Between Peaceful Dusk and Redemptive Dawn

Shadowscare had wrapped the young unicorn in many blankets in the saddle in order to keep him warm. He had sacrificed some of his own warmth to ensure his passenger would not freeze during the flight above the mountains of Northern Equestria. Each peak stretched out like a hand attempting to grab the courageous pegasus as he flew. Winds roared as he continued onward. The unicorn kicked in order to become more comfortable in his saddle. Shadowscare looked back and smiled as the colt watched him fly above his cutie mark that consisted of a pattern of stars shaped like the constellation Cygnus. He turned around, noticed a peak, and swerved out of the way just in the nick of time.

“That was close.” Thought the relieved pegasus. Shadowscare recalled the moment he got his cutie mark. He had been called to get firewood for the night by his mother. He stepped outside on the cloudless night to see the moon in all her glory surrounded by millions of illuminated stars. His face glowed in the moonlight as he just stopped and stared at the starry sky. He smiled and walked to a nearby hill. He collapsed on the ground and watched the stars twinkle. If there was anything he and Sombra had loved when they were young, it was asking merchants in the village about the outside world. They talked of Canterlot and its royals, rich pony-folk, and scholars. They spoke of the brilliant cities like Manehattan and Fillydelphia. But out of everything any of them had seen, the Crystal Empire was the greatest of all. There were crystal ponies, castles, festivals, and more. The skies within the Crystal Empire were almost always clear. It was there that many of the merchants learned the basics of stargazing. They learned about all the constellations and their origins, and then they taught others. Young Shadowscare, still on the hill, pictured all the characters from pegasi mythology as they danced in the stars. For an hour he just stared. When Shadowscare heard a call from his cottage, he arose from the snow topped hill, dusted off his flank, and realized that his cutie mark had appeared. He looked at the pattern and recognized it as Cygnus, the swan. At that time he knew it as the swan, but he later discovered that in southern Equestria, it was known as the Southern Cross. When he heard the call again he quickly picked up some wood and rushed back home.

His mother was waiting for him at the door. She asked him why he was gone so long and why he had only a small stack of wood. She looked at her child and smiled with pride. Shadowscare smiled also and showed her his cutie mark. Sombra looked up at his brother with jealousy and faked a smile.

Back in present time, Shadowscare continued to fly through transparent skies. Hours upon hours of flying had occurred. He landed twice to feed the colt. He had not eaten once today, but that was normal to Shadowscare. As dusk approached, he decided to land a third time. He was tired and needed the sleep in order to continue. A tent was pitched, a fire was made, and he changed the little colt. With the young unicorn now smelling fresh and a warm tent was waiting for him, Shadowscare took the colt into his tent. He placed the young unicorn under his wing so that he would not walk away or get cold. The winds whispered, and Shadowscare drifted off to sleep.

In his dreams, he saw himself in a mysterious forest. He had never been in this forest before. He wandered the snow covered land. He felt neither cold nor warmth. Then a light appeared in the distance. This light came from the moon. It glowed like a lantern through the trees. The moon sparkled, and the princess of the night cast herself upon the ground right in front of him. She spoke quickly and loudly. “Child, I am Luna. I have come into your dream tonight to warn you that a blinding snowstorm is approaching. I have watched you from afar as you carry this child to the mainland, and I hope you heed this warning. You must take the child, your newly found sword, and cooking pot away from your camp and travel against the wind. If you ignore this warning, you will be buried deep in snow and ice. I hope to meet you in Canterlot someday. Now awake, awake!” The vision blurred and Shadowscare opened his eyes.

The winds had picked up. The young unicorn shivered even under the cover of his wings. Shadowscare questioned whether his dream had told the truth. Should he only take that miniscule amount of equipment and supplies? The winds continued to increase and snow fell rapidly. He grabbed what Princess Luna had asked him to bring, and then saddled the colt, who was wrapped in more blankets than before. He attempted to take off, but every time he tried to fly, he fell back. The wind was too strong. He knew then what he must do. Shadowscare started trotting slowly against the wind. This was miserable for him. He was cold. The cold was so bad that he could barely feel his hooves, but he continued. He was determined to get this unicorn to safety. Even if it meant he had to push himself to brink of his abilities. Step by step, hoof by hoof, he continued trotting.

After an hour the storm had subsided a bit. Shadowscare breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. From amongst the snow arose four tundra timber wolves. The wolves growled, howled, and released their deathly breath that could be smelled a mile away. They approached him, snapped at him. Shadowscare prepared for a fight that he was sure to lose. He was burned by the stinging cold of the wind, his hooves were sore, and he was carrying the unicorn. Shadowscare placed the unicorn down on the ground with the rest of the weight holding him down. If he was going to die while fighting, he was going to at least give the little foal a chance to survive. Whatever Princess Luna had wanted him to travel to, it could not be too far from this position. The foal grabbed the pot and hilt of the sword on the ground. The Sword! The foal started banging the pot and the hilt together which made a loud clanking noise. The wolves cringed at this noise and lowered their heads. They howled once more. Shadowscare reached toward the sword only to notice that the sound had stopped the wolves from approaching the two ponies. He laughed. Such terrifying beasts as these could not be subdued by a simple noise. But they were. The foal continued making the noise. The wolves, still cringing in pain, ran away.

Shadowscare picked up his stuff and put the young unicorn in his saddle. The storm had cleared. Visibility was still low. He trotted on for another thirty minutes. Then a sight to be seen caught his wandering eye. He shed a single tear at the beauty that stood before him. It was beautiful. Everything was so perfect. The buildings, the streets, the castle, everything was perfect. Shadowscare and the young unicorn looked at the Crystal Empire and all its serenity. He looked back at the unicorn and noticed that he had his mouth wide open in awe at the empire.

Shadowscare stood there. He stood there much like he did that clear night all those years ago. He grinned. He laughed. He cried tears of joy. He looked back at the unicorn and said three words he thought he would never say. “We made it,” he said to the unicorn. Shadowscare noticed some train tracks in the snow. He followed the tracks to the Crystal Train Depot. A feeling of glee erupted in his heart as he stood in front of the depot. He could not control his emotion. He released the foal from his saddle and hugged him tightly for minutes. “We survived what Sombra thought we could not,” said the ecstatic pegasus with glee. Then Shadowscare looked above at the clear sky and said to himself, “Oh most wonderful of nights.”