Shattered Memories, Hidden Dreams

Twilight walked through the Royal Castle, able to traverse the twisting halls and stairwells by memory, looking for Princess Celestia. The guards at the front entrance told her the Princess was in the throne room, but when she arrived no one was there. She looked in the library, the dining hall; she even went as far as to ask every single passerby where she was. But the answer was always the same. "Check the throne room." Tired of the constant back tracking, she decided to check the Princess's bedroom. She just turned the corner of a particularly long hallway, when she ran head first into somepony.

"Oof!" she fell to the ground, shook her head, and looked up. Standing before her was the one pony she least expected to see at this hour, "Princess Luna?"

"Good morning, Twilight Sparkle." The Princess of the Night said as she rose from the ground. "May we ask why you saw fit to come speeding around the corner?"

"Oh." Twilight could only look down in embarrassment, "I'm so sorry, Princess. You see, I was looking for Celestia and I was busy thinking about what she might have wanted. She said it was a dire emergency and-"

"Wait." Princess Luna said suddenly, "You were the one Celestia sent that letter to?"

Twilight wasn't sure how to respond to that, "Y-yes. Was somepony else supposed to get that letter?"

Luna sighed, "We suppose not, Twilight Sparkle. We apologize, we were just expecting a different pony." She started down the hall in a purposeful manner,"If you'll follow us, we'll take you to Celestia. She's waiting for us just outside the castle."

More than a little confused, Twilight followed after Luna. They walked for some time, heading farther and farther from the door, and towards a more secluded and quiet part of the castle. Eventually, they came to to a small closet hidden a good distance from any windows or doors. When Luna entered, Twilight couldn't fathom how this would get them outside the castle. As she expected, it was a small, fairly empty closet, with just a broom, a mop, a dustpan, and a bucket. "Princess, how are we supposed to get out this way? It's just an empty closet."

Luna smiled a mischievous smile, "Looks that way, doesn't it?" She pushed in a brick on the wall, and the back wall of the closet rose into the ceiling, revealing a staircase lit by perfectly spaced torches. "Celestia made this passage when we were younger. We never liked being stuck in the castle, and used this passage to slip out so no pony could find us." she sighed, "It's been so long since we've had to use it." She started down the staircase, not noticing Twilight's look of amazement.

‘The Princess never mentioned this before.' Twilight thought, ‘Then again, why would she? I never asked about her personal history, and even then this would be a bit . . . scandalous.' She followed quickly after the Princess of the Night, a little entertained at her mentor trying to escape the constraints of royal life. They walked down the winding staircase, with Twilight marveling at how well maintained it was despite its estimated age. After about ten minutes, they arrived at an old, thick looking door. With a hard shove, Luna opened the door, and stepped out into the sunlight. Once outside Twilight noticed that they were a good distance from the main entrance, the garden, anywhere there might be ponies. She noticed Princess Celestia sitting on the crest of a nearby hill, staring at the rolling countryside in the distance. As she started to shout a greeting, Princess Luna came running up past her, almost shouting at her elder sister, "Tia! Why in all of Equestria did you drag Twilight Sparkle into this? She knows nothing about this issue. She is more likely to get hurt or corrupted then to help. You and I both know what this could mean, and she doesn't even know this sort of thing exists, thanks to you censoring magic texts. You even go so far as to avoid allowing any record of it to be seen or possibly accessed by the public. You know there's a more qualified unicorn out there. Why would you call her instead of-"

"LUNA!" Celestia yelled, and Twilight swore that the wind itself stopped blowing  at the sheer force of command in her voice. "Do not insult my student while she is present. And as for your doubt in her abilities, while it's true she is not as experienced as you or I in this matter, she is the most powerful unicorn we can find."

Luna dropped her head, casting her gaze down to the ground "We- . . . I apologize, dear sister. I did not intend to insult Twilight Sparkle in anyway, and she is indeed powerful. But there is another out that is more knowledgeable on this. Surly he-"

"He is dead." Celestia said flatly, "And if he's not, then he's possibly the cause of this." When she saw the look of sadness on her sister's face, she sighed and softened her voice. "Luna, I know you hope he found what he was looking for, and you hope he came out of it unchanged. But if he did discover it, then he is corrupted, and a possible danger to everypony in Equestria. You know he would never allow himself to be that way."

"I know sister," she said quietly "I'm sorry."

At this point Twilight could only sit awkwardly through the entire exchange. She wasn't sure how to react, or if it would even be appropriate to react. She was a mix of scared, flattered, and curious. ‘What could this thing be that could cause Luna to doubt Celestia's decision? And if it's something I've never heard of, how would I be able to help at all?' Celestia looked to Twilight, a look of slight embarrassment on her face. "Forgive me, my student. This is a bit of a personal issue for me and my dear sister. Come, I have something very important to teach you." Twilight came obediently to the Princess's side, both excited and a little wary at what she was about to learn.

"Twilight Sparkle," Celestia began, "What we are about to teach to you is a secret that goes back long before you born, before the Luna's fall, long before Discord's very existence. So before we teach you, I offer you a choice." She stared down at her faithful student, a small bit of concern in her eyes, "If you choose to accept this knowledge, you must never tell a single living thing. It is a secret that must be taken to your grave, for it is possible that a weaker pony would be corrupted by this knowledge, and use it to conquer, or possibly destroy Equestria. But we will not force this secret on you, and you are free to leave, and let me and Luna handle the matter."

Twilight sat completely still, thinking intently about what Princess Celestia had said. On one hoof, the Princess obviously thought she was strong enough to be able to handle the secret, and at that she felt a small surge of pride. On the other, this was information that, in the wrong hands, could result in the destruction of Equestria. After a long, tense moment, she spoke, "Teach me, Princess Celestia. I wish to know what is threating Equestria."

The princess nodded solemnly, "Very well," she took a deep breath, "Before the first living things on this world were created, there were two prevailing Elements. Lux, or Light, and Umbra, or Shadow. The two were in constant conflict, each pushing against the other, trying to overtake each other. In order to break the stalemate, Lux created the stars, and threw them at Umbra. In response, Umbra created matter, and used it to block Lux from reaching him. Lux, not wanting to be outdone, created a single piece of matter. It was quiet large and could easily block it from touching Umbra. But in a surprising move, Lux put itself on to the surface of the matter, basking it in light. Umbra, thinking it had won, spread over where Lux had once been." Celestia paused for a moment as she gazed at the rolling countryside stretching before her. "But Lux had left behind more stars, leaving a small piece of itself in each one. As Umbra spread, Lux created two new objects. The first was a large beacon of light, and it served as a weapon against Umbra. Lux placed it next to her new home, in order to stop Umbra from touching it. Next, it created a smaller, duller object, and stuck into Umbra, so Lux could keep Umbra at a distance. Lux named the first one the Sun and the second the Moon. Umbra was furious. Not only had Lux out maneuvered it, but now Lux's creations were everywhere. It watched in quiet anger as Lux started to shape the matter. It tried to create life, but couldn't do it alone. Seeing Lux distracted inits effort to create life, Umbra snuck into the Moon and hid in its shadow. It noticed that, on occasion, the Moon would block the Sun, weakening Lux. So Umbra waited, and Lux was never the wiser. When the time came, Umbra came down on to Lux, who was trying once again to create life. When Umbra hit Lux, the result cracked and shook the matter, creating hills, canyons and mountains. But that's not all it did."

From here, Luna took over, "It also created life. Trees began to grow, grass flowed across once barren land, and flowers bloomed in the most desolate places. The two Elements realized it took them both to create life. For the first time, the two Elements worked together, creating life on this piece of matter, which they named Terra. They created the first fish, the first birds, and the first ponies. Umbra wanted to give the ponies the same powers as itself, but Lux wanted them to be kept innocent of the powers around them. Umbra also wanted them to be able to travel through Terra faster than any being they create. But once again, Lux disagreed, believing that ponies were better off on the ground. Umbra decided, without Lux's approval, to grant some ponies these gifts. Lux was furious. When Umbra had finished, Lux reduced the new pony's powers, creating what we now know as Unicorns and Pegasi." Luna stare at the sky, lost in the story she recited. "Umbra, in order to spite Lux further, created Negative Emotions. Anger, sadness, hate and jealousy ran through out Terra unchecked, creating chaos. In response, Lux created Positive Emotions. Kindness combated anger. Happiness cured sadness. Love stopped hate. Generosity halted jealousy. Along with these emotions, Lux created living embodiments of itself, so as to guide ponies away from Umbra's influence. They had a piece of each type of pony, and a natural ability to lead. They were very few, but very powerful. They became known as the Alicorns, and the ponies revered them as demi-gods for centuries. Umbra, tired of Lux stopping his fun, created a being known as theDraconequus. It became the embodiment of Umbra, creating chaos wherever it went.Umbra then moved beneath the surface of Terra, in order to create new creatures away from the watchful gaze of Lux. But he left behind bits of knowledge. Knowledge of the gifts he meant for the ponies, and how to summon him if they wished to receive them. Lux instructed the Alicorns to guard against chaos, and prevent the ponies from being corrupted by Umbra."

"That is the story of our origins," Celestia spoke, shifting her gaze "And is also the reason for us bringing you here."

Twilight was trying to digest what she just heard. At first, she found it hard to believe. It seemed like a fairytale or old myth that ponies came up to explain the unexplainable. But as she looked at the two Princesses before  her, she knew it was the truth. "How . . . where did you learn that?"

"When we were still young," Luna said "A unicorn visited Canterlot. He studied old magic and came to Canterlot to learn more. He wanted to ask our permission to enter the Royal Library. He said he was looking for a particular book, and there may have been clues to its location in our archives." Luna looked out over the land below, and smiled softly, "He was extremely polite, and could definitely pass as a very well educated pony in public. But when you spoke to him on a personal level, he was nothing but kind and supportive, no matter who you were or what you did."

Celestia interrupted, "We allowed him to search the library. After a week or so, he left, thanking us for allowing us to use the library. It was a few years before we heard from him again."

Luna coughed, "Before you heard from him again."

"I never approved of the letters, Luna, and you know that." Celestia said flatly. "Anyway, when we next saw him, he was badly injured. He had suffered serious wounds to his flanks and he got a nasty mark across his face. When he recovered, he told us he found a book. It contained odd spells and incantations. He tried one, and it drained the life of every being around him in a flash. It healed him, but only partially, which was how he got back to us to begin with."

"He never told us exactly how he got it," Luna added, "He generally avoided the subject, much to our frustration. But other than spells, was the story we just told you. Along with it was a single note ‘Speak the words of my turmoil, and I will grant life immortal.'"

"I took the book from him after that," Celestia said, "I didn't want anypony to get their hands on it. It's hard to explain, but if you ever hold that book, you can feel the power emanating from that book."

"Wait," Twilight interrupted, "What does this story have to do with our current issue?"

"Everything." Celestia said flatly "I asked him to use a spell for us, so I could see how they affected the user."

"I thought it was a cruel Idea." Luna said, interrupting her sister, "How could you make an innocent pony, a friend, go through that."

"Would you have done it then?" Celestia said coldly, "I didn't want to, but who else could I ask, and he helped us learn something quite important." She turned to Twilight, "After he used the spell, I could feel the dread and pain expanding around him, filling the air as the spell faded. It was then we learned the spell was powered by Negative Emotions."

Twilight thought for a moment, then realization dawned on her, "One of Umbra's pieces of knowledge."

Luna nodded, "Exactly. And he apparently had a great deal locked in his heart." She looked at the ground, smiling sadly, "I remember asking him how he could stand it, feeling the way he did when he used one of those spells. He told me he'd felt that way all his life, all it did was take some of the pain away for a short time."

Celestia stepped in, "I told him I was going to lock the book away, for safe keeping. But he was defiant. He said he needed to study it, learn how to use these spells properly. I told him no, and he stormed out of the castle." She took on a more serious, almost angry tone, "I don't know how, but that night, after I locked the book in a vault hidden deep beneath the castle, not only did he find it, he was able to break every seal I had placed on it and steal the book."

Luna stood up, "I can't keep listening to this." She turned to Celestia, her voice barely in control,"Explain the problem to Twilight Sparkle so we can end this trivial discussion on minor details."

Twilight was a little shocked. She had noticed Luna acting a little odd during the whole discussion, but this outburst was totally out of character, especially directed at her sister. She had a slight suspicion as to why, but before she could bring it up, Celestia answered, "Very well, dear sister. I will honor your request." She turned back to Twilight, "Recently, I felt that same feelings of dread come from Ponyville. I don't want to think he is still alive after all these years, but if someone else has discovered this book, It could mean the end of Equestria."

Twilight sat there, trying to organize everything she had just heard inside her head. After a long moment of silence, she said "I'm sorry, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, but this is a lot to take in. I just need some time to figure this all out."

Celestia nodded, "I understand Twilight, take as long as you need. This is certainly a lot to digest. I will send you a letter with further instructions. Until then," she looked down at Twilight, "tell nopony what you have heard here. And don't try to look for clues as to what happened to our fr-" she stopped herself, "What happened to that unicorn. It will prove to lead nowhere."

Twilight bowed, and left without another word. She walked around the castle, not wanting to reenter the secret entrance. She tried to assemble all the information into a coherent thought. All she came up with was, ‘. . . . wow.' It would do until she could get some more time and privacy. As she rounded the corner, she saw Spike waiting at the front door to the castle. As he spotted her, she tried to think of what to tell him. Before she had a chance to think of something Spike came bounding up. "Hey Twi. What were you do-" Twilight put a hoof over his mouth and continued walking. Waiting, right where she'd left it, was the chariot Celestia had sent for her. Wordlessly, she got into the chariot, and the Guards pulling it took off toward Ponyville. She sat there the entire flight, trying to piece everything together.

*

As Twilight walked around the corner, Luna slumped to the ground. She couldn't bring herself to look at Celestia, knowing her actions were uncalled for. Celestia walked up to her, and gently nuzzled her.

"I know it's upsetting to have to hear this again, my dear sister. But she needed to know about the book."

Luna's voice was barely above a whisper, ""You didn't have to mention him."

"I did," Celestia said calmly, "It's still possible it was him. If it is, we might be able to reason with him. If not, then Twilight will know what happens to those who use the book."

"Why do you hate him, Celestia?" Luna said, on the verge of tears, "He never did anything cruel. He never caused a problem. He wouldn't even raise his voice. He was nothing but polite and reasonable and kind and..." Luna let her trail off as she struggled to keep herself in control.

Celestia sat down next to Luna, "I hate him for hurting you. Before the book, you two were getting too close. Every time he would visit, you would be happier than ever. Every time he left, you were so low not even I could help you. When I found him leaving your room one night, I was this close to throwing him out of the castle." She slammed her hoof down, "You're lucky it was just to talk, or I would have punished you both."

Luna looked down sheepishly, "We were never that close. He reminded me that I had responsibilities, and he would just interrupt those responsibilities. I loved talking to him, confiding in him. He understood what it was like to feel underappreciated, to feel like no one cared about you." Tears formed in her eyes, "I'm sorry for how I acted, Tia. But when I think of who he was, and what he did, I just..." Tears fell from her eyes as she began to cry quietly.

Celestia held her sister close as she cried, "He made his choice, my sweet Luna. The book corrupted him. He was lost to us the moment he stormed out of the castle."

As she held her crying sister, Celestia quietly cursed the Unicorn. ‘If I ever see you again, you will pay dearly for what you have done to Luna. Just mentioning you brings her to tears. She can't even bring herself to enter the library anymore, asking servants to go there for her. You better be dead, or by all that is good, I will make you suffer more than you can possibly imagine.'