Day V
Unicorn Range, near Cloudsdale, Equestria
Fourth stage of Rising Moon
A beautiful sight to behold in the already-beautiful night sky. Though nopony really understood how they worked, they were still well known, particularly by the pegasi, who saw them closer than anypony else. Especially one pegasus in particular, who, on that very night, danced in the night sky, along with the beautiful lights, her mane and tail mimicking them in color and grace. Her night blue coat blended in with the rest of the sky, allowing her to become one with the lights. This... was Aurora Dancer.
Cloudsdale was far off behind her, but she didn't care. She was particularly close to the mountainside here, to get a good view of nature's light show, which reflected in the cold lake before her. She wore a relaxed smile on her face, and continued to dance with infinite grace and no fatigue. This was her favorite thing of all.
She didn't perform for anyone- mainly just for herself. She didn't consider herself a shy pony... just not the kind to approach a crowd. She liked it this way. Dancing alone- just her and the borealis. Nopony really appreciated her dancing anyway- certainly not the pegasi she grew up with. While they had some sense of art- such as in architecture or sculptures- they didn't know much in the field of dancing or music. Aurora was an exception- for better or worse.
But she didn't care. She focused on dancing, and dancing alone.
"Aurora Dancer."
She focused on right here, right now.
"Aurora Dancer...?"
Nothing but the movement of her body in the cool wind of the night sky...
"Aurora Dancer!"
She frowned. Was someone calling her name?
"Aurora!"
She blinked and stopped moving. She hovered for a second, then looked down. There, standing on the grassy mountainside, was a gray Earth pony stallion, looking up at her. She was silent for a moment. She didn't know what to say. How long had he been standing there? How did he know her name? Who was he? Why was he watching her? What did he want? She realized she could be asking him these questions. "Um... Hello?" was the first thing she said. She mentally facehoofed for starting off with such a stupid thing to say.
"Hello," he called up to her.
"Um... Can I help you...?" she called back.
"Um, yes, actually," he said. "I'm sorry, could you... maybe..."
Aurora got a look of realization on her face. "Oh! Oh, yeah, sorry..." She hovered down until she was a few feet off the ground in front of him.
He smiled slightly. "Thanks," he said. "Sorry to interrupt your... dance. Which, by the way, I couldn't help but watch, and I have to say, you are very talented."
Aurora blushed and rubbed her leg with a hoof. "Oh... come on, it wasn't that good..." she said.
The stallion rolled his eyes and smiled. "Always the modest ones..." he murmured. Aurora gave him a quizzical look. "Anyway," he continued, "let me introduce myself. My name is Silver Mine."
"Well, nice to meet you, Silver." Aurora paused. "Um... How do you know who I am?"
"Well... that part is a bit complicated. You see..." Silver paused. Then, he reached back into his saddlebag and pulled out a letter. "A few days ago, you sent me this letter. Even if you don't remember doing so-" there was a gust of cold wind. Aurora was used to it, after living at high altitudes so much. Silver, however, cringed. Aurora cocked her head at him. "...Even if you don't remember sending me this letter, you did," he continued.
She raised an eyebrow. "What? How does that work? What did I send you?" Silver held out the letter for Aurora to read for herself. She hovered down slightly and took it before rising again. She opened it and started reading. "This is... my personal information..." She narrowed her eyes and looked at Silver. "How did you get your hooves on this?"
"You sent it to me," Silver repeated simply. "Your signature's at the bottom." Aurora looked back at the letter and, sure enough, saw a hoof stamp the size of her hoof, with an engraving with her name on it. She opened her mouth to say something-- "You're probably wondering why you would send me, a complete stranger, this," he interrupted. Aurora looked back at him and nodded. "Well, to put it simply, it's an application for... a mission."
"A mission?" Aurora repeated. "What kind of mission?"
"Are you aware of the dragon incident in Canterlot?" Silver asked.
Aurora's eyes widened. "What? Dragon? No, I haven't. What happened?"
"Two days ago, a dragon flew into Canterlot and told the Princess to 'arrest and surrender the Obsidian Knight', or the dragons will destroy Canterlot after 24 days." Aurora's jaw dropped. "I'm assembling a team of ponies to travel to the land of the dragons and stop the conflict before it begins."
"How do you plan to do that?"
"First, we'll try diplomacy. If that doesn't work, we'll be able to weaken them, and possibly demotivate them from going through with their threat." He shrugged. "It's hard to specify the details."
Aurora was silent for a while. "And... that's the mission that I applied for...?" Silver nodded. "And... I was selected...?" He nodded again. "And... my... memory was wiped..." He nodded again, slower this time. Aurora nodded slowly as well, but then shifted to shaking her head. "I don't... I just... I don't get it."
"Which part?"
"All of it!" she yelled, throwing her front hooves out to either side of her for emphasis. "Why would I apply for a crazy mission to stop dragons, and not even remember doing so?"
Silver sighed. "Okay," he said. "Fine. I'll explain everything." Another gust of wind blew by, and Silver shuddered. Aurora picked up on this.
"Are you cold?" she asked.
"I'm fine," was the response. Silver's ear twitched. Aurora could tell that he was freezing, but was trying to stay strong and stand his ground. There was another gust of wind, causing him to cringe again.
She gave him a deadpan look. "Are you trying to impress me or something?" she asked.
"Really. I'm fine." Aurora landed and got a better look at him. His fur was standing on end, almost his entire body was shivering, and crystalization was starting to occur at his nostrils. He had been out her for a lot longer than Aurora originally thought. Any longer and he might come down with something. Yet his expression showed no sign of weakness, and no evidence of pain. He was tough, she would give him that.
"No, you're not," Aurora said, walking up to him. "You're freezing. You've been out here for a while-- you might fall ill. I've seen this kind of thing before." She motioned to her right. "There's a cabin I sometimes like to stay in not too far from here. You can explain there, after we get you warm."
"That's not... That's not necessary, I'm..." Silver paused. "...Fine."
"No, you're not-!"
"-No, I mean... Fine." He looked at her. "I am kind of cold..."
Aurora smiled. "Good." She put a wing over his back and started leading him towards the cabin. "Let's get you inside."
Day V
Aurora's Cabin, Unicorn Range, near Cloudsdale, Equestria
Fourth stage of Rising Moon
Aurora's cabin was a small, cozy wooden structure on the side of a small mountain, overlooking the valley, with a clear view of Cloudsdale. The inside had a warm, homey atmosphere, filled with soft rugs and couches, wooden tables, and a crackling fire. Silver sat in a chair beside the hearth with a comforter draped over him, courtesy of the hostess. Silver stared blankly into the fire, thinking deeply to himself. Or at least, that's what Aurora assumed he was doing. She watched him from her kitchen as she made tea, also thinking to herself.
Who is he really? she thought. Did I really apply for this mission? If so, why? I'm no diplomat... Her thoughts were interrupted by the kettle in front of her letting out a sharp whistle. She poured the hot water into two cups and put the teabags in. When she was finished, she took a deep breath and readied her questions before floating out into the living room, which, in the cabin's case, happened to also be the bedroom.
As she approached Silver, she noticed he paid her no attention until she held out a cup of tea to him. He looked at it briefly, then up at her, and smiled gratefully before taking it. Aurora took the seat across from him. "Now then," she began. "Let's start with the biggest question..." She paused as Silver blew on the cup of tea before taking a sip. "Why was my memory of sending this letter erased?"
Silver looked at her with a stoic expression. "Because many ponies were asked to apply for this mission, but only a few were selected," he explained. "We don't want the majority of Equestria knowing about it, lest someone we don't want to run into on our mission interfere." Aurora raised an eyebrow, but Silver continued. "Some refused, and some applied, but only seven of the applicants were selected. Rather than wiping each individual's memory, save for the seven, we decided it would be easier to wipe the memories of all after they were asked to apply."
"Why would that be easier?" Aurora asked.
Silver waved his hoof and looked up with a furrowed brow as he searched for an answer. "Eh... because... magicy-wagicy... wibbly wobbly... stuff." Aurora gave him a deadpan look. He groaned. "Look, let's just say it's easier to cast one big spell over a large group of ponies than it is to cast a bunch of little ones individually."
"You... casted a spell...?" Aurora said doubtfully. Silver nodded. "But... you're an Earth pony."
"Thank you. You're a pegasus." He said it with barely any emotion. Certainly no negative ones. Aurora sat there for a moment, trying to understand how the stallion's answer worked. Eventually she gave up and shook her head.
"Alright, so, you wiped all our memories because the spell was easier to cast than casting a bunch of individual ones?" she asked in confirmation.
"That's just about the size of it," Silver said. He raised his cup to his muzzle and added under his breath- "Not to mention there were some things you all weren't supposed to see..."
Aurora heard the last part, and by the way Silver was looking at her, she could tell he wanted her to. But she remained silent. Finally, after a while, she nodded and said, "...Okay... I suppose that makes sense..."
Silver nodded. "Any more questions?" He took a sip of tea.
"Plenty." She set her cup of untouched tea down on a small table beside her and leaned forward to get the stallion's full attention. He looked at her placidly and waited. "First. Why me?" She gestured to herself. "I'm no diplomat. I'm no soldier. I'm a dancer." She fluttered her wings in a graceful, wavy motion to emphasize her point. "...I dance."
Silver smiled. "I noticed." He took another sip of tea.
Aurora looked off to the left, then back at Silver. "What, am I supposed to be the entertainer of the group?" she asked half-jokingly. "Am I moral support?"
Silver nearly snorted scolding hot tea out of his nose. "Pffft-hahaha! No... We already... heh...! That's already accounted for," he laughed.
Aurora raised an eyebrow again. "I was... joking...?" What kind of team are they assembling...? She shook her head. "Ugh, whatever! Look, why would I, of all ponies, be selected for this mission, and more importantly, why did I apply in the first place?!"
Silver smiled and put his cup down on the table next to him. "I'd say I've warmed up enough. Let's go for a walk."
Day V
Unicorn Range, near Cloudsdale, Equestria
Fifth stage of Rising Moon
"That's why you were selected." Silver pointed a hoof at the sky.
Aurora looked up an raised an eyebrow. "The Borealis?" she said. Silver nodded. They were standing on the flat top of the round mountain, overlooking a lake that reflected the vibrant green aurora. "What about it?"
Silver looked up at the light show, then back at the mare. "You know how pegasi can manipulate clouds and control weather?" Aurora gave him another deadpan look and ruffled her wings for emphasis. He looked up at the sky, ignoring the sarcastic confirmation. "Well, normally pegasi can't interact with the northern lights in that way." He looked back at her and smiled. "But you're not a normal pegasus, are you?"
Aurora raised an eyebrow again. "What are you saying?" she asked.
Silver's gaze once again shifted up to the sky. "Have you ever tried touching them, Aurora?"
Aurora opened her mouth, but said nothing. She looked up into the sky. "N-no..." she whispered. In all her years, she had never tried touching the lights that she danced with. Was it even possible to touch them? Were they just light, or were they illuminated gases, similar to clouds? She had familiarized herself with them so much, despite the fact that she didn't know anything about them. Nopony did.
"Well?" Silver asked. Aurora blinked and looked at him. He was looking at her with expectation. She just stood there, blinking. "Go on." He nodded his head at the lights and smiled. Aurora looked up. Out of nowhere, a wave of curiosity washed over her. She flew high up, higher and higher, as the Borealis grew closer and closer, bigger and bigger. She reached the point she normally danced at, but kept going, higher, higher... She flew right up to the Borealis. She reached out with a hoof... and touched it. It dispersed like fog when she moved her hoof through it. It felt cool, and soft, like a cold, dry, vapory cloud. Her mouth remained open as she smiled and lightly laughed a bit in awe of what she had just discovered. She flew forward into the curving lights, brushing it beside her, creating a gap and causing it to make more curves. As she weaved in and out of the green waves, she started to dance.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Silver looked up at her and smiled.
How are you going to go about doing this one?
"What? Why are you talking to me right now?"
I'm just curious. You don't have much to show her without-
"I'm gonna show her exactly what she's capable of."
What?! You can't do that here!
"Watch me."
"Aurora!"
The dark blue mare paused (somewhat) and looked down at the stallion who called up to her. "Yeah?" she called back.
"What do you think?"
"I think it's amazing!" Aurora made a spiral to emphasize her point. "Are you sure I'm the only one who can do this?"
"As far as I know!" Silver called. "I'm not sure! Maybe it runs in your family! But that isn't all you're capable of as far as the Borealis goes!"
Aurora came to a full pause this time and gave Silver her full attention with a curious look on her face. "What do you mean?"
"Try flying in circles over the lake!" Silver made circular motions with his hoof. "Build up speed, as if trying to make a twister out of the Borealis!"
Aurora hesitated. "W...why?"
"Because it'll answer your question!" Silver called up. Aurora's eyes widened. "I'm gonna show you why you were selected!"
Aurora hesitated. "What will it do?"
"Something amazing! Just trust me!" Could she trust him? She had only met him a while ago. And yet, he knew everything about her-- even things she didn't know about.
She glanced at the aurora around her, then down at the lake. "Alright..." she said. She flew over to the lake, and the Borealis seemed to follow her. She started flying around and around, brushing past the lights and causing them to swirl.
I hope you know what you're doing...
"Relax. We'll be fine."
I'm more concerned about her.
"She'll be fine."
...
"Don't worry. She's a master at this and she doesn't even know it."
"Good! Keep it up, and keep accelerating!"
"A-alright...!" Aurora called down. She wasn't too sure about this. What was going to happen? She flew faster and faster, making sure to keep up her spiral. The lights swirled with her, twisted, and formed in on her. As she continued picking up speed, she noticed the air was getting warmer around her, and the aurora was growing more and more dense. "W-what's happening?!" she shouted.
"You're doing great! Just keep it up!" She flew faster. The Borealis had turned into a swirling vortex, with her at the eye of the storm. The air was getting very warm now. "Keep going! Faster!" Aurora did her best to speed up. The wind was picking up-- it wasn't just the momentum, there was wind. She could even see some flashes of electric sparks around her as well. She gritted her teeth as she pressed forward... Why was she so determined to do this...? could it just be her curiosity? Or something more...?
Silver watched the spectacular display above the lake before him. The aurora had turned into a swirling green vortex, moving faster and faster, with the struggling mare in the center holding it all together. Sparks of ozone radiated from the sky, followed shortly by a few stray electric bolts striking the water.
Silver...
"It's fine."
As the storm grew thicker and faster, a small, faint, green orb started to materialize in the epicenter of Aurora's revolution. It fluctuated in an out, growing more and more bright. The wind continued to speed up. The ozone in the air sparked and sizzled. The electric bolts became more and more frequent.
"S-sil-ver...?!" he heard Aurora cry.
"Just hold in there!" he called up to her. "You're doing great!" The vortex kept spinning. Then Silver noticed it wasn't speeding up anymore. He sighed. "Aurora!" She looked down at him. He smiled. "You'll be fine! Trust me!" She kept staring at him as she spun around. Please trust me...
She blinked, looked away, and started flying faster. The Borealis spun faster as well, and the orb continued to glow brighter and brighter. The aurora was a thick, dense, glowing fog. The ozone in the air hissed and sparked more and more, followed by numerous bolts of lightning striking the lake and the area around it. Come on... Come on...! There was a low humming noise coming from the orb, which was growing larger and brighter as the humming grew louder and higher in pitch. Soon, the air itself seemed to be vibrating from the pure amount of energy in the atmosphere. Aurora yelled something to Silver, but he couldn't hear her. He just kept focusing on the display before him, which grew brighter and louder until--
There was a flash of blinding green light.
Day VI
Aurora's Cabin, Unicorn Range, near Cloudsdale, Equestria
Midnight
Aurora slowly opened her eyes. She felt warm. She looked around. She was in her cottage, lying on the couch, with a blanket draped over her. The fire in the hearth was crackling, and didn't look like it was going to be burning out anytime soon. Someone had recently kindled it. Her eyes fell upon a note left on the coffee table.
Meet me outside when you're awake.
-Silver
Well, that answered that question, she thought. Slowly, she tossed aside the covers and rolled onto her hooves. She stretched out her limbs before cantering toward the front door. She slowly opened it and looked outside to see Silver Mine sitting at the cliff's edge, gazing up at the sky. She closed the door behind herself and walked up to him.
"Why are you out here?" she asked quietly.
"I didn't want to be in your cottage when you woke up," he answered, not looking at her. "I figured it would be discourteous, and a bit creepy."
Aurora laughed as she sat down beside him. "Right. And a strange stallion walking up to me and telling me I sent him all my personal information without remembering doing so, then having said stallion get me to do something strange that nopony else was able to supposedly do, which resulted in me blacking out and awakening in my home on a couch next to a recently-kindled fire isn't creepy?"
Silver pondered this for a moment. Then, he made an expression that said, "yeah, I guess so," while bobbing his head slightly. Aurora rolled her eyes and looked up at the starry sky. There wasn't a Borealis in sight. "You remember what happened after the blast, right...?" Silver asked after a while.
Aurora's placid smile disappeared. She didn't even realize she was smiling until she stopped. She nodded. "I'm just... surprised I was able to do something like that..." she said.
"Understandable," Silver replied. "Although, to be honest, you should be surprised. It'd be kind of weird if you weren't." He sighed. "Do you see now why we need you?"
"I... guess so..." Aurora fell silent. The two stayed like this for a while, staring up at the sky.
"Do you ever wonder about them...?" Silver broke the silence.
"Hm...?" Aurora looked at him.
"The stars." He gestured at the sky. "Do you ever wonder what they are...? What they really are...?"
"Oh..." She looked up again at the twinkling lights in the blackness of the night. "Um... no... not really..."
He chuckled. "No, of course not. You're more into the Borealis, aren't you? You've wondered what that is, I'm sure." Aurora nodded. "I've always liked gazing up at the sky. It helps me think. Heh... it's ironic, really. I'm a miner. I spend most of my days underground, and yet... yet here I am, gazing up instead of down." He sighed and lowered his head, closing his eyes. "You know... sometimes we look at life the wrong way. Sometimes there may be something we think is our destiny, or our love... but it could be something else entirely." He looked at her and smiled. "Or maybe it's exactly what you think it is... but you just have to dig a little deeper." Aurora's mouth was left slightly agape. Was he talking about her and the Borealis...? "It was literal in my case," he continued, looking back up at the stars. "I was mining once, and all I could think about were the stars from the night before. I wasn't focused on my work, and my supervisors noticed. When everypony took five, I had to keep working to make up for lost progress. I kept digging. Deeper... deeper... even past the point I was supposed to dig. Then... I saw them. The wall broke open to reveal the blackness of space, and there they were- the stars." He looked back at her. "Can you guess what it was I really saw...?"
"D-diamonds..." she said. "Diamonds in a cavern."
Silver smiled and nodded. "My diamonds in the rough. I realized something that day. Something confusing... yet enlightening. What was that realization? Ah, well, you see... you have to experience it for yourself, miss Dancer. You have to answer your own questions."
Aurora froze. She had done nothing but ask questions since he came here. What did he mean? What was he trying to say? Was he- Ugh, exactly! She shook her head and sighed. After receiving no reply, Silver looked back up at his beloved stars.
"...Alright," said Aurora.
"What...?" Silver looked at her.
"I accept." She looked at him. "You've convinced me. I'm not exactly sure how, but after seeing that application, and knowing what I'm really capable of, I..." She smiled. "I guess I just need to answer some of my questions." Silver smiled back. "Not to mention I don't really want to sit back while Equestria is in peril," she added.
"That's the spirit!" Silver gave her a playful bump on the shoulder before rising to his hooves. Aurora did so as well. "Go on home and pack whatever you need, other than food or water. I've taken care of that. We'll leave in the morning."
Aurora cocked an eyebrow. "Where will you sleep?"
Silver shrugged. "I'll set up camp."
"Oh, no..." Aurora shook her head and started pushing him toward the cottage. "I know you love the stars, but I also know you're not too used to the cold."
"H-hey! I can survive a night in the cold!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever starboy."
"'Starboy'?"
"You're using my cabin for the night. I'll fly home and sleep in Cloudsdale. I need to pack anyway."
"Er... well... thank you."
"Don't mention it." Silver opened the door and turned back to Aurora, who started to turn away.
"Oh, and one more thing," he said. She stopped and turned back to him. He was wearing a darker expression. "Don't tell anyone what happened after the blast," he warned. She raised an eyebrow again. "It might frighten them. We don't want to make you an outcast."
...an outcast."
...an outcast.
...outcast.
...outcast.
Aurora's mind traveled back into her memories.
"Aurora...?"
Memories of her childhood.
"Aurora?"
Her lonely childhood...
"Aurora!"
She shook her head. "Hm? Oh... yes. I promise." Silver hesitated for a bit before nodding slowly.
"Alright. Meet me back here at the second stage of Rising Sun. If I'm not up, wake me up. Good?"
She nodded. "Good." Silver nodded once more, and slowly closed the door. Aurora sighed and looked up at the sky. Then, she took off, flying towards Cloudsdale.
The young mare with many questions and unique, mysterious power had agreed to join the journey. What is it she is looking for? What other powers might she possess? Many questions buzz around in her head as she flies away from the mountain, which now has one less lake than it did this morning.