Epic Quest

by dorianator

A Meeting With The Princesses

We've been caught. Caught by the Royal Guard. I wonder what the punishment for snooping around Canterlot Castle is? Banishment? A lifetime in the dungeon?

...

I sure hope I don't find out.

I don't see how we're going to get out of this mess. We're surrounded by guards, some holding spears, some with powerful magic energy crackling at their horns. One false move and we're finished.

Suddenly, the Doctor stepped forward, causing the guards to direct all attention toward him.

"Doctor!" I whispered through clenched teeth. "What are you doing?!" He put up a hoof, signaling me to stay quiet and let him work his magic.

He took a few more steps as he cleared his throat. "Hello there. My name is the Doctor. These," he said, motioning toward the rest of us, "are my assistants. We are here for a private meeting as requested by the princess herself." He then pulled out what looked like a wallet with a blank slip of paper inside.

"We'll just see about that..." said the head of the guards. He levitated the piece of paper out of the Doctor's grasp, examining it very carefully, before finally handing it back. "Alright." the guard said reluctantly. "Go on ahead." The guards moved to either side, clearing the hall for us to pass. "The Princess's quarters are just down the hall."

"Thank you, kind sir." said the Doctor as we walked past the guards.

As we walked on and on through the castle's corridors, the Doctor continued 'scanning' the area with his, well, I still have no clue what it is, but I'll find out eventually. Twilight seemed unsettled about something, so I thought I might as well start a conversation. Couldn't hurt to cheer her up.

"Hey, Twilight?" I started. "Is there something wrong? You seem upset..."

She turned to look at me, a somewhat worried look on her face. "Well, I have the weirdest feeling that something is wrong. I mean, my brother is captain of the Royal Guard,so those guards should've recognized me right away."

"Unless," ,I continued, "there was a reason for security to be tighter?"

"Exactly. But what could be so dangerous for the princess not to trust me? I'm her number one student!"

"You are? That's some privilege."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"So what do you study?"

"Friendship."

"Friendship?"

"Yep. Princess Celestia sent me to Ponyville to study friendship among the citizens. I send her a letter every week about the lessons of friendship I've learned."

"Hmm." I pondered. "That's pretty neat." Friendship. That's a weird field to study.

"Every. Single. Week." she said, looking straight into my eyes. For a split second, I felt a void of paranoia staring straight at me as I stared straight at it. It sent a chill down my spine.

"Right..." I said, breaking our gaze. "So, do you really think something could be wrong?"

"Well," she lowered her head and took a moment to think, "I can't help but feel that something's sort of, well, missing."

"Missing?"

"Like when I look around, I feel that something isn't where it should be..."

I couldn't help myself. I looked around suspiciously, scanning the floors, walls, and ceiling.

Twilight chuckled. "Are my theories getting to you?"

"No," I protested, "but you can never be too sure."

"Sure, tough guy..."

We both laughed a moment before I ran into something hovering in midair and hit my face hard.

"OW!" I exclaimed.

"Hey!" Derpy said, annoyed. "Watch where you're going!"

"Well, sorry..." I blushed, still rubbing my muzzle.

I looked ahead, past Derpy, to see what the hold-up was. "Um, Doctor? Is there a reason we've stopped?"

"Oh.", he acknowledged, "we've arrived."

We stood in front of another door, this one more ornate than the rest. This only led me to assume that this room belonged to Princess Celestia and Luna.

The Doctor gave a hard knock on the door. "Hello? Princesses?" he yelled. "I need to talk to you for just a moment." He waited a few seconds, and the door finally opened. Right before us stood Princess Celestia herself along with her co-ruler and sister, Princess Luna.

Princess Celestia spoke first. "Ah, hello, Doctor. It's nice to see such a friendly face again."

"Likewise, your majesty!" said the Doctor as he shook hooves with the princess.

"Wait a second," I interrupted, "you two have met?"

"No," the Doctor replied, "we three have met." He motioned toward Princess Luna.

"Indeed." Luna said, shaking hooves with the Doctor. She then turned toward me, a curious look on her face. "Who is this new face?"

"Oh, um, my name is Nathan." I said, giving a nervous bow.

Both the princesses looked surprised and stared at me for a few seconds. Finally, Celestia spoke. "I see why you've come here, Doctor. Please, come in." The Doctor nodded his head as she stepped aside, allowing us entry.

The Princess's room was quite luxurious. On either side of the room was a large, comfortable-looking bed, complete with an overhang and silk curtains. The carpeted floor was deep red with a half-sun half-moon looking symbol in the middle. There were many bookshelves set up around the room, as well as multiple doors, most likely leading to closets or studies of some sort.

"Wow," Derpy sighed, "I wish my bedroom was this fancy..."

As I trotted around the room, I noticed the two Princesses were having a talk among themselves. After a few moments of chatting and the occasional glancing at me, Luna spoke up. "Nathan, Doctor," she said, facing the two of us, "we must have a word with the two of you." We both nodded in agreement.

"As for you, Twilight," Celestia turned to face her number one student, "Would you and your friend mind waiting in the library for a moment?"

"No problem at all, princess!" Twilight said.

"The library?" Derpy frowned. "Libraries are so boring!"

"Oh, quit complaining!"

"Fine, I'll go."

The royal sisters watched and made sure Twilight led the reluctant Derpy into the library and closed the door, then turned to face me and the Doctor, now wearing a more serious look on their faces.

"Please, have a seat." Celestia suggested, motioning toward a fireplace. "Go on, make yourself at home."

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous. The princess just asked her number one student into the next room to talk to me and the Doctor. Me and the Doctor! I don't know the princesses very well, but I have a feeling that if the following news is for the Doctor and me only, it most likely is not good news.

So me and the Doctor made our way over to the tiled section of the floor near the fireplace. Luna stood off to the side while Celestia stood before us, the fire crackling behind her. It made her look all the more intimidating. Nevertheless, she spoke in a calm, friendly manner.

"What's got you so excited?" Celestia giggled. "You have no need to worry, you're not in any kind of trouble."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"But your life, along with all of ours, may be in danger."

Suddenly not so relieved.

"W-what do you mean, princess?" I stammered

"Like I said, you have no need to remain anything but calm." the princess reassured. "But what I mean is Equestria is in danger."

"Again?" I asked. First there was Nightmare Moon, then Discord, then Queen Chrysalis and her Changelings, and now there's another threat to Equestria?

"Indeed." Luna spoke up. "We sensed it a short while ago, breaking free from its extra-dimensional prison."

"Extra-Dimensional?" I said, perplexed.

"Exactly." said the Doctor. "That's why they called me as well."

"So there's a new threat to Equestria coming from another dimension?" This was getting more and more confusing by the second. "What does that have to do with me?"

Celestia paused for a moment, glanced at the Doctor, then back to me.

Finally, she spoke. "There is an old legend. A legend of a colt like you. Exactly like you. Or, at least, that's what the legends say. Anyway, that colt was named Aura Star. He existed in a time before Equestria."

"Around the time of Heart's Warming Eve?" I asked.

"Precisely. He was a rather strange individual. He was a traveler. He was like a lone wolf. In fact, he was a hero."

I gasped. "Really?" I asked, now craving the rest of the tale.

"It is as the legend says." Luna announced.

"Indeed," Celestia continued, "and not many knew of him. Why, when Equestria was first created, the single colony would have been under attack constantly. However, the hero would vanquish them all. One by one, all alone. Almost no one even knew about him. He was always a sort of 'behind-the-scenes' hero."

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably for a moment.

"Something wrong, Doctor?" Luna asked, concerned.

"Oh, no, nothing." he reassured. "Just a bit of a touchy subject, that's all."

"Anyway," Celestia went on, "one day, after Luna and I were appointed co-rulers of Equestria, strange thing's started taking place. All the town's ponies started to act strange, almost the opposite of themselves. It was only until the problem revealed itself did we know what was happening."

"Well, what was it?" I asked. This story was getting good! I wish I had some popcorn.

"Shadow" Luna said. "Aura's Shadow."

"So you're saying that his Shadow simply got up and started terrorizing everypony?"

"Indeed." Celestia said. "However, I think I'll let the Doctor explain this one." The princess turned to face the brown Earth pony. "Doctor? Would you do the honors?"

"It'd my pleasure!" said the Doctor. He cleared his throat as he began his little speech. "You see, there exists our reality, but there are also other realities, these 'Alternate Realities' created by each choice we make. For example, if I had decided not to bring you here, that could very well have created an alternate timeline spawning another universe in which none of this ever happened. You never met me, Derpy, or the princesses, left to deal with the Angels on your own."

"Oh, I think I see." I said. I was still pretty confused.

"Good! Anyway," the Doctor continued, "in order for whole different universes to be created, something unique must happen during the creation of said universe. For example, our universe's Big Bang was, well, the Big Bang BUT, during the Big Bang of Shadow's universe, something different happened, creating a world inhabited by shadows. Along the way, something wibbly-wobbly happened and linked both our universes together, linking us and our shadow counterparts as well."

"So our shadows are actually living things?"

The Doctor nodded. "Visible from another plane of existence. We can see them as they are forced to mimic our every action, sort of like a semi-transparent mirror. To keep things simple, though, shadows, being viewed from the Shadow Realm, as I like to call it, are the complete opposite of us, personality-wise, bound to our existences, forced to do everything we do, never free."

"Okay, I think I get it now," I admitted, but by now my head was spinning, "but where do I fit into this?" Personally, as curious as I was, I wanted nothing to do with this Evil Shadow.

Celestia spoke again. "The legend told that the hero would return to us after he sealed Shadow away in time to save Equestria once again."

"We believe you may be the hero, returning to us once more." Luna said.

"And what makes you so sure that I'm your new hero?" I raised my voice.

The three ponies standing before me stepped aside and I was left staring into the fireplace.

"Nathan," the Doctor spoke up, "take a look at your shadow."

I froze. I didn't want to look, but I knew I had to.

Slowly I turned around, looking back where the fire would be casting my shadow. Twilight was right when she sensed something was missing.

Because I had no shadow.

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Now Nathan knows why he has been summoned, he knows that he is destined to save Equestria. But how will he react? Will he choose to step up and face his destiny? Or will he walk away? Find out next time!

By they way guys, sorry I haven't updated in a long, long while, but I've been busy a LOT lately. Anyway, I'll try to update more often in the future. In the meantime be sure to like, give me feedback, and share my story! Until then, stay epic!