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A single thought echoed throughout the universe.
Twilight....
Twilight.
"Twilight!"
I was lying on the ground, somewhere outside. A blizzard raged around me, the white snow reducing visibility to zero. The light cloak I was wearing wasn't nearly enough to keep me warm, and I soon began to shiver.
Where am I? I couldn't remember anything; who I was, where I was, how I got there. All I knew was that if I didn't get somewhere warm soon, I would probably freeze to death.
"Hey, you! Isn't it a little cold for a morning stroll?" A voice, coming from somewhere in the white. I saw a warm glow, coming from a glowing rectangle, with the silhouette of a pony inside. "You should probably come inside for a bit."
I ran to the door, wanting nothing but to be out of the cold. The pony shut the door behind me, and I instantly felt warmer. I looked around the place I had just entered.
I was standing in the entry hallway to a home. The walls were painted a shade of tan, with few decorations. Further inside, there was what looked like a living room, with a comfortable-looking sofa in the center, a few other chairs, a coffee table, a bookshelf, a lectern with an open book on it, and a fireplace against the back wall. There was a window, but it was impossible to see anything out of it. It seemed rather dull, seeing as the walls were unadorned and the furniture was simple in design. Still, it was warm.
I looked at the pony who had let me in. He was a unicorn, and his coat was a silvery gray, along with his mane and eyes. His cutie mark, a hat and shovel, suggested that he was an archaeologist. There were two barely noticeable scars running parallel down his back.
"So what were you doing out in the storm?" he asked. I sat down on the sofa. It was comfortable, just as it looked. The fire warmed the room. The unicorn sat down in one of the other chairs.
"I... I'm not sure. I just woke up out there. I don't remember how I got there, or even who I am."
The unicorn nodded. "Well, you look alright, despite having just been out in a blizzard." He extended his hoof. "My name is Silver Lining, and I'd be happy to help you figure out what to do."
I shook his hoof. Somehow, that name almost sounded familiar, as if I'd heard it somewhere before.
I looked over at the open book on the lectern. I couldn't read it well from that far away, so I got up and walked over to it.
The Great Fire of 990 was the heading of the page. I closed the book, looking at its title. Canterlot History: An Exploration of the Mysterious Past of Equestria's Capital City. The author was Silver Lining himself.
"You wrote this?" I asked, taking it off the lectern and walking back to the sofa.
"Yep. It was the most interesting of all of my works to research." It made sense. A book about archaeology written by an archaeologist. I flipped to the page it was on before. Something about it had caught my eye. It took a moment to read. The page seemed slightly blurry, almost as if my eyesight was off.
The Great Fire Of 990:
Few things in Canterlot's history are as unexplained or as devastating as the Great Fire. In 990 A.L., a fire started in the Canterlot Palace. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. The fire spread, destroying many buildings in the heart of the city until it eventually died out. Remarkably, there were no confirmed casualties. However, there was one pony who was reported as missing. Nopony knows what happened to him. He was a government official of some kind who was in the Palace just before the start of the fire.
Some have claimed that he started the fire, then ran to evade justice. Others say he was buried underneath the rubble of the destroyed Palace. The Royal Guard conducted a search for him, but found no trace. He was presumed dead, and the case was closed.
The fire destroyed many records, and with them much of the information about Canterlot's prior history was lost. Luckily, some of the records in the Royal Archive had copies stored in the Manehattan Royal Courthouse, so the fire's impact was mitigated.
Something about that missing pony rang a bell in my mind, but I couldn't figure out exactly what it was. "So, this section mentions a missing pony. What do you know about him?"
He frowned. "Well, pretty much everything I know is in that book. At least, everything that can be confirmed to be fact. There are some crazy rumors out there, I'll tell you what. One pony even tried to say that his ghost still haunted the library where he lived. Can you believe that? What a ridiculous story!"
I thought for a moment. "Where is the library?" I had a feeling I should go there. Something told me I'd find answers.
Silver shook his head. "We've already searched the rubble high and low, trust me. There's nothing there that would tell you anything about him." He looked at me. "I'm guessing you're gonna go no matter what, huh? Tell you what, let's wait until the storm dies down, and I'll take you there. I know it like the back of my hoof."
I nodded. I just knew that I'd find answers there, even if Silver claimed otherwise.
I hadn't realized until that point how tired I was. Closing my eyes, I drifted off to sleep.
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When I woke up, the storm had stopped. The howling wind had become a gentle breeze. Looking out the window, I saw a blanket of snow covering the ground. It was still falling from the sky, but was more akin to a light dusting than a blizzard. I saw the city, which I assumed was Canterlot, spreading across the ground outside. It seemed like the city was built somewhere high, and looking around further I spotted the cliff face of the mountain it was built on. Up against the mountain was a beautiful castle, and further out were several smaller buildings.
It seemed all too familiar.
"Oh, you're awake," Silver said, walking in from another room. "Well, the storm's pretty much over, so if you still want to, we can go see the library."
I nodded, standing up. He handed me a heavy coat. "Just because the storm's over doesn't mean it's springtime out there," he said.
He walked to the door, opening it. I followed.
The walk was uneventful. Neither of us talked much. It was still freezing cold, but the wind had died down, and the coat helped keep me warm. It wasn't long until we reached our destination.
"Well, here we- Wait a minute, is that-" He started staring at a piece of rubble around where the door probably was. "This has been disturbed, very recently too." He kept staring at it. I walked inside.
I felt what was almost a sense of nostalgia. I couldn't explain why. Looking around, I spotted a broken mirror lying on its side. I walked over to it, taking a look at myself.
My coat and mane were pitch black. One of my eyes was blue, and the other one, surrounded with strange scars, was green. I noticed my pupils were slightly larger than a normal pony's, but had no idea why. I figured it was the reason I had trouble reading the book earlier.
I noticed an odd-looking bottle placed at the base of the mirror, filled with a white liquid. It had a note attached to it. Drink this, and you will find the answers you seek, it said. I had a feeling it was for me. With no other choice, I took the cap off, and took a drink.
My vision went white.
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I was on a dirt trail, somewhere completely different from where I was. Trees lined the sides of the path. The sky was overcast. Silver was standing not far away, facing the opposite direction.
"Silver?"
"Hello?" was his response.
"Silver, it's me."
"Hello? Is anypony there?"
Why couldn't he hear me? "Silver?"
"Somepony? Anypony?" he cried softly. His voice sounded... younger. As I looked at him, I realized that he was younger. Where he had scars before, there were now two open wounds, the silvery surface of his coat stained red.
He turned my way. His eyes were filled with tears. Then, he collapsed on the ground.
I heard a sound from behind, and jumped out of the way of a carriage that was going down the road. The ponies pulling it stopped just before they hit Silver. "I swear, if it's another false alarm-" said a voice from inside. The door opened, and out stepped an unfamiliar earth pony stallion. His coat was a shade of tan, and his mane was dark brown. His blue eyes surveyed the surroundings, eventually looking at the injured silver unicorn.
"Oh, I see." He didn't sound surprised to see a young colt bleeding in the middle of the path. "Come on, kid. Get in." Silver lifted his head slightly off the ground.
The tan stallion turned to the ponies in front of the carriage. "Well, don't just stand there! Go help him!" The two ran to Silver's side, lifting him up. The other stallion walked up to him.
"Now, you listen to me, kid. I'll help you, but you'll need to help me in return. Understand?"
Silver nodded.
"Good. Put him in the carriage." The two carriage drivers lifted him up, taking him to the open door of the carriage. The blue-eyed stallion entered behind him. Then, the drivers got back into position, and the carriage started moving.
My vision went white.
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I was in a small room, with no furniture except a table and a few chairs. In one of these chairs sat Silver, a bandage wrapped around his middle. At the other sat the blue-eyed stallion.
"Okay, kid. My name is Desert River. Remember that, because you'll be using it a lot."
Silver just sat there, looking down at the table.
"You remember how I said I'd help you, if you helped me in return?"
Silver nodded.
"Well, I've kept my end of the deal, now here's yours."
He spread a map out on the table. I recognized it as being the area around Canterlot.
"Somewhere around here" -he pointed to Canterlot with his hoof- "is an ancient relic. I don't know exactly where it is. That's where you come in."
He tilted Silver's head up with his hoof, so that he had no choice but to look Desert River in the eyes. "Your cutie mark tells me you're an archaeologist. That means you'll be able to use your horn to find the relic. Now, when you find it, you are to bring it right back to me. Understand?"
Silver nodded again.
"Okay. Follow me, kid." Desert River stood up. Silver did the same. The two walked out the single door to the room. I followed them, my questions about why they couldn't see me put aside in curiosity for what would happen next.
The two walked up several flights of stairs, turned down a few corridors, and eventually came to a door. Desert River opened it, motioning for Silver to walk through it.
The door opened up to the back room of a bakery, indicated by the bags of flour and other baking supplies lining the shelves. Silver and Desert River walked through to the exit.
The bakery seemed familiar to me, although I couldn't place it. Desert River glanced around the room, then kept walking, followed by Silver, who had an expression of fear on his face.
They walked out into a street. It looked like somewhere in Canterlot. Several shops lined the street. At the end of the street stood a tall tower. Looking closely at it, I saw a parked chariot at its base, attached to a box of some kind. It seemed familiar.
Desert River led Silver down a series of side paths, twisting and turning, until the pair arrived at an excavation site. At the bottom, there was a stone doorway. It would've been completely covered in dirt and stone, had it not been for the ponies that had unearthed it.
"Now, the relic should be down there. It looks like this." Desert River showed a picture to Silver. From the angle I was looking at it from, I couldn't tell what it was, and he put the photograph away before I could see it. "Remember; bring it straight back."
Silver walked uneasily down to the stone doorway. I followed him.
The doorway led into an ancient ruin. The walls were covered with vines, and wherever there weren't vines, there were strange symbols carved into the cracked stone. In the center of the large room, there was an ornate pedestal. It had nothing on it, though.
Silver's horn glowed with a yellow aura. He began to move around the cavernous ancient structure, probably using his horn to locate the relic. He stopped abruptly, before an exposed patch of the wall. On it, a triangular symbol was engraved. Silver put his hoof to the symbol, and pushed inwards.
The section of wall slid back slightly. Then, on the floor, yellow lines started to glow, converging at the pedestal. There was a flash of light, and an object appeared on the pedestal. Its shape matched the symbol on the wall perfectly. I assumed it was what Desert River was looking for.
Silver took the amulet off of the pedestal. The glow faded, leaving only the light of the sun from outside.
Voices could be heard from outside. Silver hid behind the wall next to the doorway, listening.
"So you're just gonna take him to the Complex?" a mare's voice said.
Another voice, which I recognized as Desert River, replied. "If he went free, he alone could bring down everything we've built. We need him to find the Amulet, but we also need to keep this whole operation a secret if we are to succeed."
"Well, let's hope he doesn't try using the Amulet. It would be really bad for us if he did." She sounded louder as she said it. Silver, hearing this, put the Amulet on. It glowed with the same yellow aura as before, and from this aura came a projection of Silver.
It was fairly convincing. If one looked too closely, one could see the imperfections in the illusion, but from far away it would look just like him. It even had the Amulet around its neck. The true Silver became translucent, nearly invisible.
The illusion Silver ran out the exit. "Wha- Guards! Stop him!" Desert River had fallen for the trick. The sound of running hoofsteps could be heard going away from the doorway.
Silver peeked out from behind the wall. Sure enough, nopony was there. They had all fallen for it. Silver paused for a moment, then ran out.
My vision, once again, went white.
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This time, I was in what looked like a house of some kind. The room I was in had pink walls, a toy chest against one wall, and a small bed, among other pieces of furniture.
The door opened, and two fillies ran through. One of them, an orange pegasus with a red mane, closed the door behind her. The other filly, a sky blue pegasus, ran and hid under the bed.
"Come on, sis. It'll be alright, we just need to-" The orange filly was cut off by the sound of the door breaking inwards. She backed away from the now open door, as the silhouette of an earth pony could be seen.
"Now what do we have here?" Desert River stepped through the doorway. "Guards, would you kindly deal with these kids?"
Two armored ponies walked through the doorway. One grabbed the blue filly. "Sis, help!" The other guard went for the orange filly, but was met with a hoofkick to the face, knocking him out.
"Let her go," she said firmly, standing as tall as she could in front of Desert River. In response, he just chuckled.
"You're a feisty one, aren't you? Tell you what. I'll let your sister go, if-" he paused. "-if you join my army."
The orange filly looked at Desert River, then at her sister, still in the hooves of the other guard. She wiped a single tear from her eye. "Okay. I'll do it, but let her go!"
Desert River looked over at the guard. "You know what to do." The guard let go of the struggling filly, who immediately ran to hug her sister.
"Don't do it, sis. Please!" She was in tears.
The orange pegasus let go of her sister, smiling at her. "I promised Mom that if anything happened to her, I'd protect you. You know I have to do this."
She walked out the door, where Desert River was waiting. "What's your name, kid?"
She looked down at the ground, then replied. "Sunwalker. My name's Sunwalker."
"Sunwalker, huh? Your name suits you." He smiled. "You'll make a great soldier."
Another piercing flash of white light filled my eyes.
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I was in a dull room, with a single desk. At this desk sat Desert River, looking at some sort of paperwork. There was a single door, opposite the desk. This door opened, and Sunwalker stepped through, now full grown.
"You wanted to see me, sir?"
Desert River looked up at her, menacingly. He smiled, but his expression showed an emotion other than happiness. "You remember your last assignment, right?"
Sunwalker nodded, her amber eyes pointed at the floor. "Yes, sir..."
"Care to explain how you failed to eliminate both the main and secondary targets?" Desert River's smile had faded, leaving a blank expression.
"Well, there was a... complication. The device's detonator malfunctioned, so it went off far too late to eliminate the primary target. As for the secondary, well..." She paused.
"Go on."
"There was another pony in the building at the time, and I believe he helped her escape unharmed."
Desert River looked right at Sunwalker. "Listen, kid. I'll give you another shot, but if you fail this one, I believe you know what your fate will be." Sunwalker gulped, then nodded.
"Now, tell me. Who was this other pony?"
Another white flash.
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Sunwalker was walking down a dark hallway, dragging something behind her. I couldn't make out what it was. She stopped, opened a door, and threw the object inside, closing it behind.
Then, she kept walking, down a different corridor. She opened another door, walking through it. She was in the same office as before.
"Sir, he's in."
Desert River looked up from his work. "Great. That'll be all, soldier. You're dismissed."
Sunwalker didn't move. "May I ask why this one needed to be put in solitary?"
"The commander told me that he's a dangerous one. She said that he'd get out of a normal prison cell easily. Therefore, he goes in solitary."
"Where is she now?"
Desert River looked back down. "In her office. I wouldn't recommend questioning her judgement, but it isn't my life that'll be in danger."
Sunwalker turned around, walking back out. She walked down a few more corridors until she reached another door.
She put her hoof on the handle, then pulled it away. She walked off, having changed her mind about seeing whoever was beyond that door.
Another white flash. I was getting tired of those.
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Sunwalker was running down a dark corridor. She ran into another pony, covered in a dark cloak.
"Oh, sorry. Didn't see you there." Sunwalker kept on, walking that time. The cloaked mare looked up, and Sunwalker froze in her tracks. She had an expression of horror on her face, as if the cloaked pony was holding a knife to her throat.
"Commander, I am so sorry. Please forgive me."
I couldn't make out the facial features of the cloaked pony. All I could tell was that her coat was blue. "No, it's fine. Actually, you're just the pony I was looking for." She stood up.
Sunwalker saluted with her hoof. "Yes, commander?"
"Put your hoof down, Sunwalker. There's no need for such formalities now." Sunwalker quickly lowered her hoof.
"Now, I've heard you've had some doubts about what we're doing here."
Sunwalker's eyes widened. "N- No, ma'am, I would never question-"
The cloaked pony raised a hoof, quieting Sunwalker. "Listen. I know you don't like being a part of all this. So, I'll cut you a deal."
Sunwalker took a step back in fear.
"If you can release the prisoner in solitary confinement, then I will personally see to it that you are set free."
Sunwalker closed her eyes. She had backed into a wall and shrunk as low as she could.
"Listen. If you promise not to tell, I'll tell you a secret."
Sunwalker nodded anxiously.
The cloaked pony pulled back her hood. Still, I couldn't see her face well. It was almost as if she was purposefully being obscured from view.
"I don't like it either. I've never liked it. But, I need to get you out of here, as well as the prisoner."
Sunwalker relaxed slightly. "Why us?"
The cloaked pony smiled, pulling a blue book from under the cloak. It had the same triangular symbol that I saw earlier on the cover, but it was blue instead of yellow. She opened the book to a certain page.
"There's an ancient prophecy; it says that four ponies will each bring a key to a gate, and it will unlock something long lost. I'm trying to find the ponies to fulfill this prophecy, and I believe you are one of them."
Sunwalker's expression was a mixture of confusion and disbelief. "But, why would it be me?"
"Do you know why we broke into your home that night, several years ago?"
Sunwalker shook her head no. In response, the cloaked pony pulled something else out of her cloak.
It was another Amulet, same shape as the one I saw earlier, but this one was green.
"Your mother was hiding this. I believe it is one of the keys mentioned in the prophecy. The prophecy said this specific key belongs to a warrior. Since you are the only member of your mother's bloodline who is a soldier, it means you are meant to carry it." She put it back under her cloak. "The Lunar Revival is in just a few days. Desert River will ask you specifically to bring the prisoner in solitary confinement to be sacrificed. When that happens, we will be able to escape."
Sunwalker nodded.
"However, be careful around the prisoner. Being locked up in a dark room for ten years probably did some things to his mind. There's no telling what he'll do."
"What's so special about him anyway? Is he another one of the ponies from the prophecy?"
The cloaked pony smiled. "Yes, but he is much more than just that. He is the one pony who I believe can topple the entire Lunar Uprising. And, he's also-"
Her sentence was cut off by a flash of light.
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I stood in a dark room, illuminated by a single skylight. Pale moonlight shone down from the glass window, directly on to the raised dais in the center. Several ponies surrounded it, many of them wearing armor.
There was a podium on one side. At this podium was none other than Desert River himself.
"Soldiers of the Lunar Uprising, tonight is the night we bring back the true Princess. The Lunar Revival has come, the day we have been working towards for generations!"
The crowd cheered.
"Sunwalker, please bring in the sacrifice."
In a large doorway on the opposite side of the room, Sunwalker was struggling with a black mass. It writhed around in her hooves, growling. After a moment, it seemed to calm down. Next to Sunwalker was the cloaked pony from earlier.
Sunwalker walked into the light, carrying the black thing.
Not many ponies know what it's like to look at yourself. Nevertheless, there I was, now standing on the dais, looking over my own collapsed body. I was muttering incomprehensibly. That is, the one that was on the ground. Both of the collapsed me's eyes were closed. Around his (my?) neck, there was a blue pendant on a silver chain.
The dais began to glow, as the moon aligned with the skylight perfectly.
"Oh, great Princess of the Night, accept our offering, and use the power of his soul to return to our world!" A fast wind blew through the room.
My body rose up, surrounded by a dark blue aura. But then, the necklace around my neck started to glow, with a lighter blue aura. It seemed almost like it was fighting against the dark aura flowing from the sky.
Eventually, the dark aura faded, and I fell back down. The cloaked pony leaned over to Sunwalker, whispering one word:
"Now."
Sunwalker moved quickly, knocking out several of the closest soldiers. The cloaked pony grabbed me off the ground, and started running away. Sunwalker was quick to follow.
"After them! We cannot let them compromise the ritual!" screamed Desert River. Several soldiers ran after them.
My vision went white again.
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Sunwalker and the cloaked pony were standing in a forest clearing. Nearby, there was a small shed. The door was open, revealing a ladder beyond that led down into the ground. Sunwalker quickly closed it, barricading the handle with a sturdy-looking stick.
I was lying on the ground. The cloaked pony stood over me.
"Do you think he's okay?" Sunwalker asked.
My necklace glowed again, and I was surrounded by the same light blue aura from before. Then, the aura exploded, sending a shockwave out across the forest, and likely the lands beyond. Sunwalker and the cloaked pony were knocked off their feet.
I had disappeared. Good, now there's only one of me again. Much less confusing.
My vision went white, one final time.
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I was in a familiar room. The walls were blue, and there was a crib against one wall. Over this crib stood a blue unicorn. Walking around to get a better angle, I saw her face.
Her eyes were an emerald green. She was looking down, at a small colt. It was a younger version of me. Both eyes were blue, and one of my front legs was missing.
The blue unicorn spoke. "Goodnight, Midnight Shadow."
Then, I remembered.
For the first time in the ten years since I had been taken, I finally understood what was happening.
I heard a voice.
It was calling me.
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"Hey, you alright?" Silver Lining had stopped investigating the rubble at the entrance, and had noticed how I was standing still, staring into the distance.
I turned around. "Do you happen to know where Princess Celestia is?"
Silver looked surprised. "Yeah, she's probably at the palace, but-"
I broke into a run, knowing that I had to find her as soon as possible.
"Wait!" Silver called, but I did not slow down.
I remembered those streets. I knew the way from the library tower to the palace. I knew that they probably all thought I was dead.
But I had survived. I was Midnight Shadow, Royal Engineer, and I had survived.
I rammed full speed into a pony going the other way.
"Oh, so sorry sir, but since you've stopped me, would you mind helping me with a spell I've been working on?"
I was still on the ground, dazed from the collision.
"Great! Hold still..." The unicorn I had bumped into started charging a spell.
"No, wait-" I tried to stop her, but it was too late. The pony's spell went off, and everything went black.
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My eyes opened slowly. My head hurt. What happened? I sat up, looking around. The temperature had gone up significantly, and there was no longer any snow. It was nighttime.
I shook the stars out of my vision. Stay focused, Shadow. I kept running towards the palace, faster than before. If I could get to the Princess, maybe she could help me.
Opening the front door, I noticed that the palace looked quite different. They probably had to rebuild it after the attack, so I guess that was why. There was a desk, at which sat a secretary pony.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but I need to know where Princess Celestia is. It's urgent!"
She looked up at me. "And you are?"
I shook my head. "There isn't enough time to explain; where is she?"
She adjusted the glasses on her face. "Celestia's in Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration. If your message really is that urgent, you can bring it up with the Council, and they-"
I had already started running off.
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I needed a way to get to Ponyville, and fast. The train would be too slow, and I couldn't fly or teleport.
Well, I could teleport if I had my horn...
Then, I had a thought. If I could get to the Canterlot Public Library...
The run only took a few minutes. I walked through the doors, remembering all the time I had spent there. Nopony else was there, which was just as well. I didn't want to be seen until I could talk with the Princess.
I went to the magic section. The book I was looking for, Advanced Magical Runes, wasn't there, but there was a more basic version.
I flipped it open. Although it was a beginner's guide, it still had many useful runes in it.
Finding the one I wanted, I set the book down on a table. I flipped the small lever on my metal hoof, and the secret compartment opened. The relic was still there. I set it down, with the unengraved side facing up. Looking around, I saw a rune engraving tool just lying on the ground. Well, that's convenient, I thought.
I etched the Teleport rune into the relic. When it was finished, I added an Auto Activation rune, which was intended for unicorns who were attempting highly advanced runes. I was using it to sidestep my lack of a horn.
I put the engraving tool in the secret compartment. The relic started to glow; I only had a few moments before it went off, teleporting me to the exact coordinates engraved on it. The relic would be left behind, but I didn't care. I had to reach Celestia. It was the only thing I could do.
The relic activated.
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