From the Ashes

by Benjamin Lawe

Chapter 7: Polarity Shift

On a day like today, Canterlot had suddenly become a very, very different place. In comparison to what the girls had seen the night of the Gala, this frenzy barely compared.

Back then, the company had been more select, i.e. ‘invitation only’. But today, such a strict demographic did not exist. Anypony was free to flock into the regal city for just this one occasion, and the opportunity was evidently being exploited for all its worth by those who yearned to see the city’s sights, but had never arranged entrance into the fair city.

The girls had chosen to relax for a moment, and get away from the horde of ponies rampaging aimlessly through the narrow cobblestone streets.

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie sat at a table in a posh looking café, drinking from assorted glasses of water, juice, milk and cola. Rarity remained waiting by the counter, as her beverage of choice was a touch more intricate...

As was her outfit. Her friends had come wearing nothing more than usual, which was nothing, excluding Applejack of course, who was near inseparable from her tan cowboy hat. In any case, unlike her friends, Rarity was committed to looking the part in the city of her dreams.

Of course, she hadn’t over done it; she simply wore a fetching and elaborate hat of her own. And as she had hoped, she did indeed look the part, becoming virtually indistinguishable from the local populace who generally always remained clothed.

She cast a look out over to her friends, who were chatting amongst themselves in her absence. Through the window next to them, Rarity could see the busy streets, positively busting with ponies that obviously didn’t belong. “I can’t believe how busy it is.” she said to herself, “It’s almost as if the whole city has changed completely for one day-”

“Completely unbecoming, is it not?” the waitress unicorn said, overhearing Rarity as she came to bring her the drink she’d ordered, “Far be it from this once-fine city to retain its standards.”

        Rarity blanched. This unicorn wore a frilly dress and a tiara. It seemed she had been confused for a denizen of Canterlot. She could do little more than exit the awkward situation by silently accepting her drink and quickly shuffled back over to her friends.

“Is it true what everypony says?” Fluttershy was in the middle of asking, “That we heading to some kind of ‘new era’?”

        Twilight took a thoughtful sip of water. “Nothing so dramatic...” she answered, “But something like that. I mean, documented history only goes back so far, and it gets more than a little fuzzy when you look more than a thousand years back. There’s legends and there’s myths, but there is essentially no certain memory of what Equestria was like back when the princesses ruled together.”

“So what you’re saying is...” Applejack interjected, “We’re gonna start seeing some changes ‘round here?”

“Sounds scary...” Fluttershy said with a quiver to her lip.

“Don’t be such a chicken!” Rainbow Dash teased, “Change is a good thing remember?”

“Sometimes...” the shy pegasus squeaked in reply.

“Most times.” Dash retorted.

“Dash is right.” Twilight said simply, “Its been far too long since Equestria had dual leadership. That’s why they’re calling this a ‘new age’, because it’s the starting point for a brighter future.”

“I’m getting goosebumps all over!” Pinkie Pie said energetically, taking a brief break from her milkshake, “No wonder everypony’s turned up to see it!”

        Rarity took a seat next to her pink friend. “I don’t know dear...” she said vaguely, “Somehow I get the feeling not everypony is so happy to see such a turnout.”

        Pinkie didn’t appear to understand, but Twilight had apparently caught on to the overall mood of the locals. “It can’t be helped...” she said discreetly, “This city is essentially the centre of the civilized world. It’s in their nature to be old-fashioned and sometimes arrogant.”

        Rainbow Dash stifled a growl. “I’m not about to let some socialites look down on me ‘cause I’m not from their snobby city!” she hissed as she made to get up, “I oughta give ‘em a piece of my mind!”

        Applejack didn’t miss a beat. “Cool yer jets Dashie.” she called, halting the fervent pegasus, “Just leave ‘em be. So long as they keep it to themselves we should just let it slide.”

        In protest, Dash pushed her cola defiantly away from her reach, as if to say she didn’t want to indulge in something they’d given her. “I still don’t like it.” she pouted, “Somepony needs to teach them some manners.”

        Pinkie Pie giggled. “Don’t be silly Dashie!” she nudged, “They’d change their tune of they ever came to Ponyville!”

        Rarity gave the café the quick once over. “Even still...” she said unconvinced, “Perhaps we should be on our way. We don’t want to be late after all.”

        Now outside again, Applejack was awestruck. “So you’re telling me, this is what it’s like all the time?” she asked as she looked about, the swarm of ponies around her crowding her vision.

        Twilight shook her head. “No, no, no...” she replied, “Like I said, today is a special day-”

“Not that.” Applejack cut her off, “You might not yet noticed, but I can’t see many earth ponies around here but me and Pinkie.”

“Oh.” Twilight said, taken off guard, “Well, the earth ponies just don’t take to Canterlot the same way unicorns or pegasi do. It’s in their nature not to-”

“But it’s more than that right Twi?” Pinkie suddenly asked, “They don’t like us being here either. Didn’t you see the way they looked at us back inside?”

        Twilight was momentarily taken aback by Pinkie’s unassuming powers of observation. And deduction. “Well, it’s a complicated history.” Twilight begun, not sure how to word it for somepony like Pinkie Pie, “But as I said before, the further back you look in time, the fuzzier it gets. But ever since the time nopony remembers anything about, there have always been divisions between earth ponies and the other races of pony-kind. Our home back at Ponyville might be fine, because everypony lives and works together and we all get along, but it’s different in other places.

“Earth ponies are the most common race of pony.” she continued, “But Canterlot has the lowest ratio of them anywhere in Equestria. So naturally, any prejudice would be at its strongest here, where there is an abundance of unicorns and pegasi and unicorns and so few earth ponies.”

        Unconsciously, Rarity and Twilight’s eyes met, as did Dash’s and Fluttershy’s. On some level, they felt somewhat guilty that their kind somehow felt themselves superior to their equals.

“There’s one thing I don’t get.” Applejack finally said, emerging from deep thought, “You say it’s always been like this, but what happened to make it this way?”

“I don’t know.” Twilight said honestly, “It’s dead history.”

        Now it was Pinkie Pie’s turn to ask something. “But that’s what I was thinking...” she said with a odd level of seriousness, “You said that whatever might’ve happened came from the ‘fuzzy time’. But you said the same thing about the time Celestia and Luna ruled together didn’t you?”

        Twilight felt a slight chill as she understood what her friend was trying to say. The two mysteries brought to light by the implications of today’s ceremony ran together. But strangely enough, Twilight wasn’t concerned about why the two facets were connected. What made her feel uneasy was why these things were lost to history in the first place.

What she didn’t know however, was that this history was not undocumented. Indeed, there was but one tome that held the secrets of this time that had been forgotten. It was the same book that Celestia had been slaving over, and that had her flustered and pressured in her seemingly whimsical research.

        Twilight would also have no way of knowing this was a book that had come into her possession this very morning.

*        *        *        *

Ponyville was practically deserted. Everypony had gone off to Canterlot to witness for themselves what was being called the ‘defining moment’ of a new era. For the first time in a millennium, dual leadership was being restored, and in knowing how rare it was for such a thing to happen in their lifetime, anypony with any sense simply had to be there to see it.

Marco, of course, had stayed behind. He was still confined to the library for the time being, and also remained forbidden from entering or going near the city. But even if he was allowed to go, he’d probably still stay away. He couldn’t be sure how he would handle himself in front of the princess...

Instead, he remained at the library with Spike and Owlicious, unified by a long list of chores to keep the trio busy. The owl dusted the shelves with the aid of his feathered wings and tail, while the baby dragon took to the floor with a bucket and sponge. Naturally, Marco reserved the more fun task himself.

In front of him was a sturdy-looking crate that’s delivery had both he and Twilight excited as to its contents. It was delivered only this morning, and it was a surprise book donation from Celestia herself. Twilight had tasked Marco with unpacking the treasure trove in preparation for her return after the ceremony.

        Marco dismantled the wooden crate with enthusiasm. Inside the box was an impressive stack of tomes, but Marco’s eyes were instantly drawn to a single book taking pride in the centre. It was a rich-black coloured tome, inlaid with silver plating. Strangely, it had no writing on the cover, with no indication as to a title or an author.  Just a black and foreboding cover.

        This was the book. Celestia had sent that book to Twilight. Of course, Marco had no way of knowing that. It took his breath away for a different reason...

        He picked the foreboding text up with trembling hooves. He couldn’t help but be shaken, for the tome he now held was identical in every way, shape, and form to the tome represented by his cutie-mark. He didn’t even need to look at his flank to confirm it.

His mind was alive with chilling questions. Was this object the manifestation of his cutie-mark given form? Or was his cutie mark nothing but a symbol? A testament to something that already existed?

His next thought jumped to Celestia. She hadn’t sent this to Twilight at all. This was for him. The princess had timed it perfectly... she knew Marco would be alone when he found it.

There was nothing to be done except read. Read, and find out what made this book so damn important.

In the adjacent room, Spike quickly realized how quiet it had suddenly gotten. Discarding his soap and sponge, the little dragon shuffled his way into the next room to find Marco absolutely enthralled by a book.

        He didn’t waste a second before going on to berate him. “Surprise, surprise...” the little dragon said annoyed, “Twilight gives you a job, and what do you do? Read. It’s always reading with you isn’t it? Why can’t you just do the job you’re given?”

        Marco didn’t answer. He didn’t even look up. It was almost as if he never heard the little dragon at all.

“Hey!” Spike called once again, trying to seize the pony’s attention, “You hear me? I said... what-”

        Spike cut himself off when Marco looked up from the book in front of him. The expression on the stallion’s face was indescribable...

        The very next second, Marco rose, and bolted out the door in full gallop. “Wait!” Spike called after him, “You’re not supposed to-”

        It was too late. He was gone.

Marco sprinted through the empty town, already breathless. Despite this, he had no intention of slowing down.

“Have...” he panted in between haggard gasps, “Have to... stop... the ceremony!”

        Marco continued to run. He hadn’t slowed or stopped, and it was only as he approached the limits of his endurance that the gates to Canterlot became visible. From the outside it looked lifeless, but he knew for a fact it was anything but on the inside. He wondered why there was nopony to be seen outside, and soon enough, his heart sank to find out why.

        The gate ahead of him, one of the only ways an earth-bound visitor could gain entrance, was sealed tight. Marco slowed his gallop to a mild canter, then to a complete stop as he noticed that there were indeed three figures gathered in front of the great gate.

        He dropped out of sight so he wouldn’t be seen, but remained close enough to observe what was happening. He wasn’t supposed to be out of the house, let alone on Canterlot’s doorstep. And while getting arrested would make doing what he needed to do that much harder, eavesdropping might provide an answer to his current predicament.

        Two gold-clad pegasus guards stood imposingly before the frail shape of an old and weathered looking earth pony. “Sorry gramps.” the rightmost guard said unsympathetically, “We’re under orders to not let anypony through.”

        The old earth pony’s ice blue eyes looked between the two tenacious guards. He had a gentle brown coat and a droopy grey mane. He also sported an equally droopy, oversized hat that looked about as old and weathered as the pony himself.

“Well...” he said, his way of speaking accentuating a whistle, “That’s certainly a dilemma, but if I’m not mistaken, ya’ll seemed to let that pegasus girl through without much fuss.”

“It’s a little different if you can fly, sir.” the leftmost guard replied, perking up his own wings, “If you wanted to get through, you should have come before the time outlined in the letter you received.”

“I do apologize if I’m a might late...” the old pony continued, “But the road to this here city ain’t a short one, and these old bones don’t move like they used to.”

“Not our problem gramps.” the guard on the left said, “Look, if it’s that important to you, there’s another gateway that adjoins the east quarter. We’re not about to let you in, but maybe they will.”

        The old pony just looked between the two stern guards, not quite believing the rationale behind their refusal. Without another word to them, he forced his aged legs to carry him further, around to the gateway the guards mentioned.

        When he was out of sight, the twin pegasus guard relaxed their postures. “Why’d you go and tell him that for?” the one on the right said, “We both know the boys there won’t let him through either.”

        The left guard looked at his partner knowingly. “Well of course they won’t...” he replied, “But he’s not our problem anymore. They can deal with old guy.”

“Oh, right.” his partner said realizing, “Well then, so long we’ve got nothing else to do, shall we make our way over to the ceremony? I want to see it.”

“Heh, I thought you’d never ask.” came the reply, “Let’s go!”

        As soon as he saw the two guards fly off, Marco came out from his hiding and grappled with the big gate. It was useless. Even without anypony guarding it, getting through would be impossible.

        Options. What were his options? He couldn’t fly, he couldn’t use magic, and he hadn’t touched a potion since he’d last been to Zecora’s. And if he’d overheard correct, the guards said the other gate was sealed up too. There was no way for an earth pony to enter the city.

        He thought back to the ‘other’ time he invaded this very same city. He hadn’t bothered with this side, instead going over the wall that extended out over the open sky. It all seemed like a dream. Taming wild beasts and flying over walls, blowing up hospitals and hospitalizing others, infiltrating the highest tier and assaulting the royal palace... all that stuff just kinda ‘happened’. And now he couldn’t even get past the damn wall. Compared to everything else he’d managed, this just seemed elementary, but it still felt impossible.

‘Come on, come on... Think!’ he commanded himself, trying to visualize the great city in his mind, ‘There has to be another way inside.’

        He pictured the shape of the city hanging over the cliff. The wall was solid and unbroken all the way around and without the gates to grant him passage, there literally was no way to bypass the barrier. And although the entire circumference of the outer wall was inlaid with a pattern that could serve as a universal hoof-hold, it wasn’t enough to scale the wall or somehow climb up. Using it, he could do little more than hang from the wall.

        Marco grit his teeth; the situation felt hopeless. Apart from the two gates, there was no place through which anyone or anything that couldn’t fly came and went.
        
He soon gulped to realized that wasn’t entirely true. “No.” he told himself, “That is not an option.”

        But ten minutes later, it was clear that it was his only option. Marco thought he had nothing left to sweat after his exhausting run up here, but his hooves were slick with the slippery stuff as he dangled from the long, thin indent set into the wall.

        Anypony would sweat if they were hanging from a wall that had nothing below it but hundreds of metres of open air.

        Marco never did like heights, but that discomfort was brought to a whole new level considering his current situation. “Why are you doing this?” he said to himself, the fear present in his voice, “This is stupid. This is the most stupid thing in the entire history of stupid things...”

        He found himself out on the ledge for but one reason, and it seemed more and more foolish with each carefully placed step. When Marco had thought of how to gain entrance, he realized his paths in were not all blocked. Unfortunately for him, the only one he could think of was situated on the side of Canterlot that was exposed to the open air.

        But Marco wasn’t really thinking about that at the moment. He was thinking that he would’ve sold his soul to be born a pegasus.

        About a third of the way to his destination, Marco felt his heart soar as he saw a thin lip develop at the base of the outer wall. It extended out no more than a metre, but Marco dived for it as if it was a hundred metres wide. Despite how much he wanted to kiss the ground for the relief it had given him, he couldn’t waste any time. Those guards from before had abandoned their post to see the ceremony, so it couldn’t be far from starting.
        
        Even though he had under a metre of space to place his footing, he moved with considerable speed. He was grateful for every inch it took him around the outer wall without having to hang from it. Just as he started to wonder how close it was taking him to his goal, he begun to hear it. The constant roaring sound of a waterfall.

        Soon enough he saw it. He would have seen it earlier if he permitted himself to look down, but that was something he didn’t think he could stomach. But as he watched the torrent of water gushing unrestrained from the yawning opening in Canterlot’s impregnable walls, his eyes naturally followed the water flowing out the gap, free-falling the entire distance down to the river below.

        This perspective of the great waterfall would be enough to give anypony vertigo. The water just fell away from the city, much like how Marco would should he mess this next bit up...

        His survival now depended upon his non-existent swimming skills. Growing up in one of the driest regions known to Ponykind meant there was barely enough water to grow crops, let alone construct a swimming hole. That’s why the apples were mainly used for cider. Having limited rainfall, the apples grew to be sweeter than most, but they didn’t score highly in the juicy compartment.

        Marco shook his head vigorously. His mind was drifting, and he needed to focus in order to do this properly. If he angled his jump right he could land in the water just before it spilled out over the open air, but if he didn’t swim strongly enough from the get go, he’d be washed out into the water as it fell away from the stream. When the water leaves the confines of the canal, it looses its concentration and its density. Marco didn’t know much about it, but it was the same reason why you can’t swim up a waterfall.

        But what he did know was that if he didn’t swim over to the maintenance lane on the far side of the canal as quickly as he could, he’d have a long fall to contemplate the physics behind his failure.

        Marco’s legs tingled as he prepared to lunge. It didn’t matter how short the jump was, because the feeling of leaping over a hundred-metre drop would still be there. He felt the sway of vertigo, but he wasn’t about to let it slow him down.

        He took off his treasured hat and gripped it firmly with his teeth. Strange that even with his life in the balance, he wanted to make sure his treasured hat wasn’t blown away with the jump or swept away by the raging waters.

        Marco took a deep breath and held it. The next breath would come when he emerged from underneath the water inside the canal. He bit down a little harder and steeled himself. It was time for this earth pony to fly.

He jumped, and gave himself up to that feeling... that feeling of submitting oneself to gravity so far above the earth. It was something that the poor stallion wished to never experience again.

It was a good jump, but from the moment his hooves departed the safety of his metre-wide lifeline, it felt as if gravity was pulling him down with a force well outside those equations he had tried to reassure himself with. It was almost as if the earth below was telling him he didn’t belong up here, and was trying especially hard to reunite him with it.

        But just as he was beginning to think he’d just made the last mistake of his life, his airborne path angled him perfectly into the yawning mouth of the canal exit. He arched into the flowing water exactly as he had hoped he would, sideways and just in front of the point where the flow of water fell away.

        The shock of hitting the cold water caused his adrenaline to surge. Before he sunk even a foot below, he was already kicking with all fours like a rabid pony. It would have made quite a sight. Since he knew nothing of swimming, there was no technique, form, or consistency to his movements. Indeed, each of his legs seemed to move individually in desperate back-and-forth and side-to-side motions.

        And yet, through these unorthodox movements, Marco kept himself from being drawn backwards while simultaneously inching over to the maintenance lane on the left. He wasn’t rightly sure how his ‘style’ was keeping him from going backwards; perhaps he just really didn’t want this embarrassing display to be his final mortal action.

        In the end, it didn’t matter what was doing it, because he managed to reach out and get a solid grip on the laneway before he exhausted whatever skills he had evidently tapped in to.

Marco lay on his back as the water continued to rush past. He had earned a break.

        With the rise and fall of his chest, he gulped in the air. ‘Was it always that hard to break in?’ he thought to himself as he lay there, “Last time went so smoothly... why is it suddenly mission impossible?”

        Marco rolled over onto his belly, picking up his hat in his hooves. Along with the rest of him, the thing was soaked. His blond and white mane was slicked against his face, and he was dripping with the cold water.

It was all he could do to wring out his soggy hat and slap it back on over his mane so that it wouldn’t get in his face. “That’s enough resting for now.” he said to himself as his hat sagged down slightly from the moisture, “I hope to hell there’s an easy way out of this place...”

*        *        *        *        

Twilight and the girls felt totally overwhelmed in the plaza.

        It was the common spot used for festivals, concerts or ceremonies, but for the first time since the massive grounds had been constructed, it seemed utterly insufficient with the horde of ponies who had swarmed upon it.

        The ceremony grounds were an oval-shaped clearing built into the centre of Canterlot’s top tier. It was called a stadium by some, due to the elevated seating that encircled most of the grounds. There was a stage that normally took place in the middle, but for today it had been moved to the far end to allow for all the ponies who wouldn’t be able to find a place among the stands.

        The girls made sure to stay close as the negotiated their way closer to the stage at the far end. Like most of the other visitors, they had to stand on the grounds themselves because the stadium was at capacity. They thought that they might as well get as close to the stage as they could if they had to stand around.

        When they got close enough to see properly, Twilight noticed that neither princess was present yet, and in their place stood a dozen royal guards, six flanking each side of the stage. And while the ones on the left were the familiar sort, that being the white pegasi with golden armour, the rightmost group contrasted harshly. Those six were a purple ashen in coat, and sported a very royal purple set of armour that had thin, spiraling highlights that were the purist white in colour. And in further contrast to their counterparts, they were all unicorns.

        Twilight quickly realized that these ponies were Luna’s personal guard. They must have just been instated, in preparation for serving the soon-to-be ruler of Equestria.

“Oh, I simply adore the colours...” Rarity said from somewhere behind Twilight, thinking the same thing as her, “They match perfectly with the princess... I wonder what those uniforms are made of...”

        As the white unicorn continued to admire the design, the pegasi and unicorn guards moved as one, heading together towards the rear of the stage. Almost like they were making way for something...

The alicorn sisters appeared in a blinding flash, teleporting directly to the front of the stage in twin magical bursts. The passive mummer of the crowd evolved into a more direct cheer when the two princesses took their stance before the mass of ponies who had come to see them.

The two princesses standing before the crowd made quite the sight, but for the alicorns themselves, seeing such a gathering was also a spectacle worth beholding.

“Look at that my sister...” Celestia said softly to Luna, “All these ponies are here just for you.”

        Luna looked down sadly, ashamed on some level. “Why so glum?” Celestia asked gently, “The affection they have for you is genuine, and they all have come for the same reason. To show their love, and support this ceremony.”

“I know...” Luna said tentatively, “But-”

“Those times are behind us sister.” Celestia cut in, predicting what she was about to say, “You have risen above those mistakes, forgiven others and just as importantly, forgiven yourself. The lesson’s you’ve learned have been passed onto one already, and you can reach many, many more from the throne that awaits you.”

“Thank you big sis...” Luna said brightening, “I sometimes forget how comforting you can be.

“I hope...” she continued, her voice shaking somewhat, “I hope I can become a princess like you.”

        Celestia smiled warmly. “I’m not saying this as a princess.” she said directly, “I’m your big sister first, and a leader second. You are my little sister, and I know you’ll do a fine job.”

The cheer of ponies died down as they saw the two princesses turn to face them, ready to begin the event. The long awaited moment was upon them.

        Celestia took the lead, her voice booming, but maintaining its usual undefinable grace. “Hello and good afternoon!” she announced, the crowd hushing, “I cannot thank you enough for coming here to show your support, and to welcome my sister as your princess.

“As you may know, I have served alone as your ruler and maintained the balance for over a thousand years.” she continued, “But now, princess Luna has been returned to us, and she is prepared to resume her control over her moon and assist me in running Equestria as my equal.”

        Celestia paused and cast her gaze over the mass of ponies stretching out over the plaza and into the stands. “Neither I, nor my sister could be here today if you were not so united in reinforcing her courage.” she said inspired, “It is because of each and every one of you that the love for Luna has been regained. Please join me in congratulating her on making it so very far!”

        A healthy cheer thundered out. It died down quickly as Luna swapped positions with her sister. “Thank you all.” she said, with hardly as much regal aptitude as her sister, “It has been a thousand years since I’ve reached out to a crowd like this. It is both nostalgic and new sensation.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry it took so long for me to return to you.” she continued solemnly, “I have the greatest gratitude for you all who would welcome me back like this. It means so very much to me.

“It is your love that inspires my care for this land we are all a part of.” she said determinedly, “I want to do right by you and pass this same love onto all ponies, great and small...”

        She took a moment to collect her thoughts. “If there is anything I’ve learned, it is that there is nothing that cannot be fixed.” her eyes were distant, “Whatever trials that lie ahead, I refuse to give up on anypony, and I will always be there for whoever calls out for my help. You deserve nothing less, and I want to be the kind of princess you deserve. A princess like my sister.”

        Luna let the plaza fall silent for a moment. “So if you’ll have me...” she said entreatingly, “I’m ready to face the responsibility of caring for you, and the world we share.”

The assembled crowd voiced their approval with gusto. Luna felt her heart soar as the ponies all around demonstrated their love for her.

        Celestia smiled broadly from the sidelines. This was the Luna she knew and loved, and the one that Equestria needed. This was the Luna she was born to be. She approached and put a comforting hoof to her sister’s shoulder, her expression saying much. It told Luna how proud she was, and how happy it made her for her little sister to be back.

        The white alicorn moved back to the front of the stage, hushing the crowd. “So without any further ado...” she announced, “I, princess Celestia, hereby reinstate my sister, princess Luna, to her position as bipartisan ruler of Equestria and deity of the moon.

“The monarchy of the last millennium is over!” she said conclusively, “Effective immediately, Equestria re-enters dual-leadership as Luna and I rule together as equals.”

        An excited murmur began to develop. “Help me welcome the new world!” the princess called out over the din, “Let us take the first step forward together!”

The cheer hit it’s maximum at the utterance of Celestia’s final words, and the stage became enveloped in the bold yellow glow of her magic.

        It faded quickly, but what it revealed caused the crowd to cheer even louder. Luna’s previously short cropped blue mane had evolved into a flowing and captivating spectrum of rich cosmic energies, something of a contrast to that of her sisters. Luna’s very figure and posture also seemed more defined, as if it carried with it an authority that had only just been returned.

It was clear even to the audience. Celestia had returned her sister’s power to her, and it was most definitely more than a token gesture.

Luna herself was absolutely entranced by the transition. It had such an impact on her that she barely registered her sister approach her and whispered something in her ear.

        Luna’s eyes boggled to hear the words.

“I’m sorry...”

*        *        *        *

Marco finally found his way to an exit from the canals. Or at least he thought he had.

        A firm, but aged steel grate was set into a wooden frame that would allow him to simply walk out into the backstreets of Canterlot. Unfortunately, the thing was locked, and it wouldn’t be opening any time soon. At least, not the normal way...

Regardless of this setback, Marco gulped in the fresh air. Down here, the air was state and heavy from the water, so his reunion with normal oxygen was a pleasant one. Satisfied, Marco moved on to setting about finding a way through this old door that was keeping him but a few inches from progress.

        He inspected the metal bars. They were sturdy... too sturdy. Next. He inspected the lock keeping the door from opening normally, which was also too durable. It was an old and somewhat basic mechanism, but lock-picking was a unicorn’s job; Marco didn’t have a hope with something so intricate. Next...

        He ventured a look at the opposite side of the grate, where the thick hinges kept it affixed to the wooden frame. Unlike the door itself, the frame was wooden and it hadn’t aged well. It creaked to the touch. Bingo.

        While even the best kick would have no effect on the lock or bars, if he forced the hinges free from the much more vulnerable wood, the lock would act as a make-shift hinge and allow the door to swing open the opposite way it was intended to.

        Marco stepped back and got a decent run up. He wanted this to work on the first try. He ran at the door as hard as he could, jumping at the last moment and whipping his hind legs around, snapping them out with a precise, hard hitting hick. He hit it right in the critical spot, halfway down the grate on the side that held the hinges...
        
        The outmatched wood gave way instantly and the grate flew open, granting Marco the passage he desired. “Finally.” he muttered in relief, “I like it when things work the way I want them to.”

Out onto the streets of Canterlot he ran, but he barely made it two steps before he stopped dead. It was a ghost town, with nary a pony in sight. It was just like last time he came here, except that was in the dead of night, and this was the middle of the day. The place ought to be bustling.

‘Everypony doesn’t just disappear.’ he thought, ‘Where does a whole city just disappear to?’

        Marco’s face fell to remember the obvious. “Shit!” he said aloud, “They are all at the ceremony... it must have started already!”

Marco thrust his head every which way, listening desperately. If all the ponies in the city were in one place and the rest of the city was deserted, if he focused hard enough, he could follow the sound and get there in time. As he listened, he realized he had no clue where he was. The canals were winding and he ended up backtracking a few times trying to navigate them. To his knowledge, he could be anywhere from the top tier to one of the bottom quarters.

Suddenly he heard the faint ambiance of a large crowd somewhere to the north. Without bothering to consider their position in relation to him, he charged north, not wasting a single second.

He simply had to get to the plaza and stop the ceremony before it concluded. If he allowed Luna to take back her position, the consequences would be terrible and sudden. And aside from Celestia herself, Marco was the only one who had any idea what would happen if he failed to stop Luna from taking back the power.

Marco galloped up the large outdoor stairs that lead one to Canterlot’s top tier. He took the stairs two at a time, and as he reached the top and bounded onto the cobblestone path, he quickly noticed that there were still no ponies in sight. This was a bad sign. It was inevitable that some ponies would happen to be late, yet there was nopony around. The ceremony must have progressed further than he thought.

Marco could hear the clamouring of thousands of ponies so he knew he was close, but he no longer needed to follow the sound. He knew that the grounds were in the centre of the district, taking pride between the night and day palaces. He would be upon it in a matter of seconds...

Just as he was wondering what side of the grounds he would be entering from, he rounded the final corner and saw an entrance to the stadium yawning wide from the southern end. He ran to it, preparing himself to make a beeline through the mass of spectators directly to the stage.

        But as he began to feel the tiniest hint of relief, the sound of the crowd abruptly stopped. It didn’t die down or fade away, it just cut off all of a sudden.

        Marco wouldn’t have believed it if he couldn’t physically see the massive group of ponies ahead of him. He passed through the entrance to the grounds, dreading whatever force it was that had caused the city of Canterlot to hush. He forced his way through the crowd of ponies, who were both deathly quiet and completely still. It didn’t take him long to get close to the stage; not a single pony resisted or even noticed as the grey coated earth pony cut a path through them.

They were too transfixed to pay him any heed. ‘This isn’t good.’ he thought as he negotiated through the enraptured crowd, ‘I’m either just in time, or I’m way too late.’

        He promptly breached the borderline and then he too became awe-stricken. He was too late...

        Princess Luna’s eyes burned with fury as she stood hunched over aggressively, her horn thrust forward and her sister nowhere to be seen. Marco was briefly taken by the appearance change of the princess, but the moment was fleeting.

For it was then that Marco’s eyes immediately shot to the apparent target of Luna’s rage, his eyes widened to see something he did not recognize, but felt as if he ought to, such was the aura emitting from its figure...

        It was an earth pony, male but slender, and about as tall as Celestia. His coat was the palest of green and his mane and tail were long and flowing, light grey in colour with a sliver sheen that sparkled like dusty stars in manner strikingly similar to the ethereal-like manes of the twin princesses. But what was most noticeable were the pony’s eyes. They seemed to shine a white-green colour, and they housed neither pupil nor iris. They looked more like smoky glass orbs than eyes. His overall appearance was a confusing mix of faded colours with a vibrant shine.

        Whoever this pony was, he looked ancient. “So?” the imposing intruder repeated, evidently in the process of addressing the crowd as Marco showed up, “Is there no one?”

        Not far from the stage, Twilight was as silent as the other thousand ponies surrounding her. Even so, her mind was alive with questions. Who was this intimidating guy? Where had he come from? Where was Celestia? What was he?”

        All these questions and more racked not only her mind, but everypony else too. Yet not a single voice in the entire mass of ponies was raised. Whoever this guy was, his presence, the very energy emanating from his being, simply commanded silence. It was impossible to speak.

“How disheartening.” the figure bellowed as his hollow eyes seemed to scan the crowd, “Is there even one among you who still knows who I am?”

“I DO!” a brave voice suddenly called out.

Everypony in the crowd turned to face the source of the outcry, Twilight among them. But unlike the others, her eyes boggled when she saw. It was Marco...

‘What is he doing here?’ her mind screamed. She actually made to ask, but she was promptly denied as the giant pale green earth pony acknowledged Marco’s statement.

“Well, well...” he laughed low and mirthlessly, “How appropriate that the only one here to still know me is none other than a pure blood earth pony.”

        The crowd of ponies parted around Marco as the strongly spoken earth pony made to approach him. Marco felt himself staring into his ghostly eyes...

“So?” the great stallion asked, coming to a stop not far from Marco, “Care to enlighten this arrogant bunch?”

        Everypony’s eyes shifted slowly from the mystery pony to Marco. “You...” he replied tentatively, “You are called Terra...

“The King of Earth.”

*        *        *        *

Back in Ponyville, Spike bounced around the library in a fit.

As his mind begun to settle and regain its calm, the little dragon realized that the best way to determine what happened with Marco was to read the book that made him start acting nuts.

        Spike wasn’t normally one for reading, but serving as Twilight’s assistant had given him enough familiarity with books and tomes to know that the one he held in his hands was strange. The colour was unusual, a deep black, and it contrasted sharply with the glittering gold lining on the cover. And while these two elements made the tome seem important, the cover had no title.

Spike cracked open the tone immediately, and was confronted with a peculiar sight. The first page, in stark contrast to its elaborate cover, was horribly plain. In big black and boring bold lettering read the title: ‘Predictions and prophecies’.

        Spike did a double take. If he remembered correctly, the book about Nightmare Moon went by a similar name. He turned the first crisp white page tentatively, unable to shake the thought that something about this book wasn’t right. He felt like it was staring him in the face, but he couldn’t put his scaly finger on it.

        But he hadn’t the place for such thoughts, for as the second page settled, he became absorbed by the text.

‘As it always has, and so shall it always be, the quintessential forces that govern the world are championed by avatars. Like the forces themselves, such beings are timeless, and must operate in concert for their domain to maintain its existence. Like the sun and moon, as represented by the royal alicorn sisters, the world they share is dependant upon the harmony of their aspects. But since such beings possess free will, and live for lengths beyond mortal comprehension, conflict invariably entails. Regardless of circumstance, if such conflict causes the powers they were born from to become unbalanced, the world will shake from its harmony and enter a cataclysmic state. For this reason was Celestia’s dominion over the moon necessary following the incident of Nightmare Moon. In doing so, the princess of the sun became the linchpin that kept the world from falling victim to unbalanced forces.

However, the sun and moon never existed in solidarity. The earth itself has always had a constant relationship with the sun and moon, and it too was represented by its deity. Terra, the King of Earth, is as ancient as the earth itself, and it was he who moulded his creation into his image. His conflict with the alicorn sisters was an ancient one, and it all begun to develop as he realized the world he had shaped was changing beyond that which he envisioned, and he held the sisters responsible. He came to despise the unicorn and pegasus races who looked down and exploited his children, the earth pony race. In favouring those who went on to call him King, Terra sought to right what he saw as a wrong. The earth ponies were more numerous, and with Terra at their head, he came very close to succeeding in establishing them as the superior species. However, the combined efforts of Luna and Celestia thwarted the rebellion, and Terra conceded defeat on the promise that the earth ponies would not be treated so harshly. Not long after this resolution, the equality Equestria enjoys was firmly established, due primarily to the combined efforts of Celestia, Luna and Terra. It was peaceful, and Terra especially devoted himself to ensuring that his earth remained in such a state. It was an endeavour in which he was more or less successful. Be it social unrest, invaders from without, or enemies from within, the king committed himself wholeheartedly to countering the evils that threatened to change his peaceful earth.

Then one fateful night, approximately one thousand years ago, the deity of the moon, princess Luna, submitted to the corruption of Nightmare Moon. With the status-quo so suddenly disturbed, Terra embarked upon his own zealous mission to right the wrong, and confronted Nightmare Moon. But they were evenly matched, and their battle served only to weaken them both to the point of collapse. Seeing what had become of her sister vulnerable following the conflict, Celestia took the chance to utilize the elements of harmony and seal Nightmare Moon. She took the responsibility of governing the moon alongside her sun, and balance was preserved. But it was a hard decision for Celestia to make in imprisoning her sister, and it left her destabilized. Sensing a weakness, Terra mustered up his strength and capitalized on the opportunity to overthrow the remaining princess, and make the role of ruling Equestria his, and his alone. The events leading up to his betrayal had shown him that the only way to make sure his earth would stop moving away from its peaceful state was to remove the princess who so immaturely let their emotions threaten everything. With the sun, moon, and earth under his control, Terra would be able to raise his earth pony following to the position it deserved, and govern Equestria as he saw fit. However, his attempt against Celestia yielded nothing but his own downfall. Celestia was weakened by the sorrow of loosing her sister, and her elements of harmony would have little effect on a foe who was not corrupted. She was at the mercy of the more resolute Terra, but before the final blow could be struck-


        Spike stopped reading, or rather, was forced to stop reading. The words that followed had been omitted. There was a thick, impenetrable black smear that covered the entirety of the next paragraphs. He flipped thorough the blackened pages until at last, words formed once more...

But Terra’s disposition was not so easy to overcome. The seal that contained him could only be maintained for as long as the balance he so dearly sought was preserved, and his hate for change continued to go unprovoked. To this day, Terra waits in his prison for the day Equestria breaks from its monarchy and once again embraces change. And upon that day, the King will rise once more to make his ideals, fostered over a millennium of imprisonment, a reality.


        Even though Spike’s didn’t possess an abundance of insight, that last paragraph guided a massive puzzle piece into place. “Monarchy?” he asked himself, breaking into a sweat as he tried to remember the definition of the word, “A system of government with one ruler?”

        And then it hit him. If today was a ceremony for the reinstatement of Luna, then that would mean Equestria would no longer be classified as a-

        Spike flipped to the next page. This was looking bad; it was no wonder Marco ran off in such a rut.

It is prophesied that on the day Terra returns, he will attempt to bring about his new world order. There is but one way to put an end to his ambitions. He is not corrupted by any external force, so there is no method by which to purge his desires from his mind. He also acts of his own accord, believing his cause to be both necessary and righteous. His destined enemies represent a coalition of the mortal races he yearns to segregate. A pony of the sky, the magic, and the earth will unite and fight as one to drive the power from Terra’s being.

The first is a pegasus, unmatched in her ferocity. Hers is a name know far and wide, and for deeds both heinous and heroic. In strength she knows no equal, and her lust for battle cannot be sated. She will rise against the King of her own volition, but harbours no cause to guide her might.

The second is a unicorn, unmatched in the realm of the mental. He commands the wrath of elements not through might, but aptitude. He is an outcast, yet his life’s work is the protection of his people, and the world at large. He will answer the call of duty, and seek to become that for which he is destined.

The third is an earth pony, unmatched in his resolve. His past is one of darkness and mistakes. He will triumph over his misjudgements, and utilize unique methods to see the enemy defeated. The King will seek to have him among his ranks, but the time will come when the third must choose a side, and place his life on the line to decide the future.

It is only through the combined effort of these three heroes that the future can be protected. Together, they can succeed, but alone they stand little chance. These three champions must be brought together should Equestria stand a chance to continue its prosperity.


        Spike literally dropped the book as he reached the final page. It was too much to take in. Aside from actually believing what it detailed, the implications were as confronting as the raw facts...

First of all, there was the part about how allowing Luna to retake the throne would trigger such a catastrophe. And while that in and of itself was unsettling, the truly disturbing thing was that Celestia already knew that this would happen.

How conflicted she must have been when Marco came after her sister’s head. That night, outside this very library, Celestia could have done away with the problem right then and there. If Marco was going to end up being the unlikely force that pulled Luna away from her reproach, then eliminating him would have meant she wouldn’t have forgiven herself and would not return to power, which in turn would stop Terra from returning.

Even more grim was the possibility that, at even for the briefest of moments, Celestia must have thought that if Marco ended up killing Luna like he planned, Terra would stay permanently sealed. And yet, she stood by and allowed events that would result in her imprisonment unfold on their own.

        Spike looked down at the black tome on the floor. The connotations of it were no less foreboding. “Why was this thing his cutie mark?” Spike said out loud, not knowing much about the topic, “I thought they are supposed to represent a pony’s special talent, or life calling. What does that make Marco’s calling?”

        Spike scratched his head, ruffling his spines. He didn't feel like it was his job to think about things like this. ‘Is that why Celestia decided to send the book to Twilight’s library today?’ he wondered, ‘So he could figure that out?’

The princess would’ve known Marco would be the only pony around when he opened up that crate. And since it was identical to his cutie-mark, she could be certain he would immediately go for it. But why was he so important? Apart from that picture on his backside, this prophecy didn’t have anything to do with him. Unless...

        Spike flipped back to the part about the third hero. He compared the description of it to Marco, and mentally ticked off the similarities. “Earth Pony? Duh. Resolute? Yeah, probably.” he scratched his head, “Dark past? Tick. Misjudgement? Big tick.”

        Spike tapped his chin at the other qualities. Even to him, it was all too vague. If fit Marco, but too loosely. Out of all the earth ponies in Equestria, there would be no shortage of stallions who fit the description. Even the qualities detailed about the other two heroes were ambiguous and open to interpretation. Finding the one unicorn or pegasus among all the others who matched up would be incredibly difficult.

        And even further beyond these vague prophecies, Spike had no reason to believe anything it was supposedly predicting. Everything about it was based on things that couldn’t be proved or were otherwise impossible to determine.

        And while he wanted to believe it, there was but one element of it that vexed him. “Why is this thing his cutie mark?” he asked the empty room, “What does that mean?”

        The little dragon looked despondently out the library window, and saw the outline of Canterlot hanging from the mountaintop. If this book was telling the truth, then right now, somewhere in those city walls, a powerful evil had been unleashed.

“The king of the earth...” he whispered to himself, “Can something like that even exist?”

“I sure hope Twilight’s okay...”

*        *        *        *

        The plaza remained deathly silent in the face of Marco’s words.

“You’re the King of Earth.” he repeated, “You’re the one who once reigned over the soil we stand on.”

        Terra snorted disapprovingly. “You won’t find such soil here.” he said, referring to artificial city he had found himself in, “But yes. It is true. I was once such a king. But I cooperated with those sisters... at a time before they were twisted by the frigid winds of change.”

        Terra’s muzzle scowled as he glanced sideways at Luna, still bent over aggressively. “What did you do to my Sister?!” Luna yelled, cutting his monologue short.

        Her anger seemed to warrant nothing but a smirk from Terra. “Such sharp words from you youngest.” he said unintimidated, “The last time I saw you Luna, you were somewhat more timid and significantly less resentful.
“Although, I suppose that isn’t technically true.” he continued, correcting himself, “I seem to remember meeting with you when you were similarly enraged, but only then did you insist on a different name.”

        Abruptly, Terra’s attention was seized by a royal guard who battered the ground roughly with his front hoof, intentionally interrupting the speech.

“Answer the question damn it!” Captain Caliber demanded bravely, “What have you done with Celestia?”

        From the sidelines, Marco could see the more casual aspect of Terra’s demeanour wash away. “A foolish question, but not entirely unexpected.” he said condescendingly, “Regardless, I fail to see a reason why I should explain such a thing.”

        Caliber’s armour clanked as his posture became one step away from being offensive. Luna continued to scowl furiously.

“Suffice to say, she has been sealed.” Terra sighed, seeing no way around revealing at least that much, “In truth, I intended to seal you both away, but it seems Celestia took measures to ensure she became the only prisoner. Admirable, but surely it would have been wiser to substitute you so that she could face me herself.

        Caliber shot off the mark to realize Luna was still a target, instantly placing himself between the King and the princess. He was not about to let the shock of loosing one princess stop him from protecting another...

        Upon seeing the royal guard stand against him, Terra cocked his head curiously. “You can relax soldier.” he said offhandedly, “For the time being, I lack the means to do away with your remaining princess. I had not anticipated Celestia to be such a drain on my powers, but despite the setback, the situation remains in my favour.”

        Luna’s horn lit up, as if she was preparing to attack Terra. “And so comes the point where I must depart.” he said deadpan, “I would have liked a chance to say more, but I suppose that even that was expecting too much.”

“Stop!” Caliber roared, his wings readied as if to pursue Terra should he run.

“Where is she?!” Luna yelled, the glow of her horn poised to strike.

“What have you done?” Twilight’s tiny voice called from somewhere in the crowd.

        Terra shifted his gaze slowly between the three, and Marco could see the intolerance flaring in his empty eyes. It was obvious to him that there was only one type of pony this ‘King’ would abide.

“Why?” the brave earth pony called out into the eerie silence.

        Terra turned and readjusted his stance. He had acknowledged the question. “Why?” he repeated, staring Marco in the eye, “You ask me why?”

        When he spoke, his voice echoed out to the crowd, his words laced with discontent. “Surely you have seen it.” he boomed, “The way this world is going; the changing times. I’m here to save the world from itself.

“In a time lost to your history, I gave the gift of the earth to everypony, and all privileged my blessing.” he continued, his empty eyes focused on the images in his mind, “But time went on, and my gift became neglected. In spite of everything I gave you, you all distanced yourself from my earth. Everything the pegasi or unicorns ever did tore them away from my embrace.”

“The more humble earth ponies are all that are left who have even a semblance of gratitude remaining.” with each word, the anger welled up in his voice, “The pegasi and their sky cities, the unicorns and their disregard for the laws of my creation... I have existed for as long as Equestria itself, and I have seen for myself how things change. I know what has made the world this way.”

        He cast a condemning look to Luna. “And your sister gave me a thousand years of solitude to engineer a solution.” he hissed, somehow staring at the princess with his invisible eyes, “The significance of the earth is gone. Time, change, and the insolence of the conceited races of ponykind have doomed Equestria to be trapped in a chaotic state of constant flux!”

“You are wrong!” Twilight interrupted from the audience, her bravery finally winning out, “Celestia has guided us from chaos countless times, and Luna has been redeemed in the hearts of everypony! Together, they’ve done nothing but provide... your lies are obvious to us all!”

“How pitiable that you sentiment has been so wrongly inherited.” Terra replied cryptically, “I wonder, how much of you attachment to the sisters is derived from dependence?”

        Twilight didn’t answer the question. It wasn’t that she couldn’t, but found herself at a loss for whatever it was that permitted her to confront him like she did.

“You need not concern yourself with fearing that you ignorance has offended me.” he said to her directly, “This initial defiance is understandable, and as such, forgivable. After all, I have only now returned to this grand stage, yet aim to take the leading role while my name has apparently only survived in whispers for however many years it has been since my fall.”

“But mine is a name you should remember.” he said evenly, “Loyalists still exist, and they have been hard at work conscripting the makings of my following. Together we shall deal the death blow to what has become of the royal order.”

        He scanned his audience for the final time, his gaze finally stopping at Marco, who stood distinguished among the terrified pegasi and unicorn locals. “You ask me why?” Terra said, almost as if directed solely at the grey earth pony he now stared at, “I have resolved to purify Equestria of its corruption, to rid my earth of everything that threatens to change it. My eyes have witnessed the passage of time to an extent that none of you can imagine, and it has been made clear to me in my confinement that there is but one thing that can be done to redeem my earth which has been tainted so thoroughly in my absence.”

        He spared the intimidated earth pony his concentration, and addressed the crowd at large. “Look upon this stage mortals, and see what has become of your leaders.” his voice boomed, “The one whose light has guided you, albeit astray, has been stolen away. And in her place is the hateful sister who turned this kingdom upside down but one millennium ago. As her power returns, so do I to set the balance. Make no mistake... unchecked, this alicorn will lead you all to ruin.

“But do not despair.” Terra continued, “While the princesses fall, a king rises. I offer you a chance, an option if you will, to do what you reason wisest. Ever since the crown was established as rule, it is a choice that you have so unjustly been denied. Pledge fealty to me, and join your fellow dissenters in the real formation of a real new world order.”

“Your eyes have become blind Terra.” Luna spoke up from behind him, her magic gone and her tone more collected, “You will not find allies in this city. We can all see your ideals for what they are... and they are wrong.”

“Wrong?’ Terra repeated, intrigued, “Very well, I can understand why you say that. We’ve had our conflicts in the past, and the resolutions have led you to believe such a thing. To those who might know as you do, they would not be at fault saying the same thing...

“However...” he continued pointedly, “I posit to you, what does that make you? Can you claim to be good when your past is so steeped in mystery? Whatever standing you have among these mortals is sourced from one thing, and one thing only. Celestia told them you could be trusted. And while they have reason to trust Celestia, she is no longer here. It is just you, me, and the rest of the world. You, my vengeful little princess, are the greater of two evils. And the longer the world has but you to call on, the clearer that truth will become.”

        Suddenly, a strange power manifested with the Terra at its centre. A strange, ethereal, almost magical substance was conjured; it was as black as tar and as thin as smoke.

The mystery force quickly enveloped the area around Terra. “I have returned, and I have not abandoned my earth or any still loyal to it.” he said definitively, “I will set things right once more. I will restore Equestria to the way I intended it to be, and raise my kind back to their rightful place.”

        Marco’s eyes widened as Terra seemed to gesture to him. He couldn’t be sure whether he meant it for him, or did it because he was the only earth pony in sight.

 As the concentration of black power increased so that it had him close to fully enveloped, the King’s voice rung out for what would be the final time. “Join me, my brothers and sisters.” he beckoned, “It is not they who shall lead this new era, but I! It will be a utopia for those who choose it!”

        The dark substance started to dissipate, and in its departure, it became clear that Terra had been whisked away along with it. “But I have no patience for those who deny my gifts a second time.” his voice echoed out from nowhere and it faded as if it were being snuffed out, “For those who choose to resist, know that you stand against the earth itself! That which birthed you, that which you take for granted...

“For those that would rise against me...” he concluded, “You are to be pitied, but you cannot be forgiven! I will have you experience hell!”

        Terra was gone, but his final words hung heavy in the air. As everypony started to regain themselves, a few hushed whispers broke the silence, and within moments, the tentative murmurs evolved into a panicked hue and cry...

Twilight subconsciously made her way towards the stage. As the panic all around developed, she ascended the adjoining stairs and found herself before the princess...

“Damn it!” Luna cried, her distress made clear by her lack of composure. She struck a hoof against the ground hard, “I can’t believe it! Sister!”

“Guards!” Caliber roared above the din, his authority absolute, “Evacuate the plaza now! Get everypony out of here!”

        The assorted royal guards and day guards were in a state of confusion themselves, but they complied without delay, opening all entrances wide and clearing the path. A sub group encircled the stage and slowly marched out, calmly pushing the crowd back.

        Marco was a moment from being absorbed in confusion, but he was instantly confronted by Caliber. “What are you doing here?” he demanded, his prejudice clear, “You better have a compelling reason for being here! I’m well within my rights to toss you in the dungeon and throw away the key-”

        Before Marco had a chance to respond, a distinct rainbow flair found its way between him and Caliber. “Back off!” Rainbow Dash commanded, “He hasn’t done anything wrong!”

Her appearance was quickly followed by the rest of her friends, excluding Twilight who was up at the stage helping Luna back to her hooves.

Caliber returned Rainbow Dash’s level gaze. “Who are you, and what do you know?” he questioned, “Because if you didn’t notice, your buddy over there seems to be the only one who has any idea who that bastard was-”

“That’s enough captain.” Luna said suddenly from behind him, having regained herself, “There are much more important matters to attend.”

        Twilight stood next to her, a million questions dancing around in her mind, “Princess? Are you okay?” she asked sincerely, “What in Equestria just happened?”

        Luna looked down to her sister’s faithful pupil, but then whirled to look at Marco squarely in they eye. “I’ll leave the explanations to you.” she said to him, “There’s something I must do and it cannot wait.”

        Caliber didn’t understand the vague statement. “Where are you going?” he asked, “What about-”

“What’s done is done.” she shot back, “That is a lesson I had to learn the hard way. It’s over for now... what’s happened to my sister cannot yet be changed. We have lost.

“I have to focus on what I can fix.” she continued, “Every moment I waste brings this city closer to disorder. We need order, we need leadership, and if my sister isn’t here, it means I’m the only one who can stand up and take charge. I won’t fail her again. I... I need to fix this.

“I have to reach out to them.” the princess said determined, “And for that I must prepare. They need to know as much as you do.”

        Luna looked to Marco, her eyes told a story all on their own. “Once you’ve all come to an understanding, meet me in my chambers.” she directed, “Undoubtedly there will be much I need from all of you.”
        

The ceremony grounds were emptied fast, but a small group remained behind, huddled by the edge of the stage. Luna had left to begin the preparations she had spoken of, while the guards who had evacuated the area had decided to leave their captain behind to find out what was going on.

        It didn’t take too long for Marco to finish explaining everything he had learned about Terra and his connection to the royal sisters. He had recounted it accurately, and Caliber’s understanding had indeed become clearer, but questions still lingered.
 
Twilight took it upon herself to be the first to break the thoughtful silence. “So you’re telling us that Celestia knew that this would happen if she gave Luna back her power?” Twilight asked, “If that was the case, why would she encourage the ceremony?”

        The discomforting silence returned as nopony could think of a reason. Most of them were probably still too shocked to think clearly.

        Caliber had distanced himself from the other ponies, but it seemed he had a question of his own to share. “There’s one thing I can’t figure out.” he announced, looking at Marco, “You said that this seal Celestia used depended on maintaining the royal hierarchy. But if that’s the case, how come he didn’t break free when Nightmare Moon escaped the moon? Celestia was temporarily sealed at the time.”

        Marco didn’t think it was too complicated. “The book specified that so long as Equestria kept the balance he would stay sealed.” he replied, rewording it, “But when Nightmare Moon escaped and took control, Celestia was vanished. And when she was purified, Celestia immediately reappeared. It didn’t upset the balance because Equestria remained a monarchy. Who was in charge changed, but it was never challenged, so there was only one leading figure at either time-”

Twilight put a hoof to Marco’s shoulder, halting his explanation. “That’s not what the captain means.” she said on his behalf, “While what you say is true theoretically, the problem is that Celestia was sealed by Nightmare Moon.”

        Marco didn’t understand the difference. “It’s a magical problem.” she added, for the benefit of those who might not understand the way it worked, “If Celestia was sealed, then all her magic would have been nulled. Which meant the seal on Terra would have been erased.”

        Marco begun to realize. “So if he didn’t break free...” he said softly, “Then that means...”

        Twilight nodded solemnly. “Yes...” she said, reading his thoughts, “Celestia wasn’t the one who sealed him. And if he was sealed after Luna turned Nightmare Moon and became imprisoned in the moon, then she couldn’t have done it either. Whatever was omitted from the tome must have detailed who or what sealed him.

“But who could have done it?” she continued, “The seal held for over a thousand years, and that means it was strong magic. And mortal magic dissipates after the caster’s death. Which means it is a creature with powerful magic that’s lived for over a millennium, or there’s another immortal on the same level as Celestia.”

        Everypony held their tongue. It was hard to imagine something like that being possible, but it appeared to be the only explanation. And while everypony else may have been struggling with the concept, inside Marco’s head gears were turning as he tried to wrap his head around it.

        Marco took off his hat and ran a hoof through his still-wet mane. “This is just a theory...” he said to the silent group, “But suppose there was another immortal pony like Celestia, Luna or Terra. Like the book said, it’d safe to assume they would be also be a deity of some kind right?”

        Caliber’s eyes flickered with recognition, but otherwise, there was nothing but a silent acknowledgement. Marco continued on regardless...

“Now, as I said, this is only theory, but look at Luna and Celestia.” he reasoned, “They are sisters and control the opposing forces of nature, the sun and moon. But then we learned of the existence of Terra and some unknown force able to seal him away. He controls earth, but just like how the sun and moon are binaries, the earth also has an opposite. So if Terra is anything like Celestia or Luna, then wouldn’t he have to exist in harmony with another? Is it possible for their to be yet another deity out there somewhere?”

        The girls were a little more than shocked. It sounded ridiculous. He was making some pretty big assumptions, and it was technically conjecture. Even still, it made a lot of sense. Applejack was the least convinced, but as she made to point out one of the many flaws in Marco’s argument, she noticed that Caliber was oddly unfazed and decidedly silent in the face of the grand claim. And so she changed targets...

“What are you so quiet for?” she asked pointedly, calling him out, “Why, I reckon you might know a little more than you’re letting on Capt’n...”

        Twilight and the others looked over to the two, and it didn’t take long for them to realize that Caliber was indeed holding back. He was standing by disarmingly, neutral to the connotations of what Marco had proposed. He knew something...

“Us royal guards keep our secrets earth pony, and what you’re asking from me is on a need to know basis.” Caliber shot back, but wavered slightly, “Even still, that’s pretty much out the window with Celestia gone.”

“If it had anything to do with what’s happened to her, then she’d want us to know.” Twilight reasoned, “I’m her student. She wouldn’t keep a secret like this from me!”

“Are you so sure?” Caliber asked, turning to the unicorn, “Let me ask you then, do you know where your brother is right now?”

“What’s this got to do with Terra?” Twilight asked, “And no I don’t! Isn’t he in the city?”

“Far from.” the captain replied, “With both of the princess having been occupied by Luna’s return and subsequent reinstatement, your brother and I were the only ones who Canterlot could spare to deal with the fragile situation that has been developing in the deep sea. Your brother has served longer than I have, and his abilities were deemed more suitable to the task, so he went instead.”

“You seem to be dodging the more prevalent question.” Marco said attentively, “Like what the hell do you mean ‘deep sea’? And who’s Shining Armour?”

“Okay... okay.” Caliber conceded, “It’d be better if Luna told you this, but-”

He wasn’t able to finish his sentence. For at that moment, somewhere in the spiralling tower of the night palace, princess Luna begun channelling some powerful magic, and her voice cut through the discussion down by the stage.

“Hear me citizens of Canterlot...” Luna’s voice echoed inside their minds, almost as if it had been magically implanted, “This is the voice of princess Luna.”
        

        Down in the abandoned ceremony grounds, Twilight realized what was happening. “This is psychic magic!” she gasped, “Nothing like what a unicorn could ever do... She’s speaking directly into our minds, into the minds of everypony in Canterlot!”

        All over the city, ponies that were once in a panic, slowed their actions as they heard the voice penetrate their consciousness. One by one, frightened unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies stopped whatever they were doing and became entranced by the soft sound of Luna’s voice.

        From the outside looking in, Canterlot became an otherworldly sight. Streets, filled to bursting with multi-coloured ponies stood perfectly still, as if they had all simultaneously fallen asleep while standing. Every single soul within the range of her spell became entranced without exception as Luna’s voice reached out to speak to them, both universally and privately. It felt as if the princess was speaking only for each individual pony, and that in and of itself was enough to calm even the most fearful.

“As you may already know, a terrible tragedy has stuck at the heart of the peace we all enjoy. A being know as Terra has reawakened and has stolen from us our princess. He also seeks to destroy everything she has created for us.

“This aggressor spoke of change, and how it has broken this world. He spoke of how things once were, and believed them to be privileged. He, I, my sister Celestia... we once lived in the world he now envisions.

That is the curse of living for as long as we do. As time marches on, we must adjust to fit the world that continues to develop around us. It is not an easy thing to do. A thousand years ago, culture, belief, science, society... such things were different back then, and my sister and I believed in the values of that era. But these things change and mature over time, and while mortals do not live long enough to see such aspects pass, we must mature with the times.

“But this King has not matured. He is fixated on the past, and wishes to drag the world back to a time he wrongly believes to be the ideal. I know you have questions, and I know you have doubts. But if there is only one thing I can hope to extend to you, it is this... do not despair. Events to come are uncertain, and there are few who are prepared to engage in such troubling matters.

“But such things have been forced upon us. With Celestia gone, I am all that is left to lead you. This false king would have you distrust the ponies you call your brothers and sisters.

“I regret to be so demanding when I know that I have not earned the right to lead you, but we must have unity to prevail in this trial. To save Celestia and to save Equestria, I am depending upon all of you to do what is hardest. We all must rise to the occasion. You are not alone in your doubt, but together we can overcome this. Now affirm it! The ponies that surround you are no longer strangers.

“We will not be told we are divided. The only barriers that exist between you and your equals are the ones we allow. Discard your prejudice and accept your neighbours. This is the new age! An age without separation!

“Help me bring back our sun. Help me bring her back to light the way to our brighter future. Help me deny the idiocy of a fool fixated on the past, for I cannot accomplish it alone. Take the first step! Show Terra that we will never stop moving forward! Join with me! Join with your brothers! Your sisters! Let us face this coming threat together!”

“Regain your love for one another. Do not stoop to the errors of the past. Terra will hear you answer to his call, and he will know that we refuse!”

        
        In the night palace, Luna abruptly ended her spell with a cold sweat forming on her neck. It had been such a long time since she had used her magic, let alone to such a demanding degree. She could only hope that she had managed to maintain it long enough for her speech to be heard.

        But just as Luna started to fear that she had failed, she heard a sound, faint at first, but slowly growing louder. The walls of the night palace were thick, so the sounds from outside were muffled, but it could still be heard. Luna listened intently, and her eyes began to water as she no longer harboured any doubt that the city outside was engaged in a resounding cheer.

Outside, the noise was simply deafening. The cheer travelled as far as Ponyville... nay, even the Everfree Forest heard the city announce its disposition.

        Somewhere in Twilight’s library, the panicking Spike and the attentive Owlicious paused to analyse the sound. To know that the distant voices were not made in loathing comforted the nervous dragon to a degree. And even further away, somewhere deep in the Everfree Forest, Zecora had been toying with a newly acquired recipe when she suddenly stopped as she thought she may have heard something.

        But she quickly dismissed it and resumed humming away to the bubble and froth of her cauldron.

*        *        *        *

        The first day Luna was to take back even a little bit of power, she ended up getting it all. She wasn’t simply put in control of the moon; the sun and Equestria itself were at her command. She was running the whole show.

        Nopony speculated that she was in over her head. Since the get-go she erupted into a frenzy of authority, the likes of which none had experienced under Celestia’s leadership. But everypony realized that these were trying times, and accepted that they called for desperate measures.

        Luna stood in the centre of her sister’s chambers, and was blitzing through every document of relevance she could find. Caliber and a group of royal guards scrambled around to keep up with her.

“I don’t care about procedure.” she said straight to Caliber, “I need eyes and ears in and around every town, village, settlement and camp on the map.

“If you need to promote the janitor to the intelligence squad to get the numbers, then do it.” she continued, “And if you need to demote the royal guard so you can fill the streets, then do that too!”

        Luna stretched her hooves over the big map taking pride in the centre of the study. “We have no idea where he’s run to, what he’s doing, or when he’ll make his move.” she sighed heavily, “We have no choice but to spread as thin as we can. Make sure the garrison understands how important it is for them to get this done. The stakes have never been higher and we have no alternative but to depend upon the diligence of every single pony you command.”
        
        Beyond his surprise, Caliber was impressed. This was the kind of ruler Equestria needed right now. He wondered to think what would be happening if Celestia was the one standing before him now...

“Alright, but if that’s the case, we cannot afford to have any corruption among the ranks.” he replied evenly, “We can’t have anypony running solo no matter how much area we have to cover. Teams of three is the absolute minimum.”

“Three?” Luna questioned, “Don’t be absurd, we can’t spare any-”

“Princess...” he said gently, “if even one pony we rely on turns out to be in league with Terra, then everything falls down. I’ll group the guards up with ponies they don’t get along with, so any suspicious behaviour will be noticed. The third is needed to offset the chance that the other two could both end up as traitors.”

“You may be right, but I won’t so blatantly distrust the guard when I’m demanding such trust from everypony else.” Luna retorted, “Keep them in pairs, and I’ll accept the consequences should that backfire.

“But still...” she continued, uncertainty tinging her voice, “We might have the momentum, but we’re on the back hoof. The first move is the most important, so we can’t afford not to play this smart.”

        Luna turned to face the guard captain. “Where are the ponies you were with?” she asked him, “I need to see them as soon as possible if we’re going to make any headway...”

        Caliber looked to the big double doors he had come through. “Well, we all went to the night palace like you said, but by the time we got there you were gone.” he replied, “So we headed here, knowing this was the only other place you’d be, but uh... let’s just say I trusted them to make their own way here.”

*        *        *        *

“Come on Twi...” Applejack pushed, “You said you knew this place like the back of your hoof!”
        
The purple unicorn blushed. “Well, I thought I did, but I normally come here with Spike, and he’s the one who really knows his way...” Twilight admitted, “We’ll get there, I just need to find out where we are.”

        Rainbow Dash didn’t seem so convinced. “C’mon... it’s like, the royal palace!” she drawled, “Is it really that hard to find?”

        Twilight pretended not to hear. “It’s not.” Marco commented, “I think Twilight was just trying to show off by taking a shortcut, and now we’re lost.”

“If you’ve got time to chatter...” Twilight snapped back, “Then help me figure out where to go...”

“How are we supposed to know?” Dash retorted, “We weren’t born here, unlike somepony-”

“Here’s an idea.” Marco suggested, “Why don’t you fly up and point us in the direction of the big, white and yellow palace?”

        Everypony slowed to a halt at the obvious solution. Without even a second thought, Dash kicked off the mark and flew up high and quickly took in her bird’s eye view of the royal city. To Twilight’s utter chagrin, the pegasus extended a hoof westward, pointing back at where they had come from...

The journey to the royal palace was a silent one. Thankfully, it was also short with Rainbow Dash to conduct the group’s movement through the twisting alleys and winding streets.

Soon enough, the group found it’s way to the day palace and with the direction of some nearby day guards, they promptly proceeded into Celestia’s private study. Marco led the way as he pushed through the double doors without announcing himself.

“It’s a unlikely possibility, but present all the same.” Luna was in the middle of debating with the captain, “I have trouble seeing the rationality of dismissing his connection in such short order-”

        Marco looked about himself in embarrassment as he realized announcing himself would have been a good idea. This wasn’t a discussion he was supposed to walk in on.

“Oh, it’s you.” Caliber said awkwardly, “Good to see you finally made it.”

“Sorry about that...” Marco replied, looking back to the girls behind him as he did so, “We had some, uh... internal complications.”

“No matter.” Luna interjected, “In fact, your timing is rather convenient-”

        Marco swapped looks with the princess and the captain. “Yeah, I noticed.” he cut in, “You’re wondering whether or not I was mentioned in the book.”

        The grey earth pony looked at the group of ponies still idle in the hall. “I get the feeling you’re not the only ones.” he added, “But I don’t think I’m one of these so-called champions.”

“I don’t either.” Caliber agreed plainly, “It’s a bit of a far-cry to put you on that pedestal.”

“I don’t think your brain’s doing the talking there mister...” Applejack said, moving out from the hall and past Marco, “Maybe somepony’s still saddle-sore ‘bout certain things that don’t matter no more.”

        Twilight too emerged from the hall. “Settle down Applejack.” she started, hushing her brazen friend, “That said, I disagree with you as well Captain. Celestia sent the book to Marco, so she obviously intended for him to be included in, well... this. And him being here can’t be coincidence. As it stands, it’d be silly to think that book could be referring to anypony but Marco.”

        Marco winced each time his name was used as a subject. He didn’t agree with Twilight, but he couldn’t shake the idea that it was only because he didn’t want to...

Luna shook her head disapprovingly at Twilight. “There isn’t a compelling case for either line of thought.” she said, adding her own view, “The appropriate action is to remain open to either possibility.”

“What do you mean?” Applejack asked, not understanding, “Who else could the dang thing be-”

“I hate to interrupt, but you’re not looking at this the right way.” Caliber said, cutting the orange earth pony off, “Take a step back and be objective. The fact of the matter is that this prophecy is a dead end. It would have been useful to have this information before the ceremony, but at present, it tells us nothing beyond what’s already happened. These three ‘heroes’ it mentioned could be anypony. It wouldn’t be hard finding matches in this city alone.”

“Then what are we gonna do?” Applejack asked, concerned, “Don’t we have any other way to find out who these special ponies are?”

“We do.” Luna said simply, passing over some papers, “I found these almost as soon as I came here looking for clues.”

        Caliber’s heart stopped for a second to recognise the document Luna had produced as one he had attempted to hide. The truth of his old lieutenant was before him once more, and he felt a chill grip him to realize that Celestia must have discovered he had gone over her head in trying to protect his old lieutenant. Beyond that, he was further shocked that Luna regarded Tager as relevant to the three heroes. He didn’t like the feeling of hampering whatever investigation Celestia had undergone in decrypting the prophecy...

“Who’s this?” Twilight asked as the documents were levitated over, pulling Caliber away from his shock, “Is that a wanted poster?”

        Luna nodded curtly. “Not only was Celestia looking into these heroes up until she was sealed, it also seems that she was able to figure out who the first hero is.” she said, “ After going through what my sister was looking at, I think there’s an extremely high chance that this pegasus... this ‘Tager’ is the first hero as detailed by the prophecy.

“The only problem is, we don’t know wh-”

“Did you say Tager?” Rainbow Dash cut in, demanding Caliber’s attention as she suddenly became interested in the poster, “Hey, show me the picture!”

        Before anypony could say anything, she grabbed the paper from Twilight’s magical grasp. “Whoa boy...” she breathed, “That’s totally her. What in the hay is she doing on a wanted poster?”

        Luna leaned in with raised eyebrows. “You know this pony?” she asked tentatively, “You’re positive?”

“I haven’t seen her since flight school, but this is definitely her.” she said looking up, “I could tell just from the look on her face.”

        Marco silently peered at the profile Dash held. He could see the image on it, see the maroon coat and the light khaki mane, done up in a menacing, streamlined mohawk. He ceased his stare to find the whole room looking at Dash expectantly.

“Please, tell me what you know.” Luna said, not mincing words, “Don’t skip any details, no matter how trivial they may seem.”

        Rainbow Dash found herself catching her breath. The new Luna really knew how to get down to business. “Well, we knew her pretty well...” she started, “I guess you could say she was our friend.”

“We?” Luna repeated, “Pray tell, Who is we?”

“Oh, ah, right...” Dash stuttered, “I’m talking about me and Gilda. The three of us kinda stuck together at flight school. I think we met Tager at Junior Speedsters Camp.”

“Gilda?” Marco asked as he took the documents from Dash, “Who’s that?”

“Just a griffin who I used to be friends with.” she answered simply, “She came to visit me in Ponyville once, but we had a little bit of a falling out. I haven’t heard from her since.”

“You really haven’t gotten in touch?” Pinkie asked carefully, “I wonder what she’s been up to...”

“I dunno...” Dash said with a shrug, “We might have gotten along back at school, but you guys would understand if I said she didn’t exactly get on with many ponies. No, I think Tager and I were her only friends.”

"Huh..." Marco mused, swapping looks with Caliber, "So if you cut ties with this Gilda, would it be fair to say that she would try and confide in her one remaining friend?"

“Uh, I guess...” Dash replied confused, “but what does that-”

“It means...” Luna interrupted, anticipating the question, “Even if Tager is untraceable, your griffin friend is not. If we can assume she knows her friend well enough to be able to track her down, then if we find this ‘Gilda’, we become a step closer to locating the first hero.”

        The guard captain tuned to face the princess, who was tapping her muzzle thoughtfully as she digested all this information.

“What should we do?” Twilight asked her, “How certain are we that this Tager is the pegasus mentioned in the prophecy.”

        The princess made to reply, but it was Caliber’s time to talk. “One-hundred percent certain.” he said, surprising even Luna, “Sorry for being silent so far, but I also knew Tager. We met when we were both adolescent, and for a short period of time, she served as my lieutenant in the royal guard.

“The royal guard?” Luna repeated doubtfully, “That’s impossible, she is on a wanted-”

“I erased all records of her history as a guard shortly after she deserted.” Caliber confessed, anticipating what Luna was about to say, “And no, I never told Celestia. But if she left this information on Tager for you, then she would have already figured it out.”

"I'll understand if my betrayal costs me my position..." he bowed, "But I owed it to her to not let her become one of the most wanted. But even then, I realize I failed upon seeing one of her posters for myself."

“This certainly is a shock.” Luna said coolly, “But I wouldn’t fear for your position. Celestia has told me of you before, and she regards you as irreplaceable.

“Indeed, it would have been a simple matter for you to remain silent and watch us chase our tails and keep this secret of yours.” the princess continued, “I now see why my sister holds you in such high esteem.”

“Betrayal aside...” Marco cut in, “You claimed to be certain that Tager’s the one we want. Care to elaborate?”

“Well, aside from Celestia’s conclusion, I knew her rather well.” he replied, “She didn’t have any friends, didn’t have any hang-ups about speaking in a blunt or vulgar manner. Even when my recommendation for her to join the guard got through, ponies still thought she was a ticking time bomb. She was super aggressive and always picking fights, taking competition very seriously. Regardless of how she was confronted, she never backed down, and even though she was stern and callous on the outside, she was good at heart. I may or may not be going with my gut, but I don’t doubt for a second Celestia was right in thinking she was a part of the prophecy.”

        Luna stayed silent to a full minute before she announced her decision. “Something about this prophecy irks me.” she begun, “We are depending upon it completely, but it is not a tool exclusively for our use. If it leads us to finding these heroes, then it must also be the case that it would do the same for Terra should he know of it. But while we have to gather all three, he need only eliminate one to assure victory. We can’t waste any time finding the pegasus hero, or he might get to her first... But even then, that’s not the real problem...

“We have the tome in our possession, but whoever wrote it remains at large, and as such, is vulnerable to being used against us by Terra’s forces.” the princess continued, “I thought it important to find out for myself who the author was, but it appears my sister was also one step ahead in the matter. We have a name and a location... and it seems we have a dire need to get to the ‘author’ before Terra does.”

        While Twilight agreed with the first element of what Luna was saying, the part about the author confused her. “The author of a thousand year old prophecy is still alive?” she asked, “When was the book written, and what could Terra do with the pony who wrote it?”

“It was written this year.” Marco answered suddenly, “The pages were still fresh, and the writer actually referred to the Nightmare Moon incident as occurring one thousand years ago.”

“I don’t particularly care for when it was written, but contacting the author is a serious matter.”  Luna shot back, “It is as the captain said; the book itself is a dead end. We might have made progress with the first hero, but that’s only because of Celestia’s methods and the apparently fated entanglement of your friend and the captain. Either way, the book gives us nothing. We cannot determine the other two heroes using it.

“But whoever wrote about them will definitely have more detailed knowledge.” the princess concluded, “We need that knowledge, and we need it now if we are going to have any chance to stop Terra.”

        Twilight stepped up to the princess, “You said you knew who the author is?” she asked, “Who? and where are they?”

        Luna nodded. “Indeed I did. In fact, if those letters my sister showed me are anything to go by, you have been to the place before.” she said, coming over to the purple unicorn, “The author is an earth pony who goes by the name Mistledale Scryer, and he is currently based in the settler village of Appleoosa.”

“Appleoosa?” Applejack repeated in shock, “As in, Appleoosa, Appleoosa?”

“It surprises me too.” Luna added, “So far you girls have an odd connection to these events, and am not one to take stock in coincidence.”

        Luna stood up suddenly, the uncertainty on her face washing away as she became determined. “The time for action is upon us, and the measures we must take have been decided.” she said wholesomely, demanding everypony’s attention, “Applejack. Am I not mistaken in believing you to be especially familiar with the town of Appleoosa?”

“Err, no your highness...” Applejack said, surprised at Luna’s direct question, “I have family up there and-”

“Good enough.” Luna cut in, “I need to you take your friends, with the exception of Rainbow Dash and Marco, with you on the next train headed to Appleoosa. I would organize a carriage prepared for immediate use, but we need to do this discreetly. If Terra doesn’t already know about this ‘Scryer’, then we shouldn’t go out of our way to advertise the fact that something is going on.”

“Wait!” Dash blurted, “Why are us two not going?”

        While the light-blue pegasus might not have understood, Marco had already figured out why they had been excluded. “Because she needs us to stay here and track down the griffin once she’s been sighted.” Marco said on the princess’ behalf, “Without you, getting Gilda to cooperate would be impossible, and if we’re looking for Tager, she’ll be more inclined to stick around and listen if there’s an old friend to do the talking.”

“I know I shouldn't be asking this of you all, especially you...” Luna looked to Marco, “But I cannot utilize the guard for these tasks. I have no choice but to rely on ponies who won’t be noticed... and you are the only ones who I can entrust such a burden to.”

“What about me princess?” Caliber asked, “Surely there must be something I can do?”

“Oh but there is.” Luna replied, “I will be gone from the city for a short time, and if the guard is being spread all over Equestria, I need somepony to stay behind and take emergency powers should a threat arise.

“The preparations Celestia took for such a possibility outline Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Blueblood as the ones to inherit the duty, but I do not feel that is wise considering the circumstances.” Luna explained, “Captain, do you accept this responsibility? It is not to be taken lightly...”

        Caliber paused. If Luna left while her sister was sealed away, the weakness would be glaring. And even Shining Armour wasn’t available, nor was his protection spell. The princess wasn’t kidding; taking command at a time like this would be a huge responsibility.

“Can you afford to do things on your own?” he said to her undaunted, “It won’t be good for a princess who called out for trust to suddenly disappear and leave the city alone. What is so important that you must attend to it yourself?”

        Luna looked squarely at the guard captain. “Have you, perchance discussed with the others the details of Terra’s sealing?” she asked mysteriously, “Or shall I start from the beginning?”

“I was about to, but after your message I thought it’d be better if you told them.” Caliber answered, “After all, I never knew about Terra until today. Even if I’m right about who sealed him, it’s still guess work on my part...”

“Is that so?” Luna replied, “I suppose then I will make this as clear as possible.”

“First of all, I can tell you why my sister had the details concerning Terra’s sealing omitted.” Luna responded, “She probably thought you would get the wrong idea if you took it out of context...”

“Well?” Marco asked, “Who sealed him?”

        Luna took a deep breath. “Neptune.” came the reply, “Ruler of the undersea kingdom of Navaras and Terra’s elder brother.”

You could hear a feather drop as the words sunk in. Twilight could believe it; Marco’s theory was spot-on. “So that’s how it is eh?” the grey earth pony whispered, “And if Terra wasn’t enough of a problem to deal with, now there’s-”

“This what I meant about getting the wrong idea.” Luna said, cutting Marco off, “Neptune very being is one of peace and life. He is an unfathomably wise pony, who harboured an ill intention in his incalculably long life. He is the sage of the sea, and much like how Celestia undertook my duty following my sealing, Neptune is the one who silently kept the earth in balance following his brother’s thousand years of imprisonment.”

        Marco cocked his head at that. “If he’s such a great guy, then how has nopony heard of him before?” he asked, “I’ve read all the books and heard all the stories, but I’ve never seen or head ‘Neptune’ come up once. Why hide what doesn’t need to be hidden?”

“Neptune was Terra’s older brother.” Luna started off, “Unlike when my elder sister sealed me away, Terra was not possessed at the time. The king was being his honest self, yet his brother stepped in and locked him away for it. Now, make no mistake... it was the right thing to do, but that didn’t change the fact that it was a tough choice.

“The fact that his name has gone on silenced for so long was a promise made between him and Celestia.” she continued, “He saved my sister by stopping Terra, but he wasn’t proud of it. He knew that if his existence was know to the land above, then so too would tales of his brother continue to be told. He exiled himself from Equestria and kept to his own kind, resigning to the deeps so as to meditate upon whether or not what he did was right.

“Unfortunately, this meditation has persisted ever since, and he has become an especially absent leader over the last few years.” Luna motioned to Caliber, aware that this was the only aspect of the story he knew, “His kingdom has become divided as of late on whether he is fit to rule anymore, and Shining Armour and a significant degree of the guard were deployed to stop the situation from escalating.”

        That last part freaked Twilight out. “I can understand that my brother wasn’t allowed to tell me he was being sent away... but to an underwater kingdom?” she shuddered to think about it, “I’ve never heard of this Navaras before... how do you even get to the sea floor anyway?”

Luna may have answered, but Twilight wasn’t finished with her questions. “Wait, when you said there was something you needed to do...” she continued, having realized, “You didn’t mean that you were-”

“Yes. I intend to go and see him.” the princess replied effortlessly, “If he exiled himself to let his brother be forgotten, then it’s directly tied to the ignorance that allowed me to take back my throne. He might not want to raise his hoof against his younger brother again, but I need to discover what his meditation has yielded. It could be central to stopping Terra.

“But enough about Neptune.” Luna continued, “I can appreciate the fact that you needed to know who he is, but we have more important things to discuss. Simply be satisfied that he is neither a threat nor an active ally in our attempts to stop Terra.”

“Oh, and Twilight, it is only natural if you are concerned about your brother, and I will talk to you more in depth after I have gone down there and visited Neptune.” she continued, “But for now, it is vital we stay focused upon this trial, and the tasks at hoof.”

        Twilight nodded slowly and quietly. She was obviously still concerned about the circumstances of, and mysteries surrounding her brother’s apparent undersea deployment, but she agreed with Luna. Her concerns were better directed at the trials ahead.
 
“Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy and Rarity.” Luna said, counting off the names, “There’s only the one commercial train running to Appleoosa, and it’s scheduled to leave early tomorrow morning. You can go back to your homes in Ponyville to prepare yourselves, but be back here by sunrise-”

Luna cut herself off and let her commanding composure break somewhat. “Oh, and I’m sorry to be so bossy.” she said with a measure of doubt, “I haven’t the right to tell you what to do, so if any of you don’t want to do it, it’s fine. I should have said so earlier.”

Twilight swapped looks with the group of friends. The odd smile reflect her own acceptance. “I don’t think any of us are about to abandon Celestia.” she said affirmatively, “Or you for that matter.”

The princess brightened to hear that she had support. In fact, the positive atmosphere would have eased everypony, but whatever enthusiasm Marco might have had was hampered by the dirty sewer water dripping down from under his hat.

“I hate to interrupt, but so long as we all have time to kill before we can get started on saving the world...” Marco said sarcastically as he made his way around the room, “Is there, like... a shower around here I could use? I had a hard time getting into the city and had to go up the waterway and through the aqueduct to make it to the ceremony.”

                Twilight did a double take; she had noticed his soaked mane and soggy hat, but she hadn’t thought much of it at the time. “Did you say ‘up’ the waterway?” she asked in disbelief, “As in, from the outside? Over the cliff?”

“It’s a long story.” Marco breathed, his eyes drifting to Caliber, “And it can wait until after I get this dirty water out of my mane. So is there a bathroom around here or not?”

Twilight just looked the wet earth pony up and down. It certainly looked like he’d been through a lot. She also noticed he was acting rather well around the princess which was good, even if he was being a bit rude.

“Go out the double doors and it’s the third door on the right.” Luna called uninterested, “It will have anything you might need.”

Without a word, or even acknowledgement, Marco left the room, stretching the big wooden doors open as he did so.

“Are you sure that’s okay princess?” Caliber whispered from her side, “That is the royal-”

“I have bigger concerns that who uses the royal bathroom, captain.” Luna snapped back, “For instance, how am I to get your guards out into the world and know when they’ve had any success.”
 
The last thing Marco heard as the big doors closed behind him was some hard to understand chatter relating to the deployment of makeshift intelligence squads.

“Third door on the right... right?” he said to himself as he tugged his black hat off and let his wet mane lap out, “A shower might help me think. This is all so complicated... it’s exhausting.”

In the royal bathroom, Marco paid no heed to the elaborate and regal decorations surrounding him.

He let the steaming water run down over his face. A shower is a good place for thinking, so as Marco let the gentle shower purge the canal water from his body, he naturally mulled over the day so far, with one shocking incident after another...

‘God damn cutie-mark!’ he thought to himself, genuinely frustrated as to its nature, ‘It was a lie. It never had anything to do with my interests or my talent. It was fake. Just like everything else in my past.’

        Marco continued to contemplate what it actually did mean. ‘There’s no way I’m the child of some stupid prophecy...’ he assured himself, ‘They said it themselves... it’s too vague, it could be anypony. But then again... I am somepony. And this cutie-mark connection makes me the contender.’

        Marco shut off the shower and got out. He stood there for a moment, trapped in thought as he started to drip dry. His mind was motoring along, putting all the pieces together and trying to decide what the best thing to do was.

        He broke from his trance and grabbed a pure white towel as he realized what he wanted and how to get it. “I need to disprove the theory that I’m somehow this third hero.” he said aloud, “It could be any number of ponies, but that doesn’t change the fact that I might be the one among them that the book was talking about.

“I need to be certain that it’s not me.” he continued, “And the only way to do that is find out who it actually is, or contradict one or more elements that ties me to this crap.”

Oddly enough, achieving this certainty went together with what Luna was asking of him, so now he had a more solid justification for consenting to be a part of her plans. ‘So far, the logic is that my cutie mark makes my position of a part of the prophecy a possibility. It’s what makes me special...’ Marco thought to himself, continuing his reasoning mentally, ‘I need to be sure that this picture on my flank doesn’t make me a hero, and I can do that by finding somepony who definitely is a hero who has a normal cutie mark.’

“If I go along with it and track down this ‘Tager’ chick, I can figure it out.” he said, “If her cutie mark is the same as mine, then I might be in trouble... but if it’s something else, I’m safe.”

After running the white towel through his refreshed mane, he draped it over his shoulders and set about drying his hat. There was an odd contraption that might have been some kind of dryer in the far corner of the room, but Marco didn’t trust it to take care of his precious item.

        Instead he took preference hanging it off a humble peg and leaving it to recover in its own time.

Back in Celestia’s private chamber, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity were the only ponies remaining.

        As Marco quietly made his way back through the double doors, he realized he must have taken longer in the shower than he thought. Luna and the guard captain were gone. He could think of a few reasons why one would have left, but both of them?

        Regardless of the reason, they weren’t here, and the remaining ponies finally had a chance to gossip about the things they would prefer to keep among themselves.

Luna and how she was handling the situation came up more than once, but the discussion was more energetic when the topic of Caliber and Luna’s interaction with Marco came up, as well as his interaction with them. They were also divide on whether or not Marco could be the third champion the book described.

        Even though he was the subject of most of it, he didn’t feel like eavesdropping any more today. It would be better if he just made his presence known. He casually took up stead behind the little group, next to Rarity.

She quickly noticed him, but she realized he was next to her not through sight, but because she could feel the heat from having showered radiate toward her. “Oh, I didn’t hear you come in!” she exclaimed in surprise as she found him next to her, “You mustn’t sneak up on a lady you know.”

Marco had a more relaxed air about him with his blond mane dried and a soft white towel draped over his shoulders. His treasured hat was absent, so it must have been drying somewhere...

“I’ll keep that in mind.” he replied, “What’s going on? Where did Luna and the captain go?”

“Mr. Caliber flew off to organize something about sending the guards out griffin hunting, while the princess has gone to get something to show us.

“What was the royal bathroom like by the way?” the pure white unicorn whispered, “Was it stunning or what? Oh, I must come up with an excuse to see for myself...”

“Ah, yeah.” Marco managed, trying to think of something to say, “It was, err... shiny. And stuff.”

All of a sudden, Marco was cut off as a blazing red flurry of movement rocketed into the room with Luna close behind.

“I think we can safely skip the introductions.” the princess said as the girl’s eyes widened when they recognized the red shape, “I believe you girls have already been acquainted.”

Marco looked between the strange creature and the girls who seemed happy to see it, “I don’t get it.” he admitted, “Who... I mean, what is that thing?”

Fluttershy did the honours. “She’s a phoenix.” she said softly as she embraced the scarlet bird, “Her name is Philomena.”

Luna took Fluttershy’s comment in stride. “You will all be happy to know that she volunteered her services after she learned of what happened to my sister.” she said as she rejoined the group of ponies, “And she’s fit and ready this cycle.”

In response, Philomena spread her wings wide, showing off her flawless form and pristine plumage. She then voiced her enthusiasm with a healthy coo.

Twilight smiled to see her teacher’s pet so lively, but was curious as to why she was needed or what she could do. “What’s her role in this?” Twilight asked honestly, “I mean, what is she volunteering to do?”

Luna nodded to the phoenix as she proceeded to take wing. “I’m glad you asked Twilight.” she responded, “Since I’m sending you so far away, you will need Philomena to maintain communication with the captain and I. Her job is to constantly fly in between your position and Canterlot, passing along any information either of us give her. It’s so we can know your progress, or assist you should you encounter a problem.”
 
Luna turned to face Rainbow Dash and the recently refreshed Marco. “The same thing goes for you two.” She continued, “Wherever your journey takes you, it will certainly be far from Appleoosa. And Philomena cannot be a messenger for both groups.”

The princess put a royal hoof to her lips and blew, causing a piercing whistle to ring out. “But my sister is not the only one with a special pet.” she said proudly as a feathered creature snaked through the air and into the chamber, “I was truly glad to be reunited with him after my long time in solitude.”

The shadowed shape dropped from the air and perched itself attentively on Luna’s outstretched hoof.

“Whoa...” Pinkie Pie gasped, “What’s that freaky thing?”

It was an awesome sight. The creature looked a lot like Philomena, but instead of bright red feathers and a smooth beak, this winged creature had silky back feathers and a fanged bottom beak. Another curious point of difference was that while Philomena’s tail was a perfectly straight burst of colour, this creature’s tail was thin and coiled.

Side by side, the resemblance was uncanny. “What in the hay is that thing?” Applejack couldn’t help but ask, “It looks like some kinda black phoenix...”

Luna nuzzled her pet. “His name is Paragonia.” she said strongly, “And he is no phoenix. Paragonia is what’s known as a Quetzalcoatl.”

The group of ponies slowly turned to face Twilight, expecting her vast knowledge to be able to shed some light on what a Quetza-thingie was. All she could do was blush and smile meekly, also having no idea.

“A Quetzalcoatl is it?” Marco asked sagely, ending Twilight’s embarrassment, “Yes, I’ve read something about those before...

“You’re not far off comparing it to a phoenix Applejack.” Marco commented, “Neither of them can die for starters. I mean, they both live forever. Another interesting comparison is that while the phoenix is a being that represents rebirth and is born from the sun’s flame, the Quetzalcoatl represents resurrection and is born from a constellation in the night sky.

“Rather appropriate qualities considering who their owners are.” he continued with a nod, happy to know so much about the mythical creatures, “I never thought the Quetzalcoatl existed though. Arabelle told me it was just a silly myth.”

Twilight stared in awe at the feathered creature. “It certainly is beautiful, but in a totally different way to the phoenix.” she said leaning in close to the passive thing, “It is such a distinct and graceful bird-”

She was cut off as Marco tapped her on the shoulder and whispered something quietly into her ear. The next moment she yelped in fright and lunged an impressive distance backwards.

Twilight’s teeth were chattering as Fluttershy looked between her and Marco, “Oh my...” she breathed, “Whatever did you say to her?”
 
“Nothing really...” Marco replied with a mischievous grin, “I was just telling her the more prominent difference between a phoenix and a Quetzalcoatl.

“You might not think so at first, but Paragonia isn’t a bird at all.” he continued, “Little do ponies know that the Quetzalcoatl is actually a feathered and flying serpent, or snake.”

Rainbow Dash thought it was funny. “Heh, well I’m glad Twilight gets to stick with the phoenix.” she said mockingly, “Can’t have her freaking out every time Paragonia shows up can we? Besides, flying serpents are like, totally rad.”

“Yeah...” Marco sighed, exhaling tiredly, “Rad.”

“Enough about that.” Luna said, “I think it’s time you lot went back to Ponyville for some rest...”

She looked toward Marco. “Or to make whatever preparations you might require for a dangerous journey.” Luna continued, dropping a big hint, “Consider yourselves free to take any measures you deem necessary.

“If you still want to go through with what I’m asking you, then be back here by sunrise.” she said to the whole group of ponies, “I’ll need to fill you in on whatever information the guard or I uncover relative to your tasks.”

Everypony turned to leave, but not before the princess addressed them one last time. “Oh and thank you.” Luna added, “On behalf of myself, my sister and Equestria itself, thank you for help.”