Long time ago, before the Revolution, Shida Shield was born as a little filly pegasus with her family at Cloudsdale. She was happy ever since, as her parents and the family were so proud.
“She’s beautiful,” said Shida’s Mother.
“Indeed she is,” said Shida’s Father. “She’s our first daughter we ever had. What should we name her?” He asked.
The wife thinks of the name, and sees the picture of her great grandfather as a royal knight with a shield. “How bout Shida? Shida Shield.”
“The name of your great great grandfather,” he said. “I like it. It does have the ring to it. And to honor his legacy.”
They both look at their daughter, seeing what future might take her.
Moons passed, Shida was now a young pony flying in the sky. Her dream was becoming a royal guard to protect Princess Twilight Sparkle. She saw her father waiting for her as she flew down to meet him.
“You’re doing great, my little one.” He said, so proud of her. “Do you still dream of being a royal guard?”
“Yes, dad.” Shida said, happily. “Ever since I saw ponies join a royal guard, I have always wanted to be like them. I want to be like you, too.” She reminded him ever since he was a guard. “One day, I’ll be like you to protect Princess Twilight.”
Her father smiled and noogie her mane. “Okay, my little pony, your mother is waiting for us back at ponyville. Let’s not be late.”
She agreed, and together they flew to ponyville. When arrived there, Shida sees other little ponies stacking rocks to the top. But when stacking one more, the tower started to tilt right to them. They scream as they’re about to be buried, but Shida quickly grabs a large pan and swoops in to protect them, as it tumbles onto them. Everypony, including Shida’s father, came to help the poor fillies, taking each rock at a time. Then they found them, with a pan protecting them thanks to Shida who saved the fillies from the rocks.
“Shida!” He was so happy she’s okay. The other fillies thanked her for saving their life, as everypony congratulated her. “I’m so happy you're okay, you saved their life from the rocks.”
“It was gonna fall on them,” she said. “I have to do something.”
Then the mother arrived. “Shida! I heard a scream! Are you okay?”
“Young lady, is this your daughter?” One of the pony asked, and she nodded. “Well your daughter saved my daughter. She’s a hero.”
Other pony agreed, and Shida’s mother was very proud of her daughter. Then that’s when something started to happen, Shida floated in mid air and started to glow brighter until it dimmed and she was on the ground.
“What- What happened?” She asked, not knowing what just happened.
Then everypony gasped, and so did her parents. “Shida, it’s your cutie mark.”
She looks at her blank and sees a blue shield with swords, as she was excited she got her cutie mark. “I got my cutie mark! I got my cutie mark!”
Her parents happily celebrate her cutie mark, and all the ponies celebrate too. Shida can imagine she finally gets to reach her dream come true with her parents.
Many moons passed, her father passed away, leaving her with her mother. She was now a royal guard, but was promoted to the new place for Pegasus to live called Zephyr Heights. She visits her father’s grave every day without flying after magic vanishes from them.
“Hey, dad.” She said, placing a flower. “Happy Birthday.” She still misses him ever since everything changed. Her duty was to keep Zephyr Heights safe but it seems hard work without her wings. “I still miss you, so did mom. I have got a job as a royal guard, just like I dream of. Well, the job is so different than at Canterlot. I wish you could’ve seen me try harder without flying anymore. I know it’s difficult to protect pegasus but without my flight, I’m no more anymore. Even if you're here, maybe I can find my path to do great things without my wings. So, can you show me the way?” She waited, and a silent wind moved her mane. She looks back, seeing her home in the city. “What are you trying to tell me?”
Then she realized something was wrong. She hurried without using her wings and arrived where all the pegasus gathered around her house. She needs to know what’s going on, as the other guard stopped her.
“I’m sorry, but this is a medical emergency.”
“No, this is my house!” She cried. “I live here with my mom.”
Before being back away, she saw something as she pushed and hurried until she found what horrid her. Her mother was sick, as she needed to know. “Mom! Mom! What happened to her?”
“She's okay, she just needs medical treatment.” The doctor confirmed. “Just stay and let us do our job.”
“No, I’m coming,” said Shida. “She’s my mom.”
They let her come, as she was worrying about her mother. In the hospital, her mother was sick and couldn't live for another time. And Shida didn’t want to lose her, she was the only family she got in her life.
“Mom,” she tearfully cried. “I can’t lose you, too. You're the only mother I had.”
“I know, sweetie.” She said, with her dying breath. “But this is the life I have always had. You, you were the only daughter your father and I ever had. You kept on going to reach your dream we have now seen. We are so proud of you.”
Shida let her tears but grief of losing her mother, but she knew this the life she now must let go. “What will I do without you?”
Then her mother gave her final words for her to keep going. “Follow your heart.”
With that, Shida will keep that in mind. And soon, her mother passed away, leaving Shida now on her own, trying to live her life alone.
Many moons passed, it’s so hard without anypony that was part of her family. She did to follow her heart protecting as a guard duty, but things went hard without flight ability, and she was getting so stressed she cannot do this anymore. She quit guard duty and decided to find another job that only fit for her, but none works. She returned to her parents’ grave and spoke to them. “Mom, Dad, I can’t do this anymore. I know my dream is to be a royal guard, but it’s so hard for me to do this. I have to quit, I can’t keep doing this. I’m sorry, but I have to find another path.” As she left, leaving to find her own path.
Shida walks back home at night, seeing other pegasus enjoying their time, but she doesn't like it and walks away with hatred. She reached home with many things she had in her room. She has been trying to fly again but no invalid because there’s no flight from her wings. She picks up her picture of family and throws it angrily at the wall, and cries she lost everything.
Outside the city, a group of pegasus were still enjoying the night until they bumped into a mysterious pegasus figure who was walking by.
“Hey, watch it, buddy!” He yelled, as he and the group left.
But the figure continues walking and approaches Shida’s home, as he stares at the light from her window. Shida was still crying until a knock came from her door. She wiped her tear and opened it, a Pegasus who was standing there with a cloak.
“Who are you?” She asked.
“Why, I am a pony who can help your problem,” he said.
“I don’t need help,” said Shida.
As she tried to close the door, he stopped it and managed to get through and see the place was kind of a mess. “Quite a place you got here. I see you've been trying to find a way to fly again.”
“You don’t know anything,” she added. “Now leave. There’s nothing here you can do for me.”
“Oh, yes there is,” he recalled. “I heard you talking to your parents alone in the cemetery. You love them so much, I wish I could meet them soon. But they have spoken about your dream.”
Shida cannot understand how and why he speaks like her parents. “Do you know about my parents?” She asked, wanting to know if he knew them.
“Yes,” he responded. “I met them, for a while. They indeed knew you had a dream of being a royal guard. But now, look at you. Poor, weak, and defeated. Your life has become like this because you don’t have your flight to fly. A pity if this is the life you take. But I can end it.”
“End it?” She asked.
“By restoring your flight again,” he said, revealing he can bring her wings back.
This got her more attention and wanting to know who he is. “Who are you?”
As she asked, he then revealed his identity, reforming his body into his true pony form. He transforms into a fully armored alicorn with dragon wings. And Shida couldn’t believe her eyes.
“You’re… you’re…” She stuttered. “You're an alicorn.”
“Yes, I am, but I’m not.” He recalled. “I am the one who helps them see through their true nature.”
Shida then remembers those tones of words before. It was Clipso, the Dragoni King. “Clipso?” She said, frightened.
“I am.” He responded. “But trap in this alicorn form. Twilight Sparkle’s magic has poisoned my soul, taking my true form behind, and left me trapped in what I hated the most. For me to regain form, I need the souls of the Equestria to help me be complete. I need you.”
“I cannot help you!” Shida backed away. “You were responsible for all this. You murder our princess.”
“I did,” Clipso said, revealing the truth. “They were not like us, they were conquerors. Controlling magic was part of their will, the Sun and Moon weren’t hers, just like her princesses, Celestia and Luna weren’t our ruler. A fool for them to understand, nothing isn’t theirs.”
“Why would I trust you?” Shida exclaimed. “You’re not even a full alicorn, look at you. You’re a monster.”
“I am more than an alicorn,” said Clipso. “I am what’s left of me from the inside out through this form. This is the sign of what I deserve to suffer. But I’m not the only one who has suffered.” He looks at her. “You, too, suffer like me. Those pains of being on the ground have taken everything from you. Your wings cannot fly anymore, all thanks to Twilight Sparkle. Even though she was responsible from the beginning.”
“But…” She stopped. “She’s my princess, I believe her.”
“And you believe her more, giving her strength to take it all.” He said. “A shame she took the pegasus’ flight for no reason. Her part, not mine.” He then walks around her, taunting. “But I sense your pain, young one. Your parents, gone without seeing you, finally have a dream you wanted. All that pain from them is let out, hurting you within, poisoning your heart. Twilight Sparkle let this happen. She took everything from you, your life, your wings, and your dream.” Then he stopped. “But I can end it, by helping me to end the remaining alicorns. They’re still out there cowering from my return, or planning to stop me. I can end your pain, if you are willing to do it. It will cost you.”
“Cost me what?”
“Your soul,” He answered. “But it will cost you more. Once you sell your soul, you will leave everything behind to become like me. Become my child.”
Shida was stunned, she didn't want to leave everything. Her life of being a pegasus is who she was as a pony, and to follow her heart. But her wings, she wants to fly again and never want to suffer again. She can’t live without her flight after everything that has happened.
“I cannot,” she claimed. “All my life I do is part of me. My heart is here.”
“Hmph,” he scoffed. “Such a shame, I only wanted to see those who really wanted to be free. But I was wrong. You never wanted to be free. Enjoy being a flightless pony on the ground, for eternity.”
As he was about to leave, Shida quickly changed her mind. “No, wait! I’ll… I’ll give you my soul.” She accepted. “Please give me flight.”
Clipso’s eyes gaze, finally convincing her to give up her soul. “Then it is decided.” His horn started to spark with red magic, and carefully pierced into her chest.
Slowly, her soul was taken out and held in his magic. He takes a piece of his armor and lets it be consumed by Shida’s soul. When it finishes, he returns it back into her vessel, creating a pain inside her. She screams loudly as her body begins to change. Her forelegs crack, her wings begin to shed, her mane starts to change, as she feels the part of him inside. The armor starts coming out of her skin all around, then the feathers from her wings start shedding with new ones. When it’s over, she gets up and sees her hooves covered in armor, and her wings were replaced with new wings.
She was horrified at the new look she is now. “What.. What did you do to me?” She asked, seeing what she had become.
“I set you free, my child.” He said, revealing what he did.
With that he said, she was angry and tried to kill him. But his tentacle strains out his cape and grabs her, then tosses her into the air. She balances herself, until she realizes she’s flying in the air. She couldn’t believe it but it’s real, then flew outside into the air. No pegasus didn’t see her because she was fast in the speed of the wind, as she flew higher into the sky and through the clouds as she was finally free. And then, she lands with a ski to the ground with a stance as she was incredible at having her flight back again.
“Happy, you are?” He asked, seeing her finally got her flight back.
“I…” She was surprised. “I never flew for a long time for a moon. But now, I can.”
“Hmm,” he guessed. “You are now free from the string of magic. Now, how do you feel? Do you still think Twilight Sparkle is your princess?”
Shida thought about Princess Twilight and concluded her true hatred. “No, she’s not my princess anymore. She’s the true enemy of the alicorn.” Her eyes glim with evil, she never cared for anything anymore. Then she looks at him. “I will serve you, father.”
Clipso has finally broken her into joining his side at last. “Good, but I needed more help.” As she explained. “I needed two more ponies from two races to join my side if I ever began my plan. You will find them, and bring them to me so I can show them their alicorns were nothing but evil.”
“But how, father?” She asked. “I do not know who ponies I’m looking for.”
“My mind is connected to you,” said Clipso. “I will give you what you must search for. When you find them, we shall begin the plan.”
Shida understands, and will find two more to join. She flies away with her new wings, as Clipso watches and disappears into mist.