The Shadow Chronicles: Nightmare Reborn

The wind whipped the air as it blew by in the garden of statues. The dead of night made it very unsettling for both Celestia and the elements. Twilight and the others stood behind Celestia, who stood just about as still as the statues that surrounded them. Twilight trotted to the princess' side and looked up to her. Celestia didn't acknowledge Twilights presence next to her.

"Princess are you alright?" Twilight asked with unease in the bottom of her voice. Celestia stood there a second more then took a deep breath and looked down at her faithful student.

"No Twilight I am not. Shadow has been making the last five months horrendous."

"How princess?" Twilight asked with a bit of fear in her voice.

"He has reached into my dreams and in real life as well. In a sense he's haunting me. He demands that I set him free. But I'm not going to do that. EVER!" Celestia shouted at Shadow's statue. Shadow's head turned to look at Celestia in a quick and swift motion. This caused Celestia to jump back and narrow her eyes and gritted her teeth.

Twilight stood motionless as she looked at the statue that was still just moved.

"Princess? Princess? Are you alright?" Celestia looked back at her and then to the rest of the Elemental bearers.

"The reason I called you all here is to warn you. Do not pay any attention to anything that seems out of the ordinary. I fear Shadow may start to use that for his own sick enjoyment." The mane six all looked at one anther with faces of fear and uncertainty.

"You can count on us Princess." Twilight piped in to break the silence that fell upon them. "Right girls?" They nodded their heads.
"Thank you Twilight, I have complete faith in you. You are dismissed to leave to your homes." With that they all bowed and Two lunar guards trotted up to Celestia, forgetting the formalities.

"Princess Celestia, princess Luna requires your input on a subject she can't explain, and we have been ordered to guard this statue tonight." Celestia eyed the two lunar stallions. "Very well." She took off towards the castle where her sister awaited her.

The two guards took their post's in front of the statue, where Shadow's head lingered above them. Three minutes flew by and not a single thing happened. "Hey Dark Wing." The lunar guard on the right asked in a whispered tone.

"What do you want Looper?" Dark Wing said in a annoyed tone but kept to a whisper.

"Oh nothing, its just so dead silent out here, I thought we'd make small chat." Dark Wing turned his head and looked Looper dead in the eye. "Well that's how its supposed to be, we're guards. Infact we should be just about as still and quiet as these statues." Dark Wing said with venom dripping form his mouth.

"Okay geese." Looper said and then took his original position of attention. Yet they didn't know of the three black wisps of smoke coming out of Shadow's back. Two of the three shot off in random directions, while the third only shot off into a near by bush.

The third entity lingered over the bush before making it rustle. The leaves shook and scratched one another making a lot of noise.

"Hey what is that?" Looper asked.

"I don't know go check it out." Dark Wing stated flatly. Looper adjusted his spear and briskly trotted over to the area where the noise came from. Dark Wing scanned the area and found nothing. The entity above him landed directly behind him. It changed into a wolf and swiftly grabbed Dark Wing behind the neck with it's jaws and snapped it. The wolf dragged Dark Wing across the ground and placed him behind a large statue. The wolf changed its form and appeared to look like Dark Wing. The imposter made his way back to the position that was meant to be guarded. Looper came back and took his place next to Dark Wing. "I didn't find anything over there." Looper said in way that read relief.

"That's great." Dark Wing said in a sarcastic voice.

Another pair of guards, but this time solar guards, trotted up to the station guards guarding Shadow.

"You are to report to princess Luna, you are relieved from your duties tonight." The guard said with strain set in his voice. Looper saluted, but Dark Wing hesitated but managed to salute the solar guard. The two new guards took their positions after Looper and Dark Wing marched off. They didn't talk to one another the whole way to Luna's quarters. Dark Wing let Looper walk in front of him a ways by slowing his pace. Looper continued walking while Dark wing departed into anther section of the castle, towards a dark and eerie place.

Looper knocked on the door and awaited confirmation to enter. "Come in." Luna's voice beckoned. Looper strode in and took of his helmet. It has become a custom of taking ones helmet off for the princess of the night.

"Ma'am" Looper said puffing his chest out a bit.

"Shouldn't there be two of you?"

"Huh?" Looper looked to his left, then behind him seeing that the door wasn't closed. "That's..um, odd." Looper said with confusion plastered all over his face. Luna cleared her throught to regain her guard's attention.

"Oh, sorry." Looper mumbled and retook his position in front of the princess.

"Don't worry he's the one that's going to miss out on something, but he'll be dealt with later." Looper cleared his throught.

"Sorry princess but it is very unlikely for him to not follow orders." Luna cocked her eyebrow.

"How so?" Looper blushed a bit before giving his response.

"Dark Wing, he.. um, would do anything in order to be next to your side and he... Uh, I mean he follows his orders to the letter." He said rubbing the back of his neck.

"I see. So your saying that he would do anything to the point or to the point to be in the presence of me?"

"Yes princess. If that makes any sense?" Luna looked down at the letter she was writing.

"So then it would be very awkward for him to go missing. Then I will set out a......" Luna was cut off by a solar guard running into the room.

"Your highness some pony has broken into the vault, and princess Celestia requires you immediately." The guard said before running back out of the room.

"Stay here please." Luna said.

It wasn't long before Luna made it to the vault. She stood next to her sister's side.

"What happened here?" Luna asked looking at her sister and then to the break in.

"Some pony or more specifically Dark Wing broke into the vault." With that she levitated Dark Wing's armor and put in front of Luna. Celestia placed it back down where the rest of the armor lay to waste. Celestia walked forward to the heavy wooden doors that were cracked open and many wood fragments lay across the floor. There stood the two Shadow guards stiff as a board. Luna glared at them for failing their sole duty to protect the vaults contents.
"HOW COULD THOU LET SUCH FAILURE HAPPEN?!" Luna shouted at the two shadow guards. They replied with what sounded like metal gears grinding and their black battle axes appeared and the cyan blade lighting on the edge of the axe's blade. Luna quickly trotted through them and to her sister's side once more. She looked behind her to see if the guards were coming, which they weren't so she looked around the torched lit chamber.

"Has anything been taken?" Luna asked still looking around the room.

"No, but Dark Wing did take the dark crystal." Luna looked at a pedestal where the crystal would have been.

Two solar guards came into the vault carrying Dark Wing's body.

"We found him your highness." Celestia and Luna looked at the pony Luna called her guard. Celestia touched Dark Wing's face, which in turn made his right cheek quiver.

"Oh good he's still alive." Celestia said with a hint of venom.

"Wake him!" Luna said sternly. The two guards nodded and proceeded out of the vault, the two sisters followed. The two guards brought Dark Wing into a white room. Celestia and Luna watched the guards grab a bucket filled with water and pour it onto Dark Wing's head. Dark Wing gasped for air as water rushed over him. He blew out the water that ran over his lips. His charcoal coat and midnight blue mane was drenched in cold water. He was shaking and chattering his teeth. A solar guard took his jaw with his hoof and directed Dark Wing's attention to Celestia. She did not look happy at all and Luna looked disappointed.

"Dark Wing would you care to elaborate on why you broke into the vault?" Celestia asked with anger rising in her voice.

"Vault, what vault?" questioned Dark Wing. Celestia looked at her guard. The guard nodded and puled out a knife. The guard proceeded to take the knife and glide it across Dark Wing's left eye lid. Dark Wing grimaced in pain, thrashing about trying to get free.

"Now will you please tell us why you broke into the vault?" Celestia asked once more.

"I honestly have no idea what your talking about princess." The guard looked back to Celestia, who nodded then he took the knife and cut a crimson line into Dark Wing's cheek. Then the guard put away the knife and pulled out what seemed to be a beating stick. He struck Dark Wing's left leg, making him drop onto the wet floor.

"Please stop, I seriously don't have any idea what you are talking about." He lifted his head to look at Celestia but was but back down by the blunt object the guard was using.

"Beat him until he tells us what happened." Luna said looking down at the lower life form that was once called her guard. The stallion nodded and continued beating Dark Wing.

Over and over again the black beating stick came down on Dark Wing with no remorse. A raven appeared in the room and glided onto Dark Wing's beaten back. The raven raised its leg and taped its throught.
"My Celestia you haven't changed one bit for the thousand years I've known you. All the ponies stood back looking at the raven that just spoke.

"Shadow I've should of known."
The raven chuckled. "No Celestia, I'm not Shadow. merely one of his servants. Seeing that you blindly accuse the innocent." The raven said looking at Dark Wing's head. "And Luna, thought I never see the day when you sided with your sister, well at least like this. truly I feel bad for you my good Dark Wing, being beaten by the one you protect and the one you love as well. Hmm."
Dark Wing looked at the raven and then to Celestia and Luna with anger plastering his bloodied face.

"If I were you, I'd stop at nothing to get out of these wrongful chains and get what you deserve." Dark Wing stood up while the raven walked along his rising body. The raven looked at the guard holding the beating stick.

"Now there good fellow why don't you hit dark Wing here?" The guard narrowed his eyes and raised the stick bringing it down on the pegasus before him. Dark Wing dodged it and caught it with his mouth, yanking it out of the guard's grasp. Dark Wing fiddled with it and brought it to where he could smack the guard across his face. The guard fell to the floor out cold. The other guard stepped up and met the same unfortunate end. Dark Wing dropped the stick and struggled to get out of the iron hoof cuffs that were bolted to the floor. The cuffs knawed at the fur on his hoofs. Eventually Dark Wing stopped and layed back down on the floor. The raven smiled, or at least what seemed to be a raven smiling.

"Here let me do the honors." The raven's eyes glowed crimson as well did the cuffs. They unlatched setting Dark Wing free. He looked down at his hooves and then snapped at Celestia and Luna. He stood up walking very slowly towards the two princess', his eyes filled with hatred.

"Dark Wing I'm very sorry, please don't do what your about to do." Luna pleaded.

Dark Wing continued his advance. The door crashed open when two guard's barged in and tackled Dark Wing to the ground. Dark Wing flailed around wiggling his body about trying to free himself from the death grip the two guards held on him.

"LET ME GO!" He shouted. His jugulars bulged when he screamed. Shining Armor strode in next looking down at the wailing Dark Wing.

"Sergeant Dark Wing you are here by relieved of your duties, and will be spending the rest of your days in jail." Dark Wing stopped trying to break free, realizing his job, no his career was over. He narrowed his eyes once more. He was turned over and placed in hoof cuffs once more. He didn't struggle, he didn't do anything, just let it happen.

"Its not fair." he mumbled into the floor. "ITS NOT FAIR!" he said, this time screaming. The two guards picked him up and dragged him out of the room.

"Princess' are you alright?" Shining asked. Luna walked out not saying a word. Celestia looked down at Shining.

"You need to let him go after I have a word with Dark Wing. Am I understood?"

"Yes princess." Shining saluted and walked out of the white room. Celestia looked at the mess that was made and couldn't help but feel guilty.