//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7: Sunfall 
// Story: Mother and Child 
// by AlicornPriest 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 7 – Sunfall
Sometimes, when it's really quiet, I can hear the cries of a little filly, somewhere in Sombra's castle in the mountain. I don't know who it is or why, but it breaks my heart to hear it. Does anypony know who that is? Is there anything that can be done? ~Anonymous #1301038
That information is classified. Report to the castle immediately for termination. ~Admin #1301039
~ssw.ponychat.dp/res/m/0193 (immediately deleted afterwards)

The clouds above Pinkie disgorged not rain or snow, but ash. Pinkie opened up an umbrella and continued down the path through the Dark Paradise. It certainly lived up to part of its name: everything around her was black, red, and gray, without a trace of joy or happiness to be found. Why it was called a "Paradise," though, Pinkie couldn't fathom. There was only one pony she could imagine enjoying such a place, and that pony was Sombra himself. Apparently, the name was some kind of sick joke on his part.

Along the way, she saw scores of houses, but they all seemed... deserted. Where was everypony? Why had they abandoned such perfectly functional homes? Granted, she wouldn't want to live here, either, but if they'd built houses, that must have meant they'd intended to stay, right? She peeked a look into one of them, and realized to her shock that they were just as empty as the streets. No furniture, no picture frames, no nothing. So... nopony had lived here at all? Dozens of houses, all unused. What was the point? And everything, all around her, was as silent as the grave, without even the gentle sound of wind blowing to comfort her as she wandered through a literal ghost town.

When she reached the end of the path she was walking on, she finally managed to find ponies, though they mostly seemed to be soldiers. There were no crystal ponies out, pegasus or earth pony, and the majority of the unicorns wandering about wore heavy black armor and face-covering helmets. It had the unsettling effect of feeling less real than the empty houses she'd just passed by, as though the guards were keeping patrol to make sure everyone followed along with the illusion of life. She tried to stick close to the buildings, just to keep from attracting too much attention. A few houses down, she espied a building with a burger and fries on its sign. Her stomach rumbled underneath her: she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and that had literally been millenia ago! She darted across the open square, forgetting for the moment the guards passing by.

"Oh, thank Celestia! Food!" she said after bursting through the front door. The pony at the register, a small crystal pony filly wearing a white paper hat, trembled and looked at the ground. Pinkie stopped and checked herself. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that I'm really hungry, and I would really like something to eat." When she checked her pack, she realized with a heavy heart that all she had in her pack were Equestrian bits, which probably wouldn't be worth much, considering the Equestrian mint didn't exist in this reality. "Oh, but I don't have any money."

"That's fine; we haven't got any food, either." This came from a full-grown mare, who stepped out from the back of the restaurant and nestled an arm over the cashier filly. Pinkie guessed that they were probably related: they were both earth ponies, and they both had the same pink coat and yellow mane.

"No food?!" Pinkie groaned. "But I really need to eat!"

"So do we, and we don't have any food, either."

"Mama!" The filly gasped and turned around. "You can't speak to her like that!"

"What are you talking about?" Pinkie asked. "I can understand not having any burgers to sell me, but when you say no food...?"

"I mean we were supposed to get our rations six days ago, and we haven't seen a single crumb of it." The mother sighed and rested her hooves against the countertop. "I've been cutting each day's amount in half and giving my portion to the kids, but... it's not going to last for much longer."

"But we'll keep doing our best! Won't we, Mama?" the filly added, seemingly eager to keep her mother from saying any more.

"No way! That's not okay at all!" Pinkie replied. "If you're supposed to have food, then by golly, you're going to get it!"

"And just how are we supposed to do that?" the mother said. "The guards don't listen to slaves like us. We've asked over and over again, and they never do a thing to help us."

Pinkie looked up at the top of her head, where she could just see the false horn Starswirl had given her. "Maybe... Maybe they'll listen to me."

The filly smiled, a big toothy grin that was a rare sight among her kind. "You mean you'll represent us? That's great!"

"Sure! In fact, are there any other ponies around here that haven't gotten their fair share? I'll represent them, too!"

Now the mother seemed to be filled with hope as well. She turned around and called into the back, "Bolero! Jaunty Tune! Cadenza! Melodica! Come down here! We're going to get more food!"

It sounded like a rolling cloud of thunder coming from upstairs. Soon, four crystal ponies, three pegasi and another earth pony, attempted to all squish through the door at the same time. As they struggled, the mother laughed and tousled the mane of the filly next to her. "Lyric, why don't you help your siblings out of their jam." While she went to do that, the mother laughed. "Foals, am I right?"

"Oh, I know. I take care of my bosses' foals. Their names are Pound and Pumpkin. They're just the cutesiest-wutsiest!" Though now that she thought about it, as she watched Lyric and the other four bicker and reorganize themselves, she was reminded more of her own sisters. She wondered how they were doing in this weird alternate reality... and Pound and Pumpkin, too.

"Huh. What odd names for unicorn foals." Before Pinkie could correct her, she said, "Is everypony ready to go?" All five children had finally arranged themselves into something resembling a line. "Good! Then are you ready, miss...?"

"Pinkie Pie! And you are...?"

"Oh!" It seemed like she hadn't expected that question. "Pitch Perfect."

"Double Ps, just like me!" Pinkie cheered. "Then let's get going!"

Pitch Perfect led Pinkie around the town. At each house they stopped at, she asked the crystal ponies within whether they were late on their rations; with each positive response, she invited them to come along with promises to receive what was owed to them. By the time they'd made a full rotation around the town, the sun was heading towards the horizon, and Pinkie had a entourage of about twenty or thirty ponies behind her. As they neared the tower in the middle of town, she noticed that the group was starting to get a bit rowdy. So, to get them all focused and ready, she decided to lead them in a song:

Living by the tower,
Living in the shadow of the shadow king
When we've been discouraged
We can raise our spirits when we sing

Waiting for our rations,
waiting for our water, bread, and feed,
If you listen closely,
you will understand just what we need:

All we ask is for your blessing!
All we ask is for the food we're due!
All we ask is for a light to shine again!
That is all we ask from you.


"What is the meaning of this?" The guard at the front door of the tower stopped them all flat. He squinted at Pinkie Pie, almost distrusting his own eyes. "What exactly are you doing with all these slaves, citizen?"

"Weren't you listening to the song? They need their food!"

"You organized all this for that, citizen?" The other guard standing next to him scoffed. "They'll get their food when Lord Sombra wills it. Not a second earlier."

"Well, according to these ponies--" All of the crystal ponies cringed at Pinkie's use of the word "--Sombra promised to give them food days ago. So the way I see it, they should have their food now!"

"Move along, citizen." The two guards almost lazily crossed their spears, denying Pinkie and her little parade entrance.

Dejected, she turned around and faced them all. "They don't want to let us in. We'll just have to think of something else."

Pitch Perfect looked at her askance. "There's twenty-five of us, Pinkie."

"Right, which means it might be kinda hard to sneak all of you in. Now, if we could find enough instruments, we could make a big band and--"

"There's twenty-five of us," she repeated, "and only two of them."

It took a few moments for the implication to set in. "You can't be serious!"

"Isn't that why you gathered us all? We're ready to rebel!"

"No, no! That's not--"

"C'mon, everypony! The food's inside! CHARGE!" Pitch Perfect pointed forward, and all the crystal ponies charged forward as one at the two guards. Before Pinkie could blink twice, they'd subdued the guards without so much as an injury between them. It almost seemed as though the guards hadn't expected something so insane. While pairs of crystal ponies dragged the guards into the tower, the rest surged inside to look for food. Pinkie followed behind them, still a bit dazed.

"Please...!"

She stood in the hallway while one group of ponies pried open a crate with a nearby crowbar. At her comment, they stopped what they were doing and looked at her. "Just... Please don't take any more than you were promised, okay? It wouldn't be right."

The crystal ponies looked more subdued after Pinkie said that. Rather than the fervent pace they'd been keeping before, they slowed down and passed along freeze-dried and vacuum-sealed packets that only barely resembled food. That seemed... at least a little okay, in Pinkie's mind. Not as bad, anyway. She brushed aside any lingering doubts and reminded herself of her mission. Somewhere in this tower, on the 27th floor, was Starswirl's greatest mistake.

The inside of the tower was as foreboding as the outside. Tall, black, and severe, the walls stretched high above her, decorated in only the roughest, unstylized patterns. As the sound of the crystal ponies bustling behind her dwindled into silence, she found herself slowing her hoofsteps to keep from disturbing the chilling silence of the area. Was this tower as abandoned as the town around her? If so, why were there guards defending it? Was it solely to protect Starswirl's mistake? Was it truly that dangerous?

At the end of the hallway, she found a room with a strange red orb. She gave the orb a few brief taps, but it didn't seem to do anything. Next to it was a device with several switches and indicators--the chief of which was a large screen with the number "01" on it in glowing blue text. Pinkie found that, by spinning the dial next to it, she could increase the number all the way to 26. Pressing the button next to it lit the orb up in a bright glow. She marveled at the technology the unicorns of this society had created. She touched the orb and was immediately overwhelmed with the sensation of motion, even while standing completely still. It was enough to make her feel sick to her stomach. 

"Phew! That was rough!" Pinkie said to herself. "But if I'm right, then I should be..." She peeked out of the room. Now the floor was bustling with unicorns carrying documents from room to room. It was clearly very important, as they didn't stop even as she stepped out and began to walk through them. They hardly acknowledged her presence. She attempted a glance at what was on their documents, but they held their folders tightly to their chest, revealing nothing. The doors were marked with their number, each of them beginning with "26." Clearly, then, this was the 26th floor of the tower. But if that was the case, how to get to the 27th...?

She picked the first pony she saw--a light blue unicorn mare wearing a green headband--and pulled her to the side. She stopped, almost as if breaking out of a trance, and snapped at Pinkie, "What do you want? I'm very busy, you know!"

"Ah, I'm just trying to get upstairs to the 27th floor. Do you know--"

"You're trying to get to Lord Sombra's office? Ask your supervisor." She brushed off Pinkie's hoof and continued on her way.

"I don't have a supervisor. I'm actually looking for something of Starswirl's; it's supposed to be on the 27th floor...?"

"Starswirl's business is none of mine. Ask the spymasters, if you've got SHADOW clearance. They're just downstairs. Now leave me alone!" The mare ducked into room 26-15, and then locked the door behind her when Pinkie tried to follow.

The mare was certainly frustrating to work with--and she had no doubt she'd get similar results from the rest of the staff around her--but she'd given Pinkie enough of a lead to start on. She hurried back to the teleporter and set it to 25. The floor was much more subdued, as she'd expect from a bunch of sneaky spies. However, she could still hear the hustle and bustle of the office ponies on the floor above her. That gave Pinkie an idea...

She changed her mind; the spies wouldn't be able to give her anything anyway. Instead, she went back to the 26th floor and pulled another employee out of the constant rat race. "I need... a really big room... enough to hold everypony on this floor!" Pinkie asked, now starting to run out of breath from running back and forth to the teleporter.

The employee looked confused. "You mean, like the conference room on the 12th floor? Why would you need everypony on this floor?"

"Pass the word around. I'm going to do what I do best: throw a party!"

***

For a last-minute job thrown together out of bits and bobs, the party was fantastic! She'd found some decorations, a boombox, and table-setting charges in that infinite void she called a mane, which was enough to get a rowdy atmosphere going. No food, unfortunately, but the office workers didn't seem to have a problem with getting the chance to relax for a moment and chat. 

While they settled in, Pinkie went back to the 26th floor, which was now completely silent. She stood in the center of the hallway, taking in the quiet. She couldn't hear anything going on in the floor above her, but she imagined nothing was up there save Sombra himself and Starswirl's mistake. She needed to find out how to get to the 27th floor, and only one pony could tell her...

There! She heard a shifting sound behind her, and Lord Sombra stepped out of office 26-01. He looked exactly like Pinkie remembered him, but even more intimidating in his full splendor. Tall, with a deep black coat and his red horn that oozed malice, he cut an imposing figure. The green magical aether that normally poured from his eyes now seemed to come from every pore of his body, covering him in a toxic-looking mist cloud. And his eyes! His stare alone seemed to radiate his fury. "What's going on down here?" He stepped all the way out into the hallway and noticed there was nopony around, save for Pinkie herself. He locked onto her immediately. "You! What have you done with my staff?"

Pinkie smiled nervously and began to back up. "What makes you think I had something to do with it, Your Lordship? Maybe I just came by and noticed everypony was gone!"

"Don't give me that!" As he got closer, he suddenly noticed her horn and scowled. "That horn... it's fake! Who are you?!"

"Horseapples!" Pinkie had forgotten in the heat of the moment that Sombra would be able to see through her disguise. "Gotta go!" She ducked into the nearest office. Sombra roared and followed after her.

Pinkie knew she was a little weirder than anypony else, that she could do things nopony else could do. This was one of her Shticks, as she called it, and it infuriated Twilight to no end. When Sombra stepped into the office where she had gone in, Pinkie simply stepped out of one of the other doors. She crossed over to the other office, and Sombra appeared out of yet another office, unable to find her. The criss-crossing pattern was perfect to avoid capture, and it made for great spectacle; the fact that it involved the two of them seemingly warping from office to office without physical explanation mattered to Pinkie not one whit. It was all great fun, and that was all that she cared about.

At the end of the Shtick, she decided to step out of office 26-02 and cross over to 26-01, while Sombra continued to "chase" her through the other rooms. She sighed and locked the door behind herself, then looked at what she'd achieved. The bookshelf in the back of the office had been moved aside, and a staircase led upwards, towards the top of the tower.

Bingo.

She made her way up and found herself in another office, though this one was far more ornate. There was a huge throne on the left-hand wall, and it was surrounded by screens like the televisions she'd seen in Everfree City. There were artifacts of all shapes and sizes lining the walls: some were clearly trophies taken from conquered nations, while others rattled and smoked with malevolent energy. She looked at all of them intently, but nothing particularly screamed "Starswirl's mistake." She shuddered and headed out of the office.

Unlike the other floors, there were no office doors lining the hallway. Instead, there was just one, on the complete opposite side of the hall. The door was covered in a huge metal chain and painted bright red--at least, she hoped it was paint. The doorframe was also lined in bright blue runes that glowed menacingly at her. Pinkie immediately knew this was what Starswirl had sent her here for. She hurried as quickly as she could manage, shuffling through her mane to look for a hairpin. Of all the things, Pinkie thought to herself, a hairpin had to be hardest thing to find in there!

Just as she reached the door, she heard another roar from below. She ignored it and, finally finding a hairpin, began to pick the lock holding the chain in place. The door to Sombra's throne room/office slammed open, and Sombra stepped out, enraged. He moved towards her with lightning speed, shifting into a form that reminded her of the smoke form he'd taken upon being banished. He was fast, but not fast enough. The chain collapsed in a noisy heap, and she slipped through the door, using her tail to close the door and re-lock the chain as she went in.

The room she was in was dark, but she could hear and feel Sombra as he pounded against the door and yelled at her. She heard... something activate, and he made a quiet "yip" sort of sound. Pinkie figured the runes had been designed to detect aggression on the door, and weren't particularly picky about who was doing it. She imagined it wouldn't be long before he was back with the key and the ward to neutralize the room, so she would have to hurry.

As she reached about for lights, she heard a voice from close by. "Please..." The word came out rough and hoarse, with only the hint of a feminine affect to suggest a filly's voice.

Pinkie's hoof brushed against a brazier, but she didn't have anything on her to light it. "Who's there? I'll be able to see in a second, don't worry!"

"Please... you've already visited me once today. Mercy..."

Pinkie grasped a long, rod-like object, and it burst into flame upon her touching it. Hurriedly, she lit the brazier, then turned around to find another one behind her. Once lit, the rest of the room came into sharp relief.

Across the room, not far away from her, was a small earth pony filly. She hung from all four hooves against the wall, her coat and mane matted with sweat. She lifted her head up, but her eyes were closed, as if it would overexert her to open them. "Either leave me be," she said, "or end my torment. Let me die!"

Pinkie's whole body shook. It was impossible. It couldn't be... "Coming Dawn?"