The Fall of the Sun

by Widow Peak

IV - The Traitor

Fueled by bitter memories

Shining Armor stirred and opened his eyes. He felt a stabbing pain on his jaw, and his vision was blurry. He could hear voices far away, too weak to make out the words. His mind needed a few seconds to recall what had just happened.

The captain got on all four with a jump. He lost his balance and almost fell flat again, but managed to regain it on time. He shook his head and pushed his way through the pony-shaped blurs that were trying to stop him. He shoved away a yellow blob, who shouted in protest.

Shining didn’t stop until reaching the motionless body of Cadance. The ponies gathered around quickly backed away, except one. Shining slowly shook his head, unable to believe what he was seeing. Cadance was lying on a pool of her own blood, in an unnatural position, with her body covered in wounds, her eyes rolled inside her skull, and the blue spear still driven into her chest. The captain muttered a curse to Nightmare Moon, and slipped down to the ground, miserable. The Guard officer started to cry, his whole body trembling with each sob.

“I am sorry.” muttered a voice next to him. Shining looked up and saw the surgeon of the Royal Guard, Sawbones. The ash grey unicorn stared the body with a defeated expression, which was only seen in the rare situations when he lost a patient. “She is still alive, but her heartbeat is very weak, and she has lost a lot of blood. I-I don’t think she will survive.” he added, his voice breaking.

Shining Armor choked out a whimper and nodded. Perhaps if Sawbones had had his tools, or if they could take her to the Canterlot Hospital or some other city, perhaps they would have been able to save her. Shaking, the stallion slowly leaned forward, and daintily put a kiss on her cheek. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, swearing revenge for Cadance and Twilight Velvet.

“I beg to disagree.”

Shining blinked. One of the eyes of Cadance had turned inside its socket and was now looking at him directly. “Cadance?” whispered the stallion.

The head of the mare nodded slightly, and she closed her eyes.

Shining Armor watched in disbelief how princess Cadance got on her hooves. Her movements were slow, careful and quivering from the pain, but firm at the same time. The mare turned her head until her neck let out a snap and she emitted a satisfied sigh. A pink wisp circled around the shaft of the spear, which fell to the ground with a metallic sound. She grabbed with her mouth her right foreleg, twisted in an impossible angle, and pulled until it was back to its right place with a sickening creak. She held her left hind leg against the stone, and used it as a support point to reposition the tarsus joint. Then she took a deep breath, leaned forward, and spat a gush of blood.

Cadance opened her eyes and gave her coltfriend a tired smile. Shining closed his jaw, wiped off the tears from his eyes, and took a step forward to kiss Cadance’s lips. A few seconds later, Shining broke the contact, feeling more relieved than ever. “You’re alive.” he muttered.

The princess nodded. “Barely, but yes.”

“How is it possible?” wondered Sawbones out loud, scratching his chin muzzle while he glared the pool of blood Cadance had left behind. “The blood loss should have killed her. And that is without taking into account the rest of her injuries.”

“It seems you need a lot to kill an alicorn.” replied the mare, looking at the medic. “But I still need medical attention.” Cadance took a ragged breath and looked down to her right wing. The destroyed limb lamely hung from her shoulder by a few strings of muscle and tendons. “I also need a sling, or that may fall off completely.”

Sawbones took a few instants to cut a few of the belts that held together his armor and Shining’s and improvise with them an harness to hold Cadance’s wings closed against her side. Satisfied, the mare began walking down the path, but stopped when Sawbones stood in front of her, frowning. “Where do you think you are going, missy?” he grumbled. “You’re not going anywhere until I say so.”

Cadance glared daggers at the smaller unicorn. “I have to go to a hospital.” she said, walking around Sawbones, who blocked her way again. The princess huffed in annoyance. “Move!”

“You have a spearhead embedded in your ribcage and half of your blood is coating the path. Alicorn or not, trying to go anywhere by yourself will significantly lower your chances of survival. I don’t even know how you’re standing!”

Cadance’s determination wavered. She looked at Shining Armor for support, but the stallion shook his head. Sighing, the mare carefully lied on the ground. “Fine,” she muttered. Shining sat next to her and she nuzzled his neck.

The surgeon contemplated the couple for an instant. “Spitfire!” he barked out. The yellow mare stood next to him an instant later, saluting.

“Sir?”

“Go to the closest city and request an aerial medical patrol.” ordered the stallion with sotto voice. “Now that we know the princess is alive, I don’t want to take the risk of her bleeding to death.” He glanced the pool of blood, that was starting to dry already. “Make sure to insist that they take with them blood bags to spare. Now go!”

“Sir, yes sir!” replied Spitfire, delaying just enough to salute again. Then she opened her wings and took off to the night sky, leaving behind a trail of flames.

The few Royal Guards watched the pegasus fly away. “So, uh…” said Shining, glancing at the fallen Blueblood. “What happened to him?”

All eyes turned to the hornless unicorn. “Ah, the big idiot tried to fence off Nightmare Moon, and she broke his horn.” said Sawbones nonchalantly. “He is just unconscious. Shame, we would have one less idiot in this world. Now,” the doctor looked at Cadance and completely missed the daggers Shining Armor was glaring at him. “I am going to run an exam on you so I can give the medical patrol a list of injuries…” Sawbones trailed off when the alicorn’s head dipped alarmingly.

“Cadance? Cadance!” screamed Shining. The princess collapsed abruptly, her eyes closed. There was a burst of activity. An amalgamation of voices, very far away, as Cadance fell into the darkness, her life slipping out of her body.

***

Twilight woke up breathing heavily and soaked in sweat. The last dregs of her dreams faded away, full of suns that fell, lightning that struck, and cities that collapsed. And in every nightmare was her mother, always too far away to save.

The unicorn sat up and rubbed her eyes with a hoof. She wanted nothing more than lie down again and sleep her problems away, but that was not an option. Even if she was still mentally tired, there were things to do. She got on her hooves, and stretched her legs one by one, until she heard a satisfying pop, and let out a grunt.

Twilight turned around and saw two fillies, a tiny dragon, and a pile of apples. “Good night, Twilight!” the three of them said at the same time.

She blinked, confused. “Spike? Sweetie? And…uh.”

“Ah’m Apple Bloom!” replied the yellow filly. She had her red mane pulled into a tail with a bow almost as large as her. “Ah brought ya this,” she pointed at the apples, “to thank ya for saving mah sister.”

Twilight instantly guessed who she was talking about. The accept was a clear giveaway. “You are Applejack’s little sister, right?” she asked, eyeing the apples. They were just harvested, still covered in fresh dew. Twilight licked her lips. She was starving. She levitated one of the fruits towards her and took a big bite, not even considering to peel them. ‘Mmmh, apple.’

“How is she doing, by the way?” she asked after swallowing. She was immensely thankful to the filly for the gift.

Apple Bloom shrugged. “She’s alright’. She and Big Macintosh are at the farm, trying’ to convince Granny Smith to come here.”

Twilight guessed Big Macintosh was their father and Granny Smith…well, their grandmother. She finished the apple and took another one, red and shiny. “Shouldn’t you be with your mother?” she asked.

“Ah have no mother,” simply replied Apple Bloom. “Ah didn’t meet mah parents.”

Twilight froze. “Isn’t Big Macintosh your father?”

“What? No!” she giggled, as if the sole idea was ridiculous. “Big Mac is mah big brother!”

Twilight opened and closed her mouth, uncertain. ‘I better not mention this if I speak to Applejack.’ she though. If Apple Bloom was a baby when they died, it was normal that she didn’t mind speaking about it, but Applejack herself was probably a different matter. Twilight sighed sadly, feeling somewhat connected to the farmer. The unicorn chewed the rest of the apple, avoiding Apple Bloom’s eyes. ‘I wonder how she coped with it…’

After a long silence, Sweetie Belle spoke up. “Where is Sunset?”

Twilight swallowed and sighed yet again. “She wasn’t in the castle with the others,” she muttered. “I think Nightmare Moon kidnapped her.”

Sweetie Belle dipped her head and stared to the ground, dumbfounded. “But why?” asked Spike. “Why would she want Sunset?”

Twilight shook her head. She wondered exactly the same. “I don’t know,” she replied, although she had some suspicions, none of which fated anything good for Sunset. The student has stood against Nightmare Moon, so the obvious conclusion is that she wanted to punish her. But then, why didn’t she take all six mares with her? Obviously, there was something she wasn’t seeing. “I hope she is alright,” said Twilight, grabbing a third apple.

“I thought you and Sunset didn’t get along,” muttered Sweetie Belle.

Twilight let out a small chuckle. “It’s true we have never really been friends, but that doesn’t mean I wish her any ill.” That was an understatement, and Twilight knew it. Sunset had been the student of Princess Celestia since before she applied for the School of Gifted Unicorns. From that point onwards, the Princess split her attention between the two unicorns. Twilight had always suspected that was the main reason for Sunset’s general hostility against her; even if that animosity seemed to have receded a lot in the last years, to the point of being able to hold a perfectly normal conversation.

Before, however, almost every encounter ended with some yelling in the best cases; or in an open fight, in the worst. Sunset daily seeked confrontations with Twilight whenever she was alone in the palace’s garden. And it didn’t matter how much Celestia scolded her, after a few days, Sunset was back to her old ways. Twilight was immensely thankful of her change of attitude. The skirmishes with throwable objects weren’t something she missed from her foalhood.

A voice interrupted Twilight’s thoughts. “What are you doing to do now?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“Investigate,” replied Twilight. “Apple Bloom, may I keep these apples?” The yellow filly nodded, and Twilight began putting the fruits on her saddlebags. “I want to go to the crater.”

“What for?” asked Spike.

Twilight locked the pin of the flap and draped the saddlebags over her back. “Princess Celestia can’t be gone. She must be somewhere, and the crater is the first clue I have.” she replied, adjusting the belt. Applejack’s barrel was far larger than hers.

The two fillies and baby dragon shared a look. “Ya leaving now?” asked Apple Bloom.

Twilight nodded. “Yes, sorry. I won’t be gone for long, a few hours at much.” Satisfied with the fit of the saddlebags, Twilight turned around. “Are you coming, Spike?”

Spike opened his mouth to say yes, but he stopped, looked to the campsite and bit his lip. “Y-you better go alone. I don’t want to slow you down.” he nervously replied.

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t mind carrying you.” Twilight insisted. The extra weigh would be worth it for having somebody to talk to.

“No, no, really!” replied Spike, shaking his head. “I gotta go. Bye!”

Twilight watched Spike hurry away, crooking an eyebrow. He would never reject the chance to go somewhere interesting with her. “What is up with him?” she asked the two fillies, who shared a look and shrugged at the same time. Twilight glanced at the camp for a second more, before pushing that out of her mind and heading for the edge of the forest.

The unicorn had never had a very good sense of direction, but she was confident on being able to locate the crater just with the residual magic. Returning to the camp, however, would be a different matter. Last night, she had taken a huge risk by going deep into the forest with no mean to find her way back to the camp. ‘I should be able to plant a beacon on one of these trees-’

“Twilight!”

Twilight gave a bounce, startled by the sudden voice. She looked behind, and saw Lyra trotting towards her with another mare. “H-hi Lyra,” she stammered.

“Sorry I startled you,” she said with a sheepish smile. “It’s just that I saw you leaving, and I wanted to introduce you to Bonnie.”

Twilight remembered Lyra talking about her couple back in the train. She looked at the other pony, a beige earth mare with curly blue and pink mane. The unicorn’s brain came to a halt as she connected the dots and realized she had made a mistake. “Y-you are Bon Bon, aren’t you?” She nodded, smiling. Twilight let out a nervous giggle. “I am so sorry! Lyra told me about you, but she never mentioned you were…well,” The unicorn waved a hoof. “a mare.”

Bon Bon crooked an eyebrow and looked at Lyra. “You didn’t?”

Lyra shook her head, surprised. “I did…didn’t I?”

Twilight quickly went over the conversation in the train. It didn’t matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t recall a single moment when the gender of her marefriend was implied. “I believe,” she said, unable to hold back a smile. “that you accidentally used non-gender-specific words.”

Lyra stared her in disbelief for a moment, and then exploded into laughter. “For real? I can’t decide if that means I am incredibly talented or dumb! Anyways, this is Bon Bon, by marefrieeeeeend.” said Lyra, grinning.

Twilight smiled nervously and offered her hoof to Bon Bon. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Likewise.” she replied, grinning as well.

“And…uh. Sorry for thinking you were a stallion.”

Bon Bon tilted her head back and laughed. Twilight let out a sigh, relieved. She had never felt so ridiculous. Thankfully, the misunderstanding had ended amusingly for everypony involved.

***

Twilight smiled when the tracking spell gave her the same direction as last time. The magic beacon she had placed at the edge of the clearing was still in the same relative position to her. That meant she had not deviated from her path, and the forest was not playing with her again.

The explosion of the Sun, as she had expected, had spread an immense amount of magic everywhere. Even from the campsite there was a faint smell of solar magic, which reminded her of the dawn. But as she came closer, the sensation grew more intense.

Little by little the forest around her changed. Looking upwards, she could see the tops of the tallest trees were at first devoid of leaves, and then also burned. The more she walked, the lower were the area where the trees had been damaged. The ground was covered in charred leaves and broken twigs that snapped with every step she took. The forest was in absolute silence, and the scent of burned wood filled the air. Through her hoof, she could feel an unusual warmth on the ground. It felt nice, welcoming.

Several minutes later, the trees around her were completely burned. In some of them she could still see embers, glowing like stars in the night. In the ground there was a mixture of twigs and a thick layer of ashes. There was not a single leaf anymore. ‘The magic must have turned them to dust instantly,’ thought Twilight, suppressing a shudder. The smell in the air didn’t remind her of a warm stove anymore. It was choking and nasty and it spoke of dead animals.

The torn branches on the ground grew larger and larger. Twilight stopped a minute to eat one of the apples, thankful for its juicy flesh, and noticed how easy it was to know in which direction they had been struck by the wave of magic. One of the sides of the branches was completely charred. The other, where the blast had hit directly, was several centimeters thinner and was covered in a light layer of ash. Once again, Twilight shuddered at the thought of what could have happened if a pony had been standing there. The unicorn tossed the core to the ground and continued her way, increasingly wary.

A bit later, she started to find whole trees fallen, ripped off their roots and eroded by the blast. The ash was thicker, and her hooves sunk completely with each step she took. The heat stored inside it was no longer nice, it was slightly painful. Nevertheless, this didn’t stop Twilight.

After what seemed like an eternity of dragging her hooves through the ash, Twilight climbed atop of a large fallen trunk. She wiped the sweat off her brow, and rested for a minute. She turned her head to her destination, and her jaw dropped.

The last rows of trees were all fallen, brutally uprooted by the blast. Each and every single one of them was little more than a miserable trunk, dead and withered, and almost submerged in its own remains. Then there was a streak of gray ash specked with shining embers, from which twirled small columns of smoke.

And then, there was the crater.

It was a perfectly circular depression of about three hundred meters of diameter that smoothly descended. The whole surface was covered in a shining dark crust that reflected the moonlight. Twilight needed a moment to understand what she was seeing. The contact with the Sun had melted the dirt, creating a uniform layer of black obsidian.

Twilight stared at the crater for a minute. It was strangely beautiful. It had been born from the destruction of both the Sun and a large area of the forest, but the way the silver light of the Moon reflected on it was fascinating to behold.

The unicorn was so absorbed that she didn’t realize there was somepony behind her until it was too late.

“Who may you be, and what do you expect to find here?”

For the second time in the same day, Twilight let out a yelp and took a hop, losing her balance. She fell from the trunk she was perched on and ended ungracefully sitting on the hot ash. Wincing at the heat, Twilight got up with a jump and tried to shake her rump clean.

A laugh sounded behind her. Carefully, the unicorn peeked over the trunk and saw a figure covered with a cloak, with a hood that obscured its face. “Who are you?” she asked, lighting up her horn as a precaution.

The figure stared Twilight for a moment, and the slowly raised a hoof and pulled back the hood. The moonlight illuminated an angular face covered in white and black stripes. Two golden earrings hanged from her ears. ‘A zebra! What is she doing in the Everfree?’

“My name is Zecora, and I apologize for startling you,” she said, smiling. “I did not mean to be a spook.”

Twilight let the magic fade from her horn. “No, no, I am sorry!” she apologized. “I thought you were…some dangerous creature.”

She let out a chuckle. Her laugh was deep and low, like the beating of a drum. “You have nothing to fear from me,” she said. “for I am the least dangerous thing in here.”

“What is a zebra doing in the Everfree Forest?” Twilight asked, hoping she wouldn’t sound rude. The zebra had all the right to be there, even if it was unusual.

“I am the shaman of my village,” she said, walking towards the crater. “I am here to learn from Equestria, and all it has to offer.”

Twilight followed the zebra, who stopped at the edge and tapped her hoof against the glassy surface. “I need information. What has caused this unusual situation?” she asked, looking back at Twilight.

The unicorn told Zecora all she knew. Even if there were holes in her knowledge, she had a rather good idea of all that Nightmare Moon had done since she had returned, thanks to the five mares. Sunset Shimmer had the rest of the answers. Zecora’s expression darkened as Twilight spoke. She asked a few questions, but mostly remained silent.

When Twilight finished, the zebra remained quiet for a minute, lost in her thoughts. “It’s much worse than I expected,” she muttered, shaking her head. “The solution in my hooves never rested.”

Twilight nodded. She hadn’t been expecting Zecora to have any answer for her, but there was a certain halo of wisdom around her and she found herself trusting her quickly. She could smell her aura, even dulled by the cloak she was wearing over her body. It was exotic and powerful, completely unknown to her. Twilight wondered if all zebras had an aura like that.

“There must be something in charge now,” said Zecora. “Who may be the heir of the crown?”

Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but realized she had no real answer. She had never considered if Princess Celestia had ever officially named anypony as her heir. Simply, the possibility of something happening to the Princes had always been…unthinkable. Perhaps the Prime Minister was the one ruling Equestria at the moment. Perhaps, somepony from the high nobility.

‘Unless…’

Cadance was the only other alicorn in Equestria. Twilight frowned at the possibility of her old foalsitter being Celestia’s heir. It made sense, but Twilight couldn’t picture the carefree alicorn ruling a country. Then again, Cadance had always been an alicorn. Maybe the Princess had been training her in secret to take over the throne, should something happen to her. ‘

“Well…there is another alicorn,” she began to say, uncertain. “But I am not sure Princess Celestia instructed anypony to be her heir.”

“And what about you?” Zecora asked. “Who better to succeed her than her apprentice?”

Twilight blinked, surprised. “W-who, me?” she stammered. “No! No way, I am not prepared for that. I mean, look at me!” She made a vague gesture around her. “I am stumbling around the Everfree, instead of helping with the evacuation of Canterlot or…or…I don’t know! Something more useful.” Twilight let out a sigh and sat on the ashes, paying no mind to the heat. The unicorn wondered where her family would have gone. ‘Maybe Manehattan, with my grandfather,” she though. ‘I wonder how he will react to the news about her daughter…’

The unicorn shook her head. Lost in her thoughts, she had missed Zecora’s words. “Sorry, what did you say?” she asked. It was the second time she had zoned off in the same day.

“I was asking what are you here to do,” replied the mare. “Our conversation must have distracted you.”

“Right! Give me a moment.” the unicorn got on all four. Indeed, she hadn’t come here just to see the crater. Looking around, Twilight located a somewhat clean area, a few meters from the edge. She walked over it and climbed to a nearby log, to avoid disturbing the ash. Using her telekinesis, she got rid of a few scattered branches and flattened the surface. The ash was smooth and fine, like beach sand. It would be unorthodox, but it would work.

Using her magic, she traced two concentric circles. They were much bigger than what was usually necessary for an arcane circle, but the ash prevented her from making small drawings. It took her a few minutes to finish the pattern, and for the whole process Zecora watched interested, sitting on the same log as her.

The spell she was going to use was not complicated, but she wanted to be completely certain she did it right. Twilight double checked all the commands and bindings were properly done, and then triple checked. She gave a satisfied nod, and licked her lips in expectancy.

She lighted up her horn and fed the circle with magic. After a few seconds, a small transparent orb coalesced in its center, hovered in the air for a moment, before flying over to the center of the crater. Once there, it stopped for an instant, and then began orbiting around the center, moving further away with each lap.

“It’s an arcane probe.” she explained Zecora, who was unsuccessfully trying to follow the sphere with her eyes. Twilight had made its speed is as high as possible without hindering the final outcome. “It is going to scan the crater and its surroundings, taking samples of all the magic it finds. Then it will return to me so I can analyze it.” she said, smiling. She had had to improvise the spell a bit, and was rather proud of it.

The zebra looked away from the orb, which was starting to glow by itself. “And what are you trying to achieve with this?”

Twilight let out a sigh. “I am sure Princess Celestia hasn’t have died from the fall of the Sun.” she muttered. “If she is here, that orb will allow us to find her.” She furrowed her brow, determined. Celestia was an alicorn. Just like she was far more powerful than any unicorn, Twilight believed she was also far more resilient than earth ponies.

While they waited for the spell to finish the scan, Zecora asked Twilight a few technical questions about how it worked. The zebra pleasantly surprised her. It was unusual for her to talk to somepony who was at her same knowledge level, somepony she could talk with about magic without stopping every few seconds to explain whatever she was saying.

‘I wonder how she learned so much.’

Twilight’s heart skipped a beat when the orb came to a halt in front of her. Its surface emitted a light that was almost blinding from that close. She didn’t need to sample the orb to know those were the remains of the solar magic. But there was more. The surface was not even. She could see tiny streaks of other colors.

Unable to hold back her glee, she lighted up her horn to begin sampling.

‘I am going to find the Princess!’

***

“Ugh”

“You woke up.”

“What…what happened? The last thing I remember is…falling.”

“Don’t worry. You are safe now.”

“Who are you? Why can’t I see!?”

“A little bit of light would make things easier, yes.”

There was a brief silence. Then, a blue shine filled the darkness, along with the gentle hum of magic.

The light was faint, but enough to allow the mare to see a masculine face a few centimeters over hers. It was a young face, attractive, crowned by a messy blue mane. His orange wings extended over to the sides like a protecting embrace. Much to her dismal, the mare felt her cheeks go red. The only thing she could do was to beg the blue light would obscure it.

“W-what happened?” stammered Trixie.

“The city collapsed. You were still there. The pegasi that were left behind tried to rescue you. I was almost too late. Now we’re trapped under the rubble of some building.” quickly explained the pony.

Trixie blinked. The memories of those moments were diffuse and confusing. She remembered the sheer terror she felt as she fled from the devastation of Canterlot, and then the vertigo on her stomach when she fell to the void. The unicorn pushed a bit more of magic into her horn and looked around. Indeed, they were trapped underneath a fallen wall. By sheer luck, the corner of a building had managed to resist the fall, and had sheltered them. The mare was lying on a mixture of broken bricks, debris and shattered beams. A light mist of dust still floated in the air.

Two questions popped in the mare’s mind. The first was more urgent. “How long have I been unconscious?” she asked, with a panicked tone on her voice.

The orange pony though for a second. “About two hours, I believe. Maybe less.” he replied.

Trixie let out a relieved sigh. It wasn’t like she had anywhere to go, but she would rather be out for as little time as possible. “Good, Trixie is glad it wasn’t too long.” With that question answered, it was the moment to move to the second. The mare smiled tensely. “Now, why are you lying on top of the great and powerful Trixie?”

“I honestly can’t move much.” replied the pony.

The mare huffed. “Trixie thinks you have plenty of space to get off Trixie.”

“That’s not the issue.” replied the stallion between gritted teeth, looking to a side. Trixie followed his eyes, and found that his right wing was trapped under a beam at the metacarpals. The feathers were stained with dry blood.

“Oh heavens!” shrieked Trixie, covering her mouth with her hooves. “That must hurt like Tartarus!”

“It’s not so bad.” replied the stallion, with a tired smile. “After an hour, I stopped feeling the wing.”

Trixie grimaced. “Let me help you.” The unicorn enveloped the beam on a telekinetic field and pushed upwards. At first it didn’t move, but with a little more of effort, she managed to raise it enough for the stallion to slip the wing from underneath. Very carefully, the guard closed his wings and crawled to his right. Trixie let out a relieved sigh when the pressure over her disappeared. She stretched her legs and back like a cat to get rid of the numbness. Apart from a few scratches, she didn’t feel any other wound. It was obvious she had been luckier than her companion.

Trixie lay on the ground and studied the stallion. He was still wearing his plate armor, although he must have lost his helmet at some point. He had a heavier body constitution than the average pegasus, maybe because of some earth pony ancestor. Even through the armor, Trixie could imagine his muscles, tensing with each movement.

“Is there anything wrong?” asked the stallion, with a bloody feather in his mouth, just plucked from his wing.

Trixie felt herself blushing again. “Oh, nothing!” quickly replies the mare, looking away. “Trixie is…thankful you saved her.” she said after a short pause.

The guard smiled and turned his attention back to his wing. “No worries. I joined the guard to protect ponies, though I admit I never expected this particular scenario.” He grunted as he plucked another stained broken feather, which he promptly spat. “We’ve been crazy lucky. You are not hurt, are you?”

“N-no, I am fine.” Trixie looked at the pegasus through the corner of her eye. She could get lost on those blue eyes. “W-what is y-your name?” stammered the mare.

“Flash Sentry.” quietly said the stallion, not looking up. He pulled out one last broken feather from his wing and got on all for with a small grunt. “Let’s go,” he said, nodding. “we have to find a way to get out of here.”

Trixie reacted a moment later. She got on her hooves and hurried to stand next to Flash Sentry to help him walk, with maybe a little more of body contact that was absolutely necessary.

***

Twilight heard the sound of wood touching wood and looked up from the table. Zecora had placed a wooden glass from which raised steam, and sat in front of her. The tears distorted her vision, and she couldn’t make out her expression. The smell of the drink was nice and inviting, but she didn’t want it. Twilight rested her head back on the table.

Zecora let out a heavy sigh. “I beg you sap out of your sorrow,” she said. “Please, in your sadness do not wallow.”

Twilight let out a huff. “That’s very easy to say,” she muttered, suppressing a hiccup.

She had probed the orb. Indeed, there was other magic in it. Namely, the aura of Zecora and herself. There was nothing else alive on the crater or its surroundings. There was no sign of the Princess.

‘Celestia is gone.’

At some point while she followed Zecora to her home, she broke down. The angst from the loss of both her mother and Celestia finally caught up to her. She began crying, gently at first, but eventually requiring Zecora for guidance, as she couldn’t see through the tears. When they arrived to the hut, the zebra held the unicorn, so she could let it all out.

Twilight didn’t know how long she had been crying, but at some point she let Zecora sit her at the table, where she waited morosely. She felt hollow, as if a massive pit had opened at the bottom of her stomach. She absently-minded studied the interior of the house, with a numb sense of curiosity.

Zecora’s hut was built inside a hollow tree. The interior was decorated exactly how she would have expected. Colorful masks, pumpkins and glass vials; and a large cauldron in the middle. The air was filled with a spicy and slightly acrid smell.

Twilight cleaned her eyes and muzzle with a hoof. She noticed the glass, still smoking, and took it in her hooves. The unicorn took a sip, even if just so Zecora didn’t feel dejected. It tasted spicy, with a strange sweet aftertaste. When the hot liquid went down her throat, she felt a warm tickle inside her. She blinked and took another gulp. The heat extended inside her with every beat of her heart. It was comforting and invigorating. She didn’t feel tired anymore, nor helpless. A new determination flourished inside her. She frowned, and carefully placed the empty glass on the table.

“Thank you,” she whispered, wondering what sort of potion had Zecora just served her. She looked up and saw the zebra with an amused smile on her face. “What was that?”

“A potion often used to heal those with a broken heart,” she replied. “I knew it would help you recover your will and sharp. If you are who you claim to be, I see nopony more fitted for this.”

Twilight stared at the glass. It still hurted to think about her mother and Princess Celestia, but it didn’t clench her heart anymore. “I have to find Cadance.” she muttered, tapping the table with a hoof. “Right now, I think she is the most powerful mare in Equestria. Maybe then we will find out a way to bring down Nightmare Moon. I doubt any nation will be willing to assist us, so everything depends on us.”

The pony looked at Zecora, who gave her a satisfied smile. Despite everything, she couldn’t help but smile as well. “It’s time to strike back.” she said as she got up, heading for the door and closing it after her.

***

Shining Armor entered the room and carefully closed the door. Trying to make the least possible noise, he tiptoed towards the bed.

Cadance slept placidly. Most of her barrel was covered on bandages and dressings, that extended to her upper half of her limbs. Her right foreleg hanged from a small splint. On the left, an IV injected blood and healing potion directly into her veins. A small machine pumped air into her lungs through a flexible tube.

The captain watched her marefriend for a long while. Seeing her in such a terrible state saddened him, but at the same time he was glad that she was alive. The medical patrol that Sawbones had requested had taken her directly to the Manehattan hospital, where the medics immediately started working to save the life of the princess.

Shining Armor arrived to the hospital several hours later, along with his father. Exhausted by the walk, the stallion crossed the doors dragging his hooves and called out Cadance. When the nurse refused to tell him in which room was the princess, he panicked. Even though the nurse insisted that Cadance was safe, Shining could only see somepony preventing him to know the real state of her marefriend. It took the help of several orderlies and Night Light to get him to calm down. In the end, they allowed him to sleep on Cadance’s room, under condition that he didn’t try to wake her up.

The captain hadn’t left the room at any point, except for a very necessary visit to the bathroom. He wanted to be there when she woke up. He sat on one of the chairs and tried to get comfortable with a pillow. He didn’t know how long it had been since they had left Canterlot, but it felt like eternity. Exhausted, the pony closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Just a few seconds. Enough for his mind to clear, and then he would continue watching over Cadance.

Shining Armor woke up with a start. He blinked and licked his dry lips. He had fallen asleep, but outside it was still dark, so it couldn’t have been for very long. An instant later, the pony realized how absurd his observation was. Without the day and night cycle there was no easy way to measure the passing of time without a clock, and there was none in the room. He could have accidentally slept hours. Cadance could have woken up, and he wouldn’t have been there for her. A quick look confirmed him that, however, the princess was still asleep.

Determined to not fall asleep again, Shining got on his hooves and opened the window. The city was quite calm. Just like in Canterlot, panic had reigned after the fall of the Sun, but they had managed to restore order quickly enough. There were very few civilian on the streets. Most ponies that wandered the streets were Ground Guards, to keep order and inform everypony of the situation.

Shining turned around to sit back on the chair, but stopped mid-way and looked at Cadance. There was something different in her. The last time he had looked, her face was calm, but now she had a strange grimace. Her lips were tense, turned upwards. Worried, Shining walked over to the princess. “Cadance?” he whispered.

The face of the princess contracted and her body started shaking, as she emitted choking noises. Shining Armor froze. His legs wouldn’t move, wouldn’t carry him to alert a nurse.

Then Cadance’s horn lighted up. A telekinetic field grabbed the air tube and completely pulled it off. Then the choked noises turned into a laugh clear like the song of a bird. Shining stared with his jaw open as Cadance cracked up loudly.

When she finally stopped laughing, the princess let out a long sigh and looked at her coltfriend, with a small smile on her face.

“Anything wrong?” she asked, grinning at Shining’s utterly confused expression.

The stallion relaxed and let out a chuckle. “You scared me,” he confessed. “I thought you were having a seizure.” he muttered, as he leaned forward and kissed the princess on the lips.

“Don’t worry.” whispered Cadance, kissing him back. “You are not going to get rid of me so easily.”

“I’d never want to get rid of you.” replied the captain, nuzzling her neck. With his magic, he pulled his chair closer so he could sit next to the bed. “How do you feel?”

Cadance paused before answering. “Surprisingly good. Nothing hurts, although I suspect I am under heavy anesthesia.”

Shining Armor nodded. “That’s right. The doctors told me you have enough anesthesias to knock out four ponies.”

“…oh.” said the princess, surprised. She had never considered that her unnatural resistance would also apply to non-dangerous chemicals. “And tell me, how am I overall?” she asked, nodding to her bandaged body.

“…t-the doctors say you’ll heal.” replied Shining, rubbing the back of his neck. The hesitation didn’t go unnoticed by the princess.

“Shining? Please, tell me everything.” said Cadance. “I can cope with it. I would rather know now than be kept in the dark.”

Shining Armor bit his lip. “Are…are you sure?”

Much to his surprise, Cadance let out a chuckle. “Look Shining, I just battled an eldritch alicorn and got away in one piece.” The captain grimaced at that. “It doesn’t matter what that whorse has done me, I am sure it beats being dead.”

Despite her words, Shining still hesitated. He didn’t want Cadance to worry too much about her health, since that could difficulty her recovery. At the same time, maybe it would be good for her to know. Still not completely sure, Shining leaned back on his chair and tapped his hooves together.

“Well, the doctors haven’t given me a full list of all your injuries, but it looked pretty bad. They said even a strong earth pony would have struggled to survive that after being immediately taken to the hospital, which wasn’t your case. The blood loss looked particularly bad, since you had a pierced heart and internal bleeding.” Shining made a pause to wipe a tear off his eye. “Still, you answered very well to the healing magic, so…you are pretty much out of danger. You are just going to have many, many scars.”

Cadance nodded slightly. “I see. Well, I honestly expected worse.” Shining didn’t reply and looked down. “…that is not it, is it?” asked Cadance, with a tone of panic in her voice.

“…it isn’t.” muttered the unicorn.

Cadance waited patiently to continue, but Shining remained quiet. She princess shuddered in fear, and reached over to touch his cheek. “Shining…please…”

“I-I’m sorry, Cadace…you…” Shining swallowed and looked at Cadance on the eyes. “You have lost the wing.”

***

“Dumb Spike!”

A little filly walked through the forest. With each step she took, she made sure to purposefully stomp the unlucky plants that stood on her path, and sometimes kicked an innocent pebble. It was obvious she wasn’t in a good mood.

“Take that!” said Sweetie Belle, sending the pebble a few meters on the air before continuing her path of destruction. “What is up with Spike?” she asked, to nopony in particular. “Spike, I have candy. You want some? ‘I can’t now, I have to help Rarity.’ ” she said, mimicking the voice of the small dragon. “ ‘Rarity, you need something?’ ‘Rarity, how can I help you?’ ‘Rarity, would you like me to bring you a pillow’ Rarity, Rarity, Rarity!” shrieked Sweetie, trampling some blue flowers.

“Since he came back from the castle, Spike has been behind her all the time!” complained Sweetie. “He doesn’t listen to me anymore! And I don’t know why! Rarity is a grown-up. She’s boring, she doesn’t like playing! Why does Spike want to be her friend?”

A high-piched cry startled the filly, who screamed and tried to hide inside a bush. Very carefully, she poked out her head and localized the source of the sound, a few trees further. “An owl!” she muttered, coming out from the bush. “You leave me alone!”

“Hoo?” said the animal, curiously looking at the filly from the branch it was perched on.

“I told you to leave me alone!” repeated Sweetie, taking a stone on her telekinesis and tossing it towards the bird of prey. The pebble missed the owl from more than a meter. Avian and equine followed the trajectory of the stone with their eyes, which ended inside a large bush.

Sweetie Belle felt her blood run cold when, instead of the hit against the ground of the stone, she head a faint moan of pain.

The filly silently stared the bush, trying to decide what to do. She was scared of what could be hidden in there, but she also wanted to know what it was. The necessity to satisfy her curiosity was too strong to turn around and run, but she was too terrified to investigate.

The owl hooted again and took flight, making no noise.

Sweetie Belle scanned the bush with her eyes. It was still the same. The only thing that had emerged from inside was that moan. And it wasn’t an animal. Animals didn’t sound like that. It was the voice of a pony. If it was a bad pony, he would have attacked her already. Or maybe it would have escaped, after losing his surprise advantage. If it was a good pony, why hadn’t it shown himself yet?”

Very cautiously, Sweetie Belle took a step forward, not taking her eyes off the bush for an instant.

“Sweetie Belle!”

The filly let out a yelp and lost her balance, awkwardly falling to the ground. She looked up and saw Twilight Sparkle a few meters to her left, trotting towards her through the bushes. Sweetie felt an immediate relief, a feeling that a second later was substituted by the fear of punishment. Twilight would probably not be happy to see her strolling around in the forest.

“Twilight? What are you doing here?” asked the filly.

“That is what I’d like to know!” said Twilight, frowning and putting her on all four with her telekinesis. “What are you doing, wandering in the Everfree by yourself? Don’t you know it’s very dangerous? Are you injured?” she asked, studying the filly from every angle.

“I’m okay!” said Sweetie. “Really, I am fine. And what do you mean ‘the Everfree’?”

Twilight stomped her hoof. “The Whitetail Woods and the Everfree Forest are connected! Don’t you see how different this looks from the camp?”

The little filly crooked and eyebrow and looked around for the first time. Indeed, the forest was far more dense and intimidating than the area where they were camped. “…whoops.”

“Whoops, indeed,” agreed Twilight, letting out a relieved sigh when she didn’t see any wound on the filly. “Sweetie,” she said, more calm. “Tell me, what are you doing here?”

Sweetie looked down to the ground. “I…um…I got angry with Spike.”

Twilight blinked. She opened her mouth to ask the cause, but decided getting back to the campsite was more important. “We better go back. Let’s go,” she said, gently pushing Sweetie with a hoof. The little filly hesitated for a moment, glancing at the bushes; then followed Twilight back into the campsite.

***

‘Rise’

The order didn’t sound in her ears, but inside her head and echoes in her mind. She didn’t want to rise. There was something terrible out there, something that wanted to hurt her. She resisted, and tried to fall into unconsciousness. She would be safe there. It wouldn’t hurt her there.

‘Rise!’

This time she couldn’t resist. Against her will, her eyes snapped open and her mind cleared up. She got on all four, gasping for breath. She was in the void. It didn’t matter where she looked, all she saw is the most infinite blackness, darker than a night with no stars. She couldn’t even see the solid surface her hooves are touching, but she could see her own body. It’s cold, very cold, but she didn’t see any puff of mist every time she breathed out. She felt clumsy, as if her muscles didn’t respond properly to the orders her brain addressed.

‘Am I dead?’

She reached forward with a hoof, and tried to touch the floor. She didn’t feel touching anything, but her hoof stopped, as if it had collided with an invisible surface. She took a shaky step forward, and let out a sigh of relief when she didn’t fall into the emptiness.

‘Where am I?’

‘You are in the shadowscape.’

Once again, the voice rang inside her head. She looked around, but she was still alone. Her heart was beating hard inside her chest. She knew that voice. It was Nightmare Moon. “S-show yourself!” she said, trying to sound calm, but her fear still tinted her voice.

Nightmare Moon appeared right in front of her, towering above her like a massive statue. She tried to stay firm, but when the alicorn loomed closer, she couldn’t help but cower and take a step back.

“Say your name, commoner.” ordered Nightmare Moon.

“S-s-sunset Shimmer.” she stammered. Her heart raced. ‘Celestia, help me.’

“Sunset Shimmer,” repeated Nightmare Moon, moving closer to her face. Sunset took another step back. “Do you know why we have taken you here?”

Sunset blinked and a tear slipped down her cheek. “Y-you are going to kill me.” she whimpered, feeling her mouth dry.

Much to her surprise, Nightmare Moon smiled. It was not a cruel or aggressive smile, but merely amused instead. “If we had wanted to end you,” she said after a moment. “We would not have bothered to bring you here. If we did not want you alive, you would have already taken your last breath.”

“T-then what?” she said, wiping her tears with a hoof.

Nightmare Moon sat down. Her helmet, armor and shoes faded into a whirl of blue mist, leaving her naked. Her black coat acquired a bluish hue against the absolute blackness that surrounds them. Her indigo mane sprinkled with stars danced around her. Now that she was not trying to kill Sunset, but calm and serene, she didn’t look so threatening. If it weren’t because of the fangs, right then she would look as regal and solemn as Celestia. “We have an offer to make you.”

Sunset blinked and shook her head, bewildered “What do you mean?” she asked, cautious.

“We have the intent to reign over Equestria, like our sister has been doing for the last thousand years.” said Nightmare Moon. “We are aware that our arrival to Equestria has been…perhaps not very fortunate. We have taken Celestia off the throne in a brutal and harsh way, but our intentions are noble. We want the best for Equestria.”

Sunset studied her for a moment. She wasn’t able to find on her face any of the usual sighs that appeared when somepony is lying, so either she was telling her the truth, or she was an excellent liar. “Why should I believe you?” Sunset asked, frowning. “Equestria loved Celestia, and you…” She stopped when she realized she didn’t know what had happened to the Princess. “…she is gone.”

Nightmare Moon nodded. “We admit that it may seem our intentions are mischievous, but that is not correct. We have always been the most honest of the two sisters. Celestia likes of having secrets and hide everything that is of no use for her to everypony, including those closer to her. Believe us when we say this change is for the best. We only need somepony, somepony like you, to assist us to show it to the rest of Equestria.”

The unicorn shook her head. “No way! I am loyal to Celestia, and completely trust her. The Princess is my master, and I wouldn’t turn my back to her for anything!” She got on all four and stretched her neck. “Celestia is a better monarch that you will ever be!”

Nightmare Moon smiled again. She didn’t seem irked at all by Sunset’s refusal, which unnerved the unicorn. She remained silent for a minute, holding Sunset’s stare. “Are you certain? You would be a fantastic candidate for my right hoof.”

“Why me?” she asked. “I am sure you can find plenty of madcap ponies more than willing to serve you.”

“Because you have an amazing talent!” replied Nightmare Moon, making an ample gesture with her hoof. “You managed to harness the power of the Elements of Harmony even though you where not the Element of Magic! You activated them, and controlled their power briefly, even if thou should not have the lesser domain over them. We feel your aura. It’s strong, burning with a fiery inner flame. But you are so terribly wasted by Celestia.”

Sunset was taken aback by that. “What are you saying?”

“There is power inside you! An immense power, like the greatest magi of our time! Celestia fears you, she is afraid that a mortal may become too powerful and starts questioning her reign. That is why she keeps you close to her. To control you, and make sure you never reach your fullest potential!”

“T…that is a lie!” Sunset shouted immediately. “That’s a lie! Celestia loves me! I am important for her! She takes care of me, and wishes the best for me!”

“You know as well as we do, that is not true.” said Nightmare Moon with a toothy smile.

“It is!”

“Ah, and we are certain you can remember plenty of moments in which Celestia refused to grant you knowledge or power. She offers you small presents from time to time, to quench your thirst of knowledge; and so you stop searching and learning by yoursef!” Nightmare Moon opened her wings and rose on her back legs. “All Celestia wants from you is your submission and servility!”

“No! Enough! That’s a lie!” Sunset dropped herself to the floor and covered her ears with her hooves. ‘It’s false, false, false. It’s not true. Celestia loves me. Celestia wants the best for me. Celestia takes care of me. Celestia is like a mother to me. Celestia wouldn’t let me get hurt.’ she repeated to herself, like a litany, rocking back and forth with each word.

‘Celestia refused to give you power or knowledge’

A memory, trapped and forgotten after so many years, flourished again. A night with no Moon, in the library. A little filly slips in the reserved section, for which it’s usually needed a written permit from the Princess. She knew there were books in there that Celestia didn’t want her to read. In a few hours, the little filly took dozens of books from their places, reading as fast as possible the knowledge she had been forbidden. Necromancy, nocikinesis, tanathokinesis, time bindings, arcane regression, time travel. The filly didn’t understand many of the procedures there explained, but she did know enough to understand what she was seeing. Power. So much more power than she could have ever imagined.

While she was distracted reading books larger than her, Celestia discovered her and harshly reprimanded her. The filly had never seen Celestia so displeased.

‘I deserve to stand beside you and be your equal…if not your better. Make me a princess!”

‘No. Being a princess must be earned…I have been trying to teach you everything you need to know, but you’ve turned from it. Every time you say you say you deserve to get something without the effort just proves that you are not ready.’

That night almost caused an insurmountable abyss between the two ponies. But it didn’t. The next morning, a tearful filly entered the room of the Princess and begged for her forgiveness.

She did.

Sunset opened her eyes and blinked to get rid of the tears. Nightmare Moon was sitting again, looking at her with attention.

That was the biggest incident she had had with Celestia, but not the only one. There were dozens of moments in which Celestia refused to give Sunset an explanation, arguing that she ‘didn’t need to know that’. Little details she had never considered, but after the words of Nightmare Moon, now saw with another light. ‘I could be different, had I had all that knowledge. Better. More capable.’

The resentment and rancor she felt that night came back. How many times had Celestia cut her wings, how many times had she decided that if she learned more she would become less obedient, less useful?

She wouldn’t be no more than a pawn to her. A disposable piece in the huge chess game Equestria is. Why else would Celestia send her against Nightmare Moon with no instruction or information of what she was going to find? Why else would she have ignored her warnings?

Celestia hadn’t sent her to Ponyville to defeat Nightmare Moon, but to buy herself some more time.

‘I am Celestia’s pawn.’ Sunset closed her eyes shut to fight the tears. ‘Somepony to use only once, and whose loss is not important. Who sits next to Celestia on the board is not me, and never was.’

‘It is Twilight Sparkle.’

Sunset got on her hooves and looked at Nightmare Moon on the eyes. ‘Nevermore. I am never going to be anypony’s pawn.’ she thought, determined. It was time for a change, but of course she wasn’t going to change one master for another. if Nightmare Moon refused her any answer, she would be the one to turn her back to her. She would leave, and she would find the way to destroy her. ‘’If Nightmare Moon doesn’t treat me as an equal, I will make sure she will regret it.’

Sunset bowed to the alicorn. “Tell me what you wish…master.” She said, more resolved than she have ever been.

Comments

[Widow Peak]

Last chapter, I got a dislike. I am not even mad, it was exactly the reaction I was looking for!

[magicstorm4]

? on widow peak commet not sure whe he/she mean, but I do like the story and look forward to more ch . thought it suck on what sunset is a bout to do but she will have to lear the hard way about fiendshipe and I do hope she does. again alwsome ch

[Widow Peak]

7270128 I mean what I said. When I uploaded chapter 3, I got a dislike, which is the reaction I wanted.

I am very glad you are enjoying it thus far. I hope next chapter will come faster. It is about as long as this one.

[Skydrake]

Well now, this looks like a particularly grim version of Nightmare's takeover - dropping Canterlot from the mountain, maiming Blueblood, almost murdering Cadence? Yeah, something tells me this adventure will be more dangerous than the one in the show.

And then there is the lingering question of Celestia's fate - I'm sure she didn't simply die once the sun shattered (if she had, I imagine the area would have been stuffed full of her aura that Twilight would have picked up on - instead it simply wasn't there at all), but there is no telling what condition she's in; the loss of sun couldn't have done her incorporeal state any good, that's for sure.

Though this does raise one serious question - if Equestria had it's own minature sun, sequestered inside a "forcefield" that surrounded Equestria, what has happened to the rest of the world? Is there a "normal" sun beyond Equestria's boundaries? And if yes, why did they feel the need to create their own miniature version? And if not, does that mean the rest of the world is dead? (Shouldn't be, since Twilight mentions other nations).

And speaking of Celestia, I wonder how she managed to make such a blunder as to send Sunset instead of Twilight in search of the Elements - after all, Twilight's cutie mark is engraved straight in the middle of the Tree of Harmony; one glance at Twilight's mark and Celestia should have picked up on the fact that Twilight's destiny has been marked by the tree and she's destined to be connected with the elements.

And speaking of Sunset, wow - sure didn't take much for Nightmare to subvert her, did it. I guess she never got over her unpleasant ways, despite what Twilight thinks - just got better at hiding them, if such an obvious ploy is all it took to lure her to the dark side. I guess power is all she cares for, in the end. Guess Twilight will have her work cut out for her, having to deal with Sunset as well and not just Nightmare this time around. I'm eager to see how she does.

[Widow Peak]

7300357 I am not used to long comments! But it feels good! Now, let us answer some questions.

Yes, this story is already shaping to be pretty grim. Though the last piece will appear in the next chapter. Canterlot used to contain many things...

The whole 'forcefield' surrounding Equestria is an idea I got from an old comic which I have not been able to find. I loved the idea because it made Celestia and Luna far less powerful, while still making them actually control the day-night cycle; and explained the unusual fact that ponies have to make their own weather, while being far enough that it does not disrup the dialy life (After all, the magic field ends on the sea, a desert and the mountains, where nopony lives).

I also like to think Icarus was an actual pegasus that literally flew into the Sun.

The rest of the world is not dead. The whole contraption was made by the unicorns both to have some power over the pegasi and the earth ponies (Since, strictly speaking, they could flourish without the unicorns) and to protect themselves against exterior threats.

Hum...I think that covers all I can say...

I am glad you are enjoying the story!

[Skydrake]

7300578

Hmm, if that's all the 'forcefield' is, couldn't the Earth Ponies and Pegasi simply migrate away to other lands not covered by it, leaving the unicorns high and dry? It also feels kinda odd that the sisters would keep around such a blatant symbol of unicorn oppression after the tribes united. I could understand keeping the shield if it actually keeps threats out (does it? Other nations seem to be doing fine, and Zecora got in anyway, so its purpose feels iffy), but why the actual sun/moon cycle?

Regarding Canterlot - I'm actually surprised how small you made the place to be. 12,000 inhabitants? That's positively tiny - it would barely qualify as a town by most metrics, I think. To put it into perspective, one Nimitz aircraft carrier has a full crew of upwards five thousand people. You could fit all of Canterlot on two such ships

Obviously it holds a symbolic importance and represents Celestia's reign, which is why Nightmare went after it, but overall? It's hard to imagine Equestria feeling the loss of this settlement (can't really call it a city ) , because demographics wise it should barely be a blimp on Equestria's radar with those numbers :P

[Widow Peak]

7300622 Because there are other races that may not be very keen in the invasion. Besides, Equestria is a pretty good land, and they were not aware of the scheme of the unicorns. In the past, it was more secure and would not allow anyone to just walk by. Any army wanting to go though it would be slowed down, as it woud phisically repel them, and the Princesses would be aware of the attack instantly.

Equestria was young and the Princesses were not around, so the shield was actually very useful. Nowadays, Equestria has a poweful military, and two demigods, so the shield can be walked past (Though the dragons actually need to have an opening made for them).

As for the day-night cycle...well, it worked. And if you control the weather, you get protection against natural disasters.

My home town has 55 thousand inhabitants, so I am aware of tiny Canterlot is. But it is a city perched on the side of a mountain, so space is precious. Back in its foundation, it was large , but it is not the case anymore. The importance of its destruction is indeed symbolic. Nightmare Moon has no intention of destroying the kingdom she has desired for so long (If she did, she could have just destroyed the city instantly).

Also, I can not make the city very large, or evacuating in a single day would sound very far-fetched, to say the least.

[Skydrake]

7300732

I guess that explains the shield, then. And my hometown actually has a population of 16,000 So my reaction to something even smaller than this place serving as the seat of government for a country ... you can imagine how that feels. Wouldn't Nightmare simply give a longer time period for evacuation, if Canterlot was larger? Like you said, there is no ruling over a mountain of corpses.

And speaking of Nightmare and the aforementioned Equestrian army - shouldn't the later be organizing a raid on Nightmare? I mean, she certainly is strong and ruthless, but considering the performance she displayed against Cadence ... that doesn't seem anything that a concentrated effort from a few dozen pegasi, backed by unicorns, couldn't subdue. She certainly seemed strong for an individual, but kinda a few miles short of being powerful enough to actually fight armies on her own.

[Widow Peak]

7300815 Well, you do not really have that much peope ruling a country...specially with a absolute monarchy.

As for actually fighting Nightmare...she was playing with Cadance through the entire fight, even at the end. She could have ended her much faster and effectively...but that would not have been as fun for Nightmare.

Now, consider the punishment Cadance has taken, and make it an order of magnitude greater.

[The Dreaming Writer]

I'm not usually one for pointing out typos, but I really reaaaally think this one should be fixed, pronto. XP

In a few hours, the little filly took dozens of boobs from their places, reading as fast as possible the knowledge she had been forbidden.

*cough* *cough*

[Widow Peak]

7645395 Best typo ever, hands down.

Enjoy the rest!

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

Still I thing the dome thing is a bit contrived.

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

7300357
Very true then do just enough for Sunset to doubt her. Facing Celestia is terrible in pony relations.

[Widow Peak]

8905181 Yes, I do agree it is a bit strange. It is not actually my idea, I read it in a comic...that I have failed to find again. I decided to adopt it because it turns Celestia and Luna from literal gods to something more humble.