Mysterious Alicorn

By Aponymous

We made our way into the building, it was simple enough, the lobby was deserted. Once inside Cooper began shouting out orders at the squads. He sent two of them to destroy the airships to prevent our enemies from escaping and another two to try and clear out the upper levels. I heard Cooper speaking to me but I wasn't paying much attention.

I was busy marveling at the lobby, it hadn't changed since the day I'd left. It was strange, it felt like I had only walked this hall the previous night even though I'd known it was well more than a few months ago. As the other squads dispersed I spied the mirror I'd first seen myself in. Approaching it was a strange experience, it seemed like just yesterday I'd been in front of the mirror, emaciated and weak. I was hardly recognizable as the stallion who had escaped that day.

I was once again drawn out of my oberservation by a loud noise, this time instead of an explosion, it was Ray. He stood in front of the mirror, exaggerating the act of admiring himself "Hey there good looking', you come here often?" he glanced at me subtly, clearly trying to see if he had amused me. Upon seeing my usual stone-face routine he groaned

"At least Dusk smiles when he get's to kill things!"

Cooper gave Ray a hard smack to the back of the head and looked at me "I was told there is a door hidden around here somewhere? We don't have much time before the fighting in the main area ends one way or the other."

I nodded, taking one last glance at the mirror to reassure myself that I wasn't that same stallion that had wandered out that door. I had abandoned Subject Three and all the weakness he entailed. I was Shadow Horn. I gestured for them to follow me, walking to that bookshelf I remembered as the one that had replaced my exit I'd used. I stood in front of it for a few seconds before realizing I had no idea how to open it.

Ray seemed to notice that I wasn't quite sure what to do because he coughed and gestured at my forehead, raising his eyebrow in a very condescending manner. I facehoofed and begun concentrating my magic on the bookcase, attempting to tear it from the wall. It seemed that my horn didn't want to cooperate, as usual, because rather than being torn from it glowed red before turning black and melting like plastic being held over a flame. I turned back to my escort to see their reactions. Ray looked impressed, if not a little intimidated. Cooper was remaining professional as ever, merely offering a small amount of praise by saying "Good job Shadow". Dusk looked unimpressed and was the first to step over the threshold, boots sinking into the remains of the bookshelf. Ray was the second to go and he grinned at me as he passed, gesturing at Dusk

"Don't mind him, he's just jealous he can't do that"

I smiled, not at Ray's joke but rather the fact I that I had actually been useful at some point on the mission, not just dead weight.

The hallway on the other side of the bookshelf was just how I remembered it. I gave Cooper a glance and gestured for him to continue. He nodded and set off, being cautious and quiet. We passed a few security cameras I was sure wasn't there my first time going down this way and covered their lenses with a black paint, hoping to deny the enemy as much information as possible. We didn't pass the door to my chamber before getting to the end of the hallway, ending in that same door I'd dreaded the sight of. That meant my room either didn't exist or the door was hidden, my bits were on the latter. That however, was a problem for future me, right now I was focused on the door in front of me. Rather than melting, this one turned to ash and was carried past us down the hallway by some incorporeal wind. Cooper stopped me before we entered, looking as serious as usual

"Do you have any control of your magic at all?"

I frowned and responded in a hushed voice "I can point it and light the fuse, what happens is up to it."

He frowned "Well, keep it pointed away from my men."

I nodded and we entered. The inside of the chamber looked about the same as it did when I was there, before the day I had escaped. The chamber stood in the middle, circular and consisting of clear glass. I must have been starring for some time, because when I broke my gaze the other three were starring at me.

"You okay there bud?" Ray asked, seeming concerned but hiding it well under his usual casual demeanor. I nodded and took a few steps closer, heartbeat slowly rising, sweat coalescing under my coat. The chamber itself was the same as I remember it being, small round holes in the top, worn leather straps at the bottom. It had clearly be rebuilt but to somepony who hadn't spent hours doing nothing but starring at the inside it might look like it had been a part of the chamber since the chamber was built.

I was visibly shaking and Cooper put a hoof on my shoulder "We should get a move on, we don't have much time" I turned from the chamber, shaking my head and began making my way towards the exit of the room. After a the first few steps a thought occurred to me. I gestured for the others to wait and walked back into the room at a quick pace. I carefully inspected the top of the chamber, finding the alcove that held whatever was always lowered in it. It was a hook with a small hole through it, perfectly sized to fit my horn. I already had my suspicions, but this made the origin of my horn quite clear.

We left the room without another word, not even from Ray. I counted my steps on the way out of the room before stopping at twenty two, the number that had been ingrained in my head due to how often I'd traveled this route. I aimed my horn at the wall and focused my energy, it took longer this time, there was less of a target. After well over a minute the wall began to glow red, wavering like air on a hot day. It wavered for a little while, the calculation slowly fading from red until it was completely see through glass. We stood there for a few moments before Cooper pushed past me and bucked hard at the door shattering it. We stepped through gingerly, peering inside to find an empty white room, the same I had spent most of my life in. I felt that same strange feeling of nostalgia this whole experience had brought. Ray was the first to break the silence

"Hey... Uh, Cooper, you may want to have a look at this." His voice was uncomfortably serious. Cooper looked over, seeing what would have been instantly obvious had it not been for the white shading to his coat. Laying on the flow next to Ray was a white coated unicorn stallion, blank flank and motionless.

"Such a shame, I suppose that not every pony can survive the treatments quite as well as you can..." The voice was immediately recognizable, Baron Praxus, with about thirty of his guards.

Sorry this took so long, also, please forgive any spelling mistakes as was acting funny and the spell checker wouldn't work, so I had to use a third party one.