The Shining

by PunIntended Consequences

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Twilight Sparkle, Dark, Alternate Universe, Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 1466

Case '0056D19M07Y1004'. Or 'The Shining', if you prefer. Most ponies do. They like the mystery the name implies, and the secrets it holds. Terrible, horrifying secrets.

Case '0056D19M07Y1004', also known as 'The Shining', has been a subject of conversation for several years now, and each iteration has steadily become more steeped in myth, superstition, and fear. Enclosed is a true investigation file from the event.

I am counting on you, Chief Nightstick, to handle this situation with grace. The last thing we need is widespread panic.
-Velvet Skies/Landed Eagle

Published 2014-03-11 05:20:06 UTC
Last updated 2014-03-11 05:20:06 UTC

Use It Wisely

[Case ID: 0056D19M07Y1004]

[Case Priority: High Threat, Global]

[Case Status: UNRESOLVED]

[Clearance: Class C or above]

[Date of Termination: N/A, Permanent]

--[Begin Event Statement: Applejack]--

Come one, come all, to the Ponyville Town Square! This Saturday, May 13th, we are proud to announce that the renowned Star Swirl the Bearded Traveling Museum of Magical History has chosen our town as host for a special presentation of several rare and historical artifacts! Displays will feature such items as:

-Star Swirl’s expertly-restored mage wardrobe!
-The one-and-only Oaken Table!
-Original drawings ant depictions from Star Swirl’s personal journals!
-Enchanted gems of all shapes, sizes, and colors!
-The Staff of Enchantment!
-And much, much more!

The event will also include refreshments, free of charge to anyone who presents their ticket to the vendors*!

Tickets are 5 bits per adult, 2 bits per child, and 3 bits per senior (age 155 and older). Refunds on all tickets will be available until Friday, May 12th.

BONUS EVENT: A special donor’s display, plus a personal meet-and-greet with the Princesses of Equestria, all four of whom will be in attendance, is available to those who donate 50 bits or more to fund the Museum’s travel and upkeep expenses**!

*Free refreshments require admittance ticket. Limit one food and one drink item per ticket.

**Limited to 25 entries. First-come, first-served basis. Donations are non-refundable.

“Wow, Twilight. Just wow. I never thought you’d be one to go and sell out like that.” Twilight shuffled nervously under Applejack’s glare.

“I’m just trying to raise some money for a good cause,” the unicorn replied. “It’s not like I’m going to use the money to buy a golden toilet or something!”

Applejack sighed. “What really gets me though,” she continued, “is that the other Princesses agreed to follow these shenanigans too! How’d you wrangle them into goin’ along with you on this?”

“Well, like I said before, the money’s not going to be used for personal gain. It will be donated directly to the Traveling Museum, and they have a lot of expenses to deal with. It’s not easy to transport delicate artifacts safely around the country, you know. Besides, they would have done something similar to this anyway. We’re simply providing the prize.”

“Well… alright, if you say so, sugarcube… hey, is that them over yonder?” she asked, pointing to a trio of large caravans parked next to town hall.

Twilight did a double take. “Oh, when did they get here? Did you hear them roll up? Ah, it doesn’t matter. Sorry, but I have to go help them get sorted out. See you later, AJ!” She began to trot off, but after a few steps she turned back around. “Actually… do you want to take a sneak peek of the artifacts? There’s a lot of really cool stuff that they probably won’t be able to put out for the display. What do you say?”

Applejack scrutinized her friend’s innocent smile as she considered the offer. “Meh, why not,” she shrugged. “I don’t have anything else to do today. The farm’s being watched by Big Mac, and for once there ain’t a crisis to deal with ‘round town.”

“Excellent!” Twilight was practically bouncing with barely-restrained anticipation. “Come on, then, let’s check it out!”

The pair made their way into the nearest caravan, looking around in awe at the many objects adorning the walls. “Wow,” Twilight whispered. Applejack could only nod as she gazed around the cart’s surprisingly large interior. It wasn’t long before a gleam at the back of the room caught her attention.

“Look at that, Twi,” she whispered, gesturing at the faint glow. The two mares slowly picked a path around the stacks of boxes and displays littering the floor, stopping before a relatively short stack pushed against the cart’s back wall. The glow was obvious now, creating a bright outline around something blocking it from view. A quick burst of light from Twilight’s horn revealed the obstacle to be a heavy red velvet blanket, which the unicorn shoved unceremoniously to the side, revealing…

“Whoa,” the pair whispered simultaneously. Before them, floating idly above a pedestal of pure white marble, was the largest jewel either of them had ever seen. Like its stand, the gem itself was flawlessly white, and the light radiating from it seemed to amplify and wrap around itself and anything it touched, illuminating and eliminating all shadows inside the caravan.

“It’s beautiful,” Applejack breathed. “I feel like I just… want to touch it. Can we touch it, Twi? Please say we can touch it!” Applejack held her breath as Twilight slowly--so painfully, agonizingly slowly—lifted the glass case protecting the jewel. She felt her hoof move up; she was so close to-

“What do you think you’re doing?! Don’t touch that!” Applejack barely registered the voice coming from somewhere behind her. All that mattered now was the irresistible beauty of the white diamond. She had to make sure it was real, that it wasn’t just an illusion conjured up through some unicorn’s trickery. There was a crash somewhere that her brain told her was glass being smashed, but not a second later she had forgotten the event completely.

Her body was shaking. The glow was fading. She spasmed and her hoof connected with something soft. The glow was coming back. She was reaching for it. She felt it. It was so alive, so bright! Never again would she have to worry about anything, because here and now would last forever. Everything was perfect.

--[End Applejack’s statement]--

--[Begin additional investigation details]--

Twilight claims she was undergoing an identical series of events, minus being tackled and shoving her hoof through another pony’s eye and brain. Later, however, when the two were forcibly dragged away from the Sunstone’s enthrallment, she would manage to stab Princess Luna through the heart in her attempt to return to her perceived perfection. The goddess would not die, but she would become “verily pissed off”, and would sentence Twilight to the same fate as Applejack—twenty years in Canterlot’s royal dungeon. The two would then proceed to attempt several increasingly voracious escapes, and although they would come close, they would never successfully do so.

But that’s another story for another time.

The Sunstone of Everlasting Light was placed on the magical artifact blacklist almost immediately after the situation was resolved. Unfortunately, due to a paperwork mix-up, the pegasus tasked with transporting the artifact instead spent the day delivering mail to the residents of Ponyville. Unfortunately, the mare who actually transported the stone, Derpy Hooves, had a hole in her saddlebags at the time. It is still unknown when exactly during her flight the package was lost, but the team who investigated the loss estimated, based on the sizes of the hole and package, that it was somewhere over Whitetail Wood. (SEE ADDENDUM FOR FURTHER DETAILS)

--[Final Summary]--

The immediate problems have been rectified, and unfortunately the life of traveling merchant and musician Octavia Van Clef was lost during the event. However, the Princess Sisters have stated that the event could have been much worse; apocalyptic, in fact, should the Sunstone of Everlasting Light have been removed from its isolation entirely. (Addendum: They refused to comment on why such an item exists in the first place, and why there is no record of it in Star Swirl’s books. The popular theory is that it was intended as a source of energy for machines.)

The Sunstone has yet to be recovered; unfortunately, this means the threat its existence poses is still very real, and although a dedicated search team has been tasked with locating it, their search area stretches across a relatively large portion of Equestria. It may take them years to find, if they are lucky.

ADDENDUM 22/04/1028

On the thirtieth day of March, one thousand and twenty-eight (30/03/1028), the Sunstone of Everlasting Light resurfaced on the far northern edge of Whitetail Wood. The trail it was found on has been closed, and a several-hundred-foot protective radius has been placed around it.

Several sets of animal bones were found surrounding the stone. Early tests suggest that it has been exposed for the entirety of its absence. Among the skeletons were three fillies were discovered; one unicorn, one pegasus, and one earth pony. Their identities are currently unknown, as no lost or missing foal reports filed in the nearby towns since the artifact’s disappearance remain unresolved. Further testing will hopefully provide answers.

==[Case Status now changed to: PENDING]==

Author's Note

My Little Excursion: Trying Light Horror is Tragic.

My Little Puny: I'm Terrible at Humor.

I think we're done here.

Extra Bits: Light Up the Night

The Useless Web: PROCRASTINATION NATION!