A Dash of Hope

by CaptainAwesome9

Chapter VIII: Early Arrival

The entire throne room of the Crystal Palace was silent, but the tension could be cut with a knife. Prince Shining Armor was sitting down with his head in his hooves, trying desperately to cope with what he had just been told. His wife was beside him, resting her head on his shoulder as she confronted the troubled unicorn. On the outside Princess Cadence seemed okay, but she too felt sorrowed by Princess Celestia’s information. After all, Cadence had formed a very close bond with the purple alicorn that had only grown since she discovered her true form. But she had to stay strong for her husband.

“So she’s really gone.” Shining Armor eventually stated. “My Twily…” He shook his head, unable to find anything else to say.

Princess Celestia bit her lip. She knew it was going to be difficult to tell all the families herself instead by mail. Having to watch their emotions as they learned their loved one was missing was dreadful and it was really starting to weigh on her.

“Maybe her and the others are safe,” Princess Cadence offered. “After all, we have no proof that their mission has failed yet; only the words of this villainous Lord Plagueis. It may be a trick.” The pink alicorn looked over at Princess Celestia for support. “I mean, it’s at least a possibility, right?” she asked.

Given a small nod, Princess Celestia tried to be as supportive as possible. She knew, however, that it was a deceitful reassurance. The sun princess had hoped the very same thing the first day Plagueis had contacted her. But that optimism had been crushed when Princess Luna had confirmed she could no longer feel their sleeping presence like she had the night before. Just like the citizens of Hayton. If it was a ruse, then it was a very elaborate one in which Lord Plagueis had gone to considerable lengths to make it seem like The Elements of Harmony had failed when they really hadn’t after discovering them. Princess Celestia found this very implausible.

Shining Armor smiled and took Cadence’s hooves in his own. “Oh Cadence…always looking at the bright side of things.” She returned his smile and slowly caressed the nape of his neck. His grin gradually grew before disappearing entirely. “But I’m afraid this time, sweetheart, it is in vain.” The unicorn arose and paced over to a window which was composed of crystal (like many other things in the palace) and sighed. “Princess Celestia wouldn’t have come all this way if she wasn’t confident that it is true.”

Lowering her head, Princess Cadence pondered if she should use her special ability to make ponies feel happy and calm. Somehow it didn’t feel like it would be appropriate. Not knowing if a close family member was safe or even alive shouldn’t be pleasant experience. Messing with his natural grieving period could have serious consequences to his mind later on. She settled on no huge influence, but she couldn’t help to relieve some of her husband’s sorrow telepathically.

Princess Celestia also rose from her seat. “I’m so sorry it had to be like this,” she apologized. “I think the worst part is I can’t send anypony else to look for them yet. Not when we’re still so unsure about this new foe.” The alicorn gave Shining Armor an uneasy look. “I hope you understand…”

The prince was silent for a long time, but eventually nodded his head. “Of course,” he mournfully agreed. “As much as I wish we could, I understand it’s not worth losing anypony else over.” Shining Armor paused. “It’s not…what Twilight would of wanted,” he added.

Thankful that he recognized this fact, Princess Celestia let one worry off her chest. She was surprised but nonetheless relieved that Shining Armor hadn’t demanded to search himself. She needed him and Princess Cadence to remain in the Crystal Kingdom now more than ever; if not just for their protection, then for the protection of the Crystal Kingdom. Shining Armor must have known that too.

There was more silence, broken only by the occasional sound somewhere outside the palace. Finally, Shining Armor left the window and approached Celestia. “I appreciate you delivering this message to us personally,” he acknowledged. “I know how many other things you must have going on right now. It means a lot that you cared enough to do this.”

Princess Celestia only shook her head, not willing to accept such praise. “It’s the least I could do for my part in all of this,” she countered. “I have regretted sending Twilight and the others since the moment they left Canterlot.” The sun princess’ brow furrowed. “I can’t believe this one mistake…could have caused so much heartache and suffering.”

“Come now, Celestia,” Princess Cadence soothed, troubled by how much self-regret she sensed from her. “You mustn’t take so much blame on yourself. I’m sure you’ve already been told this, but you have yet to take it to heart.”

Cadence then stood and joined the two. Princess Celestia was looking away, clearly not swayed by the pink alicorn’s words. “Please,” she urged “I know how much you cared for them. Instead of worrying about the past, you need to look ahead. That way, when the time comes, we’ll be ready to save them.” She smiled warmly, while hoping desperately that she spoke the truth… that there was something left to save.

“She’s right,” Shining Armor joined in. “We’ve never dealt with this vile Plagueis before, so we weren’t prepared for him.” The thought of the villain caused him grinded his teeth in resentment. “But you can bet, when we are ready to face him, I’ll make him regret the day he ever messed with my family…”

“Thou have chosen to forget…” The words echoed in Celestia’s head. According to Plagueis, she had encountered him before; an encounter she had evidently removed from her own memory. But none of it made sense. Why - or for that matter how – would she have done this?

The alicorn brooded over the thought for a moment before turning her attention to the couple and smiling. “I suppose you two are right,” she decided. “It’s silly actually: I came here to help console you over the disappearance of the Elements of Harmony, when it turns out I still needed the same thing.” Princess Celestia shrugged. “But for what it’s worth…thank you.”

“I’m just glad we could help,” Cadence replied.

Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Well in that case, perhaps there is one more thing you can do for me.” She gave her companions anticipative looks, and was pleased to find them enthusiastic. “I need both of you to begin working on your protective enchantments. You could practice them here, but make sure you explain why to the crystal ponies.”

At first the pair seemed confused, but it didn’t take long for Shining Armor to nod his head in agreement. Cadence remained puzzled. “But the Crystal Heart…” she began

“…Is meant to protect the Kingdom itself, I know,” Princess Celestia finished. “But I’m afraid in times like these we can’t count on things to go as they should. We have to take as many precautions as we can.” The sun princess shifted her eyes away from the couple. “And that includes the possibility of sending one of you away to help elsewhere,” she unhappily added.

Shining Armor stepped forward. “It would be me, Princess,” the unicorn asserted. “Cadence has stronger connection with the ponies here then I do. It would be wrong to send her away.” He gave Celestia a more delicate look. “Not only that, but she will be safer here.” The pink alicorn began to protest but stopped when Shining Armor gently kissed her and shook his head. “You can promise me this, can’t you?” he asked Celestia.

“Yes,” the sun princess assured, but she felt her heart sink as it did. The young couple- at least before recent news- seemed so happy together. Even now, it was evident how much they cared for each other. It would devastate her to have to separate the two. With luck, maybe it wouldn’t come to that.

Shining Armor nodded and turned to his wife, who still seemed troubled by the decision. At first, Cadence had approved of him leaving the Crystal Kingdom to help with the situation. But now that they knew about the Elements of Harmony, she seemed less willing to let him go. “Don’t worry, dear,” he told her. “I’m sure it’s a worst case scenario.”

“It is…” Celestia guaranteed. “As I said, I need both of you here for now.”

Cadence blankly stared off at the wall. “I…just don’t want anypony to take you away from me…not again.” The pink princess wasn’t in tears, but her voice trembled as she recalled the horrible days before their wedding.

“And nopony will,” the prince replied. “The queen of changelings may have gotten the jump on me, but I know better now.” Shining Armor came in closer. “I promise that nothing will ever come between our love again. I won’t let it.” He then clasped Cadence in an embrace that lasted a long time.

Watching the tender scene, Princess Celestia couldn’t help but smile. But underneath her joy for them, she felt something else. At first she was afraid it was jealousy, but found it simply to be loneliness. Would she ever find somepony she could embrace like they did? Just a few days ago, she probably wouldn’t have even thought twice about the subject. Now, however, with both Twilight missing and Luna gone, Celestia found herself dwelling more and more on the subject as she sat alone in her throne room. She pondered how she had gotten by all those years before her a certain purple alicorn had come under her teaching and her sister had still been banished to the moon.

Cadence frowned and glanced at Celestia. Realizing she must have felt her unfavorable feelings, the white alicorn quickly dropped the thought. The last thing she wanted to do was burden somepony else with her love life. Not when there were so many more important matters at stake.

“Right, well…was their anything else?” Shining Armor asked. He seemed mentally exhausted, which was a feeling Celestia could relate to.

“No, I think I have covered everything,” she sighed. It was certainly enough to dump on them for one visit. “I really should be going anyway. I still have Ponyville to visit before I am done.”

Before Celestia could turn to leave, she received a hug from Cadence. “Just remember you aren’t alone in this,” she whispered in the monarch’s ear. “Now, promise me that you and Luna will be safe. Equestria can’t afford to lose another princess…and I can’t afford to lose another friend.”

Returning the hug, Princess Celestia nodded. “I promise,” she replied. The white alicorn glanced up at Shining Armor, who still appeared downcast. “And I also promise to find a way to make this right again.”

Shining Armor gave her an appreciative look, but said nothing. He knew there was only so much that could be done at the present, and the primary thing was to hope for the best. As he watched Celestia set out, he wondered if she had accepted it too.

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On her travels over the years, Rainbow Dash had seen her fair share of libraries, and she had been in some impressive ones. But nothing could prepare her for the colossal structure she found herself in. Not only did the Manehattan Public Library rise to an impressive four stories, but it stretched to fill most of the city block. All of this space was filled with bookcase after bookcase of various books and tomes, with an open area in the center that led up to a skylight. The building could contain several of Twilight’s treehouse libraries and still have enough room to house Princess Celestia’s throne room.

“Well here you go Ageroth…if you can’t find what you are looking for here then we have a problem,” she whispered. The librarian at the front desk seemed to be dozing, so the pair took the opportunity to discreetly trot further into the library. Ageroth already pointed out that they were going to spend the night here, so the less attention they got the better.

Luck continued to be on their side as they found the library to be mostly vacant. There was a pony sitting near the railing of the second floor, but she seemed too engrossed in her book to take notice of them. As Ageroth continued, Rainbow Dash kept an eye out for anypony else, but besides the sleeping librarian they seemed to have the entire floor to themselves.

Even with no prior knowledge of the library’s layout, it didn’t take long for Ageroth to find what he was in search of: the history section. It held some of the largest and thickest books in the edifice. Ageroth’s eyes lit up as he examined the volumes of the distant past. “’Tis fair establishment for my expedition of knowledge,” the unicorn approved. He wasted no time in searching through the books for ones that caught his attention.

Rainbow Dash figured Ageroth would be busy picking out books for at least ten minutes. Quietly slipping away, she went in search for a certain book. It had been mentioned as a joke earlier, but the more the pegasus thought about it the more she found it may have a more practical use.

After finding no sign of it on the first floor, Rainbow Dash crept upon the next. Keeping her distance from the still-reading mare, she continued into the maze of bookshelves. She smiled when she spotted the “Scholastic Resources” section, positive that this was where the book would be. Sure enough, without much effort she found the familiar red and silver binding in her hooves.

“A Young Pony’s Guide to Proper Speech and Grammar,” Rainbow Dash read out loud. Just the name itself brought on a surge of nostalgia. She would never admit it, but this book had been a huge aid to her while she was still a young filly in Cloudsdale. After seeing how much trouble she had in school, Rainbow’s teacher had given her a copy of the book. She had refused to read it a first, but eventually broke down and tried it. She soon found herself reading it all the time; at least when her friends weren’t around.

Proudly stuffing the book into her cloak, Rainbow Dash began trotting back towards the steps. If any book could help Ageroth learn to speak the modern language, it would be this one. That way, he could actually interact with other ponies without arousing suspicion (or at least more than their hooded cloaks already did).

As the pegasus passed one of the aisles, she caught something out of the corner of her eye that caused her to pause. Backing up, she took a full look at the alley of books. To her dismay, it was empty.

Rainbow Dash scratched her head. She could have sworn she saw…? Come to think of it, she wasn’t sure what. But whatever it was, it must have been her imagination. It had been a long day of trekking, after all. She could feel her eyelids beginning to droop as she slowly turned back and continued to the staircase.

By the time she returned to Ageroth, he had already collected a large heap of books - and a few tattered scrolls - that he casually balanced in telekinetic grip as he used his hooves to search for more. It was another minute of observing before the unicorn seemed satisfied with his collection. “I must proclaim to thee,” he began. “Never hath I perceived such an affluence of knowledge. I doth believe to have the requisite material to be assimilated with present times.”

“Well…almost everything,” Rainbow Dash corrected as she theatrically offered him the book concealed in her cloak.

Eying the book, Ageroth didn’t appear too impressed. “Art this but a juveniles’ textbook?” he asked.

The rainbow pegasus shrugged, as she had anticipated his doubt. “Hey, it was a big help when I was having trouble with proper speech. And, no offense, but thou need help even more than I did.” Rainbow Dash put explicit stress on “thou,” attempting to get her point across. She could tell he still didn’t believe it would help, so she got closer and conveyed a much more serious tone. “Please, Ageroth, just give it a try. It can do nothing but help.”

Ageroth grumbled a bit, but soon gave a nod of approval. “Perhaps thou bringeth forth a valid point,” he decided. Adding the book to his colossal stack, he began trot forward. “Now that I truly possess the information I require, let us discern sanctuary so I’m to enthrall it ere dawn’s preliminary glow.”

Trying to break down what the intricate pony was trying to say, her eyes widened. “You mean…you plan to have all of that read by tomorrow morning?!” she questioned.

With a mere nod, Ageroth continued trotting; still keeping an eye out for a secluded spot. Rainbow Dash was about to contest it, but stopped herself short. Somehow, she knew he could do it. After all, it was something Twilight could manage. Or…could have managed…

No, what was she thinking! Her friends were still alive and well: just enslaved by Plagueis. She was going to save them and end this terribly lurid reality. End it, so everything could return to how it should.

Ageroth came to a sudden halt, and Rainbow Dash almost went on without him. A timeworn door lay before them, half concealed by a bookcase. She would not have even noticed it if Ageroth hadn’t stopped. “I believe we hath found our sanctuary,” the cloaked unicorn nodded.

With a grunt, Rainbow Dash helped Ageroth push the bookcase to the side. Dust fell onto their heads, along with bits of cobwebs. The door clearly hadn’t been used in years, and whatever lay behind it was the perfect place for two ponies to go unnoticed.

Cautiously looking around to make sure their actions were still going unnoticed, Ageroth opened the door. Light poured into the room, but not enough to make out what lay inside past the door. The two slipped inside, Ageroth taking care to make sure the door didn’t slam behind him.

The only light source was the low golden glow of Ageroth’s horn as it held the books in place. “I think it’s safe to light up the room here,” Rainbow Dash offered. She remembered what he had said about magical light tending to attract 'unwanted attention,' but they didn’t have to worry about that here.

Thinking on it for a moment, Ageroth seemed to agree. In an instant, the room was flooded with conjured light, revealing at last the purpose of the room. It appeared to be some sort of private reading room. There were several desks, chairs, and even a few wingchairs, all of which were covered in dust and webs.

“This be adequate indeed,” the unicorn said as he blew off one of the desks and set the books down. A loud creak rang out, but the table held. A similar sound was formed as Ageroth sat down on one of the aged chairs. “Nary there a reason to postpone my studies,” he disclosed. Ageroth placed the glowing crystal on the desk, producing enough light for him to end the lighting spell.

As he began to read the first book, Rainbow Dash let out an impatient cough. Ageroth looked over, and then realized he had forgotten about her. “Ah, how fatuous of me,” he said as he drew one of the bedrolls they had used in the cave out of his cloak. “Feel free to slumber as extensive as thou wishes. I pledge to wake thee come it time for us to depart.”

Rainbow Dash nodded and took the bedroll, but she knew there was something she had to say first. It was something that had been on her mind since their incident with the guards. “Listen, about what happened back there at the gate…” she began. It was hard for the pegasus to put her muddled feelings into words. “It was wrong for me to assume what I did. I suppose I just got caught up in the moment and everything. I mean, when that guard hit the ground and didn’t move…”

She stopped and closed her eyes, trying to focus her mind. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry for what I said, but…please warn me next time you’re going to do something like that. It really did scare me, and I don’t scare easy.” She tried to sound confident, but she realized the statement was becoming less and less true lately.

“Prithee not dwell on the matter, Rainbow Dash,” Ageroth answered. “Thou art not to blame for what came to pass.” He heaved a very immense and torpid sigh; one of somepony who had too much on his mind. “Though it may be the same land I left long, long ago…it dints the perception of an entirely different world to me. I hath copious actualities to study about present times. Nevertheless, I vow to presage thee in future events.”

Shaking her head, Rainbow Dash sympathetically looked at her companion. “I just wish I knew more about you and your past. At least then, I could understand what you are going through.”

A stern look formed in Ageroth’s eyes. “I declared before, as I will reiterate: thou doth not.” He looked away, but Rainbow Dash could still feel his firm gaze. “If thou were to know my past, thou would hanker for naught but to disremember the knowledge. I keep thee in obliviousness for thine own sake.”

Rainbow Dash felt a shiver run down her spine. The perplexing unicorn seemed confident his past would overwhelm her. Maybe he was right…maybe it was best to stop trying to find out about it. For some reason, however, she only felt a greater desire to uncover Ageroth’s secrets.

“Now rest, thou hath earned it,” Ageroth besought. The words were kind, but Rainbow Dash deduced they were also to stop her from asking any more questions.

Carefully laying her head down on the pillow, the speedy pegasus tried to clear her racing head. She knew that if she hadn’t been exhausted from their journey, she wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink. “Goodnight,” Rainbow Dash called out.

Ageroth began to say “Slumber wel-”but stopped mid word. “Goodnight,” he corrected himself. This brought a small smile to his companion’s face.

“It’s a start,” she thought amusingly.

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The quite chirping of crickets- interrupted occasionally by the distant call of a cow or chicken-filled Princess Luna’s ears as she lay down in the field outside Manehattan. It was bliss to the weary alicorn, and the only place she could concentrate enough to raise the moon and place the stars in the sky. She didn’t hold any bitterness towards the city itself, but she could never call it her home. It was much too noisy and active to suit her reticent tastes. And there were far too many ponies running about for her to feel comfortable. This was something Luna wasn’t particularly proud of. After all, what kind of ruler prefers solitude as opposed to time with her subjects?

“Well, I suppose my sister balances it out for me,” Luna thought. The outgoing princess never missed a chance to be with other ponies, even if it meant delivering bad news like her latest excursion did.

As if on cue, a familiar voice rang inside her head. “What is it I balance out, dear sister?”

Princess Luna reared her head, but shortly laid it back down. Just like Celestia to pop in unexpected, even in her own mind. “Just the fact your wonderful personality makes up for my unsociable one,” she warmly responded.

“Oh Luna…if only you opened up and gave other ponies a chance, things would be different,” Celestia refuted. “Just look at what you’ve done with Nightmare Night for Ponyville. If you were to do more things like that, our citizens would adore you.”

Sending the mental equivalent of a shrug, Luna looked for an opportunity to change the subject. “Have you finished the daunting task of talking with the families yet?” she asked.

There was no response for a moment; only slight varieties of emotions that Celestia quickly screened. “I’ve just returned to Canterlot actually. I’m here with a new guest.”

A mental image of Twilight’s library home flashed in Luna’s mind. It didn’t take her long to figure out who her sister was referring to. “I hadn’t even thought about Spike and how all this might affect him,” she admitted.

“Neither had I,” the sun alicorn drearily added. “Like so many other things, the little purple and green dragon had been wrongly pushed from my mind. I certainly couldn’t leave him there. It’s only right for me to look after him. I owe him that much.”

Princess Luna nodded. Even she could understand how Celestia felt. After all, by his race’s standards he was still a baby. “Well, I’m glad you found somepony to keep you company,” she responded positively.

There was a small laugh from Celestia. “Goodness knows I need it,” she agreed. “Of course, that isn’t the only matter I had to resolve. Rarity’s sister, Sweetie Belle, had already been staying with her friend at Sweet Apple Acres. She was only expecting to stay there a few days, until Rarity returned. I had to inform her she was going to be residing their much longer than that.”

“That sounds horrible,” Luna thought as her heart dropped. “I don’t know if I could have done it.”

With a sigh, the sun alicorn contemplated. “This entire excursion is one of the hardest things I have ever done; emotionally at least,” she admitted. “Having to witness the pain and shock of each pony I visited and knowing it was my fault they had to go through it… I could never be peaceable while doing this.”

Celestia’s tone suddenly changed. “Despite that, I don’t regret doing it; not one bit. With every family I visited, I had a chance to comfort them, and offer them what relief I could. Something I couldn’t achieve with a letter or a messenger. No…this was definitely the right thing to do.”

Smiling brightly, Princess Luna was able to take one worry of her chest. She was glad her sister had finally found a way to release the guilt she had pent-up inside her, even if it was only some. The nocturnal monarch realized it was time to discuss what had really been on her mind, or in this case, what wasn’t. “Celestia, I know we discussed it some already, but…”

“Our memory loss, yes,” Celestia finished, proving she had been dwelling on the subject as well. “I suppose we can avoid it no longer.” There was a pause, as neither of them could think of where to start.

Luna sighed. “None of it makes sense,” she crossly began. How is it that we are only now realizing we can’t remember our childhood? It’s almost as if we are just now forgetting it…but somehow I know that’s not true.”

Conveying her nod of agreement, Celestia considered the circumstances. “I think I know what you mean,” she replied. “I am almost sure I have talked about my childhood to somepony, but I can’t even remember what I said. Whatever I told them couldn’t have been correct. It’s as if our minds had fake events to fill in the empty space.” She felt like she was finally putting the pieces together. “But now… the façade is wearing off: possibly brought on by recent events.”

With perked ears, Princess Luna realized what her sister was suggesting. “Wearing off… you mean you think it was an enchantment that erased our memories?”

“Perhaps; it makes as much sense as anything else. That isn’t saying much, though,” the white alicorn admitted.

The proposal gave Luna mixed feelings. It may be an answer to one question, but it also created several more. “Every spell has a caster. That means somepony wanted us to forget something,” Luna submitted. “Could it be Plagueis?”

“His arrival does seem to be what brought all this on,” Celestia thought, “but I don’t think he cast it. He seemed genuinely surprised when I didn’t know who he was during our brief encounter.” She shivered as she remembered the dreadful conversation. “He did mention something about ‘choosing to forget,’ but I haven’t the slightest idea what that could mean.

Luna couldn’t elucidate it either, but whatever it meant it couldn’t be good. “He must still be connected in some way. Was there anything else he said?” She felt her sister’s heart drop. He had said something else, but it wasn’t anything helpful. It was intimidation… some kind of threat.

“No, he said nothing else,” the sun princess lied. She clearly didn’t want to burden Luna with the threat. And Luna wasn’t going to pry either. She had some fairly decent presumptions as to what it was.

Deciding they had discussed enough, Luna thought “Anyway, you should rest sister. You have got be tired from traveling all day.”

Sending a small laugh, Celestia’s mood improved marginally. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t,” she confessed. There was a small, awkward pause. “Just… promise me you’ll stay safe. Don’t take any unnecessary risks; I mean it,” Celestia conveyed firmly.

“Of course,” the Princess of the Night assured. She was slightly startled by her sister’s sudden urgency. What exactly had Plagueis swore to Celestia?

“Then I will leave you to work with the night, Luna,” Celestia said. “I hope to contact you soon.”

Princess Luna nodded accordingly. “Until then, may your dreams be those of happiness and peace,” she bestowed. With that, the connection terminated.

The dark alicorn was left with much to think about. If Celestia was right about their altered memories being the result of a spell, then she knew one thing. All spells could be broken…and that’s exactly what they had to do.

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Groggily following his partner down the street, Cloudstriker tried to fully wake himself. He hated morning patrol almost as much as night patrol. Both occupied time he would much rather spend sleeping. But every member of the Royal Guard had their job to do, and complaining would get him nowhere.

The piqued pegasus tightened his armor straps and looked over at Iceskidder. Of course, he seemed not bothered at all by waking up so early. When he wasn’t jumping at shadows he also cherished patrolling during the night. The sky blue guard could go on for hours about the different stars, most of which Cloudstriker tuned out. This morning he was even quietly humming as he trotted.

“Where was all this energy yesterday evening?” Cloudstriker crudely questioned.

Iceskidder stopped humming and looked down at his hooves. “I don’t know what happened. I swear I hadn’t even felt tired,” he responded defensively.

Laughing, Cloudstriker casually punched his friend in the shoulder. “Well just be glad I woke you up before somepony else saw,” he replied. Even as he spoke, a nervous trickle ran down his nape. What he hadn’t mentioned was that he had been lucky enough to wake up before Iceskidder did. If somepony had noticed they had both been asleep while on duty, there would have been serious consequences.

It wasn’t long before the pair found themselves trotting across the bridge towards the outskirts of the city. Not long ago Manehattan had only encompassed the island itself, but recent expansion broadened the metropolis to the other side of the bay. This portion, fittingly deemed West Manehattan, contained mostly residential buildings, with the occasional shop. It had a much calmer quality, teeming with ponies enjoying morning strolls and children playing in the streets.

“You know, I’m going to be annoyed when we have to take down that pointless barricade soon,” Cloudstriker remarked as they neared the southern gate. “We worked for hours on end to put the damn thing up, only to have to take it back down when we head back to Canterlot.”

Iceskidder shrugged. “It really wasn’t that bad,” he replied. “Besides, we got one kick-flank feast before, so there is no room to complain.”

The yellow guard wanted to refute Iceskidder’s points, but he knew he couldn’t. That had been some of the best cider he had ever tasted, although he heard a few others saying some farm in Ponyville had it beat. Cloudstriker was still licking his chops when they arrived at the gate.

Taking one quick look around, Cloudstriker nodded and turned around. “As expected, there’s nothing new to report,” he yawned. Before he began walking, he noticed Iceskidder hadn’t moved. With an impatient sigh, he asked “What’s your problem now?”

Iceskidder didn’t respond for a moment. When he did his voice was noticeably low. “The guards…where are the guards that are supposed to be here?” he questioned.

Sure enough, when Cloudstriker looked up at the guarding platform, he too saw it was vacant. And it was never supposed to be vacant. “Huh, I hadn’t even noticed,” he admitted. “Why would they leave their post? I mean falling asleep at it is one thing, but downright abandonment has to be guaranteed dismissal from the Royal Guard.”

“And just what makes you think they did it on their own accord?” Iceskidder asked. His voice was nothing more than a whisper.

Ignoring him, the Cloudstriker began sauntering back the way they came. “Come on, I guess we should tell Command about this.” His tenor and behavior highlighted his lack of urgency.

His companion was not so willing to leave it at that. He flew up to the platform to see what else he could find. Cloudstriker rolled his eyes and looked at the imaginary watch on his forearm. While investigating, Iceskidder looked out over the wall. What he saw caused his eyes to widen, and a shiver run down his spine. “Get over here…now,” he demanded.

“Oh, did you find something Sherlock Horns? Is it the murder weapon?” Cloudstriker mocked. His friend never failed to take everything out of proportion. At least he was able to get a good laugh out of Iceskidder’s foolishness. “You know, it is a wonder you didn’t pursue a career in theater,” he added. “You would no doubt excel at creating the false drama the scenes required.”

Sending an angry curse down to Cloudstriker, Iceskidder continued. “This is serious! There is a huge storm cloud heading straight for us.”

Once again, the icy blue pegasus proved his point. “A storm you say! Well what are we waiting for? Sound the alarm…barricade the gates…assemble the entire Guard!” Cloudstriker flailed his arms around before narrowing his eyes and ending the charade. “Come on, Skid. Get down from there before you make even more of a fool of yourself…if that’s even possible.” Iceskidder was heading from absurdly funny to mildly annoying very fast.

Heaving a long sigh, Iceskidder lowered himself to the ground. “Do you even read the Cloudsdale Weather Report like we are supposed to!?” he fervently questioned. “They have nothing but sunny, clear skies scheduled for the next few days.”

“Ok, so they got the forecast wrong: big whoop.”

Iceskidder gave Cloudstriker a look of pure disbelief. “You really don’t get it, do you!?” he shouted. “The Cloudsdale Weather Report is never wrong! After all, how could the ponies that make the weather possibly give a false forecast of it?” His shook his head; amazed that Cloudstriker didn’t realize what he was saying. “Besides, I’ve never seen a cloud like this before. It’s just so…unnatural. I’m positive it shouldn’t be there, and you should be too.”

“Hey, I don’t appreciate your tone,” Cloudstriker replied bitterly. The irrational guard was clearly talking down to him.

“Well I wouldn’t use it if you ever took me seriously! I mean, would it kill you to just believe me for once instead of always doubting me!?” Iceskidder growled. “Now go up there and look at this cloud for yourself.”

Cloudstriker was beyond taking him seriously. “No, you delusional foal,” he snickered.

The loutish reply was the last straw. Iceskidder slammed into Cloudstriker, knocking him to ground and sending the air out of his lungs. Then, standing over him, he raised his hoof in preparation to smash it into Cloudstriker’s face. But he stopped, managing to reign in his sudden rage. “Fine, be that way! I’m going to get somepony who actually cares about the safety of this city,” he declared.

Without another word, Iceskidder was gone. Slowly pulling himself up and rubbing the dirt off his armor, Cloudstriker crossly watched the departing guard. “He’ll be back,” he muttered to himself as he caught his breath. Iceskidder had been lucky to catch him unprepared. He contemplated how he was going to get back at him for this; most ideas involved thrashing him with something rigid.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They were calling out to her. It was too dark to see anything, but she could hear the voices in the distance. But not just any voices: they belonged to her friends. And they were calling out for help.

She tried finding them, flying as quickly as she could in their direction. However, it was in vain. No matter how fast or how far she went, they never got any closer. Nonetheless, they still cried out. They were in grave danger, and they needed her help. But she wasn’t strong enough to save them. She should be over there with them, but instead she was here.

They were going to perish because of her…because she wasn’t there for them…

Rainbow Dash awoke with a gasp. Sweat was pouring down her face despite the fact that the room was quite chilly. She looked around and saw that Ageroth hadn’t moved from his spot. He was looking over at her now with a concerned look in his eyes.

“It’s okay, just a bad dream,” she explained. She found that she had to take deep breaths just to calm her thundering heart.

Slowly nodding, Ageroth returned to his reading. The unicorn had inexplicably stayed true to his word; he had read all night. Rainbow Dash would have liked to question him about it, but her nerves wouldn’t let her concentrate on anything.

Thinking for a moment, she asked “May I step outside for a moment? I’ll promise to be right back.” Hopefully a stroll around the library would help calm her nerves.

Surprisingly, Ageroth approved her request without any protest. He didn’t even look up from the book he was reading. Maybe he understood why she wanted to go, or maybe he was too caught up in reading. Either way, Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to get out the door before he changed his mind.

The library still seemed empty, but the cyan pegasus made as little noise as possible as she traveled down the halls. She saw there was a tiny amount of light streaming in through the skylight, showing it was early in the morning. Rainbow Dash would have liked to sleep longer, but her troubling nightmare had taken care of that.

As she continued past the countless bookshelves, she wondered if she would ever achieve peaceful sleep again. How could she after what she had witnessed the past few days? What disturbed her most was what her subconscious self had thought before waking up. How it was too late for her friends and that there was no hope of saving them. Surely that wasn’t the case though; Ageroth had said they could be saved if Plagueis was defeated.

On the other hoof, maybe her subconscious was trying to resurface the fears she tried so desperately to bury. Ageroth never elaborated what he meant by save. Would she rescue her friends from Plagueis only to find that the there was something she couldn’t set free? Like a scar that would never heal…or a part of them that just wouldn’t be the same again.

Perhaps Ageroth didn’t even know the answer to that question. It could be that he said what he did to get her to come with him. After all, she knew she would have never left Hayton without the other Elements if she wasn’t convinced it was the only way to make everything right again. Ageroth might have known that too.

Rainbow Dash’s thoughts were interrupted by her growling stomach. She was reminded that she had only had a few pieces of Dragon fruit to eat in the past four or so days. There were still a few left, but she hoped they could get some more food before they left Manehattan.

After about 15 minutes of pacing, she found a table and sat down. Her heart had returned to its normal rhythm, but her mind was still fixed on her nightmare. The unrelenting hush of the library didn’t provide a distraction from it either. Rainbow Dash thought about going back into the room with Ageroth, if only to have somepony to talk to. As it turned out, she didn’t need to.

The silence was broken by a door slamming open and frantic hooves heading her direction. Rainbow Dash only had enough time to stand up and turn around before Ageroth rounded the corner and took hold of her. He continued on at an unbroken pace; not saying a word as he dragged her through the library. His eyes were locked on one thing: the exit.

Rainbow Dash didn’t resist him, but instead tried to get his attention. “What’s wrong Ageroth?” she asked. When he didn’t respond, she repeated the question with a more forceful tone.

The unicorn was still voiceless for a moment, but then shook his head. “What be wrong, is I hath not heeded my own counsel.” The words came out in a hostility that he seemed to direct at himself.

The pair arrived at the front doors within seconds. One push established that they were locked. Without hesitation, Ageroth charged up his horn and released the magic in a powerful blast. The doors stood no chance and blew open. A twisted piece of metal was all that remained of the lock.

After a few strides outside, Rainbow Dash decided it was enough. She broke free from Ageroth’s grip, causing him to come to a skidding halt. “What happened to drawing as little attention to ourselves as possible?” she questioned. “What is all of this?”

“That matters not any longer,” came a regretful reply. “Our only concern now is departure from this city.”

“What’s the sudden rush?” she asked, but felt foolish as soon as she did. She knew the reason he wanted to leave. She could see it in his eyes. But she didn’t want to believe it. “You…don’t mean…”

Ageroth gave a solemn nod. “I advised thee not to underestimate Plagueis, but I have perpetrated that same fault.” His gaze seemed to focus on something only he could see. “I assumed we would have time before he sent his forces unto this place, but I was imprudent to do so. His conquest begins now, by the light of dawn…”

Somewhere off in the distance, there was a deep roll of thunder.

Comments

[Rainbow87dash]

Haha....well Manehatten fucked

[Flying-Claw]

Nice Chapter! I want more, now! *.*

By the way, it would have maked a cool "plot-twist" if celestia found out on her emotional trip that rainbow is an orphan or something like that.

@Rainbow87dash Yep !

[Dusk_Writer]

Finally got around to reading it!

[Tiger1810]

Next One?

[Merula]

This has so much potential. It has to be continued!

[Edguy0009]

2455954
*in caveman voice* You write. update story. *proceeds to make ape noises*