestia, I have an Urgent matter and I request that I be let inside the castle with a stranger named Shadow. He brings grave news and he says that it cannot wait. Please tell your guards and Luna to let us through with no harm. You’re faithful… Dragon… Spike.”

After the letter was written, spike grabbed it and told Shadow to watch. Spike then engulfed the letter in flames and watched as it evaporated into nothingness. Shadow didn’t ask any questions because he knew that the fire was for a purpose. After a few minutes of waiting, Spike exhaled a flame that carried another letter out of it. It read ‘Dear Spike, I would much like to meet this Stranger. Your path into the Castle is cleared, and I have told Luna to watch over you. Pio, my guardsman pony, will be letting you in. Just tell him Celestia is expecting you, and say its Spike, he will know.’ Shadow also read this letter, and he was amazed the dragon boy had an audience with the Princess so easily.

Spike put a cloak on Shadow so he wouldn’t be looked at like he was different, and Spike told him he had to walk on all fours. Immediately there was a problem with that, he hadn’t touched a pony so he couldn’t imitate the walking style and he couldn’t copy the legs. He would have to sneak in and touch a pony. Spike led him to the side of one of the walls, where he saw a guardsman pony standing, blocking the entrance to the City Section. “This is just the entrance to the City; we have to get past these guys first.” Spike said.

Shadow looked out to the trees past them, and he was generating an idea. Spike was watching him think, it was as if there was a thunderstorm in his eyes. He suddenly melted into a shadow, like a mist at Spikes feet, and slithered behind the guard and brushed past him. As he was returning, he started to take the shape of the guard, but with the cloak on, instead of the armor. “Shadow that was awesome, I didn’t even see you get him but wow!” Shadow didn’t respond but he motioned spike to follow him to walk up to the gates to pass through to the city.

Rainbow Dash made her final efforts to walk over to Twilight, as of which damaged her legs to the fullest. She collapsed beside Twilight and hugged the purple unicorn, embracing her with both her arms and her tears. Twilight was out of breath but she knew that Rainbow Dash understood she wanted to hug her back, as she could see that the blood was pouring from her side she was unable to perform acts of aggression or sudden movements.

Rainbow Dash removed herself from Twilights personal space and she saw she was covered in her friends’ blood from where she had nuzzled beside her. The tears in her eyes built up like a tempest on the sea and the thoughts began to race to her mind as if she had held them back. She was wondering if they would make it, or if Twilight could survive or talk to her. Right away Rainbow Dash started asking questions. “Twilight, do you think we can make it, I mean I know you have magic and all, but my legs are broken… And I am… well, I’m afraid.” Twilight looked at her, and tried to open her mouth to speak, but all that seemed to come out was pain. She thought for a moment as Rainbow Dash cried and waited for a response.

Finally she uttered the words “Need… Water,” And Rainbow Dash looked at her in a shocked way, as if she couldn’t help her. Rainbow Dash took a quick look at the dying Twilight, then at the lake, or ocean, (Whichever one) almost a quarter of a mile away. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, and looked at Twilight. She then picked up the purple unicorn, and started to carry her down to the lake.

Shadow and Spike walked up to the Guardsmen at the gate with ease, watching how they approached them. The guard they had mimicked didn’t seem to take notice, but he did seem thrown off by the cloak Shadow was wearing. “Excuse me sir, Remove your Cloak.” Shadow looked up and was instantly reminded of the form he had just taken. The guard that confronted him was the guard he had mimicked. Shadow reached up above his forehead and mane to unbuckle the strap holding the hood onto his cloak.

The cloak was a long grey drape like object that hung to the ground, noting the constellations and the suns to their finest. He let it go and it fell to the floor, or cobblestone path as you might say. Shadow took the form of a guard that had quite a nice texture, a sleek light and dark blue mane. Green and red eyes, a mixture just to throw it out there, with a body built for fighting he was strong. His tail was the same as his mane, but his tail seemed to be cut short and same with his mane, the bad thing is that Shadow would have been recognized if he wouldn’t have changed the Cutie mark on the mimic. The guard looked at Shadow and stood staring for a while, wondering if he was a changeling, or some form of trick magic. “What is your name sir?” Shadow answered simply saying ‘Shadow’.

The man looked at him and said “You may pass.” Simple as that Spike and Shadow walked into the city, and with his disguise still on, Shadow wouldn’t be noticed as a threat or a stranger in Canterlot. They just had to get through the city, and make it all the way to the Castle.

Shadow was admiring the City, even though he thought it was low class for his tastes, he still loved that all the ponies were there talking. Wait, Talking ponies? He thought to himself, ponies couldn’t talk. But he quickly shoved that off and kept ‘trotting’ through the city with Spike. They found themselves at a passageway to get to the Castle faster. Spike looked at him and started talking about ways to get to the castle faster. “We need to make it up to the castle before nightfall, I have friends that are missing, and I have friends that will be looking for me. I need to get this over with, the Princess expects us so we don’t need to sneak in.” Shadow looked at him, and nodded. He started to look around and observe the area around him.

“There is a shop with a back alley way leading to a system of tunnels that will lead you to the Royal district. After you get through there you must pass the Royal Market and the crowds to go north to get to the Castle gates. Pio will be waiting for you there.”

Spike’s jaw dropped an extra inch, for he couldn’t see past the pony in front of him to see the shop Shadow started with. They started to move past the ponies that were in their way of the shop, but there was a problem right away. Spike was too slow to keep up with Shadow, so he was getting left behind in the midst of the crowds of people. He ran to see if he could catch up with Shadow, but now the problem was that Shadow was a pony… And he couldn’t tell the difference between him and all the other royal ponies.

Rainbow Dash had made it about halfway to the (Ocean maybe I haven’t decided) lake when Twilight stopped breathing. Rainbow Dash immediately stopped and fell to her knees, and the first thought that came to mind was failure. She fell to her back and looked up, finally realizing it had become night. A tear formed in her eye, for she knew that Twilight wouldn’t make it to that (Ocean maybe) lake, but she would have to try. Rainbow Dash started to drag Twilight to the lake, inch by inch, she would see that the water would draw nearer, and she felt the cool breeze approaching her as she neared the (Fine it’s a lake) lake. As she neared the sandy shores of the lake, the fish scattered from the bank, and Rainbow Dash cupped a hoof-full of water to give to Twilight. But this gift of water never reached her mouth for Rainbow Dash dropped it on the shore when she saw that Twilight had closed her eyes and faded into unconsciousness. Rainbow Dash laid her head on Twilights stomach and hoped for a miracle…

Something to happen that would, against all odds, save them. She looked up at the starlit sky, and let her tears wash her thoughts from her. She rested her broken legs in the cool waters as she, too, started to drift into a dream.

When Twilight woke, she found Rainbow Dash at her side, unconscious. She wrestled the blue Pegasus off of her and then motioned herself over towards the beach to get a drink of water. As she raised her hooves to her mouth, the cool liquid rushed past her teeth, like a wave of life.

She felt her throat loosen up, like a door opening, and she felt as if she was regaining energy, and she felt the cool water rushing into her. She reached down for more and she felt it freeze her hands, but she didn’t care… It was refreshing, and she enjoyed every chilly moment of it. The last refreshing drops she took of the water dripped past her tongue, and she paid no attention to Rainbow Dash. She got up and walked over to a patch of grass on the beach, where she tugged the grass from the ground and pressed it against her wound. The relief of being awake and mobile again soothed her, but now she was stranded, and it was in a place that wasn’t Equestria.

She looked around for signs of different biomes, but she found none, and her rustling through the grass seemed to have disturbed Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash woke with a groan and then a grunt of pain as she writhed towards her legs. Instantly Twilight saw her legs were broken. “Rainbow Dash, are you ok!?” She rushed over to help her friend. “No I’m kinda not, ya see, my legs are sorta broken…” Twilight looked at her with a gloomy stare, and then continued to aid her friend.

“I don’t think I remember the spell to heal, or to fix broken bones for that matter, and then again I don’t have my satchel with me, but I brought it to the floodwaters… I’m so sorry Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow Dash groaned in pain and then answered, “Aw, it’s ok Twilight, I think they will heal up eventually. You don’t have to worry about me, I was way more worried about you and your injury a while ago… But that was different; we just need to find a way back home.” She ended her sympathetic speech with a cough as she rolled onto her back to face the cloudy sky.

Spike knew that once Shadow got to the gate, he wouldn’t be allowed in without him. He rushed through the crowds of people to get to the shop, and he couldn’t see anyone that resembled the guard that Shadow had mimicked. He wandered aimlessly around the shop for a while to see if he could spot the shape shifter, but to his failure, he couldn’t find him. Spike would just have to follow the directions given to him, and make his way through the alleyway system to get to the castle. He started walking down a alley behind the donut shop, and he saw right away he was going the wrong way. He turned himself around to face a street of crowded fancy ponies.

As he waddled to the other side of the building, the streets seemed to disperse, because it was getting near dinnertime. Spike made his run for the alley and started a random path to get to the Royal District. He ran into walls and curves where he didn’t think buildings could be built like that, but still he found his way around to a passage near the exit. Spike was leaving and he saw the gate to the Royal Plaza, but he knew something was wrong…

There was no Shadow, and for that matter, no pony at the Royal District at all…

Shadow walked through the gates of gold and marble to the entrance of the castle. He saw way before that the friendly dragon he met wasn’t following him, but he thought he would catch up eventually. As Shadow approached the entrance, he spotted a guardsman pony, who he knew had to be Pio, and he started trotting casually towards the guard. As the guard watched this act, he readied himself for whatever might happen from this ‘civilian’. The guard stood in the formation he was addressed royally in, and he halted Shadow as he knew he should.

Shadow stood blankly, eyeing the guard, while gathering his thoughts and questions the thinks he should ask. The first thing that would come to mind would be to address himself as the man that would come to see princess Celestia at the Royal palace meeting later on that afternoon. “Excuse me fair guard, but I have a meeting with the princess to attend, it is I Shadow, and Spike sent me. You must be Pio, the guardsman pony.” Pio looked at him with an untrusting manner. “Yes it is I, but why would Spike leave his vessel to wander about Canterlot alone like this.

Seems a tad bit rude don’t you think. But otherwise, Princess Celestia has been waiting for you for a while now.” As Shadow moved past the gateway with Pio, the golden archway shut behind him, sealing his destiny forever, to which he would not know yet but he was stuck inside that castle to behold to the princess what the impending doom would be that crept toward her land.

Twilight Sparkle turned and faced Rainbow Dash, who was starting to lose pain in her legs. She then left Rainbow Dash to walk a little and relieve herself of the pain in her side and see if she could find a tree line or a mountain somewhere. She couldn’t spot anything, but she noticed the pain in her side was gone, and she started to feel that she was able to get her magical powers back.

She rushed down to Rainbow Dash and told her of the news, good and bad. As she walked down to the grass where Rainbow Dash was laying she could see that she had gotten better, or at least good enough to sit up and move around a bit. Twilight moved close to her, and looked at her a bit, trying to comprehend that she still had a broken leg to assure her that it wasn’t safe to move around.

“Rainbow Dash, you still cant fly or move with those broken legs, even though they may seem healed they aren’t. You have to stay in the same position, like I have to stay calm with my lacerated spleen. And, I have worse news; there isn’t a sign of forest or mountains for miles.” Rainbow Dash frowned at the purple unicorn glaring over her in dismay, “I guess we will have to wait out the night,” She stopped herself, for she knew they had been out there for over a day and night hadn’t occurred yet. “Or day, either one, here, and we will have to stay here until something changes out fate to which we will be able to leave or at the best find shelter.”

Twilight agreed and she showed this by happily, or contently plopping on the ground beside her.

Spike was lost, completely and utterly lost, but for the worst part, there was nobody to help him find his way to Shadow. The Royal District was completely empty, and he couldn’t see anypony for miles. (Yes it’s that big) He started running (Yes he can run) to the edge of the royal district to find the exit to the Royal Plaza to find the Entrance to the Castle. The Castle wasn’t far off from view, but it’s one of those circumstances where you can see your goal, but there is a lot between you and it. And you can’t see whats between the goals.

Spike hated those situations and so did many people. But he had to get over that now; he had probably let a mad killer into the Princesses castle, and worse, with all of the other civilians in the castle that might be harmed. Spike rushed faster and faster as the thoughts rammed into his mind, colliding with the other thoughts that are telling him Shadow is just as lost as him. He turned a corner and saw a trail of blood, leading off into the alleyway, and immediately Spikes blood ran cold as he halted in front of the entrance to the horror scene.

Shadow was walking into the Castle unknowing of the danger Spike was getting himself into, but though he could sense the danger from galaxies away, he couldn’t help his dragon friend.

Shadow took his steps into the golden gates of Canterlot Castle, proceeding to walk into a chamber with velvet lining on the patterned banisters that held themselves on the walls. The columns and marble arches patterned along a quarts floor, holding in place a golden roof that stood with colossal force above everything else.

The walls were decorated with stained glass windows of ancient battles fought, or ponies that became heroes and were decorated with honor for their bravery. The floor had limestone decorated into the marble and quartz as a pattern leading all the way to the princess’s throne. He saw the princess in all her entirety, and saw the beauty that was before him, a gentle white mare, with the flowing mane of the most beautiful color combinations that could have possibly been put together by any kind of mind.

After he stopped gazing at her flank and other portions of her body, he turned to her face, which was a pale whitened gray color with the nicest pink eyes. Or were they red? He couldn’t tell, but that didn’t matter, as he progressed to approach the princess everyone called ‘Celestial’, or was it ‘Celestia’?

He would find out soon.

Spike moved closer towards the blood trail that veered up the alley. He started to move away, but he knew that he had to find the source of the blood, and that he had to be brave to help, in his mind he thought, What would Twilight and the others do, I know I have to be brave like them, I need to help out and be strong like Rainbow Dash or Honest like… Oh who am I kidding let’s just get this over with.

He moved down the alleyway as the blood trail thickened. He heard footsteps and growling as he progressed towards the end of the alley. Spike stopped to take a look at a few shadows moving, and the sounds got louder and louder as he listened to them. Suddenly a sharp cracking sound shocked Spike into falling over, and he saw the shadows approaching. What he saw was a giant beast, of about 8 feet or more in height. Spike got up to try and run, but the beast was too fast, it grabbed Spike and tore a piece of flesh from his side and Spike screamed in agony.

The Beast slammed Spikes head into the ground and blood splattered onto the walls around him, causing Spike to lose control of his screams. The beast threw him onto the ground, Spike then getting his last dying breath and views of what the blood was from. He looked at the giant mass of dead fillies on the ground that the beast had been eating on, and the blood was pouring from the pile. As Spike drew his dying breaths he felt a lone tear roll down his face, soothing his burning wounds for only a second as his body went warm. If only he could have known what a normal life would have been like.