Among the Shadows

Chapters

Prologue
New Objectives
Return to Ponyville
Day One
Ever Free
Revelation

Prologue

“State your name and business sneaking about in the palace, criminal,” The voice said as the prisoner woke up from his daze. The prisoner surveyed his surroundings calmly and settled on the source of a magenta light that was illuminating the small interrogation room.

“I do believe, if I am not mistaken, you have wrongly accused me of criminal activity,” said the prisoner, adjusting his focus on the pair of eyes just below the magenta aura.

“I do not, and nothing you say will pardon you from your crime of trespassing on the Palace grounds, a crime in itself worthy of 6 months in prison, regardless of intent,” The voice said, the magenta light ceasing to illuminate the room as it narrowed its focus to the prisoner. The prisoner let out a small chuckle and looked straight back into the glare that the prisoner knew was there.

“I should ask that I be brought before Princess Celestia herself, sir, as she will tell you that I am indeed no criminal but one of her employees, just like you,” the prisoner said as his head experienced a sharp pain. He realized quickly what had knocked him out. “However, unlike you, I do not default to brute force when exposed to somepony that I do not recognize. We are in very different departments of the Royal Canterlot Executive Department, but I can assure you, I am in the department none-the-less.”

“As much as I laugh to think that a foal of your sorts would be honored with a career in the R.C.E.D, I’m afraid that your request to see the Princess will have to wait. She is fairly busy with-”

“Is there a problem, Lieutenant?” The familiar voice was music to the prisoner’s ears as the magenta light ceased to exist and the normal candlelight began to take its place. The prisoner smirked as he saw the Lieutenant cringe as the white Alicorn walked into the interrogation room.

“Your highness, this scum was caught sneaking about in the palace. We have brought him down to-”

“Your zeal is admired, Lieutenant. However, this is not a criminal. He is indeed a very important part of the Royal Canterlot Task Force, and my personal eye in the streets,” Celestia said as the Lieutenant stared in disbelief.

“Your highness, I had no idea. I am sorry. However, I must ask one thing.”

“Go ahead, Shining.”

“Why have I never heard of him? More to the point, why has the Captain of the Royal Guard not heard of him either? He came down earlier and could not recognize him,” Shining said as the prisoner scanned the nervous Lieutenant. Sure enough, the unicorn was none other than Shining Armor, the older brother of the pony the prisoner had been sent to observe.

“Because, Shining, you did not allow him to change back into his normal appearance. If I am correct, you placed the magic-block on him as soon as you knocked him out. He has been unable to perform any magic. Release your magic block and you shall see his true colors,” Celestia said, looking sternly down at Shining.

“Yes, your highness,” Shining said as his horn once again began to glow. Slowly but surely the prisoner could feel his power returning and the throbbing in his head went away as more and more of the magic block was pulled from him.

“Thank you, Princess, and now…” The prisoner paused as his horn began to glow a light blue and the aura enveloped his body. There was a bright flash, and as the light dimmed, Shining looked in disbelief as the muddy colored stallion he had been interrogating had transformed into a dark blue stallion with a darker blue mane spiked back. His cutie mark was strangely missing and his eyes were a dark green.

“Welcome back, Silent Trail. I assume you have some items to report to me?” Celestia gave a little smile.

“If it is okay, I would prefer it if you call me Sil, Princess. In answer to your question, yes. As always, I never come back without something to report. However, I see it unfit to reveal my findings in present company.” Sil looked over at Shining, who gave him a quick glare before turning to Celestia.

“Your highness, do you want me to escort you two up to the throne room?” Shining asked with a bit of defeat in his voice.

“No doubt it is from his failed interrogation. However, I don’t blame him for his failure. It takes more than most guards can throw at me to break me. And what’s wrong with a little fun every now and then?” Sil thought as he looked from Shining to Celestia.

“Yes and no. I would like it if you escorted us back up, but not to the throne room. You will escort us up to my personal office. You will also stay for his report, as I believe it has to do with you, as well,” Celestia said, much to the shock of Sil. He looked at Shining as he, surprisingly, nodded officially and confirmed his orders.

New Objectives

When Shining and Celestia had gotten settled in the conference portion of her office, Celestia nodded toward Sil, who nodded back and began his report.

“I shall begin by bringing Shining Armor here up to speed. I have been tasked with observing Celestia’s personal student as of late. You know her very well, I have no doubt, Shining, as it is your sister, Twilight Sparkle,” Sil said as Shining immediately jumped to his hooves.

“You have been following my sister?! How have I not been informed of this and how can you do that! She is just a-”

“That will be enough, Shining, now relax, Sil here is a professional and he acts very professionally while on the job,” Celestia said as she raised her hoof to calm Shining.

“Thank you, Princess. As I was saying, and might I add please do not interrupt my report thank you, I have been observing Twilight Sparkle. As you have said, Princess, I have noticed her reluctance to do anything social, and tends to keep to her studies. When I left, she was headed to the park to read, and I couldn’t help but notice it was a book containing pre-banishment history. If I am correct in my assumption, she will grow curious about the Elements of Harmony. This will lead her to the prophecy, which you and I both know to be a little more than just another mare’s tale,” Sil explained as the window in Celestia’s office opened and a wisp of green flames materialized a scroll in front of her. Sil and Shining looked at Celestia with eager eyes as she read the contents of the material. After she had finished, she brought out a quill and a piece of paper and began writing, a slight smile on her face all the while.

“Your assumptions are correct, Sil. She has informed me of the prophecy that Nightmare Moon will return on the Longest day of the Thousandth year, just as I have planned. I believe now is the time to act, as the Summer Sun Celebration is in two weeks. Shining,” Celestia said as she turned to the young guard, “as you may know, Captain Strongheart is set to retire in a week’s time. Your past actions have led me to believe that you are worthy to take his place as Captain of the Royal Guard. Congratulations. However, I must warn you that this meeting is strictly confidential, and although it does involve Twilight, you must refrain from telling her anything you have learned in this session.”

“Y-yes your highness… and t-thank you, I will not let you down, your highness,” Shining said, clearly ecstatic. Sil could not help but smile at Shining’s joy.

“I am giving you a two-week leave, with the exception of the Changing of the Guard Ceremony when Strongheart retires. I strongly suggest that you use this time to spend with family,” Celestia said, bringing yet another piece of parchment out and wrote his pass.

“Yes, your highness. Understood.” Shining stood up to leave the royal office. As soon as Sil knew that Shining Armor was out of range, he turned to the Princess and looked at her with worried eyes.

“You’re sure, then, that Twilight is indeed the new bearer of the Element of Magic?” Sil asked, continuing to look at Celestia.

“Indeed. I began to feel her magic potential that day oh so long ago when she took her entrance exam and have felt her magic grow beyond anything I have ever seen from a normal unicorn. She is at par with even the greatest unicorns in history, including StarSwirl and his apprentice, Clover. I have lived to see all the brightest minds, and ever since the Elements left me for the last time, I have been searching for that aura that it gives off. Twilight’s mind is pure, and the Element of Magic’s aura seems to be around her, albeit very faint. She cannot, however, embrace the Element as long as her life is void of the Magic of Friendship. I fear that she will not make friends if left in this palace as my Student. I will send her to make sure the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration are in line. I have felt the presence of the auras of the other Elements all culminating in the little town of Ponyville. I believe you’ve heard of it, no?” Celestia said as she turned to face Sil.

“Heard of it? I was born there. You know that. Very familiar with the surroundings. They still got Sweet Apple Acres going? When I left to join your Illusion Academy, there was this disaster and the owners of the ranch were lost,” Sil said with a bit of a sad tone overtaking him.

His old friend, an Earth Pony named Big Macintosh, was the elder of 3 kids that the owners had. He took it very hard when his parents had died, and Sil wished that he could have stayed around to help Mac out with his pain. But the Illusion Academy was a once in a lifetime choice, and Mac himself even told Sil that he should go.

Sil was just a little colt when he had discovered his natural talent to remain unseen, just like a shadow. Eventually, his shenanigans were just too much for his parents, but his dad saw that his talents could be put to good use, if he could just get his son into a good school. He spent months trying to contact the Headmaster at the Academy, and finally, his entrance exam was scheduled. Before he knew it, he was on the exam floor and nervous as any young colt would be. Soon, he felt his fear come over him and his magic started to pour out. Everything in the room went dark and he felt his entire body go invisible, just as an added security measure. The judges called out to Sil and said that it was very rare that a young colt could black out an entire room. They accepted him and the rest is history.

“Yes. The family Matron had to come out of retirement to take over management of the farm until two of their kids came of age,” Celestia said grimly as Sil looked down.

“I see. Sorry, Princess. Just a bit of nostalgia coming out of my closet, if you will,” Sil said as he straightened his posture. “I take it you’ll have me do a bit of reconnaissance then?”

“Yes. You will be tasked with trailing Twilight and making sure she doesn’t get into too much danger. If she ever comes into death’s grasp, please help her, but other than that, just observe and report back to me. I should also warn you that I will be out of touch around the time of the Summer Sun Celebration. It will be dark out for a long while, which should make you feel comfortable,” Celestia said as she stood up.

“Does this mean what I think it means, then, Princess? That Nightmare Moon will return and you will be her captive? You place that much faith in your sense?” Sil ask as he too stood up.

“Yes. I know for a fact that Twilight will pull through. Go now, to Ponyville, and get set up. I don’t expect to have need of your services until Twilight arrives in Ponyville. Besides, if all goes according to plan, you will be staying there for quite a while,” Celestia said as Sil walked to the door of her office.

“Yes, Princess. I understand my orders, and I will not let you down. Thank you for giving me this task."

“Well this should be interesting. Ponyville, eh? I hope they have forgotten all about me.” Sil thought as he made his way through the Canterlot Palace.

Return to Ponyville

The sun was just rising as Sil came around the last bend in the road and looked upon Ponyville for the first time in years. He pulled up the hood of his cape as he stopped to take in the view. Although he was still about an hour’s walk away, he could see that not much had changed in that simple little town. The Apple Orchards seemed to be a bit larger than he had remembered, but it shouldn’t surprise him.

“The Apple Family is known all across Equestria for their apples, and the fertile valley that Ponyville lies in would make this prime growing ground,” thought Sil as he continued walking. As he looked around, he could sense the animals waking up for the day, the birds were chirping and the cool breeze came from the south as the moon started to disappear beyond the western horizon, meaning that Celestia’s sun was rising behind him as he walked down the slow descent from the foothills between Canterlot and Ponyville. It would have been faster to take the train, but Sil knew he had nearly two weeks before his true job began.

“I wonder,” Sil thought, “why Celestia would send me so early to Ponyville. I know she knows my work better than to think I’d need all this time. I hope she didn’t plan on me spending any time with my family. I left them behind to go to the Academy, and I haven’t spoken to them since I graduated. I fear that they have grown to resent me in my absence and for my lack of correspondence.”

As Sil approached the small town, the sun was already making its trek across the sky. Ponyville was now a buzz as all different types of ponies filled the streets. Sil decided that as soon as he got settled in, he should choose a disguise so that he may interact with all the ponies without seeming shady. For now, he looked like a traveler, a simple pony making his way from wherever to who cares. However, as Celestia had said, if everything went according to plan, he would need to cease looking like a traveler and start looking like a new resident. He decided then that he should stop in and talk to an old friend; maybe he could assist him in his task.

Just when Sil started to turn toward his new destination, a certain blue mare with a blue and white mane came into his sight. Wanting to avoid her attention, he quickly cast his invisibility spell and moved off to the side of the road to wait for her to pass. When she had gotten to close where he was standing, she stopped and her ears suddenly perked up. Her horn started to glow and Sil felt her magic around him. The mare never turned, but instead she gave a little smirk.

“Well, never thought I’d see you back here in this little town, big brother,” She said as Sil stepped closer while simultaneously becoming visible and throwing back his hood.

“Hello, Colgate. I thought you were still in Canterlot studying whatever it is you were studying. I must have gotten rusty, if you were able to sense me without even using your magic. How, might I ask, did you learn that?” Sil asked as the young mare walked up to him.

“First of all, I have been studying dental work, and just happened to have graduated a week ago. I just got back here, as I had a party to attend in Canterlot. In answer to your question, I minored in Counter-Intelligence just so I could learn to sense my own brother whom I haven’t seen in oh-so-long should he ever be close to me. I think that our sibling relations helped me sense you as well, though, as it was just a minor,” Colgate said, smiling at her brother. Sil sighed as she nodded in a direction and the two began walking down the street.

“What brings you back, anyway?” Colgate asked as Sil noticed a blonde-maned orange Earth Pony working the very apple stand that he had helped Mac with when he was still living in Ponyville. It shocked him to see that through all the years, the stand was still in the exact same spot.

“I am back here on, temporary leave,” Sil said. Colgate looked at him with disbelief.

“Right, like I believe that. All these years, and you choose now of all times to return here? If I may be so bold, I believe you’re here because the Summer Sun Celebration is happening here and you’ve been sent to scope out the area before the Guard comes to plan their security. I’m not stupid, you know. I know what your occupation is, bro,” Colgate said, chuckling at her own cleverness.

“All I’m going to say is you’re both right and wrong. More importantly, I need to ask you something. Is Big Macintosh still working at Sweet Apple Acres? I noticed that he was not working the Apple stand,” Sil said as he and Colgate arrived at their parents’ house.

“Yeah, I believe so. From what I’ve learned on my trips to the market is that mare you saw is his sister, Applejack. I’ve talked to her a couple times when I had to buy some apples, and she seems pretty nice. Why, you looking for a special somepony? Or do you already have one in your secret little life of yours?” Colgate said with a mischievous grin.

“No. For all of your questions, no. I don’t have time to have a somepony now. I was merely wondering because I wanted to talk with him. I need to leave now, as I shouldn’t have my presence be known. At least not as myself. You can go ahead and tell mom and dad that I’m back, but you must also tell them not to reveal that I’m home to ANPONY, do you understand?” Sil said as he turned to make eye contact with his younger sister.

“Understood, big brother. But you need to understand this. I can’t tell them that unless you plan on talking to them soon, okay?” Colgate asked, and as she looked back at Sil, he could feel the heat of her stare as she looked into his soul.

“Understood. Tell them I’ll be visiting tomorrow. Though I will not look like myself, okay?” Sil asked as Colgate nodded. “Good. Then I shall be seeing you, little sister.”

Sil placed the hood back on his head as he came up to the gates of Sweet Apple Acres. He knew that if Mac was still at the farm, he’d be working out in the orchards. His suspicions were confirmed as he saw a tree shake violently as all the apples fell out. He walked up to the Farmhouse and was greeted by an old green mare with a white mane.

“Hello there, stranger! What brings you up to our little ol’ house?” she asked as she rocked in her chair.

“Hello, Granny Smith. I’m here to catch up with an old friend, your Grandson Big Macintosh. Should you need it, I shall reveal my identity now, but I would like it if you would ever so kindly keep it from him, as I wish it to be a surprise,” Sil explained. Granny smiled and waved a hoof at him, inviting him up.

“I know yer voice, Silent. All these years an’ yer still just as much family as anypony,” Granny said as she embraced Sil. Sil took his hood off and smiled back at the old mare.

“Thank you, Granny. How has everypony been over the years?” Sil asked as he took a seat on the bench beside her.

“Ah been hard at work keepin’ this place up an’ runnin’. Ah’ve never seen so many Apple trees before. We’ve come a long, long way since mah days as a filly.” Granny said as she gestured toward the orchards. “Big Mac has been workin’ so hard since yah left. Ah reckon he puts in about 10 hours every day, makin’ sure this orchard is spick-an’-span. His younger sister, Applejack, works down in the market sellin’ our yield. She’s about the most honest pony ever come from Ponyville. Hates lyin’ with a passion. Takes after her brother an’ father in their stubborn ways. Then there’s lil’ Apple Bloom. She ain’t found her cutie mark, yet. Poor lil’ thing takes quite a lot of flak from the other fillies fer it. She’ll find her special talent, soon enough, though. Ain’t a day goes by Ah don’t see her growin’ into the hard workin’ mare Ah know she’ll be. Applejack an’ Macintosh have had to see after her ‘cause of the accident when they were young. Apple Bloom was jus’ a lil’ thing back then. You prolly never even seen her, Ah’ll reckon,” Granny said. As Sil was about to answer, she stopped rocking and got out of her chair.

“Ah’ll see ‘bout gettin’ some dinner up an’ ready for ya’ll when Macintosh gets back. He’ll be any minute now, if yer wantin’ to wait a bit,” Granny explained.

“Thank you, Granny. And thank you very much for your hospitality. Do you need any help with dinner preparations?” Sil asked as he stood up to follow Granny.

“Oh don’t be so silly. Ah’ve got more help’n I need with lil’ Apple Bloom. B’sides, yer our guest of honor, long lost family comin’ back an’ all. You talked with yer parents yet, Silent? Ah’ll be willin’ to bet they’ll be missin’ you somethin’ strong.” Sil heard the sound of hooves coming down the stairs inside.

“I won’t lie to you, Granny. I haven’t, because I am afraid of their reactions to my not talking to them for years.” Sil looked down in shame.

“Don’ you be worryin’ yerself with that nonsense! Yer parents love you a lot, and they’d be happier’n you could imagine if you’d visit ‘em!” Granny stated as she opened the door to the house. “Now you jus’ wait here an’ supper’ll be ready in ‘bout an hour.”

“Yes Granny.” Sil raised his head and put on a smile.

An hour later, Sil was called in from outside and Granny smiled as a little yellow filly with a bow in her red mane ran toward the strange pony.

“Ah don’ know you! Granny said ta be nice ta strangers, but Ah gotta know who yah are! So who are you an’ what do yah want?” the little filly asked as she looked curiously into Sil’s eyes.

“Apple Bloom! He’s an ol’ friend of Macintosh, an’ he’s more’n that, he’s family. This here is Silent, and he’s our special guest,” Granny said sternly as Apple Bloom’s ears folded.

When Sil let out a chuckle, Apple Bloom turned around at him and he brought his head down to her level and whispered, “Don’t worry, I don’t blame you for being curious about a stranger in your house. I’m an old friend of your brother.”

Apple Bloom smiled as her ears perked up and invited Sil into the dining room. As he walked in, he saw an excellent feast layed out on the table. There was everything from Apple fritters to Apple Pie in the desserts and there was a great big salad with a ton of vegetables. He smiled as he took a seat next to Apple Bloom (for she had wanted him to sit next to her) and no sooner had they all sat down when the sound of the door swinging open hit Sil’s ears.

“Ah’m home Granny! Sales were kinda slow today, Ah reckon everypony just got their fill yesterday, as it was busier than Ah’ve seen it all month!” A female voice said as the owner of the voice walked into the dining room. Apple Bloom ran over and jumped at the orange pony Sil had seen earlier. He knew this had to be Applejack, and he could see the similarities between her and her late mother.

“Applejack, Ah’d like you to meet Silent. He’s an ol’ friend of Macintosh’s and a part of our family in a sense. Why, we even came up with a name fer him way back when he was ‘round this farm back in the day,” Granny said as Applejack looked carefully at the stranger in her house.

“Well howdy, Mr. Silent. It’s a joy to finally meet yah. Big Mac used to talk ‘bout you all the time. Ah reckon Ah’ve heard all ‘bout yer little adventures with him,” Applejack said, shaking Sil’s hoof on her way to her seat at the table. “Is Big Mac not back yet, then, Granny?”

“Ah’m here, Ah’m here. Had a bit of trouble with the cart an’-” A deep and familiar voice said as the tall and built Red workhorse walked into the dining room. “Well Ah’ll be. Look what the winds have brought home.”

“Hello, Big M. Sorry about the lack of correspondence, my job has kept me on my hooves this whole time. Hope you’re not too tired for some talk,” Sil said as he stood up.

“Ah could talk for quite a while. Been a while since there was somepony outside our immediate family that Ah’ve felt like talkin’ to. What brings you down to Ponyville?” Big Mac asked as he shook hooves with Sil.

“Business, I’m afraid. But it’s okay, I’ve been assigned to Ponyville for a while, and it’s not looking like I’ll be too busy for talking. In fact, I wanted to ask you if it’d be alright if I helped out around the orchard for a second job while I’m working my first one,” Sil said. Big Macintosh’s eyes lit up and he smiled ever-so-slightly.

“Ah reckon that’d be jus’ fine. Though, Ah know ya’ll still ain’t very good at buckin’ apples, so Ah think ya’ll would fit right in in our maintenance, eh? First thing’s first though, Ah reckon a Unicorn would stand out a ton if he’d be workin’ on a farm. Still remember yer first disguise an’ mah personal favorite?” Big Mac asked as Sil let out a chuckle.

“Yeah, I think I could do that. I’ll be right back. Give me a moment to change into something a bit more appropriate,” Sil said, much to the confusion of the two younger sisters. As Sil walked out of the room, he could hear Big Mac explaining the situation to his sisters. Sil smiled as his horn began to glow. Soon, his body was enveloped and he could feel himself changing. Once his spell was over, he walked up to the mirror and smiled. His mane was now brown and his body was a light orange. He could see that his eyes had changed to blue and on his flank he could see three blue horseshoes in a triangle form. He smiled as his horn began to glow once again before it disappeared completely.

As he returned to the dining room, Applejack and Apple Bloom both gasped and gave extremely confused looks while Big Mac and Granny Smith both smiled.

“Welcome back, Caramel,” Granny said as they began to eat their dinner.

Day One

Sil was working on one of the Apple Family’s old carts that had lost a wheel when a grey Pegasus came up to his shop. Looking at her, he realized she must be the local mailmare and he got up to meet her at the door.

“I’m looking for a Mr. Caramel?”

“Yeah, that’d be me. What do you have?” Sil asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“Just a letter from Canterlot Palace. Oh! And here’s a package that came with it! And if I’m not mistaken… yes! Here’s another package. You seem to be quite the popular pony.” The mailmare set all of the mail on the table that Sil had placed by the door.

“Thank you kindly, ma’am,” Sil said as the mailmare nodded and turned to fly away. As Sil looked at the new packages he had received, he figured that the first two things she had given him were from the Princess, and the second package was the part for one of his numerous projects. As he began to read the letter, he heard a crash from outside followed by a voice saying their apologies.

“Great,” Sil thought, “Another thing to work on. Ever since the Apples got the message that they would be in charge of food for the Summer Sun Celebration, I’ve had my hooves full with fixing all their carts. I never even knew that they had so many. But I shouldn’t complain, I’ve always loved working on things… maybe if my Illusion studies hadn’t worked out, that’s what I could have been. Now let’s see what the Princess has to say.”

Dear Silent Trail,
By now I realize that you must have found your disguise, and thanks to a little bit of research, I knew who you’d be. Seems you turned into Caramel a lot in the old days in the Academy… trying to get out of classes and such. But that’s not important now. What is important is that Twilight Sparkle is on her way to Ponyville. She will be arriving by Royal Escort and will have her assistant with her. You must know this. I will not be available for correspondence from a few hours before the Summer Sun Celebration to when Nightmare Moon is taken care of. I will want you to trail Twilight and make sure she doesn’t fail before she gets to the old Castle in the Everfree forest. Whatever you do, you mustn’t cross the bridge. Once they get past that, your services will not be required until later. Again, DO NOT cross the bridge.
Best of luck,
Princess Celestia

“Well then. I suppose I’d better get these carts finished up,” Sil said to himself, shutting the shop doors and locking them. “It’s a shame, really, that I couldn’t spend more time on them in the old fashioned way.”

Sil concentrated as he could feel his horn returning to visibility. Then, with a great burst of magic, the carts were all levitated and the new parts fastened onto the needed areas without a problem. After everything had been fixed, Sil set the carts down and his horn faded once more into invisibility. As soon as the horn was finished glowing, he heard a knock at the door.

“Oh hey sis. How’s it going?” Sil asked as Colgate stepped through the door he had just opened.

“Not too bad, however, I had a question I wanted to ask you. You see, the Summer Sun Celebration is tomorrow, and I was wondering if you were planning on attending? From what I’ve learned from Mom and Dad, it’s going to be a Summer Sun Celebration to remember. Whatever that means,” Colgate said as Sil smiled.

“Yes, and although you were not chosen to carry on our family history, I can say that this will definitely be one to remember. But for now, how about we go get some lunch? I’m famished from all this work,” Sil said, starting to walk down the trail.

“Lunch sounds good. And while we’re out away from town, I’ve been meaning to ask you. When I was in my classes for my minor, we were told that one of the most obvious signs of an illusionist, such as yourself, in disguise was that their cutie mark was the same no matter what. However, I’ve noticed that YOU can change your cutie mark to match your disguise. How is that possible?”

“This I can tell you about. You see, unlike many illusionists, my special talent IS my ability to change my appearance. This meaning, my cutie mark reflects that. That’s why in my actual form, it looks like I have no cutie mark, both A) because I can disappear completely and B) if I were to have an obvious cutie mark, it wouldn’t be able to change. There are very few ponies that have this talent, even less so now that Princess Celestia has all but blocked the road to the place where I studied abroad. During my graduate studies in the Academy, I was sent by Celestia herself to Morphopolis, the capital of a society of pony-like creatures who specialize in changing their form. I learned from the best there. Doubtless you’ve learned from your own Counter Intelligence studies that the other thing that never changes is a Unicorn’s magic aura. That much is true for me, as well. That’s why I look like this, so I’m not tempted to use magic as much. An Earth Pony, honest and true. Does that answer your question?” Sil looked at Colgate, who was deep in thought processing his answer.

“I believe so. Thank you for explaining that,” Colgate said finally as they turned onto the main street. Sil turned his gaze forward, where the café finally came into view.

After they had finished eating, Sil heard whispers nearby about something coming close up in the sky. He looked up and sure enough, there was the Royal Chariot coming down from Canterlot. It didn’t surprise Sil that some of the locals would be confused, as Celestia wasn’t scheduled to come until later that night. Sil knew, however, that it wasn’t Celestia that was riding on that Chariot, but instead a young mare and her dragon assistant.

“Sorry, Sis, but I’ve gotta get going. I hope you understand. I’ll meet you later in front of town hall for the main event, okay?” Colgate nodded and Sil walked out of the cafe.

Sil tracked the chariot to where it landed, and there, sure enough, was Twilight Sparkle and her faithful companion, Spike. Sil knew that in order to follow her unnoticed, his disguise would not work, and he quickly trotted over to an alleyway where he knew he would be out of sight for his transformation. As soon as he got into the alleyway and made sure nopony was in sight, his horn reappeared and his body enveloped in his blue aura. A quick flash and he was back to his true form. Quickly hoping to avoid any attention from the flash, his horn began to glow once again as he disappeared completely.

As Sil began to walk out of the alley, a pink blur zoomed past him, causing him to take a couple surprised steps back. By the time he gathered himself enough to look where it had gone, it had disappeared. He looked to where it had come from and he saw Twilight and Spike walking toward him. He waited for them to pass and then stepped out to begin trailing them, still trying to figure out what that pink blur was. He figured it must have been a Pegasus, since it never even touched the ground as it went by, and because it was going impossibly fast. He has heard of one Pegasus who could even go at Mach speed; however he thought that was just an exaggeration of skill. As he walked, he could hear Spike and Twilight holding a conversation.

“Summer Sun Celebration, official overseer’s Checklist,” Spike said as he held a piece of parchment. “Number one, Banquet preparations, Sweet Apple Acres.”

As soon as they walked through the gate, Sil heard Applejack cry out “YEE-HAW” and ran up to an apple tree as Twilight and Spike looked over in shock. Sil then saw for the first time in his stay the power Applejack had as she bucked the tree and all the apples fell out of the tree and into the buckets below. He then saw Twilight droop her head and mutter something as she began to walk over to Applejack. Sil walked up to the white fence that was about 10 meters behind them and leaned himself against it to watch Twilight’s first interaction in Ponyville.

What happened next greatly amused Sil as he watched Twilight introduce herself to Applejack and get her hoof vigorously shaken by Applejack’s friendly greeting. Twilight’s hoof didn’t stop shaking when Applejack lowered her hooves and said something Sil couldn’t hear. He didn’t need to hear what was said anyway, he was just there to watch her reactions. Twilight said something to Applejack and soon after that, Applejack ran over to the triangle that the Apples kept out in the middle of nowhere for reasons that Sil couldn’t guess. Applejack cried out “Soup’s on, everypony” and Sil smiled as all of the members of the extended Apple family ran to Applejack’s location. The relatives had arrived within the past week and seemed to be, for the most part, females, much to the surprise of Sil. As soon as the stampede was over, Sil crept closer to hear what Applejack said and to monitor Twilight a bit better.

As Sil got into earshot of Applejack, he could hear her start to introduce the family to Twilight. Each pony would put a different apple-style food on the table Twilight and Spike was at when Applejack said their name. Sil had to suppress a laugh when he saw the finished product of all the Apples introduced, as the table was now full of apple-style food stacked a couple meters high. Twilight, trying to avoid further interaction with this overwhelming family, said that she had to get going. That’s when Apple Bloom used her big eyes and cute demeanor to ask if Twilight was even going to stay for brunch. Twilight tried to get out of it yet again but finally caved in when the whole Apple family gave a sad sigh in unison. Sil sat back and waited for the brunch to be done, while his mind drifted back to what was going to take place tomorrow.

As soon as the brunch was over and each Apple had said farewell to Twilight, the newcomers finally left Sweet Apple Acres to continue their duties. Sil followed them as they returned to Ponyville, and as they were walking he noticed a huge pile of mud in the middle of dry grass. He thought it strange that it would just be there, it hadn’t rained in over four days. However, he discarded the anomaly and continued to follow Twilight. Spike was talking about the next item on the checklist, which was weather. Sil looked into the sky and wondered why there were so many smaller clouds still when Twilight made a very sarcastic remark up ahead. Almost instantly after that happened, Twilight got hit with a blur and was taken directly into the mud puddle that Sil had noticed earlier. He looked over to Twilight and on top of her was a cyan Pegasus with a rainbow colored mane. He had never seen a Pegasus like that in all his travels, and was still in awe when the Pegasus flew away to bring back a raincloud. She rinsed the very muddy Twilight off and apologized for her actions. She then laughed and soon Twilight was wrapped up in a rainbow tornado. As soon as the cyan Pegasus stopped, Sil had to let out a laugh, and thanked Celestia that nopony was around to hear him. Even if there was, they would be too busy looking at Twilight and the Pegasus that was now on the ground laughing. Twilight was sporting a very poofy manestyle and said something to the cyan Pegasus. Sil could make out the name “Rainbow Dash”. Twilight and Rainbow Dash shared a bit of a conversation before the Pegasus jumped up from her cloud and began to clear the sky with speeds Sil had only seen come from the Wonderbolts. No more than Ten seconds had passed before the Pegasus returned down to the ground and spoke some words with pride. Twilight look bewildered at the Pegasus as she flew away.

Twilight and Spike then went to the Town Hall to check on the decorations. Sil walked with them until he saw a patrol of Royal Guards walking in the distance. Sil figured that Twilight and Spike would spend quite some time in Town Hall before departing again, so he quickly magicked himself so that only the Guards could see him. He trotted over to them, and they greeted him as he slowed to a walk.

“Greetings. I’m Silent Trail, here on official R.C.E.D. business, and I was wondering if either of you have any news of the Princess? I have heard reports and I wanted to know if they were true. Is she still safe?” Sil asked as he revealed his identity. Only the guards could hear him, so he had no worries of blowing his cover to anypony who would happen to walk by. Not only that, but he had also thrown up a perception shield around them, so nopony even gave the guards a second thought as they walked by.

“The Princess is still in Canterlot, sir. She is preparing to leave this very night. Before she arrives, however, we were sent here to scout out the safety of this town, and so far we have had nothing to report. Should you see anything, though, tell us first and we shall deal with it. For now, we must continue our patrol,” the older of the two guards responded as the other gazed forward, scanning for any mischief. Sil thanked them and turned to go back to Town Hall, vanishing from the guards once they had turned their backs. When he got within a few strides of the porch of Town Hall, he saw Twilight exit, escorted by a white unicorn with a purple mane. He then saw Spike exit the hall, almost in a daze. He followed the trio until they got to a building, Carousel Boutique. He then had to sit outside, due to the code he was sworn to follow. He couldn’t enter any building that was privately owned without the consent of the owners, so he decided to sit down at a nearby tree and wait for Twilight to exit again.

Five minutes later, Sil saw Twilight rush out of the building while she threw a gem-filled article of clothing back through the doors. Sil jumped to his feet to follow Twilight and Spike. He followed them to the park, a place Sil had not yet visited since his return two weeks prior. Very faintly, he could hear birds chirping in harmony, almost like they were being conducted. He saw Twilight jump into a bush and poke her head out to find the source of the sound. Sil could see that there was a yellow Pegasus with a pink mane indeed conducting the birds in a beautiful melody. It would have been music to Sil’s ears had he not noticed the Blue Jay singing completely off rhythm. He saw the Pegasus then go up to the Blue Jay to supposedly correct him, and right before she could get them started again, Twilight rushed out of the bush and scared all the birds, and the Pegasus. The birds flew away while the Pegasus landed on the pathway. As Twilight walked up to the Pegasus, Sil could see that the Pegasus was very shy and uneasy when talking with other ponies. As Twilight began to walk away, the yellow Pegasus suddenly stood straight up and rushed over, knocking Twilight back. Sil smiled as the once shy Pegasus suddenly became a chatterbox with Spike, who apparently had stepped out from the bush moments ago.

Sil followed Twilight as she made her way back into Ponyville, followed closely behind the Pegasus. As soon as Twilight got to a giant tree that Sil had learned was the library, she turned around and quickly said something to the yellow Pegasus. The Pegasus then picked up Spike to carry him inside, only to be immediately forced back out by Twilight, who then slammed the door in the yellow Pegasus’ face. Sil felt slightly bad for her as he turned to walk back to his shop.

“I better get some sleep. It’ll be a long night,” Sil thought as he walked, “Celestia, I really hope you know what you’re doing… so far Twilight hasn’t shown any sign of making friends. If she has any hope of unlocking the Elements of Harmony, she’s got to make friends. The ancient magic of Friendship doesn’t work if you don’t have friends.”

Sil looked up to the moon, and the shadows cast on the surface that looked like a unicorn seemed to shift, almost as if it were preparing for what was going to happen. He noticed then four bright stars that had approached the moon.

“Well, Luna, I guess I won’t have to wait for very much longer before I finally get to meet the one that taught my ancestors the art of illusion,” Sil said to himself as he arrived at his shop.

Ever Free

Sil woke with a jump as he heard a loud knocking on the door. Still half asleep, he trudged over to the door of his shop and there in the doorway was a very excited Colgate.

“Hey big bro! You ready to go to the Summer Sun Celebration to watch Celestia raise the sun?!” Sil slowly blinked as Colgate was practically jumping up and down.

“Yeah… you’ve always been a morning person, haven’t you...” Sil said as they started walking toward Ponyville.

“Yup. And especially today since it’s going to be super amazing because I have my big brother here with me!”

“Mhm… hey, do you think you could give me a couple minutes of silence so I can get ready?” Colgate nodded. Sil’s horn began to glow as his mane and tail began to form into his normal spiked style and for added measure he added a cutie mark to him so he wouldn’t stand out as much. Colgate watched the entire thing and when Sil was finally done with his short transformation, she spoke up.

“Huh… a crescent moon. That’s a bit strange. Of all the cutie marks, you choose that one?”

“Yeah. It’s mainly due to a bit of family history that you wouldn’t know about.”

“Silent… what about our family do I not know? And why can’t I know it?”

“You mean dad hasn’t told you?” Colgate shook her head. “Very well. Before 1000 years ago, all of the members of our family were very highly trained in the arts of Illusion Magic. But then, after some events happened, Celestia only allowed one of our family members, the first born Unicorn, to be trained in the art. As an added measure, she restricted it to one every other generation, so it would skip. However, since our grandfather passed away before I was even born, my parents were worried that I would not be able to carry on the tradition. Their worries were quelled shortly after I was born, when I completely disappeared from the hospital bed I was sleeping in. It took them a couple hours to realize that I was just invisible. They named me Silent because they knew I would be the next one. I added on the “Trail” when I graduated from the academy, but then again I believe you already knew that. Before you ask why Celestia restricted us, I will tell you that I will explain that shortly after this Summer Sun Celebration. But then I will probably have to run off.”

“I-I understand.”

Sil looked forward and he could see the Town Hall, already filling up with ponies from all around Equestria. He found it weird that there were a lot of similar looking ponies, but he disregarded it upon the grounds that it was bound to happen with the huge amount of ponies. Very shortly after he and Colgate had gotten into their positions on one of the balconies, Sil heard the sound of birds, followed by the Mayor speaking a couple lines about the Summer Sun Celebration. All of the sudden, Sil felt a darkness about the place, almost as if some untold evil had filled the Town Hall. As soon as the Mayor introduced Princess Celestia, Sil looked to the curtains that had opened, gazing at an empty balcony. He looked from the balcony to the crowd below him, noticing Twilight, who muttered something to herself, almost like she knew what had happened. He also noticed a Pink Earth Pony who was standing next to Twilight and how she was talking rather quickly. He looked back to the stage as the white Unicorn from earlier declared that the Princess was gone, followed by a room-full of ponies gasping and one “ooh, she’s good!” Sil figured that the latter was probably from the pink pony by Twilight, due to some of the nearby ponies staring at her. Sil heard a frightened gasp as suddenly the dark sense got stronger, and when he looked back at the balcony where Celestia should have been standing, he saw a dark blue mist, almost like an aura of magic.

“Well well… the guest of honor has arrived,” Sil said quietly to himself as Colgate stole a glance at him. Sil stared at the mist as it transformed into an evil-looking Alicorn, pitch black and a starry mane, much like what the mist had been earlier. Sil could only recount pictures of this new figure in the books he had been forced to study as a child during the summers between years at the Academy, but he knew that this was none other than Nightmare Moon, the very embodiment of all the jealousy of the younger sister of Celestia. He watched as Nightmare Moon taunted the crowd, saying that it had captured Celestia, asking if anypony knew who it was. He looked down when he heard somepony say “I did. And I know who you are. You’re the mare in the Moon. Nightmare Moon!” He turned to look, and sure enough, there was Twilight, confronting the new Alicorn. Sil turned to walk back down to exit the Town Hall, waiting to follow Twilight, when he felt a hoof on his shoulder.

“You knew. You knew this would happen, and you didn’t tell me. What is she? Who is Nightmare Moon?” His sister, now with a glare intending to burn through Sil’s barriers of confidentiality, stood right in front of Sil as he turned around.

“Follow me, quickly then.” Sil started to trot. He heard lightning and figured the commotion would be enough for nopony to think about a side conversation. “Yes, I knew this would happen. Celestia wanted this stuff to be kept as legends or old mare’s tales, yet she tasked our family with the keeping of the secrets of what happened. If you’ve ever read the stories, then you’d know that this Nightmare Moon is Celestia’s sister, Luna. Only Luna got jealous because everypony only ever paid attention to Celestia’s days. Eventually, the jealousy overtook her and she became the monster called Nightmare Moon, threatening to keep Equestria in eternal darkness of night. Celestia defeated her and banished her to the moon, for 1000 years. However, it is, well was, said that ‘on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape.’ This is the longest day of the thousandth year. Nightmare Moon is back, and now it’s up to somepony to stop her. I’ve been tasked with following that somepony to make sure they’re safe. Now, I’m sorry, that’s all I can tell you now. I’ve got to go.” And with that, Sil turned invisible and teleported to where he knew Twilight would go, leaving Colgate stomping in frustration at the front doors of Town Hall.

Sil appeared just outside of the library, where he saw Twilight run in through the doors. A couple minutes passed before Rainbow Dash flew up to the library and barged through the doors, then a couple seconds later Applejack, that Pink pony, the White Unicorn, and finally the Yellow Pegasus walked in. It wasn’t long before Sil felt that same evil presence that he had felt in Town Hall, and sure enough, when he looked up, he saw the Blue Mist. It stayed for a couple of seconds before darting off into the night. Sil tracked it and saw that it flew straight to the Everfree Forest.

“Of course… it would be the Everfree forest.” Sil thought, “The Castle of the Eclipse is there, remember? The original castle of Celestia and Luna, where they defeated Discord and where Celestia banished Nightmare Moon.”

Sil heard the door open then shut as the six ponies dashed off to the Everfree Forest. Sil had to run to keep up, and luckily he could match his hoofsteps with one of the six ponies, masking his sound. Soon they got to the edge of the forest and stopped. Sil could hear Twilight say that she should do this on her own, and then he heard Applejack argue.

“No can do, sugarcube. We sure ain’t lettin’ any friend of ours go into that creepy place alone. We’re sticking to you like caramel on a candy apple,” Applejack said as she began to trot into the forest, followed by the affirming mhm’s of the rest of the ponies. Twilight sighed and followed them into the dark forest.

“Sure… stick to her like caramel on a candy apple, as you leave her behind…” Sil thought as he rolled his eyes and followed the band of ponies.

Sil was so busy trying to silently creep along behind Twilight and her companions to hear anything they were saying. He had to stop, however, when he felt the Mist coming back. Soon, he heard a rumbling noise and ran out into the open to watch as the non-pegasi tumbled down, their ground having just pulled out from beneath them. Sil had to act fast. He saw that the white unicorn and the pink pony had already been saved, so he tried to make the grass a little bit more resistant around Twilight. It worked, if just a little, as she stopped accelerating and was able to cling to the edge of a cliff. He saw Applejack let go of the branch she had bitten down on to help Twilight out. She was just barely hanging on when Sil saw the two Pegasi descend to catch Twilight. He saw Twilight shrieking at Applejack before she let go, letting the Pegasi catch her and bring her down to safety. Sil slid down to the cliff as he saw Applejack descend using a few outcroppings to jump on. Sil followed as soon as Applejack had joined up with the rest of the group.

“Twilight is slowly learning to trust other ponies. Good thing she had Applejack to help her out. She’s one of the most honest ponies I know,” Sil thought as he followed the group. A couple minutes passed before Sil saw a shadow up ahead. He thought the silhouette looked familiar from somewhere, but he couldn’t place his hoof on it until it roared.

“Great… a manticore. This one isn’t too big though, I hope they can handle it… I should get closer, just in case.”

Sil watched as each pony tried their hoof in defeating the manticore. Only when five of them charged at the same time did the sixth one, the yellow Pegasus, jump in front of her companions to stop the charge. Sil could hardly believe his eyes when he watched what unfolded next. The Pegasus walked calmly up to the beast, nuzzled him, and looked at his paw, which Sil noticed had a huge thorn embedded in the pad. He cringed as the beast roared when the yellow Pegasus removed the thorn, and held his mouth open in disbelief when it picked her up and started to lick her. The other five walked past as the beast continued to thank the yellow Pegasus. Sil followed closely behind, being careful to stay downwind of the Manticore. It may have let the others pass without a problem, but chances are it wouldn’t take kindly to somepony sneaking up on it. As Sil passed it, he noticed that the thorn turned into the Blue Mist and followed the ponies.

“I can’t believe it… is she really… no, no she can’t be,” Sil thought as he caught up to the slightly closer band of ponies.

Soon, they came into a darker portion of the forest, and Sil felt the evil Mist creep up on them. Soon, he could see the trees form faces and he knew that the Mist was using a certain type of advanced illusion magic. He looked to the Six Mares, and he saw the Pink one laughing and making funny faces at the tree. Then, the unbelievable happened.

“Oh girls, don’t you see? When I was a little filly and the sun was going down,”

“Oh no… She’s singing?!”

Sil watched as the Pink pony walked up to the tree and laughed, defeating the Illusion magic.

“No, that’s impossible… only a really advanced counterspell would have defeated it… or some ancient form of mag… no, no it can’t be, it can’t be can it?” Sil thought as he watched as the rest of the six ponies joined in. Suddenly, before all trees had been defeated, the Blue Mist left the trees and carried on.

“Clever girl…” Sil thought, following the laughing band of ponies as they continued on.

Soon, the group, still laughing, came across a river that was churning like the rapids Sil had only seen up in the Mountains beyond Canterlot. He looked up the river and saw the source, a giant purple Elvslange with half a moustache and the most impressive hairdue he’s ever seen on an Elvslange. As Twilight and company approached the Elvslange, it kept crying, and drenched the company with all the flailing about. After a couple quick words between Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and the Elvslange, the white unicorn approached the large serpent and started to talk to it. After a lot of what Sil assumed to be patronizing on the part of the white unicorn, she did something a bit drastic. Sil watched in amazement as the unicorn grabbed one of the serpent’s scales and cut off her tail. He then watched as she fused it onto the missing half of the Elvslange’s moustache.

“Well that was generous of her…” Sil thought as he watched the company hop across the back of the Elvslange to the other side of the river. Sil quickly teleported into the brush, hoping that the company wouldn’t notice the dark flash as he teleported. “That’s one thing I guess I should be thankful for, a flash of darkness when I teleport as opposed to the normal flash of light.” Sil thought as he followed the company deeper into the forest.

Soon, Twilight and company approached the ruins of the Castle of the Eclipse, where Sil saw that there was a bridge that was out. He watched as Rainbow Dash flew down and carried the other side of the chasm. All of the sudden, fog rose up and Sil saw what he thought was the Mist transform into three pegasi, each sporting an outfit that looked similar to that of the Wonderbolts. He watched the conversation until one of the pegasi turned to Twilight who had just called out Rainbow Dash’s name, and then he lost all sight of the other side of the chasm as the fog thickened and rose. Shortly after, he saw Rainbow Dash fly through the fog and to the other side, having tied the bridge to the other side. The company crossed, and just as Sil was about to follow, the words from Celestia’s letter came back to him.

Whatever you do, do NOT cross the bridge.

“Well then, I guess I’m just going to sit here then,” Sil thought as he sat down near a tree and took off his invisibility spell to wait for events to unfold. “Guess there’s nothing else I can really do…”

Sil waited for what seemed like forever before he saw a flash in the lower part of the castle, followed by a flash in the tower.

“This is the night that the Elements reappear, When one mare overcomes her fear,” a voice said as Sil turned around. Before him was a zebra, decorated in much jewelry.

“What do you know of this?” Sil asked.

“For years I have studied pony lore, for this is the day that made me want to explore,” the zebra said as she looked and smiled at Sil.

“Who are you?”

“My new friend, I am known as Zecora. My residence lies in the forest, with the flora," she said, almost in a tribal rhythm.

“So you live here in the Everfree forest? Why not in Ponyville?”

“Ponies fear my presence, I am afraid. Though once a month I go there to trade. Though mostly my struggles are to no avail; when they see me they run, and let out many a wail.” Zecora looked forward to the Castle.

Sil followed her gaze, and all of the sudden there was a bright light, and Sil could make out a rainbow followed by a distant scream coming from the castle. After a flash of light, it was silent.

“So, it worked then… Nightmare Moon is defeated,” Sil said as Zecora nodded.

“Indeed you are right, young unicorn. The Nightmare is over, now await we the morn,” Zecora said. Almost immediately after, Sil looked to the East as he saw the bright light of the sun peeking up over the mountains. He then saw a bright ball of light fly to the castle.

“Worry not about the princess of the night, for she has been freed, and all is right,” Zecora said as she returned to the forest. Sil watched her leave and then watched as Eight ponies walked out of the castle doors to head back toward Ponyville. Sil smiled as his horn began to glow and teleported back to his shop in Ponyville.

The next day, a huge party was thrown in Ponyville and upon the Royal Fanfare, a chariot came into the center, two Alicorns standing side by side. Standing by Celestia was an Alicorn young in appearance, Blue coat and a light blue mane. Her cutie mark was a black splotch with a crescent moon. Sil looked at the Princess and smiled. She was back.

As the day wore on and the party ended, Sil returned back to his shop, finding a new letter sitting on his workbench.

Revelation

“Princess, I got your letter. You said you needed me to come to Canterlot right away, so here I am. Might I ask what this is about?” Sil asked as he approached Celestia’s throne in her council room.

“Yes. You may. However, I would very much like to speak with you about this later. You may stick around while I finish up my court.” Sil nodded and walked back out the doors. He figured he could take a walk in the Palace garden while he waited for the court sessions to end.

As Sil walked through the gardens, he looked at the different statues. All of ancient warriors and scholars, some of dangerous foes defeated by the Princesses in the past. Sil came to the corner of the garden, where there was a statue of a male unicorn wearing a cloak and looking straight ahead, almost as if he was watching the rest of the statues.

“Hello, Shadow. It’s been a while since I’ve visited you,” Sil said, sitting down next to the statue and staring off into the same direction. “You were the first of our family to perfect the Art of Illusion. You knew everything there was to know about it… even before Luna found you. I have spent years trying to even come close to your skill, but I just couldn’t without a proper teacher…”

“And now, you have one.” Sil looked up and saw Celestia flying down to meet with him.

“It will take some time for Luna to get used to being back, as well as the culture shock between now and 1000 years ago. She still thinks she should use the Royal Canterlot Voice on our subjects, even though I’ve told her I stopped using it 500 years ago. She will be spending a lot of time here on the palace grounds, more specifically in the Library, reading articles and literature to catch her up on the times. It’s how she’s always been, so punctual and proper. However, if you would like, I can ask her if she would like to have a second-in-command again. Don’t get me wrong, you will still do something I have in mind in Ponyville, but you will also be doing work for Luna.”

“That sounds nice,” Sil said, “Although, I would like to know both what I’ll be doing in Ponyville now as well as why Luna looks so much younger than what my family stories have described her as. They said she was close in size to you?”

“Indeed, and I can sense you have questions that only Luna can answer. Follow me, and you shall have a meeting with Luna.”

Sil walked with Celestia back through the gardens, and he saw off in the distance a new stained glass window being installed in Canterlot Tower. As Celestia and Sil arrived at a door to a room that Sil had never been to, Celestia knocked twice. The door opened, and Sil saw Princess Luna sitting behind a desk that had been made some time ago to match her night-themed office.

“This, Luna, is Silent Trail. He is a descendent of the Line of Shadow, your first personal student. He has already learned much Illusion magic, yet I feel that he may have a couple of things to improve under your guidance. Also, with your permission, I would ask that he continue his family’s legacy as your second-in-command in the Intelligence department. I have had him as the head of the Royal Intelligence Department for a couple years now, and he has done much for me. He is the best I’ve seen in a long while. Probably the best of his family since you have trained any. I believe he also has a couple of questions for you,” Celestia said as Luna nodded and turned to Sil.

“GREETINGS, SILENT TRAIL,” Luna started before Celestia cleared her throat at Luna. She quickly shrank back and then started again.

“Greetings, Silent Trail. We have seen much of thine profile already. Seems that thou hast quite the resume in the Academy that We established nearly 2000 years ago. We accept thou as Our second in command and look forward to working with thou. However, Celestia tells Us that thou will be stationed in Ponyville for the most part, so We shall set up a correspondence system for thou. Now, what are thine questions for Us?”

“First, I should like to know how you have seemingly decreased in age.”

“Very well. When We were overcome by the Nightmare, We were in a constant state of hibernation, otherwise We would have been tormented by Our own jealousy. However, it was not without cost. In order for the Nightmare to have power, it needed to sap from Our age. During the course of 1000 years, the Nightmare drained millennium of life from Us, leaving Us with all the memories but none of the acquired power. That is how We still remember thine ancestors. We were able to stop the aging process by occasionally breaking hibernation.”

“I understand. And with that last sentence, part of my assumptions gained some ground. Were you responsible for some of the Nightmare’s actions in the Everfree forest? I noticed that the Nightmare did some things that didn’t really seem like a big hindrance to the company.”

“Indeed, We had some control over the Nightmare’s path. Our first idea that We gave it was the thorn in the Manticore. We knew there was a caretaker among the Six. We knew that the caretaker’s kindness could be brought out were they given the chance. The second was fully ours with the Illusion Magic with the trees, as thou apparently figured out. It was after that trick that the Nightmare felt Our presence and pushed Us back into Our cell. As an added act of insult, the final stage the Nightmare tried to wreck the Element of Loyalty. As thou may have known, Our Elements were Honesty and Loyalty, whilst Celestia’s was Laughter, Generosity, and Kindness. We both embodied the Element of Magic. We were equal in magical abilities before Our banishment. As Celestia was the embodiment of the Majority of the Elements, and since We lost the Element of Loyalty when Jealousy took over, the Elements aided Celestia. However, since Honesty was still part of Us, Celestia could only banish the Nightmare, with Us in its captivity. Celestia knew that the Nightmare would not be safe to be simply banished somewhere else on this planet, but instead she sent it to the one place she knew that We could still survive, the Moon.”

“I… I understand. That is amazing. So you were trying to get the Elements to become aware of each other, and only through the Element of Magic could they be brought out, since that is what originally combined them?” Sil asked. Luna and Celestia nodded.

“Hast thou any other questions?”

“No, Princess. I have no other questions at this point in time.”

“Please, call Us Luna. Thine family served Us for generations before Our banishment. Thou shall be called ‘friend’ to Us,” Luna said. Sil nodded.

“Sil, there is yet another matter to attend to. As you know, Twilight is staying with her friends in Ponyville. I have foreseen many interactions that will not go well, and some of them being more dangerous than the next. Though not all of your days will be following them. Only do so when you see a potentially dangerous stranger come into town. Understood?”

“Understood, Princess. I will continue to disguise myself as Caramel and live in Ponyville to ensure the continued safety of the Elements.”