Bride of Shadow

Part 3

-Tempest p-o-v-

I can't believe that Twilight would allow me to stay in the castle?  It's been three days since the festival and the more time I spend here, the closer we get. On the opposite side of things, I can feel something is... different like if somepony is there in the shadows watching me. I doubt it's anything important, but I can't shake this feeling. Each passing day, the feeling of somepony watching my every move is unsettling like claws against a chalkboard. On the flip side eachday my love for Twilight only grew, I don't know why or how, but my for her just grows, and I can't help it. Each day, I can tell she has a soft spot for me, a missfit like me. Why would she fall for me? 

Today is the day I'm going to ask her out. It's been 3 months since the festival, and the first day, I felt something in the shadows. Lately, the feeling that somepony's there has left, but every now and then, I get that feeling. Walking down the halls of Twilight's castle, there was something off. As I trotted down the hall, the walls started to move in on me. The more I trotted down the hall, the more the walls moved in on me. Dang it, why are these halls so long? The walls kept closeing in. At this point, I started to panic. I'm running now, but that wasn't in, and everything went black.

Everything is cold, wet, and smooth me. I tried to look around but I couldn't see anything but darkness, then a mysterious mare was standing over me. She looked like a shadow of a pony,  squinting. I noticed that the pony was an alicorn. She looked like the same age as Celestia and height too. Her coat was a dark purple like color, her mane a black and purple ombre flowy too. Her horn, hooves, and wings were all jagged like Queen Chrysalis. Her cutiemark looked like a broken heart, with a rose in between the heart.

"I see that you changed Tempest, from the first day I watched you when you arrived here in Euestria." The mare spoke softly, but frim.

"Yo.. you're the one who's been in the shadows?" I asked.

"Why yes, I am that shadow. I'm the queen of the shadows, I'm the queen of Shadow Equestria."

"W.. wait, what!? Shadow Equestria...?"

"Yes, a world that no pony knows about expcet for you, and Princess Celestia."

"I don't understand."

"Hahha.. of course you don't. You see, my kingdom used to be in the light of the sun living happily under mine and Celestias rule, then one fateful day I was bannished, a long with my kingdom. Bannished here in the shadows living our life out of the sun, all of my subjects don't even know what it feels to be in the warmth of the sun." 

"W..wh..what do you want with me?"

"I! I was getting there." The strange mare roared up, flapping her great big wings in frustration, and stomped down on the ground. " The time I stood here in the shadows watching you, I've grown to notice that you still fell out of place. After months of living in this palace, you still feel like a loner. Am I right?"

"W..whhat does that even matter? Twilight... she loves me! She... she loves me."  I managed.

What did I say? Why would she love me. There's no way she would love me? Ha! I must be crazy, crazy to think that she loves me. I...I haven't even changed much, have I?

"What does it even matter to you?"

" I can give you what you desire most. You want to be understood, to be loved, and to live a life of power."

"I... I don't know. I...I do want to be understood, but why me?"

"With me, you will have the power YOU desire."

As she spoke, a black liquid exited her horn, it looked almost like tar. A sense of panic arosse and all types of thoughts entered my mind, "Why me?" "What is happening?"I didn't even want this." In the mist of my thoughts, what whatever spell she used on me it picked me up and spun around me and ingolfed me. What ever it was seeped into me. It felt cold as it entered, and dark. I could feel something inside me change, like a part of me was unlocked. A part of me that I had locked away since the Storm King's death. I hadn't felt like this before, this was different, like if someone or something had entered my body not just a part of me being unlocked.

Then the pain begain. A burning sensation arose from my chest spreading through my vains.  Everything around me begain to blur, the pain turned to an icy tomb that surrounded me. Looking around one last lime I noticed her, this mysterious mare just stood there smerking at me like if she knew that this would happen. Then everything went dark.

I woke up staring at the celing. Looking around the room this is the hospital wing of the castle. How did I get here? Then my eyes landed on Twilight, and she looked worried.

"Is everything ok?" she spoke with a shaky voice. "Spike found you laying in the hall unconsious, and he brought you here."

"He did?"

"Yes, but you didn't answer the question? ARE YOU OK!? I mean Spike found you laying there, you where all burning up and you went cold. What happened? What did you do!?"

What should I tell her?

I opened my mouth to tell her everything but nothing came out. Nothing come out, not a single word. Why can't I tell her?

"That's beacu you can't. You can't say anything about what happ because your nothing special. She doesn't really care for you. She's just using you for her own well being."

"THAT'S A LIE!" I yelled.

"What's a lie?" she looked at me with a blank expresion.

"What? You heard that?"

"Yes. What happened Tempest?"

"I.. I don't know. I was up late last night working on some new spelles and I must have cought a cold of something."

"I hope your ok Tempest. Stay here and rest ok?"

"Ok and please thank Spike for me."

"I will."

She got up and trotted to the door, before she opened the door she looked at me one last time and then she left. Why did I lie, to her and what was that voice? None of this makes any sense.