The Solar Steward

by kissfromarose2

Searching

“I don’t like it.” Applejack muttered. “We’ve been searching for near on an hour and we haven’t seen hide nor hair of her. There should at least be hoofprints, broken twigs, something. But there’s nothing.”

“Well, if you’ve got a better idea of where to look, I’d love to hear it.” snapped Rainbow Dash from above.

The orange earth pony sighed. “I don’t know Rainbow. We’ve followed the river up till this point, but if something chased her off then there’s no telling where she could have ended up.”

“Perhaps we should ask the gentlestallion over there?” Rarity interjected calmly.

“Yeah, right. What idiot, other than us, is gonna be running around the Everfree forest with a mad alicorn on the loose.”

Fluttershy pointed. “Um, Rainbow.”

“…Oh.”

Half submerged in what was quickly becoming a rather turbulent river, a rather large purple river serpent was beating his fins against the rock whilst wailing dramatically.

“Um, Mr River Serpent, are you okay?” asked Fluttershy quietly.

“Don’t look at me!” shouted the river serpent, waves of water splashing over the group as he turned to hide his face. “I’m hideous. Hideous I tell you.”

“Now I’m sure that’s not true darling...”

“But it IS! Everything is ruined! My face, my holiday retreat, my MOUSTACHE!”

Whilst the other four were still blinking away the shock Rarity took charge. “Now I’m sure that’s not true dear…”

“Steven, Steven Magnet.”

“Now let me see…” She nearly jumped back in horror, but managed to hang onto her composure. “How could somepony ruin something so beautiful? What cruel, evil, horrendible, creature could do such a thing?”

“I know! There I was minding my own business when this little purple pony showed up.” The five shared a meaningful look. “I was just going to warn it about the firebird nesting grounds nearby, when a mean shadow sliced off my beautiful moustache!”

Rarity carefully reached over to pat him on his enormous back.

“I was only trying to help” he sniffled. “And now I’m missing half my moustache and the other half’s singed!”

Rarity growled lowly. “Infernia.”

Steven Magnet looked over in confusion. “Infernia who?”

“She’s an evil alicorn.” filled in Applejack.

“Who kidnapped the Princess.”

“And put her in a tower.”

“And now we’re off to kick her butt!”

“Oh she DOES sound terrible!” the serpent exclaimed.

“Not to mention what she did to my mane.” Rarity said angrily, sensing a sympathetic audience. “See this?” she asked. “Thanks to that, that bully, it’s been dragged through mud, torn by brambles, scorched, and worst of all TANGLED.”

Steven Magnet winced in response.

Rarity smiled somewhat sharply. “Not to worry dear. We’re going to fix all that, I’m certain alicorn princesses have spells for such an occasion. Just as soon as we find our missing friend, of course. But first YOU.”

He took a step back. “There’s really no need to..”

“Oh, I insist.” Drawing a pair of scissors from her now rather dirty saddlebag, she swiftly cut the remains of her party dress in it into neat pieces. “No sewing machine,” she muttered. “But it will have to do.”

Quicker than most of the others could follow she sewed and braided a simple design onto the fabric, sewing the patches together to make a scarf long enough to wrap around the serpents neck.

“Good.” she muttered to herself. “But there’s still something missing.”

For a moment she surveyed the area, then looked back at her own tail before back at the moustache-less side of Steven’s face, raising first one hoof then then the other to visualise his face.

She sighed. “There’s nothing for it.” And then with one smooth motion she cleanly snipped off her tail a few centimetres from the root.

Flutttershy gasped. “Rarity, why would you?”

“I can’t create something from nothing.” Rarity smiled sadly. She levitated the shorn tail up, attaching it to the serpents face, before changing the colour to match the orange of the one he had lost. She shrugged. “Besides, short tails are in this year.”

---

Infernia flew back to her sister’s Moon, heart bright with the knowledge of being right.

Flying through the vastness of space like a comet, she saw the dark figure of her sister silhouetted against the grey of the rock around her.

Eager she called out. “Did you see sister?! Twilight Sparkle turned on you. Just as I said she would!” She quirked her head a look of worry coming over her face. “Did you not see it, Luna?”

There was no response. Luna sat still as a rock on the surface of her Moon, eyes closed to all around her.

"What is she waiting for?" thought Infernia. "Surely by now she has to have seen the truth? Why doesn’t she run to me?"

Behind her eyes a small foal ran towards her, small wings flapping in excitement and she threw herself into Infernia's waiting hooves. As her sister hugged her tight Infernia felt moisture begin to form behind her eyes.

Luna hugged her tight.

She laughed. The answer was simple. She had forgotten to disable the force field keeping her sister safe on her Moon. Clearly Luna wanted Infernia to run to her.

A soft smile on her face she angled her wings for a swift decent into her sister’s embrace.

CRASH!

"A barrier? Why was there a barrier? There shouldn’t BE a barrier!"

Infernia froze in horror. She couldn’t leave her sister alone. Not now. Not ever!

She tried to break through. Tried to go around, find a weak spot. Nothing.

She hurled every ounce of magic she had at her disposal at it. Every spell she knew. Fire. Ice. Even a passing meteor.

The cursed barrier didn’t even have the grace to ripple.

It was as if the Moon herself was trying to keep her out.

She shook her head. No, that was not the domain of the Moon. The Moon changed, adapted, reflected. The Sun was the one to erect mighty barriers. Luna was a mere reflection of her might.

Her eyes widened in shock.

A pale reflection indeed.

A small, wry smile quirked up on Luna’s face.

---

“Girls, I think we’re lost.”

“We’re not lost, we’re just taking the long way. At least my Pinkie sense isn’t saying we’re lost.”

“I don’t think Mr Magnet would have lead us in the wrong direction.” Fluttershy said quietly. “Not when Rarity was so nice.”

“We’ve gone past the same tree stump THREE TIMES Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash said in exasperation.

Applejack sighed. “I don’t think he goes much past the river Fluttershy. There’s no way around it. We’re lost.”

Rarity, had she not been acutely aware just how much in bad taste it would be, might had rolled her eyes at that moment. Any Diamond Dog, even six feet underground, could have told them they were lost. In addition to Rainbow Dash’s tree stump she was fairly certain the same squirrel had been peeking glances at them for the last half hour.

“Come on!” said Rainbow in dogged determination. “We can’t give up! Twilight is counting on us!”

Rarity sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, their chances of finding Twilight were minuscule in a forest of this size. Add to that the shadow that had been following her… Rarity shuddered.

“Wait a minute.” Applejack called. “I think I see something!”

Rarity looked where her friend was pointing. At first glance it just looked like the walls of trees and vines they’d come across before. But when she looked more closely…

“There’s nothing rooting them to the ground.” Applejack said in triumph. “I reckon if I just…” She pulled. The heavy foliage fell away to reveal an overgrown archway, heavy with moss.

Beyond it stretched out a secret garden.

Though it was overgrown from disuse Rarity could remember enough from her visits to noble estates to see the signs. A hanging rope swing off in one corner. A path of stepping stones leading the way through the grove to the centre.

The five of them hovered at the entrance, feeling like intruders in this garden of ghosts.

“Who do you think lived here?” Fluttershy asked quietly.

“I don’t know.” Rarity answered. Something drew her closer. Beyond the beauty there was something old and sad that called deeply to her soul. She stepped onto the path.

Silently the others followed.

All around them wildflowers grew. Sunflowers reached towards the sun, whilst Moonflowers hid their pale petals from its sight. The scent of lavender filled the clearing.

At the very centre, by the remains of an old wooden bench stood two statues, entwined so closely Rarity thought they must be hewn from the same rock.

On the left stood a tall unicorn of white marble, who looked down at the smaller pegasus beside her with a expression Rarity could only describe as love. The pegasus in turn gazed up at the unicorn in return, features worn away by time, as it leaned in close to the unicorn’s side.

"Sweetie Bell", Rarity thought.

She reached out to touch the statue.

A furious cry of anger came from above. With a buffet of searing wind Rarity found herself thrown back towards the archway.

She looked up. Above the others a bird of pure flame hovered, murder in its eyes.

Comments

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Uh oh...

[Satakieli]

She looked up. Above the others a bird of pure flame hovered, murder in its eyes.

Hi, Philomena!

[kissfromarose2]

7832244 Indeed. I wouldn't say she's a happy birdy though.
Have you figured what's going on with Luna yet?

[Auron Solaris]

Hmm interesting chapters and your twist to them
Altho i sort of got lost in the whatever Luna did to keep Infernia out of her own barrier. Non english people will have some difficulties understanding the symbolism and subtle meanings

[ScottTrek]

7832807 she reflected the barrier to keep Infernia out.

Like how the moon reflects sunlight

[kissfromarose2]

7832807
7832834 Thanks.
Yeah put basically Luna essentially inverted the barrier using the fact Infernia keyed it to specifically keep her in to reverse it to specifically keep Infernia out. It's a minor detail, but an interesting one.
Disciple of History thanks for the critique, I will keep it in mind.