//------------------------------// // Chapter 28 // Story: Shadow of the Sun // by Starwin //------------------------------// Shadow of the Sun By Starwin Chapter 28 The blazing golden disc of the Sun raced across the sky, as though it couldn’t wait to finally set. The eight friends and Luna stood atop the far west tower of Canterlot castle and watched the setting Sun in silence. The magical window that let them exist in both dreams and the waking world remained in place. Through the gap in reality the top of the tower was a fluffy white cloud, with different parts of it either cracked or missing completely. The sky overhead darkened rapidly, as if a second eclipse were taking place. Yet, the Moon was still high above them, the rainbow ring around it becoming more prominent as day faded into night. From atop the tower, the friends could see nighttime at last roll across Equestria, painting the land below in a soft blanket of shadows. Yet even as the Sun set in the real world, in the dream world the Sun was just starting to rise. The white cloud beneath their hooves changed color, becoming a light pink. Although this went unnoticed by most, as they were transfixed with the rapid sunset of reality. The edge of the sky in the real world turned orange, then red, before settling into a darkening purple and at last, a deep blue. Finally, the Sun vanished behind the rim of the world and only the Moon shone bright overhead, with the faint stars only now starting to twinkle into existence above. “I don’t believe it,” whispered Luna in awe. “How… how did you… what did you…?” “We restored balance,” answered Twilight, still watching the lingering edge of the Sun. “The elements alone weren’t enough to move the world, but all of the ponies, their strength, their courage and their magic was. They just needed somepony to guide them and the elements let me bring harmony to the chaos of their multicast.” “So it’s all over then?” whispered Spike. “No,” said Twilight, turning to look at Luna. “Not yet. Not everything. We still need to see if the nightmare magic is really gone, now that the Sun has set.” “I can do it,” said Rainbow with a confident smile. “Just be ready to zap me or something if I turn all mean and screechy again.” “On it!” shouted Pinkie. She leapt over to Twilight and lifted the unicorn up like she was some sort of pony canon. “Pinkie, we talked about this,” said Twilight, sounding a little embarrassed. “Don’t worry, I’ve been working on my aim,” answered Pinkie as she sighted Rainbow Dash down Twilight’s horn. “Just... just go,” sighed Twilight as Pinkie pointed her at Rainbow, ready to unleash a barrage of magic if the pegasus so much as smoldered even a little. Rainbow trotted to the edge of the cloud-tower-dream-thingy and pushed a hoof through the golden barrier that separated the worlds. Her hoof remained exactly as it was. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she jumped of the edge. Her wings hummed and there was a slight shimmer of light as she passed through the boundary, but otherwise nothing remarkable happened and she remained her normal self. “Okay Pinkie, you can put me down now,” said Twilight, struggling to be back on her hooves, instead of pointed at somepony. “I think we should be okay to get rid of this thing now,” said Twilight waving a hoof at the magical window in the dream world. “Although, I’m not really sure how we…” Luna’s hoof suddenly rushed through the air between Twilight and Trixie. For an instant there was a glimmer of a golden thread that Twilight had almost completely forgotten about. The thread stretched then snapped. All Twilight felt was a slight tug on something that was not her body and then the sensation was gone. In an instant the clouds around their evaporated and the dreamland Ponyville went with it. The friends all stood upon the top of the stone tower which looked like it had seen much better days. All of them had returned to normal. All of them except Luna. As the dream world evaporated into the night, so did she. And it was Nightmare Moon who stood before them once more, although something about her appearance was slightly off. Rainbow Dash rushed back to stand with her friends as they looked at Nightmare Moon with fearful, yet defiant eyes. “Have all the nightmares been returned to normal?” asked Twilight, her eyes locked on the tall dark pony standing before her. “Yes,” answered Nightmare Moon. “The curse upon them ended with the setting of the Sun. “So,” continued Nightmare Moon. “What will you do with me now now? Send me back to the Moon perhaps? Or would you prefer me as Luna? Or maybe, you want another statue for my sister’s garden?” “No,” answered Twilight. “Right now, I think we need your help.” “With, what?” asked Nightmare Moon, sounding genuinely surprised by the request. “With… your Sister,” answered Twilight. The walk back to the throne room was short and silent. The many statues of frozen ponies that lined the halls stared blankly at the group as they trotted past. The feeling of being watched by statues was still uncomfortable, but hopefully they shouldn’t need to endure it much longer. Celestia stood right where the group had left her. The cold, unsettling feeling that had lingered in the air in the throne room from the damaged æther was gone or at the very least so minor none of them could feel it anymore. “So what exactly do you expect me to do?” asked Nightmare Moon, standing at the door but unwilling to get any closer. “I want you to change her, and all of Canterlot back,” answered Twilight. Her voice was strangely quiet. She was not demanding, or accusing, she was simply asking. The tone seemed to be unexpected. “Why do you think I would do that?” asked Nightmare Moon. “Why would I bring my sister back for her to imprison me once more or send me away?” “Not just your sister,” corrected Twilight, “all of Canterlot.” Nightmare Moon searched Twilight’s face for some hint of deception or trickery, yet there was none to be found. “You have the elements,” said Nightmare Moon at last. “You can bring everypony back.” “Maybe,” answered Twilight. “But I’m asking you to do this.” There was a long moment of silence in which the two ponies simply looked at each other. “Fine,” answered Nightmare Moon at last. “I will break the curse upon them.” She moved to Celestia’s side and placed her horn against her sister’s stone one. Dark, swirling magic began to curl its way around the statue before jumping outwards to the other ponies around the room. Then the magic leapt out the door and down the hallway, jumping from one statue to the next until the magic was out of sight. Nightmare Moon’s eyes flared with black magic and she let out a shout that almost sounded like a nightmare screech. Then the magic pulled back into her and she took a staggered step back. Yet Celestia still remained stone. “It didn’t…” began Applejack, but as she started to speak, there was a cracking sound. The stone skin began to tumble off the guards around the room, revealing the ponies underneath. As the stone bits hit the floor they turned to dust. The guards looked around confused. From their perspective it must have been as if a huge group of ponies had suddenly appeared in the throne room. “Nightmare Moon!” shouted one of the guards. “Advance, surround her!” “What has she done to the Princess!” shouted another guard. Nightmare Moon began to back away, suddenly looking panicked as the guards advanced on her. “Stop!” commanded a voice that made the whole room still, like it had turned them to stone. In the center of the room, the stone shell was falling away from Celestia. Her horn glowed with magic so bright that no pony, except for Nightmare Moon, cast any shadows. “So, sister, this is what you have chosen,” said Celestia, it was not a question. “It is,” answered Nightmare Moon simply. “I see,” replied Celestia impassively. “Princes! Wait,” cried Twilight rushing forward. Celestia turned to look at her student and her expression softened somewhat. “She isn’t how she used to be! She helped us, she even brought you back!” “Did you?” asked Celestia turning towards her sister. Nightmare Moon looked away. “So what is it you desire now, my sister? Do you still wish to bring eternal darkness now that you have witnessed eternal day? Do you still want to rule over Equestria and make its citizens into your army?” “I… no,” said Nightmare Moon after a moment. “But I can’t pretend things are how they once were either. I’m not Luna anymore. I haven’t really been her for a long time now.” “No, you haven’t,” agreed Celestia a little sadly. “I was foolish to want it to be so. I knew it was not Luna the elements returned to me but just an echo of her. You can never again be the little sister I remembered so fondly. “But that does not have to be a bad thing, for even we grow and change, in our own way. I can long for the past, but forcing it into existence can only bring you hardship. “And yet,” continued Celestia as she looked over her dark sister. “Nor are you Nightmare Moon either. You are somepony new, somepony different and we cannot simply hide you away.” As Celestia said it, Twilight could see there was indeed something different about the pony standing before them. Her eyes were different somehow, more silvery. Her mane was filled with stars but Twilight was sure she could see what looked like shooting stars racing through it every now and then. While the pony retained her dark black coat, there was something of a soft silver shine to it. And most different of all was her cutie mark, which had once been a crescent moon yet now seemed to be only a dark circle on her flank. Twilight didn’t know how long the change had been there but she was sure the Princess had looked like that atop the tower. “Beg’in your pardon your highnesses but, we still have a major problem on our hooves,” interrupted Applejack. “Our crops have been completely destroyed, our food store whittled down to almost nothing. It will take months before we can grow anything and then there is winter to think about too. Aint no way we’ll have enough food by then.” “Well, we still have that apple forest,” reminded Spike. “What’s left of it anyhow.” “Maybe, but I aint sure that will be enough,” said Applejack. “We got a whole darn country to feed.” “Well what about Hoofington?” asked Pinkie. “What about them?” replied Applejack in confusion. “Their crops are in just as poor a-shape as Ponyville’s, worse even on account of most of them being burned up in that firestorm.” “No silly,” answered Pinkie rolling her eyes. “Hoofington has lots and lots of food. Long Star said so.” Applejack looked completely confused. “You don’t mean that foul tasting moss!” exclaimed Rarity in horror. “Actually, I didn’t think it was so bad,” added Fluttershy quietly. “Yeah, Long Star said the caves are full of it and that the caves go on and on forever!” cried Pinkie in more excitement than anypony had ever before expressed when talking about moss in caves. “It might be viable,” agreed Twilight thoughtfully. “We just have to transport it somehow.” “That can easily be arranged,” said Celestia. She turned her attention to one of her guards. “Prepare an envoy to be sent to Hoofington, as many as are able. This is of the utmost urgency.” The guard nodded before departing. “But what about all the others stuff!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “What about the crops and weather and the animals and what about Cloudsdale!” “Equestria will recover in time,” answered Celestia calmly. “Some things will heal on their own, others we must work hard to mend ourselves.” She looked towards her sister. “For the moment, I believe that all of you have earned a rest. “As for you sister,” continued Celestia, her attention returning to the dark mare who stood listening to the conversation, but had thus far said little. “It seems that you too have been mended, that much of the anger and hate and fear that was within you is gone. “I believe you have changed my sister. You no longer possess the anger of Nightmare Moon nor the insecurities of Luna,” said Celestia. “I believe you should have a new name. One that reflects your new strength. What do you think of Selenia?” “I… I like it,” answered the dark princess. “I like it a lot better than the last name I chose for myself…” Celestia smiled. “Tell me sister,” asked Celestia. “Will you still stand by my side and protect Equestria? Will you raise the Moon at night and make way for the dawn in the morning? Will you rule with a just hoof and work for the betterment of all ponykind?” “I will,” answered Selenia at last. She turned to look back at Twilight, who smiled warmly at her. “I will guard this world and its dreams for all of my days, and all of my nights. Let us keep the balance and share the sky so that neither endless day nor eternal night shall ever threaten our world again.” END