//------------------------------//
// Chapter 21 - Maelstrom 
// Story: Night Reigns 
// by tursi 
//------------------------------//

Sterling Honor looked up from the base of the cliff as Stratosphere pointed.

"It was up there, sir. She was coming out of a cave when I saw her. I was just so glad to see her again I dove down to talk to her."

"'Again', Corporal? Where did you see her before?"

"Du.. Sir. I saw her entering the Everfree Forest a few days ago... she saved me from a cockatrice"

"I don't remember seeing that in your report, Corporal."

Stratosphere rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, um... sorry sir. I was kind of embarrassed about being caught off guard, and I figured, hey, no harm no foul, right? But I thought she got taken by the forest."

"In the future, Corporal Stratosphere, you are to include all details, including the embarrassing ones. Do you see how this might have been important?"

"Yeah... yes sir. But it still really sucks. Wait till you see her, you'll see what I mean!"

"We can't afford to let a pony's looks or personality distract us from protecting the Queen." '

"I know, I know. Canterlot comes first, sir. But it still sucks."

"Enough. Now, is there a path up there?"

"Uh, I dunno, sir. I've only seen it from the air... there's a wicked narrow ledge and the edges are pretty steep."

"Any other way in?"

"Geez... maybe. It's all part of some old mine or something, but I've never heard of anypony getting very far. The local foals might know more, it's the sorta place kids would know. But I didn't grow up here."

"Never mind then. Fly up there and look for a clear spot on the ledge. I can use your focus to follow you up there."

Stratosphere blinked. "Sir?"

Sterling smirked. "Just go, Corporal."

Stratosphere shrugged. "All right, whatever you say, sir." He gave a strong flap and rocketed upwards, quickly clearing the two hundred feet up the side of the cliff. When he stopped and began to hover, Sterling lit his horn and focused on the airborne pegasus.

"All right, give me a landing point..." muttered Sterling as he reached out his senses. The subtle spell allowed him to redirect his sight – more by reflection than insight. At last he was able to make contact. He looked down and saw the narrow ledge beneath Stratosphere as if it were beneath himself, with the darker entrance to the cave against the wall.

"There we go," he added. After a moment's further concentration, his horn flared and he winked out of sight, only to reappear a moment later on the narrow ledge.

"Whoa!" cried a startled Stratosphere, darting back a few feet. "I wasn't expecting that, dude! You can teleport all the way up here?"

"As long as I can see it," replied Sterling, taking a look around. "I reflected my sight off your eyes. Is this the cave that you saw her at?"

Stratosphere flew in lower and landed lightly on the ledge. "Yeah d... sir. Yes sir. She came out of this cave and then went back into it."

Sterling lit his horn faintly and turned towards the cave. "Follow me, but quietly. If we see her, make no advances; just nudge me in the right direction. I should be able to capture her without any sort of trouble."

Stratosphere hesitated. "You... we aren't going to hurt her, sir?"

Sterling frowned. "That's not the intent, Corporal. We do need to question her, however. And if she is the assassin, then Nightmare Moon herself intends to deal with her."

Stratosphere blanched and froze. Sterling glared at him until he closed his jaw and nodded slowly. The two of them then entered the cave and moved cautiously into the shadow. They advanced to the first bend and carefully checked around the corner before they continued onward.

It wasn't much farther before Sterling's light illuminated a stone wall rounding out the back side of the cave. After a few steps he stopped, and Stratosphere came up behind him. "Aw man," said Stratosphere quietly. "It ends here? I guess she was just ditching me after all..."

Sterling didn't respond. His eyes were scanning the back wall of cave, following the curve of the wall as it wrapped around them. His head turned slowly one way, then the other as he traced out the rock. His eyes grew narrower with each pass.

"Magic," he muttered.

"What?" asked Stratosphere, who suddenly gasped as Sterling walked forward and passed effortlessly through the wall.

"Come along, Corporal," called Sterling from behind the wall. "It's an illusion."

Stratosphere approached the wall and tapped it dubiously with his hoof. It felt pretty solid to him.

"Now, Corporal!" insisted Sterling.

Stratosphere sighed softly and tapped the wall one more time before setting his hoof back on the floor. "Here goes nothing, then..."

He closed his eyes and turned his head to the side, wincing, and then strode forward. One step, two, three, four... then he opened his eyes to find that the cave tunnel had opened up before him once again. He glanced behind himself to confirm the wall was there, as it was, and then looked back to Sterling.

"Righteous," he whispered in awe. "Dude, I just walked through a stone wall!"

"It was an illusion," whispered Sterling. "Which means that somepony wants to keep others out. Keep silent from here out and watch me for signals. We'll see if anypony is home."

Stratosphere nodded and flapped his wings once to lift his hooves off the ground. He hovered, nearly silent, and nodded again as Sterling pointed down the tunnel. Sterling set off, leading the way, and Stratosphere followed on the gentle air currents. They made their way slowly down the tunnel, pausing briefly at each junction. The captain kept his senses extended, using the subtle traces of recent magic to choose paths and reaching out in hopes of detecting anypony below.

Suddenly he felt something moving ahead and he raised a hoof to stop Stratosphere. He swung his head left to right to get a fix on the movement and then led Stratosphere into a side tunnel where they would be unseen. He indicated that somepony was approaching in the main tunnel and the two of them watched it intently.

Sunset Shimmer approached from around a corner. She was wearing her cloak but her hood was down and Stratosphere tensed noticeably as he recognized her. Sterling gritted his teeth and held still, hoping that he was far enough back in the shadows to avoid being seen too early.

Sunset stopped all the same and suddenly looked very uncertain. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she looked from side to side slowly.  After a moment, her horn lit very faintly with a search spell.

Sterling realized that he couldn't wait to be detected. His own horn flared abruptly, lighting the side tunnel. Sunset's head snapped towards him but it was too late, Sterling immediately cast a binding spell which reached out and enveloped her.

Sunset cried out and her horn flared briefly, but was quickly extinguished by the Captain's own spell. She struggled physically but it was all over in the flash of a second – she was trapped. Sterling stepped out into the main tunnel.

"Relax," he advised, although his voice inspired anything but relaxation. "You are wanted for questioning, nothing more. If you have done nothing wrong, you'll be free again by tomorrow."

Sunset's eyes widened. "Questioning?" she echoed. She tried to hide the nervousness that was quickly growing in her chest. "What for?"

Stratosphere flew out of the side tunnel and landed quietly behind Sterling. "It's cool, Sunny," he said. "Nightmare Moon just wants to ask you a few questions."

Sunset's eyes widened and she attempted to force her way out of the spell again, frustrated at her inability to channel power into her horn or to make any progress against the spell's physical bonds. "I... wait... I didn't...!"

Sterling walked a little closer, and circled her slowly. "You DO match the Queen's description. Where were you during the last Summer Sun Celebration ten years ago?"

Sunset frowned and grit her teeth. "You can't be serious!" she retorted. "You're asking me about THAT?" Something caught her eye suddenly, and she stared at the Captain's throat. "Oh horseapples! Is that the Alicorn Amulet? You're the Captain of the Guard?" She looked back at Stratosphere. "You TOLD him about me?"

Stratosphere blinked. "Whoa, hold on now! If you didn't do anything, there's no reason to be keeping secrets!" He frowned, and looked down. "I'm going to be seriously bummed out if you did do something, though."

"Enough, Corporal." Sterling looked into Sunset's eyes, and nodded. "That's right," he confirmed. "I am Captain Sterling Honor, leader of the Queen's royal guard. It is my duty to take you, Sunny Sweetheart, before Her Majesty for questioning. I trust that you won't give me any difficulty. If it turns out you had anything to do with the assault on our Queen at the Summer Sun Celebration, she has advised me that she will deal with you herself." He smirked. "She was pretty annoyed by that attack."

Sunset's mind whirred as she looked back into the Captain's eyes. For a moment she was transfixed by the leaking of his boosted magic out of the outer edges of each eye, each giving off a pale crimson wave of energy which dissipated into the air. She realized that her time was short and she considered and discarded one idea after another, until the most daring plan wouldn't leave her mind.

"All right," she said, quietly. "It's Sunset, not Sunny. Sunset Shimmer."

Stratosphere frowned. "But you told me Sunny! I'd never forget your name..."

Sterling fixed her with a gaze. "Sunset, you say?"

Sunset nodded. "Yes, I'm the unicorn you've been looking for, and you've finally caught up with me. I'm ready to go. But before we leave... I think you should see what I have down in the main cavern. It's something that Nightmare Moon is really going to want to see."

Sterling smirked. "Do you really think I'm going to fall for that?"

Sunset would have shrugged if she could have, but her voice conveyed the intent. "You don't have to. But if you don't at least check it out, I promise you that bringing me in won't make the slightest bit of difference."

Sterling's smirk faded. "What is it?"

"I'll show you," replied Sunset. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Sterling looked down the tunnel for a moment, then back to Sunset. "You're bluffing. I don't sense anything."

"It's the crystal," replied Sunset. "It blocks and disrupts magic. You probably didn't even detect me until I was right on top of you."

Sterling looked down the tunnel again, and then straightened up. "We'll take our chances. Whatever it is can wait until we can come back. You are our primary objective." He tightened the binding spell and lifted Sunset off the ground.

"Wait!" cried Sunset. "Fine, I'll tell you! It's Princess Celestia!"

Sterling froze; even Stratosphere seemed to hang motionless for a moment. "That's impossible," offered Sterling. "The solar traitor is bound to the sun."

"She's back," insisted Sunset. "I'll show you." She sighed softly, "Maybe it will buy me some leniency if I help you."

Sterling lowered Sunset and looked into her eyes again. "I wouldn't count on it. But what are you offering?"

"Let me lead you down there. She'll have her guard down if she sees me first. You can take her to Nightmare Moon as well. The Alicorn Amulet should give you enough power, but only if you catch her unaware." She watched him carefully, thinking, "He has to believe she's really powerful. I need him to overcompensate..."

Sterling frowned, considering it. He heard the second voice speaking to him, "There could be no greater proof of your loyalty than to deliver both the assassin and the solar traitor!" He found himself nodding slowly.

"She's just been biding her time," emphasized Sunset. "Building her power. Alicorn magic is really impressive close up, and she's been preparing to take out Nightmare Moon in one strike."

Sterling frowned at Sunset's description. "A fully powered Alicorn is no joke, but she underestimates the Queen to even believe that is possible."

"Maybe," said Sunset. "But you are only going to have one shot at this. Once she knows you're there, even that amulet won't stand for long."

"She underestimates the amulet," suggested the voice. "But that overconfidence will only help us."

Sterling considered, speaking slowly. "No tricks," he said. "you clearly recognize the power that I wield. If you attempt to warn her, or to assist her attack, I will not hesitate to use that power against you. You will be kept under the binding spell at all times and I will give you just enough freedom to walk. Stratosphere, you will stay behind us and watch. If the prisoner moves out of line, counter immediately. We will stop out of sight of the main cavern. Understood?"

"Perfectly," replied Sunset, frowning.

"Yes sir," replied Stratosphere, spreading his wings once again.

"Then march," ordered Sterling.

Sunset felt the magical binding loosen from around her legs, but not her horn. She frowned softly. "This had better work," she thought.

They were not far from the main cavern, and so after just a couple of turns Sunset stopped and pointed.  Sterling made a sign for silence, and then Sunset heard the Captain's voice in her mind, "No need to speak, we can communicate this way."

He scanned ahead for a moment, and then he looked back towards her. "There's somepony in there, but I don't sense an alicorn's power."

Sunset's eyes widened, but she attempted to nod. She let herself think her reply. "She's masking her power – if she didn't even these caverns wouldn't protect her from Nightmare Moon's detection – not this close! Let me go first, and I will put her off guard."

"Very well, but the bindings shall not be released. She will be allowed to see you, and then I will enter. You will move clear of the entrance as soon as you enter so that I have a clear line of sight."

Sunset frowned, and then indicated acceptance. The Captain stood aside but watched her intently. After a moment, she turned and walked slowly down into the main cavern.

Princess Celestia noticed her almost immediately and lifted her head, her eyes narrowing slowly. "Back already? Is something wrong?"

Sterling tensed, reflecting his sight off Sunset's own eyes. While she didn't look as regal as he thought he remembered, the gleaming white alicorn in the center of the cavern bore a striking resemblance to the missing Princess. His jaw set as he caught a glimpse of her cutie mark – this could not be any pony besides Celestia. He began to gather power to himself as he watched Sunset step further into the cave. "She's an alicorn... she's regent of the sun itself. I only get one shot..."

"Hit her with everything we've got," advised the voice. Sterling smiled as he finally recognized why the voice was so familiar and comforting – it was his own voice.

He watched as Sunset moved aside as instructed and then he clearly heard her voice drift back to him...

"Sorry it has to be this way, Princess."

Celestia's jaw dropped in surprise and at the same time Sterling made his move. He channeled all the power he could muster into a stun and bind spell and then burst into the cavern. Already knowing exactly where his target was, he blasted a massive energy wave directly at Celestia. She screamed as the energy enveloped her, the power of the attack flipping her over and rolling her back across the floor, leaving her tightly entwined in thick energy locks, which wrapped around her body and cycled slowly.

Sunset winced in sympathy even as she felt the spell around her own body loosen. She glanced quickly at the Captain, who was panting with the exertion of his spell, and the lock on her own horn loosened. Sterling stepped closer to Celestia, one slow step at a time, watching intently to see if she moved. Sunset tried not to think about whether Celestia had been further injured - Sterling was distracted and Sunset knew that now it was her turn to have just one shot at success.

"Just as I thought," she thought. "Now to see if Luna's spell can recharge as well as power up…"

She began to call upon a part of the spell from Luna's diary that she had memorized, feeding the arcane patterns into her horn in the precise sequence described. Her horn began to glow brightly as the spell charged. She was starting to focus her attention on her target when Stratosphere suddenly shouted from the mouth of the cave.

"Captain, watch out!"

Sterling whirled around and Sunset smirked. "That's just what I needed," she said levelly. "A clear shot." Her own horn blasted out, striking the Captain square in the throat. Sterling was instantly frozen and energy began to flow in a thin outline around his body. Sunset gritted her teeth with the effort and the flow of energy reversed itself, flowing backwards from the Captain and directly into Sunset. Her entire body began to glow a brilliant amber light, reflecting from every corner of the crystal cavern.

Stratosphere gasped and flapped his wings to propel himself in a rapid charge directly at Sunset Shimmer. "Sunny, you have to STOP!" he shouted. As he drew near, a sphere of energy flew up around Sunset and blasted him backwards, slamming him against the far wall of the cavern. He slid slowly down the wall to the floor of the cave.

Sunset ground her teeth together as the energy flow continued unabated, the aura growing around her body and flowing in a distorted wavy outline. "Too... much... " she gasped, her breathing growing more difficult. With great effort she nudged her head a few degrees to the right. "Almost..."

Celestia's eyes slowly opened a crack as she gasped a shallow breath, but they opened wider as they focused on the scene before her. "No," she whimpered, her voice barely able to rise above a whisper. "Sunset... don't!"

Sunset's horn erupted with power as she activated the final part of the spell, causing solid flares of energy to stream off in all directions and reflect off the walls of the cavern. Then she launched a narrow, focused beam directly at Celestia. A three point line of energy began flowing: starting at Sterling Honor, reflecting through Sunset, then blasting into Celestia who seemed to absorb the energy relentlessly.

Celestia's eyes flared wide and emitted a brilliant white light. She began to grow and the magical bonds around her body grew tighter until they exploded in a shower of sparks. She closed her eyes again as the spell lifted her into the air and she rolled upright. Her head came up as the energy continued to flow directly into her breast. Her mane began to take on the flowing magical properties that she had once possessed, becoming a plasma flowing in an unseen wind as pastel colors faded into the hairs. The makeshift binding on her injured wing tore, then fell to the floor, shattered wood clattering as she flew her wings wide open, standing tall.

Sunset's own breathing became so difficult that it was all she could concentrate on; at last she collapsed to the floor with her legs spread awkwardly around her and the spell faded away. Released from the drain, Sterling Honor fell even more awkwardly, laying on his side and panting heavily.

There was complete silence for a moment, save the panting of Sterling and Sunset, but at last Sunset raised her head enough to look at Celestia. Celestia lowered herself gently to the floor as the magical glows faded. She stood tall and proud, her head up, her wings spread and her eyes closed. She was larger than she was before and, to all appearances, completely healed.

"Yes," she said, quietly.

"Princess?" Sunset asked.

Celestia's head came down slowly, and a smile grew across her muzzle. "Thank you, Sunset Shimmer," she said, her voice strong.

Sunset smiled back, but then gasped abruptly as Celestia's eyes flew open. A crimson wave of magic leaked from her eyes as her flowing mane and tail abruptly erupted into bright orange flames, dark patches forming and fading across them like flowing lava.

"You have made this so much easier," continued Celestia. She looked up and fired a powerful beam from her horn, vaporizing the crystal above her. She crouched for a moment, then gave her large wings a heavy flap and blasted through the hole, disappearing from sight.

Sunset just stared at the open hole in the crystal ceiling, as Sterling tried to get to his feet. She simply could not register what she had just seen.