//------------------------------//
// Chapter 16 - Crimson Flames 
// Story: Night Reigns 
// by tursi 
//------------------------------//

The walk took only a few hours, and although both Sunset Shimmer and Princess Celestia kept an eye on the sky, neither saw anything until they were deep in the forest south of Canterlot, drawing near the base of the great mountain range. There they observed a patrol of three pegasi racing past overhead. Although the pegasi did not seem to be trying too hard to see through the leaves, Celestia and Sunset had crouched down under their cloaks all the same.

As they continued on, eventually the trees began to thin and Sunset saw that they were drawing nearer to a sheer cliff face. Sunset scanned the sky again while Celestia examined the rock, staying back under cover of the trees as she did.

"Are we close?" asked Sunset.

Celestia nodded. "The entrance is well hidden. Given that it hasn't been used in centuries, I would be surprised if it wasn't also well buried."

"Can you open it?"

Celestia shook her head. "I won't need to. Once I find it, you can wink us both inside."

Sunset blinked. "Me? But, Princess, I've never been in there! And didn't you say that the crystals block magic?"

"I have confidence in you," Celestia replied, smiling. "I can give you a beacon if it would help. But even if I had the strength to take down a mountain wall, it would be much better if we left the cliff undamaged."

"What about the blocking crystals?"

Celestia hesitated. "Well... the cave once opened wide to the outside. I believe that it should be ordinary rock between us and the crystal caverns, at least where the opening was. I'm afraid it is the best that we can hope for right now."

Sunset nodded, slowly. She opened her muzzle to speak another concern, but was interrupted when Celestia's eyes brightened and she spoke again.

"Here we are!" she beamed. She turned and positioned herself facing directly towards the wall. Her horn lit and she pointed towards the rock. After a moment, a small golden star slipped free of the magical aura and drifted towards the rock, where it slipped through the wall without disturbing a thing.

"Will that work?" asked Celestia. "The beacon is right in the middle of the entrance. If you can wink us both there, we should be fine."

"Princess... what if...?"

Princess Celestia gently hushed Sunset by placing her wingtip across Sunset's lips. "It will be fine," she reassured. "Trust in yourself, my dear."

Sunset held for a moment with her muzzle hanging open, and then she slowly closed it. A determined look crossed her face as she nodded once and then lit her own horn. Her opal aura reached out as she aimed towards the spot that Celestia's star had vanished. For a moment her eyes moved side to side as if she was searching, and then she smiled and locked her gaze onto a single spot.

"Found it," she said confidently. "Are you ready, Princess?"

Celestia relaxed her stance and smiled. "Go ahead, dear."

Sunset closed her eyes as her horn's glow intensified, and then with a bright flash both she and Celestia disappeared from the forest.

After a moment the ground was solid under their hooves once again. Celestia's horn was already lit with a dim light spell, so Sunset followed suit and looked around. They were in a narrow cavern, barely wide enough for the two of them to stand side by side. It appeared to be crudely carved rock and roughly ten feet behind them the cavern ended in a jumble of boulders. About the same distance ahead of them the tunnel appeared to bend around to the right.

"Well done, Sunset Shimmer," said Celestia. "Perfectly placed."

Sunset felt a little shiver down her spine as she considered what might have happened if she'd missed the beacon by even a little, but she didn't speak that thought. Instead she asked, "Princess, isn't it supposed to be crystal? This just looks like rock."

Celestia didn't reply, only smirking a little as she strode forward. She reached the bend and proceeded around it, out of sight. Sunset ran to catch up and turned the corner, suddenly finding herself confronted by thousands of bright points of light in both her own and Celestia's colors. Celestia was standing just a few paces ahead in the middle of a tremendous cavern, watching Sunset's entrance with a smile.

"Just like I remembered it," Celestia noted. "What do you think?"

"This place is AMAZING!" gushed Sunset Shimmer, her eyes darting back and forth. The cavern they had entered ran deep, but it seemed to be well lit by reflections of their own light spells. Every surface was highly reflective – a flat, well-polished face of incredible crystal reflecting each unicorn's point of light over and over like an infinite universe of colored stars. The ceiling was several stories above, but uneven, with tall shafts that went much higher. In some places Sunset had difficulty even estimating the height.

Sunset walked closer to one of the walls, reaching a hoof to it as her mirror image reached back. "Just... how?" she asked. "It doesn't even seem possible!"

"It's not entirely magical," confided Celestia as her reflection drew alongside Sunset's. "We discovered these caverns during the construction of Canterlot, and they were mined for the many gemstones that were found down here. But the nature of the crystal made mining difficult, and once the easy targets were found the mines were abandoned. Over the decades ponies forgot about them. We'll be very safe here."

"And they block magic?" asked Sunset, her horn brightening just a little.

Celestia nodded, seeing what she wanted to do. "Go ahead," she encouraged. "A little spell."

Sunset aimed her horn at the wall and fired a very faint beam towards it. It hit the crystal and bounced off at a sharp angle, reflecting again off the side wall, and then the ceiling. The beam at last struck a small pebble, causing it to spin lazily across the floor.

"Wow," admired Sunset. "That's amazing... I don't think I've seen anything with such reflective properties."

"It is remarkable," agreed Celestia. "Likely one of the reasons these tunnels were abandoned. Mining was far more difficult without magic."

Sunset stroked the smooth wall with a hoof. "Could we use it against Nightmare Moon?" she wondered aloud.

Celestia shook her head, turning back towards the center of the cavern. "The crystals lose many of their properties when removed from the walls. I believe it has something to do with mere volume rather than any magical properties of the walls, but either way they had very little value outside of here. Little more than shiny glass, really."

Sunset made a disappointed sound, and then trotted to catch up with Celestia. "That's too bad, having some kind of defense would be useful."

Celestia smiled wryly, "Maybe too useful to be loose upon the world... I consider it fortunate that it doesn't work. Don't worry, our plan will succeed. But first, we need to set up camp. Have you that tent you mentioned?"

Sunset nodded and lit her horn to remove her saddlebags, setting them on the floor near the center of the cavern. She opened them, and lifted the contents out, spreading them out in the air before resting them gently on the ground. Celestia watched, and a smile grew on her face.

"You are well prepared," she smiled. "It looks like you were going to climb a mountain."

"I almost did," chuckled Sunset. "That was my cover story when I was buying all these supplies. Oh!" She interrupted her own thought as she drew two slightly crushed boxes closer to herself. "Oh, I had almost forgotten about these..."

Celestia tilted her head as she looked over. "What have you there?"

Sunset smiled sheepishly. "Um... my birthday cupcakes," she said gently. "I thought maybe you wouldn't mind if we ate them together, since it's been so long since I've celebrated my birthday with anypony. Oh, and the baker in Ponyville gave me a free piece of cloud cake." She opened one of the boxes and looked inside. "It's a little smushed, maybe we'll just have the cupcakes."

"Oh!" exclaimed Celestia. "Happy Birthday to you, Sunset Shimmer! I would be pleased to celebrate with you... I would say that even though things are a little difficult, that we have much to celebrate already."

Sunset's smile grew and she nodded. "You were the best birthday present I could ever have asked for, Princess."

Celestia's smiled and dipped her head in polite appreciation, and then she raised her head again, eyeing the open box. "Er, did you say cloud cake? If... if you don't want it, it's a personal favorite of mine. 'Smushed' or not, after ten years away I would dearly love a piece."

Sunset laughed, teasing even as she floated the box towards Celestia. "Of course, Princess! Better be careful, though... if word got out, ponies might start to think that you were just like everypony else!"

Celestia took the box into her own magic and looked into it. She inhaled deeply, savoring the scent. "Mmm," she smiled. "So now you know my true weakness. This will be lovely, thank you dear."

Sunset opened the other box and looked into it, seeing the two cupcakes were pressed together, but otherwise not too badly damaged. "It looks like the cupcakes are okay. I've got one extra now." She levitated one from the box and held it before herself, smiling genuinely. "Happy birthday to me."

A third voice unexpectedly spoke up from one of the deeper tunnels. It was a deep bass that resonated in the cavern. "If I may, I would be pleased to offer my own wishes to this event?"

Celestia and Sunset both jumped at the voice and Sunset whirled around to face it. Near the edge of the cavern stood Ulfrid, his gaze polite but steady.

"You!" cried Sunset. "Oh no!" She jumped back towards Celestia and lit her horn brightly, crouching into an offensive stance as both her cupcake and her box were left to drop to the ground.

Celestia's eyes only narrowed slightly, and she spoke politely. "Good evening to you," she offered. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure?"

Sunset's voice was loud and stressed, nearly panicked. "He works for Nightmare Moon!" she shouted. But she blinked and looked back at Celestia as the Princess laid her wing gently across her back, and reduced her magic a bit.

Ulfrid bowed slightly, speaking gently. "My apologies for interrupting, and my apologies for startling you. I came to bid you welcome. My name is Ulfrid, and I serve the regent of Equestria."

"Welcome?!" accused Sunset. "Welcome to the dungeons, you mean!!"

"Peace, Sunset Shimmer," Celestia said, her voice still gentle but firm enough to make clear that this was not open to discussion. "Thank you for your welcome, Ulfrid, and please forgive my student. She is a little unsettled from our long trip."

Sunset gasped but held her tongue as Ulfrid bowed deeper and then stood again. "Quite understandable," he noted. "But I assure you that my visit does not foretell incarceration. I only wished to ensure that you both were well."

Celestia dipped her head gently and then smiled. "Quite, thank you. We did not expect to be noticed so quickly, however. Might I ask how you found us?"

Ulfrid smiled and dipped his own head in return. "I serve," he replied simply.

Celestia blinked once and tilted her head to look at Ulfrid while Sunset looked on in disbelief. "Whom do you serve?" asked Celestia.

Ulfrid smiled warmly. "Those to whom the Oath is sworn," he replied. His attention turned to Sunset, and he addressed her directly. "Best wishes to you on the anniversary of your birth, and worry not. Nightmare Moon will not find you in this place."

"I... thank you..." replied Sunset Shimmer. "But why would you help us? I know all about you, you do everything for Nightmare Moon! Don't you know who we are?"

"Aye," replied Ulfrid. "You are the Princess of the Sun and her loyal student, who faced Nightmare Moon on the day of her triumph. But that was a long time ago, was it not?"

Celestia blinked once at the calm identification yet otherwise kept her posture. But Sunset shook her head in frustration, brightening her horn again. "That doesn't mean we can trust you! We can't let you leave and tell the guard where we are!"

Ulfrid seemed unfazed. "Captain Sterling Honor may indeed be a problem," he replied. "He has acquired the Alicorn Amulet, and taken to wearing it. But it is not through myself that he poses a threat."

"The Alicorn Amulet! It's been found? Does he mean to unseat Nightmare Moon?" asked Sunset, frowning. "Did you expect us to help stop him?"

"Nay, he is completely loyal to Her Majesty and will defend her honor at any price."

"Which may be more dangerous...." mused Celestia. "The Alicorn Amulet... I have not heard tell of this for a very long time. Do I remember correctly that it will corrupt his judgment the longer he wears it?"

"Aye... it has already started to take effect."

"But why tell us about him?" repeated Sunset. "What do you expect us to do?"

Ulfrid lowered his body into a deep bow. "What you will," he answered. "I mean only to provide information, not to advise how best to use it." He smiled gently and stood again, taking a few steps to where Sunset's dropped cupcake had rolled. "By your leave, I will take this in celebration of your birthday, Sunset Shimmer, and allow you to enjoy the one as-yet untainted in its box. I must continue on my way."

Sunset frowned, now allowing some confusion to cross her features. "But how did you know that we were here?"

Ulfrid smiled to her as he lifted the cupcake from the floor between his teeth. "It is my duty to know," he replied, speaking around the pastry. He then turned, and bowed to Celestia. "By your leave, Princess?"

Sunset looked to Celestia as well, her eyes questioning.

Celestia looked at Ulfrid for a moment, a deep penetrating gaze. Then she smiled and nodded her head once. "Of course, you may leave. Thank you for the information."

Ulfrid rose and smiled, turning without a further word and exiting the cavern through the tunnel that Celestia and Sunset had entered through.

"Wait!" called Sunset. "You can't get out that way!"

Celestia offered a tiny chuckle. "He's already gone, Sunset." She settled herself down onto the floor, and lit her horn to take another look into her tiny box of cake. "That was certainly unexpected, wasn't it?"

Sunset bit her lip, and stepped closer to Celestia, her own pastry forgotten for the moment. "Princess, was it all right to let him go? Do you know who he was?"

Celestia shook her head gently and finally took a small piece of cake up for a taste. "I don't think I do know who he was... but he was not what he appeared to be. I think that even if we had tried to stop him we would not have succeeded."

Sunset bit her lip a little harder and then finally laid down next to Celestia. She summoned the box with her spare cupcake in it and held it, thinking. "Is he on our side, then?"

Celestia thought for a moment before answering. "I don't think he is... but neither is he against us. He seemed almost neutral between ourselves and Nightmare Moon."

"But he didn't seem to like the Captain of the Guard."

Celestia made a non-committed noise. "Concerned, I should think. But he was very hard to read."

Sunset rolled a small pebble across the floor with her hoof. "So what do we do now?"

Celestia smiled, "We celebrate your birthday, of course."

Sunset looked at Celestia in disbelief for a moment. "Just that?" she asked.

"Just that," confirmed Celestia with a nod. "Tomorrow is another day."

Sunset paused for a moment and then laughed. "Thank you, Princess."

This time her cupcake was delicious.