//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 – Navigation // Story: The Fall of Canterlot Kingdom // by JzanderN //------------------------------// “Sunset Shimmer.” “Candidate found.” “Canterlot.” “Candidate found.” “Kingdom.” “Beginning navigation.” Hana felt an itch of dizziness in the back of her head, and looked up from her phone to see the still unfamiliar castle in place of the school. She brought her hand up to her face, and her fingers ran across her mask. Her power, her Persona. She sighed in relief knowing they were all still there. She made her way to the front of the castle where Alec, Devon and Fahran were waiting for her. Well, Devon and Fahran were; Alec looked like he wanted to go five minutes ago. Something about the area was off. It itched at the back of her mind, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. Instead, she ignored it to talk to the team. “It’s good to see this place is up and running.” “What happened yesterday?” Alec asked. Farhan looked confused. “I don’t know. The place was shut off, like a carnival at midnight. It was still here, but closed to everyone outside, and everything inside had just stopped; even I couldn’t move around.” He sighed. “Hana, has there been anything odd about Sunset recently? Any odd behaviours or actions?” “Not much,” Hana said. “She’s been getting more impatient recently; she’s been going on about how this is an important week for her, so she’s been itching to make sure no-one interrupts it. It’s probably just the Fall Formal, but she’s been more so than the previous years.” She gasped as she remembered something that had been bugging her. “She seems to have some idea of what’s going on here. On Monday, she immediately knew Devon and Alec were up to something when she saw them, and then yesterday she somehow knew I betrayed her.” “That makes sense,” Devon quietly chipped in. “This place is her cognition, so if you betrayed her here, she probably sensed it in the real world.” Fahran shook his head. “No, that shouldn’t happen. This world represents the side you try to hide from others, even yourself, so whatever we do over here shouldn’t register in the real world. Unless...” Realisation hit, and he buried his face in his paws. “I’m an idiot. You’ve been using your real names here. I should have realised that would have an effect.” “Nothing we can do about it now,” Devon said, “but we should use code names from here on out.” “This guy knows what he's talking about!” Fahran said proudly. “I’ll be fine, but you guys will need some alternate identities.” “Alright,” Alec nodded. “Devon, you were the first Phantom Thief; we’ll do you first.” He stared at him, taking in his mask and costume. “Talon.” “No.” “Pegasus.” “No.” “Avian.” “No.” “Bird.” “Do you have any names not related to birds?” Devon asked, holding the side of his mask. “No,” Alec said with a wry smile. Hana snorted with laughter. “How about Gale?” she suggested. “A strong wind?” Devon thought it over for a minute. “A simple meaning, but I kind of like it. It’s certainly better than anything birdbrain here has to suggest.” “You’re going with her over me?” Alec asked. “Over anything you’ve suggested? Yes. Anyway” – the newly dubbed Gale clapped his hands – “you’re next.” Alec sighed. “Alright, what have you got?” Gale took his time thinking, looking over him and his costume. “How about Brawn?” “Who will be Brains?” Alec asked. Gale chuckled. “Well, I’m not going to choose for you, but they will go well together.” “No. I’m not going to be Brawn and you’re certainly not going to be Brains.” “Just because you’re not Brawn, doesn’t mean I’m not Brains.” “You already have a code name!” Alec yelled. Hana couldn’t help but giggle at the two. “Okay, how about Ohm?” Gale asked. Alec straightened and puffed out his chest. “Ohm. Electrical resistance. And with my electric powers, I shall resist the tyranny of Sunset, and indeed all in the world that wishes to push me around!” “That was supposed to annoy you, not inspire you,” Gale muttered. “Too bad. I like it,” Ohm said with a smirk. “I guess that just leaves you,” Fahran said to Hana. Gale and Ohm looked at her in silence. She wasn’t even sure if they were thinking of a name for her, or if they were waiting for her to say one instead. “How about Unicorn?” Ohm finally said. “It’s a bit uncreative, isn’t it?” Hana asked. Ohm looked annoyed at her response. “What about Aqua?” Gale suggested. “My power’s ice, not water. It’s a little better, but–” “Aqua it is,” Ohm said, interrupting her. “Come on, let’s move.” “Move where?” Fahran asked. “We don’t even know what the game plan is.” “The game plan is we get in there, find the key and then steal the treasure,” Ohm answered impatiently. “Dude, if we’re going to do this soon, we need to do better than that,” Gale said. “That was basically our strategy yesterday, if you remember.” “Can someone please fill me in on what we’re doing exactly? What’s this about a key?” Aqua asked. Fahran answered. “Basically, there’s this giant door that holds all of Sunset’s desires behind it and we need to get in there, but we need a key first.” She nodded, remembering her meeting with Sunset’s Shadow where their lockers should have been, and the giant door that replaced Sunset’s. “Are you sure her desires are behind it?” “Absolutely,” Fahran said. “I’ve combed the entire castle myself multiple times, and it’s the only place I haven’t searched. And it’s definitely in this castle, that much I’m certain.” “But you never found the key,” she said, “which means it can’t be in the school. It must be somewhere outside the castle.” Fahran shook his head. “No, it has to be somewhere important to her; somewhere she has control. It can’t just be in some random house or some shop she likes, and this castle is the only place like that.” “Actually, no it isn’t,” she smiled. “There’s one more place that fits the bill: her house.” Her words hung in the air before they struck the trio. Fahran gave a silent groan, and even Alec couldn’t help but want to slap himself. “Do you know where it is?” Gale asked. “Of course I do. I used to be her friend.” Aqua led the group deeper into the Kingdom. The deeper they walked, the more Gale could see the two sides of Canterlot in Sunset’s Kingdom; the village half and the city half. The city half, much like in the real world, had many buildings stacked together, in contrast with the fewer, more spread out suburbs. Its buildings, at least as far as Gale could see, were also tall with multiple floors, though they never pierced the skies like they did in the real world, and had roofs made of tiles and stone slabs, compared to the single floored houses in the outskirts with thatch and wooden shingles. The village houses were also composed of mainly wooden walls, though a few made of stone were scattered about, but even they didn’t compare to the city houses and their orderly laid bricks. Gale was surprised when she turned into the suburbs rather than the city center, taking them to the more roughly built houses. For some, the words ‘hut’ or ‘shack’ may have been more apt descriptions. It wasn’t long until she stopped at a house Gale could describe as a stable in the condition it was in. “Here we are,” she said. “Casa la Sunset.” “I wasn’t expecting… I mean, I thought she’d live…” Gale couldn’t finish his sentence. “Yeah, this doesn’t seem like the kind of place Sunset would live,” Ohm said, staring at her. “Well, it doesn’t look like this in the real world.” She walked to the door, jiggled the handle with little success and let go with a click of her tongue. “Locked, is it? Or is it just not her house?” Ohm continued to glare at her. “Don’t worry, I can get the spare key.” She took a potted plant on the side, threw it to the ground with a satisfying smash, and crouched down carefully, sifting through the dirt and broken pottery. “Sunset seems a bit too suspicious to leave a spare key where anyone else would,” Ohm said. “What if someone found it and used it to destroy her house?” If she was aware of his gaze, she didn’t show it. “I don’t think anyone else even knows she lives here. She didn’t even mean for me to find out, and gave me quite the scolding afterwards. I promised I would immediately forget, let alone tell anyone about it.” She stood up with a key in her hand, dusting soil off it. “So much for keeping promises,” Gale heard her mutter. She put the key in and unlocked the door with a click, but before she could open it, Fahran spoke up. “Wait, are you guys ready? We have no idea what could be in there. It’s unexplored territory.” “The only way we could be more ready is if we knew what was in there,” Gale said. “And we haven’t done anything since we got to the Kingdom. If ever there’s a time, it’s now. Ohm nodded. “There’s no way to prepare for whatever abomination’s in there other than to come here first thing. Let’s go.” As it turns out, they weren’t ready, though Gale wasn’t sure how they could have been for the sight that beheld them behind the doors. There was a stereo system, a TV with a DVD player and console, books and guitars lining the walls, and a bunk bed with a computer underneath. It all took place in a large, single room, with another door on the side presumably for the bathroom. “It’s… a house,” Gale said, not believing the sight before his eyes. “It’s normal,” Ohm said. “It’s too normal. This can’t be Sunset’s house; it’s a home.” “It doesn’t look anything like her distortion in here,” Gale admitted. “Why does she see this place like this?” “Perhaps this is just exactly how she sees it; nothing more, nothing less,” Fahran said. “All of her ambitions, manipulation and deceptions, they’re not in here. In here, she gets to relax. In here, she gets to be normal.” “No wonder she wants to keep it a secret from everyone,” Aqua mumbled. “So if this is Sunset’s house, where’s the key?” Ohm asked. “Where would you put a note with your locker combination?” she asked. “In the bin, probably, once you didn’t need it anymore, but ignoring that.” She walked to the computer under the bed. Ohm and Fahran split up, and Gale decided to follow her. When he reached her, she was searching through notes on the wall board. He opened a cabinet drawer; the bottom of two in the desk. He rummaged through it, finding nothing but random paper, none of them even having eligible writing. He opened the second one. Immediately on top was a large white key with three segments, each one holding a number. He called out to the others, who almost leapt across the room to see (Fahran did, in fact). Fahran’s eyes looked like they were twinkling at the sight of it, Aqua had a slight smirk, but Ohm looked at it suspiciously. “That was too easy,” he said. “That can’t be it, can it?” “Part of me wishes it wasn’t,” Fahran said. “How much time have I wasted in the castle, solving puzzle after puzzle and fighting Shadow after Shadow, when it was here all along?” “Sorry to disappoint,” Gale said. “But it has to be this.” “Right,” Aqua nodded. “We’re in the last stretch, guys. Let’s get back to the castle.” The group took their time going through the castle this time, making sure to avoid conflict. It was tricky with so many Shadows around, more than they had seen before, but patience had them eventually arrive without any violent encounters. Gale put the key into the padlock. Ohm was still skeptical it was the right one, particularly when it didn’t go all the way in, but after some jiggling about, twisting it right, left, and right again, it unlocked and the door opened. Farhan ran in first, the others close behind. Ohm looked for what might be Sunset’s treasure. He wasn’t expecting literal gold, but almost the entire room provided it, the floor and walls almost blinding him as they gleamed in the chandelier light. Unfortunately, it didn’t provide much else, being pretty barren. Apart from the red velvet carpet, curtains and throne that decorated the otherwise golden room, Ohm couldn’t see anything else of note, unless they were supposed to carry out the throne without getting caught. Ohm didn’t fancy their chances, given how large it was. Particularly in height; not even including the same sun sigil they saw all around the Palace that was stuck on its top, it was twice as tall as anyone would have been sitting in it. “Where is it?” he asked, hoping that Fahran would have an answer. “You’re having a hard time seeing it,” Fahran answered. “Understandable; you’ve never done this before.” He pointed to thin air – as far as Ohm could tell, at least – in the middle of the room. “Look there and really try to see it.” Ohm had no idea what he was talking about, but before he could respond, Gale spoke. “What is that?” Ohm turned to see him and Aqua squinting, staring at where Fahran was pointing. He had a second look himself, trying to follow Fahran’s advice to ‘really try to see it.’ Somehow it worked, or at least he assumed it did. What he thought was thin air turned out to be a cloud, glittering differently than the rest of the room, yet being darker, like a shadow floating. “That,” Fahran said, “is Sunset’s desire.” “That’s not what I expected it to look like,” Ohm said, though he wasn’t sure what he expected. “How are we supposed to steal it?” “We aren’t, at least not today. First we need it to take a physical form and there’s only one way to do that.” Fahran turned to face them, striking a confident pose. “A calling card!” Ohm, Devon and Aqua were silent for a moment before Aqua broke the quiet. “That explains nothing.” Fahran licked his lips as he thought. “Basically, Sunset doesn’t believe it’s possible to steal desires, hence hers are intangible. But if we make her think it’s possible, then they’ll take form and we’ll be in business. And we can do that with a calling card!” “Question,” Gale interrupted, “how can a calling card make her believe it’s possible to steal desires? I don’t care how convincing we can make it, she’ll just dismiss it because of course she will.” “We don’t have to make her think it’s possible for desires to be stolen, we just need to convince her that her desires can and will be stolen.” “Isn’t that the same thing?” Ohm asked. He really wasn’t getting it. “I think I get it,” Aqua said. “If we address it not to Sunset, but to her Shadow, we’ll bring that part of her from the back of her mind to her front. That has to have an effect on her psyche. If nothing else, her Shadow’s still her, just part she hides from the world, so if her Shadow believes, then she’ll believe, even if she doesn’t believe.” She sounded less confident at the end. “You had me until the last sentence,” Ohm said. Still, if she was right then he got the basics down (or at least he thought he did), and he didn’t really want to think about it anymore. As long as it worked, he didn’t care how it did so. “There’s just one thing to note,” Fahran said. “The effect will only last for so long – I’d say 24 hours at most – and then it’ll never work again. If we don’t steal it while she thinks it’s going to be stolen, then she’ll never have any reason to think it can be stolen again.” “So all we have to do is write a calling card, make sure it’s written good, then when she sees it, come here and steal the treasure,” Ohm clarified. “Got it. I don’t see any reason to put it off once she’s seen the calling card anyway.” “You’ll also need to prepare for it. We don’t want to go in without anything we might need.” “Like what? What might we need?” Ohm asked. Fahran shrugged. “Thanks for the advice, then. Alright, we’ll spend tomorrow preparing the calling card, getting whatever we apparently need ready and then we’ll finally do it Monday.” “Tomorrow night,” Aqua said. “It has to be tomorrow night. Sunset’s been going on about how this is an important week for her, and I have a big feeling the Fall Formal is part of it.” “Yeah, the Fall Formal’s always important to her. What could be different about tomorrow night?” “I don’t know, but Aqua may be right,” Fahran said before she could answer. “Either way, we should play on the side of caution and do it tomorrow.” Ohm wanted to argue, but was interrupted by Gale. “I’m not sure how much we’d be able to prepare, anyway,” he said. “I have no ideas of what we’ll need, or how we could get stuff we might want.” Ohm sighed. “Alright. I suppose we could do it tomorrow.” “Let’s get you guys back, then!” Fahran said. “You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow. Best you all get an early night ready for it.”