//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: The Rise of the Sun // by Spice and Bassey //------------------------------// 4 - Bass Drop Celestia groaned in agony beneath her sweat-soaked sheets, her entire body searing as if the very sun was beneath her skin. The pain traveled from the bottom of her hooves to the tip of her horn, flowing in a steady stream coursing through her. Luna sat on the cool floor at her bedside, tear stains deep in her fur down her cheeks. She turned to the bedside table and gripped a damp washcloth in her magic, dunking it into the bowl and dabbing it lightly along her sister's brow. “I’m sorry, Sister,” the she whispered sullenly. "Even the royal physician was unable to heal you…” Her cool blue-green eyes glimmered with sorrow and began to brim with tears. “I just wish I could do something…” Hurt and helpless whimpers broke into soft sobs through gritted teeth. "Why can't I do anything...?" “Luna,” a soft voice spoke. Celestia peered up at her sister and smiled sweetly. She raised a hoof to Luna's cheek and slowly wiped the stream of tears away. Her hoof was burning at the touch but Luna pressed endearingly to it. "I'll be okay, I pro-" Her voice went silent and fell open with eyes wide in a silent scream. Her pupils shrank to almost non-existence and began to emit a faint aura. A ribbon of pure light slithered from the tip of her horn and connected with Luna’s. Their eyes blasted a shining light as they slumped where they were like rag dolls. Luna’s eyes sprang open in a panic, her pupils darting back and forth through a thick darkness. “Celestia!” she cried into the endless dark. No response came to greet her. “Sister!” Still, no response. “Tia!” She charged into the darkness, hooves pounding on the invisible solid surface beneath her. Tears streamed from her eyes as she took off into the air, hoping to at least see something from above. Just as she began to rise, a force latched to her horn and drove her back down, crashing hard on her back. Her horn seared as if thrust into a fire, clouding her vision in a white light. “So, you’re here too, are you?” a deep voice spoke from the light. “This is just too perfect. Now I can attain both…” The voice faded out as Luna drifted into a forced sleep. “I’ll find you, Sister..." Luna's consciousness drifted. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hearts pounding , the two fillies raced up the ramp into the clubhouse, slamming the door behind them. They leaned back against it, panting. “What…in the hay…was that,” Applebloom wheezed between breaths. “What happened to Scootaloo?” Her panicked eyes met Sweetie Belle’s with the same expression. “I have no idea,” the little unicorn whispered, exhausted. “She looked crazy! Maybe he brainwashed her!” Applebloom nodded in agreement. “That has ta be it! But what can we do?” “We have to find a way to snap her out of it somehow…” The two sat in silence, hooves to their chins as they searched their thoughts for ideas. They paced around the clubhouse for what seemed an eternity. Applebloom had begun to worry slightly about a large circular rut appearing in the floor. Finally, the pair let out an exasperated groan and flopped to the floor. They glared at the ceiling in frustration, as if blaming it for not offering any ideas. Applebloom stood and peered out the window and stared at the surrounding orchard. Her eyes caught two figures moving through the shade of the numerous apple trees. A chill crept through the small pony, fearing it was Scootaloo and the one controlling her searching for her and Sweetie Belle. Yet, both figures were too large for either one to be their small pegasus friend and neither of the two had a large glistening horn atop their heads. As the figures continued to grow closer, she began noticing some recognizable features; a large hitching collar around one’s neck and several golden rings around the other’s. The two shapes stepped form the shade, revealing a large crimson-coated stallion and the black-and-white striped resident of the Everfree Forest. “Big Macintosh! Zecora,” Applebloom squealed in relief. “Boy, are we glad it’s you. What brings ya’ll back in this neck o’ the woods?” “Big Macintosh was guiding me,” Zecora began. “To a special herb beneath a certain tree.” “Ya mean that weird purple n’ red one down there?” She reached out the window and pointed to three crimson and violet leaves flowering from the earth at the base of the tree. “Indeed, that is the flower. It shall certainly help me in the coming hour.” “What’s it for?” Sweetie Belle had come to the window next to Applebloom. “Well, little Sweetie, I’ll need it for a recovery to be quite speedy. Lately many ponies have had terrible aches, both in the body and mind, leaving severe confusion in its wake. This herb will soothe and comfort quick even if they are stubborn and thick.” An idea suddenly fell upon Sweetie Belle. “That’s it!” She turned to Applebloom, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. “That’s how we’ll cure Scootaloo!” Applebloom gave a puzzled look. “I don’t follow…” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ All the panic seemed to die down as they all gave confused looks at one another. Pinkie grinned from ear to ear seeing her friends’ baffled expressions. Even Fluttershy, shivering beneath her cloak, seemed to be more interested at the moment at what Pinkie had said. “No cutie mark…” Twilight pondered quietly. “How could he not have a cutie mark?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I mean, he seems pretty old and he’s an alicorn. Shouldn’t he be in charge of something; like how Princess Luna controls the moon and Celestia the sun?” They all chatted amongst themselves, proposing possibilities as to why Solo had no cutie mark when a soft voice cut through. “Um,” Fluttershy began, timidly. “How am I supposed to get out of this snow?” The mares gave each-other sad looks before looking to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, as difficult at this is going to be, you need to press on alone…” The yellow mare’s eyes widened with horror and tears began to well up in her eyes. “I… I don’t think I can…” She squeaked tiny sobs and her tears began to fall, practically freezing solid by the time they reached the snow at her hooves. “Come one now, sugarcube,” Applejack approached the hardly visible barrier and pressed her hoof to it. “Don’t cry. Remember, we’re always with you. You’ll be just fine.” The others stepped forward and did as Applejack did, their hooves converging on one spot. Fluttershy peeked through her bangs, tear trails down her cheeks. She slowly raised her hoof to her friends’ and placed against theirs’. She gave a heavy sigh and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Okay. I’ll try my very best.” The six smiled as Fluttershy slowly turned and faced the gale of snow and ice before her. She eyeballed the mountain in the distance, keeping her focus on her goal. She glanced back over her shoulder. “Will I be able to find you guys again?” “Of course,” Applejack reassured. “We’ll be waitin’ here when you git back.” With a newfound confidence, Fluttershy clenched her eyes and dashed off into the whipping winds and snow, quickly disappearing from her friends. Applejack’s smile faded as she turned to Twilight. “Will we be able to wait for her?” Twilight gave a downcast expression. “What choice do we have? We have no leads to the other Elements. Maybe we should go just go back a little ways and set up a camp while we wait for Fluttershy to get back.” The others nodded in agreement and began to walk back along the way they had come. “I hope Fluttershy will be all right…” “Me too, sugarcube,” Applejack replied behind Twilight. “Me too…”