//------------------------------//
// Vagabond 
// Story: Quoth the Raven 
// by midworld1999 
//------------------------------//

	This is a song about innocence lost.





The Golden Oaks Library rested in comfortable silence beneath the Huntress Moon. The day had been productive for its three occupants; Twilight, Spike, and Owlowiscious had spent the majority of it reshelving all the books in the place, as well as cataloging new books donated from the Canterlot Central Branch and individual donations from around town.

The hollowed tree's residents had unanimously decided to take the night off, and each lay relaxed around the library, engrossed in a book. Owlowiscious was examining a birdwatcher's manual, focusing primarily on the nocturnal section. Spike was enjoying a comicbook about "Apocalypse Cowponies". Twilight had a stack of freshly donated history textbooks at her side, her face buried in a particularly large one.

She lay propped up on her favorite pillow, the current book in her hooves eliciting a slight frown. The book in question concerned diplomatic endeavors preceding and leading up to the end of the Griffo-Equine wars. The frown was caused by a series of events that didn't seem to make any sense.

In the years preceding the war, Clover the Clever had been the primary diplomat on Equestria's behalf, making several successful visits to several of the then-young Equestria's border states. But about seven years before the wars began, she suddenly ceased her visits to the Griffon Empire. Friendly negotiations turned sour with the Griffon Empire following her absence, an absence for which the book gave only a flimsy explanation. Perhaps if she sent a note to Princess Celestia requesting some of Clover's old journals she could--

An obnoxious burp derailed her train of thought, followed by a yelp of surprise from Spike. Twilight glanced over as her assistant made his way to where she was sitting, a roll of parchment in claw.

"You got a letter," said Spike, laying the scroll before Twilight. He stifled an incoming yawn. "Kind of a weird time to send it though. It's" --he glanced at the clock-- "almost eleven. I'm usually in bed by then."

Twlight stood up and stretched, her legs sore from sitting so long. "Thank you for reminding me. You've had a long day and deserve some rest. Head on up. I'll come up myself in a few minutes. I just want to have a glance at this letter before I turn in."

Spike looked like he wanted to argue, then seemed to think better of it. "Alright, I'll see you in few then. Night."

"G'night."

Twilight watched as Spike ascended the stairs to their bedroom and turned away as the door shut. Her focus went back to letter currently gripped in her magic. Spike had been right about the letter's arrival. She couldn't remember the last time a message had been mailed this late.

Oh well, no harm done. She could even request the journals she wanted in her reply. She unrolled the parchment and began to read. The letter was short and to the point.

Twilight Sparkle- A new threat has presented itself to Equestria. The Elements of Harmony and yourself are required at Canterlot Castle as soon as possible. Chariots will arrive at the library at 0600. Be ready for pick-up with the Elements at said time. Do not allow anypony outside the Elements or your courier access to this information. All will be explained upon your arrival.

As she read through the message, Twilight's frown deepened. This was not good news, and the letter revealed that whatever crisis was at hoof had the potential to be more serious than any of the previous ones she and her friends had faced.

First off, it was not written by Celestia. That much was easy to see. It had been written on a typewriter instead of the calligraphy Celestia usually used. In addition the note had used military terminology and was incredibly formal, something Twilight had never read in any of her teacher's letters. Even when Discord had been rampaging the princess had taken the time to write out a letter. The fact that she had needed someone else to write her the letter set off alarm bells in Twilight's head.

In addition, emergencies necessitating the use of the Elements had also never required privacy of any kind. If anything, Celestia had encouraged the Elements' successes to be displayed for the public. She'd wanted everypony to see the example of friendship that she and her friends had set, not hide it. So why all of the sudden secrecy? What could be so dangerous or important that only a select few could know?

Oh well. Twilight supposed she and her friends would soon find out. She removed a few pieces of parchment from a nearby desk and scrawled a hasty letter on one of them, explaining what little she knew of the situation. She then cast a quick spell to transfer the message to the remaining papers. After sealing them all she turned upward to face her night-time assistant, his beak still buried in the ornithological guide.

"Owlowicious, can you come down here please?" Twilight asked. He glanced up from his book, then gazed back down at it longingly. With what looked like a sigh the owl fluttered down from his perch. "You can look at the owl chicks when you get back." Twilight hadn't thought it was possible for an owl to blush. Hmm. She'd have to note it later.

"Right now, I need you deliver these to my friends." Twilight handed her nocturnal friend the scrolls. "Don't leave until they've read through them. Especially Rainbow. She'll probably fall back asleep before she knows she's awake."

Owlowicious gave a quick salute. "Good," Twilight yawned. "Thanks for the help." With that, Owlowicious flew out the window on his errand.

Twilight yawned again. She wanted to get some rest, but needed to be ready for tomorrow morning. And knowing herself, she probably wouldn't get much sleep after reading that message. Instead of heading upstairs she buried her nose back in her history text. She didn't very far, though. Her mind continued to wander back to the letter...





Twilight paced to her window, glanced out, and paced back to the door. Why weren't her friends here yet?

Owlowicious had come back hours ago, his mission complete, with letters of reply from all her friends (even Rainbow). Each had responded that yes, they would be here by six, ready to be taken to Canterlot for whatever duties Celestia needed them for. But it was only ten minutes to six and still none of her friends had shown up.

Twilight moaned inwardly. What could possibly be holding them up?

She sighed and decided to go through her mental checklist (again) to pass the time.

1. Write note to Spike explaining where she was and what needed to be done this week (in case she was gone that long).

Check.

2. Pack small saddlebag of bare essentials for the trip.

Check.

3. Review relaxation techniques Cadence sent you.

Che-

She saw five figures approaching in the distance. Finally, there they were! And with only five minutes to spare! She grabbed her bag sitting by the door and galloped out to greet her friends.

"Hey girls, thanks for coming! I was starting to get worried when you didn't show up! What took you so l- oh."

Applejack and Rainbow Dash were struggling under colossal bags of luggage on their backs. Rarity was close behind carrying a dainty travel bag with her magic.

"Umm, Rarity needed some help with her traveling accessories, so Rainbow and Applejack volunteered to help. I... don't think they realized quite how much Rarity was bringing," Fluttershy offered, seeing Twilight's amazed expression.

"Rarity, why are you taking so much? You didn't need all of this stuff when we were going to take care of Discord," Twilight deadpanned.

"I know darling, and it was tragic! I didn't have time to gather up all of my things the last few times! We were shipped off to Canterlot so quickly, and with no warning! Since we were given a bit of prep time, I took the liberty of packing a lady's essentials!"

"The chariots aren't going to be able to fit all that. Sorry Rarity, but you'll have to leave them in the library. Spike will take care of them while we're gone."

"Must I?" Rarity moaned. "I have just the perfect little outfit picked out-"

"Yes."

"Oh, very well. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, would you be so kind as to-"

"I'll take care of it," said Twilight, cutting her off. As she levitated the bags into her home, Applejack and Rainbow Dash flashed her tired smiles of gratitude.

While she took care of the last of the bags, she heard Pinkie squeal in excitement. "Ooh, there they are! I can't wait to try out my new pinwheel. I got it imported from Saddle Arabia just for the occasion. Flying is just the perfect time to try out pinwheels! Don't you think Twilight?"

Twilight's first instinct was to ask how Pinkie had gotten a pinwheel imported when she'd just found out about the trip last night, but hastily quashed the thought. It was just Pinkie being Pinkie. She would probably just receive an incomprehensible response anyway. Instead Twilight sighed and nodded.

When the chariots arrived, the girls divided themselves into groups of two; Twilight and Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rainbow. Each pair got their own chariot. Once the mares were settled, the pegasi pulling the chariots took off.

In the distance, a silent figure watched the event from a rooftop. Once the chariots were out of sight, the pony clambered down a ladder and back to its home to send a message.





The flight to Canterlot was not an especially long one. Nonetheless, Twilight used the time to convey her feelings about the last night's strange note to Applejack. Out of all of her friends, Twilight felt she could be the most blunt about her feelings with Applejack, as demonstrated by her Element. Twilight could be completely honest around Applejack without a trace of self-consciousness regarding her concern of the letter.

"Considerin' all ya've told me Twilight, yer concerns seem justified. If the Princess normally sends a letter and couldn't afford to this time, it sure seems like somethin' mighty important is ahoof. It seems fishy, and I don't like it. Either way, I suppose we'll find out fer sure in a few minutes. We're almost there!"

Twilight turned to face front, and sure enough Canterlot was about five miles distant. The castle that usually seemed so welcoming had an out of place, ominous vibe today. As they passed into the palace's shadow, Twilight shivered.

Once they landed and dismounted the chariots, the Captain of the Guard came forward and greeted them. Since Shining Armor's departure for the Crystal Empire, a new Captain had been picked, one Twilight had not had the honor of meeting. Upon seeing him for the first time, two things surprised her.

First off, he was a pegasus. Pegasi hardly ever got to chosen as Captain; it was usually a spot reserved exclusively for unicorns. If he had gotten to be Captain without the normal unicorn status, there must be something about him they weren't seeing. He was extremely plain, with a dull brown coat and an unkempt black mane.

Which led to Twilight's second surprise; the Captain's extreme informality. He didn't have lick of clothing (let alone armor) on him and greeted them with a wave as opposed to a salute. Twilight should have felt insulted, but something about the big goofy grin on his face swayed her swift judgement.

"Top of the morning to you! What are you six be-youtiful mares doing up so early? Bit of an odd place to have a morning jog, don't ya think?"

Before Twilight could form an appropriate response, Pinkie replied with a matching enthusiasm.

"Heya Mr. New-Guy-I've-Never-Seen-Before! We're here for the 'We-Fought-A-Super-Powerful-Bad-Meanie-and-Now-They're-Gone-Party' tomorrow night. That's about when we should be done kicking their flank!"

"Mr. New-Guy" chuckled. "Oh, you must be Elements of Harmony! What an honor! Allow me introduce myself: I'm Lock Pick, the new Captain of the Guard. And if I do say so myself, the suavest gentlestallion on the block since Chico picked up that Mexican chick in The Magnificent Seven."

Pinkie blinked, taken back by how the stallion had somehow outmatched the weirdness of her response. "What?"

Lock Pick just grinned and replied, "Don't worry, just a little inside joke."

Twilight made up her mind to move things along. "Thank you for the introduction Mr. Pick. If you don't mind, I think we ought to be moving things along. We're supposed to see Princess Celestia, I belie-"

"Yes yes, of course! As a matter of fact, I'm your escort! Feel free to ask any questions along the way. I'll answer what I can, which isn't much. But in case you're not interested in the impending doom, I've been told I'm a great conversationalist!"





Lock Pick led the six down the ornate hallways of Canterlot castle, steering them toward Celestia's study.

While her friends and the Captain conversed ahead her, Twilight examined their guide more closely. One of the first things she looked at was his cutie mark, hoping it might provide some explanation for how he been chosen as Captain. Unfortunately, it wasn't very helpful. Just a red key next to a keyhole. It looked as if something could be viewed through the keyhole, but it was too far away to get a good look while still being discreet.

However, looking at his cutie mark did lead her another discovery. He wasn't completely without garb. Just above his cutie mark was some sort of pouch belted around his hind leg. It held a small, strange device that Twilight didn't recognize. As she examined her mental catalog for something useful in identifying the object, Rainbow fell back to talk to her.

"Hey Twilight, what's up?"

"Not much Rainbow, just trying to figure out what's up with our 'escort'. He seems like he could give Pinkie a run for her money in the random department."

"Yeah, he is a bit strange, but he seems nice enough. And by the sound of it, he's got a pretty impressive resume."

"Resumé."

"Yeah, whatever. You know he took on an Ursa Major with some of his friends? And won?"

"What? That's impossible Rainbow! Are you sure he said 'Ursa Major'?"

"Yup... well actually, no. He said one hundred hoof tall bear, but what else could that be?"

"I don't know. Well, maybe he was just pulling a joke on you. He seems like that type."

"Meh, could be, I guess. But he sounded serious."

"Hey, what are you girls talking about back there?" said Lock Pick, falling into step with them. "Look, I appreciate all the attention, but I'm married, and happily, believe it or not."

Twilight tried (unsuccessfully) to stifle a blush, but Rainbow burst out laughing. "Ha, in your dreams, buddy."

Lock Pick grinned. "Like I said, happily married. I only wish I saw her more often. It's been almost a year."

For the first time since they'd met him, Lock Pick frowned. The change was dramatic. Compared to the upbeat stallion he'd been literally moments ago, the change took them off guard to say the least. The expression (after such a mirthful introduction) seemed almost wrong on his face. He sighed and muttered something under his breath. Before Twilight could inquire as to what he said, she was cut off by the Captain.

"We're here," remarked the Captain. The door to Celestia's personal study was just down a short hallway. "This is where I get off. The information regarding this... incident is on a need know to basis, and from what little the Princess has told me, the Elements are the only ones who really need to know. It's been nice meeting you, and good luck!"

With that, he trotted down the hallway, leaving them before the door to see Celestia.

Twilight glanced back to say goodbye, but he was already gone. She'd have to ask Celestia about him later. She wondered how such a... character could become Captain of the Guard. Then again, her teacher was known for enjoying whimsical conversations. Maybe that was the reason. But whatever her teacher's reasoning was, they'd have to put that aside for now. They had a job to do.

With that in mind Twilight opened the door revealing Celestia's personal study. Twilight had been in a number of times, but it was a completely new experience for the rest of the girls. They gawked at the array of unknown instruments before them. Every device in the room seemed to have a mysterious purpose and each mechanism looked more fragile than the last.

The mares trod carefully across the room to where Celestia stood with her back to them, gazing with interest at a table before her. As the girls got closer they realized that it was a scale map of Equestria.

The detail on the map was astounding. Mountains jutted up like the spines of a slumbering dragon, tiny streams actually flowed through forests filled with minuscule trees. Upon looking even closer at Ponyville in particular, each mare recognized their own house. In the streets they could even see the market being set up for the morning grocery shopping of the town's residents.

While her friends observed the map in awe, Twilight looked up at her teacher. She wore an expression of intense concentration, small beads of sweat forming on her face. Tiny white lines were trying to intersect over the map, but they missed each other every time, although Twilight did notice that the lines got closer and closer with each pass.

Twilight hastily hushed her gossiping friends, gesturing toward the Princess. She needed quiet for whatever delicate task she was working on.

For several minutes they watched in silence (even Pinkie managed to restrain her normally frequent outbursts). And finally... success! The two lines finally met, instantly locking into place.

The tension that had been mounting in the room eased up, and the group drew a collective sigh of relief. Celestia turned to her subjects at last.

"Thank you for patience and cooperation, my little ponies. I apologize, but I had been triangulating that position for over an hour, and couldn't afford to start over. I hope you understand."

"Of course we understand Princess!" Twilight replied. "But please, tell us why we were brought here. Is there another threat to Equestria? And why does it need to be kept secret?"

"Worry not, my faithful student. All will be explained in due time. Come, follow me. We will be sitting over there," said Celestia, pointing to a group of cozy looking chairs. "We may as well be in comfort while I relate this tale, for it is not a happy one by any means."
,
Once the seven were situated, Celestia began.

"As you all know, one thousand years ago my sister Luna became Nightmare Moon and tried to purge all the world into night eternal. And as you all also know, I managed to stop her with the use of the Elements of Harmony, banishing her polluted form to the moon itself. And two years ago you stopped her once more and did what I could not; cleansed her of the tumor that clung to her being for so long. As I have stated before, for this service I will be forever grateful.

"However, that fateful evening that you faced the Nightmare, you also released, unbeknownst to any of you, another danger. A danger that has the potential to wreak just as much havoc, if not more, than even Discord. Not to mention a much more permanent havoc."

The girls gaped, stunned by this revelation. After a moment of reflection Twilight voiced what they were all thinking. "Princess, what did we release? And how? I thought, we thought, that the Elements of Harmony destroyed evil and chaos. How could they have caused what you're implying?"

"To answer your first question," Celestia started, "the... thing you released went by many names in his time. Some of his titles were 'The Obsidian Wing', 'The Moon Shadow', 'The Griffon's Bane', and the 'The Scourge of Glaciostel'. But his most famous title was also the simplest- 'The Raven'."

The girls confused looks echoed their thoughts. They had never heard the supposedly famous (or perhaps infamous) name before. Naturally, they all turned to Twilight. To their surprise, she wore a look of similar bewilderment.

"The Raven's tale, as I said, is not a particularly pleasant one. He grew up in poverty, shunned by all around him. You see, back when he was in his youth, a little over a thousand years ago, ponies were not nearly as... accepting as they are today. The Raven was among the most despised creatures of that time; a hippogriff."

This time Twilight was able answer her friends' looks of confusion. "A hippogriff is the offspring of a male griffon and female pony. Has the front half of a griffon, the back half of a pony. Despite the relative commonness of inter-species relations in modern times, they are still very rare, primarily due to the facts that hippogriffs cannot have hippogriff offspring and that they are not easily conceived."

Celestia nodded. "Thank you, Twilight.

"Now, the Raven was recruited into the Equestrian military during his adolescence, and proved himself one of our country's most formidable soldiers in the Griffo-Equine War. He had a great part in helping Equestria win pivotal battles, and eventually the war.

"My sister, Luna, saw his prowess on the battlefield, as well as his sharp mind. She decided to take him under her own wing in tutelage, much like I did for you, Twilight. He was a fast learner, and even made significant breakthroughs in the magical arts, specifically runes."

"Wait," Twilight interrupted. "As far as I know, hippogriffs have no outlet for channeling magic. How could he have contributed to the magical arts at all?"

"Unfortunately Twilight, I cannot answer that. I had no part in his teachings, and, for reasons you'll soon learn, cannot ask Luna."

Twilight frowned at this inconvenience, curious about how a creature with no magical potential could make such breakthroughs.

"Umm, excuse me Princess?" asked Fluttershy. "This is all very interesting, but so far, it doesn't seem like the Raven did anything wrong. Why did you call us here to deal with him?"

Celestia sighed. "Unfortunately, his innocence was lost. And even more unfortunately, I didn't see it coming at all.

"Throughout his days learning under my sister, I got to know the Raven as an acquaintance, and maybe even as friend. And in all the time I knew him, up until his betrayal, he was one of the most thoughtful and sensitive beings I ever knew. He hated his titles, particularly the title of 'Scourge'. Even more so he hated to discuss what he had done during the war, acts he seemed to consider atrocities. I had hardly ever met a creature more noble."

At this point Celestia's mournful face suddenly hardened. Her eyes took on an angry light that was foreign there. The result was disconcerting, and even a little... disturbing.

"But it was all a lie.

"The Raven had a very close attachment to my sister. He would have done anything if he thought it were in her best interests. They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and this proved to be the case with the Raven. When my sister began to feel lonely in the night, with few to gaze upon her nocturnal masterpieces, he took it upon himself to comfort her. He seemed to be helping her, in all honesty, so I thought nothing of it. On occasion, I actually thanked him for it! He simply responded that he was doing his duty to his teacher, helping her through her hour of need.

"How could I have known of the secret hatred of the ponies who hid from his master's night growing within him? How could I have known that he would plant these seeds within my dearest sister as well? How could I know–"

"Princess?" asked Rarity. "Certainly you don't mean–"

"Yes. The Raven was the chief cause my sister's transformation into Nightmare Moon. But how could I have seen it coming? The change was so swift, so sudden, how could I have predicted–"

"Don't blame yourself, Princess," said Twilight. "You couldn't possibly have known what would happen!"

"Yeah, if anything, blame that Raven guy. He sounds like he needs a big horseshoe shoved up hi–"

Twilight zipped Rainbow's mouth shut.

"So, what happened to the Raven after, you know... Nightmare Moon's... departure?" ventured Twilight.

"After I banished the Nightmare, I directed my full attention to that monster. I wanted so badly to simply smite him on the spot. He deserved nothing less. Not only had he transformed Luna into that... thing, but he also murdered one of my most trusted advisers in the process.

"It was here I let my memories get the better of me. By all means, I should have executed him on the spot. But I had known him for many years, and it seemed... wrong of me to administer such a harsh punishment on one who had once been so benevolent. So I chose a different option.

"Using my magic, I transformed him into his namesake, a raven, and hid all of his memories from him. He would live out the rest of his days as the beast he had become. I believed he had passed on years ago.

"Until a few weeks ago, when I began to feel the world's very energy begin to fluctuate in discernible patterns, as opposed to the usually random fluctuations. I began to investigate further, and discovered that these variations were being caused by runes. He may as well have left a signature. There's nopony alive today with the expertise necessary for such a complex rune system. Whatever he's up to, it cannot be good."

"But Princess, ya've left a few questions unanswered. How do ya know the Elements released him? And since he's so evil, how could the Elements have released him? Aren't they used to stop that kinda thing?" inquired Applejack.

"The first question is simple to answer. When any spell is cast, it leaves a sort of imprint wherever it is begun and finished. Powerful unicorns or alicorns can use one end of the imprint to find the other. Since I knew where I cast the spell of the Raven's transformation, I could use it to trace when and where the spell finished; in the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters on the night you defeated Nightmare Moon.

"As for the second question, I honestly have no idea. You're right. The Elements emit intense purifying magic. How such magic could have released such an impure creature is a mystery to me."

"Wait," said Pinkie, who had finally processed what the imprinting spell did. "Is that what you were doing with the super cool mappy thingy; tracing where Birdy McMeaniebritches came back?"

"No, but I'm glad you brought that up, Pinkie," answered Celestia. "Let us have another look at it, shall we?"

They walked over to the colossal map, and were once again entranced by it's intricate detail. Celestia gestured to the two white lines crossing.

"I was using an advanced magical technique to pinpoint the source of the energy fluctuations I mentioned earlier. Their origin is here." She indicated the city that the lines were hovering over: Baltimare.

"That is where I will be sending you. Incognito, of course. If anypony were to catch wind of this, the news would travel fast. Within only a few hours, the word would no doubt reach Canterlot, and by extension, Luna."

Twilight frowned. "What would be so bad about that?"

"I'm not entirely sure. The topic of the Raven has not yet come up between my sister and I. I believe that she thinks her former protege to be long dead. And for now, I would like to keep it that way. She is still in a vulnerable state since her return, and upon hearing such news, she would no doubt want to visit her student. No good could come of that, my little ponies. Although I do not know for certain, I have hunch that the Raven is plotting to bring about the return of Nightmare Moon.

"Can I count on you to do what's necessary to protect Equestria, and to keep this dire situation a secret to the best of your abilities?"

"Of course Princess. You can count on us!" Twilight answered for the group.

"I thought so." The Princess smiled. "Now come. We must equip you with the Elements and get you on the next train to Baltimare as soon as possible!"







In the pitch black, ancient slo-trans engines hummed, recently resurrected from an era before anypony could remember. Nevermore had little difficulty seeing in the dark. His eyes were suited for it. He was currently repairing one of the final machines in his project. He thought he would have it up and running within a few hours.

As he allowed himself a rare smile, he noticed a nearby screen flashing green. He walked over to it and saw that it was a message. Its sender didn't mince words.

They'll be there by this evening at the latest. Good luck. -R.

His smile grew wider. Perfect. He quickly typed out a reply:

Thank you for your selfless service. I wish I could repay you for your invaluable help. Until we meet again, long days and pleasant nights. -N.

Within two hours Nevermore finished with the machine.

He waited.