//------------------------------// // Chapter 22 // Story: Daughter of the Moon // by CartoonNerd12 //------------------------------// Twilight magically held the Ancient Book of Secrets once it was given to her by Silver Shill when they were all in the throne room. Rarity had Suri arrested and the latter was now in the dungeon. Coco Pommel and Silver were willing to tell everything about how they were the ones who followed them down to the tunnels in Marendelle and that Suri was the one who stole the book in the first place. "So that was your shadow I saw…" Applejack told Silver. "And that was your shadow I saw as well." Rarity said to Coco. They both nodded. Discord pointed, "So what exactly are you two? A couple?" Both blushed at the thought. "Um… no, not really…" Silver rubbed his neck. "Not that it wouldn't be nice…" Coco blushed pink. He faced her with hopeful eyes, "You think so?" "I… I wouldn't mind…" she smiled at him. Twilight felt happy for the young couple that was blossoming into love, but when she looked over to Shining Armor, she frowned at the sad face he had on. No doubt he was feeling pain of not having his beloved right next to him at that moment. She used her wing to reassure him that everything's going to turn out all right in the end. He gave her a small smile telling her he was fine, but it still hurt. She turned back to the couple and said. "Listen, I know that you risked everything to reveal what you know, but we need to find our cousin, who was taken by your former master. We don't know where he is or where we can find our cousin… Please, I am begging that you will help us… I can promise you that if you take us to them that no charges will be pressed against you and that you'll be free to go your own way…" They exchanged glances and Silver questioned, "If that's true, no one will follow us on where we go?" "No one," said Applejack. "I heard you two in the alley, and trust me when I say I know honesty when I hear it. You two have nothing to worry about and you'll be free to do whatever it is you please." Coco nodded her head and Silver spoke, "We'll take you there." Cadence didn't know if it was morning or not cause when she woke up, she was in an underground prison. She was confined in a force field that let her see and hear what was going on outside. Then she looked at herself and saw her hooves from her true self instead of her Breezie self. Tirek suddenly appeared as if reading her mind. "The force field allows you remain what you are. If you step out, you'll turn back into a puny bug…" "I take that it's morning then?" "Not that it's important, you'll never see the sun again or the moon for that matter." She kept a straight face, not daring to show the tears that were threatening to escape from inside her. Then he moved on to go about his own business and she turned to face the wall in despair. She thought of all who she had to leave behind again. Her mother, her family, her Shining Armor… Just when she was free only for everything to be taken away again… Now she only had her memories for comfort. Even though it was nighttime when Cadence transformed back, when Shining was with her, it felt like daytime and he was her sun… She softly began to sing, "Once there was the sun… Bright and warm and wonderful… Shining like the love within my heart… Now there's no more sun… Winter has killed everything and although it's dark December… Forever… I'll remember sun…" She sighed as she kept staring at the wall and made little hearts just like the heart that Shining engraved on the tree in the Canterlot gardens. It was supposed to cheer her up, but instead it just made her feel sadder than she already was. The large group sat around a campfire at night. They had left the castle early that day, but they stopped in the afternoon when Silver Shill told them. "It's just beyond that ridge." Twilight knew then it was best to stop so they could come up with a plan when confronting with Tirek. Shining Armor, of course, wanted to keep going. He also wanted to bring an army of guards with him before they went on their mission, but Twilight convinced him that the group was big enough for a frontal assault and that an army could give them away. Shining slumped while watching the fire crackle. Spike and the guys were talking amongst themselves when Spike noticed Shining's mood and he told the others. "Poor guy… I know how he feels…" "Indeed, I recall a situation much like this one." pointed Fancy. Cheese nodded, "That was when we were all camping out knowing we were that close to rescuing the girls from the Changeling Queen." "You know, if I had my magic, I would pop out some s'mores for old time sakes…" Discord heaved a sigh. "Surley, he didn't steal all your powers, did he?" Flash questioned. "He did… I tried battling him, but apparently, he was absorbing what magic I was doing. Then he once he absorbed it all, he turned me to stone." he shuddered. "Is it really that awful?" Soarin' asked. "Let's just hope that none of you have to find out…" Twilight's voice suddenly carried around the camp, "Gather around!" They did as she said and she addressed them, "I've been looking through the Ancient Book of Secrets, and I think I found a spell that can work on getting Cadence back." She turned to Silver and Coco, "Now, Tirek is expecting his servants to give him this book, right?" "Uh-huh," nodded Coco. "But without Suri, he'll know something is wrong." "No problem. With this spell I'm about to cast, I can make a Suri as well." "Huh?!" the group was perplexed. She turned back to face her relatives and had the book opened to a page, "This spell can project images, making them seem real. Now if I cast this spell, I make a Coco Pommel, Silver Shill, and Suri Polomare! Observe." She recited the chant from the book and her horn glowed. Then with a burst of light, three ponies appeared, looking exactly like Coco, Silver, and Suri. "Wow!" they exclaimed. Silver and Coco looked over their doubles that were just standing there. Silver extended his hoof out to touch his doppelganger, but instead, it went through him. "There's nothing there!" he proclaimed. "Precisely. Tirek will be none of the wiser." Twilight stated. "Now to make a double of the book…" She cast another spell that was a duplication spell, and in a burst of light, a double of the book appeared. When she opened its pages, they was blank. "Just as I thought. The book is so powerful that no pony can make a carbon copy of it. But luckily, Tirek won't know that. He'll just take one look at the cover and assume it's the real one." "So while you send these holograms in with the book to distract Tirek, how are you going to find Cadence?" Shining questioned. "Simple, I'll be wearing Flash's invisibility cloak that he brought with him and follow after them." "Oh no, you don't," objected Flash. "Who knows what sort of dangers await and I know how to use the cloak more than you do. I'll go see if I can find Cadence." "No, I will." Shining stepped in. "I am tied to Cadence because she chose me to make the vow of everlasting love, so it has to be me…" Twilight and Flash exchanged glances and slowly, they nodded. Coco shuddered, "If we keep him waiting any longer… Who knows what he'll do…?" Silver agreed, "She's right. The master is not patient…" Twilight declared, "Then we move forward, tonight…" Moments later, Flash draped the cloak over Shining Armor's shoulders and Shining placed the hood over his head. "You're all set. Just make sure you pull the hood over your face when you reach the cave." "I will. Thank you for your help, even if we did get off on the wrong hoof…" "I am still sorry about that, but I understand how it feels when the love of your life is being held captive against her will…" he looked at Twilight, who was talking to Silver and Coco with her sisters. "I won't stop until Cadence is free from that monster…" "Glad to hear it…" Flash smiled and patted Shining's back. Shiny gave a small smile in return when Twilight came over. "If you're ready, we can start." Shining proclaimed, "I was ready from when she was taken…" Twilight nodded her head and used her horn to command the holograms to move with the fake Ancient Book of Secrets. They stepped into the cave just as Shining pulled the hood down to make him completely invisible and followed after them. "Just what do you hope to accomplish with me here?" Cadence was asking Tirek when she saw him sitting on a throne fit for him. "I know the story of my mother taking a magical seed to grow a flower that allowed me to exist, so surely its magic is gone now and that I'm useless to you." "That's where you are wrong, princess… The magic from the flower created you, so therefore, the magic is inside you." She gapped, "In… Inside me?" "My traitorous brother…" he begrudgingly looked over to the portrait of him and Scorpan together when they were young, "…gave your mother the last seed of magic flowers that kept my strength going, but of course, after your mother ate the flower, I slowly began to weaken!" He slammed his fist on the arm of the throne, causing it to break. "But when you were born, I knew I had found my new magic flower…" he grinned evilly. Cadence scowled and asked, "Then why change me into a Breezie?" "Because your mother had refused to hand you over willingly, so I had no choice but to punish her and you…" "But if you have me now, why hasn't the curse been lifted?" "This way, you have the incentive to stay put and not try to escape." "And why should that matter? You know I won't escape because I gave myself up just so you wouldn't hurt my family!" "As touching as that is… but if you have your mother's strong will, then chances are you will try to escape." Cadence couldn't argue there. She was her mother's daughter, after all. "Now that I have you and once I have the Ancient Book of Secrets, I shall be unstoppable and rule all of Equestria!" "You'll never get it! It's hidden in a place where you cannot find it!" "If you are talking about Marendelle, my minions managed to get it from your cousins once, but failed in the end…" "Wait… you mean…" He grinned maliciously, "Yes, I sent my servants to retrieve it while your puny stallion was going to make his so-called vow of everlasting love to you… So they shall be here with it…that is, if I don't punish them for being so late!" But just as he said that, the three ponies he was talking about came in and bowed. Shining Armor hid under the cloak as he managed to sneak past the centaur's gaze and he saw ahead of him a force field, and in that force field was… "Cadence!" he said under his breath, and quickly went towards the field just as Tirek was talking to the holograms. "You disappoint me for keeping me waiting, but since you brought the book to me and your silence to this disappointment is well-received, I shall let this tardiness pass." He took the book from them. The figures bowed again. "Good idea. I could use a snack…" He opened his mouth wide to suck in the strength of the ponies, but once he did, he could feel nothing. "What?" his brow raised and he tried it again, but nothing happened. "This can't be right! I'm supposed to be able to…" He stopped when he put a hand on one of the ponies, but it just went through, "A trick!" He turned to see the imprisoned Cadence in the force field. "WHERE ARE THEY?!" he demanded to her. "Where's who?" she questioned, feeling genuinely confused. "Your little rescue party! No doubt those cousins of yours and their weak husbands have come to rescue you!" "Even if I did know, I certainly wouldn't tell you!" "Then I'm afraid I have no choice but to destroy them…" his eyes glowed and he took his leave out of the lair. Once he was gone, Shining Armor took off the cloak before Cadence's eyes. She was shocked, but overjoyed to see him, "Shin-" She started, but he hushed her. "I have to hurry and get you out of there, but if he goes and hurts Twilight and the others…" "You mean…? They all came to rescue me…?" tears were forming in her eyes. He smiled, "Of course… You would do the same for us." She beamed. "Now stand back. I'm going to use all of my power to get you out of there!" he readied himself with his horn and started blasting away.