Separation

Things just kept getting better. First I lose Twilight, now I can't perform magic without dying slightly every time. Whoo-hoo.

Excusing myself from lunch with Cadence was hard enough, but then I had to go through the next six days without using magic. I had to get it generating again. I was hoping against hope Twilie could help me find a solution. Assuming there even was one.

Luckily nothing eventful happened that required my attention. The only problem was convincing Cadence I was fine when I was being incredibly secluded.

“Shining, you've hardly left your room all week. What's going on?” She asked. I hated it when I gave her cause for alarm.

I was busy making sure my wards were in check. “It's nothing, I would just rather have you see me face-to-face rather than through a telescope.” I joked.

“Shining, you're checking your wards everywhere, just what is wrong? Please I want to help. Don't make me use force.” She demanded.

Well, she was gonna learn sooner or later. “Yesterday at lunch, when I tried to pick my cup, I noticed...I noticed my magic wasn't coming back.”

“What?”

“I don't know. My magic isn't replenishing. It hasn't since Nightmare Moon returned.”

“Shining...”

“That's why I'm so anxious to see Twilie tomorrow. I'm hoping she can help me out.”

“Shining, why didn't you tell me earlier?” She asked, growing pretty angry.

“You know me Cadence, I'm not one who goes around and announces my problems to others.”

“You really need to fix that about yourself. It might get you killed one day.”

“I'm aware.”

“What are you doing with the wards then?”

“I'm trying to see if I can refund them. Seeing if I can unweave them with their own magic and return all of it to me.”

“Will it work?”

“I don't know. I'm only testing the idea right now. If it seems possible, then I'll refund one tonight. Either way, I still have a very limited resource.”

“And you'll lower your defenses while you're at it.”

“Unfortunately yes.”

“Is their any way I can help? Give you some of my magic or something.”

“Do you know how to do that?”

“...No. Not properly.”

“Neither do I.”

“What if I replace the wards for you?”

“I'd greatly appreciate that and hope you do, but that doesn't solve my problem. My best bet would to be wait until Twilight gets here and tell her about my issue.”

“What do we do until then?”

“Well, just pretend everything's normal, I suppose. I'll worry about these later. What do you want to do?”

Ahh, the Crystal Mines. A double-edged sword. On one hoof, it's gorgeous and the feeling you get of seeing your reflection that many times is surreal. On the other, it scares the living hell out of me. I don't know what it is about those shiny rocks, but the silence invokes a sense of claustrophobia I haven't experienced anywhere else. I love the place, but I also hate it.

Canterlot was actually placed here because of the luck. Not only is it a great vantage point to look over most of Equestria, but there's also a plethora of precious stones underneath it. Mining has stopped, since there are much more safer places to get the gems, but if you had access to the secrets of Canterlot, or lived there long enough, you could find a way in.

Cadence and I came in through the west entrance. As we made our way to the first chamber, I got the idea that maybe Cadence has never been here before.

“This place is incredible...” She said, confirming my theory.

“Every guard learns about this place, and how to navigate it. Should any sort of disaster happen, these mines can take you straight to the base of the mountain.”

“This place is beautiful for a series of escape tunnels.”

“Few ponies think so.” I smiled to her. “C'mon. There's a whole lot more to see.”

The chamber I showed her next was both the largest and the highest in the mines, nearing the summit. It had the biggest crystal veins of any known mine. The large spires of diamonds would stretch out from both the ceiling and the floor, most larger than some buildings in Canterlot. These beautiful pillars were so refined, it was almost transparent. The heat of the earth was settled thanks to Cadence emitting a magical coolant on top of her light orb.

“This place is amazing. Do you ever come here on your own?” She asked me.

“Only for research.”

“You seem to do that a lot, huh?” She noted, before turning to me.

“Well, Twilight got her bookworminess from me, believe it or not.” Ah, the underlying meanings are everywhere.

“So what did you find out about these?” Cadence asked as I sat down by one of the stacks of sapphire.

“Well, unfortunately for us, we can't use these as batteries for me, since they can't store magic. However, I have found this place to be almost impenetrable by magical means. Some pony can hide here and, well it'd take one talented unicorn to spot them. As to why this happens, I don't know.”

“Still, that's useful to know.” She stated.

She cantered over and sat down next to me, sighing contently as her head happened to find its place on my shoulder. It was hard to be calm when careless magic use could kill me in no time at all, but I found a way. For the first time in those caverns, I was content. Cadence can do that to me. Well, she can do that to anyone if she really wanted to, but she didn't need to force it on me. I'll never stop loving her for that.

“So how did you become Twilie's foalsitter?” I asked her, breaking the silence.

“Celetia wanted me to get some social interaction, and there just happened to be a certain special little filly who needed one, seeing as her parents were hard-working and her older brother was off in hoof camp. That and it got me out of the castle before I went stir-crazy.”

“Kinda like now?”

“Yeah, but at least someone here can take time out of their busy schedule and talk to me.”

“Yeah, like simply assignment is busy. My pay seems rather high for what I do day-to-day.”

“Wait until you have to actually guard us from a threat, then you'll be asking for more.”

“Or retirement. C'mon, it's almost time to get back.”

“Aww.” Cadence whined as we both got up.

I was right on time. As we neared the exit and could sit safely near the edge, Celestia's sun was hitting the adjacent mountain top perfectly. The orb of life peeking through a small gap in between two towers. I didn't need to show Cadence, she caught it immediately. Her hoof met her mouth.

“Beautiful huh?” I asked her.

She nodded slowly. “How often does this happen?” She asked, blissfully stunned.

“Once every year I think. The angle is just right for the sun to shine through at its brightest before it goes to rest.”

We sat there for another few minutes. She had never looked so happy, never looked so content with the world. The orange light bathed her pink coat in such a natural splendor it seemed as if it created a new color. The color of Cadence.

“There's another fact that makes it so beautiful. Do you know what those towers are?” She asked me.

“No, actually.”

“Those towers are monuments to the Prince and Princess that were hit with the love poison. Despite what had happened, they believed their graves should fit the most beautiful spot of Equestria. I guess I know it's beauty now.”

“Huh, rather ironic. A nation based around love, peace and friendship and all that, and its only real love story is about it dooming Equestria.”

“One day it'll save it. I'm sure of that.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Thanks for today, Shining. It means a lot to me.” She stated, before she kissed me upon the cheek.

I turned to her in confusion. The look she gave is embedded into my memory. That beautiful unique color of her's was blending beautifully with the colors of her mane. Her eyes were determined that I'd never leave her sight, and that nothing could ruin her happiness then and there. The lavender of her eyes seemed to be more pronounced, as if what was missing to complete their glow had been found.  I kept staring staring into the pleasant purple lake, completely entranced. The shadow of the mountain enveloped us, before she closed the gap between her and I.

The next morning I felt absolutely fantastic. I could not be any happier, given the circumstances. I was awoken by a messenger of Celestia. Apparently she wanted me to be with her to greet Twilight at her old tower, even though it was barely sunrise. Despite my fatigue, I couldn't help but crack a smile. I thanked the messenger and made my way to the last place I felt safe as Twilight. Although she had lived there, her memories were lost to me. Shining had only been inside twice. It was an incredibly disturbing sense of deja vu. All of the books on the shelves I know I've read are now alien to me. All of the scientific devices that I used to tinker with no longer there and now forgotten. It wasn't so much as I lost her memories, otherwise how would I know? It was more that I couldn't reach them. I knew they were there, just not within Shining's mind. Celestia was waiting on one of the tower's balconies.

“Good morning Sunshine.” She greeted. I didn't even care, I was so happy.

“Hey Celly. Not that I'm complaining, but are we here so early? I thought Twilie would be coming sometime in the afternoon.”

“As did I, but she insisted last night that it be in the morning. She'll be here soon.”

I'll be honest, I was very excited. This was a chance for the both of us to start individual lives, and I'm sure it meant a whole lot more to Twi, now having her own body back under her control. I was happy for her, I really was. All of the loneliness and danger aside, I'm glad the separation happened. I never wanted to have Twilight be under my constant command, and if I had the ability to end it, I would have done so long ago.

“What about Cadence?” I asked. “Will she get a chance to see Twilight?”

“Unfortunately not. Some rather nasty business is unfolding in Baltimare that requires her unique skills.”

“Civil unrest?”

“Nothing of that caliber. A simple family dispute. She'll be back in a few days.”

“Why did Twilight want to meet here? Is this a small visit?”

“She stated the only two she wanted to talk to was the two of us, so I arranged a private little meeting. No one will disturb us unless it requires both of our attention.”

I nodded. I knew Celestia would have to let the two of us talk privately, but I was sure she wouldn't mind in the least.

Soon enough, Twilight's carriage had arrived with its cargo. Holy Celestia, did this hurt my mind a bit. This was the first time I saw here as she was, just as I had left her. Her aura had changed however.

Everypony, even earth ponies and pegasai, has a unique aura about them that unicorns can “see.” I remember standing both Twilight and Shining in front of a mirror to see the auras. Our auras were connected, as was our souls. When we were one we both shared my sapphire aura. It looked as if there were veins connecting the two bodies.

And now here she was. Her aura was now her own, a serene purple that enveloped her, almost like Luna's mane. I don't know why, but an overwhelming sense of pride washed over me, seeing her now. It was nice to see my Twilie all grown up, in her own way.

Through my reverie, I noticed both of us were staring at each other. I gave her a welcoming smile. She didn't return it, instead shaking her head before greeting the two of us.

We sat down and chatted about the past week. I chose to remain quiet for most of it, trying to figure out what might be wrong. Twilight told of us of the whole deal with the gala tickets, and how she just recently help an earth pony friend of hers overcome her stubbornness and accept the help the others were offering. It seemed she was handling things rather well, and I was happy for her. Then came the moment I knew was coming.

“So Princess, can I talk to my brother alone for a bit? Me and my...uh..Big brother best friend forever have some things we want to figure out.” She said. My heart skipped a beat. Celestia gave her affirmative and took her leave. Twilight waved goodbye to her teacher before turning back to me. I figured it be best to be direct.

“So Twi, I need your help.”

“Shining have you seen your aura?” She asked me, completely derailing my train of thought.

“No...” I answered. It was the one thing that never crossed my mind until I saw Twilight's new aura, I haven't seen my own since she had left for Ponyville.

“It's all uneven, maybe even fragmented. It looks kinda freaky honestly. How come you didn't check it when I was separated from you?” She asked.

I was too distracted trying to find a mirror to answer. I saw what Twilie was talking about once I found one. I still had my sapphire aura, that hadn't changed. However, it wasn't even throughout the entire body like it normally would be. Instead it was moving about, filling some areas of the body while leaving others bare. The sort of wave effect it had gave the impressions of tendrils trying to reach out for something. I was dumbfounded.

“Well...I was a little busy trying to figure out why my sister had vanished from my conscious.”

“Angry I escaped?” She teased.

I smiled. “No, I'm actually rather happy you have a life of your own now. If I could of let go of you I would have. I'm not exactly proud of myself for holding on to you for so long.”

“Shining, it's not like you did anything wrong. I remember hearing your thoughts, neither of us chose what would happen. I appreciate you making the best of it though.”

“Well, Captain of the Royal Guard and personal student of Celestia isn't too shabby for one pony I'd say. All bragging aside Twilight, we've got a serious problem on our hooves.”

“Oh, what's wrong?”

“Ever since we split I've been unable to regenerate magic. I can still use it, but what I use isn't replenished.” I explained as I started pacing around the place.

“That is serious. I suppose we should count our blessings nothing terrible has happened to you yet.”

“Don't jinx it sis.”

“We are some very strange ponies. If we can find out what happened to us, we might have the answer you need.” Twilight stated, stopping in front of me.

“Good luck with that, all the research I've done so far had absolutely nothing.”

“Don't you worry Shining, I'll get to the bottom of this in no time at all!” She shouted before galloping back to the carriage, leaving me to the tower to ponder.

Having an actual conversation with Twilight made me realize that I had practically met my sister for the first time. Over the course of these misadventures I would get to actually see her as herself, and therefor understand her own personality. I was excited, to be honest. Regardless, it was time I did some research of my own.

I had made my way to the Starswirl The Bearded wing, and dove right in. Most of the texts behind that gate were spells and enchantments and stuff, but there was a small section on anomalies that I hoped had an answer for me. If not for what happened between Twilight and I, then maybe one to get my magic back to me.

I grabbed a tome, thankfully within reach of my mouth, and sat down next to the huge hourglass. It was about strange things that could happen to a pony's aura, so it was a good place to start as any.

I had flipped through half of the damn thing before I had found something. It had nothing to do with my predicament, but I couldn't stop reading it. It was on some special color of an aura, which the book described as a lush green hue. The reason this caught my eye was because a certain color of an aura happened to be mentioned, which seemed pointless. Usually the aura's color simply identifies somepony's magical signature. What made this unique confused me. I read on, trying to figure out why such a color would be so important.

That's when I heard the noise for the first time.