Shadowmere

"There's good news and bad news. Which would you like first?"

"Bad!" Pinkie yelped excitedly. "That way, we end with good! And you still need a welcome party!"

Shadowmere laughed. "I don't mix with parties well. Anyway, Connor seems to be a perfectly reasonable guy but just don't be suprised if he mentions anything like beer, sanity, drunkenness or if he seems shy. It's a result of a... Friend of mine having a bit of fun."

"How can fun be damaging?" Pinkie blurted out.

"You don't want to know. But trust me."

"SPIKE!" Twilight suddenly shouted down the stairs. The purple dragon had been terrified of Shadowmere due to his massive size but had gotten used to having the dark horse around.

Spike's purple head poked up from the stairs. "Yes Twi?"

"I almost forgot. Can you send this to the princess?" Twilight levitated a letter from her desk to Spike.

"Sure." Spike took the letter and after a few burps the letter was incinerated in his green breath.

Shadowmere stared, wondering why the fire was green rather than red. He put it down to different digestive systems.

He didn't notice Pinkie leaving.

The letter appeared on Celestia's desk as she had finally completed the raising of the sun.

She stared in puzzlement at why it was here so early but moved it towards her. It read:

Dear Princess Celestia

The portal spell I located in the Canterlot Archives has succeeded beyond all my wildest expectations.

Celestia smiled as she recalled Twilight's giddy face after she found one of Starswirl's greatest lost works and of the implications it could have for ponies everywhere.

However, a slight miscalculation on the positioning of the portal has caused some circumstances that I can't believe even after I have seen them.

Celestia's smile flattened as she wondered what problems may have occurred. It was a old spell after all, and combined with Ponyville's luck to attract the strangest ponies... Who could know what the results were?

The letter continued.

Firstly, a large (not large, more gigantic) black stallion called Shadowmere appeared out of the portal and after a brief exchange between me and my friends we agreed to talk to him.

Some highly disturbing facts came out-

1. He eats meat.

2. He has confessed to killing several ponies (he called them people) but claims they either wronged somepony enough to want them dead or him or his 'family' who are a group of such killers.

3. He has a capability to create fences out of lightning.

Celestia stared at the letter. Only Pegasi could control the weather and they hadn't even worked out how lightning properly worked, let alone make stuff out of it.

1. He also claims to be 'invincible'. I highly doubt this claim as the only two immortal ponies are, of course, yourself and your sister Princess Luna. He also claims he cannot be killed. This is obviously false as, as much as it disgusts me to write it, anypony can be killed.

He seems like a very lonely pony and has stated he has only respected two people in his life, which he claims to be 400 years long.

The second thing is a large ape-like thing which Shadowmere called a 'man' or more specifically a 'Redguard'. The Redguard is currently in hospital undergoing treatment for minor burns caused by the 'shock fence' built by Shadowmere around the portal. As of yet, I have been unable to close the portal. According to Shadowmere, he may react oddly to our world.

I recommend you visit Ponyville as soon as possible.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle.

Even for Ponyville, this was a strange course of events. A meat-eating, killing, massive and supposedly immortal black stallion. A 'Redguard' that may react oddly to Equestria. Celestia didn't like the sound of that.

She strode out of the room, informing her guards that she had urgent private business in Ponyville with Luna.

Luna was still sleeping when Celestia walked in.

Celestia tapped her on the shoulder firmly. "Not now Tia, a few more minutes..." Luna said sleeply. A gold glow surrounded the blankets as Celestia levitated them off of Luna's bed.

"Come on Lulu, there's a problem in Ponyville."

Luna reached for the blankets, eyes still closed.

"And I stole your blankets."

Luna shot out of bed and swiftly retrieved her blankets.

"What..." Luna yawned. "What kind of problem?"

"The usual. A strange pony and Twilight's spells backfiring."

"Can't you deal with it?" The two sisters walked out of Luna's room heading towards their shared study.

"This time the two are linked."

A white flash enveloped the two sisters as Celestia teleported them to Ponyville.

"So you invited royalty. Here. To me. Even though I warned you that royalty and me mix like fire and a field of dry grass."

"They rule Equestria, it's their responsibility to know about anything strange."

The two of them were waiting with all of Twilight's friends except Pinkie who apparently had to help out in Sugarcube Corner. Shadowmere had laughed at the name, calling it "wierd but appropriate."

"The only times I have met or gone near royalty, they either die or end up martyring themselves. I am warning you-"

A white flash blinded Shadowmere as two alicorns appeared in the room.

By Sithis... He thought. Alicorns were even rarer than Pegasi and supposedly had acted as spies for the Aedra among mortals. Shadowmere had known of their existence and they had been made extinct about the same time as the Dwemer.

Celestia stared at the black one that could only be Shadowmere. She could sense the massive loss this pony had suffered, the hatred, the desire for revenge. But she could also sense a resignment to whatever his fate may be and a spark of hope. He knew this was his second chance. She knew he wouldn't waste it.

Luna was slightly shocked by Shadowmere's sheer size. She knew he would be big, but he was almost as tall as Celestia, if not taller. His frame was sparse but what was on there was all muscle. Many of the Royal Guard would be jealous of his size and the ease which he carried himself.

"-royalty and I do not mix. Be ready for anything from a invasion by giant Dwemer spiders to a explosion of cheese."

Celestia smiled. "Have you had a run-in with Discord, by any chance?"

"Celestia, I presume? No, it was old Sheo deciding that King Umbaccano of the Thalmor needed a bit of humour after I was captured my him. I love that old guy." Shadowmere smiled at the fond memory.

"Anyway..." Shadowmere leaned against a bookcase, almost knocking it over. "If you're here for me, ask away. The barrier's working fully so I've got nothing better to do."

Celestia was pleasantly suprised by Shadowmere's lack of formality. Either he didn't care or he didn't know about the etiquette involved when dealing with royalty. Half the nobles in Canterlot would have a fit if they heard him talking like this.

"Where do you come from?" Celestia cautiously asked.

Shadowmere thought a bit before answering "Fort Farragut, east of Cheydenhal. Not that means anything to you."

Celestia had never heard of either place, but she persevered. "And what do you do?"

Shadowmere smiled. "Various things. I used to be a assassin but after the Dark Brotherhood's demise, I simply killed for vengeance."

"And after that?" Luna questioned further.

"I... I became a wreck. I may have avenged my family, but did it bring them back? No. I was hunted for the price on my head, constantly running between safe places. Monsters attacked me, hunters tried to capture me and give me in for my bounty. The Daedra made me offers, but I declined.

Eventually I jumped off a cliff. I had been alone for so long. I survived. I offered myself as a sacrifice to Meridia, hoping she had the power to stop my curse. I survived once more. I have seen those I respected killed by their own family. I saw this portal as a second chance, a way to begin again. I took it. Connor followed me through."

The two sisters stared at him with sorrow evident in their eyes.

"And the Redguard?"

"He's called Connor and he's taking my place as Portal Watcher after he's up. He's a fairly nice guy, even if he was going to kill me for the price on my head. I'm quite proud of my price, actually. Anyway, after Connor's back up, I plan to begin wandering again. See everything I can. Wait, scratch that. Nothing bad's happened yet, therefore somthing will happen soon and as per usual, only I'll be able to fix it."

"You could come to Canterlot with us?" Celestia offered.

"Why not?" Shadowmere shrugged. "What's the worst thing I could do, upset a bunch of over-pompous nobles? Besides, I know statecraft but I've never had the chance to put it into action. I needed somthing to do. Or I could provide lightning fences but bigger..."

"Would thee mind showing me the lightning fence?" Luna asked while Celestia cringed as Luna lapsed into the older form of Equestrian.

"No, of course not. Just don't touch it."

Luna nodded and Shadowmere led her into the basement.

"How did you make it?" Luna asked as she circled the lightning fence.

"I electrocuted myself on one of Twilight's many projects down here as I prefer not of have magical devices humming around me when they could be doing anything. After that, I remembered a mage called Agamnor who demonstrated how shock magic- basically controlling lightning- works. So I just got four other bars, put anything that could carry lightning out the way and anything that goes near enough gets burned and knocked out."

Luna nodded at the explanation. "Could you make them bigger?"

"With enough metal and some more of the wierd green stuff, yes. Why do you ask?"

"My sister and I believe Canterlot is under the threat of a attack."

"And you want be to augment the defences?" Shadowmere guessed.

"Correct."

"I'll see what I can do."