//------------------------------// // Light in the Dark // Story: A Visit By Sunset Shimmer // by Heavyhauler75622 //------------------------------// Twilight and the others arrived back at Twilight’s Castle after the tour. Sunset Shimmer found the outside of the Castle was a bit smaller than she thought, though from Carousel Boutique it had looked much larger. The homey abodes of ponies around it had added to the imposing look of the structure. Just inside the front doors, they were met by Spike. “Hey everypony!” he called cheerfully. There were several cheerful responses back from everypony. Even Sunset managed a quiet “Hello,” herself. Spike brightened even more at that. As they wended up the stair, Sunset noticed that there were very few Royal Guards on duty here. For being an Alicorn Princess, Sunset found that unsettling. She closed up on Twilight’s left side. “Hey, Twilight?” Twilight looked at her. “Yeah?” “Um…don’t you think you need some more Guards here? That Mirror is pretty important, isn't it?” “I’ve never needed them before…” “You’ve got a Library too, right?” she pressed. “A pretty big one, actually. Just a bit bigger than the one I used to live in; the Golden Oak Library in Ponyville,” Twilight said unwillingly. “Oh.” Sunset immediately understood why Twilight was upset, and now why the Castle wasn’t ‘home’… “The ruined tree in Ponyville,” she said quietly. She seen it herself, wanted to ask about it, but everypony became very subdued as they went past. Tears swam in Twilight’s eyes, stunning Sunset as she looked at her. “Twilight…please…tell me about it. You’ve never talked about it to me. Let me help,” Sunset said, concerned. Twilight drew in a shaky, sobbing breath. “Tirek,” she managed to croak out. “THE Tirek? The beyond evil, thrice-damned to Tartarus Tirek? That one?” Sunset Shimmer exclaimed, aghast. The others nodded in sympathy. “Yes…” Twilight said quietly. She drew in another, less shaky breath, steeled herself. Then, she told the entire story to Sunset. Tirek escaping Tartarus, and then consuming all the Magic he could find. The transfer of all the Alicorn Magic to her, to hide it from him; and then what happened with Discord. Sunset stopped her for a minute. “THE Discord? The Embodiment of Chaos?” she asked, stunned. “Yeah. We fought him, too, using the Elements of Harmony. We believed we helped him understand Friendship as well. He was an ally, well, sorta, before Tirek compromised him too. Fed his ego, got him to play along, used him against us, and then turned on him himself.” “Incredible,” Sunset said, wide-eyed. “My apologies for interrupting. Please, continue…” she said. Twilight, smiling wanly, told the rest of the story. How they had returned the Elements to the Tree of Harmony, and didn’t have them to use against Tirek. The destruction of Golden Oak. The Battle she had against Tirek. How Tirek and Twilight fought each other to a standstill, until he threatened her friends. ALL of them. How Tirek took all of the Magic from her, too. The Keys and The Box. The final Key. How the activation of the Box Invoked the ‘Rainbow Power’ in them, and how the Six used it to stop him. And finally, how the Box became the ‘seed’ to evoke her Castle. Sunset quietly absorbed all the rest of it. There was no use in thinking that it was all completely inconceivable, like her human perceptions wanted to believe. She was walking in that very same Castle at this moment. “So…you miss your old place.” Well, she had a little of that herself, now that she was here. “Golden Oak was my home from almost the minute I came to Ponyville. All the memories…” “I wish I could help.” “I know.” She sighed, put on a brave smile. “Thanks for listening, at least.” They came to a large room. Seven chairs, almost, well, not almost, they were thrones, sat around a large, circular table. Sunset had glanced around on the way up; there wasn’t any other apparent ‘Throne Room’ she had seen. This (these) was (were) the seat(s) of power. Six equal seats; and a smaller one near Twilight’s. Sunset walked around, looking at them. The Six all stood politely near their own seat, not willing to sit while a guest had to stand. Even a place for the dragon; right there at Twilight Sparkle’s right hand, er, hoof. I underestimated these ponies, she thought. They were heroines on an almost unimagined scale. Her girls were strong, determined young women. But these ponies… Were just like their counterparts. She had seen the truth in Rarity’s eyes earlier today. They all had the same strengths, the same hearts. And she was a part of them there in the other world. As she considered that, Spike started to walk toward his seat. Sunset turned to Twilight. “Twi, could Spike take me on a short tour? I’d like to see some more,” she asked quietly. Twilight started to say they’d all be happy to docent her around the Castle, when she stopped, looking at Sunset. Sunset had a self-conscious, embarrassed look, like she was having to get something out…and wanted to do it privately with the little dragon. Twilight smiled. “Sure. Can you take Sunset Shimmer around, Spike?” He bowed regally. “It would be my pleasure! What would you like to see first, Sunset?” “Hey, Spike…you go ahead and choose. This is your home, too.” she said, with a grateful look toward Twilight. She watched them go, Spike chatting animatedly about the Crystal Tree Castle… Once out of earshot, she turned to the others. “She’s staying here, right?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Yep.” Then she thought about it for a minute. Her eyes widened. “I have an idea…” Twilight suddenly grinned from ear to ear. “Okay, girls. Let’s start something of a tradition with her. Everypony stays here tonight. Rarity, Applejack, you’re my assistants on this one. You’ve done one before. And I got to do one there, and have a better idea how it works. There’s some add-ons we have to append to the ‘Slumber 101, All You Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties But Were Afraid to Ask’ book we’ll have to make. Can anyone here put together a pizza?” Pinkie Pie’s hoof shot upward. “It needs whipped cream, right?” she interjected. Spike was in the middle of the Library, pointing out certain books when Sunset gently stopped him, laying a hoof on a shoulder. “Huh?” he asked, confused. “Spike…I’m sorry I screamed at you earlier. I know you’re not like that. I’m…well, I was just a little freaked out about being here. I thought it would be easy. Turns out…it’s not.” She sat down at a table heavily, putting her front hooves on it, and then burying her head between them. “I’m not even facing the worst of it, and I feel so…different. Like I made a mistake.” Spike walked up to her, looked at the flame-colored mane with concern. “How?” he asked. “It’s been almost three years…thirty moons, Spike, since I left here the first time. Things were way different then. I thought I knew it all. I came back to steal Twilight’s Crown, and then I was going to come back here after I enslaved enough people, prove to everypony I was right. I didn’t care how I did it. If I had to crush and enslave everyone along the way, than that was just fine with me.” “But you didn’t,” Spike said, watching her as he sat down in a nearby chair. “But I wanted to, Spike…” “But you didn’t, Sunset. I was there, remember? Yeah, okay, the first time, it was weird, sure; they had to stop you, but you didn’t know anything better, right? But this last time with the Sirens?” He put a claw gently on her back. “You did something totally brave! I’m a ferocious, fire-breathing dragon,” he said, then gave her a pained look, “…mostly, and they scared me! But you weren’t scared a bit.” “No…I was terrified, Spike. The lucky thing was I wasn’t going to let that happen again. I hadn’t considered one second past that point. I jumped in here, arrogantly thinking I might make everything all right again. Then I find out who Twilight really is around here, her and her friends. Stopping me? Ending the threat of three Sirens? It’s like going to the store and buying peanut butter to her. ‘I suppose smooth rather than the crunchy today. Tirek is acting up,’” she said dismissively, almost sounding bored. Spike looked at her critically.” Hey, it isn’t easy for me, either. I make mistakes all the time, around mares that hardly make any mistakes at all. The important thing is, they’re always around to help. I did a big thing awhile back. I helped save the Crystal Empire…” “Where the Mirror used to be. The one that Sombra had...” Sunset interrupted. “Yep. That one. They treat me like a hero up there, Sunset. Little me. Then I let it get to me. I thought I was way more important than everypony else. I started to mess up. I blew it on lighting the torch for the Equestria Games, then made it worse by insisting on singing the Cloudsdale Anthem without knowing the words.” Sunset smiled slightly. “That was awkward, I’ll bet.” “It was terrible! There must have been thirty thousand ponies watching me screw up. I wanted to dig a hole and bury myself. I spent most of the Games in Twilight’s room, I was so embarrassed. She finally made me come out on the last event.” “Did you feel better?” “Not until afterward. There was an accident. I ended up saving a lot of ponies from getting hurt.” “You, too?” she chuckled ruefully, shaking her head. “Like I said…sometimes. It’s not about how big the things are…it’s about how big your heart is, even when it’s the small things. Right?” Sunset nodded, leaned back in the chair, stretched. “Spike, maybe nopony has told you this…but you’re a pretty smart guy.” “Yeah. It’s hanging around Twilight. You have to work hard to keep up with her.” He hopped off the chair. "Now, about your problem.” “I think you helped me understand it better. I’m still scared. But not scared enough to give up; not anymore.” “You ready to see the rest of it? The castle, I mean?” “Lead on, Number One Assistant.” She said, smiling. They were all busy on the planning, when a quiet flapping of wings sounded from the balcony. Twilight looked up. “Princess Luna! Am I ever so glad to see you! Come in!” Twilight called, as Princess Luna landed on the broad balcony underneath the huge flag. The Princess of Benevolent Night walked in, as the others bowed. She curled a lip in mock aversion. “Twilight Sparkle, haven’t I told you to pass on to the rest of the Six not to do that when we are in private? They’ve saved all of Equestria, what, several times at least, not to mention Canterlot at least an equal number of occurrences? Equals being what they are, they shouldn’t have need of such deference…” Twilight hugged her. “Oh, I have, Luny. But they won’t listen, at least for when you arrive, and when you leave. They feel such is a rightful honor that should be given you and Princess Celestia. I tend to agree,” Twilight shot back delightedly. The two of them had developed a deep friendship over the last few years after Luna’s return and Luna’s first Nightmare Night, and had been gently teasing each other for some time now. Luna sighed deeply. “It figures you’d be the ringleader in such a plot. Very well, then, I accept this in the spirit in which it is given. But only because the paperwork for disobeying one of the Diarchy is both tedious, and glacially slow to adjudicate, especially with Celestia handling the prosecution. And then I’d have to explain to Cadance why you’re all sitting in Our dungeons, followed by the incarceration of one Shining Armor after he charged in for a rescue. Since Cadance has absolutely no humor about such things, we’d be at war by the end of the week,” she finished, tacking on an ironic smile. “Nice to know where we stand, Luny. Thanks loads,” Twilight said smarmily with a chuckle. “You are quite welcome, ‘Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Instigation,’” Luna shot back snarkily with a smile. “Ouch. How’s Princess Celestia?” Twilight bantered back. “A little miffed that you haven’t had her over to your Castle for tea yet, Twi. You know how Cely gets when she’s intensely curious about things. She wants a tour of here really bad,” Luna said delightedly. “She could just come over, Luny. We’ve known each other long enough. Just have her send a scroll to me when she gets time.” “Time is a luxury she hasn’t had much of, Twi, but I’ll pass on the message. Even though I’ve been back for some time, her workload has seemed to increase. Mustangia, Britannia, Maretania, Saddle Arabia, Crystal Empire, Trade Judge, Raising Ceremonies, Wonderbolt demonstrations, the Gala…busy, busy, busy. Even more now, especially after you got the Canterlot node all fired up earlier.” Twilight turned serious instantly. “The Canterlot node? When did that happen?” “Seriously, Twi? One of your little experiments got a little frisky out in the pasture, didn’t it? The node picked up the ley line harmonics, sang right up my and Cely’s spine. I blew a Boss Battle and two and a half hours of gaming time because of it, by the way,” Luna commented grumpily. “Anypony else affected?” Twilight asked, concerned. "It’s a fourth or fifth level harmonic, Twi, way down deep there where the Old Magic is. It probably sent shivers up every Unicorn’s back. Few Unicorns barely scrape two for the most difficult studies, and all of the rest do just fine on the top level. Cadance has worked down past three in her Auror studies, and Cely and I can feel subtle changes down past five. You’re a precocious thing, Twi, but even with your abilities, I hardly notice your dips down to four. This one sang the node deep. I still feel the resonance along my bones; I’d call it an easy five, or more. What have you been playing around with now? It may be dangerous,” Luna said candidly. “I have a guest. Sunset Shimmer is here from the other world, and she did something unexpected. She was singing a song, and it somehow awakened the Rainbow Power we used to defeat Tirek. There’s another side effect. I think we can summon it up at will now.” “Princess Twilight Sparkle, you will not summon this power up again until you and the rest of the Six are in the Specialized Incantation Isolation Room at Canterlot, where the effect can be assessed,” Princess Luna said, scowling, fully into her Diarchal role. “You and the others are tapping into tremendous power here, and I do not want Equestria descending into an inadvertent terror filled nightmare because Rainbow Dash thinks it’s ‘cool’, ‘aight’, or whatever her current catchphrase is this week.” Luna hadn’t even raised her voice, but Twilight caught the full meaning of her words. Wide-eyed and wordlessly, she quickly nodded assent. “Now, about the aforementioned Rainbow Dash…is she going to listen to you, or should I have a little talk with her as well?” she asked, head slightly canted, staring deeply into Twilight’s eyes. Despite their friendship, Twilight found herself chanting in her mind that Luna’s pupils in her eyes stay round, rather than that horrifying vertical that came out when the Nightmare took control. Twilight opened her mouth, and a tiny, terrified “*eep*” snuck out. Luna backed off a bit, turned the glacial stare upon Rainbow Dash, as Fluttershy dived behind her usual cover, Applejack. Even Rarity and Pinkie Pie took a slight step back. Dash scowled mightily, but kept her mouth shut tight. She had challenged Princess Celestia directly herself once, the first time Twilight went through the Mirror, but she knew Luna was far less lenient if she felt she was required to be. And Luna’s face said leniency wasn’t even a fleeting thought at this point. “I shall take that as assent, then.” She softened slightly, nodded to Rainbow Dash, and put a gentle hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Twi, I am sure that this is only a positive thing. Your defeat of Tirek with the Six employing such a power supports that. A power supplied by the Tree of Harmony, whose roots go deep enough to summon it. But I will not risk one hair on your or the Six’s manes on a guess, nor all of Equestria. We shall first learn what it is we are dealing with, and then train to use it wisely. We have spoken.” Twilight snuck in an admiring glance as the Princess of Night turned away for the moment. She has been back only what, four years? That mare learns fast… “In the meantime,” Luna said, as she turned back, a rolled map from her saddlebag in her dark blue aura, “…I need a sufficiently large table to open and spread this out. Celestia is unavoidably diverted by those Affairs of State at the moment, and I wish to begin at least a preliminary investigation into this phenomenon.” “Well, the map isn’t on the table right now. Would that work?” she asked. “Eminently so, Twilight. Let’s be about it, then.” Twilight started snatching up a few books, placing them on one side of the table, as Luna’s aura unrolled it. Twilight set the books on the corners to keep it flat. Twilight stared at it. “This is a ley line diagram map of the Equestrian continent, Luna.” Luna nodded, as the others closed in. “I find it easier to refer to a representation when considering such things, rather than mentally trying to track everything, Twilight. Also,” she continued, spilling a small bag of dark blue sparkly pebbles to one side with her aura, “…adding markers and such helps even more. And yes, Pinky, you can have one after we finish, so don’t play with them for now,” she said, capturing a pink hoof in her aura. “Awww,” Pinky Pie said, disappointed. “They’re really pretty.” Ignoring Pinky for now, Twilight gestured at the diagram. “Canterlot sits on a four ley line node; in fact, I think it’s the only four-line node in existence. Plus, there are vast crystal caves underneath, which potentiate the effects. One of the reasons the School of Magic is located in Canterlot. My castle sits on three, as does the Castle of the Two Sisters in the Everfree Forest. The Tree of the Elements feeds energy into, and takes energy from, that nearby node. Crystal Citadel in the Crystal Empire is on two, but it also had some artificial crystal enhancements Sombra was trying to accomplish when he was overthrown,” she stated authoritatively. Luna studied the diagram under lowered eyebrows, and then pointed a hoof. “Also, note the ley lines are closer together here than anywhere else in Equestria. Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth ponies throughout the world can manipulate Magic no matter where they are, but the most powerful intensities of natural energy Magic are within these boundaries. Splendid Valley lies within them, for example; the most concentrated spot for gemstones on Equestria. Canterlot’s unique construction over the four-line node, though the table plateau on the other side of Twin Peaks would much more easily site a large castle. Two Sisters in Everfree, over the Tree of Harmony and that node. Your Castle here in Ponyville, chosen by the Box. The next best is Crystal Citadel in the Crystal Empire, with its Crystal Gates at the cardinal points not just marking the start of the Empire, but tapping and feeding it energy.” Luna then gestured, placing markers on the various nodes mentioned. “It may be a two-line node, but Sombra enhanced it well. If Cadance and Shining add a few retransmission crystals at the resonance limits, one pony could theoretically cast protection throughout the Empire with little difficulty if they sat at the intersect.” She pointed with her hoof again. “The Citadel, right there where the Heart spins. That was what Sombra was trying to create with the Dark Crystals when Celestia and I stopped him.” Luna stared at the map pensively. “Yet nothing here indicates exactly how or in what way Sunset set the node alight. Twi, is there a collection of…” Spike returned with Sunset Shimmer right at that moment. Sunset Shimmer froze in place from fright, as her eyes widened in recognition. She started to tremble violently. “What’s wrong?” Twilight asked, as Sunset Shimmer threw herself prone on the floor. “It’s her! It’s The Mare in the Moon!” Sunset said as the trembling increased. “N-n-nightmare Moon!!” Princess Luna’s eyes turned down at the mention of the Nightmare once more…it still wounds, she thought sadly, even when I know it’s coming and I brace myself for it... Twilight walked over to Sunset Shimmer. “Sunset,” Twi said gently, pulling her hooves away from her eyes, then lifting the mare’s chin up. “This is Princess Luna. There is no Nightmare Moon anymore. This is Princess Celestia’s Sister, The Benevolent Guide of Kind Dreams. Please, come say hello…” “B-b-but…” Sunset Shimmer babbled, badly frightened. Princess Twilight Sparkle looked kindly, but intensely into Sunset’s turquoise eyes. “Hey…I’m your friend. Saving is what I do, Sunset. Her, and then, you.” She smiled gently, bravely. “Trust me.” Sunset swallowed, worked to calm the shaking. The trembling decreased markedly, but was still noticeable at times. She lifted her head up, took a tentative step, then a firmer, more certain one. Princess Luna smiled. That Twilight Sparkle. Amazing how she could get ponies to walk right in to face ruin, despair, perhaps even death itself, despite everything inside them telling them to run away, she thought. She sat down, took a deep breath, centering herself, and making sure to modulate her voice carefully. No Royal Canterlot Voice here… Sunset Shimmer reached an appropriate distance, and then bowed deeply, though a ghost of the trembling earlier manifested itself briefly. “Y-your Majesty,” she managed to choke out, before her voice failed totally. “Student Sunset Shimmer. We are pleased to meet you at this boon favor opportunity. Princess Twilight Sparkle has spoken with great favor of your brave, resolute heart while facing The Sirens. I am glad to meet with such a pony.” She offered Sunset her hoof. Stunned, Sunset Shimmer took it. Princess Luna beamed. “Okay…can we drop a little of the formality now? Friends don’t have to be so stiff, don’t you agree?” Luna said to the flame-tinted pony. “Um…” Fluttershy nodded. “I feel exactly the same way.” Luna spared Fluttershy a slight reproachful glance, and then continued. “Sunset Shimmer, I have a mystery to solve…would you and your friends return with me to Canterlot? We wish to ascertain how this powerful Magic was done. Are you up to such a visit?” Sunset took a deep breath. “Majesty, although my purposes here were to vacation, and to eventually meet with Princess Celestia over my abrupt leave taking from the Magic School, I am unsure how your sister might feel about such an immediate visit. But, I am always willing to help friends.” “Then for the time being, I shall respect such a generous offer to assist without adding to your discomfiture. The next train to Canterlot Castle is within the hour. Shall we take it?” Sunset nodded, not trusting her voice. “Excellent! To the train station!” Luna cried, snatching up her map and rolling it easily with her aura; then putting the markers away except for eight, which she gave one at a time to each pony, then Spike. Pinkie beamed at hers, rolling it around in her hoof like Maud did with Boulder. Luna then trotted off, heading for the stairs. Twilight nudged her slightly. “I know this is rather abrupt, Sunset, but we’ll all be there for you." she said as the Six turned to follow. Sunset started down with the others, but all she thought was, It’s too soon. It’s too soon. Twilight got a glimpse of the Diarchy’s influence when they got to the train station. Luna received tickets for all of them from the ticket agent, and hadn’t appeared to pay for them. When she mentioned it, Luna chuckled. “Twi, Canterlot has supported the train for years. We have negotiated on the railway’s behalf for right of way, goods cartage, passenger service, all sorts of assistance. Rail has proven to be very good for the economy. Appleoosa couldn’t be what it is without the train. Crystal Empire as well. It’s not the most pleasant thing for dignitaries to take a chariot from Manehattan to Canterlot. So, we get a little leeway, and settle up at the end of the moon cycle.” ”Hmm. Okay.” They all picked a car together to sit in. Pinkie picked a seat by Applejack, who was without her Fluttershy shadow currently. Flutts was sitting by Rarity. Pinkie looked at the object on her hoof, fascinated by the pebble Luna gave her. Applejack nudged her. “What’s the deal about the rock, sugarcube?” Pinkie held it up into the light, eyed it critically. “I’m not sure. I wish Maudie was here. I think this is lazurite; a feldspathoid silicate mineral. I'm pretty sure this is…" “Lapis Lazuli,” Luna said, smiling gently. “I know it is customary to associate me with Moonstone, a sodium potassium aluminum silicate, with the two feldspar species, orthoclase and albite, separated into stacked, alternating layers. As light falls between the thin, flat layers, it scatters in many directions, producing the phenomenon called adularescence. I like it, but Lapis is my favorite, because it shimmers very much like my mane does...” Never too big on geology, Sunset excused herself from the next bench over from Fluttershy, went to the lavatory at the front of the car. Twilight settled back, watching Sunset go. “In the meantime…” “Oh, I know that face well, Twilight Sparkle, not to mention hearing the wheels inside your head turning. What are you thinking about?” Luna aked slyly. “Trips by train get boring. Want to play a game?” Luna looked at her disdainfully. “Hmmm…well, if you’re giving it away, I’ll take the action on it. I am not so naïve to fail to recognize I’m being maneuvered, Princess Twilight. But it is a decent trip, and I’m not one to be a stick in the mud. What is your proposal?” She leaned over, whispered into Luna’s ear. “Oho! So sure, are you?” Twilight nodded, smiling. “And I’ll cover the bet if I’m wrong. Within five minutes, I’d say.” “Huzzah! I have always admired your Starswirl the Bearded costume for my Nightmare Night! Rarity, would you be available for alterations?” “But of course, Princess! Bring it by, and I’ll see what magic I can work for you,” the fashionista mare said with certainty, though her puzzlement was at least as profound as the others. “Don’t count your bells before they’re sewn on, Luny,” Twilight said confidently. “You still have to win, first.” As Sunset came back, Twilight beckoned her with a hoof. Sunset reluctantly took the nearby bench. Luna turned to the tangerine pony. “Twilight tells me you play music in a band?” “Um…yes. The Rainbow Dash of my world started one. We call ourselves the Rainbooms.” “Ah. I have read over Celestia’s shoulder the scrolls Twilight sent my Sister. But I am confused. What is an ‘Electric Guitar’?” “Oh. Well, it’s sort of this…instrument. It has six strings, a long neck with frets so you can use your fingers…” Luna held up a hoof. “I would like to ask about those, as well. Twilight tells me that…” she began, as she described the appendages. Sunset nodded at places in agreement. “And so, you use the ‘hands’ on this instrument you sling about your body. Which is plugged into an electrical thing called an ‘amplifier’. And push on various strings on the frets of the neck to make this music with it as you stroke your hoof, er, hand over them with a piece of plastic, using controls and a ‘whammy bar?’ to influence the sounds?” Sunset nodded again, realizing how preposterous the whole thing was sounding. But Luna was watching the clock carefully on the front of the car. She ran out four minutes easily over guitar playing. Twilight hadn’t moved; the small smile on her face remained as she calmly watched Luna maneuver the conversation. Luna may be good, and she certainly had the upper hoof here, but… “…and that’s how it all works, Princess Luna.” Sunset Shimmer finished at last. Luna gave the clock a final glance. Thirty seconds. HA! “I thank you, Sunset. That helped tremendously.” Sunset smiled shyly, grateful that Princess Luna’s interest was satisfied. It took a LOT to explain… “See? I told you Luna was very nice,” Twilight said, as she slammed the ball into the basket. Rainbow Dash ain’t the only one that can play on this field, she thought smugly. Sunset’s eyes went wide as she smiled. “She really isn’t a terrifying, evil pony bent on dominating the world, is she, Twilight? No offense, Princess,” she said perfunctorily, before she caught herself, eyes widening even more, clopping a hoof over her mouth. I can’t BELIEVE I just said that, she thought to herself awkwardly. “None taken, Sunset Shimmer,” Princess Luna replied, bright merriment in her eyes. “Twilight, I believe I owe you some Mountain Moonlight soda, three of the case size, if I recall correctly. She said exactly what you thought she would say. Bravo, well done!” “And I get to keep my costume, don’t forget,” Twilight added firmly. Luna sighed. “Very well. You have taken the field today.” She made an exaggerated pouty face as she looked out the window, before starting to giggle. Twilight joined in. Sunset looked at the both of them, nonplussed. “Was I the subject of a BET just now?’ she said, indignity rising. “A sure thing, Sunset,” Twilight said smugly. “Friendship makes it easy. And I’m splitting the soda among us. Slumber party, right? Need something to go with pizza, if I can figure out how to make it.” Sunset decided to go with it. “Okay, fine. No more jokes, and I’ll show you how to do pizza with baguettes.” The three of them huddled together to start an ingredient list… “Normally, I would give Princess Cadance a call for Magic work such as this, given her training now as an Auror,” Luna said as they walked toward the Canterlot Castle from the train station in Canterlot. “But I received a scroll from Shining Armor last week that Cadance was limiting her travel as of late. Do you know the reason, Twilight?” “I have no idea. I knew Cadance has been busy recently, but not what she was involved in. I thought that the Empire had finally found and purged all the dark crystal in their lands earlier this year, except for limited samples being tested and experimented on. Maybe she’s busy with that.” “Perhaps. In any case, she is unavailable to help. But your own abilities are formidable, Twilight; and mine are not insignificant, either. Between the two of us, and with Sunset Shimmer assisting, we should be able to muddle through effectively. Should we find a dead end, we can consult with My Sister…” Sunset Shimmer managed to suppress a flinch at the mention of Celestia. Luna saw it, covered quickly. “…or one of the teachers from either the Magic School or our own local Aurors,” she finished rapidly. Luna was sympathetic to the young mare’s discomfort over Celestia. She herself had felt like that, especially that first year after her return. “Canterlot has many such resources we can use,” she added. They walked a short distance, and then turned down a new path on the left just after the drawbridge. Twilight was the only pony that knew of it, having been a consultant along with Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadance during its design, and then the groundbreaking. The Five were curious, not remembering seeing this before during their Gala visit, but followed curiously. “So, it’s finished?” Twilight asked, excitement creeping into her voice. “Two months ago. We had a Unicorn builder specializing in such things help accelerate the concrete curing process. He brought in a friend, an Earther that had a talent in laying tile.” Luna said candidly. “The old one wasn’t a third the size of this one.” They came to a very large grass-covered mound, with a pair of heavy metal doors. “It looks larger than I remember,” Twilight said calmly. “We did tweak the plans a bit. Cadance ciphered out we could make it a bit larger without compromising the purpose, and Celestia pushed her ‘emergency release’ fail-safe, though that will probably never be used. But your ideas on the construction and composition of the liner were perfect.” Luna’s horn lit up, and the heavy doors opened inward, then split in the center as they slid apart. “The ‘pressure door’ construction was fiendishly difficult, but I was amazed as to just how effective it is to keep them closed and unable to be opened with just a slight increase of air pressure inside the vault,” she said as the doors silently came to a stop. They all walked into the murky space, their hooves clip-clopping in the darkness. Although the room left an impression of great space, the sounds of their feet were muted, as if the place was reluctant to give up its secrets. Even Rarity's and Twilight's lit horns seemed subdued. Luna flicked a button on with her magic. Though there were few illumination sources in the roof, the room suddenly shone brightly. Glossy white tile, each embossed deeply with sigils, bounced and reflected the light throughout the room. But the tiles weren’t really entirely white. Prismatic colors glittered just under the surface, like fine opal. Colors that shifted as the light did. At certain angles, striped hints of rainbows gleamed. Twilight blinked. Her friends, including Sunset Shimmer, squinted and grimaced in the gleaming light. Luna had shaded her eyes with a foreleg just before activating the lights, having eyes extremely sensitive to fast changes in brightness, and being well aware of the dazzling effect of the lighting in the room. She removed it as her eyes adapted. Twilight grinned a wide grin. “Oh, wow!” She looked down, her face quite close to the tiling next to the narrow paths that crossed the floor. “Are those the new ones? They’re prettier than I thought they would be!” She lifted her head and looked at Luna. “Are they all to specification?” “Yes, though the first two test batches had high failure rates; upwards of thirty percent.” She rubbed a hoof across the tile line nearest to her. “The hardest thing done for this room, and the most expensive, was creating the process to properly infuse the glazing with microscopic crystal. The mining hardly even removed any amount of note of the free crystal beneath Canterlot.” “Do they work?” “Even better than you projected, Twilight. We were amazed as to how reflective they are to Magic,” Luna said. There was also new investigations and testing of the process for other things where the refraction to Magical influence would be useful. She then pointed at the narrow walkways. “The external ley line node taps are incorporated into waveguides built into the walkways. Grids are placed over the openings to protect ponies from stepping into them. There’s only a five percent decrease of available energy between normal environment levels and here.” She smiled. “I had thought Celestia’s old Specialized Incantation Isolation Room was sophisticated, Twilight, but this new one...the size alone is astonishing. Protective sigils enhanced with Magic Crystal stratified into the ceramic glaze? Sheer brilliance, Princess Twilight.” She bowed slightly. “The waveguides; they allow energy to be channeled into the room normally, but can be shut off and isolated like the walls. Your door idea; to just add a few pounds of air pressure in here results in tons of additional resistance to opening the doors, and a Unicorn can augment that by shielding the outer door surface. A mere trifle in energy to do that, but many multiples of resistance to something…bad…trying to get out.” She turned to the others. “Friends, this is the Specialized Incantation Isolation Room ; a place where Magic can be tested while protecting others from negative events. We are here to learn what we can from your new ability.” “What should we do first?” Rainbow Dash asked. “The best is to start at the beginning, Rainbow Dash,” Princess Luna said kindly. She slid the doors closed, but didn't activate the security seals. She was very mindful as to where the lever was, though...her aura was latched to it. “I have an idea. Fluttershy, dear…” said Rarity. The expression filled eyes widened even more. “B-but...I can't use magic...” “Nothing terrifying, my dear…just five notes. Those lovely five notes you hum all the time, nothing more.” Rarity’s pitch pipe appeared from somewhere, as Rarity blew the note. A clear F sounded in the room. Fluttershy decided. She answered with the F, then a higher A, another F, an E, and again the F… The walls rippled with light, glowing briefly as the last note died… Fluttershy paced out a D, an E, another D, a lower C, and then a lower A…and the walls rippled and glowed again… “Again, Fluttershy,” Rarity exhorted gently. Fluttershy ran the first five notes again, as the ripple came back… Then the Five came in on the second five notes…and the walls blazed in light! The notes died as the Mane Six stared at each other in awe. Twilight reacted first. “Do it again, Fluttershy,” she said warmly. Fluttershy led them again, her first five, then the rest joining in again as before…as Sunset Shimmer, unable to resist, fell in with them; singing Fluttershy’s little ditty, something about Ponies and Friendship. Flutts didn't stop this time. She continued the lovely little song... “Astounding,” Luna said in awe, as the Six and Sunset Shimmer changed in front of her. The transformation was certainly colorful, reflecting grandly off the glossy white glazing and embossed sigils applied to the wall tiles in the hemispherical dome, but the more fascinating thing was the power concentrated in the Specialized Incantation Isolation Room. Each of the ponies was enclosed within a bubble of energy, as streams orbited around them. There was no obvious feed of power into the bubbles, but Luna was extremely aware of the ley lines nearby resonating with the energy contained within the room…and resonating within her. Luna couldn’t help herself. The energy...no, that wasn't quite it...the love in the room was…overwhelming. She joined the others…felt herself rising from the floor, as the energy wrapped her in pure joy. She also changed. Fetlocks of the darkest night, lit by glowing stars. A silvery streak appeared in her mane and tail, as the colors deepened. The unrestrained resonation in her very body… Resonation Celestia would also be feeling dancing along her skeleton as well, she suddenly realized… “Starswirl’s Beard,” she breathed. Celestia would be… The doors glowed sun-yellow for a moment before they burst open; and The Light of the Sun entered at a gallop. And ‘Benevolent’ was definitely to be omitted from the referent title. The song died almost immediately. All Luna saw was concern, distress…and anger. A lot of anger. Luna hung her head. I will end up swimming in guilt forever if we all are banished into the Moon, she thought sadly, sinking to the floor first. Princess Celestia stood in front of Luna, as the other ponies slowly lowered to the floor and the bubbles dissipated behind Luna. She glared at her younger Sister heatedly. “WELL?” she said loudly, the piercing stare flaying Luna’s soul bare. It wasn’t quite The Royal Canterlot Voice…but it was close enough. “Umm…Cely. I have been investigating that…thing. And it seems…” Princess Celestia turned to the other ponies. “Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy…wait outside. Now.” A bare flicker of rebellion crossed Rainbow Dash’s face, as well as concern on Rarity’s, but Celestia’s face told it all. Not even the slightest resistance or argument would be indulged. They walked out, heads low. Their hearts told them to save the explanations for the right time. “Luna…” Celestia began, after the five left, and Celestia shut the door. “What are you involved in?” Then she saw the tangerine pony. Her eyes widened in recognition. “Sunset Shimmer...” Sunset suddenly wished she stayed home and waited twenty years or so in her world before attempting coming here. Twilight stepped in. “Princess Celestia…” Celestia swung narrowed eyes to her. Twilight’s voice died out with a squeak. “Sister…” Luna started to say. “Luna… the Specialized Incantation Isolation Room is for isolating dangerous Magic. And as such, the operative word is ‘dangerous’, correct? Care to explain to me how the Six and Princess Twilight ended up here? And why Sunset Shimmer suddenly also appeared here?” she rumbled. “Celestia,” Luna started weakly, and then her voice firmed up. “Sister…we took adequate precautions. Using this room…” “Did nothing to buffer the power of this Invocation. Every Unicorn in the Canterlot Canton felt this energy, and more than likely far beyond. Most were upset, and more than a few scared half to death. I ran down here expecting to find some terrible event occurring, and instead, I find my Sister, the Mane Six, and her…”, pointing a hoof at Sunset. “We took precautions! Why do we even have this structure, except to investigate…?” Luna said, her own anger rising, stamping her right forehoof. “Princess Celestia…” Twilight interrupted, raising her right foreleg… Sunset watched glumly as Twilight, Luna, and Celestia continued their heated discussion; Celestia, continuing to jab one front hoof of hers towards Sunset, while Luna made a defiant stamp with hers, and Twilight had one lifted in supplication. Sunset Shimmer was losing it. They were arguing about her, for hay’s sake! Didn’t she have some say in this, too? Quietly, once more trying to calm down, she started to softly sing to herself, forgetting for the moment that on Equestria, every pony around her could hear the song. “Power…was all I desired…but all that grew inside of me, was the darkness I acquired…” Celestia’s head snapped around… “When I began to fall…and I lost the path ahead, that’s when your friendship found me, and lifted me instead…” “Like a phoenix burning bright, in the sky…I’ll show there’s another side of me you can’t deny…” “I may not know what the future holds, but hear me when I say…that my past does not define me, ‘cause my past is not today…” Celestia’s eyes widened. Sunset Shimmer was glowing, glowing brightly. And the Alicorns all felt the powerful, vibrant hum of the Canterlot Node, invoked into song. But the song wasn’t joyous this time. The node felt wistful, bereft…sad… The Princess of Light in the World had discussed crystal enhancement of Magic with Sombra himself, before having to turn against him with Luna’s help as he enslaved more and more ponies to feed that obsession. She argued Chaos Theory with Discord as well, before his own proclivities led him to remake Equestria as he saw fit, and the Elements of Harmony were used against him. Then Luna became the Nightmare; the terrifying Beauty of the Night that Sombra had awakened, and led to his defeat. And Celestia had been forced to choose against her own Sister, banishing her into the Moon. Other enemies of remarkable power. But in all that lifetime, Celestia had never seen this before, as the tangerine pony flared into flame. There was a sudden burst of blinding light as Sunset Shimmer rose upward, her horn wrapped in a long turquoise glow…on wings. Wings of fire. The wings were beautiful, but startling. The beauty was self-evident, but how did a Unicorn create wings like an Alicorn had? Twilight herself stared at them intently. She could do something like that, with her Rapidash ponysona while she was angry, but she had to be incredibly furious to begin with. However, Sunset wasn’t angry…she was sad, and trying to lift her spirits up with song. Celestia watched, dumbfounded, as the Unicorn continued to sing. Hints of Sunset’s Rainbow Power coloration started to appear, red tints to her fetlocks and feet, yellow above that, as Sunset’s legs started to have patterns of flame appear in the new coloring. Luna watched the complex patterns in amazement, hypnotized by them. A single streak of turquoise appeared in her mane and tail. As they watched, a lighter streak of yellow joined it. Sunset was singing of surmounting her pain, transcending it…like a Phoenix from the ashes. Like Philomena did. In that brief moment, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, completely understood Sunset Shimmer. And that she would champion her “Sunset Shimmer,” Celestia said calmly. Sunset caught herself with a quiet gasp, then lowered herself to the floor. Once all four feet were firmly on the floor, the colors and wings winked out. “We will continue this in the Throne Room. Come with me,” Celestia said, softly opening the doors so she didn’t accidentally injure the five ponies listening at the doors intently.