//------------------------------// // Cerulean Voice / Chapter Seven: Myths and (Supposed) Birthrights // Story: Burning Day Reckoning // by Cerulean Voice //------------------------------// Celestia paced outside the bedroom, anxiously glancing out at the sky through a nearby window. The sun was well past its zenith by now, and the shadows grew longer by the minute. Soon enough, everypony would be expecting it to rest its sleepy, blazing head and give way for the moonrise. The question was: could Luna perform her duty? She shook her head and took a deep breath. Worrying about her sister’s health would benefit neither of them; besides, Canterlot’s best doctor was already in there with her, running various tests. If it came to it, she could once again substitute for her sister. Nopony needed to know what sudden illness had overcome the Princess of the Night, especially if it was not serious. It was no cause for alarm if Princess Luna did not appear atop her tower to raise the moon; she could have been playing host to an exclusive dinner party, or perhaps her royal biology cared more about her necessary bodily functions than the day/night cycle. Any excuse would suffice, and might not even be needed. But if it was serious… Celestia refused to entertain that particular thought. Luna would recover. This was only a minor setback in their plans. She would be back on her hooves in no time, ready to help defend Equestria from all its natural and unnatural nasties. No, what truly had Celestia on edge was the vulgar display of power she had witnessed. Ho-Oh had made it sound like what Giratina did came effortlessly to it; Draco Meteor was just a simple technique that it had learned over time during its banishment inside the Distortion World. In fact, further chilling Celestia’s blood, Ho-Oh had said that all of the dragon-type Pokémon in his world could potentially learn it. What if more of those portals opened? What if more Pokémon came through with the ability to learn Draco Meteor? Under happier circumstances, she might have been fascinated to learn about the so-called “Weather Trio,” a group of legendary Pokémon with the ability to shape the lands, seas, and air currents as they saw fit. She might have been enamoured by the myths regarding Celebi, a Pokémon capable of traveling through time and restoring barren environments to their former lush glory. She might have even been excited to hear about one of Ho-Oh’s oldest friends, the legendary dragon Dialga, who had complete and total mastery over the river of time. But if one single Pokémon—although not an ordinary Pokémon, she conceded—could bring her sister’s stars crashing to the ground at will, how long would it be before Giratina used the technique again? What if it brought down more than just four stars next time? What if it kept using the attack again and again, steadily depleting the night sky of its glory, and her sister of her strength and sanity? Oh, but why would it stop there? If Giratina was as nihilistic as Ho-Oh described, could it not then turn its attention to Equestria’s most critical target? Each of Luna’s stars were miniature suns, after all— “Celestia?” She stopped. She would not be seen like this by anypony—especially her most faithful ex-student. “Yes, Twilight?” she said, keeping her voice as level as possible. “I just wanted to know if you were all right. I know this whole situation is a mess, and Luna… how is Luna?” Luna. Celestia lifted her lips into what she hoped was a relaxed smile and turned to Twilight. “Doctor Booker has not yet emerged from my sister’s room. It is still too early to know for sure what exactly ails her, although—” she cast her eyes down the darkening hallway “—I suspect we both already know the true answer.” “Are you and Luna that strongly connected to the celestial bodies?” When Celestia nodded, Twilight sidled up next to her and nudged her shoulder. “But, everypony knows that regular unicorns maintained the night and day cycles before you and Luna adopted them. Why would falling stars affect Luna so much?” Celestia took a deep breath. Three seconds passed; and then she pivoted on the spot, meeting the eyes of the Royal Guard also standing outside Luna’s door. “Sam, I have matters of national security to discuss with Princess Twilight Sparkle and our other guests. Should Doctor Booker emerge in my absence, please direct him toward the throne room.” The earth pony saluted. “Of course, Your Highness.” Celestia closed her eyes and nodded once before taking Twilight under her wing. A flash of gold later, both appeared at the top of the red-carpeted steps. “Hello, everyone. Please forgive me for keeping you all waiting,” she said as she planted her regal rear end onto her regal gilded throne. You can hardly be blamed for wanting to ensure your sibling’s safety, Princess, Ho-Oh responded. I would, and have, done the same thing for any of my own. Besides, Mistress, Philomena added, I had just finished telling Ho-Oh and Fawkes a story about two of your guards. You know, the bumbling pegasus and the psycho nightguard that you set to be my ‘playmates’ once? It was… an amusing story. The ghost of a grin crossed Ho-Oh’s beak. But I am glad you had time to wrap it up, for now we are all here, and we must think as one in these uncertain times. “Princess Celestia?” Celestia looked to Twilight with a “Yes?” “Should I… stand down there next to Philomena and the others?” Celestia immediately shook her head. “You are my equal now, Princess Twilight, the same as Princess Luna. If there were two thrones in this room, I would ask you to take the other for this session.” While Twilight blushed, she added, “For the time being, you may stay at my side.” “Uh, sure, if you insist.” With Twilight sitting next to her, Celestia took a deep breath and cleared her throat. “We need to stop Giratina as soon as possible. Equestria is in grave peril. I think we can all agree on that.” All present nodded. “I have seen a taste of its truly monstrous capabilities… and yet that is what it is—a taste. But I promise now, with all of you as my witnesses, that I will never allow Giratina to harm any of my subjects. I must know for certain that all of you are prepared to dedicate yourselves one-hundred percent in aiding me to stop the vile beast.” Of course, Mistress. Giratina’s going down! My power is at your disposal, Your Highness. Celestia shared a look with Twilight, both of them nodding together. “Excellent. Now, first things first: we must try to anticipate its actions.” She eyed the rainbow giant. “Ho-Oh, is there any information you can share about Giratina that you did not before?” Actually, yes. Given what has transpired with Her Royal Highness Princess Luna, I feel I can and must share some more specific information regarding Giratina’s capabilities… or in this case, its limits. Celestia’s eyes gleamed. “Limits will be good to know. We’ve seen enough of its strengths for the time being.” This will be of specific interest to you then, Your Highness. I sense that something troubles you beyond your sister’s health, so I will set your mind more at ease. “Go on.” Giratina’s Draco Meteor attack, although extremely devastating, is most often used by dragons as a last resort. A final trump card, if you will. It uses immense amounts of a dragon’s energy to call down meteorites orbiting Earth’s upper atmosphere—or in this most recent case, your sister’s stars. As such, any Pokémon that uses this attack slashes its special attack power in half. Only the most foolish Pokémon and trainers will use the technique more than once in a single battle, and most pay dearly for it, potentially becoming only one-sixth as powerful as when they began the fight. Celestia breathed a sigh, held longer than she was consciously aware of. “Thank you, Ho-Oh. You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that. I admit, I worried for a good while about what-if scenarios involving that attack.” Understandable. The thought needs not to be spoken. Philomena and Fawkes shared a quick look. “So, if Giratina was using Draco Meteor, that means one of two things,” Twilight said. “Either it was simply testing its power to see what happened… or it was engaged in battle with something. Something that threatened it. Like a rival, maybe—something of equal strength.” Fawkes’ beak fell open. Are you kidding? What else is out there that could challenge it? Twilight shrugged and shook her head. “Princess?” she asked, turning her head. “I… do not know for certain. It’s true though that there are many great and terrible forces imprisoned in the realm of Tartarus. Something might have broken out—or she might have broken in.” “I don’t think it’s something from Tartarus, Princess.” Twilight pointed toward the throne room doors. “Princess Luna’s stars fell far further to the south than the Everfree Forest, where Tartarus’ entrance lies.” She shifted her attention onto Ho-Oh. “Does Draco Meteor bring the stars down on top of the user’s opponent?” It does. The user aims to bury their opponent under tonnes of space debris. “So then, if Giratina was battling something and not just throwing its weight around, it has to have been exactly where the stars fell, which means—Princess?” She looked up, for Celestia had gasped and brought a hoof to her mouth. Mistress? Philomena left Fawkes’ side and fluttered onto Celestia’s shoulder. What is it? Celestia said nothing, but closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. Memories began to surface, given sudden buoyancy from the depths of her mind. Oh, it had been thousands of years since she and Luna battled such a mighty foe; could he truly have survived all this time? “Judging by how Luna and I failed to even slow Giratina down,” she finally said with all eyes upon her, “no creature in Equestria’s entire bestiary would stand a chance against it. There is nothing in the known modern world that could push it to using one of its most powerful attacks. And I personally doubt it would risk weakening itself simply to show off.” Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Princess, we’re close enough for me to know that you choose your words to the letter whenever you speak. You very clearly said ‘modern’ world.” “I did,” Celestia said. “And yet, by all rights, he should have died a long time ago. If he has survived all this time…” “‘He’?” came four voices. “He who represents all that was evil in the world—a monster that Princess Luna and I fought and defeated millennia ago: Zaiako, the Emperor of Sin and former King of Dragons.” “Zaiako? Emperor of Sin? King of Dragons? But…” Twilight’s ears fell flat. “But I’ve never seen any of those names or titles in any history book… dragons have never had a specific leader or monarchy—fully grown dragons are too greedy, lazy, vain—” “—I regret to inform you, Princess Twilight—” The throne room doors swung open, encased in a blue aura; Tibbles skittered through the gap first, followed by a pair of midnight-blue hooves and a dark ethereal mane. “—that my sister speaks the truth.” Princess Luna entered the room, a little unsteady, but no less determined. Doctor Booker walked behind her, an odd look upon his face. While everyone else proclaimed their relief at Luna’s well-being, he approached the throne and bowed quickly. “Princess,” he said once the relief had died down, “my tests conclude that Princess Luna suffers from no lasting illness. Her crippling headache is all but gone, and all vital signs are normal. Whatever brought her low appears to have passed. That said, I recommend she takes it easy for the next few days, to minimise the risk of relapsing.” Celestia stood and smiled down at him. “Sincerest thanks to you, Doctor. Trust me, I will ensure she does not strain herself. Now return to your home and family, for night approaches quickly.” Doctor Booker glanced out through the stained-glass window depicting Nightmare Moon and the Elements; the horizon over the mountains glowed a deep red. “Thank you, Your Highness. As you wish.” He lowered and lifted his head once again and turned to leave. Before taking another step, his eyes lingered on Ho-Oh and Fawkes. “Also, I would appreciate your silence regarding our ‘guests’,” Celestia added. Doctor Booker closed his mouth and simply nodded. The doors swung closed, pushed by one of Luna’s Nightguards as he trotted through and out into the Canterlot streets. “As we all knew, sister, there was nothing wrong with me that any doctor could possibly hope to remedy,” Luna said as she walked up to stand on Celestia’s left. “I still believe Doctor Booker examining me was pointless from the beginning.” “Perhaps to you, Luna, but the ponies of Equestria might have asked questions if you did not recover in time to raise the moon. Even if the doctor had nothing conclusive, he could have simply announced to any who asked that your affliction was ‘fatigue’, and that I raised the moon in your stead.” Celestia smiled and closed her eyes. With her horn aglow, the land was plunged into darkness. In the following moment, Luna’s blue aura was all that illuminated the room, until bright white moonlight streamed through the windows. Awesome, Fawkes said as he stared at the spectacle. “Now, sister, I believe you were telling everyone about the Emperor of Sin?” Luna reminded Celestia. This so-called ‘King of Dragons’ intrigues me as well, came Ho-Oh’s thoughts. With such titles as his, and such an age if he is still alive today, he may very well have been a match for Giratina. If we are to assume that she ran afoul of such a monster—which she is more than capable of—the next question is: who was the victor? “That is what worries me the most right now.” Celestia could not hide the shiver that ran down her spine. “Celestia and I fought the beast long ago, many years before even Discord arrived,” Luna said. “Zaiako was merciless, greedy, but most of all, he was prideful. At the height of his prime, he challenged my sister and I for possession of the sun and moon.” “What?” Twilight recoiled as if slapped. “But dragons can’t move the sun or the moon! Why would he possibly want such things?” “Zaiako believed that the sun was his rightful possession, as a descendant of the ancient dragons who forged it in their flame.” “Forged the… the…” Twilight shook her head. “You know what? Just continue.” Celestia chuckled and stroked Twilight’s shoulder with her wing. “I know this must be a lot to take in, but I assure you, Luna and I have a very good reason for striking this myth from the story books.” “I… if you say so, Celestia.” “I will give you the essentials now,” Celestia said. “Perhaps later, during less pressing times, I will impart the full story to you. But for now, what I ask is for you all to gather around and listen to the short, quick version.” With that, she rose from her throne and walked down the steps toward Ho-Oh’s perch. Beckoning Twilight and Luna over, she sat at its base; Philomena and Fawkes fluttered up onto the larger perch. “This is a long-forgotten legend, passed down to me from an old friend…” “Before the sun, there was barely any life besides primordial plants. Although the planet surface was perpetually cold, two moons in the sky shined enough light for plants to photosynthesise energy and grow. Due to the cold, every animal larger than a rat lived underground, closer to the warmer magma vents, only venturing beyond the surface in search of food before quickly retreating. There were lizards, salamanders, small marsupials, larger mammals, and gigantic wingless drakes. Everything then either ate the plants above the surface when braving the cold, or turned to eating each other. “But there was a single large species that lived above the surface, and had free reign over all the land: a pair of fiery avians known as phoenixes. The creatures below coveted the phoenixes, cloaked in their flaming hides; but they knew not to attack them, for gathering food was much easier whenever a phoenix was nearby, giving off its radiance. “Eventually, this desire and respect turned to resentment. The largest among the drakes began to hate the freedom that the phoenixes appeared to laud over them. How dared they possess the land above for their own, able to stretch their wings and do as they pleased while everything else was forced to live underground? “The drakes wished and wished for a way to illuminate the planet. And then, one day, the eldest had an idea. “In secret, he and his mate crept up on the other drakes and, one by one, devoured them in their sleep. Consuming their brethren made them much tougher, much stronger. The pair then dove deep into the earth and washed down their meal with gallons and gallons of hot magma, their newly strengthened biology capable of withstanding the intense heat. “When they rose above the surface, the emerged as engines of destruction. They set about spewing the magma every which way, creating pools of light and heat everywhere. But the endless dark began to cool the magma, hardening it into solid rock, and both the heat and glowing light soon disappeared. “Now completely enraged, the drakes roared into the night, shaking the foundations of the planet so much that mountains rose up from the depths, carrying the great amounts of hot magma with them. The drakes continued to roar, the ground continued to quake, until the mountains erupted with magma of their own accord. “But though the volcanoes continued spewing hot magma everywhere, the planet did not remain hot; the magma still cooled, and now it covered almost all of the plant life. The drakes had managed to destroy almost all organic life, and they were beginning to freeze themselves. Overcome with defeat, the drakes collapsed to the ground and shed rivers of tears, prepared to waste away and die. “The phoenixes saw what the drakes were doing, and realised what their goal had been. And in a moment of pity, the male phoenix flew up to the male drake and grabbed its back in his mighty talons. The drake struggled at first, but caught in the phoenix’s strong grip, it could do nothing save allow the phoenix to carry it into the heart of the largest volcano. “And then, the phoenix said to the drake, ‘Eat your fill.’ So he did; he gorged on as much magma as his belly could contain. Now, on flaming wings, the drake was taken high above the surface, up above the atmosphere, up to one of the moons. “He belched up all of the magma onto its surface, creating a gigantic red spot. He waited for the inevitable, for the magma to cool and harden as it had on the surface… but it did not. “The drake was overjoyed, and so continued to make the trip back and forth between volcanoes and the moon. Its surface quickly became covered in magma., and the drake could feel the heat rising from it. “Alas, it was not to be; soon, the drake had exhausted the available supply of magma, and the moon still needed much, much more coverage. “The phoenix realised what must come to pass, as it had seen the scurrying creatures darting back and forth in its domain, simply trying to eke out a meagre existence while he and his partner soared with majesty and bliss. So the phoenix lowered the despairing drake back to the surface one last time, and said again, ‘Eat your fill, friend.’ “This time, the phoenix itself flew into the drake’s jaws. “Caught unaware, the drake slammed his mouth shut. “In a blast of heat, red wings sprouted from the dragon’s back as a blazing fire—hotter than any he had consumed before—filled his belly. The dragon wept first from the pain, then from the phoenix’s sacrifice… and then he stretched his new wings, roared to the skies above, and took flight. “And from his great maw, a seemingly inexhaustible plume of fire spewed forth, slowly heating up the moon. Hours and hours passed as the dragon breathed out the very essence of the phoenix onto the moon’s surface. “Finally, the dragon could breathe no more fire, and plummeted back to the earth. The planet shook from his meteoric crash, a gigantic crater spreading from where he landed. Opening his bleary eyes, lifting his fatigued head, he beheld the majesty above—a flaming ball in the sky. Already he could feel the ground around him beginning to warm up, but the new sun’s intensity did not waver in the slightest. “The dragon and his partner were overjoyed at his success. He leaped into the air, carrying her in celebratory loops. “Feeling suddenly ill, the dragon lowered them both back to the ground. His stomach heaved until smoke began rising out of his nostrils. He sneezed hard… and out from his depths came a cloud of ash. The ash settled on the ground in front of him into a large pile, a single golden feather coming to rest on top. “Saddened once again, the dragon wept, for he remembered that the phoenix had called him ‘friend.’ He wished with every fibre of his being that the phoenix could have lived, expressed his greatest regrets at ever having resented them for their fire and freedom. “In that moment, a passing comet flew overhead. “Suddenly, the ash blew apart, enveloping the dragon in its cloud. After rubbing his face and shaking his head, the dragon was astonished to see the phoenix floating before him, bearing a wide grin on its beak. “‘You did well, friend,’ it said to the dragon. ‘May your offspring ever remember your great feat today.’ “With that, he and his partner flew away at the speed of light, vanishing in a burst of flame.” “Wow…” Twilight rubbed her head. “What an incredible story, Princess.” It is an incredible story, Philomena agreed. It makes me wonder then, how the dragons came to hate us again if our ancestors worked together in such a close way. “It is the oldest dragon myth—the story of their creation—which I was told by Zaiako’s father.” Celestia sighed then. “He was grand and wise, a friend of mine for many years… before his treacherous son slayed him in cold blood.” “Zaiako k-k-killed his father?” Twilight gulped. “But… that’s horrible!” “It was also unfortunately common in those days,” Luna said. “Equestrian society was not as harmonious as it today. The country was still young when my sister and I ascended the throne, and there were still those as-of-yet unadjusted to living with others not of their kind. I must say, my sister appears to have done a fine job ruling all these years—in fact, one of the first things I did when I returned was check crime records and updated laws. It seems that Equestria has had exactly zero murders in the past two-hundred and fifty years.” “I actually knew that,” Twilight said. As all eyes turned to her, her cheeks turned pink. “Uh, heh heh. Sorry. I read the records too when I was a filly. I guess that’s what happens when you pass a law that states the punishment for murder is a one-way trip to—” “—Princess Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight’s mouth froze in an open position, but she closed it after catching Celestia’s eye. “Right. Off topic. Sorry.” Returning to the original problem, came Ho-Oh’s telepathy. Princess Celestia, we have to consider every possibility. As I see it, with your assessment, we ought to assume that the King of Dragons could have still survived to this day. What we have yet to learn is who emerged victorious between he and Giratina. “Sister,” Luna said, stepping forward. “Regardless of the battle’s outcome, Equestria is in danger. If Giratina defeated Zaiako, that means it is surely the new Alpha Dragon. We now have an example of its capabilities—if it was to mount an attack with an entire flight of Equestrian dragons under its command, who knows what level of destruction it could bring?” “I… have an idea,” Celestia murmured, sharing a solemn look with Luna. How about the flipside? Fawkes asked. If Zaiako beat Giratina, what then? Would he just go back into hiding… maybe pick his teeth with her bones and go back to sleep? I don’t know how dragons act in your universe, Philomena said, but here in Equestria, when a dragon defeats another in battle, whether it was challenged or issued the challenge, it misses no opportunity to seek out others and boast of its victory far and wide. She took wing and settled on Celestia’s shoulder. Mistress, what do you think? If Zaiako is alive, and he managed to defeat Giratina… would he come out of hiding? “I… I…” Celestia started to shake. Her pupils retracted. Memories flooded through her. A dragon’s claw, larger and more jagged than any stalagmite, barely grazing her flank— Her sister, flying backward into Mt. Macintosh, flung by a dragon’s tail— Seemingly endless jets of flame, enveloping her body as she poured every ounce of concentration into maintaining her aural shield— The blinding, concentrated light of the sun as she called upon it to pierce the dragon’s heart, watching as it continued through to scorch the innocent paradise— Desolation. Craters. Lifeless. Ruined. Dead. No. Never again. Never again. Never-nevernever— “Celestia!” Celestia gasped. All present were staring at her; it took a moment longer to realise that Luna had her by the shoulders. “Sister, regain thy composure! Lose not thyself within ancient reverie!” Celestia blinked and met Luna’s glimmering aquamarine eyes. After a short breathless pause, she inhaled deeply and nodded. “You’re right. Thank you, dear Luna.” She took a second deep breath and stood tall while Luna stepped back onto the floor beside her. “Guards!” Two uniformed unicorns galloped into the throne room, brandishing halberds. “Your Highnesses!” they barked after a short bow. Celestia summoned a scroll and quill to her side out of the aether. “Based on discussions with my guests and considerations of our shared intelligence,” Celestia stated officially, voice clear as a crystal bell while she scratched away at the parchment, “I, Princess Celestia Solaris—” “And I, Princess Luna Selenia,” Luna interjected. “—Have deemed that there is an imminent threat to the Royal City of Canterlot. We therefore decree that the capital be placed under martial law. Everypony is to remain inside their homes until further notice.” Celestia strode down toward the stallion on her left and passed him the scroll, adorned with her sun seal. “Give this to Acting Captain Seb Striker. See that Captain Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire is also alerted. We may need the Crystal Empire’s aid.” “Yes, Highness,” the guard said with a salute. Celestia nodded. “Dismissed.” As he ran off, she turned to the guard on her right. “I want patrols around the perimeter and scouts at their posts along the ridges of Mount Canterlot, as well as upon the ramparts and towers of Canterlot Castle. Keep your fires and spotlights bright.” “Yes, Highness,” came the identical reply. He made to turn, but hesitated before bowing. “Your Highnesses, what are we on the lookout for?” Celestia met his eyes and set her face into a grim frown. “Tell the others: Code Luciferis Draconis.” “C-code… Yes, Highness. As you wish.” With a brief shudder, the guard followed his fellow through the throne room doors. Celestia sighed then, collapsing back into her throne. Mistress… Philomena nudged Celestia’s cheek. “Luciferis Draconis. Wow.” Twilight’s eyes resembled dinner plates. “Princess, that order… it’s been over seven hundred years since you issued that, when General Shrikefeather’s griffon armies and the great wyrm Merystallistryx laid siege to Canterlot.” “I read about that battle too,” Luna said. “The records will say that Merys struck Celestia down, but I know the truth. It was not his might that bested hers, but—” “Luna.” Celestia’s voice cracked like a whip. “Not the time.” Luna fell silent. With all due respect, Highnesses, we can postpone the history lesson. Ho-Oh’s telepathy filled everyone’s ears, and they faced him upon his perch. We operate under the presumption that Canterlot will be targeted—it is merely a question now of when, and by whom. “Oh, gosh!” Twilight’s hoof shot to her mouth. “I have to warn Spike and Fluttershy!” I’ll join you, Fawkes said. I can teleport us both there. “I can teleport too, you know.” Oh. Well, in that case. Phoenix and princess vanished in a flash. * * * * * “Oh, my. Sundown already?” Fluttershy looked up from the gauze she was applying to the dragon’s neck. The shadows had admittedly grown long, but she didn’t think it was that late. With a sigh, she pressed against the wound a final time. Much of it was still open, but she would need more time and light to properly see. “Spike? How’s he doing?” Spike stuck his hand up from atop the dragon’s head and flicked it out just once. “Still sleeping! That quinine must be some amazing stuff!” “It should be. The hospital said this compound is the strongest tranquilizer ever created, and we gave him enough to sedate a herd of buffalo.” The dragon snorted, emitting a puff of smoke and a few sparks. “It’s too dark to work on him anymore, though. I’ll just have to hope the poor darling doesn’t awaken in the morning before I finish patching him up.” Spike vaulted over the dragon’s head, landing just next to Fluttershy. “Eh, I wouldn’t worry about that too much. If anything, you’ll probably have a harder time waking him up than keeping him asleep. We dragons can sleep for aaaages!” Fluttershy giggled. “Well, as long as he wakes up before I die of old age, we should be—ohmygoodness!” A flash of magic and flame together made Fluttershy leap back, pressing into the newly patched neck. With an additional “eep” she turned around; fortunately, the dragon seemed deeply asleep as ever. “Fluttershy! Spike! Urgent news!” Fluttershy gasped. “What is it, Twilight?” “Urgent? What’s the deal?” Spike asked as he jumped onto Twilight’s back. “The princesses have declared Martial Law on Canterlot. I need to escort you and Fluttershy back to safety, right away!” “‘Martial Law’?” Fluttershy tilted her head. “What’s going on?” “No time to explain—just come with us, now!” “B-but—” Fluttershy glanced over her shoulder “—but what about—” “Fluttershy! How often does Princess Celestia ever give us explicit orders?” “I… but… oh, okay.” Fluttershy nodded and touched her wing to Fawkes’. “I just hate to leave him alone out here in the open, overnight…” “Trust me, he’ll be fine,” Twilight said. “Neither of them know he exists.” “Um, neither of—” A flash of flame and magic— “—who, Twilight?” Fluttershy finished. A mighty roar shook the Golden Oak Library. Spike promptly dismounted from Twilight’s back. He leapt toward their bedroom window, just in time to point a claw at a gigantic silhouette blotting out the sky—a gigantic silhouette heading directly for a distant mountainside city, illuminated by bonfires and spotlights. “Uh… I would guess that.” All the blood drained from Twilight’s face. “Spike,” she said, slowly and deliberately, “I want you and Fluttershy to stay put. Right here. In this library. Don’t go outside for any reason.” Fluttershy raised a hoof. “But—” “Any. Reason. Trust me on this, please. I’m counting on you both.” Fluttershy gulped and nodded as Fawkes and Twilight disappeared yet again. She shot a sidelong glance at Spike. “So…” Spike coughed and twiddled his thumbs. “Wanna… read some of my comics?” The depths beneath Twilight’s bed had never looked so inviting.