Astrum Novaby Solaris HemeraChaptersOne Bad, Bad DayThe Journal of the AshesGathering LightAt the CruxStarlight Glimmer (Part 1)Starlight Glimmer (Part 2)Segregated Equestria: An Introduction One Bad, Bad Day"Okay, Twilight, are you all up for describing the procedures for setting up a basic Arcane Circle?" Twilight Sparkle, eyes bleary with the amount of information she had just absorbed, set down her book, mind swimming with the complexities of binding spell structures. "Yes!" "Ready, set, GO!" Sunset shouted. "Arcane Circles are essentially containers or amplifiers of a pony's own magic, either drawn on the floor with enchanted chalk or created with a pony's mind using her magical prowess. There are three building blocks of an arcane circle: a Boundary (a ring drawn around the caster), a 'Sun' (a circle drawn within the Boundary), and a 'Moon' (a second circle drawn outside of the Boundary). Once a basic Circle is set up, the chalk lines should light up with the coloured aura of the caster's magic. Casters may choose to add more circles, layers or incantations to their Boundary, in order to strengthen its walls." Sunset nodded. "Very nice, but--" "Upon setting up the Circle, casters cannot step outside the Boundary unless he withdraws his magic from his Arcane Circle, as the boundary acts as a shield enchantment for any physical object that is within it. At this stage, the caster should bind a selected spell to his circle. If the Circle is drawn correctly, it will proceed to copy the spell onto the 'Moon' and 'Sun' circles and turn the circles as mentioned above into the secondary and tertiary colours of the pony's magic respectively. Now, when the caster performs the spell within the Boundary, the spell would become at least three times as potent, depending on how advanced the circle is." There was an awkward pause as Twilight finished, throat dry and scratchy from her recital. Facing her partner expectantly, she watched as Sunset scanned the book, aquamarine eyes flitting over the crisp parchment. "Correct as always, Sparkle," Sunset replied, a grudging smile forming on her lips. "If you're lucky this time, you may be able to get even better marks than what I got when I took the test." It was 2 am in the morning, as the grandfather clock displayed, sun themed hands ticking their way into eternity. The two protégées of Princess Celestia were still awake in their respective beds across from each other, both still not asleep. Sunset Shimmer, combat magician and magical prodigy, was still skimming through the spellbook. "Maybe I would, for the Arcane Theory Examination," she sighed. "I have no chance of passing the practical one, as you know. You've seen me flounder in front of the examiners for, let's see, fifty-two exams already!" Her doctors had tried to explain her condition as having less magic than the average unicorn, but she didn't quite buy it. For one, it didn't explain the barrier-like sensation surrounding her horn every time she tried to use her magic. She had therefore lived with the excuse that she was a 'late bloomer', but that too didn't seem to cut it after she had passed her sixteenth birthday four years back. "Thirteen years' worth of failures," Sunset quipped. "It's a wonder that you're still Celestia's student, you know." "Right," Twilight continued, attempting to ignore Sunset's scathing statement. "You sure that you don't want to study for your entrance examination?" "What's there to study anyway?" her housemate replied. "Just throw in some combat spells and I should be able to get the job." Sunset had graduated from a personal apprenticeship with Twilight's father, Captain Night Light, three years back and had been living with Twilight in the Canterlot library since then. She had taken full-time lessons with Celestia during this period, and it was getting absolutely sickening, the way that Celestia casually referred to Sunset as "Her Most Faithful Student" and arranged one-on-one tutorial sessions. At the end of those three years, Sunset had emerged with thousands of new spells and a much, much larger head. Now, as far as Twilight knew, Sunset was trying to enlist in the Hyperion Guards, Celestia's group of ceremonial honour guards. It was headed by General Lightfall. Apparently, she also had the strange quirk of setting an entrance exam for enlistment, comprising of a practical and theory examination, just like Celestia's format. And how did Twilight Sparkle know about this? No, Sunset did not tell her anything. She was Celestia's other student, the one whom many theorised her father had bought her way into the Sun Princess's apprenticeship, even though she had been her student since she was born. Obviously, she could get her own way in gathering information. "Hey, are you okay?" Sunset asked. " You've been staring into space for a while there." Mumbling a little, Twilight derailed her train of thoughts and flopped down onto her soft bed. "Is a nap already in order?" Sunset asked, feigning a pout. "You only managed to last twenty-six hours studying this time." "Just...wake me up in five minutes..." --------*☆*-------- She was in a soft, comfortable meadow, a book (contents undiscernable) sat in front of her, and she was feeling the warmest sense of mirth that she had ever felt in her life. Laughter. Yes, there was also laughter everywhere, blurry and ethereal and as bright as the afternoon sun. Despite the swelling happiness building within her, she wore a mock frown. "Rainbow..." she sighed. "Please, I'm trying to read here!" Her only reply was even more laughter, this time coming from somepony with an extremely raspy voice. "Oh puh-lease, Twi. This is a freaking picnic! It's not for you to sit there and read!" "Fine!" She had replied, but she was already trying to suppress her widening smile. --------*☆*-------- 12:04 Or so Twilight's trusty golden grandfather clock told her. Her eyes were crusted over, and she breathed in the swooping feeling of being sucked out of a beautiful, joyous dream. Her mind struggled to reach for the final vestiges of it, collecting thin shreds of nothingness that immediately vanished. In the end, Twilight resigned to the fact that she had remembered nothing at all about the dream which floated through her mind during her slumber. 12:05 Strange, didn't I sleep at 2? Time couldn't have reversed itself. Her eyes snapped opened suddenly. She was wide awake. Unless... Crawling right out of her mattress, Twilight stumbled towards the windows, squinting at the bright sun slanting its rays through her translucent blinds. Shifting her blinds open, she gazed upon the sprawling Ponyville Slums beneath Canterlot Mountain, basking in the rays of the sun. The bright afternoon sun. Oh, buck me. She turned to the clock. 12:07 p.m. Her test! Three hours late! Sprinting to Sunset's chifferobe, she practically tore the top drawer out telekinetically, spilling defective amulets and crudely done talismans everywhere as wood tablets and gemstone carvings shattered upon impact on the library floor. Soon, the whole place was gassed with multicoloured smoke from the combined destruction of dozens of charms. Sorry, Shimmer, but I had to hurry. Amidst the chaos of coloured, foul-smelling vapour, Twilight finally pulled her choice charm from the base of the drawer: A hurriedly carved smiley face on the surface of a jagged shard of ruby, a crude but effective amulet. Pushing her legs into a teleportation stance, she charged her horn with her aura, magical composition of the amulet filling her mind with the intricate bindings Sunset had placed on the ruby. Instantly, her mind pieced together fragments of a trigger spell, ready to activate the enchantment contained within the gemstone. Please work, please work... She deployed the trigger. Suddenly, the world around her caved into a vortex, yanking Twilight into it. The familiar rush of cutting straight through time and space burned through her veins as she exploded off, air combusting in flames of brilliant aquamarine light. As soon as the split-second implosion of entering the realm of magic sparked, it ended, dumping Twilight back onto cold, hard ground with another brilliant flash of light. Steadying herself after the shock of teleportation, she resumed her stance, this time crushing the smoking ruby beneath her hoof after it had unleashed its spell. Twilight found herself in a familiar room, one she had lived and breathed in for thirteen years: Celestia's Lecture Hall. It was made mostly of gleaming white marble, supported by classical pillars, with long golden drapes hanging above them from the high, domed ceiling, somewhat resembling the tent of a circus, built amphitheatre style. She had phased into existence at the third row of the tiered seats, leaving a smoking ring of burns in the marble and fabric. Oh, well, it could have gone worse. "Twilight Sparkle, it is a pleasure to see you here today," She turned, ears drooping at the sound of that familiar voice. As she had expected, her mentor was positioned at her desk on the stage, levitating a tiny cup and saucer, and sifting through stacks of parchment papers systematically. To further accentuate her image as the governor of a nation, she was wearing her soft, carnation pink hair in a professional-looking hairstyle, the back half of her mane wrapped into a simple bun as the front section of her mane fell neatly over her forehead. As soon as Twilight drew her attention to Celestia's eyes, she found that they were already fixed intently on her. Blinking, Twilight snapped herself out of her stupor. "Oh Princess Celestia, I'm so, so sorry for coming here so late! I mean I knew the Arcane examination was today, heck, I was studying all night for it, but I guessed I thought I was only going to sleep for five minutes but then I–" "May I know how you got here?" The princess asked, calmly, continuing to aim her magenta eyes evenly at Twilight's own ones. Oh, I got here by riding a magical, invisible chariot which flew through your window, of course! Heh heh... "A one-time-use teleportation spell contained within a particularly powerful ruby, made by Sunset. It was linked to this room, I think, so that the activator of the spell would always land here," She blabbered in reply. "I activated it using a self-formulated trigger spell." "And so, please tell me how you tricked the binds of the teleportation spell into allowing a pony who is not their creator to activate it." Twilight could feel her heart swell a little in a brief flutter of happiness. The question just asked was an advanced examination question, one that should have been tested for the exam, stumping many a student. But not her. "Well, I simply picked up and used Sunset's magical signature within the gem to disguise my own aura as I ran the trigger!" With that, Celestia's countenance broke into a pleasant smile. "Well done, Twilight," the Princess commented, taking a slow sip from her cup. "If it weren't for how crude the amulet was, your execution of it would have worked perfectly. "Unfortunately, because of that, you've left some of the seats in quite a condition." Flinching slightly, Twilight finally moved from the ground zero of the spell to the base of Celestia's desk. "I apologise again for missing the tests and the destruction of your hall... Princess." "Do not fret, my faithful student. I will set another paper for you to take on another date, and the maintenance ponies should fix the seats later." Twilight's mind ceased to function after the words 'my faithful student'. "Your horn is lit, a sign of extreme ecstasy," Celestia remarked, dryly. A playful smirk was already forming on her lips. "It's either that or you are currently attempting to assassinate me with, ah, a shield spell?" "S-sorry," Twilight spluttered, feeling cheeks flushing with her blood. The glow surrounding her horn blinked off. "Should I not address you as my faithful student? You've been under my mentorship for years already," The Princess said. "It is time I stopped denying myself the use of your rightful title." As soon as she had said the words, Celestia dropped her gaze, seemingly continuing to organise the parchment scrolls on her desk. Blinking, Twilight stepped away from the desk, attempting to ignore the quietly burning smoulders behind her. A strange, uncomfortable silence filled the air. "I'll just... show myself out now..." Twilight murmured weakly. As she stepped out of the imposing wooden door, she saw a pink blur from her periphery, and she glanced. It was Celestia, burying her head in her hooves. --------*☆*-------- Twilight's day definitely was not going to plan so far. After returning to her house to retrieve her personal schedule for the day (finding it still drowning in magical fog), she had found out that she had missed two other events: Sunset's enlistment (which was partly Sunset's own fault for not waking Twilight up), and a lunch meeting with her Star-Swirl the Bearded Enthusiasts Club. She was, apparently, also late for a couple more appointments, like helping out with the preparations for the Grand Galloping Gala. With a sigh, she crumbled the scroll containing her practically useless schedule, before tossing it randomly behind her. She would just have to do without a timetable for the day. "You do know that littering is prohibited in Canterlot, do you not? Even in your own residence?" Yelping, she spun around, locating the position of the voice. Her eyes fell upon an off-white unicorn who was donning the uniform of a janitor, levitating a dirty mop disgruntledly over the crumpled parchment which once used to be her schedule. The janitor, rather uncommonly in ponies of her class, was wearing her single-coloured indigo mane in a set of extravagant curls reminiscent of the aristocratic Canterlot upper-class, but with frayed, jaggedly cut ends. Even her tail seemed to be done in a spiralling curl, except that it looked like it had been brutally chopped off midway through. Standing in front of the front door, she raised her head importantly. Taking in the overall picture of the pony before her, Twilight realised that there was an unusually fancy cleaner standing in her residence, accusing her of littering. "Uh..." Twilight struggled to find words to respond to this very bizarre sighting. "How did you get into my house?" "Why, didn't you know? You've paid for weekly cleaning services for at least a year!" the pony exclaimed, her face scrunching into an ungraceful scowl. Twilight noted that her voice was graced with a seemingly authentic Classical Canterlot lilt, also unique for a cleaning mare. She thought back to all the times she had returned to her residence, surprised to find it spic and span, dismissing it with the simple notion that her roommate had cleaned it. "Did a pony named Sunset Shimmer register for this?" The unicorn dropped her mop into her bucket, training her widened blue eyes at Twilight. "You're the roommate of the Sunset Shimmer?" Averting the mare's gaze, Twilight released a sigh through her nose. "Yes." "Then I'm the roommate of Celestia, you foal," she snorted. "Everypony knows that Sunset wouldn't live in such a dump!" Just great, I'm getting insulted by scum. "Anyway, please do dispose of your litter yourself, darling, as I will not pick that up for you," the unicorn snapped, muzzle wrinkling in distaste. "Or perhaps I will!" Suddenly, Twilight found the crumpled ball of parchment flying at her, and with a squeal, reflexively tried to form a shield around her. As usual, the familiar mental barrier closed around her magic, and she shoved against it, yet another pitiful attempt at breaking her walls. The crumpled paper simply bounced off the side of her head, ricocheting onto the floor again. Twilight didn't care – she was still struggling to set up her shield. "Are you okay?" the unicorn asked, cocking her head to the side. "You're going to lay an egg if you keep up that level of performing constipated faces." Twilight proceeded to slam her head into a wall. "Gerrout..." she mumbled, face still planted on concrete, so close to stabbing her own horn into the concrete. It smelt vaguely of faded flowers, or maybe disinfectant, from such an intimate distance. "I beg your pardon?" "I SAID GET OUT, WHOEVER-THE-HELL-YOU-ARE!" "Fine! If you insist!" There was the sound of trotting, and then a slamming door. Twilight pried herself away from the wall, heart pounding from the first 'H-word' she had ever said in the past year. This wiped out her longest-standing record. She had always consciously reminded herself to replace her 'hells' with 'hays', or perhaps even the longer 'Tartarus' (though, she had stopped using 'Tartarus' after Sunset laughed at her pronunciation). But some ponies just deserved to receive...uh, hay... from her. Lowering her head, Twilight levitated the crumpled ball of parchment from the floor and dunked it into the nearest paper basket. --------*☆*-------- Author's Note Next: The Journal of the Ashes A big thank you to anybody who reads this story! Honestly, I don't expect many people to read Astrum Nova, so I'm kinda grateful for the people who read this. This story is basically a tribute to great adventure stories of pony-based fiction: Stories like the Immortal Game, Fallout: Equestria, Five Score Divided by Four, etc. Have a nice day! The Journal of the Ashes Dear Twilight Sparkle, I am rather pleased to say that your long-time friend and classmate Sunset Shimmer has been accepted into the Hyperion Guards! As a supporter and user of solar magic, she was almost immediately accepted by Lightfall into her ranks. Though at the current moment, Equestria is at peace, she would hence fight as one of my personal guards during times of war. I hope that you would offer your congratulations to her when she returns to your residence. Your Mentor, Princess Aurum Solis Celestia P.S. Your previous housekeeper had resigned the day before. I have taken the liberty to hire a new maid for you. Her name is Rarity, and today would be her first day at work. Please treat her well. P.P.S. Do take the rest of the day off. I have cancelled whatever appointments you have for this afternoon and evening. Meet me at sundown in the lecture hall. Twilight skimmed through the note, scribbled hastily on a piece of torn, old parchment with a broken quill-nib. If it weren't sealed with the Imperial Brand, she would have thought the note was written by a particularly lazy Celestia impersonator. However, the little memo still carried the elegance of the Princess's glorious, loopy horn-writing, and only Celestia herself can produce the famous Imperial Brand to seal her letters. Alas, Twilight had no choice but to deduce that, yes, indeed, the note was written by her mentor. She had found it on her mattress, rolled up neatly on her pillow, as if Celestia had known all along that Twilight would have a falling out with her cleaning mare and flop huffily onto her bed in a fit of rage. And oh, that cleaning mare! Twilight knew her name now, and it tasted foreign, perhaps a little bitter in her mouth. If only she had known that Celestia sent Rarity, maybe then would she have tolerated the mare's snarky tone and haughty glances for a while more. Now Little Miss Arrogant would probably have complained her head off to the Princess. Yes, Little Miss Arrogant. The name sounded far more familiar to her than Rarity. Groaning, Twilight pulled her pillow over her head. She couldn't believe that the news about Rarity took up more space in her mind than Sunset 's enlistment. Honestly, though, she couldn't even muster an iota of surprise when she had found out – the prodigious Shimmer always seemed to get what she wanted. Twilight shut her eyes, sealing the contents of her letter away in the back of her mind. She would not stress about the looming meeting at sunset, nor would she harbour any expectations about it. Her day was going so terribly at this point that all she wanted for it is to be over. Rolling off the bed, she stepped onto the ground. The area around Sunset's chifforobe was still covered in a dense, magical fog, swirling lazily with violent shades of red, purple and green. I never knew that broken charms could cause such contamination... What did Sunset even put into her amulets?! Experimentally, Twilight dipped a hesitant hoof into the mist, and a subtle chill permeated her bones, filling her with ice. She jerked it out, leaping backwards. Her hoof was now a deep shade of olivine. So much for spell damage safety standards. --------*♢*-------- "Sweetie?" Rarity called. "SWEETIE!" Sweetie Belle peeked out from behind the couch. "Rarity?" Glancing at the old clock on the wall, she frowned suspiciously at Rarity's advancing form. "You're back kinda early... too early..." Rarity fought the urge to roll her eyes and reply "You don't say?" back at Sweetie. Instead, she forced her face into a smile she hoped appeared kind and compassionate. "The food combination you've always wanted to try is a double hayburger, with fries, and a strawberry milkshake to go," she replied. " Also, since a year back, you forced me to say that every time I come home." Satisfaction glowing in her eyes, Sweetie curled back into her corner behind the couch. Sighing, Rarity pulled her cleaning uniform off, staring at their house. It was dilapidated, leaning sadly to the right, on the verge of collapse. The hay roof was rotting and parts of it were missing, causing rainwater to drip slowly down to their equally soggy wooden floorboards. A few buckets were placed under some of the holes in the roof, but after ten holes, they ran out of buckets and will to live. Rolling up her uniform, she dunked it into a half-filled bucket. "Why are you home so early, anyway?" Sweetie questioned, aiming her bright green eyes at Rarity. From her dark area, those eyes almost seemed luminous. "You didn't lose your job, did you?" "No, I didn't," she replied, annoyance creeping into her tone. "I just–waHAHA!" Triumphantly, Rarity pulled her mane brush from under Sweetie Belle's couch. "Found it! My mane can finally stop looking utterly dreadful!" She gestured wildly towards her frayed curls, grinning in excitement. " This is the best possible–" A loud snore exploded from her younger sister's mouth. From her curled up position at the rear of the couch, she looked wretched, pathetic even. Heaving a sigh, Rarity set down her brush. Trying to keep her hoofsteps low and soft, she swiftly went into her room, the only usable one in their house other than the living room. The rest were either too waterlogged from the previous night's storm or too unstable due to the winds. A box was sitting on the floor, cardboard and filled to the brim with shards of glass and wooden chips. A large label was plastered on the side of the box, indicating that it was "RARITYS CHAM BOCKS". She hoped that she had spelt the words correctly, from what she currently knew of the alphabet. Apparently, from what her mother had told her, it was necessary for all unicorns to have a labelled charm box in their home, filled with at least ten basic charms. Picking out a cracked silver of tinted glass, she strung it, an arcane circle spiralling out, turning it into a talisman. Stalking slowly back to her sister, she softly placed it onto her. The terrifying snores abated. She smiled, satisfied, as she launched herself onto the couch. Charms were surely the most useful thing that any unicorn could come up with, especially in the Ponyville Slums. --------*☆*-------- Charms were useless, idiotic items that deserve to go to Tartarus. Twilight thought for the hundredth time as she finally burst through the doors of the lecture hall. The golden double doors slammed into the walls, signalling the arrival of an olivine-coloured, boil-covered, aubergine-maned, student of Princess Celestia. As usual, Celestia was sitting casually in her chair, scribbling something with a snapped white quill, top half of the feather dangling by a thread and swinging in tandem with Celestia's hornwriting. This time, a second wooden chair was placed beside her. "Hello Twilight," her mentor greeted pleasantly, giving Twilight her usual sharp-eyed once-over. "You're looking positively... green today." "Your Highness, I tried to clear up some fog left by this morning's breakage of around a dozen charms. Apparently, it has some effects to a pony who attempts to clear it up with a fog-clearing spell." Twilight replied, tiredly. "My left forehoof is a slightly darker shade of olivine than the rest of my body as I placed it into the fog without any caution whatsoever." She could almost see the laughter streaming out of Celestia's eyes. "Do not worry, the effects of the contamination should be cleared up by the following morning." "Besides, I have something to show you! Come, sit down on this chair." Twilight cautiously took up her seat beside Celestia. It was vaguely uncomfortable and far too tall for her. Her heart was performing some sort of vigorous dance within her chest, and she can smell the fresh, bright scent of flowers, sitting so close to Celestia. She consciously took in every strand of the Princess's neat bun. On her table was a book. It was thick as a tome and just as old, leather-bound (Twilight shuddered as she imagined a cow slaughtered just for the creation of the book), and yellowed. But Twilight's breath caught as soon as she saw the cover. Her cutie mark, in full, accurate colours, was emblazoned onto the leather. "What?" Twilight whispered. "Read it," Celestia commanded. Hesitantly, Twilight levitated the book and opened it. Immediately, she was greeted with the words: "THE JOURNAL OF THE ASHES", followed by a tiny: "By Twilight Sparkle". Twilight blinked, a strange, trickling confusion running down her throat, expanding into something resembling panic. Had she written a book before and completely forgotten about it? Yes? No? Immediately, Twilight was leafing through the pages so fast that she could barely see a thing, except for some snatches of writing. "...the study of stars in..." "Dying sun..." "...the fall of the universe..." The last page finally flipped over and Twilight nearly screamed. It was a full-colour sketch, of her wearing a golden crown, grinning away in a manner the real Twilight would smile back at. And the worst thing? She had a huge pair of Celestia-like wings, spread in its full glory. The book clattered out of her telekinetic grip. Her jaw was hanging, eyes still staring blankly at the picture. " The book was not written by you, but I would like for you to have it, so that you can, ah, get to know the author a little better," Celestia instructed, firmly. " You would not have any more lessons with me until you finish the book." "So... somepony impersonated me?" Twilight asked feebly, staring up at her mentor's eyes. "Please tell me that somepony impersonated me..." "I...I'm not sure myself," Celestia sighed. " I found it with me one night, thousands of years back. It was advanced, way beyond that time." "I had assumed that it was a gift from another alicorn named Twilight Sparkle, and I sent many, many scouts in search of her. But I never did find her. And I suppose you know now why I chose you as my student..." Instead of an all-powerful alicorn, you found a young magicless unicorn, with the same cutie mark and appearance, thousands of years in the future. You took her in anyway, in hopes that she would remember, somehow, about writing the journal. But she didn't. And now she is useless to you. Useless. The true reason of Celestia's mentorship was somehow even worse than the rumours. "But why, why now are you showing this to me?" Twilight choked out. She could tell that tears were streaming out of her eyes. "You could have given this to me earlier, so I could have left and not spend THIRTEEN YEARS OF MY LIFE MASQUERADING AS A STUDENT! OF! YOURS!" "Why, you ask," Celestia replied, quietly. Her face wore a mask of calm, as she trained her eyes on Twilight. Twilight found herself on the floor, thrashing as she was slowly levitated back up until she was level with Celestia. She was thrashing, struggling against Celestia's powerful magic. Betrayer, betrayer, betrayer... "Because I've finally found my Element of Magic, and it wasn't Sunset after all," Celestia enunciated smoothly, holding her grip onto Twilight. "It was you." " I would never have told you about the journal otherwise." Celestia was suddenly pacing, as she continued levitating Twilight. " I'm sorry, if I didn't lock you in a telekinetic grip, you wouldn't have listened. And time is running out. You may have no idea what I'm talking about now, but I need you to know one thing..." Suddenly, the princess released her bun. Her carnation pink mane dangled loosely around her. And then it hit Twilight. What happened to the ethereal mane that had framed her countenance all these years? What happened to the royal regalia that Celestia used to wear? Before Celestia said anything else, Twilight knew the answer, deep within her. "Twilight, the sun is dying." --------*☆*-------- Author's Note Next: Gathering Light Whew... cool season 6 premiere, huh? Sorry for the late release of this chapter! Gathering Light--------*Ω*-------- Lyra was not sure whether a Star-Swirl the Bearded Enthusiasts Club meeting at 1 a.m was her idea of a good time. But there she was, trotting her way to Twilight's residence in the bracing night (or was it morning?) air, an icy wind biting into her coat, the first signs of winter subtly creeping everywhere. Perhaps she shouldn't have turned up in the first place – she was sorely regretting her decision. Approaching the large wooden doors of her friend's house, Lyra half-heartedly shuffled around on the welcome mat, before knocking. "Hello? Sparkle?" she yelled. " You in there? There better be a sun-damned good reason why–" " OOH LA LA! IT'S ZE DARLING HEARTSTRINGS!" Jumping a little at the shock of the voice, Lyra swivelled her head, golden eyes shifting with curiosity. Finally, they rested upon a deep green silhouette waving her skinny forearms wildly around from a broken window a level above her, yelling in various degrees of bad Pranch. "...Twilight? Is that you?" "OUI!" The figure shouted. Lyra paused. "Why are you green?" She could make out a wild grin on Twilight's shadowed face. "ALLOW ME TO LIFT YOU INTO MA MAISON! JUST LIKE A LITTLE PETITE BAGUETTE!" "To what?" Suddenly, she felt telekinetic energy wrap around her hoof, pulling her unsteadily into the air and locking her into her position. Twilight's. Oh no... ohnonono.But as soon as she zig-zagged upwards a good metre, the grip slipped from her body and a strange, terrifying second of falling tore her mouth into a scream, churning her stomach and flaring up her heart rate. "OUAH, SORRY!" Then all the air fired out of her mouth in a stream of gas as soon as the ground crushed her lungs. Scrambling up onto her hooves, Lyra ignored the sharp, stabbing pain racing up and down her body, instead choosing to glare at the giggling figure of Twilight, focusing hard on ignoring her dizziness and bright yellow dots all swirling around and around her head. The obviously drunk unicorn proceeded to pull a bottle to her mouth, before hurling it into the dark Canterlot streets below her. Lyra winced as she heard the bottle shatter. Littering is prohibited in Canterlot. "Not funny, Sparkle! You know...ugh... ya can't hold your liquor at all," she squinted at Twilight. "Especially anti-hangover liquor." Lyra snarled, tearing her gaze away from her drunk friend. "Forget it, I'm going home." Turning, she immediately face-planted the ground, smashing her muzzle inwards. Howling, she felt herself rolling over, watching vague, colourful spots forming in her eyes, body filling with pain again. Falling two times in a couple of minutes was not doing any good to her. Instinctively, she reached for her muzzle, and it came away with splatters of crimson liquid. "UGH!" She had tripped over a book. It was tattered and old, spine half broken and pages flying about as if it had been thrown from a height. Lyra looked up at the glinting, jagged edges of Twilight's broken window. Levitating the object, she saw that the cover had Twilight's cutie mark emblazoned on it. Shaking her head, she sighed listlessly. Drunk Twilight can get pretty crazy sometimes. Honestly, I can't imagine Regular Twilight tossing a book out like that. Or well, dropping a friend from a metre for that matter. She turned back and took a wistful look at the wildly waving Twilight. "AU REVOIR, CHAÎNE DE COEUR!" Ten minutes later, the journal was left at Twilight's doorsteps, freshly repaired and compiled by a mint-coloured former schoolmate of hers. --------*☆*-------- When Twilight came to, she was vaguely surprised that she didn't feel any grogginess, fatigue, or head implosions impairing her good mood. In fact, she felt... fine. Had she drunk her only bottle of anti-hangover liquor? It sure would explain why she didn't remember the entirety of the previous night. Oh good, I'm purple again. Shifting a little from her current position (slumped on a bookcase), she managed to get up on all four hooves, groaning as she attempted to stretch the ache out of her bones. Then she trod upon a shard of glass. Twilight blinked. Only then did she realise that there was a gaping, jagged hole in the glass of her three-storey high, floor-to-ceiling window right in front of her. Twilight blinked again. Was it caused by Sunset? But Sunset didn't come home the previous night. Or at least, Twilight thought so. Twilight proceeded to blink so hard that she saw splinters of a golden sun within her eyelids. The journal. Suddenly, her encounter with Celestia exploded into her mind in full force, and every detail slipped cleanly into place – her rage, her sorrow, her reason for drinking. But, where the hay is the journal?! A spark ignited in her head, and a vague, half-formed memory of her hurling a book out of a window flickered, before disappearing. It was slowly dawning on her, like the warm rays of Celestia's (unfortunately, dying) sun rising above the horizon. Twilight galloped towards the hole, hoping against hope that it was still there. Pleasedon'tletitbegone, Pleasedon'tletitbegone, Pleasedon'tletitbegone... The journal was gone. Twilight stuffed a hoof into her mouth, muffling the manic scream that echoed through the air. With a pair of terribly constricted pupils, she stuck her head out, pulling half her body out of the window with it, sweeping her gaze everywhere in search of the tiny brown book. In her precarious position, blood was rushing to her head, filling her vision with an unhealthy dose of blurriness. Some of the jagged glass edges were digging into her torso, fueling her with even more adrenaline as she shoved even more of her body out of the window, hanging upside down and frantically scanning the area. This was it. If she had lost the book, she was going to willingly allow the last remaining blasts of Celestia's sun fire to flay her alive, maybe even allowing the masses to desecrate her mangled corpse. Because, if she lost the book... "Does this say that the sun is dying, or the soon is dying? " a voice asked, a pleasant lilt rising the ends of her words. " I am at least half sure that the second interpretation isn't quite correct." Twilight's ears perked up instantly, and her limp abdomen suddenly found the strength to pull her upper half skywards. "HEY! Could you pass me the book you're reading from? I think that's mine!" The voice seemed to be coming from downstairs. "How about ... no?" Perhaps this was one of Sunset's aristocratic acquaintances. They all seemed to share her mean streak. "Okay," Twilight breathed, sliding back through her window. "Maybe you don't know the importance of this book, and I'm not going to tell you anyway because it's confidential. But it was given by Princess Celestia to me with specific instructions, and whoever you are, you seem like you don't quite know how to read. This immediately takes away whatever rights you have over the book!" The voice huffed a very familiar huff. "Fine! If you really want the book that much, come get it! I'm downstairs, and I'm sure you know who I am, darling!" Darling. Oh, yes indeed did she know who the mare was. Soon, she was galloping down the stairs, skidding to a stop at the base, and dashing to the living room sofa where Little Miss Arrogant was lounging on, mop and bucket leaning to the side nearby. "You give the book back now... or I–I'll fire you!" she threatened, panting away. Rarity proceeded to flip nonchalantly through the pages. "You don't have to worry about me gleaning information off this book. I really can't read! Anyways, if it really were top-secret, it wouldn't have been just sitting there near your door." Rarity leaned forward conspiratorially. "So I want to know what exactly this is all about." She continued. "And especially why this book is one huge charm." "A... charm?" "Yes! Can't you sense it? Perhaps, you just need to be a little better at magic, dear. Besides, why else would I pick up a book if I can't read?" Twilight's face was beginning to slide gradually up the scale of purpleness. She would not lose her temper, no, not to Rarity. Briefly, she considered asking about where Rarity got her knowledge of charms from if she couldn't read, before realising that it would merely make her appear even more idiotic to the cleaning mare. She would have to resolve this... diplomatically. By explaining everything. Besides, she was a mere cleaning mare and Twilight just needed somepony to confide in. At worst, she would just have to cast a binding oath on Rarity to never tell anypony about this. "Alright, Rarity, you win this time," Twilight sighed. "I'll tell you why I have this book in the first place, and in return, you'll help me trigger the charm in the book. Deal?" Twilight watched as Rarity's slightly manic gaze fell upon the journal, and Twilight recognised the look: the cleaning mare was tracing the magical signature of the charm-caster. "Deal," she replied softly. Twilight took a deep breath and settled beside Rarity. --------*☆*-------- Celestia sat Twilight down onto the marble floor after the revelation, leaving her panting and gazing in horror at the sun princess. "The sun is dying?" she attempted to clarify. She knew it was wrong to obfuscate stupidity, just for the sake of siphoning more information from her mentor, but she needed to know, she needed to stop it. Somehow, Celestia must have known the solution to this, right? Her mentor always knew! Celestia was omnipotent, a goddess. This was a test, just a test. But no, she can't deny this. Her sun was dying, she was dying, WHAT WILL BECOME OF EQUESTRIA? "Twilight Sparkle, you have to calm down," Celestia said, not unkindly. "CALM DOWN?!" She knew she had gone from merely looking shaken to having a full-blown panic attack. Her irises had constricted into pinpricks, and her ears were flat against her skull. Her legs were trembling, she was about to give out. She had so many questions, her head was going to explode. Be rational, be rational, handle this like a princess would, but her princess was dying. Suddenly, Celestia rested upon her haunches in front of Twilight. "Every problem has a solution, and so does mine. I just need you to calm down, alright?" the princess muttered level-headedly. Twilight hated being treated like a foal, but this time, her mentor's words had soothed her. She breathed, pressing her eyelids shut to squeeze out her tears, and then placing one green forehoof over another. "Okay, tell me then. Tell me how to stop you and your sun from dying." Gently, Celestia levitated the journal up to Twilight's eye level, flipping through the pages faster than a hummingbird's wingbeat. Finally, she rested upon a page titled "the Elements of Harmony" accompanied by a detailed quill sketch of a strange looking crystalline tree, collections of baubles hanging down its crooked branches. It had five ... fruits, if Twilight wanted to be vague, but they looked more like gemstones embedded in the branches. Even more strangely, the most attention-grabbing trait of the tree was her cutie mark, a six-pointed star bursting outwards at the centre of the tree. She met Celestia's eye, and the only thing she managed to receive from her gaze was a twinkle of excitement glinting off her lavender irises. "The Elements of Harmony? But they... don't they form that barrier around Equestria? Can they save your sun too?" "Well, the book offers some explanation about the Elements, and I fear that we have been using them wrongly for the past eons," Celestia replied uncertainly. "If this Twilight Sparkle can be trusted..." The princess proceeded to leaf idly through the pages. "But research conducted on the Elements did indeed show that they are capable of displaying the traits that Alicorn Sparkle wrote about. Though, perhaps she may be exaggerating when she mentioned about the incidents where she had utilised the Elements to blast a disturbing amount of rainbow light at her foes." Unicorn Sparkle sagged a little. Her supposed counterpart had certainly done a lot more in her life. Wincing, she allowed a little bit of jealousy weave into her, a budding little flame of hatred beginning to burn in her heart. "Apparently, she also occasionally referred to herself as Princess Celestia's Faithful Ex-Student, though I had never taught her in my life." Twilight's once tiny flame raged into a wildfire. "So, are you really planning to use the Elements for your sun then? Just blast the darn thing with rainbow light to keep it alive?" "No. The Elements can only be wielded by six ponies who each display a virtue so powerful, the gems would latch themselves to the souls of the ponies. A part of their magic would remain in the Bearers' soul, blessing their respective Bearer with power that they cannot suppress or destroy for eternity, even if they relinquish the Elements themselves. Of course, such power comes with a price. The six ponies would be forced to face foe after foe, all threatening their homeland, fighting battles to defeat or reform the enemies with their Elements. And now, the 'enemy' that the Elements have to face is the death of the sun. I am hoping, that with the power of the Elements, we can somehow save the sun, and our world." Her fire extinguished itself. Suddenly, she felt small amidst Celestia's determined gaze, her magenta eyes sweeping around the room and blazing with such a burning passion that the student suddenly shrank to the size of an ant. "Oh..." "And what I'd like for you to do, Twilight, is to help me to gather the Elements. Refer to the journal. Learn its secrets, " Celestia instructed. "Get to know the other Twilight Sparkle." Slowly, as if unwilling to part with the book, her mentor passed the book to Twilight. "Do not drop the book again." Twilight nodded a little, before enveloping the book with her purple magic. Celestia gazed at her as she hesitantly leafed through the pages, fully aware that the princess was looking over her shoulder. "And so, I'm not allowed to return to you until I discover the journal's secrets? Why?" she asked, bitterly. "So that I know that you have changed. The discovery of the journal's secrets would help you along the way, help to band together the Elements of Harmony." "And how would you know that I have discovered its secrets?" Celestia's eyes turned vacant in thought. "When you return with true friends." --------*♢*-------- " – And so I went straight home, got drunk in my misery and threw the book out of my window in a fit, where you found it," The mare rasped, before coughing a little. "Now, I think I need some water..." Rarity could only blink strangely at the lavender-coated unicorn. And then a creeping awareness came back to her. She closed her gaping mouth. She wasn't sure what to think of this. Her mind had ceased to function. The tension hanging in the air was almost palpable, morphing into something resembling awkwardness. She glimpsed at the mare, whose expression was completely unreadable. Rarity had to say something, fast. Gain some leverage. Paper over the awkwardness. "So, what's your name?" she blurted out, a nervous grimace coming over her countenance. Beautiful job, Rarity. The mare's eyes widened, jaw hanging in shock. "Is that the first question you ask a pony when they reveal something like that to you? And more importantly, you mean you still don't know who I am?" "Er..." – Rarity chose not to answer the first question – "I really don't know your name." "B-but the insults? The snarking? What?" "Darling, I do that to any Canterlot noble I meet, just to mess with them," Rarity chuckled. "Especially those who register for cleaning services under the name of Celestia, and then forget all about registering for cleaning services!" She remembered spitting out her drink when her supervisor told her who signed up for their cleaning service. Originally, she was rather excited to take up cleaning 'Celestia's' residence, mainly because she had wanted to meet the princess impersonator in real life, hoping that she would be a rather... interesting pony, preferably an intrepid, down-to-earth unicorn who enjoyed fashion and books on the side. Turned out that what she got was a humourless Canterlot Noble who only registered under the name of Celestia to receive the best of cleaning services. Her supervisor managed to get him arrested for impersonation. Then, a couple of months later, they had received an actual letter from Princess Celestia (Embarrassingly, her supervisor had had to read the letter out to her, as if she were a foal) telling her to offer her cleaning services to a house. This house. Obviously, she had burst in, cannons blazing and ready to insult the homeowner so hard that they would immediately fire her. She was so tired of stuffy nobles who viewed themselves as worthy of every good thing in the world. They had, after all, reduced her to nothing more than the mudwater unicorn who spoke with a poisoned tongue and a sharp accent that they all viewed her as. Nothing but an empty shell of who she used to be. But the feisty mudwater was her identity now, and her routine. But now, her world has been thrown into a tailspin. She could almost imagine Equestria breaking down into utter chaos if new of the dying sun gets out. In her world of secrets and lies, Twilight's brutal truth nearly made her nauseous. Rarity's train of thought derailed and crashed into a gorge as the unicorn before her cleared her throat. "Anyways, my full name is Twilight Velvet Sparkle III, and I am the daughter of Twilight Comet Velvet and Night Light, sister of Shining Armour, and I can tell you my entire family line all the way up to Clover the Clever. So, please, don't doubt my lineage." Upon saying then, Twilight seemed to wilt, as if bracing herself for more insults or questions. She looked as if she had faced instances where another Canterlot noble really had forced her to recite her entire family line. Perhaps she should skip teasing Twilight about this. In the end, perhaps this tiny, mulberry-hued scholar was different from the rest of the aristocrats. "Alright then," – Rarity shrugged – "Hello, Twilight." Twilight blinked in shock. She seemed to do that a lot, actually. "You – of all ponies – aren't gonna question my lineage?" "Well, after all, I'm just your humble cleaning mare. I couldn't care less about whether you're related to a great magician or not," Rarity replied as nonchalantly as she could. She was, in fact, interested that Twilight had descended from Clover the Clever, but she shoved her questions right down her throat. "What I care about, however, is that you seem to be going on some epic adventure quest to save the sun!" A blush crept along Twilight's muzzle. "Well... It's more of a fetch quest for the Princess. Y'know, get the Elements, blast it at the sun, yadda yadda... According to her, I'm already one, so I just need to get five more." Her rapidly building mental image of a group of heroes wandering in vast plains and slaying monsters immediately shredded itself into pieces. "Since you put it that way," Rarity huffed. "If it's a fetch quest, don't you have a main quest to tend to?" "Er...what? I meant a fetch quest, as in a quest-like mission to fetch things for the Princess, and then be done with it. There's no main quest to this or anything! What did you think I meant?" Rarity recalled Sweetie Belle forming her own games and playing them with her neighbours in their little hut, repeatedly sending a dirty-looking foal named Bulletin on 'Fetch Quests' to run errands for her. "Oh. Um..." "Never mind," –Twilight levitated the book impatiently, gaining back her usual air and saving her from another awkward silence – "You promised me that you would help me trigger the book's charm?" Rarity's lips curved into a grin. This surely was her usual territory. "With pleasure." Seizing the book, she felt the familiar warmth of the charm within her telekinetic grip. Shutting her eyes, she slowly released her magic into the book, searching the composition of the pages for a hint of magical energy. You can do it, Rarity. Charms are your special talent, after all. Such a well-hidden spell. Where was it? It seemed like it was coming from everywhere, yet nowhere. Tenderly, she flipped the pages, weaving tendrils of her own magic into the parchment and feeling the words for magical signatures of any sort. "Anything yet?" "Please, do shut up Twilight." "Sorry." Rarity squeezed her eyes shut even tighter, almost seeing highlights of purple magic within her eyelids. Wait, they were purple highlights! Squealing, she traced her magic through the page over and over, searching for the core of the charm. Now, all she had to do was to find the magical signature of the caster and disguise her own! Gathering traces of the caster, she imagined sewing a patchwork quilt of purple magic together, carefully draping her own pale blue magic with the disguise, before allowing the charm to siphon her disguised tendril of magic. Any moment now... You're not Twilight Sparkle. Screaming, Rarity leapt away from the book, forcefully severing the connection and causing an electric blue mushroom cloud to bloom within her head, obscuring her vision with brilliantly vibrant mist. She impacted upon something hard, blinking rapidly as the fog intensified, clouding her sight with more and more blue until nothing was left. "RARITY!" And then all sound faded out. Suddenly, she felt Twilight coming upon her, cradling her head. There was a silence for a while as Rarity's heart filled with mounting panic. A faint point of gleaming pink emerged out of the blue, and the fog seemed to dissipate around the focal point, clearing a corona of light for Rarity to see and hear out of. " –Never thought a backfiring charm could be so serious, for heck's sake, your eyes turned brilliant blue, pupils and all! Did you even remember to disguise your– " "Twilight, your book can talk. It wants you, and specifically you, to unlock the charm. " Rarity shifted her eyes in order to capture Twilight withing her slowly expanding range of vision, only to see Twilight with her horn still ignited and jaw slack. "The charm in your book appeared powerful enough to keep itself well-hidden within the fibres of parchment and was fully capable of recognising my magical signature beneath the disguise. It then decided to unceremoniously throw me out of the connection. Don't worry too much, however, the magical signature of the charm seemed to be a slightly altered version of yours anyway, so you shouldn't have too much of an issue. " She could now see and hear everything, despite a couple of blue spots in her vision. Blinking rapidly, she focused her gaze on Twilight, who looked thoroughly confounded. "Thank you for clearing the backfire, by the way. I would have turned blind if it weren't for your spell," Rarity muttered hesitantly. Honestly, her heart was still pounding from the strength of the charm, nearly threatening to leap out of her chest cavity. "Well, don't thank me. The usual spell should take less than a second to completely clear the fog, but I can't cast the entirety of that spell, with my defective magic and all, so..." –Twilight shook her head– "Anyway, you can leave if you want. If what you said earlier about the charm was true, I think I'll just unlock it myself." "Nonsense! I'm staying here, " Rarity snapped resolutely, resting upon her haunches. "There has to be a reason why the charm is so well-guarded and so I want to see what spell it's hiding." "Okay then, if you say so," Twilight replied, arching her eyebrows. "Anything else I should know about the charm before I try to trigger it?" Rarity thought for a moment, recreating her few moments of connection within her mind. She bit her lip. "Well... yes actually. It seemed intelligent, and I think that by activating it, it would allow access to a lot more hidden charms in the pages. It is somewhat of a Gateway Amulet. And, um, by the way, there is a very, very high chance that Alicorn Twilight was the one who cast that charm, from the looks of the signature." "Yeah, yeah, since she's so great and all," Twilight sighed bitterly. "Seriously, is there anything she didn't do?" "Ramble jealously about her alicorn counterpart, perhaps." The seething purple unicorn before her shot her a glare and proceeded to light her horn, pointing it at the journal. Then, she closed her eyes, and a tiny arcane circle on the page flared to life, rotating slowly. Rarity gazed upon the sight with slight curiosity. She had never seen a charm so powerful that it actually manifested on the container itself. "Come on...come on..." Rarity heard Twilight whisper, watching as the unicorn's horn glowed brighter and brighter. ACCESS GRANTED. MAIN CHANNEL LOG ACTIVE. WELCOME, TWILIGHT SIXLE, TO THE MAIN CHANNEL LOG. YOU HAVE FIVE KEYS LEFT TO FIND. RARITHREE ATTEMPTED TO ACCESS THE MAIN CHANNEL WITHOUT KEY 3: ACCESS DENIED. UNKNOWN-36 PRECEDED REPAIRS FOR CHARM NUMBERS 33, 74, 342 AND OTHER PHYSICAL DAMAGE: NO ACCESS TO MAIN CHANNEL REQUESTED. BACKUP 2,491,519,250 INITIATED. Twilight disconnected , blinking rapidly as she backed away from the charm, which had gone silent. "Did you hear that? What was it? And it said all of that garbage in some demented version of your voice!" Rarity squealed, eyeing suspiciously at the journal. A hungry light filled Twilight's eyes as she tapped her hoof on her chin. "Judging by what it said, it is a log charm. I've even got somepony to cast it on my Star-Swirl the Bearded Enthusiasts Record Book some time ago! It records all of the activities performed on the object for the day each time it is touched, as a safety measure." Rarity approached the journal, processing the information about log charms. She supposed that it is a classic example of the Canterlot Upperclass style of things: great technologies and spells created just to benefit the aristocrats. "Except usually, they don't talk out aloud, and they definitely don't assign weird names to each pony (Sixle, Rarithree and Unknown-36? Seriously?). But for this particular log charm, I think it's placed really powerful, and in addition, placed on another complex spell grid... the main channel thingy." Twilight rambled, scurrying closer to the book. "In that case, I think we did activate the charm! And judging that there are more than 342 charms in this book alone, you were right, the log charm also doubled as a Gateway Amulet." "Well, then, I'm just going to... ah, play along," –Rarity managed a wan smile– "What now?" "We open the journal and try to trigger every darn charm in its pages," Twilight suggested. "This book is probably more potent than all the talisman-cored heat generators throughout Northern Manehattan combined, and we should try to know as much as we can. Only then can we start gathering the Elements of Harmony. I have a feeling that there's more to the Elements than simply gathering six ponies together to have a fun time. If only Princess Celestia could have been more specific..." "We?" Rarity asked, tentatively. She could hardly believe her ears. "Yeah. We. You've helped a lot so far, and maybe you can help even more," Twilight continued smoothly, her expression as smooth and flat as glass. "Keep in mind, though. This isn't an offer for friendship. We'll just form a mutual alliance in trying to unlock all the journal's charms, and you'll help me with finding all the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. In return, I will give you a share of bits from the Royal Treasury and erase your status as a mudwater." Her heart sank. She could believe her ears. The above proposal was hardly warm or inviting, but Rarity smiled anyway. "I agree to your proposal." With that, Twilight's face broke into the most relieved smile that Rarity had ever seen. "Thanks. Official alliance?" The unicorn's right forehoof was stuck out. Rarity reached out too, hooking her limb in a hoof shake and hoping that her smile reached her eyes. For the second time that day, she struck a deal. "Official alliance." --------*♛*-------- You wear your heavy crown of black, and sit upon the throne of might, She slammed her hoof onto the table, eyes watering as she leaned backwards, dry pills slithering their way down her throat. They left an intense bitterness in her mouth and throat, almost burning her taste buds with the thickness of the herbs. Then the pain started. "Shit. Shit!" "Ma'am! Ma'am, do you need some water?" The servant skittered towards her, offering a glass of clear water. She shook her head, shutting her eyes to alleviate the pounding headache that was crawling its way around in her head, writhing snakes of agony which refused to abate. This servant was new, wasn't he? "No! It's perfectly fine!" she managed to grunt, flashing a nervous grin at the trembling earth pony stallion. No, not a stallion. He was still very much a colt, one at the cusp of adolescence. A silver cape of nighttime, woven with shattered starlight, The colt nearly dropped the water. He fumbled a little, attempting to stabilise the cup atop his hoof before sparing a hasty bow, rushing right out her office. With that, her grin faded, and she collapsed on the carpeted ground, feeling the impact replacing her previous pain with a new one. New pain was always better. And then, as per usual, she heaved and threw up a mouthful of fluids, staining her mouth with a strange combination of bitterness and the metallic slickness of her blood. Eyeing her vomit, she groaned. Rolling over, she forced a telekinetic grip onto her own belly, and the rest of her stomach's contents emptied itself out, along with the two black pills of poison. With quiet satisfaction, she got back up, shivering with glee as her headache slowly ebbed away. Tomorrow, she would have to do this again, though. And the next day. And the day after. An eternity of daily pain and vomiting. She had done this for so long that even the original reason for this daily routine was long lost to her. But that's alright. She would go through her round of pills, sit through work, then go through her pain again. She would never break her routine. Never. Ever. But in the end, you sing your song, left broken, Gathering Light. Author's Note Next chapter: At the Crux Expect lots of Sunset At the Crux--------*♞*-------- The Crux Heartstrings Airship Bay was packed, filled with increasingly impatient unicorns. Apparently, the Bay was closed. Long lines of ponies had formed at the ticketing areas, and many a tired looking unicorn were setting up camp outside the building, pitching fancy looking tents in haphazard, snaking rows. If one listened carefully, a few snatches of speculation were floating through the air. Some said there had been some sort of fire or attack by the Supremacists. Some whispered that there had been a break in. Some even shouted that one of the cross-shaped piers jutting out of the side of Canterlot Mountain had fallen. Sunset Shimmer was lying in one of those tents, dying from the summer heat. She had made it a point to purchase a plain looking one, so as to not draw attention, but it still had her cutie mark emblazoned proudly on the outside, waving slowly in the brisk winds outside. At the moment, Sunset was listlessly flipping through her entrance exam paper, frustratedly glancing through the occasional red crosses that were marring her otherwise tick filled scroll. "Incoming!" Suddenly, a brilliant purple blur filled her vision, impacting upon her muzzle and bouncing off. "Ow!" Sunset looked up blearily, and noticed that the tent door had tied itself back, revealing a very familiar looking general. He was smiling, all right, but there was an unfamiliar tightness around his eyes. She immediately shifted to the left as Shining Armour crawled in, before drawing her right foreleg up in a sloppy looking mock salute. "You didn't have to throw my sandwich at me, sir." "Sorry, didn't think that you'd be distracting yourself with your scroll," the General replied airily, tearing open the rose-hued casing of her own sandwich. He then proceeded to eye it carefully. "Hey, look! This thing matches the colour of my magic!" Shimmer rolled her eyes, before sinking her teeth into her hay bacon sandwich. "Yeah, and the bacon in here matches my mane." "Rulebook states that I should be launching an incendiary spell up your muzzle for that. Too bad, though, I would rather not." – Armour's pupils shrunk slightly. – "Keep that up and your insides will become fire." Shimmer fought the urge to roll her eyes again. "Sure thing, boss. Not like we're following the rulebook by being out here at this time, anyways." Shining turned towards Sunset, meeting her unimpressed gaze. A flatness came upon his lips. "You gotta learn some respect, Lance Corporal. I've known you for years already, and you're still like this." "Still, you don't have to try to act tough just to –" Shining then proceeded to levitate his sandwich casing and place it lightly on Sunset's horn, shocking her into silence. It stayed. Sunset used to wonder why Captain Night even got his (patient and comparably gentle) son to join the military. She knew that Night Light spoiled his children, which explained why both his children were insufferably sheltered. At least Twilight Sparkle had her plethora of dangerously high marks to serve as her reinforcements. Hell, she was so highly intelligent that Sunset was sure that Sparkle had upstaged her in terms of the number of memorised spells in their brains, which proved highly worrisome even for a pony like her (one who was incomparably beautiful, smart and powerful) . Thankfully, Twilight had been crippled in terms of her magical power, causing Shimmer to rest comfortably on her high throne. Anyways, she had actual leverage to use against Twilight, all within her head. However, Shining had little of Twilight's tenacity or supposed intelligence in the first place, leaving him with kindness, patience and protectiveness as his sole merits. Sunset had always felt that ponies which dealt mostly in defensive strategies and barrier spells were not worthy of joining the Equestrian Military. Well, yes, she knew that it was called the Royal Guards for a reason, but one who only defended would do little against a greater threat. All in all, she did not revere Shining Armour as she did for Lightfall. This was all a year ago, before she watched him plan out the sequence of a potential assassination based on the flaws of their defence and anti-rebellion systems in a grand total of three weeks. And it covered the murder of all 116 of the government officials. Sure, the plan was a commission by the Duke in order to further improve the security of Central Manehattan, but the whole incident scared Sunset. A lot. Thankfully, it took one concerned expression on Armour's face to convince Shimmer that he was still the same brotherly stallion she had grown up with. "Oh, crap." The swear immediately brought Sunset back from her own thoughts as focused her gaze on Shining's nervous expression. Shining never swore. Unless... "We're late," she sighed. "Aren't we?" "Yeah. Ditch the sandwich and wipe your muzzle. If Lightfall asks, we ate our lunch at the canteen before teleporting here." She understood. They were supposed to be at work now, and if anypony caught them here in the Crux, they'll experience death by Night Light. As the rulebook said, "...Royal guards who are caught outside castle grounds during their shifts will be subjected to Corporal Punishment." She was pretty sure this didn't apply to Shining or Lightfall though, but they'd be pretty pissed if they're forced to explain why the three of them are at the Crux at this time. So, Lightfall stated the specific instruction to teleport immediately from the castle to their meeting spot. She figured that she would just skip lunch and do the teleportation. Sadly, they had some... technical difficulties, namely the facts that the place was closed and the entire interior of the bay was lined with anti-teleportation wards. It had been quite a sight when they zapped into existence on the roof of the place. Therefore, they took the logical route: getting a tent and having lunch. "Where are we supposed to meet Lightfall now that the airship bay is closed?" Sunset asked, raising an eyebrow at Shining, who was frantically pacing in the already cramped tent. "I don't see how Lightfall would ever find us in this mess." He paused, settling back down tensely. "Fair point." "Yeah, yeah," Sunset muttered. "All about punctuality, aren't you?" Shining didn't reply. A shadow passed over his muzzle, shading the twinkle of his cornflower blue eyes. After a few uncomfortable moments of silence, he looked up again. "Lance Corporal Shimmer, do you know what this meeting would even be about?" She hesitated. "No... sir." "Never mind, then," he sighed. He went back to being uncharacteristically silent. Something exploded within Sunset Shimmer. She reared up on her hind legs, slamming downwards inches before of Armour's eyes. He released a tiny squeak. "Look, Shining. It's pretty damn obvious that you're hiding something. SPILL IT NOW, GENERAL!" she snarled, ramming her head into Shining's. It was an intimidation tactic she used to perform on him when they were foals. "That's an order!" He backed up into the tent wall, shoving up against the canvas. His horn was charged with purple light, withstray wisps curling off it. He looked... aggressive, quite unlike him. "FINE! Just get off me!" Yet again, her trick worked. "I mean, I wan– Lightfall asked me to do something I didn't want to do, okay?" – he glowered at Sunset. – " And no, she didn't ask me to do the hanky-panky with her, or bathe in corndogs, or pitch headfirst off a cliff. It's just... complicated. Really complicated. And you're gonna get your flanks whopped for ordering a general around!" She smirked, folding back upon her haunches and telekinetically brushing some stray hairs back into her wavy red-and-gold locks of mane. Sure, she was definitely not satisfied with his answer, but she'll find a way to snatch his answer from his mind. She had the feeling that whatever he was not telling was very valuable. With that, she made up her mind. "Thanks for telling me about your problem." Shining Armour laughed mirthlessly. "You're not happy with my answer. I can tell as much." Sunset merely smiled placatingly. "Yeah... maybe. But I have something to show you too." She ignited her horn, which flared a very bright aquamarine. Reaching into her mind, she laid the spell matrix, causing the recorded memory to arise and untether itself from the base of her mind. Armour arched an eyebrow. "This," she said. "Is about your sister. I may or may not have been spying on her. It's valuable information." "You shouldn't be doing that, but..." –Shining's eyes lit up cautiously, burning with an equal mix of admiration and suspicion. – "A... memory? You recorded the scene didn't you? That's really complex magic." Humble face. Put on your humble face, Shimmer. "Um, yes. But it's a long scene. I may pass out at the end. But when I wake up, I need your full answer." Shining's face boiled with a mixture of outrage, fear and concern (for his sister, she supposed). In the end, his curiosity won in his battle royale of emotions. He nodded reluctantly. Concentrating, she projected her thought outwards. To her delight, a stable screen, rimmed in her aura, appeared. It was a scene of a lecture hall, from the point of view of the tall windows behind Celestia. Celestia sat there, scribbling. An olivine hued Twilight Sparkle waltzed in. "Hello Twilight," Memory-Celestia said. "You're looking positively... green today." "Your Highness, I tried to clear up some fog left by this morning's breakage of around a dozen charms. Apparently, it has some effects to a pony who attempts to clear it up with a fog-clearing spell." Memory-Twilight replied. "My left forehoof is a slightly darker shade of olivine than the rest of my body as I placed it into the fog without any caution whatsoever." Shining Armour sat in rapt attention, drawing in the scene. Sunset's eyes, however, were fixed on a leather-bound journal sitting on Celestia's desk. Author's Note Next: Starlight Glimmer Sorry for the reeeallly late update, but I blame my mid-terms. Had to study. Sorry. Fun fact: Night Light has threatened his son about giving him a public bath in corn dogs before. Strange times... Also, Celestia's security is really, really lax. Then again, no one expects a flying Sunset to film you even though you're in a pretty high tower. Anyways, here's your chapter. Have a nice day! EDIT: First dislike! Got any feedback? Put it in a constructive, reasonable way in the comments! DOUBLE EDIT: THIS GOT FEATURED! YESYESYESYESYESYESYES!!!! Thank you everybody who has ever liked or bookshelved Astrum Nova! Starlight Glimmer (Part 1)--------*♢*-------- The entire morning had been a fiasco. No, Rarity did not use the word to define the part of her day where had joined forces with one of her sworn nemeses (a Canterlot Noble), Twilight Sparkle, to...um do something with a book. No, no. She used it to define something far worse. Lyra Heartstrings. She had burst in, figurative cannons ablaze, detailing the mannerisms of drunk Twilight with gusto. Well, sure, it was entertaining, but watching an increasingly flustered Twilight Sparkle battle for her own innocence got rather annoying, fast. So, Rarity had suggested the brilliant, logical solution: Check their Club's linked record book for evidence that Sparkle had called for a meeting while intoxicated. Unfortunately, Lyra took notice of her little comment, and, well, her. She had realised too late that Lyra was the sister of Vega Heartstrings, which had his house shrouded in spellfire for days after Rarity had tampered with the security wards (In her defense, she had cleaned the room till it was downright impeccable before she'd gotten a little curious about the safety systems of the house). With slowly dawning comprehension, she'd watched Heartstring's expression morph into one of outrage. Rarity ended up with quite an earful. Unfortunately, Twilight (curse that wretch) broke up the legendary verbal smackdown that had ensued between the two ponies. It had been fabulous! Just fabulous! She was winning that sun-forsaken – "Rarity, it's supposed to be an experimental journal entry to see if it would do anything to the journal, so you don't have to tell me the entire events of the morning in third pony," Twilight Sparkle sighed, lifting her quill. "I just needed two sentences! TWO. SENTENCES." She blinked, frozen, before reclining on the sofa. "You asked me to say whatever I want, and you'll write them all down in the journal. You didn't state the exact length of the passage!" "Right, Lyra?" The spearmint-hued mare shifted from her strangely bipedal sitting position, seemingly shaken out of a particularly unpleasant train of thought. "I'm pretty sure that I was winning the darn argument." "Not an argument," Rarity corrected disdainfully. "A legendary verbal smackdown. And I was winning." "Dear Celestia, I give up," Lyra groaned. "Why did I even get involved in this in the first place? I just came here to check on you, Twilight." Suddenly, a vibration rang out like a foghorn. Everypony in the room jumped in shock. "Sorry," Twilight sighed sheepishly. "Must be Sunset." Rarity stared blankly. "Linked record book," Lyra elaborated. She looked tense. "Oh." Dropping the book and the quill, Twilight dashed towards her desk, levitating a book with Sunset's cutie mark. It was flashing and vibrating violently. With a flourish, she opened the book, violet eyes rapidly scanning a page. Rarity could almost see the colour drain out of her face. "Lyra... Sunset's coming in approximately 10 minutes." 3... 2... 1... Lyra's right eye twitched. "Oh shit." "Language," Twilight said, feebly. With a terrified scream, Lyra took off so fast that Rarity could have sworn she was flying. After a brief but weighted silence, the two unfroze– Twilight stalking towards the door and Rarity flopping gracefully back onto the sofa. "So, Sunset actually lives here, doesn't she?" Rarity asked in a monotone, the full weight of the realisation coating her chest cavity with a strange numbness. "Princess Celestia's other student? The Phoenix? Why, if I were Lyra, I would've just stayed put! What is her problem?" Sparkle's face darkened. "Sunset hates the Heartstrings family. Her clan has feuded with the Heartstrings for a long time, and so has mine, but as far as I know, my family and the Heartstrings made up and formed an alliance about twenty years back to break the Apple Family monopoly," Twilight explained. "When we were in school, there was an incident in which Sunset had framed Lyra for destroying the school library." –she shook her head in revulsion– "Lyra was expelled. At that point, the feud reached its worst. The whole thing blew up and became a court case. Thankfully, the Heartstrings won, so Lyra could finally come back to school. "Sunset didn't suffer any consequences for her action, save a scolding from the Princess. From then on, her schemes became more... subtle. Nopony noticed anything, including me, but Lyra just got increasingly fearful of Sunset Shimmer, for Solis knows why. Truthfully, it scared me. I mean, oh Celestia, I've known her for so long! Who knows when she'll just stab your back or decide that she hated you, or something like that. " Rarity winced as an image of a grinning Sunset vaporising a screaming Lyra filled her mind. A bit of sympathy for the unfortunate victim gnawed its way into her conscience. Sure, Lyra Heartstrings (no matter how normal she seemed) was still relatively high up the pantheon of aristocrats. Yes, Rarity had heard of her before meeting her in the flesh. Yes, she had envied her. But she was a pony too. A pony with her own feelings and fears, with a mind teeming with thoughts and joys and pains. And Rarity could very well imagine being in that position: a highborn, respected by many, but still hated by many of the same ranks as her. She could imagine being vaporised– Oh, dear me. "Just a query: How does Sunset feel about having a mudwater in her house?" Rarity asked tentatively. "Mudwater? What mud–" Twilight blanched. "Oh no." Rarity fought the urge to dissolve into nothingness. "Don't worry; I'll simply pretend to do my job. See?" She picked up her mop and bucket, shoving them into Twilight's face. "Nononono don't! I'll solve this, don't worry," Twilight rambled in sheer panic. "Don't worry, don't–" The doorbell chimed – a too-loud fanfare that heralded the arrival of disaster. For the second time that morning. No, actually, third. I wonder if we can ever catch a break? Twilight looked as if she had been run over by a carriage. "I'll go get the door," she said, slowly. "Do your job." Rarity levitated her mop, and with a curt nod, began dipping it daintily in her bucket, not daring to look at the doorway. A couple more fanfares rang out, and she could almost taste Sunset's impatience by then. The door swung open. From her periphery, Rarity could see multiple coloured blobs at the doorway. Twilight was speaking quietly with them. She continued mopping the same area over and over again, anticipation and panic dancing within her as she coated the floor with a layer of soapy liquid. The journal was on the coffee table, lying haphazardly near the edge. Tilting her head, she eyed it warily. From the angle she was standing at, it seemed to be glowing. How queer. How very queer. No. Rarity squinted at it. Upon further investigation, it really was glowing. Glancing helplessly at the main door, she saw that Twilight was awkwardly standing to the side of the door, sweating nervously and floundering in a pool of small talk. She trotted right up to her, grinning feverishly. Two ponies stood beyond the threshold. One was a light grey stallion built with a regal body structure. Buff, but not overly so. He was dressed in partial golden armour, which contrasted well his cerulean mane and eyes. Standing uncomfortably to his side, he wore an expression on his face vaguely reminiscent to that of Twilight's. Rarity could see the family resemblance. She supposed that they also shared the similar bane of small talk. The other had Sunset Shimmer slumped over her back like a sack of potatoes, unconscious, fiery yellow and red mane billowing in the slight breeze. She was a mare, had a coat that was a couple of shades darker than Rarity's, and without armour. Unlike the stallion, she was considerably less imposing, given that she was a mare. However, her striking gamboge irises carried enough intimidation to rival his presence. The most peculiar thing about her was not the fact that she had Sunset lying over her, but her mane. Her arctic blue bangs were draped over one eye and gelled into near rectangular locks, the strangest thing that Rarity had seen all day (and that was saying a lot). "Oh... yes, uh, t-this is Rarity," Twilight muttered weakly. " She's my, um..." "Cleaning mare," Rarity continued, straightening her neck and pushing out her chest. She stuck out a hoof. "Charmed." Suddenly, the stallion's face broke into a smile. He energetically reached out for the hoofshake. "Sweet mother of Celestia! You're the cleaning mare who got Blueblood arrested! A prince!" "Oh yes, the Celestia impersonator. Served him right for pretending to be his own aunt," she proclaimed airily. "And you are...?" "Shining Armour, at your service. And I need your autograph. That guy was such a pain in my flank." The other mare looked on. "Can we come in?" Twilight and Rarity stepped aside, allowing the guests to enter. "Thanks," Twilight breathed. "Why are they all here and why is Sunset unconscious?" Rarity whispered. "They want to do a meeting somewhere undetectable," Twilight hissed in reply. "And Sunset fainted when–" A brilliant white light exploded out from the centre of the room, filling the place with a wave of blistering heat. Rarity screamed and clenched her eyes shut, ducking in futility as every nerve in her body burned, pain clawing at her skin and eyes. Her body seemed to implode as heated air filled her every orifice, boiling her from the inside out. The journal! The light faded, and the heat gave way to cool winds. Rarity opened her eyes, and ghostly white dots seemed to dance across her vision. Hurriedly, she inspected her entire body, going over all the spots she suspected were burnt or injured. Nothing. Not even the single trace of pain or burns remained on her light grey coat. Had she imagined the whole thing? No. Twilight Sparkle was on the floor too, rubbing her eyes and looking around in confusion. Shining Armour was still standing, though a rose coloured shield had formed a dome around him, while the unicorn mare was sheepishly picking up Sunset Shimmer, who appeared to have fallen off her back. The living room was unharmed, save the coffee table which lay in smithereens, silvers of glass forming vaguely concentric rings around a scorch mark on the wooden floor. At the centre of it all, the journal hovered ominously above the destruction, glowing a brilliant white. "What just happened?" Twilight groaned, struggling to her hooves. Then, she took in the scene before her. "Whoa." The floating book remained suspended in midair for several more seconds before falling. Twilight caught it, before yelping and dropping it on the floor. "Don't touch it. It's pretty hot," she mumbled. Taking a few tentative steps towards the journal, Rarity inspected it with wide eyes. It was glowing purple now. ACCESS GRANTED. MAIN CHANNEL ACTIVE. TWILIGHT SIXLE: LOCATED. RARITHREE: LOCATED. S– Twilight frantically shut down the charm. The creepy log went silent. So had everypony in the room. "Well," –Shining Armour cleared his throat.– "That sure was something." "Yep! Sure was something alright!" Twilight chirped with faux enthusiasm. Her usually neat mane was fraying at the ends and dishevelled. "Tell ya what. Shiny and I will carry Sunset to her bed. Fall, you can stay here with Rarity. She'll get you some tea." Rarity raised an eyebrow. "I will?" "Yes please, the teabags are in the pantry," Twilight replied, catching her eyes. Rarity could feel Twilight's panic affecting her psyche. "You will also explain how the journal was just one of our harmless experiments." Shining Armour enveloped Sunset's prone body with his rose coloured magic while ascending the stairs to the bedroom with Twilight. A second rose coloured blob raced after them. It took a while before Rarity realised that it was the journal. Meanwhile, an uncomfortable silence descended upon the two left in the living room. The other mare was looking at the carnage that used to be the coffee table, a ponderous glaze forming over her eyes. Rarity stood awkwardly at the doorway, brushing her frayed mane back repeatedly. Shining Armour seemed easy enough to talk to, but this mare had ...something about her. Under usual circumstances, she would usually stay far away from ponies like her. Why? Because she was getting the same vibe from her as Sweetie Drops. Did that mean she would stay far away from ponies like Sweetie? A memory tugged at the edge of her mind. Sweetie Drops as an adolescent, mane streaked with pink and deep blue, with a faint smile on her face. She was cradling another Sweetie. I'll be back soon, don't worry, Rarity. Sweetie Belle is in good hooves. She was cynical, intimidating and gentle all at the same time. And dead. Rarity shook the thoughts out of her head, instead choosing to focus on the pony before her. "Want some tea, Sw– ...er... Pardon me, but what was your name again?" she asked. "Lightfall," the pony replied, smiling wearily. "And no thanks." "So...coffee?" Rarity asked lamely. "Er, no actually," Lightfall clarified. More silence. This was going to be a long day. Author's Note Next: Starlight Glimmer (Part 2) Sorry for forcing you guys to wait a month for one chapter of filler, but it's all gonna be worth it when the next chapter rolls by. Not spoiling anything, but there's a reason why I decided to split Starlight Glimmer into two (that came out wrong). Please don't kill me and have a nice day! EDIT: Wanna see an extended version of the final scene just to kill time? Click here! Starlight Glimmer (Part 2)--------*☆*------- "Some gentlecolt you are, letting your female colleague carry Sunset Shimmer," Twilight commented. "We took turns, okay? And it was Lightfall's idea, not mine," Shining Armour snorted indignantly, glaring at Twilight. They reached the end of the stairs, and Shining gently set Sunset down upon her bed. Strangely, the bed creaked way more than it should have, a cacophony of painful noises radiating from the wooden frame and mattress coils, burning through the air. Twilight watched from slightly behind her brother, her every nerve tingling with apprehension. Carefully, she stepped back, sliding the journal under the sheets of her own bed. Glancing back at Shining, she realised that her brother was still staring at Sunset's prone body. "You know," he mused. "She looks almost angelic when she sleeps." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "That was... unnecessarily creepy." Her brother turned towards Twilight. "Speaking of which, did you know that she can fly?" "Fly? As in, self-levitation?" she questioned bewilderedly. What is his point? "Not really. She's too flashy for that. She creates wings out of telekinetic energy and consciously flaps them. Kind of like a pegasus, if the legends were true." Shining continued absently. "Uh...When did you find this out?" Silence. "Just now." His expression morphed into one of frustration. Swiftly stepping back from the bed, he charged his horn with energy. Almost immediately, a rose-tinted dome formed around them. Twilight felt the ambient noise that once filled her ears completely disappear, leaving a tense void in its place. "A Bubble of Silence?" she guessed. Her voice sounded strange in the noiselessness. "Yep," her brother replied. "You can't hear the outside and the outside can't hear you." Did her brother know? Her throat immediately clogged itself. Every thought in her brain, every gut instinct was telling her to dispel the dome and get out. No, I could just run out, couldn't I? Unless – She glanced at the Arcane Circle beneath her. Her heart sank. ...the Boundary acts as a shield enchantment for any physical object that is within it. Since when did her brother use Arcane Circles? "So. Anything you'd like to tell me?" Shining Armour asked. She tried to look as casual as possible. "No." There was a brief silence as Shining glared at her, breathing slowly. "My Celestia, you are bad at lying." "I told you, no means no," Twilight continued, lamely. "I've got absolutely nothing to say." Her brother advanced. Nervously, she backed away until she was against the shield wall. She could feel the thrum of Shining's magic webbing through the surface. The shield wall lurched, tossing her back within the Boundary. She screwed her eyes shut, a thousand thoughts flooding her mind at once as she put a hoof to her head. "Wh-what..." Shining exhaled. "Never mind. I get that you don't really trust me. But keep in mind that I know, okay?" Everything inside Twilight turned into stone. "You know about the–" she gestured vaguely towards the window, where sunlight was spilling through and drenching the room with gold. The jagged hole in the window now seemed twice as glaring. Her brother hesitated, before nodding. Twilight blanched. "How?" "Sunset," – she could sense defeat in his tone – "She flew up to the lecture hall and recorded the scene. You know why she's passed out in here? She showed me the scene. She showed me everything." Sunset knew. Sunset had leverage. Sunset had leverage. To her vague interest, tears were not falling from her eyes. Twilight merely stood – silent and trembling and catching her breath. And thinking. "And... and you're not mad?" Shining Armour raised an eyebrow. "Why would I be?" "I mean..." – Twilight struggled to find the right words – "I thought you'd be mad that Sunset knew, you'd be mad that I even took up the mission in the first place," – she placed a hoof on her face – "Or even worse, you'd be mad that I didn't trust you enough to tell you." Silence. She didn't dare look into her brother's eyes. Twilight stared at the wooden swirls of her teak flooring, eyes tracing the curling patterns they made. "Should I?" –His voice sounded hollow– "Should I be mad at somepony who's trying to save the world?" Twilight hung her head even further, ears flopping down. "Maybe..." "No, I shouldn't. Twily, look at me." His deep blue hoof gently pushed her head up. She met her brother's eyes. They were cerulean – striking and soulful. It had been so long since she last saw his eyes so full of emotion like that. Twilight wanted so badly to cry and hug her brother, lying within his fur for hours like a little filly, where the world couldn't reach her. But she held her ground, holding her breath in a bid to prevent her eyes and sinuses from prickling. She couldn't let her brother watch her dam break. "Twilight Sparkle. What you are partaking in is incredibly noble. I don't know many non-military ponies who would do that for Equestria," Shining stated, smiling. "What I know, however, is that you'll make many enemies along your way. Have you ever considered that some of your Elements may be earth ponies? Or maybe even pegasi?" No, I haven't. Oh no, oh nononononono– "Anyway, I won't stop you from doing this. I know you have always wanted a purpose in life. I know you have always wanted to do something great," –Shining sighed– "And so I'll get to my point: Beware of Sunset. I'm not sure yet how she feels about this whole thing. " Twilight glanced at Sunset's prone body. "On one hoof, she may be happy because she knows that you're not meant to be Celestia's student after all. On the other, she'll be mad that Celestia didn't choose her for this. Either way, she's dangerous. So, uh, always bring shield charms on you. Place security wards everywhere Sunset doesn't do that well with defence," Shining continued. "Thankfully." That Twilight knew. The only thing Sunset has ever had trouble with was breaking and making defences, which she had always made up with rage-filled blasting, obliterating any barrier ahead of her. That in itself destroys any element of surprise she may have had. "So, just...stay safe, okay? Not just for yours and my sakes, but for Dad's as well," –Shining winced– "I don't think he can take the death of another... " Her brother bit his lip. "I'm sure you know what I'm getting at." Twilight's ears flattened against her skull, and time slowed to an agonising crawl. The dome dissolved. For a few moments, the sound of silence remained. Her brother turned and began purposefully trotting out of the room. Twilight waited. The way the conversation ended was off, incomplete. Wrong. They couldn't end like that. She grasped for something else to say – A goodbye? An 'I'm sorry'? Something else, something else... But Shining was already gone. --------*☆*------- She was sitting on her bed, journal in hoof. It had been five minutes after her brother left her room. Truthfully, the length of time she took to collect herself really scared her, especially since she has learned that Sunset knew almost everything. Twilight had always considered herself as rational and in control, and to be as easily triggered as a crudely-made charm... She gnashed her teeth together. This blows. Flopping face first onto the mattress, she folded her forelegs in and brought her head up, going into her sphinx-like reading position. Twilight tossed the journal in front of her and, after fidgeting for a bit, flipped the cover open. After any stressful situations, reading felt like the only way to relieve emotional pressure. Perhaps, she should begin with actually reading the book, for she had been only skimming – Her breath caught. THE JOURNAL OF THE ASTRUM By Twilight Sparkle It had changed. Twilight was sure it had said 'Ashes' a day ago. It wasn't possible, it just wasn't. The title page couldn't have rewritten itself. Frantically, Twilight shut the book, shutting her eyes so tightly that ghostly spots danced within them. 1. 2. 3! The leather cover flung open, aided by the force of her own magic. THE JOURNAL OF THE ASTRUM By Twilight Sparkle Her eyes widened. It was real. She seized the page with her telekinesis, heart fluttering in her chest. A tremor passed through her. Twilight sucked in a breath. The rest of the book. Could it have...? Bracing herself, she flipped the page. Dear Twilight Sparkle, It's me. You know, the other Twilight Sparkle. Princess Twilight Sparkle. Call me what you like. I know it is strange that your so-called counterpart is addressing you directly, but please bear with me here. Right, you've managed to get access to Main Channel as you have managed to get three very important unicorns in the same room. Good job! Alright, I'm going to get to my point. I've left this book with Princess Celestia, as you may already have known. She will not ever see this message. Why? It's simple really. The 'Main Channel' of this book (the one you're reading right now) can only be accessed by you. I'm not sure whether or not she has told you this or not, but Celestia has made a pact with me. Under no circumstances would she ever try to access the other channels of this journal. So, I'll skip over all the details about why this journal exists and all that. I wouldn't want to be ~~superflouous~~ ~~superflooos?~~ too wordy. Anyways, the Main Channel contains all of my friendship lessons. I've spent days transcribing the letters and journal entries (from the Journal of Friendship) onto this book so that you may find out more about the ponies that were my friends. I've also included a drawing of a buffalo dreamcatcher on the next page, with the added bonus of it being enchanted! It works as a signal flare for Luna, who would be drawn to our collective magical signature. Luna has decided to reside in the realm of dreams for a couple of weeks to retrieve and organise the needed memories, where they will remain (perfectly sorted) for however long it takes for you to finally view them. The details of how something may be enchanted to be a virtual flare have been written in the Journal of the Ashes, just in case you would like to know. It's very complicated. Now, with the journal in your hooves, memories would be transmitted to you by accessing very memory ever known to my dimension. Test it out by going to sleep now. Just pay heed: I am writing this in preparation for the time this book will reach your hooves. I don't know when that would be, so do not attempt to contact me in any manner. Your Faithful Counterpart, Twilight Sparkle P.S. Spike here! It'll be great if you could say hi to my counterpart for me too. Thanks a bunch! She flipped the page. Instead of another letter, what greeted her was a table scrawled in a hurry, in a vastly different hornwriting. The author of this entry must have been writing with a broken quill nib for the words had a shadowed quality to them, as if there was an inconsistency in the pressure of the quill. Contents: Trigger method/ Log Name Journal of the Ashes NIL Journal of the Astrum Unicorn Location/ Main Channel Journal of the Apple Key 1/ Secondary Channel Journal of the Ahhhh Let Me Think of a Better Name Key 2/ Secondary Channel Journal of the Adamant Key 3/ Secondary Channel Journal of the Aimable Key 4/ Secondary Channel Journal of the Awesome Key 5/ Secondary Channel Then, below it was the aforementioned drawing of the dreamcatcher, which was a design that Twilight had never seen before. There was a ring, with various strings forming a webbed pattern across its middle. On the bottom half of the design hung five threads, sketched feathers dangling loosely beneath them. It was ... beautiful, in a strange way. If Alicorn-Twilight hadn't mentioned what the drawing was supposed to be, she would have probably guessed that it was an arcane circle for birds. Reaching out, she touched the page. She could feel the slight hum of magic dancing within it. Other-Dimension-Twilight must– No, she couldn't keep going on like this. There was only one Twilight, and that was her. And she was not a princess. Twilight decided upon the name 'Astrum'. Astrum must have come from some extremely advanced dimension. To create a charm so advanced that it attracts...dreams? Luna; Princess Luna of the Earth Ponies used to oversee dreams, though she has long since gone missing. Had Astrum found her? But then again, the journal was hundreds of years old. Did that mean that Astrum herself was already dead? And who was Spike? She didn't know any 'Spikes'. The letter even mentioned that Celestia was supposed to have told her a lot more than she actually did. She inhaled sharply. That wasn't stress relieving at all. Twilight shut the book. Test it out by going to sleep now. Running her hoof over the inked dreamcatcher again, she readily accepted the advice. --------*☆*-------- She was somepony else. A stallion. One that was briskly trotting through hallway after hallway, pale blue crystal walls racing past him. Finally, he skidded to a stop outside a door. Shoving it open, he peeped into the room. "Hello?" "Yes?" Another voice piped up. A mare. She...he stepped in, nearly tripping over his cloak while doing so, before being greeted with the sight of a pale purple unicorn sitting alone on a long dining table. The mare had the front of her mane fall into a long curl, while the mane on her crest was curved into a ponytail. Her actual tail was done in the same fashion, aquamarine streaks gleaming from the sea of purple locks they lay in. "Sunburst?" she asked, tentatively. A strange whimper sounded from the base of her throat. "My goodness, Starlight!" he squawked in reply. "You look–" "Terrible," she groaned. "Yes, I know." There was a cool silence. Sunburst fidgeted a bit. "So...um... I-I don't mean to intrude, but what's been going on?" "I don't know!" she shouted frustratedly. He jerked away, glasses knocked out of alignment. Starlight's face softened. "I mean... It's just really complicated. I actually don't know all the details myself. But you must have heard the news too, right? Princess Celestia convulsing and bedridden, Luna just–" she closed her eyes. "All the alicorns are going insane. Even Flurry Heart. Even Twilight." Adjusting his spectacles, Sunburst sat back hard on his haunches. "Wow... I never thought that the situation was so...dire." "You didn't know?" –Starlight put her head in her hooves– "How could you not?" "I've been holing myself up in my house. I should've known things were not –" He froze when he saw Starlight. She had her head on the table, quiet sobs wracking her body. "And it's... it's all my fault... I-I didn't know that they would– I thought I was..." Sunburst's heart was sinking faster than a hunk of gold in water. "Starlight. You didn't. " A bottle slid across the table, before tipping and spilling a heap of black capsules onto the faceted surface. "Y-yes, I did." Author's Note Two-parter named Starlight Glimmer; only less than four hundred words actually about GlimGlam. ~~Seems legit.~~ Just informing you guys: this story will ignore the events in canon occurring after Spice Up Your Life, unless it fits into the story well (e.g. if the changeling episode later this season fits well with the plot points of Astrum Nova) Thanks and sorry for the late chapter! Next: Beneath the Shadow of a Mountain Segregated Equestria: An Introduction Segregated Equestria: An Introduction "Four thousand years ago, the Great Equestrian Civil War (28 B.D - 1 B.D) broke out between the three pony tribes: unicorns, earth ponies and pegasi. Many historians in the past and present argue about the original reason for the war, but it is widely accepted that the three tribes were fighting for the land now known as Equestria. It is estimated that millions of ponies had lost their lives during the war, including the legendary unicorn general, General (once Princess) Platinum (45 B.D - 22 B.D), and her son, Obsidian (24 B.D - 22 B.D), who both perished in the Northern Raid of Unicornia. At the end of the war, the damage to the once-pristine lands was extremely substantial, as most of the lands were either sealed in permafrost or too damaged to settle into by the time the unicorns won. The war is still known as the first and bloodiest in Equestrian history. Apparently, the unicorns were led into the war by Princess Celestia herself, Lady of the Solar Throne. Her Highness ensured the tactical victory of the unicorns, managing to conquer the Equestrian mainlands from the earth pony armies and thoroughly flushing out the pegasi from the Everfree. As soon as the other tribes had surrendered themselves to the unicorns, an agreement was settled upon: the unicorns would occupy the mainlands, the earth ponies would either submit to the unicorns as labourers or be driven to the outskirts, and the pegasi would be forced into finding new lands beyond Equestria. But through the many years, the reign of the unicorns experienced many an enemy to the throne, threats from both beyond and within Equestria, ranging from an attack from Queen Chrysalis's Hive to the Earth/Lunar Rebellions lead by a magical entity, The Nightmare (once Luna). A solution was found for these threats, in the form of the Tree of Harmony and its gifts: the Elements of Harmony. However, the gemstones, though filled with extraordinary magic, were unable to do anything of much use. Fortunately, by the usage of advanced wartime spells, the elements were tricked into forming a continuous harmonic barrier around Equestria and the surrounding Pegasian Wilds. With the Barrier, every threat to the throne had been banished from Equestria. However, not much is known about the fate of the Nightmare, aside from the fact that she was not banished beyond Equestria or to the moon (Contrary to popular belief). At last, Equestria can experience a long age of harmony to come." -An excerpt from Segregated Equestria: A History. --------*☆*-------- Yeah, right. If only they knew the truth...
One Bad, Bad Day"Okay, Twilight, are you all up for describing the procedures for setting up a basic Arcane Circle?" Twilight Sparkle, eyes bleary with the amount of information she had just absorbed, set down her book, mind swimming with the complexities of binding spell structures. "Yes!" "Ready, set, GO!" Sunset shouted. "Arcane Circles are essentially containers or amplifiers of a pony's own magic, either drawn on the floor with enchanted chalk or created with a pony's mind using her magical prowess. There are three building blocks of an arcane circle: a Boundary (a ring drawn around the caster), a 'Sun' (a circle drawn within the Boundary), and a 'Moon' (a second circle drawn outside of the Boundary). Once a basic Circle is set up, the chalk lines should light up with the coloured aura of the caster's magic. Casters may choose to add more circles, layers or incantations to their Boundary, in order to strengthen its walls." Sunset nodded. "Very nice, but--" "Upon setting up the Circle, casters cannot step outside the Boundary unless he withdraws his magic from his Arcane Circle, as the boundary acts as a shield enchantment for any physical object that is within it. At this stage, the caster should bind a selected spell to his circle. If the Circle is drawn correctly, it will proceed to copy the spell onto the 'Moon' and 'Sun' circles and turn the circles as mentioned above into the secondary and tertiary colours of the pony's magic respectively. Now, when the caster performs the spell within the Boundary, the spell would become at least three times as potent, depending on how advanced the circle is." There was an awkward pause as Twilight finished, throat dry and scratchy from her recital. Facing her partner expectantly, she watched as Sunset scanned the book, aquamarine eyes flitting over the crisp parchment. "Correct as always, Sparkle," Sunset replied, a grudging smile forming on her lips. "If you're lucky this time, you may be able to get even better marks than what I got when I took the test." It was 2 am in the morning, as the grandfather clock displayed, sun themed hands ticking their way into eternity. The two protégées of Princess Celestia were still awake in their respective beds across from each other, both still not asleep. Sunset Shimmer, combat magician and magical prodigy, was still skimming through the spellbook. "Maybe I would, for the Arcane Theory Examination," she sighed. "I have no chance of passing the practical one, as you know. You've seen me flounder in front of the examiners for, let's see, fifty-two exams already!" Her doctors had tried to explain her condition as having less magic than the average unicorn, but she didn't quite buy it. For one, it didn't explain the barrier-like sensation surrounding her horn every time she tried to use her magic. She had therefore lived with the excuse that she was a 'late bloomer', but that too didn't seem to cut it after she had passed her sixteenth birthday four years back. "Thirteen years' worth of failures," Sunset quipped. "It's a wonder that you're still Celestia's student, you know." "Right," Twilight continued, attempting to ignore Sunset's scathing statement. "You sure that you don't want to study for your entrance examination?" "What's there to study anyway?" her housemate replied. "Just throw in some combat spells and I should be able to get the job." Sunset had graduated from a personal apprenticeship with Twilight's father, Captain Night Light, three years back and had been living with Twilight in the Canterlot library since then. She had taken full-time lessons with Celestia during this period, and it was getting absolutely sickening, the way that Celestia casually referred to Sunset as "Her Most Faithful Student" and arranged one-on-one tutorial sessions. At the end of those three years, Sunset had emerged with thousands of new spells and a much, much larger head. Now, as far as Twilight knew, Sunset was trying to enlist in the Hyperion Guards, Celestia's group of ceremonial honour guards. It was headed by General Lightfall. Apparently, she also had the strange quirk of setting an entrance exam for enlistment, comprising of a practical and theory examination, just like Celestia's format. And how did Twilight Sparkle know about this? No, Sunset did not tell her anything. She was Celestia's other student, the one whom many theorised her father had bought her way into the Sun Princess's apprenticeship, even though she had been her student since she was born. Obviously, she could get her own way in gathering information. "Hey, are you okay?" Sunset asked. " You've been staring into space for a while there." Mumbling a little, Twilight derailed her train of thoughts and flopped down onto her soft bed. "Is a nap already in order?" Sunset asked, feigning a pout. "You only managed to last twenty-six hours studying this time." "Just...wake me up in five minutes..." --------*☆*-------- She was in a soft, comfortable meadow, a book (contents undiscernable) sat in front of her, and she was feeling the warmest sense of mirth that she had ever felt in her life. Laughter. Yes, there was also laughter everywhere, blurry and ethereal and as bright as the afternoon sun. Despite the swelling happiness building within her, she wore a mock frown. "Rainbow..." she sighed. "Please, I'm trying to read here!" Her only reply was even more laughter, this time coming from somepony with an extremely raspy voice. "Oh puh-lease, Twi. This is a freaking picnic! It's not for you to sit there and read!" "Fine!" She had replied, but she was already trying to suppress her widening smile. --------*☆*-------- 12:04 Or so Twilight's trusty golden grandfather clock told her. Her eyes were crusted over, and she breathed in the swooping feeling of being sucked out of a beautiful, joyous dream. Her mind struggled to reach for the final vestiges of it, collecting thin shreds of nothingness that immediately vanished. In the end, Twilight resigned to the fact that she had remembered nothing at all about the dream which floated through her mind during her slumber. 12:05 Strange, didn't I sleep at 2? Time couldn't have reversed itself. Her eyes snapped opened suddenly. She was wide awake. Unless... Crawling right out of her mattress, Twilight stumbled towards the windows, squinting at the bright sun slanting its rays through her translucent blinds. Shifting her blinds open, she gazed upon the sprawling Ponyville Slums beneath Canterlot Mountain, basking in the rays of the sun. The bright afternoon sun. Oh, buck me. She turned to the clock. 12:07 p.m. Her test! Three hours late! Sprinting to Sunset's chifferobe, she practically tore the top drawer out telekinetically, spilling defective amulets and crudely done talismans everywhere as wood tablets and gemstone carvings shattered upon impact on the library floor. Soon, the whole place was gassed with multicoloured smoke from the combined destruction of dozens of charms. Sorry, Shimmer, but I had to hurry. Amidst the chaos of coloured, foul-smelling vapour, Twilight finally pulled her choice charm from the base of the drawer: A hurriedly carved smiley face on the surface of a jagged shard of ruby, a crude but effective amulet. Pushing her legs into a teleportation stance, she charged her horn with her aura, magical composition of the amulet filling her mind with the intricate bindings Sunset had placed on the ruby. Instantly, her mind pieced together fragments of a trigger spell, ready to activate the enchantment contained within the gemstone. Please work, please work... She deployed the trigger. Suddenly, the world around her caved into a vortex, yanking Twilight into it. The familiar rush of cutting straight through time and space burned through her veins as she exploded off, air combusting in flames of brilliant aquamarine light. As soon as the split-second implosion of entering the realm of magic sparked, it ended, dumping Twilight back onto cold, hard ground with another brilliant flash of light. Steadying herself after the shock of teleportation, she resumed her stance, this time crushing the smoking ruby beneath her hoof after it had unleashed its spell. Twilight found herself in a familiar room, one she had lived and breathed in for thirteen years: Celestia's Lecture Hall. It was made mostly of gleaming white marble, supported by classical pillars, with long golden drapes hanging above them from the high, domed ceiling, somewhat resembling the tent of a circus, built amphitheatre style. She had phased into existence at the third row of the tiered seats, leaving a smoking ring of burns in the marble and fabric. Oh, well, it could have gone worse. "Twilight Sparkle, it is a pleasure to see you here today," She turned, ears drooping at the sound of that familiar voice. As she had expected, her mentor was positioned at her desk on the stage, levitating a tiny cup and saucer, and sifting through stacks of parchment papers systematically. To further accentuate her image as the governor of a nation, she was wearing her soft, carnation pink hair in a professional-looking hairstyle, the back half of her mane wrapped into a simple bun as the front section of her mane fell neatly over her forehead. As soon as Twilight drew her attention to Celestia's eyes, she found that they were already fixed intently on her. Blinking, Twilight snapped herself out of her stupor. "Oh Princess Celestia, I'm so, so sorry for coming here so late! I mean I knew the Arcane examination was today, heck, I was studying all night for it, but I guessed I thought I was only going to sleep for five minutes but then I–" "May I know how you got here?" The princess asked, calmly, continuing to aim her magenta eyes evenly at Twilight's own ones. Oh, I got here by riding a magical, invisible chariot which flew through your window, of course! Heh heh... "A one-time-use teleportation spell contained within a particularly powerful ruby, made by Sunset. It was linked to this room, I think, so that the activator of the spell would always land here," She blabbered in reply. "I activated it using a self-formulated trigger spell." "And so, please tell me how you tricked the binds of the teleportation spell into allowing a pony who is not their creator to activate it." Twilight could feel her heart swell a little in a brief flutter of happiness. The question just asked was an advanced examination question, one that should have been tested for the exam, stumping many a student. But not her. "Well, I simply picked up and used Sunset's magical signature within the gem to disguise my own aura as I ran the trigger!" With that, Celestia's countenance broke into a pleasant smile. "Well done, Twilight," the Princess commented, taking a slow sip from her cup. "If it weren't for how crude the amulet was, your execution of it would have worked perfectly. "Unfortunately, because of that, you've left some of the seats in quite a condition." Flinching slightly, Twilight finally moved from the ground zero of the spell to the base of Celestia's desk. "I apologise again for missing the tests and the destruction of your hall... Princess." "Do not fret, my faithful student. I will set another paper for you to take on another date, and the maintenance ponies should fix the seats later." Twilight's mind ceased to function after the words 'my faithful student'. "Your horn is lit, a sign of extreme ecstasy," Celestia remarked, dryly. A playful smirk was already forming on her lips. "It's either that or you are currently attempting to assassinate me with, ah, a shield spell?" "S-sorry," Twilight spluttered, feeling cheeks flushing with her blood. The glow surrounding her horn blinked off. "Should I not address you as my faithful student? You've been under my mentorship for years already," The Princess said. "It is time I stopped denying myself the use of your rightful title." As soon as she had said the words, Celestia dropped her gaze, seemingly continuing to organise the parchment scrolls on her desk. Blinking, Twilight stepped away from the desk, attempting to ignore the quietly burning smoulders behind her. A strange, uncomfortable silence filled the air. "I'll just... show myself out now..." Twilight murmured weakly. As she stepped out of the imposing wooden door, she saw a pink blur from her periphery, and she glanced. It was Celestia, burying her head in her hooves. --------*☆*-------- Twilight's day definitely was not going to plan so far. After returning to her house to retrieve her personal schedule for the day (finding it still drowning in magical fog), she had found out that she had missed two other events: Sunset's enlistment (which was partly Sunset's own fault for not waking Twilight up), and a lunch meeting with her Star-Swirl the Bearded Enthusiasts Club. She was, apparently, also late for a couple more appointments, like helping out with the preparations for the Grand Galloping Gala. With a sigh, she crumbled the scroll containing her practically useless schedule, before tossing it randomly behind her. She would just have to do without a timetable for the day. "You do know that littering is prohibited in Canterlot, do you not? Even in your own residence?" Yelping, she spun around, locating the position of the voice. Her eyes fell upon an off-white unicorn who was donning the uniform of a janitor, levitating a dirty mop disgruntledly over the crumpled parchment which once used to be her schedule. The janitor, rather uncommonly in ponies of her class, was wearing her single-coloured indigo mane in a set of extravagant curls reminiscent of the aristocratic Canterlot upper-class, but with frayed, jaggedly cut ends. Even her tail seemed to be done in a spiralling curl, except that it looked like it had been brutally chopped off midway through. Standing in front of the front door, she raised her head importantly. Taking in the overall picture of the pony before her, Twilight realised that there was an unusually fancy cleaner standing in her residence, accusing her of littering. "Uh..." Twilight struggled to find words to respond to this very bizarre sighting. "How did you get into my house?" "Why, didn't you know? You've paid for weekly cleaning services for at least a year!" the pony exclaimed, her face scrunching into an ungraceful scowl. Twilight noted that her voice was graced with a seemingly authentic Classical Canterlot lilt, also unique for a cleaning mare. She thought back to all the times she had returned to her residence, surprised to find it spic and span, dismissing it with the simple notion that her roommate had cleaned it. "Did a pony named Sunset Shimmer register for this?" The unicorn dropped her mop into her bucket, training her widened blue eyes at Twilight. "You're the roommate of the Sunset Shimmer?" Averting the mare's gaze, Twilight released a sigh through her nose. "Yes." "Then I'm the roommate of Celestia, you foal," she snorted. "Everypony knows that Sunset wouldn't live in such a dump!" Just great, I'm getting insulted by scum. "Anyway, please do dispose of your litter yourself, darling, as I will not pick that up for you," the unicorn snapped, muzzle wrinkling in distaste. "Or perhaps I will!" Suddenly, Twilight found the crumpled ball of parchment flying at her, and with a squeal, reflexively tried to form a shield around her. As usual, the familiar mental barrier closed around her magic, and she shoved against it, yet another pitiful attempt at breaking her walls. The crumpled paper simply bounced off the side of her head, ricocheting onto the floor again. Twilight didn't care – she was still struggling to set up her shield. "Are you okay?" the unicorn asked, cocking her head to the side. "You're going to lay an egg if you keep up that level of performing constipated faces." Twilight proceeded to slam her head into a wall. "Gerrout..." she mumbled, face still planted on concrete, so close to stabbing her own horn into the concrete. It smelt vaguely of faded flowers, or maybe disinfectant, from such an intimate distance. "I beg your pardon?" "I SAID GET OUT, WHOEVER-THE-HELL-YOU-ARE!" "Fine! If you insist!" There was the sound of trotting, and then a slamming door. Twilight pried herself away from the wall, heart pounding from the first 'H-word' she had ever said in the past year. This wiped out her longest-standing record. She had always consciously reminded herself to replace her 'hells' with 'hays', or perhaps even the longer 'Tartarus' (though, she had stopped using 'Tartarus' after Sunset laughed at her pronunciation). But some ponies just deserved to receive...uh, hay... from her. Lowering her head, Twilight levitated the crumpled ball of parchment from the floor and dunked it into the nearest paper basket. --------*☆*-------- Author's Note Next: The Journal of the Ashes A big thank you to anybody who reads this story! Honestly, I don't expect many people to read Astrum Nova, so I'm kinda grateful for the people who read this. This story is basically a tribute to great adventure stories of pony-based fiction: Stories like the Immortal Game, Fallout: Equestria, Five Score Divided by Four, etc. Have a nice day!
The Journal of the Ashes Dear Twilight Sparkle, I am rather pleased to say that your long-time friend and classmate Sunset Shimmer has been accepted into the Hyperion Guards! As a supporter and user of solar magic, she was almost immediately accepted by Lightfall into her ranks. Though at the current moment, Equestria is at peace, she would hence fight as one of my personal guards during times of war. I hope that you would offer your congratulations to her when she returns to your residence. Your Mentor, Princess Aurum Solis Celestia P.S. Your previous housekeeper had resigned the day before. I have taken the liberty to hire a new maid for you. Her name is Rarity, and today would be her first day at work. Please treat her well. P.P.S. Do take the rest of the day off. I have cancelled whatever appointments you have for this afternoon and evening. Meet me at sundown in the lecture hall. Twilight skimmed through the note, scribbled hastily on a piece of torn, old parchment with a broken quill-nib. If it weren't sealed with the Imperial Brand, she would have thought the note was written by a particularly lazy Celestia impersonator. However, the little memo still carried the elegance of the Princess's glorious, loopy horn-writing, and only Celestia herself can produce the famous Imperial Brand to seal her letters. Alas, Twilight had no choice but to deduce that, yes, indeed, the note was written by her mentor. She had found it on her mattress, rolled up neatly on her pillow, as if Celestia had known all along that Twilight would have a falling out with her cleaning mare and flop huffily onto her bed in a fit of rage. And oh, that cleaning mare! Twilight knew her name now, and it tasted foreign, perhaps a little bitter in her mouth. If only she had known that Celestia sent Rarity, maybe then would she have tolerated the mare's snarky tone and haughty glances for a while more. Now Little Miss Arrogant would probably have complained her head off to the Princess. Yes, Little Miss Arrogant. The name sounded far more familiar to her than Rarity. Groaning, Twilight pulled her pillow over her head. She couldn't believe that the news about Rarity took up more space in her mind than Sunset 's enlistment. Honestly, though, she couldn't even muster an iota of surprise when she had found out – the prodigious Shimmer always seemed to get what she wanted. Twilight shut her eyes, sealing the contents of her letter away in the back of her mind. She would not stress about the looming meeting at sunset, nor would she harbour any expectations about it. Her day was going so terribly at this point that all she wanted for it is to be over. Rolling off the bed, she stepped onto the ground. The area around Sunset's chifforobe was still covered in a dense, magical fog, swirling lazily with violent shades of red, purple and green. I never knew that broken charms could cause such contamination... What did Sunset even put into her amulets?! Experimentally, Twilight dipped a hesitant hoof into the mist, and a subtle chill permeated her bones, filling her with ice. She jerked it out, leaping backwards. Her hoof was now a deep shade of olivine. So much for spell damage safety standards. --------*♢*-------- "Sweetie?" Rarity called. "SWEETIE!" Sweetie Belle peeked out from behind the couch. "Rarity?" Glancing at the old clock on the wall, she frowned suspiciously at Rarity's advancing form. "You're back kinda early... too early..." Rarity fought the urge to roll her eyes and reply "You don't say?" back at Sweetie. Instead, she forced her face into a smile she hoped appeared kind and compassionate. "The food combination you've always wanted to try is a double hayburger, with fries, and a strawberry milkshake to go," she replied. " Also, since a year back, you forced me to say that every time I come home." Satisfaction glowing in her eyes, Sweetie curled back into her corner behind the couch. Sighing, Rarity pulled her cleaning uniform off, staring at their house. It was dilapidated, leaning sadly to the right, on the verge of collapse. The hay roof was rotting and parts of it were missing, causing rainwater to drip slowly down to their equally soggy wooden floorboards. A few buckets were placed under some of the holes in the roof, but after ten holes, they ran out of buckets and will to live. Rolling up her uniform, she dunked it into a half-filled bucket. "Why are you home so early, anyway?" Sweetie questioned, aiming her bright green eyes at Rarity. From her dark area, those eyes almost seemed luminous. "You didn't lose your job, did you?" "No, I didn't," she replied, annoyance creeping into her tone. "I just–waHAHA!" Triumphantly, Rarity pulled her mane brush from under Sweetie Belle's couch. "Found it! My mane can finally stop looking utterly dreadful!" She gestured wildly towards her frayed curls, grinning in excitement. " This is the best possible–" A loud snore exploded from her younger sister's mouth. From her curled up position at the rear of the couch, she looked wretched, pathetic even. Heaving a sigh, Rarity set down her brush. Trying to keep her hoofsteps low and soft, she swiftly went into her room, the only usable one in their house other than the living room. The rest were either too waterlogged from the previous night's storm or too unstable due to the winds. A box was sitting on the floor, cardboard and filled to the brim with shards of glass and wooden chips. A large label was plastered on the side of the box, indicating that it was "RARITYS CHAM BOCKS". She hoped that she had spelt the words correctly, from what she currently knew of the alphabet. Apparently, from what her mother had told her, it was necessary for all unicorns to have a labelled charm box in their home, filled with at least ten basic charms. Picking out a cracked silver of tinted glass, she strung it, an arcane circle spiralling out, turning it into a talisman. Stalking slowly back to her sister, she softly placed it onto her. The terrifying snores abated. She smiled, satisfied, as she launched herself onto the couch. Charms were surely the most useful thing that any unicorn could come up with, especially in the Ponyville Slums. --------*☆*-------- Charms were useless, idiotic items that deserve to go to Tartarus. Twilight thought for the hundredth time as she finally burst through the doors of the lecture hall. The golden double doors slammed into the walls, signalling the arrival of an olivine-coloured, boil-covered, aubergine-maned, student of Princess Celestia. As usual, Celestia was sitting casually in her chair, scribbling something with a snapped white quill, top half of the feather dangling by a thread and swinging in tandem with Celestia's hornwriting. This time, a second wooden chair was placed beside her. "Hello Twilight," her mentor greeted pleasantly, giving Twilight her usual sharp-eyed once-over. "You're looking positively... green today." "Your Highness, I tried to clear up some fog left by this morning's breakage of around a dozen charms. Apparently, it has some effects to a pony who attempts to clear it up with a fog-clearing spell." Twilight replied, tiredly. "My left forehoof is a slightly darker shade of olivine than the rest of my body as I placed it into the fog without any caution whatsoever." She could almost see the laughter streaming out of Celestia's eyes. "Do not worry, the effects of the contamination should be cleared up by the following morning." "Besides, I have something to show you! Come, sit down on this chair." Twilight cautiously took up her seat beside Celestia. It was vaguely uncomfortable and far too tall for her. Her heart was performing some sort of vigorous dance within her chest, and she can smell the fresh, bright scent of flowers, sitting so close to Celestia. She consciously took in every strand of the Princess's neat bun. On her table was a book. It was thick as a tome and just as old, leather-bound (Twilight shuddered as she imagined a cow slaughtered just for the creation of the book), and yellowed. But Twilight's breath caught as soon as she saw the cover. Her cutie mark, in full, accurate colours, was emblazoned onto the leather. "What?" Twilight whispered. "Read it," Celestia commanded. Hesitantly, Twilight levitated the book and opened it. Immediately, she was greeted with the words: "THE JOURNAL OF THE ASHES", followed by a tiny: "By Twilight Sparkle". Twilight blinked, a strange, trickling confusion running down her throat, expanding into something resembling panic. Had she written a book before and completely forgotten about it? Yes? No? Immediately, Twilight was leafing through the pages so fast that she could barely see a thing, except for some snatches of writing. "...the study of stars in..." "Dying sun..." "...the fall of the universe..." The last page finally flipped over and Twilight nearly screamed. It was a full-colour sketch, of her wearing a golden crown, grinning away in a manner the real Twilight would smile back at. And the worst thing? She had a huge pair of Celestia-like wings, spread in its full glory. The book clattered out of her telekinetic grip. Her jaw was hanging, eyes still staring blankly at the picture. " The book was not written by you, but I would like for you to have it, so that you can, ah, get to know the author a little better," Celestia instructed, firmly. " You would not have any more lessons with me until you finish the book." "So... somepony impersonated me?" Twilight asked feebly, staring up at her mentor's eyes. "Please tell me that somepony impersonated me..." "I...I'm not sure myself," Celestia sighed. " I found it with me one night, thousands of years back. It was advanced, way beyond that time." "I had assumed that it was a gift from another alicorn named Twilight Sparkle, and I sent many, many scouts in search of her. But I never did find her. And I suppose you know now why I chose you as my student..." Instead of an all-powerful alicorn, you found a young magicless unicorn, with the same cutie mark and appearance, thousands of years in the future. You took her in anyway, in hopes that she would remember, somehow, about writing the journal. But she didn't. And now she is useless to you. Useless. The true reason of Celestia's mentorship was somehow even worse than the rumours. "But why, why now are you showing this to me?" Twilight choked out. She could tell that tears were streaming out of her eyes. "You could have given this to me earlier, so I could have left and not spend THIRTEEN YEARS OF MY LIFE MASQUERADING AS A STUDENT! OF! YOURS!" "Why, you ask," Celestia replied, quietly. Her face wore a mask of calm, as she trained her eyes on Twilight. Twilight found herself on the floor, thrashing as she was slowly levitated back up until she was level with Celestia. She was thrashing, struggling against Celestia's powerful magic. Betrayer, betrayer, betrayer... "Because I've finally found my Element of Magic, and it wasn't Sunset after all," Celestia enunciated smoothly, holding her grip onto Twilight. "It was you." " I would never have told you about the journal otherwise." Celestia was suddenly pacing, as she continued levitating Twilight. " I'm sorry, if I didn't lock you in a telekinetic grip, you wouldn't have listened. And time is running out. You may have no idea what I'm talking about now, but I need you to know one thing..." Suddenly, the princess released her bun. Her carnation pink mane dangled loosely around her. And then it hit Twilight. What happened to the ethereal mane that had framed her countenance all these years? What happened to the royal regalia that Celestia used to wear? Before Celestia said anything else, Twilight knew the answer, deep within her. "Twilight, the sun is dying." --------*☆*-------- Author's Note Next: Gathering Light Whew... cool season 6 premiere, huh? Sorry for the late release of this chapter!
Gathering Light--------*Ω*-------- Lyra was not sure whether a Star-Swirl the Bearded Enthusiasts Club meeting at 1 a.m was her idea of a good time. But there she was, trotting her way to Twilight's residence in the bracing night (or was it morning?) air, an icy wind biting into her coat, the first signs of winter subtly creeping everywhere. Perhaps she shouldn't have turned up in the first place – she was sorely regretting her decision. Approaching the large wooden doors of her friend's house, Lyra half-heartedly shuffled around on the welcome mat, before knocking. "Hello? Sparkle?" she yelled. " You in there? There better be a sun-damned good reason why–" " OOH LA LA! IT'S ZE DARLING HEARTSTRINGS!" Jumping a little at the shock of the voice, Lyra swivelled her head, golden eyes shifting with curiosity. Finally, they rested upon a deep green silhouette waving her skinny forearms wildly around from a broken window a level above her, yelling in various degrees of bad Pranch. "...Twilight? Is that you?" "OUI!" The figure shouted. Lyra paused. "Why are you green?" She could make out a wild grin on Twilight's shadowed face. "ALLOW ME TO LIFT YOU INTO MA MAISON! JUST LIKE A LITTLE PETITE BAGUETTE!" "To what?" Suddenly, she felt telekinetic energy wrap around her hoof, pulling her unsteadily into the air and locking her into her position. Twilight's. Oh no... ohnonono.But as soon as she zig-zagged upwards a good metre, the grip slipped from her body and a strange, terrifying second of falling tore her mouth into a scream, churning her stomach and flaring up her heart rate. "OUAH, SORRY!" Then all the air fired out of her mouth in a stream of gas as soon as the ground crushed her lungs. Scrambling up onto her hooves, Lyra ignored the sharp, stabbing pain racing up and down her body, instead choosing to glare at the giggling figure of Twilight, focusing hard on ignoring her dizziness and bright yellow dots all swirling around and around her head. The obviously drunk unicorn proceeded to pull a bottle to her mouth, before hurling it into the dark Canterlot streets below her. Lyra winced as she heard the bottle shatter. Littering is prohibited in Canterlot. "Not funny, Sparkle! You know...ugh... ya can't hold your liquor at all," she squinted at Twilight. "Especially anti-hangover liquor." Lyra snarled, tearing her gaze away from her drunk friend. "Forget it, I'm going home." Turning, she immediately face-planted the ground, smashing her muzzle inwards. Howling, she felt herself rolling over, watching vague, colourful spots forming in her eyes, body filling with pain again. Falling two times in a couple of minutes was not doing any good to her. Instinctively, she reached for her muzzle, and it came away with splatters of crimson liquid. "UGH!" She had tripped over a book. It was tattered and old, spine half broken and pages flying about as if it had been thrown from a height. Lyra looked up at the glinting, jagged edges of Twilight's broken window. Levitating the object, she saw that the cover had Twilight's cutie mark emblazoned on it. Shaking her head, she sighed listlessly. Drunk Twilight can get pretty crazy sometimes. Honestly, I can't imagine Regular Twilight tossing a book out like that. Or well, dropping a friend from a metre for that matter. She turned back and took a wistful look at the wildly waving Twilight. "AU REVOIR, CHAÎNE DE COEUR!" Ten minutes later, the journal was left at Twilight's doorsteps, freshly repaired and compiled by a mint-coloured former schoolmate of hers. --------*☆*-------- When Twilight came to, she was vaguely surprised that she didn't feel any grogginess, fatigue, or head implosions impairing her good mood. In fact, she felt... fine. Had she drunk her only bottle of anti-hangover liquor? It sure would explain why she didn't remember the entirety of the previous night. Oh good, I'm purple again. Shifting a little from her current position (slumped on a bookcase), she managed to get up on all four hooves, groaning as she attempted to stretch the ache out of her bones. Then she trod upon a shard of glass. Twilight blinked. Only then did she realise that there was a gaping, jagged hole in the glass of her three-storey high, floor-to-ceiling window right in front of her. Twilight blinked again. Was it caused by Sunset? But Sunset didn't come home the previous night. Or at least, Twilight thought so. Twilight proceeded to blink so hard that she saw splinters of a golden sun within her eyelids. The journal. Suddenly, her encounter with Celestia exploded into her mind in full force, and every detail slipped cleanly into place – her rage, her sorrow, her reason for drinking. But, where the hay is the journal?! A spark ignited in her head, and a vague, half-formed memory of her hurling a book out of a window flickered, before disappearing. It was slowly dawning on her, like the warm rays of Celestia's (unfortunately, dying) sun rising above the horizon. Twilight galloped towards the hole, hoping against hope that it was still there. Pleasedon'tletitbegone, Pleasedon'tletitbegone, Pleasedon'tletitbegone... The journal was gone. Twilight stuffed a hoof into her mouth, muffling the manic scream that echoed through the air. With a pair of terribly constricted pupils, she stuck her head out, pulling half her body out of the window with it, sweeping her gaze everywhere in search of the tiny brown book. In her precarious position, blood was rushing to her head, filling her vision with an unhealthy dose of blurriness. Some of the jagged glass edges were digging into her torso, fueling her with even more adrenaline as she shoved even more of her body out of the window, hanging upside down and frantically scanning the area. This was it. If she had lost the book, she was going to willingly allow the last remaining blasts of Celestia's sun fire to flay her alive, maybe even allowing the masses to desecrate her mangled corpse. Because, if she lost the book... "Does this say that the sun is dying, or the soon is dying? " a voice asked, a pleasant lilt rising the ends of her words. " I am at least half sure that the second interpretation isn't quite correct." Twilight's ears perked up instantly, and her limp abdomen suddenly found the strength to pull her upper half skywards. "HEY! Could you pass me the book you're reading from? I think that's mine!" The voice seemed to be coming from downstairs. "How about ... no?" Perhaps this was one of Sunset's aristocratic acquaintances. They all seemed to share her mean streak. "Okay," Twilight breathed, sliding back through her window. "Maybe you don't know the importance of this book, and I'm not going to tell you anyway because it's confidential. But it was given by Princess Celestia to me with specific instructions, and whoever you are, you seem like you don't quite know how to read. This immediately takes away whatever rights you have over the book!" The voice huffed a very familiar huff. "Fine! If you really want the book that much, come get it! I'm downstairs, and I'm sure you know who I am, darling!" Darling. Oh, yes indeed did she know who the mare was. Soon, she was galloping down the stairs, skidding to a stop at the base, and dashing to the living room sofa where Little Miss Arrogant was lounging on, mop and bucket leaning to the side nearby. "You give the book back now... or I–I'll fire you!" she threatened, panting away. Rarity proceeded to flip nonchalantly through the pages. "You don't have to worry about me gleaning information off this book. I really can't read! Anyways, if it really were top-secret, it wouldn't have been just sitting there near your door." Rarity leaned forward conspiratorially. "So I want to know what exactly this is all about." She continued. "And especially why this book is one huge charm." "A... charm?" "Yes! Can't you sense it? Perhaps, you just need to be a little better at magic, dear. Besides, why else would I pick up a book if I can't read?" Twilight's face was beginning to slide gradually up the scale of purpleness. She would not lose her temper, no, not to Rarity. Briefly, she considered asking about where Rarity got her knowledge of charms from if she couldn't read, before realising that it would merely make her appear even more idiotic to the cleaning mare. She would have to resolve this... diplomatically. By explaining everything. Besides, she was a mere cleaning mare and Twilight just needed somepony to confide in. At worst, she would just have to cast a binding oath on Rarity to never tell anypony about this. "Alright, Rarity, you win this time," Twilight sighed. "I'll tell you why I have this book in the first place, and in return, you'll help me trigger the charm in the book. Deal?" Twilight watched as Rarity's slightly manic gaze fell upon the journal, and Twilight recognised the look: the cleaning mare was tracing the magical signature of the charm-caster. "Deal," she replied softly. Twilight took a deep breath and settled beside Rarity. --------*☆*-------- Celestia sat Twilight down onto the marble floor after the revelation, leaving her panting and gazing in horror at the sun princess. "The sun is dying?" she attempted to clarify. She knew it was wrong to obfuscate stupidity, just for the sake of siphoning more information from her mentor, but she needed to know, she needed to stop it. Somehow, Celestia must have known the solution to this, right? Her mentor always knew! Celestia was omnipotent, a goddess. This was a test, just a test. But no, she can't deny this. Her sun was dying, she was dying, WHAT WILL BECOME OF EQUESTRIA? "Twilight Sparkle, you have to calm down," Celestia said, not unkindly. "CALM DOWN?!" She knew she had gone from merely looking shaken to having a full-blown panic attack. Her irises had constricted into pinpricks, and her ears were flat against her skull. Her legs were trembling, she was about to give out. She had so many questions, her head was going to explode. Be rational, be rational, handle this like a princess would, but her princess was dying. Suddenly, Celestia rested upon her haunches in front of Twilight. "Every problem has a solution, and so does mine. I just need you to calm down, alright?" the princess muttered level-headedly. Twilight hated being treated like a foal, but this time, her mentor's words had soothed her. She breathed, pressing her eyelids shut to squeeze out her tears, and then placing one green forehoof over another. "Okay, tell me then. Tell me how to stop you and your sun from dying." Gently, Celestia levitated the journal up to Twilight's eye level, flipping through the pages faster than a hummingbird's wingbeat. Finally, she rested upon a page titled "the Elements of Harmony" accompanied by a detailed quill sketch of a strange looking crystalline tree, collections of baubles hanging down its crooked branches. It had five ... fruits, if Twilight wanted to be vague, but they looked more like gemstones embedded in the branches. Even more strangely, the most attention-grabbing trait of the tree was her cutie mark, a six-pointed star bursting outwards at the centre of the tree. She met Celestia's eye, and the only thing she managed to receive from her gaze was a twinkle of excitement glinting off her lavender irises. "The Elements of Harmony? But they... don't they form that barrier around Equestria? Can they save your sun too?" "Well, the book offers some explanation about the Elements, and I fear that we have been using them wrongly for the past eons," Celestia replied uncertainly. "If this Twilight Sparkle can be trusted..." The princess proceeded to leaf idly through the pages. "But research conducted on the Elements did indeed show that they are capable of displaying the traits that Alicorn Sparkle wrote about. Though, perhaps she may be exaggerating when she mentioned about the incidents where she had utilised the Elements to blast a disturbing amount of rainbow light at her foes." Unicorn Sparkle sagged a little. Her supposed counterpart had certainly done a lot more in her life. Wincing, she allowed a little bit of jealousy weave into her, a budding little flame of hatred beginning to burn in her heart. "Apparently, she also occasionally referred to herself as Princess Celestia's Faithful Ex-Student, though I had never taught her in my life." Twilight's once tiny flame raged into a wildfire. "So, are you really planning to use the Elements for your sun then? Just blast the darn thing with rainbow light to keep it alive?" "No. The Elements can only be wielded by six ponies who each display a virtue so powerful, the gems would latch themselves to the souls of the ponies. A part of their magic would remain in the Bearers' soul, blessing their respective Bearer with power that they cannot suppress or destroy for eternity, even if they relinquish the Elements themselves. Of course, such power comes with a price. The six ponies would be forced to face foe after foe, all threatening their homeland, fighting battles to defeat or reform the enemies with their Elements. And now, the 'enemy' that the Elements have to face is the death of the sun. I am hoping, that with the power of the Elements, we can somehow save the sun, and our world." Her fire extinguished itself. Suddenly, she felt small amidst Celestia's determined gaze, her magenta eyes sweeping around the room and blazing with such a burning passion that the student suddenly shrank to the size of an ant. "Oh..." "And what I'd like for you to do, Twilight, is to help me to gather the Elements. Refer to the journal. Learn its secrets, " Celestia instructed. "Get to know the other Twilight Sparkle." Slowly, as if unwilling to part with the book, her mentor passed the book to Twilight. "Do not drop the book again." Twilight nodded a little, before enveloping the book with her purple magic. Celestia gazed at her as she hesitantly leafed through the pages, fully aware that the princess was looking over her shoulder. "And so, I'm not allowed to return to you until I discover the journal's secrets? Why?" she asked, bitterly. "So that I know that you have changed. The discovery of the journal's secrets would help you along the way, help to band together the Elements of Harmony." "And how would you know that I have discovered its secrets?" Celestia's eyes turned vacant in thought. "When you return with true friends." --------*♢*-------- " – And so I went straight home, got drunk in my misery and threw the book out of my window in a fit, where you found it," The mare rasped, before coughing a little. "Now, I think I need some water..." Rarity could only blink strangely at the lavender-coated unicorn. And then a creeping awareness came back to her. She closed her gaping mouth. She wasn't sure what to think of this. Her mind had ceased to function. The tension hanging in the air was almost palpable, morphing into something resembling awkwardness. She glimpsed at the mare, whose expression was completely unreadable. Rarity had to say something, fast. Gain some leverage. Paper over the awkwardness. "So, what's your name?" she blurted out, a nervous grimace coming over her countenance. Beautiful job, Rarity. The mare's eyes widened, jaw hanging in shock. "Is that the first question you ask a pony when they reveal something like that to you? And more importantly, you mean you still don't know who I am?" "Er..." – Rarity chose not to answer the first question – "I really don't know your name." "B-but the insults? The snarking? What?" "Darling, I do that to any Canterlot noble I meet, just to mess with them," Rarity chuckled. "Especially those who register for cleaning services under the name of Celestia, and then forget all about registering for cleaning services!" She remembered spitting out her drink when her supervisor told her who signed up for their cleaning service. Originally, she was rather excited to take up cleaning 'Celestia's' residence, mainly because she had wanted to meet the princess impersonator in real life, hoping that she would be a rather... interesting pony, preferably an intrepid, down-to-earth unicorn who enjoyed fashion and books on the side. Turned out that what she got was a humourless Canterlot Noble who only registered under the name of Celestia to receive the best of cleaning services. Her supervisor managed to get him arrested for impersonation. Then, a couple of months later, they had received an actual letter from Princess Celestia (Embarrassingly, her supervisor had had to read the letter out to her, as if she were a foal) telling her to offer her cleaning services to a house. This house. Obviously, she had burst in, cannons blazing and ready to insult the homeowner so hard that they would immediately fire her. She was so tired of stuffy nobles who viewed themselves as worthy of every good thing in the world. They had, after all, reduced her to nothing more than the mudwater unicorn who spoke with a poisoned tongue and a sharp accent that they all viewed her as. Nothing but an empty shell of who she used to be. But the feisty mudwater was her identity now, and her routine. But now, her world has been thrown into a tailspin. She could almost imagine Equestria breaking down into utter chaos if new of the dying sun gets out. In her world of secrets and lies, Twilight's brutal truth nearly made her nauseous. Rarity's train of thought derailed and crashed into a gorge as the unicorn before her cleared her throat. "Anyways, my full name is Twilight Velvet Sparkle III, and I am the daughter of Twilight Comet Velvet and Night Light, sister of Shining Armour, and I can tell you my entire family line all the way up to Clover the Clever. So, please, don't doubt my lineage." Upon saying then, Twilight seemed to wilt, as if bracing herself for more insults or questions. She looked as if she had faced instances where another Canterlot noble really had forced her to recite her entire family line. Perhaps she should skip teasing Twilight about this. In the end, perhaps this tiny, mulberry-hued scholar was different from the rest of the aristocrats. "Alright then," – Rarity shrugged – "Hello, Twilight." Twilight blinked in shock. She seemed to do that a lot, actually. "You – of all ponies – aren't gonna question my lineage?" "Well, after all, I'm just your humble cleaning mare. I couldn't care less about whether you're related to a great magician or not," Rarity replied as nonchalantly as she could. She was, in fact, interested that Twilight had descended from Clover the Clever, but she shoved her questions right down her throat. "What I care about, however, is that you seem to be going on some epic adventure quest to save the sun!" A blush crept along Twilight's muzzle. "Well... It's more of a fetch quest for the Princess. Y'know, get the Elements, blast it at the sun, yadda yadda... According to her, I'm already one, so I just need to get five more." Her rapidly building mental image of a group of heroes wandering in vast plains and slaying monsters immediately shredded itself into pieces. "Since you put it that way," Rarity huffed. "If it's a fetch quest, don't you have a main quest to tend to?" "Er...what? I meant a fetch quest, as in a quest-like mission to fetch things for the Princess, and then be done with it. There's no main quest to this or anything! What did you think I meant?" Rarity recalled Sweetie Belle forming her own games and playing them with her neighbours in their little hut, repeatedly sending a dirty-looking foal named Bulletin on 'Fetch Quests' to run errands for her. "Oh. Um..." "Never mind," –Twilight levitated the book impatiently, gaining back her usual air and saving her from another awkward silence – "You promised me that you would help me trigger the book's charm?" Rarity's lips curved into a grin. This surely was her usual territory. "With pleasure." Seizing the book, she felt the familiar warmth of the charm within her telekinetic grip. Shutting her eyes, she slowly released her magic into the book, searching the composition of the pages for a hint of magical energy. You can do it, Rarity. Charms are your special talent, after all. Such a well-hidden spell. Where was it? It seemed like it was coming from everywhere, yet nowhere. Tenderly, she flipped the pages, weaving tendrils of her own magic into the parchment and feeling the words for magical signatures of any sort. "Anything yet?" "Please, do shut up Twilight." "Sorry." Rarity squeezed her eyes shut even tighter, almost seeing highlights of purple magic within her eyelids. Wait, they were purple highlights! Squealing, she traced her magic through the page over and over, searching for the core of the charm. Now, all she had to do was to find the magical signature of the caster and disguise her own! Gathering traces of the caster, she imagined sewing a patchwork quilt of purple magic together, carefully draping her own pale blue magic with the disguise, before allowing the charm to siphon her disguised tendril of magic. Any moment now... You're not Twilight Sparkle. Screaming, Rarity leapt away from the book, forcefully severing the connection and causing an electric blue mushroom cloud to bloom within her head, obscuring her vision with brilliantly vibrant mist. She impacted upon something hard, blinking rapidly as the fog intensified, clouding her sight with more and more blue until nothing was left. "RARITY!" And then all sound faded out. Suddenly, she felt Twilight coming upon her, cradling her head. There was a silence for a while as Rarity's heart filled with mounting panic. A faint point of gleaming pink emerged out of the blue, and the fog seemed to dissipate around the focal point, clearing a corona of light for Rarity to see and hear out of. " –Never thought a backfiring charm could be so serious, for heck's sake, your eyes turned brilliant blue, pupils and all! Did you even remember to disguise your– " "Twilight, your book can talk. It wants you, and specifically you, to unlock the charm. " Rarity shifted her eyes in order to capture Twilight withing her slowly expanding range of vision, only to see Twilight with her horn still ignited and jaw slack. "The charm in your book appeared powerful enough to keep itself well-hidden within the fibres of parchment and was fully capable of recognising my magical signature beneath the disguise. It then decided to unceremoniously throw me out of the connection. Don't worry too much, however, the magical signature of the charm seemed to be a slightly altered version of yours anyway, so you shouldn't have too much of an issue. " She could now see and hear everything, despite a couple of blue spots in her vision. Blinking rapidly, she focused her gaze on Twilight, who looked thoroughly confounded. "Thank you for clearing the backfire, by the way. I would have turned blind if it weren't for your spell," Rarity muttered hesitantly. Honestly, her heart was still pounding from the strength of the charm, nearly threatening to leap out of her chest cavity. "Well, don't thank me. The usual spell should take less than a second to completely clear the fog, but I can't cast the entirety of that spell, with my defective magic and all, so..." –Twilight shook her head– "Anyway, you can leave if you want. If what you said earlier about the charm was true, I think I'll just unlock it myself." "Nonsense! I'm staying here, " Rarity snapped resolutely, resting upon her haunches. "There has to be a reason why the charm is so well-guarded and so I want to see what spell it's hiding." "Okay then, if you say so," Twilight replied, arching her eyebrows. "Anything else I should know about the charm before I try to trigger it?" Rarity thought for a moment, recreating her few moments of connection within her mind. She bit her lip. "Well... yes actually. It seemed intelligent, and I think that by activating it, it would allow access to a lot more hidden charms in the pages. It is somewhat of a Gateway Amulet. And, um, by the way, there is a very, very high chance that Alicorn Twilight was the one who cast that charm, from the looks of the signature." "Yeah, yeah, since she's so great and all," Twilight sighed bitterly. "Seriously, is there anything she didn't do?" "Ramble jealously about her alicorn counterpart, perhaps." The seething purple unicorn before her shot her a glare and proceeded to light her horn, pointing it at the journal. Then, she closed her eyes, and a tiny arcane circle on the page flared to life, rotating slowly. Rarity gazed upon the sight with slight curiosity. She had never seen a charm so powerful that it actually manifested on the container itself. "Come on...come on..." Rarity heard Twilight whisper, watching as the unicorn's horn glowed brighter and brighter. ACCESS GRANTED. MAIN CHANNEL LOG ACTIVE. WELCOME, TWILIGHT SIXLE, TO THE MAIN CHANNEL LOG. YOU HAVE FIVE KEYS LEFT TO FIND. RARITHREE ATTEMPTED TO ACCESS THE MAIN CHANNEL WITHOUT KEY 3: ACCESS DENIED. UNKNOWN-36 PRECEDED REPAIRS FOR CHARM NUMBERS 33, 74, 342 AND OTHER PHYSICAL DAMAGE: NO ACCESS TO MAIN CHANNEL REQUESTED. BACKUP 2,491,519,250 INITIATED. Twilight disconnected , blinking rapidly as she backed away from the charm, which had gone silent. "Did you hear that? What was it? And it said all of that garbage in some demented version of your voice!" Rarity squealed, eyeing suspiciously at the journal. A hungry light filled Twilight's eyes as she tapped her hoof on her chin. "Judging by what it said, it is a log charm. I've even got somepony to cast it on my Star-Swirl the Bearded Enthusiasts Record Book some time ago! It records all of the activities performed on the object for the day each time it is touched, as a safety measure." Rarity approached the journal, processing the information about log charms. She supposed that it is a classic example of the Canterlot Upperclass style of things: great technologies and spells created just to benefit the aristocrats. "Except usually, they don't talk out aloud, and they definitely don't assign weird names to each pony (Sixle, Rarithree and Unknown-36? Seriously?). But for this particular log charm, I think it's placed really powerful, and in addition, placed on another complex spell grid... the main channel thingy." Twilight rambled, scurrying closer to the book. "In that case, I think we did activate the charm! And judging that there are more than 342 charms in this book alone, you were right, the log charm also doubled as a Gateway Amulet." "Well, then, I'm just going to... ah, play along," –Rarity managed a wan smile– "What now?" "We open the journal and try to trigger every darn charm in its pages," Twilight suggested. "This book is probably more potent than all the talisman-cored heat generators throughout Northern Manehattan combined, and we should try to know as much as we can. Only then can we start gathering the Elements of Harmony. I have a feeling that there's more to the Elements than simply gathering six ponies together to have a fun time. If only Princess Celestia could have been more specific..." "We?" Rarity asked, tentatively. She could hardly believe her ears. "Yeah. We. You've helped a lot so far, and maybe you can help even more," Twilight continued smoothly, her expression as smooth and flat as glass. "Keep in mind, though. This isn't an offer for friendship. We'll just form a mutual alliance in trying to unlock all the journal's charms, and you'll help me with finding all the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. In return, I will give you a share of bits from the Royal Treasury and erase your status as a mudwater." Her heart sank. She could believe her ears. The above proposal was hardly warm or inviting, but Rarity smiled anyway. "I agree to your proposal." With that, Twilight's face broke into the most relieved smile that Rarity had ever seen. "Thanks. Official alliance?" The unicorn's right forehoof was stuck out. Rarity reached out too, hooking her limb in a hoof shake and hoping that her smile reached her eyes. For the second time that day, she struck a deal. "Official alliance." --------*♛*-------- You wear your heavy crown of black, and sit upon the throne of might, She slammed her hoof onto the table, eyes watering as she leaned backwards, dry pills slithering their way down her throat. They left an intense bitterness in her mouth and throat, almost burning her taste buds with the thickness of the herbs. Then the pain started. "Shit. Shit!" "Ma'am! Ma'am, do you need some water?" The servant skittered towards her, offering a glass of clear water. She shook her head, shutting her eyes to alleviate the pounding headache that was crawling its way around in her head, writhing snakes of agony which refused to abate. This servant was new, wasn't he? "No! It's perfectly fine!" she managed to grunt, flashing a nervous grin at the trembling earth pony stallion. No, not a stallion. He was still very much a colt, one at the cusp of adolescence. A silver cape of nighttime, woven with shattered starlight, The colt nearly dropped the water. He fumbled a little, attempting to stabilise the cup atop his hoof before sparing a hasty bow, rushing right out her office. With that, her grin faded, and she collapsed on the carpeted ground, feeling the impact replacing her previous pain with a new one. New pain was always better. And then, as per usual, she heaved and threw up a mouthful of fluids, staining her mouth with a strange combination of bitterness and the metallic slickness of her blood. Eyeing her vomit, she groaned. Rolling over, she forced a telekinetic grip onto her own belly, and the rest of her stomach's contents emptied itself out, along with the two black pills of poison. With quiet satisfaction, she got back up, shivering with glee as her headache slowly ebbed away. Tomorrow, she would have to do this again, though. And the next day. And the day after. An eternity of daily pain and vomiting. She had done this for so long that even the original reason for this daily routine was long lost to her. But that's alright. She would go through her round of pills, sit through work, then go through her pain again. She would never break her routine. Never. Ever. But in the end, you sing your song, left broken, Gathering Light. Author's Note Next chapter: At the Crux Expect lots of Sunset
At the Crux--------*♞*-------- The Crux Heartstrings Airship Bay was packed, filled with increasingly impatient unicorns. Apparently, the Bay was closed. Long lines of ponies had formed at the ticketing areas, and many a tired looking unicorn were setting up camp outside the building, pitching fancy looking tents in haphazard, snaking rows. If one listened carefully, a few snatches of speculation were floating through the air. Some said there had been some sort of fire or attack by the Supremacists. Some whispered that there had been a break in. Some even shouted that one of the cross-shaped piers jutting out of the side of Canterlot Mountain had fallen. Sunset Shimmer was lying in one of those tents, dying from the summer heat. She had made it a point to purchase a plain looking one, so as to not draw attention, but it still had her cutie mark emblazoned proudly on the outside, waving slowly in the brisk winds outside. At the moment, Sunset was listlessly flipping through her entrance exam paper, frustratedly glancing through the occasional red crosses that were marring her otherwise tick filled scroll. "Incoming!" Suddenly, a brilliant purple blur filled her vision, impacting upon her muzzle and bouncing off. "Ow!" Sunset looked up blearily, and noticed that the tent door had tied itself back, revealing a very familiar looking general. He was smiling, all right, but there was an unfamiliar tightness around his eyes. She immediately shifted to the left as Shining Armour crawled in, before drawing her right foreleg up in a sloppy looking mock salute. "You didn't have to throw my sandwich at me, sir." "Sorry, didn't think that you'd be distracting yourself with your scroll," the General replied airily, tearing open the rose-hued casing of her own sandwich. He then proceeded to eye it carefully. "Hey, look! This thing matches the colour of my magic!" Shimmer rolled her eyes, before sinking her teeth into her hay bacon sandwich. "Yeah, and the bacon in here matches my mane." "Rulebook states that I should be launching an incendiary spell up your muzzle for that. Too bad, though, I would rather not." – Armour's pupils shrunk slightly. – "Keep that up and your insides will become fire." Shimmer fought the urge to roll her eyes again. "Sure thing, boss. Not like we're following the rulebook by being out here at this time, anyways." Shining turned towards Sunset, meeting her unimpressed gaze. A flatness came upon his lips. "You gotta learn some respect, Lance Corporal. I've known you for years already, and you're still like this." "Still, you don't have to try to act tough just to –" Shining then proceeded to levitate his sandwich casing and place it lightly on Sunset's horn, shocking her into silence. It stayed. Sunset used to wonder why Captain Night even got his (patient and comparably gentle) son to join the military. She knew that Night Light spoiled his children, which explained why both his children were insufferably sheltered. At least Twilight Sparkle had her plethora of dangerously high marks to serve as her reinforcements. Hell, she was so highly intelligent that Sunset was sure that Sparkle had upstaged her in terms of the number of memorised spells in their brains, which proved highly worrisome even for a pony like her (one who was incomparably beautiful, smart and powerful) . Thankfully, Twilight had been crippled in terms of her magical power, causing Shimmer to rest comfortably on her high throne. Anyways, she had actual leverage to use against Twilight, all within her head. However, Shining had little of Twilight's tenacity or supposed intelligence in the first place, leaving him with kindness, patience and protectiveness as his sole merits. Sunset had always felt that ponies which dealt mostly in defensive strategies and barrier spells were not worthy of joining the Equestrian Military. Well, yes, she knew that it was called the Royal Guards for a reason, but one who only defended would do little against a greater threat. All in all, she did not revere Shining Armour as she did for Lightfall. This was all a year ago, before she watched him plan out the sequence of a potential assassination based on the flaws of their defence and anti-rebellion systems in a grand total of three weeks. And it covered the murder of all 116 of the government officials. Sure, the plan was a commission by the Duke in order to further improve the security of Central Manehattan, but the whole incident scared Sunset. A lot. Thankfully, it took one concerned expression on Armour's face to convince Shimmer that he was still the same brotherly stallion she had grown up with. "Oh, crap." The swear immediately brought Sunset back from her own thoughts as focused her gaze on Shining's nervous expression. Shining never swore. Unless... "We're late," she sighed. "Aren't we?" "Yeah. Ditch the sandwich and wipe your muzzle. If Lightfall asks, we ate our lunch at the canteen before teleporting here." She understood. They were supposed to be at work now, and if anypony caught them here in the Crux, they'll experience death by Night Light. As the rulebook said, "...Royal guards who are caught outside castle grounds during their shifts will be subjected to Corporal Punishment." She was pretty sure this didn't apply to Shining or Lightfall though, but they'd be pretty pissed if they're forced to explain why the three of them are at the Crux at this time. So, Lightfall stated the specific instruction to teleport immediately from the castle to their meeting spot. She figured that she would just skip lunch and do the teleportation. Sadly, they had some... technical difficulties, namely the facts that the place was closed and the entire interior of the bay was lined with anti-teleportation wards. It had been quite a sight when they zapped into existence on the roof of the place. Therefore, they took the logical route: getting a tent and having lunch. "Where are we supposed to meet Lightfall now that the airship bay is closed?" Sunset asked, raising an eyebrow at Shining, who was frantically pacing in the already cramped tent. "I don't see how Lightfall would ever find us in this mess." He paused, settling back down tensely. "Fair point." "Yeah, yeah," Sunset muttered. "All about punctuality, aren't you?" Shining didn't reply. A shadow passed over his muzzle, shading the twinkle of his cornflower blue eyes. After a few uncomfortable moments of silence, he looked up again. "Lance Corporal Shimmer, do you know what this meeting would even be about?" She hesitated. "No... sir." "Never mind, then," he sighed. He went back to being uncharacteristically silent. Something exploded within Sunset Shimmer. She reared up on her hind legs, slamming downwards inches before of Armour's eyes. He released a tiny squeak. "Look, Shining. It's pretty damn obvious that you're hiding something. SPILL IT NOW, GENERAL!" she snarled, ramming her head into Shining's. It was an intimidation tactic she used to perform on him when they were foals. "That's an order!" He backed up into the tent wall, shoving up against the canvas. His horn was charged with purple light, withstray wisps curling off it. He looked... aggressive, quite unlike him. "FINE! Just get off me!" Yet again, her trick worked. "I mean, I wan– Lightfall asked me to do something I didn't want to do, okay?" – he glowered at Sunset. – " And no, she didn't ask me to do the hanky-panky with her, or bathe in corndogs, or pitch headfirst off a cliff. It's just... complicated. Really complicated. And you're gonna get your flanks whopped for ordering a general around!" She smirked, folding back upon her haunches and telekinetically brushing some stray hairs back into her wavy red-and-gold locks of mane. Sure, she was definitely not satisfied with his answer, but she'll find a way to snatch his answer from his mind. She had the feeling that whatever he was not telling was very valuable. With that, she made up her mind. "Thanks for telling me about your problem." Shining Armour laughed mirthlessly. "You're not happy with my answer. I can tell as much." Sunset merely smiled placatingly. "Yeah... maybe. But I have something to show you too." She ignited her horn, which flared a very bright aquamarine. Reaching into her mind, she laid the spell matrix, causing the recorded memory to arise and untether itself from the base of her mind. Armour arched an eyebrow. "This," she said. "Is about your sister. I may or may not have been spying on her. It's valuable information." "You shouldn't be doing that, but..." –Shining's eyes lit up cautiously, burning with an equal mix of admiration and suspicion. – "A... memory? You recorded the scene didn't you? That's really complex magic." Humble face. Put on your humble face, Shimmer. "Um, yes. But it's a long scene. I may pass out at the end. But when I wake up, I need your full answer." Shining's face boiled with a mixture of outrage, fear and concern (for his sister, she supposed). In the end, his curiosity won in his battle royale of emotions. He nodded reluctantly. Concentrating, she projected her thought outwards. To her delight, a stable screen, rimmed in her aura, appeared. It was a scene of a lecture hall, from the point of view of the tall windows behind Celestia. Celestia sat there, scribbling. An olivine hued Twilight Sparkle waltzed in. "Hello Twilight," Memory-Celestia said. "You're looking positively... green today." "Your Highness, I tried to clear up some fog left by this morning's breakage of around a dozen charms. Apparently, it has some effects to a pony who attempts to clear it up with a fog-clearing spell." Memory-Twilight replied. "My left forehoof is a slightly darker shade of olivine than the rest of my body as I placed it into the fog without any caution whatsoever." Shining Armour sat in rapt attention, drawing in the scene. Sunset's eyes, however, were fixed on a leather-bound journal sitting on Celestia's desk. Author's Note Next: Starlight Glimmer Sorry for the reeeallly late update, but I blame my mid-terms. Had to study. Sorry. Fun fact: Night Light has threatened his son about giving him a public bath in corn dogs before. Strange times... Also, Celestia's security is really, really lax. Then again, no one expects a flying Sunset to film you even though you're in a pretty high tower. Anyways, here's your chapter. Have a nice day! EDIT: First dislike! Got any feedback? Put it in a constructive, reasonable way in the comments! DOUBLE EDIT: THIS GOT FEATURED! YESYESYESYESYESYESYES!!!! Thank you everybody who has ever liked or bookshelved Astrum Nova!
Starlight Glimmer (Part 1)--------*♢*-------- The entire morning had been a fiasco. No, Rarity did not use the word to define the part of her day where had joined forces with one of her sworn nemeses (a Canterlot Noble), Twilight Sparkle, to...um do something with a book. No, no. She used it to define something far worse. Lyra Heartstrings. She had burst in, figurative cannons ablaze, detailing the mannerisms of drunk Twilight with gusto. Well, sure, it was entertaining, but watching an increasingly flustered Twilight Sparkle battle for her own innocence got rather annoying, fast. So, Rarity had suggested the brilliant, logical solution: Check their Club's linked record book for evidence that Sparkle had called for a meeting while intoxicated. Unfortunately, Lyra took notice of her little comment, and, well, her. She had realised too late that Lyra was the sister of Vega Heartstrings, which had his house shrouded in spellfire for days after Rarity had tampered with the security wards (In her defense, she had cleaned the room till it was downright impeccable before she'd gotten a little curious about the safety systems of the house). With slowly dawning comprehension, she'd watched Heartstring's expression morph into one of outrage. Rarity ended up with quite an earful. Unfortunately, Twilight (curse that wretch) broke up the legendary verbal smackdown that had ensued between the two ponies. It had been fabulous! Just fabulous! She was winning that sun-forsaken – "Rarity, it's supposed to be an experimental journal entry to see if it would do anything to the journal, so you don't have to tell me the entire events of the morning in third pony," Twilight Sparkle sighed, lifting her quill. "I just needed two sentences! TWO. SENTENCES." She blinked, frozen, before reclining on the sofa. "You asked me to say whatever I want, and you'll write them all down in the journal. You didn't state the exact length of the passage!" "Right, Lyra?" The spearmint-hued mare shifted from her strangely bipedal sitting position, seemingly shaken out of a particularly unpleasant train of thought. "I'm pretty sure that I was winning the darn argument." "Not an argument," Rarity corrected disdainfully. "A legendary verbal smackdown. And I was winning." "Dear Celestia, I give up," Lyra groaned. "Why did I even get involved in this in the first place? I just came here to check on you, Twilight." Suddenly, a vibration rang out like a foghorn. Everypony in the room jumped in shock. "Sorry," Twilight sighed sheepishly. "Must be Sunset." Rarity stared blankly. "Linked record book," Lyra elaborated. She looked tense. "Oh." Dropping the book and the quill, Twilight dashed towards her desk, levitating a book with Sunset's cutie mark. It was flashing and vibrating violently. With a flourish, she opened the book, violet eyes rapidly scanning a page. Rarity could almost see the colour drain out of her face. "Lyra... Sunset's coming in approximately 10 minutes." 3... 2... 1... Lyra's right eye twitched. "Oh shit." "Language," Twilight said, feebly. With a terrified scream, Lyra took off so fast that Rarity could have sworn she was flying. After a brief but weighted silence, the two unfroze– Twilight stalking towards the door and Rarity flopping gracefully back onto the sofa. "So, Sunset actually lives here, doesn't she?" Rarity asked in a monotone, the full weight of the realisation coating her chest cavity with a strange numbness. "Princess Celestia's other student? The Phoenix? Why, if I were Lyra, I would've just stayed put! What is her problem?" Sparkle's face darkened. "Sunset hates the Heartstrings family. Her clan has feuded with the Heartstrings for a long time, and so has mine, but as far as I know, my family and the Heartstrings made up and formed an alliance about twenty years back to break the Apple Family monopoly," Twilight explained. "When we were in school, there was an incident in which Sunset had framed Lyra for destroying the school library." –she shook her head in revulsion– "Lyra was expelled. At that point, the feud reached its worst. The whole thing blew up and became a court case. Thankfully, the Heartstrings won, so Lyra could finally come back to school. "Sunset didn't suffer any consequences for her action, save a scolding from the Princess. From then on, her schemes became more... subtle. Nopony noticed anything, including me, but Lyra just got increasingly fearful of Sunset Shimmer, for Solis knows why. Truthfully, it scared me. I mean, oh Celestia, I've known her for so long! Who knows when she'll just stab your back or decide that she hated you, or something like that. " Rarity winced as an image of a grinning Sunset vaporising a screaming Lyra filled her mind. A bit of sympathy for the unfortunate victim gnawed its way into her conscience. Sure, Lyra Heartstrings (no matter how normal she seemed) was still relatively high up the pantheon of aristocrats. Yes, Rarity had heard of her before meeting her in the flesh. Yes, she had envied her. But she was a pony too. A pony with her own feelings and fears, with a mind teeming with thoughts and joys and pains. And Rarity could very well imagine being in that position: a highborn, respected by many, but still hated by many of the same ranks as her. She could imagine being vaporised– Oh, dear me. "Just a query: How does Sunset feel about having a mudwater in her house?" Rarity asked tentatively. "Mudwater? What mud–" Twilight blanched. "Oh no." Rarity fought the urge to dissolve into nothingness. "Don't worry; I'll simply pretend to do my job. See?" She picked up her mop and bucket, shoving them into Twilight's face. "Nononono don't! I'll solve this, don't worry," Twilight rambled in sheer panic. "Don't worry, don't–" The doorbell chimed – a too-loud fanfare that heralded the arrival of disaster. For the second time that morning. No, actually, third. I wonder if we can ever catch a break? Twilight looked as if she had been run over by a carriage. "I'll go get the door," she said, slowly. "Do your job." Rarity levitated her mop, and with a curt nod, began dipping it daintily in her bucket, not daring to look at the doorway. A couple more fanfares rang out, and she could almost taste Sunset's impatience by then. The door swung open. From her periphery, Rarity could see multiple coloured blobs at the doorway. Twilight was speaking quietly with them. She continued mopping the same area over and over again, anticipation and panic dancing within her as she coated the floor with a layer of soapy liquid. The journal was on the coffee table, lying haphazardly near the edge. Tilting her head, she eyed it warily. From the angle she was standing at, it seemed to be glowing. How queer. How very queer. No. Rarity squinted at it. Upon further investigation, it really was glowing. Glancing helplessly at the main door, she saw that Twilight was awkwardly standing to the side of the door, sweating nervously and floundering in a pool of small talk. She trotted right up to her, grinning feverishly. Two ponies stood beyond the threshold. One was a light grey stallion built with a regal body structure. Buff, but not overly so. He was dressed in partial golden armour, which contrasted well his cerulean mane and eyes. Standing uncomfortably to his side, he wore an expression on his face vaguely reminiscent to that of Twilight's. Rarity could see the family resemblance. She supposed that they also shared the similar bane of small talk. The other had Sunset Shimmer slumped over her back like a sack of potatoes, unconscious, fiery yellow and red mane billowing in the slight breeze. She was a mare, had a coat that was a couple of shades darker than Rarity's, and without armour. Unlike the stallion, she was considerably less imposing, given that she was a mare. However, her striking gamboge irises carried enough intimidation to rival his presence. The most peculiar thing about her was not the fact that she had Sunset lying over her, but her mane. Her arctic blue bangs were draped over one eye and gelled into near rectangular locks, the strangest thing that Rarity had seen all day (and that was saying a lot). "Oh... yes, uh, t-this is Rarity," Twilight muttered weakly. " She's my, um..." "Cleaning mare," Rarity continued, straightening her neck and pushing out her chest. She stuck out a hoof. "Charmed." Suddenly, the stallion's face broke into a smile. He energetically reached out for the hoofshake. "Sweet mother of Celestia! You're the cleaning mare who got Blueblood arrested! A prince!" "Oh yes, the Celestia impersonator. Served him right for pretending to be his own aunt," she proclaimed airily. "And you are...?" "Shining Armour, at your service. And I need your autograph. That guy was such a pain in my flank." The other mare looked on. "Can we come in?" Twilight and Rarity stepped aside, allowing the guests to enter. "Thanks," Twilight breathed. "Why are they all here and why is Sunset unconscious?" Rarity whispered. "They want to do a meeting somewhere undetectable," Twilight hissed in reply. "And Sunset fainted when–" A brilliant white light exploded out from the centre of the room, filling the place with a wave of blistering heat. Rarity screamed and clenched her eyes shut, ducking in futility as every nerve in her body burned, pain clawing at her skin and eyes. Her body seemed to implode as heated air filled her every orifice, boiling her from the inside out. The journal! The light faded, and the heat gave way to cool winds. Rarity opened her eyes, and ghostly white dots seemed to dance across her vision. Hurriedly, she inspected her entire body, going over all the spots she suspected were burnt or injured. Nothing. Not even the single trace of pain or burns remained on her light grey coat. Had she imagined the whole thing? No. Twilight Sparkle was on the floor too, rubbing her eyes and looking around in confusion. Shining Armour was still standing, though a rose coloured shield had formed a dome around him, while the unicorn mare was sheepishly picking up Sunset Shimmer, who appeared to have fallen off her back. The living room was unharmed, save the coffee table which lay in smithereens, silvers of glass forming vaguely concentric rings around a scorch mark on the wooden floor. At the centre of it all, the journal hovered ominously above the destruction, glowing a brilliant white. "What just happened?" Twilight groaned, struggling to her hooves. Then, she took in the scene before her. "Whoa." The floating book remained suspended in midair for several more seconds before falling. Twilight caught it, before yelping and dropping it on the floor. "Don't touch it. It's pretty hot," she mumbled. Taking a few tentative steps towards the journal, Rarity inspected it with wide eyes. It was glowing purple now. ACCESS GRANTED. MAIN CHANNEL ACTIVE. TWILIGHT SIXLE: LOCATED. RARITHREE: LOCATED. S– Twilight frantically shut down the charm. The creepy log went silent. So had everypony in the room. "Well," –Shining Armour cleared his throat.– "That sure was something." "Yep! Sure was something alright!" Twilight chirped with faux enthusiasm. Her usually neat mane was fraying at the ends and dishevelled. "Tell ya what. Shiny and I will carry Sunset to her bed. Fall, you can stay here with Rarity. She'll get you some tea." Rarity raised an eyebrow. "I will?" "Yes please, the teabags are in the pantry," Twilight replied, catching her eyes. Rarity could feel Twilight's panic affecting her psyche. "You will also explain how the journal was just one of our harmless experiments." Shining Armour enveloped Sunset's prone body with his rose coloured magic while ascending the stairs to the bedroom with Twilight. A second rose coloured blob raced after them. It took a while before Rarity realised that it was the journal. Meanwhile, an uncomfortable silence descended upon the two left in the living room. The other mare was looking at the carnage that used to be the coffee table, a ponderous glaze forming over her eyes. Rarity stood awkwardly at the doorway, brushing her frayed mane back repeatedly. Shining Armour seemed easy enough to talk to, but this mare had ...something about her. Under usual circumstances, she would usually stay far away from ponies like her. Why? Because she was getting the same vibe from her as Sweetie Drops. Did that mean she would stay far away from ponies like Sweetie? A memory tugged at the edge of her mind. Sweetie Drops as an adolescent, mane streaked with pink and deep blue, with a faint smile on her face. She was cradling another Sweetie. I'll be back soon, don't worry, Rarity. Sweetie Belle is in good hooves. She was cynical, intimidating and gentle all at the same time. And dead. Rarity shook the thoughts out of her head, instead choosing to focus on the pony before her. "Want some tea, Sw– ...er... Pardon me, but what was your name again?" she asked. "Lightfall," the pony replied, smiling wearily. "And no thanks." "So...coffee?" Rarity asked lamely. "Er, no actually," Lightfall clarified. More silence. This was going to be a long day. Author's Note Next: Starlight Glimmer (Part 2) Sorry for forcing you guys to wait a month for one chapter of filler, but it's all gonna be worth it when the next chapter rolls by. Not spoiling anything, but there's a reason why I decided to split Starlight Glimmer into two (that came out wrong). Please don't kill me and have a nice day! EDIT: Wanna see an extended version of the final scene just to kill time? Click here!
Starlight Glimmer (Part 2)--------*☆*------- "Some gentlecolt you are, letting your female colleague carry Sunset Shimmer," Twilight commented. "We took turns, okay? And it was Lightfall's idea, not mine," Shining Armour snorted indignantly, glaring at Twilight. They reached the end of the stairs, and Shining gently set Sunset down upon her bed. Strangely, the bed creaked way more than it should have, a cacophony of painful noises radiating from the wooden frame and mattress coils, burning through the air. Twilight watched from slightly behind her brother, her every nerve tingling with apprehension. Carefully, she stepped back, sliding the journal under the sheets of her own bed. Glancing back at Shining, she realised that her brother was still staring at Sunset's prone body. "You know," he mused. "She looks almost angelic when she sleeps." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "That was... unnecessarily creepy." Her brother turned towards Twilight. "Speaking of which, did you know that she can fly?" "Fly? As in, self-levitation?" she questioned bewilderedly. What is his point? "Not really. She's too flashy for that. She creates wings out of telekinetic energy and consciously flaps them. Kind of like a pegasus, if the legends were true." Shining continued absently. "Uh...When did you find this out?" Silence. "Just now." His expression morphed into one of frustration. Swiftly stepping back from the bed, he charged his horn with energy. Almost immediately, a rose-tinted dome formed around them. Twilight felt the ambient noise that once filled her ears completely disappear, leaving a tense void in its place. "A Bubble of Silence?" she guessed. Her voice sounded strange in the noiselessness. "Yep," her brother replied. "You can't hear the outside and the outside can't hear you." Did her brother know? Her throat immediately clogged itself. Every thought in her brain, every gut instinct was telling her to dispel the dome and get out. No, I could just run out, couldn't I? Unless – She glanced at the Arcane Circle beneath her. Her heart sank. ...the Boundary acts as a shield enchantment for any physical object that is within it. Since when did her brother use Arcane Circles? "So. Anything you'd like to tell me?" Shining Armour asked. She tried to look as casual as possible. "No." There was a brief silence as Shining glared at her, breathing slowly. "My Celestia, you are bad at lying." "I told you, no means no," Twilight continued, lamely. "I've got absolutely nothing to say." Her brother advanced. Nervously, she backed away until she was against the shield wall. She could feel the thrum of Shining's magic webbing through the surface. The shield wall lurched, tossing her back within the Boundary. She screwed her eyes shut, a thousand thoughts flooding her mind at once as she put a hoof to her head. "Wh-what..." Shining exhaled. "Never mind. I get that you don't really trust me. But keep in mind that I know, okay?" Everything inside Twilight turned into stone. "You know about the–" she gestured vaguely towards the window, where sunlight was spilling through and drenching the room with gold. The jagged hole in the window now seemed twice as glaring. Her brother hesitated, before nodding. Twilight blanched. "How?" "Sunset," – she could sense defeat in his tone – "She flew up to the lecture hall and recorded the scene. You know why she's passed out in here? She showed me the scene. She showed me everything." Sunset knew. Sunset had leverage. Sunset had leverage. To her vague interest, tears were not falling from her eyes. Twilight merely stood – silent and trembling and catching her breath. And thinking. "And... and you're not mad?" Shining Armour raised an eyebrow. "Why would I be?" "I mean..." – Twilight struggled to find the right words – "I thought you'd be mad that Sunset knew, you'd be mad that I even took up the mission in the first place," – she placed a hoof on her face – "Or even worse, you'd be mad that I didn't trust you enough to tell you." Silence. She didn't dare look into her brother's eyes. Twilight stared at the wooden swirls of her teak flooring, eyes tracing the curling patterns they made. "Should I?" –His voice sounded hollow– "Should I be mad at somepony who's trying to save the world?" Twilight hung her head even further, ears flopping down. "Maybe..." "No, I shouldn't. Twily, look at me." His deep blue hoof gently pushed her head up. She met her brother's eyes. They were cerulean – striking and soulful. It had been so long since she last saw his eyes so full of emotion like that. Twilight wanted so badly to cry and hug her brother, lying within his fur for hours like a little filly, where the world couldn't reach her. But she held her ground, holding her breath in a bid to prevent her eyes and sinuses from prickling. She couldn't let her brother watch her dam break. "Twilight Sparkle. What you are partaking in is incredibly noble. I don't know many non-military ponies who would do that for Equestria," Shining stated, smiling. "What I know, however, is that you'll make many enemies along your way. Have you ever considered that some of your Elements may be earth ponies? Or maybe even pegasi?" No, I haven't. Oh no, oh nononononono– "Anyway, I won't stop you from doing this. I know you have always wanted a purpose in life. I know you have always wanted to do something great," –Shining sighed– "And so I'll get to my point: Beware of Sunset. I'm not sure yet how she feels about this whole thing. " Twilight glanced at Sunset's prone body. "On one hoof, she may be happy because she knows that you're not meant to be Celestia's student after all. On the other, she'll be mad that Celestia didn't choose her for this. Either way, she's dangerous. So, uh, always bring shield charms on you. Place security wards everywhere Sunset doesn't do that well with defence," Shining continued. "Thankfully." That Twilight knew. The only thing Sunset has ever had trouble with was breaking and making defences, which she had always made up with rage-filled blasting, obliterating any barrier ahead of her. That in itself destroys any element of surprise she may have had. "So, just...stay safe, okay? Not just for yours and my sakes, but for Dad's as well," –Shining winced– "I don't think he can take the death of another... " Her brother bit his lip. "I'm sure you know what I'm getting at." Twilight's ears flattened against her skull, and time slowed to an agonising crawl. The dome dissolved. For a few moments, the sound of silence remained. Her brother turned and began purposefully trotting out of the room. Twilight waited. The way the conversation ended was off, incomplete. Wrong. They couldn't end like that. She grasped for something else to say – A goodbye? An 'I'm sorry'? Something else, something else... But Shining was already gone. --------*☆*------- She was sitting on her bed, journal in hoof. It had been five minutes after her brother left her room. Truthfully, the length of time she took to collect herself really scared her, especially since she has learned that Sunset knew almost everything. Twilight had always considered herself as rational and in control, and to be as easily triggered as a crudely-made charm... She gnashed her teeth together. This blows. Flopping face first onto the mattress, she folded her forelegs in and brought her head up, going into her sphinx-like reading position. Twilight tossed the journal in front of her and, after fidgeting for a bit, flipped the cover open. After any stressful situations, reading felt like the only way to relieve emotional pressure. Perhaps, she should begin with actually reading the book, for she had been only skimming – Her breath caught. THE JOURNAL OF THE ASTRUM By Twilight Sparkle It had changed. Twilight was sure it had said 'Ashes' a day ago. It wasn't possible, it just wasn't. The title page couldn't have rewritten itself. Frantically, Twilight shut the book, shutting her eyes so tightly that ghostly spots danced within them. 1. 2. 3! The leather cover flung open, aided by the force of her own magic. THE JOURNAL OF THE ASTRUM By Twilight Sparkle Her eyes widened. It was real. She seized the page with her telekinesis, heart fluttering in her chest. A tremor passed through her. Twilight sucked in a breath. The rest of the book. Could it have...? Bracing herself, she flipped the page. Dear Twilight Sparkle, It's me. You know, the other Twilight Sparkle. Princess Twilight Sparkle. Call me what you like. I know it is strange that your so-called counterpart is addressing you directly, but please bear with me here. Right, you've managed to get access to Main Channel as you have managed to get three very important unicorns in the same room. Good job! Alright, I'm going to get to my point. I've left this book with Princess Celestia, as you may already have known. She will not ever see this message. Why? It's simple really. The 'Main Channel' of this book (the one you're reading right now) can only be accessed by you. I'm not sure whether or not she has told you this or not, but Celestia has made a pact with me. Under no circumstances would she ever try to access the other channels of this journal. So, I'll skip over all the details about why this journal exists and all that. I wouldn't want to be ~~superflouous~~ ~~superflooos?~~ too wordy. Anyways, the Main Channel contains all of my friendship lessons. I've spent days transcribing the letters and journal entries (from the Journal of Friendship) onto this book so that you may find out more about the ponies that were my friends. I've also included a drawing of a buffalo dreamcatcher on the next page, with the added bonus of it being enchanted! It works as a signal flare for Luna, who would be drawn to our collective magical signature. Luna has decided to reside in the realm of dreams for a couple of weeks to retrieve and organise the needed memories, where they will remain (perfectly sorted) for however long it takes for you to finally view them. The details of how something may be enchanted to be a virtual flare have been written in the Journal of the Ashes, just in case you would like to know. It's very complicated. Now, with the journal in your hooves, memories would be transmitted to you by accessing very memory ever known to my dimension. Test it out by going to sleep now. Just pay heed: I am writing this in preparation for the time this book will reach your hooves. I don't know when that would be, so do not attempt to contact me in any manner. Your Faithful Counterpart, Twilight Sparkle P.S. Spike here! It'll be great if you could say hi to my counterpart for me too. Thanks a bunch! She flipped the page. Instead of another letter, what greeted her was a table scrawled in a hurry, in a vastly different hornwriting. The author of this entry must have been writing with a broken quill nib for the words had a shadowed quality to them, as if there was an inconsistency in the pressure of the quill. Contents: Trigger method/ Log Name Journal of the Ashes NIL Journal of the Astrum Unicorn Location/ Main Channel Journal of the Apple Key 1/ Secondary Channel Journal of the Ahhhh Let Me Think of a Better Name Key 2/ Secondary Channel Journal of the Adamant Key 3/ Secondary Channel Journal of the Aimable Key 4/ Secondary Channel Journal of the Awesome Key 5/ Secondary Channel Then, below it was the aforementioned drawing of the dreamcatcher, which was a design that Twilight had never seen before. There was a ring, with various strings forming a webbed pattern across its middle. On the bottom half of the design hung five threads, sketched feathers dangling loosely beneath them. It was ... beautiful, in a strange way. If Alicorn-Twilight hadn't mentioned what the drawing was supposed to be, she would have probably guessed that it was an arcane circle for birds. Reaching out, she touched the page. She could feel the slight hum of magic dancing within it. Other-Dimension-Twilight must– No, she couldn't keep going on like this. There was only one Twilight, and that was her. And she was not a princess. Twilight decided upon the name 'Astrum'. Astrum must have come from some extremely advanced dimension. To create a charm so advanced that it attracts...dreams? Luna; Princess Luna of the Earth Ponies used to oversee dreams, though she has long since gone missing. Had Astrum found her? But then again, the journal was hundreds of years old. Did that mean that Astrum herself was already dead? And who was Spike? She didn't know any 'Spikes'. The letter even mentioned that Celestia was supposed to have told her a lot more than she actually did. She inhaled sharply. That wasn't stress relieving at all. Twilight shut the book. Test it out by going to sleep now. Running her hoof over the inked dreamcatcher again, she readily accepted the advice. --------*☆*-------- She was somepony else. A stallion. One that was briskly trotting through hallway after hallway, pale blue crystal walls racing past him. Finally, he skidded to a stop outside a door. Shoving it open, he peeped into the room. "Hello?" "Yes?" Another voice piped up. A mare. She...he stepped in, nearly tripping over his cloak while doing so, before being greeted with the sight of a pale purple unicorn sitting alone on a long dining table. The mare had the front of her mane fall into a long curl, while the mane on her crest was curved into a ponytail. Her actual tail was done in the same fashion, aquamarine streaks gleaming from the sea of purple locks they lay in. "Sunburst?" she asked, tentatively. A strange whimper sounded from the base of her throat. "My goodness, Starlight!" he squawked in reply. "You look–" "Terrible," she groaned. "Yes, I know." There was a cool silence. Sunburst fidgeted a bit. "So...um... I-I don't mean to intrude, but what's been going on?" "I don't know!" she shouted frustratedly. He jerked away, glasses knocked out of alignment. Starlight's face softened. "I mean... It's just really complicated. I actually don't know all the details myself. But you must have heard the news too, right? Princess Celestia convulsing and bedridden, Luna just–" she closed her eyes. "All the alicorns are going insane. Even Flurry Heart. Even Twilight." Adjusting his spectacles, Sunburst sat back hard on his haunches. "Wow... I never thought that the situation was so...dire." "You didn't know?" –Starlight put her head in her hooves– "How could you not?" "I've been holing myself up in my house. I should've known things were not –" He froze when he saw Starlight. She had her head on the table, quiet sobs wracking her body. "And it's... it's all my fault... I-I didn't know that they would– I thought I was..." Sunburst's heart was sinking faster than a hunk of gold in water. "Starlight. You didn't. " A bottle slid across the table, before tipping and spilling a heap of black capsules onto the faceted surface. "Y-yes, I did." Author's Note Two-parter named Starlight Glimmer; only less than four hundred words actually about GlimGlam. ~~Seems legit.~~ Just informing you guys: this story will ignore the events in canon occurring after Spice Up Your Life, unless it fits into the story well (e.g. if the changeling episode later this season fits well with the plot points of Astrum Nova) Thanks and sorry for the late chapter! Next: Beneath the Shadow of a Mountain
Segregated Equestria: An Introduction Segregated Equestria: An Introduction "Four thousand years ago, the Great Equestrian Civil War (28 B.D - 1 B.D) broke out between the three pony tribes: unicorns, earth ponies and pegasi. Many historians in the past and present argue about the original reason for the war, but it is widely accepted that the three tribes were fighting for the land now known as Equestria. It is estimated that millions of ponies had lost their lives during the war, including the legendary unicorn general, General (once Princess) Platinum (45 B.D - 22 B.D), and her son, Obsidian (24 B.D - 22 B.D), who both perished in the Northern Raid of Unicornia. At the end of the war, the damage to the once-pristine lands was extremely substantial, as most of the lands were either sealed in permafrost or too damaged to settle into by the time the unicorns won. The war is still known as the first and bloodiest in Equestrian history. Apparently, the unicorns were led into the war by Princess Celestia herself, Lady of the Solar Throne. Her Highness ensured the tactical victory of the unicorns, managing to conquer the Equestrian mainlands from the earth pony armies and thoroughly flushing out the pegasi from the Everfree. As soon as the other tribes had surrendered themselves to the unicorns, an agreement was settled upon: the unicorns would occupy the mainlands, the earth ponies would either submit to the unicorns as labourers or be driven to the outskirts, and the pegasi would be forced into finding new lands beyond Equestria. But through the many years, the reign of the unicorns experienced many an enemy to the throne, threats from both beyond and within Equestria, ranging from an attack from Queen Chrysalis's Hive to the Earth/Lunar Rebellions lead by a magical entity, The Nightmare (once Luna). A solution was found for these threats, in the form of the Tree of Harmony and its gifts: the Elements of Harmony. However, the gemstones, though filled with extraordinary magic, were unable to do anything of much use. Fortunately, by the usage of advanced wartime spells, the elements were tricked into forming a continuous harmonic barrier around Equestria and the surrounding Pegasian Wilds. With the Barrier, every threat to the throne had been banished from Equestria. However, not much is known about the fate of the Nightmare, aside from the fact that she was not banished beyond Equestria or to the moon (Contrary to popular belief). At last, Equestria can experience a long age of harmony to come." -An excerpt from Segregated Equestria: A History. --------*☆*-------- Yeah, right. If only they knew the truth...
