//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Dream of a memory (Part 2) // Story: Shadows of the Bloodmoon // by Shadowcorn //------------------------------// “This is the end.“, Luna whispered while the Changeling came closer with his sharp teeth. “Something wrong?“, suddendly another Changeling asked. “I thought, I had seen something in this cave.“ “Propably just a bat. Follow me. The old unicorn and the alicorn children ran into the woods even further. You don’t want to miss the meal, don’t you?“ The two Changelings flew after their copanions. Celestia and Luna heaved a sigh of relief. “And what now?“, Luna whispered. Celestia thought for some time about that. Finaly, after some minutes she whispered back: “We will go deeper into the cave. We can’t get out. But we can go into the cave even further.“ “And what’s with Master Starswirl?“ “I’m sure he will find us. Follow me.“ At first Luna hesitated but then she followed Celestia. They walked through a long tunnel until they saw a wall befor them. On the wall, there were two white wings and a golden horn. “This seems to be the end. Maybe we should…“, Luna wanted to say. But Celestia took a closer look at the wall. “What are you looking for?“ “A secret tunnel like the one of Master Starswirl. This wall is too suspicious.“ She were right: She pushed a stone which made the wall sink into the ground. It opend a dark tunnel. “I really don’t think we should…“ “The more distance there is between us and the entrance, the more distance there is between us and the Changelings.“ Luna couldn’t argue against that. Both of them entered the tunnel. After some time they reached a room. The ground was covered with stone plates. There were some stairs in front of them leading to a platform with something that appears to be an arch on it. Two pillars stood next to the stairs, one on the right side, one on the left side. White fire burned on them. On the walls, pictures of armored alicorns fighting against fire breathing, multible headed dragons were visible. Stalactites hang from the ceiling. But the most interesting thing: A crystal on the top of the arch. The two sisters climbed up the stairs to the arch. “What’s that?“ “I don’t know. Although…The crystal appears to be a magical crystal. I’ve read of it. If somepony will use a magical blast on it, it will be activated.“ And with this words Celestia shot a magical blast in the direction of the crystal. “What are you doing?“ “I wanna know what it’s activating. Don’t tell me, you don‘t.“ Luna thought about this for a moment, then she joined in. Finally the crystal began to shine. Celestia and Luna stopped. Everything began to shake. Stalactites felt down to the ground. The crystal shone brighter and brighter. It moved downwards, until it hang completely downwards. Under the crystal a smaller one rose from the ground. Both of them blasted out a magical blast to each other. When they met, they fused together to a ball of light sending out lightnings. More crystals came out of the arch, all of them with their tops in direction of the ball of light. They absobed the lightnings and made the shining more powerful. Suddendly the ball exploded into an everything covering light. But only for one moment. Then every crystal was gone, except the one on the top. A white portal opened itself. Celestia and Luna both looked suprised. Then Celestia took some steps towards it. “Wait! I think that’s a bad…“ But Celestia was already gone into the portal. “…idea. And somepony like her will be a Guardien of Harmony? She takes too many risks.“, Luna ask herself while she followed her sister. They went through a hollow made out of white light. On the other side of the portal there was open sky. They walked through an arch on a platform with stairs leading up to it, too. But there were no fire on the pillars. In front of them, there was a green field covered with the light of a normal moon. And there was a walking trail in front of it leading surpass the altar. “Okay, everything seems tob e fine. Can we now go? Please?“ “No.“, Celestia said and jumped on the trail. She turned right and walked down the walking trail. “But…For harmonys sake.“, Luna said to herself and followed Celestia. After walking two kilometers they reached a slope. Some meters away of the point where the slope became a straight line again, there was a wood. Next to the trail in front of the wood there was a house with light in it. Celestia ran towards it. Luna opened her mouth to say something but closed it again and followed Celestia while shaking her head. The door was open. They entered the house. Inside there was a small room made out of wood. In front of the door they entered there was another door, in the middle of the left wall some stairs leading up and in the middle of the right wall another door. On the left side of the last mentioned door there was a little table. Lastly there was a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. “Do you think somepony lives here?“, Luna asked. The question became answered when they heard that somepony came down the stairs. It was a grey alicorn, no child but an adult with a wild black mane and without tail or cutie mark. He said something to himself when he entered the room. Meanwhile Celestia and Luna found cover under the table. Suddendly the door opened. Annoyed the grey alicorn watched as two more ponys entered the room. Celestia and Luna could only see their hooves. Like the grey alicorn they didn’t wear shoes. “You? What do you want? Don’t you have better things to do then to interrupt me with my work?“ “You mean with your law-breaking?“, one of the two ponys said. It sounded like a male. The other Pony, who sounded like a female, said fast: “I meant “with your special researches“ of course.“ “Law-breaking. Special research. Call it as you want. But yes. That’s what I mean. So again: What do you want?“ “We want to give you an advise: Stop with your studies of the dark magic. For your own good. Someday you will make a mistake and then no pony can help you anymore. You know the punishment for your work.“, the male pony said. “You two are the only ponys who come here. Everypony else is afraid of the wood. Despite: This law is idotic. It stands in our way to collect new knowledge about magic. I’ve told you that thousands of times befor.“ “No! It protects us from its dangerous effects! Did you forgot what happened to Shadowcorn?“, the female pony asked. “EVERYPONY knows what happened to Shadowcorn. ESPECIALLY me. Don’t YOU tell ME something about Shadowcorn. But Shadowcorn wasn‘t careful enough. I am NOT like him. Are we finished NOW?“ The grey pony turned around. Four white hoves moved towards him. The female voice said: “Caudata, please! You’re making a mistake! Prostatis and I are willingly to continue laying to Fortis but I’m afraid he doesn’t like you. It’s only a matter of time until he sends somepony. And then…“ She swallowed. “Don’t let it come to this. Please.“ Caudata turned around. With a now friendly voice he said: “I highly appreciate your concerns. But it’s unneccesary. When I finally have a breakthrough in magic, everypony will see that I was right. And now, if you would be so kindly to excuse me. Have a nice evening.“ “But…Okay. Have a nice evening, too. And please: Be careful.“ While the two ponys left Caudata entered the door on the other side. “This pony uses dark magic! It has to be evil! We should run as long as we can!“ “Good idea! Normally we should report this to an adult but would he or she believe us?“ Both left the house and ran to the portal very fast and undetacted. When they arrived they saw that the portal closed itself. They ran as fast as they could and managed to get through the portal right before it closed itself. They were back in the cave. Everything was the same. They went through the tunnel. The wall at the entrance was still down. But after they left the tunnel the wall went up again. When they arrived at the entrance the sun was already rising. Starswirl stood in front of the entrance. “Master Starswirl!“, Celestia called out happyly and ran towards him with Luna. Starswirl said: “I’m really glad that I have finally found you.“ “What do you mean? You were the one who…“ Luna screamed. “Celestia! That’s a Changeling!“ “What?!“ Celestia looked at Luna at first, then at Starswirl. He smiled villainness. For a short moment green flames crawled across his body. And then they saw it! He really was a Changeling! And he wasn’t alone. They turned around and saw that they were already surrounded by Changelings. And they came towards them. In their eyes the terrafied face exprations of the two sisters were reflected. Then they jumped towards Celestia and Luna with wide opened mouthes. Luna shouted: “Celestia! Celestia! CELESTIA!“ Celestia opened her eyes. She lay in her normal bed in Canterlot with her normal height. Luna stood beside her. “Celestia! You slept too long! The sun should have risen ten minutes ago! Is something wrong?“ “I…am not sure. I had a strange dream.“ She got up and walked away. Luna looked after her and said more to herself: “Whatever it was, it was no dream.“ After Celestia finally had risen the sun she sat on her throne. Suddendly a guard ran into the throne room and shouted: “Your highness! Your highness! An emergency message from the Crystal Empire!“ Celestia took the message, read it and ordered with a serious facial expression: “Send out a message to Twilight and her friends! We are needed in the Crystal Empire! Now!“