Memories: Empire of the shadowsby spymanxChaptersPrologue: Sleeping LegendsSocial MeetingCold ShoulderPrologue: Sleeping LegendsPonyville, shadow year 3567: third cycle of the dark. one sun and one moon until the summer sun celebration Twilight Sparkles peered at the two small stone tablets that sat in front of her on her desk. She looked closely at them, bending closer. They both had strange symbols on them; the first symbol appeared to be made of gold in some kind of elegant design. She felt…safe around it, as if it was a gentle thing meant to protect. The other one, though…it was exactly the same, but the symbol was made of some kind of purple gem… She felt cold and angry when alone with the object. She started writing a letter to Princess Celestia detailing what she found on them, biting her lower lip in anticipation of what her teacher would say, after all she had already sent her here for being to worried about Nightmare Moon. (She still WAS worried about it.) Dear Princess Celestia, One of the objects I found does indeed match the description of the Lightstone. And the fact that Golda’s forces contacted us matches with what we know about the Golda nation, as little as that is. Therefore, I can safely tell you that the Golda nation probably means us no harm. However, I must warn you about the other object: the Darkstone. If my studies are correct, then this stone belongs to a mythical city know only as the “Underground”. They are apparently very violent and show no mercy toward their enemies. I warn you to watch for such ponies and keep your guard up, as they will probably try and stop the Goldinians from retrieving the stone. I shall give you the stone tomorrow at the summer sun celebration. Your faithful student, ~Twilight Sparkle Twilight looked out the window of the ponyville library and felt her mind wander, what was the Princess thinking? Keeping the stones could result in a major conflict, as if in fact the ponies from the Underground do come, things could get dangerous. She yawned as she saw the sun come up. Just one more day till the summer sun celebration…she should get some sleep. After all, it’s not like anything important was happening. Same time, Underground cave entrance outpost. Flair Wing paced back and forth as he went through the checklist once more. “Currency?” He asked sharply. “Check, sir!” a nearby solder stated. “Weapons?” He continued. “Eight Shadow-bows sir, plus two Shadow Shots for you and Silver Light, sir. Fifty-four Shadow-bolts for ammunition, sir!” The same pony replied. “Armor?” he questioned. “Seven sets of shadow-plates, sir! And one set of leather armor for you, sir!” The pony said, snapping a smart salute before joining his comrades in front of the large purple crystal. Flair smiled. He hated heavy armor, so he did what any solder would do: he went to the surface and killed enough cows to fashions himself leather armor. It fit snugly around him, with several pockets and a slot on each side for his wings. It was thick enough to protect him, but not too thick as to effect his mobility. Plus it was black, his favorite color; and, after one sarcastic soldier told him all that was missing was a evil black cape, he started wearing a sable-hued cloak as well. “Good. Now, the plan is to get up there, get the Darkstone, and get back before the Goldans realize we were even there.” “YES SIR!” The six solders barked in reply. “You ready?” Silver Light, his good friend, and fellow shadow commander, said from behind him. “Are you kidding me? I was born for this!” Flair grinned at Silver. “I’ll head in first Silver, get ready to follow.” Flair held his breath as he stepped up to crystal, its dark purple glow pulsing. This was it; he would be the first shadow pony in years to use the Darkport crystal. It didn’t allay his fears that his technicians could only speculate if it would work. Flair Wing thought of asking Truth about the statistics again, then remembered his Shadows had left him to go to Ponyville to prepare for his coming. Flair Wing took one more breath, and touched the crystal with one blue hoof. And everything went dark. Gold Soul looked around the Everfree forest, sighing to himself as two guards trailed behind him. His father had insisted on sending protection with him. Soul, however, didn’t agree with this; he was a royal! A knight, even! He did not need protection from anything. But his father probably had his reasons. and Soul respected his father enough to give him the benefit of the doubt. “My Prince, we are approaching Ponyville. We are an hour out at most,” the first guard said for the first time since they had left Canterlot. “No need for formalities. As I said before, call me Soul.” Gold Soul said, rolling his eyes at the guard. “If that is your wish, my Prince,” The first guard said with a slight bow. Gold Soul frowned; why did everypony treat him like this? He wasn’t stuck up like other ponies he knew. He sighed again as he continued walking, the only sounds that could be heard being their hoofsteps. Sometimes being the Prince wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Loyal was having a bad day to say the least. He was cranky and REALLY wanted to punch somepony. It had been weeks since he had hit somepony, and to top it all off this pink ball of energy was annoying the buck out of him! “…and that’s how Equestria was made!” Pinky Pie finished with a flourish, a couple of party cannon going off behind the counter. “You know what Pinky?” Loyal said, his light Scottish accent filled with annoyance and impatience. “what is it Loyle, is it a party, OHHH is it about the summer sun celebration tomorrow?!?! I am in charge of the part, I love parties it my specal talent say did I tell you about how I got my cutie mark it's a funny story you see…” Pinky started going on and on… Loyal scowled, only pinky dared use that nick-name. He was tempted to throw the blueberry muffin in his hooves at Pinkie's face. Anything to get her to stop talking. Loyal didn’t care about the Voice's instructions anymore. It hadn’t given him any more advice in a week, but it didn’t matter to Loyal. It was time for him to move on, and punching this ball of energy would be his ticket out. ‘If you don’t want me kicked out of Ponyville, oh mysterious voice, then give me a sign.’ “Oh yea and did you hear the summer sun celebration this year’s special supper spectacular event is that the sun’s not going to go down all day and night?” Pinky Pie rambled on, her mouth never ceasing to move and her hooves gesturing in the air. Loyal stopped suddenly, taking in the sentence, letting it sink in. “The day will come when the sun will not set” …That’s what the Voice said… Loyal stood up and dashed out the door, leaving a couple bits in the counter for the cupcake. It was high time he found out what this Voice was talking about. “Bye!” Pinky Pie hollered as he ran off, trotting to regale other ponies with the story of how Equestria had been formed. Social MeetingFlair gasped as he awoke. His chest seemed to burn from the inside out, his heart pouding, his lungs aching for air that only came in short, shallow gasps. He instantly realized he was having a power attack. He shook violently as he clumsily reached for the small pouch on his back. After fumbling with the drawstrings, he pulled out a small purple crystal, crushing it under his hoof. He calmed down when the energy flowed into his rune on his forearm, easing his aching body and stopped the quivers that ran up his forelimbs. He stopped shaking and slowly stood up. ‘Hmmm…this doesn’t look like the Everfree forest that I read about…my calculations must have been off.’ Flair looked around to see he was in the middle of a farm; apple trees surrounded him on all sides. The sun sat high above, as if watching him with a stern gaze, sending down small patterns of light that cast dappled patterns on the ground. ‘Well, all I can do now is wait for the rest of the squad,’ he thought to himself. Suddenly he felt a surge of energy as another pony appeared beside him. Instinctively, Flair knew that it was one of his own. However, in the light of the sun, even Flair’s eyes needed to adjust slightly; being in a dark cave for your whole life had its disadvantages. But he could already tell something was wrong with the soldier. The stallion was out of breath and coughing… Plus he had a large iron axe sticking out the back of his head. “…sir…” he wheezed, blood pouring out of his mouth, “…Goldinians…knew…we were there…at…the Darkport…” the solder weakly said. Flair immediately enveloped the soldier in a gray mist of magic: a Shadow-Energy Barrier, meant to keep whoever was inside alive by means of the user’s own strength. Flair filled with rage, picking up the pony and lifted him into the air. “Who was left?” Flair ground out, no sympathy in his eyes. Only a cold rage met the frightened and weary gaze of the stallion. “Silver…me…and two others…rest…stayed behind…buy us time…” The solder was dying, but Flair use his shadow energy to keep him alive. He needed answers, and he wasn’t about to let his only source of information croak, even though the stallion had to be in great agony. “Please…let me die…” the solder begged, his eyes filled with unbearable pain. “Mercy is for the weak,” Flair snarled back at him. “Now tell me what happened” Flair Wing barked. The soldier hacked, spitting blood onto Flair’s muzzle. The commander simply wiped it off, waiting for the soldier to continue. “Underground…sealed off…lockdown…can’t survive…for long mission…top priority…” The stallion couldn’t hold his voice over a whisper at that point, his head drooping against his black chest pitifully. His entire body shook as he was wracked with a coughing fit that rattled the tree. Flairs eyes softened slightly. “Good work, soldier. Alga frari, and rest well.” And with that, Flair released the spell, letting the stallion slump to the ground. His pale eyes peered lifelessly at the sky, as if staring at his soul that now rested alongside Celestia’s sun. Flair frowned, the poor fellow had enlisted for the mission almost eminently after training, but he knew the risks of coming. Flair closed the eyes of the soldier before going to work. First, he took the solders Darkite; he wouldn’t be needing it anymore. Then, he emptied the bag of currency, Bits if he could remember right, and emptied them onto the ground. That brought his total to 150 bits. After that, he dragged his body into a bush and stashed it there; unfortunately, there was no time for a ceremony. Promising himself that one day he would come back and give the stallion a proper ceremony as a hero for the information he brought. Flair realized standing there among the endless apple trees wouldn’t give him any advantages, so he started moving. And regretted it instantly. ‘DEAR GODS, IT’S SO BRIGHT!’ Flair shielded his eyes as he stepped into the light, blinking rapidly before remembering to pull up his hood. Thankfully, the rune on the hood made it dark enough for him to see properly. He cowered in the shadow that his cloak made, searching about for a landmark. He found it in the form a sign that rested above the dirt path: Sweet Apple Acres. ‘Well guess that where I am.’ Flair thought to himself, starting off towards the large barn that sat right in the front of the property. He stopped in his tracks as his gaze fell upon a single, maroon stallion that looked like he could take on an entire squadron of shadow solders alone, after being hit by a TUMMS (Tactical Unicorn Magical Missile Strike). And with that, Flair thought… ‘And now it's time for me to no longer be where I am now.’ Even though it was embarrassing, especially to one of his rank and stature, he quietly tiptoed out of sight, breathing a heavy sigh of relief when the burly one failed to notice him. Flair Wing slowly walked around the outskirts of Ponyville, keeping his head down and his hood up. He felt nothing but contempt for the ponies of this town; they had no faith. Where was the killing? The ritualistic genocide? The ponies just lacked class in his mind, but he calmed himself down by muttering aloud. Not only did it soothe his mind, but it also warned the other ponies to stay away. “Soon Flair, after every last Golda solder is dead, then you can deal with these idiots,” he mumbled to himself, sorely missing Deception’s agreement or Truth’s annoyance at his refusal to accept that he was of the same race as some of the ponies up here. It pained to him to even think that they shared a common form. Suddenly, he felt something watching him. Something big, hairy, and with saliva dripping down its jaws. He turned slowly, coming face to face with a very large bear. It started growling at him, the spit on its chin vibrating with the rage. Flair calmly reached underneath his cloak for his shadow-bow, enjoying the excuse to kill something. He would be bathing in blood in no time; it had been a bit since he had had the opportunity to partake in that ritual. He wondered how bear blood smelled. Was it different than a pony’s? Or did it hold a certain type of musk that one could only find in wild animals? However, before he could even take the weapon, out a yellow and pink pegasus pony shot across his vision, her small wings proving to be more than capable to hold her up. “Now you stop this right now!” she yelled, staring the grizzly down. Flair’s hoof slowly came out from under his cloak, his mind seething at the missed opportunity. “Just because you’re having a hard time is no reason to take it out on other ponies! Do I make myself clear?” The bear started to growl louder, raising up on his hind legs. But, before the creature could do anything rash (and before Flair could whip out his bow), the small pegasus glared at the brown bear, subduing him with no words at all. The bear trundled off, whimpering slightly, its small tail tucked between his legs. The pony turned to apologize to him, hiding a good portion of her face behind her pink mane. Flair had always hated pink. Not because he didn’t like the color or anything; it just had no practical use. Nopony could use it for camouflage in any kind of situation. “I’m so sorry about that,” she mumbled shyly. “He’s just really stressed; his son broke his leg yesterday, and his wife has a terrible cold.” Flair, of course, couldn’t give a flying buck about the stupid bear’s problems. After all, he wasn’t in the best of moods; he had just been robbed of two good opportunities (two!) to kill. Flair turned towards the pegasus, coldness in his gaze. “Keep your bloody pet in check or next time I’ll snap his neck.” Fluttershy was shocked by the lack of emotion in the stranger’s voice; it sounded like he would do that many times a day. She tried not to think about that. She weakly tried to defend her friend, her heart racing in fear. “H-he’s not a pet, an-and you should apologies for hurting his feelings, if tha—” Fluttershy stammered out. Flair, who was not use to ponies talking back, cut her off, anger clear in his voice. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Next time, I won’t snap his neck; I’ll dislocate his spine before finding his family and making him watch as I kill every single one of them, youngest to oldest. Making him lay there unable to do anything as I take away everything he loves, sounds lovely don’t you think? And after that? I’ll leave him there to starve.” Flair Wing finished, an evil grin plastered on his hooded face thinking of all the ways he could probably kill the bear’s family. Maybe hanging? Or a Shadow-bolt in just the right place; not enough to kill, but just enough to hear their delicious screams. Fluttershy gasped at the stranger’s heartlessness and cruelty, her eyes growing wide. She could almost see the horrific scene happen in the stranger’s very eyes. She broke down, hiding her face in her hooves as he flew off, dipping in the sky once or twice. The bear tailed after her on the ground, growling consolations to the distraught pony. Flair stood there, watching the pegasus fly away. ‘What’s this feeling in my gut? Is it my subconscious telling me I did something bad? Do I feel bad for making her cry?’ Suddenly Flair let out a burp and chuckled coolly. ‘Nope, just indigestion.’ Shadow ponies were cruel. You could sugar coat it all you wanted, but that was the truth. In foalhood, they were allowed a softer level of cruelty, but once they hit School, they began their training. Regardless of whether they were a baker or a solder, they learned how to kill, hunt, and survive. As only three-thousand ponies could live in the underground at once, being weak was tough, and they wouldn’t make it to become a full-grown mare or stallion UNLESS they were exceptional at some other skill. Intelligence, for example, or maybe sneaking or simply being cruel. Some would call them heartless; this isn’t true. They didn’t know better. Their entire life revolved around war and death without mercy. Flair quickly made his way towards town, ignoring the shocked and furious stares he was receiving. Enough playing around; it was time for him to find his Shadows. Fluttershy sat in her cottage, her head buried in her pillow and her light gold body wracked with sobs. She couldn’t believe that pony! The things he said were so horrible, and that coldness in his eyes…he meant every word he said. She shuddered as she thought of his cool, deadly eyes… Angle Bunny slid up next to her, stroking her mane gently. Fluttershy jumped as somepony knocked on the door, and, for a second, Fluttershy feared the pony had returned to complete his threat. She was about to rush and warn Mr. Bear when Rainbow Dash’s voice rang out. “Fluttershy? Is something wrong? Let me in!” Rainbow called. Loyal rummaged through all of his stuff. It HAD to be here! It had to be! Loyal let out a sigh of relief as he found the bag of bits. ‘Ok, so the voice didn’t break the deal about the sign part, but now what?’ he thought to himself. How would he find a single pony in all of Ponyville? As he looked out the window, he saw that, among the batch of normal ponies, there was one who looked lost. Really, there was no other way to describe it; he didn’t look like he was from around Ponyville. In fact, he didn’t look like he was from Equestria. He had a black leather outfit on, with a particularly menacing looking black cape flowing behind. He wore black boots, with blue cuffs on the front of the first two. A black hood was pulled over the stallion’s face, but Loyal could see he wore light blue glasses, and that a black goatee decorated his muzzle. The hood covered most of his mane, but Loyal realized it was half blue and half black. Not a very common combination of colors. He looked like he was trying to blend in, but the poor pony blended in about as well as polar bear did in the desert. “…I told him that he wouldn’t blend in that well,” the voice sighed. “Take me to him, and you will complete your side of the deal". Loyal dashed outside and ran towards the pony, ignoring the fact that everypony seemed to avoid him like the plague. “Hey, you!” Loyal called out the hooded pony. The stranger took one look at Loyal Hoof and fled, his hooves spraying up dust. He didn’t fly away, but he simple turned and ran. Loyal, being the fit athletic earth pony he was, caught up to him fairly easily. The stranger in the hood led Loyal down a series of twists and turns, loops and cut-backs through the alleys, before finally coming to a stop in a dead-end. The cloaked one turned around and hissed at Loyal, “It would be better for your health if you didn’t chase me.” Loyal rolled his eyes at the pony. He seriously doubted that the small, puny thing could take him on. He put that aside, though, gripping an object in his saddlebags. “Well, I have something you might be interested in.” Loyal started, putting on his best salsepony smile. “Not interested” the hooded pony interjected. “Really? Fine. See if I care. But I guess that means you don’t want this back.” Loyal held up the glowing purple crystal, letting the glow cascade over them both. The hooded pony’s attitude instantly changed. “Deception? Or Truth?” the hooded pony questioned. No reply was given, but the stranger smiled as if somepony had, in fact, replied. The pony took off his hood to reveal that Loyal was correct about his mane’s colors. “Well then, off we go to find my other Shadow!” Flair said dramatically as he walked off, leaving Loyal in the dust, still holding the crystal. “What do you mean “we”? I gave you your voice-crystal-thing. That was the deal,” Loyal stated, crossing his hooves. The blue and black pony looked angry at having to explain, but any traces of anger drained from his face as he put on an obviously fake smile. “I thought you would be interested in finding the treasures of the Underground. But if you aren’t, hey, who am I to question.” He shrugged nonchalantly, staring at the alley wall as if it was suddenly more interesting than the burly stallion in front of him. The word “treasure” sparked Loyal’s curiosity. “What treasure?” The pony put on a genuine grin as he spoke. “Where I come from, gems are useless to us; they grow on the bloody walls. Emeralds, rubies…diamonds…” Flair took note of the pony’s growing greed as he heard the tall tale. Of course, he was simply making it up as he went along. No reason for the other pony to know, though. “And when I get the Darkstone and defeat Golda…well, there is going to be a LOT of useless gold that we would be more than happy to give away to a brave pony who helped us.” Loyal stared at Flair, his mouth dripping saliva as he envisioned the bounty that the hooded creature was explaining. “…Well, when you put it THAT way, we are wasting daylight!” Loyal held out is hoof, grinning widely at the stranger. “Loyal R. Hoof at your service!” the pony spoke a wide smile on his face. As Flair held out his own hoof, he smirked as he realized how easy it was to manipulate the greed of Loyal. Flair had a feeling he would be back before the sun rose tomorrow. Oh how he regrets feeling that. Cold ShoulderToday had to be the day. Frost horn grumbled in irritation, already having gone through the worst day of his life. First, he was roped into taste-testing dozens of apple confections, from apple fritters to apple tarts, and other things he really cared not to think about. Secondly, a hyper pink pony had insisted on throwing him a party. A PARTY. He had to sneak out the back, hoping that the frightening mare wouldn’t notice him. Not to mention his run-in with a distressed yellow pegasus and his escape from a boutique with his original mane color intact. Barely. And all on his way to the library, where he hoped to find what he was looking for. And, just for the cherry on top, fate had decided to hand him one more obstacle; one he simply could not face. No he could do it tomorrow; he didn’t need it today. Nope. ‘I refuse to do it, I will not, no NEVER go into that blasted library with a chance that the sad excuse for a unicorn that lived there might be home!’ The pony snorted in anger, causing a small cloud of cold air to come out of his nostrils. He reigned in his anger, the atmosphere around him once again resuming its normal temperature. as the other ponies past, they stared at him; they normally didn’t get to see a stallion with a light blue coat, grey muzzle, and white mane, with just a hint of frosty highlights. A few of the mares were about to stop and ask where he got his mane done, but they didn’t dare to come near the pony caught in a glaring contest with a library. He recited old spells to himself, trying to steel up his nerves as he walked slowly towards the library. He needed the Book of Shadows to continue his research into the Underground. However, he had foolishly left the book in Canterlot all those years ago. Now he was paying the price for his stupidity. He stood firmly across the street from the offensive library, remembering the shock when the pink one had mentioned a purple unicorn moving into the previously vacated space. At first, he blew it off as a coincidence. However, when the bouncy thing had pointed out that she was a student of the Princess, he knew there was no avoiding it. He saw the large tree that the library was built into, wishing to be ANYWHERE but here. Thump, thump, thump. Frost Horn knocked, well, more struck, the door three times to see if anypony was home. To his delight, nopony was! ‘This might be my lucky day!’ Frost mused to himself. As he entered the library, he looked around slowly. At first, the whole thing was kind of stunning. He was used to great bookshelves lining the walls, filled to the brim with tomes. However, even though this collection was tiny in comparison, he still hadn’t expected something like this in a small town like Ponyville. He shook his head, returning to the task at hoof. The book he had been so desperately searching for was fairly easy to find, with its dark spine among the colorful ones. He used his magic to carefully transport it down, and started to walk out the door, thanking his lucky stars that nopony had been home. However, as he was halfway out, a voice spoke to him. It was ghostly tone, coming from inside his head rather than outside. “Look more if you wish to learn.” Frost rolled his eyes at the cryptic comment. This Shadow he found tried too hard to be mysterious. In his mind, it just came across as stupid. But he, IT, seemed too friendly for Frost to voice his annoyance. However, he decided to heed the Voice’s advice. He peered around the room, looking for something strange. The first thing he noticed was that Twilight Sparkle was incredibly tidy in the worst of ways. Everything was just so, everything in its place. Though the organization was slightly comforting, it was a little stifling to have everything this…neat. He shook it out of his mind as he saw something on the desk. It made his heart skip a beat; it was none other than a stone tablet! It even had the Rune of the Shadows on it! That Rune…it could be invaluable in his quest to find the Underground! But, before he could wrap it in his telekinesis, he heard a voice behind him that made him want to start freezing the library. That aggravatingly cheerful voice…it grated against his ears. “Ummm, hello?” Twilight Sparkle asked, standing directly behind the now-angry stallion. Frost said nothing, content to keep from having the unicorn recognizing him, as he calmly walked over to the main counter and placed the book to be checked out. He had been planning on leaving without interacting anypony, especially her, but some things couldn’t be helped. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. And you are..?” she asked, trying to get this pony to speak. He wasn’t talking. Frost continued to debate whether to continue giving her the cold shoulder, or to simply kill her, the second was becoming more likeable every second. “Look if you want to check that book out, you need to at least give me your name” Twilight said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. “For tracking purposes.” “…Frost Horn,” he said coldly. “…Do I know you?” Twilight said, tapping her hoof on her chin and thinking where she could know this pony from. She never forgot anypony; she was infamous for that. But she just couldn’t put her hoof on where she’d seen this pony before… Frost, not wanting to stay any longer, proceeded to simply turn and walk out, leaving a confused unicorn in his wake. As he closed the door behind him, he made sure to freeze the hinges so it wouldn’t open if she decided to give chase. Plus it would keep her from getting in her mane. Frost started home, looked back at the library in hopes that Twilight will attempt to open the door. Now that would make his day. “Bloody ‘ell, remind me again why we are trashing this pony’s home?” Loyal complained as they ransacked through the home of the pony who Flair suspected his other Shadow belonged to. So far, they had only found a few magazines of Odd Things That Don’t Make Sense and Old Mare’s Tales: Fact or Fiction? Flair couldn’t believe ponies actually read those things. “Because I need my other shadow back if I want a chance at getting the Darkstone. And we need to find my Shadow if you want to get to that treasure,” Flair Wing said for the seventh time within the hour. “Yeah, but why don’t we just talk to him?” Loyal asked, cocking his head to the side. “Because,” Flair said simply. “Because why?” Loyal questioned. Flair resisted the temptation to facehoof. “Because I have a very large weapon, short temper, and a clear shot at your head,” Flair said simply as he climbed the wall, making a leap for the top of another shelf. “Why don’t you just fly?” Loyal questioned, biting into an apple he’d found in the kitchen. This caused Flair to stop for a second as a memory bubbled to the surface… It was a cold, cloudy day. The sky threatened to spill at any moment. A group of ponies wearing golden armor huddle around a fire to keep warm, pushing and shoving to get closer to the small blaze. One of the guards excused himself to go to the washroom. The guard removed his helmet, shaking his black mane out. Suddenly, he hears a sound, like something traveling through the air. Before he could open his mouth and warn the other, the arrow plunged into his throat, blood bubbling out on his gaping muzzle. Before he could even fall to the ground, a second arrow had already gone through his eye. A blue Pegasus pony wearing leather armor combat rolled out from a nearby bush, looking over his kill. The stallion was dead; there was no doubt about it. Not only were his eyes wide and glossy, but his tongue lolled from his mouth, hanging from his muzzle. A smile playing on the killer’s lips as he put the darkbow down to retrieve “proof” of his kill. He had his hooves already under the slain one’s forelimbs when he suddenly heard something coming out of the woods behind him. Whatever it was, it wasn’t intent on being quiet. He turned, seeing another guard standing there, shock clear on his face. The guard saw the darkbow on the ground, laying by the assassin’s foot. The blue pony looks up at the guard before galloping towards the weapon, hooves outstretched, but he was too slow. The guard got there first, his hooves wrapping around the dark wood of the handle. He aimed for the head, but the weapon kicked too much, and the arrow flew wide… …plunging into the pony’s wing. Flair shook his head, clearing his mind of the thoughts. He could have a flashback later; he had work to do. "What… the… BUCK!" Frost grits his teeth as he stands in front of his house, viewing a smashed door and the shattered windows. Open shelves lay on their sides with their contents scattered on the floor. Years of important work laid on the floor hoof prints all over them. Frost barges into his house, snorting frigid air like a bull in winter. He stops to survey the damage a little more closely; nothing was missing or destroyed, other than his door and windows. Holy horsefeathers, that was going to cost a fortune! Frost skids to a halt when he hears a voice, a Scottish one at that, coming from…his bedroom? What they hay was anypony doing up there? He readied his magic, raised his head and ears, which he usually kept down, and charged upstairs. "Oi, Flair, did you hear that?" Loyal raised his head from the pile of Equestria Science Weekly magazines. "Hmm? Hear wha-" Flair was interrupted when Frost appeared in the doorway, his expression furious and his horn buzzing with magic. "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, TRASHING MY HOUSE?!?" Frost burst into the room, horn ablaze by now. Flair and Loyal were shivering now the air having suddenly dropped quite a few degrees. Frost glared at Loyal, Loyal turned to Flair, and Flair raised an eyebrow, his hoof moving to beneath his cloak. "Well?!" Before Frost could say another word, he felt something smash into his face, blood starting to drip from his nose. The blue and black pony had charged him suddenly, smacking him with some sort of wooden contraption… “Is that a…” Frost looked with surprise and delight as he surveyed the weapon. Despite the pain and the blood, his smile stretched across his whole face. The weapon was none other than a Darkbow. A DARKBOW! And that meant… “Are…would you happen to know anything about the Underground?” Frost asked, barely containing the want to jump around screaming “YES! YES! YES!” like that idiot Twilight did that one time. Barely. “I should know about it, seeing as I grew up theerrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeee!” Flair yelped as he felt himself being propelled upwards by the unicorn in front of him. “YES YES OH GREAT CELESTIA YESSSSSSSS!” Frost yelled as he jumped around Flair Wing, the blue hooves wrapped under the Undergrounder’s forelimbs, bringing him up as Frost leapt with joy. “THE UNDERGROUND IS REAL! I’M NOT INSANE!!!” Frost screamed to nopony in particular. “That’s still debatable” Loyal mumbled to himself. Flair grunted as he felt himself being put down by the unicorn. “Is this yours?” he held out the Darkite shard; the same shard that the Voice had been coming from. “I am Frost Horn by the way, ex student of Celestia herself!” Frost said excitedly, holding out the Darkite shard containing Flairs other Shadow with a flourish. Flair grunted as he crushed the shard and a fine blue mist leaked into his Rune. “Ok then, now I guess—” Flair began, quickly being interrupted by Frost. “Let me guess. You’re here for the stone tablet with the Rune of the Shadow on it, and you need me and Mr. Scottish here's help you retrieve it? If so, I’m in. I have a grudge with Celestia herself I need to deal with.” Frost stated, a sly grin creeping on to his face. Flair Wing was silent for a few precious seconds before clapping his front two hoofs together. “Well then, it’s deal. The plan is we grab the Darkstone and get it back to the Underground as soon as possible. Everypony wins!” “Except for the ponies that we are going to kill along the way,” Deception mentioned quickly. “We could probably do this without pointless death,” Truth stated angrily. “But where’s the fun in that?” Deception asked, feigning innocence. Flair groaned audibly; the two shadows constantly bickering in his head caused a constant headache. He’d gotten used to it over the years, but that didn't make it any less annoying. “Well then ponies, we have one day to make a plan. I already have one, and we’re going to use it, but since I value troop morale, anypony have an idea for a plan that we are NOT going to use because it will fail miserably and get us all killed?” Flair asked, a rare smile on his face. Knock, Knock, Knock. Prince Gold Soul knocked on the door of town library, shifting from hoof to hoof. He was told by Princes Celestia via letter to meet her student at the library. However, he had been warned not to mention anything about the war or anything of that nature, atr least not without proper introduction; apparently, she lost all control over her emotions frequently. As Soul’s guards waited a few steps away in-case the librarian was some evil Underground spy or something like that. It’s happened before. Suddenly, a purple unicorn head popped up in the door’s window. “Ummm…hello there.” Twilight Sparkle spoke, her voice muffled by the fact that she was talking through the glass. “Hello there. My name is Prince Gold Soul of the Golda Nation. I’m here on the request of Princess Celestia; you should have gotten a message. Could you let me in?” Gold Soul asked, a smile on his face. “I can’t.” Twilight answered matter-of-factly. “Err…if you need proof of who I am, I can provide documentation—” Gold started before he was quickly cut off. “No, I mean the door is frozen shut. I physically CAN’T open it.” Twilight replied, gesturing to the hinges. Now that Gold Soul took a second look, he could see the frost on the hinges and the door, prohibiting the door from opening. “Right. Probably an angry unicorn’s prank. If you’re by the door, I’d suggest standing back.” Gold Soul backed up, ramming his front two hoofs into the door, causing the door to swing open…well, more like “come flying off the hinges and nearly splinter”. And it still managed to hit Twilight Sparkle, who hadn’t heard the message to retreat and still had been standing behind the door. “Are you okay?” Gold asked worriedly. He had been in town for five minutes and may have already caused a situation that may result in a diplomatic breakdown. He was more concerned of the implications of his actions than he was of the purple filly he was standing over. Twilight opened her eyes, her head pounding from the impact with the floor, to see a fit, brown pony with a golden mane hanging over his equally shining eyes. He bore armor of the same color. “I’m fine.” Twilight slowly said looking out. “That’s a relief; I was worried for a second there!” Gold let out a small chuckle, relieved that he hadn’t destroyed the one chance he had to get his hoofs on the one thing that would stopping the shadow ponies of the Underground. “Well anyway, we are here for the Lightstone!” Gold Soul announced, smiling. “Princess Celestia will present it to you tomorrow at the summer sun celebration,” Twilight said, standing up and brushing off her coat. “Great!” Gold soul smiled. He could wait a day… After all… What’s the worst that could happen?
Prologue: Sleeping LegendsPonyville, shadow year 3567: third cycle of the dark. one sun and one moon until the summer sun celebration Twilight Sparkles peered at the two small stone tablets that sat in front of her on her desk. She looked closely at them, bending closer. They both had strange symbols on them; the first symbol appeared to be made of gold in some kind of elegant design. She felt…safe around it, as if it was a gentle thing meant to protect. The other one, though…it was exactly the same, but the symbol was made of some kind of purple gem… She felt cold and angry when alone with the object. She started writing a letter to Princess Celestia detailing what she found on them, biting her lower lip in anticipation of what her teacher would say, after all she had already sent her here for being to worried about Nightmare Moon. (She still WAS worried about it.) Dear Princess Celestia, One of the objects I found does indeed match the description of the Lightstone. And the fact that Golda’s forces contacted us matches with what we know about the Golda nation, as little as that is. Therefore, I can safely tell you that the Golda nation probably means us no harm. However, I must warn you about the other object: the Darkstone. If my studies are correct, then this stone belongs to a mythical city know only as the “Underground”. They are apparently very violent and show no mercy toward their enemies. I warn you to watch for such ponies and keep your guard up, as they will probably try and stop the Goldinians from retrieving the stone. I shall give you the stone tomorrow at the summer sun celebration. Your faithful student, ~Twilight Sparkle Twilight looked out the window of the ponyville library and felt her mind wander, what was the Princess thinking? Keeping the stones could result in a major conflict, as if in fact the ponies from the Underground do come, things could get dangerous. She yawned as she saw the sun come up. Just one more day till the summer sun celebration…she should get some sleep. After all, it’s not like anything important was happening. Same time, Underground cave entrance outpost. Flair Wing paced back and forth as he went through the checklist once more. “Currency?” He asked sharply. “Check, sir!” a nearby solder stated. “Weapons?” He continued. “Eight Shadow-bows sir, plus two Shadow Shots for you and Silver Light, sir. Fifty-four Shadow-bolts for ammunition, sir!” The same pony replied. “Armor?” he questioned. “Seven sets of shadow-plates, sir! And one set of leather armor for you, sir!” The pony said, snapping a smart salute before joining his comrades in front of the large purple crystal. Flair smiled. He hated heavy armor, so he did what any solder would do: he went to the surface and killed enough cows to fashions himself leather armor. It fit snugly around him, with several pockets and a slot on each side for his wings. It was thick enough to protect him, but not too thick as to effect his mobility. Plus it was black, his favorite color; and, after one sarcastic soldier told him all that was missing was a evil black cape, he started wearing a sable-hued cloak as well. “Good. Now, the plan is to get up there, get the Darkstone, and get back before the Goldans realize we were even there.” “YES SIR!” The six solders barked in reply. “You ready?” Silver Light, his good friend, and fellow shadow commander, said from behind him. “Are you kidding me? I was born for this!” Flair grinned at Silver. “I’ll head in first Silver, get ready to follow.” Flair held his breath as he stepped up to crystal, its dark purple glow pulsing. This was it; he would be the first shadow pony in years to use the Darkport crystal. It didn’t allay his fears that his technicians could only speculate if it would work. Flair Wing thought of asking Truth about the statistics again, then remembered his Shadows had left him to go to Ponyville to prepare for his coming. Flair Wing took one more breath, and touched the crystal with one blue hoof. And everything went dark. Gold Soul looked around the Everfree forest, sighing to himself as two guards trailed behind him. His father had insisted on sending protection with him. Soul, however, didn’t agree with this; he was a royal! A knight, even! He did not need protection from anything. But his father probably had his reasons. and Soul respected his father enough to give him the benefit of the doubt. “My Prince, we are approaching Ponyville. We are an hour out at most,” the first guard said for the first time since they had left Canterlot. “No need for formalities. As I said before, call me Soul.” Gold Soul said, rolling his eyes at the guard. “If that is your wish, my Prince,” The first guard said with a slight bow. Gold Soul frowned; why did everypony treat him like this? He wasn’t stuck up like other ponies he knew. He sighed again as he continued walking, the only sounds that could be heard being their hoofsteps. Sometimes being the Prince wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Loyal was having a bad day to say the least. He was cranky and REALLY wanted to punch somepony. It had been weeks since he had hit somepony, and to top it all off this pink ball of energy was annoying the buck out of him! “…and that’s how Equestria was made!” Pinky Pie finished with a flourish, a couple of party cannon going off behind the counter. “You know what Pinky?” Loyal said, his light Scottish accent filled with annoyance and impatience. “what is it Loyle, is it a party, OHHH is it about the summer sun celebration tomorrow?!?! I am in charge of the part, I love parties it my specal talent say did I tell you about how I got my cutie mark it's a funny story you see…” Pinky started going on and on… Loyal scowled, only pinky dared use that nick-name. He was tempted to throw the blueberry muffin in his hooves at Pinkie's face. Anything to get her to stop talking. Loyal didn’t care about the Voice's instructions anymore. It hadn’t given him any more advice in a week, but it didn’t matter to Loyal. It was time for him to move on, and punching this ball of energy would be his ticket out. ‘If you don’t want me kicked out of Ponyville, oh mysterious voice, then give me a sign.’ “Oh yea and did you hear the summer sun celebration this year’s special supper spectacular event is that the sun’s not going to go down all day and night?” Pinky Pie rambled on, her mouth never ceasing to move and her hooves gesturing in the air. Loyal stopped suddenly, taking in the sentence, letting it sink in. “The day will come when the sun will not set” …That’s what the Voice said… Loyal stood up and dashed out the door, leaving a couple bits in the counter for the cupcake. It was high time he found out what this Voice was talking about. “Bye!” Pinky Pie hollered as he ran off, trotting to regale other ponies with the story of how Equestria had been formed.
Social MeetingFlair gasped as he awoke. His chest seemed to burn from the inside out, his heart pouding, his lungs aching for air that only came in short, shallow gasps. He instantly realized he was having a power attack. He shook violently as he clumsily reached for the small pouch on his back. After fumbling with the drawstrings, he pulled out a small purple crystal, crushing it under his hoof. He calmed down when the energy flowed into his rune on his forearm, easing his aching body and stopped the quivers that ran up his forelimbs. He stopped shaking and slowly stood up. ‘Hmmm…this doesn’t look like the Everfree forest that I read about…my calculations must have been off.’ Flair looked around to see he was in the middle of a farm; apple trees surrounded him on all sides. The sun sat high above, as if watching him with a stern gaze, sending down small patterns of light that cast dappled patterns on the ground. ‘Well, all I can do now is wait for the rest of the squad,’ he thought to himself. Suddenly he felt a surge of energy as another pony appeared beside him. Instinctively, Flair knew that it was one of his own. However, in the light of the sun, even Flair’s eyes needed to adjust slightly; being in a dark cave for your whole life had its disadvantages. But he could already tell something was wrong with the soldier. The stallion was out of breath and coughing… Plus he had a large iron axe sticking out the back of his head. “…sir…” he wheezed, blood pouring out of his mouth, “…Goldinians…knew…we were there…at…the Darkport…” the solder weakly said. Flair immediately enveloped the soldier in a gray mist of magic: a Shadow-Energy Barrier, meant to keep whoever was inside alive by means of the user’s own strength. Flair filled with rage, picking up the pony and lifted him into the air. “Who was left?” Flair ground out, no sympathy in his eyes. Only a cold rage met the frightened and weary gaze of the stallion. “Silver…me…and two others…rest…stayed behind…buy us time…” The solder was dying, but Flair use his shadow energy to keep him alive. He needed answers, and he wasn’t about to let his only source of information croak, even though the stallion had to be in great agony. “Please…let me die…” the solder begged, his eyes filled with unbearable pain. “Mercy is for the weak,” Flair snarled back at him. “Now tell me what happened” Flair Wing barked. The soldier hacked, spitting blood onto Flair’s muzzle. The commander simply wiped it off, waiting for the soldier to continue. “Underground…sealed off…lockdown…can’t survive…for long mission…top priority…” The stallion couldn’t hold his voice over a whisper at that point, his head drooping against his black chest pitifully. His entire body shook as he was wracked with a coughing fit that rattled the tree. Flairs eyes softened slightly. “Good work, soldier. Alga frari, and rest well.” And with that, Flair released the spell, letting the stallion slump to the ground. His pale eyes peered lifelessly at the sky, as if staring at his soul that now rested alongside Celestia’s sun. Flair frowned, the poor fellow had enlisted for the mission almost eminently after training, but he knew the risks of coming. Flair closed the eyes of the soldier before going to work. First, he took the solders Darkite; he wouldn’t be needing it anymore. Then, he emptied the bag of currency, Bits if he could remember right, and emptied them onto the ground. That brought his total to 150 bits. After that, he dragged his body into a bush and stashed it there; unfortunately, there was no time for a ceremony. Promising himself that one day he would come back and give the stallion a proper ceremony as a hero for the information he brought. Flair realized standing there among the endless apple trees wouldn’t give him any advantages, so he started moving. And regretted it instantly. ‘DEAR GODS, IT’S SO BRIGHT!’ Flair shielded his eyes as he stepped into the light, blinking rapidly before remembering to pull up his hood. Thankfully, the rune on the hood made it dark enough for him to see properly. He cowered in the shadow that his cloak made, searching about for a landmark. He found it in the form a sign that rested above the dirt path: Sweet Apple Acres. ‘Well guess that where I am.’ Flair thought to himself, starting off towards the large barn that sat right in the front of the property. He stopped in his tracks as his gaze fell upon a single, maroon stallion that looked like he could take on an entire squadron of shadow solders alone, after being hit by a TUMMS (Tactical Unicorn Magical Missile Strike). And with that, Flair thought… ‘And now it's time for me to no longer be where I am now.’ Even though it was embarrassing, especially to one of his rank and stature, he quietly tiptoed out of sight, breathing a heavy sigh of relief when the burly one failed to notice him. Flair Wing slowly walked around the outskirts of Ponyville, keeping his head down and his hood up. He felt nothing but contempt for the ponies of this town; they had no faith. Where was the killing? The ritualistic genocide? The ponies just lacked class in his mind, but he calmed himself down by muttering aloud. Not only did it soothe his mind, but it also warned the other ponies to stay away. “Soon Flair, after every last Golda solder is dead, then you can deal with these idiots,” he mumbled to himself, sorely missing Deception’s agreement or Truth’s annoyance at his refusal to accept that he was of the same race as some of the ponies up here. It pained to him to even think that they shared a common form. Suddenly, he felt something watching him. Something big, hairy, and with saliva dripping down its jaws. He turned slowly, coming face to face with a very large bear. It started growling at him, the spit on its chin vibrating with the rage. Flair calmly reached underneath his cloak for his shadow-bow, enjoying the excuse to kill something. He would be bathing in blood in no time; it had been a bit since he had had the opportunity to partake in that ritual. He wondered how bear blood smelled. Was it different than a pony’s? Or did it hold a certain type of musk that one could only find in wild animals? However, before he could even take the weapon, out a yellow and pink pegasus pony shot across his vision, her small wings proving to be more than capable to hold her up. “Now you stop this right now!” she yelled, staring the grizzly down. Flair’s hoof slowly came out from under his cloak, his mind seething at the missed opportunity. “Just because you’re having a hard time is no reason to take it out on other ponies! Do I make myself clear?” The bear started to growl louder, raising up on his hind legs. But, before the creature could do anything rash (and before Flair could whip out his bow), the small pegasus glared at the brown bear, subduing him with no words at all. The bear trundled off, whimpering slightly, its small tail tucked between his legs. The pony turned to apologize to him, hiding a good portion of her face behind her pink mane. Flair had always hated pink. Not because he didn’t like the color or anything; it just had no practical use. Nopony could use it for camouflage in any kind of situation. “I’m so sorry about that,” she mumbled shyly. “He’s just really stressed; his son broke his leg yesterday, and his wife has a terrible cold.” Flair, of course, couldn’t give a flying buck about the stupid bear’s problems. After all, he wasn’t in the best of moods; he had just been robbed of two good opportunities (two!) to kill. Flair turned towards the pegasus, coldness in his gaze. “Keep your bloody pet in check or next time I’ll snap his neck.” Fluttershy was shocked by the lack of emotion in the stranger’s voice; it sounded like he would do that many times a day. She tried not to think about that. She weakly tried to defend her friend, her heart racing in fear. “H-he’s not a pet, an-and you should apologies for hurting his feelings, if tha—” Fluttershy stammered out. Flair, who was not use to ponies talking back, cut her off, anger clear in his voice. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Next time, I won’t snap his neck; I’ll dislocate his spine before finding his family and making him watch as I kill every single one of them, youngest to oldest. Making him lay there unable to do anything as I take away everything he loves, sounds lovely don’t you think? And after that? I’ll leave him there to starve.” Flair Wing finished, an evil grin plastered on his hooded face thinking of all the ways he could probably kill the bear’s family. Maybe hanging? Or a Shadow-bolt in just the right place; not enough to kill, but just enough to hear their delicious screams. Fluttershy gasped at the stranger’s heartlessness and cruelty, her eyes growing wide. She could almost see the horrific scene happen in the stranger’s very eyes. She broke down, hiding her face in her hooves as he flew off, dipping in the sky once or twice. The bear tailed after her on the ground, growling consolations to the distraught pony. Flair stood there, watching the pegasus fly away. ‘What’s this feeling in my gut? Is it my subconscious telling me I did something bad? Do I feel bad for making her cry?’ Suddenly Flair let out a burp and chuckled coolly. ‘Nope, just indigestion.’ Shadow ponies were cruel. You could sugar coat it all you wanted, but that was the truth. In foalhood, they were allowed a softer level of cruelty, but once they hit School, they began their training. Regardless of whether they were a baker or a solder, they learned how to kill, hunt, and survive. As only three-thousand ponies could live in the underground at once, being weak was tough, and they wouldn’t make it to become a full-grown mare or stallion UNLESS they were exceptional at some other skill. Intelligence, for example, or maybe sneaking or simply being cruel. Some would call them heartless; this isn’t true. They didn’t know better. Their entire life revolved around war and death without mercy. Flair quickly made his way towards town, ignoring the shocked and furious stares he was receiving. Enough playing around; it was time for him to find his Shadows. Fluttershy sat in her cottage, her head buried in her pillow and her light gold body wracked with sobs. She couldn’t believe that pony! The things he said were so horrible, and that coldness in his eyes…he meant every word he said. She shuddered as she thought of his cool, deadly eyes… Angle Bunny slid up next to her, stroking her mane gently. Fluttershy jumped as somepony knocked on the door, and, for a second, Fluttershy feared the pony had returned to complete his threat. She was about to rush and warn Mr. Bear when Rainbow Dash’s voice rang out. “Fluttershy? Is something wrong? Let me in!” Rainbow called. Loyal rummaged through all of his stuff. It HAD to be here! It had to be! Loyal let out a sigh of relief as he found the bag of bits. ‘Ok, so the voice didn’t break the deal about the sign part, but now what?’ he thought to himself. How would he find a single pony in all of Ponyville? As he looked out the window, he saw that, among the batch of normal ponies, there was one who looked lost. Really, there was no other way to describe it; he didn’t look like he was from around Ponyville. In fact, he didn’t look like he was from Equestria. He had a black leather outfit on, with a particularly menacing looking black cape flowing behind. He wore black boots, with blue cuffs on the front of the first two. A black hood was pulled over the stallion’s face, but Loyal could see he wore light blue glasses, and that a black goatee decorated his muzzle. The hood covered most of his mane, but Loyal realized it was half blue and half black. Not a very common combination of colors. He looked like he was trying to blend in, but the poor pony blended in about as well as polar bear did in the desert. “…I told him that he wouldn’t blend in that well,” the voice sighed. “Take me to him, and you will complete your side of the deal". Loyal dashed outside and ran towards the pony, ignoring the fact that everypony seemed to avoid him like the plague. “Hey, you!” Loyal called out the hooded pony. The stranger took one look at Loyal Hoof and fled, his hooves spraying up dust. He didn’t fly away, but he simple turned and ran. Loyal, being the fit athletic earth pony he was, caught up to him fairly easily. The stranger in the hood led Loyal down a series of twists and turns, loops and cut-backs through the alleys, before finally coming to a stop in a dead-end. The cloaked one turned around and hissed at Loyal, “It would be better for your health if you didn’t chase me.” Loyal rolled his eyes at the pony. He seriously doubted that the small, puny thing could take him on. He put that aside, though, gripping an object in his saddlebags. “Well, I have something you might be interested in.” Loyal started, putting on his best salsepony smile. “Not interested” the hooded pony interjected. “Really? Fine. See if I care. But I guess that means you don’t want this back.” Loyal held up the glowing purple crystal, letting the glow cascade over them both. The hooded pony’s attitude instantly changed. “Deception? Or Truth?” the hooded pony questioned. No reply was given, but the stranger smiled as if somepony had, in fact, replied. The pony took off his hood to reveal that Loyal was correct about his mane’s colors. “Well then, off we go to find my other Shadow!” Flair said dramatically as he walked off, leaving Loyal in the dust, still holding the crystal. “What do you mean “we”? I gave you your voice-crystal-thing. That was the deal,” Loyal stated, crossing his hooves. The blue and black pony looked angry at having to explain, but any traces of anger drained from his face as he put on an obviously fake smile. “I thought you would be interested in finding the treasures of the Underground. But if you aren’t, hey, who am I to question.” He shrugged nonchalantly, staring at the alley wall as if it was suddenly more interesting than the burly stallion in front of him. The word “treasure” sparked Loyal’s curiosity. “What treasure?” The pony put on a genuine grin as he spoke. “Where I come from, gems are useless to us; they grow on the bloody walls. Emeralds, rubies…diamonds…” Flair took note of the pony’s growing greed as he heard the tall tale. Of course, he was simply making it up as he went along. No reason for the other pony to know, though. “And when I get the Darkstone and defeat Golda…well, there is going to be a LOT of useless gold that we would be more than happy to give away to a brave pony who helped us.” Loyal stared at Flair, his mouth dripping saliva as he envisioned the bounty that the hooded creature was explaining. “…Well, when you put it THAT way, we are wasting daylight!” Loyal held out is hoof, grinning widely at the stranger. “Loyal R. Hoof at your service!” the pony spoke a wide smile on his face. As Flair held out his own hoof, he smirked as he realized how easy it was to manipulate the greed of Loyal. Flair had a feeling he would be back before the sun rose tomorrow. Oh how he regrets feeling that.
Cold ShoulderToday had to be the day. Frost horn grumbled in irritation, already having gone through the worst day of his life. First, he was roped into taste-testing dozens of apple confections, from apple fritters to apple tarts, and other things he really cared not to think about. Secondly, a hyper pink pony had insisted on throwing him a party. A PARTY. He had to sneak out the back, hoping that the frightening mare wouldn’t notice him. Not to mention his run-in with a distressed yellow pegasus and his escape from a boutique with his original mane color intact. Barely. And all on his way to the library, where he hoped to find what he was looking for. And, just for the cherry on top, fate had decided to hand him one more obstacle; one he simply could not face. No he could do it tomorrow; he didn’t need it today. Nope. ‘I refuse to do it, I will not, no NEVER go into that blasted library with a chance that the sad excuse for a unicorn that lived there might be home!’ The pony snorted in anger, causing a small cloud of cold air to come out of his nostrils. He reigned in his anger, the atmosphere around him once again resuming its normal temperature. as the other ponies past, they stared at him; they normally didn’t get to see a stallion with a light blue coat, grey muzzle, and white mane, with just a hint of frosty highlights. A few of the mares were about to stop and ask where he got his mane done, but they didn’t dare to come near the pony caught in a glaring contest with a library. He recited old spells to himself, trying to steel up his nerves as he walked slowly towards the library. He needed the Book of Shadows to continue his research into the Underground. However, he had foolishly left the book in Canterlot all those years ago. Now he was paying the price for his stupidity. He stood firmly across the street from the offensive library, remembering the shock when the pink one had mentioned a purple unicorn moving into the previously vacated space. At first, he blew it off as a coincidence. However, when the bouncy thing had pointed out that she was a student of the Princess, he knew there was no avoiding it. He saw the large tree that the library was built into, wishing to be ANYWHERE but here. Thump, thump, thump. Frost Horn knocked, well, more struck, the door three times to see if anypony was home. To his delight, nopony was! ‘This might be my lucky day!’ Frost mused to himself. As he entered the library, he looked around slowly. At first, the whole thing was kind of stunning. He was used to great bookshelves lining the walls, filled to the brim with tomes. However, even though this collection was tiny in comparison, he still hadn’t expected something like this in a small town like Ponyville. He shook his head, returning to the task at hoof. The book he had been so desperately searching for was fairly easy to find, with its dark spine among the colorful ones. He used his magic to carefully transport it down, and started to walk out the door, thanking his lucky stars that nopony had been home. However, as he was halfway out, a voice spoke to him. It was ghostly tone, coming from inside his head rather than outside. “Look more if you wish to learn.” Frost rolled his eyes at the cryptic comment. This Shadow he found tried too hard to be mysterious. In his mind, it just came across as stupid. But he, IT, seemed too friendly for Frost to voice his annoyance. However, he decided to heed the Voice’s advice. He peered around the room, looking for something strange. The first thing he noticed was that Twilight Sparkle was incredibly tidy in the worst of ways. Everything was just so, everything in its place. Though the organization was slightly comforting, it was a little stifling to have everything this…neat. He shook it out of his mind as he saw something on the desk. It made his heart skip a beat; it was none other than a stone tablet! It even had the Rune of the Shadows on it! That Rune…it could be invaluable in his quest to find the Underground! But, before he could wrap it in his telekinesis, he heard a voice behind him that made him want to start freezing the library. That aggravatingly cheerful voice…it grated against his ears. “Ummm, hello?” Twilight Sparkle asked, standing directly behind the now-angry stallion. Frost said nothing, content to keep from having the unicorn recognizing him, as he calmly walked over to the main counter and placed the book to be checked out. He had been planning on leaving without interacting anypony, especially her, but some things couldn’t be helped. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. And you are..?” she asked, trying to get this pony to speak. He wasn’t talking. Frost continued to debate whether to continue giving her the cold shoulder, or to simply kill her, the second was becoming more likeable every second. “Look if you want to check that book out, you need to at least give me your name” Twilight said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. “For tracking purposes.” “…Frost Horn,” he said coldly. “…Do I know you?” Twilight said, tapping her hoof on her chin and thinking where she could know this pony from. She never forgot anypony; she was infamous for that. But she just couldn’t put her hoof on where she’d seen this pony before… Frost, not wanting to stay any longer, proceeded to simply turn and walk out, leaving a confused unicorn in his wake. As he closed the door behind him, he made sure to freeze the hinges so it wouldn’t open if she decided to give chase. Plus it would keep her from getting in her mane. Frost started home, looked back at the library in hopes that Twilight will attempt to open the door. Now that would make his day. “Bloody ‘ell, remind me again why we are trashing this pony’s home?” Loyal complained as they ransacked through the home of the pony who Flair suspected his other Shadow belonged to. So far, they had only found a few magazines of Odd Things That Don’t Make Sense and Old Mare’s Tales: Fact or Fiction? Flair couldn’t believe ponies actually read those things. “Because I need my other shadow back if I want a chance at getting the Darkstone. And we need to find my Shadow if you want to get to that treasure,” Flair Wing said for the seventh time within the hour. “Yeah, but why don’t we just talk to him?” Loyal asked, cocking his head to the side. “Because,” Flair said simply. “Because why?” Loyal questioned. Flair resisted the temptation to facehoof. “Because I have a very large weapon, short temper, and a clear shot at your head,” Flair said simply as he climbed the wall, making a leap for the top of another shelf. “Why don’t you just fly?” Loyal questioned, biting into an apple he’d found in the kitchen. This caused Flair to stop for a second as a memory bubbled to the surface… It was a cold, cloudy day. The sky threatened to spill at any moment. A group of ponies wearing golden armor huddle around a fire to keep warm, pushing and shoving to get closer to the small blaze. One of the guards excused himself to go to the washroom. The guard removed his helmet, shaking his black mane out. Suddenly, he hears a sound, like something traveling through the air. Before he could open his mouth and warn the other, the arrow plunged into his throat, blood bubbling out on his gaping muzzle. Before he could even fall to the ground, a second arrow had already gone through his eye. A blue Pegasus pony wearing leather armor combat rolled out from a nearby bush, looking over his kill. The stallion was dead; there was no doubt about it. Not only were his eyes wide and glossy, but his tongue lolled from his mouth, hanging from his muzzle. A smile playing on the killer’s lips as he put the darkbow down to retrieve “proof” of his kill. He had his hooves already under the slain one’s forelimbs when he suddenly heard something coming out of the woods behind him. Whatever it was, it wasn’t intent on being quiet. He turned, seeing another guard standing there, shock clear on his face. The guard saw the darkbow on the ground, laying by the assassin’s foot. The blue pony looks up at the guard before galloping towards the weapon, hooves outstretched, but he was too slow. The guard got there first, his hooves wrapping around the dark wood of the handle. He aimed for the head, but the weapon kicked too much, and the arrow flew wide… …plunging into the pony’s wing. Flair shook his head, clearing his mind of the thoughts. He could have a flashback later; he had work to do. "What… the… BUCK!" Frost grits his teeth as he stands in front of his house, viewing a smashed door and the shattered windows. Open shelves lay on their sides with their contents scattered on the floor. Years of important work laid on the floor hoof prints all over them. Frost barges into his house, snorting frigid air like a bull in winter. He stops to survey the damage a little more closely; nothing was missing or destroyed, other than his door and windows. Holy horsefeathers, that was going to cost a fortune! Frost skids to a halt when he hears a voice, a Scottish one at that, coming from…his bedroom? What they hay was anypony doing up there? He readied his magic, raised his head and ears, which he usually kept down, and charged upstairs. "Oi, Flair, did you hear that?" Loyal raised his head from the pile of Equestria Science Weekly magazines. "Hmm? Hear wha-" Flair was interrupted when Frost appeared in the doorway, his expression furious and his horn buzzing with magic. "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, TRASHING MY HOUSE?!?" Frost burst into the room, horn ablaze by now. Flair and Loyal were shivering now the air having suddenly dropped quite a few degrees. Frost glared at Loyal, Loyal turned to Flair, and Flair raised an eyebrow, his hoof moving to beneath his cloak. "Well?!" Before Frost could say another word, he felt something smash into his face, blood starting to drip from his nose. The blue and black pony had charged him suddenly, smacking him with some sort of wooden contraption… “Is that a…” Frost looked with surprise and delight as he surveyed the weapon. Despite the pain and the blood, his smile stretched across his whole face. The weapon was none other than a Darkbow. A DARKBOW! And that meant… “Are…would you happen to know anything about the Underground?” Frost asked, barely containing the want to jump around screaming “YES! YES! YES!” like that idiot Twilight did that one time. Barely. “I should know about it, seeing as I grew up theerrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeee!” Flair yelped as he felt himself being propelled upwards by the unicorn in front of him. “YES YES OH GREAT CELESTIA YESSSSSSSS!” Frost yelled as he jumped around Flair Wing, the blue hooves wrapped under the Undergrounder’s forelimbs, bringing him up as Frost leapt with joy. “THE UNDERGROUND IS REAL! I’M NOT INSANE!!!” Frost screamed to nopony in particular. “That’s still debatable” Loyal mumbled to himself. Flair grunted as he felt himself being put down by the unicorn. “Is this yours?” he held out the Darkite shard; the same shard that the Voice had been coming from. “I am Frost Horn by the way, ex student of Celestia herself!” Frost said excitedly, holding out the Darkite shard containing Flairs other Shadow with a flourish. Flair grunted as he crushed the shard and a fine blue mist leaked into his Rune. “Ok then, now I guess—” Flair began, quickly being interrupted by Frost. “Let me guess. You’re here for the stone tablet with the Rune of the Shadow on it, and you need me and Mr. Scottish here's help you retrieve it? If so, I’m in. I have a grudge with Celestia herself I need to deal with.” Frost stated, a sly grin creeping on to his face. Flair Wing was silent for a few precious seconds before clapping his front two hoofs together. “Well then, it’s deal. The plan is we grab the Darkstone and get it back to the Underground as soon as possible. Everypony wins!” “Except for the ponies that we are going to kill along the way,” Deception mentioned quickly. “We could probably do this without pointless death,” Truth stated angrily. “But where’s the fun in that?” Deception asked, feigning innocence. Flair groaned audibly; the two shadows constantly bickering in his head caused a constant headache. He’d gotten used to it over the years, but that didn't make it any less annoying. “Well then ponies, we have one day to make a plan. I already have one, and we’re going to use it, but since I value troop morale, anypony have an idea for a plan that we are NOT going to use because it will fail miserably and get us all killed?” Flair asked, a rare smile on his face. Knock, Knock, Knock. Prince Gold Soul knocked on the door of town library, shifting from hoof to hoof. He was told by Princes Celestia via letter to meet her student at the library. However, he had been warned not to mention anything about the war or anything of that nature, atr least not without proper introduction; apparently, she lost all control over her emotions frequently. As Soul’s guards waited a few steps away in-case the librarian was some evil Underground spy or something like that. It’s happened before. Suddenly, a purple unicorn head popped up in the door’s window. “Ummm…hello there.” Twilight Sparkle spoke, her voice muffled by the fact that she was talking through the glass. “Hello there. My name is Prince Gold Soul of the Golda Nation. I’m here on the request of Princess Celestia; you should have gotten a message. Could you let me in?” Gold Soul asked, a smile on his face. “I can’t.” Twilight answered matter-of-factly. “Err…if you need proof of who I am, I can provide documentation—” Gold started before he was quickly cut off. “No, I mean the door is frozen shut. I physically CAN’T open it.” Twilight replied, gesturing to the hinges. Now that Gold Soul took a second look, he could see the frost on the hinges and the door, prohibiting the door from opening. “Right. Probably an angry unicorn’s prank. If you’re by the door, I’d suggest standing back.” Gold Soul backed up, ramming his front two hoofs into the door, causing the door to swing open…well, more like “come flying off the hinges and nearly splinter”. And it still managed to hit Twilight Sparkle, who hadn’t heard the message to retreat and still had been standing behind the door. “Are you okay?” Gold asked worriedly. He had been in town for five minutes and may have already caused a situation that may result in a diplomatic breakdown. He was more concerned of the implications of his actions than he was of the purple filly he was standing over. Twilight opened her eyes, her head pounding from the impact with the floor, to see a fit, brown pony with a golden mane hanging over his equally shining eyes. He bore armor of the same color. “I’m fine.” Twilight slowly said looking out. “That’s a relief; I was worried for a second there!” Gold let out a small chuckle, relieved that he hadn’t destroyed the one chance he had to get his hoofs on the one thing that would stopping the shadow ponies of the Underground. “Well anyway, we are here for the Lightstone!” Gold Soul announced, smiling. “Princess Celestia will present it to you tomorrow at the summer sun celebration,” Twilight said, standing up and brushing off her coat. “Great!” Gold soul smiled. He could wait a day… After all… What’s the worst that could happen?
