//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 // Story: Shadow of the Sun // by Starwin //------------------------------// Shadow of the Sun By Starwin Chapter 10 “Nightmares!” cried Applejack in alarm. She took an uneasy step away from the two pegasus. Her eyes flashed quickly between them and finally to Twilight. “You can’t be serious! That’s impossible!” “Twilight, dear,” said Rarity, her normally calm voice quivering slightly. “Surely you must be mistaken. Nopony has seen or had a nightmare in over a thousand years.” “I know,” said Twilight quietly. She turned back to the two pegasus who both looked uneasy. “But I’m sure of it.” Unlike her friends, Twilight moved towards the two strange ponies. They backed away at Twilight’s approach “We aren’t monsters!” shouted the purple pegasus angrily. She stamped her hoof and flared her nostrils. The friends all took another step back, except for Twilight, who held her ground. “Calm down,” said Twilight. “I am not accusing you of being monsters. But surely you must realize that something has happened to you.” The two pegasus looked uneasy. “What are your names?” “Rainstorm,” said the purple pegasus. “And that’s Thunder Cloud.” She nodded to the brown colt standing beside her. “Do you remember how you got down here?” asked Twilight. “Do you remember any of what happened to you?” Rainstorm looked away, it seemed like she didn’t want to answer. “Parts of it,” said Rainstorm after a long moment. “It’s like a distant dream… A dream I don’t really want to remember… but that I can’t forget. “I remember leaving for Cloudsdale when things got too hot here. The earth ponies wanted us to stay underground but… well…” “Pegasus don’t like being underground,” offered Twilight. Rainstorm nodded. “Yeah… so anyhow, we flew North,” continued the mare. “We thought that flying might be cooler, but it wasn’t. We didn’t get far before some of the others wanted to turn back and return to Hoofington. But we never got the chance…” She trailed off, unable to continue. “A young colt,” said Thunder Cloud, picking up where Rainstorm left off, “named Evening Frost was the first. We saw him burst into flames. We heard him scream. He fell out of the air and tumbled down to the ground. “We rushed after him, but there wasn’t anything we could do. We watched in horror as the fire consumed him. And then, all of the sudden, he was fine. Like nothing was wrong. He just looked at us calmly, engulfed in flames and… screeched. It was the worst sound I’ve ever heard. Even under the heat it made me feel cold. “I don’t remember much after that. I remember the flames taking me and the taste of fear in the air,” finished Thunder Cloud. “Nightmares are attracted to fear,” said Twilight knowledgably. “Is that why you came down into the cave? Because you smelled fear?” “No,” said Rainstorm. “There was that… the fear I mean… a lot of it… but there was something else… an Element of Harmony. We came to take it, but no matter how hard we tried it wouldn’t move.” “An Element of Harmony?” asked Twilight in surprise. “Why would you want that?” Rainstorm shrugged. “Like I said, I don’t know,” said Rainstorm. “I just know that I was sent here to get it after we set the fields on fire.” Rarity started to say something, but Applejack let out a shout of anger. “You did that!” exclaimed Applejack. She moved forward towards Rainstorm. “You that started that fire?! The dang thing nearly killed us!” “Well, not just me,” said Rainstorm looking a little wary of Applejack. “All of the nightmares. We had to.” “Why would you want to do that?” asked Fluttershy quietly. Rainstorm shrugged. “I have no idea,” replied the mare. “Why does anypony do anything in a dream?” There was an awkward silence for a long moment while the ponies looked at each other. The mistrust in Applejack’s eyes was only growing stronger. “Twilight, where exactly do nightmares come from?” asked Rarity. “From our fear,” replied Twilight. “Nightmares are the embodiment of fear. Their physical form takes on the manifestation of what they and everypony around them fears the most. In this case, the Sun.” “That’s why they were on fire,” said Applejack. Twilight nodded. “Exactly,” said Twilight. “And why In Luna’s case, it was a personification of darkness.” “I know I can’t be the only one thinking this,” said Spike, he looked at Twilight. “But if nightmares are coming back, do you think Nightmare Moon is behind all this?” “You mean, do I think she stopped the Sun?” asked Twilight. “And created the nightmares,” added Spike. “As her name suggests, Luna was once changed into a nightmare herself,” explained Twilight. “When she brought eternal night, everypony in Equestria became afraid. That fear was focused on her. It wasn’t long before she began to change from Luna into Nightmare Moon. “And she wasn’t the only one. The fear was so strong that others began to change too. But the last nightmare vanished a thousand years ago, when Celestia raised the Sun and the fear was driven out of the ponies’ hearts.” “Wait! You’re telling me all it takes is a little fear and we might all burst into flames?” exclaimed Pinkie. “Oh no! Oh no! I already feel hot!” Pinkie trotted in a circle trying to look at herself. “Is my tail on fire? Are you all afraid of me?” “Pinkie!” shouted Applejack. “Calm down, you ain’t changing into a nightmare.” “But how do we know!” cried Pinkie, falling to her knees and grabbing Applejack. “Well, actually we don’t know,” said Twilight. All of her friends looked at her in surprise. “It takes a lot of fear, not just in the ponies that become nightmares but in the ponies around them too. Everypony in Equestria is terrified of the Sun at the moment. That fear gave way to the nightmares. “It’s not impossible that the same thing could happen to us,” said Twilight. She lifted a hoof an inspected it. “I’ve been afraid since this whole thing started.” “You?” asked Spike in surprise. Twilight nodded. “Yes,” said Twilight. “Afraid for all the ponies. Afraid for Celestia. Afraid for my friends. But in a strange way, that fear gives me courage.” Twilight half smiled. “So, uh, if everypony is so afraid,” said Fluttershy timidly, “then why aren’t we all nightmares?” “That’s a good question,” said Twilight thoughtfully. Her eyes moved across the two pegasus, who just stared back at her uneasily. Then she looked past them, to the sunlight streaming down into the cave. “Of course!” exclaimed Twilight. “Follow me!” Without waiting for an answer, Twilight turned and made to gallop off. However, she hadn’t gone more than a few steps before she let out a yelp of pain and came to an abrupt stop. “Twilight!” cried Rarity, moving to her friend. Her horn glowed to illuminate the way. “Are you… oh dear!” In the light of her horn, Rarity could see Twilight properly for the first time. A large spot on her side had been burned where the nightmare had slammed into her. “I’m fine,” insisted Twilight. She took another step forward and winced. She hobbled towards the sunlight with a slight grunt of pain. “You are most certainly not!” said Rarity indignantly. However, Twilight did not stop as she led them onwards. The others followed, watching their friend with concern. Twilight stopped at the edge of the light. The ponies gathered around her, the friends still keeping their distance from Rainstorm and Thunder Cloud. “If I could borrow one of you for a moment,” asked Twilight, looking at the two pegasus. They glanced at each other, as if asking who would be brave enough to go. At last, with a shrug, Rainstorm stepped forward. “If I could just have you put your hoof out into the light?” asked Twilight with a smile. Rainstorm hesitated a moment then did as requested. Slowly she lifted her hoof and moved it into the light, the expression on her face said that she expected pain. The shock in her eyes told Twilight that there wasn’t any. An instant later, her hoof burst into flames. With a yelp of surprise, the pony pulled her hoof out of the sunlight, but the flames did not extinguish. Instead they began to spread up her leg. Rainstorm began to panic. Twilight backed away in alarm. “Hold on!” shouted Pinkie Pie. In one quick moment, she lifted up Fluttershy and sped over to the mare. Her whole front leg was engulfed in flames. Holding the yellow pegasus out over the fire, Pinkie wrung Fluttershy’s mane. It wasn’t much water that came out, but the few drops seemed to be enough. With a hiss, the flames extinguished and the mare held up her foreleg to inspect the damage. Except there was none. Her coat was not burned, her leg was not injured. “The Sun,” explained Twilight. “It is the very thing you fear most. It must act as a trigger to change you. As long as you stay out of the sunlight, you should be fine.” Both pegasi backed away from the sunlight behind Twilight. Turning, Twilight looked at the opening in the ceiling. Her horn started to glow with a soft light. The magic stretched out and wrapped around the massive stone pillar that had been the obstacle to the Element of Harmony. Twilight let out a grunt of effort and the stone pillar was torn from the ground with a thunderous crack. The column of rock raced upwards into the air. Higher and higher until it slammed into the ceiling, plugging the hole and blocking the light. Instantly they were thrown into blackness. Both Twilight and Rarity re-lit their horns at the same time. “We should head back,” said Twilight. “We’ve already lost too much time.” She took a step forward and winced. “Oh no you don't,” said Rarity in a disapproving tone. “We are not going anywhere until we’ve had a chance to look at your injuries!” “Rarity I’m fi… ouch!” exclaimed Twilight as Rarity poked her gently in the ribs. “Okay, well maybe I am hurt, but just a little. Look we don’t have time to… ouch! Stop that!” cried Twilight as Rarity nudged her softly a second time. “Alright, fine.” It seemed that Rarity knew a few things about first aid and was even prepared for it. From her saddle bags she produced what Twilight assumed to be a long scarf. However, it turned out to be a roll of bandages. “Now, this might sting just a little,” said Rarity. Her horn glowed with magic and she levitated a small jar from her saddle bag. “What’s that?” asked Pinkie Pie, poking the glass with a hoof. “Burn ointment,” replied Rarity. “I figured with the Sun the way it is, bringing something like this along seemed very appropriate.” The lid to the container unscrewed and Rarity dipped a hoof into the white gel. She dabbed it gently on Twilight’s back and side, causing her to flinch. However, she didn’t protest. “I want to do the bandaging,” said Fluttershy as Rarity replaced the lid on the ointment. “It’s my fault Twilight got hurt in the first place.” “Oh, darling, no it isn’t,” said Rarity. “No, it is,” said Fluttershy softly. “All of you don’t have to pretend it wasn’t. I know I’m not brave. If I had just done as Twilight had said…” “No,” interrupted Twilight. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have put you in that position,” Fluttershy looked up at her friend. “I should have given the plan more thought. I’m sorry…” Twilight looked away. “Well,” said Rarity, trying to break the tension. “It doesn’t matter now. Let’s get these bandages on so that we can continue on our way.” Fluttershy nodded and Rarity gave her the roll of bandages. No pony spoke as Fluttershy wrapped the strips of cloth around Twilight’s body until the burn spot on her side was covered. The return trip was far less eventful. They retraced their path back towards the emerald lit town at the edge of the cave, now with two extra ponies in tow. Twilight was hoping they could make good time but between the burn and the bandages it was proving difficult for her to keep up a trot. They had to stop several times so that Twilight could rest, despite her protests. However, Applejack and Pinkie Pie and Rarity and Spike and even Fluttershy, insisted. Twilight wasn’t sure if she should have been annoyed or thankful for their concern. At last, after what felt like far too long, they arrived back at the edge of town and found Glinting Rings waiting for them. She looked positively ecstatic to see them, although her expression turned to worry as she saw the two extra pegasus. “Rainstorm?” asked Glinting Rings in surprise. “What are you doing here?” “It’s a long story,” said Twilight. “Needless to say, we were able to take care of your problem. The nightmares shouldn’t bother you anymore.” “Nightmares!?” cried Glinting Rings. “Those things were nightmares!? What will we do if more of them come?” “Twilight plugged up the hole,” said Spike. “They shouldn’t be able to get in again.” “I also think you should stop going outside,” said Twilight. “But, our supplies,” protested Glinting Rings. “Where will we get water from?” “There is a huge lake in here,” said Twilight pointing back into the darkness. “These two pegasus know the way, they can help bring you water.” “Yes we can,” said Rainstorm with a smile. “It’s the least we can do after…” she caught herself. “… After we abandon you.” Twilight felt forelegs suddenly wrap around her in a slightly painful hug. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” exclaimed Glinting Rings in excitement. “I knew you could do it! I know you would come and save us!” “Ouch,” complained Twilight. Glinting Rings release Twilight at once, looking embarrassed and apologetic. Twilight gestured to her friends. “And not just me.” “Of course… I mean… I didn’t mean…” stammered Glinting Rings. She looked like she was about to have a panic attack. “It’s alright,” said Twilight, she placed a hoof on the shaking mare’s shoulder. “I’m glad we could help. But now we really need to get going.” “I… I understand,” said Glinting Rings. All of them made their way back to the small tunnel. However when the reached it, the two pegasus refused to go any further. "I'll wait here with them," said Glinting Rings. "There's no reason to stay in the tunnels anymore." With a very brief farewell, and exuberant waves from Pinkie, the friends continued on towards where the citizens of Hoofington were packed in. Twilight did her best to keep pace with the others, trying not to slow them down, but the injury was taking its toll. It was worse than she had first thought. The scorch marks on her coat were just a shadow of the bruises in her ribs. Every step was painful, every movement ached. As they approached the mass of huddled ponies, whispers began to fill the air. "It's them! They're back!" cried a pony in the crowd. "Did you do it? Are we safe?" shouted another mare. "Yes," said Twilight, trying to make her voice sound as strong as possible. To her surprise, it was filled with more confidence than she expected. "The fire beasts are gone!" A roaring cheer filled the tunnel. The sound was almost deafening in the confined space. Twilight and her friends were suddenly surrounded in a swarm of ponies all trying to congratulate them at once. “Alright that’s enough!” shouted a rough voice. “Enough I say!” The crowd slowly began to part and Long Star made his way forward to them. “I have to say I’m surprised. You ponies did a fine job. More than just helping us, you’ve restored something to us. Something we haven’t had down here for a long while now. Hope. We’re in your debt.” He bowed and Twilight blushed a little. “We are happy we could help,” said Twilight. “But we really should be going.” “Of course,” said Long Star. “The supplies you asked for are waiting for you at the staircase.” “Thank you,” answered Twilight. “It’s the least we could do,” replied Long Star. He turned back to the crowd who had begun to move in once more. “Alright everypony, back to town, come on now.” Slowly the crowd began to move around Twilight and her friends, flowing passed them like a sea of ponies. Twilight waited as the whole of Hoofington moved around them. In the crowd she could hear excited whispers of what had happened spreading through the villagers like… well, fire. Thankfully the word ‘nightmare’ was absent from the discussion. When most of the ponies had gone, Twilight headed towards the far side of the cave. Her friends were already there, going over the small pile of supplies that had been made ready for them. All of it was packaged to fit in their saddle bags or be slung on as another pack. They had already gone to work dividing up the supplies between them as Twilight arrived. She tried several times to get some of the supplies into her pack, but Applejack kept snatching them away and telling Twilight it would be better if she carried it. In the end, Twilight was sure she wasn’t carrying any of the supplies, save for the two water skins attached to her saddle bags. “Ick, what is this?” asked Rarity as she glanced inside one of the food pouches. Twilight glanced over to see a green slimy substance. “Moss,” answered Long Star. “The caves are full of it. It’s our main supply of food. Not very flavorful but it’s got what your body needs.” “Oh yes, I’m sure it’s… uh, wonderful,” said Rarity, closing the pack and passing it to Pinkie Pie, who gladly took it. “Maybe I can turn it into some kind of cake,” said Pinkie, dipping her hoof in and taking a lick. “Oh! This would go great with raspberries! Or maybe strawberries! Or blueberries!” At last, with the food sorted, their farewells said, Twilight and company began the long hike back to the surface. Going up was much more arduous than down. Twilight’s friends tried to get her to rest, at least once but Twilight had flatly refused, they had lost so much time. It wasn’t long before the ponies of Hoofington were well behind them and the friends were alone once more in the silence of the stairwell. Twilight gritted her teeth between steps and made her pace as quick as she could. Soon they could see the bright point of light ahead that was the end. The cool air of the caves changed abruptly to the hot dry air of the surface. Twilight had either forgotten how hot it was outside or it had gotten hotter. The six friends hurried up the last of the stairs. Twilight was glad to be out of the underground, even if it was hotter up here. She didn’t quite have the level of dislike that Rainbow Dash did but… Twilight’s thoughts crashed to a halt and she glanced around, looking at the empty corridor. Rainbow Dash was gone.