Crystal Splitterz - The Ponies of Power

by Mr Chimokun

Entropic Beginnings

Chaos and entropy…two very same forces yet very different…both united to achieve great purpose, yet separate in power…light and darkness…a history of strife…for it is this that our story unravels..

Entropy…

Darkness. Pitch black darkness surrounded the refined, elegant city of Canterlot. The dense darkness blanketed the area, no light pierced through it. Tense, yet peaceful, the citizens of Canterlot slept through this dark night, still, serene, at peace with themselves. Above the city, in a castle balcony on top of a tower, sat a dark blue alicorn with brilliantly dark blue hair, with a calm demeanor on her face. She hesitantly got up and prepared herself to do her job-raise the ever glowing moon to counter the darkness. The blue alicorn was only inches from her stone pedestal when an elegant white alicorn with wavy rainbow hair and a sun cutie mark, appeared from her hiding place, to the surprised alicorn.
“Well hello there, sister. It’s a surprise to see you here.” the blue alicorn responded.
“Hello dear Luna. And how’s my sister doing on this fair evening?”
“Oh, just doing what I do best, fair sis. I’m raising the moon to compliment the night, like I always do.”
“And you do it most excellently.”
The divine alicorn approached her perplexed counterpart with a deep smile on her glowing face. Luna raised her head and twirled her mane aside.
“But you have seen me do this for the last century. What makes you certain this night will be any different?”
Celestia approached Luna and raised her wing. “Come hither, Luna.”
“Well, as you wish.” She hopped down from her raised pedestal and approached Celestia. Celestia then sat down on the cold balcony floor and bade her to sit beside her. Clutching Luna with her feathery wing she pointed at the dark abyss above them.
“Tell me what you see.” Celestia responded.
“All is see…is darkness. Inky darkness. It is the hour of night after all.”
“Precisely.” Celestia added with a soft nod. “And tell me, what’s missing?”
“Is that supposed to be a trick question?” Luna replied sarcastically.
“Just answer the question, Luna.” Celestia softly turned to Luna, still clutched onto her side, baring a small smile on her glowing face.
“The moon and the stars of course.” Luna calmly responded. “But why do you tell me these questions?”
Celestia calmly twirled her head aside, lost in thought, deep in contemplation of the past.
“Luna, before we were chosen to rule Equestria, I never would’ve guessed that I would hold this much responsibility for my subjects. Raising the sun is an immense responsibility. The plants, the animals, they all depend on the sun’s rays to survive. It marks the passing of the days, its set-as a beacon for our progression. For centuries, I have raised the sun-and I never figured out its most important aspect. But now that I see you…Luna turned to her sister in anxiety.
“What do you mean? Please elaborate your points with more clarification, dear sister."
“…I see that its main purpose…is light. Light that banishes the darkness. A beacon of hope for all of my subjects in times of need. The warmth of light that greets our subjects…no, our friends…everyday. They depends on the light, need the light, to survive. And we both share a similar trait, Luna.”
Luna anxiously replied with a harsh undertone. Celestia opened her eyes in surprise.
“But...What is this valuable trait you speak of? You don’t make much sense, dear sister. I guard the night, how can the night have something to do with what goes on in the daytime? They are both opposites, they can’t ever coexist with one another. It’s impossible.” Luna bowed her head slowly in disappointment and began to softly sob. Celestia gave her sister a big squeeze with her wing to snap her out of her depression.
“Besides, Luna added with a sniff, …you have the power of the sun. The SUN, the most powerful of all objects. With that kind of power you control the fate of many of our subjects with a flick of you hoof. You have the potential to make them do as you see fit, yet you still choose not to. How are we so alike then? For I am only your shadow. You have the rays of the sun blessing you; I only have the crescent moon to curse me.” Luna coldly turned away only for the patient princess beside her to sharply nudge her again.
“There IS something in common with both of us. Look at you cutie mark.” Celestia nudged her head towards Luna flank. Luna peered down at her flank to see a crescent surrounded by dark blotches. She once again turned to her sister in puzzlement.
“As I said…a crescent moon. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Luna looked away from her cutie mark in shame. Celestia then pouted and began to speak again in a more serious tone.
“You believe you have no purpose other than to raise the moon at night. But let me rephrase my last statement…what do you notice that’s similar about the two objects in the sky? Do you assume that each has no purpose other than to be an ornament to carry the days on end? In actuality, the moon has an equal purpose other than to be a mere object. It raises and lowers the tides of the oceans; it’s a great tool for astronomers to mark out the months past. And most importantly…”
She turned to Luna again and grinned. “It provides…
“LIGHT!” Luna cheerfully responded, holding her hoof up in exclamation.
“Precisely, my dear Luna. If there’s one thing both of our objects have in common is the light that they give off. My light brings joy and tranquility during the day, while your moon brings calm and serenity during the night. It’s the light that inside us all…the light inside you… that guide our friends towards their destined paths. You have that potential to be a light…a beacon of hope for all ponies.”
“I do?" Luna said softly.
“Yes. While we may be counterparts, we still work together to achieve a great purpose. While we may be contrasts, we still carry out the existence of all pony kind. Even if the moon isn’t visible in the daytime, it’s still actively controlling the tides of the oceans. The moon might not produce its own light by itself, but it requires help from the sun’s rays. Don’t you see? We might be separate in purpose, but together… our light will shine above all darkness. Never forget this, Luna.”
“I won’t…and thank you, dear sister.”
Luna paused. She began to feel a sense of deep sadness; tears welled from her eyes as she began to sob. Celestia only squeezed her sister tighter as she could feel her sadness pulsing from her body. Luna wiped her eyes and stared up at her sister, who proceeds to slowly wrap her head around hers in a hugging posture. Luna tightly held her sister, in an effort to never let go of her prize, an effort to keep her sister near her as a constant guide… a great friend.
“I love you Celestia. With all my heart.” Luna whispered.
“As do I.” Celestia replied.
The white elegant alicorn softly pushed Luna forward with her wing in an effort to remind her of her previous engagement. “Now, go do what you do best.”
“I will do it proudly.” She boasted as she once more approached her stone pedestal. Slowly she rose up and extended her wings perpendicularly from her body. With black wings extended, she slowly flapped them up, pushing herself above the ground. As she slowly rose up from her pedestal, the princess of the dark raised her hooves up. A white, bright, circular orb slowly rose behind her as she held her position in place. The orb finally stopped and unleashed a bright flash, blinding Celestia. With hoof over eyes, she squinted at the elegance of her dear sister, who still maintained her pose. As the moon rose higher in the sky, tiny brilliant specks of light slowly appeared, rolled out like a blanket over a bed. The stars flowed and ebbed into the night sky surrounding the elegant city of Canterlot, in a never ending sea of dark.
Breathing deeply, Luna slowly descended from her previous position. Wings tucked across her waist, she once again hugged her sister and gently nudges her playfully.
“So, how did you think I did?”
“You did great, dear Luna. Our parents couldn’t be more proud of us.”
Luna once again hugged the princess, but the princess of daytime seemed dazed.
Confused, rather, for it seemed something was amiss in the laws of the universe.
The stars seem fine, Celestia thought, but what is it exactly that’s wrong? Why do I feel…afraid?”
Celestia turned to her sister, still gloating at her obvious ability to raise the moon. Spotting a telescope at the far end of the balcony, she quickly asked the gleeful princess for permission.
“Luna, may I please borrow your telescope for a second?” Princess Celestia politely asked.
“Yes you may.”
Luna began to cheerfully chant to herself as the fearful princess began to frantically search the heavens for any supposed signs of trouble.
“The Horse Head Nebula looks fine, Alpha Centuari is a bright as ever, Ursa Major and Minor is good. Orion’s belt…where can I start?" She squinted up at Orion’s belt with puzzlement as the stars brightly twinkled in her eye. She finally paused and softly gasped at the object straight ahead.
Over to the right of Orion’s belt and past the Andromeda galaxy was a black speck. A black speck that pulsed a malevolent red glow. An evil, red glow, unlike Celestia has ever seen before. The speck surged with a scarlet pulse, burning menacingly; piercing the star filled sky in a deep crimson.
Celestia slightly trotted back from the telescope in surprise and in shock, dazed at the object in the sky. Luna stopped her joyous rambling and turned to her sister, surprised by the shocked look on her face.
“Thou feel well, sister? You need to get to bed. It’s getting dreadfully late.” Luna said.
“Yes…that’s probably what I need…good night Luna.”
“You too, Celestia. Rest your eyes. For tomorrow is a new day for you. As always, the night will be guarded.”
Celestia slowly trotted back toward the opening of the tower, sleep filling her head as consciousness slowly ebbed away from the fearful princess. As she approached her chamber, she began to contemplate about the dark object in the sky, about its origin, and any possible reasons behind its appearance. For centuries, this divine alicorn has never encountered an object of sorts. Maybe it’s a star about to collapse and die in exhaustion- or perhaps a star about to be born? Whatever the reason, it gave a sense of dread that bothered the princess. And this was something this determined ruler of daytime was going to investigate.
On ground level, the curious princess stopped to see the silhouette of her sister, happily gazing at the moon. Ignorantly surrounding herself with her bliss, the princess of the night, with hoof in chin, stood in place, deeply staring at her object of choice, unaware of the things to come. Unaware at what the future might hold for all of existence.

…

The moon, with its brilliant gleams of light, shone brightly over the distant town of Ponyville, the moon greeting the tiny settlement with its rays. The stars flickered brightly as the denizens of the cozy town lay fast asleep in their cozy cottages, serene in their slumber, eager to regain their energy to start another day at the command of the dawn.
But there was one residence in the near center of Ponyville whose enthusiasm was overflowing, even at this time of night. A certain library of sorts, in the form of a tree house. A residence, inhabited by the unicorn known as Twilight Sparkle.
“Here are the maps you wanted Twilight.” A petit purple dragon with huge eyes and green spikes running across his back quickly paced around, carrying scrolls across his arms. The weight of the pile of parchment was too much for the little lizard, as he collapsed down on his bottom, rubbing his arms.
“Oops, sorry I asked for so many. You can never be too prepared for something like this.” A purple unicorn twice as big as the dragon, with black hair, a streak of purple on her mane, and a star cutie mark, slowly trotted towards the exhausted pile of scales and using her natural unicorn powers, picked up the old parchments and stuffed them inside a satchel. The dragon picked himself up and scratched his head in wonder.
“Umm...Twilight, why do you need all this anyway? The dragon asked curiously.
“Because, my dear Spike, the annual Star- Struck Meteor Shower happens only tonight. And I wrote a report on comets last year. And this year, I’m hoping to make recalculations of my old calculations and revise a new report. As they always say “You can never be too perfect on your studies.” Well maybe no one has ever said that. On second thought, let me write that down, it might come in handy for another report to the princess.” The eager unicorn quickly grabbed a quill and parchment and began writing notes down. Carrying even more scrolls, the young dragon once again lost his balance and fell face first, this time due to clumsiness.
“Is there anything else…that I can get you?” Spike plopped on the ground worn out from carrying parchments.
“No, that won’t be necessary; Owlowiscious is taking care of all other necessary items for me. You can, however, retrieve me a book from the upper shelf in the back room.”
“Whatever you say, little Miss Perfect.” The grumpy dragon walked towards the back room and entered a room filled with stacks of books. Panicked, and slightly annoyed, he began to climb the stack of books to reach the top shelf where the “As” were. Spike spoke to himself as he threw books on the ground.
“Anatomy, Anthropology , Autobiographies…perfect…Astronomy!” Spike picked up an old green book from the shelf and slid down the stack of books. He hurriedly brought back the green book to Twilight, who stuffed the book in one of her satchels. A small brown owl, with beady eyes and a small beak, glared blankly at Spike, gathering more provisions.
Picking up a sextant, compass, and a small telescope, he placed the astronomy tools near a table and began mumbling to himself as the annoyed dragon stopped to see a disappointed Twilight, looking at the stack of books left in the previous room.
“Uh, Twilight, I didn’t mean…”
“That’s okay Spike, I’ll take care of it.” Twilight happily said as she began carrying the books with her magic. Conveniently placing the square parchments in alphabetical order, the books smoothly glided towards their rightful shelves, until the room looked as spotless as the rest of the library. Spike once again looked at Twilight annoyed.
“You know, me and Owlowiscious would’ve taken care of it.” Spike added.
“We don’t have time for arguing over trivial matters. We got a meteor shower to get to. Owlowiscious will watch over the library while we’re gone.” The brown bird jumped off from the purple unicorn’s back and flew towards a branch in the main room. Planting its claws on the branch, it gave a small hoot and proceeded to close its beady eyes, falling asleep.
Spike pointed at the bird in compliant. “Does THAT look like “watching over the library” to you?” Owilicious hooted gently as Twilight pulled the resentful dragon towards the door.
“Spike let’s GO! NOW!” The impatient unicorn pulled Spike by the tail and shut the library door behind them. She turned to Spike, who jumped on her back, but seeing how heavy her supplies were, bade the small dragon to jump off.
“Sorry Spike, I’m already carrying enough as it is. It won’t do you harm if you walked with me tonight. Besides, it’s good for your health to walk once in a while. Now come on, we got a long walk ahead of us.”
The duo slowly made their walk across the little town of Ponyville towards a large hill in the distance. The dirt slowing rose from the ground as the duo’s feet slowly inched away from the town towards a small dirt road leading up a hill. After a good while of walking, Spike began to pant in exhaustion as the pair slowly made their way up an incline.

…

“Are…we there…yet?”
Twilight glanced back at the slow lizard with a cheery look on her face. “Look at the bright side: The journey is more rewarding than the goal.”
“Well…I prefer the goal right now, I’m bushed.”
“We’ll worry about the goal once we reach our destination.” Twilight remarked as she approached a large bend. Slowly ascending upwards, they finally reach the other side of the hill to be greeted by a pink hyperactive equine.
“We…made it.” Spike passed out on the grassy ground as Pinkie Pie shook twilight’s hand.
“Well, HIII TWILIGHT. I’m so psyched you could make it tonight. It’s always so exciting to see colorful falling rocks in the middle of the night.” The pink equine bounced hyperactively in a circle as Twilight began to lecture her.
“Pinkie Pie, some of those rocks are comets. Frozen masses of ice and ash with a little dusty tail. Well at least I think they do. Hopefully we'll see some tonight.”
“Uh- Oh. Someone’s been reading too many books. You should start having more fun instead of constantly worrying about all that egg head stuff.” A cyan colored pegasus with a rainbow hued mane flew past the impatient purple unicorn, landing beside her provisions with a loud bang.
“Rainbow, be careful with my stuff, it’s very fragile.” Twilight threw her arms over her equipment in an effort to protect it. Rainbow, seeing her desperation, jokily poked one of her satchels.
“Oh my bad, I didn’t mean to hurt its feelings.” Rainbow playfully remarked.
Spike began to join in Rainbow’s crusade, laughing merrily as the mischievous duo moved objects around. Scurrying to pick up her equipment, she glares back at the rainbow hued pegasus, who proceeded to give her a funny look. Spike hesitantly sneaked away before Twilight could catch him.
“Aw, what’s wrong, Twilight? I’m just teasing with ya. Learn to take a joke.”
“Well I'm not laughing. This is very serious business. The princess is expecting hard work from me, especially when it comes to research.” Twilight hurriedly emptied her contents on the ground and began spreading her maps over the cold grassy hill. As Pinkie hovered over the impatient unicorn, a white unicorn with a purple curly mane steadily approached her. Twilight turned to the hyperactive pony bouncing beside her, only for the unicorn to accidentally step on one of her pencils.
“Ouch, oh the nerve…”
“Oh, hi Rarity. I didn’t expect you to be out her so late. Where’s Fluttershy and Applejack?”
“Applejack is passing refreshments out to the other ponies. Poor Fluttershy has to stay home to take care of Angel. Poor thing’s sick with a cold.”
“Figures. She always has something important to take care of. Unlike some ponies that don’t let other ponies do their work in peace.” She angrily glared at Pinkie Pie, who stopped her hyperactive bouncing and trotted away disappointed.
“Oh I-I'm sorry Twilight, if you really so busy at the moment, I suppose I can talk to you later. Can’t interrupt a busy pony with her work. Trust me, I know.” The refined unicorn gave an apologetic bow and trotted away in hot pursuit of Pinkie Pie. An orange pony with freckles, blonde hair and a cowboy hat, yelled out commands in attempts to control a hungry crowd of happily content yet slightly hungry equines.
“Now, one at a time rascals. I can’t give these apple fritters out to all of y’all at one time. Applebloom, keep these pesky ponies away while I make it to that table.”
“Aye- Aye, sis.” A smaller, yellow earth pony with a red mane and bow pushed the equines out of the way to make room for her sister, carrying a tray of delicious apple fritters. Making her way towards a table, the colorful happy equines impatiently waited for these delicious treats with a much outrageous demeanor.
“Now don’t you ponies fret. There are plenty of fritters for every pony.” She spotted the hard working Twilight in the distance, heavily focused in her astronomical studies to glance up. Applejack, concerned for the security of her friend, and with a fritter in hoof, rushes towards her in attempt to cheer her up.
“Apple fritter?”
“Hi Applejack.” she said tiredly. Applejack walked up to the fatigued pony in order to comfort her.
“What’s wrong sugar cube? Something’s bothering ya?
Twilight ceased drawing figures on a blue spreadsheet and glanced up at the smiling earth pony, still comically nudging the apple fritter in her face.
“As a matter of fact, something is bothering me. I’m trying to do some research and every pony keeps interrupting me. Sure I don’t mind some attention, especially coming from a beautiful night like this, but this is very, very, VERY important to me.”
“Whatever you say, sugar-cube. I’ll won’t stop ya from looking at your fancy mathematics.”
“Astronomy.”
“Whatever. It’s all the same dribble to me. Well, ill best be getting back to my work now. “APPLEBLOOM STOP MESSING WITH THAT PONY AND GET ME SOME PLIERS”
Laying the tasty morsel beside Twilight, she quickly trots back to her station while screaming to her sister in efforts to control the ravenous crowd of ponies.
Twilight giggled. She picked up the tasty treat and began eating it; the crisp savory flavor from the authentic natural grown Apple Family apples tantalized her tongue. After finishing her snack, she once again picked up her compass and began to plot the positions of the ever changing stars in the sky.

…

The moon hung high over the small group of equines as they waited for the yearly meteor shower to commence. Ponies of all hues began telling stories of legends of old around the cozy fire; others began playing gleefully to pass the time aside. But Twilight, in all honesty, was a unicorn that didn’t care about such trifle.
Sure, it seemed like fun. Hey, it even tempted her to join in. Yet her determination to study the mysteries of the universe consumed her. A hunger for knowledge, which took over her entire being, a being now filled with a deep dedication to her studies, in ways that no pony would ever understand.
Tuned into her quill and compass in perfect synchronization, with map after map of planets and stars laid out in front of her, she vigorously drew out each constellation she saw through her telescope. As she drew, her mind drifted to a place outside of her reality. Other worlds, the possibility of other places, other experiences. What if, by chance, there were other realms like hers? What if by chance, if there were even a slight possibility, she could experience it for herself? This fascination fueled her determination. Her desire was to learn all there is to learn. Her food wasn’t the snacks Applejack made, only the rich bountiful fruit from the tree of life. This desire for complete wisdom is what she coveted most, more than anything. Only then, would her life’s purpose be wholesome and fruitful.
Her eyes widened at the thought of such possibilities. Her excitement went through her senses; she couldn’t help but to squeal in glee. But as her eyes cheerfully hovered over the stars overhead, they stopped over a peculiar object in the distance near Orion’s Belt.
A black speck. A black speck with a crimson glow. A strong crimson glow, which began to pour into the curious eyes of Twilight. A deep paranoia began surging from her body, a deep fear unlike anything she ever felt before. Twilight clumsily turned back to her notes and quickly flipped over her maps, only to discover the speck’s nonexistence in any of the star charts she previously brought with her.
Twilight, in complete fright, turned to Rarity, who was busy talking with Spike.
“Um excuse me Rarity, but, I was wondering…do you happen to see a red light up there?” She pointed towards the sky in panic.
“Uh, where Twilight? I don’t see any red light. You must be seeing things.”
“Right there, see?” Twilight waved her hoof towards the speck in the distance, but each of her friends, now seeing the distraught unicorn, looked up to see what Twilight was pointing to.
“What light, I don’t see nothing.” Rarity added.
“Uh, sugar- cube, are you okay? Cause I don’t see no red light anywhere.” Applejack twisted her head towards the unicorn’s direction only to be greeted with disappointment.
“Hee hee. Twilight, why are you acting so funny?” Pinkie only bounced higher and higher.
“Umm, Twilight, now you’re starting to creep me out.” Spike added.
WHY CAN’T YOU GUYS SEE IT??
The horrified unicorn spun around, she saw big crowds of multicolored horses, laughing and pointing at her silly gestures. The colors from the equines surrounding her melted into the environment, the voices of the ponies became muffled and echo like. Darkness mixed between these images, with Twilight horribly entangled between. Together, the tapestry of horror slowly consumed Twilight’s mind, her desperate worries becoming reality. With each spin, more humiliation, with each point towards the sky, more desperation. Twilight began to tremble, her face breaking into a cold sweat. The scarlet glow from the fragment above her began to fill the fiber of her being with fear, grinding her at every pore. She covered her face with her hooves, shielding herself from the nightmare surely about to consume her…
“…LOOK EVERY PONY THE SHOWER STARTING. THE SHOWER’S STARTING.”
Applebloom hyper-actively jumped up and down as a string of bright lights began falling from the sky. The rest of the equines, in response, rushed towards the top of the hill in order to get a better glimpse. Her malicious hallucination slowly ebbing away from her, Twilight rubbed her head and hurried over to the near top, softly pushing ponies along the way. The steaks of brilliant light spliced the night sky, fading away into the portrait of night. Twilight grabbed her stationed telescope and began searching the night sky to get a better look at the meteors fleeting by.
“Hmm, looks good,” Twilight thought to herself analytically. “Just as I suspected, comets do have long dusty tails.”
“Ooh, what about THAT comet over there? It looks pretty.” Pinkie exclaimed. She pointed at a giant comet like ball of light traveling behind the group. Twilight quickly turned her telescope towards Pinkie’s direction and began evaluating this strange object.
“Funny. It has a weird, rainbow colored glow to it. I’ve never seen such brilliant shades of color before. This could be an amazing discovery, the world’s first rainbow hued comet. If I document this now, I’ll be sure to become famous. Where did i put my quill?..”
“Ooh, ooh it wants to say hello. Hey pretty comet, wanna play?” Pinkie curiously waved at the ball of light dangerously approaching them. But as the rainbow colored rock of death quickly traveled towards the band of equines, Twilight was hit with the hard truth.
“Pinkie, that’s not a comet, that a…METEORITE!!”
“And I think that shiny rock is heading STRAIGHT FOR US!” Rarity screamed.
“RUN EVERY PONY RUN!”
The group of ponies scattered in all directions, tripping over objects and each other. Spike’s stubby feet only carried him so far, but Rarity seeing the poor lizard scooped him up and ran hastily. Running away from the group of equines, the stubborn purple unicorn quickly ran towards a nearby clearing, but spotted her coveted research documents lying on the floor. “Oh no, my research!”
Twilight pranced back to her research station and quickly stuffed her supplies back in her satchels. But seeing the impending doom approaching her, slowly closed her eyes. Now ready to accept her fate than to be incomplete, she flinched and covered her face with her hooves.
“TWILIGHT, I'M HERE TO RESCUE YA!” Rainbow Dash boasted. She rushed in attempts to aid her friend, but the meteorite was in dangerous proximity of her flying zone, in which the hesitant pegasus flew back. Destroying the sound barrier, the meteorite missed the cyan pegasus and crashed with a deafening explosion below the hill, shaking the ground and sending a cloud of dirt high above them. The ponies covered their snouts from the ash like cloud of dirt. The meteorite steamed at its crash site, as the ponies quivered in fear, dazed at what occurred.
Twilight was the first who braved to venture forth from the aftermath. She slowly made her way up the hill to look down, unlike the fearful ponies slowing inching behind her. As they all made their way up the hill once more, they stopped at the edge of the now visible hole and peered down curiously. A large crater was all that was left of the cute gathering, smoldering piles of dirt surrounded by an indention in the center. Speechless, the ponies began backing away further, but the determined Twilight only inched forward. Slipping on the gravel like edges of the crater, carefully sliding her way towards the indention in the center to discover a jagged crystal like rock the size of a soccer ball in the center.
“Umm...Twilight? Are you crazy? You’re gonna get hurt down there!” Spike exclaimed.
"Don't worry about me Spike. I'll be fine." Twilight reached out to touch the mysterious stone. She pulled her hoof expecting the sensation to be rather hot, but oddly, felt ice cold to the touch. Applejack threw down a rope and held it while the other ponies grabbed onto the other end.
“Okay, grab this rope so we can pull you out.” Applejack exclaimed.
The curious unicorn gripped onto the rope with her mouth and was steadily pulled out of the nightmarish abyss with the help of the other ponies. Rarity, with the help of Spike, began to comfort the traumatized equines, as Applejack approached her, perplexed. Twilight looked down on the stony ground, looked up at Applejack’s eyes, and then looked down again.
What in sweet Celestia’s name just happened?

…

An arduous drought. Nothing but the steaming hellish heat was felt burning into the skin of all the ponies in Equestria. This mysterious drought, which seemed to have come out of nowhere almost overnight, covered the vicinity of Ponyville with a heat wave unlike anything its citizens ever experienced before. Princess Celestia, fearing the safety of her citizens, gave an order to spread her military force throughout Equestria in order to maintain the security of her friends from an already malicious anomaly.
This has become known as Order 61.
Hundreds of stallion soldiers in gold clad armor marched into the town of Ponyville, seemingly menacing at first. Mayor Mare, confused at the display of military progression, read the order given to her with a rather paranoid disposition. Accepting the terms given to her, she could only disappointingly bow her head and sign the document of approval.
And thus the military lock-down of Ponyville began.
The iron clad soldier ponies were ordered to be positioned in every corner of each street, every town diner; even town hall was filled with the soldiers of the great Celestia. But even with the stern serious nature of a soldier they still had hearts of gold, helping ponies in need and helped themselves and the citizens of Ponyville to plenty of water. The soldiers weren’t evil stallions. They loved and respected the citizens they were protecting.
Even with the extra protection from the military, as kind as they could ever be, it came with a heavy price. Stores were shut down, businesses were closed for days, and not a single filly went outside to treat their sweet tooth to a tasty treat at Sugar Cube Corner. Sure this establishment was the only business in town capable of selling goods to the equines, but with this awful heat, it seemed rather grim for this friendly group of ponies.
On such day, it would come to the attention of a certain familiar royal couple. The pony couple was known far and wide in Equestria for their good deeds, spreading love throughout all corners of Equestria and creating good will for all pony kind. But most remember this royal couple for their glorious wedding, or rather, the wedding that almost didn’t happen. And thus, they earned the nickname “The Fortunate Couple of Love.”
Driving towards the locked down town of Ponyville in a much hurried pace, a white unicorn stallion with short blue hair, hurried past a group in guards in an effort to talk to the Lieutenant in lead of the group of soldiers in this area. Behind the unicorn in the back seat is a smaller pink alicorn of a much fairer beauty, with curly locks of purple and pink across her fair mane. Shaded under a big parasol, she made the effort in cooling down, yet felt no difference in temperature, almost fainting due to the intense heat. She was about to tell the impatient unicorn to slow down, when their hurry was interrupted by two gray unicorns clad in armor guarding the entrance of Ponyville with a blue force field.
“Authorized personnel only.”
“Shining Armor, with my wife, Princess Cadence.” The princess moved her parasol out of the guard’s line of vision.
“Access granted. Welcome to Ponyville, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence.”
The guards stood in an upright position to make room for the royal couple. The couple drove past Town Hall and after a few exhausting minutes out in the heat, decided to stop for a drink at Sugar Cube Corner. But the effects proved too strong for the fatigued alicorn as she rubbed her head in exhaustion.
“Wow, this heat is really starting to get to me. I think I’m starting to feel a bit woozy.”
“I think its best you stay here for the day. It’s not safe for you out here.” Shining responded worriedly.
“No r-really, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.” Cadence rubbed her head and wiped the sweat from her brow. She tried to unload herself from the carriage only to stumble from fatigue.
“No, it’s too dangerous. You’ll get heatstroke. I’ll get you a drink inside.” Shining Armor carried the weak Cadence over to the inside of Sugar Cube Corner, where they were greeted by a rather jolly colt.
“Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner, Shining Armor.”
“Oh, salutations Mr. Cake. How’s your family doing at such a time like this?” the white unicorn placed his sickly wife on a chair and gave the business owner a pat on the back.
“Oh, we’ve barely been holding by with what we got. With the whole drought and all.” He quickly gave the weak princess a cup of cold water to drink.
“And is the Mrs. okay?”
“She’s taking care of the little fillies upstairs.”
“I see.” The unicorn spotted the disappointment in Mr. Cake’s eyes. Curious, he asked a simple question which caught the suspiciously happy Mr. Cake by surprise.
“You don’t seem too happy as you used to be, Mr. Cake. Tell me what’s really wrong.”
The frigid colt began speaking with a much grim tone.
“You see… the truth is…I'm running out of supplies.”
Shining Armor looked at the distraught baker with curiosity. "I’m sorry but there’s really nothing I can do. After an order is sent out by the princess, there’s no stopping it. I unfortunately only carry out what’s been ordered. Even if the order requires a complete lock down.”
The baker looked down in disappointment. Shining Armor grabbed the baker’s hoof in an effort to comfort him. The smiling face of the unicorn gave the baker a sense of hope as he walked towards a nearby counter.
“I’m running low on supplies…this Order 61 business… it’s not keeping my family fed. My baby filly and colt, Pumpkin and Pound Cake, we just used the last of their baby food, which is composed of, well mashed carrots. I honestly don’t care what happens to me…but I at least want my babies fed through this catastrophe. I want to go out there and get the carrots myself, but with these soldiers authorizing every action and this blasted heat… ” Mr. Cake’s eyes shed a single tear, as Shining Armor trotted away from him. He peered down at his wife, tired from dehydrating in the sun, with a cup of water beside her hooves. He looked outside and peered down again, determined at what he must do.
“I’ll get you those carrots. Don’t you worry about a thing Mr. Cake.”
“Oh thank you Shining Armor. How can I ever repay you?”
“It’s no big deal. I can get you those carrots very easily. Just leave everything to me.”
Cadence, surprised at the decision made by her husband, jumped up and confronted her foolish groom.
“No…I won’t let you go out there alone, Shining Armor. You’ll get yourself killed.” She once again collapsed on the floor.
“This family needs me. I’ve known the Cakes for years traveling as a student at the Academy, and I must repay their kindness by doing this much.”
“But…but…” The stubborn white unicorn covered Cadence’s mouth with his hoof.
“Shh…it’ll all be better soon, I promise. I know Mr. Cake can’t do anything for his family right now, but I at least can. With my experience, I'm sure I’ll make it back with their carrots in no time.”
“Okay, I trust you. Just take care of yourself.”
Shining Armor once again turned to Mr. Cake.
“Where can I find carrots?”
“I know a farmer down the road who grows them. He’ll give you the carrots when you talk to him.”
“Okay. Ill won’t be long.”
The determined unicorn walked outside of Sugar Cube Corner with a hard determination in accomplishing his mission. He quickly walked out of the vicinity of the town into a long dirt road, much longer than he had hoped. He trotted down the road at a quick pace, more determined in making it to his destination. But as he began trotting further into the countryside, the heat began affecting his persona.
Slowly his breathing thickened. He could feel his heart pop out of his chest, a sharp pain spreading throughout his torso. With dry lips and blurred vision, he still carried on, still more determined in making it to the farmer and back to the Cakes with carrots in hoof. Dehydration took its deadly hold on this stallion, as the harmful effects inflicted damage on Shining Armor’s well being. Slowly, the lack of water consumed him, draining him of all energy, of all focus to keep going. Finally, due to a large lack of water, he collapsed on the dirt road, completely lacking all energy in a near comatose state.
Only a matter of time before a pair of gray hooves would quickly take him back for help.

…

The sounds of what seemed to be a panicked Mr. Cake echoed through the mind of the now recovering Shining Armor. He slowly and steadily recovered his strength only to be greeted by a different voice, one which sounded more sophisticated.
“Wake up, wake up dear chap. C’mon you got to wake up.”
Shining Armor quickly got up to find himself once again in Sugar Cube Corner’s downstairs room. “Wait, where am I? What’s going on? Where’s Mr. Cake? The carrots?”
“Right here.” A rather content Mr. Cake was mashing carrots together. “Thank goodness we found ya in the nick of time. You were passed out in the middle of the street. Fortunately this young stallion saved ya before serious harm happened to ya. He even brought me the carrots I needed, can you believe it?”
“Uh…what? Wait, where’s Cadence?”
“Upstairs resting. Poor thing was suffering from heatstroke. I had to interfere and get her to bed. It was at least I could do.” Shining Armor turned to a stallion he oddly found to be familiar. A gray unicorn with blonde hair and silver armor, with small black glasses. He stared at the white unicorn with a smile on his face.
“Shining Armor, old chap. You don’t remember me?”
Shining Armor clasped his hoof over his jaw, then began to grin realizing who he was talking to.
“Wait…Fierre? Is that really you? I never think I’d see you again. Not after the academy at least.”
“What did you expect; I was busy practicing my skills I learned painfully. What were you doing all this time hmm?” Fierre sarcastically responded. He trotted over to Mr. Cake who filled the containers with carrot mush for the babies. The two trotted towards a nearby table and sat down.
“Um sir, be a good chap and get us some drinks will ya?”
“S-Sure thing sirs. Coming right up.” He quickly retrieved the two unicorns’ two mugs of ice cold water.
“Why don’t you go feed your family and yourself upstairs? Shining Armor and I has some business to discuss.”
“Whatever you say, Mr. Fierre sir.” He quickly trotted upstairs with baby food in hand. Fierre once again spoke harshly, with a serious look on his face.
“You know I couldn’t have left you there hanging. No, no, not after all we’ve been through. “Besides, he added, …you weren’t capable in doing this on your own; it was the dreaded heatstroke that got to you. No, no I see it. You clearly don’t think things through. It’s always the Shining Armor way with you huh? Just go out and be stubborn, as usual.”
“I appreciate you saving my life Fierre. I owe you one.” Shining sternly responded.
“No, no, no, it was nothing really. It was really easy, getting your body back from where it was. I was assuming we were already too late. The guards thought you were already dead.”
Shining Armor disposition changed from a stern one to a much serious one. “So…you’re the Lieutenant in charge of this mission.”
“You’re most certainly right I am. And I’m doing a good job at keeping order if I do say so myself.”
“Well you’re not doing it well at the slightest. Yow could've at least talked to me before you fully decide an immediate action. I am the Captain, how come I didn't know about this?
"Well, I'm guessing you were late in receiving the news."
Shining blankly stared back, slowly sipping from his cold refreshing mug.
"They can't just close down innocent businesses under assumptions of an imposing threat. This is all very fishy to me."
“Well it seems as though there’s nothing I can do. Besides, it’s not my authority, or even yours.”
Shining Armor only gripped his mug tighter.
“Then whom do you get your authority from?
“Well from Celestia of course. She offered me her signature of approval, see?” He slammed the mug down on the wooden table and stepped up.
“I don’t believe you. The princess wouldn't normally implement such a harsh order."
"Well here, let me show you" He pulled out a parchment and placed it on the table beside the dumbfounded Shining Armor. He read the Order in detail with a perplexed looked on his face.
How come I didn't know anything about this...this order? Who gave authority to a Lieutenant over me? Something fishy is definitely going on here...
Shining calmly spoke again after giving back the parchment.
“I don’t think you truly mean to help these poor ponies, even with this. You don’t even have the right to treat them like this. A piece of paper isn't gonna help you any.”
“Hey, I gave this family their carrots, didn’t I?” Fierre marched towards the front of the room with an angry look on his face. He quickly gained his cool and once again moved in front of the now confused Shining Armor.
“Forget about the carrots… Shining Armor, I wanna ask you something.”
“Sure, go ahead. I’m just dying to find out what you want to know.” he said sarcastically.
“In reality, when it comes down to it, with our training and suffering through the academy years, do we really deserve to be in positions of power? Have you stopped and thought at how being captain of the royal guard, or in my case a lieutenant, has affected the lives of every pony, these poor ponies included? Are you capable of protecting these ponies, Shining Armor? How can you? You can’t even protect yourself.”
Shining Armor, now irritated at the smiling stallion, walked up to Fierre with a stern demeanor. He stared at the sophistication of the gray unicorn, his cool appearance which oddly gave Shining Armor chills. The blue haired Captain walked towards the window of the diner, with a fiery disposition now come to light with the issue at hand.
“You seem to question my capabilities as a captain, Fierre. When you only walk in circles with your own words. You can say that I have no ability whatsoever, and that the honor goes to one who is more worthy of the title. It isn’t something given to those that is born with it, it isn’t blessed to those who are more disciplined or more good looking. You have to earn it with hard work and diligence, working your way up and experiencing the worst. I worked really hard to earn the title of Captain, requiring me to do things I never thought possible, things which I was willing to sacrifice, even if it meant everything to me. This title is a sign of my complete service to others, to which I proudly hold firmly as a sign of respect to all that I love. That is the true nature of a leader, Fierre. So, to answer your question: yes, I’m more than capable of protecting my loved ones.”
“How can you say such things? You assume your ability is nothing but a way in giving service to others? I say it’s a badge to be worn proudly. Nothing more, nothing less. Sure, you can become a captain through hard work, but by the looks of things, you can’t even do the hard work yourself, let alone stay out in the heat for more than two seconds. I’m sure you don’t have what it takes to make it to another bend and back, or rather, repel another invasion. I’m pretty sure everyone, even your frail pathetic shell of a wife, incapable of taking care of herself on her own, will stop relying on such a weak and incompetent prince.”
“Are you insulting my wife?” Shining Armor snorted angrily.
“What, did I get you all fired up? Then prove to me you got what it takes to be a true stallion of honor. Show me that you are capable of any odd, of any catastrophe.”
“You first insult my wife’s honor, and then foolishly decide to challenge me? I don’t see where you’re going with this.”
“Fine. I propose we settle this once and for all, for old time’s sake.”
“Fine. What do you have in mind?” Shining replied angrily.
“Just a simple race around that hill and back. Hopefully nothing that you can’t handle.” He pointed towards a large hill towards the east side of town.
“And what about this heat? Even you’re not this crazy to run outside for more than two seconds without melting.”
“Don’t worry about it, old chap. I’ll make the pegasi take care of it. I’ll just tell them to temporarily cover the sky with heavy clouds. Sure it won’t be perfect, but the heat won’t be unbearable, at least to you mhmmhm.”
“What if I win?” Shining Armor said. Fierre stopped his rambling and peered behind him.
“If you win, I’ll lift the lock down and provide them with supplies. But if I win hehehheh…let’s just leave this at a later time, shall we?”
“Yes…yes we shall.” Both unicorns locked into each others eyes with deep competitive malice. He pulled his eyes away from Shining Armor and got up from his chair.
“Now, I must be off to my post. Can’t keep the boys waiting. We’ll discuss our terms at a later time. Let’s see if a lieutenant’s will is stronger than that of the captain of the Celestial Royal Guard.”
He proceeded to walk towards the front door, with a much blank expression, filled with a controlled yet irregular poise to his demeanor. He turned to Shining Armor, still slightly aggravated about the encounter, to give him yet another piece of his mind.
“Just remember Shining Armor: Do you truly deserve your place?” With this, Fierre slowly closed the door behind him and walked off.
After his departure from Sugar Cube Corner, Mr. Cake and Mrs. Cake, accompanied by a much recovered Princess Cadence, trotted towards the now irritant Shining Armor, keeping his hoof near his mouth in a way to control his aggravation.
“I thought I heard voices just now. Who was that you were talking to? An old friend?”
“No…just an acquaintance I thought I’d never see again. That’s all.”

Fierre

Author's Note:

First of all, i believe this story is written horridly IMO. I couldn't get a beta reader so if you see mistakes, don't hurt me for them. Also i understand if its boring to you but just so you know....I AM NOT A WRITING MAJOR. I'm only doing this for fun.

Thank you and have a nice day.

Comments

[Ldude893]

There doesn't seem to be any satisfying conclusion. What's with the meteor? What work is this story crossing over with?

[Mr Chimokun]

oops. I put this as "complete" instead of "incomplete". (where's my muffins?) Its actually a long set of chapters and this is only part one. There will be more to come.

[Mr Chimokun]

2021376 oops, forgot to put it as "incomplete". There's a lot more where this came from don't fret. As for the crossover...lets just say the villain's goal is to bring the universe to ZERO, "hint hint"