//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Shadows of the Sun // by theamberfox //------------------------------// Shadows of the Sun By theamberfox Chapter 1 “I just don’t think it’s a good idea.” a gruff, elderly unicorn said. His loud, commanding voice resonated throughout the room, but there was a hint of regret in his words. Maybe he didn’t believe he was right or maybe he just didn’t want to tell them they were wrong. Regardless, it wasn’t an easy thing to do. What lay ahead of them was a difficult task and everyone was trying their best to come up with solutions. Everything they tried had failed and the hope that burned so brightly in the beginning had been reduced to a faltering candle. “We can’t afford to have the best of our researchers and military running around chasing rumours. In spite of our open communications with their government, we still have no idea what they’re doing up there.” his voice growing louder and more assertive as he continued. “The only thing we know is that they’re doing better than we are.” A white pegasus standing nearby casually stepped forward. She turned her head quickly, throwing her elegant light blue hair out of the way. “I agree with Lord Thunderhorn.” she said softly, gesturing towards the old unicorn. “Some of the commoners are starting to become openly aggressive towards us and we need every guard in Canterlot as protection.” “Are you trying to suggest that we can’t spare even a single guard for this?” a pale green earth pony intervened, glaring at the white pegasus. “This isn’t a walk in the park. It’s dangerous and she shouldn’t be leaving alone.” A brutal drought had appeared almost overnight and spread across all of Equestria. A drought in a land where factories created artificial weather conditions and a princess controlled the sun itself seemed impossible, so no one could have expected a drought with such an unimaginable magnitude. With the only rain coming from the scarce weather factories and the nobility using their wealth to hoard almost every scrap of food produced, many had begun to starve. “Lady Wind Dancer has every reason to be concerned. The commoners blame us for the food shortages.” Thunderhorn sighed. “To be honest, I don’t disagree with them.” “Then why can’t we just ask the nobility to share.” a dark blue pegasus smirked, her tail swishing back and forth as she spoke. “Tell them to play nice.” “Do you honestly believe we can do that, Lady Vortex?” a light brown earth pony interrupted. “They will find a way around any law we make. They have too much power and influence. If we limited the amount of food they can buy, they will just pay other ponies to buy it for them.” “Even if we could do something about the nobility, it still wouldn’t be enough. They’re hoarding food, but not as much as everyone seems to believe.” the pale green pony said. “We would just be wasting our time and effort. We need to find a way to increase food production and prevent this from happening again in the future.” “Then back to the point, Goldenroot, I agree that we need to send someone with her.” Vortex replied, nodding at the pale green pony. “If Princess Celestia is really serious about this, then Twilight is going to leave anyway. I’m sure we can spare one guard as an escort.” “It’s not that simple.” a dark brown unicorn interrupted. “If we send even one escort with her, then we will be held responsible for her actions. It will be announced that we supported her and if she goes up north and finds nothing, then we will be at the public’s mercy.” “And we’re not now, Lord Crescendo?” Goldenroot asked inquisitively. “Nothing we’ve done has worked. If they have some answers, then we need to try.” “We simply cannot act on rumour alone.” Crescendo continued. “Then Lord Crescendo, Lord Thunderhorn, and Lady Wind Dancer, you all object to the decision?” a light brown earth pony asked. Thunderhorn exchanged concerned glances with the two other ponies in question. “Yes, Director Prairie Star, we do.” “Then I’m afraid that if Princess Celestia wants to send Twilight to Prance, it will have to be without the council’s support and thus, without any aid from our government.” Prairie Star continued. Goldenroot was stunned. “Celestia, please don’t ask her to go alone. It’s too dangerous.” Princess Celestia had been listening to the entire conversation from her throne, quietly watching as the six members of the council argued over her suggestion. Normally, the council would meet and formally discuss political matters in an assembly, but the severity of the situation had forced them to shed their usual conventions. “I don’t want to have to ask her to do this, Sir Goldenroot,” Celestia replied, calmly looking at the earth pony. “But we don’t have much of a choice. The drought is only getting worse and we need a solution. If there is even a possibility that Prance can help us, then we need to investigate that possibility. Ruled by “Le Roi Pierre”, Prance was a small and heavily populated country with a history of being frequented by droughts and food shortages identical to the one Equestria was experiencing. Over time, the country learned how to deal with these problems and ceased its constant pleas for foreign aid. For obvious reasons, Celestia wanted to know what had changed. How had they solved their problems and what could Equestria do to improve their current situation and prevent future disasters? Twilight Sparkle, the only one the princess thought was both qualified and available for the job, was asked to travel north and find some answers. “Then let me go with her.” Goldenroot said, stepping forward. “I refuse to have her travel alone.” “Don’t be foolish, Sir Goldenroot!” Prairie Star said as she stepped forward. “The council cannot operate without all of its members. If you leave, it’s only going to make matters worse.” Goldenroot knew she was right. Council operations would come grinding to a halt if he left and with the council serving as a check on Celestia’s power, no political decisions could be made in his absence. Like many rulers in her time, Celestia did not have absolute power over her country. Every decision she made had to be passed through the council before it became law, allowing the assembly to either rewrite the law and send it back to Celestia for approval, or veto it entirely. Likewise, any decision the council made had to pass through Celestia in the same fashion. It was a way of keeping each other’s power in check, with neither political body given the power to make rash decisions. Celestia had suggested the idea over a thousand years ago when she first made the decision to banish Nightmare Moon. Soon after her banishment, Celestia thought that her decision was made too hastily and regretted it ever since. She loved her sister and it was only from a sense of panic that she was able to exile her to the moon without thinking of the consequences. In an attempt to correct her perceived mistake, the council was formed as a temporary political body consisting of mostly the educated nobility. Celestia had polled the council, asking them if they thought it was safe for Nightmare Moon to return. Despite Celestia’s fierce attempts at coercing the group, they rejected the idea, claiming that the safety of thousands of residents across the country was too important to sacrifice for a single pony, even one of royalty. Although saddened by the decision, Celestia agreed with the council and announced that they would become a permanent addition to the government to provide a second opinion on all of her verdicts. “So that’s it then.” Goldenroot said, shaking his head slowly. “We’re just going to sit back and watch.” “Do not underestimate my student, Sir Goldenroot.” Celestia said. “If any one pony is capable of this feat, it’s my faithful student Twilight Sparkle. She may be young, but she has incredible potential and I have complete confidence in her abilities.” “I hope you’re right, Princess Celestia.” ~ Although she tried to look calm, it was painfully obvious that Princess Luna was nervous about what she was going to tell her older sister. Her movements were slow and purposeful as she tried to maintain the kind of serene grace that was expected from a member of royalty, but the expression on her face completely ruined the attempt. Her eyes darted from side to side as if she were looking for something that was obviously not there and she failed to make even brief eye contact with her sister. As she approached the throne on which her older sister was leisurely seated, she began to question whether or not it was truly necessary for her to inform Celestia in person. She still had no idea how Celestia would react to the information she was about to present, which was part of the reason she felt the gesture was entirely necessary. It was a well known fact that the princess was able to conceal her inner feelings and keep a calm composure in the face of adversity, but she only ever tried to do so in public. It was another requirement of royalty that Luna never truly understood. For this very reason, Luna had asked the guards to step out when she entered and, as she took the last few steps towards the throne, she glanced back over her shoulder to confirm that the room was indeed empty. Satisfied, she slowly came to a stop in front of Celestia. “Sister?” Luna asked. The letter had arrived in the morning, but it was now late in the afternoon. Luna had opened it on her sister’s behalf, unknowing of the contents, and had spent most of the day trying to prepare for this inevitable conversation. “You look troubled, Luna. Is there something you wish to tell me?” Celestia replied affectionately, but after seeing the distress on Luna’s face, she knew that it was something far more serious than the tone of her voice could have allowed for. The last light of the sun washed in through the windows and onto the floor across the room, almost directly where the two were situated. As Luna raised her head, making direct eye contact with Celestia for the first time that day, a small amount of light crept across her face, illuminating it ever so slightly. It was as if the sun itself, was trying to lighten the mood, but the beam of light only made the small teardrops welling up in Luna’s eyes more obvious. “It’s about Twilight…” The tears in her eyes were now building up more quickly. Luna was desperately trying to hold them back. “She’s not coming home.” Luna continued. “Why do you say that?” “I opened a letter this morning. It was from La Roi Pierre in Prance. He said…” Luna’s words trailed off as she noticed that tears were finally beginning to trickle down her face. She couldn’t fight them anymore. The task she was presented with was too harsh, too miserable. “He said that she never arrived to meet him or his advisors… She was supposed to be there more than a month ago, but the last time she was seen was crossing the border into Prance. He sent out a search party to look for her, but they only found some of her things… “They weren’t the kind of things that Twilight would willingly leave behind.” “They think she’s dead?” Celestia asked, her words empty and lacking all emotion. Stunned by her reaction, Luna tried to collect herself and comfort her older sister. She noticed that Celestia wasn’t looking directly at her anymore, but past her, towards the door. It was as if she believed she was all alone. “It was supposed to take three weeks.” Celestia continued. Luna knew that Celestia had suspected something had happened to Twilight when she didn’t return when she was supposed to, but she had hid her concern well. Very few actually believed that something tragic had happened and even less had actually questioned Twilight’s whereabouts. The few that asked Celestia directly were lied to. It might have been because Celestia didn’t want to worry anyone, but it was more likely that she didn’t actually believe that Twilight might be injured, lost, or worse. It was only when Luna had noticed that the excuses weren’t adding up, that she suspected something was wrong. At first, Celestia had passed it off as poor weather conditions, but it was an obvious fact that it had been hot and dry in all of Equestria and most of Prance for the entire month. Eventually it began to rain slightly in both countries, but it was scarce and nothing that could delay travel. Later on, she had to think of more creative excuses, like waiting while contraptions were being built or planned out, machines that would improve crop harvesting or yield. Luna did not question the idea that these machines might exist, but rather why would Twilight need to stay in Prance to supervise their completion. Surely, less important individuals could oversee the transportation of the machines and their plans. “What of her things? What happened to them?” Celestia asked quickly. “They found the map you gave her, some notes, supplies, her bag... I can get one of the guards to bring them to you.” "Have them sent to my bedchamber." “Please sister; it's not your fault. No one could have predicted what happened." Celestia continued to stare past her sibling, even as she left the room. Was Twilight really gone? ~ The memories of the meeting with the council and her conversation with Luna faded as Celestia returned to the grim reality. The drought was still a problem and Twilight's demise was finally sinking in. Her friends were notified of the tragedy and a funeral was being held in Ponyville. Celestia had arrived early, leaving Luna behind to keep watch over the current instability across the country. Things were getting better, but they were still far from normal. Shipments of food and other supplies from Prance were arriving on a regular basis and helped ease the concerns of starvation. Although the food was enough to keep ponies from starving, it wasn’t enough to keep anyone really satisfied and many had began to wonder about Prance. How were they able to keep sending such massive quantities of food and still have enough to feed their own country? Celestia had insisted that the weather was improving and that there was no need to send anyone else up north to Prance. She said that everyone would have all the food they needed soon. Although most didn't believe her, hence the prolonged instability, it was true. Today was a living example as the rain poured down across Celestia's face and onto the cold grass. She didn't mind, the rain had a convenient way of hiding a pony’s tears. Everyone always looks like they're crying in the rain. "You're early." Celestia slowly turned here head to face the pony behind her. It was Rarity, a pony that Celestia had heard a lot about in Twilight's letters. She was one of Twilight's best friends and a dressmaker. She was using her magic to create a small bubble around herself, keeping the rain from messing up her immaculate mane. "You're also very wet." Rarity said with a kind of unusual monotony, making no effort to conceal her sorrow. "I'm alright. After all that's happened, it's nice to feel the rain on my back." Celestia replied in an eerily similar tone. As she turned back to face the tombstone on the ground, Rarity slowly moved up beside her. The two stood together quietly for long time, never taking their eyes off the rigid, flat stone that stood upright in the grass bearing Twilight Sparkle's name. As time passed, more ponies began to arrive at the grave. Some broke out into tears immediately upon arriving while others offered their condolences and tried to comfort those who were most clearly affected by their loss. There were also those that said nothing at all. Their silence alone was more than enough to display the sadness in their hearts. Eventually, the ceremony began and ponies would move to a podium to make speeches about their friend, recalling notable events that happened in Twilight’s life or merely just praising her for her actions. Each one would trigger a different reaction from the crowd. Some stories would be happy memories, exciting tales that formed bold images in their heads and smiles on their faces. Others were sad, causing many ponies in the audience to weep as they remembered their lost friend. Celestia had noticed Spike, the small purple and green dragon, was reacting most radically to the speeches made. Always laughing the hardest and sobbing the loudest. It was unsettling to see a child so young, so innocent, as mentally and emotionally destroyed as he was now. Rarity was just now stepping up to the podium where all the ponies were making their speeches. She had managed to keep her mane and the stylish cosmetics on her face perfect, even after all this time. The bubble around her was shining hazily as it reflected the rain that hit its surface, dispersing and gently sliding down around the sphere. “I have no script to read, nor is any required to express the feelings I have at this moment.” Her tone of voice had changed now. She was trying to preserve the quiet dignity that she was well known for, but it was a fruitless attempt. The thought of her friend, taken from the world so early on in her life, was too much. Memories of the time they had spent together reconstructed themselves one after another in her head and brought tears to her eyes. Slowly rolling down her cheeks, they took some of her mascara with them and left black streaks down the side of her face. “I didn’t know Twilight for as long as some of the ponies here today…” She smiled weakly at Celestia, who was standing quietly and listening attentively to the words she spoke. “…But it was more than enough time to learn what kind of amazing pony she was. She displayed great feats of courage, hope, and kindness and inspired us all to achieve things we never thought possible. “It is by no stretch of the imagination, that I am able to speak these words…” She stopped. The small tears falling from her eyes had gradually become a steady stream down the side of her face. So much so, that the tears had actually began to wash away the remaining make up on her face. Above her, the bubble that she had created was slowly failing. Her concentration on the spell was loosening and small holes had opened up letting some of the droplets fall down on her. “She was one of the best friends I had and nothing will ever change that. I just wish I hadn’t let her leave by herself. She asked me to come with her, but I told her I was too busy. Everyone was too busy, so she went alone. She went to help us, to save us and, petrified from what was happening, we didn’t even notice she was gone…” She looked down towards the cold, solid earth beneath her. A single tear fell from her eye, forming a small droplet of water as it accelerated towards the grass below. As it fell, the bubble above her finally began to give up. She lost all her concentration on the spell and the small holes increased in size and frequency. As the tear hit the ground with an inaudible splash, the bubble tore open and the water that had pooled on top of the bubble flooded in, soaking the unicorn instantly and provoking numerous gasps from the audience. Celestia’s right. After all that’s happened, it’s nice to feel the rain on my back, Rarity thought to herself as she worked her way off the podium and back into the crowd. She looked very different now; her usually impressive appearance had been washed away. Her hair had been destroyed by the ever worsening rainstorm and her cosmetics removed by the wetness of her tears. It wasn’t normal, it wasn’t right, but nothing about today was. ~ The storm that had started early in the morning had grown. The wind had picked up speed, periodically blowing in large gusts and causing the rain to attack the glass windows in bursts. Lightning flashed nearby, illuminating the dark room and revealing Celestia’s depressed figure lying silently on the bed. A loud crack of thunder soon followed, just as the room was darkening. Twilight's disappearance had left a burning hole in Celestia's heart. The one pony that, next to her sister, she cared the most for, was gone, but not forgotten. Twilight was lost in a shroud of mystery. No one seemed to know where she went or what happened to her, so why had they assumed she was gone from the world forever? Perhaps the others had already accepted her demise long before it was formally announced. Two months was a long time and the world was becoming a dark and unforgiving place. The drought had created more than just a food shortage; it had created intolerance, mistrust and hate. They had asked her about Twilight and she had lied to them. She lied to Twilight’s friends and family, she lied to Goldenroot, and she even lied to her sister. It was a tragic fate that she refused to believe. She didn't want to believe that anything bad could ever happen to the little unicorn she had spent so many years of her life with. Celestia stared at the small purple bags resting by her dresser. They were visibly dirty and small specks of filth plastered the surface. Slowly, she raised herself out of bed and walked towards them. If Twilight was still alive, then the bags might contain pieces of a puzzle, knowledge of her whereabouts and her situation. Lifting the flaps of each bag, Celestia carefully removed the contents onto the floor and spread them out. The first thing she noticed was Twilight’s gala dress. Celestia moved the dress, arranging it into a position on the floor that revealed its true beauty. Apart from the thin layer of dirt and deterioration of the dress, everything was exactly as she had remembered it. The soft blue fabric flowed gently as it settled on the ground with the magnificent silver stars decorating its surface shining dully in the dim moonlight. “That was the best Grand Galloping Gala ever!” I said, walking into the small coffee shop. “Princess Celestia?!” the ponies around the table cried. I moved over and stood next to the table, smiling brightly. It was certainly a night to remember. The chaos and confusion Twilight’s friends had created was amazing. It changed a usually dull, formal experience into an utterly fantastic one. Most of the nobility would be upset by the uproar, but I haven’t had that much fun for decades. “Pardon me, Princess, but tonight was just awful.” Twilight remarked. “Oh, Twilight, the Grand Galloping Gala is always awful.” I laughed. “It is?” Twilight asked, flashing a surprised glance. “That is why I was thrilled you were all attending. I was hoping you could liven things up a bit. And while the evening may not have gone as you planned, I'm sure you'll agree that in the end it didn't turn out so bad for this group of friends.” “You're right, Princess. Friends have a way of making even the worst of times into something pretty great.” Twilight smiled. Lighting and thunder shook the memories from Celestia’s mind. Taking a quick glance around, she searched for the matching shoes among the worn collection of objects, but stopped when she noticed a pile of envelopes. Twilight had obviously planned on contacting someone at one point or another, but the recipient was unknown. No one had received any letters from her student, at least, not that she knew of. Setting the letters and the questions they evoked aside, Celestia picked up a large encyclopaedia. Several tattered pages fell out as she raised the abused book off the ground. Carrying such a heavy and frivolous item on a long journey seemed insane, but Twilight’s thirst for knowledge was insatiable. Even if the book itself was unnecessary, Celestia knew that the comfort she gained from just holding onto it was not. The book was marked to a single page titled, ‘The Mare in the Moon’. It was the event that had started everything and one that she could never forget. Jealousy, contempt and fear had driven her sister away and, one thousand years later, Twilight had brought her back. Twilight had done what Celestia could not and for that, she was forever in her debt. Shifting the trivial items aside, Celestia discovered a small, battered notebook. Luna mentioned this. Has she read it? Has anyone read it? Hoping to solve the increasingly complicated puzzle surrounding Twilight’s disappearance, Celestia closed her eyes and calmly flipped open the cover of the book. Twilight was a studious pony, she would have written everything leading up to her disappearance in her notebook. If Celestia had anything to go on, it would be elaborately detailed within these pages. Breathing slowly, she opened her eyes and glanced down. The page was blank. She panicked and started flipping through the book. This was unlike her. Every single page of the notebook was blank, completely devoid of any writing whatsoever. Letting the notebook slip from her grasp, it fell and hit the floor in a useless heap. What happened to you, Twilight? Where are you? Tears welled up in her eyes as Celestia quietly packed Twilight’s things back into her bag, setting them in the dresser and falling onto the soft bed. Celestia had found it all quite horribly ironic. The council had been created to prevent rash political decisions, but it had actually become the cause of one. It wasn’t entirely their fault; they were just doing their job as she had intended them to. Their reasoning was sound and probably in the best interests of the wide majority of Equestria’s inhabitants. It was her fault alone for suggesting the idea in the first place. The confidence she had placed in her pupil’s abilities had blinded her better judgment. Celestia was well aware that the journey had been attempted in solitude by numerous ponies before Twilight, but they were mostly hardened adventurers or merchants, not young librarians. And after all the pressure she had put on her student to proceed with the journey alone, it had almost become unneeded. It was as if the weather was trying to play some cruel, barbaric joke on the princess. The rain had returned and soon the crops would follow. Equestria would, once again, be able to live carelessly, free of the trials and tribulations of the harsh drought that had faded with the storm raging fiercely outside her room. Once again, lightning rapidly lit up the dark room. Celestia remained motionless on her bed, the only movement coming from the tears that proceeded to dampen her pillow. The room blackened, loud thunder rattling the objects in the bedchamber and masking the creaking of a door as it slowly opened. With the room obscured by the night, footsteps unheard above the assaulting rain, a figure crept towards the grieving princess before coming to a rest at the foot of her bed. ________________________________________________________________________ Author’s notes: Hello readers. This is a new revised version of the first chapter. A very special thanks goes to my editor, Specter Von Baren, who helped me clean it up. I think the story flows a lot nicer now and hopefully I can entice more people into reading the entire story. If you’re interested in doing any pre-reading, please contact me. I’d like to have one more person to just read through the story and tell me their thoughts. If you have any questions or comments about the story, you can reach me at my email: admin@theamberfox.ca I’ll also be keeping a close eye on the comments below the story. ________________________________________________________________________ Disclaimer: “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” and its derivatives are the sole intellectual property of Hasbro©. I do not have, nor claim to have, the rights to the intellectual property that this story is based on.