Prologue ~ The Next Beginning
A soft yellow light stretched far across the horizon, its warm glow a marker for the early beginnings of the summer season — a perfect symbol and yet an emblem of his leader of the country, a stallion thought, slowly trudging along the soft sandy beach.
The waves drifting up the shoreline and receding back into the vast ocean, coupled with the cawing of seagulls in the distance, were a peaceful accompaniment to the paradise-like beach. He stopped and looked out into the open expanse of water, taking a deep breath in, the salty water of the sea clinging to the insides of his mouth, before he exhaled, smiling as he watched the water move back and forth. That calming rumble of the gentle sea-spray stirred the memories from time's past.
There were plenty of beautiful days like this. He slowly blinked, the wrinkles underneath his eyes shifting with the movements. It was lucky, he thought, that at least he was able to retire from his service in the Royal Guard. The life he had lived during those days of action and service had never been too dull. But with all that excitement in his former career, he figured he could use a little less of it.
Now he spent his days watching the sunset; walking across the beach, he felt at peace and awed at the beautiful display nature provided him.
Even if the days he lived now were not as exciting as his youthful escapades alongside his fellow guardsponies, he appreciated where his life had brought him and the service he had given for all those years.
A little excitement was at least good to keep his old bones from getting too sore. He blinked once more, stretching his wings before continuing his walk across the sun-drenched sands. It did wonders for his hooves. He took another step before something moved in the corner of his eye. He glanced at the water again and blinked; a small slab of cut and sanded wood was floating up the shoreline.
Curious, he thought. He turned towards the piece of wood and walked towards the rising water. The warmth he had felt in his hooves vanished, chilled by the ocean water — it, however, was a comfortable sensation.
He stopped and waited for the rectangular slab of wood to float up to him. When it was in reach, he scooped it up in his right hoof, slowly scanning over the drenched wooden slab. For the life of himself, he could not understand why a nicely-coated piece of wood was doing out here floating in the water. The only reasonable explanation was that somepony or somebody lost it to the ocean current. Another, less desirable echo fluttered through his thoughts. Shaking his head, he pushed the memory aside.
With a glance upward, he looked to see if there was anything else. His eyes widened.
There only fifteen feet away was a unicorn filly. Her eyes were closed, forelegs wrapped around a broken slab of wood just like the one he had found. He quickly jumped moved further into the water.
Reaching with his right hoof, he wrapped it around the filly’s barrel and dragged her onto the shoreline. Her fur was soaking wet, but he did not feel a single twitch. Turning up on her back, he pressed his right ear to her chest. There was a slow and slightly unsteady pulse.
Thank Celestia she was alive, he thought. With a quick lookover, she appeared to be fine, but he couldn't be too certain from this analysis. Still though, it was unnerving that a filly, barely into her teenage years, could have possibly been drifting in the unforgiving sea. And as he noted, the filly herself was obviously not in good shape. He pressed a hoof against her shoulder and gently shook her. The filly’s eyes moved, and it wasn’t long before she opened them. She coughed a dry and raspy cough. "Are you alright, little one?" Her ears flicked a little, but even as he stood above her, she did not once look at him. Maybe she was confused?
How long had she been floating out in the middle of the ocean? As obvious as it was, she did not look well. He pressed his hoof against her forelegs, doing the same to her chest and then her back legs. Nothing felt like it was broken, and she certainly hadn't been out long enough to be starved too bad. She still required immediate medical attention. If she had been out there floating for a while, there was a good chance she was dehydrated.
Her eyes grew heavy, and he watched her close them. This wasn’t a good sign at all. He opened his wings and flapped them until his hooves left the ground. He reached with his forelegs and scooped her up, holding her tightly against his chest before he took off.
Quickly as his wings would allow him, he sped further inland. He had to get this filly to safety before it was too late. He had to get her to Canterlot.
Chapter I ~ Second Chance
Celestia hummed quietly as she basked in the sun’s light. Eyes closed, she sat there, steadying her thoughts and simply enjoying the peaceful moment. At times like this, she liked the quiet tone that surrounded her — nopony to distract her and nopony to bombard her with constant questions about this and about that.
She opened her eyes and watched as the sun edged farther and farther over the horizon, half of it now still lighting this part of the world. A breeze of the summer wind sifted past her. She enjoyed the scent of lavender and marigolds that came with it.
It simply was a beautiful evening. But she knew it would come to an end. Her horn lit up with a light gold aura. The sun seemed to hasten in its descent before the sun’s light was overshadowed by the billions of stars that arose from their slumber, replacing the sun in its wake as the new light source for the world.
But a gentle light did shine down on the world below as Luna’s moon rose upward from the west. Glancing over at another tower, she smiled at the dim light of a cobalt-blue aura.
As it had been done so many times, Celestia and her sister, Princess Luna, raised the sun and moon in a continuous cycle. There was no end in sight, but it did not disturb her.
She would know when that time would come. Celestia stretched her legs before standing up on her hooves. Now that the day was ending, it would soon be time to rest and wait for the next morning. She stepped into her room, but a knock on the door to her right stopped her slow pace.
Celestia stood still for a moment before she turned towards the door. She opened it, a small smile on her lips, and was surprised to find an older stallion standing in front of her. “Silver Montaigne?”
The stallion bowed after she spoke his name. “Your Highness.”
She smiled, chuckling a little. “I must say. This is quite a surprise to see you here.”
“I wouldn’t have come if it were for a good reason.” Her ears straightened at the somber tone in his voice. “I flew all the way from Baltimare to see you. And to help save a life.”
That explained his grim look. “You saved a life?” He nodded. “What happened?”
He slowly stood up and continued, “I was taking a stroll across the sandy beach this evening when I found an unconscious filly floating along the shoreline.” Celestia’s ears folded at this news. “Poor thing. When I rescued her, she looked like she had been floating for a day and a half. Thankfully she didn’t have any broken bones.”
She was thankful that there was some good news. She relaxed herself and straightened her ears. “Where is she now?”
“In the palace’s medical area, of course.” He coughed a little, clearing his throat. “But Celestia. When I was with the filly, I noticed her eyes were quite pale. I don’t think it was because of how close she was to passing, but, when I rescued her, she didn’t even look at me those few seconds she was conscious. She just stared into the sky. I think this filly might be blind.”
A blind filly that was lost to the Celestial Sea? What a horrifying experience that may have been for the little one. “Well, so long as she’s safe, it puts my mind at ease.” She sighed. “Was there anypony else with her?”
Silver shook his head. “I’m afraid not.” Celestia did not react. Even though she remained calm, the tone between the two took on a more somber mood. “I looked everywhere as I flew into the air. I didn’t spot anypony else floating in the water. I… I am scared to admit it. But I’m afraid she may have lost her parents… however that may have happened.”
It was like an anchor was falling farther and farther into the ocean. And with it, the anchor seemed to pull at all of her heartstrings. But she dared not to break her guise. “Thank you, Silver. You saved the life of this filly. You never cease to amaze me.” She smiled but felt the mirage hiding her real feelings shake uncontrollably.
Even Silver seemed to have noticed. So he simply nodded and said,. “Of course. I shall check on her one last time before I leave.” He dismissed himself with a bow before disappearing down the left hallway.
Celestia closed her door. And not even a second passed before she felt the mirror crumble into pieces. Yes she had no reason to be sad. She didn't even know this filly. But the loss of one’s parents was never an easy pill to swallow.
A few tears trickled down her muzzle. She felt that loss weigh heavily on her. Celestia could only feel sorry for this filly. Sorry that this filly may not even know that her parents were gone. She had high hopes that they might still be somewhere in Equestria. Maybe they too were frantically searching for their daughter?
It’d only be a matter of time before they possibly found their way into Canterlot. She had to have hope that this filly would be reunited with her mother and father.
But she had to prepare herself for the worst if this filly’s parents did not show up. She rubbed her eyes with her right hoof and inhaled. At the moment it would have been best to meet with the little filly. As soon as she woke up, she would require somepony to reassure her that her parents could be alive. That was all she could do for this filly. And she prayed to the goddess above that this filly would not have to endure a prolonged suffering.
~~~
There was a quiet rumble that echoed through the darkness. The filly let out a quiet groan. She heard the same rumble again and thought the world was shaking. It grew louder and louder until her ears rang from the noise.
She felt her eyes open, but eternal darkness still greeted her sight. She blinked her eyes, but nothing changed. She was so used to seeing nothing but this surrounding blackness.
There was a quiet beep to her right, and she ran her left hoof over her foreleg. Her hoof slowly skirted across her fur until she felt some small round wire-like object. The beeping became more clear when she heard it ring at a constant beat.
The words formed in her head; she figured it might’ve been a heart monitor. Then the smell hit her. There was an odd saline type of smell that permeated the air around her. She thought back to the heart monitor and realized that she was in a hospital of some kind.
When she licked her lips, she tasted a sharp dryness to them. It puzzled her until that ringing in her ears came back. She could hear the waves of water crashing around her. It almost felt like she was back drifting in the endless seas that nearly drowned her. But that rumble slowly cleared — it took on a more animalistic tone.
Heart racing, she could almost feel the growl crawling up her spine like the beast was right next to her. The heart monitor beeped faster and faster. She flinched as the door squeaked open, unable to see who stood near her. “Are you okay?”
A stallion’s voice seemed to chase off the beast’s voice. She breathed in and out and felt the fear lessen before she spoke. “Y-yes.” Throat dry, her voice came out raspy. But she continued, “Where… am I?”
The stallion seemed to let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good. When I heard the monitor’s beat increase, I thought you were having some body spasms. Thankfully that’s not the case. As for where you are,” She heard the crackling of paper before the stallion continued, “Your name is…”
“S-Shard.”
“Well, Shard. You’re in the Canterlot Palace Hospital.”
Canterlot? How did she get all the way over to Canterlot? “S-sir?”
“There’s no need for formalities, Shard.” The doctor chuckled. “You can just call me Vial.”
Shard slowly nodded. “Dr. Vial? How did I get to Canterlot?”
“Ah. You can thank a kind stallion for that. His name is Silver Montaigne. Came to check up on you about ten minutes ago before he left for Baltimare.”
The mention of her home did bring up another question. “D-do you know where my mom and dad are at?”
But her inquiry only brought silence. The doctor seemed to have disappeared from her reality until she heard him clear his throat. “Don’t worry about that for the moment. Just get some rest, and you’ll feel much better, I promise you.” With that, his hoofsteps faded away followed by the squeak of a closing door.
And she was again left alone in silence. Why had he avoided the question? She couldn’t understand why he would not answer such a simple request. The doorknob jiggle open, and she thought it must’ve been the doctor. However, when the door opened, she heard what sounded like glass shoes walking across the floor.
The presence she felt too had more of a kind aura surrounding this pony. “Hello, Shard.” It was a mare’s voice. Her tone gentle and calm like the sound of rain. “My name is Princess Celestia.”
Her eyes widened. “Th-the princess?” She could never have dreamt of such a meeting with royalty like the princess herself. “R-really? You’re the princess?”
“Can you not see me?”
Shard’s ears flickered towards the sound and she turned to where she heard the voice. “No. I haven’t been able to see anything since I was born.” She shook her head.
The glass hooves echoed closer and closer before she felt the mare’s presence next to her. “You’re such a brave filly, Shard. To have been born without sight since your birth and yet, from the sound of it, to have accepted it. It’s nice to meet a filly such as yourself.”
Shard felt her muzzle warm in response. “O-oh. It’s fine. It really is.” She smiled and turned to where she thought Celestia stood. “I-I asked the doctor if my parents are here, but he never answered.” She could feel a slight shift in the air, the mood a little less pleasant than a few seconds ago. “So… do you know if they’re here?” The silence, however, seemed to indicate something else.
There was something about the feeling from Princess Celestia. As blind as she was, she couldn’t help but detect some saddened tone. The sound of waves came back to her again, and when no immediate answer was given, her chest ached, and she shook a little. “P-Princess Celestia?” Something was clearly wrong. Very wrong.
“Shard.” She twitched at the abrupt return of the Princess's voice. “I… don’t want to alarm you. But when Silver found you, nopony else was there.” A second return of that terrifying roar. It sounded like it was right in that room, but she heard no auditory reaction from the Princess. All she could feel was her heart tightening at the revelation. In that instant, she shivered again, this time accompanied by a whimper. “Shard?”
“A-are you sure?” Shard asked, looking again to where she thought the Princess stood. “I-I mean… th-they have t-to be… they h-have to…” She shuddered at the warm trickle of tears down her muzzle. “Th-they can’t be gone… I-I… I…” She could no longer contain it. It was as if the weight of the world had just crashed on top of her. Even though Princess Celestia hadn’t spoken the words, Shard felt the subconscious understanding slowly come to mind, and she quickly knew what had happened to them.
She could no longer speak. The room now encompassed by the echoes of her crying. Part of her thought that they were still alive. That they had to be. Yet… the crashing of waves, the screams of ponies, and that same terrifying roar… the answer she wished wasn’t the truth. She felt a breeze wash against her fur, followed by a warmth that encircled her shoulders. The touch was soft, and she likened the feeling to feathers.
Then she realized just who it was. “Shard… I’m sorry…” The comfort she was given only further encouraged the flow of tears, as Shard let out a louder cry. Each and every second of her mourning wracked her body in uncontrollable spasms. The filly continued on and on, and with every second she felt a slow tiredness surrounding her body. Her cries grew more and more quiet, until she closed her eyes, and in that same darkness, felt the blank world envelop her into its sympathetic slumber.
~~~
Silence. How just a couple moments ago Shard had been crying her eyes out, and now the filly had fallen asleep. Celestia, however, sat there in that uncomfortable peace. She herself knew how much of a mess she had become: a couple sniffles here, tears streaming down the sides of her muzzle. As composed as she usually was, the predicament of this filly was something out of the usual dealings of her daily proceedings.
There she sat, with Shard still being held in her feathery grasp. Celestia blinked a couple times before she gave an unsteady sigh. Gently as she could, she placed Shard back onto her hospital bed, then stood up and walked out in a shambling gait. Door illuminated in her light gold magic, she closed it behind her once out in the hallway. And there she stood, her thoughts spiraling over and over throughout her mind.
The way she reacted to the news, there was something more going on. Something far worse than what she hoped. ‘She… she reacted like her parents were completely just… gone.’ That wasn’t the case, right? Maybe she overreacted? She shook her head. ‘Something’s wrong. There has to be more to this.’ Unfortunately she wouldn’t get much in physical detail, but when she was ready to discuss, Celestia would be there to comfort her.
As for now, it was better to leave her to rest. However, Celestia found it a little disturbing that she reacted this way. And couldn’t quite think of a way to calm her thoughts. She perked up a bit at another set of glass shoes echoing through the hallway, and turned towards a familiar alicorn. “Good evening, sister.” The slightly smaller alicorn paused in her step for a moment, concern quickly shrouding her gaze.
“Celestia. Are you alright?” Oh, she wished she could say otherwise.
Celestia slowly shook her head. Leaning against the wall, she shuddered a little. “There’s a filly in the room behind me. She was brought in by Silver Montaigne, and…” For the first time in a while, she felt almost speechless.
She shook at the touch of a hoof, looking up to Luna. “Is she okay?”
The elder sister gave a slight nod. “Yes… but, Luna. She was found drifting to shore near Baltimare.” Luna’s frown grew, the worry more apparent on her muzzle. “I… I don’t know how or why she was floating in the middle of the Celestial Sea. But I only recently just confirmed with her doctor that the filly is blind.”
Her sister’s shock seemed to mimic her own. “R-really?” Celestia could only nod, to which Luna trembled just a little. “It is a good thing that she is okay.” She looked away for a moment, before turning back to her elder sister. “Her parents must be so sick with worry.” The worst part that she hadn’t made aware. But from the look on her sister’s muzzle, Luna was slowly piecing together that something else was amiss.
“U-unfortunately… she washed up ashore by her lonesome.” Celestia closed her eyes, taking in a few deep but silent breaths. Calming herself as best she could, she returned her gaze to Luna’s, noticing that even her sister appeared to be a little more emotive than earlier, her eyes watering up, but no tears trickling down her muzzle. “I… I don’t even know how to describe the unfortunate series of circumstances this filly has gone through.”
Luna inched closer to Celestia’s left side, leaning against her older sister. “Indeed… it is a tragedy, what has befallen this poor filly.” Nuzzling her sister’s neck, she let out a quiet breath. “So… what shall we do about this?”
Now having the chance to come up with some ideas, Celestia wiped away a couple of her tears, taking another deep breath inward. “Well… suffice to say. She drifted back to Baltimare’s beach from the Celestial Sea. So… maybe she fell off a cruise ship, or a cruise ship must’ve just recently been devastated.” The thought of ponies becoming casualties to some possible wreck only darkened the current issue.
“In that case, we must send out a search party to locate said remains of this ship.” Luna stood upright, tucking her wings back onto her sides. “I shall send a small group of Lunar Guards to begin investigating and see if they can find any possible leads.”
Celestia nodded, but glanced back at the door to the filly’s temporary room. “And what about Shard?” Luna blinked, now hearing the filly’s name. “Surely she must have some family in Equestria?”
“What do you think we should do?” She didn’t blame her sister for asking this question. Even she was uncertain of what to do about the poor filly.
With a quiet hum, she thought for a moment. “When morning comes, tell Soleil to begin an investigation into Shard’s family history. See if she has anyone we can contact.” When she looked to the door again, Celestia shuddered out a sigh. “If your Lunar Guards do find survivors, make sure that they do what they can to locate her parents.” Unfortunately, she had no way of knowing if they were truly alive from the way Shard reacted.
She just hoped that fate would relieve this filly of the pain she had been wrought. “Of course, sister.” Luna gave a small smile, hugging her sister. “Everything will be alright, Tia. We will figure this out.”
Really? She had to use her nickname, didn’t she? Celestia gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Of course… Lulu.” Her sister gave a similar smirk, but a necessary moment of humor to alleviate the dark mood hung over them both; like a wall of gray clouds that refused to let the sunlight see the world. With that last dialogue, Luna parted ways, Celestia standing still for a moment.
She took one last glance at the door, staring for what felt like minutes passing by. ‘She’ll… she’ll be fine.’ She swore on her name that she would do everything in her power to let this filly have a happy future. Whatever it would take… so that she would suffer no more.
