//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Dreaming of the Sun // by Richforce //------------------------------// Dreaming of the Sun Chapter 2 Dream Catcher couldn’t get back to sleep after that dream. He spent hours trying to figure out what the visions meant. If somepony was really in trouble he had to do something, but where and how? He realized that two pairs of eyes would probably be best so he set out of his cloudhouse and down into the town of Maresberg to ask for help from his best friend. The Carnation pink unicorn stirred from her bed at the tapping on her window. Her cutie mark was a pinwheel pattern with eight arms that had a star at the end of them. “Star Spiral, are you awake?” She heard Dream Catcher say from outside her second story window. She got up and walked over to the window. Using her magic to open it up she scowled at the Pegasus hovering outside her second story bedroom. “Are you crazy? Coming out after dark after what happened to your dad and my parents?” “I think somepony is in big trouble, it’d be safer if we both went looking together.” “Another dream?” “Yes, and if it’s a vision then a mare out there really needs help.” Star Spiral sighed. “I can’t leave Sprocket alone. I’m all he has left.” “If we run into whatever is taking the ponies of this town off of the streets at night I’ll handle it, but I have to know for sure.” Star Spiral gave her tail a swish. “Fine, but only because it’s close to dawn. I just hope this isn’t a wild goose chase.” Back at Canterlot Luna was worriedly pacing, Sunrise was a mere three minutes away and Celestia was nowhere to be found. Celestia’s phoenixes gave her the note when she knocked at her door. She inferred from the note that Celestia would continue to raise and lower the sun from wherever she was but Luna was still both extremely frustrated and worried about her sister. The time had come and Luna reached out with her magic to lower the heavenly orb down for the day. The sky was darker usual without the moon and stars but the sun would drive off the dark any second now. Then a whole minute passed with no sun. Luna could already hear the screams of panicking ponies in the streets of Canterlot. “No, they might think I’ve gone rouge again! Sister where art thou?!” Hearing more panicked responses Luna then decided to do what her sister had done in the during her thousand year absence, she reached out to the sun with her magic and coaxed it to rise. It was harder than moving the moon, mostly due to unfamiliarity but she managed to set her sister’s sun on its proper course. While she was breathing a sigh of relief that she was sure she was sharing of all Equestria a guard came up to the balcony. “Your highness, the staff are concerned about Celestia’s condition.” “Stall for now, Celestia had run off last night and if she didn’t raise the sun it means something has happened to her. Have some of the guards gathered for a briefing in one hour to prepare a search, until then keep this quiet.” “Yes, your majesty.” The guard said as he bowed and left. Luna gazed on the sun had just risen for the first time. “Celly,” Luna said using the pet name she had for her since she was young. “Please be ok.” Star Spiral breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the sun rise. “We should be safe now. Whatever it is it only comes out at night.” Dream Catcher took a look around in dawn lit landscape until he spotted a hawk-shaped tree. “There, that tree! In my dream she was laying at the base of that tree!” “Are you sure you don’t want to look around?” “Only if she’s not at the tree, she might have woken up and wandered off.” Star Spiral began muttering. “If she even exists.” Soon enough they reached the hawk-shaped tree and found a white Pegasus mare with a pink mane and sun cutie mark. “Are you ok?” Dream Catcher asked. The mare’s eyes fluttered open. “Where am I?” “You’re about five furlongs outside of Maresburg,” said Star Spiral. “We need to know how badly you’re hurt.” The mare steadily gotten to her feet and began to move her wings. “It aches a bit, but I think I’ll be fine.” “Hmmm, you must have fallen through a couple of clouds and that slowed you down.” “What’s your name?” Dream Catcher asked. “I think…I think it’s…Bright Dawn.” “You think?” said Star Spiral. “I can’t remember anything else.” “Anything at all?” “I know what things are and how to do certain things but other than that, nothing.” “Maybe that you hit your head in that fall and got Amnesia,” said Dream Catcher. “In any case we should take her back to town with us,” said Star Spiral. “We need to have a doctor look at her and by the time we get there Red Cross should be sitting down to her usual cup of coffee at the Golden Horseshoe Dinner. “ “Alright let’s take it quickly but carefully. This way Bright Dawn.” In an abandoned mine not too far from Maresburg the goblin witch, Hagiel, looked through the potion in her cauldron. Seeing an image of Luna informing the guard about Celestia’s disappearance she started cackling with glee. “That should be long enough. Once the ‘princess’ returns from her ordeal I’ll have unlimited access to everything we need to learn how to open the Gates of Tartarus!” Hagiel then left her lair to another part of the mine. This one instead of being arrayed with the objects needed for her dark magic had a wide assortment of machines scattered about. Strange mechanical golems, some of which looked humanoid others like ponies moved about doing assorted tasks. Soon Hagiel found what she was looking for, a monkey with brown colored fur about her size sitting at a workbench wearing goggles who was currently working on a small metallic sphere. “Just one more screw and…it’s done!” “Greaser!” The Gizmonk turned and faced the witch unable to contain his excitement. “Look Hagiel I have invented another masterpiece! Now the plans just came to me so I don’t know what it does, but it has a button. I wonder what will happen if I press it?” “Forget about your useless toys slave!” Hagiel said slapping the device from Greaser’s hand. “Is that special Clockwork I asked for ready?” “Well you didn’t so much ask me as threaten to turn me into a roach and crush me if…” “Is it ready?!” “It’s ready, it’s ready!” Greaser ran over to a white tarp draped over something. “Presenting the Greaser Autonomous Mechanical Construct model PON type-A, with turbo!” He took off the tarp revealing another pony shaped mechanical golem, only this one was larger and had wings and a horn. Hagiel seemed unimpressed. “Does it have the device that can transmit my voice and magic as well as let me see what it sees?” “As you asked for your rottenness, but I still don’t get why you wanted a custom Clockwork when you already have so many do your biding.” “Because with the rest I wouldn’t be able to do this! Paratapapa!” Hagiel casted a spell and before Greaser’s eyes the Clockwork took on the appearance of Princess Celestia. “It’s a simple illusion spell but enough to fool anyone. Now Clockwork, go to Canterlot Castle and wait for me to speak through you. I will help to pass you off as Princess Celestia and by the time those pretty little ponies realize that you’re not it will already be too late. Kehehehehehehe!” The phony princess bowed her head to the witch and turned to the mine’s exit, a second later a large flame came from the pony machine’s backside as it rocketed out of the mine and into the air. “So how do like the turbo feature?” asked Greaser. “I also added a smoothie machine for after it’s finished its job so we can have celebratory snack.” “Grrrrrrr…” Hagiel was covered in scorch marks from the jet flame. Maresburg was a town about the size Ponyville was a hundred years earlier resting in the shadow of Misty Mountain. The buildings seem to have seen better days but the ponies still were very cheerful to each other. The Golden Horseshoe Dinner, named for the legend of the mystic artifacts said to be owned by the first unicorn, was not as impressive as the name suggested. It had an Art Deco design with a neon sign that was turned off for the day, but seemed to have been worn down like most of the other buildings in town. The three came inside where a number of patrons were already sitting down to breakfast. “Red Cross should be at the counter,” said Dream Catcher. “Hey Sis!” shouted a grey unicorn colt with a black mane and a white gear for a cutie mark. Star Spiral moved in on the colt. “Sprocket what are you doing here by yourself?” “I didn’t find you when I got up so I thought you’d be here with Jetstream and Powder Puff.” “Listen Sprocket, I don’t have time to hang out with you right now. Have you seen Red Cross today?” “I’m here,” said a white earth pony with a red mane and a first aid cross as a cutie mark. “What’s the problem?” “Bright Dawn here has lost her memory,” said Dream Catcher. “It looked like she fell a long way; can you give her a check-up?” Red Cross gave a stern look at Dream Catcher. “Another one of your dreams?” All activity in the dinner seemed to grind to a halt. Dream Catcher looked down in a shamed manner. “Yes, but she was all I saw.” “Alright, I’ll take a look at her.” Red Cross “What’s wrong?” Bright Dawn asked. “I can see things in my dreams before they happen, that was how I found you. But since in the past I saw a few minor disasters for the town that came to pass most of the ponies here don’t like it when I get them.” “That sounds like a wonderful gift,” Bright Dawn said while Red Cross shined a flashlight into her eyes. “I mean if you see something bad you can stop it from happening. “Except it rarely shows him anything that helps anypony,” said a tan coated earth stallion with a black mustache a wide brimmed hat with a gold badge on it and a megaphone for a cutie mark. “Name’s Sheriff Bullhorn and I uphold the law around these parts. You picked a bad time for a visit miss Dawn.” “I just found her,” said Dream Catcher. “She doesn’t have any memories so she’s probably just lost.” “No memory, that’s convenient. A couple of months back ponies in this town started disappearing at night without a trace. Now after eliminating all of the suspects in town a new pony shows up and no memory and thus no alibi.” “You can’t just accuse her just because she happens to be new in town!” “I’m not, just letting her know I’m keeping my eye on her during the investigation.” “If you call sitting here and stuffing you face with donuts investigating!” said Star Spiral. “Especially when you could be out there finding the missing ponies!” “There aren’t any ponies alive to bring back. But then you would know about that break in the case that better than anypony.” Star Spiral started to tear up, Sprocket the stepped between her and the Sheriff he was tearing up himself. “Now that’s going too far! You’re just guessing and the only reason you know it is because Dad felt Mom die and it killed him!” “It happened right in front them!” said Dream Catcher. “You can’t just mention it to them so callously!” “Alright I’m sorry!” the Sheriff said. He turned back to Bright Dawn. “You better keep your nose clean.” The stallion then left the diner to go on his beat. “You ok sis?” Sprocket asked. “I’ll be fine,” Star Spiral said wiping her tears away. “How is Bright Dawn doc?” Red Cross finished her examination. “I can’t find anything to indicate head trauma and other than some minor bruises she seems perfectly healthy,” She turned to Bright Dawn. “But as the patient I’d like to ask you how you feel.” A loud gurgle came from Dawn’s stomach. “Well I guess for the most part I’m hungry.” “Well the food here is the best in town,” What do you want?” “I feel like a stack of pancakes covered in butter.” Dream Catcher turned to a tan unicorn behind the counter. “Short Order did you get that?” “Blowout patches covered in axel grease!” “What?” Bright Dawn asked. Star Spiral feeling a lot better at Dawn’s reaction gave a little giggle. “That’s his way of saying what your meal is. Speaking of which, Short Order I’d like scrambled eggs on toast.” “Coffee and doughnuts for me,” said Dream Catcher. Short Order spoke again from behind the counter. “One cops n’ robbers, one order of chicks on a raft and wreck’em! Order Up!” In a flash the three meals were levitated in front of them. “That was fast,” Bright Dawn said. “He usually is,” said Star Spiral. “In any case we have to figure out where you’re going to stay until you get your memory back.” “I guess you would have a hotel in town, but I don’t have any money.” “I would offer for you to stay at my house but I already have my hooves full with Sprocket, that I’ll be really busy with an important job for the town. Maybe Jetstream or Powder Puff could…” “Or you can stay with me,” said Dream Catcher. “I mean I found you in that vision so I guess that makes you my responsibility, and my house has felt a lot lonelier since whatever it was took my father away.” “What about your mom?” Bright Dawn asked. “She died while I was still a colt. She was a unicorn who studied how different species lived; she named me while she was studying the Buffalo. One day while staying with a griffin clan there was a rockslide and she sacrificed herself to keep a clutch of their eggs safe.” “I’m so sorry.” “It’s ok; Dad did a good job in spite of how much losing her hurt him. He just ran the weather patrol here until he was taken.” “Dream are you sure about this?” Star Spiral asked. “It’s ok,” said Bright Dawn. “I’d be happy to accept your invitation.” Dream Catcher did his best to hide that he was seriously blushing. At that moment a bell started echoing throughout town. “What’s that?” “A town meeting is being called,” said Star Spiral. “We have about an hour to finish eating and get over there.” Cadence burst into entrance hall. Luna was already about to give the white Alicorn a hug. “What’s going on?” Celestia, or rather Hagiel through the disguised clockwork, spoke up. “I went out to examine our subjects more closely. However I fainted during flight and crashed.” “Sister how…”Luna said. “I awoke and went to a doctor. She said I came down with Spell Fever.” “Doesn’t that disease affect Unicorns?” “Yes, it is contagious and non-unicorns can spread it. I will have to spend the next week or so confined to bed rest. I trust you both can run the kingdom while I recover?” “Of course Auntie,” said Cadence. “I also shouldn’t use magic during the duration so I will need you to continue rising and lowering the sun Luna.” “Of course sister, but will you be ok in time for the Summer Sun Celebration?” “Trust me. By the time the celebration comes I will be perfectly fine.” As she left for Celestia’s private chambers no one noticed that for a split second a red glint came from the imposter’s eyes.