“Crusader! The scouts have reported in - she’s in Ponyville!”

The harshly whispered words jolted Scootaloo awake, her muzzy brain only half registering the soft and supple body of Silver Spoon tucked up against her and the warm thick blankets that were wrapped about them both. Then the meaning of those words penetrated through the haze of sleep, and Scootaloo felt the thrill of righteous anger surge through her body like a blast of flame. It took not an inconsiderable amount of willpower to carefully extract herself from the camp bed so as not to disturb Silver, quietly grabbing her pre-packed gear and pushing past the flap.

Outside, one of the Praetorian griffons stood silently amidst the pre-dawn fog that laid thickly over the camp. She glanced at him once as she tugged her cloak around her shoulders and knotted it firmly. “Where’s Scipio?” she growled, still shaking the sleep from her eyes as she shouldered the shield and dagger and hopped onto her scooter.

The griffon turned and walked quickly with her as they sped away from the tents, where countless other fighters were slipping silently out of their own tents. “In our camp, preparing for the march and debriefing the scouts,” the griffon finally responded to her in a crisp, professional voice.

Scootaloo nodded, turning away to glare into the fog. “Make sure everyone we need in camp is up and moving. I want the supply carts rolling in thirty minutes.” The Griffon struck his taloned fist upon his chest and whisked off into the foggy morning.

Scootaloo herself traveled on in silence through the fog as the murmuring sounds of a camp awakening from slumber began to stir to life around her. A few minutes later, Zecora appeared as if by magic out of the fog and fell into step alongside her. She wore a deeply hooded shawl and a vest covered in precise pouches inscribed with strange symbols… and she was carrying some kind of walking staff too. Odd that.

“Bright the morn, Scootaloo. It seems we have much work to do,” Zecora intoned in soft cadence, and Scootaloo arched an eyebrow at her. Zecora smiled faintly, speaking still softly. “I go into battle as a Shaman, little friend. So that I might bring down Shadowblight’s wicked ends.” Scootaloo nodded solemnly at her, and held out her hoof - which Zecora gave a bump with a wicked grin before vanishing into the fog again.

Everything was going smoothly, except for… “Miss Cake?” Scootaloo blurted out, grinding her wheels to a halt as she found the baker pony near the camp’s exit, wearing a battered but functional set of armor and sharpening the longest kitchen knife Scootaloo had ever seen. “What - You can’t be seriously thinking about coming with us! You’ve got kids!” Scootaloo knew the words weren’t the best, but… it was insane. Why on earth would she put herself in danger?

“Yes… I do. And what will happen to them if we lose, Scootaloo?” Ms. Cake said in a steady voice as she ran the honing steel meticulously down the blade of the knife. Her eyes were focused on the weaponized kitchen blade, but any idiot could have seen she’d been crying today already. “They took my husband from me, Scootaloo. My sweetums.” Her voice broke on the last word, only for her to grit her teeth for a moment before speaking in a flat, toneless voice. “My children will never hear his voice again, and you think I’m going to sit here and wait for this to be over?”

Scootaloo stared at her for a few moments in silence until Ms Cake examined the edge of the knife and slipped it into a makeshift sheath on her side. “Besides. They’ve got Pinkie Pie, too and… and, damnit, Scootaloo! Somepony’s got to care! Somepony’s got to try to save them!” Her voice reeked with anguish, despair… but also an almost fatalistic determination. The tears gathered in the corners of her eyes as she stood up, holding her head high. “I’m not staying behind and waiting for the end to come, Scootaloo. My husband died to protect our children. I can do no less.”

She turned on her hoof and stalked down the path toward the griffons camp, and Scootaloo swallowed softly. “Wait,” she half cried out - her voice strangled in her throat - and blessedly, Ms. Cake did stop and turn her head to regard her calmly. “If you gotta go, then I want you to stick with me, Ms. Cake. And… and…” She hesitated, knowing that changing the plan at this juncture was impossible but… But if we can get the Elements of Harmony away from Umbra… we might just have a shot at putting an end to this once and for all. “If we can save Pinkie, we will.”

The words whispered through the air, and all the world came to a standstill of silence. Scootaloo didn’t have the faintest idea how they could do it, but if a way could be found, it would be. Ms. Cake nodded once, and Scootaloo buzzed over to her, joining her as they descended into the camp of the griffons. There was a lot to do, and a long march ahead of them. But they were finally going to strike back.

The armored boots hit the floor with a clunk, and were followed by the rest of the heavy raiment. The travelling cloak was neatly hung, before each piece of the armor was meticulously arranged against the wall to be recovered later. A brush of magic, and the candles around the library quietly cast their warm glow over the slightly dusty books and shelves of the Golden Oaks library. The place was in desperate need of a cleaning, and Spike was… back in the City, being quietly isolated from the work she had to do.

So Twilight silently got out the duster and broom and went to work, ignoring all of the thousands of other spells or things she could have done to accomplish the task more quickly. Mentally, she shut out all of the sounds outside of the new army she had brought home and focused on her own little space, in her own little town. It was a moment of quiet, after weeks upon weeks of having no such moments.

It took an hour of firm work to restore the library to sense and neatness. It had gone mostly unused since she’d been gone, which meant comparatively little work bringing it back up to snuff. Once clean, she stowed the broom and hopped up onto her favorite reading chair, settling down in the familiar cushions and quietly laying her head back.

It was easy in the heat of battle to remember why she was doing this. To see her enemies stewing in their foul plans, their armies so obviously just waiting for a moment of weakness to pounce upon her beloved Equestria. But when the battle was over, she had to come home and plan for the next one. And this time…

When she’d traveled to the griffon kingdoms, there had been curious watchers. Some farm ponies had even waved to her as her caravan had passed them by. Now, though - there were no such watchers. Every farm between the griffon kingdoms and home had been shut up tight behind barred windows and doors. Her newly minted army of griffon servants had been watched from the second she’d crossed into Equestria by pegasi her best scouts couldn’t catch.

And worst of all had been passing by Canterlot… where the signs of massive construction were underway along the path that lead up to the city and the city itself. Walls were being repaired and built. Defensive fortifications under construction and siege weapons armed and readied upon the walls. And the dagger in her heart - the sight of the entire Royal Guard in full battle armor and gear standing upon the walls of Canterlot, staring at her army with cold eyes. Amongst them, Crystal Knights stood in clusters of glittering armor and lances.

There was no other explanation. Shining Armor had to be leading them, and Cadence had to have commanded him to do so. They had brought the Crystal Empire’s troops to defend Canterlot… out of fear that she would come to attack them, that they would be next on her list of conquests. The train tracks of the Friendship Express leading into Ponyville had been wrecked completely, and obviously with intent to do so. There were no travellers on the roads, and the signs of roadblocks and destroyed caravans were everywhere. It all added up to only one conclusion

They were afraid of her. Her own brother, her beloved foalsitter, her parents, and goodness knew who else. They were all afraid of her, and by extension, Umbra.

She could not restrain the tears then. She was alone in here, and she had demanded she be left alone. That would give her time and privacy to just… uncoil herself, which is exactly what she did. She let out the subtle tensions, the unspoken superiority and arrogance demanded by those who sought to serve a Queen and not just a librarian. The wet feeling of the tears rolled down her cheeks, and all of the restrained emotions of the past month rolled out with them.

She’d known it wouldn’t be easy, or at the very least she’d thought that she’d known. She thought she’d be able to handle the backlash and the inevitable fear, and all of the things that would come with becoming both powerful and prepared to use that power. But now the bill for her ambition and determination had come due, and the cost was far higher than she originally thought she’d have to bear. Whatever victory she had achieved in Roam, it had been paid for in the trust of her loved ones.

Her hooves came up and rubbed at her eyes, finally realizing all too late that this was what must have happened to Tantalus. If it had not been for the girls… Face it, Twilight. If you didn’t have your friends, you would be in a very dark place right now - Umbra or no Umbra. Her hooves twitched and her power itched to call out to them - to draw them into her library, shut the door and just… cry.

But she could not do that now, because that was the path she’d chosen to walk. She had to lead - to lead the Shadow and to lead Equestria into a peaceful future. When it was all over, and her enemies were crushed, and the ones she loved were safe and sound… then she could lay down the load. Then she could sink into the forehooves of her friends and let all of her anger and sadness go.

But that was not going to be today.

So she scrubbed the tears away from her eyes, trying to figure out the best solution for her immediate problems… and truth was, the answer was simple. So with a halfhearted smile she snuffed the candles around the library save for one, which she carried up familiar stairs into a familiar room. There she found her bed just as she had left it, and slowly made her away across the room and slipped up into it silently. The faint smell of lemon was still clinging to her sheets as she curled them up around her and closed her eyes wearily, and the darkness leapt up to claim her.

When Twilight awoke an unknown number of hours later, she was not alone in her bed. The warm and gentle weight behind her was a comforting sort of thing, and she snuggled back into it without a conscious thought. Blue hooves tucked around her tummy and squeezed her close to the form behind her, instantly identifying the pony in question even before warm and feathery wings brushed up against her.

“Hey Mistress,” Dash whispered, her voice surprisingly gentle as her cheek nuzzled up against Twilight’s. “Rough week?” Her voice was thick with sympathy, squishing Twilight’s incipient anger of someone disobeying her orders quite efficiently. Rainbow Dash had been the first, and… if Twilight was being completely honest with herself... the only truly willing amongst her friends to join her.

Twilight considered not answering or blowing off the question with bravado but… “Yeah,” she said instead, closing her eyes again and reveling in the quiet warmth for a few blissful moments. She took in a deep, slow breath and exhaled in the same manner. Shiny and Cadence would understand once everything was done. They had their own problems to deal with - like the stupid Canterlot nobles who’d let the situation get this bad in the first place. In fact, that was probably the reason Canterlot had thrown up all of their defenses - those in charge had realized a new power sought to end their failed administration. Still… “Dash… Am I really so frightening?” The words were soft as she spoke them, and she really wasn’t sure if Dash was the right pony to be asking, but who else could she ask?

There were a few long moments of silence before Dash spoke, her voice firmer and more like herself than it had been since she’d been brought over to the Shadow. “Well… Yeah, you kinda are, Mistress. I mean…” Dash shifted, sounding a little annoyed. “Sure, anypony who’s got the power to do what you can is gonna be a little scary. That goes double when that pony wants to change the entire world, and even more when that power’s still kinda strange and mysterious but…”

Dash paused and exhaled in obvious frustration, then continued to speak in an agitated tone of voice. “Mistress, you are scary, but so are Celestia and Luna, and even Cadence can get real scary when she’s pissed off. Power is frightening, that’s just the way it is in the world.” Dash’s hug loosened a bit, but her soft lips found the nape of Twilight’s neck and ran gentle kisses up it, sending a little shiver of pleasure through her body. “But… scary or not, all of us know you wouldn’t be doing this unless you had to, Mistress.” Dash’s gentle lips found her ear and tugged on it playfully, and Twilight had to laugh a little at the affection.

Twilight tugged her ear away and shifted around on the bed to face her pegasus friend. Dash was laying there with a coy smile and slightly reddened cheeks, her eyes purposefully looking down to the covers and her forelegs still wrapped firmly around Twilight’s middle. Twilight grinned at her and leaned in to gently kiss her cheek, “Thanks, Dash. I guess I’m just tired.” She tilted her head to one side and smiled slowly and wickedly. “Maybe you can help perk me up a bit, hmm?”

Dash grinned in her sly and sexy way and suddenly rolled Twilight to the bed, pinning her down and raining kisses and nibbles upon her, setting Twilight to giggling madly.

It was good to be home.

One energizing hour later, Twilight emerged from the library for a moment to take in a breath of the fresh fall air. It had taken only that hour with the playful and affectionate lovemaking with Dash to set her mind on the proper course and reaffirm the surety in what she’d have to do. “Winterlight. Here. Now,” she commanded, her voice hard and resonant with the power of the Shadow upon it. She wasn’t kept waiting for very long - fortunately for Winterlight.

The Shadowbolt captain melted into existence and threw herself at Twilight’s hooves in a worshipful bow. Twilight snapped out silently with her power, and all of Winterlight’s words died on her lips. “I did not call you here for discussion, captain.” Twilight said softly, the growl notable in her voice. “We have work that needs doing, and I require time to rest and restore my health.” She turned on her heel, glaring off to the south and feeling the calm assurances of work settling upon her mood.

“We will be moving against the Zebricans next, as you are aware. I want you to take some of our new Hippogriff allies and whatever other resources you think you need, and secure our route through the southern territories.” Twilight’s words were kept cold and quiet - she didn’t like what she’d have to do next. But she could no longer assume her movements would go unopposed or unnoticed by the powerful who would seek to stop her. “The buffalo folk are potentially a threat, but I doubt we shall have any issues with Appleloosa so long as we guarantee their safety. Still, there are perilous points along the roads that we must make certain we can transport the next load of cider upon.”

Winterlight nodded hurriedly, her mouth opening to speak… and her eyes widening in fear as she realized she could not. Twilight growled softly. “You may have damaged relations between myself and my brother and his wife. Your actions could very well have severe long term consequences, and you are on extremely thin ice with me. You may consider this an opportunity to prove you are still worth the trouble.” Twilight fixed Winterlight with a beady glare and surged a massive bolt of Shadow power through her connection with the pegasus.

Winterlight gave off a wordless gasp, backing up several hoofsteps and flaring out her wings in momentary panic. Twilight felt her lips twist into a wry smile. “Do not fail me, Winterlight. You won’t like the results.” Winterlight’s mouth worked silently for a few more moments, then she nodded briefly and vanished again into the shadows. Twilight exhaled softly when she was gone, hoping that her trust in Winterlight was not misplaced. Still, she had battle experience most of her other subordinates lacked.

Twilight leaned back against the side of her library tree, rubbing her eyes slowly. Layers upon layers… I need to be prepared for anything. And that… that spawned a rather interesting little idea. Perhaps… Hm… “Mother, can I speak with you for a moment?” she quietly spoke into the silence around her library, hoping Umbra was not busy with some other task.

Fortunately, the soft and loving voice came instantly to her, echoing through her mind with warmth and amusement. I am always with you, my Shade… I see you have been contemplating more flexible plans. There was a strong approval there, and just the feel of it made Twilight’s cheeks flush with pleasure.

“Yes… I had an idea on how we might bring around the rest of Equestria to supporting us. Perhaps while Winterlight does her work, we could arrange a secondary plan should things go awry.” The details flowed through her mind, and she knew Umbra would both see and understand the context of them. It was one of the beautiful things about their relationship, that Umbra was the only creature she never had to explain anything to. Umbra understood her mind as well as she did.

There was brief pause, and a low and soft chuckle in her head. A most ingenious little plan, little one. I shall see to the details. Now, why don’t you go back inside and spend more time with your lovers. You must restore your spirit, else you find yourself broken by the stress of war. And Umbra’s voice was gone, with but a whisper of power caressing Twilight’s mind. Twilight smiled a little at that suggestion and turned to do just as Mother had suggested. A little vacation would do her good, anyway.

Fifteen thousand years.

For fifteen thousand years, the creature that called herself Umbra had fought, struggled, and grown in mind and power. The litany of broken Shades she had left behind her was a history book of some of the most hated - and most feared - warriors and kings in all of history. Unlike so many of them and so many of their contemporaries, she had long known the power of change. She adapted to the times and was never afraid or unwilling to do what was necessary to update her methods.

And in those fifteen thousand years, how those methods had changed. Looking back now, she regarded so many of her early works with disdain. Her obsession over the White Hart was the worst of them, of course. Yet she had been young and foolish and had thought that she needed to control all of the world to have the world she wished. She knew better now. Knew that the world would collapse and crumble to her will so long as she held the most important bits of it. That all resistance would eventually fall to her so long as she was patient.

But now, seemingly on the cusp of the perfect storm of circumstances to bring her the victory she so desperately desired, a new quirk of fate had emerged. A quirk she was now unable to dismiss as simply another twist of a new age and a new Shade. For the very first time in all of her life, a new emotion tore at her soul like the icy claws of the Windigos. She had no name for this emotion at first, but lo and behold her Shade had provided the proper term not so very long ago.

Had she been told what this was before, she might have laughed and dismissed it. She might have smirked and went about her business, uncaring that such a silly emotion might apply to her. Yet the power of that feeling so deep inside her spirit was so utterly undeniable, so impossibly powerful, that she would have to be a fool not to recognize it.

Love truly was far more complex and potent than she had ever considered before.

Yet Love it undeniably was. She could not look upon her beloved Shade without the feelings stirring deep within her spirit, without her borrowed heart beating rapidly with every moment she spent in her presence. Twilight Shadow was, without any doubt, the most clever and beautiful of all her Shades. She was brilliant and wicked in ways no other Shade could ever compare to. Without a doubt, Umbra was just as madly in love with her as she clearly was with Umbra.

Her touch was like fire and electricity surging through her spirit, and her regard set a burning desire deep within her loins that no creature had been able to match in all of her life. It was a disturbing feeling at first, yet more and more Umbra had come to yearn for those precious moments she shared with her Shade. They were so utterly, completely alike that Umbra suspected the power of Fate itself had woven them together. It had been like finding some missing piece of herself, and now?

Now, with her power and knowledge perfectly married to the brilliant analytical mind and daring courage of her Shade, it was all but certain that victory was at hand. Even better, Twilight had a keen sense of when to press an advantage and when to plan for disaster. The gambit that she had just proposed mere moments ago was brilliant, if not a bit risky. Yet if successful, it would certainly divide the Equestrians enough to give them time to build an army powerful enough to crush Canterlot and its government.

And therein lay the rub. Her precious Shade desperately wished to bring her teacher around to the Shadow. She so loved her teacher that at times, Umbra felt a bit jealous, yet she could not deny her beloved any whim she might wish to indulge in. But Umbra knew far too little about the creatures the ponies called ‘Celestia’ and ‘Luna’ to be so willing to try and corrupt them to her will. She had been imprisoned in the Dark Book during the time of their rise to power, and then imprisoned in the simple and stubborn mind of Cabbage Leaf during the age when they had become prominent.

Even gathering what knowledge she could from her newest converts, she found every scrap of their supposed history and powers to be confusing and baffling. The very notion that a creature could be responsible for raising the sun and moon? Ridiculous. Creatures who lived for thousands of years without aging? Impossible. The features and strengths of all three races of ponies distilled into one singular creature? Poppycock.

No creature possessed those kinds of powers, save for the Being who had long ago left the world behind, and her cursed foe the White Doe. No, these ‘alicorns’ must have simply manipulated these poor creatures into believing them some kind of Goddesses, which made the feelings of pity for her Shade all the more powerful. Undoubtedly, they were nothing more than illusionary tools of those in power, used to keep the common pony obedient and unquestioning. Surely there were real creatures beneath the illusions, but they were likely nothing more than capable unicorns providing a show.

She dearly hoped she would not have to kill them, but it might be necessary to free her Shade from her past life. That way, when the powers of creation were finally wrenched from the hooves of that wretched White Doe and returned to their rightful place, she might raise Twilight up as not merely her Shade - but her equal. Together then, they would spread their glorious Shadow to every inch of this world, and then every world beyond it, wound together in an endless dance of lust, love, and power.

That so many would need to die for this was a minor concern. Soon enough, Twilight would no longer care if she had to sacrifice the lives of others to get her way, so long as they were not the ones she personally cared about. Blood of pony and foe alike would need to be spilled for their ultimate victory. Hm. I must make sure she is prepared for that with a bit of slaughter. Perhaps I shall inflict her upon one of the other, lesser pony towns and have her understand the need to kill to attain her goals. Besides, sex is always so much more invigorating after a nice bit of bloodletting

With that marvelous thought to inspire her, she set about her task of preparing for her brilliant Shade’s next little gambit. It was quite an excellent one - and might just be the thing they needed.

The Final War was finally coming, and she was ready.

The White Tail wood hadn’t changed a single bit since the last time he’d seen it. Not that he was surprised at that - Titania liked keeping her little corner of the universe neat and tidy. He sighed and scuffed his hooves in the dirt, still working the stiffness out of a body that had been petrified for more than a thousand years. To think that little Cabbage Leaf had kept Umbra penned up for so long was incredible, and to imagine that his little Celly and Lulu had grown up so marvelously in the same interval was…

Well, it was enough to make his chest fit to burst with pride.

For Star Swirl The Bearded, all had gone as well as he could have hoped for up to this present moment. That was a good thing, for it was here that all of his foreknowledge became useless. Every scrap of knowledge he’d wrested from the White Hart in exchange for his oath to finally bring down Umbra once and for all now meant absolutely nothing. All that remained was to see if two millennia of effort and planning would be enough.

The Doe had been carrying out her part in the plan superbly. The Caesar restored, the Crystal Princess in Canterlot, the Elements of Harmony firmly secured, Star Swirl himself revived and his stave safe and sound. Even better, matters were proceeding apace on the other needs they had yet to fill. Her own folk were girded and ready for the battles that were to come, and the last few pieces were falling into place as neatly as he could expect.

There were wild cards though, many of them stemming from Celestia’s stunning decision to try to outwit the very fundamental forces of the universe and staying her hoof when her sister had tried to overthrow the throne. He had not anticipated Celestia would become so determined to rob Fate of its prize in blood, and the mere fact that Luna was alive as a result changed things so dramatically, he was astonished his plan was still working at all. In truth, though, all of his worries came back to her.

All of the anomalies that now plagued his thoughts were attached directly to the central figure in this drama. To the student who had fully given in to the power of the Shadow. To the one named ‘Twilight Sparkle’, the Element of Magic. Everything now circled about her in a maelstrom of fate, power, and possibility. Her deep connections to Celestia and Luna, her curious behavior in wielding Umbra’s dark powers, the unknown status of her friends who just so happened to be the other Elements of Harmony - and worst of all - the incomprehensible actions of Moon Song and Silent Moon.

Silently, he ground his teeth at the thought of those two infernal winged busybodies. Heirs to two of the most mysterious of the prophecies the Hart had bestowed upon him, whatever interpretation they had come up with was undoubtedly playing out its own unpredictable effects even now. Worst of all, Moon Song had been adamant that she could not tell him a single thing about it, only that what was happening had to happen without interference.

All of this had thrown his neat and ordered plans into a place of unforeseen chaos, the mere thought of which conjured up the vision of Discord - the very avatar of Chaos and disorder - standing on the balcony of Celestia’s quarters and staring towards Ponyville like a lost puppy. He had been reformed, Princess Luna had assured him. Quelled to obedience and behavior by the power and will of the Element of Kindness, who now languished under the oppression of the Shadow herself.

Discord was the ultimate unknown. There was no telling just how deeply Kindness - the Element Star Swirl had long held as the most powerful of them all - had affected him. There was no telling to what ends he might go to restore the pony that he... bucking Discord, of all the creatures in the multiverse, called ‘Friend’.

A stiff autumn breeze hit him from the west, and billowed out his cloak and hat impressively enough that he wished there was somepony around to appreciate it. It reminded him of what was to come, as the days grew shorter and the nights grew darker. The Shadow was falling upon Equestria, and all of the world would soon suffer from its touch. His two thousand year struggle against Umbra was coming to a head, and so much now depended on a precious few doing what had to be done. There was no stopping it now.

The Final War was here.

Author's Notes:

For those of you have been waiting, the rollercoaster has now reached the top of the first hill.

Strap yourselves in and get ready. Safety bar locks in place. There is no slowing down from this moment onwards.

Side Note - Trying to guage interest in a side fic which focuses entirely on the kinky goings on of the Mane Six as Shadow-touched. Please inform via comments or IM if you'd be into that.