The Tale Of A Shaded Comet

Chapter 8: The Return

John's eyelids fluttered, the world around him blurry. The pain he had experienced had knocked him out cold moments after he was thrown into the bush. He couldn't feel anything, bar the crippling agony that burned on his back.

The world faded in and out, the colours alternating between black and red. His eyes focused on his hooves as he carefully raised them, studying the blackened skin and raw flesh. His, what seemed to be anyway, once grey forelegs were charred; the hooves chipped.

He forced his eyes tightly shut against the wave of nausea that flew through him. Opening his mouth, he felt a mixture of bile and blood rocket outwards onto the grass beneath him. Beginning to resist the numbness in his body, he raised himself off the bush, shaking with the effort.

Opening his eyes cautiously, he examined his surroundings. He was in the Canterlot Statue Gardens. The marble and granite sculptures gleamed in the midday sun, shining with a dullness that was remarkably admirable.

He took a shaky step forwards, his legs swaying unpredictably under his weight. As his hoof connected with the grass, a jolt of pain spread up and into his back. Yelping in pain, he fell to the side, crashing into the ground again.

Blinking past the tears that formed in his eyes, he moaned in pain, forming incomprehensible words that came out in a confused mess. Dropping his head, he let the darkness caress him once more.

Gage ran towards the Gardens, fearing the worst. Nopony could explain the sudden lightning strike, and Discord could be loose, due to the intensity of the strike. Dashing into the grassy outside of the castle, he let his eyes scan everything for anything. Seeing no danger, he let out a drawn out sigh.

He turned his head in the direction of Shaded's statue.

"What in the name of Celestia...?" he gasped, realizing that it had exploded in the strike. Only the base remained; the statue and plaque had been reduced to rubble. He stared numbly at the remains, too shocked for words.

A lone tear streaked down his face, leaving his vision watery. He slowly approached the base, raisng his head. Standing in front of the engraved stone, he lay a hoof on the smouldering, splintered remnants of the strike.

Wordlessly, he lay down in front of the bust, silently listening to the quiet birdsong. Absorbing the melody, he drew in a breath.

Something rustled behind him. Startled, he jumped to his full height and flared his wings. Nothing came out, nothing made a sound. Blinking, he muttered, "Must have been my imagination.", and began to walk away.

Turning his gaze towards a bush, completely at random, he noticed a streak of blue amongst the green. Coming closer, he began to see a mixture of red, black, grey and blue submerged in the leaves.

He spread his wings, and jumped into the air. Diving into the bush, he dragged out the anomaly. It was an unconsious stallion, presumably a pegasus; his wings were burnt down to the bone, with only small amounts of skin holding them together.

He put a hoof to his jaw as he set him down. There was a very weak pulse. Gage turned him onto his front as to not damage his wings. Then he noticed the stallion's flank. His cutie mark was a comet. Blue, with a grey core.

"Shaded...?"

John was floating in the darkness yet again, letting his senses drift wherever they may. He felt the presence of others around him, but he couldn't see or hear them. Peacefully, he turned in the void, mesmerised by it's depth, focusing on what was in the distance.

A strange sensation of being pulled away startled him, making him lose his concentration. He sniffed, smelling hospital steriliser, and breathed deeply. Opening his eyelids, he noticed a purple and blue alicorn standing over him.

Trying to speak, he coughed violently. His speech had temporarily deserted him. It seemed... Familiar. If anything else, the original Shaded was like this. Staring up into her somewhat creepy blue eyes, he felt fear tickle his brain.

"Good evening Shaded." A soft voice that he assumed was from her entered his ears. But he didn't see her lips move. Frowning, he tried to speak again, but this time he heard a deep, rich responce.

"Good evening Princess Luna." Luna smiled, but more in understanding than in happiness.

"I am communicating with you telepathically. My sister will be here shortly." John nodded in confusion, understanding her.

"Who's Shaded?" He asked, referring to Celestia's earlier statement.

She simply shook her head, and turned to the door, beginning to walk away.

"That's for Celestia to tell you." She stopped, and turned in the doorway. "Welcome to Equestria, John." She turned back towards the door, and left his room.

Rainbow Dash rapidly ascended towards a cloud. Twilight had given her an unopened letter from Lieutenant Gage about ten minutes ago. When she landed on the fluffy mass, she sat down and began to read it.

Dear Rainbow Dash,

I am sure that you saw the pillar of flame from Ponyville, and I need you to come to Canterlot as soon as you are able to make the journey. It is imperative that you do not tell anypony else about this, with the exception of Twilight Sparkle.

I am sorry that this letter is vague, but the information is highly classified.

Lieutenant Gage.

Wordlessly, she got up from her sitting position, and frowned into the distance. The sun was beginning to set, the beautiful orange skyline receding into a deep blue that twinkled with stars.

Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes. Is Shaded really back? A few hairs of her rainbow mane brushed against her eyelids, tickling the cyan skin.

"It's the only actual reason why Gage would need to see me." Opening her eyes, she saw the moon slowly ascending into the night sky, glowing dully against the dark blue that comforted her; it was like a blanket.

Brushing aside the tip of her mane, she read the letter again, to make sure that she had read it correctly. Turning it over, the light blue pegasus saw no extra information. Scowling in frustration, she crumpled the letter into a ball, and tossed it over the edge of the cloud.

Below her, back on the ground, a lone unicorn picked up the ball of paper, levitating it up to his eyes. The leaves above him sheltered him from the wind, and softly obscured the little light the night gave. The icy blue glow of his magic lit up the paper in the murky darkness.

His eyes pierced the viel of black like a knife, the red irises clear in the dark. Scanning the letter, he shook himself awake, glancing at his location. To his right, far off in the distance, was Ponyville. To his left, Zecora's cottage in the Everfree Forest.

Finishing his search for information, he crumpled the letter up once more, and dropped it back into the dirt. As he ended the flow of magical energy, the darkness enveloped him, hiding him from the outside world. Silence quickly followed.

John was, to say it simply, confused. What Celestia had spoke to him about puzzled him, sending his brain into a maelstrom of assumptions and questions to which he hadn't been told the answer.

The soft cotton sheets of the Canterlot Hospital did nothing to ease the pain he could feel in his now equine back. Shaded's injuries, as he were told, were healing after Celestia had cast the spell, but he was too busy thinking.

Shaded had apparently been a victim of a Changling attack on Manehatten. He was then caught off guard in the middle of the battle, and he, along with most of Manehatten's population, had perished in the bloodbath that had followed.

But why was he there in the first place? He had been there for something important; it was obvious that he was a highly valued pony. And why was his body saved by Celestia, unlike so many others who had been left there?

A dull throb in the right side of his head nudged John out of his mind, and back into the painful reality. Looking out of the window, he studied the passing Canterlot ponies. John had already met a few ponies who he recognised, like Nurse Redheart, who had been called to Canterlot to help with his wounds.

It was funny, already knowing somepony before meeting them, even though they had met him before. He had to pretend that he had total amnesia, just so his cover was not blown. Celestia had specifically told Nurse Redheart about his "condition".

John was also amused to find that the real Shaded couldn't speak normally either. Nor had he any interests that Celestia knew of. So John had asked about his own interests. According to the Princess, he would retain any abilities from his human life, such as his musical skills.

Stretching out on the bed, he yawned. He was still able to make basic sounds, but prolonged speech, or anything similar, caused him immense pain. Resting his head against the plush pillow, he began to cough violently. When the fit had ceased, he looked at the door. He would be out soon.

Luna glared daggers at her sister, shock evident in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell him?" She hissed, positively angry.

Celestia stood passively, coolly looking her sister in the eye inside the hospital reception. "He doesn't need to know right now. And anyway, if anypony found out that he was truly back, it would cause an uproar."

Luna slumped, but still looked pissed off. Giving up, she turned away from her sister, and began to walk out. Pausing at the exit, she pivoted on her hooves. "And if he doesn't know, it may cause an even bigger uproar. In particular, at the upcoming Grand Galloping Gala." Flaring her wings, she flew outside, and went back to her tower.

Celestia sighed. Luna had said the exact truth. The Gala was in a week. She was planning for Twilight Sparkle and her friends to see him again then. Guiltily, she looked around, checking if she could see anypony.

Not seeing anything, she re-entered Shaded's room in the hospital. He wasn't asleep, and so, she entered his thoughts.

John?

Yes, Princess?

I am going to heal you. Stay still. This will hurt.

Her horn glowed with the intensity of a thousand suns, causing her to squint. As she charged the spell, she noticed sparks erupting around the edge of her horn. Ignoring them, she continued the spell.

When it was fully charged, she released the spell, lowering her horn to gently touch Shaded's cutie mark. His muscles contracted, forcing him into a quivering ball as his pain intensified.

When the spell finished it's work, she blinked at the sight of Shaded's wings. They were as they should be. His mane was full again, and all his burns had disappeared. John stopped shaking, and hastily jumped out of bed.

Celestia tried to put a hoof on his back, but missed when he bowed. Smiling wearily, she put her hoof on his left foreleg, and motioned him up.

John stood up, able to fully move every joint in his body. Princess Celestia leaned close to him. "You said you were a musician, and you played many instruments." It was a statement, not a question, but he nodded.

"Good. In a week's time you will be playing at the Grand Galloping Gala. Go and see Octavia for instruments." Smiling like a fox, she grinned at him. John was stunned, as he watched her leave the room.

After a few minutes, he finally managed to speak. Or rather, shout.

"WHAT!"