//------------------------------// // Chapter Twenty – Sunset // Story: The Scion of Harmony // by Thornwing //------------------------------// Twilight soared toward Canterlot. The sun remained fixed in the low eastern sky, granting its warmth to help dry her mane for the second time in as many hours. Without her magic to guide its journey, the entire day seemed frozen at the time of her arrival. A few clouds behind, Rainbow Dash struggled to keep up. “Twilight, hold up!” Twilight circled around and hovered, beating her wings against the pull of gravity. “We have to hurry. There isn’t much time left.” “It’s not me, it’s Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash zipped up to her side and pointed back over the Ponyville storm clouds. Fluttershy looked more like a hummingbird as she furiously beat her rainsoaked wings, desperately trying to maintain altitude. Slowly, she made the climb. “Are you going to be okay to fly to Canterlot, Fluttershy? You can always take the train with the others, if you want to.” Twilight thought about making her join them, but didn’t want to hurt her feelings. “I’ll be okay,” Fluttershy said, panting as her wings caught more air and slowed their rapid cycling. “The hard part is over.” “That may be true of the flying, but the hardest part is yet to come. We need to get to Canterlot and help Princess Luna.” Twilight pointed her hoof north and nodded her head. “It’s not even supposed to rain for another three days,” Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath. Fluttershy nodded to Twilight and the trio resumed their flight. Free of the clouds and rain, Twilight called back over her shoulder as they went. “Remember not to call me Twilight when we get there.” She assumed her friends could hear her and settled into the stream. Below, and not far behind, the Friendship Express chugged its way across the rolling hills bound for Canterlot. Flying was faster and there wasn’t any time to waste. Those that could took to the skies. The rest of the team boarded the train, and would rejoin them later. The bigger worry weighing on Twilight’s mind was how quickly Princess Cadance and Shining Armor could make the trip down from the Crystal Empire. They replied to her letter saying they would be on the express train as soon as they could. Signing the message as both Celestia and herself certainly conveyed the urgency required. Timing was everything. A half-hour into their flight, the golden spires of Canterlot rose in the distance. Fluttershy remained true to her word and kept pace as well as could be expected. Rainbow Dash sprinted along in bursts. Twilight held back, measuring her drive to go faster with the ability of her friends to keep up. Spotting a patrol ahead, Twilight came to a halt. The others joined at her sides and hovered. “Remember the plan,” Twilight said swinging her neck from left to right. “Stay close to me and follow my lead. We need to find Luna and wait for the others to arrive.” “We got it, Twilight… uhh, I mean… Princess Celestia.” Rainbow Dash’s grin spread across her face. “Just call me ‘princess’,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “It’s weird enough being in her body, I don’t need you using her name all the time as well.” “It might help if you acted more like her and less like yourself—Princess.” Rainbow Dash smirked before rolling over and gliding away. “I’m trying…” Twilight frowned. “It’s okay, Twilight.” Fluttershy clasped a hoof over her mouth. “I’m sorry—Princess.” Her blushing helped soften the blow of an honest mistake. “Let’s get going.” Twilight dipped her wings and pushed forward. Three Pegasi approaching the castle with royal guests in attendance and a mysteriously unmoving sun in the sky set off some alarms. The guards made swift identification of the Princess and her entourage while escorting their approach to the royal tower. Landing on her own balcony, Twilight hailed the guard detachment. “Where is my sister?” Two of the three stallions took up position near the doors. “Resting in her quarters, Your Highness,” a grey stallion replied, stepping forward and snapping a hoof to his temple. “Shall I summon her?” “Where is the royal delegation from Maretonia?” Twilight asked, not bothering to answer the guard’s question. “They are in the gardens on a tour with the royal gardener, Your Majesty. I believe dinner is next on the royal agenda.” The guard’s stare followed Twilight as she paced across the balcony in front of her friends. “That’s good,” Twilight said, still trying to work out the details of the plan in her head. “Prepare six rooms near the royal chambers—more guests will be arriving shortly, including Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. Let me know the minute they get here.” Twilight spun around to the others. “Rainbow Dash, I need you to clear the sky of any clouds. How fast can you do that?” “Uhh, before dinner.” Rainbow Dash tipped back admiring her forehoof and flexing her wings. “Princess,” she added, lowering her chin and lifting her gaze. Squatting into a ball, she leapt up into the air to set about her task. “Fluttershy,” Twilight pivoted to the left, “do you think you can liaise with our guests and make sure they stay occupied?” “Not a problem, Princess.” Fluttershy gave a smile and a nod before gently flapping her wings and hopping over the railing. “Your Majesty,” the guard asked, still clutching his hoof to his head, “permission to speak freely?” “Yes?” Twilight waved her hoof in the air in a half-hearted attempt at a salute before thinking better of it. “Is something the matter?” The guard cautiously lowered his foreleg. “Should we be on high alert?” Twilight drew back a pace. “Of course not.” She tried to maintain eye contact with the guard. Her awkward smile didn’t help matters. “I just need to see to all the last minute guests arriving is all. It’s proving rather stressful.” Now she knew she needed an escape. The guard snapped his hoof up again. “I’ll see to your orders at once, Your Highness.” Edging around the guard, she made a break for her room. As she slid forward, the pair guarding the entrance lifted their forehooves to bar the way. Twilight shuddered, nearly tripping over her gold capped hooves. Much to her relief, the stallions took hold of the handles and pulled open the doors. She stepped forward with the latch setting in with a click behind her once inside. She heard the fluttering sweep of at least one pair of wings as she pulled back the curtains. Finally alone, she scanned the room. She had a few minutes, but validation of her theory might take time. That precious time slipped away in her search for the one thing she needed that nopony else could help her uncover. She had to find Celestia’s diary. The private sitting room off in the corner with the large bay window seemed like the best place to begin her search. She remembered that Celestia would often relax there on a quiet afternoon, curled up on the window seat with a good book. The small bookshelf on the left held many of her personal favorites. She ran her hoof down the row eliminating everything on the first shelf. The second shelf followed with the same result. The old diary wasn’t there. Twilight stepped back out in the bedroom proper and looked around at the rest of the regular bookshelves. Celestia lived in her own private library. Floor to ceiling, some of the shelves weren’t even accessible without magic, or a ladder climbing assistant. She had to start somewhere. Most of the shelves she could ignore completely given the size of the books. A small row, directly over the head of the bed, caught her eye, and she climbed up onto the mattress and stepped across the sheets to reach it. In doing so, her hoof hit something solid. The white bedspread was fluffy enough that the lump wasn’t readily seen. Curious, she grasped the covers in her mouth and drew them back to investigate. There, on the bed and hidden from sight by the covering, lay Celestia’s diary. Twilight scrambled down and flipped open the book, confused by the odd placement. Near the beginning, the passages of importance confirmed her fears and solidified her plan. She closed it up and gently placed in the saddle bag next to Starswirl’s writings. Phase three started a little earlier than expected, but she still had to wait for her guests. Making her decision for what to do in the meantime, she headed for the bedroom door. A private talk with Luna before dinner would help ensure the rest of the night went as planned. She pushed down on the handle and slipped out into the hallway. Twilight walked up to Luna’s bedroom door and nodded to the attendant. The guards looked a little confused with her presence in the East Tower. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, but the Princess gave strict instructions that she is not be disturbed until just before moonrise.” The midnight-blue Thestral pony bowed his head but kept his spear crossed against the door with his partner. “But…” Twilight took another step toward the door. “I need to talk to my sister.” “We have our orders.” The other guard clinked his spear to the ground. Twilight paused, then took a step back. Luna’s guard were a particular bunch and they answered to only one Princess. The seconds ticked by as she debated making a scene. Without her magic to back her up, the imposing guards presented quite the obstacle. She doubted they would attack her if she tried to force her way in, but it wasn’t worth the struggle. Just as she turned to walk away with the idea to check the outer window, the door glowed and opened. “Come in, sister,” Luna’s voice called out from the dark room as the guards withdrew to the sides. Twilight came around and walked past the not-so-happy stallions. Once her tail slipped through the entry, the door closed and locked behind her. With all the curtains drawn and no other light source in the room, she stumbled forward in the dark. “Luna?” she asked in the general direction of the bed. From off in the far corner, a small voice answered. “We are not ready.” Fumbling forward, Twilight made her way around the bed. Hoof over hoof, she crawled toward the voice. “Luna, what’s wrong?” “Do not play us for a foal! Thou knowest what is wrong, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna’s pointed response caught Twilight off guard. “I’m not sure I understand, Princess.” Twilight inched her way forward. “Can we talk about it?” The glow from Luna’s horn lit the corner. Her tear-streaked face sparkled against her limp mane. Her ears drooped as she turned to face Twilight. “Princess, are you alright?” Twilight reached out a hoof, not knowing if she dared make contact. “I am not, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna bowed her head. “For the first time in my life, I fear the coming of the night.” Her formal speech fell away as she sunk to the floor and buried her head in her hooves. Twilight pulled back. Something didn’t feel right. Her mind struggled to process the scene. The empathy she felt twisted around on itself, driven by a need to understand the situation. The most caring and uncaring word she could fathom escaped her throat: “Why?” The Princess of the Night looked up and scowled at her. “Nightmare Moon.” The reply came tinged with a spiteful hiss. “But, that’s all in the past.” Twilight said, rebounding from her fears. “No. It isn’t.” Luna’s horn lit two sconces on opposite walls and faded back to normal. “The present echoes memories of the past. Last time I took control of the sun, I could not rein in my desires for power. A lonely millennium apart gives one time to think, and I do not wish to return to that dreadful place. It may seem like a little thing, but I swore I would never seek after my sister’s destiny again. I cannot do so now.” “There’s another way!” Twilight grinned and pulled the books from her saddle bag, setting them on the floor in front of Luna. “I found the answer in Starswirl’s library and confirmed it in Celestia’s diary!” Luna tipped her head and flicked her tail aside. She reached out a hoof and prodded at Starswirl’s book. “What have you found?” “I found the spell he used to control the sun before this took over.” Twilight reached up and clutched at the collar around her neck. “That won’t help,” Luna replied, scoffing at the idea and pushing the book aside. “It takes years of practice for the most skilled wizards to learn that spell. I doubt even the highmage of Canterlot University could learn the incantation before nightfall.” “He doesn’t have to,” Twilight said. Luna chuckled and wiped a tear from her cheek. “You’ve read my sister’s diary. You must know it took at least six Unicorns to raise the sun—” “And another six to raise the moon.” Twilight pushed the diary forward. “We can’t go that route since it would drain their magic as well.” “I can handle the moon myself,” Luna said, pulling back and holding on to her collar. “What are you proposing we do with the sun?” “We just need the right kind of pony!” Twilight exclaimed, beaming from ear to ear. “One that’s powerful enough to work the spell, and special enough that it won’t drain her magic.” Luna sighed. “This will not end well.” “Why do you say that?” Twilight’s smile dropped. “Princess Cadance is the perfect choice. I already wrote to her and she’s on her way here right now.” “Answer me this, Princess,” Luna said as she rose to her hooves, “have you ever tried to raise the sun or the moon?” Twilight pondered the question. “Well, there was that one time a few months ago…” “Besides the day you spent infused with the magic of us all.” Luna tossed her mane and the sparkle glow returned. “Now that I think about it, no.” Twilight’s mane drooped back against her withers. Luna moved forward. “Then you have no idea how it will affect another pony, even if she happens to be a princess.” “But, she’s an Alicorn.” Twilight turned to follow Luna as she walked past. “That makes her both powerful and special.” “Control of the cosmos is not her calling.” Luna stopped and twisted her neck around. “She bears the Mantle of Love, not the Sun or the Moon.” “That shouldn’t matter.” Twilight gathered the books and placed them back in her saddle bag. “We have the spell and she has the magic. Do we have another option?” “No. Be that as it may, she must understand the risks.” Luna walked toward the door. “Let us eat and gather our strength. Night approaches and we must be prepared.” The doors responded to her horn and opened at her bidding. Twilight nodded and followed Luna out the door. The dining hall fell silent as the Princess Sisters walked in. Their hooffalls echoed through the room, unchallenged by anything but the soft grunting from Rainbow Dash chewing bits of cloud out of her forehoof. Luna motioned to a chair at the end of the table and continued to the far side where she took up her seat. With a quick stop to unload her pack up in her room, Twilight was back on display in the most public of ways. Twilight smiled around at the guests, both familiar and not so familiar faces waited for her to take a seat. Slipping into her chair, the conversation in the room returned to normal. To her right sat Fluttershy, then Rainbow Dash, and then a few more ponies she only remembered faces of from her days living in the castle. On her left sat the Duke of Maretonia and his wife, the Duchess. Following them, a trio of Maretonian diplomats filled the rest of the chairs ending with Luna on the far end. A tropical centerpiece blocked her direct sight across the formal table setting. It resembled the headdress pieces of her guests, but looked a lot more edible. Leaning to her right, Twilight caught a brief smile from Luna before a tray plopped in front of her. The waiter lifted the dome to reveal a plate half-filled with garden fresh vegetables and the other half, tropical fruits. “I hear you had a nasty fall this morning, Your highness,” the Duke said, his wife’s hoof quickly settling atop his own with her curt smile and blush adding to the awkwardness of his opening comment. “It is encouraging to see you here tonight as I was told you were otherwise unavailable, I assume, recovering in earnest.” “Yes.” Twilight tried to smile while staring down at her food and realizing just how hungry she was. “It’s been quite the day.” “We appreciate you sending Fluttershy here to assist in our tour of the gardens,” the Duchess said, pointing her other hoof across the table. “She’s such a delightful source of information.” “Why thank you, Your Majesty,” Fluttershy said, blushing as red as the beet on her plate. “Just doing my part to help out.” “And this one over here,” the Duke bellowed. “I haven’t seen anything like her before. The entire sky, cleared of every cloud—just like that.” “That was nothing,” Rainbow Dash said. “I’ve kicked twice as many clouds in half that time.” “Heh, Rainbow Dash is one of a kind.” Twilight clenched her teeth, shooting a furtive glare at Rainbow. She turned back to the diplomat side and the line of waiting plates. “Shall we eat, then?” “Don’t mind if I do.” Rainbow Dash dove into her food. Three bites in, Fluttershy kicked her shin. Dash looked up at the whole table staring back at her. Fluttershy turned to Twilight and motioned for her to take the first bite. Twilight stared down the table at all the swiveling heads. They all stared back. Looking down at her own plate, she noted that the silverware present would be extremely hard to handle without her magic, and all eyes were on her. The only other place settings that had any utensils were with the other Unicorns on the far right. Not wanting to force the issue of her lack of magic, a beautifully simple plan formed in her head. “Waiter, please come take these utensils away,” Twilight called to the pony stationed at the door. “I wish us all to dine as one in the spirit of friendship tonight.” The waiter rushed forward and took hold of the silverware in his hornglow. The other place settings around the table followed. Once clear, Twilight nodded to her right and then to her left and proceeded to plant her face directly in her food. She raised her head with her muzzle stuffed full of the most amazingly sweet fruit she had ever tasted. The rest of the table followed her lead and soon the entire group was enjoying their royal feast. Two carrots, three orange slices, and a pile of kumquats later, a Pegasus guard flew through the open window above. He circled the table and came to rest a few steps from Twilight. Taking two steps forward, he bent at the knee and whispered up at the Princess. “The Crystal Express has arrived, Your Highness.” Twilight bent her neck around the centerpiece and nodded at Luna. Luna nodded back. Straightening up, Twilight turned to her guests and pushed back from the table. “I’m sorry to have to leave you so soon, but there are pressing matters that I must attend. I hope Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash can keep you company while I’m gone.” “By all means.” The Duke tipped his head and the Duchess did likewise. The entire table rose as Twilight and Luna stepped back, unfurled their wings and flew through the window. Barely into the open sky, Luna cut out in front and stopped. “Are you certain of this plan, Twilight?” “We don’t have another choice unless you decide you want to take on both yourself,” Twilight replied. “That would not be wise.” Luna shook her head. “We have only a short time left before the sun should set. I shall retrieve Princess Cadance. Gather the books and meet us in the castle observatory.” Twilight saluted and Luna flew away toward the train depot. Five floors up and a little to the left, the royal balcony awaited. She flapped her wings and rose to the ledge. A few steps and she was safely within the bedroom. A few more, and she grabbed the saddle bag from off the bad and flung it over her back. This was it; the moment of truth. Twilight sat and pondered her fate. In a few minutes, the sun would set and the moon would rise and everything would be as it should. With the last Trial won, the weight of what would follow hung over her head. The passing of a Mantle, one she didn’t even know existed until a week ago, meant something much more than gaining a pair of wings or becoming a princess. Celestia held the power of the sun; Luna held the moon; Cadance embodied the spirit of love. The duty of guarding the very essence of magic itself, the power that built the entire universe, was greater than all of those. I don’t know if I’m ready. I may never be ready. She slowly got to her hooves and shook out her mane. Ready or not… Up on the platform of the tallest tower in Canterlot, Twilight waited. Luna swooped down with Cadance behind only a flap. The pair approached and Twilight took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves. “We came as fast as we could.” Cadance tipped her head and bent her knee. The grace and poise of a princess radiated from every pink hair on her coat. “Your note said it was urgent.” “She hasn’t been told?” Luna stared up at Twilight, her mouth hanging open ever so slightly. “When were you going to tell her?” “I didn’t have time.” Twilight shook her head. “I had to get my friends on the train and fly back to Canterlot to validate my plan.” She turned to face Cadance. “I’m sorry, Princess. Thank you for coming so quickly.” “What’s the matter? Is something wrong?” Cadance swapped glances between the two sisters before turning a hoof toward the sun. “Does it have anything to do with that?” “I’m afraid it’s a long story, and yes, it has everything to do with that.” Twilight reached back into her bag and pulled out Starswirl’s book. “We have twenty minutes.” Luna’s hornglow embraced the book and floated it over to Cadance. Flipping to the appropriate page, she laid it out a foot from her nose. “Do you recognize this spell?” Cadance read down the page. She looked up over the top and met Twilight’s gaze and then headed back down to read it a second time. Her own hornglow embraced the book and moved it aside. “I-I’m not sure I understand.” She flipped the book over and read from the cover. The light of realization sparked in her eyes. A forehoof rose up apprehensively. “What’s going on?” “How quickly can you learn the spell?” Luna asked, direct and unwavering. Cadance took a step back. “Where is Twilight? Shouldn’t you be asking her?” “Good question. Perhaps she should answer for herself.” Luna turned and glared at Twilight, clearly perturbed and becoming more agitated by the second. “She’s not in trouble, is she?” Cadance steadied herself. She took another quick look toward the sun, still fixed in the eastern sky. “She didn’t let one of her spells cause a problem with the sun, did she?” “I wouldn’t exactly put it that way.” Twilight cocked her head to the side and scrunched up her face at Luna. “She needs the truth and we’re running out of time.” Luna stomped her hoof. “Tell her—sister!” “Tell me what?” Cadance’s eyes turned up to Twilight, pleading for some unknown bit of knowledge. Twilight’s hindquarters hit the floor. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, and I’m stuck in Celestia’s body. We need your help to lower the sun and restore order to the cosmos before I fail my test and magic throughout the entire universe is eradicated forever.” She ended the sentence with an awkward smile. Cadance’s smile spread across her face. She gave a small chuckle followed by a bigger one. More left her mouth until she was full out laughing. “Who put you up to this? Was it Shining? Twilight? Ohhh, I bet it was Twilight. Where is she? Come on out, Twi!” Twilight’s smile disappeared. “It’s not a joke.” “Wait.” The book dropped and Cadance stared over at the sisters. Their completely straight faces masked nothing. “Are you serious?” Luna caught the book in her hornglow and floated it back in front of Cadance. “How quickly can you learn the spell?” “I-I don’t know,” Cadance stammered. “A couple days?” “You have fifteen minutes.” Luna turned and walked to railing. Cadance raised a hoof and pushed the book aside. With three quick steps she threw herself at Twilight. “Twilight, why didn’t you say something before?” Her hooves latched around Twilight’s neck in a tender embrace. “I-I didn’t know how to tell you,” Twilight replied, the tears starting to fall down her face. “Oh, Twilight. Don’t cry.” Cadance patted the back of Twilight’s head and ran her hoof through the flowing mane. “Shining will be here soon, and we can gather your friends and everything will be just fine.” “They can’t help.” Twilight gently pulled away. Her lip quivered as Cadance settled down in front of her. “It has to be you. We need your Alicorn magic to guide the sun. Even with five other mages, there was only one Unicorn that was ever powerful enough to do it more than a few times, and he isn’t here right now—but his book is.” “I don’t know, Twilight.” Cadance turned her head to look over at the book still hanging in midair. “I’ve never seen that spell before and it looks really complicated.” “It is,” Luna said as she stepped away from the railing. “And now you have twelve minutes to learn it.” “Hey,” Twilight snapped, “you’re not helping.” “Want to see what happens if I try and take my sister’s place?” Luna snarled. “No, but—” “Then the clock is ticking.” Luna tossed the book over to Cadance and turned back to gaze at the sky. Cadance’s hornglow enveloped the book. “What do I need to do, Twilight?” Twilight raised a hoof and pointed down at the book. “You have to learn the spell and set the sun.” “Why can’t you do it?” Cadance pointed up at the sun collar. “You have the Mantle of the Sun right there.” Twilight sighed. “I didn’t even know what this was before this morning. In any case, I can’t use any magic at all until I’m done with my Trials. You’re the only one that can do it. There aren’t any other Alicorns.” “Trials? What do you mean? Why can’t Luna lower the sun?” Cadance tossed the questions right back at Twilight. “There isn’t time to explain. You have to learn the spell and then use it to help Luna rearrange the sky. If you don’t, a lot of bad things are going to happen.” Cadance lifted a hoof to her head and rubbed her temple. “I’ll give it a try, but you owe me an explanation after this is all over.” “I’ll tell you every single detail, just get to learning that spell.” “Ten minutes,” Luna called out. “Not helping!” Twilight called back in frustration. “Okay, where do we start?” Cadance floated the book in between them and flipped to the spell page. “You’re trying too hard.” Luna lifted her wings and rose up next to Cadance. “Let the magic flow through you. Don’t fight it.” Cadance strained against the force the spell exerted on her horn. Twilight watched from below, clutching her hooves under her chin. Her eyes darted between watching the horizon and flicking back to Cadance. The seconds ticked by and only the gentle flap of Alicorn wings rustled in the absence of wind. Cadance took a deep breath and held it. Her wings stretched wide, but she managed to maintain altitude. The hornglow brightened. She opened her eyes and only white light shone from within the sockets. In the distance, the sun twitched and sank below the horizon. A moment later, Luna’s horn came to life and her wings stretched out to her sides. The moon rose into place supplanting the sun on the eastern skyline. Both horns subsided, and two Princesses floated back to the observatory platform. Twilight rushed over to Candance and threw her forelegs around her neck, half-supporting and half-comforting the trembling mare. Cadance’s legs gave out and Twilight struggled to hold her upright. The pink pony’s eyes rolled back into her head and her neck went limp. Twilight gulped and called over to Luna, “Help!”