Black Sun

As she made her way back out onto the streets of Canterlot's central district, Applejack looked up and took a long breath of fresh air. The atmosphere inside the hospital was too clammy for her liking and out here the air had a reinvigorating edge to it that only came with the mid-autumn chill. While most ponies preferred to stay out of the cold, it helped keep her sharp and focused, both invaluable assets to have during the harvest period. This year though, she would have to trust Big Mac to take over the reins and finish things up while she focused on the element's latest adventure. First things first, she had to see if there were any ponies who she thought might fit the qualifications to help save Equestria. By the time she had reached the edge of the block there were already two that had come to mind.

The first was Bounty. Definitely one of the most unique unicorns she knew, even before getting to the whole 'magic created clone' thing. He had spent several weeks staying in Canterlot castle since the start of the year though, learning about and coming to terms with just what he was from Princess Celestia. Since returning to Ponyville he preferred not to talk about it, but there was no denying his mentality had stabilised as a result. Now he was perfectly level headed, just what was needed for something like this. There was also the fact that he was a copy of Shining Armor, one of the most magically gifted unicorns alive. Applejack had personally seen his telekinesis was stronger than average and if his ability to siphon his magic strength into another unicorn was half as powerful as Shining's shield magic, then his help could be invaluable. Convincing him might be harder but she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

As for the second...

"Applejack?"

That was his voice. That smooth, Marebourne accented voice that made her heart soar slightly as she heard it for the first time in many months. Applejack looked up toward where it had come from and quickly spotted him among the pegasi moving through the cloudy skies. That lush green coat, the vibrant gold mane, sky blue eyes she could probably find peace by looking into. No mistake about it.

"Deep Note!" Applejack waved him down, stepping back slightly for to give him space to land in front of her. As soon as he had his hooves on the ground and wings tucked in the two of them shared a quick hug. It was hardly enough for her after so long apart, but the last thing either of them needed was rumours starting if they dragged it out.

"You've no idea how good it feels to see you again." Deep said as they let the hug end, stepping over to her side so they didn't get in anypony's way.

"Same to you partner. What're you doing here though?"

"You mean aside from having a performance in Canterlot?" He chuckled slightly before his relaxed expression slipped into something more serious. "I heard things at the hotel I'm staying at last night. That you were all in the city as well and that Rainbow Dash was in some kind of trouble."

"So you wanted to check I was alright?"

"Well, y-yeah," He blushed ever so slightly before shaking it off. "There is a bit more to it than that though. I may have only been a colt during the last time something gave you or your friends trouble, but I know if it can do that to one of you then it's something big. World threatening big."

Applejack frowned slightly but nodded. There wasn't much point in denying what Deep already knew. Heck, half of Equestria probably knew at least some morsel of the truth by now.

"Yer right," She admitted. "But it ain't nothing we can't handle. Twilight'll come up with a plan like always and we'll have saved Equestria before anypony realises what's wrong."

"I see..."

Deep looked thoughtful as he glanced around to make sure nopony was listening in on their discussion. There was nothing to worry about though. Between the cold in the air and the steadily increasing likelihood of rain, very few ponies were out on the streets right now.

"I want to help," He told her, straightening up slightly. "I don't mind how, but knowing that something's happening...I can't just stand by and do nothing while you're out risking yourselves for everypony's sake."

Applejack smiled slightly. She'd never understood how fate always seemed to help her and her friends out when they most needed a boost, but at the same time she was never reluctant to accept its gifts. In this case, saving herself hours, possibly days, trying to find Deep. Getting to spend more time with him was always a plus too.

"Walk with me, Deep. We've got a lot to talk about."

Scootaloo smiled to herself as she dropped her altitude slightly, watching as the cloud cover beneath her started to break up up. Six and a half months ago she'd sat upon clouds like those, somewhere in this very area, recovering from her first ever solo flight. Back then it had been exhilarating, but also tiring, disorientating and perhaps a little embarrassing for a twenty-seven year old to be struggling like that. After months of coaching from Rainbow Dash and private practice though, she could make the flight between Canterlot and Ponyville with only minor difficulty. Like any other pegasi. That was the part that made her smile slightly more.

Of course, finally learning to fly hadn't all come easy for her. A permanent reminder of that fact sat just above her left eye, ever so slightly obscuring her vision and remaining sensitive to the stronger gusts of wind up here. She wouldn't have changed it for anything though, if not for the fact that it fulfilled a lifelong dream, then for helping her make a close friend and reinforcing her existing ones in the process. A master of illusion magic and a repairpony who'd started dabbling in medical knowledge, they sounded perfect for helping Twilight out. If they agreed of course. Still, she had had time to come up with ways she might persuade them during her flight. Or, failing that, other ways they might help.

As the clouds spread out further and Ponyville came into view, Scootaloo dropped altitude further to begin her approach. She slowly went through a roll to entertain herself as she passed through the clouds before realigning and studying the town. Rainbow Dash had taught her the importance of total awareness of what was happening on the ground and in the sky while flying right from the start, picking out anything of importance. She couldn't say she was good at it yet but her eyes were still sharp enough to identify a pony from several hundred feet up in the air. One of the perks of being a pegasus. As she reached Ponyville itself she spread her wings fully and went into a glide high over the market district, scanning the streets. After a minute she spotted the pony she was after, an azure unicorn mare headed toward the north end of town. She dropped down and landed a short ways behind her before quickly trotting up.

"She didn't get a chance to say it but, Rainbow enjoyed the aerial course." Scootaloo said, chuckling as the unicorn jumped slightly and span round. They relaxed instantly on seeing just who it was though.

"Ah. Glad to hear it," Trixie replied as she put a hoof out, Scootaloo moving into it as the two shared a quick greeting hug. "So, is she doing okay? Ponies are saying that something terrible happened in Canterlot. Some even think she was crippled!"

"Maybe briefly, but it takes more than that to keep Rainbow Dash down. Some bed rest, a quick blood refill and she's back on her hooves already." Scootaloo reassured her. Trixie nodded, smiling in relief at the news.

"Good. She deserves better than that. What about you though? With how close you are, that couldn't have been easy to see."

"Oh I'm fine. Who'd you think donated the blood for her?"

Trixie glanced down at Scootaloo's leg before nodding knowingly. Scootaloo grinned and motioned for them to walk and talk as they started to make their way through the Ponyville streets, filling each other in on what had been happening over the last few days. With everything that had been going on in their personal lives, Trixie taking her skills on tour and Scootaloo in training, it felt like forever since they had been able to do something as simple as this. Just two friends hanging out together without any bigger problems to weigh them down. They both knew it was a mere reprieve from what needed to be said though and before long Scootaloo hesitated in the discussion, knowing she had to get back on topic.

"So, there's something I wanted to ask you. It's a little personal but from what I heard, it's actually related to what happened with Rainbow." She said, waiting for Trixie to stop and eye her up. Thankfully her expression was more confusion than refusal.

"O...Kay. I'll try to answer but, stop me if I start to get carried away. I've needed Princess Luna to bail me out more than once." Trixie replied warily. Scootaloo suddenly felt a little bad for what she was going to say, but she had a strong suspicion that it would be a huge help in combating Tantabus. A small part of her mind briefly wondered why Rainbow had called her that instead of Nightmare Moon, but it was quickly subdued and put toward getting the question out.

"What was it like when you were wearing the Alicorn Amulet?"

Trixie's expression was unreadable as she closed her eyes, brow furrowing slightly. She simply stood there for a full minute, her slow breaths the only movement she made. Scootaloo stood there, now worried she'd carelessly stirred up some of her friend's worst memories. Eventually the unicorn opened her eyes again, a wistful stare behind them as she looked around at Ponyville.

"Have you ever heard a voice in your head, Scootaloo?" She asked, watching as her friend shook her head before continuing. "At first the amulet seemed like just that, a whisper hinting at the power it was using, that it claimed I had inside me all along. Then it started getting louder. Every time I used my magic to hurt or humiliate, it just got louder and more commanding. By the time I'd beaten Twilight in our magic duel it was a roar, drowning out all my own thoughts, using me to keep feeding its own desires for control. A-all I'd wanted to do was claim an insignificant victory, show that Twilight wasn't the best at everything. The amulet added the wager for leaving Ponyville and everything that came afterward. I kept trying to resist but, it screamed inside my head until I stopped. Even after I got the amulet off I could hear the voice within me, struggling to the last..."

Trixie scrunched her eyes shut and bit her quivering lip, too shaken up to continue. If it still affected her this badly on her own, the thought of what she'd be going through if others blamed her too were too much for the pegasus to bear.

"It's ok, Trixie. I've already forgiven you, Ponyville has too." Scootaloo told her gently, placing a hoof on her shoulder. Trixie looked down and sighed slightly before placing her own hoof on her friend's and nodding.

"I know, I know. But, why did you want to know now?"

"Long story short, Twilight believes that whatever attacked Rainbow Dash is going through something similar," Scootaloo explained. It wasn't entirely untrue, but at the same time it wasn't her place to openly reveal what was going on if Trixie didn't want to help. "She also said that she wanted help from talented ponies in stopping this threat. She wants your help."

"My, help?" Trixie blinked in surprise as she processed those words. It was another technical truth; Anypony with the capability to help was welcome and Scootaloo had full faith in her abilities. Once it had properly sunk in, Trixie straightened up and whipped her mane back slightly, trying to distract from the nerves in her voice with the old show bravado. "Well, if Princess Twilight desires the aid of the Great Illusionary Artist Trixie in stopping some grand threat, then she may have it."

"Glad to hear it," Scootaloo said happily, glad to see that even the concerns weren't enough to make the theatrics take a back seat. "And don't worry, nopony's asking you to go horn-to-horn against an alicorn or anything."

"Not that she would. Trixie is powerful but not crazy," Trixie commented before relaxing again, slipping out of her old show style and back to normal. "Anyway. Since you asked me, I'm guessing you're also hoping to enlist the support of Quick Fix while you're here."

"How'd you figure that out?" Scootaloo asked in surprise.

"Because we've been having this discussion on the street where he lives for the last few minutes." Trixie deadpanned.

Scootaloo looked round quickly and realised she was right. She'd been aiming to come here all along but hadn't realised they were actually there when she'd asked Trixie about the amulet. Now that she was looking though she could see they were indeed in the right place, nearly every the house on the street showing signs of repair and modification by the pony she was after. It sounded a little odd to be asking a builder-slash-repairpony for medical help but it had been Quick Fix's drive to learn about such a thing that had put her on the path to flight in the first place. As he had once put it, there were a lot of things that could be fixed.

The two of them made their way up to Quick's house and knocked on the door. Almost immediately they both stepped back at the sound of scrambling paws and excited barking on the other side. Scootaloo chuckled softly to herself at the sound. It had caught her out the first time but after a couple of months she was used to this kind of greeting.

"Hold boy, few seconds." A stallion's voice came from behind the door, the barking subsiding before the door opened, the familiar red coated, aureolin yellow maned sight of Quick Fix behind it. A black and tan corgi was weaving between his legs, darting out at the sight of the visitors and resting his front paws on Scootaloo's hoof.

"Afternoon buddy," Scootaloo said happily, stroking between the dog's ears and grinning as he panted happily at her. "And hello to you too, Jacob. There we go, who's a good pupper eh?"

"You know, I think that's the calmest he's ever been." Trixie commented, unable to resist chuckling at his enthusiasm.

"Probably," Quick added, crouching down to draw Jacob's attention and usher him back inside. "So how're things for you both? You doing okay, Scootaloo? With all the rumors that are going around I mean."

"Honestly, I'm good," Scootaloo replied as she flexed her wings slightly. "Though, those are what we wanted to talk to you about..."

Twilight started walking the instant her hooves felt solid ground again. Teleporting to the Crystal City had been flawless as always, straight into a side room of the castle set aside for just such a purpose. It made things that little bit easier, something she was appreciating a lot with the all too familiar weight of command under pressure starting to rest on her shoulders again. That was why she was here though, to ask for the help of a pony that reminded her so much of herself. Aurora may have been only a little over half her age but he had shown considerable magical aptitude, hints of the wisdom to back it up and the strength of friendship in his heart to help end fourteen hundred years of animosity between ponies and changelings. Plus there was the fact he was her nephew. It may have been a little selfish but she naturally wanted to be sure he'd be alright if he joined up.

As she reached the entrance to the throne room she saw the doors were open. Of course she'd timed her arrival to be during an open court session but it was reassuring to see that nothing else had suddenly come up. Now she could focus fully on the task at hoof. Spike's last message before returning to Ponyville had indicated that while Aurora had fully recovered from the skirmish in the mountains, there was considerable friction between him and his parents over what happened next. Even now her ears twitched as she picked up both his voice and Cadance's coming from inside. Twilight stepped inside quickly and took in what was happening. Aurora was pacing in front of the three thrones of the empire, Cadance watching him from the center throne. Shining Armor was sat on the throne on the left, doing his best to keep up with the debate despite his chronic fatigue. In Twilight's eyes, he actually looked better than he had in some time though, like he'd actually managed to get a full night's sleep.

"I know how much I mean to the crystal ponies," Aurora was saying in exasperation. "But I'm not going to shape up to be a good leader if I'm avoiding anything that threatens them."

"And a wise leader knows when they are facing a battle they cannot win alone." Cadance countered firmly. Although her tone was largely authoritative, Twilight couldn't help but notice there was a familiar hint of a mother scolding their disobedient son in there.

"Even if they're doing it to protect those close to them," Shining added, looking up slightly and perking as he spotted his sister at the doors. "Well, how's this for perfect timing? Twily!"

"Twilight," Cadance said as she noticed her there as well, her tone and expression instantly brightening. "Good to see you again."

"Good to see all of you too," Twilight smiled as she stepped forward, moving to Aurora's side. "Did I come at a bad time?"

"Oh, not at all," Cadance shifted slightly in her seat and glanced away for the briefest of moments. "We were just discussing our next course of action. Spike told us about what happened at Princess Celestia's request."

"And you're not eager about directly confronting something like Tantabus again. Understandable...I know that I'm asking more of you both than I ever have or will again, but I believe that Aurora's talents will be a great help and I'll be looking out for his safety personally."

"Twilight, it's not as simple as that," Shining told her, still sounding more like a brother than a king even after all these years. "Tens of thousand of ponies are affected by our choices. We also have to ensure the stability of the Crystal Heart. Even with Sombra long gone, anything that could fill the crystal ponies will fear, despair or hatred will negatively affect the heart. Equestria feels its influence alongside the Crystal Empire at the best of times, possibly even the whole continent. If anything were to happen to Aurora...I don't even want to imagine how bad the effects could be for everypony."

"And things are already tense enough here," Cadance added. "All kinds of rumors about what happened are everywhere in the streets and ponies are already on edge, thinking an attack by a powerful rogue unicorn could come at any time. We're doing our best to keep things calm but between that and Onyx Dawn's latest political manoeuvring, things are worse than anypony knows. Aurora is a symbol of hope to the public. Proof that they have a future that wont be taken away from them again."

Twilight looked down and nodded, knowing that they had a point as well. She'd been so hung up on stopping Sunset and Tantabus before there were any further attacks that she hadn't given any thought to just how many factors there were in mitigating the added pressure everypony had to be feeling. It didn't change the fact that she still believed Aurora would be of major help, but there would have to be some compromise instead of her original intent.

"Mother," Aurora spoke up, looking thoughtful. "When Princess Luna came to us asking me to join Task Force Harmony, were you scared for me?"

"I..." Cadance shifted in her throne again, put on the spot by the question. "Well, of course I was. Any mother would be terrified by the thought of her son being a soldier, putting their lives on the line every day."

"But you agreed to let me go. You both did. I know I wasn't exactly a model image of a prince back then. I know that I needed the discipline and drive to shape myself up, and you did too. Before, I refused to talk to most ponies out of fear they wouldn't accept me and my talent. After, I ran across a battlefield of changelings and fought Chrysalis herself for the sake of a friend!"

Twilight couldn't help but smile slightly as she listened to her nephew, knowing from both her own experience and the accounts of Rainbow Dash and Princess Luna that he wasn't kidding. Even if he'd left out the part where he would have lost without the intervention of the changeling king.

"I'd do it again too. Every time," Aurora continued. "And I'd go to help Twilight in a heartbeat too. This is more than just throwing myself at a world-ending threat and expecting to come out the other side victorious. It's a chance for me to learn more of what it means to be a leader. The ponies of the Crystal Empire have probably been through more than anypony else in the world. They're strong, noble and have a pride and strength of will that cannot be matched because of it. They couldn't have anypony else but you to lead them right now. And they look up to me, see me as their future. Going may be a risk to me, but staying and denying myself a chance to be a leader worthy of them would be just as bad in the long run."

Aurora took a breath as he finished his impromptu speech, looking as surprised at himself as his parents did. Twilight felt a small surge of pride as she watched him. This was not the same shy, retiring stallion she had spent so many years reading and studying with. He was now proactive and committed, but just as importantly. he was a pony who would do anything for his friends. It only reminded her of herself all the more. After a minute Cadance looked over at Shining and saw him nod slightly before turning to her son again.

"You're really set on doing this aren't you?" She asked, seeing him look up at her and nod in return. "I...I understand why. Just, please be careful."

"Thank you mom, dad!" He said happily as he visibly relaxed at the news. "I'll make sure to come by regularly and let you know I'm alright."

"Best we can ask for," Shining told him, smiling gently. "I know you'll do us proud, son."

Aurora nodded and turned to Twilight, looking ready to go. She stepped closer and lit her horn, teleporting the two of them back to her castle in Ponyville. As they reappeared in the map room she moved over to it, checking that nothing had come up while she was gone.

"For the record, I think you'd make a pretty good king of the Crystal Empire as you are," She told him. "But I'm impressed that you still want to keep learning."

"I think I got that from you." He replied with a chuckle as he joined her.

"So, how would you make a start from where we are, knowing what you do?"

"Well, considering I know about Nightmare Moon, or Tantabus or whatever she calls herself now..." Aurora hummed to himself as he tapped the edge of the table, staring at the map intently. "I'll need to go to Canterlot first. Check if there's any news on Sunset's whereabouts, get any information on her that we might be able to use somehow. Oh, and I need to talk to Princess Celestia about getting more support."

"We're already working on that last part. Unless you're planning on asking her to leave Princess Luna and join the fight." Twilight told him, a slight warning tone in her voice.

"No...But we know a mare that'd be perfect for this. I just need the princess' permission to talk to her about it."

"Are you telling me that you've had a secret weapon of sorts, ready for this kind of occurrence?"

"Not this one in particular, but she would be something a secret weapon," Aurora bit his lip slightly and looked away sheepishly. "Believe me though, I've worked with her and I think she'd be perfect.

"Well, if you're running it by Princess Celestia then I'll trust your judgement."

Aurora nodded and closed his eyes, horn glowing white as he teleported away. Twilight stared at the spot he had been standing for several seconds before looking back at the map, now alone with her thoughts. She could only hope that the others had been as successful as she had in finding help to stand against the coming darkness. Now she needed to start thinking about organizing a first meeting to brief everypony on just what they were dealing with.