Salutations my readers, I do hope you enjoyed the last chapter on your Thanksgiving night. And to you two readers in Sweden and Venezuela, you made me very happy when I saw that I managed to attract attention from places so varied and for that I thank you specifically who/where ever you are. Enjoy chapter 7!
Cinder Coat took one last look behind her before leaving Shadow and going on ahead. 'I still can't believe it..' Cinder Coat thought as she approached what appeared to a mountainside. She gave it three hard bucks before a section of the rock-face slid to the side, a dull white colored stallion stepped out, "Cinder, what are you doing back so soon?" he asked. "Calm down Ashy, I just need you to keep the door open, I found another one." said Cinder Coat pointing behind her "One of these days I'm going to stop opening this door for you if you keep calling me Ashy, it's Ashen. And fine, I'll keep the door open for you and your new changeling." the stallion Ashen replied, causing Cinder Coat to chuckle. "What's so funny?" he asked, "You'll see when I bring him around.." Cinder Coat said a little slyly as she left the entrance and made her way towards Shadow.
Cinder made her way back to the spot were she left Shadow and stopped suddenly when she got there. Shadow wasn't there! "Shadow! Shadow where are you?" Cinder Coat called out, "I'm right here." the voice made Cinder Coat jump in surprise. Cinder Coat looked around but didn't see anything "Where is here?" she asked.
"Up here." Shadow said as his head and neck emerged from a tree branch and causing Cinder Coat to jump again. "Why and how in the hay are you up there?" she practically hissed, "I'm not entirely sure, one moment I'm standing where you are, and the next I'm up here hiding when I heard hoof beats. I do like this tree though.." Shadow trailed off, uncharacteristically, before snapping back to focus. "Sorry, I'll come down now." he said before jumping onto the trunk and using it like a springboard to jump onto the ground.
Cinder Coat just ignored him, still slightly upset that she had been scared so easily. "Okay, whatever, now come on. There are some ponies that will want to meet you." "Umm, okay." Shadow replied, once again following the mysterious mare.
As they kept going Shadow saw a large rock-face, but what intrigued him was the gaping hole at the bottom with a white stallion leaning against the side. "Is he..?" Shadow tried to ask "Yes, he's like us too, and his name is Ashen." Cinder Coat replied bluntly, though she couldn't help but smirk to herself 'How little he knows..'
"Who's this Cinder?" Ashen asked, pointing a hoof at Shadow "His name is Shadow Skull, be nice." Cinder told Ashen "Why is he disguised, doesn't he know changelings are safe here?" Ashen continued. This time Shadow responded "Sorry but, what is a changeling?" asked Shadow causing Ashen to look confused and Cinder Coat to laugh.
"Okay Cinder, is this some kind of joke?" asked Ashen, a little irritated. "Go ahead Shadow, show him." Cinder Coat said after she managed to stop laughing. "Will I have to do this often?" Shadow asked in reply "Only if you keep insisting on disguising yourself, now show him." answered Cinder Coat.
Shadow sighed, "Okay, sorry." "What are you two talking about, show me wha.." Ashen began, only to stop and drop his jaw at what he was seeing. Shadow once again changed, losing all his fur and his mane and tail being replaced by blue and green flames."You..you're a...you're a..." Ashen stammered, "It's rude to stare Ashy." Cinder Coat snickered. "Come on, we need to talk with Commander Fire Mane." she said, leaving Ashen standing there speechless as Shadow once again regrew his fur, mane, and tail.
As they walked through the long winding tunnel they passed some ponies and large amounts of what Shadow could only assume were changelings. Pony-like creatures with holes in their legs and insect-like wings. Shadow couldn't help but feel uncomfortable as they all stopped to look at him as they passed. The pair soon reached another door, this one unhidden, that was guarded by two ponies, one a mare and the other a stallion But both had a gold-orange mane. "Let us through, Commander Fire Mane is going to want and meet this one." Cinder Coat said plainly.
The pair of guards looked at them and then to eachother before opening the door "Thanks Wisp, thanks Smoke." Cinder nodded to the guards, who just nodded back before resuming their posts.
Shadow looked around the extremely large room, it was surprisingly well furnished for a cave. There were several tables scattered around, rugs and carpets littered the floor randomly, there were even bookshelves stocked to the brim with old, dusty tomes.
They approached one table that had several ponies around it, all of them had fiery-red manes. As Cinder lead Shadow towards the table none of them bothered to look up and kept going over what ever it was they were looking at on the table. "What is it this time Cinder, did you find another changeling?" asked an imposingly tall stallion, still not bothering to look up "Sorry Commander, but I thought you might want to meet this one, he isn't a changeling." answered Cinder Coat. This caused all of them to stop talking and look up, "What are you saying Cinder?" asked the Commander "He's one of us!" Cinder Coat said with excitement.
Shadow could feel all eyes on him as Cinder Coat kept talking. "When I went to investigate that magical disturbance at the nearby town I found him there, I didn't think much of him until the Princess showed up with some of the royal guards. That's when he changed. He slammed the ground with his hooves and caused a flame geyser before jumping over the line of guards and escaping into the forest."
The Commander looked straight at Shadow "Is this true?" he asked. Shadow only nodded in reply, not sure what else to do. "Can he speak?" Commander Fire Mane asked turning to Cinder "Yes, and he's polite. You're probably just scaring him Commander." she answered. Turning his gaze back to Shadow, Commander Fire Mane said "Well say something then.." unable to think of anything else, Shadow responded with "He..Hello, my name is Shadow, it's a pleasure to meet you sir." he said respectfully.
Commander Fire Mane looked over towards Cinder Coat skeptically before turning back to Shadow and saying bluntly "Change." Shadow sighed, but not wanting to cause any problems, he let his coat, mane, and tail fade away to be replaced by bone and fire.
Cinder Coat smiled to herself at the sound of surprised murmurs from the ones at the table and a mental cheer at the shocked face on Commander Fire Mane's face.
"He's... he's a Blue.." stammered one of the ponies at the table. "Obviously Lieutenant Bone.." Commander Fire Mane said, managing to regain his stoic composure. "You're the best Green we have Cinder, but even this is hard to believe. The Blues were ended over a millennium ago. We need to go to Ember Sight about this." he continued.
"There is no need, I am already here.." a slow raspy voice said, causing the group gathered around the table to split and reveal an old stallion with a long and wispy purple mane. Shadow just stood there without the slightest clue about what was going on, as the old stallion slowly made his way up to Shadow.
"Your eyes are odd.." said the old stallion, who Shadow could only guess was this Ember Sight they were all muttering about. "Gee, thanks a lot.." Shadow muttered looking down, only to receive a sharp knock on his head from Ember Sight. Shadow didn't say anything in fear of another whack to his skull, even when Rainbow Dash had bucked him in the gut with her legs it hadn't hurt. "It wasn't an insult." said Ember Sight.
Shadow looked up at the old, long maned stallion in front of him. As Shadow examined the Ember Sight, Ember Sight examined Shadow with a gleam in his purple colored eyes. After what felt like eternity Ember Sight said without turning around "He is worthy of the Pyre.." before turning around and walking off, leaving all but Shadow and Commander Fire Mane muttering in disbelief. Commander Fire Mane turned to the muttering group and spoke in an authoritative tone "We're done here, I want you all to go on patrol, make sure these two weren't followed through the forest. Dismissed." The dozen red manned ponies quickly saluted and left through the same door Cinder Coat and Shadow entered with.
"Sorry, but, what just happened? Everypony keeps talking like all of this is common knowledge, and in case you forgot I'm not from here, I have no idea what is going on. So please, can any pony tell me what is happening here?" Shadow asked, finally managing to find his voice. The Commander just turned to Shadow and said "You will have to wait for that, first we have to go to the Pyre." "Okay, but what's so special about this Pyre?" Shadow stubbornly asked. "The Pyre, is where we're supposed to come from, born of it's fires, and which is why you are so strange, that and the green in you tail. Going to the Pyre is something very few of us get to do, it's reserved for Purples and very special occasions. Now follow me." replied Commander Fire Mane, walking off in the same direction the old pony Ember Sight vanished to, Shadow and Cinder Coat in tow.
The trio soon arrived at a large metal door, intricately carved with designs of fire 'Okay, all the fire is starting to get old..' Shadow thought to himself as the Commander pushed open the heavy door; it lead to another large room which was a perfectly smooth dome and exceedingly bare even for a cave. In the center was a ring stalagmites centered around a large multicolored fire of red, green, gold, white, blue, and purple.
Sitting in front of the trio with his back towards them was the old pony Ember Sight, his mane trailing out behind him as his head bobbed around and he muttered to himself. "What is he doing?" Shadow whispered to Cinder Coat, "He's communing, the Pyre is sentient and Purples have a strong connection to it, I'll explain later." she answered, ending the conversation.
The whole room suddenly got colder, even as the Pyre seemed to burn brighter. A voice sounded out seemingly from everywhere, old yet melodious.
"The heir emerges from shadow and fire
branded a monster and called a liar.
Choices abound as a path emerges
but all must fight chaotic urges.
Life will be found with an unlikely friend
but all things must come to an end.
When all seems lost a choice must be made
life and death, they both must fade.
One will be forsaken at the cost of another
either friends, or a sister and brother."
The temperature in the room returned to normal as the voice died away, leaving the group in a deafening silence. It was Ember Sight who finally broke the silence "Now all of you must leave, it is growing more and more difficult to commune and I must sleep." he said ushering them out of the bare room. When the were all out Shadow was more confused than ever as the large metal door clanged shut behind him.
"Um, sorry to seem so ignorant again, but what was that?" Shadow asked no one in particular. Commander Fire Mane turned to him with that expressionless face "Even I'm not sure, if I had to guess I'd say it was some sort of prophecy concerning you; but if you are the heir that the Pyre mentioned then that means you really are a Blue. We'll talk more later." he said before walking off down another tunnel, only to be stopped by Lieutenant Bone, if Shadow remembered correctly.
"Sir, we found some ponies from the nearby toe making their way through the forest. It appeared like they were following these two's trail." said Lieutenant Bone. When he heard that, flags immediately went up in Shadow's mind. "How many were there and what did you do with them?" asked the Commander "Six, we bound and blindfolded them before bringing them back here for interrogation, the others are keeping watch on them at the entrance, sir." answered the Lieutenant. Shadow didn't wait the Commander's response if there was one, he galloped towards the cave entrance so fast that the others only saw a dust cloud behind him.
'Please let it not be them, please let it not be them..' Shadow thought over and over again as he made his way to where he first entered the cave system, jumping over changelings and ponies that where in his way or jumping off the walls when they didn't see him and duck.
When he finally managed to reach the entrance he found himself at the back of a small crowd of changelings. In the center he saw the very same girls he was wishing they weren't. But there they were, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy... Fluttershy.
When Shadow saw Fluttershy with her wings and hooves bound and blindfolded, shaking and trying to hide, something in him seemed to snap. He wasn't sure why, but seeing Fluttershy like that infuriated him to his core. This time when he changed, Shadow's fur didn't fade away, it burned off as his whole body lit up like candle.
Shadow leaped over the crowd like he did in Ponyville and landed in front of the six bound mares. The crowd if changelings back away when they saw the furious black stallion seemingly appear before them with fire streaming from his eyes and a mane the size of a small inferno. As Shadow once again slammed his forelegs hard into the cave floor, instead of a spout of fire, a ring of blue flame encircled the girls.
Even the group of Reds who captured them back up at the display, and their fear only solidified as Shadow yelled in a furious voice of outrage "IF YOU LAY SO MUCH AS A HOOF ON ANY OF THEM, I SWEAR THERE WILL NOT BE A THING ON THIS PLANET THAT WILL STOP ME FROM BURNING YOU TO LESS THAN A CINDER!"
The girls looked towards the sound of his voice as he yelled, "Shadow, is that you sugarcube?" Applejack asked. But Shadow didn't hear her, he was still caught up in the rush of anger he was in, only when an equally loud voice sounded out did he manage to focus "STAND DOWN SHADOW." Commander Fire Mane's voice rang out from behind the crowd which now parted to let him and Cinder Coat through.
"Or what?" Shadow asked menacingly, "You don't command me, in case you forgot.." "No, I don't, but neither do you posses authority here, at least not yet. So once more, STAND DOWN!" replied the Commander, he face still maintaining a stoic mask. Shadow looked around and saw he was scaring everyone in the small area they were in, the looks they have him allowed him to regain his senses. He let his mane die down and the fire in his eyes returned to their dull glow, both the replaced by fur and eyes as he shifted back into his disguise.
Commander Fire Mane nodded his head in approval before turning to the frightened group of Reds and telling them take off the bindings and blindfolds, to which they did readily and warily, constantly looking towards Shadow in case he suddenly changed again. Soon all six mares were standing up on their legs, though they were smarter than to, or to scared to, try and do anything.
Commander Fire Mane walked up slowly towards the them all and eyed them thoroughly. "Cinder Coat!" he yelled "Show them to any room we have available, but make sure it's big enough for all seven of them." "Yes, sir." said Cinder Coat, motioning for them to follow her.
"And one more thing," he continued, making the seven ponies look back at him "Welcome to the Nightmares.."
Well, well, well, I wonder what fresh batch of anarchy and trouble this little mishap is going to cause. Stay tuned to find out! Goodbye!
Hey once more you lovely readers, first and foremost I'd like to apologize for how long this has taken me, I've had less and less time to work on this as of late due to school, family, etc.. Secondly I'd like to say Happy Holidays to you all, this will be my present to you (I actually finished this chapter a couple of days before I posted it and I wanted to proof read it so it made a wonderful holiday gift.) And lastly I regret to inform you this will be the last chapter for a while, as I'm putting this on hold for a break and to work on a story I've been dying to start. If your interested be on the lookout, I'm not sure when I'll get it out as life is a wonderful bowl strawberries and chaos. Happy Holidays!