Chapters The End of the Beginning.
Two things were widely known all over Equestria. One: Celestia, Luna, Cadence and, now, Twilight Sparkle were immortal. Two: The sun rose in the west and set in the east. Through some magical fluke, Twilight Sparkle’s friends lives were all extended as well. No one quite knew how, some speculated it was their connection to the Elements of Harmony while still others speculated it was because their connection to Twilight affected them as well. These two facts are why, during an annual event planned every year by Celestia and Luna known as The Eclipse, the citizens of Equestria fell into a panic. The Eclipse went off without a hitch, nothing unplanned happening.
And then the moon exploded. It didn’t appear to truly explode, per say, but cracks appeared across the entire surface of it, which sunlight poured through. It was then split into, by the count of several astronomers, twenty pieces. Following the explosion of the moon, the Sun went through its own change. Normally, it was a bright, vibrant, beacon of hope and joy to all of Pony life on Equestria. As the citizens watched, their bright yellow sun darkened ever so slowly until it was a dull reddish color. Immediately following the darkening of the sun and the explosion of the moon, several bursts of light appeared all over Canterlot, the Crystal Empire, and Ponyville.
Ponies started panicking, as they are wont to do when their very lively hoods are threatened. Farmer ponies searched through books in libraries about a possible way to save their produce now that it would go without the bright glow of the sun, now reduced to a dull red. Almost the color of dried blood, some said. Pegasi conferred with other members of society, getting a unanimous vote to lay a protective and nourishing fog over the surface of the planet. Give the plants the water they would need to survive, as well as keep ponies from going without the sun forever by closing the sky, as had been requested by several nobles of Cloudsdale and other Pegasus cities.
Unicorns searched through books upon books about ways to alter plants and other resources to survive under the altered light. But behind the mass panic and searches for ways to survive, dangers crawled out of the depths of Equestria. In Canterlot, several ponies had been forced to lock and bar their doors with tables, chairs and wardrobes to keep creatures that looked like twenty foot tall ponies with tentacles from breaking into their homes. Manehatten had been overrun with monsters. There was no other way to describe the creatures flying among the buildings. Fleshy colored monstrosities with four spindly legs and bug wings.
Appleoosa and other smaller towns had been abandoned, forced to flee into the mountains and hide among their neighbors as serpentine like monstrosities crawled out of mine shafts. In Ponyville, the doors and windows had been barred with iron. Any kind of iron ponies could get ahold of. Kitchen knives, fire place pokers, anything made of iron had been placed across windows and doors, keeping the monsters that had crawled out of the Everfree forest at bay. It seemed to work, though Twilight couldn’t figure out how. No one could. And that was the problem. Even her books didn’t have information on these creatures.
Hearing someone pounding at the door to her castle, Twilight cast a spell so she could see through the wood. Her castle was protected by a magical barrier, erected by the two remaining princesses, to keep anything that wasn’t pony, griffin, critter, dragon, or changeling out. On the other side of the door, supporting a badly wounded Big Macintosh, was Cheerilee and Applejack. Throwing the door open, Twilight let them lead Big Mac into the foyer. Closing the doors, the princess turned around and let out a hiss as she took in Big Mac’s injuries. One of his legs had been torn off at the shoulder, the bleeding staunched by a piece of cloth that had, at one point, been white. Applejack had lost her hat somewhere between the castle and Sweet Apple Acres.
“What happened?” Nurse Redheart asked as she wheeled over a stretcher. One of Twilight’s bedrooms had been turned into an impromptu hospital after Ponyville General had gone up in flames.
“Ah dunno. We did as ya asked and went t’ the farm t’ try and gather supplies. One secon’ we were doin’ jus’ fine, the next, this… thing… erupts outa the ground and tears muh brother’s leg right off. He’s gonna be ok, isn’ he?” Applejack asked, her twang coming on heavily in her panic to make sure her brother was alright.
“He’ll be fine. You got him here just in time. It’s unfortunate we can’t save the leg…” Redheart said as she and the nurses wheeled Big Mac into the dining hall. It had been made into an impromptu hospital as well. There just wasn’t enough room in only one room for all of the injured ponies. Twilight looked at Applejack, whose head was hanging, her mane out of its usual tie and hanging around her shoulders.
“He’ll be ok, Applejack. Big Mac’s strong.” She said and Applejack nodded.
“Ah just wish Rainbow were here… Ah know she didn’ abandon Ponyville withou’ a reason… what with the Wonderbolts needin’ her help in Cloudsdale, but Ah’d feel better if Ah knew she was safe too.” The farm girl said and Twilight nodded as Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy walked over. Understandably, the normally bubbly mare was subdued. After all, her families Rock Farm had been destroyed when Holders Boulder had exploded, releasing… something. The only ones to escape were her mother and her sister, Marble. Her father and other sister were gone.
“What is it…?” Twilight asked and Pinkie looked up, tears staining her cheeks. “Oh no… Mrs. Cake…?” Pinkie nodded and Twilight threw her forelegs around her friend. Mrs. Cake had been gravely injured when she and her kids had been escaping from Sugarcube Corner. Mr. Cake had stayed behind to give them time to get away.
“I did everything I could… even Zecora… but we couldn’t bring her out of her last attack…” Fluttershy said, blood staining her normally pristine pink mane. Applejack limped over to Fluttershy and threw her good hoof around the shy mare’s shoulders.
“How’s Zecora holding up?”
“She’d be doing better if her home and herbs weren’t gone… she says she’d be able to make remedies that would fix ponies up good as new if she had some of them…” Twilight sighed and looked out the nearest window leading towards the Everfree Forest. Two Pegasi had flown in that direction only a few hours ago, Flitter and Cloud Kicker. They still hadn’t come back. Walking with her three friends to the kitchens to get Applejack something to eat, Twilight heard a knocking at the door. Gesturing for them to go on ahead, she turned around and walked back. Using her spell to peek through the door, she didn’t see anyone. Blinking, she pulled the door open a crack and froze. As if a spell had been cast on her. Panic rose in her heart as she feared a Cockatrice had gotten through her barrier, but she didn’t feel herself turning to stone. Instead, the creature standing in front of her pushed the door open, gently easing her away from it.
When it had gotten into the castle, Twilight’s eyes widened. It was an Alicorn. A massive white Alicorn with a mane that looked to be made of the sun itself. His wings were held tight against his sides, and every feather seemed to shift as if they were burning. His tail flowed like his mane, both of which gave off heat. Behind him, another Alicorn strode in. This one was much like Princess Luna, only taller, with a mane darker than the Night Princess’ and seeming to contain more stars. “Tell me, where is Twilight Sparkle?” The Alicorn with the starry mane asked and all of the Ponies who had come to investigate pointed to the, still frozen, Princess staring at the open door.
As soon as the two Alicorns turned, Twilight found she could move again. Spinning quickly, she ignited her horn. Or at least attempted to. When her magic failed her, her eyes widened again and she looked at the large male. His eyes were focused on her and his horn was lit, glowing with magic far stronger than Celestia’s. “You know what happened.” The female said and Twilight shook her head. “Hm… pity. It seems you were wrong again dear.” She said and the glow around the male’s horn disappeared. Twilight nearly fell on her face as she was able to move again.
“Not possible Umbra. I am never wrong.” He said as Twilight raced around him and stood with her friends. “The broken moon, the darkened sun. Something has happened to our daughters.”
“Solas, is it not possible that, for once in our infinite lives, you are wrong about this?” she asked and he huffed, flames blowing out of his nostrils. Twilight blinked. He’d mentioned daughters. In the same breath as the moon and sun. Stepping forward, she cleared her throat slightly and both Alicorns turned to look at her.
“You… mentioned your daughters… and the sun and moon… do you mean… Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?” She asked and the mare smiled and nodded.
“Yes dear. And your name is…?” She asked and Twilight looked up at her. She seemed the more reasonable of the two.
“Twilight Sparkle… ma’am.” The mare smiled again and nodded.
“I am Queen Umbra. This is my husband, King Solas. The original commanders of the Sun and Moon.” She said
“Until you passed your powers on to Luna… and forced me to give mine to Celestia…” her husband scoffed and she shot him a glare that would have frozen Twilight’s blood. He just snorted and looked out the door at the creatures trying to tear through the shield spell.
“We would not have returned from our respective celestial bodies if Celestia and Luna were still well… do you know what has happened?” Queen Umbra asked and Twilight shook her head.
“No… your majesty… And I’m worried… Celestia and Luna are my friends…”
“Royalty doesn’t make friends…” King Solas scoffed and Umbra shot him another glare.
“Celestia was training me… it’s thanks to her that I became an Alicorn…” Twilight said and Umbra smiled.
“And it was quite the feat. Completing my student’s spell the way you did. Who would have thought all it took to complete Starswirl’s spell was an understanding of friendship and the nuances that come with it…” She said and Twilight blinked.
“Clearly not your prized Student…” Solas said and Umbra glared at him again.
“It took this young mare to complete a spell that even we had trouble with, dear husband. Give her some credit.” She said and the king looked down his nose at Twilight before nodding. She assumed that was the best she was going to get from him.
“Your highness… do you know what’s happening?” Twilight asked and Umbra sighed and turned to look out the window, directly at the sun. Everypony could look at it now.
“Unfortunately, yes. The moon’s destruction, the dying sun… it could mean only one thing…” She said and Solas scoffed.
“Two things, dear wife. The first of which we could handle if Celestia and Luna were still here.” He said and Umbra turned and glared at him, her mane and tail flaring wildly and seeming to emanate lightning. Seeing the look on his wife’s face, Solas backed away.
“It is your fault, husband, that my daughters are dead!” Umbra shouted and a bolt of lightning struck close to Solas’ hoof. Her words struck home for Twilight. Hearing it from the former ruler of the night made her stumble and fall on her rear. Seeing this out the corner of her eye, Umbra turned and looked at Twilight, her mane and tail calming. “Oh dear… you did not know…?”
Shaking her head, Twilight stared at the ground as ponies began to gather in the central chamber of her castle. Her eyes widened and blurred with tears as the realization washed over her. Her friend Luna. Her mentor Celestia. Dead. “I am so sorry Twilight… I wish we had time to allow you to grieve, but we do not. With my daughter’s gone, the Sun and Moon are damaged and must be repaired. As it has been over five thousand years since this need has arisen, I am no longer capable of bearing children powerful enough to command the Sun and Moon.”
“But we may know of someone who is.” Solas said and Twilight looked up at him. She seemed to catch on to what he was saying as she slowly rose to her hooves and sniffled.
“Before we ask you to seek them out… we must tell you why the Sun and Moon are important. Beyond just bringing light to Equestria during the day and lulling ponies to sleep at night. And to do that, we must tell you a bit of a story. One you may not have heard before.”
Ancient History.
Solaris and Umbra stood side by side, their mother standing behind them. They had been created as Husband and Wife, given dominion of the day and night respectively, as well as the creatures that dwell during the different aspects of existence. Below them in the valley, ponies raced and played in the sunlight. Several had already used their magic to create living dolls of sticks and stones in the shape of dogs. They’d been dubbed Timberwolves. “This is all yours to rule over, my dearest children.” The Empress said and Umbra smiled down at the creatures running around and playing.
“Can we go play?” Solaris asked and their mother shook her head.
“I am sorry, my dearest son, but you cannot. You see, you command the power of the Sun above our heads. You cause it to rise and fault each and every day. When it falls, it will be your duty, my daughter, to raise the Moon so that the little ponies and other creatures may sleep and dream sweet dreams.” Umbra smiled and nuzzled her mother’s leg. Solaris, however, scowled. He wished to play with the other creatures playing in the valley below. This went on day by day. Every day, Solaris, Umbra and their mother would go to the top of the hill and look down on the ponies and creatures playing in the valley.
The same routine went on for five thousand years. During which time, Solaris slowly grew to appreciate the ponies in the valley. They’d grown splendidly in five thousand years. Some branching off and forming towns and cities elsewhere, but the valley had come to be known as Ponyton. Umbra, of course, grew only slightly jealous that the ponies in Ponyton slept during her nights, when she would make beautiful star formations for them to enjoy and light their nights with her newly brightened moon. Despite their mother leaving them, they were never lonely. They had each other, and the two of them and used their magic to create pets for themselves.
Solaris, being of the fiery persuasion of the sun, had created a Phoenix, a bird born of fire that, once every few years, would have to burst into flame and renew itself. The beauty of fire and renewal, given form. Umbra had created something else, however. Soon, Solaris grew jealous of his sister’s pet. A dog, much like the Timber Wolves, but created of flesh, blood, and fur. Her pet relished the moon, even worshiping it. While his Phoenix was gorgeous and powerful in its own right, the dog Umbra had created had fur the color of freshly fallen snow and eyes as bright and vibrant blue as the sea with the sun shining upon it.
Over the course of another thousand years, Umbra’s pet had grown intelligent. She had given it the ability to learn, and as it did, it developed language and magic of its own, soon creating more creatures like it, all of different shades of fur and different colored eyes. To these new wolves, it gave command over five elements of creation, Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and even Spirit itself. Thinking her wolf had grown impertinent, Solaris punished it. Using his magic, he cast it into space, sealing it way on the dark side of Umbra’s moon and putting a spell on the moon. It would now rotate slowly on its axis, much like the planet they lived on. Once every month, Umbra would be able to see her pet again, when the side of the moon it had been relegated to rotated and faced the planet.
Of course, Umbra had grown angry with him over this. Refusing to speak with him, she’d taken to dwelling among the inhabitants of their kingdom, disguised as a unicorn mare. Under her husband brother’s watchful eyes, she’d fallen in love with a Pegasus stallion. Against her brother’s wishes, as well as her better judgement, she lay with the stallion. Fearing she would grow heavy with child, she went to her brother, who assisted her in casting a spell. She would not bare a child save for her own husband’s. This, however, did not dissuade her from indulging her rebellious side.
Solaris watched, daily, as his sister doned a new disguise and journeyed among other ponies, pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies alike. This behavior continued for another thousand years, before they both grew lonely in their immortality. They had watched, for thousands of years, their creations and friends grow old and die around them. Wishing to have companionship besides her brother/husband, she decided that now was the time. She would lay with her partner, dispelling the spell they had cast together to prevent her from becoming pregnant.
A mere blink in time to the immortals later, and their first child was born. A dazzling white mare with horn and wings, pink mane and tail waving in an ethereal breeze as her magic created mountains that had not been before, as well as enchanting parts of a long abandoned forest. Casting a spell in unison, the two Royals bound their daughter’s magic so that it would not reach its peak again until she was grown and could better control it. In an effort to do so, they sought out a teacher. Several approached, wishing to become the young Alicorn’s magic instructor, but one stood out to Queen Umbra.
A sickly looking young stallion who had crafted a tall pointed blue hat with bells around it and wore a blue cloak. Starswirl, the stallion’s name was. Donning a disguise as a sickly beggar woman, Umbra approached Starswirl, coughing into her hoof and holding out her wing, begging for just a few bits to get food. Surprising her, as well as King Solaris, instead of giving her bits, Starswirl stopped in his tracks and offered his assistance instead. Bidding her sit by his side, he took off his hat to reveal he was a unicorn. Holding his hat, Umbra watched in amazement as he performed spells that neither of the royals had ever thought of. His spells quickly drew in a crowd, and before long, his hat slowly began filling with bits in bronze, silver and gold.
Once his hat had filled, a kindly mare approached and placed a bucket near him, which ponies swiftly began filling. Smiling to herself, Umbra stood and revealed herself. Starswirl, never missing a beat in his tricks, dispelled his magic, causing the cards he was spinning in a helix around himself to float back into a stacked deck as he flowed into a bow. “Dearest Starswirl, you have proven that you have a knowledge of magic my husband and I are lacking. I hearby grant you the title of Royal Magister. And I ask that you instruct my daughter in the use of magic so that, one day, she may take my husband’s place and raise and lower the sun during the day.” She said and Starswirl stared up at her as his hat, now emptied of bits, floated onto his head. The bits were all placed into saddle bags, which were floated onto his back over the top of his cloak.
Two months later, Starswirl strode out of the newly constructed Castle’s magical wing, a resplendent beard gracing his features. It had been grown by Celestia when she was attempting a spell to grow hair so that Starswirl would have a glorious mane of golden brown hair. He’d had to retreat from the magic wing in order to keep his mane and beard from growing any further. Once he’d dispelled the residual magic, he walked back into the room and looked over at Celestia. She’d been in the epicenter of the spell, causing her coat, mane and tail to grow rapidly. Sighing, he levitated her over and held her still as he used his magic to trim her back to the way she had appeared before her spell. Hearing a throat clear behind him, he set Princess Celestia on her hooves and turned around. Standing there, King Solaris smiled as his daughter raced over to regale him with her magical expertise. Beside him, a heavily pregnant Queen Umbra smiled at them.
“But I don’t want a sister…” Celestia whined several months later while Queen Umbra was in labor with the sister that would soon hold her mother’s magic to move the moon.
“Celestia, don’t you want someone to play with? Another student for your teacher so you can grow and learn together. As well as someone you can protect from mean boys that make fun of her?” Her father asked and she turned her head up, a thoughtful look on her face.
“Yeah, I suppose. But what if mother likes her better? Or what if Master Starswirl pays more attention to her?” King Solaris chuckled.
“Starswirl will pay an equal amount of attention to you both. It is why he was chosen after all.” He said and Celestia nodded as she heard her mother scream. Ducking behind her father’s legs, she peeked out from behind the safety of his strong legs as the noise in the birthing room grew more frantic.
“Your majesty.” Starswirl said as he appeared, a spell having brought him to them.
“Stay with Celestia.” Solaris ordered as he strode into the room. Celestia caught sight of the doctors racing back and forth around the room while a screaming baby drowned out their words. Blinking, she looked up at Starswirl, who just smiled down at her. Minutes stretched into hours, and soon enough Celestia found herself yawning as she and Starswirl curled up on one of the benches outside of the Birthing Room, reading spell books. A moment later, one of the doctors walked out of the room, carrying the baby with him. Starswirl stood up and approached. The doctor, not saying a word, deposited the baby in his arms.
“What am I to do? Where are her parents?” He asked and the doctor shook his head, staring at the floor.
“They asked that she be named Luna.” He said as he turned around and pushed open the door. Inside the room, the nurses were clearing the bedding and removing the equipment. The King and Queen were nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s mommy?” Celestia asked and Starswirl just stared at the room. He didn’t know how to answer her.
Eighteen years later, Celestia and Luna raced through the halls of Everfree Castle, Starswirl hot on their heels. They’d “accidentally” used too much spark powder in a spell that required fire, which caused a massive explosion, singing Starswirl’s beard and hair and frizzing them out, giving him the appearance of a massive, irate, porcupine. Skidding to a stop, teenaged Luna dove through the tapestry concealing one of the trapdoor slides. This particular one lead outside. As soon as she was free of the confines of the slide, Luna spread her wings and took to the air, flying around the Everfree.
She knew Starswirl knew of this trapdoor, but he couldn’t fly, so using it would mean suicide for him, since there was no ledge at the end of it for him to stand on. Unless he teleported, which he usually did to get ahead of them. As she flew over one particular section of the Everfree, she began spiraling towards the ground. It was a clearing with a small pond in the middle of it. Seeing who she was expecting to be in the clearing, a smile broke across her face as she rocketed down, hoping to get the drop on him for once. As per usual, Shadow spun as she reached him, lunged, and pinned her to the forest floor at the edge of the pond.
She shrieked as he nibbled and nipped at her neck, eliciting giggles from her, before he got off and sat down, smirking at her. “It’s a pleasure to see you again My Moon.” He said as she got up and sat across from him. “Your lessons are coming along well I trust?” He asked and she nodded.
“As well as they can. Starswirl doesn’t have the command over the Moon that I do, but he does help me guide it. But your lessons help me control my magic.” She said and he grinned. “Even if I do have to come up with excuses for Starswirl and Celestia to explain away the nips at the base of my wings and on my neck.”
“They help you concentrate, do they not?” He asked and she nodded silently as he approached her. “I’m afraid tonight will have to be our final lesson, My Moon. My father has found a bride for me…” Her ears drooped at the news and he waved her off with a wing. “Fear not. I refuse to be the political puppet for my father’s fear mongering. I will leave the Everfree this night and journey away from here. I would sooner lose you that way than be forced upon another and kept from you.”
“I would prefer that you didn’t have to leave…” She said and he stepped forward and nuzzled behind her ear, nipping lightly and eliciting a shudder from her that tingled all the way to her hooves.
“I know, My Moon. Perhaps we will meet again one day. Now, on to your lesson.” He said as all pretenses of gentility and codling disappeared from his visage.
Ten Years Later.
Luna stood next to her sister, her armor chill to the touch as the snow battered against it. The spear at her side a final gift from her Shadow. Celestia had never once asked about it, her own spear a gift from Starswirl before he’d disappeared fighting the Pony of Shadows. “Are you sure this is the safest course, Sister?” She asked, looking up at her vibrant big sister, resplendent in her golden armor.
“Yes, my dearest Luna. We must not fail. How could we, with the Elements of Harmony?” Celestia asked and Luna looked towards Sombra’s castle of dark crystal.
“And if they should fail?”
“Why would they?”
“Hypothetically speaking…”
“Well, hypothetically speaking… we are prepared, none the less.” She said as she rose her spear under her wing. Luna nodded as they took to the air. Using their magic, they rushed towards the castle as blurs of gold and blue before a wall of it exploded, ushering them inside. As they had planned, upon entering the castle, they utilized the Elements, casting the darkness in the room into the light. Sombra, however, remained where he was.
“Princesses… welcome… You are just in time to meet my newest recruit…” The dark Unicorn said, turning away from the warrior kneeling at his hooves. Luna fought back a gasp as the warrior stood, his eyes vacant of emotion, funneling dark magic that matched Sombra’s.
“No… it couldn’t be…” she thought to herself as Sombra strode forward, standing beside Shadow.
“Now, my soldier… kill the Princess of the Moon. Leave her sister to me.” He said and Shadow nodded, his eyes blank until they fell on Luna. Instead of the recognition she had hoped for, she saw nothing but anger. It was then that she noticed why the Elements hadn’t affected Sombra. Shadow had used his own magic, grown more powerful over the years, to capture the magic of the Elements of Harmony. Eyes widening, Luna barely managed to deflect his twin swords with her spear, which sheered in half, giving her just enough time to leap backwards and out of the reach of his blades.
“Shadow, please… it’s me… your Moon… please recognize me…” She pleaded as he walked towards her, drawing her own sword. His swords levitated beside him, captured in his magic. Watching him with tears in her eyes, she watched as he approached slowly. “Shadow… please… don’t you recognize me…?” she begged as he reached her, his swords dragging against the ground. She stared up at him, hoping for some sense of recognition. As he stood staring at her, she saw a flicker in his eyes as one of his paws rose and touched her cheek. “You do… don’t you?”
“I do… but you must know Luna… I am a predator… and you… you are nothing but prey…” He said and she barely leapt back as his swords sparked against her breast plate. Eyes widening, she levitated her sword between the two of them.
“Don’t make me fight you Shadow, please…”
“You must. Prove to me that your lessons were not in vain.” With that, all pretense bled away as he lunged at her, his swords arcing at her from the same side. She lifted hers and deflected them easily, but he kept coming, bowling into her, sending the swords flying. As they tumbled, her helmet came free, clinking against the floor as it rolled away. She barely managed to jerk her head around, scoring a slash under his eye before he could latch on to her throat with his fangs.
Leaping back, she noticed the dark aura was gone from his eyes. He was no longer under Sombra’s control. But he still came at her, his magic catching up his swords again. Luna ignited her horn and caught his swords on her single weapon. “You wish for me to prove that you taught me well? Very well then.” She snapped, her eyes growing harsh despite the tears flowing freely from them. Pushing hard, he leapt into the air to avoid having his throat slashed and summersaulted in the air. The moment he landed, he began dancing backwards as a rain of magical swords followed him.
Anticipating his movements, Luna summoned a giant sword to drop where he was going to be. A second before it landed, he threw his swords at her and raised his wings, coating them in magic and stopping the blade dead. Keeping his focus on the blade became his undoing. Tears streaming from her eyes, Luna surged forward, her magic carrying her swiftly towards him like a spear thrown by a Unicorn guard, straight and true. Her plan, to stop before harming him, was undone as he dispelled her giant blade and stepped forward, her horn spearing into his chest.
Eyes widening, she pulled away and crumbled in front of him. “Well done Luna… the student has surpassed the master… now stop him.” He said as his wings dropped at his sides and his eyes closed, the last breath of life wheezing from his body. His blood ran down her head, dripping into her eye as she heard her sister shout her name. Little did she notice as she spun to assist her sister, darkness seeped from the wound in Shadow's chest, vanishing into the sky with a chuckle darker even than the long forgotten Pony of Shadows.
Present Day.
“I don’t believe it… Wolves… with magic like ours… and wings… The history in this book.” Twilight said as she looked up at her friends. Fluttershy and Rarity had tears streaming down their cheeks. Applejack, as was typical of her, had her head hanging, eyes hidden behind the brim of her new hat. Even Rainbow Dash was silently subdued, sitting on the floor instead of hovering near the Daring Do books. Pinkie Pie was subdued as well, her mane straight and her color dulled slightly. Looking up at Solas and Umbra, Twilight realized they’d all but told her exactly who they needed to find.
“You want me to find him… Shadow? His… his body?” she asked and Solas shook his head. "The creature that was released by Shadow's death caused this, didn't it?" Solas nodded.
“Shadow was buried beneath the old Castle, to be close to Luna. We need you to find his descendant.” Umbra said and Twilight looked at her. Every time her eyes fell on the Queen of Night, she was reminded of Luna. The same regal beauty and grace. The same dark power without the feeling of evil. Tears sprang to her eyes and she forced herself to look away, hoping she was looking at a book. Feeling a hoof touch her cheek, she jerked around and found herself looking up at Umbra. “I understand, Twilight Sparkle. You were friends with both of my daughters and you miss them. Are you willing to do what it takes to save them?”
Swallowing, Twilight looked up at Umbra and nodded, determination in her eyes. Umbra smiled and nodded back. “We will send the seven of you to the borders of Ponyville. Go west from there until you find a nomad tribe of Wolves. Ask to see their King. If you must, invoke Pax. They will be obligated to hear you out. Their prince is a noble sort. He will offer to help you.” Nodding again, Twilight gathered her friends close. Once they were at her sides, Umbra’s horn ignited. “I’m afraid I cannot send you far out of the view of the creatures attacking your home. Once you are out of the teleportation, run. And run fast.” She didn’t wait this time. The moment her speech was over, Twilight and the others felt like their insides were rapidly becoming their outsides before becoming their insides again.
As soon as the magical field faded, Twilight bolted. Right behind her was Pinkie Pie, Rainbow, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Starlight Glimmer. Spike hadn’t come with them, so she had to trust that Umbra and Solaris would protect him. Hearing a roar behind them, she picked up speed, not surprised in the least when Fluttershy shot past her like a rocket out of Pinkie Pie’s party cannon. Peeking over her shoulder, she instantly regret the action as she saw what was chasing them. It looked, for all the world, like a giant pony. Easily thirty feet tall, it didn’t have skin. It appeared to be nothing more than a mass of muscle and bone charging at them.
Pouring on the speed, her horn lit and she enchanted the rest of her friends to be faster. All of them easily gained on Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash rocketing passed her yellow friend. When she’d disappeared into the distance, Twilight breathed a small sigh of relief. At least one of them would be safe if this thing caught them. Her relief was short lived as Rainbow came rocketing back. As she flew, a cone of wind drag appeared around her and Twilight realized she was going to do a Sonic Rainboom. Close to the ground. At least, that had been the plan. Pulling up short, Rainbow stopped dead in her tracks and stared behind them. Reaching her, Twilight dared look back and froze. Clashing with the giant pony was a giant red dragon with horns like a bull.
She didn’t dare hope it was helping them, but it gave them enough opportunity to grab Dash and run for the safety of the mountains.
Author's Note
Ok ladies and gents. Slight change from the original plan. Originally planned on Spike going with them. Changed at the last second to Starlight. SO, I have a question for you all. To make Twilight even more... gung ho... about restoring Celestia and Luna to life, should Starlight die on their journey? Restoring Celestia and Luna would also mean restoring Starlight. At a cost. What that cost is... you're going to have to wait until next chapter to learn that. Let me know what you think. Starlight giving her life to protect Twilight and the others? Or no?
Forgotten Wilds
Twilight and her friends stopped, panting hard as they took shelter beneath some fallen trees and stacked rocks that looked like ancient caves overgrown with moss. “What in the wide world of Equestria was that?” Rarity asked as she gasped for breath. Twilight just shook her head. The giant pony was new to her, as was the dragon looking thing. Looking up, she realized that she and her friends were well and truly lost. Without a map or even a sense of where they were going, they had no idea how to find the Wolf they were looking for.
They didn’t even know what he looked like. “Get some rest girls… we’re all sore and exhausted from running like that…” she said as she noticed Fluttershy barely holding herself up. The moment she said it, Fluttershy collapsed, Rainbow going over and sitting next to her friend. Rarity, though normally heavily against “roughing it”, lay down next to Applejack. Pinkie Pie stayed on her hooves, staring out of the opening to their “cave”. “Pinkie?” she asked and Pinkie looked over at her.
“I’m ok, Twilight…” She said, forcing a smile before turning back to the entrance.
“No you’re not… what is it?”
“That big bull dragon thing… it came from the direction of my parent’s rock farm.” Twilight’s eyes widened as she looked at Pinkie’s shoulders. The stiff set of them, the determined stance.
“You want to go check on them… don’t you?” Pinkie nodded and sniffed.
“Yeah. But I gotta stick with you girls.” The normally bubbly mare said, forcing a smile. Twilight smiled back as she looked back at the others.
“We gotta rest Twi. If we push ourselves again, Fluttershy ‘n Rarity are apt t’ collapse.” Applejack said and Twilight nodded as she sat down. As soon as Twilight was seated Fluttershy and Rarity dropped, panting heavily. Neither of them were used to this kind of exertion. Rainbow and Applejack stood at the entrance of their small cave, making sure nothing came in after them.
“Get some sleep girls. We’ll switch off with Pinkie and Twilight in a few hours.” Rainbow said and Pinkie all but collapsed onto the cave floor, curling up in a tight little ball. Rarity went over and lay down next to her. Twilight rested against one of the walls of the cave as Fluttershy curled up near Starlight. As her eyes drifted closed, Twilight curled up against the wall of the cave and was immediately sucked into a dream.
~Dream Realm~
Twilight snapped her eyes open and looked around. The dream scape was much different from the last time she was here with Princess Luna. “I suppose that makes sense… since Luna’s dead now…” she said to herself as she trotted down a hallway of doors. Each door had a different cutie mark over it. Looking at each one, she was surprised that she didn’t see hers or her friends. Until suddenly the doors raced passed her and six doors stopped around her. Each one had her friends’ cutie marks. Pulling a door with Rainbow’s cutie mark on it, she stepped in and saw Rainbow fighting an aerial battle against Changelings. When Rainbow saw her, she stopped and the dream stopped with her.
“Twilight? How are you in my dream?”
“Somepony has to manage the dream realm… and Cadance is already busy as the Princess of Love and the ruler of the Crystal Empire.” She said as she walked in and sat with her friend.
“So the dream realm just… picked you?” her rainbow maned friend asked and Twilight shrugged as the two of them sat down. “So… I guess we should plan our next move. Can we do that shared dream thing Luna did for us when we fought the Tantabus?”
“I’m not sure… Luna was princess of dreams for more than a thousand years. There’s no telling what she knew how to do…” Twilight sighed as she stared at the ground. “If I’m the princess of dreams… I wonder if Cadance is the princess of the sun now…”
“Maybe. But do you think that means we have more time than Umbra and Solaris said we did? I mean… maybe Cadance won’t raise the sun.” Twilight smiled a little as she lay down.
“Maybe… It seems my body is sleeping though. Unlike when Luna would wander our dreams, I’m not here physically. It’s just my mind.” Rainbow crossed her forelegs across her chest, hovering in mid-air.
“So you’ll be rested in the morning. I suppose that’s good. Umbra didn’t say we had to hurry.” Twilight nodded as Rainbow’s dream slowly began to start up again.
“I guess you need to get back to your dream. I’ll keep wandering.” She said as she stood up. Rainbow nodded and pounced at a Changeling as the dream picked up speed again. As Rainbow wrestled with Changelings and threw them around like rag dolls, Twilight walked out of her dream and closed the door. As she did, she noticed something going through another door out the corner of her eye. “Princess Luna?” She asked as she chased the figure. When she reached the door, she looked for any indication that it was someone familiar. It was strange. Pushing the door open, she peeked in and looked around.
The room was, for all intents and purposes, strange. It looked like a castle, but the pillars were in ruins, the throne was split in two, a giant axe still embedded in the ground between the halves of the throne. In front of the throne, its back turned to her, was a wolf with black fur and wings. “H…hello?” she stuttered as she walked into the throne room.
“I was expecting Princess Luna. I suppose the shattered moon means the Seers were right. Luna’s dead.” He said and she froze. He sounded familiar. Eerily familiar.
“Y…yes… are you… Shadow?” She asked and he turned and she held back a shriek. The wolf in front of her was, in fact, Shadow. “I… I saw Luna kill you. Queen Umbra showed me.”
“That’s right. She did. The darkness that Sombra placed around my heart corrupted me. When she killed me, the Darkness disappeared and I used my connection with Luna to remain with her. In her dreams. I am also reincarnated in a new life, a new body, this age. You must find him. Seek out the Shadow Clan. They have moved away from the dangers within the Everfree Forest. You will find them in the place known as Hollow Shades.” Twilight blinked and looked at him.
“But, Hollow Shades is a ruin. There was nothing there. I’ve been there with my friends when we stopped…”
“The Pony of Shadows. I know. You only saw the ruins of the old castle that once stood there. A spell lies on the ruins. I will teach it to you before you arrive there.” He said and she looked up at him.
“How will I know you…? I mean… him?” she asked and he looked off to the side.
“Ask for a wolf named Noctis. He is the prince of the clan you are looking for, as well as my reincarnation. He… may come off as relatively impertinent.” Shadow said and Twilight nodded, filing the name away in her mind. “Now, when you awake, keep your friends silent. There is a creature outside of your hiding place that will kill you if it gets a chance. Wait until it is gone before making for Hollow Shades. And run swiftly.” He said and she was pulled out of her sleep.
Dawn
It was morning. That much was obvious. Cadance was using her magic to keep a semblance of order to the day and night, despite the dying sun. Looking out the entrance she and her friends were hiding in, she pulled Rainbow’s sleeping body away from the entrance, keeping all of them quiet with her magic as they all stirred awake. When Fluttershy looked panicked, Twilight pointed with her hoof out of the cave. Seeing the creature prowling around outside Fluttershy clamped her lips shut as she went around to try and rouse the deeper sleeping members of the group, such as Rainbow Dash and Applejack.
AJ woke up and yawned, her eyes widening when there was no sound. Looking at Twilight, she followed her friends gaze to the creature sniffing the air outside. From the paws up, it looked like an average dog, if a lot larger. Once your gaze reached its body, that is where the appearance of “dog” ended and the visage of “monster” began. It would have made Discord proud to see it.
All four legs were covered in jet black fur that seemed to ooze darkness. Its body was covered in what appeared to be dried magma. Along its back rose black spines that seemed to rattle with every breath it took. Twilight didn’t dare to attempt to freeze it to get a closer look at its muzzle, but from the sight, it’s bottom and top jaw both would split in half, making its maw gape open wide enough to swallow a fully grown stallion whole. Its tail was long and spindly, much like some serpentine dragons, with a spade on the end and spines running from its rump to the beginning of the spade. The horns on its head were highly reminiscent of a dragons, framing its neck at angles that would allow it to open its jaws.
Its eyes were deep pools of black ink with two bright red pin pricks. Swallowing sharply, Twilight wondered how quickly this monster would catch their scent and kill them. She knew it was only a matter of time before it did. Squeezing her eyes closed, she felt Fluttershy cuddle in close, shivering in fear, never taking her eyes off of the creature. Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity stood their ground in front of the rest of their friends. Though they were quaking in fear, they would defend their friends to the end.
“He’s here.” Twilight heard in her head and she looked around before her eyes went back to the entrance of their hiding place. The monster was staring right at them. Staring at it, she wondered why it wasn’t pouncing. Until she noticed that its eyes weren’t on them. They were above them. On top of their hiding place. Deciding not to go out and check, she remained where she was. A second later, a cloaked figure dropped down in front of their hiding place, wings flared out as an ominous growl echoed into the cave.
Instead of feeling a shiver of fear running down her spine, the rumble from the newcomer’s growl vibrated up through her hooves and tickled at her belly. Staring at his back, Twilight realized the voice that had echoed in her mind was Shadow’s. This was his reincarnation. Noctis. Hearing the demonic creature growl back, she looked around him and saw it was preparing to pounce. Before she could shout for him to move, the thing leapt at him. Instead of getting out of the way, he jumped to meet it, his forepaws slamming into its chest as he pushed off and took to the air, hovering just out of reach. The creature growled up at him, its eyes burning as it rolled impossibly fast to its feet.
As Noctis landed again, he raced back around and stood between it and them. Peering around him, she saw it pacing just far enough away he’d have to use his wings to reach it, and the split second between him spreading his wings and using them to propel towards it, it would be on him. Growling at it, Noctis stood his ground as it paced back and forth, trying to figure out a way to get around the predator and at the seemingly defenseless prey behind him. Hearing another growl, Twilight peered around the side of their hiding place and spotted three more creatures trying to sneak up on Noctis. Lighting her horn, she enveloped her friends and her defender in her magic.
Seemingly realizing what she was attempting, the first wolf-like creature leapt at them, its split jaws clamping closed on nothing as the eight of them disappeared. When they all reappeared, Twilight collapsed, panting for breath. She’d never had to teleport all of her friends before, plus one other creature that seemed immune to magic. “Well, that was fun…” Noctis said as he rolled to his feet, gently extricating himself from under Rainbow Dash. Dash hopped off of him and looked around. They were as close to Hollow Shades as Twilight could get them.
“You’re Noctis. Prince Noctis? Right?” She asked and he nodded.
“That’s me. I’m surprised I actually found anyone out there. Wait here.” He said as he helped Rarity up before walking through a large set of double doors. When they closed behind him, Twilight looked around. All around them, wolves were walking around as it if were a common occurrence for ponies to randomly teleport into their home. Looking at her friends, Twilight noticed that all of them were still tired. Rainbow was practically dead on her hooves.
“That was strange…” she muttered and Rarity nodded.
“I know what you mean darling. He seems… magic proof. Like it wants to slough off of him.” She said and Twilight jumped as the doors slammed open.
“I don’t care! They might know what happened and why they have returned, as well as what’s happened to the sun and moon!” Noctis shouted as he walked back to them, two other wolves right behind him.
“They are intruders in our home, because of you, and as such must be punished. As well as them being ponies so they must be responsible for the Moon’s destruction, as well as the Sun fading.” The male said and Noctis rounded on him.
“You can’t be serious! They came to us for our help, not to be accused of murdering their own princesses!” He snapped and the male drew himself up. Even with his wings splayed, this other wolf looked more impressive than Noctis.
“Husband… perhaps we should hear them out.” The other wolf said and Twilight turned her gaze to the apparent queen. She brought to mind Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. Kind a gentle, while still holding an air of absolute authority.
“As you wish, my queen. Say your peace, ponies. And then begone. We have no time to…” his last words were cut off as his wife pushed him to the ground and placed a paw on his muzzle.
“Be silent and listen.” Twilight looked up at her, thankful for her patience.
“We were sent here by Queen Umbra and King Solas… to find the descendant of a wolf named Shadow.” Hearing his name, the King looked at her, his ears perking. “Queen Umbra told us he will know how to restore the Sun and Moon, as well as return Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to life.”
Extricating his muzzle from under his wife’s paw, the king looked at her. “I’m afraid your journey here was in vain. Shadow has been dead for years, and his descendants were disavowed as traitors for his actions during the war against Sombra, letting himself be controlled. We will allow you to remain here to rest. Tomorrow, you and your friends will return home. I am sorry we cannot help you.” The king said and Twilight’s ears drooped as she turned her gaze to the floor.
“Oh… I… I understand… thank you for your time…” She said as she turned and walked back to her friends.
“My son, escort them to the guest rooms and allow them a respite. Tomorrow, you will escort them safely home.” Noctis nodded and walked passed Twilight, draping one wing over her shoulders as he led them out of the throne room. Twilight hung her head as the eight of them walked out of the room and turned down a hallway.
“I’m sorry, I truly am. If I could help you, I would, but I cannot go against my Father’s wishes.” He said and Twilight nodded.
“I understand, Prince Noctis… Really I do… Queen Umbra was so sure your people would help us…” She said and he sighed as they walked to the bedrooms. When they reached the guest rooms, he gestured for their escorts to go away.
“When you leave tomorrow, stop at the edge of the forest to the east. Wait for me there.” He whispered into her ear as he pushed the door open. Twilight blinked, nodded slightly, and walked in, her friends behind her.
“So what now?” Rainbow asked and Twilight looked around the room, her horn lighting as she scanned for listening spells or anything that could give away secrets.
“He’s going to meet us at the edge of the forest to the east. Noctis is going to help us. Even without his parents’ permission.” She said and Starlight blinked.
“But won’t he get in trouble?” She asked and Twilight nodded.
“It’s pretty likely that he’ll get in a lot of trouble for helping us against the wishes of his parents, since they are the King and Queen.”
Ancient Magic.
Twilight stared at the wall across from her. The king and queen had given her and her friends rooms in the royal wing. Directly across the hall was their son, Noctis. He hadn’t told them when to leave, or when to meet him, but she hadn’t attempted to teleport out yet. In her mind, she wondered if he was waiting for her. Whether he still hadn’t left the tower yet. Whether he was really even going to help them. Sitting on the bed in the room she’d been given, she stared at the wall. Rarity had gotten her own room, though she’d complained about having to share it with Applejack, until one of the guards had apparently had enough and switched Applejack and Fluttershy.
With Fluttershy in with Rarity, Applejack was bunked with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Twilight was the only one of them who had gotten her own room. At first, she’d been concerned about that. At least until Noctis had explained that Royalty got “special treatment” from his people. Not that she really complained. Her room had a small library attached. Reading as many books as she could, she’d gathered as much information on his people as she could. Including something about the royal family that had her scratching her head. Noctis’ father was descended directly from the wolf from Luna’s dream, Shadow. Noctis, however, was not.
Despite being the son, by blood, of the King, Noctis, somehow, had no relation to Shadow. And yet Shadow had named Noctis as his reincarnation. Things weren’t adding up. Not really. Twilight had heard of reincarnation magic before, and there was almost always a blood relation between two souls for reincarnation to happen. Noctis apparently either hadn’t cared that his family tree was in one of the books. But his name wasn’t connected to Shadow’s name on the tree. Noctis’ name was connected to a completely different family, with no relation to Shadow save for the queen marrying the king.
Another thing that rebelled against Shadow’s story was Noctis himself. In the dream realm, Shadow had appeared to be a jet black wolf with red eyes. Noctis was a dark grey wolf with goldish yellow eyes. Another discrepancy that Twilight couldn’t overlook because it was a physical, magical and medical marvel, Noctis had wings. She’d never seen other creatures besides dragons, birds, and griffins with wings, yet here was Noctis. A wolf, a creature that physical law stated could not fly, with wings.
Twilight flipped through one of the books, looking for any mention of a winged wolf in his people’s lore. As she got closer to the end, she found one. “The Winged Wolf Shadow Heart. Lord of the Wolves, Guardian of the Moon.” She blinked as she looked at the title. Princess Luna was the keeper of the moon. As far as Twilight and the rest of Equestria knew, Luna didn’t have non-Pegasus guardians. Scanning the page, she saw two post scripts under Shadow Heart’s name. “Prince of the Shadow Clan. Consort of the Princess of the Moon.”
“But… Luna wasn’t married. And, from what Celestia said, untouched. I thought being a consort meant… sharing a bed…” she thought to herself.
“Not always.” A voice said behind her and she fell off of the bed, landing awkwardly at the paws of the prince. “A consort doesn’t always mean sharing ones bed, princess Twilight.” He said as he offered her his paw. She gratefully accepted, blushing as he helped her to her hooves. “Often times, a consort is nothing more than one who offers companionship to another. For example, should you have no other companions or friends, I could offer my services as your consort. That would mean I’d spend time with you, go on picnics, things that friends do.”
“So… Prince Shadow Heart was Luna’s friend and companion?” she asked and he nodded.
“Though, if he were alive, he’d likely say otherwise. There is a letter that I can’t give you. Written by Shadow to Luna. Proclaiming his love for her would last for eternity, unto and after death.” He said and Twilight blinked.
“That would explain why he was in her dream room…” she muttered to herself and he tilted his head. “I’m the new princess of dreams, I guess. The day we met you, I was coming out of the dream realm. A door with Luna’s cutie mark. The moon was scratched in half, and I met him there. Something about the room seemed… pure. Protected.”
“His magic. He was using his magic to keep the last shred of Luna pure and alive. Until we’re ready, he’ll probably remain in that room. Keeping her memory alive. As long as her memory is alive, her magic still exists.” He said and she nodded
“That makes sense. It wasn’t familiar to me.” She said and he stood up and padded over to one of the bookshelves. Looking through the shelves, he stood up on his hind legs, gripped a book in his teeth and carried it over to her, setting it on a table near her.
“Page one hundred is where it starts. The official account is on page one oh seven to one nineteen. An account of all of Shadow Heart’s encounters with Luna, as well as their first encounter with Nox.” He said and Twilight looked up at him.
“They met Nox?” He nodded and gestured for her to read as he padded over to a chest and nudged the lid open. Inside was what looked like swatches of cloth, but from this angle she couldn’t be sure. Turning her attention to the book, she read from the beginning of their encounter with Nox.
Journal of Shadow Heart the Wise Warrior of the Shadow Clan Consort of Princess Luna of Equestria Entry 201. Luna surprised me today. A phoenix egg. Not a regular phoenix egg, a blue one. She told me it was a Lunar Phoenix. That one hadn’t been born to Equestria in five thousand years. I swear Starswirl still doesn’t trust me, because he chewed Luna out for giving it to me, but she didn’t care. “It was a gift for my beloved.” She told him. The look on the old unicorns face was priceless. Naturally, I told her I was going to name it Luna. Then I’d have two Luna’s. The Luna I loved and the Luna she gave me. That got a laugh out of her.
Entry 202 Celestia is not happy with me. Her mentor, Starswirl, is gone. Lost. Trapped in another dimension. Whatever you want to call it. I could have prevented it, but I didn’t. Fate dictated I keep out of the encounter. Not fate as in “I read the cards and was told to stay out of it by the interpretation.” Fate as in the friend of Queen Umbra and King Solaris who weaves the tapestry of destiny as it events transpire. Not that Celestia cares. I could have prevented Starswirl from sealing himself away but I didn’t. All because Fate ordered me not to, for the sake of some mare who won’t be born for another thousand years or so.
I don’t know her name, I don’t know how special she is or isn’t. All I know is, she better be worth it. Starswirl was my friend. Celestia and Luna’s mentor. But I couldn’t keep him from sealing himself away alongside Stygian, who became the Pony of Shadows. Jealousy is a nasty thing. I guess that’s why Starswirl and I agreed on one thing. Envy, along with its six siblings, had to be sealed away. For good. With luck, nothing will ever be able to break that spell. And considering what Starswirl had to do to seal Stygian away to protect Equestria, the spell he cast to keep the darkness sealed should hold long enough for Celestia to find something to lock the Sins away forever.
If it doesn’t, I hope Starswirl can return before they return. If Envy returns before Starswirl does, Equestria is doomed.
Entry 203 Something attacked Canterlot. It wasn’t one of the sins, we know that much, but it was powerful. It couldn’t get through the barrier Celestia and Luna erected, but it did some damage. Its claws tore through it. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It looked a lot like one of my people, but covered in molten rock with horns instead of ears and a spade on the end of its tail. Celestia called it a demon, and that’s the best word I can think of to describe it. With its attack on the barrier around Canterlot, we learned two things.
One: They can be hurt. When it hit the barrier, it recoiled, hissed, and retreated underground. We aren’t taking any chances though, which means the barrier stays up.
Two: If they can be hurt, they can be killed. Talking to Celestia about killing something is like bashing your head against a rock, though. She’s determined that nothing, no matter how evil, be harmed. She wants to resort to the Elements of Harmony. Try and reform them.
I’ve gone back and forth with the most stubborn mare I’ve ever met. If she wasn’t so stubborn, I’d attempt talking her into__”
Entry 204 That dragon was interesting, to say the least. The dark energy coming off of it was mildly terrifying, but I’ve seen worse. A spell book I found in the Tower proved to me that I can use magic far darker than anything this dragon is capable of. At a cost. It will cost me a bit of myself. Luna found the book yesterday, but doesn’t entirely understand it. I do. I know exactly what it is. Angelus Mortis. The Angel of Death. Not an Angel of Death. THE Angel of Death. But he’s been corrupted somehow. Turned evil.
I suppose to some, he is evil. But Death isn’t evil. It’s inevitable. When Death becomes evil, then it needs to be stopped. Somehow. I just don’t know how. Maybe the Elements of Harmony can reverse whatever corrupted him, maybe they can’t. But I can’t ask Luna or Celestia to risk themselves, so I need to find something else. And I think I have.
And therein lies my problem, dearest Luna. The item I found… it’s powerful. Ancient. Even more ancient than even your parents. There’s two things, really. One is an item, one is… something else. Something powerful. The item is lost. Sealed somewhere, I’m not sure where. The second, I ask for your forgiveness, my Luna. I must go to Sombra, in the Crystal Empire. I need to take in his darkness. Enough that I’m strong enough to restore Death to himself.
But, I will have taken in enough that Sombra can be defeated with the Elements of Harmony. And when you stop me, I will take the remains of his magic with me and disperse it among my people. Over time, it will purify and become good magic.
Entry 205 Nox has been defeated. Sombra gave me what he promised. The magic to protect my loved ones. I can feel it corrupting me, but Nox has been sent back to the pit he came from. Hopefully sealed for years. Centuries, if we’re lucky. I just wish Celestia and Luna hadn’t been there. They’d seen the dark magic I had to employ. Luna had been heart broken. She and Celestia knew what dark magic did. At least, I think Luna had been heart broken. The spell I cast was probably seen from the moon, not that any pony was up there.
Tomorrow is the day Sombra invited Celestia and Luna. As per our agreement, I would be there to assist him in the fight. And I would do my best to kill them. But I already know we’ll lose. In the letter I sent Luna before this dark magic took hold, I told them to bring the Elements. Attack with those first. I would step in the way, of course, but Sombra is not strong enough to defeat Luna without me. I know he’s not.
The Elements will purify me. I’ll still fight Luna, of course, but I need to know if she can handle Sombra. I need to know my training did not go to waste.”
Twilight blinked as she read the last bit, wiping the back of her hoof against her eyes. The last section of that last entry, he was talking to himself. He was reassuring himself that what happened was what had to be done. He had to let Luna kill him. To prove she would be strong enough to fight Sombra. “This wasn’t a record. It was his journal.” Noctis nodded as he padded over, a dagger clenched in his teeth. Sitting on the bed next to her, he hopped up and sat beside her.
“That was Luna’s. A gift for Shadow. I think they both would want you to have it. I don’t have the magical oomph to use it.” He said and she levitated it up and drew it. As soon as it was out of the sheath, the blade magically expanded, forming into a double edged sword. At the base of the grip was a circle of steel with a white gem set into the center of it. “It’s enchanted. It can harm Nox. Even kill him, if you’re willing to drive it through his heart.”
“How do you know?” She asked and he smiled.
“Luna used it the last time Nox appeared in Equestria. She cut his arm and he retreated deep into space to heal. You mean he’s come back?” Twilight nodded.
“Celestia and Luna are dead. Nox has Canterlot. King Solaris and Queen Umbra sent us to get your help and the help of the Fox tribes.” He blinked and nodded as he padded over to the closet next to his dresser.
“I understand, but I don’t think the Fox Tribes will be much help. Don’t be me wrong, I have nothing against the Vulpines to the East. But if there’s anything that’s true about the Fox Tribes, it’s that they’re tricksters. They play pranks. Harmless little tricks, at first. But eventually they get worse and worse until someone gets hurt.” She sighed and hung her head. “But… I may know how to get them to help us.” She looked up at him and blinked.
The next morning found Twilight and her friends camped out beside a lake at the eastern most edge of Noctis and his people’s compound. They hadn’t set up their tents because he said he’d meet them when he could. There was no telling just how long he’d take. Pinkie Pie was splashing in the lake. Rainbow Dash was sitting next to Fluttershy and Applejack, peeling some apples AJ had packed for them. They were going to be stored in jars Twilight had brought so they could be baked into pies when they reached the Fox Clans.
Rarity was attempting to use what little fabric was left from one of the dresses she’d been attempting to make to make some kind of outdoor wear. Fluttershy and Applejack were preparing their camping pot to cook the pies in. Just as Pinkie Pie reared back to splash the water again, the stream erupted upwards, knocking Pinkie onto her rear. Twilight and her friends all flowed to their feet, ready for anything, only for Noctis to be the one standing in the epicenter of the aquatic explosion.“Sorry about that. I had to find some way to get away that wouldn’t have me followed. Took a bit for me to find the right spell for Aquatic Teleportation, as well as finding a pond within the boundaries of the compound to teleport without getting in trouble.”
Twilight stared at him. He was completely dry, save for his paws which were in the water. “I’ve never heard of Aquatic Teleportation.” She said and he shrugged as he climbed out of the river.
“I’ll teach you sometime.” Padding over next to the fire, he sat down and pulled out a crystal from the bag she hadn’t noticed on his back. Twilight stared at the crystal as he sat four others around it. In a particular pattern. Looking at it, she realized it was almost an “Elemental Compass”. The center crystal would be the anchor point, the other crystals would glow depending on the direction of what they were looking for. One problem with that though.
“What exactly are we looking for?” Rainbow Dash asked, landing next to them.
“You said Nox showed up in Canterlot. I fought off a troop of Hell Hounds that had been following you since the borders. Top that off with your freakish knowledge of Shadow Heart, a hero of my people who sacrificed himself to keep all of us hidden from the rest of Equestria. We need four items from four different corners of Equestria. Elemental items, really. Once we have those four, we’ll need a fifth. Which will be really hard to come across.” He said and Twilight blinked.
“Only five? But artifacts with the power you’re talking about come in even numbers. The Princesses, the Elements…”
“The Sins. Discord. Tirek.” He interrupted and she blinked. “Seven sins. Only one Discord, unless you count the nearly endless multiverse Discords. Only one Tirek.” She stared and he clamped his mouth closed.
“There are some exceptions. But nearly all of the powerful items or groups are in even numbers.” She said and he nodded. “So… what are these five items?”
“Artifacts. Like I said. No idea what they look like now because the power within them can be transferred between different items, but they’re usually similar in appearance. A spear, a shield, a sword, a bow, and a wand. Each item has the power of a different element in them. Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Spirit. I’m sure you can guess which is which. Some legends state there was a sixth Element. Those are all just stories passed down by those who follow the ‘powerful items in even numbers’ ideal.
“Those five elements make up Life. All things, at least the way Wolf Lore goes, are made up of those five elements. It’s hard to explain how really, but if we were still in the Tower, I could give you some books. They explain the elements much better than I could.” He said and she nodded. “Other than that…” He cut off, stopping as he froze, staring at the compass. Twilight followed his gaze and nearly swore, for the first time in her life. Something she’d picked up from Luna’s memories, no doubt.
The Sword of Fire was in Tartaros. In the middle of a castle in the depth of Tartaros. The only way to get to it was either to die and go to Tartaros or travel to the end of Equestria, go through the portal, and traverse Tartaros, alive. A suicide mission, because Cerberus, though he looked almost cuddly outside of Tartaros, was the Guardian of Tartaros. He dealt with the most dangerous, deadliest of Equestria’s enemies. And he looked like he did too. Each head was adorned with horns, much like that bull dragon creature that had chased them to the borders of Noctis’ land.
The Staff of Water was back in Queen Novo’s kingdom under the waves. Which, if the ball of water floating above the ground was a current projection, was housing not just a few hundred monster shark things, but one very, very, very big dragon. Resting above the dragon, curled up around an orb holding the staff, was yet another dragon. Slightly smaller, but all together far more dangerous in appearance. They would have to enlist the help of Princess Skystar, Captain Celano, and the rest to get to the staff.
The Shield of Earth was in the Griffin Kingdom, above the throne of the current Regent. A grumpy old griffin by the name of Gobber. He wasn’t the king. The griffins hadn’t had a king since Grover. Gobber was the closest thing they had to an authority figure, but the griffins rarely listened to him. When they did, he was either ignored or his orders were twisted. He was one of the most agreeable griffins there. But the shield had a griffin emblazoned on the face of it, which likely meant they saw it as an heirloom of their people.
The fourth object would be hard to get to, considering where it was. The Bow of Air. In Canterlot. Were Nox was making his home. The map showed the bow. It appeared to be either griffin or Pegasus Wings, minus the griffin or Pegasus in between. It didn’t have a bow-string, but it didn’t seem to need it. The arrows fluctuated as being there and not being there, connected to a string that fluctuated right along with them. But it wasn’t those items that Noctis was focused on. In the middle of the Everfree forest, in the Castle of the Two Sisters. Apparently there was a hidden room that contained the final item.
A sword. It looked like a sword, at least. Twilight could see a blade, but it was ethereal, even within the magic. The handle looked solid, the blade looked as if it didn’t really exist. But it was straight. There was nothing special about the blade. No hooks to pull flesh, no serrations to tear. Just a straight blade, when she could see it. Double edged, with five slots running down the middle. One slot contained a gem. A purple gem. She couldn’t tell if it was amethyst or not, but even as the blade fluctuated and warped, the gem remained a constant. Even if it was ethereal at times.
Five items, each one in different regions that were focused heavily on the element in question. The sword was the exclusion, of course. What made her panic slightly was the reason she could see the blade. It was drawn, piercing the chest of an Alicorn. The bones were dry and looked brittle, but the sword had pinned it to the wall. Twilight blinked as she looked. From the structure of the bones, the Alicorn had been male. But until Cadance and herself, there had been two Alicorns, both female. Not counting Queen Umbra and King Solas, of course. Staring at the sword, up until Noctis ended the spell, Twilight wondered just who that Alicorn was.
She’d met Queen Umbra and King Solas, so she couldn’t be entirely sure who it really was. Swallowing as she looked at the items, she had an idea that would be relatively stupid if it didn’t have to be done. Sucking in a breath while her friends discussed the plans to get the items, she looked up at them. “We need to split up.” She said and all conversation stopped as her friends turned to look at her. “We can cover more ground quickly if we split up… and we’ll be harder to track.”
“But Twilight, what if we need the Elements of Harmony?” Rarity asked and Twilight swallowed and stared at the map.
“I don’t think the Elements can help us this time…” She said before looking up. “It pains me to say this, but the Elements of Harmony are useless against those things. We need weapons… and we need to get them quickly in order to bring the Princesses back and prevent Nox from ruling for eternity. And we need to split up to get them quickly. I don’t want the king and queen to be forced to hold him off alone for too long.”
“Then I think we have our plan. I would suggest splitting up, cover more ground that way, but that would be a stupid plan. There’s seven of us, and five items. We go for them together. But we’ll need to be quick. Those demons won’t stop hunting you six. We need to get somewhere that they can’t enter. Which means we need to do something I vowed never to do…” He said as he stood up, waving a paw through the image in the air. It wavered and vanished, but the five weapons remained, if only for a moment.
Twilight watched as each of them became glowing orbs floating in the air before they shot off towards the items. She didn’t know what for, but each orb was a different color. “What did you vow you wouldn’t do?” Twilight asked him and he looked over at her.
“We need to enter the Vulpine Empire. The Foxes can help us. Their magic rivals that of the Princesses, if we can get one of their more powerful mages to help us. Whoever we get should be able to port us to the first of the items, at the very least.” Noctis said and Twilight blinked at him as he stood and walked over to the river. The last time someone had taken command like this, her Brother had been named Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard. Watching Noctis, she could almost see Shining Armor. Seeing this, she felt almost relieved. Even if he wasn’t here, having someone like her brother around put her mind at ease. If he needed to, he’d step in and take command.
“We should get a move on.” Rainbow Dash said as she returned from scouting. “I stayed in the air while I scouted around, the southern and northern routes are clogged with those monsters. The eastern route has a few of them but the west is clear. I say we go west.” She said and Noctis shook his head.
“We need to go east. If we want to reach the Foxes, we have to pass through Dead Mare’s Pass.” He said and Twilight swallowed. She’d heard stories about Dead Mare’s Pass from her mother. No one survived traveling through Dead Mare’s Pass. Rockslides were just one thing to deal with. There were also Quarry Eels that had swallowed whole caravan’s whole. Not to mention giant Venus fly traps and Dragon Snaps, gigantic plants that exuded a digestive enzyme if they caught something. Everything in Dead Mare’s Pass was deadly. And now with demons wandering Equestria, it was only likely to be worse.
“Is there a way to get there without going through Dead Mare’s Pass?” Fluttershy asked and Noctis shook his head.
“No. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t use that pass if I had any other choice…” he said and Fluttershy whimpered. “We should get a move on if we want to make the pass before dark. We won’t cross it in the dark, that would be suicide. But we want to get there so we don’t have to camp out half way through it.” He said as he tucked the gems he’d used to show them the elemental items back into bag. As soon as they were gone, the map and items vanished. However, like when she’d seen them before, the item in Canterlot lingered for just a moment to Twilight. Shaking her head, she helped pack up camp and then watched as Noctis stored all of their supplies, minus the weapons they’d picked, away in a small chest that shrank to be more portable.
As soon as everything was put away, he went around to all of them. Rainbow’s bow was magically shrunk and strapped around her forehoof. From the spell Noctis had used, all Rainbow would have to do is raise the forehoof and the bow would grow, allowing her to draw the string and manifest an arrow. Applejack’s leg bands fit snuggly around her forelegs. Pinkie’s daggers were strapped to her sides, same as Rarity’s dagger. Fluttershy and Twilight had their staves strapped across their backs, which needed some adjusting so they could still flap their wings. The handle that Twilight got, for a sword with no blade, was strapped to her side.
As their weapons got situated, magically because of a spell Noctis had cast, Twilight looked over at him and had to bite her cheek to keep from shouting. His shoulders were covered with black leather and he had twin swords tucked under his wings. She’d seen the guards in Canterlot wear armor similar to this, but his was minor. Just the shoulder guards and twin swords. After his weapons were situated, he picked up the small chest and packed it into his bag.
Ancient Magic.
Twilight stared at the wall across from her. The king and queen had given her and her friends rooms in the royal wing. Directly across the hall was their son, Noctis. He hadn’t told them when to leave, or when to meet him, but she hadn’t attempted to teleport out yet. In her mind, she wondered if he was waiting for her. Whether he still hadn’t left the tower yet. Whether he was really even going to help them. Sitting on the bed in the room she’d been given, she stared at the wall. Rarity had gotten her own room, though she’d complained about having to share it with Applejack, until one of the guards had apparently had enough and switched Applejack and Fluttershy.
With Fluttershy in with Rarity, Applejack was bunked with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Twilight was the only one of them who had gotten her own room. At first, she’d been concerned about that. At least until Noctis had explained that Royalty got “special treatment” from his people. Not that she really complained. Her room had a small library attached. Reading as many books as she could, she’d gathered as much information on his people as she could. Including something about the royal family that had her scratching her head. Noctis’ father was descended directly from the wolf from Luna’s dream, Shadow. Noctis, however, was not.
Despite being the son, by blood, of the King, Noctis, somehow, had no relation to Shadow. And yet Shadow had named Noctis as his reincarnation. Things weren’t adding up. Not really. Twilight had heard of reincarnation magic before, and there was almost always a blood relation between two souls for reincarnation to happen. Noctis apparently either hadn’t cared that his family tree was in one of the books. But his name wasn’t connected to Shadow’s name on the tree. Noctis’ name was connected to a completely different family, with no relation to Shadow save for the queen marrying the king.
Another thing that rebelled against Shadow’s story was Noctis himself. In the dream realm, Shadow had appeared to be a jet black wolf with red eyes. Noctis was a dark grey wolf with goldish yellow eyes. Another discrepancy that Twilight couldn’t overlook because it was a physical, magical and medical marvel, Noctis had wings. She’d never seen other creatures besides dragons, birds, and griffins with wings, yet here was Noctis. A wolf, a creature that physical law stated could not fly, with wings.
Twilight flipped through one of the books, looking for any mention of a winged wolf in his people’s lore. As she got closer to the end, she found one. “The Winged Wolf Shadow Heart. Lord of the Wolves, Guardian of the Moon.” She blinked as she looked at the title. Princess Luna was the keeper of the moon. As far as Twilight and the rest of Equestria knew, Luna didn’t have non-Pegasus guardians. Scanning the page, she saw two post scripts under Shadow Heart’s name. “Prince of the Shadow Clan. Consort of the Princess of the Moon.”
“But… Luna wasn’t married. And, from what Celestia said, untouched. I thought being a consort meant… sharing a bed…” she thought to herself.
“Not always.” A voice said behind her and she fell off of the bed, landing awkwardly at the paws of the prince. “A consort doesn’t always mean sharing ones bed, princess Twilight.” He said as he offered her his paw. She gratefully accepted, blushing as he helped her to her hooves. “Often times, a consort is nothing more than one who offers companionship to another. For example, should you have no other companions or friends, I could offer my services as your consort. That would mean I’d spend time with you, go on picnics, things that friends do.”
“So… Prince Shadow Heart was Luna’s friend and companion?” she asked and he nodded.
“Though, if he were alive, he’d likely say otherwise. There is a letter that I can’t give you. Written by Shadow to Luna. Proclaiming his love for her would last for eternity, unto and after death.” He said and Twilight blinked.
“That would explain why he was in her dream room…” she muttered to herself and he tilted his head. “I’m the new princess of dreams, I guess. The day we met you, I was coming out of the dream realm. A door with Luna’s cutie mark. The moon was scratched in half, and I met him there. Something about the room seemed… pure. Protected.”
“His magic. He was using his magic to keep the last shred of Luna pure and alive. Until we’re ready, he’ll probably remain in that room. Keeping her memory alive. As long as her memory is alive, her magic still exists.” He said and she nodded
“That makes sense. It wasn’t familiar to me.” She said and he stood up and padded over to one of the bookshelves. Looking through the shelves, he stood up on his hind legs, gripped a book in his teeth and carried it over to her, setting it on a table near her.
“Page one hundred is where it starts. The official account is on page one oh seven to one nineteen. An account of all of Shadow Heart’s encounters with Luna, as well as their first encounter with Nox.” He said and Twilight looked up at him.
“They met Nox?” He nodded and gestured for her to read as he padded over to a chest and nudged the lid open. Inside was what looked like swatches of cloth, but from this angle she couldn’t be sure. Turning her attention to the book, she read from the beginning of their encounter with Nox.
Journal of Shadow Heart the Wise Warrior of the Shadow Clan Consort of Princess Luna of Equestria Entry 201. Luna surprised me today. A phoenix egg. Not a regular phoenix egg, a blue one. She told me it was a Lunar Phoenix. That one hadn’t been born to Equestria in five thousand years. I swear Starswirl still doesn’t trust me, because he chewed Luna out for giving it to me, but she didn’t care. “It was a gift for my beloved.” She told him. The look on the old unicorns face was priceless. Naturally, I told her I was going to name it Luna. Then I’d have two Luna’s. The Luna I loved and the Luna she gave me. That got a laugh out of her.
Entry 202 Celestia is not happy with me. Her mentor, Starswirl, is gone. Lost. Trapped in another dimension. Whatever you want to call it. I could have prevented it, but I didn’t. Fate dictated I keep out of the encounter. Not fate as in “I read the cards and was told to stay out of it by the interpretation.” Fate as in the friend of Queen Umbra and King Solaris who weaves the tapestry of destiny as it events transpire. Not that Celestia cares. I could have prevented Starswirl from sealing himself away but I didn’t. All because Fate ordered me not to, for the sake of some mare who won’t be born for another thousand years or so.
I don’t know her name, I don’t know how special she is or isn’t. All I know is, she better be worth it. Starswirl was my friend. Celestia and Luna’s mentor. But I couldn’t keep him from sealing himself away alongside Stygian, who became the Pony of Shadows. Jealousy is a nasty thing. I guess that’s why Starswirl and I agreed on one thing. Envy, along with its six siblings, had to be sealed away. For good. With luck, nothing will ever be able to break that spell. And considering what Starswirl had to do to seal Stygian away to protect Equestria, the spell he cast to keep the darkness sealed should hold long enough for Celestia to find something to lock the Sins away forever.
If it doesn’t, I hope Starswirl can return before they return. If Envy returns before Starswirl does, Equestria is doomed.
Entry 203 Something attacked Canterlot. It wasn’t one of the sins, we know that much, but it was powerful. It couldn’t get through the barrier Celestia and Luna erected, but it did some damage. Its claws tore through it. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It looked a lot like one of my people, but covered in molten rock with horns instead of ears and a spade on the end of its tail. Celestia called it a demon, and that’s the best word I can think of to describe it. With its attack on the barrier around Canterlot, we learned two things.
One: They can be hurt. When it hit the barrier, it recoiled, hissed, and retreated underground. We aren’t taking any chances though, which means the barrier stays up.
Two: If they can be hurt, they can be killed. Talking to Celestia about killing something is like bashing your head against a rock, though. She’s determined that nothing, no matter how evil, be harmed. She wants to resort to the Elements of Harmony. Try and reform them.
I’ve gone back and forth with the most stubborn mare I’ve ever met. If she wasn’t so stubborn, I’d attempt talking her into__”
Entry 204 That dragon was interesting, to say the least. The dark energy coming off of it was mildly terrifying, but I’ve seen worse. A spell book I found in the Tower proved to me that I can use magic far darker than anything this dragon is capable of. At a cost. It will cost me a bit of myself. Luna found the book yesterday, but doesn’t entirely understand it. I do. I know exactly what it is. Angelus Mortis. The Angel of Death. Not an Angel of Death. THE Angel of Death. But he’s been corrupted somehow. Turned evil.
I suppose to some, he is evil. But Death isn’t evil. It’s inevitable. When Death becomes evil, then it needs to be stopped. Somehow. I just don’t know how. Maybe the Elements of Harmony can reverse whatever corrupted him, maybe they can’t. But I can’t ask Luna or Celestia to risk themselves, so I need to find something else. And I think I have.
And therein lies my problem, dearest Luna. The item I found… it’s powerful. Ancient. Even more ancient than even your parents. There’s two things, really. One is an item, one is… something else. Something powerful. The item is lost. Sealed somewhere, I’m not sure where. The second, I ask for your forgiveness, my Luna. I must go to Sombra, in the Crystal Empire. I need to take in his darkness. Enough that I’m strong enough to restore Death to himself.
But, I will have taken in enough that Sombra can be defeated with the Elements of Harmony. And when you stop me, I will take the remains of his magic with me and disperse it among my people. Over time, it will purify and become good magic.
Entry 205 Nox has been defeated. Sombra gave me what he promised. The magic to protect my loved ones. I can feel it corrupting me, but Nox has been sent back to the pit he came from. Hopefully sealed for years. Centuries, if we’re lucky. I just wish Celestia and Luna hadn’t been there. They’d seen the dark magic I had to employ. Luna had been heart broken. She and Celestia knew what dark magic did. At least, I think Luna had been heart broken. The spell I cast was probably seen from the moon, not that any pony was up there.
Tomorrow is the day Sombra invited Celestia and Luna. As per our agreement, I would be there to assist him in the fight. And I would do my best to kill them. But I already know we’ll lose. In the letter I sent Luna before this dark magic took hold, I told them to bring the Elements. Attack with those first. I would step in the way, of course, but Sombra is not strong enough to defeat Luna without me. I know he’s not.
The Elements will purify me. I’ll still fight Luna, of course, but I need to know if she can handle Sombra. I need to know my training did not go to waste.”
Twilight blinked as she read the last bit, wiping the back of her hoof against her eyes. The last section of that last entry, he was talking to himself. He was reassuring himself that what happened was what had to be done. He had to let Luna kill him. To prove she would be strong enough to fight Sombra. “This wasn’t a record. It was his journal.” Noctis nodded as he padded over, a dagger clenched in his teeth. Sitting on the bed next to her, he hopped up and sat beside her.
“That was Luna’s. A gift for Shadow. I think they both would want you to have it. I don’t have the magical oomph to use it.” He said and she levitated it up and drew it. As soon as it was out of the sheath, the blade magically expanded, forming into a double edged sword. At the base of the grip was a circle of steel with a white gem set into the center of it. “It’s enchanted. It can harm Nox. Even kill him, if you’re willing to drive it through his heart.”
“How do you know?” She asked and he smiled.
“Luna used it the last time Nox appeared in Equestria. She cut his arm and he retreated deep into space to heal. You mean he’s come back?” Twilight nodded.
“Celestia and Luna are dead. Nox has Canterlot. King Solaris and Queen Umbra sent us to get your help and the help of the Fox tribes.” He blinked and nodded as he padded over to the closet next to his dresser.
“I understand, but I don’t think the Fox Tribes will be much help. Don’t be me wrong, I have nothing against the Vulpines to the East. But if there’s anything that’s true about the Fox Tribes, it’s that they’re tricksters. They play pranks. Harmless little tricks, at first. But eventually they get worse and worse until someone gets hurt.” She sighed and hung her head. “But… I may know how to get them to help us.” She looked up at him and blinked.
The next morning found Twilight and her friends camped out beside a lake at the eastern most edge of Noctis and his people’s compound. They hadn’t set up their tents because he said he’d meet them when he could. There was no telling just how long he’d take. Pinkie Pie was splashing in the lake. Rainbow Dash was sitting next to Fluttershy and Applejack, peeling some apples AJ had packed for them. They were going to be stored in jars Twilight had brought so they could be baked into pies when they reached the Fox Clans.
Rarity was attempting to use what little fabric was left from one of the dresses she’d been attempting to make to make some kind of outdoor wear. Fluttershy and Applejack were preparing their camping pot to cook the pies in. Just as Pinkie Pie reared back to splash the water again, the stream erupted upwards, knocking Pinkie onto her rear. Twilight and her friends all flowed to their feet, ready for anything, only for Noctis to be the one standing in the epicenter of the aquatic explosion.“Sorry about that. I had to find some way to get away that wouldn’t have me followed. Took a bit for me to find the right spell for Aquatic Teleportation, as well as finding a pond within the boundaries of the compound to teleport without getting in trouble.”
Twilight stared at him. He was completely dry, save for his paws which were in the water. “I’ve never heard of Aquatic Teleportation.” She said and he shrugged as he climbed out of the river.
“I’ll teach you sometime.” Padding over next to the fire, he sat down and pulled out a crystal from the bag she hadn’t noticed on his back. Twilight stared at the crystal as he sat four others around it. In a particular pattern. Looking at it, she realized it was almost an “Elemental Compass”. The center crystal would be the anchor point, the other crystals would glow depending on the direction of what they were looking for. One problem with that though.
“What exactly are we looking for?” Rainbow Dash asked, landing next to them.
“You said Nox showed up in Canterlot. I fought off a troop of Hell Hounds that had been following you since the borders. Top that off with your freakish knowledge of Shadow Heart, a hero of my people who sacrificed himself to keep all of us hidden from the rest of Equestria. We need four items from four different corners of Equestria. Elemental items, really. Once we have those four, we’ll need a fifth. Which will be really hard to come across.” He said and Twilight blinked.
“Only five? But artifacts with the power you’re talking about come in even numbers. The Princesses, the Elements…”
“The Sins. Discord. Tirek.” He interrupted and she blinked. “Seven sins. Only one Discord, unless you count the nearly endless multiverse Discords. Only one Tirek.” She stared and he clamped his mouth closed.
“There are some exceptions. But nearly all of the powerful items or groups are in even numbers.” She said and he nodded. “So… what are these five items?”
“Artifacts. Like I said. No idea what they look like now because the power within them can be transferred between different items, but they’re usually similar in appearance. A spear, a shield, a sword, a bow, and a wand. Each item has the power of a different element in them. Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Spirit. I’m sure you can guess which is which. Some legends state there was a sixth Element. Those are all just stories passed down by those who follow the ‘powerful items in even numbers’ ideal.
“Those five elements make up Life. All things, at least the way Wolf Lore goes, are made up of those five elements. It’s hard to explain how really, but if we were still in the Tower, I could give you some books. They explain the elements much better than I could.” He said and she nodded. “Other than that…” He cut off, stopping as he froze, staring at the compass. Twilight followed his gaze and nearly swore, for the first time in her life. Something she’d picked up from Luna’s memories, no doubt.
The Sword of Fire was in Tartaros. In the middle of a castle in the depth of Tartaros. The only way to get to it was either to die and go to Tartaros or travel to the end of Equestria, go through the portal, and traverse Tartaros, alive. A suicide mission, because Cerberus, though he looked almost cuddly outside of Tartaros, was the Guardian of Tartaros. He dealt with the most dangerous, deadliest of Equestria’s enemies. And he looked like he did too. Each head was adorned with horns, much like that bull dragon creature that had chased them to the borders of Noctis’ land.
The Staff of Water was back in Queen Novo’s kingdom under the waves. Which, if the ball of water floating above the ground was a current projection, was housing not just a few hundred monster shark things, but one very, very, very big dragon. Resting above the dragon, curled up around an orb holding the staff, was yet another dragon. Slightly smaller, but all together far more dangerous in appearance. They would have to enlist the help of Princess Skystar, Captain Celano, and the rest to get to the staff.
The Shield of Earth was in the Griffin Kingdom, above the throne of the current Regent. A grumpy old griffin by the name of Gobber. He wasn’t the king. The griffins hadn’t had a king since Grover. Gobber was the closest thing they had to an authority figure, but the griffins rarely listened to him. When they did, he was either ignored or his orders were twisted. He was one of the most agreeable griffins there. But the shield had a griffin emblazoned on the face of it, which likely meant they saw it as an heirloom of their people.
The fourth object would be hard to get to, considering where it was. The Bow of Air. In Canterlot. Were Nox was making his home. The map showed the bow. It appeared to be either griffin or Pegasus Wings, minus the griffin or Pegasus in between. It didn’t have a bow-string, but it didn’t seem to need it. The arrows fluctuated as being there and not being there, connected to a string that fluctuated right along with them. But it wasn’t those items that Noctis was focused on. In the middle of the Everfree forest, in the Castle of the Two Sisters. Apparently there was a hidden room that contained the final item.
A sword. It looked like a sword, at least. Twilight could see a blade, but it was ethereal, even within the magic. The handle looked solid, the blade looked as if it didn’t really exist. But it was straight. There was nothing special about the blade. No hooks to pull flesh, no serrations to tear. Just a straight blade, when she could see it. Double edged, with five slots running down the middle. One slot contained a gem. A purple gem. She couldn’t tell if it was amethyst or not, but even as the blade fluctuated and warped, the gem remained a constant. Even if it was ethereal at times.
Five items, each one in different regions that were focused heavily on the element in question. The sword was the exclusion, of course. What made her panic slightly was the reason she could see the blade. It was drawn, piercing the chest of an Alicorn. The bones were dry and looked brittle, but the sword had pinned it to the wall. Twilight blinked as she looked. From the structure of the bones, the Alicorn had been male. But until Cadance and herself, there had been two Alicorns, both female. Not counting Queen Umbra and King Solas, of course. Staring at the sword, up until Noctis ended the spell, Twilight wondered just who that Alicorn was.
She’d met Queen Umbra and King Solas, so she couldn’t be entirely sure who it really was. Swallowing as she looked at the items, she had an idea that would be relatively stupid if it didn’t have to be done. Sucking in a breath while her friends discussed the plans to get the items, she looked up at them. “We need to split up.” She said and all conversation stopped as her friends turned to look at her. “We can cover more ground quickly if we split up… and we’ll be harder to track.”
“But Twilight, what if we need the Elements of Harmony?” Rarity asked and Twilight swallowed and stared at the map.
“I don’t think the Elements can help us this time…” She said before looking up. “It pains me to say this, but the Elements of Harmony are useless against those things. We need weapons… and we need to get them quickly in order to bring the Princesses back and prevent Nox from ruling for eternity. And we need to split up to get them quickly. I don’t want the king and queen to be forced to hold him off alone for too long.”
“Then I think we have our plan. We split up, cover more ground. There’s seven of us, and five items. But we’ll need to be quick. Those demons won’t stop hunting you six. So before we split... we need to do something I swore I would never do again.” He said as he stood up, waving a paw through the image in the air. It wavered and vanished, but the five weapons remained, if only for a moment.
Twilight watched as each of them became glowing orbs floating in the air before they shot off towards the items. She didn’t know what for, but each orb was a different color. “What did you vow you wouldn’t do?” Twilight asked him and he looked over at her.
“We need to enter the Vulpine Empire. The Foxes can help us. Their magic rivals that of the Princesses, if we can get one of their more powerful mages to help us. Whoever we get should be able to port us to the first of the items, at the very least.” Noctis said and Twilight blinked at him as he stood and walked over to the river. The last time someone had taken command like this, her Brother had been named Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard. Watching Noctis, she could almost see Shining Armor. Seeing this, she felt almost relieved. Even if he wasn’t here, having someone like her brother around put her mind at ease. If he needed to, he’d step in and take command.
“We should get a move on.” Rainbow Dash said as she returned from scouting. “I stayed in the air while I scouted around, the southern and northern routes are clogged with those monsters. The eastern route has a few of them but the west is clear. I say we go west.” She said and Noctis shook his head.
“We need to go east. If we want to reach the Foxes, we have to pass through Dead Mare’s Pass.” He said and Twilight swallowed. She’d heard stories about Dead Mare’s Pass from her mother. No one survived traveling through Dead Mare’s Pass. Rockslides were just one thing to deal with. There were also Quarry Eels that had swallowed whole caravan’s whole. Not to mention giant Venus fly traps and Dragon Snaps, gigantic plants that exuded a digestive enzyme if they caught something. Everything in Dead Mare’s Pass was deadly. And now with demons wandering Equestria, it was only likely to be worse.
“Is there a way to get there without going through Dead Mare’s Pass?” Fluttershy asked and Noctis shook his head.
“No. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t use that pass if I had any other choice…” he said and Fluttershy whimpered. “We should get a move on if we want to make the pass before dark. We won’t cross it in the dark, that would be suicide. But we want to get there so we don’t have to camp out half way through it.” He said as he tucked the gems he’d used to show them the elemental items back into bag. As soon as they were gone, the map and items vanished. However, like when she’d seen them before, the item in Canterlot lingered for just a moment to Twilight. Shaking her head, she helped pack up camp and then watched as Noctis stored all of their supplies, minus the weapons they’d picked, away in a small chest that shrank to be more portable.
As soon as everything was put away, he went around to all of them. Rainbow’s bow was magically shrunk and strapped around her forehoof. From the spell Noctis had used, all Rainbow would have to do is raise the forehoof and the bow would grow, allowing her to draw the string and manifest an arrow. Applejack’s leg bands fit snuggly around her forelegs. Pinkie’s daggers were strapped to her sides, same as Rarity’s dagger. Fluttershy and Twilight had their staves strapped across their backs, which needed some adjusting so they could still flap their wings. The handle that Twilight got, for a sword with no blade, was strapped to her side.
As their weapons got situated, magically because of a spell Noctis had cast, Twilight looked over at him and had to bite her cheek to keep from shouting. His shoulders were covered with black leather and he had twin swords tucked under his wings. She’d seen the guards in Canterlot wear armor similar to this, but his was minor. Just the shoulder guards and twin swords. After his weapons were situated, he picked up the small chest and packed it into his bag.
“Alright. Let’s move.” He said and Twilight followed right behind him.
