Elements of Another Kind

by TitanXpony

Chapter I: Illumination

Elements of Another Kind

Chapter I: Illumination

Twilight Sparkle descended the small flight of stairs that leads up to her bedroom. She yawned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she trotted into the small kitchen area located at the far end of her arboreal home.
Spike placed a small metal container onto the stove, and blew a small jet of flame under the burner. It immediately ignited and the scent of dandelion tea filled the air. The lavender mare inhaled deeply and sighed, the smell reminded her of the days she spent in Canterlot with Princess Celestia. Spike placed the kettle onto the small wooden protrusion in the middle of the room that served as a table and froze as a familiar sensation washed over him.
A large belch forced its way out of his mouth followed by a burst of green flame, causing a scroll to drop to the floor in front of him. Twilight’s horn glowed briefly as she levitated the scroll toward her and began to read.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

Princess Celestia has requested the presence of you, along with your friends, at the castle. We will discuss the reason as to why you’ve been summoned upon your arrival, but it is of great importance that you make your way here with all haste. I have already taken the liberty of chartering a sky chariot and it should be in Ponyville by midday at the latest.

~ Princess Luna

“This letter seems urgent, spike,” Twilight said worriedly “I had better find the girls and get to Canterlot as quickly as possible.”

‘How long ago did Princess Luna send word to the guard?’ she thought ‘It’s nearly half a day’s ride from Canterlot to Ponyville, and even if she sent the chariot before the letter it would be well past midday when it arrived.’
The purple unicorn spared a glance outside to confirm her thoughts by the position of the sun, when she noticed a strange red haze that permeated the air.

“What could have caused something like this?” Twilight wondered aloud “Something must have happened to Princess Celestia!”

Twilight hastily packed what little provisions she could, and made her way outside. Her first stop would be to the home and business place of her fellow unicorn, Rarity.
Everything around her was bathed in an ominous crimson light as she made her way through town. Nopony seemed to be outside today, so the streets were eerily empty as she came upon a flamboyantly decorated building labeled ‘Carousel Boutique’ near the town square.
Twilight galloped toward the door and raised a hoof toward the latch, but a note on the door made her pause.

I have departed for my weekly spa appointment. If you are in need of my assistance I will return within two hours. ~Rarity.

As she read the note, a frustrated groan escaped the lavender unicorn’s throat. She had forgotten that Rarity goes to the spa every Wednesday morning.

“I suppose I might as well go find Pink-uaaaghh” Twilight managed to say as what appeared to be a pink bullet with a frizzy cotton candy mane tackled her to the ground.

“TWILIGHT!” the brightly colored assailant shrieked “oh my gosh oh my gosh, have you seen the SKY today?! It’s so RED and SCARY, I guess that would make it RARY but that’s not even a word even though it sounds kind of like Rarity, speaking of which have you seen her I need to-“

“Pinkie, we need to find Rarity and the others” Twilight interjected “we’ve been summoned to Canterlot and there will be a sky chariot arriving soon to take us there.”

“Okie-dokie loki” The pink pony said excitedly as she skipped along beside Twilight “I bet it’s for something important, like end of the world important. Or maybe the princesses just want to see us, it’s been like three weeks since the last emergency and even princesses can get lonely sometimes. Oh oh oh, can we bring cupcakes?! I bet Princess Celestia would just LOVE some cupcakes, I’ve seen her eat an entire cake all by her self before, and don’t even get me started about Princess Luna-“

The two ponies made their way across town to the spa where Rarity was undoubtedly enjoying her weekly hoofacure and mud bath. As the two entered the building, they were greeted by Lotus, one of the hygienists who ran the establishment.

“Is Rarity still here?” Twilight asked “it’s very important that we speak with her.”

The pink and blue mare nodded and gestured for them to follow. They soon entered the spa room and spotted the violet-mane unicorn they were looking for, and trotted over to her.

“Oh, what a pleasant surprise” she said “have the two of you come to join me today? I’m sure Aloe wouldn’t mind more guests since there haven’t been many ponies in today.”

“Actually, I received a letter from Princess Luna this morning,” Twilight said “we are to go to Canterlot immediately; I think it has something to do with the sky.”

“Whatever do you mean, Twilight?” Rarity asked “last I checked the sky was perfectly norm….”

Her sentence trailed off as she glanced out of one of the windows in the room. A small squeak was heard from one of the nearby bathes, revealing a very sudsy yellow pegasus with a long pink mane tied back with a yellow bow.

“Fluttershy!” Twilight exclaimed “I’m so glad you’re here, I thought we were going to have to go all the way out to your cottage to find you.”

“Oh, I’m sorry” Fluttershy said in a small voice “I would have spoken up sooner, but you seemed to be in such a hurry to tell Rarity something and I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Its fine, but we do need to find Applejack as soon as possible” Twilight said “we don’t have much time before the chariot arrives.”

Rarity was still standing by the baths with a shocked expression on her face as her friends began to exit the building. Shaking herself from her stupor, she quickly caught up to them as they made their way toward their next destination.

Sweet Apple Acres was one of their last stops, but it was also one of the farthest places from town since it was located on the outskirts of Ponyville.
The usual bright green scenery this time of year was dyed the same shade of red as the rest of the town, making the rows of trees appear to be bleeding and giving the fruit an unsettling inky appearance.
Farther ahead, the group saw an orange cowpony with a blonde mane and brown hat barreling towards them as their approach was noticed by the farmpony.

“What in tarnation is going on here?!” Applejack said with a very noticeable hint of concern in her voice “something is wrong with the sky and I was worried y’all were in trouble when I hadn’t seen hide or hair of ya all day.”

“We’re fine, Applejack” Twilight said “but we need to find Rainbow Dash and get to the town square as quickly as possible. We’ve all been summoned to the castle and our transportation should be arriving very soon. I’m sure we’ll get our answers as soon as we get to Canterlot.”

“I just saw Rainbow Dash before y’all got here” Applejack said “she said something about going to look for y’all and took off toward Ponyville. I bet my bottom bit that we’ll find her if we look there.”

The group made the long walk into town, and sure enough, they were greeted by a cerulean pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and tail.

“Hey guys, I was looking all over the place for you.” She said “I woke up today and noticed how AWESOME the sky looks so I wanted to tell you about it before you saw it. It looks like I’m a little late though, so what’s up?”

“I received a letter from Princess Luna this morning” Twilight said “we’re all supposed to meet up with her at the castle. We should get to the town square now that everypony is accounted for.”

The six ponies quickly made their way to the town square. It had been several hours, but the sun had seemingly remained stationary in the sky.
Waiting for them upon arrival was a glittering gold and white chariot with two grim-faced pegasus guards harnessed to the front. One of the guards instructed them to board, all of them immediately complying, except for Rainbow Dash who chose to fly along side so that there would be enough room inside for her friends.
The trip to Canterlot went by swiftly. The group became engaged in conversation about recent events in their lives, as well as the ever present mystery as to the condition of the sun and sky and as to the reason for being summoned on such short notice.
The city of Canterlot could be seen in the distance, and upon their approach the six ponies fell silent. If the term ‘odd’ could be used to describe the streets of Ponyville being vacant, seeing the streets of Canterlot the same way bordered on terrifying.
The chariot began its decent as it reached the castle courtyard. It landed with a small jolt on the smooth cobblestone path that spanned across the immaculately maintained grass and lead to the large wooden doors of the castle. Rainbow Dash landed shortly afterward, slightly out of breath from the distance she traveled and the speed at which she had to fly to keep up. The remaining five ponies exited the chariot and it immediately took off toward the landing bay located on one of the large outcroppings extending from the bulk of the castle.
Everypony was silent as they approached the gate. The two guards by the gate stood as still and quiet as statues as they entered, the silence being broken only by the loud groan of the massive doors as they closed behind them.
They were greeted by a tall alicorn with an ethereal blue mane and tail sitting on one of the two thrones at the far end of the room.

“Greetings to all of you” Princess Luna said with a neutral tone “I hope thy travels went well, but we have things to discuss. If thou would follow me, we shall go someplace more private so that we shall not be subject to prying eyes and ears.”

After a few nods and murmurs of agreement, the group began to follow Luna down a long hallway that ended abruptly at a grey stone wall. Luna’s horn began to glow a dark blue as an aura of matching color enveloped a portion of the stone bricks in the center of the wall. A deep rumble was heard as the stones started to recede, revealing a hidden staircase that lead underneath the castle.
Torches began lighting themselves as they entered the staircase, the stones returning to their original place behind them as they continued their descent.
They eventually reached a small but homely room; it featured a desk strewn with old parchment and at the other end lay two beds; one empty, and the other occupied by a familiar figure.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed “what happened to her?”

“She is suffering from magic exhaustion” Luna answered plainly.

Everyone present gasped at the implication of such a revelation, excluding Rainbow Dash who simply looked confused.

“What could have caused somepony as powerful as her to have magic exhaustion?” Twilight asked worriedly. “It just doesn’t seem possible that the same Princess Celestia, who has the ability to control the sun and moon, could overexert herself in such a way.”

“You see, that is where the problem lies” Luna said sadly “she no longer has control of the sun, and neither I the moon. When she tried to maintain control of the sun, she used too much of her magical energy and collapsed. I only narrowly escaped the same fate because the moon requires less energy to maintain in the daytime and the sudden loss of connection between the moon and I was far less taxing.”

By the time the alicorn concluded her explanation, every pony listening reacted by assuming expressions ranging from horrified, to ill, and in Rarity’s case, simply fainting in shock.
A small groan was heard from the direction of the beds, causing everypony to direct their attention to its source. The white alicorn slowly assumed a more upright position and blinked slowly. She winced as her eyes were assaulted by the light, but she was slowly regaining her composure as she shakily got out of the bed. Everypony stared at her intently for a few moments before, realizing that the Regent Of the Sun had stood, they all bowed; excluding Princess Luna who appeared relieved but still worried about the reason her sister had been rendered unconscious in the first place.

“Luna, how long have I been asleep?” Celestia said urgently.

“About a day my sister” Luna replied “why do you ask?”

“We do not have much time then” Celestia continued “I will explain everything as soon as…”

Celestia sniffed the air and directed her attention toward the bag that was slung across the shoulder of a certain pink party pony.

“Is that cupcakes I smell?” she said, her composure briefly broken by her obvious salivation.

“It sure is!” Pinkie said happily “I know how much you like sweets so I baked them up just for you. They’re my own special ‘I hope you feel better soon after passing out from magical exhaustion’ recipe.”

Celestia levitated one of the pastries over to her and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. A feral gleam appeared in her eyes as she abandoned her usual calm demeanor. With one quick move, she levitated the remaining cupcakes over to her and proceeded to devour each of them one by one without so much as chewing or removing the paper. Her usual calm grace then returned, no trace of her previous actions remained except for a few crumbs that had escaped her sight.

“Now, where was I?” Celestia continued “oh right, I was just about to explain the situation to you all.”

Everypony’s faces changed from a mixture of surprise, embarrassment, and disgust to curiosity as she cleared her throat and began to speak in the rehearsed tone she used when recounting history or making a public speech.

“It was many years ago, even before you were born, Luna, and I was but a young filly. Equestria was once a part of a much larger whole, known by the name ‘Pangaea’ in many cultures. Early civilizations of ponies lived in small tribes and roamed the vast grasslands and forests that covered a large portion of the landmass. History books mention that ponies shared these lands with many other species that were the earliest descendents of common day zebras, camels, gryphon, and other quadrupeds. What they don’t mention is that there was another species that roamed these lands. They were bipedal sentient apes that possessed intelligence that matches our own. These creatures were called humans, and while they lacked the ability to fly and use magic, they made up for it with the ability to grasp and use tools with smooth-tipped, claw-like appendages called hands. Unlike ponies, these creatures were also omnivorous so in addition to eating vegetables and grains, they hunted to supplement their diets. The early tribes of ponies soon became a target by the humans, both because of ponies’ sentient nature and because ponies were seen as competitors for land and resources. Conflicts broke out between the two races, causing many casualties to both ponies and humans alike. They were on the verge of wiping each other out completely when the immortals of each race decided to intervene; Luna and I’s mother and father being among these immortals. I was young so I can’t remember much of what transpired in this meeting, but I do know that it was agreed that the two races should be separated to ensure the continuity of both. It was also in this meeting when the elements of harmony first came into existence, created as an added measure of security. After this was accomplished, Pangaea was split into two worlds. The world of the humans was named ‘Gaia’ after one of the human gods, and the world of ponies eventually became what we know today as Equestria.”

Celestia took a deep breath and sat back down on the soft white sheets of her bed in silence. Her silence was matched by the others, none venturing to break the silence until Luna’s curiosity got the best of her and she asked the question that was on everypony’s mind.

“All of this has to do with what is happening to the sun, moon, and sky doesn’t it?” she said “if I was to guess, the separation of Equestria and the human world is being challenged by somepony.”

Celestia remained silent for a moment before nodding her head at her sister and looking toward the group.

“You are almost correct” she said “but it’s not somepony interfering, it’s something. Many creatures that have been defeated by the Elements, but were too dangerous to simply seal away in stone, were banished to the rift between the worlds known by some as the Void. But there is only one such creature that could have the power to attempt something of this magnitude, and the only living pony in Equestria besides myself who has had a taste of its power is you, Luna.”

Luna stood rigid as a look of fearful realization spread across her face.
“The Nightmare” she whispered.

“You are correct” Celestia replied “But what you do not know is that the Nightmare you were possessed by one thousand years ago is but a residual fraction of this being’s true power left behind when it was banished to the Void.”

All around jaws here hitting the floor after the sun princess’ words reached them and the full spectrum of the situation was made clear.

“Now, time is running short” Celestia said “we must get to the Elements without delay.”

The eight ponies made their way up the hidden staircase and through the narrow hallways of the castle, pausing when they reached the throne room.

“My faithful student, you and your friends must continue to the chamber where I have stored the Elements without my sister and me” Celestia said “there are matters to which we must attend to before we can join you.”

Nodding, Twilight and her friends continued their journey and arrived outside of the castle in the palace courtyard. A sudden noise permeated the air, causing the party to stop and gaze upward toward the source of the disturbance. What was at first a low rumble grew to a persistent roar as the sun began to pulsate in a rhythm similar to that of a heartbeat. With every pulse the sun seemed to shrink until all that could be seen was a pea sized dot in the sky. Then with one final beat, the pea sized speck of light suddenly burst; filling the air with a deafening boom and a flash as the six ponies’ vision was filled with an intense white light.

Comments

[SouthernmostDogs]

DAMMIT WRITE MOAR!

[Nick1318]

if thats how the ponies are reacting to the sun being destroyed then i don't even want to think of how the humans will react lol

[TitanXpony]

957044 Dont worry, this is a product of about four days worth of work so the next chapter should be out very soon

[SouthernmostDogs]

959006

Thanks broduski, also, the spammer above you.