//------------------------------// // Ghosts of the Past Part 1 // Story: A Glimmer of Truth: Book One // by NightmareTRXY32 //------------------------------// The Shadow Lands. Nothing grows there anymore. The land is littered with remnants of cities of the pegasi race that were once grand, but now lying in utter ruin and darkness. Death is a constant companion there. Its cold touch sapping the life from any wary traveler that ventures near. Twin statues of Skeletal Pegasi swordsman guard the entrance to this forsaken place. It was a somber sight for Rainbow Dash to say the least. Seeing the shattered remnants of her races origins left her in near shambles. As the three of them passed by one of the out lying towers one of the revenant guards turned its head and looked right at Rainbow. She was almost unerved by that thing staring at her until it did something that caught her curiosity. It turned and saluted her. She found herself stopping and saluting back at it, muttering under her breath to carry on. Almost on queue it turned back to resume its guard posting. They were just shadows of the ponies they once were. And yet that one that saluted her gave her the feeling that there was some remnant of its soul that was left residing inside of its rotting mass. When Starlight and Twilight were busy studying some of the ruins Rainbow split away from them and walked over towards that Pegasi skeleton. As if another had taken control of her voice, she asked it for a progress report. And it spoke in between the gnashing of teeth against exposed bone. "The.. towers have fallen... commander," It said in between pauses. She stood at attention as the Skeletal guard continued," We're all that's left of its defenders. We're forbidden from leaving this post." The thing craned its neck to stare into Rainbow's eyes with its own empty sockets. "May the goddesses preserve you, Commander Hurricane," after it said that name Rainbow Dash realized that she was directly related to one of the most famous heroes of their homeland. Rainbow raised her left hoof and placed it first on placed it on the Skeletal guards' armor plating and solemnly answered. "And may you one day find the peace in death that was denied to you soldier,", and with that she walked back to where Starlight and Twilight were standing. Twilight had turned in time to see what Rainbow Dash had been up to when she noticed her absence earlier. She wasn't even mad that she had done something like that. Twilight trotted over and hugged her marefriend. She thought it was comforting that Rainbow had shown a connection with something that was from their nations past. Starlight remained silently as she watched what Dash had done. There was something about that Skeletal guard that left her a bit unerved. That armor reminded her of the armor that soldier had been wearing in her dream. She could hear the voices of the dead all around her in this place. Reaching towards her from beyond the veil. The sooner their trip here was done , the better, she thought to herself. She wanted to get away from here and back to Trixie's warm cabin. The two of them had built the place less then a year ago after deciding to live together. She could only dream of Trixie's embrace. The smell of hickory being burned over a warm fire. She wanted to leave so much, but in the end she knew that her and Twilight had to finish this research mission for Princess Celestia. It was important to the founding of Equestria. The dead seem to inhabit the shadows of the out lying ruins, skeletal pegasi guards forever keeping watch their cursed plains of origin, like guardians forever doomed to maintain a dark vigil over what was once their homeland. Never knowing rest, their decayed eyes always staring off into the nether. It was at one point one of the land bastions of the vaunted Pegasi race. It was their ground-based capital for some time before it was lost to a mysterious cataclysm that forced them to relocate their capital to the clouds. It is also said to now be the very birth place of necromantic magic and the conjuration spells most foul. nothing grows there, at least not anymore, not since the last great pegasi/mage war. Its location is now nothing but a mere myth in regards to equestrian legend. It's presence predates what was previously known in regards to the history of the Three pony Tribes. It had even been rumored that the Shadows predate what is known of the Changeling empire in the bad lands. There was a legend that was deemed by prophecy that foretold that the Shadow lands would cover all of Equestria in the distant future. It was these same legends and myths that set Starswirl on his path to uncovering the lost history of the Elements of Harmony. Nothing is known of the elements prior to Starswirl finding them so far north of the Primary Equestrian plains. He had told those who came after him, like Clover the Clever, that he had found them with the Tree of Harmony. But if they had been much further north than that, where exactly had they been crafted? It was one of many questions that have been lost to the ages. But two ponies would soon discover its connection to not only the Elements But to that of another. Starlight and Twilight would not only uncover Starlight's connection to Starswirl, but also a secret that would shatter their trust in him and the Princesses forever. There was a reason why Chrysalis was the creature she is now. A secret that even Celestia would come to know and be repulsed by. Chrysalis was at one point in her life the Prior Queen of the Crystal Empire, and an alicorn as well. Celestia and Luna had been kept in the dark their entire lives about who their parents were, more specifically who their MOTHER was and what ill fate had befallen her. Sombra was an entirely different pony when he had been married to Chrysalis. It wasn't until his mind had been possessed by the dark magic that had split from Starswirl that he became the dark king that history would later portray him to be. Some parts of history in the Crystal Empire would be muddied and obscured by the passage of time. The Queen of Changelings wasn't just another threat to be tossed aside. She was a creature of nature, that nature being Revenge on the one pony that had cost her everything. She was clearly more mad at Starswirl then she was Starlight. Starlight was the one that had taken what was left of her empire away from her, But Starswirl was the one that had taken away her future, along with that of her husband. And her daughters. "I'm doing this for them, not just my subjects,", She thought to herself. Because of what happened during the disaster that was the Canterlot Wedding, she had to find another way to reach Celestia and Luna, for them considered her a threat still. It wasn't until the next encounter that she even remotely considered telling them. So she decided to confront the youngest of the two, Luna. She knew she'd never believe it, but she had to try nonetheless. Seeing Luna standing there was enough to make part of her heart crack in two. She wanted to reach out to her, to tell her right away that she wasn't her enemy. Her stance was enough to make Chrysalis a bit tense though. Her words cut through the air like a bitter wind. "What makes you think you'll win this time bug?", to which Chrysalis could only stare into Luna's sapphire tinted irises before putting a hoof to her mouth. If only you knew how close we really were my little Luna, Chrysalis thought to herself as she pawed at a patch of grass with her left hoof. "Did Starswirl ever explain to you what happened to your mother?", She could tell this caught Luna off guard. And yet Luna could instantly tell from the way Chrysalis was carrying herself that she meant no ill will towards the Alicorn. In fact, her demeanor was giving the blue alicorn a different kind of message altogether as well. Something more, she could see the crystal blue tears staining Chrysalis's face. She had always been told that Changelings couldn't feel anything, that they could only take emotions from others. The more she thought about it the more she began to suspect that her old mentor Starswirl had lied to her about the Changeling race. What Chrysalis had said back to her cemented her feelings like an anchor. "He never told anypony but me that she died giving birth to Tia and myself,", nervously awaiting Chrysalis revelation to that answer. She was not ready for what was said next. " I didn't die, my dear," Chrysalis paused," He cursed me into this form." Luna's heart stopped for a moment. She knew that the changelings were masterful liars, but even this seemed beyond anything they could think up. Doubt started to creep in, what if it was true, she found herself thinking. She put a hoof to Chrysalis chest, and could faintly feel the heart that was beating within it. Changelings were supposed to be heartless she had been told ages ago. They were supposed to be beasts with no hearts that drained the love of others in order to survive. Could it possible that Starswirl had lied to them? Or more prominently to her and Celestia, in order to keep them from discovering the truth? "Does Tia know?" she found herself asking Chrysalis. "NO, my dear Luna, even if I tried to explain it to her with you by my side, she'd think that I was lying and placed you under a mind control spell to trick both of you," for the first time in ages she could feel tears start to form in her eye ducts. This would be the first time since she had been cursed that she was physically able to cry at all. Luna found herself wrapping a hoof around Chrysalis neck and holding onto her. "I promise, I will not tell her until the time is right," as she did this the two of the rested their heads against each other. It had been ages since her curse into this form that she could remotely feel anything towards another, and know that the feelings being returned weren't being forced out of them by some spell.