Daybreak: Homecoming
“Where is she?! I’m gonna split her fool head open!”
“No you’re not! Not before I break every bone in her body!”
“Um…I-I-I’m fine with just…um…getting off this train and getting as far away from her as humanly possible.”
“I’m with Fluttershy! I want off this engine immediately!”
“Hmm…I wonder what happened to her wings?”
Twilight winced uneasily and sighed. “Yeah, I was kind of thinking this was going to be the case…”
Sunset, on her part, at least had the presence of mind to stand in front of the doorway as soon as Applejack and Rainbow Dash began to move. “Now hold it for just a moment!”
“You get out of the way right now! ‘Specially since I’m still keen on crackin’ yer skull open too!” Applejack barked.
“You can’t run around this train engine trying to kill someone! You’ll throw everyone into a panic! Everyone’s nerves are already shot from being stuck on this train running from Trottingham!”
“Everyone, there’s nothing to worry about!” Twilight threw in. “Her Promethian Sigil is sealed! She’s just a normal person now!”
“And how does that make me want to knock her teeth in less?” Dash retorted. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through because of her?!”
“What we’ve all been through!” Applejack joined in. “Including my family! You know how many of us died ‘cause of her?! You can’t expect us to just sit back and forget about all that, Twilight! She’s gotta pay!”
“But we can’t do that now! We’ve got to rely on her to get us into Equestria!”
“Do you think I want to go anywhere she suggests?!” Rarity nearly screamed. “I wouldn’t follow her into my own boutique! Goodness knows what horrid devilry she has planned! Trying to abide Sunset was one thing, but this? This is too much!”
Sunset sighed. “Do you think I feel any better? I literally stabbed her in the back at the Castle of the Two Sisters. Twilight’s right, though. We can’t get rid of her now. We need to get into Equestria.”
“I’m with Rarity!” Dash responded. “I don’t have to go anywhere she wants me to go!”
“She was telling the truth about where we’re headed being safer, though,” Twilight protested. “Sunset and I both know that. There’s probably no place safer than Canterlot in Greater Everfree. And like she said, it’s the lowest risk chance of getting back to Manehattan.”
“I could give a bull’s patoot!” Applejack retorted angrily.
“Um…” Fluttershy spoke up meekly, “I can understand where everyone is coming from, of course…but, um, before we do anything drastic…I don’t suppose there’s any way she can, well…undo what she did to all of those animals?”
Twilight sighed again. “Like I said, I sealed her Promethian Sigil. She couldn’t undo any of her power now even if she knew how.”
“Alright, then there’s no reason to keep her around,” Dash simply answered, nearly going for the exit again.
Sunset again stepped in front of it. “We may not like her or what she did to Greater Everfree, but we still need her. Like Twilight said, she’s already been sealed. She’s not the problem. It’s what she was keeping back that is.”
Dash quirked her eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Remember what she started to say before Sunset…well…you know?” Twilight spoke up. “She was telling the truth. We’ve got bigger things to worry about now.”
Fortunately, saying that was enough to get everyone to calm down long enough for Twilight to go into more detail. She proceeded to explain, in as general terms and brief as possible, about everything Luna had told them in regards to the Angra Mainyu. It took a little while longer than she wanted due to the need for keeping the title secret, but she finally related everything.
By the time she was done, tempers had cooled slightly although everyone still looked mostly either scared or angry. Once it was finished, though, Pinkie looked chipper. “Oh! It’s just like with Sunset Shimmer again! Only now instead of getting one spirit to become a big scary world-destroying monster, it needs to get six to become a big scary world-destroying monster! Just like old times!”
“I still ain’t forgivin’ her…” Applejack muttered.
“Good grief…” Rarity sighed. “I’m never getting back to Carousel Couture…”
“Um, Twilight?” Fluttershy spoke up nervously, having only gotten more fearful on hearing the news. “I have a question. If, um, this monster is really as strong as Luna says it is, then I don’t think even we can stop it…”
“I’ve actually been thinking about that,” Twilight answered, “and I think we might not have to.”
This caused everyone, Sunset included, to look a bit puzzled. “Excuse me?”
She held up her hand. “The reason Luna became Nightmare Moon was because she took all six Anima Viris that…that the thing was supposed to get. She did it so that it could never get them and she’d be strong enough to keep it at bay. Now look…I have one of them now, and I’m still perfectly fine. For them to take someone over, you must need at least two of them together. One is no problem, though. And I realized that so long as I have this Anima Viri, it’ll never be able to get all six.”
Dash looked uncomfortable. “Um, Twilight? Doesn’t that…uh…make you a ‘marked woman’?”
“Especially since when Sunset had five Anima Viris she was still super-duper strong and scary?” Pinkie threw in.
“That’s just it. If we want to beat this thing, then we don’t want it to get any Anima Viris that it needs. That means that we need to get them all ourselves, and each one of us needs to take one.”
Now the group looked very surprised.
“Excuse me?”
“Beg yer pardon?”
“Don’t you see? That’s how we can beat it. One person might not be able to handle all six Anima Viris, but if each one of us takes one then it can’t get them, and it’ll be weak enough to stop.”
“Er…I’m not sure about that part,” Sunset spoke up. “From what Luna said, it’s still going to be rather tough. Maybe even tougher than I was. I’m not sure the six of you can handle it with just one Anima Viri apiece.”
“That’s where you come in,” Twilight responded.
Sunset looked surprised. “Wha…me?”
“You know how to equip multiple Anima Viris, right? Well…you need to show us how to do that. You’re right in that we might not succeed just using one at a time. If we can put on multiple and activate the stronger roles, though, maybe we’ll be strong enough to pull it off.” She turned back to the others. “And that’s why we need Luna for now. With Celestia gone, she’s the only one who still knows about all of these things. And that’s why we need her to get us into Canterlot and Equestria. If there’s any secrets there that can help us stop this monster, we’ll find them in there. But we can’t get them out of her while we’re on this train. Not without risking letting everyone else know about that monster. That’s why we all need to stay calm for a bit longer and just put up with Luna being here.”
A moment passed. Everyone looked rather uncomfortable with that. Even Spike let out a low whine.
Fluttershy inhaled and exhaled nervously. “Oh dear… I was hoping that we’d be done with everything soon. I’m not sure I like the idea of having an Anima Viri from something that’s going to destroy the world inside me…especially if it drove Luna crazy and had her do all of those things to Greater Everfree…”
“But we’ll all get to spend more time with each other!” Pinkie encouraged, leaning in and nudging Fluttershy a bit. “And that sounds like fun to me! I’m in!”
“Considering all of the misery she’s put my family and Ponyville through, I’m going to have a hard time being cordial…” Rarity half-muttered. “And my sentiments are with Fluttershy in regards to having any Anima Viris like the ones she had.” She sighed. “But if I must, then I must.”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Fine. Just don’t expect me to be neighborly to her. And I’m gonna tan her hide one way or another after all this is done.”
Fluttershy let out a small whimper as she clutched Angel more tightly again. “Ok…” she half-whispered.
“Whatever…” Dash muttered. “Just get one thing straight, Twilight. As soon as we get into Canterlot,” She jabbed her thumb at Sunset. “Both she and Nightmare Moon start pulling their own weight. They need to start talking and give us a reason to keep them around.”
Twilight hesitated, but then nodded. “Right. That seems reasonable. Just everyone…keep it quiet for now. At least until we reach Canterlot.”
“Ah, the Greater Everfree Forest…so glad to be back here this close to dark after…what? Less than half a week?”
Starlight’s sardonic mutter didn’t arouse much response from the rest of the people in the engine as she continued to slow down the train to a stop. Double Diamond, looking as puzzled as most of the people on the train were, continued to vent the drive while wondering what they were doing there, even as he, Shining Armor, Celaeno, and Applejack continued to look around themselves tensely. After all, where they had ended up was rather overgrown. The forest was thick on all sides and, with evening approaching, was rather dark. Just getting there had been a foreboding experience. The track hadn’t been serviced in years and their cow catcher had pushed aside several brambles, branches, and even a few logs that looked potentially large enough to derail them. The fact that there was no remote chance of a turnaround anywhere only made people more nervous as it looked as if they would run themselves off the track at any moment and be stranded surrounded by monster-infested woods.
Nevertheless, Applejack’s eyes kept flickering to the front of the train, where Luna stood at the head of the engine along with Twilight and Sunset, and with a constant look of grim distrust. Luna never noticed it. She kept her eyes forward at all times, even as Twilight and Sunset frequently had to duck or shift their heads to avoid getting smacked by branches and brambles. Unfortunately, that’s all that the path forward looked like with no end in sight. Nevertheless, a while ago there had been a marker, and Luna had instructed them to slow down the train. And as they came around a bend, they saw why.
Right in front of them was the end of the line. Nothing but a bit of track terminating into woods with one last iron and wood barricade piled up in front of it. It was like they were ending up in a small box at the end of a forest tunnel rather than going down a track. It didn’t take long for the engine to inch forward the last few yards and, with a loud hiss, come to a halt right in front of it.
Twilight glanced about the situation, saw how enclosed they were and the block ahead, and then looked at Luna. “So…what now?”
She didn’t answer. She had already taken up her cane again, and was in the process of unscrewing the cap on the bottom of it. After a moment it was off, exposing a hollow place inside. She shook it a little, and both Sunset and Twilight spotted what looked like an odd key come out, landing right in her palm.
Once she had it, she shifted the cane to one hand and the key to the other and looked up to the barricade. She stepped closer, looking over it for a few moments. Her hand reached out, close enough to touch it, and started moving around on some of the wood and the brambles grown over it.
“It was around here somewhere… Where…?”
She paused.
“Here.”
She raised her hand and brought the key to one particular nondescript part of the barrier. In the dim light, it didn’t look any different from any of the other parts of the barricade. Nevertheless, with some work, she forced the key into it. After that, she grasped her hand around the backside, tightened her jaw a bit, and gave a turn.
A tremendous latching sound kicked off from the barrier. Moments later, the sounds of gears turning and counterweights moving began to go off, followed by a creaking so loud from the barrier that the two ladies nearby stepped back. Those back in the engine and the other cars looked outside and let out a small gasp.
All of the logs, stone, and the rest of the blind side of the path was split apart and swung aside on massive, unseen, concealed levers, like the machinations of a drawbridge. The huge bits and pieces that blocked their way were brought aside and the end of the path opened up completely. What was once a formidable stop into nothing but wilderness and overgrowth was stashed away into hidden indentations.
It took a whole half a minute to fully swing everything aside, and when it was done everyone was astonished at what was left behind. A long stretch of rail enclosed by concrete walls and gravel foundation stretched much further and deeper into the woods as far as they eye could see. It was particularly well built, it seemed, for in the years since it had gone out of use it had suffered only the slightest signs of age and disrepair. In all honesty, it still looked better than many tracks in use in Appleloosa.
The group was flabbergasted, stunned that such a complete and well-maintained track could still be there and hidden so well for so long. Luna, on her part, raised up her cane and began to reattach the bottom.
“We can go now.”
Twilight blinked a few times, but then composed herself. “Right…” She turned her head around and looked at the side of the engine. She managed to spot Starlight still open-mouthed staring at the route ahead.
“We can get moving again, Starlight.”
“This…this is…incredible…”
“Starlight!”
“Huh? Oh! Oh yeah! Let’s…let’s get this engine moving…”
As she ducked back into the cab, Twilight exhaled and looked forward again. She began to get a bit more tense, looking at the track ahead. She reached out and grasped the railing to balance herself. However, she soon noticed other loud breathing nearby. She turned and looked, and saw Sunset was much the same. If anything, she looked more nervous than her. Her palms were sweating.
“Never thought I’d actually be going back…” Exhaling, she turned to Twilight before motioning her head behind her. “If they think that was something, wait until we hit Canterlot.”
For the next fifty miles or so the train made its way through the concrete tunnel. Fortunately, the tracks were still in good condition even with a few signs of more evident damage or wear later on. They finally emerged again out onto more open tracks, but they still looked to be in good condition even as they continued to wind their way through forests. Those soon gave way into mountains, however, and much of the rest of the journey involved winding in and around valleys of towering peaks, alongside steep ravines, and past sheer, rocky cliffs. If it wasn’t for the isolation and the stress of the current situation, the journey would have been rather majestic and picturesque. As it was, night fell again, and everyone spent their time huddled in the cars hoping and waiting for it to pass without incident.
Luna was up before dawn the next day and advancing once again to the front of the train, and, once again, Twilight and Sunset joined her. At that point, they were still surrounded by mountains, but on reaching the northern side they came to more hilly areas instead. Segments of the landscape had lost their rockiness and had given way to forests, alpine lakes, and even a few open fields. Still, however, aside from the track they were on there were no signs of any life or civilization.
Nevertheless, both Twilight and Sunset were beginning to look expectant as they advanced to the engine compartment. The three looked inside, seeing Double Diamond snoring away in one corner and Shining Armor yawning while Starlight Glimmer struggled to keep her eyes open.
Luna immediately coughed, loud enough to not only get Starlight and Shining Armor to look to her but Diamond to snap awake as well.
“Spread the message to everyone. Everyone needs to stay on board and holding onto a piece of the train with their bare skin.”
They looked a bit puzzled at this, but Shining Armor glanced at Twilight and saw her only give a firm nod back. With that, he drew himself up and began to walk out on the opposite side. “I’ll start passing along the message.”
Soon he had left, and Luna turned and began to walk up to the front of the train again. Again, Twilight and Sunset followed, and soon all three were at the front.
Once there, Luna again went for her cane, but this time grasped the crook handle and began to rotate it. “I take it you both are familiar with what a Glyphkey is, aren’t you?”
Both Twilight and Sunset hesitated, glancing to one another, before looking back and nodding.
She finished unscrewing the end of the cane and pulled it off. Once there, she grasped the portion of the crook she had just disconnected and pulled the end completely off. When she did, the two saw something glimmering with a golden luster underneath, vaguely in the shape of a metal device with teeth for tumblers. She pulled this out and grasped it in her palm, showing just enough to get a glimpse of a gemstone embedded in it.
“This one is mine, and currently it’s the only one in existence to Canterlot. I’d like to keep it that way. Therefore, I don’t want anyone making any Glyphkeys while we’re in Canterlot without my permission.”
Twilight looked a little surprised. “Well wait a second… We-”
“I wasn’t asking for your permission,” Luna flatly cut off as she put her crook over one arm and grasped the railing of the train with her free hand. “I have the only Glyphkey right now. That means if I so desire, I can keep you out of Canterlot now or banish you whenever I wish. And I will if I learn you’re crafting another Glyphkey behind my back. One of you already backstabbed my sister and both of you tried to kill me. I’m just letting you know I don’t fully trust you and I’m giving you ample warning.”
Sunset couldn’t help but frown at that. “She doesn’t trust us…”
Twilight sighed, but didn’t argue.
“Just let everyone know that if they leave Canterlot without telling me first, they’re not getting back in,” Luna stated before looking forward again.
Another hour passed. Dawn continued to near, but due to the surrounding mountains it never quite broke. Twilight and Sunset watched as the hills slowly began to fade into the surroundings, leaving them with a relatively flat landscape. The forests again cleared to reveal more clearings. At last, Luna took in a deep breath. “This is it. Brace yourselves.”
Sunset and Twilight both looked forward, their faces a mixture of tension and anticipation. Their old memories were both running at what they knew was coming. And in spite of the fact that both were expecting it coming, it still managed to catch them off guard. One moment, there was nothing but long, empty countryside in front of them.
Then, there was a shimmer of light that seemed to pass around them like a ring, and there it was.
It didn’t take long for every last person on the train to cram to the junctions or open the side doors so they could see it and marvel at the sight. Twilight and Sunset were, honestly, among them. It had been so many years and what seemed like a lifetime ago—such that a part of their minds had almost wondered if it had indeed been real. And yet, there it was.
The entire hillside was no longer covered with forest and clearings. Instead, a massive city, beautiful, picturesque, warm, and inviting stretched before them. It surrounded the base of the hillside for a mile in all directions. Some of it did look rather overgrown and unused by now, but even after seven years of neglect the bright colors, the splendid architecture, and the attention to gardens and décor made it a sight to behold. It wasn’t a “modern” city at a glance. It looked older and rustic. That, however, only added to its charm. It didn’t have any of the cold, hard, and unfeeling iron and steel of modern cities. No smog or soot stains there. No garbage or filth in the waterways. Just a beautiful, perfect-looking city.
High at the top of the hill spanned a massive citadel. Tall, powerful walls, thick and looking like they had been beautifully crafted from a sculptor rather than a modern mason, surrounded it on all sides, and no gate was readily visible. Yet even as tall as the walls were, those on the train could see beyond it was a splendid set of spires and towers. Each one beautiful and towering into the heavens, looking to be the pinnacle of medieval architecture. It looked like a cathedral court. Perhaps even a place for a castle. And not a minor one at that, but one easily comparable to the more majestic locales in the Dragonlands and Trottingham. It wasn’t long before many of them were in awe.
“We’re in now,” Luna commented as she removed her hand and began to replace the Glyphkey. “You can go back to the others. I’m sure they have plenty of questions. The track should lead straight into the royal square.”
She said no more, as if that settled the matter. It once again resulted in Twilight and Sunset looking to one another, but eventually both of them turned and began to head back to the engine without another word.
On arrival, they found Shining Armor, Starlight Glimmer, and Double Diamond were all now fully alert. At this point, they were starting to enter the city itself, and as a result they were constantly wide eyed and gaping at everything around them.
“Twily…” Shining Armor spoke breathlessly. “I…I had no idea all of this was here.”
She smiled a bit in embarrassment. “Well, heh…I did tell you that this place was…special…”
“So this is where your headmistress wanted me to go…” he mused aloud. “It’s like a place out of 200 years ago…”
“Not quite…” Starlight mused as she looked around at the passing roads more closely. “These roads are paved with a concrete I’ve never seen before. The architecture…the style may be old but I’ve never seen the material. There’s sewer systems and lamps, but…but I don’t see anything for gaslighting. As old as this place looks, it must be technologically advanced…”
“Starlight, look!”
Double Diamond speaking up alerted not only Starlight but also the others. He pointed out at one passing building. All of them looked that way, and Starlight soon realized why.
“The same symbol that was on that one place we found…” she mused aloud. “So it must have come from here.” She looked a bit closer, glancing about from one place to another up and down the streets. Soon after, her brow began to furrow in confusion and concern.
Twilight noticed it. “Something wrong?”
“Something’s…off,” she stated. “There’s no people here, just like I expect for being this deep into Equestria. No wildlife either. Besides that, though…this place is in great shape.”
Sunset shrugged as she looked outside. “You got that right. Aside from none of the residents being here and nothing running, this place looks almost as good as it did when I first got here.”
“But why is that?” Starlight echoed back. “Why aren’t the windows broken? Why aren’t the doors smashed in? Why isn’t their rubble in the streets? I don’t mean to sound morbid, but…where are the skeletons?”
Both Twilight and Sunset looked up. They both realized that this was a good point.
“I thought that myself.”
Again, everyone’s attention was diverted, this time to Luna just as she came in through the side of the engine. Her eyes were aimed at the city around her, not looking in the most at-ease state.
“I can tell you this much. If there was anyone who could have guessed what was happening at the Castle of the Two Sisters and attempted to run before it got too bad, it would have been the people here. Yet if they escaped…then I’m not sure why the rest of the world never heard from them. Or why they haven’t returned.”
Obviously, no one had an answer for this. Only that it seemed to be another uneasy thing to possibly worry about. However, Twilight and Sunset didn’t dwell much on it. They had enough on their plates for now.
“We better start slowing down,” Twilight finally said. “We’re almost there.”
Thirty minutes later, they pulled in for a stop at the abandoned station. At long last, they were all able to unload, although, with some persuasion, the Huntsmen left their stolen goods behind. After all, there was no one around to steal them back. From there, in spite of how weary and tired everyone was, they made the short hike/walk to the very top of the hill they were on, and the walls of the citadel.
Both Twilight and Sunset exhaled slowly on facing it, hesitating momentarily. Floods of memories were washing over both of them now. Even standing there before the walls had struck them both greatly. Twilight only slowly reached out her hand and touched them at one point, as if afraid that they weren’t real and were going to vanish. Yet after a time, they found a posthurn entrance that Luna knew about. She led them all single file through the formidable walls and to the other side. As a result, both Twilight and Sunset were able to stop in the courtyard and look about while waiting for the others.
It was like a trip back in time. Where the city had shown mild signs of wear and tear, there was none of that here. It was just like when they were children. Everything was still there. The entire grounds enclosed by the walls were intact, and in the light of the rising sun it was just like any other morning in which they had gone to class. The Harmonium Chapel still stood in the center. The headmistress’ hall/palace was still on one side. The old dormitory still was still slightly to the west. Even the gardens and fountains were still there, not overgrown and still running. It was all there.
Right down to the Northern Keep.
Gradually, the others gathered around them, only growing in amazement. Spike soon began to run around happily barking, and even Angel was set down and left to romp in the cool, soft grass.
“Goodness me…this place is lovely!” Rarity remarked.
“I’ll be… I ain’t never seen the like…” Applejack muttered.
“And here I thought the old Cloudsdale architecture was something,” Dash added. “Well…it was, of course. But this place isn’t bad either.”
“Teehee! It’s like we’re in a fairy tale! Do you think there’s a sleeping princess or a frog prince or a young woman who really, really needs a haircut around here?” Pinkie asked. “Oh! Or a gingerbread house! Mmm…gingerbread…”
Fluttershy herself was silent until she spotted some bees buzzing around some of the flowers. “Oh…this place is so nice. I just wish there were a few more creatures living here…”
As the last person entered, Luna stepped forward. She looked around the grounds herself silently for a few moments. Twilight looked at her, and saw even her own expression wasn’t immune. A change came over it. A mixture of nostalgia…and sorrow.
Yet the look was gone soon after as she began to hobble forward. “Very well. If any of you need me, I’ll be in the palace.”
This prompted several of them to look up at her in confusion. “Um…excuse me?”
“I brought you all inside. You can do what you like where you like, so long as you remember the rule I gave you. Feel free to settle in.” She said all this without turning, still walking away. Soon after, however, her tone dropped. “It’s not like any of this place will do its former residents any good…”
Twilight nearly pressed her for more, but soon stopped herself. She turned and looked back, and saw everyone was now looking expectantly at her. Sunset included. She glanced back at Luna one more time, and then back to the others.
“…Right. We have daylight right now, so let’s make the most of it.”
The massive moans of satisfaction and comfort were so loud that Twilight and Sunset could hear them all the way from the commons area. It was honestly a little unnerving, especially considering everyone else on the floor. It didn’t help either of them as both of them were still feeling uncertain to be there. Staring at the empty fireplace, looking at the pictures on the walls…even sitting chairs that they had once sat in years ago. The fact that this was their old residence hall made everything seem more bizarre and eerie rather than provided much comfort.
Pinkie Pie was nearby, poking through the various books on the communal shelf, although she didn’t seem to be understanding many of them. Fluttershy was in another chair, petting Angel, while Spike lay on the rug in the center of the room. As they sat there, they heard a door open and shut. Soon after, frowning a little, Applejack walked down the hall and into the room.
“Well…looks like all the kinfolk are set up real nice. All the beddin’ was dirty and dusty but didn’t take much to beat out the clean linens and make things up. Apple Bumpkin already passed right out and Florina Tart ain’t far behind. Last I checked, my brother headed down to try and scare up some vittles.” She frowned and glanced back over her shoulder. “But landsakes…I ain’t never seen someone so glad to be back in a bed.”
Sunset couldn’t help but smirk. “I kind of missed it myself by now…”
Applejack gave her a look for a moment, although her frown wasn’t as deep as before. She looked back up to Twilight. “Yeah, ‘bout that… Twilight, I’m fine with shackin’ up with Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, but sure you’re ok sharing a room with her?” She jabbed a finger at Sunset Shimmer.
Twilight sighed and nodded. “It’ll be fine. Besides, Starlight Glimmer and Spike will be there too.”
The cowgirl sighed and leaned against the wall. “Don’t know whether to be happy or sad that dark-haired woman ain’t roomin’ with us… The further I can get from her, the better, but…” She looked up and around. “This place is nice, but…it just feels kinda off, y’know? Like it’s a bit too nice. Nicer than it should be. Can’t believe it ain’t overgrown or runnin’ wild with Nighttouched.”
Twilight grimaced, but didn’t get a chance to say anymore as another door shut, and soon Rarity, looking far more energetic, ran in. “Twilight, I had no idea your private school could be so luxurious! The plumbing is actually intact! Can you believe it? Running water at last!”
“Um…” Fluttershy meekly spoke up. “Wouldn’t that water be…a little dirty? And rusty?”
“You would think, darling, but I tried it myself. It’s running clear.” She sighed dreamily. “Oh, if only we could get the hot water running. Then this would feel like paradise…”
With that, the sound of clicking footsteps up the stairwell began to ring out. The group turned to the doors leading to the stairs, just in time to see Rainbow Dash walk through them. She was a little out of breath and stained with a touch of oil and soot, but she wiped her brow and looked at them.
“Ok…looks like the boiler in the basement is still in good shape. I was able to get it working, so we’ll have hot water soon.”
At once, Rarity made an excited squeal of delight before she fell backward onto the common area couch. “I’ve died and gone to heaven!”
Sunset frowned. “That might be a bit premature. Most of this place is in one piece, but we have no idea how safe we are from Nighttouched around here. Or that thing that Shining Armor was talking about. Not to mention we still have no food and a hundred bellies to fill, plus we’re not sure if we can get the train back to Manehattan just yet. It’s going to take a lot for us all to run a roundabout station by ourselves.”
Rarity waved her hand at her. “Trifles, dear, trifles… We’ll all feel ready to conquer the world after sleeping in soft beds for the first time in weeks…”
“Ok, everyone. We’re back.”
Again everyone looked to the stairs. This time, they saw Starlight Glimmer, likewise wiping her brow, walking in. She was followed closely behind by Shining Armor, who looked far more winded but also more alert. They approached the commons and stood among the others.
“What did you find?” Twilight asked.
“That roundabout station is down the hill about two miles away, based on the local maps,” Starlight explained. “It took us so long to move everyone inside that I’m not even wanting to bother with it today, but if we don’t want to stay longer than we have to then we’ll need to get the engine down there tomorrow and start working on setting us on the right track. Although…”
She looked up and around a little.
“Now that I’m here…I honestly don’t mind staying a while. This place is incredible in terms of its technology. I can only imagine what else they have in here. Like I’ve been trying to get the gaslights going, only there aren’t any gaslights here. It’s more of those finely coiled metal pieces, just like in that chamber I found. I just wish I could figure a way to get them to turn on…”
“I ran into Big Macintosh heading back upstairs, Twily,” Shining Armor spoke up. “He said he found the old kitchen areas. There’s still some canned food there. Some of the old vegetable gardens and orchards in town are still putting out fruit too. Enough to keep us going at least for a while.” He looked up and motioned around. “If there are any ground-based Nighttouched around, the big walls that go around here should help keep them out. Not so sure about the flying ones, though… And it’s going to be hard to guard an area this big with only around a hundred people all together. It’s safer than anywhere else around here, though. I think we need to make a schedule for a watch.”
“We might not need to.”
Again, Sunset had spoken up and gotten everyone’s attention. This time, she only winced a little at everyone looking at her before she shrugged.
“I mean…we’re in Canterlot. The palace probably still has a good number of materials lying around in it.”
“Ooo! Materials!” Pinkie spoke up excitedly, before looking confused. “Wait…materials for what?”
“Well…materials for making another Morning Glory.”
That caught the rest of the ladies. They actually looked a bit surprised. Sunset, however, just glanced about at all of them and shrugged again.
“I mean, once we have one of those, we won’t have to worry about any Nighttouched. It might even keep back that shadow thing that Shining Armor talked about.”
Again, everyone was silent. Not so much at the suggestion, which was a rather good one. It was more that Sunset had so readily offered help in that regard. The only one who looked a bit baffled was Shining Armor. “What’s a Morning Glory?”
“Are you sure you can make one, Sunset?” Twilight asked.
“I…I should be able to,” she answered somewhat hesitantly. “I mean, I can’t use any magic for the fine parts. You’d have to help me with that. But I built all the others. So long as we have the right materials and the tools to work them with. We’ll need some sort of metalworking workshop and hopefully some hands with experience with this sort of thing. And it’s still going to take me a couple days. But…I don’t see why not.”
“You mean…you can make one of those things that keeps all the Nighttouched away?” Fluttershy asked hopefully. “Goodness…that would be helpful.”
Dash gave Sunset the stink eye for a moment, but then shrugged. “I’ll admit, I wouldn’t mind it myself. And I know you’re being honest about this one because it’s your neck too.”
“If it keeps us from being swarmed by a horrid flood of those beasts like we were in Fillydelphia, then there’s no question on my end,” Rarity added.
Twilight whistled. “Well, alright then. I guess we know what we’re doing.” She turned back to Starlight and Shining Armor. “We’ll head to the palace and start looking around in some of the old classrooms right away. Of course…this means we still need to hold this place for a few days.”
Shining Armor nodded back. “Right. I think we got another six or so hours of daylight. I’ll see what we can set up before then. Then I think we all need to make sure we keep the lights doused and stay indoors and as quiet as possible.”
“Ok, I’d really like to see the process for how you make one of the Morning Glories,” Starlight spoke up. “But…I’m not as good with metalworking as I am with engines… I’ll still want to watch, though. In the meantime, I’ll see who we got who might be able to help out.”
Twilight nodded back. “Thank you. Both of you.”
Shining Armor smiled back before turning to head back to the stairwell. Starlight, on her part, nodded before turning to head down the hallway. Soon, the seven ladies were being left behind. Twilight began to get up and Sunset followed soon after.
“Ok everyone, let’s get a move on over to the palace and the old schoolrooms.”
This caused a bit of confusion among the group. “Uh…all of us?”
She nodded back, before looking squarely at Sunset. It was enough to leave her surprised.
“I think it’s time we started learning what you can teach us.”
“And here we are.”
While Twilight and Sunset readily walked into the wall that had revealed itself to be a doorway, the rest of the ladies held back. In truth, they seemed like they had been walking on eggshells ever since the two of them had taken them to the headmistress’ palace, and not simply because they knew Luna was there. They had looked that way ever since they had passed through the massive, solid, oaken front doors plated with precious metals, emerging into the grand hall beyond with a massive set of stained glass emblazoned with the emblem of Harmonium intertwined with that of Equestria shining down on them with refracted sunlight for all to see. It was, after all, by all accounts, a place fit for royalty and quite majestic to behold. Not a place any of them would have ever been allowed if this was still a functioning nation.
Inside it was even more intimidating, with its grand, spacious halls, ornamentation of gold, silver, and brass, further stained glass windows stretching up to a ceiling that caused resounding echoes, and just a general sense of impressiveness. It seemed less like a school or even a traditional palace and more like something meant for the divine.
They had initially gone to the classrooms and, especially, the workshops along with them. The other ladies had no idea what to make of them. Only that they looked like a mixture of a schoolroom for princes and princesses and an old alchemist laboratory. Twilight and Sunset busied themselves going about, sifting through a few books before picking up several pieces from around the chamber (some in bins or jars to one side and some right off the walls), and then headed out again. Fortunately, it seemed there was a place in the palace for on site metalworking toward the basements for the servants’ quarters. There was a furnace there that they lit up with coal, but then left to start warming. They had other things to do first.
Now they were halfway up one of the spires and walking into the round chambers where Celestia had apparently trained them both. Much to their pleasant surprise (and the unease of the others), the lamps inside immediately lit up on their own to fill it with illumination. Whatever charm or spell Celestia had used over seven years ago was still in effect.
As they walked in, Sunset glanced to Twilight again. “Pretty impressive.”
“Hmm?”
“I never figured out how to open the secret door here. Looks like you had one edge on me. Of course…” She turned her head down, frowning a little. “When I did any ‘independent study’, I preferred that it wouldn’t be in a place Celestia would know to look for me…”
Twilight grimaced but said nothing.
Soon, all of the ladies were inside. The five jumped a bit when they heard the door automatically shut behind them, looking back at it and clearly unnerved. Especially since there was no trace a door had ever been there at all.
“Don’t worry,” Twilight reassured. “I know this place is a little strange, but you get used to it. This is one of the training areas Celestia would take me for more individual practice. It’s nice because something about this room recaptures all mana expended in it, which means you can practice with as much energy as much as you want and never get worn out. Now…” She took in a deep breath. “Let’s get busy.” She turned to Sunset. “You’re on.”
The woman swallowed, looking a bit anxious to be put on the spot. However, she steadied herself, looked back, blanched under the stares of five former enemies for a moment, and then finally folded her hands.
“Right…right… Ok…uh…um… Let’s see… Where to start…”
She glanced over them a bit longer, still hesitant, before she finally cleared her throat.
“Ok, obviously for this to work out, we’re going to need someone who has more than one Anima Viri…so…Twilight? Would you-”
“Er, sorry…” Twilight apologized. “I don’t know how to call this one, remember?”
“Oh…right…um… Rainbow Dash?”
She immediately crossed her arms. “Actually…I’d rather take a raincheck on that myself for now.”
This made Sunset a little puzzled, and Twilight along with her. “Really? I mean, it’s not like-”
“Look,” she stated almost sharply, “I hate using the one Anima Viri I got already. I don’t want to use Soarin’s too if I can avoid it. Ok?”
“But…for this plan to work, you’re going to have to-”
“Yeah, yeah! I’ll do it when and if I have to! Just drop it!”
Now she sounded almost angry, making Sunset recoil. “Alright, alright…” She turned to the last one. “Um…in that case…Fluttershy?”
“Oh my…” she half-muttered, immediately shrinking in on herself and beginning to take a step backward. However, Applejack and Rarity both looked at each other, sighed, and quickly put their hands on her shoulders to stop her. They also not-so-gently nudged her back forward, even as she swallowed and shook. While keeping her head bowed and her hair over her face, she very reluctantly stepped forward. In addition to her normal nervousness, even taking a step closer to Sunset seemed to be pushing her to her limit. Yet somehow she managed to move a distance from the others.
Sunset exhaled. “Alright. You’ve probably all noticed this by now, but you’ve seen that summoning an Anima Viri to equip requires an actual proclamation, but once they’re there you can dismiss them with just a thought, right?”
There was a pause for realization, but then nods from the group.
“Basically, every time you try and call more than one, that’s what you’re doing. You just don’t know it. That’s because you’re all probably used to the normal feeling of an Anima Viri and how it goes on. Each time you try and call a second one out, you’re unconsciously ‘putting the other one away’. Fluttershy, put on your first Anima Viri now.”
“Oh…ok…” she softly answered. Swallowing, she held up her hand. “Member of my house, I command you to come to me! Little Sunshine—Philomena!”
An eruption of an aura later, and Fluttershy was in her familiar role of the Healer, complete with a hooded white robe.
“Now like you all saw before, one of the nice things about putting on different Anima Viris is that you can do the other base roles,” Sunset continued, getting a bit more at ease. “But doing that is like ‘changing clothes’ normally. If you want to do two at a time, it’s more like…like…putting on a set of clothes over the ones you already put on. Fluttershy…what I want you to do right now is suppress Philomena, but don’t dismiss her.”
Fluttershy blinked, looking a little confused. “Um…how do I do that?”
She sighed. “I can’t really describe it. You just have to feel it. Try to suppress her now. Try to make her weaker or have less influence.”
“Ok.”
Fluttershy tightened her jaw a bit, made her hands into fists, and focused.
A moment later, her aura went out all together, and her clothes reverted to normal.
Sunset grimaced. “That was too much. You dismissed her all together.”
“Oh…sorry.”
“Try again.”
“Ok. Member of my house, I command you to come to me! Little Sunshine—Philomena!”
An eruption later, and she was once again in the role of the Healer.
“Ok, remember, just try to suppress her this time. Not dismiss her.”
She nodded. She concentrated again, focused hard ahead of her…
…And, once again, her aura went out and she reverted to normal.
Sunset let out a groan. “Too much again, Fluttershy.”
“Oh…I’m sorry. Um…ok… Member of my house, I command you to come to me! Little Sunshine—Philomena!”
As she turned on a third time, Sunset sighed. “Ok…now very gentle. Just a little.”
She nodded back. She concentrated again. This time, she held that position. Her aura continued to blaze and her clothes remained. After a moment, she looked up at Sunset. “How’s that?”
“Um…now you’re not suppressing it at all.”
“Oh, sorry… I was just trying to be gentle like you said-”
“Ok, ok…just try it again. Just a little bit more force.”
She nodded. “Right.” She concentrated a little bit harder…and her aura immediately died out.
Sunset couldn’t help it. She smacked her palm against her face and slowly pushed it down. Twilight was beginning to look uncomfortable along with the others, and she smirked and chuckled. “Heh…good thing we’re in this room, eh? Otherwise all these transformations in rapid succession would have probably already exhausted Fluttershy into a coma by now…”
Hearing that made Fluttershy’s pupils shrink. “C-C-Coma…?”
“Let’s try again…” Sunset interjected sharply, sending a glare to Twilight that she hadn’t shown in a very long time.
It took an entire hour of trying to get Fluttershy to not only suppress the power but hold in that position. Sunset and Twilight began to worry that the furnace would already be burning over by the time they got it right. The others gradually began to get bored and sat on the floor or leaned against the wall. Finally, however, sweating, quivering, and struggling to concentrate, Fluttershy stood in the center in her Healer form but with a very dim, almost imperceptible, aura.
“Alright!” Sunset announced. “Now…hold it just like that. Don’t move it at all. Keep holding onto it as you summon your second Anima Viri.”
“O…k…” Fluttershy managed to stammer out. Even talking seemed to nearly break her concentration. It took her several seconds to hold up her hand with her one blazing rune up, and even longer to compose herself afterward. Finally, however, after taking three deep breaths, she managed to speak again. “Member of my house, I command you to come to me! The King of the Ring—Melvin!”
Everyone was immediately snapped awake as they felt a gale push into them hard. Rarity and Pinkie on the floor were pushed down while Applejack and Rainbow Dash were pressed into the wall. Twilight and Sunset both had to dig their feet in to keep themselves from being bowled over, but had to look away as the light around Fluttershy doubled in intensity. As before, streams of light shot into the air and traced out another emblem before feeding back into her, and they actually heard Fluttershy cry out not only in alarm but in a bit of pain as it happened.
Yet in the end, the light dimmed again, and the aura that was left behind, although blazing far more strongly than it had been previously, was dim enough to look. The others slowly recovered and looked up again, and they gazed in amazement.
Fluttershy was on the ground now, looking a mixture of shocked and panting hard. However, both of her runes were now blazing together and she had changed. Her white robe was gone. Instead, a wide brimmed yet more angled hat than the Magician was on her head with a long plume in it. A shorter cape, more for fashion than practicality, was around her neck and shoulders. She was dressed in more “billowing” sleeves with a fashionable vest and multi-colored pants with elaborate sashes and jewelry. She seemed more akin to a carnival entertainer now.
She also seemed to be the last to recognize it, looking dizzy and even a bit groggy. She looked over herself, blinking as if in a daze. “Oh…my…”
Twilight lit up in amazement. “It worked! That’s a new role! You did it, Fluttershy!”
“Um…yay…?” she distantly echoed back, as if she was almost inebriated.
The others quickly looked up and marveled as well. Pinkie let out an excited squeal. “Wow, Fluttershy! Look at you! You’re a…a…a…” She froze, and looked confused, scratching her head. “Um, what is she, exactly?”
Sunset blinked twice, but then moved in closer to Fluttershy. She looked at her Promethian Sigil for a moment before looking back. “She’s the role of the Minstrel.”
Dash gave her an odd look. “Did you say ‘Minstrel’?” She let out a scoff. “Uh…how exactly is that any good?”
“All of the roles are good in their own way. They just have different strengths and weaknesses,” Twilight spoke up.
Sunset nodded. “She’s right. I couldn’t become that role myself, but I looked it up. Apparently, the Minstrel can attune themselves with the will of those around them and address it directly, whether they be ally or enemy. They can drive, beguile, charm, and even control others to make them-”
Suddenly, the light dimmed. Sunset and Twilight both looked, and saw that Fluttershy had abrupted returned to normal. Not only that, a moment later she gave an exhausted sigh before she spilled backward onto the floor. Her eyes went half-lidded as she simply lay there breathing hard and deep.
Sunset and Twilight ran to her side while the others quickly got up and bent down next to her. Twilight looked up at Sunset. “What just happened?”
She blinked and stammered. “I…I don’t know! That never happened to me! Mana is supposed to be unlimited in here!”
Tensing up, Twilight looked down at her friend. “Fluttershy! Are you alright?”
“Oh…” she weakly answered. “Just…just really tired…Twilight…”
“Obviously.”
Everyone save Fluttershy, who seemed too out of it to know any better, went rigid. They turned around and looked to see the entrance open again. Standing there in the doorway was Luna.
Applejack and Dash actually tightened up for physical action, and Rarity inched closer to Fluttershy, but Twilight, Sunset, and (relatively speaking) Pinkie managed to remain calm. “What did you say?”
“You two wouldn’t know any better because Celestia spent years teaching you both the basics and building your endurance, but there are other tolls on one who uses an Anima Viri. Spiritual ones.” She looked up and around the room. “How long have most of you ever used your Anima Viris at a time?”
Everyone paused. They looked to one another. After a while, Dash shrugged. “I dunno. An hour? Maybe two?”
“I tried keepin’ mine on for as long as I could in Appleloosa,” Applejack spoke up. “But…come to think of it…if I made it go any longer than three hours I was too tuckered out to do much…”
“Um…I believe 40 minutes for me,” Rarity suggested. “I was watching the clock when Twilight had us practicing.”
“Precisely,” Luna answered. “Right now, you’re finding the experience exhausting. You can’t even keep your Anima Viris on for a full day. That’s not physical or mental fatigue. It’s spiritual fatigue. So long as that’s the best you can do, it won’t matter if you have two, three, or even six Anima Viris.” She pointed down at Fluttershy. “That will be the result. Your new roles will be worthless to you.”
The others frowned at Luna’s almost dismissive tone of Fluttershy, but Twilight began to look uneasy. “That…actually makes sense.” She turned to Sunset. “It’s how we were able to beat you before. The more Anima Viris you put on, the more exhausted and out of breath you became. I don’t think you were even able to use your more advanced roles as strongly as your weaker ones.”
Dash frowned, looking back up to Luna. “Ok Miss Night God…how exactly are we supposed to get better at it, then? I don’t think we can take our ‘spirits’ out running or lifting weights.”
“Your spirits are already strong enough,” Luna simply answered. “The issue is they’re out of balance. Too chaotic. Too unfocused. Overwrought with emotions and impulses. That’s why I said only Twilight Sparkle among you had the slightest hint of true control over her own Anima Viri when I fought you. You’re letting your spirits run wild and clash with the spirits that you’re adding into your body. They’re fighting and opposed to one another. To correct this, you have two choices. You can let the Anima Viris assume greater control over your thoughts and actions. ‘Let them have the reins’, so to speak. In doing so, you’ll no longer have to rely on bumbling incantations and improvising. The souls themselves will grant you access to memory and abilities to produce more potent spells and techniques. Far more than you ever would have on your own or learning secondhand. You’ll become far more potent combatants as a result.”
This actually made the ladies perk up a bit. Yet they didn’t get a chance to enjoy it long. Twilight looked at her curiously. “Wait…I thought you said that was a bad thing earlier. Letting another soul have control of your body?”
“It is,” she simply responded. “In fact, relying on that for your power will result in you eventually losing yourselves to your Anima Viris.”
Now the group frowned. “So how does that help us?” Sunset grumbled.
“The second way,” Luna went on without a change, “is to learn to still and concentrate your spirit and will. To basically tell the spirits inside you to ‘follow your tune’, like a conductor for an orchestra. Celestia did that for you two. She taught you to master spells so that you wouldn’t have to rely on letting your Anima Viri take control to perform the magic, and trained you to still your spirits. If she hadn’t…” She glanced at Sunset Shimmer. “Summoning even four Anima Viris at once, let alone five, would have killed you instantly.”
Sunset frowned, looking to the ground but saying nothing.
“I’m not saying either approach is best at your stage. In fact, you should do both,” Luna continued. “You need to do the first method to allow the souls to ‘train’ you and pass on their knowledge and skills. Then you must master the second method so that you’ll remain in control. Fortunately,” Here, she rose up from the doorway and stepped back into the hall. “You have some time to practice so long as you are here.”
She turned to depart down the hall again on saying this, letting the door shut and seal once again.
Rarity frowned. “I must say, she’s quite condescending and more than a tad rude.”
“She’s ticking me off is what she’s doing,” Dash grumbled. “Coming in here after all she did and acting like we should listen to her.”
Twilight grimaced. “She actually has a point with what she’s been telling us. All of it makes sense to me. And if we’re going to go forward with that plan we talked about on the train, we can’t afford to ignore it. We all need to be at our best.”
“Yup! You got it, Twilight!” Pinkie happily answered as Fluttershy moaned, finally seeming to come out of it. “There’s just one problem…”
Twilight turned to her. “Yes?”
Pinkie held a hand to her chin, looking thoughtful for a moment. “Do you really think we can get as good as you and Sunset in just a couple days when you two had years and years?”
Both Twilight and Sunset paused before beginning to look rather uncomfortable. They glanced at one another, but had nothing but unease to greet each other with. Sunset coughed once. Twilight swallowed.
“What do you say we all practice as much as we can before dark?”
Twilight and Sunset were both a bit surprised with Luna’s revelation, but nevertheless tried using it on the next round of practice they went through. And surprisingly enough, it seemed to work. For the next hour, Applejack and Rainbow Dash both seemed to learn new moves, Rarity’s fencing ability increased along with her mastery of spells, and Fluttershy’s repertoire of both white magic as well as her talent in the Rogue role increased. Pinkie Pie was about the only one who seemed to stay the same, and Rainbow Dash, for whatever reason, not only still tried to avoid using Soarin’s Anima Viri but hated continuously using Spitfire’s. Nevertheless, everyone worked on increasing their endurance as had been suggested on the chance that they all would potentially get an additional Anima Viri. They wouldn’t have time to do it “on the fly” later, after all.
After an hour passed, Twilight and Sunset went to the work area just as Starlight brought around Igneous and Apple Split—both of whom had some experience with metalworking in private. With their help, Sunset managed to get a crude mold built for the bell and started melting down materials for it.
“How this works is we’re basically making a continuous chime, with the clapper being enchanted to cause a tone that affects time and space to simulate the sensations of daylight,” Sunset explained.
“It’s basically like Celestia’s charmed lamps, only we’re making the effect spill over an area, right?” Twilight answered.
Sunset looked at her, a bit surprised she understood, but nodded back. “Yeah, that’s right. You know metals don’t hold charms well. That’s why we’re going to work it into some of these woods and sinews and then have them forged into the clapper, and we’ll reinforce them by having the sound bow inlaid with other charms that cause a multiplicative effect.”
“Of course… By bringing the two metals together, we cause the charm to activate and spill out. Then we only need to compact enough treated ash and crystals into it to result in a continuous magical reaction, so that it will keep going endlessly.”
“You get to work on the incantations. I’ll start preparing the components for enchantment.”
They worked as long as they could, managing to get everything to a “cooling phase” before it got too late. At that point, everyone had to head back and, true to Sunset’s word, they still had another two days of work ahead of them. With that in mind, everyone went to the old dining hall of the residential area. It had been cleaned up and was actually rather warm and cozy now, with the cooking fires providing some ambient crackling and everyone able to eat a decent meal from semi-wild vegetables and canned meats for a change—courtesy of the Apples and the Gaitian families working together. Everyone had a full belly afterward, and the children with them actually had their spirits lifted enough to start laughing and playing again, now that they had roofs over their heads and beds to sleep in.
The adults, of course, knew things were just getting started, and they had hardly set some of them on clean-up duty when the more able-bodied people among them gathered together to discuss plans for the watch. Among them were included the Apple family, the Huntsmen, and the hardier ex-soldiers from the Northwestern provinces.
“The whole citadel area is vaguely rectangular, so we should have at least six people at all times,” Shining Armor instructed them. “All on the walls. Two on the north, two on the south, and one each for east and west. There’s bells all over the walls. They must have used them for alerts. All we have to do is sound one if there’s an emergency. Remember…just an emergency. We can’t ring them if we simply see a Nighttouched. Only if they’re attacking. I think if we all chip in, we’ll only have to take two hour shifts tonight. If anyone hears the bells, everyone needs to start ringing at once. Then everyone in the residence hall heads to the basement.”
That said, he took a deep breath and exhaled.
“Who wants to go first?”
“I will,” Twilight immediately spoke up.
Shining Armor looked at her, a bit surprised, and he nearly opened his mouth to counter her.
“I’ll be fine. It’s only two hours. Besides, with my Anima Viri, I can handle myself better than most of you.”
He grimaced, realizing he couldn’t argue with that, and finally nodded. “Alright.” He looked around again. “Who else?”
In addition to the volunteers for the walls, two people elected to stay awake in the common areas to listen for the sounds of the bells. With that settled and the shifts established, everyone went to quickly get ready as the sun neared the horizon. The Huntsmen brought in part of their cache of stolen weapons and distributed them to those who had no way of defending themselves. Two stayed awake in the common area while the rest of the first watch, Twilight included, headed for the walls. She had actually never been on them before, although she had seen them patrolled countless times. She was led to one part of the wall where there was a tower built into it, allowing a stairwell to reach the top parapets. From there, she and the other spread out and took their positions. Fortunately, even with the sun setting there was light enough to see for her to fumble her way to her own bell. Once there, she pulled up an old crate as a seat, sat down, and looked out to the grounds below to begin her watch.
Fortunately, it was still late summer, so even with the mountain breezes and higher latitudes it wasn’t too uncomfortable yet. Darkness fell rapidly, but the moon was partially full still and so there was light enough to see. From Twilight’s own position, she was overlooking mostly surrounding forest and countryside with just an old mill and a farmhouse near the outskirts along a river running through the valley about the citadel.
For the first hour, all was quiet. Nothing but the night noises of crickets and the occasional moth. By the end of it, it almost appeared as if, miraculously, Canterlot was in the clear. That somehow the Nighttouched had missed it completely.
Yet no sooner had Twilight considered this possibility than she spotted it. Flickers of yellow light moving through the bushes around the river. At first she thought she imagined it, but eventually she saw a monstrous shape emerge with twisted antlers and gleaming black eyes. Definitely a Nighttouched. She nearly went for the bell right there, but then remembered to be patient. Instead, she stayed still and waited. Fortunately, the monster never suspected a thing. It was too silent, especially with the stream acting as ambient noise nearby, and simply looked around a few moments before it turned and gradually moved on.
By the time it had finally moved away, the shift was up, and she nearly sounded a cry of alarm on hearing the soft footsteps of the next shift coming up the stairs near her. Soon after she saw Rainbow Dash’s familiar hairstyle poke up over the opening before she came up to her level. She turned to her and walked over.
Leaning down next to her side, she whispered. “What’s up?”
“Nothing,” Twilight whispered back. “I saw one out there, but they don’t know we’re here. Hopefully it’ll stay that way.”
She nodded. “I’ll take it from here. Go back and get some sleep. You’ll need to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed if they do smell us out.”
That wasn’t exactly a thought to help her have “sweet dreams”, but Twilight merely made a weak smile and nodded as she got up from her box. Soon after, she started to head down the stairwell, leaving Dash behind to take her place.
Only halfway down the stairs, Twilight paused. She stood there for a moment, looking at the ground, showing nothing and clearly lost in thought. After a time, she began to walk again, and this time slowly made her way to the bottom. Once there, she stepped out of the tower and back onto the courtyard. Once again she paused. She looked around for a moment. She saw the old familiar fountains still flowing day and night. She saw the wind ripple the ornamental flowers. Aside from the lack of light and people, it was all as she remembered it. And yet, the lack of both of those things made the place seem strangely hollow. Strangely unfamiliar. Desolate in its own way.
Slowly her eyes went over each building, especially the ones she had seen many times before. She looked at the palace, and her eyes traced up it right to where Celestia’s own room overlooking the courtyard had been. She stared at that for a long time, but finally looked away.
When she did, though, her eyes didn’t return to the courtyard or the residence hall.
They turned to the Northern Keep.
She froze there, staring at it. Gradually, she began to look cold. She shook a little in the next passing breeze. Her breathing became a bit more rapid and the sound of her heartbeat became audible over the fountains. She swallowed. She finally did glance at the residence hall, but soon after she moistened her lips and looked back.
Finally, she inhaled deeply, and steeled herself. Forcing her feet forward, she began to walk toward it. She felt her resolve waver more with each step but she finally made it to the door. She swallowed again, looking behind her and around her, before finally reaching out with a trembling hand, grasping the door handle, and after a momentary pause pulling it open and slipping inside.
As soon as the door shut behind her, it immediately grew close and quiet inside. It was completely pitch black, and the only sound was her rapid breathing. It brought a fearful look over her, causing her to tremble nervously. There was nothing to see, obviously. Even the windows had been blacked out, leaving her in utter gloom. Nevertheless, she reached in front of her and stepped forward, trying to rely on her memory as her arms swept around.
It took her a short while, but eventually she bumped into some of the old furniture. Steeling herself as best as she could, for she was growing more scared every moment, she felt around until she found the doorway leading out of the main foyer. Once she reached it, she passed through and kept feeling around, shifting her hands to the wall. Eventually, she hit something that rattled. Realizing it was one of the lamps, she pulled it off and held it in front of her. She fumbled over it a bit before opening it up and finding the wick and small oil well. Immediately, she reached out again and felt until she found a table she could set it down upon. Once there, she reached into her pocket and fished out a box of matches. It took a bit of work, but she got one out, struck it, and moved it into the lamp to light it. Soon it was gleaming and she put out the match before grasping the lantern and holding it up.
“Ah!”
She instantly almost dropped it again, for no sooner had she held it up than she found herself illuminating a face standing across from her. She recoiled in alarm and fright, only to immediately see the other person across from her shriek and do much the same. Yet both of them froze a moment later, and Twilight blinked at her.
“Sun…Sunset Shimmer?”
The woman cringed, like a criminal caught in the act, but then smiled weakly. “Uh…hey there. Funny seeing you here.”
Twilight blinked as she straightened up again. “What are you doing in here?”
“Wha…wha…me?” she answered, looking put on the spot. She glanced about a moment, before she spun back to her. “I could say the same thing about you. Why aren’t you on your shift?”
“Dash just switched with me.”
“Then…how come you aren’t heading back to the residence hall?”
“How come you’re not at the residence hall?”
Both women looked at each other silently for a moment. Their expressions made it clear that both of them didn’t like being caught there, while being equally suspicious of the other person being there. It also soon became clear that both of them were trying to figure out an explanation and trying to buy time by getting an explanation out of the other one. The result was neither knew what to do or say.
Finally, Sunset eyed her and crossed her arms. “Didn’t Celestia tell you never to come in here?”
Twilight winced, but tried to deflect it. “Then…then what are you doing in here?”
“Well…you should know by now that I never did what Celestia told me toward the end. So what’s your excuse?”
Twilight realized she was caught. She tried to backpedal and think of something else to say for a moment, but in the end she sighed and broke. She looked around as if to make sure no one else could see or hear, but finally looked back at Sunset.
“Alright. The headmistress did tell me to stay out of here. And normally I’d do whatever the headmistress told me to do. But…but…” She cringed, moistening her lips. “The truth is…one night… I don’t know why I did it…I don’t know what possessed me or why I got so curious, but… One night I came here.”
Sunset’s eyes widened. “…Seriously?”
“I really don’t know why. Something…just made me want to come here.”
“And…did you see what Celestia had here?”
Twilight looked up and at Sunset, seeing her now intensely staring at her. “Not exactly… Have you?”
Sunset froze a moment, but then shook her head. “No…not exactly. Do you…do you know what she was keeping here?”
Twilight hesitated. She kept her mouth clamped shut for several seconds, definitely appearing unwilling to say anything.
Seeing her hesitation, Sunset pursed her own lips and paused, but finally blurted it out. “Look…I know how you are about obeying Celestia’s rules. And to be honest…the secret she had here is probably the only rule of hers I never wanted to break. I know there’s something here. Something that she didn’t want anyone to find out about, talk about, or even think about. I know it’s here, though. And I can’t forget that it’s here. So…” She looked at her more intently. “Is what I’m talking about what you have in mind…?”
Twilight clenched her hands and continued to look uneasy. However, she finally exhaled again. She shut her eyes and spoke in a quieter voice than before.
“I knew Celestia had a secret here. I don’t know why it was so important to me that I know about it. I usually just waited for her to tell me things rather than tried to find them on my own. For whatever reason, I wanted to know what it was. I found my way in here, and then I started finding secret doors. I opened one into another part of the keep, and I found another secret door that led there to another part. And then another door that led to another part. Eventually, I finally found a place where the keep went underground. Then it became more of…of a dungeon. Nothing but cold stone and mortar and everything forgotten. And I kept going and…”
She shivered.
“And…I finally found my way to a stairwell leading down. There was a flickering light down there. I heard Celestia talking to someone…or some thing. It sounded insane…twisted…horrible… Like it was mad to break free and it wanted to tear everything apart once it got out. And…”
Twilight trailed off here. She was looking at Sunset, and saw the woman’s eyes had widened in a mixture of a fearful memory and astonishment. And seeing that made Twilight’s own look soon mimic it.
“You…you know what I’m talking about, don’t you? You heard…you heard it too, didn’t you?”
Sunset was left frozen a moment longer, looking suddenly like a much younger, weaker, and more helpless child. Yet she blinked and snapped out of it soon after, looking to the floor. She exhaled as if a weight had been on her chest. “I used to think we were so different… But we both disobeyed Celestia over the same thing. And we both made it that far… Did you ever…see it?”
She shook her head. “Never. I never was brave enough to get that close.”
“Me neither,” Sunset sighed. “So…we both know what’s here. We both know what Celestia told us too, didn’t we?”
Twilight grimly nodded. “Don’t talk about it. Don’t think about it.”
“And yet, here you are.”
“And here you are.”
“And we still haven’t explained what either one of us are doing here.”
The two stood silently and looked to one another again.
Sunset, however, sighed after only a few moments. “Alright…I let you break first last time, so it’s only fair. The truth is…whatever this thing in the basement is, it’s been gnawing on my mind ever since I was a child. The only time I’ve ever really felt completely terrified was when I heard that thing’s voice. I still have nightmares about it every once in a while to this day. However…I know Celestia was who was keeping it bound down there. She told me it couldn’t ever get out, but as the years went by I kept telling myself if that was true then she wouldn’t have had to check on it so often.” She looked up and around. “I never really expected to be back in Canterlot again…but I made myself a little promise. If I ever did get back, I was going to make sure it was still down there. Of course…I kind of hoped that I would have had six Anima Viris when that day came. How about you?”
“To tell the truth, that’s pretty much why I’m here. I wanted to make sure it was still there as well. Especially considering what Celestia warned me about it… If what she said was true, then it needs to stay locked up here forever. And if she’s not here to make sure it stays, and Luna apparently doesn’t know about it…then I guess that leaves it to me.” A pause. “I guess we’re both here for the same thing.”
“Yeah…I guess we are.”
Both stared at each other silently again.
“Well…” Twilight finally spoke up. “In that case, would you…um…well…uh…”
“Well what?”
“I was just…er…wondering…um…if…”
“What?”
“Would you like to…go down together?”
Sunset looked a bit surprised. Seeing that, Twilight grasped her arm and winced.
“The truth is…even being here is bringing back every terrifying memory I had from the last time I was there. I’m…actually getting more scared with every step I’d take and I think if I go much farther I’m not going to be able to go at all. So if someone else is here who knows what I’m going to do…I really wouldn’t mind the company.”
Sunset hesitated, but not for too long. She actually gave a weak smile back. “S-S-Sure….no problem.”
Twilight looked a bit surprised that she had accepted, but soon she was able to smile as well. “Great! Um…well…let’s go! I, uh…have the light, so…I guess I’ll take the lead…”
After another moment of hesitation, she began to walk forward again with the lamp. As she moved past Sunset, however, she readily fell in alongside her, and soon the two were continuing through the Northern Keep.
“You…you remember the way?”
“Not exactly, but…I think we start off going this way… I know we pretty much just keep looking for the secret doors…”
As the two continued, they did find the first secret door not long after, and began to worm their way through the deathly silent structure. They seemed to grow a bit slower and more fearful with each secret door they passed through. They stayed almost completely silent, not due for lack of anything to say so much as a desire to keep quiet. Their footsteps, while well insulated from the outside, grew quieter and smaller with each new step.
Both of them visibly slowed when they finally crossed through the door that changed the décor of the Northern Keep. The normal walls with wooden paneling were replaced with bare stone and mortar, and the place grew colder and danker.
Twilight stopped at one point. Sunset froze as well, and looked back at her. It took her several moments before she spoke, but when she did she whispered as quietly as she could. “Is something wrong?”
“I…I just…”
Sunset stood there and waited, but Twilight swallowed and shook her head.
“I just…felt very, very scared just now. Like I really don’t want to be here. If you weren’t here, I think I would have just turned around now.”
Sunset couldn’t even manage a weak smile at that. However, she was able to put her hand on her shoulder and give a squeeze, and with that both of them were able to go further.
It seemed to take another hour to reach their destination though it couldn’t have been more than ten minutes, even with walking slowly. At last, however, both of them turned one final corner…and stopped again.
There it was.
Sunset let out a cold shiver as she saw the narrow, stone-walled staircase leading straight down. There was no light down there this time—only more darkness. Darkness and silence.
Neither moved, and neither wanted to. Movement meant sound, and they didn’t want to make the slightest. They must have stood there for five minutes, but at last Sunset moistened her lips. Suddenly, she scraped her foot against the ground, producing a loud noise.
Twilight snapped to Sunset in alarm, and Sunset herself went rigid, but didn’t move.
Nothing happened. No other sound came from below.
Sunset blinked and slowly exhaled. Twilight, realizing what the purpose of that was, did the same. She looked down again, swallowing, and grasping the lantern more tightly.
“You ok?” Sunset finally asked.
Twilight nodded. “It’s just…this is…this is pretty much the farthest I’ve ever come.”
“Same here. Let’s…take it one step at a time.”
Twilight nodded again. Together, the two slowly inched forward and, as slowly and carefully as they dared, steeled themselves enough to step down on the first step. Once that happened, it was easier for them to slowly go down the next few, although they slowed down before the bottom. Yet with each new step, nothing changed. Everything remained dark and silent.
At long last, both now sweating finally reached the bottom for the first time. Twilight, shaking a little, held up her lantern and shone it in front of them. As it turned out, there was only a short stone hallway in front of them, and only a single room on the side. The door was old, heavy, and oaken, with an iron-barred window. Nothing but darkness inside.
Before she could lose her resolve again, Twilight stepped forward to the front of it. Sunset, following suit, quickly did the same. As Twilight was holding the lantern, she reached out and grasped the handle. They both looked at each other, nodded, and then Sunset swallowed and opened it up.
An old, musty, and yet foul stench greeted them. Not quite enough to gag but it made them both recoil at first. Other than that, nothing. After the initial shock wore off, Twilight risked venturing forward and shone her lantern inside.
The room was reasonably large and square, but mostly empty. However, there were traces of a very large and intricate runic symbol that took up most of the room and even went up the walls. There looked to be remains of where torches or braziers had once been, although they were long gone. There was also scoring from some form of heat or energy staining the floor in the center of the symbol. Aside from that, there was an aperture in the back, although neither one of them looked to that at first.
Both slowly stepped inside, realizing that the place was uninhabited, and as a result lost a touch of their anxiety. Once in, Twilight brought the lantern closer and both looked over the floor.
“Celestia conducted a ritual in here…” Twilight murmured after a while. “Or at least someone did…”
Sunset glanced over the rune, but shook her head. “It doesn’t match anything in any of the books of hers I read. Do you understand it?”
She shook her own head. “No. Not even the structure or the points on the symbol. This was something she never even came close to teaching me.”
She held up the lantern soon after, this time shining it on the aperture. Sunset looked up after it, and both began to approach.
They made out a gated door overlain on it, although the bars were neither rusted nor tarnished but forged of something gleaming and new in the faint light. Looking inside, they saw a dismal stone cell that looked to be about the size of a deep closet. The stench was stronger here, coming from a hole on the floor that they assumed had been a latrine. Shattered plates and dishes that had never been cleaned up were against the back wall. There were chains made of the same gleaming metal in there. These ones were stained with very old blood, especially around the manacles and, what looked like to the two of them, special pieces shaped like gloves and boots as well as a muzzle.
The reason for that soon became clear. There were bloody marks around where the chains were mounted into the wall with the same metal, along with scratches in the stone. Much to their revulsion, the remains of fingernails were embedded in the rock in a few places.
Twilight swallowed a gag and looked to the door. She examined the metal momentarily before making a realization. “Adamantine…”
“Adamantine chains can bind even a god…” Sunset quietly echoed. “That’s what Celestia told me.”
Twilight looked more uncomfortable as she shone her light back into the cell. She studied the chains and the damage before wincing. “What…whatever was in here…was desperate to get out… That’s why the hands and feet were covered…and the teeth… It was trying to claw or…or bite its way free…”
“I guess it succeeded…”
Twilight looked up to Sunset, who was looking more uneasy now as she stared at the cell. After a moment, a weak smile followed by a soft chuckle came from her lips.
“I mean…it’s not here now, is it?” she said somewhat wistfully. “Heh…something else Celestia was wrong about. She told me it couldn’t get out…”
In spite of her face and tone, it was clear that Sunset was rapidly growing more fearful. Twilight herself didn’t much like the sound of that either, but she took a deep breath and steadied herself. “Maybe…but if it was still here, I think we would have known that by now. Whatever it was it’s long gone. This place hasn’t had anyone in it for years.”
“It was it.”
Twilight again looked up to Sunset. Her smile was gone as she turned to Twilight.
“It all makes sense. It’s what Luna was trying to say. She said that the…the you-know-what…was a natural phenomenon. That means it must have been naturally born. That’s why neither Celestia or Luna tried to destroy it. If they did, it would just be born again in some other way.”
The realization came to Twilight of what Sunset was saying. “You mean…this cell… She actually had it trapped? Right here?” She turned back to the empty cell, staring at it a moment longer, but then frowned. “But then Celestia died…and it figured a way out. Maybe it got thin enough to slip through the chains. I mean…” She pointed at the dishes. “Celestia was feeding it. Keeping it alive…”
“And keeping the Anima Viris it needed away from it,” Sunset added. “But that’s over now. It got loose. And now it’s looking for them… I can’t believe it. This whole time, Celestia had it right here. We were sleeping right next door to it…” She let out a noise of disgust. “All of our lives were constantly in danger. If the apocalypse hit, it was going to start right here in Canterlot. How could she be so…”
Twilight looked up to her, but Sunset cut herself off. She frowned and her own face fell.
“Nevermind. I have no room to talk. It’s not like I took what she taught me and did anything responsible with it…”
Twilight glanced back at the cell one last time, then exhaled and turned back to her. “There’s nothing left for us here now. We better get back to the others before anyone wonders where we went.”
She turned and began to head for the entrance.
“Twilight.”
She froze and turned back to her. Sunset was looking up again.
“Until now, I didn’t really fully believe Luna about that thing. And I guess since I just threw its name around, I didn’t really believe Celestia either… But I do now. I’m remembering every horrible thing Celestia said about it and everything I saw with my own eyes. And now it’s loose… It could be anywhere. It could be hiding in this city right now. It could-”
“Sunset.”
The word snapped her out of it. She looked up to Twilight. Although the woman still looked fearful, she solidified herself.
“I’ll stop it. We’ll stop it. It’s what Celestia would have wanted and what she trusted me to do.”
Sunset didn’t answer. She simply stared back silently.
Twilight motioned onward. “Come on.” With that, she turned and began to head out again.
Sunset let the shadows fall over her a moment. She did finally move, but when she did it was with a slow, nervous exhale.
“Maybe if I could still use Anima Viris, I’d feel braver too…” she muttered under her breath.
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Nice chapter and the plot thickens.