//------------------------------//
// Beneath the Silent Stars 
// Story: Fallen Sun 
// by shademaster24601 
//------------------------------//

	Needless to say, everyone was feeling the weight of the situation. Rainbow, Applejack, and Twilight were all in agreement that, though there was more going on than they realized, Celestia needed them now more than ever. Uriah, whatever his plans were, presented a very unique and potent threat. However, it would be accurate to say that Twilight was taking this harder than the rest. For all the time she knew her, Celestia always seemed so perfect; like she was the flawless image of harmony itself. Now, before Twilight's eyes, a huge red stain was destroying that image. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity rejoined them in the halls. There wasn't a lot of talking, some shared needed hugs or affirming nods. The lavender princess and the pink party pony avoided each other though, both finding it difficult to find the right words. They kept their friends between them till they felt ready.

They followed a member of the castle wait staff to a guest suite in the west wing. He opened, for them, the door to a luxurious room. The whole thing was done in marble, with a large green rug in the center, surrounded by three king sized beds. The curtains were green silk with a golden trim and off to the end opposite the entrance was a balcony with a glorious view of Canterlot. The server gave a regretful sigh. "I'm so sorry to inconvenience you like this princess Twilight, but with all the extra security princess Celestia has brought in, we've run short on rooms."

Twilight just smiled and waved it off. "It's quite alright. I think we'll manage just fine."

He gave a bow. "Very well, miss. If you and your honored friends need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask."

With that said and the six were left to get comfortable, they all let out a collective breath of relief. Still, it was hard to ignore the looks of concern. Applejack, however, wasn't about to stay silent. She sat down on the bed nearest to her and broke the ice. "Look, I think it's about time we all acknowledge  that there's a lot of unease with all that's been goin' on. I don't know about y'all, but I don't really like the amount tension that's suddenly come up between the ponies that I love to pieces. So, how about we clear the air on this one and bring it off."

The girls looked unsure at first, but they couldn't deny that she was right. Twilight spoke next. "Applejack's right. What we need now...what we'll always need is each other. Our friendship is the best thing about us and we can't let the situation change that." This drew a smile from everypony, but Pinkie. She still looked sad, but nodded in agreement. "Okay," Twilight continued. "This is big. I don't know what's going to happen, I don't know what Uriah will do, and I don't know what we can do about it. Worst of all..." She took a moment to reassure herself that she was actually saying this. "I don't know if I'm ever going to look at Celestia the same way again."

Rainbow sat at attention. "Woah, let's not get ahead of ourselves." She started to hover as her thoughts played out. "I get that what happened was a lot more than anything we've had to deal with. Lots of dark times and hard choices, but that was then and this is now."

Rairty sent a questioning look in rainbow's direction. "You're awfully quick to jump to her defense. Are you actually okay with how Celestia brainwashed the entire world?"

"Five hundred years ago," Rainbow pointed out. "And I think that's enough of a gap to separate the world as we know it from that one."

Twilight nodded, but did raise a hoof to interject. "Things might be perfect now, but what if ponies knew about the basilisks and what Uriah did to stop them? It robbed Equestria of a huge chunk of it's history. All of those colonies could have become a separate nation in their own right, soldiers who gave their lives fighting the basilisks would have been idolized as heroes, and Uriah...I'm sure if..."

"What? That he'd go on to be a great ruler of Equestria and everypony would just let it slide that he wiped out an entire race of creatures in a fit of blood rage?" Applejack silenced the group with her stern interruption. "You can't just...do something like that. The fella deserved what he got."

It went unnoticed, but the remark made Pinkie's hair stand on end. Rarity took the defense for this one, glaring at the blunt remark. "What choice did he have? Those monsters were the cruelest and most gruesome creatures I've ever heard of. I shudder to think of what those ghastly things might have done if Uriah hadn't acted."

Fluttershy found herself shivering with the growing tension. She peaked out slightly while keeping herself buried in the covers of the bed opposite of Applejack. "Please stop fighting. Can't we just agree that we don't know what's going to happen and be friends again for when it does?"

This drew a sorrowful look from the group and Twilight immediately said what they were all thinking. "Who said anything about not being friends?"

Rarity went straight to console her trembling friend. "Oh, sweetness, come here." She cuddled up next to her and gave a comforting hug. "Shush, dear. There isn't  a thing in the world, past, present, or future, that can come between us."

The six looked around at each other and shared small smiles, but the air of uncertainty still lingered. Rainbow yawned and drifted down next to Applejack. "Well, it's getting late and having your age messed with can take a lot out of a girl."

Applejack rolled her eyes and smiled at the cyan pegasus. "Yeah, well bunk up, sugar cube. I reckon some shut-eye will do us all some good."

"Indeed," Chimed Rarity in agreement. "A good night's sleep and we'll be set to take on the world."  It had been a full and emotionally exhausting day, so none of them were about to complain about having to share beds. Applejack and Rainbow settled in on the left, Rarity and Fluttershy on the right, which left the middle bed to Twilight and Pinkie. There was some awkwardness, the two meeting each others eyes, then quickly looking away. Neither knew what to say to the other. They slipped under the covers, keeping their backs to each other. They laid there, for a minute or two, in silence. 

Finally, in the dead silence, the soft and still unsure voice of Pinkie Pie made the first move. "Twilight?"

The lavender alicorn breathed a soft sigh of relief. Pinkie hadn't said a word since she ran out of the throne room. "Yeah?"

Pinkie shifted a little, turning toward her friend, just a little."I'm...I'm sorry I yelled at Celestia like that. I just couldn't stand the way everypony was yelling at each other."

"I know, Pinkie." Twilight turned to face her, and Pinkie turned the rest of the way in kind. They both relaxed a bit once they met eye to eye.  "I'm sorry I snapped like I did. I know you well enough to know that I should believe you when say you saw good in Uriah." This put a familiar smile on the earth pony's face. She immediately pulled Twilight into a big hug. Twilight was a bit startled by the sudden forwardness, but she smiled, returning the embrace. Her friends meant the world to her and Twilight wasn't about to let anything change that. She was a bit confused at the curious sound she heard next. "Pinkie?" No answer. The pink earth pony was fast asleep, with hooves still around her friend. Twilight just smiled, rolled her eyes, and settled in. It was rather nice, the warm sensation of the soft pink curls and, of course, the smell. As anypony who knew her would testify, Pinkie always had a very sweet smell. It was always a mix of candy and baked goods. Twilight took a moment to get a good whiff as her friend snuggled closer, cotton candy and funnel cake. With that pleasantness in her mind, the young princess drifted off to sleep.



It was an awkward silence. The sound of hooves on stone echoed through the hall and the guards couldn't help but glance at the royal sisters as they passed. Neither said a word as they made their way to Celestia's chamber. Luna felt so very conflicted. The hurt of Celestia's secret still lingered, but it was overshadowed by the fear her meeting with Uriah left. To their slight relief, the sisters finally finished the seemingly endless journey to Celestia's chamber. Luna shut the doors behind them and let out a deep sigh. She expected her sister to go right to bed, but Celestia continued to the large window overlooking the gardens. She pushed them open and leaned on the ledge, looking out with a haunted expression. Luna couldn't stand to see her sister in such pain. She casually mirrored her sister, front hooves hanging over the rail, staring at the sky. Then, in a surge of courage, she broke the silence. "Do you remember..." It spooked Celestia out of her trance, but Luna kept going with her sister's attention. "When we were young and we went down to the lake?"

Celestia half-smiled. "It has been a very long time since either of us were young."

Luna gave her a playful nudge. "Come now. Surely, you don't have too much dust on the brain." The younger sister delighted in the eye roll of her elder. "Remember? We sneaked away from our guardians to take a break from our duties. I believe I was very excited about fishing.

Celestia snirked. "Oh, yes, I remember. You were so happy when you got that first bite. You leaned in close, reeling it in..."

The night sister finished with gusto. "And the charming little blighter jumped out of the water and slapped me right across the face."

The elder princess started to giggle without restraint. "You were so cute. I remember asking if you were alright and you turned around with fire in your tiny eyes and shouted 'Burn the sea! Burn it now!' "  The two started laughing with the joy two sisters share. With the tension broken, they went back to stargazing.

Luna, feeling less distant, decided to speak her mind. "I'm not going to pretend to pass judgement on what happened while I was away. I'm certain I'm not the one who should lecture anypony about abusing magic." She turned her head to meet Celestia's eye. "I will say this. Tonight, I saw something frighteningly familiar in my...nephew. He's hurt, angry, powerful, and believes himself in the right. I know, too well, what danger that combination presents. Uriah isn't going to stop unless he's stopped. I just pray that we find away to do that before it's too late for any of us." She expected Celestia to make a wise retort, but the elder sister returned to her silence instead. 



Hours had passed. The moon was at it's peak and all was in an unnatural quiet. The guardians of harmony still slumbered quite peacefully. Rainbow had shifted in her sleep and was now lying on Applejack, who didn't seem to care. Rarity and Fluttershy were still side by side, the only change was that the yellow pegasus had draped a wing over her unicorn friend. However, one pony was starting to stir.

Whether it was an itch or a draft, something was nagging Twilight out of her sound sleep. She lifted her head, quietly yawned, then struggled to open her eyes. The poor princess was still exhausted, but couldn't get herself back to sleep. Pinkie, however, was still out like a light and not letting go of Twilight any time soon. The princess focused her magic and gently pried open her friend's grip. Twilight slipped out of Pinkie's grip with care not to disturb her sleep. With the lavender alicorn free, the pink earth pony began to whine, unconsciously grasping at what wasn't there. Twilight smiled, slipping a pillow in to take her place, which Pinkie greatly accepted. In the quiet, which was proving quite serene in spite of the increase in guard presence. Twilight found herself wandering toward the balcony.

The view was incredible. Twilight lifted herself higher on the rail to get the best look. She could see all of Canterlot and straight on to Ponyville. The street lights, the cricket chirps, and the gentle breeze all created a serenity. It was all safe. For right then, in that single moment, Twilight could see absolutely everything she held dear and they were perfectly safe. The night couldn't be more perfect. Well, that just raised the question. What, in this beautiful, peaceful, night could have drawn Twilight from her sleep? This thought occurred to the princess and forced her to ask what she thought was obvious. "You're here, aren't you?"

Above the doorway behind her, a pair of red eyes opened and stared down. Like a smear emerging on a painting, a sickly white hoof stepped forward against the wall. Like some reptilian creature coming out of camouflage, Uriah scaled down the side of the doorway. He smirked at Twilight's refusal to turn around. "I must say I'm impressed. Hundreds of unicorn guards, Celestia and aunt Luna, but none of them had a clue. How did you know?"

Twilight kept her eyes on the view. "If you're asking how I was able to find you here on the balcony, I have no idea. However, it wasn't hard figuring out that you were still in the castle. You made your exit so very grand, all you were missing was an "I'll get you next time." It seemed like a lot of effort to say you were leaving, plus that bit about Stardust Dreamer to make us distracted."

She shuddered a bit as the fallen prince got right up next to her, pushing her closer with his wing. "Clever girl."  He gave a smile that, to Twilight's confusion, seemed warm and surprisingly proud. "You are going to be absolutely fantastic." Uriah turned to the view and was relaxed by what he saw. His smile grew tired and his voice had a slight sadness.  "I had forgotten how beautiful it was. How have they been since I...Since I've been away? I know there were a few spills recently, but they're happy?"

Twilight took a moment to process. There was a sincerity in his voice that made the stallion next to her a clear contrast to the raging brute that invaded the throne room. The princess took a breath, then answered. "If you want a recap on the last five hundred years, I'd suggest a history book." It drew a little laugh from her counterpart. "From what I've seen, aside from a few hiccups, yeah. Ponies are happy. No wars, no national crisis, Just good times and kingdom wide celebrations."

Uriah raised an eye brow. "And by hiccups, you mean nothing as bad as the basilisks?" It made her cringe. Uriah didn't blame her; he knew she didn't mean any harm. "Relax. If there's one thing a ruler should take comfort in, it's that generations exist in peace after them. You've done well, Twilight Sparkle." He backed away from the balcony and walked into the room. In a moment of curiosity, Uriah found himself looking down at the peaceful sight of Pinkie, wrapped in a little cocoon of bedding. For reasons he couldn't quite explain, there was a warmth he hadn't felt since before his exile. It made him smile, not to mention that Uriah found the state of worry Twilight was in slightly amusing. "Don't worry about waking them," He said at normal volume. "I've placed just a little charm on them. Just so they can't be disturbed before daybreak." Uriah smiled at the young princess. "You want to see something cool?"

The question alone was out of the blue enough to catch Twilight off guard, but the fact that a pony who had no societal contact for five hundred years was referring to something as "cool" just raised further questions. She followed Uriah to the center of the room and was taken aback when his horn started to glow. His magic highlighted a large square in the floor, which shifted and struggled. With a puff of dusty air, it finally lifted up. "What in the world?"

Gently setting the panel aside, Uriah gave her a clever look. "This is my castle, remember? I have secret passages all over the place that even Celestia doesn't know about." He ducked inside the square hole before she could respond. Twilight leaned in when he vanished from sight, only to be met by Uriah's echoed voice. "Come on." Not wanting to leave him alone, in case he was hiding a sinister purpose behind a playful facade, Twilight put on a brave face .



Brave or not, Twilight was regretting her decision after a few minuets. The "secret passage" Uriah talked about turned out to be little more than an air duct. It went on forever, was dark and incredibly narrow, and turned at the most awkward angles. What really ticked off the lavender princess was the fact that her counter part leading the way had no trouble navigating it. Uriah was at least twice her size and, somehow, Twilight was the one getting stuck at the tighter spots. After going up, down, and every other direction that didn't quite make sense based on where they started, Uriah finally stopped. He pressed the wall in front of him and a panel fell, leaving him free to leap down into the room in front of him.

Twilight tried to follow him, but found the walls tugging on her halfway. It wasn't the most ceremonious position, dangling down the wall with her rump lodged in a vent and Uriah wasn't letting her forget it with his snickering. She glared at him. "Are you going to just stand there laughing like a child, or are you gonna lend a hoof here?"

Uriah managed to regain his composure, but still kept a teasing grin. His horn glowed it's deep red, placing Twilight's front hooves in the same aura. With a quick tug, she tumbled out, rolling and landing on her back before the sickly white alicorn. "Had some trouble? Celestia did have a weakness for cake. Perhaps that rubbed off on you?" He playfully poked her tummy to drive the implication home.

Twilight blushed and curled up into as tight a ball as she could to shield herself from another poke. "You're bigger than me! How did you not get stuck.? Especially at that part where it was like a tight zig-zag going up? "

He shrugged. "I have my tricks. Relax, make yourself at home. It might take a bit to find what I'm looking for."

Glaring at the lack of an answer, Twilight almost missed that last part. Coming back to the situation, the younger alicorn was taken aback by where they where. "Woah." They were in a circular room, with a very high ceiling. The walls were covered in bookshelves and drawings, surrounding from top to bottom. Twilight stood and looked around in an undeniable wonder. "What is this place?"

"My private study. I set up in secret so I could clear my head when lessons or duties became to much. Just a place to decompress." He started rummaging through papers and boxes. "Now where is it? If you see anything that looks like maps, let me know."

Twilight tilted her head at the question. "How would I know what the map you're looking for looks like?"

The fallen prince rolled his eyes and kept looking. "I said maps, as in plural. I have a lot of maps. Matter of fact I have a lot of a lot of things."

"Isn't that redundant?" she asked

"Not in this context. Wait w...yeah. Never mind, I found it. " He smiled at the old parchment wrapped in his magic. The obsidian handles were proof positive. "I have to do a little pin-pointing. Let me know if you need help with anything."

Twilight's better nature was telling her to be cautious of how open he was being, but she was too enthralled by everything. The books had titles she didn't even recognize, the drawings on the walls ranged from mechanisms to creatures to landscapes, and there were pages of what she could only assume were Uriah's own. There was one thing that caught her attention. A table off in a corner, covered in papers and strange, yet familiar, debris. Twilight picked up a piece and examined it. "What are these over here? The pieces and the charts...I think I recognize them, but that's not possible."

Uriah looked over at what she was talking about with a slight curiosity. "Oh, yes. I remember that. It was the last project I was working on before...unpleasantness. I got the idea from telling tales of my adventures to children who came to visit when their schooling was done. The concept was simple enough, to give those with wild dreams and quick wit a chance to create and experience their own adventure. So, I devised an elaborate system of statistics and lore. It required math and strategy, but also risk and imagination. The whole thing overseen by a select player who was both referee and storyteller.

The young princess was breathless as she put the pieces together. Her inner filly was about to explode out of her heart when she saw the pencils, the graphs, the polyhedral dice, and the early layouts of a character sheet. "Oubliettes and Ogres." It came as a whisper and made Uriah raise an eyebrow. "You invented Oubliettes and Ogres! Omygoshomygoshomygosh!" She started hopping up and down in excitement, giggling uncontrolled. After darting across the room, items from the table levitating in suite, she pounced on Uriah. It took the fallen prince a few seconds to process the look of absolute wonder boring into his heart. "This is my favorite game ever! My brother and I used to play this all the time! It shouldn't even be possible, but here it is!" She waved the evidence in his face. "I can't believe it!"

Uriah puzzled for a moment. "I can't say much about the name, but I suppose it's possible. These were only early prototypes. I kept a more complete version in a cave on the countryside."

Twilight's eyes widened.  "Yes! Gygax the gryphon said in an interview that he found the plans for the original game in a cave! We all thought he was just being a whimsical nerd, but he was telling the truth."

The prince chuckled as he freed himself from the star-struck mare. "Are those really mutually exclusive?" It got a laugh from her, which made him smile. "I'm glad something I made was able to bring such joy to your life, Twilight." He rolled up the map, tucked it in a satchel he pulled from the floor, then draped said satchel over his shoulder. "I think I might have something you'd like." The red glow of his horn opened up a drawer in the desk he was working at. From it, he pulled a hardcover black book with a silver design. He took great care with presenting the book to Twilight.

She took a moment to put down the game items before she took it from him. Twilight felt something incredible about it. She tried flipping through the pages, but found that there were more than what she could see. Flipping the pages and turning the book sideways to test it, she found that what appeared to be a journal had more pages than the thickest text book she had ever read. "A charm?"

Uriah was happy to answer. "Couldn't run out of room." He stood next to her as she closed the book. "This is my personal spell book. Everything I learned up to my...absence. Magic, monsters, machinations, even a recipe or two. There are even a few journal entries strewn throughout recounting my days with the old team. It should prove quite the read for somepony as studious as you."

The sudden realization struck Twilight silent. In her hooves, she held what could be the codex to Uriah himself. She had to question it. "Wait a sec. So, strategies you've used, old hideouts, locations of powerful artifacts you know and how to get them?"

Uriah draped a wing over her. "All that and more." His horn sparked and the two were enveloped in a flash of red light. When it faded, they were back in the room. The other element bearers were still snug in their beds. The sudden change in location took Twilight by surprise. The fallen prince smiled and gave her a pat on the head. "Well, this has been fun. Twilight, I hope we can get together sometime to really get to know each other better. Until then, I have a kingdom to take back."

It was the sudden change of tone that brought Twilight back into focus. Whatever good nature Uriah had shown was burned away by the hatred in the last sentence. As he turned to head for the balcony, she called out to him. "Wait. Please, you don't have to fight."

"I think Celestia would argue with that one," Uriah snapped back over his shoulder. "She's not going to let me go. This won't end until one of us destroys the other."

Twilight couldn't accept that. "But you're not some monster or evil overlord out for power and destruction. You're an adventure, a hero, a prince. You just got pushed too far."

He scoffed. "Understatement of the year." He turned with a glare once he reached the ledge. "She betrayed me. Don't forget that for a moment. No matter what, Celestia is just going to deny that she had any fault in the matter. Just like when she banished aunt Luna." There was a twinge in Twilight's eye that he latched onto. "You had to have thought about it. Nightmare Moon came about through rejection, loneliness, and pain. I wonder how suffering of that magnitude could exist with such a loving sister." He spread his wings and gave one last look to Twilight. "You'd shine a whole lot brighter if you got out from under her shadow." With one push and a gust of air, Uriah was gone like some grim specter.

Twilight let out a sigh. There was no way that she was going to be able to catch him. With nothing left to do, she headed back over to bed. Pinkie had let go of the pillow and was looking slightly less at peace.  Twilight propped herself back on her side and laid back. She let out a little gasp when her friend instinctively took hold of her again, but resigned to her fate. That just left that curious black book, given to her by a wise and powerful stranger from long ago. What ever his intentions, how could she possibly resist? She turned to where spells were being discussed and settled back in for the night.