The sun was starting to descend as Soren and Twilight ran towards the library to find Spike so they could send a letter to the princess. Soren had an idea on the way there. Looking at Twilight, he told the unicorn that he would meet her at the library after he did something first. Twilight nodded, so Soren took off in another direction. Within a minute, Soren came up to Luna's house and knocked on the door.
"Good evening, Soren," Luna greeted after answering the door. "How are you today?"
"I'm fine. I was just wondering if you would like to travel with me soon."
"Where to?"
"Canterlot."
"Oh? Is there any reason you wanted to travel there so suddenly?" Luna smirked at Soren, who laughed.
"You can read me like a book, Luna. I wanted to take up Celestia's offer of talking to her. It would be great if you would accompany me." He paused for a second as he realized something. "Actually, I don't think the guards would let me in the castle without somepony to escort me anyway."
"Then it is a good thing you personally know a princess. I would love to join you. When do we leave?"
"In two days. Twilight is sending a letter to Celestia as we speak. Let's go meet her at the library." Luna nodded, then the couple flew through the orange sky to meet Twilight.
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At the library, Soren and Luna walked inside and saw Spike ignite a letter to Princess Celestia. Twilight walked over to them after the scroll vanished.
"Is Princess Luna going to be joining you in Canterlot?" Twilight asked.
"Yep. We haven't been traveling together that often so I figured now would be a great time."
"And did you tell her the real reason you're going there?"
"How could I forget that part?" Soren lightly smacked himself on his forehead. "Luna, it turns that Octavia believes I could be her long lost brother, so I'm going to Canterlot to also ask Celestia if she can help me in any way. If you could give me any information that helps, I would be grateful." Luna thought for a moment.
"I'm sorry," she finally said. "I cannot think of anything at the moment. It is interesting that she believes you two are related, even though you share no physical similarities."
"That's what I was saying!" Soren exclaimed. He was going to continue talking but a sound cut him off; a scroll had teleported into the library. Twilight grabbed the scroll with her magic and quickly read it. Once she was done reading, she hoofed the scroll to Spike.
"Princess Celestia said that she looks forward to seeing you there," Twilight explained. "She says she will provide a chariot to take you to Canterlot. She also suggests bringing Luna along so the three of you can have lunch together. Afterwards, you and her will talk about anything you need. Simple enough."
"Wow, Soren," Spike laughed. "You haven't even been in Ponvyville that long and you're already having lunch with both princesses." Soren chuckled and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. He quickly straightened up.
"Great!" Soren continued. "Luna and I will leave for Canterlot in two days. You did tell the princess when I planned on leaving, right?" Twilight nodded. "How could I have doubted you, Twilight? Luna, would you like to hang out tomorrow since it's getting late?"
"Of course, but one of these days, we should enjoy the night together."
"I look forward to that. I'll see you later, Twilight, and I'll see you tomorrow, Luna." After the ponies said their goodbyes and after Soren kissed Luna goodbye, they left for their respective homes (except for Twilight and Spike, who live in the library).
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The morning when Soren and Luna were scheduled to leave was a cloudy one. The grey sky caused a cool wind that slowly woke Soren from his drowsiness. He was a little tired, for yesterday he and Luna spent the entire day together, including a good portion of the night. He went to bed late and had to wake up early. It was about 10 o'clock when the chariot arrived in Ponyville. Luna spoke to the guards as Soren chatted with Twilight and Octavia.
"Do you think this plan will work?" Twilight asked.
"I don't see any other way how to find out if Octavia and I are related," Soren answered. "I'm sure the princesses can easily help me with this."
"Well, good luck, Soren," Octavia said. "I look forward to hearing the answer." Soren nodded at her.
"Soren," Luna called. He walked over to her and found that the two pegasi guards were ready to depart. Soren said goodbye to Twilight and Octavia and boarded the chariot with Luna. "Are you excited?" Luna asked him.
"Honestly, I am. This is like a small adventure in a way." Luna smiled then ordered the guards to take off. Twilight and Octavia waved goodbye to their friends as the chariot grew smaller in the cloudy sky.
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The ride was fairly quiet and calm. As the chariot smoothly flew through the sky, the weather seemed to become colder. The alicorns figured it was because the winter season was on its way. To occupy himself, Soren looked across the landscape as it passed by. Although it was morning, everything seemed a lot dimmer than usual.
"This weather is unnerving," Soren told Luna.
"Agreed. Even we don't find cold weather in the morning to be pleasant."
"I've been meaning to ask...Sometimes you use the royal 'we' but other times you do. Is that because you're trying to get used to the common language?"
"Do you not like it when we use the royal 'we'?" Luna teased. "It is the fact that we...I try to speak normally, but it is hard for one who speaks one way for a thousand years."
"I honestly think it's cuter when you use the royal 'we.' It suits you. But it's up to you to decide--" Soren was interrupted by Luna suddenly putting a hoof on his shoulder and whispering, "Wait." The guards tensed up when the princess whispered that word. The air around the ponies seemed to do the same. Everypony was quiet as they waited for whatever Luna sensed or heard.
It only took a few seconds for the chariot to be struck from the bottom. Soren and Luna were tossed from their ride as the two guards were thrown off course. If the two alicorns didn't have wings, they would have easily died from the fall. The four of them recovered as they looked around for the source of the attack. They could hear wing beats. Before any of them could see the pegasi, a magical beam shot past Soren's head.
"This can't be," Luna said in slight horror. Soren looked around and saw what the princess was talking about. All around them were pegasi flying and carrying unicorns. The unicorns' bodies had a slight aura around them. Luna mutter something about them using magic on themselves to make their bodies lighter.
Flying unicorns?! Soren thought. How are these ponies that smart? And who are they?! Another bolt flew at Soren, but he dived just in time to dodge it.
"There are six teams of two surrounding us," Luna stated, "and the guards are fighting four other lone pegasi."
"I don't think we really have a choice here, Luna," Soren responded. "We have to fight as we make our way to Canterlot. Maybe other guards will see them and help us." Luna slowly nodded then shot lightning from her horn and struck a pegasus.
"The fastest and most accurate spell..." Soren muttered. "Nice." The pegasus, with the unicorn in tow, began losing altitude very fast. Acting quickly, the unicorn teleported them away.
In retaliation, the 'flying unicorns' shot dark beams of magic at the two alicorns as they advanced. Both Soren and Luna shot lightning and beams of magic at their enemies to defend themselves. What started as a calm trip turned into a matter of life and death. The remaining five sets of enemies surrounded the alicorns once again. Once they were all in position, it was their turn to shoot lightning beams at Soren and Luna. Thinking quickly, Soren dodged then flew close to Luna. As the five pairs concentrated their fire on their targets, Soren created a magical sphere around him and Luna to block all five beams.
"Now what?" Soren strained as he struggled to prevent the beams from piercing the shield. Luna's expression became more serious as she realized what had to be done.
"I'm sorry, Soren, but this is the only way to protect ourselves." Soren glanced back at Luna and saw her horn glowing.
"What are you-?" Soren then felt himself teleport. Luna teleported them away from the chaos. Soren looked around to discover that they were now at the entrance of Canterlot.
"But what about the guards? Luna, we have to go back!" Luna walked up to Soren with sorrowful eyes.
"I'm sorry, Soren. I did not see the guards anywhere when we were inside the shield. I cannot teleport what I cannot see."
"Luna, Soren, what happened?" a calm voice asked with a hint of worry. Soren and Luna turned to face Celestia walking up to them. "Why are the guards not with you?" Soren hung his head while Luna answered.
"Sister, we were ambushed on the way here. Pegasi that were carrying unicorns attacked our chariot. In the end, I decided to teleport us to safety. We would have teleported the guards, but...they were nowhere to be found."
"That's terrible," Celestia responded softly. "Please...let's go inside the castle. I will ask the guards to send a search party soon and for the guards at the gate to be on the lookout for the missing guards. Let us discuss during lunch." Soren and Luna nodded as they followed Celestia to the castle. As Soren continued to follow the princesses, one thought constantly echoed in his mind. It was supposed to be like this...
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It seemed that everywhere in Equestria felt depressing due to the weather. Everything was dimmed because of the overcast, even inside the Royal Palace. Soren looked around the majestic, yet slightly dark, castle. So much for a glorious first time in the castle, he thought to himself as he continued to follow behind princesses as the sisters spoke to each other.
"Do you know who those ponies were?" Celestia asked Luna, who shook her head as a response.
"We have never seen ponies so sinister, nor so strategic, in a long time. Pegasi that carry unicorns..."
"Demi-alicorns, basically. Whoever these ponies are, I can only guess that they have a more than competent leader in charge. We need to figure out who this pony is and stop them."
The three alicorns walked up to a big set of double doors. The two guards stationed there opened the doors with magic. Soren's eyes widened as he saw the biggest dining room he has ever laid eyes on, granted that this was the first and only dining hall he has seen so far. Celestia noticed Soren's expression and chuckled.
"I had forgotten that this is Soren's first time within the Royal Palace. Soren, after our talk, I will be sure to remind Luna to give you a tour of the castle." Soren could only nod in response. "Now then, you two should relax and enjoy a nice meal."
After the three alicorns sat down at one end of the long table, many pony chefs and waiters brought out a wide variety of foods and dishes like entrees, side dishes, and bite-sized foods. Although the current situation prevented the alicorns from feeling very hungry, they each grabbed something to snack on, for they knew they had to eat something. Celestia decided to begin the conversation.
"Soren, although it will only be you and I talking later, is there anything you wanted to ask that both Luna and I will be able to answer?" Soren swallowed the piece of sandwich he was eating.
"Even though my amnesia didn't take away a lot of common knowledge, I still have no knowledge of the Elements of Harmony. Can you explain their powers to me?"
"Certainly. As you know, the six Elements are Laughter, Kindness, Honesty, Generosity, Loyalty, and Magic. Although they have power when separated, together they are a near-unstoppable force of magic."
"So why am I the Elemental Guardian? From what you're saying, it doesn't seem like the Elements, nor the girls, need any extra protection."
"And you are correct. But there is certain magic that you can learn that not even Twilight Sparkle can." Soren arched an eyebrow. Celestia turned towards her sister. "Luna, have you studied the Natural Elements yet?" She nodded. "Would you like to explain them to Soren?"
"Of course, sister. Soren, ponies may know about the Elements of Harmony, but only a select few know about the Natural Elements. They consist of the elements Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, and Light. Many unicorns have attempted to learn and master these elements, but many have failed. Even the legendary Starswirl The Bearded could only master Light. Obviously my sister and I have learned many spells relating to the Elements, but we have not completely mastered any. Celestia is most familiar to Fire, Wind, and Light and knows some Earth magic. I am most familiar to Wind and Water and also know some Earth.
"Where we are getting at with explaining this to you is that the Elemental Guardian is known to master three to five of the elements and is familiar with the others if they haven't mastered them. We are hoping that you, Soren, can learn at least three Elements, for that may be all you need to defeat the Nightmare Guardian."
"Wow," was all Soren said before taking a deep breath. "And here I thought I was only going to learn if Octavia was my sibling or not."
"Why do you believe Octavia is related to you?" Celestia asked, now curious.
"Actually, she was the one who believed I was her sibling. But before I talk about that, can I just ask if this here can qualify as our talk? It seems like I'm already learning a lot and as of now, it's starting to seem weird that we are planning to talk without Luna with us." Both princesses just stared at Soren. "Umm...did I say something wrong?"
"Oh!" Celestia said when she realized her and Luna were only staring. "No, Soren, it's just..."
"You sometimes surprise us with how you react to situations," Luna finished. "And I believe Tia thinks you remind her of a pony she once knew."
"Funny," Soren said, "Spike told me that Twilight believed the same thing. Celestia, do you and Twilight know the same pony?"
"You are right, Luna," Celestia replied to her sister, while ignoring Soren's question. "Soren does remind of a certain pony, but let's not bring that up right now. The past is the past."
"The past may be the past but isn't that what I want to find out? If, in my past, Octavia was actually family? Do you think you can help me out with that, princess?"
"I shall try my best. Allow me to ponder on the subject until later. In the meantime, Luna, why don't you show Soren the palace and where he can sleep later. When the sun sets, find me and we can see what we can learn about Octavia's family."
"Very well. Soren, is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"
"Does Night Wing have any special Elemental powers?" The silence in the room was stronger than right before the ambush. The princesses looked at each other. Celestia nodded at her sister, so Luna answered Soren's question.
"She does." Soren's ears perked up more. "But her Elements are far different from yours. She can learn the Dark Elements, which are Electricity, Corrosion, Fire, Explosive, and Dark. These Elements are very powerful and destructive. Unfortunately, they are not specified to only the Nightmare Guardian, same with yours. Any skilled unicorn can learn them. She is not as special as the Elemental Guardian, for there have been more than one Elemental Guardian yet only one Nightmare Guardian will ever exist. Luckily, though, it is not up to the unicorns to learn this powerful magic."
"What do you mean by that?" Soren asked, tilting his head. "Is there something that controls who is allowed to use the Elements?" Luna nodded again.
"They are known as The Elementals. They are spirits that represent their respective Elements. From what Twilight Sparkle has told my sister, it would seem that you have been acquainted with one already." It was Soren's turn to nod his head.
"Back in Appaloosa. I was fighting Coyote Colt when I felt this surge of magic envelope me. I didn't think too much of it at the time because I knew it was helping me defeat that colt. It was the Fire Elemental helping me that day for whatever reason it had."
"Soren," Celestia started, "these Elementals control who is allowed to have the ability of the Elements. They obviously have chosen you, yet Night Wing was also chosen. The Natural, or Light, Elements and the Dark Elements have been at war since the dawn of time, even before Luna and I were brought into this world. Don't try to ask for the abilities of the Elements, but rather allow the spirits to give you the powers needed to aid in your own conflicts. You and Night Wing are the embodiment of their ultimate clash. Now...I think that is enough for now. Luna, how about you sing a song with Soren? I hear you two sing beautifully together." Soren smiled at Luna, who returned by giving a small laugh.
"Of course, sister. Soren?" Soren nodded and walked over to Luna. The two alicorns stood side-by-side as they sang their first duet: Don't Be Fooled.