//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: Cold Fire // by blackcat //------------------------------// It was a normal, beautiful morning in Ponyville. And as with most normal days in Ponyville, one Twilight Sparkle was obsessing over something trivial. "Dewey's Decimal System is the standard for a reason, Spike!" The books in the castle library rearranged themselves around her, as she paced. "But what if she thinks it's too pedestrian? I am a Princess." Spike said nothing, just sighed as he leaned next to the door. "I could use Starswirl's Standardized Sorting System, but what if I seem pretentious?" Starlight Glimmer walked in carrying a bag of groceries. "I'm back! Got everything on the list and-." She noticed Twilight was too busy debating the merits of the griffin filing system with herself, and sighed. "She does this every time Celestia comes over?" Spike nodded. "Has she ever noticed what book sorting method Twilight uses?" The dragon shrugged. "I don't know, maybe. I know she wouldn't bring it up, because it's not her business how the books are sorted in somepony else's house!" He yelled in Twilight's direction. The Princess didn't notice, too busy debating herself in circles. Starlight floated a chocolate bar out of the bag and into Spike's claws. "You'd think she was making a royal inspection the way everypony's acting, not a short stop off." "Ehepohny?" Spike asked through a mouthful of chocolate and nougat. "Yeah, I saw somepony get chewed out for taking eleven items in the ten-or-less lane." She shook her head. "Everypony just seems a little more on edge than normal." "Maybe I should show off one of the methods I've been working on? No! That might look like I wasn't using any method at all!" Twilight gasped like that was the most horrifying thing in the world. Then her face lit up. "Oh, I should do that! Freestyle! Show that I'm "loose and hip" with the foals!" She said with a large and only slightly unhinged smile. Starlight and Spike were now the ones horrified, there was no way Twilight forcing herself to be "hip" would end well. Spike walked slowly towards her with his claws out calmingly. Ready to hopefully talk sense into her. Again. "TWILIGHT!" A figure suddenly barreled into the room and crashed into Starlight. They all gasped when they got a clear look at it. "Sunset?" Twilight and Spike cried in shock. "Platinum, Mother of Celestia! What is that?" Starlight teleported out from under Sunset and into a corner of the room. Sunset Shimmer, rubbed her head from the impact then looked at her hands in shock and screamed. "Sunset? Why aren't you a unicorn?" Twilight asked. The human snapped out of her shock and grabbed Twilight's shoulders "The Dazzling's must have more power than I thought!" Spike and Twilight gasped in horror, well Starlight was just confused. "The diamond dog is a unicorn? What's a Dazzling? Some kind of changeling?" Between deep breaths Sunset tried to explain. "They stole the other you's magic extractor, and must have repaired it with the pieces of their Hearts. They took control of the others, I barely escaped. They must be messing with the portal too! Please, I can't stop them alone, help us before it's too late!" She looked on the verge of tears. Twilight immediately galloped from the room, Starlight grabbing Spike as she followed as Sunset scrambled to her feet. Twilight and Spike gave Starlight a very hasty explanation as they ran to the mirror room. When they got there Twilight began inspecting the device for malfunctions. Her student glanced at it and turned to Spike. "Didn't guess this thing was a portal to another world." Spike raised an eyebrow at that. "Well what did you think it was?" He asked. "An over-engineered magnifying glass for reading fine print." She answered like it was obvious. Spike opened his mouth to retort before taking another look at it. "That's ... actually a pretty good guess." Twilight looked up from the machine. "And a great idea!" She returned to seriousness. "I can't tell if anything is wrong, I knew I should have added more sensors. Everything's better with more sensors." She muttered. Sunset finally stumbled in. Grabbing the door frame with one hand and her side with the other, panting heavily. "Just...atch...breath... right...hind you." Twilight took a breath and jumped trough the mirror. The others went to comfort Sunset. "You need water or something? A hug?" Spike asked with concern. "No, no. She needs you! Both of you. Go!" Sunset shouted and waved her hand towards the portal. Starlight put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "I'm not going, you'd just waste time explaining everything to me. Your friends need you not collapsing from exhaustion more." She levitated a chair over. "And they shouldn't need two talking dogs right away." Spike added, to Starlight's confusion. Starlight was about to ask about that, when Sunset suddenly lashed out at them, pushing Starlight and kicking Spike away. All trace of her exhaustion gone. The journal flew from the machine and into Sunset's hand, spine outward. "What are you doing?" Spike cried in shock from the floor. "Just sending a message:" Her hand started glowing teal, smoke curling up where it touched the book. "Dear Princess Twilight..." She said with mock sweetness. Then clenched her fist as it burst into teal flames."...Don't come back!" The book's remains fell to the floor. With a flick of her wrist the other hand caught fire. "Now it's your turn!" She then lunged at Spike. Kept from him only by a last second barrier cast by Starlight. "Sunset get a hold of your self! I'm your friend, Spike!" He yelled as the human dug her burning hands into the energy bubble, prying a hole she slowly pulled open. Starlight's magic strained against Sunset's as the hole in the shield grew larger."I am part of the great choir!" Sunset growled, her arms stretching as far they'd go, the fire on her hands spread to the edges of hole, bracing it open. "You ended the song!" Sunset stepped through the opening and grabbed the fiery circle from behind her. "Burn for your crime!" She cried, ripping it from the shield and using it as a lash. They scrambled to the cover of the portal machine and mirror. "Starlight, do you know any spells that end mind control?" Spike pleaded desperately, hiding behind the machine. "No! Just ones that cause it!" She wailed from behind the mirror. Noticing the attack had suddenly stopped they cautiously peaked around their shelter. She was gone. Just the empty shield, that in her panic Starlight had forgotten to dispel. "Where'd she go?" Starlight questioned as she ended the spell."Is there anything in the castle these Dazzling's would want?" Starlight strained her ears, she could hear something still in the castle. Spike scratched his head "No. Just revenge. If she's their puppet, why leave?" "I didn't." Sunset responded. "Oh, well that answers that." Starlight nodded at that. " I think I hear some.. wait, ohh" Eyes widening, they turned to the top of the mirror. Where Sunset was grinning like the Cheshire Cat, ready to pounce. Leaping on Starlight's back and grabbing Spike as he tried to scamper away. The unicorn attempted to cast a spell but a teal light enveloped her horn. Sunset tutted as she pressed down on Starlight's back with her boot. "Oh, don't worry, you'll be last. The master wants an audience for her grand performance." She lifted Spike up by the neck. "But you? Ha heh. I'm gonna enjoy watching you fry." Spike couldn't resist mocking his assailant "Fireproof, dragon, sorry." He smirked unafraid of the fire around him. Sunset was undeterred, grinning maniacally. "You still need air!" She started squeezing, smiling with cruel delight as he desperately clawed at her arm. "Fool! You think pain can turn my wrath? My body has been reforged into something beyond you, something you can only jealously, futilely try to tear down. My every moment away from her glorious presence, her wondrous voice is heart crushing agony the likes of which your stunted mind can't begin to imagine. That she is an outcast in her own home is an outrage that threatens to rip me apart! You think your tiny claws can match that pain?" "What are you talking about?! He's your friend! Stop please!" Sunset slammed her foot down on Starlight's back angrily. "He has brought me and mine only misery and pain! Thank me! For his suffering is only a fraction of what he deserves!" Sunset bent to whisper into Starlight's ear. "Yours won't be. The full measure of your sins and folly will come crashing down upon you. I wish only that my part to play was larger." Woosh, clack! "Twilight!", Woosh, clack! "Spike!". Woosh "Starli-ah!" Rainbow Dash burst into the room, barely dodging a fireball. She immediately slammed into Sunset, knocking her back and freeing her friends. "Guys!" Rainbow yelled, jumping back in the air. "They're in here!" Rainbow dodged Sunset's attempt to grab her. "The mirror!" She punched the human in the back. "Bad guy!" The others soon stampeded into the room, joined by both Princesses, having heard the noise of the attack when they entered the castle. Their presence backed Sunset into a corner Celestia walked forward to her. "My student, what happened to you? Please let me help." Sunset just laughed. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you. And I certainly don't need help!" The Princess held out her hoof." My little pony, you know I will always believe you. Please." Sunset reached out. And slammed her fist into the floor, blasting a hole into it and sending up a smokescreen. They leaped after her, splitting up to search the halls. But they soon had to regroup under the hole with no results, "Consarnit! The sidewinder got away!" Applejack yelled, bucking a mare-sized piece of rubble which flew down the hallway, over the heads of Pinkie, Spike, Fluttershy and Luna. At their glares, she rubbed the back of her head "Sorry 'bout that. Aheh, I sometimes forget how strong the buckin' twins are." "Do you know why she was attacking you?" Fluttershy asked Spike and Starlight, flying over to look at their injuries. Thankfully nothing worse than bruises and light singeing. Starlight answered "She said the Dazzlings, they're really Sirens right?" She quickly asked Spike, at his nod she continued, " She said they got their powers back before she attacked us. So they're the main suspects." "The Sirens still live? Why was I not told of this?" Luna demanded. "They are one of the greatest threats to ever face Equestria. Only the Windigos can fill a heart with more hatred and ...jealousy." "But Sunset didn't act like the Sirens were controlling her." Spike noted. "At the Battle of the Bands everyone was either a glowing-eyes zombie" He mimed a zombie's walk. "Or just more competitive and mean then normal. But Sunset acted like she needed help, then attacked us when we wouldn't run through the mirror after Twilight." The hall was dead silent as the others suddenly noticed Twilight's absence. Broken when Celestia launched herself into the room above. The mirror sat inert but undamaged. Only streaks of ash and the severed cables showed it had been hit at all during the fight. One of Starswirl many talents was robust construction. . The machine on the other hoof was in far worse shape, parts of it partially melted and blackened with a large gash carved in to it. On the main door to its innards was a holder for a repair manual. (Written by Twilight for the sheer joy of writing a manual) An empty holder. Celestia forced herself to be hopeful, her student would have made at least one copy. But, in an irony that in better circumstances would be funny, it could be hard to find things in the home of the hyper-organized Twilight, because she was always refining her techniques. And had just done so in anticipation of Celestia's brief visit. The book was in even worse shape. A hand sized hole burned through it, leaving only the top and bottom of the pages and covers remaining attached to the spine. The enchantment was barely holding on, though Celestia had prevented it from fading completely. To fully repair it, would require transferring the magic to another book. Doing that without the proper spell would certainly destroy it, in this state. Celestia didn't know this spell, but knew it would be in her school's archives. The inventor of the linked book spell had been a student of it, and the School, as a matter of pride, kept records of every spell invented by a student. "Sister? Can we retrieve Twilight?" Luna approached, as the others haul themselves back into the room. Starlight was floating herself and Spike up, with Rarity trying to mimic the feat. The pegasi were lifting Applejack through the hole and Pinkie Pie had simply leapt up Celestia suppressed all trace of her worry for the sake of the others."Even if we cannot repair this machine, we must only wait thirty moons." "Thirty moons!" They all cried. Rainbow let go of Applejack in shock, leaving Fluttershy to hold her in the air and sink back down under the farmers weight. "Less, if it is still on its original cycle." Celestia offered. "And how long is that, may I ask?" Rarity asked hopefully. "Ten moons." Celestia admitted "It seems that whatever is happening, we must handle our side of it without Twilight Sparkle."