//------------------------------// // xxxviii - Aphrodite's Love // Story: The Path of Absolution - Punishment // by Morningstar1337 //------------------------------// In Canterlot, Luna and Shining Armor were in Celestia’s room. They looked around for any other clues about her capture. “I don’t get it,” Shining Armor said. “Why were they able to capture Celestia?” “Her power wanes as she casts the sun down below the horizon,” Luna said. “That, combined with how tired she was fighting off both the windigo and changeling queens, means that Celestia wouldn’t be able to fend off an attack for long.” “And you?” Shining Armor said. “My power depends on whether or not the moon is obscured by the sun in the sky,” Luna said. “I can move the moon anywhere I wish and it still would sap my power if the sun is in the way. That’s why Nightmare Moon first captured Celestia when she was freed.” Shining Armor pondered the implications of a sunless sky. Luna looked back to the previous night and realized that she now had to move both objects. She said, “Captain, assemble a team and find my sister and the fillies. The windigos must not be allowed to break the remaining seals.” Shining Armor accepted the mission and left the room. Luna thought, ‘You made sure that all of Equestria wouldn’t suffer after the Nightmares took hold of my mind and body. Allow me to return the favor, sister.’ Luna used her horn. The ebony sky changed to magenta as Luna’s magic raised the sun for the first time. The magenta became vermillion and then saffron as the sun rose higher and higher, until the sky became a bright ultramarine. In the memories of Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie checked Sugarcube Corner. They searched high and low for the gate. Pinkie Pie said, “Luster dust, sugar, flour, eggs...” Twilight Sparkle levitated the items and placed them down gently. “Pinkie, why are you checking the pantry? We already checked there twice now.” “But Twilight,” Pinkie said. “Maybe the gateway’s smaller than my hoof or bigger then the gates of Tartarus! I’m sure it has to be in this pantry somewhere.” Twilight rolled her eyes. She then checked the shelves for the gate. The two mares felt a certain feeling again. Twilight wondered what it was, but Pinkie continued to empty the pantry in her search for the gate. After an hour there was a large stack of cans and boxes from the pantry. The pantry, however, was bare. The two mares went to the counter to check for the gate. Twilight wondered where the Cakes went. Pinkie said, “Hey, there’s my top hat.” Pinkie Pie let out a squee as she put it on. “What do you think. Twilight was surprised. “Why do you have a top hat?” Pinkie said, “Well, I went to Canterlot and saw there was a nice top-hat there.” Twilight said, “Nevermind.” Pinkie said, “Something’s scratching my head.” She took off the hat and a key fell from her mane. Twilight levitated the key and examined it. The key was a silver one with a crown at the bow of the key. “What an odd key,” Twilight said. “Have you seen this before Pinkie?” She levitated the key before Pinkie Pie. Pinkie shook her head. The two mares left the bakery. Twilight wondered what this key was doing in the bakery. A couple of hours later in Canterlot, Shining Armor was in the hospital looking for Cadence and to see if any of the royal guard were healed. He saw Cadence helping the doctors calm down some of the more irritable patients. After the patients were pacified, Cadence saw her fiance. She said, “Shining Armor.” The two made sure nopony else was around. The doctors already left with the patients. She joked, “You know it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding, right?” “Yeah,” Shining Armor said. “Are any of the guards here--” “No,” Cadence said. “Some of them were hurt in the invasions that day.” Shining Armor said, “Oh.” Cadence said, “Luna told me that Celestia’s been foal-napped, and that you need to form a search party to find her. I want to help.” Shining Armor was surprised. He said, “What?” “I want to help rescue my aunt,” Cadence said. “And I want to make sure you’re safe.” Shining Armor could only imagine what kind of hell Chrysalis put her through in the days leading to their wedding and the two invasions. But he didn’t want her to suffer anything like that anymore. But at the same time he knew how important it was that the Crystal Princess, Cadence, be able to take her throne when the Crystal Empire would return. Shining Armor also knew that Twilight and her friends went into the talismans, and that it was likely that Princess Luna told her that. Shining Armor said, “Alright, you can come, but be careful.” Cadence nodded. Shining Armor said, “I still need to get more ponies for the search party.” “So you’re looking for a search party, huh?” In the memories of Ponyville, Rarity and Sweetie Belle went to the marketplace to search for the gate. The sisters saw a large crowd of ponies there, but they felt off somehow. “That's odd,” Sweetie Belle said. “I’ve never seen that many ponies before.” “Well,” Rarity said. “I’m sure that they won’t impede our search.” The two searched around the marketplace for the gate. The marketplace felt further out of place as time passed. After some fruitless searching. The two unicorn sisters sat down on a table. The ponies didn’t notice the two at all. Sweetie Belle looked at her sister. “Rarity, I’m sorry.” Rarity said, “About what?” Sweetie Belle said, "About Gabby Gums, and about making you worry about me.” Rarity knew that her little sister was filled with regret about the gossip. She had even lectured her about how wrong it was. But she didn’t know that it would snowball out of control like this. But she knew that the time loop, the invasions, and her part in them wasn’t her fault, not entirely. Rarity and Sweetie Belle noticed a key on the ground. Rarity levitated the key. It was black with a bow shaped like a set of scales. Sweetie Belle said, “That key looks familiar.” Rarity noticed that the key resembled the Scales of Life. She knew that she had to tell her sister about the windigos did to her sometime. “Maybe Twilight can take a look at it,” Rarity said. The two sisters left the marketplace.