(A/N: Warning, MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF STORY INCOMIIIING)

~~~~~The Ki-Lin Kingdoms~~~~~

Down into the earth, Celestia and Luna tread slowly step by ancient step. Strange oil lanterns lit the way for them as they walked, fifty flights of stairs down. When they emerged from these steps, they found themselves in a small cave - carved just large enough that they could stand inside it comfortably. There, they found a door. A very familiar looking door - one that Celestia did not even need think to recognize.

Six geometric shapes in various shades of violet, with six gold circles and a golden star set into the center. There was even a little hole - right where the magical lock would have been situated in the same door back in Canterlot. The two sisters stared at it for a moment, and then Celestia slowly shook her head. "Impossible." She whispered, pressing her gold glad hoof to the door. "It's... well, not exactly the same, but close enough as not to matter." Celestia shook her head again, lowering her hoof. "The magic is nearly identical, and that scares me more than any minute detail possible could. Luna?"

Luna stepped up and touched the door herself, eyes half lidded in concentration. "There is a hallway beyond this door. It goes on for some distance, but eventually comes to a hidden exit at the surface. I do not think we are meant to tarry here once we have seen what lies beyond." Luna removed her hoof and nodded. "I sense no hidden motives. This door was sealed so only one of us could enter."

Celestia expelled a breath and leaned down her head - she pressed her horn to the hole and drove it in slowly, then flooded it with the complex key magic that triggered the lock and then withdrew her horn. The six golden circles slowly lit up one by one with radiant power, bathing the sisters in warmth and light. Luna flinched away just a little, but Celestia simply smiled at the sight - until all six circles were lit and the doors slowly parted before them, grinding as though on ancient gears.

A pitch dark hallway stood ahead of them, and for a moment neither sister moved. Celestia lifted her hoof and set it past the doorway, and a single torch lit in response. It had been placed behind a sphere of glass filled with water - projecting the light onto the far wall of the hallway - into which had been carved a mural made of hundreds of colors of stone and gems, gold, silver and steel alike. The first image was of the planet itself, twinkling with sapphires and emeralds in a vast sea of ebony stone. Luna felt her jaw drop a little in awe, as the two of them came to regard the image.

Suddenly, a soft feminine voice began to speak - it sounded like an old woman, but there was remarkable power and strength in that voice. "Long, long ago. Before ponies. Before griffons. Before the White Hart himself. The world was a quiet paradise of the simpler creatures - they were born, they lived, they died, and the cycle continued. In this paradise, a being of immense power lived amongst the simple creatures of the world, watching over them." The voice slowly trailed off and silence fell.

Celestia and Luna looked at one another and nodded, continuing down the hall. The torch behind them faded, as the next torch lit up slowly and the voice began again. "This being walked the world alone, and shaped it to its pleasing. It raised mountains and dug rivers with but the will of its mind, but still it was not satisfied. No matter how beautiful it shaped the world, only it ever saw it - could ever appreciate it. In its despair, it decided that it no longer wished to be alone, and so it created another."

The light shone upon an image of a strange bipedal being with a luxurious red mane and slender pale limbs, sitting amidst beautifully carved trees and jewel like birds - then directly beneath it a figure much like the one above it, yet her skin was as dark as the night, and her mane was a field of pale blue. "And so it created a new being that was like, yet unlike itself. It had no name for itself, and so it named this creature its Shadow. And the one, became two." The voice whispered.

The sisters continued walking, having fallen silent at the tale being presented to them. A new torch began to shine, showing the two figures extending out their limbs and projecting some kind of glittering magical power in the form of gemstones onto many creatures - who were being transformed. "The Shadow told the Being that its world was beautiful, but that it could be made even more so if there were more creatures to enjoy it. The Being considered all the many creatures in its world, and agreed that if these creatures could think and speak, perhaps they could make things of beauty of their own." The torch suddenly shone brightly, and the image upon the wall changed as lesser gems glittered to life - showing griffons, ponies, and all manner of other creatures suddenly grown from their lesser forms. "And so the first races of the world were given sentience, Intelligence - and soon thereafter, the gift of Knowledge so that they might create beauty and also be able to appreciate it."

The next image showed the pale limbed being with the red mane slowly lifting up into the sky from the ground, as a crowd of little ponies watched it in awe. The voice spoke again, sounding infinitely sad. "At last satisfied that its work would be appreciated for all of time, the Being departed the world for other realms far beyond this one. Yet before it left, it felt a debt to its Shadow, which it thought would cease to exist without its presence. And so it gave the shadow a Name - so that it might become its own Being, and go on to create beautiful works of its own, perhaps in other realms... and it called this shadow Umbra." The last word was whispered, and a rush of cold air blasted through the hallway, sending chills down the spines of the two sisters.

Silence descended upon the hall like a hammer, and the light of the torches went out with a snuff. Luna and Celestia shivered in the darkness for a time, until the next torch lit dimly in front of them - promising warmth and more knowledge. The two of them walked slowly into the pool of light and felt the shiver of cold banished from their bodies. As they approached it, several more torches began to light up - showing an extended image along a vast section of wall. "Many thousands of years passed. The Intelligent Races would go on to build their own societies, then kingdoms, and then Empires. Many rose. Many fell. Creatures were born, they lived and they died, and the cycle continued. For a time, all was as it was supposed to be." The first images in the walls were of ponies, griffons, and other races battling, building and living out their lives in miniature winking jewels and stone.

The next images were more disturbing, showing those same creatures being perverted into other creatures - Griffons into manticores, ponies into changelings, donkeys into minotaur’s and many others - illustrated in gruesome, unflinching detail upon the stone of the walls. There was blood in the form of glittering rubies, and dark shadows that looked like they had been applied to the wall through use of smoke. The voice spoke up again, still sounding so sad. "But the Shadow that had been left behind did not rest. It wished to make its own stamp upon the world. It believed that the world belonged to it as sure as it had belonged to the Being. They were, after all, the same creature. So it took the many intelligent races the Being had created, and forced it to create, and warped them into new things. It twisted them, changed them, and once it was pleased with the result - it flung them into the wild to see what they would do. But this did not satisfy it for long..."

The next image was dominated by a shadowy mass that looked like it was made of naught but smoke upon sandstone - with two glittering emeralds for eyes. It hung over hundreds of carved figures of the races, each of them wrapped up with one another in some obscene sexual manner. Every kink was on display, and there were no exceptions for age - young or old - or for species. Each creature was bound at the neck with a tiny string of silvery wire that ran taut up into the black shadow and vanished into it. The voice spoke again, gently. "The Shadow sought to make the world as it thought it should be. It began to spread its influence across all the races of the world For a time, it was thought that no power could oppose its will... Until the White Hart came."

The next image was of a forested glen - Beautiful, massive redwood trees with glittering emerald leaves surrounded a single figure carved out of pure alabaster - a beautifully proportioned white deer stag with a massive rack of golden horns. All around his hooves, dozens upon dozens of lesser deer stood clad in glittering red armor, made to look like some kind of scales. The voice's tone picked up - now warm, confident. "He was pure of heart in a way the Shadow had never seen before. He could not be touched by its dark influence, no matter what trick or trap the Shadow set before it. For years, the Shadow tried in vain to corrupt him, became obsessed by him - Just as the Hart had planned. For while the Shadow pursued the Hart, his warriors traveled the land and helped the many creatures of the world cast off the Shadow's influence. When at last the world was safe from its touch, the hart sprung his final trap upon the Shadow..."

The forest glen turned into a single clearing, where a plinth of white stone held a book bound in black ebony. The Hart stood triumphantly over the book as the shadowy mass was sucked into its pages - its eyes showing naught but terror. "The Hart trapped the Shadow into the pages of the Black Book - and worse, it stole away the powers of Creation left to the Shadow by the Being. No longer could the shadow create new life, or new things - it could only pervert that which had already been created. And so the Hart hid the book away, far from mortal eyes. But time can dim the memory of even the greatest terror, and the Shadow was nothing if not patient." The image of the clearing faded away into blank stone for several paces before resuming a picture.

"Many times..." The voice whispered, as if incredibly tired. "Many times was the shadow released, only to be forced back into the book. For nearly ten thousand years, a silent war was waged against it - The Shadow would offer its power to a desperate creature, and would surge forth to try and seize the world for its own. And every time, a new hero would emerge to beat it back into the book which had been its prison."

Many images followed, each with but a single line of dialogue. "Its influence felled the First Griffon Empire in a torrent of flame and war, only to be thwarted at the last by Hawkwing Ceasar who founded the Second Empire upon the ashes." The next image was of a barrel chested griffon with hawk-like markings and colors, clad in a suit of bronze armor and apparently slaying a shadow creature with a glowing spear. "It sought to dominate the underground empire of the Diamond Dogs, only to be crushed by the Great Barkus Khan's Horde." This image was of a leather armor clad dog, bearing one of the legendary crossbows of their earliest empires and standing with one paw firmly upon a black book ensnared in chains. "Even amongst the zebra tribes in faraway lands, The shadow found itself silenced by the battle chants of the Shaman Lahela." The last was the picture of a female zebra, a fierce grin on her face as she stuffed the shadow creature back into the book with her stave.

The images then turned once again to a black book laying upon a white pedestal, but this time a pony stood before it - wearing a pointed blue wizard's hat and a long cloak. "And then something the shadow did not expect happened... It came into the hooves of a powerful wizard. Even more incredibly, that wizard had no desire for the power of the book itself - only the knowledge he could extract from it.." The next image upon the wall was that of a yellow-coated unicorn pony with a scraggly and curled beard upon his chin and a snow white mane, sitting across from a small shadowy figure that stood upon the book. "For the first time in millennium, the Shadow found itself speaking to one it regarded as an intellectual equal. One who was far too canny to accept its offers of power or influence. One that called himself..."

"Star Swirl the bearded." Whispered Celestia, a bright light igniting behind her eyes. Their steps had come to a stop before that image - for the carvers had gotten him precisely right. Celestia could see that hint of good humor in his shining ruby eyes, that little twitch of an ironic smile upon his lips. Every wisp of his beard was correct, and for a moment she felt an ache in her heart she had thought long since scabbed over. "My teacher." She said quietly again, until Luna nudged her with a hoof and Celestia looked up into her sisters eyes to see the brightness of unshed tears there. "Our teacher." She corrected, smiling gently at Luna.

They stood there for a few long moments, drinking in every inch of the carved image upon the wall. "He would have hated this." Quipped Luna, a saucy smile on her face despite the silvery tears travelling down her cheeks. "He always hated things like this. Said they were pointless and silly. For unicorns who were all hat and no horn." She giggled softly, and Celestia found herself giggling with her. Luna brushed away the tears with her hoof. "I miss him so."

Celestia hugged Luna briefly. "I miss him as well, little sister. Come. There is more tale to learn here." Luna nodded and stood up, following her sister to the next image - an image of three ponies gathered around a single flaming heart that hung above their heads - joy carved into their faces and eyes as they warmed their hooves at the fire. "Hearths Warming Eve!" Proclaimed Celestia in a startled voice, and Luna nodded slowly. She knew this part of the tale, but how did the Shadow relate to this joyous event?

Luna too looked confused, as their eyes scanned over the image. "Sister." whispered Luna - pointing up - for there upon the scene, on a far ridge stood a pony wreathed in smoky darkness, his body carved out of a single piece of black agate, and he held in his hooves a black book. Celestia's eyes went wide and Luna said what she was thinking. "Tantalus."

The voice all around them began to speak again, this time in far more saddened, weary tones. "Canny though he may have been, Star Swirl faced a terrible choice. To allow all of ponydom to die beneath the ice of the Windigos, or release Umbra upon the world once again. He chose for life, and placed his wager on a young colt named Cabbage Leaf. Star Swirl gambled correctly - and all of the pony tribes were saved from obliteration. Even more, Star Swirl was able to hedge Umbra inside the Everfree forest, and grant the world time to find a way to beat the Shadow once again."

The scene of Hearths Warming slowly transitioned to blank stone for several long yards...until it came to an image of an old female unicorn, wearing a rich blue cloak fastened with the royal seal of Canterlot upon it. She was sitting at a small writing desk, where a quill inscribed glowing words into a gem. The voice spoke up again. "It has been so very long since my master and I set out to find the way. We have given so much to this task, and our time runs short. Yet in the end, we have ensured that the future will have a chance at victory - even if I myself will never see that day."

There was a pause, and the voice spoke softly "Celestia..." Both sisters jumped in place, their eyes gone wide. "I do not know what your future will bring upon you - only that you will see this message, and hear my voice echoing across the ages. There is so much I would tell you, so much I would say to you - but so much of it would endanger all we have worked so hard to achieve. So to you, I can say only this. At the end of this hallway is a door, that leads out to a plain above the mansion. From there, travel to the north-west and you will find a thick, dense forest. Within the deepest part of the forest, you will find a temple carved from naught but obsidian inlaid with silver. Within that temple you will find the statue of a hooded pony."

The voice cleared its throat, and Celestia wondered how on earth that had gotten into the enchantment that was speaking to them. "You will discover that pony is not truly a statue, but a being turned to stone by the gaze of a very special cockatrice. The entire temple has been designed to allow you to reverse the effects with a special healing spell built into the stone itself - returning that pony to animate life without any ill effects. It will require a truly prodigious amount of power to make work, so I can but hope that Luna will be with you when the time comes." Silence followed, and the voice spoke softly and in a voice filled with powerful emotions. "That pony is our only hope for victory over the Shadow, if what I have foreseen is truly coming to pass. You will understand why, when that pony is returned to life. Celestia, I..."

The voice broke for a moment, like sobs being held back, and a deep shuddering breath followed. The voice continued to speak, as though it were speaking through long withheld tears. "I wish I could see you now. I wish I could see you and Luna one more time, and talk about all the craziness we used to get into together. I wish I was the one who would be meeting you at that temple. I wish I had been strong enough to join you two as an Alicorn, so that we might never have had to part." The voice stopped and then spoke in a quiet, logical voice - that Celestia began to recognize, her eyes widening in disbelief. "But now I am too old to even try the spells of life lengthening, having spent my lifetime ensuring that the future might be protected against the sins of the past. Now I must face my end with the dignity and courage that you would have expected of me. and use this little time I have left to say the words I could not when I was younger."

The voice spoke softly then, thick with emotion and pain - but also joy, and laughter. It was a voice Celestia knew all too well, now that she realized it. "I loved you, Celly. And I loved you too, Lulu. I always did, and I always will - now, and forever. Even if I never had the courage to say it to your faces. It is my deepest, fondest hope that when you get this - You will understand why I could not." said Clover the Clever, her sassy voice still distinctive in her old age.

The voice continued, now tired and weary. "My time grows short, and you two have a world to save. Good bye my dearest friends, and good luck. May you walk with Harmony, and the love of your friends."

The voice slowly died away, and Celestia reached up to touch the aged unicorn's carving, speaking softly - even though the aged pony could not hear her. "I loved you too, Clover. May you rest with the peace of harmony upon your soul."

Luna placed her hoof next to Celestia's, and the two of them held each other with their other hooves as she spoke, intoning her words like a prayer. "And may we all meet again one day, in the clearing at the end of the path."

~~~~~~~~~~

The ancient stone door rolled open at the touch of Celestia's magic - and the two Alicorns strode out onto the grassy plain above the mansion. A wind gusted at them, directing them towards the northeast as if fate itself wished to speed them along their way. Yet they did not take to the skies yet, allowing the gusty breeze to dry away the tears that had streamed down their faces. "Will you come back?" Asked a small female voice, and both of them turned to see the little Ki-Lin filly clambering up out of the exit to the tunnel. She gently tapped her hooves nervously together. "I mean, if you wanted to we could make tempura and play Go or somethin'..."

Luna turned to smile broadly at the little filly, and Celestia gave off a soft laugh. Out here, so isolated - it was no wonder the little filly wanted company - even if she thought that company was a pair of goddesses. Luna trotted over and knelt down, whispering softly. "I do not know if we will be able to, little Star. But I will come to your dreams tonight, and you can teach me this game." She promised, giving the little filly a wink. "And if the day comes when we can return, we shall do so. I give you my word."

The filly giggled brightly and threw her hooves around Luna's neck, hugging her tight. "Thank you Tsukuyomi..." she whispered softly. "Good luck." She said quietly, solemnly to them both. Luna bowed her head deeply to the child and flared out her wings and swept herself up into the skies on a trail of moonlight and sparkling stars. The little filly watched in awe as Luna ascended up into the clouds and soared towards the north. Celestia smirked a little and did the same. Showoff. she thought, and then grinned as the two parents emerged from the exit - only to see a brilliant ray of sun break through a covering cloud to shine down upon Celestia's form as she swept herself up and into the sky in a burst of rainbow light and sparkling sun motes - which Twinkle Star ran about trying to catch in her hooves.

Within moments she had caught up to Luna in the air, and took up position upon her wing. I am so very close, now. Twilight - my dearest child... Please hold on to yourself for a little while longer. She could not fail her now. Would not fail her now. Not when she was so very, very close.

Author's Notes:

Hey! Who wants a bonus chapter today! You guys? YOU GOT ONE!

Also - the scene with Clover has been a very very long time coming, and it got me all teary eyed and choked up.