A Light in the Darkness

Chapters

Chapter 1 - The Encounter
Chapter 3 - Silence of the Goddesses
Chapter 4 - Burning Night
Chapter 5 - Answers
Chapter 6 - Meeting of the Suns
Chapter 2 - The Kindness of a Stranger

Chapter 1 - The Encounter

This chapter in the fanfic is mainly foundation for how Amaterasu arrives in Equestria.<<<<<<<<

It was a beautiful summer day in Kamiki Village as its denizens went on with their lives, finally free of the infamous Moon Festival. The village, now triple in size, was filled with the hustle and bustle of a prospering community. Amaterasu, nowadays loafing about, hoisted herself up on a rock next to the tree Konohana; emitting a smirk as she thought that for once she wanted to escape from the sun for awhile.

She lifted her head up, gazing in the trees beauty as the faint chatter of Kamiki’s people stole her gaze and redirected it towards the village. Issun for once, was not with her; he remained in Ponc’tan to teach the younger poncles fundamental art techniques in their quest to become Celestial Envoys. “Now Ammy don’t go running into trouble because I won’t be there to help you, ya big furball!” Issun’s last words echoed through her brain as her reminiscing was interrupted through the sound of a heavenly voice. “Beautiful isn’t it?”

Amaterasu turned her head to see Sakuya, the embodiment of Konohana, materialize before her.

She barked in agreement as Sakuya sat on the rock to stroke her. They both looked on to the horizon when Sakuya broke the silence.

“I can’t believe how far the village has come, it seems like yesterday Orochi cursed Nippon and you purified the taint that plagued our beautiful land; now here we are.” Sakuya sighed as Amaterasu moved her head on the wood sprites lap. Sakuya giggled and gave Amaterasu a soothing scratch behind her ear. Sakuya then got up off of the rock and turned to the wolf.

“Amaterasu, your presence is needed back in the Celestial Plains; an urgent meeting has been called and that means you must be there too” she explained. Amaterasu enjoyed going to the Celestial Plains but loathed meetings between her and the other brush gods, she often fell asleep during them due to sheer boredom.

Amaterasu’s expression turned from bliss to that of disgust. Sakuya noticed and reassured, “Don’t worry I’m sure the meeting will be exciting”. The wolf churlishly rolled her eyes at her. “Now now you can’t be going to the meeting with that attitude! All the gods are required to attend and you must abide by rules!” Amaterasu could care less about the rules, but she knew it was her responsibility and she had to set a good example for her son, Chibiterasu.

Reluctantly she jumped down from the rock and prepared herself to visit the Celestial Plains. “One more thing Amaterasu, please try to enjoy yourself.” But before Sakuya could say any more, Amaterasu ran inside Konohana’s portal and was gone. Ever since Amaterasu defeated Yami, when she and Waka returned to the Celestial Plains, a route that led to the Plains was created in the River of the Heavens and Amaterasu was the only one to ever use it whenever she desired to occasionally visit Nippon. She took the path, and within seconds, she arrived at the Plains.

She surveyed her surroundings to see if anyone noticed her arrival. She then spotted her son and was happy to see him doing so well. Chibiterasu was nearly the size of Amaterasu when she walked over to greet him. She licked him and they nuzzled with affection.

“Ah, ma chérie you have arrived!” Both wolves turned their attention to the voice as Waka interrupted the reunion. “Hello Amaterasu! I hate to break the touching family moment, but you are needed at the meeting table.” Amaterasu hesitated a bit, but finally forced herself to the meeting.

She was grateful Chibiterasu was accompanying her this time. He was finally mature enough to participate in the discussion. As she walked herself to the meeting she snickered at the thought that the other gods were capable of human speech but not them. She took the time to truly appreciate how beautiful the Plains were; the sky was a diamond like white full of puffy white clouds as far as the eye can see. In the middle of the Plains was a large mountain standing inert and erect. Scattered around the mountain were dense forests teeming with wildlife.

Chibiterasu noticed his mother observing the scenery and reminded her with a nudge where they were supposed to be. After a couple of minutes of walking the three of them finally reached the meeting room made entirely out of a divine glass. Amaterasu peered through the glass and saw the other 15 gods already in their places. When she walked in, everyone looked at her sternly and all she could do was take her place with an embarrassed look. Chibiterasu took his place by his mother as Gekigami started the meeting.

“I’ve decided to call this meeting to address a truly concerning problem” Gekigami began. Out of all of the gods Gekigami was the strongest, so it seemed appropriate to have him lead the meetings. Waka overseeing the meeting had no idea why it was called, so he was listening in as well.

“It seems that Amaterasu’s efforts in defeating the dark lord were all for naught.” Amaterasu was wide awake now as those words assaulted her ears. “Red imps were seen in Ryoshima along with a very large shadowy figure”, all of the gods eyes widened as they listened to Gekigami’s announcement, “the figure poisoned an entire field and was last seen headed towards the Guardian Sapling.”

One of the gods cried out, “The Guardian Sapling?! Are you sure Gekigami?”

“I’m sure of it, the imps are an easy fix but the shadowy figure looks powerful and intelligent” Gekigami remarked, “The figure itself is shrouded in mystery for I cannot identify it, its unlike anything I’ve seen; plus it seemed aware of where the source of the lands protection is.” Suddenly Waka stepped in, “This is bad, the appearance of such a being may mean only one thing.”

“My word! It must be the works of Yami from the other side!” Kabegami shouted. All of the gods became frenzied in panic as it became impossible to understand what each one was saying. “ENOUGH!!!!” Gekigami bellowed as he shot an arrow into the table that nearly made it split in half. Amaterasu’s emotions filled with worry. Had Yami really returned from beyond the grave? Or had he just revived himself? Question after question poured through her mind as she became very anxious. Chibiterasu could tell that she was scared so he pressed against her body. Amaterasu looked at Chibiterasu and smiled.

“Now that I have your attention we need to figure out how are we going to dispatch of this threat.” “Perhaps we can consult with the High Celestials?” suggested Nuregami. “NO! Of course not!” Gekigami boomed, “We shall never disrespect their greatness with our feeble presence!” Chibiterasu looked up to his mother, his eyes glimmering with the desire for knowledge. Amaterasu knew exactly what he wanted to know.

The High Celestials are an enigmatic group of supposedly all powerful beings who rule over the Plains with an iron fist. Gekigami usually took serious offence when anyone mentioned them, so maybe they really are all powerful. Or they’re just frauds, bending the brush gods to tend to their every whim. Whichever scenario may be true, Amaterasu returned her sons plea with a stern look that said “It’s better if you don’t know.”

“Anyone else with any bright ideas? Preferably one that does not involve our superiors!” Gekigami shouted. Bakugami decided to speak up, “Why not just send Amaterasu to deal with the threat? After all she defeated Yami before so she should be able to defeat him again!” Amaterasu shuddered when Bakugami suggested that. She could still remember quite vividly how close she came to death in her showdown with the all powerful dark lord; if Yami really had returned she knew her next fight with him may be her last.

The irony in the situation was practically overflowing. Nearly every brush god possessed powers that would make a Bull Fighter run for the hills, yet here they were relying on the sun goddess to take care of the big bad scary monster. Amaterasu barked in objection to Bakugami’s suggestion. Tachigami, sitting adjacent to Amaterasu and her son, perked up on the hilt of his sword and spoke.

“I think all of us should take on the newborn threat together, we would definitely overwhelm him for sure!” Every god looked at Tachigami in shock. Commonly they poked fun at Tachi’s constant desire to show off his valor and bravery, but this was just insane. Then the idea sank into each god. What else could they do? This reincarnation was clearly malicious in nature and if it isn’t dealt with as soon as possible, disaster would strike Nippon; perhaps even worse than before! Amaterasu looked around the room as each god knew what had to be done.

After a couple of minutes of complete silence Gekigami finally spoke up, “Alright, it seems by the looks of it we all have come to a solution.” Amaterasu prepared herself mentally for the next set of words. “We will all arrive in Ryoshima to deal with this being for the safety of Nippon and our home.” As Gekigami began his next sentence he was cut off abruptly when a moon tribesman burst through the meeting doors, death on his face.

The tribesman, panting in between each word, spoke in a raspy voice, “My….gods..demons…in..the…Plains….” With that last word said the color faded from his body and he fell to the floor, lifeless. All of the gods but Chibiterasu focused on the corpse before them, he was transfixed on something else. Waka followed the young gods gaze to outside the room and every nightmare he feared had come true.

“Smoke….” Waka muttered under his breath. Amaterasu stared at Waka, her eyes whispering “just like old times.” Amaterasu broke from her stare and barked loudly. She ran outside and immediately Chibiterasu ran after her in pursuit, signaling with his tail for everyone to follow.

They were not prepared for what awaited them next.

Imps were notorious for setting things ablaze they did not find interesting or useful. They were setting parts of the forest on fire. As Amaterasu neared the source of the fire, slowly the sky began changing color from a divine white to an accursed red. Heaven had turned into Hell. Oddly enough Amaterasu did not seem to question what was responsible for the changing of the sky. She was most intent on killing whatever had invaded their homeland.

Finally she reached the source of the fire, with the other gods and Waka not far behind. Then she saw a truly appalling sight. A large shackled figure was devouring a celestial phoenix, pieces of the once magnificent creature, plummeting to the ground never to rise again. Imps surrounded the creature as if they were commanding the fearsome beast. Amaterasu peered over her shoulder as the others finally shared the unsettling scene. Gekigami gasped in horror, which confirmed Amaterasu’s assumptions. This was the creature that was seen in Ryoshima.

One imp turned his head in laughter and saw the gods. He alerted the other imps and the creature of the intruders. The creature tossed away the mutilated bird as it hit the ground with a sickening thud, blood splattering everywhere. Each god took a battle stance, with Amaterasu being in the very front. Waka unsheathed his sword, Pillow Talk, yearning for action. Amaterasu got a good look at the beast and then realized, it was not Yami; not even Orochi.

She then called Solar Flare to her back, small columns of fire erupting from the instrument. To her dismay the creature threw a lightening quick sucker punch only to be blocked by the reflector. Swiftly and gracefully Amaterasu swung the fiery saw at the beast, slashing it on the arm. It roared in pain, flailing its claws in the air. The others followed in to continue the onslaught. Surprisingly the imps had the foresight to block off the gods path to the monster they wanted dead.

One by one, swing after swing, she miraculously evaded each swipe of its claws; the spectacle would have made any acrobat envious. Then the monster nailed her in the side, right below her crimson markings; completely making a mockery of her godhood. She whimpered with pain and hit the ground hard. Desperately she called for the other reflectors to block the monsters thrashing. Within the makeshift reflector dome she struggled to keep the barrier up as the monster, continuously and with no mercy, assailed the wall before him.

The monsters attacks seemed like an eternity as time slowed down around her, beads of sweat hitting the ground faster than she could comprehend. Then the monster abruptly stopped thrashing. It imbued its claws with a dark magic and shot it at the reflectors. The powerful blast shattered the dome, sending the five reflectors flying in separate directions. Amaterasu looked up at her harbinger of death, when she noticed a large dark hole floating in the sky. The monster then picked her up and brought her to its face.

Amaterasu cringed when the monster flared its nostrils at her. All she could do was stare back in fear as she waited for the inevitable end. It roared, ceasing all fighting between the gods and the demons. God and demon alike stared in horror as the beast prepared to finish off the sun goddess. As quick as light, Chibiterasu ran through the crowd and hit the beast with a monstrous Inferno sending it staggering backward. Amaterasu assisted by conjuring a tree beneath the monster with her celestial brush powers. The tree tripped the monster, freeing Amaterasu from its grasp. The giant returned to its feet and quickly realized it was outnumbered, the rest of its imps were killed in the young god’s Inferno.

Now looking for a means of escape, the monster noticed what Amaterasu had seen before- the ominous dark hole in the sky. Before anyone could act, the beast imbued its claws once again in the same insidious magic and shot at Amaterasu and the hole in the sky. Amaterasu fell to the ground in agony and fought to continue breathing. Chibiterasu ran to his mother’s side in a desperate attempt to get her back on her feet. Everyone else joined in Chibiterasu’s concern as the beast began to slip away. Waka, out of the corner of his eye, saw the beast disappear into thin air. But that wasn’t on his top priorities list, Amaterasu’s injuries were. Waka looked down at Amaterasu, every god trying everything they could do to save her. One thing he did notice, she had no wounds from the blast.

“This is odd, Amaterasu was virtually unscathed from the magic of that creature.” “He’s right!”, Tachigami hopped down from his sword and got a closer look at the goddess, “I don’t see any wounds!” Chibiterasu licked his mother, doing all he can as her son, to save her life. Amaterasu clung to consciousness by a primitive string when her body began to de-atomize. A single tear shed from her eyes when her face faded into oblivion; the cloud of Amaterasu atoms floating into the never ending hole in the sky. Amaterasu was gone.

Faced with the overwhelming reality without his mother’s love or presence, Chibiterasu howled into the disconsolate sky.

Light filtered in through the enormous stained glass windows, turning the rays into a plethora of colors. Princess Celestia gazed at the beautiful window, remarking in its brilliance. She then turned away from the window, feeling a surge of urgency arise within her. Another massive presence was approaching Equestria. A smaller alicorn appeared by her side, “Sister, is something wrong?”

“Luna, I believe that a special guest will be arriving very soon.”

Chapter 3 - Silence of the Goddesses

Books. Almost the entire, inner part of the tree house was covered in shelves of books. Amaterasu could see books out of her peripheral vision. In fact, everywhere she turned her head, books were there; staring right back at her. Amaterasu wondered, had she ever even seen a book? She had found and read plenty of scrolls back in Nippon, including the ones that were malicious in intention. There were a couple of scrolls jutting out from the shelves, but she felt it was inappropriate to rummage through anything that didn’t excite her curiosity. Her train of thought was broken when Fluttershy trotted by her.

“Uhm… Twilight? I’m sorry if I’m interrupting anything. I have something…er…someone to show you……” An adorkable purple unicorn popped up from a windowed ledge and looked down at Fluttershy.

“Sorry Fluttershy, I’m a little busy studying ab-“ the unicorn abruptly stopped talking when she saw Amaterasu. Her eyes grew large with excitement and inquisitiveness.

“Is that an alicorn?!” The unicorn leaned forward with enthusiasm then teleported by Amaterasu. Amaterasu nearly jumped sky high when the unicorn appeared by her side so quickly. Amaterasu, catching her breath, was now the subject of a Twilight Sparkle observation.

“I can’t believe it! An alicorn! I thought that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were the only alicorns in Equestria!” the small unicorn remarked, clopping her hooves together in glee. The little unicorn looked at Amaterasu all over, pulling her wings, tugging at her tufts of fur on her legs, and eyeing her tail. She then turned to Fluttershy, yearning for answers.

“Who is this pony? More importantly, where did you find her?” the unicorn asked Fluttershy.

“That’s why I came to you, Twilight. I found her out deep in the Everfree Forest; she can’t talk and I was wondering if you had a spell that could help her speak” Fluttershy said softly.

While Fluttershy and Twilight were talking, Amaterasu began to doze off. She edged herself out of the conversation and searched for something to turn her attention to. She looked all over the room; book after book meeting her gaze. She looked away from the books and peered up at where Twilight was when they first arrived. In a little basket lay what looked like a small dragon to Amaterasu. Like the piercing of an arrow, she was struck with past memories once again. Orochi was always the epitome of fear and despair. Even in this strange land, his terrifying influence burdened Amaterasu to no avail.

Amaterasu was at battle with her own self. She struggled to keep away the depressing thoughts but it was no good; she was beginning to succumb to them. She turned back to the two ponies, hoping to find distraction in whatever they were discussing.

“Do you know her name?” Twilight asked. She was determined to squeeze out as much information out of Fluttershy as possible.

“Well she wrote something in a weird language I’ve never seen before, I assume it’s her name.” Fluttershy handed over the parchment that Amaterasu had written on. Twilight opened it up and a perplexed look crossed her face.

“I’ve never seen this kind of language before! Not even the odd language of the zebras comes close to this!” With that said, Twilight trotted over to a bookshelf and called out.

“Spike! Could I have your help looking for my pony linguistics book?” The dragon that Amaterasu had spotted earlier awoke and yawned; small puffs of smoke blowing out of his nostrils.

“Sure Twilight, I know where it is” Spike said lazily. He got up and walked over the edge. Twilight caught him with her magic and gave him a look. Spike smiled and moved a ladder to a shelf filled with a plethora of ancient looking books. He retrieved one book in particular with an odd symbol on it, it looked oddly similar to the characters in Japanese kanji. He handed Twilight the book and she went to work. Twilight talked under her breath while flipping through the pages of the book with her magic; she periodically peered back over at the parchment for reference. Fluttershy peeped over Twilight’s shoulder, wondering what was the language Amaterasu was writing in. After a couple of minutes of the incessant sound of flipping pages, Twilight stopped and exclaimed.

“I think this may be her language!” Twilight picked up the book with her magic and floated it over to Amaterasu. The language on the page was almost exactly like Japanese! Amaterasu was shocked. She read on and saw that the language was not even given a name; it was discovered centuries ago by some of the ancient ponies that first inhabited the land. Only a few hundred ponies were capable of speaking the language and their names were lost in the ever growing abyss of history. There was a spell further down the page, it was titled ‘Uplift Silence’. Amaterasu pointed to the spell with her hoof.

“This spell?” Twilight asked. Amaterasu nodded; she felt maybe it’s time to provide answers. She also wanted to get out of this world as soon as possible so she could be reunited with her son. She longed for him, to feel the warmth of his body on hers, to feel the comfort of his eyes. It’s all she could ever wish for. Twilight studied over the spell for a few moments and then looked at Amaterasu.

“Alright, I’m going to cast the spell on you”. She directed Amaterasu to where she wanted her to stand. Twilight took her place and looked at Amaterasu, her eyes never leaving hers. Amaterasu had to trust this stranger with whatever she was about to do. Her life was in Twilight’s hooves. Amaterasu smiled. Twilight then enveloped her horn in a purple glow, magic gathering in the air. The magic then slowly moved its way towards Amaterasu; gently opening her mouth and floating inside her throat. A purple glow could be seen from within her neck.

Amaterasu felt a tingling sensation, it eerily reminded her of home. How the cherry blossoms of Shinshuu Plains felt against her body. How the aromatic smell of incense tickled her nose. How Chibiterasu’s warmth met hers. After what seemed an eternity, the purple glow dissipated from her neck.

She opened her mouth and shattered years of silence.

Twilight and Fluttershy both gasped. Amaterasu’s voice was beautiful. She could easily fit into pony society. Her voice sounded regal with a hint of foreign. Everyone stared at Amaterasu awkwardly in silence; exchanging looks as she spoke once again.

“I guess all of you are expecting answers” Amaterasu said, taken aback at how she spoke their language so fluently.

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Amaterasu.” Twilight stepped forward.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle. Where did you come from? You’re an alicorn but you look so different from Celestia and Luna.”

Amaterasu began to think. Is it a good idea to tell them who she really is? A goddess from a completely different world capable of numerous feats of power bound to leave anyone in awe. Who would believe her? She didn’t know if it was safe to tell them the truth. However she did not want to make enemies and it was the least she could do for Fluttershy; kind enough to house and care for her when she was unconscious. Amaterasu then made her decision.

“This may sound like feigning but I assure you it’s the truth. I am a goddess from a distant world; brought to this one by reasons unknown. May I ask, where am I?” Amaterasu asked with a commanding tone. Twilight cocked her head slightly, and stared at Amaterasu as if she was insane. But after staring into her eyes Twilight could tell she was speaking the truth.

“Well Amaterasu, this is Equestria!” Twilight said happily. Amaterasu’s expression changed instantly. Equestria? Where could this world possibly be? How far away is Nippon from Equestria? Will she ever be able to get back to her own world? She looked back to Twilight.

“Twilight, Is there any way I could converse with your commanding authority here? It is urgent and should not be delayed.” Twilight leered at Amaterasu.

“Now wait one second! We still need answers!” Twilight neighed. Fluttershy trotted over to Amaterasu and put a gentle hoof on her side.

“Twilight please, Amaterasu has been through a lot. We shouldn’t demand so much out of her when she needs to rest. Who knows how she got here?” Twilight stared back at Fluttershy and then at Amaterasu. She then closed her eyes in a apology.

“Your right Fluttershy, I didn’t think about our friend here.” She trotted over to Fluttershy and gave her a hug. She then went up to Amaterasu and apologized.

“I’m sorry Amaterasu for trying to question you so much.” Amaterasu looked down at Twilight smiling.

“Apology accepted.” Twilight began to walk back to Fluttershy when Amaterasu suddenly called out.

“Twilight, could you please consider my question? It is of the utmost importance I see your ruler as soon as possible.” Twilight looked back at Amaterasu and put a hoof to her chin in thought.

“Well Amaterasu, I’m afraid it may have to wait, Celestia is usually very busy and she doesn’t see visitors too often. I’ll see what I can do but in the meantime get some sleep at Fluttershy’s cottage, it’s beginning to get dark. I’ll be there in the morning to ask you a couple more questions, I need to know a little more about you.” Twilight smiled and began preparing herself for a good night sleep. Spike climbed back up to his basket and rolled into a little ball.

Amaterasu looked out a window and saw that the sun was setting. She walked to the front door calling for Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy! I will need your assistance in guiding me back to your cottage!” Amaterasu said, almost giggling. Fluttershy looked back at Amaterasu and smiled adorably. Amaterasu could feel the smile pull at her heartstrings. Fluttershy walked out the house followed by Amaterasu. As she was walking out she silently whispered

“Thank you Fluttershy”.

The night was young, stars were beginning to shine through the heavens as Amaterasu stared at them in a trance. Fluttershy stopped and turned her head at Amaterasu.

“Are you coming? Oh…I must be doing something wrong…..” She trotted next to Amaterasu, curious about why the stars had captured her very being. Amaterasu shook her head.

“I apologize Fluttershy. The night sky here is reminiscent of my home” Amaterasu said somberly. Fluttershy looked down at the ground, kicking her hoof at some pebbles.

“Oh, well I’m sure you can get home…. For now let’s go to my cottage, you should rest.” Amaterasu took one last look at the sky and continued on with Fluttershy. Everypony in Ponyville was asleep. Windows closed, doors shut, lights out, stores closed. Ponyville ominously resembled a ghost town at night. Fluttershy, sticking close to Amaterasu, continued to lead the way until they finally reached her cottage.

Amaterasu stepped into the cottage and lit up the entire inside with her presence. Her coat shined like a grandiose spotlight. Some of the birds in their birdhouse popped their heads out in curiosity at the spectacle. Fluttershy trotted in and was amazed. Her eyes lit up in astonishment.

“Your coat! It’s so bright!” Fluttershy exclaimed. Amaterasu looked at her coat, then the room. She was a light bulb in the dark. Fluttershy turned on the lights and ushered her birds back to sleep. She then tended to some of her other animals in the house, ensuring that all was well and that they were asleep. Amaterasu spoke up as Fluttershy was caring for her animals.

“Fluttershy where shall I rest? I need your approval before I take any action in resting.” Fluttershy looked up from her animals.

“Oh, well there is a room upstairs, you can sleep up there” Fluttershy said, smiling. Amaterasu walked into the room only to be confronted with an obstacle.

“Pardon me again Fluttershy, but what is this odd contraption here in the room occupying much of the space?” Fluttershy trotted up the stairs to see what Amaterasu referred to as ‘contraption’. Amaterasu pointed with her hoof to a nearby bed.

“Amaterasu that is a bed, ponies sleep in it!” Fluttershy laughed. Amaterasu ambitiously looked at the bed. She had never slept in a bed before back in Nippon, and with her being in an entirely different body the bed could prove to be quite the challenge. She approached the bed and put her forehooves on it, while using her rearhooves to hoist herself on top. Now lying on her back Amaterasu needed to put the covers over her. Using her mouth she pulled the covers off the bed, forgetting she was on top of them. She hit the floor with a muffled thud.

“Here Amaterasu, let me help you”

“That would be most appreciated” Amaterasu snickered.

Fluttershy pulled the covers completely off the bed and helped Amaterasu get into bed. She pulled the covers over Amaterasu and tucked her in. Sometimes even all powerful goddesses need to be tucked in every now and then.

“Goodnight Amaterasu” Fluttershy said. With a smile capable of causing a person’s heart to violently explode she turned out the lights and walked out of the room. Amaterasu turned on her side and immersed herself within the night sky through an open window. She saw a constellation in particular that was shaped like two suns side by side.

One was smaller than the other.

Chapter 4 - Burning Night

Darkness. That was the first thing Amaterasu saw when she awakened from her slumber, languidly climbing out of bed and rubbing her eyes with her hooves. She looked the entire room over, only to see ominous shadows lurking in every corner. She peered out of a nearby window and was met with an ugly sky; blankets of clouds obscuring every ray of sunshine. Amaterasu felt odd, almost as if the sun itself had completely disappeared. She turned her gaze away from the window and saw that the door leading downstairs was open. Feeling adventurous with a hint of trepidation she moved her way towards the door.

“Fluttershy!” she called out, standing at the top of the stairs. No one returned her voice. No lights were on downstairs. There was nothing. Amaterasu cautiously walked down the stairs, noting the absence of life in the cabin. Even Fluttershy’s animals were lost in the abyss of silence. She reached the bottom of the stairs and was engulfed in a endless void. Her coat managed to shine weakly through the darkness, slightly illuminating the room. She trotted around the room, looking for signs of life. The cabin was completely empty.

“This is odd, where is everybody?” Amaterasu asked herself. She turned towards the door. It strangely beckoned her towards it, bewitching her very being. Amaterasu opened the door and looked outside. It was raining. Amaterasu was puzzled, when she looked out of the window upstairs it was not raining. She stepped out of the cabin, her hooves meeting the icy cold ground. She quickly scanned her surroundings, seeing absolutely nothing. Amaterasu did spot nearby trees. They were missing their leaves, leaving behind an angry pack of inanimate monsters.

“This is ridiculous, I must be losing my sanity”, Amaterasu said, putting a hoof to her head in confusion. She decided to head over to Ponyville to see if this mess could be sorted out. She trotted along the main path towards Ponyville, recalling every memory of her with Fluttershy to be certain she was heading in the right direction. She looked up at the sky once again. All she saw was an ocean of clouds, raining upon her a solitary storm.

There was no comfort. There was no sky. There was no light. There was no hope. Is this what it feels like to be alone? Amaterasu pressed on to Ponyville; her mind yearning to discover what is amiss. Amaterasu began to near Ponyville when the storm began to escalate, buffeting her with needle shaped raindrops. She ran with all the speed she could muster, using Divine Retribution as an improvised umbrella.

The rain fell harder and harder as Amaterasu ran faster and faster. Clearly something did not want her to find out what was going on. When Amaterasu finally reached Ponyville, she stopped dead in her tracks.

There was no Ponyville.

Baffled beyond belief, Amaterasu trotted to where Ponyville was supposed to be. Amaterasu kicked her hoof at the ground, exciting the gravel and dirt into the air. Feeling her composure quickly diminishing, Amaterasu walked around frantically.

“What’s going on here? I’m sure this is where Ponyville lies!” Quickly scanning her surroundings, only one structure remained eerily untouched. Twilight’s house. Like a moth to a flame she curiously trotted towards the monumental library. Amaterasu neared the towering tree when she spotted something familiar. On the door, tacked down with a plumed arrow, lay a note. Upon closer inspection, it was no note. It was the exact same parchment Amaterasu had written on for Fluttershy. She took the parchment, threw it down on the ground, and opened it.

The parchment was old, stained, and dusty on the inside. Amaterasu spotted her signature in the middle of the parchment, untouched from the filth. She looked at the parchment all over when she saw something unnerving. Scribbled next to her signature in nearly illegible handwriting were the words “unfinished business.” It was still dripping with ink. Amaterasu looked up from the parchment, frozen in fear.

“It’s merely a coincidence, Amaterasu. Don’t let something as preposterous as that get to you.” She stomped on the parchment and stepped into Twilight’s house. The front entrance groaned in pain as Amaterasu slowly opened the door. The library was decimated beyond recognition. Multiple parts of the room had large burns all over the walls and shelves. Shadows danced through the darkness, mocking her rapidly fading sanity. Several times Amaterasu felt breathing on the back of her neck and when she would turn around to find out who was breathing on her, only darkness was there. The wind howled eerily in the distance; screaming in anger and hatred at Amaterasu’s presence. She oddly felt that she was not welcome here.

There were strange symbols all over the room, drawn in a familiar crimson liquid. Amaterasu’s coat glowing in the dark seemed ghostly, even to her. She moved through the dark calling out.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” She perked her ears, listening for any replies. All she heard was her own voice repeated back at her. She pushed on, determined to find someone in this somber town. She turned her head and saw 8 words, arranged in a circular pattern. She trotted up to it and read each word in a clockwise motion to herself.

“Ka, tsuchi, doku, hikari, kaminari, mizu, kaze, yami.”

She stepped back in fear when her hoof suddenly crunched the remains of what appeared to be several books. She squealed and looked down. The smell of ash assaulted her nose, making her eyes water. She rubbed her eyes clean of tears when a voice in the distance suddenly began singing, catching Amaterasu’s full attention.

“Hello? Who is there? I demand you show yourself immediately!” Amaterasu commanded through the boundless dark. The voice stopped singing abruptly, almost as if contemplating whether to show itself or not. Seconds seemed like hours when the voice began singing again, ominously harmonizing with its own echoes.

“Time flows, nobody knows, the years go by. Where we go, alone from here”

Amaterasu slowly approached the source of the voice, wielding Divine Retribution. The reflector burned with despair.

“Night falls, strange-colored walls. My eyes deceive, what is wrong with me?”

Closer and closer Amaterasu neared the source of the singing. The voice suddenly stopped when Amaterasu moved in front of the doorway from which the voice was coming from. With her reflector close, she edged herself into the room when a silhouette moving through the darkness caught her eye. It was small and canine shaped.

“Chibiterasu?! Is that you my child?” Amaterasu asked the shadow. The shadow hunched over in discovery and stared at Amaterasu. Amaterasu stared back at the shadow, unable to make out any features besides its shape. Before she could think, the shadow suddenly dashed past her and out the doorway she came through. Amaterasu saw some white on the figure as it ran by.

“Wait! Please stop!” It continued to run. Amaterasu ran after the shadow, running faster than she had as a pony and a wolf. The shadow ran out of the house, intending to get away from Amaterasu for mysterious reasons. Amaterasu looked back as Twilight’s house shrunk in size, never to be seen again. The voice that she had heard earlier continued its lingering song, plaguing her mind with haunting images.

“Deep in the night you think everything’s right, tell it to yourself.
Say it’s just a nightmare.
Something is telling you nothing can change where you are again”

Fog began rolling in around Amaterasu, obscuring the view of her son that she wanted to desperately hold forever and never let go.

“Why should it matter, your dreams of a child? Innocence is gone.
Only fear to play with.
Faces are changing, but nothing is changing the pain, too late”

The storm picked up in intensity; lightening flashing through the grey sky.

“Two steps I take getting closer and closer
And one more breath I take sends me further back”

Amaterasu was beginning to lose her son. She picked up speed, throwing all of her weight forward.

“Over and over it calls to your soul, say it isn’t so.
Emptiness surrounds you.
No one can help if the angels refuse to come here, who’s there?”

She could hear her son calling out to her, begging for his mother to fill the void of loneliness.

“Cold-faded photos, they lay by your side, something in my room.
Never mind blue reason.
Visions are lying and reasons just live to survive, this time”

Amaterasu’s mind filled with images of her and her son, growing up together and learning together. She began to tear up.

“The cold. The light. The fear returning.
It’s not the eyes you feel that’s chilling you”

Instantly Amaterasu lost the desire to continue on. She fell flat on the ground with a splash of water. Lying on her back, Amaterasu looked up at the sky; dead and withering away into nothing. The figure Amaterasu was chasing entered her sight, abhorring her vision. The figure was Chibiterasu but it was missing its eyes. It barred its teeth at Amaterasu. They were jagged and demonic. Blood dripped from its mouth; droplets hitting Amaterasu several times in the face. A familiar voice filled Amaterasu’s mind. Orochi.

“What is wrong oh so powerful goddesses? Paralyzed with fear to see me again? I’ve waited for this moment for countless years. And I shall only make it more pleasurable for me.”

With that said, from her peripheral vision, additional figures were joining the party. A green toxic smoke made her cough violently. She could hear a sword clinking against metal. A large beast snorted loudly behind her. It was carrying two large blades. To her left she could see piercing red eyes staring at her in hatred. There were 9 ominous figures directly above it. To her right she could see a large figure breaking through the forset and spinning webs. Directly above her in the sky were two mechanical owls. They mocked her lacking of a partner.

“No, no, I beg you, no!!!!” Amaterasu pleaded. Each of the figures huddled around Amaterasu and looked down at her laughing. Chibiterasu broke through the crowd and clamped his scissor like jaws down on her rear leg in a devastating vice grip. Blood spewed everywhere as Amaterasu neighed in pain; crying in agony that this demented version of her son would harm her. She looked upwards through her blurred and watery vision and saw one of the mechanical owls thrusting its razor sharp cane towards her chest. She closed her eyes and waited for the final blow.

It never came.

Amaterasu opened her eyes and looked upward once again. She was greeted with the familiar face of the moon. The figures that were tormenting Amaterasu had disappeared, her wound on her leg had healed, and she had regained her energy. Something or someone saved her life.

Timidly, Amaterasu spoke, “Yumigami? Was this your doing?” Her question was answered by an unfamiliar voice.

“No Amaterasu, this was my doing” Amaterasu turned her head towards the source of the voice and saw a blue alicorn slightly smaller than her. Her wings were open in embrace; shining the grace of the moon upon her. She was wearing a tiara.

“My word! What happened here? Was that hideous thing my son?! Were those rea-“ The small alicorn put her hoof to Amaterasu’s mouth.

“Calm yourself” she said smiling, “You’re alright now”

“What is going on?”

“You’re dreaming, Amaterasu”

“I’m……. dreaming?”

“Yes. Something evil and wicked was tormenting you in your sleep. I watch the dreams of everypony in Equestria, even the ones who are not from here. Whatever it was, I’m the only thing that is holding it back from you.”

“I-I cannot thank you enough…er, may I ask your title?”

“My name? No need to worry about that now. You’ll find out soon enough.”

Amaterasu’s savior began to disappear; particles of magic emanating from her body. Amaterasu yelled to her, “Wait! You claim to see the dreams of beings not from here! Can you please tell me if my son is doing O.K.?”

“Chibiterasu? He dreams about you every night, Amaterasu….”

With that said, the mysterious alicorn disappeared, making the sky above Amaterasu shine brilliantly with the light of thousands of stars. For the rest of the night Amaterasu slept seamlessly under the watchful eye of her fateful guardian.

The sky of the Celestial Plains remained crimson ever since Amaterasu disappeared. Every day, Chibiterasu would return to where he saw his mother enter the portal and stare into the sky, begging for her back. He would howl the lullaby his mother howled for him when he was just a little pup. He still remembered it, note for note. He was about to howl it when a small voice interrupted him.

“Chibi! I came as soon as I heard! Is Furball really gone?” Chibiterasu looked over his shoulder and simply nodded; a tear falling to the ground.

“I can’t believe it…. Ammy is really…. Gone… Well Chibi, Gekigami told me to come get you for an important meeting that even you have to attend.”

Chibiterasu hesitated just as Amaterasu would but eventually got up and proceeded to the meeting room. Where the tear had landed, a beautiful bed of flowers had grown.

They were all in the spot where Amaterasu had first howled the lullaby to Chibiterasu.

Chapter 5 - Answers

Amaterasu awoke to the loud chatter of ponies from outside of her bedroom. She stood upright and rubbed her eyes with her hooves.

“Despite my rather unpleasant experience last night, I can’t remember sleeping that well!” she said, stretching her wings. Then, a horrifying thought hit her instantly. She removed the covers and was relieved to see that her leg was well; her entire body felt anew.

She thought back to that pony who saved her in her nightmare, ‘Who was that pony? Did she really know if Chibiterasu was fine?’

Amaterasu threw off the covers. Oddly, for once, she decided to push these questions away and hold them for later because today was the day she would speak to this world’s superior, at least she thought so.

A loud pop heard from an open window in the room stole her attention. It sounded like a…… blast of confetti? Curious about where it came from, she approached the window and peered outside.

The sun hit her like a Bull Charger. It was as if the sun was foreign to her……. Or her eyes were not yet quite adjusted to the brightness of daylight. For the first time in her life, she hated the sun. When her eyes became fully adjusted to the blinding morning, she saw ponies. A whole crowd of them.

“Look! There she is!”

“Hey it’s the new pony!”

“She looks odd”

“Look at that bed head”

A pink pony in the middle of the crowd suddenly turned from a cannon. Amaterasu assumed it was hers; something in her gut told her so.

“Really?! And I wasn’t even done loading my party cannon! Shoot! Better late than never!”

The pink pony, loading the last bit of some arbitrarily picked items, aimed the cannon at the window Amaterasu was at, put her hoof on the firing end and yelled, “WELCOME TO PONYVILLE!!!!!!”

Cupcakes and pieces of candy went soaring out of the cannon towards Amaterasu, making contact with her face in the blink of an eye. Amaterasu, completely shocked about the pink pony’s action, just stood there not knowing what to do next. Everyone stared at each other in the tense silence.

‘I must leave a good impression in this world, otherwise their leader may never speak with me. Now is not the time to get off on bad footing.’

She took her front forehoof and awkwardly rubbed off all of the frosting and cupcake wrappers off of her face. A couple of the ponies in the crowd snickered. The small pink pony looked at Amaterasu and smiled, naively thinking that she pleased her. She called up to her.

“I hope you like it here in Ponyville! I’ll be seeing you around later so don’t expect to go off looking for praise orbs!”

With that said, the little pink pony was gone in an instant. The crowd dissolved away, returning to their normal, everyday lives, leaving Amaterasu staring blankly. She thought aloud to herself,

“I believe I have enough clairvoyance to see that I will be meeting that pony again sometime soon.”

She sighed heavily and turned away from the window when suddenly,

“Wait….. did she say praise orbs?”

Amaterasu gently closed the door to the bedroom hoping not to disturb Fluttershy if she happened to still be asleep in the adjacent room. Amaterasu stopped and looked down at the top of the stairs, staring fiercely.

“Ha! Petty obstacle! I know of your secrets now!”

Slightly more adjusted to her new equine body from her previous unfortunate experiences, Amaterasu placed both of her front hooves on the first step and began to hop down the stairs. Three quarters of the way down, she was completely caught off guard.

“Glad to see you’re up and about Amaterasu!”

Amaterasu, startled, tripped down the rest of the remaining stairs to conquer. Amaterasu, who was now on the floor, looked up and chuckled,

“Oh, it is only you!” she said smiling. She hoisted herself up and professionally addressed the pony who had caused her to stumble. She opened her mouth again but found herself lost.

“I seem to forget your title, may I have it again?”

The lavender pony giggled, “I can’t believe you forgot my name already! I must’ve scared you a little too much!” She paused to brush a dust bunny off of Amaterasu’s coat. She then took out a clipboard from her satchel and presented it to her, playfully tapping it on her head.

“Well, I am supposed to be asking you questions today before you talk to Celestia! And, my name is Twilight. Next time I’ll make sure not to scare you!”

The two ponies laughed together, already enjoying the morning. Amaterasu felt warm on the inside. Not because she holds the power of the sun, but more of the feeling of connection. She never had the chance to speak with others quite like this. She enjoyed it. A lot.

The laughter was cut short when a door was heard from upstairs. Fluttershy walked down from the second floor amidst the happy atmosphere, instantly feeling overjoyed. Amaterasu approached Fluttershy swishing her tail back and forth. Ink happily dripped to the floor.

“Fluttershy, I wanted to thank you for having me as your special guest overnight. Such kindness is very rare in the universe, it should never be taken for granted. That’s why I wanted to give you this.”

Focusing intently, Amaterasu materialized a small bead using her Celestial Brush. It dropped to the ground with a metal ‘clink!’ Amaterasu kicked her hoof at the little bead.

“Curses! It seems that I don’t yet have a handle on your world’s physics.” She chuckled and attempted to pick up the bead with no success. Twilight levitated the bead into the air and gasped as a light ray passed through it, scattering it everywhere. The inside of the sphere glowed brilliantly, as if it was a sun.

Twilight was rendered speechless by the spectacle. Instantly, the researcher within her was released, fascinated by the circular object.

"This is incredible! The luminosity projected by this bead exceeds every other known material in Equestria!"

Her horn glowed as she touched it against the surface of the bead. The two powerful forces met and created an immense surge of energy, sending Twilight backwards on her rump a good two feet. Fluttershy trotted over to Twilight.

"Oh my! Are you O.K. Twilight? That was an awful spill you just to-" Twilight sprang up, cutting her off.

"I'm more than O.K.!" she said loudly. The sudden outburst caused Fluttershy to retreat behind her mane. Twilight quickly got up.

"Don't you see Fluttershy? The magnitude of this object's luminosity is far greater than anything that were ever to exist in Equestria! I've never seen anything like it!"

"Is it really that important for it to have you yelling so loudly in the morning?" Fluttershy said from behind her mane.

As Twilight continued to babble on, Amaterasu stared at her curiously. Why was she so interested in the bead? So it caused a little light show. What was the significance in at all? She failed to see how an individual could be so ecstatic over a small bead. Twilight hovered the bead in Amaterasu's face.

"What is this? Where did it come from? Is this from your world? What is it made of?"

Twilight's eyes were glittering with the desire for knowledge just like Chibiterasu's back in the Celestial Plains. Amaterasu thought about a decision for a few seconds and replied.

"Save your questions for your little interview with me Twilight. I will answer them all then." Twilight perked up.

"Oh yes! Let's get on to that right now! I must find out more about you! So fascinating!"

She stuffed the bead and the clipboard into her satchel, picked up Fluttershy with her magic and walked into the entrance room of the cottage. She called back to Amaterasu, eagerly awaiting to start questioning her. Amaterasu sighed and looked uneasily at the wall.

"What have I done?"

In the main entrance, Twilight had already set up a little desk with numerous quills, bottles of ink, and parchment. Fluttershy was sitting next to her, hoping to make sure that the questioning didn't get too out of hand. Upon entering the room, Twilight ardently addressed her.

"Oh! Please come and sit! There's a couch for you right there!"

She pointed her hoof to a small couch located directly across from the desk. It was very small and Amaterasu knew that she couldn't fit on it. She was a big pony. To compensate, she moved the couch to a corner in the room and sat down on her flanks in front of the desk. Not as easy as sitting as a wolf, but it was better than squirming around on a small couch. She was happy to see that she was still taller than the desk.

"So let's begin. Question one, how did you get here?"

Amaterasu thought about the shackled creature that she confronted back in the Celestial Plains. She remembered being struck by a huge surge of power, but her mind after that was cloudy. She decided not to tell her about the monster.

"To be honest, I am not entirely sure how I ended up in your world. I remember that I was with my son in my domain and after that...... I'm not sure."

"You have a son?"

"Yes, I do. He is my entire being, my everything. For him, I would give my life."

"Did he come with you? Is he here in Equestria?"

"No, he did not come with me. If he did, I would be able to feel his presence."

"How so? Are you two connected telepathically?"

"In a way, yes."

"Ok I see" Twilight said, scribbling on the parchment. She underlined a word.

"Question two, what are you? You don't seem to be a natural born pony."

"You are correct. I am not an equine by blood. I am a goddess. The goddess of the sun to be more accurate."

"What?! A goddess? And of the sun? How is this possible? Celestia controls the sun!"

'So that explains why I was unable to manipulate the sun' Amaterasu thought. She grinned a little at her next thought.

"Well, she best learn to share it."

Twilight gasped a little on the inside. She knew Amaterasu meant no harm with her response, but this is no laughing matter. Celestia is an all powerful being herself. Her benevolence and forgiveness do have boundaries, they are not limitless. Twilight pretended Amaterasu's last remark never existed and she continued. Fluttershy was beginning to get a little uncomfortable, but she kept quiet and composed.

"So if you are a goddess, what is your real form?"

"Well, back in my world, I was comfortable with the form of a wolf."

"A wolf huh? How appropriate, you seem to be a bit brash but also regal at the same time."

Amaterasu didn't know if she was supposed to take offense to Twilight's remark. No one back in Nippon told her how she acted, unless if she ignored them. But that was when she was a wolf, and also when she wasn't capable of speech. She wasn't exactly sure how to act here. She figured that a lift in the atmosphere would do everybody some good, especially for Fluttershy.

"And you seem to be incredibly smart and intrusive."

"Well then, you're not the most kind of goddesses aren't you?" Twilight said as her tone darkened with annoyance.

'Well that was efficient' Amaterasu thought, her face drooping slightly.

Twilight noticed Amaterasu's expression and quickly reassured her.

"Oh, don't worry Amaterasu. I know you're trying to be nice. I'm sorry for sounding a little threatening just now, but you have to understand, this isn't your world. Celestia is in charge here and her word is law. That goes for everyone, including you" she said in a concerned tone.

Amaterasu felt a little better. At least she knew she wasn't making an enemy.

"Now then, question three, what is that thing on your back?" she asked, straying away from personal questions.

"Ah yes." Amaterasu stood up and lowered her wing, revealing the instrument floating above her back, "This is what is known as a Divine Instrument. We deities use it to help fend off evil in our world. This one in particular is called Divine Retribution."

The mentioning of the instrument's name caused it to brighten and flicker lively. Twilight's eyes widened once again.

"I utilize numerous Divine Instruments, however, I seemed to have lost them along with my powers when I arrived here."

"So, you're weaker than before?"

"Yes."

"Do you think they could have been spread across Equestria?"

Twilight had a point. Amaterasu never thought about the possibility that the instruments were spread across the land. It may have been unlikely, but there was still a chance this was true.

"Maybe, I have tried summoning them with no success."

"I could try asking Celestia to help find them when we see her."

"No, it's not necessary. These instruments are not to be trifled with. Only deities such as myself can wield and control them. Celestia may be able to manipulate them though, but not at their full potential."

"I see. They must be powerful."

"Indeed they are."

Twilight continued to scribble on the parchment, emphasizing some of the words she had written. Fluttershy was fumbling around with a piece of the couch they were sitting on. She was blowing it around on the arm of the couch. Twilight turned back to Amaterasu, interrupting her analysis of what they were doing.

"O.K. one last question, what was that little bead you conjured up? How did you conjure it?"

"I conjured up the bead using my powers. As for the purpose of the bead it-" A knock on the door cut her off.

"I'll get it!" Fluttershy said, happy that she was able to move around with a purpose. She opened the door and let in four other ponies. Amaterasu recognized the pink one. The orange pony wearing a cowboy hat spoke to Twilight.

"Twilight, Princess Celestia asked me to round y'all up over to Canterlot ASAP. She said it was urgent."

"Really? We were supposed to speak with her later on today!"

"I know, there's been a change in plans."

Chapter 6 - Meeting of the Suns

"What do you mean by change of plans?" Twilight asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

"I mean Celestia needs to see you immediately. She was tellin' me that she could feel an immense power here in Ponyville, before she didn't know where it was. She wanted to know if you knew anything that would fit that description."

Twilight looked over to Amaterasu. 'Did Celestia sense her? It must have been when I touched my horn to that bead she conjured. Oh, I hope Celestia isn't mad at me.'

"Well, I guess we better make our way there then." The pink pony from the group bounced forward and tackled Amaterasu.

"It's you! I told you I was going to see you again! And whaddya know? Here we are! This is incredible! More friends to hang out with, and blow balloons, and throw parties, and make s'mores, and, and EVERYTHING!" The pink pony looked down at Amaterasu and smiled.

"Pinkie! Knock it off! I thought I told you not to do that when someone new comes to Ponyville! You might scare them off one day!"

"Sorry Twi! I can't help myself sometimes! It's just so exciting when there's a newcomer in Ponyville! I just wanna explode!"

"Well take your little greetings down a notch next time!"

Pinkie got off of Amaterasu and returned to her place within the group. Twilight helped Amaterasu up and apologized.

"I'm sorry about that. That's Pinkie's way of saying hello. Not the best one if you ask me."

"It's alright Twilight. I already encountered her earlier today. She is pretty...... interesting if you ask me."

Just then, a snow white pony stepped forward, moving her wavy purple mane out of her face. She looked at Amaterasu.

"Twilight, won't you be a dear and introduce us to your dazzling little friend?"

"Yeah!" exclaimed a rainbow pony from the back of the group. "Who is this pony?"

"Girls, she can introduce herself."

"I don't know" the rainbow pony flew over to Amaterasu, hovering over her. "She doesn't look that smart."

Amaterasu knew to take offense to that statement. She lowered herself into a battle stance and snorted loudly, staring the rainbow pony with eyes full of hatred.

"Whoahoho! Calm down there Snowy! Don't wolf me down!"

"Rainbow, don't tease her like that! You hardly even know her and already you made her angry!"

"Well I gotta make sure that everyone knows that I'm top pony here in Ponyville! After all, who can perform a Sonic Rainboom with ease?"

Twilight sighed and brought her hoof to her face.

"You."

"Haha, you know it!"

The rainbow pony flew over to Amaterasu once again and put her hoof around her neck.

"I'm just messing with ya. Name's Rainbow Dash."

She flew down to the ground and extended her hoof forward.

"No hard feelings?"

Amaterasu calmed down, feeling a little better after having a hoof of friendship extended toward her. For once in her life she was able to shake someone's hand. More or less. Regardless, she felt the need to befriend the cocky rainbow mare, even if it wasn't how she had first imagined it. She extended her hoof forward, completing the ritual.

"It is a pleasure to acquaint you Rainbow Dash. My name is Amaterasu."

Dash's face contorted to that of confusion.

"Amatewhonow?"

"Amaterasu."

"That's a little long. I think I'll call you Snowy for now."

Amaterasu didn't object. She felt it was appropriate.

The white pony spoke up once again, this time in curiosity of Amaterasu's physical appearance.

"So, Amaterasu, you're an alicorn? It must be simply wonderful! I've never had the liberty to ask the princesses about what it's like to have both the magic of a unicorn and the freedom of a pegasus. I can imagine it being stupendous" she said with a longing sigh. She was clearly recalling a time in her life that she enjoyed. Amaterasu disproved her assumption.

"Well, based on my experiences within the last few hours, I can tell you this: it is a huge bother. I'd prefer not to have abnormally large appendages."

The white pony stared blankly at her, questioning why anypony would not want perfection. She opened her mouth to assert her opinion but was cut off by the orange pony.

"Rarity, I suggest we leave the conversations until AFTER we get tuh Canterlot. We'll have plenty of time to talk then. Besides, we wouldn't want to rush Amaterasu here telling us about herself."

The orange pony looked up at Amaterasu and tipped her hat at her. Amaterasu assumed it was a respectful gesture. She returned with a nod indicating understanding. The orange pony, with much authority in her voice, spoke.

"All right everyone! Then it's settled! To the train station! The sooner we can get ta Canterlot the better!"

She quickly herded everyone out of Fluttershy's cottage and led the way to the train station. Amaterasu stayed at the back of the group with many thoughts on her mind. One plagued her in particular. It wasn't a thought, it was a prediction...... a feeling.

For some odd reason, Amaterasu felt that the princess was expecting her.

After a couple minutes of walking, the group finally approached Ponyville's train station. The rest of the ponies waited for the train while Amaterasu stayed behind, thinking. The thought then hit her immediately; had she ever seen a train? She tried recalling if she ever did to no avail. She was beginning to feel more distant from home, everything in Equestria was drastically different from her way of life back home. Stepping on the ceramic tiling of the train station felt off. To her, it was as if this entire world was out to make her feel more distant from her home. To make her feel more distant from herself. To make her feel more distant...... from her son.

She immediately caught herself. The turmoils of homesickness were already starting to torment her. She needed to talk to Celestia; she needed to feel like she was conversing with her own kin. She needed to know if there was anyway back home. If Celestia is an omnipotent being like herself, then she'd have to know how to get back. She suddenly remembered what Twilight said to her earlier in the morning.

'Oh, don't worry Amaterasu. I know you're trying to be nice. I'm sorry for sounding a little threatening just now, but you have to understand, this isn't your world. Celestia is in charge here and her word is law. That goes for everyone, including you.'

'Celestia is in charge here and her word is law.'

'Her word is law.'

Those words echoed throughout the confines of her subconscious, igniting fear. What if Celestia were to refuse to help her? What if she were to deny her the privilege to return home to her son? The idea of someone foolish enough to stand between her and her son angered her. In blind fury, Amaterasu bumped into one of the support columns of the station's ceiling, burning the surface of it.

The smell of burning wood attracted the attention of the rest of the group. They all turned around - each emitting a small gasp - and was greeted with an Amaterasu whose body markings were glowing a dark red. Fluttershy was the first to speak.

"Amaterasu are you O.K.?" she said, quickly trotting over to Amaterasu, her motherly instincts taking over. She looked into her eyes, staring into the demon that inhabited her.

Amaterasu slowly calmed down. Her mane and marking's rage dissipated and rational thought returned to her being, lifting the anxiety from the rest of the group. She blinked her eyes a couple of times before she looked around and saw the burnt column.

"I'm terribly sorry for that. There is a lot going on within my mind right now. I just need to talk with your superior and get some answers."

"It's alright Amaterasu, I understand. I'm sure Celestia can help you."

"Thank you Fluttershy, I hope you are right."

Rainbow Dash flew over to them, letting them know that the train to Canterlot had arrived. Fluttershy returned to her friends as Amaterasu followed, pondering more about her future meeting with Celestia. The train did not break her train of thought, despite being so different from what she was used to. She joined the others in the cabin and took her seat by the window. As the train slowly began to move, Amaterasu watched Ponyville shrink until it completely left her eyesight. She watched the landscape as it rolled by when Twilight broke the silence, stealing her attention.

"So Amaterasu, what happened back at the train station?"

"I was just thinking Twilight, nothing more, nothing less. I hope that I did not cause horrible damage to that column."

"No, don't worry about the column. Pinkie's always banging something into it when she hears news about a visitor coming to town; you know how she is with preparing for visitors."

"Yes, I cannot disprove that fact based on my encounter with her" Amaterasu replied, feeling more sunny than before. She suddenly remembered this morning.

"Excuse me, Pinkie." She brightened instantly at the sound of her name being called.

"This morning, when you gathered that large crowd of ponies outside of Fluttershy's cottage, why didn't you greet me the previous day when I was actually walking through town? I'm certain you would have seen me, along with others."

"Oh! That's easy! I was busy preparing for the Summer Sun celebration that's happening in a couple of days so I didn't have enough time to say 'Hi!'; just about everypony in town was busy preparing for it. I always make sure that there's an awesome party afterwards and, this year, I wanted to make it extra, super-duper special!"

"Summer Sun celebration?"

The orange pony jumped into the conversation.

"It's a celebration where everypony'll gather together and watch Celestia raise the sun."

'Perfect' Amaterasu thought, 'They have a celebration where they praise their sun-raising ruler. This couldn't be more awkward.'

"Interesting, to what regard is this celebration held?"

"Very high" Twilight said, "It's a celebration of Celestia restoring the sun to Equestria, everyone in Ponyville attends."

'She's also restored the sun to the land as well; is this being my doppelganger?'

"That's fantastic" replied Amaterasu, attempting to hide her sardonic feelings. Despite her efforts, the others picked up on her sarcasm and the cabin fell silent with the incessant sound of the train's vibrations playing in the background. Amaterasu turned her attention to outside the window. She watched as the landscape rolled by, reminding her of Shinshuu Plains back in Nippon. The sheer size of the land surprised her and she was beginning to speculate if it was larger than Ryoshima. She turned away from the window, hoping to find something to get her mind off of home.

Twilight got the bead out of her satchel and began to study it in greater depth. She would occasionally feel the bead with her hoof and mutter to herself about the how the texture of the surface felt. Spike stared at the white pony love-struck, sighing softly to himself every couple of seconds. Fluttershy brought her head down to the surface of the table and looked into the bead, noting how transparent it is. She and Twilight exchanged a couple of words over the little thing, but Amaterasu quickly lost interest in their conversation as her mind traveled elsewhere.

She thought about Fluttershy and why she took her into her home if she was a stranger. She could never recall a time in Nippon where anyone would be as kind as her. She was glad to have given her the bead as a gift, but a little annoyed that Twilight was experimenting on it. She thought briefly about the other ponies who she wasn't acquainted with yet. She didn't care about not knowing their names, she was more concerned about finding a way back home and Celestia, at this point, was the one who ultimately had control over her fate. Just then, Rainbow Dash yelled out.

"Look! There's Canterlot!"

As Canterlot came into view, Amaterasu was preparing to meet someone as formidable as herself.

The meeting of the suns was about to begin.

"This place is enormous!" said Amaterasu, looking in awe at the castle that was before her. It was larger than the emperor's castle in Sei-an City. She looked up to the top of the castle, the point at the top piercing the sky.

Many of the ponies who lived around the train station were looking at them with a piqued curiosity. They were clearly in possession of wealth due to their clothing. Amaterasu questioned this difference between Ponyville and Canterlot.

"Is there any reason why these ponies are clothed and you're not?" asked Amaterasu as the group walked towards the large castle. The orange pony replied.

"A lot of the ponies in Ponyville feel that wealth and having a lot of things is more of a burden than a pleasure. If yuh ask me, these ponies haven't worked a day in their life. Life just doesn't feel truly honest if hard work and time wasn't invested into it."

The group finally reached the front entrance of the castle a few moments later. The castle was even more impressive when close to it. Amaterasu felt very insignificant when compared to the castle in size and she was fascinated with it. The inside of the castle seemed larger than the outside which only heightened her curiosity. Twilight picked up on Amaterasu's interest.

"Jaw-dropping isn't it?"

"It surely is. The architecture is unlike everything I have ever seen."

She turned her attention to a large hallway where stained-glassed windows could be seen from her angle. She knew where that hallway lead to; she could feel a large presence further down it. These next minutes with Celestia could either confirm or dismiss her fears.

"Shall we?" asked Twilight, sensing Amaterasu's trepidation.

Amaterasu felt better from Twilight's reassurance. At least she wasn't confronting Celestia alone. With a little more confidence, she moved her way into the room along with the others.

The hallway glowed brightly with color from the plethora of windows. Each window told a story about hardship and compromise and the majority of the windows all showed Twilight defeating a great evil or solving a crisis. Amaterasu reminded herself to ask Twilight why she showed up more than Celestia on these windows when, in her eyes, it should be the other way around. Amaterasu then saw a large white pony with enormous wings at the end of the hallway on a throne, writing on a scroll. Twilight yelled out, causing the pony to look up from the scroll.

"Princess Celestia!"

"Twilight Sparkle, my favorite student! I see you've answered my call."

"Yes I did, we came as soon as we could once I got word from Applejack."

"Twilight, won't you introduce me to your friend there?"

Amaterasu's ears immediately perked up. Her hair stood on end and her stomach began to twist into knots.

"Oh! Amaterasu please come here, Celestia wants to speak with you."

Amaterasu moved nervously towards the throne, feeling overshadowed by her obvious position of power.

"Salutations Princess, my name is Amaterasu."

"Welcome to Equestria, Amaterasu! I've been expecting you."

"Yo-you have?"

"Yes. I sensed you when you arrived here. I know you're not from here."

"Is there a way I can get home?"

"Yes, there is. However, you are not ready to return home yet."

"......What?"

"You are not ready to return home yet. Your time in this world has proven that, in your current state, returning to your world would cause more harm than good. Would you want that for your son? Would you want your son to see you like this? Weak and tainted?"

The atmosphere immediately turned tense. Amaterasu's markings began to change to a deep sanguine color, more intense than at the train station. Divine Retribution burned violently, causing smoke and embers to erupt from her back.

"AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF BEING STRONG? WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT BEING RIGHTEOUS? YOU WRETCH! YOU. ARE. NOT. ME!"

Amaterasu flung the reflector at Celestia. A blast of magic from her horn sent it ricocheting back at her. She caught it and snorted loudly causing small flames to emanate from her nostrils. Applejack lassoed Amaterasu around her legs making her fall onto the ground. She burned the rope off with her body heat and sent her rage towards Celestia in the form of a vortex of flame shooting from the reflector. Celestia threw up a force field, blocking the flames.

"Amaterasu, please stop!" cried Fluttershy.

Fluttershy's pleas did not help soothe Amaterasu's rage. She was too far gone to return to her normal self. She roared ferociously and dashed towards Celestia with the reflector spinning wildly. Suddenly Celestia teleported and reappeared over Amaterasu, crushing her with her body weight. The reflector was flung from her back and she was subdued within a force field.

"Let me out this instant! I demand you send me home immediately!" ordered Amaterasu, violently tackling the sides of the force field.

"Don't you see? Look at yourself! You are merely a shell of your former self, cursed to believe that they are still strong in their fortitude! Your naivety has exploited your weakness Amaterasu; you allowed anger and rage to enter your heart and you foolishly do battle with a foreign world's leader! Your powers and equipment leaving you was a sign. You must regain your strength and purge this evil from your soul. You must harness a new power."

"The Elements of Harmony."

Chapter 2 - The Kindness of a Stranger

Light broke its way through the thick canopies of the trees as Fluttershy was tending to her animals in the forest. Unfortunately, for her, the animals that she was taking care of were in the Everfree Forest, further implementing the fear of such a strange place in her delicate mind. That was in the past however, and after meeting Zecora, she actually felt curious about the forest. To her it was a mysterious serenity. After all who knows what kind of animals she might encounter? She was busy helping an injured possum who had fallen from a tree. The possum had broken one of its legs.

“Alright Mr. Possum I’m all done!”

After patching the creature up, Fluttershy fixed together a little comical wheelchair for the mammal that even it loved. With a smile that could melt anyone’s heart she helped the possum in the chair and escorted it out of the forest; crawling along the ground and pushing the chair with her nose. When they reached the outside of the forest, the possum began to push itself home while Fluttershy waved a hoof goodbye.

“Take care! Feel better!” she said to the possum as it rolled itself away. Gaily and gracefully she pranced back into the forest only to be stopped dead in her tracks.

“Oh my, something’s not right here….” She said fearfully, peering at the source of worry in the sky. Numerous vultures were flying in the air, circling over something that they intended to devour. With much apprehension, Fluttershy edged herself to the source of her concern. After following the scavengers in the air for a short time, Fluttershy was greeted with a sight that was both awe inspiring and worrying.

“A-a-a-an alicorn!” she stuttered, searching for words that could describe what she was seeing. There, right in front of her, lay an unconscious white alicorn. It was no ordinary alicorn though; on its forelegs were strange “growths” of fur and it looked like they were surging with power. The alicorn had magnificent crimson markings circling all over its body; they were glowing faintly, as if they were in danger of dying out. The alicorn, spread out along the ground, looked weak for its appearance; even though Fluttershy had never seen it before she thought that it could’ve looked more imposing.

“You poor thing!” she said, crouching down to put a hoof to its head. The alicorn was warm. VERY warm.

“Let’s get you to my cottage, you may be sick!” With that said Fluttershy got back up and looked at the alicorn. How could she get the alicorn out of the forest? Alicorns are large and carrying it was out of the question. Then she remembered, “My medicine wagon!”

Squeeing with joy she skipped back to where she last left her wagon. Whenever she went to the forest she brought her wagon carrying all of the necessary supplies she may need when helping her animal friends. She decided to use it as an improvised stretcher. Huffing and puffing she finally managed to put the unconscious patient on the wagon.

“Let’s get you to shelter!” she said under her breath. She then attached the wagon to herself and began the long walk back home.

Confusion. That’s what Amaterasu felt when she woke up in Fluttershy’s cottage, a place completely alien to her. She looked over the cottage, wondering who could live here and more importantly, where was she? She was covered by a blanket, and had an ice pack on her head (which had completely melted) and a thermometer in her mouth. After idling about for a couple of seconds Amaterasu attempted locomotion when she realized that she was not in her original body. Planting all four legs on the ground proved to be a difficult task, as she wobbled to maintain her balance. After she did find her balance she was now faced with an even more difficult task: walking. She struggled to put one hoof in front of the other until she was able to walk, crudely but it still was walking. Feeling experimental, Amaterasu began to move all parts of her new body, from her legs to her…..wings? Amaterasu then brought the wing to her face. She had wings! Gazing over the newfound appendage, she questioned how to use it. She flapped the wing and the tips of the feathers knocked over a small vase. It shattered on the floor.

She cringed when the noise echoed throughout the cottage, stirring a few birds that were in their birdhouse. Surprisingly no one came down to investigate the source of the noise. Amaterasu looked at the mess. Surely someone will notice. With her foreleg she pushed the fragments of the vase underneath a nearby rug. She then inconspicuously walked away from the scene of the crime; bumping into a nearby mirror. She looked at the mirror and was dumbfounded. Somehow she had turned into a pony! She stood on her hind legs in shock when she lost her balance and fell on the mirror, bringing it down with her. Now, in a state of panic, Amaterasu rebounded back up and ran to the door. She had to get out of here and find out where she was!

Then she reached the front door and stopped. A door. A wolf trapped in a pony’s body. How could she open it? She was barely able to walk properly, what chance could she have in opening the door with her hooves? Amaterasu looked at the door intensely. “Perseverance Amaterasu”, she thought. With all the confidence she could muster, she placed both hooves on the door; struggling to find a means of actually opening it. It’s strange, normally in Nippon, Amaterasu was able to get through doors with ease, provided that they were not guarded by a psychotic, demonic lock. Here, in this strange world, opening a door for her was like fighting in the Kamui Devil Gate Trials; it was just excruciatingly hard.

Amaterasu was beginning to lose her patience. She turned around and bucked at the door; not moving an inch. She then backed up from the door, giving herself plenty of room between her and this block like wall. She hobbled forward and, with all of her speed and might, rammed the door. Unfortunately things didn’t go according to plan. Her horn skewered through the door and it was trapped. The door still remained how it was before, standing mockingly stalwart. Wait, she had a horn too? “Great” she thought, “What else will this world throw at me?!” She then heard footsteps behind her followed by a barely audible voice.

“Oh my……. Glad to see you are awake….but……is escape necessary? That… is…. if you want to stay…….”

Fluttershy helped the befuddled, chagrin alicorn out of the door. When she was free, the yellow pegasus began to explain what had happened to her.

“I found you out in the Everfree Forest unconscious. I was afraid that you were hurt or sick so I took you here and laid you to rest. I had to rest as well because you are quite the heavy pony!” said the little pegasus, occasionally making eye contact with Amaterasu.

Amaterasu huffed, the pony was digressing from what she really wanted to know.

“Oh! I’m sorry for being rude! I haven’t even introduced myself! I’m Fluttershy…………”

Amaterasu perked her ears. What was her name? She couldn’t hear the pony at all. Amaterasu moved closer to the pegasus, gently tapping her and signaling with her hoof to speak louder.

Fluttershy apprehensively stepped backward and tried introducing herself again, “I’m Fluttershy…..” Amaterasu had heard her this time. At least she spoke louder. She then acknowledged Fluttershy that she had heard her name. Fluttershy looked at Amaterasu with awe.

“Are you from Ponyville? It doesn’t seem like it, I’ve never seen a pony like you!” Fluttershy looked at Amaterasu all over. Her eyes widened when her gaze set itself upon her flank.

“Yo-you-your cutie mark! What is it? It looks exactly like Zecora’s!” Amaterasu looked stunned. Cutie mark? What could that be? She looked down at her flank and sure enough there was a mark. It was bright red like her crimson markings, but it entangled and twisted itself into the shape of the sun. She suddenly thought of Kazegami. Did he have a cutie mark? Did he feel like she did when he was moving around? She quickly pushed the thoughts out of her head, she didn’t want to think too hard. Fluttershy then stopped speaking. She looked at Amaterasu.

“Can you speak? I haven’t heard you speak since I’ve helped you out of my door!” Amaterasu knew she wasn’t able to speak, but Fluttershy is a pony. Perhaps she could understand her barking? Amaterasu stepped forward and opened her mouth. A bark like neigh emanated from her throat. She then closed her mouth tight and glowed bright red. The sound she had produced was both awkward and incredibly hilarious. Fluttershy grinned a little.

“Well I guess that answers my question. Do you know how to write? Maybe you can write your name” suggested Fluttershy. She walked over to a nearby drawer with parchment and a quill on top. She took the quill in her mouth, dipped it in ink, then walked back to Amaterasu and placed the parchment on a table. She handed Amaterasu the quill, ink dripping on the floor. The droplets moved towards Amaterasu, rerouting her mind to her own self. She shook her head no at the quill; her mind set on her tail. Amaterasu closed her eyes and focused; perspiration shedding due to her concentration.

Amaterasu never needed to concentrate to siphon her powers. Now, with her in a new body and world, it’s as if something is holding her back; waiting in the dark to finally burn out the sun. Ink began materializing into the air as it gently floated towards the parchment, writing very slowly and precisely her name. Fluttershy, mouth on the floor, was speechless.

“You know magic? I have never seen a spell like that! In fact, I don’t think my friend Twilight has even seen a spell like yours!” Amaterasu was a little stricken back; the ink had come from the power of the Celestial Brush, not this “magic” Fluttershy spoke of. Fluttershy looked at what Amaterasu had written. Upon reading the parchment she looked baffled.

“Um….if you mind me asking……..what is this?” she asked, hoping that it isn’t related to some voodoo zebra logic. Amaterasu then looked at what she wrote. She had written her name in Japanese kanji. The thought of adjusting to this new world slithered its way up her spine, making her shudder. It was as if she was reborn yet again, but from a different statue. One that in every way, shape, and form, made her uncomfortable. Fluttershy waved a hoof in Amaterasu’s face; snapping her back to reality.

Once again Amaterasu’s lack of attention overcame Fluttershy’s question. Even in this land, Amaterasu’s personality remained strong. At least she was still herself. She wondered if her attention span could possibly become a problem, but then disregarded the thought and returned to Fluttershy’s fascination of the hieroglyphic like writing.

“Is this your name in your language?” Fluttershy asked, eagerly. Amaterasu nodded with approval; looking at Fluttershy as if they were connected telepathically.

“I think we should visit my friend Twilight, she’s bound to know what this writing could mean! She could even help you speak!” The word ‘speak’ made her ears ring. Speech? Amaterasu found it relatively easy to communicate back in Nippon, usually everyone she came in contact with knew what she was trying to say. The thought of her speaking their native tongue made her ponder. Did she even have a voice? And if she did what would she sound like? Surely better than trotting around barking and neighing at the same time. Now that would be embarrassing. She decided to give the friend Fluttershy mentioned a chance. She looked back at Fluttershy and nodded eagerly.

“Alright! Let’s head to Twilight’s! I’ll lead the way! That is if you’ll let me…….” Fluttershy trotted to the skewered door and opened it with a pull of a rope. “So that’s how they do it”, Amaterasu thought. The door opened and Equestrian sunlight poured through and beamed Amaterasu in the face.

The sunlight seemed strangely familiar yet utterly foreign.

Sunlight. Sweet sunlight thought Amaterasu, stepping out of Fluttershy’s cottage. She had learned how to walk better as a pony. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? She spread open her wings and sunbathed, instantly feeling revitalized. A past thought then shattered the feeling. What about that beast? Is it destroying Nippon? Was Chibiterasu safe? She closed her wings and paced back and forth, immersed in a torrent of thoughts. She then remembered the dark magic hitting her reflectors, sending them everywhere.

She tried calling for each reflector. Only one answered her plea - Divine Retribution. Her glaives and rosaries did not appear either. Panicking, Amaterasu tried using brush techniques; all of them failing. She looked at the sun and tried to manipulate it. Something prevented her from doing so. Whatever it was, it was immensely powerful and she did not want to anger it.

She was weakened by the fight with the monster; a mere shell of her former self. Fluttershy looked back at Amaterasu.

“Are you coming? I hope I’m not doing anything wrong….” Amaterasu looked up at the pegasus, somehow feeling comforted. She straightened her posture and walked along with Fluttershy. After a few minutes of trotting they eventually reached a large town.

“Welcome to Ponyville!” Fluttershy remarked. Numerous ponies trotted to and fro, taking care of anything they had to do. Amaterasu was amazed. She looked everywhere; her gaze setting upon the unique architecture, the peace and harmony of everypony, and the sheer size of the town. She saw a Sugarcube Corner, a Carousel Boutique, and a very large tree jutting out into the sky. Amaterasu felt that the tree may be where Twilight would live. The town was enormous; every time Amaterasu believed that the “tour” was over another sight to behold left her mind blown. She was overwhelmed. Fluttershy peered back at Amaterasu only to find her sitting on her flanks, mouth wide open in amazement.

Fluttershy giggled and pulled Amaterasu by her tail towards the large tree. A world so colorful, so pure, so whimsical was presented before Amaterasu. She loved every moment of it. It was different from Nippon, she thought, but by the goddesses it was amazing! Amaterasu, being towed by Fluttershy, looked up in the sky. Pegasus ponies flew carelessly through the air, removing any clouds that would obscure this gorgeous day. She saw one pony in particular with crossed eyes flying oddly. Fluttershy’s motherly voice broke her attention on the ponies in the sky.

“Here we are!” Amaterasu looked up at the tree before her. It was large, but certainly not Konohana large. She got up and began to walk to the entrance. She knew that from here on, whatever this world had to throw at her, it would challenge her ability to adapt. She began to open the door when the thought of her son struck her once again. But it wasn’t a worrying thought. It was a thought that told her “Mommy I’m ok but are you?” She stepped into the tree house and shed one single sentimental tear.