Golden Sun, Silver Moon

by Shadow Watcher

Chapter 1

Three Years Later

It was a bright and sunny morning in the small village of Vale. It lay at the base of a massive mountain, Mt. Solus. For countless centuries, the people of Vale had lived there. To the rare travelling merchant, they were just an ordinary small village. The village of Vale was a peaceful place. Every day, the stallions and mares went about their day, tending to the fields and orchard where they grew their food, or else went to their various small shops, even a blacksmith shop. Usually, the blacksmith simply forged objects and tools that ponies needed every day, but he also sold a small variety of weapons. Simply because they preferred peace did not mean they couldn't defend themselves.

Maud Pie trotted briskly past several of the stalls set up in the village plaza. The sun was shining, the heat wasn't too bad, and the birds were singing their lovely chorus. As she made her way up the stairs leading up to her and her sisters house, her thoughts drifted off in a very unwanted direction. 'Three years. It's been three years since the Solus Boulder fell.' Her sister, Pinkie, had taken it very hard. Her pink hair, that had once been so poofy, had become straight. She used to love nothing more than to go out of her way to make others laugh, but after that day, she had become withdrawn. But Applejack hadn't given up on her, coming by every day to cheer her up. To do anything to make her laugh and smile again. And gradually, she did. It had been slow work, but while her hair was still straight, a little bit of the old Pinkie had returned. Maud did her best to suppress a shudder. At least she hadn't asked to be called Pinkamena. She shook her head. If she didn't hurry, she was going to be late.

Ever since Applejack and Pinkie were found unconscious on their way to the plaza, the two had taken to studying Harmony as much as they could get their hooves on. And had been training with their blades just as much. The two claimed to not remember anything after the Boulder falling, whenever asked about it, a strange look would enter their eyes. A hardness that hadn't been there before.

As she approached the Apple family's home, she heard Apple Blossom, Applejack's mother, talking. "Now be careful up there! I know the roof needs patching, but just so long as you don't fall through yourself!"

"I'm being careful!" Maud heard Applejack call out. She could just make out the mare on the roof. As she watched, a gentle glow surrounded her, and a ghostly claw appeared. It picked up a pile of straw, and then carefully wove it into the rest of the roof, making a tight seal. Maud gave a small smile and continued walking. Her house was just a little further up from the Apples's. As she approached her front door, she heard a loud "Hyaa!".

She shook her head. 'Still training, Pinkie? I figured you'd have finished by now.' She headed around to the back of the house, where she found Pinkie near the flower patch. Pinkie was in the middle of fighting her practice dummy, swinging at it with her sword. Suddenly, one of her hooves glowed, and a small ball of fire flew through the air, striking the dummy. Unfortunately, the fireball kept going and fell, scorching many of the flowers. "Pinkie! Marble's going to be really upset with you!"

Her sister stopped mid-swing, looking back her. She stabbed the blade into the ground, and picked up a nearby towel. She looked over the damage her fireball had done, before sighing. "I'll just convince Applejack to grow her some new one
s."

Maud couldn't help but chuckle and shook her head. "For the past three years, the two of you have thrown yourselves into studying as much about Harmony as you can. Not to mention when Master Starswirl came to our village a year ago. Mom and Dad would be..."

Pinkie cut her off. "Proud, I'm sure." She hung her towel around her neck. She sighed. "But they're gone, Maud. Applejack lost her father and brother." She turned back to her sister. "We'd better go get Applejack. We don't want to keep Master Starswirl waiting." She replied. She grabbed the hilt of her short sword with her mouth and twisted around to place it in its sheathe.

Her older sister gave a small sigh. Pinkie had come a long way in the last year, what with learning from Master Starswirl. The scholarly, elder stallion had arrived in Vale one day. Not long after that, he had started asking all kinds of questions, mostly spending his days with the village’s Sage. Yet for all the questions Starswirl asked, many went unanswered. Some, because the Sage himself did not have the knowledge the scholar sought. Others, because they hit too close to secrets. Secrets that only the Sage knew. Secrets passed down from his predecessor upon his deathbed, and that he would, in turn, one day pass on to his own successor upon his own deathbed. But overall, the ponies of Vale had accepted the scholar. While he could not use much Harmony himself, his knowledge of it was extensive. Maud frowned. If what Master Starswirl claimed, though, even his seemingly vast knowledge only just barely scratched the surface of what was Harmony.

"You've done a tremendous job, Applejack!" They heard Apple Blossom say. The two mares could just see them both on the roof. She was silent for a while before speaking again. "Applejack, do you and Pinkie really believe that if your abilities with Harmony had been stronger, then that day would've been different?"

Maud heard Pinkie's gasp. Applejack didn't hesitate before answering. "Yes. If even either of us had been just a little bit stronger that day, then we..."

"Could've died as well." Her mother answered calmly. "We were both devastated that day. I lost both my son and husband, and you lost your brother and father. And the Pie girls lost both their parents. Maud and her grandmother have done the best they can, but I can still see the hurt and pain in Pinkie's eyes. Yours too, Applejack." The two Pie mares heard hoofsteps coming towards the ladder. "Now, let's get off this roof before either of us put any new holes in it. The last thing I want is Pinkie coming up here looking for us. The Goddesses know what would happen with that mare!"

The two sisters took their cue and came the rest of the way. Maud gave them both a nice smile. "Good morning."

Blossom gave the girls a warm smile. "Good morning, girls! I had a feeling you would be here soon! Ah, and here's Applejack now. Just finished patching up our roof! Now it won't be so leaky next time it rains." She eyed all three of them. "So what do you three girls have planned for today?"

Pinkie's face brightened a bit with excitement. "Ah! We're going to Mt. Solus with Starswirl today!"

The older mare shook her head with a chuckle. "Mountain climbing. No doubt all part of your studies on Harmony." She turned and looked up at the mountain that towered over the town. "The greatest source of Harmonic energy. And as you all know, Psynergy is the ability to tap into that power." She shook her head. "Goodness! Listen to me prattle on! You three had best get moving! Wouldn't want to keep that old codger waiting! I'll be in the plaza if you have need of me, Applejack, and then I'll be at the seamstress' shop."

They watched as she began her way off, before turning to one another. PInkie frowned. "What did your mother mean by, 'the last thing I want is for Pinkie to come up here looking for us'? I would've been careful!"

Both Maud and Applejack were unaffect by her outburst. Applejack simply stared her friend in the eye. "Do you not remember the last time you were up there when I was fixing the roof?"

Pinkie's eyes widened. "But that was one time! And it was a complete fluke! That beam was already rotting! Otherwise I wouldn't have fallen completely through!"

Applejack deadpanned. "I had to sleep on the floor downstairs, all because somepony thought my room could use a skylight."

The pink mare fidgeted slightly, before giving her friend a defeated smile. "Point taken."

Maud gave a small chuckle. "Alright you two, let's get moving." She turned and led the way back past her and Pinkie's house. As they did, they clearly heard the shouts of an upset filly.

"Oh, just wait till she gets home! This means war!" She was shouting. Pinkie did a quick glance at Maud, who was doing her best to stiffle her giggles with a hoof.

Another filly was trying to console her. "Marble, I'm sure we could just get Ms Apple to grow new flowers."

"That's not the point, Limestone! This is the tenth time this week! She said she was going to move her training area some place else two weeks ago!" Marble shouted.

"I'm going to have to watch my back tonight." Pinkie gulped.

Applejack laughed as they made their way over the bridge. "The master of prank wars is scared of getting pranked?"

"My skills are...a little rusty." Her pink friend replied.

By this time, they were nearing the house Starswirl had claimed when he had moved in. For years, it had simply been abandoned. The stallion that had owned it previously had practically given it to the elderly scholar. Maud's ears perked forward as she heard voices ahead and shushed the other too.

"They seem to know little of Sol Sanctum's mysteries. The Sage and elders must not allow anyone to enter it. Not even Starswirl." A gruff, male voice huffed. Applejack could feel her fur bristle slightly. There was something about this voice that rubbed her wrong, but she just couldn't put her hoof on it. The voice that answered him did nothing to allay the feeling.

"Starswirl... Can we use him?" A female voice asked. "His knowledge would surely be beneficial to our cause. "

"His knowledge is certainly no meager thing." The male replied. "Yes. We can use him."

"But he's much more stubborn than we expected." The female replied.

"And cunning too...cunning beyond measure." Her companion replied.

"If he won't go willingly, then we can always..." She was cut off by the male voice.

"Someone's nearby." A male, blue dragon appeared from around the corner of the cliffside, coming towards him, a red female right behind him. "You three! What are you doing out here!"

"What are we doing? What are you doing!" Pinkie replied, standing her ground.

The female dragon eyed them with suspicion. "Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?"

Before Maud or Pinkie could respond, Applejack answered them. "Yes. We were."

The male dragon grunted, thin streams of smoke curling from his nostrils. "Well then...I cannot permit you any continued spying."

"Spying?! You were the ones sneaking around!" Pinkie exclaimed. There were times when Applejack really wished Pinkie could just keep her mouth shut. Still, it was proof that her friend was improving.

The male dragon's scales bristled. "Sneaking...you dare accuse me of sneaking!"

"As if someone of your size could actually sneak." Applejack heard Pinkie mutter.

The female dragon spoke up before the situation could escalate. "So, Starswirl's engagement was with you three."

"Yes, we were heading over to his cottage just now." Maud answered.

The male dragon grunted again. "And this engagement is important enough to drive us off?"

"Yes!" Pinkie said. Applejack couldn't help but shoot her a glare.

"Oh ho! Well, if your appointment truly is so much more important than our own..." the male dragon mocked. "Them go."

Maud frowned. "You're just going to let us go like that?"

"Are you certain that's wise, Saturos?" The female asked, frowning.

He nodded. "Menardi, we have no reason to delay them further."

Maud nudged Applejack, and grabbed Pinkie with a hoof. "Come on, let's go. Master Starswirl is waiting for us." With one last glance at them, the three ran off.

Menardi turned to her companion. "What are you thinking, Saturos? Just letting them run off..."

"What would you prefer we do? Detaining them would jeopardize our entire effort. Besides," he looked off towards Starswirls cottage, "I have a feeling those three will help us find what we seek."

The three girls paused at the stairs leading up to Starswirl's cottage. Even from here, they could here him muttering, and from the sounds of it, his encounter with the two dragons was quite disturbing.

"Just who were they? They already know too much about Sol Sanctum......things that even the elders of Vale don't know. And what were they saying about elements? The elements of Harmony: laughter, kindness, generosity, honesty, loyalty, and magic...They plan to set them into motion? And the six Elemental Stars are the key? These are things that I, a trained Harmonic sage, do not know." He looked up at their approach, stopping mid-stride in his pacing. "Ah!" He frowned. "You three are late!"

"We were held up by some friends of yours." Maud replied.

The elderly stallion's frown deepened, and a hoof twirled in the long beard that hung from his chin. "So those two are still slinking around, are they? Yes, they were most troubling. Persistent, certainly."

"They seemed to want something from you, and from the sounds of it, they seemed fairly urgent about it." Applejack said.

Pinkie frowned. "They give me a creepy feeling. Kind of like that feeling right before it starts raining, and you know that there's going to be lightning. You know? Like, when your fur gets all tingly." Applejack nodded in agreement.

"Still...it was...strange. They spoke of Sol Sanctum as if they had seen it with their own eyes." He snorted. "Why, it took me the better part of six months to convince the Sage and his acolytes to allow me entrance! And even then, it was always under their strict supervision!"

Maud frowned. "But if they had somehow sneaked into the Sanctum...that's..." She couldn't bring herself to say it. From an early age, all colts and fillies were taught that Sol Sanctum and Mt. Solus were sacred, that it was their duty to defend it from the unworthy. If outsiders had desecrated that sacredness...she barely managed to hold back her shudder. "We need to go to the elders right away!"

But Starswirl just shook his head, and readjusted his cloak about his shoulders. It was a shade lighter than midnight blue, covered in stars and crescent moons. "No. I do not know how accurate their description was. They described several things to me that I have never seen in all the times that I have visited the Sanctum. Without that proof, our words may not have much influence. And the only way we can do that is if we go confirm what they said ourselves."

Applejack's eyes widened. "You mean...enter the Sanctum ourselves? But that's...I mean..."

"But, Applejack! This could be our chance!" Pinkie said excitedly. "I mean, we've always been planning to go look for ourselves. I mean, true, we were totally going to ask permission first, but if Saturos and Menardi are thieves, then we have no choice but to make sure they didn't steal anything, and the only way that we can do that is by going and looking for ourselves, even though we haven't ever been in there before, so we can't really be sure if they stole anything anyways, but I'm sure if they did anything or took something, then it would be, like, really obvious, so we should just go see for ourselves!"

Applejack just stared at her friend. "There are times I really wonder if you breathe the same way as the rest of us, because you didn't take a single breath throughout that whole statement." She rubbed the back of her head, adjusting her Stetson. "While I'm not sure I completely followed ya, I can't deny that you've got a point.

Maud sighed. Of course her sister would be excited by the prospect, and while she was somewhat loathe to admit it, Pinkie did have a point. Still, a small part of her felt very strongly that they should just go to the Sage and explain it to him. Surely he'd understand, right? On the other hoof, if he didn't, he would probably assign a couple of his acolytes to watch them, making it that much harder to explore the mountain. "Well, our original plan was to hike Mt. Solus anyway, right? So...alright. Let's do this."

Starswirl gave her a warm smile. "I know this will be hard for you three. You're whole life, they've taught you the sacredness of the Sanctum. I promise you, in our exploration, we will do nothing that will desecrate or harm the Sanctum. Now, I'm going to grab a few things from my home, and then we will be on our way." Through a nearby window, they saw him pluck his pointy hat that matched his cloak from a coat rack and plop it onto his head. Next, he went to a small chest beside his desk and rummaged around a bit before pulling six, metallic bags out. He quickly tucked them into a satchel that he always wore on his side. As he closed the door behind him, he gave them an excited grin. "Well then, let's be off!"

As they went back the way they came, Applejack quickly noticed that Saturos and Menardi had vanished. There was something about them that...unsettled her. Something hovered in the back of her mind, but try as she might, she just couldn't put her hoof on it. And from the looks of it, Pinkie was feeling something similar; her friend kept glancing around, looking for them. Still, something in her gut told Applejack that that wasn't the last she saw of those two.

Maud held up a hoof as they came to the edge of the bridge. It didn't take long for them to realize why. The only easy path up the slopes of Mt. Solus led right past the chapel in which the Sage and acolytes spent their time. One of those said acolytes was slowing walking about right in that path.

Starswirl rubbed his chin, absently stroking his beard in thought. "This could be troublesome. If he catches us, he might try to hinder our venture up the mountain."

Pinkie snickered. "Leave this to me." She slowly crept across the bridge, and then her entire demeanor changed. She crouched down low to the ground, but still moving quickly. She slipped down the path, sneaking behind a tree when the acolyte had his back turned. Glancing around, she pulled something out of her pack and then shimmied up the tree and out onto an overhanging branch. The acolyte continued his rounds, then turned and headed back the other way. As he passed directly beneath Pinkie's branch, she turned the object in her hoof over and gave it a few good shakes. The stallion continued for a few steps before he stopped. He shook his body, like he had a fly on him, then turned and began biting at his back. Pretty soon, he threw himself to the ground, rolling, trying to itch his back, before he stood and ran off, heading down towards the plaza. Pinkie jumped down from her branch and waved to them.

Applejack gave her a hoofbump as they approached. "Itching powder?"

"I contemplated using sneezing powder, but I haven't restocked my supply since..." She broke off, seeming to revert to her withdrawn self, but she shook it off. "But I think the itching powder worked out best."

Applejack nodded in agreement. While Pinkie's hair was still as straight as ever, she couldn't help but feel that it wasn't as straight as it had been. Maud turned and looked after him. "We had better hurry. Once he gets down to the plaza, it won't be much longer before he realizes someone pranked him."

They hurried on, briskly walking along the narrow path. The sun had climbed higher into the sky, nearing about noon, by the time the entrance to the Sanctum became visible. The rough stone beneath their hooves became smooth marble. The three young ponies stopped and took in their first look at the entrance to Sol Sanctum. Mt. Solus rose up above them. All their lives, they had lived at the base of the mountain, but they had never been this close. Directly ahead of them, the path opened up into a clearing, surrounded by rock walls. Six statues stood along the clearing, leading up to a small flight of stairs and a set of grand stone doors. Two carved, quartz columns flanked the doors, the white of the quartz complimenting the green of the marble.

"The entrance to Sol Sanctum." Starswirl said softly. He pointed. "The six statues represent the six Elements of Harmony. Laughter, Kindness, Loyalty, Generosity, Honesty, and Magic." He pointed to each statue that represented each element as he listed them. "As you know from previous lessons, it is from them that the four Psynergies come: earth, wind, fire, and water." He gave the three of them a smile. "Your family, Applejack, have always been earth adepts. Your strong connection to the earth allows you to harness that power to help plants grow, crops be bountiful, but with it, you can also use that power to strike your enemies. Summon spires of stone from beneath the earth. Even cause earthquakes." His face grew grim. "The power of Harmony must never be used for selfish gain. Doing so causes nothing but chaos." He turned to them. "If Saturos and Menardi are indeed seeking Harmony for selfish gain, we must tread carefully indeed."

They followed him forward as he reached out and placed a hoof on the doors. The ground around them shook slightly as they slowly swung inward, opening before them.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Why was this cancelled?

[Shadow Watcher]

8534725

It’s technically not cancelled. I’ve just been busy working on my main writing project (not mlp related), and I haven’t had time to work on any side projects.