//------------------------------// // 8 - Letters From Home // Story: Storms On the Horizon // by Eeveexpert //------------------------------// "If Her Majesty herself doesn't even know all of the secrets of this castle, then what are we expected to find?" A voice echoed down the corridor-like room, coming from behind one of a dozen columns. "Our orders were to investigate the grounds for anything out of the ordinary. Have you found anything that would qualify as such, Cross Wind?" "Negative. The masonry on this pedestal is loose and cracked in places, but that's nothing more than age. What about you, sir?" "Not a thing." Zephyr replied, appearing from behind an exquisitely designed column. "Whoever designed this castle wanted those secrets to stay that way." "Wait, wasn't it the Princess herself that ordered the building of this castle?" "Yes, Cross Wind, that is true. However, you sould also know that Her Majesty has set hoof inside these halls but once in over one thousand years. I highly doubt that she remembers much about it. But, seeing as we have made little progress, I suggest we try asking anyway." "After you, sir." Cross Wind gestured toward a glassless window arch. He spread his wings and followed his superior into the night air. Far below them in the courtyard was a brightly glowing point of golden light. "Fluttershy, would you come here for a second?" "O-oh, of course. One second, Princess." Before she stood up from the small cooking pot in front of her, the pegasus glanced at Zecora. "Do you still need my help?" "You needn't worry; I'll be fine. Go and see what is on your Princess' mind." Zecora nodded toward the sun-marked pony. "Thank you. What did you want, Princess?" Fluttershy asked, taking a respectful bow as she neared the armored alicorn. Armor or not, Celestia was still her same caring self. "General Headwind tells me that your wing was dislocated earlier, and I noticed it troubling you a little bit. How is it feeling?" Several flaps of the wing in question sent bright flashes of pain through the yellow pony, making her wince. "Not too good, I see. Do you want me to take a look at it?" Fluttershy's pink mane bounced back and forth as she adamantly shook her head. "Oh no, it's quite all right. I wouldn't want to be any trouble." "I know how uncomfortable a dislocated wing can be even after its been set. Trust me, it won't be any trouble at all, my dear. At least let me ease the discomfort for you." A tiny point of healing magic appeared at the tip of Celestia's horn. This was brought within an inch of Fluttershy's wing. It pulsed once and the pegasus felt a calm wave of warmth smooth itself over the pain, washing it away. "I'm not much for healing spells, but that should make it feel better." "It feels good as new. Thank you, Princess!" The alicorn smiled and nodded in reply. Mere moments later, her ears twitched at an approaching sound. The beating of wings. Two pegasus guards dropped to the ground soon after. "Zephyr. Cross Wind. Have you discovered anything?" Zephyr shook his head. "Negative, your Majesty. But, we've actually returned with the hopes that you might assist us." Celestia let out a long sigh. "I suspected you might ask that. I regret to tell you that I remember but one thing about this place, and it is because of that one thing that I have chosen to forget all else about it." "Very well, your Majesty. Cross Wind and I shall retur-" "You didn't let me finish, Captain." Zephyr paused in mid-step and faced the alicorn again. "Excuse me, Princess?" "Yes, it is indeed true that I have forgotten much of this place. However, that is not to say that I will not do my best to assist you. Current circumstances do not allow for any indecsion on my part." "Eep!" Fluttershy tripped backwards and fell onto her haunches as the Princess' magnificent wings opened wide. "General Headwind, I want you to remain here with Zecora and our captive. If you are able to get any information from her after she wakes, or if you figure out anything more about that 'sinkstone,' come find me in the castle. Fluttershy, Zephyr, Cross Wind, come with me. We're going to get Applejack back." Celestia's tone was serious, indicating "no" would not be a sufficient answer. "O-oh my... Now?" The yellow pony now had an idea as to why Celestia had been so eager to heal her wing. "Oh my... Your Majesty...w-wait!" The alicorn and her guards were already airborne and headed for the main castle. Just as the pegasus mare matched their height, they were disappearing through a window arch. "W-wait for me!" Fluttershy was reluctant to enter through the window. The dusty stone walls and lack of any real light didn't provide the most inviting atmosphere. "Uhmmm... Oh dear..." A nervous mind peering into a dark, unfamiliar room will often do one thing. Dark shapes began flitting past the pegasi's eyes. Unconsciously, she began backing away from the gaping arch. Fright almost knocked the butter-colored mare from the air as Celestia appeared at the window. "Fluttershy, my dear, what's the matter?" "O-oh, uhm...nothing... It's just that...last time I stepped inside the castle, I-I...fainted." "Yes, General Headwind told me about that... I believe I know why. The entry hall, where you fainted, where you and your friends originally found the Elements, was where Luna and I found them too. Every Element is tied to that place and you stepped right into the middle of those ties. For an instant, you were one with each of the Elements, which is why you fainted. No one pony can control all of the Elements at full power, myself included. You should be fine here, though." "Oh..." The amount of information that Celestia had presented had given Fluttershy a bit of a headache. "I-I think I'll go back to the others anyway... Better safe than sorry." The pegasus grinned nervously and continued backing away. "There's a reason I asked you to join us, Fluttershy. As an Element holder, you are closely connected with your friends. I had hoped that you might have been able to help us locate Applejack." Applejack... I promised I'd bring you back safely. A change came over the mare. "Right, let's get started." A year's time can change many things. The stones of an ancient castle are not one of them, though. The instant the cautious Fluttershy let her hooves touch the weathered floor, she knew nothing here had changed since defeating Nightmare Moon. "Uhm... How exactly can I help again?" Celestia's head popped out from behind a column section that time had decided to fell. "Walk around and see if you can...feel where Applejack might be." "'Feel?'" Fluttershy parroted. The alicorn nodded. "Yes. The Elements brought you six together and connect you, even now. Try it and let me know if you can find anything." "All right..." Element bearer or not, the mare had no idea where to start looking, or even how to start looking, for that matter. Applejack, where are you? she thought desperately. She closed her eyes to think for a moment, and must not have felt herself walking, as she opened her eyes to the intricately carved, slightly cracked side of a stone pedestal. "Oh...what happened?" A quick look over the top of the monolith, which was just barely shorter than the average pony, and she saw that the others hadn't yet taken notice of her. "Uh... Excuse me?" Less than an instant later and each of the other ponies was staring intently at her. "O-oh m-my... Sorry..." the timid pegasus stammered, silently thanking the darkness for hiding her cherry-red muzzle. "I-I was wondering... Is there anything special about this platform here?" Zephyr shook his head. "I am sorry to say, Miss Fluttershy, that both Cross Wind and myself inspected it and found nothing out of the question." "Now, now, don't dismiss it so quickly, Zephyr." Celestia interrupted. "The Elements may tell Fluttershy something that our eyes do not. Why do you ask, dear?" The yellow pony disappeared from sight as her turquoise eyes scanned the countless carvings within the stone. "It's just that...some of these carvings look like...buttons..." Experimentally, Fluttershy reached out to touch one of the carvings, a picture of the sun; very similar to Celestia's cutie mark. It provided little resistance to the mare's curious hoof and slid half an inch into the pedestal with a chunk! "Oops..." Celestia spun around from investigating a particularly uninteresting section of wall upon hearing the noise. "What was that?" "Th-that was m-me..." Fluttershy murmured. "I-I didn't-" "Your Majesty; do you hear that?" At the beckoning from her captain, the alicorn held her tongue and listened. She could hear some sort of...whirring sound coming from within the castle walls. Almost like something powering up... "Fluttershy, duck!" the princess shouted. Thoroughly startled by the urgency of the command, the pegasus instantly obeyed, closing her eyes and falling flat on the floor. Several things then proceeded to happen all at once. Four armored hooves hit the stone in front of Fluttershy. The very air around her experienced a massive spike in temperature; by almost seventy-five degrees. Even though her eyes were closed, it felt like she was looking at the surface of the sun. "Funny, I don't recall having that installed..." "Having what installed, Princess?" Fluttershy uncovered her eyes once the heat and light had faded. A black circle was charred onto the stone around the two ponies. Flakes of ash were falling, as if something had been instantly and completely burned. "My goodness... What happened?" "I wouldn't touch that stone if I were you, Fluttershy." Celestia stopped the yellow mare as she neared the black ring. "It's still quite hot. A wall of fire usually does that. Whatever you did, you triggered some sort of trap." the alicorn explained. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..." "Nonsense. Traps are used for protecting secrets. There must be something about this pedestal that we don't know. Cross Wind, Zephyr, search the platform again." "At once." The top of this enigmatic stone slab seemed to be decorated with simple depictions of the sun. Simple, meaning it looked like how a young filly would draw the sun; a circle with lines radiating out from it, ending at an outer ring, which was in turn marked with six more suns of the same design. An interesting design to be sure, but nothing too far from the ordinary. "There are suns all over this stone, your Majesty. Do you remember anything about them?" Zephyr asked. "Suns?" Celestia joined her guards upon the stone slab. "No, I'm afraid I don't recall their purpose." Left alone behind the pedestal again, Fluttershy continued investigating. If there had been a button on the side of it, why couldn't there be other buttons somewhere else on it? The mare reared back onto her hind legs to get a better look at the top of the pedestal. Her attention was drawn to the smaller suns around its perimeter, and the hoof-sized indentations therein. Perplexed, she looked at her own hoof for a moment. I wonder... Going with her hunch, Fluttershy stuck her hoof into the center of one of the small suns; it fit perfectly, but nothing else happened. This time, anyway. There were five other carvings to check. "Princess, have your guards look at the carvings on the other side of the platform, please." "Carvings?" the trio repeated. "The little suns around the edge of the platform. Hooves fit perfectly into them, and-" Click! Ancient mechanisms ground to life once again, shaking the platform. "Of course..." Celestia breathed. "Now I remember. Those six suns represent the Elements of Harmony. When in place, they hid the switch that activated-" Thunk...thunk...thunk... The sun-like design upon the surface of the pedestal was not just for show. It was a clever method of hiding a spiral staircase that was beginning to show itself to the ponies atop the monolith. "Do...do you think that Applejack i-is down there?" Fluttershy mumbled, wide eyes peering down into the infinite blackness. Celestia was already three steps into the hole before she answered. "You're the Element bearer, Fluttershy. You tell me." The butter-colored pegasus closed her eyes again and thought of her hat-wearing cowpony friend. "Yes...she is...and it sounds like she's...crying. Oh no! She must be hurt!" "Woah!" Before Celestia could offer a reply, Fluttershy shot past her, creating a gust of wind that nearly knocked the princess from her step. "Zephyr, Cross Wind! With me! Quickly!" Skipping every other step, the alicorn rapidly followed the Element of Kindness into the abyss. Everything has its uses, even magically glowing armor, and the pony wearing it was extremely thankful she had requested it to be made as such. At the bottom of the winding staircase, she met up with Fluttershy once more, in the presence of a heavy, wooden door. "I take it that door is locked?" "Yes..." she murmured, preoccupied with trying to open the door's small sliding panel and get a peek inside. "How...I don't know." A gentle hoof eased the pegasus aside. The same hoof then began repeatedly tapping on the door, assisted by its owner's careful ear. One part of the door always returned a duller reply than anywhere else, like that part was blocked with something. "A plank across the door... Crude, yet effective. Easy enough to get by." Magic flashed from Celestia's horn for an instant. "How did you know to do that?" Fluttershy asked. A small chuckle escaped the armored pony's mouth. "I wasn't always a princess, you know. A young filly has to find some way to amuse herself." As the door was pushed open the Element of Kindness was greeted with a faceful of musty, stifling dungeon air. Soot from smouldering torches unattended set her to coughing. Equestria's overseer nodded to her guards and motioned to the dungeon hallway. "Start looking for any signs of life. Remain hidden until you have full knowledge of the area." "Understood, your Majesty." One guard to each wall, the two stallions moved off down the hallway. "Stay right next to me, Fluttershy. I doubt we'll find anything foolish enough to attack an alicorn within these halls, but I don't want to risk your safety. Let me know if you feel anything strange." Nearly every torch sconce was dark and lifeless, having been left to burn themselves out, yet Celestia's armor gleamed bright as a dozen torches. Subtle, no, but the princess had a point. Not even the mighty Ursa Major would dare confront an alicorn of Celestia's age. Only two creatures could stand in one-on-one battle against these powerful opponents; a draconequus, or a fellow alicorn. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, was not so confident. She was in a strange place, she didn't know where her friends were, and she couldn't see anything past the light from Celestia's armor. Applejack, where are you? ------------------------- Ah'm sorry, Twi'... Ah'm sorry Ah couldn't stop 'em... Applejack rubbed her tear-filled eyes on the back of her leg and sniffed. "Rrrgh!" She slammed an angry hoof against the stone floor. How could Ah have let them do that to ya!? A very faint clicking, almost like hooves on stone, just outside her cell door, caught the earth pony's attention. "Huh? What in tarnation was that?" she whispered. A short wait, and...nothing... The hoofsteps, if that was what they were, had disappeared. "Nothin'... That's what Ah thought..." Captive solitude affords a pony much time to dwell on things, but, most often their mind will eventually turn to one thing. What's gonna happen to me in here? Who...who's gonna tell Apple Bloom an' Big Macintosh? "Oh, Celestia, no...!" This frightening thought created its own tears to mix with the angry ones already in the earth pony's green eyes. "Princess! Over here! Quickly!" That was a voice Applejack wasn't expecting to hear. "F-fluttershy?" "What is it, Fluttershy?" Applejack was now on her hooves. "Princess Celestia?" "Applejack is in here! I know she is!" "All right. Let me have a crack at that lock." Any sharp ear could hear the tumblers of the lock magically shifting about as Celestia fiddled with them. Moments later the door gently swung open, for the first time since the apple-marked pony had been here. The greeting that awaited the orange pony on the other side of the door wasn't as gentle, but was friendly nevertheless. "Applejack!" Kindness met Honesty in an enthusiastic tackle of feathers and fur. "I'm so happy to see you again!" Tears had traced two wet furrows down the pegasi's cheeks and she made no effort to hide it. "I'm s-so happy!" "Ah-Ah'm happy to see ya t-too, sugarcube..." Applejack hiccupped, fighting to hold the new, joyful tears back. "How'd y'all g-git down here, anyhow?" After sorting out legs and tails, the two ponies stood up. "Ah d-don't even know where Ah am..." The orange equine rubbed her eyes again, half to dry them, half to make sure it was actually her friend standing before her. "That would be me." Celestia said quietly, ducking under the small doorway. "Y-yer Majesty!" In her hasty bow, the cowpony's hat fell to the floor. "Fergive me, Princess! Ah didn't notice you there!" A soft yellow magic retrieved the hat and placd it on Applejack's head once more. "I appreciate your respect, Applejack, but this is hardly the time. Do you know where Twilight is?" The orange pony couldn't bring herself to look at the princess. "Ah...don't know, yer Highness. The ponies b'hind all of this...dragged her off agin, about an hour or so earlier." Shock flashed in Celestia's violet eyes, but only for an instant. "And they just left you behind?" "Yeah... Some sorta nonsense about the Elements callin' out to each other." "Interesting." the alicorn murmured, somewhat distantly, as she worked to release the earth pony's manacles. Once done, she removed herself from the room without another word. "Boy, am Ah glad to be outta those darned things..." Applejack muttered, shaking each leg to get some blood flow going again. "They were startin' to rub me the wrong way, if ya know what Ah mean." Back outside, Cross Wind and Zephyr had finished their search and returned to the princess. "Anything to report?" "Other than this room here, there were two more; a small library, and some type of living quarters, both recently used, based on their appearance." "That doesn't surprise me. Was there anything else?" "Negative, your Majesty. This is just a hallway; nothing more." "Look again." "Your Majesty, there isn't-" "I don't care! Look again!" Anger had robbed Celestia of her control of magic for a split second, and a little bit of it slipped into her voice, causing an unnatural earthquake in the small hallway. Stones dropped from the ceiling, rattled loose by the alicorn's deafening roar. "Ponies don't just disappear into thin air! They must have gone somewhere! Find them! Twilight was taken again! I don't want to lose her a second time!" An enraged, thousand year old alicorn is not something that you would ever want to see, much less stand right next to. Fluttershy would not easily forget that sight. "W-wait a minute... Applejack, look down the hallway. What's that?" "What's what, sugarcube?" Applejack glanced down the hallway, following her friend's outstretched hoof. "Hold on a sec'... That looks like a message from Spike!" "That's what I thought, too. But what would he be doing up at this time of night?" Celestia's calm demeanor returned as the green-tinged wisp of smoke materialized into a scroll before her, just in time for a shiver to run down her spine. The surprise message also came bearing an unseen gift; a feeling of dread. It wrapped its icy claws around the alicorn's stomach as she unfurled the parchment with a slight fwip! "Something tells me that he's got a very good reason, Fluttershy." When her eyes fell upon the news regarding her sister, the alicorn's wings opened wide with shock. "Oh no..." "Beggin' yer pardon, Princess, but is everythin' all right?" "What is it, your Majesty?" Zephyr asked, after Applejack failed to get a response. "Something...has happened back in Canterlot. Something's happened to Luna..." Between all the shocked responses and questions, one could barely make out a quiet "Oh my..." "What is your suggested course of action, your Majesty?" Lost in thought, Celestia seemed to ignore Zephyr's question. Finally, she crumpled up the scroll and threw it into the darkness. ------------------------- There is something strange about looking into the embers of a dying fire, twinkling like the countless stars in Princess Luna's night sky; it is somewhat calming. This opportunity for relaxation was lost on Headwind, however. His mind was always busy, always thinking of what had happened, what was happening, and what could happen next. One doesn't become General of Canterlot's military forces by sitting idly by and merely watching, after all. "Forgive me for the quick assumption, Miss Zecora." he murmured. "But you seem like the type of pony who is well-versed in magic and mystical things." "Of that assumption, you need not be afraid; I am indeed skilled in the magical trade." the zebra responded in her traditional rhyme. "I sense that there is more to that question than meets the eye. You asked about my expertise in magic. Why?" The general poked an ember contemplatively. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a tiny flit of movement next to him. "Make any move toward those bindings and I'll break your legs." he said, straight-faced. Not doubting his seriousness, the captive pegasus mare sat up, cursing under her breath. "As I was saying, Miss Zecora, Her Majesty gave me direct orders to find Miss Applejack and Miss Fluttershy, insisting that the Elements of Harmony were in great danger. Sadly, the Canterlot Military Academy does not cover magical education and I know nothing of their potential. What do you know about the Elements?" Zecora's striped face appeared downright eerie in the low, unsteady light. "The Elements of Harmony and their mystery are a story passed down through history. But, I must confess, stories are all that I possess." "I understand." Headwind fell silent again. His gaze drifted back to the twinkling cinders before him. His mind did a little drifting of its own, back to the order that Celestia had given him, in an attempt to find an answer to all of this. Though his mind was wandering, the stallion remained alert. Hoofsteps upon cobblestone caught his ear and he looked up. A strong yellow light was quickly nearing the campfire. It didn't take too much brain power to realize who that might be. Running before the source of the light were four other ponies; three pegasi and an earth pony. "It's a relief to see you again, Miss Applejack!" "Yer tellin' me. Ah never thought Ah'd miss the feelin' of grass under mah hooves so much." When the apple-marked pony spotted the captive pegasus, her expression hardened. "Well, yer lookin' real pretty with that there shiner. How d'you like bein' hog-tied like that? Ain't fun, is it?" "I've had worse, earth pony..." Nightshade snorted. Within seconds, Applejack was nose-to-nose with the other mare. "You ain't seen nothin' yet... Ah've got a real good idea as to who fixed up yer wings, an' lemme tell ya; Ah ain't that pony. Mah Element ain't Kindness, it's Honesty, an' this is the honest truth: If yer lackeys do anythin' to mah friend Twilight, Ah'll give ya somethin' far worse than a black eye... Ya hear me?" Normally, Nightshade was not the pony to show fear of any sort, but as Applejack's angry snorts repeatedly blasted her face, instinct took over. The light in the orange mare's eyes was terrifying. Not for a second did she doubt the earth pony's dark promise. "Easy, Applejack." Celestia interrupted. "Save some of that for me during the walk back to Canterlot. Zephyr, Cross Wind, fly ahead and loose your flares to notify the others. We'll meet you back at the palace. The sun is on its way, and we should be too. Let's move, Headwind. Double time." "At once, your Majesty!"