As the Sands Start to Fall (Updated)

by Hikarikurai24587

Awakening and the Request

Chapter Two: Awakening and The Request

Over a thousand years had passed since Sombra had taken over. Since he had been defeated at the hooves of the Princesses. Since the Crystal Empire had vanished. When those thousands of years had passed it was restored by a Unicorn known as Twilight Sparkle. When she had found the Crystal Heart and her Sister-in-Law, Cadence used it to rid the Empire of Sombra. Twilight had many more adventures before she became an Alicorn like Cadence, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. Now the light of the Crystal Heart is fading and she has been summoned to help restore it.

Twilight stepped off the train looking around as her brother, Shining Armor, and two guards approached. She smiled but that was all the greeting she could offer him as there was an even more pressing issue.

“Twili,” Shining Armor greeted moving towards her quickly, yet clearing his throat as he remembered why she was there. “We are here to escort you to the palace. No time to lose.”

The four of them took off quickly, Twilight’s saddlebag almost bursting with books, as she asked. “What’s wrong with the Crystal Heart?”

“We don’t know, there is nothing in the books in the Crystal Empire!” Shining Armor explained as they headed straight for the palace. “Celestia and Luna are looking for anything that Sombra had left behind and Cadence is doing her best to protect the Empire using her own magic. I don’t need to remind you about last time, I don’t even want to think about what will happen if the light fades.”

Twilight nodded her head in agreement as the doors opened, letting them into the castle.

“Where are Celestia and Luna?” Twilight didn’t want to waste a single second and Shining Armor pointed to the library before going to check on his wife. Twilight didn’t slow down as she headed in the direction of the palace library. Only when she saw a glimpse of the Crystal Heart dimly shining through one of the windows did she pause. It worried her, something like this had never been recorded. ‘Yet there isn’t much on the Crystal Heart in the first place.’ she thought when she felt a cold feeling wash over her. ‘What if this is something that Sombra had done? There has to be something we can do.’

“Twilight, a voice whispered causing her to spin around holding back a scream. Floating in front of her was a glowing pale blue and silver orb. It floated up and down before circling around her head quickly. Three more of the orbs appeared behind her pushing her away from the library as the one that had first appeared took off in the direction she was going.

“What’s going on?” Twilight asked, trying to get away from the orbs yet nothing seemed to work. When she tried teleporting she had only appeared at the end of the hallway. The orbs floated behind her as one flew in front of her before spinning in a circle so fast that it looked like a blur.

“Is there something there?” Twilight inquired before realizing that again, Sombra wouldn’t have kept the Crystal Palace the same as when he took over. Focusing Twilight felt the dark magic well up before casting a simple light spell. Her sclera turning bright green and the mist appearing as a ball of dark energy cast a shadow before her. The wall where the orb had circled in front of vanished revealing hidden doors. The one where the light had heavy magical chains sealing it. Hoofsteps filled the air as Luna and Celestia rounded the corner following the first orb of light. The first light rejoined the other three as they led them off to a hallway that had appeared with the doors.

“Why did you want me to cast a spell there if you weren’t going to open the door!” Twilight huffed as she followed the lights with the Princesses right behind her. At the end of the dark hallway as a set of heavy doors, these were made of wood instead of the wood crystal substance the doors of the palace were made from. The lights flew into the door opening it as the Princesses stepped in.

The room was not what any of them were expecting, it was a bedroom of sorts and not something anyone would have associated with Sombra. Instead of the vast luxury and dark colors and would have had an air of superiority. Twilight scanned the room for traps as well as taking in the decor. It was regal, no doubt, with a bed made from sturdy dark mahogany and dark crystals. The sheets, blankets, and pillows were plush all red, black, and deep purple in color. A desk was made from the same mahogany as the bed frame, yet no sign of the dark crystals lay near the bed with a chair to match. The surface was littered with writings, a few books, and a saddlebag. A few sturdy bookshelves were scattered around the room, all filled with various writings. Most had blank spines, no indication on who wrote them. The one thing that stood out to Twilight were no portraits of Sombra or any decorations. ‘Or dust, this room is too clean for being left alone for over a thousand years.’ Twilight pointed out mentally as she looked around though she did comment. “Are we sure this room was Sombra’s?”

Celestia used her magic to pick up one of the journals on the desk reading it aloud. “Journal Entry, Day One Year Four. A message from Princess Amore seemed to have slipped past my notice. With the Princess finally getting the message that I hid from them I will have no choice but to face them. If I defeat them… perhaps they are the key to ridding the Crystal Heart of the barrier. The creature of the mirror can not entire the Empire as long as the Heart has power. Yet I seek to remove the barrier for a different reason. If I can corrupt the Heart and take its power I too can become more powerful. Yet even Corruption cannot still the memories of Midnight Sun that dwell within my mind. A weak pony, a coward. No more do I wish to see what he saw… for now I shall prepare for battle.”

Luna looked at Twilight, who was looking through the saddle bag, asking. “Was there any sign of a barrier when you interacted with the Crystal Heart?”

“No, but you should really ask Spike that question,” Twilight answered, moving away from the saddlebag to the shelves glancing at the books. “He was the one who held it.”

Her eyes locked onto a book that looked much older than the rest, it was simple and very plain. She levitated it off the shelf opening up revealing pages filled with drawings. The pages she had opened up to had some pretty good drawings. On the left page a large ice creature that she had never heard about. On the right page was a doodle of two sheep running away from an old unicorn. Twilight instantly recognized the bells and cape of Star Swirl the Bearded. Closing the book Twilight looked at the other shelves the best she could. Seeing a heavily bound journal she levitated it over to her as she sat down to read. Opening it up to the first page she began to read.

“Master Star Swirl gave us these journals today in order for us to record our progress. Perhaps he reads them later... I do not know. I have never owned a journal before, paper is in short supply. Why are these bound instead rolled like a scroll? Perhaps it is easier to carry around for long missions. Instead of several scrolls, just one... book? Yes I think that is what it was called. Higher class unicorns sure have strange ideas for inventions. Midnight Sun doesn’t seem quite interested in his. What is going on through his mind? Should I care?

I will be using this journal to record our findings and perhaps one day be able to perfect the spells these ancient ones had not perfected.”

Twilight blinked, her eyes flickered to the other Princesses who were still looking around the room, she returned to the journal. Most of the entries spoke of Star Swirl the Bearded, Midnight Sun, and something she never heard of before.

“Princess Luna? Princess Celestia? What are Cores?” Twilight asked, causing the two Princesses to spin around quickly looking at her. “I’m reading a journal and the writer speaks of them alot.”

“We have not heard that term in a long time,” Celestia explained walking over to Twilight, Luna following after her. “Cores are the magic of nature, it is considered to be what gives us our traits. Yet that is a surface explanation. Those who delved into studying them had discovered they are the source of one’s personal magic.”

Celestia’s horn glowed with the soft golden light as two unicorns appeared.

“The magic that is cast on a day to day basis is the magic surrounding the Core, surface magic if you will,” Luna explained as both of the unicorns began levitating a rock, one struggling more than the other. “The surface magic allows for casting spells with varying difficulty. Depending on what Core you possess aides in increasing power to certain spells. There is a Core for casting general magic, but at the cost of making you weak in casting shadow magic. Just like having a Core that allows for ease of use for Shadow magic will make it hard for you to cast healing and light magic. Having the ability to cast powerful light magic yet not having good general magic. These are examples for just the Unicorns, yet they are not the only ones who can utilize the powers of the Cores.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight was still trying to take in everything she was just told.

“All living things have a Core of their own, it is the magic of nature. In the past many creatures have used the power of the Cores to enhance natural abilities or even cast spells themselves,” answered Celestia before looking at the journal. “Now, they have forgotten and rely on only surface magic. Tapping into the Cores has always been taught to the young and requires a testing crystal. Those have been lost to history.”

“Unicorns were merely the last to have forgotten,” Luna told her while looking at the journal as well. “These ponies had travelled with Star Swirl the Bearded, there must be something in them.”

Twilight closed the book seeing a symbol upon them: Three circles of glyphs and runes. Nodding her head she went through the books on the shelves searching for matches. She passed them out to the other two Princesses. Glancing at the first book she saw she noticed two swords, one made of crystal and one of shadows, crossed over each other.

“I found something,” Luna spoke up, causing Twilight to turn around. “This one is called Barrier Masters and Spells Regarding.”

“Barrier Master?” Twilight questioned walking over to look over her shoulder. Celestia thought for a moment before saying. “It is a specialization, when one finds their Core they find their unique talent as well. These were classified long after the discovery of the Cores. A Barrier Master is a defender, they will not be swayed from what they believe in. Though like those of the Light Cores, they are severely drained when utilizing magics outside of healing, defense, or even enchanting. This does not make them useless, their magic is quite powerful and can have a vast range. I remember Star Swirl once telling me about a mare who could heal entire armies with their magic.”

“Sister, listen to this!” Luna called, staring down at a page that had been dogeared. “Master Star Swirl has asked us not to use the Spell of Ultimate Protection. Yet I believe this spell does need to be expanded upon. The Shield of Ultimate Protection, as is the correct translation, is a spell that allows the user to… give up their physical form and become a shield that could protect anything. A person, object, city, anything. According to my research the spell will last for eternity. The one weakness I have discovered thus far has that it has never been successfully cast. The magic required to cast the spell is immense, requiring the use of several unicorns. Yet if they are not all in sync and one loses focus the spell will backfire resulting in an explosion that could… wipe out an entire kingdom.”

Luna looked at her sister, her face going pale as Twilight continued to read. “There is a reason why Master Star Swirl made us take an oath never to cast this spell. I pray we may never have to. However there may be a way to cast a less powerful version of the spell. Something that would last about ten to twenty years. It does require less power and perhaps the unicorn could be reformed. Yet with my limited illusion magic the tests have all failed. It seems that the one casting it would require precise calculations and immense knowledge of magical fluctuation. If I can complete my research this spell would be valuable for my people.”

Celestia moved over to the desk spotting a journal that had a page been marked. Hery eyes scanned the page as she listened to Twilight read. “Midnight Sun keeps asking me if there is a way to reverse the spell. The only conclusion I have come to is that consciousness of the pony must remain for the spell to work. If the consciousness is aware or unaware is unknown. Yet this could explain why it is the Shield of Ultimate Protection: A living shield. If the unicorn who casts embeds their mind into the shield it will never fail. If the mind is weak or it begins to weaken, the shield will fail. That’s it! That must be what’s happening!”

“Sombra’s own writings agree with you,” Celestia told them, bringing over the journal. “Here he states that the Heart must have been the power source for the shield. The one who cast it was too weak at the time due to two fights against him. In all regards she should have destroyed the entire Empire. He states that as long as the pony remains protecting the Heart… or inside the heart, he wasn’t sure which, his curse will slowly corrupt it. Causing the Crystal Heart to lose its power. He also mentions that while he is willing to wait, the Sealed One does not. He also believes that Luna and myself may be the key to releasing the shield.”

“It’s worth a shot,” Twilight told them as she gathered up the books around them before rushing out. “We have to do it now before it is too late!”

The Princesses followed after her, though Celestia collected the other journals. She knew that it would be something that Star Swirl would have wanted: The works of his students next to his. When Celestia caught up to her sister and Twilight they were nearing the throne room. Shining Armor was pacing outside of the door rushing over when he spotted them.

“Did you find anything?” he asked, worried in his eyes, Twilight nodded her head as Celestia explained. “Yes and we might have found a way to fix the problem.”

Twilight looked at Celestia in confusion as Luna explained. “Are you sure sister? It is ancient magic and we might not be enough.”

“Twilight is a quick learner,” Celestia told her sister and Luna sighed. “Even with the combined powers of the three of us, trying to use it on such an ancient artifact.”

“Cadence and I can help,” offered Shining Armor, causing a look of surprise from Luna and Celestia. “I can use my magic to help stabilize Cadence’s.”

Celestia looked over to Cadence who was looking rather drained before nodding her head. Without a word they ran out of the throne room towards the Crystal Heart. A figure appeared behind them watching them before vanishing in a wave of magic.

When the group made it to the Crystal Heart, Twilight noticed it was glowing weakly.

“You have to focus on drawing out the Unicorn, Luna and I will keep them calm and make sure that they are still aware. Cadence, Shining Armor, keep their magic stable. We don’t want to have any problems,” Celestia instructed and the other ponies nodded their heads. Horns lit up with their magical aura as they focused not only on the Crystal Heart but saving the pony who was protecting it. Twilight felt her magic strain and she was beginning to falter when she heard a voice speak inside her mind. “There is more power in you than you know. Focus, Young One.”

Twilight took a deep breath as she focused more but she was curious about the voice. That was when gold eyes flashed before her vision and power spread throughout her body. A light began to form over the Heart and a shape flew from it. Twilight blinked before realizing that it was a mare and she was flying towards a nearby pillar. Her body flew into action as she caught the mare just inches from hitting the pillar.

The Royals gathered to check on the strange mare. Her body sported injuries, some that were only days old and others that looked fresh.

“Medics!” shouted Shining Armor as Celestia’s magic swam over the mare. Bright blue eyes opened slightly and observed the ponies surrounding her. Eyes glanced towards the Crystal Heart before she asked weakly. “Has he been defeated?”

“King Sombra is no more,” Celestia told her gently and the mare nodded her head. Her breathing began to even out as she whispered. “How long since I shielded the Heart?”

“Over a thousand years,” Luna said gently knowing how much pain this mare was going to be in. “I am sorry. What is your name?”

The mare barely managed to reply before she slipped unconscious. “Aqua Star.”

The medics took her away to heal her and Celestia looked at Twilight saying. “Princess Twilight, gather your friends.”

Twilight looked up at Celestia who continued as she watched the group vanish into the Crystal Palace. “I have a request for all of you.”

Spike sat in the Golden Oaks library reading a book humming a tune under his breath. Suddenly he felt the familiar belch rise up and so he shot the green fire from his mouth. He reached out and grabbed the scroll from the air. His eyes glanced over the letter before he rushed out from the library. The eyes of the horse bust glowed as it changed into a fox. The fox grabbed the book that was left behind as it lounged on the stump.

“He seems… lonely,” the fox mused before leaping off of the stump, a grin growing. “And I know just the dragon.”

“Why did they call us to the Crystal Empire? Is there an emergency?” Rainbow Dash, a sky blue pegasus with a rainbow mane, asked as the others gathered at the station. “What kind of emergency?”

“It didn’t say it was an emergency Rainbow, all the letter said was that it was urgent,” Rarity, a while unicorn with a styled purple mane, pointed out. “There is a difference.”

“Is anypony else curious about why Spike isn’t coming with us?” Pinkie Pie, an all pink Earth Pony with blue eyes, piped up as she bounced around her mane defying gravity. “Anypony? Just me? Okie dokie!”

“Ah reckon that gettin’ on the train should be the first thing we do,” the gamboge Earth Pony known as Applejack suggested pointing a hoof towards the train. “You know, before we miss it.”

“I hope it isn’t anything too dangerous,” A yellow pegasus known as Fluttershy prayed as they boarded the train leaving Spike behind.

“So what did the letter say?” Rainbow Dash asked, peering over Rarity’s shoulder. “Did it say anything about the danger?”

“Rainbow, darling, urgent doesn’t always mean dangerous,” Rarity replied looking at her fast flying friend. “It just means we have to get there fast. It must be important.”

“And Ah’m guessin’ we’ll find out how important this is when we get there.” Applejack told them from her seat. Pinkie Pie was just staring out the window bouncing in her spot. “No use thinking about the reason only to find out that we were wrong.”

The heroes sat in silence until their train arrived at the Crystal Empire where they were escorted to the palace. When they got to the throne room they saw the four princesses and a strange mare. Rarity took note of the medical ponies standing next to the mare and her height.

‘She would be quite pretty if it wasn’t for those bandages.’ rarity mused before turning her attention to the Princesses.

“Hello everyone.” Celestia greeted with a pleasant smile on her face. “I summoned all of you because I have a request.”

Celestia waved her hoof to the mare next to her as she continued. “This is Aqua Star, she will be needing help adjusting.”

“What do you mean by adjusting?” Applejack inquired looking at Aqua Star. “She looks like a normal pony, just a bit on the tall side.”

Aqua Star glanced away as Luna explained. “Aqua Star is not from our time. She is from over a thousand years ago. Her story will be hers to tell and where she stays is up to you.”

Glancing at the medical ponies Aqua Star walked out of the room and Luna looked at them as she continued. “Just be careful, a pony like her is bound to have sudden flashbacks and nightmares that could cause her to panic and react accordingly. She has experienced trauma.”

“We’ll be careful, promise,” Applejack vowed her ears twitching at the sound of a commotion. “Is… Is there anything she’s bringin’ with her?”

“Just her saddlebags and journals,” Celestia told them as Aqua Star ran past the doorway. “Twilight, you did leave her journals in her room right?”

“I’ll go get them!” replied Twilight, her eyes widening before she ran off and Luna looked at them saying. “Perhaps you should take her to Ponyville as soon as possible. Before she runs away and starts trouble elsewhere. We don’t know how she will react to all the changes and the advancements.”

“Understood,” Applejack said before the rest of them moved out to find where Aqua Star headed.

Author's Note:

I do not own MLP and please review. Updated chapter! Tell me what you think!

Comments

[ladyarcana]

You need to talk to your proof reader. Celestia, Cadence, the Mane 6 are all flat. Also the thoughts you gave them do not gel with the show or comic. The most interesting and fully alive is Sombra and Aqua, but I think that is because both are essentially your own creation.
You really need a proof reader more focused on content rather than grammar or have someone work with you on it.

The concept is great and truly believable. I could see it as a story arc but the problems I pointed out have to be fixed. Good luck

[amiamera]

Ok this chapter is suffering from a terrible case of Lavender Unicorn Syndrome. There is no reason to freaking write people talking as their description when it's an easy assumption every likely reader will know who the original white unicorn is. This then causes problems later on when i accidently confused one white unicorn (Rarity) for the other white unicorn (Shining Armor). This is why you don't see stories talking about the "insert vague descriptor here." We invented the use of names for a reason.

[Snow]

5021698

I agree, the flaw in this tale lies not in the heart of the story but in the telling. A story must be more than stated facts and scattered elements of the tale: it must be spun and woven together, with the breath of life given to each character that they may lift from the page and gift that life in turn to the reader's imagination. Part of this breath of life is understanding of the characters -- to know them utterly. This understanding allows the author to write not merely the actions as if spoken by a youngling, but to express these characters in their words, their actions, and their reactions.

The author in this case appears to be capable of this with his or her own work, but when it comes to others, they lack in depth and understanding -- carrying largely upon the preconceptions of the reader.

Still, don't give up. The spark is there but it lacks in the experience and effort to nurture it.