Chasing Sunlight

by Aswad Zeev

Chapter 1: The Time Portal

Chasing Sunlight

Chapter 1:

Ponyville Castle:

Twilight yarned as she turned another page of the book she’d been engrossed in from the collection of Celestia’s private library

“It must be getting late, I should probably head to bed.”

Just then the light in the room began to change slowly. Confused, she looked up at the candle she had lit, it was running down, so she’d have to get a fresh one for tomorrow night. But that wasn’t it.

The light began to get steadily brighter. Then she noticed that it was coming from the window, she puzzled. Why would it be getting lighter outside? It was the middle of the night. She bookmarked her page and gingerly giving off another tired yawn lazily wandered to the window to look outside.

“What? Is the Moon going down? And that is the sun? Wait? What time is it?”

She hurriedly looked at the clock on the wall. “No, that can’t be right, have I been up all night?”

A few minutes later Spike knocked on the door and opened it. “Good Morning Twilight.”

*thud*

A book slammed into the wall beside him while a frantic-looking Twilight was scrambling through piles and piles of books.

“Where is it? Where is it? No, Noo, NOO! I can’t find that spell.”

“Have you been up all night again Twilight?” Spike asked with some concern carefully putting down the cup of coffee he’s made on a table in the corner from experience carefully placed outside of the book splash zone.

“Yes Spike, But there is a spell I saw which can fix that, I just can’t remember which book I read it in.”

Spike picked up the book which had been thrown at the wall next to him and read the title. “Tales of the Time Traveller” by SSTB. “Funny name, Sstubs? Oh wait, are they Initials?

It took a few more moments for Twilight to register what spike had said. It took a few more moments for her to suddenly freeze in place before looking to Spike.

Both calmly but also frenzied at the same time she stopped hovering a bunch of books which crashed on the floor around her before moving towards Spike.

“That’s the one, Spike, Please I’m in a hurry.”

“It’s just a spellbook Twilight? What’s the hurry?”

“The Spell,” Twilight explained. “can only be cast while the sun is still rising, but before it’s too late. So I need to cast it right now.”

She glanced out of the window making sure it was not still too late.

“Well ok,” Spike grumbled. “But it could have waited for tomorrow though”

Twilight grabbed the book with her magic and skimmed through the book until she found the right page and quickly cast the spell.

There was a bright flash of light from her horn which flooded the room and then nothing.

“Damn, Well I guess either it’s a dud or I was just too late. Oh well. Now I need some coffee.”

“Got you covered,” Spike said while gesturing to the table. He was already in the process of collecting up the books.

Canterlot Twin Royal Balconies:

Luna’s Balcony:
Luna gave a tired yawn as she lowered the moon with the rising sun on its way up, She’d glanced across to Celestia’s Balcony to see her a few moments earlier before closing her eyes as she began lowering the moon.

She could do blindfolded standing on one hoof once. She’d done it once to win a bet, and now it was almost child's play to do it almost without looking. It had been a long night and it was actually easier to do it without looking sometimes.

Celestia’s Balcony:
Celestia had risen a little while earlier, having been woken with the smell of her morning coffee placed on the table beside her bed. It always made the mornings start a little easier when someone kindly left a whole pot of coffee for her to wake up to, although she never did find out who it was.

Now standing on the Balcony she looked across all of Equestria that she could see from the lights of Ponyville to the city lights of Manehattan on the horizon. She’d looked at Luna, waved her good morning, although Luna was obviously too tired to wave back and she joined Luna in moving her Celestial body through the sky.

It was when she had only half raised the sun that there was a sharp light that caught her eye coming from the direction of Ponyville. She looked at it but it was gone as quickly as it had come. She thought nothing of it for a few moments before she suddenly felt unwell.

Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably like some magic in her body wanted to escape from every direction.

“Luna!” She cried out.

Luna opened her eyes to see what had pulled her out of her tired daze to look at Celestia.

“Luna, I don’t feel well.”

Luna saw that Celestia was glowing, her skin color was changing from its usual white to pitch black, it only took a few seconds while Luna just stared as her tired mind was coming to terms with what she was seeing.

Suddenly Celestia was gone and in her place was a bright portal and a Golden watch on a blue band was hovering in front of it and gently lowered itself down.

It was just then half a dozen guards barged into both of their quarters concerned with why the Sun had stopped with only half of it peaking out of the horizon and the Moon with it. Two semi-circles of light fixed on the far distant horizon.

Luna gestured to the guards in her quarters that she was alright and fluttered her wings to make the distance across the balconies.

As the guards in Celestia’s room reached the balcony the leading one asked seeing the shimmering lines of light in mid-air.

“W-what happened Princess?”

Luna leaned down and picked up the watch with her hoof and examined it.

“I do not know, But send word to Twilight at once! Also. Send a messenger to Star swirl. I fear that powerful magic has taken my sister and only he knows how to remedy the sky.”

It was a few minutes later Luna saw a flying chariot being dispatched to send word to Ponyville and another towards Las Pegasus where Star Swirl currently resided.

Luna barely moved except to adjust her weight on her hoofs occasionally as she watched the swirling portal until Twilight finally arrived.

She was clutching the book in her hoof ready to give a really deep and sincere apology with Spike at her side until she was surprisingly ushered with some speed into Celestia’s bedroom and Luna standing on the Balcony starring at something Twilight couldn’t see behind the curtain.

Twilight stepped closer calling out “Luna? “Is that you? What is wrong? Where is Princess Celestia?”

Without turning her head Luna beckoned Twilight forward.

“Twilight. You need to see this.”

As the Pony and Dragon moved forward Twilight uttered out in surprise “What is that?”

Spike said, “Wow, that looks cool.”

“That,” Luna said with a deadpan tone. “Appears to be a time portal and it looks like it is closing.”

“Is, Is that what happened to Celestia?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, I believe so, I cannot explain it But I believe my sister was sucked backward's in time. ”

Luna passed Twilight the watch still without taking her eyes off the portal.

“I have summoned Star swirl but I fear he may not get here before the Portal closes. Twilight. I am entrusting you with going back in time and returning my sister.”

“You can’t be serious?” Spike said.

Luna finally dragged her eyes from the portal. “I have never been more serious. Have you not seen the whole sky darken? History has been changed somehow. I cannot go. I must consult with Star Swirl when he arrives and someone must enter the time portal before it closes.”

Glancing between the stunned pair Luna continued “Twilight. Take this watch, It may help you locate my sister and return her to the present and fix whatever has been changed.”

“The Spell!” Twilight half-shouted. “The spell I cast this morning from the book. That must have been the cause of this.” Luna take this book. Star Swirl will know the spell that caused this from this book.”

Luna looked grim. “One more thing Twilight. My sister was overcome with an illness before she vanished. I feel the same illness although it is much slower. You must hurry, save both of us and save Equestria.”

“Let’s go!” Spike said speaking up.”

“No, you have to stay Twilight said. “I’m going back in time Spike, and it will be dangerous, Equestria was not always friendly to dragons and I can’t risk you getting hurt. Stay with Luna. Look after her until Star Swirl gets here. And with any luck, I will be right back.”

Twilight nodded to Luna before making sure she had a firm hold of the watch which she noticed was ticking backward's before leaping into the portal with the light of Equestria fading behind her and the light emanating from the portal also starting to dim ever so slightly.

Author's Note:

I wrote this in about 1 1/2 hours. It has not been proofread.

I also don't know how much more of this story is going to be written. If anyone wants to suggest any time periods Twilight should visit on her trip to the past, I will happily consider them to be featured in future chapters.

This is not a comparative story to the Cutie Re-Mark. It is Twilight traveling back through Celestia's history to find out what she accidentally changed in Celestia's past.

Comments

[Changeling404]

I'm so glad someone else liked that song enough to think about making a story for it.

[Fluttershylover3]

kinda want more now

[Aswad Zeev]

I like to think I'm an ok writer but I normally struggle with writing my own ideas. I feel that it's easier for me to work on someone else's ideas. I can't promise that the rest of this story will be as good as chapter 1 but I can say I am definitely working on it. I've written a complete first draft for the final chapter this afternoon and I have some idea's for a couple of middle chapters I want to write. I will try not to leave this story hanging too long. I will try to get a chapter up every couple of days if I can.