Dark Reality

A New Stallion In Town

The sun leaked through the trees of the Everfree Forest, barely illuminating the path two mares traversed. A soft glow emanated from the purple unicorns horn, providing a little extra light as she led in front.

"Do you see anything Fluttershy?" she asked back towards her yellow friend.

"No, not yet," the pegasus replied softly, nudging her pink mane out of her eyes.

Their heads hung low, eying carefully around the dense roots and foliage that rose up from the ground.

"Thanks for coming with me Twilight," said Fluttershy with a hint of concern. "I do hope Winona's alright."

"It's not a problem Fluttershy," she said with a slight pause in her voice. "What do you think could have made her run off like that?"

"I don't know. She just...ran off. Oh Twilight," whined Fluttershy. "Applejack trusted me with her. I can't let her down."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," said Twilight, giving Fluttershy a reassuring smile. "We'll find her."

"I hope so."

They continued their long search, and the sunlight began to recede from the sky, threatening to plunge the two mares into darkness. Worry had long since dawned upon the two mares, as they strained to continue with each step. Dirt and leaves coated their colored fur, and their manes were unkempt.

Twilight sighed, “Look Fluttershy...I think we should tu-” Twilight's voice suddenly cut off, as suddenly in the distance, an echo of a dog's bark could be heard.

"Winona!" Twilight cried out as her head turned towards the direction of the sound. Her ears perked up as she strained to listen. Again the response of the pups bark came to her. Turning to her friend, she stated with glee, "She's here!"

Fluttershy's eyes lit up as she smiled, rushing towards the sound of barking. "Yay!" she gently cried out.

Twilight followed close behind as a sly smirk spread across her face. "I told you we'd find her."

They ran through the woods, breaking through the trees into a clearing that showed the open sky. Their smiles grew on their faces when they saw the small, determined farm dog. Her hair was standing on end, arching on her back as she growled up to a tall dark shadow that loomed within the branches of one of the many trees.

"Winona!" gently cried Fluttershy as she rushed towards the small pup. Upon hearing her name, she turned to see the mares, her hairs lowered almost instantly as she was swooped up by the motherly mare, "You know better than to run off like that! I was worried sick about you!"

Twilight looked up into the tree as she drew near, just in time for her to catch the figure quickly shift out of sight. "I wonder what she was barking at there," she said, scratching her chin.

Fluttershy looked at Twilight for a moment before putting Winona down, curious of the same thing. Winona blinked at Twilight, then turned back toward the tree. The dogs head cocked to the side as whatever had her attention before had seemingly vanished. Giving up, she turned and pointed behind the duo, giving out a small yip to direct their attention.

The two ponies turned to see what had once again captivated Winona's attention, and they could not believe their eyes. A time worn stone structure of what seemed to be from another age loomed before them.

"What is all this?" Twilight wondered as she moved in closer to inspect the stone ruin.

Two large pillars with tapered ends curved inwards towards each other, reminding Twilight of the stone archways that would lead towards a castle's gate. Yet looking around the site, she could not see the remains of a door or the foundations a castle. Several gemstone symbols adorned the circular crag footing at the base of the two pillars. Twilight's curiosity was more than sparked as she ran through the textbooks and volumes of her mind. The ground amongst the structure was pallid and seemed to have been displaced, as if the stones were crudely erected without care or want for preserving the surrounding thicket.

There seemed to be an eerie atmosphere surrounding the stones, in which Fluttershy was more than aware of as she kept close to Twilight during her examination. The creeping cold of darkness that seemed to flow from the structure made her uneasy. Looking behind her she saw Winona staring back at them with a puzzled look upon her face. Twilight circled and scrutinized the stones, trying to catch any detail that was vaguely familiar to anything she had ever seen or read throughout her exhaustive studies.

"I haven't seen anything like this before," she gasped. "I don't recognize any of these markings."

Fluttershy became more uncomfortable looking the ruin. "Maybe we shouldn't be here... It doesn't feel right."

Twilight turned and consoled the pegasus reassuringly, "It's just and old ruin Fluttershy. Don't let it's appearance overwork your imagination."

She walked towards what she envisioned would be the front of the structure. "There appears to be a piece missing,"  placing a hoof down at a vacant square slot in the stone. "Whatever this thing is, if it does anything at all, probably wont work without it."

"I hope you're right," sighed Fluttershy. She was still visibly uncomfortable being around the darkened stones.

The fading sun cast long shadows upon the pillars and pegasi as they looked at the archaic ruin. A chill ran through Fluttershy, creating the feeling as if something was about to jump out at her. Closing her eyes tightly for a moment she gathered her nerve to turn back towards the waiting pup. "We should get you home. The forest is no place for you to be," she said in a motherly tone.

Twilight looked up at the sky to see that the light was quickly fading. "Yeah, you're right. It will be dark soon." Looking back at the ruins she made a quick mental checklist of every distinguishing mark to the very last detail. "I'll look in the library to see if I can find anything about these symbols. Surely there's something."

Fluttershy nodded as Twilight joined her and Winona. The trio looked back at the site, giving the ruins one last glace before trotting back towards home.

The sun began to rise over the horizon of the small town of Ponyville, casting streaks of orange upon it's cobbled stone. A pink pony with her fluffy mane bounced merrily along, enjoying the fresh air that still smelled of morning dew. Pinkie Pie, as she was called, looked around the sleepy town. Not many ponies were out and about this early in the morning, but she didn't mind.

After turning a corner, she suddenly stopped and gazed at the sight before her. Standing in the middle of the street was a unicorn she had never seen before. She watched him as the candy coated gears were ticking away inside her head.

The unicorn's black coat seemed to absorb the early morning sunlight which highlighted the streak of blue running through his equally dark mane. The strangers golden eyes seemed transfixed on his feet while he walked slowly down the street, as if needing to think about every step.

The last gear ticked, and with a large gasp Pinkie darted off with a brilliant plan before the stranger even realized anypony was there.

All was quiet in the library. The early morning light shone it's way in through the cracks of the window shutters, and all manner of books were piled in misshapen stacks around the purple mare who was slumped over in a chair. A slight bit of drool dripped from Twilight's mouth as she breathed almost silently. Her eyes were shut tight, and her nose just barely touching the page of a book that described heavily about various ancient runes, magical symbols, and artifacts.

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" called the hyperactive pink pony as she burst through the door.

"Are the giant cupcakes falling from the sky again?" shouted Twilight as she snapped awake.

"No you silly head!" Pinkie exclaimed as she bounded towards Twilight. "There's a new pony in town! And you know what that means!"

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she tried to focus on the bounding ball of energy. "A party?" she said with a trailing yawn.

"You bet your giant cupcakes!" chortled Pinkie as she resumed bouncing about the library. "We're going to have so much fun! There will be balloons, and cake, and music, and-"

Pinkie's voice trailed off as Twilight let out an exasperated groan. Her eyes slowly closing as she fell face first onto the open book with a resounding thud.

The library was bustling with colorful activity; Pinkie Pie was upside down on the ceiling, attached by her trusty suction cups, as she hung brightly colored streamers; Rarity's horn glowed as straightened the tablecloth upon the snack table; Applejack looked annoyed as she stood nearby, waiting with her tray filled with a wide array of apple based treats; Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were bringing out the smaller tables and chairs, attaching several balloons to each; and Twilight watched, her checklist held magically by her side. While it was not overly sensible to her fastidious ideals of a libraries purpose, Twilight didn't mind the opportunity to help create a checklist for Pinkie's party decorations and snack setup.

"It's a shame we can't do this tomorrow," chimed in Rarity. Her horn glowing while putting up a welcome sign. "Applejack would have loved to make an appearance."

"I know," said Twilight as she looked at her party checklist. "But her family does come first."

Pinkie let out a deflated sigh and jumped down from the ceiling, overhearing the two unicorns. The prospect of not having Applejack attend one of her signature welcome parties was certainly a disappointment to the pink party pony.  "I know," she shouted bounding up and down. "We'll just have to have...another party! A meet the Apples party!"

"Oh Pinkie," Twilight chuckled. "Hey, whats this guy like anyway?"

She paused a moment to think about what she had seen of him earlier that morning. "Well he's a unicorn...and that's all I really know!" giggled Pinkie as she resumed bounding about the library. "We'll just have to wait and find out when he gets here!"

"Well I've seen him," said Rarity straightening a tablecloth at the snack table. "I saw him wander into town last night. He walks like he has never walked before. I'm surprised he even made it here at all!"

"Rarity," said Twilight with a hint of exasperation. "I'm sure he walks just fine."

Pinkie suddenly fired her party cannon sending a shower of ribbons and streamers towards the tables that Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had just finished setting up. "Yay!" she cheered. "Decorations are done!"

Rainbow glared at Pinkie with several streamers hanging from her face and a sprinkle of confetti decorating her mane. "Would you mind not decorating me?" she asked slightly annoyed.

Pinkie blinked at Rainbow with a vacant expression as the candy gears turned in her head, before suddenly falling over giggling and snorting uncontrollably.

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow shook her head about, freeing the streamers and sent the confetti trickling to the floor. "So uh, does anypony have any idea where to find this pony or how to get him here?"

After checking off the last of her party checklist Twilight thought for a moment. "Let me handle that."

Twilight wandered the streets of Ponyville as her home began to fill with party goers awaiting the guest of honor. She was eager to meet this new stallion, a unicorn no less. A cool fresh breeze blew though her mane as she trotted along the sidewalks looking for the new stallion in town. Rounding the corner she spotted him outside Sugarcube Corner. He was gazing in hungrily, eyes locked on all the baked goods that the Cakes have put on display for the day.

Taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves, she trotted over to his side. "Good Afternoon!" she said in an enthusiastic yet friendly tone. The stallion turned to look at her, his eyes widening as they met hers. "I haven't seen you in town before. My name is Twilight Sparkle."

The dark coated pony blinked at her for a moment, seemingly unable to put together a proper greeting. Clearing his throat as he bowed his head ever so slightly. "H-Hi." he stuttered.

She kept the smile on her face as the dark stallion nervously looked to the purple unicorn. His golden eyes could only meet her gaze for mere seconds before looking away. Not wanting to make this new guest uncomfortable she took a small step away from him. "What's your name?" she asked, trying to be as friendly as possible.

"I'm-I'm-E-" the stallions head reared back and his eyes widened as his voice cut off quickly. A nervous smile appeared upon his face, "Uhm, sorry." he said in a pleasant tone. "My name is Shadow Bolt."

Twilight's eyebrow arched in puzzlement yet she maintained a steady smile as the stallion introduced himself. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she noticed his cutie mark. It was a deep blue, and more of a symbol than a normal cutie mark. "I've never seen a cutie mark like that before!" she thought out loud. "Strange. It looks like one of the markings at those ruins."

He backed away from the inquisitive mare as she moved in closer to inspect his cutie mark. Her curious fascination spurred the dark stallion into a fit of stuttering. "I-I-I-I'm good at deciphering ancient and obscure markings!" his voice was quick, teetering on desperation.

Twilight's excitement at his exclamation of arcane language erased any misgivings she had about his state of well being. A wide smile lit up her face as her eyes seemed to sparkle. "Well then you have to come with me! And I won't take no for an answer!"

"I-I-uhm..." said Shadow as Twilight beamed towards him. Contemplating something within his mind, he paused a moment before sighing. "O-OK..."

"Come on!" Twilight turned and pointed towards the direction of the library starting off with a happy gait. "We can go to my place. Its not far from here."

Shadow simply nodded as he followed loosely behind.

"So, where are you from?" she asked him.

"A...long ways away I'm afraid." he replied as his ears drooped slightly.

Twilight curiously looked over at the dark stallion. The apprehension in his voice gave her the hint that he did not wish to speak of his home. She nodded to herself and decided not to pressure him about it. He's obviously had a long trip here having had to trek through the Everfree Forest. "So, what brings you to Ponyville, Shadow?"

Closing his eyes he let out a long sigh. "I... I just had to get as far away from my old home as I could," he replied with hint of sorrow. "Let's just leave it at that."

Twilight nodded. "Well, I'm sure you will make tons of friends here."

He Looked towards the purple mare upon hearing those words, which caused the slightest of smiles to appear upon his face. "Friends," he thought out loud. "That would be a nice change."

Twilight gave a soft smile as the two of them trotted around the streets towards her home. Thinking of her own past, she remembered how she felt when Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash helped her discover the magic of friendship. Perhaps Shadow is feeling the same sense of emptiness she felt when she first came to Ponyville. Maybe Shadow will come to discover the magic of friendship as well. Rounding the final corner they reached her tree house. It was quiet, and dark inside.

"Well, this is it!" she exclaimed as she opened the door into the dark library. "Come on in, just let me get the lights here."

Shadow stepped in just as the lights went on. "Surprise!" erupted the entire room full of ponies. Shadow jumped back in shock, his golden eyes scanning the entire room. The smiling ponies, the snacks, the decor. It suddenly clicked in his mind and he smiled.

"Everypony," said Twilight as she stepped forward. "This is Shadow Bolt! He here from far away and needs some help fitting in. I'm sure we can all become the best of friends!"

A bounding pink pony came forth from the crowd landing in front of the dark stallion. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you!" she exclaimed.

The stallion just stood there awestruck, as if the life of the party itself seemed to overwhelm him. "Th-Thank you. This is just..." he stuttered. His eyes appeared glassy as a large smile spread across his face, he was at a loss of words.

Pinkie Pie smiled and giggled, "Well if you think it's great now, just wait until it actually starts!" With a quick hop, skip and a jump, Pinkie stood up tall reaching up over the crowd. "All right everypony!" she cried out. "Let's Parrr-tay!"

With those last two words the music sprang to life. Mares and stallions of all ages began to laugh, talk, and dance. After regaining his senses Shadow began to look around at the festive, colorful room. The balloons, streamers, food, a large banner which read, 'Welcome to Ponyville!' Everything was here for him he thought, perhaps he could fit in here. His gaze drifted down from the large banner to the snack bar itself, and suddenly the aroma of cupcakes and sweets filled his nostrils. With a hunger in his golden eyes, he began toward it.

'Shadow Bolt, huh?' thought Rainbow Dash to herself. 'He seems cool. Not as cool as me, of course.'  A sly smirk appeared upon her face, as she watched him from above one of the bookcases she was perched upon. She watched carefully as the stallion tried to maneuver through the crowd, casually returning the greetings of others as he inched closer to the snack table. A couple of young fillies suddenly ran out in front of him, ungraciously causing him to trip over his own hooves in an act to avoid them.

"And he just lost it," Rainbow said to herself as she rolled her eyes.

One of the young fillies, a small white unicorn with purple tail and mane, came back over to help him up. "I'm sorry, are you alright?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah. I'm-I'm fine," said Shadow as he stood himself up with the fillies help.

"Oh, Welcome to Ponyville!" she added with a smile, as she ran off to play with her orange pegasus friend.

Watching the little unicorn filly trot off and disappear into the crowd put a smile onto his face as he turned back towards the snack table to inspect the plethora of sweets.

The party lasted for quite a while, and Shadow was introduced to just about every pony in Ponyville. As they all began to leave for the evening, they said their farewells to Shadow and thanks to Pinkie for hosting. After a few moments, only the mane five and Shadow were left within the after party mess that littered the usually spotless library.

Bouncing with excitement, Pinkie made her way to Shadow. "What did you think of the party?! Wasn't it just super duper?" she asked, with a giant grin on her face.

Shadow looked at the bemused Pinkie Pie in the eyes, a cold expression drew on his face. "No. It wasn't," he said with a firm voice.

"Huh?" she said in bewilderment and confusion. The other ponies gasped as the pink mares eyes widened, her bottom lip began to quiver.

Before Pinkie could say anything, Shadow jumped up with a giant grin, "It was super-OOPER-duper!”

Pinkie bounced up with joy as the other ponies let out a collective sigh of relief,."Yay! I'm glad you liked it." shouted Pinkie. "We're going to have so much fun later!"

"So where are you staying?" asked Twilight. "Perhaps we can show you around Ponyville sometime."

The smile upon Shadows face vanished at Twilight's question. Swallowing firmly and clearing his throat he looked down at the party littered floor. "I... I don't really have a place to stay yet," he said quietly.

"No home?" exclaimed Rarity in disbelief. "But I saw you last night! Don't tell me you slept...outside!"

Shadow's ears drooped as he nodded, as Rarity fell over in a mock fainting spell.

"You can..." Twilight thought tapping a hoof to her jaw, before smiling again. "Stay here till you find a place of your own. I have an extra bed you can use."

"Thanks Twilight," said Shadow as he smiled at the purple mare. "That's-That's very kind of you."

"Yay!" Pinkie cried. "Crisis adverted! This calls for a party!"

"But we just finished one," said everyone in unison.

"Perhaps another time," chuckled Shadow.

"Okey Dokey Lokey!" chirped Pinkie. "Another time! And that time shall be really, really soon!"

"This really was...the best party I have ever been too," said Shadow.

"Well of course it is, darling!" chimed in Rarity. "When it comes to a marvelous soirée, Pinkie here is absolutely the last word in fabulous!"

Shadow looked towards Pinkie who was looking back at him with a goofy grin. "I can see why." he said with a smirk. The group shared a few more laughs together before the inevitable separation for the night. Sleep beckoned all of them, so they could begin the day anew tomorrow. Next Chapter: Chpt 2 - Darker Days Estimated time remaining: 50 Minutes