The Fractured Light

Sunlight peeked across the dark blue surface of the North Luna Ocean, illuminating the vast waters with its glow as they breached the sands of a distant island. A new day had begun for Equestria, but the individual who lived on that island had started their day long before then. The sounds of paper fluttering to and fro within a dark cave at the base of a small mountain could be heard as the sun's rays made their way inside.

The cavern entrance was adorned with gems of various kinds, but their placement seemed to be aligned for a purpose. This purpose was revealed as soon as the beams came into contact with the gems. The light became amplified and shot into the darkness, the beams splitting and striking more of the crystals, brightening the entire cave within seconds.

The pony inside stopped to blink at the increased illumination. "It's morning already?" The young stallion said, his attention momentarily focused on the cave opening. The glow from a dozen hovering books that surrounded him like their own ornamentation revealed him to be a unicorn. His navy blue coat shimmered in the light that revealed a yellow sun surrounded by a black corona.

His golden mane trailed down one side of his head as it transitioned into black locks that rustled with his head movements. One long yellow bang stood alone as it draped down the center of his head, almost obscuring his deep sea blue eyes that darted rapidly as they scrolled each page with focused intensity.

"I guess my time is up for now. Might as well have some coffee before I go." He stated to himself as he walked about the large room as a nearby stove was filled with logs as flint was struck on its surface, igniting the wood as it crackled from the heat. A glass pot was placed upon the stove as water and coffee were poured into it as a wooden spoon stirred it steadily.

As the pony paced during his reading, his domicile was quite spacious with a large round wooden table piled with papers and books before a single cushioned chair. The walls were carved into a series of deep etchings as artificial bookshelves that were filled from end-to-end with reading material. The large room and its furnishings were of simple design, but not poorly made. The stone was skillfully cut as with a knife and buffed to a passable smoothness.

A mug was filled with the boiling liquid as the pony willed it towards his lips, not taking his eyes from the books. His face scrunched up as he briefly inspected the beverage. "Tastes a little weak." He glanced over at the bag and tipped it over as only a few stray crumbs pouring out.

"That's not going to work now is it?" The books were quickly stacked on the table. "Looks like I'll have to resupply as well." He stated as he walked through the opening to a small tunnel that the sunlight continued through to light his path.

Deeper within the cavern appeared to be his private quarters. The one place that was given a greater array of modern creature comforts such as a large bed, pillows, blankets, and lanterns. Upon it walls where pictures of family would normally hang were pictures of less reputable members of Equestria. Nightmare Moon, Discord, Sombra, Queen Chrysalis, Tirek, and the Storm King being the more prominent displays, all surrounded by various notes and details of each and every one of them.

"Six of the most dangerous beings in all the land. Each with the power to take over all of Equestria on their own and yet all failed, all defeated. All losses attributed by the magic of friendship or as a consequence of it in some manner. All of them connected by that common thread, aside from general hubris." The stallion's thoughts spoken out loud as his mind continued to break down the knowledge he had obtained about these incidents.

"Speaking of connections. Are those six ponies really the only ones that can harness such power and protect Equestria from such threats…? Even if that were true, to always rely on a single trump card will inevitably become a dependency. Therein lies its weakness. Remove even one of them from the equation and everything would crumble like a house of cards. A fact that's not thrilling to think about."

The pony placed a pair of bags on his back and checked its contents. "Well, time to head back to Vanhoover. The museum isn't going to take care of itself." He said to himself as he exited the cave to be greeted by the fresh ocean air and sounds of the waves crashing against the beach. "But before I do."

He looked towards a nearby large boulder that was at least 20 feet across. He focused his eyes on the stone and with a bit of concentration, a beam of magic shot from his horn. The energy struck the rock's surface and in seconds, a life-size statue of a centaur stood before him. Its construction was quite detailed with its intimidating sneer and long curved horns. A well made symbol of evil.

"Hello Tirek." The unicorn's face briefly twisted into a growl as the end of his horn burned with a ball of light as he fired another beam which caused the statue to explode into charred rubble. "Goodbye Tirek." A cathartic sigh escaped his lips. "Now that target practice is over..." He chuckled as he turned back towards the rising sun as he stared at the wide berth of water before him.

"How about a little Aqueus Ambulare?" His hooves glowed with magic as he trotted among the waves like it was solid earth, his steps making small ripples as he did.

XXXXX

The sun was at his back by the time he had reached Vanhoover, lanterns were lit and the sounds of laughter and banter filled the air. He noticed the town was decorated for a festival of some sort as banners, streamers, and balloons filled the streets. Food vendors stood at every corner, calling out to possible patrons to try their various treats and the like.

"You sir, welcome to Vanhoover! Could I interest you in some VGQ?" An older brown male with a sizzling celery stalk cutie mark asked as he waved a hoof towards a row of kebabs that consisted of sliced tomatoes, dried peppers, bulb onions and celery that were cooked on a grill.

The aroma was quite alluring as the pony hadn't eaten since he left, in which his stomach rumbled in response. "I'm afraid that you have me at a disadvantage with your cooking skills." He commented. "How much?"

"2 bits." The salespony quickly answered.

"A bit pricy, don't you think?" The blue pony said with some hesitation about the purchase.

"Normally, I would agree with you, but it is the Vanhoover Harvest Festival before the 'Running of the Leaves'. So practically everything is more expensive than usual." The pony leaned over to reel his potential customer in. "And FYI, I do grow these ingredients by hoof with all of the pride and love a pony could give to his farm all the way from Fillydelphia. Not to mention that I delivered it just this morning so I can guarantee their freshness and quality. Trust me, I do this for a livin'." He grinned confidently.

After a brief moment, the pony relented. "If the food is as good as your sales technique, I might go my whole life regretting to sample your dish." The stallion pulled out a pouch and tossed the coins over.

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" The salespony crowed with success as he grabbed a kebab. "Any dressing?"

"Surprise me."

The pony nodded as he drizzled some creamy liquid on the vegetables. "Enjoy." He said as the pony grasped the kebab magically.

"Thanks…uh?"

"Celery Salary."

"Yeah. Got it. So what brings you all the way from Fillydelphia? I'm sure your business would fare better without having to make the trip here?" The pony asked.

"It's called 'Business expansion'. Fillydelphia is a fine place to sale my produce, but my business won't grow unless I share it with the rest of Equestria. Know what I mean?"

The pony nodded in agreement. "Makes sense. Well I wish you the best of luck."

"Have a good evening. Don't forget… VGQ."

"Got it." The pony said as he walked down the street and talking a bite. Much to his surprise, the roasting aspect created a unique flavor and texture to the vegetables that was well complemented by the dressing that he guessed was ranch. "He wasn't kidding. This is really good."

Seeing as it was a festival, there was a lot of activity, so he made his way towards the center of town and sat on a nearby bench as he finished his kebab, reading some books he carried with him to pass the time.

"Hey!" Shouted a voice, to which the pony didn't respond. Given the lively environment, he didn't think the voice was directed at him.

"Hey!" The voice was louder, still he didn't react.

"HEY!" The voice blasting right in his ear, causing the pony to literally shoot into the air about 50 feet, leaving his book on the ground.

"Wha-wha-what?" His eyes spied an upside-down mare pegasus with a cyan coat and light pink mane in a punk hairdo with jagged cuts and a patch of thick clouds for a cutie mark.

"Hey Sunny, whatcha doing up there?" She called teasingly.

"Cream Cloud, stop doing that! You know I can be jumpy when someone sneaks up on me." He scolded, having used his magic to keep himself airborne. "And it's Midnight Sun. Why give me such a silly nickname in the first place?"

The mare giggled at his predicament. "Because it's fun." Cream spread her wings as she came up to his level and turned him right-side up. "Besides, it's not often that you come out of hiding as the resident librarian. So did you run out of coffee again?"

"That's curator, need I remind you and it's a museum, not a library. It's just that most of what I curate are books since they do require more care than most items of antiquity. By the way, how'd you guess?" He answered as they both returned to the ground as she helped him pick up his belongings.

"Because you're predictable. When you're not working, you're always gone on your weekend trips and only come around when you need supplies. Right?" She said as they both began walking.

Midnight chuckled a bit. "You got me there. Plus, winter is just around the corner. So I had better stock up a bit more than normal to last me long enough. Unless you can buy me a few more days. You being a weather pony and all. Please." He clapped his hooves together as if he were begging.

"Sorry, we have to remain on schedule." Cream immediately shot down his request. "The animals have to start getting ready for hibernation after the 'Running of the Leaves' and we have to organize all of the snowclouds for winter. It's gonna be busy enough as it is."

"Can't blame a pony for trying." He shrugged in defeat. "So is there any work going on? I'm sure the festival could use an extra pair of hooves."

"You're a strange one. You know that. You practically live in the library or you'll mysteriously disappear for days on end and yet you'll do anything anyone asks of you. It's like you're some kind of helper hermit or something."

"That's museum." He corrected, very annoyed. "Besides, I'm just trying to be useful around here. So I guess 'Helper Hermit' is not completely untrue." He replied. "So does anything come to mind?"

Cream Cloud used her wing in a hand-like fashion, cupping her chin in thought. "Hmmm, well I'm helping the mayor decorate the Town Hall. I'm sure he'd appreciate the extra help."

"Sounds good to me. Lead the way"

XXXXX

The last few decorations were set up as well as a large stage that wasn't completely constructed. Midnight Sun having used his telekinesis to hold multiple boards and poles while other ponies hammered them in place.

"Thanks for the assistance, Midnight. You've always been a big help whenever you show up." Said an older portly light brown stallion with a mustache

"No problem, Mayor. Luckily, Cream Cloud was kind enough to let me know about your problem."

The older pony smiled as he looked over at the Pegasus who was tying up some banners on the stage. "Yep, she's got a keen eye for such things. Things would be a whole lot more difficult without her." The mayor turned his attention back to the stallion. "So what brings you out of the museum? Run out of coffee again?"

"I'm surprised you remembered. Well I do prefer to keep to myself when I'm not working. It's just how I am." Midnight answered.

"Well you and Cream Cloud seem to get along famously?"

"Well, it was more like she wore me down until I finally accepted her friendship. She wouldn't take no for an answer." Midnight let out a huff of exasperation.

"She is persistent when she sets her mind on something. But while you're here, the fireworks could use a bit of a boost. You're an avid book-reader, Midnight. That must mean you're pretty good with magic, don't it?"

Midnight Sun gave a curt nod in acknowledgement. "I've been known to dabble in it."

This got the two to laugh for a moment before a mailpony trotted up. "Letter for Midnight Sun."

"For me? At this hour? Must be important if they didn't want to leave it at the museum" He took the letter from the mailpony.

"I was just told to get this to a pony matching your description. Have a good night." He said before trotting off.

"Odd indeed, the mail doesn't even run at night." The mayor chimed in curiously.

"What's going on over here?" Cream Cloud said, fluttering just over their head to get a better look as Midnight Sun opened it.

THE KNOWLEDGE YOU SEEK CAN BE FOUND AT THE CASTLE OF THE TWO SISTERS

BE THERE AT MIDNIGHT AFTER THE RUNNING OF THE LEAVES

"That's not weird at all." Cream chimed in. "Who's it from and why do they want you to go to those ruins?" She asked, stealing a peek. "Maybe it's from a secret admirer."

"I highly doubt that. Probably a prank of some sort. You know, like chain mail." Midnight Sun said, rolling it up and placing it in his satchel.

"Could be. The Castle of the Two Sisters is quite a ways from Vanhoover. Should you believe whatever this strangely written letter means anyway, it would take a day by train to get to Ponyville and the 'Running of the Leaves' starts in only a few days." She informed.

"Yep, it's like I'm not supposed to have a lot of time to make a decision." He added. "Well it would be a nice change of pace. Even if it is just a prank." He laughed it off. "So about those fireworks?"

"Oh yes, a few other unicorns have graciously offered their skills to help. They'll be on the port side of town." The mayor pointed with his hoof.

"Thanks, I'll head over then. Catch you after the show, Cream Cloud." He said as he headed in that direction.

"Sure, make them as big as you can, Sunny." She yelled after him, waving.

"Oh don't worry about that."

As soon as he got some distance, Midnight pulled out the letter and read it again. "Whoever wrote this knows more about me than I know about them and I don't like that." His eyes glowed green as a dark mist flowed from them, his face cast in shadow. "And if they take me for an easy target." The letter was crushed into nonexistence by his magic. "I'll make them regret it."

XXXXX

A/N

Another letter for another pony. Why these ponies and for reason are they being called?