Prologue

As the Sun Sets

by Mystic

Prologue

A very long time ago...

The alicorn swept down through the battlements like a ghost. She was a whisper amongst tall pillars of stone that glowed like polished pearl in the moonlight. The castle loomed behind her, a vast behemoth of a domed building, surrounded by sharp towers that raked the night sky with their proud spires. The ceiling of the central dome was crafted out of the purest gold, and in the daylight it would shine as bright as fire.

Her wings trembled against the buffeting airflow keeping her up, and her horn tingled uncomfortably. She had to be careful; she was so close to burning out.

She landed along the high outer wall, unmanned despite the constant threat of assault that lurked over the citadel. Magic was a far better lookout than the eyesight of anypony under her command or her own. Even if the wards failed, they would have far larger problems.

Her armour was battered and rent in many places, lined with filth and dirt. She came to a stop along the parapets, looking out over the river. The water caught the moonlight and sent up sprays of light as if it were mist. The plains beyond quickly disappeared in a veil of shadow, immense in size and far too close for her liking. Great statues of stone flanked her, mighty swords resting in their iron grip, the sentinels modelled on the very enemies they were created to destroy.

She let her head fall, breathing deeply, her wings hanging limply against her sides. Her armour was heavy and felt poorly-fitted, but she did not have the strength to even attempt removing it. Perhaps she would later, but later never seemed to come. She was always being called out from behind the wall.

It wasn't the rustle of wings or the sound of hoof-steps that told her she wasn't alone. She was the only alicorn who could tell, but she always knew when her sister was nearby. Try as she might, and to her intense chagrin, the younger sibling could never surprise the elder.

"Your thoughts are dark, Sister."

Celestia turned to face her younger sibling. She was silent as she moved, her hoof-steps graceful as a dancer's.

How had she known? Her mask must be slipping. "My thoughts are tired, Luna. Nothing more."

"Tired? Most likely. Fatigue does breed despair."

Celestia allowed herself to glare at her sister for a second. "Despair? Where is your faith? What do I have to despair over?"

"You despair about everything. You despair about me, about home, about the others. You worry about the world, about the fate of all things to come. And at the moment, you are worried about the fate of the citadel."

Celestia turned away, annoyed. A cold wind whispered over the wall, and her mane blew unchecked about her face. "I shall not let the citadel fall."

Luna looked at her closely, her teal eyes completely unreadable in the darkness. Celestia realized her sister was always harder to read in the night. It was hers, after all. "You will not?” Luna said. “Is this your burden and yours alone now?"

Celestia sighed, suddenly drained of all enthusiasm to stand, let alone talk. "We will not let the citadel fall."

“Is it ever that simple?”

“I... No. It never is.”

Without warning, Luna stepped in faster than Celestia could blink, nuzzling her like she used to when they were foals. "I am here, Sister,” she whispered, so quiet that the wind almost tore her voice away. “Please do not forget it."

Celestia resisted the action for a second, more out of surprise than anything else. "He's so close, Luna," she whispered, afraid to talk any louder, should her fears be realised. "Every day we weaken while he grows stronger out there in the darkness. He is toying with us. The citadel cannot hold him forever."

Luna wrapped a wing around her, pulling her closer. "Then we burn the light brighter."

"Burn brighter? What does that mean? We cannot burn any brighter!" Celestia snapped, fatigue beating down on her temper until it shattered. "I cannot burn any brighter!"

Luna pulled away, her wing sliding back against her side. Her eyes were still warm, but vague, veiled, almost. "You can always burn brighter. You are the light of the sun."

There was something to Luna’s words, an edge that made Celestia swallow and look away. She was so tired, though. "I burn until there is nothing left, and then I burn some more. And yet, Moriath still edges closer." She paused, casting her eyes down to the stone floor. "We won today, little sister. We shattered his attack and routed his forces. But do you know what he did? He laughed. I couldn't see him, but I could hear him. Even as his monsters fell back into the forest, leaving the dead behind, he laughed at me. Laughed at by the Black Dragon! He knows that we are weak. He knows we can’t withstand him forever."

"And you will let him get to you? You will let his games fool you into believing that you are powerless to stop him?"

Celestia frowned. She hadn’t mentioned feeling powerless. She opened her mouth to respond, but then she closed it again. She was many things, but a liar she was not. And neither was her sister.

Luna moved closer, lowering herself down to Celestia's height to whisper in her ear, "You are not alone. Please do not forget that." Her voice was a caress soft as silk.

Celestia wanted nothing more than to race forward and hold her sister and be held in return. A chance to forget the world and the war surrounding them on all sides––forget the Black Dragon and his army breathing fire down their necks. Yet she did nothing, letting the thick chains of weariness sit heavy on her body. She turned away, clinging to her crumbling mask, trying to hold it together with her pride.

"I know," was all she said.

They both saw it at the same time. Gems inlaid on their chest pieces began to glow, a pulsing light that sent ghostly shadows over the stone. The light was blue, harsh and glaring compared to the moonlight.

"Eyres," Luna whispered, looking at the colour of the light. The blood rushed from her face. "That means Moriath’s at Galathadros––”

“He is attacking." Celestia stared at the gem on her chest, unable to tear her eyes away from the beckoning light. Not now. Not tonight. She was so tired; she barely had the strength to hold back tears.

"Don't go," Luna said, her voice stern. Shocked, Celestia looked up, not comprehending what her sister had just suggested. “I'll go. I'll take Aurvandil with me in your place. You can stay here and guard the citadel.”

Everything screamed at her to say ‘yes’, but that was not her role. That was not what her duty asked of her. Finally, she shook her head. "No. I must be the one who goes."

"What you must do is rest! You cannot be everywhere! You cannot protect everyone and everything, Sister!"

"If I do not, then who will?" Celestia snapped, not thinking.

Luna’s jaw tensed, but she held her sister’s gaze. "Alone? None of us."

Celestia had heard enough. She spread her wings wide, wincing as her muscles screamed in protest. "Wait for me on the dawn, Luna," she said. "Hold the citadel till I return."

Luna stared plaintively up at her, the night-time shroud over her face melting away. Celestia could see the helplessness in her sister’s expression as clear as day now.

"Trust me, Celestia,” Luna said. “Please trust me."

I do. I do trust you. But she didn't say it. She pushed with her tired wings and took to the night sky, rebuilding her depleted shields as she flew.

She would hold the Shadow. No matter what. No matter the cost. For her sister, for her family, for herself.

Because she was strong.

I - With the Sunrise

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As the Sun Sets

by Mystic

Chapter I

Twilight was sure there was a word to describe the feeling of being just about to plunge into the unknown. ‘Excitement’ didn’t quite cut it, neither did ‘anticipation’, though they certainly came close. There was just this feeling, the kind of feeling she got before the first attempt at a new spell, or maybe the first page of a good book, or maybe even riding on train ride to a meeting she knew almost nothing about. But what she felt they all had in common was that sensation of the brand new––the vast ocean of possibilities hiding just out of sight, waiting to be explored.

And Twilight was on a train ride to just such a meeting. To her delight, the train from Ponyville to Canterlot was notorious for being five minutes early, and it was taking pride in justifying its reputation, pulling into the station a little over four and a half minutes ahead of schedule. It exhaled a cloud of steam in a wheezing gasp, inching to a complete stop, piercing the air with a shrill blast from its whistle.

Ponies milled about on the platform, enjoying the first of spring’s good weather. The air was cool and filled with a heady mix of smoke, baked goods and freshly roasted coffee. Everything was awash with a gentle warmth from the sun that made a pony’s skin glow and set spirits high. Loose banners danced along the rooftops, caught by a quiet breeze that shifted through the streets.

Twilight stepped out from the carriage with gusto, a certain vigor in her step as she oversaw the transportation of her bags to the palace. When they were all accounted for (twice), she quickly began her own journey to the castle. She trotted through the streets with a faint smile, hiding the burning curiosity eating her inside out for the past twenty-four hours.

Twilight was going to see the Princess Celestia. That in itself was not terribly unusual, nor was her doing so on relatively short notice. What was odd, however, was the context of being about to embark on a journey unlike anything she had done before, heading over the ocean to lands far away. It was a trip Twilight wouldn’t have thought possible in her entire life.

She had received the letter yesterday morning.

“Oh yeah,” Spike called out from the kitchen, shattering Twilight’s attention toward her book. “You got a letter.”

“A letter? From who?” Twilight heard a small cough.

“Huh? Oh, just Princess Celestia.”

“What?!” There was a crash from the kitchen. “The princess sent me a letter and you didn’t wake me up?!”

“I––I… You were up so late, and I didn’t want to wake you!”

“This is a letter from the princess, Spike! It could be really important!”

The dragon padded into the room with Twilight. In his claw he held a tightly bound scroll, the red seal stamped firmly with the Royal Equestrian coat of arms. “Well… here it is anyway. I’m sure it’s nothing major…”

Twilight snatched the letter out his hand with an aggressive burst of magic, then unravelled it so she could read it outloud.

“Dear Twilight, I have recently received correspondence from an old friend of mine... requesting help... political issues...” Twilight stopped, frowning at the piece of paper.

“What is it, Twi?”

Twilight resumed, this time reading the letter out in full. “His name is Glamduural. You might be familiar with him as the Dragon King of Draxonis. He has mentioned that it is time Equestria reinstated its agreements over migration policy, and he seeks some advice with some political issues he’s been having.”

Twilight stopped reading, her jaw hanging limply. Spike just shrugged when the unicorn looked over, so she continued. “I know you visited the Badlands last migration and was wondering if you would like to see Draxonis itself. I also know how much you love learning and getting scientific first-hoof experience, so I was wondering if you would be interested in accompanying me on this task. Nopony has seen the heartland of the dragon kingdom in over one-hundred years, and I knew that I could not simply let this opportunity pass up without telling you.

“If you would be interested in going on an adventure with me, please, get Spike to send word. This will be a great learning opportunity, and hopefully you will meet some new friends while we are there! With love, Princess Celestia.”

Twilight let the letter fall to the table in front of her, the paper floating down silently, fluttering like a large leaf in autumn. She twitched once, her jaw still devoid of any kind of motor control.

“Uhh… Twilight?” Spike said, waving a hand in front of her face. “Are you okay?”

Poor Spike had been complaining that his ears were still ringing even when Twilight finished her preparation the day after. Interestingly, she had found out that she was yet to grow out of violent exclamations of ‘yes’ upon hearing exciting news.

The idea of accompanying Celestia on an adventure had planted a little seed of excitement that had grown and grown as time went on. Not only was she going on an adventure with Princess Celestia, but it wasn’t one that was life-threatening or paramount to Equestria’s ongoing survival! Instead, it was going to be educational!

This combined with the fact that she was going to see the dragon lands first hoof… well… it couldn’t have been more perfect. The Badlands, where they had gone to find Spike, were only a taste of Draxonis; the dragon kingdom itself lay across the Shining Sea. She was going to see the real dragon kingdom.

She had wondered about asking Celestia whether or not she could take her friends, but she eventually decided against it. The princess never forgot her friends, so if there was a reason they couldn’t come, Twilight was confident that the princess wouldn’t have asked. At least Spike had seemed thrilled that he was going to work as Rarity’s assistant while she was away.

Twilight was shown to the Sun Princess’ chambers by a stately looking guard, his golden armour glinting in the shafts of sunlight pouring through the large palace windows. The pegasus knocked three times on the door, and a soft “come in” was heard in response.

Celestia’s chambers were an opulent spread of tables, chairs and rugs, a fireplace adorning one wall. Sunlight streamed through the open double windows that led out to a balcony overlooking the city. A large, elegant, princess-sized bed sat in one corner and a mahogany desk in another. The princess herself was standing by a table, reading some kind of scroll.

Twilight entered her mentor’s chambers with a bright smile, and she was met with one in kind––the sort of smile that, no matter how old she got, reminded Twilight of being tucked in at night as a foal.

“Twilight! How wonderful to see you. Please, do come in and have a seat!”

“It’s great to see you too, Princess,” Twilight replied, unable to wipe the grin from her face.

Celestia asked Twilight about her friends’ various comings and goings in Ponyville. Twilight jumped on the subject eagerly; after all, it was one thing to write about your experiences, but another to engage with the other pony emotionally when telling the stories. And if she was being honest, she loved talking about her friends.

“That’s wonderful to hear, Twilight. I’m so glad for you!” Twilight beamed, and the princess returned the gesture. Her smile seemed to light up the room, almost as bright as her luminescent coat or mane. “Would you like some tea? I think that would be a perfect place to start.”

“I would love some.” Sure, Twilight had a cup on the train, but what was one more? Especially when it was being offered by the princess herself.

Celestia smiled and gestured to her balcony, a purple, fine-china teapot and two matching cups and saucers already sitting on the table. They sat down opposite each other, revelling in the sun’s warmth. Celestia poured out two cups, and they sipped them eagerly.

“So, Twilight,” the princess began, her eyes twinkling, “you know why you are here, a journey across the world to see the dragons in their kingdom.”

“Princess, there is no way I was ever going to let an opportunity like this pass up. Nopony has even seen the heartland of Draxonis in hundreds of years!”

Celestia smiled at her. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions, though; so please, let me hear them.”

Twilight thought for a moment, tapping her chin with a hoof. Sure, she had entire lists filled with questions, but she knew she should only choose the most relevant ones. The rest could wait. “Um. You said that King... Ga...”

“King Glamduural.”

“King Glamduural,” Twilight continued, mangling the foreign syllables, “was having ‘political problems’… What exactly does that mean?”

“Well, he’s having problems on his border. Apparently there are some particularly nasty dragons looking to cause trouble, and he wants advice on how best to go about things.”

“His border? The griffins are causing problems?”

“No, Twilight. The other border.”

Twilight frowned. To say there was limited information in Equestria about the lands overseas was an understatement. There were hardly any reliable and comprehensive maps, and any she had seen left the east of the dragon nation blank. “I’m not really too sure what’s on Draxonis’ other border… The Red Mountains are to the west, Gryphus is to the north… The south is just the Ice Wastes. What’s to the east of Draxonis?”

Celestia looked thoughtful for a moment, her eyes filled with some unnamed emotion. “I think that’s a question best answered by showing you.” She stood up, placing her cup down gently on the table. “Come with me, Twilight. I think you might find this rather interesting.”

Twilight did as she was asked, following the princess into her chambers, watching her search under piles of loose paper and rummage through old oak drawers. The princess’ eyes lit up, and she pulled out a small crystal globe. Gold filigree ran along its edge in loose coils, and its center was clouded with white and grey fog swirling aimlessly as if it were holding a dreary winter’s morning inside. Twilight frowned at the strange new object now hovering inside Celestia’s magical glow.

“What’s that, Princess?”

“That, Twilight, is a map.”

Twilight blinked. “A map? How do you mean?”

“It’s a very old map and a magical one at that. I am showing you this rather than a paper one because it should help you get a better feel for where we are going.”

“But how does it work?” Twilight asked, genuinely inquisitive now.

“It works by showing you the world as it was at the time the orb was made. I have since made a few changes to update it, but I haven’t done so for about a thousand years. In other words, it should be quite authentic.”

“Show me?”

The princess nodded, treating Twilight to a knowing smile. “You will see what I mean in a moment. To see the map, you have to reach out with your magic, Twilight. There aren’t any kind of secrets to open it, you just have to let it in.”

“Alright then...”

“A quick word of caution, however; some things inside may be a little over the top. We quite liked our dramatisations back in the old days,” Celestia added with a wink.

More than a little confused, Twilight did as she was told, letting her horn join the princess’ in glowing brightly. The globe felt like any other object of its size and weight, completely boring and unresponsive. But then, startling Twilight despite the fact she was expecting something to happen, it lit up like a little flashlight, and a strange feeling creeped into her mind. It was just like flying, like she was moving impossibly fast and free, the whole world at her hooves. Only, the room didn’t change, the candle flames still burning straight and true. Twilight got glimpses of clouds moving faster in the sky than she had ever seen in her life.

Remembering the princess’ words, Twilight fought the urge to shrink away from the alien feeling and, instead, moved towards it, letting the rushing sensation sweep her away into a white abyss...

...She was flying. And fast. The air howled with a high-pitched scream. Though she wouldn’t have known it was the wind making the noise if not for the clouds blurring past like small, skittering animals. After all, she couldn’t feel a thing. Twilight opened her mouth, yet found she couldn’t speak or make any sounds at all.

There was a flash of bright light, and the clouds stopped moving almost instantly, speeding as fast as they could to come to a stand-still. She gasped, suspended impossibly high in the air, looking down at the world spread out beneath her like a scale model.

The unicorn was granted with a full birds-eye view of what looked like the entire earth, or at least the continents surrounding Equestria. She could see Canterlot directly below her, the Canterlot River only a tiny ribbon of silver snaking through fields of green. Ponyville was nowhere to be seen. To the north were the Crystal Mountains, and to the south, Macintosh Hills.

As Twilight peered a little closer, she did a double take when writing started to crawl along the earth. Writing?! How could there be writing?! She watched as words blazed into life, names all written in burning gold over the places they were identifying. Twilight tried to keep track of all the landmarks she knew. There was Canterlot and the surrounding towns, Cloudsdale, Trottingham to the north west, Manehatten to the east on the coast. She looked wider and saw entire countries covered in the elegant script. Gryphus to the north east across the Shining Sea. The Blistering Desert to the south past Macintosh Hills and the Badlands, and then all the camel cities. Also in the east were the Wild Lands and Greatwood beyond them. To the west there was the Silver Ocean and then the unnamed Zebra homeland.

As Twilight looked, silver lines began to grow around the world, little spiderwebs of light linking towns and cities together, some thick and glowing brightly, others dim and narrow. These were roads, the unicorn realised. Huh. She didn’t remember a highway moving out from Canterlot to... nothing. Strange.

Twilight found that if she wasn’t looking at something directly, then the strange words and glowing roads faded from her sight, only to reappear should she look back.

With a small shake of her head, she realised she wasn’t looking at what she was meant to be. Still a little awed, Twilight turned her attention to the south-east, looking past the Red Mountains and onto Draxonis. The dragon homeland was a burning plain of red earth, baking under a ferocious sun that Twilight couldn’t feel. Swirls of ash and sand filled the air, obscuring most of the detail from view. It was a vast, uncompromising place, and Twilight shivered a little at the sight of it, knowing full well that soon, she would be seeing it herself for real.

But to the east, past Draxonis, there was nothing but a great vast pool of shadow, rocky crags jutting out like horns through the veil. As Twilight watched, little flickers of sickly green light lit up the darkness, revealing great, looming shapes inside, deformed and twisted looking.

The Shadowed Lands, Twilight thought, reading the curving gold name. Of all the locations in the map, this one had the least detail. It was characterised by a few black spikes, a dark and lone mountain called Darros sitting in its south eastern corner, and a gaping pit in the centre labelled The Fall.

To the east, the princess had said. There is trouble brewing in the east.

A land of shadows. She had read about it before, rumours and whispers of a place where no goodness lived, but they had always been just that, though, only stories. Nothing substantial to prove its existence was popularly known. It was just something for novels wrapped in the mythos of legend.

But now, Twilight was staring at a shifting mass of darkness, the shadow stewing as if building up into a great tempest, looking as real as anything she had ever seen. Suddenly, Twilight wasn’t so sure the tales were over-exaggerated.

The sky flashed white, and Twilight felt her consciousness being sucked back the way she had came. The world dissolved in a nebulous cloud of smoke, the clarity and detail fading into a murky haze. Twilight was lost in a great rush of movement, and then, with a great pulse, she opened her eyes, Celestia’s room suddenly marvelous in its familiarity.

Twilight tried to sum up what she had just seen, racking her brain for the appropriate word.

“Wow.”

“And that’s what sits on Draxonis’ eastern border,” Celestia said, resuming their conversation from earlier as if no time had passed at all. “The Shadowed Lands are filled with all kinds of nasty creatures. The changelings used to live there. Well, just north of there, for example.”

Nasty creatures? Twilight had come across nasty creatures in Equestria, and ‘nasty’ was not the word Twilight would have used to describe what she had just seen. ‘Evil’ immediately sprang to mind. Still, she tried to remind herself that the princess had said it may be a little ‘over the top’.

Twilight coughed, swallowing hard. “And King Glamduural wants our help?”

“Yes, he does.”

“Is… is this going to be dangerous, Princess?” Twilight frowned, her stomach twisting uncomfortably. It felt all wrong asking the question, but it kind of slipped out. She cringed, waiting for the incredulous and scandalised reply––the deserved shock at the lack of trust and respect.

Except, it never came; Celestia quickly shook her head. “No. It will not be dangerous in the slightest. This won’t be like the other adventures I have asked from you. Glamduural just wants our advice. The dragons have long kept the border safe for the rest of the world, unwittingly maybe, but safe nonetheless.” She paused, staring at the orb intently. “They just want my advice.”

“What for? What’s the problem?”

“In verifying a rumour, that’s all. Nothing that you should be worried about, my faithful student. This will mostly be about reviewing the dragon migration routes and discussing the rogue dragons seen in Equestria. Please believe me when I say the Shadowed Lands pose no greater threat than the Everfree Forest. In fact, they are quite similar.”

Celestia smiled, and Twilight took a deep breath. She did trust the princess. It was just... Twilight couldn’t shake the nagging thought that the princess’ description of it being nothing more than a place like the Everfree didn’t quite match up with what she had just seen.

“Okay then. That sounds fair enough. I just can’t believe there isn’t more of this stuff in books. I have spent the last few days going crazy looking for information on Equestrian history, and I haven’t found half of what you’ve just shown me!” She was trying so hard to sound normal.

The princess chuckled, but her eyes never once left Twilight’s. They were searching for something, but if she found it, she gave no indication. “Yes, I have noticed a particular lack of depth within most records in the kingdom.”

Twilight lifted up the orb, bringing it up for closer inspection. “Why don’t you tell ponies then? Why didn’t you show me this map before? It’s amazing! I have been searching for even a mention of something like this for months.”

“I didn’t tell you because you didn’t ask.” Celestia winked.

Twilight groaned. Of course. She should have guessed.

“So, are you still willing to come with me on this adventure, Twilight Sparkle?”

And for the briefest of seconds, Twilight paused. And then she nodded eagerly, hoping that her mentor didn’t notice her hesitation. “Princess, I wouldn’t miss an adventure like this for the world.”

Celestia beamed at her. “Wonderful! Well, we’re heading for Dragoliath, the dragon capital, and the only major permanent dragon settlement.”

“When do we leave?” Twilight asked, racking her brains, trying to remember seeing the place Celestia was talking about. It was all covered in so much sand and ash...

“First thing in the morning,” the princess answered. “We have to leave soon because we cannot teleport there.”

Twilight looked up. “Huh? Why not?”

“Because the old treaties with the dragons forbid me, Twilight. It was part of the agreements made in the second age. Luna and I are not allowed to teleport into the dragon nation.”

“Oh…” Twilight thought for a moment. “How come?”

“Because it’s not polite,” Celestia replied with another wink.

Twilight blushed, mentally kicking herself for not guessing what she thought was probably pretty obvious. “Oh. Yeah… I guess that would be right…”

“We will be travelling via chariot instead. I will take you to meet the guards who will be coming with us as soon as we’re done here.”

“Guards?” Twilight frowned. It did make sense that it would be the guards who would pull the chariot, but the word still put her on edge. Guards were meant to protect things, but that implied that they were guarding them from something. After seeing The Shadowed Lands, looking like a black hole set deep into the earth, or even knowing how vicious dragons could be, Twilight couldn’t help but feel the nervous ball in her stomach creep back in.

“Yes. Captain Swift is the very best of the best. She is up there with the Wonderbolts as far as pure talent for flying goes, but she would never say so.”

“Huh. You don’t say.” She knew a certain rainbow-maned pegasus who only fit half of that description.

“So, shall we go down and meet them?”

“The guards?”

“Unless you have anymore questions?”

Twilight sighed. She had more questions than she could count (she knew that because, for a moment, she had tried to list them in her head in order of importance). But despite them, she told herself to wait. If they were flying there, then she had all the time in the world to ask her questions. “Not at the moment, Princess. Let’s go meet the guards.”

The courtyard was lit up brilliantly in spring’s bright colours, the trees vibrant and lush and the air light and cool. It was filled with its usual mess of ponies, today a collection of gardeners, cleaners and guards. Four of the latter were standing in the shade in a far corner of the square, two of them checking over every inch of a golden chariot, the other two discussing something quietly amongst themselves.

The guards all snapped to salute the second they saw the princess, and she smiled politely in return. While these guards looked like every other group of guards she had seen with the same stern faces and strong bodies, all encased in thick golden armour, there was something different; this group’s plate-armour definitely looked sharper than normal, and more aerodynamic, too. In fact, all of the guards moved with a strange combination of agility and grace, like some of the wolves that lived in the Everfree. Lethal, almost, ready to jump up and fight at any moment.

They looked at Twilight a little differently as well, their eyebrows twitching and their lips tightening.

“Good morning,” Celestia said, looking around for something. “I see Swift isn’t here yet?”

“No ma’am,” one of the guards replied. “The captain left us to see to something back at supply.”

The princess nodded. “Of course. Well then, allow me to introduce to you Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student and friend. She is going to be accompanying us on our journey.”

The guards all looked her over once again, this time frowning slightly. Twilight blushed, biting her lower lip and trying to move back behind Celestia. She felt like some sort of pinned insect or a painting in a gallery, and it wasn’t particularly nice being on this side of the scrutiny.

But then, one of the guards on the left, a stallion with sandy hair and bright teeth, smiled. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Twilight Sparkle,” he said, taking half a step forward. “Being called a friend of the princess is high praise indeed. My name is Contrail.”

Twilight coughed, more out of nerves than anything else. What was she supposed to say to something like that!? “Oh, it’s nice to meet you too, Contrail.”

He smiled at her. “This is Nighthawk, Whirlwind and Tempest. We are the First Rank Solar Guard, and we will be your hosts for the trip. But you can think of us as your normal carriage drivers... just in armour.”

“You might be a carriage driver, but don’t speak for me,” one of the other guards––Twilight thought it was Tempest––muttered. The other two chuckled.

“The best carriage drivers,” Celestia added, holding back a very wide grin. “Perhaps a little overqualified, but you know what I say, Twilight, only the best for me.”

Twilight’s muzzle scrunched in thought, trying to think of when the princess had ever said that. She looked up, about to say something, but saw that Celestia’s eyes were sparkling with mirth. Ah. It was a joke! She laughed awkwardly, shifting her weight between her front hooves.

“Your Majesty!”

Everypony turned on the spot, looking across the courtyard to watch a single pegasus guard approach. She walked with such purpose that Twilight almost felt like stepping out the way just so she didn’t risk interrupting the mare in any way, shape or form.

Contrail immediately stiffened at the sound of her voice, his expression hardening and the smile that lit up his eyes disappearing like a snuffed candle. “Captain!”

The mare’s eyes narrowed, darting over each pegasus like they were items on a list. Then she stepped forward to the princess, snapping to salute. “Your Majesty. This is unexpected; I thought we weren’t leaving today. How can we be of assistance?” Her voice was tough as stone and just as weathered.

“At ease, Swift,” Celestia said, still looking like she was holding back a smile. The guard did as she was told, lowering her wing and widening her stance. She didn’t even blink.

“Allow me to introduce you to Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia continued. “She is the student I talked about earlier.”

“Ah...” Swift looked Twilight up and down, her face giving nothing away. “I see.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Twilight said, struggling to hold her gaze. It was like an iron vice crushing her down to the size of an ant, and looking away was just as hard.

Swift gave a curt nod. “Mmhm. And you.” She snapped her attention over to the princess, standing up a little straighter. “Was there anything you needed, Your Majesty?”

“I hope you will be ready first thing tomorrow?”

Swift snorted, her lips curled up in one corner. “We can be ready in an hour, Your Highness. So yes, we will be good to go come morning.”

Celestia nodded her approval. “Wonderful.”

Twilight followed the following conversation closely. Apparently they were going to cut south by south-east and head straight over the Shining Sea towards Draxonis. Despite the fact that flying meant they could hop straight over mountains and the sea, it was still a very, very long way.

“Should we expect any crazy adventures while we are travelling?” Twilight asked. “Or anything unusual or dangerous?” She was only half-joking.

Swift, slowly and deliberately, raised an eyebrow. “No. And if we do, we’ll handle it. My boys here are the best. They won’t let you down. I can promise you that.”

“Very well, Captain,” Celestia said, breaking the flow of conversation. Her eyes flashed. “We won’t keep you any longer. We shall see you in the morning.”

Swift saluted once, nodded to Twilight, then spun around to face her guards. “Come on then! You have work that needs doing!”

Celestia shook her head and led Twilight back towards the palace. The unicorn threw a quick glance over her shoulder at the guards, watching them salute Swift before racing off. She could hear their heavy armour rattling from here. Twilight frowned. She had gotten to know her fair share of guards during her childhood, and even though she should have been used to this kind of thing, Twilight had never felt more like a civilian.

Small candles cast a warm glow over the room, shedding light onto the supplies Twilight had spread over the bed: strange new clothes, food, water, tents and books. The air was thick with the scent of wax and new clothes, and while Twilight engaged in the fine art of ‘packing’, Celestia read quietly.

“I have to ask for your forgiveness, Twilight,” the princess said, shifting from her pillow. “I must go speak to Luna one last time to finalise arrangements for her ruling while I’m away.”

Twilight looked out the window and watched the sun’s vibrant yellow light descend into a seeping orange glow. It swept over the vista spread out in front of her like an artist’s ink. The towers glowed like molten rock, and she could see the fields of the Canterlot valley turn golden. “Oh wow,” she said. “I didn’t realise it was this late.”

“Would you like to come with me?” Celestia asked, almost hesitantly. “You can say hello to dear Luna. I think she’s missed you quite a bit.”

“I would like that, actually,” Twilight said. She had spent more and more time with the the princess since their adventure into Luna’s mind, but she still hadn’t seen her for several weeks.

Celestia smiled, and Twilight followed as the alicorn made her way out of her office and back out into the corridor. They picked a swift path through the twisting corridors that made up the castle, passing few ponies on the way.

“The observatory tower?” Twilight asked, getting an inkling as to where they were headed.

“That’s right,” Celestia replied. “Luna likes it because it acts as quite a nice landing platform for her when she comes back from her ‘wake up’ flight every evening. It’s high enough so she can see the stars without obstruction or distraction.”

The two mares stepped onto the observatory balcony together, watching the last rays of the sun slip below the western horizon. Illuminated by the dying sunlight, the clouds looked like they were on fire.

Twilight watched as Celestia took a deep breath before her horn burst into life. She arched her head down to the ground, and the sun followed suit like a well-practiced dance partner, finally disappearing away from the world. For a moment, the sky was empty, devoid of any celestial body.

The rhythmic whoosh of a set of constant wing beats caused Twilight to look skyward. A dusk-blue alicorn engulfed her vision, casting a long shadow as she came in quickly to land. She buffeted the platform with a strong gust of wind from her mighty wings, yet her hooves touched the stone with the softest clink.

“Luna,” Celestia said in greeting. “Your timing could not be more perfect.”

Luna nodded, her lips turned up playfully. “I always make an entrance worthy of note, dear Sister.”

Celestia smiled softly. “That you do.”

“Hello, Princess!” Twilight said, beaming at Luna.

“Hello, Twilight,” Luna replied. “How does the twilight find you?”

Twilight laughed and rolled her eyes. “I couldn’t be better, Princess.”

“I hear you have been recruited into my sister’s quest to help Glamduural. An old friend.”

“And quite the stubborn pain,” Celestia added.

Luna snorted in agreement. “That he is. Perhaps the last thousand years have cooled the fire burning in his spirit, but I do not hold high hopes.”

“How old is Glamduural?” Twilight asked.

Celestia thought for a moment. “One thousand… three hundred years? Maybe one thousand two hundred. It’s been such a long time. You might want to ask him yourself.”

“How old can dragons get?” Twilight’s next question, naturally.

“It depends on the dragon,” Luna answered.

Celestia nodded. “Yes, it does depend on the dragon. Some live for thousands of years, some for only a few hundred. Some said they could live forever. But only one who has said that is still alive as far as I know.”

“Except for those in Tartarus,” Luna added.

The princess frowned at her younger sister. “Well, that is true.”

Luna’s eyes twinkled, saying something her words did not. “But that is not why we are here, is it?”

“No, it is not,” Celestia replied. “I trust everything is ready?”

“That it is. The courts have all been informed; the nobles are prepared. Proclamations have been sent to the far reaches of Equestria to inform them. Everypony has been quite amicable about the whole ordeal.”

“Of course they are.” Celestia smiled wryly. “They are all excited to see you rule again. Apparently last time everything was a little exotic, or at least that was the word I heard being used.”

“They are right; that is one word for it. Rusty is another.”

“Don’t be silly, Princess!” Twilight said. “You did a fantastic job. I should know; I was right there the whole time.”

“Only thanks to your help, Twilight,” Luna replied. Twilight basked in the praise, blushing fiercely.

“So, everything is in order?” Celestia asked again.

“Yes it is, Sister. You have nothing to fear back home. All will be well.”

Celestia nodded, apparently satisfied.

“You only have to worry about yourself,” Luna added softly.

“We will be fine,” Celestia said.

“I know, but be on your guard regardless. Dragons are tricksters, and you never know what they may be plotting in their caves.”

“You speak of times gone for a thousand years, Luna. The dragons are quite different now. Except for the occasional rogue, they are almost what you would call civilised.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Do not grow complacent in the shadow of the east, Sister. You of all ponies should know not to forget that."

“And I haven’t. But it is nothing anymore. Just a shadow.”

Luna opened her mouth, but apparently thought better of it. “Just be safe, for my sake, please.”

Celestia nodded, a tight smile on her lips. “And I will, Luna. Both of us will. Isn’t that right, Twilight?”

Twilight raced to nod her head in eager agreement. “Nothing bad will happen, Luna. Princess Celestia will always be able to keep us safe.”

“Well, I believe that is all I can ask. Thank you.” Luna gave a soft little smile that Twilight thought seemed very out of place on the princess’ stern face.

“Well, we should be going to bed. We have to be up early tomorrow,” Celestia said. Luna nodded in understanding. “Twilight, would you mind letting me have a word with Luna?”

Twilight was a little taken aback, but she nodded quickly regardless. “Of course!” Turning to the Princess of the Night, a little stunned at how quick their conversation had been, she said, “Goodnight, Luna, it was great to see you again.”

“And you too, Twilight. Enjoy your adventure. With good fortune it will not be as turbulent as ours.” Her eyes twinkled in the starlight.

Twilight smiled and, after a quick wave, turned and left. There was a brief moment of silence when she closed the balcony door behind her, but before she disappeared from hearing range, she caught two last sentences, no louder than whispers.

“Are you sure you do not wish for me to go in your place, Sister? You are still needing to rest and recover. The changeling queen, the coma, and now this?”

“I understand, Luna, but please trust me. It is exactly because of those reasons that it must be me; the dragons must see me in a position of control for the treaties to hold. It is crucial that I go.”

“But then why tak––” Twilight moved away, not sure she wanted to hear any more.

The unicorn frowned, but quickly shoved the thoughts out of her head. Luna was just worried about her sister. That was natural enough, right? Twilight knew she would be worried about Spike in the same place. And besides, if there was anything she needed to know, she was confident that the princess would tell her.

She had to finish packing for the morning, anyway.

But... she would tell her, right?

Swift and her team were already waiting for them come morning, encased in armour and standing to attention. The chariot gleamed beside them in the morning sunlight.

They saluted when they saw Celestia, and she nodded benevolently in their direction. “Well, Captain,” Celestia said, “are we ready to head out?”

Swift nodded. “Whenever you are, Your Majesty.”

Celestia nodded her approval. “So, Twilight, what about you? Are you ready to go on an adventure?”

Twilight looked to Princess Celestia, and she smiled. “As ready as I’ll ever be, Princess.”

“Excellent. Then let us be going!”

They stepped onto the chariot, and Swift and her team took position, hooking themselves up to the vehicle. Twilight lurched as the pegasi stood up, and the carriage tilted slightly on its golden wheels.

They all stared eastward, waiting for Celestia to give to order to launch.

Celestia smiled. “To the east, then. The dragon king is waiting for us.”

Swift nodded, and the pegasi took off, rapidly gaining altitude in the morning air. They pushed higher and higher, streaking into the sky as a flash of gold and white. Twilight watched as the city quickly grew smaller and smaller, the ground rushing away from her until it looked like a patchwork quilt.

She smiled to herself and stared towards the distant horizon. It was covered in faint bruised shadows, the haze of distance calling her onward, hinting at the lands lying just beyond. Out free in the open air, the nervousness that had been creeping in disappeared, seemingly left behind in Canterlot. There was nothing but the vast sky in front of them now, and it couldn’t have been more appealing.

Draxonis and the dragon capital were just around the corner, it seemed. But beyond that, who knew? Certainly not Twilight, but she couldn’t wait to find out...

...Somewhere far across the sea, the same sun rose in the east, hidden behind heavy curtains of bloated storm clouds. The light that did push past was dim, shining weakly onto a plain of glassy obsidian that looked melted, bulged and bubbled with twisting crags and jagged boulders.

There was a cliff with a drop on the other side that went somewhere no light had ever shone. Wind and rain tore at the blasted earth, howling at it with a banshee’s scream.

Great claws gripped the cliff edge, tearing deep furrows, and the stone squealed in pain. The beast rumbled, lifting his head to the sky, filling the air with acrid smoke. He roared, a sound that caused the whole world to stop moving; even the wind trembled in fear. Then his lips curled at the edges, his ears picking up the low thumps of over a hundred sets of wings coming his way.

It was almost time.

II - The Way Things Were

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As the Sun Sets

by Mystic

Chapter II

The Way Things Were

Up this high, Equestria looked like nothing more than an impressionist painting. The patchwork of fields, forests, rivers and towns all blurred together, creating a melting pot of greens and browns.

They had been flying south by south east for most the day, and they were making fantastic time. Already the Canterlot Mountains were far behind, dull shadows at their back. The horizon in front was a vast wall of murky blue.

It was The Shining Sea, the buffer between Equestria and the Old World. On the other side were all of the places that Twilight had read about in dusty scrolls late at night in the Royal Archives. The lands of the eastern continent were shrouded in myths and legends, and knowledge was hard to come by. Even the griffons were notoriously silent about their homeland.

To pass the time inside the little windproof bubble the Princess had made, Twilight read, sticking her nose into the collection of books she had managed to cram into her already overflowing saddlebags—dragon history, mostly, although there really wasn’t much. She had planned on studying as much as she could about the inner workings of dragon politics, but as far she could tell, they didn’t even have a political system. They had a king, but she had absolutely no idea how that whole system worked.

She frowned at the pages, skimming another table of contents and finding absolutely nothing of interest.

So she asked the Princess. Celestia had shifted around to face her properly and told Twilight all about the way dragons had built their ‘society’, if it could even be called that. Apparently they had next to no social structure, relying on a loose code of loyalty to the king to keep everyone in check. They rarely did anything as a nation. In fact, according to the Princess, the only time they ever had was to go to war, and they hadn’t done that in over a thousand years.

Twilight still found the idea of the dragon kings themselves perplexing. After the old king died, a new one would either be the strongest, or those that completed mythical challenges called a Faurust, or a quest to get a special artifact or gem. Even though dragons could live for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, at eight hundred years of rule, King Glamduural was the longest ruling dragon king in history. Apparently coups were not uncommon.

But that still didn’t answer one important question, Twilight felt. “Princess, why do the dragons need a king or a kingdom in the first place? They don’t really seem like the type of people who would need or even want one.”

Celestia smiled and nodded her head. “A very long time ago there were some who realised that without some sort of... ‘authority’, the dragons would be the greatest threat to the balance of things, whether they wanted to or not. Without a dragon ‘nation’, there would be nothing holding the rogue dragons in check. The world would be overrun by hordes of dragons looking for homes in the mountains, seeking for all the world’s treasures. And you saw what happened the last time a dragon decided to take a nap near Canterlot. The rest of the world would have to do something if that happened, and so the dragon king stops most of those rogues from going out. He keeps the peace.”

“Keeps the peace? How?”

Celestia’s eyebrow twitched. “By being stronger than everyone else.”

“Oh…” Twilight coughed. “That’s…”

“The world is very different outside Equestria, Twilight,” the Princess said. “It’s definitely something you need to see to believe.”

Twilight closed her book, staring out to the over the edge of the chariot. “Well, I’m looking forward to it, Princess.”

Celestia smiled, following Twilight’s gaze. “I’m glad.”

As the day turned into afternoon and the sun soared through the sky, the shimmering blue wall on the horizon slowly drew closer. The world seemed to end in a flat sheet of silver glass, veiled in a smoky haze. It sparkled as it caught the sun’s rays, and Twilight was struck by the similarity between it and some of Rarity’s sequined silks. It was no wonder some ponies called it the Sea of Diamonds.

Eventually, the chariot and its crew reached the sea. Twilight couldn’t help but lean over the rim of the chassis, balancing on her two back legs, as she stared open mouthed at the water.

It was huge! Twilight didn’t remember the Shining Sea being quite this big, but then, she had never seen it from several hundred feet up in the air, either. It was like a sheet of rippling fabric of the deepest shade of blue imaginable. Shafts of orange light speared across its surface, thrown out from the slowly setting sun. The air was cool and smelled like salt, fresh and invigorating, the kind that smell that made Twilight want to run and swim.

“Well, Twilight,” Celestia said, her trademark smile in place, “what do you think?”

“This...” She leaned over the chariot’s edge, her eyes unable to stay in one place as she soaked in the all the detail. The sights, smells and even the sounds, they were all so... different, exotic, even. “This is incredible!”

Celestia smiled. “I thought you might like it.”

“I need to come back sometime with the girls,” Twilight said, more to herself than the Princess. She sat back and just peered over the edge of the chariot, watching the water race beneath her, the surface bulging with the gentle movement of waves. Bird calls drifted through the air, and some of them came over to see the Princess before flying off again.

Twilight’s thoughts were interrupted by a shape moving in the water. She froze, squinting down at the glinting surface. At first she thought that it was nothing more than the shadow the chariot was casting, but then she saw it again. It looked like a small island was swimming underneath the surface, longer and larger than even a dragon.

“Um… Princess?” Twilight said, unwilling to tear her eyes away. “Do you know what that is?”

Celestia moved over to Twilight’s side, peering over the edge. “It would appear as if something was moving down there.”

Twilight shot a look over to the Princess, not sure if she was joking or not. “Uh… Do you have any idea what it is?”

“Whatever it is, it is definitely growing closer to the surface.”

Twilight’s head whipped back to the side of the boat, peering down now at the shape. Sure enough, it was growing larger with each passing second, completely dwarfing the chariot’s shadow until it covered an area larger than the entire main street of Ponyville.

The surface exploded. Like a volcano filled with water, the explosion shot out a deluge of spray that speared almost a hundred feet in the air. There was an almighty roar that rattled Twilight’s bones, and she shivered in fear.

The chariot swerved sharply to the right, growing steadily in altitude. Twilight braved a look down at whatever had caused the explosion. A massive beast, larger than anything alive she had ever seen, ploughed through the water, sending waves as large as a house splashing off its sides. It was scaled like a fish but was covered in oddly shaped plates rather than small interlocking scales. Its enormous mouth curled around the side of its stout head, bending at the edges to create a permanent grimace. Twilight could see multiple rows of teeth inside its gaping maw.

The beast slipped below the surface with surprising agility for something of its size, before reappearing a little further away. Twilight could swear it was staring straight up at them through a small and beady eye. The creature called out again, a sound that was more like a whale’s call than anything that walked on land. Captain Swift looked back from the head of the pegasi column, and Celestia nodded at her, indicating that they should continue as planned.

“What is that?” Twilight asked breathlessly.

“A leviathan,” Celestia replied. The Princess’ voice was tight and controlled, and her eyes were narrowed slightly as she stared down the monster.

“A leviathan? There’s more than one?” Twilight had read the stories. She had always believed that there was one leviathan. The Leviathan. The eater of ships and terror of the ocean.

“There was always more than one. However, it has been a very long time since there was more than one on the surface.” Celestia frowned.

Twilight bit her lip softly. The edge in the Princess’ words sent little red lights flashing. “Are you okay, Princess? Are we in any danger?”

The Princess took far longer to answer than Twilight would have liked. “No. We’re not in any danger. Although, the leviathan shouldn’t be this close to Equestria.”

“Why not?”

Celestia’s reply was quiet, so quiet that Twilight almost didn’t hear it. “Because I let him go free under the condition that he remained in the northern ocean.”

“Oh…” Twilight fell silent, not at all sure what to say in response.

“So why is he ignoring the agreement…?” Celestia murmured, her eyes narrowing.

Twilight looked around, fighting to find the right words to say. What could she say that would mean anything at all? She wasn’t even sure what was going on. “I don’t know, Princess. I’m sure you can look into it when we come home.”

The Princess turned to face Twilight, her eyes bearing down on her, asking something from Twilight that she just didn’t understand. The unicorn couldn’t tell whether Celestia was upset, but there was something in her eyes that made Twilight feel incredibly small. “Yes, Twilight. You’re right. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

Twilight chanced a small smile, and it was returned. Just.

The unicorn sat back down, trying to pull a book out. All of the words blurred together, looking like incomprehensible squiggles with meanings that she couldn’t process. But like an insect that refused to go away, she kept tossing the same ideas around, trying to work out just what had gotten the Princess so worked up. The leviathan hadn’t done anything to attack them or harm them. It had just stared at them, watching them fly away. Hadn’t the Princess been the one to joke about seeing sea monsters?

Twilight looked back into the distance, only to see that the leviathan was still staring at them. It gave one last cry before slipping back underneath the waves, disappearing from sight.

The sun continued to edge closer to the western horizon, turning the sky from a brilliant blue to a muted orange. The gentle breeze that had been present all day suddenly dropped right away, and the ocean looked as still and calm as a pond.

A silence had fallen over the chariot. Twilight fidgeted uncomfortably, looking for something to talk about, but finding nothing. There wasn’t anything that felt appropriate. Instead, the quiet shifted into the awkward and bled into the air. She couldn’t even bring herself to read. She could only sit there, staring at the sky with a small frown painted on her face.

As the sun finally touched the horizon, clouds began to grow in the air. A chill grew on the gentle breeze, and while it was never too uncomfortable, there was a noticeable difference in temperature. Twilight could only hope that a storm wouldn’t form overnight. Stuck out here in the middle of nowhere, she wasn’t sure there was any way that would end well.

Twilight was paying little attention when Swift’s head suddenly snapped to the right, her attention caught by something Twilight couldn’t see.

“Princess! We have something coming our way.”

Celestia looked in the direction that Swift was. The Princess was still as a statue for a few moments, peering at a speck so small that Twilight couldn’t quite tell if it was real or not. Eventually, Celestia’s body relaxed, and she blinked and drew breath. “It’s a party of griffons. Nothing more. Scouts from the look of things.”

“Can you confirm if they are coming directly for us?” Swift called back.

The Princess nodded. “They have seen us, yes.”

Twilight gulped. She could make out the supposed griffon party much better now. They were a swarm of small specks, no more than ten of them, and growing larger with each passing second. “Griffons send out scouts?” she half-whispered to Celestia.

“Equestria sends out scouts, Twilight. Emissaries and ambassadors as well. It’s all part of keeping the peace and staying informed.”

Twilight didn’t reply. The griffons were almost on top of them now. She counted seven, flying in a tight arrowhead. Celestia motioned that they stop, so Swift and her pegasi came in to land on a large cloud that easily absorbed the chariot’s impact.

Princess Celestia stepped out of the chariot and onto the cloud. Twilight cast a cloud-walking spell, shivering as the feeling of weightlessness enveloped her in a snug bubble, and jumped off, letting her hooves sink into the squishy water vapour.

The pegasi unhitched themselves and moved around the Princess, all of them watching the approaching griffons with narrowed eyes and cold stares.

The scouts came in to land quickly, circling once before swooping down with such agility and grace that it left Twilight a little awed. One second they were at least thirty feet above their heads, the next they were standing in front of them, still in perfect formation.

The largest of the griffons stepped forward, her claws sinking into the cloud like knives through warm butter. She was huge, larger than any stallions Twilight knew, her body trimmed with firm muscle that bulged slightly under her chocolate coloured feathers. Tight leather straps connected her to a harness of some sort, which also looked like it served as a kind of light armour. Small knives and pieces of carved bone were strapped to her sides, weapons and trophies.

The griffon bowed low, keeping her eyes fixed on Celestia. “Greetings, Princess Celestia of Equestria. My name is Gail. I am a scout of Aeries, and these are my warriors. We thought we saw something, and I am glad we were not mistaken.” Her voice was strong and resonated with focus, touched with the barest hint of an accent that Twilight couldn’t quite name.

The Princess nodded her head in recognition. “Welcome, Gail. I trust your passage has been blessed with strong winds and clear skies?”

The griffon nodded in appreciation at what Twilight guessed was some kind of traditional griffon response. “As good as any, Your Majesty. We have been gone for a very long time.”

“So long? Have you been out over the Silver Ocean?”

Gail frowned. “No, Your Majesty. We have been flying along Draxonis’ border with Greatwood and as close to The Shadow as we dare.”

There was a silence.

Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Gail held the Princess’ gaze for a moment. “Chasing rumours, Your Majesty. They are as numerous and as varied as the fish in the sea. Only rumours are not so easy to hunt.”

“Rumours of what, exactly?”

This time, it was Gail who raised an eyebrow. She took a while to respond, her tail shifting back and forth. “Of a storm, Your Majesty. Bad winds are growing, and even the birds talk about something stirring in the east.”

Celestia’s expression darkened. “I hear much, Gail. Not all of it is reliable.”

The griffon lowered her head. “Of course. There is a great distance between Equestria and the eastern continent.”

“Especially nowadays. Are there any details you can spare?”

“There is nothing stopping me from telling you everything but what I simply don’t know, Your Majesty. I remember what you did for my father’s clan, clearing out Glarefang the Scarred. You have my respect already, Princess, and, dare I say, my trust as well.”

“Thank you,” Celestia replied. “I am always willing to aid a friend in need. Especially against some of the darker creatures of the world.”

“That makes me feel a little better.”

“How so?”

“I think there is something moving in the east, Your Majesty. Rogue dragons are converging in the Mortal Hills. Some of the banished minotaurs have been seen in Greatwood. The seas are alive with predators that haven’t been seen for generations. The world has been changing before our very eyes, and in only a year the whole continent feels different. I am beginning to believe the stories of how the world was back when the Aerie was still young.”

“Different? How does the world feel different?”

Gail looked at the Princess for a long time. “It doesn’t feel safe, Your Majesty. Storms are coming. The weather is changing. That is not hard to see. Lord Garron has sent out parties like my own from all over the clans. Most should have returned by now. We are one of the last.”

“Do you have any word of what is actually out there?” Maybe it was just Twilight, but she almost thought that the Princess sounded frustrated.

“None, I’m afraid. Nothing is speaking, and nothing is visible from the air. After what happened to Fryda and her party, no one has dared to go too close to The Shadow.”

“After what happened?”

Twilight saw the muscles in Gail’s neck tense. “It has been a long time since we have had to fight dragons. No one remembers the skills.”

Celestia opened her mouth, stopped, then lowered her head. “I am sorry,” she replied, her tone soft. Her eyes, however, were steeled, and Twilight could practically see the thoughts flying through them like a whirlwind.

Gail lowered her head in acknowledgement. “Thank you. She was a friend.”

A silence fell. Twilight looked around nervously, not sure who would be the one to talk next.

Eventually, though, Celestia did. “Well, Gail, you have clearly travelled far, and you must be exhausted. Please, stay with us this evening.”

Gail lowered her head again. “Thank you, Princess. We would be honoured.”

“Then it is settled.” The Princess turned to Swift. “Captain, we shall sleep here tonight.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.” Swift bowed low before turning to her guards. “Alright, let’s get some food and bedding ready!”

Twilight watched as the guards and the griffons descended into a flurry of unpacking and setting up. The pegasi set up small blankets to keep the chill from the cloud away. Apparently the tents were too unstable, especially if a wind picked up. Although, Twilight could only bounce up and down on the squishy cloud, still unable to properly grasp the fact she would be sleeping on water vapour suspended hundreds of feet above an ocean. There was a sleeping in a cloud house, and then there was this. At least she had worked out how to extend the duration of the cloud walking spell, so she wouldn’t be interrupted by a sudden swim.

The griffons moved with speed and efficiency, talking quietly among themselves. Both Celestia and Gail moved away a little to continue their conversation. Twilight briefly considered going over to listen, but honestly, she wasn’t sure she wanted to. Hungry, gnawing doubt ate away at her insides, turning her mood black. She had no idea what was going on, and all kinds of thoughts whispered in the corners of her mind. Perhaps most off-putting was the fact that having the Princess nearby wasn’t helping things. Not this time.

With both camps ready, the griffons sat around in a loose semicircle, now including the pegasi in their conversation. Twilight drifted in and out of conversation as they talked about everything from food, to flying, and then into darker, more menacing topics.

“You are going to Draxonis?” a male griffon said with a thick voice. His feathers were so dark they almost looked black.

“Yes,” Swift replied, a little shortly.

“Your Princess is strange indeed if she is going there.”

A few of the ponies bristled at the griffon’s words, but Twilight was curious. “Why?”

The griffon looked directly at Twilight, and she was unable to look away from a scar running down his face along the base of his beak. “Bad winds are blowing in the east, little pony.”

“Griffons talk in riddles now?” Nighthawk said dryly.

The griffon snorted. “Riddles are for people who don’t know how to speak the truth clearly. And we don’t know what’s going on.”

“The Princess knows exactly what she’s doing,” Swift said, interjecting.

“She is wise and cunning,” said another griffon, a female with piercing blue eyes.

“Wise and cunning?” Twilight asked.

The griffon shrugged. “I only know what the stories from the Aerie say.”

Before Twilight could ask, the guards suddenly all looked over to Celestia. Twilight followed suit, seeing that the Princess and Gail were walking over to them, their conversation apparently over.

“I must ask for your forgiveness,” Celestia said, looking over both pegasi and griffons alike, “but I must lower the sun. I will be gone for a brief spell, but please, do not hesitate to eat while I am gone.”

Swift stood up instantly. “Of course, Your Majesty. But I must ask that you let me accompany you.”

Celestia shook her head. “That will not be necessary, Swift, but thank you regardless.”

Twilight watched the Captain’s eyes dart from Celestia to the watching griffons. Swift’s jaw tensed, and her hoof ground the cloud beneath her. When she spoke, however, her voice was just as calm and strong as ever. “Of course, Your Highness…”

Celestia nodded her head and, with a great push from her wings, took to the sky, racing westwards and quickly disappearing from sight.

“Ugh,” Gail grunted as soon as the Princess was gone. “Thank the eastward winds. I can talk normally again.”

The griffons laughed. “You were sounding like one the scroll-laden fossils in the emissary’s clan.”

“Shut your beak,” Gail snapped, her eyes glowing. “Or I’ll shut it for you. Learn to show respect.”

A griffon chuckled. “That’s respect?”

Gail glared at him. “For a pony. Do you want me to teach you griffon respect again, Harrik?”

The griffon raised a claw in front of his face in silent submission, visibly flinching.

“That’s what I thought. Now shut it. I’m hungry.”

Twilight sat still through the entire exchange, her mind racing. Why had the Princess just left to lower the sun? That didn’t make sense at all. She had never left to do that before, so it wasn’t like it was a privacy thing. Was she going looking for that leviathan from earlier today? Did it really concern her that much?

Twilight frowned, only half aware of the piece of bread that Contrail had handed to her. She tried to smile at him, but her lips didn’t seem to want to work.

There were a million thoughts racing through Twilight’s head, and not one of them gave her any sort of comfort.

What had she gotten herself into?

A gentle touch on the shoulder snapped Twilight out of her brooding. Her head jerked upwards, a faint blush covering her cheeks. It was Contrail again. He gestured over to the female griffon with the striking blue eyes. She was staring at Twilight with an expression that practically dripped with boredom.

“Um, sorry, I… uh. I was kind of daydreaming.”

The griffon appeared unfazed. “Before, it looked like you were about to ask about the griffon stories.”

“I was,” Twilight admitted, dragging herself completely to the present. “What about Princess Celestia do you know from them?”

“Not a whole lot,” the griffon said. “There are a few stories. Ones that get taught to griffons when they are just children, or those that are told by the elderly with their pony-made scrolls.”

“What are they?”

“They are about a pony and her sister who changed the world. They are all like each other that way. Each time the darkness has driven up a storm, they have been there to stop it and clear the skies for the sun and the moon to shine.”

“The darkness?”

The griffon nodded, now commanding the attention of everybody present. “Monsters, magic, spirits of ice and fire. The dragons. And the puppet master. They are all there.”

“They say she came down from the sun one day and burned all the darkness from the world, and from that day forward, the evil in the world has been trying to crawl back in. Only, she stops it and always has done.” Twilight looked over at the griffon who had spoken. He was easily the smallest one there, light and agile with feathers that looked more suited to blend in around snow than here over the ocean.

“The griffons tell some wild stories,” Whirlwind said, raising an eyebrow.

“And your stories are different?” the small male asked.

“Totally and completely. There is no evil or ‘shadow’. Just a world with monsters that good old fashioned heroes like us keep from harming all the innocent folk.”

The griffon looked ready to say something else, but Gail raised a claw, and he instantly closed his beak. “There is one story,” Gail said, stressing each word. “One that I heard when I was a hatchling, exactly the same as it was told to the griffon who told me.”

“What is it?” Twilight asked, leaning forward.

Gail readjusted her position on the cloud, taking a deep breath and a moment to collect her thoughts. Then, speaking slowly with the same formal tone she used when talking to Celestia, she said, “It starts with a small griffon clan high up in the frozen north. They were hunters, carving a living from the blood on the ice.

“One day, the ice cracked and shattered, and the earth rumbled and shook. The sky turned dark, so dark that even the night seemed bright. And with this broken earth and darkened sky, there was a roar that took all the courage from the griffon’s hearts.

“And so, it was under this darkened sky that the hunters flew, passing across places they once knew, but now were nothing more than ruins. They flew and they flew, spending an entire day flying as the sky became even darker.

“And then, at the top of the highest mountain peak in the frozen north, at a peak where the air was so cold that it turned the wind solid, they found the dragon.

“The dragon was larger than twenty of the hunter’s caves put together and looked like he was armoured in ice. He grinned at the hunters with jagged teeth and looked at them with an eye as red as fresh blood. The hunters stood beside him, tiny as ants are to a griffon, and their limbs shook in fear.

“They asked him to move. They told him he was destroying the land and covering the sky in darkness. They told him to leave to lands far away where he would not disturb anyone.

“The dragon grinned, and in his eyes, the hunters saw a great shadow. The dragon set fire to the mountain, and rivers of melted snow poured down onto the ice, and the dragon laughed and shook the mountain.

“Many of the hunters tried to escape. Most of the hunters did not succeed. Those who did fled back to their homes, holding their loved ones close and weeping for their dead, for most who left did not return.

“Only, the hunters were not given long to mourn.

“On the morning of the second day, a new shadow crossed the sky. The hunters went out, and instead of a great cloud, all they saw was the dragon. The dragon fell upon them with roars that could shatter glaciers and fire so hot that it melted stone. Many of the hunters gathered together to fight so the rest could flee, only, they did not last long, for the shadow in the sky cast them aside with nothing more than a breath.

“Those that fled flew south, panic lending their wings strength. The dragon, however, could fly as far and as fast as they could in a minute with a single stroke of his wings. The dragon came upon them hiding in a dale, whispering to the empty air for someone to help them.

“The dragon laughed, and he came down upon them with the fire in his chest building and growing so that the snow around him melted.

“But when all hope seemed lost, when the air boiled and the dragon inhaled to drown them in fire, there was a new light, one as bright as the sun, for it was its custodian and master, the pony princess. The Sun Princess carried herself on wings that shone like gold and her eyes blazed with powerful fire, and she said, ‘How dare you bring harm to these creatures, servant of the Shadow. You hold no place in this world!’ And the dragon laughed and said, ‘I am death. I am the Shadow of the North.’

“The Sun Princess turned to the hunters and smiled and told them to go south where the darkness had yet to spread. At first the hunters wanted to fight, but the Princess only told them again, and this time they listened, for they could hold no argument against the Sun Princess, and so they fled south, a place untouched by shadow.

“And so they fled, the sounds of a mighty battle filling their ears and shaking the earth. The sky was filled with fire, and for three days and three nights there was nothing but the roars and explosions of powerful magics.

“But on the morning on the fourth day, the land was quiet, and all the roaring and explosions had ceased. Instead, there was only a calm stillness that neither animal nor weather dared break.

“And then the sun rose! High and bright, the sun soared into the sky, and the hunters rejoiced and cried out. The sun had risen! And the hunters bowed low when the Sun Princess came to them and said, ‘No more shall the Shadow of the North darken your lands. You are free.’ And the hunters praised her name from that day forth, and each day they would look to the east and thank the sun for rising, for each day it meant that evil was again held in check.”

The griffon finished her story and lowered her head. Silence quickly took its place, almost echoing now in the darkness. The stars were out in force, and the moon was the only real source of light. The sun must have set while Gail was talking, Twilight realised. She hadn’t even noticed.

“And that,” the griffon leader said, looking Twilight directly in the eyes, “is why I am glad that if anyone is going east at this time, it is your princess.”

Twilight could only nod numbly while all around her the guards and griffons picked up their conversations. Gail took a moment before she finally looked away.

There was something more to this trip, Twilight was sure. But the Princess had said…

Nothing. She had barely said a word on the subject other than to ask Twilight to trust her. And she did trust her. But what if there was something like from one of the griffon stories?

Honestly, Twilight wasn’t sure. Her Princess wasn’t some mighty warrior. She was Princess Celestia. Kind and gentle and fiercely dependable… and self sacrificing… and…

Now I can protect my subjects from you!

Why couldn’t the story be true? What was stopping it? The fact that Twilight hadn’t read about it in some book? Her books were rubbish, and she knew it. Now it seemed like even griffons who had probably never even been to Equestria knew more about her Princess’ history than Twilight did herself.

“Twilight?” asked a gentle voice.

The unicorn looked up, and straight into the eyes of Princess Celestia herself. “Ah! Princess! You’re back!”

Celestia looked a little taken aback. “Yes, I am back. I apologise for being gone so long. I forget sometimes just how much I love flying.”

Twilight wanted to question her. She didn’t buy that excuse, and she was about to open her mouth to say so when she stopped. At the end of the day, what would change if she knew what the Princess was up to?

With her answer in mind, Twilight kept her mouth shut. “I hope you had fun,” was all she said, giving her mentor a smile.

“I did, thank you. But now I think it is best if we went to bed. We still have a long way to travel.”

“Yes, of course,” Twilight said, frowning.

They left first thing in the morning, saying farewell to the griffons before disappearing into the eastern horizon. Twilight watched the sunrise from the chariot, staring at it in silence until it became too bright, and she was forced to look away. The Princess was just as silent, staring just below the sun, out towards the wall of brown slowly rushing up to meet them.

It took Twilight a while, but she finally realised that this was the eastern continent. They had spanned the vast bulk of the Shining Sea in less than two days.

Of course, they were still a long way out, and it took many hours to finally reach the gently rolling hills along the coast. Twilight wished goodbye to the sea, promising herself she would be back sooner rather than later, preferably with her friends.

“How soon to Draxonis now, Princess?” she asked.

“There is still a long way to go. We will have to stop again tonight.”

“Oh. Any idea where?”

Celestia smiled, still not looking at Twilight. “You will see, my faithful student.”

Realising she was going to get no further answers, Twilight returned to staring over the landscape. Everything was… different. The greens were darker; the browns almost looked like dried blood. They were still going over hill country, and the Princess explained that this was the Wildlands, a place filled with weather-beaten hills and gnarled and stunted trees. Apparently ponies lived out here, although they cut off communication with the outside world a very long time ago.

They stopped for lunch in the middle of a shady glen, and Twilight spent most of the break either examining the strange flowers or listening intently, half expecting some strange beast or wild pony to burst out at any moment. Her behaviour wasn’t helped by the fact that even Swift spent the entire meal scanning the trees.

The landscape started to change in the afternoon. The hills grew sharper, more pronounced, crowned with granite peaks and ridges. The valleys became lower and darker too, filled with wizened trees that almost looked as if they grew sideways out of the gully walls.

Everything looked so… ancient, Twilight decided. So old, like the ground itself could tell stories about the beginning of time and everything that had happened since. If only she could hear them.

Eventually, the sun began to kiss the horizon, and Swift flicked her head back. “Where to, Majesty?” she shouted.

Celestia smiled wryly for a moment before answering. “To the north east of here, Captain, there should be a long canyon cut between two hills. About three miles away, if I remember correctly. When we get there, you will see where I have in mind.”

Twilight saw Swift nod, and instantly the chariot started to bank, turning to the right while descending slowly at the same time.

It was not long before Twilight saw the canyon she assumed Celestia was talking about, two impenetrable cliffs plunged deep into the earth, covered in clinging foliage and jagged boulders. The canyon walls rose up sharply, increasing in height as the chariot soared along its length.

“Follow this for about a mile more,” Celestia said. “You shall see it soon enough.”

Twilight peered down the canyon, burning with curiosity for what on earth the Princess could be referring to. So far, she could see nothing beyond the stone and plant life. The chariot rounded around a gentle bend to the right, and Twilight gasped. She could have sworn that Swift and a few of the guards did the same.

Sitting up high, built into the side of the rock face where it opened out on steep right angles into two horizontal cliffs, was a castle. A massive central building dominated the complex, the grey walls and towers curving to form mighty domes and spires, crowding around a massive central spire that opened up into a hollowed alcove at its peak. A great wall ringed the keep, running along the shelf where the castle had been placed.

Twilight could not help but marvel at the massive structure. It was well over two hundred feet fight and almost five hundred feet across. But the stone looked as if a decaying cloud had settled amongst its curves and crevices, eating away the walls, washing it with a stained brush. Thick cracks and snake-like vines crawled over every surface, the latter sprouting little white flowers that shone in the afternoon light.

“To the front gate, Swift,” Celestia said. “It should be open.”

The chariot banked steeply, landing on a stone bridge that extended into open air in front of an gaping hole cut into the wall.

Twilight stared open-mouthed up the massive walls, the even bigger castle looming against the cliff. Even then, the wall stopped fifty or so feet from the top, making the fortress impossible to reach in anyway except by air. The dizzying drop behind them plummeted down to the ground where it spread out into a plain of broken hills.

“Welcome,” Celestia said, “to Armoruil, watchtower of the east, and the beacon of light.”

Twilight looked up at the walls, her neck craning backwards. Small birds flittered from the towers, darting from nests along the battlements. “What is this place…?” she breathed, unable to look away.

“A watchtower used to keep an eye on Draxonis millennia ago,” Celestia replied, watching Twilight’s every move.

“Are there rooms inside?” Swift interjected, her and her team already loaded up with their supplies.

“Yes, I will show you where we shall be sleeping.” Celestia walked quickly along the stone walkway, heading toward the open gate. Twilight, Swift and the guards followed behind in formation, a fact Twilight found quite odd. It wasn’t as if anypony was around...

“Who built this, Princess?” Twilight asked.

“An empire that existed long ago. They were mighty and they were proud, and they built many fortresses like this one to watch over their dominion.”

“It’s incredible…” Twilight trailed off, looking around at the epic structure that said more than what she possibly could.

“It’s pretty much impossible breach too…” Swift said, sounding just as awed as Twilight felt.

“Huh?”

Swift pointed to a series of metal spikes stuck into the walls. Twilight had thought they were flag poles, but the guard explained that they were shield conduits, the kind that created a barrier like Shining Armour’s over Canterlot. “The wall and the cliff keeps them funnelled into the space where the shield covers. Of course, you have to be able to fly, so that severely limits the amount of potential intruders anyway.”

Celestia was silent throughout the entire exchange, stepping into the courtyard beyond the gate. The court between the wall and castle reached around in a semi-circle to each side of the cliff face. A raised dais lay shattered in the middle, pieces of dull metal scattered around it, ripped into twisted shards.

Twilight stepped down and was met with a dull ringing sound. She had walked onto massive fragments of plate metal, the dulled surfaces looking vaguely golden, tarnished like a copper coin. She looked back at the gate frame and then back down at the door-shaped pieces of metal, covered in warps and scorch marks. She gulped.

“What happened to the kingdom, Princess?”

Celestia turned to face Twilight, her eyes unseeing. “They grew too powerful, Twilight. They overestimated their own power, and it corrupted them.”

“I have never seen any place like this,” Swift said. “It’s… ancient.”

“It truly is,” Celestia said. “But it will still provide adequate shelter. If you will follow me, please.”

Twilight and the guards followed Celestia as she crossed the courtyard and into the castle. Twilight felt like she was straining her neck, looking all around her with her mouth hanging open. The stone was covered in spiderweb-thin cracks that crawled up the walls and along the roof, cracking glass and splintering tiles. With the way the walls curved and the roof was arched in the middle, it made the entire building felt too small and too big at the same time. Twilight shivered. The entire place was humming with magic left dormant for millennia. Even the floors felt layered in a series of ancient enchantments that Twilight didn’t understand.

Celestia, however, led them without pause or deliberation, her hooves echoing loudly in the room of stone despite the carpet of dust. They traversed the empty corridors and sweeping staircases in silence. Twilight noticed that the entire building was devoid of furniture, the walls completely bare. There were no pictures or rugs, nor tables or chairs. It was a skeleton, the bare remains of what Twilight could only guess had once been a thriving castle.

After a period of time that Twilight couldn’t measure, Celestia came to a stop in the middle of a narrow hallway. Doors without handles of any kind lined the walls on both sides, covered in decoration of silver and gold baby vines. Celestia’s horn glowed briefly, and one of the flat panels slid backwards without a sound.

She stepped forward into the room, and Twilight followed. The space was completely empty, a fireplace that curved into the wall like a mouth the only feature of note. The cold stone’s only decoration was the carpet of dust that layered the floor, sucked in from the open window that led out to a balcony.

“We can sleep in these rooms tonight,” Celestia said at last.

Swift nodded and set about directing the guards to investigate the other rooms with Celestia’s help. Soon they had set up camp in a few of the rooms, and dinner consisting of dandelion soup was prepared. The food filled the rooms with its warm and spicy scent, setting Twilight’s mouth watering.

The unicorn found herself wandering up and down the hallway, trying to open the doors with her magic. She could feel the energy covering the doors, and, at first, it scared her. It was old, so impossibly old, rippling with power despite the thousands of years between its casting and the current day. All for a simple door enchantment, Twilight thought.

While they had refused to open at first, after some gentle prodding, Twilight found the spot to undo them. Her horn flashed for a second as she found the correct wrinkle in the magic, and it filled her with the same power she used with the Elements of Harmony. But as quickly as the feeling came, it vanished, leaving her confused and standing in front of an open doorway. The room was empty.

After she returned to her and Celestia’s room, she watched the Princess approach Swift. The guard was watching the sky, her face darkened by a small frown.

“Captain,” Celestia said, “I must go over to the other side of the canyon to lower the sun. I shall return momentarily.”

The guard’s head snapped up, and she saluted before replying. “Why, Your Majesty? Why not do it here?”

Celestia smiled patiently. “Because the magics of this place are interfering with my own. I won’t be far.”

“I’ll come with you, Princess.”

“That will not be necessary.”

Swift shook her head sharply. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, I can’t let you go too far without a guard.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “I really appreciate your concern, but I feel that it is misplaced. I am just across the other side of the cliff. I shall not be far, and your presence is not necessary.”

“Your Majesty—”

Celestia shook her head. “I do not wish to discuss the matter any further, thank you, Swift. I shall return soon.”

Swift opened her mouth, but the Princess had already stepped outside. She opened her wings, took off, and disappeared into the early evening like a ghost.

Swift watched her go, the tendons in her neck straining.

Twilight tried to shrink away from the frustration radiating from the captain. “Is everything okay?” she asked in a very small voice.

“She just leaves!” Swift snapped. “I swore an oath to her the day after I got my cutie mark, and she ignores it like it’s nothing more than empty words. Do you know what that oath was?”

“I... No?”

“It was an oath to protect her with my life, to guard her at all times, to be watching out for anything that could harm her, and yet, she won’t let me do that! What good am I, then? Am I really just a glorified chariot driver? Is that what I am?”

Twilight flinched away, unable to hold Swift’s iron vice of a stare. “I’m sure that’s not how she sees it...”

“But do you know what’s more, Twilight? Even when she stays I cannot protect her. I cannot protect a living goddess. How could I? She has more power than the entire guard put together. That is where my duty lies!”

Swift was breathing heavily, her eyes burning with muted fury. Twilight looked around, completely unsure what to say.

“Yet, how can I? How...” The captain suddenly looked up, her eyes pleading with Twilight to understand. Finding nothing, she hung her head, exhaling. “I am sorry, Twilight Sparkle. I forget myself.”

“I—I am sure she appreciates everything you do,” Twilight said, her voice shaking, knowing just how empty her words sounded.

“It’s the thought that counts...” Swift said bitterly. The guard turned and walked toward the door. “Please... forget I spoke at all. It is not my place... Forgive me.” With that, she turned and left the room.

Twilight stood still in the middle of the room, completely dumbstruck. Where did that come from...?

Twilight watched the moon rise, staring at the pale shadows it painted along the ground. The world was ethereal at night, a ghost realm filled with dark crevices, highlighted by silver light.

She didn’t even notice the Princess coming up to stand behind her until she spoke. “Twilight, how are you?”

Twilight opened her mouth, but closed it again, frowning.

“Is everything alright?”

Storms are coming…

“Yes, Princess, everything is fine. Just a little awed by it all, I guess.”

The Princess nodded sagely. “I completely understand. It’s all rather impressive, isn’t it?”

“I’ll say… What about the dragon capital, Dragoliath? Can I expect something similar there?”

The Princess smiled. “Just wait till you see the sunlight strike the mountain’s peak, the way it makes the rock look like its on fire. Now that is a sight worth seeing, Twilight.”

Twilight nodded, smiling in return. “I can’t wait.”

They were both quiet for a moment, just staring out onto the moonlit plains. Twilight could feel the Princess peering down at her from the corner of her eyes.

“There is something else, isn’t there, Twilight?”

Twilight sighed, finally moving around to face the Princess properly. Except, when Twilight did, she could barely hold her gaze. “It’s just… all of this talk. About the changing weather and storms and something in the east…”

“Ah.” Celestia watched her closely, her expression far too guarded; there was no warmth in her eyes.

“I mean, I know there is nothing to be afraid of,” Twilight added quickly. “But still…”

“No, I completely understand.”

“You do?”

“Of course. After all, it must be very unsettling.”

Twilight looked away, frowning. “Well…”

“But please, do not worry. All of this talk, all of this worry, none of it is of our concern. It doesn’t change what we are here for in the slightest. Besides, there are always rumours in this part of the world. There is always something bearing down, just waiting to change everything.”

Twilight held the Princess’ gaze, searching for something—anything—that would make the twisting knot in her stomach go away. “I know.”

Something shifted in the Princess’ expression. A curtain was brushed aside, and all of a sudden, Twilight could see something that looked terribly close to… desperation in her eyes. “Trust me, Twilight. Please trust me.”

Twilight felt the world drop away from beneath her hooves. “No, I do! I do trust you! I—”

“Thank you, Twilight. That means a lot to me,” the Princess said. “Please believe me when I say there is nothing to be afraid of.”

“I…” What could she say to that? And pressing the issue further just seemed… defiant. “Of course, Princess,” Twilight said at last. “I really do trust you, and I understand. Just a dignitary's trip, after all?”

Celestia leaned down, nuzzling her tenderly like she used to do when Twilight was a foal. Twilight sighed and melted into the embrace, leaning into the Princess’ warmth.

“Everything will be alright, Twilight,” Celestia whispered. “I promise.”

III - Yesterday and Tomorrow

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As the Sun Sets

by Mystic

Chapter III

Yesterday and Tomorrow

The air shimmered, fluid and ephemeral, constantly shifting around Twilight as she walked down the stone corridor. She looked down the seamless hallway, the white stone flawless in its construction, elegant with its smooth curves and arches. Paintings and murals filled the walls with blaring colours, all depicting epic heroes and fantastic landscapes.

Twilight didn’t remember starting to walk along the hallway, nor did she know where she was headed, yet she walked with purpose. She was driven by some unknown knowledge, a strange compulsion urging her forward toward a destination she couldn’t name.

She turned a corner, and the air rippled outwards, distorting the walls on either side. The corridor was identical to the previous one, the same paintings and tapestries adorning the walls. It didn’t seem strange, though. It was largely irrelevant in the face of her goal.

Without warning, the corridor ended in a lone doorway, already partly ajar. She nudged it open with her hoof, and it creaked as it swung into the room. Twilight stepped through and smiled when she realised where she was.

It was Princess Celestia’s chambers, only, it was different. The walls were completely covered in shelves, empty and bare-bones, collecting layers of dust in place where books should have been. The fireplace remained, as did the massive four-poster bed that took inspiration from pegasus design. On the right was the opened window leading out to the balcony clinging to the tower’s side. Twilight was a little surprised to see Celestia standing outside, a cup of tea levitating next to her in a gentle golden aura.

She stepped into the crisp evening air. The sun was setting quickly, igniting the already flickering air on fire with a sickly glow. Twilight looked at the second fine-china cup on the table. It was empty despite the still-steaming pot next to it.

“Twilight.”

Twilight frowned. The voice, it was low, rushed, urgent. “Yes, Princess?”

“Look at that view, Twilight. It’s magnificent.”

Twilight peered at the world, watching as the wavering and bloodied sun caused the elongated shadows to dance. “It’s…”

“Why? Do you not like it?”

“No! I do like it!”

“What do you like about it, then?”

“Um.” Twilight gulped. “It looks a little like the paintings you see in the Canterlot gallery.”

The Princess turned to face Twilight. Her eyes were distant, lost in sunken sockets, not quite focusing on Twilight’s face. “Is that all?”

“Is this a… uh… test?”

Celestia looked away. “Of a sort.”

“I…” Twilight paused. Out to the west, the light was rapidly disappearing from the world. But in the east, in place of the moon, rose an abyss of burning shadow, tongues of dark fire that licked the sky. Twilight watched with a prickling sense of fear as the shadow grew and grew, quickly overwhelming the mountains that framed the horizon. “Princess?”

Celestia was silent, watching the west with an intense gaze. “What else do you like about the view, Twilight?”

“Princess! Can’t you see that?” The shadow made its move, spilling out from the eastern horizon and engulfing everything in its path with a swelling wall of darkness. It swept over the land, swallowing everything in its path.

“Do you like the way the sun lights up the sky? It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Princess! Please, look!”

Celestia seemed to stir at the urgency in the unicorn’s voice. “Oh! How could I have forgotten? Twilight, I did not ask if you would like any tea. How rude of me.”

“Princess! The world is disappearing! Aren’t you going to do anything?”

Celestia stopped, the second teacup and pot hovering in front of her face. “Do you trust me, Twilight?”

“I… Of course I do!”

“Then trust me, Twilight. Trust me like you once did.”

“But… I…” She could only watch as the shadow swept over the last of the mountain range, surging, breaking and plunging down into the valley below. “I always have trusted you.”

A great roar shattered the sky until the shimmering magic dissipated into nothing. Twilight watched as a great shape leapt from the depths of the shadow, spreading its massive wings with a great rush of air. The beast’s eyes glowed red as it rushed towards the balcony, fire crawling out the sides of its mouth and nostrils.

“Princess!” Twilight screamed as loudly as she could, yet her voice sounded no louder than a whisper. “Princess, please!”

“It’s nothing for you to worry about, Twilight,” Celestia said, her voice sounding so far away and hollow. “Trust me.”

A shaft of gold spilled out from the west, lighting up the world with warm and glorious rays of light. It met the shadow over the plains so far below, pushing it back to the east. The winged beast roared again and threw its head back to the sky, spewing fire into the air. The light held for a fraction, and then it broke into glittering shards. The shadow gushed forward, this time completely unchecked.

Twilight could only watch as the darkness rushed up to meet her, the depths of the void hungry to swallow her whole.

“Trust me, Twilight,” came Celestia’s imperial voice, the Princess still facing the west. “Trust me.”

Twilight woke with a shuddering gasp, the last of the dream still filling her mind’s eye. She breathed deeply three times to slow her beating heart, a trick she used to use as a filly to combat nightmares.

The little breathing trick worked as promised, and Twilight felt even better in the familiarity of a routine. It sought to fight the unease she felt waking up in a strange room so different from her comfortable little library back home.

“Can’t sleep?”

Twilight looked up quickly, her blanket pooling in front of her. Celestia stood by the window, watching the moon where it hung near the horizon, a polished pearl of light. “Just a bad dream, Princess.”

“Me too,” Celestia admitted.

Twilight frowned. “You’re having bad dreams too?”

“Of a sort.”

Twilight suppressed a shudder at the memory of the Celestia in her dream.

“But rest your fears, Twilight. Dawn is coming. In fact, it is just around the corner.”

Twilight let a moment of silence pass before asking her question. “Are you okay, Princess?”

Celestia turned away from the window, giving Twilight a smile that didn’t quite alleviate the unicorn’s fears. “I am wonderful, Twilight, but thank you for asking.”

Twilight didn’t dare ask again. If the Princess said she was okay, then that would have to do.

Both mares’ heads flicked at the murmurs coming from the other room. The guards were rising, already thinking about breakfast from the sounds of things.

“We should reach Draxonis tomorrow,” Celestia said quietly. “Which is just as well. Dragons do not like to be kept waiting.”

Twilight gave a small smile.

“What is it, Twilight? Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” Twilight looked down at her hooves. “I mean, I guess I kind of miss Spike.”

The Princess was quick to respond. “I’m sure he’s fine, Twilight. In fact, I dare say he’s probably enjoying himself.”

“I suppose so...”

“Yet you still worry about him,” Celestia replied.

Twilight blushed. “Well, just a little. He’s so young, and he really didn’t get anything that he wanted from his trip. He didn’t meet his parents or find out anything about how dragon society really works. I mean, sure it’s great that he learned all about staying true to himself, but I…” Twilight fell silent. “I asked him if he’d like to come, but he wasn’t interested.”

“Perhaps it is best that he did not come,” Celestia said, drawing a confused look from Twilight. “I don’t think these early starts would have suited him at all.”

Twilight laughed. “I guess you’re right.”

“It’s noble of you to be worried about him, but I would not worry too much; he will find his place, but he just might have to grow a little in the meantime.”

Twilight smiled. “Yeah, I just worry about that silly dragon sometimes.”

At that moment, a cry rose from the other room. Twilight and Celestia looked to each other as a string of low curses hissed in the air like angry snakes––until Swift could be heard hitting the speaker over the head with a harsh reprimand. A second later, the Captain herself appeared, knocking on the doorframe with a sheepish look. Celestia had kept the magical entrances open to allow easy access. Swift lingered by the opening, looking unwilling to enter properly.

“What is it, Captain? Is everything alright?”

“Ah. Yes. Everything is fine… except that Whirlwind knocked the porridge over. It might be a little while before breakfast as it stands. I hope you didn’t mind the noise.” Twilight couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the guard. Although, it was hard not to laugh at the faint blush dusting the stern mare’s face.

“That is not a problem at all, Swift. Take your time. I have to raise the sun anyway, and I will have to fly to the other side of the cliff to do that. The magic in the building does not seem to like mine.”

Swift’s eyes narrowed. “Of course, Princess.”

“Twilight?” The Princess lifted an eyebrow.

It took the unicorn a moment to realise what was being asked. “Oh, um, I’ll probably just go exploring. I thought I saw some statues down in the courtyard before.”

Celestia nodded, satisfied. “Well then, I shall return shortly.”

Swift saluted with a wing, her expression cut from stone. “I’ll make sure breakfast is ready for your return, Princess.”

Celestia nodded and strode toward the large window. She stopped with one hoof on the low sill, turning to face the purple unicorn. “Oh, and Twilight? Do stay out of trouble, won’t you?”

Twilight blushed. “Of course, Princess.”

Celestia smiled and took off, launching into the sky.

The Captain looked Twilight up and down, an eyebrow raised. “Perhaps I should be sending a guard with you.”

“I’ll be just fine!” Twilight said, clinging to some sort of dignity.

“Of course you will. Call out if you require assistance.”

“Will do,” Twilight said, heading out into the hallway.

When Swift was back inside the guards’ room, Twilight walked down the length of the arched stone corridor, trying to retrace her steps from the day before. The stone seemed a lot brighter in the light from the east, the sun just waiting to come out and start a new day.

The walls around her never changed. They remained the same dull, ancient and flawless stone, curving around the roof and floor, semi-circular pillars set evenly into its length. The whole building looked strangely identical. Every corridor, every hallway and every door. They all looked like mirror images of the first corridor she had stepped into minutes before. Twilight thought back to the dream she had and shuddered.

Eventually, Twilight found herself in an exposed hallway, the left side open to the courtyard. Rows of pillars ringed the plaza, and four stone paths cut a cross through the grass, a single, ancient white tree in each quadrant. The early morning sun had risen properly now, and the air was thick with the smell of dust.

Twilight walked through the courtyard, staring up at the gnarled and withered trees. Their bark was bleached as bone, their skeletal branches leafless.

In the middle of the courtyard, Twilight stopped, looking in awe at the far wall. There, tucked into a sheltered alcove, were two statues. But they were not like any statues Twilight had seen before. These statues were tall, well over twenty feet high. They stood on two legs like minotaurs, each leg a stacked, roughly cylindrical pillar. Two, thick, bulging arms rested in front of them, claw-like hands with three fingers bunched up in a fist. In their grip, with pommels facing upwards, were great broadswords, dull gems glinting along their guards. Faceless heads sat atop their broad shoulders, a small lump of a thing compared to their barrel-chested bodies. Every part of them bulged, made out of several large and roughly shaped boulders. Twilight had no idea how they were all joined together.

She walked up to these statues gaping at the sight of them. They were like things from a dream. In fact, Twilight was almost certain she had seen them in a dream...

“What are you doing here…” she whispered.

Large purple gems sat in the centre of their chests. They gleamed faintly from the inside, age weathering their surfaces so that it was difficult to see them at all. Twilight sensed outwards with her magic, frowning at the massive amount of power she felt radiating from the gems like heat from an open fire. But it was a silent power, a magic unused for thousands of years.

Twilight stood still in front of the statues for a solid minute. But then, curiosity got the better of her. She scrunched her face up in concentration, and her horn flashed into life. She encased herself in a purple glow, and then, not without effort, her hooves left the ground. Grunting from the strain, Twilight levitated herself slowly up to the gem set into the automaton’s chest.

Once she was up there, she tried her best not to look down. Fifteen feet wasn’t all that high, but it hurt to maintain her levitation spell, and she didn’t want to think what would happen should she fall. Twilight took a better look at the magic emanating from within the lilac-coloured stone. She could feel the wrinkles of magic, the layers of complexity lying inside the enchantment. It was a come to life spell, only on a scale she had never seen before. But most of all, it was ancient, impossibly old, just like the doors back inside the castle.

Twilight stopped, her head tilting to the side in concentration. There was a spell inside the magic. A separate piece of magic. Or maybe it was part of it. Either way, Twilight wasn’t sure. But it felt different. It felt… it felt like the magic from the Elements of Harmony. There was that same blinding whiteness to it, the flashes of rainbow highlighting its edges.

Testing the power with her own, Twilight should have guessed what was bound to happen. A bright flash engulfed her senses, temporarily blinding her. She gasped as her levitation slipped, and her stomach plummeted, but she caught herself just in time. The magic that had coursed through her was the magic from the elements. It had been a spark, jumping from her to the statue and igniting... something.

A low and terrible groan caused Twilight to look up, straight into the featureless face of the great stone automaton staring down at her without emotion.

It had moved.

The gem in its chest and the ones along the guard of its sword were pulsing now, bright and magnificent. Twilight gasped as slowly, the statue began to shift, every movement eliciting a shriek of protest from its body.

Twilight fell. She didn’t realise that she had dropped her magic until the ground was rushing to meet her like an oncoming train. She screamed and tried to envelop her body in magic once again to slow her descent. She only partly succeeded, slamming into the earth with a force that drove the wind from her lungs. She was lucky nothing broke.

Groaning, Twilight stepped groggily to her shaking hooves, staring up at the mighty statue. It lifted one leg from the ground and moved forward, the earth shaking with a low boom as it stepped down. Then it did the same with the other, lifting its sword up high above its head. Twilight watched carefully, trying to gauge the statue’s intent. She could only gape at the massive automaton, its great sword held high.

And then it brought its blade down in a cut so fast that Twilight barely had time to see it. One second it was there, and the next it was rushing towards her, slicing through the air.

Instinctively, Twilight threw a barrier around herself. The stone sword struck her glowing shield with the force of a meteor, its length crackling with magenta energy as it shattered Twilight’s defence with a single blow. The unicorn flew backwards, dazed, but not harmed by the strike.

With a gasp, Twilight tried to teleport. The magic filled her up, the electric tingle that made the hairs on her neck stand on end. She didn’t care where she went, as long as it was away from here. But then, the gems on the statue’s sword flashed brightly, crackling with sparks, and she lost the spell. One second she was about to teleport, the next a strange force brushed her magic aside with the ease of removing cobwebs.

She was stuck.

She pushed herself to her hooves again, watching as the statue pressed forward for another attack. Its weapon might’ve been fast, but its legs moved sluggishly, leaving its steps slow and uncoordinated. Twilight ran to the side, and the sword struck the ground with a shuddering whump that rocked Twilight to her core. She tripped forward, watching with numbing certainty as the automaton whipped its sword sideways towards her, the blade covered in tendrils of red energy that emanated from the gems on its hilt.

Twilight threw up another barrier and was again sent flying backwards as the magic on the blade broke her defence like a hammer on glass. Only, this time it was stronger. She could feel it. The statue was regaining its power.

“Stop!” Twilight cried out, her voice shaking from having the breath knocked out of her three times in a minute. “Stop!”

The statue paused for a moment, but then pressed onwards, bringing its weapon around for another attack. Twilight grit her teeth and tried to create another barrier, having lost her chance to run when she cried out. The statue’s blow came swinging down, and Twilight could only curl into a ball when her magic failed, clenching her eyes shut as tight as she could. This was it.

Except, the blade never reached its target.

The sword slammed into a glowing ball of golden light, causing an explosion that rocked the courtyard to its foundations. The light held, and the statue was forced to take a step backwards.

“No.”

Twilight watched in awe as the aura faded, revealing Princess Celestia standing between her and the statue. The Princess’ mane whipped about, driven by some unfelt wind. Streamers of gold light circled her body in every direction, forming a constantly shifting shield.

“You will not harm her.”

The statue regained its balance and attacked again, this time noticeably faster on its feet. It stepped forward and swung low in a savage sweep. Celestia leapt skyward, the blade passing harmlessly beneath her. Her horn glowed so brightly it hurt Twilight’s eyes, sheathed in a shimmering golden aura. A single beam formed on its point, and, with a loud crack, a lance of magic raced out to strike the gem in the statue’s chest.

The automaton staggered, then fell backwards with a resounding crash. Its head shattered the roof of the alcove it had been standing in with a cloud of dust and masonry.

Celestia turned towards Twilight, her mouth open to say something, but the words never left her lips. Twilight watched, frozen in place, as the statue began to move again. Using the sword as support, it got to its feet, already pushing forward to attack.

The Princess’ eyes widened.

A sharp cry rose up from the edge of the square. Twilight snapped her head in its direction. Five pegasi swooped over the edge of the courtyard, their golden armour gleaming in the morning sun. Without a single command, they fanned outwards, surrounding the statue.

The automaton paused for a moment, its attention caught between its multiple targets. The guards darted around in tight zigzags, their wing-beats short and sharp, keeping their bodies streamlined through the air. Celestia’s mouth was set in a grim line as she turned to face the statue once more, her horn flaring to life.

And then, moving as one, the soldiers attacked. They darted forward, striking at the statue’s head with shining blades that stretched out from their front right legs. The weapons did little more than spark against the ancient stone, skating off with a shriek. Celestia had more success, and while the automaton was busy swinging wildly at the pegasi, she struck out with bolts of energy.

With each bolt, the statue stumbled, but with each one, it stumbled less, its movements growing in speed and precision. Celestia’s mouth was stretched taut.

The statue swung out in a wide arc, forcing Contrail to loop to avoid the blow. Twilight watched the pegasus be thrown to the side from the buffeting air following the strike and burned by the crackling magics coursing along the length of the blade. He lost control of his flight, his wings flapping uselessly as he plummeted to the ground.

Swift dived, flying faster than any Wonderbolt, and caught him a foot or so above the ground, racing the pegasus away from the fight. The other guards broke rank momentarily, re-evaluating their position with two soldiers down.

That was all the pause the statue needed.

It lunged forward with its sword, not reacting to the golden bolt striking its chest. Celestia threw up her golden shield, and it held, just, as the blade came bearing down on her. There was an explosion that shook the cliff, and Twilight had to shield her eyes from the light.

Celestia jumped into the sky, but the automaton was faster. It twirled its blade around in a glowing arc, already pressing another attack. This one struck the Princess’ shield again, and this time the magic did not hold. The shield exploded in a ball of red and gold light, and the Princess flew backwards, landing on the earth in a crumpled heap.

“Princess!” Twilight screamed, sprinting over to her mentor.

“Twilight!” Celestia tried to call back, her voice barely louder than a groan. She was struggling to her hooves. “The gem, Twilight. The gem.”

Twilight paused. “The gem?” And then it clicked. The jewel was its weak spot! But why wasn’t it working when Celestia tried…

A low thud caused her to spin around. The guards were pressing their attack, attempting to keep the statue from advancing. Swift and Whirlwind landed by the Princess’ side, ready to pull her out of the fight.

Twilight’s mind was racing, trying to work out a way to stop it. And then it came to her. It was a come to life spell, or at least a version of it, so that meant that it had to have an ‘off’ mechanism! All she had to do was undo the spell, and the statue should return to its dormant state.

Without another moment’s thought, Twilight sprinted toward the automaton, ignoring the calls from Swift as the captain moved the Princess to safety.

As she ran, Twilight marshalled her magic inside her, pooling it, letting it fill her like the warmth of the sun. When she was no more than a dozen feet from the statue, Twilight lifted herself up with a burst of levitation magic. She soared up, avoiding a swipe from the sword, and held herself in place right in front of its chest.

Twilight reached out with her magic and felt the gem’s power sear the air around her. It hummed with energy. She could sense the glowing heart of the spell, the one she had felt when she activated the creature. With a cry, she connected her magic to the wrinkle, and there was a blinding flash as a spark passed between her and the automaton, the magic of harmony filling her for a heartbeat.

And then, in mid swing, the statue fell silent. The blade halted in the middle of the air, the magic fading away into nothing with a few last sizzling cracks. The statue stopped, its legs spread wide into a combat stance, and silence fell over the courtyard, as deafening as the sound it followed.

“You did it…” Nighthawk said, flying over to Twilight as she lowered herself carefully to the ground. Twilight watched him pull at a lever on his foreleg just before he landed, and the blade retracted into the leather sheath running up his leg.

“I… did it. I did it!”

By now the other guards had landed, making their way over to check on Celestia or Contrail or heading towards Twilight. They all glanced up at the statue, making sure that it was, in fact, still silent.

“Is everypony alright?” Swift barked. There was a general call of assent.

“Princess!” Twilight shouted, running to her mentor’s side. “Princess are you okay?” She nuzzled her mentor warmly, throwing her legs around the alicorn’s neck and hugging her tight. Twilight paused when Celestia didn’t quite respond.

The Princess coughed. “I am fine, Twilight. Please, do not worry about me.” She looked away.

“What was that thing?” Whirlwind said, checking up on the dazed Contrail. The other guards murmured their agreement to the question.

Twilight looked to Celestia, the same question in her mind. The guards all followed suit. The Princess looked away again, and Twilight could have sworn Celestia’s rear legs were shaking.

The Princess spoke slowly, “I… I am sorry, everypony. I did not think that it would be here.”

Twilight titled her head to the side, and the guards all frowned. Tempest spoke up, “What would be here? What in Tartarus’ name was that thing?”

“It is called a Sentinel. They were made thousands of years ago to defend against dragons and other monsters that covered the earth.” The Princess’ voice was vague, distant, trapped in a memory so very far away from the present.

“A Sentinel?”

Celestia nodded. “They would guard the borders, protecting the lands beyond.”

Twilight blinked, her mind reeling, her limbs still trembling with adrenalin. “Who made them?”

“The same beings who made this castle.”

“Why did it come alive now?” Swift asked sharply. “Princess, what’s to stop it waking up again any second?”

“Ahh…” Twilight blushed. “That might have been my fault. I, um, was exploring, and I may have accidentally switched its come to life spell on…”

Swift looked incredulous, but then she shook her head, sighing. “I was right. I should have sent Nighthawk with you.”

“They are relics of an age past,” Celestia said, her voice steely. “They… are all but forgotten.” She frowned and looked away. Twilight wasn’t sure anypony was meant to see the expression, but she did.

“Our weapons did nothing…” Tempest said, staring at the contraption attached to his right leg. It was a sheath, and a silver blade protruded from the mahogany coloured leather. Twilight could see where a quick release system was built near the knee and a lever attached down by the hoof to draw the blade back up when the pegasus landed.

“That’s because it’s stone,” Contrail said. “Even blue steel won’t puncture rock.”

“There are enchantments built into that statue,” Celestia added softly. “Even dragon claws and teeth cannot harm it.”

“Well, it’s a good thing Twilight was here to save us,” Swift said, making Twilight blush again. Nopony should have needed saving in the first place…

“Yes…” Celestia offered a half smile, a veiled expression that made Twilight’s stomach feel empty. “We are indeed. Again, I am sorry, everypony. This was my mistake.”

“Don’t be silly, Pr––”

“No, Twilight.” Twilight flinched at the tone of her voice. “I brought us here. I knew of its defences. I should have warned you.”

Twilight opened her mouth but thought better of it, biting her lip instead.

A silence fell over the courtyard, everypony still a little shaken up from the attack. Twilight could hear all their breathing, deep, slow breaths that tried to calm trembling limbs. Contrail broke the silence first, clearing his throat in the process. “Well, the porridge should be ready, if Her Highness is feeling hungry.”

And just like that, Twilight felt a little better. By the looks of things, so did the other guards. Nothing was quite so normal and so wonderfully mundane as breakfast.

Celestia nodded, gesturing that they lead on. Swift bowed her head and did just that, somehow knowing exactly where to go in the maze of corridors and rooms.

Contrail moved past Twilight, and she noticed that the edge of his wing caught the light of the sun like a shard of glass. She frowned and took a closer look.

The pegasus looked over and smiled. “This?” He stretched his left wing out, holding it at length so Twilight could examine it. A piece of steel ran along his metacarpus, thin and as sharp as a knife edge, held at a slight angle to prevent it from cutting the wearer’s body when tucked away. It was connected to his armour at his shoulders, leather straps holding it in place. “Never seen wingblades before?”

“Of course she hasn’t,” Swift said. “They’re weapons that don’t come out all that often.”

“What are they…?” Twilight said, leaning away instinctively from the weapon.

“Blades for our wings, of course!” He smiled at her, his eyes warm. “They mean we can make attacks while flying, keeping our momentum instead of having to stop and strike with our hoofblades.” He gestured to the contraption on his leg.

“Hoofblades?”

Contrail looked taken aback by this. “What? You don’t know about hoofblades?”

Swift sighed. “Again, Contrail, most guards carry spears. Only the Solar Guard and the Wonderbolt teams use either of these. They’re nonstandard for a reason.”

“And the Nightguard,” Nighthawk added, his voice resonating in the narrow corridor.

Swift nodded. “True. I forget about them.”

Contrail took control back of the conversation. “Anyway, those are our primary weapons. Light, inconspicuous, easy to carry around and effective when you know how to use them.”

“And absolutely useless against ancient stone monsters,” Tempest added darkly.

“I’ll speak to the blacksmiths when we get back,” Swift said. “Perhaps there is something they can do about that.”

“To be fair, they did a good job at letting us crack open the obsidian snakes in the Badlands,” Tempest admitted. Twilight just gaped at him.

After eating a breakfast of cold but definitely not unwelcome porridge, they made to head out again. They had lost a few hours, and Swift was insistent that they try to make up as much ground as they could to prevent them falling too far behind. Celestia reminded her that they had allowed for some time in case of distractions, but Swift had remained adamant.

It was mid-morning when the group finished packing up. They stood on the edge of the stone runway, and Twilight peered out to the north, the land becoming a blur of trees and forest-green hills. It was wild, untamed land, and somehow her encounter only a few hours before made her appreciate that even more. At least her legs had stopped shaking.

When they left, Twilight turned and watched as Armoruil faded into the distance, slowly becoming a tiny dot against the vast cliff face. Celestia was silent, staring out to the eastern horizon with a veiled expression. Twilight thought it better to not interrupt her.

Still, her silence unnerved the unicorn, so she resigned herself to reading over the last book that she had yet to finish. After a few pages, though, everything suddenly didn’t seem all that bad.

They were heading east-southeast, running along the Red Mountains to line themselves up better with Dragoliath. The guards wanted to spend as little time as possible traversing the Draxonis badlands.

As the day progressed, the shadow to the south grew and grew, shapes forming in the haze at the edge of the world. Great peaks formed bulging ridges, the peaks shattered and weathered. A red glow occupied the air above them, dark and boiling with engorged clouds that rumbled ominously. Volcanic eruptions from the south west, Twilight thought. She hoped the weather wouldn’t be too uncomfortable when they arrived. She most certainly did not want to wear some of the desert clothes Celestia had provided her with.

To the east, the horizon turned into a shimmering carpet of shadow, a deep and dark green tinting its edges. Greatwood, Twilight realised, not a little impressed at the vast size of the forest. Even the iridescent air surrounding it seemed to exude mystery and age. They were still leagues away, but Twilight found herself a little more receptive to all of the stories of ancient spirits and terrible creatures that stalked its depths.

To the north were the Saddleback Mountains. They were nigh on latitude of Equestria’s northern border, and beyond those mountains was Gryphus, the home of the Griffins.

The mountains grew larger as the day wore on. Twilight knew they weren’t going to make it there before nightfall, but she still could not help but feel impressed at their size, even from this distance. The red glow had faded somewhat, leaving dull clouds of ash in their place that lurked near the mountaintops with heavy, engorged bodies.

With dusk falling, Celestia called a stop to the day’s travel. Swift nodded at the Princess’ command and gestured down to the ground. Twilight instantly felt the chariot shift underhoof as they began their descent to the ground below. The land looked bruised, discoloured from the evening’s shadows.

They were heading toward a narrow valley, a hill on one side offering some shelter. A thicket of trees carpeted their left, a dark blanket without the direct light from the sun. They landed in a small clearing, and the guards immediately began to set up camp. Two tents were erected, one white with gold, the other white with purple. Tempest and Nighthawk built a fire while Contrail prepared the night’s meal. Twilight stood around, feeling very useless as everything was done around her with military speed and efficiency. She didn’t hear the Princess coming up beside her, Celestia’s hoof-falls light on the soft grass.

“Twilight?”

The unicorn started violently, and Celestia giggled. While her face was burning, it did make Twilight feel a little better to hear Celestia make such a sound. She had been near on silent all day after the encounter with the statue. “Yes, Princess?”

“Would you like to come with me? I have something to show you.” The Princess’ expression was warm, but there was an edge buried deep in her eyes.

“Sure, of course!”

Celestia smiled. “The hill over there should be a perfect spot for our observations.” She pointed up the side of the valley, to where one lone hill stood watch over the landscape.

The trip to the hill’s summit was brief, and the pair picked a way through all the narrow beech trees with widespread branches. The air was cool and smelled like tree sap and fresh grass. At the top, Celestia walked into a clearing. The western side of the hill was clear from any trees, offering a direct line of sight to the horizon. The last of the fiery sky could still be seen clinging around the sun, just peeking up above the edge of the world. It was an impressive view, a flat plain filled with gentle forests and a winding river of liquid silver.

“It’s gorgeous, is it not?” Celestia said, startling Twilight from her quiet observations.

“Mmhmm,” Twilight agreed. “It’s amazing. You don’t see sights like this around Ponyville.”

“Perhaps not. Perhaps you are just familiar with them,” the Princess teased. Twilight looked to the Princess, and the alicorn smiled warmly down at her. “I want to thank you properly, Twilight, for everything that you did today.”

Twilight blushed, looking away. “Nopony should have needed all of that help in the first place…”

“Curiosity isn’t something to be ashamed of. If anything, the error lies with me and my failure to warn you about some of the older magics in the castle.”

“Don’t be silly!” Twilight said. “You don’t have to know and do everything, Princess. I should have been more careful.”

Celestia smiled at her again, but this time, there was no warmth in the gesture. She didn’t reply, and a silence quickly fell. Twilight shivered.

“I have to lower the sun,” Celestia said at last, staring west. Twilight wasn’t sure how to respond to such a statement. “Luna must be waiting anxiously.”

“She’s changed so much,” Twilight said, latching onto the topic to keep the silence at bay. “She seems so much more comfortable.”

Celestia nodded. “Yes, she has come leaps and bounds since her return, but I always knew she would.”

Twilight didn’t reply, only murmuring affirmatively, so the Princess turned her attention once more to the horizon. She was still for a second, and then her horn burst into life, pulsing with an arcane light that sent golden shadows dancing around the clearing. The sun lingered in the sky for a moment longer, and then it slipped home, the darkness of the night rushing in to take its place. Within moments, the sky was pitch-black, coloured in bursts of twinkling light.

The unicorn hummed appreciatively. “It’s so beautiful…”

The Princess took a moment to reply. “Yes, it is.”

Silence fell again, stifling and uncomfortable. Twilight shifted in place. “Are you okay, Princess?” she asked.

Celestia looked away. “I am. Thank you for asking.”

Twilight opened her mouth, but she did not get a chance to speak, for a sudden light filled her eyes, an arrow of silver that streaked across the sky.

“It seems Luna has decided to grace us with a show,” Celestia murmured.

Twilight watched as the sky became awash with streaking lines of light, the shooting stars racing through the air, so fleeting yet so graceful and dignified. Dozens of them flashed brightly before disappearing on the eastern horizon, fading into nothing, using the last of their mass in sacrifice to a celestial show, the play of the heavens. Twilight watched with wide eyes, awed at the spectacle. Here, away from any kind of light from civilisation at all, the shooting stars looked more real and more beautiful than any she had seen before.

“Wow…”

Celestia did not respond, watching as the last of the shooting stars vanished, twinkling on the midnight horizon.

“I would like for you to forgive me, Twilight.” Celestia frowned. “You had to assist me when I shouldn’t have needed any help at all. I just did not expect to see a Sentinel. It has been… a very long time since I have last seen one.”

“You said that they used to watch the dragons?”

“Yes, there are many fortresses like Armoruil scattered over the land, each of them designed to watch the dark places of the world.”

“Was that really necessary?”

“Once upon a time, yes it was. The land was quite different, thousands of years ago.”

“Luna remembers.”

The Princess nodded, solemn. “She probably would.”

Twilight was filled with another urge to ask whether the Princess was okay, but she held her tongue. There was no need to press her. She was the Princess, after all…

Celestia looked back to the unicorn, her face clouded in shadow. “Come, Twilight. It is getting late. We should probably be trying to get some sleep.”

Twilight nodded, yawning a little at the sudden reminder that yes, it was nearing the time when normal ponies slept. But then her stomach growled.

Celestia giggled, the melodic sound shattering whatever mood had gripped the two mares only moments before. “Well, dinner first.”

Twilight blushed, the heat in her cheeks a welcome warmth. She liked it when the Princess laughed. “Yeah, that might be a good idea.”

Together, they left the summit of the hill.

The dawn touched the earth with streamers of gold, washing Twilight’s face with warmth as her eyes flickered open. The tent flap was open, allowing the sun entrance, and outside she could hear the hustle of the guards preparing something. It was a sound she had become very familiar with over the last few days.

Twilight got to her hooves, letting her blanket slide to the ground around her. Still a little bleary eyed, she walked out into the camp and was met instantly with the delicious, wafting scent of porridge.

“Good morning, Twilight,” Contrail said, an easy smile on his face.

Twilight tried her best to formulate a coherent response. “Ugh. Morning.”

Contrail laughed. “Hungry?”

Twilight nodded, and the pegasus gestured to a bowl sitting next to her. Twilight grasped it with magic and brought it up to her lips. She had to hand it to Contrail. For a guard, he really did cook fantastic porridge.

“Good morning, everypony,” came Celestia’s voice, drifting in from the edge of camp. “I hope the morning finds you in good health.”

“It’s a glorious day,” Contrail said, full of cheer and good spirits.

Swift nodded. “We shall be cresting the summits of The Red Mountains by lunch time.”

“I am glad to hear that,” Celestia said. “I am anxious to see Glamduural again.”

“Well, you will not have to wait long, Your Highness.” Swift got to her hooves, standing quickly in a manner that got the attention of all her ponies. She looked them over for a moment. “Well… you heard her. Let’s get moving!”

They set out soon after that, soaring due south through the crisp morning air. There was barely a cloud in the sky, the volcanic-born clouds carried away by the strong easterly that had come in overnight, and even the mountains themselves looked surprisingly clear. It was as if the land was granting them a small favour with good weather for the last stretch into the dragon homeland.

The landscape stretched out into a large plain, the trees dwindling to the point where all that was left was a grassy expanse that ran straight up to the foothills. Twilight could see the grass flatten periodically as if sat upon, telling her that there was, in fact, a wind blowing. Not that she could feel it with Celestia’s magics.

By midmorning, they had reached the foothills. Rather than stop for an early lunch, Celestia opted that they continue on, promising an extra serving when they stopped on the opposite ridge. Twilight wondered guiltily if that would apply to her. After all, sitting down for most of the day sure was hard work...

The mountains loomed overhead, their rugged peaks swollen and jagged. Great ridges swelled along their crowns, looking like overfilled saddlebags about to burst along their seams. Twilight could see lazy trails of smoke coiling from some of the more conical peaks deeper in the mountains to the west, the volcanoes that fed the lava fields.

Despite the volcanoes, the mountains’ namesake actually came from the earth from which they were made: the ground was an earthy red colour, splashed over the mountainside like drying blood. Twilight knew that the colour came from the rich iron ore deposits. Although, the dragons were one of the few species who didn’t use the metal regularly, preferring the rarer and more precious gems and metals. Still, that didn’t stop them from preventing the other species from mining the rich peaks.

About a league from their current position, just as suddenly as they had started on the northern side, the mountains ended. A high ridge spanned the length, a natural balcony overlooking the wasted plains of Draxonis beyond.

Draxonis… Twilight felt a little floored by the thought. She, as part of the first expedition in over one hundred years, was going to see the heartland of the dragon’s kingdom.

Finally, the chariot soared out of the last low valley and up onto the shelf of rock edging the mountains’ hem. Twilight had seen a great deal of incredible sights. But this, this was something else.

The exhausted badlands of Draxonis reached out into forever, a plain of baked and cracked coal-red earth. Great plumes of dust and smoke washed over the land in great waves, veiling the horizon into an indiscriminate mess.

The sun beat down on Twilight ferociously, the difference in temperature on each side of the mountains almost unbelievable for the unicorn. It was like she had stepped into another world entirely, an alien landscape of parched earth and a heat so strong that Twilight could feel her skin prickling underneath her coat.

“Welcome everypony,” Celestia said as they landed on the ridge, the guards disconnecting themselves, “to Draxonis.”

Twilight could do little more than gape. “Wow.”

“You got that right,” Swift said, standing next to Twilight, her eyes fixed on the southern expanse.

A hot wind streaked across the exposed rock shelf, and Twilight flinched as it grabbed at her coat with coarse fingers of sand and dust.

And then there was another gasp of air. And another. Each was followed by a dull and rhythmic thud that pulsed in the air.

Twilight paused, and she felt Swift stiffen next to her.

The shadow passed over the group, followed quickly by another few blasts of hot air and debris. Twilight looked up, and she gasped, her eyes growing wide.

The dragon landed with a low boom that shook the earth, perching like a cat along the rock, its wings spread wide, its tail curled beside its body. Its copper scales gleamed. To Twilight’s right, another dragon landed heavily, this one smaller and the colour of thick moss.

The guards jumped to positions around the Princess, their wings flared even though they weren’t wearing their weapons.

Celestia just smiled.

The copper dragon leaned in, his lips curled at the edges, baring massive, glistening white fangs. Smoke curled from his nostrils in faint plumes.

“Welcome, Princess of the Sun, to Draxonis,” the dragon said in a voice that filled the air with its resonance, a low growl that made Twilight want to shrink away and hide. “King Glamduural has been expecting you.”

IV - Don't be Afraid

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As the Sun Sets

by Mystic

Chapter IV

Don’t be Afraid

The dragon dwarfed even the Princess, eighty feet long, huge muscles rippling under his copper-coloured scales. Celestia regarded the massive creature in front of her with the softest of smiles. Something akin to recognition lit up her eyes, and her grin spread. “Forgȉr, such a pleasure.”

The copper dragon’s lips curled at the edges in what Twilight hoped was a smile, revealing glistening fangs. “You always did have a way with names, Alduaine.”

Celestia raised a delicate eyebrow. “And apparently the same can be said for you. It has been a very long time since anyone has called me that.”

“Glamduural calls you nothing else, and I would not be surprised if you hear it a great deal more while you stay with us.” His voice was low and shook the air, a rumble that didn’t quite match up with the dragon’s civilised tone.

The Princess proceeded with introductions, taking the time to mention each one of her guards and Twilight by name. Forgȉr then did the same for his companion, a dragon called Scaurd, whom Forgȉr referred to as his ‘shadow’ when completing the King’s tasks. In response, Scaurd bared his teeth, testing the air with his thick tongue. A small hiss escaped between his fangs, and Twilight felt Swift stiffen next to her.

The Princess nodded to the smaller dragon before turning her attention back to the elder. “When was the last time you have had to meet guests as part of those tasks?”

Forgȉr chuckled, a sound that made Twilight take an involuntary step backwards. “The last time you were here, Alduaine. No one visits the dragons anymore. They haven’t for a very long time.”

“Is that so?” Celestia raised an eyebrow but made no further comment on the matter. “Well, my guards must eat and rest. Can you wait for half an hour before we continue?”

“We’ll be ready in fifteen,” Swift said, holding her head high.

Celestia looked her over before nodding. “Fifteen minutes then.”

“No matter," Forgȉr said. "Forgive me, but I would very much like to talk to you, Alduaine, and I am not convinced we will get another opportunity like this one, away from… listening ears.”

The Princess frowned momentarily, but only said, “Of course.” She took off to land on Forgȉr’s other side, and the dragon shifted away, out of ear shot from the rest of the guards. Twilight could hear Forgȉr’s rumble, but it was too low to make out any kind of comprehensible words. It just sounded like boulders rolling down a cliff.

Twilight looked around, shifting her weight between her front hooves. She was very aware that the dragon called Scaurd was staring at her. Contrail gave her a small, flat piece of pastry, which Twilight took without complaint, and she wolfed most of it down with some water.

Twilight tried her best to let the seconds drift away, and she focused her gaze on the baked plain. She could see waves of sand roll along the ground, breaking on jutting rock formations and obscuring the air. It was an ocean of red dunes for as far as she could see, an alien world. A pang of homesickness caused Twilight to frown. She hadn’t even made it to the dragon city, and she was already missing her library and the green grass of Ponyville?

A voice drifted over on a blast of wind, startlingly clearer than before. It was Forgȉr’s, and Twilight’s ears pricked up to hear it.

“—there isn’t anything more reliable than that. It’s just all whispers and rumours now. I can hear the reports stalk the caves, stirring in the corners and the dark places.”

Trying to be inconspicuous, Twilight wandered a little closer, sitting down in the shade of a giant boulder. If she listened hard enough, she could just pick out their conversation.

“Stirring what exactly?”

“Dissent. Anger. Fear. It’s all the same thing, really. None of us are old enough to remember the last time the shadow in the east started awakening.”

“How can you be sure, though? The east hasn’t stirred in almost two thousand years.”

Forgȉr rumbled. “What else can it be? You must have heard the whispers. You must have seen the clouds that marshal over the Shadowed Lands. The air crackles with magic when the winds blow from the east. Something in there is moving, Alduaine, and it is reaching out to all who will listen.”

The Princess was quiet for a moment. Twilight held her breath. She remembered the Shadowed Lands from the map Celestia showed her, the place where all light failed to reach.

“Rumour is almost impossible to act upon, Forgȉr.”

“Perhaps so. But the tides are turning. The world is changing. I can see it, Alduaine. I can feel it, taste it, touch it. The air smells different, and no matter what I say, the King rests upon his golden throne and does nothing, content to let the rumours fester underneath him.”

“Then maybe he sees nothing to be afraid of?”

“And that is my fear. It’s all crumbling around him, Alduaine. I worry it is only a matter of time before something breaks.”

Celestia was silent. Twilight’s heart pounded in her chest. What was all this…?

“I shall see,” the Princess said at last. “I am glad you chose to speak to me, Forgȉr. If you are right, something will need to be done.”

“Truer words have never been spoken. All I ask is that you keep this in mind when speaking to the King. We need a set of eyes and ears that are not dulled and obscured by years of neglect and peace.”

Twilight blinked. Why would Forgȉr act as if the Princess hadn’t ruled in peace for a thousand years...?

“I will, Forgȉr. Rest your concerns. We will solve this problem.”

“Thank you. That’s all I can hope for.”

With that, Twilight heard the pair shift around. She focused very hard on the pastry she forced into her mouth, looking very pointedly at the view. The Princess gave her a look as she passed, but did not comment.

Twilight swallowed thickly. The food tasted like dirt.

The air was scorching. Up in the air, even with the Princess’ protective wind-bubble, Twilight could almost feel her body wither like wet paper left in the sun. She kept drinking from the water bottle, but it did nothing except provide a half-second of relief to her parched throat.

“Uncomfortable, Twilight?” Celestia asked.

“It’s so hot up here!” Twilight shielded her face with a foreleg, the sun hurting her eyes. She could see Forgȉr and Scaurd on either side of the chariot, gliding on the dozens of hot updrafts that soared from the plain.

The Princess chuckled. “Fortunately for you, I came prepared.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Celestia levitated over a saddle bag, undoing the straps and pulling out a piece of mottled brown fabric. Twilight frowned, at a complete loss with what it was, before the Princess stretched it out. It was a desert explorer’s outfit, just like the ones she had seen in foal’s storybooks.

“Go on,” Celestia said. “Have a look.”

Twilight levitated up one of the folds of fabric for closer inspection. It was an earthy grey-brown, the material coarse on the outside, yet smooth on the inside. After she had picked it up, Twilight could see that it was a loose-fitting suit designed to cover her entire body, even her hooves, while a hood provided a means to cover her head. A thin facemask and a pair of streamlined goggles completed the outfit.

“I have to wear this?” Twilight asked, staring at the full body suit with a look that would have made Rarity proud.

Celestia laughed. “Well, it’s certainly made to be worn in this kind of weather. So, yes, I would say wearing it would be a smart idea.”

“I… guess it’s pretty authentic?”

“That’s the spirit! Remember, this is practical.”

It didn’t take Twilight much longer to get the suit on after that. She used magic to hold it out so she could step into it, each leg fitting snugly. While the outer layer was tough, like some of the leathers used for heavy-duty work clothes, the inside was cool and silky, breathable and light against her skin. The rest of it fitted around her ergonomically, the hood resting on her shoulders. She moved around a little, the cloth making next to no noise. She could barely feel it on.

“There. Much better,” the Princess said. Twilight had to agree. Very practical. Very sensible.

“Excuse me, Princess,” Twilight asked.

“Yes, Twilight?”

“That dragon, Forgȉr, he calls you ‘Alduaine’. What does that mean?”

Celestia snorted. “It’s an old dragon word that a dragon by the name of Thomoral gave to me a very long time ago. If I remember correctly, it roughly translates into ‘Flame of the Sky’.”

“Oh.” That made sense, the unicorn thought. Even if it was a bit odd. ‘Flame of the Sky’ sounded... intimidating.

Twilight sat down again, chewing on her lip. A part of her wanted to ask Celestia just what Forgȉr was talking about, to press the Princess until she told her everything. It wasn’t that Twilight was scared. Well... much. It would just settle the churning pit of anxiousness that seeped through her whole body.

Try as she might, the unicorn couldn’t shake the idea that there was something looming over them, a storm cloud fed by all this talk of shadow and rumour and the ‘east’. But then a little voice in her head reminded her that the Princess had already told her not to worry. And what could she do? Go against what the Princess had asked? That would be like telling Celestia she was wrong and couldn’t be trusted, the very idea of which made Twilight shudder.

So she held her tongue, choosing to wait for another time. She would get her answers, and if it became a real problem, one that Twilight should legitimately be worried about, she was certain the Princess would tell her.

Of course she would.

The afternoon passed quickly, and the terrain changed little. The burning red landscape stretched out into the distance, vast and consuming with its emptiness. Small dunes or beds of rock were the only variation, cooked and shaped under the constant assault from the weather. Away from the mountains, the clouds had disappeared, though the sky was still thick with dust, the fine particles carried high into the atmosphere on the rising winds.

The sun was high in the sky when the Princess finally stirred again. She stood up, peering out to the south with narrowed eyes. “Hmm. I think we might be drawing near to Dragoliath.”

Twilight also got up, and, sure enough, on the northern edge of the world she could see a great shape looming up into the sky, wreathed in plumes of sand. Twilight’s jaw dropped. The lone mountain was a monstrous shadow that dominated the skyline, reaching up into the sky to smother the sun.

“I… can’t believe how big it is,” Twilight said, blinking. She was reminded of the first time she had come back to Canterlot from a holiday, staring up at the city perched on the mountainside, feeling so incredibly small. Just as her foalhood self had been left breathless by that sight, her adult self could only stare at the mountain like she was five years old again. Only, this made the Canterlot Mountain look like an anthill.

“Just wait till we get closer,” the Princess replied, smiling a little to herself.

Over the next hour, the last shrouds of sand covering the mountain disappeared, negligible at the short distance. Twilight watched as mighty structures were revealed, clinging to the side of the mountain and covering its circumference entirely. Flaking towers of shining obsidian jutted out into the sky, connected by wide arches and bridges that looked more like roosts than the towers of Canterlot. Courtyards formed shelves against the ochre red of the natural stone.

Everything looked larger than life, and everything was open to the elements, for there were no roofs on these buildings. Dragons circled in the air like birds of prey, drifting down lazily to see the newcomers.

But they were nothing compared to the caves. The mountain was pockmarked with dark openings so big that Twilight would not be surprised if they could fit the entirety of Canterlot inside any one of them.

Forgȉr and Scaurd led their descent, gliding down through the last of the haze toward the mountain city. Even shrouded beneath the sand clouds, the obsidian glinted in the light, magnificent despite the decaying walls.

The dragons began gathering en masse outside what Twilight thought was the largest cave, a gaping mouth of darkness easily hundreds of feet wide and almost as high, framed by ornate carvings of twisted dragons and mighty mountains. It was flanked on both sides by massive, engraved metal plates, doors of a scale and size unlike Twilight had ever seen—each one looked like it could cover the whole of the royal palace in Canterlot. She couldn’t see any hinges or paths on which they could slide, and Twilight was at a complete loss as to how one would close these gates... or why.

Two dragons stood guard on either side of the cave’s entrance, resting on wide perches high above the courtyard. To Twilight they looked like giant cats, watching and waiting, eyeing them all with disdain. Guards in Equestria were stern, sure, but these just looked threatening.

Celestia moved up beside Twilight, her trademark benevolent smile on her lips. “Welcome, Twilight, to Dragoliath, the ancient city of the dragons, and the home of Glamduural, the High Dragon King and Lord of Draxonis.”

Twilight could do little more than gape at her surroundings. “Wow…”

The chariot made its final descent through the dark towers, landing in a small cloud of sand. Twilight coughed violently and pulled up her facemask to protect herself from the debris. The guards detached themselves from their harnesses, and Twilight and the Princess disembarked. The librarian from Ponyville looked up at the dozens of dragons surrounding her on all sides, completely ringing the ponies. They looked… hungry, testing the air with their tongues, their tails shifting behind them.

Forgȉr and Scaurd landed next to the party, and Twilight felt a little better to be near a dragon whose name she actually knew.

“Princess, what do we do now?” she asked.

“Ah. The Spirit of the Sun! I see you have finally arrived safe and sound. Welcome back to Dragoliath and the hall of Glamduural.”

Twilight turned at the sound of the voice, a deep rumble that sounded more guttural than any dragon Twilight had heard before. Three dragons were walking out of the cave, the lead one’s lips curled in a smug smile. He was a mottled orange, similar but still very different from Forgȉr’s scales of shining copper.

“Skyr, it’s a pleasure, as always.” Celestia’s voice was cool and refined. A dignitary’s voice, Twilight thought.

“Hmm. Glamduural has been expecting you. The great king is eager to hear of your tales from little Equestria. Things are always so slow and quiet across the water.”

“Of course, they move far quicker here,” Celestia replied. “Your city hasn’t changed in the slightest, Skyr.”

“Hasn’t changed? I think there might be something eluding you then, Your Highness. The city is barely recognizable.”

“Is that so? Entirely your work, no doubt. A grand vision.”

Skyr’s lips pulled back a fraction, showing his pointed teeth. “Yes, indeed. Your tongue is still as sharp as ever, it seems. Come with me, Princess. Glamduural is waiting.”

Celestia motioned that he should lead the way, but Twilight could have sworn a triumphant glint entered the Princess’ eyes the second before she looked away. There was something to this, a different kind of behaviour from how Celestia acted around dignitaries from places like Saddle Arabia or Gryphus. Sharper. Far more pointed. Maybe it was dragon culture to talk like this…?

Skyr and his escort turned and flew into the murky depths of the cave. The Princess gave the call, and the chariot followed them with Forgȉr and Scaurd close behind. Twilight couldn’t help but notice that each of the guards was wearing their hoof and wing blades, the metal gleaming in the sunlight.

Twilight had to try her best to not just fall back on her haunches when they entered the cave. It was crossing some sort of line where the light of the sun suddenly stopped, overtaken by the dark, where her senses were assaulted by the musty smell of dust, soot and bones.

The hall itself ballooned outwards, almost doubling in size, the ceiling supported by massive pillars. Shadows crawled down from the impossibly tall ceiling—so high Twilight couldn’t even see the top—and from the sides, and pressed down on her with all the weight of the mountain itself. Great bonfires lined the ground, each one seemingly burning from the rock itself as Twilight couldn’t see any fuel source. They sent up flickering light that only made it so far before being overwhelmed by the cave’s vast size.

They soon left the entrance cave, watched closely by the dragon’s cold stares, following a tunnel that, despite being smaller than the previous cave, was still probably half as wide as Ghastly Gorge was long.

All down the path, the fires grew larger and more frequent, and Twilight couldn’t shake the feeling they were drawing near something important, something big. It was like how the streets had more statues leading up to the royal palace.

Then the fires stopped, and Twilight was plunged into a darkness so thick it seemed to even swallow sound. She held her breath, waiting, listening to her heart hammer away in her chest. She was surprised Celestia couldn’t hear it. Or maybe she had and wasn’t saying anything.

Then just like that, there was light again, an orange and red hellfire glow. They came through an opening, and the cave exploded outwards, this second hall almost as big as the entrance cave.

Twin rivers of lava flowed down the middle, bubbling and sending a mirage of heat simmering into the air. More pillars ran down both sides, swirls of encrusted gems twining along their lengths. Two dragon guards, both of them in hulking plate armour, roared, a sound that shook Twilight’s body and made her ears ring.

They had arrived.

At the head of the hall was a mountain of gold made from the most brilliant jewellery and gems Twilight had ever seen, emitting a rich glow that flickered along the walls. Cups, plates and ornaments, all fashioned from the most perfect metals, gleamed in the firelight, embellished with every gem Twilight knew and then even more she didn’t. Dragons surrounded the pile, all of them standing up and watching the chariot, their flashing eyes almost moving as one.

But it was the creature apparently asleep on this mountain of gold, flanked by guards, which held Twilight’s gaze. The steel-blue dragon was easily the largest she had seen, well over a hundred feet long. At the moment, however, he was curled up, wings held against his body, tail wrapped tight. Silver spines ran down the length of his neck to his tail, razor sharp and glinting. Smoke coiled out of the dragon’s nostrils with each breath.

The chariot landed a dozen yards or so in front of the gold, and Celestia disembarked almost immediately. Twilight followed close behind, more reluctant to be separated than step into the sight of the dragons.

The Princess walked straight up to the foot of the lavish pile, looking up with her head held high. The hall was silent, everyone waiting for one of the monarchs to make the first move. Then, with a small smile, Celestia coughed once, a sound that echoed in the hall.

The dragon opened an eye.

It regarded the Princess and the ponies surrounding her carefully, the dark-blue pupil laced with milky swirls. Twilight felt that the ancient eye could see straight through her. His lips curled back, revealing great, shining fangs.

“Alduaine… Daughter of the Sun… Monarch of the West… My friend… It has been too long.”

Celestia smiled. “Glamduural, High King of Dragoliath and Lord of Draxonis. It is a pleasure to see you again. A hundred years pass so quickly, does they not? Why, last time I saw you I could have sworn you were much smaller.”

The dragon laughed, his shaking body causing small piles of gold to tumble noisily to the floor. Twilight watched Skyr fix the Princess with a cold stare.

“Probably because I was. Gold has the wonderful ability to make a dragon put on bulk.”

“Well I would wager your pile of gold has done exactly the same thing. Those are llama goblets, and I don’t remember seeing them last time I was here.”

Glamduural grinned. “The llamas love to trade their gold with me, Alduaine. In fact, they nearly give it to me.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow and shook her head. “You inspire so much confidence with the rest of the world, Glamduural.”

“I do as a dragon does, nothing more.”

“That you do.”

The dragon shifted on his pile of gold, turning his head to face the Princess, watching her carefully. “So, you have finally returned to Dragoliath. To talk about migration routes of all things… Tell me, what truthfully brings you here now?”

“Many things, all of them important, none of which can wait.”

“So a visit from the past? Interesting. I will see what I can do. But for now, wait we must. There is a pony standing next to you and a very interesting choice of one at that, who needs formal introductions.”

The Princess turned to face Twilight with an unreadable expression, tight and controlled. Twilight gave her a small smile, and she breathed a silent sigh of relief when it was returned. “This is Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said, looking back to Glamduural. “She’s my personal student, protégé, and friend.”

The dragon king nodded, the faintest trace of a smile playing on the edge of his lips. “Hmm. It is a pleasure to meet you, Twilight Sparkle, Alduaine’s student and the Element of Magic.”

Twilight blinked. How did he know…?! She looked up at the Princess for guidance, trying to keep her expression calm and collected, just like Celestia.

“No secrets, apparently,” the Princess said, raising an eyebrow.

Glamduural grinned properly, his eyes flashing. “Of course not. Yes, definitely an interesting choice of companion. Perhaps I should feel threatened? Tell me, Alduaine, do you come here with thoughts of conflict? You do bring the light of Harmony, after all.”

Celestia snorted. “That wouldn’t be necessary. Regardless, she is here to learn, nothing more.”

“Like a good student should.” He turned his great head to face Twilight, his gaze bearing down on her and pinning her in place. “Here to learn? Do you enjoy that, little Element?”

Mustering up all of her available courage, Twilight nodded.

“Interesting. You remind me of my niece.” He shifted his head around as if looking for something. “Time for more introductions! Pyre!”

Silence fell briefly over the cave as Twilight looked around, not at all sure who was meant to be approaching. Suddenly, a scuffling sound echoed around the stony chamber, heavier than a pony’s hoof-steps, but much lighter than any of the dragons Twilight had heard so far.

“Excuse me, coming through, please.” The voice was soft. It still hissed a little, and there was a deepness in there that was richer than Applejack’s, but Twilight frowned in surprise. It was definitely feminine.

She was the softest shade of blue, her scales almost iridescent in the firelight. Her stomach, like how Spike’s was green, was white as snow. Tapering, steel-blue spines ran down her neck, stopping at its base before starting up again down her long, thin tail.

Twilight could tell she was female by the way her back and neck were arched, and how her wings and jaw were thinner and more pointed. Female dragons always looked sleek, as if they were built for speed, and this one was no exception, even if she was only just bigger than the bully dragons Twilight had encountered when they’d rescued Spike. She was just big enough to walk comfortably on all four legs, and her wings were held tightly against her body.

The blue dragon stopped moving by Glamduural’s side, standing at the base of the gold pile, constantly shifting her weight. She looked down at Twilight with sparkling green eyes and dared a toothless smile. Twilight offered one in return, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks.

“Alduaine, allow me to formerly introduce my niece, Pyre. The youngest dragon in the city.”

Celestia lowered her head in respect. “It is a pleasure, Pyre.”

“A-and you,” Pyre said, her voice only just audible.

“Likes to learn…” Glamduural said. He turned to his niece. “I think you will be able to keep Alduaine’s student occupied in the days to come.”

She nodded, throwing a quick glance Twilight’s way. The unicorn blushed. “Of course, Uncle.”

Apparently satisfied, Glamduural readjusted himself on the gold pile, returning his attention to Celestia. “Hmm. You and I both know we could carry on with the introductions, but I am bored, Alduaine, and you should remember everyone else from last time. You said you had something to talk about. Just how pressing is it?”

Celestia stiffened. “Speed is our much-needed friend, I believe.”

“Perhaps now?”

Celestia looked down at Twilight. “I would prefer not.”

“But you said it’s pressing? If it is concerning you, Alduaine, then I am concerned. Let me hear your thoughts.”

Glamduural’s eyes narrowed, and a silence fell over the hall. Celestia held his gaze, the two holding a second-long conversation with their eyes. Twilight didn’t even breathe. Finally, the Princess nodded.

“Good.” The King lifted his head to the ceiling and roared, his voice shaking the air. “Leave us!”

Shocked, Twilight watched as every single dragon in the hall, even Pyre, Forgȉr and Skyr, turned and left without a word, their wings buffeting the air with heavy thumps. In less than a minute, the only dragons left were Glamduural and his two guards, the pair watching the cave entrance with unblinking eyes.

The hall somehow seemed bigger in the aftermath, and the air rang out with a heavy silence.

“Speed? What presses your mind, Alduaine? There is something burning in your eyes, something that I have not seen since I first became king.”

“And what would that be?” Celestia responded, her eyes flicking to Twilight.

“Urgency. Concern. Confusion. It’s all the same, though. It always has been. Something eats at you.”

The Princess snorted. “I would think it would be obvious, Glamduural. Even I have heard enough rumours in the past three days alone to pause and give thought to their legitimacy.”

“Rumours? Since when has Alduaine, Spirit of the Sun, put stock in rumours?”

The Princess almost seemed reluctant to respond, and she looked at Twilight again. “Since they started involving the east. Be honest with me now, Glamduural. We are friends, and the time for showmanship and vague words disappeared with your subjects. Tell me what you know.”

“So this is why... I should have guessed.” Glamduural rumbled, and a trail of smoke curled from one of his nostrils, veiling his eyes. “There is nothing to tell. Rumours have always festered in this part of the world. The earth rumbles, and the green lightning flashes, and talk immediately jumps to the ancient ages, to the Shadow.”

“I have no doubt. Nevertheless, that does not explain the things I have heard.”

“Nothing out of the usual. There are shadows stirring, Alduaine, just as there always has been. You should stop listening to the rumours the birds carry.”

“Always indeed… What about the whispers in your city?”

The King hissed. “There is nothing, Alduaine. The whispers are pathetic murmurs from wyrms too cowardly to face daylight. I always know about them, and I always control them.”

“Are you sure?”

The King rumbled again, this time deeper, an earthquake in his chest.

“Please, Glamduural. Is there anything different at all?”

“No. Your concern is unfounded and baseless.”

There was a brief silence, and then Celestia said quietly, “Just as I thought.”

The dragon narrowed his eyes. “You speak with such disbelief. I am still King here, am I not?”

“My apologies.” Celestia lowered her head. “That you are. I mean no disrespect, Glamduural.”

“As I said, urgency. Be calm, Alduaine. You are here for mindless things, like migration routes. Tedious they shall be, so take comfort from that.”

“We shall see.” The Princess gave Glamduural a long, hard stare, and the dragon matched it in kind. It was, however, Celestia who broke first. “Forgive me, Glamduural, but you are right. It has been a long trip, and I am sure my guards are tired. Perhaps we can reconvene to continue this discussion tomorrow?”

The King raised an eyebrow, perplexed by the speed of their conversation. But then he lowered his head. “As you wish.” He lifted it up again and roared, “Forgȉr!”

All was silent for a moment, and Twilight stood there, too afraid to move. Her mind was reeling, tossing and turning with a fleet of incoherent thoughts lost in a storm. The King’s rejection of the rumours that had been eating at her for days now, little fears lodged deep in her subconscious, was more alarming than relieving. He seemed to be the only person who didn’t realise that something could be going wrong, something that even had the Princess acting strange. And as the King...

But maybe he’s the one who’s right? a small voice said. He is the King, after all. If anyone knows about what’s going on near their country, it should be him? But... if he was wrong, then Twilight couldn’t think of why he would say otherwise. To her, erring on the side of caution just made sense. Much better than any possible alternatives.

But that was just the thing, though. What was the alternative?

The more Twilight thought about it, the more she realised that she and the Princess needed to have a serious conversation.

She gulped.

The rhythmic sound of wing beats caused her to look sideways, and she watched as Forgȉr, closely followed by the dozens of other dragons, returned to their earlier positions.

The copper-coloured drake landed far quicker and softer than any dragon had a right too, Twilight thought. Agile, perfectly balanced and in control. He looked up at the King, awaiting his orders.

“Alduaine is tired. Please take her and her companions up to her rooms.”

Forgȉr nodded. “Yes, my Lord.”

When they took off out of the King’s Hall, Twilight couldn’t help but notice that every single dragon was staring at them, oddly quiet. Twilight was used to nobles chatting as soon as an important pony entered or left the room. The dragons were silent. They watched.

It took too long to get anywhere in Dragoliath, Twilight decided. After Forgȉr led through a series of massive tunnels, always heading up, or so she guessed, they arrived at a place where the rock narrowed sharply, condensing down to a point where Twilight almost thought the tunnel looked normal-sized, like a pony made it.

Forgȉr stopped just when it was beginning too become cramped for him, and Celestia ordered the guards to pause for a moment.

“You know the way from here,” the dragon said, gesturing with a claw.

“That I do. Thank you, Forgȉr.”

The dragon lowered his head in acknowledgement. “Hmm. You are welcome. Forgive me for prying, Alduaine, but your conversation with the King…”

Celestia took a moment to respond. Then she said, “You were not lying.”

“About what?” Forgȉr asked.

“About Glamduural, about Draxonis.”

Forgȉr rumbled, a sound that shook deep in his chest. “He closes his eyes and waits for the storm to pass while the city crumbles around him.”

Celestia was quiet for a moment. “They are only rumours. There isn’t anything substantial here, Forgȉr.”

The dragon snorted. “Keep your eyes open, Alduaine. It’s not hard to see.”

“I have seen little but heard much,” Celestia said. “There is a disconnect.”

“Hmm. Did he tell you about the deserters?”

The Princess blinked. “No, and neither did you.”

“Forgive me. I wanted to see what the King would say. If he has said nothing…”

“Said nothing about deserters?”

Forgȉr nodded. “Yes. Dragons are flying east and not being seen again. I told you the Shadow is reaching, Alduaine, and many are listening. The Old Treaties are being forgotten. You have noticed the larger numbers of rogues in your lands. You said so yourself!”

Celestia didn’t reply. Perhaps she couldn’t reply, Twilight thought. The Princess just stood there, her mane blowing about her face. “We have to watch the east. Be on our guard and time will tell.”

“And do nothing?”

“What other choice do we have?” Celestia said.

“Act! Go out and see what is stirring so we may understand what to do next!”

The Princess shook her head. “No, I don’t think so, Forgȉr. Do you have any wish to leave the city and head east? Who would go with you willingly? We can watch without the risk from here.”

“And we are blind! Being safe now will not matter in the slightest when the city burns, Alduaine. The King doesn’t understand that.” He paused, looking away. “My home already decays; I cannot see it shattered.”

“It won’t be destroyed, Forgȉr. I promise you. Have no fear. We are watching, and we will be prepared no matter what happens, even if, like Glamduural, I am not confident that anything will happen.”

“Have no fear? The dragons do not feel fear, Alduaine. We only feel fury.” But looking at the dragon’s eyes, Twilight wasn’t convinced.

They fell silent after that, before Forgȉr bid farewell, leaving the ponies to their rooms. Twilight watched him go, his huge body vanishing into the murky dark and slipping out of sight.

After the massive caves they had just flown through, their rooms felt tiny and compressed. Twilight was shocked to find that they were actually pony-sized, their arching ceilings only a few of feet off the ground, the ochre-red walls close enough together so that a few pieces of normal-sized furniture could span the room’s length. It was a normal pony room, just built on the inside of a mountain.

“This is…” Twilight began, walking and checking every corner. Each bedroom had a bed with a mattress (how, Twilight wasn’t sure), with a small chest inlaid with sparkling gems at its foot. Apart from a gaping fireplace and a single, warped glass window, the rest was strangely empty, a carpet of dust muffling all sound.

“A little different from the rest of the mountain, I know,” Celestia said, showing the guards around. “There are several rooms like this one. Swift, you and your guards can use them as you see fit. Twilight and I shall sleep here.”

“As you wish, Princess,” the Captain replied with a bow.

“It almost looks like the rooms back in Armoruil,” Twilight said. “Who made this?”

The Princess gave a small smile. “I suppose the architecture is similar. As for who made these rooms, that would be me. I probably should have given that task to Luna, though. She was always the one with the artistic flair.”

“You made these?” Twilight repeated, doing a double-take.

“Yes I did. I needed somewhere to stay when I visited, after all.”

“Wow.”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” Swift interrupted. “But we will take our temporary leave now. We need to make some plans.”

Celestia nodded her assent. “Of course.”

“Alright, next room over all of you! We have a security briefing, then we’ll talk sleeping arrangements.”

The guards snapped a salute before filing out of the room, leaving Twilight and the Princess alone. This was her chance! She was just about to open her mouth to ask the questions burning inside her about the talk of shadows, to try to find out just exactly what was going on, when the Princess spoke first.

“So, Twilight,” she began, her smile making Twilight’s anxiety melt away. It was the smile that told her that everything was going to be okay, and she was just being a silly, but loved, child for being worried. “What do you think? Dragoliath is something else, isn’t it?”

“I don’t even know where to begin,” Twilight admitted, distantly aware that her best chance to speak up was slipping away. “Are all dragons so… creepy? They don’t like to blink, do they?”

Celestia laughed. “The dragons are strong willed. Looking away, even to blink, is a sign of weakness.”

“That sounds terrible, but it makes sense, I guess. This place is just so big! It’s like walking into another world. It’s uncomfortably like what I think an ant or something would feel like in the Royal Palace.”

“A fact Glamduural is no doubt smug about. This city is ancient, and it’s the only place where dragons can all gather in the place they like best—inside, near their treasure.”

“It’s just incredible.”

The sound of faint wing beats caused both Twilight and the Princess to look up. “Oh,” Celestia said. “It appears we have a visitor.”

Twilight followed the Princess out and stopped when she saw Glamduural’s niece, Pyre, coming into land. She was still small enough to fit comfortably in the more pony-sized tunnels. Well, alicorn-sized, Twilight amended.

“Pyre! A pleasure!” Celestia said with a rich smile. “What can I do for you?”

The dragon blushed, which Twilight thought looked odd on a dragon almost as big as the Princess. “My uncle wants to know if your rooms have been kept to your liking.”

“They are wonderful, Pyre, just like always. Tell your uncle that he kept them well.”

Twilight blinked. Why would Glamduural send up Pyre to ask about their rooms? There was an ocean of dust inside all of them, meaning that no one had done any sort of cleaning in months, possibly years. Why else would Pyre come up then...? Twilight’s stomach twisted at the thought that maybe he just wanted someone to check up on them for another reason.

The dragon bowed low. “I’m sure h-he will be glad to hear that.”

The Princess smiled. “Twilight and I were just talking about how the city is so impressive. She can’t get over how larger it is compared to home.”

Pyre gave a small smile in return. “You should see the Hall of the Ancients.”

“The Hall of the Ancients?” Twilight repeated.

“Yeah, it’s where we keep all the murals of our history. Just like the carvings you would have seen coming in. It’s my job to make sure they all get kept in good repair!”

Twilight’s jaw opened. “That sounds amazing! The entire history of the dragons! Oh, I have to see this!”

“Perhaps Pyre can take you one day we are here, Twilight?” Celestia said.

Twilight looked up at Pyre with a big smile. “That would be really cool.”

“I-I would love to.” Pyre held her gaze a little longer this time.

“Yes! That’s so exciting! It’s one thing having everything in books like me, but it’s another to have it all in mural form. And in a giant dragon city too! It’s so different.”

“You have books?” Pyre asked.

“Oh yes!” Twilight was almost hopping on the spot. “I’m a librarian, you see. It’s my job to look after all the books.”

“And the books have your history in them?”

“Well, some of them do.”

“Then we have similar jobs!” Pyre was grinning wider now. “Maybe you can tell me more about your l-lib-rary,” she said, mangling the unfamiliar word.

Twilight giggled. “I think I can do that. We can swap what we know!”

“We can go tomorrow, if you’d like?”

“Can I, Princess?” Twilight asked, looking up at Celestia with pleading eyes.

She laughed. “Of course, Twilight.”

Twilight couldn’t have gotten her grin any wider if she tried.

It was late in the afternoon, and the sunlight streamed through the thick glass window and lit up the ochre floor. The glowing sun made the floors, walls and ceiling look like they were made from burning coals, and Twilight almost winced when stepping through a patch of light, even though it was so cool inside.

They ate with the guards, and then Twilight and the Princess retreated to their room, Celestia reading scrolls and frowning occasionally, Twilight reading books, looking up at the Princess every few minutes. It was quiet. Too quiet, like they were both trying their best to find ways to kill all conversation. Every time Twilight would open her mouth to say something, to ask her questions and press for answers, the words would drift away with a stab of guilt or nerves, leaving her with an empty mind and a confused look on her face.

Eventually, Twilight got up, stretching her legs and examining the gem-encrusted chests with a curious eye. Spike probably would have eaten them by now, she thought with a small smile. Then she remembered the other stuff, the way everyone talked about shadows and the east, and all of the trouble stirring that no one knew exactly what it was, and she was suddenly thankful he wasn’t here. She gulped.

“Is everything okay, Twilight?”

The unicorn turned around, finding that Celestia was watching her closely. “Everything is fine, Princess. Just having a look around.” Then she mentally kicked herself. Ask the questions! What’s going on!

Celestia was quiet for a moment before she stood up, startling Twilight. “I think I have something interesting to show you, then.”

Twilight watched as Celestia walked over to the glass window. Her horn glowed, and, to the unicorn’s astonishment, an entire section swung inwards. There, right in front of her, was a balcony.

She stepped out, thankful for her explorer’s clothes as soon as the hot westerly wind hit her. Even though it scratched at her face with gritty claws of sand, the rest of her could barely feel a thing. The sunlight was fierce, and she slid the goggles down to reduce the burning glare. Then, when she could see again, she gasped.

The view was immense. It disappeared into the forever, the edge of the world veiled in a haze of distance. Twilight was able to see much further now that she was standing above the sand clouds. The mountain disappeared beneath her, rolling out onto the plain like a frozen landslide. A few towers soared past, their shining obsidian reflecting the last of the dying sunlight. Twilight walked up to the railing, peering down into the city below. She was so high up that she could see dragons resting inside some of the larger towers on the lower levels, no bigger than ants. She was on the top of the world, far higher than she had ever been, even in Cloudsdale.

“Oh wow.”

Celestia laughed. “It’s quite the view.”

“Everything looks so… tiny.”

“It’s a shame there isn’t much to look at other than what’s below us.”

“I think I can see the mountains along the Frozen Wastes…” Twilight murmured, peering hard to the south. She could just make out the vague purple outlines of a sulking mountain range. It dominated the horizon, so big that Twilight thought it was another cloud of ash covering half the sky.

“You can see them? You have good eyesight, Twilight.”

Twilight smiled a little at the compliment. “It’s surprising considering how much time I spend hunched over a scroll by candlelight.” The unicorn walked over to the edge of the balcony, trying to look out east—trying to see the Shadowed Lands. The mountain blocked her view, and she frowned.

Celestia’s voice was soft. “If you did not see anything during our arrival, what makes you think you will see it from here?”

“Uhh…” Twilight searched for an excuse. Then she sighed, not even trying to hide what she was looking out for. There was no point, she decided. “It’s clearer up this high. I thought maybe I would be able to see something.”

The Princess was quiet for a moment. “Why do you want to see it, Twilight Sparkle?”

She thought it over a moment. “Because everypony—and dragon—keeps talking about it. The east, they say. The Shadow in the east! I saw the map, and I want to see it in real life. See if it’s… actually real.”

Again, Celestia took a long time to respond. “What are you expecting to see?”

“I don’t know!” Twilight said, suddenly exasperated. Before she could stop herself, the barrier of stress and self doubt came crashing down, and she found that once she started, it all just came rushing out, her voice growing in volume. “Something! A great big black mountain. Lots of fire. Maybe a few monsters. Anything! Instead, all I get are ponies talking about this dangerous, magical ‘east’.”

“It’s nothing to be afraid of, Twilight.”

“I’m not afraid! I have nothing to be afraid of, because I haven’t seen anything to make me afraid!” That wasn’t quite true, and the unicorn knew it. But she said it anyway.

“Twilight, please, listen to me. I promise you, there is nothing for you to be worried about out in the east. There is nothing but wild creatures like in the Everfree Forest.”

“But then why is everyone so scared? Why did Glamduural seem so quick to dismiss it? Why did Forgȉr speak of his home burning? Dragons don’t even have homes! He keeps talking about the Shadow, and so did the griffins! So why is everyone so upset?” She stared up at her mentor, feeling like she was just a foal again. “Why?”

Celestia was quiet for the longest time. She stared out to the west, her gaze further away than the distant horizon. Eventually, she spoke, “The dragons have long memories, Twilight. But even then none here in Dragoliath today remember the Shadow in the East. Even Glamduural was hatched hundreds of years after it happened.”

“What happened, Princess? What happened?”

The Princess turned to face Twilight, her expression haunted by memories long past. “The world fell apart, Twilight. Why are there so many monsters in the world? Why are there places where there are creatures that would gladly kill a pony? We live in a paradise in Equestria, Twilight, so why are they there, waiting just outside its borders?”

“I-I… I don’t know! That’s just the way things are…”

“Well, you are correct there.” Twilight wasn’t sure, but she could swear there was a bitter edge creeping into the Princess’ voice, hardening like steel. “The world wasn’t always so perfect, nor was it ever so peaceful. The world was a very different place, and those monsters are its ghosts, remnants who refuse to fade away into time’s dusty memory.” She looked away, her nostrils flaring. “You are so lucky to know nothing, Twilight! You know nothing but peace, and that’s the way it should be! You shouldn’t know about the monsters of the world, no matter how dead they may be.”

The Princess’ wings flared above her head as she spoke, her voice resonating. Her body seemed to glow like it was shrouded in magic. Twilight flinched away, her heart pounding in her chest.

“Out in the east, the world is still the way it was. There is nothing out there, Twilight! Nothing out there but fear and danger and death and ruin! You will find nothing out there; there is no family, there are no friends, and there is no Harmony!”

Twilight fell back on her haunches, staring up at the Princess, unable to move. Celestia was almost atop her, her eyes burning.

But then, the Princess turned away, her wings crumpling back against her body. She stared down at the stone floor, somehow looking half as tall. Even her coat seemed dull.

“But…” The Princess tried to look up. “I am sorry, Twilight. That was inexcusable.” Her voice was flat, lifeless.

“I…” Twilight stammered, not at all sure what had just happened. Her stomach felt empty, a chasm in its place.

“But please trust me,” the Princess pressed, pleading. “There is nothing to be afraid of. Nothing ever escapes the east. Nothing ever has, and nothing ever will. I promise you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Twilight’s lower lip began to tremble, and she pulled her goggles up, fighting back tears. That wasn’t Celestia. That wasn’t her mentor, her teacher, her idol. She didn’t know who that majestic and terrible alicorn in front of her was, but she wasn’t her friend. Her Princess.

Celestia looked at her for a moment, and then her expression shattered. She strode toward Twilight and pulled her close with her wing, cradling the unicorn against her body. “Oh Twilight,” she said over and over again, her voice strained, sounding as close to the edge of tears as Twilight felt. “I’m so sorry, my faithful student. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, Princess,” Twilight whispered, sniffing. “It’s okay…”

But as Twilight sat there, hugged tightly by the Princess, all she could think about was Forgȉr’s words back at the beginning of the day—a lifetime ago, it felt.

You must have heard the whispers. You must have seen the clouds that marshal over the Shadowed Lands. The air crackles with magic when the winds blow from the east. Something in there is moving, Alduaine, and it is reaching out to all who will listen.

Twilight shivered, cold despite the hot winds blowing from the west. She shivered, and in that moment, she wanted nothing more than to be back in Ponyville with her friends.

V - It All Falls Apart

View Online

As the Sun Sets

by Mystic

Chapter V

It All Falls Apart

The distance tried to swallow Twilight whole. She could feel herself getting sucked into the endless view, the world blurring together until it was just a haze. The sun was high in the sky, and a hot wind blew from the east. It snagged on her clothing and tugged at her mane and tail.

The last few days had sped like trees blurring past a train window. It was hard to accept that much time had passed at all. The first morning was filled with meetings and talks, Glamduural rumbling and Celestia as collected as ever. That afternoon Pyre had taken her out and shown her around the city.

What Twilight had seen had left her slightly awed. She lost count of the number of caverns, halls, and tunnels, each of them filled with strange and wonderful things. There had been caves filled with mountains of gold and gems, halls covered in hundreds of feet worth of the most detailed murals Twilight had ever seen, and caverns with lava pools that were once used during hatching time.

It was incredible, and Twilight wished more than once that her friends were here to see it with her. The feeling of being lost in a strange and wonderful place, absorbing as much of the experience as she could, was one that she hoped she would never get used to.

And then there had been Pyre herself, who had proven to be… interesting. The dragon would be happy and lively one moment, but then, seemingly without warning, something would trigger her to slip behind a stoic and distant mask.

She remembered the conversation they had when Pyre had showed Twilight her room:

Twilight stepped into the cave, immediately pausing. The room was surprisingly small. Although, it was still twice the size of most pony buildings.

She was struck by how… deserted the place looked. In the corner was a shallow depression surrounded by a, compared to normal dragon standards, modest pile of glittering diamonds—somewhere for Pyre to sleep, Twilight guessed. In the middle was a bonfire that crackled and popped set into a small pit, and that was about it. The rest of the room was empty and covered in dust.

“What do you think of the murals?”

Twilight turned around. Pyre was staring at her expectantly. “The murals?”

“On the walls! See them? I carved them all myself.”

Twilight cast a faint light spell that splashed purple around the room and walked up to the wall. She couldn’t have kept herself from gasping even if she tried.

“These are amazing!”

“Do you really like them?”

“Yes!” Twilight moved around, unable to decide on any one place to look. The walls were a canvas, alive with carvings of the most detailed landscapes she had ever seen. Twilight could see a far horizon framed with mountains, crowned in banks of thin cloud. A forest covered a section over a dozen feet high and wide, and Twilight couldn’t get over the fact that every single tree had been carved in place, down to their branches. There was an ocean on the other wall, small islands surrounded by the endless expanse of water. The sky looked as if it just went on and on and only stopped when it slipped off the edge of the earth. It was all so real.

“How did you do this?” Twilight said weakly.

Pyre gave a small toothless smile. “Lots and lots of time. Remember how I told you that I am going to be the dragon responsible for taking care of the history murals?”

“Oh yeah! Wow, you’re really, really good!”

“Thank you.” Twilight was pleased to see Pyre blush at the compliment. “I modelled it on a view I saw from the Red Mountains. ...Years ago now.”

Twilight’s smile faded at the pause in the dragon’s voice. “I’m surprised you remember it so well.”

The dragon gave a half smile. “I had to… fill in some of the gaps myself. I haven’t been there in a very long time.”

Twilight paused. “Oh? How come? Surely you could fly out there any time you wanted?”

“Not really. My uncle doesn’t like me leaving the city.”

“Oh.” Twilight bit her lip. A silence crept in, thick and smothering. There was something in Pyre’s voice; it had changed, growing vague, like she was drifting away. “Um, why not?”

Pyre shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter, I guess. I have everything right here, and it’s safe. There’s not much point going otherwise, I think.”

Twilight had no idea how to respond, so she just nodded her head. “Yeah…”

Pyre turned around, reaching up and brushing the wall with a claw. “I’m pretty proud of this mural, though, so I’m really happy to hear you like it.” She paused. “One day I’ll go there for real.”

“I—I think it’s wonderful.”

Pyre smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Pyre did, however, have an insatiable appetite for anything pony related. When Twilight found her asking questions about pony life and how Equestria and pony society worked, it would take hours for her to stop. She would ask question after question, sometimes even interrupting her own speech to ask another.

Today Pyre had taken Twilight up to see something special. ‘You’ll love this’ was all she said. They had climbed up and up, through the winding caves, before they had ascended a steep stone staircase that was too narrow for any dragon much larger than Pyre, and finally came out into blinding sunlight.

There, Twilight had found herself on top of the mountain. She was on a flat circle, the weather-beaten stone carved in vague and faded patterns underneath her hooves. Around her were crumbling pillars and arches arranged in a rough semi-circle, tall obsidian blocks that cast long shadows in the early morning sun.

“Oh wow,” Twilight murmured, spinning a complete circle. “What is this place?”

“It’s called the Observatory,” Pyre said. She met Twilight’s eyes before looking away. “Apparently old dragons used to fly up here to watch the stars and give them names. But you probably already knew what ‘Observatory’ meant...”

Twilight had to tear herself away from the view. She could see so much further up here than she could from her balcony room. Or at least, that’s what it felt like. The air was thin, and no matter how hard she inhaled, the tightness in her lungs refused to go away. “This is incredible! Imagine being up here at night…” She paused for a moment. “Have you ever been here at night?”

Pyre’s cracked the smallest grin. “ Yeah, you should see it. There are more stars than there is space.” She moved over to the edge, throwing Twilight a quick look over her shoulder. “Come over here and see how high we are. I bet you haven’t been quite this high up before.”

Twilight followed, stepping up very carefully to the ledge. It was a sheer drop before the mountain started rolling out. The ground seemed to be a lifetime away, the mighty towers of Dragoliath not even coming close to her mountain perch.

“I wouldn’t want to fall,” Twilight said with a shaky laugh. She gulped.

“Don’t worry, you won’t fall.”

“What are those?” Twilight asked, pointing to a great ridge of shadows on the southern horizon. They looked like the teeth of some gargantuan dragon.

“They’re the Frozen Wastes,” Pyre said, her voice picking up. “My uncle says that only the bravest dragons go there to hunt for giant diamonds. They find them in caves deep beneath glaciers. Uncle says there are ice wyverns that guard them, and you have to fight them for the treasure. They are mostly known as King’s Diamonds, because it’s really only the kings that are strong enough to get them. Although Uncle told me that Forgȉr could probably get them if he tried, and that’s why he made him his personal guard.”

“I see them,” Twilight said quietly. She had only ever read one account about the blasted nightmare that was the Frozen Wastes. An insane adventurer named Pathlight had gone into the Wastes just west of Draxonis with a small team. Only, he had come home completely alone, missing both ears from frostbite and without any food. Nopony since had dared to brave the walls of ice higher than Canterlot Mountain, or the glaciers that shifted overnight, completely disorientating travellers, or the winds so cold they would freeze a pony’s blood. Or at least that’s what Pathlight had claimed. Again, nopony wanted to go and find out for themselves.

“I wonder what’s past them,” Pyre murmured. Twilight wasn’t sure if she was meant to respond.

“Maybe the mountains go on forever?”

Pyre nodded slowly, her eyes still stuck on the horizon. “Wouldn’t you just love to go and find out? I mean, look at them. I’m sure there are all kinds of things out there, monsters that only the bravest dragons can hunt, just like the ones in the stories…” She trailed off, biting her lip.

Twilight wasn’t sure what to say, so she turned around, a sudden idea taking hold.

“Where are you going?” Pyre asked.

“Having a look over here.”

“Over there, but that’s the eas—” She stopped.

Twilight walked up to the edge, her breath caught in her throat. Once she had realised just how far she could see, the idea wouldn’t budge. She had to check. And this time, there was nothing stopping her.

She reached the edge and paused, just staring out into the east for the first time since reaching Dragoliath.

The vast plains of blood-red sand ended abruptly somewhere out in the veil of distance. Twilight squinted hard to try and make out details. She could swear the land suddenly ended with a great black wall made from strange shapes and giant, bulging storm clouds that fought each other in the sky. The whole thing rose up, a dark smear that looked like a wave cresting over the horizon.

Streaks of eldritch lightning arced along the skyline, green and far too bright. The air looked thick, a sludge of murk and gloom, and Twilight couldn’t shake the feeling that even the light from the sun was being sucked into the shadow, unable to escape the dark clouds brooding in the sky.

The Shadowed Lands. She had glimpsed them in Celestia’s map, and here they were for real. This was what everypony and dragon and griffon was talking about. The lands of darkness, a place which Celestia refused to speak about in great detail. This was where the trouble was brewing; it was where the discontent and the talk of shadow was coming.

“Uncle never really talks much about the Shadows.”

Twilight spun around to find Pyre looking straight past her and to the east. “He doesn’t? Why not?”

“Because he says there is nothing to talk about. It’s a dead place, he says, where there is nothing alive and nothing worth talking about.”

“Do you believe him?”

Pyre frowned. “I don’t think there’s anything alive in there. At least nothing that can get out.”

There was something in her tone that Twilight couldn’t quite shake. And just like that, the dragon had slipped away behind a guarded expression.

“But you have heard stories about it, haven’t you?”

She nodded.

“Like what?”

“Stories of all the bad things in the world, of all of the darkness the world has ever had. They’re all there, locked deep away. They came from there and then they were put back a long time ago.”

A shiver ran down Twilight’s spine. “Do you believe those stories?”

Pyre took a very long time to reply. “All the others are true.”

It took a while to get anywhere in Dragoliath. Although, Twilight knew that had something to do with the fact that she had to be flown around on Pyre’s back half the time. She probably weighed the dragon down.

The fact that the city was like a maze didn’t really help, either. Pyre had tried to explain the city’s layout, and while it made sense to hear about, it didn’t really translate all that well into what she experienced. It was divided into four distinct levels or tiers. Each ringed the mountain completely, and each was characterised by a sprawling mess of tunnels.

Each level was unique, but they mostly had hundreds of smaller caves or halls, connected together by wide tunnels. There were only three exits, or entrances, on each level, the biggest being on level one—the cave Twilight entered when they first arrived. This was the main gate, and it could be blocked by a massive door that was made thousands of years ago. Though Pyre said it hadn’t been closed in nearly that long either. All the other entrances featured narrow choke points past the first halls, places where it was possible to blockade with rock or more doors. It was a fortress, that much was obvious to Twilight, but the real question she kept coming back to was why would anyone be dumb enough to attack a city filled with dragons in the first place?

In the mountain’s centre was a waterfall of lava. As incredible as it was, Twilight found it immensely frustrating because it just didn’t make sense. Somehow, and Pyre didn’t know why either, the lava was drawn up before falling back down through a vast central shaft. The waterfall used to be drawn from to create the various rivers and pools of lava used for hatching and cleaning, and it provided the heat that seeped through the mountain, keeping the dragons comfortable.

But beside from that, Twilight couldn’t remember much else. She knew she had been told the names of various sections, but there were just too many to even begin to remember them all.

“Where are we headed now?” Twilight cried out over the rushing wind. She huddled on Pyre’s back, clinging on with all her strength.

“Back to the King’s Hall,” she replied. “Your princess wanted you back for that meeting, remember?”

Twilight nodded. She remembered. A talk about a new diamond mine that had opened inside the Canterlot mountains. The unique natural magical radiation that bathed Equestria resulted in the most spectacular green diamonds, and apparently Glamduural wanted a selection of the largest ones as a symbol of his ties to the Equestrian monarchy.

“We’re cutting through the Smoke Tunnels. I normally don’t come this way, but it’s the fastest path.”

“Huh? Why don’t you come this way?” They didn’t look terribly smoky to her. The walls looked a little rough, but that was all.

“Oh… It’s just out of the way a little, I guess. The tunnels aren’t in the best condition, either.”

Twilight looked around, peering hard through the gloom. Then, clear as day, as soon as it was pointed out, she started seeing the damage. Cracks ran up the walls and ceiling, and huge fragments of rock lay splintered in the middle of the tunnel. Scorch marks were seared on every surface, along with darker, rust-coloured stains. The deeper they went into the tunnel, the more Twilight noticed a smell growing: a mixture of charcoal, ash, and something stronger, something rotten. She wrinkled her nose.

“Sorry,” Pyre muttered. “It doesn’t go on for long.”

“What… happened down here?”

“My Uncle fought and killed Angard the Jaded and all of the dragons he had with him.”

Twilight blinked. Pyre’s tone of voice was so hard and determined. And rigid, too. “K-killed him? Why?”

“It happened a long time ago, but it was over territory and gold. He was trying to take what was my Uncle’s.” There it was again, a note of steel in Pyre’s voice. But it didn’t feel defensive, almost forced.

“Oh,” was all Twilight said. She had to remind herself again and again that they were dragons, not ponies, and that the same rules didn’t apply.

They fell quiet after that, soaring through the battle-scarred cave. Twilight kept searching for something to say, something to break the silence, but she couldn’t find anything that felt right after what had just been said. What could she say? She could just change the subject, but would that appear rude? Like she didn’t care?

Twilight paused. She had heard something, a low thump. Just like flapping wings. Big wings.

“Pyre, can you hear that?”

Even from her position on Pyre’s back, she could see her frown. “Yes, I think it’s just another dragon. They’re around here.”

“Oh.” The explanation made perfect sense, but Twilight gripped on a little tighter nonetheless. “Okay then.”

But as Twilight listened, the sound of wings only drew closer, building and growing until she could almost feel the movement in the air. It was heading straight from them.

A great wind slammed into the pair. Bursting out of the darkness and into the dim light cast by a bonfire, a slate-grey dragon swept into view. He was huge, fifty feet long with great claws and fangs almost as long and thick as Twilight’s leg. His orange eyes glowed in the shadows. He snorted, exhaling a wave of acrid smoke.

Twilight felt Pyre lock up underneath her.

“Hello, hello, little wyrm,” the dragon said, his voice slick. He wheeled around to circle Pyre. “To see you down in this part of the city? Strange. Normally you’re not so… brave.” He wheeled around again, this time closer. Twilight realised that he was forcing Pyre to descend.

“What do you want, Vakyral?” Pyre’s voice called out into the darkness, her head twisting around to follow Vakryal.

Twilight could feel Pyre’s heart pounding.

“What do I want? You need to land.”

“E-excuse me?”

“I said land.” The voice was cold, hard. Rigid with something bubbling just below the surface. He swept around again, this time even closer.

Pyre hesitated for a split second, her heart racing, before she dropped. She landed next to one of the bonfires. Twilight could see a cave mouth half-hidden by the poor light. So close yet so far. She didn’t slide of Pyre’s back, unsure about what on earth was going on.

Twilight shifted to whisper in Pyre’s ear, “Is everything oka—”

The low rumble of Vakyral’s landing cut her short. He took a step closer, his wings held open. Twilight could smell his smoking breath.

“This is fortunate…”

“What is?” Pyre asked, her voice trembling at the end of her sentence. She lifted her head up a little higher and swallowed.

“For today. For your being down here. For my running into you. And on today of all days.” His lips curled at the edges.

Twilight watched as his eyes rake over Pyre before landing directly on her. She shivered. There was a cold light inside that burned a little brighter the second he saw her.

“And Alduaine’s charge is here as well!” He leered at her. “There is no end to the day’s good fortune.”

“You’re not making any sense,” Pyre said shortly.

He snorted another blast of smoke. “I always hated your uncle, you know.”

Pyre started. “H-he’s your king!”

Vakyral snarled. “The dragons have no king. There is no king and there never has been.”

“What are you implying? That sounds like—”

He leaned in, baring his fangs and growling. Something flashed deep in his eyes, something that made Twilight’s skin crawl. She glanced over to the exit.

“There is no king. You’re not a real dragon, little wyrm. Did you know that? You’re a mockery of one. I always hated that too. You hide under your Uncle’s shadow, but there you stay, cowering like the pony on your back.”

Apparently Pyre had a similar line of thought to Twilight. “We’re going to go now,” she said, keeping her head high. Twilight could hear her voice wavering, though.

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re not leaving, little wyrm. Not this time. Not today. I finally have my chance. I have hated you both for so long, and today of all days I no longer have to wait.”

Pyre took a step back. “What are you thinking? Do you have any idea what the King will do to you when he hears about this?”

Vakyral burst into laughter. “He will hear! Oh, have no fear of that, little wyrm. He will hear. Today of all days. As the sun sets in the west, he will hear. The Black Dragon cries out.”

“You will let us pass!”

Vakryal took a step closer. His fangs glistened. “Your uncle cannot do anything.”

“Princess Celestia will!” Twilight almost looked around to see who had spoken before she realised it was her. Her stomach plummeted beneath her hooves.

The dragon snarled. “That name is meaningless now. Empty and hollow. The name will not do anything because it does not mean anything. Not anymore.”

Pyre took another step back. “You’re crazy.”

“What did you say?”

Pyre shook. “You heard me. You’re crazy. You don’t know what you’re saying.”

Vakryal’s eyes burned. “I wish I could see the look on your face when it all crashes, little wyrm. The Black Dragon is unlike anything you have ever seen. But I think the look on your face right now is good enough.”

Pyre stopped shaking. There was something in Vakryal’s tone, the anger had disappeared, and suddenly it was back to being lifeless and cold.

“What do you mean?” Pyre asked.

He smiled. “You’re dead.” Then he exhaled a torrent of searing flame that turned stone underneath it cherry red.

Except Twilight and Pyre weren’t there. Twilight had been waiting, and the second Vakryal had stopped speaking, she had teleported away, aiming for the cave entrance she had seen earlier. Materialising, she urged Pyre to move behind the cave edge, out of sight from Vakryal. Twilight could hear him roar. The dragon exhaled torrents of fire that threw flashes of light around like fireworks.

“Where are you, miserable wyrm? You cannot save yourself!” There was a boom as he slammed something against the stone floor. “Where are you?”

Pyre trembled, staring straight ahead with wide eyes. Twilight pushed her, but the dragon wouldn’t budge.

“Please, Pyre!” she hissed. “We have to go!”

Her voice shocked Pyre into moving. Without saying a word, she jumped into the air and took off, flying away as fast as she could. All Twilight could do was hold on for dear life.

Behind them, his voice shaking the earth, Vakryal screamed.

They collapsed inside a small cave. Pyre nearly fell over, her whole body wracked with shakes, her chest heaving as she gasped for air.

Twilight jumped off. Her coat was sticky with sweat. “We lost him,” she said, sitting down. “He’s gone.”

Pyre covered her face with a claw and coughed. “That didn’t happen,” she said. “That didn’t happen.”

“We’re okay,” Twilight said, almost to herself. “We’re fine. Don’t worry.”

Pyre took a deep breath. “He tried to kill us. I can’t believe it. He actually tried to kill us!”

Twilight just shook her head. Her mind was spinning, and she couldn’t focus on anything. “I—I really don’t know.”

“And what was he talking about? Something about it all crashing down? The Black Dragon? He wasn’t making any sense!”

“I don’t know, Pyre,” Twilight said again. “I…” She trailed off into a shaken silence.

“He tried to kill us…”

Twilight breathed deeply and took a hesitant step over. She touched Pyre lightly on the shoulder. “We’re okay. We got away.”

Pyre shook her head again and looked up into Twilight’s face. Her eyes were red. “I don’t understand why he would do that. My uncle would kill him for that…” She stopped, her expression hardening.

“What?” Twilight blinked, pulling her hoof away. “You’re joking, right?”

But Pyre didn’t seem to hear her. “We have to go. We have to see my uncle.”

“But why?” Twilight asked with a weak chuckle. Pyre wasn’t serious, was she?

“We need to tell my uncle! Come on! Something’s not right here at all and we have to tell them!” Pyre’s eyes burned into Twilight’s until she looked away.

“Okay then,” she said. He probably should know about all of this, and so should Princess Celestia. Twilight bit her lip until she thought it might bleed. “Let’s go.”

When Twilight and Pyre burst into the King’s Hall, time seemed to freeze. Everyone inside fell silent immediately. Their gazes locked onto the newcomers. Celestia stopped mid-sentence, and she raised an eyebrow.

Pyre was panting again. “Uncle!” she cried.

Twilight could feel the eyes of dozens of dragons, unblinking and fierce. She suppressed a shiver.

“Pyre!” Glamduural growled. “What are you doing!”

Pyre almost crashed the landing, stumbling on her claws. Twilight jumped off. “It’s Vakryal!” the dragon gasped. “ He confronted us in the Smoke Tunnels, and he’s gone crazy!”

The King’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. “You took Alduaine’s student into the Smoke Tunnels?”

“We were on our way here and—”

“You fool! Have you no sense? Do you want to give the snakes down there an opportunity to make me look weak?”

“No!” Pyre’s eyes were wide, her mouth hanging open. “Of course not! I just—”

“Then explain to me why you barge into this council screaming and shouting?” The King glowered, his lips pulling back to reveal his curved teeth.

“Vakryal tried to kill us! Both of us!”

Rumbles broke out, a chorus of growls and hisses.

Celestia and the guards around her froze. “Are you okay, Twilight?” the Princess asked. She took a step towards Twilight and wrapped a wing around her, pulling her close.

“Yes, I’m fine!” Twilight said quickly. She still let herself melt into the hug, though.

“What did you say?” Glamduural asked, slowly and deliberately, stressing each word.

“He tried to kill us!” Pyre moved up close to her uncle, searching his great eyes with her own. “He said he was waiting for today, of all days, to finally be able to do it!”

“He would never dare go that far.”

“He did! He said that everything was going to crash down and that he could finally do it. Believe me, please!”

The pair held each other’s gaze for half a second before Glamduural lifted his head and roared to the ceiling, “That snake! I am going to tear Vakryal limb from limb! Bring Forgȉr to me!” Then he looked down and said, “What do you mean ‘everything was going to crash down’?”

“I’m not sure!” Pyre looked around like she was searching for something. “He said something about a Black Dragon and something coming. I don’t know what it… means… though…” She stopped, looking horrified at her uncle’s expression.

The King had frozen, his eyes locked open. All of the blood had drained from Celestia’s face, and she looked up at Glamduural.

“I don’t understand?” Pyre said.

“The Black Dragon?” Glamduural repeated. A rumble grew deep in his chest. “Is that what you said?”

Pyre took a step back. “Y—yes!”

“Moriath…” Celestia whispered. Her expression was rigid as steel, but Twilight could see something wavering in her eyes. The same expression that had been in Pyre’s after they had stopped running from Vakryal.

“No. He’s lying.” Glamduural shook his head.

“Who’s the Black Dragon?” Twilight asked, her voice shaking.

She was ignored. “What if it’s true?” Celestia said. She had started to pace. “What then?”

“Don’t be absurd, Alduaine. Weren’t you the one responsible for his imprisonment?”

Celestia shook her head. “We should go to Thomoral, Glamduural. See what he has to say. Perhaps he has heard something—perhaps he can help.”

“The Old Drake?” Glamduural growled. But before he could say another word, Forgȉr came sweeping down from an adjoining cave.

“My Lord?”

The King wheeled his head around to face him. “Bring Vakryal to me! And if he refuses, tear off his wings. I want him alive so I can break his neck myself!”

Forgȉr bared his teeth, snarling. “It will be my pleasure.” With surprising agility, he took off, disappearing down one of the tunnels.

Glamduural snorted. “We cannot go to the Old Drake. It would be a waste of time, and you know it. One rabid wyrm whispers his name, a name which could easily belong to an impostor, and you want to run off to see that lying coward? He is more likely to give you a riddle than offer any real help.”

“It’s called caution,” Celestia said, her eyes flashing. “I do not want to take that risk, and he could help.”

“You’re being foolish.”

“You do not know of what you speak!” Celestia shot back. “You do not know who the Black Dragon is, what he is capable of!”

Glamduural bared his teeth. “Do you challenge my ability to lead my own city, Alduaine?”

“Of course not—”

“Then allow me to lead! I do not need your council for these rumours, though your concern is appreciated.”

Celestia took a deep breath. “The whispers are adding up, Glamduural. Do not be deaf to them.”

“I am not deaf. Nor am I blind to what goes on.” The King shifted on his pile. “I watch many things, Alduaine. I watch and wait. I know how to act. If the time comes, I can and will move to defend against any threat, but I will not move in response to whispers alone.”

They were interrupted by Forgȉr sweeping back into the Hall, followed closely by a second dragon. “My Lord! One of the city watch said he saw the wyrm leave the city barely fifteen minutes ago!”

“He flees! The coward!” Glamduural roared.

“Do I give chase?” Forgȉr said.

The King thought for a moment, smoke curling from his nostrils. He exhaled loudly, but his voiced trembled with anger. “No. I need you here. We have things that need discussing, plans that need to be examined. And Vakryal is fast. Did they say where he was headed?”

“The east,” the second dragon replied.

Celestia lowered her head. “Of course he is.”

“That’s where they all run,” Glamduural said, snapping his jaws. “That’s where they have run for centuries. There is nothing new or damning about that at all.”

“Then what would you do?”

“Wait. Watch. Be prepared. Be alert.” The King bared his teeth in a sneer. “I have been playing this game for centuries, Alduaine. While you ruled in peace, I have been fighting and winning. Nothing will change.”

Celestia looked ready to respond, but instead she closed her eyes and exhaled. “As you wish. Keep your eyes open and your fangs sharp, Glamduural. This is not a game we can afford to lose.”

The King snorted. “I always do. I assume you will break for the evening?”

“Yes. Thank you. We will speak soon.” Without another word, Celestia turned and walked towards the nearby chariot. The guards scrambled to make themselves ready to leave.

Twilight gave a quick smile to Pyre in way of goodbye, one which was hastily returned. She winced when she saw Glamduural fix Pyre with a cold glare.

But there was nothing she could do other than give another weak smile before she was whisked away, the gloom swallowing the Hall until there was nothing left but darkness.

The rundown had been brief. Swift wanted to know if their orders had changed, to which the Princess had said ‘no’. The captain had nodded before dismissing the rest of her team. Celestia raised an eyebrow but didn’t otherwise comment until they were alone. Twilight watched from the corner, sipping water because her stomach didn’t want to hold anything solid.

“What is it, Swift?”

The guard walked back in front of the Princess, each step deliberate. She took a deep breath before saying, “Are you sure, Princess?”

“What do you mean?”

Swift shifted on her hooves. She kept her gaze straight, though. “About staying here. About not doing anything.”

“Of course I am sure,” Celestia said. “We need to be here to help. We need to watch and see what transpires before we do anything overly rash.”

‘Forgive me, Your Highness, for being so bold, but… I think we should leave.”

The Princess paused. But she recovered quickly and said, “Understood, but we cannot leave here now, Swift. Glamduural is correct. We do not know for sure, and we cannot leave until we do.”

Swift’s façade cracked. Her brow furrowed. “But, forgive me again, why?”

Celestia held her gaze for a long time. “Because we cannot leave them alone, Swift. I need more information before deciding what to do next, before I can act. There is more to this, more to these whispers, and the more I hear, the more serious this becomes. If I need to act, it will be seriously and decisively, and I cannot make that call without properly being informed about what exactly is going on.”

The guard took a deep breath and saluted. Her eyes still wavered. “Of course, Your Highness. As you wish.” Then she turned and left, leaving Twilight and the Princess alone.

The silence ticked by, Celestia still in the middle of the room, lost in thought, Twilight standing awkwardly by a wall, not sure where to look, not sure what to say. It was stifling hot, and Twilight felt a trickle of sweat run down the side of her face. She could barely breathe.

“I am sorry, Twilight.”

The unicorn frowned. “What for, Princess?”

“For worrying you. I know what this seems like. I know how scared you must be feeling.”

Twilight opened her mouth… but then she closed it. She didn’t want to lie to her princess. “I just want to know what’s going on…”

Celestia turned, finally facing Twilight. Her expression looked haunted, ravaged by something that Twilight couldn’t name. “Nothing for you to worry about. How many times I have called upon you to save Equestria? This time, I will look after you. Have faith, Twilight. Can you do that for me?”

Twilight stared up at her mentor, her strength breaking underneath Celestia’s tortured gaze. “I think I can, Princess. I think so.”

The Princess lowered her head, almost as if she no longer had the strength to hold it. “Thank you, Twilight. Thank you. I will not let anything bad happen to you—to any of this.”

Looking at the Princess, Twilight wanted nothing more than to reach over and hug her. For her own sake as much as her mentor’s. She was so tired of the dark things, of all the talk of rumours and threats. She wanted to go home to her friends.

Yet, she stayed where she was, too scared to get any closer. She knew it was silly and irrational, but she couldn’t do it. Her Princess was so different, so unfamiliar.

So in the end, she asked a question. “Who’s the Old Drake, Princess?”

Celestia looked up. “He is the oldest dragon alive. He is the brother of Moriath, the Black Dragon, and one of the four sons of Dosforoth, the father of all dragons.”

“Dosforoth,” Twilight murmured.

“Yes, that’s right. Dosforoth. His four sons were mighty and powerful beyond comprehension. But then the shadow came, and war fell over the land, and the sons of the King of all Dragons took to the skies to fight for the agents of evil.”

“The Old Drake was evil?”

“Evil?” The Princess thought for a moment. “Perhaps he was evil. But then he left. He abandoned his brothers and the shadow and fled to the south where he set up a mighty kingdom, a place where dragons could live together in freedom and in peace. And he called it Draxonis, the land of the dragons.”

“He established Draxonis?”

“Yes he did. A very, very long time ago.”

“But then… what happened?”

Celestia turned to Twilight. “The dragons grew greedy. The dragons let their instincts rule them. They wanted more land, more gems, and more power. And so they tried to overthrow The Old Drake.”

“Tried?”

Celestia smiled wryly, her eyes still locked on a moment of time that Twilight could only dream of. “They tried. But he was old and one of Dosforoth’s sons, and he was stronger than any normal dragon.”

“But then… that doesn’t answer the first question.”

“He wasn’t overthrown, that was true, but he did not stay in Draxonis. Some say he too succumbed to his instincts, and he fled to hide them. I believe he just grew too disheartened by dragon nature. He drafted treaties to see the dragons placed under strict bonds of honour to stop them from destroying themselves, and then he settled in Darros, a mountain in The Shadowed Lands to watch the Shadow, making sure no dragon could bring ruin to the world.”

“So he’s almost like a guardian angel?”

Celestia laughed, a pure and free sound that rang through the room. “Of a sort, yes. He is a dragon through and through, a hoarder by nature. He has some of the most exquisite and rare artifacts in existence. And secrets. Such a great number of secrets.”

“And you told Glamduural that maybe he could help?”

“He could help. He is very old and very powerful, but Glamduural is right. He very rarely helps directly. If you ask for his help, you are unlikely to get it in the manner you desire.”

Twilight nodded, yawning despite herself as she did. It had been a very, very long day. But still, she smiled, glad that both she and Pyre had made it out okay. She hoped Pyre wasn’t in too much trouble because of her…

“Are you tired, Twilight?”

“Perhaps a little,” Twilight admitted with another yawn.

“Then rest,” the Princess said kindly. “I will wake you should anything happens.”

“You will?”

“I will. Rest easy, Twilight Sparkle. You deserve some quiet.”

Twilight did as she was told, moving over to her bed where her soft mattress was waiting for her. She couldn’t be bothered to remove her outfit, so she left it on, curling up underneath the thin sheet.

The Princess seemed a little bit more back to normal now, the same kind and benevolent monarch whom she trusted… and needed to trust. That alone was more reassuring than anything, and Twilight repeated the thought over and over in her head to shield from her bubbling anxiousness.

It did not take long for sleep to find Twilight. She let it in eagerly, a chance to forget about the world for one moment of peace.

As Twilight slept, she dreamed of many things, few of which made sense. She dreamed of great cloud fortresses and even bigger mountains of stone so black that it looked as if all the light in the world was being absorbed in its darkness. She dreamed of fire that swallowed the whole world. She dreamed of entire forests disappearing in sheets of flame, becoming nothing but smoke and waves of embers lost to the wind.

But she also saw things she knew, places she loved and things she feared. She watched as Canterlot burned to the ground, breaking apart and falling from its mountain perch in an avalanche of stone and death. She watched as Ponyville, her home and her life, was engulfed in shadow and fire, the flame wiping it from the face of the earth.

Central to everything was a great beast who wrought all of this destruction. Its wings were obsidian, and its green eyes were as sharp as cut gemstone. Its lumbering scales were jagged plates of armour. It snarled. Eldritch green flame poured out its mouth and engulfed everything that Twilight loved.

But amongst the shadow and the fire, there was a light. From several sources it shone, fighting the darkness at every turn. A battle from ancient times, a struggle that filled up every available space and swallowed up everyone and everything. Yet to Twilight’s horror, the light could never hold against such a power. It broke, scattering to the four corners of the land, leaving the unicorn alone in the ruins of her home.

In her dreams, Twilight screamed. She screamed out in anger, in fear, and in despair. And still the world burned. It burned until there was nothing left, nothing but the great dragon and the shadow.

It was from a fitful sleep that Twilight woke. She stirred in her bed, uncertain of what had woken her.

There was a light in the room.

Twilight opened her eyes, rubbing them with a hoof. The light was not like any light she had seen before. The light was not white, or red or orange… this light was green. There was a rush, and then the light disappeared, leaving long shadows in its wake.

A roar shattered the silence of the evening like a hammer striking glass. It shook the earth, threatening to bring down the sky with its ferocity. It was a primal scream, a challenge to all those who heard it.

“Princess!” Twilight shouted. “What’s going on?”

The earth shook once more as another roar filled the air, this one different, deeper. Another joined it and then another. The Princess was nowhere to be found.

Twilight was about to get up when she heard hoofsteps. Swift burst into the room, her eyes wide.

“Get up!” the guard barked. “Up and put on your saddlebags!”

“W—what’s going on?” Twilight asked, still sitting lamely in bed.

“I don’t know! The city is burning, and you must get up! We have to leave!” There was another roar. They were louder now, and Swift’s whole body locked up. “Stay here. Put on your saddlebags and don’t move. I have to go find the Princess. I will be back.”

And then she was gone, rushing back out the door.

Scrambling to her hooves, Twilight grabbed her saddlebags, strapped them on, and dashed over to the window. She swung the heavy glass open with a flash of magic and burst out onto the balcony.

She froze.

The sun had disappeared below the horizon, the last of the orange rays soaking the sky in blood. But that’s not what she was looking at. There, on the edge of the area she could view, was a dragon unlike any other she had ever seen, except for those in her dreams.

He was the largest creature Twilight had ever seen, over two hundred feet long from snout to tail, his bulky body covered in scales that looked like chunks of armour, just like the dragon in her dream. His entire body was the darkest shade of black, the only colour being his piercing eyes, green and glinting emeralds.

He was the dragon of Twilight’s nightmare.

The dragon roared again, perched on top of one of the mighty towers in the lower levels of the city. Pillars of fire poured from his mouth, filling the sky with pale green flame.

“Moriath,” Twilight breathed. He was real…

…and he was here.

Moriath was surrounded by a wave of other, smaller, dragons in seconds. They swept around him, racing into the city, roaring and breathing flame.

The realisation gripped at Twilight, stopping her heart. They were under attack! The city was under attack! She recognised Vakryal. He swept into the Dragoliath, his face twisted in rage.

Even as Twilight watched, the dragons of Dragoliath answered the threat. They poured out of the caves and raced toward their enemies with great strokes of their wings. The two forces clashed in the air, dragons colliding into each other like meteors, biting and gouging at each other’s necks, breathing fire into their faces. Dragoliath was vastly outnumbered, though, and the fallen plummeted from the sky, smashing to the ground below in ruin.

“Twilight! Twilight!”

The unicorn spun around at the sound of her name only to see the Princess run into the room. The look in her eyes was almost more chilling than the fighting dragons outside.

“Princess!”

“Are you alright, Twilight? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, Princess! I just woke up! What’s happening? What’s going on?!”

“We’re under attack,” Celestia said, stuffing Twilight’s loose clothes and books into her saddlebags. “Moriath, he has struck today. The rumours were true. It is him…”

“What do we do, Princess?” Twilight shouted. “Tell us what to do!”

The Princess froze, her eyes locked wide open.

“Your Highness! Wait!” Twilight jerked at the new sound. Swift burst into the room, the other guards close behind her. “Stay near me, Princess! Please!”

“Orders, your Highness!”

“I…” Twilight stammered.

“Do we attack?”

“We cannot leave the mountain,” Celestia said, her voice hardening, slipping into the role of a commander in a heartbeat. “They outnumber us and you are no match for so many fully grown dragons.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Do we flee? Leave for Equestria now?”

“No!” Celestia barked. “Not with the enemy on our doorstep. We must find Glamduural and see what the situation is. Dragoliath is not defenceless. Its tunnels may be wide but they are easy to hold from those who wish to attack it. We can survive this, and we will.”

Celestia turned, looking out to the dragons fighting in the city. Moriath roared again as even more of his soldiers flew out from behind the mountain.

“Swift, we are going back down the tunnels to the King’s Hall. Moriath must be repelled. There we can discuss further.”

Swift began to nod before her eyes widened, staring past Twilight and the Princess before she screamed, “Look out!”

Twilight turned to see a fireball streaking through the air toward them, pulsing green flame that crackled and hissed. A golden shield enveloped the balcony in a great flash, and the fire exploded against it. The force of the explosion knocked Twilight to the ground.

She struggled to her hooves, coughing loudly, to see Celestia standing tall. Her horn burned gold along its length, and she stared out to the city and locked her gaze on the Black Dragon.

Moriath was glaring back. His eyes narrowed and glinted. The obsidian tower cracked under the pressure of his claws. He roared, his mighty wings flaring out on either side.

“Go, Twilight,” Celestia said. “I will meet you in the King’s Hall. Swift, ensure she gets there safely.”

“No!” the Captain yelled. “I stay with you, Princess!”

“You will do as I sa—”

Moriath let loose another plume of fire. This one was aimed lower, streaking through the air faster than Twilight could blink. It hit the bottom of the balcony and ripped the stone apart, the air flashing green and gold as Celestia’s shield shattered.

Twilight fell. The balcony crumbled around her in a rush of splintered stone. Her world flipped upside down, the sound vanishing, leaving nothing but a loud ringing. She saw a flash of blue flying towards her from the city, and then something smashed into her head, knocking the light from the world and plunging Twilight into darkness.

The last thing she heard was a lone voice that sounded out against the noise, screaming to her, “Twilight! NO!”