Prolog: Hunting Shadows
She can see her target as he walks slowly down the hall, admiring the nighttime view from the castle windows. She makes her way to him as he looks up, his eyes being guided away from her by a powerful enchantment. He feels a slight pinch in his throat, looking down he sees a dagger sticking out attached to the hoof of a mare he couldn’t quite see. The sound of gurgling can be herd as he tries to call for help but his lungs are already filling with blood making it a useless gesture. As his vision starts to fade he tries to fight her off, the enchantment preventing him from focusing on her long enough to make an attempt and he slowly loses more strength. Darkness consumes his vision and the last thing he hears is a faint scream.
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Cadence awoke panting feeling a sense of dread. For some reason the night felt wrong, like something was twisting the world out of place. The air felt sickening, almost like it was crushing the earth beneath it, polluting is soil. She hurried out of there room as fast as she could, heart screaming at her that something was amiss. Finally she found who she had been searching for and started rushing towards him relief filling her as she ran. Shining Armor. There was a guard talking to him it looked like, but she couldn’t tell who it was; for some reason her eyes kept slipping off the mysterious pony. The panic she felt starting to slip away until she noticed a dark red trail from his chest to his throat ending at a hilt of what looked like a dagger. Panic came back at full force as she watched the mystery pony slowly pull the dagger out of his throat. She screamed in hate, furry, and sadness; multitudes of emotions rushing into her as she hurried to defend her husband and with an audible pop and bright flash of teleportation the mystery pony was gone. Dropping by Shining she immediately began to cast a healing spell hoping staunch the flow of blood and heal his wounds, becoming desperate as nothing happened. He was already beyond her help.
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“What’s wrong sister?” asked Luna staring up at Celestia as she joined her on her balcony “You are usually asleep by this hour we- I am worried about you recent sleeping habits”
Celestia looked down at her sister feeling a small smile tug at her lips. It was cute how she still managed to slip into the royal ‘we’ sometimes. “I am worried about the state Equestria is in. The other Nations have been making more demands. Even though we pushed the Changelings out I was still defeated by the ‘Queen’, the other races sense weakness. I am afraid they may seek blood” as she spoke her smile slowly turned back into a frown.
“Surly it will not go that far Tia. Even the Griffons would not so boldly break a peace that has lasted for a thousand years?” The fact that Luna said it as a question and not a statement was answer enough on what she thought of the subject. Lately everyone was tense. You could almost smell the hostility in the air, and talk had recently been spreading of Celestia not being fit to rule anymore. Luna had recently been gaining popularity as the citizens started believing that a warrior Queen might be needed in the coming days, and Nightmare Moon was still on their minds.
“I don’t know Luna, that’s what scares me the most. I have begun preparing the guard for the worst. I can only hope it doesn’t come to that.” She sighed heavily as she returned to her room and settled on her bed, preparing for another sleepless night.
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Midnight Rose finally made it to the end of the forest. ‘That took forever it wouldn’t hurt Nightingale to move the base just a little bit closer to Ponyville would it’ she thought, increasing her aggravation. ‘I mean isn’t three days travel time a little excessive most ponies didn’t even spend more than one night out here let alone three bucking days.’ She pouted as she looked out the edge of the forest into Ponyville the moon glinting in her silver mane and tail and catching in the dark black of her coat. She wasn’t looking forward to staying in this town there were bound to be those who would make fun of her coat color. It was unusual after all. ‘Well let’s get this over with’ sighing glumly to herself she made her way fully into the town.
