Twilight tried to move but she could not, so she used the shadow in the corner to see what was holding her and she saw her petrified stone state. She knew it would be nearly impossible to break out but she also knew that the spell was starting to shatter. She figured it would take nine years to fully shatter, so she used a spell that she had learned from years of study of her father’s book of shadow spells. She brought her conscience back to her stone body and sent several black wisps to all the shadows in Canterlot and she also sent four of them to possess empty suits of lunar guard armor to come to her aid in case everything went south.
Three days later, the funeral of Clover the Clever took place. All in attendance knew her to be the founder of friendship magic, the most powerful magic in Equestria, as well as a great friend to the Princess of the Sun. It was raining and so the unicorns conjured umbrellas with their magic while the earth ponies and pegasuses had to hold actual umbrellas to keep dry.
Celestia noticed Sun Blast and his daughter with the phoenix on her back. She was crying openly. Clearly, she was mourning her mother.
The Princess of the Sun said her goodbyes then walked up to Sunset and said,
“I’m so sorry for your loss. If it makes you feel any better, I know what loss feels like, so if you need to talk, my door is always open to you.”
Sunset didn't say anything, but her father said,
"Thank you, Princess, but I think my daughter and I will need a few days to adjust to my wife being gone."
As they talked, the other ponies went back home. Sun Blast and Sunset then went back to their home as well. As for Celestia, she turned around and saw Cadence.
She and the Princess of Love remained silent for several minutes. Then Cadence said, "Auntie, you seem relaxed about this."
Cadence had claimed the title of Princess of Love because she could make an arguing mare and stallion stop bickering simply by walking to them and casting a mending spell. The two ponies would forget the argument and go about their day.
Cadence started to look at Celestia as an aunt because, in her old town, when her parents were away, she would go to her aunt and uncle, and they treated her like family. Until recently. But Celestia was always there for her when times got tough.
Celestia responded, saying,"I have dealt with this loss before."
Cadence, with a concerned and questioning look, asked, "What do you mean by that?"
The Princess of the Sun sighed and said, "It’s a long story that happened several years ago."
The Princess of Love said, "Do you want to tell me the story in a place that less crowded?"
Celestia nodded her head and said, "Meet me at the Canterlot gardens."
With that, he Alcorns headed towards the Canterlot Gardens.
As they trotted away, a black wisp with purple eyes peered at the two Princesses and saw where they were going.
A couple of hours after entering, the Canterlot Gardens started to become a hedge maze. The two Princesses of Equestria trotted through them, one listening hard as the other recounted a night at the castle of the two sisters.
"So, you have a second niece that is encased in stone and she will only come out on a certain event?" With a look of concern, she continued, "And you don't know what kind of event will free her?"
Celestia sighed and said, "Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but Starswirl knows things that we don't know. I was a mess when it happened, but I believe in him. I just hope she is in a talking mood when she is released. The last time I saw her, she was mad, and not only that, she had become a tall shadow mountain with purple venom eyes. Who knows what she could of done in that state! I was so full of dread. I think it comes from her father."
After a few minutes of silence, Cadence asked, "What was she like before that?"
The Princess of the Sun said, "Well, she was kind of like you, but more into books. She also meditated like her mother, and from my own dreams that she visited, we would just talk. Then Luna would say it was time. I miss the good times." She started to tear up and Cadence placed her wing on Celestia; to comfort her.
Sun Blast and his daughter were with her fire bird named Philomena. Sunset went upstairs and, once they were in her room, the phoenix flew to its bird perch. Sunset went to her bed and cried into her pillow.
Back downstairs, Sun Blast walked over to a picture of him and Clover the Clever and said, "How would you handle this?"
A few hours later, Sun Blast was making breakfast, Sunset’s favorite oat pancakes. He remembered that she loved them, but he couldn't remember how to make them, so he bought a cookbook. He was confident that he was not going to burn the pancake as he flipped one to the other side. Then he was ready to call his daughter.
Meanwhile, up in Sunset’s room, all was not well.
"You killed her. This is your fault. If you had not become so fixated on getting your cutie mark, she would still be alive and you would still have a mom."
This dark voice continued to tell her that she was to blame. She started hearing the voice the day after the funeral and it wouldn't stop telling her dark lies. It was like somepony was inside her head. She planned to tell Celestia about it on the day she started school.
Back at Canterlot, in the hedge maze, Twilight was asleep, dreaming.In her dream, she saw her mom. Twilight wanted to go to her, but she knew it was a dream, so she said, "Mom, are you trying to contact me in the dream world?"
Luna looked up at her daughter and said, "Twilight, I don't have much time. I know you are trapped too.but I ask you to claim your birthright when you break free. Go to the far north, beyond the border of Equestria and find your father."
"But who is my father?" Twilight asked.
“I'm sorry, my daughter, but I'm running out of time. Just remember, go far north and find the umbras.”
As Luna said this, the dream faded away and Twilight woke up to the sound of snapping twigs, telling her that someponies were close.