//------------------------------// // 2 // Story: The Queen of Sand // by The First Hunter //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle awoke to the soft feeling of silk. Certainly, it was an improvement over her grave of sand from what seemed like moments ago. She made an attempt to open her eyes, but it was no use: her body violently rebelled, practically begging her to indulge in the sheets for just a few more precious seconds. Having emerged victorious over much tougher foes, however, Twilight forced herself to sit up, creaking her eyes open slowly but surely as she did so. Hanging over the bed--which she now realized was quite large--was a pure white cloth, draped neatly across the top. Little paper lanterns hung around it at uneven intervals, straining Twilight's eyes as she tried to look at them. Colorful patterns of various shapes and sizes, colored mostly maroon and gold, adorned the large room. In the corner of the room was an exquisitely carved wooden desk that hosted a pony Twilight immediately recognized. It was the Princess Amira, though not as Twilight had remembered her. Whereas Amira was often in makeup and donned with traditional Saddle Arabian clothing, she wasn't right now: she wore nothing, and her face was presented entirely naturally, devoid of any make-up or product. As per usual, she wore her mane down to her right side, leaving an eye covered behind its dark black strands. She was still strikingly beautiful, but that was the last thing Twilight was concerned with at the moment. "Princess Amira," she croaked. Her voice was weak and empty, and Amira's neutral face dropped ever so slightly to a worried grimace. She said nothing, however, and Twilight continued as the memories flooded back to her head. "I was in the desert," she began. "Something brought me here. I thought I was dead for sure." Amira slowly brought a cup to her lips, drinking whatever was in it: Twilight could easily see a red glow of embarrassment for through her pink fur, and she gave a heavy sigh before she replied to the Princess of Friendship. "I brought you here," she began. "And you did die, if only for a few precious moments. I am beyond glad you are safe, as I could not possibly forgive myself if you passed from this world. I am sorry for what I have done to you, and your arrival in the sahra' was a... miscalculation." Her words hit Twilight like a freight train and danced around in her head like a chorus that couldn't be quelled. She could feel her eyes narrowing in disbelief, and after staring at her hooves for what seemed like a lifetime, she looked back to the Princess with a face of twisted confusion. "I... I died?" she asked. Amira nodded gravely, setting her drink down and leaning back in her chair. "Yes," she began. "Our court sorcerer, Sahir, revived you. No one can raise the dead, of course, but he did kickstart your magical energies to force your own revival. Or so he told me... I admit I am not well learned in the ways of magic." Twilight looked to the ceiling for a moment, lost in thought: yes, it was possible, she supposed, invigorating magic through a lifeless body, but it was by no means easy, and it could only be done in very certain cases. This court sorcerer would have to be highly skilled in magic, and even then, Saddle Arabian unicorns just didn't have the magical potency that Equestrian unicorns did. She had a distinct feeling that Amira was not telling the entire truth, and she would have to talk to this court sorcerer once she regained her health. As she mulled this over, it wasn't until a few moments later that the reality of the situation truly hit her. She turned to Amira, her eyes alight with a brand new fire. Even in her frailty, her eyebrows narrowed into a fierce grimace. "You brought me here," she rasped aggressively, a hint of confusion seeping into her inflection. "Why? You could have sent me a letter." Amira was already nodding in shame before she even finished the sentence. "Understand I am gravely sorry for what has happened here, and I take full responsibility for it. You will be under the finest care here." She looked to the carpet below her now, unable to face the Princess of Friendship. "But I couldn't wait for a letter to arrive. It takes close to two months to arrive here if one makes haste, and I simply did not have that time." There was a silence in the air as Twilight laid back upon the bed to mull the situation over. Twilight was rarely every truly angry, but she certainly wasn't pleased that she had almost met her death at the hooves of Amira, a situation that called for it quite rightly. Still, there was a pleading in desperation in her voice that Twilight had seldom heard from anypony, much less a monarch. Amira is a good pony, she mused, staring at the while cloth above her. They hadn't spent a lot of time together, but she was always courteous and kind in every instance Twilight had spoken with the Saddle Arabian monarch. If she was willing to put Twilight's life on the line to bring her here, then perhaps it truly was a matter of life and death. "Well, you have me now," Twilight said suddenly, causing Amira to perk up from her seat. "But before you say anything, I need to contact my friends back in Equestria. They have to know where I am." Amira nodded quickly, leaning over to her right and sliding across a few sheets of parchment. "I figured you would ask. Of course, you are welcome to," she said. Her face became suddenly grim, however, and her eyes narrowed with a burning intensity. "But you will aid me, then?" She asked. "In this country's dire time of need?" Twilight's ears perked up at those words, the force behind "dire" coming through Amira's a bit more forceful than intended. Nonetheless, her iron gaze was still firm, and Twilight gave a long sigh before she turned to the monarch to answer her once again. "I still can't say I'm particularly happy with what you've done to me," Twilight began. Amira's face immediately flooded with a tidal wave of red as she looked to the floor once more, but Twilight held her hoof up as best she could. "BUT... you wouldn't have done it without good reason. So of course I'll help you, Amira: you and your country have been nothing but wonderful to Equestria, and we're always here to protect those in need." Twilight wasn't sure what she expected from the Princess, but it wasn't what she got: Amira looked to the ceiling and breathed a sigh of relief, the muscles on her body visibly relaxing. She looked down to Twilight, and it was for the first time that evening--or day, perhaps?--she saw a smile from the monarch. "Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. I cannot repay you enough." She sat back in her once more as she began to summarize her plight. "Do you know of my husband, Prince Haakim?" She asked. Twilight merely nodded in response: Haakim was always paired with Amira at every meeting and event, the couple Saddle Arabia's delegates at every turn. He was Saddle Arabia's true monarch, making the final stay on any executive and legislative decisions, with Amira by his side aiding him through it. Cadance had oft spoken of her admiration for the love the two shared, a bond she knew had been forged early when they had met in their youth. Amira, her stoic face unchanging, continued. "He is dying," she began. The bluntness of the statement caught Twilight off guard, but she didn't have much time to think about it as Amira pressed on. "With every second that ticks he awaits his demise. He lays frail on his bed... I fear seeing him in this state has left my heart in pieces." There appeared to be tiny droplets forming under her eyes as she spoke, but she quickly extinguished them in a show of strong will, closing her eyes tightly and forcing them to retreat. She was about to continue, but Twilight, knowing where she would go next, finished her next sentence for her. "You must choose his successor," she added. "If I remember correctly, the successor to the throne is chosen by the widowed. It's a lengthy process with many families and individuals making their cases for ascension." a faint chuckle escaped Amira's lips. "You certainly are a bookworm, hmm?" she asked playfully. "Yes. When my husband dies, I will personally name his successor: it is a long engrained tradition that has carried Saddle Arabia into modern times, and it will carry it into the future. It's why I brought you here on such short notice." Twilight could feel her own eyes narrow in confusion, her head cocked slightly to the side. After thinking about it for a few seconds, she stared at Amira with confoundment. "I don't understand," she said. "Why would you need me for that? I don't know enough about the ponies of Saddle Arabia to help you make a decision, and I'm sure Haakim has a good pony in mind." Amira nodded wistfully at the mention of his name, and she looked to Twilight with a steel-hardened glare. "He does," she said simply. "Because he has chosen you." "What do you mean she's gone?" Starlight Glimmer had been sitting at the simple desk in her room, but she was certainly standing now: the frantic, hurried words of Spike the Dragon rang in and out of her head, their meaning not truly hitting home quite yet. "W-Well, she didn't wake up early like she usually does," Spike stuttered. "And at first I thought she might be sleeping in so I didn't wanna bother her, but when it was noon I knew something was wrong. So I went into her room and called her name, but she wasn't on the bed! She was gone!" Starlight, still in disbelief, leaned in a bit closer to the dragon. "Maybe she had something to do and just left. She's a princess, you know." Spike immediately shook his head in disagreement, causing Starlight to recoil. "No, that isn't it. The bed wasn't made, and Twilight would NEVER leave her bed without making it. Ever." Starlight looked around the room at that: as silly as it sounded, Spike was right. Twilight's sense of organization and neatness defined who she was, and she was never one to leave anything sloppy. Spike gingerly threw his hand up in the air, indicating he wasn't done, so Starlight refocused her attention. "There's something else, and it's a bit scary." Starlight perked her ears at that, allowing Spike to continue. "You know how the chairs by the Map all have everypony's cutie marks lit up?" Starlight quickly nodded in acknowledgment, but was surprised to see Spike look to the floor just as fast. "Well, I was walking by it to write letters to all the girls and... her light went out," he replied. "For about fifteen minutes. I... I don't know exactly what that means but I only assumed that would happen if somepony died." The words swam through Starlight's head, a chorus of rapidly formulating questions building up like a volcano all at once. "Okay, hold on," she began, the information overload only just beginning to separate itself. "This is a lot to assume. She's been missing all day, and none of the girls have seen her?" Spike nodded affirmatively, and Starlight looked to the ceiling in deep thought before she spoke next. "And you said the light went out... it came back on?" Spike nodded more enthusiastically this time, electing to speak after Starlight's questionings. "Yes! I was so relieved, but I wasn't any less confused." Starlight quickly got up from her chair and began a quick walk out of her room: Spike immediately ran to join her as she walked through the doorframe and out into the carpet-lined hallway. "You need to send a message to the Princesses. They're probably gonna know more about the map and how the elements work than we do." Spike's response was immediate, formulating before Starlight had even finished her sentence. "Already did that. They haven't res--res--" Suddenly, Spike stopped right where he stood, holding his hand up to his nose. Starlight knew exactly what that meant, and so when Spike's telltale green flame brought forth a finely sealed scroll she immediately grabbed it from midair and brought it to her face, relaying the information aloud as she read. The information was frantically written and curt, lacking any closing or introductory statement, and some of the ink had been clearly mottled with teardrops. You were right in your assumption if the map is anything like the Tree of Harmony--when a bearer dies, the brilliant light of their element is snuffed out. I am glad you wrote to me as quick as you did, as I was able to check the tree to see it for myself. This being said, the Element of Magic DID reignite some time later, and I imagine Twilight's cutie mark did for you as well. This is a very grave matter: while it would appear that Twilight is indeed alive, it would also appear that, for a few moments, she was not. I know not if Twilight is safe but I am constantly monitoring the tree and have sent out search parties across Equestria to find her. Stay vigilant for any form of contact she may attempt. Celestia Starlight stared at the page for a few more seconds, slowly digesting its contents. She lowered it to look at Spike, who had a frantic and worried stare plastered upon his countenance. "What are we gonna do?" He asked, his voice weak and worried. Starlight looked to the paper again, seeing the words but not reading them. She sighed mightly before answer, her tone becoming equally distressed. "We get the girls together," she began grimly, "And we wait."