Chapter 29: Lesson Zero
Time passed after the encounter with Discord, and some things changed. Not only had friendship and harmony truly begin to influence the furthest reaches of Equestria. Security had also been heighten since the return of the Cinders beckoned a refreshed threat to the world. Prince Orion was ever so watchful over Equestria, but he was able to sleep a little bit easier since then. With friends around every corner, as well as his fellow Equestrian warriors, there were high hopes.
All that was on his plate to this day was assisting an old friend with moving in. Shadow Swirl, the pony of darkness was now a new member to the library home of Twilight. While she put in two outfits to a small drawer in the lounge room, Orion offered a pillow on the couch to serve as her bed. A small section of the reading table was used to hold a picture and a small compartment for a peculiar necklace hidden in her robe. Holding a treasured memory of her past.
With a fuzzy blanket to offer as a sheet for the mare to use while sleeping on the couch. Shadow looked to the light supplies set up around the place, she was starting to feel right at home. Even as Twilight and Spike were currently going down a check list regarding a picnic.
"I much appreciate helping me move in, my friends. Thank you for welcoming me into your home,"Shadow was sure to show gratitude for being welcomed into their home,"I hope this didn't cause any sort of trouble or complications for either of you."
"Not at all! I mean, the more the merrier! Plus we never have to worry about home invasions or anything,"Twilight was quick to respond before going back to the task at hoof with her and Spike,"Alright, Spike. You ready to go down the check list?"
"Quill!"
"Check!"
"Parchment!"
"Check!"
"Extra ink!"
"Check!"
"Extra extra ink!"
"Check!"
"Is that everything on the checklist?"Twilight sharply asked out of impulse for her organizing personality.
"Yep!"Spike replied in kind.
"Great! Now that we've completed the checklist of things we need to create a checklist,"Twilight took up the first list of things they required while Shadow gaped and stood in shock while Orion was all too use to it,"Now we can make a checklist of the things I have get done by the end of the day, ready?"
"Ready!"Spike gave her the go to start listing.
"Item one! Create a check list of the things I have to accomplish by the end of the day…!"Twilight listed a requirement that appeared most ridiculous to the queen of shadows, but it was Celestia's student after all.
"Uh…I think that's a bit of overkill, Twilight. Why not just go out and do the things you need to do?"Orion asked while putting Spike in a bind between making another list or not making a list.
"Yeah… How about I accompany you two on your trip to collect supplies for the picnic…?"Shadow casually offered companionship while her shadow snaked away the unnecessary new list Spike was making, he couldn't have felt more relief.
"Oh…! You don't need to do that. The picnic is all about celebrating Discord's defeat and welcoming you to Ponyville."Twilight insisted that Shadow didn't lift a hoof tip to help with the picnic.
"I've been in this town before, a long time ago. I am curious to see how much has changed since the last time I was here."Shadow insisted that she venture out with Twilight and explore the town she once knew by another name in the past.
"Oh… Well…I suppose I could use a little help with all the supplies we need for the picnic,"Twilight thought about it for a moment and finally decided to indulge in a chance for friendship between her and Shadow,"I guess this would be perfect way for us to get to know each other more…! So… Yeah, we can head out together."
"Wonderful…! Shall we get a move on then? I believe our first stop was to get supplies for sandwiches,"Shadow swung open the door and teleported Spike right on to Twilight's back,"Harvest day was just a couple days ago. The vegetables and bread will be fresh and ripe…!"
"That's true, and I think sandwich supplies are first on the list…! I think…"Twilight went to check a list only for her and Shadow to get pushed out the door by Orion.
"It's part of the things you gotta do today. So just go out and do them, and have fun with it,"Orion grunted while giving them a nudge out the door and catching his breath,"Now…! I'm gonna shower, and meet you both at the picnic. You three have fun, and Twilight…! Take your muzzle out of the parchment once in a while and take in the fresh air for once…!"
With that, Orion shut the door, leaving them all outside in the broad day light. They looked to each other, Shadow was more understanding to his sudden reaction to list checking. But Twilight seemed a bit miffed while taking the lead and departing with Shadow at her side and Spike on her back.
"Is it just me… Or were both of you reading my mind…?"Spike whispered to Shadow while she decided to address Twilight's soured mood for Orion's pushy attitude.
"Try not to take to big offense to all that. He just wants you to try and just enjoy the day today instead of constantly planning for the future,"Shadow tried a nice pat on the back to ease the nerves of the droopy eared Twilight,"You worry a little too much about what you must do rather than just taking it all in and moving at your own pace."
"Well… I always had to…! A student of Celestia isn't suppose to be tardy and slow,"Twilight decided to share a bit about what made her so committed to being organized and high maintenance,"Being on top of everything and preparing for the future is how I manage to improve and become a better student to the princess."
"Twilight… Celestia is NOT as high standard as you think she is. She's made pancakes with smiley faces every morning,"Shadow couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of Celestia being a high standard snob,"Maybe as a filly she was that way, but time has changed her so much…! Especially the times that came after Luna's sealing within the moon."
"I just…don't wanna feel like a failure in any way in front of her…"Twilight admitted her greatest fear as a student of the day bringer.
"Trust me… A mare that embraces friendship and manages to vanquish two formidable foes of Equestria,"Shadow felt the fear of failure was something to understand, but Twilight was far from one,"That's the furthest thing from a failure…"
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the market place near the center of town. Where the freshest food and drinks were sold, along with trinkets, raw jewelry and other means of business. The mares decided to split up, Twilight went for some fresh whole grain bread. While Shadow went on to collect tasty flowers and vegetables, the juicy pieces of the sandwich's body. The dark mare kept a gentle smile going, it set the other ponies at ease about her being a new comer.
She went about collecting a couple bundles of tomatoes and fresh lettuce. Their ripe appearance left her almost drooling, she bought the two supplies with the bits Twilight loaned her. She then switched to some daisy and tulip flowers, lighter on the carbs and glutton. She bought two bundles of each and was immediately on her way, for they agreed to meet up at the center of the area. So that was where she would go to wait, but her old habits were quick to catch up with her.
For her shadow spotted a filly about to nab a banana from it's stand. She sighed and turned, spotting the filly just now wrapping her little hoof around the precious fruit. She went to approach, but the filly was already caught red hoofed by the burly gray stallion owner of the stand. He had snatched the filly's arm and put the squeeze on it, keeping her from going any where. While he then began to pull out a small bat looking club, believing punishment was needed.
"Little kids should not be taking things that do not belong to them,"The stallion spoke with a slightly Russian like accent after slamming his bat down on the stand,"I do not take well to thieves…! Whether they are stallion, mare, or child…!"
"I…was going to pay for it. I just really needed a quick snack before we left town,"The filly frantically attempted to reason with the stallion that showed teeth at the corners of his mouth along with a growl,"I swear, I can just go get my mom, and then I can pay for it!"
"That will not do for me…! There needs to be a penalty for stealing, little filly,"The stallion began to lift up his small bat while laying out her forearm to take a brisk beating,"May this pain teach you a permanent lesson about stealing!"
The filly yelped and tried to scream, but could only shut her eyes in fear. She braced for the harsh and strong force of the wood bat pounding down on her arm, breaking bones and bruising her up. However that moment did not come, for every Equestrian child's savior was there. The mare of darkness gripped the stallion's hooves, one was holding onto the bat with great force, causing it to crackle and snap in two. While the other tightened around the hoof that held the filly's forearm.
He was forced to drop the bat and grab at his other forearm, his hoof was falling asleep. The grip Shadow had on him was making him lose his grip on the filly, he struggled to get free. All the ponies watched as well as the filly, who slowly opened her eyes to see her savior.
"Now… Let's forget the idea about breaking a child's arm, and ending this peacefully,"Shadow kept a strong grip on the stallion before putting ten bits up on the stand table,"This will pay for her banana as well as two bundles for myself. You can take that, or you can just lose an arm…! Your choice…!"
"Cursed good citizens…!"He grumbled and loosened his grip while sweeping up the bits he was offered the moment he was released.
With the debt paid, Shadow gave the filly the banana she nearly lost a forearm over. Once she had her fruit, she was already sitting down to enjoy it, she ate without any restraint. It showed that she was in fact hungry, but Shadow needed to make sure she never did that again.
"Now… I want you to find your parents, and stay close to them at all times,"Shadow knelt down to the filly and made her cautioning clear to the filly,"Don't ever steal from others again. Stealing is not a nice or good thing to do, and you don't want to be a thief. Stay straight and clean from now on…"
"Ok… Sorry for the trouble Ms…"The filly apologized and slowly got up to go find her parents.
"No harm done… At least not physically,"Shadow admitted and looked back to the stallion that was trying to wake his numb forearm back up,"Have a nice day gentlecolt…!"
"Shadow…! Is everything ok over here? We heard a small commotion over here…!"Twilight was suddenly approaching the moment Shadow went to return to their meeting spot.
"Everything is ok, Twilight. Just cleared up a little misunderstanding is all,"Shadow reassured the young mare while then holding up the flowers, bananas, and vegetables,"I got all the things we need for sandwiches! Plus we got bananas as an extra snack for every pony…!"
"Oh…! Well that just handled a nice little chunk of things to do, now we just need to get punch and cup cakes,"Twilight thought off the top of her head on what else they needed to get,"Care for a trip to Sugar Cube Corners? It's relatively new, about several decades at the most when going by your experience."
"Of course, sounds like a wonderful place to go for cup cakes…!"Shadow admitted, feeling a bit of curiosity being piqued for this new place.
"Great! Right this way, and prepare to be amazed…!"Twilight took the lead and guided them onward to their next destination.
After making it half way, Twilight decided to make the newer building a bit of a surprise. So Spike was now on top of Shadow's back, covering her eyes and guiding the mare towards Sugar Cube Corners. Praying that she would love the gingerbread house and business. The rest of the walk was a bit shaky when it came to Spike's lack of skill with guiding a blind pony. But they were able to make it without delay to the famous ginger bread building, where parties and sweets were made.
"Alright, a few more steps, and… We are officially here. Spike, let her see it…!"Twilight called out and the baby dragon did so by taking his claws off Shad's eyes.
The mare felt almost staggered by the sight, an actual building made out of gingerbread. It felt like a near impossible anomaly or even a miracle, nothing like this seemed remotely possible. The structure looked solid, but the smell was sweet and very gingerbread like. She approached the building and grazed her hoof against the wall, feeling the crisp but solid material that was thick gingerbread. She had to finally accept it at that moment, some genius made a legit full size gingerbread house.
"Who's the sweet toothed genius that built this crazy new building?"Shadow asked curiously while backing away from the large and glorious building.
"The owners of the place are inside preparing our cupcakes! Wanna meet them?"Twilight offered and held the door open for the fascinated dark warrior.
"I'd be honored to meet them…!"Shadow Swirl expressed mildly contained excitement as they all went into Sugar Cube Corners.
Once they were inside, they got a gander of the party themed building inside. The decor was brightly colored, desserts were lined up and looking beautifully sweet. There was a separate room to the left of the bakery line, solely for child birthday parties. It appeared to just be getting cleaned up from a previous party, thanks to the lanky yellow stallion that was sweeping up confetti. Twilight nudged Shadow's shoulder and pointed both the stallion and the light blue mare behind the counter.
"Th mare over there is Mrs Cake, and the stallion over there is her husband, Mr Cake,"Twilight introduced Shadow to the two bakery and party pros that owned Sugar Cube Corners,"No pony prepares better sweets for a party or picnic than these two. Between them and Pinkie. They're one of the biggest establishments around Ponyville…!"
"Hello! Welcome to Sugar Cube Corners! You must be the new comer we heard so much about from Pinkie,"Mrs Cake was quick to recognize Shadow as they approached the dessert counter,"I suppose you're just showing our newest hero around town, Twilight?"
"Yup, and we are also here to pic up the cupcakes we ordered for the picnic!"Twilight gladly responded to their reasons for being here.
"Oh, right…! Almost forgot about those. I just finished putting the icing on them,"Mrs Cake replied and rushed to get the order of cupcakes and set them up in box for Twilight,"Here they are…! A dozen fresh cupcakes right on the dot. Hope you ladies enjoy!"
"We will Mrs Cake. It's been a real pleasure to meet you-"Shadow responded before Twilight interrupted them by noticing something off about the cupcakes.
"Uh…I only ordered twelve…"Twilight pointed out how they had more cupcakes than they ordered.
"Oh, I know, dear. But I had an extra. So I thought I'd make it a baker's dozen."Mrs Cake explained wanting to give them extra cupcakes to fix up the issue with leftover desserts.
"Wow…! That's very generous of you, Mrs Cake. That should be more than enough for every pony."Shadow was more than happy to carry the cupcakes for Twilight, but she wasn't done nit picking.
"Yeah, that was very thoughtful of you. It's just some of the icing from the extra cupcake is getting all over the one next to it, see?"Twilight pointed out the slight touch of cupcake's sharing icing.
"Ohh…sure…"Mrs Cake was willing to try and fix it before Shadow was ready to cut and run.
"That's quite alright. We'll take the cupcakes as you've given them, Mrs Cake,"Shadow passed the cupcakes off to Twilight before nudging Twilight out the door,"Lets just go…! I just got to see this place. I'd prefer that we don't get kicked out of this place on the same day."
"Wait…! I think there's other things we need…! I swear I'm forgetting something,"Twilight worried before something did in fact come up to her attention,"I need to return Cheerlie's black boards! I forgot I borrowed those for reading lessons to new readers!"
Shadow Swirl snapped with realization, that meant a trip to the Ponyville schoolhouse. That meant she could see the children that the mare rescued from the dark void. Her eyes glittered and her heart began to grow warm, fluttering as if butterflies were inside her heart.
"Plus I have to take my cape to the cleaners too…! I can't believe I forgot about all that! This is why I needed a list-"Twilight went off, only to be silenced by the hoof of Shadow Swirl on her lips.
"Tell you what. I will happily take care of that black board situation of yours,"Shadow volunteered for a chance to get some air from Twilight,"You can drop off your cape at the cleaners and we can meet back up at the house…!"
"You'd really be willing to help me finish up all my things to do for today? Thank you!"Twilight gave Shadow a tight hug that would crush the hips of a normal pony.
"It's… no trouble at all, Twilight. I just don't want to feel like a fifth leg around town. Might as well, make myself useful,"Shadow said her peace on the matter before Twilight teleported the large black board onto Shadow's back,"So we'll meet back at the library and we'll make the sandwiches for the picnic…!"
"Love the plan already. Hope to see you soon, Shadow!"Twilight exclaimed while making her dirty cape appear before taking off with Spike to the cleaners.
This left Shadow to take a deep breath in, her mind was awarded some peace for her patience. Yet this trip took her back to the days that Celestia was a paranoid student under the teachings of Star Swirl and her mother. Oh the chaos and madness that ensued between her, Orion, and Celestia.
"Boy… She's just like her teacher…"Shadow sighed and began to carry the black board through town.
Shadow snickered and walked, barely feeling an ounce of weight from the black board. She looked up to the clouds in the blue sky, the cool shadows they caste put her mind at ease. As much as Twilight was showing herself to be a hoof full, it was actually quite fun never the less. It felt different more than anything, compared to her pass adventures, this one was tense, but it was ended with peace. Something she and all the other warriors longed for, peaceful endings felt better than violent endings.
She hummed a tune through town, showing a courtesy smile of kindness to all the ponies. The ponies that noticed appeared to be at ease and friendly towards her, she was a new comer in their eyes. Their friendly attitudes was just what the world could use, and she definitely could use it. It felt so much nicer than what she remembered from her life in Old Equestria. The world she would almost like to forget, but it only made her take out her necklace for a moment at the mere thought of it.
She sighed, opening the locket that held the picture she would carry all the way to the grave. The small picture that held the memory of herself, and the young brother she lost so long ago. Her face went silent for a moment, allowing her to take in the memory of her lost brother. Her head lowered, as she then closed the locket and gave it a gentle kiss before stuffing it back in her robe. She shook her head, not wanting to submerge into the memories of a world she hated as a filly.
Finally after a long walk and stopping to ask for directions at a quill and couch store. Shadow finally made it up a hill and at long last discovered the Ponyville school house. A place where the town's future ponies came to learn and grow as a whole, ready to make the town better. Now this was a place she would hope to visit more often, just for a chance to see bright new faces. For children were her forte, and the tiny ponies that her heart always reached out to.
It had appeared that she had arrived just in time to see the students and teacher returning from a field trip. They were right in the middle of piling back into the school upon her arrival. This was her opportunity to return the black board and say hello to the children she rescued from Discord's prison. She was slow to approach the teacher she knew as Ms Cheerlie, the teacher of the school. A mare that Orion spoke of in high regard for her passionate teachings to the town's future.
She humbly awaited the moment that all the children were inside the school house. Before she then alarmed Cheerlie of her presence with a quiet clearing of the throat. It did the trick and made Cheerlie turn to meet the dark savior, and official new comer to Ponyville.
"Hello, Ms Cheerlie. It's wonderful to meet you once again…!"Shadow greeted while the teacher collected herself and put on a brave face for the warrior.
"Oh…! Ms Shadow Swirl…! Hope I didn't give you a start there. You just surprised me is all,"Cheerlie greeted and gave out a sigh of relief knowing it was the friendly mare of darkness,"I hope you were able to move in here without any trouble, and… I hope you're enjoying the town so far."
"I am… I…came to drop this black board off to you. Twilight almost forgot to return it,"Shadow levitated the black board off her back and set it back up in the school,"Have the children been ok since their run in with Discord? I…worried that some of them would suffer trauma from the void. Darkness is something very lethal to a child…"
"Thank you. And the children have since recovered from our little run in with evil,"Cheerlie showed gratitude and reassurance that her students were healthy and safe,"We just now got done with a field trip to the Ever Free outskirts, spotting animals and plants."
"Ooh lovely…! Care if I…go in for a moment to see them?"Shadow asked out of curiosity and her natural impulse to feel the joy that children bring her when she cares or sees them.
"Oh…I'd hate to take up your time. I'm sure you warriors tend to be very busy at times."Cheerlie worried about taking up too much of Shadow's time in her first few days in Ponyville.
"It's no time waster at all… I have all the time in the world…!"Shadow reassured before Cheerlie smiled and nodded, offering to lead her inside.
With the bright and spirited teacher showing her the way, the mare entered the school. Upon entry, all was quiet for a moment, giving Shadow the chance to see the bright faces of Ponyville's youth. Most of them were smiling, her heart was instantly melting and reminding her of what she fought for. It was then that the children began to light up with excitement, upon seeing the mare. The one that many remembered for her heroism when they feared that they would forever be stuck in darkness.
"Children! I hope you all enjoyed our trip to the forest outskirts, because we will be writing a small essay on what we liked about the outskirts,"Cheerlie started it out by assessing their trip and what activities were next on the list to do,"But before I dismiss you all early so you can get a good start, we have a visitor. Our good hero, Shadow Swirl…!"
"Hello, Ms Shadow Swirl!"They all greeted loud and clear for the visitor that was using all her strength to contain her warm feelings.
"Hello…! I hope I'm not intruding, but I could not settle in this town without making sure you were all ok,"Shadow announced and walked in front of the desk as all eyes were on her,"I remember seeing all your faces in that void… It's alright if you wish to pretend that you weren't afraid. No pony likes to admit when they're scared."
The children felt a stroke of confusion mixing in with some sort of appeal to Shadow. It was like she spoke to them as if she wasn't just some hero or warrior, but as a third parent. One that understood how they felt in this age where pier pressure and popularity was the most important thing in a kid's life.
"But admitting fears is the first step to conquering them, and you all had every right to fear that void,"Shadow explained and encouraged the students to not hide how they truly feel,"Darkness is a scary thing. I've worked with it for the last two thousand years to preserve the light of Equestria, keeping all that dare to use such magic in the pits where they all belong…!"
"You're the one that Mr Orion says can use dark magic for good, right?"Apple Bloom raised her hoof before pointing out who Shadow was from what Orion spoke of in class.
"Apple Bloom…! You must wait till you're called on before asking a question...!"Cheerlie went to lay down the law about speaking out without permission, only to be interrupted herself.
"It's alright…! And yes, I am the pony of darkness. Trusted with preserving and being the barrier between the innocent and dark magic,"Shadow admitted to the filly she knew as the brave young Apple that helped free her fellow students,"And you… I have not forgotten the bravery and strength you showed when all others surrendered to the darkness. Freedom would not have been guaranteed without you, child…"
"Ah shucks…! I just gave Orion a little kick in the right direction…!"Apple Bloom wanted to drink in the sudden praise, but knew she would not hear the end of it from her family.
"Every pony needs a kick in the right direction from time to time, it helps make a pony stronger when they're willing to receive help,"Shadow agreed and then turned around with a sense of peace with her words rested with children,"Alright…! I said my peace. Now I'll leave you all to wrap up your day of school for today, I hope my words helped you all in some way."
"Thank you, for dropping in for some wise words and checking on the safety of my students, Shadow."Cheerlie showed gratitude for Shadow Swirl's courtesy towards her and the children.
"Of course, it's my sworn duty to protect the innocent and future of Equestria,"Shadow incited while slowly walking to the door, only to look back for some final words to Apple Bloom,"And Apple Bloom? The strength that you showed in that void… Keep that close to heart. It's quite the gift you have…!"
With that, Shadow finally departed from the school house with satisfaction. Leaving Cheerlie to conclude the school day early and put her black board back where it belonged. With a smile she was now making her way back to the Ponyville library, the place she now called home. The sun looked beautiful this day, Celestia had to be in some sort of absolute tranquility at the moment. Something she should have shared with Twilight, seeing how much pressure Twilight felt being her student.
Her walk did not take too long before she was approaching the library. Even when it was barely a bit afternoon, it felt like it was sunset to the mare of shadow. The day was feeling awfully long, she was almost longing for the night to settle in so her and Luna could venture into dreams. Her patience would have to put to the test for this day, judging by how slow it was going. Not to mention the chaos that was going on inside the library, it was alarmed by books flying and the panic of Twilight.
Upon entry, Twilight was at the same time making to leave the library for an unknown reason. Instead they both rammed heads together and tumbled just outside the door way. They sat up in a daze, seeing a couple stars before Twilight was able to shake her confusion off and rush to aid Shadow.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry about that…! I was just in a hurry and I didn't see you!"Twilight helped Shadow to her hooves and dusted off the mare's robe.
"No worries, I'm built to handle small accidents like this. What's the big rush?"Shadow shook her head and wondered the reason behind Twilight's apparent frantic mood.
"I just remembered, I have yet to write a letter to princess Celestia on the magic of friendship,"Twilight exclaimed while showing Shadow a blank scroll that would normally contain a friendship lesson for the princess,"The week is almost up…! And if I don't learn a friendship lesson, I'll be tardy! And then… Magical kindergarden…!"
"What…? Twilight, there's no way standards are that high for the princess, and lessons like that can't be rushed,"Shadow slowly began to explain the mildly confusing problem Twilight was facing,"Lessons like that take time, and you got plenty of that. You shouldn't worry about filling out such a quota just to stay on top of everything. Celestia's easier to please than you think."
"No…! You don't understand. If I fail to meet all my quotas, I'll get more and more lazy and tardy,"Twilight went on with her panicked situation that was already making her mane a bit messy,"Then…Celestia may not find me worthy of being her student any more…! Everything I aspired to be will just be gone! All my progress gone in a flash…!"
"Twilight, calm down…! You're freaking yourself out…! And your kind of freaking me out…"Shadow insisted that Twilight cool her head rather than dive into mild insanity.
"Do YOU have some sort of friendship problem that needs solving…?!"Twilight asked with her muzzle pressed up against Shadow's with scary curiosity.
"No… I'm…doing just fine…"Shadow said with a swallow of nervousness.
"Ok… I'll be right back…! With a friendship lessons hopefully!"Twilight yelled while suddenly taking off into town to find a friendship lesson.
Shadow quietly watched the young mare disappear into the town on her hunt for lessons. While Shadow slowly peeked inside the library, seeing Spike holding onto Orion's leg. Orion was simply shaking his head, while Spike was a bit shaken by the sudden insanity twilight showed.
"So…Did I miss anything important?"Shadow asked while entering the library and shutting the door behind her.
"Ugh… Just Twilight losing her mind over the idea on being tardy about a friendship lesson,"Orion sighed and calmly shrugged it off to ensure that it does not become a lingering issue,"If it gets too serious I'll talk her down from it and we can work the issue out…!"
"That's a pretty bold promise. Though it should not be your problem to fix,"Shadow commented as she sat down in a chair to shake off the willies Twilight gave her,"She's Tia's student. And if she's making Twilight think that her standards match that of the king and queens judgment on warriors, then she needs to make things clear to Twilight."
"Yeah…! The princess is usually really understanding, and patient with Twilight. I never understand why she takes things so seriously…!"Spike admitted his feelings towards Twilight's high maintenance life style while slowly unlatching from Orion.
"I could make a quick trip to Canterlot and talk to Tia about her, perhaps she could clarify her standards more clearly for Twilight."Shadow offered to take a trip to the princess real fast.
"Nah, you took a long trip to get here. No point in just going all the way back there just to give some info to Tia."Orion tried to get the idea of possibly bringing Celestia into the mix over Twilight's issue.
"I can always just send the princess a letter of things get out of control…!"Spike offered a simple message to Celestia as he stood before the queen of shadows.
"Well that's a very noble thing for you today, Spike. I suppose that is why you are the number one assistant she talks about,"Shadow happily picked up the baby dragon and flattered him with her words,"And I guess you do know her better than we do. Looks like we'd be fools not to trust you, you adorable little dragon…!"
"Well…some pony has to watch out for Twilight when every pony else can't. That's what makes me her numberrrrrr… Oooooh yeah…!"Spike went on to brag, only to be sat on Shadow's lap before he was then treated to another round of getting his spikes scratched.
"Well we should just wait until we see how the rest of the day goes. Perhaps by the end she'll cool down and come to grips,"Orion suggested waiting before taking any sort of serious action,"If she does not improve then we can message her, but for now, lets leave it be."
"Fine…! But I hope you're not going to whine and moan if we have to call her over…!"Shadow warned while Orion scoffed and decided to march upstairs to read a book in solitude.
"Ahhh… He's always moody when it comes to the princess. He just can't let a simple mistake go."Spike waved off the prince that walked off, leaving the baby dragon in Shadow's care.
"Hey… Celestia did something that could have destroyed harmony and the land itself,"Shadow recalled the memory of Luna's sealing within the moon, due to Celestia's arrogance,"
She chose to just make her problem disappear rather than face it and fix the problem before it could spiral out of control…"
"You too? What could have happened that made the Mare In The Moon tale the princess's fault?"Spike asked while noticing the necklace that was sliding out of Shadow's robe and dangling.
"Let's just say the truth of that tale is quite stretched… And Celestia has yet to come to terms with the truth…"Shadow replied while Spike reached out and took a hold of the locket attached to the necklace.
"Sounds a bit hard to believe… So what's this slick necklace and locket you're rocking,"Spike decided to changed the subject into his curiosity for Shadow's necklace,"This is like the one thing that isn't pitch black, purple or dark about you."
"That's a very precious piece of my past. That locket and the clothes on my back are all memories of my past."Shadow looked down as Spike quickly took slow and special caution when opening the locket.
"Ok… And who are these two lovely looking ponies…! That purple filly on the left looks cute,"Spike exclaimed and blushed upon seeing the small picture of Shadow and Dusty,"Well… It's a shame you had a colt friend back then. Because I would muster every ounce of strength I had to ask you out…!"
"Funny… That colt happens to be my little brother…"Shadow answered a little blatantly but kept it playful since Spike was trying to compliment her.
"I take that back…! Sorry…! Uh…you two look adorable…! Was he like you?"Spike stuttered and tried to show redirected curiosity for her brother.
"He was a fighter… But he was always softer and a bit nicer than me… Even when we fought for our lives."Shadow explained a bit and allowed some memories to flow into her mind.
"So both of you are of course fighting for your lives in old Equestria?"Shadow responded by slowly lifting the dragon's claws up to also look at the photo.
"Yes… Dusty was a strong one… But he just wasn't strong enough to survive Old Equestria…"Shadow sighed, wanting to only remember Dusty's smiling face.
"Oh…I'm sorry…"Spike apologized and fell silent, feeling as if he had pried far too much into personal territory.
"Not your fault… It's in a child's nature to be curious…"Shadow showed understanding and closed the locket to let both herself and Spike relax from the moment.
Hours later, after dealing with a troublesome delay brought on by Twilight's friendship lesson issue. The two warriors were finally on their way to the picnic with Twilight and her friends. All though they were getting the gut feeling that the trouble was far from over. So they were ever so watchful upon approaching the spot where the blanket was laid down nice and flat. The other mares were already there, setting up with utensils, napkins, and even special glasses.
Upon their approach, that was when Rarity was first to notice a vital piece of the picnic missing. The food was yet to be unpacked, but it was still there for them to enjoy with utensils. They had the napkins for messes, and they had glasses complimentary to Rarity's taste for fancy stuff. However the missing link was realized, for they did not have the plates for putting their food on. As to be expected, Rarity was fairly dramatic and in a panic over the missing wares.
"I did! I totally forgot the plates! Of all the worst things that could happen. This is THE WORST POSSIBLE THING,"Rarity exclaimed and quickly pulled out her ruby red fainting couch to fall to."Why, why, why…! Uh… What? You didn't expect me to lay in the grass, did you?"
"Well that's the fun of having a picnic, Rarity. The grass isn't as bad as you might think!"Orion called out to the group upon their arrival to the blanket.
"Also, we have the plates…! So there's no need to start up a massive panic,"Shadow offered up the stack of plates in her purple magic while noticing the disheveled look Twilight was sporting,"Did every pony make it here alright?"
"More or less… So does this mean we can just dig in now?"Spike asked, hoping to distance himself from Twilight and enjoy the picnic.
"Not yet, Spike. We need to properly set up the spread neatly for every pony to choose from!"Rarity wished for a clean and properly balanced spread as she organized he plates and food all around the blanket.
"Well hurry on up, I'm starving here, Rarity,"Applejack complained before noticing the uneasy and disheveled look that was all over Twilight,"You alright, hun?"
"No, I am not alright!"Twilight could no longer hide the troubles that were eating away at her.
"You're still going on about this friendship lesson?"Orion groaned with growing exhaustion for Twilight's irrational fear of tardiness.
"What? What kind of friendship lesson are we talking about here?"Rainbow Dash grew curious of Twilight's situation, as did all of her friends.
"She's worried about not being able to deliver a friendship lesson to the princess by the end of the day."Shadow was nice enough to give them the short and sweet version of Twilight's situation.
"Really…? No offense…Sugarcube? But that sounds like you're working yourself up over nothing."Applejack gave her honest opinion of the situation Twilight saw as her worse nightmare.
"We've told her that, but she won't relax about this and continues to stress about this,"Orion explained while being the gentle colt and pouring every pony some sparkling punch,"And I'm gonna tell you this one more time. Celestia is not as high standard as you might think, I do not understand what she could have done to give you the high standard impression you think she has."
"This isn't nothing! This is everything! I need you girls to help me find some pony with a problem I can fix before sundown,"Twilight suddenly yelled out with panic and anger over the lack of help she was getting,"My whole life depends on it!"
"Oh, Twilight! You are a crack up!"Pinkie laughed off the unicorn's growing irate attitude.
"Come on, now. Have a seat and stop sweating the little things…!"Applejack insisted that Twilight let go of the small but consuming issue.
Twilight responded to all of these answers with irritation and more craziness. She gave a loud and angry groan that almost broke into a scream before she then took off dramatically. Leaving every pony confused and wondering what could have possibly made such a minor thing turn into such a problem.
"I've never seen her this upset before…!"Fluttershy admitted that she was now a bit worried for Twilight.
"Neither have we…"Orion spoke with honesty and a touch of fear as well.
"Spike…? I think we should leave for the library and prepare that letter for Celestia…"Shadow whispered and quietly gestured for them to sneak away from the others to go write a letter.
"You sure they'll be ok with us ditching them…?"Spike asked, but was more than up for leaving the picnic early.
"They'll be fine… This is a bit more important than a little picnic."Shadow insisted as they quietly got up and snaked their way off the blanket and left for the library.
"That's a good point… Though I am gonna miss the food…"Spike mumbled as they walked home.
Their walk together was calm and quiet for the most part, even with a friend going insane. But last thing Shadow needed was to worry Spike too much and distract him from what's most important. The minute they had finally gotten to the library, the both of them rushed inside. Shadow was immediately whipping out a scroll and laying out on the table for Spike. While he went searching for his quill pen and ink, thankfully Twilight always kept stock piling them with plenty of writing supplies.
He found an ink and quill pen, then quickly rushed to the table while Shadow sat on the couch. However, the moment Spike took up the paper and prepared to write, he then paused. Before he then looked to Shadow as if he needed information to go on, since Twilight was not there to give him the information to write with.
"Uh…I usually write whatever Twilight says when making a letter to the princess…"Spike explained with honesty and nervousness to be writing a letter without Twilight.
"Well… Just tell her what's going on with Twilight. Be honest and upfront with, Celestia,"Shadow shared some words of encouragement to get Spike writing his own letter,"You can do this…! Just say what you're truly worried about and the princess will understand…"
"Well… If you say so. Then this is for Twilight…!"Spike took a deep breath in and quickly began to write the letter.
Dear Princess Celestia
I regret to inform you that this is not a friendship lesson, but rather it is a call for help. Twilight has come to misunderstand your expectations and had become obsessed over a little problem. She fears that she will be tardy and punished for not getting a friendship lesson to you before the end of the week. We humbly request your help to rain in on Twilight's fear, for me, Shadow, and even your brother worry that's she's going crazy over this obsession. Please, we need your help.
Your faithful servant, Spike
"See? That wasn't so bad, Spike. You just needed to go for it, and put honesty in your words,"Shadow said with a yawn while the baby dragon rolled up the later and blew it away into the wind as smoke and green flames,"Now we wait…until Celestia gets here… Shouldn't be…too long…"
"I hope it's soon… You uh… You look tired…!"Spike noticed Shadow was suddenly weary and even a bit baggy eyed.
"Yes… I…normally oversee the night and the whole morning. I usually sleep the whole afternoon and evening,"Shadow let out another yawn and rubbed at her eyes a bit to keep them open,"I wanted to stay awake long enough to unpack, settle in and enjoy the picnic with you all…"
"Oh… Well you can go ahead and sleep if you want. I can give you the heads up if the princess arrives…!"Spike offered to take over the library and handle the rest of the issue while she slept.
"Yeah… I only need a few hours and I can be up before the sun starts to set. Won't be long."Shadow made her sleeping arrangement clear while slipping off her open hoof shoes.
"Then I guess I'll just see if there's any chores that need to be done in the meantime,"Spike rushed off to check the kitchen after giving a quick look around the main room,"And there's no chores at the moment…!"
Upon entering the room again, he got a glimpse of Shadow disrobing her cleric robe. The robe proved to be baggy and large, deceiving the baby dragon after seeing Shadow's very slender and curved body. She let her large robe drop alongside the couch next to her boots. With that she was able to relax on the couch and pull the sheet she was given over her body. The mare then stared at the ceiling, setting her mind at ease and allowing her eyes to begin to close up in slumber.
She covered her face with the sheet, allowing the mare to slumber in darkness. This left Spike desperate to find some sort of chore to do to pass the time till then. That was when the baby dragon saw the scuffs and dirt on Shadow's boots and her robe.
"I wonder if she'd be ok with me cleaning her boots and robe while she sleeps,"Spike wondered and slowly walked over to snatch up her boots and robe, before a foul odor assaulted his nose,"Eww! Holy Celestia…! They smell worse than my feet mixed with Timber wolf breath…!"
He froze for a moment, hearing Shadow sigh and roll around, her back was facing him. He sighed with relief, only to almost gag on the smell of her robe, his cleaning urges were triggered. As he folded the robe and placed the horse shoes on top of it for transportation to the cleaners.
"Sorry, but these gotta get washed…!"Spike almost gagged as he walked off to clean Shadow's garbs.
Leaving the mare of shadows to slumber for the first time in several days. She did not wish to tell him how long she had truly been up for, it would only worry the dragon more than he needed to be. Hours passed, and she never stopped sleeping like a foal, she was quite the quiet sleeper as well. All was quiet around her, it made her stable and calm as she slept through the whole afternoon. Before she knew it, the evening was coming,, and that meant the sun would soon be setting.
She tossed and turned a bit, her ears began to perk up from distant noises. Noises full of anger, fighting, desire, and even a bit of madness, an old testament to dark corruption. They were getting louder and louder in her head, it felt like a dream was coming for the dark warrior. But she would be in it already, and she would be able to see the nightmare rather than just hear it. Finally she snapped open her eyes, and found herself staring at the ceiling of the library's main room.
No dream was surrounding her, just an unnerving reality and the noises that have not ceased. She sat up on the couch, quickly she looked to the window to see the sun setting. Before the rambling noises began to get louder, worry was now mounting from within her, it sounded like a witch hunt. Shadow did not put such a thing pass people, not when it came to a town like Ponyville. She sprang from the couch, only to notice her robe and shoes were gone, nowhere in sight.
"What the…? No…! My robe…! My shoes! Some pony just jacked my wares!"Shadow panicked as she quickly scurried around the library to find her garbs.
Only to be spooked by a pony coming through the window as if he just came from a bar fight. Her fur always raised like a cat before the stallion stumbled to his hooves. He shook off the strange force that sent him crashing through the window, before rushing back outside.
"I want the doll more!"The stallion shouted upon exiting the library and into what was now sounding like a scuffle.
"What the buck…?! Is there some kind of revolution going on or something?!"Shadow exclaimed before bolting for the door to see what was going on in town.
Upon exiting the library, she merely entered a mass of chaos full of pony brawls. Every single pony in the town was fighting. Hoof fights and wrestling matches were in every direction. It was like a war zone, confusion erupted from every direction as her garbs became the least of her worries. She rushed out into the town, looking to all the fights that surrounded her. Many dark curses came to mind, many of them could cause disastrous scenes like this, but which one?
Suddenly she saw a pony doll of unknown origins flying over her head. This caused the crowd to shift their fights around where the doll landed, part of the answer was given to her then. Numerous new thoughts on what was going on now came to mind, perhaps the doll is curse. Or maybe the doll was possessed by an angry spirit, or maybe it's a conduit for a demon of sort. So many possibilities as she spotted Orion struggling and almost being overwhelmed by the riled crowd.
She quickly rushed her was through the crowd, having to dodge punches in the process. She then snaked within her shadows under the massive clusters of ponies brawling in four way brawls. Finally she latched onto Orion's shadow and reformed with her back against his.
"Orion! You mind explaining what the hay just happened while I was gone?"Shadow asked while ducking down to avoid an earth pony flying overhead.
"Twilight decided to make a friendship problem to solve since she couldn't find one,"Orion yelled while backing up to let a mare fall right passed him and land on her flank,"So she put an attraction spell on some old doll of hers and now every pony is fighting over it!"
"Really…? That's it?! Just an attraction spell?!"Shadow yelled while suddenly seeing the doll fly through the air and shift the crowds riot.
"Well what were you expecting, a demon's conduit or something?!"Orion yelled before they jumped to the nearest roof to avoid the stampede of ponies.
"Sort of… Where is Twilight? Is she caught up in this too?"Shadow asked out of concern for the already unstable young mare.
"She's…kind of useless at the moment…"Orion pointed down towards the side of a building where Twilight laid giggling crazily and rolling in the dirt wildly.
"Oh no… I got this, you go deal with her…!"Shadow instructed before jumping back down into the middle of the crowd.
After landing in the middle of the massive free for all, she then took a quick look around. She spotted the doll once again being tossed through the air like a fishing lure. And the crowd went jumping and shifting towards the doll, all of them wanted it out of attraction. So Shadow decided to first contain and control the crowd before securing the doll with a stomp of her hoof. She focused her magic, allowing her shadow to wriggle and shoot out into hundreds of snake like shadows.
They immediately latched onto every pony that fought all around her, locking them in her grasp. She then twisted her hoof, locking in her control over the attracted ponies. Her magic sharpened in her eyes, right as every pony had then frozen in place, their violence ceased instantly. Shadow's eyes twitched a bit, controlling the bodies of hundreds to thousands proved to be a slight struggle. She still managed it, and slowly made the ponies relax and lower their hooves from the violence.
Once they were no longer a threat to one another, she then went for the source of the problem. Slowly, Shadow walked through the frozen and controlled crowd, all the way to the doll. As it laid just under Big Macintosh, who had quietly nabbed the doll while the crowd had fought. She slowly approached the stallion, wearing a blank look that made Mac start to sweat. Her muzzle twitched, and he responded by slowly opening his jaws, allowing her to take the doll.
Slowly, the mare of darkness lifted the doll over her head and began to spin it like a top. Till her purple magic swirled around the doll, exposing the magic Twilight had put into it. With a cold grasping ring of dark purple magic, Twilight's spell was shattered, along with the hypnotizing effect it had on the ponies. Immediately, the ponies were shaking their heads and snapping out of the chance. It simply felt as if they had all awakened from a dream or even a nightmare.
Shadow Swirl took in a deep breath, and released it with much relief. Before she then turned around to look to Twilight, who was now shaking and unable to see straight. Shadow dropped the doll, allowing Mac to secretly take it and run off, leaving the rest to figure out what happened.
"She's still lost and crazed, but at least it became more docile and harmless…!"Orion called out to Shadow Swirl as she approached them and began rubbing both her hooves together.
"Give me a moment, I'll snap her out of it…!"Shadow reassured while Orion put a sheet around Twilight to put her at ease.
Twilight looked around, and no longer saw chaos that could be fixed by her. This threaten to send Twilight straight into a panic attack as the sun finally started to disappear behind the mountain. Thankfully Shadow prevented her from going into a panic with a strong open hoof slap across the cheek.
"Twilight! Snap out of this madness right now, and look around to all this chaos,"Shadow yelled after the slap before Twilight was shaking her head while her mind was rattling back to reality,'All this chaos over a stupid late letter?! What kind of standards did Tia leave you with?!"
Slowly Twilight began to look around, her crazed beady eyes were slow to respond. Only for the color of her eyes to return along with the sparkling pupils she carried. Only then was Twilight breathing easy and taking in the reality she lost for hours, and reality struck her hard.
"Wait…what…? What's going on…? What happened? What's going on with the town?!"Twilight exclaimed as she saw ponies beat up, confused and slowly looking to them for answers.
"You went comp-"Orion was cut off before he could shout about her madness.
"You uh…! A…Cinder! A Cinder pony cursed you with a spell of madness that spread from you to the town,"Shadow was suddenly yelling out what happened to Twilight as well as the whole town very slyly,"We manage to slay the Cinder and it set you and every pony else free!"
"What…? But…I…?"Twilight pondered but could barely remember her madness other than the late letter.
"The buck are you talking abou-"Orion was once again cut off with a hoof over his mouth and a harsh shush.
"Better they think this was an enemy's attack than a mare that was just confused and pressured to madness…!"Shadow hissed to make the bluff work and keep Twilight from any potential scorn for her actions.
"There y'all are! We lost you and Twilight in the crowd of ponies! Everything ok?"Applejack and the rest of Twilight's friends manage to push their way over to the group of three.
"Every pony is fine! The rest of you! Go back to your homes and rest! You'll soon be experiencing moderate head aches from… The curse…!"Orion wanted to gag with the fact that they were covering up what really happened.
"Did you guys just seriously lie…?"Applejack questioned with mild offense while the towns ponies departed for their homes to rest from the chaos.
"Would you rather Twilight get banished for causing a town wide riot?"Orion questioned right back and got the pony pondering on the effects of lying or telling the truth.
"Twilight Sparkle!"Suddenly the elegant voice of Celestia manage to yell down from the sky as she finally arrived to the town.
"Well it's about time…! You! I got a few choice words to share with you!"Shadow yelled out before Celestia manage to come to a landing before every pony.
"Is she really about to yell at the princess…?!"Fluttershy whispered to her shock stricken friends that saw the warrior talk to Celestia like a child.
"We can speak later…! For now, Twilight must meet me at the library…!"Celestia decreed only for Shadow to take both Celestia's and Twilight's hooves to go for a walk.
"No we'll all speak at the library…! All of this chaos is your fault too!"Shadow yelled while dragging the mares off to the library to chat.
"Well… Good bye girls… If you care to visit, I'll be in magical kindergarten in Canterlot…"Twilight gave her final words to her friends before they were off to the library.
"Magic kindergarten?"Fluttershy exclaimed with confusion.
"Canterlot?"Rainbow added with equal confusion.
"Uh…what are we gonna d, y'all?"Applejack felt the cold touch of fear at the thought of never seeing her friend again.
"Don't worry, this will all get sorted out. Just let Shadow handle it…!"Orion patted Applejack's back as they watched their friends disappear to the library.
After several minutes of walking with complete silence among the three mares. Shadow swung the door open before dragging the teacher and the student into the abode. She let out a breath and released them to shut the door behind them for a bit of privacy to chat.
"Alright…! Now what kind of standards are you setting up for this unicorn, Tia,"Shadow exclaimed while kicking out chairs for them to sit in like a disappointed mother,"I have not seen a unicorn this stressed and under such pressure since Sombra's second year as a king!'
"I only asked for her utmost faith and effort as my student…!"Celestia insisted that she only gave Twilight the basic expectations as a teacher.
"Did you clarify that a bit more for her? She was only a filly when you took her under your wing!"Shadow pointed out the expectations that a child would understand when under the wing of a princess.
"I…might have forgotten to emphasize comfort and standard expectations."Celestia admitted that she missed the part where she warns Twilight not to try too hard or to be so on top of things.
"Exactly, a child will take your words a great face value, and may not understand what you expect from a student,"Shadow continued explaining the ways a child takes in the words of a higher power,"If you don't emphasize that properly, they may try too hard to appease a pony of your status. Next thing you know, you have the same issue as Orion and Sombra did…!"
"Do you really have to bring that up…?"Celestia tried her best not to scowl and worry Twilight.
"Better you understand it now rather than later before something worse than today happens…"Shadow decided to emphasize her stances between a teacher and student.
"Princess…? I'm so sorry…! I really didn't mean for all this to happen… I was just afraid of missing the deadline and being tardy,"Twilight wished to apologize regardless of the conversation they had before,"I don't ever went to let you down and be a bad student to you… I don't want to be a failure in your eyes…"
"Twilight… You're a wonderful student…! Your accomplishments have far exceeded what I expected of you before,"Celestia decided to respond to Twilight's guilt for the chaos,"And… I admit, I should not have made you believe that I expected so much from you…! I'm sorry for putting so much pressure on you to succeed."
"I know… I guess next time I shouldn't take things too seriously."Twilight decided on her adjustment when handling situations of stress and vital projects.
"You'd be doing a favor for every pony by just relaxing more often and taking things one step at a time."Shadow insisted upon Twilight's decision to take things more calmly and with less high standards.
Suddenly the door swung open again, and all of Twilight's friends poured in. Orion was the last one to enter and close the door behind them, while the rest of the mares stood before the princess. Their intentions were unknown and their arrival was unexpected to this meeting.
"Wait!"Rainbow was the first to stop the conversation.
"Please don't punish her…!"Pinkie begged for forgiveness and Twilight's remainder in Ponyville.
"It wasn't her fault…!"Applejack insisted while the three mares looked to each other with confusion.
"Excuse me…?"Celestia asked for some knowledge to this confusion.
"I don't know, they insist that this is their fault as well…"Orion shrugged and decided to let them go and give their input on the issue.
"Please, your highness. We all saw that Twilight was upset."Fluttershy started off their confession of guilt.
"But we thought that the thing she was worrying about wasn't worth worrying about."Rainbow admitted why they felt it was their fault in the first place.
"So when she ran off all worked up not a single one of use tried to stop her…!"Applejack explained what sealed the events that followed the chaos.
"As Twilight's good friends, we SHOULD have taken her feelings more seriously, and been there for her…!"Rarity explained the roots of the lesson they learned from their mistake.
"Please don't take her away from us because we were too insensitive to help her…!"Fluttershy begged for mercy on Twilight's means of staying with them.
"Well… Looks like all of you have learned a valuable lesson today,"Celestia admitted with a bit of confusion lingering as she chose to pass off her own mistake in secret after they all agreed to her words,"Very well! I will forget about Twilight's…punishment… On ONE condition."
"Punishment my diet flank…! Couldn't punish Philomena if she took a dump in your tea…!"Orion snickered to himself.
"Well…! I guess that's what I get for teaching Tia some of my tips…!"Shadow groaned after Celestia decided to leave her own mistake between Shadow and Twilight.
"From this day forth, I would like you all to report to me on your findings on the magic of friendship,"Celestia decreed her new orders to all the mares and even the warriors,"And you all can do it when,, and only when you happen to discover the. But… Don't feel to pressured to go looking for the lesson… Let them come to all of you."
The five friends all gave a cheer for the new and very fair decree of Celestia. The warriors shrugged at the harmless decree and decided to sit down for some much needed relaxation. While Spike had quietly returned to the library, carrying Shadow's robe and shoes.
"Princess Celestia, wait! How did you know I was in trouble?"Twilight suddenly asked the question on how Celestia learned of the situation.
"Spike wrote a letter to the princess explaining the whole situation and emphasized on how important it was that she came."Shadow decided to answer the question for Celestia.
"And I wouldn't have written a good letter on my own without Shadow Swirl being there to give me the push I needed!"Spike added as he approached the group and got Shadow's attention when showing off her garbs.
"Hey…! There's my robe and shoes. What on Equestria's soil were you doing with those?!"Shadow questioned before Spike gave her back the garments she would wear to the grave.
"I decided to shine and wash your shoes while your robe was in the cleaners,"Spike explained his actions that involved Shadow being without her garbs for a bit,"No offense but your robe smelled like rotten garbage and pennies. The smell was horrible…!"
"Oh! Uh…thank you…! That was very sweet of you to do, Spike. Thank you so much…!"Shadow exclaimed and nicely showed gratitude while hiding what caused such a smell.
"No problem! That's what I'm here for!"Spike admitted with a salute before walking off to the other mares.
"So who did you kill this time…?"Orion whispered to Shadow, not wanting death to become a topic among the others.
"Just a crazy griffon vicar…! He was messing with a insect plague curse all over three villages,"Shadow whispered back about the origins of the nasty smell that lingered on her robe,"He was a bit of a gusher when I tore into him. Must have still had some blood and feathers on me…"
"Say Spike…! Mind taking a bit of a message for all of us?"Applejack asked for all her friends and got the baby dragon to take up a letter to write personally for Celestia.
"Ooh, you get to experience the always enjoyable lesson on friendship…!"Orion whispered as they got cozy to listen to the lesson learned by all five friends of Twilight's.
Dear Princess Celestia
We're writing to you because today we all learned a little bit about friendship. We learned that you should take our friends worries seriously. Even if you don't think that she has anything to worry about. And that you shouldn't let your worries turn a small problem… Into an enormously huge entire town in total chaos princess and warriors has to come and save the day problem! Signed, your loyal subjects.
"PS… Obviously Spike did not have to learn a lesson, because he is the best, most awesome friend a pony could ask for,"Spike suddenly decided an extra personal detail to the letter,"Unlike every pony else, he took things seriously and… Eheh… Uh…yeah… I'll just um…"
"Take out that last part? Yeah, that might be the best idea, you over pride knuckle head!"Orion called out after throwing book at Spike's back, only to receive a hoof against the head from Shadow.
"Don't hit him you dunder head! He's just a kid having fun…!"Shadow yelled while Spike began to snicker at Orion getting some punishment of his own.
This caused the rest of the mares to explode with laughter for the sudden turn of the tables. While Twilight hugged Spike for sending for help that she had desperately needed. This concluded quite the eventful yet very enjoyable day in Ponyville, even for one such as Shadow Swirl. After seeing such a minor assortment of problems this town proved to have, it felt like a breeze. A town this easy to care for would definitely be a place she could call home, as she laughed among her new friends.
Ah, it still feels so good to be back in this story, writing for season 2. A season that I have loads of things planned for, more story fillers, more adventure, more warriors! Next episode is a fan favorite for all you boys and girls out there that love Luna, it's gonna be a Nightmare Night to remember. So stay pony every one.
