Chapters Prologue: A Figure From The Past
Princess Celestia has just finished an other regular day of her life. She raised the sun, attended a ceremony, did the paperwork, and lowered the sun. Everything went as it should. Now, it was time for her sister, Luna to take over, and handle Equestria's affairs during the night. Celestia retreated to her quarters to finally get some shut-eye. All she wanted now is to rest until tomorrow, after this uneventful day.
However this was not the only reason she wanted to sleep so early. She has had strange dreams as of late. The dreams' main point was not on their story, they were usually silly scenarios. She was more interested about a pony, who had always shown up in the background. He was familiar, but the Princess didn't know for sure if it was the one who she thought of.
The fact that this pony was in her every dream recently made Celestia uneasy. She layed down in her bed, covered herself with a blanket, and placed her head on her pillow. It didn't take long before she fell asleep, entering a dream.
When she opened her eyes she was surrounded by pure darkness. The only source of light was coming from a small orb above her head. She saw absolutely nothing, but she heard the hoofbeats in the distance. Looking in the direction she heard them from, Celestia saw a pair of eyes approaching her. Their midnight blue colors contrasted from the blackness around them.
The Princess haven't seen them in centuries, but she recognized them well. She tried to leave the spot of light she was standing on, but she couldn't move. As the eyes got closer she dared to ask one question, "Moonlight Shadow, is that you?"
The eyes' color changed to crimson as an answer. Celestia clearly saw the anger, and hatred in them. It was the same hatred she was five hundred years ago, when they have departed. The hoofbeats stopped, and the next thing the Princess saw was a red flash hitting her directly in the chest.
"I am sorry... I am so sorry," these were Celestia's last words before she collapsed. She was weak, drained from her strength. A pony took shape from the shadows, back with his original midnight blue eyes. As she looked upon him, she knew what was about to happen. She is finally going to get what she deserves. "Go ahead, finish it," she said, accepting her end.
"Soon. Our return is inevitable. When we will meet again, you are going to pay for what you have done to us." two voices spoke at the same time, and Celestia recognized both. One she loved, and an other which she hated. When she looked back up at the shadowy figure, she saw the orb's light growing stronger, illuminating the darkness.
"Wait, don't leave!" Celestia screamed loudly as she woke. She was in her room, in the highest tower of Canterlot Castle. She was sweating, and her heart was beating faster then an alarm clock. She immediately got out of bed, and made her way to the Throne room. She must act now, or the phantom from her dreams is going to become reality. As she went down the hall, she came across two guards on patrol. She stopped and gave an order to them: "Find Captain Shining Armor, and tell him to meet me in the Throne room as soon as possible." she then quickly continued her way through the halls. The entire castle was empty, no wonder, because it was in the middle of the night. When Celestia arrived to the throne room she found her younger sister, Luna there.
"Good night, sister. What brings you here this late during the night?" Luna asked curiously.
"Greetings sister. A very important matter came up that must be delt with right now," Celestia answered in a very serious tone.
"May I ask what that matter is?"
"You are going to find out as soon as Shining Armor gets here."
After the brief conversation they have waited a few minutes, before the captain showed up. Even in this late hour he was fresh, and ready to do his duty.
"You have summoned me, your majesty." Shining stopped in front of Celestia, with his head held high.
"Please, this formality is no longer necessary. You are now the Prince of the Crystal Empire," Celestia said with a small smile on her face.
"Sorry, I'm still getting used to it. Anyways, why have you sent for me?" the unicorn was surprised at what the Princess said. He was a Prince, but he still looked up to Celestia as his superior.
"Tomorrow is going to be the last day, when you are the Captain of the Royal Guard. I want you to do one final assignment." she started.
"What must I do?" he thought, if this is going to be his last task for Celestia, then he didn't want to fail her.
"There is a prison deep within the Crystal mountains." Celestia started. "I am going to give you a map, which leads straight there. There is only one pony inside, a unicorn who is very talented in magic. Dark magic to be precise. You will have to check up on his status, and make sure that he stays locked up.
"We have a prison that is dedicated to hold on single pony?" Shining asked with a confused look on his face.
"Yes. It is a very long story, and we don't have time to tell you. Before you leave, I will share a bit more information about the prison, and it's resident."
"Understood." Shining Armor knew, when he was dismissed, even if he is not told to. He quickly headed to the barracks to assemble his troops. If this pony is as dangerous as Celestia thinks, then he must bring the best of the guards with him.
As the captain left the two princesses remained alone. They were both looking outside the window, inspecting the stars upon the sky. Luna was as confused as Shining Armor before, and she had lots of questions to ask. In the end, she only asked one.
"Who is this unicorn?" she finally asked, breaking the silence.
"Somepony who was very close to me. I guided him through his life, and I have seen his developing talents in magic. I thought he would become the wielder of the Elements. But as time gone by, I have discovered his darker side. A darkness, which would consume him one day. I did everything in my power to save him from it, but I have failed him. Now he thinks that I betrayed him," Celestia answered with a dark look on her face. Luna knew Celestia won't tell her anymore. She saw fear, sorrow, and regret in her sister's eyes. She has never seen her like this before. Now, Luna was almost as concerned about this situation as Celestia.
"Was he with you during my absence?" Luna turned to Celestia and looked in her eyes.
"Yes. I was trusted to raise him up, to be his mother, which he never had." her words stuck as she remembered the first day they have met.
Celestia was just done having dinner with the finest of the Canterlot royalties. Or at least that's what the papers said. The Princess didn't really like dinners like this. She thought that most of these ponies are stuck-ups, who can only talk about fashion, and how much money they have. But as the ruler of Equestria, it was her duty to attend to events like this. Even if she didn't want to.
She was heading back to her quarters, when she felt something strange in the air. She met nopony on the way, and for some reason she got nervous. After opening the door to her room, she noticed that her windows were open. She could clearly remember she closed them before she headed down for the dinner. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary though, everything was at where she left it. However the strange feeling got stronger as she approached her bedroom's door.
She carefully opened it, but as soon as she looked before her bed, her blood stopped running in her veins. There was a wounded pegasus laying on the floor. and a small basket was on her bed. She quickly rushed to the pegasus' side to see her condition. She didn't have any injury on her body, but Celestia felt her spirit was about to die.
The pegasus opened her eyes and looked at the Princess, "Please, I beg you. You are the only pony on this plane earth who can protect him," she pointed at the basket, "He is the only pony left to me. My little Moonlight..."
With these last words the unknown pony jolted one last time before Celestia felt her soul was ripped from her body. It must have been a powerful curse, which must have been a pain to her for a long time. Now she was finally in peace.
Celestia slowly stood up and looked at the basket. She heard a quiet cry coming from the inside. When she walked up to it, she removed the blanket, revealing a small unicorn colt. Tears were shedding from his eyes onto his little gray face. He probably felt his mother departing from this world. Celestia carefully levitated the baby out of his holder, while she raised the blanket from her bed. Then she placed the little one on her bed, and covered him. By the look on his face, he enjoyed laying down in the big comfortable bed. He fell asleep pretty fast.
Celestia didn't know what to do know. She had many questions, which were unanswered. Who was this pegasus who broke into her quarters? What was she running from? And how is she suppose to raise a baby? As she looked back at the lifeless body of her visitor, she felt a sense of duty. She quietly levitated the body out of the room, and went after it. At the door she looked back at the colt in her bed. She found the way he buried his head in the pillow very cute.
After she closed the door, she vowed to herself that she is going to take care of Moonlight as if he was her own. She is going to stop whatever his mother tried to protect him from. But now, she's got a burial to organize. To a mare she, whose name she didn't even know.
Chapter 1: Through Blizzards And Canyons
Shining Armor made his way on top of a hill with the rest of his guards behind him. He could barely see in the snow storm but he spotted their destination. The tallest mountain, which is surrounded by the smaller ones, making it almost impossible to climb. The entrance was at the top, however there was a secret passage way marked on the map. It leaded to a small canyon where a door was hidden which can be opened by a simple spell.
As the rest of the group climbed up on the hill, Shining turned around to check their status. The snow storm was rough and he wanted to make sure everypony was all right. Thanks to their equipment the storm didn't affect them as much as he feared. He brought 3 other ponies with him, 2 pegasi and an other unicorn. They were the best the Royal Guard had to offer and Shining Armor held them in high regard.
"So, this is the place, right Captain?" Lightning Chaser jumped next to him and looked at the mountain. He was a young, brash pegasus, who always took pleasure in annoying his older brother, Cloud Blitz.
"Afraid that your acrophobia will keep you from reaching the top?" Blitz started the banter, exceptionally. He was a smart tactician with deadly precision, who was the next best candidate for Captain of the Guard, after Shining Armor leaves for the Crystal Empire.
"Out of all the pegasi of the Royal Guard, you think, I'm the one who is afraid of heights? And I thought you knew me well." Lightning answered as if he was heartbroken by his brother's poking question.
"If you two stopped this pointless banter we should move on. I don't think either of you wants to freeze to death." the remaining unicorn rudely interrupted the two pegasi. His name was Steel Prism, a unicorn whose skills in the art of magic is to be reckoned with. He was a by-the-book officer, who took his duties very seriously, sometimes too seriously. Shining Armor didn't really like his attitude, but his skills were required to successfully complete this mission.
"Why do you always have to be so grumpy?" Lightning Chaser wanted to provoke Prism, but that was next to impossible.
"Because there must be a pony around, who understands what is at stake." came the sharp answer.
"I think all of us knows what we have to do here, but you are right. We should keep moving. The canyon is not far from here, and once we are inside we can get away from this horrendous storm." Shining Armor quickly stopped the conversation before it got any worse. All of them stopped, and made their way towards the canyon.
The four guards continued their way across the snowfield. Even their gear couldn't fully protect them from the ongoing blizzard. They wore goggles, which allowed them to see in the storm, but it snowed densely, that they could only see as far as their nose. The field wasn't huge, but they were slowed down quite a bit. After a one hour long trotting they have finally found shelter between the cliffs.
"Well, this was rather exhausting." Lightning Chaser took down his goggles and hood "Hopefully the weather is better inside."
"Don't count on it. This place was designed to hold a dangerous criminal, so don't expect a warm welcome." Cloud Blitz responded.
"Captain, are you going to share the location of the entrance with us any time soon?" Prism asked, impatiently.
"There is information on the map." Shining Armor stated as he got the map out of his backpack "It says that the storm is here for a reason. To keep out intruders."
"So much fuss just to keep one pony locked up. The Princess could have just banished him like she did with Nightmare Moon." Lightning started to look around the canyon. The cliffs were covered with a thick layer of ice, which almost made them look like crystals. He could see his clear reflection as he looked at the walls. "I gotta say, this place looks really nice. Minus the giant, freezing blizzard of death outside."
"Yes! I think we should all sit down here, and enjoy this nice scenery, while a crazy lunatic blows a hole in the mountain and escapes." Steel Prism said loudly, with a very bad sense of sarcasm.
"Why can't you just relax for a change?" Lightning was started to get irritated by Prism's wooden attitude.
"I'm going to relax when my work is done!" the officer stood before the pegasus, and looked at him as if he is going to punch him in the face.
"Both of you, stand down! We are a team, and we can't do this if we are divided!" Shining Armor stepped between the two arguing guards. He never allowed disobedience under his command, and he found the reason for this argument pretty childish. "Now, apologize to each other."
"This feels like a bad family... " Lightning started, but Shining gave him a threatening look, as if he was about to slap him.
"Okay, I'm sorry, I should have focused more on the task at hoof."
"And I apologize for my insulting remark."
"Good, now that we have this behind us let's find that entrance." Blitz stepped forward, and they continued their way deeper into the canyon.
It was a long and uneventful trip. The entire place looked like a giant, endless corridor, which was surrounded by ice walls. Along the path all of them took a closer look at how the ice formed through the ages. Even Prism had to admit that it looked stunning. After a half hour long walk they have finally reached a dead end.
"This is the place. Now we just have to detect the entrance with a spell. Prism if you help me we can find it twice as fast." Shining Armor stopped and took out the map again. The spell, which locates the door was on the back of it.
"Understood." Steel Prism responded and went next to the captain to see how the spell works. It was a surprisingly simple one so it didn't take them much time to learn how to use it.
As the search went on the two brothers sat down next to the wall for a little rest. They didn't show it, but they were nervous about the mission.
"What do you think we will find in there?" Lightning Chaser asked his older brother.
"How am I supposed to know? I wasn't the one Celestia summoned, so I know as much as you do."
"Well, I figured you would at least have an idea, since you were always the smart one."
"What is this? You admit I'm the smart pony in our family?" Blitz was surprised by what his brother said, but he knew that Lightning is going to deny it the next time he opens his mouth.
"Did I just said that? Anyways don't let it get to your head. I'm still faster."
"But I'm smarter and more handsome." Blitz made a comeback in hopes of sparking off a little argument.
"Excuse me. I was the one who got on well with the mares at school, if I remember correctly."
"And I'm the one who still has a marefriend." Cloud Blitz delivered the finishing blow. He just wanted to get a little payback for the years of annoyance that his little brother made.
"Just... shut up." Lightning admitted defeat, and ended the conversation. From the looks of it the others have found the entrance, so it was pointless to continue a battle, which he have already lost.
"I think I have found it." Steel Prism stated loudly, so everypony can hear him. The entrance was marked by runes, which were glowing blue when the searching spell was casted on them.
"Now we just have to remove that thick layer of ice and we are inside." Shining Armor stood next to Prism, and took a look at the runes. "Typical seal runes. They won't be a problem."
"I can blast this ice away in a fraction of a second." Prism stepped forward, already charging up his spell.
"Go ahead. Nopony here is going to stop you." said Lightning Chaser, who just joined them. Though he didn't have much time to check the entrance, because Prism fired his spell at it, without a warning. It was so bright he thought he will be blind after looking at it.
The spell melted the ice slowly and smoothly. If it would have been a blast, then the whole canyon would have fallen on the top of their heads. Luckily, Steel Prism was always thorough with his work. After he finished, he sat down in front of the door, and started mumbling to himself, while his horn was glowing.
"Next time, warn us before you try to make us blind." Lightning complained, but Shining Armor cut him off.
"Let him concentrate now. He needs peace to undo the seal."
It took Prism a few minutes to finish. When he did the runes faded away, and they could hear a ticking noise from the other side of the door. After the noise ceased the door slowly started to open. The cranky mechanics made the process very loud, that the team feared it might start an avalanche. Thankfully it didn't come to that and the entrance was opened in front of them. They coughed as a stuffy wind hit them from the cave.
"Well, this is it. Let's not waste any more time here, and wrap this mission up." Shining Armor took the lead and entered the cave. The others followed him immediately.
"Hey, do you want to know what I think we are going to find in there?" Blitz poked his brother.
"If you would be so kind, yes." Lightning was annoyed that Blitz didn't tell him before, but he knew that his brother was saving it for the dramatic effect.
"One of Princess Celestia's greatest secrets."
Chapter 2: Prison For Two
Shining Armor entered the prison, with his guards behind him. The only source of light came from outside, which only made the first few feet visible. He was able to spot the start of stairs at the end of the light.
"Check where those stairs lead," he gave the order.
Prism casted a spell, which made his horn glow, so he, and the others could see in the darkness. He discovered torches mounted on the wall. After casting a fire spell at one of them, the others immediatly caught on fire, illuminating a huge staircase, leading to the top of the mountain.
Shining was still at the entrance while the others checked the remaining area. He felt something strange, as if something was watching him. When he raised his front hoof to move, he was struck by and an unnatural wind. He quickly turned his head to see what's outside, but he saw nothing. After this moment he was even more worried to enter into a place like this.
As soon as he left the entrance to join the others the door shut quickly behind him. It was much faster, then before. The runes shone up again in their clear blue light. Thanks to the torches they were still able to see clearly. All of them stood in front of the first stair, imagining how long it will take to reach the top. The stairs led upward in a spiral way, without balustrades.
"This will make it hard for you guys. But don't worry me, and my brother here will catch you if you slip." Lightning flew up, ready to leave everypony behind, and to reach the top first.
"Hold it!" Blitz grabbed his brother by the tail and dragged him back to the ground. "You forgot the most important aspect of our little group," he then whispered the next few words in Lightning's ears "We stick together. You know, like a team."
"Oh.. right. Like a team." he was a little disappointed about walking all the way through. He stepped next to Shining Armor, waiting for him to start moving. "Captain, can we start climbing up these stairs?"
"Yes, sorry. I was distracted a bit." Shining snapped from observing every last inch of the cave.
"Is there something wrong, Captain?" Prism asked from him.
"Nothing. I just have a bad feeling about this place."
"That we all do." Blitz noted from behind.
So the climbing began. The first hour went past quickly, but as time went on it started to become really tiresome. As they looked up, they noticed they still didn't see the top. Of course Lightning tried to lighten up the mood with silly stories, however the others didn't pay much attention. Shining Armor was still contemplating about the strange feel he had before, Cloud Blitz had heards these a hundred times, and Steel Prism was starting to get annoyed with him, again.
When Lightning gave a pause, Prism tought he might stop, but he just began an other story. He and Blitz were a little behind. so they could talk without the others hearing it.
"How did you put up with him through all these years?" Prism turned his head back to Blitz, while letting out a sigh of annoyance.
"Believe me, it was difficult at first. He was always brash, which got him into trouble many times. I was the one, who had to get him out if it, of course. However, every time we solved a problem, he learned from it, and tried to avoid it from happening again. The key word being 'tried'." Blitz was honest about his brother. "He tried to improve, but he was way too hot-headed."
"These qualities might lead to his demise one day."
"Maybe. But I think you are underestimating his skills, because you are judging him by his nature."
To Prism the conversation ended. He did'nt want to waste time by starting an argument with Blitz about Lightning Chaser's abilities. The two of them didn't have a good first impression on each other. Prism has reached the rank of lieutenant, when Lightning has entered the guard training camp. As his new post required, Prism had to check on the recruits from time to time to see their progress. He got to know Lightning as a disrespectful slacker, a pony who never obeyed his commands.
Lightning's opinion on the lieutenant was no different. Whenever Prism showed up at the training grounds, he most likely had a prank he could pull on him. To him, Prism was just an arrogant stuck-up, who made his days in training camp hard. Lightning also made sure every recruit in camp knows that Prism has never been with a mare. At least that's what he thought.
During his inspection, Shining Armor looked up, and saw the stairs are coming to an end. He let out an easing sigh, for the long exercise is over. He turned around, and happily announced, "We made it. I can see the exit a few meters above."
"Praise Celestia! If I had to listen to one more of Lightning's stories, I swear, I would choke a filly." Prism clearly stated his frustration by this rather morbid statement.
"If you would do that, you would be fired from the guard. And possibly thrown in a prison just like this one," if his stories would really cause Prism to act like this, Lightning would have continued them. He wouldn't miss the lieutenant, that's fro sure.
As the group reached the top, they came across a small hallway with a door at the end of it. Shining looked at his team, and he saw how exhausted they were. He didn't want to go onward like this, so he suggested them to get a little rest first. All of them sat down in the hallway to regain their strength.
"So, Captain, what did the Princess tell you about the prisoner, before we left Canterlot?" Blitz was waiting to ask that question a long time ago, but he didn't get the opportunity to do so.
"Other then the fact, that he is a very dangerous unicorn, who wields dark magic, she also told me about his confusion. He might not even now why he is here, or what crimes he have committed."
"What were his crimes?" Prism asked.
"He attacked Princess Celestia, and killed two guards in the process. After he was caught, he claimed he did this to save somepony. A pony who doesn't exists."
"So, he killed two guards just to protect his imaginary buddy? That's what Princess Celestia told you?" Lightning asked in disbelief.
"Technically, yes. But I think there is more to the tale, then she let us know." Shining had to admit, he was curious about the full story, but he wasn't here for that. His job was to keep this prisoner locked up tight.
They spent a little time in quiet, without saying a word. They didn't know what awaits them at the other side of the door, so they wanted to prepare for almost everything. When Shining Armor felt that it was time to move out he stood up and the others did as well. All of them stood before the door, ready to go past it.
"And here we go," Shining said, and he opened it.
As they entered the new area the torches lit up, and they could see the size of the place. They were in a huge cavern, which made the previous one look like a little pit. The road went on next to the wall without any balustrades, again. The bottom and the top was clouded in darkness, the only source of lightning being the torches, and something in the middle. They couldn't tell what it was, but their guess was the cell itself. They slowly went along the road, doing a semicircle around the center.
Then the road split into two ways. One led to the cell, the other to a huge door. It must have been the main entrance, which was at the top of the mountain. They turned their back to it, and started walking towards the cell. Halfway there, Shining gave an order to the others to stop, and wait for him there. They weren't happy about it, but he wanted to talk to the prisoner alone.
When he closed up to it, he saw the light is coming from a magical barrier, which was probably put there by Celestia. But what he saw beyond that was something he never would have guessed. The cell was decorated like a normal everyday room. It had a bead, table, chairs, shelves and even a food container. It didn't look like any cell he had seen before. He must have been close to the Princess, if she decided to go this easy on him, Shining thought.
He saw the unicorn sitting at the table, writing something. He was so immersed in it that he didn't notice Shining Armor approaching. He had black mane with smoke gray pelt, and Shining got a glance at his cutie mark. It was the moon surrounded with little stars, however the moon was divided into two parts. As if it was torn in half by an explosion. Shining reached the barrier, and he politely knocked on it with his hoof.
"I'm sorry for the interruption, sir. My name is Shining Armor. I'm the Captain of the Royal Guard, and Princess Celestia sent me to check up on you," he said in a lowered voice. The unicorn finished writing the last sentence, then he placed his quill on the table, while sealing the ink bottle. Shining was surprised that he was allowed to use magic in there, but as he turned around he saw a magical seal placed on his horn. This allowed him to use simple spells like levitation, however it stopped the more complicated ones. When they were face to face, the prisoner looked directly in Shining's eyes. Shining stood the uncomfortable stare. He didn't back down, even though those midnight blue eyes felt like knives piercing his own.
"So, she sent you? Was she too scared to come here on her own?" the unicorn sounded angry, and disappointed.
"She sent us here, because she thinks you are trying to escape," Shining answered, keeping his calm attitude.
"She did get our message then. Great! She remembers us after all. For a while now we thought she forgot about us. You know, letting us rot here for hundreds of years didn't help in our relationship." his mood changed after each sentence from dark, and shady to happy, and cheerful.
"You and who else? I don't see anypony in there with you?" Shining started to get worried. These quick mood changes and they way he referred to himself as 'we' made him uneasy.
The prisoner didn't answer immediately. He closed his eyes, shook his head a couple times, and mumbled something to himself, something Shining couldn't understand. Finally he opened his eyes, but as Shining looked at him again his eyes changed. Instead of the midnight blue, they were crimson.
"He was referring to me and himself," he said in a much deeper voice. After finishing he closed his eyes again, and when he opened them they were the same blue as before.
Shining took a few steps backwards. Out of the things he expected to find here, he never would have imagined the prisoner to be a crazy unicorn with personality disorder. Now, he saw what Celestia meant by this pony being confused.
"Who are you?" he finally asked, breaking the awkward silence.
"My name is Moonlight Shadow. I apologize for my brother's rude interruption. He always comes out without my permission. His name is Crimson Star by the way." the gray unicorn sounded more gentle, then he was before.
"You are lucked up here because of him, right?" Shining couldn't help but to go along with the divided mind story. He wasn't sure if Moonlight was telling the truth or not. Changing ones eye color is simple, the seal can surely let that pass.
"No. We are here, because Celestia refused to believe me. She saw my brother as a curse, and she wanted to get rid of him. I couldn't let that happen." he sounded hurt as he was telling this. He still remembered that day clearly, as if it was yesterday.
"I see. Now, me and my troops here, are going to check this entire prison to make sure you will stay where you are now," the captain pointed at his team, who were a few feet behind him.
"Do as you please. But after you are done, leave this place. I send Celestia my regards." Moonlight's eyes changed again for the last sentence. He turned his back to Shining Armor, and sat back to his table. Shining knew the conversation was over. He started to head back to the others. Everything seems to be fine around the cell. The barrier is still strong, the seal was holding up after all this time. If what Moonlight said was true, then he has been locked up for 500 years, which means Celestia somehow managed to keep him away from aging. He ha never heard of such magic before. When he was about to tell the others how the meeting went, suddenly he heard Moonlight's voice behind him.
"Oh and Captain. Thank you for letting our little friend inside. We didn't want her to catch a cold, and we really needed an old friend to talk to." as Shining heard this he immediately turned back to the cell, where he saw Moonlight standing at the barrier with an evil smirk on his face.
The next second he, and his team were assaulted by set of magical blasts, which shook the bridge under their hooves. The attack came from above, but they didn't see anything. A new series of bolts came down upon them, though this time they were ready for it. Both Shining, and Prism used magical shields to protect the others from the assault. The blasts raised the dust from the cave's floor, making it hard for them to see what is happening. As the guards were expecting the next wave of the attack, they noticed the spells were aimed at the cell's barrier.
It only took a few hits before it disappeared. Moonlight stepped out of it, and now they saw what attacked them. A black bird flew down onto Moonlight's put out leg. It wasn't just any bird though. It was a phoenix, but it looked differently from the average. It had glowing yellow eyes, black feathers, which had strange markings on them in the same yellow color as it's eyes.
"Amazing, isn't she? It took her just a few days to find us, after her escape. However, we didn't know which mountain we were sealed into, so thank you for showing her the way." Moonlight petted the bird for a bit by stroking it's feathers, and then cuddled her. In return the phoenix blasted the seal off her master's horn. "I missed you so much Nicka."
"That's adorable," Shining said in an ironic tone "I'm going to ask you only once! Go back to your cell, and we can end this peacefully."
"Seriously, Captain did this ever work on anypony?" Moonlight raised his eyebrow.
"No. Normally we have to use violence to put down ponies like you." Lightning Chaser stepped forward, showing off his lance. He was ready to charge at him whenever the order came.
"I see, you are the jumpy one. That makes the other pegasus your smart brother, and that unicorn is probably the arrogant jerk, who you really despise." Moonlight Shadow kept on his evil smirk, while he was inspecting Blitz and Prism.
"How do you know all this?"
"Nicka told me. She was watching you since you left the Neighagra Falls."
"Quit it birdlover. You are going back in to your cell anyways." Prism used his magic to pull out his sword, and he aimed it at Moonlight.
As Blitz was watching these events he noticed something. The cavern got a lot darker since Moonlight escaped. He saw the shadows crawling down from the ceiling. When he looked back at the door, which led outside, he was shocked to see that it was gone. All he saw was the darkness getting closer. He patted Shining's back to inform him about the change of their surroundings.
"Guys, we seem to be having a problem." to this, everypony turned around, and they saw what Blitz was talking about. The shadows surrounded them, leaving only that part of the bridge clean, which they stood on. As Shining Armor turned back he saw that the darkness have reached Moonlight, whose eyes were crimson again.
"Now, you will be held prisoner here!" came the voice of Crimson as the shadows encircled him.
"Over my dead body!" Lightning picked up his lance, flew up in the air, and started charging towards Moonlight.
"You idiot, get back here!" Prism shouted after him, but he was too late. Both Cloud Blitz and Shining Armor pulled out their weapons and followed Lightning. Steel Prism was given no choice, he had to follow his comrades. "May Celestia watch over us."
The four guards begun their unorganized attack, and Moonlight used his magic to make the shadows cover the whole cavern. In a split second the darkness absorbed everything. Shining stopped his charge in confusion and let his guard down. He tried to look around, but he couldn't see anything.
"And you were only one day away from retirement," Moonlight said in a very joyful tone.
Shining turned to where the voice came from, however he only saw a blue blast coming towards him. He didn't react in time, and the spell hit him directly in his face, making him unconscious. The last thing he felt was his head hitting the ground hard.
When Blitz regained his consciousness, he realized he was in the same cell, which Moonlight was locked into a few minutes ago. He saw the rest of his team still didn't come around. Shining and Prism had the same magical seal on their horns as Moonlight did. Blitz could barely move his limbs, probably because the spell Moonlight Shadow used had an immobilizing effect. After a few minutes of leg stretching he was finally able to stand up. He then spotted Moonlight standing not far from the barrier they were sealed behind of.
"So, what are you going to do now?" Blitz asked loudly to make sure Moonlight can hear him.
"Revenge is the only answer we can give you. The rest of our plans is no longer your problem." he answered bluntly.
"And what are you going to do with us?" the guard continued the questioning.
"You will serve as leverage, if our plans don't succeed. We know Celestia won't abandon her loyalists the same way she abandoned us." Moonlight turned his head to Blitz for he knew the pegasus was not done asking questions.
"Can't you just talk to her about this. She is very understanding. I'm sure she can find a way to fix this." Blitz hoped to ease up Moonlight, but he didn't succeed.
"If she really wants to fix this situation, she would have done it a long time ago. Believe me, I know her more then you ever did." After this answer Blitz knew he could never convince Moonlight. He sat down next to his brother, waiting for the others to wake up.
Moonlight approached the main entrance with Nicka sitting on his back. He recognized the spell that was needed to open the door, so there were no problems about getting out. The door opened slowly, since it was very big and heavy. He stood there patiently, waiting for the damn thing to move. When it opened he was struck by a strong, fresh wind.
He was on a mountain platform, when he went outside. After breathing in the same place for 500 years, the feel of fresh, outside air in his lungs was liberating. He felt as if he was reborn. He noticed the storm, which was placed here for extra defence, was gone. There was one thing that interested him in the distance. The sun.
"How long has it been since I felt her light on my face? How long have I waited for this moment?" He pinned his eyes at the sun, without blinking.
"Long enough, brother. Today we are going to fulfill our purpose. We will get our revenge." Crimson spoke through Moonlight.
He went to the edge of the platform, and looked around. It was the highest one in the Crystal Mountains as far as he can tell.
At least she chose the one with the best view. Still, she could have picked someplace warmer. He shivered, as he was starting to feel how cold it really is out here.
Moonlight looked back at his phoenix, who was waiting for him to give the sign. He let Nicka know it was time to leave, with a simple nod. The phoenix took to the skies, her markings glowing on her black feathers. She stretched out her wings, then suddenly she turned into a cloud of shadows. In this from she aimed back at Moonlight and clashed onto him. The unicorn was covered in the cloud, while lights popped out if it from time to time.
It took only a few seconds for the cloud to disappear. When it was done, Moonlight was still standing there, although changed. Now, he was wearing light armor, which covered most of his body. It's scales looked like feather, however they were made out of obsidian. The same markings were present as on Nicka, and the birds glowing eyes were stationed on the chest piece. The biggest part of it were the wings. These were also part of the armor, but Moonlight was able to move them as if they were his own. He played around with them for a while, moving them around, and flapping them until he was just above the ground. He hasn't done this for centuries, so he needed practice.
As he looked around on the cliff he spotted a dragon, who just came out of it's cave. It probably hid there from the storm, and now it was ready to begin it's hunt. It's roar echoed in the mountains, making sure every living creature knows that it has awakened. Moonlight watched closely as the dragon took to the skies, and how it flew down into the valley. He stood at the edge of the cliff, as he was looking down. It was a scary image, being on the top of the highest mountain, but as he defeated his fears, he took the dive.
For a few seconds he was calmly falling. He didn't pay attention to anything, he was just enjoying the freefall. When he felt it was time, he opened his wings. He clashed into a little resistance, but he managed to pull himself up. The next minute he was flying above the mountains, inside the clouds. He saw the sun was going down, it will possibly turn night time, when he reaches Canterlot.
"Don't worry Celestia. Your little shade will arrive just in time for dinner," he said as he turned south, and began his journey.
The moon have reached it's highest point, as it's gentle light covered the streets of Canterlot. Most ponies were already in bed, while others had still got business to attend to. Guards patrolled the alleys, and there were still ponies at some of the restaurants. This night was just as the others, calm and uneventful. Or it seemed that way for most.
Princess Luna was at the top of Canterlot Castle, guarding the night as always. Her sister told her to be more vigilant this night. Celestia didn't tell her why, but she had a very good guess. The prisoner might haves escaped, and is now heading here. She kept a watchful eye over every inch of the city to spot any disturbance.
One thing that was out of the ordinary, though. Princess Celestia was still awake. She was standing in the Chamber of the Elements, alone. She ordered the guards stationed there to leave. They wanted to be present at a party anyways, so they left without complaint. Now, she was looking through the window, which pictured the six friends defeating Nightmare Moon. On the sky there was a star that interested her. She hasn't seen it there for centuries, but now it was back, blazing in it's full light.
There is a legend, telling that each pony is represented by a star on the sky. It's light is depending on the ponies mental and physical state. Whenever something terrible happens to an individual, their star's light will fade. Celestia didn't know what to think of this until she witnessed it's existence. Today she was certain, that this legend is true.
As she was inspecting that particular star, she heard something from behind her. It reminded her of sobbing. Celestia quickly turned her head, but after she saw what is making the sobbing, her blood froze in her veins. There was a little colt at the other end of the chamber, crying. The same colt she caught jumping on her bed a couple of times, imagining he was the hero of Equestria, who just saved the land from an army of dragons. But that was centuries ago.
"Why did you leave me, mommy? Why did you leave me in darkness?" the little one raised his head, and looked in Celestia's eyes. Those teary eyes felt like daggers. She had to look away from them after a few seconds.
She wanted to rush to his side and comfort him, but she knew this was just an illusion. That colt was a grown-up now. When she looked back at him, she saw a giant, indescribable thing grabbing the little colt, and dragging him into the shadows. She reached out with a hoof, but she couldn't save him in time.
Half of the chamber was covered in shadows, making it hard to see what was going on. Celestia started hearing hoofbeats from where the colt was dragged to. She saw a head popping out of the dark corner, and then the rest of the stallion's body. They were staring at each other for a minute, but suddenly Moonlight rushed to Celestia, and hugged her.
"I missed you so much! Today I have finally broke out of the prison, which that traitor put me in. And now I'm finally back with you!" Moonlight's outburst confused Celestia. She wasn't expecting to find him in such a condition after what she had done to him. A little spark of hope glinted in her heart.
"I'm glad to see you again," she said gently. However, when she tried to return the hug Moonlight pushed her away from himself.
"Now wait a minute! Weren't you the one who locked us up there in the first place?" his sudden mood change crushed that spark of hope in the Princess "That's right! I remember now. You left us there to rot, without any sign of freedom or salvation."
Celestia didn't answer to him. She knew what was about to happen. The events she saw in her dreams are about to become reality.
"Speechless, aren't you? You don't even have the guts to admit what you have done?" Moonlight leaned closer to the Princess, making sure she can hear the despise in his voice.
"I only did what I had to. You can't expect me to look over a crime as heavy as that was."
"I guess not. But I couldn't let you harm my brother, just because you thought he was my darker side, a virus that must be purged," he gave a little pause then continued, "Do you still think that way? Do you still think I should get rid of him?"
Celestia didn't answer immediately. She had thought about this many times over the years. What if she didn't try to separate Crimson and Moonlight? What if she continued to be a mother figure for both of them? She may never know the answer. One thing for sure, they wouldn't be here today, arguing about the past.
"No, I do not. I was mistaken, I see that now. And there is no way I can fix it. All I can say is that I'm sorry." Celestia lowered her head to show her remorse.
"You know, we would have forgiven you, but you threw that away too. On the day Princess Luna returned we knew what you tried to do. You came to the prison in hopes of reuniting with me too," Moonlight looked closely on how Celestia will react. "We knew you were there, watching us from far away, so we decided to test you. To see if you really meant it. That is why we talked about those nasty things we would do to you once we get out. It was all a test, and you failed. We decided to give you a last chance, but you blew it."
The Princess of the Sun didn't know what to say. First he wanted to scold Moonlight for acting so childish, but on the other hoof she damned herself to her core. If she would have gone through with her idea, this wouldn't have happened. But deep down she knew it wouldn't have worked out well. Crimson was evil, without a doubt. She heard the things he told Moonlight, when they were with her in Canterlot. He was the one, who encouraged his own brother to study dark magic. Celestia knew that Moonlight will never have the life he deserves, while Crimson is still inside his consciousness.
There was an awkward silence for a while between the two of them. Neither of them said anything, they just stood there, and stared at each other. In the end it was Moonlight who broke the silence. "So, I see you have given out the Elements of Harmony. How did these mares turned out to be?" he said, while he was looking at the glasswork, which pictured them as they defeated Discord.
"They have overcame many obstacles together. The bonds they made are remarkable, and I'm very proud of them." Celestia made sure Moonlight notices the pride in her voice.
"And you are especially proud of this one, as I have heard." Moonlight pointed at Twilight Sparkle's image, "She is your best student, right?"
"Yes, she is. She is the most promising student I have ever had." she didn't realized what she just said is about to spark something up in Moonlight. His always competitive nature.
"Are you saying she is better then me?" he raised an eyebrow.
Celestia blamed herself now even more. She might just gotten Twilight into this mess. She didn't know how to respond in order to shield her student from Moonlight. "I do not know," she answered bluntly.
"Then we must find out. It's an important research, which will show us who you have raised better."
"Leave her out of this! I'm the one responsible for what has happened to you. Here I am, defenseless, exposed." she opened her wings and closed her eyes "Get your revenge on me, but please don't harm innocents.
She waited for the finishing blow to come, however there was nothing. All she heard was a quiet chuckle turning into a loud laughter. As she opened her eyes, Celestia saw Moonlight laughing hysterically. Then she saw that his eyes changed to crimson.
"Believe me, I'm the number one pony in Equestria who wants you dead the most. But since my brother doesn't want me to kill you, I won't. After all, he sacrificed everything to save me from you. So, causing you the most possible suffering will have to do." Crimson's deep voice echoed in the chamber. Celestia has never talked to him before. It was always Moonlight, who shared the thoughts of his brother with her. But now she was standing right in front of him.
"I'm warning you. Leave Twilight out of this!" Celestia wasn't the type who made threats, however when somepony who was close to her was in danger, she stopped being the gentle alicorn most known her to be.
This only increased Crimson's amusement. He loved getting under Celestia's skin even when the two brother's were little colts. He always took pleasure in seeing the Princess' disapproving face. But now he finally found a soft spot, where he can really do some damage.
"Or what? Are you going to spank us like you did, when we ate all the desserts before the Grand Galloping Gala?" as these words left his mouth, Crimson turned into a puff of black smoke. It burst directly through Twilight's head on the glasswork, leaving a big hole in it's place.
Celestia was just standing in the middle of the chamber, unable to move. She could have gone after him, and maybe stop him. Instead she was remembering that night before the Gala. It was the first time she realized something was wrong with Moonlight Shadow. That was the night, which planted the seeds of fear in her mind.
Everypony in Canterlot Castle was busy. Tomorrow is going to be the biggest event of the year, the Grand Galloping Gala. The staff worked their flank off in order to make this gala the best there ever was. Everything went according to plan until point when one of the cooks tried to enter the pantry, where they stored all of the desserts. He had the key to it but when he planted it in the keyhole, the door was still locked. He asked for help, but nopony way able to oped it, not even the royal guards.
They have found out that the door was sealed with a spell. Unicorns tried to break it, without any success. The chef was getting impatient, and he demanded the guards to call for Princess Celestia. They refused at first, claiming that this matter is not worthy of the Princess' attention. However, as their every attempt failed they started to realize they need Celestia's help.
Princess Celestia was sitting in her room, reading over the latest reports from the borders. Apparently, the griffins had an affair with the nearby ponies about food shipments disappearing, and they don't know the reason for it. She took these matters seriously, because she wanted to remain in good relationship with the Griffin Kingdom, even if it was difficult at times. As she was writing a response letter she heard somepony knocking on the door.
"You may enter," she answered the door. A guard stepped in straighten up, with his head held high.
"I apologize for the interruption, your majesty. It appears that there is a small trouble down in the kitchen. The pantry's door is sealed with a powerful spell, which none of the guards were able to break," he said with a little shame in his voice.
Celestia raised an eyebrow, "The pantry? Somepony has locked himelf in the pantry?"
"We don't know yet, your highness, We need your help to open it."
"Very well then." Celestia stood up, and made her way down to the kitchen. On they way there she was greeted by several ponies, designers and workers alike. She had to admit she was pretty tired after arranging the Gala's guest list, and seeing through all the necessary preparations. She came across one of the servants from whom she asked a question. "Good evening. Did you see Moonlight Shadow anywhere? I haven't heard from him since lunchtime."
"I have seen him heading downstairs a while back. It was probably about an hour ago, but he haven't came back yet." she replied in a bit of a scared tone.
"Thank you," she bowed her head, and continued her way down the stairs,
When she arrived, a group of angry cooks stood in her way. They were complaining to each other, while telling what they will do to the one who caused this trouble. As they saw the Princess approach, silence fell upon the room. All of them bowed before her, making was to the pantry. She stood before the door and looked at the seal. It didn't take long enough to figure out whose hoofiwork was it.
"I need time to solve this mystery, alone." she lied, yet everypony left the room in seconds. The seal was simple, however there was something odd about it. She inspected it from closer, and what she found frightened her. There was a small portion of dark magic used in the spell. If this was made by the pony she thought it was, she is going to have a really serious talk with him after this.
She undone the seal, and slowly opened the door. She heard a quiet mumbling from inside, which she recognized. Celestia used a spell to turn on the lights, immediately spotting the thief, who sealed the door behind himself. A young stallion was sitting in the middle of the room with cakes, sweets and all kinds of desserts floating around him. When he heard somepony have opened the door all of the floating foods dropped on the floor. The unicorn jumped up, and turned around in fear to see who had discovered him. When he saw that it was Princess Celestia he calmed down a bit, although he was still on the edge.
"Hello there." Moonlight tried to put on a smile, but it faded as soon as his eyes met the Princess' disapproving face.
"Good evening my dear. May I ask what in the world are you doing?" Celestia tried to hide her anger about the use of dark magic. She wanted to talk about it later.
"I... um," he tried to came up with an excuse to ease the tension, "I'm inspecting the food supplies. You know, just to make sure nopony is getting poisoned tomorrow."
"I see," deep down she couldn't really blame him. Celestia also loved cake, and maybe in her younger days she would have done the same thing. "I hope you realize, you must help the cooks remake the desserts. which you "inspected". This way you can be certain that everypony will be safe."
"Yes ma'am." Moonlight hung his head. Now he head to spend hours down here to atone for his crime. But it was worth it. He have found a spell, which stopped weight gain for a few hours. He could eat as many cakes as he liked, and h wouldn't become fat.
"Also when you are done come and find me in my quarters. I want to have a very important conversation with you," this time she didn't sound so gentle, because the things they had to talk about were very serious. The fact that Moonlight was able to use dark magic made her uneasy.
As Celestia left the pantry, Moonlight Shadow was still standing in the middle of the room, looking around the damage he have done. He felt a little shame, but his pride was bigger. He was able to create a seal that only Celestia was able to break. "You were right. This kind of magic is really powerful," he said it to himself. The answer was given inside his head. I told you. With this power we can overcome any obstacle that gets in our way.
Later that night, Moonlight finished helping the cooks with the desserts. His magic was proven useful, he was able to do the work of five ponies at once. Also, he improved his talents at cooking. Maybe now he can cook simple cupcakes on his own. He made his way upstairs, to Celestia's room. Most of the staff knew him, after all he was the Princess' most well knows student, and her adopted son. He had a good connection with the servents, since his childhood, when he used to play with them. But as he grew up he didn't see them as often.
When Moonlight entered the room, Celestia was standing outside on the balcony. He quietly walked up behind her, in hopes for a little scare. However as he raised his front hooves to tackle her, the Princess used a teleportation spell, and appeared behind him. The unicorn, without any support fell on his face, while Celestia started chuckling. Moonlight turned around on the floor, lamenting his nose.
"Surprise!" he opened his legs, but he was quickly reminded the pain in his nose. Celestia helped him up, then she fired a small spark at his nose, making the pain disappear.
"You have fooled me once already. Did you really think I wouldn't learn from it?" the Princess was hinting at the time when Moonlight scared her the same way he tried now. That time Celestia welcomed it with an unexpected kick in the face.
"Well, I hoped that you have forgotten about that. Anyways what do you want to talk about?"
Celestia's expression changed from cheerful to serious. "I have seen what kind of magic you used to create that seal. It was dark magic. Haven't I told you before how dangerous that is?"
"Yes, you did. Twenty two times to be precise. Do not worry, it was just a little experiment." Moonlight tried to calm her down, with little effect.
"I hope it was successful, because you are not going to repeat this kind of my my watch." she stated her point, without accepting any resistance.
"But I- "
"No excuses. Believe me, I'm doing this for your safety."
"Okay, you're right. Again." Moonlight was disappointed, but Celestia made her point. He can't really resist her commands about important things like this.
"I have deleted every trace of these arts from the library, so how did you learn about it?" this was the most important question she could have asked.
"It was... well... a friend's suggestion," he answered hesitantly.
"And who is this friend of yours? Is he from the castle, or the city?" now Celestia was very curious.
"Well, I can't hide it anymore now, can I. Okay, here it goes. I have a brother!" he stated out loudly, scaring Princess Celestia for a bit.
"A brother? But you were the only one, who your mother left here." she was really suprised by this change of events.
"Technically, he is not around. He lives inside my consciousness, as if he is my other half," Moonlight got a little excited, "I have first discovered him on my sixteenth birthday. That day I heard thoughts in my head. Thoughts, which weren't mine. After a few days I was able to make contact with him. He said he has been watching me, that he has been with me since I was born. Isn't this amazing?"
Celestia was shocked. She couldn't believe what Moonlight just said. If his brother was truly inside his mind, then that means he had been exposed to a large amount of dark magic, before she took him in her care. Uniting two ponies in one body was only possible before birth, and only the most foul of spells are able to cause such chaos. But it might not be his brother. It can turn out to be a seed of corruption, planted inside him. It was also a possibilty, and Celestia had to make sure, which one it is.
"Yes, it is truly remarkable. What is his name?" she finally asked.
"He calls himself Crimson Star. This might hurt, but he is not really fond of you."
"Is that so? Can I speak to him?"
"He doesn't want to. I tried to convince him before to reveal his existence to you. He is shy, I think." Moonlight was still excited. He wanted to share this with Celestia for a long time, and now the time have finally arrived.
"I really want to get to know him. If he has been here all the time, he probably knows me as well as you do. And I have never even talked to him. Do you think that's fair?" she tried to play around with him, so he will ease up, and let her in.
"I guess not. Alright you can have a chat with him, I promise I won't look." Moonlight gave in to Celestia's hurt play, and stepped closer to let her do the spell.
Celestia's glowing horn touched Moonlight's, and when she opened her eyes she was inside the unicorn's mind. She could saw memories from the past, and thoughts about the future. She didn't looked at them, because she didn't want to put her hoof in Moonlight's privacy. She was looking for that one link, which can connect her to Crimson. As she was venturing deeper into his psyche, she started to notice a growing darkness. Thoughts about dark magic, fear, and hatred showed up in front of her. She wanted to find the source of it, but she was stopped by an invisible barrier. After trying to get passed it, a loud yell hit her like a strong wind. "GET. OUT!" was the only thing she understood, before she was driven out of Moonlight's head.
It took a few seconds to Celestia to realize what has happened. She was sure that Crimson was more then just a prisoned relative. He was a virus, which will corrupt Moonlight one day. She vowed to herself to never let that happen.
"So, how did it go?" Moonlight asked with his never ending excitement.
"He is... a bit grumpy. I couldn't talk to him that much, because he casted me out." Celestia didn't know if she should tell him about what she had witnessed. Maybe he would react defensively, and ignore her warnings in favor of his so called "brother".
"I figured it would end this way. He is not really keen on talking to others, except me. Although, look on the bright side. Now you have two sons for the price of one!" Moonlight jumped to Celestia, and nabbed her in a big hug, "Isn't this the greatest thing ever?"
"Yes, it certainly is." she couldn't help it, but to smile back at him, and return the hug. However, she knew things are going to change drastically from now on.