The Dark Heart of Canterlot

Chapter 6: The Tunnel

"Into the Darkness we go..."

It was approaching midnight, yet as tired as he was, Shining couldn't sleep. He was up and pacing back and forth, his head spinning with question after unanswered question.

"Why does Cadence hate me?" he muttered as he approached the door. "What exactly does the Princess want from me? What is so important about the scroll I fetched for her?" He twisted round on his hooves and marched back to the window. "Who was it that broke my fall in the Great Library?"

So many questions! And the young unicorn had started talking to himself again, a particularly annoying habit that he had only recently restarted. He shook his head. Once life had seemed so simple. Out, small drifted across the face of the waning moon - which had apparently been raised once again by the Highlords instead of Celestia. Small clouds and...Shining paused and squinted.

"A squad of Royal Guards" he whispered. "Oh Captain, why did you leave me here in Canterlot with its horrible schools of Gossip, Rumour and Treachery, surrounded by shiftless students - not to mention Miss High- and- Mighty Cadence? Why can't I be out there with you and the others, far far away?"

He sighed, and was closing the window when there came a sharp rap at the door. "Its not locked" the young white unicorn called, and turned to see the handle turning. "You again" he said, surprised to see the ancient unicorn standing there so late.

"Indeed" said Comet Catcher, nodding dolefully. "I'd turned in for the night, only to be summoned by Her Royal Highness' bell the moment my head touched the pillow" he sniffed. "She wants to see you again."

        "Me?" asked Shining.

        "At once" said the old wizened unicorn, his eyes quivering with agitation. "If not sooner. And take your coat" he added. Shining immediately turned to the luxuriously made linguist that Princess Celestia had given him, now hanging in the beautiful white oak wardrobe. Plodding over to it, Shining turned to the old unicorn.

"Will I be going outside then?" He asked

       "I wouldn't know" said Comet. "I'm just passing on Her Highness' instructions." He spotted that Shining's coat was not in fact in the wardrobe and was actually laying in a heap beside the varnished desk and picked it up with his magic. "Here" he said.

       "Thanks" replied the blue maned pony. He slipped the coat over his shoulders and made his way out of the door. As he passed Comet Catcher he paused. A loud grumbling sound groaned from the old pony's stomach, followed by an almost silent burp. "Eating late?" Shining asked.

       "The young Princess baked them especially for me" said Comet proudly.

       "That was kind of her..."

       "Spiced scones" he explained, "a trifle over done, but delicious nevertheless"

        Shining smiled. "Rather you than me" he muttered.

       "Yes, well, the young Princess appreciates my work around..." Comet began. But Shining had already left. "...the Palace." He shook his head. "Unlike some" he grumbled.

Princess Celestia, the great  Sun Goddess of Equestria, was already pacing the white carpeted floor of her personal study at the summit of the Tower of the Sun by the time Shining arrived. She herself was wrapped in a splendid cloak of cloth-of-gold and star diamonds, and her magical hold bore a small lantern.

"There you are, colt!" she exclaimed and, pushing him with one of her expansive wings, all but shoved him back along the corridor. "Come, come, come, we have urgent work to do."

"Is it another task?" asked Shining eagerly.

"It is" confirmed the alicorn, "but let us wait until we're outside before we discuss the details. I'm all too aware that there is a whispering campaign against me. The last thing I want to do is fuel it with any ill-chosen remarks that might be overheard."

"Even here?"

"Even here" the Princess confirmed darkly.

They continued along the vaulted corridor, down the stairs and across the ornately decorated Entrance Hall in silence. Outside, they went down the marble staircase that led out onto the magnificent Court of the Sun and Moon. Shining gasped as he followed his monarch, gazing up in wonder at the beautiful one hundred hoof high statues of Celestia and the legendary Luna, their horns shining against the silver moonlight. Having checked was no one lurking in the shadows, Celestia turned left. Ahead of the two ponies stood a small archway which led onto the rear portions of the Palace. The Palace Gardens.

Shining shivered. "It's cold" he muttered.

"The Weather Pegasi predict snow clouds to start being produced in Cloudsdale" came the rather gloomy reply. Celestia increased her pace. "Which is why we must act as soon as possible."

"I...I don't understand, Your Highness" said Shining, wrapping his coat around him as he trotted to keep up with the Princess.

"Elevators and machinery are difficult to operate at the best of times, but with snow and ice in the dark, they can be positively dangerous."

"Elevators and machinery? We're going down an elevator? I didn't think anyone used them after what happened in Manehattan a few years ago."

"I do" said the Princess simply, and added, "I take it Captain Stormswirl has instructed you in the rudiments of operating such a machine."

"Um, no not really" said Shining, a little confused.

"That's a shame, for that was the whole reason I brought you along tonight" sighed the Princess. "These days, of course, the trainee Guards simply use levitation and flight to get down into low places, but once upon a time they learnt the basics of pulleys and ropes."

Shining nodded, but did not comment. Since he had no intention of staying in the Palace a moment longer than necessary, he was unwilling to discuss further duties of the Royal Guards, leaving that talk to be with his Captain and friends. Celestia did not seem to notice his silence.

"I love Canterlot by night" she was saying, "without all the hustle and bustle of daytime activity, ponies constantly arriving and leaving, the constant noise." She turned to the young stallion beside her. "I mean, I know that this fair city depends on the good ponies from all of Equestria for our survival but, oh my, how loud they can! Squabbling, shouting, touting for trade. Every day, I long for midnight, when the last of them go back to wherever they came from and Canterlot returns to what it should be - a place of peace, quiet, and high luxury..."

The two ponies finally entered the Palace Gardens proper. Shining couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise. The green terraced gardens were lovingly tended, lined with trimmed hedgerows and neatly cut trees. Rows upon rows of night blooming flowers like Moon Lilies and Twilight Snapdragons glimmered in the silvery moonlight. White stone paths wove everywhere like the web of a giant spider, and various fountains littered the serene outdoor area. Celestia immediately forked down one of the paths, veering off into the night towards the famous Statue Gardens.

The silence returned, heavy and impenetrable. The princess may have loved it, but Shining did not. It felt eerie to him; unnatural - and perhaps because he found it hard to believe that the place he'd always seen thronging with ponies could be so empty, Shining started imagining faces in the shadows, eyes peeking out from every nook and cranny. When he looked closer, there was never anypony there - yet he couldn't shake off the feeling that they were being observed.

The ominous statues didn't help either. While the rest of the Gardens were calmly lit up by the wonderful moonlight, the silver glow only caused the tall stone statues to look even more sinister. Shadows streaked across otherwise fair carvings of mares and foals, making them look evil and demonic. By far the worst statue was the one of the mythical Draconequus, Discord. While unnerving in the daytime, the primal spirit's statue looked like something out of nightmare in the dark. Shining shuddered and trotted on.

Finally after many twists and turns through the maze of pathways, the white alicorn and her companion stopped before a particularly intricate statue. It portrayed a beautiful alicorn Princess, her wings spread wide and a forehoof raised against her breastplate. The crown she wore was almost identical to Celestia's, only the mane surrounding it reminded Shining of heavy spiralling clouds as opposed to auroras. Emblazoned on the statue's flanks was a triple pointed leaf...

The Sun Goddess set the lantern down on the grass and began scanning the carved marble plinth for something. As Celestia traced her hoof round the spirals and leaf motifs, Shining's eyes caught glimpse of a faded gold plaque. The lantern light reflected off it, giving the black letters written on it a clear bright background.

"Princess Vivianne..."

A loud creaking sound forced Shining to jump a little in surprise as the Princess found what she was looking for. A button was pressed beneath her forehoof as the pathway behind the two ponies began to retract into the ground. The stone paving slid away, leaving an ominous eerie black gap gaping hole in the ground.

"After you" said Celestia.

The young blue maned unicorn stared with trepidation at the void before him, but followed the princess' invitation nonetheless. it was cold below the earth, very cold. The light from Celestia's lantern barely penetrated the darkness. The two ponies were descending an ancient flight of stairs, riddled with dust and cobwebs. The steps curved round in the spiral, and Shining was unsure of how far he and the Princess had journeyed down. The hallway abruptly stopped however when the pair came to a hideous looking contraption.

"The elevator" chimed the Sun Goddess as she stepped in front of her companion, the cloth-of-gold cloak flowing behind her. The device was ancient, many of the old gears and cogs were rusted and deathly cold, in addition to the chains being un-oiled and strain. The wooden platform that Celestia trotted onto was worn and tired looking, and Shining could smell the scent of rot in the air.

"Come on colt, the night is falling away."

Regaining his composure, Shining joined his monarch on the treacherous machine. His heart stopped as the wooden boards creaked at his touch. Once satisfied that he would not fall through the wood to his certain death, Shining looked at the rusty operating system of the platform. Three dusty levers jutted out from a control box of some kind. Wrapping his magical hold around the right hoof side lever, Shining tugged at it carefully.

The entire contraption jutted, startling the poor unicorn half to death. Celestia let out a tiny chuckle and nodded for him to continue. Gripping the stick again, Shining eased it downwards. The elevator followed suit.

Down, down down into the darkness they journeyed, the light from the lantern seemingly growing dimmer and dimmer. The two ponies remained in silence as the air grew colder and colder, their breath coming out in ragged clouds. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, the wooden platform touched solid ground again. Shining let out a sigh of relief.

"See? Its safer than it looks" Celestia assured him as she picked up the lantern once more. "But then again, as i said, there's always an element of danger in using one as old as this - especially with ice in the air."

Shining swallowed. Above his head, a cave bat soared up the shaft they had descended.

"it's time I discovered how well I translated the scroll you brought me. The Old Script can be difficult at times. I just hope I haven't made too many mistakes..." the Princess paused as an expression of utter weariness passed over her face, "Heavens willing it will be accurate enough."

As his eyes became more accustomed to the darkness, Shining noticed that they were now standing in a long, scarily dark tunnel.

"Right" declared the alicorn, "there is something I must now do. Alone. You will wait for for me until I return. You will not move from here, is that understood?"

"Yes" said Shining, "but..."

"There is no time for questions now" the Princess said, picking up the lantern and levitating it high. "I shall be back as quickly as possible." With that, she ducked down and disappeared into the inky blackness. Shining watched the yellow light and listened to the Princess' scurrying hoofsteps as she hurried along the tunnel. The light faded and vanished. A moment later, the sound of hoofsteps was also gone.

If it hadn't been for the bell chiming the hour atop the Palace Clock Tower, Shining would have had no idea of the time. As is was, shortly after the Princess had disappeared, a single muffled chime echoed through the air. It was one o'clock. By the time it chimed two, Shining had had enough.

For a start, he was bitterly cold. As forecasted by the Weather Pegasi, the air grew icily chilly until frost had begun to settle of the chains and cogs of the elevator. Despite his coat, Shining was chilled to the bone. He tried flapping his forelegs about, hugging himself, kicking his rear legs up and down - but no amount of movement in the tunnel could warm his body or stop his teeth from chattering. And as he trembled, tiny vibrations amplified themselves through the chains of the elevator until the whole lot rippled with movement.

"Don't break" he muttered miserably, "D...don't even...th...th...think about it!" he stuttered. To take his mind off the rusty chains to which he'd entrusted himself, he tried thinking about his old life...

He imagined his father, Orion, sinking a glass of wine with his mother, Dazzle, in front of a warm fire in their house. he thought of Twilight, his wonderful little sister. Shining smiled as he wondered what book she was reading with Smarty Pants now, what spell she was attempting.

He thought of Captain Stormswirl, his role model and friend. He wondered where in Equestria he was flying, over Canterlot or across the Grey Guardians which marked the border with the Griffin Kingdoms. Shining smiled as he thought of hoofball games with his friends at the Guard Training Camp, how happy they all were when a few of the officers joined in with them.

"I'm so cold!" he grumbled.

He turned his attention to the pitted rockface around him. it was the first time he'd been this close to it, and the young unicorn was shocked to see minute carvings decorating the rock. The tunnel wasn't natural - somepony had carved it, many many years ago in some long lost era. The carvings portrayed galloping ponies of all three races, running together side by side. They galloped into the dark void of the tunnel.

"If only I could go back to bed" Shining whispered, his thick breath pouring from his lips. But the Princess had told him to stay here. She had been very clear on those instructions. He was not to move. And why would he? The tunnel looked like the gaping maw of some colossal dragon or some other terrifying creature. Shining thought himself mad to even consider following his charge. More importantly, was the Princess mad?

The Palace Clock Tower bell chimed three o'clock.

The snow had begun to fall outside above ground. Shining's hooves were numb. His temples throbbed. If it hadn't been for his magic, he might have frozen solid. His thoughts wandered so far, he was no longer thinking of anything at all. it was as if - like some of the hibernating creatures from the least hospitable depths of the Everfree Forest - his body and mind had been switched off.

Shining didn't notice the bell chime four o'clock. He didn't register the flickering light in the tunnel, or her the sound of approaching hoofsteps. It was only when the Princess appeared before him that Shining stirred. he blinked once or twice. His long cold wait was finally over.

Your Highness" he said, "I'm glad to see you. I was beginning to think that..." he paused. Even by the flickering shadowy light cast by her failing lamp, it was clear that something was wrong. Ashen faced and trembling, Celestia looked dazed, drained. Her beautiful cloak was dirty and ripped.

"Princess?" asked Shining quietly.

"Over...its all over" Celestia rasped. Her voice, like her face, seemed to have aged during the time she'd been gone. Shining unlatched the chains and helped the princess back onto the wooden platform. As the light from the lantern fell across her face, Shining gasped and recoiled with horror. Celestia's mouth was pinched, her expression desperate and her fur bore the waxy pallor of the dead. Her eyes - usually so animated and sparkling - stared straight ahead, dull and unseeing. They registered nothing - neither her surroundings nor shining's helpless concern.

The young unicorn knew he had to get the Princess back to the Royal Palace as quickly as possible and get help. Comet Catcher would know what to do. Shimmer Dew would have potions and medicines, he was sure. And Cadence would...Shining winced. Cadence! What would Cadence say? he could only hope she did not blame him for her aunt's condition.

Shining tried to think clearly. he must move fast, but carefully. He knew he could not simply turn the handle and zoom back up to the Palace. He would need to do this with tact.

"You can do it" he muttered to himself through clenched teeth as he slipped the knots of the tolley rope. "We can do it" he added. Princess Celestia neither stirred or spoke, and her mane and tail fell limp beside her body.

All at once the ancient elevator lurched upwards as Shining pulled the other left hoof side lever. The Princess clung on tightly. Praying as the creaking platform finally came back to the spiralling staircase, Shining beamed as the lantern light revealed the steps. Shining wanted to yell for joy, but he fought to remain calm. He had to concentrate. If the unicorn had been cold before, now he was too hot. However, he waited until he had led the Princess back up the flight of stairs before wiping the sweat from his eyes.

"Come on then, Your Highness" he said, helping Celestia from the open gap in the stone path before the statue of this unknown Princess. he pushed the traumatised Princess' almost rigid foreleg over his own withers and supported her weight, and the pair of them made their way back along the winding paths of the Statue Gardens. A scraping of stone on stone caused Shining to look behind as he watched the secret passageway seal itself.

"Not far to go" he whispered, "soon be there."

But what could have possibly happened down there in the tunnel to leave the Princess in such a terrible state? Shining wasn't the only one wondering what was wrong with the Ruling Monarch. For as the pair of them stumbled past the archway, one of the Royal Guards on night duty watched silently from the shadows. The poor Princess. Something is wrong, very very wrong, he thought. He stepped back the way he came.

"Help her young colt, help her!"