Torn Asunder

by Quilled Hoof

2: Trouble in Paradise

Chapter 2: Trouble in Paradise

Cadence had never seen a more peaceful town than that of Maneoa. Situated in a natural harbor, and facing due east, it was the largest island in the Gallop’agos Archipelago. Surrounding the island were several smaller land masses, though the sailors had claimed they were surrounded by reefs too perilous to sail through. The main island of Maenoa - after which the town was named - was dominated by a volcano which sat dormant many miles inland. It cast an imposing shadow, but did not seem to trouble the people of the village.

The Maneoans greeted the royal couple without fanfare, parade, or celebration - a simple “welcome” and a warm smile gave the couple their first taste of island life. Cadence and Shining Armor both breathed a sigh of relief; after the wedding and triumphant departure from Canterlot, the last thing thing they wanted was any special treatment.

The pony who would be their host - Coral was her name - showed the couple to their lodgings. As Coral led the way to through town to their private bungalow, she explained a bit about the history of Maneoa and its inhabitants.

“Most ponies have never heard of Maneoa, or the Gallop’agos, though they have been populated by ponies of all kinds for over a thousand years” she said, glancing back to make sure her guests were still close behind. “They say when Celestia first raised the sun, the people of Maneoa were the first to see its golden rays”. The pride in her voice was clear as a bell and Shining Armor thought briefly of how much Twilight would love to see this place and learn its history. He chuckled as he thought of Twilight surrounded by books and scrolls back in ponyville, no doubt making up for study time lost by her wedding duties.

Cadence, while appreciative of the history lesson, was more interested in the current residents of Maneoa, and was eagerly drinking in all the sights and sounds as they wound their way through the village. The buildings closer to the bay were built on stilts, in case of a particularly bad storm, but farther inland two beautiful old stone towers were outlined by the starlight.

“What are those structures up there?” Cadence queried, raising a hoof and pointing to the ancient outlines of the structures.

“That is the Temple of the Four, said to have been built by the first inhabitants of the islands - what ‘four’ they refer to has been lost time the winds of time, but you are welcome to explore the architecture - we don’t get many visitors here, so you would have the place all to yourselves. That reminds me, how did you two decide upon Maneoa for your honeymoon? We are grateful to have you, but it has been some time seen we have seen ponies all the way from Canterlot.”

“After the wedding...we needed to get away, far away.” Cadence said with a bit of a shiver “Princess Celestia told us of this place and its tranquil beauty, and we decided it was just what we needed.” Cadence smiled at Shining Armor at “we” and he smiled back reassuringly.

“So far everything has been just perfect, and again, thank you so much for your hospitality and kindness” Shining Armor said, turning back to Coral. Coral was not paying attention however, and had suddenly grown stiff and looked as if she might let out a sob.

“I’m s-s-sorry” Coral said with a whimper, and turned up the road “Please f-f-follow me, we are almost there.”

“Wait...” Shining Armor said, touching Coral gently on the shoulder, “please, what’s wrong? Is there anything we can do to help?”

“No, no, there is not much anyone can do” Coral trailed off, and the sob that was fighting to escape succeeded.

Cadence placed her hoof around Coral’s neck and slowly walked her into a nearby cafe. Seated around a small table, with a warm cup of tea in her hooves, Coral began the tale. “Maneoa is a small town, and as such every pony knows and cares for each other deeply. Young colts and fillies may live with their families, but spend just as much time playing and learning from rest of the ponies in town. This has made our town strong, and fiercely defensive of our own - but it only makes tragedy that much more devastating to bear.” At this Coral finally let a tear slide down her cheek. Wiping it away with a hoof, she continued, “One of our young fillies went missing a few days ago while out on a hike with her classmates. We had search parties scouring the jungle and coastline east of the wall, but she was nowhere to be found. Captain, when you spoke Princess Celestia’s words ‘tranquil beauty’, I couldn’t help but think of our little lost filly - our Tranquility.” Further speech was lost to silent weeping for the lost filly. Cadence and Shining Armor exchanged pained looks, and both gave their utmost sympathies to Coral.

As heartbreaking as Coral’s tale was, something about it bothered Shining Armor. He did not doubt the truth of the story, but one detail had piqued his interest, and after consoling Coral for a few minutes he felt it was acceptable to sate his curiosity.

“Coral, you mentioned the search parties looked all over, but only east of the...wall? Why is that?” He hoped he had not offended Coral, and was relieved to see her face did not harden to the question.

“The Wall is as old as the Temple, some think even older, and it divides the island of Maneoa from Whale Bay in the North, to Turtleback Reef in the south. All ponies raised in Maneoa know not to venture beyond the Wall - it is the first thing we teach our foals when they are old enough to understand.”

Cadence had picked up on Shining Armor’s thoughts: “But what is beyond the Wall? Is it possible Tranquility could have crossed it?”

“Nopony knows exactly what resides there, but several generations ago, an adventurer pony sailed in looking to discover the secrets of Maneoa and our mountain, Kalohe Kapu. Against the wishes of every pony in Maneoa, the adventurer crossed the wall, never to be seen or heard from again.”

Shining Armor sat back in his chair, realizing he had been leaning forward in earnest while listening to Coral’s tale. A guilty look came over his face, but was quickly replaced with one of resolve. “Coral, is there a pony here that can take me to the Wall?”

Coral’s eyes grew wide, “Wh-why would you want to do such a thing? It is an arduous journey, and treacherous even for experienced Maneoans.”

Cadence was staring at Shining Armor in a similar manner to Coral, though her tone was much firmer when she spoke, “Shine, I know what you are thinking and no, you may not. If you think for a second that I am going to let you risk yourself to try and find that lost filly beyond that wall you must be crazy.”

Shining Armor turned to Cadence with a hurt expression, “Honey I know we came here to get away from our worries, but just because I leave Canterlot, I am not any less of a guardian of its people. If there is any chance that filly is out there, by the oath I swore I have to try and find her.”

Cadence was unphased: “Have you forgotten the oath you swore to ME upon that altar? I promised to never let you go and I won’t, even if it means I have to bind you myself!”

At that Shining Armor smiled, and gave Cadence and acquiescing look. “You’re right, as always. As terrible as it may be to stand by and do nothing....” here he paused and looked at Coral, who had returned to staring into her tea, “...I can not solve the problems of all Equestria, much less when we should be enjoying our time together.”

Cadence’s face softened and she nodded approvingly, though Shining Armor would not meet her eye. She chalked it up to concern for Coral, to whom she turned back and began the process of lifting the pony’s spirits.

~~~~~~~~~~

As the melodic tumble of the surf lulled Cadence to sleep, Shining Armor lay staring at the ceiling of the bungalow. His thoughts were a cacophony of contradictions, fighting for the metaphorical mountain top of a decision. As the stars wheeled through the sky out the window, Shining Armor breathed out a whisper: “Cadence, I’m sorry.”

Comments

[ScarletMarineCorps]

Ura.

[SatoshiKyu]

This couple just cannot seem to get a break. Their wedding is the pivotal moment of a plot to turn all of ponykind into little more than farm animals (the irony), and now their honeymoon is under attack? This one wonders what they did to piss off the universe so badly.

[Quilled Hoof]

530681
An alicorn princess and the captain of the royal guard are a pretty powerful pair, so I think they can tackle their fair share of challenges. Equestria needs all the heroes it can get; there's a lot of evil around...

[Shinzakura]

530681

They were obscure to the universe until just before the wedding, of course.