Fading Light

by Cabral095

Presage

The mare turned and faced the princess, her eyes meeting her level. After studying her a moment, Sunflower motioned for her to follow. Twilight did. Crumbling walls greeted the duo as they trotted into what remained of the city. Homes broken and in shambles, others just missing altogether. Curious ponies clambered out from their holes in the earth, watching as a strange new pony entered the area. Many gasped, and others looked on in shock.

Rags and torn fabrics clung to the ponies, their bodies decorated with scratches and bruises. The sound of coughing soon joined in with the chorus of whispers. The locals seemed to be intrigued by the purple mare. Her presence, however, made many uneasy.

“What happened here?” Twilight inquired.

“We survived.” Sunflower answered, “Ponies from all around come here. It’s said to be the safest of the remaining cities, what with the valley being so deadly, and the coast too far for many ponies to travel.”

Before the princess could reply, Sunflower halted in front of a run down abode. The walls were cracked, the paint was all but gone, and the roof was dismantled.

“What is this?”

“This is where you will talk with the council. I’m sure they’ll be… interested in meeting you, Princess.”

~~~~~

“Now look here princess.” An orange mare stammered as her hoof slammed onto the grand marble tiles of the luxurious palace. A small crack had appeared, joining the tears that had pooled by her hooves. “Ya can’t do this ta Twilight! Ya just can’t!”

“I’ve already told you Applejack.” The white alicorn began, “What’s done is done, and there’s no going back. I can not and will not go back on my word.”

“But she said she was sorry! Ain’t that enough?”

“Applejack… I’m not doing this just as a punishment…”

“As what then? An example? Is this what happened to Luna? You made an example out of her?”

Celestia directed her glance to Applejack, eyeing her up and down. The orange mare’s brown hat was tattered and torn, and alongside her stood Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. The other elements had all gathered to defend their banished friend.

“No.” Celestia simply replied. “This, is a much more serious issue. This has nothing to do with what Twilight did, but what would happen to Twilight if I didn’t banish her.”

“What do you mean?” inquired Fluttershy.

~~~~~

Cautiously placing one hoof past another, Twilight entered the building. Tattered curtains waved to her as she passed by, with rubble and debris guiding her towards a back room. Shadows mingled with one another on the back wall of the room, and voices found their way to the Princess' ears. Poking her head in to the dank room, she could see four ponies were gathered around a small table. A candle emitted light from the center of the table, which highlighted the ponies' features.

To the right sat a gray stallion. His mane was dark and his deep sapphire eyes watched Twilight enter the small room. To the stallions left was an older mare, her once green coat had begun to gray, much like her blonde mane; her magenta eyes, however, held much youth in them. To the far left, was a young stallion with a scar traversing his face. His blue coat was dirty and coarse, with his subtle orange mane matching the condition of his coat. A fire seemed to burn within his gray eyes; determination, strength, and valor. The final pony was a unicorn, unlike the rest who were earth ponies. Her horn, however, was broken and cracked. Sorrow and fear filled the old mare’s eyes, while gray had dispersed across her mane and coat.

“Um, hello.” Twilight sheepishly stated. “Are you the um, council?”

“We are.” Replied the gray stallion, “And who might you be?”

“I- I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“Princess?” inquired the gray mare. “Did she say princess?”

“I do believe she did.” The blue stallion stated standing up on his hooves. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Blue Shield. This is Gallant Stone, the gray mare is Rose, and the lovely green mare over there is Elstar. Do forgive us, we live in an era where such formalities are dead.”

“Dead?”

“Yes.” Replied Gallant, “A title like that has not been used for an age. So that makes me wonder, who are you really? Because everyone here knows that the princesses died long before the end of the Celestial Age.”

“Celestial Age?” The princess inquired.

Elstar stood, “The Celestial Age was a time when Equestria had leaders; The Alicorn Princesses. These great mares lead Equestria into new wonders the world had never seen before, bringing with them new technology and friendship. However, that age has been dead for well over two thousand years.”

“Two thousand years?”

“Yes.” Gallant Stone answered, “And the princesses have all been dead since; we have some documents proving this, the ones that were found in Canterlot Castle.”

“But… but how?” Twilight asked, her voice cracking a little.

“That is something we never found.” Elstar remarked, “I’ve explored that castle from top to bottom when I was younger and never found anything. All we know is that one day, the princesses had gone and vanished.”

“And because of this.” Gallant added, “Everypony assumed the worst. Then there’s you. From the scrolls we’ve read, never once did it mention a miss Twilight Sparkle.”

“What?” The purple mare’s eyes began to redden, a look of downcast taking shape on her snout. “But... I’m Celestia’s student. I studied under her since I was a filly, she taught me magic. I saved the world from eternal darkness and chaos. Surely you’ve heard of me?”

Silence swept across the room. The candle flickered as shadows danced along the walls, as the purple mare was about to burst into tears.

“I will say this though.” Gallant stepped closer to the princess, “Your appearance is something that intrigues me. You may not be a princess, but you are most certainly an alicorn. Tell us, how did you become one?”

Twilight sat on the floor as a tear drifted down her face. “It’s a long story. A long story about myself, and how I discovered the magic of friendship.”

Author's Note:

And thus ends my introduction to the story, yes, I took up three thousands words to introduce this story. Look forward to chapter 1 soon! Because I have a lot planned out for this beast! Please leave feedback! I do like hearing what other folks think.