The Rise of the Sun

by Spice and Bassey

Chapter 3

3 - SpicerWild

Passage through the wild lands was slow going, but the six mares were making good time. Pinkie Pie had calmed down a bit; she wasn’t singing. The others were grateful, but couldn’t help noticing that the lack of song highlighted how serious the situation had become. Spike was gone and they were merely a hunch and a riddle closer to only one of the elements of harmony.
They passed the night in the cold, huddled against each other, grateful for Rarity’s cloaks. Twilight had tried to start a fire but the kindling was just too wet. Food was scarce as well but they managed. The next morning was easier, but looming on the not so distant horizon was the wall of snow and cold weather. By mid-day they had reached it.
Standing side by side, they looked through the swirling, snow-laden wind, glimpsing a small cluster of houses covered in snow. Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes, glaring into the ice. “Are those… other ponies?” she asked, her eagle eyes catching forms moving about between the shambling buildings. Curiosity aroused, Dash took a breath and prepared to enter the well of cold. With a twitch of her wings she zoomed forward.
But she was stopped dead in her tracks as if she had crashed into something. She slid to the ground, dazed. The others gathered around her, chatting and curious, wondering if she was alright. She shook her head to clear it and put out a hoof. It met an invisible barrier.
“A wall? But I don’t understand, this is where the riddle said to go” said Twilight Sparkle. “Hmm,” she thought, “Maybe it just won’t allow pegusi. Fluttershy, would you try going through?” Fluttershy stared at the swirling snow, her ears down.
“Are you sure?” she asked, her flank shivering under the cloak.
“We have to see, please just try?” Fluttershy nodded and stepped past Dash. She didn’t meet any resistance and easily passed through into the much deeper snow. Her cloak was whipped around in the sudden gusty wind and she whimpered, turning around. But her path back was cut short as she too bumped into the invisible barrier. She squealed, eyes going wide
“Twilight!” She whimpered, pushing against whatever kept her from her friends. She couldn’t get through and her attempts were becoming more and more frantic. The other ponies tried to get to her, they couldn’t get through either.
“Hold on, girls!” Twilight shouted, taking command, her horn started to glitter and she scrunched her eyes shut. The power build up was immense, and Twilight tried to let it go, to zap Fluttershy back to their side of the barrier but it was trapped inside her horn. She couldn’t direct it! With a pop and a fizzle, the magic burst from her horn in a bright purple flash, melting the thin layer of snow beneath them and singeing her mane. Fluttershy remained where she had stood, and the other four were looking back and forth, eyes telling Twilight to try again.
There was a crackle and another flash of light, this one blinding and sharp and flaming. Prince Solo floated in the air above their heads, the smirk on his face the same as when they had last seen him. His booming voice rattled above them. “I see you trying to cheat, Twilight Sparkle. Did we not tell you the rules? Only one may complete the challenge! The rest of you will wait!” The prince stamped his hooves on the air. Twilight’s eyes widened and she kicked herself mentally. Instant worry overcame her though as she realized that she had just condemned Fluttershy to attempt the first quest, and they had no idea what to expect, other than the fact that Rainbow Dash’s element was on top of the mountain.
Prince Solo’s fiery eyes caught Twilight’s. He grimaced at her. “No magic!” he ordered, turning and pacing, his annoyance and anger showing plain in his body language. All 6 pairs of eyes followed him carefully, until he reared and galloped through the cold toward Equestria.
Immediately, Twilight and Apple Jack ran to the barrier and the shivering Fluttershy. Both had words of encouragement and reassurance. Telling her just to go straight up the mountain and get the element and that they would be here waiting for her when she got back.
“Hey!” said Pinkie Pie, still staring at the place where Solo had been pacing. No one noticed her.
“Hey!” she shouted this time. Rarity glanced at her and told her not now. But Pinkie was determined to get their attention.
“HEY, YOU GUYS!” she shrieked. Finally, all of them looked her way. The reproach and annoyance in her friend’s eyes didn’t faze her one bit. “Didja notice something about Prince Solo?”
“Of course we did, Pinkie,” said an exasperated Twilight, rolling her eyes.
“No! I mean did you notice what he didn’t have?”
Rarity stepped in this time, “We don’t have time for guessing games, just tell us.”
Pinkie beamed like she had just won a game. “He didn’t have a cutie mark.”

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Princess Celestia gasped, eyes squinting shut. The night she had been feeling a prickling on her hind quarters and, as the morning matured, it was escalating into intensity. She couldn’t bare to look, didn’t want to believe it was happening. At first she thought she could ignore it, but that wasn’t an option anymore. She couldn’t let her subjects see her in this state.
She called for Luna, who came running, worried as she was about her sister being late for the sunrise.
“Dear sister, I have something to tell you. Please close the door,” Celestia said, proud of how steady her voice was. Luna complied, trotting over to her sister’s bed and leaning her muzzle on the mattress, knowing it was serious.
“Our brother is out in Equestria.” Her head shot up immediately.
“Now?! But… is that why you weren’t at the sunrise this morning?”
“No, I don’t know how long he’s been gone, but he took the elements of harmony. Twilight Sparkle and the others have gone after them. I *ungh* couldn’t go myself.” Celestia leaned back, muscles training against the fire beneath her skin.
Luna’s eyes widened. “What’s going on? Did he curse you?!”
The white horse shook her head, shame riddling her all too open face. “I did.” Luna opened her mouth to ask more questions, but Celestia raised her hoof, stopping the flow. “You don’t remember that my cutie mark changed after – “ she paused, her breathing getting steadily heavier, “ – after we imprisoned Solo. I did it to – balance Equestria. I didn’t – have time – to replace it when he freed himself and now – he’s taking it back.” The Princess’s body was beaded with sweat, she couldn’t talk as she spasmed.
The attack faded and Celestia was left gasping but she tried to continue, knowing that this might be the last time she was able to tell Luna anything about it. “I took our brother’s marking and now he is taking it back. I don’t know if mine will return after I covered it up for so long.” She tossed her head back, mane flying about her face. She felt another attack coming.
Luna sat dazed. Why didn’t she remember her own sister changing her cutie mark… She shook her head, deciding to worry about Celestia now and the cutie mark later. The young mare galloped out of the room, searching for a doctor, a magician, somepony.

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Spike rolled over, rubbing his eyes. He reached out a claw for his blanket, just waking up. He found nothing and turned the other way, looking for his pillow at least. The he sat bolt upright, hitting his spines on the bottom of his basket. Or the top. It was pitch black under it and he was cold. At first the little dragon was confused, then he remembered Prince Solo.
Frantically, he tried to push out the basket that had become his prison. It wouldn’t budge. He realized he was hungry and the panic rose. Was he going to starve in here? But then he felt a tickle in his throat. And he only had time to think about not wanting to ruin his bed before he belched green flame, catching the woven straw on fire.
Ignoring the note for now, he pushed against the smoldering basket, heard a screech and broke through. The purple dragon was covered in soot and the basket was smoldering, his dragon fire only weakening part of it. He rubbed his eyes to clear them and saw a jumping Scootaloo rolling around on the floor, her tail on fire.
Spike panicked, rushing over to her, not even thinking about why they were in Twilight’s library. He was quickly able to put out the flame, leaving the purple hairs singed but the filly unhurt.
“I’m soooo sorry, Scootaloo. It’s just there’s this –“ he was saying until the little pony turned around. Her eyes were vacant but a smile creaked through her lips as if she were a doll.

“Uh… Scoot? Are you …” but Spike wasn’t able to finish as the filly slammed into him, sending him crashing into one of the bookshelves. He didn’t have time to get up before she was on top of him, Spike couldn’t do anything at all, he couldn’t hurt her.
The doll’s smile on her face grew wider and the eyes more vacant. “Serve Prince Solo, serpent.”