//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 
// Story: The Lust for Power 
// by All of the Above 
//------------------------------//

"-And that’s how I managed to stop the downfall of Equestria with a leaf and a spatula.”

Shimmer jumped out of her thoughts to look at me.  “That can’t be true.”

“It’s not.  I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention.”

Shimmer snickered.  "I didn't think you were being serious when you said you have a boring life."

"I’m pretty sure I warned you about that," I said.

We walked in silence from then on.  She stared blankly into space as the crinkle of leaves under our feet rang out through the forest.   I just stared at her like she was the object of my affection.  It was like I was back at school and had a stupid crush on some filly who probably didn't even know my name.  Every day, I watched her from my desk as she did her work silently and carefully.  I listened to her when she spoke, noticed her when she made sudden movements, my head automatically turning away whenever I thought she was looking in my direction.  

Then my eyes drifted to my book that she carried in the small saddlebag that I just noticed her wearing.  

Why did she take it, I found myself asking.  I thought it best to not beg the question.  If there was anything I've learned while living with Gild, it's to never ask for anything you want, otherwise you will never get it.  You had to be patient and just ignore the fact that he stole something of yours.  Sometimes you'd get it in a day, other times you'd get it sometime next month.  

But this wasn’t Gild.  This was somepony I didn’t know.

"...So tell me more about this place you're taking us to," I asked of Shimmer.

"It's this place that I grew up in.  I left when I got a scholarship to the school."

"How far is it from here?"

"You know, questions like that make the trip last longer," she said with a tinge of annoyance in her voice.  

"That's the first time I've ask-" I hoof hit something metal.  I looked down, seeing train tracks leading the way to a large city. 

"Here we are!  Fillydelphia!"



"I've never actually been in Fillydelphia," I said.

"I figured, since you live quite a boring life," Shimmer commented.  

"No argument there."

I marveled at the city.  I barely left the confides of my home, and I didn't see a building besides my own and Celestia's castle.  

Before Shimmer would to take us where she wanted to stay, she wanted to bring me to a couple tourist attractions around the city to show me around and get me acquainted with the new area.  At least, that's what she told me.  

It was about six that I started to get pretty tired.   We walked through the whole city, and we're walking around it for the umpteenth time.  I had the feeling that she was stalling the fourth time we traversed the city, but I became more and more sure of this the more we walked.  

When I asked, she said, "Be a little patient.  We have an entire day.  We might as well enjoy it."

"You know, I'm beginning to think-"

"Oh, now that's dangerous."

"...I'm beginning to think-"

"I heard you the first time.  You gotta stop that, it's not good for your health."

The joke ran its course and I decided to tell her that by staring at her disapprovingly.  

I decided to assert myself after a while.  "I'm beginning to think that you don't have a place for us can stay."

"Look, I haven't been in this city for a while and there's a lot of things that I haven't seen in that time.  I want to get back the good memories I had here before we get to my uncle's place."

"Uncle's place?"  

Another tour of the city, more silence, and more confirmation that she was stalling.  It was her uncle's place that she planned on staying at.  But I had the feeling her uncle didn't even know she was going to be here.   Or that she was bringing somepony with her.  That was a colt.  I began feeling a little nervous the more I thought about what was going to happen.  

That when I made my next mistake.  "Can I get my book back?"

She didn't even bother to look at me.  She just adjusted her sattle bag, and started walking a little faster.

I didn't say anything else.  I thought that I might as well humor her and go along with her on her procrastination ride.  I expected some more fun to be honest.  We saw the same restaurants, spent a lot of time at the Liberty Bell, and specific amount of time at a fountain.  She sat on the edge of the fountain, just staring at her own reflection.  She pulled out a single bit each time and threw it in every time we came.  It was more than obvious that she had a personal connection to the fountain, but she refused to tell me about it.  

"I'm starting to wonder if we really if we have no place to sleep," I said finally.  

"We do!" she snapped suddenly.  "It's just that we don't have to go there right away."  

"We've been wandering around the city for too long.  We've been to the same places more than five times.  I think we've done everything that there is to do in this city besides get mugged."

"Oh come on, there's plenty to do here.  There are just things that I prefer to do here, and I find them quite enjoyable, actually."

"You know what, I think you're stalling," I accused.

"Oh please."

"If you're not stalling, then let's go to your Uncle's place."

"...F-fine!  Let's go.  It's a couple blocks from here." 

"Then let's go!"

"Alright!  Come on!"  She turned around on her heels and started walking away.  Slowly.  A bit too slowly.  Was something begging her not to go?  Was there something she was hiding from me?  Probably not that last one.  I knew from the start that she was hiding things from me.  I just didn't know what they were.  And by that point, I didn't really care.  I was tired beyond all belief, and a nap sounded like a great idea.  



"How about we go a little faster?" I said impatiently.

"How about you shut your mouth?" she talked back.

"I think I could run back to the fountain and back, and you wouldn't have gone ten feet."

"The more you complain, the longer it'll take."

"I'm glad you're able to act like an older sibling after all of this."

"I'm more than happy to.  It makes me realize that I would be an awesome sister!"

I scoffed.  As much of an annoyance she's proven herself to be, I was enjoying her company.  Despite everything she's done so far.  .

"Well... we're here," she said dejectedly.  

I looked up at the two story building.  It looked a lot like an ordinary house that you would find in a small town or the suburbs.  It was a square building with many windows allowing you to look inside.  It was painted freshly red.  It seemed almost perfectly clean.  I even felt clean just standing near it.  

"Wow.  I expected an abandoned warehouse, not a five star hotel," I said, suddenly filled with a lot of excitement.

Shimmer looked into the windows.  Inside was several tables and chairs, neatly organized into specific patterns.  On the right, there was food on a counter that was protected by a glass shield.  The eyes were allowed to see, but the hooves were restricted to longing for the feel of the food.  Mouths could drool and lick their lips, but the food would remain there.  But if the tiny hooves held the correct amount of money, then the food could be bribed to go into their mouths.  

Shimmer put her hoof on the door.  Instead of pushing it open, she instead pawed at the wooden door like she was a dog wishing to gain entrance into its master's room.  And then run away as soon as the master opened the door.  Though her silence hid her true intentions, her face spoke volumes about her secrets.  

I assumed that something awful or something painful happened here.  Did her parents die in there?  Did she have to leave this place behind in order to go to the school?  It was killing me not knowing what she was hiding.  I couldn't hold my voice back.  It had to ask her.  

"Sunset... What is this place?"

"I told you.  It's where I lived before I went to the school."

"How about you tell me something I don't know.  Is this where you grew up, or is there something more about this place?"

"There's nothing that you need to know right now."

"Then why are we just standing out here?  It's getting dark, my legs are about to give in, and I am just exhausted.  So just open the door and let's go inside."

"We can't."

"Why not?"

"Because... Because-"

"Oh for the love of-" I smacked my hoof against my forehead. "-if you won't do it, then I will." I pushed Sunset out of the way and shoved the door open.  

"No, don't!"

A bell rang above me.  It echoed through the dark room like a scream echoing across a canyon.  

"Arkane, I think we need to get going.  Right now," Sunset said.

"Why?"

"Who's there?" somepony asked.  I heard hoofsteps coming from upstairs.  There was a step then a dragging sound.  He moved fast.  So fast in fact, that I didn't realize that he was already coming out of the darkness to face me.  

"The sign says closed!  Can't you read?  Thought I locked that." he growled.  

His light brown hair and beard were almost overcome with gray hairs.  His skin was a faded, golden color, which also looked like it was being taken over by the force of time.  He wore a red robe and a silver cap that looked very soft.  His cutie-mark was hidden away in the darkness, but I swore the cutie-mark was a plate of some kind of fancy food.  And the most notable thing about him was his wooden leg.  It looked like a regular leg, only there were gears on the side of his hoof and more gears going up his leg.  

"Um..." I turned to Sunset.  She sadly gazed at the stallion.  The stallion didn't see her, but he definitely saw me.  

I considered hightailing it out of there, but the stallion suddenly stopped himself.  His scowl morphed into an odd look.  Sunset stepped forward.  She came out of the shadows and into the slightly less dark room.   The two walked closer and closer to each other, awkwardly trying to smile. 

If you could hear the same slence that I could, then you would have screamed as loud as I wanted to.  I don't know exactly how long it lasted, but it went on for an eternity.  

"It's been a while," the stallion finally said.  "You've grown up."

"... I guess."

The stallion knelt down, gaining the correct eye contact he needed for this.  "How've you been?"

"... Good.  I've been... I've... been missing you.  A lot." she struggled to get those last few words out over the disturbing lack of sadness in her voice.  There was only a distinct emotion that I can't describe.  To this day, I'm still baffled as to what it is.  Call it shock, emptiness, or whatever, there was something going on in her head that I didn't want to see.

"Same here, kid."

"...Uncle... Are you still... mad at me?"

I felt awkward standing there.  She was having a touching moment with her uncle, and I was standing there in the darkness just waiting to have a place to sleep for the night.  

"...I was never mad.  Sunny, I was... I was just afraid of losing you.  I was scared you weren't going to come back to your uncle.  Truth be told, ever since your aunt left I... feel terribly alone."

Sunset smiled.  "Well... I'm home now.  And I don't think I ever want to leave again."

Sunset's uncle was the first to take that dive for Sunset.  The two enjoyed each other's sweet embrace.  I could feel the heat from where I stood.  

Oh, I was jealous. To feel a hug like that from somepony who loved you was foreign territory to me.  I thought that crap like that only existed in fictional stories.  It warmed my heart to see it. 

The two didn't stop their hug for a good long while.  I stood in the moonlight of the store for an awkward amount of time.  By the time the hug was finally broken, the stallion directed his gaze towards me.  I could feel the stare of a stallion who has seen too much dig into my eyes.

"Who's this kid?"

I almost took it as an insult.  At the time, I was too hurt to be called a kid anymore.  Nowadays, a lot of ponies call me a child.  But back then, the hate inside of me was that of a soldier.  I used to think my father was a soldier.  It would explain a lot.  

"That's some kid who ran away from home so that he could come with me."

Well, when she put it like that, it made me sound like I was in love with her or something.  I just wanted my book back.  And I was finalyl away from home for the first time.  

"You two in love or something?" the stallion teased. 

Sunset let out the inevitable, "Ew, no," that every twelve year old filly caught with a colt would say.  I said nothing, only shaking my head.  

"So, what's your name kid?" he asked me.

I hesitated.  I knew the laughter would come flowing out of his mouth the moment I said Arkane.  

"Arkane Vander."

He stared.  A tiny smile cracking across his lips.  

"Arkane Vander?" he said, standing up and walking towards me.

"Yeah.  My parents were more than likely drunk when I showed up."

"Sounds like a nice couple."

"...sure.  Nice."

"I'd really hate to ask this, but... He needs a place to stay." Sunset looked directly at me.  For a couple seconds, I thought she was just going to abandon me on the front doorstep.  

"You know what?  That guest room has been fairly dusty lately.  I guess there's nothing wrong with having an extra mouth to feed."

I let out a breath of fresh air.  There was something inside of me.  I can't quite explain it, but there was something  letting me know that there was something coming for me.  I didn't know what, and I don't think even it knew what it was.  But the feeling made me feel warm and excited on the inside.

I didn't realize it then, but I understand what it was now.  It was my fresh start.  



Sunset's uncle name was Golden Light.  Though, he preferred Goldy.  It was too close to Gild.  As he promised, he gave me the guest room.  It was slightly bigger than my old room.  It was on the second floor and it gave me a better view of the night sky.  My other room was blocked by trees.  While there was a big building next to Goldy's diner, it knew better than to interrupt a colt's imagination to run rampant in the night.

Before I went to bed, I wanted to look around my new living quarters.  There was a closet and a proper bed meant for a visitor.  I wasn't sure if I was going to stay for long.  Sunset had her uncle and probably wasn't going to leave any time son.  I didn't belong there.  I was exactly how my room described me.  A guest.  My purpose lied somewhere else in Equestria.  Perhaps even beyond.  

While I was looking around in the closet, I found some old armor, a sword, and a book.  The sword had some pretty major battle damage.  Scratches like they were drawn on there by an expert artist.   Aside from the layers of dust, it looked like it was made to be a wall decoration.  The armor on the other hand was in a heavier, critical condition than the sword.  Chinks, dents, and three inch wide gashes populated about seventy percent of the armor.  But the thing that worried most of all was the seismic hole directly where the horn should have been.  Either that armor belonged to somepony else, or Goldy was a guard back in his day.  I guess his clockwork leg got in the way of that.  

As I examined the armor as closely as I could in that light, I put the armor and sword back in their places, but I brought the book back to my bed.  I wasn't used to the softness of the bed, so when I started sinking into the softness, I thought I was being devoured.  I jumped out of it as fast as I could.  I felt silly when I realized what was happening.  I sat back down and opened up the book.  

The book was blank. Front to back.  The only thing it had was blank lines on each page for you to fill out for yourself.

"You through nosing around?"  I heard Goldy say from behind me.  

I looked behind me.  Goldy stood in the doorway.  His silhouette seemed like a hole in the fabric of time.  It made the name "Golden Light" seem kind of ridiculous.  

He saw the book in my hooves.  "I assume you found the armor?"

"Was I not supposed to look in there?" I asked innocently.

"No, I don't care what you do with the armor.  I half expected you to be swinging the sword around while pretending to be a guard.  But instead you took the book with you."

I looked down at the book.  For a few years, I never realized what that meant for me.  For years I wanted to fight against my parents.  I wanted to burn that house to the ground and dance around in the ashes.  Then I was offered a sword, but I took the pen instead.  

"With my years of experience, almost every kid who got a hold of their parents or uncles armor, they always played with it, unaware of the real price to pay if they wanted to wear that armor. 

“Now, I ain't a smart pony,” he seemed to say ‘ain’t’ in a way to emphasize his point.  “I am, however, a wise pony, if that makes sense.  But every kid who saw armor, wore it.  They shoved away the wisdom to partake in some good ‘ol fashion fun.  But you... I’m not saying you’re different.   Some of the kids were more interested in the history.  They didn’t want a part in the violence.”

I looked back to the book.  I flipped to the beginning of the book.  And from then on, it all made sense.  

“Do you have a quill and some ink?” That sealed the deal.  

There was a quill on the shelf and some ink next to it.  I got to work as fast as I could.  

It wasn’t anything special.  It was mistake ridden and I can’t bear to look at it now.  But there was something in my head that wanted to keep going.  And I did.  For four hours I slaved over that page.  Just stabbing that paper with that feather.  

It was late in the evening when I told myself to stop.  I finished twenty pages.  My first piece.

For so long I wanted to destroy those that I hated.  Those thoughts, for a little while, were silenced by my imagination. 

My head was swirling.  I nearly tripped over myself trying to put the journal away.  Kids by age got theirs two years ago.  I was the late bloomer.  

I looked down to my flank to behold my cutie-mark.  It was a quill over-lapping a ink parchment.  My smile nearly ripped apart my face.  



The morning was hours away.  I didn’t sleep a wink.  I was too busy smiling and silently making that noise that Glisten made when something exciting happened.  

That was when Sunset walked in.  She wore a white dress and some little white socks on her feet.  I got up and stared at her.

She sat on my bed next to me.  For a time we stared outside and looked at the night sky.  

I decided to do something that she would have slit my throat for if I asked earlier.  

"You know, even though we've spent... almost a day together, I still don't know much about you."  It was bold of me to ask that.  I could barely speak when my parents were around, and here I was asking her, a filly that created a hurricane just so that I could get out of her way, if she could open up and tell me about herself.  

Sunset turned to me, her smile slightly breaking into a look of almost euphoric happiness.

"No.  I guess... I don't really know you, either."

"Well... why don't we start?"

I think that was the first time I actually saw Sunset smile at me with no strings attached to it in any way.  

"That sounds like a good idea."