//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: The Vision // Story: Shadows of War: The Tale of the Six Heroes // by heavens-champion //------------------------------// CHAPTER 1: THE VISION Canterlot. The illustrious capital city of Equestria. For a long time, the city has stood as a beacon of culture and sophistication, home to the kingdom’s nobility and elite. Before the war, the city streets were filled with busy ponies, going to and fro about their business, and the members of the upper-class would gather at formal parties such as the Grand Galloping Gala, to spend time with friends and loved ones, discussing the latest topics and other things. But now, the bustling streets are quiet, and the only thing spoken of is the looming threat of King Sombra and his army. Ever since the war, the elite of Equestria had taken shelter in Canterlot, in search of safety from the war, while Canterlot’s citizens did what they could to help the cause, from making weapons and uniforms, researching spells to help tip the scales, to even serving in the E.U.P. Guard. It was also here in Canterlot, that Celestia, Princess of the Sun, ruler of Equestria, and supreme commander of the Equestrian forces, made her home. ************************************************************* The ivory alicorn princess had returned to Canterlot Castle after Equestria’s victory at the Borealis Fields. Many lives were lost, but eventually, the stalemate was broken, and the Crystal Armies commanded by King Sombra himself were pushed back into enemy territory, despite the efforts of the evil unicorn’s newly created Storm Rider Corps. Celestia herself fought against Sombra, and injured him greatly, forcing him to retreat back to the Crystal Empire. However, it was in this battle that Spitfire, Commander of the elite Wonderbolts Squadron, was captured by the enemy. It pained Celestia to know that one of her best commanders, and trusted comrade, was in the clutches of King Sombra. Truly a fate worse than death. She hoped Spitfire would remain strong and wouldn’t tell Sombra anything, including the greatest power known to all of ponydom. Heaven knows what would happen if he gained possession of them. Celestia sighed as she made her way to the throne room. The two Pegasus guards at the door stood to attention as she approached. With the use of her magic, the doors swung open before her, revealing the enormous throne room. Celestia stepped inside, walking down the aisle towards her throne, observing the rows of stained-glass windows on each side. These windows were made as reminders of major events in Equestria’s history, from the defeat of Discord to Tirek’s banishment to Tartarus. She stopped when a particular window caught her eye. She walked over to it, a mournful look on her face. Painted on the window was an image of Celestia battling a black alicorn, with six jewels hovering over Celestia and striking the other alicorn with a rainbow of light. Celestia sighed. She knew what this window depicted: the battle between her and her sister, Luna. She remembered that day. A thousand years ago, long before the Empire had returned, Celestia and Luna ruled Equestria together with fairness and justice. In those times, Celestia raised the sun, ushering the day, while her sister raised the moon, ushering the night. However, while the ponies played and frolicked in the day, they shunned and slept through the night. Because of this, Luna became bitter and resentful, her heart consumed with envy. One day, Luna refused to lower the moon. Celestia tried to reason with her, but Luna’s bitterness was so great, that it changed her into a dark mare full of hatred: Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon vowed to shroud all of Equestria in eternal night, and she fought her sister. The battle was great, and when it seemed like Nightmare Moon was victorious, Celestia harnessed the power of the Elements of Harmony- six powerful jewels- and used it to banish Nightmare Moon from Equestria and into the moon. Since then, Celestia took it upon herself to raise both the sun and moon. Celestia hung her head. She may have defeated Nightmare Moon that day, but it was on that same day that she lost her sister. She tried to tell herself that she had no choice; that she had to save Equestria at all cost. But deep down, she felt nothing but guilt. She snapped out of her trance and approached her throne, taking a seat. As she did so, she began to reminisce on recent events. First, of course, was the day she had found a student. Of course, Celestia had many students in her School for Gifted Unicorns, but to become Celestia’s personal student was an honor many young unicorns dreamed of. There was one unicorn in particular who succeeded: A mare named Sunset Shimmer. Celestia remembered it well. Sunset was a true prodigy, full of potential. Her teachers were so amazed by her magical prowess, that Celestia made Sunset her personal protégé, intending to teach her the magic required to make her the next Alicorn Princess. However, Sunset felt nothing but pride and ambition. She desired power, and when she did not achieve her desire as quickly as she liked, her heart darkened, making her cruel and dishonest. Celestia had tried to lead her down the right path, but Sunset refused to listen. She abandoned her studies, and left to pursue her own path. Celestia did not know where Sunset was now, but she hoped she would return one day. Later, on the day of the Summer Sun Celebration, Nightmare Moon had returned, determined to finish what she started only to mysteriously vanish. It was also on this day, that the Crystal Empire returned, and with it, King Sombra himself. Celestia long speculated that Sombra had something to do with Nightmare Moon’s disappearance. If her assumption was correct, then Sombra possibly had plans for her. That theory made Celestia’s blood run cold. On the topic of the Crystal Empire, Celestia had sent her niece, Mi Amore Cadenza, better known as Cadance, and a detachment of Royal Guards to the Empire to reclaim the throne. However, her hopes for Amore's heir inheriting the Crystal Empire were shattered when she was told that Cadance was missing. According to the reports, her company was ambushed by Imperial troops. Cadance was separated from her escorts, who were forced to retreat back to Canterlot. The news had broken her heart, knowing that Cadance was missing. Shining Armor, captain of the guard and Cadance’s fiancé, took it harder than most. The young stallion vowed that he would find her one day. But he was needed to lead the forces against Sombra, so vengeance would have to wait. Celestia could only hope that Cadance was safe. The princess sighed, her eyes filled with sadness. Nothing was going right these days. First, Sunset abandoned her studies, then Nightmare Moon disappeared, then Cadance vanished the very day King Sombra regained control of the Crystal Empire, and now Equestria was locked in a war of attrition with Sombra and his empire. True, the recent victory at the Borealis Fields sent the enemy back into their territory, but it was a minor setback at best. Sombra still controlled the Crystal Empire, along with much of Equestria, his influence growing greater every day. And in every battle, Celestia would watch as her very subjects were killed or captured by the evil king. One victory was not enough to turn the tide. Celestia knew this. If only Star Swirl was here, she thought. Just then, she saw a light. The alicorn gasped in shock, entranced by the light. Her vision became cloudy for a moment. When it cleared, she saw six jewels floating before her. She recognized them immediately. The Elements, she thought. Then, the vision changed, this time showing six young mares, five of them wearing golden necklaces, each with a different colored gem, and the other, a unicorn, wore a golden tiara with an amethyst star in it. Celestia recognized one of the ponies as Captain Rainbow Dash, a pegasus she saved from Sombra during the Battle of Rainbow Falls. The vision changed again, showing her a bird’s eye view of Equestria. She saw six symbols on Equestria; a trio of red apples marking the small town of Ponyville; a trio of blue diamonds marking the city of Manehattan; a trio of pink butterflies marking the outskirts of the city of Fillydelphia; a rainbow-colored lightning bolt and a trio of balloons marking the outskirts of Foal Mountain; and a pink six-pointed star surrounded by five small white stars marking Canterlot; accompanying each symbol was one of the ponies she saw earlier. For every pony that was shown, Celestia heard their names: Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle. The vision changed once again, showing the same ponies wearing their regalia, the unicorn carrying a heart-shaped crystal, accompanied by a baby dragon, confronting King Sombra, who was flanked by two ponies in shadow. Before she could catch a glimpse of one of the mysterious ponies, there was a flash of light, and she was in the throne room once more. Celestia was left speechless. At first, she thought it was just her battle-wearied mind playing tricks on her. However, she came to realize what it truly was. The Tree. The Tree of Harmony had given her a vision. A vision of how Equestria could win the war. “Princess?” Celestia was snapped out of her trance, turning to one of the guards. He had a look of concern on his face. “Is something wrong?” He asked. Celestia stood up. “Summon Captain Shining Armor and Commander Stratos. I wave a task for them.” She replied. “But why?” Asked another guard. “I think I know how we can defeat Sombra once and for all.” Celestia answered. The guards were silent for a minute, and then nodded. “Yes, Princess.” They said, bowing. The two guards took off, leaving the throne room as the doors shut behind them. A few hours later, they returned, accompanied by two other ponies, both of them stallions. The first was a unicorn. He had a white coat, and his mane and tail were a combination of different shades of blue. His eyes were blue as well. He was clad in purple and gold royal guard armor, showing that he was a high-ranking officer. His cutie mark was a dark blue shield with a pink six-pointed star in the center, and three light blue stars above it. He was Shining Armor, Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard and one of the E.U.P. Guard’s supreme commanders. The second was a pegasus. He had a brown coat, and his mane and tail were black in color. His eyes were a shade of gold. He wore a blue formal uniform of the E.U.P. Royal Air Cavalry. His cutie mark was a pair of light blue lightning bolts crossed together. This was Stratos, Supreme Commander of the E.U.P. Guard Royal Air Corps, and captain of the elite Blue Wings Squadron. The two commanders bowed before Celestia, showing her their respect. “We came as quickly as we could, your highness.” Said Shining Armor. “What is your command?” Asked Stratos. “I have received a vision from the Tree of Harmony,” Said Celestia. “And I believe it has showed me how Sombra can be defeated, and who will defeat him.” The two stallions raised their heads in surprise. After so many centuries, the Tree had spoken to Princess Celestia, and showed her a means to end the war against Sombra in their favor. An awkward silence fell over the two, only to be broken by Stratos. “Is this true?” Celestia told them everything about what she saw, and after a few minutes, Shining Armor and Stratos nodded. “We will send our best troops to gather these ponies, Princes,” Said Shining Armor, “But, it would help if we knew exactly who we were looking for.” Celestia nodded and she closed her eyes. She began to concentrate, channeling her magic into her horn. Soon, her horn began to glow, and six beams of light shot out of it, creating images of the ponies from her vision. Stratos recognized one of them as Captain Rainbow Dash of the Wonderbolts 1st Squadron, and another as a member of the Rock Trooper Corps, 1st Lieutenant Pinkamena Diane Pie, he believed. However, he did not recognize the four other ponies. One was an earth pony mare. She had an orange coat, a blonde mane and tail, green eyes, and freckles. She wore a light brown jumpsuit, and a camouflage apron and bandana. Another was a unicorn mare with a white coat, blue eyes, a purple mane and tail, and light blue eyeshadow. She wore a purple jumpsuit and bandana. The third was a pegasus mare with a yellow coat, a pink mane and tail, and light blue eyes. She wore a tan jumpsuit and headscarf. And the final pony was a unicorn with a lavender coat, a dark blue mane and tail with purple and pink streaks, and lavender eyes. Shining Armor’s eyes widened when he saw her image. “Twily…” He whispered. Celestia noticed Shining Armor’s change in demeanor. She followed his gaze to the image of the lavender unicorn. “Do you know her, Captain?” She asked. “Yes,” Answered Shining Armor. “She’s my sister. Her name is Twilight Sparkle. She once tried to enter your school, but she failed the entrance exam. Needless to say, she didn’t take it well.” He hung his head, saddened as he remembered his little sister returning home, tears in her eyes. Celestia’s serious gaze changed to one of sympathy. She heard of Twilight Sparkle. Her parents had told her that she had much potential to become a powerful unicorn, maybe a new personal student. When she heard that she failed the exam, she was disappointed. But, this time, maybe Twilight would have another chance. And defeating Sombra might just be the thing. Celestia regained her royal posture, standing up from her throne. “Gather your finest officers. Go and find these six ponies,” She said. “Tell them I seek their presence.” Shining Armor and Stratos nodded, and left the throne room, the doors closing behind them. Celestia sat back down in her throne. The order had been given. Now all she needed to do was wait. Wait for Equestria’s saviors to arrive.