A Step Backwards

The Town

It had been a day since she had heard the news, finally after years of waiting she would finally be able to visit. Ponyville, the place Rainbow Dash and her friends had called home for many years, a place that was talked about often, usually with smiling faces. Symphony could not wait to go, finally she would be able to see it with her own eyes. She loved her beautiful city but it was time for a change of scenery.

The thick ocean breeze pushes against her hair, making it come loose from its braid. She turns around to see June waiting for her. She had been bonded with the dragon June for almost eight years now, they barely left eachothers side.
"Are you ready"? She asks
"As il ever be" Symphony gets onto June's scaley back and prepares for take of.
The wind rushes behind Symphony as June propelled herself into the air.
This was the first time they had left the island in three years...
It was going to be a long flight
.
.
.
A few hours had passed since they had descended to the ground and not one pony was there to great them.

"That's so strange, I thought Twilight had said that she arranged for a pony to meet us" Symphony said to June.

"And by the looks of it, it doesn't seem like anyone is here at all" June surveyed the large open street, not a pony in sight.

It was a stormy day, thick black clouds were begining to gather around the horizon. Both Symphony and June were glad they managed to land before the the rain had begun.

"Maybe we should get inside, Twilight said that we should stay in her old castle, apparently Starlight Glimmer lives there now" Symphony said, worriedly looking at the sky.

"Twilight promised us clear sky's and sunshine, the Pegasus ponies are supposed to control the weather here aren't they?" Asked June

"Certainly no pony is up there now" Still not looking down from the sky, Symphony begins to walk towards the town square, June trailing behind her.
What looked like a town hall stood in the center of the town, it was falling apart in some places and half of the roof locked like it was caved in.
What was even stranger was that no lights were on in any of the house windows and it was nearly night time.
Something was definitely wrong, Symphony could feel it. She knew June felt the same thing.
"I think we might need to leave, we are too out in the open, and I.. think someone is here with us" Symphony said in a hushed voice.
"Out in the open? I am a dragon, how can anything scare me?!"
June said confidently.
"Look it's kinda getting dark anyway, we should find the castle Twilight was talking about. Symphony suggested.
.
The structure felt so near but it felt like they were walking for ever. Symphony felt cold and worried, this was not how her mother had described Ponyville...there was supposed to be a friend in every corner, a smiling face of a filly, ponies dancing to a jolly song...
But no, a cloudy sky, a vacant town, and what sounded like whispers coming from every direction...
Even though June didn't want to admit it, she herself felt deeply anxious.
And so they arrived at the castle, which seemed to be the only intact structure in the whole town.
Though the paint and pieces were faded and scratched, Symphony could
See Twilight happily living here with Spike.
June pushed open with her dragon paw, a narrow hallway extended as far as the naked eye could see... Not a blink of light, though the place did not look abandoned, as Symphony stepped inside she could see that the star shaped decorative pieces on the wall did not have a single speck of dust on them. "Who ever lives in here, must like to keep Twilights old stuff clean" Symphony noted.
June managed to fit though the door of the castle then narrowed her eyes.
"Why has no pony tried to greet us yet"? I would assume that a message from Princess Twilight would not be ignored"

"Maybe they are just scared...Starlight is supposed to live here right"?
Symphony began to walk down the long damp hallway looking for any sign of life or welcome, the only light coming from the small fire June was blowing from her maw.

Soon Symphony and June stumble across the throne from. An eerie glow came from a table with a map on it.
Now the only light in the quiet darkness.
"Starlight"? Symphony called out
"Is anypony here"?!
Nor June or Symphony noticed the glowing of a candle on the far side of the room. It had a faint glow, with a purple and pink tint in the flame.
"I think it's time to go to bed" June suggested, exhausted from the day.
"I..I'm not sure..." Symphony trails of.
The light of the map fades out, leaving them in complete darkness...
"He..Hello"?

A filly giggles in the dark