//------------------------------// // Old War; New Battles // Story: Hope and Fear: Sunset Past // by Dasher924 //------------------------------// “I-I’ve never had a friend before.” Sunset said, sadly. “Well, I just hope that I am the first of many.” Alan responded. “Just keep in mind; friends don’t have to agree on everything. Just because someone wants to do something you don’t want to do, doesn’t mean that you can’t be friends, alright?” Sunset took in those words for a few seconds before responding. “I understand that know.” “Good. Now I have to let the princess know that you’re awake.” “Wait!” Sunset shouted. “Just tell one of the guards. Ask him to find the princess. I don’t want my new friends to leave right now.” “Friends? As in more than one?” Shadow asked perking up in the corner of the room. “Of course, Shadow. Will you accept my friendship too?” “Absolutely! We’re like a trio now! A circle of friends.” “Yes. I guess we are now. I’m so glad to hear that.” While the conversation between Sunset and Shadow had been going on, Alan had made his way to the bedroom door. He asked one of the guards stationed at her door to go find the princess and tell her that Sunset was awake. When he walked back to Sunset, he found her and Shadow laughing together. “I see you’ve connected with Shadow’s soft side. He may look mean and tough, but he’s really a pussycat on the inside.” “Hey!” Shadow protested. “Hay is for-” Alan glanced at Sunset, “uh…nevermind.” “Alan. Before the princess comes, do you think you could tell me the story of the first time you came to Equestria? Princess Celestia told me pieces of it, but didn’t go into much detail.” “uh…sure. I can do that. Let’s see: Before I came here and met the princess and Shadow, I was just an average human. As I said earlier, I didn’t have any desire to try to make friends. I kinda liked being isolated from the rest of the world.” Alan paused at that. “Now that I think back on it, it’s sad really. Ironically, even though I didn’t want to make friends, I wanted to be able to help people. I hated to see people sad. I did my best to try to make everybody happy. I still try to do that to this day, although deep inside, I know it’s a losing battle.” Alan paused again, looking a bit sad himself at that last thought. “Anyway, here’s my story: One day I was minding my own business, sitting in my house. I wasn’t doing anything interesting. I was just trying to find a few minutes to relax after a rough week. My relaxation didn’t last very long, though. If I remember correctly, I think I was about to fall asleep on the couch when this blinding white light appeared out of nowhere. Needless to say, it startled me. I’m not totally sure, but the first thing I did was probably scream out of fear.” “You probably did, knowing you” Shadow remarked. “Oh, shut up Shadow.” Alan responded, turning back to Sunset. Alan could hear the snickers coming from Shadow. “See what I have to deal with everyday?” Sunset giggled at both of them. “Don’t act like you two aren’t best friends. Even I can see that.” Alan smiled. “You have good instincts about friendship, my dear. I can see why Celestia picked you to help her.” Sunset wrapped Alan into a hug. “Thank you.” she said simply. “So, what happened next?” ‘Well let’s see. Oh yeah, that super bright light ended up being a door that brought me to Equestria. The force of the door slinging me through it knocked me out, so I don’t know what was happening to me at this point, but I do know that my mind was still working. I figured I was unconscious, and I hoped that this was a dream because when I opened my eyes, I found myself floating in some sort of void. It’s really hard to explain, but it was kinda like a big open empty room.’” “It’s funny you said that, because that ‘void’ was simply your subconscious.” Alan gave shadow a look. “What? You’re the one who said that your mind was a big empty place” Shadow defended. “I did kind of walk right into that one, didn’t I?” “Yep!!” Shadow said, laughing. “Well, either way, here’s where Shadow comes into the picture. Just a couple minutes after I found myself floating around, a creature appeared several feet away from me. I still remember what he said to me, almost word for word. ‘Alan, I’ve been waiting for you.’ He said. ‘I need your help. A great evil is rising, and you’re the only one who can stop it’ ‘W-w-who a-are you?’ I stumbled over my words, ‘A-and what are you t-t-talking about?’ ‘I am but a messenger, and I have delivered my message. I don’t have too much more information. However, I am instructed to provide assistance. Not that I have much choice. I’m trapped in this amulet you have around your neck.’ ‘What amulet?’ ‘Look down.’ I looked down and saw I was wearing some sort of necklace. I had not been wearing one earlier. ‘What is this thing? Where did it come from? I’ve never seen it before.’ ‘I’ve been trapped in that necklace for years.’ Shadow said, ‘I don’t know exactly how long, I lost track after the first ten or so.’ ‘So, is that where we are? Are we in the amulet?’ I asked. ‘You do not seem afraid of me.’ Shadow said, ignoring my question. ‘I guess that’s because I know this is some sort of dream. You’re not real.’ Shadow gave a laugh, ‘If you think that this is a dream now, just wait until you wake up.’ There was a slight audible rumble in the world around them. ‘Which, I believe, you’re about to do right now.’ Shadow was right. What I just encountered was nothing compared to what I was about to see. I was about to wake up in a world full of ponies. Of course, I didn’t know exactly who they were at the time, but when I woke up from my vision with Shadow, the first thing I saw was Princess Luna and Celestia stating at me, literally just inches from my face. I freaked out a little, more startled then anything. I tried to move out and away from the two ponies looking at me. In my haste to move, I bopped Celestia right in the muzzle.” “Really? You hit Celestia?” Sunset asked. “Well, ‘hit’ may be a bit strong, but, I guess, essentially I did. Now, what I found out next was pretty interesting. I learned that Shadow could talk to me at any time, but I would be the only one who could hear it. It was as if we could speak to my mind, rather than to me. It’s kind of weird until you get used to it. ‘Don’t just stand there like an idiot, Alan. Introduce yourself. They need your help.’ Shadow said to me in my mind. ‘uh…hi’ I said stupidly. ‘My name is Alan. Uh, it’s-it’s nice to meet you.’ I paused, and then shook my head trying to clear my thoughts. ‘Wait wait wait. I’m sorry for being so direct but, what are you?’ I remembered noticing that Celestia didn’t seem as surprised I would have thought she would have been. I guess it was because she’s probably seen a lot of stuff over the thousands of years she’s been alive. Anyway, long story short, after our introductions, and discovering who everyone was and where everyone came from, I found myself overly exhausted. I wasn’t sure why, It was only early afternoon. I don’t exactly remember what happened next, but I think I may have collapsed.” “You seem to do that a lot.” Sunset remarked “Well, you get thrown into a whole new world that you didn’t know existed and let’s see how you do.” Alan said as he smiled. “Back to the story then.” Alan continued, “The next thing I know, I’m back in that same void I found myself before. Shadow was once again there with me. ‘Welcome back.’ He said. ‘This time I’d like some answers.’ I told him. ‘Ask, and I will answer, if I can.’ ‘What are you?’ ‘I am a creature of shadows. I can blend in with shadows, and can even become a shadow. I suppose you could call me a shapeshifter of sorts. I was sent here to assist you in your mission to save the world from evil. I was told that the one that the amulet picks will be the best suited to the task and the amulet has chosen you, and thus released me into the bearer. That would be you.’ ‘Now just wait a minute. What are you talking about? You must have gotten the wrong guy.’ I argued. ‘Do I look like someone capable of saving the world?’ Shadow gave an almost eerie smile, ‘Oh, you have no idea of what you’re capable of now that you have me on your side.’ That last statement really freaked me out a bit. Either way, I gathered up some courage to ask my next question: ‘What kind of evil are we talking about anyway?’ The war has been brewing for centuries. It’s the battle of Hope vs. Fear. For many years, Hope and Fear have fought small battles. They go on all the time in your world, doesn’t it? Killings. muggings. Any crime that is committed, no matter how small, is a victory for the side of Fear. When those criminals get caught, that is a step for Hope. Unfortunately, the time is quickly approaching when Fear itself will come down and destroy everything in its path. We cannot let it do that. That is where you come in Alan. You have been chosen to take up the banner of Hope. As of this day forth, you ARE Hope.’ ‘What do you mean, ‘I am hope’?’ I asked. ‘The Element of Hope has chosen you. You now represent all that is Hope. You must build your army to fight back the forces of Fear. We are lucky, however, as I don’t believe Fear has gathered its army yet. That gives us some time to get ours prepared.’ ‘Now, just slow down here. This is a lot to take in. I still think you’ve got the wrong person.’ I argued. ‘You need to stop fighting it. You’ve been transported to a dimension of ponies, and now you’re talking to me. I think you should accept this.’ I was ready to fight this some more, but when I thought about everything that seems to have happened to me, I didn’t know what more to say. Maybe he was right. I still didn’t understand anything that was going on, but I couldn’t really argue with what had happened to me. I sighed, ‘Ok, tell me more.’ I said simply. ‘There are seven Elements of Fear: Deceit, Sadness, Treachery, Cruelty, Greed, Magic, and Fear itself. Together these seven are almost unstoppable. Fortunately, we have seven of our own. We have the Elements of Hope: Honesty, Laughter, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, Magic, and Hope itself. Hope and Fear together create the Elements of Harmony. You represent Hope, and as you can see, both sides have the Element of Magic. You have to find the other Elements of Hope quickly. We don’t have time to waste.’ ‘How do I find the others?’ I asked. ‘You must first find the Elements themselves, and then we can locate the bearers of those Elements.’ ‘Ok then. Where are the other Elements?’ ‘I don’t know.’ Shadow said honestly, ‘I think your Element of Hope will react when we get close to one. Perhaps the alicorns can help us as well. Anyway, I hope you’re rested up; It’s morning.’ ‘How can you tell?’ I asked. ‘I thought I was asleep.’ ‘You are, but that doesn’t mean I can’t see. I am in your mind, body, and soul. I can see, hear, and smell when you can’t. We can use that to our advantage.’ ‘Now just wait a minute. I don’t think I like you living in my mind, body, or soul. That’s just not right. Not to mention it’s downright creepy.’ ‘Too bad. We’re connected now.’ ‘But…’ ‘Please, Alan. I know you want to do the right thing. Otherwise the Element of Hope wouldn’t have chosen you.’ ‘Why didn’t I get a choice if I wanted to be picked?’ ‘It would be nice if the world always asked us if it’s ok before it does something, but it doesn’t. It doesn’t care if we don’t want bad things to happen to us, and that’s why the good guys have to be ready to help those in need. And I know deep inside you know it too. That’s why you’re going to say ‘yes’ because you can’t stand to see others hurting.’ ‘How did you know?’ I asked. ‘I’m living inside you, remember? I know what you’re thinking.’” “Whoa! You know what Alan is thinking?” Sunset asked Shadow. “Yeah,” Shadow responded, “We really are connected like that. I can feel his thoughts alright, but it goes farther than that. I can feel his pain too. Anything he feels I feel too, even when my body isn’t inside him, like now.” “That’s so cool!” Sunset said enthusiastically. “But now tell me more about the Elements of Harmony. Did you end up finding the Elements of Hope? Did you have your big battle between Hope and Fear?” “To answer your first question: Yes, the Elements of Harmony have been found. For your second question: No. Not yet. And I think that’s where you come in, Sunset.” “What do you mean?” “Princess Celestia thinks you’re one of the bearers of the Elements of Hope. That’s why she wants you to learn everything you can about the Elements of Harmony. She wants to make sure you’re ready for the task. She isn’t using you, Sunset. She’s trying to prepare you.” “I-I guess you’re right. I have to apologize to the Princess.” She sat silently for a few seconds. “You said you found the Elements? Where were they?” “Oh, yes. Let’s see. After I woke up, the princesses told me about Discord. Discord is a spirit of chaos and disharmony. I thought that maybe this was one of the Elements of Fear, so we three took off back toward their castle as fast as possible to try to confront him. On our way there, I felt a power surge in my amulet. “Your Element is senses the others.” Shadow said to me. “We have to go find them.” And so we did. My amulet led us into The Everfree Forest. Now, let me tell you something, Sunset. The Everfree Forest is a nasty place. I would avoid it, if I were you. Just saying. Anyway, my amulet led us into a cave deep within the forest. Inside the cave, we found a tree.” “A tree?” Sunset asked, arching an eyebrow. “Inside a cave?” “Yes. A giant glowing tree. Instead of bearing fruit, however, it produced Elements. The Elements of Hope to be exact.” “’These are the Elements of Hope’ I said to the princesses as they used their magic to grab the six of them. ‘I believe that with the power of these Elements, you can stop Discord, and bring about Hope for all ponies that live here. Now, let’s go and send Discord packing.’ And we went. We found Discord without too much trouble. It seems that he doesn’t like moving from his chair too much. ‘Back so soon Ladies?’ Discord asked. ‘Going to try to stop me again? Is this your sixth or seventh try? I lot track after about three of your failures. Although you have given me a good laugh each time, so feel free to continue trying all you want. Then his eyes concentrated on me. ‘And who is this? ‘The name’s Alan. I am here to ensure that you cannot ruin the lives of the ponies that live here anymore. Your dictatorship ends here! ‘Yes, we WILL stop you here.’ Princess Celestia called. Celestia and Luna both grabbed three of the Elements of Harmony. They channeled the power of the six into my own amulet. From there, an energy beam pulsed out of my amulet with enough force to make me slide back a couple feet. When the blast faded, what stood before us was the statue of Discord. That was about it. When we got back to their castle, they both used the spell to send me back home. I guess that’s really just about the end of my story in Equestria, until today, of course.” “Wait, you mean that was it? The fight against Discord wasn’t some epic battle?” Sunset asked. “Not really. That was about it.” “Well, that’s kind of a letdown.” Sunset complained. “I don’t know what to tell you. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna did all the work. I just found the Elements for them. But if you want to hear more, I guess I’ve been on some adventures back home too.” “You have? Please, tell me about it!” an excited Sunset requested. “OK, let’s see…When I made it back to my world…” “Sunset, my prized pupil! How are you feeling?” Princess Celestia said as she entered the room. “I’m feeling just fine Princess, thank you.” “I’m glad to hear it. Anyway Sunset, I need to-” “I’m so sorry Princess!” Sunset interrupted. Princess Celestia took a step back. She had not expected that at all. “I fought you all the way when you told me about the Magic of Friendship. I didn’t think friendship was all that important. Because of that, I defied your wishes. I thought you were just trying to use me, but I realize now that you were actually looking out for me, not yourself.” Sunset had tears in her eyes, and Princess Celestia was on the verge of crying as well. Princess Celestia walked up to Sunset’s bed and wrapped her in a hug. “No, it’s my fault for never telling you the full truth in the first place.” Celestia said while still in Sunset’s embrace. Shadow looked from the princess and her student to Alan. Shadow could tell that he was smiling, but he thought he noticed the forming of some tears of his own. “The joy he gets from seeing other happy. It truly is astounding.” Shadow melted down, until he was a simple shadow on the floor, and slid across the room and reformed next to Alan. “You’re a great friend, Alan.” he said in a hushed voice, “I’m always so happy to see you happy.” “Thanks, Shadow.” Alan said as he put his arm around shadow. “That truly means a lot to me.” “Alan? Would it be alright if I took a picture of you? After you get sent home last time, I regretted not getting a picture of you to put on my desk, so that I can celebrate what you did for me, even if you wish for me not to announce it” “Thank you, Princess.” Alan said, “I’ll be happy to pose for a picture.” Celestia then used her magic to set up her camera. Once she was happy with the positioning of the camera, she walked up next to Celestia. “Ready?” she asked. “Yep” Alan said. Then, using her magic, she took the picture. “Thank you, Alan” she said. “Of course” Alan said. “I’ll be sure to get you a copy of the picture for you as well.” “You’re Highness!” a guard yelled as he barged into the room. “The prisoner has escaped. There’s no trace of him!” “What?” Alan, Shadow, Sunset, and Celestia all said together. “It was as if he was never there. The bars in his cell haven’t been tampered with, and the door was locked. There’s no sign he was ever there.” The royal guard explained. “There were two guards on duty the entire time he was there. There should have been no way he would have been able to escape. We’ve already launched an investigation, as well as positioning guards on every corner of Canterlot with a description of the unicorn.” “I want to see his cell.” Celestia said. “Maybe I can figure something out. In the meantime, I want you to put Canterlot on lockdown. I want guards across all the borders, and I want all traffic in and out of the city halted. We need to find him before somepony gets hurt.” Celestia took a deep breath before continuing, “Alan, will you come with me? I could use your help.” “Sure thing.” Alan answered. “Sunset, I would like you to stay here in bed. I need you rested incase anything happens.” Sunset looked as if she were about to object, but after a quick glance at Alan, she bit her tongue. “Yes, Princess.” Alan, the princess, and the royal guard rushed out of the room and ran (or galloped) towards the prison. The three were halfway down the hallway when they heard a scream. “That’s Sunset” Celestia said. The three turned around and made their way back to Sunset’s room. As they approached at full speed, the unicorn guard used his magic to open the door, and Alan was the first to enter. He saw Sunset still in her bed, and not far from the foot of the bed, was the unicorn who had escaped from the prison. “How did you escape?” Alan demanded. The only answer he got was a smirk that just radiated evil. “Easily.” He said simply. Then the unicorn disappeared, and in its place was a swirl of thick brown smoke. The smoke moved as if it were a living creature. The smoke came together to form a small ball shape. The ball reared back, and shot itself toward Sunset. Before a warning cry could be made, the ball struck Sunset. The force of the blow slammed her onto her back in her bed. Everyone in the room ran up to her. Brown energy pulsed through her body. All of a sudden, Sunset’s eyes shot open. Her eyelids reveled eyes that were not hers. Instead of her usual cyan, her eyes were now a rich brown color. “Who are you?” Alan asked. “You will not stop us! I now have exactly what you need. There is nothing you can do!” was the only answer Alan got. Sunset then shot a spell from her horn right at Alan. He couldn’t react in time, and got nailed right in the chest with the blast. It threw him back right into Celestia, who due to her magic, stopped them both from toppling over from the impact. Sunset then sprouted wings from out of nowhere. She turned to the window and the glass instantly shattered. Then using magic, she picked up the sharp glass shards and shot them at Alan and Celestia. This time it was the guards turn, and he used his magic to create a shield around all of them. The glass hit the shield and bounced away harmlessly. Unfazed by her failed attack, Sunset jumped out the window, and started flying straight up. Celestia ran up toward the window, and opened her wings. “ We need to stop whoever is controlling Sunset.” Celestia turned to Alan. “Get on.” Celestia ordered. “I’ll need your help.” Celestia used her magic to place Alan onto her back. “Hold on.” She said. Then took off to the air faster than Alan could imagine, leaving the royal guard yelling out the window for the princess to return to safety. Both Sunset and Celestia flew up high above the castle. Sunset turned and faced Celestia and Alan. “You will not stop us.” Sunset said. Then she fired a magic bolt towards Celestia. She managed to dodge the bolt, and fired one of her own. It hit its target. Sunset, stunned by the attack, began to freefall towards the ground. “We have to catch her!” Alan called to Celestia. Celestia nodded and began a controlled dive. Celestia was moving so fast Alan could barely hang on to her. They had caught up to Sunset, but the ground was mere feet away. Alan reached out to grab Sunset, when all of a sudden she raised her head toward them both, her horn glowing, and her mouth twisting into a dark smile. The spell Sunset had activated transported them to a different location. Next thing Celestia and Alan knew they were in a cave. Luckily, Celestia managed to slow down significantly before hitting the hard ground. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to slow down enough. The force of the impact knocked Alan off Celestia. At the same time, Alan heard something crack. He thought he had broken something. However, the painful yell that came from Celestia confirmed that the crack he heard had not come from him, but rather from alicorn. “Princess, are you alright?” “I-I’ll be fine” Celestia said through the pain. “I think my legs are broken. I have a spell that can heal my bones, but it will take me a couple minutes for the spell to finish.” “If you need a few minutes, I’ll be sure to buy you some time.” Alan turned toward Sunset, who had transported with them. “Ok, first off,” Alan asked, “where are we?” “We’re currently in the caves beneath Canterlot. This cavern will also act as your tomb.” “Well that seems a little harsh doesn’t it? If you’re really that sure that we can’t stop you, then why kill us? Unless of course, you actually believe that we can stop you, which would then be an excellent reason to try to kill us. Although, if we can stop you, then I’m not sure you’d be able to kill us, because we would obviously be more skilled than you.” “Nice stalling technique.” Shadow complemented in Alan’s mind. “You’re just trying to confuse me, human. You cannot distract me.” “I’m afraid to say this,” Alan retorted, “but I wasn’t really trying to confuse you, I was just stating a fact, and then my conclusions based on my interpretations of the fact.” Sunset stared at Alan for a second in confusion. Alan took this moment to take a few steps away from Celestia. Now that Sunset was concentrating on him, it would give Celestia more time to complete her spell. “Enough of this!” Sunset spat, “YOU DIE HERE!” She shot a magic bolt toward Alan, but he was prepared for this attack and was able to jump over the bolt fairly easily. The magic hissed as it collided with the back wall of the cave. Alan countered by throwing a Shadowrang from mid air. Alan’s aim was perfect but it never hit its target, as Sunset’s magic stopped it cold. She then launched it back toward Alan at blinding speed. However, Alan was already one step ahead, and threw another one. The two Shadowrangs collided with each other, and fell harmlessly to the ground. Another magic bolt was fired, this one much bigger. It sailed through the air sizzling with energy. This one hit Alan right in the chest. The impact of the blow sent him flying toward the cave wall. Before Alan hit the wall, Shadow used his energy to form a protective barrier behind Alan. The barrier smacked into the wall. The wall, however, was no match for the magic bolt continuously pushing Alan backwards. The wall broke from the impact, and Alan was slung to the ground in the newly opened cavern. Sunset flew into the cavern, and stood over Alan. “See? I was right on both accounts. You cannot stop me, and you WILL die here.” Her horn began to light up with magic, preparing to deliver the final spell of the fight. “I don’t think so!” Came a voice from the hole in the wall. Sunset turned to look and see Celestia standing there, her legs looking as strong as ever. This distraction was all that Alan needed. He swung his leg around and delivered a solid kick right to Sunset left cheek. Sunset reeled back, but she regained her composure faster than Alan anticipated. Sunset had taken to the air, just as Alan was able to get back up to his feet. “Shadow, let’s stop her once and for all.” “Love to.” Shadow answered. Alan made a fist with his right hand. Suddenly a surge of energy swept down his arm. The energy seemed to collect on his arm. A few seconds later, Shadow’s energy created some sort of gauntlet with a set of razor sharp claws coming out of the fist. “This ends here!” Alan yelled. He jumped into the air toward Sunset, gauntlet extended. Sunset, not totally prepared for the attack hastily cast her finishing spell prematurely. Time seemed to stand still as Celestia watched from the sidelines. Alan’s attack was so swift that he was practically on top of Sunset before she had cast her spell. Alan was mere inches from Sunset when her spell made contact with Alan’s gauntlet. The impact caused a blast wave to wash over the cave. Celestia could hear a scream of pain from Alan, and a second later he was gone; A trail of smoke trailing from where Alan’s body once was. The necklace Alan wore around his fell to the ground. Sunset looked shocked for several seconds; as if she couldn’t believe that she had won the battle. “The symbol of Hope now lies on the ground, as useless as the one who once wore it. Now just as the Human has died so as Hope, and,” Sunset turned toward Celestia, “all of your hope, too, has been taken away from you as well, dear teacher. Now you will share in his fate.” “NO!!” Celestia screamed, the anger inside her fueling her energy. “You will pay dearly for what you have just done!” Celestia fired a beam from her horn which was repelled by a quick shield put up by Sunset. “Seems I underestimated you.” Sunset said through gritted teeth. Sunset then used what little energy she had left to teleport to the other side of the cavern. In the corner of the cavern sat an object with a tarp covering it fully. Sunset took the tarp off to reveal a simple looking mirror. “You will never stop me!” Sunset said, and jumped right into the mirror. Instead of hitting a solid, pane of glass, the mirror bent around her, and she walked through it. Celestia ran towards the mirror ready to jump through it as well. As she got close to the mirror, she noticed that a glossy sheen swept across the mirror. Celestia stopped short of the mirror, and pressed her hoof against it. “Solid.” She said simply. An overwhelming sadness swept over Celestia. She had lost so much today. She had just lost one of her best friends, as well as her closest student, which then meant that she had just lost her chance to be reunited with her sister. Today was one of the worst days of her life; second only to the day she had sent Luna to the moon. This was a day that she would never forget the pain and sadness that would undoubtedly stay will her for thousands of years. She picked up the necklace that once represented Hope. Now, all it brought the alicorn was deep sadness. She wiped a tear from her eye as she found her way out of the cave to resume her lifelong duties to the ponies of Equestria. A life that now carried immeasurable sadness, as well as the duty to spreading Hope to all she can reach able to, just as Alan had always done.