Echoes of the Old World

by Ultima75000

Memoirs of a Monarch

Chapter 14: Memoirs of a Monarch

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"History tells us the about past, the past tells us about legends, legends tell us about myths. The more you discover the more you wish you never had bothered…"

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The tunnels seemed to extend far beyond the length gorge and far deeper than they expected. Somehow the Crusaders thought maybe it was better to have climbed back up and went home through the forests. In front of them was the alicorn stallion Atom who had beckoned for them to follow him into the underground. Behind them was the unicorn Trixie who was more or less an unwanted acquaintance within the Everfree Forest.

There was no illumination or sunlight in the tunnels, the only thing leading the way was the glow of Atom's horn followed by the small flashlights the three fillies brought along with them. Down beneath the ground it seemed as though time itself slowed as the pathway stretched on further and further with no noticeable end.

"Does he even know where he's going? We must be all the way to Canterlot by now!" Scootaloo said back to the others.

"Would you rather be stuck in the Everfree Forest at night?" Applebloom answered "At least we're going somewhere now. I think…"

"It has been rather long since we started" Sweetie Belle said "it can't be much farther…"

"Hmpt!" Trixie huffed listening in on the conversation "Why must the Great and Powerful Trixie be forced to follow this male down a seemingly endless cavern to nowhere?"

"You four are free to turn around and go." Atom said continuing forward. "I'm not forcing you to follow me.

Trixie looked back down the path for a second, but after making a short gulp she forced herself forward again. "Bah! As if Trixie would fall for a trick like that! Wait… what is this place?"

"Woah…" Applebloom mouthed with her friends simply dropping their jaws and widening their eyes.

The five ponies had finally arrived in a far larger cavern, large enough to be the interior of a cathedral. The rough rocky walls we're replaced by smooth stone and marble walls, etched with dozens of runes of varying shapes and sizes. Huge ornate carved pillars the size of oak trees aligned themselves down the cavern halls supporting the high held roof above.

Attached to all the pillars we're a pair of long unlit torches covered in spider webs. Atom merely flicked the tip of horn at one and it blazed to life. Soon the other torches lit up and the entire cavern was lit, revealing every corner of the cavern. As the final two torches we're set ablaze the end of the hall was revealed to hold a pair of statues; statues of a very familiar figure the guarded a large engraved stone door.

"Is that…" Sweetie Belle said as she got closer to the statue "Princess Celestia?"

"Look at this one!" Scootaloo shouted as she wiped away the cobwebs covering its cutie mark. "This one's Princess Luna!"

"Why do they look so…" Applebloom took glances between the both of them "Different?"

"Different?" Trixie looked at the earth pony weirdly "How can you tell they're actually the Princesses if they're different?"

"I don't know…" Applebloom said "Maybe because they don't have flowing manes?" She then saw the gigantic stone gate which the two statues guarded. "That's a big door."

"Stand aside!" Atom yelled at the four of them. As they moved aside he cast a ray of brilliant white light at the center of the stone door, its markings lighting up like oil to flame. As the rune's flickered the eyes of both statues began to glow blue and they cast a cone of light between them projecting an image unfamiliar to them.

The image before them was a unicorn, though a very old unicorn at that. His beard was long and white and his eyes lacked pupils. His cloak though transparent and probably not even physically there flowed like within a gust of wind with the bells on the end of it making soft jingles that echoed down the hall. A tall pointed hat sat upon his head, adorned with stars and runes alike finished off with a rind of more bells around the edges.

"Greetings traveler… "The projected image said in an strong voice one would not expect from an old pony. "I am Star Swirl the Bearded."

"Star Swirl?" Applebloom shook her head a bit "Isn't that the pony Twilight dressed up as during Nightmare Night?"

"You foal!" Trixie screamed at her "That pony is one of the most powerful conjurers in the history of ponykind! It's what I aspire to be and what I will be!"

"Shhh!" Scootaloo said loudly in Trixie's face wanting to listen.

"Long ago I was commissioned to seal away six artifacts of great and terrible power. Artifacts that if fallen into the wrong hands could shatter the very foundations of the world. Thus they have been separated and hidden from prying eyes. You stand now before my apparition 'seeker', one who will either use the artifacts to protect Equestria in its darkest hour or destroy it."

"Be warned, this path is neither for the faint of heart nor the taint of soul…"

"Before you now is the Trial of Fire and Ice; the seal that locks the Door to Kindness. Let your heart be true and your soul pure, for the penalty for failure is death. I wish you well 'seeker' and good luck."

With that final word the image of Star Swirl faded away as the eyes of the statues turned an eerie red. Suddenly they began to shake and crack as the twin statues came to life! The frozen stone mane shattered to rubble replaced by a flowing mane of red for Celestia's and blue for Luna's. Leaping off of their frames and landing with a heavy crunch on the stone floor the two living statues approached the five ponies.

"Stay behind me…" Atom said grimly not even twitching as the towering titans of stone drew closer. The Cutie Mark Crusaders did as they we're told and backed far behind the stallion. Trixie however was not as reluctant to take orders.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie fears no statue!" She declared. Despite her shaking legs and composure she didn't move from her spot. The statue of Celestia turned its rocky face towards the scared unicorn and opened its mouth. Smoke streamed out of its gaping maw before it blew a torrent of flames at the scared pony.

Reacting as the flames scorched its way towards Trixie, Atom dived in front of her before applying his own breath.

Water Element: Hydro Breath (Japanese: Suiton Mizuiki)

Out of Atom's mouth an impossible amount of water akin to that of a fountain gushed out and swallowed up the flames. The stallion took a large breath before glaring back at her. "I said get behind me!"

"Look out!" Trixie pointed behind him. The statue of Princess Luna had come around and readied her own breath. This time is was a breath of ice and frost, flash freezing the ground Atom had recently drenched in water.

Atom's wing for the first time lifted off the ground from their dragged down position, covering his front side as his horn projected a dome like shield around him. The cone of cold hit covering the shield in a layer of ice and snow as well as frosting a good portion of the room. When it finished Atom lashed his wings open like a whip, shattering the thin layer of ice that covered him.

"Try that again!" He taunted the two statues. Immediately both statues fired their breaths again; fire and ice streamed down the halls straight towards them. Halfway towards him, the two breaths canceled each other out and died in a puff of steam. The two statues stared emotionlessly at the stallion.

"What happened to the attack?" Sweetie Belle gasped

"It just died out!" Scootaloo added

"They canceled each other out…" Trixie said moving in closer to the three fillies "Fire and Ice don't mix very well together. Ice is merely solid water and what puts out fires?"

"So that means… he wanted that to happen!" Applebloom put the two together

The two statues roared an unnatural scream which caused the four ponies to shiver for a brief moment. Then they both charged at the stallion bellowing more of their screams and lowering their horns to impale their target. As they reached striking distance the stallion ducked over the both them; crashing into each other as the result of their mindless charge. Sliding just in front of the two he raised both of his hind legs and double bucked the statue heads.

With a great smash of rock on hoof the heads blew into pieces and flew off their stony necks. The remains of the magic that powered them faded away as the bodies of the statues crumbled to dust leaving nothing left.

"That was… awesome!" Scootaloo cried jumping up and over the pile of rubble

"Where did you learn to buck like that?" Applebloom asked him

"Marerine training, works wonders on everything." Atom said stretching his hind legs. There was a giant crack of rock and stone as the giant door which the statues guarded slowly began to slide open, it's protective seal undone. Inside was a spiraling staircase which descended even further down.

Not wasting any time Atom walked straight through the open gates and rushed down the stairs, his horn lighting the path downwards. Trixie and the Crusaders followed him down trying to keep up with the torchlight ahead of them. Reaching the bottom revealed a small but sizeable underground library with at least two dozen shelves aligned along the walls.

However most of the shelves we're not full and many we're completely devoid of any sort of parchment. Dust and spider webs covered every nook and cranny of the room and many of the books look like they haven't been touched in years. Trixie merely touched one of the books on a shelf and the shelf collapsed completely on itself.

"Please don't touch anything." Atom said looking around the room. A rather embarrassed Trixie moved quietly away from the pile that was a bookshelf.

For a brief moment the four ponies looked at the stallion scouring the room for something. They didn't know what it was but he ignored majority of the shelves and even made occasional glances at the walls.

Finally after browsing one of the bookshelves he stopped his hoof on a single plain looking textbook…

"That's it?" Sweetie Belle said puzzled

"That's what you're here for?" Applebloom added, herself wondering why.

"What you had to fight the fire and ice breathing statues for?" Scootaloo almost sarcastically said in the confusion.

"A book!?" Trixie cried as if slapped in the face with a fish "You dragged us all this way down this dangerous pit just to get a book?"

"I never forced you." Atom said carefully pulling the book out from its position. "If you had been in any real danger from the beginning then I would have never had asked anyone to follow. You're arrogance a while ago is what put you in danger."

"You could have explained that there would be a giant fire breathing statue!" Trixie screamed at him, the noise causing dust to fall from the roof.

"And an ice breathing one." Sweetie Belle put in quickly. Trixie gave the three fillies a harsh glare before redirecting her anger back towards the alicorn.

"What is so important about that old tatty book?" she demanded

Atom simply opened the old textbook up, a glow of yellow light emitted from its pages. "It's what's inside the book that interests me" He said. Trixie and Crusaders gazed with large eyes at the warm glow the book projected, it's paged seemed to look like molten gold in its brilliance.

Atom shut the book slowly before packing it away underneath his left wing. "Now to get you all out here…"

"But the only way back to Ponyville is through the forest… and it's probably sundown already!" Applebloom said worried.

"There's always a back door exit out." Atom replied patting the little earth pony on the head "Right about…" He trotted pass two bookshelves, stopping at the third one and bucked it out of the way. Behind it was a hidden passage way with an ascending staircase. "There it is."

"We've wasted too much time already! We should have left to search for them immediately!" Applejack hollered anxiously looking out of the window of Zecora's hut.

"Patience my friend" Zecora said meditating in the center the room. "For your troubles soon will end."

"Patience? Patience!" Rarity said cooling herself with a handmade leaf fan. "Sweetie Belle is out there in the cold, dark and dirty forest!"

"The moon is almost up!" Twilight said pointing to the night sky "She'll be here any minute now!"

"Do we really need to wait for Princess Luna Twilight?" Rainbow Dash said leaning against the front door. "We could have actually found them by now if we had started searching!"

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight groaned

"I'm serious! That should have been the plan from the beginning!" Rainbow Dash argued

"It's too dangerous to go charging through the Everfree Forest!" Twilight said

"A bold plan it seems indeed… But she is right a plan like that would not succeed. "Zecora replied.

There was sudden knock on the front door causing Rainbow Dash to somersault away from its path. Twilight answered the door. In front of her in all her lunar glory was Princess Luna.

"Princess!" Twilight said allowing the female alicorn in. The others bowed respectfully as she entered. Twilight closed the door behind her as to not let the cold night wind get inside. "Thank goodness you received our message."

"Yes, I came as fast as I possibly could" Princess Luna replied "Being lost in the Everfree Forest can be very dangerous, we must take action carefully."

"Please you're highness I beg of you bring back my little sister!" Rarity begged on her knees beginning to sob.

"Sweetie Belle and her friends Scootaloo and my sister Applebloom went out by themselves into the Everfree Forest. We wanted to go look for them ourselves but Twilight insisted it was too dangerous." Applejack explained to the lunar princess.

"Indeed, the Everfree Forest is not a place for little ponies" Princess Luna agreed "Many fierce creatures prowl the forest at night. We will find them before the night truly sets in."

"What's the plan then?" Rainbow Dash asked

"I will attempt to locate them with magic, if I can get a general location of where they are then we can locate them from above much quicker." Princess Luna said

"Alright, then let's get started!" Twilight said. Before anypony could even twitch there was another knock on the front door.

"Um… we're we expecting some other pony?" Twilight looked back at everyone including Princess Luna.

"What loop head would be out here in the Everfree Forest at this time?" Rainbow Dash wondered

"Maybe it's one of them fillies!" Applejack suggested hopefully "Perhaps they found their way back?"

"Let's just open the door first…" Twilight said walking turning the door handle. Every other pony except for Zecora and Twilight dropped their jaws.

It was Trixie.

"Trixie!?" Twilight said as surprised as anyone else "How did you, where did you-"Twilight shook her head a little trying to sort out everything from the initial shock.

"Ok why are you here Trixie?"

"It's about those three little fillies of yours…" Trixie said rather mildly

"Applebloom!? Applejack forced her way in.

"Sweetie Belle!? Rarity cluttered herself into the doorway too.

"What have to them you… you…!" Rainbow Dash started threatening the unicorn

"Settle down!" Trixie yelled at all of them waving her hooves in the air "I haven't done anything to them!"

"Where are they?" Twilight asked

"Are they alright?" Princess Luna also questioned

"Why don't you ask them yourselves?" Trixie gestured behind her. Two of the three fillies we're carrying their now dirtied backpacks again talking nonstop about the little side trip they experienced. Sweetie Belle was dragging the large sack of food while Scootaloo carried the majority of the actual gear.

"Sweetie Belle!"

Sweetie Belle barely had time to blink as her older sister flew out of Zecora's hut faster than anypony would have believed to hug her. The hug felt more like a stranglehold than a hug, but Rarity soon let go of her gasping little sister and her face turned from sobbing happy to outright furous.

"How dare you go off without letting me or anypony know?" She hollered "I forbade you from ever going into this gruesome place!"

"But we told Twilight and she said-"Sweetie Belle started to explain but Rarity put her own hoof over her mouth.

"Twilight here told us all about you're little trip with your friends! You lied to her and said you we're going to have Zecora as you're guide!"

"But we did have a guide!" Scootaloo said jumping in between the two sisters. She then pointed to Trixie and older ponies looked at her with great surprise. "Trixie was with us!"

"Trixie?" Rainbow Dash said firmly landing herself in front of Scootaloo "Kid, have you lost your marbles or something?"

"But it's true!" Scootaloo insisted "Her clothes are all messed! How do you explain that?"

"I'd like to know why Trixie is around here in the first place." Twilight said looking at the other unicorn with an unnerving stare.

"Pardon the interruption but didn't the letter say you we're looking for 'three' fillies?" Princess Luna said

Every one of the older ponies glanced around for a second before looking at Trixie. Trixie herself looked like she'd just humiliated herself life on stage.

"Where's Applebloom?" Applejack pretty much growled at her "Where's my sister?"

"Behind you…"

Applejack and the other turned their heads to see the stallion Atom and the earth filly Applebloom approaching from the far side of the muddy road. Applebloom was carrying a small sack of trinkets while Atom still only held the mysterious book underneath his left wing.

"Hey Applejack!" Applebloom waved at her older sister "What is everypony doing here?"

"Looking for you and you're friends worried like rotten apples!" Applejack yelled at her "That's the second time you went out without asking!"

"But sis, it was so cool!" Applebloom replied cheerfully despite her sister's anger "We went inside this spooky cave and inside there was-"

"Spooky cave?" Rainbow Dash interrupted

"What have you three-"Rarity stopped to count Trixie at the last moment "Err… four been doing?"

"This started with me…" Trixie said lowering her head a bit "Originally I was trying to tame another beast since now everypony knows I never tamed an Ursa Major let alone a Ursa Minor. I wanted to try something smaller but still equally and majestic."

"What did you go for? A timberwolf?" Applejack joked sarcastically

"It was a Manticore." Applebloom said

"A manticore!?" Twilight nearly jumped at the thought of it "That's almost as if not more dangerous than an Ursa Minor!"

Rarity nearly fainted but stopped herself before falling into the dirt. The three fillies however did not seem as disturbed as everyone else was.

"This manticore was huge!" Scootaloo said "I bet it was bigger than that Ursa Minor!"

"Quick question" Rainbow Dash stopped everyone "If Trixie was out hunting for a manticore, how you three found her?"

"I found them…" Trixie answered lowering her head even lower than before "I tried my luck on the biggest manticore I could find, and unfortunately it was the one with the worst temper. It chased me halfway down the forest till I ran into those three picnicking along the side of Ghastly Gorge."

"You three we're out here on a picnic!? On the edge of Ghastly Gorge!?" Applejack roared. She'd looked like as though her hat was about to shoot off like the top of a volcano. Applebloom cowered underneath the almost deranged visage her older sister was glaring at her with.

"Strangely, those three saved my life…" Trixie said regaining Applejack's attention "The manticore got itself tangled up in the fillies' roll of rope and fell over the edge."

"Except the cliff side went down with it…" Scootaloo added

"So we fell down too." Sweetie Belle finished off

Rarity took one look at Sweetie Belle before fainting at the thought of her little sister tumbling down the gorge. Rainbow Dash has too catch her again and fan her awake.

"Well what happened after you fell down?" Twilight asked Trixie

"Last thing I remember is being mauled by the manticore at the bottom of the gorge…" Trixie said showing her tattered clothes as well as the bandages around her neck and chin. "I wake up and he's here, no more manticore."

"What happened to the manticore then?" Twilight asked

"Atom scared it off." Applebloom said

"What?" Applejack looked at her sister then the stallion.

"Then there we're these two killer statues of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!" Scootaloo blurted out

"Excuse me!?" Princess Luna said raising her voice almost to traditional Canterlot.

Atom raised his hoof before anyone else could open their mouths again.

"I think that's enough talking about this; you three little ponies should get home." He said

Applejack and Rarity looked at each other and then towards their sisters, manes messed up and coat covered with dirt. It was getting late and they needed to get cleaned up.

"We're talking about this-" "Tomorrow morning!" they said before pushing the two fillies down the road.

"Come on kid." Rainbow Dash nudged Scootaloo forward. Scootaloo gave a sad look back at her before turning around and running after her two friends followed closely by Rainbow Dash.

With more than half the group on the way home, Princess Luna and Twilight nodded their thanks towards Zecora and prepared to follow them. That is until a question crossed Luna's mind as they walked past the male alicorn.

"Wait, I must know…!" She said turning around to face him "What happened with those two statues."

Twilight turned around and tried to nudge the princess forward. "Princess I don't know if this is a good time…"

"I've got all night Twilight Sparkle!" Luna declared harshly "And the night is still very young…"

Atom laughed a bit causing Luna to frown at him in frustration.

"You dare mock me?"

"No, I can see there is no point arguing with you…" Atom said "You'll continue to follow and pester me until I finally give in. So here…" he pulled out the leather wrapped textbook out from under his wing. "Take a look."

Twilight was the first pony to lay her hands on it before Princess Luna could even blink at its front cover.

"Oooh…! What kind of book is this?" she said excitedly wiping off the remaining dust off the cover. There was no inscription of any sort on the front or the back. "There's no title?"

"It isn't an ordinary book…" Luna said stroking the spine of the book with horn. "I can sense powerful magic embedded in its pages. What is this?"

"After you and your sister we're kind enough to allow me to stay in the castle I received new orders: To retrieve the six Pillars of Harmony from their resting places." Atom said

"Yes Celestia told me about them…" Luna said

"Pillars of Harmony?" Twilight asked the two of them confused

"They are where the Elements of Harmony draw their magical energies Twilight." Luna explained to the unicorn. "Each pillar holds the power of every living pony on the planet from each of the elements."

"Correct" Atom said "Originally I was only supposed to check on them and ensure they we're all properly hidden and defended. But when I went to the north, The Pillar of Loyalty was missing."

"So you're collecting the remaining pillars to protect them!" Twilight pieced together "But what's this book have to do with it?"

"Inside that book is what I want. The Pillar of Kindness is spellbound within the pages of Star Swirl the Bearded's diary."

Twilight dropped the book immediately in shock with Princess Luna barely grappling it in time before it splashed in the mud.

"His diary!?" Twilight took a step away from the book in awe of what he had been holding moments ago. "Star Swirl the Bearded's own diary…"

"Clever old unicorn that one…" Atom responded "He turned one of his personal studies into a holding cell for the pillar and conjured up two constructs in likeness of Canterlot's rulers to protect it."

"So the two statues we're actually guardians?" Luna asked

"They we're merely the first test. The true trial for the Pillar of Kindness is in those pages." Atom said

"Well now that you have it can't you just get it out?" Twilight asked

"It's not that easy… protective spells and wards prevent conventional means of removing it. You'll have to play the book's game by its rules" Atom explained "Or get one who is truly 'Kind' to retrieve it."

"Of course… The Pillar of Kindness will always react to the one who wields the Element of Kindness!" Luna said

"Fluttershy!" Twilight said "She can get it!"

"One problem…" Atom said stopping them "There is still a risk for the book will test the wielder if they are worthy pillar. If they are not worthy then you're friend will be in danger."

"Then what's the difference then!?" Luna cried angrily

"If any other pony decides to take the trial he must first prove his capacity for the said element through whatever scenario it puts him or her through. The second is to prove that the said pony is worthy of the pillar's near infinite power to ensure that those who attain it will not be consumed by power and greed. The wielder of the Element of Kindness need not pass the first test for she is already the exemplar for Kindness; all she needs to do is pass the second test; to prove that she can handle the power."

"So Fluttershy will only have to prove that she can control the pillar's energy…" Twilight reasoned

"Exactly" Atom nodded

"So can any pony take the test?" Luna asked looking at the book.

"Yes…"

"Then let me try!"

Twilight turned her head so fast she felt her neck crack a bit "Princess Luna no! Let some other pony do it! I'm sure Fluttershy can-"

"I'm not going to let my subjects put themselves in danger!" Luna said "I'm going to protect them this time…"

Atom took a glance at the night princess. Her face was hardened and her eyes we're filled with burning determination. "Alright then…"

"But…"

"Go home Twilight Sparkle!" Luna commanded "Please let me do this."

Twilight looked at Princess Luna for moment wanting to say more, but she didn't. Slowly she bowed her head and reluctantly turned herself around to walk back to Ponyville. As she gazed at the night skies the tiny speckles of two flying ponies passed overhead.

"Good luck Princess." Twilight said "I know you can do it."

---

Nightfall had completely covered the skies by the time Princess Luna reached Canterlot. Landing on one of the highest tower's porch she swung open the balcony doors with a flick of her wings and pulled away the curtains.

This was her bedroom, though she rarely used it very often with the sole exception of taking short naps. Most of the time she's awake, both at night and in the morning working tirelessly around the castle. Her sister had told her to rest more often but she was adamant to prove her worth. As she placed the book on her personal reading table a strong gust of wind from the open balcony doors caught her attention.

"You wish to do this in your own chambers?" Atom said landing on the balcony and trotting in.

"It's the only place where no one will disturb me." Princess Luna said "Not even my sister bothers with me up here unless the need is dire and she's asleep."

After lighting a single candle on the tabletop she pranced past him and shut the balcony doors, locking them and then pulling the curtains over. "How does this trial work?" she asked

"You're going to insert your spiritual form inside the book's own dream world." Atom explained

"That doesn't sound too difficult. I have experience entering people's dreams as Princess of the Night." Luna said opening the book; its golden rune pages humming softly with light.

Immediately Princess Luna activated the magical power of her horn, projecting an ethereal image of herself which plummeted into the pages. Down a bright crimson vortex she flew down, deeper and deeper until she was stopped by another ghostly visage.

"There is more to this than simply dream catching." The image of Atom said to her blocking her way. "In this realm everything you feel, hear, smell and see will be real. The wind on your face, the sound of trees…" He lowered his horn almost menacingly at her. "And the pain…!"

Suddenly the horn extended itself at high speeds, shooting out like a spear. Luna barely had time to turn her head as the zooming horn flew past side of her face scratching her cheek and leaving a visible cut.

The pain shot her spirit back into her body and she fell on the floor as if someone had shoved her down. She groaned for a moment as the sudden influx of her nerves calmed down before looking back angrily at the male alicorn.

"I warned you…" he said gazing at her on the floor.

Princess Luna picked herself up from the ground and readied herself to scream her discomfort because of the stallion's brash actions, but as one her hooves touched her cheek she felt the cut on the exact same spot and her anger turned to shock.

"What…" She gasped lifting her hoof away to see the tiny spot of blood on it

"I told you, everything in there would be real…" Atom explained again grimly

"But I was not even physically there…" Luna said still trying to grasp the fact that the cut was there. "How…"

"You're mind make's the pain real… the book makes the wounds reality." Atom said

"And if I we're to fail the test then?" Luna dared to ask

"You're body can't live without the brain. You'll die like any other pony, either from being brain dead or the wounds the book inflict take its toll"

Princess Luna's expression darkened a bit. This was far more dangerous than she thought. Who knows what horrors lie within those pages? Star Swirl was no fool and he probably took extra care those trials we're not to be so easily passed.

"There's no other way?" she asked

Atom shook his head.

"Alright then, I'm going in…" she said

"Wait." Atom said stopping her "Are you sure you're willing to do this?"

"I am." Luna said "I've spent so long letting my sister defend against the forces of evil alone, it's my turn."

Atom didn't say anything back, instead he put his hoof on Luna's cheek over the tiny cut mark she had. For a moment their eyes locked and Princess Luna instantly wonder what in the world was he doing. The awkward moment started to fade when she felt the stinging pain of the cut vanish; Atom's eyes and horn began to glow and after a brief second he lifted the hoof away from her face.

The glowing hoof print he left began to fade away from the side of her face. When it was gone there was no more of the cut or any sign it was there before.

"I believe I owed you for that." Atom said

Princess Luna just stared at him for a moment unable to utter a single word.

"The book is open…" Atom said gesturing her toward the open pages "You're first trial awaits."

Luna shook her head to regain her focus. "Oh right…" she said

Slowly she concentrated as her horn began to brighten up once more and her spiritual self emerged and re-entered the book's pages. As quickly as she entered her physical body fell to the floor with a soft thud.

Atom lifted the princess's body, placed her on top of her bed and looked at the open book before closing it. He made his way towards the balcony and only pulled the curtain enough to let a single tiny ray of moonlight in the room.

He closed his eyes and said "The last trial has begun, my lord… it is time."

---

Author's Note
Next chapter coming up as soon as my internet stops failing so hard. I seriously wanna hit my router with a ork choppa for my more action related chapters are almost here and now my network starts to wonk out on me :(

If I'm lucky the 2nd chapter will be up, if I'm unlucky the double update will have to wait till later this weekend. I'll try my very best to get it up by Saturday since I already watched the 'leaked' episode. Happy Holidays everyone!

PS. The japanese translation is probably not right since I made it up by mixing two japanese words together after looking them up...

Comments

[Ultima75000]

1802928
Read further... They are in there though in later chapters..

Human: It said anything that included humans including humanized ponies. Unless you read some of the later chapters you won't exactly know what.