Chapter One: Blank Generation

Within the Everfree forest, a gnarled, ancient mangrove sagged to one side. An enormous gaping wound remained where its other side once grew. A thick hide was stretched tight across the gap to protect against the forest’s sometimes vicious weather. Various charms, potions and wards hung low from what branches remained. Above the door, a single mask depicting a tribal spirit greeted any visitors who might stop by.

Not that the zebra who called the tree “home” had had too many of those in recent times.

Zecora busied herself over her cauldron, chanting in her native Everfree tongue. The liquid within sparked and fizzled, showering her hut with residual drops of magical solution. Joints creaking, she winced and moved toward a shelf.

Time had not been kind to the mare. When not confined to her bed, lacking energy, her bones and muscles complained at any major movement. Even her unparalleled knowledge of roots, herbs, grasses, and most potent potions could only ease her discomfort so much.

“My seventy-fifth year approaches swift,” she mumbled. “My mind has little time to drift.”

She reached up with her mouth and gripped the stem of a single silver bell.

“Some Neverbloom for days unseen,” she said through clenched teeth. “With this I hope my brew does gleam.”

She dropped her front legs to the ground, the stem tearing from its base with her descent. She winced as a jolt shot through her upon impact.

“Oh, how my muscles ache and groan, together with my tired old bones.”

She stiffened and closed her right eye—the one not covered by a black patch. Still grasping the Neverbloom, she ambled back toward her cauldron. She grunted with each step, her eyebrow twitching. She concentrated on her breathing as she opened her eye, looking at the cauldron’s still-sparking contents. She sniffed long and hard; her smile spread, punctuated by an unwelcome coughing fit.

“Bark of a yew, some morning dew—add Neverbloom and let it stew. When destiny deems the time is right, this brew shall sparkle silver bright.”

Zecora held the flower against the rim of her cauldron with a hoof. She gripped the delicate silver head in her teeth and moved her head down, taking a single petal with it. Then, she flicked her head up and released her hold with both teeth and hoof. While the petal fell into the cauldron, the mutilated remainder immediately shriveled up and dropped. It darkened to the colour of soil, adding to the multitudes of decomposing floral matter on the floor.

Zecora kept her gaze upon the cauldron’s surface while she pumped a set of bellows below it with her left hoof. Glowing embers became dancing flames as they licked up the sides of her centrepiece before settling into a quietly crackling, controlled burn.

Zecora huffed and trotted back over to a small stove on the other end of her potted plant-covered shelves. She gripped the kettle and moved it to a bench nearby; a few droplets leapt out of the end and spilled onto the element, where they hissed and evaporated. Ignoring the sound, she angled her head so that her teacup filled almost to the top. A swirling cloud of brown leaves rose to the surface.

She watched the swirling tea for a full minute, blowing gently until it settled. Pursing her lips, she took a tentative sip before flicking the rest out her window. She set the cup down and waved a hoof over the top. A glance into the cup’s bottom revealed the leafy layout of an alicorn, its wings outstretched and a circular orb above its head.

“I see, Your Majesty—the answer is clear. You seek release from the vicegrip of fear.”

A strange gurgling sound alerted Zecora to her cauldron. She limped over to stare at the surface; her eye widened at the sight of hundreds of small water beads, dancing around the edge in a vortex like a plug had been pulled from beneath. A glow crept from the depths up the sides of the miniature maelstrom. The edge of the brew tinted the walls a metallic silver as the glow bounced off the cauldron’s rim.

Zecora’s ears perked up when a gust of wind blew her window shut with a crash, and snuffed out all of her candles. She stood alone in the darkness, her only source of light emanating from her magical brew. With the unnatural wind howling outside, swaying trees cast eerie shadows upon the walls, yet her gaze remained fixed upon the silver liquid while the whirlpool ceased and the water stilled.

“By the Sun and the Moon, have I been gifted a boon?”

She placed her front hooves upon the rim and leaned further forward into the light. Her eye shined while she suppressed a gasp.

She stood—accompanied by six foals—before a rocky outcrop at the base of an immense stone stairway. As the seven approached, the boulders blocking their path rolled up together of their own accord. They formed an archway, revealing a long tunnel with a faint blue light pulsing in its depths. Together, the seven crossed the threshold and headed down the tunnel.

A unicorn filly with a silver coat and a flowing peach mane led the party. Long eyelashes complimented her pale green eyes, beneath a horn lit with an identical hue.

A taller Earth pony—almost a stallion—tailed her. This one sported a blonde mane that stopped short of grazing his light-brown shoulders.

He was followed by yet another unicorn filly. The smallest of the group, she trotted at the taller one’s side. Her purple mane seemed to meld into her dark-brown coat.

Two pegasus colts—different as snow from fire—followed the filly while playfully shoving each other back and forth. The first had a pure white coat, though everything else about him was the palest of pinks. His partner was the exact opposite—a blood-orange coat clashed against his striped black-and-grey mane and tail.

Bringing up the rear was—

Zecora blinked and shook her head. She stared at the image again.

“Curious indeed, what my brew of destiny shows. I can only hope the queen herself does not yet know.”

The image and the glow faded. Her candles flickered to life. The walls no longer played host to cantering shadows. Her cauldron’s contents turned as dark as the discarded Neverbloom head at her hooves. For a long time, Zecora stood in silence, head bowed. Finally she sighed and sat on the leafy floor.

“The secret six, the reborn chosen… could they revive this world that’s frozen?”

* * * * *

The power of friendship will not save you, Princess.

She shifted in her bed. Her rear legs twitched.

You left them at my mercy. You left them for me to play with.

She groaned, her eyelids rapidly fluttering but remaining closed.

You will never see your friends again. Nothing remains of them but ashes now.

“No, stop…”

You killed your friends. You’re killing them all. Now it’s your turn.

She kicked the cover off herself and connected with something bony. Unconscious to the shifting body next to her, she continued to squirm, mouth moving in silence.

Greet your death, Princess Twilight.

A laughing, masked shadow swung its mighty scythe toward her face—

With a loud gasp, Twilight Sparkle sat bolt upright in her bed. Her eyes could have contained the Moon. She panted, short and shallow, while she gazed about the room. Her mouth hung open, drier than the San Palomino desert. Cold sweat coated her body. Her mane hung limp and matted in a mess that would have had Rarity fainting with shock.

Rarity, with half of her head missing, whom nothing remained of but ashes and nightmares—

“No!”

Twilight covered her eyes and inhaled deep lungfuls of air, then breathed out through her mouth. After a minute of sitting still as a statue, she felt her thundering heart begin to slow. Each consecutive thump pounded softer. With a final inhale and expulsion, she turned to look at the figure next to her.

His fur had faded with the years; it now resembled her morning’s sunrise rather than the oranges that used to grow in the orchard over from Sweet Apple Acres. His wings had lost many feathers, while most that remained were permanently bent out of shape. His mane, though still a vivid electric-blue, was flecked with streaks and spots of light grey.

Twilight looked further down to his leg, which was already beginning to bruise. Stupid Twilight. Are you determined to kill everypony you love? With a quiet, considerate sigh, Twilight lit her horn. Magic tinkling filled the room as her red aura bathed the ageing stallion’s leg and erased the blemish from his lightly wrinkled fur.

“Mhmm? Twi… light?” He stirred from her magic’s caress. His eyelids lifted and fell a few times before remaining open, after which he squinted at her in the pre-dawn gloom. Seeing her horn alight, he raised them fully and held them open. “What is it, love?”

“I hurt you in my sleep again. I’m so sorry. I’m going to shatter your pelvis or something, one of these days.”

The stallion chuckled. “Don’t you worry about little old me, dearest. I’m just a broken, useless pegasus who can’t even fly. You’ll find another to replace me in due time.”

“Flash, don’t talk like that. I love you. I could never love another.” Twilight lowered her head and planted a light kiss upon his forehead. She felt her lips fill in a portion of all five creases in his brow before she pulled away and ran a hoof through his mane.

“Twilight, don’t be silly. My time draws ever closer—we both know this.” Flash let out another trio of coughs. “You, on the other hoof, have all the time in the world. I will leave, you will mourn, you will cry… ultimately, you will move on. That’s just how it is.”

“Flash…”

Twilight’s eyes flashed briefly with a scarlet tinge before returning to their regular lilac. “It’s not too late. I can find a way to prolong your life. I… I can keep working on the age spell. I know I can eliminate its temporary reset. The theory just requires more tweaking—”

“Shhhh.” Flash brought a hoof to Twilight’s mouth, which drew her eyes to meet in the middle. “You may be powerful, Twi, but even you can’t halt my decay forever.” Another coughing fit racked his body. “I just want you to be happy with your life. You have it all already. Count your blessings.”

“I will find a way to stop Death from claiming you.”

“Nopony denies Death of his prey, my love. We are bound for either Tartarus or Elysium. Only you can defy Death now.”

Flash yawned, his jaw stretching toward the mattress as far as it could. “I’m glad to have lived at your side as long as I have. That said—” He rose and placed his forelegs around Twilight’s shoulders “—I’m not quite ready to kick the bucket yet. I’ll still be around for a while, you can be sure of that.”

Twilight closed her eyes and leaned into Flash’s embrace.

The years pass and you age, my consort. Yet I linger on as if it were still that day, and I still the same pony who made that horrific judgement call.

He clasped her tighter. She delighted in the warm breath that tickled her neck. She ran her own hoof up and down the length of his back. It grazed back and forth over a bald patch the size of a bit, the smooth spot a strange feeling compared to the usual prickle of his short coat. She felt him tense up with every stroke.

Twilight ceased and leaned back. “It’s getting larger, isn’t it?”

Flash nodded. “Yeah. I’m losing fur faster than Tibbles ever did.”

“Well, that at least I can do something about.”

Twilight’s bloody aura painted the room. She lowered her head once more toward the problem patch—

“Don’t, Twilight.”

Flash held up a wing and pressed against her horn. “You can’t preserve my stunning good looks forever. Just let it happen.”

“But I can fix it—”

“I’m not broken, Twilight. I’m simply getting old. You have to learn to see the difference. Age isn’t something you can fix. It’s a natural occurrence. I know I’m going to look far from my best if I hit seventy. But you are beautiful enough for the both of us, I think.”

Flash slipped a wink her way and leaned forward, placing a kiss on her left cheek. “My beautiful Twi, ever shall you be.”

Twilight’s cheeks turned pink. “Only because you make me feel that way.” She closed her eyes and leaned forward to meet Flash’s mouth with hers—

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

Twilight and Flash jumped and opened their eyes mere centimetres from each other. Following a bout of her giggles and his chuckling, Twilight sighed and flapped her wings. She left the bed and trotted over to her balcony doors, levitating the displaced blanket back onto the bed as she did so. The doors glowed red and opened outward; a chill welcomed her, eliciting a quick shiver before she adjusted to the temperature change.

She closed her eyes and concentrated. The Moon slid below the horizon without effort. As the Sun replaced its vigilant nightguard, its golden glow broke the shadows of early daybreak, signalling her little ponies to awaken.

Twilight kept her eyes closed while the Sun climbed. Try as she might, she could never bear to actually watch one. Her abilities certainly did the job well enough, but there was something… missing from her sunrises. Something she never did learn how to replicate.

Celestia’s was always more beautiful than mine will ever be.

She heard the shuffle of dragging hooves, felt the vibration in the floor. She pretended not to notice Flash making his way onto the balcony, pretended to be surprised when she felt his hoof upon her right shoulder.

“Another beautiful day, my love.”

He sidled up next to her and stared out over the balcony. He yawned and stretched his wings out to the nippy air. “Mornings like these make me feel alive.”

“As much as I desire your endless praises, my love,” Twilight said, “I still have a country to run. I am a slave of time, and it never waits.”

Flash leaned into Twilight and rested his head against her neck. “You are Equestria’s rise and fall, its wax and wane, bringer of life, light, death and darkness. Without you, none of us would survive.” He kicked the floor, a loud clop reaching their ears. “I wish I could do something, anything more for you.”

“Silly stallion. You do more than enough for me already.” Twilight draped her wing around Flash and pulled him closer. “To have your love and support in this world that resents me is… is more than I ever hoped for.” She twined her right foreleg around his left and leaned against him. Not too heavily, though. Don’t want to push him over.

“Speaking of hope,” Flash said, “how is Sweetie?”

Twilight sighed. “Her abilities are almost on par with how mine used to be, before my ascension. It’s too bad that there’s no other unicorn anywhere near her league. Even her own daughter shows a significant lack of genetic talent retention.”

She pushed her head down into Flash’s mane. “Sweetie Belle sticks with her closest friends—she still won’t go out to see anypony else. As one of the few still blessed with magic, she’s often hounded by citizens, asking her to fix this or help them with that. She tries, but her focus on our experiments is consistently broken. It doesn’t help that beneath other ponies’ gratitude for her abilities, jealousy still runs rampant over the fact she still has magic and they don’t.”

“She’s not the only one, Twilight. You know that every foal without a cutie mark at the time kept their magic too. Maybe you could re-establish your old school and—”

Flash slammed against the thick glass doors and slid down them, the doors reverberating back and forth with steadily declining crashes. He grunted and massaged his flank, willing the pain away. When he looked up a few seconds later, his blood ran cold.

“Darling, you know I didn’t mean—”

“I would never start that up again. Imagine how their hate would intensify if I declared I was running the school that their former princess took such pride in—the princess they actually loved. I might be forced to kill some foolish ones if they dared to protest.”

Twilight fixed her consort with burning eyes, her Amulet shining a matching red. “Besides, that would invite what few remaining unicorns do have their magic to unite and rise against me. I would be compelled to stop them.”

She closed her eyes and reared back, her wings flapping to maintain her balance. When she dropped back to the balcony floor, her eyes opened, the red gone. She shook her head and looked at Flash, her eyes widening.

“Flash!”

She ran to him and wrapped him in her magic, gently pulling him back onto his hooves. “Are you all right? Did I do something to you again?”

Flash shuddered. “Oh, uh, n-no, not at all. I just, er, slipped again. Curse these ageing legs of mine. Pegasi were never meant to walk on hard surfaces for too long.”

“Flash, don’t you lie to me. One moment I had my wing draped over you, the next I was blanked out and you’re up against the balcony door. What happened?”

Flash gulped. “W-well, you took something I said a little… heavy.”

“What was it?”

Flash shook his head.

“Doesn’t matter. It was a dumb suggestion anyway. Just forget about it.” He straightened and smiled at Twilight. “Hey, let’s get some breakfast. Earl Grey and Pristine should have everything ready by now.”

Twilight’s stomach rumbled. She brought a hoof to it and giggled. “Well, if you’re sure… breakfast does sound lovely right now.” She beckoned him to her side with a wing, clasping his left in her right. Together they departed the balcony, light streaming into the royal chamber.

Flash placed a hoof on the door handle and pressed down. As the door opened, he stood back with a bow.

“Ladies first.”

Every morning, without fail, he’s remained the perfect gentlecolt. “Thank you.”

Twilight stepped through the exit ahead of Flash. When he rejoined her, she closed their door and cast a lock spell on it. “Come, My Prince,” she said in her Ruler voice. “Let us prepare for another day.”

“As you wish, My Queen.”

* * * * *

“Phew-wee! Sure is hot this mornin’. Do y’all reckon the queen forgot about that cloud cover she promised last week?”

Apple Bloom rested against her plow, electing to duck under the light amount of shade it provided. Next to her, Babs Seed pulled a plow of equal size. Although Babs was a capable and strong mare, her muscles still paled against Apple Bloom’s strength.

Babs brought her own plow to a halt next to Apple Bloom. “You said it, cuz.” She gasped, her Manehattanite drawl only slightly present after years away from her native city. “That rain ain’t come yet, either. How’re our seeds s’posed to sprout in this dry soil?” She ran a hoof through the dirt below her and watched it fall away, a similar consistency to sand.

“I hear ya, Babsie. Somepony oughta remind the queen.”

Babs shook her head vigorously. “Nuh-uh! I ain’t going to Queen Sparkle. She’d tear my head off sooner’n hear me out!”

“She won’t do that, Babs.” Apple Bloom threw up her hooves. “She needs ponies like us too much. The more of us she keeps around, the less actual work she has to do.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just… she scares me, is all.”

“She scares us all, ladies.”

Both mares turned their heads to the third plow that pulled up next to them. A white-and-brown pinto stallion panted and regarded the pair with his soft brown eyes.

“No matter our fears, though, we’ve gotta get these veggies growing by summer. The queen’s wrath will be greater if we don’t supply enough for everypony.”

“How ’bout you go see her then, Pipsqueak?” Apple Bloom asked. “Show us what a strong and brave stallion you are. Off you go then. Pip pip.”

While Babs chortled at the quip, Pipsqueak sighed. “Can’t somepony else go to see her? Somepony who values their existence just a little less than us?”

Apple Bloom brought a hoof to her chin. “Hmmm… what about Diamond Tiara?”

“That old snob? Please.” Babs snorted and blew a lock of mane from her face. “She don’t do nothin’ but stay home and mope. Far as she’s concerned, she lost everythin’ when her magic and cutie mark were stolen. Good luck gettin’ her to do anythin’.”

“Silver Spoon, then? Or Twist?”

“No way, Pipsqueak. They’re the best cooks we have. They and the Cake twins pretty much keep all of Ponyville goin’.”

“Chip Mint? Firelock?”

“Forget it, y’all.” Babs stamped a hoof. “We can’t send any pegasi. They’re all too busy at Scoots’ training facility.” She grunted and resumed pulling her plow. “Let’s just… wait a little longer. I’m sure the queen’ll come through for us.”

Apple Bloom and Pipsqueak watched as Babs hauled her plow along. They looked at each other, eyebrows drooping slightly.

“We can’t keep this up much longer, Pip. Equestria’s dyin’—I can feel it in the ground.”

Pipsqueak trotted over to Apple Bloom and wrapped a hoof around her shoulders.

“I know. Something has to be done if we’re to survive another decade of this…” He planted a kiss on her cheek and faced her. Seeing moisture gathering at the corners of his wife’s eyes, he raised a hoof and gently wiped it away. “But what can we do, really?”

“I… I really don’t know.” Apple Bloom buried her face into Pipsqueak’s chest. “Zecora can’t even help. She’s strugglin’ to survive these days. It don’t help none her injuries keep her stuck in bed most o’the time.”

“Hey, would ya hurry it up back there? This field ain’t gonna plow itself!”

Apple Bloom and Pipsqueak turned when they heard Babs’ yell. With a final glance at each other, they broke apart and hitched themselves up to their plows again. Sweat crept down each of their faces as they resumed their relentless task.

There’s gotta be a better way to live. No way Queen Twilight would just forget us. I know she still cares. Apple Bloom cast her gaze north to the distant mountain city. I wonder how Sweetie Belle is?

“Mama!”

The high voice stopped Apple Bloom in her tracks. She unhitched herself from the plow once again and stepped around it. She looked to the south and smiled.

A small lemon-coloured filly with brown hair ran toward Apple Bloom. On top of her head, she balanced a tray with three mugs. Her orange eyes were wide as she galloped toward Apple Bloom.

“I brought you, and Daddy, and Auntie Babsie a drink. I even made it myself this time!” The filly pulled up, sliding on the dirt. “Uncle Mac said it was the best cider he’s had in ages!”

Apple Bloom gave a quiet chuckle. “Well, how ’bout I be the judge of that? Let’s see how you did this time.”

She placed a hoof through an oaken handle and lifted it to her mouth. Taking a small sip, Apple Bloom swished the liquid around in her mouth, spat it on the ground next to her, and took a larger drink. She closed her eyes for a moment, allowing the cider to tempt her taste buds.

Finally, Apple Bloom gulped down the rest. She narrowed her eyes.

“Hmmm.”

A second later, a broad grin stretched across her face. “This is delicious, Ambrosia! I can pick out the Red Delicious, Royal Gala, and Granny Smith blend you’ve got goin’. There’s a tang of cinnamon in there too, but also somethin’ I can’t pick. What’s your secret, little missy?”

“Oh, I think I’ll keep that to myself. I’m just glad you liked it.” Ambrosia beamed up at her mother, who drained her mug and gasped a contented sigh. She giggled, careful to maintain her balance of the tray upon her head.

“Course you will,” Apple Bloom said. “Well, you keep doing whatever it is you have been, then. Now go and wow your father and Auntie Babsie. They’re sure to get a kick out of it, especially in this heat.”

“Okay!”

Ambrosia galloped off toward Pipsqueak with her two remaining mugs. Apple Bloom watched her energetic daughter, a fleeting smile accompanying the warmth spreading inside her. “And don’t be late for school!” she added.

Oh, my darling. You deserve a better world than this one. Perhaps we’ll find a way to make it so.

Chapter Two: Children of the Future

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Chapter Two: Children of the Future

“...And that concludes this week’s news, Your Majesty. Is everything to your liking?”

Namby Pamby released the bottom of the parchment and allowed it to roll back up into a tight bundle. He tucked it under his wing and stood sharp, eyeing his queen. Though he knew she had been paying attention—she was still Twilight Sparkle, after all—he could not help but feel slightly miffed as she munched her way through a bowl of strawberries and oats, sipped her tea, and levitated a stack of crumpets from the heavily laden serving dish to her plate, all without appearing to acknowledge a single word he’d said.

Not that he would ever dare to voice that particular opinion. He knew well the fate of the pony he’d replaced. Nopony dared to even think anything against the queen these days—not if they valued their limbs.

“So, ocean levels are still rising? That is most upsetting. The Manehattan Wall must be built higher.” Twilight grasped a jar in her aura and flicked off the lid. Marmalade floated out of the jar and spread itself onto her crumpets. She brought one to her mouth, then stopped.

“Oh, would you like one, Namby?” She held out a crumpet, translucent spread dribbling down its sides.

“No, thank you, Your Majesty.” He swallowed as Twilight narrowed her eyes slightly, then popped it into her own mouth instead. Her expression shifted so fast to taste-bud euphoria that Namby wondered if he’d hallucinated her frown.

“Flash, honey? You hungry?”

Next to Twilight, Flash shook his head, though he did reach for the teapot to pour himself a second cup. “You enjoy them, Twilight. You need the energy more than I do.”

Twilight smiled and nuzzled her husband. “You don’t need to worry about me. I don’t have much to do today, weather-wise. Although—” she put a hoof to her chin “—I do have that meeting with the new mayor of Ponyville today.”

Her smile widened, revealing rows of perfect teeth untouched by time. “I’m glad that Cheerilee won the vote—I always liked her. She will make a fine mayor. I suppose that Dinky Doo will be replacing Cheerilee as teacher at Ponyville Elementary?” She trained her attention back upon Namby-Pamby.

He cleared his throat. “Yes, that seems to be the way of it, Your Majesty.”

“Lovely.”

Twilight stuffed a whole crumpet into her mouth. “Dinky has… mmmmpfh... always shown considerable talent, compared to many… ummmph... other unicorns. Of course, nopony—besides myself, that is—could ever compare to how my… momnom... apprentice continues to progress, even now after all these years.” She gulped and finally swallowed her mouthful.

“Er, Y-yes, Your Majesty. Mrs. Mash does possess quite advanced skills.”

“Of course she does. I always had a gut feeling about Sweetie Belle, even back when I first started training her and her friends. ‘Twilight Time,’ they used to call it.” Twilight munched on her third crumpet for a moment, then swallowed. “Ah, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Ever the mischief makers in their youth.”

“I remember that my brother, Featherweight, used to talk about them all the time,” Namby Pamby said. “If they were not running late for class, they were out adventuring, more oft than not returning covered in uncanny amounts of tree sap. He said that Sweetie in particular would always complain about how much her sister, Rarity—”

Flash stiffened.

“—used to fuss—”

A red glow surrounded Namby Pamby, lifted him from the ground, and slammed him against the back wall. Before he could breathe, he found himself floating over the breakfast table, Twilight’s scarlet eyes blazing into his own.

“You will not speak of Rarity, or any of my friends, ever again. Am I clear, Namby Pamby?”

Eyes wide, eyebrows disappearing into his mane, Namby Pamby nodded vigorously. “A-absolutely one-hundred percent c-crystal clear, Your M-Majesty.”

“Good.” Twilight lowered the hapless pegasus back onto his hooves. After the scarlet glow in her eyes and at her neck faded, Twilight blinked rapidly, then offered a smile to him. “Yes, those fillies were certainly bucketfuls of trouble sometimes, weren’t they?” She giggled to Flash, who exhaled and slumped his shoulders.

Namby Pamby opened his mouth, thought better of it, then closed it. He simply nodded.

“Wow, Namby. You’re shivering like you’ve seen a ghost or something. Are you cold? Sure you wouldn’t like some tea?” Twilight levitated a cup before him, pot poised to pour.

“Oh… w-well, if it pleases you, Your Majesty, I will gladly accept.” Namby Pamby pulled up a seat opposite Twilight and allowed to cup to fill before his eyes. The strong scent of Earl Grey’s Trottingham-based blend tickled his nostrils. He grasped the teacup with trembling wings and lifted it to his mouth, taking a sip before setting it back down onto the table.

Twilight beamed at him, then turned to her right. “Flash, dear, would you kindly check on Sweetie for me? I know she appreciates a friendly face every now and then. Liberty should already be on the train to Ponyville, so I’ll meet her there once I’ve tied up loose ends.”

“Yes, my love.” Flash pecked her cheek and rose from the table. “Enjoy your day.” He shot a glare Namby’s way. “You too, Namby. Keep safe.”

“Of course, Prince Sentry. I will take greater care in the future.”

“That’s the spirit.” Flash draped a wing around Twilight and nuzzled her for a moment, then departed the breakfast hall.

“Oh!”

Namby Pamby twitched, almost dropping his teacup. “What is it, Your Majesty?”

Abandoning her breakfast, Twilight leapt up from the table and flapped up and down, holding her hooves to her cheeks. “Oh, no-no-no-no-no, how could I forget? Ponyville’s been waiting for clouds and rain for days now! Ohhhhh, what must they think of me? I promised them!”

Her eyes darted back and forth for a few seconds before she descended to the floor. After a quick breath, she swung out her hoof and exhaled, eyes closed. “Maybe some extra rainfall too… just a heavier drizzle ought to help them out… Pristine!”

A unicorn sporting an elegant tuxedo entered the room. “Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Inform Lord Fancy Pants of my departure. By my authority, he is in charge of Canterlot today. I’m going to visit my old home for a while, and I’ll be away slightly longer than planned.”

“It shall be done, Your Majesty.” Pristine bowed low.

“Excellent.”

Twilight began to cast her teleportation spell, but stopped halfway through. “Oh, and Namby?” She shot him a bright smile as he looked up at her. “Help yourself to any leftover breakfast. Have a nice day.” With a scarlet flash, she disappeared.

Namby Pamby released the breath he’d unconsciously been holding. Seconds passed in silence while he fought to stabilise his pounding heart. When he was sure that the queen had in fact departed, he sighed and closed his eyes.

“I assume you made some rookie lapse in tact earlier,” Pristine said. “Queen Twilight is only generous when she feels she has to make up for something. If that’s the case, you should consider yourself lucky to be still standing now.”

Namby Pamby blushed and took a scone, although his hoof trembled as he brought it to his mouth; it promptly fell to the floor.

* * * * *

“Time for class, little ponies!”

Cheerilee forced a smile to her face as her students filed into the classroom. The school-bell rang, though not loud enough to completely drown out the usual cacophony of groaning, grumbling and residual chit-chat. She stood before the classroom and waited for every foal to take their seats. When all of the hubbub finally died down, she took a deep breath and raised her head.

“Good morning, class!”

“Good morning, Missus Turner,” they chorused.

“Good... mornin’... Cheerilee!”

Everypony turned toward the classroom door as it burst open. A small yellow filly stood in the open space, her chest heaving and her tongue out. “Sorry I’m… late!”

“Good morning, Ambrosia. Take your seat, please. And remember, at school it’s ‘ma’am’ or ‘Missus Turner.’”

“Yes, ma’am.” Ambrosia bustled over to find her place near the centre of the room. “Sorry, ma’am.”

“That’s quite all right.” Cheerilee faced her pupils again, a genuine smile upon her face. “Well, class, I think you all know what day today is.”

Everypony groaned again and bowed their heads.

“Now, class, you mustn’t be upset. You’ll have a wonderful new teacher after today. Missus Doo is quite capable of picking up where I’m leaving off. In fact, I’d even say she’s a more qualified teacher than I now.” She stared around at the small assembly of foals. “Trust me, you’re all going to love her.”

“She’s real nice and stuff, Missus Turner,” an albino pegasus colt started.

“But there’ll never be another teacher we love as much as you,” a dark-orange pegasus next to him finished.

The class nodded unanimously.

Cheerilee waved a hoof through the air. “Snow Flurry, Heat Wave, be quiet, please. I have something very important to say to you all.” She closed her eyes for a moment and willed that the water stay inside. When she opened them again, they twinkled as she looked around.

“I have been teaching for close to forty years. In that time, I have watched and nurtured a great many foals as they became respectable, upstanding citizens of Ponyville. From my first classes containing ponies like our florist, Roseluck, our a cappella group, the Ponytones—and their children—even Applejack, the legendary bearer of the Element of Honesty, to all of you now here, I have loved every moment of teaching. I was born to do it, and I am honoured to have been part of one of Ponyville’s most important systems.

“But, as is the way of things, all good things must come to an end. With the resignation and retirement of our beloved Mayor Mare, the town has decided—by an overwhelming majority, I might add—that I am most fit to replace her in office. Even Queen Twilight herself is supportive of this decision. I will be answering directly to her now.”

At the mention of Twilight’s name, hushed whispers broke around the classroom.

“Class, settle down, please,” Cheerilee said. “I have more to say.”

“But Queen Twilight’s scary, Missus Turner!” a small brown unicorn filly said. She shrunk down and wrapped her forelegs around her body, shivering.

“No she ain’t, Toffee Swirl!” Ambrosia thumped her desk. “She’s real nice mosta the time! She cares about us—Mama says so.”

“That’s just ’cause she’s friends with your ma and uncle,” Toffee rebutted. “She’s not so nice to the rest of us. Did you hear what happened at Sugarcube Corner last week?”

“Why, no, can’t say I did. Mama ain’t taken me there lately.”

The classroom oohed as one. Cheerilee shook her head and furrowed her brow, revealing numerous wrinkles. Crows feet spread from the corners of her eyes. “Class, please settle down. Storytime can—”

“I was there,” Toffee said, “standing in line for one of Miss Pumpkin’s pasties, when Queen Twilight herself walked in and marched right to the front of the line. She asked Mister Pound for his last chocolate muffin, when old mare Ditzy who was about to be served turned to her and said, she said, ‘But I get that muffin every morning, Your Majesty, would you mind choosing another?’”

“Toffee, please. I’m trying to finish—”

“And, and, and then—” still ignoring Cheerilee, Toffee lowered her voice, slammed her hooves upon her desk, and cast her eyes around “—Queen Twilight turned right to old mare Ditzy, and that necklace of hers glowed, and her eyes glowed too, and she said, she straight up said to Ditzy’s face, ‘How would you like me to separate your eyes so far, they’ll see from the Everfree to the White Tail?’”

Though they’d heard the story already, everypony but Ambrosia gasped.

“No way Queen Twilight woulda said somethin’ so mean and nasty!” Ambrosia yelled. She threw her forehooves above her head. “She loves everypony!”

“Oh yeah?” Toffee spat back. “Everypony who was there’d tell you the same thing, if ya wanna ask them.”

“That’s enough, girls!”

Ambrosia, Toffee, and every other foal turned to Cheerilee, who fixed her bright green glare upon them. “If you don’t all calm yourselves now and listen to me, I won’t be able to finish my announcement, and I most certainly will not be taking you on any excursion as a final treat!”

At the word “excursion,” there was an immediate increase in the amount of straight backs and attentive eyes.

“That’s better.” Cheerilee’s beloved smile returned to her face. “Now, as I was saying before Miss Swirl rudely interrupted—” she shot a quick glance at Toffee, who blushed “—Missus Doo will be taking over while I focus on running Ponyville. She plans to change up your education a little, make it that bit more exciting than just learning mathematics, history and messing around with arts and crafts.”

Cheerilee had her students’ full, undivided attention now.

“Which is why today,” she continued, “we are going on our first class field trip to the Everfree Forest!”

A collective gasp filled the room.

“Why are we going there, Missus Turner?” a pale green filly asked, her hoof in the air. “Isn’t the forest dangerous? I think my mother should hear about this first.”

“A fair question, Ornate Jade, and a valid statement, too. You see, we will be meeting somepony very special at the Everfree’s edge, who will then escort us to predetermined, safe examination points. Oh, and your parents already know, too. Green Daze happily signed and returned the permission form that I mailed him.”

Cheerilee looked at the rest of the class. “In fact, I already have every permission form returned from all of your parents as well!” She opened her desk drawer and pulled out a thin stack of papers. “I went and talked to them myself over the past few weeks, and we all agreed it should be a surprise!”

“Well, I’m surprised that Lady Tiara agreed to let her pwecious wittle Jade come with us.” Toffee Swirl sneered at Jade, who stuck her tongue out. A few other foals giggled.

“Girls, please. I will not have you sniping at each other on my last day.” Cheerilee grasped a piece of chalk from her blackboard railing and rested it upon the slate surface. “We will leave for the Everfree after recess is over. Until then, I want you all to open your copies of Mirrors and Moonlight and resume reading from where we left off yesterday.”

“Yes, Missus Turner,” everypony chanted. The room lapsed into silence, save for the shuffling of pages as twelve little books opened, demanding the attention of twelve little muzzles.

Well, not exactly twelve.

“Psst.”

Ambrosia’s ears perked as a whisper drifted over the scratching of Cheerilee’s chalk. She ignored it and continued to read.

“Pssssst.”

Again, the hiss. Ambrosia raised her head from her book and sneaked a glance at the colt beside her. “What?” she whispered.

“How about we get a head start on everypony else at recess?”

Ambrosia frowned at the brown colt. “Whaddya mean, Wild Seed?”

Wild smiled and blew a tuft of blonde mane back above his eyes. He leaned in closer to Ambrosia. “I think we should blow early, just the two of us, before recess ends. We can make it to Everfree before everypony else.”

Somepony coughed, and the two sat upright in their seats again. Fortunately, Cheerilee continued to face the blackboard, her chalk-scratching masking their conversation.

Wild Seed leaned in close again. “Come on, Ambi. It’ll be fun. We might run into a star spider web, or get to kick a timberwolf to twigs. Then we can meet the others at the forest edge when they arrive and act like we were just so eager that we couldn’t wait!”

Ambrosia shook her head. “No way, Wild. I don’t wanna cause any trouble on Missus Turner’s last day. Besides, you heard her earlier—sounds like Miss Doo’ll be treatin’ us to more regular outside stuff anyway when she starts.”

Wild Seed snorted. “Are you gonna be that girl, Ambi? Miss Goody-four-shoes? Come on—where’s your sense of adventure?”

“Wild, I’m bein’ adventurous enough by not wantin’ to run screamin’ at just the thought of goin’ in that forest. Now stop distractin’ me from my readin’.”

Wild Seed rolled his eyes and leaned back away from Ambrosia. “Fine. You stay with the others. I’m not waiting until after recess.”

“Not waiting for what, Wild Seed?”

Wild’s eyes shot open at Cheerilee’s question. “Uh… just for… recess to be over before I… do my ‘little colt’s business,’ ma’am.” He blushed while the rest of the class stared, holding back a torrent of giggles.

Cheerilee narrowed her eyes, then cleared her throat with a gentle hack into her hoof. “Wild, you may be excused to do your ‘business’ when you have finished the next chapter of Mirrors and Moonlight. For now, no talking and eyes to your page. All of you.”

The snorting died. “Yes, Missus Turner,” the class chorused. Wild sighed and opened his book.

* * * * *

Apple Bloom halted her plow and pulled off her straps. Panting, she walked a few paces toward the nearby Everfree’s outer canopy. She slumped to the ground and sprawled on her back, enjoying the shadows falling upon her face and the cool grass caressing her coat. Sweat trickled down the sides of her head and down along her stomach to pool beneath her back.

A few deep breaths later, she felt her body beginning to relax. Her eyes fluttered closed as she took in the smells of the forest. The burning in her legs subsided. She ran her forehooves over her face and swept away a layer of sweat before placing them behind her head and crossing her hind legs.

“Comfortable?”

With a lazy groan, Apple Bloom opened her right eye and peeked at the intruder. “No judgin’, Pip. You know how hot it is out there today. I’m surprised we ain’t melted, and it ain’t even midday yet!” She closed the eye and embraced the return to darkness.

Pipsqueak sighed and trotted next to her. He brushed his lips across her brow. “I know, Bloom. I’m getting pretty toasty out there myself. If you want a break, take one.”

“Darn right, I’m takin’ one.” Apple Bloom opened her other eye and peered at Pipsqueak. “Y’know, my back is awful sore… you wouldn’t be willin’ to… help me out with that, would you?” She rolled over onto her gut and flicked her tail at him, fluttering her eyelashes.

Pipsqueak rolled his eyes, yet still settled himself level with Apple Bloom’s hips. He placed his forehooves upon her shoulders. “Where’s the worst of it, my fragile little flower?”

Apple Bloom snorted. “Funny.”

“I thought so too. Thank you. Seriously though, you want shoulders first, or…?”

Pipsqueak began to rub his hooves in small circles, pressing gently but firmly into the yellow coat beneath him. He held their place for a few seconds before shifting his focus to a slightly lower area.

Apple Bloom groaned, sending a slight vibration through Pipsqueak’s hooves. “Oh, there’s good. Get that one out, please.” She laid her head upon the grass and surrendered to her capable husband’s motions. While at first painful, every rotation of his hooves brought a small spasm of pleasure. “Mmmm…”

Pipsqueak smiled, leaning further in to push a little harder—

“Hey, you two!”

Pipsqueak—and Apple Bloom beneath him—turned at the cry. Babs galloped over, having also abandoned her own plow in the field. “Check it out, you slackers!” She pointed a hoof into the distant sky.

Pipsqueak dismounted Apple Bloom and turned around to follow Babs’ hoof. He stared into the distance, where Canterlot was visible; only now it was obscured by roiling, dark clouds.

Apple Bloom rolled over and propped herself up onto her elbows, then immediately rose and stood with him. “Well, ’bout time she showed up.”

The trio watched as the clouds flew across the sky at an impressive speed, covering the distance between Canterlot and their fields in mere minutes. A swirling tornado pulled them over the land in its wake, generating a crisp breeze. Trees swayed, and the onlookers huddled together while a purple streak emerged from within the tornado. It shot around, a blur in the sky. Entire chunks of the stormy stratus split and were herded over different sections of land.

The rain’s first kiss landed upon Apple Bloom’s muzzle. She smiled. “I knew she’d keep her promise, y’all.”

“Yeah, yeah, we believed her too,” Babs said. “I gotta admit, that breeze sure feels lovely right now.”

Before Pipsqueak or Apple Bloom could reply, something thudded onto the ground nearby, making it tremble. After regaining their balance, all turned their heads toward the source.

“By Star Swirl’s beard, I am so sorry!”

Twilight Sparkle lifted her head and spread her wings. “Please forgive me, everypony. I‘ve been so caught up with the rest of Equestria that I completely forgot about you all here! How could I?”

The three bowed low at her approach. “Oh, uh, it’s no trouble at all, Your Majesty,” Babs said. “I promise we were only gonna be taking a short break. Honest.”

“Have no fear, Babs Seed.” Twilight smiled as she approached. “I don’t expect you all to work yourselves to death, especially in this heat. Besides—” she lifted Babs’ chin with a wing “—it’s really my fault that I didn’t bring your clouds and rain until now. You should be having a much easier time than you are.”

“Thank you for bringin’ the clouds and the rain, Your Majesty,” Apple Bloom said, water drizzling down her face. “It’s so much cooler now. I promise we’ll get back to it right away.”

Twilight released Babs and turned to Apple Bloom. “Please, Apple Bloom, just go and rest while the rain continues. I can’t have Ponyville’s three hardest workers burning themselves out. The town needs you—I need you.” She gave her own short bow. “Rise, my friends. Take the duration of the rain to rest. The ground will be much easier to work with afterward, and the clouds will keep the Sun from punishing you so much.”

“Your Majesty?”

“Yes, Pipsqueak?”

Pipsqueak cleared his throat. “Today’s the day that our daughter, Ambrosia, goes on her class trip to the Everfree forest. Wild Seed as well. Ah…” He hesitated and looked at Babs, then faced Twilight again. “Not that we don’t, ah, trust you or anything, but you know how the forest can be. Are you quite sure they’ll be okay in there?”

His eyes widened as the Alicorn Amulet glowed briefly, extending its glow to Twilight’s eyes. He took a step back and dropped to the ground, while Apple Bloom stepped next to him and held him.

“I sanctioned your foals’ trip into the forest. Do not think for a second that they will be anything but completely safe. You will not question me again.”

The red vanished from her eyes, and the Amulet dulled. Twilight shook her head and looked at the couple. She brought a hoof to her mouth and gasped.

“Oh, please tell me I didn’t do anything terrible? Last I remember, you were talking about your darling Ambrosia…”

Pipsqueak opened his mouth to reply, but Apple Bloom held a hoof over it and silenced him with a look. “Yes, Your Majesty. Pip was just sayin’ how much fun he thinks our kids are gonna have today in the forest. Weren’t you, dear?” She fixed a hard stare upon her husband, who nodded.

“Yeah, that’s it. I’m sure they’ll be right chuffed from the experience.”

Twilight smiled at them. “I have lots of enjoyable and educational activities planned for them. I promise you, Zecora will keep them completely safe. You can be sure that she will not take her eyes off anypony for a second.”

She nodded to the trio and spread her wings again. “I have some final business with Mayor Mare before she retires. Remember,” she said while the rain continued to drizzle around them, “take it easy until the rain lets up. I don’t need any of you getting sick from overexertion, all right?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the three chorused.

“Excellent. Enjoy the rest of my day. And sorry once more for the delay.” Twilight sparked up her horn and vanished in a flash of red light.

Each pony breathed a sigh of relief. Pipsqueak turned to smile at Apple Bloom, only to be met with a backhoof to his head.

“Ow!” He raised a hoof to the tender spot where she had struck him. “What gives, Bloom?”

“You idiot, Pip! Don’tcha know by now not to question Queen Twilight? She coulda seriously hurt you. Then what would I do? Or Ambrosia?” Apple Bloom lowered her hoof, shallow puffs escaping her. “Promise me you won’t let it happen again, Pip.”

“Okay, sure thing. But that still hurts.”

“You’re lucky that’s all you got,” Babs interjected. “The queen coulda done so much worse to you, and you know it. You got off lucky.” She shook her head. “Look, let’s just all go back inside and settle, like she told us to. Maybe Mac saved us some o’that cider Ambrosia made this morning.”

Still rubbing his head, Pipsqueak nodded at Babs. “Great plan.”

Chapter Three: Recklessness and a Reunion

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Chapter Three: Recklessness and a Reunion

“So, what do you... think we’re going to... see and do in... the forest today?”

“No idea, Snow... Maybe we’ll get... to see some... strange and magical… plants and monsters?”

Snow Flurry and Heat Wave sat on the swingset, each thrusting themselves higher with every pass. Out in the yard, their classmates had all huddled in their own separate groups, busy chatting about their own subjects. Ornate Jade and her friend, Golden Circlet, rested beneath the lone willow near the sandpit. Ambrosia and Toffee Swirl continued arguing over the queen while they watched the other five foals, engrossed with a game of tug-of-war in the nearby sandpit.

“Don’t be... ridiculous, Heat...! Next you’ll be... suggesting that we... roll around in… a batch of... poison joke! Or eat some… pink-’n’-purple… toxic mushrooms!”

Heat Wave stretched his dark orange wings, dragging his swing to a stop. “Well, we might get lucky and find some green-and-white ones? They’re supposed to be delicious!”

Snow Flurry brought his own swing to a squeaking halt. “Green-and-white? Yeah, right. Next you’ll be telling me that a Lupus Major would make a great Hearth’s Warming gift.”

“It would make a pretty good guard dog—”

“Hey! Hailfire twins!”

Snow and Heat both looked left in unison; Ambrosia had left Toffee Swirl behind to watch the ongoing tug-of-war. She approached them with a slight frown. “Either o’you colts seen Wild Seed since class?”

The twins looked at each other and shook their heads. “No, sorry,” Heat said. “He’s been keeping a low profile since recess started. Why? Didn’t he just have to, y’know, whizz?”

“I’ve got a funny feelin’ he’s nicked off somewhere again.” Ambrosia lowered her head and sighed. “I just wanna find him before he gets in a world of trouble.”

Snow chuckled. “That Wild Seed. Lives up to his name, doesn’t he?” He glanced around at the rest of the yard. “Nopony else seems to have noticed—has Missus Turner, you think?”

Ambrosia peeked her head around the twins and stared through the schoolhouse window; Cheerilee seemed engrossed in her own novel, a small stack of papers next to her.

“I don’t think she’s noticed just yet—if she had, she’d have come asking about him.” Ambrosia took another quick scout over the playground, then back to Heat and Snow. “I’m gonna have a stickybeak around for him. Could you two help me?”

“Sure thing, Ambi.” Heat nodded and dismounted from his swing. “I’ll check the toilet around the corner. Snow, you fly up and see if Wild’s around.”

Snow leapt off his own swing and buzzed his wings. Straining with the effort, he ascended above the schoolhouse roof and came to rest on top of the bell tower. He panted for a few seconds, then raised a hoof to his forehead and peered around from his vantage point.

“Ambi, you keep an eye on Missus Turner,” Heat Wave said as he turned to walk around the building. “Snow’ll be in heaps of trouble if she sees him up there.”

“Sure.”

Ambrosia scanned the schoolyard again once Heat disappeared around the corner. With a silent prayer, she sat on one of the vacated swings and began to push herself. Every few swings, she switched her focus from the foals around the sandpit, to Jade and Circlet, before completing the cycle with a glance through the window at Cheerilee.

Is it just me, or do her cheeks look a little more pink than normal—

“He’s not there, Ambi.”

Ambrosia almost fell off the swing.

“Heat! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” With a final glance up at the bell tower, she held out her legs to slow herself. She dismounted and trotted toward Heat, where she promptly gave him a swipe across the back of his head. “You coulda been one of the others.”

Heat simply rubbed the spot behind his spiky dark mane and snorted. “That would mean you weren’t doing your job properly. Some lookout, hey?”

Ambrosia rolled her eyes. “Urgh. Forget it then. So he’s not in the toilet—”

“—and he’s nowhere around Ponyville, either.”

For the second time in as many minutes, Ambrosia jumped at an unexpected voice. “I swear to—” she lowered her voice “—Celestia, you two do this on purpose.”

Snow Flurry chuckled as he descended, then tucked in his white wings. “Perhaps.” His smile vanished as he looked around at the other students. “That aside, I saw not tail or hide of that troublemaker. He’s not here, and I couldn’t see him from up there, either. Why’d you want us to look for him anyway? You got an idea where he went?”

Ambrosia dropped her head, looked all around, then waved each twin in closer to herself. “Yeah,” she whispered. “He asked me in class durin’ readin’ time if I wanted to join him on an early tour of the forest. I’m sure that’s where he went.”

Heat Wave brought a hoof to his face. “You’re kidding.”

Ambrosia shook her head. “I wish I was. But if he’s gone there alone, he’ll have more than Missus Turner’s ruler across his flank to worry about. If he’s not careful—and I know he’s not all there when it comes to safety—he might end up lost, or worse.”

She broke up the huddle. “I’m goin’ to go and find him. Hopefully I can bring him back before recess ends.”

Two pairs of wings stretched out before her. “You do that and Missus Turner’ll have you in detention ’til you’re old and grey,” Snow Flurry said, pawing at the ground. “Wild Seed’s always getting up to mischief—let him take the fall for being in such a hurry.”

“Um, I’m sorry. You must have missed that I’m worried about my cousin’s safety, not his school grades.” Ambrosia fumed and made to turn around, only to find her progress barred by a pair of orange wings. “What, Heat?”

“Don’t do it, Ambi. Missus Turner might not have noticed Wild Seed’s extended stay in the ‘little colt’s chamber,’ but she’ll sure notice if anypony else goes missing for no reason.”

“Who’s missing?”

The trio sighed as Toffee Swirl trotted toward them. “Nopony, Toffee,” Ambrosia said. She held out a leg and waved her hoof. “Go on now, just go back and watch the tug-of-war, or make a sandcastle or somethin’. We’re talkin’.”

Toffee stamped and shook her head. “Nuh-uh! I wanna know what’s so super-secret-squirrel over here.”

“Why, you nosy brat?”

Toffee poked out her tongue at Ambrosia. “Because I wanna, and, and if you don’t tell me, I’ll go and tell Missus Turner that you’re keeping secrets, and you’ll all get in trouble, since we’re not as’posed to keep secrets from each other. That’s why. Oh,” she added, “I’ll tell that Snow was on the roof as well.”

“What?” Snow Flurry spread his wings and reared onto his hind legs, his shadow covering Toffee Swirl. “You little—”

Before whatever insult could roll off of Snow’s tongue, a hoof pressed against his muzzle. “Shhh. Calm your farm, bro,” Heat Wave said. “The last thing we need is this little blabbermouth tattling on us all. Looks like we have to tell her.”

He lowered his hoof from Snow’s lips and turned to Toffee Swirl. “Look, we don’t know for sure, but we think that Wild Seed went to the Everfree Forest by himself. He’ll already be in enough trouble with Missus Turner if she finds out, so Ambrosia was going to try to find him and bring him back before recess ended.”

“But what about the other missing ponies I heard you mention?” Toffee asked. “He’s the only one missing, so who else were you...?” Her eyes widened. “Ohhh, you were all gonna run after him, huh?”

“Well, no,” Ambrosia said. “Just me, but these two were trying to—hey! Come back!”

She set off in a gallop after Toffee Swirl—surprisingly nimble for her age—as she ran to the end of the yard and jumped the boundary fence.

“I’ll find him! Don’t worry!” Toffee called out. She rounded a corner and vanished behind a neighbouring building.

Ambrosia reached the boundary and slid to a stop. She punched the fence, pivoted, and marched back to the twins. “Why’d you have to tell her?” she hissed, with a wary glance over her shoulder: Jade and Golden had not moved, while the other foals had taken to making an enormous sand monolith with two of them as moulds.

“Excuse me for trying to keep us out of trouble.” Snow Flurry stood and crossed his forelegs. “It’s not my fault that she’s just a little—”

Ambrosia let out an exasperated sigh. “You wanted to keep us out of trouble? Great job—you just made even more for us. Now we gotta go catch that silly filly and bring her and my idiot cousin back.”

Heat Wave held a hoof to the point between his eyes and closed them. “Ah… damn that Toffee Swirl… fine. Come on, let’s get after her.”

“Glad you’re seein’ things my way,” Ambrosia said. With a smirk, she ran back and also cleared the boundary fence, the two pegasi gliding in her wake. “I am gonna kill those idiots. We are so dead when Missus Turner sees we’re gone.”

The sky darkened, and rumbling rolled over the town.

“And now it’s startin’ to rain. Make that double-dead.”

* * * * *

Dark clouds floated above as a small silver unicorn looked up from her book. She stared out the compartment window; The train took approximately two hours to reach Ponyville from Canterlot, and watching the hills roll by and the sun’s gradual ascent could only hold her attention for so long before boredom latched onto the filly’s mind.

Well, that, and the irrational thought of the train running off the rails and plummeting to the ground hundreds of metres below, after rolling fifty times down the Canterhorn and tearing itself to pieces…

Don’t think about that. The train is perfectly safe. You are on the ground, and Ponyville is only a few minutes away.

The filly sighed and shook her head. She activated her horn; the travel saddlebag above her head floated out of its cage in a haze of pale green and came to rest in midair before her. One side unzipped itself, allowing her book to slide neatly into place. Maintaining the spell, she extracted a brush and a small mirror from another pocket.

With an air of one used to grooming themselves regularly, the filly deftly held the mirror before her while simultaneously running the brush through her long, wavy mane. Each stroke claimed a knotted victim, and the brush soon became a new resting place for many a peachy strand.

“Excuse me, Miss?”

The filly looked outside her compartment door—her mirror and brush still floating—at the conductor, wearing a striped red-and-silver overcoat. “The Ponyville Express will be arriving in roughly five minutes. Please ensure you have everything ready for departure.”

The filly nodded. “Thank you. I assure you, I have everything together already.”

“Very well.”

The filly watched as the stallion stepped through the compartment’s main door and headed toward the engine. With a show of rapid blinking, she reverted her attention back to her mirror and resumed brushing.

Remember, a lady can never look too good.

She glanced a final time in the mirror before tucking it back into her saddlebag. She slid the compartment window open a few centimetres, and soon enough, the strands claimed by her brush found yet another new home on Ponyville’s outskirts. After placing the brush back in with her mirror, she zipped up the saddlebag slot. Green surrounded the bags, which floated up and over her head, then came to rest upon her back.

The rumble beneath her hooves slowly lowered in pitch and volume. She wandered out into the empty carriage hallway and made her way forward while the train gradually lost speed. As Ponyville Station rolled into view, the first raindrops began to fall. Unwilling to let her freshly brushed mane come undone, she unzipped a pocket on the other side of her bag and extracted a black rod; just one small green nudge and a hidden button clicked, releasing a compact umbrella from its confines.

The doors opened with a loud whoosh as the train came to a complete halt. The filly stepped onto the platform and cast her eyes around. Other ponies followed her off the carriage, while more departed from further back. She turned to the conductor at the door and floated a single bit from inside the saddlebag onto his hoof.

“Thank you, miss,” he said with a wide smile and a bow.

The filly offered her own smile, then set off across the platform. A gentle breeze caressed her coat. She held the translucent umbrella closer to her body, rain falling upon the material with a gentle pitter-patter. She trotted slowly down the platform steps, all the while keeping her head down while ponies glared, their eyes as green as her aura.

Gosh, one would think they’d be used to it by now.

The drizzle persisted while she trotted across town. Glancing about, she took in her surroundings, all snapshotted and stored by her brilliant green eyes. Her heart fell when she passed the dwindling marketplace; far fewer vendors seemed to have stock to sell than her last visit. Her eyes roved over the closest mare—pale grey-and-pink streaks through her mane and tail—sitting at her stall, surrounded by a small assortment of potted flowers that bore the early onset of wither and mildew.

Beyond the glum flower seller, another mare stood before a wooden crate containing what looked like only a family’s worth of carrots. A fading sign sat atop the crate: Winter stock, reduced to clear. Despite the aged carrots inside retaining their vibrant orange, there was no hiding the multitude of blemishes upon their skin. The yellow mare sat beside her produce on an upturned crate, her grey-and-orange mane and tail eerily similar to the flesh of her wares. As the filly passed by, the mare’s soft humming drifted into her ears.

With a small flick of her horn, the filly lifted her umbrella a little higher, also unzipping the left side of her saddlebag. Four golden bits floated out from inside, two flying toward each mare.

“Don’t give up, Ponyville,” she muttered under her breath while both mares smiled and waved, each bearing the unexpected generosity in their hooves.

Minutes later—after passing through the market and passing bits to every pony she came across, to many a “thank you” and a “bless you”—the filly finally arrived at her destination: town hall. Her purse empty, she smiled, tucked it toward the bottom of the bag, and pulled out a bound roll of parchment. She stepped under the awning and shook off her umbrella; it collapsed upon itself, allowing her to stow it away. After zipping up her bag and clasping the floating scroll in her mouth, her aura finally vanished.

She turned away from the rain and headed inside the hall. Trestle tables and chairs were stacked up along the left wall, giving the place a rather dilapidated air. Upon a stage at the back of the hall, a single elongated table was covered in paperwork. A grey mane poked over the tallest stacks of scrolls and sheets. Two tan legs were visible beneath the table.

The filly removed the scroll from her mouth and floated it next to her face. “Mayor Mare?”

The scratching of a quill ceased at her word. A wrinkled, wizened face peered around the stack. Dark blue eyes squinted through thick lenses.

“How may I help you, young lady?”

The filly passed her scroll to the mayor and stood straight. “My name is Liberty Belle, daughter of Sweetie Belle, apprentice to Her Majesty the Queen, Twilight Sparkle,” she announced. “It is her will that, on this day, I accompany the students of Missus Cheerilee Turner on their class field trip to the Everfree Forest.”

She stood patient and still while the mayor squinted at the parchment. After she unraveled the thin string binder, a purple spark shot into the air. Both ponies’ eyes traced the spark which soon detonated into a red-tipped, six-pointed star.

“That certainly confirms your claim, Miss Belle,” Mayor Mare said. She lowered her eyes to the parchment. “Now let’s see here… ‘Purposes of research and observation’… ‘Personal favour for my student’… ‘In the interest of forging possible friendships’…”

Mayor Mare placed the parchment down and blinked twice. “Well, I am hardly going to refuse an explicit order from Queen Sparkle. Please wait here a moment, dear.” She pressed a brass bell on her desk. Mere seconds later, a brown stallion approached them and stood next to Liberty.

“Yes, Mayor Mare?”

“Please escort Miss Belle to the edge of the Everfree Forest,” Mayor Mare said. “You are to wait with her until either Cheerilee or Zecora arrive to meet her.”

“Very well, Mayor.” The stallion turned to Liberty with a smile. “Please follow me.” He walked back toward the entrance, Liberty at his side.

“Thank you, Mayor,” Liberty called over her shoulder.

“Enjoy your time in Ponyville, Miss Belle,” said Mayor Mare, resuming her paperwork as the pair departed.

Outside Town Hall, Liberty brought out her umbrella again and held it over both of them. The stallion led her east, past Sugarcube Corner and some housing, finally to a bridge that led into a winding path.

As they walked, Liberty pondered her surroundings. Housing in general seemed shabbier than her last visit: roofs were missing tiles, gutters were filled with dead leaves and general litter, windows had accumulated layers of grime, and paintwork was chipped and beginning to peel.

“Excuse me, sir?”

The stallion turned his head. “Turner, Miss Belle. Time Turner.”

“Oh. Okay then,” Liberty said. “I just wanted to ask you how things are going around town. My mother comes from Ponyville, you see, and she misses it dearly.”

“Your mother is Sweetie Mash, nee Belle, Queen Sparkle’s apprentice, correct?” When Liberty nodded, he smiled at her. “I knew her in her youth. Always a dedicated troublemaker, that filly and her friends. If she’s not told you of her exploits with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, I’m sure I could entertain you for hours with the strife they got up to.”

“She has told me some stories, sure. They make her sad, though, so I do not press for more.”

Time Turner sighed. “Ponyville has fallen on hard times. You and your mother are far better off in Canterlot under Her Majesty’s eye—take it from me. As an Earth pony town first and foremost, it falls to us to feed as many ponies as we can. We’re expected to supply Manehattan, Los Pegasus and even the faraway town of Tall Tale. Unfortunately, the soil is losing its fertility, and our yields have been… insufficient.”

“That sounds terrible,” Liberty said as she bowed her head. “I cannot imagine how it feels to have so much pressure on such a small town.”

“Ponyville is not what it used to be, I’m afraid.”

“How do you mean?”

It was Time’s turn to hesitate. “It’s… rather tragic, really. I could tell you, but… you might not like what you hear.”

Liberty smiled up at the old stallion. “I am a scholar, Mister Turner. I have general knowledge of what happened to Equestria, but nopony likes to talk about it. I would very much appreciate a first-hoof recount from somepony who actually witnessed the beginning of the end.”

The corners of Time’s lips twitched, but he nodded his head. “Very well then.” He inclined his head, and Liberty trotted closer to him as they continued along the path.

“See, ponies made the best of our situation that we could. But with only a few select foals—blank-flanks, basically—able to develop their magic after the apocalypse, life became so much harder. Discounting those lucky foals, unicorns had to adapt to doing everything with their hooves, and lacked the muscular development of Earth ponies. Pegasi could no longer just fly everywhere, and we received many refugees from Cloudsdale. Our resources were stretched to the breaking point, before Queen Twilight assumed responsibility for our entire nation’s weather and oversight of food production.

“Even newborn foals were magically deficient. Try to imagine, Liberty, the unfair hopes—the demand, the expectations—we had placed on our future offspring, to restore the world and our species to our former way of life that we had taken for granted every day. When the first foals after the apocalypse were born, but showed absolutely no signs of improvement…”

Liberty reached up and touch Time Turner’s shoulder. “I am so sorry. That sounds terrible.”

“Mmmm, yes,” Time Turner said. His face fell. “That was when the riots started.”

“I see.” Liberty lowered her hoof. “I know of the riots, but again, only from a select few history books that touch on the subject. If it’s not too much to ask… could you continue?”

“Indeed. You see, without magic, and refugees everywhere clamouring for food and shelter that we simply could not supply, Ponyville… went berserk, is how I remember it. All the Earth ponies who lived here herded together and decided they didn’t need “useless” pegasi, or “weakling” unicorns. Perfectly reasonable ponies I had grown up with basically chased away any who weren’t Earth ponies, claiming that feeding them all was a massive waste of resources. Ponyville was originally an Earth pony town, and in the end, most of its residents decided that was how it needed to be again.

“Of course the unicorns and pegasi resisted, but against the naturally stronger, majority Earth pony population, their endeavours were ultimately fruitless. Many were injured. Some even died. In the end, they left for other towns. I lost a lot of friends that day, and the evicted don’t even count for all of them.

“Now, Liberty, try to imagine how it must have felt for your mother to witness all this carnage and injustice. She and her two best friends were always upset because they could never make their cutie marks appear. But in the end, that very twist of fate no doubt saved their lives, for she and her friends were still considered potentially useful for Ponyville’s restoration. As many… misgivings that you or I may have about the Queen, I believe pulling your mother out of here was the best thing she could have done for her.”

“So that’s why my mother apprentices for the Queen,” Liberty murmured. “Mother… no, both of us owe her our lives.”

“So it would seem,” Time said. He snorted. “Bah. The whole thing was utter foolishness, if you ask me. This town needs all the help it can get, and the queen can only do so much.”

The shadow of Everfree loomed ahead as they crossed the bridge in silence. A sunken mound of something that resembled a mossy boulder attracted Liberty’s attention. Fragments of wood and glass poked out from various parts of it. Nearby, a broken fence encircled a rotting chicken coop, and the area was overgrown with weeds. A small, broken bridge led over a dry riverbed and up to the dilapidated dwelling.

“Mother told me about this place,” she whispered. “She had a slumber party with her friends, and then ran into the forest after midnight chasing a chicken…”

“Such a tragedy, what befell our old animal expert, Fluttershy,” Time Turner said. “The kindest and most gentle mare you would ever meet. Of all of the former bearers of the Elements of Harmony, only Queen Sparkle remains. It was Ponyville’s darkest time.”

The decaying dwelling disappeared around a bend in the trail.

* * * * *

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Snow Flurry muttered. He, Heat Wave, and Ambrosia galloped eastward through the darkened town, rain matting their manes. “We’ll have detention for a month when we get back.”

“Quit your belly-achin’ already, Snow!” Ambrosia said, eyes forward. “We’ll find ’em, and we’ll get back before recess ends. Missus Turner won’t know we were even gone.”

“I am gonna kill them,” Heat Wave said. “Both of them. I’ll knock those thick skulls together so hard, they’ll crack like eggs.”

They quickened their pace and ascended the bridge’s low crest, a pitiful trickle of water beneath their hooves. Descending the bridge’s other side, they stepped onto a winding trail.

Ambrosia looked ahead at the Everfree’s canopy line, squinted, and slowed. “Hey, Snow, is that them?”

Snow squinted as well. “I don’t think so. Wild Seed’s a big boy, but he’s not full-grown yet. And that isn’t Toffee’s coat either…”

“Then who could—”

With a gasp, Ambrosia stopped and pushed her hooves up her cheeks. “No way! She’s here!”

“Who’s here?” Snow and Heat chorused.

“Liberty Belle, of course! It’s been way too long since her last sleepover!” Ambrosia rocketed up the path to the two, calling Liberty’s name.

The twins looked at each other, then back at her, already a yellow streak in the reduced visibility.

“Oi! Aren’t we looking for the other two?” Snow yelled.

“Let her go, Snow,” Heat said. “Besides, they look like they’re heading for the forest anyway. May as well chase her and see what’s up.” He kicked up his hooves and pursued Ambrosia down the path.

“Sure, let’s do that!” Snow said as he watched his brother give chase. “Not like we can possibly get in more trouble or anything!” He sighed as he brought a hoof to his face, while Heat and Ambrosia’s forms shrank. “Darn it, I’m coming!”

* * * * *

Liberty Belle and Time Turner approached the Everfree’s entrance, Liberty staring around at the scenery. Her horn tingled as she approached the shadows. When a small shiver ran through her body, Liberty turned to her escort.

“Mister Turner, do you feel that?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Feel what, Miss Belle?”

“I guess not, then,” Liberty said. She rubbed her horn, sending out a spurt of pale green sparks. “Perhaps it is a unicorn thing. No offense, of course.”

“None taken,” Time Turner said. He glanced over his shoulder and peered through the lightening drizzle. “Oh, it seems my wife and her class are on their way. Strange… if memory serves, their recess shouldn’t be over for another few minutes.”

Liberty dropped her hoof from her horn and turned around. “Is that… Ambrosia!” She dropped her umbrella and charged past Time Turner, who opened his mouth and held out a hoof, then closed and lowered both. She blazed up the path, squealed, and threw herself at the larger yellow filly.

“Ambi!”

“Libby!”

The fillies collided, rolled, and came to rest off the path in some foot-high grass. Both let out shrieks of laughter as they rubbed their heads.

“What’re you doin’ here, Libby?” Ambrosia rose first and offered a hoof to her panting friend. “Mama never told me you were comin’ to visit!”

Liberty accepted the hoof and felt herself yanked to her hooves. “Whoa… you’ve gotten tougher since last time, Ambi. That felt like tackling a boulder.” She closed her eyes, shook her head and steadied her hooves. “I wish I could have told you I was coming, I really do! But Mother told me it had to be a surprise. ‘Queen Twilight’s orders,’ she said.”

“You mean Queen Twilight wanted this? That is so cool! But what are you doing here? I mean here as in, ‘at the edge of the creepy forest,’ here?”

“It’s all part of the surprise!” Liberty said, offering a hoof-bump to Ambrosia, which she returned. “I’m going in with you and your class on this field trip. It’s actually an assignment from Mother: I’m supposed to take notes on the state of the Everfree Forest, its wildlife, and its effect on the town. At first it was just going to be me, but then Mother heard about Queen Twilight’s plan for you all and convinced her to let me accompany you.”

Ambrosia opened her mouth, but a series of yells drew both fillies’ attention. Snow Flurry and Heat Wave caught up from the west, and Time Turner pinched them in from the east.

“Please, Miss Belle, I would ask you to refrain from galloping off like that while under my care,” Time Turner said, a frown upon his wrinkled face. “And you three—” he waved at Snow, Heat, and Ambrosia “—why are you here early, and not with the rest of your class?”

“Uh-oh…”

“Busted…”

“I told you guys!”

Time Turner shook his head. “You know that I will have to tell your teacher about your escapades, of course?”

“It’s not our fault, Mister Turner; promise!” Ambrosia said. “We wanted to be good and wait, but my dumb cousin ran off somewhere and another filly chased him.”

“Yeah,” Heat said, nodding in agreement. “We were just trying to find them both and bring them back to school before they got in trouble!”

Time Turner raised an eyebrow. “Two others? Which two, and where do you think they went?”

“They are so cooked.“

Ambrosia shushed and held a hoof up to Snow’s mouth. “Wild Seed and Toffee Swirl, Mister Turner. Wild said something about getting a head start on us all earlier in class, and when Toffee noticed he was missing—”

“You mean when Heat told her—”

“Whatever. Point is, they ran off toward Everfree by themselves, and we were tryin’ to keep ’em outta trouble. But it looks like we found it anyway.”

Ambrosia and the twins bowed their heads. Time Turner scratched his greying chin and frowned. “I’ll take your word that you were acting with good intentions… Ambrosia, was it?” At her nod, he relaxed, though he still wore his frown. “Very well. Since it was my charge to accompany Miss Belle here, I shall watch you all until my wife arrives with the rest of your class.”

“B-but what about the others?” Snow stammered. “What if they already went inside the forest? Aren’t we gonna try and find them?”

Time Turner shook his head. “Absolutely not. You four will remain at the edge with me until—”

“Until somepony else finds them?”

Ambrosia pointed behind Time Turner. Five pairs of eyes focused on the entrance, where a brown colt and a smaller, lighter-shade filly emerged. Behind them hobbled a grey mare, wrapped in a brown cloak. A black patch covered her left eye.

“I see your friends have chosen to join us. Perhaps now they will not make such a fuss.”

Zecora’s lilting voice reached the party, who all trotted up toward the entrance to meet the others. Ambrosia glared at Wild Seed, looking sheepish with a hoof behind his head and a nervous smile. Snow Flurry and Heat Wave cast disapproving looks of their own upon Toffee Swirl, who seemed remarkably fascinated by the ground.

“Wandering my domain alone, I found these foolish two,” Zecora said. “Only fortune kept them from becoming Cragodile food.”

“Wild, ya big dummy!” Ambrosia cried. She strode over to him and smote his left cheek; every other foal cringed at the sharp crack while Wild stumbled back. “I told you not to run off. What’ya think I woulda had to tell Auntie Babsie if…” She shook her head and snorted. “And you, missy—” she rounded on Toffee Swirl “—you need to keep your nosy muzzle outta other ponies’ business! We stuck out our necks for your hides, ya know!”

“Sorry, Ambrosia.”

“Yeah, my bad, Ambi.”

“Ahem.”

Time Turner cleared his throat, drawing everypony’s attention. “Now that you have all assembled here, I should depart. I must inform your teacher, and that despite your negligence of her rules, you are all safe and sound. Zecora, are you willing to wait here and supervise these foals?”

She nodded. “To the forest entrance, I was already making my way. Cheerilee’s teaching partner, I am serving as today.”

“Thank you, Zecora.” Time Turner coughed, then cast a final gaze across the foals. “You all behave yourselves today. The Everfree is dangerous to explore unsupervised, as you two—” he glared at Wild and Toffee “—have already discovered. The last thing Zecora or Missus Turner needs is to be sending your remains home to your parents in a bodybag. Is that clear?”

A smatter of muttering and general assent answered him.

“Good. As you were.” He tapped his head and lowered it slightly to Liberty. “Have a nice day, Miss Belle. I trust you will be the most sensible of the group.”

Everypony watched Time Turner as he headed back toward Ponyville, crossed over the bridge, and disappeared from sight.

“Fillies and colts, your ears I now require,” Zecora said. All heads turned to her. “Understand that your safety is first desired. Everfree holds many secrets in its depths, some beautiful, some deadly. It will not do to explore too deep, ’til I determine that you are ready.”

When all heads were finished nodding, she continued. “Young ones, I sense tremendous magical potential in you. I advise you to be wary of using it, unless necessity demands you do.”

“What do you mean, Miss Zecora?” Ambrosia asked. “I don’t have any magic.”

Before Zecora could respond, voices floated over to them. All turned to the bridge down the path, and saw seven more foals accompanied by Cheerilee.

“There you are!”

“Uh... oh…”

Cheerilee strode right up to the truants—her other students right behind—and stopped just short of the twins. Ambrosia swallowed; Heat and Snow looked at each other. Wild Seed looked at the ground, and Toffee Swirl paced backward to hide behind Zecora.

“I have a mind to give you all detention for the rest of the year! Do you have any idea how reckless your actions were?”

“Yes, Missus Turner,” Ambrosia started, “but see—”

“I don’t care what your motivation was to leave like that. You know how dangerous the forest can be without complete adult supervision—even with supervision, it’s still not one hundred percent safe at the best of times!”

Cheerilee seethed for a short while, her mulberry coat an even darker flush than usual as she breathed heavily.

“Missus Turner… it was my fault.”

Everypony looked as Wild stepped forward in front of Ambrosia. “It was my idea to go to the forest alone,” he said, eyes averted from Cheerilee. “Mother has always warned me to stay away, but… I’ve always wanted to see what’s inside. I can’t help it—I love exploring. And since we finally had permission… I just couldn’t wait. So please, before you punish my cousin, let me take all the blame. The others—” he waved across the small group “—they just came to get me, to stop me getting in trouble. I’ll take all of their detentions myself.”

As he lowered his head, Cheerilee raised a grey eyebrow—wrinkling up her forehead—and brought a hoof to her chin. Ornate Jade and Golden Circlet sniggered behind her, while the other foals remained silent.

“Well, Wild Seed, you are still in a load of trouble,” Cheerilee said slowly. “I should really disallow you from this excursion, write a note to your mother, and give you a month’s detention.”

“Yes, Missus Turner.”

“However—” Wild Seed looked up “—you have done a very brave thing just now. And it is my last day as your teacher, so… You can have a week’s detention instead, starting from when Missus Doo takes over my post. One hundred lines of ‘I must obey school rules’ every session... And your friends are excused from punishment.”

Wild smiled as the ponies behind him whooped, cheered, and patted him on the back.

“But—” everypony froze “—let me make this undeniably, one hundred percent crystal clear: do not ever disobey your elders to such an extent again. Otherwise, you might find out just how many lines you can complete with an entire pint of ink dedicated to the cause. Does everypony understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” chorused the group.

“Very well, then.” Cheerilee turned to Zecora, who had retained a very slight smile the entire lecture. “Zecora, are you ready to begin?”

“I have been ready since sunrise, dear Cheerilee,” Zecora said. She made to continue, but was interrupted by a bout of vicious coughing. When the fit subsided, she shook her head and trained her eye on the herd. “Ah, forgive me, my foals—old age plagues me, you see. Now, before we descend into the dark, deep wood, there is something that should first be clearly understood. Come out, little Miss Belle, you have nothing no fear—ponies should know your name, and why you are here.”

All eyes focused on Liberty as she blushed, her silver cheeks stained like the horizon at sunrise. Yet when she spoke, it was with the eloquence of one accustomed to giving speeches.

“My name is Liberty Belle, everypony. I came from Canterlot to join you today, and study the forest myself. It was Queen Twilight’s idea.”

Everypony stiffened, including Cheerilee. The moment passed, and she smiled broadly.

“Of course we must respect what Her Majesty wants. If she wishes for you to join us today... then let me be the first to say, ‘Welcome to the herd,’ Liberty Belle.”

“Thank you, Missus Turner. I met your husband earlier, too. He was a very helpful stallion.”

“Uh…”

Liberty and Cheerilee looked at Ambrosia, waving a hoof in the air. “This is great, ’n’ stuff, but are we goin’ into the forest or not?”

Zecora chuckled softly, then coughed again. “I see the young ones are eager to proceed,” she said after lowering her hoof. “If everypony is ready, would you kindly follow me?”

Chapter Four: The Two Trees

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Chapter Four: The Two Trees

Despite the rain and clouds having cleared, making way for the noonday sun, the path to Zecora’s house stretched onward in relative gloom. The dense canopy above everypony’s heads seemed to press down on them, smothering like a humid, stagnant night. Howls filled their ears, insects buzzed around their heads, and unusual flora grew just off the path. Although Zecora warned them to stick together as they walked, one of the younger foals wandered too close to the edge, consequently screaming as a tatzltrap plant waved its tentacles in her face.

Everypony huddled together much closer after that.

Before too long, a bulky tree came into view. Zecora led them forward to her door, then stopped at the entrance and turned to her cautious followers. “My little ponies, today I welcome you to my domain. Follow these rules, and among the living you will remain.”

While Zecora informed the class about the Everfree’s many dangers, Liberty Belle quietly ducked away and wandered over to a spot near the battered mangrove. As she drew close to a circle of stones, she felt a familiar tingle in her horn, drawing her to rub its base. The tingle increased to a faint pulse when she stepped inside the circle, and rescinded when she stepped back out.

This is unexpected. I must ask Zecora if she can explain.

“Excuse me, young filly?”

Liberty stiffened, turned to the mare strolling toward her, and swallowed the thumping heart that had jumped into her throat. “Oh, hello, Missus Turner.” She sagged and exhaled, smiling.

“Miss Belle, is it?”

Liberty nodded.

“I remember your mother from her foalhood years,” Cheerilee continued. “She, too, was fond of wandering off into potential mischief.”

“Yes, she has told me a few tales… no doubt you could tell me a few more, had we both the time.”

Cheerilee smiled too. “In any case, it seems you have inherited her natural curiosity. I know I am not your teacher, but might I suggest rejoining my class and listening to Zecora’s briefing? The Everfree can be very dangerous, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

“Thank you for your concern, Missus Turner,” Liberty said. “It is logical that you would suggest such a thing. However, I am more than aware of the dangers within this realm and how to avoid or confront them, as I have been home-schooled by my mother and father under Queen Twilight’s supervision. Please, spare no worry for me.”

“Well…” Cheerilee took a step back and checked over the others. “I-if you’re sure, Miss Belle, although I must insist that you please stay within sight and earshot at all times. Surely you can understand how Queen Sparkle would... react, were something to happen to you in here?”

“I understand. To ease your mind, I shall return to the group. I promise I will do my best to not interfere with your students’ lessons. I have my own research to conduct, after all. ”

“All right.”

Cheerilee motioned over her shoulder with her head, and together they walked back to the class. As they neared, Ambrosia waved, though at Cheerilee’s look she dropped her grin and quickly fixed her attention back on Zecora.

“…Lastly, the trees play host to star spiders who seem creepy and vicious, yet you may rest assured that they find ponykind far from delicious. But, it is better to admire their webs from a distance, for anything that disturbs their silken traps will be taken down without resistance.”

Zecora ended her spiel and looked over the herd. “Now you know which creatures and plants you had best not seek. To be wary of such dangers does not make one meek.”

“Great advice, Zecora,” Cheerilee said. “Being brave doesn’t mean you have to go looking for trouble. Now, class, I want you all to stay close to each other and listen to everything Zecora and I say. You are already being brave by simply entering this forest. There is no need to try to prove yourselves while we are here. Is that clear, Wild Seed?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Wild said, averting her gaze.

“Can we all just please get on with whatever we’re s’posed to be learnin’?” Ambrosia asked. “I’d rather not spend any more time in here than I have to.”

“Right you are, Ambrosia dear. It it wise not to linger here,” Zecora said. “Now, enter my home therein, and your first lessons will begin.”

She held a hoof toward her door. Ambrosia and Liberty led the way, passing into the tree hut without hesitation. The other foals all stared at the various tribal decorations hanging along Zecora’s dilapidated home; some shivered as they eyed the dreamcatcher above the door before proceeding through.

Once Cheerilee closed the door behind her, Zecora set about pressing the bellows under her cauldron. Embers danced with new life and the cauldron’s contents began to stir.

“I have warned you of the dangers that lie deep within my home,” Zecora said. She pursed her lips and blew upon the liquid’s surface. “Now it is time to reveal where, in safety, you may roam.”

The foals watched as she wandered through a side door—presumably her private chamber—and emerged soon after, bearing a tied-up scroll in her mouth. She spat it onto a low wooden table on the cauldron’s other side and set about unraveling it. When she finished, Liberty’s eyes widened.

A detailed map of Everfree lay before the class. Clumps of brown and green featured most prominently, though there were some thin, bunched-up contour lines near the middle of the map, accompanied by a winding blue line. Red lines snaked from end to end, some with many bends, others fairly straight by comparison. Slimmer lines branched off from the main ones, which headed into more densely depicted green woodland. On the top side of the river, stone ruins were depicted with the caption: Castle of the Two Sisters.

“Into two groups, the fourteen of us will separate. Some will head north-east, others south-east, then return and congregate. Those who accompany myself shall investigate the native fauna, while Missus Turner leads her group to examine Everfree’s flora.”

Zecora picked up the map so everypony could see it. She pointed in specific places along the thick red lines. “These dotted points along the path are your sanctuary: within the stone circles located there, consider your fears imaginary. With the queen’s aid, I have purified such areas completely. If it took one’s fancy, one could sleep inside sweetly.”

A loud pop sounded from the cauldron, and all heads turned to the source as an unusual smell permeated the air. Ambrosia took a whiff and shared a tilted-head glance with Liberty. Golden Circlet coughed and gagged. By contrast, Toffee Swirl and the twins breathed the scent in deep as they could, their mouths watering.

“The final safety measure I have prepared for you all today, is a potion that will scream to the forest, ‘Keep away!’ This curious concoction, made with rare fungi and a dash of magic, will ensures your visit’s outcome is anything but tragic.”

“Why does it smell so gross, though?” asked Ornate Jade, her voice muffled as she covered her nose. “There’s no way I’m drinking that slop. It’s worse than rotting compost!”

“You’re crazy, Jade,” Wild said. “That stuff smells like my idea of heaven—freshly cut hay in late spring.”

“You two are both outta your minds!” Ambrosia piped up. “It smells like apple pie, just how my mama makes it.”

“Well—” the class all turned to Cheerilee, having forgotten she was there “—it smells to me like cider that has sat for too long in the cellar, uncovered: musky, and slightly unpleasant.” She lifted an eyebrow at the bubbling goop, then eyed Zecora. “Are we all going insane, or does this… solution really smell different to each of us?”

“Such is the property of Trickster’s Allure,” Zecora said as she grabbed an empty vial from one of her shelves. “How it smells, one can never be sure. For example, I find it sometimes rancid, sometimes plain, other times like rotten eggs, yet now, like fresh wheat grain.”

“Fascinating.” Liberty reached into her bag with her magic and extracted her notebook and a pencil. “A rare fungus that smells like something different every time it’s prepared,” she muttered as she scribbled the information down. “And you say that this brew will help protect us from the forest?”

“Indeed, Miss Belle—you will be quite safe. All you need take is one little taste.”

Zecora grasped a ladle in her teeth and lowered it to the surface. A thick dribble flowed slowly into the scoop. “A single sip will render you immune to most perils, be they plant or animal,” she continued after setting the vial on the table. “Combined with my purified spaces, its protection will prove most valuable.”

“Uh, Miss Zecora?” Ambrosia raised a hoof. “How much o’this stuff do we gotta drink, exactly?”

“As I said, daughter of Apple Bloom, a single mouthful you must consume. An hour’s protection it will bestow, yet caution you ought still not forego.”

“All right! Are we getting on with it or what?” Wild Seed snorted and stamped his hoof. “I don’t care if I only need a mouthful—I want to drink the whole dang pot!” He marched up toward the cauldron, reared up, placed his forehooves on the rim and made to dunk his head into the depths.

“Wait, young Seed! Listen, please—”

Wild ignored Zecora and slurped up a whole mouthful of his heavenly hay-drink. His eyes bulged and, with a hefty effort, he thrust himself back out of the cauldron and spat his mouthful forcibly on the ground next to him.

“Ach! Bleh!” He coughed loud and long while his classmates fell to the floor and rolled around in hysterics. “What the? Gyahh! How can something smell so good yet taste so… ugh!”

“If you had listened and not been a fool, you would have known to swallow your drool,” Zecora stated, a smirk crinkling her cheeks. “Like Trickster’s Allure’s deceptive, shifting scent, its taste may bring you joy, or discontent.”

“You couldn’t have… mentioned that before, maybe?” Wild asked, still lolling his tongue around outside his mouth while the laughter persisted. “Eugh…”

* * * * *

“Follow me to the heart of the wood. Remain close at all times, you should.”

Choosing sides had been a no-brainer for Ambrosia; Zecora was a family friend, her mother’s ex-mentor. Liberty trotted right up to Ambrosia’s side. Wild was equally as fervent about remaining near his cousin, and Ambrosia deigned to keep an eye on the troublemaker. Snow Flurry and Heat Wave had both grasped Toffee Swirl in their hooves and fluttered over Ambrosia’s head, where they dangled her rigid body before dropping her neatly into the centre of them all. Jade, Circlet, and the others went with Cheerilee.

The six followed Zecora down a darkened pathway twisting north-east, while Cheerilee’s group headed off along the south-eastern pathway. Bird calls clashed with other odd twitterings that seemed to come from rope-thick webs above their heads. Every now and then, a howl reached their ears, although Zecora was quick to reassure them that the timberwolves’ cries could be heard from miles away.

Ambrosia could not help but bring up the memory of how her protection potion had tasted. Sometimes she remembered it as sickly sweet, like a creamy triple-chocolate cake, while other times she could only recall wanting to vomit up the foul taste of cattle feces.

“Gotta say, I’m really not a fan o’that ‘Tricky Lure’ stuff we had to drink,” she whispered to Liberty. “But I can’t stop thinkin’ ’bout it, ’cause my memory of it keeps changin’.”

Liberty perked up her left ear, although she made no other sign she’d even heard Ambrosia while she scribbled line after line in her notebook, her pencil a green blur as she walked. “It is Trickster’s Allure, Ambi, and Zecora did say in her strange way that memory fluctuations are a possible side-effect of consumption,” she said after poking a period into the page. “She also said it will subside soon, which indicates that the potion’s effects have worn off.”

Next to Ambrosia, Wild examined the dense vegetation off the forest trail. Flowers and berries of all colours grew on his left. Beyond that, just a few body lengths from where the herd walked, shadow covered the land in defiance of the midday sunlight that illuminated the exposed path. To his right, mossy rocks surrounded a small pond with murky brown water and dark green lily pads. Wild swallowed when he saw one of the lily pads move.

A solid thunk to his side diverted his attention.

“Ow!” Wild glared down and rubbed his ribs. “What was that for, Toffee?”

“Almost getting us eaten by that... thing in there,” Toffee Swirl said, pointing to the mottled rock-looking things in the pond. “I told you to get back from the water’s edge when I saw the bubbles, but no, you said ‘they’re probably just little fish.’”

“I said I was sorry! Anyway, you didn’t have to blunder in after me.”

“Then who would have screamed? Who would have come to rescue you, huh? Not Miss Zecora. No, you’d be lunch by now, so I can remind you that I saved your flank whenever I want.”

“Guys!”

Toffee and Wild turned their glares toward Snow Flurry as he flapped down between them. “Calm your farms and get a move on. You can have at it later, either once we’re out of the forest or in a safe zone. Now keep up!”

Grumbling among themselves, Toffee and Wild followed Snow back to the herd, already twenty paces ahead of them. Snow rejoined Heat Wave, walking next to Zecora.

“My little ponies, ten minutes we have walked. The safe zone ahead marks our place to stop and talked,” Zecora said. “Sit yourselves in that circle of stones, and listen to more of my dulcet tones.”

Liberty and Ambrosia galloped into the ring first, though Ambrosia yelped and jumped backward after setting hoof inside. “Ah! What was that?” She lifted a tingling hoof and rubbed it against her chest. “Why’re my hooves feelin’ all funny?”

“I feel it too, Ambi,” Liberty said as she raised a hoof to her forehead. “There is a mild tingle in the base of my horn. It happened first when I neared the forest’s entrance, and again when I approached a similar circle to this one out the front of Miss Zecora’s house.”

“We’ve got it, too,” Snow said.

“Except it’s in our wing joints,” Heat added.

Wild strode next to Ambrosia and placed a hoof inside the circle. “Wow, you weren’t kidding,” he said, withdrawing the hoof and waving it around. “Must be some kind of freaky magic.”

“I-I don’t like this, oh no, no I don’t like this at all…” Toffee backed away from the others, shaking her head.

Liberty looked from Toffee, to the twins, to Ambrosia, then finally to Zecora. “Perhaps some kind of explanation would be prudent, Miss Zecora?”

The herd stared as Zecora simply closed her eyes, sat, and chuckled.

“Hey, what gives?” Ambrosia asked.

Zecora lifted her head and ceased her laugh, though the wide smile remained. “The way is lit, the path is shown. Pieces assemble, and hope regrows.”

“Pieces? Hope? What’ya mean?”

A single deep blue eye opened. “You feel the circle’s magic in your horns, your hooves, and your wings, my dears. By confirming my theories, you have alleviated my fears. There is something that I should share with you now—in time, perhaps even a tyrant will be made to bow.”

“Uh, that sounds great, and stuff,” Wild said, “but what does that have to do with what’s happening to us? I feel like I’ve got constant pins and needles in my hooves.”

“Wait…”

Everypony look at Liberty. “Miss Zecora… is this happening to the other ponies with Missus Turner? I recall nopony else saying a single thing about any strange tingles.”

Zecora inhaled and exhaled deeply before answering. “Only ponies with magic in their veins can detect it in the air. Of those, you six are all I have met, after three decades, anywhere.”

“Well, sure, we have magic. That’s why we can fly when the other pegasi can’t,” Snow pointed out.

“And my cousin and I are two of the strongest ponies ’round town,” Ambrosia said. “Even stronger than my mama and papa, they say, even though we’re still young.”

“I have studied and developed magic under the supervision of my mother and Queen Twilight. According to Her Majesty, Mother and I are the only two unicorns in all of Canterlot with any true semblance of power,” Liberty said.

All eyes turned on Toffee, still sitting just outside the circle. She turned her head and stared at the ground.

“Toffee Swirl?”

Zecora vacated the boundary and placed a hoof on the trembling filly. “You have magic too. Do not fear. We are all in the same boat here.”

Toffee looked up into Zecora’s wrinkled face and hiccuped. “I… I tried to use magic once. But… it didn’t end well. My mother—hic—made me swear to keep it hidden from everypony until she could teach me how to use it, since it kinda just—hic—went everywhere all at once and made me real sleepy after.”

“Wow. I have never heard of that before, Toffee. It sounds like you have potential to become quite an adept spellcaster.” Liberty broke the circle and placed a hoof to Toffee’s stomach. “Come and sit with us, please? It feels a little funny, I know, but there is nothing to fear. Besides—” she inclined her head “—Miss Zecora’s claims intrigue me. Surely you wish to know more, too?”

“Okay.”

Once Toffee and Liberty rejoined the circle, Zecora hummed a long note.

“Tell us, Miss Zecora. Please.”

With all eyes on her, Zecora stood. “The answers you seek, I shall gladly present. Follow me, little ponies—let’s begin our descent.”

She walked further ahead out of the circle. The others followed, remarking how the tingle had left their bodies. When Zecora stopped ahead of them, she stepped to the side and swung her lame leg outward.

“Wowee,” Ambrosia breathed.

A great chasm stretched ahead of the herd. A broken bridge drooped on each side, only a few slats of wood remaining on the frayed ropes. Across the chasm stood some crumbled remains.

“That is the castle depicted on the map, yes?” Liberty asked, turning to Zecora. At the nod, she turned back and squinted. “I assume it was once a place of great importance.”

“You are correct, Miss Belle. Your instincts serve you well.” Zecora bowed her head and motioned to the side. “Yet those ruins sit atop something of far greater import. Down these steps, all of you I will now escort. Follow me, young ones, to a secret, forbidden place. Tread carefully at all times—do not rush your pace.”

“Follow you… d-down there?”

Toffee peered over the edge of the cliff and gulped at the steep descent. “I’m not sure sure I wanna—eek!” She almost overbalanced as a wing brushed her back from behind. After she finished padding her hooves upon the ground, she whipped her head around and glared at Heat Wave. “Hey! I could have fallen, you know!”

Heat snorted. “Hardly. I was actually offering you my wing for stability. I won’t let you fall.”

“Oh.” Toffee looked down again. “Um, yes, please do.”

“Okay, great—now can we get movin’ already?” Ambrosia asked. “That potion we drank ain’t gonna last forever, you know!”

“Ambrosia, dear, you are correct. Forty minutes remain, I expect,” Zecora said. “Our time is precious, like the bounty below. Yet just how much, until you see, you cannot know.”

* * * * *

After descending some hundred-or-so roughly hewn stone steps, the herd found themselves at the bottom of what the map called the Everfree Scar. What little sunlight they had faded bit by bit as they approached a gigantic pile of rubble. Nearby, a third circle of grey stones offered another peaceful respite.

“This is quite the rockslide, Miss Zecora.” Liberty examined the pile of boulders and frowned, rubbing her horn as she entered the circle. “The warding magic is stronger here than it was along the path. Why does this place warrant such special protection?”

“I wanna know, too,” Ambrosia said as she sidled next to Liberty. “Missus Turner never said nothin’ about us comin’ down here and meetin’ up at some big ol’ pile of rocks.”

“Ah, my dears, valid reasoning I have for this,” Zecora said. “Dear Cheerilee’s knowledge is… slightly remiss.”

“You mean... she doesn’t know we’re here right now?” Wild Seed asked. “How come? Would she have tried to stop us coming?”

“The fewer ponies know, the safer you will all be. Now I ask you—no, I implore you—to please, trust me.”

Toffee Swirl—Heat Wave’s wing still over her back—shuddered and leaned back into her escort. “W-why should we? Nopony knows we’re here, do they? What are you planning to d-do to us?”

Snow and Heat exchanged raised eyebrows, then both faced Zecora. Twelve eyes rested on the zebra. Seconds passed, and nopony moved.

At last, Zecora closed her eye and smiled. “Fate led you all here today. It was not I who chose your way.” She approached the rubble and touched a small stone, hidden among the larger ones. “Neither is this rockslide why we are here... but what it covers up is, my dears. Sit in the circle, and please calm down. Clear any bad thoughts, and lose those six frowns.”

One by one, everypony sat and breathed deeply. Wild approached Ambrosia and beckoned to Toffee, who hesitantly stepped up and settled next to him. On Ambrosia’s other side, Liberty dropped her bag and sat, the notepad still in her magical grasp while her pencil danced across it. Snow nodded at Heat, and together they planted themselves opposite the others.

“The way will open for us now. Proceed into its depths, we shall.”

Muttering in Zebrican, Zecora stepped back into the circle. The ground trembled beneath everypony’s hooves, and they huddled closer together. A crack like lightning sounded as a gash split the rockslide into two, and the rumbling increased as the two halves parted. Loose dirt from the hillside tumbled down, filling the air with clouds of dust.

When the rumbling subsided, and everypony finished coughing, they stared at the rockslide; rather, they stared at the gap where it had blocked their progress only seconds earlier. A new path led into the heart of the Scar, a barely perceptible blue glimmer illuminating the end. Some of the boulders formed an archway above the entrance. Mossy rocks glowed faintly inside.

“Cool!” the twins yelled, sharing a high wing with each other.

“I’ve never seen anythin’ like it,” Ambrosia said as she peered into the dark.

Liberty nodded next to her friend. “How is this possible? Never have I seen magic on this level except when Queen Twilight controls the weather.”

“That you recognise her work is unsurprising, Miss Belle.” Zecora stepped out of the circle and walked into the gaping entrance. “This cavern was sealed by Queen Twilight’s most intricate spell. Only when magical ponies invade will the seal reluctantly degrade.”

“In that case, I can only speculate on what the queen would keep so secretly hidden that she needs a magic spell to conceal it.”

“Maybe it’s treasure!”

Wild Seed’s face lit up. “Come on, everypony—let’s get in there!” He galloped through the entrance, passing Zecora. As he looked over his shoulder, he slowed to a canter, and then stopped. “What? Are you coming?”

“Does anythin’ ever get through that thick skull o’yours, Wild?” Ambrosia shook her head as she walked up to him and bopped him on the forehead. “What happened last time you went runnin’ off by yourself?”

“Uh…”

“Yeah. So hold your horses already and let’s go in together.”

Wild rubbed his head and nodded. “Yeah… I guess you’re right, cuz.”

“Your words are wise, Little Miss Bloom. As one group, we should conquer the gloom.”

Zecora stood between the two Apples and beheld the remaining foals. “Enter the cave, young ponies four. Secrets await, and so much more.”

The others looked at each other, shrugged, and walked next to Zecora. Wild led, followed by Toffee, then Liberty, then Heat and Snow, while Ambrosia and Zecora brought up the rear.

Rumbling filled the cave, and darkness encroached upon the party as the archway caved in of its own accord.

“Libby!” Ambrosia called. “Can y’all see fine up there?”

“Plenty of light ahead already, Ambi.” Liberty pointed to the side. “See those rocks? They are covered in luminescent phosphoric moss.” She walked next to a boulder and ran a hoof over it, her own ever-present green glow adding to the natural one. “I suppose the rocks absorbed light from outside while the archway was open. After sitting in darkness for so long, it would have been the equivalent of direct sunlight for them.”

“There’s that, too,” Snow said, pointing his wing forward. “Looks like there’s a bend in the path ahead. You see the blue light getting brighter?”

The party murmured their assent.

“You know what else is happening? Liberty, turn off your magic. Ambi, stop walking for a second.”

The three halted in their tracks, the others only a short way behind them.

“You feel that?” Snow asked.

“My horn…” Liberty tapped the base of her horn; green sparks shot out and touched the cavern ceiling. “I feel I am being… drawn to something. Attracted, even. My horn has never tingled this much before.”

“My legs feel all funny, now I think about it,” Ambrosia said, pacing on the spot. “It’s like they’re tryin’ to pull me forward.”

“It’s happening with our wings, too,” Heat said as he approached. “Toffee’s horn and Wild’s hooves are doing it as well. Something in here really wants us to find it… whatever it is.”

“Around the bend, destiny awaits. In its presence, we will congregate.”

At Zecora’s words, the herd stopped just before the corner. The blue light seemed brighter, lighting up the ground and the walls ahead. A silent consensus passed between everypony, and they all—after taking deep breaths—turned the corner as a group.

“You’ve gotta be sh—”

Ambrosia slapped a hoof over Wild’s mouth as her own fell open; Liberty stepped forward tentatively, whispering to herself; the twins ran ahead, wings flapping; and Toffee stood frozen next to Zecora.

“Hidden, untouched, and unloved for over thirty years, the gnarled husk of the Tree of Harmony has summoned you all here,” Zecora said, her eye closed.

“The Tree of Harmony?” everypony echoed.

“I always thought it was just an old pony’s tale,” Ambrosia said as she stepped closer to the withered blue trunk. “Mama told me about how my Auntie Applejack used to wear this magic necklace. It was proof that she was the ‘Element of Honesty,’ and that the jewel in her necklace grew from this tree.”

“You know, that sounds familiar,” Liberty added. “My own mother once told me a similar tale about my Aunt Rarity, except her necklace identified her as the ‘Element of Generosity’.”

“Oooh! We got this story, too!” Heat raised a hoof as he landed next to Liberty. “Our mother tells us stories all the time about the coolest, most awesome pony that ever lived. She had one as well—I think it was for ‘Loyalty’.”

Heat stopped talking and took flight again. He and his brother both approached the tree and examined the markings on the trunk.

“There’s a sun here…”

“And a crescent moon, too…”

“And this big white star in the middle...”

The crystalline tree was not the only impressive feature in view. The cavern itself was a thing of beauty. The tree’s roots snaked along the ground and up the walls, enormous purple crystals jutting out from cracks that the roots made. Wispy ferns rose up from between an outcrop of rocks on either side, some of which also sported a plethora of pink flowers. The tree’s glow bounced off everything, appearing to fill the cavern with a glittering blue mist.

“Even in death, its radiance caresses us. Were she here, Miss Rarity would swoon and fuss.” Zecora chuckled, then sighed. “But among us, the bearers of old no longer tread. New ponies will inherit their legacy instead.”

Silence reigned.

“Those orbs in the branches…”

Liberty’s eyes widened as she cautiously approached the tree, her hoofsteps echoing with every fall. She stared for a moment, then lit her horn. Green surrounded a hexagonal purple gem, which floated off the tree and hovered in front of her. She flipped it around; it shined all over, but for a single dull chip off the bottom. Jewel in a firm grip, she faced Zecora. “They are, are they not?”

Zecora just nodded.

“And… the tree thinks that we are…?”

Another nod.

Liberty brought the gem to her chest and, hesitating briefly, held it with her hoof. Her glow faded while the others surrounded her, ogling it.

“In Mother’s story, the Element of Generosity resembled a perfectly cut diamond,” she said, turning it over and back again. “Exactly like my Aunt Rarity’s cutie mark.”

“Uh, what’s a ‘cutie mark’?” Toffee asked.

Before Liberty could even open her mouth, the gem flashed a brilliant white. Everypony looked away, shielding their eyes. When the light dimmed abruptly—almost as soon as it flashed—they lowered their hooves and turned their heads back to Liberty. The gem had vanished, but...

“Whoa.”

“No way.”

“What is that?”

While everypony gaped, Zecora let out a bark of laughter, unfortunately interrupted by a hacking fit.

“Miss Zecora? What is it?”

Zecora cleared her throat and shook her head, though the aged yellow smile lingered on her face. “You wish to know about cutie marks, you say? In that case, let me present...”

She pointed at Liberty’s flank.

“‘Exhibit A.’”

Chapter Five: Project 57R-BR57

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Chapter Five: Project 57R-BR57

The sight of the house always sent a shiver through Flash’s body. It did not matter that some of his closest friends resided in relative comfort beyond its entrance. He noticed not the sheer beauty of its exterior, which always gleamed in full sunlight and spread its glass-reflected radiance down over the valley below. Neither did the rooftop’s six gleaming crystals—different colours that bounced off one another in prismatic harmony at noon—bring a smile to his face.

He approached the building, noting as always the point where concrete walls and glass panels met with natural stone and granite, and how the house seemed to protrude out from Mount Canterlot itself. His hoofsteps took him along the southern edge of Canterlot’s rim, where masonry greeted natural foundation—and where a careless pony could meet with a terrifying drop.

Flash approached the sealed entrance and halted just before a brass bell as tall as himself. Taking a breath, he struck the bell once, immediately grabbing it afterward with two hooves to silence the loud, high-pitched gong. He stepped back, shaking his head quickly at the discomforting sound.

From a window above the door, a white hoof swept a curtain aside, allowing two green eyes to peer down at him. As soon as the eyes met his, the hoof withdrew and the eyes closed. A pale green aura enveloped the horn above them, and a moment later, a flash signaled their disappearance. Barely three seconds later, the muffled rattle of latches being undone and bolts being withdrawn came from behind the door; another three seconds passed, and the door swung open.

“Greetings, My Prince,” the unicorn said with a bow.

Her coat, while still white as a fresh cirrus cloud, bore a small amount of fine wrinkles. Although most of it was restrained in a long ponytail, shorter strands of her ever-curly pink mane fell about her face. What few thin streaks of grey adorning her mane did nothing to detract from the beauty and poise in her matured face.

“Good morning, Sweetie Belle,” Flash said, offering his own bow in return. “I trust you are well?”

“More or less,” Sweetie said as she stood and held the door back. “Please, come in. I’ll put some tea on if you like—or perhaps something a bit stronger?”

“Just tea, thanks.”

Flash stepped into the cool interior. He looked around at the pictures lining the shale entrance hall—pictures he’d seen time and again. His eyes fell upon an image of Sweetie, accompanied by a tall dark-brown Earth pony and a tiny silver, peach-maned filly in their hooves. The filly was frozen in some kind of ecstatic, jubilant scream as her parents held her in midair together.

“How’s Liberty? Progressing well with her studies?” Flash asked when the rattling of locks and barricades had subsided.

“Oh, yes,” Sweetie replied. “She’s such a smart little filly. Of course, having a teacher like Queen Twilight, how could she not be?”

“Hmmm.” Flash turned away from the picture and fell into step beside Sweetie. “And what of Button? Have you heard from him lately?”

As they rounded a corner into a spotless kitchen—alight via the skylight in the ceiling—Sweetie nodded. She touched a small crystal sitting on a granite-topped bench against the side wall and then lit her horn. The crystal glowed green briefly, and faded; Sweetie then took a kettle from the benchtop in her magic, and proceeded to pour the boiling water into a leaf-filled ceramic pot.

“Button seldom finds the time to write to us,” Sweetie said, tipping over the pot with a sigh. “He works very hard. He’s a good stallion. I only wish there were somepony else capable of doing his job, so he could come back for holidays more often.”

She finished pouring the pot into two cups, set them both on a smooth, varnished jarrah table, and motioned for Flash to sit.

“Thank you, Sweetie. Serra Grey blend?”

“Only the best tea for His Highness, of course.”

No more words were said as Flash gently sipped his tea, stared through the wall-to-wall window at the southeast fields. From where he sat, he could just make out Baltimare in the far east—about seventy kilometres from their position—over the tops of the permanently snowcapped Foal Mountain range.

Baltimare, Fillydelphia, Manehattan… all under threat from the rising ocean levels. If those walls aren’t built high enough…

“Prince Sentry?”

“Wha…? Oh, Sweetie.” Flash shook his head. “I’m sorry—I must have zoned out.”

“No need to apologise, My Prince,” Sweetie said. “I know you have… well, a lot on your mind to be worried about.”

She set her cup down, having already finished her tea. She idly swirled the dregs around while Flash continued sipping his beverage.

“Liberty left for Ponyville this morning,” Sweetie whispered.

Flash froze in the act of raising his cup, then set it back down slowly. The saucer clinked.

“She’ll be okay, Sweetie,” he said. “Twilight promised she would return completely whole and unscathed.”

“I know… but… I mean, without Button here, and now Liberty…” Sweetie lowered her gaze to the floor next to her. “I can’t help but worry. She may be a gifted filly, but Liberty is still young. And we all know what horrors lie in the Everfree—Queen Twilight especially.”

“Exactly,” Flash said as he took another sip. A small amount of leaves caught in his throat, causing him to splutter.

“Are you okay?” Sweetie asked, already at his side.

“Oh, excuse me again. Wrong pipe,” he choked out, thumping his barrel with a hoof. “Gah… well, yes, to address your concerns, it is because Twilight knows the danger that she has taken serious measures to ensure everypony’s safety. Trust me—” he coughed again and hit his barrel a final time “—the forest might as well be completely uninhabited.”

“It’s not the wildlife I worry about.”

They fell silent again.

“Well, let’s put worries and fears aside for the time being,” Flash said. He stood from his seat. “Twilight asked me to check on you, to see if you were doing okay. You seem to be holding up well, at least?”

Sweetie nodded slightly, her horn glowing again. Flash watched his cup and saucer join Sweetie’s before they all fell gently together into the sink. With a yawn, he stretched his withered wings and relished in the resultant popping. He then moved his neck from side to side, cracking once for each direction.

“Do be careful, My Prince,” Sweetie said. “I would prefer not explaining to Queen Twilight that her Prince-consort paralysed himself in my presence.”

“Just some harmless stretching, Sweetie. These old bones aren’t what they used to be.” Flash ceased the motions and dropped to his hooves. He spread his wings a final time, then folded them in. “Is there anything else you wish to share with me?”

Sweetie shook her head.

“All right, then. I suppose I had better check up on…” Flash cleared his throat a second time. “Yes, let’s go.”

He vacated the kitchen and headed down the hall, further into the mountain. No matter how many times he made his way through the house, he marveled at the architecture of it all. Skylights in every room allowed plenty of illumination throughout the interior, despite it being literally inside the mountain. Wooden supports lined the stone walls in uniform, structural precision; awash with colour, the hallway depicted various murals, commissioned by Twilight to add to the house’s welcoming feel.

Yet there were other walls that bore simpler murals. Flash and Sweetie passed by the living area—the entire south wall a thick sheet of glass—which sported a crudely painted image of three ponies on the left entrance wall. They were of three different colours: one white, one brown, and one silver. Continuing on, they passed a light-brown door with a less-childish piece of calligraphy carved into it that read: Freedom’s Rest.

At the end of the hall, a spiral staircase descended further into the mountain. Sweetie stepped forward first, placing her hooves carefully upon the winding steps. The steady clop of her hooves quietened as the mountain absorbed her, leaving Flash standing alone at the top.

“Prince Sentry? Are you not coming?”

Flash looked down as Sweetie’s voice wafted back up. He lifted a hoof… and set it back down.

“Give me a moment, please.”

SIlence passed. Eventually, Flash raised his hoof in front of him, took a deep breath, released it, and placed his hoof down on the top step. He walked slowly forward, breathing deeply.

I will see the sun again. This will not be my tomb. The ceiling is not falling, and the walls are not closing in. Breathe in, breathe out.

He opened his eyes only when he felt his next hoofstep not leading him further down. On level ground, he looked ahead at Sweetie, who stood before an enormous door with many grooves around its edges. Emblazoned on the front of the two-metre-tall, circular granite door was a six-pointed purple star on the left, and a blue kiteshield covered with a yellow bolt of lightning on the right.

Between the two larger marks… a smaller orange-and-violet heart.

“If you wish, My Prince, I could simply enter and give you a report when I re-emerge?”

Flash shook his head. “No. I need to see.”

“As you wish.”

Sweetie approached the door and placed her horn inside a small hole in the heart’s centre. As her aura poured into the cistern, it spread along the edge of each giant cutie mark. The grooves around the perimeter glowed bright green, then connected in a circle encompassing the whole thing.

She retreated as the door vibrated, and the green grooves shined with enough intensity to warrant the pair shielding their faces. The grating sound of stone on stone filled the small chamber as the door swiveled on the spot, then came to rest facing perpendicular to the newly divided walls.

They stepped through the gap on either side of the open door. After their tails passed over the threshold, the door swiveled back again, sealing them inside with a crash. A myriad of different colours shone from further down the darkened area.

Sweetie charged up her horn. Flash watched as she concentrated upon converging her magic into a single, brilliant green ball of energy. She strained, eyes scrunched tight and sweat pouring down her face.

With a final flash, the ball shot into the air above them and separated into six smaller orbs, each of which raced toward a different point. They found homes inside six divots in the perimeter walls, glowing gently and flooding the place with light. Slick limestone and crystalline outcrops burst into visibility.

Flash looked at Sweetie and nodded. When she returned the nod, both approached a nearby violet crystal. Flash struck the crystal with a hoof, which illuminated another one nearby that shined with a cerulean glow. He repeated the process, and crystals of pink, green, orange, and red also shined in the new light. Sweetie charged up her horn again and shot another six-pointed beam of light at the crystals. The light filled each for a brief moment, then converged into a rainbow-hued ball upon a far wall.

The rock slid into the ground, revealing yet another small chamber. Inside…

Flash swallowed.

“Shall I leave you alone, My Prince?”

Flash looked at Sweetie and opened his mouth, but no words emerged. He raised a hoof to his mouth and cleared his throat. “Yes, I’ll be fine,” he said. “It’s been far too long since I visited anyway.”

“As you wish,” Sweetie said with a bow. “When you need me, you can find me close by.”

She turned on her heels and walked back to the entrance; she changed direction near the door and approached a long, wooden-topped concrete slab covered in parchment, blueprints, and diagrams. She faced Flash again, smiled, then lit a lamp on the bench and began poring over her work.

Flash took a deep breath and passed into the chamber. Though it was large enough for a pony to walk through, the opening led right to a giant azure crystal that filled the room from ground to ceiling.

As he stared into the heart of the crystal, Flash took a moment to think about irony. Two of Equestria’s greatest, most historically infamous foes had unwittingly led to the discovery of, and subsequent research into, the incredible properties of crystal. During a changeling queen’s attempt to overthrow Canterlot at the wedding of Prince Shining Armor and the late Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, she had imprisoned Twilight in these very caves, long thought by all to have disappeared.

Then, after a thousand years, a seal had expired that contained the ruthless, cruel King Sombra, as well as the Crystal Empire he had once ruled over with an iron hoof. While it was the changeling queen who sparked the rediscovery of the caves, Sombra had been the key to Twilight’s hypothesis that a being could be imprisoned in crystal for an indefinite period of petrification, in much the same way as Discord has once been cast in stone by the Elements of Harmony.

Speaking of…

Six small gem shards around the giant crystal’s base lay with a dull hue. At least, five of them did. The sixth—a purple amethyst—shined in the gloom. Far brighter than the others, it added its own tinge to one end of the crystal.

Flash stared long and hard at the lone gem, his heart racing like he’d run from end to end of Equestria in one attempt.

The generosity shard is alight… it has begun. The question is, who?

He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. When his heart had stopped threatening to burst out of his chest, he smiled, reared up, and pressed his forehead against the crystal.

Filling his vision, a newborn filly hung suspended behind a foot of crystal. She was curled up in a sleeping position, as if cuddling an imaginary soft toy. Her orange coat was vastly at odds with her short mane and tail of royal velvet, magenta, and electric blue. A pair of overlarge, imperial pegasus wings were tightly tucked into her sides.

“After all these years… should I dare to hope?” Flash stepped back, but left a hoof on the face of the crystal. “The Elements are being reactivated, my love. They will return with new life, and save you from your curse. I swear before you now, I will do everything in my power to help them succeed. No matter the cost, you will live the life you deserve.

“There is hope for you yet… our little Starburst.”

Chapter Six: Harmony's Ignition

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Chapter Six: Harmony’s Ignition

I swear, the days are growing hotter, Twilight thought as she funneled a long trail of clouds westward. I’ll have to see about shortening them at this rate.

Twilight could not tell if it was her own sweat, the sun’s radiation, or some residual airborne moisture that covered her brow. What she did know was that it irritated her when it dripped into her eyes. She pulled out of her cyclonic motions and rose higher into the air, watching as the clouds in her wake passed underneath and slowed. With a single deft stroke, she swept the moisture away and descended into a sharp dive. The wind whipped by, straightening her mane and tail as the ground raced closer.

Nothing like a good blow-dry to cool oneself off.

She pulled up in a steep bank, almost a complete hundred-and-eighty degrees. The sharp change in trajectory pulled at her wings and sent a spasm through her back; she slowed for a second before flying back up. All these years, and I’m still not as good a flier as… as…

She shook her head and returned to the clouds. Once more, she began to spin in the air. Racing from behind the clouds, through them to the front, Twilight pulled the enormous fluffy pile along. The lengthy strip of asphalt below showed that she was directly over the centre of Los Pegasus.

Perfect.

She focused her magic; the cloud formation glowed with her deep red aura and separated into many smaller chunks. Before long, shadow covered the entire city. There, now for a little comfort. Multiple red beams shot through each individual cirrus cloud, which all began shedding their valuable tears upon the dry city.

Satisfied with her work, Twilight looked at the Sun. She had made good time. it was only noon and she had already covered every city in Equestria with at least a light layer of cloud. She would definitely be on schedule for her meeting with Mayor Mare and Dinky Doo.

She dove beneath the clouds and looked instead to the western coastline. At the edge of the harbour, a shining dome—relatively new to the city—rose up from the ground. Even at her distance, Twilight could see a myriad of small dots moving around inside.

Why not? I have some spare time.

She vanished, reappearing at the dome’s entrance with a red flash. The ocean’s crisp, salty smell and the lull of general passersby met her instantly. She looked around at her surroundings and smiled as anypony who caught sight of her bent their knees.

Acknowledging them with a single nod, Twilight passed through the archway, sporting a sign that read: Los Pegasus Flight Training Center. The passage opened up into a wide, circular area. Around the exterior ran a grass track, with a few pegasi doing laps. In the middle, various other pegasi sat around a middle-aged orange mare with a short, greying but still predominantly violet mane.

“It’s not as simple as just trying to flap your wings and take off,” the mare explained to her audience. “There’s a number of things you gotta pay attention to, like how often you flap, what angle you line yourself up at, and knowing what you’re physically capable of. Those of you lucky enough to have a scrap of magic will definitely find it easier, but not by much.”

With that, she trotted over to a nearby ramp. After finalising her place, she ran at full speed and pushed hard off the top of the ramp. Her shorter wings buzzed rapidly at first, but slowed when she leveled out and remained in place.

“Come on, everypony,” she called down. “You’ve gotta think positive about this. Give it all your concentration. Get some good momentum going, and then jump!”

Twilight smiled warmly, watching as the younger pegasi all lined up behind the ramp. One by one they reached the edge and jumped, some managing a few seconds of hang time before plummeting back to the ground. One stallion held his place in the air, almost reaching the instructor before he, too, fell on his rump with the others.

“Hey, not bad at all,” the instructor said as she descended. “None of you fell straight down this time. In fact, a lot of you managed to hold your flight for a good few seconds. Keep it up and you’ll be soaring among the clouds before you know it!”

Twilight raised a hoof to her mouth and coughed.

The instructor lifted her ears and inclined her head toward the quiet sound. “Uh, I’ll be right back, fillies and colts. You keep practicing and trying while I’m busy, okay?”

While her group either grumbled or nodded enthusiastically, she flew over to Twilight. Landing in front of the queen, she tucked in her wings and bowed, mane falling in front of her face.

“Good to see you again, Queen Twilight,” she said, keeping her head low. “What brings you here today?”

“I was in the area, and I had a little spare time, so I thought I’d come and check on your progress,” Twilight said. She gestured with a hoof to the colourful palette of fillies and colts. “I see that some of your students can manage a few seconds of flight now. That’s wonderful!”

“Yeah, it really is,” the mare said. She looked back over her shoulder, smiling as she watched her persistent students. “I think that if we start them younger, with intense training, the next generation should be able to resume weather control again.” Her eyes lit up. “Can you imagine it? Your rule would be so much easier without having to worry about everypony, at least in that sense.”

“I must admit, some days do tire me out,” Twilight said with a sigh. “I feel it’s only going to get worse over time, too. The seas are rising, the sun is burning hotter… I can only do so much.”

“Yes… well…” The mare closed her mouth and looked away.

“What is it?”

“Nothing—nothing important.” She shook her head. “Um… how are Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle doing?”

Twilight narrowed her eyes, the Amulet flashing dangerously for a second. “Scootaloo…”

“No, seriously, e-everything is fine,” Scootaloo said, waving a hoof around. “Things are gonna work out here, you’ll see. I just… I really miss my friends, Your Majesty. I wish I could see them more often.”

Twilight’s glare softened; the Amulet’s glow faded, and she shook her head. “I know. I miss my friends too. But I can tell you that Sweetie is making excellent progress with our experiments, and Apple Bloom continues to put the hard yards in for Ponyville and beyond. You would be proud of them.”

“And… my family?”

Twilight hesitated. “I… I’m afraid I can’t offer you too much news about them. I haven’t seen Rumble for a while. My last report about your colts, however, shows that they get up to just as much mischief as you Crusaders used to.”

Twilight and Scootaloo shared a laugh.

“That’s my colts, all right. Taking after their mama. Next time you’re in Ponyville, send them my love, please?”

“Of course.” Twilight nodded. “I actually have a meeting in Ponyville with the Mayor today, but I should be done by the time Heat and Snow return from their school trip to Everfree. I’ll pass on a message for you.”

“Thanks, Your Majesty.” Scootaloo bowed again.

“And don’t worry,” Twilight said. “I promise I’ll give you some time off soon for you to visit them. I just really need you…”

“Yeah, I know.” Scootaloo sighed. “‘Strongest flier in Equestria’ and everything—who better to lead the Icarus Project?” She glanced over her shoulder again. “Well, I shouldn’t keep you any longer. I have my own class to worry about, anyway.”

“I’ll give your regards to everypony back home.”

“I’d appreciate it. Have a nice day, Your Majesty.” Scootaloo gave a final bow and trotted back toward her students.

Twilight watched her go, pride and sorrow fighting for dominance. I know how it feels, Scoots. Being unable to cuddle your foals... With a deep breath, she sparked up her horn and vanished.

* * * * *

Liberty stared at her newly blemished flank, her mirror suspended in the air at the right angle to let her analyse the entire image. All around her, the other foals oohed and ahhed as they beheld her gleaming cutie mark: an exact replica of the gem that had disappeared.

“Well, anypony gonna explain what that picture is?” Ambrosia asked. She looked between Liberty and Zecora. “What’s it do? Is it stuck there forever?”

“This is a mark of destiny, my curious colts and fillies,” Zecora said. “It gives ponies direction for their lives, unlocking desires that lie inside.”

“So what does this one mean, then?” Ambrosia touched the mark. “That magic stone just made it appear, didn’t it?”

“Yes… it did…” Liberty bit her lip, looking between her mirror and the tree. “Miss Zecora… please, tell me honestly. Does this mean what I think it does?”

“Harmony has touched you, sweet Liberty Belle. Generosity chooses in your heart to dwell.”

“I…”

“Hey, you okay, Libby?” Ambrosia touched her friend’s shivering shoulder. “I ain’t never seen you like this before.”

“Yeah, what’s the deal?” Wild asked, trotting up to Zecora. “There’s a lot you’re not telling us, Zecora. Why the secrets?”

The others rounded on her too. Finding herself surrounded, Zecora simply smiled, sat, and closed her eyes.

“Now listen hard, and listen well, for this tale of woe I’m about to tell will make you gasp, and make you cry, but in the end, you will know why…”

* * * * *

“Thank you for meeting with me today, Your Majesty. Just let me finish… up… here. There we go ”

Mayor Mare signed a last piece of paper, dropped her quill, and placed it on top of her outbox pile. Opposite her, Twilight sat at the long desk, wings folded in. Her joints ached, but she showed no sign of discomfort inside Town Hall.

“Of course, Mayor. This is an important day for Ponyville. Why, I would be remiss if I did not attend.” She grinned and arched her neck, cracking it with a contented sigh. “Could we perhaps have some refreshments for our discussion? Taking care of Equestria’s weather by oneself can be quite exhausting.”

“Er, o-of course, Your Majesty. Anything to make you feel better after a hard day’s work.” Mayor Mare rang her bell, and Time Turner was at her side within seconds. “Mister Turner, would you kindly fetch a platter, a bottle of water, and some tea for Her Majesty? Oh—” as he nodded and turned, she caught his ear and lowered her voice “—just one of each sample, please. We’re running low on everything.”

“What’s that?” Twilight asked as Time galloped off.

“Just… making sure he chooses only our finest quality fruits and vegetables, Your Majesty,” Mayor Mare said with a wide smile. “Only the best for you, of course.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes a moment, but they lit up soon enough. “Why, thank you, Mayor. So considerate of you.” She beamed and tilted her head, eyes closed. “I don’t like going over highly important documents on an empty stomach.”

“Likewise, Your Majesty,” Mayor Mare said, nodding quickly. “Now, all of the papers are here, including the almost-unanimous poll that nominates Cheerilee for my replace…ment…” She trailed off as Twilight looked sidelong, directly into the wall. “Your Majesty? Is everything fine?”

Twilight frowned, her eyes flashing red. “Something just… but… no, that’s not possible…”

“Er, Your Majesty? The platter has arrived.”

“Oh!” Twilight looked away, eyes purple again, and beamed as Time Turner slid the platter off his back. “Thank you very much, Time. An apple, some rhubarb, a few plums—oooh, I haven’t had grapes in ages!”

“I am pleased you, er, appreciate it, Your Majesty,” Time Turner said with a quick bow. He shared a glance with the mayor, and they sighed together while Twilight stuffed her face, grape juice dribbling down her chin.

Mayor Mare watched for a while after Time Turner left, Twilight making all sorts of squeals and hums as she devoured the samples before her. Before too long, all that remained was the jug of water—which Twilight drained half of in one gulp.

“Ahhh. Much better.” She grinned and patted her stomach. “So, Mayor, where were we?”

* * * * *

The seven sat in a circle, completely silent. Zecora’s voice had faded, but nopony knew what to say. Fireflies and will-o-the-wisps floated around their heads, only the Tree of Harmony lighting the cavern.

Finally, Ambrosia broke the silence. “Sooo… this is… kinda huge, ain’t it?”

“‘Huge’ doesn’t begin to cut it, Ambi,” Heat said, shaking his head. “This changes everything.”

“Are we really some kind of ‘big heroes,’ that need to ‘save the world’ from the evil ruler?” Wild stared around at them all. “Because if so… count me the heck in! Those kinds of stories are awesome.”

“Well, c-count me out,” Toffee said, curling into a ball. “I just want to go home. Please, can we just g-go, Miss Zecora?”

Zecora stared down her nose at Toffee, then glanced around at the others. “It might all seem just so unfair, this burden that you all must bear. But none can argue with Fate’s call—it has picked you to save us all.”

“But I’m just a little filly,” Ambrosia said. “How can I do anything? I have to go home, go to school, help Mama and Papa on the farm—”

“Another thing you all must know…” Zecora inhaled deeply, and exhaled slowly. “Your parents know this must be so. Our plan was formed by many minds, who’ve kept the truth in knots and binds.”

“They… they knew about this?” Snow leapt into the air and hovered over the circle. “Father, Mother, all our parents knew what was going on? And they didn’t tell us?”

Liberty jumped up, her horn alight. “Even if they did tell us, would you have even believed it? Think about it, everypony—” she swept her eyes around “—even if we knew, we would have laughed it off. Or worse, we might have told others.” She pointed at Zecora. “Place no blame on Miss Zecora—she is but the messenger. Something like this… our parents had to keep it secret. We are talking about standing up to Queen Twilight here! What do you think would have happened if she heard even a whisper of such plans?”

Silence again; Toffee shivered, the twins shared looks, Ambrosia stared at the ground.

Zecora sighed and stood, wobbling a little before walking forward. As Wild scooted next to Toffee and tried to calm her down, Zecora made her way over to the Tree of Harmony and pressed a stone at its base. The cavern rumbled again for a short time before a giant pink flower bloomed from right out of the ground. Once it stopped climbing, its petals fell open, revealing a curious blue fruit.

Wild Seed sprang up from Toffee’s side and galloped over to it. His eyes widened, looking the chest up and down. His mouth fell open, stretching his features in a gleeful grin. “Wow! I know I said there might be treasure in here, but I wasn’t serious.” He brought his muzzle up to one of the keyholes and narrowed his eyes. “Hmmm. Six keys. Guess we gotta go find them, right? Any ideas?” He eyed Zecora.

“Adventure gleams in your eyes, young Seed.” Zecora smiled. “I see such courage that all will need. You seem most eager of your friends—you’d see this quest through to its end?”

“You bet. I need something—anything to get out of Ponyville. I want to go exploring. I want to see the world!”

“Now hang on a tic there, cuz!” Ambrosia sidled up next to Wild. “We’d be leavin’ everypony behind to do this. Family, school, our other friends. You can’t just wanna leave straight away like that, can ya?”

“I can, and I do,” Wild insisted. “Besides, my Ma’ll do fine without me. Y’know, come to think of it, she gave me a real tight hug this morning. Said she was proud of me.” He laughed. “I thought it was weird at the time, cos she normally can’t wait to kick me out of bed and off to school every morning. I know I can get in a spot of trouble sometimes, and I know it annoys the hay out of her, so she normally just gives me a kiss on the cheek before bed if anything. But she hardly ever gives me a big hug like that anymore…” He sighed, but kept the smile on his face. “I’d like to remember her that way while we’re on this journey, until it’s finished. I want her to have a real reason to be proud of me.”

“Wow, Wild. I don’t think I remember you ever bein’ such a big ol’ softy before.” Ambrosia smirked, but raised a hoof to her chin. “Hmmm. Y’know, my Mama and Papa both did the same thing. I coulda sworn I heard Mama’s voice go all chokey when she let me go. And Papa was smilin’ too, except…” Ambrosia dropped her hoof. “You know what? I think you’re right for once in your life, cuz. We gotta do this. I’ma miss ’em both and Uncle Mac somethin’ fierce, but it’s all for the better, right?”

Wild gave her a playful hoofbump.

“In all honesty,” Liberty started, finally standing up, “I feel we have no choice. Whether we wish to or not, we must find these keys. We are the ponies that this incredible tree has chosen to bestow its power upon. I certainly cannot return home now, not with both my flanks how they are. I cannot wear clothes all my life—you know how times are. It is common knowledge in Canterlot that my mother is the Queen’s apprentice, and so affords a healthy allowance. Clothes are a valuable commodity, but an unnecessary one, and ponies would accuse me of flaunting my wealth. They have attacked others for less.”

“Dad works for the Ponyville post office,” Heat Wave said, “but he always wanted to be a Wonderbolt, just like our uncle wanted to before he lost his magic. I think if we somehow managed to get everyone’s magic back, we could make our dad and our uncle both happier than they’ve ever been.”

“Mum, too,” Snow Flurry added. “She’s always away from home, training up other pegasi to try and make them fly. I miss her. I just want her to come home more than every few months. If we can make that happen… sign me up. I’m in.”

All five stood next to each other and clasped their hooves. They looked over at Toffee, still sitting on the ground and gaping like a fish out of water.

“Come on, Toffee. It’s okay. We’ll look after you,” Wild said. He held out his free hoof, but she shrank away from him, shaking her head.

“I d-don’t wanna go anywhere!” She sniffed and lifted a hoof to her eyes. “My life’s perfectly f-fine back home. My m-momma loves me, and my daddy calls me his little p-princess. I wanna see them again. Take me home. I wanna go home!”

Everypony stared at the bawling filly and sighed.

“You gotta come with us, Toffee,” Ambrosia said. “There’s six Elements, and there’s six of us. There ain’t nopony else in Ponyville who has magic like us.”

“Yeah there is!” Toffee countered. “What about all our parents? Or the Cake twins?”

“They all have jobs to do! They can’t take off and do somethin’ like this. The queen would hear about it and go lookin’ for ’em. But… hang on a sec. That’s a good point.” Ambrosia looked at Zecora. “Ain’t the queen gonna find out about all us missin’ anyway?”

“No, everypony, missing will not be the report.” Zecora bowed her head. “Queen Twilight’s information will be… of a different sort.”

“A different sort?” Liberty repeated. “What kind of… of… oh. Oh. Oh, gosh.”

Everypony focused on Liberty. “We cannot go back. Not now. Not ever. Only if we succeed on this journey.”

“The heck are you on about, Libby?” Ambrosia said, shaking her friend’s shoulders.

“We’re not missing, Ambi, everypony.”

Liberty sucked in a deep breath.

“We’re dead.”

Chapter Seven: “For Equestria.”

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Chapter Seven: “For Equestria.”

“Okay, Your Majesty. Just some final signatures here, here… and here, please.”

Mayor Mare passed Twilight the final piece of paper from the large stack they had worked through. As she had over the past half an hour, she sat still and patient while Twilight pored over the details.

The quill lifted off the bench and moved toward the paper as Twilight scanned it, her eyes roving over where Cheerilee had already signed. The quill hovered over a point, but stopped just over the first dotted line.

“Mayor? I’m a little confused about this section,” Twilight said. She peered closer to the paper. “And with the signing of all three parties named here, Missus Cheerilee Turner, of Ponyville, Equestria, with the good graces of Mayor Mayor Mare and Her Majesty, Queen Twilight Sparkle I, shall ascend to the role of Mayor of Ponyville, representative to Her Majesty in Ponyville.”

“Something wrong, Your Majesty?” Mayor Mare reread the paragraph through her thick glasses. “The sentence seems perfectly functional to me… if you don’t mind me saying so. What gives you pause, exactly?”

“Oh, nothing about its content, my dear Mayor. Just the way the information is presented, specifically,” Twilight said. She hovered her quill point over the second ‘Ponyville’ in the statement. “It’s just that with this comma where it is, the words ‘representative to Her Majesty in Ponyville’ are applying to the word it follows. So it reads as if Ponyville is the ‘representative to Her Majesty in Ponyville,’ instead of it applying to the full title of ‘Mayor of Ponyville.’ That would make the town itself its own representative, and render poor Cheerilee’s upcoming position completely redundant.”

Twilight set down her quill. “I’m afraid I can’t sign this legal document as it is.”

Mayor Mare’s eyes narrowed at the sentence as she did a double take. “Oh… er, yes, you’re absolutely right, Your Majesty. So, how to fix it?”

“Oh, it’s quite simple.” Twilight crossed out the comma and wrote the word ‘and’ in its place. “There. Now, after we both initial the change, I can sign away!”

“That’s lucky then,” Mayor Mare said. “It would be a shame if we had to produce a whole new set of documents and get Cheerilee to sign them all again.”

Twilight set her quill down again, looked up, and raised an eyebrow at Mayor Mare. Seconds passed... until she shrugged. “Yes, it would be. I’d hate to have to come back and go through all this with you again over a silly mistake.”

As she lowered her head and resumed signing, she never saw Mayor Mare slowly exhale, or the way she said a silent prayer to herself.

“Well, there we go. The final signature… done!” Twilight beamed as she brought all the papers together. “Cheerilee is now Mayor of Ponyville. Please forward my congratulations onto her when she returns from her class... trip...”

Mayor Mare flinched as Twilight leapt to her hooves, wings spread. “What is it, Your Majesty?”

“I just remembered. The forest. I thought I felt something earlier—some powerful magic being activated. And that’s where Cheerilee and her class are right now.”

“Powerful magic? From the Everfree Forest?” Mayor Mare tilted her head. “But, Your Majesty, that’s impossible. Surely it would require an astronomical flare for you to detect it at this distance, and you are the only one in Equestria who possesses that degree of magic.”

“Yes, I’m aware. Which is exactly why I’m going to check up on them, make sure everything’s fine.” Twilight’s horn glowed, its blood-red aura filling Town Hall. Mayor Mare shrank back in her chair.

“Have a good day, Mayor. Enjoy your retirement. I’ll deliver Ponyville’s new mayor the good news myself.”

* * * * *

As Zecora led the six out of the cave, Toffee Swirl covered her stinging eyes. The daylight blinded her after the dim glow inside, like the sun had come out at midnight without warning and caught her staring at the moon. With her head turned down and to the side, she listened to the sound of her classmates trotting away.

“Wait up, everypony,” she said, head down and hoof covering her eyes. “I can’t see anything.”

“Get over here, Toffee!” she heard Ambrosia shout. “Zecora said the potion’s gonna wear off any minute now.”

“I don’t care about the potion!” Toffee lowered her hoof and squinted through the dazzling daylight. “I just want out of this forest already. I’m scared, and... and I wanna see my momma again!”

“Toffee, we gotta go now. We’re runnin’ outta time.”

“No! I wanna see my parents!”

She heard a sigh, saw a yellow blur, and gasped when she felt herself shaken hard.

“Don’t you get it, silly filly?” Ambrosia pulled her face close to Toffee’s. “If we don’t all do this, we won’t have parents to go home to!”

Toffee recoiled, tail between her legs. “But… but… I didn’t w-want this.” She sat down, covered her face, and began to sob. Tears leaked out from under her hooves, and hiccups soon followed. “I j-just want…”

“Urgh. Fine! Be a little sook then.” Ambrosia snorted and turned on her heels. “We’ll find somepony else who actually cares about wanting a better world.” Leaving the distraught filly behind, she grumbled and flicked her tail. As she passed the others, she eyed their expressions and stopped. “What? She ain’t gonna cooperate. What else are we s’posed to do?”

Zecora sighed, drawing Ambrosia’s gaze. “There is no other, Ambrosia Bloom. Toffee must join, else all meet their doom. But I suggest, instead of rage… perhaps appealing to her age?”

“Her age? Ya mean, little filly stuff?”

“I believe what Miss Zecora means, Ambi—” Liberty walked over “—is that we should not try to make her fear punishment… but instead, offer her encouragement. When you threaten a young foal, all that happens is they become more afraid, and less likely to do what you want.”

“Oh, really?” Ambrosia raised an eyebrow. “Ya know, when I was a little filly, Mama’d always threaten me with a kick up the rear when I was bein’ naughty. I never believed her, but then she did it one day. And that scared me, and I was never naughty again.”

“But you were raised differently to Toffee,” Liberty said. “You’re a strong Earth pony with strong Earth pony parents. Toffee is a unicorn, and… are her parents unicorns, too?”

“Her ma is. Her pa’s a pegasus though.”

“Okay, sure. Now think about this. Queen Twilight needs as many strong Earth ponies as possible to keep farming, to keep growing food for everypony in Equestria. But what do pegasi and unicorns do? She looks after all the weather, and she is very strict on policing how unicorns use their magic. I expect that Toffee has had a much more sheltered environment than you, or even I.”

Ambrosia brought a hoof up and rubbed her chin. “Hmmm. Ya know, I never thought like that. She’s just always been that annoyin’ little brat at school to me.”

Liberty nodded. “And she knows how you perceive her. As long as your ingrained feelings come out in everything you say to her, she will never listen to you.” She took a deep breath. “Let me try talking to her instead. She doesn't know me like the rest of you, so maybe I can calm her down.”

“Where d’you get all them brains from, Libby? Was the store havin’ a sale or somethin’?”

“I read. A lot. You might have noticed.”

Liberty and Ambrosia turned at Zecora’s laugh. “What?” Ambrosia said.

“Liberty Belle, you are wise beyond your years. Perhaps you can dispel Toffee’s youthful fears.”

Liberty nodded. “I will try.”

As Liberty trotted off to Toffee, Ambrosia turned around again and met with the others in the circle. The familiar tingle shot through her hooves as she sat down, doing her best to ignore the sensation. She shared a look with Wild, Heat, and Snow.

“Hey, guys. Do y’all think I was bein’ too rough with her?”

Wild guffawed and knocked Ambrosia’s shoulder. “Ambi, you’re the toughest filly I know. And we’ve had tough parents, even if they are nice enough most of the time. Shoot, you’ve never been afraid to put me in my place. Now, Toffee? She’s a wuss. She’s a fragile little flower compared to you. She’s undisciplined, sheltered, and wouldn’t know a plow from a hoe. She’s never had to work like us.”

“Huh.” Ambrosia fell silent, staring at the ground with a frown.

“Don’t worry too much, Ambi,” Heat said. He lifted her chin with a wing. “You know, I’m actually kind of scared myself. But I’ll be a minotaur’s uncle if I don’t do something to see my dad happy. And if it means getting Mother back too, I’ll face whatever comes. Even if they have to… believe I’m not… coming home.” He coughed and turned away.

“My mind’s still spinning about all this, honestly,” Snow added. “I can see why Toffee’s upset. You might think she’s being soft, but this is a big thing. Like, a really big thing. And we had no warning at all. We’re just expected to go along with these ‘plans’ and…” He rubbed his face and moaned. “Well, nothing for it. Up and away, I guess. But—hey!” He glared at Heat and rubbed his shoulder. “What for?”

Fire blazed in Heat’s eyes. “Dude! ‘Up and away!’ Guess what we’re gonna be able to do?” He spread his wings. “Ey? Ey?”

Snow’s eyes gleamed like an aurora. “Whoa. I never thought about that at all… nice!” He and Heat shared a high wing, whooped, and leapt into the air. “Oh, heck yeah. I’m never walking anywhere ever again!”

Wild Seed grinned at them and stood up. He tilted his head from side to side, enjoying the sensation of his neck popping. “Well, the sooner we get on with it, the further ahead of Queen Twilight we get. Now we just have to hope—oh, here they come.” He pointed.

All four looked around as Liberty and Toffee approached Zecora. Liberty spoke some words, shared a glance with Toffee—who nodded slowly, her face still shining—and then made her way over to the rock circle, Zecora and Toffee in tow. She stood still just before them all, her companions on either side.

“After some more sensitive discussion with Miss Swirl here, she has agreed to join us,” Liberty said, smiling at Toffee. “But—” she narrowed her eyes at everypony else “—she has conditions.”

Ambrosia raised an eyebrow. “Conditions?”

Liberty nodded. “Number one: you, Ambrosia, apologise for being mean and yelling at her all the time.” The ghost of a grin crept onto her face.

“But… but... I don’t…” Ambrosia spluttered and stamped her hoof. “I’m not mean! And I don’t yell. I’m just tough—there’s a difference! A-and, uh… realistic! Sometimes ya just can’t fool yourself, and ya shouldn’t fool others neither.”

She looked around for support, but found only amused smiles. She sighed and dropped her head below her shoulders. “Fine.” Looking up into Toffee’s eyes, she took a deep breath and steadied herself. “Toffee Swirl, I’m sorry I was mean to you earlier. I went about tryin’ to convince you the wrong way, and I didn’t think that you might have different feelings about things. And… I’ll try to not raise my voice too loud no more.”

“Thank you, Ambrosia,” Toffee said.

“The second condition—” Ambrosia looked up at Liberty “—is that we don’t talk about all the bad things that might happen if we don’t do something, or we fail. Instead, everypony has to stay positive and talk about all the good things that might happen when we succeed and this is all over.” She eyed the hovering twins. “I see you two have already embraced this mentality.”

They grinned and bumped hooves.

“Lastly… if Toffee ever gets upset about being homesick, or missing family, or anything similar, we are not to dismiss her, or call her a crybaby, or anything else demeaning. If she wants to talk… if she wants comfort, we support her.” Liberty took a deep breath. “That last one goes for all of us, too. We are in this together, and we need to work as a team, just like Harmony wants. It is the only way to revive the Elements and defeat Queen Twilight with them.”

All exchanged murmurs of assent.

“Are you okay now, Toffee?” Liberty asked.

Toffee nodded and wiped her nose, but stepped forward into the stone circle. “Yes. Let’s just get going, can we?”

Liberty nodded and looked at the others. “Now, if we are all agreed on this, everypony put your hooves in the middle. We are seeing this through, and by Celestia, we are going to succeed!”

She thrust her hoof forward. Wild’s went in first; Toffee’s shaking light-brown hoof covered them all.

“Right.” Liberty turned to the smiling Zecora. “I believe we are ready now, Miss Zecora. What must we do?”

Zecora nodded. “The Elements lie in capable hooves. But the road is long, and you must plan your moves. First, all step inside this ring, and embrace your bodies’ tingling. Second, stand up straight and tall, for this next step to work at all. Third, altogether, these words three: ‘Urafiki ni Uchawi.’”

“You’re a freaky... what?” Ambrosia hung her tongue out of her mouth.

Zecora chuckled. “Perhaps some practise I advise, as memorising would be wise.” Without warning, she stiffened, her pupils retracting. Her next words spilled out in a verbal torrent: “But hasten fast, Harmony’s chosen, lest you find your progress frozen.”

“You okay, Zec—”

“Now! Say the words, say them together!” Zecora had turned pale as a cloud. “She approaches—it’s now or never!”

The foals gasped.

“Everyone, stand up and say the words. Come on!” Liberty jerked her head around to Zecora. “Yoo...rahfiki ni... Ucha...wi?”

Zecora nodded. “Urafiki ni Uchawi. One last thing—find Zubu. My old friend—he will aid you.”

“Urafiki ni Uchawi, Urafiki ni Uchawi, Urafiki ni Uchawi…”

As the six chanted on and on, a shimmering pillar of light encased them. Shining brighter and brighter—on par with the sun—their bodies began to glow. In a final flash, they vanished, leaving only a pile of crumbled debris.

After lowering her hoof, Zecora stared at the extinct teleporter and breathed a sigh of relief. It was done. Finally, after years of hope, decades of planning… the world had a second chance at life.

As the red flash appeared nearby, she closed her eyes. Nothing else mattered to her now. The end result was worth any price.

“What the...? How did…?”

Queen Twilight Sparkle stared at the archway, her mouth agape. “I sealed this entrance thirty years ago! Why is it wide open like this?”

Zecora groaned and sat down against a tree, its shadow covering her face.

Twilight’s ears twitched. “I see,” she said. “So this was your doing.” She spun around, eyes filled with shining bloodlust, her Amulet pulsing at her neck. “You know, Cheerilee told me something very interesting a minute ago. She’s been waiting at your hut for close to half an hour now, with seven of her class. No sooner had she told me that, than I felt the echoes of a positively tremendous outpouring of magic.

“Where, may I ask, are the other six?”

Another flash, and Zecora found herself against the tree. Winded, she gasped while her patch flicked up and over her face. A jagged scar covered the skin, stretched taut over where her left eye should have been. Bathed in the scarlet aura, Zecora shivered.

“I see that punishing you as vengeance for my friends taught you absolutely nothing,” Twilight continued. Her eyes shifted a little past Zecora’s face, and a striped leg extended from the tree. “Perhaps it is time for another lesson.”

Zecora screamed as her right hind tibia snapped.

“What did you do, Zecora? Where are the foals, and why is my seal broken?”

Zecora flinched away from Twilight’s powerful voice. Panting, tears leaking from her remaining eye, she looked back into Twilight’s bloody gaze. “I have... not done a single thing, though... a terrifying fate did bring... those wayward foals to their deaths, gone in... but a single breath.” She ground her teeth together and moaned through the pain. “I warned them of that dreadful tree, protected by Your Majesty. Yet all my warnings they ignored... and with us now, they are no more. Naught but ash... remains of all, of whom the tree’s wrath did befall. Queen Twilight, their souls are free… to reside in eternity.”

Twilight smiled a dangerous smile. “So, you would have had these foals revive the Elements.”

“Dear Twilight, please, you must see, my intent was not what you believe—”

“Do not lie to me!”

Another break, a femur this time. Twilight rose into the air and hovered before her crippled, howling victim. “You wanted to turn them into a weapon!” she snarled. “A weapon to use against me. Well, guess what? Your plan backfired. That’s right, Zecora—however long you planned this, it was all for nothing!”

Another crack like thunder shot through the air. Twilight descended again as Zecora’s screams sent birds flying from the treetops.

“Now I have to explain to five sets of parents that their foals are never coming home, from a class field trip that I myself signed off on—that you assured me would be perfectly safe—all because of your utter foalishness.”

Twilight inclined her head, and Zecora flew through the air, landing in a crumpled heap at Twilight’s hooves.

“You know something, Zecora?” She shook the trembling, broken, aged zebra. “I was having a decent day today. Breakfast was great, seeing Scootaloo was nice—heck, even signing papers didn’t feel such a chore as usual. But now you’ve gone and ruined that. Can you even imagine how this is going to damage my reign?”

Zecora forced her head up, her eye on Twilight’s furious red horn. Ignoring the inferno coursing through her nerves, she spoke barely above a whisper.

“Your reign… with this my final dare… can rot with Tirek... for all I care.”

The Ultimate Rebellion

by Cerulean Voice

Chapter One: Blank Generation

Chapter Two: Children of the Future

Chapter Three: Recklessness and a Reunion

Chapter Four: The Two Trees

Chapter Five: Project 57R-BR57

Chapter Six: Harmony's Ignition

Chapter Seven: “For Equestria.”

Chapter Eight: In Visible Light (approx 15% complete)