Child of Darker Days

by FirstClassBroconut

Rating: everyone
Tags: Adventure
Length: 5985

dabbling in black magic can only bring chaos, what does merging with it bring?

When a creature believed to be extinct is found lurking in the Everfree Forest, the unknown history of Equestria will be revealed in a tale that will change almost everything ponies in now-a-day Ponyville ever knew. Secrets will slip, faith will be questioned and lives will be lost. Only the power of Eternal Magic can save the ponies now.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-01-20 02:57:07 UTC

Chapter 1

Journal Entry #665

Magic is everything…it binds and controls…frees and dispels…was…is…and forever will be…

Magic was what created this world and what we know…and it is by magic that it is taken back…to where, though, we may never know. Only those whose souls have left this sad world truly know the correct. We, the tormented, can only guess…

Magic is separate from all other things in creation…it seemingly flows along and acts freely like it is its own being. But this is absurd! Magic a sentiment being? If that is true than we, the Higher, through the Laws of Nature must enslave Magic and wield to fill our desires! But then, why can I not…grasp it? Hold it? Caress it? I can feel it rippling through life like a bubbling stream yet also like a thick mist after a rain storm…Everything, but us, the Higher, answer to it, are forced under its will…So if it does not, CANnot control us…who or what does? We, the Higher, have been placed above all else on this planet and everything answers to us…so why not Magic? Maybe…maybe the key lies with joining WITH the magic. Yes! Becoming one with it! And that is why everything bows to it, because everything CAME from it! Yet we, the Higher, are different…we do not bow and do it’s will like dogs…so what would happen if we, the Higher, fused our independence with the eternal unity of Magic?

For our glory,

Moon Streak

Gatekeeper to the Minds

of the Higher

Chapter 1…

Thursday

“Spike.”

“Spike?”

“SPIIIIIIIKE!!!!”

Spike threw himself out of his bed with such force he flung himself down the stairs head over heels and rolled into a bookcase. Spike groaned and shook away the stars as a heavy book fell on the baby dragon’s head. He stood and groggily looked for the source of the shout and saw his best and oldest friend Twilight Sparkle standing in the door to the Library where they lived in the small town of Ponyville; after Princess Celestia placed them there to study friendship.

Spike noticed that she was not alone; a silvery-white filly with a sky-blue mane closely tailed her.

“You screamed, Twilight?”

Spike asked as he rubbed the quickly growing bump on his head.

Twilight and the young pony giggled, “Sorry, Spike. But we have a customer. She needs to borrow our copy of Trolls and Toads for a school report. Is that correct, Snow Flake?”

The filly smiled showing perfect white teeth, “Yeah! We’re studying creatures with warts!”

Spike saw Twilight give an involuntary look of disgust, then Spike remembered, “Ah, Twilight? Trolls and Toads is one of those books now…”

Twilight Sparkle stared at him, “You’ve got to be joking, Spike.”

Spike shook his head. Snow stared between Spike and Twilight, trying to read their minds but gave up and decided just to ask, “What do you mean one of THOSE books?”

Twilight turned to her with a hint of embarrassment, “I’m really sorry, Snow Flake. But somepony has been stealing books from our library ever since we got here. Eventually the books are returned, but it’s still annoying. We’re doing our best to hunt down the pony responsible, but it’s proving to be quite the challenge. When the book turns up, I will take it to you straight away, OK?”

Snow Flake turned towards the door her toothy smile nearly reflecting the sun, “It’s alright, Twilight! I hope you catch that mean pony!”

With that, she started towards the center of town. Spike shut the large door with a burning candle on it and yawned, still in need of a nap. Him and Twilight were up late last night at Carousel Boutique having diner with, he sighed,…Rarity…talking about how she was asked to make a dress set for the Royal Pony Sister and…Rarity…needed to know what Princess Celestia likes. So who better to ask somepony than her own, private pupil?

Twilight walked over and threw herself into a fluffy armchair; she poofed her bangs out of her eyes and groaned, “This doesn’t make any sense, Spike. The only books the thief has ever really taken are magic and history books…with the occasional book on dragons.”

Spike snapped out of his reminiscence and began pacing around the chair, his back claws clicking as they hit the hard wood floor.

Twilight closed her eyes, “Spike, how long did it take for the last book to reappear?”

Spike thought for a second, then went over to a table and picked up a parchment that had all the dates of whenever a book was suspected stolen by the thief and returned, “Um…A Complete, Literally Complete, No Joke, History of Equestria was returned one month after it disappeared. The thief must be really bored if they were able to finish that massive book in only a month! I mean, it took you two months and you even had to read it for school!”

Twilight opened her eyes, “Hmm…Trolls and Toads is a pretty short book. I’m guessing that it will only take the thief about a week to complete it.”

Spike looked at the parchment again,.

“Alright, so we should see it again next Wednesday!”

Twilight Sparkle looked up with a bit of shock on her face, “Wait wait, that book disappeared YESTERDAY???

Spike nodded, remembering how when he was cleaning the bookshelves, he noticed a book was missing from the T section and went searching for it. After not finding it he added it to the Thief’s List, which was what he named the parchment he was now holding.

Twilight continued to stare at him, “And you didn’t even bother to tell me we had been robbed?!”

Spike lowered his head, shrugged and drug his foot on the floor, “I was going to tell you, but then you cam rushing in and said we were going to Rarity’s and so I decided to tell you afterwards…but I guess I was so tired I forgot about it…and they ever steal anything besides books and we have tons of books! i didn't think it was really that important...”

Twilight smiled, she knew from past experiences that the second he heard the name Rarity he could forget anything. And nobody’s perfect.

“It’s alright, Spike. If you had told me I probably woulda worried about it all night and ruined your fun time with Rarity!”

Now Spike smiled, even though he was her number one assistant, he knew she’d rather he’d have fun than be perfect at his job. Held up his calendar again, “So next Wednesday we plan a stakeout??”

Twilight Sparkle smiled, “Alright, Spike! We’ll take the next Wednesday off and wait to catch. That. Thief!”

===============================================================

After she watched Spike shut the library door, Snow Flake turned towards Ponyville’s square. The late spring sun shown across her coat and bathed her in warmth. It had been about two weeks since Winter Wrap-Up, but the days were already starting to feel like summer. As Snow passed pony after pony in the street she said hello to every pony she saw. Suddenly, she a shadow came over her and the sun’s warmth disappeared behind the large cloud that got between it and the filly. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the cloud was gone and the warmth was back. Snow Flake turned her head skyward as she saw the cyan-blue Pegasus Rainbow Dash soar off after decimating the cloud.

She continued to watch Dash clear the skies for a couple moments when she heard excited screaming and turned to see Scootaloo jumping in excitement as her hero soared over head.

Snow Flake turned to run to her when she hears somepony call from behind her, “Hey, Snow Flake!”

Snow turned and blushed as Hazy Day jogged over to her, his Dirty (literally) Brown coat and grey mane shinning in the sunlight.  Hazy Day was in the same class as Snow and, like all the girls, she found him really handsome...

He was large for his age, but it was all muscle from working out on Sweet Apple Acres. His family wasn’t related to the Apples, but since the apple farm was planted, they have always been there with the Apple family.

“Um…hey Hazy Day…did you want something?”

“Yeah, I was hoping if you knew where Fluttershy lives. I need to talk with her about our dumb assignment.”

Snow’s mind whipped into action as she tried to make it look like she was heading down the road instead of to Scootaloo who had ran off by now.

“Oh, I was just going to go there now too.”

She gave a nervous laugh, “Wanna go together?”

Hazy shrugged, “Sure, why not?”

He hopped next to her and they started walking towards Fluttershy’s cabin, waving to every pony they knew along the way.

“So…ah…Why do you think this assignment is…dumb?”

Hazy shrugged again, “It just doesn’t seem like it’s worth studyin’. If I were teachin’, we’d learn about cool stuff!”

Snow Flake smiled, she never really got a chance to talk with him because he was always working in the fields but now she felt like the luckiest filly in the world.

“Like what?”

Hazy, for a third time, shrugged, “Don’t know, but cooler stuff than warts!”

They laughed and greeted Mr. And Mrs. Cake laying out the new pies; they could hear Pinky Pie singing in her room above the shop, something about sharing and caring. Snow was so happy about walking with Hazy that she almost couldn’t hold it in!

She decided to try and ask questions so she didn’t burst, “It could be worse, couldn’t it? We could have to write a paper on Nightmare Moon!”

The colt turned to his companion, “Why would that be worse?”

Snow Flake hung her head and spoke softly and frightened like the legendary mare could hear her, “She’s scary…how she tried to make it night forever. I’m scared of the dark.”

Hazy stood a little straighter, the filly blushed again, “Nightmare Moon don’t scare me! Heck, I bet one proper applebuck and she’d be back on that moon for another thousand years!”

Again the classmates laughed.

They walked on, knowing they didn’t have much longer till they reached their destination. Snow saw Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara playing with their parents in the park a few yards from the road. They smiled and waved, “Hey Hazy Day!”

After a little more walking, Hazy broke the silence, “Do you know about the Ponyville ghost?”

Snow stumbled a little from the sudden randomness, “What? Where did that come from??”

“Well, for years books have been stolen from the library and ponies just got used to it. But now other things have disappeared apparently….”

Snow shook her head, “Twilight just said it was some mean thieving pony, but everything turns up in the end.”

Hazy Day turned toward her, “Than how come the pony has never been caught?”

“Well maybe because the ponies really really really smart, only like, evily smart and sneaky…why do you think it’s a ghost?”

Snow Flake didn’t know if she wanted to hear his answer but she was too curious.

They could see Fluttershy’s cottage over the next hill. The large, beautiful home was also a clinic for animals that were in need of some “flutterlove”.

“Remember Discord, that crazily messed up thing-a-ma-thingy that Twilight and her friends returned to stone last year?”

“Yeah…that was a really scary time.”

Snow Flake shied away, Hazy just stuck out his chest again, making Snow involuntarily turn red,

“Well apparently when Discord first ruled and Ponyville had just been founded. A lone pony stood up against Discord, but he wasn’t all that strong. Discord murdered him in the square to show what would happen if anypony ever rose up against him again. And about 20 years ago, that pony began haunting the folks in town, and hasn’t stopped since. No pony knows why he started hauntin’ us now though...”

They walked the last couple yards to Fluttershy’s front door in silence as Snow thought about what Hazy had said. An idea flashed into her brain she said, “Has anyone ever SEEEEEEN the ghost?”

“Well, ah…no," Hazy Day looked a little flustered, "but, I mean, it’s a ghost! You can’t always see a gho-“

Suddenly, the front door of the home exploded open and Fluttershy raced out surrounded by all kinds of different animals. The young ponies leaped back and screamed,

“Fluttershy!”

The yellow Pegasus with a pink mane stopped in her tracks and turned to see the two little ponies looking dumbfounded. Snow say strong worry in her eyes but also, when she looked deeper, she felt comfort and love,

“Oh, hello you two…um…I would stay and chat, but the animals are saying there’s trouble at Yipagoes River and I must tend to it right away…if you don’t mind”

Hazy’s face glowed with interest, he stomped his small hoof, “What kind of trouble, Fluttershy? Somepony buggin’ the animals that I should scare off??”

The small silvery-white earth pony smiled bashfully.

Fluttershy shook her head thoroughly, “No they say it’s a really strange creature. You two should probably stay here just to be safe, um…please.”

She then turned and raced towards the river in the south; the ponies looked at each other and chased after her. Snow yelled after Hazy, “She said to stay here!”

But he either ignored her or didn’t hear her so she took of down the hill as well. She surprisingly caught up with the dirty work colt as they followed the flanks of the animals surrounding Fluttershy.

They ran down the hill onto a plain where they could see some cows grazing look up at them as they pass, a bored expression on their face. The continued running when they suddenly turned west into the Everfree Forest. Snow Flake was a little frightened by the creepy dark woods, but she looked over and saw Hazy Day and saw a look of determination in his eye which made her feel better. They kept running for a little bit, leaping over logs or under low branches, the two small ponies losing distance from the fast animals and the yellow mare. But finally they slowed down and after catching up, Snow could hear the sound of the river bubbling through the forest.

Fluttershy turned to them and whispered for them to get down.

They went forward out of the brush and looked around, there was nothing there. Hazy stared off into the woods while Fluttershy calmed the animals who were shaking head-to-toe, “It’s gone, little ones. If it ever comes back you know where to find me.”

Snow Flake looked at the sand around the river, something was weird, “Hazy Day? What kind of animal do these belong to?”

He walked over and stared at the tracks the filly was pointing at, “I have no idea…do you know Fluttershy?”

After a few seconds, the animals calmed down and ran off into the forest. Fluttershy flew over so as not to step on the tracks in question. She landed and bent over to inspect the tracks. After a few silent moment she looked up, “I can’t say I have ever seen these before.”

Snow and Hazy looked at her a little dumbfounded. This was Fluttershy! She knew absolutely everything about animals and stuff! How could she not recognize the tracks?

Snow Flake scooted in closer to the mare, who wrapped a wing around her, “Are you sure, Fluttershy? Maybe you’ve seen them in a book and just forgotten what they belong to?”

Fluttershy looked closer at them, the little ponies holding their breath. Something about them did seem familiar, but she just couldn't place it, “I think i have, a long time ago...but i can't remember what leaves oval shaped prints like that.”

The now more frightened filly looked up into the woods beyond the river and, was it a trick of the light? Maybe her fears getting the best of her? The Everfree Forest is known for luring ponies with its twisting shadows and having strange creatures in it that can eat a full grown pony in a single bite. But Snow Flake could have Pinkie Pie Promised that she saw the edge of a cloak move behind a tree.

Hazy Day tapped Snow on the shoulder, “Time to go, Fluttershy doesn’t want us to stay here much longer.”

The silver filly turned and followed Fluttershy as she led the way out of the large, dark forest; Hazy brought up the rear doing his best to not look frightened in front of the girls.

=================================================================================================

After they had exited the forest and Hazy Day said he would escort Snow Flake home, Fluttershy could shut her door and feel almost worry free, almost.

The mysterious track rampaged through her mind as she tried to place it with the creature it belonged to. She knew she had seen it before, but when? And where? She went over to her couch and laid down as she thought, suddenly her fluffy friend Angel hopped onto the arm rest next to her head and nuzzled her gently. The yellow Pegasus looked up and smiled,

“Oh, hello Angel; I’m sorry I couldn’t take you on our daily walk, that hustle and bustle with the Everfree Forest animals just left me so exhausted. They were bothered by a creature with a track I haven’t seen in a long time and have forgotten what it belongs to…I never have forgotten a track! What if it was an endangered creature that needs protection? Or maybe it was hurt and was scared of the other animals just as much as they were of it! Why haven’t I seen it more often? Oh! If only I could remember!”

The little rabbit hopped onto Fluttershy’s shoulder and rubbed her ear, hoping she would take notice to his true plight. Along with the daily walk she had also forgotten to give him his supper, and when a baby bunny is hungry, they get rather cranky.

Fluttershy giggled, “Honey, please stop! You know that tickles! I need to think for a while…I bet Twilight would know if I can describe it will enough! She’s bound to have something in all those books of hers. But how can I really describe what it looks like? I can’t draw and by the time the library is open I will have forgotten it!”

Angel looked at her, frustrated. He hopped down from the couch and over to a large, blue bucket with the word “Plaster” written on it. He climbed on top of the lid and waved his little arms, but Fluttershy was now looking at the ceiling, thinking deeply. He hopped up and down, still waving his arms. But she had closed her eyes. The little bunny was getting angry now. He picked up a small pebble from the floor and threw it at his master. Sadly, rabbits were not made to be able to throw; the projectile sailed off way over his target and hit a birdcage holding a sleeping eagle with an injured wing who immediately woke up with a small screech and stared hungrily at Angel who hid behind the plaster bucket. Fluttershy took no notice.

When the eagle finally turned away and tried to fall back to sleep, Angel came out from behind the bucket and hopped onto the chair again. He then jumped up onto Fluttershy’s head and thumped her on the head repeatedly with his foot.

“Angel! What is it? I’m trying to think!” Fluttershy nearly yelled.

The pet, baby bunny jumped off her head and hopped back onto the bucket and thumbed its lid. He could see curiosity in the yellow mare’s eyes, so he thumped harder. Finally a smile spread on her face,

“Of course! I’ll create a mold of it so Twilight Sparkle can see it perfectly without having to travel into Everfree! But the track there now will be gone by the time it is bright enough to head back because of all the other animals that use that spot for a watering hole…So next time I see it that will be my number one priority!”

Angel held his head high and smiled, waiting for the treat he would receive for helping her. But it never came.

Fluttershy yawned, “Wow, I AM exhausted…goodnight Angel!”

And with that she headed up the stairs to her room where she shut the door and wasn’t from again for the rest of the night; while Angel, who, if rabbits could talk, would be heard screaming into a pillow with frustration for the rest of the night.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2…

Friday

Pinkie Pie softly neighed as she slept peacefully on a pile of comfy, green leaves in Ponyville Summer Park after a long morning of baking grueling amounts of treats for a big party in Marehead.

The pink earth pony’s mind swirled between cakes, balloons and punch as she dreamed of the party that should have received the treats by now but what was THIS?? Her dreams of sweets and treats was interrupted by an itching sensation upon her nose! What kind of meanie mean mean itch would ruin a party-rific dream?! thought the semi-unconscious mare.

She raised her hoof to scratch the sensation away; but instead of her hoof, she received a face-full of…whipped cream? Her eyes shot open as she bolted up searching for the reason for the cream when she heard three small voices scream, “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER PRANKSTERS!! YEAH!!”

Three fillies, each wearing a red cape embroidered with a golden, caped pony appeared from behind a bush all snorting with laughter at Pinkie’s now white face.

Scootalloo, Sweetie Bell and Apple Bloom laughed louder as their victim began licking all the tasty white goodness off her face. When it was all gone, she looked at the fillies and noticed a feather in Sweetie Bell’s magical grip and whipped cream all over Apple Blooms hoof.

She burst out laughing as well at her own misfortune, able to appreciate a good prank. When they had finished laughing, Pinkie congratulated them, “Good one girls! That prank is a CLASSIC!”

The small ponies’ faces glowed from the praise, “Thanks, Pinkie! If you think it was good then we must be naturals!” said the small orange pegasus. Apple Bloom pulled a small book out of her saddlebags, “We are followin’ this here book Spike checked out for us!” she squealed with abundant happiness.

Pinkie Pie laid the book on the ground and stared at the worn-out, yellow colored (which reminded Pinkie of a rotting banana peel under her bed in Sugercube Corner) cover. The spine was  holding on for dear life and the book was missing it’s back cover. But something else attracted her attention, the title was a little hard to make out because of the books age and the goofy way the other had written it, but after a few moments Pinkie Pie read Easy as Pie to the Face by Joyous Grin.

“Pinkamena tore off the wrapping paper of her only birthday present, almost unable to contain herself. Her parents sat with big smiles on their face and her two sisters, Octavia and Bellamena, silently watched with anticipation.

It was Pinkie’s first birthday since she got her cutie mark and, of course, she planned it all herself so it could make it the most bestest for her family. She hadn’t been expecting a present, there wasn’t much money in rock farming and so the fillies usually only got candy or a bow or something else small like that. She threw away the paper as she stared down at her gift: a small, bright yellow book. She stared at the name, Easy as Pie to the Face by Joyous Grin.

The Pink party pony’s face exploded with joy as she threw herself into her parents in a massive embrace, squealing over and over, ‘Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! The is most super duper bestest westest gift of all time!’

Little Bellamena stared at the tiny book, confused to why everyone was acting so excited, “What is it Pinkie?”

Mr. and Mrs. Pie turned to their youngest daughter, who was not old enough to read yet, ‘It’s a joke book, dearest.’”

“Um…Pinkie?”

Pinkie Pie shook her head and looked at the three little ponies staring at her with a strange look on their faces, “Oh! Hey girls! I was just thinking about this time back on the rock farm when I baked an easy pie on my FACE!...Why? Did you need something?”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at eachother and back at the pink earth pony now utterly confused. Apple Bloom shook her head, “Actually Pinky…when you saw that there book you froze up all statue like and started a hollerin’ somethin’ about you havin’ a birthday party after you got your cutie mark and how you got this here book as a present when you don’t usually get presents ‘cause their ain’t a lot of money in rock pickin’.”

Pinkie thought for a moment, “I wonder why there’s not a lot of money in rock picking; people need rocks all the time! You can use them as door stoppers, paperweights, construction material, pets....”

The three fillies looked at one another as the pink mare rambled, that is until Apple Bloom realized that the conversion needed a moving forward.

“Pinkie?”

“...chairs, foot rests, garden decorations...”

“Pinkie!”

“...impromptu frying pans, skipping, pagans-”

“PINKIE PIE!”

The pink mare looked down at the crusaders quizzically, “Yeah Apple Bloom?”

But then the sound of a moan made the two ponies turn to see Sweetie Bell sitting against the tree Pinkie had gotten her leaf bed from, holding a little hoof to her head.

“What’s wrong Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo said walking up to the unicorn filly.

Pinkie and Apple Bloom trotted over and also sat down. Pinkie stared at Sweetie Bell with her massive, bright pink eyes, “What’s wrong, Sweetie Bell?”

The white filly messaged her head and groaned, “I don’t know…I suddenly got a real bad headache…I think I need to go home.”

“Okay dokey, lokie! Pinkie Pie is on the job! Hop on my back and I will get you there straight away!”

The unicorn, with the help of her best friends, stood and got onto Pinkie Pies warm back. It was just then that she remembered Pinkie bounced everywhere...

“Um…Pinkie? Could you maybe not bou-“

“Alrighty! Lets go!!”

And before Sweetie Bell could protest anymore, Pinkie Pie was bouncing along. She slammed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the added discomfort Pinkie’s bouncing would undoubtedly bring..

But it never came.

She peeped through an eye and saw the countryside go by at an alarming pace, and she knew her ride was bouncing but didn’t feel it at all…actually it felt like Pinkie wasn't even moving! A mixture of fear and confusing took control as she screamed, even though it hurt her head which now felt like it was ripping apart, “Pinkie! What’s going on?!

Pinkie's head whirled around and stared at her little passenger, "I'm taking you home silly filly! Why? Do you want me to stop? We're almost th- We're here!"

Sweetie Bell opened her eyes again to see the world had returned to normal and that they were now standing in front of her home in Ponyville. Still very confused, the filly climbed down from the pink mare's warm back and tried to stand. Her headache was tremendous and it really did a number on her balance, she started falling over when she suddenly felt surrounded by warmth and felt free. She turned to see her elder sister, Rarity, using her horn to hold her hurting sister a loft as she thanked Pinkie Pie for bringing her home.

"Nooo problem-o! Bye Sweetie Bell!" And with that the earth pony hopped off towards Sugercube Corner, singing some song about her little pony.

Rarity put her sister down and walked over to her, "Are you alright, Sweetie? Pinkie said you have a nasty headache...lets go and get you to bed, deary." With that, she picked the small unicorn up again with her magic and carried her inside.

"I wasn't doing anything, sis! We we just doing jokes and sudde- Ow!" She raised a hoof to her head once again as a sharp pain stabbed into her cranium. "How can i find my cutie mark if I can barely walk??" She held back a sniffle as her older sister placed her into her bed, pulled the covers to her chin and smiled.

"I'll go visit Nurse Red Heart and see if we can get you up and crusading in a couple hours, okay?" She nuzzled the little unicorn and turned to leave the room, but stopped when she came face to face with two breathless ponies. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo laid on the ground panting, "We...chased..after...after Pinkie...but...she was...too fast...phew!" Sweetie Bell and Rarity laughed until Sweetie Bell's head hurt too much.

After the two crusaders caught there breathe, they rushed over to their friend's bed. Apple Bloom pulled an apple from her saddle bag and gave it to Sweetie Bell, "We thought since you weren't there to help with jokin', that maybe we could find our cutie marks in helpin' you until you're all better!" The small, white unicorn smiled and took a bite of the crisp apple. She was glad her friends came, she hated missing out on hanging with them and trying to find their special talents. Scootaloo, rather uncharacteristically, whispered so as not to hurt Sweetie Bell's head, "Cutie Mark Crusader Nurses!" And with that, Sweet The white mare shut the door to the room and headed out to Nurse Red Heart's Hospital.

=================================================================================================

Nurse Tender Heart looked up from her desk to see a white unicorn with a beautiful purple mane strut into the library. Not another one! she thought as she let a large smile grow on her face. Sweet Vibrations smiled back and placed some money on the counter, "Hello Tender Heart! I'm in ne-" "Of some pain relievers for Sweetie Bell?" Rarity stared at her a little frightened, "How did you know?!" Tender Heart threw the coins into the register and placed a bottle of pills onto the counter, "All the young unicorns are getting nasty headaches today...we have no idea whats causing it! If another two get it Nurse Red Heart said we will be sending a letter to the Royal Princesses asking for insight....but until then there is nothing we can really do. These should be small enough for her to swallow easily, my dear. It's nothing to really worry about, all it seems to be is a bad headache that seems to be connected with their horn."

Rarity nodded and tried to hide her worry, if it's their horn, why has no other unicorn had a problem besides the little ones? She turned and headed back out the door and down the busy street towards Carousel Boutique.

The summer sun lighting up her luscious coat in a way that most mare's could only dream of copying; her purple mane and tail bounced with each step she took.

She looked around the streets and saw many worried parents talking, and very few small unicorns playing. With there parents gone, Rarity was in charge of raising her sister. It was a chore, trying to raise her into a proper mare and run the Boutique, but it brought such joy to see Sweetie Bell grow physically and mentally over the few years.

Sweetie Bell had once asked where their parents were....Rarity had almost broken down trying to think of an excuse. She truly didn't know...after she had moved to inner-Ponyville, they seemingly had forgotten about her. Then they showed up a few years later and told her to watch the then baby Sweetie Bell while they went on a little vacation. The barely adult mare couldn't just say no to her parents, so she took her sister under her wing, so to speak.

But weeks turned into months, and months into years and still no sign of their parents. Sweetie Bell grew and came of age to go to school for the first time. On that same day, Rarity gave up hope of them returning...She remembered that day well, it was a day when the sky was dark and the weather was violent, Sweetie Bell couldn't go to her first day of class because of the weather and Rarity felt so awful when she say the little pony's crestfallen face when she told her the news. Rarity went and sat in her room, alone...and wept. Not a proper mare's way of weeping where they sniffle and wipe a tear away with a handkerchief, mind you. But a down pour of tears out of the heart of a very lonely pony that felt unloved and forgotten...

It was then that young Sweetie Bell, who had been scared by the storm, came in to the room and saw her crying. She went to her older sister and not even bothering to ask why she was crying, sat next to her and began to cry out her heart and soul as well.

Since that single day, Rarity made it her full duty to protect and guide Sweetie Bell like a mother.

And now her little sister was in terrible pain and she couldn't do anything about it besides give her the medicine and pray that she would be healed.

=================================================================================================

Princess Celestria, ruler of the Sun and queen of the day slowly walked around the ramparts of Canterlot castle, looking out at the green countryside her and her sister, Princess Luna, ruled together in harmony.

The princess felt an interesting disturbance in her magic today. Like something, or somepony, was trying to get in and control it.  It felt familiar...over the centuries she had randomly felt the same tug but she had never been able to really understand and so didn't really take notice. But now, she was extremely curious to what had randomly bothered her over all these centuries. Though the feeling was weak, it was still there.

Celestia had slipped away that fine morning from Minute Detail, her head advisor and planner of all things royal. She had been racking off about something to do with a Pegasus accidentally making two rainbows and that her highness should see to it right away. But she had been ruling for centuries and she could tell the difference between something being important and "important".

The white alicorn’s horn glowed as she reached out with her magic to locate the source of the twinge. No matter how tricky a magician was, they always left a trail of breadcrumbs to follow back to the source, like following a bubbling stream until you find a river or lake. Celestia estimated, by the low level of magic, that the task would take her the rest of the day, but she was determined. So she spread her wings and took to the bright blue sky. The wind rushed against her body and made her tail and mane dance wildly. She adored flying...but the ponies under her reign were more important than her own pleasures. She flew higher and higher till she quickly banked right and flew towards a seemingly small cloud. As she got closer, the cloud expanded and turned into a small cloud building.

She landed on the white, puffy balcony and walked into a small room that merely held a bed and a writing desk. Whenever she needed to get away from the strains of ruling and whatnot, she came here; for centuries it was her private place.

She quickly found a comfy spot on her cloud bed and once again reached out with her magic, and started tracing the intruder.