Chapter 9: The Princess of the Sun

Hey everypony!

The guest: The Tonamec and I appreciate your support :)

Guest: Thank you very much :)

Note: I've revised Chapters 5, 7, and 9 because of a story issue. I was originally going to have the unicorn who put the cloaking spell on Tonameca be Clover the Clever, but then I realized that in order for her to be friends with Camayo, she would have be more than eight hundred years old. I can accept Granny Smith possibly being hundreds of years old, but an over-eight-hundred-year old unicorn who apparently has no difficulties with magic is a bit farfetched. So, I've decided to replace Clover the Clever with another unicorn.

I also made some more real Tonamec dialogue – the English translation will follow after the speaker tag, underlined. If anyone wants a breakdown of a Tonamec sentence, just send me a review.

Alright, now here's the chapter –

I woke up somewhere dark. I tried to get up, but I was still a little disoriented. When I could stand, I looked around and saw light ahead…and some bars. Where was I?

Then, I noticed – my bow and quiver were gone. The ponies must've taken them.

I looked around. There was a mass of hay in a corner of the wall, which I guessed was supposed to be a bed. There was a large pot in a corner of the room, but it smelled putrid, like something died in it.

A stinging pain in my arm stopped my thinking. The gashes were still bleeding and red.

I peered out and saw that I was in what looked like a dungeon. It was really dark – the only light I had was from lanterns that flickered on the walls. It was dank and smelled. I heard pattering on the stone floor that sounded suspiciously like rats.

I was a prisoner.

I pushed on the metal bars, but they didn't move. "Nin nawal ken?" I whispered to myself. What am I going to do now?

I heard hoofsteps coming my way. I looked out and saw three armored unicorn stallions with spears walking towards me. They looked right at me. The horn of one of the guards began to glow. I closed my eyes…but nothing happened. "What?" the guard exclaimed. "I can't use my magic on it!"

"We can still get it out," another guard said. His horn glowed, and the door opened with a grinding creak. He leveled his spear at me, levitating a rope in the air.

I tried to back away, but the guard whacked his spear at my shins, sending me sprawling on the floor. He put my hands in front of me, and then whipped the rope around my wrists, leaving some rope hanging. He grabbed the hanging rope with his mouth and pulled up, forcing me to stand. I was tugged out.

I couldn't break the rope binding my wrists. I would have to get past these guards, and there would likely be more of them – and I was unarmed. I had no choice but to let them pull me along. I saw the cells and the dark, torch-lit walls of the dungeon pass by. I was led up a staircase, which led to a large hall.

The room was beautiful, even if I was prisoner in it. The walls were clear white, almost shimmering. Tapestries and paintings decorated the walls. Banners of different colors decorated the ceiling. There were large stained glass windows on the walls, casting multicolored light into the room. For a minute, I swore I saw the orange Earth pony and the purple unicorn – Applejack and Twilight – on one of those windows.

I looked at one painting – and I caught my breath. One of the ponies in the painting was Celestia – the Alicorn Princess of the Ponies, and the one that turned me, my dad, my sister, and the entire Tonamec tribe to stone.

But the other pony I didn't know. It was another mare, and she was smaller than Celestia. She had a dark blue coat and a blue mane and tail that also swayed in the air. She wore a black tiara and a black necklace, which had a moon on it. Her flank bore a crescent moon surrounded by night.

Just then, I saw a huge set of ornate double-doors. The three unicorns' horns glowed again. The doors glowed with blue light, and then swung open. I was pulled in.

This room was enormous. It had purple walls with more stained glass windows. The ceiling was held up by pure white pillars. There was a long, red carpet that led to – I almost screamed.

It was Celestia, sitting right in front of me, her mane and tail swaying in the air even though there was no wind, like they were alive. I knew this wasn't a dream. There were a large group of Pegasus Guards with gleaming golden armor and spears. They glowered at me like they wanted to kill me right then. I also saw the six Ponies and the young dragon near the alicorn. Two of them were Applejack and Twilight – the ponies back on the farm. But the other four ponies, and the dragon, I didn't recognize.

One of them was a white unicorn with a curly purple mane and tail. Another was a blue Pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane and tail. Another was a yellow Pegasus with a long pink mane and tail. The last was a pink Earth Pony with a curly dark pink mane and tail. The dragon was small, a baby by the looks of it. He was purple and had green spines lining his back and the back of his head.

The only one I didn't see was the black-feathered griffon.

Celestia regarded me coldly. "So it's true," she said. "The Tonamec really have returned."

"Olmach ken?" What's going on? I thought.

Celestia's horn glowed. She opened her mouth, and spoke in perfect Tonamec. "Prince Tonatiuh." I flinched when she said my name. She could use her magic to talk in Tonamec, which I thought was very disturbing.

"I see you remember me," she said. Her horn stopped glowing, and then she said, back in her language, "Alright, enough stalling." Her horn glowed, and a chest near her throne opened. It revealed five golden necklaces and a tiara. They each had a differently colored and shaped jewel. I would have dismissed them if the tiara didn't have a six-pointed star-shaped jewel. It hit me like a rock.

They were the Elements – I just knew they were. Five of them didn't look like how I remembered, but the star-shaped jewel was still there. They were the last things I saw when I was turned to stone. Celestia's horn levitated the Elements to the six ponies. Five of the Elements clasped onto five of the ponies' necks, and the tiara landed deftly on Twilight's head.

I was horrified. They were going to turn me to stone again. It was obvious, but that didn't help anything.

No. I wouldn't let them turn me or any other Tonamec to stone.

"Wait," a timid voice coming from the yellow Pegasus said. "Are you sure we should do this?"

"Fluttershy, we have to," Twilight said.

"But – but that poor thing looks so scared," the yellow Pegasus named Fluttershy said.

"Well, it should darn well be!" Applejack exclaimed, pawing the ground with her hoof.

I racked my head for how I could escape. The doors behind me were obviously locked. I looked behind me and saw a long hallway with many doors. But what about the guards?

Twilight's horn and the jewel on her head glowed – I didn't have time to think anymore.

I struggled against the ropes binding my wrists. The ropes pressed into my skin until it hurt. I looked at the spear one of the guards near me was holding – and I had an idea.

I slammed the side of my body into the guard, sending him sprawling. I grabbed his spear and started to run. I heard the six ponies and Celestia gasp, but I was already sprinting for the hallway.

"It's escaping, stop it!" a gruff voice said. I heard the thunder of hooves and the ringing of magic behind me. I rubbed the ropes as quickly as I could against the spear tip until the ropes finally came undone. Suddenly, my xokak glowed again. A door opened…and I saw someone very familiar in the doorway.

"Galaxy?" I said out loud. Galaxy started gesturing wildly with her hooves to come inside. I ran in and shut the door behind me.

It looked like a bedroom. The air was strangely intoxicating, smelling faintly of flowers and something sweet. Lanterns hung on the ceiling. More stained glass windows cast pale blue light into the room. Another set of doors were ajar, leading to a balcony. A large bed sat at the left, partly hidden by some drapes. Beside the bed, I saw my bow and quiver.

Galaxy ran towards me. "Your Highness, are you alright?" she asked.

It took a few seconds to answer. "I'm fine," I said. Galaxy still looked the same – she still had her pink and purple coat and her striped mane – but she was also translucent, like Spirit Woman, and her voice also sounded hollow. Could she be…?

"Galaxy…are you a –" I began, but Galaxy finished for me.

"Spirit?" she said, her voice echoing throughout the room. "Yes, Your Highness, I am."

"But…if you're dead–" Just then, the door swung open.

"There it is!" one of the guards said.

Galaxy gave me a look that clearly said, "Run." There was so much I wanted to ask her about what happened when I was stone – but she was right. I looked back at the balcony. All of a sudden, I knew what to do.

I surged forward and took my bow and quiver. Then, Iran over to the balcony, grabbed the balcony railing with my left hand, and flung my legs over, throwing myself out. I fell into a large bush that thankfully had no thorns. I was about to rush forward when I saw two Pegasus Guards marching in front of me. I shot back into the bush.

I had to get to out of here. But how?

Then, I heard voices from ahead. My bow and the strap of my quiver in hand, I crawled through the bush toward the voices and pried apart the leaves to make a small hole.

It was Celestia and the six ponies with the Elements, and also a unicorn with a tan coat and a light brown mane. The only one I didn't see was that black-feathered griffon. The ponies were all staring down beyond a rocky ledge. They all looked very upset.

"No, Ponyville!" Twilight said.

Celestia whirled on the tan unicorn. "Kibitz, send for me my armor! Gather all of the Royal Guard!" All of the ponies ran off. What did they see?

I heard something fluttering above me. I felt something grab the back of my tunic and hoist me up. I whirled around, expecting to see a pony guard – bit instead, I saw a large bird with bright red and yellow feathers.

A phoenix, I thought. I looked down at my phoenixxokak, and then back at the bird right in front of me. All of a sudden, I heard a feminine voice in my head: Come with me, quickly.

"Who said that?" I asked aloud.

The phoenix looked right into my eyes. I did.

I stared at the phoenix. "Are you talking to me?" I said. I knew it was ridiculous.

Yes, I am.

I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing. "But how?"

I'm sorry, but I can't explain. Come on!The phoenix flew off. I don't know why, but something made me want to follow the phoenix. I saw no more guards, so I ran after the phoenix, trying to slip on my quiver and bow.

The phoenix led me under a tower by the rocky ledge where Celestia and the ponies with the Elements were before. The phoenix disappeared around the tower.

Then, I heard a voice say, "Thank thee, Philomena." What I saw next almost stopped my heart – I saw another alicorn – the same alicorn in the painting. The phoenix was hovering beside her.

Her horn glowed. I tensed and prepared to run.

"Wait!" the alicorn said, in perfect Tonamec. "I don't want to harm you." She looked at my wounded arm. She gasped and said, "What happened to your arm? Let me heal those wounds." Something about her made me think she was truthful.

She stepped forward and put her horn on the gash wounds. I felt sensations of hot and cold rush over them, and when I looked back, the wounds were gone – there weren't even scars. Why was she helping me? "Thank you," was all could think of to say.

The alicorn looked around, like she was trying to make sure no one was hearing us. She looked at me. "Why are your people attacking Ponyville?" she asked bluntly.

"What?" I said. The alicorn pointed down the rocky ledge. I looked over, and I stumbled back at what I saw.

It was a large village, and I recognized it instantly as Ponyville. Ponyville was one of the oldest Pony settlements – and often the target of raids and attacks. Now, the entire town was in chaos. I saw houses and buildings in flames. Tonamec warriors and Pegasus Guards fought in the streets, while other ponies ran or flew for cover. They must be looking for me, I thought. I had to stop this. But how could I get down there?

"They must be looking for me," I said automatically. They were attacking this village only because of me.

"Can you stop them?" the alicorn asked.

"I think I can."

"Then come with me. We need to get you out of Canterlot before my sister returns."

"Your sister?" The alicorn didn't respond, but she held out her hoof to me.

"Take my hoof." I hesitated for a second, and then I took her hoof. The world around me dissipated into bright white light.

Note: I don't own Galaxy – she's actually from G1, so all rights go to Hasbro, Marvel Productions, Sunbow Productions, and Jay Bacal (the creative director of the G1 My Little Pony show).