//------------------------------// // A Peek in the Past Leaves Ponies Aghast // Story: The New Guy // by SilverWind102 //------------------------------// Going into the mind of another is never a pleasant experience. There's the confusion of finding out how the memories are sorted, the awkwardness of stumbling upon buried secrets and also the mind splitting agony that accompanies the spell that you use to enter the mind. The very same mind splitting agony Princess Luna had so conveniently forgot to mention. It was only there for a brief moment, but it certainly left its mark on the ones who experienced it. The moment of pain was over, however, and the three ponies and wolf found themselves in an outlandish place. They were standing on still water that reflected their images below and above there was a bright blue daylight sky littered with a few clouds. In front of them were several doors, all of different sizes and colors. Several hundred doors. Several hundred thousand doors. Among the empty space were trees, though they had no leaves. Twilight observed the area they had appeared in. “Where are we?” she asked. “Silvers mind. Where else?” the wolf retorted. Rainbow Dash poked a hoof at the water below, causing ripples to be sent out, “Um, what's up with this place? It's like some weird fairy tale, where the adventurer gets a magic pair of boots that lets him walk on water.” Star Shine dragged her paw across the surface, then lifted it to examine. It was still dry, and from what she felt, her claws didn't push through the water. “Hmm, I think it's a barrier,” She proposed, “I can't see through it and it doesn't seem like you can push through. But that's not important right now. We need to start flipping through Silvers memories and find out which one tells what happened to him.” “But how are we supposed to do that?” Twilight questioned, “We don't even know where his memories are.” Star Shine gave her a flat stare and pointed a paw at the doors before them. “Oh..” the alicorn mumbled, “But it would still take too long! By the time we even got through a tenth of these doors, Silver would...would...” She hesitated to say the dreadful word. “Twilight, time doesn't exist in here,” Star Shine informed, “Think about it. When you recall a memory, it takes only a fraction of a second for you to remember the whole day, or at least the vital information. We're moving at the same speed. We'll experience the memories at the same pace Silver did, but the time outside of here will move much slower. We have all the time in the world.” Twilight thought for a moment, then something struck her as odd. “You seem to know an awful lot about this,” Twilight said with a bit of suspension. “Of course I do. This isn't the first time I've done this,” Star Shine retorted without a hint of shame. Behind her, Rainbow Dash began to snicker, then fell out in a loud laugh. “What's so funny?” Twilight asked. Rainbow waved a dismissive hoof, “Oh nothing.” Then a small white cloud came down and hovered over her head. An image appeared in the fluff, one of Twilight laying on top of Star Shine in a very sexual manner, and their previously spoken words forming in a speech bubble. Twilight turned red as an apple, and Star Shine snickered, “Well I guess you can take it like that too. It's true either way.” “Rainbow!” Applejack scolded. “Huh?” Rainbow Dash looked up and saw the image on the cloud, “Oh horse apples.” She frantically waved her hooves in to the cloud and make it dissipate, a blush as red as the streaks in her mane formed on her cheeks, “I swear I didn't know that would happen.” Star Shine continued her laugh, “I guess Silvers mind is connected to ours just as much as we are to his. I suggest you all try to keep your thoughts and imagination under control.” They all nodded and turned back to the doors, “Well, better get started then,” the wolf finished and the four of them moved on to their own doors. Twilight moved to an old, worn out looking door. It had a faded paint of blue and what looked like streaks where the paint had gotten wet while it was drying. Rainbow had moved up to a red door. There was nothing that really stood out about it, other than it looked incredibly heavy. Applejack approached a red door as well, only this one was shiny and newer looking than the one Rainbow had picked. Lastly, Star Shine went up to a blue door. It was simple and made of oak. They all looked to one another once more, giving each other assuring eyes, then open the doors and stepped inside. Star Shine had gotten the lucky draw. She was in the memory of Silver while he was in the cave back in the valley. Silver had just rounded a corner and came upon the large dome room, where the stone pedestal held the grimoire. “This is probably trapped.” Silver stepped into the room, but felt something surge through his body, causing him to let out a shiver. He couldn't tell, but Star Shine could feel something wrong. Something had forced it's way into Silver, but not into his body, but rather his mind. For just a moment, a thought flashed through Silvers head, “It's wrong to steal. We should just leave.” That was all Star Shine needed to know. Silver would never think twice about stealing an ancient item, unless it was rumored to be cursed. Whatever that surge was had attempted to plant thoughts into Silvers head into an effort to convince him to leave. A very silly thing to try. Silver did what he wanted, and Star Shine knew that. Any attempt to change his mind rarely ever worked, so much so that even something like magic held little to no influence over him. Of course, that didn't mean it could try. The spell was probably still active, and currently trying to battle Silvers own desires, which can lead to physical injuries. And since in this case magic was involved, the physical effects would be much greater, hence the stopping of his breathing and the fever. Star Shine continued to watch the memory through, discovering that Twilight figured out his past from Daring Doo, and all the way to the exit of the cave, at which the memory ended. Star Shine was pulled back into a darkness, then came tumbling out of the door she went into. “Well, that was easier than I'd thought,” she said as she stood up, “and it seems Silver isn't in as much danger as I thought he'd be. Now, let's go pull the...other...girls...out.” Star Shine stopped and looked around, forgetting immediately which doors the mares had wondered into. “Shit.” Twilights body was cold, frozen stiff with numbness. Her throat was dry and constricting, like she'd just got done coughing hard for ten minutes straight. It took her a second to remember that what she was feeling was not through her own body, but Silvers. She was looking out over a cliff in the middle of the night. The stars twinkled and the moonlight fluttered through the spaces between the clouds. A bone chilling breeze would come by every once in a while and ruffle the wolf body her mind was inhabiting. It would seem that even Silver could experience feeling cold, despite his thick, warm fur. It was strange being in the body of a wolf, or perhaps maybe it was because it was Silver. Everything felt so intense; the smells, the sounds, the lights. Everything was amplified ten fold. "Is this how Silver sees the world?" But perhaps the strangest thing of all was the wolfs thoughts. His mind was lost, so much so that Twilight could tell he didn't register the biting cold he was sitting in. He ignored it, his mind focused on one, soul thing. “Lily...” That name. Twilight didn't know such a pain could be brought by mentioning one simple name. Though in this case, the name may not have been so simple, or at least, not for Silver. No, this name shattered every fiber of his being. It tore his soul to shreds and shattered his heart, stomping on the remaining pieces until there was nothing left but sand to be blown away in the winds of despair. It made the cold air disappear and feel like nothing. Twilight was lost in this onrush of emotions. So much pain filled his head and heart, and she was sure that her body, the real pony body, was flooding with tears. Twilight felt a wet stream roll down her cheek, and a choke in her throat. Her view of the night sky was blurred and the lights of the stars began to blend together. The wolf was crying... Thoughts and memories raced through her mind, images of blood and screams filled her head. It was all to much. So much pain filled her that she couldn't make sense of it all, save for one moment. A single, powerful memory was burned into his mind, refusing to leave no matter how much both he and Twilight demanded it to. It was Silver, looking down at his paws, as they were caked and soaked in blood. She could swear she felt the heart of Silver stop for a few beats. “What's happening?! What is this?! Why does this hurt so much!?” Silvers heart ached and screamed, and Twilight could feel hers doing the same. This was what Luna had warned them of. She was feeling every single thing Silver did. “Silver...he-he lived through this? He stills lives with this pain in his heart? How? How in the name of Celestia can some pony live with this?!” Amid all of the emotions, she could noticed something change. Silvers mouth opened, and while his throat struggled to, he managed to produce a voice. Twilight could hear music in his head, playing a soft guitar tune. It was beautiful and heart wrenching. “There's no one in town I know, But you gave us some place to go, I never said thank you for that, Thought I might get one more chance.” Dear Celestia, his voice. It wasn't just smooth, but filled with ever feeling he could muster. This song, these words, the raw emotion it all produced; it broke Twilight. Love, joy, sadness, regret, guilt; so many emotions concentrated on that one name. Many more flashes of memories came to Silver, and so to Twilight as well. Images of Silver watching a wolf smile and laugh among her friends. So many smiles, and each one only brought more tears. Twilight couldn't handle it anymore. Silver, the wolf she loved, had experienced something so horribly heart breaking that he was able to produce a song that could make the heavens themselves shed tears, ones of beauty and sorrow. Whoever this Lily was, she meant more to Silver than Twilight could ever hope to understand. She needed to leave; this wasn't something she needed to know. This was beyond personal, and clearly left a deep scar on Silver. The song ended, and with it, so did the memory. Twilight was pulled into a blackness once more. She came fumbling out of the door, crashing to the ground after a few steps and the door closed behind her. Twilight buried her head in her hooves, the tears still coming as the memories were fresh in her mind. She could still feel the pain Silver had, and I haunted her heart. “Princess Twilight! There you are!” The wolf walked towards the mare on the ground, “Hey I found the--” Star shine took notice of the emotional state the sobbing alicorn was in, “Princess, what's wrong? What did you see?” Twilight didn't answer at first, only shaking her head, but then spoke between sobs, “I don't w-want to be in h-here anymore. We s-should have never c-come h-here. We need to leave the first c-chance we g-g-get.” Star Shine looked down at the mare. She couldn't even being to list the possible things Twilight could have seen. After all, Silver didn't exactly have an easy life. Star Shine nodded, “Okay. As soon as the others get back, we'll leave. I already found what we were looking for anyway.” Pain. That seems to be the theme of these memories so far. For Twilight, it was emotional. But for Rainbow Dash, unfortunately, it was physical. She couldn't feel anything but pain. She could feel the stinging cold of the snow, but compared to everything else, that was pleasant. Silvers body was broken, beaten, cut, bruised, stabbed, burned. Rainbow was sure that if there was a way to inflict pain, Silver was feeling it. His bones had been shattered. His chest, back and neck torn to shreds by various gashes and piercings. His skin and fur were horribly burned on his legs. Everything else was one big bruise, and his body was losing far too much blood. The stench certainly didn't help either. The coppery smell of the blood mixed with the smell of charred flesh made her stomach twist. The blood had dried into his fur and became sticky and crusty while still being incredibly thick. She could even taste the blood in his mouth, making her wish she could hurl every time he swallowed. Silvers sight was beyond blurry, and even loosing color, though there was not much color to see. The snow had covered most of everything, though Rainbow could still make out the shape of trees in a dense forest. Each crunch of Silvers steps in the snow shot an agonizing pain through out his body, and reverberated into Rainbows. With every step, she could feel his body getting heavier and slower, though he never stopped walking. And through all the screaming pain, Rainbow could feel his heart. He was...happy. Even though each step brought tremendous pain, it also brought a bright joy. “Just a little further. If I can make it home, then it'll be fine. So long as I can see them just one more time, then it would all be worth it.” Rainbow felt a flash of peace and tranquility rush over her as Silver recalled fond memories. Ones of his friends enjoying a large meal together, smiling and talking like one big, happy family. This tranquility, this acceptance of his fate crushed the hitch hiking pegasus. How could he be so accepting of this when he knew he was about to die? How could he be so damn happy? The trek continued for another few minutes, the bittersweet joy filling Silver even more as he approached a large tree. A thought flashed through Rainbows mind. Something was important about that tree. Silver walked closer, each step feeling like it took an eternity for his paw hit the ground. Finally, he reached the trunk. He dug his weak, broken and burned paws at the snow at the base, uncovering a bag. Inside, he pulled out a small, blue crystal. He put it in his mouth, and bit down as hard as he could. There was a white flash, then the cold disappeared. Rainbow found herself looking at a room, and it was one that filled Silvers heart with a warm, nostalgic feeling. It appeared to be a living room, very plush furniture and with a nice fire place in front of the couch. On said couch, along with seven others scattered around the room, was a wolf. Silver lit up when he saw their faces. “I'm back,” he wearily said, then dropped to the floor. “Silver?” the wolf from the couch called, “Silver!” She jumped off the couch and ran over to the wolf, wrapping her arms around him. Silver struggled to lift his head, but managed to look the wolf in the face. She was beautiful, with blinding white fur and stunning azure blue eyes. But her expression was the one thing that brought down Silvers joy of returning home. “For Emperors sake, Silver what happened?” she asked. Silver coughed and blood shot through his lips, “You were right, dragons are one the most powerful creatures in the world.” The wolf went wide eyed, fear and horror plastered on her face “You...you didn't. Silver, tell me you didn't go by yourself!” Silver gave a weak smile, “I didn't want us to all have to go together, and risk more than one of us getting killed, so I handled it myself.” The white wolf bit her lip and turned to face away. “Don't look like that,” he said softly. The other wolves had gathered at his side, and they all wore the same scared look the white wolf did. “Please, I don't wanna see you guys sad...I want the last thing I see to be the smiles of the family I love. So please...smile. Let me see it just one last time.” Silver flashed his same charming smile that he always did. The wolf holding him broke into tears and sobbed, but lifted her head and looked at Silver... ...smiling. They all did. It was a smile filled with sadness, but also joy. It was just like Silver to put his friends before himself. They were the one thing he always came back to. The place he called home. Rainbow felt his heart light up with joy, “Thank you for this love you've all given me. I only wish I was around long enough to return it ten fold.” Rainbow felt Silvers head drop, “Oh well. At least I got one last hurrah. But...I think Imma....nap now.” His body became cold, and as his consciousness faded, Rainbow was certain of one thing. He was still smiling. Rainbow came tumbling out of the door, her body shivering and eyes wide. “Rainbow, are you okay?” Twilight asked as she approached her. She went to put a hoof on the pegasus' back, only to have the mare jump away. She had a wild crazy look in her eyes, along with tears. “Rainbow, it's okay. It was just a memory, remember?” The cyan mare slowly calmed down. Her eyes grew back to their normal size, but the tears were still present. “We need to leave now,” she said after a while. Twilight nodded her head in agreement, “I know. We just need A.J. to get back, then we can go.” Rainbow Dash nodded her head slowly, then sat down on the floor, her eyes never leaving the reflection of the water. Twilight wanted to ask what she saw, but felt like it would only be intruding on Silver more than they already were, and also cause Rainbow more pain. She moved over to her friend, slowly sat herself down and wrapped the pegasus in a gentle wing hug. Rainbow twitched on contact, allowed the embrace to continue. What little comfort it did give her was all Twilight could offer. An army. Applejack was staring down an army. Well technically Silver was, but since she was riding front seat she might as well have been the one standing in front of them by herself. Yep, by herself. The entire army marched forward, at least 600 in total, and headed straight for her. Silvers thoughts crossed her mind, and she new they were coming for war. In his thoughts, however, there was also excitement. The wolf felt giddy looking at the army as it closed in on him. He could barely contain himself. “Hehehehe, this is nice! This is what I'm talking about! A real challenge, finally! No more of these little pussy wanna-be alphas, but a fully trained army. Oh, I'm gonna enjoy every moment of this.” Something was weird about the sound of his thoughts. It had an accent. A Houndish accent. Silver took to the sky, and Applejack felt her heart sink to her stomach. For one, she wasn't used to flying, but she was also terrified of what was about to happen. She wasn't worried for Silver, but rather the wolves coming to him. Upon first seeing the army, Applejack had an inkling that maybe her dream from the hospital wasn't just a dream. But this confirmed it. Silver had lied about what Applejack asked him about, and he had killed over a thousand soldiers. This would just be the bulk of that thousand, and she was sure many more would come, if they hadn't already. Silver flew above the clouds, using them as cover for his approach. He got closer to the army until he hovered right over the front line. He looped around and plummeted down through the clouds, descending in a rapid nose dive. He crashed into the ground, and sent the warriors flying back with the force of the landing. Applejack could feel the power ripple through the body of the wolf. The strength, the speed, the magic, the intelligence. It was all there. She quickly understood how it was that Silver was capable of killing such an absurd number of wolves. From what she could tell, his power rivaled that of the dragons. “Well, now that you're all here, what do you say we play a little?” Silver broke out a cocky grin as the soldiers stood back up. They all brought out spears and weapons as the circled around Silver. Silver stretched out his wings, and Applejack could feel an energy run through his body. His wings shone, and a light passed over them. With each part the light touched, Silvers wings became clad in armor. His wings had become blades. “Come. Show me your skills.” They all lunged at Silver, their spears and swords coming at him full force, but in a quick movement, Silver spun in a circle and sliced the blades off, and the wolves that were holding them. The wolves behind the circle took a step back. “Oh, retreating are we? Alright then, I'll come to you.” Silver kicked off in a fast break, zigzagging through the crowd and slicing down enemies by the dozen. None of them could keep up with Silvers incredible movements, though for Applejack, everything seemed to slow. Silvers eyes were keeping up with his rapid movements as he bobbed and weaved, making the experience all the more detailed for Applejack. She could feel as his wings sliced through the armor and flesh, as the blood seeped through his metal feathers and splashed onto his coat. It was sickening, but she could feel the thrill Silver was experiencing. It was the battle he loved. The idea of battling powerful opponents, to push himself beyond his limits filled him with excitement, and this army was going to do just that. Silver stopped darting around when his wing blade was finally deflected. He came to a skidding halt as he looked to the one who stopped him. The wolf was clad in armor, and although he didn't have wings, but he was considerably larger than Silver. “Oh? And who might you be?” Silver asked. “Captain Quake of the 39th ,” the wolf responded, “And you?” “I'm Saber, the Shinning Fang. I'm honored to have this battle,” Silver bowed his head in respect, and Quake did the same. As they raised their heads, both began to take their positions. They waited, still as statues in the middle of a battle, neither wanting to make the first move. But some one had to, so Silver took the lead. He dashed forwards and brought his wing in front of him, then slashed at the Captain. He jumped back and spun on his front paws, swinging his back legs at Silver only to have him duck and slice at Quakes front legs holding him up. Quake pushed off the ground and jumped high into the air. “Now you'll see why why call me Quake,” the wolf captain began to fall with great speed, but then... There was a quick flash, and the Captains body went limp in mid air as a figure appeared behind him, “You should know better than to go into the air while fighting a wolf with wings.” The body of the Captain fell to the ground as a corpse, and Silver continued to hover above the army. “Huh, powerful but not bright. I can only hope the other captains don't disappoint me,” Silver floated back down and landed among the army once more, “Now, whose next?” Three days. That was the duration of the battle. Silver fought non-stop for three full days, and Applejack had to live through it. The lower ranked soldiers weren't much of a challenge, but the 15 captains Silver encountered left an impression, both on his body and memory. It all came down to one last regiment, about thirty or so wolves. But among them was one Silver was particularly excited about. Through out the days, he'd been searching for this wolf, the one who lead the army. The admiral. He was here, and Silver knew it. This last platoon had something unique about them. Each one was a master in their own right, and among them there was a beast. One with claws and fangs like no other that was on the battlefield. “WHERE ARE YOU, ADMIRAL?!” Silver called across the field. A black wolf with a white underbelly stepped forward. She was smaller than Silver, about Twilights size, and around her paws there was a strange blue light, flickering like a flame. The same light appeared on her ears and the tip of her tail. “You called?” she said as she came closer, “You've certainly made a mess of my wolves. I hope you're ready to pay the price.” Through Silver, Applejack could feel the power emitting from the wolf. The amount of magic was suffocating, but Silver still grinned. He'd finally found some one who could match his strength. “I don't suppose you could ask your men to leave. I've killed enough today, and would hate to put an end such promising lives.” The wolf turned her head and spoke to her men, “Go home. I'll not let you die at the claws if this monster.” Her men glared at Silver, and stood firm in defiance, “We won't abandon you!” one called. “And you would rather stay and face him? He's killed over a five hundred of us, and you still believe you can win?” “It's not about winning!” the wolf called back, “We'll not abandon our Alpha! 'Loyal to the end'! That is the way of the wolf!” “Spoken honest and true,” Silver said to himself. Applejack felt a spark of honor ignite in him, and could tell he decided. “Very well,” he said as he took his stance, “I find your determination quite endearing! I won't belittle your resolve, so I won't be holding back!” Silver flared his wings and his magic erupted, becoming similar in power to the admirals. “Come! Let's end this!” he called, and rushed forward. The admirals eyes glowed and torrents of water appeared out of the air, rushing at Silver. He brought his wings up and cut through one, but was crushed by the other. The pressure of the water had fractured his ribs, though he was still able to stand. The admirals soldiers rushed forward, and each took a swing at Silver. They were strong and refined, but were still cut down one by one. Silver broke through the onrush, and charged back at the admiral. Amid his dash, a blue magic circle appeared below him and a pillar of water shot up and caught him from below, sending him into the air. The wind was knocked out of him, but Silver managed to correct his positioning. Silver flared his wings and gave them a powerful flap, and a tunnel of wind appeared, shooting down at the admiral. She jumped off to the side, but didn't get away unscathed as a large cut appeared on her hind leg. “You can cut with wind?” she questioned, “I though wind magic could only create powerful gust and tornadoes.” Silver broke his cocky grin once more, “Normally you can't, but I've figured out a way to make blades of wind. Let's see if you can figure it out.” Silver brought his wings together once more in a flap, and this time dozens of individual sharp winds came forth and crash down on the admiral. She managed to dodge them for the most part, though received some mild cuts in return. Silver sucked his teeth and came back down to the ground. The soldiers came up behind him, though they were cut down with a flick of his wing, his wind blades making quick work of them. Silver bolted forward once more, this time bringing his wings together in front of him, and then sliced before ever reaching the admiral. A long blade of wind came forth and flew at the admiral, catching her off guard as she barely had enough time to avoid a fatal blow, but still received heavy damage. She jumped back and put distance between the two of them, “Now I see. You form the wind on the shape of the blades of your wings. It gives them an edge instead of making a push.” Silver smiled, “That's right. But I'm afraid you don't quite understand everything.” “No, you don't understand everything. I can make blades of water as well!” A liquid blade formed by her side and shot out, cutting Silver clean across his chest. Silver jumped back and added to the distance between the two as he caught his breath. “Well, I'll admit I should have seen that coming,” he said as he panted a little. Applejack could feel the blood trickle down his chest and to underbelly where it began to drip. Silver flapped his wings once more and another tunnel made of wind blades formed in front of him, and the admiral made the same only made one of water. The swirling masses of cuts collided head on and the surrounding earth was shredded and sliced a thousand times. The forces dissipated, and the two stood staring one another, both beaten and bloody. Silver smiled from ear to ear. This wolf was just what he was looking for, and he knew there was only one way to win, “I said I wouldn't hold back, so I'll show you one last secret,” Silver flapped his wings once more as the air swirled around him and focused into a single point. “Blades of wind aren't the only thing I've learned to make,” the center where the winds were gathering began to glow white. A small ball of energy formed, and continued to grow larger as more winds came. The admirals eyes shot wide open as she yelled to her men, “RUN! RETREAT! GET AWAY FROM HERE AS FAST AS YOU CAN!” Her men were confused, but seemed to follow orders this time. They abandon the fight just as Silver took off high into the air. The ball of energy had grown larger, but was still only about the size of his head. “He's making plasma. Concentrating high speed winds into a single point, until it becomes energy. It will annihilate everything.” Silver lifted his jaws where the plasma was centered, then flung the ball of energy down at the admiral. “Obliteration” A huge white sphere erupted and ripped the land apart. Building sized chunks of the ground flew into to the sky and across the lands. The fleeing soldiers were caught in the blast and erased. The explosion itself lasted for about 30 seconds, and once it ended Silver glided down and went to the admiral, who was laying on the ground, half dead and beaten to exhaustion. “She's still alive? Huh, she may have beaten had I not used that. She really is just what I was looking for.” Silver leaned down and spoke into the wolfs ear, “I'm sorry for the lives of your men, but I must say, this battle was one of the best I've ever had the chance to enjoy.” Silver scoped up the unconscious wolf and put her on his back, “You'll not die yet. I won't allow it. Even if you don't come back and fight me later, your life is far to precious to waste. After all, you've made me fall for you. Even if you hate my guts after, that won't change.” Applejack had forgotten she was in a memory, she was startled when she was pulled out. She tumbled out of the door and fell flat on her face. “Applejack! You're back! You've been in there for hours!” Twilight called as she ran up and hugged the earth pony. “Hours?” she questioned, “That memory was three days long.” “Three days!?” Twilight exclaimed, “You lived through three whole days of Silvers memories?!” “Yeah,” the earth pony sighed, “It was...well lets just say Silver has some explaining to do. But it wasn't the memory of Silver getting sick, so we need to keep searching.” “No, Star Shine already found the memory,” Twilight informed, “Now we just need to get back.” “Oh, okay. But just how are we supposed to do that?” “Star Shine said she knows a spell. Come on, she and Rainbow are waiting for us.” Applejack nodded and followed Twilight. She was glad to leave, and as was every pony else. It would seem Star Shine was the only one who had not encountered Silvers not so pleasant memories. The two made their way through the labyrinth of doors until they reach the spot where they had first entered Silvers mind, a blank area where the doors seemed to stop. “Good, you're okay!” Star Shine greeted, “Now we can leave. Come over here.” Star Shine gestured a paw for the mare to gather. They grouped up into a circle and Star Shine lowered her head and closed her eyes. DESTERRAR She said loud and clear. There was a bright flash, and the same mind crushing pain that pulled them into Silvers head came and pulled them back out. Everything was black. Twilight creaked and eye open and found herself staring at the roof of the bedroom. She heard the others stir around her and she felt relief wash over her. They were back.