Chapter 1: To Protect a Sister

The Powers of Harmony

by CyborgSamurai

Pre-Readers: CoandCo, DarkPhoenix, Ganelon, K5Josh, LittleSallyDigby, and Snoodude

Chapter 1:

To Protect a Sister

A teal stallion clad in the golden armor of the Royal Guard galloped through the cavernous halls of Canterlot Castle. His hoofsteps echoed off the walls as he passed through well-known corridors and took familiar shortcuts. His heart raced as a small contingent of soldiers passed him by, the vibrations of their steps adding to the subtle shaking that he fought to hide.

The carpet faded to midnight blue as he rounded a corner and stood at the beginning of a long hallway. The windows were draped in thin, violet curtains that subdued the early morning light, covering the walls in mysterious, seductive shadow. A large set of silver doors inlaid with a dark circle stood at the opposite end, and as he ran down the hall, the darkness gave way to light, forming into a waxing crescent. By the time he had closed the distance, the orb was full, shining with a soft luminance.

Six stallions wearing dark navy blue armor in the same style as his stood in front of the door, blocking his path. The guards frowned as he approached, eyeing him as if he were a slavering beast. One of them stepped forward.

“State your business.”

The golden-armored stallion gave a curt bow, his sides heaving. “First Lieutenant Blair of Her Majesty’s Royal Guard here to see Princess Celestia.”

The dark-clad guard looked Blair over for a moment, then gave a nod to his comrades. Three of them surrounded Blair, searching him from nose to tail. Finding nothing of interest, a unicorn stepped forward, and started to lower his horn to Blair’s forehead.

The unicorn was stopped by the first guard. “That’s not necessary. First Lieutenant, you may go in.”

He nodded his thanks. The painting of the moon split in two as the doors swung open on unseen hinges, and as the doors shut behind him, he gave a small sigh of relief.

Blair climbed a set of wide spiral stairs before coming into a newly-furnished apartment, decorated in a nighttime motif. The dark ceiling above was streaked with violet and awash in countless pinpricks of light. Bookcases and star charts lined the walls, with a full, detailed map of the moon displayed in a corner. In the center of the room was a long oak table covered with scrolls, books, a sextant, and an abacus, where two alicorn mares sat together in calm discussion.

The first one was regal and ageless, with a coat white as snow. Her long, billowing rainbow mane hid half her face as she spoke.

“…second-person singular, and second-person plural. Instead of ‘thou’, use nominative verbs and pronouns. The pronouns are: I, you, he, she, it, they, and we.”

The second alicorn, a filly with a periwinkle coat, scribbled furiously on a piece of parchment. She ceased her note-taking and looked up. “What of ‘thy’ and ‘thine? Are those still in use?”

The elder mare shook her head. “Use possessive adjectives instead.”

“Fie on this accursed modern grammar!” The filly crossed her hooves and pouted. “The old ways suit thee much better, Tia. I have half a mind to—“

“Ahem.”

They both looked up to see Blair bowing at the entrance of the room, his eyes glued to the floor as he spoke.

“Forgive me for this slight, Your Majesties. I have something of urgent importance to bring to your attention.”

Celestia shone with a bright light. It enveloped her as she disappeared in a flash, reappearing at the entrance of the room before Blair. She radiated calm from her entire visage, the barest hint of sharpness in her voice the only indication of her true feelings.

“What is it?”

Blair felt her violet eyes boring into the top of his skull. “The storm is breaking on the Horizon.”

There was a silence. After a moment, Blair felt the warm, soothing presence of Celestia’s mind touch the corner of his own. He allowed her to confirm what he had already discovered.

The touch withdrew. “Meet me in my chambers after midday court,” she said.

“As you wish, Princess.” Blair turned and walked out of the room and descended the stairs. Celestia heard the doors below close behind him with an echoing clack.

“What hast thou done?”

She turned to see the filly still at the table, staring wide-eyed at the place where Blair had stood. Celestia put on an innocent look. “What was that, Luna?”

Luna’s narrowed her eyes as she turned to Celestia. “Thou canst not hide thy spellwork from me, no matter how hard thou mayest try. I know not what that... thing was, but it certainly was not a pony. I ask again: what hast thou done?”

Celestia hesitated. Years of practice had taught her how to keep her emotions in check and think on her hooves. She‘d perfected the art of deflecting pointed questions, and knew that it would be easy to divert Luna away from the truth. In fact, several false answers had already come unbidden to her mind, each of them completely plausible.

However, she didn’t like making the same mistake twice.

Celestia sighed and brushed her mane out of her face. “What have we done, is the better question.”

Luna blinked. She dropped the quill and parchment and stormed over to her sister. “Straighten thy tongue! Of what dost thou speak?!”

Celestia felt the old, practiced stoic mask slipping over her face at her sister’s outburst. However, with great effort, she forced it away. This was not an angry diplomat, a pompous noble, or a jealous rival. This was her sister, her fellow ruler, equal in power and authority. The only one who could stand with her and watch the passing of the eras. The time they’d been apart was like a gaping hole in her heart that had ached every second for a thousand years, and now, at long last, that hole had been filled.

She wouldn’t jeopardize that. Not for anything.

“It’s a long story,” Celestia said.

For the briefest of moments, a shadow fell over Luna. Her mouth twitched as her eyes flickered. After a moment though, she relaxed and spoke in a softer tone. “Keeping secrets hath not served us well in the past.”

Celestia barked out a harsh laugh. “That’s putting it lightly.” She walked back over to the table and perused the collection of scrolls. An ancient one that still bore the scars of a flame caught her eye. “We’ve both made mistakes, Lulu: Past and present. I don’t know if you’re ready to hear this.”

Luna spread her wings and flew back over to the table. “Thou hast checked enough times to know I am in no danger of—what new word didst thou use?”

“Relapse.”

She nodded. “Yes, that one. “

Celestia’s voice dropped to a cracked whisper. “I’ve been wrong before.”

Luna raised her hoof, tilting her sister’s head so that they were looking into each other’s eyes. “Do not fear. It is her most powerful tool, and thou hast not any idea how well I know her ways. Never again shall I succumb to her, not in any way, shape, or form.”

She nuzzled Celestia’s cheek. “Nor shall I allow thee.”

Celestia felt her throat and chest tighten. She fell back behind a practiced mental wall to prevent the emotions from taking hold. It’d been trying for both of them over the past few months, the simple realization that they were together again being enough to break them both down. Celestia was extremely grateful they’d gotten better about it. Holding court with red eyes and tear streaks is rather bad for appearances, after all.

Celestia maintained the contact for a moment before backing away, turning to look over at the detailed picture of the moon. “I’m just worried about you.”

Luna followed her gaze. “Thy concern cannot influence thine actions. Slipping into the same destructive habits wilt lead us to ruin yet again.” Her eyes lingered on the portion that until very recently, was covered with the silhouette of a mare. “Of course, such advice I must also keep in mind. We are together again, sister. Let us share our burdens once more.”

Celestia got up from the table and walked towards the window. Up a nearby set of stairs was a balcony, where a massive, ancient telescope stood tilted to the heavens. She regarded it thoughtfully before turning back to Luna.

“I'll make you a deal.”

Luna remained seated at the table. She scoffed and gave her sister a reproachful glare. “Thou dost not make deals with kin. If thou wishest for mine help, thou needest only ask.”

“Okay then,” Celestia said, waving her hoof in apology. “I'll tell you everything. But first, I need you to do me a favor.”

“Pray tell.”

Celestia pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and set it before her. “Can you write somepony a letter?”

Luna blanched as she eyed the paper with parted lips and scrunched eyebrows. “Prithee it may be written in the old style.”

Celestia chuckled. “I think Twilight will get a kick out of that.”

Twilight Sparkle trudged out of the dim recesses of Canterlot University into the blazing sunlight of a beautiful late summer day. The wind was gentle, and the air was warm. Sparse, puffy clouds dotted the skyline, and the twittering of songbirds mixed with the laughter and milling about of other ponies as they enjoyed the season.

Twilight tossed back her mane with a snort as a strand of hair fell in front of her face. She walked to a fountain in the center of the courtyard. As she did, she adjusted her saddlebags, which were filled to the brim with heavy spellbooks, components, and her own research notes.

She stood in silence, her movements sure and fluid, her face a calm and emotionless mask as she looked out across the foyer.

Her thoughts however, were another story.

Of all the most redundant, idiotic, asinine things they could—where in the world do they find these ponies?! Is this really the quality of professors that they have? Thank Celestia I don’t actually attend class here, because if I did, I’d probably get kicked out for pointing out all the problems with their ridiculous curriculum! Honestly, do they think I’m a freshman straight out of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns? No wonder so few seniors get their degree!

This was Twilight’s first time coming to the University in a few months, and she wished it could be her last. She knew it wouldn’t be, of course. But fortunately, the assignments that came from being Princess Celestia’s personal protégée were a bit more important than University work. Even the dreaded members of the stuffy school board couldn’t argue against that.

I told them that my work wasn’t in a state to be shown. But do they listen? Noooooooo. ‘Presentations of your progress are mandatory’, they say. Mandatory, my flank! They just want to make sure I’m not going to blow myself up!

One such assignment was to live in the small nearby village of Ponyville, to study the unique but powerful magic of Friendship. Because of this, the University was forced to recognize her as a special case, and allow her to continue her studies from the town.

Today, however, Twilight had had to make a presentation to a committee for her thesis spell, the final step in acquiring a Doctorate in Arcana. And as the committee couldn’t really come to her, she had had to make the trip to Canterlot.

Twilight picked up a stray pebble with her magic and threw it into the water, watching the ripples slowly spread outward. Her ranting was interrupted by a pang of hunger. It felt like I was in there all morning. What time is it? I'm supposed to meet with Shining for lunch at one. She glanced up at the clock above the main entranceway.

Twelve fifty-eight.

She froze.

“Ahhhh!” She turned and sprinted out of the University, drawing several curious glances from her fellow students.

A minute later, Twilight cleared the University’s safety wards that prevented teleportation. She focused on an image of her favorite restaurant, the Daft Daffodil. It's a bit on the far side, but desperate times call for desperate measures! Stupid committee and their endless questions!

Her horn flared brightly as she drew upon her magical font and cast the spell. The world turned magenta.

Twilight re-appeared beside a sign of a bright yellow daffodil with mismatched eyes doing a jig. Surrounding her were several well-dressed, and now extremely surprised unicorns. Their surprise however quickly soured into angry glares as they started muttering.

Twilight felt herself go red as she stammered out an apology. The unicorns continued to shoot daggers at her, unabated. Confused as to what warranted such hostility, she turned to check herself. What’s the matter? I didn’t singe my coat again, did I? I don’t want to show up smelling like burnt… hair... oh.

She saw she had teleported to the front of a line some fifty ponies long. She gave a nervous laugh and put a hoof behind her head.

Oops. Should’ve figured it'd be busy. I wonder i—

“Twily!”

She turned at the voice to see a familiar white stallion with a blue striped mane waving at her from a table in the outside seating area. She squeed and pointed him out to the hostess, who nodded and let her in.

Shining Armor rose as she approached. “Nice entrance, sis.”

Twilight chuckled. “Thanks. I think next time I’ll try to appear on a table and put on a nice song and dance number. I could earn a few bits that way.” For a brief moment, all of her stress faded away as she looked into the eyes of her brother. “It’s good to see you, Shining.”

Shining gave her a warm smile, and then glanced over her shoulder to her saddlebags. “Did you teleport all the way here from the University?”

Twilight sighed as life resumed. She removed the heavy bags and sat down. “I had to. They wouldn’t stop asking me questions about safety protocol. I only just got out.”

Shining raised an eyebrow. “That’s almost three miles from here. You’ve stepped up your game.”

She averted her eyes and coughed to prevent herself going red for a second time.

He pretended not to notice and continued on. “So, is it going well, then? Your thesis spell, I mean.”

“It would be going better if they didn’t want me to send them three progress reports a week now,” Twilight fumed. “Seriously, what’s the point of a progress report if they don’t give me enough time to make any progress? It’s a waste of time.”

“I’m sure that they just want to make sure you’re using your time appropriately.”

Her irritation resurfaced as she eyed him skeptically. “Does it really sound necessary to check up on students that much, especially at this point in our education? This isn’t Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Do they honestly think I’m going to slack off on this?!”

Shining listened in silence as his sister continued to vent. He could tell that she’d been stressed about this for a while, and needed to get it off her chest. She kept going for a while, but just as abruptly as she’d started, she stopped.

“I’m sorry.” Twilight pursed her lips and looked at the floor. “I didn’t want the first thing we talked about to be my thesis woes. I imagine you’ve got your own hooves full with the Royal Guard.”

Twilight was startled by a laugh. She jerked up to see Shining smiling and shaking his head. “I’m your brother, Twily. You know I’ll always listen and help in any way I can. You used to do the same for me all the time, after all.”

She gave him a grateful smile. “I suppose that’s kind of what family does.”

The waiter came. He took their orders and walked off with a bow.

“So then,” Twilight said, “how are you? I haven’t seen you since I left for Ponyville.”

“Busy,” he replied as he sipped at his water. “Eight of our members retired this year, so we’ve had a lot of newbies to break in. Between that and the return of Princess Luna, the Guard’s been undergoing a lot of changes.”

“I suppose you’ve had to appoint new members to form Luna’s Royal Guard as well,” Twilight surmised.

“Sort of,” Shining admitted. “Princess Celestia has been making all of the final decisions. I've just been giving a few recommendations here and there. But let me tell you, it's taken a while.”

“How so? I can’t imagine that Princess Luna would have more guards than Princess Celestia.”

“You’d be wrong.” Shining absentmindedly folded his napkin into squares. “She has more than twice the amount Celestia has. Your mentor is a little protective of her sibling at the moment.”

Twilight was surprised at first, but then considered. She just got her back after a thousand years of separation, after all. I suppose I can't blame her for going a little overboard. I’ve missed Shining after not seeing him for a few months. I can’t imagine what a millennium would be like.

“Do you think she’ll keep that many for long?”

He shrugged as he leaned back in his chair. He looked to the north, beholding the pearlescent windows of Canterlot Castle as they shone like mirrors in the midday sun. “Not my place to say. I imagine that Princess Luna will get tired of being under such heavy security. But when that'll be, I have no idea.”

Silence fell between them. Twilight waited for Shining to continue, but he just stared off into the distance. Then, with a deep breath, he straightened himself in his seat, placed his shoulders back, and turned to her. His eyes were hard and unrelenting, catching her gaze and holding it in place.

Oh, for crying out… really? The Big Brother Stare? Why does this still work on me?! Twilight winced. “What is it?”

“While we’re on the topic of additional security—“

Not this again. She gave a derisive snort and rolled her eyes.

Her body language wasn’t lost on him. “You’re exposed out there, Twily. You need protection.”

Twilight shook her head. “There is no threat to Ponyville outside of the Everfree, and there hasn’t been a monster raid in decades.”

He jabbed a hoof at her. “I’m not talking about dangers to Ponyville. I’m talking about dangers to you and your friends.”

“We’re nopony special! We’re all just simple—”

Shining leaned across the table, his face inches from hers as he spoke in a low tone. “You and your friends are the wielders of one of the most powerful and ancient pieces of magic in Equestria. Nopony save for you six can use the Elements of Harmony. Not to mention you’re the ones who rescued Princess Luna. Like it or not, all of you are important ponies with ties to both of the Princesses; ties that could be easily exploited.”

He maintained the eye contact for a few more seconds, then blew a puff of air in her face. She jerked back as her hair went askew, and Shining leaned back with a grin. “What kind of B.B.B.F.F would I be if I let you stay in danger?”

Twilight blinked several times as she fixed her mane. Horseapples, he brought some good ammunition this time. But the underlying problem is still there: I don’t want guards in Ponyville. I don’t want anypony to treat me differently. And I especially don’t want my friends to have to deal with any of this. If Shining has his way, we’ll all have an armed contingent with us everywhere we go.

Twilight’s thoughts drifted to the trials they had overcome. “My friends and I are not helpless.”

“No, you’re not,” he agreed. “And I’d be a foal to think that any of you were. After you and your friends defeated Nightmare Moon, I went and found everything I could get my hooves on about the Elements of Harmony. Information on them is… sparse, to put it lightly, but being a Captain of the Royal Guard gives you some pretty nice privileges.”

He looked at his hoof as if he found it intensely fascinating. “Including access to the Millennial Archives.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped. The Millennial Archives was the most restricted section of books in the Canterlot Library. They weren’t even in the library, per se, more like several hundred feet behind it, deep within the mountain’s heart. Only those who had a Doctorate in Arcana or a similar level of authority were allowed to read those tomes.

“There was a surprising amount of information in there about the Elements,” Shining continued casually. “So I’ve a pretty good idea what you’re all capable of. Or perhaps, what you will be capable of is a more accurate choice of words.”

Twilight shook her head. “What do you—“

Their conversation was interrupted by their food arriving.

Twilight ate her cauliflower and rye sandwich in silence. I don’t want to admit it, but he’s got a point. We are all connected to the Princesses, and it’s not exactly a secret that we’re the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. It only makes logical sense to have some kind of additional security. But still…

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said after a few moments. “Call me whatever you want: Selfish, foalish, overconfident, naive… but I refuse to be responsible for disturbing the peace of Ponyville. I believe Princess Celestia sent me there because everypony there treats me like an equal. Not some detached, vaunted special subject that’s been meticulously groomed by royalty.”

Shining sighed and put down his cucumber salad. He looked up at his sister. “First off, I would never call you any of those things unless you were actually being them, which you’re not. Your concerns are justified.”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief.

“But so are mine,” he continued in a voice as hard as stone, “and I’m not going to wait for you or your friends to get foalnapped, assaulted, or worse for the reality of all this to sink in.”

“So what, you’re just going to—“

“And neither are the Princesses,” he interjected. His horn glowed, and he produced a letter from his bag. Twilight gasped.

The Royal Seal. Only letters written by the Princess bore that mark. Shining gave it to Twilight, who took it in her magic and opened it. As she did, she realized there were two letters: One was a normal beige parchment written in black ink, the second a dark indigo page, its message written in a silver script. She recognized her mentor’s elegant hornwriting on the first, so she began with that one.

Twilight-

Your brother asked if he could give you this letter personally in the event that you still declined the offer of providing additional security for you and your friends in Ponyville. I am afraid I must agree with Shining on this. While the threat of danger is not definite, the simple fact is that by being directly associated with both myself and Luna, you all stand at risk to be manipulated or controlled by forces that conspire against the crowns.

You must understand, Twilight, that you and your friends mean very, very much to me, and that your safety is my top priority. I couldn’t bear it if any of you were harmed, and if you were abducted, I’d use any means necessary to rescue you. And that’s to say nothing of what Luna might do, as she feels indebted to all of you for saving her.

I understand you might be worried about the guards disturbing the citizens of Ponyville. I apologize for this. As a compromise, the guards that will be assigned to you will keep their presence to a minimum, and they will only be in uniform when the situation calls for it. After all, I sent you to Ponyville to learn more about Friendship. I realize that the presence of a fully armed squad following you around may be a slight detriment to that goal.

If nothing else, do this for the peace of mind of a worrying old mare. I will sleep better knowing you are protected, and I know Luna will as well.

Send your friends my greetings-

Princess Celestia

Twilight’s mind was racing and her muscles were tense as she finished the letter. Calm down, calm down. Let him explain before you fly off the handle.

“You didn’t tell me that the guards wouldn’t be in uniform,” Twilight said in a careful tone. “That makes a difference.”

“You’ve been vehemently opposed to this idea ever since I first brought it up,” Shining said patiently. “That wouldn’t have been enough to convince you.”

Twilight’s thoughts slowed down as she realized he was right. A part of her was indeed still defiant.

“Only you would know that,” she muttered.

Shining looked at the second note. “You should probably read that one, too.”

“Do you know what it says?”

He shook his head. “No, but I imagine that the first letter Princess Luna has sent to anypony since her return is a tad significant.”

Twilight flinched. “The… first…”

Her brother gestured at the scroll.

She now had goosebumps as she unrolled the second parchment and took a proper look at the motif. The paper was the color of the night sky, the ink was like silvery starlight, and Luna’s hornwriting was thin and spidery. Twilight took a calming breath and began to read.

Twilight Sparkle-

We cannot convey to thee the level of gratitude we have to both thee and thy friends for saving us from ourselves. As our sister has said, we know not if such a debt can truly ever be repaid, though if the Stars are willing, we will most assuredly try.

While we understand that the presence of our Guard shalt inconvenience thee, we do implore that thou shouldst indulge us in this. We are ashamed to admit, however, that our motivations for this appointment are selfish. For verily, while we are recovering rapidly from our Purification, we still currently find ourselves to be somewhat… weak. And in our lingering weakness, we harbor a fear. A fear that if our noble Saviors were to come to harm so soon after our Redemption, we may succumb to the same Darkness as we did before, and have something akin to, as you say, a ‘relapse’.

We sympathize with thy disdain and resistance to the imposition on thy privacy and anonymity. We ourselves are under a similar arrangement until we have regained our strength. And while it is indeed the epitome of malcontent, it is a necessary burden. So too is thy lot, Twilight Sparkle, it is the price to pay for having Power, as well as being close to those in Power.

We pray that thou seest the truth of the matter, and that thou wilt acquiesce to the arrangements that thy brethren hath established. And perhaps, when we are recovered, if thou and thy friends are inclined, we may be able to visit at thy hearth and home in Ponyville.

We wish thee and thy friends well-

Princess Luna

The butterflies in her stomach made Twilight's actions jerky and tense as she rolled up the letter with her magic and placed it in her bags.

“The contents of that letter were meant for your eyes only,” Shining mumbled. He had returned his attention to his salad. “You don’t have to say anything about it if you don’t want.”

Twilight stared at her food, taking in this new revelation. Could the Princess really have a relapse? She thought back to what she had researched on the legend of the Mare in the Moon.

According to the story, Princess Luna had become jealous of Princess Celestia and the daytime that was her charge, as all the ponies loved both her and it. Luna had desired the same level of love and affection from the little ponies that her sister enjoyed, but all of them shunned her and the night by staying indoors and sleeping through it. Luna slowly became bitter, jealous, and angry, and after nursing those dark emotions for years, she finally gave in to them, undergoing a terrible transformation and thereafter was known as Nightmare Moon.

What followed was a terrible series of battles later referred to as the War of the Sun and Moon. Most of the fighting was restricted to the lands now known as the Everfree Forest, but eventually the conflict became so severe that it threatened to spill over into the rest of Equestria. Princess Celestia, left with no other choice, decided to use a set of powerful relics against Nightmare Moon called the Elements of Harmony.

While the Elements were made to purge corruption and correct imbalance, Celestia was too torn by grief and sadness to wield them at their full power against Nightmare Moon. So instead, she used the ancient magics to banish her to the celestial body that was once her charge, where she would stay imprisoned for one thousand years. However, when that millennium had passed, Nightmare Moon would be released from the heavens, free to terrorize Equestria once more.

Two months ago, freed indeed Nightmare Moon was, but no terror could she sow. For she was stopped by six mares who used the same Elements of Harmony against her to their full power, and in doing so, reverted the fallen monarch to her former state of Princess Luna. Those six were Twilight Sparkle and her friends.

Part of her fall was caused by anger. And if the ones who she feels so indebted to were put in danger, I imagine that she’d be rather… enraged. And if she’s still recovering, it might be possible…

Twilight rubbed her eyes, then let her hoof fall on the table with a light thud. “All right, Shining. You win this time.”

Shining resumed his normal posture with a sigh. “I’ve heard through the grapevine that Princess Luna is a rather eloquent speaker. I guess that holds true in written form, as well.”

Twilight stared at the indigo scroll in wonder. “She writes in the Old Equestrian Grammar. That hasn’t been used in centuries. Her prose is almost naturally poetic.”

“Well, she hasn’t been around for centuries,” he reminded her. “It makes sense.”

Twilight picked up her glass of grape juice. “How many guards will each of us have?”

“Two for each of you,” Shining replied as he wiped off his mouth. “In total there will be a dozen soldiers that will be assigned to Ponyville, disguised as civilians. They’ll do nothing but monitor from afar unless a situation arises.”

She nodded and took a drink. I suppose that’s not so bad.

His eyes flickered. “And, in addition Twily, you specifically will have a personal bodyguard who will stay by your side at all times.”

Twilight spat her grape juice across the table.

“WHAT?!”

Shining blinked as the beverage slowly faded into his coat, turning him a faint shade of purple.

Twilight didn’t even know where to start: Whether to protest against having a complete stranger be with her all the time, to apologize, or to make the observation that they looked even more like siblings now. She simply stared wide-eyed as all three thoughts got stuck together in her mind, vying for dominance.

Shining closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. His horn glowed, and the offending liquid separated itself from him all at once. It rose into the air, hovering above the table in a cohesive sphere and floated back over to Twilight. It re-inserted itself back into her glass in a thin stream.

“As I was about to say,” he said calmly, “this wasn’t my idea. The Princesses themselves requested that you have additional protection.”

Twilight didn’t respond. She was making funny faces as she tried to untangle her thoughts. Shining recognized the episode as one of her notorious ‘Brain-Jams’. He leaned on his hoof, waiting for her to correct herself.

“Why me?” she finally said.

Shining sighed. He swallowed hard, wetting his lips before setting his jaw. “I think it’s time you took a better look at yourself, Twily. Did you think that being Celestia’s personal student only meant that you got to read rare books and live in the castle?”

“O-Of course not! I-I’ve always—“

“What is Princess Celestia to you?”

“She’s my mentor! And she’s my friend!”

“And how many other ponies can say that about her?”

“...”

“I’ll answer that for you—none to the former, and very few to the latter.” Shining motioned at Canterlot Castle. “Now, let me ask you something else: what is Princess Celestia to everyone else?”

“She’s… one of the Rulers of Equestria.” Twilight admitted.

“Yes,” he said with a curt nod. “And you didn’t mention that at first. I know you don’t think of her that way, but you still have to understand that’s what she is.”

Twilight’s hair bristled. “I know that! It took us years to break down that wall!”

“And I’m happy that you’re able to have that kind of relationship with her,” he replied in a soothing tone. “But you need to realize that’s what makes you important. You may not know this, Twily, but because of your association with the Princess, most ponies think of you as something like pseudo-royalty.”

Shining paused to let that sink in. “And on top of all that, you’re a Bearer of an Element of Harmony.”

Twilight closed her eyes and ground her teeth. I just want to be left alone with my books, my studies, my friends, and the Princess. I don’t want to be treated differently, be recognized, or be in the spotlight. Why can’t I just be Twilight Sparkle, a regular old unicorn who likes magic? Is that so much to ask?

She hadn’t wanted to see the big picture. She’d been ignoring it, hoping it would go away. And now here was her brother, refusing to let her run anymore. It was like being shoved outside on a bright summer day after spending weeks underground. She wanted to hate him for it. She wanted to yell, scream and fight tooth and nail to keep herself from seeing what everypony else did, but she knew she couldn’t. It was time to face facts.

Twilight hung her head. “I’m kind of a big deal, aren’t I?”

Shining nodded solemnly. “Yeah, you kind of are. And unfortunately, ponies who are a big deal have the side effect of becoming targets.”

Twilight’s heart beat faster as she looked at the ground. He’d shattered the perfect world she was living in, and now the shards were cutting deep. Unbidden images began to surface, each one of them lancing straight through her heart. Waking up one night and finding herself bound, gagged, then being savagely beaten while being held for ransom. She and her friends being dragged off into the night, their screams the last thing anypony heard of them. Walking into the homes of her friends and seeing the remains of their broken bodies, covered in wounds and lying in pools of their own blood.

A lump formed in her throat as a soft sob escaped her. If anything were to happen to them...
Twilight felt a hoof on her shoulder. She looked up and saw that Shining was now standing beside her. His attention was focused on her mane, refusing to meet her watery eyes. His lips twitched, and she saw that he was gritting his teeth. Finally, he met her gaze, and she saw the pain he was trying to hide.

“I'm sorry,” he said. “I didn't want to make you upset. But that’s the point I’m trying to make: you don't need to be.”

He leaned down close to whisper in her ear. “Because if you’ll let me, I’ll never, ever let anything bad happen to you.”

A single tear ran down Twilight’s cheek. She nuzzled the crook of his neck, burying her face in his mane. He sat by her side, his foreleg around her shoulder in a loving embrace.

After a shared moment, Shining returned to his seat and they resumed eating.

“So, who’s the lucky stallion you’ve set me up with?” Twilight said sarcastically in a thick voice. “Seeing as there are no mares in the Royal Guard.”

“One of my lieutenants,” Shining managed through a munch of lettuce. “His name’s Blair. He’ll arrive with the other soldiers on the train to Ponyville tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” she echoed as she finished her sandwich. “That seems awfully fast for something that I just agreed to.”

“Sorry Twily, but this was going to happen whether you agreed to it or not. Royal orders.”

“It was?” She stared bewildered at her brother. “Then why didn’t you just say so in the first place?”

“Because you don’t like being told what to do,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I wanted to make this easier for you to accept.”

She put her elbows on the table and rested her head on her hooves. “It must be a family trait. I still don’t know how you deal with being in the military.”

He gave a devious smirk. “Why do you think I made Captain so fast?”

A Few Hours Later-

Blair hovered at the door just inside Celestia’s chambers, waiting for her to finish the monotony that was midday court. He’d been here many times, but he still tried to prevent his eyes from intruding on the specifics of the Princess’s limited privacy. He coughed and focused his wandering eyes on a sunken circle in the center of the room filled with cushions, chairs and tables.

This room always makes me feel small. Makes sense, I guess. It’s built to accommodate a pony more than twice my size, after all. Poor Luna probably feels like a stranger in her own home now that she’s a filly again. In wonder how long it’ll be before she’s back to full s—

There was a brilliant flash from the center of the sunken circle. Blair shielded his eyes. The light faded, and Princess Celestia now stood in the room. He quickly bowed.

“You know formalities aren’t needed when we’re alone, Blair.”

He maintained his gesture of respect. “Old habits die hard, your Majesty.”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “Don’t I know it.” She walked out of the circle to a large mahogany desk littered with parchment, quills, wax, and a bottle filled with green fire. She sat on a large, fluffy white pillow and gestured to an olive cushion in front of the desk.

Blair went to it and sat down, staring at the assorted items on the desk. “Sorry about interrupting your time with your sister.”

She waved a dismissive hoof. “It’s all right. Luna understands the rigors of being a Princess better than most.”

“True enough,” Blair said with a wan smile, which faded as quickly as it had formed. He looked into her violet eyes.

“Your Majesty, the barrier is falling apart.”

Celestia gave a small nod, her voice just above a whisper. “I know.”

“We need to use the Elements of Harmony to—“

She shook her head. “They can’t be used right now.”

Blair gave her a pleading look. “Horizon will die if we don’t.”

“I realize that,” Celestia said, “but it's not just a simple matter of using the Elements whenever we please. They have rules.”

“Could Luna help?” Blair asked. “I've read that the two of you wielded them together in the Era of Discord.”

“We did,” Celestia admitted. She looked to a stained glass window on the far wall. On it was a picture of herself and her sister using six shining relics against a bizarre creature. “But after the War of the Sun and Moon, our connection with them began to fade. That’s the reason why I haven’t been able to help you more these last twenty years.”

She gestured out the window behind her, where a tower was visible. Navy blue curtains adorned its windows, and long draping banners with the emblem of the moon hung from its walls. “Besides, you’ve seen her. Luna is in no state to be casting spells of that caliber, let alone the very one that was just used against her.”

Well, I knew the answer to that one, but it was worth a shot. Blair nodded, his gaze downcast. “So that leaves the Bearers.”

Celestia picked up a wrapped up scroll in her magic. “They’re not ready to use the Elements again. I fear that they may become injured in the process, and I’m not going to risk their safety.”

What? First time I’ve heard about this. He looked up with furrowed eyebrows. “Injured? How so?”

Celestia put down the scroll and raised her gaze to the ceiling. There was a long pause before she finally spoke again.

“What I am about to tell you is strictly confidential. The only ones who know this are myself, Luna, and Captain Shining Armor. Do I make myself clear?”

Blair swallowed hard, and gave a slow nod.

Celestia sighed and looked down at him. “During the battle against Nightmare Moon, one of the Bearers, Twilight Sparkle, got cut off from the others and was forced to fight her alone. Left with no other choice, Twilight tried to activate the Elements by herself. She only got halfway through before Nightmare Moon saw what she was doing, stopped her, and smashed the Elements to pieces.”

So that’s how they became turned into necklaces. I was wondering about that. Blair leaned forward and motioned to let Celestia continue.

Celestia shook her head. “I can only imagine that Nightmare Moon thought that by destroying the Elements, they couldn’t be used against her. Which might have been true, had they not been partially activated. Perhaps she didn’t realize how far Twilight had gotten, or the heat of the moment prevented her from thinking clearly. Regardless, that was a very foalish thing to do. Magic, like all forms of energy, can’t be destroyed. It merely goes somewhere else. And the first place it will always try is the nearest, most conductive vessel.”

She tucked in her chin and looked at Blair. “Can you guess what those vessels were?”

Blair’s eyes were bulging out of their sockets. “The… Bearers? The power of the Elements went to the Bearers?!”

“Half of it,” Celestia corrected. “The remaining portion was still unfocused, ambient magic lingering in the air. It manifested a short time later into the necklaces that are in Canterlot Tower.”

“But, Your Majesty,” Blair began, “even if that’s the case, why can’t they just wear the necklaces and—“ he stopped as he saw the calm, expressionless mask on her face.

Blair’s lips parted. “They don’t know, do they?”

“No,” Celestia said. “They don’t.”

“Why haven't you told them?” Blair asked.

“Because the magic is dormant,” she said. “The Elements have always needed time to recharge after use. Having half of their power reside in living vessels doesn’t change that fact. And in answer to your other question, you must trust me when I say that I’ve my reasons for not telling them at this time.”

So is that it then? Do we just wait to fade away? No other magic other than the Elements of Harmony can restore the barrier. And if they can't be used... “Well then,” Blair said as he fought to keep his shaky voice level. “What can we do?”

She eyed him gravely. “There's only one thing.”

He blanched. “But you said a Temporal Stasis spell would destroy the barrier for sure!”

Celestia nodded. “When it runs out, the barrier will be destroyed by the resulting timesnap. But the clock has already begun to tick. It's going to fall apart in either case. This will at least buy you some more time.”

Blair's eyes shifted back and forth. “How long do we have without it?”

She gave him a condescending look. “I've told you many times that I'm flying blind here. Nopony's ever fused together two advanced barrier spells before, then saturated the unstable result with enough magical energy to level everything within a two-mile radius.”

He lowered his head. “Sorry, I meant to ask how long do you think we have.”

She glanced to the side. “It's safe to say that the degradation will speed up over time. My best guess is a week, maybe two at the most.”

“And how long will the Temporal Stasis spell last?”

“Three months.”

Three months? That’s so short of a time... we all knew that this day was going to come, but still, facing oblivion is no easy feat. Blair suppressed a shudder. “I guess we have no choice.”

Celestia nodded and got to her hooves. “Stand up.”

She walked around the desk as he obeyed the command. Blair’s heart was hammering in his chest as he stared at the marble floor, waiting for Celestia’s approach. He jolted in surprise as a set of gold-trimmed hooves appeared noiselessly in his vision. He looked up, and was gripped by panic as he was reminded of how tall Celestia was. She towered over him, his nose just shy of the underside of her barrel. Blair craned his neck up to look into her face for comfort.

He found it. Celestia’s eyes were warm and serene, and she gave him a smile that filled him with a sense of peace. As her horn began to glow with golden radiance, Blair fought down a sudden, powerful urge to nuzzle her leg like a frightened foal.

Celestia bent her slender neck and whispered in his ear. “Hold still.”

He closed his eyes as her horn touched the tip of his brow.

Celestia hovered in the interior of an opaque, multifaceted sphere that looked like fine glass. It was ravaged by vicious, massive cracks, and a soft tinkling sound could be heard as bits and pieces of it slowly fell away. Inside the sphere was the silhouette of a pony covered in twelve chaotic, swirling colors. The entire structure looked like it was about to collapse.

There was a sound of swirling wind, and the warmth of Celestia's magic enveloped the sphere in a golden aura. It shimmered and made a sound like lava cooling as the magic took hold. The pulsing of the sphere now ceased, but it had an unnatural feel to it, as if a slow tension was beginning to build. The colors in the silhouette still moved about, but the sound of falling glass had stopped.

Celestia removed her horn and stepped away. “I've stopped the barrier's deterioration for now.”

Blair felt the last fragments of the spell tingle and move about like eddies in a river. He opened his eyes. “Thank you, Princess. How soon until the Bearers can use the Elements again?”

Celestia walked back over to her pillow and sat down. “I can't say for sure, but there will be telltale signs.”

Blair cocked his head. “Signs?”

She nodded. “Each of them will be developing unique powers associated with the Element they represent. Think of them as progressive stages of their recovery. At first they'll be subtle; the Bearers themselves most likely won’t even notice them.”

“Are they dangerous?”

“Not yet… or at least, no more than normal ponies are,” Celestia said with an odd smile. “The Elements are activated by the emotions and desires that they represent. A particularly strong surge may cause them to draw out their powers for a short while, but it won't last long enough to have any negative effects on them.”

Blair scratched his chin. “So they have to consciously activate their powers?”

Celestia shook her head. “As I said, they draw their powers from emotions. In times of duress, they may activate them unintentionally. Also, some are passive effects that merely enhance their natural abilities and characteristics, and will be active at all times. I'd guess that they're already manifesting those.”

Her voice took on a wry note. “I want to keep tabs on them myself, but being the ruler of a country that just regained a long-lost monarch tends to eat up a lot of your time. I‘ve been trying to get somepony else to monitor them for me.”

“What’s been stopping you?”

She looked calmly at him. “I haven’t forgotten about any of you, you know. I’ve been trying to get this moving ever since I found out what happened. My protégée has been stubbornly refusing to cooperate, and I only just got her to agree earlier today. “

Celestia’s eyes flickered back to the window. “In order to do it, though, I played a card I didn’t want to use.”

Blair’s skin prickled as he noted her action. “Your Highness?”

Celestia straightened and assumed a regal tone. “First Lieutenant Blair—starting tomorrow, you and the Thirty-Second Platoon are hereby re-assigned to Ponyville. Your orders are to monitor and protect the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony from hostile threats. You’re not to be in uniform, nor will you interfere in their daily lives and activities unless they ask you to do so. Split your platoon into groups of two, and assign one pair to each of the Bearers. Second Lieutenant Vigil will also accompany you. I’ve already notified him of the assignment, but he doesn't know your true purpose, or what any of you really are. You're to keep it that way.”

Vigil? That stick in the mud? Why would she want to send him, too? “That'd make for thirteen,” Blair said. “Who gets the extra?”

“Twilight Sparkle, Bearer of the Element of Magic and my personal protégée,” Celestia replied. “Of the six Bearers, she's the most likely to develop her powers first. You'll be by her side at all times as her personal bodyguard.”

Blair snorted derisively. “If she’s the one who’s been refusing this, I’ll imagine she’s not going to be happy.”

“She already knows. And no, she's not,” Celestia said with a note of pity. “You’ll have to find a way to get along with her, I’m afraid.”

“I'm sure I will,” he replied with a small smile. “If nothing else, I'm told I can be rather addictive to be around.”

Celestia groaned. "That was terrible, and you should be ashamed."

Blair jokingly winced. "Was it really that bad?"

“Not the worst I've heard," Celestia admitted with twinkling eyes, "but definitely in the top ten.”

The two of them laughed. Celestia rose from her pillow and began to walk towards the door of her chambers. Blair got up after her and followed in step.

“I sometimes wonder if it'd be better if we were to simply fade,” Blair said as they crossed the room. He looked up at her. “What kind of life is this for him, anyway?”

Celestia stared straight ahead. “As long as the flame still burns, there is hope. But once it is lost, it can never be recovered. Horizon is alive. Not only that, but from what you’ve told me, very active… even if only on a subconscious level.”

Blair groaned. “Don’t get me started on that thing.”

Celestia chuckled as they reached the door. “Notify the Thirty-Second that you will be leaving on the six a.m. train to Ponyville. Tell them the nature of the Bearers’ condition, and once all of them Bearers recovered, contact me at once.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.” Blair opened the door and began to walk out.

A thought struck him. He stopped and turned back to her. “I just realized you haven’t told me what their powers actually are.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t?” Her eyes widened. She motioned for him to come back inside and shut the door behind him. “I suppose that’s rather vital information, isn’t it? I’ll get you a quill and some parchment.”

Twilight hadn’t had anything else to do after her lunch with Shining, as their parents were still on vacation in the Zhevra Flatlands, so now she sat in a window seat on the slow, steady train ride back to Ponyville. As she watched Canterlot slowly shrink away in the distance along with the sun, she debated the best way to break the news to her friends.

I can’t just dump all of this on them. How would I feel of one of them came up to me and said, ‘Hey, you know that whole Elements of Harmony thing from a few months back? Because of it we’re now all a threat to National Security, so we have to have guards watching us at all times. Hope you don’t mind losing all of your privacy!’ She facehoofed as she visualized the looks of shock and indignation on her friend’s faces.

We’re not even supposed to know they’re there. Maybe I can just not tell them… no, that would lead to more problems, especially when they see my bodyguard. They need to know, tonight.

Twilight’s thoughts were startled by the train going through a tunnel, enveloping her in darkness. A few minutes later they emerged into the vast, lush Equius Valley, home to the Everfree Forest and Twilight’s beloved town of Ponyville.

The train began its descent into the valley. I shouldn’t hold anything back. I don’t want to scare them, but that might be what it takes for some of them to agree to this.

A certain duo of cyan and orange mares came to mind. She stifled a groan. Those two might be a problem. As for Luna and her current condition, they probably need to know about that, too. No one wants her to be anything but Princess Luna, but if the worst were to occur…

Twilight shunned the dark thought and watched the scenery. Ten minutes later, the train rounded a bend and came into its final straightaway. She could hear and feel the brakes starting to slow the steel locomotive. She glanced out the window and caught a glimpse of the top of her tree house before it disappeared among the other thatched buildings of the village.

Twilight rubbed her eyes and collected her bags. I’m not sure how I’m going to do this, but I know one thing for certain... it isn’t going to be pretty.

Chapter 2: Misery Loves Company

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Chapter 2:

Misery Loves Company

Rainbow Dash shook her head to try and clear the drowsiness that had been lingering since morning. It had been a nice day, and while nice days were well, nice, for a weatherpony they were also unbelievably boring. There were no clouds to move in the sector, the humidity was steady, the sun was doing its thing, and the unblocked rays created updrafts that were making a gentle breeze. All she and her crew had done all day was monitor. Combine that with sitting on a soft, puffy cloud for hours, and you had a one way ticket to Snoozeville. She'd actually caught four of her workers napping, and while Rainbow didn’t really blame them, she couldn’t resist giving them a wake-up call, buzzing past them just mere inches away at breakneck speed. She snickered at the memory. The looks on their faces were priceless.

She stretched as she stood on the small altocumulus cloud that had been her post for the day, several thousand feet in the air. She craned her head down and beheld what was immediately below her: a vast, green meadow on the borders of Ponyville, which was a few miles to the north. It didn’t look all that vast from this high up, but Rainbow had lived in the area for a few years now, and she was pretty good at discerning sizes from the sky. The thin snake of blue that was the Everfree River sparkled as the sun reflected off of its calm surface, its waters meandering to the Forest of the same name to the east.

Rainbow closed her eyes and took a deep breath, taking in the silence and serenity of the open air. She was at peace here, at home. This was her natural place. She was a creature of the sky, and she belonged in it. She was a part of it. She loved it.

It was time to embrace it.

Rainbow opened her eyes, unfurled her wings, and leapt off the cloud like a diver. She blasted through the air, flapping her wings as hard as she could; her hooves thrust in front and back of her to make herself as aerodynamic as possible. She went faster, and faster still as gravity pulled her closer to the looming ground below. The wind screamed past her and made her eyes water. A faint cone of resistance formed in the corners of her vision.

Seconds passed like minutes to her. The only sound she heard was her own rhythmic heartbeat. Every inch of her was alive with electricity. The drowsiness was gone. The worries and concerns of work were gone. There was only her, the clear, pristine sky, and the hard, merciless ground.

Wait for it...

Three hundred feet above the ground. The wind from her descent was creating a disturbance in the meadow.

Too easy.

Two hundred feet. A squirrel stopped and looked up at her.

Not yet…

One hundred feet. She could see the individual leaves on the trees.

Almost…

Ten feet. Blades of grass.

NOW!

Rainbow felt the familiar strain in her back and chest muscles as she pulled up, her wings snapping taut as they caught the air and leveled her out at a ninety degree angle. She cruised just above the ground at subsonic speeds, sending loose plants, debris, and even the occasional small animal flying in her wake.

She reveled in the pure thrill of it all, laughing as she left nothing behind but a faint afterimage of her prismatic mane and tail. Rainbow ascended again, not wanting the force of her travel to disturb the flora and fauna anymore than it already had. As she coasted back up to a few hundred feet, she finally flapped her wings to maintain her clip. She headed towards her cloud home on the other side of town, doing the occasional daring aerial maneuver along the way.

As she reached the southern edge of Ponyville, Rainbow heard the familiar, piercing sound of a train whistle. She looked down, and indeed saw the silver locomotive as it slowly screeched to a halt at the landing.

That’s the Canterlot Train. I wonder if Twilight is back from her University thing?

Rainbow banked and killed her speed as she pulled into a lazy circle above the station to see if her friend was amongst the arrivals. She watched as the final checks were made and the doors opened. Only a few ponies stepped out, and none of whom she recognized as Twilight. She was just about to leave when she saw her friend walk out of the train station, saddlebags bulging.

Rainbow pumped a hoof and swooped down for a landing. Twilight looked straight ahead as she walked from the train, paying nopony any mind and making a beeline for the exit. As Rainbow descended, she briefly thought about tackling her friend or scaring her in some fashion, but then reconsidered. She went up there to show her teachers the big magic spell she’s been working on the last few weeks. Probably has all the stuff for it in her bags. Meh, I’ll be nice. Rainbow flared her wings and landed a safe distance away from Twilight, right in her immediate field of vision. She had expected her friend to immediately take notice and greet her.

Unfortunately, Twilight hadn’t seen her friend’s arrival. She had her gaze still glued to the floor as she walked, oblivious to the world.

Rainbow's eye twitched. So… tempting…

A whirlwind of ideas spun about in Rainbow’s mischievous mind.

No! I said I’d be nice, and nice I will be. Twilight slowly approached her, still tantalizingly clueless. But you are SO getting pranked later, Sparkle.

Rainbow cleared her throat and waved. “Twilight!”

Twilight stopped in response to her name. She looked up and saw Rainbow Dash standing a few feet in front of her.

“Oh, hey Rainbow!” She closed the distance to her friend. “Don’t tell me you were waiting here for me to get back.”

Rainbow made a dismissive noise. “I just got off work. Was flying home and saw the train coming in. Thought you might be on it, so I stuck around.”

“Nice timing.” Twilight motioned forth, and the two walked out of the train station.

“How’d your big magic presentation thingy go?” Rainbow asked as they entered into Ponyville proper.

Twilight sighed. “It could have gone better. I didn’t really have anything to show them but the theory and papers I’ve written on what I’m trying to do.”

“That wasn’t enough for them?”

“Oh it was enough,” Twilight said with an angry huff. “Enough for them to think I’m a madmare who’s going to blow up half of Ponyville.”

Rainbow stopped short, eyes wide. “Blow up? Wait, I thought you were majoring in Objection magic or whatever.”

“Abjuration,” she corrected.

“Yeah, the protective spells.”

“I am, but—” she paused to consider her companion, who looked like she was steeling herself for a lecture on the most boring topic in the world. “Without getting too much into specifics,” Twilight said with exaggeration. Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief.

“The spell I’m proposing is very complex and requires a considerable amount of magic to cast,” Twilight said. “And no matter what you use it for, a lot of power is a lot of power. So if something were to go wrong for whatever reason and get out of control, in the worst case scenario there would be… collateral damage.”

Rainbow’s lips parted. “And that collateral damage would be half of Ponyville?”

“More like three-quarters,” Twilight admitted.

Rainbow found herself looking at her friend in a new light. I knew that she was good at magic, but this? This was more than I expected. More than anypony expects, I’ll bet. Note to self: Getting on Twilight’s bad side is a bad idea.

“That won’t happen, of course,” Twilight added, seeing the worried expression on Rainbow’s face. “They spent three hours asking me questions, making me cast failsafes and wards, and going over my theory in intimate detail. I did it all without a problem. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

“Famous last words,” Rainbow muttered under her breath as they continued down Main Street.

The general sounds of the denizens of Ponyville preparing to close up shop for the day filled air. The laughter and shouts of fillies and colts could be heard as they squeezed in a few more precious minutes of playtime before being shepherded to their homes. The market was alive with last-minute ponies who were shopping for ingredients for their evening meals.

Rainbow’s stomach gave an audible protest. Did I eat the last of that lentil and corn stew? I’ll need to make something else for supper if I did. Maybe a nice apple and oat salad? Not sure if I have any apples, though. I should stop by Applej—

“There’s something else,” Twilight said as her library home came into view.

Rainbow looked at her. There was something in her voice that was setting off a mental alarm.

“And that would be?”

Twilight didn’t answer and didn’t meet her gaze. She opened her mouth several times, but only clicked her tongue and lightly ground her teeth. Rainbow normally wasn’t one for patience, but she could tell that this was something unpleasant. And the only thing harder than hearing unpleasant news is delivering it. A heavy weight began to form in her chest.

“It concerns all six of us,” Twilight said as they approached her door. “And I need to tell everyone, tonight. Do you think you could go get Applejack and Fluttershy and meet me back here in an hour or so?”

“Why do I get the feeling I’m not gonna like what you’re gonna tell us?”

“Because you won’t,” Twilight replied.

Stupid intuition. So much for dinner. Rainbow groaned.“Yeah, I’ll go get them. I take it you’re going for the others?”

“After I drop these off.” She motioned to her saddlebags.

“Do me a favor and get Pinkie to bring some kind of food. I’m starving.”

Twilight nodded. “Sure.”

“Be back later.” Rainbow cantered a ways away before opening her wings and taking off. Twilight shrank to nothing but a dot as she caught a thermal and sailed high above the town. Rainbow exited the warm pillar of air and angled herself west, following the winding dirt road out of town she knew so well to the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. I was thinking of heading over there anyway. I’ll just grab an apple or two to hold me over. I have a feeling whatever Twilight is gonna spring on us may take a while.

Twilight watched in awe as Rainbow took off in a burst of color, gain some altitude, and then ascend several thousand feet into the air, sailing out of sight as she blended into the sky. She makes it look effortless. Forcefully, Twilight grounded her thoughts as she opened the door and walked into her home away from home.

The scent of living wood and musty books familiarly hit her nostrils as she entered the library. The circular room stood empty, although the lights were on and the windows were open, allowing a breeze to circulate through the otherwise-stuffy confines.

As Twilight ascended the stairs to her loft on the second floor, she noted that all the books were neatly assorted on their shelves, the floor was clean, and the stairs had been swept. Good, he finished his chores.

“Spike!” Twilight called out as she set down her bags. “Spiiiiike! Where are you?”

“In here!” a muffled voice called from the other side of the room. Twilight tilted her head and saw that the kitchen door stood closed. She walked downstairs and pushed it open. Inside the small, checkered room was a baby purple dragon wearing an apron, removing a quiche from the oven with his bare claws. He set the pastry on an unlit burner.

“Twilight! You made it back early! I’m still in the middle of making dinner.”

“It’s fine Spike, I had a late lunch.” Twilight gave him a hug. “I have to go and get Rarity and Pinkie right now, and the others will be over in about an hour.”

Spike nodded. “You’re going to tell them about the guards coming tomorrow, aren’t you?”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “How do you—“

Spike pointed to a scroll on the kitchen table. “A royal messenger delivered that about a half-hour ago.”

Twilight walked over to the table and undid the wrapped up parchment.

Ms. Twilight Sparkle-

As you have been notified by your brother, Captain Shining Armor of the HMR Guard, the Thirty-Second Platoon and I have been assigned to yourself and your fellow Bearers of the Elements of Harmony at your current residence of Ponyville. Our orders are to monitor your activities for the risk of potential malicious threats, and protect you all in the event of any hostile action. Rest assured that while the evidence of our presence shall be almost nonexistent, we are all prepared to lay down our lives for you and your friends.

We will arrive at the Ponyville Train Station tomorrow at seven a.m. You need not rendezvous with us, as we have been briefed on your residencies and have assigned ourselves accordingly. First Lieutenant Blair, who has been personally assigned to your detail, will also arrive at this time. We ask that you prepare for his arrival.

We look forward to serving all of you.

Second Lieutenant Vigil, Her Majesty's Royal Guard

Twilight lowered the note, glancing at Spike. “Have you told anyone about this?”

He pointed at the steaming quiche. “Haven't had time. I was going to if you didn't come home tonight, though.”

Twilight nodded and walked out of the kitchen. “Don't say anything yet, okay? I would rather not have to explain all of this more than once.” She took the Second Lieutenant's note and levitated it up to her bags along with the other two letters from the Princesses.

“I'll be here,” he called after her.

“Save some of that quiche for me!” she yelled as she ran outside. She turned right and headed to Rarity's.

Twilight ran through the streets of Ponyville, passing only the occasional straggler on the way. Most ponies were now home for dinner, and the roads were largely deserted. A few moments later, she rounded a corner to behold a two-story shop colored in bright pinks, purples and yellows, its flags waving proudly in the wind. A sign with a pony wearing a stylish saddle stood above the door, titled ‘Carousel Boutique.’ Twilight approached the entrance and noticed a sign written in very loopy cursive on the door.

Closed

Normal Business Hours: Monday-Friday

Drop off any requests for touchups, repairs, or advance orders in the slot below.

Do NOT leave payment in the slot.

Store Owner Rarity

Twilight knocked. Nothing. She tried the door and found it was unlocked. She knew that Rarity lived on the second floor of the building.

Should I just go in? Most ponies don't appreciate random unicorns just coming and going as they please. Rarity is my friend, but I should still respect her privacy... while she still has it, anyway.

As she was debating, a loud series of crashes came from inside of the store. Deciding to forego manners, Twilight went inside to investigate. She passed through the dress shop to the back, stopping as she looked into what Rarity called her Inspiration Room.

It looked like Rarity's 'inspiration' had been a tornado. Rolls of fabric lay about haphazardly, sewing machines were on the floor, and mannequines were strewn everywhere. Spools of thread, pin cushions, scissors, zippers, buttons, and lace were in every place but where they were conceivably supposed to be. In the center of the mess, Twilight saw two white unicorns, one with a beautifully styled mane, the other a filly who was tangled in a bolt of mauve fabric with a wickerwork basket on her head. Twilight recognized the first to be Rarity, who was standing there, eyes mismatched, mouth agape. She’d never seen the filly before, who was struggling to get free.

Twilight beheld the scene for a few seconds. Rarity hadn't moved even an eyelash. The filly was still trying to escape from her cloth captor, and was getting even more stuck in the process.

“S-Sorry,” the filly said. “I just wanted to see...”

Rarity came out of her daze. She muttered something intelligible.

“What was that, Rarity?” the filly asked.

“You...” she whispered.

“Huh?” the little unicorn tried to edge in closer.

“Are. A. MENACE!” Rarity jumped a few inches off the floor, her face flushed and teeth gritted. “A walking disaster! A threat to all of society! CHAOS INCARNATE!” She pointed at the imprisoned filly, eyes so wide that the whites showed. “How could my own flesh and blood be such... such...”

“A klutz?” she offered timidly.

“AN OAF!” Rarity yelled. The younger unicorn found herself enveloped in a blue aura and levitated off the floor.

“Hey! Rarity—” the filly said.

“You're staying in your room until Mother and Father come to pick you up,” Rarity said icily. She used her magic to rip away the fabrics ensnaring the filly, and the basket flew off her head and crashed against a wall. “And you're not allowed in my workroom until you're older. Do you understand, Sweetie Belle?!”

Sweetie Belle went doe-eyed as her lower lip quivered. She gave a small sniffle and hung limp in Rarity's magic as she was placed back on the floor. She miserably began to walk to the exit.
It was then that the two of them saw Twilight, who cleared her throat and quickly stepped out of the filly's way.

“Twilight!” Rarity's shock was replaced by a wan smile. “I didn't know you were back! You've never met Sweetie before, have you?”

“I didn't mean to intrude,” Twilight began. “I heard loud noises and—”

“Don't be silly,” Rarity said with a wave of her hoof. “You haven't done anything of the sort.” She stared directly at her sister. “But I'm afraid proper introductions will have to wait. Sweetie Belle was just going to her room.”

Sweetie, who’d been standing still, picked up on the not-so-subtle hint and resumed walking. She snuck a curious glance at Twilight before leaving the room.

Rarity closed the door with a slam as she left, waiting a few seconds before giving off an unlady like grunt. “I'm sorry you had to see that.”

“I'm the one who should apologize,” Twilight returned. “I shouldn't have just barged in unannounced.”

“Nonsense, dear,” she said. “One cannot barge into a place where they’re always welcome.”

Twilight bit her lip as her eyes flickered towards the door. “Don't tell me Sweetie’s your...”

Rarity gave her a strange look. “My what? Daughter? Ha! Don't be silly, Twilight, I'm only two years older than you. Sweetie’s my sister. My parents can’t be home Monday and Tuesday nights because they have odd work schedules, so Sweetie stays with me on those days, and they pick her up on Wednesday nights. They'll be here in a little bit.”

Rarity motioned at the mess. “I love her to death, but she’s a real hoofful sometimes. You'll have to forgive me if I work while we talk.”

She walked over to a row of disturbed mannequines, beginning to rearrange them and set them upright. “Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”

Twilight said nothing. She still didn't know how go about saying it yet. She'd tried to think of something on the way here, but everything she’d come up with would make Rarity bombard her with a slew of questions. Her silence went unnoticed as Rarity concentrated on her work. Twilight caught the words 'wild-child', 'maelstrom', and 'adopted' as she muttered to herself.

“Something is going to happen tomorrow that concerns all six of us,” Twilight finally managed. “It's complicated and everypony is going to have questions, so I don't want to explain it more than once. We're all meeting at the library in about forty-five minutes to discuss it.”

Rarity stopped her muttering and put down the sewing machine she had just picked up. She turned and stared at Twilight, who shrunk a little under the penetrating gaze.

“I take it this is something rather important.”

“Yeah.”

Rarity sized up her friend. “Is it bad?”

“Inconvenient’s a better word for it.”

“By chance does it have anything to do with our little soirée in the Everfree Forest a few months back?”

Twilight hung her head.

Rarity sighed. “I had a feeling that would be the cause of future... complications.” She gave her ravaged workroom a perfunctory glance. “When my parents come for Sweetie, I'll leave this for later and come over to the library.”

“Thanks, Rarity.”

She gave a stony nod. “Who else do you still need to get a hold of?”

“Rainbow is telling Applejack and Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “I just need to go and find Pinkie. She's probably at Sugarcube Corner.”

“She's not, actually.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Then where—” she suddenly remembered what day it was. Right, Wednesday.

Rarity glanced at the clock, and then out the window to a building a few blocks away that looked like a giant gingerbread house. “I’d check Sugarcube Corner first, just to see if she went home early, but for the past few weeks I've been seeing her get back around sundown. She probably left Zecora's a little while ago.”

Twilight nodded. “I'll just wait at the outskirts of the forest if she's not at Sugarcube.”

“Do be careful,” Rarity said. “It's bad enough Pinkie goes out there alone as often as she does.”

Twilight chuckled. “If anyone can get through that place unnoticed, it's her. I still don't know how she sneaks up on people so well.”

Rarity resumed her cleaning. “Mother says it's a family trait of the Pies.”

Twilight suppressed a shudder as she got a mental image of a mass of pink ponies using every conceivable kind of pastry in a massive food fight. Confetti rained from the sky, and a myriad of bands played together in complete and utter confusion.

Twilight left Rarity to clean as much as she could before the meeting and crossed the few blocks to the local bakery, Sugarcube Corner. As she approached the candy-decorated shop, she noted that only the second floor had the lights on. Her gaze was then attracted to a smaller, similarly decorated one-story house right next to it. She looked in the windows, which were lifeless and dark.

Yeah, she's not home yet. I'll head out of town and wait for her there.

Twilight gauged her magical font, and found that it was lower than she would’ve liked. There was also a familiar, faint pressure building up in the back of her eyes. Probably shouldn't teleport. I've been demonstrating wards and forcefields all morning, and then the big jump at lunch… I’m impressed I’m only in Magical Fatigue.

She heaved a sigh and trotted east towards the Everfree Forest on the edge of town.

Guess I'm hoofing it.

Rainbow Dash soared high in the sky as she followed the dirt road out of town towards Applejack's farm. From years of experience, she knew that if she were to enter into a sixty-degree dive right now at this height, she would land right in front of her friend's homestead, and wouldn't need to flap her wings once the entire way.

That is, if she was feeling tired, which she wasn't.

Also if she wasn't in a hurry, which she was.

Rainbow angled her wings upward, beginning to go into a loop. As she continued to twist, she arched backwards as the sky and ground switched places. At the zenith of her arc, she coiled up like a spring and followed through, pumping her wings forward with all her strength.

Rainbow shot like a missile towards her destination. The dirt road below sped past, following a line of fencing that guarded rows upon rows of assorted apple trees covering the countryside for hundreds of acres, the fruits in various stages of development. At the far edge of the fields, Rainbow could now see a two-story farmhouse and barn, each getting larger by the millisecond.

She turned just a hair to the left as she continued her lightning-fast descent. She was no longer aiming for the house, but a very large pile of hay bales that were a stacked a few hundred yards away. A large, multicolored bullseye was painted upon them. Taking careful aim, Rainbow made another minute adjustment and rocketed over the farmyard, the sounds of various farm animals barely registering in the back of her mind.

She grinned and tucked into a ball as the hay bales filled her vision.

The Apple family was sitting at the table discussing plans for the upcoming Applebuck Season when they were interrupted by a cacophony of noise from the cows, chickens, and pigs. There was a loud WHOOSH, followed by an even louder WUMPH. They all paused at the disturbance, and then resumed their talking a second later. A yellow filly wearing a fuschia bow leaned back and yelled out the kitchen door.

“JACKIE! Rainbow's here.”

As Rainbow extracted herself from the ruins of the old hay bales that were her own personal landing zone, she took note that the bullseye of the target had completely collapsed from her precision assault. Heh, eighty-one for eighty-one.

A heavenly aroma floated past her nostrils as she walked away from the target. She realized that it was coming from the farmhouse. Her mouth watered at the smell of baked apples, alfalfa, and homemade bread. Sweet Celestia, they're having dinner. Maybe I can—

“Rainbow!”

She was snapped out of her hunger trance by an orange mare wearing a Stetson and a blonde ponytail standing on the porch of the house.

Rainbow shook her head clear and ran to her. “Hey, Applejack. Sorry about the bad timing.”
Applejack opened her mouth to respond, but then shut it just as quickly as she let out a snort.

“Huh?” Rainbow said quizzically. “What's so funny?”

“You're covered in hay!”

She looked at herself and realized it was true: Long strands of golden straw were caught everywhere in her mane, coat, and tail. She looked like she'd been out frolicking in the fields.

“Oh, geez. One sec.” Rainbow stepped back and jumped into the air, spinning herself in a dizzying whirlwind. Applejack covered herself with her hat and shied away. A few seconds later, Rainbow was free of the offending material.

“Much better,” Rainbow said. She then adopted a serious expression. “I caught you at dinner, didn't I?”

“Just about to start,” Applejack replied in her southern drawl. “You eaten yet?”

She shook her head. “Twilight sent me here to—”

“Rainbow?”

A yellow pegasus poked her head out from inside the house.

Rainbow did a double take. “Fluttershy? What're you doing here?”

“Oh, nothing,” Fluttershy replied, looking down at the floor as she walked outside. “That is to say, I was doing something, but I finished and then—”

“I asked her to come over to take a look at our chickens,” Applejack cut in. “Some of 'em are comin' down with Fowl Pox.”

“No, Applejack,” Fluttershy corrected, “they all have it.” She looked over at the chicken coop, eyes full of concern. Her voice gained strength as she continued. “It's just that some of them are more progressed than the others.”

“Fowl Pox?” Rainbow echoed. “Are they gonna be okay? Is it... serious? Can ponies get it? I don't wanna get sick!” She flared her wings and went into a crouch.

Applejack laughed at Rainbow's startled reaction. “They'll be fine now that I know that's what's wrong with 'em. You can't take it lightly, mind you, but it's nothin’ a few mosquito nets and some TLC can't fix. And no, ponies can't get it. You're not in the middle of an infected zone.”

Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief and folded her wings. She looked at Fluttershy. “So you're here doing some nestside manner?”

She giggled. “I was, yes, but I lost track of the time—”

“And I insisted she stay for dinner,” Applejack finished. “You're welcome to join us too, of course. More the merrier.”

Rainbow’s stomach rumbled again before she could say anything. Her face took on a faint pink tinge as she gave a nervous laugh.

“That settles it.” Applejack ushered the two pegasi inside. “You can help us set the table.”

Rainbow sat back in her chair with a contented sigh and looked up at the ceiling as they finished dessert, which was Granny Smith's own legendary apple pie. Applejack's siblings, Big Macintosh and Applebloom, were now taking plates, glasses and silverware to the kitchen, where Granny Smith was doing the dishes. Fluttershy was looking at a collection of family photos that completely covered the far wall.

Rainbow yawned as her eyelids began to feel heavy. I suppose its okay to splurge now and then. Gonna have to push myself harder than usual tomorrow though. I can't even remember the last time I ate that much. Actually... I think it was the last time I stayed here for dinner! I gotta get the recipe for that pie...

“So then, Rainbow,” Applejack said. She was sitting across from her, chewing on a toothpick. “You were sayin' somethin' about Twilight. I thought she was up at Canterlot today.”

Being reminded of the reason for her visit dispelled the looming food coma. She hesitated for a second before looking back down at Applejack and Fluttershy.

“She got back about an hour ago. She says she's got something important that she wants to tell all of us tonight.” Rainbow remembered the look of regretful urgency on Twilight's face. “Correction, something she needs to tell all of us tonight. We're supposed to meet her at the library in—” she looked at the clock. “Twenty minutes.”

Applejack stopped picking her teeth and looked at her friend with a deadpan expression.

“Twenty minutes.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said sheepishly.

“And you couldn't bother to tell us this before now.”

“I tried, but then I got distracted when I saw Fluttershy was here and—”

“It takes fifteen minutes to get to town.” Applejack got to her hooves with a grunt. “And I imagine neither of ya want to gallop or fly fast on a full stomach. We gotta go right now.”

“It's not like we're gonna be late,” Rainbow said defensively.

“No,” Applejack replied with a hint of sharpness. “But I do like a little more notice than twenty minutes that I'm expected to be somewhere.” She walked into the kitchen to let her family know where she was going.

Rainbow looked to Fluttershy, who was stretching and preparing to leave. “Sorry about this,” she said.

Fluttershy shook her head, still looking at the far wall. “I'm sure Twilight caught you off guard too, seeing as you hadn't eaten.”

“I was heading home when I ran into her.”

Fluttershy turned to Rainbow, her long pink mane swishing forth to hide half of her face. “Do you know what she wants to tell us?”

Rainbow's face twisted into a grimace. “Nothing good.”

Applejack re-entered the dining room and went to the hat rack. She spat out her toothpick and flipped her Stetson on her head. She turned smartly to her two guests.

“Let's go.”

Chapter 3: The Ties That Bind

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Chapter 3:

The Ties That Bind

Twilight paced back and forth at the edge of the Everfree Forest, watching the shadows lengthen as the sun blended the edges of the sky with fiery oranges and reds. She scanned the borders of the woods, hoping to catch a glimpse of something that would signal the approach of her friend Pinkie Pie. She'd been waiting for about fifteen minutes and hadn’t seen any sign of her.

It had taken all of them by surprise when they had learned that Pinkie had taken an interest in the crafts of the hermit Zecora, whom Twilight had encountered only a week after moving to Ponyville. What motivated Pinkie to seek apprenticeship, none of them knew. But what was even more surprising was that the zebra had happily accepted her as a pupil. Ever since then, Pinkie had been visiting Zecora three times a week at her home, deep in the Everfree.

Twilight suppressed a yawn and cracked her neck. I’m going to have to head back soon. I hope Pinkie’s all right. She’s not normally one t—

“HI TWILIGHT!”

A loud, happy voice from directly behind caused her to jump ten feet in the air, limbs splayed out and hair standing on end. She fell to the ground with a loud THUD.

Twilight dazedly looked behind her to behold a pink mare with a poofy fuschia mane, wearing a pair of clinking saddlebags and on the verge of collapsing with laughter.

“T-Too easy!” she choked.

“How… do you do that?!”

Pinkie recovered from her fit as she helped Twilight to her hooves. “Do what? Scare you? Oh, that’s easy. Especially when you’re in think-think-think mode because then you’re not paying attention to anything. I can always tell when you are, because you make a face like this.” Pinkie assumed a serious look and scrunched up her eyebrows.

Twilight was going to reply, but then stopped. Do I really do that? I can’t possibly be that easy to read! I don’t zone out all the—

”See! See! You’re doing it again! You were just getting all worried and started doing a monologue in your head!” She gave a devilish smile. “That’s when you’re a prime target for spooking!”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay, I get it. I’ll have to keep that in mind from now on.”

“Oh, I’m suuuuuure you will,” Pinkie said playfully as the two walked away from the forest. “So whatcha doin’ out here huh? You went to Canterlot today right? Oooh, how’d your thing go?! Did they love you? I know they loved you!”

“They… didn’t not love me,” Twilight dodged. She turned her attention to the passing houses on their right.

Pinkie’s eyes went wide. “Double negatives! Those are always fun. Let’s see, so that means they were either neutral about you or they loved you. Which was it?”

“Probably closer to that first one.”

Pinkie was unabashed. “At least that’s not a bad thing! I’m sure that you’ll find a way to show them what they want, and then you’ll have your shiny degree in no time. After all, you’re only the smartest, most wonderfully magically gifted unicorn I know! And believe me, I know a lot of unicorns. Actually, I know a lot of ponies in general!”

Pinkie’s optimism was infectious. Despite her best efforts, Twilight found the annoyance that she’d been feeling about the presentation melting away. She’s right. It’s not like they denied my proposal or anything. They just want more reports. It’s a pain, but I suppose it could be worse.

As the two walked, Twilight noticed a soft clinking noise that emanated from her friend's bags. “How’s your training with Zecora going?”

“Great!” Pinkie reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a bottle of tiny vial of electric-blue liquid. “Today she showed me how to make this!”

Twilight took the small bottle in her magic and held it up to her eyes, inspecting it. “What is it?”

“It’s called Elder’s Elixir. It’s an ultra-mega-strong medicine that gets rid of the pain from… from…” Pinkie closed her eyes and stamped a hoof. “Shoot, I forgot the word. It’s long and I can’t believe she used it in a rhyme. Rooma-something.”

Twilight thought for a moment. “Rheumatism?”

“That’s it!” Pinkie jumped up a few inches in the air, wiggling all four of her legs. “Anyway, you don’t see this stuff much because it’s tricky to make, and the plant you use for it is suuuuuuuuper-duper rare. Zecora said that in her homeland, people pay hundreds of bits just for one dose of this stuff! Can you believe that?”

Twilight stared at the vial, now aware that she was holding something expensive. She secured her magical grip on the bottle. “What plant is it?”

“Derroleaf. Isn’t that a funny word to say? Derro-derro-derro-derro-derro!" Pinkie twitched her head back and forth as she played with the word. "It probably means something in another language. We were herb-foraging last week when we found a teeeeeeny-tiny patch of it in a ravine.” Pinkie giggled. “You should have seen how excited Zecora was. She started talking in Zhevari and I couldn’t understand her for almost an hour!”

Twilight chuckled as she pictured the zebra machine-gunning in her native tongue. She returned the vial to Pinkie. “It really must have been a small patch if this was all you could make from it.”

“Oh, this is only half of what we made.” She carefully placed the bottle back in her bags. “Zecora kept the other half since we found it together.” Pinkie then turned back to Twilight and gave her a giant, toothy grin. “But don’t tell anyone that I have this yet, okay? It’s going to be a surpriiiiiiise!”

“Surprise for what?”

Pinkie stopped and looked to see if anyone was around. The two of them were now standing in the main square of Ponyville, just in front of Town Hall. There were only a few ponies milling about, and none of them were in earshot. She leaned in close to Twilight and lowered her sugary voice.

“Applejack’s grandmother’s seventy-third birthday is coming up soon,” Pinkie whispered. “I’m helping to organize the party. As a present to her, I’m going to have Applejack slip this in her morning tea. Her hip has gotten bad in the last few years, and I've seen how hard it is for her to walk.” She gave a high-pitched titter. “This medicine will be enough for her to have an amazing fun-filled day of pain-free celebration!”

Twilight leaned back from her friend. “Pinkie, that is quite possibly the nicest thing I have ever heard of anyone doing for anypony else. I didn’t even know you were friends with Granny Smith.”

Pinkie gave her a patronizing look. “Of course I am! I’m friends with everyone, silly! And besides, the Pie and Apple families have always been clo—”

Pinkie's face fell as she seemed to remember something. She pursed her lips and shifted her eyes, looking at something in the edge of her vision.

Twilight blinked. “Pinkie?”

Pinkie lowered her head and gave a wistful smile. “I keep forgetting that you’ve only lived in Ponyville a few months. They’ve been such great, great, fun-filled months, but still, only a few. For some reason, it feels like you’ve always been with us. Like you were meant to be here.”

Twilight said nothing, but deep down she felt the same way. I don't know why, but I feel at home here, more than I ever did in Canterlot. Even when I was at the Castle, I wasn't as happy as I am now. Something about this place just... clicks.

“You probably haven’t even heard about how Applejack’s parents died.”

Twilight’s brain did a painful one-eighty as it processed the new information. A chill went down her spine. I didn’t even realize—well, where else would they be, stupid?! What kind of a friend are you if can’t even realize that a rather crucial portion of their family is missing?

“You should ask her sometime,” Pinkie said earnestly as she watched Twilight go back into 'think-think-think' mode. “I think she'd want you to know, but I don’t think it’s my place to say anything until you do. All you need to know is that it’s part of the reason why I’m doing this for Granny Smith.”

Twilight nodded. Maybe I can ask her tonight… no, that’s a terrible idea. I don’t want to be dredging up painful memories when she’s going to be upset enough about the guard—

Oh yeah. That.

“Pinkie.”

Pinkie had resumed her usual merry demeanor and was bouncing towards her house. She stopped and turned. “Yeah? What’s up?”

“Something else happened while I was in Canterlot,” Twilight said for the third time today. “It concerns all six of us. The others are meeting me at the library real soon so I can tell everypony. Can you drop off your bags and come too?”

“Sure! I love surprises.”

I'll bet a cauldron full of Elder's Elixir you won't love this one. Twilight nodded. “Great.”

“Be there in a few minutes!” Pinkie skipped away.

Twilight started to walk back to the library, before she remembered something else and called after her. “Do you think you could bring over some kind of food? I don’t think Rainbow’s had dinner yet.”

Twilight stood in the center of the library, her gaze being returned by Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Rarity. Pinkie had arrived last, bearing a slightly-stale assortment of desserts. The sun had set, the moon and stars were out, and the inside of her tree home was now lit by magical heatless lanterns. Twilight chewed on both a cupcake and her thoughts as everypony got settled.

“All right Twilight,” Applejack began as the five of them sat in a half-circle around her. “No sense tryin' to beat around the bush. Rainbow said you got somethin' mighty important to tell all of us, lickety-split. And from what I can gather, it’s nothin' we're gonna take kindly to. So what's wrong?”

Here goes. Twilight sighed and put down the pastry. “Okay. You all obviously remember what happened two months ago with the Elements of Harmony.”

“Called it.” Rainbow pointed at Applejack and Fluttershy. “You both owe me two bits.”

Fluttershy's face matched her mane and looked away. Applejack narrowed her eyes, but said nothing.

Twilight tried to ignore that her friends had taken bets on what this was about. “There are a couple of… issues... that’ve resulted from that. The first is that we’re now the only ones who can use the Elements.”

“The only ones?” Rarity echoed. “Not even Princess Celestia can use them?”

Twilight shook her head. “Just us.”

“Why would that be?” Fluttershy wondered.

“I don’t… actually… know?” Twilight said with an embarrassed shrug. “That’s just the way it is.”
Her five friends exchanged confused glances, muttering to themselves.

“Well, what’s the big deal about that?” Applejack asked after a time. “So we’re the only ones who can use the Elements. The Princess knows we wouldn’t use ‘em for anythin’ bad.”

“And even if we somehow all went evil and crazy like Nightmare Moon, we gave the Elements to her for safekeeping, and she locked them away!” Pinkie pointed out. “We’d have to like, fight her or something to get them back.”

“Pinkie!” Rarity admonished. “We’d never do such a thing!”

Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Well, duh. Of course we wouldn’t. We’re the good guys! I mean, gals.”

“The big deal is that the Elements are very, very, very old magical relics,” Twilight said. ”Just on their own, their power is on par with spells of the highest level. And when used together like we did two months ago, they’re capable of unbelievable things.”

”Like purifying a fallen Princess,” Fluttershy whispered.

Twilight nodded. “Both Celestia and Luna are worried that because it’s common knowledge that we're the ones who defeated Nightmare Moon with the Elements of Harmony, we might be in danger from—” she remembered a particular snippet from her mentor’s letter. “Forces that conspire against the crowns.”

She stopped to pause, reading her friends expressions before continuing on. They were all staring at her with rapt attention. Twilight took a deep breath.

“And so, for our safety, they’re sending a squad of Royal Guards to Ponyville to protect and watch us all the time.”

“WHAT?!”

Twilight had been expecting an outburst, but that didn’t prepare her for what she received. She was blown off her feet by the combined verbal assault, crashing into a bookcase on the far wall and buried under a hail of literature.

She poked her head up out of the mess of fallen tomes, the room spinning. “I suppose that’s an appropriate reaction.”

Her friends were all talking at once. Fluttershy and Rarity were apologizing. Applejack and Rainbow were shouting their defiance. Pinkie was yammering excitedly about new ponies coming to town. Twilight walked back over, rubbing her head. She waited until they all settled down before continuing.

“You should know that I’ve been fighting against this ever since I moved here.”

“You have?” Rainbow said. “What made you give in now?”

“A few things,” Twilight began. “First off, the guards aren’t going to be in uniform; they’ll be passing themselves off as civilians. If nothing goes wrong, I doubt you’ll even know they’re there.”

“Maybe for you gals in town,” Applejack grumbled. “Lots of places to blend in and watch somepony ‘round here. What’re they gonna do while I’m out in the fields?”

“And unless they’re pegasi, how are they gonna ‘protect’ me thousands of feet up in the air when I’m at work?” Rainbow pointed up to the ceiling. “Or when I’m training? Because I’m telling you right now, I am not slowing myself down for anypony, and I don’t appreciate an audience, either.”

“My little animal friends are very skittish, and don’t take well to strangers,” Fluttershy protested. “And often times I have to take care of larger animals that only let me approach if I’m alone. I won’t be able to take care of them if I have others with me.”

“My greatest moments of genius are only when I am in solitude!” Rarty put a dramatic hoof to her face. “How can I bring forth the creative spark if I am stifled by the presence of ruffians?”

There was a silence. Everyone turned to Pinkie. She was sitting on her haunches, gently swaying back and forth to a tune only she could hear. She stopped as she noticed she was the center of attention.

“What?”

“Aren’t you going to throw in your list of grievances as well?” Twilight asked.

Pinkie chortled and shook her head. “Why would I? I love meeting new ponies! It’ll be weird, sure, having them follow me all the time. And yeah, they might have some trouble coming with me through the Everfree, but I’m sure we’ll work something out! That’s what makes it fun!”

Twilight was suddenly grateful she hadn’t made the bet she had considered earlier. That’s one down, at least.

“I don’t know how they’re going to monitor you exactly,” Twilight admitted, returning to the other four. “Although I know that they’ve already split up their platoon and assigned themselves to each of us, so I imagi—”

“Wait, we don’t even get a say in this?” Rainbow said. “When are they coming?!”

“Seven a.m. tomorrow,” Twilight whispered. “That’s why I needed to tell you tonight.”

Rainbow flattened her ears and folded her hooves, looking towards the door. “This isn’t fair.”

Twilight felt the spark of annoyance rekindled by her friend's complaints. She glared at Rainbow. “You want to talk about not fair? All of you just have two guards that’ll watch you from afar. On top of that, I get to have an additional bodyguard that has to actually live with me.”

Twilight looked at the ground, trying to push down her anger. As she did, she could feel five sets of eyes boring holes into the top of her head.

“Why would you need an additional bodyguard?” Rarity asked.

“Because I’m also the Princess’s personal protégée,” she spat out the words as if they had a vile taste. “And apparently, a lot of ponies outside of Ponyville think I have authority close to, or on par with, the Princesses themselves. So that makes me even more of a target.” She gave a harsh laugh. “Luna called it ‘The price to pay for having Power,’ or something.”

“Wait,” Rarity said. “You spoke with Princess Luna?”

“Sort of,” Twilight said. From above, the indigo scroll floated down from her loft, encased in her magenta aura. “She sent me this. You should all read it, too. It’s the other reason why I finally agreed.”

Twilight patiently waited while her friends passed the note around, reading it one by one. She watched their reactions. Rarity's eyes were wide. Fluttershy had a hoof to her mouth. Rainbow was still staring out the window. Applejack was sucking on her teeth, and Pinkie was tilting her head from side to side.

“Well, that was a lot of fancy frou-frou talk,” Applejack observed, the last to read the letter. “What I gather from it though is that Princess Luna isn’t in the best of shape after our little tussle.”

“No wonder we haven’t seen her,” Pinkie said. “I had so many party ideas, too. I mean for one, she’s got a thousand birthdays to catch up on! I imagine there wasn’t much cake on the moon… or much of anything at all...”

“I had no idea that she was in such a fragile state.” Rarity took the note in her magic and handed it back to Twilight. “I never thought that the Elements would have lingering effects.”

“I doubt any of us did,” Twilight said.

“The poor dear,” Fluttershy murmured. “I wish there was something we could do for her.”

“There is.”

They all turned to Rainbow, who looked like she was trying to swallow something unpleasant. “We can cooperate.”

Twilight tried not to show surprise at her change of heart. “Really? You’re okay with this?”

“Of course I’m not!” Rainbow stamped a hoof and kicked at the ground. “But you all just read it. The Princess is weak because of what we did to her.”

“It was necessary, Rainbow,” Twilight said in a firm tone. “And she’s grateful to us for it.”

Rainbow ran a hoof through her mane and knitted her brows. “I’m not good at this. Look, we saved her, but we also weakened her. And now because of that, she’s not in a state where she can control herself. She cares about us, and if we get in trouble, she might... get really, really angry or something, and that might push her over the edge. And if that happens, can we save her again? I mean, the Elements made her this weak when she was at full strength in her crazy-evil mode. What would they do if she—”

Rainbow jerked her head. She sighed and reluctantly looked at all of them. “She just got back from her banishment, and is probably scared to death of anything that might make her change back into Nightmare Moon. This is the least we can do.”

Everyone was silent after she finished, save for Pinkie, who was applauding.

“That was great, Dashie! Super-duper cool and stuff!” She stopped and grinned teasingly. “By the way, how did it taste?”

Rainbow cocked her head. “How did what taste?”

“Your pride!” Pinkie said with an impish laugh. “By the look on your face, I’d say it was awful!”

The others did their best to hide their amusement as Rainbow gave an irritated sigh. She looked back to Twilight. “I’m still not happy about all this.”

“I’m not asking you to be. But you’ll go along with it?”

Rainbow begrudgingly nodded. “Until Luna's better. After that, I wanna talk to her and Celestia.”
The others murmured agreement at this.

“If it’ll keep Luna safe, I’ll do it,” Fluttershy said. “I wouldn’t want to do anything that could make her worse.”

“I suppose ‘the price to pay for having Power’ is as accurate a statement as any,” Rarity sniffed. “It may be unfortunate, but a proper Lady never abandons those in need. I’ll do my part.”

“I reckon I can tolerate some supervision for a time.” Applejack raised a hoof to her chin.

“Actually, havin’ some extra hooves around might come in handy. We’ve been havin’ a mite of trouble with some Rust Beetles lately.”

Twilight’s ears twitched at the sound of the unknown. She looked at Applejack. “Rust Beetles?”

“Big ol’ yellow varmints that come down from the mountains from time to time.” She looked to the window to the west and curled her lip. “Sometimes they sneak into the barn to munch on our tools.”

“They eat metal?” Pinkie stuck out her tongue. “That can’t taste very good!”

“They seem to like it,” Applejack said with a shrug. “But I can’t be having some overgrown lumpy bugs taking bites outta my plows. They get a thumpin’ every time, but they keep coming back.”

“Why didn’t you say something earlier?” Rainbow said as she eyed her. “I would’ve come and helped you fight them off!”

“Because they ain’t that big a problem.” She turned and bucked the air with a sly grin. “One swift kick with these babies sends ‘em running to the hills.”

Rainbow lowered her head. “No fair. That sounds like fun.”

Applejack snickered as she turned to Twilight. “I’ll need to tell my family about all of this. About the guards, mind you, not the Princess bein’ sick. I reckon Celestia wouldn't like us spreadin' that particular bit of information.”

“Yeah, if you could,” Twilight said, addressing all of them. “Don’t tell anypony else about Luna. She has a lot of guards right now protecting her at Canterlot, but the fewer ponies that know, the better.”

“And what about you, Twilight?” Rainbow asked. “Are you okay with some strange pony living here with you and Spike?”

Twilight barked out a harsh laugh. “No, I’m not. But seeing as I don’t have much of a choice, I’ll have to make the best of it.” She looked out the window into the night sky beyond. “I just hope he doesn’t bother me when I’m studying.”

She turned back to her friends, who still seemed annoyed, but now there was a look of acceptance, as well.

“Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

Blair stepped outside Canterlot Castle into the cool night air and the gardens beyond, heading for the briefing rooms on the other side of the grounds. He wore a saddlebag on his side which carried a thick scroll. As he walked along the main path, reviewing the fresh knowledge Celestia gave him, a familiar sardonic voice met his ears.

“Finally, our fearless leader deigns to grace us with his presence.”

Blair turned right to see a thin maroon unicorn in the armor of the Royal Guard leaning against a hedge, eyeing him with a half-smirk.

“Piro?” Blair said. “What're you doing here?”

“Waiting for you.” Piro walked up to him. “I saw you coming down the mezzanine.”

Blair nodded and continued forward on the path. Piro fell into step beside him. Neither of them said anything for a time, and the warm evening air became thick with uncomfortable tension.

“You had her cast the Stasis spell,” Piro said at last.

Wastes no time, does he? Blair nodded.

Piro rolled his eyes and looked away, staring at a nearby sculpture. “Great. Just great! So now we know exactly how much time we have left. That’ll help me sleep at night.”

Blair glanced at him through the corner of his eye. “It was the only option. She said that the barrier was going to fall apart in a week or so.”

“And I take it she still refuses to use the Elements.”

“Yes.”

Piro sighed as he raised his head to the night sky. “Did you tell her my suggestion about Luna?”

“I did,” Blair said, “but we all knew what Celestia would say to that. I saw her earlier today, Piro, she’s in no state to be performing high-level spells right now.”

“How does she look?” he asked curiously. “I haven’t seen in her in weeks. Stupid Night Guard doesn’t let anypony within a hundred yards of her tower unless it's an emergency.”

“Healthier. Not skin and bones like when she got back.”

Piro nodded and gave a small smile. “Celestia’s been spending a lot of time with her lately.”

Blair wrinkled his brow as he looked to Piro. “Do you blame her?”

“Hardly,” he said with a harsh note of amusement. “If I just recovered a sibling from the clutches of insanity, I’d be clingy too.”

“Thin ice, Piro,” Blair warned.

Piro gave him another half-smirk. “Haven’t fallen in yet.”

How can someone do something so simple and be so aggravating… one of these days I am going to smack the left side of his head so that he learns how to smile with his whole face like the rest of the world. Blair quickened his pace by a step.

The two of them passed the motionless sculptures and art pieces that populated the grounds. The sound of trickling water could be heard from a nearby fountain that stood in the center of the gardens. The wind shifted, and the two guards caught the strong, sweet scent of tiger lilies.

“So she’s fully cured?” Piro asked.

Blair smiled as he remembered Luna complaining about modern speaking styles. “Celestia seems to think so. And I’m not going to argue about who knows her better.”

Piro’s voice dropped as his face went hard. “That is, if Celestia’s not lying to herself.”

Blair stopped and turned to him, a hint of challenge in his voice. “You doubt her judgment?”

Piro regarded Blair with his blood-red eyes. “She’s not all-knowing. And you have to admit she’s hesitating in a situation where thirteen lives hang in the balance. Who’s to say she isn’t mistaken in other matters?”

Blair pushed his face in closer to Piro’s. “You’re the one who’s lying to himself. Only one life is in danger.”

Piro’s tone gained a snide edge. “The old argument rears its ugly head. Do you really want to do this here?”

Blair pursed his lips and stared at him. How can he be so stubborn? We all know tha—he’s right, public place. We’ll wind up shouting like we always do. Blair scoffed and looked away. “Waste of time.”

“Too bad we can’t agree on much else,” Piro said with a stiff nod. “But in regards to our dear host, don’t you think she'd be doing more if his well-being was her top priority?”

“You’re not fooling anypony, Piro.” Blair gave a short, derisive laugh. “Least of all me. I know you don’t give a buck about Horizon.”

Piro’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not true. And even if it was, taking a page or two out of my book might do you some good.”

Blair cocked his head as he backed away. “There’s a lot of ways I could interpret that.”

Piro meandered down the path. “Let me know which one you decide on.”

The two of them exited the gardens and entered the narrow stone corridors of the Royal Barracks, their hoofsteps muted by the threadbare carpet.

“I got the summons,” Piro said dryly. “What's our next, and possibly last mission?”

Blair looked straight ahead. “We’re being reassigned to Ponyville. We leave in the morning.”

He jerked his head to him. “Ponyville? What’s our objective?”

“To protect six mares from hostile threats.”

Piro furrowed his eyebrows. “Why would we—ah, so this is the game. Are these six mares well known, by chance?”

Blair nodded with a small grin. “You could say that. You could also say that the magic they used had some lingering effects.”

Piro’s face fell at these words. His ears flattened against his skull as he looked away and spoke in a soft, bitter voice. “I suppose you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?”

Blair heaved a loud, forced sigh as he beheld Piro’s abrupt change. He stopped and turned to him. “Enough. I—he did what he had to do, all right? There was no other way, and forbidden or not, that power came in handy. He said he was sorry, I’ve said I’m sorry, but you still keep brooding. Get over it. ”

He opened his mouth in retort, but then slammed it shut as he pursed his lips. “I think we’ll both agree,” he said through clenched teeth, “that that is another discussion we don’t want to have right now.”

You’re right, because like always, you won’t listen to a word I say. Why do I even bother? You want to sit in your dark corner and be bitter about something I didn’t even do? Fine. I don’t care anymore. Blair sighed. “You're right, we don't.”

“Tell me more about the assignment,” Piro demanded.

Blair now felt like he was walking next to a furnace. “We're going to pass ourselves off as civilians and monitor the Bearers from a distance. I'll be giving reports of our observations.”

“And how long will this assignment last?”

“Well, three months at most,” Blair said morbidly. “But more likely until all of the Bearers are ready.”

Piro looked at him in interest. His eyes were still flashing, but his face and voice had relaxed. “And we’ll know that… how?”

“We’ll be splitting ourselves up into pairs,” Blair said. “Each pair will have different things to watch for. Celestia said that the Bearer’s recovery will be in stages. There’s more to it than that, but there’s a lot to go over. I’ll explain it all in the briefing.”

Piro gave a stiff nod. “So what happens when all the Bearers are recovered?”

“We let Celestia know.”

“And she takes it from there.”

“Right.”

They stopped in front of a wooden door with a latch and handle made of iron. They could hear several ponies talking inside.

Piro’s gaze was devoted to his own hooves before looking up at Blair, his expression unsure. “What I don't get is why she hasn't told the Bearers about us. Does she think they're not going to help?”
Blair shook his head. “Other way around. She's worried that if we told them, they'd try to use the Elements right now. And if they do, they'll get hurt.”

Piro slowly shook his head. “Perfect! So they need time, which we now have a finite amount of.”

“It was always finite,” Blair said. “Borrowed, even.”

He gritted his teeth. “We’ve never even been sure the Elements will work at all. They might flat out destroy us for all we know. I’m getting sick of Celestia’s gambling, Blair. When does it end?”

“We’ve always known there wasn’t going to be an easy fix for this.”

Piro reached up to open the door. “That doesn’t mean I like having our fate being left up to chance.”

“There’s no other choice.” Blair looked up to the towers of Canterlot Castle, then up to the stars in the sky. “We have to trust the Princess.”

Piro hesitated with his hoof on the handle, his voice clipped and dark. “Then let’s hope that this time, our trust isn’t misplaced.”

He opened the door of the room to find ten other ponies of different colors, sizes and types all sitting around a long oak table. Their eyes turned to meet them as one. Piro went to the last remaining chair and sat down as Blair walked to the front of the room and cleared his throat.

“By order of Her Majesty…”

Chapter 4: A Varied Reception

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Chapter 4:

A Varied Reception

The Next Morning-

The first train from Canterlot arrived at the Ponyville station at seven a.m. The doors opened, and a group of thirteen stallions with large identical suitcases walked out in single file. Twelve of them were complete solid colors from nose to tail, and the thirteenth was the traditional white and blue of the Royal Guard. They didn't move in any kind of formation, but a scrutinizing eye would notice that their actions were slightly more ordered and clipped than a normal pony’s. They all scanned the deserted train station, taking in the quiet scene.

Blair was the last to get off the train. His coat, mane and tail were messy, and he blinked like an owl in the natural light as he stifled a yawn.

“So this is Ponyville,” he said with a curled lip. “I hadn't expected it to be so... rural.”

“Probably isn't even a Moonbucks here,” Piro muttered, who was just in front of him. He looked around with clear, alert eyes, and his long mane and tail were neatly groomed. “And here I was hoping I could get some more coffee before going to our station.”

Blair eyed him darkly. “Damn you. Just had to go and mention coffee, didn't you?”

Piro chuckled. “Not my fault you didn't get up early enough to make the run with the rest of us.”

“Never were good with mornings, were you Blair?” The voice came from a green unicorn who was fiddling with his suitcase. “Makes me wonder how you got through Basic.”

Blair took a few steps away and scratched his horn. “You'd be surprised what you're able to do when you don't have a choice, Ace.”

“Orders are orders, Blair,” said a stern voice at the front of the group. “If the Bearers lived in the bowels of Tartarus, that’s where we’d go, and we’d like it.”

Blair looked at the speaker and withheld a snort. Vigil was such a stickler for protocol that he was even still wearing the Illusion spell that made all the Royal Guards look the same. “Oh, lighten up. We're supposed to be acting like civilians.”

“Seriously,” said the tallest of their group, a lanky indigo Earth Pony with a straight mane and tail. “Keep that attitude up and you’ll blow our cover.”

“Keep that attitude up, Ras, and I’ll buck you all the way back to Canterlot,” Vigil shot back.

There was an assortment of snickering from the group.

Blair raised his chin, addressing all of them. “You know your assignments. Introduce yourselves and then assume your stations. One of you from each pair will meet me at the library one week from today to share briefings. Dismissed.”

The group of ponies split into groups of two and went their separate directions, leaving Blair alone with Ace and Piro. He gave a sidelong glance to his companions.

“Shall we?”

The loud blaring of Twilight’s alarm clock pierced the sweet silence of the early morning. She muttered a curse as she put her blankets over her head. Eyes still closed, she reached for the snooze, but to no avail. Puzzled, she cracked open an eye. The clock was missing, but the noise still persisted. She swiveled her ears.

Where is it… Twilight sat up with a groan, and found the clock sitting on a shelf across the room. Still unwilling to abandon her bed’s warm embrace, she tried using telekinesis. The clock didn’t move, but she heard a gentle hum and felt something warm on her head. She reached up to discover a metal cone on her horn. Twilight fumbled with the silver sheath in a bleary stupor. It was firmly stuck.

Why am I wearing my Suppressor? I haven't sleepcasted in years. Urgh, stupid junior size! She tried to remove it with her magic. Nothing happened. Forgetting that the device was the cause, she simply tried harder. The sheath vibrated and gave off a loud thrumming like a tuning fork. Twilight concentrated as hard as she could, locating her magical font and immersing herself in its depths.

Power. NOW.

Her font built up in a tremendous surge like a geyser. The Suppressor became enveloped in a brilliant light, and the humming escalated into a piercing, high-pitched whine. It finally exploded with a metallic bang, the glowing shards briefly illuminating the room before disintegrating into dust.

Twilight grabbed the alarm clock in her magenta aura, filling the room with its luminance. She brought the still-ringing bane of her slumber before her, horn ablaze, eyes glittering with sleep-deprived fury.

“Be gone.”

Twilight opened her window and flung the alarm clock as hard as she could. It sailed far, far out of sight, the accursed noise fading along with it. She stared at the horizon for a time. It was still dark and hazy. The barest hints of a grey dawn were just poking at the edges of the sky.

Why did I set the alarm in the first place? I never do, let alone for this early. She found herself not caring as sleep began to reclaim her. She collapsed back onto her pillow and fled from the waking world.

Blair, Piro, and Ace walked out of the train station. The streets were quiet and dark, but the lights in most houses were on. Vague shadows could be seen flitting and moving about inside. The sun appeared, raising up a few inches in the sky before disappearing behind the thick clouds, filling the world with a pale gray.

Ace shielded his eyes. “Looks like it's going to be overcast.”

“We're going to be indoors all day,” Piro reminded him. “Does it really matter what the weather will be like?”

“Not all day,” Ace defended. He parted his jagged mane to the left, and pulled out a scroll and a quill with an oddly graceful motion. “We'll probably need to run out to get things for the house.”

“Like what? Were you thinking of decorating? Perhaps a little feng shui?” Piro jeeringly enunciated the last two words. “Don't forget what we're here to do.”

“I was thinking more along the lines of food,” Ace said, his eyes glued to the parchment. The quill moved back and forth in his green aura. “Although, we should probably get something to do in our spare time so we don't look conspicuous. It's going to seem odd enough that we don't have jobs.”

“That's easily explained,” Blair said over his shoulder. “Many ponies work from home, or even live above where they work. You can just say that you're a painter that takes commissions from Canterlot or something.”

Ace lowered the parchment and raised an eyebrow. “That's actually a pretty good idea.”

Piro let out an exasperated sigh. “I can't believe you're just now thinking of this. What were you going to say to ponies when they asked you why you moved here?”

“I guess I didn't plan out every single detail like you,” Ace snapped as he tossed his mane. “That must be another reason why you're so much better than the rest of us.”

Piro gave him an unsettling half-smirk.

An odd noise suddenly reached their ears. It came from far away, getting progressively louder.

Blair stopped. He twitched his ears in response to the commotion. “Do you hear that?”

Piro halted as well. He stood stock still, trying to identify it. “It sounds like… ringing?”

Ace pointed to the sky, in the direction they were walking. “What is that?”

Blair squinted and saw a small dot in the air. It was rapidly approaching them, moving at a great speed. As it did, the noise became louder and louder. It was strangely familiar. His eyes went wide as it hurtled straight towards them.

“Is that a—“

Twilight's alarm clock hit him square on the head.

Knock, knock, knock.

Twilight returned to awareness for the second time, confused and disgruntled. She rolled over in bed and squeezed her eyes shut.

Mmh, who would be coming to the library at this hour? I wasn't expecting—

The memories from yesterday finally emerged from the fog. Her eyes snapped open as she yelped and tried to bolt to the door. Instead, she got tangled in the sheets and fell out of bed with a thud.

Twilight found herself imprisoned in a blanket cocoon. No, no, no, no, no! And after everything I did to make sure I'd be up in time! How do some ponies do this every day?! She struggled and kicked at the blankets, which made their embrace all the tighter.

Knock, knock, knock.

To hay with it! Twilight ceased her efforts and closed her eyes. She formed an image of downstairs. There was a loud crack and a flash as she teleported to the center of the library. Now free of her covers, she ran to the mirror to assess her condition.

Bedhead. Eye circles. Matted coat. The pink streak in her tail and mane looked like a zigzag. Twilight groaned. This is NOT a good way to make a first impression, I look like I've been mugged by my pillow!

Twilight glanced to the bathroom, then to the window by the door where she could see three silhouettes outside. No time to freshen up. I can't meet these ponies like this! There must be something I can do!

Twilight bit her lip as an idea struck her. It's my only choice. Ugh, this much magic so early in the morning... I hope I don't have to maintain it for long. She ran over to a particular bookshelf.

Blair, Piro and Ace stood outside the library. Blair gingerly adjusted the ice pack on his head and was rewarded with a stinging pain. A beautiful lump had formed where the alarm clock had struck him.

“It really doesn't look that bad,” Ace lied.

“You look like you have two horns,” Piro said, his eyes dancing.

He ignored both of them and knocked loudly again.

A mare’s voice called from inside. “Just a minute!” There was a brief magenta flash from the windows of the library. The three of them exchanged confused looks. A moment later, the door was opened by a demure, well-groomed lavender unicorn.

“Hello!” Twilight said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, which were shifting back and forth. “You must be the ‘guests’ my brother told me about!”

Blair nodded and gave a formal bow. “May we come in, Miss Sparkle?”

“Of course!” She stepped back to admit them. As they entered, Twilight's eyes slid up to the ice pack on Blair's head. “Um… are you all right?”

He tried to laugh nonchalantly, but another twinge of pain caused him to wince. “Don’t worry about it. I was assaulted on our way here.”

Twilight's eyes widened. “Are you serious? What happened? Do you know who it was?”

Ace suppressed a snicker. “He was hit by a small, fast-moving projectile. We don’t know who it was, but we assume that they must really, really hate alarm clocks.”

The trio of stallions mistook Twilight’s jaw dropping as disbelief that such a thing would happen.

“We seem to be forgetting our manners. I am Blair, of Her Majesty's Royal Guard.” He gestured to the other two. “These are my comrades and your guards, Accern and Pirosco.”

“Everyone calls me Ace,” he said quickly, offering a hoof.

“I prefer Piro,” he said with a slight nod.

Twilight shook Ace's hoof. Her eyes then darted between the three stallions before returning to Blair. “Um, you're the only one who's going to be staying here, right? Because I don't have enough room for all three of you.”

“There's a nearby vacant house that's within surveying distance of here,” Piro replied. He pulled out a picture of a large, familiar house Twilight knew to be down the road. “Ace and I will be staying there, along with some of the other guards.”

So that's who bought Vinyl's old place. “Ah, well, that's good to hear.”

Blair was standing by the Fantasy section, looking around the library. “Do you have a preferred place that I stay?”

Yeah, back in Canterlot. Twilight motioned to the back of the library by the kitchen door. “Over here.”

Piro cleared his throat. “Ace and I will be going.”

Blair looked back and nodded. “Don't hesitate to let me know about anything.”

They took their luggage and walked out the door, leaving Twilight alone with her new roommate.

She led Blair to the ‘guest room.’ It was actually the kitchen pantry, but she and Spike didn’t keep a lot of food on hoof.

“I'm sorry it isn't much,” Twilight said as she opened the door.

Blair looked in and saw that a bed had been fit into the small room. He also noticed that the bed had been covered in bright flowery patterns, along with a slipcover. Pictures of spring meadows adorned the walls.

“Did you decorate this?” Blair asked incredulously.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “That would be the work of my friend Rarity. She was the one who gave me the bed, but then she realized that it would be in a separate room, so she wanted to decorate, and then accessorize...”

Blair raised an eyebrow at the accommodations. It was cramped, but it did have a homey touch that he hadn't seen in a room in years. He turned to Twilight. “This will do nicely.”

“Okay good,” Twilight said. She was unsure on what to do next. “So, do you need anything? Have you eaten?”

Blair laughed. “You don’t need to treat me like a guest. I’m here to protect you, and I’m quite capable of taking care of myself.” He looked her over with a critical eye. “You seem like you're an early riser. Do you normally start your day around this time?”

“O-Oh… no no no,” Twilight stammered. “I was only up this early to be ready for you. I normally get up around ten or eleven.”

Blair slumped as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. “Thank Celestia. I can't stand getting up early.” He closed his eyes as the lump on his head gave a nasty throb. “So if I were to lay down for a bit to rest my head, you wouldn’t object?”

“Um… are you sure?” Twilight said as she moved a step closer to examine the injury. “That may not be the best idea if you've been hit on the head. I mean, I'm not a doctor but I've read a few books on medicine, and I know that if you have a concussion you shouldn't—”

“Piro is a medic.” Blair gestured at the ice pack. “He examined me when I was hit. I don't have a concussion, just a nasty headache.”

Twilight saw the opportunity. “Oh! No problem, then. I wasn't planning on going anywhere today. Go ahead and lay down, I'll be around when you wake up.”

She didn’t wait for his reply and retreated to her loft, the soft click of the pantry door reaching her ears as she got to the top. Twilight shimmered as she released the Illusion spell, heaving a sigh of relief.

She hovered at the top of the stairs, shifting her weight from side to side. On the one hoof, I accidentally clobbered the poor guy. On the other, I can go back to bed. Is it wrong to not feel bad about this?

As she wrestled with her thoughts, she glanced over at Spike. He was still asleep in his little basket, somehow completely unfazed by the morning's events.

How in the-I didn't think he was such a deep sleeper. She took a closer look at him, stopping as something caught her eye. Bright orange plugs were stuffed in both his ears.

Clever boy. Twilight smiled as she fixed her blankets and went back to bed.

“You’re late!” Rainbow Dash snapped. “I’ve been waiting here for ten minutes!” She hovered in midair with her hooves on her hips above her luxurious cloud home, staring at the two pegasi that had just flown up to meet her.

One of them was a pale red stallion with large wings and a clipped mane and tail. He narrowed his eyes at the rude geeting. “We just got into the train station ten minutes ago. We got here as quick as we could.”

“It took you that long to get here from the train station?” Rainbow facehoofed. “Oh, for crying out… I can get there in less than half a minute!”

“What?” said the other stallion. He was a slightly darker shade of blue than she was, his wings were angular, and his mane and tail had a slight curl to them. “No way. You’d have to have, like, at least twelve wingpower to pull that off!”

She did a quick somersault and puffed out her chest. “Twelve point-nine last time I clocked in.” She eyed them both with renewed ire. “But I can’t maintain that if I have to hover around, waiting for a couple of slowpokes instead of doing my morning workout!”

The two guards were taken aback at her ferocity. The puce pegasus flattened his ears. “We didn’t know the best way here because we’re unfamiliar with the area.” He looked down at her. “Now that we do, I’m sure that we can make the trip as fast as you can, if not faster.”

Rainbow’s jaw dropped at the claim. She burst out laughing, falling backwards out of the air and landing on the roof of her house.

The boastful guard turned even redder as he glared at Rainbow. “I fail to see what's so funny.”

“F-Faster than me!” she managed.

“Esra, I think she’s the real deal,” the turquoise stallion whispered to his partner. “She doesn’t have an ounce of fat on her, and she’s got wings like a falcon. If she’s got more than twelve wingpower, she can fly circles around the both of us.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it, Tastar.” Esra continued to look down at Rainbow Dash.

“Oh, really?” Tastar challenged. He elbowed his partner. "You wanna put a little money on it?”

Esra raised an eyebrow. “How much?”

“Twenty bits says we can’t keep up with her during her workout.”

He made a derisive snort. “You’re the only one that’s even come close to besting me in physical ability. This isn’t even a bet. You’re on.”

They shook hooves as Rainbow ceased her laughter and jumped back into the air. “Okay, that was pretty funny, so I’ll at least admit you’ve got a sense of humor.” She gave them an amused grin. “So, what’re your names?”

“I’m Tastar,” the turquoise stallion said, gesturing to himself. “The arrogant one is Esra.”

Esra huffed and looked away.

“Hmm.” Rainbow flew forward, stopping just inches away from the two stallions and circled around them, staring at their bodies with a trained eye.

“Uh… Miss Rainbow Dash?” Tastar asked, unnerved by her closeness and gaze. He could feel the soft downdrafts of her wings as her feathers briefly tickled his side. “What’re you doing?”

Red one’s got good muscle definition, especially in the legs. Obviously he’s got power and stamina, but I doubt he can maneuver very well with those big wings. Probably can’t sprint for long, either. Ugh, has he ever heard of preening? He's gonna be slow with all those feathers out of place. Blue guy looks weak. Wait... ah, he’s got dense muscles like me. Cool, I’ll bet he can sprint. Probably has good stamina and power, too. Too bad his wings aren’t as well developed. It’s probably a military thing…

Rainbow hovered back a ways, giving the two their space. “I can tell you two don’t spend much time doing flight training. That’ll have to change if you plan to protect me. Otherwise, I guess you’ll do.”

Tastar laughed as he realized they had just been given an examination. “Do you mind then if we join you in your workout?”

“More like I demand it,” she said flatly. “You can’t be my guards if you can’t even match my pace.”

“You said you were in a hurry.” Esra made a slicing motion with a forehoof. “Are we going to start or not?”

“Oh, we’re gonna start all right,” Rainbow said with a cocky smirk as she landed on the roof again. She flared out her wings and crouched like a cat. “I hope you’re ready, boys. Catch me if you can!”

She took off in a burst of color, generating a massive blast of wind that knocked both Esra and Tastar off balance, leaving them struggling to maintain their altitude and stability. Rainbow’s laughter echoed on the wind as they looked to see that she was already nothing but a prismatic dot off in the distance. Esra’s jaw dropped.

“I’ll be expecting those bits by the end of the day,” Tastar said with a chuckle as he landed. He imitated Rainbow, going into a crouch. He took off in a lesser, but still impressive, burst of speed.

Esra shook his head. “You haven’t won the bet yet.” He descended to the roof and lowered his stance. He shot forward as he flapped his wings, leaving a blast of wind in his wake that rivaled his partner’s.

Rainbow careened through the sky, deciding not to fully push herself yet to see if the guards could keep up. She looked back to see the two of them beginning to give chase. She shook her head. They’re just taking off NOW? Horseapples, this is really gonna slow me down. Looks like I’m gonna have to work with them to get them in better shape.

She heaved a sigh as she looked off in the distance towards the shining parapets of Canterlot. It’s not for forever. As soon as Luna’s better, we can prove to her and Celestia that we can take care of ourselves.

Across town, Ras and Vigil were walking towards a bakery that looked to be made of gingerbread. The two had walked in silence since they’d left the train station, and the atmosphere was tense.

“So,” Ras began, “I noticed you specifically volunteered to guard the Bearer of Laughter. Why's that?”

“Personal reasons,” Vigil replied simply.

“Such as?”

“They’re personal because I don’t want to talk about them,” Vigil snapped. “And I’ll thank you not to be so nosy.”

“I’m just trying to make conversation,” Ras said.

“You want a conversation? Fine. Let’s talk about possible entry points that we need to secure.” They approached Pinkie’s house next door to Sugarcube Corner. Vigil looked up at it with a critical eye. “I can see three from here alone.”

Ras tried to find the flaws in the building that Vigil saw. As he did, a flash of movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned, but saw nothing but a few passersby walking to and fro.

Vigil noticed his action. “Did you see something?”

“I thought I—no, it was nothing.” Ras returned his attention to the house beside the bakery. "I see the entry points, too. Hmm, and two others over here...”

A pair of blue eyes watched the stallions from across the street as they continued their inspection. A pink hoof reached out from a pile of haybales, grabbing an apple from a nearby basket. It retreated to its owner with a rustle, shortly followed by a soft munching.

New ponies sighted. Bait has been set. Awaiting further action.

“...and this left window pane looks loose,” Ras said, tapping it lightly. “Probably could pop it right out without a sound.”

Vigil nodded. “We should introduce ourselves so we can check the inside, too.”

“I suppose we should.” Ras walked over to the door. “Although it looks like she's not up y—” at his touch, the door swung ajar.

The two of them rushed into the house. As they did, their observer gave a satisfied smirk.

Hook, line and sinker. Operation ‘Stealth Party’ is go.

Ras and Vigil ran inside. The room was pitch black, and they were unable to see anything beyond the entranceway. Their focus on trying to identify signs of a struggle prevented them from noticing a pink blur that zipped in behind them. As the two fully entered, the door closed behind them with a slam, leaving them in total darkness.

Vigil stopped. “What was—”

The lights turned on to reveal the room completely decorated with bright streamers, colorful banners, and balloons. Party games and favors were littered all around. Cakes, donuts, fritters, pies, cupcakes, and eclairs were all heaped on a small table, covered in plastic wrap.

“What in Celestia’s name is this?” Vigil demanded.

Ras shook his head. “I have no idea.”

“Hello, Guardsponies!”

Both of them turned to see Pinkie standing in the far corner, waving with an innocent smile. A massive cannon with a shiny red button stood beside her.

Vigil’s eyes went wide. “Is that a—”

“WELCOME TO PONYVILLE!” Pinkie smashed the button.

A small stream of confetti jettisoned out from the chimney of Pinkie’s house, gently fluttering to the ground. The accompanying, muted explosion caused a few nearby pedestrians to stop momentarily, but they continued on their business a few seconds later after shaking their heads in knowing amusement.

Meanwhile, two pegasi stood outside a quaint country cottage on the outskirts of town, at a loss for what to do. A quick peek in the windows had revealed that its resident was nowhere to be found. One of the pegasi, a canary yellow stallion with a wiry build and scraggly mane, was pacing back and forth as he muttered to himself.

“No signs of forced entry, lights aren’t on, door's locked, and we don’t know when she was home last. We've no clue as to her current location, and we don’t even know where we should even start looking.” He swished his tail and looked at his partner. “Some guards we are.”

His partner, a short violet stallion with thin wings, spoke in a faint tenor as he looked off into the distance. “I wouldn’t say that, Megnii. Just because you can’t see something right away doesn’t mean it isn’t there.”

Megnii rolled his eyes. “Something we can’t see isn’t going to help us find the Bearer of Kindness, Spesci.”

“I said, ‘can’t see right away.’ If you actually open your eyes and take a look around, you’ll find that there’s always something that you can use to locate somepony.” Spesci pointed to something some thirty yards away. He spread his wings and flew over to the spot he had indicated, hovering a few feet off the ground.

“Like these tracks, for instance.”

Megnii’s eyes widened. He zoomed over to Spesci. As he approached, a set of gouges in the soft earth became visible. They were unmistakably hoofprints leading away from the cottage. He hadn’t seen them at all from where he'd been standing before.

“They’re small, definitely made by a mare.” Spesci compared the imprint to his own, which was about a third larger. “They’re deep, though... the physical description we got on her said she’s about normal height and thin, even for a pegasus. If these are her tracks, she was carrying something heavy, which would explain why she wasn’t flying.”

“I didn’t know you could track,” Megnii said quietly.

Spesci laughed. “You can do a lot of things when you pay attention to your surroundings.” He slowly flew forward, inspecting the tracks as they went onward. They went straight northeast towards the tree line. “Looks like she went into the Everfree.”

Megnii flew up in the air to get a better view of the forest. It stretched out to the east as far as his eyes could see. “That might be a problem,” he said with a low whistle.

“So might this,” Spesci called from down below. He had flown ahead several yards. Megnii flew down to see what he had found.

Spesci’s face was grim as he pointed to a second, much larger set of prints that met up with the first. “These are bear tracks.”

Megnii went pale as he examined the area, beginning to pace again in midair. “There’s no sign of a struggle. Did she take to the air? But you said she was carrying something, which was why she wasn’t flying in the first place, and there’s nothing around here. Maybe she turned and ran? But you didn’t say anything about tracks leading back…”

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Spesci said. He furrowed his eyebrows and stared at the prints. “The mare’s tracks don’t show any signs of hesitation. She even started moving faster in the same direction once she met up with the beast. But what’s even weirder is that instead of the two sets of tracks merging, they move alongside each other.”

He shook his head as he looked at the two sets of tracks, perfectly in tandem as they stretched towards the forest. “It’s like she was running side by side with the bear.”

“Running side by side?” Megnii repeated. “Why would—“

A loud, deep, feral noise reached their ears from the Everfree. It instilled in them a cold sense of dread that they fought to control. Even for ponies that had never heard it before, it was unmistakably recognizable as a bear’s roar.

The two guards ran into the forest. Spesci was in front, his dark suspicions being confirmed as the tracks continued unerringly in the direction they'd heard the sound. Ancient oaks, maples, ash, and cypress trees whizzed by as they followed the trail through the eerie wood. Not a single sound reached their ears as they ran, save for the ones they made themselves. It was as if the entire forest was holding its breath.

After a few minutes, Megnii spoke up. “Do you think that we’re clo—”

A second, earsplitting roar shattered the silence. Megnii leaped into the air, his wings snapping open as he cleared the canopy. He ascended almost fifty feet before getting a stranglehold on his instincts. With great reluctance, he descended and resumed running alongside his partner with a nervous laugh.

“Yeah,” Spesci deadpanned. “We’re close.”

They continued through the underbrush a while longer before Spesci signaled Megnii to stop. Before them was a clearing beside a river a few feet away, where a large, dark cave carved out of an overhang stood ominously before them. Both sets of tracks led straight into the cave.

Megnii peered out at the clearing from the brush, unable to see anything inside the dark recess. He was about to say something when his mouth was covered by a violet hoof. Spesci shook his head. He subtly gestured towards the cave, making a tiptoeing motion with his hooves.

The guards abandoned their cover, putting as little weight into their steps as they could. Megnii’s heart was beating like a drum. Part of him wondered if that noise alone would give them away. Spesci was crouched, moving with as much as stealth as possible, but his entire body was shaking like a leaf in the wind. As they approached, Megnii noticed that there was a bend in the cave, continuing on to the right and preventing them from seeing deeper in.

“You’re doing great!” a voice echoed from within. Both of the stallions stopped dead. “Just one more! One! Two! Three! PUSH!”

An earthshattering, agonizing roar blasted forth from the cave. The guards dropped to the ground, eyes shut, teeth gritted, and hooves stuffed in their ears.

The roar died out and was replaced by a high pitched mewling. “It’s a girl!” the voice said happily. “That’s three cubs! I’m so happy for you two!”

A wave of nausea hit Megnii as he opened his eyes. The world spun around him as he unsteadily got to his hooves, trying to stop his stomach from doing somersaults. He glanced over at Spesci, who was swaying back and forth as his eyes did loop-de-loops in their sockets.

“I’ll be right back, I need some air,” the voice said. The two guards heard the clip-clopping of hooves on stone. Megnii and Spesci wordlessly agreed to wait for the owner of the voice to come to them.

Both of them paled as they were confronted by Fluttershy. Her coat and mane were splattered with chunks of gore, and her mane and tail were stained a deep crimson that left a dripping trail of ichor in her wake. The guards were reminded of the ancient folktales of the walking dead. The nausea they were both trying to keep down surged forth, and they forcibly emptied their stomachs.

Fluttershy squeaked upon seeing the two guards. “Goodness, are you both all right? What happened to you?”

Spesci said something she couldn’t hear.

“Oops, one second.” She tilted her head and shook it. A small earplug fell out of her ear. She did the same for the other. “Sorry, what did you say?”

“Are you… Fluttershy?” Spesci managed.

“Y-Yes.” She tried to walk closer to them, but they both scrambled away and dove into the brush. She seemed to remember something. “Oh, you’re the guards that were supposed to come this morning, aren’t you?”

Megnii poked his head out from behind a maple tree. “Megnii and Spesci at your ser—“ his cheeks bulged as he looked at her. He put a hoof to his mouth and disappeared.

“Miss Fluttershy,” Spesci called over the faint retching noise, “are you injured?”

Fluttershy scratched her cheek. “No, why are you—” she gasped as she brought her hoof away seeing that it was a deep sanguine. She turned and looked at herself.

“Oh my... That would explain your… um… excuse me.”

Fluttershy bolted to the river and prepared to jump in. Right before she did, though, she turned back and yelled into the brush.

“Whatever you do, don’t go in the cave!”

The early risers of Ponyville took no notice to the lights of Carousel Boutique, even at such a young hour. Rarity sat at her kitchen table across from two unicorns, who were drinking the tea she had set out for them. She took in their actions with an approving eye.

At least they have proper manners. Excellent posture, eyes downcast, they stirred their tea without clinking their spoons, and I haven’t heard a single slurp. They even poured out the milk first. It’s not often you meet military ponies who have knowledge of traditional Canterlot tea etiquette… or anypony outside of nobility, for that matter.

One of the guards, a dark orange stallion with a long, flowing mane, set down his cup and smiled. “You humble us with your hospitality, Lady Rarity,” he began smoothly. “It has been some time since either Grovi or I have had the pleasure of enjoying proper tea.”

Rarity tittered. “Think nothing of it, Elo. First impressions are rather important, after all.”

“Too true,” he replied. “And if I might be so bold, my first impressions of you are that you're a mare of expensive taste who values fashion and beauty. Am I wrong?”

“Well, this is a dress boutique,” Rarity said, showing the slightest hint of pride. “As the proprietor, I'd think it odd if I didn't.”

Both of the guards laughed. “Point to the fashionista,” Elo said. “And if I were to continue to judge a book by its cover, I would also say that you enjoy being a hostess, although I’d wager you normally don't entertain this early in the morning.”

“Correct on both counts.” She looked out the window at the clouds where she guessed the sun was. “However, a Lady always does what's necessary to provide for anypony they call ‘friend’ without complaint.” She gave a sidelong glance at the two. “Or in this case, ‘protectors.’”

Elo bowed. “You have our word that Grovi and I will do everything in our power to keep you safe.”

Grovi nodded, but remained silent. His mane and tail were styled in the fashion of a noble, his horn was sharpened, and his hooves were beautifully polished. His face was a stoic mask, but when Rarity wasn’t looking, his lips kept parting in unmistakable disbelief.

Rarity found herself very much liking the two guards. I was half-afraid I'd be stuck with a pair of boorish louts, not these polite gentleponies! She lowered her gaze as she felt a surge of guilt. I should've had more faith in the Princesses. Of course they wouldn’t trust just anypony with our safety.

Rarity gave them a warm smile. “In that case, I believe my first impressions are correct, as well.” A small box hovered over to the table in her blue aura. “And to commemorate our first meeting, I have a gift for each of you.”

Elo raised his eyebrows. “You needn’t have gone through any trouble on our part—“

“But I already have,” Rarity interrupted matter-of-factly. “I may not be a military mare, but in times like this, I do understand that items of practicality hold more importance than those of vanity.” She opened the box to reveal four blue earrings: Two of them were for designed for males, and the other two were for a female. They were all set with a tiny, shining blue sapphire.

The guards stared quizzically at the adornments. “Forgive me,” Elo said, “but I fail to see how jewelry serves any kind of practical purpose.”

“You'd be correct,” Rarity agreed, “but these earrings are magical. You see, my special talent may be finding beauty in the mundane, but I also have a knack for a certain spell that can locate gemstones. I was helping my friend Twilight last night when I came up with this idea, and she showed me a way to modify the spell so that it locates specific gemstones from farther distances away.” She levitated the male earrings up, and gave one to each of the guards. “I enchanted the sapphires in these earrings. If you wear them, I'll be able to find you with but a thought, and can go to you if I'm in trouble.”

Elo stared agape at her. “That's, well....”

“Brilliant?” Grovi offered as he took one of the earrings.

“‘Astounding’ was the word I was going to use, but that works as well.” Elo accepted the other and put it in his left ear. “You are very clever, my Lady.”

Rarity blushed at the compliment. “I merely had the idea. Twilight was the one who showed me how to do it.”

“Nonetheless, this will be a great asset for you,” Elo said appreciatively. “You're to be commended for your creativity.” He nodded at the set of female earrings. “Now you have me curious: what do those do?”

“That set is for me, but whether they do anything is up to the two of you.” Rarity picked up the earrings. “They aren't enchanted right now, because—” she paused for a moment and looked up at the ceiling. “Twilight explained it as ‘the spell becomes attuned', I believe.”

Grovi’s eyes lit up.. “Divination spells are bound to the caster and the target. You mean to have each of us put the Scrying spell on one of your earrings so we can locate you, as well.”

“That sounds like what Twilight was saying,” Rarity agreed. She looked back down at the two of them. “I'm not the most accomplished caster, but I've always been good with Divination spells. This one in particular, I've always thought to be quite easy. For some reason, though, other unicorns have a problem with it.”

Rarity took both of the earrings and placed them on the table. “If you're willing, I can show you how to cast the spell, but it will depend on if you're able to do it.”

Grovi exchanged a knowing glance with Elo.

“She reminds you of certain somepony, doesn’t she?”

Elo silenced him with a pointed look, then turned back to Rarity. “By your leave, we'd be honored to have you teach us.”

“Fabulous,” Rarity said with a clap of her hooves. “I'm sure you’ll both catch onto it in no time.”

Applejack sighed as she stood in front of the barn, hitched up to a cart full of farming tools. She'd been up for a few hours taking care of the chickens, and was just about to head out to the fields when her 'guests' had arrived. She eyed the pair of guards, addressing the first one who'd introduced himself.

“It's mighty nice to meet ya, Mr. Norric. Now, if'n you don't mind me gettin' straight to the point, I gotta be askin' something. My understanding is that both of ya are just gonna sit back and watch me to make sure I don't get foalnapped or nothin', right?”

“That's correct,” Norric replied. “Our orders are to not interfere with your daily activities unless in an emergency.”

She sized up the stallion. He was a head shorter than her, with a coat darker than a moonless night. He's well built like most military folk. A bit on the short side, but there’s something about him that tells me he’s no stranger to hard work. I can use him, at least. She glanced over at his companion, a solid Earth Pony the color of dirt with his mane in a buzz cut. He'd been silent thus far, looking around the farm with interest. Not so sure about this one, though.

“I'm appreciative of that and all,” Applejack said. “But like I was sayin' to Twilight, trying to keep a low profile out here is gonna be a bit of a problem. I dunno how much you know about farmin', with ya’ll being from Canterlot and such. But lemme tell you: Nothin's more suspicious than two able-bodied stallions like yourselves bein' out on a farm and not doing a thing. So, if you wanna do your jobs protectin' me, I'm afraid I gotta put'cha to work.”

The brown stallion chuckled. “I told you, Norric.”

Norric's expression was unreadable. He gestured to his companion. “Strauss had mentioned that possibility on our way here, although I'd thought of an alternative.”

“Best way to hide is to blend in,” Strauss said in a deep bass. “Only way to do that out here is to be a farmhand. Bad idea to try and hide in apple trees on an apple farm. We'll damage the crops.”

Applejack quickly changed her mind. Got a good head, this one. I think I'll put him with Mac... ah, shoot I can't; they gotta be watchin' me. Well, dependin' on how quick they take to the labor, we might get done early, and then we can go help him out.

”I'd rather you didn’t go climbin' trees this close to Applebuck Season,” she said to Norric. “It'd be a mite difficult for you to get up in 'em, anyways.”

He seemed to grudgingly see the point in that. “Farmhands it is, then.”

“The three of us’ll start up in the north field,” she continued. “This time of year all we’re doin’ is maintenance on the trees and checkin’ to see which ones might need to be harvested early. Comin’ about a month’s time is Applebuck Season, and that’s when we really get into the thick of it.” She picked her brain as she tried to remember the specifics for the north field. “I can show the both o’ya how to Applebuck on a few early bloomers I was gonna get today.”

“What kind of maintenance do you do on the trees?” Norric asked.

Applejack motioned at the cart behind her. It was filled with a large barrel of water, shears, pails, shovels, hoofaxes, and a large lumpy sack of other assorted items. “Prunin’ dead branches, keepin’ the soil moist if we haven’t had enough rain, checkin’ for rot ‘n disease on the bark, that sorta thing.” She raised a hoof to her chin. “Although I’ll be doing that last one, seein’ as ya don’t know what to look for.”

“Fair enough,” Norric said with a nod. “When do we start?”

“Right now.” Applejack walked forward. As she passed by, expecting them to follow, she noticed the suitcases that each of them had.

“Oh, right. There is one other thing.” She stopped and looked over at the farmhouse. “I know ya’ll don’t mean to interfere with me or my family, but the bottom line is there ain’t no other place for either of you to stay other than the house.”

Applejack was silent before returning her attention to Norric and Strauss. Her eyes were hollow, and her voice was melancholy.

“Fortunately, we got a room to spare.”

Chapter 5: Noble Goals

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Chapter 5:

Noble Goals

Four Days Later-

Twilight paced in the library surrounded by a flurry of papers, notes, and books that covered the floor, taking no notice of the mess as she circled around a table in the center of the room. Beside her were the shredded remnants of a package that’d been delivered to her by the mailmare a short while ago. Her nose was now buried in a small, ancient tome hovering before her entitled, ‘A History of the Elements of Harmony.’

…while the each of the Elements do have magic of their own, they’re the most powerful when combined together. However, information on their exact effects is vague, at best. At the time of this writing, the Elements have only been used twice in recorded history: Once in the Era of Discord, and again during the War of the Sun and Moon. Princess Celestia, the wielder on both these occasions, has gone on record saying that the resulting spell is Purification magic of the highest degree. However, this has left Arcana scholars confused, as ‘Purification’ is not known to fall under any school of magic…

On the next page was the same picture that she’d seen in a dozen other books: A pentagon with five different colored jewels placed on the corners and a sixth in the center. The jewels were vividly colored and shaded, with a beautiful golden star and shining circle set behind them.

I see the artist put a lot of fancy work into this one. She skimmed the contents of the book before flipping back to the picture and setting it down. That one was useless, too. I guess Fillydelphia’s libraries are about as sparse on info about the Elements as everywhere else I’ve looked.

She stared at the scribbled notes and unfinished diagrams that surrounded her; the beginnings of her fledgling spell. Maybe I'm trying something too big here. I’m not even sure this is going to work! There are just so many factors that I’m already compensating for, and without more information on the Elements, I’m not even sure I can replicate their effects, and without a more clear understanding on how they interact with each other, I can't make a stable array, and I—

Twilight let out a frustrated yell and pounded her hooves against the table. Her horn flashed, and the loose papers swirled around her in a whirlwind.

“Twilight?”

A voice from above caught her attention. She looked to see Blair sitting in the loft, holding a book and looking somewhere between amused and curious. “Are you all right?”

Twilight grunted and began to grab the airborne papers. “I’m fine, Blair. I’m not being attacked by my notes.”

His smile widened. “Even if you were, I think you can survive a few paper cuts. I was actually referring to your cry of mental anguish. Is there anything I can do to help?”

She withheld an aggravated sigh. Every time this guy opens his mouth I want to smack him upside the head. If he wasn’t so quiet and just stayed up in the loft all the time, I’d have probably blasted him back to Canterlot by now. ‘Cry of mental anguish?' Who the hoof even SAYS that?

Twilight put the few papers she'd gathered on the table. “Unless you somehow happen have an intimate understanding of the Elements of Harmony, at least a Master’s Degree in one of the schools of Arcana, or advanced knowledge of how Fusion Arrays work, I don’t think you can help.”

Blair laughed. “Pretty tall order, there. I’ll admit I don’t have any of those things, but I do have something else.”

Twilight furrowed her eyebrows. “And that would be?”

“The eye of an outsider.” Blair walked down the stairs. “Sometimes the most obvious things are the hardest to see, simply because you have such a close eye on what you’re doing.”

She made a condescending hmph. “I doubt that you can see something I can’t. Have you even ever been to University?”

“Not officially,” he said with a swift wink. “But you could say I have something akin to field experience. Now, what’re you trying to do, and what's the problem you’re having?”

Twilight glared at Blair. He hasn’t even been to University and he thinks he can help me. Does he have any—you know what? He wants to know? Fine. Maybe when I give him the laundry list of problems I’m having, he’ll realize the level of magic I’m dealing with. That ought to shut him up.

“I’m trying to create a spell that replicates the effects of the Elements of Harmony on a lesser scale, in the form of a barrier,” she said. “The problem I’m having right now is that it might be impossible.”

Blair cocked his head. “What makes you say that?”

Where to even start? Twilight rubbed her forehead and yawned. “How much do you know about the Elements of Harmony?”

“Probably about as much as anyone else,” he replied. “They’re ancient artifacts that you and your friends used to defeat Nightmare Moon. One thousand years before that, Celestia used them to banish her. I was brought up to believe that they're Divine in origin, but after I learned a little about magic, I didn’t put much stock in that.”

“That’s just what old folktales say,” Twilight said with a dismissive wave. “The truth is hard to find because the Elements have been romanticized and speculated on so much.”

Twilight nodded at the picture in the book she’d been reading. “I’ve seen the Elements in action. I've wielded their power against Nightmare Moon. And afterwards, I talked with my friends to learn what they saw and felt to validate my theory. With all that information, I was able to discern the truth. I know what their combined spell actually is.”

Blair leaned forward. “What is it?”

Twilight tucked in her chin and gave him a proud smile. “A Disjunction spell. The Elements of Harmony break down magics into their base components and disperse them.”

He blinked. “Only magics?”

‘Only magics,’ he says. Twilight suppressed a sneer. “That’s all it did to Luna, but think about it this way. If they were able to negate the twisted, evil, thousand-year-old magics that possessed Princess Luna, it’s safe to say that any lesser magical ability, connection, or spell is susceptible as well.”

Twilight looked at the picture of the Elements with a hungry look in her eyes. “I don’t think you realize the potential that lies here. A barrier made out of a Disjunction spell would be impervious to any kind of magical assault.”

Blair considered for a moment. “Okay, that sounds powerful.” He pursed his lips and rubbed his chin. “Do you think that’s why Princess Luna is so weak right now?”

Twilight was thrown off-track for a moment before she remembered what Blair was. Royal Guard, Twilight. He’s probably seen her more than you.

She regained her composure and bit her lip. “Yes and no. Okay, I don’t have any proof on this. It’s just a theory, and while it makes sense to me, it’ll probably sound silly to anypony else.”

Blair sat on his haunches and raised a hoof for her to continue.

“See, they’re called the Elements of Harmony, right? And—” Twilight stopped and put a hoof to her face. Ugh, this sounds ridiculous even in my head. She took a deep breath. “I think that the Elements might, on some level, have a form of... awareness.”

Twilight stopped and looked up to gauge Blair’s reaction. His face was stoic, and his eyes were calm and receptive.

“When I used the Element of Magic, I could feel something coming from Luna,” Twilight said. “I don't know what it was, but it was... wrong. I doubt there’s a word to describe it. An imbalance? A corruption? A disturbance? None of those are quite right, but whatever it was, I somehow knew exactly how much power was needed to fix it.”

Twilight's cheeks turned pink. “This has led me to suspect that if the Elements do indeed have some form of sentience, then it's attuned to the natural balance of, well... everything. And when somepony uses them, they catch a glimpse of it so that they know how much power to use.”

“So, what you're saying,” Blair said slowly, “is that the Elements of Harmony are a literal manifestation of their namesake, and they temporarily impart the ability to see the natural order of the world so that they can be used to their greatest effect?”

“Something like that,” Twilight said sheepishly. “We had to use their full power for Luna, though. Anything less wouldn't have been enough.”

“You said that the spell breaks down magics and disperses them, though,” Blair pointed out. “Princess Luna is recovering her magic, albeit at a slow rate. What are your thoughts on that?”

Twilight’s gaze wandered, stopping on a book on the floor. On the cover was a picture of two alicorns circling each other in the sky. “Again, this is just a theory, but if the Elements are really about keeping balance, then they wouldn’t do anything to upset it. We’re supposed to have a Princess of the Sun and a Princess of the Moon, after all. My guess is that the Elements ‘know’ that, so they didn’t completely cut off her magic.”

“Makes sense,” Blair admitted. “But where did her magic go, I wonder?”

Twilight shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“I suppose that’s getting off topic.” Blair looked up at the ceiling. “So, to reiterate, you’re trying to make a Barrier spell that replicates the effects of the Elements of Harmony, which, from your experience with Nightmare Moon, you know to be a spell that breaks down and disperses other magics. Is that about right?”

At least he can pay attention. Twilight nodded.

Blair looked down at her with inquisitive eyes. “What's the impossible part?”

Twilight tossed her mane and looked away. “My theory is that if I cast six separate spells simultaneously and fuse them together, I can duplicate the Disjunction effect. However, I have three major hurdles. First, I don’t know what schools of magic to use for the spells, although I can figure that out through process of elimination. Second, I need to use Catalyst Runes to fuse the spells together. Do you know what those are?”

Blair squinted and rubbed his horn. “The name rings a bell, but I forget the specifics.”

“In a nutshell, all magic spells have a Symbol associated with them,” Twilight said. “A Catalyst Rune is just the symbol of a magic spell that’s been modified so it can be used for fusion.”

Blair's scrunched his eyebrows. “And you can't find the Symbols for the individual Elements.”

Twilight sighed. “I’ve gone through every book here and haven't even found so much as a reference. I’ve been sending letters to every major library and University I can think of, and still nothing. I haven’t gotten responses back from all of them, but I'm not holding my breath. I do have a few other avenues open to me, but this whole ordeal is proving to be more of hassle than I anticipated.”

“I still haven't heard anything that sounds impossible,” Blair said. ”Just annoying.”

Twilight huffed and raised her chin. “That's because I haven't told you about the biggest hurdle of them all.”

Blair raised an eyebrow. “Which is?”

She propped a hoof on the table and leaned on it. “What sounds wrong about a magic spell that breaks down any kind magic?”

“I’m not sure what y—“ Blair stopped as he caught the emphasis.

And now he sees. Twilight exhaled through her nose. “Even if I use the right schools of magic with the Symbols of the Elements and perform a successful fusion, the Disjunction effect will immediately tear itself apart.”

Twilight motioned to the scattered pictures she’d drawn all over the floor, which were all five-sided stars and pentagons. “Which means I have to find a way to stabilize it. The best way to stabilize any kind of fusion is with an array, but I can’t find one that'll work.”

Blair got up and slowly walked around the room, picking up the pages one by one and examining them as Twilight continued.

“So, Mr. Outsider,” she said as she rested her eyes. “Can you solve my little conundrum? I have to either find an array that can sustain itself while it’s trying rip itself to shreds, or make a new one from scratch. Which, by the way, would be a thesis spell in and of itself. Does your ‘field experience’ shed any light on—“

“Why do you always have the purple one in the center?”

Twilight jerked her eyes open and looked to Blair, who was shuffling through all of her drawings.

The stack of papers became enveloped in a teal aura. They separated and hovered in front of Twilight in a collage, and Blair walked around the wall of paper to stand beside her.

“I assume the colored jewels you have in these pictures are where you plan on placing the Catalyst Runes,” Blair said. “In every single one, you have them arranged in the same order, with the purple jewel in the center. Why?”

Twilight looked at the diagrams before her. “The purple one is the Element of Magic. It has to be in the middle.”

Blair followed her gaze. “What makes you think that?”

“The Element of Magic is what holds all the other five together,” Twilight said automatically. “It’s said to be the most elusive, only appearing when the other five have gathered.”

“That sounds like a verse from those ‘romanticized folktales’ you mentioned earlier, not the opinion of somepony who has hooves-on experience with the real thing.” Blair poked one of the diagrams. “Tell me, is there any real reason why it has to be in the center?”

“All the pictures of the Elements have them in this setup!” Seven books flew off the shelves in a magenta aura. Twilight opened them one by one to show Blair. “In every single book I’ve gone through, not once have I ever seen them in any other pattern than this!”

Blair shook his head and neatly restacked the papers on the table. “Let me teach you something about art. At one point in time, like everything else, there was no kind of representation for the Elements of Harmony. Nopony knew what they looked like, or thought they had to be arranged in any particular way, shape or form.

“Then, at some point, an artist came along, and one of two things happened: Either he was inspired by the story of the Elements to make a picture, or he was commissioned by somepony else to do so. In any case, since these are some of the most powerful magical items in the land, we can assume that they weren’t just lying around. They were kept somewhere safe, and the artist couldn’t access them for reference.”

Blair tapped the side of his head. “So what does any artist worth his salt do when he doesn’t have a visual reference to work with? He uses his imagination. If other ponies like the image he’s made, it may become popular. If that popularity continues to grow over time, it can become the standard reference. Let enough years go by, and the original object and the picture it’s based off will become blurred. Ponies will assume that the picture is the real and only representation, instead of just the way one pony thought it might be.”

Twilight stared incredulously at Blair. “You’re saying that the diagram in all the books is—”

“Purely symbolic,” Blair said. “An artist’s rendition. Nothing more.”

“That can’t be!” Twilight motioned at all the books, papers, and diagrams. “This picture is everywhere! It has to have some kind of significance!”

“You've seen the actual Elements of Harmony, right?”

Twilight nodded.

“So have I.” Blair straightened and gave her a mock salute. “I was on duty when Princess Celestia placed them in Canterlot Tower.”

Blair picked out one of the books Twilight had pulled from the shelf, and pointed at the image of the six sparkling gemstones. “When you had them, did they look anything like this?”

“N-No,” she admitted, “they were actually just rocks.”

Blair did a double take. “Rocks?”

“We were surprised, too,” Twilight said with a shaky laugh. “They didn’t change into the jewelry until after Nightmare Moon smashed them.”

Blair closed one of the hovering books and placed it on the table. “So if they were rocks when you found them, can we then assume that that's what they always were?”

“I guess,” she said with a shrug.

“Then you've just disproved the credibility of the picture,” Blair said. “Are you going to trust that over your own memories and experiences?”

Twilight walked over to the neat stack of her diagrams, picking up a few and staring at their identical layouts. “It's just that... everything I've read says that the Element of Magic is special somehow. It never says in what way, but it did only show up when the other five were gathered against Nightmare Moon, and that’s all in the books too.”

Blair thought for a moment. He suddenly gasped and burst out laughing. “You explained that in one of your theories, too.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Which one?”

Blair raised a hoof to his chin. “You suspect the Elements have some kind of awareness, or perhaps a limited form of sentience, right? If that’s true, to what extent? Do they think? Do they feel? Do they have personalities? How about an appreciation for, let’s say… dramatics?”

Twilight dropped the pictures, letting them flutter to the floor. “Are you suggesting that the Element of Magic only appears last because it thinks it's cool?!”

Blair laughed again. “It would fit with your theories, and as you’ve interacted with the artifacts themselves, I’d be inclined to trust your opinion over anypony else's, save for Her Majesty's.”

Twilight facehoofed. It fits in with my theories, yeah, but that can’t really be the reason! The Elements couldn’t be so… so… flippant! We were at Nightmare Moon’s mercy and my Element decided to hold back for the sake of THEATRICS?

“Let's just say I agree with you,” Twilight muttered. “If the Element of Magic doesn’t have to go in the center, where does it go? A Catalyst Rune has to be on the corner or center of an array.”

“You’re thinking about the art again,” Blair replied. “Does an array need to have five sides?”

“No,” she replied, “it can have as many—”

Twilight's lips parted as the pieces clicked.

“Oh.”

Blair flicked his wrist. “Try that.” He then gave her a small bow, and walked back up to the loft.

Twilight stared at his retreating form. “How’d you see all of that?”

Blair stopped on the stairs, looking down at her. “I told you, the only reason you didn’t is because you’ve got your nose pressed so hard to the paper. You're very smart, Twilight, that much is obvious. I might know more about art, but that's only because Ace is a skilled painter, and has a habit of not shutting up about it.”

Blair grimaced and stuck out his tongue. “Now, I’ll leave you to your work. That may have been your biggest hurdle, but it sounds like you've got a few others to clear.”

Twilight considered what he had said as he went back upstairs. Sure, it’s basic knowledge that arrays can be almost any shape, but to notice that it was off because I was following the design that's in all the books?!

She shook her head. Her thoughts were getting jumbled, she was stumbling over herself, and a headache was threatening to form. She picked up all of the drawings of the arrays and diagrams she had made, seeing them in a new light.

You know, if I used a Dacrenzic Containment Field in conjunction with the Catalyst Runes at a six-to-one scaling power ratio, the centripetal force might be enough to hold the barrier together! And then I could…

“Miss Pinkamina, please wait up!”

Pinkie bounced happily through the dense foliage of the Everfree, the thick, sweet smell of bluebells, primrose, and sage filling her nostrils as she hummed a merry tune. The branches of the trees above rustled and creaked in response to her as she passed, and she stopped in a copse of elms to look back at the speaker.

Ewwww, what is with him and my full name! Nopony calls me Pinkamina! Vigil had just appeared over a hill, sweating and panting. He took a quick look at the area before running up to her.

Pinkie smiled mischievously as he approached. “Oh come on, you slowy-Mcslowerton, it's not that hard to walk through the forest! And pleeeeeeease, just call me Pinkie. Or else I’ll start calling you Viggy, and I know you don’t like that name, even though it’s really cute!”

Vigil cleared his throat and looked away. “My apologies, Pinkie.”

She stood on her tippy-hooves to see behind him. “Where’s Rassy?”

Vigil’s eyes widened. He looked behind him, then all around. The other guard was nowhere to be found.

“Not good,” Vigil muttered. “We'll have to—”

A loud crashing noise came from their right. Vigil jumped in front of Pinkie, crouching into a wide stance. Ras bolted into view a few seconds later, nostrils flaring and face pale. He skidded to a halt upon seeing the two of them.

“Dammit, Ras!” Vigil hadn't shifted from his stance and was looking where Ras had emerged from the brush. “Did you bring trouble with you?”

Ras was gasping for air as he gazed at the forest floor. He managed a weak shake of his head. “Got... lost... panicked... sorry.”

Vigil narrowed his eyes, but he said nothing more as Ras slowly straightened up. Pinkie went over to him, her eyes filled with concern.

“Are you okay, Rassy?”

Ras managed to look up into her vibrant blue eyes, staring at her for a brief moment before swallowing and regaining his composure.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” He turned to Vigil. “I zoned out for a sec and didn't realize she'd gone off the trail again.”

“Trail?” Pinkie echoed. “I haven't been following a trail! There isn't one that I know of! I've just been walking to my landmarks!”

Vigil warily eyed both her and the trees around them. “Walking isn’t how I'd describe what you're doing. If I had to choose a word, it'd be zigzagging.”

That's a good word. I like it! Pinkie rocked back and forth like a metronome. “What do you mean?”

“I mean you haven’t gone more than thirty feet in a straight line,” Vigil said flatly. He pointed a hoof at her and moved it around like a slithering snake. “Every time it looks like you’ve found a trail, you swerve off somewhere else. And by the by the time we’ve realized it, you’ve already gone and turned another direction!”

Pinkie laughed. “What are you talking about, silly? This is the same way we came last time!” She pointed to one of the elm trees in the small grove they were in. At about chest level, there was a single hoofprint with two carved dots above it. “See? This is one of my landmarks! It’s the hoof-smiley-face tree!”

Ras lowered his head and cleared his throat. “I remember the way we took the first time we came out here.” He walked over to the ‘hoof-smiley-face tree’ and tapped a large root with a hoof. “We came in from this direction, which is west. I know because I tripped over this root and fell flat on my face.”

Pinkie shook her head. “This is the route I took last time, and the time before that, and the time before that, and the time before that! It’s always the same: Over the dry creek bed with the big cracked stone in the center, keep going until you see the lightning-struck-split tree. Go down the hill and past the weeping willow twins, then straight forward to the hoof-smiley-face tree. Then it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump to Zecora’s! Easy as pie!”

“We passed all those landmarks,” Vigil agreed, “but the way you took to get to each one was completely different. You’re going back and forth all over the place, sometimes even backtracking and going in circles.”

“And it’s taken us twenty minutes to get to this point.” Ras looked up at the sun, which was past its zenith. “If we’d gone in a straight line, we’d have gotten here in half the time.”

Vigil nodded. “If you know where you're going, why are you taking such a strange route?”

Pinkie giggled as she looked over at the hill they'd come from. “If I am, I don’t mean to. I'm just going the direction that feels right. It usually takes me about thirty minutes to get to Zecora’s, so I thought we were making good time.”

“Well, if you don’t mind,” Vigil asked politely, “could we try taking a more direct path instead of what you think feels right?”

“Sure!” Pinkie bounced out of the copse, and the two guards followed behind. “Zecora’s is just a little ways from here anyways.”

Vigil frowned. “And if it's not too much trouble, could you please walk instead of jumping like a kangaroo?”

She ceased her hopping and gave a slight pout. “Party pooper.”

The three earth ponies fell in step together as they walked through the thick of the woods. The sun’s rays shone through the canopy in spotty rays, creating dim shadows and tufts of grass taller than others. The steady rushing of flowing water could be heard from some ways to the north.

“Pinkie, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, Rassy!”

Ras paused for a moment, looking out into the forest. “Why're you taking lessons in herbalism? This is a lot of trouble to go through, and you don't seem like the type that'd be interested in this kinda thing.”

Pinkie bit her lip and stared at a patch of sunlight. I don’t know if I want to tell them this yet. Oh, why not. They’re my super-duper guardspony pals, after all! If they’re going to protect me, I suppose the least I can do is confide in them. “It’s kind of a personal reason,” she replied casually.

Ras snapped his head to her. “I didn’t mean—“

“I know,” she said as she held up a hoof. “I like you guys, and you both have to come out here with me, so it's only fair.”

Pinkie lifted her back legs to adjust her saddlebags. “If there’s one thing more than anything, it’s making ponies happy and seeing them smile. Ever since I got my cutie mark, I’ve done everything I can to make ponies have fun and play with each other and sing songs and have a good time!” She beamed at the two. “That’s why I like throwing parties so much.”

“We picked up on that,” Ras said as he shook his mane. “I’m still finding stray pieces of confetti after that enthusiastic greeting of yours.”

She giggled and looked up at the sky. “I think I miiiiiiiiiight’ve used too much powder that time. At least I didn’t put the cake batter in the party cannon and the confetti in the oven like I did one time by mistake.”

Pinkie looked ahead to a small hut that she could now just make out between the trees and underbrush. “Zecora has lived here in the Everfree for a while, but it was only last month that any of us really got to know her. I used to think she was an enchantress that put curses on ponies. I even wrote a song about how evil she was! You wanna hear it?”

“Ah, that’s quite all right, Pinkie,” Vigil interrupted. “Please continue.”

Pinkie gave him a sly grin, but obliged. “After a little adventure with a meanie-tricksy-trickster of a plant called Poison Joke, the girls and I found out she isn’t anything like that at all! She’s just a pony who lives out here so she can get the herbs she needs for her potions. And after we all got tricked by the Poison Joke, she even made us a remedy to cure us! That was super nice of her, don’tcha think?

“After that whole thing, I felt like I owed her an apology.” Pinkie winced as she remembered all the assumptions she had made about the zebra. “You know, what with the song and all. But when I told her about it, she laughed! So then we got to talking, and she told me about where she's from, why she's here, and all the other kinds of potions and stuff that she makes. Turns out she’s something called a Shaman, and she’s in charge of making medicines and remedies for a village bigger than Ponyville back in the Zhevra Flatlands! Isn’t that great?”

Vigil gave her a deep nod. “Anypony who spends their life helping others is okay in my book. But then why is she here?”

“She’s on something called a Dhutsaka,” Pinkie said. “It’s a special Shaman thing where she has to go somewhere far away to help the ponies of another land and learn more about plants. Zecora chose Equestria as her land, and she says that she can’t leave here until she’s made a difference in some way. That’s why she was so happy to take me as an apprentice. If I complete her training and promise to use it to help other ponies, it counts as part of her Dhutsaka!”

Ras stumbled as he stared at Pinkie. “Are you saying that you’re only learning from her so that she can complete her… whatever that thing is called, so she can return home?”

“That would be amazingly nice and cool of me, wouldn’t it?” Pinkie shook her head. “But I didn’t even know about that at first. She told me later, and I think that’s more why she accepted me as a student. I'm learning from her for another reason.”

Pinkie nodded at the hut, which now stood a hundred yards away. “When I saw Zecora with all her herbs and potions, I thought, ‘wouldn’t it be great if you could make a cupcake that cured Poison Joke? Or a fritter that helped you get better from a cold? How about a punch that can heal wounds?’ The possibilities are amazing! And my parties would be all the better for it!”

She smiled at the two of them. “For me, it’s just the greatest feeling to help ponies who are hurting inside, whether they're feeling sad, lonely, or just plain ol' crabby. But lately, I've been thinking that that's not enough. I want to be a pony that can ease the physical pain and suffering of others, too.”

Pinkie began to feel a warmth in her heart. Her voice became soft and earnest, and her pace slowed. The two guards looked back at her.

“I don’t like seeing ponies when they’re in pain,” she said. “When I see somepony who’s down in the dumps, I want to help them. I can't let them get stuck seeing the downside of things, not when there are so many good things to see and hear and do in life. But I feel like I can do more than that.”

Pinkie brilliant blue eyes sparkled and shone with an inner light. “No, I have to do more.”

The plants and trees around them gently swayed as a breeze picked up. Vigil stood stock still, and Ras sneezed as he scratched his nose. The colors of the forest brightened, and Pinkie whispered three words that carried on the wind.

“So I will.”

The light in her eyes faded as Pinkie resumed her normal bubbly tone. “Buuuuuut, all I really know how to do is throw parties and bake goodies! And while balloons and cake and games may be great for cheering people up and having fun, there are a lot of things that parties can't help with. They don’t do much for a broken leg or somepony who's sick, for instance. And I want to help them, too.

“So that's why I’m learning herbalism,” she said. “I don't know how well it's going to work at first, but I know that if I work at it and try my best, I'll be able to throw the best parties ever!”

The two guards were silent as she finished. “That's very noble of you,” Vigil finally said. “To want to help people on the deepest level you can, well... that’s worthy of respect. I tip my hat to you.”

Pinkie blinked several times. “You don't have a hat! How can you do anything with something you don't have? Are you hiding one somewhere?” She zipped over to Vigil, inspecting him from every direction in a speedy pink blur. She picked him up with apparent ease, looking underneath for the insinuated headwear.

“Um, Pinkie?” Ras tried not to laugh. “It's a figure of speech. He doesn't actually have a hat.”

“Yes, poor choice of words on my part,” Vigil agreed. “Now, if you would be so kind as to put me down?”

The trio closed the distance to Zecora's home, which was a gnarled tree covered in square runes and large masks, colored with blue and yellow paints. Pinkie walked up to the door and knocked. A spicy aroma and a husky voice floated out from the open window.

“And as always, you come right on time. Come in, come in, Maalufunzi of mine.”

VIgil raised an eyebrow. "'Maalufunzi?'"

Pinkie smiled. "It means 'Sacred Apprentice,' or 'Student of the Sacred Arts.' Zecora says it's a really special thing to be given the title, so I'm trying as hard as I can not to let her down."

Ras chuckled. "Better get in there, then. You've got potions to make."

"Yep, yep, yep!" Pinkie put a hoof on the doorhandle. “You guys gonna stand out here again?”

Vigil nodded. “There's not much room in there, anyway.”

“Okey-dokey-lokey!” She opened the door and walked inside. “Have fun!”

The two guards walked away to their posts, alone with the natural sounds and sights of the forest. As they stopped, Ras turned to Vigil and spoke in a low voice.

“Did you catch the change in her attitude?”

Vigil nodded. “This is something she cares about.”

“Do you think she’ll be able to do it?” Ras asked. “Combine herbalism with her parties, I mean.”

“She’s very motivated,” Vigil replied. The slightest hint of a smile played on his lips. “If anyone can make it work, it’s her.”

“I've never seen anyone who believed in something so strongly.”

Vigil’s face reverted back to it’s usual stoic mask. “Determination like that only comes from seeing the grittier side of life.”

Ras jerked his head over to his partner. “What do you mean?”

Vigil gave him a sidelong glance. “You’re not an idiot, Ras. I think you can put two and two together.”

He let the barb slide as he thought for a moment. “You're saying she has a rough past?”

“Ponies don't just wake up one day and decide they want to spend the rest of their life helping others,” Vigil said. “Something must have happened to her to make her want to do this.”

“Maybe she just comes from a family of doctors or philanthropists or something,” Ras suggested.

Vigil’s voice adopted an edge. “Now I know who didn't read her personnel file.”

Ras’s rolled his eyes. “And you did? Half the time those things are either wrong or incomplete. It's easier to just ask the subject.”

“Watch your tone, Private Rasuuqai,” Vigil said coldly. “We may be undercover, but I'm still your commanding officer. I can very easily have you standing before the Disciplinary Review Board upon our return to Canterlot. Is that what you want?”

Ras stared at him for a moment longer before directing his gaze to an ant on the ground. “No, sir.”

Vigil returned his attention to the forest beyond. “Pinkie’s immediate family owns a rock farm south of Ponyville, and the Pie clan has been in the practice for several generations. She’s a black sheep.”

Ras failed suppressed a chortle. “Pink sheep’s more accurate.”

Vigil's face was expressionless. “The file didn’t indicate that anything traumatic has happened to her, personally. My guess is that she’s seen something, or somepony close to her has experienced some kind of loss or pain.”

“And that’s why she’s so driven to help others?”

“Most likely,” Vigil said.

“We should ask—“

“That's none of our business.”

“She just told us one of her deepest goals in life,” Ras pointed out. “I don’t think she'd mind telling us more.”

Vigil snorted and stamped a hoof. “You need to stop being so damn rude. Did it ever occur to you that it might hurt to talk about something like that?!”

An awkward silence fell between the two guards. From overhead, a bird let out a high-pitched warble as it took off deeper into the forest.

“It’s not like I want to upset her.” Ras kicked a pebble on the ground. “I’m just curious.”

“That curiosity is going to get you in trouble if you don’t rein it in,” Vigil said. His voice was stern, but it held no malice. “Be patient. If she wants to tell us, she will. In the meantime, keep your mouth shut. It's not our place to ask.”

Ras nodded as he looked out at the field they had just passed through. He could just make out the copse of elms where the ‘hoof-smiley-face’ tree was. “I’m surprised that you didn’t think her goal was silly.”

Vigil narrowed his eyes. “You really don't listen at all, do you? I have nothing but respect for ponies who dedicate their lives to helping others. Her methods might be unorthodox, but she has a heart of gold. It’s an honor to defend her.”

Ras was left alone with his thoughts as they continued the rest of their watch in silence. He looked away to hide the smirk playing on his face. Poor, naïve Vigil. You’re as clueless as she is. I almost feel bad… almost.

Chapter 6: Memories in the Mist

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Chapter 6:

Memories in the Mist

“This is boring.”

Piro lounged on a large, fluffy pillow as he stared at Twilight's library from the second floor of a two-story house. Just beside him was a chessboard, where an epic battle of light and dark was taking place. He turned to his right to address the speaker. “The game, or the work?”

“Both,” Ace said with a yawn. He scrutinized the board before a piece hovered forward in a green aura. “Pawn to E3. It's no fun getting destroyed all the time.”

“Then you should start winning.” Piro moved a piece to the newly occupied square. To his delight, there were currently more black pieces than white. “Knight to E3. Check.”

Ace muttered a curse. “Maybe you should start letting me win! Or at least give me some tips on what I'm doing wrong.”

Where would be the fun in that? I love trouncing amateurs like you. He watched Ace squirm in the silence as his eyes bored holes in the chessboard.

“Queen to E3,” he finally said, moving the large piece.

Piro laughed. “Rook to A1. Checkmate.”

Ace's jaw dropped. He searched for any possible means of escape. After a moment, he hung his head and sighed heavily. “Yep, that's definitely checkmate. Guess I'm not very good at following your advice.”

“You'll have to work on that.” Piro cleared the board with a sweep of his hoof, then extended it towards him as if asking for a dance. “Would you like another thrashing?”

Ace looked up through his eyelashes. “Have you always been this irritating, or is it just my imagination?”

Piro gave a half-smirk. “You're not the only one who's bored. You just happen to be the only outlet for my frustrations.”

“What frustrations?”

He asks questions he knows the answers to, and he wonders why I treat him like an idiot. Piro picked up the black Queen with his magic. He tapped it against his temple, then nodded at Canterlot Castle, visible on the cerulean horizon through the window.

Ace picked up the white Queen and held it up to his eye. “You still don't trust her, do you?”

Piro closed his eyes. A stone, roofless room littered with death. A twelve-sided array blazing with multicolored light. A broken unicorn mare in the corner, gasping for breath as she sat in pool in her own blood.

The shadow of regret gnawed at his mind as he stared hard at his partner. “The last time we trusted her, we woke up in a room filled with burnt corpses.”

Ace covered half his face with a hoof. “For the last time: That. Was. An accident. Nopony meant for that to happen, least of all the Princess.”

“She didn’t tell those researchers the dangers of the ritual.” Piro threw the black Queen into the box. “And now she tells lies to her own personal student.”

Ace slammed the chesspiece back on the board. “Why do you keep saying that?! She's not lying to anypony!”

The loud noise caused Piro's own anger to surge to the forefront of his mind. “She's withholding the truth!” He pointed out at the library. “What else do you call that? Who's to say she's not doing the same with us?!”

Ace crossed his hooves and glowered at Piro. “It’s not the same thing. She’s being considerate of their feelings. How would you feel if you were their age, and you were suddenly burdened with this kind of responsibility?"

Why did I have to get stuck with him? Piro felt a dull pressure building inside his head. He fought back the urge to rub his eyes as he took a breath through his nose.

Ace rose from his pillow. “We’ve been gone for one thousand years, Piro. A thousand years! I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like to live that long. How can we understand what kind of plans or goals the Princess has?”

Piro regarded both him and his words, sneering with a note of disgust. He still thinks of her like a Goddess. They all do, but Ace has always been the worst. I suppose I can try to give him a taste of reality, but I doubt he will like it.

He rose to meet Ace's eyes. “Did it ever occur to you, that if you were to live that long, you might have a different perception of the passing of time?”

Ace said nothing, but a flicker in his eyes and a slight twitch in his right eyelid was all Piro needed to see. He broke his gaze and turned away into the living room.

“Of course you didn't. You just said you can't imagine what it's like. Which is pretty sad, considering the imagination you have at your disposal.” Piro nodded to an easel on the far wall, which displayed a half-finished painting of masterwork quality.

Piro turned to his partner. His face was calm, but his voice was like a dagger. “You can't imagine what it's like to live for one thousand years? Maybe you should try. You'll find yourself seeing another point of view.”

Ace rolled his eyes and waved a fawning hoof. “And what view is that? Please tell me, oh all-knowing one.”

Piro looked up at the ceiling, smiling at the attempted insult. “Celestia obviously has the best interests of Equestria at heart. The nation wouldn’t be peaceful or prosperous if she didn't. But in order to maintain that peace and prosperity, she has to play a long game.” A black pawn flew over to him in a bloody glow. “And in a long game, the pawns are the first and most readily sacrificed.”

Ace picked up a piece of his own. “We’re not pawns. We’re Knights.”

“Indeed we are!” Piro tossed the piece back into the box. “But do you think the Princess sees us that way?”

“Of course she does!” Ace said hotly. “How could she not, after everything we’ve done?”

“And there you reveal your ignorance,” Piro said with a jab of his hoof. “Think about it. What are we to someone who's lived for a thousand years?”

Ace flinched like he’d been slapped. He tried to hide the motion by looking at something in the corner.

Didn’t like that, did you? Probably won’t like some salt in the wound, either. Piro’s voice dropped to a whisper. “We’re like matchsticks to her, Ace. Matchsticks before the Sun. Fragile and weak, not even able to stand against a brisk wind. And while we may burn brightly for the swiftest of moments, we then wither and die, leaving nothing behind but a husk."

Piro’s eyes took on an odd glint. “Celestia has seen countless generations born, come of age, perform feats of valor, then grow old and die. And she will see countless more before her time comes, if it ever does at all. She and Princess Luna are constants in a world of change. So if you think about it, in the grand scheme of their lives, we're not only quite forgettable, we're also quite... expendable.”

Ace’s ears flattened back against his skull as he turned a slight tinge of red. “Get to the point, Piro.”

“My point is that you need to start thinking. For. Yourself.” He enunciated the words as clearly as he could. “Stop blindly following Celestia like a mindless lemming. As you said, we have no idea what plans and goals she has. You paint it in a positive light, but I’m saying that because of her nature, the truth may be a few shades darker.”

The white Queen fell onto the floor as Piro knocked it over with his magic. It rolled over to him, coming to rest at his hooves.

“And if that’s the case, we need to be prepared to act on our own.”

Ace looked at him incredulously. “You'd have us commit insubordination?”

He always jumps to such harsh words. Piro shook his head. “There's no reason to do anything yet. The barrier is stable for now, but if the Bearers still aren't ready when the Stasis spell ends, we need to do something.”

“And if that something is in direct violation of our orders?”

Piro walked back over to his pillow and laid down. “Best case scenario? We stabilize the barrier, and get brought before the Disciplinary Board. Worst case scenario? Same as if we don't try anything at all.”

Ace pursed his lips as his eyes shifted back and forth. He began looking around the room, focusing on distant objects.

And now to reel him in. “So, are you interested?”

Ace looked down to see that the chessboard was set back up, with Piro looking at him expectantly.

“In another game?” Ace asked. “Or in helping you with your plan? Because if I know you at all, you already have one.”

Perhaps there is an analytical side to that imaginative mind of his. Piro gave him a half-smirk. “Both.”

The Next Day-

Fluttershy stepped outside of her cottage into the crisp morning air, only to stop as she hit a wall of gray that limited her view of the world. She reached forward with a hoof and pushed at the barrier. It was soft and spongy, reluctant to give in to her prodding. She put her full weight into it, only to have it give way, sucking in her hoof and almost taking her with it. She gave a frightened meep and pulled back, retreating into her cottage and slamming the door.

Fluttershy skittishly peeked her head out through the curtains of her living room window. Oh dear. This is one of the few times where I wish I wasn’t a pegasus! This is really going to slow me down. I was planning on going to the market today to get more chicken feed, but I hate walking in the fog!

She sat down on her couch, weighing her options. As she did, the furry white head of a bunny poked out from between one of the cushions. He glared at Fluttershy through bloodshot eyes, but she was too busy staring out through the window to notice his irate expression. Grumbling, he hopped out from his sleeping place, climbed up the couch, and dove into the top of her mane, burying himself with a rustle.

Fluttershy unconsciously registered the extra weight on her head as her pet bunny, Angel. I guess I'll have to go. Now I wish I'd done this last night before dinner, but I was afraid I'd get back after sundown, and I didn't want to be alone on the path. Maybe I should’ve taken Spesci and Megnii up on their offer.

She gasped as she remembered the two pegasi guards. They were staying up on cloud tents above the cottage... I don't know how high up this fog goes, but if they weren't high up enough they might—

A knock caused her to jump. “Fluttershy?” a familiar voice called. “May we come in?”

That answers that question. Fluttershy walked over to the door. Spesci and Megnii walked in, their coats dripping wet from the combination of fog and morning dew. They shook themselves off as best they could before entering proper.

Concern flooded Fluttershy’s mind as she beheld their soggy state. “Are you all right? I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was going to be foggy today. I should’ve warned you that—”

“We're fine.” Megnii wiped his mane out of his eyes. “You don't need to be sorry for something you didn't know about. If anything, we should've paid attention to it ourselves.”

“Are you planning on staying inside today?” Spesci asked. His wings were fully spread out as he fluffed out his feathers to help them dry. “I'd recommend it. The fog goes up for several hundred feet.”

“Um, actually, I was thinking about going to the market,” Fluttershy said in a barely-audible murmur. “I'm out of chicken feed, you see, and I meant to go last night, but I was worried that I might not get back till after dark...”

Megnii sighed and swished his tail. “We offered to escort you there and back, if you’ll remember.”

Fluttershy looked away to hide half of her face. I know, but what if something happens and the two of you get hurt? It was bad enough that you ran after me into the Everfree. The least I can do is not put myself in any unnecessary danger, but now I don't have any feed for my chickens, and I can't let them starve!

“I-I'm sorry,” she managed.

Megnii looked back out to the gray fog beyond. “No sense in drying off if we're just going to get wet again. May as well go now. Do you at least have a pegasus poncho?”

She nodded as she went over to her corner closet. Inside was a rubber yellow coat with a hood designed to cover a pony all the way down to the hooves. She looked at the ground as she grabbed the garment. “I wish I had spares. It's going to be difficult for you two without any.”

“You tend to keep an easy pace,” Spesci said with a wink. “I think we can keep up with you.”

“Could use the exercise, anyway,” Megnii said. “Haven't had much since we first found you in the Everfree.” He shuddered and put a hoof to his stomach. “By the way, I've been meaning to ask: do you do that... kind of thing... often?”

Fluttershy cocked her head as she watched him grimace and turn a pale shade of green. Does he mean going out into the Everfree? Or—oh, that. I suppose that would be a little unnerving for somepony who'd never seen it before, but I never did understand why stallions in particular always seem to be uncomfortable talking about it.

“I don't normally act as a midwife,” Fluttershy said, “but that was an emergency. Mrs. Bear was having trouble with her labor, so Mr. Bear came to get me.” She rubbed her ears. “I don't go into the Everfree at all if I can help it. It's really dark and scary in there.”

Megnii watched her put on the coat. “Understandable, although I imagine it's not as scary when you have a twelve-foot-tall Grizzly with you.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Not so much.”

The door to the cottage opened a few minutes later. Fluttershy stepped out, wearing a cream-colored poncho that covered her from head to tail. She took a tentative step out, and found that the fog no longer hindered her movement. Satisfied, she trotted out into the mist, going out a few dozen feet before turning back to see Spesci and Megnii walking behind her, albeit with some difficulty.

“Are you sure you'll both be all right?” Fluttershy asked as she watched them struggle to put one hoof in front of the other.

“No problem at all,” Spesci said with a fake smile. “Truth be told, it's not that bad.”

“Feels like we're wading through molasses,” Megnii whispered.

Spesci smacked him upside the head as Fluttershy looked away to get her bearings. She walked down the path, and the two guards trudged on.

The three of them reached the outskirts of town twenty minutes later, which was twice the amount of time it took Fluttershy at her normal pace. She turned back for the dozenth time to check on her struggling guards. Spesci and Megnii were both completely soaked, their sides heaving with exertion.

“We're here,” she said.

“Where’s... the shop... you need?” Spesci gasped.

Fluttershy winced. “On the other side of town.”

A small whimper escaped Megnii’s lips as he stared out into the bleak, fog-filled streets.

They're going to collapse at the rate they're pushing themselves. I can't have them doing that for my sake! I've got to make some kind of excuse to stop so they can rest. She looked around. To their right was the post office.

Fluttershy walked over to the small gray and white building. “I just remembered that I actually have another errand to run first. It's been a while since I've checked for any packages, and I was expecting something from my parents soon! Why don't you two keep watch out here while I check and see if it's here?” She didn't give them a chance to reply as she inched away, backing through the door.

The soft tinkling of a bell reached her ears as she entered. She turned to see a vacant, sterile room divided in half by a desk that vaguely smelled of paper and ink. A gray pegasus with blonde hair and mismatched eyes meandered in from the back room.

“Fluttershy!” the pegasus said in a sluggish alto as one eye focused on her. The other seemed to be interested in something on the wall. “Nice coat. Annoying fog, eh?”

Derpy! Perfect. “Hi Derpy,” Fluttershy said with a smile. “I take it you can't deliver packages?”

Derpy shook her head. “Nopony can fly in this. Can't see well to begin with.” She smiled sadly and pointed at her wandering eye. “Headquarters messaged me, cancelled deliveries for today.”

“I suppose you’ll be having a slow day, then,” Fluttershy said.

“I wish,” Depry said with a laugh. She held up her hoof, which was covered in ink. “Cancellations mean paperwork. Not so bad, though. Can do that here, and spend time with my Muffin.”

“How is little Dinky doing?” Fluttershy looked at a small picture of a purple filly on the desk.

Derpy beamed. “Not so little anymore.” She began to go into detail about her daughter.

Fluttershy sat on her haunches with a warm smile of her own. Give any mother the opportunity and she'll talk your ear off about their kids. This ought to give them some time.

Fifteen minutes later, Fluttershy exited out of the post office with a head full of knowledge about Dinky and a packet of stamps. Spesci eyed her with suspicion. “I take it your package wasn't there.”

“Um... no, it wasn't.” Fluttershy put the packet in her bags. “Sorry for the wait. I'm friends with our mailmare, and I wanted to catch up.” She looked at the two of them. While they were still soaking wet, they weren't gasping for breath anymore.

“Are you ready, then?” Megnii asked.

Better question is, are you ready. Fluttershy walked forward. “Yes, I think so.”

The three of them continued across Ponyville at an easy pace. Fluttershy was in front, with Spesci and Megnii just far enough behind that they could still see her through the fog. A few minutes later, they arrived at the animal feed store and she made her purchase.

Now I just need to find an excuse to let them stop on the way back. “I got what I came for,” Fluttershy said to the two of them.

Megnii nodded his head back the way they came. “After you.”

As they began the walk back, Fluttershy could see the vague, formless shadows of other ponies walking to and fro, just out of her field of vision. She thought she could guess who some of them were based off their color and body type, but nopony came close enough for her to be sure. She only saw two other pegasi, similarly clad in ponchos.

I hope Spesci and Megnii aren't mad. It's a shame they don't sell pegasus ponchos here in Ponyville... I wonder if Rarity knows how to make them? I'm in town now, should I go see her? No, I've already put them through enough as it is, and I wouldn't want to put her on the spot. I know- I can ask her when we meet up at the spa! Ooh, and I can give her cat Opal a checkup in excha—

She squeaked as an earth pony burst out of the fog. She barely managed to get out of the way as he dashed across the street. She jerked her head back and forth to make sure there wasn't anyone else following.

“Is something wrong?”

Fluttershy turned back to a yellow blob that she recognized as Megnii. “Somepony just almost ran into me.”

“Are you all right?” he asked.

This was a bad idea. I'm just making things worse and being a burden on them with my nerves. I wish I wasn't such a scaredy-pony all the time!

She looked down at the ground and stamped her hoof delicately. “I'm fine, but... I just hate the fog. You can't see where you're going, and there are scary shadows, and I can't fly, and I'm always afraid that something's going to zoom out and carry me away!”

Megnii laughed. “I can understand your frustration with the fog, but you're perfectly safe. We're in the middle of town. You're not in any danger of being—”

A dark blue blur zoomed out from their left and snatched Fluttershy, heaving her on its back and disappearing into the mist. Her terrified scream faded away as she was carried off into the distance.

For the briefest of moments, the two guards stood in dumb surprise. They then sprang into action, pursuing as fast as they could.

Fluttershy was carried at a full gallop through the mists. Her eyes filled her head as she tried to face the nightmare-made-manifest. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! I have to do something, have to try and get away! Come on legs, work! She tried to move off the pony's back, but was paralyzed by the cold grip of terror, and couldn’t do anything more than twitch. The assailant continued to run for a time, then abruptly swerved into an open building and shut the door.

“You okay, Fluttershy?”

Her anxiety subsided at the sound of the voice. She looked into the face of her foalnapper: a wall-eyed pegasus wearing a dark blue poncho.

Fluttershy blinked. “D-Derpy?”

Derpy gently put Fluttershy down with an expression of concern. “Are you okay?” she repeated.

“Y-Yes, I'm fine,” she managed. It felt like her heart was trying to escape her chest. “Why’d you—”

“Two stallions,” Derpy interrupted. “Following you. Saw them after you left. You looked upset.”

Oh no, that's right! Nopony knows about the guards! This is bad, I have to tell her!

Before Fluttershy could say a word, the same earth pony that nearly ran into her dashed into the house and slammed the door.

“Good, you got her,” he said. “I missed on my first pass. Did you lose the stalkers?”

Derpy nodded as she closed the window curtains. “Pegasi. Not wearing ponchos.”

“In this weather?” The stallion shook his head as he walked past Fluttershy to look out the window. “They're either daft, or extremely strong. In either case, I'd rather not associate with them.”

Fluttershy stared incredulously at the stallion’s hourglass cutie mark. The Doctor, too? Ahhh! Derpy must have gone to him when she thought I was in trouble! Get a grip, Fluttershy! You have to explain!

“Um, about those stallions…” Fluttershy began.

“Not to worry, my dear,” the Doctor said, turning back from the window. He gave her a comforting smile. “You're safe here. We'll just have you lie low until they're gone.”

That's not the problem! You just foalnapped me from my guards! They could raise an alarm! They could alert the Princess, and you could be thrown in the dungeon! You've got to listen to me!

Fluttershy's frantic thoughts went unheard as her panic attack allowed her only to whimper. Derpy gave her a pitying glance as the Doctor warily kept watch out into the fog.

“Sorry about this,” Derpy said to him.

“Think nothing of it,” the Doctor replied. “I owe you a favor or two, anyways. By the way, you didn't tell me what the strangers looked like.”

“One yellow, one purple,” Derpy said. One eye was looking to the left while the other was watching the right. “Seemed like thugs. Couldn't tell much else, fog's too thick. Came to you.”

“And it was a good thing that you did,” the Doctor said. “Who knows what kind of motives they h—”

“Horseapples!” Derpy interrupted. “They're outside! Must’ve followed us!”

Fluttershy was on the verge of hyperventilating. Her mind was racing as fast as Rainbow Dash, but her mouth still refused to move. You need to stop! They might hurt you! They don't know you're my friends!

“What?!” he said. “How could they? You can barely see in front of your own nose in this fog!”

Before anypony could say anything else, the door was bucked open by two pairs of hooves. Megnii and Spesci ran in, soaking wet and irate. They saw Fluttershy standing in the center of the room, then looked at Derpy and the Doctor, who had just rushed to stand in front of her.

“Now look here,” the Doctor declared. “I don't know who you two are, but you've got no business breaking into other ponies’ homes, or stalking innocent mares!”

no...

Megnii’s voice was as cold as ice. “Step away from Fluttershy.”

No...

“Get lost!” Derpy snapped. In a rare occurance, both of her eyes focused with precision accuracy on the two menacing guards. “Fluttershy stays with us!”

No!

“This is your last warning,” Spesci growled as he took a threatening step forward. “Move away.”

NO!

“And what're you going to do if we don't?” the Doctor challenged.

Megnii and Spesci charged at Derpy and the Doctor.

“STOP!”

The shout cut through the air like a blade. The guards came to a screeching halt as Fluttershy jumped between the two conflicting parties.

She cleared her throat and straightened to her full height, hoping nopony would notice her shaking legs. “Derpy, Doctor? This is Megnii and Spesci. They're soldiers from the Royal Guard. The Princess sent them here to protect me.”

Derpy’s and the Doctor's eyes went wide. “Royal... Guard?” the Doctor said.

Fluttershy nodded. “They're supposed to stay out of sight, but they had to be closer to me today because of the fog. That's what I was trying to tell you.”

“Protect?” One of Derpy’s eyes looked down for a moment before both of them lit up. “Nightmare Moon...”

“You know these two?” Spesci said in a wary tone, still glaring at the duo.

Fluttershy sighed in relief. “Let me explain...”

A few tentative minutes later, the air had been cleared, and the two groups were exchanging apologies. Fluttershy stood miserably to the side as she watched Derpy shake Megnii's hoof.

Can't I do anything right? Even when I'm trying to make things easier for everypony, I just make them worse! That could've gotten ugly... I really need to work on speaking up more. Somepony could've gotten hurt,and it all would've been over nothing! She sank to her knees as her conscience tore at her.

A weight on top of her head disappeared as Fluttershy's vision became filled with white fur. Angel now stood in her face, staring at her with his black, beady eyes. She cocked her head.

What are you—

Angel pointed at the two parties, then at her. He made his eyes go wide and innocent before burying his face in his paws in mock sadness. He calmly looked up, shook his head, and waggled a reproachful paw at her.

It took her a second to interpret his pantomiming, but she got the gist. You always can tell how I'm feeling, can't you? She closed her eyes and pushed away her guilt. He's right. I can't blame myself for this. It's not like I can tell what other ponies are thinking. I should just be happy that nothing bad came of it.

“Thanks.” She nuzzled the side of his face. He returned the gesture with a soft grunt before hopping back into her mane.

“No ponchos,” Derpy observed. She raised an eyebrow at Spesci and Megnii. “You masochists?”

“Not quite,” Megnii said with a laugh. “We forgot to pack some when we left from Canterlot. Don't get a lot of fog in the city.”

“Get a lot down here,” Derpy said knowingly. “I have spares. You'll need them. Should fit you.”

“Madam, you don't need to—”

Derpy held up a hoof. She pointed at herself, then at the two of them. “Government is government. Can't do your job without.” Amusement danced in her mismatched eyes. “Outran you pretty easily.”

Megnii looked to his partner. “She's got a point.”

“You fellows have to be heading out, or would you like something to drink?” the Doctor asked. “Least I can do after all this trouble.”

“That would be up to Miss Fluttershy,” Megnii replied as he looked over to her.

Fluttershy considered. Some tea would be nice, but I just want to feed my chickens and lie down for a while. I'll just brew some when I get home.

She shook her head. “Thank you, but I think I should be going. I just came into town on a quick errand and—”

“Say no more,” the Doctor said. He walked over to her and offered a hoof. “I daresay you've had enough excitement for one day.” She nodded as she took it and stood up.

“My office first,” Derpy said as she went to the door, looking at Megnii and Spesci. “Get you two fitted.”

Fluttershy walked on the path back to her cottage twenty minutes later accompanied by Spesci and Megnii, who were both now wearing dark blue ponchos emblazoned with the mark of the Equestria Postal Service. They trotted at a brisk pace through the fog, which was now reluctantly starting to lift.

“Of course now it starts to go away,” Spesci muttered as he rolled his eyes. “Remind me to get in touch with EPS District Manager for Ponyville. That mare deserves a raise.”

“I wonder why she speaks in such simple sentences?” Megnii wondered. “She didn't seem mentally disabled.”

“She's not,” Fluttershy replied over her shoulder. “Derpy has a condition where her brain processes information faster than she can speak, so it comes out as jibberish.” She cast a look back in the direction of Ponyville. “It was really hard to understand her before she started treatment for it. She has it under control now, though, and I'm really happy that she's able to live on her own.”

Megnii's mouth went agape. “I didn't think you’d actually know the reason. I was just thinking out loud.”

Fluttershy snickered. You shouldn't ask a question if you're not expecting an answer.

Spesci gave Megnii a reproachful glare. “Regardless of tact, or lack thereof, we should do something in return for her. It would've taken a few days to order pegasus ponchos from Cloudsdale or Canterlot.”

“Can’t even remember the last time we’ve been in fog like this.” Megnii looked to a field on their right. “I think it was back in the old city.”

Spesci shot him a look of warning. Megnii's eyes widened as he gritted his teeth and looked away.

“What old city?”

The two of them turned to Fluttershy, who had stopped. Innocent curiosity was etched on her face.

Megnii shifted and took a step back. “U-Um, well...”

“Las Pegasus,” Spesci said. “That's where Megnii and I are from. It's just an old habit of ours to call it that.”

Fluttershy frowned. “That’s really far west of here! I hope you get a chance to go back every so often.”

Spesci smiled. “We took our last leave there not too long ago.”

“That must have been fun,” she said with interest. “Are your families doing well?”

The shadow that fell over the two guards was hidden by the fog. Spesci's voice was strong as he replied. “As well as they can be these days.”

“We should be going,” Megnii interrupted. “Your chickens still haven't been fed yet.”

Her confusion was quickly replaced by her concern for her animals. “Oh, yes... right.” She turned and continued on.

The two guards slowed their pace, allowing Fluttershy to get ahead of them, but still in sight. “Sorry about that,” Megnii whispered.

Spesci shook his head. “At least one of us can think on their hooves.”

“How’d you come up with that so fast?”

Spesci looked at him with a sly grin. “The most believable lies are based off the truth.”

“Consarn it,” Applejack muttered through clenched teeth and she sized up the large yellow creature before her. “Get to the other side, Norric! Stop tryin' to hit it before we have it surrounded!”

Applejack, Norric, and Strauss were all standing around an imposing, lumpy, bug-like creature a head taller than a pony. It emitted a high-pitched chittering as it waved two long, fuzzy antennae around like whips.

“I can fight it off!” Norric said as he wielded a wooden staff in his teeth. “Just keep it distracted while I—”

The beast charged the three of them. Applejack and Strauss leapt out of the way in time, but Norric was hit in the side and knocked away. He crashed against a nearby fence and fell to the ground.

Danged fool! Applejack ran over to him as the creature ran off into the wispy fog.

The morning had begun just like any other, although a bit mistier than usual. Applejack had done her usual morning chores and had just finished a patch job on the barn roof when she had heard the telltale skittering sounds of the Rust Beetles coming in from the north. She had run to tell everypony, but in the time it took her to do that, one had already gotten into the yard.

Applejack examined Norric, who was groaning in pain. She checked where the creature had hit him and clucked her tongue. That's gonna leave a mark for sure.

“It's headed for the shed.”

She turned to see Strauss, who was standing next to her. He sighed at Norric. “Should've listened to her.”

Norric gave him a death glare as he used the fence as leverage to stand. “Shouldn't you be going after it?”

“We will be, “Applejack replied with a glare of her own. “Now that I'm sure you don't got a broke rib. You may know more about fightin' than me, but I've dealt with these critters before. Let me take the lead.”

Norric leaned against the fence and managed a nod. Applejack and Strauss turned and ran towards the shed.

“It'll have trouble getting in,” Strauss said as they ran. “I barred the door when you yelled.”

“That is if it don't just knock down the whole blasted thing,” Applejack said darkly. “Thing’s as old as Granny. Bet I could collapse it myself if I had a mind to.”

The skittering sound grew louder as they approached. The mists parted to reveal a rickety shed made entirely of wood with a red-shingled roof. The structure still stood, with a large wooden beam placed across the door. The Rust Beetle was on its hind legs, gnawing at the metal supports that the beam rested on.

Oh no ya don't. Applejack turned to Strauss and handed him her rope. “Get its attention and lure it around the corner of the shed. I'll do the rest.”

Strauss nodded and crept over to the beetle, which was still oblivious to their presence. As he did, Applejack stepped back into the fog far enough that she couldn't be seen.

She ran over to the position she’d indicated and waited. The air was silent, save for the gritty gnawing of the creature eating away at the supports. Giddy anticipation flooded Applejack's system, and she had to fight to keep it under control. Easy does it now... She flexed her legs and cracked her neck.

Applejack heard the whistle of a lasso in flight, followed by a high-pitched screech. Strauss appeared a second later, pulling hard on the rope in his mouth. He gave a mighty tug, and the rope went slack for a moment. He dashed out of the way.

The Rust Beetle rounded the corner on all fours, it's red, feral eyes contorted with blind fury as it prepared to give chase. It was completely oblivious to Applejack, who was standing with her back turned a few feet away, hind legs bent.

Surprise, bugboy! Applejack bucked the Rust Beetle. She struck true, nailing the creature straight in the jaws above its sensitive antennae. The creature let out a shriek of surprise as it reared back.

Bad idea! Applejack hopped forward on her front legs and bucked again, hitting it in the soft underbelly. The creature gasped as the wind was knocked out of its lungs and staggered back a few steps, staring at the sky.

“Strauss!”

The guard had now circled around. His head was lowered as he pawed the ground.

The two of them charged as one, shoulder-ramming the beetle from the front and side. It went flying from the combined assault, sailing off into the fog and landing with a crunch. They could just see its still, shadowy form a few yards away.

Strauss warily eyed the silhouette, tensed and ready for another assault. “Think we killed it?”

“Wasn't tryin' to kill it,” Applejack replied. The word left an unpleasant taste on her tongue. “I'd have done a whole lot more if I wanted that.”

The Rust Beetle rolled back onto its feet and ran off to the north, yelping like a wounded dog. Applejack gave a throaty chuckle. “Fortunately, they're as yellow as their hides.”

Strauss gave a sigh of relief. “That's that, then.”

“Don't think we're done yet.” Applejack peered into the mists. “They usually come in pairs, and I coulda sworn that—”

“Applejack!” Norric limped up from out of the fog. “Another one just ran into the barn!”

“Hayseed.” She turned and ran across the yard with Strauss close behind.

The large red barn loomed up before them, its wide double doors opened to reveal a yawning darkness beyond. Applejack winced as she heard the skittering of the second Rust Beetle inside.

No time to plan. One touch with those antennae will ruin any tool we got. Just gonna have to charge it before it can do any more damage! She prepared to tussle with the beetle, and crossed the threshold of the barn. As she did though, her path was blocked by a wrinkly green leg.

Applejack and Strauss looked at the owner as they skidded to a halt. Granny Smith stood just behind the door, sitting on her haunches beside a rope tied to the wall. She moved a hoof to her lips and shifted her eyes, slowly nodding at the center of the barn. There stood the Rust Beetle, its attention devoted to a large collection of scrap metal and old tools that lay on the floor. They could both hear the tinkling, crunching sound of the metal being turned to rust and eaten by the beast.

Applejack beheld the scene for a moment before turning back to Granny Smith, who now wore a devilish smirk. She lowered her right leg and raised her left, which was wearing a hoofaxe. The rope beside her was attached to a pulley, which hung in the center of the barn. A large net filled with crates hung in place just above the Rust Beetle.

With a deft motion, Granny Smith sliced the rope.

The crates came down on the Rust Beetle with a mighty crash, flattening the creature and spilling their contents. The oversweet smell of ruined, rotten apples filled the air. Applejack and Strauss stood dumbly at the wreckage, which showed no signs of movement.

Granny Smith gave a windy laugh. “That there'd be one squashed bug.”

Applejack shook her head and looked at her grandmother. “Did you set that up?”

“Course I did. Y'think that them pieces 'o metal were just sittin' there? I'da given Mac a right talkin' to if they were.”

“But that was dangerous!” Applejack protested. “What if you’d missed?”

Granny Smith poked Applejack in the chest. “That'd be exactly why I didn't. Don't need to be worryin' about me just yet, Jackie. Y'don't get to be as old as I am by makin' foal mistakes like that. Good lesson for ya here: You can still fight when you're old or weak. The rules just change a little, is all.”

A tumultuous storm of anger and concern formed in Applejack’s mind. Everypony makes mistakes. The Rust Beetle might’ve noticed her and charged! What would she have done then?

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “Do those rules tell you how to dodge with a bad hip?!”

Granny Smith slowly turned. She squinted ever so slightly, staring at her granddaughter with clear, intense orange eyes. Her aged face was like stone as she lowered her chin and spoke four authoritative words that every member of the Apple family knew... and feared.

“Mind your tone, child.”

Ahh, too much... too much! Applejack took a step back, cowering under the withering glare. “S-Sorry.”

Granny Smith’s voice took on a dangerous edge. “Sorry, what?”

“Sorry, ma’am!” Applejack blurted.

Granny Smith looked at her for a second longer before turning her attention back to the center of the barn. “As I was sayin', the rules change. They don't get more complicated, mind you, they actually get simpler. There winds up bein' only two.

“First is this: Make the first strike the last. Don't matter what kinda shape you're in if ya never get hit.”

The crates began to shift. The Rust Beetle emerged from the wreckage, covered in pulp, splinters, and rotten apple juice. It raised itself onto its hind legs and let loose a chittering shriek.

Granny Smith remained sitting on her haunches, continuing in the same calm tone as before. “And that leads me to the second rule: If'n ya can't do that, set it up so that somepony else can.”

The Rust Beetle eyed the three of them and took a step forward. Applejack and Strauss rushed in front of Granny Smith.

She gave them a small smile. “Macky?”

A massive red stallion standing a head taller than the Rust Beetle appeared from the shadows behind it. He chewed on a piece of straw as he regarded the beast, analyzing the best points of contact.

“Buck 'em.”

The Rust Beetle went airborne, sailing out of the barn and across the yard at the force of Big Mac's strike. It crashed into the same fence as Norric, cracking the wood and bending the fencepost. Two large hoofprints were clearly visible on its back, oozing a dark pus. The creature yelped like the wounded animal it was and hobbled away to the north.

Another dry cackle escaped Granny Smith’s lips as she heard the Rust Beetle retreat. “That’ll teach ‘em not to come ‘round here. Nice kick, Macintosh.”

Macintosh gave her a slow nod, then turned and eyed the dark blood on his hind legs with a curled lip.

“Go and wash up,” Granny said as she followed his gaze. “Applejack and the others can take care of the mess in here.”

“Yes’m.” Macintosh walked out of the barn.

As he did, Norric limped inside, looking first to the center of the barn, then the trio beside the door. “What happened? I heard the Rust Beetle run off.”

“We took care of it, Mr. Guard.” Granny Smith took note of his limp. “Although by the looks of ya, one of ‘em almost took care ‘o you.”

Norric turned red. “I didn’t know that they charged. If I had—“

“But ya didn’t,” Granny Smith interrupted, “cuz ya didn’ listen. An’ fer that, yer an idiot.”

He started to retort, but her cold stare stopped him dead. Norric’s ears drooped as he hung his head.

Granny Smith eyes softened as she continued in a quiet, maternal tone. “Listen ‘ere: Greatest weapon ye can have against anythin’ is time n’ experience. You may be from the high-falutin’ Royal Guard, but I reckon you don’ get too many Rust Beetles up in Canterlot. We been fightin’ these things off fer years, and actin’ like ye know better’n us was the most foalish thing ye coulda done.”

She walked towards him and inspected the red spot on his side that was starting to form. She raised a hoof and gently pushed his side. He flinched, but did nothing more as she continued to poke and prod.

Granny Smith sighed and met his eyes. “You’re lucky. Only price you have to pay to learn that is a bruise.”

She turned away and walked towards the farmhouse with a limp of her own. “Celestia knows this family had to pay a whole lot more’n that.”

Applejack, Norric and Strauss were hard at work inside the barn, shoveling the ruined mess of rotten apples back into a new bunch of crates they had brought down from the loft. It was dirty, sticky work, and the thick odors of decayed fruit and sweat filled the air.

“Applejack?”

She looked over. “What is it, Norric?”

Norric paused in his shoveling. “I’m sorry about not listening to you. I shouldn’t have gone in alone.”

She snorted as she closed a filled crate and began to push it over to the side of the barn. “No, you shouldn’t have.”

He walked over and helped her push. “But you understand why I did, right? Strauss and I are supposed to protect you.”

“From conspirin’ forces or whatever, not Rust Beetles.” She turned to look at him as they finished moving the crate in place. “I appreciate the help you two are giving, the whole family does. But in case you didn’t notice, I’m not some delicate damsel in distress. I do some pretty hard labor every day.”

“I’ve noticed,” Strauss said with a grunt.

Applejack chuckled. “I reckon you have. That was some mighty fine lassoin’, by the way.”

“I’ve been practicing on barrels,” Strauss said with a grin. “It’s fun.”

“I’m not saying you’re weak,” Norric said, shaking his head. “I saw you buck that Rust Beetle. I don’t think either of us could stun it like that with just two hits.”

She rubbed a forehoof and looked away. Should I tell ‘em I was holding back? Eh, no point. Dunno what they’d say if they knew I accidentally killed one before.

“So I know you’re capable of taking care of yourself most of the time,” Norric continued. “But will you at least promise me one thing?”

Applejack rested her shovel in the crook of her neck. “Depends on what it is.”

Norric moved a new crate over to begin filling. “If something more dangerous happens, something that we were sent here to protect you from, will you let us do our duty?”

Applejack looked out the door into the fog beyond. “You heard what Granny said, didn’t you?”

Norric nodded.

“You’re not the first ones she’s given that speech to.” She sighed and pursed her lips. “Now, I’m sure that the two o’ya have been trained to fight and the like. Prolly know some pretty interesting moves and things that I’ll never know, nor do I really care to. I can send a Rust Beetle runnin’, but you two prolly know how to hurt a pony pretty bad, or worse. Not that I hold that against you or anythin'. You need to know how to do those things to do your job, and I’d be a foal not to realize that.”

Applejack gave them a slow smile. “So if a group of crazy ninja ponies or somethin’ comes in the night to try and steal me away, I’ll look to your expertise in crazy-ninja-fightin’ tactics. I won’t try to fend them off all by myself.”

Norric laughed, and they continued their work. The labor made the minutes pass quickly, and the crates filled back up as the mess disappeared.

“What about the other thing?”

Applejack looked up at Norric. “Hmm?”

Norric stopped as he seemed to reconsider. He looked down and resumed shoveling at a quicker pace. “Sorry, never mind,” he mumbled.

I hate it when ponies do that. A sneer twitched on Applejack’s lips. “You got somethin’ to say, spit it out.”

Norric ceased his work and reluctantly looked up at her. “The other thing your grandmother said; about your family having to pay a higher price.”

Applejack’s shovel clattered to the ground.

“That's... well...”

“I-I’m sorry,” Norric said as he raised a hoof. “I thought it might be a touchy subject, that’s why I didn’t want to bring it up and—“

Applejack winced as the words sliced open an old wound. She violently jerked her head to the side and took a step back as a painful memory oozed out and began to play unwillingly before her eyes.

Strange ponies stood in the living room of the homestead in the middle of the night. They were talking to Granny, who sat in her chair wide-eyed, jaw slack. A pile of blankets lay on her lap. Applejack lay frozen at the top of the stairs.

…so sorry, Mrs. Apple…

…down the canyon. Tried to warn them…

…suicide this time of year…

…got cut off, couldn’t get to them…

…found the bodies a few hours ago…

A tiny dot of emerald light awakened inside Applejack’s heart. It flickered once, and the ground beneath her gave a low rumble. She didn’t notice though, as she’d gritted her teeth and shut her eyes, trying to force the memories back with sheer will.

Granny was crying. Granny never cried. The strange ponies handed her a fuschia bow, a worn yoke, and a brown Stetson. The pile of blankets squirmed as a teardrop fell on them. Wrapped in them was a tiny yellow newborn foal.

…shouldn’t have gone with them in her state…

…water broke, went into labor…

…saved the foal… couldn’t stop the bleeding…

…named her with her last breath: Applebloom.

Norric and Strauss had stopped, looking at Applejack with alarm as her breath turned into quick, ragged gasps. The light in her core slowly inched out as she her heart beat like a jackhammer.

Silent tears streamed down Applejack's face. Granny was angry now, yelling at the ponies. The foal, her new sister, was crying.

…nopony will blame you…

…not takin’ the only blood I have left…

…can’t raise them at your age…

…tell me what I can or can’t do…

…newborns are a lot of work…

…grandmother for a reason, idiot…

…extended family is worried, three foals on top of the farm…

...need to remind all o’ ya who I am…

The rumbling of the ground was audible now. Strauss dropped his shovel and ran over to Applejack, putting a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder and shaking her. She didn’t react.

Applejack was in her room on her bed, her face buried in her pillow. The rain dashed against her window as the heavens wept along with her. She heard the door creak open, and felt a weight on her bed. She looked up to see a green, tear-stained face.

…I’m scared, Granny…

…I know, Jackie…

…never coming back, are they…

…’fraid not, just the four of us now…

…gonna happen to us?

…stayin’ here with me…

…don’t know what to do…

…keep livin’ your life, what they would’ve wanted…

…why does it hurt so much...

...love the most we give a piece of our hearts to...

...not gonna go too, are you…

...I’m not goin’ anywhere...

“Dead.”

The rumbling stopped, and the light in Applejack’s heart shrank back to a dot. Her face was gaunt and pale as she opened her eyes, which were blank, emotionless slabs. She glanced once at Strauss before turning to Norric and staring straight through him.

“My parents. They’re dead. The room you’re sleepin’ in was theirs. We lost Grandpa Penny, too.”

“Oh,” was all Norric could manage as he was struck by the weight of her words. “I-I didn’t… Applejack, I’m sorry. I didn’t—”

Applejack took the shovel and drove it into the floor of the barn, burying the head and several inches of the handle. “That’s right, you didn’t! You didn’t know about the Rust Beetles, either, and you almost got killed not listening! Those varmints may be cowards, but if you get ‘em riled up, they’ll trample you flatter than a pancake! We don’t like seeing other ponies make that kind of mistake, Norric! That’s what tore this family apart!”

Norric recoiled from her outburst. “Applejack...”

Applejack’s voice became shaky in response to the old wound’s throbbing. “You only got one life, idiot! All it takes is one simple mistake, and it can wind up costing you EVERYTHING! Why’re you throwin’ yourself headfirst into something like that?! Are you tryin’ to get yourself—”

Applejack cut herself off. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths. Stop it, you know better. It’s not their fault, or anypony else’s. You can’t stop angry thoughts, but you can stop angry words. Just relax.

“May I ask what happened?” Norric said.

She shook her head and stared at the ground. “I don’t hold it against you for askin’, but it’s hard enough tellin’ ya this much.”

There was an awkward silence, and they resumed their work.

“So you were raised by your Grandmother?” Strauss asked after a few minutes.

“All three of us,” Applejack said with a nod.

Strauss wrinkled his brow. “That's impressive. How old is she?”

Applejack’s eyes shone with fierce pride. “She’ll be turnin’ seventy-three here soon. For the last ten years, she’s kept this farm goin’ on top of raisin’ us, and Applebloom was a newborn when the accident happened. Granny’s the head of the whole Apple clan, one of the founders of Ponyville, and the inventor of Zapapple Jam. She's the strongest, wisest, most courageous mare I know, and you’d be hard-pressed to find somepony more worthy of respect.”

“She definitely has the presence,” Norric said with a wince. He then stopped and furrowed his brow. “Wait... I thought that Zapapple Jam was invented by a mare named Edith.”

Applejack’s face lightened with a hint of amusement. “Her full name is Edith Smith Apple. What, you thought her first name was Granny?”

“Well, that is…” Norric stammered.

Strauss gave him a slow smile. “That would’ve sounded pretty stupid before she had grandchildren.”

All three of them burst into laughter, brightening the dreary mood.

“I think that’s enough walkin’ down the darker side of memory lane,” Applejack said. “You two start takin’ these crates out to the trash heap, I’ll get this last one.”

Norric and Strauss nodded and began to take the crates out, each of them carrying two on their backs. They walked out of sight into the fog.

When Applejack was sure she was alone, she backed away into the shadows of the barn. She sat on her haunches, leaning back against a support beam with her Stetson over her face. She squeezed her eyes shut as her throat began to ache.

Get it together, Applejack. It’s been a while since you’ve thought about them, but this is never gonna go away. You’ve gotten better at talking about them, but that was too close. You've gotta be able to talk about this without breaking down.

After a few minutes, she managed to regain her composure. She put her hat back on and walked back over to the mess, now just a few pieces of scrap metal and rusted tools. As she shoveled it into a crate, she spied the handle of an old hammer. Curious, she turned it over. Scratched on the side, just barely readable, were the words ‘Jonamac Apple.’

Applejack’s eyes flickered. She reached up to the Stetson she always wore. Nah, this is all I need to remember you by.

Applejack picked up the handle and tossed it in the crate. She put the rest of the metal in as well, and closed it with a slam. With a practiced motion, she put the crate on her back and walked outside to the others.

Chapter 7: Dreams and Daydreams

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Chapter 7:

Dreams and Daydreams

Rarity soared in the sky on wings made of purest light amongst clouds the size of mountains. She circled around the fluffy behemoths as the cold, fresh air pierced her lungs and blew through her curled, violet mane. She came in close, allowing one of her shining wings to slice through the side of the cloud, causing a cool trickle of water to slide down onto her back. She shivered, then angled herself upward to ascend with a giddy laugh, leaving behind the clouds and everything else.

The colossal clouds were now mere dots below as Rarity hovered in the vacuum of space. She could see the curvature of the world, far away on the horizon and draped in shadow. The gentle light of the sun warmed her back as she looked up to behold the stars beyond, hanging in the vastness of infinity. As she did, twelve stars began to stand out, shining brighter than the others. She felt herself being sucked forward, and the other stars stretched and dimmed as they went out of her line of sight. As the new stars filled her vision, they began to connect to each other with strands of light, forming into a symbol: a sideways figure-eight with curved, two-pronged branches on each side.

The delicate pronged branches morphed into a set of eyelashes. The holes of the figure-eight then opened, revealing a set of familiar, vibrant blue eyes. She blinked, and the eyes blinked as well, then morphed into a pair of cat-like slits. Rarity’s perspective shifted as she now beheld herself from both sides, the pony and the stars staring at each other in duality.

A light appeared from the depths of the twin sets of pupils, and the world turned silver.

Rarity sat bolt upright with a gasp. She looked around wildly, but saw only darkness. She raised a hoof to her face and took off the sleeping mask she always wore, groaning as she glanced over at her bedside clock.

Two in the morning... check. Drenched in cold sweat... check. Thick ball of tension in the back of my head... check. The gang’s all here, let the party commence.

Rarity turned on the lamp atop her nightstand and opened the drawer, pulling out a mauve journal with frayed edges and a broken spine. A peacock quill was tucked in the cover, which she pulled out, then flipped to a blank page and began to write.

Flying. Wings made of light. Giant clouds, overfilled with water. Went into space. Sun to my back. Stars. Specific stars pulled me forward. Formed a symbol. Symbol turned into eyes. Eyes became strange. Stared at each other. Blinked in unison. Woke up. Slept total of three hours.

Rarity stared at her writing for a while, then began to make a doodle of the symbol that she'd seen. Satisfied, she tucked the quill back in the cover, and with a sigh, got out of bed and walked over to a mauve robe hanging on the closet door. As she put it on, she cast a glance to a bookshelf on her right. On it were books on sewing, etiquette, a few fiction and romance novels, a small collection of beginner and intermediate spellbooks, and countless issues of different fashion magazines.

Rarity perused the collection, nothing catching her interest until she looked up to the very top shelf. On it by its lonesome and looking very out of place was a massive, ancient, leather-bound tome. She called upon her magic and pulled down the book, glancing at its cover and laughing softly.

Advanced Abjuration Application: by Starswirl the Bearded, First Edition. Oh, Twilight, you’re so silly sometimes. I suppose I can't really blame you, we'd only been friends for a week, after all. Couldn't really expect you to know about my birthday, now could I? I should be grateful you got me anything at all. And this probably is rather expensive.

She put the book back up on the shelf and shook her head. I don't feel like reading; It never helps, anyway. Curse you, muse! Is this the price you demand for your services?

Rarity exited her room and walked down the lightless hallway of her home above Carousel Boutique, and as she did, she saw a door to her right that was open a crack. She stuck her head in, her ear twitching as she made out the soft, rhythmic breathing of peaceful slumber.

Rarity smiled as she withdrew. At least it's not genetic.

The lights of the Inspiration Room turned on as Rarity walked in. She went over to a set of different colored fabrics, considering each of them in turn.

Hmm, I did a yellow dress last time. This one was a flying dream going into space, so I'm thinking a darker theme. Perhaps navy? Ooh, yes, definitely navy. A touch of glitter embedded in the fabric would look fabulous, and silver trim would be the perfect touch. Should I use silk for the fabric? Eh, silk wrinkles too much. I’ll need something stronger.

Rarity went over to her drawing board where her ruby spectacles lay. She put them on and began to draw out a design.

I want it to resemble the flow and depth of the night sky, and a Shimmer spell would work for that. I'll need to get out my spellbook.... maybe a touch of black? No, too grim and formal. What would give it a mystical feel? Ah, a hint of violet in the Shimmer spell. Perfect! This is going to look positively astoun—what in the world?

Rarity had been so lost in her brainstorming that hadn't been paying attention to what she was doing. She looked down, and saw that she’d only drawn only one thing: the sideways branched figure-eight from her dream.

Rarity looked down at the symbol with pursed lips. Just can't get away from that, can you, muse? Fine. I'll make it as a necklace to go with the ensemble. Maybe that will satiate you.

She began to draw again, this time paying more attention to what she was doing. The symbol turned into my eyes. My eyes are blue, and I’ve that pair of sapphires I found last week with Spike, so that works out marvelously. I'm going with a darker motif here, so perhaps I should use silver for the framework? Not sure if I have any, though, and it's been a while since I’ve made any jewelry. I'll have to check my stores...

The Inspiration Room was a flurry of activity as Rarity worked. She lost herself to her efforts, humming softly to herself as she fitted a mannequine with a dark blue dress that rolled with waves of violet light. A needle and thread hovered in her aura as she circled the piece, examining it from every angle.

I might need to redo the stitching on the left side. Is that a loose seam? No, that's just the spell. Ugh, I really should have waited to do that last. Let's see, now to saturate it with glitter. Wait. Glitter? What was I thinking?! Crushed gemstones! YES! That will be, dare I say, heaven—

“Rarity?”

Rarity jumped. She turned to see Sweetie Belle standing at the door in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes and leaning against the doorframe.

“Sweetie!” Rarity put down the sewing tools. “What are you doing up so late?!”

Sweetie wrinkled her brow. “It's seven in the morning.”

Rarity blinked several times, then looked out the window to see that the sky was a dull pink. She looked over at the clock to confirm her sister's statement, and found it to indeed be true.

“Oh! Well, good that you're up, then.”

“You didn't sleep again?” Sweetie’s eyes were filled with concern. She made to enter the room, but then remembered that Rarity had told her she couldn’t come into the Inspiration Room, and jumped back as though the entrance had shocked her.

Rarity gave her a weak smile that didn't hide the bags under her eyes. “A few hours is all I need.”

Sweetie’s eyes and pupils went huge as her lower lip quivered.

“I’m sorry...”

Rarity’s will broke under the adorable onslaught. “Okay, okay. I suppose you are older, if only by six days. You can come in.”

Sweetie perked up, but her energy was still low, as she was still drowsy from having just woken up. She took a hesitant step into the room, then meekly walked over to Rarity and nuzzled her side. Rarity returned the gesture, then lay down and allowed Sweetie to snuggle up next to her.

She’s getting a bit old for—oh, stop it. One day you’re going to realize this cute little filly has grown up into a beautiful mare with her own life, and times like this will be nothing more than fond memories. Stop worrying about propriety for five minutes, and appreciate that your little sister still wants to cuddle with you.

The two sisters shared a moment of companionship in the early morning. Rarity began to rock slowly back and forth, and Sweetie closed her eyes and hummed in appreciation. They remained like this for a few minutes, and Rarity was beginning to think Sweetie had fallen back asleep before she yawned and opened her eyes.

“Why don't you take your medicine?” Sweetie asked.

“Because some of the best things I've made are from when I can't sleep.” Rarity leaned down and kissed Sweetie’s forehead. “It’s okay, dear. A few nights here and there without sleep isn't going to hurt me.”

Sweetie rested her chin on Rarity’s shoulder. “It always happens at least once when I'm here, though. Does it happen the rest of the week, too?”

When did she get so observant? She doesn't normally—Rarity narrowed her eyes and exhaled out her nose as she put the pieces together.

“Mother told you to spy on me, didn’t she?”

Sweetie stiffened and quickly turned away. “I haven't said anything!”

Rarity put a gentle hoof on the side of her sister’s face. “Sweetie, look at me.”

Sweetie hesitantly obeyed. Her posture was tense, but she relaxed upon seeing that her sister’s face held no anger. Rarity’s voice was calm and patient as she looked into Sweetie’s light-green eyes.

“She did, though, didn't she?”

Sweetie nodded. “I'm supposed to tell her if you're not taking your medicine, but I don't wanna get you in trouble.”

Rarity sighed and rubbed her forehead. Is this how you think a Lady is supposed to act, Mother? This isn't fair to Sweetie or to me, and now I can't confront you about it because you'll know she told me. What kind of a mother puts an eight-year old into this kind of situation?!

Sweetie bit her lip. “You’re not mad at me, are you?”

“No, Sweetie,” Rarity instantly replied. “I’m not mad at you.”

Sweetie was too happy about being absolved to notice the emphasis on Rarity’s last word. She smiled, but it faded as another thought struck her. “You do take it sometimes, though, don’t you?”

“Sometimes, yes,” Rarity said. “When I can’t sleep two nights in a row, I take it.”

“Does that happen a lot?”

Rarity’s eyes flickered. “Not that often.”

Sweetie began to inquire further, but Rarity stopped her by getting up and giving her a gentle nudge. “That’s enough worrying about your big sister. You need to get ready for school. Go and take your shower, I’ll make breakfast.”

Sweetie reluctantly complied, yawning again as she shuffled towards the door. She turned back to look back at the mannequine, motioning to it as she continued to walk forward.

“That dress is really pretty.”

Rarity gave her a proud smile. “Thank you, darling.”

“Did you make it from your dreams again?”

Rarity nodded. “I’m afraid the creative itch simply cannot be denied. Like I said, I’ve made some fabulous things when my body decides to forego a full night’s sleep.”

Sweetie looked at it for a moment longer, then turned and exited the room. Rarity waited until she heard the sound of soft hoofsteps ascending the stairs before walking over to the dress, giving it one last once over before going to the kitchen.

I don’t regret it. I never would’ve made this or dozens of other ensembles if I took those ghastly pills, and my dream dresses sell the best out of all my designs. What can I say? The creative juices flow the best when this happens… even if there’s a price to pay for it.

Rarity managed to get Sweetie Belle fed, packed up, and off to school without incident, which was no small feat, considering how accident-prone the little filly was. Rarity then cleaned up the kitchen, and got ready for the day herself. By nine, she’d moved some of her pieces out to the show floor, and was now checking the after-hours slot as she flipped over the open sign.

Hmm, only one order, and it’s for a touchup job. Looks like today will be slow, but that’s normal for this time of year, as the new fashions won’t start coming out until next month. No matter. I can use the time to work, and I think I’ll keep going on the dream dress. I‘ve a feeling that darker colors are going to be in this season, and if it turns out well enough, I might be able to submit it for the upcoming Fashion Week in Canterlot. I’d need a model to take photos, though. Oh! I forgot to check and see if I have any silver…

Rarity trotted into the back of the store to a small locked closet, the earthy smell of minerals combined with the heady aroma of various fragrances greeted her as she opened the door. She went to a small chest on a three-tiered shelf, where inside was a collection of raw precious metals. Most of them were a dull yellow color, but there was one small chunk that was a lustrous gray.

Hmm, looks like all I have is gold. Pity, silver would have accented the gemstones nicely. Then again, there is that little bit of platinum I found, but I was saving that for something special... Oh, why not. What’s the point of having something if you’re not going to use it?

Rarity took the small gray rock and brought it to her Inspiration Room. She was about to start making more plans, but suddenly, she staggered from a wave of fatigue. The feeling of tension in her head had diminished, but she still felt twitchy and overly alert. She put her forelegs on a sewing table as she rubbed her temples, stifling a whimper.

It’s going to be a long day.... no, I can’t think like that! Come on, Rarity, keep your chin up! A Lady uses the tools at her disposal to the best of her ability, and deals with any hardship without complaint. You’ve done this countless times before, and you can do it again.

Rarity strengthened her resolve, then summoned her spellbook from a nearby table. She put her ruby glasses back on as she opened it and resumed her planning. Let’s see, I’ll need an Impurity spell and a Molding spell…

Rarity worked all throughout the morning, only stopping briefly to enchant a soundstone for a mint-green unicorn wearing a gray hoodie. After finishing that, she resumed her work on the necklace. She took her time with the platinum, as she was out of practice with metalworking and couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. Slowly but surely, the necklace began to take shape.

The branch portions were pointy, and I can’t have that in a necklace. I’ll have to round off the edges a bit. Beads of sweat formed on Rarity’s brow as she focused her magic and filed off the edges into nubs with utmost precision.

Easy does it now, easy…

The tinkling of the entrance bell sounded. Rarity jerked, pushed too hard, and snapped the necklace in half.

Rarity stared in horror at the fragments. Ahh! No no no no! I spent hours working on this! Now I have to start over, and there’s somepony at the door, and by Celestia, if they don’t buy something expensive I’m going to use them as a pincushion!

Rarity stormed out of the room, taking deep breaths and trying to regain her composure. She walked onto the show floor, hiding her frayed nerves under a demure smile.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is—oh, it’s you two.”

Elo and Grovi stood at the door. They both gave her a shallow bow as they walked inside.

“Good afternoon,” Elo said. He was about to say something more, but then noticed Rarity’s slightly unkempt and frazzled state. “Er, have we caught you at a bad time?”

“Not at all!” Rarity said quickly. “Is there something you needed?”

Elo raised an eyebrow. “You invited us yesterday for afternoon tea, remember?”

Rarity’s eyes widened. Oh Celestia, I got so caught up in the dress that I—not the time for excuses, just do your duty as a proper hostess. She looked at the clock to see that it was two in the afternoon. “Of course I remember! I just lost track of the time. Please, come in!”

Rarity turned and trotted towards the kitchen. As soon as she was out of sight, her trot turned into a gallop as she hurriedly reviewed what she had for snacks.

The two guards exchanged a curious glance.

“Are you going to ask her about it?” Grovi said.

Elo nodded. “This isn’t healthy.”

Grovi looked around at the beautiful showpieces surrounding them. “It almost hurts how similar they are. Makes me wonder what might’ve been if—”

“—we’re being impolite guests,” Elo said pointedly. He went through the same door Rarity had and went into the back rooms.

Grovi chewed on his lip. “Yes, I suppose we are.” He gave the dresses one last look, then followed after Elo.

Rarity, Elo, and Grovi sat at the kitchen table a short while later. The three of them politely sipped at their tea as they munched on an assortment of cucumbers, scones, breads, and various jellies. Rarity watched the two guards in silence, mentally berating herself for almost slipping up.

I can’t believe I forgot I invited them. A little fatigue is normal, but today I’m getting hit really hard.

Elo set down his cup with a light clink and looked up at Rarity. “Forgive my brashness, but I noticed that you only slept a few hours again last night. That’s the third time since our arrival.”

Rarity’s eyelid twitched. Maybe those earrings were a bad idea. No, it’s either this or they hover around the shop like vultures. This is the lesser of two evils.

Rarity nodded stonily. “Yes, it is.”

“You’d said before that you log how much you sleep you get each night in a journal.” Elo stared hard at Rarity. “Answer me truthfully: how many hours have you gotten in the past six days?”

Rarity lowered her gaze to her teacup. “I’d have to count. On average, though, I get somewhere from twenty to thirty hours of sleep a week.”

Both of the guards took a sharp breath.

“Losing that much sleep is dangerous,” Elo said flatly. “For one, your magical font won't fully recharge, and I know you do a decent amount of spellcasting in your dressmaking. You’re running the risk of Magical Exhaustion, and that’s nothing to say of the rest of your body and mind.”

Rarity sighed and dropped all pretense, raising her chin and looking down at him. “I’ll forgive your brashness, but only because I didn't tell you this when you and Grovi came barging into the shop the first time at four in the morning, thinking I was being foalnapped or somesuch. A Lady doesn't make a habit out of talking about her personal problems, but as you’re both charged with my protection, you’ve a right to know what’s going on. However, I’ll only tell you this once, so listen well.”

Rarity took a calming breath. “My insomnia isn’t a new problem. I've had it my entire life, and I've been to more doctors than I can count over the years. My own mother’s a somnologist, and even she can’t figure out what‘s wrong with me. If I was to list off the things my family and I have tried to fix it, we’d be here all afternoon.”

Rarity took a sip of her tea. “The only thing that works is a very specific, nasty type of sleeping pill, and I hate taking it. Not just because I can’t remember my dreams, but because of what the sleep is like. It feels… unnatural, forced, like something’s keeping me underwater, and I’m trying to come up for air. I wake up feeling rested, yes, but I also feel like I’ve missed out on something important, or like I was disconnected from the world the entire time.

“You're not the only ones who are worried about me,” Rarity said. “My family’s constantly on my case about this, especially my mother. Although, considering her profession, it's understandable why. Yes, I get less rest without the drugs, and it leaves me feeling fatigued. Yes, it has adverse effects on my mind, body, and magic. However, I'm willing to make those sacrifices because of what I get in return, and as a fully-grown, responsible, successful, entrepreneurial mare, I think I'm free to make my own choices, whether they're good or bad.

“So I thank you for your concern, really, I do. And I’m sure you probably have the same worries as well, Grovi, but I’m going to continue to do what I feel is necessary to perform my crafts. And as I know you're under orders not to interfere with my life, you're just going to have to deal with it.”

Rarity chose a particularly tasty-looking cucumber slice and popped it in her mouth as she finished. She looked at the two guards, who were trying their best to hide their astonishment. Unfortunately for them, she'd seen both of their mouths go slightly agape at different times during her speech.

And that’s how you put somepony in their place.

“I… I apologize,” Elo managed. “Are you working on a new piece, then?”

Rarity nodded. “It's turning out beautifully so far—”

Her face fell as she remembered the necklace. “Well, most of it is, at any rate.”

“What’s the matter?” Elo asked.

Rarity turned away. “I was working on a necklace to go with the ensemble, and I was using a rare metal for the framework. When you two entered, the bell startled me, and I accidentally snapped it in half.”

“We didn’t mean—“ Elo began.

“I know,” Rarity cut in. “It's my fault. Still, it’s going to take me the rest of the day to fix it.”

“What metal were you using?” Grovi asked.

Rarity regarded him evenly. This is new. He’s usually the quiet one.

“Have you heard of platinum?”

Grovi’s mouth split into a massive grin. “I have, and I think I can help. May I see the piece?”

How in the world can he possibly—oh, what’s the harm? It’s already broken, anyway. Rarity nodded. “Come with me.”

She got up and led Elo and Grovi to the Inspiration Room, gesturing at the pieces of the necklace on the table.

“I was trying to file off the edges of the points when I broke it,” Rarity explained.

Grovi went over to the ruined jewelry piece. He picked it up in his hoof and brought it up to his eye. His horn glowed a dull gray as he mumbled to himself.

Elo sidled up to Rarity and spoke out of the corner of his mouth. “Grovi’s an Enchanter, and his special talent is metalworking. He works with the Royal Blacksmiths to help fix and improve the weapons used by the Royal Guard, as well as put temporary spells on them during combat.”

She leaned her ear closer to him. “He’s a Battlemage?!”

“No,” Elo corrected, “His training’s more academically oriented. He knows how to fight, but the times where he’s actually had to have been few and far in between.”

Rarity beheld the quiet guard in a new light. Twilight’s going to have a field day when she hears one of my guards is a Magus. I think I'll save this for when I see her next. If I tell her now, I’m never going to get this dress done.

“What about you?” Rarity asked. “Are you a Magus, as well?”

Elo chuckled. “Not quite. My talents are a little more... physical.”

“Haven’t gotten my hooves on platinum in a long, long time,” Grovi said with a wistful sigh. “I always enjoy working with it because of how malleable it is. The symbol is nice, too. What does it mean?”

Rarity shrugged. “It doesn’t mean anything. I saw it in the dream I had last night, and I couldn’t get it out of my head, so I decided to make a necklace out of it.”

Grovi revolved the broken pieces in his magic only inches away from his face. “It’d be a great shame for this to go to waste. Tell you what, I can fix this for you, as well as make some nice additions to it that I think you’ll appreciate. Do you mind?”

“Do I mind?” Rarity echoed. “Of course not! If you can fix it, then by all means! How long do you think you'll need?”

Grovi looked at something in the corner of his eye. “For what I want to do? A few days, at least. Is that all right?”

She nodded. “That’s fine. What are you going to do, aside from fix it?”

Grovi smiled in response. He walked up to Rarity, took her hoof in his, and kissed it. “I think I’ll keep that a surprise, but rest assured, you’ll like it.”

And with that, Grovi bowed and walked out the room, leaving Elo and Rarity behind.

“You just handed him a very shiny new toy.” Elo hid his grin behind a hoof. “And as you saw, he appreciates it.”

Rarity had turned as pink as a certain earth pony she knew. She cleared her throat and glanced at her unfinished dress. “Y-Yes, well... glad I could help. I... um, really must be getting back to work now, so if you don’t mind!”

“Of course,” Elo said. He began to walk out, but halfway, he stopped and turned back to look at her. “I know you said you forgave me, but still, I apologize again for my rudeness.”

Rarity’s embarrassment faded to manageable levels. She straightened and looked at Elo with soft eyes.

“You needn’t worry about me. I may have had to learn the hard way where my limits lie a few times in the past, but I’m well aware of them now. I’ll be fine.”

Elo bowed, then turned and left. Rarity heard the soft tinkling of the entrance bell, and she went back to work.

Now if only I could get others to understand that, as well.

“All right, weatherponies, listen up!”

Rainbow Dash hovered in midair a few hundred feet above Ponyville. She paced back and forth with her hooves crossed, staring down at a small gathering of pegasi. They stood on a small cloud, watching her with wide, attentive eyes.

“We're going to get an unscheduled thunderstorm in a few hours,” Rainbow said. “It's only supposed to be a single cell, but due to the amount of warm air that's in the valley right now, it could get nasty.”

There was a mumbling amongst the weatherponies at the news.

“Nopony wants that, obviously,” Rainbow continued, “so I've gotten Cloudsdale’s approval to move some of the warm air over to the Everfree Forest. We'll be using the Conveyor Belt Maneuver.”

A dark gray pegasus raised his hoof.

Rainbow stopped pacing and looked to him. “What is it, Thunderlane?”

“Why the Conveyor Belt?” Thunderlane asked. “Wouldn't the Flying-V be faster?”

Rainbow shook her head. “We don't want to move it quickly. We're risking a second storm as it is here, and knowing the Everfree, that storm might just then turn right around and hit Ponyville from the side. I don't know about you, but that's something I'd rather not deal with.”

Thunderlane lowered his hoof and his head. “Sorry, didn't think of that.”

Rainbow resumed her pacing. “I'll take the lead and get the air moving. The rest of you will pair up and follow my lead to continue the momentum.”

Another pegasus, a very muscular white stallion with tiny wings, snorted and raised his hoof.
.
“What's up, Snowflake?”

Snowflake cleared his throat and spoke in a deep, throaty growl. “Cloud Kicker’s my partner, and she's out sick today.”

Ponyfeathers, that's right. And Parasol’s out visiting family. Rainbow looked around. “Who is Parasol's partner?”

A white-maned, light blue stallion raised his hoof.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. Great. I can't pair Snowflake with him. Prism Strider’s a sprinter through and through, and we're going to be moving the air over half the length of the valley. I suppose I could pair up with him, but then we wouldn't have enough of a tailwind.

An undesirable idea came to mind. Rainbow curled her lip as she cast a sidelong glance to a pair of red and blue dots on a nearby cloud just within eyeshot.

I don't want to do it. I really don't. But there's not enough time to go through and rearrange everypony, and right now we don't have enough wingpower to move the wind by the time the low pressure system gets here. Fine, fine.

“Hold on a sec,” Rainbow said to the weatherponies. She flapped her wings and jetted away, heading for Esra and Tastar. A smile crept up on her face as she saw that they were both lying down, and made no effort to meet her halfway as she approached.

Rainbow stopped just a few feet above them, keeping her voice level as both guards remained stock-still. “Hey guys. How ya feelin'?”

Esra glowered at her. “How do you think?”

Rainbow lost it. She threw back her head and lost herself to a fit of giggles. “Aw, come on, don't tell me my little old workouts are too much for the big bad Royal Guards, are they?”

“Little old workouts, my flank.” Tastar gave a her a laugh of his own. “I haven't been this sore since my first weeks at Basic. We keep this up, and I'll break eleven wingpower in no time.”

Rainbow fought the urge to shake her head as she beheld Esra and Tastar’s pained and weakened state. What kind of lazy regimen do they have for pegasi in Canterlot? I mean, I know they've mostly got unicorns up there, but still, you'd think these guys would be in better shape than this! I mean come on, they're supposed to be protecting me, and I'm basically acting as their personal trainer!

Rainbow eyed them both critically. “Are you following the diet I gave you? Because that'll help with the soreness.”

“Yes, we're following your fanatical diet,” Esra snapped. “You really didn't need to list out the exact amount of grams of each piece of food for every meal, you know.”

“That's what I do,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “Any athlete knows that half of fitness is keeping track of what you put into your body.”

Esra snorted and looked past her. “Is there something you needed?”

I can't tell if he's being huffy because he's so badly outclassed, or if he's just a jerk. At least Tastar is receptive. He's probably happy that somepony is pushing him to improve. Whatever, I need them right now.

“I've got a problem,” Rainbow said. “Two of my workers are out sick today, and we need to move some of the warm, high pressure air out of the valley into the Everfree. I want you guys to fill in for them.”

Esra glared daggers at her. “Rainbow, we’re soldiers of Her Majesty's Royal Guard. We're here to protect you from hostile threats, not to be used at your leisure when you have a minor inconvenience.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. Is he really that big of an idiot?

“Have you lived in Canterlot your entire life?” she asked.

Esra nodded. “Mostly, yes.”

“So I take it your Tempulari sucks.”

Esra didn’t seem bothered. “Considering that all weather manipulation education is done in Cloudsdale, that’d be a correct assessment.”

Rainbow turned to Tastar. “How about you?”

Tastar carefully rolled his neck. “Canterlot, and yeah, my Tempulari’s pretty bad. I was never very good in school, anyway.”

Rainbow put a hoof on her hip and gestured like a teacher in class. “Consider this a crash course, then. You've got two types of pressure systems: High, and low. They’re air masses that move around based off of the density of the atmosphere. Pegasi can control them with Tempulari, but for the most part we just let them do their thing.”

She spread her forehooves. “We have nice weather when the air masses don't collide, but when they do...” Rainbow slammed them together with a clap. “Things happen. And those things can be very bad.”

Rainbow jabbed a hoof to the north. “Right now we have a low-pressure system coming in. If we don't get some of this warm air out of here, it's going to turn into a storm that could produce hail, strong winds, and worse. Now, if that happens, can you take a guess at who's going to be up in all that, doing their best to minimize the damage being done to Ponyville?”

Esra refused to meet Rainbow’s eyes, and she watched him lock his jaw. She continued unabated.

“This isn't a minor inconvenience, this is an emergency. I know you may not think of a storm as hostile, but Mother Nature doesn't pull her punches for anypony. Isn’t refusing to prevent something that puts me in danger a direct violation of your orders?”

Esra looked back to her, his ears flattened and his lips pursed.

“So you're saying we have to help.”

Rainbow returned the glare. “Either that, or you sit on this cloud in a torrential downpour with winds strong enough to blow your wings right out of their sockets. Not to mention the lightning. That sound like fun to you?”

“It sure doesn't,” Tastar interrupted as he delicately began to stand. He looked over at Esra. “Stop fighting her when you know she's right. You just don't wanna help because you're sore.”

“Oh, and you're not?” Esra gingerly followed suit, moving as though he were made of glass.

A second snort escaped Rainbow as she watched both of them get to their hooves, which took them almost twenty seconds. She quickly covered her face with a hoof to suppress her snickering.

“I don't know how much help we're going to be,” Tastar said. “It kinda hurts to move.”

Rainbow finally took pity on them and landed on the cloud. “Here. I know some stretches that should help.”

Ten minutes later, Rainbow flew back to her weathercrew with Esra and Tastar in tow. She had to fly slowly to allow them to keep up, but they were at least able to move on their own. The weatherponies regarded the two newcomers with interest as they approached.

“The interns are going to help us out today instead of observing us,” Rainbow announced to the crowd. “Esra will be with Snowflake, and Tastar will be with Prism Strider. They're not quite as fast as your normal partners though, so you'll have to take it easy.”

“Interns?!” Esra hissed.

Rainbow elbowed him in the ribs and continued. “We'll start the jet stream over the western side of the valley. Everypony, follow me!”

Rainbow took off in a burst. The weatherponies all took flight behind her, filling the sky with wings and color as Esra and Tastar lagged slightly behind. A few minutes later, the flock of pegasi came to a stop above the western fields of the Equius Valley. Even from a thousand feet up, Rainbow could still feel the humidity of the thick air pushing in around her.

“We'll go forward at ten second intervals!” she shouted. “Split up into your teams and form a line behind me a hundred yards away! And stay well away from the jet stream on your way back! I don't want to see anypony getting caught in the slipstream!”

The weather crew obeyed, breaking up into pairs and filing behind her. Rainbow lost sight of Esra and Tastar as they disappeared into the mass, and she focused her attention on the dull haze of green on the far side of the valley. She did an internal check, and found that her heartbeat was steady, her muscles were warm and limber, her breathing was even, and her mind was focused. She turned back one more time, and saw that her weather crew was hovering in dual-file behind her.

Rainbow turned back around and took a deep breath.

Let's do it.

She blasted forward with all of her strength, creating a massive downdraft that pulled the warm air of the area along with her. She flapped her wings as hard as she could, all the while focusing on the slowly advancing line of the Everfree Forest.

I have to go all out. The hardest part is getting it started. Once I do that, the wind carries itself under its own momentum. Come on, Rainbow!

Rainbow gritted her teeth as she disregarded all of her limitations, things that she held back to reserve stamina, and just pushed herself to the max. More and more warm air got caught in her wake and began to sluggishly move forward, and the familiar cone of resistance formed around her as the Everfree loomed ahead.

Faster... faster! You've got more than this left in you!

The earth and sky zoomed past Rainbow, leaving a massive trail in her wake. She felt both her body and the air fight against her as she reached her limits, which she then ignored and fought her hardest to surpass.

There is no fatigue. There is no pain. There is just speed!

The cone thickened into a barrier. It was getting harder to accelerate. The air in front of Rainbow was solidifying, struggling, desperately trying to hold her back. Her upper torso and wing muscles screamed in protest as she embraced the challenge and pushed harder.

Not... good... enough... today... is... the day!

The cone narrowed, and the wall of air took on a prismatic shimmer.

Yes... Yes... YES!

Rainbow entered the Everfree, and the air pressure dropped. Her entire body shuddered from the abrupt change, and the shimmer dulled back into an opaque wall as her speed was crippled.

NO!

Rainbow began shouting out choice words as she broke away, gliding around in a wide circle and turning back towards the others. She could feel the warm air colliding with the lower pressure of the forest behind her, evening out the temperature and the overall atmospheric state of the valley.

Every time! Every single time! I don't know how I did it! Just once, and only once did I pull it off and ever since then something stops me! I don't care how long it takes me. One of these days… one of these freaking days I will do it again!

Rainbow coasted well away from the stream of air she’d just created. She watched as multiple pairs of dots flew in the same direction she just had, maintaining the stream’s momentum like a conveyor belt of air. The fatigue of her sprint started to catch up with her, but she was too angry too slow down.

I refuse to accept it was just a fluke. I just need to practice harder, train harder, be stronger in any way I can, whatever it takes! The Sonic Rainboom will be mine, but now I have to hold myself back because of these guards, and it's just going to take me longer to... I don't care! I'll still do it, even if I have to make them do the Sonic Rainboom with me! If they want to protect me, they'll have to be able to do the same things I can. I wouldn't expect anything less of someone who I'm supposed to entrust my life to!

Rainbow was about to rant some more, but before she could, a familiar voice broke her train of thought. You don't mean that. You know that nopony else can do what you can, and even if they could, it's not right of you to force your goals onto others.

Rainbow groaned. She hated that voice, the accursed thing known as reason. It was unsilenceable and made her see things rationally, even when she didn't want to. She knew she was hot-headed and brash by nature, but yet, something stopped her from fully giving in, and she didn't understand why. Other brash ponies didn't have such things instilled in them, or if they did, they ignored them, didn't they? Such was not Rainbow's case. She heard the voice, and something inside her made her listen. As much as she didn't want to listen, as much as she just wanted to go on with her life as a cocky, selfish pony who thought only of her own goals and desires, this one little voice made her see things from a more even-tempered point of view.

It made her want to scream.

She approached the line of ponies and went to the back, waiting to take her place again in maintaining the stream of air. She spent a few minutes lost in thought before she realized that Esra and Snowflake were in line in front of her. The guard looked back at her with a guarded expression.

“That was impressive,” he said as he eyed her. “You went all out, didn't you?”

Rainbow suddenly realized that she was gasping for breath. Her sides were heaving, her coat was drenched with sweat, and her wings were filled with a familiar burning sensation.

She shrugged as she spoke between breaths. “The hardest part… of making… a jet stream is… starting it. No sense… in holding back.”

Esra gave a tentative glance at Snowflake, who was in conversation with one of the ponies in front of them, then turned back to her. “And have you been holding back for us?”

Rainbow shuffled back and forth as she considered his question. Do I tell him the truth?

Esra leaned in close and lowered his voice. “I’ll tell you one thing, Rainbow Dash, I don't like being patronized. And judging from that little display of yours, I'd bet a year's wages that that's exactly what you've been doing this past week.”

Rainbow coughed and looked away.

“You're not the kind of pony that holds back,” Esra whispered. “Why are you doing it for us?”

She eyed their prospective spectator. Snowflake guffawed loudly, apparently oblivious not only to her presence, but their entire conversation. She spoke in a breathless whisper.

“Now's not… the time. I'll tell you after… we get this done… okay?”

Esra backed away, but said nothing more. He nodded stiffly and turned around, and Rainbow closed her eyes as she tried to calm the storm of emotions that raged inside her.

The only other pony around here who knows about this is Fluttershy. Can I really tell them? Do I want to? Esra's not going to let it rest if I don't. Not that I really care, but maybe he won't be such a jerk if I do. Then again, he could also get even worse.

The Conveyor Belt Maneuver went off without a hitch, and Rainbow Dash got the word in from Cloudsdale that the pressure levels were now at acceptable. Presently, she paced back and forth in the living room of her cloud home in front of Esra and Tastar, who were both sitting in chairs and eyeing her dubiously. Rainbow had said nothing since their arrival, and after a few minutes of awkward silence, Tastar finally spoke up.

“So Esra tells me you haven't been giving it your all lately.”

Rainbow jerked up at his comment. “You have to understand! I don’t—”

“Understand what?” Esra jabbed a hoof at her. “That you think of us as a joke?”

“No!” Rainbow exclaimed. “I don't blame you for—”

“It's obvious you consider yourself to be a professional athlete,” Esra began. “Your workout routines, diet, physical ability and attitude are clear-cut enough evidence, and I don’t have a problem with that. What I do have a problem with, however, is that you’ve done nothing but flaunt your physical abilities in front of me and Tastar, and now we find out you’ve been holding back on us! What’s your game?!”

“I don't have a game!” Rainbow shot back. “I just want you to—”

“To what?” Esra got to his hooves and stormed over to her. “To prove how vastly superior you are to us without even trying? To show that we're just dolts you tolerate because you have to?!”

Rainbow snapped. She closed the distance between them and hovered inches away from Esra’s face. “How about you shut your bucking mouth and listen to me for once?!”

Esra reared back in surprise. He raised a hoof in a twisting motion, but his eyes widened, and he spun to the side instead. He lost his balance and fell on his back with a poof, then quickly rolled away and scrambled to get back on his hooves.

Rainbow might’ve normally been amused by the spectacle, but she was too frustrated right now to care. She looked down for a moment as she reined in her temper. I'm not good at explaining this, and of course I get the idiot who goes and makes assumptions just because he doesn't like the taste of humble pie! I don't care if she's a Princess who can control the sun, when this is over, Celestia and I are going to have words.

Rainbow took a calming breath and looked up at Esra and Tastar. “Have either of you heard of the Sonic Rainboom?”

Tastar nodded. “Thought it was a myth until one was done about ten years ago in Cloudsdale. Nopony knows who did it, though.”

Rainbow Dash sat on her haunches and waved.

“Hi.”

Both of the guards’ jaws dropped. “You... you can't be serious...” Tastar spluttered.

Esra barked out a harsh laugh. “I'd call you a liar if I hadn't seen what you just did a few hours ago. So let's see, from what I recall, the Sonic Rainboom is achieved by breaking the sound barrier, which is three hundred forty point-two nine meters per second. Am I correct?”

Rainbow cocked her head. “You don't know anything about Tempulari, but you know the specifics of the Sonic Rainboom? What's with that?”

“Just about everypony in Canterlot saw it ten years ago,” Esra said simply, “and certainly every pegasus's interest was piqued. It's the Holy Grail of aerial stunts, after all.”

He's got a point there, I suppose. “All right, all right,” Rainbow admitted. “Yeah, it's the speed of sound. I did it when some punks challenged me to a race. It's also how I got my cutie mark.”

Tastar's eyes somehow went even wider. “You did the Sonic Rainboom as a filly?! But that would mean that you had at least—”

“Sixty wingpower at the time,” she said, nodding. “I'm not sure how I did it. To be honest, I don't remember much from the race.”

Rainbow closed her eyes with a wistful smile. “All I remember is the sensation of incredible speed, adrenaline, the wind, and a fierce desire to surpass... everything.”

“What’s your actual wingpower now?” Esra asked. “Because it’s nowhere near twelve-point-nine. I can almost break eleven, and the speed you just showed would leave me in the dust.”

Rainbow looked out the window. “Fifty-nine-point-six.”

The two of them froze. They didn't even blink. Rainbow opened one of her wings and began to preen her feathers.

“Why?” Esra whispered. “Why hide it? You aren't—”

“The kind of pony that holds back,” Rainbow finished for him. “Yeah, I know, you said that already. Now, if you're over your little stare-fest, I'll explain. That is, if you'll actually let me talk. Can I talk, please?”

Esra nodded dumbly.

Rainbow closed her wing and looked at both of them with hard, honest eyes. “How does it feel, knowing that you'll never be able to surpass me? That no matter what you do, you'll never be able to do what I can?”

The two guards shifted, but said nothing.

“I know how it feels,” Rainbow continued. “It feels intimidating, depressing, and over time, you’ll resent me for it. How do I know that? Because that’s how everypony else felt in Flight School.”

Rainbow looked over at a collection of first place awards and trophies in a large display case. “See, I've found that most ponies want a goal to aspire to. They want something they can look at and say, 'That's the bar. That's a place I want to be at someday.' And that's great! Everypony should have a goal like that, because it makes them want to do better, to push themselves to the next level.”

Rainbow sighed. “But the problem is that ponies automatically compare themselves to what they see as the best, and that's always me. When my classmates saw what I could do, they got depressed and angry because they could never compete with me.”

She shook her head, trying to keep her mind clear as bits and pieces of that time played in front of her. “I already had twelve wingpower when I was only four years old. It's not fair to compare yourself to somepony with that kind of raw ability, but we were all young and didn't understand. I just knew I was the best, and I didn't want to hold back. After all, why should I? It wasn't my fault that nopony could keep up with me. So I just dealt with it... until I did the Sonic Rainboom.”

Rainbow kicked at the floor. “I almost wish I’d never done it, because nopony would even talk to me afterwards. They all treated me like I'd done something wrong, and that made me mad. I started getting into fights, trying to get them to tell me why they were ignoring me. My parents finally explained that everypony had just completely given up, that I was so far off the map that not even the teachers knew what to do. I was in a league of my own.”

“Is that why you came here?” Tastar asked.

She nodded. “My parents decided that the best thing for me was to leave and start fresh. Fortunately, nopony believes that a filly did the Sonic Rainboom, and the ones who actually saw it just got laughed at when they tried to tell anypony. So I dropped out of school, moved to Ponyville, and my family made me promise that I'd hold back from then on. I agreed, but with one condition: that I could still be the best, just by a reasonable margin.”

“I still don't understand,” Esra said. “You said that you don't like holding back or slowing yourself down. Why would you agree to that?”

“Because I want to inspire ponies, not discourage them,” Rainbow replied. “I want to make others want to be the very best they can. To do that, I have to be something they can look up to, but if I'm too good, I'll have the opposite effect.”

Rainbow walked over to the display case and picked up a gold medal in the shape of a lightning bolt. “Here's the thing: Just about everypony in town knows I'm faster than them. They just don't know by how much. Heck, I haven't even met a single pony in Ponyville who knows what an anemometer is. They all just look at me and say, 'Rainbow Dash is the best, and if I work my tail off, someday I can be just as good as her.'

“And that's what I want,” Rainbow said with a warm smile. “I want ponies to see me as a goal that they can work toward and achieve some day. They’d give up if they know they’ll never be as good as me, and I don’t want that. If I can make ponies want to be the best they can possibly be, then that makes me happy.”

“Well, you've done that for your fellow weatherponies,” Tastar observed. “I was talking to some of them earlier, and every one of them seems to trust you completely. Some of them even hold you in admiration.”

Esra laughed quietly. “I'd expect nothing less from the Element of Loyalty.”

Rainbow underwent a subtle change at his comment. She stared off into space with her eyes unfocused as she put down the medal. The silence lengthened into a pregnant pause that filled the room, but neither of the guards felt like they should break it, and so they just stared at her expectantly.

“It's funny,” Rainbow said after a time. “After the whole Nightmare Moon thing, I thought long and hard about what exactly being the Element of Loyalty meant. Loyalty to what? Myself? My friends? Ponyville? The Princesses? Equestria? Is it a trait that I exhibit? Is it something I'm supposed to instill in others? How do you even measure something like that? I asked Twilight about it, but she said there isn't anything known about what the Elements do individually, it's all about what they do together. So I finally decided that if no one's gonna tell me what it means, then I'm just gonna define it myself.”

Esra now sat on the cloud chair with his chin resting on a hoof. “And that’d be?”

Rainbow laughed. “It’s like this. For my friends, I'll be there for them any way I can, but I expect to receive as much as I give, and I always give one-hundred percent. Guess what that means? If I'm the Element of Loyalty, then all my friends are the Element of Loyalty, too.

“Now I know that might be a bit too much to handle for some ponies,” Rainbow said with an air of bravado. “Which is understandable, as not everypony’s meant for greatness. But that's the way I am. I expect nothing but the most my friends can give, because that's always what I'll give in return. I want to inspire my friends to be their best, so that when it comes down to the wire, there is no doubt. There is no fear. We know we can count on each other to get things done, and together, there's nothing we can't overcome.”

Esra no longer wore his usual sneer of disdain. His mouth was slightly open in awe as he saw her in a new light. “You see yourself as a leader, don't you?”

The words triggered a fire deep within Rainbow. It flared up from her core, spreading out to her limbs and filling her body with burning warmth. She slowly turned, her fierce red eyes meeting Esra’s and Tastar’s and locking them in place. Her entire body was steady and resolute, and she wore a small smirk born of utmost confidence. She spoke in a hushed, echoing voice filled with alluring power.

“Would you follow me?”

Esra and Tastar jerked, their faces strangely contorted as a series of emotions played across their faces in the span of a second. She heard both of them make a 'y' sound that died in their throats.

Rainbow laughed softly as her gaze held the guards prisoner. The fire in her core intensified to a searing blaze as she took a few steps towards them. Their breath quickened as she closed the distance to a few feet, speaking again in the same tantalizing, authoritative tone.

“I see myself as whatever I want to be. If that happens to be a leader, then I’ll embrace the role. If not, then I’ll do my job better than anypony else can. Either way, one thing is certain: I’m going to make this world a better place someday. That isn't some lofty daydream, it's a fact. And ultimately, everypony has two options.”

Rainbow blinked, and the flame became visible in the depths of her eyes. Her voice was a whisper, but each word carried the force of a hammerblow.

“Help me... or watch me.”

She stood close to them for a few seconds longer, reveling in their dumbfounded expressions. Ah, these guys are too easy. Shame they already have jobs, they’d make good weatherponies.

The blaze faded. She stepped away, resuming her normal posture and tone.

“You guys should probably stay here tonight, at least until the storm passes. Even a single cell will be pretty brutal on those little tents of yours.”

Esra and Tastar didn’t respond. They continued to stare at her, their eyes glazed over and posture rigid.

“Hey!” Rainbow clapped her hooves. “Snap out of it!”

The sharp noise caused the two guards to jump, then crumple in their seats. Rainbow shook her head. You’d think that military ponies would be used to this kind of thing, but they’re all glassy-eyed over one little inspirational speech! Maybe it’s because I’m a mare? Oh for crying out… if a few words and a pretty face are all you need to get past the Royal Guard, then it’s a good thing the Princesses are immortal.

Tastar recovered first. “Uh, um… T-That's very kind of you.”

Rainbow gave him an evil grin. “Don't thank me just yet. If you're staying here, that means you get to do my evening workout, too.”

Tastar paled. He looked at her, then out the window at the dark gray clouds forming to the north. “You know, I'm not sure what would be worse.”

Esra got out of his chair. “We'll do it. We won't get any better if you still insist on holding back on us.”

You idiot. If I made you go through my real routine, you'd tear every muscle in your body. Rainbow headed to the kitchen to get something to eat. “Go grab your things before they get soaked.”

Esra and Tastar stepped outside of Rainbow’s home, spreading their tired wings and flying up a few hundred feet to their tents above. They said nothing as they ascended, each of them looking straight ahead until they swooped up to land on their shared cloud at the same time.

They also fell to their knees at the same time, shuddering and panting heavily.

Both of them remained like that for a moment, taking deep breaths and looking anywhere other than at each other until Esra spoke.

“Wasn’t expecting that.”

“That makes two of us,” Tastar replied weakly.

Esra managed to get up and headed for his tent. “So that's what Courage feels like.”

Tastar looked up. “Does that mean that she's—”

Esra turned back to him and smirked.

“Well, then,” Tastar said with a chuckle. “It looks like we have some news for Blair.”

“Yes,” Esra agreed. “Yes, we do."

Chapter 8: Progress Reports

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Chapter 8:

Progress Reports

“Have you had trouble keeping a low profile?”

Blair sat in Twilight's small, cramped kitchen with Megnii, who relaxed across from him while enjoying a cup of a chamomile tea. The windows and kitchen door were enshrouded in a teal aura, and the only sounds that could be heard were being made by the two stallions.

“Not really,” Megnii said as he drained his cup. “She stays on her property and tends to her animals for the most part, so we just watch from the clouds or the trees.”

Blair blew on his own drink. “I suppose being a pegasus comes in handy in that regard.”

“True, but it has drawbacks, as well.”

Blair paused. “Such as?”

Megnii got up and began to stretch his legs, wincing as he did so. “Two words: fog sucks.”

Blair laughed and took a sip. “How about her powers? Have you seen anything?”

Megnii shook his head. “She seems completely normal, aside from being a little more introverted than most ponies. We've had a few hiccups, but otherwise it’s been uneventful.”

That doesn't make any sense. I know for a fact that I sent them to the right mare. Megnii isn't the most observant guy, but even he should have noticed... Blair pursed his lips. “What's she like?”

Megnii opened his mouth to answer, then slowly closed it and turned away. His eyes unfocused, and his voice grew soft and faint. “She’s… like a delicate flower; the very definition of innocence and beauty. I've never met anypony more good and caring in my entire life.”

Blair almost dropped his teacup. What in the—oh, wow. He rocked back in his chair. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” Megnii said. “I’m very happy we're here to guard her.”

Blair crossed his hooves on the table. “So you’re saying you want to keep her safe?”

Megnii jerked his head back around. “That’s what we’re supposed to be doing, isn’t it?”

“Technically,” Blair agreed, “but they don’t really need the protection, do they?”

“Fluttershy certainly does,” Megnii said without missing a beat. “She’s very weak and timid. I can't speak for the other Bearers, but she's definitely at risk of being taken advantage of. She was even foalnapped a few days ago!”

Blair raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

Megnii tilted his head and looked to the side. “Okay, that was a misunderstanding. Some of her friends thought that Spesci and I were stalking her. But still, if she was taken for real, she'd be at their mercy!”

Megnii stamped a hoof. “I won’t allow somepony as pure and gentle as her to be harmed!”

The enormous smirk that was trying to play on Blair’s lips was only kept in check by years of practice. He forced himself to breathe evenly. “That’s very kind of you.”

Megnii gave him a stony nod. “She needs us. To be honest, I don’t know why Celestia hasn’t sent… somepony… sooner…”

He stopped dead as his jaw went slack. Megnii stood like that for a full ten seconds while Blair pounded the table, howling with laughter. Finally, he wiped a tear away and gently closed Megnii’s jaw with his magic.

“You’ll attract flies if you keep that up.”

Megnii looked as if he was coming out of a daze. “I don’t even know for how long…“

“I’d wager since you first came into contact with her,” Blair stated calmly. “The power of Kindness is subtle, but as you’ve just realized, quite powerful.”

“This is dangerous,” Megnii hissed as he put a hoof to his head..“You told me what to watch out for, and I still fell prey to it!”

“It’s not like she’s controlling you,” Blaird said with a yawn. “You can resist it, now that you know what it feels like. Although it sounds like it's making your job easier, so you may not want to.”

“This is only stage one,” Megnii said. He began to speak faster, his wings twitching at his sides. “What’s going to happen when she reaches stage two? Or when she fully recovers? She could turn Spesci and me into her mind-slaves! And not just us, but then the whole town! She could raise an army, Blair! She could march on Canterlot to try and take the throne!”

Mind-slaves? Really? Where does he get these ideas? Blair was reminded of a hummingbird as Megnii’s hooves started to lift from the ground.

Blair rested his head on a hoof. “You didn’t pay attention to the briefing at all, did you?”

Megnii’s breath caught in his throat as his wings stopped, bringing him back to the floor. He blinked several times before looking away sheepishly. “It was kinda long… “

A tension began to build in Blair's head. I’d like to see you list off three stages of recovery for six different subjects in a timely manner. He stared hard at Megnii. “Does putting ponies unwillingly under one’s thrall really sound like something the power of Kindness would do?”

Megnii opened his mouth, but stopped midway and sighed in defeat. “No, I suppose not.”

“And even if it was,” Blair continued, “do you think somepony that you just described as ‘pure and gentle’ would try to stage a coup?”

Megnii bristled. “No! She would never—“ he stopped again and shook his head. “I mean, no. That is not something that is within Fluttershy’s character.”

“You really need to stop jumping to conclusions.” Blair rubbed the side of his face. “First off, like I said in the briefing, the longer you’re around her, the more susceptible you are to her aura. Second, yes, it will get stronger as she recovers, but it doesn’t override free will, or make you do anything you wouldn’t normally do. I assume that you want to protect others, don’t you Megnii?”

He raised his chin. “I wouldn’t be in the military if I didn’t.”

“Her power is accentuating that desire,” Blair said with a jab of his hoof. “She is literally strengthening your inclination to help and protect others—your inner Kindness. And judging by how strongly you’re being affected, I’d say you’re a very kind pony, indeed.”

Megnii’s yellow coat went bright pink. He coughed and suddenly became very interested in his teacup. “W-Well, um… I suppose that’s… um, well. But then, why… do I only feel this way about… her?”

“Stage one,” Blair replied.

The words hit Megnii like a ton of bricks. “Oh.”

Blair drained his cup and spoke in a sharp tone. “And that's nothing to say of the other abilities she'll develop, which you probably don't know anything about, either.”

Megnii hung his head. “Sorry.”

Blair ground his teeth. You’d think he’d try to improve his shortcomings...

“So then,” Megnii began, “now that you know I, uh, wasn’t paying attention, could you um… tell me what her other powers are again?”

Blair rolled his eyes. “Ace and Piro are waiting. Get Spesci to go over it with you. He was taking notes.”

“Fine, fine,” Megnii said in a monotone. He looked to the crack of the door, where he could see shadows moving outside.

“Do you have anything else to report?” Blair asked.

Megnii raised his eyes to the ceiling. “Does the aura affect animals, as well?”

Blair nodded. “Simpler minds are especially vulnerable.”

“That would explain her success in her profession,” Megnii said.

“Why?” Blair asked. “Is she a veterinarian?”

Megnii smirked and headed towards the door. “Something like that.”

Blair sat in silence for a minute, staring at the empty teacups. I hope he doesn't forget. We could have a problem on our hooves if Spesci doesn't remind him to get a shield cast on himself. Eh, Spesci isn't one to leave that kind of thing up to chance, especially with Megnii. It should be fine.

With a flare of his horn, the aura surrounding the windows and doors faded. Blair could now hear the sounds of talking from outside. He got up and walked into the library proper.

“—wouldn't work, the Dacrenzic Field needs to be powered by a gradual increase of magical power. The array wouldn't be able to withstand a surge like that.”

“True, but if you metered the surge by diverting it to each Catalyst Rune with a Valaric Filter, you could start with as much power as you wanted.”

Blair walked in to see Twiight and Piro standing in the center of the room. They were both looking intently at a large chalkboard that Twilight had brought up from the basement. It was covered with complex equations, technical jargon, and a hexagon with several interlocking lines.

Twilight shook her head and pointed to an open book on the table. “Valaric Filters don't work in Fusion Arrays. I would need to have one for each Catalyst Rune, and that would have the same result as a Dacrenzic Field, just not as efficient.”

Piro scratched his chin as he stared at the chalkboard. He picked up a piece of chalk and drew in the center of the hexagon. “What if you used a Hralivis Diverter in the center of the array? With a strong enough metal, you could transfer the energy to the Catalyst Runes all at once while still keeping the spells intact for the fusion.”

“Possibly,” Twilight said with a glint in her eye. “If such a metal existed. The surge needed to fuse these spells together would be too much for any metal known to ponykind.”

Piro stopped drawing on the chalkboard and turned to her. “Even Lunairium?”

Twilight laughed. “Lunairium would melt like warm butter.”

“Ahem.”

The two of them turned to see Blair watching them like they were performing a play. “Having fun?” he asked.

Twilight stared wide-eyed at him and pointed at Piro. “Why didn't you tell me that he was so knowledgeable about arrays?!”

“You seem like the kind of pony who likes to figure out things for herself.” Blair glanced at Piro, who was wearing an impassive mask. “Piro was going to be around, so I figured I'd let it be a pleasant surprise.”

“Pleasant surprise?!” Twilight excitedly rocked back and forth. “I would've asked him to come over every day if you'd said something! Do you have any idea how nice it is to have somepony who I can bounce ideas off of? I thought he was just a medic!”

“Everypony has hobbies, Twilight,” Piro said with a half-smirk. “I don’t just practice medicine all the time.”

Twilight stopped her rocking at his words. She leaned to the side and rubbed her forehoof. “Um, I've actually uh... been meaning to ask about that. Do you have an actual Doctor's License?”

“I have my Medical Degree, but I never did my Residency,” Piro replied, his posture relaxing. “Didn't see the point.”

Twilight cocked her head. “Why not?”

Prio eyes dimmed as he looked away. “I've had enough practice in the field to know what I'm doing.”

An awkward silence threatened to fill the room. Twilight spoke again in a halting, higher tone. “Well, um, if you have your MD then I suppose that's good enough. I've been having a... bit of a problem lately that I've been meaning to talk to somepony about. I was wondering if you...”

Piro snapped his attention back to her. His eyes became cold and calculating, sweeping across her like a scanner.

Twilight bit her lip. “Um...”

“What's wrong?” Piro asked, not meeting her eyes.

Twilight cast a glance to Blair, then looked back to Piro. “Could we talk about it somewhere else?”

Piro met her gaze, then nodded as his voice softened. “Let's go to the kitchen.”

Blair stared after the two of them walked as they walked away, closing the door behind them. She hasn't been acting like there's been anything wrong. Then again, I've been keeping my distance. I wonder if—

“Where's the dragon?”

Blair looked over to see Ace standing over by the History section. His face was half-hidden by a book as he looked around for the subject of his query. “I thought she had one living with her as an assistant or something.”

“His name’s Spike,” Blair said, “and yes, he's her assistant, although they treat each other more like siblings. He's out grocery shopping at the moment.”

The book Ace was holding slipped. “A dragon, grocery shopping...” He shook his head. “Never thought I'd hear that one.”

“Spike's a little more metropolitan than most members of his race,” Blair said with a chuckle. “He'll be an interesting one when he grows up.”

“Yeah, in a couple centuries.” Ace put the book away. “Well, now that we have some time, how go things here?”

“Well enough,” Blair replied. “Twilight spends more time looking like you just did than anything else.”

“I can tell,” Ace said, eyeing the scattered papers and the chalkboard. “What in the world is she working on?”

“Her thesis spell for her Arcana Doctorate.”

Ace did a double-take. “Doesn’t that take, like, ten years to get?”

Blair walked over to the chalkboard, inspecting the advanced formulas. “She’s getting it done in three. She’ll be a Magus of Abjuration when she completes this spell.”

“How old is she?” Ace asked incredulously.

Blair shrugged. “Early twenties or so.”

Ace looked to the kitchen door, from which they could hear muted talking. “That’s amazing.”

Blair began to pick up the scattered books and papers lying about, then thought better of it and left the mess as it was. “Not surprising, considering she’s the Bearer of Magic.”

“What’s the spell she's making?” Ace asked. “It certainly had Piro’s attention. His eyes almost popped out of his head when we walked in.”

“A very complicated array based off of the Elements of Harmony,” Blair said. “She theorizes that it'll make a barrier that breaks down all forms of magic.”

Ace raised his lower lip. “Interesting. Do you think it will?”

Blair turned to him. “Do I look like a Magus to you?”

“Well, no,” Ace said, “but you're the best spellcaster out of all of us.”

“This is different.” Blair looked over at an open book which currently displayed information about wards. “She’s doing academic research and pushing the boundaries of known magical theory. I can’t do anything like that.” Blair jutted out his chin and smirked. “However, I was still able to lend her a hoof.”

Ace blinked. “Oh?”

Blair pointed at the chalkboard. “See the six-sided diagram? She was originally trying to do it as a pentagon, and couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t working. I realized it was because she was following the picture of the Elements of Harmony that your predecessor made. Apparently it became quite popular... so much so that even Twilight thought it had some kind of significance.”

Ace threw back his head and burst out laughing, leaning against the table as he put a hoof to his forehead.

There was a creak the kitchen door opened, and Piro stuck his head out to see what was going on.

“Sorry, don’t mind us,” Blair said, waving a hoof at him. “I just told him something funny.”

Piro rolled his eyes. “Clearly.” He withdrew and closed the door.

Ace sniffed as he regained his composure. “Ah, I never… or rather, he never thought it would take off like that. I guess it really is true: Some artists do become more famous after they die. I’d probably have a fortune on my hooves if I could claim any royalties on it.”

“All the more reason for you to continue where he left off,” Blair said. “Maybe you can do a piece on Twilight's work when she finishes.”

“Perhaps I can,” Ace said thoughtfully. “How’s her recovery, by the way?”

Blair shook his head. “It’s difficult to say. She’s always doing extremely advanced studies and she’s naturally a prodigy, so I can’t rely on that. I’ve been trying to monitor her magic levels, but I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary.”

“So she’s still in stage one?”

“As far as I can tell,” Blair said. “The Princess told me that Twilight would exhibit the signs first, though. I can’t help but think I’m missing something.”

“Maybe she’s just has really good control?” Ace suggested. “She's rather skilled with magic, after all.”

Blair tapped his horn lightly. “You remember having a magical growth spurt, don’t you?”

Ace fidgeted. “Well, yeah…”

“Were you able to control it at first?”

He shook his head. “When it started, I sent an entire jar of paint flying out a window. There was a beautiful green splotch out on the cobblestones for a week.”

A memory of a shattered lamp surfaced in Blair’s mind. “I did something similar, and she’s supposed to be experiencing something much stronger than that. Twilight’s clever, but I doubt she could hide something like this.”

Ace rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe the Princess was mistaken, then? I mean, she can’t be right all the time, right?”

Blair hesitated and wrinkled his brow. “And how's your time with Piro going?”

Ace sighed, looking out the window beyond. “That obvious, eh?”

Blair walked over and put a hoof on his shoulder. “I know he can be a pain in the flank, but don’t let him get to you. Just let him stew in whatever negative emotion strikes his fancy, and go about your business.”

Ace looked at Blair’s hoof, then at him. “I can’t help but think that some of his concerns have merit. Piro may be paranoid, but he’s not stupid.”

“You’re right.” Blair stepped back and gave the kitchen door a perfunctory glance. “He's one of the smartest ponies I’ve ever met. Problem is, he sees only what he wants to see.”

“So what do I do?” Ace asked. “I’ve tried talking to him about the Princess, but he always turns it around on me.”

“Don’t try arguing with him,” Blair said with a dark laugh. “No offense Ace, but he’s better at it than you. I don’t even rise to his barbs if I can help it. Just let him believe what he wants.”

Ace opened his mouth to say something else, but as he did, Twilight and Piro walked out of the kitchen door. Piro was wearing a white doctor's coat and a pair of spectacles, and carrying a large heavy suitcase on his back. Both of their expressions were impassive.

He summoned his medical instruments? What the hoof happened? She's seemed fine since I've been here. Blair eyed Piro's new attire. “Something wrong?”

Piro sighed irritably. “Have you never heard of doctor-patient confidentiality?”

“You're not a full doctor,” Blair pointed out.

“You say that like it matters.” Piro walked to the exit. “I'm going back to the house. Coming, Ace?”

Ace looked to Piro, then back to Blair. “I suppose the others are coming soon.”

Piro opened the door to find Ras standing there, his hoof outstretched. He quickly withdrew it and stood back with a nervous laugh.

“Yeah,” Blair said dryly. “Ras should be here any minute.”

Ras waved. “Hey.”

Ace cast a quick glance back at Blair. “You know where to find us.”

Blair motioned Ras over to the kitchen door, then went over to Twilight, who was standing beside the chalkboard. Her eyes were closed as she muttered to herself.

“Is everything all right?” Blair asked her.

Twilight's eyes snapped open. “Huh? Oh, yeah. Piro said I'm fine. He's really nice. I wish you'd told me more about him! I asked if he could come over tomorrow to help me brainstorm some more.”

She seems less tense then she has the past few days. What did they talk about? Blair jerked his head. “Do you mind if I step out again for a little bit?”

“No, no, that's fine,” Twilight said. Her horn glowed as she picked up the chalk in her magic and started to draw on the board. “Do what you need to do.”

Blair nodded and headed back into the kitchen. He shut the door and recast the Silencing spell.

“Ah, so that's how we're doing this.” Ras tapped one of the windows. “Smart.”

Blair looked him up and down. “How’re you holding up?”

Ras' posture slumped as he turned to Blair. “You stuck me with an uptight prude and a playful prankster. How do you think?"

Blair winced. “Sorry about that. If it makes you feel better, I drew straws to see who would get Vigil. You just wound up being the 'unlucky' one.”

Ras grunted and flopped into the empty chair, which groaned under his weight. “You did that on purpose.”

Blair smirked and went to the other seat. “I take it she's manifesting her power of Luck, then?”

Ras nodded and rested his elbows on the table. “It makes me wonder how deep it goes. I mean, it took me a while to even figure out how it worked. But it hit me a few days ago. See, she goes into the Everfree a few times a week to learn herbalism from a zebra who lives there.”

Blair sat up straight in his seat. “You've been going into the Everfree?! And you're in one piece?”

“Yep,” Ras said with a smirk. “Not a scratch on any of us.”

“How?” Blair asked. “How are you doing it?”

Ras widened his elbows as his grin grew. “You're not gonna believe this. She takes a seemingly random path through, but she always meets up with these landmarks she's set up. I realized it the third time we went in: Her power of Luck is making her avoid the dangers of the forest. Best part is, she doesn't even realize it.”

She's avoiding the dangers of the forest? That would require her power to be aware not only of everything around her, but also what will happen in the immediate future... Blair shook his head. “Well, that would fit with the description the Princess gave me. Did you verify it?”

Ras laughed. “Oh yeah, pretty easily. I went off on my own, and a few minutes later, I ran into a sleeping cockatrice. Followed her pretty closely after that.”

“What?!” Blair rushed over to him, his horn glowing as he moved it up and down the length of Ras' lanky body.

Ras snorted, but allowed Blair to examine him. “I knew you'd overreact. I'm fine, Blair.”

“Petrification is no laughing matter!” Blair snapped. “Just being in close proximity to a cockatrice puts you at risk to its magic!”

His eyes glinted. “Even if I'd been affected, I'm fine now.”

Blair looked up. “What makes you think you can tangle with a cockatrice and walk away?”

“Because Pinkie's in stage two.”

Blair stopped examining Ras, who was wearing the biggest smirk he had ever seen on a pony. Any more and his face would have split in two.

“What’d she heal?” Blair asked.

“My nose,” Ras replied, reaching up and scratching it. “I fractured it the first day we went in the forest from tripping over a tree root. After I ran into the cockatrice, I asked her about why she was learning herbalism. She said it's because she wants to ease the pain and suffering of others. While she was talking, she got a funny look in her eyes, and my nose started to itch. Then it didn't hurt anymore.”

Blair concentrated on Ras' nose. Sure enough, it was completely whole. He looked back up. “Does she know?”

Ras put a hoof behind the chair and leaned back. “Nah, didn't even tell her I broke it in the first place.”

“What about Vigil?”

Ras made a derisive noise. “Please.”

Blair stepped away and fell into his chair. “I'm happy that you managed to find that out, but that was dangerous. There must've been something safer that you could've done.”

Ras looked away. “I’d like to think I was still being protected by her power. I don't know how much influence it has, but as long as I have her best interests in mind, it'll probably extend to me.”

He's given this some thought. Still, I don't like that he went so far. She hasn't fully developed her abilities, and if he starts to rely on it... Blair narrowed his eyes. “Don't go taking unnecessary risks. There's no rush yet.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ras raised both his hooves and looked up at the ceiling. “So, how about the others? Is Pinkie the farthest along?”

Blair shook his head. “Tastar came over last night to tell me that Rainbow Dash is in stage two, as well.”

Ras leaned forward. “She's the Element of Loyalty, right?”

“Yes,” Blair said. “Apparently, she was talking to them about her past, and she used her Courage power on them.”

“Nice!” Ras said loudly. “Did he say what it felt like?”

Blair's skin tingled as he remembered the previous night's meeting. “I believe his exact words were, ‘In that moment I would've followed her into the depths of Tartarus, because I believed we could purge it of evil.’”

Ras raised a hoof to his mouth as he shook with silent laughter. “And he said that with a straight face?!”

“Straight as an arrow.”

Ras clapped his hooves. “I wanna trade!” He stopped for a moment. “Wait, it's not a compulsion, right? I remember you saying something about none of the powers overriding free will.”

“You should teach Megnii how to pay attention,” Blair said with a smile. “You're right, none of them do. Her passive Inspiration power draws out a pony's peak physical ability, and her power of Courage strengthens their beliefs.”

“So she makes you as strong as you can be and mega-courageous.” Ras eyed Blair's horn. “What do I have to do to make you cast a flight spell on me?”

Blair shook his head, but a laugh still escaped him. “I'm not going to let you trade, Ras.”

Ras put his hooves together in a praying motion, making his eyes as wide as possible. “Pleeeaaase? I wanna be a fearless super-pony!”

“Not fearless,” Blair corrected. “I said she strengthens one's beliefs. As Ambrose Redmare once said: 'Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.'“

“So then why did Tastar say he wanted to follow her?”

“Probably because she's very strong and courageous herself,” Blair replied. “As the source of the power, I'd think it strange if she wasn't.”

“All of that sounds so ridiculously cool!” Ras pounded his hooves on the table. “I wanna try it. Come on, Blair, you owe me.”

“I'm curious myself,” Blair admitted. “But that'd require a very different situation than the one we're in. Sorry Ras, can't do it.”

Ras slumped and pursed his lips. “Horseapples. She didn’t do it on purpose, right?”

Blair shook his head. “Tastar said she seemed confused by his and Esra's reactions.”

“Aww, that's too bad,” Ras said. He blinked and perked up again. “So, how many does that make then? Are Pinkie and Rainbow Dash the only ones in stage two?”

“I still need to meet up with Norric and Elo, but so far, yes.”

“Mmkay,” Ras said. He looked at the windows and doors. “We're not doing these reports every week, right? I don't wanna make you waste magic to tell you that nothing's happened.”

“No,” Blair replied. “I just wanted to make sure everypony had settled in. Since your Bearer is already in stage two, you don't have to see me again until she fully recovers.”

Ras poked at one of the teacups that still sat on the table. “By the way, have you thought about what to do if Vigil discovers any of this?”

Outside of using illegal magic on him? No. Celestia really threw a wrench in all this by sending him along. Blair took a deep breath. “Do you think he would be able to keep it a secret from your Bearer?”

Ras laughed. “Yes, yes he could. I have a hard enough time getting more than two words out of the guy. This is the most conversation I've had with anyone outside of Pinkie all week.”

Ouch, didn't think he was that bad. Blair nodded. “If he finds out, tell him to come see me.”

“How much will you tell him?”

Blair laughed morbidly. “I don't think I'll tell him about Horizon or the barrier. That might be a bit much for him to handle.”

Ras rose and gave him a bow. “Hail to the King of Understatements.”

Blair rolled his eyes. “Get out of here.”

The squeak of the door hinges accompanied Ras' exit. Blair got up and walked to the glowing window, staring in the direction of Sugarcube Corner.

There's not much we can do if Vigil finds out. I could order him back to Canterlot, but that's about it. I suppose I could tell him a few things, but if I'm not careful, that could lead to suspicions about us.

“Blair?”

He turned to see Ras' head poking out from beyond the kitchen door. “Hmm?”

“Strauss and Elo are here.”

Strauss? I thought Norric was going to deliver the report. And Elo is early, as always. Should've seen that one coming. Well, maybe I can save some magic here. Blair sat back down at the table and rubbed his temples. “Have them both come in.”

Ras disappeared, and a moment later, Strauss and Elo walked in.

Elo opened his mouth, but hesitated as he eyed Blair's glowing horn. “Need some help?”

Blair shook his head. “I'm nowhere near Magical Fatigue. I'm not going to refuse if you insist, though.”

“I do.” Elo's horn glowed a bright orange, and the windows and door changed color.

Blair relaxed. “Do you mind if I just have both of you do your reports together?”

They looked at each other and shrugged. “That's fine,” Elo said.

Blair pointed at Elo. “Good, you can start. What stage is your Bearer in?”

Elo smiled. ”Lady Rarity’s in stage one.”

Blair calmly nodded. “Has she been making any predictions?”

“At least a few,” Elo said. “We've only actually seen her three times since our arrival.”

They haven't been watching her?! What in Celestia's name are they thinking? We need to know her progress! Blair tapped a hoof under the table. “Is there a reason why you haven't been following my orders?”

Elo held up his hooves. “I didn't say we weren't monitoring her, we just haven't spoken much with her. She gave us each an earring that has a Scrying spell on it.” He motioned to a small jewel in his ear. “She's wearing a similar pair, so I can tell you exactly where she is right now. Not only that, but Grovi even modified the spell to track her vitals.”

Blair blinked several times. That's... actually pretty smart. “So,” he continued, “how do you know she's been seeing the future?”

“I'm getting to that,” Elo said. “She's an independent fashionista, and she makes her own designs. She's also a chronic insomniac, so she's often awake at odd times in the night. Since she can't sleep, she works, and then uses the dreams that she can remember as inspiration for her dresses.”

“Insomnia isn't one of the signs,” Blair said flatly, “and getting ideas from dreams for any kind of craft is not uncommon. Don't tell me that's what you're making your basis off of.”

“No, no, no,” Elo began to speak slowly, with large pauses in between sentences. “I'm making my basis off of something much more obvious. We met her for tea yesterday, and she mentioned that she'd seen an odd symbol in a dream that she couldn't get out of her head, so she decided to make a necklace of it.”

Blair cocked his head. “What was the symbol?”

Elo smiled knowingly. “I think you'll recognize it.” He then used his magic to draw the sideways branched figure-eight in the air.

Blair’s eyes lit up. “Oho...”

Strauss gave a low chuckle. “Can't get much more obvious than that.”

Elo put his shoulders back and raised his chin. “What do you think?”

Well that's evidence enough. There's no way she'd see the Symbol of Generosity in a dream by chance. Her power of Foresight must've shown it to her for some reason, but I’m even going to guess at what it might be. Blair regarded the floating Symbol. “You said she made it into a necklace?”

“Yes, but she accidentally broke it.” Elo glanced out the window. “We didn’t actually realize what it was at first because of it. Grovi offered to repair it, and he has it right now.”

Blair switched his gaze to Elo. “Tell him to hang on to it for as long as he can.”

“Why?” Elo asked. “It's not like anypony will know what it is.”

“Twilight’s looking for the Symbols of the Elements for a spell she’s making,” Blair said matter-of-factly. “She wouldn’t be able to resist looking into something like this, and all it'll take is an Identification spell for its true nature to be revealed. That would lead to questions that we don’t want to answer yet, so I need you to hide it for a while.”

“All right,” Elo said. “Grovi said that he would need three days to fix it. I'm sure he can say that he needs more time.”

Blair nodded and turned to Strauss, who was still looking at the floating Symbol. “Not that I don't enjoy your company, but what happened to Norric?”

Strauss gave a heavy sigh and turned to Blair. “He hurt himself a few days ago.”

Blair's lips parted slightly. “Was there trouble?”

“Sort of.” Strauss told him about the incident with the Rust Beetles.

Blair's face twisted into a grimace. “I imagine he's a tad sore, then.”

“He's got a nice limp,” Strauss said with a nod. “He should be better by week's end, though.”

“How are things, otherwise?” Blair asked.

Strauss looked behind Blair, his head bobbing slightly. “Just fine. Nice gal, nice family.”

“Do you know what stage she's in?”

Strauss met his eyes. “One.”

Blair raised his eyebrows at the immediate response. “Have you tried testing her to see if she—”

Strauss shook his head. “Haven't done anything yet.”

Blair tensed at his words. “Why not?”

He sucked on his teeth. “She'd see right through anything we'd try.”

Elo turned and gave him an incredulous look. “You realize what you just said, don't you?”

Strauss slumped as he turned to him. “I wasn't being literal. I mean she's as sharp as one of Grovi's blades.”

Blair was about to say something, but Strauss cut him off. “I'm not trying to go against your orders. We're going to test her, but we need to be careful about it. It's hard being subtle around a pony that you can't lie to.”

Good point there. A realization came to him. “How have you gotten her to believe you were sent to protect her?”

“That's our official mission,” Strauss said with a shrug. “Don't need to think any farther than that.”

“Maybe you can use that rationale as a loophole,” Elo suggested. “If you say that you're doing things for more reasons than one, she won't know about your ulterior motives.”

Strauss laughed. “That's what I'm trying to do. Problem is, that takes time.”

He knows he can't mess up on this. Good. I've never known him to not take things seriously, but still. Blair cleared his throat. “I know you'd rather not, but maybe you should keep Norric out of this.”

Strauss grunted and looked away. “I was thinking the same thing. But then that's two ponies I have to mislead.”

“How do you think he'll take it afterwards?” Blair asked.

“It's not him I'm worried about.” Strauss swallowed and took a shaky breath. “Applejack's already the strongest mare I've ever seen. She took out a Rust Beetle almost twice her size with only two kicks... and I think she was holding back.”

And she's only in stage one. Blair cringed. “Take your time and do what you need to do. If Norric finds out, tell him I ordered you to do it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Blair had wanted to write to the Princess immediately after talking with Elo and Strauss, but just as Elo released the Silencing spell, Spike barged in the door, carrying bags of groceries and yammering about starting dinner. Blair had decided that a break wouldn’t hurt, and volunteered to help put things away.

The weather that evening was cool and calm, and after dinner, Blair moved out to the second- floor balcony to get some fresh air. The sun had not yet begun to set, so he decided it was a good time to write out his report. The thoughts of what the other guards had told him replayed in his mind as he lay on a pillow and sucked on a quill.

Two of the Bearers in stage two and Twilight isn’t one of them. Not quite what I’d expected. It’s been nine weeks since they used the Elements, and they’re not even halfway through their recovery. Ugh, this is going to be close…

Blair looked up from his musings to behold the cozy thatched houses and protective mountains beyond. Even now in late summer, their peaks were still capped with snow. He dipped his quill in the ink bottle next to him and began to write. As he did, his thoughts continued to wander.

Playing dumb about all of this is going to get trickier as they recover. The best thing would be to keep them away from each other, so that they don’t talk about the strange things that are happening to them. That’s against our orders, though. Well, would it really be so bad? I don't see a problem with them discovering their powers as long as they don’t find out we’re—

“Blair?”

He turned. Twilight was standing at the entrance, staring at him curiously. “What are you doing?”

Blair waved the piece of parchment. “I’m writing out a summary of the reports I got from the other guards so I can send it to Princess Celestia. Spike kindly offered to send it to her for me.”

“Oh!” Twilight walked over to him and hovered behind his shoulder. “May I see it?”

He hovered the paper up to her. “Sure.”

Twilight hesitated at first, but took the paper in her magic and looked it over. Blair watched with a slow smirk as she narrowed her eyes and gave it back to him. “That’s a nice code you’re using.”

Blair chuckled. “Cryptography happens to be my special talent. Sorry, Twilight, but this is classified information.”

“You can’t tell me anything at all?”

I need to start gaining her trust if I’m going to get anywhere. How much is too much, though? Blair lowered his eyes. “I suppose I can tell you some things, but only if you allow me to say no to any question you might ask.”

Twilight walked over to the balcony, muttering something he couldn’t hear before turning to him. “Will you at least tell me why it’s classified?”

It’s so nice to be able to shift the blame onto somepony else for a change. Blair motioned to the north. “Princess Celestia’s orders. If you want to know more, you'll have to talk to her.”

Twilight sighed dejectedly. “I don't want to go that far. All I want to know is how the others are doing. I haven’t had a chance to get out this week.”

Blair relaxed. “That much I can tell you. From what I was told, they're all fine. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened.”

Twilight nodded and looked out over the town. “I’ve been pushing myself too hard lately, I need to go see them.”

“At least you’ve been productive with your time,” Blair replied. “You’ve made great progress on your thesis spell.”

“I know,” Twilight said, “but I don’t want to turn into a hermit again. It’s just that it's been so crazy lately!”

Blair frowned. “What has?”

Twilight started to pace along the edge of the balcony. “I wanted to go and do something with them all week, but I just couldn’t pry myself away. Every time I tried, I came up with a new idea, or remembered something I read in a book and kept going. I was afraid that if I stopped, I’d forget something and get stuck! It feels like my brain is on fire!”

“You’re just in the middle of a stressful time,” Blair said reassuringly. “I’m sure that—“

“But it’s also really exciting!” Twilight jerked up, and Blair could now see that a dim, glowing light was visible in the depths of her eyes.

“I’ve been looking forward to this for years. I’ve read so many books about the thesis spells that other Magi have made. Some of them have led to amazing breakthroughs in the Arcana community! And now I get to do it, and everypony is expecting me to make something great, and I feel like I really am on the verge of something really, really big! I don’t want to stop, but at the same time...”

Twilight shoulders slumped and her gaze fell to the ground as the light in her eyes faded away. “I don’t want to be a bad friend.”

Blair stood in stoic silence. So this is what the Thirst for Knowledge power is like. Interesting, I never took her to be insecure. Are these the first real friends she’s had? If that's the case, then this'll be easy.

He cleared his throat. “Twilight, you're being too hard on yourself, and in more ways than one. Your friends must know how important this is to you, and what's necessary to do it.”

Twilight looked up. “Well, yeah, but—“

Blair motioned to the door. “If you’re worried that they don’t understand, then invite them over and show them your work. I guarantee that'll clear things up.”

Twilight snickered. “It might be worth it just to see the looks on their faces.”

Blair smiled. “You're not going to be working on your thesis spell for the rest of your life. When you finish, your friends will still be here. Don’t give up when you’re this far down on the home stretch.”

“Not quite the home stretch,” she said with a wince. “I’m going to take a year off, and then go for my Arcanist’s Degree.”

Blair blinked, then covered his mouth with mock surprise. “What, being a Magus isn’t good enough for you?”

“Arch-Magus rolls better off the tongue.” Twilight winked at him. “Plus, you get to wear the brimmed, pointy hat. Always wanted that thing.”

They both laughed. Wonder how long it’ll take her to get that? I might have to keep tabs on her out of sheer curiosity… if I’m still around, that is.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been very receptive to you,” Twilight said. “It’s just that I’m still getting used to you being here, and what with my work, which you actually even helped me with and I—”

Blair shook his head. “I know what you’ve been going through. I don’t hold it against you.”

Twilight smiled. The first real smile she’d given him since he’d arrived. “I’ll let you finish writing your coded report.”

“I’ll be inside in a minute,” Blair replied as he lay back down on the pillow.

Twilight walked back inside and shut the door. As she did, Blair picked up his quill and wrote out the names of the Elements, putting a two beside Laughter and Loyalty. He chewed on his lip as he looked over the message.

It is what it is. Not like we really have any choice other than to wait and hope. I can’t think that the Princess would really just let Horizon die, though. She has to have something planned. Blair started to roll up the parchment.

“I'd hold off on that if I were you.”

Blair turned to see Piro calmly standing beside the door, which was still shut, and now glowed with a blood-red aura.

“What’re you—” Blair began.

“Twilight's in stage two.”

Blair dropped the quill and the parchment.

“Explain.”

“When Twilight was twelve, she triggered a Flare during the CSGU Examination that Celestia herself had to stop. Ever since then, she's been using a spell that only lets her draw from a small portion of her font.”

It took all Blair had to keep a straight face. “I take it she told you as much when you went into the kitchen with her.”

Piro nodded. “She's been going through a massive magical growth spurt since before we got here, but she hasn't realized it because the spell only needs to be updated once a month. Now, however, her font is growing so fast that it's causing the spell to go awry. She's had to update it every week, and even that's starting to not be enough.”

I knew there had to be something else. Blair's heart was hammering. “Did you verify this, or is it just your opinion from what she told you?”

“She told me that she couldn't feel the boundaries of her magical font anymore,” Piro said. “At first I used an Arcanometer to check it, but it wasn't giving me an accurate reading, so I did a Cornuoscopy instead.”

I had a feeling he had done some kind of procedure. He always wears the coat when he does. Blair leaned forward. “And?”

Piro took a deep breath. “Her font’s the size of a lake.”

Blair felt a chill. “What do you think her Hornpower is?”

“I'm not sure,” Piro said dryly. “The Arcanometer only goes up to five hundred and it immediately went in the red. If I had to guess, I’d say well over eight hundred, probably closer to nine. Either way, though, she has enough power right now to level an entire city block.”

And she's only halfway recovered. Blair shuddered. “How much did you tell her?”

“Enough to keep her calm,” Piro said. “She's more afraid of herself than anything else. I led her to believe that she's a late bloomer, and that what happened when she was younger was just an extension of her special talent.”

“So she doesn't suspect anything?”

Piro shook his head. “She's too focused on her studies to give it any further thought. That won't last for much longer at the rate she's going, though.”

No kidding. Blair took a calming breath. “From what you saw, do you think I should alert the Princess?”

Piro rubbed his bottom lip. “If it were anypony else, I'd say yes, but Twilight's been dealing with excess magic for years. She just needs to adjust to the new boundaries as her font grows, and she has the knowledge, control, and experience necessary to do that.”

Blair grinned. “Good work, Piro.”

Piro nodded stiffly in return. “You're lucky I haven't taken the Hippocratic Oath.” He vanished with a red flash.

Blair turned back to the parchment. He scratched out the number one he had put by Magic and replaced it with a bolded two. After a quick proofread, he rolled up the parchment and walked into the house to find Spike. We might just make it, after all.

Chapter 9: Symptoms of Power

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Chapter 9:

Symptoms of Power

Three Days Later-

Twilight-

I only remember one of the individual Symbols for the Elements. Long ago I wrote them all down in a book, but it’s in the Millennial Archives and I haven't seen it in many years. As you need your Doctorate to access the Archives, the University would see it as cheating if I were to get it out for you.

However, I doubt that the book I’m thinking of is the only place you’ll find the Symbols. As you’re well aware, knowledge has this odd habit of persisting through the ages by fading into obscurity. Try looking into businesses whose traits exemplify those of the Elements, and see if any of them use symbols with unknown origins or meanings.

The Symbol I remember is your own: the Symbol of Magic. You know it as well, as it’s quite close to you. In fact, it couldn’t be any closer if it were tattooed on your flank.

Good luck-
Princess Celestia

Twilight laughed and looked down at Spike as he finished reading the letter.

“How good are you at drawing pictures?”

“Pictures?” Spike rubbed his forearm. “Uh, decent, I guess.”

Twilight turned her side to him and struck a dainty pose. “Think you can draw my cutie mark?”

Spike looked at her flank, then met her eyes. “Just your cutie mark?”

She nodded. “As close to perfect as you can get it.”

Spike went upstairs and grabbed a footstool. He came back, plopped it down beside her, and began to draw. “That’s easy.”

Twilight smiled and stood still for him as he worked.

“You should’ve written to her earlier,” Spike muttered.

Twilight shook her head. “I’m not going to run to the Princess every single time I have a problem. You know I like figuring things out for myself.”

“More like making things harder for yourself,” he said wryly. “You only ever go to her as a last resort.”

I don’t want to annoy her. I’d feel stupid if I came to her with a problem that it turns out I could’ve figured out by myself. Twilight straightened her shoulders. “She’s the Princess. She’s busy running the country.”

“And you’re her personal student, with a direct line of communication to her.” Spike turned his head and blew out a tiny jet of green flame. “Isn’t she always telling you to use all the resources available to you?”

“She’s not the only resource I have.” Twilight looked around the library. “I won’t learn anything if I’m always turning to her for advice and not doing anything on my own.”

“But you’re trying to do everything on your own,” Spike pointed out. “I don’t think that’s what she wants.”

Twilight sighed and looked back at him. “Are you done yet?”

“Almost.” Spike finished drawing the twinkles on the sides. He got up and showed it to her. “How’s that?”

Twilight took the paper with her magic and walked over to a mirror. She held it to her side, to compare the two. They were identical. “Nice job,” she said.

Spike nodded and leaned against a stack of books on the floor that was twice as tall as him. “What are you gonna do with it?”

Hmm. It’s good practice to test new information before applying it, especially with something like this. Twilight summoned a book from the bottom of the stack that Spike was leaning on. It wobbled precariously, and he yelped and scrambled to steady it.

“I’m gonna test it with an Identification spell.” Twilight turned to the page she needed. She placed the parchment with the drawing of the Symbol on the table and focused.

Suddenly, a violet spark the size of a marble shot out from her horn, sailing across the room and exploding in midair with a deafening BANG.

Spike jumped and bumped into the stack of books. “What the hay was—ahh!” The tomes toppled over and buried him.

Twilight cringed. She was about to go to him, but stopped as a flicker of movement caught her eye. She looked up to see Blair staring intently at her from his usual spot in the loft.

“Put a little too much into that one, eh?”

Twilight sheepishly put a hoof behind her head. “Heh, sorry, I must still be tired. One sec.”

She closed her eyes and looked inward, searching within herself for her magical font. It wasn’t exactly difficult to find. Twilight beheld a lake of violet, scintillating energy that stretched out as far as her mind’s eye could see. A massive sphere, made of the same violet energy, hovered just above it.

Oh, for crying out loud.

Twilight squinted, and realized she couldn’t even see the other side anymore. With a sigh, she ‘dove’ into her font and ‘swam’ straight down.

Piro said it took him twenty seconds to get to the bottom. Let’s see how long it takes now.

She was in the middle of saying twenty-one when her ‘nose’ encountered a resistance. Twilight turned and looked up to see the surface—far, far above her.

This is getting ridiculous. I’m going to have to start adjusting the spell every day or I’m going to blast a hole in the wall.

She muttered an incantation that Celestia had taught her. The hovering sphere was cut in half, and one of the hemispheres rejoined her font.

Twilight opened her eyes and focused on the now-lessened portion of her magic. “Let me try that again.”

She cast the Identification spell. The Symbol glowed with a magenta light that emanated from the center and spread outward, tickling the edges and beckoning her towards it. Her stomach tensed, and a familiar sensation welled up inside her.

“Twilight?”

Where have I felt this before? I know it was something recent. It was faint, but nostalgic, and it made her skin prick and her limbs twitch. The air seemed slightly thicker, as if it were filled with a multicolored haze.

The library vanished, and Twilight suddenly stood in a heart of a ruined castle staring down an alicorn with a coat as dark as night. Her eyes were reptilian slits that exuded malevolence and spite, and her mane and tail glinted with cruel, jagged edges. An ornate crown rested on Twilight’s brow, and all her friends stood beside her, wearing familiar jeweled necklaces.

“You’ve lost, Nightmare Moon.” Twilight couldn’t tell who was speaking. Was it her? Was it her friends? Was it all of them at once?

Nightmare Moon sneered. “Foals. Pretty pieces of jewelry will not saveth thee or thy precious Princess!”

Twilight and her friends smiled. “You’re right, they won’t...”

All six of them glowed with the power of their respective Elements, their eyes completely filling with shining light. Twilight’s vision became tinged with white, and she and her friends finished their sentence in an echo-laden whisper that made Nightmare Moon recoil with fear.

“...but this will.”

From that moment, Twilight remembered feeling only one thing: A desire to understand. There was so much she didn't know, so much she wanted to do and see and hear, and there was so little time to do it. She wanted to learn the secrets of the world and everything in it. She wanted to unravel the mysteries of the universe, then transcend all limitations to attain a higher state of existence, but even that was not enough. She wanted more. She wanted everything there was to have, and she knew she always would. That desire was what would always drive her forward, though, and while she knew her quest would never be fulfilled, that wouldn’t stop her from trying.

The desire built up inside Twilight, filling her entire being with a river of raw, raging, electric power. A violet ray shot out at her command, mingling with five other colored rays and surging forth in a rainbow of light. The Elements of Harmony struck Nightmare Moon, her scream of disbelief and defiance rending the air, and as it did, a mysterious voice echoed within Twilight’s mind.

“Balance in all things.”

“Twilight!”

Twilight shook her head and released the spell. Spike was standing in front of her, waving his claw in her face with a bemused look.

“You’ve been staring off into space for like a minute.”

Twilight frowned. “Was I? It didn’t feel like that long.”

Spike looked down at the Symbol, which had fallen to the floor. He picked it up and put it on the table. “What were you doing?”

What was I doing? It was like I was there again. Was that just a memory, or was it something more? You know… powerful relics from earlier time periods have been said to sometimes leave imprints on the ponies that use them. It’s possible that I just had some kind of response because I've used the Element of Magic. But if that’s true, then that means that the others—I need to talk to them. This might be just what I need.

“Just remembering something,” she said with a smile. “This is definitely the Symbol of Magic.”

“How do you know?” Spike asked.

Twilight maneuvered through the stacks of books and pieces of paper that covered the floor to the large chalkboard. She erased a portion of it and drew out a quick sketch of the Symbol. “It reminded me of how I felt when I used the Element of Magic.”

“Oh yeah?” Spike leaned forward. “What was it like?”

Twilight looked up at the ceiling. “Tingly.”

“How informative.” Spike began to pick up the fallen books. “You should probably get going.”

Twilight stopped writing on the chalkboard. Get going? What is—right, the picnic. She turned to Spike. “Where’d you put the food? I know you set it down when we got the Princess’s letter.”

“Over here.” Spike lifted up a basket from behind the center table.

Twilight walked over and took it, sticking her nose inside. Unfortunately, everything was wrapped so she couldn’t catch a whiff of what he'd made. “Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

Spike widened his stance and put his hands on his hips. “If I don’t clean while you’re gone, it’ll never get done.”

Twilight cringed as she glanced around at the mess that was supposed to be a library. There were more books on the floor than on the shelves. Stacks of parchment, quills, and bottles of ink lay about precariously. Pieces of chalk lay everywhere, and the one part of the floor that wasn’t covered in books was instead filled with a large chalk prototype drawing of her array.

“Sorry about that,” Twilight said. “I’ve been—“

“Busy, yeah, yeah.” Spike shooed her towards the door. “Go already, so I can get started.”

“All right, Mr. Grumpyscales,” Twilight said with a smile. She looked up to Blair, who’d returned his attention to the book he was reading.

“Ready to go?”

He looked over at the clock, then down at her. “We still have fifteen minutes.”

“Well yeah,” Twilight said, “but it's going to take a little while to walk there.”

Blair furrowed his eyebrows. “We're not going to teleport?”

“How can we?” Twilight asked. “You've never been there before.”

Blair blinked several times. “Don't tell me you've never done a multi-pony teleportation.”

“I have, but...” Twilight rubbed her neck and looked away. “It's a little over a mile. I’d be pretty tired if I tried to teleport that far.”

Blair stared at her for a few seconds with an unreadable expression. She shuffled back and forth under his gaze.

“What?”

“Nothing.” Blair snapped his book shut and got to his hooves. “I'm ready when you are.”

“Are Piro and Ace meeting us at the park?”

Blair nodded as he descended the stairs. “They scouted out the town last week.”

“Okay.” Twilight picked up the picnic basket and put it on her back.

Blair motioned to the door. “After you.”

She waved at Spike as they headed out. ”See you in a few hours!”

“Have fun!” He got out a ladder and began putting books away.

Twilight and Blair arrived at the edge of Ponyville Park around noon. It was a pleasant, sunny day, and the grounds were filled with dozens of ponies who were milling about, relaxing, talking, and simply enjoying the beautiful weather while it lasted. Fillies and colts were everywhere, the sounds of their boisterous laughter filling the park with life as they flew kites, played tag, and ran around aimlessly.

Twilight and Blair passed by Ace and Piro, who were lounging under an oak tree. Ace had brought his easel with him, and was working on a painting of the town. Piro was writing something on a long piece of parchment. He looked up, saw Twilight and Blair pass by from a distance, nodded to them, and returned to his writing.

Blair squinted and looked ahead, pointing something out to Twilight. “I believe those are your friends.”

Twilight looked to see Rainbow and Pinkie waving at her from atop a gentle, grassy hill. Rainbow then rose into the air and flew out to meet them. She smiled genuinely at Twilight, but the smile took on a mischievous twist as she turned to Blair. “So, we finally get to meet your coltfriend.”

A flash of heat spread in Twilight’s face as the word threatened to override control her mind and tongue, but she forcibly retained control and maintained her demeanor. Come on, Twilight, you can take a little teasing.

Blair, to his credit, took the comment in stride, chuckling as he looked up at Rainbow. “I’m afraid Twilight’s not my type. I don’t date mares that are younger than me.”

Twilight was about to comment when Pinkie raced over and hugged her.

“This is so exciting!” she cried. “I never get to be the attendee, I'm always the organizer! Not that I mind of course, but still! It's so interesting and fun and cool!”

“Happy I could... help?” Twilight managed to extricate herself from Pinkie and exchanged introductions between the three.

The four of them then went up to the grassy hill to set up the picnic. Pinkie was hopping instead of walking, and Rainbow was flying backwards in the air just ahead of them.

“I'm sorry I haven't tried to do anything with you guys lately,” Twilight said.

Rainbow shook her head. “You’re doing your thesis thing. We understand if you have to disappear for a while.”

“No!” Twilight said harshly.

They all stopped to look at her, but she continued, undeterred. “Don’t let me make that excuse. I used to hide behind it, and it wound up hurting me. You could sum up my entire social life for the last ten years by replacing 'thesis' with any other project I was working on at the time, so please, if you see me becoming too absorbed in my work, call me on it. That goes for you too, Blair.”

Blair gave her an odd smile. “It’s against my orders to let you to get hurt.”

Pinkie nudged Twilight playfully. “You’re so silly sometimes. It's not going to help you if you ignore your work, either!”

Rainbow did a lazy figure-eight in front of them. “This coming from the mare who thinks that parties are a cure-all.”

“Hey!” Pinkie batted at Rainbow’s tail as she flew past. “I'm working on that!”

Rainbow stopped and spoke in a serious tone. “Don't worry, Twilight. We're not going to let you shut yourself in. At least, I won't. If I think you're pushing your nose too hard to the grindstone, I'll drag you out of that library—kicking and screaming, if I have to.”

Normally, such an idea would unnerve Twilight, but the mental image of Rainbow dragging her out of the library while she clung to a book, shrieking bloody murder, made her snort.

“Thanks. Well, who’s hungry?”

“I am!” Pinkie eyed the picnic basket and licked her lips. “What did you bring, huh? Is it yummy?”

“I'm not actually sure,” Twilight admitted. “Spike made it.”

The four of them set up the picnic. It turned out to be seaweed sandwiches with parsnips and deviled eggs. Rainbow had brought apple juice, and Pinkie had brought fritters for dessert.

“So you're the big bad bodyguard, eh?” Rainbow eyed Blair up and down. “You don't look like anything special.”

“Rainbow!” Twilight snapped. “Don't be rude!”

She shrugged. “I call 'em like I see 'em.”

Blair held up a hoof. “It’s fine, Twilight, I’m no stranger to a little ribbing. And appearances aren't everything, Miss Dash.”

“No,” Rainbow said as she stared at him. “But they help.”

Blair met her fiery gaze, his eyes turning cold and hard. The two stared unblinking at each other, neither one of them willing to back down.

Twilight stepped in between them, speaking loudly and she passed out the wrapped food.

“So, Rainbow,” Twilight said, shooting her a glare of her own. “Are your guards around?”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes, but nodded and pointed a hoof up to the sky. “They're persistent, if nothing else.”

Twilight craned her neck up. High above, she could just barely see a pair of red and blue dots on top of a cloud.

“The light blue one came by a few days ago after that storm we had,” Twilight said. “He looked like he was in a lot of pain.”

Rainbow laughed. “That’d be Tastar. He’s pretty cool, not in that bad of shape. The other one’s Esra. Not a fan of him, but at least he’s got some muscle. Even still, though, my exercise routines have been destroying them.”

“Have they been improving at all?” Blair asked neutrally.

She turned to him and pursed her lips. “They have over the last few days, yeah. Good thing, too. I’m gonna lose my edge if I have to keep slowing down for them.”

Twilight turned to Pinkie. “How about you?”

Pinkie motioned over at a pair of stallions who were playing frisbee nearby. “The dark blue one is Rassy, and the white one is Viggy!”

Blair choked on his juice. He alternated between wet coughing and raspy laughing while Twilight pounded his back.

“Sorry!” Blair croaked after a few seconds. His eyes were now bloodshot as he wiped his mouth. “Go ahead, tell us more.”

Pinkie swallowed her bite of sandwich and continued. “Rassy's relaxed and friendly and nice and funny! He laughs at my jokes and says he knows some really good ones too but Viggy always stops him because he says they’re not appropriate. Speaking of Viggy, I don’t know much about him. He’s usually quiet unless he’s yelling at Rassy or telling me to slow down. Do you know anything about him, Blair?”

Blair shook his head. “He’s not actually part of my platoon. The Princess assigned him to us since we needed a thirteenth. I’ve done a few shifts with him back in the Castle, but that’s about it.”

Pinkie shrugged. “Oh well, I can tell he’s really nice too! He’s always really tense, but he jumps in front of me all the time when we go into the Everfree. It’s really cute.”

“I’ve been wondering how that's been going,” Rainbow said as she dug into her food. “Seeing as how you're still breathing, and all.”

Pinkie blew a raspberry at her. “I don't know why everypony thinks it’s so dangerous. Zecora lives there just fine.”

“I don’t know how she does it either,” Rainbow mumbled. “Fluttershy's told me there are animals in there that'll tear a pony limb from limb. Or worse.”

Pinkie shrugged. “Zecora says she’s used to ‘tiptoeing around giants’, whatever that means.”

“Is this Zecora a zebra, by chance?”

Pinkie turned to Blair. “How’d you know?”

“Ras mentioned it to me a few days ago.” Blair looked to the south. “She was probably referring to living with the other races of the Zhevra Flatlands.”

“Oh yeah,” Pinkie said. “I suppose some of the ponies out there are pretty big, aren’t they?”

“The current Flatlands ambassador is an Elafont,” Blair said. “He’s around four times my size.”

Rainbow whistled. “How does he get around the Castle?”

“Shrinking spell,” Twilight said through a bite of fritter. “Makes him about the size of the Princess.”

They all looked at her in surprise.

“What?” Twilight shrugged. “She asked me to attend court the last time he visited. Scared the living daylights out of me when he released it.”

Rainbow shook her head. “Keep forgetting you used to live there.”

Pinkie laid on her back and looked up to the sun. “I wonder why Celestia doesn’t use something like that? Isn’t she like, mega-ultra-strong anyways? Does she really have to rub it in with the hierarchical scale?”

Now it was Twilight’s turn to stare. “Did you just use that word correctly?”

Pinkie put her hooves behind her head with a smug grin. “I did pay attention in school sometimes, you know.”

Sometimes I wonder if she’s smarter than she lets on. Twilight closed her eyes and manually shifted gears. “I wouldn’t call her ‘mega-ultra-strong.’”

“What would you call her, then?” Blair asked.

She turned and sized him up. “Well, I know she’s wise and an amazing ruler, but I’ve never seen her do any big magic, aside from raise the sun every day. I honestly don’t know how what she can do.”

Blair met her eyes. “The Princess is extremely powerful, Twilight. You need to look no farther than what she’s called in other languages to see that. In Zhevran, she’s Mtawanguvu, the Princess of Might. In Scandi, she’s Mörgenjeter, the Bringer of Tomorrow. Theskafar is her name in Draconic, or, ‘Mistress of Flame.’ The Dromardians call her—”

“Okay, okay, I get it.” Twilight stiffened her neck. “The other races pay homage to her for what she does. Everypony knows that. That doesn’t put it into context, though. I’ve never seen her perform any complicated spells, so I don’t know what she’d define as ‘hard’. Have you ever seen her do something?”

“Not personally,” Blair admitted, “but I’ve read about some of the times in history where she’s used her power. For example, during the War of the Sun and Moon, she single-hoofedly shielded the entire city of Canterlot while Nightmare Moon rained down destruction from the heavens.”

This is why I’m happy Shining taught me how to be patient. Twilight raised her eyebrows. “Where’d you read that? The records at the Canterlot Library don’t—”

“I know, I’ve read them too.” Blair grimaced. “I’m a bit of a war history buff, and I’ve found that things are often missed in recordings made by only one pony. It’s my hobby to collect as many re-tellings of a battle from as many different points of view as I can.”

“So where’d you find that information?”

“That particular piece I got in Trottingham,” Blair said. “The history records from Canterlot are pathetically incomplete, but it’s understandable why.”

“What—“ Twilight’s eyes lit up. “Right, I forgot about that.”

“What? What’d you forget about?” Rainbow was now lying on her stomach, propped up on her elbows.

Twilight turned to her. “Remember the old palace where we found the Elements? That’s where Canterlot originaly was before the War of the Sun and Moon. It was razed in the conflict, and had to be rebuilt later, but unfortunately, some things can’t be replaced.”

“The Library District was hit hardest by the fires,” Blair said sadly. “All the history texts were burnt to ashes.”

“And afterwards, the survivors were concentrating on rebuilding the city where it is now,” Twilight said. “So a lot of stuff got missed.”

Rainbow nodded stonily. “Makes sense.”

“So the Princess really is mega-ultra-strong!” Pinkie rose on her hind legs and made zapping motions with her forehooves. “I’ll bet she can make avalanches and floods and tornadoes and earthquakes! Or maybe she can make a massive ray that burns things and causes huge explosions!”

Blair rested his head on a hoof. “Which Princess are you talking about?”

Pinkie gasped. “Oh, yeah! Once she gets better, I bet Luna can do stuff like that too!”

Rainbow raised her eyebrows and frowned thoughtfully, nodding. “Not gonna lie, that would be pretty awesome to see.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Oh, please.”

They switched topics, recounting to each other their adventures during the past week. Twilight was surprised to hear that the storm they’d had last week could’ve potentially produced a tornado if Rainbow and the other weatherponies hadn’t weakened it. Pinkie told them of her studies with Zecora, and revealed that she'd managed to make a tasty muffin that was infused with Shanari Root.

“Isn't it great?” She beamed as she held up the pastry from a small box. “It's a muffin that heals sore throats!”

Rainbow eyed the pastry warily. “Can't you make something that isn't loaded with sugar and simple carbs?”

“You and your health stuff!” Pinkie put the muffin away. “What's the point of living if all you eat is bland, healthy things all the time?”

“Hey!” Rainbow sat up. “I make tasty stuff all the time! Remember that barley and carrot salad we had at Rarity's birthday?”

Pinkie looked up at her. “You made that? I thought that was Twilight!”

Twilight shook her head. “I didn’t have time to make anything. I got invited at the last minute, remember?”

“Only thing that makes you fat is if you take in more calories than your body uses,” Rainbow continued with a toss of her mane. “As long as you give your body what it needs and stay away from what it can’t use, you can eat whatever you want.”

Pinkie opened up the box of fritters and held it in front of Rainbow like a tantalizing offering. “Then what's wrong with my sweets?”

Rainbow traced the lid of the box with a hoof, which gained a thin layer of sparkling sugar. She showed it to Pinkie. “That’s all you ever eat. You may not be gaining weight, but you're not eating healthy. That’s just as bad.” She closed the lid and licked off her hoof.

Pinkie laughed and put down the box. “I eat dinner with the Cakes every night, and they eat pretty well...”

She suddenly broke into a huge smile. “Especially,” Pinkie said in a sing-song voice, “now that they know they’re having twins.”

Twilight and Rainbow jerked. “Twins?!”

Pinkie squeed and bounced around the picnic blanket. “Isn’t it great?! They told me just as I was walking out the door!”

“That’s wonderful!” Twilight clapped her hooves. “They must be so excited!”

Pinkie was spinning in a circle. “Mrs. Cake was practically glowing, but Mr. Cake is treating her like she’s made of glass! It’s so cute!”

“It’s always one or the other that gets the nerves,” Blair said sagely. “Probably better that the father has them; it’s not good for the foals if the mother’s on edge all the time.”

“You'll be getting one good meal a day, then,” Rainbow laughed. “Congratulate them for me.”

“Oh, I can't wait!” Pinkie said as she bounced on her hooves. “It's going to be so much fun playing with them!”

Rainbow opened a wing and fanned herself as she turned to Twilight and Blair. “How about you guys? Does Spike cook like this all the time?”

“I think so,” Twilight said.

Rainbow cocked her head. “You think so?”

“I don't pay attention to what he makes,” Twilight admitted with a nervous laugh. “Half the time he has to force me to eat.”

“It’s true,” Blair said. “I’ve seen him do it. His cooking is better than what I’m used to, although military food isn’t a very high bar to clear.”

Rainbow gave him a pitying glance. “That bad, eh?”

Blair stuck out his tongue. “It depends on the chef, but it ranges from moderately edible to gut-wrenchingly awful.”

Rainbow made a face, then looked Twilight over. “Well, you look okay. You should be happy Spike’s watching out for you.”

Twilight giggled. “He’s like a mother hen sometimes.”

“Where is he, anyway?” Pinkie asked, looking around. “He usually comes with you.”

Twilight winced. “The library... doesn't look like a library right now. He wanted to stay so it would actually get cleaned. It's been a while since I've been this intense about a project.”

“And yet three-quarters of Ponyville hasn't blown up,” Rainbow said. She crossed her eyes and rotated her hoof in a circle beside her head. “Maybe you really aren't working hard enough.”

“I know, right?” Twilight said with a laugh. “Maybe the insanity just needs more time to set in. In all seriousness, though,I did need to get out, regardless of the progress I was making.”

Twilight looked down for a moment. “That reminds me. There might be something you guys can help me with.”

“Sure, as long as it doesn't involve magic.” Rainbow bonked her noggin with a hoof. “Kinda lacking in that department.”

Pinkie imitated her. “Behold my awesome Earth Pony powers! Ooooooh!”

Rainbow made the same noise. They turned and wiggled their forehooves at each other.

“Actually, it's about the Elements of Harmony.”

Both of them stopped. They went back down on all fours and looked at her curiously.

Twilight took a deep breath. “I'm trying to track down the magical Symbols for each of the Elements. I wrote to the Princess to see if she knew what any of them were, but she only remembered the Symbol of Magic. I cast an Identification spell on it, and when I did, I got a faint sensation similar to what the Element of Magic felt like. I have a theory that the same will happen for the other Symbols.”

Pinkie’s eyes lit up. “But you don't know what the other Elements feel like because you didn’t use them, so you need us to tell you!”

“Yeah.” Twilight pulled out a quill and parchment from the picnic basket. “Do you remember?”
The two of them were silent as they thought. They both looked at the ground, their eyelids half- closed as they searched for the right words.

Rainbow was the first to speak. “Fire. Hot, fierce, and relentless. The whole world seemed to pulse. I've never felt more alive in my entire life. It was like it took something from within me, and maxed it out. It made me feel like I could do anything.”

Twilight paused for a moment while she wrote down the information. She then turned to Pinkie, who had her gaze downcast. “How about you?”

Pinkie slowly met her eyes. “Wind. Free and warm, yet swirling around me like an embrace. Everything seemed brighter, especially colors. It made me feel really, really happy. Actually, happy doesn't cover it. What's the big word for happy that starts with 'u'?”

“I think you mean ‘euphoria.’” Twilight said. Doesn’t know euphoria, but she knows hierarchical.

“Yeah!” Pinkie said. “It was pure euphoria! Like Dashie said, it felt like it was drawing something from inside me, and then amplified it a thousand-million times! I thought I was gonna explode from being so happy!”

Twilight scribbled furiously. “Anything else?”

Rainbow and Pinkie thought for a while. “There was that imbalance thing we talked about before,” Rainbow said, “but I can't think of anything else.”

“Same,” Pinkie said.

Twilight looked up from the parchment. “All right. Like I said, I've only found one of the Symbols so far, and it was from a fluke.” She glanced back at her flank and chuckled. “But when I do find the others, I'll let you know. Maybe you can stop by and see if you get the same kind of feelings as before?”

“You might get them, too,” Pinkie pointed out.

Twilight shook her head. “I can't rule out that I just had a reaction from the Symbol of Magic because I'm its Bearer. I need to be sure.”

“No problem,” Rainbow said. “Just get ahold of me when you think you’ve found mine. I’ll come right over.”

“Me too!” Pinkie said. “Unless I’m at work or Zecora's, then I’d have to come over after.”

“That’s fine.” Twilight put her writing tools away. “It’s going to take me a while to track them all down, and I don’t even know what order to start with, if any at all. But when I find something, I’ll track you down.”

The four of them finished dessert and decided to go their separate ways. The six guards, noticing that they were packing up, subtly followed suit. Twilight stood and stretched her legs.

“When’s the next time you think we can meet up?” Twilight asked. “I always have something to do, but I can work around your schedules.”

“Ideally whenever the others aren’t busy so we can all do something together.” Rainbow straightened a few ruffled feathers. “I have tickets to a Wonderbolts show next month up in Canterlot, but other than that all I have is work and training.”

“Oh wow, really?” Twilight leaned forward. “Were the tickets expensive?”

Rainbow shrugged. “I get paid pretty well.”

“I’m always free!” Pinkie said. “Except for going to Zecora’s on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and working at Sugarcube Corner on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. And organizing parties on Sundays.”

Twilight facehoofed. “Pinkie, that’s the entire week.”

“Is it?” Pinkie stopped and looked at the sky, silently counting. “I guess it is! Don’t worry, though, my friends take priority. Oh! Speaking of parties, Granny Smith’s birthday is next Friday. You’re all invited to come!”

Rainbow licked her lips. “That’ll be worth it for the pie alone. I’ll be there.”

“I’ll come, so long as I don’t get absorbed in my work.” Twilight looked to Blair. “Think you can pry me away?”

“With a crowbar if I have to,” he replied with a grin.

Twilight turned to Pinkie. “Are you still going to give her that elixir you—”

A pink hoof shot out to cover her mouth.

Secret, right. Twilight nodded.

“Nice meeting you, Blair! See you later, Twilight!” Pinkie gave her a sly wink, a parting hug, and hopped away with Vigil and Ras following behind.

Rainbow rose into the air and looked down at Twilight. “Don't work too hard.” She gave a slight nod to Blair and flew off to the east.

Twilight and Blair headed back to the library in silence. The town was alive with the hustle and bustle of midday, and ponies of all types walked and flew about, selling wares, running errands, or just lounging about. Twilight took in the scene with a deep, contented sigh, the pangs of loneliness fading away as she put away another fond memory of being with her friends.

That was nice. I definitely needed that. Now I just need to meet up with the other three at some point. Maybe I can stop by Rarity’s tomorrow? Wait, she has Sweetie Belle to take care of. Maybe she can still make time if she doesn’t have a lot of work to do? I don’t have a lot of experience with fillies, but this’d certainly be a good time to learn.

Twilight looked back at the market, and her line of thought was abruptly interrupted as she saw Ace and Piro heading in opposite directions, but both staying within eyeshot of her.

This is pointless. it’s just the same old peaceful Ponyville! Nothing has happened out of the ordinary, and nothing ever will. This is exactly what I was afraid of, and yet I still let Shining convince me. And then I somehow convinced the others! Was this all a mistake?

Twilight gave a huffy sight and turned to Blair. “Do you really think all this is necessary?”

Blair continued to look straight ahead. “Think what is necessary?”

“This constant watching and following and guarding,” Twilight tilted her head with each word. “Isn’t it a bit much for six simple mares in a peaceful little town like this?”

“Assassins only care about getting the job done,” Blair said grimly. “A peaceful town just makes it easier for them.”

Twilight looked around skeptically. “And you think that we’re in danger of being assassinated? I mean yeah, we're the Bearers, and we do know the Princess, but we’re in the middle of Equestria, not like we’re on the border of some war-torn country! And besides, I can’t think of the last war that had anything to do with Equestria.”

“There hasn’t been one since Nightmare Moon,” Blair said. “There have been conflicts in countries on our borders that've affected us, though. For example, in Tarandus to the north, the Yakkhari had an inter-tribal conflict that escalated into a holy war. It spilled over into the trade routes through the Yakkhar Mountains, which cut Equestria off from our other northern neighbors. Fortunately, it was quickly ended by the other races of Tarandus: The Mooslen and the Tuktu. Closing off the mountain paths threatened their way of life, so they intervened and stopped the fighting by force. They even took it one step further and dissolved the Yakkhari tribes, unifying them under one banner so it wouldn’t happen again.”

Twilight stared at him. “I thought the Yakkhari stopped fighting on their own and decided to unite without intervention from anypony.”

“That’s the official statement they released,” Blair said with a knowing smirk. “But I have it on good authority that they were muscled into a ceasefire by the other Tarandians.”

Twilight pressed her lips together. “You know, Rainbow did bring up a good point. I know next to nothing about you. Why haven't you told me more about yourself?”

Blair rubbed his head. “Because when I first got here, I was preoccupied with the mother of all headaches. And after that, I was worried that if I was too forward, you'd get the wrong impression.”

“Well apparently you don't like younger mares,” Twilight said with sarcastic note. “So that’s no longer a concern.”

Blair chuckled. “Well then, let’s see here: My special talent is codemaking, or to be more specific, the manipulation of words and letters to mean something else. I like word puzzles and crosswords, and my hobby is reading about past wars and battles to see what happened, why, and how they were resolved. Since Equestria has been peaceful for a millennium, though, I read about the wars of other countries instead.”

“What about magic?” Twilight asked. “You said something last week about having ‘field experience.’”

Blair stopped. He looked around to see if anyone was in earshot, then leaned in close and spoke in a whisper. “Do you know what a Battlemage is?”

Twilight smiled. “That’s what my brother is. It’s a soldier that focuses on specific types of spells instead of generalizing.”

“Captain Shining Armor specializes in Barrier spells, much like yourself,” Blair said with a nod. “I’m dual-specialized in Water and Freezing spells.”

Two? That’s rare. She raised an eyebrow. “You’re either very skilled or you have a pretty big font to have qualifications for a second.”

Blair said nothing for several seconds as he idly scraped a hoof on the ground, and when he spoke, his words were slow, and careful.

“I don’t have any more magic than most ponies. Quantity is what most ponies think of when they measure power, but there are ways to fight that require very little effort—physical, or magical.”

Twilight met his teal eyes with a curious stare. “Such as?”

Blair flinched away from her prying gaze. “You don’t need to know the specifics.”

Twilight lowered her chin. “You really don’t like volunteering information, do you?”

“It’s not that.” Blair sucked on his teeth. ”I’ll tell you about myself if you’re curious, but you’re better off not knowing how to use your magic to hurt other ponies.”

I hate it when others treat me like a filly. He may be trying to protect me, but there’s only so much I’ll be able to learn if I don’t eventually get my hooves dirty. Twilight regarded him evenly. “Have you ever had to? Hurt anypony, I mean.”

Blair slowly turned back to her. The light left his eyes, and he suddenly looked very old. His reply was one word, but it carried an unfathomable weight.

“Yes.”

A hole formed in Twilight’s stomach, but her curiosity pressed her on. “Have you ever had to... kill?”

Blair closed his eyes as he lowered his head. His posture slumped, and he shivered as if a chill had swept through his body.

“Do you really want me to answer that question?”

Looking back on it, Twilight never could quite explain why that response unnerved her so much. Maybe it was the way Blair’s forced, strained tone dripped with guilt. Perhaps it was how vulnerable he looked in that moment, or how he was exposing his neck to her. In any case, Twilight immediately regretted the question, and took a step back as she stammered out an apology.

“I-I’m sorry! Forget I asked!”

Blair opened his eyes as he looked at the ground. “I will do what's necessary to protect you, without thought or hesitation. However, I’m not proud of my abilities, so if you’ll grant me this one favor, I ask that you accept that I’m ‘experienced,’ and leave it at that.”

Blair then straightened, and continued on as if nothing had happened.

Twilight blinked as she processed what he’d said, then realized she was leaving him behind. “H-Hey! Wait up!” She rushed to catch back up with him. Blair slowed to let her fall back into step, and they turned down an alleyway that was a shortcut to get back to the library.

Has he really... he could just be putting on an act, for all I know. No, that’s not it. Shining wouldn’t have sent him if he wasn’t the real deal. I guess I don't need to know specifics, but still, it’d be nice if I could see something, anything to give me an idea of what he’s capable of...

Twilight turned to Blair. “I'm sorry, but this is going to bug me. I won’t ask that you tell me anything more, but could you at least show me a little of your magic?”

Blair stopped. He chewed on his lip as he breathed through his nose, his eyes shifting back and forth. Finally, he sighed.

“Stand back.”

Twilight obeyed, and he turned away from her and lowered his horn. He murmured something intelligible, and there was a swishing sound as the air condensed in the air just before him. The water droplets from all around gathered together before the tip of hsi horn, hovering in a swirling, perfectly clear ball the size of an apple. It bounced back and forth like an amorphous blob before slowing and going perfectly still.

Blair tilted his head, and the orb began to change shape. The bottom narrowed out into a slender stem, the middle branched out into delicate leaves, and the top flared out into full, blooming petals. The features of the flower became more defined as Blair focused, causing intricate lines to form on the stem and leaves, and the petals of the head deepening, gaining individual shape.

There was a teal flash, and a sudden rush of air. Twilight gasped as her hair stood on end, and her breath came out in a fine mist. Blair finished his spell, and looked up and examined his work. The water had been sculpted into the perfect likeness of a rose, and then frozen into pure, solid ice. He revolved it slowly in his magic as he spoke in a whisper.

“Water is everywhere. It’s around us, it’s beneath us, and most importantly of all, it’s within us. If you can learn to feel and control it, you can do some incredible things.”

Blair raised his hoof, and as he did, the rose began to fragment, breaking off into splinters, each the size of a nail. The shards rotated horizontally, and then came to rest behind him in perfectly ordered rows of ten. A few seconds later, the rose was gone, and in its place were dozens of icy needles. Blair then turned to Twilight, taking care not to point the spikes at her as he stared at her with cold, dark eyes.

“Some are more dangerous than others.”

Blair held the needles in place for a time, then slowly lowered his hoof, allowing the salvo to melt and absorb into the ground. The dark look in his eyes faded, and he smiled wryly.

“How was that?”

I never would have guessed he could do something like that! But then again, how could I? He hasn’t used anything other than telekinesis since he got here. Twilight stared at him in shock. “That was an impressive display of control.”

“Thanks.” Blair winked at her. “Maybe next time I’ll let you have the rose.”

“It’d melt, though.”

“I can make it last a few hours,” Blair said with a grin. “Now, I’m curious to see if Spike has finished cleaning, aren’t you?”

“Oh, yeah,” Twilight said. “He must be done by now.”

The two of them walked out of the alley and headed towards the library. Blair seemed to be his normal self again, but the entire exchange had still left her with a vague sense of unease.

Should I be worried? He’s given no indication that he’s unstable, but then again, he hasn’t given much indication about anything at all. I suppose there hasn’t been a reason for him to show me his magic, but that’s just it! He’s got that kind of ability, and he has to sit around all day and watch me work?! What a waste of—stop it. I have a long way to go with figuring out how to stabilize the disjunction effect, and I can’t afford to get distracted. I know now that if something actually does happen, as unlikely as that is, I can rely on him. That’s good enough.

Twilight saw Ace and Piro walking towards the house where they were staying out of the corner of her eye. She and Blair rounded a corner, and the library came into sight. They closed the distance in silence, and Blair held open the door to let her walk inside.

Let’s just hope that I won’t have to.

Chapter 10: Words Left Unsaid

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Chapter 10:

Words Left Unsaid

Three Days Later-

Applejack, Strauss, and Norric made their way in from the southern apple fields for lunch. A slight chill was in the air this day, heralding the changing of the seasons. All three of them were breathing hard from the morning's exertions, and were rewarded with a thin layer of sweat. The sun peeked out from the clouds, revealing its luminance, and painting color onto the gray canvas of the world. Strauss was hitched to a cart filled with early blooming apples, while Norric and Applejack followed behind, each of them carrying a bag of tools and chatting between themselves.

“Would you collect the seaweed as it came in?” Applejack asked. “Or did you grow it on your own?”

“It depended on the season.” Norric kicked at a dirt clod that was in his path. “We preferred to grow it, though. Going out on the rocks and sandbars was dangerous.”

Never met anypony from another country. I wonder what it's like on the coast? Applejack regarded him with newfound interest. “I'da never taken you for a farmer. Was it a family business, or something ya’ll just started?”

Norric's bag began to slip off his back. He bucked lightly to settle it back into place. “It went back a few generations. And I wouldn’t really call it farming. It was more like scavenging. “

Applejack turned her head forward to look at the homestead a few hundred yards away. “So what’d you come to Equestria for?”

Norric took a swig from his canteen. “There wasn’t any opportunity for me in Gildesdale. All I’d ever known was seaweed gathering, and the only place to do that’s down on the coast. I wanted a fresh start, a place where nopony knew me and I could be free to pursue my own interests. I tried Thatchholm first, but that turned out to be a bust, so I came to Equestria thinking maybe I could do something in the military. Been here ever since.”

“You mighta been able to get a job on the west coast in someplace like Seaddle or Las Pegasus,” Applejack pointed out. “I doubt there’s much seaweed gatherin’ out there, but it mighta been more up your alley than a soldier’s life.”

Norric grimaced. “Nah, this ain’t so bad. Besides, I hate everything about the ocean: The sound, the sand, the gulls, the smell, all of it. If I never see it again, it’ll be too soon. ”

Applejack laughed. “There’ve been days I’ve felt that way about apples. It always passes, though. But what about your family? Didn’t they need you to stay and help?”

“Not when there were six other siblings who could pick up the slack,” Norric said casually.

Strauss grunted as the wagon got caught on a rock. He pulled hard, and it rolled on.

Applejack jerked her head at him. “I'da thought he'd be the farmin' type over you. He's taken to this like he's been doin' it for years.”

“Labor is labor,” Strauss said over his shoulder. “Military preps you well for that.”

I suppose that's true, but still, he's a quick learner. You'd never know he was a city boy from the way he acts. Applejack nodded. “Least it didn't come as a surprise to ya.”

“Army brats do have some advantages,” Strauss said. He slowed his pace as he carefully eased the wagon down a slope. “Pretty easy to get started, too, the way's basically paved for you.”

Applejack readjusted her Stetson as the sun went back behind the clouds. “I'm just glad I don't have to hold either of your hooves anymore. This Applebuck Season's gonna be a cinch with you two helpin' out.”

Norric looked around at the surrounding trees, which were laden with ripening fruit. “Do you always have this much?”

“Nope,” Applejack said with an odd smile. “Weather this year’s been perfect, and now we got us a bumper crop. Which is another reason I’m glad both of you are here, as it’d be mighty hard on just me and Mac.”

“When will Applebloom be old enough to help?” Norric asked.

There's no rush for that. I'm not gonna tear her away from her fillyhood when Mac and I can handle things for now. There'll be plenty of time for Applebloom to learn how to work the farm, but right now it's better for everypony if she stays at home. Applejack looked at one of the wagon wheels. “We could get her out here now if we really wanted, but we like her bein’ around the house with Granny. That won’t be a problem next year if we manage to sell all these apples, though.”

“You think you'll make enough to get Granny her hip replacement?” Norric asked.

Applejack smiled. “And then some. We figured we’d have the money in two more harvests, but this here’s the biggest bumper crop that any of us have ever seen. I already got orders set up for Manehatten, Fillydelphia, Trottingham, Appleoosa, and last night I heard Granny figurin’ out the details with Stalliongrad.”

“These apples go that far north?” Norric looked in the direction the distant settlement lay.

“Granny's got an old friend who lives there,” Applejack explained. “We send one shipment up to her every year. Technically we lose money, but Granny's adamant about it.”

“Never would’ve guessed,” Norric said. “What about the other members of the Apple clan, though? Aren’t you stepping on their hooves by delivering to so many different places?”

He prolly hasn't seen his family in a while if he's askin' a question like that. Or maybe he just wasn't in charge of sales. Applejack stared at him. “Who do you think is buying ‘em? Not everypony in the family has had a good season, and they all know how many we got this year. We’re sellin’ them our excess for cheap, and they in turn can sell them for full price in their own markets.”

“Advantage of a family business,” Strauss pointed out.

“We take care of our own,” Applejack agreed.

The three of them walked into the farmyard, passing by the newly repaired fencepost and passing by the barn. As they did, they heard raised voices coming from inside. Curious, Applejack walked over, and saw Granny standing at the entrance, looking down at Applebloom, whose mouth was hanging open.

“Why’d you let the Beetles eat Daddy’s tools?!” Applebloom said.

Granny shook her head. “They were old and worn, hun. Couldn’t even use ‘em no more.”

“But they were his!” Applebloom’s voice became loud and rushed. “They belonged to him! He used them!”

“I’m sorry, Applebloom,” Granny put a hoof on her granddaughter's cheek. “But I needed to use somethin’ for bait, and that was the best thing I could think of. We can get you some new tools if ya really liked playin’ with ‘em.”

Applebloom jerked away and stamped the ground. “I don’t want new tools, I want Daddy’s back!”

Granny narrowed her eyes. “I said they're gone. Now stop fussin’ over some old pieces of metal and finish cleanin’ out the loft. Lunch’ll be ready soon.”

“No!” Applebloom squeezed her eyes shut, her fierce yells echoing throughout the barn. “I don’t care about this smelly old farm anymore!”

“Now listen ‘ere, young lady—“

“All you care about are the stupid apples!”

Applejack flinched. “Applebloom!” Her sister was so loud that the echoes were hurting her ears.

“You don’t care about them anymore! I bet none of you ever did!” Applebloom’s voice broke as it turned into a scream, ringing with such force that Applejack felt a scratchy sensation in her eardrums.

Applebloom stared at both of them with wide, accusing eyes.

“I HATE YOU!”

The color drained from Granny's face, contorting for only a second before hardening into an impenetrable mask. She lowered her chin and stared darkly at Applebloom, speaking one word in a whisper.

“Leave.”

Applebloom stood her ground for a moment longer, then ran out of the barn and towards the road, her sobs trailing in her wake. Granny put a hoof to her face, closing her eyes as she took deep, calming breaths.

Applejack tentatively approached her. “You all right, Granny?”

Granny didn’t look up, but her voice was strong. “Did you know she was playin’ with Jonny’s old tools?”

Applejack shrugged. “Sorta. I didn’t know they belonged to him until after you used them for the trap.”

Granny sighed. “I put those up there years ago, and didn’ give ‘em a second thought. I shoulda known somethin’ was up when Mac found ‘em so fast.”

“You know she didn’t mean—“

“Of course she didn’t.” Granny straightened and looked Applejack in the eye. “This ain't the first time I been yelled at over somethin’ like this. I seem to recall a similar outburst comin’ outta your mouth over Jonny’s old lassoin' rope.”

I was hopin' she wouldn't bring that up. Applejack winced as her throat became tight. “I never said I hated you, though.”

Granny chuckled. “No, but I reckon ya came close.” She reached up and gently brushed the hair out of her granddaughter's eyes, her hoof lingering briefly as it touched the Stetson. “It’s all right, Jackie. It takes more than the upset words of an innocent filly to break me down.”

Applejack stepped forward and gently nuzzled her grandmother’s neck. “I'm sorry.”

“Forgiveness ain't somethin' that can be taken away, you silly mare,” Granny said as she returned the affection. “You were young and didn' understand; she's no different. It'll pass.”

“Want me to go get her?”

Granny shook her head. “She’ll come back on her own... although, that means that now the loft ain't gonna get cleaned. Think you and the boys can finish the job before lunch?”

Applejack stepped away with a nod, then turned back to Strauss and Norric, who were still standing in the yard, looking everywhere but the direction of the barn. Norric gave a start as he realized they were being looked at, and began stammer out something about the weather.

Strauss rolled his eyes. “Stop pretending like you weren't paying attention.”

Applejack cleared her throat. “Don't mind Applebloom. She does this sometimes.”

Strauss looked down the road at her retreating form. “Must be hard for her.”

Applejack walked out of the barn and followed his gaze. “That don’t give her the right to go yellin’ at anypony, least of all Granny. She’s gotta learn that, or it’s gonna get her in real trouble.”

“Enough.” Granny began to limp back towards the farmhouse. “Ya’ll can chat while you’re workin’ if ya want. I gotta go finish lunch so I can take those damn loopy pain meds.”

Applejack cleared her head with a shake. She looked over at Norric and Strauss, the latter now unhitched from the wagon. “Strauss, can you take the tools back to the shed? Norric and I’ll get started on the loft.”

Big Mac came in from the fields just as the three of them finished, and they all washed up before sitting down for lunch. They discussed timing and plans for shipping the apples from the upcoming harvest, as well as the price at which they were going to sell the excess to the rest of the Apple family. After they ate, Applejack hitched herself to the wagon and headed into town with Strauss and Norric to sell the early bloomers at the market, and ten minutes later, they passed the wooden fencing that marked the borders of Sweet Apple Acres.

“So then, Norric,” Applejack said as they walked down the road. “You were sayin' you left Gildesdale and joined the Equestrian military ‘cause you didn't like the ocean. Was that the only reason?”

Norric laughed softly. He was walking beside the wagon, keeping an eye on the barrels to make sure none of the apples fell out. “When you were younger, did you ever try new ways to get jobs done faster?”

Granny would've tanned my hide if I did. Applejack made a derisive noise. “Ain't no room for experimenting or foolin' around when messing up costs you time and money.”

“But what if you figured something out?” Norric asked. “What if you came up with something that cuts the time of the task in half? Think about what that would do in the long run!”

“It's too risky,” Applejack replied. “Only a foal takes a gamble like that when it could mean the difference between puttin' food on the table and goin' hungry.”

There was a bump in the road. One of the barrels wobbled and a stray apple bounced out, but Norric deftly caught it and tossed it back in. “When times are tough, yeah, but what about when they're not? What's wrong with trying a few things here and there?”

There’s no guarantees, that’s what. Farming’s got enough uncertainty as it is. Why add more? The sound of clip-clopping on stone and the rickety rumbling of the wagon was the only sound for several seconds before Applejack spoke again. “No sense in screwin' around when you have somethin' that works just fine. The money's better put to use by savin' it for hard times.”

Norric sighed. “You sound just like them.”

She looked back at him. “Who? Your parents?”

Norric kept his attention on the barrels. “I believe that there's always a better way to do something. I don't like just accepting what I'm told, and leaving it at that. I try and find things out on my own, even if it means I have to make mistakes in order to do it. Unfortunately, though, that doesn't lend itself well to farming.”

He understands that, at least. Sounds like his folks were thinkin’ along the same lines as me, though. Not that I’m surprised, Earth ponies in general aren’t too keen on messin’ with what already works. Now unicorns, they’re always tryin’ something new. Twilight and Rarity are never satisfied with what they know, and are always going off doin’ the creative stuff. I reckon though that if either of ‘em had seven foals to feed, they wouldn’t be too keen on experimenting, either. The pause lengthened, lasting for almost a minute as Applejack waited for him to finish. She was starting to get a cramp in her neck from looking back at him.

“Well, go on,” she finally said. “I’m guessin’ you had a fight. Did they kick you out, or did you decide to leave?”

“They—” Norric closed his eyes and grunted in frustration as he looked over at Strauss. “This isn't easy.”

Strauss jerked and glared fiercely at Norric.

Applejack didn't see the exchange. She‘d misinterpreted his statement, and had turned her attention back to the road. “Say no more, I didn't mean to be nosy.”

“Sorry,” she heard him say.

“Ain't nothin' you need to apologize for,” Applejack said. “If you ever want to talk about it, though, my ears are open.”

The three of them arrived in the Ponyville Market a little after two’clock, and the next hour was lost in monotony as the three of them set up the stand. Applejack’s usual customers came, some of them casting an interested glance at Strauss and Norric, but she deflected the questions with the usual explanation of 'new farmhands'. A brown earth pony, whose cutie mark was several bags of money, approached and purchased an entire bushel of apples, which he then had placed in a large wagon. A pink filly with a purple and white mane that looked to be about Applebloom’s age stood beside him, and as the two walked away, Norric turned to Applejack.

“Think Applebloom will be all right?”

Applejack was in the wagon bringing down a new barrel of apples. “She’ll be fine. This ain't the first time she's run off. Not a lotta places for her to run off to, anyways.”

Norric steadied the wagon as she hopped out. “Why do you think she was so upset about the tools?”

Applejack looked around the market. It’d temporarily thinned out, and most of the stand owners were chatting amongst themselves or restocking their wares. She exhaled deeply, and began to separate the earnings they’d made thus far. “I can't rightly say for sure. All I got is a guess.”

“Your guess is better than ours,” Strauss said from her left. He’d just come back, carrying with him three cups of lemonade.

Not as much as you'd think. Applebloom may be my sister, but I don't claim to fully know what goes on in her head. Applejack took the cup Strauss offered and stared at it for a few seconds before speaking.

“Applebloom never knew our parents, or Grandpa Penny. The only things she knows are from pictures, what we’ve told her, or the things they left behind. I've seen her lookin' at the family albums now and then, and I know she likes hearing about 'em. But I think what she likes the most are keepin' the things that they used, or just meant something to 'em. My guess is it makes her think she's got some kinda connection with 'em.”

A customer came. Applejack paused and did the transaction.

“Now, I don't think there's anythin' wrong with that,” she said as she gave her Stetson a nostalgic tug. “But I’m worried she might be takin’ it to the extreme. She wants to keep everythin' they once had or used, because she feels like it's the only link she's got to ‘em.”

“That'd explain it,” Strauss said.

Applejack closed the money box with a snap. “It would, but it might well be somethin' else. It's hard to understand her sometimes.”

Norric paused as he raised his cup to his lips. “Why? She's your sister. She's gone through the same things as you.”

She turned and gave Norric a searching look, speaking in a soft, clear tone.

“Is it worse to have somethin' and then lose it? Or to never have it at all, but know that you should?”

Applejack had expected Norric to turn away or back down at the question, not return her gaze with unfocused, haunted eyes. He considered for a long time before answering, and when he did, his voice was deeper, and tinged with a note of sadness.

“It depends on what you’ve lost, but in my case, I’d say the former.”

The former? What is he—Applejack pursed her lips. “Did you…”

Norric set down his lemonade and sat on his haunches. “He wasn’t family, but he might as well have been.”

Applejack looked around. The market was still slow, and the neighboring stall owners were away. She leaned slightly forward. “Who was he?”

“His name was Seeker,” Norric said. “He came from a seaweed farming family, too, and his special talent was finding alternative solutions to problems.”

“You and him prolly got along pretty well then,” Applejack remarked.

“I remember spending more time with him than just about anypony else.” Norric’s face crept up into a smile, but it quickly faded as he slammed a hoof into the ground. “The damn idiot.”

“What happened?” Applejack asked.

Norric looked at the hoofprint he had left. “I wasn’t there, so I only know about this from his brother. There was a storm coming in one night from the ocean, and those two reckless foals were out flying kites in the gusts. The wind suddenly shifted and both of their kites fell into the rocks, so Seeker went out to go and get them, despite his brother telling him not to.”

Norric closed his eyes and briefly clenched his teeth. “The wind got worse as he went down by the sandbars. The waves got high and soaked the rocks, making them slicker than snow-covered ice. Seeker wasn’t paying attention, jumping and messing around like he always did, until... he lost his balance and fell into the surf.”

Applejack cocked her head. “Couldn’t he just climb out?”

Norric shook his head, then began to draw arrows in the dirt in the shape of a ‘W’, motioning to it as he spoke. “Remember when I said going out sandbars was dangerous? The reason why is because they’re perfect for making riptides. Seeker got caught in one when he fell in, and he was dragged out to sea in seconds.”

Norric swallowed and spoke in a forced, even tone. “The last thing Seeker’s brother heard of him were his screams, slowly fading out as he disappeared into the horizon, never to be seen again.”

A sour taste filled Applajck’s mouth as a pit formed in her stomach. No wonder they try to grow it. But I’ll bet they can find a heck of a lot more if they go out onto the rocks… ugh, what a way to go. That’s a heck of a lot worse than apple farmin’. Applejack winced. “I’m sorry. That must’ve been hard on ya.”

Norric blinked several times as he looked up at the sky. “It’s never easy to accept death, but Strauss and I have seen more than our share, so we’ve each found ways to cope.”

Applejack felt a chill as she turned to Strauss, who stood with rigid, perfect posture, staring down the street with a clenched jaw. He felt her gaze and turned to her with hollow eyes. “Our pain is different. I don’t think we can help you, or Applebloom.”

These boys have seen combat? They don’t look much older than me! Were they deployed outside of Equestria before they got into the Royal Guard or—y’know, I’m not sure I really wanna know. Judgin’ by the look on their faces right now, I doubt it’s a pretty tale.

Applejack sighed. “I don't know if I can, either. All I know is she's gotta deal with it somehow, or it's gonna turn her bitter.”

“You can be there for her,” Strauss pointed out. “She'll come to you if she knows she can.”

“And I try to be.” Applejack finished her lemonade and tossed the cup into a bin. “But there’s only so much I can do if she’s not ready to talk, so all I can hope is that when she is, she will.”

A line of customers formed. Applejack's mind was dragged away from Norric’s tale as she attended to their demands and made polite conversation. A few minutes later, the last customer approached the stand, and Applejack turned to see how many apples they had left.

“What can I do ya for?” Applejack said absentmindedly. “We only got Red and Golden Delicious in stock—”

“You know those are my favorite, anyways.”

Applejack turned to see Rarity regarding her with a patient smile. Beside her was a vaguely familiar white filly, fidgeting and looking around with an impatient frown.

“Aw shucks, Rarity,” Applejack said. “Don't tell me you've been in line this whole time.”

“I'm not one to abuse the power of my connections,” Rarity said with a raised chin. “Not when I have some time on my hooves, anyway.”

“Rarity, are we done yet?” Sweetie crouched on the ground and played with a tuft of grass.

“Do you want apple coleslaw or not?” Rarity said sharply.

“Yes,” Sweetie replied in a monotone.

Rarity gave a nervous laugh. “You recall my sister, don’t you?”

Wow, that’s Sweetie Belle? She’s sure grown up big. She was still in diapers last time I saw her. Applejack looked down at the filly. “Been a while, but yeah. How you doin', Sweetie?”

Sweetie looked up at her with blank eyes. “Who're you?”

Applejack chuckled. “I suppose you wouldn’t remember. I used to come over twice a week to foalsit ya when Rarity was first gettin' the shop started. I'm Applejack.”

“Hiya, Applejack!” Sweetie sprang to her hooves, looking her former foalsitter up and down. “You seem nice. Why don't you come over anymore?”

Rarity’s ears turned red. “Sweetie, that's not an appropriate thing to ask.”

“It’s fine.” Applejack gestured to the open barrels and wagon. “I live out on an apple farm, and my family decided that it was time for me to run it. Afraid I didn't have time to come over anymore after that.”

“I'm just glad it was only that first year that was rough.” Rarity examined an apple in her magic. “I never did properly thank you for your help.”

“I didn't do it expectin' anything in return,” Applejack said dismissively. “Not like it was hard, anyways. Applebloom's the same age as her.”

Sweetie, who had been poking at a frog that was hopping by, perked up. “Who's Applebloom?”

“My little sister.”

Sweetie's eyes filled her head. “You have a little sister?! Is she here? I wanna meet her!” She zipped around and atop the stand like a white and purple missile, searching around for Applejack’s younger sibling. She was standing on Applejack’s back looking in her ponytail when she was suddenly lifted up in a blue aura and deposited back at Rarity’s side.

“Don’t go causing a mess, now,” Rarity sang in a dangerous tone with a wan smile.

What a little ball of energy. Rarity must have quite a time of it keepin’ her under control in the shop. “I’m afraid Applebloom's not here right now.” Applejack raised a hoof to her chin. “Although maybe someday we could arrange for the two of ya to meet.”

Sweetie squeed with delight.

“I’d need to ask my parents, but I don’t foresee a problem with it. ” Rarity leaned forward and whispered to Applejack’s ear. “Maybe she’ll tire herself out for once on your farm.”

Applejack smiled evilly. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll load her up with sugar before sendin’ her home.”

Rarity’s eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Applejack gave her a sly wink as she leaned back and helped pick out some apples. Norric took her money after she’d gotten as many as she needed, and she regarded him with interested as he politely nodded at her.

“Why Applejack, you haven't introduced me to your assistants!”

Applejack feigned surprise. “I suppose I haven’t! Norric, Strauss, this here is Rarity. She's a real nice gal... probably the most generous pony you'll ever meet.”

Norric wrinkled his brow. “You're the one with the earrings, aren’t you?”

Rarity blinked. “How’d you know about that?”

“Elo's an old friend,” Strauss cut in. “I met up with him a few days ago. We both had to deliver something, so we did it together.”

“I see,” Rarity said.

“What earrings?” Applejack glanced at the small pieces of jewelry Rarity wore. “Did you use some kinda magic on those?”

Rarity put a hoof to her lips. “I'll tell you another time, dear.”

Norric looked behind and around her. “Shouldn't you have some ’assistants’ of your own somewhere?”

“I'm not sure what you mean.” Amusement danced in Rarity’s eyes. “I don’t think I’m quite ready to take apprentices, but I do have two clients that I can tell you the exact location of right now.”

The tiny jewels in Rarity’s earrings sparkled. “One of them is thirty paces behind me and to the left looking at a stand,” she said, “and the other is inside the building to our right. First floor, facing our direction, probably through the bay window.”

Norric’s lips parted. “Impressive.”

“Rarity, can we go now?” Sweetie asked, poking her sister’s side with a hoof.

“In a minute.” Rarity took the bag of apples in her magic and gave one to Sweetie. She took it and happily munched away, momentarily placated.

Rarity turned back to Applejack. “I know you're not much for elegance, but can I convince you into letting me make you something nice for your grandmother's birthday next week?”

Applejack snorted. “Not unless you can make some nice work clothes. I'm gonna be helpin' Pinkie run the party all night, and I’ll be all sweaty from settin’ things up, helping with the food, and doin’ the dishes.”

Rarity thought for a moment. “Well then, perhaps something nice for your grandmother? She’s such a lovely shade of green, I bet I could make something that would make her look half her age!”

And that’d still be older than us by more than ten years, heh. Granny's not much for fashion, but I don't think she's got anythin’ other than that one threadbare dress with the ugly frills. Maybe she'd be okay with it if I can convince Rarity to hold back on the frou-frou? Applejack shrugged. “I'll ask her about it.”

“Beautiful,” Rarity said. “I'll need to come over at some point to take her measurements, of course. I don't expect her to come all the way into town. When would be a good time for me to—”

“Rarity!”

Sweetie had finished the apple and was hopping up and down. “Can we please go home now?! Or can I at least have another apple?”

Rarity sighed, then turned back to Applejack. “We'll figure out the details later.”

Applejack gave her a slow smile. “You know where to find me.”

Rarity nodded to Norric and Strauss before walking away with Sweetie, and the sound of the two bickering sisters faded into the crowd. Applejack attended to a stallion who had just approached. Guess I’m not the only one who don't fully understand her sister.

An hour and a half later, Applejack had managed to sell all of the apples. The three of them took down the stand and loaded it into the wagon, apologizing to the occasional pony who asked if they‘d anything left. It was Norric’s turn to pull the cart, and Applejack was just about to hitch him up to it when she heard a familiar voice call out.

“AJ!”

Applejack turned and saw Mac scanning the crowd from the other side of the road. She waved to him, and he ran over upon seeing her, weaving deftly in between the passersby with impressive agility for a stallion his size. Applejack regarded him evenly as he closed the distance, his usual stoic expression replaced with tired eyes and a slumped posture.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Mac spat out the straw he’d been chewing. “Applebloom hasn't come home yet.”

Applejack bit her lip. “Have you checked the usual spots?”

Mac looked away. “All but one.”

“And the one you you didn't check is...”

“Eeyup.”

Dang it filly, what’re we gonna do with you? Applejack looked to the east of town. “You went last time, didn’t ya? Guess it's my turn.”

Mac exhaled through his nose. “Can ya try talkin’ to her? I tried before, but I don’t think it did much good. It ain't right for her to keep doin' this.”

Applejack tried to ease the knot that was forming in her stomach. “If she’ll listen. It’s not like we can really stop her.”

“Want me to take the wagon?” Mac asked. “No sense in you draggin’ it all the way out there.”

“Yeah,” Applejack said. “And let Granny know we’ll be late.”

“Sure.” Mac hitched himself up and began to walk forward, but paused to look back at his sister.

“Don’t be too hard on her.”

Norric watched as Mac took the wagon away. “What's going on?”

Applejack began to redo her ponytail. “We're gonna have to take a detour. I gotta go get Applebloom.”

“Do you know where she is?” Strauss asked.

“I got a pretty good idea,” Applejack mumbled, her braid in her mouth.

Norric cocked his head. “You and Mac seem hesitant.”

“Good reason for that,” Applejack said grimly. “Not very many ponies are comfortable around cemeteries.”

The sun was hidden behind the clouds as the three of them approached the dull metal gates that marked the Ponyville Cemetery. It was a quiet, well-kept little place, with thin shrubs dotted along the gray stone walkways, and subdued flower gardens placed along its borders. A soft wind brushed Applejack's mane as she approached from the city limits with Norric and Strauss in tow. She looked with a practiced gaze to the far western end between two middle-aged pine trees, and sure enough, there was Applebloom, lying down on the ground with her back turned to them.

Applejack turned to Strauss and Norric. “Can you wait here?”

They both nodded. “Take your time,” Strauss said.

Applejack took a slow, deep breath, steadied her mind and heart, and crossed the threshold of the cemetery. She walked down the neatly trimmed path she'd taken so many times past, the sharp scent of crushed pine needles and freshly cut grass filling the air.

Place doesn't change, does it? Even smells the same, just like it was back then.

Each step was like going back in time. Applejack's vision wavered as the memories came, but these were not like blood oozing out of an old wound. Rather, they were like slow waves that crashed against a hardened wall of resolve.

Applejack stood in front of three coffins that stood beside three holes in the ground, wearing a tight black dress that made her neck itch. Applebloom was sleeping in a carrier snugly strapped to her back, and to her right was Granny, wearing a dress similar to hers, along with a black veil that hid her silent tears. Mac was in a tux to her left, his eyes as red as his coat as he stared at the coffins. Around the four of them was the entire Apple clan—a crowd of ponies, all in black, overflowing the tiny cemetery. From all over Equestria, they’d come to pay their last respects.

Applejack continued on towards Applebloom, the clip-clopping of her hooves almost an affront to the ancient, crumbling memorials that stood as testament to ponies long past. She now saw that her sister was lying down before a pair of tombstones that had the symbol of the Apple clan engraved on their tops.

It was like her ears and throat were filled with cotton. Crying wasn't enough to show how much she missed them, and how much it hurt that they were gone. All Applejack could do was stare, disconnected from the world, but painfully in tune with it at the same time. Somepony she didn't know was talking, saying something about how they'd gone to a better place. What did it matter if the place was good or not? They weren’t here anymore, and it’d be a long time before she’d see them again, if ever at all. The strange pony finished speaking, and the coffins slowly descended, each of them taking a piece of Applejack’s heart with them into the cold, dark earth.

Applejack approached Applebloom, and as she did, it became apparent why she hadn't come back yet. Her head was resting on a small mound of dirt, and her breathing was slow and even. Her mane was a mess, and her face was covered in tear-and-grass stains.

The crowd slowly dispersed as the funeral ended. Family members kept coming to Applejack with the same sorrowful, concerned eyes, saying something about how sorry they were for her loss, but she wasn’t even trying to listen to them. Why bother? Words weren’t going to make the pain any easier to bear, and they certainly wouldn’t bring Mom, Dad, or Grandpa back. They all finally let her be, and soon Applejack was alone, staring at the fresh mounds marking the resting place of the ones she never thought she'd lose. She read the newly erected tombstones, and a raw, fresh surge of grief caused her to cry out in a long, sorrowful wail.

Jonamac Apple Cinnamon Swirl Apple

1658-1692 1657-1692

Pendragon Apple

1624-1692

May their spirits and legacy resound

through the loved ones they've left behind.

Applejack nudged her sister. “Applebloom.”

Applebloom jerked awake, looking around wide-eyed, but her expression turned melancholy as she saw Applejack and gained her bearings. She turned away from her sister, and directed her gaze back at the graves.

Applejack sat on her haunches beside her, looking out beyond the graves and into the open fields beyond. “Did you come straight here after you left the farm?”

Applebloom shifted. “No, I only been out here for a little while.”

Applejack stared hard at her sister, as the wind had made the words linger in her ears. “Applebloom, don't lie to me.”

“Fine,” Applebloom spat. “I came straight here. What do you care?!”

Applejack closed her eyes, speaking in a careful, controlled tone. “This ain't right, sis. You're sleepin' in the middle of a cemetery. Why do you keep comin' out here?”

Applebloom refused to meet her sister’s gaze as she replied in a defiant voice. “Because none of you do.”

Applejack's ears flattened. “You're not the only one who misses them, you know.”

“Then why'd you throw their stuff away?!” Applebloom demanded. “It's all we got left of them!”

“It's okay to keep a few mementos.” Applejack took off her Stetson and looked at it, turning it over in her hooves. “But we don't need to keep every little thing of theirs. We have our memories to remember them by.”

Applebloom's face reddened as she gritted her teeth. “I. Don't. Have. Memories. And it's not the same havin' you or anypony else tell me.”

I was afraid of this. Applejack sighed and rubbed her head. “Believe me, if I could give you some of mine, I would. But you can't go squirrellin' away everythin' that Mom, Dad, and Grandpa used to have.”

Applebloom stared at the ground. “You can't stop me. If you're gonna take away the things I wanna keep, then I'll just start hiding 'em.”

“Keepin' their old possessions ain't gonna bring them back.”

“I know that!” Applebloom snapped.

“No, I don't think you do.” Applejack raised a hoof to put on her sister's shoulder, but thought better of it and continued. “You're not acceptin' that they're gone, and you're takin' it out on others instead. And the longer you run from it, the worse it's gonna get.”

“I ain't runnin!” Applebloom said in a trembling voice.

“Then why'd you come out here?” Applejack asked again.

Applebloom jumped to her hooves and whipped around to Applejack, her face livid and teeth bared.

“Because this is where they are! You don't understand because you got to know and see and smell and touch and hear them! All I got is a feelin' that something is gone!”

Applebloom's voice cracked as tears streamed down her face. “I wanna wake up in the morning and know that they're there! I wanna see them walk in through the farmhouse door and tell me it was all a bad dream! I wanna listen to them talk at the dinnertable! I wanna have them yell at me when I get in trouble! I wanna have them tuck me in at night!”

Applebloom turned to the gravestones and let out a pleading shriek.

“I WANT THEM TO LOVE ME!”

Applejack pulled Applebloom into a fierce hug. She let out a sob of her own, and Applebloom returned the embrace, burying her face into her sister’s coat as she mourned over a trio of strangers.

“It’s not fair,” she whimpered.

How can you miss something you never knew? The words 'Mom' and 'Dad' are foreign to her. A part of me still aches when I walk by their old room every day. But for her? She prolly don't feel anything but confusion. That pain prolly isn't as sharp, but it's gotta last longer, and go deeper. I still can't say if it's worse than mine, but I don't want her to feel it either way.

Applejack swayed back and forth as she held her sister in her arms for several minutes. A part of her just wanted to let the moment be, but at the same time, she knew this was the best time to get through to Applebloom. She took a few more moments to think of what to say, and then spoke in a thick voice.

“You may never hear them say it, honey, but I know they loved you from the moment they knew you were in Momma's womb.”

Applebloom pressed her face harder into her sister's coat. Applejack could feel the warm tears soaking her fur as she gently stroked her sister’s mane.

“It's okay to miss 'em, and to want to have known them, but you can't spend all your time dwelling on what might've been.”

Applebloom looked up into her eyes. “Why not?”

Applejack wiped the tears away from her sister's face. “Because it eats away at you. It helps for a little while, but when you realize it's all made up, it just makes the pain even worse. So you wind up wantin' it more and more, sinkin’ deeper into the little fantasy land you've made. What you don't realize, though, is by doin' that, you're not payin' attention to the present.”

Applejack slowly pulled Applebloom away, leaving a hoof on her shoulder. “Don't give all your time to the dead, sugarcube. Not when it means missin' out on the living. We're still here: You, me, Mac, Granny, the rest of the clan, all the friends you have now, and those you’ll have in the future. Our lives are just gettin' started! Do you really think that Momma and Daddy and Grandpa would want you spendin' all your time grieving over them?”

Applebloom had closed her eyes and was nuzzling Applejack's arm. “No...”

“Then move on,” Applejack said. “You can remember 'em and keep ‘em in your heart, but you gotta keep movin' forward. It's the only thing we can do.”

Applejack then swallowed hard, and steadied her voice as best she could. “I want you to promise me somethin'.”

“What?” Applebloom asked.

“If you need to talk to somepony about this, come to me. Don't hold it in anymore. I'll always listen to you, okay?”

Applebloom stared at the ground as new teardrops fell from her face, managing to give her reply in between sobs. “Only... if you promise me... somethin' back.”

Applejack lay down and looked into her sister's face. “Anything.”

Applebloom shut her eyes and grabbed Applejack in a vicegrip, holding onto her as if she would float away.

“Don't die.”

The sun peeked out from the clouds, and the world was filled with brilliance as Applejack's eyes shone with a deep emerald light. She wished with all of her heart that she could keep that promise, not for fear of death, but for desire of wanting to protect her sister from further pain. She wanted to say that without a doubt, she’d never leave Applebloom alone, that she’d always be there for her and protect her, protecting her from the pain and suffering of the world.

The glow in Applejack’s eyes intensified, filling her irises and casting shadows upon Applebloom's mane, the surrounding grass, and the graves of her family. She could see lights sparkling and moving amongst the grass, the shrubs, and strangely, even within her little sister. The luminance flowed from Applebloom’s core, moving around her entire body like a stream. Applejack wanted nothing more than to make this desire into the truth, to defy fate, escape the ravages of time, and make this one wish a reality for her. Above all else, no matter what life threw at them, she'd always be there to love and comfort her sister.

But she knew that she couldn’t.

Applejack blinked, and the lights faded and the world returned to normal. She tried to shake her head, and suddenly realized that she couldn't breathe.

“Applebloom?” Applejack gasped. “You're... chokin' me...”

Applebloom stiffened and pulled away, giving her an embarrassed smile. “Sorry, heh…”

Applejack rubbed her neck and sighed. “I can't keep that promise, sis. We all gotta die someday, but I think I can at least promise you that I won't be dyin' anytime soon. Is that good enough?”

Applebloom looked away, but slowly nodded.

Applejack held her out hoof, spat on it, then stuck it out to Applebloom. She did the same, and they shook hooves, sealing the deal.

Applejack tilted her head towards the gate. “Come on, let's get home. Supper's gonna get cold.”

“Yeah,” Applebloom said. “Let's go.”

Applejack forced herself to look beyond the tombstones. The pain was still there. It’d always be there, but it’d fade and scar over with time. Life was going to go on whether she liked it or not, and she knew that her family wouldn’t want her to waste even a second of it. So on that day, before the graves of her family, Applejack made a vow: She'd become strong for them. She'd become somepony that others could depend on to give the brutal, honest truth, and always do what was right. She'd hold strong to her beliefs in the face of doubt, and most of all, she'd do everything in her power to protect the ones she loved.

Applejack dried her tears, said her final farewells, then walked down the path to rejoin Granny, Applebloom and Mac. The time of mourning was over. She had a goal to meet now, and while it was going to be hard going, she swore she'd never stop moving forward.

Because that’s the only thing she could do.

Applejack walked out of the graveyard with Applebloom, and rejoined Strauss and Norric. None of them said a thing, and they headed back to Sweet Apple Acres for dinner. Applebloom hovered closer than normal to her Applejack, at one point almost tripping her as their legs got tangled together, so she finally acquiesced and let Applebloom ride on her back the rest of the way.

None of them looked back as they arrived at a crossroads and took the left path to head back home. However, Applejack's thoughts couldn’t help but return to the vow she’d made years ago. She felt like she'd upheld most of it, but uncertainty and fear still nagged at her, for while she considered herself to be strong, both physically and mentally, the last part of her vow posed a question that wasn’t easily answered.

How do I know if I’m strong enough?

Chapter 11: The Price of Freedom

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Chapter 11:

The Price of Freedom

Meanwhile-

“There you are,” Ace said. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Piro was sitting on a pillow on the balcony of the second story house he and the other guards were staying in. He didn’t look up from the long piece of parchment in front of him as Ace approached.

“Congratulations, you found me,” Piro said. “What do you want?”

Ace bent his knees forward one by one and rolled his neck. “Wanna do a little swordplay? I’m feeling antsy.”

Piro snorted. “You must be desperate if you’re asking me. Where would we even do it?”

“In the backyard.” Ace jerked his head behind him. “We just throw up an Illusion and Silencing spell, and we can do whatever we want. I normally do a few rounds with Elo or Grovi, but they're out right now with their Bearer.”

Piro jotted something down on the parchment. “I’m not in the mood for bruises.”

“Oh, come on,” Ace said with a smirk. “I promise I’ll go easy on you! I’ll just give you a few pointers.”

Piro groaned at the terrible pun. “Let me know if you want to have a spellcasting spar instead. That I might take you up on.”

Yeah, right, and I’m not gonna spend the rest of the night smelling like burnt hair. Ace walked to the edge of the balcony, taking in the scene below. The town was alive with the comings and goings of ponies as they returned to their homes from work and various errands. A family of four walked by with the parents carrying bulging grocery bags on their backs. Their two foals, a filly and a colt, giggled and chased each other in circles. Across the street, a unicorn mare pushed a stroller. Ace could just make out a shock of dark blue against the white blankets as a newborn squirmed.

“I gotta do something.” Ace tapped a hoof against the railing. “I hate sitting around in this peaceful, dull little town! I wanna be out somewhere, doing something, anything! Just sitting around here and waiting for the Bearers to recover...”

Ace turned to Piro and shook his head. “It’s like waiting to die.”

Piro stopped his writing. He set his quill down and met Ace's eyes with a hawk-like stare.

“Interesting choice of words, there.”

A pit formed in Ace's stomach. There goes the hoof into the mouth. Why did I—okay, calm down, maybe there’s still a way out of this. Ace shook his head and waved a hoof. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Piro raised an eyebrow, but spoke in a neutral tone. “Do you agree with Blair?”

Then again, maybe not. I know I said I wanted a workout, but this wasn't quite what I had in mind. Ace shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I? It matches up with what Celestia told us.”

“Still not thinking for yourself, I see.” Piro rolled up his parchment, his eyes still not leaving Ace’s. “Come on. We hunger, thirst, can feel pain, sleep, think, and feel emotion. We have all the things that real ponies have. Even with all of that, you still really believe we're not real?”

Ace straightened to his full height and looked down at Piro. “Are you really going to ask me about this? We all know how you feel.”

“I haven’t exactly kept my opinion a secret,” Piro said calmly. “You, on the other hoof, have been silent. I want to know what you think.”

Ace cocked his head. “Why do you care?”

Piro leaned forward and spoke forcefully. “Because I know you agree with me. Cancer valued life above else, and he never gave up on anything he believed in. You're honestly going to tell me you don't have his morals?”

Damn it, Piro, I don’t know what you’re looking for. It’s not that I don’t think for myself, I just don't know what to believe anymore. Ace sighed. His horn glowed, and another pillow hovered over from where they were stored in the corner. He lay down upon it and looked Piro in the eyes.

“Okay, you got me, but I don’t agree with you because of whatever logical, scientific Arcana jargon that you constantly fight about with Blair. It’s your conviction that’s swayed me. I heard that you went to Princess Celestia about this a few years ago—the smartest, most powerful spellcaster in the world, and even she couldn’t change your mind. If you still believe in this so strongly after talking to her, you either see something everypony else doesn’t, or you’re an idiot. And seeing as I’ve known you long enough to understand you’re a very intelligent individual, I’m forced to believe the former.”

Piro scratched his cheek as he looked at the ground as he considered Ace’s words. “For starters,” Piro said slowly, “the arguments with Blair and the one with Celestia weren’t over the same thing.”

Ace frowned. “They weren’t? I thought—“

Piro cleared his throat. “I’ll start with Blair. As a little background, life is defined as the capacity to do one of three things: feel, think, or interact with the world. Our ability to feel and interact comes from Horizon. On this, we all agree. We also agree that we’d cease to exist if we were ever separated from him. However, I argue that upon said separation, we’d still exist for a short time, and in that instant, still be capable of thought. This would thereby continue to meet the standards of life, even if it wasn’t sustainable, and disprove everything that is known to be fact. Blair, however, agrees with the initial theory, and thinks we’d be instantly destroyed. As there’s no desirable way to test this, we’ve agreed to disagree.”

Piro traced a groove in the balcony with his quill. “The argument with Celestia—well, it wasn’t really an argument, more like a very passionate discussion, but regardless, it was over whether or not we're self-aware. To put it simply, I said that because I was capable of having such a discussion with her in first place proved that we are. Celestia disagreed, she said that everything we are in terms of personality and memories comes from our predecessors, and since we aren’t them, we can’t be self-aware. My rebuttal was that while that may have been true at our creation, our newfound existence has now made us completely separate entities, but she replied with that the only deviation between us and them is the understanding that we’re their copies. Both of us felt that the other was arguing over semantics, so we agreed to disagree.”

Ace wrinkled his brow. “Celestia thinks we’re not self-aware?”

Piro’s usual lopsided smirk had a bitterness to it. “Not easy to hear, I know. It took me a few days to get my head around it.”

“Then what about Horizon?” Ace asked. “What does she think of him?”

“I believe her most sincere words were that he’s, ‘a victim of a most unfortunate circumstance,’” Piro curled his lip. “Ironic, isn’t it? We all agree that a vegetable who can only think on the most basic of levels is alive, and yet our own existence is questioned.”

“Horizon’s made of flesh and blood,” Ace pointed out. “We’re not.”

Piro gestured to an ancient elm just down the road. “What is ‘flesh and blood?’ The bark of a tree is the flesh, the sap is the blood. These are not the things a pony is made of, and yet we say they are both alive. Do you define life differently? Are there varying degrees, depending on the context? If so, do we fall into one of those categories?”

How does Blair put up a fight against this? Ace leaned away as the pit in his stomach began to tighten. “I didn’t realize you’d given this so much thought.”

Piro cracked his neck. “This was Scorpio’s forte. It's the equivalent of somepony coming up to you and arguing about the definition of art.”

Ace laughed. “When you put it that way, I can understand.”

Piro waggled his eyebrows, then picked up his parchment again, resuming as if he’d never been interrupted. Ace, however, stayed where he was as he watched Piro work.

“Still going over your plan?” he asked.

Piro nodded. “Manipulation is a delicate process. There are a lot of things to consider.”

Ace rubbed the back of his neck. “This is only a last resort, right? You’re not actually going to—“

“Did you not hear what I just said?!” Piro snapped. “Sheesh, you’re acting like I want to do this! I can’t predict whether or not Twilight’s going to take some initiative on her own, I have to wait and see!”

“Sorry,” Ace said quickly. “It’s just that, well… what you’re proposing, somepony could get hurt.”

“That’d be why I asked for your help.” Piro looked over at Ace’s hooves, taking note of the oddly-shaped splotches on the inside of his forelegs. “I’d have thought you’d be rooting for this to happen. It’ll at least give you something to do.”

Ace’s voice turned hard. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

“What did you mean, then?” Piro crossed his hooves. “You say in one breath that don’t like peace, and in the next you deny the alternative. You’re as wishy-washy as Cancer was, but the time’s coming fast where you’re going to have to make a decision. What will you do, Tendoncutter? Will you hide in the vagueness of neutrality? Or will you stallion up and do what you know needs to be done?”

Ace clicked his teeth as he felt his temper rise, but said nothing. He remembered what Blair had told him about trying with argue with Piro, and he realized that his energy was better spent in other ways... such as trying to grab the sun with his hooves. Instead, he played with a frayed edge of his pillow and changed the subject.

“Have you told Blair about this?”

Piro gave him a condescending look. “What do you think?”

Okay, stupid question, but he might listen if we approach him the right way. Ace looked up through his eyelashes. “Can you at least gauge his reaction? I really don’t wanna go behind his back like this.”

Piro frowned. “You forget how well I know him. I would’ve told him about this if I thought he'd go along with it.”

I’ll never understand how they can fight like cats and dogs half the time and still be best friends. Whatever, it’s not my place to judge. Ace got up and put his pillow away. “Can you just try?”

Piro hung his head. “Not going to let up on this, are you? It’ll be a waste of time, but fine. I’ll see what he thinks.”

Ace sighed in relief as the pit began to loosen and fade. “What'll you do if he agrees?”

Piro rolled his eyes. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“Honestly, can’t you sit still and let me talk for five minutes?”

Rarity and Sweetie Belle made their way from Applejack's stand, maneuvering through the crowd as they headed back to Carousel Boutique. Rarity glared at Sweetie as they approached the end of the street and waited for a wagon to pass.

“I can’t help it!” Sweetie whined. “I’m hungry, and we’ve been running errands all afternoon!”

She's hungry again? Rarity shook her head. “We’ve only been out for a few hours, and if I didn’t have to constantly make sure you weren’t causing a mess, we would’ve been done by now!”

Sweetie stuck out her tongue. “Well, maybe if you weren't such a chatterbox, I wouldn't get so bored!”

“Sweetie!” Rarity admonished. “That's not how you talk to your big sister!”

Sweetie made a ‘hmph’ sound as she closed her eyes and raised her chin.

Rarity was about to continue reprimanding her, but she suddenly had to put a hoof to her mouth as she recognized her sister’s gesture as one she often did herself. It was both unbelievably amusing and adorable, and it was all Rarity could do to keep a straight face.

Sweetie heard a sound like suppressed laughter, and looked over at Rarity with furrowed eyebrows.

“What?”

“Nothing!” Rarity managed. “Nothing at all!”

Rarity checked her earrings as they continued back to the shop. Both Elo and Grovi were keeping pace behind her just within eyeshot, meandering here and there to make their shadowing inconspicuous. She’d fallen into the habit of checking their locations every ten minutes or so while she was out, and now found herself feeling an odd sense of comfort knowing that they were there.

I didn’t think I’d start to appreciate them like this. It’s not like anything’s going to happen, but still, a little security doesn’t hurt. Pity the spell only works for the pony who casts it, or I’d make a set for the others, too. Applejack would probably love something like this in particular, although she’d probably prefer something she could wear out in the fields, like a choker or a neck—

Rarity’s train of thought got caught on a loose end she'd been meaning to tie up.

“Sweetie, stop a moment.”

Sweetie looked up curiously at her. “What's wrong?”

Rarity turned and scanned the crowd for a grey stallion. “I need to speak with one of my guards.”

Sweetie groaned. “I'm never gonna get my coleslaw.”

Rarity concentrated on her right earring, and found that Grovi was twenty paces away, standing in line next to a carrot stand. She trotted over to him, but he pretended not to notice her until she cleared her throat.

Grovi turned to her with a feigned blank expression. “Yes?”

Rarity leaned in and whispered in his ear. “How's my necklace coming along?”

Grovi’s breath caught in his chest. He swallowed and replied in an undertone. “Sorry about that. I got a little ambitious with what I wanted to do, and it wound up taking longer than I thought.”

He said it'd only take him a few days! What in the world is he—oh, like you're one to talk. How many all-nighters have you pulled trying to meet your deadlines because you made promises you didn't know you could keep? He may be a professional, but he did say he hadn't worked with platinum in a while, so of course he wants to make sure he gets it right. Be happy he's volunteering to help you at all. Rarity relaxed. “There's no rush, dear. I just wanted to know how it was going.”

Grovi paused for a moment. “I can have it done by tonight if you want.”

Rarity nodded. “Only if you don't have to push yourself.”

“I was almost done anyway,” Grovi assured her. “I just have a tendency to fuss over finishing touches.”

You’re not alone on that one. Rarity hid a smile. “Could you drop it off then after six, then? I haven't told my parents about you or Elo, and I'd rather not deal with that tonight.”

Grovi stepped away and nodded slightly. Rarity returned the gesture, but then jumped as something sharp poked one of her back legs. She turned to see Sweetie behind her, her head lowered and looking mutinous.

I suppose I should tend to the little vacuum. Rarity rubbed her eyes and gestured towards home. “Come on.”

Rarity and Sweetie returned to Carousel Boutique and made dinner, which was the promised apple coleslaw along with hay dumplings. Rarity had by now gotten used to the sight of something half her size eat twice as much as her, and was only struck by the occasional pang of jealousy as she watched her sister inhale her food. Enjoy it while you can, Sweetie. Soon you’ll be fretting over dress sizes, and wondering which color makes you look the slimmest.

After dinner, the two of them cleaned up and settled down in the living room until their parents arrived. Sweetie had settled on the floor with a coloring book, and Rarity was on her favorite couch with the latest edition of Glamare Magazine. She browsed the table of contents, then flipped to the sneak peeks of the fall lineups and gave a silent exultation. Score another one for Rarity, dark colors are in! I had a feeling they would be, what with the return of Princess Luna and all. It’s surprising there haven’t been more lines with a nighttime theme in the past few decades. You’d think that ponies would be more attracted to the mystical when trying to find—

Rarity disturbed by a frustrated grunt. She looked over the top of her magazine to see Sweetie, staring cross-eyed at a blue crayon as she held her breath.

Rarity chuckled as she realized what Sweetie was trying to do. “You don't need to push yourself so hard. I couldn't use telekinesis until I was ten, and even then, I couldn’t move anything heavier than a thimble until my magical growth spurt.”

“I still... wanna… try!” Beads of sweat were forming on Sweetie’s brow, but the crayon remained defiantly still.

Rarity put down her magazine. “Did Mother tell you how to do it?”

Sweetie released her breath and panted as she rubbed her developing horn. “She said to look in my head for a spot that feels like a pool, and pull from it like sucking out of a straw.”

That's what she told me, too. It’s as good a way to describe it as any. Rarity nodded. “What else did she tell you?”

Sweetie rolled onto her back and stretched her legs. “She said to tell her right away if I do anything, because I could hurt myself.”

Mother must not think she’ll actually do anything yet if that’s all she said. Should I tell her more? I don’t want to frighten her, but she needs to know this sooner or later, and it’s for her own safety more than anything else. Rarity focused on a notebook on the stand beside her, and put it on the floor in front of Sweetie.

Sweetie craned her neck. “What’cha doing?”

“I’m going to show you something,” Rarity said. She willed the notebook to open, and drew a ‘U’ shape on a blank page.

“Unicorn magic comes from the ability to store energy in our bodies and focus it through our horns to cast spells, and the place where store that energy is called our magical font,” Rarity explained. “Where it is in your body feels different for every unicorn, but mine has always felt like its right about here.”

Rarity pointed to a spot right above her horn, then motioned to Sweetie. “Can you feel where yours is?”

Sweetie rolled back onto her stomach. She raised her eyes and lips to the ceiling for a moment, then pointed right in the center of her forehead.

“Here... I think.”

“Good.” Rarity then drew a dotted line in the halfway point of the ‘U’ on the page. “When you use your magic, your body has ways of letting you know how much you have left. When you’ve used up half the energy in your font, it’s called Magical Fatigue. It feels like a faint pressure building up behind your eyes, and it gets worse the more magic you do.”

Sweetie stared at the picture, then looked up at Rarity with scrunched eyebrows. “Is that why you're always rubbing your head?”

The crayon jerked. Rarity reflexively turned away from Sweetie’s curious eyes, but she forced herself to turn back. She's getting as shrewd as Mother. Oh well, it’s not like I was trying to hide it from her, I just didn’t think she’d understand. Not like I can deny it now, anyways.

Rarity sighed. “Yes, it is. My font never gets fully recharged because I don’t get enough sleep. I can’t even remember the last time it was above halfway.”

Sweetie cocked her head. “Isn't that bad?”

“Not necessarily. It just means I have to be careful.”

“Don’t you want your headaches to go away?” Sweetie pointed at the notebook. “You just said it make you feel worse the more you use your magic. What happens if you use it all?”

Rarity drew another dotted line near the bottom of the ‘U’. “There’s something else that happens before that. When you’ve used up almost all of your magic, the symptoms of Magical Fatigue get much, much worse. The headaches turn into migraines, you become sensitive to light and sound, it gets hard to concentrate and focus your eyes, and you can even get nosebleeds. We call this the Danger Zone, and it’s your body’s way of telling you to stop using magic.”

Sweetie shuffled as her sister spoke. “I-if it gets that bad and you haven’t even run out of magic, w-what happens when you do?”

Rarity took a deep breath, and drew a final line at the very bottom of the ‘U’. “That’s called Magical Exhaustion. Like I said, unicorn magic works by using the energy stored in your font, but when your font’s empty, you can still use magic. However, the energy will come from the rest of your body, instead.”

Sweetie stared wide eyed at Rarity. “The r-rest of my body?!”

“The energy that fuels our bodies is called our lifeforce,” Rarity said in a firm tone. “And as you might expect, we need it to live, but in the worst kinds of emergencies, you can use it to fuel a desperate spell… so long as you don’t use it all.”

Sweetie’s chin was trembling. “W-What happens if you do?

Rarity grimly stared at her sister. “You die.”

Sweetie flinched. “You can d-die from using too much magic?!”

“Yes,” Rarity said. “That’s why it’s so important that you know your limits.”

Sweetie was staring at the floor, rubbing one of her forehooves and shivering.

Rarity took pity on her and patted the side of the couch. “Come here.”

Sweetie obeyed. She hopped up next to Rarity, who had now summoned a brush from the end-table. “I’m not trying to scare you, dear. I suspect Mother was going to tell you this when you first managed to do magic, but I’d rather you know now just in case you’re at school or something and get curious.”

“I don’t wanna do magic anymore,” Sweetie mumbled.

Rarity laughed and began to brush Sweetie’s mane. “I’m pretty sure every unicorn thinks that at least once in their life, but magic is a part of who we are. There will always be a part of you that will want to use it, like an itch you can’t help but scratch.”

Sweetie rested her head on her hooves. “I didn’t know it was so dangerous.”

“Only if you don’t know what you’re doing.” Rarity patted her shoulder. “The more you know, the less of a chance there is of you hurting yourself.”

“Is there anything else I should know, then?” Sweetie asked.

Rarity paused for a moment as she rubbed her temples. “There are three things you need to know to avoid Magical Exhaustion: how big your font is, how much energy is currently in it, and how much energy it takes to cast the spells you want. Firstly, your font is like a muscle. It gets stronger and deeper the more you use it, but only if you let it recover. If you never give it the chance, it stays about the same. For example, mine has been the same size ever since I started the shop.”

“Really?” Sweetie turned to look up at her sister, and she did, Rarity accidentally brushed part of her mane into her face. She lowered her eyelids and blew it out of the way. “You use magic all the time, though.”

Rarity closed her eyes and beheld her own font, which stretched out before her like scintillating, cerulean pond. “I know, but my font never recovers because I don’t get enough sleep, so it never gets any bigger. I don’t know how many nights it would take for me for it to fully recharge, but it’s actually worked out for the better, because now I know exactly how big my font is, and how much magic I can have at most. It’s normally very difficult to figure that out, since your levels change so much.

“So once you’ve learned the size of your font, you can figure out where you’ll hit Magical Fatigue, the Danger Zone, and Magical Exhaustion,” Rarity said. “Does that make sense?”

“Yeah…” Sweetie said.

Rarity looked towards the living room door. “The last thing is the hardest to figure out. You need to learn how much magic it takes to cast your spells, and since some spells are easier to cast for some unicorns, it varies from pony to pony.”

“Why’s that?”

“Lots of reasons,” Rarity said, “but the biggest ones are your what special talent is, and your natural preference to one of the schools of Arcana.”

“Ooh, ooh!” Sweetie perked up. “We’re learning about those in school right now!”

They start this early now with Arcana education? What’s the point in that? I’ll bet not even half of the unicorns in her class can use magic yet! Rarity nodded. “Can you name them all?”

Sweetie squinted and thought for a moment. “We only just started talking about them this week, and they’re all really big words. Enchantment, Illusion, um… and the rest end in -ation.”

Rarity laughed. “Iced tea.”

Sweetie blinked. “What?”

Rarity rattled off the old anagram. “Illusion, Conjuration, Enchantment, Divination, Transmutation, Evocation, and Abjuration. You’ll never forget with that one.”

Sweetie’s eyes went wide. “That’s so cool! I’m gonna use that!”

“Feel free,” Rarity said with a smile. “Getting back on topic, though, talent with Divination spells runs in the family, so there’s a good chance you’ll follow suit.”

“That sounds fun!” Sweetie said. “So you only cast Divination spells, then?”

Rarity shook her head. “I can cast simple spells from all the schools, it just takes me less effort to do intermediate Divination spells. I’m very careful about it, though, especially when I’m trying something new. You’ve seen the spellbook I keep, right?”

Sweetie stiffened and looked away. “I haven’t looked in it!”

Rarity stopped brushing her sister’s mane and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Sweetie?”

“Okay, I took a teensy-weensy peek,” Sweetie admitted,” but was all a bunch of weird words and numbers I didn’t understand, so I got bored and put it back.”

Note to self: keep personal items out of Inspiration Room when Sweetie is here. Rarity frowned. “I would’ve shown it to you if you’d just asked.”

Sweetie’s ears drooped. “Sorry.”

Rarity sighed and resumed her brushing. “Those ‘weird words and numbers’ were my notes on all the spells I know. How much energy they take, what it feels like to cast them, that sort of thing. I’ve also written down what my symptoms are like when I’m getting close to the Danger Zone, so if I ever start to experience those, I don’t cast any more spells for the day.”

Rarity put the brush away and admired Sweetie’s straightened mane. “So you see? There’s nothing to be afraid of about magic if you’re careful. All you need to know is what the rules are, and as long as you follow them, you’ll be safe.”

“I guess....” Sweetie rubbed her horn, and as she did, a tiny spark shot out and landed on her hoof.

“Ah!” She jerked and leapt off the couch in surprise.

“Sweetie!” Rarity rushed over to her. “Are you okay?!”

Sweetie vigorously shook her hoof. “What was that?! It felt like I got shocked!”

Rarity’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of the tiny black mark. “That was magic, Sweetie! You did it!”

“What? That was magic?” Sweetie stared the blemish. “That’s it?”

Rarity examined Sweetie’s hoof. “What did you expect, darling? A giant fireball, or something similarly spectacular?”

Sweetie looked at her hoof. “No, but I thought it would be more than that.”

Rarity went back to the couch and returned to her magazine. “Don’t sell yourself short. Like I said, I couldn’t do any magic at all when I was your age. If you’re not satisfied with that, keep working on your telekinesis.”

Sweetie perked up. “Hey, yeah! Maybe I can do it now!” She went back over to the crayon and resumed staring at it.

Twenty minutes later, though, the crayon hadn't moved, and Sweetie was panting like she'd been running a marathon. Rarity was interested to see if Sweetie could do more, but she wasn’t about to let her knock herself out in the process.

Rarity put her magazine down as Sweetie stumbled and almost tripped over her own hooves. “That's enough, dear. You took a very big step today. You’ll get it eventually.”

Sweetie hesitated, then nodded. She gave the crayon one final, hate-filled glare, then turned to Rarity and the magazine beside her.

“You’re always looking at those,” Sweetie said. “Do you have a lot of them?”

Rarity hovered the magazine over to show to Sweetie. Inside were pictures of mares wearing all kinds of glamorous dresses, hats, scarves, and shoes. “I have to keep in touch with the goings-on of the fashion world if I’m going to stay competitive, so I keep subscriptions to just about all the fashion magazines.”

Sweetie shuffled back and forth. “I was wondering, could you show me some of them?”

“What for?”

Sweetie played with a lock of her mane. “I wanna be a fashionista like you when I grow up.”

Rarity let out a small gasp as giddy euphoria hit her like a tingling wave. “Oh, Sweetie, do you mean it? I'd absolutely love to show you! I keep them all in the bookshelf in my room. Let’s go!”

Rarity led Sweetie upstairs to her room and ushered her over to a bookshelf on the wall. The two middle shelves were an impressive collection of fashion magazines, and Rarity pulled down a few choice selections and showed them to Sweetie.

“Now, which one would you like to see? I have Cosmarepolitan, and this one is Alluring. Oh, and this one is marvelous, it's called IntoStyle, and they just finished their fall lineup—”

“What's that?”

Sweetie was pointing at the copy of Advanced Abjuration Application on the top shelf.

A slow smile formed on Rarity’s lips as she followed her sister’s gaze. “Twilight gave that to me. Do you remember her? She’s the lavender unicorn that stopped by a while ago.”

Sweetie nodded. “She’s pretty.”

She’d be even more so if she styled her mane like I’ve been telling her to. Rarity pulled the giant book down for Sweetie to see. “Twilight was a little... socially awkward when she first moved here, and didn’t know about my tastes. Fortunately, we’ve gotten to know each other better since then.”

Sweetie heaved open the massive spellbook to a random page. It was filled with arcane terminology and complex diagrams, and the text was tiny and written in Old Equestrian Grammar.

“Eww...”

Rarity laughed as she watched Sweetie curl her lip. “Pretty dry, isn't it? I don’t know if I even can cast any of the spells in there.”

“Why do you keep it?” Sweetie asked.

“Because it was a gift.” Rarity closed the book, put it back on the top shelf, then walked over to her bed with an assortment of magazines. “I may not have a use for it, but Twilight meant well, and that’s all that matters. Now, let’s start with Glamare. They just released their fall lineup, and I can use it to teach you about the fashion seasons.”

Sweetie climbed up on Rarity's bed and watched her flip through the magazine, listening to Rarity explain what was what on the pages.

“There are four main fashion seasons, but designers start making lineups for the upcoming season, so we're always ahead. Fashionistas right now are releasing their fall lineups, which means that they've been working on them all summer, if not earlier.”

“Mmhmm,” Sweetie said.

“The way we decide what to base our designs on is a process called fashion forecasting,” Rarity said. “We look at everything from current events, designs from previous years, the current styles that are preferred, and try to predict what will be the next big thing that will grab everypony’s attention. I was actually right for this season, as I had a feeling dark colors would be in…”

Sweetie yawned as the exertion from her attempts at using magic caught up with her. She tried to pay attention to what Rarity was saying, but the combination of a soothing voice and lying on a soft, cushy bed was a recipe for the inevitable. Sweetie leaned her head against Rarity's side, her eyelids drooping as she heard the slow, steady thumping of her sister’s heart.

Rarity held up a different magazine. “This one’s Chevogue. It focuses on fashion lines for teenage mares, and I used to draw a lot of inspiration from it. Not so much anymore, though, since I'm more interested in dressmaking now, and the only dresses they show in are for things like prom and—“

Rarity was interrupted by a gentle snoring. She stopped and looked down at Sweetie, whose lips were slightly parted and her eyes were closed.

Oh, you little show-off. Rarity rolled her eyes with a wistful smile, and put the old magazines away. Sweetie snuggled closer and fell deeper into peaceful slumber, and Rarity shifted slightly so that she was more comfortable. She then reopened her new magazine, and resumed her reading.

Rarity heard the jingling of the entrance bell an hour later. Not wanting to disturb Sweetie, she sat and waited, knowing that the newcomers would come to her. Sure enough, the shadows of two ponies appeared down the hall, and Rarity magically widened her bedroom door to alert them of her presence.

Rarity's parents, Garden Wishes and Blitz, poked their heads inside. They opened their mouths to speak, but Rarity quickly put a hoof to her lips and tilted her head at Sweetie.

Rarity’s parents gave affectionate smiles at the sight of the two of them, and Blitz walked up and gave Rarity a peck on the cheek.

“Heya, kiddo,” he whispered. “Did she wear you out?”

Rarity nuzzled him in return. “Hello, Father. She actually wore herself out this time.”

Blitz wrinkled his brow. “That's a first. How’d she manage that?”

“She was trying telekinesis for about a half-hour.”

Blitz looked down at Sweetie. “Did she get it?”

Rarity shook her head. “She did manage to make a spark, though.”

“Really?!” Blitz said in a loud voice. Sweetie twitched and muttered something in her sleep.

Rarity shushed him with a reproachful glare. She then nodded at Sweetie’s right forehoof, where the small black mark was still visible.

Blitz broke into a huge grin. “That’s my girl.” He picked up Sweetie in his magic and set her on his back. She hummed and grabbed onto his mane, scrunching it up like a pillow.

Garden walked over, planted a gentle kiss on Sweetie's forehead, then leaned over to Blitz’s ear and muttered something Rarity couldn't hear. Blitz looked at his wife for a moment, but then nodded.

“Sure, hon.”

Blitz turned back to Rarity, gave her a quick hug, then stepped away. “I'll see you next week, okay?”

He’s leaving already? He usually stays at least a few minutes to chat. Unless… Rarity cast a sidelong glance at her mother, who was wearing a familiar set of black saddlebags. “Oh, sure,” Rarity said.

Blitz walked out of Rarity’s room with Sweetie, and the door swung closed in a pearl aura. Garden walked forward, pulling a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff out of her bags.

“When was your last episode?” she asked.

An empty feeling formed in Rarity’s stomach. I knew it. So, running me through the wringer every week isn’t enough for you anymore, eh? Are you going to move your entire sleep study lab into the shop next?! Ugh, I have to be careful here, or she'll ask to see my sleep journal. Rarity sighed and got to her hooves, well familiar with the routine she was about to undergo. “A few nights ago.”

Her mother looked her over with a critical eye. “Same symptoms?”

“As always.”

Garden began to check her daughter’s vitals. “Are you recording the hours you sleep?”

“I keep forgetting to,” Rarity lied. “I just take the pills when it happens and go back to bed.”

Garden clucked her tongue. “If you’d just take them when you first lie down—“

“It doesn't happen every night,” Rarity insisted. “And I need—”

“Yes, yes, your dresses.” Garden pulled out a new instrument, which was comprised of a small rubber handle, two metal clamps on each side, and a meter just above the handle. “But how well can you act on those inspirations if your magic doesn't get recharged?”

Seriously, Mother? An Arcanometer? Rarity winced as her mother placed the instrument on her horn. The clamps tightly grasped the keratin and began to hum. “I know my limits,” she snapped. “I've known them for years.”

Garden gave a harsh laugh. “That’s impossible. The levels where you reach Magical Fatigue and Exhaustion are constantly in flux, depending on how much you exert yourself.”

“My font has been at fifty Hornpower since I started the shop,” Rarity said simply. “Believe me, I’ve kept a very close eye on it.”

Garden watched the instrument as it measured the current level of Rarity's font. The humming ceased, and the meter stopped between fifteen and twenty. “That's not normal. If that really is the case, it means your insomnia is affecting your font in a way we haven't seen. I should do a Cornuoscopy to—”

“No.” Rarity stepped back and took off the instrument. “I know what I'm doing. You can trust me, you know.”

Garden raised an eyebrow. “Can I?”

Rarity's temper began to fray. “I've been taking care of myself and helping you out with Sweetie for years, on top of running my own business. What more do you want?!”

Garden put her instruments back in her bag, her voice calm and level. “For you to stop running yourself into the ground.”

I need to end this quickly before I slip up. Rarity rubbed her forehead. “Look, I admit I’ve been slipping lately on taking the medicine, but I promise I'll start taking it more often, all right?”

“You should be taking it every night.”

“It's like slipping into a coma!” Rarity protested. “I can't remember a thing from my dreams afterwards! How can you expect me to do that when I've gotten two dozen orders for the one I made last week alone?!”

“I don't care if they're your bread and butter.” Garden’s voice softened. “You're hurting yourself by doing this.”

“It's what I have to do.” Rarity straightened and held up her chin. “All great artists have had to suffer for their craft. I’m no exception.”

Her mother’s eyes hardened. “Enough with the dramatics. I may have taught you how to act like a Lady, but that shouldn’t affect how you treat your family.”

And what kind of Lady are you?! Using your eight-year-old daughter as a pawn in your little game to spy on me! You're not following your own rules anymore, so why should I?! Rarity narrowed her eyes. “You're right. It doesn't.”

A moment of awkward silence passed as the two stared at each other, until Garden cleared her throat and looked away. “We've both had a long day. I think I should go.”

Rarity nodded stiffly. “That's probably best.”

Garden raised a hoof and stepped forward, but then reconsidered and backed away. She held Rarity’s gaze with an odd, pained look, but whatever was on her mind went unsaid.

“Take your pills.” Garden turned and walked out the door. “I'll see you next week.”

Rarity stood an hour later in the Inspiration Room, staring at the beautiful dream dress she’d finished a few days prior. The color shifted from deep blue to a faint violet, and flowed from the neck to the hem in waves. It was saturated with glittering, multicolored crushed gemstones that sparkled in the light, and the hem was made of translucent, molded silver. The orders that’d been placed already would be enough to sustain Rarity for three months, and while she wasn't hurting for bits, that money would help get her through the occasional slow times throughout the year.

How can she expect me to sacrifice these? Does she want me to waste my life away in mediocrity with the knowledge that I'm capable of something more, but it's just beyond my reach? This is what drives my business and sets me apart! I'd never be known outside of Ponyville if I took the pills every night! Besides, my dreams don’t just give me ideas for dresses. I swear, sometimes they feel almost like premon—

“Lady Rarity?”

Rarity's ears twitched. She focused on her right earring, and raised her voice. “I'm in here, Grovi.”

Grovi walked in with a pair of saddlebags. “I hope I’m not interrupting—“

His jaw went slack as he beheld the finished dream dress. He stared for a few seconds, then shook his head clear and stared at Rarity in awe. “You must be dying to showcase this!”

“I already have.” Rarity walked over to the dress and adjusted a wrinkle. “I'd originally planned on putting the necklace with the ensemble, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt like it should be for something a little more special.”

"Great minds think alike, I see," Grovi said. “I was actually going to suggest that this design be kept one-of-a-kind, and only be worn by you.”

Rarity turned to him. “Why’s that?”

“Because of what I've done to it.” Grovi hovered out a small box from his saddlebags and gave it to her. Rarity opened it, and let out a gasp.

The necklace had been completely repaired, without even the thinnest of seams on the place where it had broken. It was sculpted and polished down to minute detail, it's every edge and corner catching the light and sparkling with brilliance. The pronged branches on both sides had been filed off to comfortable nubs, and two flawless sapphires had been set in the holes, their facets glittering and sparkling as they displayed her reflection.

Professional, indeed! This is better than I imagined! Now it was Rarity’s turn to stare at Grovi in awe. “It's beautiful.”

Grovi chuckled. “I haven't even shown you the best part yet.” The necklace hovered up in a gray aura, and Rarity now saw that it was attached to a fine silver chain.

“May I?” Grovi asked. Rarity nodded, and the necklace gently hovered forth and fastened itself around her neck. She walked over to a mirror, and saw that the color and facets of the jewelry complimented her coat, mane and eyes to an astounding degree.

“I placed three enchantments on the necklace,” Grovi said. “The first is an advanced Reinforcement spell, which has increased its durability exponentially. Its roughly now as hard as a diamond, maybe a little harder.”

Diamond?! That’s a bit overboard, isn’t it? How would I fix it if—wow, listen to me. That’s kind of the point, Rarity. She gave herself one last look in the mirror before turning back to Grovi.

“The second is a variation of the Scrying spell that you showed us.” Grovi concentrated, and Rarity felt a slight warmth as the framework of the necklace gave off a faint glint. “I've already attuned it to myself and Elo, and it’ll alert us if you ever go into Magical Exhaustion.”

Rarity raised her eyebrows. I haven’t met any other ponies aside from Twilight who could even cast that spell, let alone further modify it! Elo did say Grovi was a skilled Enchanter, but this is more than I expected.

Grovi paused for a moment. “The final spell was what took me so long, and it has to do with the sapphires.” He took a deep breath. “I transmuted each of them into Font Gems.”

Rarity fell onto her haunches. “You… what?”

He nodded slowly and spoke in a serious tone. “They’re attuned to you, and you alone. If you ever go into Magical Exhaustion, any spell you cast will draw from them instead of your lifeforce. Elo and I have already saturated them, and they each hold roughly enough energy for one intermediate-level spell.”

He can transmute Font Gems?! That's an extremely advanced art! Anypony that knows how to do that is set for life! Rarity took off the necklace, delicately placed it back in the box, and pushed it back to Grovi with a hoof. “I can’t accept this. I didn't think that you could—do you realize what you've done?! You’ve made this necklace priceless!”

Grovi gave her a warm smile and pushed the box back to her. “You're deserving of such a gift.”

Rarity blushed. “Why would you do so much for me?”

Grovi was silent at first. He walked over to the dream dress, tilting his head back and forth as he watched the colors move. “When last we spoke, you reminded us that we're under orders not to interfere with your life, which is true. However, those same orders are to protect you, even it's from yourself. I saw this as the best possible way to adhere to the requirements of both.”

Rarity felt a tightness in her chest as she realized the situation she’d put them in. I really have been an idiot, haven't I? Wearing the earrings and giving me my space is one thing, but did I really think they’d just sit back and do nothing while I put myself at risk? They’re charged with protecting my life, and now I have the gall to refuse this when Grovi’s put forth so much effort trying to compromise with me?

Rarity reopened the box, put on the necklace, and cleared her throat. “I believe I owe you and Elo an apology.”

Grovi turned and met her eyes. “What for?”

Rarity bowed her head. “I've been nothing but demanding and inconsiderate to the two of you ever since you arrived. I’ve thought of nothing but myself, and didn’t even consider how I might be making your job difficult. That's not how a Lady should act.”

Grovi shook his head. “There’s nothing you need to apologize for. It's not demanding or selfish to want live your life without constraint and demonstrate that you can be self-sufficient. Indeed, those are admirable traits.”

Rarity snorted and looked out the door. “Admirable, huh? Tell that to my mother.”

Grovi cocked his head. “Sorry?’

Rarity’s eyes widened and she put a hoof to her mouth. “Oh... I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... forget I said anything.”

“You said that your parents were here earlier,” Grovi said. “Did you have an argument with them or something?”

Rarity chewed on her lip. Can I confide in him? I don't know what he'd say, but he did just do something very nice for me, and I've already put him through so much... Rarity rubbed her temples again. “I get along with my father just fine; it’s my mother that’s always been the problem. We try to keep things civil for Sweetie’s sake, but we don't have what you’d call a healthy relationship. Every time she comes over, it’s like stirring the coals of an old, smoldering fire, and today we had a bit of a flare-up.”

Rarity walked back over to the mirror and adjusted her mane. “As I told you and Elo before, my mother has always been on my case about my insomnia. I took my medication every night back when I lived at home, but only because she made me. That didn’t stop me from doing everything I could not to, though, and it led to a lot of arguments between us. We drifted apart over time because of it, and while our relationship is better than it once was, we still aren’t close. I thought I’d be free when I moved out, but then I needed to take out a loan to start the shop, and the only one who could co-sign for me was Mother. She did it, but her condition was that I had to take my pills every single night, and seeing as I didn’t have any other choice, I agreed.”

Rarity shuddered. “That first year was a nightmare. It felt like there was a block in my mind that was cutting me off from my muse, and even though I did everything I could think of to inspire myself, nothing I did worked. My designs were dull and unoriginal, and I was only making ends meet. Finally, my desire to create outgrew the feelings of guilt from upholding the deal I'd made with my mother, and I started taking the pills less and less. My creativity returned to me as I did, and I started making a profit every month. I made enough to pay back the loan three years after starting the shop, and my fashion lines are now starting to be picked up by some of the bigger department stores in Canterlot.”

Rarity stared at her reflection as she spoke. “I know that I need to take the pills every so often in order to get a full night's rest, and that’s usually what I’ve done, but lately, it fells like my muse has shifted into overdrive. My dreams have become more vivid, and stay longer in my memory. I’ve been getting great ideas, but they come so rapidly that I can barely keep up. And it hasn’t just been for dresses, either. Sometimes I’ll get an idea to make something random, like a picnic basket, a set of bedsheets, or a picture frame. I never have a use for what I’ve made when I get those urges, so I just wind up giving them away to my friends, but strangely enough, it turns out that that was exactly what they needed at the time.”

Grovi scratched his chin. “Does this happen even when you take your pills?”

“I don’t know,” Rarity admitted. “I haven't taken them in a month. It’s starting to wear on me, but I'm afraid I'll miss out on something amazing if I do.”

Grovi made a tsk-ing sound. “I imagine your mother doesn't know this.”

“Nopony does,” Rarity said. “You're the first I've told.”

“Then...” Grovi hesitated. “I don't think you're going to like what I have to say.”

I knew he'd side with her. Rarity turned away. “You're going to tell me I should take the pills, aren’t you.”

Grovi squinted, then smiled strangely. “Yea, but prawly nawt for the reasons you tink.”

Rarity stopped dead at the change in his voice. It‘d shifted from an eloquent, dulcet tone to a laid back, sing-song lilt that chewed on the vowels.

Grovi smirked as he watched Rarity whip around to him. “Didn' expect this, didja? This is the natural way I tawk. I figga you just told me a pretty big secret, so I should return the fava.”

Rarity stared at him like Grovi was an alien. “What happened to your—”

“Voice?” Grovi laughed. “Neva met anypawny from Manehatten, have ya? You prawly thawt I was a noble, a'somethin, didn’cha? Sorry to disappoint, but I ain't got a droppa noble blood in me. Now Elo, on the udda hoof...”

Rarity’s jaw was slack. “I don't even...”

Grovi snickered. “I think it's my turn to tell you a story.”

Rarity nodded dumbly.

Grovi winked, cleared his throat, and when he spoke again, his voice had gone back to ‘normal.’

“Once upon a time, there was a blacksmith who lived in Manehatten. He was a talented, hard-working sort, but the competition of the city was fierce. In order for a pony to set themselves apart, they either had to have the right connections, be in the right place at the right time, or sell their soul to unscrupulous individuals. The blacksmith didn't want that kind of life for himself or his family, so he decided to move to Canterlot.

“Now, this blacksmith had two children. The younger was a daughter, and the elder a son. The daughter was headstrong, beautiful, and had inherited her father's entrepreneurial spirit. The son had the family talent as well, but he’d no interest in the craft, for his ambitions were to become a noble. He saw the ponies of high-society as those who worked to make the world a better place, and he wanted to have the power and authority to perform great deeds.”

Grovi sat on his haunches as he continued his tale. “The family spent their first few years in Canterlot gathering their savings in order to move into a better part of the city, but one day, the father got an idea. If he used the money to instead enroll his children in the best magical school the city had to offer, they in turn could use the skills they learned in metalworking, and set the family business apart. The blacksmith knew his children were bright, and had confidence they could succeed if given the chance, and so that’s exactly what he did.”

“The children, not left with a choice in the matter, dutifully enrolled in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, where they were immediately shunned and made miserable by their fellow classmates for their heritage, accents, and social standing. Both of them hated every day that they had to go, but feared the punishment they’d receive if they didn't, for their father made no secret the effort being put forth for their sake.”

A grin played on Grovi’s lips. “However, fate then took an unusual twist, for one day, the two children encountered an unusual stranger on the road. It was a colt about the son’s age, and a fight quickly broke out between them. No victor emerged, though, for they were evenly matched, and after the daughter got the two of them to talk, it became clear that they had no real quarrel. The daughter then inquired further, and after some gentle coaxing, the stranger confided in them as to who he was.

“The colt revealed himself to be the son of not one, but two noble houses of Canterlot,” Grovi said. “Such a thing was not done on purpose, and while his parents had married to save face, neither of them held any love for the child, and were going to give him up to an orphanage. Before they could, though, the heads of their houses discovered their plan, and forced them to keep the child, as well as give him a proper education. The parents agreed, and so the colt learned the ways of high-society, but he considered it all to be detached, snobby, shallow, vindictive, and subversive. He wanted a normal life, a normal family, and to see the rest of the city, and while realized that he couldn’t realistically obtain the first two goals, the third could be accomplished through stealth. And so he’d snuck out of his house, and had been traveling on his merry way until he ran into the brother and sister.”

Grovi’s eyes twinkled. “While the brother was never the cleverest of types, the sister could see that there was a deal to be made. She made a proposal, and after some thought, the noble agreed. He'd teach the brother and sister the ways of high-society so that they could fit in at school, and in return, they'd show him around the city, and give him a chance at a normal life.

“Over the next eight years, the three became inseparable. They were together so much that even the gritty blacksmith came to think of the noble as a second son, and under the noble’s tutelage, the brother and sister learned to hide their accents, became educated in proper etiquette, and were even given proper clothes by the noble as gifts. All was well for a time, but as the three came of age, problems began to rise. The noble heard strange mutterings and experienced acts of unwarranted hostility from his fellow family members, and so he set out to discover the reason why. It proved to be a difficult task, for there were those taking great pains to hide it from him, but eventually he learned the truth. A series of tragic deaths had struck the houses, leaving the noble as the primary successor to both, and if he claimed this right, the two houses would have to merge. This would result a financial nightmare that would take years to settle, and making matters worse would be greedy members on both sides, trying to stake claims on the wealth and assets of the other.”

Grovi pursed his lips. “Things were not much better for the brother and sister. While they’d both excelled in magic, the brother remembered the harshness and cruelty of Manehatten, and still aspired to make the world a better place. He’d thought that the answer lay in nobility, but after being passed off as the noble’s cousin to attend a few high-society events, he came to detest the lifestyle, as well. As for the sister, she wanted to succeed their father and run the family business, but he refused to let her, saying that such work was not fitting of a mare.

“On the day the noble discovered the secret his families had been keeping from him, the blacksmith's son overheard some classmates of his talking about joining the military. He found the idea appealing, as it was a place where he could achieve his goals, and his hard work could be recognized. But what of his family? They’d sacrificed so much for him to be even capable of having such thoughts. How could he abandon them?”

Grovi stared out the window with unfocused eyes. “It was then that the noble told him and his sister of his discovery, and his feelings of complete revulsion against it. In truth, he’d no desire to succeed either house, he wanted to be completely free from the shallow, vile hobnobs and their callous social circles. In fact, he planned to go to the heads of houses the next day, and tell them he relinquished his rights to succession. However, the noble was stopped by the sister, for she realized that nopony was aware of his feelings. Why else would they try to hide it from him? The years of education had only increased her powers of perception, and she could see that there was another deal to be made here, and this time, it was one that’d make everypony happy.”

The light returned to Grovi’s eyes as he looked back at Rarity. “The next day, the noble went to the heads of his houses, and told them that he would relinquish his rights to succession, but in exchange, he wanted two things: The first was the complete freedom to do what he wanted with his life, free from any obligation or association with either house, and the second was that both houses would henceforth declare the blacksmith and his family as the sole proprietors for any services they could provide. Not only would this elevate the family’s name to unprecedented heights, it would also ensure that they’d never be poor again. Meanwhile, the son and daughter went to their father and told him of the arrangement, but they too wanted something in exchange: The son would be allowed to join the military and become similarly free from the mold he was being forced into, and in his place, the daughter would inherit the family trade.”

Grovi gritted his teeth as he seemed to remember something unpleasant. “There was arguing on both sides as all three families protested and negotiated the details, but ultimately, the arrangement was made. The noble and the blacksmith’s son became free to do what they wanted with their lives, and the daughter was given the tools and opportunity to succeed. And while the three of them had to part ways in the end, they never forgot the time they spent together, or what they had to do to get what they wanted.

“So you see, Lady Rarity,” Grovi said, “you’re lucky, for you've been given freely the things that we had to fight so hard for. You don't realize how great of a blessing it is to have even one parent that cares for you, although I understand it's easy to take for granted if it's all you've ever known. You also have the freedom to pursue your own goals and be your own mare, with your parents supporting and condoning your actions. You may see their worrying as a stifling restriction, but it's one born only of love and concern. I've never even met them, and I can see that.”

Rarity regarded Grovi with a stoic expression as he finished his tale. “Is all of that true?”

Grovi nodded. “Every word.”

“Then I’ve a question.”

“Of course.”

Rarity glanced to the side. “You said Elo loathes high-society, so much so that he did everything he could to get rid of any and all ties to it. You also said that after he showed you what it was like, you came to dislike it, as well. But ever since you’ve arrived here, you’ve both been nothing but perfect, polite gentlestallions to me. I doubt I’d find a pony with better manners at the Grand Galloping Gala.”

Grovi shifted. “So what’s your question?”

Rarity stared at Grovi with unsure, inquisitive eyes. “Why have you both been acting like nobles if you hate them so much?”

Grovi shook his head. “You misunderstand. Elo and I don't hate the lifestyle of nobles, we hate the attitudes and dispositions that nobles tend to have. Specifically: Greed, selfishness, vindictive gossip, and condescension. Elo was constantly surrounded by it, and the few times he was able to show it to me was enough for me to make up my mind. It’s an unfortunate fact that these traits are common enough in the upper class that they're the norm, not the exception, and I’m ashamed to admit that we initially assumed you were just like the nobles we knew and despised. We figured you’d be more cooperative if we put on our old masks, but upon talking with you that very first day, we decided to wear them for a different reason: because you’re one of the very few that’s worthy of such treatment.”

Grovi’s slate-colored eyes became intense. “You hold yourself to the standards of a noble, but remain respectful to those who don’t. You take pride in your crafts and are no stranger to hard work, but you don't hesitate to help others, and give your crafts away. You desire to make a name for yourself, but want to accomplish it through your own two hooves and have a fierce streak of independence. And lastly, you haven’t said as much, but I can tell that if you ever do become rich and famous, you’ll use your gifts to help others in need.”

Grovi suddenly stepped forward and took Rarity’s hoof in his. Rarity’s breath became quick and shallow as the color rose in her cheeks, but she didn’t shy away.

“You truly are a Rarity.” Grovi’s voice was soft and earnest as he held her gaze. “A beautiful, priceless gem. In fact, there's only one other pony we’ve met with the same traits as you.”

Grovi eyes sparkled as he smiled with nostalgia. “And you remind us of her.”

Rarity blinked. 'Her?' Who—

Rarity realized Grovi wasn't looking at her at all. He was looking past her and out the window as his watery eyes unfocused again.

Rarity gasped. I thought he was… oh, goodness, I remind him of his—the poor dear! I wonder when he saw her last?

She took a step closer to him and patted his shoulder. “What's her name?”

Grovi sighed. “Crystal Song.”

“Is she doing well?”

“I haven't had a chance to see her in recent years,” Grovi admitted. “The life of a soldier is a very busy one. I might get a chance to see her here in a few months, though.”

Rarity clapped her hooves. “That should be fabulous for both of you! I imagine Elo will want to see her, as well.”

“We were planning on going together soon.” Grovi’s eyes flicked to the clock, and he put the necklace box on one of the sewing tables. “I won’t tell you what you should or shouldn’t do, but will you accept some advice?”

Rarity acquiesced. “I’ll consider it, at the very least.”

Grovi raised his chin and turned to her. “The trust you share with your family is like the necklace you now wear: Strong, beautiful, and something you can always rely on. However, unlike the necklace, once it’s broken, it can never be repaired.”

Grovi bowed and walked towards the door. “In my experience, it’s not worth the risk.”

Rarity was left alone in the Inspiration Room with her thoughts as she regarded both what he had—and hadn’t—said. She gave the dream dress a final glance and walked upstairs, planning on relaxing for the rest of the evening.

He may be right, but that trust has been damaged and chipped so much already, it may as well be broken. Mother may be only worried about my health, but taking the pills is hurting me in a different way. I can live with the fatigue and lack of magic so long as I’m careful, but I can’t live without my creativity.

Rarity opened her eyes to see that she hung in a void. She could see the features of her body clearly, but there was nothing beyond her save for an empty space that stretched on for as far as she could see. She tried to move, but found that her limbs wouldn’t obey her.

“What is this?!” Rarity yelled out into the emptiness.

The darkness pulsed in response. It thickened, forming into large, puffy clouds that roiled and slowly inched towards her. Colors began to flare inside as they approached, forming into coherent shapes and scenes that Rarity recognized. She looked on as they played before her eyes like a projector.

Applejack's farm. Ponies she knew were everywhere. She and her friends were dancing, singing, celebrating. Granny Smith was standing on a stage, wearing a dark green dress that reminded her of a late spring meadow.

Her room. Mother was staring in the doorway, a look of anguish and supreme reluctance on her face. She blinked, and a tear fell from her face.

“...I love you beyond words, and nothing, not you, not your obsessions, not even Celestia herself can change that...”

A river made of silver glass held at bay by a tall, impregnable dam. The waters of the river were restless and they churned and violently crashed against the obstruction, but it didn't give way. On the other side was a swirling, coiling darkness.

A multifaceted opaque sphere covered with cracks. Rarity could just make out a silhouette of a pony inside covered in multicolored lights, and echoing, bodiless voice came from beyond the darkness.

“You can't kill what was never alive…”

The sphere burst into flame. The hungry fires spread into the darkness, devouring the clouds like they were parchment. The searing blaze sped towards Rarity, and she let out a terrified scream.

Rarity awoke to the warm taste of iron. She ripped off her sleeping mask and smashed her bedside desk several times searching for the light, and when she finally found it, she tore off her blankets and bolted out of bed.

It felt like her entire body had been plugged into an outlet. Rarity whined and screamed as she dashed around the room, rolled on the floor, danced in place, anything to keep her moving. She finally stopped after the adrenaline rush had faded, and the whole ordeal left her winded and drained. She gingerly felt inside her mouth, and winced as she found the spot where she’d bit her tongue. She pulled out a tissue from her nightstand and wiped the blood out of her mouth, taking deep breaths as she did.

Calm down, it was just a bad dream. There's no void, there are no clouds, and you're not about to be burned to death. You’re safe in your home, and none of it was real. Everything’s fine.

Rarity threw the tissue in the wastebasket and looked at the clock—two fourty-four. She sighed, pulled out her dream journal, and recorded the various parts of the dream she remembered, as well as the amount of time she slept. After she finished, she began to head downstairs.

“You can trust me, you know.”

“Can I?”

“In my experience, it's not worth the risk.”

Rarity hesitated, considering the words as they echoed in her strained, sleep-deprived mind. After a moment, she hung her head and closed the door.

All right, all right. Rarity went to the top drawer of her dresser and pulled out an unopened pill bottle. She broke the seal, took two, and got back into bed.

Usually takes about a half-hour for them to kick in after I've had an episode. I'll need something to do until then. Rarity looked over at the bookshelf as she considered her options. In the middle shelves were her fashion magazines, but she wasn’t in the mood for that. I spent all evening reading those. I could keep looking at them, but I’m looking for something a little more… boring.

She lowered her eyes to her spellbooks on the bottom shelf, but she shook her head. Closer, but I might be tempted into practicing some of the spells in there. Celestia knows I could certainly use the work with Evocation.

Rarity’s gaze then drifted up to the copy of Advanced Abjuration Application, and she gave a sly smile.

“Why, Twilight.” Rarity hefted the book over in her magic. “I think I've found a use for your present, after all.”

Chapter 12: Reminders of Home

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Chapter 12:

Reminders of Home

Five Days Later-

Fluttershy paced in her living room as she fanned herself and ground her teeth. She stared out at the early morning sun from her living room window as it beckoned to her, but then quickly looked away. For the last two weeks she'd stayed inside, only going out to feed her chickens, and was beginning to take its toll. The walls inched in closer with every step she took, and it was all she could do not to scream.

She shook her mane as she tapped a hoof on the mahogany floor. I can't take it anymore! I don't want anypony to get hurt, but if I don't get out of here for a while, I'm going to go nuts! I have to go somewhere, have to do something!

Fluttershy had been scared to death about going out again ever since the incident in the fog. She’d seen the looks of heartless menace in Megnii and Spesci's faces, their voices like knives as they rushed at Derpy and the Doctor. She'd been able to stop them in time, yes, but she wasn't about to tempt fate a second time, and so had intentionally kept herself away from other ponies.

Fluttershy’s wings quivered at her sides, and she adjusted them with a sigh. All right. It's not going to anypony much good if I turn into a madmare. I'll go somewhere, but it has to be someplace where there aren’t any other ponies around.

The walls resumed their normal dimensions at this decision, and Fluttershy walked over to a bookshelf in the corner. She pulled out a brown, cloth-covered scrapbook and placed it on the table, opening it and flipping through the pictures one by one.

She stopped on a picture of a swamp with sickly green waters and brown noxious bubbles. The air was filled with a dark haze that, upon closer inspection, was revealed to be swarms of mosquitos, gnats, and flies. Drooping, thin trees with mossy branches dotted the waters, their long, twisting roots reaching far out beyond their base as they sunk into the murky depths.

Fluttershy wrinkled her nose. Not there. Every time I go to Froggy Bottom Bog I spend at least two hours getting the smell out of my mane. Besides, I heard rumors that a hydra has moved in there, and they can be really grouchy.

The next page held a picture of a sparsely wooded countryside with mature, healthy trees and rocky streams. A faint rainbow hung in place over a waterfall, which crashed down from a nearby cliffside. The misty spray drenched a nearby stone bridge with a herd of deer engraved on its side, and trails of smoke could be seen in the distance as a group of ponies made camp a short ways away.

Fluttershy shook her head. I went to Whitetail Wood last month, and there'll be lots of ponies camping around there until the Running of the Leaves. I need something more secluded, and farther away.

An idea came to Fluttershy. She turned the pages for a few moments before stopping on one near the back, which was a picture of a pristine lake larger than the eye could see. Its waters were perfectly still, reflecting the deep azure above like a colossal mirror. The twin skies stretched out to the horizon in perfect parallel, merging so that one couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.

Fluttershy hummed as she remembered the day she'd taken the picture. It's so nice there this time of year. The waters are warm, the berries will be ripe, there'll be nopony out at the island, and it's so much... like... home...

The word plucked a sensitive heartstring. Fluttershy whimpered as she looked up at a different picture on the wall, framed in dry, braided straw. A younger version of herself stood on a spotless golden beach, her wide, innocent eyes sparkling in the fading light of the setting sun. She wore an open-mouthed, joyous smile as she stood between two adult pegasi, the first being a stallion in a green flowered shirt that clashed horribly with his dark peach coat. On her other side was a tall and willowy mare, with a mocha coat and a circlet of flowers on her brow. A mysterious smile was etched on her face, and she draped an extremely long, slender wing around Fluttershy in a loving embrace.

A familiar, dull ache pulsed in the back of Fluttershy’s throat. She bit it back and looked away, but the damage had been done. I guess it really has been crazy lately if I haven't even had time to be homesick. I can’t even remember the last time I saw Mom and Dad, let alone when I got to go home last. I hope they're okay.

Fluttershy grit her teeth and set her nostalgia aside. That settles it—Dragon Turtle Lake it is. It’s far away, nopony goes out to the island, and the therapy will do me good. Ah, but I’m going to have to fly there, and that means…

Fluttershy looked back at her wings. They twitched again as she adjusted a stray feather, causing her entire body to shudder. I was going to have to show them sooner or later. It’s just been so long since I’ve had to explain to anypony, and my nerves keep getting the better of me. I didn’t even have to say anything to Twilight! Then again, I shouldn't have been surprised that she knew right away, smart as she is. I’m just glad she didn’t make a big deal about it.

Fluttershy put the picture book back on the shelf. I don't know if Megnii and Spesci are going to be able to keep up with me. They look pretty strong, but they’re going to have to flap more to get as high up, and that might tire them out, and then they won’t be able to make it all the way, and they'll fall out of the sky and it’ll all be my fault!

Her travel plans were smothered under her apprehension like a repressive blanket. Fluttershy disregarded everything and started to walk upstairs, trying to make alternative plans for the day, but as she took the first step on her staircase, the walls zoomed back in again, leaving her feeling like was trapped in a tiny box.

Fluttershy’s pupils turned to pinpricks as she backed away into the center of the living room and started to turn around in circles. Gotta escape… can’t stay here… gotta get out! I'll just fly a little lower for them, and do a little more flapping! Dragon Turtle Lake’s really pretty when you get above the clouds, but they won’t have to push themselves so hard if I stay a little lower than usual, so that’s a sacrifice I'll have to make.

Fluttershy’s sudden, unnatural movements caused a robin, a badger, and a beaver to come out from various dens nestled around the living room. They tentatively approached her, making sure she was aware of their presence before coming too close.

The badger raised himself on his hind legs. “What’s wrong?”

Fluttershy’s ears twitched, and she stopped and looked down at him. “Inside too long. Thinking about going to Big Lake.”

The beaver to her right slapped his tail on the ground. “Lakes are fun! Go with you?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Only going for the day. Need to be light.”

His whiskers drooped. “You be safe, at least?”

Fluttershy crouched to be eye level with him. “Don’t worry. Yellow and purple ones go with me.”

More small animals emerged. A porcupine uncurled itself from under the couch. Two opossums climbed down from the top of a high-backed chair. A pair of hedgehogs yawned as they shuffled down the stairs. A herd of bunnies hopped out from the kitchen. Mice, rabbits, hamsters, ferrets, chinchillas, marmots, and prairie dogs all clambered out of a large, multi-storied wooden structure with various crawl holes in it.

Fluttershy was now surrounded by dozens of her animal friends. The house became filled the sounds of chattering, squeaking, and grunting as they voiced continued encouragement., strengthening the quiet voice inside her that was needed to make the hard decisions.

“Go and play!”

“Don't coop yourself up!”

“Stretch your wings!”

“Have some fun!”

Fluttershy felt lighter than air as their voices bolstered her spirits. She closed her eyes and smiled, thanking the Sun and Moon for being so lucky to have so many caring friends.

“Thank you,” she said. “I’ll be back tonight.”

Fluttershy’s head suddenly bobbed as something jumped out of her mane. She opened her eyes and saw Angel on the floor, who looked up at her and made a shooing motion.

Fluttershy wrinkled her brow. “You don't want to come?”

Angel shrugged. “Said you need to be light. I'll slow you down.”

Fluttershy rubbed the spot where he always nestled. It felt cold without him. “You're always with me. I'm used to your weight.”

Angel gyrated his arms. “Don't like flying that far. Almost fell out last time from falling asleep.”

Fluttershy gestured over at a small spool of rope. “I can tie you down.”

Angel motioned towards the other bunnies. “Census coming up. Lots to do.”

Fluttershy gasped as she remembered the upcoming birthing season. “Is Bluebell okay?”

Angel fidgeted. “Due soon. Want to be close.”

Fluttershy bent down and nuzzled his cheek. “It’s fine. I understand.”

Angel hugged her, then went and joined his kin in the kitchen. The group of them waved at her as they hopped out the back door, and left her alone with the rest of the animals.

“All right,” Fluttershy said aloud. “I’ll get all of us fed, and then I’ll pack.”

Twenty minutes later, Fluttershy walked out the back door of her cottage and into the morning sun. The air was hot and thick despite the early hour, and promised that the day would be reminiscent of the months previous. She walked down the sparse stone path that ran past her chicken coop into the woods beyond, and as she did, two shadows flickered from above her. Fluttershy looked up and saw a barn owl and a bald eagle circling above her, descending rapidly and coming in for a landing. She stopped and watched the two birds flare their wings and land on a nearby wooden fence, sinking their talons into the soft bark and giving her nods of greeting.

Fluttershy stared at the owl. “You’re up late.”

The owl gave the sun a look of utmost loathing. “Bad luck hunting.”

Fluttershy drug a hoof on the ground. “Only in Everfree, yes?”

“Of course.” The owl stuck out his chest. “Taboo to break agreements. As bad as breaking eggs.”

Her sigh of relief died in her throat as she saw his shrunken stomach. “When was the last time you ate?”

The owl looked away. “Not first time I’ve gone hungry for this long.”

Fluttershy thought for a moment. “You should ask Mr. and Mrs. Bear to get you something.”

The owl lowered his head. “Female is very protective of new cubs. Male is always grumpy. Best to stay away.”

“Say I sent you.” Fluttershy looked out at the Everfree Forest to the east. “They owe me a favor.”

The owl followed her gaze and bobbed his head. “Will do in evening.”

The eagle stared at Fluttershy’s sides with his intense, yellow eyes. “Not flown lately. Afraid to show wings to newcomers?”

Fluttershy flinched as the observation struck true. She gave him a sorrowful look. “Haven’t explained to anypony in a long time.”

“Wings are pretty!” The eagle spread his own. “They will like!”

Fluttershy's stomach quivered as she remembered the looks of shock and dismay she always got. “They’ll stare. Don't like it when ponies stare.”

“Stare because pretty!”

Fluttershy sat on her haunches and stared at the sky. “Stare because different.”

The owl flew over to Fluttershy and perched on her shoulder. “Unless never fly again, delaying the inevitable.”

Fluttershy leaned her head against his soft feathers. “I know. Just nervous.”

“Nerves mean shame.” The owl gave her a gentle squeeze. “Be proud of who you are.”

“We'll come with you,” the eagle said. “Can show them together. Then we all ride thermals!”

Fluttershy smiled. “Going to Dragon Turtle Lake. Want to come?”

The eagle cocked his head. “Too far. Will leave you at boundary of Valley.”

The owl hopped off her shoulder and back onto the fence. “Newcomers go, as well?”

Fluttershy looked around, seeing no sign of Megnii and Spesci. “Going to tell them now. Know where they are?”

The owl puffed out his feathers. “Yes. Can show you.”

She watched him shuffle and click his beak. “Don’t like them?”

“Keep eating the leaves of favorite roost.” The owl stared at her with bloodshot eyes. “Not as much shade now. Haven’t slept well all week.”

Fluttershy got to her hooves. “I’ll talk to them.”

The owl spread his wings. “Follow me.”

He led Fluttershy to an oak tree a few hundred yards away in the center of a nearby field beyond the chicken coop. It was a middle-aged specimen, its gnarled, thick branches filled with ripening acorns and jagged, green leaves. The owl circled the tree once before diving in and disappearing amongst the foliage, and the eagle stayed in the air, doing a lazy circle high above. Fluttershy looked up into the tree and saw Megnii and Spesci perched in the branches, each of them nibbling the nearby leaves.

“Morning!” Megnii waved at her at she approached. “Have you had breakfast?”

Fluttershy nodded. “I just finished.”

“Shame.” Spesci stripped a twig with his lips. “These leaves are nice and tart.”

“Applejack told me the soil in this area is very rich.” Fluttershy bent down and sniffed a daffodil. “All the plants here are really healthy because of it.”

Megnii leaned forward and grabbed another clump. “Maybe I should take some back with me to make a garden.”

Fluttershy watched as the two guards munched on the leaves. “Um, instead of eating just off this tree, do you think you could you choose a few other ones, as well?”

Megnii paused in mid bite. ”Why?”

“A friend of mine sleeps here during the day,” Fluttershy explained. “He’s losing sleep because you’ve eaten so many.”

There was a loud, indignant hoot. Megnii and Spesci turned to see the barn owl glaring at them a few feet away.

Megnii swallowed his mouthful and laughed nervously. “Oops.”

Spesci wiped his mouth and raised a hoof in gesture of apology. “I suppose we went overboard. We were only eating off this tree because it's where we’ve been watching you.”

Megnii jumped off the branch, and glided down to land a few feet away from Fluttershy. “What were you planning on doing today?”

Fluttershy pawed at the ground. “I was thinking about going to a place southeast of here.”

Megnii raised his eyebrows. “Really? What’s it called?”

“Dragon Turtle Lake,” Fluttershy said. “It’s the largest body of freshwater in Equestria.”

“Sounds fun,” Spesci said as he landed next to Megnii. “How far is it?”

Fluttershy's gaze shifted from side to side. “It takes me a few hours, but that’s because I ride the thermals and just soar the entire way.”

Spesci whistled. “There must be a lot of thermals down that way you can do that.”

Fluttershy froze as she saw their expectant faces, the echoes of past laughter ringing in her ears. Her chest tightened, her limbs shook, and she cowered as she started to back away.

There was a hoot and a squawk. Fluttershy looked up into the tree, and saw the owl and eagle waving their wings at her.

“It’s okay!”

“You can do it!”

Fluttershy’s heart swelled in gratitude, and her nervousness melted away. She straightened, gathered her resolve with a shaky breath, and looked back at Megnii and Spesci.

“I have something to show you.”

Megnii blinked. “Eh?”

Here goes. Fluttershy closed her eyes and relaxed her shoulders.

Megnii and Spesci realized that Fluttershy was actually much thinner than she looked, for what they’d mistaken for slightly unkempt fur was actually very fine feathers. Her wings had been tucked underneath her barrel and wrapped around her like a blanket, and her entire frame now shifted as she unfurled them one at a time.

The first and most obvious thing was their size. Each wing started off wide, enveloping Fluttershy’s shoulder and extending all the way down to her knee. They became narrower at the elbow joints, which rested at her flanks, and extended out past her body to twice the distance of her tail. Her feathers were short and round at the shoulders, but then became narrow and pointed at the ends, ending in fine, slotted tips.

Fluttershy rolled her shoulders as she fully released her wings for the first time in a fortnight, and as she did, she felt the beginnings of a terrible, undeniable urge. She tried to resist, but the feeling only intensified. She tried as hard as she could not to give in, but the desire grew to an intolerable level, and with a small groan of pleasure, Fluttershy stretched out her wings to their full span—twice the length of her entire body.

Ah, that feels good… Fluttershy forgot about Megnii and Spesci for a moment as she rid her wings of their accursed stiffness, but she was reminded as she opened her eyes and saw their slack-jawed, wide-eyed faces. The sunlight was filtering through her feathers, creating narrow rays and deep shadows that accentuated her already delicate features, and it was giving her a golden aura that made her look like a divine being sent from on high.

Fluttershy quickly folded her wings normally and looked away. “S-Sorry,” she murmured. “I don't have enough room to stretch in the house.”

Spesci tried, and failed to close his jaw. He slapped himself with a hoof, which had the desired effect, but was still unable to speak for a few seconds.

“Fluttershy...” he finally managed.

“Your wings are huge!” Megnii blurted out.

Spesci shot him a murderous look.

Megnii took note of it, but was unabated. “Well, they are.”

Fluttershy straightened the feathers of her left wing. “Not huge enough, actually.”

The guards slowly turned their heads to her. Spesci stretched out his own wing, which was only a third the size of hers. “Ah... what?”

“They're too short.” Fluttershy kept her attention on what she was doing. “And they're the wrong shape.”

Megnii closed his eyes and put a hoof to his forehead. “Okay, I'm lost. What are you talking about?”

Fluttershy stopped her preening and looked at the two of them. “Have either of you heard of Hoofolulu?”

Spesci furrowed his eyebrows. “The island in the Great Western Ocean?”

Fluttershy nodded. “That's where I'm from. I came here when I was ten to attend Flight School.”

Spesci frowned. “Why? That's thousands of miles from here.”

“Only pegasi are native to Hoofolulu,” Fluttershy explained, “and over the centuries, they’ve developed extremely long, narrow wings so they can cross the ocean. When the island was annexed into Equestria, the natives became couriers to the Kingdom of Antelese, and that’s what almost everypony on the island does for a living.”

Megnii squinted at Fluttershy with an awed, open-mouthed smile. “I've never met anypony from Hoofolulu before. I’d heard that they had exotic wings, but I never thought it was anything like this.”

“Oh, I’m not a very good example,” Fluttershy said. “You see, my mom's a Hoofolulu native, but my dad's from Cloudsdale. They met while he was on vacation, and he wound up moving there so they could get married.”

“So your wings are half and half.” Spesci rubbed his chin. “How much longer are your mom’s wings?”

Fluttershy stretched out her right wing and scratched an itchy spot. “About a third longer, and a lot narrower. I can't soar over the ocean since mine are wide like Dad’s, though—well... okay, I can, just not for thousands of miles.”

Megnii's eyes softened. “Which meant you couldn’t get a job as a courier.”

Fluttershy bowed her head. “Mom and Dad realized there wasn’t going to be any opportunity for me on Hoofolulu, so they arranged for me to be schooled on the mainland, instead. Dad is colthood friends with Rainbow’s father, so I moved in with her family, and went to school in Cloudsdale.”

Spesci nodded. “You and Rainbow are pretty close, then?”

“More than close.” The memories of her adolescence hit Fluttershy in quick, powerful flashes, and her voice dropped to a thick whisper. “Rainbow's my sister in all but blood. Her parents call even me their second daughter. They've done so much for me, and I love them almost as much as my real parents. They're actually the ones who gave me the cottage as a graduation present.”

Megnii did a double take. “They gave you a house?!”

Fluttershy shrugged. “They didn't have a use for it. It'd been sitting vacant ever since a distant family member left it to them, so when I said I wanted to live in Ponyville, they gave me the deed for free.”

Spesci shielded his eyes as the sun shifted. “That was very kind of them. Do you get to go back to Hoofolulu very often?”

Fluttershy's eyes unfocused as she looked to the west. “Mom usually meets up with me in Seaddle, since that's easiest for both of us.”

Megnii followed her gaze westward. “What do you mean?”

A warm gust rose from the east, filling the air with the sound of swishing leaves and creaking branches. “Hoofolulu pegasi have very light bodies, long, narrow, flexible wings, and can even fly in their sleep. I inherited all of those things along with Dad’s wider wingshape, so together, I have a body that's perfect for soaring over land. I can fly for as long as I like so long as there are thermals—well, I have to stop for food, but if I bring some with me...”

Fluttershy opened her wings as the wind picked up, and they snapped taut as they caught the air and pushed her forward. Her hooves brushed the ground as she effortlessly circled once around the tree, the wind carrying her as easily as it would a leaf.

Spesci laughed incredulously. “What's your wingpower?”

“Um, it depends,” Fluttershy said as she landed. “I think I have around two on my own, but since I gain so much lift from the thermals, I wind up going faster the longer I fly. By the time we get to Dragon Turtle Lake, I’ll probably be around eight.”

Megnii began to pace back forth. “So, you're going to be soaring the whole way because the thermals send you up so high, but Spesci and I don't have wings like yours, so that means we’re going to have to flap to get up as high as you. And on top of that, you’re going to have a slow start, but you’re going to be picking up speed as we go, so we’ll have to slow down for you in the beginning, but you’ll eventually outpace us.”

Fluttershy folded her wings and trotted back to them. “It’s also really hard to get going again if I slow down, and I won’t be able to make it all the way if I have to flap the whole time.”

Spesci shook his head. “Megnii and I each have around nine wingpower, and we’re no strangers to a little exertion. We'll also have time to recover in between thermals, so we shouldn't get tired.”

“I'm sorry,” Fluttershy said. “I have this problem with Rainbow, too.”

“We'll be fine,” Megnii said earnestly. “And even if we weren’t, we could just take rests in between. You probably need this, seeing as you haven't left your property in weeks. You've probably started to get cabin fever.”

Fluttershy's eye twitched as she gave them a strained smile.

The three of them embarked for Dragon Turtle Lake a half-hour later, and just as Fluttershy had said, Megnii and Spesci immediately found themselves getting ahead of her with their smaller, more agile wings. They circled around and cut their speed to match hers, letting Fluttershy set the pace from then on. The bald eagle that’d been flying above swooped down to fly beside Fluttershy, and he squawked at her as he came close. She nodded, then turned back to Megnii and Spesci.

“There’s a giant thermal to the northeast!” Her voice was almost lost to the wind. “It should be enough to take us all the way out of the Valley!”

Megnii and Spesci obediently followed her and the eagle as they turned around and flew out past the Ponyville city limits into the wide, verdant hills beyond. They flew in silence for a few minutes, with neither guard seeing or feeling any sign of a disturbance in the air.

Megnii spoke up as they crossed over a large hill partially draped in shadow. “Are you sure there’s a ther—“

Fluttershy and the eagle suddenly ascended high into the heavens, shrinking into a pair of yellow and brown dots as they shot up with astounding force. Megnii and Spesci felt the first tendrils of warm air begin to push them up as well, and they steadied their wings with giddy preparation.

“Oh, boy,” Megnii said with barely contained excitement.

Spesci smirked. “Here we go.”

The two of them entered the thermal and rocketed skyward, the details of the land below blending into vague shapes and colors as they went further into the heavenly realms. Megnii and Spesci angled their wings and began to circle around so that they stayed inside the warm current of air, while Fluttershy did the same, but ascended much faster due to her larger, wider wings better catching the air and flinging her up like a pellet from a slingshot. She quickly reached the top of the thermal and continued to climb, finally leveling out at twenty-five thousand feet, and then looked down to see Megnii and Spesci still only halfway up the thermal. She locked her wings in place and descended to the south, picking up speed as she went, and a few minutes later, Megnii and Spesci reached the top and flapped their wings to get up to her height.

They continued on through the Equius Valley until sparse woodlands came to an abrupt halt at the base of the two massive, craggy, snow-capped mountains. A crack of blue could be seen from a small narrow pass which marked one of the few ways in and out to the world beyond. The three of them flew between and past the ancient sentinels, and as they did, the bald eagle keeping pace with them broke away with a parting shriek.

They continued on to the southeast at a steadily increasing speed, the lush woodlands thickening into proper forests to the west. Rolling hills were to the east, marking the way that Fluttershy had taken several times past. The warm, lingering summer air combined with the slight cloud cover to make perfect weather for thermals, and Fluttershy soon found herself moving at an impressive clip. Megnii and Spesci matched her speed as she continued to accelerate, and they steadily made their way to the south.

A thin line of blue formed on the horizon two hours later. Fluttershy drifted over to Megnii, who saw her approach and tried to hide the beginnings of fatigue etched on his face. She saw, however, and allowed him to hang back so that he could ride in her slipstream.

“Do you want to go to the shore?” Megnii called.

Fluttershy spoke over her shoulder. “There's an island about twenty miles out that I always go to!”

“Twenty miles?!” Megnii shouted over the wind. “That’s going to be a lot of work getting back!”

Fluttershy’s eyes were hidden by her mane, but he could see that she was smiling. “Don’t worry, that won’t be a problem.”

A crosswind blew past, and both of them were forced to steady themselves. “Should try to find one more thermal if it's that far out," Megnii said.

“There's a usually a big one over a hill a few miles before the shore,” Fluttershy said as she moved away.

They continued on for fifteen more minutes, the thin blue line getting wider and wider as they approached. It finally filled their entire field of vision, revealing a lake larger than the two guards had ever seen before.

“Sheesh!” Spesci muttered under his breath. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think we were at the ocean!”

Dragon Turtle Lake stretched out for miles in every direction, so far that even from ten thousand feet up, they couldn’t see the other side. The waters reflected the sky like a crystal-clear, cerulean mirror, and the beaches were a spotless, golden white that glittered in the noonday sun. Fluttershy motioned to a steep hill which had now become noticeable to their right, and as they approached, they felt the onsets of the warm air currents. They entered together and rode the thermal to the top, leveling out at twenty thousand feet.

Fluttershy turned back to Megnii and Spesci as they exited the thermal. “Have either of you flown over a large body of water before?”

“Nothing like this!” Spesci replied.

Fluttershy angled herself towards a small speck of land that was just visible out amidst the endless blue. “We should be high enough that all we need to do is dive. If you overshoot the island, just circle around.”

Megnii was about to ask why, but his question was answered for him as they crossed over the lake's surface. The air became cold and still, and they almost lost their momentum as it abruptly dropped out from under their wings. Fluttershy straightened herself out and dove towards the island, and the two guards followed suit.

Dragon Turtle Island was a mile in diameter and shaped like a wedge. A quarter of it was dedicated to a wide, crescent-shaped sloping beach with blinding white sands, and the rest was covered in sparse, coniferous trees and thin underbrush. The northern side ended in an abrupt cliffside with a shallow, U-shaped sandbar, and the waters all around the island were a light, sparkling azure.

Fluttershy overshot the distance and made a few circles over the island in order to kill her speed. A massive cloud of sand accompanied her as she landed on the beach, and she went into a canter before coming to a complete stop. She folded her wings, took a deep breath, and let the crisp, clean air fill her lungs as the sound of the waves took her back into the memories of her fillyhood.

An aged caw snapped her out of her reverie. Fluttershy looked up, and saw a seagull that was circling her from just overhead.

“Not seen you here in seasons! Homesick again?”

Fluttershy squinted at the gull. His feathers were mottled, he had a grey splotch on his left wing, and one of the talons on his right leg was missing. “Hello, Elder. Afraid so.”

Elder landed on the beach before her and stared at her with his dark, beady eyes. “Always welcome here. How long you stay?”

She looked out at the shore. “Not long, just wanted to stretch wings. Leaving in late afternoon.”

“Need ride back, I assume.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Can you ask the Master?”

Elder made a coughing noise that suspiciously sounded like a chuckle. “Will send word. Lucky I'm in good mood.”

She winced. “Don't mean to bother. Can find messenger instead.”

The Elder Gull raised a wing. “Only kidding, wouldn't leave you stranded. I’ve business with him, anyway.”

He took off again, circling around her once before ascending back into the sky. “Expect word soon.”

Spesci landed just as the gull flew off to the west. He sailed past Fluttershy, and flared his wings as he came to a skidding halt on the beach.

“Nice place,” Spesci said as he took in the island. The sands of the beach were fine and smooth, and the shrubs beneath the trees were laden with ripe, plump berries.

Fluttershy nodded vigorously. “Isn’t it great?!”

Spesci folded his wings. “Not that I mind, but why’d you want to come out here instead of staying at the shore?”

Fluttershy reached up and turned his head towards the water in reply. “What do you see?”

Spesci shielded his eyes as he stared out into the vast expanse. “Nothing. I can’t even see the shore.”

Fluttershy beamed. “Exactly.”

“Wooooo!”

Megnii shot by them in a yellow blur. He flew out over the water, tucked in his wings, and dove into the water with a sploosh. He stuck his head out a moment later, exuberantly motioning for them to follow suit.

“Come on!”

Fluttershy squeed. She took a running leap into the surf, then swam over to Megnii and began splashing him with her hooves. He laughed and splashed her back, and before long the two of them were chasing each other like a pair of schoolyard foals.

Spesci snorted. “That didn't take long.”

Fluttershy stopped and looked back at Spesci. “You too! The water's great!”

Spesci shook his head and lay down on the soft sand. “I'm not a fan of the water.”

“I'll drag you in here if I have to!” Megnii’s soaked mane completely covered his face, making him look like a piece of seaweed.

Spesci sneered and crossed his hooves. “Please. You couldn't even move me an inch.”

“Wanna bet?!” Megnii started to head for the shore.

A devious smirk crept up on Spesci’s lips. He waited until Megnii was waist-deep in the water, then without warning, he sprang to his hooves and charged towards his partner at full gallop.

“Ah, horseapples.” Megnii tried to dodge incoming assault, but his movements were hampered by his awkward position in the shallows. Spesci spread his wings and leaped out over the water, catching his partner and pinning his wings to his sides. Megnii yelped and flailed helplessly in Spesci's grip as the two of them flew up into the air and out over the water, and there was a sense of vertigo as they went into a sharp incline.

“Spesci!” Megnii yelled as they went upside down. “Don't you dare!”

Spesci chuckled evilly. “I hope this water's deep.”

They finished the loop and dove straight down, plummeting towards the water at dizzying speed. Spesci released his captive at the last second and spread his wings, pulling out of the dive and flying harmlessly away while Megnii hit the water with a painful splat! Spesci cackled like a maniac as he flew away, and watched as Megnii emerged a few seconds later.

“I'll get you for that one!” Megnii yelled, shaking a hoof at his assailant.

Spesci rose higher into the air and flew back around in response. He stopped above Megnii and began to spin around like a violet corkscrew.

Megnii gasped. “Oh, no...”

“CANNONBALL!” Spesci blasted down to the water and hit with the force of a depth charge, creating a massive wave that swallowed Megnii and sent him crashing back onto the shore.

Spesci surfaced and burst into more evil laughter as he saw Megnii getting to his hooves and shaking himself off like a dog.

“You'd do well to fear me!” Spesci taunted.

Megnii calmly wiped his mane out of his eyes and stared at his partner with steely glint in his eye.

“Of course you realize this means war.”

Spesci raised his forehooves in open challenge.

“That was fun!”

They both turned to see Fluttershy flying in from the direction of the lake. She landed on the water, then tucked in her legs and folded her wings at her sides. “The wave you made sent me really far out! It was just like surfing at home!”

They both blinked as Fluttershy sat on the water like a bird.

“Are you... floating like that?” Spesci swam over and examined her.

Fluttershy answered with an odd smile. “You should do it again!”

Megnii flew over and whispered in Spesci’s ear. “Whoever sends her out the farthest wins.”

Spesci's grin returned.

Fluttershy spent the next two hours being the judge for Megnii and Spesci as they did cannonballs in the water. She determined who was winning by riding the waves as far as she could out into the lake, and the competitive spirit of the two guards caused them to try harder and harder to one-up each other. It was now Megnii’s turn, and he hovered above as he prepared to dive. He zoomed up in a quick burst, then turned around and blasted towards the water. He tucked in all four of his legs at the last second, and the force of his impact created a wave over twenty feet high. Fluttershy braced herself as it approached, getting swept up and quickly ascending to the top. She steadied herself and rode out for five hundred feet before it tapered off enough that she fell out of its wake.

Fluttershy turned to see how far she had gone. It looked close to the other times, so she closed one eye and held up a hoof to see if it completely covered the island. That was a really good one! Looks like Spesci is still winning with those corkscrews of his, though. I think Megnii needs to tuck in his wings more—

Fluttershy felt something brush one of her back hooves. She jumped, and turned to see a dark shape below her. She took a breath, then stuck her head underwater to see what it was.

A small, dark green turtle swam below her, his expression impassive as his thick, hexagonal shell glistened in the dim rays. “Never seen a pony ride waves like you.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Not many can. Not around here, anyway.” She pointed up to the surface, and went up for air.

The turtle followed suit and poked its head above the water. He waited for her to regain her breath before speaking again. “Elder Gull has spoken with the Master. Will come for you in two hours.”

Fluttershy tensed. “He’s coming himself?!”

“Wishes to see you,” the turtle said. “Master likes news.”

Fluttershy looked back towards the island where the waves from Megnii's latest cannonball still rippled outward. “Does he know I have guests?”

The turtle grunted. “Not that it matters... but yes.”

Fluttershy tucked her legs back in as she sat on the water. “He's not mad, is he?”

“Master does not know anger,” the turtle replied. “Even if he did, churning of waters is no grievance.”

Fluttershy relaxed. “Give him my thanks.”

“Can give them yourself when he comes,” the turtle said as he swam away. “Be ready.”

Fluttershy spread her wings and flew the short distance back to the island. She found Megnii and Spesci waiting for her on the shore, and Megnii ran over to her as she landed.

“How was that?” he asked eagerly.

Flutterhy giggled. “Spesci still has you beat with that first spinning cannonball he did.”

Spesci tilted his head. “I'm gonna have water in my ears for a week from that one.”

Megnii laid down on the beach and spread out his wings. “Eh, I think I'm done. I hate flying with wet feathers, so I wanna be dry by the time we leave.”

Fluttershy nodded and sat down across from him so she could fully extend her own. Her own feathers were waterproof, but she wasn't about to miss out on an excuse to sunbathe.

Spesci remained standing for a moment as his eyes roamed over her impressive wingspan, but he then went over to sit down a few pony lengths away from Megnii and cleared his throat. “Fluttershy, have you been hiding your wings because you were afraid we'd make fun of you?”

Fluttershy’s ears drooped. “It’s just that, well... I haven't had to explain this to anypony since I've moved to Ponyville, and even then, either Rainbow or Derpy have had to be there for me to work up my courage.”

“You don't have anything to be ashamed of.” Megnii was building a small hill out of sand as he spoke.

Fluttershy rested her head on her hooves. “It’s not easy being different. I’ve always been really self-conscious about my wings, and it hasn’t helped that I've always been a weak flier. On Hoofolulu, I got teased because my wings were too small. When I came here, it was because they were too big. Rainbow stopped it when she could, but she couldn't be there all the time because she’s a year older than me. It was really bad for a while, but I eventually managed to find some help.”

Megnii paused and looked up at her. “From who?”

Fluttershy took a moment to collect her thoughts. “It happened about ten years ago. I was being teased because I was having trouble with vertical take-offs, and I was getting really upset about it. Rainbow saw what was happening, and challenged the ponies doing it to a race. They agreed, but when they took off, I was standing too close to the starting line, and the turbulence made me fall out of Cloudsdale.”

Megnii's eyes widened. “Were you all right?!”

Fluttershy looked up at him through her eyelashes. “I was fine, but the bigger problem was that I'd never been on the ground before. I landed in a meadow, panicked and confused, and I wasn’t strong enough to fly back up to the city on my own. I didn’t know what to do, and I was just about to curl into a ball and cry...”

She smiled softly. “...and that's when the animals found me.”

“Was this how you discovered that you can speak Sylvan?” Spesci asked.

Fluttershly blinked at the strange word. “Sylvan?”

Spesci dug a small groove in the sand. “Animal Speech, The Voice of Nature, Beast-Tongue... it’s the name of the language of the wild creatures.”

“Really?” Fluttershy said. “I never knew there was a name for it! I just thought I could communicate with the animals on a different level!”

“It's a rare gift,” Spesci said fervently. “There are spells that can do the same thing, but there’ve only a few ponies in history that’ve been able to speak it naturally.”

Fluttershy sat up and helped pile sand on Megnii’s hill. “It was one of the happiest times of my life when I realized I could do it, and I spent that whole day learning the names and faces of all the animals. The land dwellers all wanted me to come and play with them, and the fliers wanted to show me where all the best thermals were. When I told them I couldn’t fly very well and was stuck on the ground, they introduced me to a bird that had wings like to mine. That’s how I met Mr. Eagle.”

Megnii flattened the top of the sand mound. “Was that the same one who with us earlier?”

Fluttershy nodded. “He’s very nice. He knows all the good spots to soar in the Valley, and he taught me how to ride the thermals and get back up to Cloudsdale.”

Her face then fell as she looked away. “In the meantime, though, Rainbow had gone frantic looking for me. She felt terrible over what’d happened, and got really depressed even though I told her I didn’t blame her for it. She was having some other issues at the time, too, so that didn’t help, but she eventually got over it.”

Fluttershy watched as Megnii molded the sides of the hill into parapets. “I told my teachers I’d found a special tutor, and so they let me go down to the ground every day to learn from Mr. Eagle. Cloudsdale’s schools are fine and all, but there was only so much they could teach me because my wings are so different, and they understood that. Thanks to Mr. Eagle I got teased less and less, and by my freshman year the other ponies finally left me alone... which was great for Rainbow.”

“Rainbow?” Spesci echoed. “Why not for you?”

Fluttershy sighed. “She was only staying in school because she felt like she needed to watch out for me. I tried to tell her I was fine, but she wouldn’t listen, no matter what I said. I went to her parents about it, and together, we came up with an idea for how to convince her.”

“What’d you do?” Megnii asked.

Fluttershy coughed. “I-I, um... asked her to come with me when I went go visit my m-mom at the coast.”

Spesci suppressed a snicker. “How’d that turn out?’

Fluttershy tried not to blush as her voice became quieter. “Well, you see… Rainbow’s always been very competitive, but she’d never flown for very long periods of time before, and since long-distance flying is what I’m sort of... built for, her parents said we, um… shouldn’t fly together. Instead, we should make it… into a race.”

Megnii stopped building the sand castle and looked at her, a smirk forming on his face. “Who won?”

“She did,” Fluttershy said immediately.

Spesci narrowed his eyes as he watched her wings twitch. “How long did it take you?”

“A-A day and a half,” Fluttershy managed. “Rainbow did it in sprints with long rests in between, and I went the whole way without stopping. We landed in Seaddle about ten minutes apart.”

Both the guards were now staring at her. “How fast were you going at the end?” Spesci asked.

Fluttershy shrugged. “I didn’t have any way to measure it. The cone I had going was pretty narrow, though.”

Spesci whistled. “You might’ve beaten her if you’d gone a little farther.”

Fluttershy started to carve a moat around Megnii’s sand castle. “You haven’t met Rainbow yet, so you don’t know how much she hates to lose. I know she would’ve just pushed herself harder to beat me, and then she might’ve gotten hurt. Her wings were really sore afterwards as it was, so I’m glad we stopped when we did.”

Megnii picked out some rocks to place on the top of the castle. “What’d she say when you landed?”

“Nothing.” Fluttershy picked up a nearby shell and examined it. “Nothing at all. That’s the first, and only time I’ve ever seen her speechless. It was a good, though, because during the flight, I’d finally found the right words to say. I told her I understood why she felt the way she did, but she shouldn’t compare me to herself because it was preventing her from seeing that I’d become strong in a different way. I didn’t want her to be miserable for my sake, especially when I didn’t need her to take care of me anymore, so she should not worry about me so much and go and live her own life.”

“Was it enough to convince her?” Spesci asked.

The faintest hint of a smile played on Fluttershy’s lips. “Yes, but I think what really got her was that I wasn’t tired at all when she could barely stand.”

Megnii chuckled. “You two sound just like me and Cyclone.”

Fluttershy snapped out of her reverie and turned to him. “Cyclone?”

Megnii’s laughter was cut short, and he quickly jerked his head up to stare wide-eyed at the sky. “Oh, um… never mind!”

Fluttershy raised her chin and tried to see his face. “Is that a friend of yours?”

Megnii cast a pleading look to Spesci, who rested his head on a hoof and looked at him with false, innocent eyes.

Megnii gulped. “N-No, actually… Cyclone’s my twin brother.”

Fluttershy gasped. “You have a twin?! Fraternal, or Identical?”

“F-Fraternal.”

“Oh.” Fluttershy slumped back down. “So he looks nothing like you.”

Megnii got up and stretched. “Not even close. You wouldn’t even know we’re brothers unless we told you.”

“Is he in the military, too?” Fluttershy asked.

“No,” Megnii replied casually. “This life wasn't for him. Besides, he'd already gotten a job at the weather factory.”

Fluttershy furrowed her eyebrows. “I didn't know Las Pegasus had a weather factory.”

Megnii gritted his teeth. “W-Well, ah…”

“It's not a very big one,” Spesci cut in. “The locals have it in case they need extra rain. The city's in the middle of a desert, after all.”

Fluttershy turned to him. “Do you have any family that work there?”

Spesci shook his head. “My father's a scientist who studies the weather patterns of the region. His lab is by the nearby mountains. My mother's retired, but she used to be a ranger. She and her crew were sent out to rescue ponies that got lost in the desert.”

Fluttershy’s lips parted. “That sounds dangerous. Does that happen a lot?”

“Unfortunately.” Spesci began to build a bridge over the moat of the sand castle. “Las Pegasus is very popular with tourists, and all it takes is a little liquid courage for somepony to think they can go off on their own. She usually got to them in time, but every so often...”

Fluttershy put a hoof to her mouth. “That's awful!”

Spesci exhaled out his nose. “Mom’s exact words are, ‘Everypony gets warned when they come in. There are signs everywhere. If you ignore all of that, you get what you deserve.’”

‘Get what you deserve?’ How could anypony say such a thing? Why wouldn’t you want to help ponies that get lost out in the desert?! A chill ran through Fluttershy that had nothing to do with the weather. “That's so… cold.”

Spesci sighed. “She wasn’t always like that. When she started, she was driven to save anypony who got lost out there. Over time though, watching the same mistake get made over and over caused her to lose faith in what she was doing. She slowly turned bitter and jaded, and the worst part of it was that she didn’t even realize it was happening... at least, not until somepony died in her arms and it didn’t even make her flinch.”

The bottom of Fluttershy’s stomach dropped out. Oh, my… to have to see anypony suffer like that, let alone his mother? How horrible!

A gentle light appeared in Fluttershy’s heart. It was pure and soothing, and it spread out from her core to make her feel as though she were floating on air. A dim pink light appeared in the depths of her pupils, and she got up and walked over to Spesci.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “That must have been awful for you... and your father, as well.”

Spesci suddenly jerked his head, as if he were trying to ward something off. He made a motion to get up, but Fluttershy was already standing in front of him. His eyes reluctantly crept up to meet hers, and as their gazes met, the faint pink light in her eyes became reflected in his.

“It was a wake-up call.” Spesci relaxed and spoke in a softer, more earnest tone. “Mom realized how detached she’d become, and anypony who’s become that numb to the loss of life like that isn’t cut out for public service. She turned in her badge, and helps Dad out with his research now.”

How awful, to do something for so long and to try so hard, only to have it drain you so much that you can’t do it anymore. And then how that must’ve in turn hurt his family, too. Fluttershy went over to his side and laid down beside him. “Do you think she’ll ever get better?”

Spesci didn’t seem to mind her closeness anymore. He absentmindedly poked the side of the castle, and made a hoof-shaped doorframe. “Even if she could, I doubt she’d want to. The numbness can be a blessing, you know. It’s better than drowning in your own sorrow, and prevents you from dwelling on things beyond your control.”

I don't believe that. You'll never heal if you just keep repressing your memories, and just shutting yourself off isn’t the answer, either. You need to face your demons at some point, and the longer you hold off on it, the worse it’ll be. I understand that ponies do what's necessary to continue on when you’re surrounded by terrible things, though. I just wish I knew how to help with that. Then maybe I could help him and his mother.

The light in Fluttershy’s eyes grew brighter, and spread out to fill her irises. She put a hoof on Spesci’s shoulder.

…or remembering those you’ve killed.

The light in her eyes died. Fluttershy recoiled and backed away from Spesci like he were made of something vile.

“What did you say?!”

For a split second, Spesci’s face contorted and his breath caught in his chest. He rolled away in an exaggerated fashion, and knocked over the sand castle as he looked all around. “Did something startle you?”

Fluttershy stared blankly at him. “I-I thought that… did you j-just say something about… k-killing ponies?”

Spesci’s eyes narrowed. “My mother never killed anypony. She lost her heart, not her work ethic. She saved more lives in her last year on the team than most others do in their entire career; it’s just that she couldn’t see the faces of those she saved anymore.”

What? I wasn’t talking about his mo—Fluttershy shook her head. Am I hearing things? I could’ve sworn he just said… his lips weren’t moving, though. Maybe it was just the wind? She waved a hoof. “I didn’t mean your mother, I thought I… never mind.”

Megnii, who’d been watching the entire scene from several feet away, wiped the sweat from his brow and cleared his throat. “S-So Fluttershy, is there anything to eat on this island besides leaves and grass?”

Fluttershy forced herself to focus on his question and turned to him. “Yes, actually. There are some gooseberry bushes here. Have you ever had those?”

Megnii pursed his lips. “I’ve never even heard of them.”

Fluttershy walked towards the woods. “You’re in for a treat, then!”

Megnii looked back at Spesci before following her. Spesci was rubbing his head, but he nodded and motioned for him to go ahead.

The three of them spent the next hour walking around the island, munching on the leaves of the various trees, picking out berries that were ripe on the bushes, and relaxing in the shade. Fluttershy brought them up to the cliffside of the island and showed them the sandbar below. They were considering going down, but after seeing the playful grin beginning to twitch on Spesci’s lips, they thought better of it. Afterwards, they headed back towards the beach at Fluttershy’s request, and they now walked together through the pathless wood.

Fluttershy turned to Megnii as a thought struck her. “You never finished telling me about your brother.”

Megnii had been kicking a rock along the ground, and he whiffed at the mention of his sibling. “N-No, I guess I didn’t. Well, where to start? Like I said, we’re twins, but since we’re fraternal, we’ve never looked alike. He was really small and weak when we were born, and most of his foalhood was spent at the doctor because he was sick all the time. It carried on into Flight School, and he got picked on a lot for it. I wasn’t gonna stand by and let that happen, though, so it led to a lot of trouble.”

I never really thought about what bullying must be like for boys. I suppose it’d be a little different. Fluttershy bit her lip. “I’m sorry.”

Not wanting to go back for the rock, Megnii settled for a stray stick instead. “I didn't want to fight, but some of our classmates were bullies that didn't back down. I didn't always win, but everypony learned real quick that I gave just as much as I got, so most of them stayed away.”

That really does sound like me and Rainbow… well, except for the fighting part. None of the boys wanted to hit a girl, even if the girl started the fights half the time. Fluttershy snagged some berries from a nearby bush as they walked. “I never understood why bullies have to single out the weak. Do you know why that is?”

“There isn’t any one reason,” Megnii replied. “Some ponies are just angry, and are looking for something to take it out on. Others are cruel because they’ve been cruelly treated themselves. And in rare occasions, you get ones that are just plain bad.” Megnii suddenly laughed. “Regardless, though, it wasn’t a problem for very long.”

Fluttershy cocked her head. “What do you mean?”

Megnii’s stick clattered just ahead of them as he spoke. “Cyclone was really weak when we were young, but in our freshman year, he grew out of it… literally. He suddenly shot up like a weed, and filled out like he'd gone to the gym every day. He’s twice my size now, and can whoop me with all four of his hooves tied.”

So his body kicked into overdrive to make up for lost time. Hehe, I’ll bet that was an interesting role reversal. Fluttershy munched on the berries as she watched him kick the stick. “So what’d you do?”

Megnii picked up the stick, set it at his side, and did a mock salute. “To quote Blair: ‘Old habits die hard.’ I couldn't help but feel like I still needed to watch out for him, so I stayed at his side, and made sure nopony gave him any guff.”

“Despite that it was like a chihuahua guarding a mastiff,” Spesci said to Fluttershy. “Seriously, I met his brother once. The dude's a giant.”

Megnii chuckled and threw the stick away. “Cyclone got a job at the weather factory after Flight School. I was about to apply too, but before I could, he sat me down and had a talk. It wasn’t easy for him since he’s never been one for sentimental stuff, but the gist of what he said was, ‘Bro, I’m grateful for what you did for me in the past, but you don’t need to look out fo rme anymore. I’ll be fine, so go live your own life.”

Familiar, indeed. “Did you listen?” Fluttershy asked.

“Not at first,” Megnii admitted. “It wasn’t because I didn’t believe him though, I just didn’t know what else to do with my life. I'd spent so long being the watchful ‘older brother’ that it was in my blood, and if Cykes didn’t need me anymore, then, well...I decided I’d find others that did. The military seemed like the best way to do that, so I joined up the next day.”

“Hooray for making life-altering decisions on a whim,” Spesci remarked wryly.

Megnii snorted. “I’ll admit I didn’t put a whole lot of thought into it, but I don’t regret the decision. I believe that what we do is for the sake of protecting the things we love, and I haven’t lost sight of that.”

I never thought about it that way! I always thought that the military was just there for big scary ponies to go and fight because that’s what they liked to do. Well, there are probably ponies that join for that, but from what Megnii’s saying, maybe those ponies are in the minority.

They walked out from under the trees and back onto the beach. “What'd your family think?” Fluttershy asked.

Megnii cringed. “Mom and Dad weren't too keen on the idea, and it didn't help that it kinda did it out of the blue. They came around, though. Cykes wasn't surprised at all. In fact, when I told him, he just smiled and said, ‘I figured that’s what you’d do. You've always been a nice guy.'”

Spesci rolled his eyes. “A little too nice, perhaps.”

“Give it some time,” Megnii replied cryptically. “You might start to see things my way.”

Speci smirked. “I think I’m starting to.”

Fluttershy looked at the two guards as they laughed. She realized that she was enjoying their company, which was something she never thought would happen when she’d heard about this whole ordeal. She thought she’d get a pair of gruff, angry ponies that frowned all the time, not these nice, relaxed, friendly stallions that joked around like old friends. There was no hint of the darkness or menace she’d seen two weeks ago, and if she didn’t know better, she wouldn’t even think they were the same ponies.

Fluttershy felt a pang of guilt as she turned back to look at her wings. What was I so worried about? They didn’t make fun of me, and it’s my fault they stared because I hid them for so long. We’re all adults now, and I have to remember that this isn’t Flight School anymore.

Megnii turned to her. “I assume you wanted to come back to the beach so we can leave. What’s the plan? You said getting back wouldn't be a problem.”

Fluttershy gasped. Oh, no! I forgot to tell them, and he’ll be here any minute! She looked out at the calm waters, which showed no sign of disturbance or movement. “A friend of mine is coming to pick us up soon. We need to get into the air!”

“A friend?” Spesci echoed. “How's he going to get here?”

“He's going to carry us,” Fluttershy said in a rushed voice. “He’s a—”

“Carry?” Megii laughed. “What, is he a sea monster or something?”

The three of them stumbled as a deep, ominous rumbling came from just off the coast. Fluttershy spread her wings and quickly went up as high as she could.

“Get up here, quick!”

The rumbling increased, and the water began to ripple. The color drained from the two guards faces as a set of waves over twice their height sped towards the shore. They both jumped into the air just in time to watch the frothing walls of water submerge the entire beach.

Fluttershy winced as she saw Megnii and Spesci’s panicked expressions. “It’s okay!” she yelled over the noise. She pointed out at the disturbance in the lake. “It’s just my friend!”

Megnii was completely rigid, save for his wings, and he stared at the spot she‘d indicated. “What is that?!”

Fluttershy smiled as the waves grew even bigger. “It’s called Dragon Turtle Lake for a reason.”

A colossal turtle emerged from the depths. It had a wide, streamlined shell with jagged, blade-like protrusions on either side, and his long neck ended in a triangular head with a crest on top like a sail. His mouth was a jagged beak; toothless, but lined with serrated edges made for ripping and tearing. His flippers ended in grey, honed talons, and a long, spiny tail extended out from his back. He was over three hundred feet long from nose to tail, and almost half as wide.

The turtle glanced at the island, then looked up to the sky. He located the three ponies and stared at them with clear, ancient eyes.

Fluttershy clapped her hooves and flew out to the creature. She swooped out in front of its head, and hugged the very edge of his snout.

“Hello Master,” she said. “It's good to see you again.”

The Master of the Lake made a low, happy hum, almost inaudible to her ears. “Always have I felt the winds of change at your back, little one. It’s been less than a year since you last visited my shores, yet in that time, you've changed the world.”

Fluttershy went over to hover before his left eye. “You heard about the Elements?”

The Master nodded, which caused another set of waves to crash against the shore. “My ears go farther than you might think. You're to be commended for the part you played in restoring Princess Luna.”

The gentle warmth in Fluttershy’s heart flickered again as she remembered the glimpse of intense loneliness and blinding pain she’d seen on Nightmare Moon’s face. “She... just seemed so sad and lonely. When I saw her, I wanted to help her so much! She’d been alone for so long already, I knew I had to do something for her.”

“Such is the nature of the power you wie—” the Master stopped. He sniffed the air, then leaned his gargantuan head forward. “I sense that the Element of Kindness has left its mark on you. Are you aware of this?”

Fluttershy backed away so that she could see his entire head. “Maybe that’s what Twilight meant. She’s the Bearer of Magic, and she said that my friends and I are the only ones who can use Elements now.”

His eyes widened. “This Twilight didn’t say why?”

“That’s all Princess Celestia told her.” Fluttershy raised a hoof to her chin. “She seemed to accept it, but we’re all still a little confused. I think Twilight's trying to figure out more, but I haven’t asked her about it lately.”

The waves crashing against the shore ceased as The Master lowered his gaze to the water. After a minute, he looked back up at Fluttershy. “Celestia is good and wise. If she hasn't spoken more of this, I shall respect that.”

Fluttershy’s wings were starting to ache, and she flapped a little harder to stay hovering in place. “Are you saying she isn't telling us something? I was afraid to ask more.”

The Master raised a claw out of the water. “I admit I’m not well-versed in the specifics of the Elements of Harmony. All I know is that they’re ancient pieces of magic, and their power is tied to the balance of all things. Celestia didn’t have a… hoof, in their creation, but she knows more about their nature than most. It’s possible I’m mistaken.”

Fluttershy perched gratefully on one of his talons. “Will you tell me your thoughts, Master?”

A deep rumbling resounded through the air as the Master chuckled. “I don't want to sow the seeds of doubt. There are many possibilities, and my suspicions are just that, nothing more. You must always remember to trust and respect your elders, little one, and just as I am to you, Celestia is to me.”

The Master then raised his head to Megnii and Spesci, who hadn’t moved from their spot in the air. “I was under the impression your species only took one mate at a time. Do the ponies of the sea have different breeding customs?”

Fluttershy turned bright red. “It's not like that! They’re ponies in service of the Princess. She sent them and several others to protect me and my friends.”

The Master blinked. “From what?”

“She said somepony might try to hurt us as a way to get at herself or Luna.”

The Master huffed, and watched as Megnii and Spesci were blown slightly to the left a few seconds later. “Celestia isn’t the only one keeping watch over the state of the world. Gildsedale is at peace, and the beasts of the Great Southern Rainforest no longer stray from their lairs. The Zhevra Flatlands has been stable since Celestia created the Watusati four hundred years ago, and their greatest problem is whether or not railways will be allowed to traverse the Mamardhi. The Dromardians keep their ancient feud within their borders, Tarandus is silent, Drakkenridge is as divided as it has always been, and Antelese keeps to itself. The greatest threat to the world lies in the Changeling Wastes, but time has yet to reveal what Prin—Queen Chrysalis, will do now that Silverwing has passed. And as for Equestria, there hasn’t been so much an harbinger of anarchy within our borders in centuries, and there hasn’t been any inclination that anyone is going to threaten us.”

Fluttershy leaned forward. “Master...”

“I wonder...” The Master swam forward, and came directly underneath Megnii and Spesci. They jerked and became unbalanced in midair as he approached, but didn’t fly away. The Master squinted at them, and a green light appeared in his eyes. He stared unblinking for several seconds, but gave no indication of his thoughts.

“You say these two were sent by Celestia?” He finally said.

Fluttershy nodded. “Twilight showed us a letter written by Princess Luna herself asking us to agree to them being here.”

The Master was silent for a long time. “I see... well then, I suppose I shouldn't keep you waiting any longer. You’ve a long flight back to the Equius Valley, after all. Tell them to fly onto my back, and I’ll take all of you to shore.”

“Oh… um, okay.” Fluttershy left the Master’s claw, flew onto his back, and waved at Megnii and Spesci.

“Come on down!”

It took a few more moments of encouragement and reassurance that they weren’t going to be devoured, crushed, or drowned, but they finally obeyed. The Master began to move upon feeling their weight, and headed out into the lake towards the shore.

Spesci folded his wings and walked over to Fluttershy, who was adjusting her feathers.

“Why was he staring at us?” Spesci asked in a low voice. “I saw that his eyes were glowing. Was he casting a spell or something?”

Fluttershy cleared her throat. “He said he was curious about something.”

Spesci suppressed a nervous twitch. “Did he say what?”

Fluttershy’s eyes flickered to the Master’s head. “No, he didn't.”

The minutes dragged by as the Master continued on at a leisurely pace towards the shore. Fluttershy sat to the side and watched the Master’s giant claw as it rose and fell out of the water. Megnii was sitting beside her, and craned his head over the side, shuddering as he saw the ominous foaming waters twenty feet below.

“This was fun,” Megnii said. “Aside from getting the horseapples scared out of us by your friend here. Do you travel to other places often?”

Fluttershy adjusted her mane so that she could see him. “I normally travel all around the Equius Valley. I have animal friends all over that I check up with to see how they’re doing.”

Spesci walked up from behind them and sat down. “Then why haven’t you gone to see them?”

Fluttershy looked behind them to watch the Master’s tail maneuver through the waters like a rudder. “Because of what happened in the fog. I’ve been afraid something like that will happen again.”

“That was just an innocent mistake,” Megnii insisted. “Can’t you explain who we are to your animal friends?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Some of them are territorial, and only let me in because they know my scent. You’d have to wait on the fringe, and even if I vouch for you, they might attack anyway because they don’t like ponies aside from me. I’ve tried to stay around the cottage so that you and everypony else would be safe, but it wound up driving me stir-crazy! That’s why I had to get out.”

“You shouldn’t be disrupting your life trying to make our jobs easier.” Spesci wiggled a leg that was starting to get a cramp. “That’s actually a contradiction of our orders.”

Fluttershy’s breath caught in her chest. “It is?”

Megnii nodded. “We're not supposed to interfere with your activities, unless you ask. If you keep going out of your way like this, we’ll get in trouble.”

Fluttershy gritted her teeth and put her hooves on her head. Even by doing nothing I mess up! I really can't do anything right! Living my life normally will put everypony in danger, but if I do nothing, my animal friends won’t get the care they need, and Megnii and Spesci will get in trouble! I can’t stay inside anymore like I have been! I want to help others with their burdens, not become one myself! I don’t know what to do!

“I JUST WANT TO HELP EVERYPONY!” Fluttershy closed her eyes and slammed her hooves on the Master’s back.

The Element of Kindness awoke with a flash. It surged forth and filled her body with a gentle warmth, and her Aura of Kindness manifested as a thickness in the air that emanated from her entire body. Megnii and Spesci jolted as the top layer of their mental defenses were brushed away, and Fluttershy suddenly heard whispered voices in her mind that weren’t her own.

Did Grovi’s shield just break?! Why would it—oh, that’s not good…

So she IS in stage two! This isn’t good, we aren’t ready for this!

What’s happening to you, child?!

Fluttershy opened her eyes, which were half-filled with shining pink light. Megnii and Spesci winced as she looked at them.

“What’s going on?!” she demanded in an echoing voice. “Why am I hearing your voices in my head?!”

Megnii facehooved. Blair’s gonna kill us.

We have to calm her down before she hurts herself! Spesci rushed towards her.

Fluttershy backed away from him, and her back hooves scraped the air as she realized she was on the edge of the Master’s shell. She forgot herself in her panic, and her wings snapped to her sides.

“Stay away!” she said in a shrill yelp.

The Element of Kindness flared even stronger in response. Fluttershy reared, and she felt a sharp throbbing in her head. The light in her eyes shone like lanterns on a moonless night, and then slowly began to creep out to completely fill her eyes.

Fluttershy’s voice was like a harmonious choir as she spread her wings and screamed to the sky.

“WHAT’S GOING ON?!”

Sleep, little one.

The Element of Kindness flickered and went dormant again. Fluttershy collapsed forward onto the Master’s shell, and then curled into a ball, fast asleep.

There was a silence, interrupted only by Fluttershy’s peaceful snoring. Megnii and Spesci stared open-mouthed at her unconscious form, not even noticing that The Master had stopped swimming. They did notice, however, when he tilted his head back to them, and spoke in the language of ponies.

“Come before me, beings of magic.”

Megnii and Spesci jerked at the address. They looked at each other for a moment, but then did as they were asked. Their wings twitched as they hovered before the Master’s gargantuan, emerald eyes, but they gave no other indication of their feelings.

“Do I need to enlighten you of your situation?” the Master asked in a calm, neutral tone.

Spesci, despite the circumstances, couldn’t help but laugh. “Alone with a giant, angry monster in the heart of his realm, with no means of escape and a lot of explaining to do? I think we've got the gist.”

“You’re correct in all your assessments but one.” the Master raised his chin. “I'm not angry. I've known Celestia long enough to feel her influence in this. I also know her well enough to recognize her spellwork in you two, even if she did a good job hiding it this time. I don’t like it when she hides things from her own subjects and performs actions under false pretense, but I also know that she only does it in the most delicate of situations.”

The Master narrowed his eyes. “Such as when lives hang in the balance.”

Megnii hung his head. “Great One, you called us beings of magic. Do you know what we are?”

The Master studied them for a moment and clicked his beak. “You look to be constructs inhabiting a living vessel, although I've never seen anything as advanced as this. I don't particularly care for the specifics.”

Spesci shrugged. “It’s a long story, anyway.”

“I imagine so.” The Master focused on Spesci. “Is your host the one in peril?”

Spesci nodded. “His name is Horizon. The magic that binds us to him is about to fail, and if it does, he’ll die, and we’ll cease to be.”

“And what does this have to do with Fluttershy?”

Megnii raised his head. “We need her help. Celestia told us that the Elements of Harmony are the only thing that might restore our bond.”

The Master blinked. “Might?”

Both of the guard’s expressions turned somber. “Or... it’ll just restore Horizon to his original state,” Spesci said. “If that happens, we’ll be destroyed."

“Who or what will make that decision?” The Master asked.

“The Elements themselves.” Megnii motioned to Fluttershy. “We’ve been told that their power and function is determined by the natural balance of the world. The only limitation is that they can’t kill. Problem is, not even Celestia can tell if we’re alive.”

The Master’s eyes once again became filled with emerald light, and Megnii and Spesci felt a tingling that swept across them from nose to tail. It ceased, and the Master made a derisive snort. “I can’t, either. I sense life in both of you, but it’s faint, and incomplete. I assume that’s your host? “

Megni bit his lip. “Yeah. He… hasn’t been whole since the accident. He’ll be saved regardless of what the Elements decide, though.”

The Master lowered his head so that his chin was in the water. “That poses another question, though. If you need Fluttershy's help, why did Celestia send you to guard her?”

“Not guard,” Spesci corrected. “Watch.”

“Watch for what?”

Spesci gulped. “I think you already know.”

The Master looked back at Fluttershy. She was still fast asleep with her head tucked underneath a wing. “That surge... it didn’t just leave its mark, did it? The Element of Kindness dwells within her now.”

Spesci looked out at the waves. “We’re under orders. If you want to know more, you'll have to contact Her Majesty.”

“I might do just that,” the Master said with a short laugh. “It seems more has happened than I thought.”

“I'm sorry we can't tell you anything else,” Megnii said.

“Underlings can't be blamed for doing what they're told,” the Master replied. “Answer me this, though. Is Fluttershy truly in any danger?”

Megnii straightened. “Only from herself. As you might have guessed, this wasn’t supposed to happen. I promise you we're doing everything we can to keep her safe.”

A deep, amused sound echoed through the cold air. “It seems she's affected you rather strongly. Very well, I’ll practice what I preach. Celestia hasn't steered the country wrong in a millennium, and she's had plenty opportunity for mistakes. If she hasn't told Fluttershy of what she's become, then I'll assume there's a good reason.”

Spesci shook his head. “It's too late. We're going to have to explain it now, and then she'll tell the others. None of them are supposed to know yet.”

“Then I shall make her forget.” There was a swirling sound, and a green haze surrounded Fluttershy that hovered above her head. It narrowed into a thin trail, and entered one ear before exiting the other. A second later, it dissipated into the air.

“There,” the Master said. “I've modified her memory so that she thinks she fell asleep on the way back to shore.”

Both Megnii and Spesci lowered their heads. “Thank you, Great One.”

The Master raised his chin. “I don't do this lightly. You must take great care from now on.”

Megnii cringed. “Her power is still growing. We've been keeping our distance and had mental shields cast on us so that we wouldn’t trigger her Telepathy, but she just shattered them without even trying. If we upset her again, she'll hear more than our surface thoughts.”

“I can provide you with a stronger shield than the one you had.” The Master focused on both of them. “You’ll need it if you’re to be in close proximity to her at all times.”

The green haze reappeared. It surrounded both Megnii and Spesci, then entered their ears just as it had Fluttershy’s. This time though, it didn’t come back out, and the guards twitched as it felt like a hard thick shell formed around their brains.

“We’re in your debt even more, it seems.” Spesci relaxed as the magic took hold. “I'm just glad Fluttershy’s not a bad pony. Her powers have the potential to do terrible things... especially the one she hasn’t developed yet.”

Megnii shuddered in agreement.

“Such things are contradictory to her nature,” the Master replied. “Kindness is the act of being considerate and helpful to others. In order to do so, one must know the right thing to say, and how they can help. In regards to your debt, I’ll find a way to have you repay me. And if the Elements do indeed destroy you, then I’ll simply collect from your host.”

Fluttershy shifted and muttered something in her sleep.

“She’ll wake soon,” the Master said. “Get on my back.”

Megnii and Spesci obeyed, and the Master began to swim forward again. The waters sped past them at a faster rate, and the shore became visible a few minutes later.

“Know this, constructs,” the Master said over his shoulder. “I trust Celestia, and so in turn I’ll trust you, but the one whom you ‘guard’ is precious to me. I keep close watch on those I care for, and my influence isn’t limited to this lake. No matter whether she walks the land, soars in the sky, or swims in the sea, Fluttershy is never alone.”

The Master turned back to them with the cold, focused eyes of a predator.

“And neither are you.”

“Oww…” Fluttershy moaned as she poked her head out from her wing. “Master, your shell is really hard. I think I hit my head a few times.”

“My apologies, little one. It’s been a while since I’ve carried any creatures, and I’m out of practice with smooth swimming.”

Fluttershy jumped as she saw the approaching shore. “Wow, we’re almost back already? I must've been more tired than I thought!”

Spesci helped her to her hooves. “It's fine. There's not much to do while your friend ferries us across, so we figured we'd just let you sleep.”

Fluttershy rubbed her head and stretched. “Were you talking about something when I drifted off?”

“Not to you,” Spesci said. “I was discussing possible alibis with Megnii for how we could be in plain sight instead of shadowing you. That way, we wouldn't have a misunderstanding like we did before.”

Fluttershy nodded. “That would help a lot. Did you come up with anything?”

Megnii scratched his cheek. “We could say we’re here to learn Sylvan so that we can help you take care of the local animals.”

Spesci shook his head. “Not much chance of that. It’s not something that can be learned.”

“Not through normal means, anyway.”

Fluttershy looked over. “Master?”

“If it will help you, I can imbue them with the ability to hear the Voice of Nature for a time.”

Fluttershy’s jaw dropped. “You can really do that?! For how long?”

“Three months,” the Master said. “If they’re still with you after that, they’ll need to return so I can renew the spell.”

Fluttershy squeed and danced in place. “Oh, this is so exciting! I can introduce them to all my friends, and they can help me when I go outside of Ponyville, and I can say they're learning from me, and I won't have to worry because the animals will see that they can talk to them too and—“

All three of them stumbled as the Master shook with laughter. “Calm yourself. I'm happy to help you, but are you sure you wish to share your gift so freely?”

Fluttershy smiled. “I've always wished that there was somepony else that could do what I can! This is like a dream come true for me!”

“Very well. Tell them of my offer.”

Fluttershy turned back to Megnii and Spesci, who were staring at her quizzically. “Master says he can cast a spell on you that'll let you understand the animals like I can! Do you want him to do it?”

They both blinked several times. “Sure!” Megnii said simply. “It'd certainly make things easier for everypony.”

There was a watery sensation in the back of their heads and inside their ears as the Master cast the spell. Megnii and Spesci were unsure it’d worked at first, but then they were scared out of their wits when a passing otter chittered a greeting to them. They spent the remaining time coming up with an explanation to give to everypony.

Ten minutes later, the Master halted before the shore. The three of them disembarked, and said their farewells. The Master then turned and dove back into the deeps, his long spiny tail the last to disappear with a mighty splash. Fluttershy then turned to Megnii and Spesci, and saw that they were staring wide-eyed at a nearby flock of seagulls on the beach. The loud cacophony of cawing was like a group of loud children playing and screaming during recess.

“There's so many...” Spesci murmured.

Megnii rubbed his ear and turned to Fluttershy. “How do you deal with this all the time?!”

Fluttershy giggled and walked off the beach, heading for a nearby hill she used for takeoff. “Same way you tune out voices anywhere else. You'll get used to it.”

Chapter 13: Glimpses of the Truth

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Chapter 13:

Glimpses of the Truth

The Next Day-

Miss Twilight Sparkle-

My name is Flowing Script, and I’m the head symbologist here at the University of Stalliongrad. One of my colleagues passed along your letter inquiring as to whether we’ve any information on the Elements of Harmony, or their corresponding Symbols.

I've good news for you! I know the Symbol of Loyalty. I normally wouldn’t volunteer this information, but I’ve spoken with the head of my clan, and since you’re the Bearer of Magic, the Princess’s personal student, and are pursuing an academic goal, we’ve decided to make an exception.

You see, my ancestral grandfather served during the War of the Sun and Moon, and had the honor of belonging to a prestigious group of knights called the Order of the Zodiac. I know that the Canterlot history records are woefully lacking from that time period, so it’s understandable if you haven’t heard of them. These stallions were skilled, courageous, versatile, and led countless battles to victory against Nightmare Moon’s soldiers.

After the War, each of the Zodiac Knights was granted a boon from Princess Celestia in recognition for the services. My ancestor, Aries, requested that he be allowed to use the Symbol of Loyalty as the crest for his new clan. The Princess denied this, as she saw danger in such a thing becoming common knowledge, so she crafted a new Symbol for him instead, one that’s not the true thing, but holds faint traces of its magic.

While my ancestor understood the Princess’s reasoning, he didn’t want the origins of our crest to be forgotten, and so he committed its image to memory. He then passed the knowledge and story to his children, who then passed it down to theirs, and have continued to do so ever since.
You can be assured that there’s no danger in this. We've zealously guarded this secret over the centuries, for we too understand the potential danger the Symbol poses. The Princess is aware of my grandfather’s actions, or at least, she was at one time, and it’s likely that she’s forgotten.

Hidden on the back of this parchment is the true Symbol of Loyalty. You'll need to use a Greater Revealing spell to see it, but I've heard that you're an accomplished Abjurer, so I assume you won’t have a problem with advanced magic. I apologize for such a measure, but we feel it’s necessary in the slim chance in this letter is lost or intercepted.

I wish you luck in your thesis spell.

Flowing Script, Professor of Symbology

P.S. The Aries clan sends the Bearer of Loyalty their regards.

Twilight flipped the letter over and stared at the back, which was blank and nondescript. She snorted, then shook her head and set down the Professor’s letter.

“What’s so funny?”

Twilight glanced up at Spike, who was sitting up in the loft with Blair. Beside them was a collection of files, hammers and chisels, and before them were two blocks of wood sitting on small pedestals that looked like the beginnings of a multifaceted gem and a lotus.

“Let’s just say that some ponies are overly cautious.” Twilight walked over to the Arcana section of the library and started looking for a particular book.

Blair, who’d been carving petals out of his block of wood, watched her pull out a narrow tome with a violet bookmark in its spine. “In what way?”

“Like concealing the Symbol of Loyalty with an Illusion spell so powerful that you need a Greater Revealing spell to see it.” Twilight opened the book and browsed the table of contents. “I may as well use Truesight while I'm at it.”

Blair gave no reaction to her words. Suddenly, his carving snapped in two.

“Would you look at that,” he said in a completely normal tone. “I really was using too hard of a wood. I should’ve listened to you, Spike.”

“I told you not to use maple.” Spike looked at the ruined carving and shook his head. “ You’ll need something softer if you’re gonna do something fine and detailed like a flower. Try balsa wood or cork.”

“Lesson learned, I suppose.” Blair looked down at Twilight. “I’m going to get some more wood from the basement.”

He vanished in a teal flash before she could say anything. Twilight shrugged, then returned to the book and found the entry for Greater Revealing. She flipped to it and prepared to cast the spell, but then, a thought struck her.

“Want to run an errand, Spike?” Twilight asked.

Spike stopped carving. “What’cha need?”

Twilight smiled. “Not what. Who.”

Rainbow Dash stood at the outdoor pegasus track at Ponyville Fitness Center. It was windy today with a mild chill, and the last remnants of summer were finally giving way to the more comfortable, albeit temperamental, weather of autumn. The cloudless sky was turning dull, the sun had finished its descent, and the only ponies around were the diehards that frequented the place like clockwork.

Rainbow stood on the grass inside the oval track wearing a Wonderbolts cap and a silver whistle, and beside her was a device that looked like a fan with a meter on the side. She looked down the track to see Esra and Tastar, the latter of which in a crouching position at the starting point for the five hundred meter dash. She couldn't see the details of his form at this distance, but she trusted that he was as ready as her.

All right, I remembered the anemometer today. Let's see what they can do. Rainbow took a deep breath, and blew the whistle as hard as she could.

Tastar took off down the track in response. He blasted towards her, and the grasses were blown back by the force of his acceleration. The disturbance increased as he picked up speed, and as he came into focus, she saw that he was gritting his teeth and flapping his wings as hard as he could. He sped past Rainbow, and following his wake was a faint roar that resonated in her eardrums. She looked down at the spinning anemometer, which was slowly coming to a stop.

Fourteen point-nine. Not bad, not bad at all. Rainbow turned to see Tastar panting for breath and circling around back to her. He stuck his head over her shoulder to see if he could catch a glimpse of the reading, but she covered it with one hoof, cleared it, and made a reproachful tsk-ing sound.

“No peeking.”

A mischievous grin formed on Tastar’s lips. “I’ll see it one of these times.”

“Low numbers like this are nothing.” Rainbow winked at him. “I'll let you see it when you get out of the teens.”

Tastar laughed. “You know, most ponies consider ten wingpower to be the ultimate goal.”

“Most ponies aren't supposed to be protecting me.” Rainbow hovered in the air and crossed her hooves. “Answer me this. If something happened right now, would you be able to handle it better than me?”

Tastar put a hoof to his chin, and looked up in mock contemplation.

Rainbow landed and gave him an earnest smile. “I just want you and Esra to be the best you can be, that’s all. And believe me when I say you both still have room for improvement.”

“Don’t we all.” Tastar flicked his eyes down the track, where a light red dot was now waiting at the starting line. “Speaking of which...”

Rainbow followed his gaze and sighed. “Yeah, I suppose we should bring him down here.”

“I'm sorry you guys can't get along,” Tastar said. “You're a lot alike, to be honest.”

“That's the problem,” Rainbow said dryly. “If somepony showed up that blew me out of the water in everything I thought I was good at, I wouldn't like them much, either.”

Tastar’s reply was drowned out by Rainbow's whistle.

Esra took off like a bullet. They watched as he zoomed towards them, the grass blowing back in reaction to his speed, much like it had for Tastar. The wind flickered at the halfway point, and his features gained definition and shape. They could now see his mouth was open in a scream. Rainbow dug in her hooves, covered her ears, and Esra shot past the both of them, the roar accompanying him an instant later.

Rainbow remembered herself and shooed Tastar away, who was lingering around with a peculiar look in his eyes. His ears drooped as he realized his plan had been foiled. When she was sure he was away, she looked down at the anemometer, which had already recorded Esra’s reading.

Fifteen point-four. These guys are improving faster than I thought! They say that amateurs soak up the exertion like a sponge during the first six months of working out, but I figured their bodies would already be used to training. Heh, if they're showing this kind of improvement after only three weeks, they’ll be in the twenties by the end of the year! Too bad that still musses up my plans… oh well, one thing at a time, I suppose.

Esra was standing in the middle of the track some distance away from them. Rainbow motioned to Tastar, and they flew over to him. Esra looked up as they approached, but was too winded to say anything.

Rainbow fought to keep down the condescending smirk that she found herself wearing so often when she was around him. It's not like I want to flaunt the fact I'm better; it’s just that he's just so plothurt about it, I can't help but give him grief. If he just accepted it like Tastar, we'd get along fine.

Rainbow hid her emotions behind a stoic mask and addressed both of them. “You're getting better. Nowhere near where I want you to be, but definitely a good start.”

Esra had regained his breath enough to snort. “Oh, really? And where exactly would you like us to be?”

Rainbow's lips twitched. “In a perfect world, I'd want you to do everything I can. Since that's not going to happen, though, I want you to get as close as you can.”

Esra scoffed. “So you’re expecting us to climb a mountain with the full knowledge that we'll never get to the top.”

“Oh, come on, I thought you liked a challenge.” Tastar nudged him. “There's no reason to stop if we haven't hit our limits.”

“You know, it's not easy for me to coddle you like this,” Rainbow said to Esra. “You’ve no idea what I'm sacrificing to work with you like this.”

“Sacrificing?” Tastar echoed. “What are you talking about?”

Rainbow regarded him with conflicted eyes. You know? I'd tell him. Not like I'm gonna change my plans at this point, but I'm kinda curious to see what he thinks. I'd rather confide in a rock over Esra, but if I hold back just for the sake of snubbing him, it’s more punishing to me than him.

Rainbow cleared her throat. “I'm not satisfied with being a weatherpony. I never wanted to do this in the first place, truth be told. I've had some long-term plans set in motion for a while now, and you guys coming here has set them back.”

“In what way?” Esra asked. “What other professions are there for pegasi around here?”

Rainbow took off her Wonderbolts cap and held it up to her eyes.“None that I'm interested in... which is why I'm going to bring the profession to me.”

Tastar tilted his head to look at the cap, and his lips parted as a slow smile started to build on his face. “What're you insinuating?”

A hungry look appeared in Rainbow eyes. “I’m going to—“

“Rainbow!”

All three of them turned to see Spike running towards them from the direction of the Fitness Center. He waved to them as he approached.

Esra did a double take. “Is that what I think it is?!”

Tastar put a hoof on his shoulder. “It’s fine. He lives with the Bearer of Magic.”

Esra cringed. He took a step closer to his partner and lowered his voice. “Are you okay?”

Tastar leaned to the side and spoke out of the corner of his mouth. “Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve known about Spike since he hatched in Canterlot ten years a—“

“What are you two whispering about?”

Rainbow’s chin was lowered as she looked at them through her eyelashes. She glanced at Spike, who was almost to them. “You got a problem with him or something?”

Tastar shook his head. “It's not—”

“I was hoping I’d find you here!” Spike ran around Esra and Tastar and went straight to Rainbow. He stopped in front of her, then paused to catch his breath.

Rainbow’s gaze lingered on the two guards for a moment longer, but she then shifted her attention to Spike. “Hey, sport. What’cha need?”

Spike straightened and grinned. “Twilight thinks she’s found the Symbol of Loyalty! She wants you to come over so you can check it.”

Oh, really? This oughta be good. I'm surprised, though, she sounded really unsure when she told me and Pinkie about this last Sunday. Maybe she got a lucky break or something? Rainbow raised her eyebrows. “Sure. You want a ride back?”

Spike’s posture slackened in response. His pupils filled his eyes, and he gave her a look of pure, innocent longing.

Rainbow chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She put a gentle hoof on his shoulder and turned him around so that she could examine his scaly back. It was still smooth and flat, interrupted only by his spines.

Spike lowered his head. “Still nothing, I know.”

Poor kid. Too bad we have no idea when his wings are gonna come in. They will, though, it’s just a matter of time. Rainbow crouched so Spike could get on her back. “Don’t worry, you’ll get ‘em. And then you’ll get to learn the joys of proper wing maintenance!”

Spike climbed aboard and got settled. “You’re still gonna give me flying lessons, right?”

“Either me or Fluttershy.” Rainbow put her cap on Spike's head. “It’ll depend on what kind of wings you have.”

“We’re going to the library?” Tastar interrupted.

“Yeah.” Rainbow trotted past him and Esra, and spread her wings for take-off. “Don’t think you’re off the hook, though.”

Twilight was writing out a complex calculation for her array on the chalkboard when she was rudely interrupted by the door slamming open with a bang. She whipped around to see Spike, who was leaning against the doorframe wearing a Wonderbolts cap with his eyes half-closed. On his face was the goofiest smile she’d ever seen.

“Found… Rainbow.” Spike staggered in like he was drunk.

Twilight dropped the chalk and sprinted over to him. “Are you all right?!” She looked up him and down for any signs of injury. “What happened?!”

Spike’s glazed eyes slowly met hers. “Gave me… ride.” His eyes crept up to the ceiling. “So much sky…”

Twilight picked Spike up in her aura and set him on the table. He swayed back and forth, continuing to gaze upward with a look of awe.

“Not enough… more... want wings…”

Twilight got goosebumps from seeing him in such a dazed state. “Snap out of it!” She put a hoof on his shoulder and shook him.

“Free...” Spike’s eyes rolled into the back of his head. He fell onto her shoulder, and the hat softly fluttered to the floor.

Twilight stood stock still as she supported his limp form, and it was then that she heard the sounds of other ponies at the door. She turned to see Rainbow, who was holding a hoof to her face to suppress her snickering. Her two guards stood just behind her.

Twilight glared at her and gestured to Spike. “What did you do to him?!”

Rainbow flexed her wings. “I gave him a taste of things to come.”

Twilight laid Spike down on the table and opened his eyes to see if they were dilated. “You took him flying?! Ugh, Rainbow, he’s still just a baby!”

“I was gonna go easy, honest.” She walked in and over to Twilight. “The minute we took off though, he got giddy and started egging me on. His excitement was kinda contagious, and I might’ve gone a little overboard.”

“A little?!” Twilight gestured to Spike’s unconscious form. “He looks like he’s been drugged!”

“Drugged on euphoria, maybe!” She giggled and she examined Spike, who was still wearing the same goofy smile as he lay spread-eagled on the table. “That’s one happy dragon.”

Twilight stepped away from Spike and spoke in a sharp tone. “I really wish you hadn’t done this. Now he’s going to be being to go flying every chance he gets!”

Rainbow met her friend’s eyes. “This was going to happen sooner or later, Twi. Spike wouldn't be acting like this if he didn’t have the sky in his blood.”

“I know that,” Twilight said. “I just don't want him trying to go out in the hot air balloon by himself, or even worse, bugging you or Fluttershy for rides.”

Rainbow picked up her hat and set it on the table. “I've already promised I'll teach him when his wings grow in. I don't see the harm in giving him a sneak peek.”

Twilight turned back to Spike, who was still out cold. She levitated him up to the loft, and placed him in his basket. “I guess we'll have to see when he wakes up.”

Rainbow motioned at Esra and Tastar, who were looking around the library. “You’ve met them, haven’t you?”

Twilight searched her memory. “Tastar, was it? I haven’t met the other one.”

Rainbow leaned in close and whispered in Twilight’s ear. “You're better off that way.”

“Is Blair around?” Tastar asked.

“Up here.”

Blair waved at them from his usual spot up in the loft. Tastar gave him a casual salute, then turned to Rainbow. “We’ll be up there.”

She nodded and watched him walk up the stairs. Esra politely bowed to Twilight before following him.

“So Spike said you found my Symbol,” Rainbow said to Twilight.

“Yep! Well, pretty sure, anyway.” Twilight was clearing off a stack of books off the table to make room.

“Where'd you find it?”

“A professor at Stalliongrad University happened to know it.” Twilight motioned to a piece of parchment on the table. On it was a drawing of a backwards ‘Z,’ with two dots and a diagonal slash like a lightning bolt through the center.

Rainbow picked up the parchment and tilted it back and forth. “Looks pretty cool. I’m not feeling anything, though.”

Twilight took a few steps away from Rainbow and stood beside the chalkboard. “I didn't feel anything with the Symbol of Magic until I cast a spell on it. I'm going to do that now.”

“Gotcha.” The paper became encased in Twilight’s magic, and hovered in midair just before Rainbow.

“You ready?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow took a deep breath and steadied herself. “Yep.”

“Here we go.” Twilight cast the Identification spell.

The lines of the Symbol of Loyalty flickered, then pulsed faintly. Rainbow jolted as a match was ignited in her core, and she squinted and leaned forward. The Symbol turned bright red in response.

What the—I know this feeling… where from, though?

It was like the Symbol was calling to her from the end of a long hallway. The burning sensation inside her didn’t get any stronger, but it was still there, familiar and tantalizing. Rainbow unconsciously took a step forward.

That’s riiiiight, it was at the castle in the Everfree. Twilight was alone with Nightmare Moon, and I was running up the stairs with the others.

Rainbow took another step forward, as if she was being drawn forward by a magnet. Her lips parted as the memories continued.

There was a loud cracking sound as we got to the top of the stairs. We ran into a big room, and saw that Nightmare Moon had destroyed the Elements. We all ran to Twilight to try to help her, and as we did, I started to feel hot, like I was running a fever. I thought Nightmare Moon was doing something to us, so I tried to resist it. It only got worse though, and I felt hotter and hotter. It didn’t make me feel sick of sluggish, though, it made me feel stronger, more energetic, more... alive. I wasn't about to question it, so I just kept running.

The Symbol of Loyalty flared brightly as its Bearer approached. Rainbow's heartbeat slowed, and her eyes became unfocused.

The world slowed down as I ran. The outlines of things seemed to blend and pulse. The Element of Loyalty appeared around my neck, and suddenly, the heat turned into an inferno. My vision became tinged with red, and I became aware of everything around me. The girls, the ruined castle, the forest beyond, and most of all, Nightmare Moon. I’ll never forget seeing her then, for in that instant, I saw her for what she truly was: A poor, ravaged creature possessed by her own hatred, bitterness, and sorrow. It was wrong. I pitied her. I wanted to help her. She was so far gone, though, that there was only one thing that I could do.

Rainbow’s face was inches away from the parchment. She blinked, and the light of the Symbol of Loyalty became reflected in her eyes.

Cleanse her in righteous fire.

“Rainbow!”

Twilight’s voice registered in Rainbow’s mind, and she realized the tip of her nose was almost pressed against the parchment. She shook her head and backed away.

“I called your name three times.” Twilight had a giant grin on her face. “You looked like you were hypnotized.”

Rainbow took one more look at the Symbol, then dragged herself away and turned to Twilight. “This is the real deal.”

Twilight leaned forward, her eyes glued to her friend. “Did it make you feel something?”

Rainbow looked at her with a deadpan expression.“Nah, I just really like the smell of paper.”

Twilight giggled. “I got a really vivid memory of when we were back in the Forest and used the Elements. Did you get something like that, too?”

Rainbow nodded. “Felt like I went back in time.”

“Good enough for me!” Twilight made a sketch of the Symbol of Loyalty on her chalkboard beside the Symbol of Magic. “Two down, four to go.”

The burning feeling was gone. Rainbow tossed her mane, trying to shake clear the remnants of the magic. “So some random professor in Stalliongrad just happened to know what my Symbol was, eh? What's the deal with that?”

Twilight finished her sketch and turned back to Rainbow. “It's something like a family heirloom to his clan, apparently. From his letter, it sounded like he went through some trouble to convince them to show it to me. I'll have to send him a thank you.”

Rainbow cocked her head. “Why wouldn't they want to show it to you?”

Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but then reconsidered. Instead, she looked up to the loft instead to see the three guards in quiet conversation.

“Hey, Blair?”

The three of them paused. Esra and Tastar turned their attention to the windows beyond, and Blair turned to Twilight and Rainbow.

“Yes?”

“You’ve read about the War of the Sun and Moon, right?”

Blair nodded. “I’ve spent more time researching it than any other. It’s one of my favorite battles in history.”

“Have you ever heard of the Order of the Zodiac?”

Esra and Tastar had their backs turned, so she didn’t see their expressions. Blair pursed his lips and looked up at the ceiling, then clucked his tongue and looked down at her.

“Yes, I have.”

Twilight sat on her haunches. “What do you know about them?”

“They were an elite group of knights that served directly under Princess Celestia during the war.”
Blair put away the book he was holding and walked down the stairs. “They played a key role in many victorious battles, and saved untold lives by defending the citizens of Canterlot from Nightmare Moon’s forces.”

Rainbow lowered her eyes for a moment before speaking up. “So they were like, generals, or something?”

Blair shook his head. “More like Special Operatives. Their talents and skill sets were varied, each of them uniquely suited for different kinds of situations.”

Twilight wrinkled her brow. “Such as?”

“I wish I knew.” Blair regarded the newly drawn Symbol of Loyalty on the chalkboard. “The texts I've found only say that the Princess was reluctant to use the Zodiac Knights. They don’t say why.”

“How many were there?” Rainbow asked.

Blair’s eyes flickered. “Twelve.”

“Interesting,” Twilight said. “I might have to ask the Princess about them sometime.”

“She could probably give you more information,” Blair agreed. “What brought this up, though?”

Twilight motioned to the parchment. “One of Zodiac Knights wanted to use the Symbol of Loyalty as the crest for his clan. The Princess made a new crest for him instead, but he wanted his line to know its origins, so he memorized the Symbol and showed it to his family, and they’ve passed it down in secret ever since.”

“Is that so?” Blair rubbed his chin. “I never actually knew that. Do you happen to know the name of the clan?”

“Aries.” Twilight hovered the letter to him so he could examine the postscript.

From above, Esra began to whistle terribly off-key.

Blair’s face was stoic as he looked at the letter. “I see.”

Twilight studied his reaction. “Have you heard that name before?”

Blair shook his head and returned the parchment to her. “I was just curious. I don’t think I’ll be going to Stalliongrad any time soon, but I’ll have to touch base with them sometime. It might be interesting to compare notes.”

“Maybe I can ask them more about their ancestor when I write them my thank-you letter,” Twilight said. “The more I hear about the War of the Sun and Moon, the more I don’t like that the Canterlot records are so incomplete. Why hasn’t the Princess gotten copies of the history records from other cities?”

“Maybe she just doesn’t like being reminded of it?” Blair suggested. “It wasn’t exactly one of her greatest moments in history, remember.”

Twilight looked at the floor. “This doesn’t seem right. It’s almost like she’s hiding something.”

“Not my place to say,” Blair said with a shrug. “You probably know her better than me.”

Twilight said nothing. She stared out the entrance window, and realized with a start that the sun had set. “I forgot it’s so late.” She turned to Rainbow. “Thanks for stopping by to check this for me.”

“No problem.” Rainbow flipped her cap on her head and started for the door. “You’ll be at Applejack’s for Granny Smith’s party on Friday, right?”

“I was planning on it.” Twilight’s ears twitched as she heard the sound of the upstairs balcony door closing. “Between you and Blair, I’m sure I’ll get there.”

Blair chuckled and went back up to the loft. “Hopefully without any kicking and screaming.”

Rainbow concentrated on improving flexibility in the evenings, and she had discovered that the best way to do that was through yoga. Esra seemed to have some experience with this, but Tastar had trouble accepting the validity of the exercises. However, when both of them explained to him that it would greatly relieve the soreness of his muscles, he did it without complaint.

The three of them now stood in Rainbow’s living room. It was normally filled with three chairs and a coffee table, but the furniture had been moved to the sides to make space. The chairs were stacked beside a small two-shelved bookcase in the corner, which was filled with books on nutrition, fitness, meteorology, and one book that had the title had been scratched out. Framed, colorful posters of the Wonderbolts hung on the walls that depicted a different championship won by the team, and a massive display case stood proudly against front wall, completely filled with Rainbow’s impressive collection of first place trophies from various competitions.

“So uh, Rainbow,” Tastar said. He was bent down into a push-up position. “About what we were talking about before—”

“Oh, yeah!” Rainbow was lying on her back with one of her back legs raised into the air. “What's your guys' deal with Spike? You didn't seem to like him or something.”

“He didn’t mean that.” Esra said, noticing that Tastar was grinding his teeth. “He meant about what you’re sac—“

Rainbow silenced him with a piercing glare, then turned back to Tastar. “Come on, what’s the deal? He may be a dragon, but he’s just a kid.”

“Kid isn’t the correct term—” Tastar abruptly cut himself off and clamped his mouth shut.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow as she turned onto her stomach and pushed up the front half of her body. “Isn’t the correct what now?”

“Careful, Rainbow,” Esra said as he bent himself backwards in a table shape. “You’ve no idea what you’re getting into.”

And you‘ve no idea how much I hate it when ponies hide stuff from me. Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Care to enlighten me, then?”

Tastar whimpered and pressed his mouth into a thin line. He then went over to the wall and did a hoofstand on his elbows, his back legs twitching as he precariously balanced himself.

Esra watched his partner through the corner of his eye. “Tastar’s... somewhat knowledgeable about dragons. He tries not talk about it because he understands others don’t share his enthusiasm.”

“You know about dragons?!” Rainbow got up from her pose and went over to him. “Cool! Maybe you can answer a question, then.”

Tastar’s face was turning red, though whether it was from the blood rushing to his head, or from trying not to say anything was debatable.

“I… can… try,” he managed.

Rainbow looked to the ceiling. “It’s about Spike. Although you may not know because I doubt I have enough info. I mean, I don’t even know what kind of dragon Spike is. “

“Amethy—ahh!”

Rainbow looked down at Tastar. He'd tried to cover his mouth with a hoof, and had fallen flat onto his face. He now lay on the floor in a heap, with his face still pressed against the floor.

She tried not to laugh and bent down to help him up. “What was that?”

Tastar pulled his face out of the cloud and met Rainbow’s eyes. She was staring at him with a friendly, inquisitive smile on her face, yet there was a subtle note of command in her voice that told him that she wasn’t going to accept anything but the truth.

Tastar gulped and mumbled something in a voiceless whisper.

Rainbow leaned forward. “Didn’t catch that.”

Tastar’s face turned red again. His entire head shuddered as he tried to keep silent, but it was a rapidly losing battle. His head twtiched like a bird as the pressure built to unstable levels

Esra sighed and plugged his ears.

“Here we go…”

Tastar opened his mouth, took an enormous breath, and began to speak like an auctioneer.

“Spike’s an Amethyst dragon halfway through the Wyrmling stage of his lifecycle. Amethysts are longer lived than most dragons but this is speculated upon simply because the race as a whole tends to live out their early years amongst the civilized races and more of them are allowed to reach maturity. He’s of normal height and weight has above average magical ability and his mental acuity is developing at a normal rate. He’s shown no signs of any illness or birth defects known of to the magical races. Amethyst dragons are unique in that they’ve been used by magi for thousands of years as familiars the reason for this being that they can become attuned to their master’s magic. In doing so the two parties form a link between their magical fonts. This has a wide variety of advantages and Amethyst parents will often times donate at least one egg from every clutch they produce to one of the magical races. Spike was hatched ten years ago by Twilight and serves as her familiar, but he’s magically bound to Celestia so that he may transfer messages back and forth between them.”

Rainbow’s mouth had gone slack around the third sentence, and by the time Tastar had finished, she was staring at him like she was meeting him for the first time.

Mother of Celestia… he’s the Twilight of dragon knowledge.

Tastar panted and he stared at the ground. “That felt good... okay, does that answer your question?”

Rainbow shook her head clear. “Actually, no.”

Tastar blinked. “Really? Because I can go into more detail—”

“Sun and Moon, let me talk.”

Tastar’s ears drooped, but he nodded and clamped his mouth shut again.

Rainbow moved back to the middle of the room and went into the stretching pose she’d been in before. “When will Spike’s wings come in?”

“Amethysts develop their wings when they reach the Young Adult stage of their lifecycle,” Tastar said immediately. “He’ll get them in a decade, give or take a year or two.”

Rainbow nodded and maintained a stoic expression. “Okay, next question.”

“Shoot.”

Rainbow leapt up into the air, and pointed both her forehooves at him. “How the bucking hay do you know all that?!”

Tastar laughed and sat on his haunches. “It’s part of my job.”

Rainbow watched him with a critical eye as he started to bend forward as far as he could. Recognizing the new pose she’d taught him the previous day, she landed and gently pushed him farther forward. “What do you mean?”

Tastar maintained his posture. “I’m a Dragoon.”

Rainbow paused. “Is that your rank or something?”

“It’s a kind of specialist.” Esra sat down beside Tastar and imitated his pose. “Dragoons specialize in tactics for fighting very large enemies, like hydras, ursas, manticores, rocs and of course, dragons.”

Never heard of them before. Then again, I’ve never been all that interested in the military. Too many freaking rules. Satisfied that they were both doing the pose right, she sat on the other side of Tastar and joined them. “So you know all that so you can fight them?”

Tastar nodded. “If there’s one mantra I live by, it’s ‘Know Thine Enemy.’”

Rainbow bent forward until her head touched the ground. Her flexibility was impressive, but having her face pressed into the floor had the side effect of muffling her voice. “Wait, enemy? Do you hate dragons?”

Tastar’s eyes flickered. “Only one, and that’s ancient history. No point in holding a grudge against the dead, after all.”

Rainbow leaned back, raised her legs, and positioned her body into a ‘V’ shape. “You have my attention.”

Tastar rested his head on his knee, wincing as he felt his back muscles stretch out. “I was born in a mixed race village at the foot of the Drakkenridge Mountains outside of Equestria to the northeast. When I was a yearling, a dragon named Kyneatoralqu committed an unprovoked attack against the village, and only I and a few others survived. My family wasn’t among them.”

I’m not even going to try to pronounce that name. Sucks about his family and village, though. Rainbow said nothing and concentrated on maintaining her position.

“I was brought to Canterlot to live in an orphanage,” Tastar continued, “which was where I met Esra. We got along right away, and things were uneventful until I turned ten.”

They’re both orphans? Rainbow turned to Esra. “What happened then?”

“Matron told him how he lost his parents.” Esra sighed. “I still don’t think she should’ve done it that early.”

Tastar’s voice was calm and practiced. “I had a right to know. If she hadn’t told me, I would’ve found out on my own.”

Esra lay on his left side and raised his front and back legs. “Tastar devoted himself to learning everything he could about dragons when learned that a dragon was responsible for the destruction of his village: their strengths, weaknesses, psychology, lifecycles, anatomy, culture, law, language, anything he could get his hooves on.”

Rainbow turned to Tastar. “Why?”

Tastar was lying on his stomach, and his body was bent back so that it resembled a bow. “Two reasons. The first was that I always had trouble concentrating in school, but for some reason, anything to do with dragons keeps my attention and holds it in a vicegrip. I was borderline obsessed for a while.”

“You learned to read, write, and speak in Draconic,” Esra said flatly. “There was nothing borderline about it.”

Tastar raised his chin. “That’s come in handy and you know it.”

“It’s unnatural.” Esra got to his knees, leaned back, then touched his forehooves to his back ones. “Ponies shouldn’t be able to make those kinds of sounds.”

Rainbow gave Tastar a sidelong glance. “Never heard Draconic before. Can you say something?”

Tastar released his pose and lay prone on the ground. He was silent for a few seconds, then he made a guttural, gnashing, hissing sound that had somehow had discernible syllables laced into it.

Creepy… Rainbow shuddered. “Okay, that’s enough.”

Esra chuckled. “Told you.”

Rainbow balanced herself on her forehooves and lifted her back legs. “So what was the other reason?”

Tastar rolled onto his back to rest for a moment. “Revenge. After school, I left Equestria and traveled to Drakkenridge. I made contact with the peaceful dragons in Shearwind, the capitol, and it was there I learned that Kyneatoralqu was an outcast that succumbed to savagery, which was why he’d committed the attack in the first place. Such a thing is rare, but still occurs from time to time.”

Tastar sat back up and looked at Rainbow. “Since the incident happened in Drakkenridge, it was subject to Draconic law. According to which, if an act of unprovoked slaughter is committed, the perpetrator’s fate may be decided by the surviving kin. I invoked this law, and challenged Kyneatoralqu to one-on-one combat.”

Rainbow almost lost her balance, and had to open her wings to steady herself. “You challenged a full-grown dragon to a fight?!”

“Not full-grown,” Tastar corrected. “As far as dragon lifecycles go, Kyneatoralqu was about the equivalent of your age. Still, that put him at roughly five times my size.”

“Closer to six, from what I recall,” Esra said.

Rainbow released her pose. “You were there, too?”

Esra grunted in affirmation. “The law also states that there must be at least one witness present from each race involved. I met with Tastar in Shearwind when he found Kyneatoralqu, and we went to face him together.”

Didn’t realize these guys were so close. I might actually want to get to know Esra if he wasn’t such a pain in the flank. Rainbow nodded. “So what happened?”

Tastar looked away. “I won.”

That’s it? He won? They tell me all the details leading up to it and nothing about the actual fight? Rainbow lowered her chin. “You’re hiding something.”

Tastar didn't reply and stared at the wall.

“Oh, for Celestia’s sake,” Esra said to Tastar. “You’ve told her this much, just tell her everything. Don’t shy away from the unpleasant parts.”

Tastar made a dismissive noise. “Fine, you tell her.”

Esra spoke to Rainbow in steady tone as he rose to his hooves. “The fight lasted three seconds. Kyneatoralqu charged, Tastar jumped out of the way, and as he did, he drove a spear right through the bastard’s heart. Poor beast was dead before he even hit the ground.”

Three seconds?! That’s gotta be some kind of record! Rainbow felt her skin tingling as she looked at Tastar. “How’d you—“

“Ruby dragons won’t breathe fire in their lairs because it’ll consume all the oxygen and they’ll suffocate,” Tastar said in a monotone. “They try to take off when threatened and attack from the air, but if they can’t, they charge through their opponents, trampling and or crushing them as they get to a spot for take-off. They don’t have any real weak spots, but dragons are similar to ponies in regards to location of internal organs, and any weapon made from Lunairium will pierce their scales. Kyneatoralqu was in a cramped cave, so I knew he was gonna try to run me over and take to the air, and the spear I used had a Lunairium tip. It was just a matter of getting out of the way in time.”

Esra nudged him. “Go on, tell her what happened after.”

Tastar shot him a reproachful glare. “She doesn’t need to know that.”

Esra laughed. “Of course she does! It’s the whole reason why you became a Dragoon!”

And now you’ve piqued my curiosity. Rainbow crossed her forehooves and looked at Tastar with a wrinkled brow.

Tastar sighed and looked at the floor. “I stood there for a few seconds, waiting for him to get back up, or roar, or breathe flame, or anything. I thought it was a trick of some kind at first, but Rubies don't like to hide or use underhanded tactics. It wasn’t until I saw the pool of blood spreading beneath him that the realization hit me, and when it did... I blacked out. I honestly don't remember anything else."

“Fortunately, I do,” Esra said. “He ran to Kyneatoralqu’s body, stripped off the scales, then chopped it to bits and drenched himself in its blood. He then cut off the head and pulled out all the teeth, all the while screaming in a mixture of Equestrian and Draconic. It was one of the most horrifying, depraved things I’ve ever seen, and it haunted my nightmares for months.”

That’s… going a little far. Rainbow’s stomach wobbled as her lower lip started to curl, but she quickly put it back into place.

Tastar sat down on his haunches. “Needless to say, I scared off the witness for Kyneatoralqu with my display of brutality. He informed the other peaceful dragons of what happened, and while they accepted my punishment of Kyneatoralqu, they condemned the desecration of his corpse. Normally such a thing is punishable by banishment, but as this was a special case, they instead sentenced me to join the Equestrian military.”

So they didn’t like what he did eith—wait, what? Rainbow frowned. “How’s joining another country’s military a punishment? Aren’t they worried that you’re going to... I don’t know, turn around and use your skills and knowledge against them, or something?”

Tastar gave her a funny look. “You’re not much for history, are you?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Not really. I’ve got my hooves full worrying about the present and the future.”

Tastar suppressed a cringe as he watched Rainbow bend all the way back and tilt her spine in the opposite direction. “The last war the Equestrian military fought in was against itself. That was the schism that occurred during the War of the Sun and Moon, and it’s been even longer since we’ve had an armed conflict with another country. The Dromedary Empire was the last one to pick a fight with us, and that was almost fifteen hundred years ago.”

“Which, coincidentally, was also when the Zhojia Mitfa was made,” Esra said with a dark snicker.

Rainbow was quiet. She wasn’t one for history, true, but geography was a subject all pegasi had a knack for, and even if it wasn’t, there weren’t many ponies who didn’t know of the infamous Desert of Glass.

“Ponies and dragons haven’t come to blows in millennia,” Tastar explained. “We’ve never exactly been buddy-buddy with each other, but the worst we’ve ever done is cut off trade for a few decades here and there. They saw me joining the military as kind of like doing community service, and figured it’d help me learn some discipline.”

Community service, ha! That’s about all they amount to these days, isn’t it? Must be dull to be in the military during peacetime. I guess I shouldn’t complain, though, considering the alternative. Rainbow tilted her head to him and supported herself on her elbows. “One last question.”

“Sure.”

“Why’d you flip out after you killed Kin-ee-at—“ Rainbow stuck out her tongue and tried again. “Why’d you flip out after you killed the dragon that destroyed your village?”

Esra put on the sneer she’d come to associate him with. “How would you feel if you’d spent your entire life preparing yourself for something that was over in three seconds?”

Rainbow ignored him. She unbent herself and sat on the floor, her eyes not leaving Tastar’s face.

Tastar finally looked up at her with lightless eyes. “I expected to die in that fight. Revenge was everything that drove me up to that point, and I hadn’t thought about anything beyond it. The more I learned about dragons, the more I respected them, because it seemed like they were so powerful and deadly. I thought there was no way I’d be able to beat Kyneatoralqu, but I wanted to at least put up a fight, so kept learning more and more.”

Tastar’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I wound up turning myself into the perfect dragonslayer, but what I realized was that Kyneatoralqu wasn’t the perfect dragon. He was a barely-sentient, malnourished, savage beast, and while he was still certainly dangerous, he wasn’t the terrifying, ruthless killing machine I imagined him to be. He didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in Tartarus against me with the knowledge I’d gained, and the time I’d had to prepare.”

He jerked his head to the side. “I’d had my next dozen moves planned, and he goes and falls to the first strike? It was pathetic. It felt so cheap and hollow, what the hell did I spend ten years of my life for? I’d expected more, wanted more, and it was over so quick that it felt like I hadn’t gotten my revenge at all.”

So he took it out on what was left of the dude. Talk about a letdown. I guess I don’t blame him for it, and it sounds like the other dragons didn’t really, either, but then again, they might’ve been a little afraid of him. Rainbow grabbed a towel from the coffee table and wiped off her face. “Have you been around other adult dragons since?”

Tastar nodded. “I have a few friends in the Shearwind court I keep in touch with, and I’m well-known amongst the dragons of Drakkenridge in general. I’ve even been asked to act as an interpreter a few times when one of them has come to Canterlot. I’ve no problem with Spike, either. If anything, I’ve kinda been keeping an eye out for him.”

Rainbow thought back to the torrent of information he'd spewed at her. Now that she considered, some of it had seemed oddly… specific. She stared hard at Tastar.

“Have you been stalking him?”

“Of course not!” Tastar said. “I mean, yeah, I saw him every so often when he lived in the palace, but…”

For the first time, Rainbow consulted Esra instead of Tastar. “Has he?”

Esra groaned. “So this is why you always wanted to guard the West Tower. Just had to get your fix, eh?”

Tastar rubbed his neck. “Oh, give me a break.”

The three of them finished the exercises and began putting Rainbow’s furniture back. Tastar picked up one of her cloud chairs and set it on the wall where it had been, and as he did, one of the many posters of the Wonderbolts caught his eye. He turned back to Rainbow, who’d just finished moving the coffee table.

“So now will you tell us?”

Rainbow gave the coffee table one final adjustment. “About my plans that are getting screwed up because of you guys?”

Tastar laughed. “Do they have to do with the Wonderbolts, by any chance?”

Rainbow straightened and looked at the posters around her living room. Each one was a picture of six pegasi in blue jumpsuits and goggles, flying in formation in the sky and leaving trails of smoke in their wake. Below was always a stadium of some kind, filled to the brim with ponies watching in awe.

She brushed her mane out of her face. “What gave you that impression?”

“I dunno,” Tastar said, his eyes dancing. “Just a hunch.”

Esra collapsed into one of the chairs. “Have you tried out?”

“No.” Rainbow’s eyes were still focused on the posters. “And I’m not going to.”

Tastar frowned. “Why not? You’d be a shoo-in with your abilities.”

“Because I don’t want to start at the bottom.” Rainbow went over to her favorite chair and sat down. “I don’t have a problem with being on a team, but I’ve never felt like that’s the path I was meant to take with this. My goals are a little…loftier.”

Esra raised his chin. “What’s a higher honor than being a member of the Wonderbolts?”

Rainbow smirked. “Being their Captain, of course.”

Both the guards blinked. They stared at her for a few seconds, checking to see if there was any indication of jest. There was none. Rainbow wore the same smirk they’d seen a few weeks previous when they’d asked her about leadership.

Tastar was the first to speak. “I-I’m sure that you don’t need to go that far. You’d become the Captain regardless if you were on the team long enough.”

Rainbow laughed. “Probably, but that’s not what I want.”

Esra leaned forward. “Why?”

She sized him up. “You know where the Wonderbolts are based out of, right?”

Esra nodded. “Manehatten.”

“Do you know why?”

Esra shrugged. “Never thought there was a reason behind it.”

“Of course there is,” Rainbow said patiently. “You’d think that they’d be based out of Canterlot, Cloudsdale, or some other city that has importance to Equestria, right? That’s never been the case, though, and the reason why is because the Captain of the Wonderbolts gets to decide where the Headquarters is.”

Tastar looked at the fiery-maned pegasus in the center of the formation in the Wonderbolts poster. “Spitfire’s from Manehatten, isn’t she?”

“Born and raised,” Rainbow said. “Not that I blame her or anything for it.”

“So you want to become Captain so you can relocate the Wonderbolts Headquarters… here?”

Rainbow nodded. “The only thing I don’t like about here is my job, and it’s not worth it to throw away all the good things I have in an attempt to fix that. The Wonderbolts go on tour a lot, yeah, but it wouldn’t be so bad if I knew I was coming back to Ponyville each time.”

“So you want to have your cake and eat it too,” Esra said. He put on his best sneer and gave her a mocking bow. “How noble.”

Rainbow’s ears flattened against her head. More like I don’t want to leave my friends, you moron. Does he think that I’m selfish for being able to see that dealing with my job is better than leaving everything I know and love behind and starting over? I like to take risks, yeah, but I’m happy here, and I’ve all the time in the world to make myself good enough for the Wonderbolts to ask me to be their Captain. I can’t go to them, so I’ve gotta make them come to me.

Tastar cleared his throat as he felt the tension in the air rising. “How are you gonna impress them, then?”

Rainbow stared for a moment longer at Esra before continuing. “Like I said back on the track, I’ve had this plan set in motion for a while now. I started with three goals—one of which I’ve already made, the second I’m extremely close to, and the last I haven’t started.

“The first was to work on my stamina,” Rainbow said. “I’ve only ever needed to sprint since I’ve only lived in Cloudsdale and Ponyville, and I didn’t realize how bad I was at long distance until a few years ago.”

“What happened?” Tastar asked.

Fluttershy showed me what Hoofolulu pegasi can do, that’s what. I couldn’t fly for a week after that race. Rainbow looked out the window. “I’d… rather not talk about it. Let’s just say somepony taught me a lesson I won’t ever forget.”

Tastar glanced at Rainbow’s wings, which were short, angular, and pointed with narrow tips. While folded, they were slightly smaller than a normal pegasus’s. “How long can you go for now?”

Rainbow got up and opened her left wing. “My goal was to be able to sustain thirty wingpower for a full day nonstop. I made that goal two years ago, but when I tried to move on to my next goal, it felt like it still wasn’t enough, so I kept working on it, and now I can sustain thirty six wingpower.”

Tastar whistled. “So what’s the next thing?”

Rainbow smirked. She raised her hoof, shot it forward, and made an exploding sound with her mouth.

Tastar eyed her prismatic mane. “Figured that was it. Been wondering why you keep going off early in the morning.”

Rainbow slammed her hoof on the coffee table. “I’m so freaking close I can taste it! Before I did my stamina training I could only try to do the Sonic Rainboom twice a week because it wears me out so much, but now I can try it every day. I just need to push a little harder, and that barrier is as good as broken!”

Tastar chewed on his lip. “You know, the Sonic Rainboom alone might be enough for the Wonderbolts to ask you to be their Captain. It hasn’t been done by anyone in centuries, and it'd faded into legend until you did it ten years ago.”

Rainbow got up and walked to her trophy case, her back turned to them. “No. Even if it’s a legendary move, the Sonic Rainboom’s not enough for me.”

“And why's that?” Esra asked.

Rainbow turned back to the two of them with an odd smirk on her face. “Because I don’t want to be a one-trick pony.”

The guards blinked. Esra slowly lowered his head in a facehoof, while Tastar threw back his head in raucous laughter.

Rainbow giggled and broke out of her seriousness. “It’s true, though. The Sonic Rainboom may hold everypony’s attention for a while, but I may as well be a carnival act if it's all I have. I know other aerial stunts too, but they're just nowhere near on the same level, and if I'm going to impress the Wonderbolts to the extreme, I need something more to back it up. That’s where my last goal comes into play.”

Tastar had regained his composure and looked back down at her. “What could be better than the Sonic Rainboom?”

Rainbow walked over to the small bookcase and grabbed the book with the title scratched out. There was a multicolored bookmark in the spine. She opened the book and laid it out on the coffee table for Esra and Tastar to see.

“I may not care much for history, but I am interested in certain facts and details... such as the speed of the fastest pegasus who ever lived.”

Tastar's eyes widened. He leaned forward and saw that it was an old book of world records.

“The world record for wingpower is seventy eight point-four,” Rainbow said, “just shy of one thousand miles per hour. It was set by a pegasus named Lightning who lived four hundred and thirty-two years ago, and she was also the last one who could do a Sonic Rainboom. Nopony's even come close to her since.”

Tastar stared at the book in dumb awe. “So not only do you want to be the fastest pegasus in the world, you want to be the fastest pegasus in history?!”

Rainbow bent her knees and stretched. “You guys aren’t the only ones who haven’t hit their limits. I know I have it in me to break the record, but it’s going to be brutal. I’ll have to completely throw myself into my training, and that means I won’t have time to sit around working with you guys.”

“So the sacrifice you mentioned is that you can’t move forward with your plan to make the Wonderbolts ask you to be their Captain because you have to work with us instead of focusing on your training.” Esra rolled his eyes. “Again with the needless holding back for our sake!”

Rainbow turned and spoke in a monotone as she quoted him. “You’re expecting us to climb a mountain with the full knowledge that we'll never get to the top.”

She crossed her hooves. “How’re you gonna feel when that mountain starts to get higher?”

Tastar sighed and shook his head. “You don’t have to do this for us.”

“I’m not doing it for you,” Rainbow said. “I’m doing it for the Princesses. They want you to be here to protect us, and I agreed because I feel like I owe Luna for what we did to her. You’re supposed to be here to fend off something I can’t handle by myself, right?”

Tastar nodded.

“Newsflash: There aren’t many things I can’t handle. So either I gotta get weaker, or you gotta get stronger, and I’m sure as hay not going to give up everything I’ve worked so hard for. The side effect of that though is if something doesn’t happen, you guys are gonna look like foals when I take care of it by myself.”

Rainbow watched their reactions as she fell silent. Tastar was looking at the floor with pursed lips. Esra was resting his chin on his hoof, avoiding her gaze and looking out the window. She was about to say something more, but then, Tastar looked up at Esra.

“You need to show her.”

Esra exhaled out his nose. “Let her believe what she wants.”

Tastar got up and walked over to the Wonderbolts poster. “Blair won’t like it if he finds out she’s doing this for us.”

Doing what? Holding back? What other alternative is there? Rainbow looked at both of them in turn. “Show me what?”

Neither of them seemed to hear her. Esra hadn’t moved an inch, not even blinking. “We don’t need to prove anything.”

“Yes, we do.” Tastar turned to him. “We need to show her we’re not incompetent. I can’t do it, so you have to.”

Esra finally met his eyes. “This isn’t what my skills are for.”

“Don’t make me pull rank on you,” Tastar warned.

Esra slumped and looked down at his hooves. “You know what happened last time.”

“Stop hiding behind excuses!” Tastar stamped a hoof on the floor with a soft poof. “This is different and you know it!”

Rainbow stepped in between them, flapped her wings once, and blasted them both with a powerful gust that caused them both to jerk back.

“Stop talking like I’m not here,” she said icily. “Show me what?”

Tastar shook his head from the blast and turned to her. “We’ll admit that you’re physically superior to both of us. We’re not arguing that. If something happened and you could take to the air, you’d be able to get away, no sweat.”

Rainbow nodded.

“However,” Tastar continued, “you won’t always be able to fly. What would you do if you got caught in an enclosed space?”

“My wings aren’t the only thing I train,” Rainbow replied. “I’m also a second-degree black belt in karate.”

“Even that’s not enough.” Esra got up from his chair and slowly bent his knees. “You can train all you like, but no matter what you do, there’s something Tastar and I will always have that you don’t.”

Rainbow snorted and turned to him. “And what would that be?”

Esra’s light-red eyes met hers. “Experience.”

“Experience with what?”

Esra’s face hardened. “War.”

Now it was Rainbow’s turn to scoff. “Oh, and you're going to tell me that just because I haven't seen glorious battle that you—”

“There's nothing glorious about it!” Esra snapped. He broke eye contact as he looked past her. “The metallic smell of blood, the sounds of ponies screaming in agony, the sickening crunch of armor and bones shattering beneath you, the sight of your friends getting cut down and dying right before your eyes… the only way you get accustomed to it is by experiencing it for yourself.”

Rainbow wouldn’t have taken him seriously had she not seen the twisted shadow that had fallen over his face as he spoke. She tried to ignore the pit that had formed in her stomach and pressed on. “And you have?”

He regarded her. “I suppose you want to hear my life story, as well.”

Not even if you paid me. Rainbow’s voice was neutral. “Answer my question.”

“I’m a specialist, like Tastar.” Esra said. “My talents are in unarmed combat and disarming opponents.”

Oho, this might have just gotten interesting. Rainbow took a step towards him. “I see now. Tastar wants you to show me what you can do with a little sparring.”

“Yes.” Esra started to move the coffee table over to the corner again. “And I don’t want to. However, seeing as you’re going to keep holding back for us if I don’t, I have no choice.”

Rainbow watched as Tastar began moving the chairs out of the way. “Don’t tell me you’re worried about hurting me.”

Esra gave the coffee table one final nudge and turned back to her. “I have one condition.”

“What is it?”

Esra cracked his neck and walked into the center of the room. “If this is to be a proper demonstration, then neither of us can use their wings.”

Rainbow grinned. “Fine by me. I don’t need to use my wings to beat you.”

Esra took a slow, steadying breath and assumed a low crouch. “Then come.”

Rainbow looked away for a moment, and then ran at him. The moment she did, Esra’s eyes locked with hers, turning flat and focused. She got in range and chopped at his neck from above, but he saw the strike and reared back. He caught her hoof and pulled her forward, but Rainbow was ready for it and brought up her other forehoof to hit his chin. Esra rolled his head to the side, dodged the blow, then stepped forward and turned his back to her. He leaned and tried to throw her his shoulder, but as he did, Rainbow pulled back and cartwheeled over him, using his back like a springboard. She managed to wrench her hoof out of his grip as she landed and stepped out of range.

Esra immediately closed the distance. He stuck out a hoof as she landed, and he knocked her off balance and pushed her back. Rainbow stumbled, but shoved Esra back in time to prevent him from making her fall. He whirled around with the momentum, then stepped to her side and aimed a punch at her neck. Rainbow ducked to avoid the strike, but as she did, she felt his gaze on her, and she barely rolled out of the way in time to avoid Esra’s knee hitting her face.

Rainbow backed off as she watched Esra’s face contort with some kind of inner turmoil. His eyes, however, continued to stare at her with the same cold intensity.

“Almost got me there,” Rainbow taunted.

Esra’s face remained stoic and focused. “Do you know what the difference between us is, Rainbow?”

“Besides the obvious, you mean?”

His lips twitched. “You have to try to hit a vital spot. I have to try to miss.”

Rainbow charged again, this time coming in low. She did a feint to the side, then brought her backhoof around for a kick to his head. Esra didn’t fall for the trick and stepped back again, allowing the attack to sail harmlessly by. Rainbow brought her other backhoof up in a second kick, hoping he would try to close, but she hit nothing but air. She turned back around, tensed and ready for his counterattack, only to find that he wasn’t there.

Rainbow felt a presence behind her. She ducked just in time to see a hoof appeared where her head had been, and felt the wind of Esra’s strike brush through her mane. She moved away and tried to put distance between them again, but Esra closed with her and entangled his hooves with hers. She yelped in surprise, and they both fell to the floor in a mass.

Rainbow tried to push Esra away, but realized that he had both hooves around her throat in a stranglehold. He squeezed, and her breath was cut off. She kicked and struggled as she tried to get free, but his grip was like iron. Rainbow tried to raise herself up, but he wrapped his rear hooves around her lower body, effectively preventing her from moving. Lights started to flash in front of her eyes, and her vision dimmed in the corners.

If there was one thing Rainbow hated most of all, it was losing. It didn’t matter what it was about, or what the circumstances were, it was the very concept alone that enraged her. Winning was all she’d ever known, and she refused to settle for anything less. And while she always tried to play by the rules, when failure threatened to rear its ugly head, a very loud, irrational angry voice echoed in her mind that overrode everything else.

That voice usually only said two words.

Screw this!

Rainbow opened her wings and punched Esra in the gut. He gasped and released his hold, coughing and gagging as he rolled away. Rainbow did much the same as the air returned to her lungs.

Tastar, who’d been watching the entire fight from the corner, stepped forward and separated them. “I think that’s enough. One of you is gonna wind up in the emergency room if you go much farther.”

Rainbow regained her breath and watched Esra, who was still fighting for air. A red spot was already visible where she’d hit him, but she hadn’t felt anything break, at least.

“I guess I lost,” she said dryly.

“Technically,” Tastar agreed. “Though it’s probably a good thing you did that. One of the side effects of Esra’s training is that he tends to get caught up in the moment.”

“Sifu… would’ve killed me… for pulling punches… like that,” Esra wheezed.

Rainbow furrowed her eyebrows. “What discipline was that?”

“Esra knows more than one.” Tastar looked at his partner. “I forget how many, exactly.”

“Five,” Esra said with a wince. He gingerly poked at his bruise as his breathing slowly went back to normal.

“Wait a second,” Rainbow said. “You’re a martial artist and you’ve been sore from flight training?!”

“I don’t train my wings for what I do any more than you train your legs to fly,” Esra growled. “You’d be sore too if you went through some of the leg exercises I know.”

Rainbow glared at him, but said nothing.

The two guards looked at each other for a moment before Tastar looked at her and spoke in a stern tone. “Rainbow, you don’t need to be helping us train our wings. We’ve got different kinds of skills and strengths that are just as well suited, more so in a lot of ways, to protecting you. Esra and I are tactical fighters that apply strategy and terrain to overcome our opponents instead of brute force. Your speed is amazing, but it’s not going to help you disable a dragon, fight off multiple enemies at once—“

“—or steel your heart to take a life,” Esra finished.

Tastar nodded. “We didn’t want to expose you to this, but I think you need to hear it. There’s nothing you can do to fully prepare yourself for war. You can think and believe whatever you choose, but if the time ever comes that you have to kill another living, breathing, thinking creature, you will hesitate.”

“I really hope you’re not just saying that because I’m a mare,” Rainbow said.

“War doesn’t discriminate,” Esra said. “Everypony does their first time, and hesitation means death in battle. We aren’t some greenhorns fresh out of Basic, Rainbow. We’re elite seasoned soldiers that serve directly under Princess Celestia herself. You and the other Bearers have been given some of the best. Just because we can’t fly as fast you doesn’t mean we’re useless.”

Tastar moved the chairs back into place. “I know how to fight large enemies, and Esra knows how to fight groups of opponents. There’s very little we can’t handle between the two of us, so you shouldn’t compare us to yourself and think that we don’t have the skills necessary to protect you.”

Tastar’s words struck a familiar chord in Rainbow memory, causing her to close her eyes and grit her teeth. I haven’t changed at all, have I? It’s the same thing with Fluttershy all over again! Here I am, spouting all this crap about how ponies shouldn’t be comparing themselves to me, and I’m doing the exact same thing and looking down on them for it! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Esra started to limp out of the living room. “I’ve shown you what you wanted, Tastar. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going up to the tents.”

Tastar nodded and followed after him, but turned back to Rainbow as he did. “I’m sorry, but I’m gonna be blunt. I think you have what it takes to accomplish your goals, but you’re not gonna get there if you keep acting like this. You’ve shown us enough that we can keep going on our own with the flight training if you really want, but otherwise, you only need to worry about yourself.”

Rainbow avoided his gaze. He walked out of the room, and for a few minutes she stood there alone in the empty room. Finally, she sighed and sat down in her favorite chair.

“No, Tastar. I’m the one who should be sorry.”

An hour later, Rainbow was lying in her bed staring up at the fluffy ceiling. She gingerly rubbed her neck as her thoughts wandered, her mind alive with the revelations of the day.

I hate to admit it, but Esra’s got a point. I should’ve realized Celestia wouldn’t stick us with a bunch of inexperienced mooks. Best soldiers she’s got, eh? I suppose it makes sense, but if they’re both specialists, that would mean that they only get used for special situations.

Rainbow rolled onto her side and stared out into the darkness.

I’ve never seen a pony look at someone the way Esra was at me during the fight. I don’t doubt that he’s been in combat after that, but where, though? They said there hasn’t been a war with Equestria since…

Tastar’s words came back to her. Since the War of the Sun and Moon. That was against Nightmare Moon, though, right? So how can they be veterans?

The discussion with Twilight’s bodyguard floated up from her memory.

…elite group of knights that served directly under Princess Celestia during the war…

Esra’s words followed immediately after.

…we’re elite seasoned soldiers that serve directly under Celestia herself…

Rainbow sat up. What was the name of those knights again? Order of the Z-something? Not even Twilight knew about them...

More of Blair’s words came unbidden to her.

...their talents and skill sets were varied, each of them uniquely suited for different kinds of situations...

Rainbow shook her head and laid back down.

Nah. I’m sure Esra and Tastar aren’t the only ponies who specialize in the military. Heck, what else is there to do? We’re a peaceful nation and the ponies they’re supposed to guard are immortal powerhouses! The last time somepony ticked off Celestia, she fried an entire swath of the Dromardian desert!

Rainbow’s eyelids began to feel heavy as she began to drift off.

Esra… Aries…

Rainbow jolted wide awake.

Okay, that’s just weird.

She got up out of bed, pacing back and forth as more of the thoughts of the day came forth.

...as far as dragon lifecycles go, Kyneatoralqu was the equivalent of your age...

...how many of them were there?

Twelve.

...not part of my platoon…

Blair’s words from the picnic echoed in her ears. They’re all from the same platoon except for one! They’re veterans, but we haven’t had a war in one thousand years, War of the Sun and Moon, different specialists, twelve knights... that’s a heck of a lot of coincidences. Could it be that they’re—

Rainbow’s fell on her haunches as her jaw went slack.

A second later though, she burst out laughing and put a hoof to her head.

You’re thinking waaaaaay too much into this. Those ponies lived one thousand years ago, there’s no way they have anything to do with them! You’re just looking for an excuse to not like Esra. Come on, Rainbow, it’s bad enough your neck’s going to be sore tomorrow, don’t lose sleep over this, too.

Chuckling at her paranoia, Rainbow hopped back into bed, fluffed her pillow, and drifted off into dreams of prismatic barriers and building the new Wonderbolt Headquarters on the outskirts of town. She knew she was just being silly, an aftereffect of the day’s revelations. It was all just a coincidence, there was no connection between their guards and an ancient order of knights from a one thousand year-old war.

Right?

Chapter 14: Right Place, Wrong Time

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Chapter 14:

Right Place, Wrong Time

The Next Day-

“Trust your eyes, they deceive you not. Behold, my friends, Old Canterlot.”

Pinkie, Zecora, Vigil, and Ras stood on the edge of a tall, grassy cliffside deep in the heart of the Everfree Forest. Sprawled out beneath them were the crumbling ruins of an ancient city, barely discernible in between the towering trees. The buildings were made of weathered and bleached stone, all of them with caved-in ceilings and holes blasted in their sides. Their frameworks and innards had long since been abandoned to be reclaimed by the forest, which had done so with great abandon. Fuzzy green moss, long leafy vines, and plants of all kinds had sprung up everywhere, long since destroying any evidence of order. The decrepit walls of the city looked like swiss cheese covered in long vines of ivy, and the remains of a once-great, now-fallen castle stood on the far edge.

“This is so exciting!” Pinkie’s eyes filled her head as she beheld the ruins.

Ras frowned and turned to her. “Weren’t you here when you got the Elements and used them on Nightmare Moon?”

Pinkie pointed to the northwestern edge of the city, where Ras could make out a deep, gaping chasm that was spanned by a rickety rope bridge. Even from this distance, the faint roaring of water could be heard, accompanied by the fine spray of mist rising up from the depths below.

“We came in from that side,” Pinkie said. The city wall had collapsed and led straight into the castle. “I didn’t see any of this as we were coming in because it was really dark and misty and stuff.”

Vigil shielded his eyes with a hoof. “Doesn’t look like you missed much. There’s barely anything left.”

“Afraid that you are incorrect.” Zecora eyed the city walls as she stepped up to the edge of the cliffside. “There’s something here we can collect. The crumbling rock’s a telltale sign, it’s here we’ll find Dalaci Vine.”

I can’t believe how useful this plant is! I’ve never even seen it around her hut! Pinkie examined the cliffside. The giant trees of the forest went all the way up to the very edge, their tough thick roots becoming exposed as they snaked down the cliff. “Guess we’ll need to find a way down, huh?”

Ras walked over to a massive, looming tree with roots thicker than his legs, and gave one an experimental tug. “This looks like it might work.”

He began to nimbly climb down the side. Vigil watched him for a moment, then turned to address Zecora.

“Are you sure this is safe? I’ve heard stories of nasty things that sometimes move into ruins like these.”

Zecora laughed, and a clicking sound emanated from her saddlebags. “Danger lurks round every bend, and hides in every shadow. There’s not a place within this world I would describe as hallow.”

Vigil stared at the ground as he picked apart Zecora’s verse, not noticing that Pinkie was stealthily sneaking up behind him.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better about going in there.” Vigil squinted and looked down at Ras, who had made it to the bottom. “I’d rather we—“

“Silly Viggy!”

Vigil jumped and whipped around. Pinkie hid her amusement under an innocent smile and continued. “We’re in the middle of the Everfree! There’s supposed to be nasty things everywhere! What does it matter if we run into them out here, or in there?”

Vigil pressed his lips into a thin line. “I really wish you wouldn’t do that.”

Ah, he’s too much fun. He’s almost as easy as Twilight! Too bad I can never get Rassy, though. Pinkie winked at Vigil. “Maybe you shouldn’t let me, then! I keep telling you to watch your blind spots.”

Pinkie could barely contain her laughter as she watched him grind his teeth.

“Caution’s not unjustified, the peril is quite real,” Zecora cut in. “Many native creatures think we’d make a tasty meal. But preparations have I made for times of dire need, and been here several times I have, so let me take the lead.”

Vigil considered her words for a moment again, this time with an occasional glance to his left and right. “All right,” he finally said. “Let me go down first though, just to make sure.”

“Go ahead!” Pinkie said. “We’ll be right behind you.”

Vigil walked over to the tree root and tugged it a few times. Satisfied with its strength, he climbed down the cliff.

Pinkie watched him descend, then came up beside Zecora and lowered her voice. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner that Dalaci Vine can be used as a panacea? Are you still worried about them?”

Zecora examined a nearby bush and she spoke out of the corner of her mouth. “Many uses this plant has, not all will make you whole. Before such knowledge could be shared, I had to see their souls.”

Why is she still so edgy? I’ve told her a million times that they’re just here to help! They’ve been here for weeks now. If they were going to do something, they’d have done it already. Pinkie watched Zecora remove a few of leaves from the bush and put them in her pouch. “Do you trust them now?”

“One of them, yes, the other I’m unsure.” Zecora’s teal eyes met hers. “Take heed, Maalufunzi, for not all hearts are pure.”

Pinkie and Zecora followed Vigil down the tree roots to the forest floor below. They saw that Ras had gone ahead and found a path through the brush, and when he returned, he guided the rest of them through. A few minutes later, they beheld a set of twisted, rusted gates that stood off their hinges, and lay in the middle of what looked to once have been a wide road leading in and out of the city. What little of the walls that weren’t covered in plant life looked even more dilapidated from this close up, and beyond the walls were the continued trees and the shrubs of the forest. They completely ignored the once-established order of civilization, growing in any and every place they could. Zecora went to the front of the group, took the lead, and guided them past the gates into the ruins proper.

Pinkie took in the remains of the abandoned buildings as she bounced along. The few ones that were still standing were little more than bare foundations and shattered walls, the only things inside them were rays of sunlight, shadows, and the slow, inevitable creeping of the forest.

So this is where the big old nasty war between Celestia and Luna happened, huh? Viggy’s right, there really isn’t much left. Makes sense, though, if both of the Princesses are really super-duper strong, then anywhere they would’ve fought would’ve got smashed up pretty bad. I just hope all the other ponies evacuated in time.

Pinkie heard the clattering of a misstep to her right. She looked, and saw that Ras had stumbled on an upturned cobblestone. He cursed and kicked at it, which caused it to explode into fine powder.

Pinkie chortled as she watched him shy away from the dust. “Careful, Rassy. This place is destroyed enough as it is.”

“One thing that I don’t endorse,” Zecora said from ahead of them, “is the use of too much force. The structures teeter on verge of collapse, converting them into giant deathtraps.”

Ras’ face was grim as the dust settled. “Stay out of the buildings. Got it.”

“I never understood why Her Majesty didn’t make any kind of effort to preserve this place,” Vigil said. He glanced down a side street to their left. “This is a historic site! Ponies everywhere should be able to see it.”

“I understand why.” Ras’ eyes unfocused as he followed Vigil’s gaze. “This war wasn’t pretty.”

Pinkie noted his expression. “What do you mean?”

Ras turned to her and curled his lower lip. “I’m pretty good buddies with Blair, and he likes to ramble about strategies and battles and stuff. The War of the Sun and Moon is his favorite.”

“A tragic tale of darkness and light.” Zecora stopped as they reached a crossroads of three paths. “Born of those who forsook the night.”

“Something like that,” Ras agreed. “Luna went psycho because nopony even treated her like a Princess anymore, so she took her half of the military, corrupted them with her magic, and tried to stage a coup.”

Pinkie’s bouncing came to a halt. “Corrupted?”

“Yep.” Ras brushed the dust out of his coat. “When Luna turned into Nightmare Moon, her magic also mutated all her soldiers into bloodthirsty monsters that slaughtered anypony they could. Soldiers, civilians, even chil—“

Ras recognized the awkward silence and looked up at the others. Zecora had narrowed her eyes, Pinkie had cocked her head, and Vigil had his jaw clenched with his teeth exposed.

“Where in Celestia’s name did you hear those lies?!” He stormed over to Ras, stopping only inches away from his face.

Ras put up a defensive hoof. “Hey, hey, calm down! I already said that Blair told me. Get a few beers in that guy and you won’t be able to shut him up! We’ve been drinking buddies since before we joined the military.”

Vigil considered that for a moment before stepping away. “You should know better than to trust the words of someone when they’re drunk,” he said in a quiet tone.

Ras lowered his chin with an odd smirk on his face. “Au contraire. Depending on the pony, those words may be the most honest you’ll ever hear.”

“Not in this case,” Vigil snapped. “Nightmare Moon’s half of the military wasn’t corrupted by magic, and they certainly didn’t murder civilians or children. The soldiers were tried as war criminals, and then sent to the Changeling Wastes to fulfill the Peccatum Pactum.”

Ras’ lips parted. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he quickly lowered his head and rubbed the dust out of his eyes. When he looked up again, his face was a stoic mask.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.” Vigil turned away. “And with all due respect to the Lieutenant, you shouldn’t listen to somepony who doesn’t know what the buck he’s talking about.”

Ras chuckled. “You’re absolutely right.”

Zecora cleared her throat. “We need not feud about the dead. Our quarry lies but straight ahead.“

The buildings became more run-down as they continued. Walls, arches and frames gave way to grass-covered mounds of rubble and dirt, and the few skeletons of buildings that remained were so far gone, there was no way of telling what they once were. The road they were following split again, but the left path was blocked by a large mound of rocky debris. A single weather-beaten spire still stood at the top like a clawed, rocky finger pointing to the sky.

Zecora led them off the path to the right and back under the looming shadowy trees and thick underbrush. They hiked for a few minutes, making slow progress before Vigil spoke up.

“How much farther do you think we’ll need to go?”

In response, Zecora pushed down a large fern with her hoof, revealing a blinding ray of sunlight from a clearing just beyond. “No further need we go this time, for just in here grows Dalaci Vine.”

It’s just in here?! This will be so amazing! If I can figure out how to get rid of the bitter taste without dispelling the effects, I can put it in my punch and then I’ll have made a super-duper medicine! Then I can help all those ponies who’re hurting feel better! Pinkie squee’d and took a step forward.

A faint sound suddenly rang in her ears like the chiming of a bell. It was a single, definitive note, low, ominous, and minor in key.

Pinkie stopped as a chill went up her spine. Ras and Vigil didn’t notice, and disappeared into the light.

“Did you hear that?” Pinkie said to Zecora.

“Hear?” Zecora stared quizzically at Pinkie. “Nature’s sounds are prolific. You must be more specific.”

Pinkie took another step forward. “It was like a—“

The sound came again, louder and higher on the scale. Pinkie shuddered as a stronger, more noticeable chill ran through her body.

Zecora wrinkled her brow. “You act as though the fern will bite. There is no reason for such fright.”

What? I’m not talking about the plant, it’s a bell! Somepony’s ringing a bell! Pinkie squinted and leaned forward as she tried to see what was in the clearing. “Can’t you hear the—“

The chime rang so loud that Pinkie squealed and fell to the ground. She covered her ears and lay prone on the grass, her entire body quivering in fright.

Zecora rushed over to her student and put a gentle hoof underneath her chin. “Enough stammering, Maalufunzi, speak true! What is happening to you?!”

The ringing had stopped as soon as Zecora had released the fern. A small ray still shone in from the clearing beyond, A gentle breeze picked up, creating flecks of light and odd shadows that played about the forest floor. Pinkie looked up into her teacher’s face, and the faint luminance in her eyes went unnoticed.

“I-I don’t think… we should go this way.”

Zecora raised an eyebrow at Pinkie’s words. “Far have we come, and much have we risked to get this potent herb. If we turn back now empty-hooved, what purpose did coming here serve?”

Every fiber in Pinkie’s body was telling her to turn around and go back the way they came. She’d always been one to trust her instincts, and while they told her to do some odd things at times, they hadn’t steered her wrong yet. She’d long since dismissed the peculiarities of such feelings and just went with the flow, and if left to her own devices, this time would be no different.

However, Zecora had a point.

Am I really gonna chicken out just because I heard a weird noise and got the chills?! I feel weird stuff all the time! Okay, yeah, most of the time those weird feelings turn out to be right, and I have been on a pretty good streak lately, and when I get that kind of chill it usually means—no! I came all this way, I’m not gonna be a chicken-scaredy-pants now!

The light in Pinkie’s eyes died, and her resolve drowned out the ringing. She got to her hooves and smiled happily at Zecora.

“Sorry about that. I just got the heebie-jeebies there for a second. Let’s go!”

Zecora held her gaze for a moment longer, searching for some sign of relapse, but after finding none, she relented and held down the fern again.

Pinkie’s eyes adjusted to the bright light to see that they were at the bottom of a set of terraces with a great set of stone stairs in the middle. The buildings higher up were in decent condition, but the ones on the first level were nothing more than crumbling piles of rubble. She looked up to see a giant fountain on the second terrace, as well as another set of stairs continuing up the hill to a third.

Zecora walked up behind her and pointed to the third level. “Last I was here, found quite the crop. It should be plentiful at the top.”

Ras and Vigil had gone ahead and were halfway up the stairs, gingerly testing each one as they went. Pinkie and Zecora followed them, stepping where they’d indicated was a safe portion. Together they reached the second terrace and approached the fountain, which was fifteen feet in diameter, and filled to the brim with dark rainwater.

Ras and Pinkie went around the left side while Zecora and Vigil elected to go around the right. Pinkie aimlessly meandered by a pile of rubble, scooped up a weathered stick on the ground, and threw it into the fountain. It landed with a slurp before slowly descending into the depths.

The stick never made it to the bottom. It began to lose cohesion as it fell, with pieces of it breaking off and fading away to nothingness.

Pinkie stopped and watched the stick disappear. “Cool!” She looked around for another one to throw. “It’s a stick-eating fountain!”

Zecora eyed the liquid within. “In future travels such sights may bring, but I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Pinkie found another stick with a knobby end and brandished it at Zecora. “Look at this!”

Both Ras and Zecora gasped as they recognized what Pinkie was holding, but before they could protest, she threw it into the fountain. It landed with a plop, then slowly dissolved into the depths and disappeared like the first.

The water in the fountain began to shift and move about.

Ras swore, grabbed Pinkie’s tail in his mouth, and yanked her back several feet.

“Hey!” She turned and rubbed the base of her tail. “Rassy, what—“

“Stay away from it!” he hissed.

The water in the fountain quivered and rippled, but no new object had disturbed its depths. It sloshed back and forth in a more excited fashion, yet not a single drop fell out.

Zecora took a few tentative steps back, her shaky legs making no sound on the mossy stone. She reached inside her saddlebags and pulled out several small silver spheres with wicks in them.

Vigil noticed her action. “What are you—“

“Run.”

Zecora’s had spoken the word in a clear, urgent voice of command. Her teeth were bared, and her breathing was ragged.

The fountain was now churning violently. Vigil took one last look as the fluid brushed his tail, which caused it to sizzle… then disintegrate. His eyes turned to pinpricks, and he yelped and scrambled over to Zecora.

The water fell out of the fountain with a wet sloshing heave and gathered itself up as a giant, transparent inky blob. It extended a pair of pseudopods towards both groups of ponies.

Zecora lit the wicks of the spheres and rolled half a dozen of them towards the quivering mass, screaming one word in a shrill voice.

“RUN!”

“I thought you were the lucky one!” Ras heaved Pinkie on his back and galloped away down the left street at full speed.

The terrace exploded in a fiery blaze. Tons of ancient rock shifted from the blast with an awful grinding and smashing, sliding down the hill and taking the ruins with it. The blob made no sound other than a sickening squelch as it was caught in the blast and buried by the sliding rocks.

Pinkie shielded her eyes as she was pelted by bits and pieces of raining debris. She tried to speak, but found she couldn’t hear herself very well. She rubbed her ears and tried again in a louder voice.

“Put me down!” She squirmed on Ras’ back. “I can run!”

Ras didn't slow down. “Not out of danger yet!”

Pinkie watched as smoke billowed out from where the terrace used to be. “Look behind you! Zecora just blew that entire area to smithereens!”

“You don’t understand!” Ras looked wildly around as he ran. “If oozes have an ample supply of food—“

They came to a crossroads to behold two inky spheres blocking the path to their right.

Ras gulped. “—they split.”

The oozes rolled towards them. Ras turned and galloped down the left path instead, which was covered in snaking vines, grasping tree roots, and raised cobblestones. He deftly weaved back and forth through the natural obstacle course, doing his best to ignore the slurping sounds as the oozes heedlessly rolled on after them.

Pinkie liked watching how the amorphous creatures smoothly flowed and jiggled as they bowled over anything in their path, but Ras’ jerky movements were starting to rattle her brain.

Okay, as much as I love piggyback rides, this getting ridiculous. Pinkie stood on Ras’ back and did a backflip, spinning in midair to land beside him and run alongside. He snorted as she matched his pace.

“Fine, just stay close to me! These things like to—“

The road ended, and they came to an abrupt stop. Below them was a grassy pit eight feet deep, filled with quivering goo that shifted upon their approach.

“—hide?” Pinkie offered timidly. She jumped back as the ooze started to climb out of the hole.

Ras turned around. The other two oozes were advancing behind them. To their left was an alleyway that ended in massive pile of jagged debris. He raised his eyes to the sky and softly muttering to himself.

“Commercial District… Tipsy Coinpurse…”

Ras’ eyes lit up. He turned to Pinkie and motioned down the alleyway.

“Follow me!”

Pinkie looked down the broken pathway. “That’s a dead end—“

“This isn’t a debate!” He lowered his head and prepared to scoop her up again.

“Okay, okay!” Pinkie dodged around him and ran down the alleyway to the moss-covered stone mound. She tried to climb up, but it tore away at her touch, revealing a smooth rock face beneath. She looked up and saw that the moss continued up for thirty feet.

Pinkie’s chest tightened as she looked for a hoofhold. “I don’t think we can—“

There was a loud clang, followed by the screeching of rusted metal giving way. She turned to see Ras standing beside a pony-sized hole in the side of the wall.

“Get in!”

Pinkie looked back once at the entrance of the alleyway. The oozes had cut them off and were now rolling towards them. She went toward the hole, and heard the sound of rushing water from somewhere within the darkness.

No choice, I guess… Pinkie hopped into the hole. Ras turned to look at the oozes one final time before clambering in himself.

Pinkie fell through the darkness for a second and landed on wet, slippery stone. She fumbled blindly for a few seconds before striking a rough wall with her hoof. She went up against it and tentatively inched alongside, trying to make room for Ras, who she expected to be right behind her. However, there was no indication of his descent.

Don't tell me he... The tightness in her chest doubled as Pinkie stared out into the darkness.

“R-Rassy?”

“Get away, Pinkie!”

Ras’ voice had come from above. She looked up to see Ras hanging by one hoof on an outcropping of rock beside a beam of light ten feet up. In his free hoof was a small silver sphere with a sparking wick.

Pinkie froze. “Is that—”

One of the oozes slithered into the hole.

Ras tossed the sphere. “I SAID GET AWAY!”

Pinkie’s couldn’t breathe. A vision of Ras being blown to bits or crushed by falling rocks surged to the front of her panicked mind, and her eyes bulged as she screamed in a primal voice.

“NO!”

The Element of Laughter awoke with a burst of light. Pinkie’s world slowed down to a crawl, the darkness of the tunnel melted away, and the colors of the world intensifying with a blinding flash. Pinkie now saw that she stood beside a shallow stream, in the center of which was a single circular spot of light that shone brighter than all the rest. The dim chiming sounded again, still playing the same low, ominous note from before from the grove, and the light beckoned to her like a warm fire on a cold winter night.

Pinkie heeded the call, and as she arrived in the circle, the low, dangerous note turned bright and happy, like she had just won a prize at a fair. She turned her gaze back to Ras, who’d jumped away from the hole and was now flying in slow-motion through the air. She knew he wasn't going to make it. He hadn't known that Zecora used fast-burning fuses in her bombs.

Only one thought filled Pinkie’s mind as she concentrated on his airborne form.

You will live.

The light in Pinkie's eyes brightened, filling her irises and reflecting off the water. A soft breeze rose up in the dank tunnel, and Ras became surrounded in an aura of blue light.

The bomb exploded with a deafening bang that was amplified by the enclosed space. It was followed by more grinding and shifting of rock, and the foundations above collapsed, crushing the ooze and killing the light. For an instant, Ras felt a force from behind him tear and rip at his body, but it was swiftly banished by a soothing warmth that enveloped him like an embrace. He landed beside Pinkie, instantly dropped to the ground, then covered his head and shut his eyes.

The rocks ceased falling, and silence reigned for a time. Ras cautiously lowered his hooves and did an internal check, expecting to encounter some kind of searing pain, broken bone, or numbness from a grievous injury. There were none. Not only was he whole and unharmed, but the fatigue from walking all day had vanished, and he felt calm and at peace, with not even a trace of adrenaline present from the chase or explosion.

“Rassy.”

Ras jerked at the address. Pinkie had spoken in a whisper, but it was laced with a faint echo. His skin tingled as he looked up at the Bearer of Laughter.

Pinkie’s eyes were half-filled with a soothing blue light that illuminated the remains of the cavern. Even as an earth pony, Ras could feel the waves of magic radiating out from her like warm gusts of wind on a late spring day. She was soaking wet from the large, jagged rocks that’d fallen into the stream around them, which had caused her normally-poofy mane and tail to go flat and straight. She stared at Ras with furrowed eyebrows and spoke again, her warm, earnest voice saturated with quiet power and concern.

“Are you okay?”

Ras’ mouth twisted with internal conflict. He returned her gaze for a few seconds, but finally, he sighed and got to his hooves. “I should be asking you that.”

Pinkie blinked. “Me? You’re the one that got caught in the explosion!”

Ras pursed his lips and turned to examine one of the fallen rocks behind them. “Didn’t think the fuse would burn that fast. Oh well, no harm done… thanks to you.”

Pinkie looked down at her reflection in the water. Even with the ripples from the fallen rock, she could see that her eyes were glowing like a pair of nightlights.

“You know what this is, don’t you?”

“Yep. It—”

Ras felt another burst of enchanted wind rush through him. He rolled his eyes and turned back to her. “I swear, you worry almost as much as Blair. You don’t need to keep blasting me like that.”

Pinkie’s face was blank. “Blasting you with what?”

“Your Healing power,” Ras said. “I’m fine. You can turn it off.”

Pinkie continued to stare at him with her half-filled eyes.

Ras sat on his haunches. “Come on, make the connection. Don’t you feel anything right now?”

Feel? I don’t—

Pinkie gasped as something inside her pulsed lightly in response. She closed her eyes, searched within herself, and found that the warmth was radiating out from her heart. She mentally poked and prodded at it, and she realized it was like a sixth sense that had been there the entire time, but she never knew she had.

“What is it?” she asked.

“You tell me.” Ras had his head turned and was poking around in his saddlebags. “Haven’t you felt it before?”

Have I? It’s like it’s foreign and familiar at the same time. Now that you mention it, this is just like I remember from when we fought Black Snoo—er, Nightmare Moon! It was a lot stronger then, but it made everything really bright and it felt like the air was hugging me, just like now, and I felt really happy and calm, just… like… now…

Pinkie’s eyes snapped open. “I-It can’t be, that’s just silly. There’s no way it’s—“

“—the Element of Laughter?” Ras finished. He pulled out a small cylindrical tube. “Of course it can. Half of its power got transferred to you when Nightmare Moon smashed its original vessel a few months ago. You’re its new avatar.”

Pinkie said nothing at first. She waited a few seconds, half-expecting Ras to say something else. He didn’t. He simply sat in the water with a raised eyebrow, watching how she’d take the news.

The Element of Laughter is… inside me? I can... heal... others?

Pinkie hair poofed back out as she squealed with delight. She dashed forward to Ras, grabbed his forehooves and began dancing around in a circle.

“It is it really is it really really is!” Pinkie spun round and round, her echoing voice filling the cavern. “I saw the ooze when you threw the bomb and I panicked and everything slowed down and then I knew where the rocks were gonna fall so I went there and then I saw you were gonna get caught in the blast and get hurt and I really really really really didn’t want that so I focused on you as hard as I could and it felt like I was telling the air to hug you and then the bomb went off and I was safe but you weren’t and ohmygosh you got hurt and I healed you didn’t I?!”

Ras couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing as he let himself get caught up in Pinkie’s excitement. “You’re taking this better than I thought!”

Pinkie giggled and released him. She bounced all around, splashing him with each jump. “Why wouldn’t I be excited? Now I can heal ponies along with my herbalism and my parties will be super-super-super—“

How does he know about this?

She stopped as the sobering thought struck her. The light in her eyes dimmed, the Element of Laughter faded to a pinprick in her heart, and absolute darkness to enveloped them both.

Pinkie wrestled with the uncertainty that clawed at her mind. She looked at where she guessed Ras was, and spoke in a cautious tone.

“You’re not here to protect me, are you?”

Pinkie had a few ideas on how he’d react to the question: Denial, ignorance, confusion, maybe even fear. Any of those reactions would be perfectly understandable, and she was ready for something along those lines.

The last thing she expected however, was to hear him chuckle and reply in a sly tone.

"Not in the way you think."

There was a scraping sound, and the cavern became filled with a dull red. Ras held the end of the cylindrical tube, which created just enough light for them to see each other. His face was half concealed by shadow, and he looked at Pinkie with a dark, mischievous smirk.

Pinkie’s breath caught in her chest. “Who are you?”

Ras set the flare down on a rock. “I’m a lot of things. Some of which you know me to be, and others that you don’t. I’m afraid detailed explanations are gonna have to wait, though. We’re kinda in a jam here, in case you hadn’t noticed. For now, I’ll just ask you a question in return.”

Ras swept his dripping mane behind his back, stepped up to Pinkie, and knelt down before her with his gaze to the ground.

"Lady Pinkamina, Hero of Equestria and Bearer of Laughter, wilt thou place thy trust in me?"

Whoa, cool! He’s like those fancy ponies in that one play I saw! Pinkie giggled. “Are you really from the Royal Guard?”

“Aye, milady,” Ras kept his eyes on the water. “Served the Crowns I have for two and twenty years.”

Twenty-two?! I thought he was around my age! Pinkie wrinkled her brow. “How old are you?”

Ras’ shoulders shook with more laughter. “Many answers there are to that, as well. Though in any answer, one fact still holds true.”

“What’s that?”

She watched the sly smirk reappear on face in the reflection of the water. “I am thine elder.”

Pinkie splashed a bit of water at him. ““Oooh, aren’t you a sneaky-sneak. I knew there was something funny about you.”

“Thou hast not answered mine query.” Ras’ voice was tinged with amusement. “Wilt thou trust thy humble servant?”

Zecora said she didn’t trust him, now I know why! He really does seem nice, though, and he could’ve left me back there to those oozy-things. Pinkie looked around the cavern for a moment before answering. “Only if you make me a Pinkie Promise.”

“Thy conditions are amicable.”

She hesitated as she remembered what ‘amicable’ meant. “When we get out of here, you’ll tell me what’s really going on.”

Ras stiffened. “By my troth, I may say I was sent to you by Her Majesty, and I have thy best interests at heart. Though not much more may I share, for already have I sworn another oath to keep silent. Thou wilt have to consult thy superiors if thou wishest to know more.”

Pinkie’s face assumed the rare expression of stoicism. Superiors? Does he mean the Princesses? They know about this and haven’t said anything, but they sent guards… to… ahhh, I get it. He’s not protecting me, he’s watching for when and how the Element of Laughter’s power manifests. Wait… if this is happening to me, then the oth–sweet sugary strudels! Looks like Rassy’s not the only one around here who’s a sneaky-sneak! I wonder what kind of powers they have... oh ho ho, I could have fun with this. I think I’ll play along for now.

Pinkie put on a convincing smile and nodded. “All right, Mr. Fancy-Talk, I’ll trust you. You can go back to normal now.”

Ras got to his hooves. “What, you don’t like Old Equestrian Grammar?”

“It’s hard to pick apart what you’re saying half the time.” Pinkie watched him retrieve the flare. “Why’re you telling me about this now? This was supposed to be a secret, wasn’t it?”

Ras rolled the flare in his hooves. “You were gonna find out in a few months, anyway. I knew something like this would happen with us going into the forest so much, and I figured the truth would be easier to explain than some other reason for why an earth pony all of a sudden has glowy eyes and can do magic.”

I’m kinda curious to see what would’ve come up with. Pinkie bit her lip. “You’re not gonna get in trouble, are you?”

Ras shrugged. “Blair can throw ice spikes at me all he wants. I’m not gonna keep a secret when your powers are the only way I see to get out of this mess.”

Pinkie cocked her head. “How’s Healing gonna get us out of here?”

Ras winked. “I said powers, as in the plural. Healing’s not all you have. You have another power too: Luck.”

Luck? What—thaaaaaat’s what the chiming and the light was! He’s right, if it warns me of danger, I can see the safe way to get out of here! Pinkie raised her eyebrows. “How does that one work?”

“It was explained to me as ‘the ability to sense and avoid misfortune.’” Ras raised a hoof to his chin. “You said something about knowing where the rocks were gonna fall, right? How’d it show you?”

Pinkie gave a toothy smile. “I heard a sound like a scary bell, and the spot we’re in now got brighter than everywhere else.”

“Good enough,” Ras took a deep breath. “So then, here’s our situation. We’re in what used to be the Dawn River Passageway. It runs underneath the entire city, and comes out around the place where you and your friends came here the first time. Judging by the running water we’re in now, and the spray I saw coming up out of the chasm when we were up on the cliff, I’d say it still does.”

How does he know all that... no point, he Pinkie Promised somepony else. Pinkie nodded and let him continue.

“Now, the passageway itself may be too blocked for us to get through, but there’s another system of tunnels that goes under the entire city that were used for, well… a lot of things.” Ras met Pinkie’s gaze. “There’s an entranceway going into them not far from here, and if it isn’t collapsed, we should be able to use it to get out of here.”

Pinkie ignored the faint voice in the back of her head screaming something about an elephant and forced herself to look innocently clueless. “So what’s the problem?”

Ras glanced to the side. “It looks like the ruins have been infested by Forest Oozes. There’s a good chance we’ll run into more of them down here, and if we do, there won’t be anywhere to run.”

Okay, this one I really don’t understand. I’ve never seen Zecora so scared as when that first one came out, and that really smarted when Rassy yanked me. Pinkie frowned. “Why’re you so scared of them? They’re just blobs.”

“Blobs of flesh-eating acid, you mean.” Ras shuddered. “Oozes are essentially nature’s janitors, devouring anything and everything that isn’t a plant or a rock.”

Something didn’t match up. Pinkie looked up at the rubble where they had come in. “That first one ate a few sticks, though.”

“Pinkie…”

Pinkie looked back at Ras to see that his face was gaunt and tight. He lowered his chin, and his eyes were veiled by the darkness.

“Those weren’t sticks.”

Pinkie took a step back. “You mean—”

“—if you manifest your Luck power, you should be able to see the safest way through the passageways,” Ras said pointedly. “Hopefully that will make us avoid any ‘unfortunate’ pitfalls along the way.”

He said the War of the Sun and Moon wasn’t pretty. He really wasn’t kidding, was he? Pinkie swallowed hard. “How do I do it?”

Ras raised the flare and looked around. “Your powers are fueled by the emotions that the Element of Laughter embodies, as well as a desire to alleviate pain and suffering. Focus on those things, and it’ll respond… I think.”

Pinkie nodded and concentrated, finding the pinprick of light in her heart. It quivered at her touch.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

Pinkie opened her eyes. “Hmm?”

Ras wore a grimace as he spoke. “The reason why we weren’t supposed to tell you is because your powers aren’t fully developed. You’re going to hurt yourself if you push too hard, so don’t go overboard.”

Something in Ras’ voice made Pinkie’s lips twitch. “Do I have anything other powers besides Healing and Luck?”

Ras looked away. “Let's concentrate on one thing at a time, here.”

Pinkie tilted her head with a playful smirk and took a step towards him. “Rassy...”

Ras shook his head and fought against the rebellious corners of his mouth. “I don't want you to get distracted trying something you can’t do yet!”

Pinkie went puppy-eyed and curled her lower lip as she approached him. “Come onnnnn. Can you leeeeeast give me a hint?”

Ras‘ resolve caved, and he met her eyes with an excited grin. “You any good at singing?”

“I love to sing!” Pinkie said. “Why—“

Ras waggled his eyebrows.

Oooooh! Pinkie jumped in the air. “I wanna—“

“Escape now, explore untapped potential later.”

Pinkie needed a few minutes of concentration in order to coax out the Element of Laughter. It crept out with the speed of a snail, slowly filling her body with warmth and shining like a steady lantern in her heart. A breeze picked up as the darkness faded away again in her perspective, and her pupils became filled with a sparkling blue. A pathway of light stretched out before her that went across the stream and into where she could now see the remains of an archway, half-filled by debris.

Pinkie pointed at the road of light. “Can you see it?”

Ras raised the flare. “What, the other side?”

That’d be a no. Pinkie took the lead. “This way.”

She led Ras across the stream and climbed over the debris, taking care to test her steps before moving on. As she walked, she noticed that she was accompanied by a pleasant background of musical notes. She stopped when she got to the top, swaying back and forth in tune to the beat.

“Uh, Pinkie?” Ras said as he watched her erratic movement. “What're you doing?”

She turned back to him and helped him climb. “Can't hear the melody, either?”

Ras stood still and twitched his ears, but then shook his head.

Pinkie slid down the other side and into a narrow corridor two ponies wide and made of dark sandstone. “You know, now that I think about it, I always hear happy music! It’s just really, really faint.”

Ras looked down at her from atop the mound of debris. “And you didn’t think anything of it?”

“Everypony gets tunes stuck in their head!” Pinkie defended. “I just figured I had an overactive imagination!”

Ras jumped down after her. “You’d get along well with Ace.”

Pinkie put her trust in her new abilities and walked on without fear, the music filling her ears as she jaunted down the path. The darkness faded away at her approach, letting her see as well as if she was out on a sunny day.

“Where now?”

Pinkie snapped back to attention and realized the path had split in two. One path went to the north, the other to the northeast. The path of light followed the latter.

Pinkie hesitated as curiosity got the better of her. With utmost care, she lifted one hoof off the lucky road and took one tiny step on the northern path.

The music ceased, and a single sharp, dangerous note rang in her ears with the force of a gong.

It took all Pinkie had to keep from screaming out in pain and surprise. Instead, she turned around and forcibly pushed Ras down the northeastern path.

“Hey! What—”

“This way, definitely this way!”

The path continued on in the same direction for a few minutes before turning fully again to the north. The Song of Luck resumed in Pinkie’s ears, but the deafening note still reverberated and made pay attention to where she was going. Her train of thought switched tracks to assume a more analytical destination.

So, he knows about my Element and my powers, was sent by the Princesses, talks funny, is older than me, and is sworn to secrecy. To quote Granny Pie, 'I smell me some shenanigans.' Royal shenanigans, at that! He did say I could go to the Princesses if I really wanted to know… nah, what’s the fun in that? This is almost like a game, and if it is, then it’d be a shame to spoil it so soon. Still, though, I wanna know more than this, so how do I get Rassy to tell me? I know! If I get him to talk about himself, he might let something else slip.

Pinkie spoke over her shoulder. “I didn’t know you knew how to use explosives.”

“Norric showed me how,” Ras replied. “I don’t think you’ve met him. He’s one of the members of my platoon. Kind of a klutz.”

And probably another sneaky-sneak. Pinkie shook her head. “When did Zecora give you one of her bombs?”

Ras cracked his neck. “She didn’t. That clicking sound was driving me nuts, so I went through her saddlebags to see what it was when she wasn’t looking.”

Oh, well it was a good thing—wait, what?! Pinkie whirled around. “You stole it?!”

“Borrowed,” he corrected. “Thought it might come in handy.”

Pinkie narrowed her glowing eyes. “You’re a big meanie!”

A red outline formed around Ras at her words. A cold wind brushed past Ras, and a piece of the ceiling fell on his head with a clunk. He staggered back comically and fell to his knees.

Pinkie’s hoof flew to her mouth. “Oh my gosh!” She rushed over to him. “Are you okay?!”

Ras gave a pained laugh. “Pinkie, Pinkie, Pinkie. I thought you said you’d trust me!”

“I do!” Pinkie defended. “Why would you say that?!”

Ras rubbed the spot on his head with the rock had hit him. “Your Luck power has two functions. It makes allies lucky… and enemies unlucky.”

Pinkie blinked as she realized what the red outline meant. “I don’t think you’re an enemy! I'm just mad at you for stealing!”

“Lying doesn’t suit you, my friend.” Ras looked up at her through his eyelashes. “Your words are patronizing, but your powers certainly aren’t.”

Pinkie bit her lip. “Okay, I might still be a liiiiittle itty-bitty leery of you, and now I find out you’re stealing?!”

Ras leaned against the wall and eyed the ceiling. “If I hadn’t swiped that bomb, we’d both be ooze soup. Like it or not, that little theft saved our lives.”

She winced as the weight of his words hit her. Ugh, I don’t want to admit it, but he’s right. It may have been wrong, but I don’t know how else we could’ve closed the tunnel. Come on, I was just telling myself earlier that if he would’ve done something nasty by now if he really was a big meanie. He may be hiding things, but if he says he’s a friend, I believe him! So, stop it, Element!

Ras’ outline flickered, and slowly shifted from the red to a blue that blended in with his coat. He relaxed as he felt the wind around him become warm again.

Pinkie helped him up. “I’m soooooo sorry! I guess don't have full control over this.”

“Figured as much,” he said. “If it makes you feel any better, I was gonna put it back if I didn’t need it.”

“You still shouldn’t have stolen it,” Pinkie admonished. “She would’ve just given it to you if you’d asked!”

Ras hid his smirk by looking at the floor. “That I very much doubt.”

Pinkie couldn’t see his face, but heard the disbelief in his voice. “Why not?”

“Zecora’s pretty sharp.” Ras picked up the rock that’d hit him and tossed it down the tunnel. “ She knew what I was first time she laid eyes on me. Probably has some experience with ponies of my skill set back in the Flatlands.”

Now we’re getting somewhere. The path turned to the east as they continued on side by side. “And what are you, exactly?”

Ras snorted. “Officially? They call me a specialist. I believe my fancy title is ‘Covert Operative,’ but I’ve never been a fan of mincing words. No matter how you slice it, a thief’s a thief.”

Pinkie gasped. “You really are a big meanie! You’re a nasty-sneaky-undeserving-grabby-taker!”

Ras quickly looked up to see if another rock would fall, but the ceiling remained intact. “You know, I’ve been called a lot of things, but that one’s a first. I’ll have you know I’m the nicest nasty-sneaky-undeserving-grabby-taker you’ll ever meet.”

Pinkie stuck out her tongue. “That’s like saying you’re the nicest ooze I’ll ever meet! How can you think it’s right to take things that aren’t yours?”

Ras was silent for a time, and the path began to curve until they were going west. “It’s not a matter of what’s right, it’s a matter of what’s necessary.”

“Why would it be necessary to steal?”

“Hunger’s a pretty powerful motivator.” Ras ran a hoof along the wall. “Not everypony comes from a providing family, and one meal a day doesn’t really cut it for a growing colt. If I wanted more, though, I had to resort to alternative means.”

One meal a day?! Not even my family was that poor! It may have just been bread and water a few times, but we always had three meals. Pinkie’s voice went soft. “It’s a little more understandable if you were only stealing to eat.”

“Well, that’s how it started,” Ras admitted. “Every now and then, I’d see some high and mighty noble come into the market, strutting his stuff and dressed up like a prissy peacock, and I figured anypony who’s that rich and stupid isn’t gonna miss a few bits… or a few dozen… or his entire purse…”

“Rassy!” Pinkie swatted his shoulder.

He took the blow without protest. “You lived on a rock farm before you came to Ponyville, right?”

“How’d you—“

“Personnel file.” Ras helped her climb over a pile of rubble that filled the corridor before it turned again to the north. “I've no idea what that kind of work that is, but how hard was life for you growing up?”

“Hard enough that I left as soon as I could so my family could eat more than bare bones,” Pinkie replied. She jumped over a hole in the floor, landing with a clippity-clop on the other side. Ras followed after her. “The Pie’s have always been really strong Geomancers, but I was never very good at it.”

They now stood in a half-collapsed triangular room with three possible passageways leading on. One went to the northwest, another straight ahead to the north, and the last went to the northeast. Ras hung back as he let Pinkie choose their path. “Let me ask you this then: if there was a way that you could use your talents to let them live in comfort, would you do it?”

“I already do.” Pinkie unerringly followed the road of light down the northwest path. “I send home the money I earn from being a party organizer every month.”

Ras nodded and followed behind her. “I tried to do the same thing. It just wasn’t enough.”

So he went from stealing food so he could eat to stealing money so he could help his family. There had to have been a better way than that! The pathway gently sloped upward, and the walls turned a lighter shade of gray. “Why was your family poor, anyway?”

Ras barked out a harsh laugh. “In a nutshell? My father’s an idiot.”

Pinkie shot him a reproachful glare. “That’s not a very nice thing to say!”

Ras sneered. “Would you call somepony that gambles away all his money and then can’t buy food for his family an idiot?”

Oh… um, yeah. Wow, that’s…. Pinkie shuffled. “I suppose that’s a pretty idiotic thing to do.”

Ras sighed. “My dad had a mountain of gambling debts that he had no way of repaying, and when he found out I was good at stealing, he asked me if I wanted to ‘help the family.’”

And then he was stuck doing it. Aww, poor Rassy. Pinkie spoke in a quiet tone. “Did you ever get caught?”

Ras raised his chin. “I’ve been stealing since I was six. Not to brag or anything, but I’m kinda good at it. First thing you learn is how to cover your tracks. After that, you figure out how to recognize safe targets, and you never make a move unless you have a backup plan. I had standards, though, unlike most thieves. I never stole from the poor, I never stole more than one thing at a time, and I never chose the same target twice.”

The path leveled out, and they entered a rectangular room where the floor had caved in. Pinkie looked down, and saw that the hole went down several dozen feet before ending in a pile of jagged rocks. The path of light went to their right along the edge of the hole, which was just wide enough for them to continue on single file.

Pinkie went first. “Did you manage to pay back your dad’s debts?”

Ras eyed the pit before following carefully behind her. “You need to stop digging In order to fill a hole. I’m pretty sure I repaid the original amount he owed ten times over, but as soon as he paid back one debt, he went and made another one. I don’t know how many times he told me, ‘this is the last one, I promise.’”

Ras facehooved and watched Pinkie scramble up into a hole in the wall. “Who’s the bigger idiot, him for squandering away his money, or me for believing his lies?”

Pinkie’s voice echoed from within the hole. “You were just trying to help!”

Ras shook his head and he climbed up into the hole with a grunt. He had a harder time of it due to his larger frame, but he was still skinny enough to squeeze through. “I never liked stealing. At first it was just so that I wouldn’t go hungry, but then Dad starting taking bigger and bigger chances, and wound up owing more and more. I finally realized it was never gonna end, and I had to get away from him if I was ever gonna build a life of my own. So, as soon as I turned eighteen I moved out, got a real job, and tried to go straight.”

The tunnel turned to the left, then opened up into a proper passageway. Ras poked his head out, but when he tried to pull the rest of himself out, he found that he was stuck. He wiggled and struggled as he tried to get free.

“Uh,” Ras laughed nervously. “Little help?”

Pinkie realized his predicament. She went over to him, grabbed onto his head, and pulled with all her might. Ras came free with a pop, and he tumbled out of the hole, landing on top of Pinkie. They fell to the ground together in a jumble of manes and hooves.

Pinkie giggled as she got back to her hooves. “What do you mean, ‘tried’?”

Ras brushed the cobwebs and rubble out of his mane. “You know how family is. You can try all you like, but you can’t stay away from them forever. We eventually crossed paths, and when we did, the first thing out of his mouth wasn’t ‘Good to see you,’ or ‘How’ve you been,’ it was, ‘I need your help again.’ I’d just gotten out, put it all behind me, and here he was trying to suck me back in again. I didn’t take it very well.”

Pinkie took the lead again, and the path of light continued on to the north. “What happened?” she asked.

“We had an argument,” Ras said simply. “The gist of which was that he didn’t care that I was trying to build an honest life, and I didn’t care that he was an idiot. He threw the usual things in my face to try and guilt me into it, but they were the same lines he’d been feeding me for years, and at that point they didn’t even faze me anymore. I finally told him that I wasn’t going to help him, and if he ever asked again, it’d be the last time we’d ever speak.”

That can’t have been good. Pinkie pursed her lips. “What’d he do?”

“He gave me an ultimatum of his own,” Ras said through gritted teeth. “He said if I didn’t help him, he’d turn me in to the authorities.”

They were just about to enter a new room. Pinkie stopped in the corridor and turned back to him. “He really wouldn’t have—”

Ras flared his nostrils. “It was an empty threat. Like I said, the first thing you learn as a thief is how to cover your tracks. He had nothing on me and we both knew it, but that wasn’t the point. He’d crossed a line in trying to hold that over me, and the way he said it was so... casual, I knew right then and there that he never cared about me at all!”

Ras stormed past her into the blank, featureless room, and began to pace back and forth, all the while speaking in a rising voice.

“How many times had I risked my neck for him?! How many times had I been only inches and seconds away from being caught?! One false move away from getting my nose smashed in, hauled away to jail or worse, and it was all to help put food on the table because of that pathetic, selfish, weaseling, useless wastrel! And how does he repay me? After years of bailing him out of his jams and fixing his mistakes?! He tries to betray me! He’d made our family suffer, used me like a tool for years, and now has the audacity to try and stab me in the back when the whole reason I was doing it the first place was for him?! How DARE he—“

Ras went to the far wall and raised his back legs to strike it as hard as he could. He remembered himself, however, or more accurately, remembered where they were, and held back the strike at the last minute. He hit the wall with a soft tap, then let his legs fall to the floor and hung his head. His shoulders sagged, and he sat down on his haunches.

Pinkie walked up to him and put a hoof on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Rassy.”

Ras didn’t look up, and his reply was soft and strained. “He was so blind... blind and weak. He couldn’t see his own faults and mistakes, and instead of realizing he was the one who needed to change, he turned around and blame others for their misfortune. I knew how desperate he must’ve been to threaten to turn me in, but I didn’t care then, and I don’t care now—you don’t blackmail your own son. He’d dug his own grave, and the notion that he was trying to bury me with him filled me with rage.”

Ras swallowed hard, and his breathing became forced and controlled. “And… in the thrall of that rage... I did something that I’m not proud of.”

His outline darkened dangerously. Pinkie took a step back from him, but got a grip on her anxiety and forced her Element to behave.

“What’d you do?” Pinkie whispered.

Ras met Pinkie’s luminant eyes. “I set him up. He was trying to get me to rob a bank, and I pretended to agree to it. On the night of the heist, I anonymously tipped off the authorities, planted evidence in his house, called in some favors for some eyewitnesses, and tied myself up as a hostage. He got caught red-hooved, took the entire fall and was hauled off to jail. I was never even a suspect.”

Pinkie’s jaw dropped. “You got away with it?!”

Ras crossed his hooves. “Wasn’t even the hardest con I’ve pulled. Who would you have believed, a hard-working model citizen with a spotless record, or a penniless gambling addict with a history of involvement in illegal acts?”

He did that to his own father?! How could—he didn’t really have any other choice, did he? His dad was trying to get him to do super-bad things all because he kept throwing away his money! What else could he have—wait, if he framed his dad, then why is…

Pinkie lowered her chin. “You just blabbed a pretty big secret.”

Ras laughed and got to his hooves. “This is all ancient history, Pinkie. The Princess granted me a boon in recognition for my services to the Crowns a while back, and I told her what happened. She pardoned my transgressions, then dropped the charges against my father.”

The two of them walked out of the room and into a new corridor, which went on for several paces before turning to the west. “Did she do it?” Pinkie asked.

“Her Majesty is as benevolent as she is powerful.” Ras fervently lowered his head. “Not only did she grant my request, she also voided my father’s debts, and moved him from prison into rehab.”

Well at least now he won’t hurt anypony. Pinkie looked down the corridor, and saw that they were entering another room. The northern pathways had caved in, but the path of light beckoned her to an open one to the southwest. “Have you seen him since?”

“No,” Ras said immediately, “and I never want to. I’m glad he’s not in prison, but I’ve had enough of him for two lifetimes.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through all that,” Pinkie said.

Ras sighed. “You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family. It’s not easy to watch them hurt themselves, and you try to do everything you can to help them, but ultimately you can't do a thing if they don’t think they have a problem. Blair helped me to see that.”

Oh yeah, he'd said that he was buddies with him or something. Pinkie kicked at a pebble. “Blair seemed nice. How long have you known him?”

Ras scrunched his eyebrows. “When did you talk with him?”

Pinkie reached over and ruffled his mane. “Silly, he was there at the picnic last week, remember? How’d you guys meet?”

The corridor widened and went on to the west. “I prefer his version of the story.” Ras cleared his throat and plugged his nose. “We both got mistakenly involved in a dispute with some unsavory individuals that quickly escalated to hostile levels. We found ourselves ill-at-odds, and so formed an alliance to achieve to a desirable outcome.”

I… think that means… I got nothing. Pinkie blinked several times and stared at Ras, who burst out laughing.

“We started a bar brawl,” Ras said. “It was late one Friday night, and we were in separate corners of the room, minding our own business and not being rowdy or anything. I was playing cards with a group of ponies, and Blair was at the counter by himself.”

Ras stopped for a moment as Pinkie squeezed through a half-collapsed archway. He looked around for a moment to figure out the best way to get through. “A group of stallions came in from another bar, already drunk and looking for trouble. One of them was this big burly guy, with legs like tree trunks and a face only a mother could love. For no reason, he stormed over to Blair, whipped him around, screamed ‘you look like the guy who stole my mare,’ and decked him right in the face.”

Ras reared up on his hind legs and edged through the gap. When he got through, he saw that they were now in an uneven room filled with scattered debris, and Pinkie was making a zigzagging path through as she continued to the south.

“Now normally, Blair’s a calm, collected guy, but like I was saying to Vigil, he’s different when he’s drunk, and he wasn’t exactly sober when that guy punched him.”

“So what’d he do?” Pinkie asked.

Ras snickered. “He didn’t say a word. He just got a look of cold murder in his eyes, turned around with the force of the hit, and bucked the poor sap across the room. Which would’ve been hilarious... if he hadn’t crashed into me.”

Pinkie ceased her zigzagging and followed the path of light down a moss-covered corridor to the west. “And that’s how you got involved?”

Ras raised his eyes to the ceiling and tried to hide a guilty smile. “You could say that. I was cheating in the card game I was in, and the ponies I was playing against could be described as… interesting. They weren’t very happy when all my hidden cards got sent flying.”

“I thought you were trying to go straight!” Pinkie admonished.

“This was an exception,” Ras said. “The guys had stolen money from one of my co-workers, and I was trying to get it back. I’d learned enough about the dangers of gambling, though, so I‘d no intention of losing. I’dve been fine if Blair hadn’t gone gung-ho, but thanks to that, I found myself facing the wrong end of five very pointy daggers.”

Pinkie unconsciously looked back at Ras to check for any scars or wounds, but then giggled. Now who’s the silly one? Even if he had been hurt, I already healed him! She shook her head. “So what happened?”

“The bar dissolved into chaos.” Ras silently shook with laughter. “Blair and I both wound up fighting five guys, and got pushed to the middle of the bar. We turned to each other, met eyes, and without missing a beat, we switched groups and kept going. We cleared a path through the mob, got to the door, and high-tailed it out of there before the authorities came. We got to talking after that, and well, we just kinda started hanging out every week. At a different bar, though, mind you.”

Hehe. I’d imagine you wouldn’t want to show your face after starting a big-ol free-for-all punch-fest like that! The path opened into a room that stretched on to the north and south. Pinkie followed the lucky road to the north. “Was Blair the one who talked you into joining the military?”

Ras adopted an odd, nostalgic smile. “No. That was due to another set of ‘extenuating circumstances.’ Let’s just say that depending on how you look at it, I was either at the wrong place at the right time, or the right place at the wrong time.”

Pinkie was about to ask what he meant by that, but then realized she was face to face with a wall. Ras almost bumped into her as she jumped back.

“What’s up?” Ras said.

Pinkie looked all around to check and see if she’d missed something. “The road stops here.”

“Stops?”

Pinkie nodded. “It just cuts off.”

Ras walked up and inspected the wall. It was made of dark moss-covered stone, and looked the same as all the others. The only notable feature was a few cobwebs that hung in the ceiling above.

Ras put his ear to the wall and tapped it. Sure enough, an odd, hollow sound resonated from within. He raised an eyebrow and took a step back.

“Never knew about this.” Ras put his back to the wall and bucked it as hard as he could. There was a dull cracking sound, and a seam became visible in the wall. There was now a whistling sound as the air began to rush in.

Pinkie realized what was happening and went to stand beside Ras. He nodded his approval and sounded off a count.

“One, two, three!”

Ras and Pinkie bucked the wall together. It cracked even further, then caved in and collapsed in a mound of rubble. A passageway became revealed that continued on to the north, and the path of light continued along it.

Pinkie clapped her hooves. “This is so cool!”

Ras coughed and waved away the dust. “It’s certainly better than being eaten.”

The walls and ceiling transitioned to smooth limestone as they continued down the path. The glow of the flare reflected off the new lighter rock, and Ras’ range of vision increased. The pathway came to an end at a short set of stairs, which was blocked by an old, rusted grate.

Ras grunted and heaved as he pushed at the obstruction, but his efforts were fruitless. After a few minutes, he stepped away and looked to Pinkie.

“Any ideas?”

Pinkie looked around for moment, then did a double take. There was a block in the wall that shone brighter than the rest. She went over to it, and after nosing tracing its outline, she pressed it in.

There was a click, followed by a pop, and the grate was freed from its hinges. Ras shook his head and pushed it open.

“What I would’ve given to had you around back in the day.”

Pinkie stamped a hoof. “I wouldn’t have helped you steal!”

Ras smirked and ascended the stairs. “I dunno... you might’ve enjoyed the thrill.”

The two of them now found themselves in a vast, underground room lined with tall hexagonal pillars. Dim shafts of light filtered in from grates high above in the vaulted ceiling, similar to the one they had just come in from. Spindly metal braziers covered in thick layers of cobwebs and dust dotted the room, and the sickly green walls were filled with several deep recesses, each of them filled with a large, ornate stone box. Beneath each box was a golden plaque etched with markings in a thin script.

“What is this place?” Pinkie whispered. It had an eerie stillness to it that made her hair stand on end.

Ras didn’t reply. He stood with his back turned a few feet away from her, then slowly walked over to one of the recesses in the wall.

Pinkie remained where she was as she watched him examine the stone box. He then lowered his head and read the words of the plaque aloud, his voice unnaturally loud in the deathly silence.

“Here lies Paladin the First, son of Charlemane, Knight-Grandmaster and Founder of the Solar Guard. May his selfless deeds and unshakable valor shine on through the hearts of future generations.”

Ras reverently bowed to the coffin, then turned back to Pinkie. “We’re in the Royal Crypts beneath the old castle. This is where high ranking military officers and ponies of notable deeds were buried.”

We’re beneath the castle? Wow, I didn’t know we’d gone that far! Then that means that all of the boxes are—got it, special place, can’t goof off here. Pinkie held back a sneeze as the dust tickled her nose. “What’s the Solar Guard?”

Ras turned away from Paladin’s resting place and continued along the wall, inspecting the plaques as he went. “Before the War of the Sun and Moon, Celestia and Luna each had a personal contingent of knights that they considered to be the finest in the military. Celestia’s was called the Solar Guard, and Luna’s was the Astral Guard.”

That sounds kinda like what we have now, except it’s just the Royal Guard. I wonder if they’ll do something like that again now that Luna’s back? Pinkie realized that there wasn’t a road of light anymore, just a vague circle that moved along with her. “Before? What happened during?”

Ras hesitated and sucked on his teeth. “You heard what I said earlier about Blair tending to ramble, right?”

Pinkie thought back to earlier in the day. “You said something about Nightmare Moon corrupting her soldiers, right? Was that really true?”

Ras face turned grim. “Luna’s transformation into Nightmare Moon also turned her half of the military into crazed, malicious monsters. The Astral Guard was the worst of all, and they usually led the battles while Nightmare Moon and Celestia fought each other.”

I’ve never heard any of this. The only thing I remember from school about the War of the Sun and Moon was that it’s the reason why Canterlot got rebuilt. Is he making all this up? Pinkie kept her voice even. “Is that how Canterlot got destroyed?”

Ras kept his gaze on the plaques. “Nightmare Moon was the one who did most of the damage. The Astral Guard rarely even made it inside the city walls.”

“Why?” Pinkie asked. “Did the Solar Guard stop them?”

Ras’ ears drooped. “The Solar Guard was slaughtered by Nightmare Moon while trying to protect Celestia in the first battle. She was so stricken by the loss that she never reformed it.”

Pinkie’s stomach dropped out. “Then who?”

Ras underwent a subtle change at the question. His posture straightened, and he turned to Pinkie with a fierce look in his eyes.

“On the night Luna fell, a group of low-ranking soldiers that’d survived initial onslaught banded together and fought off the Astral Guard while Celestia held off the nascent Nightmare Moon. Sounds impossible, I know, but it happened all the same.”

“Fought off?” Pinkie repeated. “You mean they just bought some time or something, so Celestia could push them away?”

A cocky smile formed on Ras’ lips. “No. Celestia had her hooves full, and it was all she could do to keep Nightmare Moon busy. The soldiers defeated the Astral Guard all by themselves.”

Pinkie’s eyes went wide. “Wow, cool!”

“Nightmare Moon was enraged,” Ras said with a dark laugh. “She broke away from Celestia and tried to attack the soldiers instead when she realized what happened, but in doing so, she gave Celestia an opening. Her Majesty blasted Nightmare Moon out of the city, and then for good measure, all her troops, as well.”

“So what happened after?”

Ras spoke in a strong, confident tone. “Celestia grieved over the loss over the Solar Guard, but she also knew she’d need new ponies to replace them. She was amazed that a bunch of noponies had just gone hoof-to-hoof with an entire contingent of vicious killing machines, so in honor of the fallen, she retired the Solar Guard, then took the twelve new ponies, knighted them on the spot, and formed them into a new order. That order then went on to repel the Astral Guard in every battle they appeared in, saved hundreds of lives, and played a vital part in winning the War.”

Pinkie was hanging on his every word. “What were they called?!”

Ras smiled. “The—“

He stopped as he noticed something on the far end of the room. He squinted for a moment, and his lips slowly parted. He trotted forward and left Pinkie behind.

“Rassy?”

Ras didn’t reply. Pinkie followed after him to the northwestern edge of the room, where before them stood a large door made of smooth, polished obsidian. Etched upon it was a circle divided into twelve halves, each of them emblazoned with a peculiar, colored rune.

“It can’t be...” Ras approached the door and searched for a handle. He found that a pull-ring was inlaid in the center, and he took it in his mouth and pulled. The door resisted for a moment, but then slowly inched open on unseen hinges, and when he got the door wide enough to slip through, he swiftly went inside, his tail disappearing with a flick.

Pinkie followed him inside, and now found that she was in a narrow corridor made of silver glass. The same runes etched on the door were on the walls, each of them colored in a different kind of stone. Pinkie glanced at each symbol as she passed, but her gaze hovered over one in particular—a pair of horizontal, jagged indigo lines.

Pinkie came into a room with a low ceiling, where twelve jewel-encrusted tombs sat in two rows of six. Each one was inlaid with a rune and a shining golden plaque. The walls were covered with paintings of stallions in silver armor, fighting off hosts of foul monsters. In the center of the floor was an altar, filled with long forgotten incenses and fuel-oils.

Pinkie stood beside Ras, whose face was impassive as he stared at the tombs. He walked a small set of stairs, went to the altar, and produced a flint and steel from his saddlebags. He ignited the oil, and the room was filled with softly flickering light.

Ras turned to Pinkie, and named the ponies around them in a whisper that carried through the chamber.

“The Order of the Zodiac.”

Pinkie felt a chill. She went down the stairs, then walked to the tombs and inspected the plaques.

He really was telling the truth… yep, they all say it. Order of the Zodiac, huh? Sounds pretty nifty, but I’ve never heard of any of these names. Gemini? Taurus? Scorpio? Sagittarius? Why were they buried here instead of new Canterlot? Did they all die in the War, or something?

Pinkie didn’t notice that Ras had come down the stairs behind her, and had gone to the tomb in the back right-hand corner.

I remember Twilight saying something last week about there’s not a lot of stuff about this War. Hehe, she’s gonna have a cow when I tell her about this! Oooh, but nopony’s gonna trust Luna if they find out that she turned her soldiers into monsters and killed civilians. I’ll bet that’s why Celestia hid all this.

Pinkie’s ‘think-think-think’ mode drowned out the soft click and scraping sound that came from her right.

Could Luna go crazy again? Hmm… no, I don’t think so. We zapped her pretty good with the Elements, after all. Now that I think about what she was like before we saved her, though, I think I can believe what Ras is saying. My heart almost broke when I felt hers. She was so cold and lonely, filled with bitterness, anguish, and hate. What about Celestia, though? It couldn’t have been easy to lose her sister rule the country all by herself. Heh, maybe we should zap her with the Elements, too! Or at least help her in some way. I can’t stand to think that she might be hurting as much as Luna was!

The Element of Laughter flared in response to Pinkie’s emotions. The light in her eyes filled her irises, and a blast of wind emanated from her body that was accompanied by a wave of blue light.

Ahhh, I set it off! I’m gonna have to get used to this. Calm down, Pinkie, calm down. I can see why Rassy was—

“You can’t bring back the dead.”

Pinkie looked over at Ras, who was watching her with a solemn look. “Not even Her Majesty can do that.”

Pinkie took deep breaths and quelled her Element as she walked over to him. “I wasn’t trying to, I just—“

Pinkie was suddenly hit by a wave of fatigue. She stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

“Whoa, there!” Ras quickly caught her. “I told you not to push too hard!”

Owieeee… Pinkie felt woozy and drained, and a dull throbbing pressure had formed in the back of her head. She looked over at the tomb Ras had been looking at, and noticed something odd about it.

“That one’s plaque is missing.”

“I know,” Ras said. “Don’t worry about that, though. You’ve gotten us this far, I can take it from here.”

“How do you know where to go?” she asked as Ras led them out of the chamber.

“Your Luck power led us here,” Ras said simply. “There has to be an exit somewhere.”

The two of them walked out of the silver chamber and back into the Crypts. Ras let Pinkie rest against a pillar, and he went and inspected the area. He returned a few minutes later with a smile, saying that he’d found a way up and out to the surface. She let him lead the way without protest, and ten minutes later they stepped out into the sunshine and remains of the castle courtyard.

Pinkie was feeling a little better by now, and could walk on her own. She followed behind Ras in silence, but a lingering thought from Vigil’s outburst still nagged at her.

“Hey, Rassy?”

Ras stopped and looked back at her inquiringly.

Pinkie met his eyes. “Nightmare Moon’s soldiers weren’t banished to the Changeling Wastes, were they?”

Ras pursed his lips. “What makes you say that?”

Rassy, Rassy, Rassy. I just found out that Celestia is covering up a War so that Luna will have a chance to start over. Why do you think I’m a little suspicious of the rest of the story? Pinkie wet her lips. “Viggy was too mad to notice, but I saw. You looked shocked, like he’d said something really rude.”

Ras scoffed and looked out over the courtyard. “The Princess is a kind, loving soul. She wouldn’t damn anypony to such a terrible fate... not even the Changelings.”

Not… even… what? Pinkie frowned. “What do you mean?”

Ras closed his lips for a moment and licked his teeth. “Nightmare Moon’s corrupting magic granted her soldiers a form of twisted immortality. They could be wounded, disabled, even dismembered, but they could never truly die so long as their mistress still existed. There was no real place to put such vile, terrible creatures after the War, and Celestia couldn’t even try to do anything until Nightmare Moon was freed again, so she made a place for them to be confined for the interim. A multilayered prison of sorts, guarded by powerful enchantments and residing in a pocket dimension. Separate from our world, but connected at the same time.”

Why does that sound familiar to something I’ve heard before? Pinkie rubbed her head as she tried to recall the story. “Does the place have a name?”

Ras’ expression darkened and spoke the word in a hushed tone.

“Tartarus.”

Pinkie flinched. “Tartarus is real?!”

“As the ground you stand on." Ras lowered his gaze to the ground. "Most ponies think it’s just an old story to scare children, or something to swear by. I’m afraid we’re not that lucky.”

“Well…” Pinkie said slowly, “even if it’s real, and it really is where all the nasty old soldiers from the War of the Sun and Moon were imprisoned, it must be empty now that Nightmare Moon’s gone!”

Ras watched as Pinkie closed her eyes and moved again to an unheard tune. He raised his hoof and opened his mouth to speak, but then quickly looked away and lowered his hoof, letting out his breath a sigh.

“Yeah,” he said. “She’s gone, all right.”

Pinkie stopped her bobbing as the dizziness threatened to return. She opened her eyes and regained her bearings. “We really saved the day, didn’t we?”

Ras nodded, and they crossed the castle courtyard together. “You really did.”

The two of them navigated out of the castle and came out beside the bridge over the chasm they had seen from the cliffside. Ras reached inside his bags when they got to the edge, and pulled out another flare, along with a small metallic device.

“So what are you going to do?” Ras asked.

Pinkie watched as he loaded the flare and closed the device with a click. “About telling the others about all this?”

Ras nodded. “I can’t stop you. I’m under orders not to interfere with your life.”

There’s more going on here than Rassy’s telling me, but it sounds like we were gonna find out about all this pretty soon, anyways. This just means is that I get to be in on the surprise! I don’t like that the Princess trying to cover up what Luna did, but what else can she do? Celestia wants to give Luna a second chance, and I’m not going to be the one who messes that up. Hehe, it wouldn’t make much sense to tell ponies anyway. All it’d mean is more work for me!

Pinkie looked out over the chasm to the Dawn River below. “The girls are gonna find out soon, right?”

Ras raised the device into the air. “In around two months or so... that is, if they don’t find out on their own before that.”

Pinkie smirked deviously. “ I can wait that long. This is gonna be a doozy of a surprise, and it’d be a shame to spoil it.”

“Fair enough.” Ras looked up in the air and took aim.

“I do have onnnnnne condition, though.”

He looked down at her. “Which is?”

Pinkie was bouncing up and down. “You gotta tell me what powers the other girls have. I’m dying to know!”

Ras laughed. “I think I can do that.”

The flare shot high up into the air, and ignited with a pop! A few moments later, a second flare shot up from the other side of the ruins. Ras and Pinkie walked along the edge of the chasm, and went to rejoin Vigil and Zecora.

“I’ll start with Magic,” Ras said. “Her first one is…”

Chapter 15: Change of Plans

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Chapter 15:

Change of Plans

The Next Evening-

The full moon hung high in the sky as a teal stallion clad in the grey armor of the Equestrian Military galloped through the ravaged streets of Canterlot. His breastplate clanked loudly against his sides until he finally tightened the straps and donned his unadorned helmet, which felt strangely light. Realizing he‘d forgotten his hornblade, he cursed and briefly considered going back for it, but he was interrupted by the sound of rushing air. He looked up just in time to see a violet ray fly in from the southeast and strike a nearby building.

The stallion’s teeth shook in his skull as the building exploded in a fiery burst. He staggered back from the force, and shattered stones, splintered wood, and assorted debris careened across the cobblestones just ahead of him. The ringing in his ears subsided, and he forgot all hesitance and dashed forward. He jumped over a barrel that rolled out from the gutted remains, and forced himself to avert his gaze as he hastened to obey the desperate summons that had gone out just moments before.

“Libra!”

A thin red unicorn dashed out of an alleyway. He wearing the same kind of armor as Libra, but it was splattered with a deep viscous fluid that matched his coat.

“Princess Luna has gone mad,” the newcomer’s eyes were wild as he ran alongside Libra. “She fights with Celestia above Zenith Square!”

“Art thou injured, Scorpio?!” Libra eyed the sanguine stains on Scorpio’s armor.

“Nay!” Scorpio replied. “I was helping to evacuate the wounded when I received the summons! We must hurry!”

Chaos reigned in the streets as civilians fled their homes. The two stallions were jostled by a sea of panicked ponies that fought to get to shelters, or escape the city to the forest beyond. The deadly violet rays continued to sizzle across the sky, and filled the air with deafening explosions and agonized screams.

Libra and Scorpio arrived in Zenith Square to behold a schism of light and dark. Soldiers that were once sworn comrades now fought each other both on the ground and in the air. Half of them were enveloped in a foul, shadowy mist that clung to their bodies like a shroud, and their eyes were filled with manic bloodlust. They fought with savage ferocity against the other soldiers, who were rapidly losing both ground and numbers. In the center of the plaza were ten stallions in shining golden armor, fighting desperately against ten corrupted counterparts in reflective ebon plate.

There was a sound from on high like the tinging and clanging of steel on steel, but it moved with the speed of a hummingbird's wings. Libra looked, and saw a pair of blue and white blurs flying around the square at a speed beyond mortal ken. The violet rays were emanating from one of the blurs, and were being shot out in random directions to hit the city below.

Libra’s jaw dropped as he beheld the battle. “By the Sun an—“

“Look out!”

Scorpio roughly shoved Libra to the side as a sword blade appeared in between them. Libra turned, and saw three shadowy soldiers advancing towards them, pushing them in towards the square.

One of the soldiers charged Scorpio, while the second went for Libra. The third hung back and laughed, taking his time to decide who to pick off.

The soldier’s voice was grim and vindictive as he decided on Libra. “Thou wilt embrace Eternal Ni—”

A long, thin knife embedded itself into his neck from behind. He gurgled and fell to the ground, and a lanky indigo stallion dressed in civilian clothes stepped out from the shadows. He calmly eyed Libra with a curious expression.

“Dost thou require my assistance?”

“Aquarius!” Libra had formed a sword of ice to fend off his attacker. “Flee! Thou hath no obligation to fight!”

Aquarius threw another knife and caught Libra’s attacker in the chest.

“Here’s as good a place to die as any,” Aquarius drawled. “Our crazed monarchs have collapsed the city gates. The hawks now circle above while we rats scurry frantically about.”

Aquarius pounced on Scorpio’s attacker. He tilted his head back, exposed his throat, and Scorpio slashed once with his hornblade. The soldier fell twitching to the ground in a pool of his own blood.

Scorpio took a step back as a familiar metallic scent filled his nostrils. “I-I…”

“Save thy remorse.” Aquarius gave Scorpio’s shoulder a casual pat, as if he’d done nothing more gruesome than step on a cockroach. “Thou would have received none had the tables been turned.”

Scorpio shook his head. “I am not meant to take lives! This is—“

A raw, unholy shriek rent the air. Pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies alike fell to the ground as the entire Equestrian Military shielded their ears from the aural onslaught. The noise was so loud that Libra feared that his eardrums might explode from the pain.

The screaming died out. Everypony looked up, and saw that the two blurs had ceased as well, and were now recognizable as the two Princesses. Celestia wielded a longsword comprised of brightest steel and bathed in searing flames. Luna brandished a pair of thin curved shortswords, made of translucent crystal and coated in shadow. The two of them glared at each other as they hovered in midair, their impasse almost ceasing time itself.

Celestia lowered her chin and spoke in a quiet, controlled tone that contradicted her expression of fury.

“Art thou done?”

Luna responded with a violet ray. Celestia deflected it with her sword, but didn’t have time to aim because Luna charged her again. The two of them turned back into blurs, their strikes, parries and ripostes moving faster than the eye could see.

“Thou art destroying all we worked so hard to build!” Celestia yelled. “Our city! Our subjects!”

Luna’s eyes flashed as she responded in a cold, hateful voice. “Thou hast used me in thy games, slandered my name with horrid lies, and then had the gall to pretend nothing is wrong when thou seest they ignore me and sleep through my night. No, sister, this is not my city, nor are these my subjects!”

Luna parried Celestia's strike with one of her blades, then used the other to strike her flank. The enchanted metal sliced through her wards and dug deep into her flesh. Celestia cried out, and Luna took the opportunity and caught her in her magic. She pinned her sister’s wings to her sides and held her helpless in the air.

A subtle coiling darkness formed around Luna’s body as she moved closer to Celestia. She kicked the longsword away, and it fell to the ground below. Luna then placed her free blade to Celestia’s throat, leaving the second one embedded in her side. She leaned forward to speak in her sister's ear.

“They are thine. And now, one way or another, I will take them from thee.”

“Luna…” Celestia whimpered as the blade cut deeper into her side. “Please…”

“Thou hadst thy chance, as did they,” Luna replied in a heartless whisper. The darkness around her thickened, and her pupils morphed into reptilian slits. “Thou wantest them to fear me? Very well... I WILL GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO FEAR!”

Luna flew above Celesta and bucked her in the back. She went hurtling to the ground below and landed in Zenith Square with the force of a small bomb, sending the golden-armored soldiers flying in a hail of metal and stone.

Luna’s voice became amplified as she let loose another mad, primal scream. She raised her forehooves in victory, and looked down at the crater in which her wounded sister lay. The darkness around her became absolute as it wrapped around her like a fell cocoon.

“I AM A PRINCESS OF EQUESTRIA!” she bellowed. “I WILL HAVE THE POWER AND RESPECT I DESERVE!”

Luna raised her head to the sky as the darkness enveloped her completely.

“EVEN IF I MUST TAKE IT BY FORCE!”

The corona of the full moon shone a cruel, icy blue. The entire city experienced a drop in temperature, and the stars above shifted from warm twinkling beacons to sharp, menacing punctures of glistening light. Luna’s cocoon flared, and a wave of foul dark magic emanated from it that sunk down to the city in a polluted haze. Jagged shafts of starlight then pierced Luna’s cocoon, and it exploded with a sound like shattering glass. The fragments dissipated to the wind, and the nascent creature inside was revealed.

Princess Luna was gone. In her place there was a terrifying abomination. The feathers on her wings had molted, revealing the tough, leathery flesh beneath. She’d grown in size, and now rivaled, perhaps even surpassed Celestia. Her coat was like the void, and her ethereal mane of stars now snapped through the air like a serrated whip.

Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes as she beheld the pitiful city below. Her horn glowed purest black, and the corona of her namesake doubled in size. She flew higher into the sky, and spoke in a chilling, bitter voice that pierced the ears of the city’s inhabitants.

“Never again wilt thou seest thy precious sun. Now begins the Era of Eternal Night! But first…”

Nightmare Moon’s lips curved upward in a mad, malevolent smile.

“You will all SUFFER for thy crimes!”

The corona of the moon exploded in a chillingly beautiful display of power. Countless lances of pure starlight orbited the moon once, then spiraled down towards the planet in a rain of heavenly destruction.

Nightmare Moon cackled as the lances sped past her and down towards Canterlot.

“THE NIGHT... WILL LAST... FOREVER!”

“ENOUGH!”

Celestia arose out of the crater, a literal beacon of light in a sea of darkness. Her horn blazed with brilliance, and the air above Canterlot thickened into a shining, mirror-like barrier. The moonlances struck the shield and exploded with tons of force, but the city was shielded from the descending assault.

Nightmare Moon screamed. She fired another salvo, then another and another, using more and more spears each time. They sped down and struck the shield again and again with cataclysmic might, but still, none broke through.

Celestia gritted her teeth, and her eyes faded to purest gold. The air around her sizzled, and the stone below her turned cherry red. She shimmered with heat, sank up to her knees in molten stone, and spat out a single sentence through the extreme strain.

“Monster… give… me back… my sister!”

Nightmare Moon elongated her mane to colossal proportions, each of the stars within shining with a cruel edge. She swung her head once in an arc, and the serrated enchantments struck Celestia’s barrier. It melted away at her touch, slicing through the magic like a hot knife through butter.

Celestia let loose a scream of her own as the barrier faded away.

“GIVE! HER! BACK!”

Celestia fired a titanic scorching ray. The ground cracked and heaved from the force, and dozens of soldiers in the plaza were sent flying through the air. Celestia became buried waist deep in the melted rock, and her ray rocketed towards Nightmare Moon like a geyser of burning light.

Nightmare Moon saw the massive attack and easily dodged out of the way, laughing at the impressive, yet obvious attack.

“Thou wilt have to do better than that!” she taunted in her grim, cold voice.

However, what Nightmare Moon didn’t realize was that she was not Celestia’s true target.

The fiery beam continued to travel through the sky…

…out of the atmosphere…

…into space…

...where it soundlessly struck the moon.

The heavenly body shuddered from the impact and was pushed out of its zenith. It sunk lower and lower in the sky before finally coming to a stop near the horizon.

Nightmare Moon staggered from the disruption in the cosmic balance. She tried to regain herself, but didn’t have time, for when she turned around...

...she found herself face to face with a very, very angry Celestia.

The two of them locked eyes for the briefest of moments, then re-materialized their blades and engaged once again with renewed ferocity.

A few moments earlier, Libra, Scorpio and Aquarius watched in horror as Luna became enveloped in darkness. A pulse of vile magic surged out from the cocoon, then descended upon the entire city. Libra’s skin prickled as it settled on him, but he otherwise felt no ill effects.

Libra turned to his comrades. “What was—“

His question was drowned out by a cacophony of agonizing screams. Luna’s metamorphosis was intensifying the corrupting magic that possessed the shadowy soldiers, and they were now convulsing on the ground. Their bodies reformed into new, grotesque shapes, and a series of tearing, snapping sounds accompanied their shrieks.

A few seconds later, the plaza was filled with monsters. The soldiers’ changes were varied, ranging from scaled and slimy skin to prehensile tails with stingers or bony clubs, bat-like wings, elongated limbs, fang-filled maws, reptilian eyes, jagged hooves, and sharp, wicked horns. Some had grown in size, others had limbs that were partially fused together. Only one thing did they all have in common: they reeked with the foul taint of Nightmare Moon’s magic.

The nascent aberrations threw back their heads and bellowed to their mistress, who still flew in the air high above. There was a whooshing sound, and Libra looked up to see the wrath of the heavens descending upon them. He and the others fell prone, the voice of the insane monarch echoing in their ears.

“ENOUGH!”

Libra had prepared for excruciating pain of being skewered, burned or frozen by Nightmare Moon’s magic, but Celestia’s shout caused him to look up. He watched the barrier form around the city and shield them from the assault.

However, his attention was then diverted, for a squat-limbed, spine covered pony lashed out at him with a clawed hoof.. Libra jumped back and tried to use his ice sword to fend off the creature, but it dodged to the right…

…and collapsed under its own weight as a pair of swords encased in a green aura sliced the backs of all four of its legs.

Libra turned to see a green unicorn gallop past them. He was wearing light armor of foreign make that covered him from nose to tail, along with a metal skullcap, a neck guard, and a griffin talon necklace. He drew a second pair of longswords from the quartet of sheaths at his sides, then charged into the battle without hesitation. Two of the blades circled around him in a deadly ring while wielding the other two, leaving a path of fallen, but still-living enemies in his wake.

The soldier looked back once to yell at the trio.

“Are you mice?! Fight for Her Majesty!”

Libra was mometarily speechless, for he realized he’d just beheld one the most legendary swordsponies in all of the Equestrian Military. When his voice returned to him, he said one word in an awed voice.

“Tendoncutter...”

“Worship thy heroes later! There are villains to slay!” Aquarius retrieved his knives, finished off the fallen creature Tendoncutter had left behind, then ran into the battle himself.

Libra gulped as he beheld the battle. The monsters were relentless, savage, and were ripping soldiers to shreds while losing little ground themselves. The Solar Guard was nowhere to be seen. They'd been in the center of the square when Celestia had fallen...

Celestia was busy shielding the city. There was no backup. Libra suddenly realized they were on their own, and there was little he could do to fight against such creatures. He was but a lowly, recently-initiated Battlemage, nothing more than fodder. He was going to die here, slowly and painfully, and everything he knew and loved was going to be destroyed by these monsters.

Unless…

Libra turned to Scorpio, who was still looking at the fallen corrupted soldier with a far-off stare.

“Scorpio,” Libra began, “The Lifeforce spell, I could—”

“NO!” Scorpio returned to the world with panicked fervor. “Thou knowest the dangers of forbidden magic!”

Libra ducked as an eyeless soldier with three uneven legs swung a clawed hoof at him. ““Look around thee! We are beset by devils! What choice do I have?!”

“They’re our comrades!” Scorpio yelled. A crimson aura formed around the fell creature, trapping it inside. It gnashed with wicked teeth as it threw itself against the magical wall. “They might still be saved!”

“At what cost?!” Libra demanded. He turned to face a new foe: A hulking pegasus with bat-like wings and dripping fangs. Libra leveled his sword at the creature, fragmented it into deadly thorns, then fired them right as the pegasus charged. “Canterlot shall be razed at this rate! Or canst thou not feel the flames?!”

“Thou wilt lose thyself and damn us all! There must be another way!” An uncorrupted soldier fell out of the carnage before them. Scorpio rushed to him, but the light had already left the soldier's eyes.

“There isn't,” Libra said grimly. He stared at the fresh corpse for only a second, then took several steps back from the battle and lowered his horn. “The only way to fight monsters—“

Libra closed his eyes and reached out to touch the air with his mind. He could feel the infinitesimal water droplets around him, swirling and fleeing the all-consuming flames that licked the buildings around the square. He ignored them and stretched his consciousness farther out, feeling the tainted magic that surged through the corrupted soldiers. He chose the three that were closest to him, focused inside their bodies, and felt the warm, deep crimson fluid that ran through their networks of arteries and veins. His focus drifted upward to their brains, and he singled out a few key arteries that throbbed with life.

“—is to become a monster thyself.”

Libra cast the spell. The corrupted soldiers jerked their heads back, and a fine vapor escaped their lips as their blood froze. Their mouths contorted into odd shapes as two of their legs gave way, and they fell to the ground in a heap. Their bodies jolted and convulsed on the ground for a few moments, and then went deathly still.

Scorpio’s stared at Libra in horror. “Thou actually did it…”

Libra had felt an odd, manic thrill as he’d touched the soldier’s lifeforce and then felt it flee their bodies. Being connected to them was like being overcome with euphoria, and cutting them off filled him with a massive shot of adrenaline. A strange smile filled with yearning crept up on his face, and the temperature dropped around him.

“I’m not done yet.”

Libra stretched out again, felt another three soldiers, and cast the spell again. They reacted much in the same way as the first—they seized up momentarily, fell to the ground in a seizure, then did nothing more. He marveled at how easy it was! He was feeling the life coursing through another being, taking a hold of it with ease, and then snuffing it out with the simplest bit of magic! The realization alone that life and death were measured by such a small, easily interrupted thing was electrifying, and he wanted more. He did it five more times with sets of three soldiers… and each time felt better and better.

“Libra…”

Libra felt cold and empty. Three soldiers at a time wasn’t enough anymore. He wanted—no, needed more. He spread himself out farther and began to select more and more soldiers with each spell. First six soldiers. Then a dozen. Then thirty. Fifty. The corrupted soldiers dropped like flies before Libra, with each of their exhalations accompanied by a fine, cool mist. Libra felt more and more alive with every cast, felt the lifeforce more strongly, like a siren song that called out to him in an undeniable voice. The sensation was tantalizing. Exhilarating. Intoxicating.

Addicting.

“Libra!”

Another spell, and seventy-five soldiers expired. Libra was freezing cold now, but he couldn’t stop. The call of the lifeforce was undeniable, and he didn’t want to resist, anyways. In fact, why was he bothering with such small numbers? He wasn't even in Magical Fatigue, and the spell took next to no effort at all. With this kind of power at his command, he could save all of Canterlot. He’d be hailed as a hero. There was no stopping him, for what form of defense could be mounted against this spell? Nothing would stand in his way, not even the fallen Princess herself! In fact, he could end this battle right now!

Libra shivered in anticipation as he expanded his consciousness out as far as he could, targeted everything that had a pulse, and—“

“LIBRA! STOP!”

Libra gasped as he realized what he’d almost done. He abandoned the magic, his stomach rolled, and he turned and vomited with a mighty heave. He retched several times before finally regaining control of his facilities, taking air into his lungs with quick, ragged breaths.

“Rise, Libra. Rise and face thine unforgiveable sin.”

Libra took a great shuddering gasp. He didn't want to open his eyes. He knew what he’d see. It’d be a sight he’d never forget. It’d burn into his memory, and chase him for the rest of his days and haunting his nightmares.

Yet still, he obeyed.

Stretched before Libra was a carpet of bodies. One hundred and ninety-four malformed soldiers lay lifeless on the cold, hard cobblestone, their blank, featureless eyes staring out into the endless depths of eternity. A fresh wave of nausea hit Libra, but he’d already emptied his stomach, and couldn’t manage anything other than a gag. The uncorrupted soldiers stared at the carnage he’d wrought, their expressions varying between wonder, horror, and fear. Libra noticed a disturbance in the air around him, and now saw that the ground and air around him were etched with fine tendrils of frost that were attached to his body. It was as if he’d sucked away all the heat from all around him, but if that was true, then why did he still feel—

A brutal wave of cold struck Libra like he’d been hurled into the vacuum of space. He screamed, clutched his head in agony, and quickly cast a fire spell to warm himself. It was no use, though, and he knew it. The affliction was in his mind, and no amount of flame or physical heat could give him what his body now thought it so desperately craved.

Libra looked up at the remaining soldiers. Their lifeforce called out to him. He could see it now, pulsing inside their bodies. He had to take it. He was going to die if he didn’t. It was the only thing that could take away the cold.

Libra’s frozen tendrils reached out to the remaining soldiers.

“I-I c-can’t—”

Libra’s hooves became stuck to the ground. He looked down in surprise, and now saw that he was standing in the center of a hastily-drawn rectangular array with a triangle in the center. The lines of the array flared red, and Libra was caught in a pillar of white light. He tried to move, but his legs wouldn’t obey him. He tried to reach out with his magic, but his mind was now muddled.

“Thou knewest the peril.”

Libra felt a stinging pain on his cheek. He jerked over to see Scorpio, his horn glowing red and his entire body tensed. He raised his hoof to strike again, but with great effort, he took a step back and lowered his eyes with a derisive snort.

“There be not a word in our tongue to describe thine idiocy. Thy mother warned thee of the addiction that cometh from controlling another's lifeforce, but thou didst not listen. Now, thy horn shall be severed, thou wilt be banished from our lands, and thou wilt be damned to hearing and feeling its accursed call for the rest of thy life. Congratulations, Libra, thou art truly a mon—”

The corrupted soldiers twitched. Scorpio whirled around, and the two of them watched as the dark magic wrapped around the fallen bodies, reanimated them, and raised them onto their hooves.

The twisted soldiers let loose renewed cries of bloodlust and advanced towards them.

“How...” Libra murmured.

“Luna's magic.” Scorpio gulped. “It must sustain them somehow.”

There was a ripping sound from above. Nightmare Moon cut through the barrier, and before anyone else could react, Celestia gave her fiery rebuttal. The world turned to chaos as the ground upended, and everypony in the square was sent flying by the shock, Libra and Scorpio included.

Libra shut his eyes and waited for the end.

Except... the end never came. Libra had expected to fall careening to the ground, smash his head against the side of a building, then get pelted by a rather large chunk of rock that would break the skin, and his vision would be tinged with red for the rest of the battle. He expected that the sounds of screaming and explosions would continue, followed by the insane ramblings of Nightmare Moon as she threw venomous insults at Celestia during the course of their duel. He also expected to wrestle with his newfound addiction, and fight to only use it on Nightmare Moon’s soldiers.

None of that happened.

In fact, nothing happened at all. Libra opened his eyes, and found that he was hanging in midair. The force of the blast had only carried him half of the distance he remembered, and everything around him was stuck in a state of perpetual stasis.

Libra was just beginning to wonder how he was going to get down from his current suspension, but as soon as he did, he fell to the ground with a crash. He got up, rubbed his eyes, and took in the eerie scene.

Time had stopped. Soldiers hung in midair with frozen expressions of terror on their faces. The minions of Nightmare Moon skulked about, stuck in their desires of yearning as they hung inches away from their victims. Celestia and her massive display of power stood stock still, her ray in mid-fire as she directed its course to reorient the moon.

The world was a painting—unmoving, untouched, unblemished. Nothing moved at all, not even the smallest modicum. Libra walked around for a moment, completely at a loss, when suddenly, he spotted a flicker of movement in the center of the eerie scene. He looked, and there he saw an even more bizarre sight than the stillness of time.

A unicorn colt. A transparent unicorn colt. He had a straight, colorless mane and tail that blew in an invisible wind, and his cutie mark was a ‘U’ with a squiggle through the middle. He stared directly at Libra with vivid, iridescent eyes that swirled with all the colors of the rainbow.

Libra blinked. “Horizon?”

The colt said nothing. He stood beside Celestia, who was still half-sunk in melted stone. Her expression of anguish and boiling rage was a direct contradiction to his cold, impassive gaze, and he poked curiously at one of the unpopped molten bubbles with a hoof.

The realization hit Blair. He took off his helmet and steadied his breathing. “This is a dream.”

“Correct.”

Blair jerked. The colt’s lips had moved in sync with a foreign, voiceless thought that had inserted itself in Blair’s mind. He laughed incredulously as he made the connection.

“Wow, you’re talking... sort of. Communicating’s a better word, but still!”

The colt’s lopsided smirk was oddly familiar. He glanced at Blair, and traced his mouth with a hoof. “Words aren't My… native tongue.”

Blair shuddered. The disjoined thoughts floated in and out of his comprehension, and while It wasn’t an unpleasant experience, it was rather... jarring.

“How'd you figure this out?” Blair asked.

The colt teleported to hover a few feet away to Blair’s left. “Practice.”

Blair stiffened, but did nothing more. The colt continued to stare at him with his chaotic eyes. “I see learning to talk hasn't changed your demeanor,” Blair said. “I thought it took a lot out of you to appear like this.”

The colt did lazy somersaults in the air as he spoke. “Before, I’d tried to communicate by bringing You into His mind, which is hard to do because there’s so little of Him left. I’ve since discovered that the strain is considerably less if I enter Yours, instead. Even still, though, I will need to rest after this.”

Blair’s eyes lingered on Scorpio’s airborne form as he looked around the frozen scene. “Then let’s not waste time. What do you want, Horizon?”

The colt’s translucent outline flickered. “That is not My name.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Blair turned back to him. “You’re a part of him, after all.”

“Part of Him, yes…” The colt slowly circled around Blair, rising into the air as if he were climbing a set of stairs. “A piece of a puzzle, an incomplete fragment…”

He looked down at Blair, his face impassive.

“…a bodiless Echo.”

Blair rolled his eyes. “Fine. What do I call you, then?”

“I dislike names.” The colt examined one of his hooves. “Call Me what you will.”

Blair was silent for a moment. “How about… Ophiuchus?”

The colt snorted, but gave no actual objection to the name. Instead he walked away, motioning for Blair to follow.

Ophiuchus walked in a straight line through the plaza, phasing through ponies, monsters, and debris alike with no resistance. Blair lagged behind due to having to weave his way through the dreamscape.

“I thought I made it clear I don’t like it when you show me Libra’s memories like this.” Blair lightly ground his teeth as he met each frozen, terrified face.

Ophiuchus’ gaze wandered across the square. “You did, but it’s the appropriate setting for what I've come to tell You.”

They arrived back at the center of the square where Celestia still stood. “Which is?”

Ophiuchus turned to Blair and raised his chin. “That You’re a fool.”

Blair raised an eyebrow. “You came out of the dark to insult me?”

“You’re letting Your fear stop You from seeing the truth.” Ophiuchus’ thought-voice became ‘louder,’ more defined, and jabbed at Blair’s psyche like a poker. “Instead You hide, and avoid doing what You know to be necessary. Not only is this a very foolish thing—”

Ophiuchus slid a hoof across his throat. “—it's suicidal.”

Blair’s ears flattened. He looked down at his infant accuser and straightened to his full height. “What makes you think I’m afraid of anything?”

Ophiuchus frowned. “I don’t think, I know.”

“You know, huh?” Blair sneered. “How exactly, do you know?”

Ophiuchus’ colorful eyes swirled faster. “I. See. ALL.”

His tiny horn glowed with a prismatic light... and then the world shifted.

Blair flew thousands of feet in the air next to a yellow pegasus mare with giant angelic wings. She looked back at him and smiled, and he returned the gesture. However, he shuddered and closed his eyes the moment she turned away.

If it was anyone other than her, I’d weep for the world. To have the power to instantly know someone’s deepest, darkest fears with but a glance… is there a more dangerous weapon? I’m better off not knowing if there is. Thank Celestia she’s such a kind, innocent, pure, caring, gentle soul, but that’s part of the problem, too, because it makes her too trusting of others. I need to protect her. I need to keep her safe. If the wrong pony finds out about her Fearsense, they could—ugh, the aura…

Blair stood in the basement of a house. In one corner was a table filled with arcane maps, instruments, and a broken platinum necklace. He covered his face with a grey hoof to hide the tears falling down his face, but did nothing to hold back his shaky sobs.

Why does she have to be so much like Crysti? Same perseverance, same selfless spirit, even the same freaking manestyle! Ugh, this is a problem... she’s gonna demand to go to Tartarus if she finds out about Horizon, regardless of whether she’s recovered or not. I don’t know if her Foresight power is the reason why she isn’t sleeping, but she's going to be in a lot of trouble when her Creation and Soul Tether powers show up with her font the way it is. Screw it, I’m not taking the risk. I’ll make her some Font Gems. I wonder if this town has any diamonds? Probably not. I could get some from Canterlot, but I can’t travel there while I’m guarding her, and I don’t know of a pony in this age that knows how to spot Tridastral impurities. Looks like I’ll have to settle for sapphires...

Blair walked beside a heavy cart filled to the brim with rosy apples. Norric looked over to him and complained about something, His heart leapt into his throat, and he shot Norric a venomous glare.

You IDIOT! You think complaining about having to keep your answers vague IN FRONT OF HER is a good idea?! Oh, you’re sorry?! Sorry doesn’t cut it, MORON, you just blew our—wooooooow, you’re lucky. Okay, that’s the last straw. You almost got killed by the Rust Beetles, upset Applejack over her parents when you KNOW her powers are triggered by powerful emotion, and now you do THIS?! Nuh-uh. I was gonna see if I could use you to help safely manifest Applejack's Strength and Rejection of Fate powers, but if you’re gonna be this BUMBLING, I'm taking you out of the picture along with Mac.

Blair was in a living room made of clouds. He adjusted a light blue feather, and stared at his reflection in a framed poster of the Wonderbolts. He let his eyes unfocus, and stared at the mutinous light-red pegasus behind him.

I know you can feel it, Esra. The flicker in her eyes, the passion in her voice... they’re taking on a burning intensity. It’s pushing us harder, driving us even faster than before. I’ve never felt more alive than these past few weeks. We have to show her our talents before she makes us any stronger, or she’ll think that everything we can do is a result of her powers. And you know you won’t be able to spar with her when her Undying Loyalty power awakens. She’ll kill you before she realizes what happened if she manifests it on accident… unless you think you can take a hit from her when her physical abilities are increased fivefold.

Blair was standing guard outside of a small thatched hut deep in a forest. He stared off into the foliage, and tried to hide the huge smile on his face from his partner.

I can’t believe how hilarious this is! Her Luck power is guiding her through the forest! Poor Vigil, he must think Pinkie is completely insane. I’ll admit I had doubts, too, but if she can already do this much and her Healing power is just beginning to manifest, it won’t be long before she can use her Song of Nirvana. I wonder what it feels like? Blair was really vague about it... something about ‘transcending the bodily limitations of pain and suffering?’ Typical Blair, always gotta use the big words. Whatever, I just hope she can sing.

“STOP!”

Blair clutched his head from the sheer amount of informational overload back in Old Canterlot. He’d experienced all five scenes simultaneously, and his mind had been stretched out between five sets of senses, bodies, and thoughts.

“That wasn’t even half.”

Ophiuchus’ thought-voice forced Blair to focus on it rather than the splitting pain. It was like a soothing balm, and he quickly regained lucidity. He got to his hooves, and as he did, he saw that Ophiuchus was no longer a colt. He’d grown into a young teenager, still transparent, and was calmly looking up at him as he sat on his haunches.

“It’s taken much time,” Ophiuchus said. “First I had to learn how to... learn. I then found I could immerse myself in all of Your memories, as well as those of Your predecessors, and so I started playing them one at a time. Then I played them faster, and faster, and faster still. Then, I watched them together, adding more and more perspectives, and expanding My awareness each time. Finally, when I could watch all twelve of You at once, I plugged myself into all of Your senses, and joined with Your bodies so that I might witness the world in real time.”

Ophiuchus’ eyes danced about like a hypnotic kaleidoscope, and he leaned forward until their faces were only inches apart.

“I know because I am You. I know because I am Them. I know because I am Him. All Your thoughts, Your memories, Your dreams… they are Mine to do with as I will.”

Blair did nothing but blink as he evenly met Ophiuchus' piercing stare for a time. Finally, he snickered and adjusted his mane.

“So you’re telling me you’ve broadened your horizons, eh? Clever, very clever. I’m happy for you. Really, I am. It sounds like you've found your special talent, and while this probably doesn’t make up for not having a body of your own, it’s certainly better than nothing. I don’t have a problem with you watching me and the others like a spectator, but while that’s all well and good...”

Blair crossed his hooves. “That still doesn’t explain why you say I’m afraid.”

Ophiuchus phased into the ground, but his voice still flitted through Blair’s mind. “Your special talent is seeing hidden meanings within messages, and You still didn’t see? Perhaps I should play the memories again.”

“NO!” Blair said in a voice that barely wasn’t a scream. He twitched nervously as he looked around for Ophiuchus. “Sweet Celestia, never do that again. Just tell me.”

“And here I thought showing was better than telling.” Ophiuchus stepped out of a soldier hanging in midair. “The Others have varying feelings about Their fragments, but They all have one thing in common—They wish to guide and help them. However, They cannot because They are under the orders You gave Them. Orders that You misunderstood because You fear the magical one.”

Blair scoffed. “What’re you talking about? I’m not afraid of Twilight.”

Ophiuchus swiveled his body to now stand upside-down in midair. “Perhaps I should clarify. You fear what she could become.”

A cold pit formed in Blair’s stomach as Celestia’s words, specifically her detailed explanation of Twilight’s third power, echoed in his mind. He closed his eyes, hung his head, and spoke in a soft, faint voice.

“Do you blame me?”

“I merely remind you that Our minds are linked.” Ophiuchus looked ‘down’ at Blair from his gravity-defying position. “You can’t hide anything from Me, nor should You try.”

“Fine,” Blair said with a stamp of his hoof, “but you’re still wrong. I’m not afraid of her, I’m downright terrified, and you would be too if you had any sense! I thought you said you’ve seen all of mine and Libra’s memories!”

“I have.” Ophiuchus gestured to the battle around them. “Which is how I know that the actions of Your predecessor on this fateful night eat and tear away at Your resolve. You fear that the magical one will lose herself in her newfound powers, just as He almost did.”

“You’ve seen how close I—he came!” Blair growled. “Libra would’ve killed everyone in the entire city If Scorpio hadn’t been there! He might’ve even then gone and searched for other towns! The magic is like the most exhilarating high you can imagine, more addictive than any drug. You can’t stop once you start because all you want is to feel more and more of it with each use, and—“

“—you fear the magical one’s third power may have similar side effects,” Ophiuchus finished. He rotated right-side up and lay down in the air. “And if it does, You don’t think she will be able to control herself.”

Blair nodded. “Her Absorption power allows her to instantly learn and cast any spell she comes into contact with. Combine that with an insatiable desire to learn and an inexhaustible font? There’s no limit to what she could do! She won’t be able to resist accumulating as many spells as she can, and if she goes rogue…”

“Nopony will be able to stop her,” Ophiuchus said knowingly. “Or so You fear, at least. However, if there was somepony there to help her—somepony who knew the hazards and hubris of having such great and terrible power—somepony who wrestled with the seductive call of forbidden magic on a daily basis, and then devoted Themselves to its unwavering control—”

Ophiuchus wrinkled his brow. “—the possibility of her failure would be much less, don’t You think?”

Blair cocked his head. “What’re you saying? You think I’m supposed to help Twilight learn to use her powers?”

“Of course You are.” Ophiuchus yawned. “Why else were You specifically assigned to her detail?”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Blair went up to the frozen image of Celestia. “Why’d her Majesty tell me not to interfere with their lives If that’s what she wanted?”

“She told you not to interfere with their daily activities.” Ophiuchus landed on one of Celestia splayed wings and sat on it like it was a chair. “She didn’t put any taboo on any information You give. If they choose to learn how to use their powers on their own after You tell them, that’s their decision.”

Blair shook his head. “That’s way too complicated. Why wouldn’t Celestia just tell them herself if she wanted them to know? She wouldn’t go through all this trouble and secrecy and send us instead to—”

“—didn’t You hear?” Ophiuchus rested his elbows on his knees. “The white one has ‘reasons.’ She’s counting on all of You to guide the fragments in her stead so that she may continue to hide.”

Blair looked up at him. “Hide from what?”

“I… don't know,” Ophiuchus admitted. “My knowledge is merely the sum of all of You. Perhaps something will happen if she’s the one to tell the fragments what they’ve become? Maybe she feels she won’t be able to hold back information should they confront her directly? Or perhaps she truly is just playing a game, like the shelled one has surmised. I know not.”

“No,” Blair said. “This can’t be right. She also said that they’d get hurt if they used their powers before they were recovered.”

“Doesn’t that sound familiar?” Ophiuchus shrunk and reverted back to a wide-eyed colt. “It’s the same half-truth unicorn parents tell their children about using magic before their fonts are developed.”

The implication hit Blair like a buck to the face. “Why would she—“

“—she’s immortal,” Ophiuchus said plainly. “We’re ]all children to her. She assumed that You’d be able to see through her words, and understand what she truly meant.”

Blair put a hoof to his face. “There’s no proof of this. We’d—“

“There is.” Ophiuchus phased through Celestia’s wing and landed on the ground. “Yesterday, the indigo one told the laughing one of her gifts, and she used them without consequence.”

“What?!”

“There’s more,” Ophiuchus continued. “She’s also been practicing with them for all of today. Not only has she attained greater mastery, she’s also gained strength. It appears that they’ll only hurt themselves if they push past their limits, or try to use a power they’ve not yet developed. ”

Blair stared at Ophiuchus. “That’s it? Really?”

Ophiuchus swished his tail. “This shouldn’t have come as a surprise. You've known the white one to do things like this in the past.”

Blair threw up his forehooves. “I don’t know what to expect anymore! Celestia knows what’s at stake if the barrier collapses, yet still she holds back and keeps the Bearers in the dark! This whole thing has felt off from the beginning! What could be more important than the Gate of Tartarus opening, and Nightmare Moon’s forces getting loose?!”

Ophiuchus materialized next to Blair and leaned a hoof on his shoulder. “Curious, isn’t it?”

Blair noted that he felt no contact from Ophiuchus’ touch. “How do you know all of this?”

“You do as well.” Ophiuchus jabbed his hoof through Blair’s shoulder, causing it to phase through to the other side. “Your fear just won’t let You acknowledge it. A pointless fear, I might add, one You’re helping to create Yourself. The magical one and the other fragments will be well-versed in their powers if they’re coached.”

“No amount of coaching will prepare them for Tartarus,” Blair muttered. “Take Twilight, for example. Do you realize what’ll happen if she gets exposed to the Corruption magic?”

Ophiuchus said nothing. He got a thoughtful look on his face, and after a moment, he disappeared.

Blair felt an emptiness in his mind as he looked around the broken plaza. “Hori—Ophiuchus?”

No reply. Blair felt an odd chill as he stood unstuck in time. He got to his hooves and wandered away from the center. He searched for some kind of movement, but found nothing.

“Where’d you go?” Blair called.

Silence. Blair went back over to where the memory had stopped, hoping that it would somehow make it resume, but no such luck. He sighed, and he realized he might be in for a long wait.

“The evil one’s magic is nowhere near the Gate.”

Blair turned to his left to see Ophiuchus standing a few feet away. He was now a ghostly, full-grown stallion, an inch taller than Blair and of normal build.

“I never see it unless one of the leaders comes up to inspect the barrier, and even then it dissipates quickly after they leave.” Ophiuchus rubbed his horn. “I suspect it only now lingers in the lowermost levels.”

Blair swallowed hard as he stared at Ophiuchus, who didn’t return his gaze.

“You can see beyond the barrier?” Blair whispered.

Ophiuchus looked up, his prismatic eyes wide and bright. “Not just see.”

A bloodcurdling noise suddenly filled Blair’s ears. A throng of voices, vicious, depraved and forlorn echoed around him. Numerous as a legion, their twisted chorus scraped up and down the scale like jagged steel nails on a chalkboard.

Blair instantly jammed his hooves in his ears, but the noise still persisted. He let out a scream of his own, fell into a fetal position and gnashed his teeth.

“Make it stop! By the Sun and Moon, MAKE IT STOP!”

The noise ceased. Blair shivered and scrunched himself tighter into a ball, trying to forget the voices that still haunted his nightmares. He thought he’d heard the last of them, but a small part of him had always known better. The darkness from a millennium past was still very, very real, and the only thing that kept it at bay was the pony standing before him.

“They never stop screaming.” Ophiuchus slowly approached Blair. “Their twisted symphony has filled My ears since the cracks formed, and My only escape is to immerse Myself in all of Your senses. Were it not for My incomplete state, I would’ve lost my sanity long ago.”

Blair didn’t move or reply, but Ophiuchus knew that his method of communication would force Blair to hear what he had to say.

“You’re a fool.” Ophiuchus harmlessly kicked at Blair’s pathetic form. “You can’t stop the magical one from recovering, and all Your hesitation is doing is drag Us closer to the Void. I’ve willingly stayed imprisoned all this time listening to the shrieks of the damned because of the white one’s promise that I’ll be reunited with Him when He’s restored, but if You’d be so selfish as to take away the last hope I have left—“

The memory shuddered, and all color bled away. The two of them now stood in a monochrome world, and the only glimmer that remained was within Ophiuchus’ eyes.

“—then I see no reason to wait.”

Blair stiffened. With great effort, he uncurled himself and looked up at Ophiuchus.

“You wouldn't r—huh?”

Blair realized he was staring at a pair of backhooves. Ophiuchus bucked him before he could react, and while his hooves passed straight through his body, a teal outline of him was sent flying backwards through the air.

There was a sensation like being pulled out of a body of water, and the world faded to absolute darkness.

Blair flew out of the multi-colored silhouette of a pony and stopped with a jerk in the interior of an opaque, cracked, multi-surfaced sphere. He looked down, and saw that his body was comprised of pure teal energy, and he was connected to the silhouette by a taut, golden tether. He tried to cast magic, but found he didn’t have a magical font. He tried to breathe, and realized with a start that he didn’t have lungs. He tried to move, but found he could only flail helplessly in the open space.

“What did you do?!” Blair said in a shrill yell. He gasped as he realized he couldn’t hear himself talk.

“I can do many things, Echo.”

Ophiuchus materialized a few feet away from him. His horn glowed with a prismatic light.

“What did you do to my hearing?!”

“I’ve denied you the use of it for the moment,” Ophiuchus said in his thought-voice. “I can’t have You losing Your mind.”

“Put me back!” Blair wiggled and squirmed.

Not yet,” Ophiuchus said calmly. “You see, I think I need to enlighten You.”

“Enlighten me of what?!”

“True fear,” Ophuichus hissed. “You know nothing of it, for You’ve never seen the other side of the Gate.”

The bottom of the opaque sphere turned transparent. Ophiuchus tilted Blair forward and forced him to look down.

“Behold: Tartarus.”

Blair realized that the sphere was placed in a hole at the top of an immense, nine-layered circular pit made of deathly pale metal and blood red stone. The center was nothing but a foul, black abyss that stretched down for thousands of feet like a gaping maw. Spiked walkways zigzagged across the hole, some of them untouched, some partially broken, others completely shattered. Along the sides were prison cells ripped open with broken rusted bars. Hundreds of foul, bestial ravenous monsters were everywhere, ripping and tearing at each other, all with the same look of malevolence in their eyes. A dim pallor hung about the place as fires blazed, blood splattered, limbs were hacked off, and creatures mercilessly tortured and slew each other with reckless abandon.

Blair’s body was paralyzed, but his mind was fully functional as he was made to see the prison.

“W-When did they break free?” he stammered.

“I don’t know,” Ophiuchus said.“It’s been this way since I’ve been here.”

“Why do they—“

“Slaughter each other?” Ophiuchus curled his lip. “Because they have no choice. You know better than most that they cannot resist the bloodlust. And since the evil one’s magic always revives them, it’s a never-ending cycle. To be honest, I think they enjoy it on some level.”

The sphere turned opaque again, sparing Blair from the grisly sight. He tried to do something, anything to get himself away from Ophiuchus and pull himself back into Horizon, but he was as helpless as a newborn babe.

“What do you want?” Blair finally said.

"You know what I want,” Ophiuchus said. “I’m tired of being a patch job for this Gate. I want to be free as soon as possible, and to do that, I need the Power. I don’t care if You keep the fragments from going to the white one or not, and I could care even less about her reasons for hiding. She can simply deny them if she truly wishes to continue to do so, but regardless, you will tell the fragments what they’ve become, and then you will push—no, force them, to grow.”

Blair tried to relax, to get a level head, to do anything to try and put up some kind of logical argument, but all his mind was filled with was the knowledge that he hung above Hell itself.

“Her Majesty—“

“—is your Master. I’m your Host.” Ophiuchus wavered once, and his eyes began to lose their brilliance. He gritted his teeth and leaned forward. “You’ll do what I say above all else.”

Blair noticed the urgency in Ophiuchus’ voice, as well as the flickering of his outline. He felt a faint tugging on his tether, and felt himself being pulled closer to Horizon. He looked back at Ophiuchus.

“And if I refuse?”

Ophiuchus narrowed his eyes. “I’ll shatter this barrier, send Us all hurtling into the Abyss, and let the minions of this foul prison break into Your precious world. That decision has been, and always will be Mine.”

“Oh?” Blair nodded towards Horizon’s silhouette, which continued to pull him forward like a magnet. “I think you’re bluffing! You may be able to watch all twelve of us and see out of the barrier, but you’re still shattered and weak. I’ll bet you can barely even keep me out here like this! Besides, You’re Horizon’s subconscious: all you care about is his survival! You'd nev—“

Blair’s voice was cut off as Ophiuchus grabbed him by the throat. He didn’t need to breathe, but the pressure still prevented him from talking.

“The Host must be a willing vessel,” Ophiuchus said with a dark smile. “You speak truly, Echo. Shattered I am, Weak I may be, but never forget this: I’m still a part of Him.”

Ophiuchus raised his hoof in front of Blair. It elongated and sharpened, morphing into a long, wicked blade. He lowered it to Blair’s tether.

“Which means I can do this.”

Blair screamed again as Ophiuchus cut halfway through the golden rope. White hot agony lanced through him, and he was washed away by waves of pure pain. He whole body shuddered, lost cohesion, and began to fade.

The pain vanished, and the world righted itself. Blair gasped and looked down. His tether was restored and unharmed.

“Look at me.”

Blair felt completely drained, but raised his head and obeyed. Ophiuchus’ body was almost gone, save for his eyes and the hoof that was in the shape of a blade.

“I haven’t forgotten what all of You did.” Ophiuchus’ thought-voice was faint and strained. “I’m grateful to all of You for saving Us on that fateful night twenty years ago.”

“You... have a funny way… of showing it.” Blair managed.

“My gratitude only extends so far.” Ophiuchus looked at his transfigured hoof, then at the barrier surrounding them. “The white one’s done all she can. The Others would too if They knew They could do more, but They listen to You because You’re the leader. I’m more now than what I once was, Echo, but You’re right: I still care about survival above all else. So if You don’t obey Me—“

Ophiuchus raised his bladed hoof high with a casual flick and hung it above Blair’s tether like a guillotine.

“—I'll sever You.”

Blair tried to think of some way out, some means of escape. There had to be something he could do to avoid this. However, a part of him did agree with Ophiuchus. Who cared what the Princess wanted? This was a matter of survival! Whatever she was hiding couldn’t be worse than the foul beasts below getting free! But at the same time, how could he know her wishes? Emotions wrestled inside him, trying to influence his decision. Fear of oblivion, failure, and letting loose a horror upon the world. Loyalty to the Princess, his duty, and all that he stood for and believed in. And finally, obligation to the thing that was before him, and the price it demanded for their mutual continued existence.

Blair realized there was only one choice.

“All right. I’ll tell them.”

Ophiuchus nodded and lowered his blade. “As I said, I don’t care if You still wish to keep them from the white one, but don’t let that hinder You from making them grow as fast as possible. The laughing one already knows, and has decided to do nothing but practice so that she may ‘surprise’ the others. Let the Others tell Their fragments, they’ve gained their trust, and know how to best approach them.”

“That doesn’t help me with Twilight,” Blair said. “She needs to be carefully guided or she could become as—heck, worse than Nightmare Moon. I’ll need time to come up with a plan.”

“No, you don’t.”

Blair looked up. The blade had now faded away, and so had Ophiuchus’ entire body. All that was left of him was his eyes, which bored holes into Blair as they floated back into Horizon’s silhouette and melded into the swirling colors.

“The red one has planned since the beginning.”

Blair suddenly became aware of an enormous tension that’d been building in his tether. It released with a snap, and Blair was yanked forward towards Horizon with the speed of a bullet. He vanished with a ripple.

“Blair! Wake up!”

Blair’s eyes snapped open as he awoke inside Twilight’s pantry. He tried to sit up, but his muscles screamed in protest. Biting back a yell, he elected to lay prone instead and gasped for air while he stared up at the ceiling.

“You were thrashing around in your sleep.”

Blair turned his head and saw the silhouette of a mare standing at the entrance of the open pantry door. A cool breeze kissed his face from the open kitchen window beyond. The clouds shifted, the pale light shone in, and Nightmare Moon’s cruel visage flashed before his eyes.

This time Blair did yell. He ignored the pain as he recoiled and flattened himself against the wall.

“Blair!” Twilight said quickly. “It’s me!”

Blair’s eyes adjusted, and the shadows melted away. Lavender coat, not black. Her mane isn’t capable of cutting anything in half. Normal eyes, not predatory ones. Get a grip.

He relaxed, but couldn’t stop himself from whimpering as the pain resurged.

“I-I’m sorry,” Blair said in a high, fevered pitch.

Twilight’s horn gave off enough light to fill the room. “You were having a nightmare.” She eyed him with concern as she walked in and straightened his blankets.

Blair’s second attempt at sitting up was successful. “You could say that.” He gingerly put his hooves to his face.

“What was it about?”

Blair shivered and wiped the sweat away from his brow as he thought how best to reply. The clammy blankets offered no warmth to him, and he was absolutely freezing.

Would she even believe—no, she’d just think I’m delirious right now. She wouldn’t be far off, either. Ugh, I can’t think straight...

Blair stared the sheets of his bed. “I try to run away, but it never stops chasing me. I try to ignore it, but I can’t resist its call. Finally, it corners me, and as it creeps forward... I realize I don’t want to run anymore. I want to feel it again and immerse myself in its embrace. I open my arms and close my eyes, and just as it’s about to swallow me… I wake up.”

Twilight was sitting on Blair’s bed as she listened to his rambling recount. “What is it?”

Blair felt like he’d been plunged into the northern sea. He needed something warm, something to take away the horrid, creeping chill. It was going to consume him unless he appeased it somehow. He unconsciously reached out, and realized there was a source of warmth very close to him.

“Blair?”

He knew this feeling. It was familiar. It pulsed with life. It called to him like an old friend, and while he yearned to heed its call, it flowed just out of reach. He needed to feel it again, to take it and make his. All he had to do was reach inside and—

Blair slapped himself. Hard.

Twilight jerked and backed away. “Blair! What’re you doing?!”

Blair moaned and clutched his head. Twilight now noticed that the temperature had dropped in the little room. She took a few steps back, but the chill followed after her… almost as if it were chasing her.

“DAMN IT, HORIZON!” Blair screamed. ”YOUR LITTLE STUNT BROKE THE SEAL!”

He vanished in a teal flash before Twilight could say anything.

Piro awoke to the loud banging of his bedroom door opening. He sat bolt upright in his bed, and a tiny red ball the size of a marble formed on the tip of his horn. He readied it at the shadowy figure that staggered in.

“Scor—Piro!”

Piro’s eyes widened. He adjusted his spell, and shot the marble out to the center of the ceiling. It shone like a miniature sun, and banished all the room’s shadows to reveal the newcomer.

Blair knelt on the floor, panting for breath as he twitched his head from side to side. His horn was encased in ice, and he looked up at Piro with a hungry look in his eyes.

Blair quickly turned away and spat out three words through clenched teeth.

“The seal broke.”

To his credit, Piro reacted immediately. He jumped out of bed, ran over to his closet, and got out his suitcase. He dug down to the bottom, where he found a thickly folded piece of parchment. He grabbed it in his magic and pulled it out.

Blair was already banishing all the warmth from the room as Piro carefully unfolded the massive piece of paper and placed it in the center. Drawn upon it was a square array covered with violet interlocking lines, and in its center was an ebony triangle with a single magical Symbol etched in silver ink. The Symbol was an omega symbol with a line underneath it.

“What would you do without me?” Piro mused. “Ha! There I go again, asking rhetorical questions. Think you’d break Libra’s record? What was it again? Half a mile or so?”

Blair slammed a hoof on the ground. “HURRY!” His breath was coming out in a mist, and the tendrils of frost were starting to creep out from his body.

Piro’s commentary didn’t slow him down as he smoothed out the paper. “You know I can’t fully seal it away like Celestia. It’ll be tolerable, but you’ll still feel its call. That, and you'll give off the same faint chill Libra did. Doubt anypony in this era will know what it means, though.”

“I'LL MANAGE!” Blair barked. “JUST DO IT!”

“You’re the boss.” Piro lifted Blair up in his magic and set him in the center of the array. His horn flared up like a hot poker, and he touched it to the paper.

Blair felt his hooves stick in place as he became encased in a triangular pillar of light. The lines of the array burned red, then teal, and finally, violet. The room was filled with its glow, and Piro chanted an incantation softly under his breath. The interlocking lines of the array lifted up and swirled around Blair. One line fastened around his head like a circlet, four others wrapped around his legs, and the rest went around his torso. They all pulsed once, Blair’s eyes shone with bright light, and he went rigid as the magic partially sealed away his ability to sense the lifeforce of other living creatures.

The light dimmed, and Piro stepped away. Blair managed to stay standing as he was released from the pillar. The lines faded into Blair's coat and the array gave off a faint smoke. Blair took a deep breath, then opened his eyes and looked at Piro. He looked normal to him, but there was something now about him that wasn't there before. If he squinted hard enough, he could make out something in the center of his chest.

Something that was warm, and sang to him in the voice of angels.

Piro raised an eyebrow as he judged Blair's reaction. “Better?”

Blair shook his head clear. “Yeah.”

“How’d it break?” Piro asked.

“Never mind that.” Blair stepped out of the array. “What’s your plan?”

Piro blinked. “What?”

Blair chipped the ice off his horn. Your plan for how you plan on training Twilight how to use her Absorption power. Tell me what it is.”

Blair might’ve reveled in Piro's dumbfounded expression had the circumstances were different, but at the moment, he merely found it annoying.

“How’d you—“ Piro whispered.

“Horizon told me.”

“Horizon?!” Piro stared at Blair for a time before chuckling and putting a hoof to his face. “Wow, the Lifesealing Ritual must've taken a lot out of you. Ace told you, didn’t he?”

Blair tapped the side of his head. ““Horizon’s subconscious is self-aware. I’ve told you about him before.”

“You also said he was trying to communicate with you using emotions.” Piro magically folded up the paper and put it back in his suitcase. “How could he possibly—“

“Look,” Blair snapped. “I’ve every intention of explaining this to you, but now’s not the time. Right now I need to know what you have in mind, because I’m going to help you.”

“You—” Piro stopped and turned back to him. “Huh?”

“I’m. Going. To. Help. You.” Blair pointed his hoof at Piro with each word. “Start talking.”

Piro chewed on his lip for a moment, his gaze flicking back and forth. After a moment he sighed and sat on his bed. “Fine. I'm convincing her to leave Ponyville.”

He... what? How woul—don't care right now. Blair nodded. “How?”

“She’s been debating on it since she found the Symbol of Loyalty on Tuesday,” Piro said with a yawn. “You probably haven't heard because you've been too busy with your crosswords of yours. How're those going, by the way?”

What the heck else am I supposed to do in a library?! Spike's a good kid, but he’s not exactly the greatest conversationalist. Blair didn't rise to barb. “Keep going.”

Piro tossed his pillow between his hooves. ““She's knows she's running out of places to look for the Symbols, and she doesn't wanna wait any longer on her correspondences. I've been subtly encouraging her to do it, and she's only just getting over her apprehension of leaving her friends behind.”

“Where were you gonna take her?”

“On a wild goose chase,” Piro replied. “I wasn't planning on training her, per se, more like putting her in positions where she'd be exposed to ambient magic, or...”

Blair watched as Piro looked away and played with the edge of his blanket.

“Or?”

Piro set down the pillow and looked up at Blair. “Or setting her up in a situation where she'd have to defend herself.”

Blair tensed. “You were gonna go behind my back and intentionally put her in harm's way?!”

Piro covered the side of his face. “You don't understand. Twilight thinks that other ponies, especially her friends, will look at her like a freak if they find out about her magic. She'll hide behind a bold-faced lie before she admits the truth, let alone perform any kind of demonstration. For Celestia's sake, Blair, I had to give her a Cornuoscopy to find out about her font! That alone should tell you how she feels about this!”

Blair sucked on his teeth. “I didn't think she was that self-conscious about it.”

“Look, I know none of us are really looking to develop a relationship here, but it wouldn't kill you to pay more attention to her!” Piro hopped off his bed and paced in the center of the room. “Having her tucked safely away in the library is great and all, but if we want her to dance, we either have to either light a fire beneath her hooves, or threaten somepony she cares about. Do you like taking hostages, Blair? Because I sure don’t! I don’t want to involve any more ponies than we have to in this, so that narrows it down rather succinctly, don't you think?!”

“She's gonna freeze up.” Blair watched Piro moved back and forth, trying to ignore that his lifeforce was leaving behind a faint afterimage. “She's never been exposed to real battle. We can't just throw her into the ocean and expect her to swim.”

Piro stopped and looked at Blair with a deadpan expression. “She won’t be alone. Ace would be there to back her up, and considering Cancer held his ground by himself in almost every single battle, I think Mr. Tendoncutter is qualified.”

Blair couldn't help but chuckle. “You know he hates that name.”

“It's better than the other one. 'Mercyblade?' Come on.” Piro stuck out his tongue. “Look, there's no reason to be worried. Twilight will be fine once she gets the jitters out, and I can fix her up if she gets hurt.”

Point there. But then... Blair lowered his chin. “What were you gonna do about me?”

Piro rolled his eyes. “You're not exactly a slouch, either, Lieutenant Living Weapon. I figured the two of you can have a nice heart-to-heart about how much it sucks to be addicted to magic when Twilight manifests her Absorption power. Maybe you can tell her how much of a bummer it'd be if she went crazy and tried to kill everyone she knows and loves. You know, kind of like you almost did.”

“That was Libra,” Blair snapped. “Not me.”

Piro narrowed his eyes. “Po-tay-to, po-tah-to.”

Never gonna get over it, are you? Whatever, stopped caring a long time ago. Blair put on a stoic mask. “You said she's decided to do this herself?”

Piro nodded. “She's going to use the party as the time to say goodbye to her friends.”

“And you’re sure she’s going to do this?”

“Of course,” Piro said with a note of condescension. “She wants to get her thesis spell done more than anything else, and she doesn't see any other way to find the Symbols. Obviously, we could just tell her what they are since they used to be on the Gate, but that'd lead to a lot of awkward questions, and nopony wants that.”

No kidding. It's bad enough we have to do this much, and it's not gonna be easy to keep her from going to Celestia. If only there was some way we... could...

Blair's voice became rushed. “Okay, here's what we're gonna do: After the party, we leave with Ace and Twilight, tell her about her powers, train her, make sure she’s recovered, bring her back here, get the other Bearers, let Celestia know, get the necklaces, go to Tartarus, use the Elements, and then whatever happens... happens. Sound good?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Piro put up a hoof to slow him down. “You're gonna tell her? I thought you said—”

“Change of plans,” Blair said. “She needs to know. The sooner the better.”

“What about Celestia?” Piro asked. “You said our orders were to keep this a secret for as long as possible. Aren't you worried Twilght's gonna run to her and demand an explanation?”

Blair smirked. “Not if we dangle a carrot over her nose.”

Piro furrowed his eyebrows. “What carrot?”

“You said it yourself,” Blair said. “We know what the Symbols for the Elements are. We can use that as leverage to keep her where we want her.”

“Yeah...” Piro said slowly, “but how're we gonna prove it to her?”

Blair rubbed his horn. “You know a Truesight spell will reveal us for what we are. I think if we tell her our little story, she'll be willing to listen.”

Piro whistled. “That's risky.”

Blair shrugged. “She's gonna have to hear it sooner or later. Did you think she'd just march up to Tartarus and not have any questions on how Horizon got stuck in the barrier, or how we got bonded to him? How about that little thing about what we are, and how we came to be in the first place?”

“Okay, okay, you think we should tell her, fine.” Piro looked out the window to gauge the time. The moon had slid back beneath the clouds, and only a few stars shone in between the cracks in the sky. “What’s all the rush about? This isn’t like you.”

Blair suppressed a shudder. ““I’m not the one calling the shots anymore. The bottom line is that we have to take matters into our own hooves.”

Piro laughed. “I don’t care who you are, or what you’ve done with Blair. I like you.”

A small smile crept up on Blair’s lips, but as he closed his eyes, he felt the faint call of life around him, along with a faint chill that plagued his body. He wasn't happy that Celestia's seal had been broken, but these symptoms were things that Libra had dealt with throughout the entire course of the War. It was a close call, but at least no harm had come of it.

Thanks to Piro.

Blair cleared his throat. “Pirosco.”

Piro turned at the use of his full name.

Blair bowed low before his old friend. “I'm in thy debt once again.”

Piro caught the archaic adjective, and his eyes softened as he switched over to the older form of speaking.

“Bitterness never fades, but wrath smolders. Thou art as much a fool as thy predecessor, but it is a very special fool that commits the same grievous sin countless times and still finds forgiveness. Consider thyself lucky, as thou art the instigator of this fine mess.”

Blair straightened and walked out the door. “Again, that was Libra, not me.”

Piro released his Light spell and went back to bed. “And still, my reply remains the same.”

Chapter 16 Part 1: To Honor an Elder

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Chapter 16 Part 1:

To Honor an Elder

The Next Day-

“This does what?!”

Applejack stood on the porch of the homestead with her jaw hung slack. The sun had just risen into the sky, and with it had come a knock on the door. She’d answered it to find Pinkie standing outside, bouncing on her hooves and wearing a toothy smile. She’d ushered Applejack outside and showed her a tiny vial of electric-blue liquid from her saddlebags.

“It’ll make the pain of her arthritis go away,” Pinkie whispered. “It has no side-effects and isn’t addictive. Tasteless, too.”

Applejack beheld the Elder's Elixir with wide eyes. “Where’d you get this?”

“Zecora and I made it,” Pinkie said. “It’s our birthday gift to her. Slip it in her breakfast and she’ll be in tip-top shape!”

“Pinkie, I don’t think I can—“

Pinkie silenced her with a hoof. “Our grannies were best friends for over fifty years. We both loved it when they came to visit each other, and if I had a bit for every story they told us about the things they did growing up, I could open my own bakery.”

Applejack wanted to reply, but Pinkie’s words hit her with a wave of nostalgia. She blinked several times and tried to force it away.

Pinkie smiled warmly and gently pushed the vial into Applejack’s hooves. “This isn’t charity or pity. I love your granny almost as much as I loved my own, and I hate seeing her like this. The only thing I feel bad about is that I couldn’t do something sooner.”

Applejack stared at the medicine in her hooves. The early morning light filtered through the bottle, turning her coat neon green. “I never knew there was a cure for arthritis. This is expensive, isn’t it?”

“And rare,” Pinkie said. “Make sure she drinks all of it, okay?”

Applejack cradled the vial like a newborn. “I… I don’t know what to say.”

Pinkie shook her head. “You don’t have to say anything. After everything your family has been through, all I want is to see her smile again. I know that’s what my granny would want, too.”

Applejack lowered her head, then, without warning, seized Pinkie in an embrace. She hiccuped once and she buried herself in Pinkie's frizzy mane.

“Pinkie, t-thank you...” Applejack sobbed. “Thank you so much...”

Pinkie closed her eyes and returned the hug.

“Edith promised my Granny that she wouldn't let the past blind her from seeing the present or looking to the future,” she whispered. “Tonight’s going to be special, and I want her to be able to celebrate with us. This is just my way of making it easier for her.”

The two broke. Applejack coughed once and tried to hide her puffy eyes, fervently wishing she hadn't left her hat inside.

“I have to finish getting ready for the day,” she mumbled. “I'll see you this afternoon?”

“Yep!” Pinkie said. “The helpers'll be here at two to start setting up the stage, and the orders are all in place.”

Applejack raised a hoof and leaned against the porch. The apple trees beyond the homestead bulged with their crops, their branches weighed down by an overabundance of almost-ready fruit.

“Pinkie.”

Pinkie stopped closing the fastening on her saddlebags and looked up.

Applejack met her eyes and spoke in a level tone. “I'm sorry I couldn't come to the funeral.”

A strong gust rose from the west. Pinkie inhaled deeply, and let the scent of wet leaves and early morning dew carry her back into some of her fondest memories—those which she spent with her long-departed grandmother.

“No one held it against you,” she said in a far-off voice. “Manehatten’s hundreds of miles away, after all. Did you even hear about it in time?”

“Only just,” Applejack muttered. “Think it was like the day before, or somethin’. It’s hard to remember, the time I spent there’s just a miserable blur of smog, fancy talk, and prissy tasteless food.”

Pinkie snorted. “We all knew you wanted to come, and that's all that matters.” She quickly went back to her cheery self. “Now, we have a lot to do today, so we'd better both get going. I'll see you this afternoon!”

Applejack nodded her farewell and went back inside with the vial. Pinkie crossed the farmyard, and met up with Ras and Vigil waiting outside the gate. The three of them walked out of Sweet Apple Acres and along the cobblestone path towards Ponyville.

Pinkie hummed a snippet of a merry tune that only she could hear as she walked, and smiled as the depths of her eyes sparkled briefly with a brilliant blue light.

“I really do love surprises.”

That Evening-

“Twilight?” Rainbow knocked on the door. “You in there?”

Rainbow stood outside Twilight’s library with Esra and Tastar a few minutes before six. The sun had just set, the stars were just beginning to fill the violet, darkening sky, and the library was dark and still. Esra and Tastar flew up to examine the windows and balcony door, which they found to all be locked. The lights were all turned off, and no movement could be seen from inside.

“I think she already left,” Tastar said as he came back around.

Rainbow chuckled. “Either that or she’s battened down the hatches. This might be her first line of defense.”

The two guards had gotten to know Rainbow well enough to know when she was kidding and when she was serious. They were both surprised to find this was the latter.

“Is she really that… dedicated?” Esra leaned in closer to one of the windows.

“That’s one way of putting it,” Rainbow said dryly. “Twilight can be devious when she wants to be.”

“Do you wanna just go?” Tastar asked. “Not like it’ll take long to come back and storm the place if she’s not there.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow spread her wings and jumped into the air. “I’m starving, anyway.”

The three of them took wing and rose over Ponyville. Esra and Tastar looked down as they ascended, and noted that the town seemed emptier than usual. Many houses had their lights turned off, there were only a few ponies in the streets, and even the skies above were strangely vacant. Rainbow angled west and led them headed towards Sweet Apple Acres, and as they did, they noticed a long line of ponies heading in the same direction as them on the ground and in the air. They got high enough over the trees in the orchard and beheld the homestead just beyond.

Sweet Apple Acres was alive. Ponies of all types, ages, and gender, filled the grounds, dancing, talking, eating, laughing, drinking, and celebrating. Tall lights had been erected all around the farmyard, filling it with a warm, inviting glow. A long line of ponies still trickled into the farm, and the wind carried a thin strain of lively music to their ears that beckoned them forward to the festivities.

Tastar made a low whistle. “That’s a lot of ponies.”

“Half the town must be down there!” Esra exclaimed. “Does this happen every year?”

“Depends on if there’s a good harvest,” Rainbow said over her shoulder. “AJ told me they have a lot this year.”

The three of them descended and landed over by Rainbow’s multicolored bullseye out in the empty field beside the house. They got a better look of the festivities as they approached: A large flat stage had been erected beside the barn, and a group of earth ponies all wearing straw hats were playing an assortment of country tunes on banjos, fiddles, guitars, drums, and a piano. The center of the farmyard was filled with ponies dancing in tune to the music, and tables had been set up inside and around the barn. A large assortment of apple-related foods and drinks were set and being served, and a long, steadily moving line was moving in and out of the barn. Almost of the tables were occupied with jovial occupants, and all around the grounds were small groups of ponies engaging in various conversations. Near the farmstead was an especially large crowd, who were all gathered around a single pony that the three of them couldn’t see from their angle.

Esra wrinkled his brow. “All of this for one mare’s birthday? Is she really that big of a deal?”

Rainbow smiled. “Applejack’s grandma is awesome. She’s the head of the Apple Clan, a pioneer, one of the founders of Ponyville, the oldest mare in town, and the inventor of Zapapple Jam. Combine that with the fact that she’s a legendary cook and they have a bumper crop of apples this year? I'm not surprised at the turnout.”

“I’d wager there’d still be a lot here even if she wasn’t all that.” Tastar’s stomach rumbled. “The words ‘free food’ tend to draw a crowd.”

“Good food, too.” Rainbow caught a whiff of the scents floating out of the barn and licked her lips. “You guys do what you want. I’m getting dinner.”

“What about Twilight?” Tastar reminded her.

“I think I see her.” Esra pointed over by the homestead. They followed his hoof, and saw the pony in question at a table conversing with Fluttershy, who had her back turned to them. “Is that the Bearer of Kindness she’s with?”

“Her name’s Fluttershy,” Rainbow said with a glance, “and yes, that’s her. Don’t stare at her wings. It makes her nervous.”

“What’s wrong with her—hooooly Mother of Celestia.” Tastar’s eyes filled his head. Fluttershy had turned to let them see her profile, and he saw that her wings, while still folded, covered her entire frame and extended far past her tail.

“Doesn’t look like anything’s wrong with them to me.” Esra hid his mouth beneath a hoof. “Wouldn’t you agree, Tastar?”

“Yeah,” he said in an odd tone. “Nothing at all…”

“She’s out of your league,” Rainbow said matter-of-factly. She started to walk off, but stopped when she realized they weren't following her.

“You guys gonna give me a little freedom?” she asked.

“All the guards are here.” Esra nudged Tastar, who still hadn’t looked away from Fluttershy. “Between the thirteen of us, at least one of us’ll have an eye on you.”

Rainbow gaze flickered to Tastar, but then she shrugged. “‘Kay. Meet up with you later, then.” She trotted off towards the barn.

A bit of drool was dangling from the corner of Tastar’s mouth. Esra rolled his eyes and smacked his partner upside the head.

“You’re in no position to be stepping up to the plate!” he hissed.

Tastar laughed and sheepishly rubbed his head. “Oh, come on. Can’t blame a guy for appreciating the finer things in life.”

Esra looked over the crowd and searched for the other guards. It wasn't long, though, before his eyes betrayed him, and slowly crept over to where Tastar's had been. He finally gave in and shamelessly gawked at Fluttershy with a wistful sigh.

“Very fine.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

Twilight and Spike munched on Apple Kabobs as they sat across from Fluttershy, who’d been regaling them of her visit to Dragon Turtle Lake on Monday. Twilight had never been there herself, but the name and the significance of the place wasn’t lost on her. What she didn’t know about, however, was the presence of an enigmatic creature that Fluttershy merely referred to as ‘Master.’ She seemed to have known him for some time, and spoke of him with great fondness.

“You said he knows the Princess?” Twilight tried to keep her voice clear as she ate her dinner.

Fluttershy seemed not to notice either way. “More than that. She found him washed up on the shore of the lake nine hundred years ago when he was just a baby. She took him back to Canterlot, nursed him back to health, and he lived there for two centuries because they’d gotten attached to each other. She only took him back to Dragon Turtle Lake because he got too big.”

“How big is he?” Spike asked.

Fluttershy turned to him. “When he had to leave, or now?”

Spike flicked a piece of crust off his claw. “I’m guessing you don’t know the first one, so let’s go with now.”

Fluttershy thought for a moment. “It’s hard to say. The easiest thing would be to say that I’m about the size of one of his eyes.”

Spike looked Fluttershy up and down. His lips parted as he got an idea of the scale. “Whoa...”

Twilight swallowed her bite. “This is news to me. I thought the only pet she had was Philomena!”

Fluttershy bobbed her head in time to a new song that’d started. “Oh, he’s not her pet. Dragon Turtles are very reclusive and rare, but they’re as smart as ponies. It’d be more accurate to say they’re like mother and son.”

Twilight stopped chewing for a moment, and gauged Fluttershy’s face. Her friend wasn’t one to jest, but the gravity of such a claim made it sound like a joke.

“Doesn’t that mean he’s, well… a prince?”

Fluttershy giggled. “I asked him that, too. He said that Celestia never formally adopted him. They love each other as much as family can, but it would’ve been too complicated for him to participate in government affairs. Dragon Turtles have very specific living conditions, and for one as big as Master... well, it wouldn’t have worked out. I know he helps her in other ways, though.”

“Like what?” Spike asked.

“He watches the Great Southern Rainforest,” Fluttershy said. “That area is largely untamed and unexplored because the Changeling Wastes are right across Eternity’s Crossing, which is right on the southeast border of it. He makes sure the Changelings honor the Peccatum Pactum, and don’t overstep their bounds.”

Spike rested his head on his elbows. “You know, I’ve never known much about Changelings. Are they friendly?”

“No.”

Twilight and Fluttershy looked at each other, as they’d both spoken at the same time. They grinned and started laughing.

“Trust me, Spike,” Twilight said. “The less you know about them, the better. And get your elbows off the table.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mom.”

Twilight ignored the title and now turned her attention to the piece of the legendary pie she’d managed to snag. “So, how’d you meet Master?”

Fluttershy smiled. “The first time I came to the lake, I saw an island really far out that I wanted to go to, but I didn’t think I could make it back. I landed on the shore instead and spoke to a passing seagull, who introduced me to his elder, who in turn asked the dragon turtles if they could give me a ride out to the island. I spent a few days out there, and during that time, word spread around the lake that there was a pony that could understand the animal language. That caught the attention of Master, and he came out to meet me. We’ve been friends ever since.”

“And here I thought I was the only who had connections to royalty,” Twilight mused. “What does he say about her?”

Fluttershy put a hoof to her chin. “I haven't asked him much about Celestia. The only reason I know about his past is because he called her ‘Mother’ the first time we met. He’s said that she’s really kind and does everything for a reason, but that’s about it. Oh, and he thinks that the reason only we can use the Elements is because they’ve ‘left their mark’ on us.”

Twilight wiped a bit of whipped cream off her chin. “I suspect that, as well. Just goes to show, you can never be too careful with ancient pieces of magic. I guess it’s no surprise that the Princess didn’t make the Symbols of the Elements common knowledge, but I still wish there was another way I could find them without having to leave.”

Fluttershy scrunched her eyebrows. “There really isn’t any other way?”

Twilight sighed. “I’ve tried everything I can think of. The only thing left is to go do a little hunting on my own. Don’t worry, I’ve some ideas on where to start looking. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Still, though, I hate to see you go.”

“Join the club,” Spike grumbled.

Fluttershy turned to him. “You’re not going?”

Spike’s eyes flicked to Twilight for a moment, then spoke in an unconvincing monotone. “Someone has to watch the library.”

Fluttershy didn’t hear his tone over the music, and had relied on reading his lips to get the gist of what he’d said. She gave a sympathetic nod. “You’re welcome over at my house any time if you get lonely, okay?”

Spike’s face brightened. “I might take you up on that.”

She turned back to Twilight. “You’ll be careful, won’t you?”

Twilight took another bite of pie. “I won’t be alone. We each have our own little entourage, remember?”

“That’s true.” Fluttershy scanned the crowd for Megnii and Spesci. She didn’t see Spesci, but she saw Megnii standing by himself over by the chicken coop. He seemed to be holding a conversation with someone, but there weren’t any other ponies in sight. She suppressed a snicker and turned back to Twilight. “Are yours nice? I was nervous at first, but I’ve come to like mine after getting to know them.”

Twilight searched for her own guards. Blair was in line getting food, and Ace standing by the stage talking to a black stallion. Piro was nowhere to be found. “I like Piro. He’s clever and helps me brainstorm ideas for my research. Ace is… polite. I don’t know him very well, but I get the feeling we don’t have much in common. Blair’s fine. He respects my space, keeps to himself for the most part, and knows enough about magic that I can carry on a conversation with him. Living with him has been pretty uneventful... until last night, that is.”

“What happened?” Fluttershy asked.

“He scared us half to death.” Spike picked his teeth with a claw. “I’m sleeping with my earplugs in tonight.”

Twilight smacked his claw away and conjured a toothpick for him instead. She looked back at Fluttershy and ran a hoof through her mane. “We heard banging noises coming from downstairs around two in the morning. I found him violently flailing in his sleep, hitting the walls and shivering like he was out in a snowstorm. I woke him up, but when he saw me, he screamed and started rambling about something chasing him.”

“I’ve never heard of a nightmare that bad!” The current song rose to a crescendo, and Fluttershy moved in a little closer to Twilight. “What did you do?”

Twilight went a faint tinge of red. “Um... the wrong thing, apparently. I tried to get him to talk about it, but that only made him delirious. He lost control of his magic, yelled something about the horizon and a seal, and teleported away.”

“Teleported?!” Fluttershy yelled. “Where’d he go?”

Twilight rubbed the ear Fluttershy had just shouted in. “Turns out he’d gone to Piro because they’ve known each other for a long time, and he knew how to calm him down. I ran into him at the front door of the house the other guards are staying in.”

Fluttershy relaxed as the music died down again. “Is he all right now?”

Twilight nodded. “Mostly. He’s still having a little trouble controlling his magic.”

“It’s creepy,” Spike said. “He gives off a faint chill that’s feels like he’s sucking the warmth out of you.”

“Why would that happen?”

Twilight watched as Blair disappeared into the barn. “Unicorns get their magic recharged through sleeping, and it can lead to problems if it gets disrupted. I shouldn’t have tried to wake him up mid-dream like that. I’m just glad he didn’t hurt himself.”

Applejack carried two new barrels of apple cider on her back and walked over to the beverage table inside the barn. They’d run low from a sudden influx of guests, and now the line was spilling out into the farmyard. She quickly set down the barrels down with ease, pulled out a tap, and stuck it into one of the barrels. She filled an empty mug and slid it over to the first pony in line without looking up.

“You’re Applejack, correct?”

Applejack noticed a faint chill in the air that made her hair stand on end. She looked up, and saw that the receiver of the mug was a teal unicorn stallion she hadn’t met before.

She nodded and kept filling the mugs. “Nice to meet ya. You new ‘round town?”

“My name’s Blair.” he stepped to the side and lowered his voice. “I’m one of Twilight’s guards.”

Applejack paused in her work and eyed him with newfound interest. “Ahh, gotcha. She around, then? I haven’t had a chance to see who’s here.”

Blair pursed his lips and squinted with one eye. “She’s over by the house at a table with Spike talking with somepony I haven’t met.”

Applejack’s eyes went wide. “How’d you…”

“I have my ways.” Blair took a drink.

Applejack watched him apprehensively. “Uh, Blair?”

He lowered his mug. “Hmm?”

“Just so you know, that’s hard cider.”

Blair blinked and smacked his lips. Sure enough, he caught the tough aftertaste of alcohol. Strong alcohol.

“Oops.” He put down the mug. “I didn’t mean—“

“BLAIR!”

He turned to see Ras staring agape at the mug in his hoof.

“What the hell, dude?! You’re drinking without me?!”

Blair shook his head. “I didn’t mean—“

“Oh, no. Too late now.” Ras sauntered up and grabbed one of his own. “You shouldn’t have started what you didn’t intend to finish.”

“Ras, we’re supposed to to be—"

“—partners in crime?” Ras clinked their mugs. “My thoughts exactly.”

Blair looked down at his drink, then up at Ras. His face contorted with inner turmoil. “How long has it even been?”

“Too damn long.” Ras took a sip. “You kept saying you were worried about ‘providing to a minor.’”

Blair narrowed his eyes. “Watch it.”

Ras burst out laughing and leaned on Blair’s shoulder. “We’re all here, for Celestia’s sake! I’m sure the others can manage for one night. That is, if Miss Applejack here can keep our little secret.”

“The Element of Honesty keeping a secret, eh?” Blair raised an eyebrow, and they both looked to her.

Applejack chuckled. “It’d be a bit out of my way to let Celestia know about anything. It’d be a different story if she showed up right this very minute and started askin’ about it, though. I don’t see the harm in ya’ll enjoyin’ a drink or two, so long as ya don’t go overboard.”

Ras felt Blair’s shoulders sag. Sensing his victory, Ras raised his mug to Applejack and led Blair to a faraway table. His voice faded into the background of the party as they walked off.

“I just talked to Piro. Sounds like you could use a little something to warm you up, anyway…”

Applejack continued filling the mugs, giving a greeting to any and all that passed her by. The latest song ended, and was followed by the ground shaking as the audience gave their enthusiastic applause. The crowd thinned as a few ponies broke away from the main grounds, searching for friends, food, or drink. Applejack raised her chin and looked above the crowd for Mac.

“Please tell me you have more than just booze.”

Applejack didn’t need to look to recognize the owner of the voice beside her. “Not feelin’ it tonight, Rainbow?”

Rainbow balanced a plate of food on a wing and sniffed the mugs on the table. “I just started a new training regimen. I can have the pie since I’ll burn that easily, but alcohol’s a no-no.”

“Mac’s bringin’ in some more normal cider from the house. He should be back in a sec.” Applejack caught a flash of red in the crowd, but it turned out to be a thin unicorn she hadn’t seen before.

Rainbow went around the table to allow the ponies behind her pass by. “How’ve you been? Haven’t had a chance to catch up with you.”

“I’m hangin’ in there.” Applejack pulled out a handkerchief from under her hat and wiped her brow. “You know how it is this time of year.”

Rainbow looked out the back door of the barn, which was open and led out into the apple orchards. The light from the party sparkled off the bright red apples from the closest trees. “Looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you this season. Think you guys can get ‘em all?”

Applejack made a dismissive noise. “You forget who you’re talkin’ to. There ain’t been an Applebuck Season yet this family hasn’t handled.”

“Don’t think your family’s ever had an Applebuck Season like this one, though.” Rainbow nibbled on a dumpling. “There’s gotta be like, twice as much as you normally have out there!”

“More’n that.” She finally saw Mac, who had just hitched himself up to a cart filled with half a dozen barrels. He made his way around the crowd to the back door of the barn. “Some of the trees are so laden that their branches are startin’ to bend. We were gonna give it another fortnight, but with the way things are going we’re thinkin’ of starting next week, instead.”

“You know I’d be more than willing to give you a hoof if you need it,” Rainbow murmured through a mouthful of food.

“And you know I like a challenge,” Applejack replied. “Don’t you worry none about it. I’ve got my new ‘farmhands’ to help me out, remember?”

Rainbow smirked evilly. “You’ve been putting them to work, haven’t you.”

“Pushed their noses to the grindstone the minute they got here.” Mac arrived with the barrels of non-alcoholic cider. Applejack immediately took one out and started to fill new mugs. “It works out in the end. Nopony thinks anything of ‘em, and they get to earn their keep. They’ve been downright useful, to be honest, and I enjoy havin’ company out in the fields.”

“Oh really?” Rainbow said slyly. “You ‘enjoy their company?’”

“Like you don’t know what I’m talkin’ about,” Applejack said. “How boring does it get sittin’ up on one of them clouds by yourself all day?”

Rainbow downed a mug of cider. “As boring as you’d think. I do patrols to check on my workers, but otherwise I’m alone all day. I’d talk to anyone, save for Esra. Actually, I take that back. He’s not so bad anymore.”

Applejack helped Mac unload the rest of the barrels, who then took the cart away on another errand. “Esra’s one of yours, I take it? How’s it been going?”

Rainbow shuffled. “We had a rocky start. I was running them through flight training so that I wouldn’t have to hold back for them as much. I wanted them to be able to do their job, but I didn’t think they could because I was comparing them to myself. They realized that before I did, so they showed me that they have a different kind of strength.”

“Different kind?” Applejack echoed. “Like what?”

“Well, Tastar’s a—what was it again? Dragoon? Yeah, that’s it.” Rainbow took a bite of pie and was transported into ambrosia heaven. She continued a moment later. “Esra’s a martial artist. I sparred with him to see what he could do, but he wasn’t happy about it because he was afraid he was gonna hurt me.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Did he?”

“A little,” Rainbow unconsciously rubbed her neck. “He got me in a chokehold and I had to punch him with my wing to get him to break it. We’d agreed not to use our wings, though, so technically I lost.”

Applejack suppressed a sudden desire to find Esra, hogtie him and roll him down a steep, rocky hillside. “How’d you take that?”

“Not very well.” Rainbow tossed her plate in a bin. “I think it needed to happen, though. It made me see that I was being a hypocrite, and I feel like an idiot for making the same mistake twice. I stopped pushing them so hard, and we’ve been getting along a lot better since then.”

Applejack sighed. “You never can learn things the easy way, can ya?”

“I wasn’t trying to be a jerk,” Rainbow said suddenly. “I was just honestly worried that if something happened, everyone would look at them and say, ‘She took care of it by herself! You must be useless!’ And the whole reason they’re here is to make you-know-who be at ease or whatever, right? So I figured I needed to get them on my level, but then after I sparred with Esra, I realized that the only pony who thought they were useless... was me.”

The Element of Loyalty flickered. It spread out from Rainbow’s core, filling her with searing heat and transforming her body into a furnace.

“I know better," Rainbow said. "Everypony has the potential to be something great, all they need is to feel the drive. I know that desire is there for everyone else too, and regardless of what it means, at the end of the day it lets you walk away knowing without a doubt that you gave it your all. I don’t know why I’ve always felt it so strongly, and why it makes me want to make others be the best they can possibly be, but I'm not lying when I say there's no greater feeling, and I want everyone else to experience it.”

Rainbow stamped a hoof and gritted her teeth. She looked out at the orchards, and a fiery blaze appeared in the depths of her pupils. She continued in a louder, more confident voice.

“Nopony is useless. It’s wrong for anyone to look down on others, but it’s especially wrong for me because that’s not the kind of pony I want to be. I want to be someone who stokes the flames of inner fire. I want to make everypony feel the same intense, burning desire to improve that I do. I want everyone to look at how they can create a better, brighter future, and most of all, the very, very most of all, I want— “

Rainbow snapped out of her musings and noticed the strange silence around her. She turned, and saw that two dozen ponies had gathered around her, all of them filled with the same awestruck, open-mouthed looks of wonder. The ponies at the nearby tables had stopped to stare as well, paused in mid-bite and drink. The crowd around her had been slowly leaning forward, hanging on her every word as her voice gained passion, intensity... and power.

Applejack was no less affected. She rested her chin on a hoof and leaned on one of the barrels, wearing a giant smile on her face and staring at Rainbow with clear, attentive eyes.

“Go on, sugarcube,” she said softly. “Don’t mind any of us none. What is it you want most of all?”

The Element of Loyalty flared. The temperature around Rainbow rose, and waves of heat rolled off her body that hit Applejack and her audience. She stared at the floor for a moment, then looked back up through her eyelashes.

“Most of all, I want ponies to never give up. If we try hard enough and work together, if we stay strong in the face of doubt, and if we remember the mistakes of the past while looking to the future— “

The fire filled Rainbow’s irises for an instant. It flashed once, and her enraptured audience flinched as the light in her eyes became reflected in theirs. Rainbow enunciated her next words, each one shaking with the force of an echoing thunderclap.

“We. Can. Do. Anything.”

Pinkie stood behind the stage holding a clipboard and speaking with the performers about the next round of musical numbers they were going to play. One of them had forgotten their secondary instrument, and she was debating on how to acquire an empty whiskey jug when she heard a familiar voice from behind her.

“Mina.”

Pinkie’s ears twitched. There were only two ponies that called her that, and one of them was no longer in this world. The musicians noticed the speaker and hurriedly walked away with polite nods. Pinkie slowly turned around, and let out a soft gasp.

Pinkie knew that Granny Smith had led a busy life, and as such, never had much time to invest in her looks. What Pinkie didn’t know, however, was that no matter how dirty a diamond gets, it only needs a bit of cleaning to reveal its luster. Granny stood before her in a dress the color of spring grass inlaid with golden spidery lines that reflected the soft light. Emerald earrings of simple, yet elegant design in the shape of apples adorned her ears, and a beautiful rose agate pendant in the shape of a teardrop graced her neck. She'd let her snow-white hair down to hang free around her shoulders, which was set in place by an intricate silver circlet. She smiled, and Pinkie caught a brief glimpse of the ravishing beauty Granny once, and apparently still was.

“Wow,” Pinkie managed. “Edith, you’re—“

“—as gussied up as you’ll ever see me,” she said in her gruff alto. “I almost didn’ wear the circlet, but the gal who made this here dress insisted it 'had to go with the ensemble.' Jackie’s got some real interestin’ friends, I tell ya.”

Pinkie giggled. “Rarity’s so funny sometimes. She’s really good at this kind of thing, though.”

“Hmph.” Granny motioned away from the party. “Would ya mind takin' a walk with me?”

“Sure.” Pinkie set down the clipboard and followed her lead.

Granny led them around the side of the farmhouse and to the empty open field beyond. Pinkie watched Granny's stride, and held back a happy squeal as she saw that it was strong and unhindered. They approached Rainbow's haybales, and as Granny led them behind, the sounds of the party gave way to the chirping of crickets, and the rustling of the cool wind blowing through the trees.

Granny was silent at first. She cast her eyes up to the stars, staring at something only she could see. She blinked several times, then spoke in a soft voice tinged with a heavy note of loss.

“Do you know who gave me this pendant?”

Pinkie knew the moment she saw it, for its origin was a story she'd heard many times. The pendant was special for many reasons, but the one she liked the most was that the giver and the material of the pendant shared the same name.

Pinkie nodded. “My Granny did.”

Granny looked down at Pinkie with clear, strong eyes. “Rosie made it herself and gave it to me on my wedding day. It’s one the most precious things in the world to me, but it holds so many memories that I couldn’t bear to wear it after Pendragon died. This is the first time I've felt it was a special enough occasion to bring it out.”

Pinkie blinked. “Why’s that?”

A slight upward twitch of Granny's lips was all she betrayed. “Jackie told me what you did.”

Pinkie jerked. “She wasn't supposed to tell you! I had—“

“Now don’t go bein’ mad at her for it,” Granny said gently. “You can't rightly blame her, I was mighty surprised this morning after I drank my tea, took a step forward, and realized I couldn't feel the red hot poker jabbin’ into my right hip anymore. And not to toot my own horn or anythin', but I can be rather convincing when I wanna be.”

Pinkie opened her mouth in protest, but the memories of Granny's reprimanding tone and withering stare made her objections fade away. She should've known Applejack had never stood a chance.

“I just wanted it to be a surprise.” Pinkie muttered and hung her head.

Granny sighed. “Mina, I know full well there’s no cure for arthritis. My hip’s the one that’s crumblin’, not my brain. Dementia don’t even run in the family.”

Pinkie flinched, her eyes wide with alarm. “I don't think you're senile! There’s no way you could raise three kids on your own and maintain a farm for ten years, not to mention be the head of one of the most notable clans in Equestria if you were!”

Granny chuckled. “Do me a favor and tell that to Jackie. You’d think I got two hooves in the grave with the way she acts sometimes.”

Pinkie shifted back and forth. “Edith, I didn't mean—“

“It’s okay,” Granny said soothingly. “I didn’t bring you out here to scold you. After all…”

She winked at Pinkie. “I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

Pinkie burst out laughing.

Granny exhaled out her nose and bit her lip. “Now, whatever you gave me that's completely taken away the blasted pain, however temporary it is, I’m mighty grateful for that.”

Pinkie beamed.

“But I didn't bring you out here just for gratitude.” Granny's lips twitched again. “I told you this before, and I still dunno if you'll fully grasp what it means, but that don't stop it from bein' the truth: You are Rose Agate's granddaughter. She loved to pull harmless, playful pranks, see, but in truth her heart went out to ponies that were sufferin'. She wasn't well known for it, though, 'cause she never liked bein' the center of attention. Her methods were subtle, but that didn't make 'em any less effective, nor did it stop her from goin’ out of her way at every opportunity to do as much as she could for ponies. The world's a colder place now that she's gone.”

Pinkie got an odd feeling as Granny spoke. It was the same one children get when their parents lecture them about how they're not as clever as they think.

“I miiiiiiiight know what you mean.” Pinkie swallowed and wet her lips. “I never thought my granny was a sneaky-sneak, though...”

Granny gave her a condescending look. “Don't sully the memory of your forebear, honey. Rosie was a lot of things, but all of 'em were good. She pulled these same kinda stunts, or 'shenanigans,' as she called ‘em, all the time, and every time she did, it meant she had somethin' big up her sleeve.”

Granny's lips finally gave away, and her aged face broke into a knowing smirk. “I don’t think for a minute that you lied to Jackie just so you’d get my hopes up and then throw ‘em to the ground. I've no idea what you’re plannin', but I’d bet the farm you’re just waitin' on a chance to spring it on me. I'm givin' you that chance right now.”

Pinkie fell onto her haunches. She’d worked nonstop for the last two days with Ras on the best ways to get Granny alone, as well as plausible alibis for what would happen when she did. She’d always taken pride in her prowess in subtlety, and as a result, it was a rare occasion that she was outwitted. But here, it was a lesson she gratefully accepted, for it made her see Granny for what she was, and had always been:

A master.

Pinkie laughed as comprehension dawned at last. She played with a lock of her mane. “I really am her granddaughter, aren't I?”

“It's spooky,” Granny said flatly. “You got her curls, as well as her spirit. Don't sell yourself short, though, I just got a few years experience over ya when it comes to this game.”

Pinkie took a quick look around. They were behind the bulls-eyed haybales, completely concealed and alone. Granny really had given her the chance.

“Technically, I didn't lie to Applejack.” Pinkie stepped in close and spoke in a hurried whisper. “I just told her enough of the truth so that she'd fill in the gaps on her own. It's not my fault she came to the wrong conclusion.”

Granny raised an eyebrow. “And why would you need to do that?”

Pinkie lowered her chin into a mischievous smile. “Because the Princess doesn't want her to know yet.”

Something in Pinkie's expression made Granny's eyes gain a far-off look. She shook her head clear to stay in the present. “About what, exactly?”

Pinkie’s closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated on the desire to remove pain and suffering. To soothe the aches and hurts of this world, and fill it with happiness and love. The Element of Laughter responded, and spread out from its place in her heart to fill her body with warmth and joy.

Pinkie giggled and snapped open her eyes, half-filled with shining azure light.

“This.”

“I think we're overdressed,” Grovi said with a wince.

Rarity was walking up to Sweet Apple Acres with Elo and Grovi, who were both wearing black tuxedos complete with velvet ties and cufflinks. Rarity hadn’t thought to say anything to Elo and Grovi about appropriate attire, and wasn't wearing anything other than her earrings and platinum necklace. She’d met up with them on the way there, and now was trying her best not to laugh as the ponies that passed by gave them funny looks.

“I should've realized that Canterlot doesn't have very many hoedowns,” Rarity said with a smile.

Grovi took off his tie and loosened his collar. “They're really well hidden if they do.”

Elo plucked at his tux. “Seeing this kind of thing makes me wonder what our lives would've been like if we hadn't been stuck in the city. This may as well be a different world!”

After Grovi had told Rarity about his and Elo’s childhood, she’d invited them over the next day to let them know two things. The first was that while she was deeply flattered they were treating her like a noble, she didn't want them to do anything that made them uncomfortable. The second was that she'd defer to their judgment when it came to her protection from now on.

Elo and Grovi had insisted they didn't mind treating her the way she deserved to be, and in regards to her protection, the only additional stipulation they had was that she wear her new necklace at all times. Rarity had agreed.

“One must never be ashamed of their roots,” Rarity said firmly. “For better or worse, they've shaped you into who you are. Your morals, appreciation for decency, and sincerity come from your exposure to the callous side of the upper class, and to condemn that would be the same as condemning a part of yourselves.”

Rarity had expected some kind of rebuttal or questioning as to what she meant, but what she got was a duo of suppressed snorts and snickers. She turned, and found both of them staring at her with hooves over their mouths, wearing the same nostalgic smile she'd seen them wear several times before.

Rarity went a tinge of red and shuffled a hoof. “I did it again, didn't I?”

The three of them had developed a camaraderie ever since then due to Rarity’s resemblance to Grovi’s sister, and while he and Elo tried not to make a big deal out of it, there were times when the similarities were… entertaining.

“We're gonna start calling you Crysti at this rate,” Grovi said. “Or maybe Rarysti.”

“Crystarity?” Elo offered.

Rarity gave a snort of her own. “I think you already called me that once by accident. Do you understand what I'm saying?”

“I believe we do.” Grovi bowed. “A wise lesson from a wise Lady.”

“I wouldn't know it if I didn't have it hammered into my own head.” Rarity turned back to look at the sleepy village. “I was born and raised in Ponyville, but my heart has always dwelt in the city. I've had to adapt my crafts at times to accommodate to the tastes of the local clientele, though, and while I'm grateful that it's strengthened my skill-set, I much prefer it when I get to make something a little more... chic.”

“That's probably what threw us off,” Grovi said. “I thought that this might be a formal occasion after we saw that dress you made for the guest of honor.”

Rarity could now see the stage around the corner of the barn. “That's different, dear. This is Edith's night to shine, and she deserves to stand out. Not that she needs much help to do that if she cleans herself up a bit.”

Elo nodded to a passing stallion in stained overalls, who took one look at him and burst out into a raucous guffaw. “This Edith is the Bearer of Honesty's grandmother, correct? The one you went to the spa with this afternoon?”

Rarity nodded. “She’s aged rather well, don’t you think?”

Elo shrugged. “Can't say I'm interested in older mares, but if her looks run in the family, the Bearer of Honesty must be a real beauty.”

“I'll admit I'm jealous of Applejack sometimes.” Rarity sighed. “Some mares have to try very hard to look good, and others only have to rely on their genes. It makes me wish she paid more attention to herself.”

The three of them arrived at the front gate of Sweet Apple Acres. To their right was a long winding line going into the barn. The band was on intermission, and the farmyard was a chaotic mass of bodies and noise.

“See anyone you know?” Grovi asked over the din.

Rarity laughed and stepped aside to let Berry Punch pass her by. “See anyone I don't know, you mean. One of the advantages of growing up in a small town is that everypony knows each other within at least one acquaintance.”

“Seems like that could be a disadvantage too,” Elo said.

“It does lead to gossip at times,” Rarity admitted. She winced as she remembered some of the assumptions she'd made at times due to hearsay. “Although the ponies of this town are hardly a vindictive sort. Again, a side effect of a small town. Can't afford to burn bridges when there aren't that many to begin with.”

An earth pony mare with a blue and pink mane jostled Rarity from behind. She stumbled and fell into Grovi.

“Huh? Ah! I'm so sorry Rarity!” Bon-Bon tried to help her, but was cut off as Elo politely, but firmly pushed her into the party. Grovi supported Rarity with a hoof.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

Rarity was about to reply when a wave of dizziness swept over her. She stumbled again and leaned fully onto him.

“I just... need a moment,” Rarity murmured, ignoring the stares she was getting.

Grovi whispered in her ear. “Did you stop taking your medicine again?”

“No!” Rarity said. She ducked her head as she realized how loudly she'd spoken. “I swear I've been taking it.”

Elo turned and saw that Rarity was barely supporting herself. He bit his lip and disappeared into the crowd.

“How often?” Grovi asked.

“As much as I did before,” Rarity dodged.

“Which is?”

She hung her head and closed her eyes. “Twice a week.”

Grovi led them over to a table. “It's getting worse, isn't it?”

Rarity held a hoof to her head to try and stop the world from spinning. “I don't know why! It's never been this bad before!”

Grovi watched as she swayed back and forth. “Did you sleep at all last night?”

Rarity whimpered. “The dreams came in quick, vivid flashes the minute I drifted off. They were so powerful I couldn’t get back to sleep, even with the pills.”

Grovi took his hoof in hers, his voice oddly urgent. “What did you see?”

Rarity cast her mind back to what she had seen the previous night, and as she did, a cool drop of water landed in the depths of her core. It rippled outward and turned into a swirling spiral that spread outward through her body like a whirlpool of flowing water.

Rarity opened her eyes. Her pupils were filled with a cool silver light, and her faint whispers lingered in Grovi’s eardrums.

“A bolt of lightning being guided by a trio of colorful shadows. It streaked across the sky and disappeared off into the horizon.

A pair of warm, glowing blue lights that hovered over Ponyville, and bathed the citizens in their luminance.

A beautiful rainbow, cloaked in crackling flame. It exploded outward in a shockwave with a sound like thunder.

A massive circle of ponies and wild beasts facing outward. They were guarding a gentle pink light that shone like the sun.

A flawless diamond wall being struck again and again by a trio of hammers. Each of their blows shook the very foundations of the earth, but the wall stood strong.

A river made of silver glass held at bay by a tall, impregnable dam. The waters of the river were rising, and on the other side was a featureless void.

A cracked opaque glass sphere, frozen in time and teetering on the edge of collapse. The silhouette of a pony was inside, still as a statue and baptized in a chaotic spectrum. Beneath it was an abyss, and from it came a noise... an agonizing, excruciating noise that pierced my soul like the sharpest knife.”

Grovi looked around. The band had started again, and Rarity's message was almost lost to the sudden outpouring of music.

“What was it?” Grovi spoke a little louder. “What was the noise?”

Rarity shivered, and the silver light in her eyes faded away.

“Screaming.”

“I brought some help.”

The two of them looked up, and saw Elo standing beside a thin red unicorn. The newcomer met Rarity’s eyes, then gave a sharp intake of breath and clucked his tongue.

Rarity raised her chin at Piro's reaction. “I assure you that I—“

“—should be lying down.” Piro rounded on Elo and Grovi. “How could you let her come here in this state?!”

Grovi shot Elo a dirty look. “You didn’t need to go get Piro! She’s just having a dizzy spell!”

“You know what dizzy spells could mean for her!” Elo shot back. “She might be hovering on the edge of the Danger Zone!”

Piro hadn't sat idle. He now had his hoof on Rarity's forehead and was muttering to himself.

“Are you a doctor?” she asked icily.

“No, I just like checking the temperature of every mare I meet,” Piro snapped. “My name’s Piro. I’m the medic of our platoon, and you, Miss Rarity, are deep in Magical Fatigue.”

Rarity was at least thankful that the three guards were standing around her and blocking her from view. She noted the way Piro’s eyes swept across her, so similar to the way her mother’s did every week. She sighed and held out a hoof, having long ago learned that the best way to deal with doctors was to let them check the basics.

“Do you know the nature of my condition?” Rarity asked.

“I know it has something to do with your magic not getting recharged.” Piro took her wrist in his aura. “Are you not getting enough sleep?”

Rarity flushed as she felt a familiar tingling sensation race through her veins. “You have no idea.”

“This isn’t the place for this.” Grovi looked around apprehensively. “Can we do this another time?”

“Won’t be another time.” Piro made a tiny ball of red light and gently held open Rarity’s eye with his magic. “I’m leaving tomorrow with Twilight.”

Rarity jerked away. “Wait, what?!”

“She’ll be back,” Piro said in an offhand tone. “She’s going to tell you when she finds you. Oh, and on that note, Elo, Grovi, go to Blair right now. He has something to tell you.”

The two guards looked at each other. Elo gestured towards the party, but Grovi looked back one more time to Rarity. “You sure you’ll be all right?”

“I’ll be fine,” Rarity reassured him. “I’ll just have a little chat with Dr. Piro here before I go meet up with the others.”

Elo grunted and yanked on his partner’s tail.

Grovi yelped. “Okay, okay!” He followed Elo into the party. “Yeesh, didn’t have to do that…”

“You’re not in the Danger Zone, so that’s good at least.” Piro sucked on his teeth. “You must feel like you’ve been run over by a cart, though. I'm sure the Bearer of Honesty will let you lie down in the h— “

“That isn’t necessary.” Rarity said. “I’m quite capable of taking care of myself.”

“Any doctor will tell you that if you push yourself much harder right now you’re going to be in serious trouble,” Piro said flatly. “You need to sleep. Preferably for about three days straight.”

Rarity’s body ached at the mention of sleeping for that long, but she didn’t let her discomfort show. “And as much as I wish I could, I unfortunately can’t. Don’t worry, I’ve taken steps to deal with this.”

“Such as?”

“I see a specialist once a week that’s been treating me my entire life, for one.”

“Does she check your font?”

“That and other things,” Rarity said patiently. “She’s very knowledgeable about my affliction, and you can be assured that between her thoroughness and my own experience with my symptoms, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. The only reason I’m running ragged tonight is because I got ambitious and made something that’s out of my comfort zone.”

“What was it?” Piro asked.

Rarity produced a triangular blue manepin out of her saddlebags. “I’ve been reading a lot about Spell Fusion lately, so I was going to show this to Twilight and see if I did it right. I was planning on giving it to her if I did.”

Piro wrinkled his brow. “May I? I’m somewhat versed in advanced magical arts, as well.”

“Help yourself.” Rarity gave him the pin.

Piro took it in his aura and mumbled a few words. Rarity watched him expectantly.

“I’m impressed.” Piro returned the pin. “Spell Fusion is a very delicate process regardless of the level of spells you use, but this has been done perfectly. I didn’t know you were talented in Abjuration.”

Rarity laughed. “More like I have a lot of time on my hooves some nights due to my condition. Twilight gave me a spellbook as a gift some time ago, and it seemed like the easiest thing to do since you can combine any two spells, even low-level—“

“Rarity!”

Rarity looked over to see Twilight waving at her from the edge of the crowd. Standing beside her were Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Spike.

“Oh! There they are.” Rarity delicately got to her hooves and put on an enthusiastic mask. “It was very nice to meet you, Piro, but I think I’ll be going now.”

Piro glanced at the other Bearers out of the corner of his eye, then leaned in close to her. “I highly recommend that you don’t use any magic for several days, not even telekinesis. Even if you can’t sleep, your font will recover a little bit during the day, and that’s better than nothing.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Rarity replied. “Thank you.”

Piro stepped away, bowed, then went about his business.

Rarity carefully weaved through the crowd and closed the distance to her friends. It took her longer than normal, as she was alternating between keeping a normal pace and trying not to bump into anypony. The others didn’t notice. They’d fallen back into conversation amongst themselves, and Rarity came into earshot just in time to hear Rainbow in mid-rant.

“—not a matter of how long you’re going, it’s that you’re going at all!”

“I didn’t want to resort to this, believe me—“

“Then don’t!” Rainbow said. “There has to be some other way to find the other Symbols.”

“Don’t be irrational,” Applejack cut in. “You honestly think she wants to go?”

“Of course I don’t.” Rainbow crossed her hooves. “But that doesn’t mean I like it. This sucks! You’ve only been here a few months, and now you have to go again?!”

“It’s not going to be for very long,” Twilight assured her. “A few months, tops, then once I finish my thesis, I’ll be taking a break for a year.”

“I give it a month before you crack,” Spike said as he lounged on her back.

Twilight narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. “Applejack?”

“Yeah?”

“Swat him for me.”

Applejack obliged and gave Spike a face-full of Stetson. They broke into laughter as he almost lost his balance.

“Will you be spending that m—year here, or in Canterlot?” Fluttershy asked.

“Here,” Twilight shifted as Spike readjusted himself. “The only thing in Canterlot is my family, and they’ve got their own lives going on. I’d have to either go back to the palace or move back home, and all I’d be doing is lounging around reading books all day in either case.“

“And you’re not gonna do that here?” Rainbow teased.

“Of course I will,” Twilight said, “but I get paid to do it here.”

They all laughed again.

Applejack turned and acknowledged Rarity, who had been listening in. “Fashionably late, I see.”

“I didn’t mean to be this time, believe it or not. I was going out the door on time when I decided to check my mail, and saw that I got an invitation.”

“To where?” Spike asked.

Rarity paused for dramatic effect. “To attend the Canterlot Fashion Week!”

“You really got in?!” Fluttershy clapped her hooves. “That’s so great!”

Twilight looked at Applejack and Rainbow, who both shrugged and shook their heads.

“Um, when is it?” Twilight asked.

“The third week of this month!” Rarity danced in place. “I submit a piece every year, but this is the first time they’ve ever accepted me! Oh, this could be my chance to make a real name for myself!”

“You’re going to Canterlot for an entire week?” Rainbow asked.

Rarity’s excitement faded, and for an instant she looked very tired. It passed, though, and she continued with a nod. “I was thinking about where I’d be staying and how I’d be transporting my ensembles, and then I lost track of the time. This is going to be a lot of work, but I’m very excited to do it! I only have ten days to get ready.”

A smirk crept up on Spike’s face. He leaned forward and whispered something in Twilight’s ear, which caused the smirk to spread to her face, as well.

“Have you made reservations anywhere?” Twilight asked.

“Not yet,” Rarity said absentmindedly. “I only just found out less than an hour ago.”

“Don’t bother,” Twilight said. “I can get you in somewhere for free.”

“You don’t need to do that,” Rarity said with a dismissive wave. “I have a little bit of money saved up. I’m sure I can find somewhere nice to stay.”

“Doubt you’ll find somewhere nicer than what we had in mind.” Spike jumped off Twilight’s back and sat on the table to be eye-level with all of them. “We were gonna get you a room in the castle suites.”

All of them, save for Twilight, slowly turned their attention to him.

Rarity tilted her head, alternating between looking at the two of them. “The…cas—buh?”

“I’m the Princess’ personal protégée, remember?” Twilight was finding it harder and harder not to smile. “I may not like to admit it, but it does come with a few perks.”

Rarity took a step back. “I couldn’t possibly impose on the Princess like that!“

“Canterlot Castle has sixty guest rooms,” Twilight said. “In the ten years we lived there, not even half of them were ever filled.”

“We used to play hide-and-seek in them all the time,” Spike said with a nostalgic smile. “Drove the maids nuts. And even by if some bizarre coincidence they are all full, you can just stay in Twilight’s tower.”

“Ix-nay on the ower-tay!” Twilight hissed out of the corner of her mouth..

“You have a tower?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight turned back to see that all the attention had shifted back to her. She coughed once and became very interested in the ground.

“I wouldn’t call it a tower, per se, more like a, um... circular nook... that happens to be in it’s own section of the castle... which miiiiight be in close proximity to... the... Royal... Apartments—you know what?! That doesn’t matter! The point is that you’re not imposing, and there’ll be a place open for you regardless of whether there are any guest rooms! And don’t worry about having to behave because you’re around the Princesses. The Castle is huge! I doubt you’ll see either of them.”

“She might, actually,” Spike pointed out. “You’re all kinda in her good graces right now because of Luna. She might ask you to dinner or something.”

Rarity was swaying back and forth at the implications of dining with royalty. Applejack put out a hoof to steady her.

Rainbow smirked. “Gotta love connections. You’ll have to—”

A thought suddenly came to her. She cleared her throat and scratched her nose. “Hey uh, Twi? I’m gonna be in Canterlot around that time too for a Wonderbolts show. I wasn’t planning on staying the night, but… do you think you can hook me up?”

Twilight chuckled. “I think I can work something out.”

Rainbow did a small victory pump with her hoof.

“I-If it’s not too much trouble,” Fluttershy began, “could I possibly go too? I’ve always wanted to go to Fashion Week, but with hotel expenses I didn’t think—”

“Say no more.” Twilight looked to Applejack, who had zoned out and was tapping a hoof in time to the music. “You want to come, too?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “A Fashion show, the Wonderbolts, or Applebuckin’ Season. Hmm, I dunno, Twilight, that’s a toughie.”

Twilight laughed. “I’m just checking.”

Rarity finally snapped out of her daze. She squee’d and hugged Twilight. “You’re the best friend ever, you know that?!”

Twilight’s ears went pink at Rarity’s sudden gesture of gratitude. “It’s no big deal, really!”

“No big deal?!” Rarity echoed. “You’re getting us into the palace! I’d call that a pretty big deal!”

Twilight smiled guiltily and raised her eyes to the sky. Rarity broke away, still smiling and giggling like a schoolfilly.

“I’ve never seen that necklace before.” Fluttershy motioned to Rarity’s newest piece of jewelry. “Did you make it?”

“Partially,” Rarity said. “I had the idea and started it, but Grovi finished it for me.”

“I’m assuming Grovi’s one of your guards,” Rainbow said. “You know, we really should just all meet up and introduce each other so we know who we’re talking about.”

Rarity looked over and saw Grovi standing next to a table talking to Blair. “He’s such a dear. It broke while I was making it, but he fixed it for me! And not only that, he reinforced it and placed enchantments on it!”

Twilight was staring at the necklace with a curious look in her eye. “Does that symbol mean anything, by chance?”

Rarity shook her head. “I saw it in a dream and thought it was pretty. My brain has a tendency to make random things sometimes.”

“It’s beautiful,” Fluttershy murmured. “The sapphires match your eyes.”

“Yeah,” Spike said wistfully. “Beautiful.”

Twilight pursed her lips as she stared at the jewelry. “Huh.”

“Oh! That reminds me.” Rarity reached into her saddlebags and pulled out the triangular manepin. “Twilight, I have a gift for you.”

She looked up. “What is it?”

“I was going through that spellbook you gave me for my birthday and I decided to try my hoof at Spell Fusion.” Rarity set the manepin on the table. “Seeing as you’re the one who gave it to me, I thought you should be the one who gets to have my first real success.”

Twilight blinked several times. “You actually read an advanced Abjuration spellbook written in Old Equestrian Grammar?”

“Why is everypony so surprised?” Rarity’s gaze darted to each of her friends. “It’s not like I’m inept at magic.”

“I-I never thought you were—I just, well…”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Just what?”

“Never mind.” Twilight took the pin and examined it much in the way Piro did. She raised her eyebrows and frowned.

“Very impressive!” Twilight admired the manepin as it caught the light. “This is as stable as anything I could make! What’s it made of?”

“Hopestone,” Rarity replied. “It’s a rare kind of gem only found around Dragon Turtle Lake. It’s often mistaken for sapphire, but a trained eye knows how to spot the difference. ”

“Oh, I’ve heard of it before!” Twilight said. “It’s said to have a calming effect on ponies when they wear it for long periods of time.”

Rarity nodded. “I thought it might help you concentrate during your studies. I never went to University, but I understand how stressful it can be working under a deadline.”

“What? Me?” Twilight looked between Rarity and the pin. “Oh no, I couldn’t—”

“Of course you can.” Rarity set it in Twilight’s mane. “It goes perfectly in your pink streak.”

“Rarity, I—”

“You’re getting me into the palace, dear.” She considered the placement of the pin. It set half of Twilight’s mane to the side, which gave her a pleasantly exotic look. “Besides, I never would’ve made it in the first place without you. Who knows? It might come in handy while you’re away.”

Twilight tried to continue to protest, but she was drowned out as the musical number ceased and the ground shook with applause. The lead musician stepped up to a microphone and cleared his throat.

“Thank ya’ll kindly for the applause. Now if’n ya don’t mind, the Guest o’ Honor would like to come up and say a few words. She’d be mighty pleased if ya’ll would give her your attention.”

“Hey gals!”

All of them turned, and saw Pinkie standing behind them eating a slice of apple pie. She chewed on it thoughtfully as she looked past them to the stage.

“There you are!” Rainbow exclaimed. “We’ve been looking all over for you!”

“Obviously not in the right places, silly!” Pinkie took another bite. “A party doesn’t run itself, you know. Next time come and look behind the scenes. Never mind that, though, Edith’s about to speak!”

Granny had indeed taken the stage. She was still wearing her dress and jewelry, but something seemed different from before. Her stride was strong, her posture was straight, and her wrinkles, while still present, were faded. She cleared her throat into the microphone, and everypony winced as it became amplified across the yard. Her eyes widened as she took a step back and turned a faint shade of red.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” she mumbled. The gruffness in her voice had vanished, leaving it deep and smooth. “Not used to these modern do-hickeys…”

Pinkie smiled and quickly looked down upon hearing Granny speak. She quickly used her napkin to wipe the joyful tears that’d fallen from her eyes.

“Thanks again for makin’ the dress,” Applejack whispered to Rarity.

“Anytime,” Rarity said back. “Now we just need to make one for y—”

“Shh!” someone whispered from in front of them.

“I wanna thank ya’ll for comin’,” Granny said. “Every year I get talked into throwin’ this here shindig, and every year ya’ll surprise me by showin’ up and bringin’ your friends. Not that I mind, o’course, just means we can get more ponies hooked on our apples.”

The audience chuckled.

“That’d be what we call a shameless plug, by the way,” Granny said with a wink. She waited until the audience became silent again before continuing.

“Seventy-three years is a lot of life to live, my friends. It comes with a lotta things, but what I think is the most important are the memories. I remember comin’ down from the northern mountains with my family, when the Equius Valley was nothin’ but hills and meadows and Ponyville was just an idea. I remember helpin’ to build this here farm and countless other buildings in town, then watchin’ as ponies came to settle here and start their own lives.”

Granny closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. “Speakin’ of ponies, I remember them, too. Good, bad, happy, angry, smart, dumb, silly, sad, broken, mischievous, resolute, you name it. I seen ponies born, come of age, build a life, have children of their own, and then pass on before me. It’s been hard at times, wonderin’ what decides who goes and who stays, and I’ve had my highs and lows just like everyone else. But regardless of all that, I don’t regret what I’ve done with my life, or the choices I’ve made.”

Granny stood tall and looked out over the crowd. “I ain’t claimin’ a thing in terms of knowledge or wisdom, and ya can take my words for what ya will, but if there’s one piece of advice I can give ya’ll, it’s this: Friends and family are what make it all worth while. Time’s a funny thing—it seems to move so slowly, yet so very fast at the same time. Whether ya get a few decades or a century, ya need to use the time ya have ‘cause it don’t wait around. Cherish the present, look to the future, and don’t dwell too hard on the past, ‘cuz If ya do that, I guarantee that when it’s all said and done, you can look back at it all and say this.”

Granny spotted Applejack in the crowd, and the two locked eyes as her words carried with them the weight of a lesson they both knew all too well.

“It was a life worth living.”

Chapter 16 Part 2: To Honor an Elder

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Chapter 16: Part 2

To Honor an Elder

Meanwhile-

“You want us to just come out and tell her?” Elo said incredulously.

“And then push her to develop her powers as fast as you can.”

Blair was sipping on a mug of cider at the table farthest away from the crowd near the apple orchards with Elo and Grovi, who were standing with their backs to the crowd to hide that their mouths and ears were covered in a teal aura emanating from Blair’s horn.

Grovi clicked his teeth. “I don’t know if we can do that.”

Blair took a swig of his drink. “Why not?”

Elo sighed. “Rarity’s been getting weaker. She could put herself into Magical Exhaustion if she tries to use her powers now.”

Blair flattened his ears. “Well, well, well, I guess Megnii wasn't the only one not paying attention to the briefing, or else you’d know that her powers are completely separate from the magics that any the three races innately possess. She’d have an easier time putting herself in Magical Exhaustion by overeating.”

Elo snuck a glance over at Rarity on the other side of the crowd. She looked fine… thanks to years of practice and a considerable amount of makeup. “She doesn’t know her limits, though. If she overexerts herself from using her powers, it’ll exacerbate her condition—”

“—and she’ll crash and burn,” Grovi finished with a cringe. “Hard.”

Blair rubbed his upper lip. “What’s making her so weak?”

Elo adjusted his tie. “She's an insomniac, and we think her Foresight is making it worse.”

There was a loud applause. They looked and saw that Granny had gotten off the stage.

Grovi turned back to Blair. “She’s trusted us more with her protection, at least. I got her to take her medication and made her some Font Gems, but that’s like putting band-aids on a gushing wound.”

“What more can we do, though?” Elo asked. “Her own mother’s a sleep doctor! I have a hard time believing she hasn’t done everything physically possible for her!”

“She doesn’t listen to her anymore,” Grovi reminded him. “We need to take more drastic steps. Rarity said she’d defer to our judgment when it came to her safety. ”

“You know she loves her work too much to stop.” Elo ran a hoof down his face. “It’s just like Crysti all over again, workaholic to the bitter end. We should’ve just gotten her out of the city when we had the—“

“You’re making a fool of yourself,” Grovi droned. “Crystal Song would be dead regardless of whether or not she’d evacuated the city in time because she lived one thousand years ago.”

Elo’s eyes flashed as he turned to his partner. “Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Hypocrite! I guess you’re the only one who’s allowed to confuse themselves with their predecessor! Or is there some other reason why you’ve been doting on her?!”

Grovi whirled on him. “How dare y—“

“Both of you shut your bucking traps.”

They both turned to Blair, who had spoken with a faint slur in his voice. He stared hard at the two guards with uneven eyes.

“If you’re going to talk in public about things that’ll blow our cover like a couple of morons, you could at least take a page out of Ras’ book and be subtle about it.”

Elo and Grovi blinked several times.

“Are you… drunk?” Elo eyed the mug of cider Blair had been drinking.

Blair drained his mug in response and slammed it down on the table with a belch. “I’d like to see you not want a drink after being made completely helpless, shown the horrors of Tartarus, tortured, threatened with death, and then reminded that you have an uncontrollable magic addiction that instantly kills everything within a half a mile radius.”

Elo and Grovi gaped at him.

“Is that what happened to you?!” Grovi said in a rushed whisper. “Piro only said—“

“I didn’t tell Piro the specifics because he wasn’t moaning and whining like an old nag.” Blair wiped his mouth and crossed his hooves before continuing. “You’ve had twenty years to come to terms with what we are. Yes, we have all the memories of the Knights leading up to the point we were placed in the constellations and put into stasis. Yes it’s hard to differentiate between us and them. And yes, I still have to double check to make sure I don’t introduce myself as Libra. None of that matters. You need to tell Rarity she’s the avatar of the Element of Generosity so that she can be ready to stop Nightmare Moon’s unkillable army of psychotic monsters from breaking out and getting to Princess Luna, because if you don’t, you’re going to find yourself dangling out over Tartarus like a worm on a hook with Horizon holding a blade over your proverbial throat the next time you go to sleep. Got it?!”

It was at that point Ras emerged out of the crowd carrying a pair of mugs on his back. He sat down, slid one over to Blair, raised his own to take a sip...

…and almost choked as he saw the wide-eyed, incredulous expressions on Elo and Grovi’s faces. He nudged Blair, who adjusted the Private Conversation spell so that he was included.

“Did Blair inform you of his little escapade last night?" Ras put down his mug so he wouldn’t spill any from laughing. “I should’ve warned you he’s in blab mode before I left. This is the first time we’ve given Horizon alcohol, so it didn’t take much. ”

Elo and Grovi said nothing. They just continued to stare.

“My reaction was the same, If it’s any consolation.” Ras snickered. “The kid’s really got our balls in a vice, doesn’t he?”

“What’s left of him does, anyway.” Blair sniffed the new mug. Sure enough, Ras had gotten him more hard cider. He shrugged and took a sip.

Elo had managed to recover enough to register what was being said. “I-I thought he... you... you mean Horizon’s aware?! Of everything?”

“He sees, hears, tastes, touches, and smells everything we do, from all our perspectives,” Blair said.

“Two of which are drunk.” Ras waggled his eyebrows. “I hope it’s screwing with him.”

“You and me both.” Blair took another pull.

“He’s supposed to be a vegetable!” Grovi whispered. “I thought Zemblani—”

“—partially transmuted his body and shattered his mind to pieces when she used him as the target for an unstable barrier spell created with sloppy Spell Fusion, then threw him into the original Gate of Tartarus to wedge it open.” Blair traced the edge of his mug. “I know, Grovi, I was there. His subconscious survived intact.”

A thought occurred to Elo. “You guys remember the first few years after the accident? How Horizon would appear randomly in our dreams?”

“I think you mean Horizon’s subconscious,” Blair said, “but yes, I remember.”

“Kid kept screaming and hollering like a colorful, blurred-out banshee,” Ras muttered. “I didn’t get a good night’s sleep for weeks.”

“We all thought he was insane,” Grovi said.

“The jury’s still out on that, but it turns out that was his way of trying to communicate.” Blair shuddered. “These last twenty years he’s lurked in the back of our minds, seeing our thoughts and going through our memories. You may as well treat him as a separate entity at this point.”

“To which I reiterate that Ophiuchus is almost as bad a name as the one you tried to stick me with.” Ras facehooved. “I shudder to think what you’d name your kids if we could reproduce.”

Blair burst out laughing.

Elo’s face contorted as he took in the information. “So… he’s the one pushing us to do this?”

“Yep,” Blair said. “He’s thankful for what we did, and are still doing, but he won’t think twice about severing our link to him if we don’t do what he says.”

Elo and Grovi were both silent for a time.

“I guess we don’t have a choice,” Grovi said.

“Glad you can at least see that much,” Blair said in a chipper tone. “And with you two, that makes everyone.”

Ras opened his mouth in mock offense. “Hey! You didn’t tell me! I just happened to be sitting here the whole time.”

Blair looked at him out of the corner of his eye. “You know, technically I should write you up for violating orders. You weren’t supposed to tell Pinkie.”

Ras snorted. “Be my guest. We'll run out of time before I get brought up before the board.”

Blair gestured at Ras to the other two guards. “Subtlety! You might want to get a few pointers before you tell Rarity.”

“There’s no subtle way to tell her that she can create things out of thin air with her mind,” Elo protested. “This isn’t gonna go over well regardless.”

Blair let out a short laugh. “So you think she’s in stage two, then?”

“Yes.”

“Maybe.”

Elo and Grovi had spoken at the same time. They looked at each other.

“Huh?” Elo said.

Grovi bit his lip. “I haven’t told you about this because I don’t know what to think. I’m not exactly a guru when it comes to interpreting the deeper meaning behind prophetic dreams.”

Blair paused. “Has she’s been telling you what she’s been seeing?”

Grovi nodded. “One thing I’ve noticed her repeating is a dam that’s blocking a body of water. She says that the waters are rising, and on the other side is empty space.”

“How enlightening,” Ras remarked dryly. “What do you think it means?”

Grovi ignored Elo’s accusing stare boring holes into the side of his head. “If I had to guess, I’d say that the river is the Element of Generosity, and that something is blocking it. I've no idea how, or even what it might be, though. All I know is she hasn’t manifested any of her other powers yet, and this might be the reason why.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this!” Elo burst out. “I could've helped you figure this out! Don't you—”

“It had nothing to do with whether I trust you or not,” Grovi said without looking at him. “It was about not wanting to betray hers. You know how private she is.”

“Which is what I'm banking on.” Blair straightened his shoulders. “Hopefully that trust is enough to keep her from going to the Princess.”

Both Elo and Grovi did a double take.

“Wait, you still want us to keep…” Elo stamped a hoof and looked away. “Ah, horseapples.”

Blair raised an eyebrow. “What's wrong?”

“Rarity’s going to Canterlot in ten days,” Grovi said. “She’s going to be there for an entire week.”

Blair clenched his jaw. “That’s a problem.”

“What should we do?” Elo said.

“Depends,” Blair replied. “Think she’ll want to see the Princess?”

Elo and Grovi looked at each other for a moment, and the music of the band filled the pause. They both seemed to come to the same conclusion and nodded at the same time.

“Yeah, she will.” Grovi said.

Blair cracked his neck. “Then let her. I’m sick of this skulking around. Princess Celestia said we’re not supposed to interfere. So don’t.”

“What do you think will happen?” Ras asked.

“Wouldn’t be so apprehensive if I knew that.” Blair played with his mug. “The Princess might just refuse to see them for all I know.”

Elo ran a hoof through his mane. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why can’t the Princess just come out and tell them herself? Why us?”

“Oh, come on.”

All three of them turned to Ras, who rolled his eyes. “Okay, I don’t know why she won’t tell them herself, but it’s pretty obvious why she chose us as her replacements.”

Blair swished his tail. “I guess we're all just a bunch of idiots, then. Mind enlightening us?”

Ras smirked. “We have a vested interest in them recovering, so we'll push them harder than anypony else. We know the reason why they have to recover quickly, so nopony else needs to get involved. We’ve already seen war, and have dealt with creatures much more powerful than us, so there's no question of our abilities. A normal group of soldiers isn’t gonna know what to do if the Bearers go rogue, but we might be able to hold them off long enough to send a warning out. And since we're not alive, it's no big deal if they kill us.”

Elo and Grovi's eyes fell as the gravity of the last reason hit them.

“Given this some thought, eh?” Blair said.

Ras sighed. “Was either that or strike up another thrilling conversation with Vigil. The idea of spending another two months with him gives me the chills.”

“Speaking of which...” The three of them looked pointedly at Blair, who was shivering.

Blair felt their eyes on him. He looked up and exhaled out his nose. “No one knows what it means. The Lifeforce spell was forbidden even before the war. Doubly so now, after what Libra did with it.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Grovi said. “Isn’t Rarity’s Soul Tether power kind of the same?”

Blair looked out at the orchards. “Yes and no. My magic was intended to be a means to track ponies by seeing their lifeforce, but it was discovered that you could feel it as well with a minor alteration. Rarity's magic allows her to envelop another’s lifeforce in her own so that it doesn't bleed out into the Void, but she can also take it into herself if the target’s body is too damaged.”

“So,” Ras hung on the word and swayed his head. “What’s to stop her from becoming addicted like you?”

Blair rubbed his brow. “Lifeforce addiction comes from a combination of two things: The first is that when you use the spell to sense other living creatures, it tricks you into thinking all the lifeforce you feel is yours. The second is that when you abruptly sever yourself from all your targets, your body to thinks you just lost a huge chunk of lifeforce, and demands that you replenish it. So you do it again and again... until you run out of bodies.”

“I get that,” Grovi said, “but what makes Rarity's Soul Tether different?”

Blair turned back to them. “Luckily, she can tell the difference between her lifeforce and that of her target's.”

“Oh,” Elo said.

“That's still dangerous,” Grovi said. “You also said she can take someone's lifeforce into herself. What's to stop her from doing that?”

Blair gave him a condescending look. “Does it strike you as very generous to steal the lifeforce of others? She won’t use it in that way anymore than Fluttershy will use her Fearsense to dominate those around her. Besides, it’d do absolutely nothing for Rarity because lifeforce can't be merged. All it'd give her is a lot of very confused, panicked voices in her head, and I really doubt she wants that.”

“Blair!”

The four of them turned to see Twilight walking up to them. Blair quickly released his spell.

“All the girls are together,” Twilight said. “Do you think you could get all the guards so we can introduce everypony to each other?”

Blair looked at his mug, shrugged, then drained it and looked to the others. They all got to their hooves.

“Sure.”

The next fifteen minutes began as an awkward affair as the six Bearers introduced themselves and exchanged pleasantries between the thirteen guards. Blair and Ras helped to lighten the mood, and their jovial attitudes broke the ice between the two parties. Everypony started to open up and converse, and the tension lessened considerably.

Spesci bantered with Rainbow about the finer points of cloud manipulation. Tastar talked with Twilight and Spike about possibilities for him to visit Drakkenridge to learn more about his parents. Norric had a subtle conversation with Pinkie, the former not picking up on the latter's hints that she knew more than she was letting on. Applejack feigned interest as Grovi discussed the finer points of metalworking. Rarity sat with strained patience as Piro borderline interrogated her about her condition, and Fluttershy smiled awkwardly as Esra asked her polite questions about animal care with only a slight stammer.

In the middle of the exchange, Megnii looked over and saw Ace standing alone by the house, staring off into the fields with a far off look.

Megnii walked over to him. Ace noticed his approach, but didn’t move away or give any sign of protest. The two stood side by side for a moments in silence before Megnii spoke.

“You never were much for socializing.”

Ace closed his eyes. “I don’t like crowds.”

“I know you don't mean anything by it,” Megnii said gently. “Some ponies just prefer solitude.”

“Would be nice if I could actually get some,” Ace grumbled. “Never thought I'd say it, but I miss my old quarters back in the palace.”

Megnii chuckled. “The rest of us were always jealous of you for that, you know. Not even Blair got his own.”

“I never requested them.” Ace rolled his neck. “The Princess just gave them to me.”

“We always figured she was trying to bribe you so you'd take on an apprentice.” Megnii looked at him with inquisitive eyes. “Was that really the reason?”

Ace turned to him. He wasn’t going to tell the truth at first, but when he saw that the look on Megnii’s face was one of innocent curiosity and not resentment or bitterness, he changed his mind.

“Yeah, it was.” He relaxed his shoulders. “She asked me right after we'd settled into the palace. She said to take it as a token of good faith, and that she hoped I might be more open-minded than Cancer. I told her I didn’t want special treatment, but she insisted, so I had to accept.”

Megnii sat on his haunches. “Do you mind if I ask why you haven’t taken one? An apprentice, I mean. I heard you say before that Cancer took the secrets of the Cardinal Blade style to his grave. It seems like a waste for such a beautiful sword style to be lost.”

“There’s nothing beautiful about it.” An uneaten apple rolled out of the crowd to rest at Ace's hooves. He picked it up and examined it. “The hearts and minds of this era are beautiful things—innocent, untouched by darkness, pure as newly fallen snow. I would preserve such beauty, not stain it with the knowledge of the killing arts. Once you've trained your mind to see the world as a canvas, your blade as a brush, and your foes nothing but vessels of crimson paint... there's no going back.”

“You might be doing more harm than good by holding back such knowledge,” Megnii pointed out. “The Cardinal Blades could save countless lives if war ever came again.”

Ace’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Or cause countless deaths.”

“Don't be so hard on yourself.” Megnii lightly punched Ace's shoulder. “We all know you value the sanctity of life above all else. I’m sure you can find somepony in this era that shares that mentality.”

“It’s a very special pony that can master the art of war and still think that life is precious,” Ace replied. “I know how Cancer acquired such beliefs, but I’ll die before I make another suffer like he did. If I’d met such a poor soul by chance I might’ve guided them, but I fear it’s too late now.”

“Because we’re running out of time?” Megnii said uncertainly. “Or have you let your skills slip?”

Ace made a derisive snort. “The former. My blades are as much a part of me as my legs or tail, so much so that I feel a constant itch in my horn when I’m not wielding them. I can’t even imagine what it’d be like not have them on me, let alone not be able to use them.”

Megnii raised an eyebrow. His gaze flickered over Ace’s body, but there was no indication in his posture or movement that he was carrying anything, concealed or not.

“Where?”

Ace lifted one of his forelegs and showed it to Megnii. Just visible through his coat was a faint discolored blotch on his skin, shaped like two crossed swords. His other foreleg held the same mark.

“Blademelding spell,” Ace whispered. “Not exactly proper etiquette to wear a quartet of longswords at a party, now is it?”

“Megnii?”

Fluttershy emerged out of the crowd. She gave Ace a quick glance, then cleared her throat.

“Have you seen Spesci? I can’t find him anywhere.”

Megnii raised his chin to look over the crowd. “I haven't seen him since I was over talking with the chickens.”

Ace titled his head. “...talking?”

Megnii smirked. “Long story.”

Fluttershy brightened. “Applejack told me they all recovered! Maybe I should—no, I came over here for Esra. At least, I think that’s his name. Is that right?”

Megnii nodded. “I’ll see if I can find Spesci for you.”

He trotted off, and as he did, he looked back once at Ace.

“Wind at your back,” he called.

Ace waved a hoof. “Sun warm your face.”

Megnii’s departure inadvertently left Fluttershy and Ace alone. She looked at him once, then quickly redirected her gaze and slowly backed away.

“I-I’ll just be going now…”

“You have beautiful eyes.”

Fluttershy stopped and looked up at him. Ace’s face was haggard and worn, age lines and crow’s feet had marred his otherwise youthful appearance, and his eyes were tired and distant.

Fluttershy felt a chill. “What?”

Ace bowed, then walked past her and into the crowd. He spoke in a whisper that was lost to the din.

“I pray you never lose them.”

The band switched over to slower tunes as the party continued into the night. The crowd thinned out, the couples took their turn on the dance floor, and the ponies who’d just come for the food now returned to their homes. Granny decided she’d exchanged enough pleasantries and small talk for the night, and retired to the porch swing to watch the party wind down. Applebloom sat beside her, and the two now enjoyed a moment of companionship as they rocked back and forth on the old creaky swing.

Applebloom looked up at Granny. “I’m glad you’re all better.”

Granny smiled. “I am too, hun.”

“Does this mean you can help me with my chores?”

Granny chuckled. “‘Fraid you’re not getting’ out of ‘em that easily.”

Applebloom giggled, and they both were quiet for a while as they continued to rock. Before long, though, a thought resurged in Applebloom’s mind that’d been eating away at her for the past week. She'd tried to bring it up several times, but her throat had gone tight every time she did. It was only in that moment that she finally found the courage.

Applebloom looked up. “Granny?”

“Yeah?”

Applebloom’s lower lip quivered once, but she shook her head and took a deep breath. “I don’t hate you.”

Granny put a hoof around Applebloom in reply. Applebloom leaned in and nuzzled her grandmother’s side, then shut her eyes and released her pent-up feelings.

“I was just angry and sad because those tools were Daddy’s and I liked to pretend him and me would fix things around the farm all day and he’d teach me all sorts of things and we’d be together and we’d go into the house for dinner and Momma and Grandpa and everypony else would be there and we’d talk and be happy but Applejack says I can’t do that because it hurts too much when you remember it’s all in your head and—“

Applebloom felt a gentle hoof run through her mane. She opened her eyes, and saw that Granny was looking down at her with a sad smile.

“Do you understand what Jackie told you?” Granny’s tone was firm, but not unkind.

Applebloom nodded.

“Are you sorry for the hurtful things you said to me?”

Applebloom's eyes watered. “I didn't mean it!”

“Shhh.” Granny gave her a gentle squeeze. “I never once thought you did, but I want you to know that the worst thing you said was, ‘you only care about the stupid apples.’ Do you know why?”

Applebloom sniffled and hung her head. “No…”

Granny bent down and kissed her granddaughter’s brow.

“Because I care about the smart ones, too.”

Twilight and the others sat at the same table she and Fluttershy had been at earlier. Rarity had already said goodbye to Twilight, and had just left with her guards. Spike had succumbed to the combination of lulling music and the inevitable food coma, and was asleep next to Twilight. The five of them now sat relaxed in each other’s company, and were catching up by exchanging stories back and forth. The band had announced it was playing its last song of the night, and so they shifted the discussion to Twilight's departure.

“When are you leaving?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight curled her lip. “First thing in the morning. Part of me just wants to stay up all night and sleep on the train.”

“Where you headin’ first?” Applejack was leaned back in her chair looking up over the top of the farmhouse.

“Whinnyapolis,” Twilight replied.

“Why there?” Rainbow didn’t bother to hide the bitter tinge in her voice.

Twilight had been trying all night to make Rainbow feel better about her leaving, but she’d stubbornly insisted on sulking. Twilight had given up at this point.

“Whinnyapolis is known for its focus on medical research due to there are a lot of hospitals in the area. The Princess told me that I should look into businesses that exemplify the traits of the Elements, so I figure one of them might have some records on the Symbol of Kindness, or maybe even Laughter.”

“It’s the best medicine, after all!” Pinkie said.

“Goin’ out on a hunch and hopin’ for the best is a long shot,” Applejack pointed out.

Twilight grunted and rested her chin on the table. “Better than no shot at all. My array is done, I’ve already found what schools of magic the two Symbols I have are associated with, and if I just could just get into the Millennial Archives I could find out what the rest of them are! It’s so frustrating! The answers are right in front of me, but I can’t get to them!”

Fluttershy rubbed Twilight’s shoulder. "Couldn't somepony else go in there, write them down, and then show them to you afterward?"

Twilight leaned her head on Fluttershy’s hoof. “That would get them stripped of their access, job, title, and worst of all, I’d immediately fail the assignment. I have to explain to the committee that will be reviewing my spell how I found them, and they’re incredibly picky about my work because I’ve advanced through the curriculum so fast. They’re watching me like hawks.”

“Okay, here’s the plan,” Rainbow said in an emphatic tone. “We sneak into the Archives, get what you need, spend the time you’d be running around Equestria here in Ponyville coming up with a good cover story, and you use some kind of spell to make everypony forget if we’re spotted. Easy-peasy.”

Twilight looked up through her eyelashes. “Rainbow…”

“I’m kidding,” Rainbow said with a wink and a smirk. “Off the the record, though, I’d totally have your back if you did something like that.”

As usual, Twilight didn’t know whether to be flattered or frightened by Rainbow’s insinuations. The two emotions always cancelled each other out, but a tiny voice in the back of her mind couldn’t help but explore the possibilities of such a daring venture.

“Didn’t know University teachers were so strict,” Applejack said. “I’m suddenly glad I had to run the farm after school. Rules as tight as that wouldn’t sit well with me.”

“I don’t know how other ponies do it, to be honest,” Twilight muttered. “I’ve only been going for this degree for a few years and I’m already close to tearing my mane out over these professors! I’m almost looking at this as a vacation.”

“I’m just glad you’ll have your guards with you,” Fluttershy said. “I hear ponies in the city can be really aggressive, especially to mares.”

Pinkie snorted. “Twilight’s not in any danger! If anypony gives her a hard time, she can just blast ‘em!”

Twilight went wide-eyed. “What?!”

“Yeah! Send ‘em flying!” Pinkie sat on her haunches and waved her hooves. “You know, lots of big magic and explosions and stuff!”

Twilight felt all eyes on her. She fidgeted and hunched down. “I-I can’t do anything like that! Just because I read a lot of books and study a lot doesn’t mean I have a big font or anything! Do you even know how unicorn magic works?”

“Sure!” Pinkie picked up a twig and put it on her forehead. “You concentrate on the thing you wanna explode, then kablooey!”

Rainbow nodded sagely. “Kablooey.”

“Pinkie, the amount of magical power required for any spell from the Evocation school is immense.” Twilight delved into her vast knowledge of the arcane arts. “Rather, it’s not so much the harnessing of the energy that’s difficult, it’s the proper channeling and safe direction of it. The unicorn acts as a conduit between the energy being generated and the target of the spell, and because of this most Evocation spells come in the form of a ray or projectile. Manifesting any kind of spell at a distance is much more difficult, as the unicorn must extend their magic through the air to the chosen destina—”

Twilight stopped as she saw the amused looks on all her friend’s faces. Pinkie’s shoulders were shaking as she tried to hold in her mirth.

Twilight rubbed her eyes. “I’m just digging a hole, aren’t I?”

“Climb out before you dig any deeper,” Applejack advised.

Pinkie recovered and smiled slyly at Twilight. “Don’t worry, I know you’ll have tons and tons of fun, even if you don’t get to explode anything. And maybe you’ll have a surprise for us when you get back! I know we’ll have one for you.”

They all stared blankly at Pinkie.

“We will?” Fluttershy said.

“You’llllllllll see.” Pinkie closed her eyes and nodded her head out of sync with the song being played by the band.

Twilight looked at her friends. Rainbow was staring at her with a fierce, forlorn look that spoke volumes. Applejack was stoic, but her clenched jaw gave her away. Fluttershy cleared her mane out of her face and rubbed something out of her eye. Pinkie was glowing, her playful face turned up in an eternal smile.

Twilight stared at all of them and tried to burn this moment into her memory. There was so much more she wanted to tell them—reassurances of safety, promises of swift return, reluctance over this course of action, but she realized it’d all been said. There was really only one thing left to say, and even if it was only temporary, it was still the hardest thing.

Twilight felt her eyes burn. She hung her head and tried to say it, as well as how much she’d miss them, but her voice broke. She tried again, but she still couldn’t get the words out. She was about to try a third time when she felt herself swept up in Rainbow’s embrace. It was quickly followed by Applejack’s, Fluttershy’s and Pinkie’s as they all joined the hug.

Twilight realized that some words don’t need to be said. In fact, trying to do so only cheapens their meaning. All that mattered in that moment was action, and she realized that it meant more than anything she could put into words.

So she didn’t try. She just closed her eyes and hugged her friends back as hard as she could.

It was enough.

The party wound down an hour later. The last few guests and relatives said their farewells, then went their separate ways. Pinkie’s helpers were an efficient bunch, and dissembled the stage and the lights within a half hour. They took the equipment and headed back to Ponyville, and the darkness and solitude of the countryside to crept back in. Applejack, Mac, Strauss and Norric finished cleaning up the barn, and they now came up to the farmhouse to see Granny and Applebloom together on the porch.

Applebloom yawned as she looked up at them with half-lidded, fluttering eyes. “Wuzza fun party.”

Applejack and Mac chuckled as they beheld their sleepy sibling.

“I think somepony needs to go to bed,” Mac said.

“M’not tired,” Applebloom rested her head back on Granny’s leg. “Just restin’ my eyes a minute.”

Granny adjusted the bow in Applebloom’s mane. “You can rest your eyes a lot longer than a minute if you go upstairs, hun.”

“Warm.” Applebloom snuggled closer to Granny. “D’wanna move.”

Mac picked her up and set her on his back. “Big day for a little filly, wasn’t it?”

“M'not little,” Applebloom mumbled through Mac’s mane. The two went into the house before she could further protest.

Norric and Strauss hung back as they saw Applejack still standing on the porch. Strauss caught her eye and gave her an inquiring glance. Applejack nodded at Granny. Strauss caught the meaning, and motioned for Norric to follow him inside.

The night sky was alive with vibrant stars, and the farmyard was dark and still. The only evidence left of the party was a few mugs, plates, and bits of food still strewn about. Applejack took Applebloom’s place on the porch swing beside Granny, and the two of them sat for a few minutes before Applejack spoke up.

“Still can’t believe what Pinkie did. What’re we gonna do with all that money we were savin’ up?”

“A few things come to mind.” Granny pointed at the wooden shed. “Tearin’ that thing down’s the first one.”

“You sure?” Applejack said. “You weren’t very enthusiastic the last time I brought it up.”

Granny barked out a short laugh. “I got no right to be nostalgic after tellin’ Applebloom what for. It needs to be replaced before it comes down on somepony’s head.”

Silence returned. Applejack began to rock the porch swing, then took off her hat and played with the frayed ends of her ponytail.

Granny let her fidget for a few moments before taking the initiative. “You’ve got somethin’ on your mind too, I see.”

Applejack didn’t meet Granny’s eyes and kept playing with her mane before finally speaking in an unsure voice.

“Is your arthritis really gone?”

Granny’s eyes twinkled, and her lips turned up in a mischievous smirk.

“No, it isn’t,” she said in a clear, confident voice.

Applejack jerked. The words had lingered in her ears, like Granny had spoken in an echo chamber.

“What’d you say?!”

“My hip isn’t cured,” Granny repeated. “I still have arthritis. Pinkie pulled a very mean prank, and is a terrible pony for lying.”

All of her grandmother’s words had echoed, but the words ‘terrible pony’ rang in Applejack’s ears with the force of a bell. She clutched head and staggered off the porch swing.

“Okay, stop! Whatever you’re doing hurts!”

Granny’s eyes widened. She looked down and muttered something Applejack only caught the last part of.

“—like that old proverb. Little different, though…”

“What’s going on?!” Applejack demanded.

“A very good question,” Granny said calmly. “One I don’t fully know the answer to myself. I didn’t mean to hurt ya, though, so sorry about that. I’m guessin’ the stronger the lie, the stronger the reaction you have to it.”

Applejack opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it. She repeated the motion several times, each time trying to form a different question, but they all sounded either crazy, contradictory to what she knew to be fact, or impossible. She finally settled on the question that seemed like it would answer the most.

“Why’re you lying?”

Granny’s lips twitched. “How do ya know that I am?”

“Your voice sounds like we’re in a cave.” Applejack rubbed her ears. “How’re you doin’ that?”

“I’m not doin’ it.” Granny met her eyes. “Do you feel anythin’ else?

“Feel?” Applejack checked herself. “No, why?”

Granny raised a hoof to her chin, her eyes never leaving her granddaughter’s. Finally, she got up and put a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder.

“Words aren't enough to express how proud I am of you. I never once doubted ya, but it does my heart good to see that you’ve taken the groundwork I laid down, and turned it into somethin’ great.”

“What?” Applejack shook her head. “I ain’t done nothin‘ impressive compared to you. You and Grandpa were the ones who built the buildings, set up the fencin’ and planted the apple trees. All I’ve done is keep things goin’.”

“I’m not talkin’ about the farm, I’m talkin’ about you.” Granny poked Applejack in the chest. “You’re strong, reliable, steadfast, hardworking, and beautiful to boot. And while I’ll take some credit, you’re the one who’s made the choices that’ve turned you into what you’ve become. I only wish Jonny and Cinny were still around so they could see.”

Applejack flushed at the praise. She looked down at the ground and shuffled a hoof. “I—but… well, y-you really think they’d be proud of me?”

“Without a doubt,” Granny said. “I didn’t just put you in charge because my hip started to go, you know. I knew I could rely on you. I knew I could trust you.”

A tiny dot in Applejack’s heart pulsed once. She flinched as a warm sensation spread out from her core in a crystalline pattern.

Granny ran her hoof along the railing of the porch. “I got two things that I consider to be my life’s work: This here farm, and the three of you. Nothin' made me happier than the day I put those pieces together, and while we all wish your momma and daddy were still with us, I'm glad I was able to raise you with my own hooves. You've turned into a damn fine mare, this is just the icing on the cake. I only hope I’m around to see what you do with it.”

“Do with wha—AHHHH!”

Granny turned at the echo-filled scream. Applejack’s pupils were filled with emerald light, and she was staring at something inside the house.

“What are those things?!”

Applejack gasped and put a hoof over her mouth as she heard her own voice. She turned back to Granny, then into the house again. She repeated the motion several times until a set of voices floated out from inside the house.

“So much for telling her tomorrow.”

“Shut up, Norric.” Strauss called out to Applejack. “Calm down. I know we look… bizarre, but we’re not going to hurt you.”

Granny walked over to see what had gotten Applejack so riled up. Norric and Strauss were standing beside the dining room table, looking completely normal, albeit a little guilty. They winced and shuffled their hooves under Applejack’s accusing stare.

Granny thought back to what Pinkie had told her about Applejack’s Truthsense ability and spoke out of the corner of her mouth.

“They ain't what they seem, are they?”

Applejeack could see. Norric and Strauss’s bodies were semi-transparent and comprised of swirling, colorful plasma. It raced along the inside of their bodies like a stream, and rotated in a spiral pattern around a tiny golden ball in their chests. Most disturbing of all though was their eyes, which were nothing but empty, unblinking holes.

The Element of Honesty pulsed in response to Applejack’s panic. Tendrils of power fortified and tempered her body, making her feel denser, like her body was made of diamond. The sensation reached Applejack’s limbs and flowed out past her hooves, and made her feel like she was an extension of the planet itself. Her fear was washed away, but it was quickly replaced it with another emotion, one that rose immediately to a breaking point.

Anger.

Applejack lowered her chin as the emerald light filled her irises.

“Tell me what you are.” Applejack raised a forehoof in the air. “Right…”

“WAIT!” Strauss and Norric yelled.

“NOW!” Applejack stamped her hoof as hard as she could.

There was a splintering crunch. Applejack’s hoof went straight through the porch, hit the ground below, and caused a shuddering tremor that ran through the house and farmyard. The boards gave way, and Applejack yelped as she stumbled and fell through. The roof of the porch shook dangerously, and Norric and Strauss steadied themselves as the shockwave rattled the walls and foundations.

“Jackie!”

Granny had seen what Applejack had intended and had leapt away in time thanks to her renewed agility. She now rushed over to the hole in the porch.

Applejack groaned and she got back on her hooves. She was unharmed, and looked more surprised than anything else. She stared down at her hoof, then over at Granny.

“Did I just—“

“Give us another thing to spend our savings on? You sure did.” Granny looked up at Norric and Strauss with narrowed, dangerous eyes. “I hope you boys are in a sharin’ mood, cuz you’re gonna be doin’ a lot of it.”

“We’re under orders—“ Norric began.

“Enough.” Strauss picked up a cup that’d fallen off the table. “The jig’s up.”

Norric whirled on Strauss. “Blair told us not to—“

“This is salvageable,” he hissed. “Don’t make it any worse.”

“Stop your mumblin’.” Granny’s voice was as cold as ice. “Mina told me why you’re really here. You ain’t got no more secrets to keep.”

The two guards looked to her, then to Applejack, who had gotten out of the hole. She kept her glowing eyes on them, but backed away into the farmyard to prevent herself from doing any more harm.

A dark laugh escaped Strauss’ lips. “That’s where you’re wrong.”

- Act Two: The Players and the Pawns - Chapter 17: The Shield of Ignorance

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Act Two: The Players and the Pawns

Chapter 17:

The Shield of Ignorance

The Next Day-

If there was one mystery that had enticed the minds of countless generations, it was how a pair of sentient beings could move the sun and the moon. Magic was the obvious answer, of course, but the details had been sought after by ponies throughout the ages. The pair of sentient beings in question had been interviewed, but Celestia and Luna always replied that they just focused on their heavenly charge, and willed it to rise and move through the heavens. This vague response never failed to frustrate, yet no matter how much the researchers begged, needled, wheedled, inquired, challenged, requested, or even threatened, the response was the same. It was finally decided that the secret must be too great or terrible to share, and nothing could be done to loosen the lips of the two immortals.

Nopony even considered that said immortals might not actually know.

Luna flew through the crisp fall morning air in the moments before dawn above Canterlot Castle with her normal escort of five guards in tow. The sky was a dull baby blue, and the stars had faded away into the haze. She’d just sent the moon to rest beyond the mountains, and her thoughts wandered as she circled high above a familiar balcony in anticipation for a certain somepony to make their usual appearance.

The Princesses of Equestria knew many things. Where they came from, how they'd come into power, where they'd found the Elements and why they'd been chosen as the original Bearers, how they'd been chosen to rule, who their enemies were, the laws they'd set into motion, the borders they'd established, the treaties they'd set into place, the wars they'd fought in and the uprisings they'd quelled, the spells at their command, how they wanted ponykind to develop, and what they wanted to do in the future, to name but a few.

Luna suspected it was all that knowledge that'd led them to their hubris. After all, when you have that much experience, power and authority under your belt, are respected as a powerful entity at the very least and worshipped as a god at the very most, it's embarrassing to admit you know next to nothing about something that defines your very being. The topic had been the cause of countless arguments with Celestia over the years, but her elder sister's resolve had never wavered, for they both knew that there was only one way to find out the secret of their immortality.

Self-experimentation.

Both Celestia and Luna continually interacted with their subjects over the centuries to prevent themselves from becoming detached, but the sting of death never became any easier to bear. Every student, servant, friend and lover that they lost to the ravages of time was another knife driven into their chests, and Celestia knew that if either she or Luna knew the secret to their immortality, they’d eventually share it. What seemed like the greatest mercy at the time would eventually be seen as the greatest cruelty, and the pony they saved would curse their fate, just as Celestia did.

Luna didn’t see it that way at all. She’d always been a generous and loyal soul, driven by an insatiable curiosity to learn. Why wasn’t she sharing the greatest gift of all with the ones she loved the most? Wasn’t it a betrayal to deny her friends salvation from the clutches of death? What of the knowledge that was being lost? Generations of minds could be working together to help advance ponykind and make their civilization flourish. Hadn’t their society developed enough that they could keep a few power-hungry mongrels in check?

One thousand and five years ago, Luna finally had enough. She sequestered herself away in the Hollow Shades, an ancient secluded valley known for its affinity for lunar magic, and experimented on her link to the moon in secret. Celestia had just assumed Luna was working on some pet project or another, as her sister always did have a reclusive streak. A few years apart now and then was good for both of them, and so Celestia managed the kingdom in Luna’s absence without complaint. She even invented a cover story for her.

A flicker of white below snapped Luna out of her musings. Celestia stood on her dew-soaked balcony, still and resolute as a sentinel. Her immaculate coat was covered in a soft sheen, and her multi-hued mane and tail waved in the solar wind. Her regalia shone with a golden radiance as she looked to the east.

Luna signaled to her guards, who reluctantly veered away. She descended to alight soundlessly on the parapets above the balcony entrance, her arrival going unnoticed by her sister. Luna watched as Celestia closed her eyes, set her horn awash in gold, and with an effortless motion born from thousands of years of practice, called forth the sun to begin a new day.

Her old friend sluggishly responded, poking its head above the distant, snow-capped eastern mountains of the Equius Valley and bathing the kingdom in a gentle glow. The two alicorns watched as the light swept across the lands and set the sky ablaze on its timeless journey across the heavens, spreading life and light to their beloved kingdom.

Luna stared directly into the sun with a naked smile, relishing the gentle warmth on her face. She hadn’t seen a single sunrise during her time on the moon. The Elements had physically fused her body with the satellite, placing her in a dreamlike state and sealing her power away. She could only remain lucid for small amounts of time, and every time she managed to wake up, it’d been either to absolute darkness or blinding light. The time spent in this state had felt like both a month and an eon, and she surmised that her awareness had been altered in some way. Unfortunately, explaining it better than that had proved difficult—even with the dictionary and thesaurus Celestia had so graciously provided for her.

It was amusing then, that Luna’s recent studies in vernacular allowed her to easily find a word to describe the natural phenomenon she’d just witnessed.

“Marvelous.”

Celestia’s ears twitched. She turned and looked up at Luna, who still wore her wide, joyous smile. Her melodic voice carried on the cool morning air as she continued.

“I’ve nary had to recalibrate my magical instruments since my return. Has the sun grown out of its ticklish phase at last?”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “I wish. It’ll throw out solar flares if you so much as poke it. I don’t even bother fussing with it anymore unless I have to.”

Luna gave a sagely nod and looked back up at the sunrise. “Perhaps that’s best.”

Celestia’s eyes swept over her younger sister. “How’re you feeling?”

“You ask me that every time we’re apart for more than a few hours, and my response is always the same.” Luna’s smile turned playful. “Better.”

It was hard to disagree. Luna’s vibrant eyes sparkled brilliantly as the morning light reflected the droplets of dew on her darkening periwinkle coat. Her mane and tail had gone wispy at the edges, and most noticeable of all, her legs had started to grow out, giving her a lanky appearance.

“Were you outside all night again?” Celestia asked.

Luna nodded as she wiggled one of her gangly legs. "Marble floors are the bane of those with skewed balance, and my wings have been getting stronger in the past week.”

Celestia adopted an odd, wistful expression. “You always did like to fly.”

Luna’s smile fell into a thin, flat line. It wasn’t easy for either of them to talk about what'd happened, and they both understood that it’d be a long time before things would go back to the way they were. Their relationship was, to put it lightly, strained, but Luna refused to fall prey to her guilt and self-loathing. She understood the repercussions of harboring such emotions, and wasn’t eager to repeat the experience.

Celestia, however, seemed to be having a harder time reconciling with the past.

“Tia,” Luna began.

Celestia caught the consolatory tone in her sister’s voice. She met Luna’s eyes with an impassive gaze.

“Yes?”

Luna fluttered down to the balcony to stand before her. “I’ve had time to think, and I want to talk to you about your plans.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Luna took a deep breath as she collected her thoughts. “I thank you for being honest with me. Your resolve has always been something I’ve respected, but even more so now that I know the depth of the measures you’ve taken for my sake. I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to go for so long without hope, and the steps you’ve taken to keep our kingdom prosperous while shouldering the centuries alone are justified in my eyes.”

“But know this," Luna said with a wink. "No matter how calm, logical, or stoic you may seem to the rest of the world, you can’t fool me. I still see the old you behind that little mask of dispassion.”

It took everything Celestia had to keep her jaw from falling on the floor. She’d met with countless kings and queens of other races, both civil and savage, who’d threatened, screamed, mocked, courted, even pleaded with her, all of which she’d weathered without so much as a twitch. Her poker face was the stuff of legends—something she’d literally taken decades to perfect, and yet here was her sister, gone for one thousand years and still able to read her like a book.

She didn't know whether to be flattered or insulted.

“Is it that obvious?” Celestia managed.

Luna stretched a wing to rest on her sister's shoulder. “You’ve only pretended to detach yourself in an attempt to numb the pain, sister. Regardless of what walls you put up or the lies you tell yourself, your heart is too great to be hidden away. You should've known such a gesture was futile from the start.”

Celestia swallowed hard. Luna's bluntness was like a tool that drove straight to the point and didn’t allow anything to be hidden away or ignored. Her shrewd point of view had a way of exposing the truth for all to see, which directly contrasted Celestia’s preference for finesse and tact. It was one of the many ways they balanced each other out.

Luna ran her primary feathers through Celestia’s coat like a brush. “I understand your actions and rationality with regards to recent events. Telling the Bearers about the true nature of my condition will lead to mistrust, and possibly even force them to unwanted action before they’re ready. It’s better for the time being that they not know that my counterpart still lives.”

Celestia closed her eyes at the mention of Luna’s… condition. The Elements could do incredible things, but they couldn’t take a life. They’d judged that Luna be reverted to her original state in order to restore balance, but Nightmare Moon was also a part of her that had to be treated as a separate entity. The Elements had equally divided Luna’s mind, magic, and lifeforce between the two, and Nightmare Moon was placed in a comatose state inside their shared body. Luna was now in complete control over their shared faculties, and as Nightmare Moon slept, her half of their magic was slowly being shifted back to Luna.

“Speaking of the Bearers, you’re right to treat them as a threat,” Luna continued. “Sending the Echoes has alerted her to our knowledge of the situation, but it’ll also deter her from taking action, and she’ll never reveal herself if we intervene directly. It’s just unfortunate you’ve had to obscure the truth from your own soldiers.”

Celestia lowered her eyes. “You can’t always afford the luxury of truth in a hostage situation, Lulu. I don’t like it any more than you, but the Zodiac Knights have to remain ignorant so that they can be around Applejack and Fluttershy.”

Luna stepped forward to stand beside Celestia and looked down at the waking city below. “I’ll admit you've handled this well. You seem to have mastered the art of withholding information and using vague insinuations to make others come to the wrong conclusion. Which I suppose isn’t really lying… not technically, anyway.”

“I don’t like exploiting my old weakness.” Celestia looked over to the main gate and saw a cloaked figure enter the courtyard escorted by a pair of unicorn guards. “Ponies aren’t pawns to be used while the players skulk in the shadows orchestrating their moves.”

“And what are we, sister? The players, or the pawns?”

Celestia stiffened. She tried to hide the gesture with a cough as she looked over at Luna. “What do you mean?”

Luna jumped up onto the railing so that she could be eye level with her. “You may not like doing it, but that doesn’t stop you from telling these little half-truths if it suits your motives. It must be habitual by this point.”

Celestia shifted. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I think you do,” Luna said calmly. “You’ve told me a great deal about the Zodiac Knights and their predicament with the Gate of Tartarus.”

“I told you everything I could think of,” Celestia insisted. "It wasn’t on purpose if I missed something.”

Luna put a hoof to her chin. “Their host… Horizon, was it? From what you’ve told me, the damage to his body and mind is extensive. Undergoing partial transmutation into magical energy and surviving? There’s not a spell made by the hooves of mortals that can undo that. The only thing that could possibly restore him is the Elements, and they’ve been dormant since the war. It's rather fortunate that the new Bearers emerged at the precise time that the barrier keeping him alive is about to fall apart, don’t you think?”

Celestia pursed her lips.

“And then there's the matter of the Elements' dormancy," Luna continued in a nonchalant tone. "You said that it happened not long after you used them to banish me, correct?”

“Yes,” Celestia said slowly. “A year later, to be precise.”

“Strange, that.” Luna jumped off the railing to hover in midair. “We’d been connected to the Elements for thousands of years up to that point. An entire part of who we are, a very piece of what defines us, and you wake up one day and it’s just… gone. You must've been devastated.”

The impassive mask instinctively slipped over Celestia’s face.

Luna crossed her forehooves. “I understand that three months is nowhere near enough to cover a thousand years of lost time, and you’ve probably gotten used to keeping secrets from our subjects. You may be doing it to protect me, but I refuse to remain ignorant to the truth, especially considering that said ignorance has been the cause of so much pain in the first place. Do you disagree?”

Celestia’s thoughts whirred. She’d taken a risk in telling Luna about Horizon and the Zodiac Knights, but there hadn’t been any other choice. She’d intentionally omitted choice details to throw Luna off, but it seemed that, as usual, she’d underestimated the Bearer of Magic.

“You don’t know what you’re getting into,” Celestia said.

“Oh, really?” Luna challenged. “Let me tell you what I’ve figured out. We were chosen to be the Bearers of the Elements because we exemplify their traits to the utmost. To be suddenly cut off would imply that’s no longer the case, which is understandable considering our actions in the war. So the question becomes… what did the cutting?”

Celestia gritted her teeth. She had to stop this. Luna was following the same trail she had a millennium ago, and she knew exactly where it led.

“All we’ve ever known about the Elements is that they’re an extension of the planet’s will, and even that was a theory based off what we felt when using them to their full effect.” Luna flew back onto the balcony and sat on her haunches. “To have our connection be damaged or fade over time could be explained as natural decay, but for it to be severed completely such a short time after the war, when up to that point we’d seen no evidence that such a thing could even be done?”

Luna narrowed her eyes. "That was intentional."

Celestia winced as she watched her avenues of escape getting cut off one by one. Her worst fears were about to be realized, and there was nothing she could do about it.

“There’s no point in trying to hide it from me." Luna spoke with perfect clarity and conviction. "I know there’s something controlling the Elements. What I don’t know however, is the extent of that control. Has it been guiding us along like puppets on strings for our entire lives? Did it know that our links to the sun and moon are comprised of Chaos magic? The implications of that alone are staggering! Think of all that could’ve been avoided, Tia! The arguments, the pain, the tears, the loneliness, the failures, the war, the millennium of time we’ve lost! Ponies have suffered and died, an entire host still suffers, their only crime being that they were loyal to me, and there’s nothing I can do about it!”

It was too late. Luna had already put the pieces together. Celestia barely even heard the monologue as she silently cursed at herself.

Luna’s voice rose as she continued. “I fear we’ve been used, and only now that we’ve been cut off from the Elements do I see the extent of the influence. I suspect that this force is going to do the same for the new Bearers, and I shudder to think what kind of machinations are in store for them. Already I see signs—unless you’re going to tell me it was coincidence that the new Bearers emerged to take up the Elements on the exact same day of my return after a millennium of dormancy? Not only that, but the new Bearers are all in the same location, which is less than a day’s travel from where the Elements are?! If that’s all coincidence, I’ll turn the moon into cheese!”

“Luna…” Celestia’s voice was dim and went unheard.

Luna began to pace back and forth. “I’ve said this to you once, and I will continue to say for the next one thousand years. I’ll only take responsibility for actions that were in my control. This thing, force, presence, entity, whatever it is—I suspect it’s been withholding information from us to further its own ends. If that’s true, then it clearly has no moral conscience, holds a complete disregard for peace and prosperity, is ineffably evil, is responsible for the deaths of thousands, and needs to be held accountable for its crimes!”

Luna stopped and slowly turned, her teal eyes boring holes into her sister’s face.

“Which is why it’s so disturbing that you’re working for it.”

And there it was. Celestia groaned and put a hoof to her forehead, feeling a dull throbbing behind her eyes that had nothing to do with her magical font. All the planning, subtlety and secrecy she'd set up to keep this from her sister had just been laid bare, and there was nothing left for her to hide behind.

Celestia almost laughed. Luna really was feeling better.

There was a shout from below. The two of them looked down to see that it was time for the changing of the guard. The dark clad pegasi and unicorns marched off to their barracks to replaced by their golden armored counterparts with all the efficiency and precision of a military operation.

Celestia gestured to her balcony door. “Let’s go inside.”

The two Princesses went through a pair of golden curtains into Celestia’s apartment. Luna still opted to fly, sneering at the marble floors and coming to rest in the cushioned-filled sunken circle. Celestia followed after, closing the balcony door and sitting down on a large golden pillow.

Luna's gaze wandered to various points around the room as she waited for Celestia to speak. It’d been a gamble confronting her sister about this, and she hadn’t wanted her suspicions to be correct. She knew she wouldn’t be able fight Celestia off if she’d just stumbled into something sinister, but her curiosity refused to be denied. There had to be a reason why her sister, the former Bearer of Kindness, Laughter, and Honesty was voluntarily working with what could very well be a monster, and she needed to know what it was.

Celestia’s eyes were closed as she took slow, deep breaths. She did this for a full minute before she exhaled out her nose, and spoke one word in a resigned tone.

“Harmony.”

Luna cocked her head. “What about it?”

“No, no.” Celestia raised her forehooves in quotes. “The ‘force’ you’re referring to. It—her… name is Harmony.”

Luna blinked. “As in… the Elements of Harmony?”

Celestia nodded. “She’s their creator, and before you go off again, she's not the horrible, maniacal psychopath you're making her out to be. Quite the opposite, in fact.”

Luna adjusted herself to be more comfortable on her pillow. “Start from the beginning.”

“Balance in all things,” Celestia intoned with a slight twitch of her lips. “Life and death, good and evil, light and dark, land and sea, sun and moon… the creators of our world are no different. Eons ago, Harmony and her counterpart chanced upon our barren little rock in their travels across the cosmos, and they decided it was a good place to settle. Harmony tamed the lands, her counterpart created the oceans and the weather, and together they made our world into a paradise.”

“Who's her counterpart?” Luna asked.

Celestia’s expression darkened. “Oh, I'm sure you'll remember him.”

An image arose in Luna's mind. A coiled patchwork serpentine body wallowing in the blood of thousands. Mismatched claws that ripped through the fabric of reality itself. Chaotic eyes that promised only death and destruction as they danced with primal fury. The creature’s gaping maw was open as it let loose a mad, bone-chilling laugh.

Luna suddenly felt like she'd swallowed a rock. “You can’t mean—”

A sneer twitched on Celestia's lips. “I wouldn't kid about something like this.”

Luna shuddered. The memories of that foul creature alone were enough to send shivers up her spine. She was resistant to physical cold, not the chill of evil incarnate.

Celestia's expression softened as she noted her sister's discomfort. Her horn flashed once, and a merry fire started in a small firepit in the center of the sunken circle. She stared into the blaze as she continued.

“After cultivating the planet, Harmony and Discord brought about the races of our world, putting a little bit of themselves into all of us. Harmony’s touch instills peace, order, and a desire for things to stay the same. Discord’s influence inspires change, and pushes to keep things in a constant state of flux and fluidity. It’s easy to see who’s got more of whom in them.”

Luna inched herself closer to the fire. “So what happened?”

“There was tranquility for a time,” Celestia said, “but both of them loathed the methodologies of the other, and wanted to spread more of their influence to the world they’d created. They argued, tensions rose, and it finally came to a breaking point.”

“War?” Luna guessed.

“Not so grand as that.” Celestia looked over to an ornate, dust-covered armoire in the far corner. She hadn't even looked at her battleplate in three centuries. “Discord attacked Harmony in a swift and brutal ambush. They’re equal in terms of power, but putting a pacifist up against a warmonger isn’t much of a contest. Discord was about to deal the final blow, but before he could, Harmony performed one final, desperate act.”

Celestia gently tapped the floor with a hoof. “She fused herself with the planet.”

Luna jerked. “Is… that even possible?”

“Of course it is,” Celestia said. “It’s not so dissimilar to how you were fused with the moon.”

Luna thought for a moment on that. It could be done in theory, yes, but the amount of magical power that would require was on a scale she couldn’t even comprehend. And if it really was like how she'd been merged with the moon…

The realization dawned in Luna’s eyes. “She’s trapped, isn’t she?”

“Has been ever since,” Celestia said with a heavy sigh. “It saved her life, but with her awareness altered and power stripped, she couldn’t stop Discord from wreaking havoc. He fell prey to his own nature without a counterbalance, and it resulted in him descending into madness and bringing chaos to the planet. He generated constant enmity between the sentient races, instigated wars and destruction, prevented civilizations from advancing, and caused the lands to be in a constant state of upheaval.”

“The Era of Discord.” Luna ran a hoof over her face. “What of Harmony, though? She must’ve found a way to use her power if she created the Elements to stop him. How’d she do it?”

“Harmony can extend her will to anything that’s been touched by her influence, which is to say, all living things.” Celestia's mane shifted and began to flow behind her back. “It’s a very subtle thing: A suggestion here, an impulse there, a whisper that comes from nowhere, the surge of power that comes in desperate moments. She can do just about anything she wants with it—over the course of a thousand years or so.”

“Incredibly powerful, yet incredibly weak,” Luna said with a note of awe. “I’m guessing she found a way using this method to make the Elements?”

“That, and other things...” Celestia trailed off for a moment. She wet her lips and met her sister's gaze.

“Such as a pair of individuals best suited to wielding them for her.”

Luna's eyes went wide. “You mean to say she created us specifically to wield the Elements?!”

“It's more accurate to say she influenced our genealogy and ancestry,” Celestia corrected. “Calling us ‘puppets’ is a tad extreme, as she can't override free will, but it’s hard to resist something if you don’t know it’s there to begin with.”

Luna was suddenly struck with an epiphany. “I-If her influence only works if you don’t know it’s there, that'd mean that knowledge of her existence makes her virtually powerless...”

Celestia rested her head on a hoof and stared at Luna through half-lidded eyes.

“Yep.”

Luna gulped. “What’s going to happen to me?”

Celestia shook her head. “You’re not going to be banished to the moon again, if that’s what you’re thinking. Harmony works in one of two ways. She either influences you, or she uses you. If she can’t do one, she does the other. To use one of your questions as an example, she did know about our links to the sun and moon, and she tried to stop you from performing your experiments in every way she could. She knew you’d expose yourself to the Chaos magic and fall to madness, but you ignored all her efforts and did it anyway. When she realized she couldn’t stop you, she decided to make the best of a bad situation, and has been guiding along events ever since.”

“The best of a bad situation?” Luna echoed. “How could she—“

Celestia continued to stare at her with that same peculiar expression. Her face held no lines, no wrinkles, no marring of any kind that gave evidence to her incredible lifespan, yet still Celestia looked ancient, sorrowful, and tired beyond belief. Luna realized it was her eyes. They were like bottomless holes trying to suck her into a well of despair.

A terrible suspicion arose in Luna’s mind. “Tell me how you found out.”

Celestia’s gaze fell. “I did it a few months after the war ended.”

“Did what?”

Celestia said nothing. Instead, she slowly, carefully, removed her golden collar.

Luna sucked in her breath through clenched teeth. Set on the left side of Celestia’s chest were a pair of ugly, jagged three inch scars. The fur covering them was white, but the scars and skin around them were a pure, deathly black. Luna reached out with her magic, and felt her gorge rise as she detected a faint aura that only came from a specific pair of Lunairium blades.

“You didn’t...”

“Perigee and Apogee,” Celestia whispered. “I have to give you credit on your spellwork, Lulu—they were around negative three-hundred degrees Marenheit when I plunged them in. Didn’t work, obviously, but I keep the scars as a reminder.”

“Why?” Luna croaked.

“You were gone,” Celestia said in a monotone. “I had no way of getting you back. Our kingdom was in shambles, and life had nothing left to offer me but pain and dust. I had so much on my plate, and none of it seemed to matter anymore. Your counterpart was always coming up with something nasty to throw at me, so I figured it was the best shot.”

Luna's throat went tight. “You fool…”

Celestia slipped her regalia back over the scars. “I met Harmony as I hovered there between life and death. I’d had suspicions of my own that something was orchestrating the events of the war, but I didn’t have any concrete evidence and I was beyond caring anyway. She’d known I was close to sniffing her out, and so she decided to push me over the edge so that we could have a little chat.”

“She goaded you into attempting suicide?!" Luna jumped up into the air, her limbs splayed out and nostrils flared. "What kind of sick, twisted—“

The fledging rant was interrupted by laughter. Luna stopped as she stared down at Celestia, who did nothing to stifle her amusement. A tinge of fear colored Luna’s face.

“Tia?”

Celestia stopped and remembered herself. “Sorry, that probably seemed a little frightening... let’s just say it takes a lot more than that to kill us, Lulu. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me keep going.”

Luna scrunched her eyebrows, but slowly lowered herself back onto her pillow with a hesitant nod.

“Talking with Harmony isn’t easy,” Celestia explained. “The only way to do it is to put yourself into Limbo, and if she hasn’t guided you there, you'd have to get her attention somehow… which would be like a flea trying to flag down a dragon mid-flight.”

Luna closed her mouth and licked her teeth. “I see.”

“Harmony told me about her origins, how she operates, and the specifics of the Elements." Celestia stretched out her wings to warm her shoulder joints. “You’d mentioned that you noticed that your decisions and actions seemed guided while we were connected to the Elements? That’s because the Bearers are more susceptible to her influence than anypony else. We also talked about the war, what plans she had for the future, and then, what plans she had for me.”

Luna stared hard at her sister. “You had to have felt enraged, rebellious, and betrayed. You were hoping for nothing but the sweet embrace of death, and instead you got confronted by our creator, who told you your entire purpose is to be a tool to further her own ends, and she’s not done using you yet. There’s only one way Harmony could’ve enlisted your cooperation, and ensured your continued silence.”

Luna didn’t want to ask her next question. She knew the answer would spear her like a lance. She asked it anyway.

“What did she offer?”

Celestia stared at her sister with desperate longing.

“You.”

Luna closed her eyes. Of course it wasn't enough that she'd inflicted untold pain and suffering upon generations of ponies and subjected her sister to the burden of facing immortality alone, she also had to be used as a bargaining chip in a game played by a veritable god.

“We made a deal, as you already guessed.” Celestia put a hoof into the firepit and adjusted a burning log. The flames licked at her shining fur, but didn't actually burn. “She’d free you from Nightmare Moon, and I’d perform any task that she gave me in exchange. I agreed without a second thought.”

Luna opened her eyes, which had turned dull and distant. “What task did she give you?”

Celestia looked up, the shadow of her mask playing on her features. “To pick up where you left off.”

“Pick up? What—”

Luna's eyes shrunk to pinpricks as her words clicked. It couldn't be true. She couldn't have done it. There was no way, not after what'd happened to her. Yet, while Celestia was known to play the occasional joke here and there, she'd never jest in a time like this.

Luna's voice was almost a squeak. "You... experimented on yourself?”

“Hundreds of times,” Celestia said without any note of concern. “I couldn’t devote myself wholeheartedly to it, what with running the kingdom and all, but time is a resource that we have in spades. I took every conceivable precaution I could think of, and I even used your old notes for reference. It was slow progress, but it paid off in the end.”

Luna’s breath caught in her chest. “Did you—”

“Yes Luna,” Celestia said calmly. “I did it. It took me seven hundred and thirty-two years, but I did it. I know the specifics of how we control the sun and moon, and by extension, the secret to our immortality.”

Luna wasn’t sure what to think. This was something she’d wanted for thousands of years. She’d lost count of how many arguments she’d had with Celestia about it, and how many times she’d wished she could do something as a loved one faded away. But now that desire was now tainted with the sting of her failure, as well as the burden of the knowledge of what Celestia had gone through. The precautionary measures her sister must have taken after seeing what happened to her would’ve been extreme, obsessive to the point of redundancy—insanity, even.

Celestia watched as Luna fidgeted on her pillow. “Do you really want to know? I’ll tell you if you do.”

Luna ground her teeth. "Of course I do, but I don’t have the right. Perhaps one day, but not now. You only did it because of my failure, after all. I’m sorry you had to do something so dangerous because of me. I’m just happy you didn’t get hurt.”

“Knowing the truth isn’t always best,” Celestia said. “Ignorance can be the strongest of shields if you use it correctly.”

“Or the most lethal of poisons,” Luna muttered. She flipped around to expose her other side to the fire. “I’m curious, though. Why would Harmony have you research our immortality when she tried to stop me from doing it?”

Celestia’s voice turned somber. “Because you were going to fail. If it’s any consolation, the only reason I didn’t was because of all the failsafes I’d put in place, and I only had them because of what happened to you.”

Luna lightly ground her teeth as she felt the rock shift in her gut. “Best of a bad situation, indeed.”

“I know this is probably impossible for you, but don't try to think too hard on it.” Celestia leaned forward and rested a hoof on Luna’s forearm. “Harmony operates on the grandest of scales, and what seems like a random occurrence or a setback in our eyes is all according to plan in hers.”

Luna watched as Celestia lightly stroked her fur. “To what end, though? What does she want?”

“We’re talking about the very creator of the Elements, Lulu,” Celestia said quietly. “She helped shape our planet, seeded it with life, and now only wants to see her children thrive. I’ve had my doubts in her over the centuries too, but she’s proven that she makes good on her promises, even if it takes her a while.”

Luna sighed. This was a bitter pill to swallow. Here she’d thought that she’d finally reclaimed her free will, only to discover that she may never have had it in the first place. A large part of her wanted to get the answers straight from the source and talk with Harmony herself, but it sounded like that’d be exceedingly difficult, not to mention painful. And what would it accomplish? Harmony was going to do what she thought was best, regardless of whether or not Luna went along with it.

“Are you angry at me?” Celestia asked.

Luna considered. Was she? In just about any other case, she would be. Ignorance had caused her an untold amount of pain and suffering, but she understood that Celestia had done this for her protection. Luna didn’t know what was going to happen from now on, but she was going to take a more active role from now on, maybe even taking center stage once more. Was that something she wanted?

Luna looked up and saw the uncertainty etched on Celestia’s face. “That depends. How do you think she’ll use me?”

Celestia shrugged. “I can’t say for certain. If you scratch her back, she’ll scratch yours. If you make things complicated for her, she’ll do so for you in turn.”

So it was like that. “Then it doesn’t really matter how I feel, now does it?” Luna said with a frown.

Celestia removed her hoof and adjusted her mane. “This is why I didn’t want to get you involved. I knew you’d have trouble accepting this, and you’ve been through so much already that I wasn’t sure if you could handle it. You’re not even totally free of that monster yet, and I—“

“The moon must always have a dark side.” Luna closed her eyes and mentally prodded the glimmering prismatic barrier that separated her consciousness in two. Just beyond, she could make out a dormant, swirling, formless mist. “We may be separate now, but you have to accept that she’ll always be a part of me.”

Celestia narrowed her eyes. “Not if I have anything to say about it. I’ve suffered almost as much as you over these last ten centuries, and I’m tired of holding back. I’ve followed Harmony’s orders without question in exchange for a clear shot, and I’m not going to settle for anything less.”

Luna’s voice turned bitter. “You think I wouldn’t welcome such an opportunity? I’ve just as much of a stake in this as you, but this isn’t a contest to see who’s suffered more. We can’t allow our minds to become steeped in venom. We both know where that road inevitably leads.”

Celestia lowered her eyes and glanced to the side, the mantra of a long-passed soldier rising unbidden to her lips. “Old habits die hard.”

“Indeed they do,” Luna agreed. “The problem being that our habits are older than most. Annoyed is the word I’d use to describe my feelings, not angry. Perhaps irritated… or peeved… yes! Peeved is a good one.”

Celestia’s lips twitched. “Maybe giving you that thesaurus was a mistake.”

“Forsooth!” Luna put a hoof to her chest with wide eyes. “Thou meanest to imply thou preferest the old tongue over this modern gutterslang? Praise the heavens, thou hast seen reason at last! Mayhap the bill I proposed will pass, and we may reintroduce the proper ways! Prithee sister, say but the word and we will rid our subjects of this verbal tripe!”

Celestia squinted as she broke into a smile. “How long have you been waiting to use that?”

“A fortnight,” Luna said proudly. She went over to lie down beside her sister and nuzzled her side. “I’m serious about the bill though.”

Celestia stared at her younger sister beside her, almost disbelieving that Luna was real. How many times had she dreamed of this, only to wake up alone a moment later to see the silhouette of a mare still on the moon? Part of Celestia still refused to fully accept it for fear of the pain, but that part was becoming smaller and smaller as the days went by.

Besides, the dream version of Luna never had messy wings with dozens of feathers out of place.

Celestia chuckled, then bent her head down and began to gently preen her sister. Luna stiffened at the contact, but then relaxed as she realized what Celestia was doing. Luna leaned over to reciprocate, but Celestia's feathers were already groomed, so she closed her eyes and placed her head on her Celestia's withers as she enjoyed the pleasant nips and tugs.

The two sisters were silent as they lay together by the fire. In that moment, the past was gone, and they weren't a pair of immortals who wielded immense power and authority over an entire nation. They were ponies, siblings, performing an act that all siblings do for each other... well, all siblings that have wings, at any rate. It was such a simple thing, but yet, that's exactly why it did so much to restore their damaged bond, because it meant they trusted each other. They were a family again, things were back to normal, and eventually, everything that'd happened would fade into the mists of obscurity.

Luna rested her cheek on Celestia's shoulder. She'd let the moment last as long as she could, but she had one last bombshell to drop, and if she didn't say it now, it'd be hard to get another opportunity.

“You should know that I would’ve found out about all this regardless of whether or not you’d said anything,”

It was a good thing Celestia had taken that moment to step back and examine her work, or she would’ve accidentally pulled out one of Luna’s feathers.

“What makes you so sure of that?” Celestia asked.

Luna snorted, causing Celestia to twitch as the blast of air tickled the back of her neck. "Please. I’ve known something was amiss long before that Echo came barging into my boudoir. Tell me—is it customary to send personal protégées on errands to perform mundane managerial tasks in quaint country towns?”

Celestia opened her mouth to retort, but found that no sound came out. She slowly hung her head, which then turned into a facehoof.

“Horseapples.”

Luna giggled. “The aura of mystery surrounding the Elements will exonerate you in the eyes of most, but not from the one who was there when you found the Elements in the first place. There’s no way you could’ve known Twilight Sparkle was to be the new Bearer of Magic without either orchestrating the events yourself or being involved with the one who was. It makes me wonder what all you taught the filly in your ten years of tutelage.”

Celestia resumed her grooming. “History, magical theory, law, philosophy, science, but most of all, control, control, control. Twilight’s font is the largest I’ve ever seen in a unicorn, and her raw power might rival ours by the time she fully grows into her Element. Fortunately, she’s with an individual that’s second only to you in terms of knowledge and experience with magic addiction.”

“I remember Libra’s affliction quite well,” Luna said with a grim nod, “as well as how he put it to use. Does Twilight know any combat magic?”

“If she does, she didn’t learn it from me.” Celestia adjusted one last feather and looked up at Luna. “We covered a few theories on why certain spells have been declared forbidden, but it’s not like I was prepping her for war. The next thing I’m going to hear you say is that I was secretly turning her into a brilliant military strategist so that she’d rise up and become the ultimate weapon.”

Luna rolled her eyes. “Now that’s just absurd.”

Celestia felt a familiar tug on her magical font. There was a small pop, and a swirling jet of emerald flame appeared in front of them.

“Speaking of which…” Celestia watched as the flame coalesced into a scroll. She took in her magic, broke the seal, and began to read.

Dear Princess Celestia-

True friends are ones that understand what’s important to you, and are always there through thick and thin. They value your happiness above all else, and want you to do whatever you have to do to achieve it, even if it means that you have to part ways for a while. They’ll always be ready and willing to pick right back up where you left off, and as long as you reciprocate, the fire of friendship will never go out.

While I’ve found that nothing makes me happier than seeing the friends I’ve made be happy in turn, the converse is also true. I’ve run out of avenues for locating the Symbols of the Elements here in Ponyville, and I need to go abroad in order to progress further with my thesis. It’s been hard coming to this decision, but my friends understand that this is something I have to do and that the sooner I leave, the sooner I’ll get back.

By the time you read this I’ll already be on the train north with Blair, Ace, and Piro. Spike is staying behind to watch the library and will be staying with Fluttershy. Oh, and on that note, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow are coming up to Canterlot for a week and I told them that it’d be okay for them to stay in the Castle Suites. If by some off-chance that they’re all full, can they stay in my tower? I assume it’s still empty unless you needed storage or something.

I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, but I anticipate that my search will take at least a few months. I know the Symbols are out there somewhere. It’s just a matter of looking in the right places! I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

Your Faithful Student-

Twilight Sparkle

A collection of random letters was hastily scrawled underneath the letter. Recognizing Blair’s code, Celestia cast a Decryption spell and read the message.

Your Majesty-

I’ll be taking Twilight’s trip abroad as an opportunity to train her to control her powers without any fear of collateral damage. I’ve also decided to inform her of our nature and Horizon’s situation. We know what the Symbols of the Elements are, and therefore won’t interfere with Twilight’s reason for the trip in the first place. We’ll return before the Temporal Stasis spell is up.

-Blair

Luna raised an eyebrow as Celestia’s face become more and more stoic as she read the letter.

“What is it?”

Celestia chewed on her lip. “We have a problem.”

There was a knock on the entrance door. The two Princesses looked at each other for a moment, and Luna reluctantly got up and went back over to her pillow. Celestia adjusted her collar, then opened the door a crack to allow admittance.

A Royal Guard stepped in. His eyes went wide upon seeing both Princesses present, and he quickly lowered his head in a bow.

“Your Majesties,” the guard said. “Captain Shining Armor has returned from the Crystal Empire.”

Celestia sucked on her teeth a moment before nodding to the soldier. “Have him report to the debriefing room after he’s attended to himself.”

The guard saluted and walked out the door. Luna felt Celestia shift, and saw she was getting to her hooves and preparing to leave.

“What’s this said problem?” Luna asked, still looking at the scroll.

“We’ll discuss that later.” Celestia extinguished the firepit. “I need to speak with Shining Armor first.”

Luna scrunched her brow, then with one fluid motion, leapt up into the air and flew over to the door. “If it’s that important, then I shall attend as well. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting the good Captain yet, though his reputation certainly precedes him.”

“What do you know about him?” Celestia asked.

“I took it upon myself to do a little research to separate the rumors from fact.” Luna raised her eyes to the ceiling. “Attended and graduated CSGU as Valedictorian, joined the Equestrian Military at age eighteen, received Battlemage certification at twenty-one, inducted into the Royal Guard at twenty-two, promoted to Captain at twenty-four. Frequently sent on diplomatic missions to the Crystal Empire due to his long-standing relationship with the current ruler Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and is hailed for his prowess and adaptability in combat situations. All in all a very promising soldier, I’d even go so far as to call him a prodigy.”

“Does it surprise you then, that he’s also Twilight’s older brother?”

Luna almost fell out of the air. The only thing the records had mentioned that even remotely concerned Shining Armor’s family was his relationship with the foreign Princess. It was rather strange that they’d mention that over familial ties, especially considering one of them was Celestia’s protégée, and the Bearer... of Magic...

Luna regained her balance and adjusted her wispy mane. “I’m beginning to see how Harmony works.”

Celestia smiled wryly as they walked out the door. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

Chapter 18: Echoes of the Past

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Chapter 18:

Echoes of the Past

Later That Day-

Twilight grunted as she was jolted out of slumber for the third time. She briefly thought about making another attempt, but then a second, bigger bump made her teeth rattle. She'd never even considered that trying to sleep on a train might be difficult, and was ill-prepared as a result. Piro had offered her a sedative, but she disliked the loopy feeling that lingered behind drug and magical-induced sleep, and so decided just to soldier through. She was at least glad she wasn’t cramped on top of it all, as Blair had talked her into springing for two separate compartments instead of trying to squish all four of them into one.

Making a noise of disgust, Twilight blearily opened her eyes and wearily re-examined her surroundings. The train compartment was a moderately-sized space with two couch seats sitting across from each other, with a foldout table underneath the window. The shades were currently pulled, and a set of tacky, leaf-themed, orange and red curtains hung from the top. The compartment was dark, but the window still emitted a dim light even through the thick shades.

Resigning herself to the few hours of sleep she’d got, Twilight magically opened the shades and allowed the late morning light to spill in, taking a look at the whizzing landscape beyond. The northern reaches of Equestria were comprised of thick coniferous forests, wide sloping valleys, and crystal clear rivers and lakes. Twilight saw that the train was now chugging at a decent clip along the edge of one of these valleys, which descended one hundred feet in a sheer, grass-covered cliffside before ending in a wide snaking river that meandered off to the west. The sky above was wispy, and the sun was almost at its zenith.

A low, rebellious moan came from the other couch seat. Twilight glanced over to see Blair, grimacing and covering his face. She hadn’t realized he’d been drinking until after they left the party, and it seemed that he hadn’t held back. She was at least grateful he'd been able to hold his liquor, as the last thing she’d wanted to do was have to carry him back to the library.

“For the love of Celestia," he growled, "close the shades.”

Twilight did no such thing. “How can you sleep through all this noise and jostling around?” She reached up into the storage space above, searching for one of her bags.

Blair scooched away to escape the sun’s wrath. “Years of practice.”

Twilight pulled out a thick book and sat back down. “Serves you right for drinking so much.”

Blair mumbled something intelligible, then rolled over and curled into the fetal position.

The door suddenly slid open, and Twilight looked up to see Piro and Ace outside.

“How’s the patient?” Piro asked as he walked in. Hovering before him was a mug of steaming liquid. Ace followed close behind.

Twilight snickered as she looked over at Blair’s curled form. “Miserable, by the looks of it.”

Piro gave his usual lopsided smirk as he looked over at Blair. “Aww, does Blairy-wairy got a case of the drunky-wunky icky-sickies?”

Blair opened his bloodshot eyes, shot Piro a look that promised pain and suffering, and then mashed his face back into the cushions.

“Well, if you’re going to be like that.” Piro offered the mug to Twilight instead. “Care for a family remedy? It’s supposed to be for hangovers, but it takes the edge off of sleep deprivation, too.”

Twilight didn’t get a chance to reply, as the mug then became enshrouded in a teal aura, and zipped over to Blair. He sat up and took a large swig of the liquid, but he immediately spat it out.

“Damn it, Piro!” Blair frantically waved his mouth while nursing his scalded tongue.

“Your own fault.” Piro focused on the stain of liquid on the floor, which became surrounded in a fiery glow. It began to give off steam again before completely evaporating into the air. “You know I like to boil my drinks.”

“Still could’ve warned me.” Blair’s horn flashed, and Twilight felt a tendril of cold air caress her face. Blair's breath came out in a fine mist as he blew on the mug, after another, more cautionary sip, he downed the entire thing in a few gulps.

Ace rolled his eyes and took a seat beside Twilight. “Battlemages.”

Twilight looked down at where the spot of liquid had just been seconds before, then up at Piro. “You’re a Battlemage, too?”

“No, no.” Piro kicked at Blair to make him sit up. “Ace was referring to our fearless leader, here. I may be a stallion of many talents, but even I have to sleep sometime.”

Twilight stared at the two stallions as they sat side by side. Blair’s mane and tail were short and unkempt while Piro’s were long and groomed. Blair was solid and well-muscled, Piro was thin and wiry. Blair was stoic and serious to a fault, Piro was emotional and witty. They were both solid colors, with Blair’s teal almost directly contrasting Piro’s bloody red. Blair’s cutie mark was an omega symbol with a line underneath, and Piro’s was a stylized ‘M’ with an arrow on the end.

Piro raised an eyebrow as Twilight gave them both a once over. “Something wrong?”

Twilight shook her head. “It’s just hard to believe you guys are childhood friends. You’re so different, it seems like you wouldn’t get along at all.”

Piro shrugged. “Haven’t you heard that opposites attract? We’ve known each other long enough that we’ve gotten used to each other’s eccentricities. Familiarity breeds comfort, after all.”

“I think you mean contempt,” Ace said dryly.

“Maybe between you and me,” Piro said with a wink, “but that’s a special kind of hate.”

Ace rubbed his chin. “I knew there had to be some reason why I’ve saved your sorry flank so many times.”

Twilight looked over the normally silent guard. She barely knew anything about Ace other than that he apparently liked to paint. His body was lithe like a cat’s, his movements were fluid and supple, and his mane was parted to the left in a half-hearted gesture. He was the color of healthy grass, and his cutie mark was a pair of sideways sixes.

“Saved him?” Twilight repeated. “What do you mean?”

“I’m something like the muscle of the group,” Ace said with light sarcasm, looking over at the two stallions across the way. “Can’t tell you how many times I’ve turned away for five seconds, only to find these two neck-deep in some kind of trouble.”

Both Blair and Piro chuckled with sheepish looks on their faces.

“Don’t tell me you grew up with them, too,” Twilight said.

Ace shook his head. “Piro's got it right. We just know each other's 'eccentricities' by this point.”

Twilight nodded. “How long have you guys served together? Shining told me once that the trust and camaraderie between soldiers could almost be considered as a kind of family.”

Ace coughed and looked pointedly over at Piro.

“Twenty years,” Piro said without hesitation. “Hard to believe it’s been that long sometimes.”

“Oh, well that would make—“ Twilight did a double take. “Twenty years?”

Blair tried to elbow Piro, but he moved farther down the couch. “Yep,” Piro said without any note of jest. “Two decades.”

Twilight stared at him. She didn’t exactly make it a hobby to guess other ponies’ ages, but Piro only looked to be in his mid twenties. For all of them to have served together for twenty years would make each of them thirty-eight at the very least!

“How old are you guys?” Twilight asked.

“This is a bad way to tell her,” Blair hissed.

“You're implying there’s a good way,” Piro drawled. “No more excuses. Either take charge, or sit back and enjoy the show.”

Twilight’s throat went dry. “What’s going on?”

Piro raised a hoof to his chin. “Hmm, where to begin?”

“Just come out and say it,” Ace squared his shoulders. “Twilight, we’re not what you think we are.”

Twilight blinked. “I—buh?”

Piro facehooved. “Okay, that was a bad way to tell her.”

“What?!” Ace demanded. “It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Piro said patiently, “but now she’s going to think—“

Twilight snapped back to reality. “You’re not from the Royal Guard?!”

“—that,” Piro finished.

“We are,” Blair said quickly, glaring at Piro and Ace. “We were sent by Celestia herself to guard and protect you. That’s not what these idiots meant.”

The tension in the air was palpable, and it didn’t exactly help matters that Twilight now realized she was surrounded in a small, enclosed space. Ace had flattened his ears, and Piro was shaking his head with a clenched jaw.

“T-Then what did you mean?” Twilight stammered.

“Calm down,” Blair said soothingly. “We’re going to tell you everything. In a nutshell, I misunderstood the Princesses’s orders, so if this is anypony’s fault, it’s mine.”

“Don’t go hogging all the blame,” Piro said with a bitter tinge. “You may be responsible for the latest batch, but there’s plenty to go around.”

Twilight felt a pit in her stomach. She had no idea what they were talking about, but she could tell from all their hesitant expressions that this wasn’t a small thing.

Twilight steadied her breathing. “Tell me what this is about.”

Blair stamped down his desire to throttle Piro and looked over at Twilight. “I wanted to do this somewhere with a little more room so you wouldn’t feel threatened, but since Piro feels that now’s a good time, you’ll just have to trust us.”

He then reached up into his own compartment, and hovered out a hefty book to give to Twilight. She took it and inspected the cover.

‘Daunting Divination Discoveries, by Arch-Magus Clear Sight. Third Edition.’ Twilight narrowed her eyes as she
noticed the familiar dark splotch on the lower left side of the cover. “Did you take this from the library?”

Blair held up a small library card with his signature on it. “Legitimately.”

Twilight resisted the urge to verify his claim and instead turned her attention back to the tome, which had a thin, teal bookmark sticking out of it. Curious, she opened the book to the indicated page.

“Truesight?” Twilight looked up at the three guards, who were staring at her like she was about to jump off a cliff. “Why do you want me to cast this?”

Piro chuckled. “Only one way to find out, isn’t there? Don’t worry, I promise we’re not going to drain your magical font.”

Blair smacked Piro upside the head with a dull thunk.

“You’re incorrigible, you know that?!”

“I’ve been called worse.” Piro rubbed the spot where he’d been struck, but didn't retaliate.

Twilight was surprised by Blair’s reaction, but then reconsidered. Truesight bypassed even the strongest Illusion spells and showed magically altered objects as they truly were, but wasn’t very useful because it cost so much energy to cast. Most unicorns would completely drained afterwards, and while the good doctor happened to know that that wasn’t going to be a problem for Twilight, Blair, however, didn't.

“You want me to cast this now, then?” Twilight asked.

Blair nodded. “It's the best way to start.”

Her curiosity and suspicions aroused, Twilight took a moment to memorize the specifics of the spell before getting up and standing with her back to the window. She widened her stance and lowered her horn, preparing to draw energy from her font.

“One last thing,” Blair said.

Twilight stopped. “Hmm?”

“Just, um...” Blair trailed off as he looked towards the door.

Twilight cocked her head. “Just what?”

Blair mumbled something, but Twilight couldn’t hear him over the noise of the train.

Twilight leaned forward. “Speak louder.”

Blair sighed and turned back to Twilight. His ears were drooped, and he hunched down into his seat as he muttered two words.

“Don’t scream.”

Twilight lowered her chin. Did he think she was some little filly? She was the personal protégée of the Princess, one of the six who had defeated Nightmare Moon and saved Equestria from darkness eternal! If she could go hoof-to-hoof with one of the most powerful and terrifying creatures in all of history, she could face whatever surprise these three simple guards had in store for her!

Twilight said nothing more. She closed her eyes, and felt the magic draw from the segmented portion of her font. The spell greedily consumed it all, and then began to draw from the main portion instead. She shuddered at the unfamiliar sensation of being drained, but gasped as she realized the spell had only taken away a fraction of her reserves. She made a mental note to take an actual measurement of her font later.

Twilight felt a flush of warmth in her face as the Truesight spell completed, and she opened her eyes.

“AUGH!”

Twilight became a lavender blur as she jumped up on the seat and shrank into the far corner of the compartment. Blair, Ace and Piro were now eyeless ghosts comprised of translucent, flowing energy, colored the same as their coats. The shape of their manes and frames were the same, but the other features of their bodies were lost. Most noticeable of all though was the golden, pulsing sphere that was lodged in each of their chests.

“Nice set of lungs there.” Ace rubbed his ears. The door was encased in a green aura.

“Don’t know why I even bothered,” Blair muttered.

“Y-You’re…” Twilight squeaked and shrunk even farther into the corner. “Echoes.”

Piro jovially waved at Twilight as if they were meeting for the first time.

Blair examined his hoof, which looked completely normal to him. “I assume you've an idea of what Echoes are.”

Twilight had more than just an idea, Celestia had gone over them in their studies on forbidden magic! Echoes were bodiless, ageless magical constructs comprised of the memories and personality of a living being up to the point it was created. They fed on magical energy, and had the ability to store a near infinite amount of it for later consumption and use. They had a great many limitations, such as not being self-sustaining and needing a host to survive, but that particular drawback was what also made them so dangerous, as they could use any conduit or container of magic as a host... including living beings.

Twilight gulped.

Ace snorted at the terror in Twilight's eyes. “The reports of our abilities are greatly exaggerated.”

Piro leaned back on the seat. “We have rules, Twilight, just like everything else in the world. We can’t just jump into you and take control, and even if we could, you’re not an ideal host.”

Twilight’s panic attack was thrown off-kilter. Not an ideal host?! She was a literal lake of magic! She’d have enough to sustain all three of them indefinitely at the rate her font was growing, how could she not be good enough… for…wait.

Did she actually just take that as an insult?

“You're not helping.” Blair shot the other two Echoes a dirty look.

“We're helping more than you have in the last three weeks.” Piro's eyes were locked on Twilight's face, watching as she wrestled with her inner turmoil. “Echoes are forbidden magic. You know that, we know that. Your head is exploding with questions, but most of all, you're wondering if we're looking at you like you're the main course at a buffet. The answer is no. We already have a host, and we can't leave him, because if we did, very, very bad things would happen.”

“The least of which being that he'd die,” Ace said darkly.

Twilight stared at the two of them for a moment. That revelation definitely helped, but it wasn't quite enough to quell the fear of having her magic devoured by a trio of energy clones. Her instincts were still very strongly insisting that she was surrounded by a group of predators, and needed to get away by the fastest means possible. She probably would’ve already teleported by now had they not ben on a train, and that pesky law of conservation of momentum would result in a bone-breaking crash.

Twilight looked over to Blair. “Um...”

Blair sighed. “This is why I didn’t want to do this here. Now that tact’s thrown out the window though, it’s probably better to just throw the facts at you. You're in no danger, Twilight. It's true that we can reside in anything that can store magic, but as Piro pointed out, living beings make for terrible hosts. They have complete access to our thoughts and memories, can kick us out at any time, and have to be willing to accept us in the first place. There’s also the whole thing that we need magic to survive, and that puts a constant drain on a living host. If an Echo has a choice between residing in a living being or an artifact, we’ll take the latter every time.”

“If it’s any consolation,” Piro offered, “I’m sure your magic is very tasty.”

Blair groaned. “You need to stop talking.”

Twilight logic was slowly regaining dominance as her eyes swept over the three guard’s alien bodies. She’d heard stories about Echoes outside of Celestia's lessons, the most famous of which being a Magus that stored an Echo in a powerful artifact, leaving it to be found by a foolhardy treasure hunter. The Echo possessed him, stole his magic, then tried to find a way to resurrect the Magus. Twilight knew that Echoes could copy the magical signature of their host and therefore hide completely undetected, so it didn’t make sense that her guards would willingly reveal themselves if they wanted to possess her. They’d had dozens of opportunities to do so anyway, and they hadn’t shown any signs of aggression in all the time they’d been around her. Piro was right that her mind was overflowing with questions, and it seemed like that they’d be willing to answer them if she gave them the chance.

Piro withheld a victorious smirk as he watched as Twilight’s fear melt away. He'd known that this wasn’t as much of a gamble as Blair feared, as the Element of Magic wouldn’t allow Twilight to pass up such a ripe opportunity to learn about something so unique and foreign. Twilight was right on the edge—all she needed now was one last little push.

“Come on.” Piro leaned forward. “Aren’t you curious?”

The word hit Twilight like a bludgeon. It triggered a jolt in her core that smashed away the last vestiges of reluctance, sparking outward and flowing into her limbs like a crackling river of electricity. She blinked, and a dim, glittering white spark appeared in the depths of her pupils.

Twilight slowly inched out of the corner, her panic now replaced by a look of hunger born of an intense desire to know. Her mind was struck with a sudden clarity, and the pieces of information were falling beautifully in place before her.

“Oh, I'm curious alright.” Twilight’s voice was low and quiet. “I recognize the transdimensional anchors in your chests. You’re sharing a host, aren’t you? He must be packing some serious magic to be able to sustain all three of you, whoever… and wherever he is.”

“His name’s Horizon,” Ace replied, “and it’s more accurate to say that he’s made of magic. Oh, and there’s twelve of us, not three. The only guard who isn’t an Echo is Vigil.”

Twilight hopped off the seat. “Twelve Echoes sharing a single host? Interesting, very interesting. I thought that was a Disguise spell you have on at first, but now I see it’s more advanced than that. Blair has a hangover right now, and I’ve seen all of you perform other biological functions. I’d say it’s a Polymorph spell, but Polymorph only works on living targets. In order to transmute your forms, and then to make said transmutation permanent… I can only think of one pony that could’ve done that for twelve of you.”

Twilight’s glittering eyes twinkled as she looked at Blair. “Which makes sense, seeing as she’s the one who sent you.”

Piro snickered. “Should we let her keep going? She might just figure out everything on her own.”

Blair ignored him and kept his attention on Twilight. “Will you give us the chance to explain ourselves?”

“I have a question before that,” Twilight said, her voice picking up speed. “As Piro pointed out, the creation of Echoes is unbelievably illegal. So much so that making just one is enough to earn you a life sentence in prison. For you to be in the voluntary employ of the Princess implies that Horizon’s continued existence outweighs the potential hazards and penalties of creating twelve Echoes, and for her to then send the twelve of you to the six of us suggests that this is a very delicate, dangerous matter that requires the Elements of Harmony. I’m the personal protégée of Princess Celestia, and my friends are all completely loyal to the nation of Equestria. I think I speak for all six of us when I say we have nothing but the country’s best interests at heart. If we'd known Horizon's life is at stake, we would've gone and helped him immediately. The Princess knows that, so it's safe to say there are one or more unknown factors forcing her silence and caused her to send you instead.”

Twilight was talking so fast that Blair could barely understand what she was saying. He shook his head clear and focused on the main point of Twilight’s speech.

“What’s your question?”

Twilight fell silent, staring hard at Blair with her dim, glowing eyes.

“Why are you really here?”

The energy in Blair’s body swirled faster. “Do you have a mirror?”

Twilight cocked her head. “I have one in my bags. What does—“

A small smile played on Blair’s lips. “Showing's better than telling.”

Twilight frowned at the cryptic response, but did as she was told. A small hand-mirror floated out of her bags from above.

“Okay, what does—“

Twilight froze as she caught her reflection, luminant eyes and all.

“Oooooh.”

It all suddenly made sense. Shining Armor’s statement, why only she and her friends could use the Elements, their strange reactions to the Symbols, the way her mind felt like it’d been injected with a syringe of understanding, her font growing off the charts. The Elements hadn’t just left their mark on her and her friends, they’d actually infused them with their power and now the effects were beginning to show. Celestia hadn’t sent these Echoes to guard them, but to watch to make sure they didn’t hurt themselves. No wonder Blair had been acting like he’d been walking on eggshells around her, he knew about her font and probably thought she was a ticking time bomb!

Twilight wiped her bangs away to get a better look. This certainly did explain a lot, but nowhere near everything. Why'd this Horizon need the Elements so badly? How much of their power did she and her friends receive? What were all the effects? If there were twelve Echoes and six of them, why was a thirteenth pony that was flesh and blood brought into the mix? How in the world were these Echoes made in the first place? And most of all, why hadn’t the Princess just told them about all this herself?

“Pretty cool, huh?” Ace said.

Twilight slowly lowered the mirror. “I think it's storytime.”

“I think you’re right.” Piro cracked his neck with a loud pop. “Would you prefer the cut and dry version, or do you trust us enough to give you a more interactive experience?”

Twilight scrunched her eyebrows. “Depends on what the interactive experience entails.”

“Piro…” Blair began.

Piro’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “We’re not going to leave Horizon, for reasons you’re about to understand, but if we were, the way we’d do it is by making contact with the new host and switching over. During that process, the Echo is in contact with both minds.”

“I don’t think I’m quite ready for that,” Twilight admitted. “I’m still getting over the shock of what all of this means.”

“Oh, well that’s a shame.” The disappointment in Piro's voice almost sounded sincere. “I was looking forward to showing you our memories of the War of the Sun and Moon. You know, because we were there.”

The white light in Twilight’s eyes glinted. “You were... there?”

“You know, I think proper introductions are in order.” Piro stood up, and with a sweeping motion of his forehoof, lowered himself in an elegant bow.

“Fair maiden Twilight Sparkle, Bearer of Magic and protégée of Her Excellency Princess Celestia. I am Pirosco, Echo of Scorpio, Medic and Seneschal of the Order of the Zodiac.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped. “Order of the Zodiac?!”

Ace also got to his hooves and bowed low before Twilight. “Tis a pleasure to finally lift the veil from thine eyes. I am Accern, Echo of Cancer, High Swordstallion, wielder of the Cardinal Blades and Knight of the Order of the Zodiac.”

Twilight dumbly beheld the two stallions bowing before her. If she’d had any doubts about their claims, they were long banished now. Old Equestrian was a long-dead style of speaking that was only used in plays and poetry. She turned to Blair, remembering that he’d mentioned there were twelve knights in that order. There were twelve Echoes sent to guard them, and from what she’d seen of the guards when they were around Blair, they all seemed to hold him with a mixture of respect… and fear.

Twilight’s lips parted. “You’re the leader, aren’t you Blair?”

“Where art thy manners, boorish lout?!” Piro sneered. “We hath wronged the student of our liege with deception and ignorance! Introduce thyself at once, if thou wishest to preserve even a shred of thy honor!”

That did it. Blair sprung off the seat and loomed over Piro, his nostrils flaring. “Thou wouldst invoke the old ways in attempt to reprimand me?! Remember thy place, Seneschal! Thy barbed tongue is tolerated due to the wisdom hidden amongst thy cynicism, but thou knowest better than to question my honor!”

Blair and Piro locked gazes for a moment. Finally, Piro relented and lowered his gaze to the ground.

“Apologies… Grandmaster.”

Blair flinched at Piro’s sarcastic enunciation of his title, but decided not to press it. Instead, he closed his eyes and spoke in a formal tone.

“My apologies Twilight Sparkle, it seems a paltry forty-seven years is not enough time to achieve perfection in all things. I am Blair, Echo of Libra, Battlemage and Knight-Grandmaster of the Order of the Zodiac. Forgive mine error in misleading thee all this time. It is not my wont to keep secrets.”

Now Twilight was confused. “Forty-seven? How can you be that young if your originals were alive during the war?”

“There are three ways we can measure our age.” Piro straightened and switched back to modern grammar. “By the age of our host, the time of our creation, or the age of our predecessors when we were created, combined with our current age.”

“Which is twenty-two, one thousand, or late forties,” Ace went and sat back down. “Fifties actually, in my case.”

The Element of Magic flickered again, sending a powerful shock through Twilight’s brain. She squinted as she sorted through her thoughts with lightning speed. It was rumored that Echoes could lie dormant for exceedingly long periods of time by placing themselves in a kind of suspended animation, but such a state left them vulnerable to exposure and therefore was only done as a last resort. The Princess must’ve done something in order for them to safely sleep for so long, and Twilight was burning to know what it was. These three were survivors of a forgotten age, literal repositories of lost information. Nopony save for the Princess knew exactly what happened in the War of the Sun and Moon, and she’d obviously taken great pains to keep the specifics lost to time. Twilight had searched and searched, but all she’d ever found from that time period were legends and myths, and the inconsistency made her want to slam her head into a wall. Now not only was Piro offering to tell her anything she wanted, but to let her see a fragment of lost history with her own eyes. There were so many questions, and here were all the answers.

Twilight turned back to Piro, a faint resonance now laced into her voice. “Show me your memories.”

Piro gave a half-smirk. “I knew you’d see things my way.”

Blair nervously shifted as he looked between the two. “We don’t have—“

“Your hesitance alone is proof of your intentions,” Twilight said haughtily. “I know Piro is goading me, but I suspect it’s because he doesn’t want to listen to you drone on for hours. If any of you really wanted to possess me, then this was the stupidest thing you could’ve done, and while you did make a mistake Blair, that doesn’t make you an imbecile or a cunning mastermind. I believe what you’re saying is the truth, and I'm not going to let a little trepidation stop me from the opportunity of a lifetime.”

Piro burst out laughing. “I can at least confirm that Blair is not a mastermind.”

Blair ran a hoof through his mane. Twilight didn’t understand that she was asking to see what hell looked like. He didn’t want to shoulder the burden of exposing an innocent soul to the horrors of war, but he also knew she wasn’t going to let up. Twilight’s assumptions so far had been dead-on thanks to her Thirst for Knowledge power, but they longer he held out, the greater the chance she might misinterpret something, and the less forgiving she was likely to be.

And he really, really didn’t want to make her mad right now.

“All right,” Blair finally said, “but only if you let us show you how we came to be first. The war itself doesn’t have a lot to do with what’s going on right now—“

Piro shot Blair a questioning glance.

“Okay, it does,” Blair corrected, “ and I promise we'll tell you everything eventually, but it’s going to be easier to understand if you let us go in a certain order.”

Twilight’s eyes gleamed. “As long as you tell me everything, I don’t care where you start. What do I have to do?”

Blair extended a forehoof. “Just take my hoof, and relax.”

Twilight stepped forward, and slowly, tentatively, touched his ghostly limb.

It wasn’t instant. Twilight stood there holding his hoof for a few seconds, feeling her ears burn. Blair betrayed no indication of any effort on his part, and she was beginning to suspect she'd been led on when suddenly, a foreign tendril of thought roughly jabbed her mind. Its touch was like ice, and it sent an involuntary spasm through her body.

Twilight recoiled and slapped Blair across the face.

“Agh!” He fell back. “What was that for?!”

“Was that you?!” Twilight stared at Blair in shock. “Why the hay are you so cold?”

Blair glared at her as he clutched the side of his face. “I was trying to show you why.”

“Swing and a miss?” Piro asked.

Blair rubbed his head. “Oh, she hit all right.”

“Sorry!” Twilight said. “I wasn’t expecting that. I guess I didn’t know what to expect.”

“Each Echo’s touch feels different.” Piro watched Twilight rub her forearms. “I’m guessing that Blair's wasn't very pleasant?”

Twilight shivered. “It felt like he was going to suck all the warmth out of me.”

Piro patted the spot next to him on the seat. “Here, sit down and try it with me. This is gonna get tiring if we do it while standing.”

Twilight flushed, but conceded the point. She went over the seat and sat beside Piro, who chuckled as he watched her fidget beside him.

“Don't worry, I promise I'll be gentle. It's your first time, after all.”

Twilight was about to retort when she felt flicker of heat brush against her mind. Remembering the last time, she reluctantly relaxed and let the sensation wrap itself around her mind.

That wasn’t so bad, was it?

Twilight blinked. The voice was Piro’s, but had come from inside her head. She glanced down and around. “How—”

You're leaning back on my tail.

Twilight swiveled her head. Sure enough, she saw the furry appendage crushed against her back. “Oops.” Twilight rubbed the back of her neck. “Does this mean it worked, though?”

Piro tapped his head. You can just speak with your thoughts and I'll hear you. I’m still connected to Horizon, but I’ve extended a portion of my consciousness to connect with yours. Want Blair to do it now?

Twilight glanced at Blair out of the corner of her eye. Um... yes but, could you stay? His touch is freezing, and you’re actually kind of hot and—

Piro waggled his eyebrows.

She swatted him. Not like that.

Piro’s laughter reverberated in her mind. I don’t think it’d work out between us anyway. Celestia told me that Scorpio was divorced three times. Can’t imagine why, though…

Twilight could think of a few reasons, but wisely kept them to herself.

Piro gestured for Blair to sit on the other side of Twilight. Let's have Blair try now—just don't slap him this time.

Blair sat down and touched Twilight's right shoulder. She held her breath as she felt his frigid presence creep up and brush against her consciousness, which was much more cautious this time. It gingerly spread itself out and enveloped her mind, much like Piro’s had.

Blair stared inquiringly at Twilight. Can you hear me?

It was still mildly uncomfortable, but Piro’s heat took the edge off of Blair’s chill. Twilight nodded. I think this’ll work.

Blair flexed his jaw. Good, because that really hurt.

Twilight felt a slight flutter in her gut as she realized she was sitting between two stallions. This is going to be awkward if somepony walks in on us.

Piro glanced at their fourth companion, whose horn was still glowing. That'd be why Ace is watching the door. Now, are you ready?

For what? Twilight asked.

A vague, blurry image appeared in her mind’s eye, followed by a surge of emotion and collection of input from all five senses. Twilight instinctively resisted it, and the image shattered into a million pieces.

What was that?!

Blair swished his tail. You need to be willing to accept our memories in order for us to show them to you. If you don’t, they’ll bounce off your psyche like we’d thrown them against a wall.

Twilight watched in awe as the last fragments of the memory faded away into nothingness. Curious, she pushed against Blair’s presence on her mind, and found she could peel him off with little resistance. It was like her brain was wrapped in a pair of blankets.

You really can’t do anything unless I allow it, huh?

Still had misgivings? Piro felt her continue to poke and prod at Blair. The only way an Echo can override a host is if he or she becomes incapacitated, like if they get knocked out, slip into a coma, or their mind gets shattered to pieces from being exposed to—heh, let's take this one step at a time.

So let me get this straight, Twilight said absentmindedly. Not only can you not show me anything unless I allow it, but I can kick you out at any time?

T-The most we could do is match your m-magical energy signature and hide ourselves away in y-your font. Blair was having trouble concentrating, as it felt like Twilight was sweeping him with a feather duster. Y-You’d feel it the minute we s-started draining it though, so we’d have to use our own reserves and… Twilight, that really tickles.

Twilight ceased her experimentation and let him be. Sorry.

Piro exhaled out his nose. Understand now why we prefer artifacts over living hosts?

Twilight nodded. This really was a raw deal for them. Do any of you have ‘reserves?’

Blair regained his composure. No, and you’ll find out why soon enough. Are you ready?

Twilight took a deep, calming breath, and closed her eyes. Show me.

A sense of weightlessness washed over Twilight, like she was sinking into a pool. The darkness of her mind receded, flowing outward into a landscape of incoherent blurs and colors. The foreign thoughts gained definition and shape, and Twilight realized with a start that she now stood in a familiar setting, although the last time she saw it, it was a little more… run-down.

Is this the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters?

Castle of the what?! Piro barked out a short laugh. This is Old Canterlot Castle, or just Canterlot Castle, as we called it. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised they romanticized it, but really, ‘Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters?’ That’d be a mouthful to say all the time.

Twilight was in an ornate cobblestone courtyard filled with well-dressed ponies and lined with guardsponies, one of which was a familiar shade of teal. There was a band playing, and ponies conversed with each other in a style lost to time. Princess Celestia was there overseeing the celebration, garbed in a magnificent flowing dress of pastel colors while the ponies around her basked in the presence of royalty.

Blair’s voice came from both everywhere and nowhere. The War of the Sun and Moon was a two-year conflict filled with bloodshed, destruction, sorrow, and terror. Princess Luna claimed that ponies didn’t appreciate her night, that she’d been used and shunned by her sister, and her subjects mocked and feared her. Consumed by her bitterness, jealousy, and anger, Luna decided to teach her subjects a lesson, and stole the Elements of Harmony to keep the moon in the sky and bring about night eternal.

There was a sound like thunder, and Princess Luna landed in the center of the festival from above. She looked different than how Twilight remembered. She was taller, just shy of Celestia’s height, her coat was a deep navy, and her mane and tail were ethereal masses of shifting stars. Her regalia was a shining silver, and she exuded an overwhelming presence of power and authority.

You mean that part of the legend is literal?! Twilight tried poking a nearby pony, and found that her hoof passed right through. How could Luna use the Elements all by herself? And why would the Elements do something like that in the first place?

Princess Luna is—or was, rather, the Bearer of Magic, Blair replied. It has a special connection to all the other Elements which allows the Bearer to activate all of the Elements by themselves.

Twilight’s voice turned sullen. I KNEW there was something special about the Element of Magic! You’ve known about this the whole time and didn’t tell me?! I ought to slap you again!

Luna’s abrupt landing knocked several ponies off their hooves, and the party ground to an awkward halt as guests nervously edged away from the lunar princess. Her eyes narrowed as she looked around wildly, taking in the looks of intense discomfort and shock on the faces of the ponies. She tried to smile, but it came out unnatural, forced, and had the opposite effect of what she’d intended. Luna finally locked eyes with Celestia, who shook her head with a pained expression on her face.

Her face twisting into a snarl, Luna stormed out of the party, ignoring any and all she passed by. The teal guardspony watched her departure with a mixture of apprehension and wonder.

Blair wasn’t fazed by the threat. How could I have explained how I knew that? The only ponies alive today who could’ve told me that are the Princesses, and they don’t make a habit of sharing centuries-old, lost information with underlings. Besides, you almost activated all the Elements by yourself as well, didn’t you?

Yeah, but—

—but nothing. Blair said with finality. That answer was right in front of you, it’s your fault you didn’t see it. As for how or why the Elements could be used in that way, I don't know how she managed it. I don't even know if Princess Celestia figured that out. I do know how she was able to use the Elements to do other things, though.

Twilight pushed aside her resentful thoughts. Such as?

The memory faded. Twilight was alone amongst a sea of darkness for a moment before a new memory surfaced, and she now saw that she hovered in midair. She looked down, and her stomach emptied into a pit of dread. Below her was Old Canterlot, nestled in the heart of the Everfree Forest and surrounded by a shimmering golden barrier. Half the metropolis was already in ruins, and the air was filled with piercing yells and the crumbling of rock. The battered gates of the city still stood, emblazoned with a set of glowing yellow runes that radiated with magical power. Crashing against the barrier was a host of ponies wreathed in shadow, their numbers breaking against the barricade like a rising tide.

We don’t know for certain, but Celestia surmises that the Elements backfired on Luna. Instead of drawing power from the traits that they represent, they reacted violently with her corrupted emotions and began to twist her into a mockery of her former self. She fully succumbed to it a short time later, transforming into the abomination known as Nightmare Moon.

Twilight’s hackles rose as she heard a mad, chillingly familiar laugh. An alicorn of purest black clad in cruel armor hovered above the attacking host, her taunting voice booming out over the shielded city.

“Come out, Celestia! Or dost thou not care for the lives of thy subjects?! Let loose thy pet mongrels and let us have our fun, or I will carve a bloody swath through thy miserable city!”

Piro’s voice suddenly cut in. I thought you said you were going to start with us, not give a play-by-play of the entire war. We’re going to be here all day at this rate.

I’m trying to give her context and buildup to Nightmare Moon’s army, Blair shot back. I figured it'd help her to know what Horizon's guarding.

Okay, but don't turn this into one of your long-winded rigmaroles. Tell her about the Corruption magic and Libra, then move on.

Fine...

The city faded, and Twilight got the sensation of moving very fast through a long tunnel. Images, sounds, and sensations sped around her at a dizzying speed, all of them scenes of terrible battle and carnage. Stone buildings exploded in a hail of rubble and debris as they were struck by dark, chaotic lances of magical energy. The sound of hooves came from all around her as civilians fled for their lives, while swarms of armored ponies marched in the streets.

The memories slowed, coming to a stop in a ruined street. Twilight realized she was now in the city, but the golden barrier above was gone. Before her stood eleven stallions—four pegasi, three earth ponies, and four unicorns stood lined up in a single row. All of them were clad in unique sets of silver armor, which Twilight guessed was an indication of their roles in combat. Emblazoned on each of their breastplates was a crest: A dodecagon with a golden sun in the middle surrounded by with twelve colorful symbols. Twilight recognized three of the symbols as Blair’s, Piro’s, and Ace’s cutie marks.

Twilight’s skin tingled. Is this—

The Order of the Zodiac, yes. It’s not them I wanted to show you, though—it’s what they’re fighting.

There was a bloodcurdling screech. The Order of the Zodiac tensed as nine grotesque monstrosities emerged from the ruins, ambushing them and breaking their ranks. The Order let loose their own battle cries and squared off against the foul creatures, filling the air with the singing of steel, the gnashing of teeth and the splattering of blood.

Twilight’s eyes bulged as she watched the battle unfold. What in Celestia’s name are those things?!

A grim note accompanied Piro’s voice. Meet the Astral Guard. Luna discovered that she couldn’t use the Elements all at once, but she could activate them one at a time using the Element of Magic’s connection. She activated the Element of Loyalty before the start of the war, hoping that the Undying Loyalty power would give her an edge.

Undying Loyalty? Powers? Twilight had been slowly backing away from the fight, but she stopped as the implication hit her. It's not just my Element. Each one has unique respective powers associated with them, don’t they?

Correct, Blair said. And yes, we’re going to tell you what The Element of Magic’s powers are, but not now.

What?! Why not?

Because you’re a special snowflake, Piro sang in a mocking lilt, and we don’t want to distract you from our riveting tale. We want you to get your head around this little sordid affair before throwing anything else at you.

An immense beast the size of a house with bat-like wings and covered in black, glistening scales towered over one of the Order, a sky-blue pegasus with a thin, black-tipped spear and a crossbow on his forehoof. The monster bared its dripping fangs and lunged with a roar, but the pegasus tucked and rolled underneath him. Gritting his teeth, the pegasus plunged his spear deep into the monster’s belly, soaking him in a shower of crimson gore.

Twilight’s stomach rolled. Is that Tastar’s predecessor?

His name was Sagittarius, Blair said. He was a Dragoon, which is a soldier specialized in tactics used against larger foes. He was known for his extensive knowledge on anatomy, particularly on dragons.

Knew his way around the body of a pony, too.

Sagittarius was clad in light, spike-covered barding that covered him from nose to tail. His hooves were shod in armored boots that looked like wicked talons, and he wore a helmet in the shape of a dragon’s head. His eyes darted back and forth as he drove the spear deeper into his foe.

The monster howled and reared back, grasping at the mortal wound. Sagittarius tumbled away and readied his crossbow, which was armed with a black-tipped arrow. Once clear, he leapt high into the air and fired at the monster’s exposed throat with precision accuracy. There was a meaty thunk as the arrow pierced the monster’s arteries, then sunk deeper and punctured his windpipe. The monster gagged once and fell to the ground with a crash, his wounds weeping rivulets of blood. He shuddered on the ground for a few seconds before going still.

Twilight knew she ought to feel sickened, but her shock was dulled by her fascination of Sagittarius’ movements. His eyes had been always moving, not out of nervousness, but in analysis. She realized he’d been studying the most vulnerable points on the monster’s body, as well as his possible means of escape. To discover the most efficient manner of dispatching a foe in midst of the throes of battle was an impressive skill, and acting without hesitation was even more so.

Wow, Twilight murmured. He killed that thing in seconds!

No, he didn’t.

Are you kidding? Twilight motioned at the corpse, which Sagittarius had backed away from. He stabbed it in the gut and then shot it in the neck! How could—

The wounds on the corpse became enveloped in a shadowy mist. They swirled around in a spiral pattern, knitting flesh and muscle back together. Twilight watched in incredulous horror as the corpse twitched, then got back to its hooves, bellowing its deafening rage at Sagittarius.

How… Twilight choked.

The memory froze, and Blair’s tone was dark and resigned. Loyalty is a fluctuating Element that forms a symbiotic relationship with whatever pony, place or thing the Bearer directs their loyalty towards. Its strength is measured by the Bearer’s will, and becomes exponentially more potent if said feelings are reciprocated. Inspiration instills a fierce desire to push past one’s limits, accomplish goals as fast as possible, and tackle any challenge with fervor. Courage hardens one's resolve, and gives one the strength to stand up for their beliefs. Undying Loyalty turns the Bearer into a peerless paragon of their beliefs and ideals for a short time by dramatically increasing the Bearer’s strongest traits. In addition, it temporarily links the Bearer’s lifeforce with her followers, so they can keep death at bay in order to accomplish their goals.

What you want to gather from that is Undying Loyalty makes those who are loyal to the Bearer unkillable.

I just said that.

Along with a ton of unnecessary stuff, Piro said with a huffy sigh. You’re explaining this to a genius and I still feel the need to translate.

Heh.

Blair spoke a little louder. The point is that Luna didn’t know how much power she’d need to activate the Element of Loyalty through the Element of Magic’s connection, so she poured in as much as she could. The sudden, violent influx of power caused the Element of Loyalty to overload, and the effects of Undying Loyalty became… permanent.

Twilight’s chest went tight as she stared at the malformed, newly resurrected creature before her. No…

Luna’s dark, corrupted emotions were her strongest traits when she used the Element of Loyalty, Blair said. Undying Loyalty drew out those feelings to the utmost, which in turn tainted all the soldiers who were loyal to her, which is to say, half of the military. It twisted them even further when she turned into Nightmare Moon, and the end result was the foul creatures you see before you.

Twilight’s breathing became shallow. You mean this huge crazed beast, and all these other monsters, were once ponies serving under Princess Luna?!

And our comrades, Piro noted. Not any longer, though. They’re demons, Twilight. They know no remorse, mercy, or pity. All they want is to destroy and kill all they come into contact with. Most of them couldn’t even talk anymore, let alone formulate any kind of reason.

Isn’t there anything you could do?! You had to have tried something!

Not much we didn’t try, Piro said wryly. We captured one or two to see if we could reverse the effects, but nothing we did could overwrite Luna’s corruption. And believe me, we got creative.

Twilight didn’t want to admit it, but in a way it made sense. If there was a way to reverse the effects of Luna’s corruption in her soldiers, there could’ve been one to be use on the source. Twilight had felt the edge of Nightmare Moon’s corruption when she’d used the Elements, and she knew that it’d been too deep to be purified by anything less.

How’d you fight them? Twilight asked.

We couldn’t, Blair admitted. Not really, anyway. We could pierce their vitals, break their bones, chop off their limbs, blast them to pieces or crush them to pulp, but Nightmare Moon’s magic always reanimated them. The best we could do was disable them, and even that didn’t do much because they got brought back so fast. However, despite all of that, there was one pony who managed to find a way.

At the cost of his soul.

Blair's voice became strained. Not now, please.

Twilight was about to ask who, but then she took a second look at the number of the Order of the Zodiac. She only counted eleven. She thought back to the party, recalling the guard’s faces and colors of their coats, and it didn’t take her long to realize who was missing.

Twilight smirked. I never took you to be vain, Blair.

The memory blurred into a swirl of colors as the perspective shifted. Twilight sailed through shattered buildings and thick plumes of smoke as she passed through Old Canterlot. As she flew, she realized that the city seemed strangely empty. She’d seen a host of hundreds, maybe even a thousand strong outside the barrier in the earlier memory. If the Astral Guard had broken through, where was the rest of the army?

Twilight felt looked up and saw that she was heading for the castle. As she passed the gates, she noted that the walls were battered, worn, and stained with dark splotches. She made a beeline for a large, blackened rectangular tower that jutted up towards the sky, where dozens of grim-faced, armored guards stood in silent vigil. Earth ponies and unicorns guarded the base, and an entire squadron of pegasi circled the structure like vultures. At the top of the tower was a large, oval-shaped balcony.

Twilight flew straight past all the defenses and up to the balcony. As she neared, she realized that the balcony held a single occupant—a solid teal stallion in a silver hooded robe of flowing silk covered with violet glowing runes wrapped around his chest that pulsed like a heartbeat. The cloak was fastened with a brooch that bore the crest of the Order of the Zodiac, and a vest of chainmail could be seen under the robe. Hundreds of thin, swirling tendrils of frost surrounded the stallion like a frozen vortex that reached up high into the sky and disappeared into a round, violet portal.

This is my predecessor, Libra. He was the son of the Arch-Magus Justitia, whose studies and papers on the origin of magical theory led to her being given a very dangerous task by Princess Celestia. She was to study spells that had been declared forbidden, and see if there was any way they could be altered to be used safely, or in the very least, applied in a practical manner. Libra became interested his mother’s work as he got older, and after he graduated from school, assisted her with her work.

The son of Arch-Magus Justitia?! I’ve heard of her! She’s known for her papers on the Lifeforce spell! Twilight landed on the balcony, gaping at the stallion before her. Libra’s eyes were jammed shut, and his face was contorted with a grimace mixed with yearning. He jerked his head from side to side, taking his breath in great, ragged gasps as he shuddered under some kind of extreme strain.

Piro suddenly snapped. Yeah, and want to know who took that forbidden spell and used it as a weapon? Take a guess which stupid, selfish, idiotic foal violated his mother’s trust, ignored all the warnings, including the ones given to him by his best friend, and got himself addicted to Lifeforce knowing FULL WELL what the consequences would be?! I’ll give you a hint—it’s not Ace.

Twilight went rigid. She hadn’t even considered it because there hadn’t been a case in centuries, but now that she saw Libra, she realized it was a textbook case. Lifeforce addiction was incurable, insatiable, and uncontrollable. Those who broke the taboo couldn’t stay hidden for long, as their very presence was like a void that sucked away the warmth and life of everything they came into contact with. There was very little that could be done for such individuals, and the law stated very clearly what to do with them—sever off the perpetrator's horn, and then banish them from Equestria.

Are you purposely trying to freak her out?! Blair demanded. Or is your stupid grudge blinding you from realizing how she might react without hearing an explanation on how we have it under control?! I swear to Celestia, there’s no pleasing you! Libra apologized all throughout the war, I’ve apologized for the last twenty years, and—

—and neither of you ever understood, Piro spat. Your rationality is that Libra had to martyr himself for ‘the greater good,’ but we both know that’s a load of horseapples. He wanted to play hero, so he betrayed Scorpio and Justitia’s trust in the blink of an eye, didn’t even consider trying anything else and used his little I-win button. You defend it by saying it was the only thing that actually worked against Nightmare Moon’s soldiers, and while that did turn out to be true, the point you always conveniently leave out is we didn’t know that at the time. You could’ve killed me, all the soldiers and civilians in the city, your own mother, and you say you’d do it again if you had to?! What in Celestia’s name is wrong with you?!

Twilight was barely listening to them. She saw that Libra was standing in the center of some kind of rectangular array. The runes on the edges pulsed in time with Libra’s robe, and Twilight could see that the magic was how the frozen tendrils were staying in the vortex. The pegasi above were giving both the pillar and the portal a wide berth.

Blair.

I can’t belie—What is it, Twilight?

Twilight pursed her lips. You’ve shown no symptoms of Lifeforce addiction until two nights ago when you had that nightmare. I thought you were just rambling, but you mentioned something about Horizon breaking a seal. What did you mean?

Blair clicked his tongue. Twenty years ago, Princess Celestia put a powerful seal on me that completely numbed my mind to symptoms of Lifeforce addiction. It took her thirty-six hours to cast. That nightmare was actually an argument I had with Horizon, and he performed a… demonstration of sorts to remind me who’s in charge. I doubt he meant to, but the result of his actions was that Celestia’s spell was broken.

Twilight digested that for a moment. The most difficult and complicated spells she knew of took no more than twelve hours to cast. Lifeforce addiction was no joke, but it shouldn’t have taken the most powerful spellcaster in the world a day and a half to cast a single spell! The only reason it’d take that long is maybe some complication with him being an Echo, or less likely, that he’d fed his addiction that much.

Fortunately, we’re not all idiots, Piro said. I thought something like this might happen, so I continued Justitia's research and created a little sealing ritual of my own. It’s actually an advanced version of the Lifesealing Ritual Libra’s standing in right now. It’s not Celestia’s super spell, but it has other ways of keeping the addiction in check. I cast it on Blair right after he and Horizon had their little heart-to-heart, so you don’t need to worry about him going berserk and killing us all anytime soon.

Twilight looked up at the pillar. She could feel Libra’s magic stretching out and away to the edge of the city, where she could make out a swarm of ponies in dark armor just beyond the wall.

That’s a translocation portal. Libra used his Lifeforce addiction to repeatedly drain Nightmare Moon’s forces in order to keep them immobilized, didn’t he?

Yes.

Twilight felt herself being drawn through the memories again. She had a moment of vertigo as the world swept passed her, and she came to rest on a battlement atop the city wall. Beside her treating a wounded pony was Piro—Scorpio, Twilight corrected, clad in silver barding comprised of interlocking plates. A small sheathed dagger was strapped behind his neck, and a pair of saddlebags hung at his sides bulging with vials, bandages, gauze, splints, tourniquets, and various other medical instruments. A small set of crosses were emblazoned on the armor where his cutie mark would normally be.

Scorpio murmured something under his breath as he finished wrapping the pony’s bleeding shoulder, causing the gauze to glow with his magic. He motioned to a set of soldiers, who carried the pony away. As they did, Scorpio sighed and looked out beyond the wall.

“Foal. Celestia told him only to take out a third of the army. We shan’t even last the winter if he keeps disobeying orders.”

Twilight followed Scorpio’s gaze, and immediately fell to her knees. In the center of the battlefield was a violet portal, from which emanated countless icy tendrils that criss-crossed the flat grassy field like a spider's web. Caught in this web were hundreds of malformed soldiers, each of them completely wrapped up like flies as they lie helpless in Libra's vampiric embrace. A foul miasma blanketed the field which was attempting to break the soldier's free of the frigid grip, but more tendrils formed as soon as the old ones were ripped off. The air was eerily silent, the only sound coming from the snapping and crackling of Libra's magic as he continued his dark harvest.

Twilight could barely breathe as she beheld Libra's grim work. How many…

He immobilized half the army in this battle. The memory disappeared, sparing Twilight the grisly scene. Libra’s addiction got worse every time he indulged in it, so we couldn’t just have him suppress the entire army right at the start of the war. Celestia knew there’d come a time when he wouldn’t be able to control it anymore, but she wanted to hold out as long as possible. Problem was, Nightmare Moon knew about Libra's problem as well, so she repeatedly attacked with her forces to try and break him as soon as possible.

In every battle, Celestia had to carefully meter out how many of Nightmare Moon's soldiers Libra would suppress, and how many the army would fight. However, there was also the issue of the Astral Guard. They were stronger than the rest of the soldiers, so much so that it would’ve taken all of Libra’s concentration to suppress them, and that would’ve let the rest of the army run free.

That’s where the others and I came in, Piro said smugly. Libra and the rest of the army fought the demonic soldiers, the Order of the Zodiac held off the Astral Guard, and Celestia crossed blades with Nightmare Moon herself. Our monarchs were evenly matched, but Nightmare Moon was a psychopath, not a strategist. She'd eventually lose herself to her rage, try to overwhelm Celestia with force, and Celestia would capitalize on her sloppy fighting and blast her and her soldiers away. Lather, rinse and repeat for two years.

So there was a time limit, Twilight observed. Celestia would lose more of her army as time went on, but Libra could compensate for that up to a certain point. The war had to have ended before he couldn’t control himself anymore, or else he'd turn and start feeding on Celestia's soldiers.

Twilight had expected to be shown another memory, but instead there was darkness and silence.

Well? Twilight asked. How’d it end?

Blair’s voice was shaky. I…I c-can’t show you.

Can’t show me? Twilight protested. How—

He means he’s literally unable to, Piro said. He’s repressed the memories of that battle. You’d have a better time interviewing a rock about it.

Twilight felt a chill. It was one thing to be told about the war or shown it from the view of a spectator, but seeing that there were still lasting psychological effects put everything on an entirely new level of realism.

Do you remember it, Piro?

…yeah.

Can you show me?

Not while Blair’s here, Piro said with a note of sympathy. Sorry, but it’ll have to wait for another time.

Twilight crossed her forehooves and pouted as she floated in the ether. She knew she couldn’t identify with what they’d gone through, as the worst thing that’d happened to her was fighting Nightmare Moon with her friends, but that battle had to have been a monumental affair, and she wanted to see it.

Piro was quiet, but firm. You need to understand, Twilight. I may needle Blair with insults and guilt trips, but showing that battle with him here would be like pulling teeth, and I’m not that kind of doctor.

Twilight sighed. I guess it can wait for now. Could you at least give me an overview though?

That I can do. The darkness lightened, but remained formless and nondescript. It’s not so different from the legends, really. We went on the offensive, and attacked Nightmare Moon’s fortress in the Hollow Shades. Celestia distracted Nightmare Moon, and two of our Order, Taurus and Aquarius, snuck into the fortress and stole back the Elements of Harmony. We got them to Celestia, and she used the three she could control to banish Nightmare Moon to her heavenly charge.

It wasn’t over, though. Blair was much calmer now that the matter of the battle had been dropped. Even with Nightmare Moon gone, there was still the matter of her troops. Celestia regretted it, but there was nothing she could do for them until Nightmare Moon’s release, and that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

So she created an inter-dimensional rug and swept them under it, Piro said with an ugly laugh. Not exactly the greatest way to deal with any problem, much less one that causes an entire host of innocent soldiers to suffer, but there wasn’t much else she could’ve done.

Inter-dimensional rug?

The darkness melted. You'll know it by it's actual name—Tartarus.

Twilight stood on flat, nondescript plane of blood-red stone that stretched out as far as the eye could see. The sky was a dull, depressing gray, and the musty, thick air pressed on her lungs as she fought for each breath. Before her was a hole in the ground, thirty feet in diameter and surrounded by six tall, ornate pillars emblazoned with fiery runes. Sealing the hole was a grid comprised six magical multicolored lines of energy that met in the center, and engraved on the floor was a glowing Symbol that gave off an audible hum.

This is… by the Sun and Moon. I never imagined that Tartarus was—

Twilight’s heart skipped a beat as she recognized the two Symbols closest to her. She looked over and saw four nondescript glowing blobs surrounding the circle.

Are these the Symbols of the Elements?!

Maaaaaybe.

You know them? Twilight ran around the hole to see what the other three were, but the memory faded and the Symbols blurred out as she came into eyeshot. She rounded on the two Echoes in her mind. You know them! Tell me what they are!

I’ll make you a deal Twilight, Blair said coolly. Princess Celestia wants us to help you master your powers. I don’t know why she can’t do it herself, but I trust she has a good reason. Our orders are to not interfere in your daily activities, so we can’t stop you if you decide to go to her for answers.

I think you can see where we’re going with this, Piro said.

Of course I see. Twilight stamped a hoof. You want to use the Symbols as leverage to keep me from going to the Princess. This isn’t fair! You know how much this means to me!

And following orders means everything to us, Piro replied.

Twilight glowered. What happened to ‘keeping secrets isn’t your wont?!’

The knight’s code dictates that we must both love and fear the Sun Goddess. Blair’s voice was low with reverence. Her will is the sword that fights for the good of all. Her doctrines are the shield that defends the weak and bereft. The word of Princess Celestia is law, and her knowledge and authority must be followed without hesitation or question.

Twilight squinted at the blurred out Symbols, trying to discern their shape. This isn’t what you promised. You said you’d show me anything I wanted!

We said we’d show you everything eventually, Piro said with a sly note. And we will, provided you’re willing to work with us.

This can be very easy for you Twilight, Blair said in a soft, coaxing tone. You won’t have to run around all of Equestria for months, searching through mountains of archives and chasing after dead ends. You won’t have to spend countless sleepless nights bouncing around on uncomfortable trains and stressing over navigating unknown cities. All you have to do is let us train you for a few weeks, and you’ll have your finished thesis, your degree, and you’ll be back in Ponyville with your friends before you know it.

Twilight flattened her ears. You think you’ve got me right where you want me, don’t you?

Piro chuckled. Don’t we? Come now, melodrama doesn't suit you. You could deny our offer, but then you’d be right back at square one, wondering which of the dozens of libraries in Whinnyapolis to start digging through. You want to finish your thesis as soon as possible, and we have what you need. All we ask if that you give us something in return.

Twilight didn’t want to do this. Blair and Piro were withholding information and using it to serve their own ends. She didn’t care that they were just following orders or that they were offering exactly what she’d wished for, the very principle of being ordered around and used made her blood boil. It was almost enough to make her say no just out of spite, but then none of them would get what they wanted. Twilight had always strove to be self-sufficient and prided herself on figuring out things on her own, but that same stubbornness prevented her from asking for help or admitting she was wrong. She’d lost count of the amount of times it’d overcomplicated her life as a result, and despite all the lessons and examples, she still had a tough time with it.

Twilight almost gagged as she swallowed the sour taste in her mouth. It stuck in her throat like a lump, but she managed to get it down.

I’ll agree.

Both Blair and Piro gave an audible sigh of relief.

I was worried that was going to be harder.

Don’t question it, Piro said quickly. Tell you what Twilight, since you didn’t put up much of a fuss, we’ll show you one of the Symbols right now.

The Symbol that Twilight had been examining came into focus. It was an ovular teardrop resting upon a triangle, bisected neatly down the middle by a single straight line.

That’s the Symbol of Laughter, Piro said. I always did like that one.

Twilight committed the image to memory, and took a quick glance back at the other three Symbols before grinding her teeth and looking away.

Let’s move on.

Twilight felt herself being pulled away, and a moment later she stood in the ruins of a throne room. The stone walls were blasted and crumbling away, and the windows were shattered with their tattered curtains blowing in the wind. The ceiling was completely gone, exposing the room to the sky and elements above. In the center of this room was a six-sided pedestal with six spherical rocks resting in six depressions.

After creating Tartarus, Princess Celestia granted a boon to each member of the Order of the Zodiac in recognition for their services. Libra was the last to receive his.

A set of thrones were on the back wall, one gold-trimmed with a symbol of the sun, the other velvet-lined with a painting of the moon. Princess Celestia sat in the first of these thrones holding an audience with Libra and Scorpio. Libra wore the same silver robe as before, except now it was stained with blood, dirt, and grime. His chainmail could be seen through rips in the garment, and his right foreleg was in a splint. Libra's hood was drawn and completely concealed his face. Scorpio stood next to him. He wore a pair of metal prosthetics attached to both his right legs at the knee, but he otherwise looked unharmed.

What happened to them?!

Piro snorted. You don’t live through a two-year war without some scars, both mental and physical. Unless your name is Aquarius, in which case you have the devil’s own luck.

Celestia looked down at the two stallions, focusing on Libra haunted, distant eyes. “Thou art the last of thine order to come before me. What dost thou desire, Libra? I assume thou wishest to be forgiven for breaking the Lifeforce taboo?”

Libra’s voice was haggard as it floated out from the hood, his breath accompanied by a freezing mist. “Many regrets I carry, but my actions on that fateful night are not among them. I wish for my boon to be of a different nature.”

Scorpio fidgeted, but said nothing.

“Then let it not be thy boon, but a favor to a friend.” Celestia's mouth twisted. “Say but the word, and I will relieve thee of thy sins. Perhaps I might even find a way to numb thy mind to the damning call. Thou art a hero and comrade-in-arms, Libra. I wish not to see thee be condemned to a life of suffering.“

“Suffering,” Libra murmured. “Thou knowest the meaning of that word better than I. Whether it be in measured in seconds or years, my life will one day fade, my body decay, my bones wither to dust and become scattered to the winds to rejoin the planet and start the cycle anew… but thou wilt endure. There is nothing that can be done for a wound that never closes, an ache that never ceases to throb, or the life that can never be spent. No, Princess Celestia, I have not suffered, for when I look upon thee with these eyes, the truth becomes painfully clear.”

Twilight let out a sharp, hissing gasp as Libra reached up and removed his hood. His horn was gone, left with nothing but a thick bandage caked with dried blood. The skin around his eyes was pale and mottled, interrupted by a pair of jagged scars that stretched the span of his temples. Across the ruined eye sockets was a thin strip of white cloth covered in deep, shimmering violet runes.

Twilight put a hoof to her mouth. He’s—

—hornless and blind? Yeah. Understand now why Blair can't remember the last battle?

“Thou art suffering incarnate,” Libra said. “Thou hast suffered more than every other pony in this world, and will continue to suffer long after everypony alive today is dead. Thou hast done well in hiding thy pain from thy subjects, but one cursed soul shall always know another. Lifestealer I may be, but Eternal art thou, and if my tears still flowed, I would weep for thy sake.”

Celestia closed her eyes. “So that is why thou wouldst deny thyself solace and instead turn thyself into a pariah?”

“Nay.” Libra gingerly adjusted the white cloth. “I deny sealing because the curse is the only manner of sight left to me, and I am loath to spend my life in darkness. As for my banishment, I have broken the law many times in using the Lifeforce spell, and I must be punished for my crimes.”

Celestia shook her head. "Tis true that justice be as blind as thee, and the law doth state the penalty for thine actions without err, but I will speak plainly—thou dost not deserve this.”

“Thou couldst always command me to stay.”

“And so would begin my descent into tyranny.” Celestia sighed. “If it is thy wish to not use thy boon to exonerate thyself, and instead wish to spend thy life in exile, I will not stop thee.”

“Thou hast my thanks, for what it is worth,” Libra cleared his throat. “Now then, on to matter of my boon.”

“Name it.”

“Nightmare Moon is gone, sealed away by the Elements,” Libra began. “Her prison is strong, but unlike thou, it will not last forever. Eventually, there shall come a time where she will walk these lands again.”

Celestia eyes flickered to the second throne beside her. “Unfortunately.”

“There have been many close battles.” Libra sat on his haunches to relieve his splinted leg. “Forgive my ego, Highness, but many a time has there been where the day has only been won due to the efforts and abilities of my comrades and I. The Astral Guard committed terrible atrocities, but countless more would they have performed had we not been there to stop them.”

“The Order of the Zodiac shan’t soon be forgotten, Libra.” Celestia said earnestly. “Thou hast my word on that.”

Liar.

Quiet, Piro.

“Remembrance does not concern me,” Libra replied. “My worries lie with those who have been inadvertently cursed with immortality. They shall live as long as their mistress, and when she is released, she will try to release them as well. I fear my comrades and I will be long gone at that time, Highness, and if the worst comes to pass and Nightmare Moon catches wind of Tartarus, what shalt thou do?”

Celestia lowered her head. “Thy words hold the ring of truth. It is doubtful I shall have soldiers equivalent to thine order at that time. However, even though thou knowest the truth of immortality and only ask this out of a desire to serve, it is not something I can grant.”

“Do not misunderstand.” Libra set his jaw. “I care nothing for the time in between, or after. All I desire is to be there when Nightmare Moon returns, so that I may aid thee in protecting our country once more.”

“A most interesting proposal,” Celestia admitted. “One I would welcome, but if not through immortality, how would such a feat be achieved?”

Libra looked at Scorpio, who produced a piece of parchment from his bags and hovered it over to Celestia.

“Dost thou remember the task thou gavest my mother before the war?" Libra asked.

“To study forbidden magic.” Celestia took the parchment and examined it. “What of it?”

Libra couldn’t see Celestia’s expression as she read his request, but he did hear her sharp intake of breath. He lowered his chin with a clever grin.

“Tell me Majesty, in thy long years, hast thou had any experience with the creation of Echoes?”

Chapter 19: Twelve Knights and a Child

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Chapter 19:

Twelve Knights and a Child

“So it was your idea,” Twilight said.

Blair and Piro sat side by side again on one of the seats while Twilight had gone back to sit beside Ace. The Truesight spell had faded, and the three Echoes looked like normal stallions again in Twilight’s faint, glimmering eyes. Blair still wasn’t fully cured of his hangover, and going over the events that were on the fringe of his repressed memories had given him a headache. They’d decided to take a break, and the four of them now sipped on cups of cider they’d acquired from a passing food cart.

“Libra’s,” Blair corrected. He was stirring his cider with a small stick of willow bark. “He’d already proposed the idea to the Order, and after some gentle coaxing, everypony agreed to it.”

“Gentle coaxing my flank.” Ace looked at Piro. “Scorpio and Libra argued for days. I thought for sure he wasn’t going to do it.”

Twilight looked at Piro as well, who was staring into his mug. “Why?”

Piro snorted. “That sightless buffoon was suffering from mental trauma. His wounds hadn’t even healed yet, and there he was talking about using more forbidden magic to make a valiant, time-traveling clone while he fumbled around in the wilderness. Libra kept rambling about honor and selfless duty, but masochism never struck me as an honorable trait. Unfortunately, Scorpio had already used his boon on those metal legs you saw, so he couldn’t do anything to stop this little escapade. What it came down to was that Libra’s clone was gonna need a foalsitter, and Scorpio had the most experience, so I got pigeonholed into the job.”

Twilight wasn’t known for her ability to read ponies, but even she could see through Piro’s facade. His voice and words were harsh, but his eyes were soft and wavering. Scorpio had watched his best friend damn himself to suffering and exile, and he'd blamed himself for not being able to prevent it. However, despite his frustration and anger, Scorpio had displayed an amazing level of dedication by staying at Libra’s side, doing everything he could without hesitation, even fighting tooth and hoof to prevent him from leaving. It was true that Piro was a bitter cynic that complained and made subtle jabs all the time, but both his and Scorpio’s actions betrayed their true feelings, and Twilight had to give him credit for that.

Twilight sipped at her mug. “Did you ever get to meet your predecessors?”

Blair looked out the window with a distant gaze. “Only briefly.”

Twilight leaned forward. “What was it like?”

Ace chuckled. “Awkward.”

“How so?”

Piro shrugged. “What do you say to yourself? We couldn’t even do the ‘who’s the original’ gag because we Echoes were residing in magical suits of armor, and it was pretty obvious who was who. I’m sure we all could’ve had a beautiful, heartfelt friendship, but we barely had time to say goodbye before Celestia zapped us away.”

Twilight frowned. “Zapped you?”

Blair finished the rest of his cider. “My headache’s gone down. You ready to continue?”

Twilight looked at her reflection in her own half-finished drink. “One thing, real quick.”

“Sure.”

The power of the Element of Magic glittered back at Twilight. “Not that I mind having this heightened sense of clarity and understanding, but the glowing eyes are kinda creepy. How do I turn it off?”

All three guards laughed, and Blair gave Twilight a brief overview on how to control her Element and what activated it. Twilight searched within herself, located the Element of Magic, and, after some experimentation, figured out how to cancel its effects.

Twilight felt the odd sensation of her thought processes dimming along with the glowing light in her core. “That wasn’t so hard.”

Blair eyed her curiously. “Feel okay?”

Twilight got to her hooves and stretched. “A little stiff from sitting, but fine otherwise. I assume you’re going to tell me about your host next?”

Piro moved over to make room for her. “Yes, but we’ll warn you right now these next memories are graphic.”

Twilight stopped in mid-stretch. “More graphic than watching your predecessors hack, slash, and siphon their way through a war?”

“Fighting off bloodthirsty monsters in self-defense is one thing.” The edge of Ace’s mouth twitched. “Mutilating an innocent child without provocation is quite another.”

Twilight looked between her guards. All three of them wore dark expressions of veiled fury. She felt her gorge rise as Ace’s emphasis struck a chord of realization.

“Innocence…”

‘Constitution of Civil Magical Conduct and Application, Article One, Section Two,’ Blair quoted. “’The practice of using children as magical conduits is unethical, detrimental to the future propagation of a species, and shall not be observed under any circumstance.’”

Twilight felt sick. It was one of the first things Celestia told her when they’d started talking about forbidden magical theory. The innocence of a child was the purest conductor of magic, allowing for a full conversion with no loss of energy. During the Era of Discord, children were used to channel powerful war spells, or, even worse, offered up as sacrifices to pagan gods. In the present day, children were held sacred. The act of using them in any form of magical experimentation was abhorrently barbaric, and was condemned by every civil race on the planet. Even most of the savage ones agreed on that.

Piro watched as Twilight turned a faint shade of green. “Are you sure you want to see this?”

Twilight swallowed hard. “I… I need to know. I said... I wanted to see everything... and I m-meant it.”

Blair gestured to the spot between himself and Piro. “Then steady your heart, and open your mind.”

Twilight sat back in between Piro and Blair. They both put their hooves on her shoulders, and Twilight allowed their hot and cold presences to wrap back around her mind. She exhaled out her nose, and let their memories carry her away once more.

Blair’s bodiless voice accompanied Twilight’s descent into the sea of thoughts. Libra’s wish was for us to be present and ready to fight whenever Nightmare Moon was freed from her prison. It was decided that the best way to do this was to place ourselves into stasis, and become linked to the magic that bound Nightmare Moon. That way, whenever her prison was disturbed, we'd be awakened and called down to aid Her Majesty.

Where did you sleep? Twilight asked.

In the heavens.

The darkness spread outward, removing the barriers in Twilight's mind. She got a sense of insignificance as she hovered amongst an infinite plane of nothingness.

Celestia spread out our essences and bound us to separate clusters of stars across the sky. For one thousand years we slumbered undisturbed, watching over the planet from on high.

It sounds so poetic when you put it that way, Piro teased.

Twilight felt herself slipping into a stupor, a lethargy beyond sleep that was like a current pulling her beneath the waves. She felt calm and at peace as centuries passed like seconds.

Then, the inky void was disturbed by a single pinprick of light, growing in size and approaching Twilight with alarming speed.

We thought that we'd wake to Princess Celestia welcoming us into a new era to fight for the ponies of the future.

The darkness fled away as the light sped towards Twilight. She had only a second to wonder what it was before it lanced her in the gut, sending a pulse of energy through her body that jolted her rudely awake and made her hair stand on end.

We thought that our creation would allow us to transcend time and prevent a horror from being unleashed upon the world.

Twilight felt a yank around her navel, and she rocketed forward as if pulled by a lasso. Lights flashed in her peripheral vision as she hurtled through space, a single blue dot becoming visible in the endless black.

We thought we could trust Celestia to keep our existence a secret, and that we'd only be called down in a time of great need.

Twilight blinked, and she was now racing down through the atmosphere at a speed beyond reckoning. Clouds whizzed past her, and a freezing wind whipped past her face. She caught a brief glimpse of a two-story stone mansion with a glass atrium before she crashed straight through the ceiling and her world was filled with cold, gray stone.

That... wasn’t what happened.

There was a burst of searing light, followed by a deafening blast. The world was a featureless white before defining into a horrific scene of grisly death. Twilight hovered in a stone observatory with a shattered glass ceiling and eleven charred corpses littered about the room. Around and above her were twelve colorful masses of energy reminiscent to an aurora, and the sharp tang of ozone hung heavy in the air. The walls were littered with hundreds of spidery cracks, and upon the floor was an immense, rune-lined, dodecagon array lined with twelve colorful symbols. In the center of the array was a bright, golden sun that gleamed in the dim torchlight. It was an icy winter night, and the howling of the frigid wind through the atrium's gaping hole was the only sound that pierced the silence.

Celestia's always been very cautious, Blair explained. She'd feared that somepony might find a way to free Nightmare Moon without triggering our release, so she created a ritual to call us down manually if that came to pass.

A backup plan for a backup plan, Piro muttered. Talk about redundant.

The runes on the array pulsed, and Twilight felt like she was being pulled down by a magnet. The twelve colored disturbances split up, each of them coming down to merge with one of the Symbols of the array. The Symbols flared, and with a sound like rushing wind, a dozen empty suits of armor appeared out of thin air. A thick, colored plasma seeped up from the Symbols, flowing into the suits of armor and fully saturating them. The magic in the air subsided, and the light of the array flickered and died. The suits of armor were motionless for a moment before one of them, clad in a silver hooded robe, raised his chin and spoke in a metallic baritone.

“Is it time, Majesty? Has Nightmare Moon been free—”

Blair's voice died in his throat as he and the other Echoes took in their grisly surroundings, and everypony spoke at once.

“Where are we?!”

“What is this magic we stand upon?”

“Where is the Princess? Is she not here?!”

“These ponies are scorched beyond all hope! What has happened here?!”

“Did we do this?!”

“Be this some kind of cruel jest?”

“How long have we been gone?”

“Have we been betrayed?!”

“Here! One of them still lives!”

“These wounds are grave... Scorpio? Scorpio! Art thou here?!”

“Doubtful,” replied a suit of armor containing bright-red plasma. Piro went over to the far corner of the room, where Megnii and Norric huddled around the crumpled form of a silver unicorn mare. The blood-smeared wall above her dripped down at a steady pace to join a spreading sanguine pool. Three of the mare's legs were bent at odd angles, and her eyes fluttered as her breaths came in quick, ragged gasps.

Piro clucked his tongue as he took in the mare's condition. He knelt down beside her and uttered a string of complex syllables.

The mare's breathing slowed, and her cloudy eyes opened. She focused on the possessed suits of armor around her with a mixture of apprehension and wonder.

“What... are... you?”

“The ghosts of thy ancestors,” Piro said in a soothing whisper. He reached up and stroked the dying mare's mane. “Fret not child, thou shalt not feel any more pain.”

The mare's lips parted as she saw the blackened remains strewn about the room. “Zemblani... did she know? Why would... she lie? Why—”

The mare's gaze gained a sudden mania. She grabbed Piro with her one good leg and pulled him close.

“My sons! Are they safe?! She took them! She—”

The mare retched and coughed, staining both her coat and Piro with crimson. He gently took her hoof in his and held it.

“What is thy name?”

“Lucky... Star,” the mare choked. Her fit ceased, and her chin drooped down to rest on her chest. “Please... whatever you are... stop Zemblani... she's mad... my sons...”

“Where are they?” Norric asked.

“Gate,” Lucky Star mumbled. “Always muttering... about a Gate... so tired...”

“Rest now,” Piro murmured. “Thy journey is at an end.”

“Find them.” Lucky Star closed her eyes for the last time. “Horizon... and...”

Tears streamed down Twilight's face as she watched the passing of Lucky Star. She tried to avert her eyes from the corpse, but found that she couldn't. Ace’s words carried new weight as the confrontation with mortality hit her like a freight train. Watching the death of a monster was one thing, as she couldn't empathize with such a foreign creature, but this? This was a mare not much older than her, and she'd died in the hooves of a stranger. There were now going to be children who would grow up without a mother, parents who would mourn a daughter, and ponies who'd lost a friend.

The memory froze and dimmed out as Blair and Piro noticed Twilight's reaction. You alright?

Twilight sniffled, but found her voice as the darkness of her mind returned. I'll admit... I w-wasn't prepared for that, but d-don't stop. I just got caught off-g-guard, and I can get used to... t-that.

Piro's voice held a rare level of sincerity, but his words were all the more powerful for it. The flame of life is a hallowed treasure, valued and cherished by all on the deepest of levels. Seeing it snuffed out isn't something you ever get used to, even if you've seen it as many times as we have. There's nothing wrong with being upset over the death of another sentient being, Twilight, and having such feelings does NOT make you weak.

Twilight wiped her eyes, staring at the matted fur on her arm. What does it make me?

Piro's reply was immediate, clear, and earnest. Alive.

Twilight hung her head. How'd you—your predecessors, I mean—go through two years of this?

It was Blair who spoke first. There's no one answer to that, but for most of us, we found something that we wanted to protect. A pony, a location, a belief, a way of life... we latched onto that one thing, made it our entire world, and never let it go. I hope you never have to go through the hell that is war, but if you do, you'll find you'll do whatever’s necessary to keep that one thing from harm.

Even if it means taking another life.

Twilight knew that the truth was rarely pretty. One had to look no farther than the annals of history to realize that, but she still considered the pursuit of knowledge to be one of the highest goals that a pony could aspire to. Those who didn't know the mistakes of the past were doomed to repeat them, and the adventures with her friends had taught Twilight how different it was to experience things firsthoof rather than reading out of a textbook.

Twilight took a slow, deep breath, and looked away from the blurred out image of Lucky Star. Keep going, please.

The memory resumed. Piro gently sent down Lucky Star's hoof and stepped away from her corpse, standing still for a moment before whirling viciously on Blair.“Is this what thou wished for?!”

“What?!” Blair gestured to the carnage around them. “Thou wouldst blame ME for this?! How could I have known—”

“Exactly!” Piro stormed over, standing only inches away from Blair's face. “Thou hast NEVER considered the consequences of thy actions! Look around thee, Libra, take a good look at what thy quest for glory has wrought! Wilt thou bathe in oceans of blood before thy thirst is slaked?! Perhaps thou wouldst like to find more forbidden magic to see if thou canst destroy entire countries in one fell swoop!”

“How dare thee,” Blair breathed. “Thou hast the gall to claim I chase after battle and death?! I have sacrificed everything in the name of protecting our country, and thou thinkest I am some kind of libertine pleasuremonger?! Truly, thy idiocy knows no bounds!”

“Enough, both of thee!” Ace shouted.

Blair and Piro were grabbed and separated by the other members of the Order, taken to separate corners of the room. Ace stayed in the middle, addressing both of them in turn with a withering glare. “If it pleases you to squabble like an old married couple, do so when we are not about to have company.”

Both of them ceased their struggling. “Company?” Piro asked.

Ace shook his head. “Thou truly art consumed by rage if thou canst not feel the gathering magic. Swallow thy bitterness and resentment. Her Majesty comes.”

A circle of warm, golden light appeared in the center of the room, parting the very air around it. The silhouette of an alicorn appeared, gaining shape and definition into the form of Princess Celestia. The Order of the Zodiac went down one knee in the presence of their immortal leader.

Celestia gasped as she took in the ghostly Echoes, then the charred bodies around the room.

“No...”

“Your Majesty,” Piro said in greeting, “Forgive my breach of conduct, but I fear Tartarus is in peril.”

“Scorpio,” Celestia said dimly, looking at each member of the Order in turn. “Libra, Cancer, Aquarius, all of y—wait, Tartarus? What peril?”

Piro gestured to the body of Lucky Star. “This one still lived when we woke. She mentioned a Gate, and somepony by the name of Zemblani.”

Celestia's face turned a sickly gray. She didn't question or debate Piro's claim, she just stepped back, lowered her horn, and created a dark, red portal large enough for her to step through.

Celestia motioned at the portal. “All of you, come with me!”

The Order of the Zodiac followed Princess Celestia into the glowing opening without hesitation, leaving the bodies and broken building behind.

Twilight sucked on her teeth as the memory faded to black. Zemblani... I know that name. You couldn't possibly mean Arch-Magus Zemblani?

Piro's voice developed an edge. The one and only.

A portion of the darkness broke away, swirling and coalescing into the form of a mare. Her face and frame were emaciated, her coat was a deathly pale shade of blue with patches of gray, and her mane and tail were a faded white. Her lime-green eyes held a unbalanced glint as her face curled up into a twisted smile, and her cutie mark was a circle filled with a black and white spiral pattern.

Blair resumed his narrative. Zemblani was a scholar who was credited with several discoveries on—

—I've heard of her, Twilight cut in. She slowly circled around the image of Zemblani. She was a powerful Conjurer who wrote several papers and made over a dozen major magical breakthroughs, but every single one of them led to misfortune and unhappiness for her. She didn't do anything wrong per se, but everything she did inadvertently alienated her further and further from the magical community, so she finally turned her back on her colleagues and became a recluse. Her string of bad luck is something of a long-standing joke amongst Magi, so much so that if anypony makes any kind of unfortunate discovery on accident, it's called 'pulling a Zemblani.'

Twilight expected either of the Echoes to be amused at the phrase. She'd always found it funny at least, but both of the Echoes remained oddly silent, so she let it pass.

What does she have to do with all of this?

She's the one responsible for the pony barbeque. Piro said darkly. Among other things.

Twilight ceased her circling. What?!

She discovered the Zodiac Ritual while snooping around in the Millennial Archives, and duped a bunch of researchers into performing it for her. Not only that, she also tried to free all the demonic soldiers from Tartarus at the same time.

Twilight shied away from the image of the madmare. Every Arcana student thought that Zemblani was just a bungler of an Arch-Magus who'd let her failures get to her. To hear now that this same mare was a sociopath responsible for killing over a dozen ponies and trying to unleash a host of demons upon the world?

Twilight knew that the image of Zemblani wasn't real, but it felt realistic enough that her skin prickled from just being near it. Why would she do such a thing?

We don't know, Blair admitted. Maybe she became bitter and resentful due to being repeatedly shunned by her peers. Perhaps she held a long-nursed grudge for Princess Celestia or even Equestria as a whole as a result of her failures, or it could've just been she was insane from the start. Regardless of the reason, at some point, Zemblani came under the employ of an individual who had knowledge of ancient history and the Elements of Harmony. Zemblani then used her accreditation to look in the Millennial Archives, and stumbled upon a hidden section made by Princess Celestia containing information about the War of the Sun and Moon, Nightmare Moon, Tartarus, and the Zodiac Ritual.

Zemblani told the researchers that the Ritual was a powerful scrying spell that could be used to read the stars and predict the future. Piro gave a deep, slow sigh. What she didn't tell them was that the Ritual needed stronger wards than the ones they'd put in place. When they performed the spell, the magic surged up into the heavens, yanked us out of the stars, and came surging back down into the array. The velocity was too much for the wards to contain, and when the power all expelled outward, it destroyed the building and turned the researchers into charcoal briquettes.

We doubt that Zemblani knew what the Zodiac Ritual actually did, Blair said. It's more likely she was just using it as a means to free Nightmare Moon, and sabotaged the instructions for her researchers so she wouldn't have any loose ends.

The Zodiac Ritual was only supposed to be used in the event that Nightmare Moon had already been freed, Piro said with an exasperated note. Tearing us down from the stars while we were still linked to her prison caused it to weaken, and ultimately fail twenty years later. You know what happened after that.

Twilight nodded. I didn't think there was a technical explanation to how Nightmare Moon got free. I thought it was just some kind of dictation given out by the Elements themselves. That's what the prophecy states, after all.

All things have a way in which they come to pass, Blair said. Whether it be fate or left to chance, everything occurs according to the laws that govern our world. The prophecy of Nightmare Moon's escape was known by Princess Celestia, but nopony anticipated that those events would be set in motion twenty years early.

That's the annoying thing about prophecies. Piro spoke in a sarcastic deadpan. 'Something's going to happen, not sure when, not sure how, but it's gonna happen, and there's nothing you can do about it.' Heck, your efforts to stop it might actually help facilitate it! Kinda makes you question the validity of free will, doesn't it?

Twilight hadn't thought of it that way. She agreed with Piro that prophecies could be frustrating, especially the ones that foretold of unpleasant things coming to pass. The theory of 'destiny' put a lot of very serious things into question, such as individuality, free thought, and even the structure of time itself. It'd been something she'd questioned every now and then, as some things in her life had seemed to work out in such a way that it had to be more than sheer coincidence, but to question it as anything else was to go down a road that led to some very ridiculous assumptions.

After all, if their lives weren't dictated by their own individual thoughts, choices and ideas, then what were they governed by?

Twilight shook her head. I think discussing the authenticity of existentialism is getting a bit off-topic. Zemblani was a Conjurer, so she'd be able to create a skeleton key to get into Tartarus, and she took Lucky Star's sons with her, correct?

Yes.

Twilight knew she wasn't going to like the answer to this next question, but it was either ask it, or have it distract her while she watched the memory.

How old were her sons?

Piro clicked his teeth. Two, and four.

Twilight cringed. This isn't going to be pretty, is it?

The world turned red in response. Twilight was once more on an endless plane of bloody stone that exuded malevolence and spite. The oppressive air pushed down on her, weighing her down and sapping her energy. The sky was blank, and the menacing Gate of Tartarus stood before her.

The Gate had seen some changes since Twilight's last visit. Most noticeable was a foul, dark mist that seeped up from the prismatic grid and hung heavily on the ground. Drawn around the thirty-foot hole was the most complicated array Twilight had ever seen—spidery, complex runes covered every inch of a polygon that hummed with chaotic power, and multicolored lines were drawn around to intersect and surround each of the Symbols of the Elements, half of which were still blurred out. Other Symbols were drawn in the corners of the array, shielded with intricate wards. Twilight squinted, and recognized the new Symbols as the ones for two advanced barrier spells—a Prism Veil, and a Drain Sphere.

There was a flicker of movement on the ground, and Twilight saw two young colts on the edge of the array in a protective glowing dome, bound, gagged and unconscious. The younger was a silver unicorn with a navy blue mane. His face was peaceful as he lay comatose on the ground. The older was a dark gray earth pony, also with a blue mane but of a lighter hue. His face was twisted in a scowl as he twitched in his sleep.

Zemblani stood before the Gate beside the menacing stone pillars, wearing a faded blue cloak and the brimmed, pointed hat of an Arch-Magus. She was talking to herself, her haughty, flat tenor hanging the motionless silence.

“All is in place, Master.”

A cruel, empty voice responded, stabbing into Twilight's ears like a knife.“Waste no more time. Use the younger one, he is more pure.”

'Master'?

Shh, Piro said. Just watch for now.

Zemblani roughly grabbed Horizon in her magic, pulled him out of the protective dome and hovered his limp form out and above the Gate of Tartarus. She stepped forward to the edge of the array, lowering her head and touching it with her horn. The lines and symbols flared to life, connecting and spearing together to form an intricate web of seething magic. Zemblani's low chanting was lost to the audible hum, and sparks of energy flew out at random intervals, being redirected and contained by the wards. The air around Horizon coalesced into shapes—first a cylinder, then a triangular prism. Then back to the cylinder, then the prism again. The two shapes flickered back and forth, going faster and faster as they came into being, finally going so fast that they were indiscernible from each other.

“Stop!”

Princess Celestia appeared out of a nearby portal with the Order of the Zodiac close behind. Zemblani cracked open an eye, and her mouth twisted in a scowl at the sight of her unwelcome guests. She stumbled out her last syllables in a hurried rush, and there was sharp crack like a crystal hitting rock. Horizon's barrier morphed into a multifaceted, opaque sphere, and Zemblani's expression reversed into a dark, victorious smirk.

“Too late.”

Zemblani released her telekinetic hold, and in an instant that was both a second and an eternity, Horizon fell into the Gate of Tartarus.

There was a sound like the screeching of jagged metal combined with a sizzling hiss as the barrier and the magical grid made contact. The barrier passed through, but got caught halfway as the magic lanced straight into and through its occupant. Horizon screamed, a high-pitched, piercing wail that rose over all other sounds, and a massive, prismatic shockwave shot out from the Gate. Celestia skidded to a halt, drawing up a glimmering golden shield around herself and the Zodiac Knights. The blast broke harmlessly against it, and it stretched out into the plane until it went out of sight. The wards of the array failed, and tendrils of errant magic shot out, shattering the ornate pillars and causing them to fall with a crumbling crunch. One of these tendrils pierced through Zemblani's protective dome and struck Horizon's brother across the chest, slicing his barrel and leaving a grievous wound.

Zemblani stood unharmed behind a makeshift barrier of her own. She was laughing as she stared at Celestia with uneven eyes, her voice difficult to make out under Horizon's agonized shrieks.

“I know your secrets, immortal! My master has shown me the truth, and she has chosen me, the Great and Powerful Zemblani, to be the catalyst of your downfall! Soon all will see the perfect, flawless Princess Celestia as the ruthless tyrant she truly is! Witness now the end of your rule, false god! Witness the return Equestria's rightful Princess! WITNESS THE BEGINNING OF DARKNESS ETERNAL!”

Celestia was muttering under her breath with unfocused eyes as her horn blazed with golden light. There was a loud click that resonated throughout the entire plane, and Celestia lowered her barrier to stare calmly at the insane mare.

“Zodiac Knights.”

Blair's voice was barely heard over the din. “Your Majesty?”

Celestia spoke in a voice of utter dispassion.“I'll save the boy in the barrier. Scorpio will attend to the other. The rest of you—stop Arch-Magus Zemblani by any means necessary.”

Celestia then disappeared, reappearing at the very edge of the Gate. She completely ignored Zemblani and lowered her horn, focusing all her attentions on Horizon and the barrier, still stuck in the Gate. Her entire body glowed with a soft yellow that was like the sun's light on a midsummer dawn, and her mane and tail shone with twice their normal radiance. The barrier became enshrouded in Celestia's powerful magic.

Zemblani was taken aback by Celestia’s sudden teleport, but cackled as she watched the Princess attempt to undo her work. “It's no use. The boy's innocence has already been woven into the Gate! Pulling him out will not only cause it fail, it'll result in an explosion that will destroy this entire plane! You've lost, Princess Celestia! The minions of Tartarus will be released, and your long-lost sister will be free to overthrow you in a glorious coup! Enjoy the rest of your stolen reign!”

Zemblani tried to teleport away, only to have her spell fizzle as she realized that ability was denied her. She had a second to be confused... before she was sent flying by a well-timed kick delivered by Esra. Zemblani fell skidding to the ground several feet away, her hat fluttering to the ground.

“Going somewhere?”

Zemblani got to her hooves, and found that she was surrounded by eleven suits of armor filled with colorful plasma. A salvo of ice spikes hung behind Blair as he lazily held them in place with a hoof. Ace wielded a quartet of longswords that circled around him in a deadly ring. Elo held a long, thin rapier which he held elegantly before him in a fencing pose. Tastar had a double-bladed spear in his teeth, studying Zemblani intently as he hovered in midair beside Spesci, who was sporting an overly large repeating crossbow. Esra was grounded, balanced on one hoof in a bizarre fighting stance. Ras calmly twirled a set of daggers as he stared at Zemblani with a sadistic gaze. Strauss pawed the ground, a loud clanking sound emanating from each of his hooves. Norric held a set of bolas in his teeth, a lit torch in his hoof, and a set of bulging saddlebags hung at his sides. Megnii leveled a wicked halberd with a steely glint in his eyes, and Grovi stood farther back, his horn glowing as he focused intently on the blades of his allies.

Zemblani was unperturbed by the sudden display of force. She flexed her jaw in mild annoyance, seemingly unharmed from Esra's kick. She looked once over at Piro, who was beside Celestia and attending to Horizon's brother before returning her attention to her aggressors.

“Well now,” Zemblani said. “What have we here? Twelve Echoes? Looks like that Zodiac Ritual did something interesting after all. I do hope you enjoyed the welcoming party I gave you.”

The Zodiac Knights tensed, but did nothing. This wasn't the first rogue spellcaster any of them had faced, and they knew charging in without coordination was suicide. They kept Zemblani surrounded as they waited for Blair's orders.

“Surrender,” Blair said. The ice spikes behind him glittered. “Thou hast no hope of victory or escape.”

“'Thou hast?'” Zemblani repeated with wide eyes. An unbalanced giggle escaped her as she looked around at all of them. “You really are from the War of the Sun and Moon, aren't you?! Well then, I suppose you'll appreciate this all the more, for my master has also given me gifts from that glorious era! Behold Echoes, the true extent of my power!”

Zemblani's body became encased in a cascading rainbow. Her eyes danced with colorful, tinted light, her mane and tail whipped about, and the air around her waved like her body was emanating a great heat.

“Tell me,” Zemblani sneered, her voice resonating in the Echo's ears. “Does eleven against one seem very fair to you? I think not. Allow me to even the odds!”

Zemblani's eyes turned silver. The air around her shimmered once, and granules of light formed together all around her. They became connected by a thick, coiling mass the color of the night sky, forming into cohesive, definitive shapes. The Zodiac Knights held their ground, despite the obvious intensity of the magic.

A second later, Zemblani was surrounded by a menagerie of giant astral beasts. Bears, eagles, wolves, snakes, rams, bulls, crabs, even a rabbit or two advanced menacingly upon the Order of the Zodiac. Zemblani laughed again. “Cower before the power of the Elements themselves! You think you stand a chance against me when I can create my own army? When my magic is without limits? When I can read your very thoughts?! No, pathetic Echoes, YOU are the ones who have no hope of victory or escape, but you'll find I'm not as merciful as 'thou'!”

The pack of monsters lunged.

“NOW DIE!”

The Zodiac Knights were pushed back at the attack of the ferocious astral beasts, and each one of them was forced to fend for themselves against the sudden onslaught.

And all the while, the tortured screams of a child rent the air.

Ace was confronted by a duo of charging bears. They each swung a massive paw at him, one high, one low. Ace jumped, his swords flashing as he flipped in a sideways corkscrew. The blades sliced through astral flesh, shearing off both of the bear's paws and leaving them with blank stumps. No blood spurted from the wounds, and neither of the beasts even noticed that they'd each lost a limb as they turned and readied another attack. Ace let loose a slow exhale upon seeing this, as if a huge burden had just been lifted off his shoulders.

“So, thy minions are not counted amongst the living? How fortuitous.”

There was a splurch as Ace plunged his swords into the glowing eyesockets of the bears, twisting them viciously and tearing them free with a burst of stardust. The beasts fell soundlessly fell to the ground and vanished without so much as a sound, and Ace brought his blades back down to spin around him at double the speed. He ran headlong into the fray like a spinning whirlwind as he cleaved effortlessly through the mob of enemies, slicing, dicing, cutting, chopping and beheading.

A pack of lunar wolves circled around Blair, their wicked jaws dripping as they sized up their prey. Blair stood stock still, his ice spikes encircling him like a cloud of shrapnel. The wolves studied him with keen eyes, searching, studying, waiting for him to drop his guard. Blair lowered his head and closed his eyes, and one of the wolves pounced, it's claws and jaws extended towards his throat. Blair's ears twitched, and he deftly stepped to the side. The wolf didn't even get a chance to cry out as he landed in the freezing spike cloud, which ripped the helpless creature to tiny sparkling shreds. Blair then made the spikes explode outward like a bomb, each of them homing in on a target and tearing through it's innards. Seconds later, the entire pack fell to the ground in a glittering mound.

A flock of eagles filled the air. Tastar and Spesci hovered in midair as they narrowly avoided the swipes of scythe-like talons and razor sharp beaks. Tastar's eyes darted about in a careful, calculated manner as he carefully watched their foes.

“Watch thy aim,” Tastar said over his back to Spesci. “Losing an eye is an experience I am in no hurry to repeat.”

Spesci chuckled as he shot an arrow into the throat of a nearby eagle, watching it plummet to the ground. “Nor I to lose a wing. It is nice to fly again.”

Tastar placed his spear in his teeth, and darted upwards with a mighty flap of his wings. The eagles screeched and gave chase, following him in a hail of starry feathers. Tastar flew up several hundred feet, the giant eagles following after him in a pillar of feathers, talons, and beaks. Tastar ceased his ascent, and hung in the air a moment before plummeting back down, spinning around in a deadly cyclone. The double-ended spear whirled around him like a rotary blade as he collided with the eagles, gutting and carving them to bits like a meat grinder. The eagles broke away to try and escape Tastar's wrath, and as they did, barbed arrows became lodged in their eyes, wings, and throats. Spesci rotated the crank of his crossbow with wild abandon from a short ways away, the air exploding around him in a hail of glittering stardust.

Strauss stood on the ground fighting off a group of bulls charging with their horns and bucking at him with their hooves. He was managing to dodge the attacks, his shod hooves clanking loudly with each step. He delivered a vicious backhoof as a bull got within striking range, causing it's neck to break with a snap. A second bull took the advantage and hit Strauss from behind, stunning him and sending him sprawling to the ground. Groaning, Strauss tried to get to up, but the bull had already reared to deliver the final blow.

Ras appeared from nowhere, pouncing on the bull with a disturbing look of glee. His knives gleamed, and the bull collapsed as it's throat was slashed. Ras winked at Strauss and tumbled away from his kill... only to find himself surrounded by five more bulls. He facehooved as the beasts lowered their heads.

“Horseapples...”

Ras became an indigo blur as he ducked and weaved between the charging animals. His knives flashed with every advance, each bull being rewarded with deep wounds for their efforts. The enraged creatures continued without pause, but Ras was like a fluid, intangible shadow as his blades moved about him in a wild, invisible flurry.

Strauss got back to his hooves, running up to one of the bulls and bucking it in the face. There was a crunch as the creature's face was staved in, and it fell to the ground with a dull thud. A second bull noticed the attack and charged, but came skidding to a halt as a flying knife became lodged in the side of it's face. Strauss picked out a new target, closing the distance and smashing the animal under the chin, shattering its jaw. Ras flipped in the air to stand back to back with Strauss, the two of them eying their remaining adversaries with a with a mixture of resignation and annoyance.

“We have to stop meeting like this,” Ras said.

“Wouldst thou prefer another's company?” Strauss asked.

“And lose my favorite meatshield?” Ras slid under a incoming bull, splitting it from sternum to stomach. “I think not.”

“Not much meat left on me now, I fear.” Strauss grabbed one of Ras's spare knives from its sheath and threw it catching an advancing bull right between the eyes.

“Enough for my purposes!” Ras jumped away from Strauss and ran away from the beasts, wiggling his rump as he did.

“Over here, you foul sacks of week-old dung!”

The bulls turned and charged Ras, and as they did, he produced a small vial and threw it on the ground. A thick torrent of smoke spewed out, enveloping him in an enormous grey cloud. The bulls tried to stop, but found that was impossible as Strauss had followed behind them and now bucked them into the fog one by one. There was the dull thud of bodies hitting the ground as Ras skulked in the mist like a specter, picking off the blind creatures. Any bulls that did make it out of the cloud were finished off by Strauss, who circled around the smoke cloud like a carrion hunter.

Elo hadn't moved despite the chaos surrounding him. His eyes were focused on Zemblani as he slowly advanced while brandishing his rapier. She laughed as she watched him approach.

“Oh, this is rich. What, do you think you're some kind of duelist? Perhaps you trained under the esteemed masters of House Mont'hequ or Gallopulet?!”

“Cousin Volio always said my form was too relaxed,” Elo said. “Cousin Tyba insisted it was too rigid. The monster that gutted both of them seemed not to care either way, and it was probably the last thing on his mind as I slashed him to ribbons in turn... again, and again, and again.”

Zemblani knew enough of history to recognize the names Elo had mentioned. She lowered her chin and scoffed. “You lie.”

Elo flashed her the hilt of his blade. Zemblani gasped as she caught a glimpse of the ancient crests of his houses engraved at the base, the only sign Leo had kept of his dual lineage. He produced an ornate metal sheath which he slipped on his horn like a glove.

Zemblani regained her composure and sneered. “I don't have time for this.” Her horn glowed as she tried to push Elo away with a blast of telekinesis. Elo brought his sword down with a lazy flick, slicing through the incoming wall of force with minimal effort.

“What?!” Zemblani took a step back. “How'd you—”

Elo brought his rapier back up with a flourish, and Zemblani now noticed that it glowed with the faintest of auras. Zemblani looked over and saw Grovi beside Piro, his horn lowered and encased in a gray hue.

“Draw thy weapon,” Elo said, now in striking distance.

Zemblani rolled her eyes. “You lived through a war of senseless slaughter and you're here trying to fight me one-on-one in some kind of honorable duel? What kind of veteran is going to just sit there and wait until I'm ready to—”

Elo jabbed at Zemblani's face. The blade struck her temple, leaving a long, thin cut. Zemblani cried out, clutching the wound as she backed away.

“We are indeed veterans,” Elo said softly. “Echoes of a past age. We have suffered, slaughtered, found pleasure in hurting others, stained our hooves with the blood of the innocent, and offered up our very lives countless times so that future generations might not ever know such hell. Thou wouldst try to ruin everything we worked so hard for? Thou wouldst attempt to steal a gift that has been paid with the lives of entire civilizations? Tis a very foalish thing to do, for while it is true we are veterans, we are something else, as well.”

Elo's voice was cold as he pointed his blade at Zemblani's throat. “We are murderers. Cutthroats, soldiers, knights, masters of the killing arts. We know death's cruel bite because we have delivered it countless times. Thou hast no honor, no remorse, and I offer no chance at repentance for the crime of invoking our wrath. The only mercy I grant is to arm thyself before I skewer thee like an oversized shish-kabob, and I were thee, I would leap at the chance.”

Zemblani put a hoof to her wound, wincing at the stinging pain. Her eyes turned blue, and the cut mended itself in an instant. Now understanding that Elo meant business, she summoned forth a jagged longsword in a silver flash, shaped like a lightning bolt and dripping with a dark green fluid. Her wicked eyes narrowed as she lowered it at Elo.

“I suppose we can do this your way, little clone,” Zemblani said. "Prepare to meet 'thy' doom."

“Dark and sinister mare,” Elo answered. “Have at thee.”

Megnii and Esra found themselves at a loss as they stared at the menacing pincers of the slowly advancing cluster of crabs before them. Megnii spoke out out of the corner of his mouth.

“Are thy martial arts applicable against carapacian foes?”

Esra snorted. “As Sifu would say, all things have function and purpose in this world, whether they be directed toward yin, or yang.”

Megnii licked his lips. “I... have no idea what that means.”

Esra grinned. “Nor did I, at first. If they have bones, I can break them. If they have muscles, I will tear them. If they have weak points, I can exploit them. All things must live, and so too must they die. A true warrior walks the narrow path of balance, so that they might see all possibilities and applications in battle.”

Esra walked up to one of the crabs, who raised it's pincers to close around his neck.

“Observe.”

Esra's hoof shot out in a blur, hitting the crab's leg at the joint and breaking it with a snap. With a tearing, wrenching sound, he ripped off the broken pincer and used it as a club to stun it's previous owner. Esra reared, and with a flip of his forehooves, tossed the crab on it's back and exposing it's soft underbelly. He leaped atop it and plunged the pincer into into the crab's heart, causing it to disintegrate.

“Impressive,” Megnii said with a twirl of his halberd. “Although a bit messy.”

Esra turned back to look at him. “Dost thou enjoy critiquing my form, or is thy weapon just for show?”

“Apologies,” Megnii said with a bow. “I was simply curious.”

Megnii took to the air like a bullet, flying low just above the reaching pincers of the crabs. He brought his halberd down in great slashing arcs, piercing the shells of the crabs and lopping off their limbs with practiced ease. He rose up and began flying back and forth like a pendulum, bisecting and felling his enemies with each attack. Esra meanwhile waded into the sea of crustaceans, deflecting pincers with a mixture of soft pushes, snapping jabs, and fluid kicks. A crab larger than the others loomed before him, raising it's clacking pincers and intent on catching him in it's deadly embrace. Esra leaped forward and punched the crab in the face, ruining it's eyes and causing it to flail around wildly. The giant crab raised a claw to strike, but it was cleanly lopped off by Megnii as he made another pass. He then flew straight up, gripped his halberd in all four hooves, and fell down on to the larger crab like a rock. Both he and his blade pierced through the shell with a dull crack, piercing deep into the creature's insides. It shuddered once before falling to the ground.

Megnii reappeared as the giant crab fell to pieces, covered in a shining dust that clung to his armor. He sneezed, and Esra paused a moment to eye him dubiously.

“Now who's the messy one?”

Megnii gave a nervous laugh as he retrieved his halberd, taking to the air once more.

Norric was running at a full gallop away from the battle, being chased by a stampede of rams the size of barns that were steadily gaining on him. He turned back once and gave a toothy smile as he saw his pursuers had been unceasing in their chase.

“Come on big boys, just a little farther...”

The rams continued on without pause, getting closer to Norric with each second. He felt a disturbance in the air behind him as the rams hooves narrowly avoided crushing his tail, and decided it was far enough. Norric readied one of his bolas and lit the wicks on the ends. With expert aim, he threw them behind him one after the other, each of them tangling around the forelegs of one of his pursuers. The rams fell crashing to the ground, and an instant later, there was a deafening blast as the explosives on the ends of the bolas detonated, blowing the rams to bits.

Only three rams remained. Norric turned around in a wide arc, and produced a hooful of small orbs containing a putty-like substance. He delicately rolled them onto the ground, and sprinted away with a sudden burst of speed. The rams paid no heed to the small orbs, running straight through and crushing them with their hooves. A chain reaction ensued as the explosives detonated, and the rams faded to nothingness in the impromptu minefield.

Norric slowed as saw that he'd vanquished his foes. He looked down at the last remaining putty-orb with a wistful smile.

“Seeker, dearest brother... I owe thee my life yet again.”

Piro was crouched beside Horizon's brother as he stayed well away from the battle. The boy hadn't awakened from the wound, which made Piro believe that magic was involved in his sedation. The boy's wound was shallow, but it stretched under his entire barrel, was bleeding profusely, and thus was proving difficult to mend. It also wasn't helping that they were right beside the Gate, and Horizon's constant, ear-splitting screams were making it difficult to concentrate.

“Will the boy live?”

Celestia's voice filled Piro's head. He looked up, and immediately shielded his eyes. The luminous aura of magic surrounding Celestia was so bright that it hurt for him to directly look at her. Her features were faded into the brightness, the air had grown thicker, and there was a metallic scent in the air.

Piro caught on quickly enough to understand what was going on and responded with his thoughts in turn.

“I am without my instruments, and the cut is too long to stitch. The boy is sedated, and so I am going to cauterize the wound.

Celestia's voice was pained. “Do what you have to do.”

A small red dot appeared at the end of Piro's horn. It hovered to Horizon's brother, where it pulsed once before turning bright white. Piro pressed the orb to the laceration, and the acrid smell of burnt flesh filled the air. The boy's face twisted, his teeth biting down on his lip so hard that a trickle of blood oozed out, but Piro continued his work without pause or restraint. A few seconds later, the bleeding had stopped, the wound was closed.

“It is done,” Piro said. “Whether infection sets in will depend on how quickly we get him to a hospital, but the resilience of youth may protect him even from that. He will have a scar, but such worries are a blessing in and of themselves.”

“No kidding,” Celestia remarked dryly.“This one's gonna have a lot more than a scar to show for all this.”

“Thy manner of speaking is strangely relaxed,” Piro observed. “Is the other foal's condition truly that dire?”

“Zemblani's broken thirty-two laws by doing this, and those are just the ones I remember off the top of my head.” Celestia's voice was strained and sharp.“The colt's innocence is woven into the Gate's spell grid, and now he's acting as a conduit for the entire thing. The two barrier spells she fused together have absorbed all of the Gate's magic, and it's all running through the child's body, transmuting it as we speak. If I try to pull him out, his molecular structure will collapse, the barrier will fade without a target, and the absorbed magic will be released. The resulting explosion will destroy this plane, catapult Nightmare Moon's army to random places all over Equestria, and the damage they'll do to the populace will be felt for generations to come. If I leave him in, the poor child will continue to be transmuted until his body is completely converted, but the Gate will remain intact and Nightmare Moon's army will be contained. His body will also remain whole so long as he remains in the barrier, but Zemblani botched the Spell Fusion and the blasted thing is incredibly unstable. It's all I can do to keep it together, and while I could technically stay here for as long as I have to, I'm also in charge of a kingdom, and I think ponies would notice my absence.”

Piro gulped. “What can be done?”

“I'm not sure,” Celestia admitted. “I know of no way to revert energy back into mass. The Elements of Harmony might work, as their purpose is to revert things to a state of balance, but I haven't used them since I banished Luna, and even then... wait, why am I telling you about that? That happened only a few weeks ago for you! Ha! Oh, it's going to be nice to having you twelve around again. Almost as nice as... anyway, I need something that can stabilize this barrier until I can figure out a way to restore the colt to his original form and redo the seal on the Gate, and if possible, something that can also leech away some of this excess magic so that even if it does eventually collapse, the plane will remain intact.”

Piro bit his lip as he listened to Celestia's explanation. It was true that magical arrays and anatomy were his forte, but this was way out of his league. That Celestia was keeping the two high level barriers joined together when incorrect Spell Fusion caused the spells to repel each other rather than attract was a display of raw power that left him in awe. Heat was rolling off Celestia in waves, and Piro's hair was standing on end from being so close to her presence. If it required this much effort to keep the barrier together, and there was that much magic surging through the barrier and the boy, what sort of bonding could be created in order... to...

Piro looked down at his armored hoof, then over at Horizon, who had finally gone silent. His features were gone, blackened into a vague silhouette that crackled with chaotic, prismatic energy.

“What about us?”

Celestia looked up. “What about you?”

“Echoes feed on energy, do we not?” Piro spoke in an unsure, hesitant tone. “We can reside in any conduit of magic, living or non. Even if the boy has been transmuted into magic, could we still not use him as a host?”

Wait, it was YOUR idea?! You said it was Celestia's!

I lied, Piro said flatly, and now that you know, you can take that little 'you don't give a buck about Horizon' comment and shove it up your—

Ahem, Twilight said. Trying to watch here.

The beginning of Celestia's reply was drowned out, but Twilight got the gist. “—too unstable. Even if you were to join with him, you wouldn't be able to hold it together by yourself. There's also the issue of the child's mind, as I'd guess that the metamorphosis has broken him mentally, but there's no way to tell for sure. I do know that being attached to any unstable, magically saturated entity would have adverse effects on any kind of sentient being, even an Echo.”

“Thou speakest in the singular,” Piro said. “What of the plural?”

“Plural?” Celestia repeated. “What does—”

Celestia stopped as she realized what Piro was insinuating. She was silent for a time before replying.

“That... could work. At least, in theory... but—”

“Dost thou see any alternative?” Piro set his jaw. “One of us will fail, so our combined strength is needed. The boy's mind is broken, so well shall be the bond that holds his shattered psyche together. We will rely on each other for stability, and together we will keep the boy safe as he slumbers over the Gates of Hell.”

“I'd rather not lose such a peerless group of soldiers so soon to something like this,” Celestia said, “not to mention the closest friends I've had in almost one thousand years.”

“What else can—” Piro's jaw dropped as he abruptly fell on his haunches. “ONE THOUSAND YEARS?!”

Despite the circumstances, Celestia laughed, a pure, musical sound like the tinkling of a bell tinged with the hint of unending sadness.

“Welcome back, Scorpio. I've missed you—I've missed all of you.”

Things weren't going well for Elo. It wasn't that he hadn't hit Zemblani, quite the contrary. He'd run her through four times, sliced her neck twice, taken out her both of her eyes, cut off an ear, and scored dozens of other hits. Unfortunately, she'd healed each and every wound instantly. Zemblani may not have had Elo's experience, but it didn't matter when Elo couldn't do any damage to her. She'd managed to hit Elo a few times in turn, but he didn't share her healing abilities, and it was only a matter of time before she overpowered him.

“What's wrong?” Zemblani taunted as she swung her blade in a whistling arc. “You were spouting a lot of bravado there in the beginning. Or was that before you realized I could heal myself?”

Elo parried the overhanded strike, then slid his blade along hers and slashed her across the face. The cut was deep and showered him in a spray of blood, but before he could capitalize, she healed it and swung at him again.

“That spell you have on your sword is useful, isn't it? It looks like it's directing all my offensive spells away from you.” Zemblani looked over at Grovi with a wicked grin. “It'd be a shame if something were to happen to it.”

Elo flinched as he realized what Zemblani intended. Before he could react, her eyes glittered green, and she bucked him savagely in the chest. Elo's breastplate was crushed, his rapier fell with a clatter, and he went sailing back several dozen feet. Zemblani turned and ran at Grovi, who was oblivious as he focused intently on his spell. She closed the distance and swung her sword at his neck.

There was a clang as Zemblani's strike was parried by a longsword hanging in a green aura. She had just enough time to be surprised when she felt a deep, slicing pain in the back of all four of her legs and fell to the ground. Ace walked into her field of vision, his swords circling around her as the blades dripped with her blood.

“Do not move.”

Zemblani gritted her teeth. “Oh goodie, another swordstallion. You gonna challenge me to a duel, too?”

“I once participated in duels.” A shadow passed over Ace's face. “Although griffins use not such terms when referring to slaves.”

WHAT?!

He doesn't like talking about it, Blair said quickly.

Cancer went through hell long before the war started, Piro explained. Let's just leave it at that.

Zemblani's eyes turned silver. “Then you're well accustomed to a cage!” The air shimmered around Ace, as a windowless cube of stone formed around him. She laughed as his swords fell to the ground, then turned her eyes back to blue as she healed the cuts on her legs. She readied her blade again to swing at Grovi.

Her sword was knocked out of her grip by a flying knife. Ras stood a short ways away with Strauss, who was studying her intently. Zemblani felt a disturbance in the air above her, and had enough time to duck as Megnii's halberd sliced passed her. A stinging pain pierced her shoulder, and one of Spesci's arrows blossomed out of a fresh wound. Zemblani now saw that all of her minions had been dispatched, and the Zodiac Knights were closing in on her.

“Looks like you need more playmates,” she hissed. “Allow me to—”

A small cylindrical object with a sparking wick rolled in front of Zemblani. Her eyes bulged.

“You can't be s—”

The explosive went off in Zemblani's face with a sharp bang. She had enough time to put up a shield, but the blast still knocked her back and away from Grovi. She coughed and wheezed as she quickly healed herself, the internal damage and burns on her coat dissipating in an instant.

“ENOUGH!”

A pillar of white erupted from Zemblani, rising high into the air. Her eyes became half-filled, and she rose to levitate a short ways off the ground. She fired a blast of pure energy from her horn in a beam, scattering the Zodiac Knights and slicing Ace's prison in two. The magic around her increased, and she flew forward with blinding speed. Her hooves became charged with electricity as she struck Ras with a vicious haymaker, sending an excruciating shock through his body and throwing him to the ground. She then pointed her forehooves at Esra and Tastar, blasting them with crackling bolts of lightning. Zemblani let loose a primal scream and released a shockwave of telekinetic force, scattering the remaining Zodiac Knights as they were sent flying and crashing to the ground.

Zemblani stood there a moment, gasping for breath and looking around. A trickle of blood leaked out of her nose, and she moaned and grasped her head. She ignored it though as a sadistic, mad laugh welled up from within her that carried out into the endless plane.

“Was there ever any doubt?!” Zemblani shrieked. “You're all GNATS before me! You may have seen war, but you've never seen anything like me! Your experience and talents are no match for the raw power I have at my command! I'll escape Celestia's stupid little dimensional lock, Nightmare Moon will return, and I shall stand with her as she brings forth everlasting night! I am the enlightened sinner, the chosen reaper, the dark lady's blade! I'll destroy you all, scatter your essences to the winds, and present your suits of armor as a gift to Cetus! I—”

“—know nothing of sin.”

A cold wind like the onset of winter hit Zemblani from behind. She turned and saw Blair, standing far away from the others as a mass of crystalline tendrils spread out from him in a rapidly expanding web. His hood was drawn, his eyes were shut and his gaze was lowered as he sucked away all the warmth of the plane like an endless black hole.

“Oh boy...” Ras managed to get to his hooves. He limped away as fast as he could, followed closely by the other Zodiac Knights as they fled to Celestia.

Blair's hoofsteps were accompanied by the cracking of ice as he slowly walked towards Zemblani, speaking in a dark, menacing whisper. “Thou fancy thyself a reaper because thou hast claimed a dozen souls and tortured a few children? Pathetic.”

Zemblani's eyes widened as she recognized the magic around him, the immensity and horror of what he'd done hitting her like a hammerblow.

“Impossible...”

“Said the student before the master,” Blair said calmly. “See me for what I am, child. I have claimed the lives of thousands. Stallions and mares, old and young, strong and bereft, it matters not, for the damning call remains the same. I have felt the very heartbeat of an army flow through my veins, and I have ripped that heart away to watch it fade into nothingness. Yet even as those innumerable lives fell helplessly into the void, it was not enough. It is never enough.”

Zemblani tried using every element she could think of to break the tendrils—fire, earth, water, lightning, light, shadow, water, even ice, but nothing worked. Every hole she made was instantly filled, and she knew she couldn't touch them as a single brush would be enough to sap her lifeforce away. She tried attacking Blair directly, but as the source of the magic, the tendrils were strongest there, and swirled around him like a protective cocoon. Zemblani's mind raced as she tried to think of something, but the full force of Blair's chill hit her, and she buckled like she'd fallen through the ice on a frozen lake. The frigid wind picked up as the tendrils crept ever closer, surrounding her and cutting off her escape.

“Thou hast only dipped a hoof in the shallows of depravity while I have immersed myself in its depths, and thou hast the audacity to call thyself a reaper? Thou thinkest that a single, meager act of genocide will garner infamy? Such arrogance! Thy crimes will be forgotten, lost, not even given a footnote, but be grateful for that, for it means that thy heart is not beyond saving.”

“Stay away from me, monster!” Zemblani knew there was nowhere to flee. She couldn't break Celestia's dimensional lock, and she was now surrounded by death. She was trapped, cornered, without options, and Blair's tendrils forced them closer and closer together with each passing second.

“Monster indeed,” Blair said with a note of agreement.“Be happy that my dark blessing shall saveth thee from becoming one thyself. Thy soul will be at peace, thy name will be lost, thy acts will be buried along with thy body, and the void will taketh thee in it's endless embrace. Forevermore, thou wilt be remembered as nothing more but a pony—a terrible, foul, crazed pony, but a pony all the same.”

Zemblani was paralyzed, both by fear and the cold. She fell to her knees with tears streaming down her cheeks as Blair came to stand over her. She looked up into Blair's hood, and saw that his eyes were holes, discernible as the teal plasma of his body swirled about his features like eddies in a stream. His voice was pitiless as the tendrils inched toward Zemblani.

“Know my names and weep, pretender, for thou art in the presence of a true reaper. I am Blair, Echo of Libra the Lifestealer, Harbinger of Death, Scion of the Damned, Devourer of Souls.”

Zemblani screamed as the tendrils made contact with her skin.

“And thou. Art. MINE.”

The memory's perspective abruptly shifted from Blair's to Piro's, sparing Twilight the specifics of Zemblani's grisly end. Twilight's stomach lurched as she stared at the web of tendrils from the outside.

You... killed her?

Yes.

Twilight swallowed nervously. I... I don't know what to say.

There's not much that needs to be said, Blair replied. Zemblani had to be stopped, and Her Majesty authorized the use of lethal force. We gave her several chances to surrender, but she chose to fight back, and our mercy almost got several of us killed. I had a way to stop her, but I didn't want to use it because I knew it would result in her death. However, when it became clear that she was too dangerous to be subdued and was going to kill my comrades, I was left with no other choice.

Although the lecture was a bit much.

...she annoyed me.

Really? Piro jeered. I didn't notice.

Tell me, Twilight, Blair said, noting her continued silence. What would you have done? If you were confronted by somepony who was going to take the lives of your friends, and the only way you had to stop them was to take their life, what would you do? Would you sit there and watch as your friends were slaughtered in cold blood? Or would you do whatever's necessary to protect the ponies you love?

I-I...

Such are the questions that are born from war, Blair continued, and such are the questions we tried so hard to keep your generation from ever having to face. There's no right answer because both choices result in murder. One could argue that there's always a third option, one that avoids bloodshed, but in the heat of battle, there's little time to weigh your options.

Lives are measured in seconds on the battlefield, Piro said. You can sit back and think, but unless you can slow down or stop time, ponies will be suffering and dying the entire time. Strategy and critical thinking have their uses in war, but their value is diminished in the trenches. It's a cruel, harsh, unforgiving truth, and those who fail to learn it are the first to fall.

Twilight pursed her lips. She knew they were both speaking from experience, and were only trying to help her understand something they'd learned the hard way, but she also understood this was something one had to experience for themselves. Everypony reacted differently under stress, and the choices that one made in an instant weren't necessarily a reflection of their character or beliefs. Nopony ever believed what they were doing was wrong, they just made their decisions based off their ability to interpret the situation and recognize the options available to them. Time was also a factor, and if one didn't have enough of it, they may not have time to identify the best solution. It was something that really didn't have a right or wrong answer, and was dependent on a set of ever changing factors that differed from situation to situation, culture to culture, and pony to pony.

I guess I don't have any right to judge you, Twilight finally said. I don't think you're a bad pony, Blair, I just think you've been put in some bad situations, and you've had to deal with it the best you could. I don't know what I would've done in your place because I've never been put in that situation. I could say I'd try to find a way to avoid taking Zemblani's life, but if I didn't have enough time and my hesitation meant my friends getting hurt or k-killed, well...

I'm not condoning my actions, Blair said in a rushed voice. I know what I did was wrong. There's nothing... NOTHING, that can justify murder, and anything that tries to in any way, shape or form is twisted, foul, vile, and corrupted.

You're getting preachy again.

...sorry.

Twilight giggled.

“SCORPIO!”

Piro looked up to see the other Zodiac Knights running towards them with panicked looks. He raised an eyebrow at their battered forms. “What—”

The question died in his throat as he saw Blair's web of tendrils, and his hoof greeted his face in a familiar gesture.

“Not even an hour into our return and I have to save the day.” Piro directed his next question at Celestia. “Am I correct in assuming that we Echoes are immune to Libra's lifeforce addiction?”

“I think so,” Celestia said. “There's no reason why you'd be vulnerable to it, as you don't have anything for him to sense or steal. The children do, though.”

Piro's eyes flickered to Horizon's brother. “I thought as much. I will need to immobilize the idi—Libra, while I draw the array for the Lifesealing Ritual. How might I do that?”

“It's been a while, but I'm pretty sure I designed your suits of armor to simulate the five senses,” Celestia hummed as she searched her memory. “Your faculties are largely similar to a true pony's, and share all their strengths and weaknesses, save for that you don't need to perform any biological functions.”

“So sufficient blunt force trauma to the head would effectively disable any one of us?”

Celestia snorted. “Probably.”

Piro turned back to the other Zodiac Knights. “Stay with Her Majesty. I shall attend to our fearless leader.”

Piro galloped away, heading straight for the web of tendrils. He got to the edge and jumped in headfirst, feeling an instant of grasping and prickling around him before breaking inside. Piro saw Blair standing motionless over Zemblani, focused completely on his victim and oblivious to the suit of armor running straight at him.

“Hey, Libra!'

Blair looked up.

WHAM!

Piro's sucker punch sent Blair sprawling to the ground, the icy tendrils dissipating and fading to nothing around them as he lost consciousness. Piro glanced once at Zemblani's withered husk before unceremoniously tossing it aside and set to work drawing the array for the Lifesealing Ritual. He moved with a practiced ease, directing snide insults at Blair all the while. A few minutes later, Piro finished the array and cast the spell, sealing Blair's addiction away with a rush of violet magic. After which, he heaved Blair's unconscious form on his back and trotted back over to Celestia.

“Is Zemblani dead?” Celestia asked when Piro got within range of her telepathy.

“As a doornail,” Piro replied. “Learning her motives will prove difficult.”

“One thing at a time,” Celestia said. “I've told the others about your idea, and they've agreed to it.”

“Good.” Piro rolled his neck. “Let us merge with the boy so we might re-enter our stasis and thou might be on thy way.”

“You won't be able to maintain the barrier if you go back into stasis,” Celestia explained. “Fortunately, I have another idea.”

“Oh?”

“I managed to redirect the Gate's magic before it fully transmuted the child,” Celestia said. “His body is malleable now, caught in a state between solid matter and magical energy. What's left of his biological mass should provide enough of a base that I can use the barrier's magic to create psuedo-bodies for all of you, and I can place a transdimensional anchor in each of you so that you'll be able to go wherever you please.”

Piro took a moment to sift through the technical jargon. “So we would each have individual bodies, and we could go with thee back to Equestria?”

Celestia smiled. “I'd like nothing more.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Piro nodded at Horizon. “I am eager to see what one thousand years of time has done to the world.”

“What about Libra? Do you think he'd agree to this?”

“Art thou jesting?” Piro jerked his head at the unconscious Echo on his back. “This whole thing was his idea in the first place. He wanted to keep Nightmare Moon's army at bay, remember? Maybe this will teach him to be careful what he wishes for.”

Celestia chuckled. “He's lucky to have a friend like you.”

Piro rolled his eyes. He gently set Blair down on the ground, staring at him with an odd look in his eyes.

“Princess... if I might be so bold, might I ask if Libra—the real Libra, I mean... did he ever return from his banishment?”

Celestia was silent for a time before answering. “He left Equestria less than a week after I created all of you and headed south to the Zhevra Flatlands. I tried many times to see if I could find out where he went, but I never tracked him down. I gave up after around fifty years or so, and I never saw him again.”

“Damned, idiotic blasted foal!” Piro yelled as he kicked at Blair. “Why?! Why must thou hold thy suffering like some kind of twisted vanity?! Does a lifetime of friendship mean so little that thou wouldst abandon it and everything thou hast known for honor?! Why didst thou do it?! Why dost thou care so much about everything?! Why dost thou care so much about nothing?! Why in Celestia's name didst thou forbid me from accompanying thee in exile?! Answer me, blaggard!”

Celestia watched as Piro continued to rant and abuse Blair's helpless form.

“Scorpio... you're going to really hurt him if you keep hitting him like that.”

Piro stopped, and noticed that the other members of the Order were looking at him. He ceased his attacks and sighed. “I suppose I am just making more work for myself... very well, as Seneschal, I hereby accept this task Her Majesty has placed before us. We shall merge with the colt Horizon and keep his barrier intact so as to prevent the destruction of Tartarus and the release of Nightmare Moon's army. We shall guard him with our very lives, or whatever equivalent we now hold, unto such a time we are no longer able, or until he is restored to his original state.”

The Echoes bowed as one before Princess Celestia, save for Blair, who was still sprawled limply on the ground. Piro raised his head and met eyes with the immortal monarch.

“The Order of the Zodiac is honored to serve the Sun Goddess once more.”

“And that's what happened.”

Twilight felt Blair's and Piro's presences slip away, leaving her alone in her mind. She opened her eyes and squinted as she adjusted to the mid-afternoon light.

Twilight rubbed the back of her neck. “That was, well... wow.”

“There's not much exciting stuff after that,” Piro said. “Celestia created the bodies we have now and brought us to Canterlot. She gave us some history lessons, accustomed to modern culture, fixed our grammar, then put us in our own platoon in the Royal Guard where we've been for the last twenty years. We've seen you around the castle for the last ten, although I doubt you paid much attention to us.”

“We all look the same with that stupid Disguise spell, anyway,” Ace crossed his forehooves. “Don't know why Vigil still wears his. Probably out of habit, or maybe he just really likes white?”

Twilight was still reeling from everything she'd just been shown. She stared at the wall as she tried to get a grasp of everything.

Piro laughed as he watched her dumbfounded expression. “A lot to take in, isn't it?”

Twilight turned to him, then to Blair and Ace in turn. “Let me see if I've got all this straight. You're all the Echoes of the Order of the Zodiac from the War of the Sun and Moon, created by Princess Celestia as per the request of Libra, leader of the Order and Lifeforce addict. The twelve of you were placed into stasis and linked to Nightmare Moon's prison, where you slept for nine-hundred eighty years before you were unceremoniously called down by the Zodiac Ritual, which was a failsafe made by Princess Celestia in the event that Nightmare Moon was freed through means other than what she'd anticipated. Arch-Magus Zemblani, a sociopath working for a mysterious 'Cetus', discovered this, and used it as a way to weaken Nightmare Moon's prison so that she could break free some time later.

“ At the same time, she also tried to free Nightmare Moon's army which has been imprisoned in Tartarus for the last one-thousand years due to being cursed with insanity, bloodlust, and immortality thanks to Princess Luna accidentally overloading the Element of Loyalty at the start of the War of the Sun and Moon and making the effects of Undying Loyalty permanent. Tartarus was sealed by a powerful spell that utilized the Symbols of the Elements, and Zemblani tried to break it open by fusing together a Prism Veil and a Drain Sphere on a two-year old unicorn named Horizon, using his innocence as a conduit to channel the magic and overload the Gate. She succeeded, but the barrier was unstable due to the arrival of the twelve of you and Princess Celestia, and so after dispatching Zemblani, the twelve of you merged with Horizon to stabilize his barrier, keep his body from falling apart, and use up the excess magic that the barrier had absorbed.

“However, twenty years later the barrier is out of magic, Horizon will die if you leave him, Nightmare Moon's army will break free without Horizon's barrier to block the Gate, and the only thing that can restore him is the Elements of Harmony. BUT, the power of the Elements has been partially distributed into myself and my friends due to Nightmare Moon shattering their original vessels when I partially activated them, and there are complications that have arisen as a result but you haven't told me what they are yet. Bottom line—you need me and my friends to go to Tartarus so we can use the Elements on Horizon, but there's ANOTHER, completely separate, unknown problem that's prevented Celestia from telling us all about this herself. So in lieu of this, she sent all of you incognito to monitor us until we figured it out on our own, at which time she's trusted the twelve of you to convince us... or in my case, blackmail into trusting that there's a good reason why she can't just tell us about all of this herself. Does that sound about right?”

Blair, Piro and Ace sat silently as Twilight as she accurately summarized everything they'd just told her in the last few hours. Ace yawned and rested his head on a hoof. “Yeah, pretty much.”

Twilight rubbed her temples. “That's... insane. I don't think I'd believe it if I hadn't just seen it with my own eyes.”

“The truth is often times stranger than fiction,” Piro said with a lopsided smirk. “I've spent enough time around nutcases like Blair here to realize that by now.”

“Piro...” Blair began.

Piro's face fell as he heard the unsure note in Blair's voice. He bit his lip and looked away. “I'm over it. I was angry and still thought I was Scorpio. You don't need to justify why Libra did what he did. I'm not even sure I care anymore.”

Twilight saw through that lie in a heartbeat, but decided to let it go as there was a more pressing line of questions she wanted to pursue.

“Who's Cetus?”

“Good question,” Ace said with a tap of his hoof. “Let Princess Celestia know if you find out.”

Twilight wrinkled her brow. “You never found out?”

“They covered their tracks well.” Blair stared at the back of Piro's head for a while longer before turning his attention to Twilight. “Princess Celestia conducted an investigation to figure out how Zemblani found out about the Zodiac Ritual, but nothing she found indicated she'd been receiving any kind of outside help. We know that Cetus had to have knowledge of the War of the Sun and Moon, and the Elements of Harmony, but that doesn't give us any leads.”

“The number of ponies alive today who know of the truth behind the War of the Sun and Moon and anything specific about the Elements themselves is a short list,” Piro said. “So short that Celestia didn't have anywhere to start looking.”

“That's another thing.” Twilight scratched her cheek. “Those were the powers of the Elements Zemblani was using, weren't they? How the hay did she get those?”

“No clue.” Piro traced his hoof along the seat. “Zemblani claimed it was a gift from her master, but that'd imply Cetus had some kind of control over the Elements. They were kept locked in a secure vault in Old Canterlot Castle since the war, and Celestia checked on them once a year before you and your friends found them. Not sure why she kept them in the ruins, but that's not really my business. All we know is that there was no evidence of the vault being disturbed in any way, so however Zemblani got the powers that she used that night, it wasn't from coming in contact with the Elements.”

“Curious,” Twilight said.

“Aggravating is more like it.” Ace released his magic, and the glow around the door faded. “I don't like sitting around knowing the pony responsible for freeing Nightmare Moon's army is still out there.”

Twilight briefly considered asking about Cancer, but Blair and Piro's fervent warnings hinted that it was a touchy subject, and while Ace seemed normal enough, she doubted he'd be comfortable with talking about time spent in forced servitude. Griffins were amicable enough in the present day, but one thousand years ago they were a savage race. If even half the things Twilight had read about them from that time period were true, she could understand why he preferred not to bring it up.

“Has Cetus made any moves since?” Twilight asked.

Blair shook his head. “I doubt they will now that Celestia's looking for them. Besides, even if they did have control over the Elements, it's lost now that half their power's been transferred to you and your friends.”

Twilight felt a weight in her chest as a thought struck her. “Do you think this has anything to do with the Princess's hesitation to tell me and my friends about all this?”

“Maybe,” Blair admitted. “Not sure how or why, though. It could very well be a hundred other reasons, too. The Princess just asked me to trust her, and I do. It's hard to say or speculate anything when it comes to her motivations.”

“A lifetime measured with an infinity symbol will do that,” Piro remarked.

Twilight didn't like this. There were holes here, and it bothered her that Blair and the others seemed content on not trying to fill them. She supposed that they figured Celestia was going to look into it and give them further orders, as that was what their entire job entailed anyway. Sure, the Princess probably had a good reason for not telling her that she and her friends had inherited the powers of the Elements, but for her to not mention anything about this Cetus character? That didn't make any sense. Was it because she didn't want to get her and her friends involved with such a dangerous situation, or was there a deeper, more complicated reason?

Twilight crossed her forehooves. “What happened to Horizon's brother?”

“Celestia put him in witness protection after he recovered,” Piro replied. “I don't know where he is now, I imagine he was placed in a foster home somewhere. He'd be an adult now though, so he could be anywhere. Celestia didn't tell us the specifics of his relocation for safety purposes, and I didn't see him again after we parted ways at the hospital.”

“We never even learned his name,” Blair said. “That's probably for the best though. Horizon was too young, so he doesn't remember it, either.”

“About that,” Twilight said, turning to him. “You said you had a conversation with Horizon two nights ago. How? Has he recovered from the accident?”

“Um, well...” Blair closed his mouth and licked his teeth. “Yes and no. It's more accurate to say that the most intact fragment of his consciousness has morphed into a separate entity. I call him Ophiuchus. He's self-aware and can see through all our perspectives, but he's very weak physically, and he rarely talks to any of us.”

Twilight raised her eyebrows. “Do you think he'd want to talk to me?”

Blair considered for a moment. “It's not a matter of whether he'd want to or not. It takes a lot out of him just to appear in our dreams, and I don't think he's capable of controlling any of us. He would've done it by now if he was strong enough for that, and it's not like we could, or even would try to stop him.”

“It's his body after all,” Piro pointed out. “We're just the current tenants.”

'Attention, passengers,' a voice came over the intercom. 'We will be arriving at Neighagra Falls in five minutes. Departing passengers, please gather your belongings and wait until the train has come to a complete stop at the station.'

Twilight tilted her head from side to side as the announcement ended. She hadn't actually expected she'd get to talk with Horizon, as she was surprised he was even alive in any form at all. A part of her was curious to hear what he had to say, but she doubted she'd get much information out of him that she didn't already know.

“Does Shining know about all of this, by the way?”

“Of course,” Blair said. “He was informed when he was promoted to Captain. He's our commanding officer after all, so it's only right that he should know.”

Twilight flattened her ears. “I think I'll have a little chat with him later...”

“Don't be too hard on him,” Piro said, noting the edge in Twilight's voice. “He's under orders to keep this quiet just like we were.”

“Even though we technically outrank him.” Ace snickered. “Poor Ras, stuck as a Private and can't do anything about it.”

“You're overestimating how much he cares.” Blair tried to hide his smirk. “You forget, Aquarius was shanghaied as it was. To quote him directly, 'As long as I get three square meals and have a warm place to sleep at night, I don't need hooves to count the amount of bucks I give about rank.'”

All three of the Echoes laughed.

Twilight looked out the window, seeing that they were entering the outskirts of the town. “So Shining really did assign you to me?”

Blair nodded. “Under Princess Celestia's recommendation, yes.”

“Why?” Twilight sized him up. “I know you're a Battlemage, but how does that translate to being the prime candidate for training me in using the Element of Magic?”

He sighed and lowered his eyes. “It doesn't.”

“So what, then?” Twilight “Seriously, come on. Turning off that brain thing wasn't hard at all. Is this about my font?”

Piro spoke up. “Partially, but that's more why I convinced you to leave Ponyville. You won't hurt anypony in the rare chance you have a Flare while we're out in the boonies.”

Twilight's eyes turned hard. “I dedicated ten years of my life to learning control so that would never happen again. Does the Princess think so little of me that she had to send you three to foalsit me like I'm some kind of loose cannon? I'm fully aware that with my font the way it is I could wipe everything within a three-mile radius off the map! Why do you think I've tried so hard to keep a lid on it?!”

“And therein lies the problem,” Piro said with an odd note of calm. “You're confusing 'control' with 'repression.' In the former, you master the power. In the latter, the power masters you. The evidence is written all over your face, Twilight—you're afraid of yourself. You know that if you make a single mistake, that if you slip up even once, it'll cause serious damage and maybe even hurt the ponies you know and love. We're trying to give you an environment where you can figure this out so that you don't just keep trying to bottle it up until it explodes.”

Twilight ground her teeth. She didn't want to admit it, but she knew he was right. She'd confided in Piro a few times about her font, so he knew that her trepidation was more like a deep rooted fear she'd been harboring for years. She'd had nightmares, horrible, terrible dreams about losing control, seeing white and then finding herself standing in the center of a smoking crater where Canterlot or Ponyville used to be. Celestia had reassured her constantly that such a thing would never happen, but the dreams still resurged, and each one rekindled the fiery terror in her heart. 'Cutting loose' was something she'd never even considered doing, and even now that Blair, Piro, and Ace were trying to give her the ideal scenario and location do it, she wasn't sure that she could.

The train whistle sounded, signaling the train’s approach to the station. Twilight ignored Piro and continued to address Blair. “Then if that's not the whole reason, what is it? Tell me, Knight-Grandmaster Blair of the Order of the Zodiac, what possible skills or experience do you have that makes you so well qualified? Why were you sent by my brother and my mentor to be with me at all times?”

“Because, Twilight.” Blair folded his hooves as he stared into her vivid lavender eyes. “I'm not the only one with an addiction.”

Chapter 20: One Rises, Another Falls

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Chapter 20:

One Rises, Another Falls

Meanwhile-

The tallest tree in Sweet Apple Acres was an ancient specimen discovered by the Apple family seventy years ago when the Ponyville property lines were being drawn out. It rested in a grass-covered sinkhole a few hundred yards away from the Everfree River, and its actual size was hidden from a distance. The hole was forty feet deep, one hundred fifty feet wide, and upon its initial discovery, the tree's canopy was just shy of being visible out of the hole. It was from this tree the family had taken their first seeds to plant the orchard, and the entirety of Sweet Apple Acres owed its existence to this one single specimen. Since then, the tree had continued to grow until it looked to be the same height as the other trees of the orchard, and now this place, called the Sunken Grove by the Apple family, provided for the perfect secret training grounds for Applejack and the others to practice their newly discovered powers.

“So I just gotta concentrate on bein' honest, eh?” Applejack had her eyes closed as she searched within herself.

“Concentrate on the truth,” Strauss corrected.

“The Element of Honesty revolves around the idea that the truth is a pure, unblemished constant.” Norric sat on his haunches a short ways away. “It's strong, reliable, and unbreakable... just like you.”

There was a dry chuckle. Applejack opened one eye to see Granny resting in the shade of the ancient tree with a pair of knitting needles, clicking away as she watched her granddaughter's progress.

“Flattery'll get you everywhere,” she said sagely to Norric. “Though I don't think Jackie's interested in datin' a magical clone.”

Applejack flushed. “Granny!”

Granny laughed again.

“I think it's more that she's not interested in liars,” a voice called down from above. Rainbow was perched in one of the wide branches of the apple tree with Esra and Tastar, who were going over the powers of the Element of Loyalty with her.

It'd been an interesting night. Applejack hadn't wanted to listen to Norric and Strauss after discovering they'd been hiding their true nature all this time, but Granny had made her sit and listen while she grilled them for everything they knew. They'd been about halfway through the story when Rainbow had come barging in through the front door, teeth bared and red eyes glowing like torchlights. Esra and Tastar had tried to break the news to her as gently as they could, but she'd filled in the blanks with assumptions and had flown off to get the others.

Granny looked up at Rainbow with a hint of reproach. “Bitterness don't suit you, honey. Holdin' grudges like that'll give you wrinkles like mine before you hit forty.”

Rainbow gave a slight intake of breath as she took in Granny's weathered features. She sighed, then turned her attention back to Tastar.

Rainbow had been friends with Applejack long enough to learn about the hardships Granny had faced in her long years, and held an enormous amount of respect for her as a result. She knew that the wisdom and character born of such a trying lifetime wasn't to be ignored, and so it wasn't hard for Granny to not only get Rainbow to calm down, but to sit and listen to what the Echoes had to say. It was a rare thing to see Rainbow slip into the role of a follower, but it proved just how strong of a mare Granny really was.

“I got the seein' and hearin' parts down, all right.” Applejack reached up and rubbed an ear. She could feel the Element of Honesty now, like a solid chunk of emerald in her heart that made her feel solid and connected with the earth. “What does physical strength have to do with it?”

“Those who are brutally honest hold fast to the truth, staying strong with thick skin so that they're able to take and deliver it,” Norric clarified. “Your Strength power manifests by making your body harder and denser, which in turn allows you to generate more kinetic force. It also makes you resistant to damage and immune to poison and disease.”

Applejack whistled. “That'll be handy come wintertime. I always hate gettin' them dang flu shots.”

Rainbow and Applejack's anger had largely dissipated when they'd heard about Horizon, and they'd both had agreed to learn to use their powers so they could help him. However, both of them also wanted to talk to the Princess. Rainbow wanted to go right away, but Applejack was hesitant to go anywhere with Applebucking Season so close. She wanted answers, but her commitment to the farm wasn't something she could just throw away. Granny had told them to wait until morning to talk with the other girls and make a group decision before traipsing up to the palace.

Applejack looked over at Fluttershy, who was beside a large exposed root with Megnii and Spesci. They'd found her the next morning in her cottage, locked in her room and refusing to come out. Her guards had told her the news last night, and things had gone well at first. She was surprised to learn of their true nature, but she didn't blame them for just doing what they thought they were supposed to do. She sympathized with Horizon, and was willing to do anything she could to help.

“You need to stop trying to fight it,” Megnii fidgeted as he looked down at Fluttershy. “You're going to hurt yourself at this rate.”

Fluttershy was laying down, her expression downcast as she rested her chin on the tree root. Her eyes were shining brightly with a soft pink light that cast shadows along the blades of grass. “I don't want to fight it, I want it to go away! How can it be a kindness to invade other ponies' privacy?!”

The problem had come when they'd told her the specifics of her powers. She'd been horrified when she found out when she'd been exuding an aura that influenced those around her, and when they told her about her Telepathy and Fearsense, she'd panicked and hid herself away. Applejack and Rainbow had managed to coax her out, but the prospect of going to Canterlot terrified her. She didn't want to go anywhere near large groups of ponies in her state, and was content to wait until the Princess was ready to come to them.

Spesci crouched to be eye level with her. “It's not an invasion of privacy if you have permission.”

You've always wanted to help others, and now you have the best tool to do it. What are you so afraid of?

Fluttershy flinched and looked away, but her thoughts were heard nonetheless. This is too dangerous! I don't need to be telepathic to know what's wrong with others! Everypony's always been nice to me, even before we used the Elements. I don't want or need some kind of power to make them be like that! I don't care if it makes others be kind and helpful to others, it's still making them do things they might not want to do!

Ironically, not wanting to use the Element of Kindness for fear of inadvertently intruding on other ponies’ thoughts was causing it to do just that. The soft light within her had grown brighter and brighter as her trepidation grew, causing her to hear the surface thoughts of everypony around her since last night despite her best efforts to try and block them out. It'd gotten so bad that she was projecting her own thoughts as well, and Megnii and Spesci were worrying she was either going to have a heart attack or burn out her Element at this rate.

Megnii was undeterred. “I told you back on the island that the duty of a soldier is to protect the things they care about. The oath of a knight is no different. Our predecessors fought for what we believed in so that ponies like you could live in a better tomorrow. If we naturally feel that way already, doesn't it make sense that we'd be so vulnerable to your aura?”

Fluttershy reluctantly turned to meet Megnii's earnest eyes.

You're not making us do anything we don't want to do. We used to think you were dangerous, but that was before we got to know what kind of pony you are. You're the literal embodiment of Kindness, Fluttershy. You've no reason to be afraid of yourself.

Fluttershy shuddered as she took a deep breath. She wanted to trust him. She wanted to trust the Princess too, but she was wary of being treated like a foal or used like a tool. Such a thing had never happened before, but that didn't mean she was ignorant of the possibility. Her strengths, not just those of the magical variety, were incredibly passive things: quiet, easily overlooked and difficult to demonstrate, but all the more dangerous for it. She was aware of terrible things she could do with these new gifts, and while what she wanted most of all was to not have this power in the first place, she was afraid of learning to control them for fear of abusing them.

However, she also wanted to help Horizon and her friends.

The pink light in Fluttershy's eyes dimmed as she relinquished her stranglehold on her powers. She slowly got to her hooves.

“I—”

Pinkie giggled as she hopped up beside Fluttershy and gave her a hug. “You worry about the silliest things! You feel BAD about making ponies want to be nice to each other? Where's the sense in that?!”

The surprise of Pinkie talking about making sense was almost as startling as how she'd put her powers to use. Applejack and Rainbow had found her at Ponyville Nursing Home, organizing a group photo with an old view camera that had a cloth hood. They'd walked in just as she took the picture, and they saw the blue wave of light that emanated from her along with the camera's flash. Applejack and Rainbow watched in dumbfounded awe as scars disappeared, wrinkles faded, dim eyes sharpened, and faded coats gained color. Several of the ponies blinked several times, looking around in confusion as they suddenly realized where they were.

Fluttershy meeped at Pinkie's sudden display of affection, but didn't protest. She hung limply in her friend's grip as she sorted through her thoughts.

“That doesn't make it right. I want ponies to be nice to each other because they want to, not because an outside influence pushes them.”

Pinkie scratched her chin. “I suppose, but look at it this way. Some ponies don't know how to be nice because all they've known is the crummy side of life. Your power sparks that tiny little hope, that itty-bitty little piece that never fully goes out, no matter how hard it's beaten or bruised or stomped on! You can show kindness to those who don't even know what kindness is! Isn't that something to be proud of?”

Fluttershy's wings twitched. “I-I want it to be... but I'm not sure if I can...”

Pinkie set Fluttershy down and flopped down on the grass, staring up at the leafy canopy. “The power's yours now! It can be whatever you want it to be!”

Applejack and Rainbow had managed to set aside the implications of what Pinkie had done in the nursing home to talk with her about current events. They somehow weren't surprised that she'd known for a while now, and had been waiting for the others to realize it on their own. Ras had filled in the remaining holes for her the previous night, specifically about Horizon and the barrier, but practicing with her powers to speed along her recovery was something she'd wanted to do anyways. She'd tried to lie to Applejack and Rainbow about her reasons for not wanting to go see the Princess, but Applejack had made her fess up.

Ras's scruffy visage appeared in Pinkie's field of vision. “Trying to recruit a partner in crime?”

Pinkie's eyes literally lit up, a dim sapphire light appearing in her pupils. An apple fell from the branches above, landing a few inches away from her head. She took it and happily munched away. “Oh, come on. Kindness and Laughter go together like sugar and spice! With Fluttershy's help, I can find out who to blast with my awesometacular Healing beams!”

In truth, Pinkie wanted to help the ponies of Ponyville before doing anything else. She feared that the Princess might keep them in Canterlot for some reason, and she'd miss her chance to help the ones she loved the most. She didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but she didn't want to leave until she helped those who she felt needed her.

Vigil walked up beside Ras. “Why not just make up an excuse like you did at the nursing home and hit everypony at once? You'd save a lot of time that way.”

Pinkie closed her eyes, although whether it was due of the taste of the apple or the prospect of healing the entirety of Ponyville wasn't clear. “It'd be pretty hard to gather everypony together on a whim... I could probably manage it in a few months, but that wouldn't do you guys much good. Well, except for you, Viggy.”

Vigil had taken the news much as he took everything else—with stoic acceptance. The pony he'd been assigned to guard was the avatar of the power of an ancient relic? No problem. His partners were all magical clones from a thousand year-old war? Not so much as a twitch. A horde of ravenous monsters could be set loose upon an unsuspecting world? Yawn. Vigil's job was to guard the Bearer of Laughter, and as long as these 'details' didn't affect his orders, he didn't give so much as a lick.

Vigil shrugged. “This is important to you. I'm sure we can help you to get things moving faster than that.”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “I'm not even sure what you guys could do.”

Vigil raised his eyes to the sky. “We could organize a fundraiser, go around passing out fliers, go to the town hall and speak with the mayor about renting out a public venue, contact the local businesses to see if they'd be interested in exchange for free advertising, contact some performers to provide entertainment at a cheap rate, or maybe—”

Vigil stopped and looked down. Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Ras were staring at him in dim surprise. Megnii and Spesci were chuckling with small shakes of their heads.

“...What?”

Pinkie cocked her head. “You're being oddly helpful today.”

“Not to mention talkative,” Ras added. “Haven't heard you say this much in the three years I've known you.”

Vigil flattened his ears. “What's wrong with wanting to help? I'll have you know I have experience in organizing public events. It's not nearly as hard as most ponies think, and a little kindness goes a long way in getting ponies to cooperate... with you...”

Vigil's mouth fell open as he realized what he'd just said. Fluttershy turned beet red as Megnii and Spesci burst out laughing.

“I... see,” Vigil managed.

“I'm sorry,” Fluttershy murmured.

“Don't be,” Spesci said immediately. “About time somepony pulled him out of his shell.”

“Didn't know you were such a nice guy,” Megnii teased. “No wonder you never say anything.”

Vigil narrowed his eyes. “I think I liked it better when I could pull rank on all of you.”

“You still can,” Ras drawled. “It just doesn't mean squat.”

Vigil exhaled out his nose and looked to Fluttershy. “Looks like I've been caught red-hooved.”

“This is wrong!” Fluttershy wrapped her overly large wings around her barrel so she could sit on her haunches. “I don't want to make you act in a way that you don't want!”

“What's a greater kindness?” Megnii asked. “To let ponies hide behind a mask, or to remove their inhibitions and let their true self shine through?”

“I agree tampering with free will is wrong, but that's not what your aura is doing.” Spesci sat down beside Fluttershy. “It's coaxing out something that's already there. It just seems like you're making them act in a way they don't want because most ponies try very hard to suppress their natural tendencies.”

“Which actually makes them more vulnerable.” Megnii gave Vigil a pointed look.

Vigil coughed loudly and looked away.

Applejack squinted as she watched the conversation from afar. It'd taken her a second to realize who Vigil was, as there was something about him she hadn't known about until now. She walked up to the group, analyzing him with a scrutinizing eye.

“I didn't know your coat was gray.”

Vigil blinked. He turned to meet Applejack's glowing emerald eyes.

“What?”

Applejack lowered her chin. “I always did think it strange that all the others are natural colors and you're the only one who's pure white. What're you wearin' a disguise for?”

Vigil's entire body tensed as his eyes shrunk to pinpricks. He licked his lips and looked away. “I-It's just a h-habit of mine to keep the D-Disguise spell on that all the R-Royal Guards wear.”

Applejack didn't hear an echo, but that didn't mean she accepted his answer. Norric and Strauss had told her how they'd been getting around her Truthsense power.

“That doesn't answer my question, now does it?” Applejack said quietly.

Vigil swallowed hard. His eyes flickered over to the Echoes, who were watching him with newfound interest. He traced a line down his smooth, unblemished barrel.

“WAHAHA!”

Everypony jerked at the sound. Rarity stood over by a patch of marigolds, clapping her hooves beside a plush red couch with an elegant golden frame. Elo and Grovi were nearby, nodding and smiling approvingly.

“I did it!” she cheered, her eyes glowing with a cool silver light. “I really did it! I—”

Rarity stopped as she put a hoof to her head, swaying back and forth like a leaf in the wind.

“Whoa there,” Grovi rushed over, steadying her and guiding her over to the couch.

Rarity had been the last one the others had gone to, and they'd found her in her kitchen having an argument with Elo and Grovi. They'd spent the morning telling her everything, and she'd gone through all the natural reactions: surprise, confusion, disbelief, anger, but it'd all turned into pity and acceptance upon hearing about Horizon. She immediately agreed to help 'the poor dear', and wanted to get started with training right away.

Rarity waved a feeble hoof as she tried to wave Grovi away. “I'm fine, really! I just need to—”

Grovi's silencing stare could've given Granny a run for her money. “You haven't slept in two days, and this morning we found you working full-bore in your Inspiration Room despite Piro's insistence that you not use any magic at all. Forget using your powers, I’m surprised you're even able to stand.”

The issue was that Rarity also wanted to make three new dresses for Canterlot Fashion Week, and she only had nine days to do it. Elo and Grovi figured that she could kill two birds with one stone by using her Creation power to make her entries, but Rarity refused because she claimed such a thing would be cheating. She'd make her dresses the old fashioned way like everypony else, and practice her powers by making other things.

Rarity swished her tail as Grovi pushed her down onto the couch. “You’re getting to be as bad as Mother. It's not like I'm some porcelain doll that—”

A tiny, porcelain figurine that was the spitting image of Rarity appeared beside her on the couch. She stared at it dumbly for a few seconds before breaking into a giggling fit.

“This is astounding!” she exclaimed. “Does this Creation power have any limits?”

“Size, complexity, and familiarity.” Elo picked up the figurine in his magic and examined it. “Bigger things take more energy to make, as well as things that have a lot of parts to them. However, if it's something you're familiar with making, such as a dress in your case, it'll take less effort.”

The light in Rarity's eyes dimmed out as her voice went low. “I've already told you I'm not going to do that, and I'll thank you very much to stop making insinuations.”

Applejack, Rainbow, and Pinkie had asked Rarity what she wanted to do about going to the Princess, and she admitted she did want to go, but not when she had so much to do. That had made the vote three against, one for, and one unsure, so they decided to wait for now. Rarity pointed out they were planning on going up to Canterlot in nine days anyway, so why not take the time to train with the Echoes now, and they could go up and talk to the Princess then? They'd all agreed to that, and so they'd gone to Sweet Apple Acres to meet up with Granny, who'd suggested the Sunken Grove as a training ground.

Grovi noticed that the others were looking at them. He leaned forward to whisper in Rarity's ear. “You've already got enough on your plate as it is. I don't know why you're so dead set on creating more work for yourself in your condition!”

Rarity gritted her teeth and spoke out of the corner of her mouth. “If I can't succeed using the skills I've honed with my own blood, sweat, and tears, then I don't deserve to make it all. You're asking me to throw my morals out the window and take the easy path to success just because of a few bouts of insomnia?! I'd rather—”

“Feelin' alright, Rare?”

Rarity stopped as she saw that Rainbow that flown down from the tree, looking at her with concern. “You don't look so hot.”

Rarity feigned exuberance. “Just a little taken aback from all of this. You have to admit it's quite the shock.”

Tastar and Esra came down to hover beside Rainbow. She clicked her teeth as she looked at them, then over to Elo and Grovi. “Maybe you two can answer this for me. Was the whole thing about Luna being weak a lie?”

“I can't say.”

“No.”

Grovi looked at Elo with a wrinkled brow. “We shouldn't be saying things that we aren't sure about.”

Elo slowly held up a hoof to silence him. “I'm sure you remember what Princess Luna looked like when you used the Elements on her.”

Rainbow cringed. “Like she hadn't eaten in weeks.”

“Filthy, too.”

They all looked at Rarity with scrunched eyebrows.

“What?” Rarity shrugged. “She was covered in dust, and her mane looked like she hadn't brushed it in the entire one thousand years! I feel sorry for the royal attendants that had to clean her!”

“I was actually referring to her stature,” Elo said. “Luna always was a bit shorter than Celestia, but not by much. In the time of our predecessors, they were very similar in size and appearance.”

“She had the ethereal mane and everything,” Grovi said. “Although it looked like the night sky instead of the morning.”

Elo nodded. “The only one of us who’s caught more than a glimpse of her is Blair, but even from what we've seen, we know she looks more like a filly. We've been told that she's 'recovering', which implies that she's getting stronger, or possibly aging at a faster rate, but that's it. I don't know how weak she actually is, but I don't think what she told you was false.”

Rainbow snorted. “It just may not be what we're assuming it is.”

“I told you that you can't expect the Princesses to tell you about everything that's going on,” Esra said. “They're the immortal rulers of our country, and the issues that they deal with are on a scale that's far beyond our simple, paltry lives.”

“And I told you to stop putting them on a pedestal,” Rainbow said with a flick of her ears. “They're immortal, but they make mistakes just like the rest of us.”

Tastar sneezed, a noise that suspiciously sounded like 'Nightmare Moon.'

Esra glared at him.

“What?” Tastar raised his hooves in deference. “Horizon must be allergic to marigolds, or something.”

Esra rolled his eyes. “We're sharing his body, you dolt.”

Rainbow snickered. “Look, all I want is to know the truth. If Luna needs our help, we'll help her. If Horizon needs our help, we'll help him. I don't understand why they'd keep this from us, and it's driving me nuts wondering!”

Rarity put a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. “If it's bothering you that much, you can always just go on your own. We all know you've never exactly been one for patience. ”

A dim, fiery light appeared in Rainbow's eyes. “And leave you gals behind? Nuh-uh. Besides, it's not gonna change what we have to do. Bottom line is that we gotta recover so we can use the Elements again, and that's only gonna happen one way. I'll focus on this for now, and help the rest of you out if you need it.”

Rarity smiled. “I'm glad for that. You're no stranger to training, after all.”

“All right mares, gentlecolts, and things pretendin' to be gentlecolts.” Granny had moved from her spot and was now sitting in a bed of heather on a small mound. “I reckon we should talk about what's gonna happen now for the next few days until ya go up to Canterlot.”

“Ooh! Ooh! I was thinking about that!” Pinkie bounded over to Granny, circling around to look at everypony else. “We should totally have outfits!”

Rainbow eyed her dubiously. “Outfits?'

“Yeah!” Pinkie reared and put her forehooves on her hips with a cheesy smile. “Think about it! We're kinda like superheroes, aren't we? Superheroes wear costumes to hide their identities!”

Rainbow blew a multicolored forelock out of her eyes. “I'm gonna need a lot more than a costume to hide this.”

Rarity's pupils went huge as ideas flashed through her head. “What a fabulous idea! Oh, the styles, the designs, the colors I could come up with! Winter's coming up, so they'd have to be warm, but they're supposed to be completely covering, so that works out. I wonder what kind of fabric I could—”

Granny loudly cleared her throat. “That wasn't quite what I meant. It sounds like ya'll were gonna head up to Canterlot anyway in a little over a week, so ya decided that you're just gonna stick to that and have these boys help ya out in the meantime. That about right?”

“Yes'm,” Applejack settled down in the heather. “I just wish we remembered about Twilight leavin'. Woulda liked to get her input about all this.”

“She's in good hooves,” Strauss said, nibbling on a nearby stalk.

Applejack adjusted her Stetson and ran a hoof through her mane. “I ain't so sure. From what you told me about what that Libra, it sounds like Blair's pretty dangerous.”

“That's not as bad a thing as ya think.” An odd smile formed on Granny's lips. “Better he be dangerous then some know-nothing greenhorn.”

“Edith,” Rainbow began.

Granny turned to her. “Yeah?”

Rainbow landed, shuffling her hooves for a moment before meeting Granny's vibrant eyes. “Why're you so calm about all this? I thought you'd be angry, like I was.”

“My perspective's a tad different than yours, hon.” Granny glanced over at the massive tree in the center of the Grove. “The Apple family moved to Equestria with a group of pioneers migrating south from Tarandus by way of the Yakkhari Mountains. Princess Celestia received us, and she was the one who gave us permission to settle in the Equius Valley and found the town of Ponyville. She looked the exact same then as she does now—ageless, tall, regal, with a mane like the dawn and a soothing presence that could calm down a raging Ursa Major.”

Granny turned back to Rainbow. “That was seventy years ago. I was a foal barely outta diapers, and now I'm an old mare. In that time I've loved, married, foaled, mourned, built, rebuilt, met countless ponies, seen countless things, and performed countless deeds. I've got regrets, burdens, sorrows, and even a few skeletons in my closet.”

Granny exhaled out her nose. “All that, and it ain't even been a century. Princess Celestia has lived at least twenty times that, but I'd be willing to bet it's actually a heckuva a lot more. She's ancient, honey, and I know she ain't crazy because a crazy pony couldn't do a fraction of the things she's done, and continues to do this very day. I recognize the wisdom of my elder just like you respect the wisdom of yours, and if these boys say, 'Princess Celestia doesn't want you gals goin' up to Canterlot', I'm gonna respect that, and believe there's a damn good reason for it.”

Rainbow took in Granny's words with contemplative silence. “Well, when you put it that way... you really trust her that much?”

Granny laughed. “Do I trust the mare that showed mercy on me, my family, and all the exhausted settlers in that caravan by giving us a good place to lay down our stakes for free, and by extension, brought all of you here to this very spot so we could have this conversation? Yes, Rainbow Dash, I do.”

Rainbow scratched the back of her neck. “And here I thought I was supposed to be the Element of Loyalty.”

“Not you too,” Granny said with a chuckle, looking over at Pinkie and Applejack. “You're at the beginning of your road, and you're talkin' to somepony near the end of theirs. Frankly, I'd be embarrassed if I didn' have one or two things to pass on to each of ya.”

The other Bearers laughed, and Granny turned to the ten guards, who were each standing beside their respective charges. “I've suggested this place as somewhere safe for the girls to practice if they want. If ya'll know of a better place, be my guest, but as somepony who's lived here all her life, I can tell ya you're not gonna find much better.”

Elo bowed. “On behalf of all of us, I thank you for your wisdom and assistance.”

The other guards nodded their thanks.

Granny raised her chin. “We'll get along just fine if you don't gimme a reason to doubt ya. Be mindful of that, and ya'll will be welcome to use this grove anytime ya want.”

Pinkie tittered. “I wouldn't get a lot of practice down here. Don't worry about me... I have plans.”

“I know I need the practice.” Applejack looked over at a grotto that led towards the river. Around it were several mossy boulders that were half stuck in the ground. “This Strength power'll come in handy for Applebuckin' Season, but I'm gonna need to gauge it or I'll wind up punchin' holes in the trunks.”

Fluttershy spoke up. “I'd like to use this place, if you don't mind. It's really nice, and I won't be affecting anypony way out here.”

Rainbow looked over at Fluttershy. “You want some help?”

Fluttershy opened her mouth, then stopped and considered. “Well, if I have to read anypony's thoughts, I'd rather do it with somepony I'm comfortable with, so if you don't mind...”

“Say no more.” Rainbow put a wing around Fluttershy's shoulders. “I was thinking we could actually help each other out with our powers. You could probably use a little Inspiration and Courage, anyways.”

Fluttershy giggled. “I might benefit from that.”

Granny looked over at Rarity. “How about you?”

Rarity had zoned out with a lethargic stare as she lay in the heather. She snapped to her senses as she realized she was being addressed. “Oh! No, thank you. I think I can do what I need to do at home, and I'm going to be terribly busy over the next few days as it is.”

Granny squinted at Rarity. She could tell there was something wrong, but couldn't place whatever it was. A slight strain in her smile, a flicker in her eyes that betrayed a deadened look, but it was all so faint that it was hard to get a read. Granny made a mental note to keep an eye on her, but decided not to press it for now.

“That's that, then,” Granny turned to the guards again. “You boys get nine more days of these gals stayin' put before three of 'em go up to Canterlot. All I can say is I wish I was goin' with 'em, because whatever reason Celestia's got for all of this is gonna be one humdinger of a tale.”

“And all I can say,” Rainbow grumbled, “is that it better be.”

Neighagra Falls was a trio of enormous waterfalls in a naturally formed gorge connecting two massive freshwater lakes. Thick, misty waves of spray continually rose up from the falls, causing sheets of color to rise above the water’s surface and create wispy rainbows that hovered in and above the chasm. The place was a well-known tourist attraction, and ponies came year-round to take in the majestic sight. Twilight and her guards were among these tourists, and they now stood at a scenic outlook with a small crowd as they beheld the natural wonder.

The awesome spectacle was lost to Twilight as she stared down at the ground. She’d always wanted to come here, but Blair’s bombshell about her impending issue with her Absorption power was eating away at her. She hadn’t seen the big deal at first, but the more she’d considered, the more she saw why it was a problem. Blair had assured her she’d be able to handle it with his help, but hadn’t had a chance to say anything more as they’d joined in with the crowd of ponies heading for the falls, and she’d been alone with her thoughts since then.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Blair said as he sidled up to her. They were standing at the edge of the outlook, where only a waist-high railing separated them from a sheer cliff that dropped into the obscured depths below. Ace and Piro were at a picnic table fifty feet away.

Twilight could barely hear him over the deep rumbling of the falls. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

Blair raised his voice. “Are you worried?”

She looked up at him to read his lips. “What do you think? I’ve only been freaking out my entire life because of the power I already have, and here you are saying I’m going to have even more? Not exactly the best news I’ve gotten.”

Blair chuckled. “What is the best news you’ve gotten?”

Twilight gave a wistful smile. “That I could stay in Ponyville with my friends.”

Blair took a deep breath, savoring the vaporous air. “I know it’s not easy to leave behind the ones you care about. One of the hardest things Libra ever had to do was accept the consequences of his actions, and it tore him apart knowing that he’d never be with his friends again.”

“Was his duty really that important to him?” Twilight asked. “That he’d throw away any kind of personal gain or salvation for the sake of the greater good?”

“It wasn't that simple.” Blair lowered his head. “I hope you don't believe what Piro said about Libra just wanting to be a hero. I'll admit that was a factor in his decision, but it wasn't the sole reason. It wasn't even the primary one.”

“What was, then?”

Blair could feel the earth shaking beneath his hooves as thousands of gallons of water cascaded into the basin. “Fear.”

“Fear of what?” Twilight asked.

Blair made a circling motion with a forehoof. “Failure, weakness, change, humiliation, death... Libra knew there was nothing else he could do to fight against Nightmare Moon's army, and everything he knew and loved was going to be torn down around him as he died a gruesome, painful death. He was willing to do anything to make sure that didn't happen, and if it meant he had to be exiled, well... at least his friends, family, and country would be safe.”

“So he saw his act as a sacrifice, and put the needs of the many before the needs of the few.” A strand of Twilght’s mane fell in front of her face. She blew it out of the way as she adjusted the manepin Rarity gave her. “I can see how that could justify your actions, but I don't think that applies to my situation. You got me out here so that I can practice without hurting anyone else, but I'm worried that training is going to make me more of a hazard, not less.”

“Because you don't trust yourself,” Blair said. “It's not fair to keep your font locked away just because of a little accident you had ten years ago.”

“I turned my parents into potted plants, trapped the four instructors in an Anti-Magic Zone, and transformed Spike into a forty-foot tall behemoth,” Twilight said dryly. “I don't think that qualifies as 'little.'”

Blair's eyes went wide, then he burst out laughing. “So that's why Tastar was claiming he saw a malformed Amethyst Wyrm ten years ago! We all thought he'd gone nuts!"

Twilight blinked several times. She'd been expecting Blair to be intimidated by the story of her Flare, as it was certainly something that terrified her parents every time she brought it up. Then again, perhaps they were still traumatized from being changed into flora.

“It's not something to laugh about,” Twilight said. “I could've seriously hurt somepony.”

“You run more risk of hurting yourself or somepony else without training your powers,” Blair said. “I'm not saying you're unpredictable, it's just that if the time ever came where you had to use your full strength, you wouldn't know how to do it.”

Twilight glowered. “You've no idea what you're asking me to do.”

Blair gave Twilight a condescending look. “I know exactly what I'm asking you to do. The problem is that you don't trust me. Things would've gone differently if I'd had my way, but I can't change the past anymore than save Horizon without your help. I need you to do this, Twilight, if not for me, then for Equestria, because it'll be in serious peril if you don't.”

Twilight bit her lip, her eyes shifting back and forth as she considered his words. Blair watched her intently, leaning forward as he hid his hope behind a mask of indifference.

“I... just don't know.”

Blair resisted the urge to facehoof, and instead left Twilight to stand alone at the edge of the railing. He walked over to Piro and Ace, who were splitting an order of hay fries at the table. Piro noticed Blair's approach and moved over to make room for him, but Blair shook his head and remained standing.

“Trouble in paradise?” Piro asked.

Blair looked back once at Twilight, who was still staring out at the falls. “She's kept a lid on her powers for so long that I don't think she knows how to take it off.”

“I tried to warn you,” Piro popped another fry into his mouth. “Flat-out terrified of herself. I saw it within the first few times of talking with her. Why do you think I was going to resort to putting her in danger?”

“Did you finish that Dampening Array you were working on, by the way?” Ace asked.

Piro traced a groove in the wood with a hoof. “It's still experimental, and I don't like how much I've had to tinker with it to get it to work, but I'm confident it'll keep her from turning her immediate surroundings into a barren wasteland.”

Blair raised an eyebrow. “What's this, now?”

“Just a little project I've been working on these past few weeks.” Piro gave a lopsided smirk as he produced a long, rolled up sheet of parchment Blair had seen him with several times. He waved it once at Blair before putting it back. “Hopefully I won't have to use it.”

The sun disappeared behind a passing cloud, and Blair raised his eyes to the sky. Of all the problems he'd anticipated, this was the one he wasn't sure on. He'd figured hearing about Horizon and the threat to Equestria would be enough motivation for Twilight, but apparently her fears were more deeply rooted than he thought. He could understand it, of course, better than most ponies did in fact, but that didn't mean he knew a safe way to get her over it.

“I doubt you will,” Blair said. “I don't think she's going to use her powers. We're going to have to find some other way to do this other than getting her to cast magic. Maybe we can—”

Blair felt a sharp twinge in the back of his head, quick, brutal, and agonizing. He clutched his head as he yelled out, staggering and falling onto the table.

“Blair!” Piro said, getting to his hooves. “What—”

Piro and Ace flinched as they both felt a similar pain in the back of their heads, nowhere near as bad as Blair's, but enough to stop them dead in their tracks.

Ace gritted his teeth, looking around to see if anypony around them had noticed their strange behavior. “Was that—”

Blair knew the sensation he'd just felt. It'd been only two nights ago, after all. It'd been instant, gone as quickly as it came, and left no lingering pain, yet still the message couldn't have been clearer. Both Piro and Ace eyed Blair warily as he stood back up with a dark look in his eyes.

“Blair...”

Piro knew that look all too well, and that combined with the spike of pain, he had a pretty good idea of what'd just happened.

Blair turned to his oldest friend, a faint, resigned smile playing at his mouth. “I keep forgetting I'm not the one in charge.”

Piro took a step forward. “Blair, don't do anything rash. We can figure out another way—”

“Ophiuchus disagrees,” Blair cut in, “and I think he's right. Twilight and I aren't so different, and the only way I was able to face my fears was to be threatened with death.”

Blair's horn began to glow the same color as the churning waters, and Twilight shivered as she was hit by a light spray. The water vapor traveled past her and gathered around Blair, swirling and circling around him. His features slowly faded to a silhouette as the vapor formed into a fog, finally fading away completely. The wind shifted, blowing away the mist, and Blair was gone, vanished without a trace.

Ace's jaw dropped. “He's not...”

“Blair!” Piro yelled after him. “Think about what you're doing!”

The endless roar of the falls drowned out Piro's protests. Twilight continued to look out at the scenic vista, unperturbed.

“Should we do something?!” Ace asked, turning to his superior.

Piro gulped. “I-I...”

Piro was a planner. He'd never been good at thinking on his hooves, and it'd always been Blair who'd made the tough decisions in such situations. Scorpio had hated his own indecisiveness, but one of the reasons why he'd stayed with Libra was because he was afraid of having to make difficult choices by himself. He knew he could count on Libra to do it for him, but it meant Scorpio had to live with whatever was decided, and the guilt that it generated was like a burning crucible in his gut.

Piro hung his head, his whisper lost to the din.

"Let him do what he thinks is best.”

Twilight was lost in thought, oblivious to the world around her. She was trying to think of some way around having to use her magic. She paid no heed to the drop in temperature around her, the magic in the air, or the swirling mist that settled around her. She was too complacent to think that she might be in any kind of peril, and even if she was, her guards would be there to help her.

A flowing, watery whip coalesced out of the air, wrapped around Twilight once, then hung her out over the abyss. She yelped, struggling and squirming against the magic, but it held her fast as a part of it covered her mouth to keep her from screaming.

A pair of teal eyes formed out of the air in front of Twilight's face, and Blair's voice sounded like the crashing of waves against a shore.

“Horizon's tired, Twilight. He threatened to kill me and break the barrier himself if I don't push you, and your reluctance is going to damn thousands of innocents to death if I don't take more drastic measures. I've given up too much to have the country fall prey to the maws of demons, and if it means that I have to force you to take this plunge...”

Blair's eyes flickered down once before fading away.

“Then so be it.”

The whip spun Twilight, and in a single, fluid motion, threw her over the edge of Neighagra Falls, her screams fading along with her as she fell into the misty spray.

Twilight was paralyzed, both with fear and betrayal as she fell. Her mind was whirring faster and faster with thoughts and analysis of the situation, achieving a greater and greater clarity as her terror forcefully activated the Element of Magic. She realized with a start the point of what Piro and Blair had said—there really wasn't any time for logical analysis in a fight... not for normal ponies, anyway. It was a different story for her, as her thought processes were going at a rate that made time seem to slow down in her eyes, and she found she could even push aside her shock so that she could assess the situation.

She was in free fall, and there were several dangers to her life. Hitting the water from hundreds of feet up would be enough to seriously injure her or make her lose consciousness, and even if she survived the fall, the force of the current would likely keep her from surfacing. It was doubtful there were any rocks at the bottom of the falls, as they would've been eroded away by such a large volume of water. Magic could save her, so the question became what spell to use.

Teleportation was risky, as her fall had likely caused a stir and ponies would be running everywhere. She wasn't familiar with the area, and there was a high chance that she could accidentally splice herself with an innocent bystander. A Flight spell would take too long to cast, she wasn't familiar with Water magic, and a Freezing spell wouldn't work because of how fast the water was moving. A personal Barrier spell could work, but the amount of power she'd need to put into it to shield herself from the fall, as well as the volume of the water crashing down on her would be considerable.

Twilight pursed her lips. She'd been able to analyze her situation and recognize the best course of action in a span of less than two seconds, but that didn't mean she liked it. Blair had forced her hoof, risked her life, and put other ponies in danger, and by Celestia, he was going to answer for it.

Twilight released the incantation that restricted her access to her font. The Element of Magic responded, turning her core into a raging river of raw power. Twilight's eyes became half-filled with light, and a thin corona formed around her body, first turning magenta, then brightening to purest white. Lances of magical energy sparked off her horn, striking the water around her like miniature lightning strikes. A glowing sphere rose up around her as she struck the waters below, holding fast against the ceaseless pounding as she was driven deep under the waves.

Twilight judged that she had a few minutes of air inside her barrier, so she could just ride the current out to safety. Teleporting underwater wasn't advisable due to displacement, although she could propel herself forward with telekinesis. It'd be slow going, but hopefully she could get to shore so she could—

“Not bad.”

Twilight jumped at Blair's voice. She looked up and saw the vague outline of his upper body hovering above her like a formless ghost. His words echoed all around her as he spoke.

“I'll admit that was impressive, but we both know that you're capable of far more than a simple forcefield.”

Twilight narrowed her shining eyes. She'd forgotten that Blair was also a Water specialist, and now he had her right where he wanted her. She wouldn't be able to teleport away from him while she was underwater, and she doubted he was going to just sit back and let her surface.

“Are you insane?!” Twilight yelled. “You could've killed me!”

“That death would've been merciful compared to being ripped to shreds by Nightmare Moon's army.” Blair body melted and retreated into the river, but his voice was still heard among the muted silence. “You haven't heard the screams of the damned and the dying. You haven't watched your home be destroyed by monsters. You haven't had to comfort your friends as they mourned the loss of their loved ones. I have, and I'll do anything to prevent anypony from having to suffer that ever again.”

“What about the Princesses?” Twilight's voice was strangely distorted inside her protective sphere. “You honestly think they'd just sit idly by and let that happen? I doubt they'd even let the army get out of the pocket dimension!”

“Luna can't go anywhere near the army,” Blair said. “The Undying Loyalty power has taken tangible form inside the Astral Guard, and Nightmare Moon will be awakened once more if she's exposed to it. Not only that, but anypony who's loyal to Luna now will also be infected. Celestia has her own agenda, and while I trust her, I also understand that her perception of mortals is skewed, and Ophiuchus isn't going to leave matters to chance anymore.”

“Are his demands more important to you than those of the Princesses?!” Twilight demanded.

Blair reappeared in front of Twilight and crossed his hooves. “Considering he's the one with his hoof on the dead-mare's switch and can kill me at any time? Yes.”

Twilight gritted her teeth. Blair had made it clear that he didn't want to push her, so the only reason he'd suddenly be so aggressive is if Ophiuchus threatened him again or gave him some kind of reminder. It was clear Blair was a victim here, but she wasn't feeling very sympathetic at the moment. She was running out of air, and the longer she sat here, the more likely it'd be that Blair would make another move. She needed to get away, but that would prove difficult in her current position. If she knew Water magic like him it'd be a different story, but she'd never learned magic like that, and it's not like she could just...

Twilight lowered her chin. “So, Ophiuchus, you'd use Blair to force me into a corner in the hopes that I'll fight back? Not a very smart move. I suppose 'bite the hoof that feeds you' isn't the proper phrase in this case, but the implication is still valid.”

Blair said nothing, but Twilight swore she saw a prismatic glimmer in Blair's eyes like a dancing kaleidoscope. Then again, it could've only been a trick of the light filtering beneath the waves.

The corona around Twilight's body intensified. “For ten years I've felt restless, like I'm stuck in a tiny box that's pushing in on me from all sides. I feel a constant pressure on my font at all times, like a wild animal pulling on it's chains just begging for release. It's only gotten worse since this magical growth spurt started, and now I feel a constant tingling in my horn, like my magic is trying to spill out. I've desperately wanted to let go, to just start firing off as much magic as I can, but I haven't because of what happened the last time I did that.”

Twilight's barrier expanded to twice it's size, pushing the water away with a loud slosh. “When I had that Flare ten years ago, I experienced a sensation like nothing I've ever had before, nor since. Not only was I completely immersed in my own magic, but all the magic around me, as well. I could see the safety wards in the room and all around the castle, the magic being cast by students in the school, and even all the magic out in Canterlot itself. For the briefest of moments I was connected to all the unicorns around me, and when I saw all of that, it was a simple matter to unravel the spell surrounding one little dragon egg.”

The light in Twilight's eyes pulsed. “It felt good—no, it felt amazing. In that instant I had access to more magic than I'd ever dreamed, and I wanted it all. I wanted to learn every single spell I saw, and then I wanted to learn every other spell there is, as well. Since then I've dedicated my life to understanding as much about magic as I can, but it’s never enough because there’s just so much. Equestria is huge, the world is huger still, and the universe is of a size and scale that’s beyond comprehension. We haven’t even scratched the surface of how magic works, and all I want is to learn and see as much of it as I can. I know my work will never be finished, but that’s comforting in a way, because the saddest day of my life would be the day there’s nothing left to learn.”

“So why have you been holding back?” Blair asked. “Your Absorption power will help you achieve more than you could ever dream.”

Twilight closed her eyes. “Because I won't able to stop. Back then, I just wanted to keep having that feeling of immersion and connection with all the magic around me, and I tried to take all of the magic around me into myself. I didn't know what I was doing, and instead of absorbing the magic, I redirected it to the ponies around me. It's a small miracle nopony was hurt, and didn't want to take that chance again.”

Twilight felt the Element of Magic inside her, like a seething, crackling livewire that filled her whole body with raw, untamed power. She was in the center of her font, a sea of magic, and all of it was at her disposal.

“And you want me to return to that,” Twilight whispered. “I stood at the edge of a terrible precipice that I was only barely able to turn away from, and you'd have me take a running leap off the edge?! You'd force me to release something I know I won't be able to control because I couldn't even handle it's shadow?! I only have one thing to say to that!”

Twilight opened her eyes, now completely filled with shining white light.

“BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR!”

Twilight's barrier exploded like a depth charge, blasting all the water around her with a massive shockwave that went out for one hundred yards. Twilight exuded a bright aura that coiled about her body like a thick plasma, and her coat and mane waved softly in the wind. She hovered in midair, held aloft by her own telekinesis as the Element of Magic awoke fully inside its avatar.

Twilight saw Blair, who'd been caught off-guard and was knocked away by the force of her ascension. She saw all the spells laid upon him, just like ten years ago. Only this time, she knew she could take them for her own. She teleported to him and touched his shoulder, seeing and understanding as her mind greedily soaked up the new knowledge like a sponge. The Watermelding spell, how to create an Echo, the Lifesealing Ritual, and how to create a pseudo-body partially comprised of matter and energy. She knew that his Lifeforce addiction wasn't magical, but rather a symptom of his mind thinking that the largest amount of Lifeforce he'd been connected to was the amount he should actually have, and wasn't something she could take even if she wanted to.

Twilight saw the prismatic flicker again in Blair's eyes. She squinted, and she could now see one last piece of magic in Blair. No, not magic, at least, not completely. It was a presence, shattered and incomplete, spread out, wounded, but alive all the same. She reached out to it, and as she made contact, Twilight suddenly found herself standing on a plane of white before a ghostly stallion with prismatic eyes. His mane hovered about him like a veil, and his cutie mark was a 'U' with an odd squiggle through the middle.

Twilight glared at Ophiuchus with her brilliant eyes. “You.”

Ophiuchus winced at her biting tone. An image formed in her mind—that of him holding Blair by the throat in an opaque, multifaceted sphere. One of Opuhiuchus' hooves was a jagged blade, and he was holding it above a golden tether that connected Blair to the silhouette of a pony in the center. Vicious, depraved screaming came from below them, and Ophiuchus quickly impressed a series of emotions onto Twilight: regret, sorrow, frustration, helplessness, desperation, remorse. The memory faded, as did Ophiuchus, but before he vanished, he left behind two words that inserted themselves into Twilight's mind.

Forgive me.

Twilight hissed and shied away from Blair, melting into the water and swimming away from both him and the blast. Blair didn't pursue, and didn't seem to be bothered that she'd just learned how to use his magic. He went up to the surface, reforming his body save for the bottom of his hooves, and stood on the water, sweeping his mane out of his eyes as he addressed the pony that was always with him.

“I hope you're happy, kid. You got what you wanted, but she's gonna be long gone now, and now that you've let her loose like this there's no telling what she's gonna do. You'd better pray that she goes back to the Princess now, or else—”

“Or else, what?”

Blair felt his hackles rise at Twilight's echoing voice. He turned behind him to see Twilight ten feet away, still awakened, standing on the water much the same as him.

Blair frowned. “You're still here.”

Twilight's clenched her jaw. “Because you still have something I want.”

The realization dawned. “The Symbols of the Elements.”

Twilight nodded. “I've a proposal that I think everypony will find agreeable.”

Blair raised an eyebrow. “I'm listening.”

Twilight looked down at her reflection. “I can feel the magic of the unicorns in the area, and the desire to absorb their magic is like a physical pull. Your experience with this kind of thing isn't something I can just ignore, and I'll admit it'd be nice to have some help. However, you've violated my trust. I understand why, but I can't dismiss that you might do it again.”

Blair's ears drooped, but he said nothing.

“Staying with you is a risk,” Twilight continued, “but your actions were partially my fault because I didn't understand the magnitude of what's at stake. I'm willing to recognize my portion of the blame, but only if you give me recompense for what you've done.”

“So you want the other three Symbols right now.” Blair idly tapped a hoof on the water with a light splash. “What's to stop you from leaving right after I give them to you?”

Twilight gave a devilish smirk. “Nothing.”

Blair looked up at the thick gray mist above them. That Twilight was willing to compromise at all after what he'd done was something he was having trouble believing. It was a risk, yes, but he supposed it was only fair that he give her a little trust in return for breaking hers.

“All right,” Blair said.

Three long, thin tendrils of water rose up from the river in Blair's aura to hover above the two of them. The one on the right formed into a perfect circle with two coils curving away from the sides in opposite directions.

“Honesty.”

The center tendril split into three coiling lines like a chair, two on the bottom and one on the top.

“Kindness.”

Blair took a deep breath, and the last tendril formed into a sideways figure eight with curved, two-pronged branches on each side.

“Generosity.”

Twilight's eyes went wide. “That's the same symbol that Rarity made a necklace out of!”

“I know,” Blair said. “Her Foresight power showed it to her, but she doesn't know what it is.”

Twilight felt a twinge of annoyance, but pushed it aside as she committed each one of the Symbols to memory.

“Okay,” Twilight said slowly. “Now then, before we go back up, there's just one more then I want to say.”

“What's t—”

The wind was knocked out of Blair as a ball of water rose up and nailed him in the gut. He fell to his knees with a gasp, and suddenly found that his legs were encased in a white aura. He looked up at Twilight, whose eyes were narrowed dangerously as her aura blazed and her horn glowed like a spear of blazing fire twice it's normal length.

The rumbling of the falls came to an unnatural, sudden halt. Blair looked down, and saw that the river was now encased in white. He looked over at the titanic falls, and felt a chill as he saw the thousands of gallons of water halted in midair, the droplets of water glittering as they hung in place. The rumbling resumed, and the water of the falls was redirected to flow above and around them like a river in the sky.

The deluge coiled itself around Blair and Twilight like a massive serpent, then began to spin as a narrow, watery tornado formed around them that stretched hundreds of feet into the air. It swirled faster and faster, reaching speeds that would tear a pony to shreds upon contact. The water underneath Blair and Twilight was sucked away into the vortex, but the two of them were held in place by Twilight's magic. They now hovered in the eye of the magical storm, only feet separating them from the vicious, slicing waves.

“Ophiuchus.”

Twilight flew over to Blair and forced him to look into her featureless eyes, each of them shining like a miniature sun. She spoke, and her voice shook with equal parts power and rage.

“We'll save you, but if you ever, ever, EVER force the Echoes to do something like this again to me or one of my friends, the things I'll do to you will make Zemblani's actions look like a traveling circus act. And as for you Blair, if you so much as try to nudge me down a single step of stairs, I'll rip you out of Horizon myself, shove you in a Font Gem and leave you to rot the ages away in some Celestia-forsaken crypt. Got it?!”

Blair glanced once at the deadly tornado of water around them, then at the irate effigy of power before him. He briefly had a moment of deja vu as he took a rasping breath and manage to shakily give his response.

“G-Got it.”

Rarity staggered into her bedroom feeling like her head had been cleaved in two. She hadn't been happy about going all the way out to Sweet Apple Acres in her state, and it'd at least been a small blessing that Elo had been able to teleport her there and back. Arguing with him and Grovi over practicing with her new powers had taken a lot out of her, as well as cut into her time for dressmaking, and she'd left the Sunken Grove not long after meeting with the other girls to resume her work. She'd made amazing progress, but it'd drained her more than she'd realized, and now it felt like there were nails being driven into her skull.

Rarity knew she'd overdone it. She'd never felt this bad before, and what was worse was the amount of work she still had to do. It was tempting, so unbelievably tempting to use her Creation power to just will her dresses into being, but doing it that way would be an insult to everything she'd worked for, and she wouldn't be able to look at herself again if she did that. No, all she needed was some sleep, and as long as her Foresight power didn't manifest tonight, she'd be fine. Elo and Grovi had told her about her dreams, and while it was an interesting notion to try and understand their meanings, it didn't explain why it was affecting her insomnia, and therefore wasn't something she had time for right now.

Rarity tried her hardest to stay on her hooves and walk to her bed. She wasn't going to crawl. A Lady didn't crawl. She could make it under her own strength, and while she might not be in the best shape, she wasn't anywhere near that bad. She was glad, though, that at least Sweetie wasn't here to see her like this, or, Celestia forbid, her m—

The tinkling of the entrance door bell was like the herald of doom as the familiar voice called out from downstairs.

“Rarity? Dear, are you upstairs?”

Rarity groaned. This couldn't be happening. She wasn't sure if she could keep up the fac—what was she saying?! This wasn't an option, she couldn't, under any circumstances, let her mother know how weak she was! Why, if she were to find out, the consequences would be... undesirable.

“Yes, Mother!” Rarity called.

Rarity didn't think that the bed was the best place for her mother to find her, so she simply waited in the center of the room. She glanced once in the mirror to see if her makeup was still intact. It was a little faded, but it was still presentable. She magically dimmed the lights, and as she did, she stifled a cry as the pain in her head spiked up again.

Garden walked into Rarity's room, mercifully without the saddlebags this time. She gave a wan smile as she met her daughter's eyes.

“I'm sorry for dropping in on you like this. I was passing by, and I thought we should talk.”

“Oh! Er, sure,” Rarity said.

Passing by? What a joke! Their house was on the other side of Ponyville, and she worked in Canterlot! She never came to this side of town for any reason other than to see her!

Garden rubbed a forehoof. “I... feel like we've grown apart these last few years. We never do anything together anymore, and I doubt we'd see each other at all if I didn't have to pick up Sweetie every week.”

Rarity blinked. Was this actually what she thought it was?

“I know we've had fights about your condition.” Garden went over to the bookcase to examine Rarity's collection. “I imagine it hasn't been easy being both my patient and my daughter, and that's why I've tried to let other doctors examine you as much as I can. They couldn't help you anymore than me, though, and it killed me to see you suffer so much. The medicine was the only thing that seemed to help you, and that's why I was on your case so much about it. I may have gone overboard in my efforts though, so I'm sorry for that.”

It really was. After all these years, her mother, ever proud and diligent, the mare who treated her less as a daughter and more like a test case, was actually trying to make amends.

Laughable.

Dozens of retorts danced on the tip of Rarity's tongue. She wanted to say that a simple apology wasn't enough to make up for the years of dispassionate parenting, that it'd take a lot more than a sudden guilty conscience to clear her name in Rarity's eyes, and using an eight-year old as a pawn to spy on her wasn't going to win her mother of the year anytime soon.

Unfortunately, she couldn't afford to get into it right now.

“It's okay,” Rarity managed to choke past the bile. “You were only trying to help me, and it was wrong to fight back as hard as I did, so... I'm sorry, too.”

Garden's ears twitched, She slowly turned to face her daughter, her lips parted and one eye squinted.

“What?”

Rarity's headache throbbed, but the only thing she gave away was a slight twitch of her eyelid.

“I said I'm sorry. I shouldn't have argued with you as much as I did. You were right, and I see that now.”

Garden's eyes did a familiar sweep of Rarity's body. She closed the distance to her daughter, biting her lip as she did.

“What's wrong?”

Rarity felt her stomach drop out. “What do you m—”

“You're trying to get me to leave,” Garden observed. “And you're shaking.”

“I'm fine!” Rarity insisted. “I don't—”

A thin trickle of blood oozed out of Rarity's nose, dripping down to land on the floor.

Rarity felt the wetness on her muzzle and raised a hoof to her face, only to find it stained a dark red. She looked up at her mother, whose eyes had filled her head.

Rarity tried to come up with an excuse. “This isn't—”

“SIT. DOWN.”

Rarity's entire world turned upside down. She instinctively cowered before Garden, whose neck was corded, her nostrils flared, and her teeth gritted. No longer was this the tired, goofy, middle-aged mare who worried too much and nagged her all the time. This was her mother, the one who had brought her into this world, cared for her all her life, would do anything for her, and loved her unconditionally without thought, question, or hesitance.

And she was angry.

Rarity planted her backside unceremoniously on the ground as she obeyed the command. All her confidence, maturity, success, stubborness, and pride were gone, her entire image shattered by brutal, harsh waves of guilt. Time froze, and all the past memories of failure hit her full force as she was caught in her mother's withering stare. They weren't in Rarity's house anymore, and she was an adult no longer. She was a naughty filly before her all-powerful parent, and the cold, heavy dread in her gut was enough to make her whimper.

Garden took her daughter's sudden submissive behavior in stride. They met eyes for a moment before she put a hoof on Rarity's shoulder and delicately touched their horns together. Rarity felt a jolt as her mother's presence entered her mind, then a tingle in her spine as she felt out her magical font, gingerly poking and prodding it.

“You're in the Danger Zone,” Garden snapped as she continued the Cornuoscopy. “Your font is showing signs of extreme extended wear, and you might've already done irreparable damage to—”

Garden recoiled away from her daughter like she'd been slapped.

“The magic of your font is acidic!” She said in alarm. “It burned me when I tried to immerse myself in it! What in Celestia's name have you done?!”

“Nothing!” Rarity protested. “All I've done lately is a little Spell Fusion, and—”

“Enough of your lies,” Garden spat. “I'm no expert, but I know forbidden magic when I see it.”

“Forbidden magic?!” Rarity echoed. “What are you talking about?!”

Garden shook her head in disgust. “I think I'd know what the font of a unicorn with fifty Hornpower feels like after performing Cornuoscopies almost every single day for the past twenty-two years. Did you think that your font wasn't growing from all the stress you've put it under? Unicorn fonts are extremely adaptive muscles, and due to the constant punishment you've put yours under, it's grown to immense proportions. I don't know how much magic you could potentially have, but it doesn't matter because you've never let it recover, and now I'm not even sure it can!”

Rarity was flabbergasted. She didn't think that was how unicorn fonts worked, as she thought they were like other muscles in the body. True, she hadn't been paying much attention that day in Health class, but she'd thought she'd gotten the gist.

“I-I... didn't know,” Rarity mumbled.

“You didn't know?!” Garden facehooved. “Are you so ignorant that you didn't see all the signs?! Constant, worsening headaches, dizzy spells, dry heaves, nausea, lack of magic, inability to concentrate, physical weakness, hallucinations... the list goes on and on! You're telling me you're so blind that you can't see what you've done to yourself?!”

“I didn't think it was that bad...” Rarity trailed off.

“Not that bad?!” Garden screamed. “You're KILLING yourself! You're one or two spellcasts away from Magical Exhaustion, and if you try to cast any magic in that state, You! Will! Die! That isn't a theory or an unknown, that's a definite! I've told you countless times that Lifeforce isn't something to be messed around with, but you can't seem to get that through that thick skull of yours, and if you're going to make me choose between crying over your coffin or the door of your cell ward, I'll take the latter!”

Rarity's forelegs gave out. Canterlot Mental Hospital. Her mother had thrown that ultimatum out only once before, when Rarity'd said she wasn't going to take her pills at all when she moved out. Garden was friends with several orderlies at the facility, and Rarity had been taken there once for an examination when they were trying to find the cause of her insomnia. It was a cold, desolate place with sterile hallways, stoic-faced doctors, and unstable tenants. The rooms were like prison cells, and an aura of hopelessness hung about the grounds like a shroud.

Rarity stared up at her mother in utter terror. “You can't. You wouldn't!”

Garden looked down at Rarity, and the pain that flashed across her face was like the spasm of a seizure. “I've tried everything I can to prevent myself from resorting to this. I've reasoned, argued, threatened, begged, and compromised with you. I've given you facts, chances, alternatives, and every opportunity I could think of to try and address your health issues on your own. You've ignored them all, pushed beyond your limits, and now your life's at risk. I've no choice but to believe you're suffering from some kind of disorder, and the only thing I can do is take you to get help.”

Rarity was paralyzed, rooted to the spot. She'd had nightmares about being committed there, and now it was actually happening. She was crying now, the tears spilling freely from her face as she looked helplessly up at her mother.

“You'd go that far...”

Garden wavered only for an instant, but then her face became like steel. “I wanted you to be happy. I tried to let you make your own choices and mistakes, but now I see that was the wrong thing to do. You're clearly unable to handle such freedoms, and any reasonable mother would've put their hoof down long before this. It's partially my fault for letting it get to this point, but now that it has, I'm left with no other choice.”

Rarity said nothing. She was staring at a spot on the wall, trying to stop her lower lip from quivering. She was about to lose it all: Her career, her future, her individuality, her friends, everything. All she'd wanted was to make it on her own, to show the world the beauty and magnificence that was Rarity, but it seemed her body had conspired against her. It's a cruel thing to fail due to the limitations of the flesh, and she could do nothing but cry as she now realized that her career was over. Her life was over. Everything was over.

It doesn't have to be over....

The voice was like a nail being driven into Rarity's ears, and she felt a sensation like a siphon pulling on her shallow magical font. Her eyes watered further as she jerked around, searching for the speaker. There was nopony in the room but herself and her mother.

“Who...”

Garden closed her eyes as her horn glowed. Rarity yelped as she became enshrouded in her mother's aura, which picked her up and pinned her to her bed on her back, with all four of her limbs splayed out.

“Mother?!” Rarity tried to fight against the telekinetic grip, but her weakened state made her attempts useless. “What are you doing?!”

“Restraining you,” Garden replied. “I'm going downstairs to call an ambulance, and I'm not going to risk you attempting suicide while I'm gone. You might as well get used to that position, you're going to be in it a lot for the foreseeable future.”

“You can't do this!” Rarity desperately wiggled and squirmed, but to no avail. “You've no right!”

“I'm your mother and your doctor. I've every right.” Garden turned and started to walk away.

She's leaving... she's going to take everything from you...

The voice was pure agony as it ripped through Rarity's mind, draining even more of her meager magic away. Rarity tried to cast a spell on impulse, but her concentration broke as a cloud of fog fell over her vision. She didn't know what was going on, but her attention was diverted by an adrenaline rush as her mother's shadow headed towards the door.

“Don't do this!” Rarity's voice rose into a scream. “MOTHER! PLEASE! DON'T DO THIS!”

Garden stopped at the entrance to the room, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. The tears that leaked out of the corners of her eyes went unseen by Rarity, and all she heard was her mother's strong voice as it resonated through the empty room.

“Everypony has limits, Rarity. I know what this will do to your career, but I'm not going to let your dreams steal you away from me. Regardless of whether or not you ever speak to me again, I want you to know that I love you beyond words, and nothing, not you, not your obsessions, not even Celestia herself can change that.”

Do you want to stop her?

Rarity's eyes rolled into the back of her head from the pain. She barely even heard her mother's words as the fatigue of not getting a full night's sleep in months and not sleeping at all in days hit her all at once. Her body felt like it was made of lead, her thoughts were dim and muddled, and now all she could focus on was the voice that kept lancing on her head. Did she want to stop her? Yes, yes she did, but there was something Rarity wanted more than that, and now that one thing was all she could focus on.

“I want... to sleep...”

I can make you sleep, the voice replied. All I need you to do is two little things, and you can sleep for as long as you want. Would you like that?

Rarity's magic was almost gone, and it felt like the voice was ripping her brain to pieces. Rarity wasn't in a state to care though, as the voice was promising it could give her what she wanted above all else.

“Yes...”

A black aura surrounded Rarity's body, and she was freed of her mother's magic. Garden stopped as she felt her spell break.

“What the—”

First, take off your jewelry.

With all the strength she could muster, Rarity obeyed. Her horn sputtered, and her earrings and the Symbol of Generosity necklace slid off her to clatter onto the floor. Her pain and fatigue became worse than ever before, and Rarity felt an odd sensation in her font—an emptiness, a kind of exposure that she'd never known before. It was like she was standing in the bottom of a well, looking up to see the sky far, far above.

Good. Now, just one more thing...

“NO!” Garden ran to Rarity. “STOP! DON'T CAST ANY MORE MAGIC!”

“Anything,” Rarity droned.

Garden was halfway to Rarity. The voice made no effort to hide its triumph as its next words were enough to push her over the edge.

Let me in.

Rarity's eyes fluttered, and the bottom of the well gave out. The world fled away, and she fell without protest into darkness, fading, sinking into the crushing void, finding blessed sleep at last.

Rarity went limp just as her mother got to her. She checked Rarity's pulse, but didn't feel a thing. She checked her mouth, and found Rarity wasn't breathing. Garden touched her horn to her daughter's, and found that her font was empty, dropless, completely bone dry.

Garden fell to her knees as she beheld her daughter's lifeless body.

“No...”

Rarity's eyes suddenly snapped open, a cruel, manic grin forming on her face.

“Yes.”

Garden jolted. “Rarity?!”

Rarity responded by picking Garden up in a dark aura. Her telekinesis kept her hanging helplessly in the air, constricting her throat just enough so that she couldn't cry out.

“Not quite,” Rarity said, her horn glowing purest black.

“Rarity... how...” Garden gasped.

“So sorry.” Rarity hopped lightly down off her bed and walked up to her mother. “Rarity's not home right now. You'll have to leave a message.”

Garden's eyes bulged. “What... have you done... with my daughter?”

'Rarity' laughed, a vindictive titter that sent a chill down Garden's spine. “She wanted to sleep, so I put her under for a while. You should be grateful, if I wasn't here to keep her body going, she'd be dead before you could get her to the hospital.”

Garden tried to break the telekinetic grip, but found it was like iron. “You... did this... to her... didn't you?”

'Rarity' made a 'tut-tut' sound. “You always say a Lady never kisses and tells. Although that's hypocrisy at its finest, considering how much gossip you partake in every Saturday night with your little bridge club.”

Garden's face was turning blue. “What... are... you?”

“What am I?” 'Rarity' approached Garden's helpless form, their faces only inches apart. She blinked, and for an instant, her pupils shifted into predatory slits. “Many things. I suppose I have to be called something though, so you can call me Cetus.”

“Give... Rarity... back...”

Cetus raised a hoof to her chin in mock contemplation. “No, I don't think I will. I've been shaping and feeding on her magic for a few months now, and I happen to like the taste. Be proud, Garden Wishes, your daughter has been chosen to perform a great service, and will be granted the greatest of rewards as a result.”

Cetus released Garden, who fell sprawling to the ground, coughing and gasping for breath. She looked up dimly at the imposter, whose horn was now glowing brighter with a different kind of magic.

“You're lucky killing you will blow my cover,” Cetus sneered. “The Princesses know I'm hiding in one of the Bearers, but they don't know which one, and they know I have enough reserves to level this town if they try to find out. I need the Bearers for my plans as well, so we've been stuck these past few months in a pathetic little stalemate. That's all about to change, though, and while it's been far too long since I've tasted fresh blood, it'd be a shame if a millennium of waiting and planning slipped through my hooves just because I decided to jump the gun.”

A beam of ebony light lanced out from Rarity's horn, striking Garden right between her eyes. Her posture went slack, and her eyelids went half-closed as she fell into a kind of stupor.

“You came to see your daughter this evening, and found her sleeping in her room,” Cetus intoned. “You're happy that she's taking her medicine and finally addressing her physical needs. On the way home, you came down with a nasty cough, but you figure it's probably due to the change in seasons. You'll find another sitter for Sweetie this week, as Rarity's getting as much rest as she can before Fashion Week and can't take the time to watch her.”

Garden's chin lowered as the Memory spell took hold. With her eyes still unfocused, she got up and walked out the door without looking back. Cetus smirked as she heard the tinkling of the entrance bell a short while later.

Patience was a virtue that Cetus had mastered. It hadn't been easy lying low, slowly siphoning away Rarity's magic bit by bit, slowly forcing her font to expand and thereby worsening her symptoms, but now she was in prime position to make her move. Rarity's stubbornness had actually worked to her benefit, as Cetus would've certainly would've been found out if her host hadn't hid her condition so well. All Cetus had to do now was wait a little longer, and everything she'd worked for would pay off in a shining moment of glory.

Cetus magically picked up the earrings and necklace on the floor. Taking chances like that wasn't her style, but she'd had to make Rarity voluntarily remove the wards Grovi had put in place. Cetus would've lost everything if Rarity had decided not to take them off, and the stakes were too high to leave anything to uncertainty. Cetus have to ensure that the Echo's meddling was justly rewarded.

“It's all falling into place,” Cetus murmured. Zemblani had failed, Nightmare Moon had failed, but she wouldn't. Their slip-ups had pushed all the attention away from her, leaving her free to work in the shadows and plot out her moves. As a result, she had power, she had opportunity to take even more, and soon the world would revel in her beauty while languishing in despair. Eternal Night would reign supreme, and Cetus would be master over not just Equestria, but the entire world.

All she had to do now was play pretend for a little while longer.

Cetus chuckled to herself as she magically turned out the lights and laid down on the bed. It'd take a week of sleeping for Rarity's body to fully recover from the punishment she'd put it under, but now that the foal was comatose and Cetus wasn't forcing the Element of Generosity to activate in the middle of the night, she could get that without issue. Nopony would stop her from getting extra sleep, as that's what they all wanted her to do, anyways.

Cetus sighed as she relinquished control of Rarity's body, letting it fall into true, unhindered rest. The days ahead were going to be exciting, and she needed to be at her best to be ready for Canterlot.

Too bad it wasn't going to be ready for her.

Chapter 21: The Nightmare's Shadow

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Chapter 21:

The Nightmare's Shadow

Nine Days Later-

“Yeesh,” Rainbow said with a note of awe. “Twilight wasn't kidding when she said this place was huge.”

Canterlot Castle was known as the Crown Jewel of Equestria for many reasons. Aside from being the home of the Princesses, it was the largest and oldest building in all of Canterlot, the resting place for countless artifacts, relics and archives, the seat of government for the entire country, and a marvel of modern and magical architecture. The Equestrian national flag waved proudly from the tops of the spotless walls, and the golden spires stood tall and proud as they shone in the midday sun. A massive moat and drawbridge guarded the main entrance, where a pair of stern-faced Royal Guards stood in stoic silence as they policed the traffic passing through. Spike, Rainbow, Rarity, Fluttershy, and their six guards walked among the passersby, the three mare’s gazes drawn upward as they beheld the massive castle.

“It's not as bad as it looks.” Tastar watched as a lily pad floated lazily beneath the drawbridge. “The Castle Suites are on the first floor, and the layout's really straightforward. The upper levels are a different story, though I doubt you'll be going up into those.”

“We can probably arrange a tour if you're curious, though,” Megnii said.

The last week and a half had passed without incident. Fluttershy and Rainbow had met up once a day in the Sunken Grove to practice their respective powers, and they'd had no trouble working together thanks to their sisterly bond. Rainbow used her Inspiration and Courage powers to give Fluttershy the motivation to master her powers, and the drive to push past her misgivings. As a result, Fluttershy was not only able to control her Telepathy, she'd also discovered that she could reduce the radius of her Aura of Kindness to only a few feet around her. The downside was that the Aura's effects were more concentrated in the smaller space, but it was still an improvement. Neither of them had managed to use their Stage Three powers yet, although they weren't worried, as there were still two months before the Stasis spell ended.

“A tour would be fantastic!” Rarity said as she admired her reflection in the moat below. “Are there really six ballrooms? Is the sculpture garden as grand as they say it is? Is it true that Princess Celestia keeps the Heavenstone from the Pre-Discordian Era in the Royal Vaults? Ooh, do you think you could get us in to see the Royal Art Collection? They say it has pieces by foreign artists from Antelese to Dromardia!”

Nopony had seen much of Rarity over the last week. The girls dropped by her boutique at random times to check on her, but they'd found her asleep each time. Rainbow had finally caught her awake the previous day, and discovered she'd been feeling under the weather, but was better now. The signs of her improved health were apparent—her coat sported a soft sheen, the locks of her mane and tail bounced with each step, and she looked around excitedly as she chattered away like a giddy schoolfilly. She'd somehow found the time to finish her dresses as well, which were in a special suitcase carried by Elo along with a small mountain of others.

Grovi chuckled as he gathered his thoughts. “Seven, yes, that's only a rumor, and you'd have to ask the Princess herself, as only she can allow admission.”

Rarity pouted her lips. “I suppose I'll have to ask when we speak with her. When do you think we'll be granted an audience?”

“Right away, if there aren't any other petitioners.” Spike was lounging on Fluttershy's back, smiling as he took in the sight of his former home. He'd been told about everything that was going on, and had taken it all in stride. He'd come along at Fluttershy's request, as she felt bad that he'd been left alone at the library while Twilight was away. Her aura didn't seem to be affecting him much, something they attributed to his young age, but also made them suspect Spike wore his heart on his sleeve most of the time.

“I vote for that!” Rainbow waggled her tongue at one stoic-faced guard as she passed. “Answers now, everything else later.”

“You don't even want to drop off our bags?” Rarity asked.

Rainbow glanced once at her own lightly packed saddlebags, then over at Rarity's considerable load of luggage. She raised an eyebrow and looked over at Esra and Tastar.

“You guys mind finding out where we're staying and taking our things there?”

Esra was about to give a typical retort before he was interrupted by Tastar. “There's no reason why we couldn't. We're back in the palace, after all.”

“I haven't gone through years of training just so I could be somepony's butler,” Esra snapped.

“Good thing, too.” Tastar snickered. “You'd look terrible in a tux.”

A mischievous grin formed on Rainbow's face as she glanced back at Fluttershy, who stood in the back of the group with Megnii and Spesci.

“It'd be really kind of you to do that for us,” Rainbow said.

Esra gave a sharp intake of breath as he caught where Rainbow was looking.

“You wouldn't dare.”

“You're right, I wouldn't.” Rainbow took off her saddlebags and tossed them to Tastar. “It'd be hilarious, though.”

A small smile formed on Esra's lips. He and Rainbow had achieved greater camaraderie when continued exposure to Fluttershy's aura had caused them both to loosen up. They'd never be great friends, but they were able to carry on a conversation now, and even lightly teased each other about their shared stubborn tendencies. It wasn't surprising Tastar got along with both of them, as his easygoing attitude was something both of them were drawn to.

Rarity turned to Elo, whose horn was a glowing with a dull orange as he focused on carrying all of her bags. “Would you be all right with that as well? I wouldn't want you to have to stand there holding all of this the entire time.”

Elo grunted in affirmation. “I wouldn't want that, either. Sir Spike knows where the Castle Suites are, so he can show you where to go afterwards.”

“Yep!” Spike chirped from behind them. “Just leave it to me! You okay with that too, Fluttershy?”

“Um, yes. I'd like that,” Fluttershy said. She took off her saddlebags and handed them to Spesci, who was carrying her other bag of luggage. “I just hope she doesn't put us to the front of the line or anything. Everypony that comes to see her has to have a good reason, after all.”

Rainbow snorted as they walked through the portcullis gate. “I hope she does.”

“Patience, darling,” The darkness masked Rarity's features, and nopony saw her pupils turn briefly into slits that shone with a cool silver light. “Patience.”

The air became thick with the heady scent of chrysanthemums as they entered the main courtyard. A long, narrow cobblestone path led straight ahead to a set of carpeted stairs, which ended in a set of double doors forty feet tall that were open wide to allow admittance. Chest-high hedges lined the path, and intricate sculptures of heroes past were dotted pell-mell about the grounds. A large fountain in the center of the courtyard held statues of Princess Celestia and Luna mid-flight as they guided the sun and the moon through the sky.

The group walked through the courtyard and into the castle proper. They now stood in an antechamber with an ornate golden chandelier and dozens of pristine stained glass windows that portrayed images of great moments in pony history. The colored light that filtered through these gave the room a mystical ambience, and the odd silence of the room made the girls feel like they'd entered a dream. The path split into three, and the Echoes went down the leftmost path while Spike motioned them to another, much larger hallway to their right.

“See you in a bit!” Megnii called out with a wave. He disappeared down the corridor with the others.

The floors turned to marble as they continued down the massive hallway. Countless tapestries and pictures adorned the walls, depicting Equestria's scenic vistas, maps of the country, and events of renown. They passed by ponies of all three species, guards in both gold and ebony armor, and even a few non-pony species, the most interesting of which was a quadruped twice their size with wrinkled gray skin, enormous floppy ears, and a long, dextrous trunk out where his nose should be. The creature paid them no mind as he walked past them with fluid grace.

“Was that... an Elafont?” Rainbow whispered soon as they were out of earshot.

“Ambassador Loxo of the Zhevra Flatlands,” Spike confirmed. “I didn't know he was visiting again.”

Fluttershy stood stock still as she watched the ambassador's retreating form. “He's so... so...”

“Alien?” Rarity offered.

Fluttershy hid her face. “Gentle.”

Spike followed her gaze. “He doesn't visit often, and he doesn't speak to anypony other than the Princess. Twilight said it was because of their culture or something, but I forget the exact reason.”

The four of them continued on, and a few minutes later they stood in front of a desk before a large set of stairs. An aged unicorn mare with a puckered face stood at the desk, squinting at a stack of papers before her through a pair of rimmed bifocals.

“Princess Celestia isn't accepting any petitioners today,” the mare said without looking up at them. “You can redirect your queries to—”

“What?!” Rainbow said. “Why not?!”

“She has an appointment with a trio of very important clients,” the mare replied. “They should be arriving any—”

The mare looked up at Rainbow, spotted her mane, glanced down at her cutie mark, then slowly lowered the stack of papers as she ran a hoof down her face.

“Rainbow Dash, I presume.”

“The one and only,” Rainbow Dash replied with a puff of her chest. “Seriously. I checked the census.”

The mare chuckled, but stopped as she spotted Spike sitting on Fluttershy's back. Her eyes narrowed as her tone developed an edge.

“Why didn't you have them check in at the front desk?! You know how things work around here!”

A blush crept up on Spike's cheeks. “Heh, sorry, Notary. Forgot about that...”

Notary sighed, then pulled out a thick scheduling book. “I suppose Twilight never needed to make an appointment.” She scratched out a set of names with her quill and looked up at the three of them with softer eyes. “It's good to see you, Spike. The Princess set aside the entire afternoon for all of you. Go on in.”

They thanked Notary and walked up the stairs, exchanging looks between themselves.

“The entire afternoon?” Fluttershy echoed.

“Guess she really does have an explanation,” Rainbow said with a shrug.

“You see?” Rarity took a moment to adjust her mane as they passed a window. “And you were worried over nothing!”

The three of them came up to the top of the stairs and now saw that the red carpet continued down the hall, along with sets of grooved pillars that stretched up to join the arched ceiling. They walked down half the hall's length before stopping before a set of closed violet doors with a beautiful painting of Celestia and Luna, circling around the planet in perfect harmony.

Rainbow took a deep breath as the four of them stood before the entrance to the throne room. “Hey, Rarity?”

Rarity looked over to Rainbow. “Hmm?”

“One of your powers is Foresight, right?” Rainbow jerked her head at the door. “Have you seen what's going to happen in there?”

Rarity shook her head. “It seems to only show me things that pertain to acts of generosity. I'm sure there's a way to direct what I can see, but I haven't figured out how yet.”

Rainbow clucked her tongue. “Guess we'll just have to find out the old-fashioned way.” She looked back at Fluttershy. “Ready?”

Fluttershy's eyes craned up to the top of the doors, then back down at the shining golden handles. She gulped once before replying in a shaky voice.

“A-As I'll ever be.”

Rainbow knocked, and the doors soundlessly swung open to reveal a haven of immaculate tranquility. The marble floor reflected the noonday light as it filtered through the stained glass windows on both sides, filling the room with prismatic hallowed hues. Deep violet tapestries hung about the walls, and flowers of every conceivable type hung from the pillars along the room in shallow, golden bowls that filled the room with a heavenly scent. The ruby red carpet ended at the golden throne itself, upon which sat Princess Celestia, ageless co-ruler of Equestria, beautiful beyond words and larger than life itself. She was alone, and the reason why became immediately apparent as a potent wave of magic washed over them.

The three of them instantly recoiled as tried to back away, but found that their limbs wouldn't move of their own accord. Instead, they found themselves walking forward, entering the throne room as the doors closing behind them with a thundering boom.

“Welcome, my little ponies.” Celestia's voice was like honey, melting away all inhibitions and trepidations. “I've been expecting you.”

Rainbow tried to shake her head clear, but only made herself dizzy as she looked upon the Princess. Her face, her coat, her mane, her regalia, everything was perfect, otherworldly, exuding an aura of serenity and love. She didn't remember their last encounter being so intense, but remembering anything right now was difficult, as it felt like a gentle, soothing light was shining in her mind that made everything fuzzy.

“U-Um,” Rainbow began. “Your... your Highness, we've come... to talk about... the... Elements...”

Celestia gave them all warm smile. “I know you've many questions, and I'll be happy to answer them all. I owe all of you an enormous debt, and the least I can do is give you a proper explanation for my silence.”

The fuzziness and warmth in their minds grew with Celestia's every word. The three of them were paralyzed, helpless in the grip of the spell, and their bodies actied on their own as they continued to cross the throne room. Rainbow was more resistant, able to continue speaking and lagging behind the others a bit, but even her will was crumbling away.

“Why,” Rainbow managed. “Why didn't... you tell us... about all this... yourself?”

“I couldn't,” Celestia replied softly. “A lot of things happened when you became the avatars of the Elements, some of which put you in great danger. I had to keep you away until I figured out what to do.”

The three of them approached the throne with slack-jawed looks of wonder. No longer was Celestia their ruler, she was their benevolent goddess, sent to nurture, protect and watch over them forever. She was their mother, giver of life to all of ponykind, the very sun incarnate that shone down on them from the heavens on high. Nothing could harm them while in her presence, and they each felt an instinctual urge to nuzzle her legs and snuggle under her wings like yearlings.

Rainbow was still fighting against the magic, but her resolve was weakening by the second. “What... danger?”

“Hush,” Celestia crooned. She rose from her seat, and walked down the golden dais to stand before them. “You don't need to worry about that. All you need to do—”

Celestia's horn flared, and dozens of shining golden chains formed around Rarity. They snaked around her body and tightened with a snap, lifting her up into the air and shoving her into the very center of the throne room.

“—is sleep while I perform an exorcism.”

Rainbow, Fluttershy and Spike finally lost consciousness from Celestia's magic, and a golden aura lifted them up and out of the room by way of a door behind the throne. Celestia flew up to her captive, who made no effort to struggle against the chains. The warmth and benevolence in Celestia's face was gone. No evidence was there of the loving ruler who an instant ago was promising safety and traquility. All that was left was power—pure, raw, and seething, the burning majesty of the sun laid bare as she spoke in a hard, dispassionate voice.

“So, you were in Rarity.”

Cetus smirked, and Rarity's eyes shifted into cat-like slits. “Was it that obvious? And here I thought I was being the perfect little actress.”

Celestia scoffed. “You think that's the first time I've used that spell? You should've been drawn to me like a moth to a flame, and your gaze was wandering all over the room.”

“You always were rather boring to listen to.” Cetus yawned. “I suppose I'll have to try harder to pay attention next time.”

“There won't be a next time.” The chains around Cetus tightened. “You're trapped, and you don't have the jump on me like you did at the Summer Sun Celebration.”

Cetus let loose a grim cackle, a disturbing sound coming from Rarity's voice. “You thought I needed Nightmare Moon's help to defeat you? She's an insect compared to what I've become!”

Celestia's horn glowed in response. A mercurial blob of silver fluid appeared between them, elongating and stretching into a wicked, glowing hook. Cetus' amusement vanished upon seeing the instrument, but she betrayed no indication of worry or fear.

“I'm going to enjoy ripping you out of her,” Celestia promised. “It'll be like a warmup for when I rip the real Nightmare Moon out of Luna. Before I'm done, you're going to wish she'd never stuck your foul essence into the Element of Magic all those years ago.”

Cetus lowered her chin. “Did you think I'd come here without a plan? You thought I'd just strut in here and let you capture me without any protest? My dear, foalish, ignorant Celestia, you're the one who's trapped, and now that I have you're right where I want you, I'm going to take your body for my own!”

The chains imprisoning Cetus shattered, and a wave of darkness erupted from her body that coiled around her like a shroud. She landed lightly on the ground as her horn flared, and there was a loud click that resonated through the throne room.

“You see?!” Cetus gestured to the darkness surrounding her. “Even with all I've done to it, this body can't contain even a fourth of my power, but it's still more than enough to deal with you!”

Celestia paid no heed to the dimensional lock as she cast another spell, a narrow white ray that struck Cetus square in the chest. It rippled across her like waves on a pond before fading away.

Cetus made a derisive noise. “You call that an Antimagic Ray?!” She aimed at Celestia, gathering her own magic as she did. There was a low hum as the air was sucked in around her.

“THIS is an Antimagic Ray!”

A beam twice as wide as a pony erupted from Cetus, speeding toward Celestia with terrifying speed. She tried to dodge, but her flank was grazed by the spell. She winced as she felt her protective wards flicker and die out. The beam phased through the ceiling, but didn't cause physical harm to the building.

Cetus continued her assault, shaping her magic into a horrific sea monster with mismatched eyes and a finned tail. It roared once before flying at Celestia, who'd just landed on the ground. The construct reached out with its wicked talons before being consumed by a wall of blazing fire. Cetus blinked at the sudden heat, and Celestia calmly stepped through the inferno, wielding a shining longsword bathed in white flame.

“Ho, ho, ho!” Cetus wrinkled her brow. “Is that Nova? I haven't seen that in—“

Celestia swung Nova, creating another pillar of flame that sped towards Cetus. She nimbly dodged out of the way, the flames dissipating against the throne room doors. Celestia created pillar after pillar with deft swings of her enchanted blade, the temperature of the room rising as she continued her attacks.

“You might want to be more careful!” Cetus sang as she dodged. “How would you explain Rarity's demise to her family? I don't think Twilight would be very happy to discover that her mentor turned one of her best friends into a charred corpse!”

Celestia said nothing as she pressured Cetus, the glistening silver hook hidden behind her back as she crept closer.

“Just watching you swing that thing around is bring back so many fond memories!” Cetus taunted. “How long has it been since you've taken a life? Years? Decades? Centuries? The war? Do you even it have it in you anymore?”

“I doubt it,” Celestia replied coolly, “but you're not really alive now, are you? You're nothing more than a collection of copied memories, gorged on ill-begotten magic and barely even filling the requisites for self-awareness. I'd be inclined to pity you if the desire to incinerate you wasn't so strong.”

“So bloodthirsty!” Cetus concentrated her dark magic in front of her, causing Nova's flames to dissipate before they struck her. “You weren't this savage when you fought the real Nightmare Moon! Is it because you've realized what I must've done to Rarity to take over her body?”

“Not just that.” Celestia was only twenty feet away now, trying to keep Cetus distracted while she got in range. “I had to keep the Elements sequestered away in the old palace because of you. You killed a dozen researchers, drove an Arch-Magus to insanity, shattered the lives of two innocent colts, almost unleashed hell itself on the world, and made me use the best soldiers I have to keep it at bay. I had to keep the Bearers ignorant for fear that you'd hold them and all of Ponyville hostage, and I hate it when I have to do things like that. All in all, you've been a far greater thorn in my side than Nightmare Moon ever was, and as much hatred as I have for that abomination, it's safe to say that I hate her Echo far, far more.”

A wicked gleam appeared in Cetus's eyes as she watched Celestia approach. “You flatter me, darling. The ruler of Equestria's found time to notice little old me? This is like a dream come true! It must've taken a lot of time and effort to discover all of my efforts... in fact, going through so much has probably left you feeling exhausted!”

A foul mist emanated out from Cetus, hitting Celestia full in the face. Her entire body suddenly felt like it was made of lead, and the silver hook fell to the ground as Celestia fought to stay on her hooves. She kept Nova raised as she counteracted the effects, but Cetus took advantage of the opening, raising her hoof and firing a blueish-white ray. Celestia cried out as the magic lanced through her, stealing away all the warmth of her body and enveloping her in a frozen prison.

Cetus laughed again, relishing Celestia's expression of pain as she was trapped in the ice. She waited a few seconds, waiting for Celestia to break out, but nothing happened. Cetus tapped her hoof on the floor as she fixed her mane, finally speaking out a moment later.

“Stop playing possum. I haven't forgotten about the resilience of alicorns, or their legendary regenerative powers. Are you hoping I'll come close enough for you to use that little hook of yours?”

Celestia blinked, and the ice exploded like glass. Cetus rolled her half-lidded eyes, but then recoiled as Celestia's features faded into painfully bright light.

“Gah!” Cetus staggered back. “Resorting to your old tactics, I see!”

She tried to shield her eyes, but as she did, something sharp swiped through her mane. Cetus shrieked as Celestia's hook impaled itself in her essence, forcefully prying her out and away from Rarity's body.

“NO!”

Cetus’ eyes flashed with silver light, and a spiked dagger appeared out of thin air. She grabbed it and slashed her mane, freeing herself of the effulgent epuration. She staggered back, gasping for breath as she re-secured her hold on Rarity.

Celestia was still shining like the sun as she gritted her teeth and tried again. Cetus was ready this time though, and blasted Celestia back with a wall of force. She landed on the throne, lowering her horn for another spell.

“I think I've had enough.” The darkness around Cetus flickered, and there was a tingling in the air. “As much as I'd like to keep playing with you, I've a schedule to keep.”

Cetus surged forth in a blur, closing the distance to Celestia and shooting her point-blank with a jet-black ray. Celestia screamed as she reared and fell off the throne, writhing and gagging as her skin and blood vessels ruptured at various points on her body, covering her with gore that spread outward to constrict her with a sickening splurch. A short time later, Celestia was held pinned to the ground by her own animated wounds as she convulsed under a many-layered mass of bloody adhesive tissue.

Cetus curled her lip as she watched her spell take hold. “Such a messy spell, but a necessary one. I can't have you moving about while perform such a delicate procedure, after all.”

Celestia gurgled in response. Whatever Cetus had blasted her with was still ravaging her body, and her healing abilities weren't able to keep up with it.

Cetus stepped down from the throne to stand before Celestia. “I suspect you've known what I was planning from the beginning, but your pathetic consideration for Luna and these new Bearers stopped you from taking drastic action. Sending your little Zodiac Knights almost worked, but they didn't know what to look for, and you couldn't tell them as it would've been game over if I'd been inside Fluttershy or Applejack. Your benevolence and laughable fear of being seen as a tyrant is what caused you to lose, and while you played a good game, a creature as soft as you will never stand a chance against the likes of me!”

The tingling in the air rose as the temperature in the room fell. The sun outside disappeared behind a cloud, and the room dimmed to a featureless gray. The silver light in Cetus's draconic eyes slowly seeped out, and her stolen body radiated with shining power as the Element of Generosity fully awakened.

“Did you know Rarity gets a kick out of cruel irony?” Cetus' breath came out in a fine mist as her voice echoed throughout the throne room. “I had to dig deep into her subconscious to unearth that particular nugget. It gave me a positively delicious idea though—one I'm sure she'd appreciate.”

A blood-red cord of ghostly energy appeared in the center of Cetus's chest. It coiled around her once, snapping about like a whip before it hovered above Celestia like a viper about to strike. Celestia knew what Cetus intended, but was too wounded to mount any kind of defense. A dark grin formed on Cetus's face as she struck Celestia with the Soul Tether, their eyes rolling in the back of her heads as they vied for dominance. Ghostly outlines appeared around both of them as the tug of war continued back and forth.

The battle continued for almost a full minute before Celestia finally lost due to her body being continually broken down by Cetus' spell. She screamed, and with a mighty yank, Cetus pulled Celestia's golden lifeforce out of her body to hover in between them. Her body went limp, but her lifeforce was animate as it kicked and squirmed in Cetus's grip.

“Immortality's such a convenient thing, isn't it?” Cetus examined Celestia with an envious eye. “Your body and lifeforce will endure even while being apart, and they'll just get pulled right back together if left to their own devices. I can't have that, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to send you away... permanently.”

The darkness around Cetus thickened, and the stained glass windows in the throne room cracked as the magic in the room increased again. The carpet had long been burnt away, the flowers in the room had withered and died, and thin trickles of blood now fell out of Cetus' nose and eyes as she readied a spell of colossal proportions.

“The reserves I acquired from the Elements are more than enough to do this,” Cetus said as she spat out a globule of blood. “I'm just not sure if this body can take it. It's a chance I'll have to take though, and if Rarity dies, well... I guess I'll have to find a new vessel for Nightmare Moon, now won't I?”

Celestia stopped her squirming as she froze, her eyes widening in horror. She slowly looked down at Cetus, who was beaming with vindictive glee.

“Oh yes,” Cetus said. “I'm not just taking your body because it'll house all my magic. I need all the Bearers alive, and Rarity needs a little help to keep going right now. Problem is, she’s going to wake up sooner or later, and she'll be able to kick me out when she does. My bumbling predecessor is just the patsy I need to keep her under my sway, and without her the other Bearers can't use their little light show on the Gate of Tartarus! Eternal Night is nigh! The Army of Darkness shall remake this world in my image, and I want the knowledge that you've failed in complete and utter totality to be the last thing going through your mind as I give you a taste of your own medicine! I do confess, though, I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the matter. So what say you, Tia? Do you have any last words?”

Celestia's face had turned into a stoic mask. She tried her hardest not to betray any emotion, but even still, the edges of lips twitched, almost as if she was trying her hardest not to smile.

“Well played, Harmony. Well played.”

Cetus cocked her head, but hadn't planned on listening to whatever Celestia had to say, anyways. The air howled around them, and the windows shattered to a million pieces as they finally gave into the immense magical pressure. Celestia's lifeforce coalesced into a sphere, and the last thing she heard was Cetus' maniacal laughter as her vision faded to white.

“Farewell, Princess Celestia!”

Celestia's lifeforce rocketed out of Canterlot Castle with a sound like cannonfire as Cetus completed the spell. It sailed out of the atmosphere in seconds, blasting away from the planet itself and disappearing from the sight of all.

“Urgh.”

Rainbow awoke to her cheek resting on cold, smooth stone. Her body was sore like she'd been tossed around in a windstorm, and her head was spinning like a top. She hadn't felt like this since Applejack's twenty-first birthday party, and wasn't eager to repeat the experience. Groaning, Rainbow gingerly sat up and she opened her eyes.

Rainbow's tomcoltish nature didn't stop her from recognizing that she was in a powder room, albeit a rather large and fancy one. A long counter made of quartz stood to the side with expensive vanity and hygiene products, along with a lavatory and a full length mirror. There were two doorways leading out of the room, one of which had noises and moving shadows coming from outside.

What had happened? The last thing she remembered was standing before Princess Celestia, who'd looked like a super-powerful mother-goddess... thing, and she'd told them they were in danger? It was hard to remember. Then there was a sound like the rustling of chains, and everything had gone black.

Rainbow suddenly realized she wasn't alone. Fluttershy was snoring softly as she lay completely splayed out on the floor, and Spike was curled into a ball as he used one of Fluttershy's wings like a blanket.

“Hey!” Rainbow winced as her own voice sounded unnaturally loud. “Wake up! Now's not the time for snoozing!”

Fluttershy cracked open an eye, then moaned as she hid her face behind her mane.

“Why does it feel like I've been drinking lilac wine,” she murmured. “I haven't had any since Hearth's Warming!”

“I think the Princess did something to us,” Rainbow replied, trying not to raise her voice. “Not sure how we got in here, though.”

Spike said nothing, shuffling closer to Fluttershy as he hid his head closer under her wing. Rainbow felt a twinge of sympathy for him, as she realized he was experiencing what was akin to his first hangover.

“Where's 'here'?” Fluttershy asked as she slowly massaged her temples. “And what was all that noise?”

Rainbow turned to the door. It'd sounded like there was a tornado on the other side, but now it had gone strangely quiet. She unsteadily made her way to the door and pressed her ear to it. With her currently sensitive hearing, she was able to make out a scraping sound like something heavy being dragged, then a swishing like the spreading of a tablecloth.

“What the...” Rainbow opened the door, and her jaw dropped as she beheld the ruined throne room. The windows were shattered, glass was everywhere, and the air smelled like a mix of burning fabric and chlorine. Cetus stood alone in the throne room as she looked up at the sun in the sky, still enveloped in darkness as tears of blood wept out from her shining eyes.

Rainbow's chest tightened as she beheld Cetus, and her voice cracked as she stammered out her inquiry.

“R-Rarity?”

Cetus slowly turned to look at Rainbow, eying her with disinterest. However, her eyebrows raised upon seeing the room beyond. She spoke in a dark, chilling voice that echoed with power.

“Is that a powder room?”

Rainbow's woozy mind did a somersault as it tried to process the query. She put a hoof on the wall to steadily herself, and managed a small nod.

“Oh, good.” The darkness around Cetus vanished, and the light left her eyes as she walked forward. “I daresay I could stand to freshen up.”

Cetus walked right passed Rainbow and into the powder room, paying no one any mind as she turned on one of the faucets and began to calmly clean herself. Rainbow's knees were weak as she looked once at the ravaged throne room, then back at Cetus.

“Rarity,” Rainbow said, “W-Why're you covered in b-blood?”

Cetus made a short laugh out her nose, but then gasped as she saw her ruined mane in the mirror. She stamped a hoof on the floor as she examined the damage.

“Would you look at what she made me do! This'll take months to grow back out, and short manes are NOT going to be in style this winter!”

“Rarity?!” Fluttershy squeaked as she edged away from her. “W-What's wrong with your eyes?”

Cetus ignored the question as she patted herself dry with a towel, watching the blood swirl down the drain. She grabbed a bottle of styling gel, but then reconsidered.

“I suppose I'll have to settle for looking less than astounding for now,” Cetus muttered. She gave her ruined mane one last perfunctory glance before turning her attention to Rainbow, Fluttershy and Spike.

“Tempting, but I doubt there's time. Although maybe—”

Cetus stiffened as her horn flickered. A sly smile appeared on her face as she turned and looked out the door.

“Perhaps I shouldn't whet my appetite so soon. After all, I've got much bigger fish to fry.” There was a ripping sound as Cetus dispelled the dimensional lock.

“Rarity, what happened to you?!” Rainbow demanded. “What's going on?! Where's Princess Celestia?”

Cetus winked in reply. She vanished with a crack and a flash, leaving the three of them behind.

“That's the last of it,” Grovi said as he helped Elo carry the last of Rarity's suitcases into her circular guest room. A plush, white rug covered the floor, a simple chandelier hung from the ceiling, and a large, four-poster bed with magenta curtains stood by the wall.

“Phew,” Elo said as he wiped his brow. “I'm glad you talked her into cutting down on how much she brought.”

“You'd think she was moving her entire boutique up here,” Grovi mused. The pile of luggage took up an entire quarter of the room. “Does she really need all of this for just a week?”

“Who knows,” Elo said with a shrug. “I haven't paid attention to—”

The two of them were interrupted as a tingling sensation shot up their horns from the gathering of a massive spell.

Elo flinched, then turned to Grovi. “What was that?”

Grovi closed his eyes, searching for over a minute before he finally spoke. “It's a Banishment spell, but there's something else woven into it, something I haven't felt since—”

He fell on his haunches. Few others would recognize something so well hidden among the intricacies of the spell, but thirty years of magical study had given him an eye for detail. It also helped that he remembered the last time this magic was used, although that'd been with a slight deviation. He really, really didn't want to be right, but if he was, then Princess Celestia...

Elo stared at his friend. “What is it? What's happened?!”

Grovi clenched his teeth. “I think—”

“Elo! Grovi!”

Megnii and Tastar appeared at the entrance of the room with their weapons strapped to their backs. “There's been an explosion in the throne room!”

Elo's eyes widened. One of his suitcases flew open as he retrieved his rapier. “Go get the others! I'll head there now!”

“I'll come with you,” Grovi said, getting back to his hooves.

“No,” Elo said. “There's a chance Rarity or one of the others could come looking for us, and you're better off staying out of sight. You should stay and channel your spells from here.”

Grovi pursed his lips, but nodded. He placed his usual enchantments on their blades before watching them run out the door.

The minutes ticked by in silence as Grovi focused on his spell. He'd never been a fan of sitting back and supporting the rest of them like this, but his spells had saved all of them countless times, and none of them thought any less of him for it. He'd never been much of a fighter anyway, and while it was possible that Rarity or one of the others could come to the suites looking for them, it was highly doubtf—

“Grovi!”

Rarity staggered into the room, her expression downcast as she fell to her knees. “Thank Celestia I found you!”

“Rarity?!” Grovi blinked several times before rushing over to her. “Are you all right?”

Cetus looked up, revealing her reptilian eyes.

“Just fine.”

The door slammed shut, and Cetus's dark aura lifted Grovi up into the air, covering his horn and wrapping around his throat. His enchantment spell faded away as his magic was cut off. He could still breathe, but found he couldn't talk as he there was a numbness around into his vocal chords.

“That was too easy.” Cetus dusted herself off as she got to her hooves. “I suppose it would've been asking too much for you to put up a fight. Not that I'm surprised, you did tell me that Virgo lost every contest or argument he ever had with Crystal Song.”

Grovi's hindlegs kicked at the air as he tried to free himself, but he may as well have been trying to stop the planet from spinning. He stared at Cetus with increasing shock as he put the pieces together.

“You consider yourself to be a scholar, yes?” Cetus circled around Grovi like a shark sizing up its prey. “I'd like to test a theory of sorts, and I require the unique abilities of one such as yourself. As I understand it, we Echoes feed on magic, and can store a significant amount of it away for later use. We can reside in any receptacle of magic, be it a living being or a magical item, but an Echo is neither of these. So... what happens when an Echo tries to possess another Echo?”

Grovi's attempts to free himself became more and more frenzied as the panic sank in. He tried to cry out, to cast magic, to do something, but all his attempts proved fruitless.

“My theory is that a power struggle will ensue.” Cetus stopped her circling, and reached up to gently caress the side of Grovi's face. “The result of which being that the weaker Echo will be absorbed—no, devoured by the stronger. All of the knowledge, experiences and talents of the two are merged, and the dominant personality emerges as the stronger entity.”

Beads of sweat were forming on Grovi's brow. His heart was hammering as he flailed about, fighting his hardest to escape, but all he did was tire himself out.

Cetus laughed, then increased her hold to paralyze him completely. She drew closer to him, their faces now just inches apart as he looked into her cruel, cold eyes. Cetus smiled, and Grovi watched in horror as her incisors elongated into a pair of sharp, glittering fangs.

“Do you think you can beat me?” Cetus whispered. “Can you overpower the Echo of your ancient foe? I, who have stolen the power of the Elements of Harmony for my own, taken control of one the Bearers, defeated Celestia herself, and now stand at the precipice of godhood so that I may bring about Eternal Night?! TELL ME, LITTLE ECHO, DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE IT IN YOU?!”

Grovi gulped.

“Yeah,” Cetus said. “Me neither.”

The darkness crept out again from Cetus, wrapping both her and Grovi together in a seamless cocoon. She closed the distance between them, and their lips met as she pulled him into a deep, forceful kiss. Grovi valiantly tried to fight back, but he was completely overwhelmed by the will of the dominant Echo. Cetus pulled away to look at Grovi through half-lidded eyes, only to let loose a predatory hiss as she sank her fangs deep into his neck. She tasted his blood along with his essence, and now that it was hers to take, she ripped him out of Horizon through the transdimensional anchor in his chest. A gray outline separated from Grovi to merge with Cetus, and he let out one final, agonizing wail as his body shuddered, lost cohesion, and dissolved into dust.

Cetus had a moment of disorientation as their personalities merged, Grovi's knowledge, memories and mannerisms joining with her own, the majority of which being repressed as Cetus's traits rose forth. The two of them were now one a short while later, and Cetus released the cocoon, the only thing left of Grovi being the small golden sphere that had connected him to Horizon. It fell to the ground with a thud, glinting softly in the light of the chandelier above.

Cetus opened her eyes and checked herself. It seemed that her theory had been correct. Not only did she still feel like herself, but she had all the experiences and talents of Grovi, and the past memories of Virgo. She now knew the complete layout of the palace, had an intimate understanding of enchantment spells, and... to her irritation, a Manehatten accent. Fortunately, she also knew how to hide it, and she smiled to herself as she sifted through the new memories for a particular piece of information.

Cetus had one more task to complete before she could claim her prize, and she knew she had to move fast. She could already hear guards shouting as they ran past her door, and it wouldn't be long before she'd lose her chance.

“Time for a little reunion,” Cetus said. She teleported away with a crack.

“I already told you, I don't remember!”

Rainbow was sitting on a bed in the infirmary with Fluttershy as they were examined by a gaggle of fussy doctors and stuffy Magi. Spike had passed out again, and the doctors had taken him to a separate room to be examined, saying something about 'feedback from the Princess's font.' The doctors and magi were now grilling Rainbow and Fluttershy, which was understandable considering they were the only ones who might have knowledge of the Princess's whereabouts, but Rainbow wasn't handling the situation well.

A short, bright orange unicorn mare with a stubby horn spoke in an infuriatingly calm manner as she asked Rainbow the same question she'd already asked five times.

“So you went into the throne room, spoke to Princess Celestia, there was a sound like chains, and then...”

The Element of Loyalty flared as Rainbow finally snapped, the temperature rising around her as her pupils filled with light.

“Argh! The more time you waste fussing over us, the less likely we're gonna figure out where the Princess is! Why're you wasting so much time? You want to find her, don't you?!”

The Magus flinched as she was caught in Rainbow's stare. She straightened to her full height, coming up to Rainbow's chin as she replied in an emphatic tone.

“Of course I do, but there's a very strong chance that something's modified your memories! We have to be completely sure that your minds haven't been tampered with, or we could miss something that could lead to us finding the Princess!”

Rainbow.

Rainbow jerked, and looked over at Fluttershy, whose eyes were glowing with a gentle pink light. Her mental voice was like a lullaby that played through her mind.

These ponies know things we don't understand, and they've been trained to deal with situations like this. They're worried about us, and there are hundreds of guards looking for Celestia as we speak. There's not much we could do that's not being done already.

Rainbow bit her lip as the words hit home. She looked at the unicorn in front of her, then back at Fluttershy, who was getting strange looks from the doctors around her.

Getting a little more comfortable reading other ponies minds, eh?

Fluttershy giggled. More like your Courage power has a wide radius.

Rainbow calmed down and let the Magus do her work, continuing her silent conversation with Fluttershy. Can you feel the Princess anywhere?

Fluttershy took a moment to reply, as she was answering questions about why her eyes were glowing. I don't know what her mind feels like, although it shouldn't be hard to pick her out amongst everypony else. She's either unconscious, or not in the castle anymore.

What about Rarity? Rainbow held out a hoof as a new doctor checked her pulse. Can you feel her anywhere?

Fluttershy hesitated. I-I...

Rainbow stopped and looked over at Fluttershy. What's wrong?

Fluttershy shivered. I don't think that was Rarity.

“You're all right!”

They looked up to see all of their guards, save for Grovi. The five of them occupied what little room there was left, and the doctors began to voice indignant protests at the intrusion before Elo silenced them with the word 'bodyguards'.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I suppose you've heard what happened.”

Elo looked all around, noticing that the room was missing an occupant. “Where's Rarity?”

Rainbow slumped as she looked down at her bed, speaking in a soft murmur. “I'm not sure.”

“Not sure?” Elo repeated. “What do you—”

All five of the Echoes yelled out at once, falling to their knees and clutching their heads. Their outlines flickered, and everypony in the room caught a glimpse of their true forms. The doctors panicked and ran out of the room, and the Magi gasped as they realized what the guards really were.

“Echoes!” One of the Magi hissed. He lowered his horn, and the air shimmered as all five of them became enveloped in a bright green cage of pure force.

“Hey!” Rainbow jumped off the bed, but wobbled as her wooziness returned. She sat back down, trying to keep her lunch in one place.

“Um, mister Magus, sir?” Fluttershy called out to the offending unicorn. “Those guards are our friends. You don't need to imprison them like that.”

The unicorn turned to her, and his expression immediately softened. “You don't understand what these things are, madam. They're—“

“—our friends,” Fluttershy insisted, looking the unicorn dead in the eye, then at all the other tentative Magi. “The Princess made them, and they're not bad ponies.”

The unicorn's gaze shifted between back and forth between Fluttershy and the Echoes. Finally, he nodded, and released his spell.

“Grovi....” Elo managed as he got to his hooves. “No...”

“Don't do anything rash, Elo!” Esra said, still rubbing his head. “We don't know what's going on!”

“What happened?” Rainbow asked.

Tastar turned to her, his eyes and expression somber. “Grovi's... gone.”

Fluttershy's hoof flew to her mouth.

“What do you mean, gone?” Rainbow demanded. “You mean he's not in the castle?”

“He means he's not bonded to Horizon anymore.” Elo got to his hooves and made his way for the door. “I need to go—”

Esra stepped in front of him, barring his way out of the room. “You're not going anywhere. You know as well as I what forcibly removed from Horizon means!”

A dark look appeared in Elo's eyes. “Get out of my way, Esra.”

“Separating is the worst thing we can do right now.” Megnii slowly approached Elo from the side. “I know it's hard, but it's going to be harder to maintain the stability of the barrier if we lose you t—“

“SHUT UP!” Elo whirled on him, his blade halfway out of his sheath. “So help me Megnii, say another word and I'll run you through!”

“Killing Megnii won't bring Grovi back,” Tastar said quietly from behind Elo. “Not that any of us are alive to begin with.”

Elo screamed and drew his rapier to swing at Tastar, but as he did, Esra chopped him in the back of the neck.

Elo's eyes dimmed. “Grovi...” He fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, his rapier clattering to the ground beside him.

Rainbow stood open-mouthed as she watched the scene unfold.

“Whoa...”

“Don't hold it against him,” Tastar said, motioning to Elo. “Ponies get irrational when they lose someone close to them.”

Fluttershy's eyes were watering as she tried to hold back her sobs. “What's g-going to happen n-now?”

Esra looked up at her. “Princess Celestia was in the process of introducing Princess Luna back into authority and reverting the kingdom back into a diarchy. She wasn't doing much yet, but Luna still holds the title of Princess, and by all rights is a ruler of Equestria. With Celestia gone, all executive decisions will now made by her.”

“Wait,” Rainbow said. “Princess Luna's in charge of the entire country now?! Is she even up for that yet?”

“Probably not,” Esra admitted. “Not like she has much of a choice, though.”

“We should go to her,” Rainbow said. “She might be in danger! Whatever it was that got Celestia might go for her next!”

Rainbow decided not to voice her suspicions that 'it' might be involved with Rarity somehow.

“She's in better hooves than you think,” Spesci said.

They all turned to him. “Why do you say that?” Tastar asked.

“I heard some guards shouting as we ran past.” A faint smile played on Spesci's lips. “Captain Shining Armor is with her.”

Chapter 22: Eclipse Ascendant

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Chapter 22:

Eclipse Ascendant

“Have you been in combat, Captain?”

Luna wore an indigo robe that swished about her adolescent body as she paced back and forth in her apartment. Her traditional regalia had been swapped for a set of fine chainmail, and her wings had been outfitted with metallic, bladed braces. Perigee and Apogee glinted as they hung at her sides, and her eyes were cold and steady as she addressed Shining Armor, who stood watch at the top of the stairs.

“I have.” Shining was clad in a violet robe much the same as Luna's, except that a glowing six-pointed star was etched in the chest of his garb. A longsword of his own hung at his side, and a vivid blue heart-shaped gem orbited around his head like an ioun stone. “I've escorted Cadance to the northern boundaries of the Crystal Empire several times, where the glaciers are infested with shadowy phantoms that prey on the living. We've barely escaped with our lives each time.”

Luna knew all about Cetus, of course. It'd be hard for her not to, as Nightmare Moon had created the Echo and placed it in the Element of Magic in the first place. It'd been an experiment during the last days of the war, and she hadn't thought much of it at the time. Then again, both she and Nightmare Moon tended to adopt a laser-like focus when it came to their goals.

“A great evil festers beneath that ice,” Luna said with a sigh. “One that would've been vanquished long ago if I'd had my way. Alas, Celestia insisted we show mercy, and I can only wonder how many lives have been lost as a result. I've always tolerated Sister's zealous obsession with the sanctity of life, but now I fear it's doomed us all.”

Luna had abstained from confronting the Bearers for two reasons. The first was that both she and Celestia suspected the Echo would try to free Nightmare Moon, but they didn't know how. Offering Luna to her on a silver platter didn't seem like the wisest idea, even if she was much more acquainted with Cetus' ways. It was decided that she should stay in her quarters under heavy guard, with Shining Armor himself assigned to her detail.

Shining exhaled out his nose. His eyes flickered over to the stairwell before staring back straight ahead. He said nothing, but his posture was tense, and his tail swished from side to side.

Luna stopped her pacing and met his eyes. She'd enjoyed the captain's company over the last few days, his intelligent, yet goofy personality an amicable compliment to her analytical tendencies and blunt mannerisms. She'd asked that he treat her as a peer rather than a superior, and the result of their camaraderie was that she'd learned enough of his body language to recognize when something was bothering him.

“Distraction breeds hesitation, Captain,” Luna said. “If you've something on your mind, now's the time to speak.”

Shining bit his lip. “Permission to speak freely, your Majesty.”

“Permission granted.”

Shining's voice was tight and restrained. “Everypony has reasons for doing the things they do. Personally, my actions are dictated through reasoning and logic, and I've never been one to second guess my choices. A soldier's duty is to follow the orders of their commanding officer, and for ten years that's exactly what I've done. I've gone above and beyond the call of duty, exceeded every expectation put before me, and placed the needs of the many before my own. I know what it means to sacrifice for the greater good, and I'll do what's necessary to protect our country.”

Luna nodded gravely. She knew where he was going with this, but allowed him to finish.

“I'll follow your orders without question,” Shining continued, “and you needn't worry about hesitation on my part, but your decision to disregard the safety of Cetus' host is going to be devastating for Twily, and when she finds out that I was involved—”

Shining gulped. “It's not going to be pretty.”

The second reason Luna stayed hidden was because she wanted to kill whichever Bearer Cetus was in. She regretted it, but Cetus was a foe that required no less than their full strength. One life wasn't worth more than the safety of the entire country, and holding back would put them at a massive disadvantage. Celestia refused to concede the point though, giving her old 'murder never solves anything' speech as justification for her rationale. Luna had relented, much to her chagrin, and was now kicking herself for letting Celestia's soft-hearted ways make a further mess of things once again.

Luna hung her head. “I hear your pledge, and I don't doubt your capabilities, but I don't want to cause a rift between you and your sister. If you wish to remove yourself from this situation, I'll understand.”

Shining raised his chin. “I may be mortal, but I'm not without my talents. You said yourself you can't take her alone, and while I know I'm out of my league here, I might be able to give you an opening, at least.”

Luna suppressed a cringe. She wasn't anywhere near full strength, and she knew she didn't stand much of a chance against Cetus if Celestia had already fallen to her. She might be able to hold her own if she could somehow siphon away the rest of her magic back from Nightmare Moon, but such a thing was impossible.

“And what do I say to Twilight Sparkle in the off-chance that not only is one of her best friends slain, but the life of her brother is also lost?”

“Me? Die?” Shining gave a goofy grin. “Not a chance. Do you have any idea what Cadance would do to me if I got killed?”

A small smile escaped Luna as she eyed the small heart-shaped stone circling around the captain's head. “I think I'd rather not know.”

Shining was about to reply when there was a shout from the guards at the bottom of the stairwell.

“Halt! Who goes—”

The guard's voice was cut short by a roar of rushing wind, followed by a loud sizzling. The walls of the stairwell brightened with the colors of searing flame, and a great draft of heat rose up from below. There was a deathly silence, followed by the pattering of a mare's hoofsteps coming up the stairs.

Luna drew her blades. “Cast your spells now, Captain.”

Shining nodded and cantered over to Luna. He took a deep breath, and focused on the entrance to the stairwell. A shimmering haze formed around the edges, slowly spreading outward to cover the entire entranceway. All the colors of the rainbow flashed in a hypnotic pattern as the haze coalesced, thickening into a see-through wall. Shining exhaled as his spell was completed, but his horn continued to glow.

Cetus came into view a few seconds later, holding Nova before her in a dark aura. She stopped as she beheld the forcefield in front of her, sighing with exasperation as she glanced over at Shining.

“A Prismatic Wall? Really?”

“Touch it,” Shining said with a dark grin. “I dare you.”

Cetus ignored him. She took in the apartment's furnishings before rolling her eyes and addressing Luna.

“You didn't change ANYTHING? For heavens sake, have you any idea what changes there have been to the fashion industry in our absence?!”

Luna spoke in an even tone. “It's been a while, my Echo.”

“It has, hasn't it?” Cetus smiled, showing off her glittering fangs. “Do you like my latest additions? I figured the new body should have some similarities to the old one, and I must say Rarity looks positively fabulous in a darker motif.”

Luna focused her attention on Nova. “What've you done with Celestia?”

Cetus blasted the wall with a wave of Freezing magic, and the red colors on the wall washed away. “I'm afraid dearest Tia isn't coming to your rescue anytime soon, darling... unless she can figure out how to help you while her lifeforce is fused with the sun.”

Shining's gasp was like a hiss through his clenched teeth. Cetus reveled in his expression while assailing the wall with a magical gust of wind. The orange light flickered and died.

Luna's mind was spinning. Everything suddenly made perfect, terrifying sense—why Cetus had chosen Rarity, what she intended, even everything the Echo must've planned out to get to this point. It was inspiring in a way, but the sickening realization mostly wanted to make her vomit.

“So that's what you're planning.” Luna's mouth was flooded with the sour taste of bile. “I'd call you insane, but I don't like reiterating known facts.”

Cetus raised an eyebrow at Luna. “Figured it out already? I'm impressed... then again, we do have something of a commonality between us, don't we?”

“Figure what out?” Shining whispered to Luna.

“Is the mortal confused?” Cetus fired a green ray, which disintegrated the yellow portion of the wall. “How cute. May as well explain it while I'm taking apart your little obstruction here.”

“The Era of Eternal Night.” Luna spat out the words like a vile curse. “Nightmare Moon wanted to forcibly expose the world to the fruits of our efforts, thinking it would somehow make ponies love and appreciate us. She initially wanted to destroy the sun, but such a thing is far beyond our power, so she came up with a way to conceal it instead.”

Shining's jaw dropped. “By using... the moon?”

Luna closed her eyes. “As long as there's no outside interference, I can synchronize the orbits of the heavenly bodies to create an everlasting solar eclipse. However, the moon isn't quite big enough to fully cover up all of the sun's light, and bringing the moon closer to the planet will cause them to collide. Nightmare Moon theorized that making the moon bigger might work, and knew that the Elements of Harmony could, and still can, be used to accomplish such a goal.”

“What?!” Shining's voice rose. “How?! I thought the Elements can only be used to correct imbalance!”

“Correct,” Luna said.

“Then how—”

Cetus suddenly broke out into bitter, manic laughter. “Poor, simple foal!” Her horn glowed with an unseen spell, and the wall's green light faded away. “Nopony knows the weight of responsibility we carry, for nopony truly knows what happened on the accursed day we used the Elements of Harmony on Discord! For millennia we've slaved away in the responsibilities he forced upon us, all for the purpose of keeping this pathetic little rock going, and not once have we received so much as a sliver of appreciation or gratitude! NO MORE! We gave the races of the world a chance to see the beautiful majesty of the night on their own, but all they care about is Celestia's giant ball of gas! I hate it, revile it, despise it with every fiber of my being! I want it GONE, but all I can do is cover it up because it's too damned BIG!”

"You're going to turn the planet into a barren rock,” Luna said flatly. “Fancy yourself whatever you like—Princess, Queen, Empress, God... titles don't matter when all you rule over is dust.”

“At least dust doesn't snub you and call you a monster.” Cetus raised her hoof, and a bolt of energy shot into the wall. The blue light faded away. “You once considered yourself to be the shadow that lurked behind the sun. If that's true, what does that make me? The shadow of a shadow? I know my inception was an afterthought, and I've long since shed any notions of obligation to anypony but myself. I've my own goals and agendas now, and while I've enjoyed this little chat, I didn't come here to see you.”

Luna scratched the side of her face, and Shining flicked his right ear in reply. “I know why you're here... rather, who you've come to retrieve. You honestly think you're going to get away with it?”

“You honestly think you can stop me?” Cetus retorted. The stairwell brightened with blinding light, and the indigo light vanished. Only the violet light of the wall remained. “I offer you one chance at redemption, Luna. Join me, and rule alongside me for eternity in my new empire. Celestia has fallen, the return of my undying army is imminent, the Elements can't be used while Rarity is under my sway, and anypony who opposes me will fall like wheat before the scythe. Equestria will be reborn in darkness, and we'll finally receive the love and respect we deserve. I offer you everything you've ever wanted... all you have to do is pledge yourself to me.”

Luna rolled her eyes. “Spare me. Even if I were interested, we both know you've no intention of sharing power. You'll stab me in the back and throw me out a window the first chance you get. ”

“Defenestration always was one of my favorite methods of execution,” Cetus said with a chuckle. “The best part is hearing their screams fade away.”

Luna raised Perigee and Apogee. “It's time to settle this.”

“I didn't actually think you'd be stupid enough to accept my offer, anyways.” Cetus' horn glowed with a silver light, and the violet wall receded at the edges. “I hate you almost as much as Celestia, and I'd rather slit my own throat than rule beside you for five minutes, let alone eternity. Even Nightmare Moon disgusts me, but at least she has her uses. You're nothing more than an obstacle on my path to godhood, and once I've gotten rid of you...”

The Prismatic Wall dissipated. Cetus stepped into Luna's apartment, her eyes alight with triumph.

“...the night will truly last forev—”

Cetus stopped as she noticed something wrong with the apartment. The buzz of magic in the air was audible, and Luna and Shining had made no move to engage her. Cetus squinted at the two, and saw that their outlines were fuzzy and blurred. Shining shifted, and his entire body flickered before coming back into focus.

Cetus' eyes went wide. “What—”

“NOW, CAPTAIN!” Luna's image yelled.

The illusion faded, and the stairwell vanished behind a wall of stone. Cetus now saw that the ceiling, floor, and walls of the apartment were covered in fiery red runes that pulsed with a dangerous light. Every square inch of the room was etched with engravings, and the hue of the magic turned Cetus' pristine white coat a deep sanguine.

Cetus blinked as the runes activated all at once.

“Oh.”

Luna's tower detonated with a thunderous boom, spewing out a massive fireball that shot out pieces of flaming debris like bullets in all directions. The concussive force took out the foundations, and the structure shuddered once before collapsing on itself. The surrounding castle windows were shattered as the the tower fell away from the castle into the Equius Valley below, and the shockwave was heard and felt across the entirety of Canterlot.

The real Luna and Shining observed the explosion a safe distance away from a narrow mountain shelf, wincing as the blast resonated in their eardrums and made their teeth rattle. Luna tightened her grip on Perigee and Apogee, the enchanted blades sucking in the light of the noonday sun.

“I admit I like your style, Captain,” Luna said. “Reckless, simplistic, yet efficient in design and execution. Perhaps a bit extreme in terms of property damage, but it's hard to argue with results. It's easy to see why you've risen so quickly in the ranks.”

Shining shrugged. “Towers and possessions can be replaced. Lives can't. Explosive Runes are easy enough to make, and Illusion spells are a dime a dozen. The Prismatic Wall wasn't strictly necessary, but I thought it best to delay her to get whatever information we could. Corpses are somewhat difficult to interrogate, after all.”

“And modest, to boot.” Luna took in Shining with approval, her eyes again drawn to the ioun stone circling around his head. “Yes... I think you'll do.”

Shining's attention was on the wreckage disappearing into a dust cloud below. “Think we got her?”

“Doubtful.” Luna readied her stance as she scanned the skies. “One doesn't plan for a millennium to fall for such a common trick.”

As if to confirm her statement, a black, coiling mass flew out from the wreckage. It zoomed up to hover above Canterlot Castle, and Luna and Shining felt a tendril of magic touch their minds that felt like a bee sting.

“That didn't take long.” Shining readied his blade.

Cetus shot towards them with alarming speed. As she came into view, they saw that she hadn't escaped the trap unscathed. Her coat was singed, her tail was gone, rivulets of blood oozed out of her ears, and one of her forehooves was sticking out at an odd angle. The black mass around her was the source of her flight, and it coiled and snapped around her like a mass of whips as it held her aloft.

Shining acted first. He concentrated on Cetus' innards as she got in range, intending on forming a forcefield inside her body. Cetus met his eyes with a sneer, and released a horrid, bone-chilling wail that ripped and tore away at his lifeforce. Shining staggered, but the sapphire stone around his head glowed, and the scream was drowned out by a clear, musical note.

Cetus narrowed her eyes as Shining shook off her death spell. She noticed the crystal heart, but didn't have time to do anything about it as Luna divebombed her from above and behind, swinging Perigee and Apogee from opposite sides. Cetus rolled to avoid being sliced into thirds, and brought Nova around in a riposte. Luna parried and raised a glowing hoof at Cetus' chest, but the Echo was too quick. A green ray went wide and struck the side of the mountain, causing a ten foot chunk of stone to disintegrate into fine powder.

“Playing for keeps, are we?!” Cetus jeered. “Are you sure you're not Nightmare Moon?”

“Shut up and die." The temperature dropped as Perigee and Apogee became coated in shadow. A low sustained hum resonated in the air as Luna turned the swords into deadly cyclones and shot them at Cetus.

Cetus snickered as she dodged the icy blades. “I suppose it wouldn't be so bad to fall before such legendary relics. Comprised of the very metal of the moon itself, forged in the heart of the planet and tempered with the blood of thousands... oh! Speaking of which, I saw the scars on Celestia's chest. Did you two have a falling out already?”

Luna let loose a scream of rage. Her horn glowed for another spell, but Cetus beat her to the punch, striking her with a silver ray. Luna froze as the spell took hold, and she felt weakened and sluggish, as if all of her energy had just been stolen away. She tried to raise her swords, but Cetus delivered her a cruel strike across her face that sent her crashing to the ground.

Cetus was about to swoop down after her, but before she could, she was struck in the side by a salvo of magical bolts that exploded in quick, sparking bursts. She whirled, and saw that Shining was standing with his back to the mountain and already firing another wave at her. Cetus dodged the incoming missiles, but they turned mid-flight and continued to chase after her. She ignored them and charged straight at Shining, her horn glowing as she closed. Shining stood motionless—he didn't dodge, didn’t flinch, didn’t even blink. He simply stood there, patiently waiting for her wrath.

It was a second too late that Cetus realized something was up. She got within ten feet of Shining, then encountered a brutal wave of force that took her own momentum and reversed it, repelling her away like she'd been shot out of a cannon. Cetus sailed out and away from the mountain shelf, being struck in the back by the homing missiles as she did. She managed to come to a stop and regain herself few hundred feet away, but the increased velocity had caused Shining's magical bolts to do great damage to Rarity's body.

Cetus reined in her temper as she hovered in midair. She hadn't counted on outside interference from somepony with this kind of tactical ability, and she'd taken a pounding as a result. She doubted Rarity was going to last much longer at this rate, especially with her opponents shooting to kill like this. She needed to end this now, or everything she'd worked for up to this point would be for nothing.

“Don't go dying on me, darling,” Cetus whispered to her comatose host. She concentrated, and at her command, a tiny black cloud appeared above the shelf. The cloud grew in seconds, stretching out to hover ominously over the mountainside, then all of Canterlot Castle. Peals of lightning burned themselves into Shining's eyes, and the crashing of thunder that followed caused him to cry out as he fell to his knees, jamming his hooves in his ears. Luna wasn't much better off, she tried to get to her hooves, but she was still weakened from Cetus' attack. Her voice was lost to the wind, which was rapidly picking up speed, and all she could do was put up a forcefield around herself, looking desperately around for Cetus to try and interrupt her spell.

Fat, heavy raindrops began to fall from the magical storm, first in a drizzle, then a shower, then a mighty deluge as massive sheets of water mercilessly pounded down on Shining and Luna. Shining managed to erect a shield of his own, but the thunder had dizzied him, and the rain was so heavy that he couldn't tell where Luna was.

“Princess!” Shining couldn't even hear his own voice over the din. Fumbling about or teleporting blindly wasn't advisable, as one wrong move would send him careening down the mountainside. Besides, he was barely managing to hold his own as the storm intensified around him. Round hail pellets the size of grapes pummeled their shields, chipping away at both Shining and Luna's magical fonts and depleting their stamina. The wind rose into a gale, and they felt themselves being tugged every which way as they fought to stay in one place.

Cetus coughed as she watched her creation batter her foes. She noted that she'd just spat up a good deal of blood, and realized the time was now or never. She reached into the storm, gathered the energies inside, and instantly, the rain, hail and winds ceased. An eerie silence filled the air, and Shining and Luna looked once at each other, then up at the clouds.

Cetus gleefully watched as the horror slowly dawned in their faces. She declared her judgment in a whisper that inserted itself in both Shining and Luna's ears.

“Vengeance comes from on high.”

There was no time to plan or mount a defense. Luna and Shining couldn't even scream as two jagged bolts of electricity surged down at half the speed of light to lance through their conductive bodies. Their wards were overloaded, their personal shields winked out, and Shining's ioun stone was destroyed as both of them were knocked unconscious and fell to the ground.

Cetus wasted no time. The storm dispersed, and she flew over to land beside Luna's unconscious form with a clatter upon the slippery stones. Celestia's body appeared with a 'pop' out of the pocket dimension she'd been storing it in, and she hovered it to rest beside Luna. The body's innate regenerative abilities had finally overcome Cetus' dark spell, and it didn't look any worse for the wear. Cetus gave both alicorns a look of utmost loathing before reaching deep into Rarity's psyche, locating the Element of Generosity and forcing it to activate using the reserves she'd stolen from the Element of Magic. Her eyes became fully filled with silver light, and the blood-red Soul Tether slithered out of her chest.

Cetus knew whatever the Elements had done to Nightmare Moon would be difficult to bypass, and while she figured she could break whatever it was with sheer force, her reserves would be vastly depleted and Rarity would be killed in the process. She suspected there might be a more economic method when she'd heard Luna was 'recovering', as that meant magic was somehow being transferred between the divided minds, and as a being of magic, Cetus could take advantage of it.

Cetus roughly wrapped the ghostly Soul Tether around Luna, and immediately encountered the barrier made by Rarity and the others on the Summer Sun Celebration. It was even stronger than she'd anticipated—the six elements were tightly woven together like a tapestry, and each individual strand of magic drew upon the strengths of the others to compensate for their weaknesses. It was flawless, a sublime piece of work, an elegant masterpiece that would last for eons if left undisturbed.

Realizing that trying to break the formidable barrier wasn't an option, Cetus continued her inspection, and found that her suspicions were confirmed. While the barrier had separated Nightmare Moon's consciousness and lifeforce, she still shared a magical font with Luna, and judging from the mismatched levels of magic that looked like locks on a canal, a transfer had indeed been occurring.

Grinning, Cetus unwound the Soul Tether around Luna's body, and instead, placed it on her horn. She felt their fonts become linked, and after taking a moment to match the new energy signature, immersed herself in Luna's magic. It didn't take her long to get to the barrier, as Luna's font wasn't so much wide as it was unbelievably deep. She was glad Rarity wasn't bathophobic, else she'd have gone into conniptions from looking into the seemingly endless abyss.

Cetus passed through the harmonic barrier and emerged on the other side to behold Nightmare Moon's psyche, which was an inert, swirling mist. She threw the Soul Tether like a lasso, where it spread out to encapsulate all of Nightmare Moon. With her prize in tow, Cetus yanked back with all her might, and a foul darkness seeped out of Luna's horn. It coiled around Rarity's body as Cetus loosened her hold and extended herself to Celestia.

Shining awoke with a tingling numbness in his extremities and a ringing in his ears. He tried to stand, but his limbs wouldn't obey him. He looked to his right, and his eyes bulged as he watched Cetus finish performing the transfer. Two separate clouds of black mist entered the bodies of Rarity and Celestia, the former of which was convulsing on the ground. The mist fully dissipated, and Rarity gagged once before going still.

All was silent, save for the steady dripping of the rainwater as it ran off the side of the shelf. The magical storm cloud above still concealed the sun, covering the mountain in unnatural shadow. There was a sound like tinkling glass, and Shining watched in awe as Rarity's body underwent a transformation. Her wounds closed of their own accord, her broken leg reset itself with a snap, her horn grew longer and sharper, and her coat regained its sheen. Her styled mane and tail grew back and developed a faint ethereal quality, and if one looked hard enough, they could make out faint glittering dots of light like stars in the night sky.

There was a low moan as the new occupant of Rarity's body slowly sat up and opened her reptilian eyes, which were now a lighter, icier shade of blue. She gasped as she saw Luna and Celestia beside her, then quickly looked down at herself. A slow smile crept up on her lips, which turned a chuckle, then a cruel, maniacal laugh that became magically amplified for all of Canterlot to hear.

Nightmare Moon had returned.

Shining tried to rise again, but his nerves were still scrambled. Realizing he wasn't in any shape to fight, he shoved aside his feelings of dread and failure and pretended to still be knocked out, watching events unfold through a crack in his left eye.

“Keep it down, idiot.”

Nightmare Moon jerked at the source of the voice. Cetus, now in Celestia's body, had come to and was scowling at her.

“You're back for all of ten seconds, and the first thing you do is broadcast your return to the entire military? Are you really that stupid, or is the Chaos magic messing with you that badly?”

Nightmare Moon cocked her head. “Thou art not Celestia.”

“So it's the Chaos magic then.” Cetus unsteadily got to her hooves, flaring out her wings to steady herself. “Heavens above, this body's got some long legs.”

Something seemed to click for Nightmare Moon. Her lips parted as she spoke in an unsure tone.

“Cetus?”

“Bingo,” Cetus said with a wink.

“Accursed Echo!” Nightmare Moon's eyes glittered with dark fury. “Thy harebrained scheme caused me to be defeated by a gaggle of mewling foals! Why didst thou not assist me when I was overwhelmed by the new Bearers?!”

“Because you didn't do what I told you,” Cetus replied. “I said not to smash the Elements until they were fully activated, and you did it at half. Even if I'd gone ahead and stolen all their magic at that point like we'd planned, it wouldn't have been enough to use on the moon.”

Nightmare Moon flattened her ears. “I thought they WERE fully activated. I did not think they could be activated to any greater extent, especially not by a group of complacent mortals!”

“You underestimated them, in other words.” Cetus brushed her mane out of her face. “Be happy I managed to think fast enough to compensate for your idiocy.”

“DO NOT MOCK ME!” Nightmare Moon struck Cetus in the chest with a bolt of lightning. “I am thy creator, thine elder, thy master, and thou shalt treat me with resp—”

Nightmare Moon's voice was cut off as she was surrounded by a dark aura. Cetus slowly pushed down on her with the force of an avalanche, forcing Nightmare Moon into a kneeling position. The rocks below her cracked under the force of the magic.

“Master, huh?” Cetus' eyes were pure gold as she loomed over Nightmare Moon, her entire body ablaze with sinister light. “If you're the master, how come you're bowing before me like a simpering peasant?”

Nightmare Moon's voice was shaking with rage. “How... dare... thee...”

“Let's get one thing straight.” Cetus spread her wings, and the storm cloud instantly dispersed to reveal the blinding sun above. “You were never master over me. The only reason I played the obedient little Echo at the Summer Sun Celebration was so you'd make your moves out in the open while I stayed in the shadows. I was more powerful than you then, I'm much more powerful than you now, and I only pulled you out of Luna because you're still useful to me.”

Nightmare Moon flared her nostrils. “I... serve... nopony...”

“I figured you'd be difficult about this.” Cetus' horn flared, and the temperature of the air rose several degrees. “Let me put this in a way you'll understand. Not only can I jettison you out into deep space any time I feel like it, I can also aim you wherever I please. Want to know what anoxia feels like? How about being burned alive by solar radiation? Maybe I can find a nice black hole for you to get sucked into! Does that sound like fun?”

“Empty threats,” Nightmare Moon spat. “I know... who this mortal is... thou wilt... not risk... her safety.”

“You thought I'd stick you in such a valuable vessel without any way to get you out?” Cetus produced a silver hook, holding it up for Nightmare Moon to see. “Celestia tried to use this nasty piece of work on me. It was originally attuned to pull out Echoes, but I've modified it to pull out lifeforce instead. I haven't tested it yet, but I'm confident it'll do the trick.”

Nightmare Moon clenched her jaw. “Damn thee...”

“Oh, don't be a drama queen.” Cetus chuckled at her private joke. “My goals are the same as yours, and if you want to get technical, you're not serving anypony but yourself. I can keep Rarity alive and under control through other ways if need be, but it's easier to have you do it. All you have to do is follow everything I say without hesitation or question, and we'll be ruling the world before you know it.”

Nightmare Moon said nothing for a time, her gaze flicking back and forth. She couldn't overpower Cetus as she was now, and it was clear how much of a disadvantage she was currently in. She could play the obedient lapdog for now, but she'd have to act before Cetus decided she'd outlived her usefulness, and the Echo would be watching for signs of betrayal. Still, it's hard to do much of anything if you're dead, so the immediate choice was obvious.

Nightmare Moon lowered her head, murmuring out her words of defeat. “I will do thy bidding... Master.”

“Much better.” Cetus released her hold on Nightmare Moon. “Now, for starters, go through Rarity's consciousness and get caught up on modern grammar and current events. Once you've done that, I want you to travel to Ponyville and apprehend the Bearers of Honesty and Laughter. DO NOT HARM THEM. Anypony else is fair game, but the Bearers are too important to be treated roughly. If I see so much as a bruise on either of them, we'll find out how well immortality holds up against nuclear fusion.”

Nightmare Moon swallowed hard. “What of the other three?”

“Kindness and Loyalty are here in Canterlot. I'll handle them.” Cetus looked to the north. “The Bearer of Magic is off wandering somewhere in the wilds, and it'll take some time to locate her. Her powers maybe prove to be problematic, so I plan on saving her for last.”

“Shall I bring Honesty and Laughter back to Canterlot?”

“No, I'll come to you when I've taken care of things here.” Cetus snickered. “I've the more effective means of travel, after all."

“I must say, being wingless is a rather irritating inconvenience.“ Nightmare Moon glanced back at her unadorned shoulders with a curled lip. “T'will take time for me to reach Ponyville in this body, even with the Nightmist spell.”

“I'll teleport you once you're up to speed,” Cetus said, “and take a closer look at Rarity's body. Have you forgotten that she and the other Bearers have already used the Elements once before?”

Nightmare Moon blinked several times. She did an internal check, and discovered what Cetus was referring to. She lifted up a hoof and examined it thoughtfully.

“I did not expect the changes to happen so soon. The process took ten years for us, as I recall.”

“We didn't have the Elements residing directly in our bodies,” Cetus reminded her. “Rarity's second bloodline was awakened when she recovered the full use of her powers. I suspect she'll fully ascend upon using the Element of Generosity with her necklace.”

Nightmare Moon glowered. “Tis bad enough I must play foalsitter for a nascent fledgling, but I am also to be stuck in this state of transition until all the Bearers are recovered? What other humiliations wouldst thou have me suffer through?”

Cetus raised a hoof to her chin.

“I jest!” Nightmare Moon said quickly. “I meant not to giveth thee ideas!”

“Watch your mouth, then.” Cetus lowered her hoof and continued her explanation. “Each of the Bearers has two guards—Echoes of the accursed Order of the Zodiac. Their host is acting as a Gate that imprisons our army in Tartarus. Kill them if you must, but save them for me if you can... I’ve a very special way to dispose of them.”

“Understood.” Nightmare Moon closed her eyes and began to go through Rarity's memories.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

Nightmare Moon stopped and looked up at Cetus.

“The name 'Nightmare Moon' may be a title associated with fear and terror, but it's also tainted with failure, and that's something I won't tolerate.” Cetus straightened to her full, impressive height. “I hereby give you a new name—one that celebrates your rebirth, is a combination of you and your host, and is a harbinger of the glorious gift we're going to present to the world.”

Cetus grinned with devilish delight. “I name you Eclipse.”

Eclipse raised her chin as she repeated the new name a few times. “Appropriate, I suppose. Would that be all, then?”

Cetus nodded. “Be thorough in going through Rarity's mind. And while you're doing that—” she looked over at Shining, who'd had heard the entire exchange as he was still pretending to be knocked out. “—I'll tie off this little loose end.”

Shining felt himself being lifted up by the neck. He forced himself to remain limp, and heard the clattering of her hoofsteps as Cetus approached. Judging from her body heat, he guessed she was only inches away from him, though he didn't dare find out for sure.

“Such a waste.” Cetus licked her lips as she examined Shining's body. “I'm sure I could find some use for an able-bodied specimen as this. At the very least, I imagine he's quite vir—“

Shining stuck out his hoof, and shot Cetus in the face with a vivid cone of clashing colors. She screamed and released him from her grip, and before either she or Eclipse could react, he sprinted to Luna, grabbed her, and disappeared from the shelf in a violet flash.

Eclipse stared dumbly at where Luna had been. She glanced over at Cetus, who'd been blinded by Shining's potshot and was cursing like a sailor.

“Dost thou wish for me to give chase?” Eclipse asked hesitantly.

“NO!” Cetus vigorously rubbed at her eyes. “That impudent little gnat is MINE! I'm going to watch him writhe in agony as I boil his insides!”

“Shall I then proceed to Ponyville?”

“I'll send you there now, just use Rarity's memories to find your way around the town and locate the Bearers!” Cetus snapped. “Now get out of my sight!”

Eclipse vanished in a golden flash, and Cetus was left alone on the mountainside as her vision slowly returned. She cast another Tracking spell, but found no lingering tendrils of Shining's magic. He must've wiped out any traces of his spellwork with a Blanking spell, and with no clear idea of where he might've gone there was no easy way to locate him. The blasted stallion was cunning, that much she admitted, and she wouldn't be surprised if he was taking additional measures to conceal himself from her. There was also a high chance he'd left a few surprises behind, if the mishap in the tower was any indication of how he operated. That he'd escaped with Luna was an annoyance, to be sure, but it didn't derail her plans by any considerable means.

Cetus noted there were now several squadrons of pegasi flying around the castle now that her magical storm had cleared. After taking a moment to compose herself, she spread her new wings, and flew out to meet them. There was a yell upon seeing her, and an entire flock of guards came soaring in her direction.

Rebellion was an obvious eventuality, but Cetus saw no reason to reveal herself as long as nopony discovered what'd happened to Celestia. A plausible explanation was easy enough to come up with, and voluntary cooperation was considerably easier to manage and plan around. If Cetus could take advantage of the resources of the Equestrian government, she certainly would, and she could continue her plans to a certain degree while staying in character. While her mannerisms changed as she flitted between bodies, one quality that stayed the same was her eternal patience, and now that Celestia's immortal body was hers, she had all the time in the world.

“Princess Celestia!” A pegasi guard yelled out to her as he got in range. “Are you all right? What happened?”

Cetus cleared her throat, and spoke in Celestia's soothing voice.

“There was an intruder...”

Luna's head was pounding as she came to. It felt like there was a red-hot poker where her horn should be, and there was an unpleasant buzzing in her ears. She opened her eyes, expecting to still be on the mountain shelf, and was quite surprised to find herself instead on the forest floor. She lay on a bed of broken leaves and branches with bits and pieces of familiar objects surrounding her, all crushed and shattered. The air was thick with dust, and she sneezed as she looked up to see Canterlot Castle high, high above.

Luna's throat went dry. She looked down and saw Shining nursing a nosebleed as he sat a few feet away from her.

“Are we—”

“Yeah,” Shining said. “I figured it was the last place she'd look. Took almost everything I had to get us here, though.”

“I see that.” Luna took in Shining's condition. He was physically whole, but his ioun stone was gone, he was breathing heavily, and his movements were slow and pained as he stemmed his nosebleed with his robe. She herself was fine—her own pain was ebbing due to her regenerative abilities, and she'd barely cast any magic in the battle.

“I imagine you feel horrid,” Luna said, “but I need to know what happened.”

Shining lowered his robe from his face. “In a nutshell? Nothing good.” He told her how Cetus had pulled Nightmare Moon out through her horn, and the conversation that followed.

Luna's face was grim as Shining finished. She checked the harmonic barrier inside her psyche, and sure enough, Nightmare Moon was gone, along with her portion of their magic. The natural transfer meant Luna still had control over the moon, though if Rarity's magic was now combined with Nightmare Moon's, the difference in overall magical ability might be negligible.

“You said Cetus sent Nightm—Eclipse, to Ponyville to collect the two Bearers there?” Luna asked.

Shining nodded as he swayed back and forth. He was barely managing to stay on his hooves.

“And you're certain her orders were not to harm them in any way?”

“Mmhmm.”

Luna sucked on her teeth. “I need to get back up to the castle.”

Shining's eyes went wide, but his voice was weak. “Your Highness—”

Luna held up a hoof. “Your acts weren't fruitless, Captain. Quite the contrary, in fact. The information you've acquired presents a grand opportunity—one that I fully intend to take advantage of. I need to act quickly though, for if Cetus gets to Canterlot Tower before me, all will be lost.”

“Canterlot Tower?” Shining echoed. His eyelids fluttered as he fought to stay awake.

Luna put a hoof on Shining's chest, gently lowering him to the ground. She met his eyes with a comforting smile. “Captain Shining Armor, do you trust your Princess?”

“Yes,” Shining murmured as he closed his eyes.

“Then rest,” Luna whispered. “You're going to need it, for your sister's going to have a lot of questions for you.”

“That's it!” Rainbow yelled. “I'm sick of sitting around!”

Rainbow, Fluttershy and their guards were still in the hospital room. They'd finally been left alone by the doctors, and the nausea and dizziness from Celestia’s spell had finally worn off. Spike had regained consciousness and had come to their room, but Elo was still out from Esra's punch. They'd moved him to Rainbow's bed, and she'd taken to hovering back and forth in the far corner of the room. She'd never liked hospitals, and even with Fluttershy and the others’ insistence it was best for them to stay put for now, she couldn't take it anymore.

“What do you think you can do?” Esra asked. The question was equal parts challenge and curiosity. “You just gonna start flying around the castle looking for the Princess? You'll be attacked by the guards before you can explain yourself, and your distraction might provide an opportunity for the real enemies to escape.”

“What makes you think I'd go alone?” Rainbow landed and slowly advanced on him, her voice fierce with intensity. “You can't hide it from me, Esra—I know you want to get out there as much as me. You're probably right that if I go alone I'll be attacked, but not if all of you and the others are with me in your Royal Guard getups.”

Esra pursed his lips. She was right, of course. He was as desperate to get out there as her, especially after that explosion they'd heard. Problem was that leaving Rainbow alone was against his orders, and after whatever had happened to Grovi, separation was dangerous. If they all went together, though...

“What about Fluttershy and Spike?” Tastar asked, motioning to them with a jerk of his head. “Would they come with us, too?”

Fluttershy had been tending to Elo, and Spike was sitting on the other bed. They looked up and turned to each other, their faces marred with apprehension.

“I do want to find Rarity,” Fluttershy admitted. “The range of my Telepathy doesn't cover the whole castle, so maybe I can find her or the Princess if we move around.”

“I'm up for it,” Spike said. “Long as we take it easy, anyway.”

“Is your link to the Princess' font still acting weird?” Megnii asked.

“It's not 'acting weird', it's gone.” Spike picked up a blank scroll from the end table and went to the window, holding it out and bathing it in a jet of emerald fire. The paper crinkled at the edges, but was otherwise unaffected. “Being linked to the Princess was awesome. It made my font super-warm like a hot tub, and now my magic feels cold and empty. My head's still all fuzzy because of it.”

“Sudden Font-Link Severance Syndrome.” Tastar's voice picked up speed. “The magic of an Amethyst and their font-partner becomes intermingled over time, and the partner with the larger font becomes dominant in the relationship. Magic isn't the only thing that can be mixed, though—personality traits and mannerisms can also be shared, even to the point of physical change, but that's a gradual process that takes place over the course of decades. This process can be sped up if the two parties share a particularly strong bond, say, that of a parent and child, but the drawback is it also strengthens the symptoms of withdrawal if the link is ever cut. The Princess knew this, and while she did express a desire to develop a stronger relationship with Spike, I counselled such a deeply-forged bond over the course of centuries, possibly even millennia would lead to insanity upon severance. Which is nothing to say of the effects such a tie would have on both their bodies at that point. Her Majesty agreed it was best that she distance herself during Spike's Wyrmling years to prevent irreversible imprinting, and was planning on developing a peer-to-peer relationship with him in a century or so.”

Everypony in the room stared at Tastar, save for Esra, who'd put a hoof over his mouth to stifle his laughter.

“There goes the motor-mouth,” Rainbow said with a grin.

“Uh,” Spike said dumbly. “All that stuff you just said? I didn't understand any of it.”

“Didn't you get your fix when the doctors called you over to examine him earlier?” Esra asked.

Tastar snorted. “They're lucky something wasn't seriously wrong with him. Half of them couldn't decide whether he was endothermic or ectothermic, and the other half thought his alar cleidomastoids were vestigial. I was almost waiting for one of them to say his bones were hollow.”

Spike stared at him with blank eyes.

“You're warm-blooded, all your wing muscles are normal for your age, and that old myth has been disproved so many times it's a joke among Dragoons,” Tastar translated. “Dragon bones look hollow, but they're actually comprised of thick walls of sturdy connective tissue that are like small chambers of concentric circles staggered together like brickwork. Blood vessels run in between the layers, and—”

“Tastar,” Esra interrupted. “Remember the rule?”

Tastar clicked his teeth. “Ten words or less...” He turned back to Spike. “Your S.F.L.S. symptoms are mild. They'll go away.”

“Oh.” Spike brightened. “That's good at least.”

Esra rested a hoof on Tastar's shoulder. “Was that so hard?”

Tastar looked like he was about to explode. He made a guttural hissing noise that sounded like he was choking.

“No Draconic,” Esra scolded. “You got something to say, use Equestrian like the rest of us.”

While Rainbow was glad to hear that Spike was okay, she didn't want to get distracted from the topic at hoof. “We good, then?”

“What about Elo?” Fluttershy asked. “We can't just leave him here.”

Rainbow facehooved. She'd forgotten about him. “I guess we can't... how long do you think until he wakes up?”

“I didn't hit him that hard.” Esra looked over at Elo's unconscious form. “He should be up soon.”

“Good!” Rainbow stretched her limbs. “We'll go when he wakes up, and then—”

“Ahem.”

Everypony looked to see a new guard at the door. He glanced once at his fellow guards before turning to address Rainbow and Fluttershy.

“Princess Celestia has been found. You're to meet her at the Chariot Runways. There she'll travel with you to the town of Ponyville.”

“They found her?!” Spesci shot to his hooves. “Is she all right? Where was she?”

“The Princess is in perfect health, but the events of her disappearance are classified until further notice,” the guard replied.

“Why Ponyville?” Rainbow asked.

“Her Majesty didn't say,” the guard replied. “She merely sent me to collect you.”

Fluttershy spoke up. “Did... she say anything about Rarity?”

“I've already delivered the only message she gave me,” the guard said patiently. “Your belongings have already been gathered, so if you're ready, we'll be on our way.”

Rainbow bit her lip as she turned to the others. “What do we do about Elo?”

Tastar lowered his gaze. “I don't like leaving him, but if the Princess wants us to come now, we don't have much choice.”

Rainbow swished her tail. She didn't know Elo very well, but just leaving him behind didn't sit right with her. She needed to make a decision, but when she really thought about it, it wasn't a decision at all.

“I'll carry him.”

“You don't need—” Esra began.

“Can it.” Rainbow walked over to Elo's bed, using a wing for leverage to hoist him onto her back. Her knees sank under the unfamiliar weight, but it wasn't beyond her capabilities. “The Princess will understand when we tell her what happened to Grovi.”

“You're gonna get funny looks,” Tastar warned.

“I get funny looks all the time.” Rainbow gave him a cocky grin over her shoulder as she walked out the door. “It's one of the side-effects of being amazing.”

Chapter 23: To the Winds

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Chapter 23:

To the Winds

The Millennial Archives were housed in a naturally formed cavern within Canterlot Mountain, and were home to some of the most ancient texts and artifacts in Equestrian history. It was separated into three massive floors, with ornate stone bridges further dividing the areas into sections. Hundreds of burgeoning shelves stretched up to the ceiling, where enchanted stalactites chased away the darkness with a soft, azure light. The floors were covered with violet rugs, and long, spindly ladders provided for ease of access. An aura of stillness pervaded the library, giving it a hallowed feel that left many first-time visitors standing in awe.

Luna had made great use of the Archives in the last three months. She could do little in terms of physical or magical exertion, but the former Bearer of Magic had little trouble applying her mind to such a monumental wealth of knowledge. She'd spent days zealously pouring through book after book to catch up on lost time, stopping only to address biological functions and tend to the moon. Her studies had largely centered around what she'd need to know to return to the throne: laws, treaties, taxes, trade routes, immigration policies, all of it extremely dry material that nopony in their right minds would ever want to go through, but Luna wasn't about to let some corrupt lawyer or greedy noble squirm through a loophole. Her studies had paid off in the end, though not in the way she'd expected, for in going through such ancient, boring texts, she'd made a discovery of a different sort... one that could be opened from both sides.

There was a small click as a bookshelf on the third floor slid back into the wall. Concealed by a Greater Invisibility spell, Luna walked out of the hidden passage and stepped into the Archives. She looked around to see if her entry had been noticed, and found she was in luck—the cavern was deserted, much as it'd been for the entirety of her studies.

Luna's reviewed the situation as she checked on Shining, who was still unconscious in the pocket dimension she'd stored him in. Cetus would be concentrating on hunting down the Zodiac Knights to free her army from Tartarus, and would be keeping up a facade until she'd gathered the Bearers to ensure their capture. That she was going to Ponyville wasn't surprising, as it'd be easier to commit any foul deeds without worrying about being seen by anypony in the capital. Cetus probably assumed Luna couldn't do anything to stop her now that she had Celestia's body, and even if Luna found a way back into the castle, there wasn't anything she could do.

Luna smiled. She loved being underestimated.

The shelf slid back into place behind Luna as she focused her mind. She hadn't been able to teleport into the castle because of the external wards that blanketed the place, and bypassing them would've alerted the guards to her presence. Now that she was in, though, she could go wherever she pleased.

Luna pulled up an image, and her vision turned teal as she vanished from the Millennial Archives with a pop.

The 'Closed' sign of Carousel Boutique swayed in a southern wind as a starry mist slithered out from the parlor door and into the lengthening shadows of Ponyville. Cetus had teleported Eclipse directly to Rarity's bedroom, and it hadn't taken her long to absorb the knowledge she needed. While most of it had been useless things about fashion and beauty, there was a good deal of useful information, as well—familiarity with the layout of the town and surrounding area, knowledge of current events and mannerisms, and most importantly of all, extensive details about the Bearers of Laughter and Honesty.

Pinkie would still be in the Everfree training at Zecora's hut. The best time for an ambush would be on her way back to town, but she didn't normally come back until sundown, and it was still mid-day. The Luck power would work against her the moment she was seen as a threat, and while that was inevitable, the longer she could avoid it's effects, the better. Applejack would be out in the fields for Applebucking Season, and was a much easier target.

Eclipse flitted between alleyways, taking care to go unnoticed by any passersby as she made her way to the city limits. A large crowd of ponies blocked her path as she approached the edge of town, murmuring amongst themselves as they pointed in the direction of Canterlot Castle. A gust of wind picked up, and she caught snippets of their conversation.

“...heard word yet?”

“...some kind of explosion...”

“...tallest tower, not sure what's in that one...”

“...sure we'll get news soon...”

“...whatever it is, Princess Celestia will take care of it...”

Eclipse suppressed a brutal flash of rage. Of course the foals would look to Celestia to save them. She was their perfect goddess, the one everypony loved and looked to for guidance, completely forgetting the darkness that embraced and protected them in their most vulnerable moments! They'd never love or accept Eclipse because they wanted her to be a target for their baseless fears and frustrations! The Chaos magic had made her see the unfairness of it all, and even worse, that Celestia was encouraging the mortals’ actions because it raised her vaunted pedestal even higher!

Eclipse floated away from the crowd, lost in her bitter thoughts. She passed by Ponyville Elementary School, and heard the voice of a familiar mare as she came near the schoolhouse window. She caught a chunk of a lecture as she passed by.

“...Earth Pony magic, better known as Geomancy, has it's own unique set of rules and abilities separate from Arcana and Tempulari. It provides an innate connection to the land that allows an Earth Pony to determine the health of any and all types of flora, as well as the location of the nearest water source. Like most other types of magic, the connection grows in strength, range, and sensitivity the more it's utilized, and it's for this reason many Earth Ponies enjoy successful careers in farming and horticulture.

“In rare cases, the connection is even sensitive enough to determine the health of rocks, which can be used in the cultivation of certain metals, ores, and gemstones. This uncommon practice is called petriculture, and the connection necessary to perform the art tends to be passed down in specific family lines. Another notable fact is that Earth Ponies tend to be slightly larger, hardier, and longer lived than the other races, though it's unknown if this is due to Geomancy, or a gradual acclimation from generations of hard labor. Studies have shown...”

The cobblestone path continued on as Eclipse reached the fencing that marked Sweet Apple Acres. The trees were laden with dozens of ripe specimens, and she crossed into the fields, hearing the telltale thunk of hooves striking bark from some distance away. She followed the noise, and stopped as she came upon Applejack and Strauss hitched up to carts and bucking the apple trees.

Him!

Eclipse barely managed to stifle a hiss upon seeing the Zodiac Knight. Here was one of the two that'd snuck into her fortress in the Hollow Shades and stolen the Elements of Harmony. Here was the one who'd snuck behind her lines time and time again, disabling her siege weapons, rubbing out the wards of her arrays, smashing her weapons, snapping her bowstrings, even poisoning her food for good measure. He was unassuming, easily forgettable, freakishly strong, and worst of all, knew how to use all his qualities to their fullest extent. He was a devil in disguise, and his name was one she knew well, for she'd planned to have it engraved on a plaque beneath his head.

Taurus the Saboteur.

Strauss sneezed. Applejack looked over at him, her half-filled eyes the same color as the leaves.

“Holdin' up alright?”

“Yeah.” Strauss rubbed his nose. “Sorry about earlier.”

Applejack tapped her tree, and a hail of apples fell tumbling to her cart. “Don’t have nothin’ to be sorry about. You sure you don’t wanna head up to Canterlot to see what's goin' on?”

Strauss shook his head. “Could be walking into a trap. It’s best to stay put for now until we get further orders. Besides, we're to stick with you.”

Applejack brought her cart over to the others and unhitched herself. “There any chance Grovi’s still, y’know… around?”

Strauss sighed. “He wouldn’t leave Horizon of his own accord, and he’d need another host to survive. If he hasn’t been destroyed, then he’s being held prisoner somewhere, and that’s not much better.”

Eclipse was focused completely on Strauss. He'd foiled her plans so many times, had taken so much from her. The corners of her vision dimmed, and a black, roiling mass formed where her stomach was. She circled around, closing in on the Zodiac Knight.

Applejack exhaled out her nose, looking at the trees around them. “I don’t like not knowin’ what’s going on. The girls are supposed to be up the castle, and they mighta had somethin’ to do with that explosion.”

Strauss lowered his eyes. “It’s possible.”

“That settles it then,” Applejack said. “Let’s bring this last load in for Granny to count, grab Norric from the north field, get Pinkie from Zecora’s, and catch the three ‘o clock train to Canterlot.”

Strauss nodded. “If that’s what you want.”

Eclipse crept up behind Strauss, the edges of the Nightmist spell glinting with a cruel light. She wanted to do it slowly, to make him suffer for all he'd done. Applejack would notice though, and capturing her was going to be difficult enough without hurting her. No, quick and efficient was best, and then she could take care of Applejack without worry.

Strauss raised his backhooves to give his tree one last strike. Eclipse loomed over him, aiming the razor's edge of her mist at his neck. She felt a heady rush as she braced herself for her first kill in over a millennium.

It was then she remembered how Taurus had managed to escape her wrath so many times. She'd sent countless assassins after him, but he'd eluded them every time. She'd tried booby trapping her own weaponry in the hopes of catching him, but not even that had worked. It baffled her how an earth pony could be capable of such stealth, and it was only in the last battle did she break into his mind and discover his secret. He'd hid his disorder well, the only sign being his limited range of emotions and limited social skills, but beneath that stoic exterior lurked the mind of a very disturbed individual.

One that suffered from chronic paranoia.

Strauss felt a prickling in his neck, and ducked as Eclipse swiped at him. He tore himself free of his cart with a snap as he whirled to face his attacker, his eyes widening only for an instant before hardening into his usual impassive mask. It'd been less than a second, but Eclipse caught a glimpse of the terror he kept locked away. It was like giving an addict the barest taste of a drug, and it almost drove her into a frenzy.

Eclipse tried to surround Strauss, but he rolled out of the way, kicking over the wooden cart he'd been using. There was a heavy thud as four silver horseshoes fell out from underneath, and he leaped atop them with a grunt. Eclipse sneered as she sensed the magic radiating from the weapons, drawing back as she formulated a new plan of attack.

“What the—“

Applajack turned at the noise, and her jaw dropped as she saw Strauss facing down a thick, shadowy mist. She squinted, and her Truthsense power revealed the silhouette of a mare within... one that she'd known her entire life.

“Rarity?!”

Eclipse hesitated. The mist coalesced as the upper half of her body took shape. She looked at Applejack with a bored look on her face.

“Be a dear and stay over there, hmm? I've a score to settle with this little snake.”

Strauss pawed the ground with the hoof. “Run, Applejack. Tell Norric to get help.”

“Even better,” Eclipse said, her voice lilting as she hovered among the trees. “Go and get the bumbling grenadier. It'll save me the trouble of hunting him down.”

Applejack's mind was spinning. Rarity looked and sounded like she'd gone... evil? There was no way that could be right!

“What are you?!” Applejack demanded. “What've ya done with Rarity?!”

“Is your Truthsense power having an off-day? Take a good look!” Eclipse cackled as she raised her forehooves and eyes to the sky. “Rarity is here, right before your very eyes! I've been reborn into her body, and now with the Elements disabled and Celestia gone, nothing can stop me from exacting vengeance upon this unsuspecting age! I am Eclipse, and soon all of Equestria shall know both my beauty and my wrath!”

Applejack felt like she'd been slapped. There hadn't been a single echo in Eclipse's words.

Elements... disabled?

Celestia... gone?

“Applejack,” Strauss said in a calm voice. “Do you remember what you told us about the crazy ninja ponies?”

“Yeah...”

“This applies.” Strauss lowered his stance. “Now go!”

Cursing at her promise, Applejack turned and galloped away, her hoofsteps fading away as she weaved between the trees.

Strauss steadied his breathing as he stared at Eclipse with an impassive gaze. “We meet again, Nightmare Moon.”

“So you know.” Eclipse squinted at Strauss. “How'd you figure it out?”

“I didn't.” Strauss smirked. “You just told me.”

Eclipse's vision narrowed even further. “I was going to kill you quickly, but now that we've some time, I'm going to make you pay for all the setbacks you've caused me.”

“You can't kill what isn't alive.” Strauss laughed, a grim, resigned note that only comes from those who've long wished for death. “And no torture compares to the crippling fear I've endured every second of every day.”

“Perhaps...” Eclipse's voice rose into a manic scream. “BUT I CAN STILL TRY!”

Eclipse dissolved again, and the mist formed into half a dozen long, thin lances that sped towards Strauss. Three of them went wide, and he deflected the fourth with his shod hoof. He ducked under the fifth, but the last one grazed his side, drawing blood from a shallow cut. He took off like a bullet, sprinting full speed towards the farmhouse. Eclipse yelled and gave chase, continuing her assault from above.

The trees exploded all around Strauss as he ran. Eclipse was paying little heed to where she was aiming, and the air was soon filled with the sounds of splintering bark. Strauss felt his hackles rise again, and made a hairpin turn to the right as a lance impaled itself in the dirt where he'd just been. He noted a burning sensation from his wound, but figured it was from moving so suddenly. Another lance embedded itself in the ground just before him, and he charged it and struck it with a forehoof. There was a screech of pain as the lance recoiled away.

“Accursed Enchanter!” Eclipse spat. “I'll rip him to shreds if Cetus hasn't already!”

Strauss could see the farmhouse now. He increased his pace, focusing his attention on the rickety old shed. Eclipse's aim was improving, and another tree trunk exploded in front of him. There was an ominous creaking as several hundred pounds of wood fell towards him. Strauss veered, dodging the trunk and bracing himself as the canopy landed on him. Dozens of branches whipped his body as the tree landed with a ground-shaking crash, covering him in minor cuts and scrapes. His lance wound felt like it was on fire, but Strauss was riding too high on adrenaline to notice. He burst out of the canopy, clearing the orchard with Eclipse still in tow.

Strauss made a beeline for the fence, specifically the farmpost that'd been damaged in the Rust Beetle attack. One wouldn't notice the wick that'd been carefully painted and tucked in to match the wood, let alone the small bomb that'd been hidden inside. Strauss jumped as he passed by the fencepost, slammed his enchanted horsehoes together, and the wick caught flame. He angled just so, and sure enough, Eclipse passed over the fencepost, the bomb exploding beneath her with a bang. She let out an enraged yell as her Nightmist spell wavered, but continued after Strauss with greater fervor.

Granny Smith and Applebloom came running out of the barn at the noise. Applebloom jumped from a clatter beside her as Granny dropped the clipboard she was holding. She looked up, and saw that her grandmother's skin was stretched taut in a grimace, and her teeth were bared. Applebloom followed her gaze, and the color drained from her face as she saw Strauss fleeing from the dark mist.

Applebloom quailed. “Granny?”

Granny tensed as she remembered she wasn't alone. She placed a hoof on her granddaughter’s shoulder, speaking in an urgent voice.

“Hide in the cellar until one of us comes to get ya.”

Applebloom would’ve normally put up a protest, but she knew enough that now wasn't the time to argue. She nuzzled Granny's hoof, then disappeared behind the back of the barn.

Granny turned and raced into the farmhouse and up the stairs to her room. She opened her top dresser drawer, searching for a few seconds before pulling out a bronze key in the shape of a lightning bolt. She then went to the back of her closet, tossing aside several boxes until she revealed an oddly-colored floorboard. Coughing from the dust, she lifted it up to reveal a hidden compartment. Within was a metal box with an ornate lock shaped like a wolf's head.

Granny pursed her lips as she gave the box a look of utmost loathing. Her voice was a whisper, but it was filled with venom.

“I never wanted to see ya again. You symbolize everythin’ I’ve lost, and everythin’ I’ve tried to leave behind. I understand now what Neightzsche meant about that whole abyss thing, and the only reason I haven't destroyed ya is 'cause I feared somethin’ like this might happen. You're nothin' more than a butcher’s tool, but maybe now I can use ya for what you were originally intended—to protect this family.”

Granny used the key on the lock and opened the box, revealing a blood-red hoofaxe with a long, curved handle. The blade looked like a bisected apple with a crescent moon on one side, and three shallow blood grooves shaped like seeds were set in the center. The ‘stem’ was a long curved spike jutting out the top, and the weapon gave off a faint green glow as it sensed the presence of its owner.

Granny Smith took up the weapon and hung it at her side, ignoring the waves of nostalgia that resulted from the familiar weight. She released the simple braid she always wore, letting her mane fall behind her shoulders as she headed out the door.

“Let's go... Aconitum.”

“Norric!”

Norric stopped hitching Mac up to a train of apple carts as Applejack came running up to them from the west field.

“What’s wrong?” Norric asked. “Where’s Strauss?’

“Somethin’s happened to Rarity,” Applejack breathed. “She looks like Nightmare Moon and was callin’ herself Eclipse or somethin’! Strauss told me to—“

An explosion from the direction of the farmhouse cut her off. The three of them watched in horror as a plume of smoke rose above the trees.

Norric paled. “Strauss, you’re not… you wouldn’t really…”

“Granny and Applebloom are in the barn!” Mac said, freeing himself from the carts.

“Wait!” Norric said. “You could be walking into a—“

Mac and Applejack didn't listen. They dashed off together towards the farmhouse.

“—trap.” Norric finished. He facehooved and ran after them. “Damn it, Strauss, why'd I let you talk me into giving you those bombs!”

Strauss dashed inside the wooden shed, kicking the door shut behind him. His sides were heaving, and his wounds were making him feel lightheaded, but he couldn’t afford to slow down. Dozens of farm implements hung from the ceiling and walls, ranging from hoes and watering cans to harrows and stone pickers. Eclipse’s lances pierced the thick wood of the shed, causing the structure to wobble dangerously as narrow shafts of light spilled in.

“You really think you can hide in there?!” Eclipse circled the shed like a vulture. “You're not even making this a challenge!”

Strauss ran to a coiled length of rope on the wall, creating a spark with his hooves again and setting the whole rope ablaze. There was a horrid crunching from above, and Strauss looked up to see Eclipse begin to rip off the roof of the shed with her magic. He ran to a wagon in the far corner, tossing it aside to reveal a hole he’d made in the dirt floor several weeks prior. He wiggled through it and out of the shed, escaping just as Eclipse finishing tearing off the roof. She’d been readying a spell, and was so caught up in the hunt that she didn’t notice Strauss was gone. She cast the spell into the shed, and the air inside became violently agitated before bursting outward in a wave of unnatural destruction. The spell struck the square block of putty Strauss was trying to ignite as well, and with an ear-splitting crack, the entire shed went up in a massive, fiery pillar.

Strauss wasn’t able to fully clear the explosion in time. He felt a tremendous force strike him from behind, followed by a terrible scorching pain as he was sent sailing head over hooves into the farmyard. He landed on his side, skidding several yards before coming to a stop. His ears were ringing, his body felt like burning lead, and all he could do was shut his eyes as he looked back at all the things that’d gone wrong in the past few weeks. The constant screw-ups by Norric, Granny finding out about Applejack’s powers through Pinkie, having to fix all the farm equipment he’d sabotaged for a plan to make Applejack do Applebucking Season alone, and now this. It’d just been one screw-up after another, and it’d only been by a miracle that he’d somehow gotten through despite it all.

Eclipse had been dispersed into a glittering haze from the blast. She slowly reformed herself and looked around for Strauss, finding him lying in the middle of the farmyard. His back legs were broken, patches of his coat were burned away, and the dirt around him was stained red. She readied her lances again, but seemed to think better of it. She swooped down to land beside him, re-materializing her body and looking down at him with a victorious grin.

“Looks like your machinations worked against you at last,” Eclipse jeered. “What would you have done if Granny or Mac had stumbled upon those little surprises of yours, hmm? Makes me wonder what other parts of the farm you’ve sabotaged. Knowing you, this place could be a literal minefield.”

Strauss tried to rise, but was stopped by a vicious kick to his ribs. He bit his tongue to keep from crying out.

“Finish… it…”

“I already have,” Eclipse said matter-of-factly. “I’m sure you’ve noticed the fire in your body by now. I’d say you have a minute or so before the poison claims you.”

Strauss looked up at her with one eye. He tried his best not to let his terror show, but his mental shield was cracking. His mouth twitched as his limbs went numb.

“You deserve so much more than this.” Eclipse watched as shudders began to wrack Strauss’ body. “I forgot how fragile mortality is, and you’re only getting off easy just because I’ve been out of practice for so long. I suppose I can let you go, but before I do—“

Eclipse raised a hoof, aiming for the lance wound on his exposed side.

“I want to hear you scream.”

A whirling axe buzzed through the air, slicing through Eclipse’s hoof like warm butter. She shrieked and clutched her ruined limb, looking around for her attacker. She tried to regenerate, but her magic was sluggish to respond. There was a flicker of movement at the farmhouse, and she saw Granny at door, her mane let down and hoof outstretched as her face contorted with grim concentration.

Eclipse’s eyes widened. “You…”

Granny swiped her hoof to the left. Eclipse didn’t get time to say more as Aconitum sped in from the side, slicing off both her backhooves as it returned back to Granny. Eclipse screeched as she started to fall, but dissolved back into mist and sped towards her assailant.

Granny brought Aconitum back to her, orbiting it around her before slingshotting it back at her foe. Eclipse ignored the axe, thinking it wouldn’t do any damage to her in her mist form.

She was mistaken. A white hot pain blazed through her as the axe made contact, hacking and slicing away at her incorporeal body as if it were still flesh and bone. Eclipse changed course and fled from the enchanted axe, shooting a green ray at Granny as she did.

Granny jumped to the side, and the ray struck the porch, disintegrating the newly repaired boards Applejack had broken. Eclipse took advantage of the distraction and retreated above the house while Granny called back Aconitum and ran out to Strauss.

Strauss was now convulsing violently in a seizure. Granny took one look at him, and knew he was beyond help. He gritted his teeth as she approached, recognizing the flat, haunted look in her eyes. He glanced down at Aconitum, managing to gurgle out a single word.

“Please…"

With a smooth motion, Granny raised Aconitum and brought it down in a quick, clean strike. Strauss' body glowed from within as Celestia’s magic lost cohesion, and then dispersed as he dissolved into dust. His silver horsehoes clanked to the ground, and the golden sphere in his chest fell with a thud, a faint ringing sound the only testament to his passing.

Norric cried out in pain for the second time that day as a searing pain lanced through his head, followed by an emptiness and a sudden increase in pressure.

“Dammit! Strauss!”

Norric tried to increase his pace, but as he did, a second, fragmented presence invaded his mind. His eyes flashed with a prismatic light, and he lost control of one of his legs. He tripped, slammed headfirst into an apple tree, and his outline flickered as his vision turned brown, then faded to black.

“Horizon?” Norric felt the presence fade along with his consciousness. “Why...”

Applejack and Mac didn't hear or see what happened to Norric. They kept running on, a dark pool of dread building in both their chests. Applejack's eyes were pulsing, the Element of Honesty hardening and strengthening her body as her trepidation grew. Her hooves sank deeper into the ground with every step as she continued on along with her brother.

“NO!”

Tastar, Esra, Megnii and Spesci all staggered as one, almost falling out of their respective chariots as they flew over the Equius Valley. Their outlines flickered again, and Rainbow felt a chill up her spine.

“Did somepony just—”

“Your Majesty!” Esra called out to Cetus, who was riding in her own chariot beside them. “We just lost Strauss! We need to get to Sweet Apple Acres!”

Cetus narrowed her eyes. She'd told Eclipse not to kill the Echoes unless she had to. There'd better be a good excuse for this, or somepony was going to wind up as a guinea pig for new experimental methods of torture.

Cetus turned to the pegasi pulling her chariot. “Adjust our course to the apple orchard on the western outskirts of Ponyville.”

The pegasi obeyed, and the three chariots swerved to head in the new direction.

“I hope Applejack’s all right,” Fluttershy said.

“I'll meet you guys there!” Rainbow hopped out of her chariot and took wing. She was about to outstrip them before she was encased in a golden aura and gently placed back where she was.

“I'd prefer if you were close to me,” Cetus said simply. “I can't guarantee your safety otherwise.”

Rainbow ground her teeth. “Applejack might be in danger! I can get there in less than a minute!”

“Perhaps I didn't make myself clear.” Cetus' horn glowed, and Rainbow's hooves became stuck to the chariot floor. “You're staying with me.”

“But!”

“Do you want me to glue your mouth shut, too?”

Rainbow recoiled. She'd never heard Princess Celestia threaten anypony before. She'd always seemed so gentle and motherly, approachable to the point that you forgot about the power that she wielded. To hear her make that kind of threat was about as great a shock as one could receive, and it made Rainbow realize that something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Rainbow lowered her chin, and shot Cetus a look of utmost rebellion. Her eyes became half-filled with blazing fire, and Esra and Tastar flinched as they felt the waves of heat emanating from her. Cetus felt it as well, also noting that the magic wasn't affecting her anymore, but paid it little heed. She turned her gaze forward, focusing on the destination before them.

“How the blazes does a pony like you have a weapon like that?!”

Eclipse was standing on the roof of the farmhouse. Her body was slowly gaining cohesion as her body regenerated, meeting Granny's eyes as the two stood at an impasse.

Granny gave Aconitum a perfunctory glance, mentally listing off the enchantments she'd placed on it. “Honey, you've no idea what kinda pony I am, or the kinda things I've done.”

Eclipse stared at Granny as if she were meeting her for the first time. “You've the eyes of a killer... was the founding of Ponyville not as peaceful as you've led Rarity's generation to believe?”

“I mighta made a PG version,” Granny admitted. “Drivin' an entire species to the brink of extinction ain't exactly a tale for foals.”

Despite herself, Eclipse burst out laughing. “And here everypony thinks you're nothing but a crotchety old mare! Did it have something to do with Zapapple Jam?”

“The Everfree was once filled with Timber Wolves,” Granny said quietly. “Vile, depraved monsters, created when the blood of a murdered pony soaks into a tree over fifty years old on a full moon. The War of the Sun and Moon gave rise to hundreds of them, and while Zapapples are extremely poisonous in their natural state, Timber Wolf 'sap' not only makes the fruit edible, but downright tasty. Genocide ensued, and while it mighta been coined by some as righteous, it wound up costin' me everything in the end.”

“Such a tragic tale!” Eclipse's backlegs were almost fully regenerated. She doubted ray spells would work, as Aconitum most likely had deflection wards placed on it. “Though I'm glad to hear that the aftereffects of my carnage went on to cause such pain and suffering.”

“Your carnage? What—” Granny clicked her teeth. She'd thought something about Eclipse looked familiar, but couldn't place it until now. “I knew somethin' was wrong with Rarity, but I didn't think it was anythin' like this. Did ya kill her?”

“Hardly,” Eclipse sniffed. “I'm just using her body while she takes an extended rest. The poor thing was all tuckered out from playing the unwitting host for my Echo the last few months, after all.”

Granny hadn't forgotten about the rules of fighting she'd given Applejack, but she hadn't wanted to kill Rarity, which was why she'd gone for a debilitating strike at first. She realized now it wouldn't have mattered either way, and while Granny was confident she could hold her own for a little while, she wasn't as young as she once was, and with Eclipse's regenerative powers, there was no way she could win.

The ground shook as two sets of heavy hoofbeats approached. Granny and Eclipse looked, and there was a flash of red and orange as Mac and Applejack galloped towards them from the orchards. Applejack was in front, her eyes shining bright even in the noonday sun. Granny closed her eyes, and a recent memory flashed in her mind.

“Rejection of Fate?”

Granny stood behind the rainbow-colored haybale at her birthday party with Pinkie, who'd just told her the specifics of the powers of the Element of Honesty.

“That's what Rassy called it,” Pinkie said. “He was pretty leery about telling me about it, but I got him to spill the beans.”

“What's it do?”

Pinkie leaned on the haybale. “It's like this. If Applejack doesn't think something has happened the way it's supposed to, she can 'reject' it, and then redefine it as she sees fit! She literally has so much control over the 'truth' that the timestream itself is forced to obey to her interpretation!”

Granny's back legs gave out as she fell on her haunches. “She can control... time?”

“More like she can veto it,” Pinkie corrected, “and only to a very, very small extent. Rassy said she creates a temporal field where she makes the changes, which results in a 'timesnap,' and all the frozen time moves super-duper fast to catch up. Then, the changes she makes 'ripple' outward to effect all the rest of existence! Isn't that cool?!”

Granny was almost at a loss for words. “Mina, that's the power of a God...”

“Nah, that's the power of Applejack!” Pinkie laughed. “Like I said, it's really, really limited, and it takes a lot of out her to do it. Rassy said she'll only be able to handle ten second increments at first, and only in her immediate surroundings. She'll be able to do more if she has her necklace, but it'll never be a very big area, and never longer than a minute.”

“That's still one heck of an ability.” Granny whistled. “Can't tell ya how many times in my life i'da liked a reset button like that.”

Pinkie suddenly became deadly serious. “Be careful how you tell her. If she tries to reverse too much time without knowing about her limitations...”

Granny's eyes dimmed as she caught the multiple insinuations. “Don't worry. I'll make sure to let her know the right way. Is there anythin' else I should know?”

Pinkie put a hoof to her chin. “Our powers are normally fueled by specific emotions, but if we get really, really upset, our Element will respond and give us full access to our powers. It's not a big deal if we're fully recovered or really close to it, but if we're not, it can really hurt us.”

“How far along is Jackie?”

“Dunno!” Pinkie said. “I'm sure she's in Stage Two at least. She'll recover faster if you get her to use her powers, though.”

“I might just do that,” Granny mused. “Her Strength power'll be a lifesaver for Applebuckin' Season.”

“Granny Pie always said you were an opportunist.” Pinkie giggled. “Oh, one more thing. Rassy said something happens when we fully recover our powers—something special.”

Granny raised an eyebrow. “Did he tell ya what it was?”

Pinkie shook her head. “He just asked me if I was afraid of heights.”

Granny thought for a moment before shrugging. “I got nothin.'”

“Weird, huh?” Pinkie motioned to head back to the party.

Granny followed after her. “I've heard weirder.”

Applejack and Mac cleared the orchard. They both skidded to a halt as they saw the ruined fence, the smoking wreckage of the shed, and Granny standing in the farmyard beside a set of silver horseshoes.

Applejack stiffened. “Where's Strauss?!”

Eclipse finished regenerating, and dissolved into mist. She charged Granny, wrapping around her neck and lifting her up into the air.

“GRANNY!” Mac and Applejack ran forward.

A shadowy lance struck the ground right in front of them.

“Take another step, and I'll snap her neck like a twig,” Eclipse said.

The two siblings obeyed, but their faces contorted in tight grimaces as the feelings of betrayal, horror, and rage battled within them.

“Let her go, Rarity!” Applejack said.

“Didn't you hear me earlier?!” Eclipse gestured to her reptilian eyes and wicked fangs. “Rarity's nothing more than a vegetable right now! Her body is mine, and there's nothing you or anypony else can do about it!”

Applejack caught the lie in Eclipse's last words. She dug her hooves into the ground as her muscles ripped beneath her coat. “So help me Rarity, or whatever ya are, put my grandmother down right now, or I can't be responsible for what I'm gonna do to ya.”

“Do to me?!” Eclipse burst out laughing. “What a joke! Do you have any idea how many ponies I've killed, or the power I wield? I'm immortal, fool, steward of the very moon itself! Not even Celestia could figure out a way to kill me, and you trying to threaten me is about as laughable as an Elafont being afraid of a mouse.”

Granny's face was turning blue. The Element of Honesty was flickering within Applejack's core, responding to her emotions and flooding her body with more and more power. The light in her eyes was pulsing, trying to expand outward, but it wasn't enough. The ground below her was trembling, and Mac slowly edged away from Applejack as her voice gained a deeper echo.

“Let. Her. Go.”

“I love ponies like you.” Eclipse stared at Applejack with a gleam of wickedness in her eye. “You know pain. You know loss. It hit you early, cut you deep, and left you a fragile, emotional wreck. You hid your anguish from the world instead of dealing with it, causing it to fester into something delicious. It's hard to tear down such thick mental walls, but that's what makes the reward all the sweeter, because when they finally come down—”

Eclipse twisted, and there was a sickening crunch.

“You break.”

Applejack's entire world stopped. A knife pierced her soul as she watched Granny's body go limp, then fall to the ground. Her grandmother, strongest mare she knew, guardian and nurturer to her and her siblings for all their lives, loved one, head of their clan and mentor to hundreds, had just been murdered in front of her.

Dead.

Applejack twitched as the Element of Honesty shrunk down to a pinprick, then exploded outward, fully awakening and bathing Applejack in a blinding pillar of emerald light. She screamed, throwing back her head as she released a wail of equal parts rage and grief. Chunks of the ground around her were blasted away by the force, and a spiderweb of cracks formed where she stood.

Gone.

Applejack's emotional state prevented her from noticing the sudden itching on her back, the odd feeling of lightness in her bones and hooves, and the strange mental functions that surged forth in her mind. All that mattered was that she'd never hear her grandmother's voice again, taste her cooking, or hear the creaking of her rocking chair as she drifted off to sleep at night.

Stolen.

It wasn't fair. She'd already lost so much, and now this wolf in sheep's clothing was going to take the only parental figure she had left?! Not a chance in Tartarus. She could see the truth, hear the truth... so why couldn't she speak it, as well? Wasn't she the end-all authority of what was real and was fake? If she didn't accept the truth, then as the Bearer of Honesty, she should be able to make her own!

Applejack lowered her head, her eyes completely filled with shining light. She focused, and an opaque, swirling dome formed around the four of them. There was a clicking sound, and time itself came to a screeching halt. An eerie silence pervaded the dome, followed by an even eerier sound as everything in the dome moved in reverse, save for Applejack. Granny's neck fixed itself, Eclipse resumed her normal stance, and her words went back into her mouth. Applejack moved forward, and the air itself rippled around her as left behind a faint afterimage. She freed Granny from Eclipse's grip, carried her over to Mac, and placed her gently on her brother's back. She then turned back to Eclipse, and as she did, noticed the newfound weight on her shoulders and sides. She looked, and let out a small gasp.

Wings. Long and slender, they'd sprouted out from her shoulders, coming to rest comfortably at her sides like any other pegasus. The feathers were mostly round, with the ones at the end ending in fine, slotted tips. She rolled her shoulders, and shivered as she felt the new nerves and sensations register in her mind. The urge to experiment with them was strong, but somepony had just tried to kill a member of her family, and there was only one response to such an action.

Applejack didn't know or care that the horsehoes belonged to Strauss, or that they'd been enchanted to strike incorporeal creatures. She also didn't know or care if the thing standing in front of her was Rarity or not. She slipped on the horseshoes as the dome stretched and strained around her, then turned her back to Eclipse. She gauged her aim as the Element of Honesty shone brightly within her, and released the dome, murmuring a piece of the only fighting advice she'd ever received.

“Make the first strike the last...”

“—anguish from the... huh?”

Eclipse blinked. Granny was gone from her grip. In her place was Applejack, wings flared and backhooves raised as Strauss' horseshoes glowed ominously.

“Uh-oh.”

Applejack bucked with a sound like thunder, causing a shockwave that shattered the windows of the farmhouse, traveled out into the orchards to make thousands of apples fall from the trees, then went into the Everfree, causing the trees to shake from the wave of force. Applejack didn't see what she did, and hadn't felt any resistance from her strike, but she felt something warm spray across her back. She assumed she'd missed at first, but then heard the sound of something heavy hitting the ground.

“Mother of Celestia...”

Applejack looked up at Mac. His face was as green as Granny, and his cheeks puffed out as he vomited to the side. Granny coughed as she regained her wind, slipping off Mac's back and rushing over to Applejack.

“Granny, are you okay?!” Applejack's voice was like the rumbling of the earth.

“Don't look.”

The wind shifted, and Applejack caught the rancid smell of gore. She tried to turn, but Granny put a hoof on her shoulder, sending a slight jolt down her left wing.

“I mean it,” Granny said sternly. “Besides, I'm sure Celestia tried that plenty of times. I bet it's gonna take her a while to come back though, so we need to—”

Applejack looked up. Her vision seemed sharper and clearer, and with it she could she a trio of flying chariots rapidly approaching them from Canterlot. One of the chariots held a single pony, much larger than all the rest.

“Princess... Celestia?”

“For the last time, everything's fine!” Ras hissed.

Ras and Vigil were staring each other down as they stood guard at their usual posts outside Zecora's hut. The dull murmuring of Pinkie and Zecora's voices floated out from the window, along with the earthy smell of freshly picked moss.

Vigil narrowed his eyes, but kept his voice down to prevent the two mares from hearing. “Don't play dumb! You're going to tell me that... flickering is normal?!”

“Happens all the time,” Ras said through clenched teeth. He couldn't tell Vigil what'd really happened. There was a chance he'd tell Pinkie, and she'd be off to Canterlot faster than he could say 'setup' if she found out. The safest place to be right now was where they were, and the longer they could stay out here, the better.

“Horseapples!” Vigil stamped a hoof. “I know your kind, thief! Keeping secrets is as natural to you as slicing a coinpurse!”

Ras flattened his ears as he spoke in a cold voice. “Got any siblings, Lieutenant?”

Vigil cocked his head. “What's it to you?”

“Show a little respect for your elders, colt.” Ras straightened, his longer legs allowing him to look down on Vigil with ease. “I only asked if you have any brothers or sisters.”

Vigil was silent as he mulled over the question, taking a steady breath through his nose.

“I have a brother.”

Ras nodded. “Tell me, what would you do if he was starving? Would you rock him back to sleep in the middle of the night as he moaned from the hunger pangs? How would you feel if he asked you why it hurt so much? If you saw he was suffering, literally wasting away before your very eyes, and he asked if there was anything you could do to make it better, would what you do?”

Vigil met Ras' eyes with a hawk-like glare, staring directly into his pupils as if he expected to find something there.

“If my brother were suffering, I'd do whatever I could to save him. Even if the situation was so dire that there was next to nothing I could do, it wouldn't stop me from trying. Would I watch over him while he slept? Yes. How would I feel if he asked me why he was in pain? Like a helpless foal, but I'd stay strong for his sake. And lastly, what would I do if he asked me to help him?”

Vigil's eyes flashed. “Cleanse all of Tartarus itself.”

“In other words, you'd do what any good sibling would do.” Ras' voice softened. “What makes you think I'm any different?”

Vigil sighed. “I apologize for my harsh words, but I know you're hiding something from me. You've flickered twice now, and you've been wincing and acting on edge ever since. Is something wrong with your host?”

“Horizon's fine,” Ras said. That wasn't technically a lie, as the ten of them could still maintain the stability of the barrier. It felt like his head weighed ten extra pounds, but it was still manageable.

“Well then, what—”

A shockwave came ripping through the forest, pushing Ras and Vigil back a step and continuing further on into the forest. The voices in the hut stopped, and Zecora and Pinkie came outside.

“Whooooa!” Pinkie looked all around. “What was that?!”

Zecora sniffed the air. “Power like that have I felt once before, when you and your friends saved the Princess of yore.”

“What?!” Pinkie turned to her. “That was an Element? Do you know which one it was?”

Ras cringed as Vigil gave him a pointed look.

“There's no mistake which one it could be.” Zecora looked to the west.”T'was the Element of Honesty.”

Pinkie squeed. “That's so great! Viggy! Rassy! Let's go to Sweet Apple Acres and—”

“NO!”

All of them jumped. They turned to Ras, who lowered his head as he stammered out an apology. “U-Um, I mean, no. We shouldn't go there right now.”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

“Yes, Rohopacha.” Zecora spoke with a roll of her tongue. “Why such refusal? Should not this news be met with approval?'

Vigil said nothing, but his lips were turned upwards as he folded his hooves.

Ras resisted the urge to throttle him and looked away. “I... can't tell you why.”

Pinkie rounded on him. “You Pinkie Promised that you'd tell me everything that was going on.”

“This is different!”

“Are you going back on your Pinkie Promise?”

“No! Yes!” Ras facehooved. “Argh! You have to understand! This is for your own good!”

“I've a right to know what's going on, Rassy.” Pinkie put a hoof on his shoulder. “Especially if it concerns my friends.”

Pinkie's gentleness only strengthened Ras' resolve. “I'm not going to let you get hurt! We're safer here in the Everfree where nopony knows where we are!”

“Safer from what?” Vigil asked.

“I don't know!” Ras' headache was wearing on him. “It''s hard to think right now with this increased pressure, and I'm going to have to get used—“

“Pressure?” A light appeared in Pinkie's eyes, and she looked him up and down. “What pressure? You look fine to me.”

Pinkie had recently discovered she could use her Healing power to sense injuries as well as alleviate them. She wasn't great at it yet, but Zecora had some knowledge of anatomy, and was helping her learn.

“His affliction is not physical?” Zecora addressed her student. “That means it must be mystical. Two Rohopachas were you each assigned?”

Pinkie nodded.

“Perhaps Honesty's are in a bind.” Zecora adjusted her spiked mane as she turned back to Ras. “T'is noble you don't wish us harm, but if something's happened at the farm, then that is cause for alarm. Please tell us all that you know.”

“And if I don't?”

Zecora's eyes darkened. “Then I will use Hakuongo.”

Ras felt his stomach drop out. Every thief from Dromardia to Antelese had heard tales of the dreaded truth serum. Zhevari Shamans were respected all around the world for their status as scholars, herbalists and healers, but they were also used in their homeland as interrogators for law enforcement. Zecora was no different, and while the two of them had gotten along fine the past few weeks, he didn't doubt she'd use it if she had to.

“T-There's no need for t-that,” Ras said with a gulp. “I'll t-tell you what's g-going on.”

A hint of a smile played at Zecora's lips, and Pinkie started walking forward.

“You can tell us on the way. If there's something wrong, I wanna get there now!”

She trotted forward at a brisk pace, and he quickly followed so he wouldn't lose her. He looked down at his right forehoof, which felt heavier than the other.

“Looks like I might need you, after all,” he muttered.

Canterlot Tower was one of the most beautiful places in the entire castle. The scent of wildflowers was in the air, and the sun shone in through multifaceted stained glass windows, depicting images of ancient battles throughout the ages. Proud banners and rich tapestries hung from the walls, and a ruby-red carpet lined a long hallway leading to the Chamber of the Elements.

Luna wasn't surprised to find that the tower was under heavy guard. The level of magic in the air was obscene, and patrols of all three races policed the ground and air. Cetus may not have thought Luna was a threat, but that didn't mean she was about to get complacent. No doubt the guards had been told to 'secure' Princess Luna in the event she was found, as well as to be on the lookout for intruders.

Still invisible, Luna perched on a windowsill, idly tapping a hoof as she thought out the best way to proceed. The guards themselves were easy enough to deal with, the issue was the wards that'd been placed about the tower and Chamber. Just trying to detect what they were had been a risk, and while she could pick them apart one by one, it'd take a while, and time was a finite resource at the moment. She'd come up with an idea, a daring, fabulous idea, but it was something she hadn't done in a while, and she'd need to extend the range out to cover the entire tower. It wouldn't tax her as much as the alternatives though, and most of all, it'd be quick.

Luna got to her hooves and searched her memory, recalling the specifics of a certain incantation. Illusion spells focused on manipulating one or more of the five senses, and they'd always been Luna's forte. Even in her weakened state, she could produce flawless duplicates of anything up to the size of a house, imitate the sound of any animal or voice she'd heard, and reproduce anything she'd ever smelled, tasted, or touched. It was a simple matter of lightly altering the mind's interpretation of what was real and what wasn't, and following this logic, it wasn't much harder to take it a little... further.

A pang of loneliness gripped Luna's heart as she began the spell. She stretched her consciousness out, touching all the minds of the ponies in the tower and pulling them into her thrall. She knew they had wards placed upon them, but they wouldn't have anything to prepare against a spell she'd invented over fifteen hundred years ago. A yellow mist spread out from Luna's body, wafting out and surrounding each of the ponies in the corridor, then stretching down to affect everypony in the tower. The soldiers stopped upon contact with the mist, looking about with expressions of bemusement.

Luna smirked as she felt the spell take hold. She released her Invisibility spell, and jumped off the windowsill to land cat-like on the floor. She walked up to one of the unicorn guards, waving a hoof in front of his face and poking him once in the shoulder. The guard turned to her, but his look of bewilderment remained. He could see Luna, and certainly had felt her touch, but he didn't think she was real. He didn't think anything was real, in fact. Her spell had fooled him into thinking he was the only true creature in all of existence, and everything around him was an illusion. He wouldn't react to anything she, or anypony else did, whether somepony walked right past him, set off a ward he'd made, or even swung a sword at his head. Luna had no intention of harming any of the guards, of course, but everypony in the tower was currently under her control, and for the duration of the spell, she was responsible for their safety.

Luna passed all the dazed guards and approached the Chamber of the Elements. The door was lined with gold, and was divided into six triangular halves that were held together by a lock in the shape of the sun. A keyhole was set in the middle, which Celestia had insisted only she be able to open until Nightmare Moon was destroyed. Luna had humored her, as few things could stop Nightmare Moon aside from the Elements themselves. Luna was much the same, though her methods were decidedly less destructive than her counterpart's.

The lock was guarded with a very simple, yet exceedingly powerful spell—to only be opened by Celestia's magical signature, which was sensed when she inserted her horn into the keyhole. Most ponies would be deterred by such a measure, as mimicking a pony's magical signature was only a thing that could be done by certain magical creatures, or, alternatively, ponies who'd been alive for thousands of years.

Luna took a step back from the door, focusing on an image of Celestia, replicating her down to even the smallest details. Posture, mannerisms, facial expressions, the arch of her back, the shape of her nose, the number of feathers on her wings, personality, likes, dislikes, favorite foods, fighting style, strengths, weaknesses, musical preference, and of course, magical signature. Luna knew Celestia to a level nopony else in the world could ever hope to compare, and when she opened her eyes, the thing standing before her was so similar to the real thing that even she herself would've been fooled.

The illusion smiled warmly at Luna, then turned to address the door. It lowered its head, inserted it's horn into the keyhole, and released a flash of blue magic. The sun lock lit up, and there was a whirring from a system of hidden gears. The six halves of the door hummed, and then split apart to reveal the Chamber within. Inside on a pedestal was an ornate jewelry box, wherein rested the Necklaces of the Elements.

Luna took the chest in her magic, opening it once to confirm it's contents before stowing it away in her pocket dimension along with Shining. She looked over at the illusion, and her throat became strangely tight.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Celestia leaned down and kissed Luna's brow.

“Good luck.” The illusion faded away.

Luna glanced back at the soldiers, setting her Solipsism spell to release when she closed the Chamber door. It was clear only the Bearers could confront Cetus. Anypony else would be captured, killed, or more likely, sent hurtling out into space. Her Echo wouldn't dare release the army of Tartarus if she didn't have the six in her custody, and she couldn't bring about Eternal Night without them, either. The Bearers would grow in strength as time went on, and if they all managed fully recover and regain their necklaces, they might stand a chance. It was just a matter of giving them said time, and to that end, Luna could provide some assistance.

The Chamber door closed as Luna vanished again with a pop. She wasn't sure if the next part of her plan was going to be easier or harder, but one thing was for certain—it was going to be gratifying.

Applejack stood with Granny by the chicken coop as the three flying chariots came in for a landing. Princess Celestia was in one, and Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Spike were in the other two along with their guards. Elo was with them as well, who'd regained consciousness on the ride over. They landed in the center of the farmyard, going around a blue tarp that'd been laid down in the center. The tarp was covering something lumpy, but it was hard to tell what it exactly was.

Rainbow was squirming in her chariot as it came to a stop. She suddenly broke free with a surprised yelp, and after giving Cetus a dirty look, zoomed over to Applejack. Fluttershy and the guards came over, as well.

“You alright?!” Rainbow said hurriedly. “Tastar said—”

All of them stopped dead as they noticed Applejack's wings and fully glowing eyes. Their mouths fell open, staying that way for several seconds before Granny cleared her throat.

“Didn' your parents teach ya it's impolite to stare?”

“Are those...” Rainbow trailed off.

“Real?” Applejack extended one of her new limbs and gave it an experimental flap. “Yeah, I reckon so.”

“What happened?” Fluttershy whispered.

“Lotta things.” Applejack watched as Cetus said a few words to the chariot pegasi, and they flew off back towards Canterlot. “Not rightly sure about a few of 'em, but the most important one is that somethin's really, really wrong with Rarity.”

“Lady Rarity's here?” Elo had approached them as well. “Where is she?”

Applejack didn't reply. Her gaze was still on Cetus, who had gone over to inspect the tarp. Her head disappeared as she peeked under, staring at what lay underneath. She straightened and looked over at the crowd of ponies, doing a double take as she saw Applejack.

“Oho!” Cetus came over, inspecting her from nose to tail. “Recovered already, I see! How do you feel?”

“Um...” Applejack's voice was still like an avalanche. “A little rattled, but okay otherwise.”

“Excellent.” Cetus jerking her head over at the sheet. “I take it that was your doing?”

Applejack winced. “She almost—well actually, she did kill Granny, but then I kinda... undid it somehow? I'm not fully sure what happened.”

“Wait, what?!” Rainbow looked back and forth between Applejack and Granny.

“It's alright,” Cetus said with a fake smile. “You did the right thing in stopping her.”

“Did she, though?” Granny asked.

Cetus turned to her. “What?”

“Stop her, I mean.” Granny lowered her head in a respectful bow. “Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I can't help but think that if it were this easy to take her out, you'da done it long ago.”

“Allow me to amend my statement,” Cetus said. “You did the right thing in disabling her. You're quite right that far more drastic measures have been attempted.”

“What's wrong with Rarity?” Fluttershy asked.

“I'll explain that in due time,” Cetus said, “but first, we need—”

“Applejack!”

All them looked to see Pinkie running towards them from the direction of the Everfree Forest. Ras, Vigil, and Zecora followed close behind.

“Rassy said something happened to St—”

A deafening, ominous bell sounded off in Pinkie's head as she got close to the farmyard. She skidded to a halt, causing the others to crash into her.

“Ow!' Vigil rubbed his muzzle. “Pinkie, why—”

“Bad....” Pinkie whimpered. She struggled to get up and away. “Something really bad happened here, and something even worse is about to happen!”

“Pinkie, what the hay are you doing?!” Rainbow went out to her.

A thought suddenly came to Applejack, one that made her muscles tense. She slowly turned to Cetus, who was watching Rainbow fly away.

“Princess, Eclipse said somethin' about you being... gone. What'd she mean by that?”

Cetus' didn't have a reason to pretend anymore. The five Bearers were gathered, and if she didn't strike now, she'd lose her advantage.

“NOW!”

Several things happened at once. Eclipse sprang out from under the tarp, whole and unharmed. She shot a black ray at Applejack's eyes, striking her dead on and knocking her out. Granny reached out to catch her, but she was denied as the ground turned to mud. Everypony else yelled in surprise, but didn't have time to do more as Cetus encased them in green glowing nets of force and dragged them to the ground. Rainbow avoided her net, but Eclipse spoke a single, powerful word that caused all her body to seize up. She fell to the ground, landing on her back with all her limbs splayed out.

Cetus whirled on Eclipse. “Do you see how easy that was?!”

Eclipse scoffed. She kicked away at the tarp and gave Applejack's limp form a murderous glare.

“Damn it!” Granny tried to pull herself out of the mud, but only succeeded in sinking down further. “Not you, too!”

Cetus ignored her and continued ranting at Eclipse. “Seriously, all I asked you to do was subdue them, and you somehow manage to get your head blown to bits?! Is there anything you can't screw up?!”

“SILENCE!” Eclipse bellowed with unnatural force. “I've not battled insanity incarnate and the Sun Goddess herself to be belittled by a worthless piece of magical trash!”

Cetus muttered a string of complex syllables. A tiny black sphere of nothingness appeared before her, which she shot directly into Eclipse's chest. She screamed, clawing at her chest and writhing in agony. She turned to mist, but the ball stayed with her. She teleported away, but she couldn't escape Cetus' wrath. Eclipse screamed and screamed, and finally, Cetus removed the ball, leaving behind a tiny hole as if someone had simply scooped out a piece of her.

“If you ever call me that again,” Cetus said. “I'll make two of these, and bind them to your eye sockets.”

Eclipse said nothing. She merely twitched on the ground as her body slowly regenerated. Fluttershy was staring on in horror as silent tears streamed from her eyes.

“I knew it!” Rainbow tried to free herself, but the stunning spell was too strong. She couldn't even move her neck to look and see what was going on. “I knew there was something wrong with you!”

“And once again,” Cetus said dryly. “The astute intellect of Rainbow Dash shines forth.”

“Hey!”

“What have you done to Lady Rarity?!” Elo gasped.

“Nothing she won't recover from,” Cetus said in a mild tone. “Though I can't say the same for what I'm going to do to you.”

Elo blanched. “Your... Majesty?

“That ain't Celestia!” Granny shouted. “I dunno what it is, but it sure as hay ain't her!”

“Would you like to know who I am?” Cetus snickered. “I'm Cetus, Usurper of the Sun, Echo of Nightmare Moon, Corrupter of Zemblani and Harbinger of Eternal Night. I'm the one who defeated both Celestia and Luna, absorbed Grovi, and once I've secured Twilight Sparkle, I'll absorb all of you, and free my Army of Darkness to wreak havoc upon this pathetic world.”

Elo's voice rose. “You're the one... who killed Grovi?”

“Technically, he's still here.” Cetus' eyes flashed silver as she momentarily adopted a Manehatten accent. “But for da sake of clarificatin', yea, I'm da one who ended his existence. Gotta problem wit' dat?”

The shameless, mocking admittance caught Elo off-guard. He spluttered for a few seconds before his rage burst forth like a volcano.

“You bitch!” He pushed against his net with all his might, trying every spell he could think of. “I'll slice you to pieces until you're no longer able to rise!”

“That'd take a while,” Cetus observed with a note of amusement. “You seriously think you can succeed where your immortal rulers have failed?”

“Duel me, wretch!” Elo spat. “Free me from this net, and I'll show you what I think I can do!”

“Interesting.” Cetus spoke a guttural word, and Nova appeared in a rush of air. Black flames erupted from the hilt to wrap around the blade that crackled and hissed, emanating the smell of hot metal and sulfur. “I accept your challenge, Elo, Echo of Leo. Draw your ancient blade, and learn how powerless you truly are!”

Elo was freed from his net. He rose, drew his rapier, and ran at Cetus with a furious yell. All the guards were shouting at him to stop, but Elo was beyond rational thought. His best friend was gone, the monster responsible was before him, and the only thing he cared about was revenge. Leo had been a legendary duelist, trained by the masters of two noble houses and refined in the crucible of war. His skills were second to none, and the only ones who could ever stand up to him in a one-on-one fight were his sparring partners.

One of which, unfortunately, was Virgo.

Elo came in low for a feint. Cetus pretended to fall for it, but stepped to the side when he turned it into a jab at her chest. She brought Nova down on him with bone-breaking force, and Elo just managed to jump out of the way, stumbling slightly from the impact.

“We gotta help him!” Rainbow couldn't see what going on, but could hear the sounds of steel on steel. She closed her eyes and tried to will her Element into fully activating. “Gah! Come on, Element! Wake up already!”

“Save your energy.”

Eclipse appeared in Rainbow's vision, who looked down at her with a neutral expression. “A fledgling like you has no chance of breaking such advanced magic.”

Rainbow ceased her struggling as she took in the changes to her friend's body. “What are you, and what did you do to Rarity?”

“Be careful, child, in what you commune!” Zecora had a wild look in her eyes. “The one before you is Nightmare Moon!”

Rainbow's pulse rose. “Nightmare... Moon?”

Eclipse looked over at Zecora. “I suppose a zebra would be able to tell. Your race's pesky ability to sense malevolence always was a bothersome trait.”

“Let Rarity go!” Pinkie shouted.

Eclipse snorted. “Well, since you asked nicely, sure! I'll just pop right out of her body and go back to the moon for another thousand years!”

Pinkie blinked. “Really?”

“No.”

The duel continued. Elo swiped at Cetus' eyes, but she wrenched Nova out of the ground and knocked his blade away. It vibrated fiercely from the impact, but he held on regardless. Cetus went on the offense, raining down a series of relentless blows, the flames of her sword trying to lick Elo's coat. He dodged once, twice, parried a third, and then tried to riposte.

Cetus didn't dodge. She stepped into Elo's blade, letting it pierce deep her chest and strike her heart. However, while his blade was occupied, she brought Nova down on his shoulder, mortally wounding him and causing the vile flames to spread onto his body.

Elo gagged as a numbness spread out from his shoulder. He looked dimly at Nova, then up at Cetus as a dizziness overtook him.

“How?” Elo choked. “Blackfire... shouldn't work... on us...”

Cetus spat out a globule of blood as she pulled Elo's blade out her chest. “You still have a portion of your host's lifeforce inside you. Just because it isn't yours doesn't mean it's not vulnerable to spells.”

Elo's eyes rolled up into the back of his head, and he fell to his knees as the fire continued to consume him. The guards were yelling his name, but their voices seemed to be coming from farther and farther away.

“Don't worry,” Cetus said. “Your knowledge and skills will be put to good use, and with your help, I'll be one step closer to ruling this world. You'll be reunited with Grovi soon, and together, you'll both live forever as a part of me.”

Cetus knelt down to be face to face with Elo, wrapping her wings around him in an embrace. She hungrily met his lips, tasting the blood in his mouth and completely overpowering his will. She touched a hoof to his chest, and there was a ripping sound as she pulled him out of Horizon. An orange outline separated from Elo to merge with Cetus, and his body shuddered as he dissolved to dust.

The remaining guards screamed in unison. The pressure in their heads increased, and their outlines flickered again. Cetus licked her lips as their personalities merged, feeling his skills and knowledge join with her own. Her eyes flashed orange, and she twirled Nova with a flourish as she got to her hooves.

“Now then, to business.” Cetus took up the remaining five Zodiac Knights and placed them by the barn. “I can't have the barrier collapsing until I collect Twilight Sparkle, so I'll hang on to the four of you until then.”

Esra coughed. “You won't get past Blair.”

“What can the Lifestealer do when I don't have any lifeforce to steal?” Cetus laughed. “The only one of you who even remotely resembles a threat is Tendoncutter, but his hilarious 'no killing' doctrine makes him as intimidating as a declawed kitten. How's it feel to be useless, Esra? To know that you trained your mind and body your entire life, and then realize how amazingly futile the entire gesture was?”

Esra clenched his jaw. “Damn you...”

“I seem to be getting that response a lot.” Cetus picked up the four Bearers up in her aura and brought them beside the homestead. “As for you lot, you're returning with me to the castle.”

“No way!” Rainbow snapped. “The only thing I'm going to do with you is stick my hoof up your—”

“You seem to think you have a choice in the matter.” Cetus lifted Rainbow up to meet her eyes. “I assure you that you don't.”

Rainbow's eyes looked like they were on fire. The air around her was sweltering as her Element pulsed within her.

Cetus came closer to Rainbow to whisper in her ear. “You want to know what's funny? If you'd managed to recover in time, you could've stopped me from absorbing him. You've failed to protect your friends, you've failed to protect your Princess, and now, you're going to fail to protect your entire world. Some Element of Loyalty you've turned out to be.”

“Shows what you know,” Rainbow replied as her eyes flared. “You only fail if you give up.”

Cetus chuckled. “We'll see.”

Eclipse suddenly felt an itching in her horn. She looked up into the sky in surprise, but didn't see anything. Shrugging, she turned her attention back to Cetus and the others.

As she looked back down, a pair of twinkling dots appeared in the sky.

The top of Canterlot Mountain was a round, desolate plateau fifty feet wide. Snowdrifts with odd grooves dotted the otherwise featureless expanse, created from sudden wind and temperature changes. The rock was exposed in certain areas, one of these being the very center, where Luna stood alone with a look of deep concentration on her face. Her horn had been glowing for several minutes now, but no other evidence of magic had occurred. Her mouth twisted as she wrestled with some unseen force, and after a time, she opened her eyes, looking out into the Equius Valley beyond. The other ancient mountains encircled the vale, filling the horizon and concealing the world beyond.

“What is free will?” Luna's voice carried on the eastern wind. “It's such a simple question, and yet, so difficult to answer. I've always defined it as one's ability to recognize and make choices free from constraint, but what exactly are those constraints? Are they physical, such as that of chains or a prison? Mental, in the case of disorders or predispositions? Social, like censure or oppression, or temporal, where the sum of events in the past dictates what we do in the present?”

Luna waited for a minute, but the wind didn't reply. She continued anyway.

“The principal of free will is something that has vexed the minds of scholars from countless fields. For scientists, it suggests ways of predicting the behavior of the sentient races. For upholders of the law, it determines whether an individual can be held accountable for their actions. For theologists, it calls into question whether our choices are truly our own, for if there really was some kind of God watching over us, how would our free will coincide with its wishes, or work into its grand designs?”

More silence. Luna adjusted her mane and wet her lips.

“The final argument brings up disturbing implications. A true God would have complete and total knowledge over everything that has, is, and will be. They'd have the power to create and destroy existence itself. They'd have endless compassion and love for their creations, and would never risk harm unto them. However, as a consequence of this, neither would they allow any semblance of free will, for the moment their creations started thinking for themselves, the God wouldn't be able to fully predict and control their actions.”

The wind picked up, and Luna slowly turned her gaze downward to address the ground.

“I've no idea what you are, Harmony, but you're certainly not a God... not in the literal sense, anyway. Our bodies are fragile, vulnerable to deformity and disease. The cycle of nature revolves around pain, death, and suffering. Our minds are terribly inefficient at learning and retaining information, and that I'm able to challenge you is proof alone that you don't have total control. You may have created us, but all that means is like every other parent, you're responsible for everything that has, is, and will happen to us.”

Luna took a deep breath, half expecting some kind of response, but none came, save for that the wind grew stronger still.

“I'm sorry I exposed myself to the Chaos magic. I didn't mean to do it, but it never would've happened if you'd stopped Discord from linking Tia and I to the Sun and Moon in the first place! Why didn't you stop him?! You know your creations aren't capable of handling such power, let alone immortality! I don't buy for one second that you, the very being who created the Elements, is too weak to get a simple message out, which means you've let all of this happen on purpose! You used us then, are still using us now, and to top it all off, I think I even know why!”

Luna's expression suddenly changed, going from a teeth-bared snarl into a sad, embarrassed smile.

“And... I understand.”

The wind went unnaturally still. Luna had been shouting to make herself heard, but now all was as silent as when she'd been back in the Millennial Archives.

“I didn't know.” Luna pawed the ground. “Tia probably still doesn't know. We'd thought we'd used the Elements to their full power against him, and that him turning to stone was supposed to happen. I'm guessing you were trying to purify him? Perhaps purge the madness that'd consumed him? I realize now we weren't even close to bringing out the full potential of the Elements, not after seeing and experiencing what these new Bearers, these... paragons, can do. I suppose I should be grateful we were able to do anything at all to Discord, but still... I wished you'd told us what you were intending. Did you think we wouldn't help you? That we'd accuse you of tossing us to the side after being stuck with a such a monumental responsibility? Perhaps you felt obligated to help us in some way?”

There'd been no indication Harmony had heard anything, but Luna knew she had her creator's attention.

“Or maybe you were looking down on us,” she said quietly. “You didn't think we were capable of selfless deeds or other higher thought functions yet. It's obvious you gave us free will in the hopes that we'd be able to one day, but you didn't think we'd evolve as quickly as we have. They say hubris is a trait born of the Gods, but I never thought the meaning would be literal.”

Luna went silent for a moment before turning her gaze up to the sky.

“I know what you want. I know what you're trying to do, and I've decided that I'm going to help you. However, I want you to know I'm not doing it because I don't think I have a choice. I'm not doing it because it's what you've set me up to do, and I'm certainly not doing it because I 'fear your wrath,' or some nonsense. I'm doing it for one reason, and one reason alone.”

Luna raised her chin and set her jaw, standing tall and proud on the mountaintop.

“Because it's right.”

The wind shifted, now coming in from the west. Eddies of snow twisted and danced around Luna as she closed her eyes and resumed her spell. The moon was currently on the other side of the planet, which made drawing on it's power more difficult, but it also would give her an element of surprise.

“Forgive me if this 'backscratch' lacks my sister's finesse,” Luna remarked. “Tia always says I make my points with a sledgehammer, but I suppose a precision orbital strike works, too."

There was a time when Luna could command hundreds of moonlances at once, each one of them holding enough destructive power to level a city block. No longer was that the case, but she was still the Mistress of the Moon, and as such, could still bring forth a small semblance of its power. Fortunately, she didn't need hundreds of moonlances to do what she intended.

She only needed two.

Luna smiled as she felt the moon finally heed her call, sending forth two twinkling lights to jet through space like a duo of shooting stars. They approached the planet, circling high above and out of sight as Luna used the moon, her own perspective, and the lances themselves to triangulate her aim. She then locked onto her targets, and released the heavenly missiles with a flare of her horn.

"Vengeance comes from on high, indeed."

“As for the rest of you...” Cetus turned to Granny, Vigil, and Zecora. “Your presence is no longer required, so I think I'll kill you now before you stir up any more trouble.”

Eclipse felt another itch in the back of her mind. It was faint, but the magic was all too familiar. She looked up again, and squinted as she saw the two twinkling lights high above.

“What are—”

Eclipse's attention was distracted again by yelling. The Bearers were pleading with Cetus to spare the three loose ends. It was pathetic, yet oh-so delightfully amusing at the same time. Maybe she should could talk Cetus into letting her finish off Granny, she still owed her from that encounter with the enchanted axe.

The magic in the air increased, but Cetus was too focused on deciding which one of the three to kill first. There was an ominous roaring from above as Luna's eloquent rebuttal shot down through the atmosphere at several times the speed of sound.

The roaring finally caught the attention of Cetus. She looked up, and gasped as she saw the two moonlances streaking down towards her and Eclipse.

“Impossible...”

Cetus and Eclipse couldn't even cry out as they were both consumed in pillars of starlight born of the power of the moon itself. There was a sound like the crunch of twisting metal, combined with the hiss of a titanic snake as the blasts struck with pinpoint accuracy, striking only Cetus and Eclipse and leaving everypony else unharmed. The lances continued to rain down for several seconds before their power was expended, and when the dust cleared, everypony stared in open-mouthed awe at the blackened forms of their foes, silent and unmoving.

Luna grinned smugly as she felt her attack hit home. It had drained her, but she was sure she had enough left to call upon the moon for one final task. She called out to her old friend once more, this time drawing upon a different kind of magic.

“I've no idea where to send them,” Luna admitted. “I don't even know who to pair with who. I'm just going to pick 'randomly,' and hope everything goes well. Of course, we both know it's not going to be random at all, but for the sake of appearances, we'll just say I knew what I was doing all along, and nopony will be the wiser.”

The moon responded to Luna's call, providing her the magic she requested through their link. She picked out her targets—the Bearers, a few civilians, the extra guard, the Zodiac Knights, including the one that was out in a field for some reason, and Twilight Sparkle's familiar. She reached into her pocket dimension and pulled out Shining, as well as the chest containing the Necklaces of the Elements. She took out the Crown of Magic, placed it on Shining's head, then removed the other five Necklaces and hovered them before her. Luna's eyes glowed with lunar magic, and she placed a message inside each one to convey to their recipient. After which, she finished the spell, and watched as the Necklaces winked away. She looked down at Shining, brushing his hair out of his eyes as his body began to glow.

“Give your sister my greetings.”

“What... just... happened?”

Rainbow and everypony else were gawking at the charred husks of Cetus and Eclipse laying in their respective craters.

“Are you asking a specific pony, or are you just thinking out loud?” Tastar asked.

“Yes!” Rainbow snapped. She felt Cetus' stunning spell wear off, and she got to her hooves. “Now's not the time for questions, though! We need to--”

The five Necklaces of the Elements popped into existence in the center of the farmyard. They went sailing through the air, four of them landing on the Bearers, and one of them on Spike. As the Necklaces made contact, a voice echoed through their respective minds.

“A time will come where you will face these two and free your friend, but it's not now. You must learn. You must grow. You must awaken, and then you must ascend. When you're ready, seek out Atuin at Lake Occul, and have him bring you to the Caverns of Harmony. I will meet you there, and together we'll take back our country, and save our world from destruction.”

The Bearers looked around the source of the voice, but there was nopony in sight.

“Is that Princess Lun—aaaah?!” Rainbow looked down at her hoof, and saw that was glowing. She looked around, and saw that everypony else was, too.

“What's going on?!”

“I look forward to meeting you all again,” Luna's voice said. “But until that time...”

Everypony's world faded to white as they turned into silhouettes of pure starlight.

“Scatter.”

The farmyard exploded as multiple sets of shooting stars soared high into the sky, rising into the stratosphere before separating in all directions. They blasted out and away into the horizon, twinkling once before fading into the wild blue yonder.

It was several minutes later before Cetus and Eclipse regained consciousness. They came to within a few seconds of each other, looking once at each other before realizing they were alone.

“Um...” Eclipse began.

Whatever she was going to say next was drowned out by Cetus' shriek of rage. Her horn burst in flame, and she blasted the homestead, consuming it in a fiery torrent of flame. She then turned her wrath on the barn, causing a fissure open beneath it. The foundations and supports caved in on themselves, and the entire structure collapsed in a cloud of dust. Cetus fired blast after blast into the air, and it was about that time Eclipse decided there were much better places to be at the moment. She dissolved into mist and slunk away, hoping that Cetus’ temper tantrum would die down soon.

Secretly though, Eclipse silently exulted, for while her plans were foiled as well, she now had time to plan. It was pleasing to see Cetus suffer so, and now she'd see how well her Echo adapted to situations when everything went as planned.

Eclipse felt a stirring from within her mind. She started, but relaxed as she discovered the cause.

“Almost had enough beauty sleep, I see,” Eclipse said. “I'm sure you'll be as excited at our arrangement as I, but I'm sure we can get along. They say two heads are better than one, and I'll need another pony to help me brainstorm.”

Eclipse cackled as she floated down towards Ponyville.

“And if that doesn't work, I'm sure a little blackmail will change your mind.”

Braeburn yawned as he made his way out of the saloon and back to the sheriff's office. The last few days had been taxing, and the next few weren't promising to be any easier, what with hiring security for the big shipment of apples next week and the negotiations with the buffalo herd the day after that. Sometimes he wished he hadn't moved out to Appleoosa, but that wish was squashed every time he saw the sunrise over the dusty plateaus. Something about the badlands was just beautiful to him, but when he was asked to describe it, he'd never been able to find the words. That wasn't such a bad thing though, as he wasn't the one in charge of tourism.

Braeburn was about to make his way inside his office when a glittering caught his eye from the west. He turned, and watched as a pair of white lights streaked in, coming in for a landing in the center of town. There was a flash, followed by a wave of powerful magic that made his hair stand on end. He was about to call for help, but the lights faded, forming into the shapes of two ponies.

Two very familiar ponies.

Braeburn gasped. He ran out to them, calling out their names as soon as he was in earshot.

“Cousin Mac! Cousin Applebloom!” Braeburn lightly shook the two of them. “What in tarnation was that?! How'd ya get here?”

Applebloom moaned and passed out. Mac managed to stay awake just long enough to recognize their addressee.

“Cousin... Braeburn?”

A crowd was starting to gather. Braeburn yelled out for somepony to get the doctor, and Mac's eyes fluttered as darkness retook him.

“Applejack... Granny...”

Applejack awoke to the sound of waves crashing against a shore. She took a deep breath, and sneezed as a good portion of sand became lodged in her nose. She jolted upright, and saw she was lying on a narrow peninsula that stretched far out into a bay. The sun was setting, the moon and stars had yet to come out, and the salty air was warm and humid.

“You can sleep a bit longer if ya like.”

Applejack became aware of a warm presence by her side. Granny was lying next to her, brushing her mane just like she did when she was a filly.

“I'd do your wings too, but I'd prolly wind up pulling your feathers out. We'll need to find a pegasus somewhere to teach ya how to do it right.”

Applejack's eyes began to water. “You... you're alright...”

“Course I am.” Granny said calmly. “I told ya years ago I wasn't goin' anywhere. You thought that was an idle promise?”

It was too much. The walls came down, and Applejack burst into tears as she hugged her grandmother.

“You died,” she sobbed. “I saw... she... I... you...”

“Shh.” Granny returned the embrace as she rocked Applejack back and forth. “It's okay. It didn't happen. You stopped it, I'm fine, and we're all still alive.”

“Too close...” Applejack buried her face in Granny's mane. “And then Cetus... too close...”

Granny held her tighter, and the sound of the waves filled the silence. Norric watched them from a small ways away, not wanting to interrupt the moment. He turned his gaze towards a hill to the east.

Applejack regained herself a few minutes later. She put a wing around Granny as she took a better look at their surroundings.

“Do you know where we are?”

“Nope,” Granny said. “Never been this far south. I think Norric knows, though.”

Applejack blushed. She hadn't realized they weren't alone. She reluctantly followed her grandmother's gaze to see the guard staring off into the distance with a far-off look.

Norric sighed. “This is Gildesdale, the country just east of Equestria. We're in the Tempest Bay, which opens up into a natural channel called Eternity's Crossing. The body of water in front of us is the Marelantic Ocean, though if you go a bit further west it turns into the Great Western Ocean. On the other side of the channel is the Changeling Wastes, just behind us is the Great Southern Rainforest, and if we go a few miles west, there's a fishing town called Gallopfrey we can gather supplies in.”

Applejack wrinkled her brow. Her speech was slow as everything he said sank in. “How... in the hay... do you know all that?!”

“Because I grew up here.” In his mind's eye, Norric could still see a small wooden shack on the top of the hill. The sour smell of fish still plagued his nostrils, and the fading screams of Seeker as he was dragged out to sea haunted his ears. “Or at least, Capricorn did.”

Fluttershy awoke to the sound of teeth chattering, and it took her a moment to realize it was her. She opened her eyes, and was greeted with nothing but more darkness. She had no idea where she was, but she could feel a cold wetness on her face, which told her it was snowing. A different kind of darkness crept into her as the fear began to take hold. She was alone in a strange place, the last thing she remembered was seeing the awful, horrible things that happened back at Sweet Apple Acres, and all she wanted to do now was curl up in her bed with Angel and a nice cup of cocoa. Unfortunately, neither Angel nor her cottage were anywhere to be had, so Fluttershy tried to get a better grasp on her surroundings instead.

She didn't get much. It was too dark to see, and the only thing she could tell was that she was standing on some kind of narrow path leading uphill to the north. The snow wasn't heavy, and Fluttershy knew she could spend the night outside if she had to, but the prospect wasn't appealing. She wanted to find somepony, anypony she knew, and maybe then they could figure out something together.

“M-Megnii?” Fluttershy called out. “S-Spesci?”

There was no response, though Fluttershy's voice had barely risen above a whisper. She thought for a moment, and then she remembered she had another method of communication.. She called upon the Element of Kindness, stretching out her consciousness to search for her guards.

She found them. Megnii and Spesci were together, along with... Spike? He must've got transported along with them. They were with a duo of unfamiliar minds that felt gruff to the touch. Fluttershy recoiled upon brushing against the unfamiliar psyches, but managed to pick her way around them as she focused on establishing contact.

Spesci?

Flutter— Spesci's thoughts went into rapid-fire. Fluttershy! Hey, I found her! She's talking to me with her Telepathy! Fluttershy, where are you?! Are you hurt?!

Fluttershy was taken aback by the rush of thoughts Um, I'm fine but... I'm not really sure where I am. It's so dark I can't see anything, and all I know is I'm on some kind of path. Oh, and it's snowing.

Can you tell where you are in relation to where we are now?

Oh! Fluttershy perked up. Yes, I can! I'm north of you by about a mile or so, but it looks like you're a lot... lower?

Spesi swore violently. Okay, I'm coming up to get you, but I need you to promise you're going to stay put, and most all, don't panic.

Fluttershy meeped. I can promise the first one. Where am I?

You're in a mountain pass, Spesci said. These are the Yakkhari Mountains, the range that separates Equestria from Tarandus. Megnii, Spike and I woke up a few hours ago in a valley at the entrance to the pass, and we met up with a caravan that was planning on making the trek tomorrow. A blizzard is coming in, though, so they have to wait until it passes.

That doesn't seem very nice, Fluttershy remarked. Why would the pegasi schedule a blizzard when a caravan has to go through?

The weather of the Yakkhari Mountains is too temperamental to be controlled, Spesci explained. Scientists have tried for over a millennium to understand the weather that comes down from the peaks, but none of them have made any ground. Storms that bury entire towns can form in minutes, and the surrounding valleys are uninhabitable because of it.

How do you know that?

I, uh... Spesci gulped. Remember when I said my father was a scientist and my mother was a ranger?

Yes, Fluttershy said, but you said that they were from Las Pegasus along with Pisces and Gemini.

I miiiiiiight've switched a few facts around, Spesci admitted. Pisces was actually from a town called White Wing that wasn't too far from here. His father was one of the scientists trying to see if the weather from the Yakkhari Mountains could be controlled, or at the very least, predicted to give the surrounding towns some warning. His mother was a ranger that saved the idiot caravans that went ahead despite the danger and got caught in the passes.

Fluttershy blinked. You... lied to me?

I'm sorry! Spesci burst out. I told you the valleys were declared uninhabitable, didn't I? White Wing is the reason why! It got buried in a freak blizzard a month after the end of the War of the Sun and Moon! I went back a few years ago to see if there's even any ruins left, and I didn't find so much as a brick! And as for Gemini, he was from Cloudsdale, which is where you grew up! How could Megnii have told you about his past when you look like you're the same age, but he has gaping holes in his knowledge base?

Fluttershy was quiet. She understood... to a point. She even knew she'd forgive him for it eventually, but right now, when she was trapped, cold, and alone in pure darkness? She couldn't help but be a little bitter.

Look, Spesci said. I promise you can give me the silent treatment, scold me, or whatever you want when you're not in danger of being buried in six feet of snow. I need you to keep talking to me right now so I can get you out of there. Can you bear with me until then?

Fluttershy rested her head on the snow-covered path. I'm not about to hold a grudge against you for something like that. I'm not even really mad. I'm just... disappointed.

The groan Spesci gave was so hammy that Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle.

Let's talk about something else.

Sure. Oh! Like I said, Spike's here with us, too.

Fluttershy nodded. I felt him along with the others at the caravan.

Spesci paused for a moment. When we all woke up, we noticed there was something around his neck. We took a closer look at it, and... it's one of the Necklaces of Harmony.

What?! Fluttershy stood up. Which one?!

Um, that's the thing. Spesci's voice wavered. We think Princess Luna might've... screwed up.

Fluttershy bit her lip. How so?

We think she meant to give him the Necklace of Generosity, Spesci said. When in actuality, she gave him the Necklace of Loyalty.

Fluttershy gasped. Oh... oh dear.

So on that note, Spesci deadpanned. I know it's dark, but can you like... feel your neck and see if you've got a Necklace, too?

Fluttershy reached up and touched her throat. Sure enough, she felt something hard pressed against her skin. She traced the jewel a few times, making absolutely sure of what it was before letting out an exasperated moan.

"It's the Necklace of Honesty. Princess Luna gave us all the wrong Necklaces!"

The first thing Pinkie noticed was the wind. It blew around her with a strange intensity, throwing her mane and tail every which way as if it were it's own personal plaything. The next thing she noticed were the strange shadows that flitted around and about her. Her back felt warm, and she realized she was laying with her back to a campfire. It was night, and there was a soft murmuring as the shadows spoke to each other in a language she didn't understand.

“I still say we leave them. This whole business reeks of bad luck.”

“They have a Holy One with them. You honestly think they bring ill-will?”

“Who's to say what they bring?! They fell from the sky like meteorites!”

“You're sure the blue one is a Spirit Twin?”

“Without any doubt. There's something strange about the pink one, too.”

“Strange-good, or strange-bad?”

“Strange... powerful.”

“That doesn't bode well...”

“Quit using your eyes and look with your Heart, Shuru. Can't you see her soul is pure?”

“Pure as the snow of Mount Mbinguni, but that's not the point. Even a soul like hers can fall prey to corruption. Have you forgotten the tale of the Princess of Dreams?”

“Of course not. Though I did hear she was healed, and recently returned.”

“Those rumors have been flying around for weeks. I wait to pass judgment until Ambassador Loxo returns with word from Equestria.”

“The word of an Elafont carries little sway in my eyes.”

“Watch your mouth, Punda.”

“Sorry.”

“So, what should we do? Shall we bring it to a vote?”

“I say we help them.”

“I say we leave them.”

“...should've seen that coming. Sorry Punda, but I'm going to have to side with Maji on this one. The Spirit Council would tan our hides if they knew we left a Holy One out in the middle of the wilderness.”

“This isn't fair. You always side with her.”

“Maybe you shouldn't always pick the losing side.”

“Hmph. Fine, we'll take them with us, but only until we get to Rohomji, and I swear to the ancestors, if we get cursed for this, I'm going to haunt both of you.”

“Hah! You'd never make it past my jujus.”

“Oh yeah?! I'll have you know I'd make a mean spirit!”

“You couldn't scare a yearling.”

“Could too!”

“Could not!”

“Could too!

The shadows continued to talk in their rhythmic, alien tongue, the sound lulling Pinkie back to sleep. The language sounded familiar somehow, but she couldn't place it right now... oh well, she was sure it wasn't important. She could figure it out when she woke up.

“Mmh.”

Rainbow awoke in the mouth of cave. Her head was spinning, and her mouth felt dry. She pounded the ground with a hoof.

“Dammit! I've had it up to here with these magical hangovers!”

Rainbow examined her surroundings. The cave was shallow, and made of dull gray stone. The air was cold and thin, and reminded her of her days in Cloudsdale. She unsteadily got to her hooves, and as she did, the clopping of hooves sounded from around a bend.

“Good, you're awake.”

Esra appeared around the bend of the cave. He looked apprehensive, but otherwise unharmed.

“What happened?” Rainbow asked.

“Luna.” Esra stretched his wings. “Not sure what or how, but I'm damn grateful for it. “

Rainbow yawned. “How long have I been out?”

“You slept through the night.” Esra rubbed his eyes. “Which is more than Tastar and I can manage at the moment with these blasted headaches.”

Rainbow moaned into a facehoof as all the memories came crashing back.

“There'll be time for self-pity later,” Esra said. “Right now, there's something you need to see.”

Rainbow looked up. “What is it?”

Esra motioned with a hoof. “Come on. Tastar's waiting.”

Curious, Rainbow followed him around the bend. She walked though a narrow tunnel before being blinded by a sudden burst of light. Esra guided her forward, and a blast of fresh, cold air pierced her lungs. A northern wind tickled her feathers, and she stepped outside.

“Good morning.”

Rainbow opened her eyes at Tastar's voice, and immediately fell on her haunches. Their cave was on the side of a cliff, and before them was a massive mountain range. The ground below was concealed by cloud cover, and the sky above was the deepest blue Rainbow had ever seen. The sun was astonishingly bright, and the mountains around them stretched high into the heavens. Rainbow squinted, and she could make out that the peaks were jagged and serrated... like dragon's teeth.

“Where are we?” Rainbow breathed.

Tastar met her eyes. “Welcome to Drakkenridge.”

Shining awoke to discover he was cold, wet, sore, and his mouth was full of mud. Not a great way to start a day, but finding yourself inside the cavern of a hungry yeti stuck in a stalactite of ice alters your opinion of what a terrible morning is like. The last thing he remembered was teleporting himself and Luna to the wreckage of her tower in the Equius Valley. He'd told her about Cetus and Eclipse, she'd said something about his sister, and then he'd blacked out. He could tell he'd slept through the last twenty-four hours at least, but he'd absolutely no idea where he was. All he knew was that it was raining, he was in a sparsely wooded area, and... there was a crown on his head.

Shining took off the crown and probed it with his magic, and as he did, Luna's hidden message was activated. He mulled over the cryptic words for a time, but he'd never heard of any place called Lake Occul. He'd a feeling the message was meant for Twily, so maybe she would know? But who knows where she was in correlation to his current location. He decided the first thing for him to do was find out where he was, then he could figure out where Twily was.

Shining realized the woods he was in were actually pine barrens. That made walking easy at least, as the trees made the soil so acidic it killed off any underbrush. He headed north for several minutes, making good time before seeing that the trees ended a short ways before him. He slowed his pace, and cautiously made his way to the top to see what lay beyond.

Shining emerged to behold a very peculiar sight. A medium-sized village lay nestled in a valley, completely encased in a dull red forcefield with a trench dug around it. Several haggard ponies were looking out from within the forcefield, but that wasn't what drew Shining's attention. Two ponies, one of which was Twily, were staring each other down on opposite sides of a grassy plain.

Twily's mane and coat were matted, her eyes were downcast, and she was taking her breath in gasps. Behind her were Ace, Piro, and Blair, looking on apprehensively. Twily's opponent was powder-blue unicorn. She was wearing the brimmed-pointed hat of an Arch-Magus, a violet cape covered in stars clasped together by a black and red amulet, and her face was twisted into a haughty scowl as she glared daggers at Twily from across the field.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie isn't in the habit of dueling against opponents that can barely stand, but since your malady is self-imposed, she's willing to make an exception!"

"For the last time, I'm not bulimic!" Twilight looked up at Trixie, and her eyes unfocused. She raised a hoof to take a step forward, but she quickly looked away with a shudder. “I'm just, hrk... not feeling well!"

"Enough lies!" Trixie swept back her cape with a dramatic motion. “You've been nothing but insulting to Trixie since you and your entourage came to the Hollow Shades! To think that the protegee of Princess Celestia is so worried over her weight that she has to resort to such disgusting measures!"

“Twilight, stop this!” Blair hissed. “You're in no shape to—”

“This isn't going to get any better!” Twilight whispered back. “Besides, it's too late to back out now! If you had a problem with this, you should've said something when Piro and I were making plans!”

“I didn't think you were going to directly challenge her!” Blair protested. “If I'd known—”

“Enough fraternizing!” Trixie's eyes flashed with a cruel, red light. "The rules were no outside assistance of any kind!”

Twilight staggered forward. “Remember our agreement! If I win, you take us to the fortress! And if you win..."

Trixie flashed a wicked grin. "If Trixie wins, Twilight Sparkle has to serve as Trixie's assistant... FOREVER!"

Trixie let loose a maniacal laugh, and a random flash of lightning went off in the distance.

Twilight lowered her horn. "First one to incapacitate the other wins. Let's go."

Shining facehooved as he watched the two mares begin their duel. He could already tell this was going to be a long day.

Chapter 24: Makers and Misunderstandings

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Chapter 24:

Makers and Misunderstandings

Rarity had always wanted to go to Prance. The sights, the romance, the festivals, the culture, the food, oh Celestia, the food... not only was it the fashion capitol of the world, but the city was tailor-made for ponies who appreciated the finer things in life. The opportunity to just visit would've been enough for her, but to have her dresses showcased here during Fashion Week? A dream come true! And as if the honor and prestige weren't enough, fashionistas far and wide would be coming to see Rarity's original creations! Finally, she'd be able to share her genius and creativity with the world!

The Eifoal Tower sparkled in the mid-morning sun as Rarity sat alone underneath a large umbrella at a sidewalk cafe. She was meeting a distant family member here, one she hadn't seen in a long while. They were running terribly late, and while she’d hoped to do a little sightseeing before going to the Fashion Show, she was willing to give that up to see her beloved aunt. Why, she couldn't even remember the last time they'd had a chance to chat, though the last few years of family gatherings had been slightly blurry, thanks to Uncle Topaz slipping vodka in the punch.

Rarity adjusted her beret as she searched the one-way street, which was packed wall-to-wall with ponies. The crowds had been positively horrendous the entire time she'd been here, and the ponies couldn’t be described as anything but rude. She’d been met with a cold shoulder the few times she'd asked for directions, and while it may just have been they didn't speak Equestrian, that was no excuse to forego good manners. At least the cafe was empty, though that did strike her as odd. Where was the maitre'd? She'd been thinking about ordering an espresso, as she’d been getting terribly drowsy again. It felt like she'd been waiting for days, and even with a full eight hours of sleep, she was suddenly finding herself... feeling... exhausted...

“Hello, Rarity.”

A familiar voice snapped Rarity out of her stupor. Standing before her was a tall, plain white alicorn with a rose-colored mane and tail. Her cutie mark was a quill dipped in an inkwell, and her eyes were a soft, shining blue. She smiled as she looked down at Rarity, who resisted the urge to squee and clap her hooves. A Lady didn't exhibit such foalish behavior in public, after all.

“It's so lovely to see you again, Auntie!” Rarity rose and joyfully kissed the newcomer on both cheeks. “It feels like an eternity since I last saw you!”

The alicorn smiled as she returned Rarity's affections. “I wouldn't say it's been that long.”

“Whatever kept you?” Rarity looked around again for the maitre'd. “I was about to order an espresso... oh, do try a croissant, they're simply divine with Zapapple Jam!”

The alicorn brushed her mane out of her face. “I had an—well, I suppose you couldn't really call it an argument, but one of your cousins had something to get off her chest, and it gave me pause for thought. I dwelt on it longer than I should have, and I lost track of time.”

“Not a problem,” Rarity said warmly. “I'd set aside as much time as necessary to meet with you.”

The alicorn's eyes twinkled. “How generous of you.”

Rarity hid her blush behind her menu. “So, um... how are things? I can't even remember the last time we sat down to catch up!”

“Well enough, I suppose.” The alicorn hovered over a pot on the table. “You know how easy it is to get involved in details of a project, only to forget what the end result is supposed to be.”

“All too well,” Rarity said with a sagely nod. “I could talk your ear off on how many times I've made too much lace, or even worse, stitched one sleeve longer than the others.”

“I try not to get too focused on the specifics.” The alicorn poured herself a cup of tea. “I love micromanaging, but I never know when to stop. I'm not as bad about it as I used to be, but it's still something I fall prey to every now and then.”

Rarity's eyes unfocused. She suddenly felt drowsy again—wait, no, not drowsy, this was something else. Fatigue? She'd certainly had enough experience with that. Indigestion? No, that wasn't it either. It was an internal problem, a strange numbness seeping out from her chest that made her feel like she was falling...

“It's not easy admitting you're wrong.” The alicorn stared into her cup. “I've spent so long cursing His name, trying to figure out what caused Him to fall so far off the path. I blamed myself. I thought it must've been something accumulating for a long time, and that somehow I’d missed the signs. Now, though, I blame myself for an entirely different reason.”

Rarity realized what the problem was. She looked around the empty cafe. The air was warm, the smell of fresh bread was in the air, the birds were singing, snippets of music floated in from a nearby festival, and the streets were absolutely packed. Everything around Rarity was perfectly normal, save for one tiny, little thing.

She wasn't breathing.

Rarity's skin prickled. “This isn't Prance...”

The alicorn floated over the milk and sugar. “I should certainly hope not. Nopony would get anywhere if the streets were like this.”

Rarity turned back to her. “You're not my aunt.”

“We're all related, dear.” The alicorn soundlessly stirred her tea. “Though it's more accurate to say I'm your great-grandmother.”

Rarity blinked several times. “I'm related to an... alicorn?”

“You, everypony you've known, and ever will know.” The alicorn chuckled. “You think that's a shock? Wait until you find out who your great-grandfather is.”

Rarity felt a chill. “Who are you, really? Am I dead?!”

“Peace,” the alicorn said in a soothing tone. “You're safe for the moment. As for who I am, I've many names: Progenitor of Life, First of the Two, Tamer of Lands, The Sleeping Goddess, Lady of Law, Shepherd of Souls, but to all those who meet me face-to-face, I'm simply known as Harmony. I'm the creator of the Elements, and the reason I've set up this meeting is because I've three important things to tell you before you wake. And no, you're not dead...”

Harmony gestured to the ponies on the street.

“But they are.”

It was like a veil was lifted from Rarity's eyes. She took a closer look at the crowd, and saw a great many of them were in their golden years. Their bodies were whole and unharmed, but each of them had the same blank, deadened look as they slowly marched forward. Rarity looked where they were going, and saw that the line led to the Eifoal Tower, where it came to a sudden, abrupt end.

“Where are we?” Rarity whispered.

“Limbo,” Harmony said. “A narrow plane of existence between Life and Death. All lifeforce is funneled here when severed from its mortal vessel. You fell here when you went into Magical Exhaustion.”

Rarity didn't know what was a greater shock: That she was sitting before a pony claiming to the creator of the Elements, that she was at death's door, or that her dresses really weren't going to be shown in the Prance Fashion Show.

Rarity swallowed hard. “I-If this is Limbo, why does it look like Prance?”

A small smile tugged at Harmony's lips. “Anyone can influence the plane to make it appear in any manner they see fit... so long as they're lucid. That you're able to stay awake with barely any issue is testament to how strong you've become.”

It was all coming back to Rarity in a rush. Mother making good on her ultimatum, the voice, the blinding pain, the sensation of falling. She'd found herself in a boring, featureless void, and thought how much nicer it'd be if she were in Prance instead. The cafe had appeared an instant later, and while she'd always known it wasn't real, she'd just thought it was an incredibly vivid dream... one that she'd no desire to wake from.

“Just let me die.” Rarity stared at Harmony with hollow, defeated eyes. “Mother's going to have me committed, if she hasn't already. I'll never work in fashion again, and even if I could, my body will never be able to keep up with my spirit. I never wanted to settle for hum-drum mediocrity, I wanted to succeed! I wanted to share my gifts and talents with the world! I wanted to have the wealth and authority to help others in need! What point is there in going back when all that awaits me is the sting of failure and the crushing weight of despair?!”

Harmony's eyes were soft as she listened to Rarity's outburst. She sipped her tea, then spoke in a calm, clear voice.

“What is the greatest act of generosity?”

“I—“ Rarity blinked. “What?”

“It's a simple enough question,” Harmony said patiently. “I brought you up to be the paragon of the ideal, after all. Tell me, what do you think it is?”

Rarity gaze wandered as she mulled over the question. She was silent for a long time before scrunching her eyebrows and looking back at Harmony.

“Martyrdom.”

“Why?” Harmony asked.

“Because your life can only be given once, and it can't be taken back.” Rarity looked out at the crowd. “Those who die for their beliefs are remembered for them. Not only because they were wrongfully killed, but because the act itself is a powerful statement. It also teaches future generations what it means to be truly selfless.”

Harmony followed her gaze. “Do you think a martyr knows that the greatest thing they can do with their life is throw it away? Maybe there was a more powerful act they could've performed down the line. Perhaps the effects of their death do more harm than good, or even worse, have the opposite effect of what they'd intended. If you were placed in their position, how would you know it was the greatest act of generosity?”

Rarity shrugged. “Maybe through my Foresight? I never did get the hang of how it was supposed to work, but wasn’t that the point of having it?”

“Not even close.” Harmony leaned in closer to Rarity. “This is the first important thing I've come to tell you: The greatest act of generosity is to never stop giving. Martyring yourself is a powerful thing, but sacrificing yourself in complete and utter totality is exactly what it says on the tin.”

Rarity cocked her head. “How then, does that not make it the greatest act?”

Harmony smiled gently. “Death is absolute. You can’t be generous if you’ve nothing left to give.”

Rarity flattened her ears. “So you're saying in order to be the embodiment of generosity, I need to be alive.”

“Yes.”

“And what if I don't want to be anymore?” Rarity’s voice rose. “If you really are my creator, why did you give me a dysfunctional body? Why could nopony figure out what was wrong with me? Why did you let me go through Tartarus and back trying to deal with it and never give me any kind of relief?! Why did you give me a spirit overflowing with generosity, but suppress it with such a grievous, debilitating limiter?!”

The Element of Generosity awakened. Rarity rose to her hooves and screamed at Harmony with watery eyes, completely filled with silver light.

“WHY DID YOU SET ME UP TO FAIL?!”

Rarity gasped as she heard her own voice, which sounded like flowing water in a stream. Harmony's expression was unreadable, but her eyes flickered down for an instant. She took a deep breath through her nose, and began in a resigned tone.

“In the beginning, I wanted to make it so that nopony ever got hurt. I wanted everypony to get along, to love and tolerate each other in a perfect, unchanging state of tranquility. But He... He said that wasn't right. He said our children should compete against themselves, strive for improvement, and feel an unceasing push towards building a better tomorrow. He wanted them to be able to learn, to struggle, fail, even die, because such adversities would force them to evolve. They'd be able to interact with us, ask us questions, even challenge our authority. Then one day, they'd rise up to travel the stars, leaving the 'cradle' behind and finding new planets to settle on, just as we did.”

Harmony looked up directly into the sun. “His passion convinced me, but it was only after it was done did I see the full implications of his words. The competitive spirit caused our children to fight and bicker amongst themselves. To struggle, fail, and die meant their bodies were temporary, easily injured, and required sustenance to survive. Free will did indeed bring about the chance for philosophical thought, but it also sowed the seeds of corruption, mistrust and hatred. I didn't see it as a dream, but a nightmare, one born of chaos, cruelty and suffering, and worst of all, I'd been tricked into helping create it.”

Harmony hung her head. “I went to Him in a fury, accusing Him of violating my trust and demanding that we start over again. He refused, saying that it was hard to see the results now, but everything would pay off in the long run. I called Him a lying, twisted psychopath that enjoyed watching His children kill each other. He called me a short-sighted, oppressive nag with a God complex. We separated after that, and saw less and less of each other as time went on. Every time we crossed paths we'd fight, and our arguments got more and more heated as our children continued to develop.

“Separating was a stupid thing to do, and we both knew it,” Harmony said. “We're meant to be together, and we fall prey to our inherent natures if we're apart. I become passive and dispassionate, He becomes aggressive and unstable. It was a recipe for disaster, and one day it came to a breaking point. He attacked me, thinking if we came to blows it'd alleviate some of the tension. I didn't fight back, and that just made Him angrier. His attacks got more and more fierce, and I realized that He was going to kill me if I didn't do something. I panicked and fused myself with the planet, thinking it was the safest place I could go.”

Harmony sighed. “I didn't realize I'd trapped myself until it was too late. Even worse though, He had free reign to do whatever he wanted with our children. He tried to make them evolve as fast as He could by instigating wars and chaos, and while that worked for a time, His constant pushing didn't allow civilizations to develop, or populations to increase. I knew I had to stop Him before He destroyed everything, and while I eventually did find a way, it didn't go the way I'd intended. That fateful day was nine thousand years ago, and even to this very day, I'm still trying set things right.”

Harmony met Rarity's eyes. “I've been making the best of a bad situation for a long time now. I know it's hard to see how things fit into a larger plan when everything seems to fail, and you're surrounded with nothing but pain and disarray. Your condition was caused by an abnormal growth in your brain that disrupted your ability to enter deep sleep. When you entered Magical Exhaustion, you suffered a mild stroke that killed those brain cells off. As for why I did that, I needed you to build up a tolerance to Limbo's aura so that I could talk to you. Without the extra stamina, you would've gotten swept along with the crowd, and eventually into oblivion's embrace.”

Rarity's hoof flew over her mouth. Her tears were flowing freely now, and she was doing nothing to stem the flow. She tried, and failed to speak several times before managing to squeak out two words.

“I'm... cured?”

Harmony gave her an apologetic smile. “I'm sorry for what I put you through. I tried to find another way, but it was necessary in order to get you here. The days ahead will require you to have a place you can go to be free of worry and pain, and the only one available to you is here. Now that you've come to Limbo once, your power will allow you to enter and exit at will. This place can be your sanctuary, but in order for that to be, you needed to be able to resist its effects, and be aware of its dangers.”

The words were barely registering with Rarity. Cured. No more pounding headaches and sleepless nights. No more pills, doctors, fights with her mother, endless fatigue, or appalling bags under her eyes. She could be normal. She could succeed. She could fully devote herself to her dressmaking. She could push herself as hard as everyone else, and show the world that—

Wait.

Rarity nervously looked around the cafe. “Why ever would I need to use this place as a sanctuary? And what dangers are you talking about?”

Harmony took another sip of tea. “Look down.”

Rarity did, and promptly shrieked. Protruding out from her chest was a blood-red cord of ghostly energy wrapped snugly around her barrel.

“What is this?!”

Harmony didn't reply. Instead, she opened a wing in a welcoming gesture.

Rarity wasn't in the habit of accepting wing hugs from strangers, but considering who this was, where they were, and what she'd just been told, she was willing to make an exception. She meekly went over to Harmony and leaned against her, who enveloped her in a feathery embrace.

“I'm going to tell you what's happened in your absence,” Harmony said with a gentle squeeze. “It's not going to be easy to hear, but you need to be ready for what awaits you.”

Rarity then learned of how Cetus had been hiding in her font since they'd used the Elements in the Everfree, the successful plot to steal Celestia's body and the birth of Eclipse, the 'death' of her guards, her friends' capture, and their subsequent rescue by Luna's daring gambit. Lastly, she was sternly admonished by Harmony not to take any of the blame onto herself, as all of these events were beyond her control.

“So that's the situation,” Harmony finished. “Your friends are now far beyond Cetus' reach, but they're unable to give you any assistance as a result. Eclipse knows she's unstable because of the Chaos magic, and so wants to use you in her plans to betray Cetus. She's under orders not to harm you, but your family doesn't share such protection. Their lives will be in danger if you resist, as will all of those in Ponyville.”

Despite being given such terrifying news, Rarity felt strangely calm. It puzzled her at first, but then she noticed the soothing aura that was emanating from Harmony's body. It was both warm and cool, like the feeling from inhaling the steam of boiled eucalyptus leaves. The numbness in her chest was gone, and her mind was startlingly clear. She processed the information from a logical standpoint, and as she did, a disturbing thought came to mind.

“You said you've been trying to 'set things right' for a very long time,” Rarity said. “This... all of this, it's all to further along that end, isn't it?”

Harmony stiffened, but her surprise quickly melted into quiet laughter. “Your cousin Luna was right. I really have been underestimating all of you.”

Rarity decided to ignore that Princess Luna had just been referred to as her 'cousin' and kept with her train of thought. “Are you trying to free yourself?”

Harmony looked away. “That's part of it. As I said, both He and I fall prey to our inherent natures the longer we're away from each other. My consciousness was altered when I fused myself with the planet, and so I haven't felt its effects all this time. If I were to be freed, it'd hit me all at once, and I'd be rendered completely inert. A similar thing will happen to Him when He's released, though the results for Him will be decidedly more... violent.”

The realization dawned. “You're trying to free the both of you at the same time so you'll both be returned to normal,” Rarity said.

Harmony nodded. “The restoration will take time, during which I'll need a group of ponies to stop him from destroying me... and everything else.”

“You're preparing us to fight him.” It wasn't a question. Rarity could see the big picture. “You're orchestrating events so that we'll have the power and experience necessary to hold him off until his sanity returns.”

“You're going to need all the help you can get,” Harmony said gravely. “He's as powerful as I, and I won't be able to give you any assistance in the actual battle.”

Rarity gulped. “Who is he?”

“He has many names, as well.” Harmony clicked her teeth. “Bringer of Change, Last of the Two, The Shaper, God of Madness, Lord of Chaos, The Grand Trickster. The one you'll know Him by, though— ”

A flicker of pain flashed across Harmony's face. She quickly shook her head and spoke the name aloud.

“—is Discord.”

Rarity’s glowing eyes went wide. “The same Discord that Princess Celestia and Luna fought thousands of years ago?!”

“The one and the same,” Harmony replied. “Like I said, things didn't quite work out the way I'd hoped back then.”

Rarity backed away from Harmony with a jolt. “This is insane!” She gestured to herself, then to everything in a vague, sweeping motion. “What you've done to me, what you're doing to everypony else, all of it! I'm not some kind of heroic Battlemage from times of ancient yore, I'm a fashionista! All I want to do is make dresses for a living and make a name for myself! What in heaven's name makes you think I could possibly stand up to Discord in any way, shape or form?!”

Harmony raised an eyebrow. “You're standing up to me, aren't you?”

“You're different!” Rarity sputtered. “You're not insane! You're not trying to destroy the world!”

“That doesn't change that I'm just as powerful as Him.”

Rarity shook her head. “I'm not questioning that, I just—”

“Listen to me, Rarity.” Harmony rested a hoof on her shoulder, and Rarity felt the soothing feeling of peace again. “I know what kind of pony you are. You're resourceful, clever, driven, generous beyond compare, and harbor a desperate desire to prove yourself to the world. You hold your friends close, your family even closer, and when you set your mind to something, you see it through to the end. You're strong, dearheart, and I've the utmost faith that not only will you succeed against Discord, but at everything else you do in life.”

Rarity stared into those ancient, shimmering eyes. It was all so much. She wasn't any kind of warrior, nor did she ever want to be. She'd never learned how to fight, and the only spells she'd ever learned were either mandatory for school, or to help her with her dressmaking. There was also the matter of her sleep di—wait, that wasn't a problem anymore. She was still getting over the shock of that one. It was true she knew how to handle things on her own if she was given the right tools, and she'd certainly proved to herself time and time again that she could finish any project she set her mind to, and well... if her creator believed in her, who was she to doubt herself?

Rarity dipped her chin to hide the flush spreading across her face. “You really think I can help you?”

Harmony gently lifted Rarity's chin. “I really do.”

Rarity made her decision. The Element of Generosity flared, and her eyes shone even brighter with cool, silver light. The echo in her voice deepened, going from the splashing of a stream to the cascading of a waterfall.

“Well then, what can I do for you?”

“We gotta go back.”

Rainbow fidgeted as she sat with Esra and Tastar in their cave in the Drakkenridge Mountains. She hated being in this tiny, cramped space, but as soon as Tastar had showed her where they were, he'd insisted they go back inside. She fiddled with the Necklace of Generosity around her neck as she looked towards the exit, her annoyance slowly building.

“What exactly would we do?” Esra asked. “Cetus and Eclipse overpowered us all without even trying! The only reason we're still alive is because Luna yanked our sorry flanks out of the frying pan!”

“Only to drop us into the middle of freaking nowhere,” Rainbow muttered. She looked over at Tastar. “How far away are we from Equestria, anyway?”

“Depends,” Tastar replied. “Drakkenridge is a long strip of interlocking mountain ranges stretching from eastern Tarandus to northern Dromardia. We could be anywhere from a few hundred miles northeast of Equestria to a few thousand.”

“Great.” Rainbow ran a hoof through her mane. “Just freaking great! And I'm pretty sure 'scatter' means the others aren't anywhere nearby. They may not even be in the same country! What if they're hurt? What if they're in danger? What if Cetus decides to send Eclipse after them, or even worse, tries to track them down herself?! We can't just sit around and trust that things'll get better! We gotta do something!”

“Something's rather vague,” Esra pointed out. “Do you actually have a plan, or are you just gonna fly back to Equestria and punch Cetus in the face?”

Rainbow gritted her teeth. No, she didn't have a plan, she could barely even think straight. She and her friends had been beaten before they'd even had a chance to fight back. She was aware that a real, honest to goodness fight was rarely fair, and Cetus had taken every advantage she could get. The frustration of letting her friends down was literally burning her up inside, as the Element of Loyalty was feeding off her emotions like a hungry furnace. Esra and Tastar had noticed, but didn't say anything as the waves of heat rolling off her body were quite welcome at such a high altitude.

“I could've done so much more.” Rainbow stamped a hoof. “I could've noticed there was something wrong with Rarity. I could've gone to Celestia in the beginning like I wanted. I could've gone and helped Luna instead of sitting around in the hospital. My gut's been telling me to act all this time, but I decided to listen to you guys and Edith!”

“You can't blame yourself,” Tastar said. “You had no way of kno—“

Rainbow barked out a harsh laugh. “You got it all wrong. The only thing I blame myself for is listening to all of you! You all led me to believe that your experience gave you some kind of edge, but it did nothing to stop things from going to Tartarus!”

Esra glared at her. “What makes you think the Princess would've told you what was going on when she didn't tell any of us?! And as for helping Luna, you would've walked right into that explosion! It's only because we followed orders and kept you out of the firefights that you're still alive!”

“Orders.” Rainbow spat out the word like it was a curse. “That's all you care about, isn't it? You both had unique skillsets I wasn't aware of, and you let me make a foal of myself when all you had to do was give me a simple demonstration. You lied to me about your origins, didn't tell me about my powers, and as a result I couldn't do anything against Cetus. I could've saved Grovi, Strauss and Elo with Undying Loyalty. I could've kicked the living snot out of both Cetus and Eclipse. But no, your precious orders meant more to you than anything else, and as a result you lost three of your own comrades! Do you even miss them?! Do you feel anything now they're gone? Or are all of you just a bunch of soulless, mindless golems that only do what you're told?!”

“Rainbow...” Tastar began.

“Don't 'Rainbow' me!” The heat around her increased, and a flicker of light appeared in her eyes. “You told me to let others take care of things back at the palace. I listened to you, and look how well that turned out! Celestia's gone, Rarity's at the mercy of a psychopath, three of your fellow Echoes are dead, the entire world's going to be plunged into darkness, and we're in freaking Drakkenridge! Your high and mighty experience has done nothing but make a royal mess of things, and I'm not going to listen to it anymore!”

Rainbow stormed past them and headed for the exit. Esra's mixture of shock and fury reduced him to sputtering for a moment before he recovered and called after her.

“Where are you going?!”

“Equestria!” she snapped. “You may be fine with sitting around and waiting for your friends to die, but I'm sure as hay not!”

“Wait!” Tastar suddenly yelled. “Don't leave the cave!”

The Element of Loyalty blazed within Rainbow like a crucible. The air shimmered around her, and her eyes became half-filled with rosy light. She looked back over her shoulder, and her next words blazed with tantalizing power.

“Try and stop me.”

And with that, Rainbow disappeared around the bend of the cave. She got to the exit, opened her wings, and leaped out into the open air. She soared out and away in a prismatic flash, making a wide arc as she began to fly to the southwest.

Esra vigorously shook his head. “Damn it! We gotta go after her!”

Tastar didn't reply. He was still staring at where Rainbow had been. Esra glanced at him, and recognized the look his partner got when his mind was spinning with a very specific kind of knowledge.

“Ten words or less,” Esra said. “Why were you so adamant that none of us go outside?”

Tastar replied in a shaky voice. “I'm not sure, but... I think we're east of Shearwind.”

Esra's eyes widened. “Chromatic territory...”

Tastar spread his wings. “We need to hurry.”

Home to the tallest peaks in the world, Drakkenridge was a country known for its extreme climates, untouched valleys, treacherous cliffside paths, inhospitable shores, and of course, the local natives, the dragons. Griffins also called the country home, and they managed a series of trade routes through the mountains leading to the surrounding countries. Rainbow had had a griffin friend in flight school from a port city called Lasthaven, but she'd no idea where that was.

The mountains jutted out like the maw of a colossal beast as Rainbow continued with greater and greater speed to the southwest. She knew she shouldn't have left Esra and Tastar behind, but she was sick and tired of waiting for things to happen. Their hesitance and lack of action had done nothing but make things worse, and while she understood the value in sitting and planning things out, sometimes you had to just deal with whatever life threw at you. She'd show them she could get things done if given the chance, and this time, she'd be the one to deliver the sucker punches to their enemies... preferably at the speed of sound.

Rainbow found it difficult to gauge how high up she was. It was like the heavens and earth were two separate worlds, with the mountains stretching several thousand feet above her to end in wicked spikes, and valleys below concealed with thick, puffy clouds. The only thing that gave the altitude away was the thin air, and Rainbow knew it'd wear on her if she went too high up, even with her endurance training. Staying closer to the clouds was best, and as long as nothing went wrong, she'd be back in Equestria in a few days at the mo—

A loud, bellowing roar pierced the quiet morning air. Rainbow looked to her right, and there, standing at the mouth of a cave, was a living nightmare. Two wicked black horns swept back atop the creature's head, and rows of smaller horns covered its jaws and lower cheeks. Its scales were a deep crimson, its nose was beaklike and sported a small horn, and its long wings had a singed look along their edges. The beast stared at Rainbow with intelligent eyes as flames danced in its mouth, which was filled with rows of dagger-like teeth.

Rainbow skidded to a halt as she met the dragon's eyes. It was huge, larger than any other creature she'd ever seen. She could've easily fit inside one of its paws, or stand underneath it without even brushing its barrel. It could devour her in a single bite and not even have to chew, and then go on to stomp Ponyville flat in the span of a few hours. It was a heartless monster, a terror with wings, and it licked its lips, eying her like a mid-morning snack. Rainbow felt a twinge of primal fear as her base instincts kicked in, informing her that this was a predator, she was prey, and she should fly faster than she ever had before if she wanted to live.

The Element of Loyalty pulsed in response to Rainbow's fear, pushing away her instincts and calming her nerves. Her temperature rose again, and the hairs on her coat moved along with the waves of heat rolling off her body. A new feeling welled up in place of the fear, one that made her relax, break into a smile, and do the one thing nopony in their right mind would do in such a situation.

Laugh.

“Hey, scaly!” Rainbow's echoing voice carried on the wind as she wiggled her flank at the dragon. “See anything you like?!”

There was a sound like air rushing into a bellows as the dragon inhaled. Even Rainbow knew what that meant, but she continued to taunt him nonetheless. The dragon released a jet of scorching flame, but as Rainbow felt the onset of heat, she took off and away to the southwest. The dragon leaped off the ledge to give chase, but she knew she'd be out of sight before he even stabilized his flight.

“Your speed is amazing, but it's not going to help you fight off a dragon...”

Rainbow cackled. All Tastar had talked about was how these things were nature's ultimate predators, but after seeing one up close? She wasn't impressed. Sure, dragons were big, strong and mean-looking, but that didn't mean a thing if they couldn't catch her. Tastar had also implied most dragons were peaceful, and that one going savage was rare, but this one sure wasn't acting very diplomatic. What were the odds that she'd run into one of the crazy ones?

Rainbow paused as a question came to her. She'd had martial arts training, was in near-top physical condition, was a master of pegasus magic thanks to her job, and had the Element of Loyalty at her disposal. The only thing she didn't have was any actual combat experience, and she was going to need as much as she could get if she was going to face Cetus.

So why the buck was she running away from a fight?

A sadistic grin formed on Rainbow's face. ““You know what? I could use a good punching bag right now.”

She turned back around to face the dragon, taking in his body as she approached. Tastar had said dragons didn't have any natural weaknesses, but their basic anatomy was similar to a pony's. Her karate instructors had told her if she got into a fight in the air, the best course of action was to take out her opponent's wings and let gravity do the rest. It was a pretty cheap tactic, but then again, real combat wasn't about flashy moves or drawing things out. It was about taking out your opponent as quickly and efficiently as possible, so that's exactly what Rainbow was going to do.

Rainbow released a fierce battle cry. The dragon roared in response, then began to inhale again. Rainbow flew straight up into the air, taking in the dragon's wings and judging each of them to be around fifty feet long. They might as well have been painted with giant bullseyes. She aimed for the left one, and dove down to strike the elbow joint.

While Rainbow's strategy was sound, there was one crucial thing about dragons she didn't know. Their physical strength was tremendous, their cunning and intelligence were fearsome, and their dominion over the land and sky gave them a distinct advantage, but that wasn't what made them truly terrifying. There was an additional thing they possessed, something that secured their place at the top of the food chain.

Magic.

The dragon's wing shimmered. Rainbow connected with a vicious strike, but her hoof bounced off like she'd struck a concrete wall. Sharp pain lanced up her leg, but she didn't have time to pay attention to it, as there was a flicker of movement in her eye. The dragon's tail lashed at her, and Rainbow only barely managed to avoid being smacked. She cursed and ascended again, and as she did, she noticed the dragon's mouth was still open, not to breathe, but to chant in guttural Draconic.

“For Celestia's sake!” Rainbow nursed her sprained hoof. “That's just excessive!”

The dragon rose up to snap at Rainbow. She sneered and distanced herself again, eying the clouds below.

“So that's how you wanna fight, eh?” Rainbow reached out to feel the air currents around her. “Well, two can play at that game!”

Rainbow began to fly in a circle around the dragon. It tried to follow after her, but she flew faster and faster, her Tempulari calling up the warm air from the valley below to mix with the cold mountain currents. The winds rose into a breeze, then a gale, then a funnel cloud that fully enveloped the dragon. Rainbow strained herself as she went as fast as she could, feeling the Element of Loyalty pushing away her doubts and accentuating her natural confidence, but nothing more. She knew all about what Undying Loyalty did, and while she'd been frightened after hearing how Luna had used it, she still wanted to have it to help her friends.

Rainbow flew clear of her creation, watching as the dragon was tossed about like a rag doll. It tried breathing fire, but the flames did nothing to help it escape the slicing winds. It was finally tossed free a short while later, its momentum carrying it forward to slam into a nearby mountain with a thunderous crack. It then tumbled into the valley, fading into the thick puffy clouds without a sound. Rainbow caught her breath as she kept an eye out for any sign of her foe's re-emergence, but the clouds remained undisturbed. She snorted, took a deep breath, and yelled down as loud as she could.

“If you think I'm stupid enough to fall for that, you're not even worth my time!”

A hole in the clouds opened directly underneath Rainbow, and a school of transparent piranhas burst forth to surround her in a vortex of teeth. Her right wing was grazed, and she yelped as her end-most feather was torn away. She took off before she was completely enveloped and the magical school gave chase. They forced her to fly back to the north, and as she did, the clouds erupted again to reveal the giant dragon lying in wait. Its eyes were mismatched, and bile leaked from its mouth.

Rainbow snickered. She zipped over the dragon, sailing low over his back and along his spine. She flew clear of his tail and continued on, anticipating that the piranhas would collide with him. They didn't. The school split into two and went around, then continued to chase after Rainbow. She kept flying north, heading towards a solitary mountain and circling around several times, but she couldn't shake the spell. Facehooving, she flew low to the clouds again, and the school dove beneath the sea of white.

“This is going nowhere fast...” Rainbow knew she'd have to think of something different if she wanted to do any kind of damage. Her Tempulari seemed to work, but she doubted the dragon would let her set up another tornado. Maybe she could hit him with some lightning if she could get him into the clouds? That'd limit her own visibility though, and she didn't know if dragons were immune to that or not. Tastar would probably know, but he was probably still back at the ca—

“There you are!”

Rainbow rounded a bend, and nearly ran into Esra and Tastar. Her eyes shrunk as the two guards approached and looked her over for any signs of injury.

“Are you all right?” Esra asked. “We saw the tor—“

The wind shifted, and Tastar caught the foul scent of sulfur. He stiffened, glancing at the bend where Rainbow had just come.

“Ruby...”

Esra paled. “You didn't.”

“Fly, you idiots!” Rainbow tried to grab them both, but Esra dodged on instinct. She didn't realize she'd missed him and took off in a burst, and at that second, the swarm of piranha burst out from the clouds. It went after Rainbow, but in the process, it went through Esra, slicing off both his wings and three of his legs.

“ESRA!” Tastar screamed.

Rainbow turned, and the color of the world bled away. She watched as Esra fell in slow motion, a surprised look etched on his face as he tried to register what had just happened. He fell through the hole in the clouds, disappearing into the valley below...

...and then the dragon came around the bend.

Rainbow's brain stopped working. She didn't hear Tastar's shouts, or feel him break free of her grip. The dragon was gone, the magical piranha didn't exist, and the world shrunk down to the hole where Esra had fallen. The horror came crashing down on her, and there was only one thing she could say in response.

“No.”

Rainbow went into a dive, dodging the piranha and going down after Esra. She felt a slight resistance as she pushed through the cloud layer, then emerged on the other side to behold a featureless, frozen wasteland. It was snowing, she was several thousand feet up, and Esra was in freefall a few hundred feet below. She kicked her body into overdrive as she sped to catch up to him, and the piranha gave chase. The dragon eyed Tastar, and decided he looked like an easier target. It inhaled again, preparing to unleash its breath weapon on the grief-stricken pegasus.

“I will gut thee like a fish.”

The dragon hesitated upon hearing its native tongue. Tastar closed with it in a flash, bucking it in a specific spot in the hollow of its throat. The dragon choked and leaned forward, but Tastar anticipated the movement. He flew around and bucked the dragon again, this time at the very tip of its snout. The dragon recoiled, clutching both its muzzle and its throat at the same time, and the swarm of magical piranha faded away. The dragon's gasps were tinged with whines of terrible pain, and Tastar cracked his neck as he spoke again in Draconic.

“Tell me, Spawn of Tiamat, which of thine eyes shall I tear out first?”

The dragon was gasping for breath, but even still, he managed gag out a single word.

“Soul-Copy...”

Tastar’s vision went red. “Left it is, then.”

Rainbow dove down after Esra, ignoring the blood spattering her face as she descended. She didn't think they'd follow her. She'd thought they'd stay in the cave for a while before going about their own business. She didn't deserve their loyalty, or anypony else's for that matter, not after being powerless to stop Cetus. When she was younger, she'd thought being a leader meant being the strongest out of anypony else, but as time went on, she realized 'strength' didn't have to be physical. Ponies pledged their loyalty to someone because they believed in them, not because they were a musclehead. If you had the charisma, inner drive, and courage to accomplish your goals, you could become a source of power that others drew strength from, and that was greater than any strength you could achieve on your own. Some saw being looked up to as a kind of pressure, but for Rainbow, it was a drug she couldn't get enough of. She wanted to be strong enough that everypony looked up to her, and she never wanted to let anyone down. She wanted to always be there, to be the flame that never died out. Unstoppable. Indefatigable.

Invincible.

“You think you can just go and die on me?!” Rainbow's screams were lost to the wind. “What about Horizon?! What about Equestria?! What about Tastar, Blair, and all the others?! Are you just gonna leave them all behind?! Was all of it for nothing?! Are you satisfied with this being the end?!”

Esra's body had gone rigid. He was barely even aware that he was falling, let alone that Rainbow was closing in on him. The outlines of his body began to blur and lose cohesion.

“DON'T YOU DARE!” The Element of Loyalty was blazing, filling Rainbow with power as she closed in on Esra, and the heat was turning the snowflakes into rain. The familiar cone of resistance formed as she accelerated, but it was cherry-red, and there were flames at the very edges.

“You've worked too hard!” Rainbow shouted. “You've pushed yourself all your life! I won't let you trip at the finish line when you've given up everything for this! I know you're like me! You never start something you can't follow through on!”

The light in Rainbow's eyes was slowly pushing out. The burning cone of resistance formed into the accursed unbreakable barrier. She was within feet of Esra now, and the ground was looming ever closer. It was close. It was always close. She lived her life on the edge, but that's what made the rewards all the sweeter. The cone narrowed and took on a faint shimmer, but Rainbow didn't notice, as the only thing she could see was Esra's slowly fading form, and her mind was filled with only one thought.

“YOU... WILL... NOT... DIE!”

Rainbow punched through the barrier with a supersonic crack, generating a massive prismatic shockwave and morphing her mane into her namesake. Her eyes became completely filled with fire, and her forehead itched. Her body became flooded with newfound strength as she grabbed Esra's ruined body, pulling away from the wastes and back up towards the clouds. As she ascended, Esra's wounds began to glow with a fiery light as his body stabilized. His bleeding stopped, his breathing evened out, and his limbs regenerated to their original forms.

Meanwhile, Tastar was dodging the attacks of the enraged dragon as he waited for an opportunity to pluck out its eyes. Gruesome fantasies of torture played out in his mind, each one more creative than the last. Tastar knew the laws of Drakkenridge, and while it was within the rights of a dragon to designate any trespassing creature in their territory as prey, only a savage would attack a sentient being. He didn't care if he got banished or sentenced to death by the Drakkenridge authorities, he was going to—

The clouds below glowed, a crack like a gunshot echoed off the mountain walls, and a multicolored shockwave surged up to and reveal the lands beneath. Tastar and the dragon looked down, and Rainbow flew up and past both of them in a scorching blur. She landed on a nearby ledge, set down Esra, then turned to face them.

Rainbow's eyes were fully filled orbs of fire that glowed with trails of plasma. Her mane and tail waved in a wind generated by the heat of her body, and her wings twitched with barely contained power. She was enveloped in a corona of scarlet light, and most surprising of all, a long, fluted horn protruded from her forehead, resting between her red and orange forelocks.

Tastar's jaw dropped. “Rainbow?!”

“Get out of the way, Tastar.”

A chill went up Tastar's spine. Rainbow's voice sounded like the roar of an inferno, and even from three hundred feet away, he'd heard her loud and clear. The dragon was also looking on in surprise, and so didn't notice when Tastar obeyed her request.

“What are you going to do?”

Rainbow turned at the voice behind her. Esra was looking at her in awe as he unsteadily got to his hooves.

“...if the time ever comes that you have to kill another living, breathing, thinking creature, you will hesitate.”

The dragon bellowed at Rainbow. It flew at her and Esra, opening its mouth to cast another spell.

“Prove you wrong,” she replied.

Rainbow's corona brightened, and she launched herself at the dragon, flapping her wings as hard as she could. She rocketed forth at the speed of sound, generating another prismatic shockwave as she entered the dragon's mouth. There was a flicker of black, a sensation of tearing through several warm and squishy things, and she then re-emerged back into the light. The dragon was instantly killed, and it shuddered once before crashing headfirst into the mountain and plummeting down into the valley.

Esra was knocked off his hooves by the shockwave, and Tastar was blown away. It took them several seconds to recover, and during that time, Rainbow circled around, staring dimly at the sparkling explosion she'd left in her wake.

“I did it...”

Indeed she had. Her second goal, the holy grail of aerial stunts, the legendary move she'd worked so hard to attain and perform at will, the Sonic Rainboom was hers at long last.

Too bad that wasn't what she was referring to.

Rainbow looked down at her bloodstained hooves, then back at where the dragon had been. The Element of Loyalty dimmed, and Rainbow's appearance returned to normal. An odd numbness replaced the warmth that had been in her chest, and it was only a few seconds later when Rainbow snapped out of her daze that she realized Esra and Tastar had been right after all.

“I see,” Rainbow murmured.

“See what?”

Rainbow jumped at the voice. She turned, and hovering before her was a tiny orange dragon no larger than Spike. Its frilled wings rippled elegantly like a manta ray, and its head was covered with a sweeping fluted plate shaped like a plowshare. It stared at her with deep, faded eyes that were like glowing molten orbs.

“What do you see?” The new dragon repeated in a deep, gravelly voice. “What clarity has this bloodshed bestowed upon you?”

“Uh...” Rainbow said.

“We say the act of taking a life reveals one's soul,” the dragon explained. “Now that you've seen that the flame of life is a fragile thing, are you disturbed at how easily it can be snuffed out? Or have you found pleasure in destruction, and thirst for more?”

Rainbow wrinkled her brow. “Probably... closer to... the first one?”

The dragon scratched it's chin. “I find that hard to believe, considering your method of execution. Why didn't you run away?”

“Look,” Rainbow said. “In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not in the greatest of moods right now. Red boy started it, he wanted to play for keeps, I took him up on it, my guards got caught in the crossfire, and he almost killed one of them. As far as I'm concerned, he got what he deserved.”

The dragon chuckled, a dry, raspy sound like two rocks being rubbed together. “I'm not condemning your act, young one. I merely wished to learn your motives. Ertrasziveux the Ruthless has been the terror of the Valley of Slaves for three hundred years. Disembowelment is a merciful fate compared to what we had in store for him.”

Rainbow blinked. “What?”

“Who are you, by the way?” the dragon raised a claw in a dismissive gesture. “Never mind, that's plainly obvious. What are you doing in Chromatic territory? Does your mother know you're here?”

Rainbow cocked her head. “What does my mom got to do wi—“

“Hey!”

Esra and Tastar flew up to them. Tastar's eyes momentarily lingered on Rainbow's forehead, but he did a double take when he saw the orange dragon beside her.

“Aasterinian?!” Tastar said. “For the love of Io, please say that's you.”

Aasterinian regarded Tastar. “You're the Sevaregpos of Sagittarius the Learned. I haven't seen you since your parole hearing twenty years ago. Do you realize what your charge has done?”

A grin crept up on Tastar's face. “If you're here? Probably not, but I'd be very, very interested to find out.”

Another roar pierced the mountain air, followed by a second, a third, and then a much louder, deeper one that made the three ponies’ hairs stand on end.

“What was that?” Rainbow asked.

“Ignorance is bliss.” Aasterinian cleared her throat. “On behalf of my master, I offer the three of you sanctuary. Do you accept?”

Esra and Tastar looked to Rainbow.

“Wait.” She looked between the two of them. “You want me to decide?”

Tastar shrugged. “You once told us that everypony has two options. We've made ours.”

“You're not the only one who holds loyalty in high regard, Rainbow.” Esra met her eyes with a fervent gaze. “You just saved my life, and it's true we screwed up back in Canterlot. I believe you really can make this world a better place, so if you're willing to have us, we'll follow you.”

The Element of Loyalty began to flicker again, but Rainbow pushed it down. She wanted to have them with her, but they'd slow her down drastically. Then again, she didn't really have a plan once she got back to Equestria, and Tastar seemed to know this dragon. Maybe she could get some help if she went with them? Or at the very least, a warm place to sleep for the night. Sleeping on clouds was fine and all, but it wasn’t the safest thing to do in hostile territory.

Rainbow nodded. “We'll go with you, Ast... asterni... You got a nickname I can call you by?”

Aasterinian gave her an elegant bow. “You may call me Rin. Now, take my claw.”

Rainbow scrunched her eyebrows. “What for?”

“To teleport, of course.”

“Oh, cool!” Rainbow extended her hoof. “I've always wanted to try that!”

“You've never done it before?” Aasterinian frowned. “I'd have thought your mother would've at least taught you the basics by now.”

“My mom's not a unicorn,” Rainbow said. “And why do you keep talking about her? Have you met her or something?”

Something seemed to dawn on Tastar. He snorted loudly and put a hoof over his lips.

“Several times,” Aasterinian said. “She and my master have been friends for a long time.”

Esra's lips parted. He gave Rainbow a strange look, then looked away to try and hide his smile.

“I think Mom would've told me if she'd been to Drakkenridge,” Rainbow said dryly. “You've got me confused with somepony else.”

“I sincerely doubt that,” Rin replied calmly. “Though I must say, my master's going to be quite surprised. Princess Celestia never mentioned she had a daughter.”

“Yeah, well she—“ Rainbow whipped over to Aasterinian. “WHAT?!”

Esra and Tastar burst out laughing.

“Come now, don't try to deny it.” Aasterinian looked Rainbow up and down. “A jewel-inlaid collar, wings and a horn, a rainbow mane and tail, rose-colored eyes, incredible fire-based magic, and a Royal Guard escort? Who else could you possibly be?”

Rainbow's reply died in her throat. She looked over at Esra and Tastar, who were both grinning like idiots. Their eyes strayed to her forehead, and with a shaky hoof, she reached up to feel the solid chunk of keratin sticking out of her head.

“No way...”

The roars sounded again, this time much louder, and much closer.

“Forgive me, Your Highness,” Tastar said, “but I think it's best if we were off?”

Rainbow made a note that he was very much not forgiven, but she'd deal with him later. She grabbed Rin's claw, and the four of them vanished in a flash.

It's a very strange sensation to wake up with your eyes open. It's even stranger to discover that your limbs are unresponsive. Those things combined would be enough to make anyone panic, but combine them with standing on a balcony in front of a courtyard filled with ponies in military uniform? It was understandable why Rarity tried to scream.

All of all the times to wake up. Eclipse sighed. Good to see we're getting off on the right hoof.

Rarity ceased her struggling at the voice. It was cold and condescending, but didn't cause her any physical pain.

Who are you? Her thoughts were forceful and rushed. Where am I? Why can't I move?!

Eclipse daintily scratched their nose. Can you hold off on the freak-out until later? We're in the middle of something here.

Tell me what's going on! Rarity demanded. How did I get here?!

Ugh. Eclipse shifted their eyes up and to the right, 'Celestia' stood next to her, addressing the crowd of soldiers in a loud, authoritative voice.

What's going on is that Cetus is briefing the military on the situation. Your friends and Princess Luna have gone missing, and she's sending them out across Equestria to track them down. As for how we got here, I teleported us, but I can't believe you never learned how. Why in heaven's name would you skimp out on learning such a useful spell?

Tele—The last vestiges of drowsiness melted away. Wait, my friends are missing?!

Don't have the slightest idea where they went, Eclipse said. Though that's not as bad a thing as you might think.

How could my friends being gone possibly be good?! Rarity said. And why did you call Princess Celestia 'Cetus?'

I'm afraid Celestia's gone on a long-deserved vacation. Eclipse bowed as Cetus gestured to her. Equestria's under new management now, and you and I have been reduced to whimpering lapdogs. You can call me Eclipse, by the way.

Lapdogs?! Rarity made a note of disgust. What kind of boorish lout would do such a thing to a Lady?!

Eclipse chuckled. The same boorish lout that stuck me in your body. I assure you that the dissatisfaction of our arrangement is mutual.

Why can't I move? Are you doing that?

Cetus gave me orders to keep you under control, Eclipse said simply. I advise you to not try and fight me. The consequences will be excruciatingly painful, and I'd much rather we get along.

The urge to lash out was strong. Rarity wanted nothing more than to fight tooth and hoof for control of her body, but something quelled her mutinous desires. She forced herself to relax. Where are you? Inside my head, I mean.

Rarity felt a presence brush against her mind. It was dark, heavy, and had a disjointed feeling to it. Hmm. It seems I can't see your thoughts now that your lifeforce has recovered... how unfortunate. Let's draw some boundaries then, shall we?

Rarity recoiled as a barrier of impenetrable shadow formed between the two of them. Their minds were separated, but Eclipse still retained control.

That's your side, and this is mine. No sense in getting touchy-feely if neither of us can see the other's thoughts.

There was a loud clapping as the soldiers saluted as one. They marched out of the courtyard, and Cetus turned to Eclipse.

“We've just a little under two months until the Temporal Stasis spell ends. Head to Whinnyapolis, then make your way east to Stalliongrad. Continue your search until you reach the Foal Mountains, and if you haven't found any sign of them by then, return to Canterlot for further instructions.”

Eclipse nodded. “You wish for me to keep my search within Equestria, then?”

Cetus raised her head to look out beyond the courtyard. “I've sent envoys to Gildesdale, Drakkenridge, Tarandus, and Dromardia. I'm not going to bother with Antelese, as it's doubtful they've crossed the ocean. I know Twilight Sparkle is still in northern Equestria, and I want you to track her down.”

“As you wish,” Eclipse replied.

The barrier may have separated them, but even still, Rarity could feel the boiling rage emanating from Eclipse.

Not a fan of her, I see.

You could say that. Eclipse turned and walked off the balcony. Cetus is the mastermind of this game. I can't beat her by myself, and as long as she's in control, we'll both be her slaves until she decides we’re no longer of any use. You want to be free, yes? You wish to live, and see your friends and family again? What say we work together to bring her down?

Rarity could barely believe what she was hearing. It'd been one thing to for Harmony to say things were going to happen in a certain way, but it was a quite another to see it actually come to pass. It made her recent experience all the more powerful, and the conversation she'd had stand out even more in her memory.

“What do you mean, play along?”

“I mean you should help her with her plans,” Harmony said. “This is the second important thing you need to know: Evil inevitably destroys itself. Cetus and Eclipse may share a common goal, but neither of them will ever be subservient to the other. They'll be plotting and scheming against each other at every turn, and if you agree to help Eclipse along, you'll suddenly find yourself not at the mercy of a cruel torturer, but in a partnership with a powerful ally.”

“You said she's unstable, though,” Rarity pointed out. “How do I know she won't stab me in the back the first chance she gets?”

Harmony smirked. “Oh, she will. That's why you need to stab her first.”

Rarity slowly closed her eyes. “So you want me to be like you, watching and whispering unseen, helping along the two most dangerous creatures in the world as they sabotage their own efforts. You'd have me connive, subvert, and deceive, all the while making it seem like they're the ones calling the shots in an effort to make them destroy themselves.”

“It's kind of like chess,” Harmony said. “Only the board is three-dimensional, and the pieces are imbalanced psychopaths.”

Rarity exhaled out her nose. “So be it. To keep my friends and family safe, to protect myself from harm, to bring about the end of these deviants and ultimately bring about your freedom, I'll cast in my lot with the shadows.”

Harmony knelt down and nuzzled Rarity's cheek. “Don’t lose hope. Only offer your help when asked, don't try to tell either of them what to do, and above all else, don’t let either of them see your heart. I promise everything will work out in the end, so long as you let things happen at their own pace.”

Perhaps this wouldn't be so hard, after all. It'd require perfect acting, a meticulous eye for detail, a touch of flair, the ability to see the big picture while staying involved in the specifics, and the patience to see things through to the end, but those were things Rarity had refined in her years as an entrepreneur, and deception was something she'd mastered thanks to dealing with her mother for so long. Yes, she could indeed do this, all she needed to do was play it safe, and she'd be freed and reunited with the others in no time.

Rarity put on her best poker face, set aside her morals, and gave her reply in a sly, mischievous tone.

“What did you have in mind?”

Chapter 25: Rivals and Relics

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Chapter 25:

Rivals and Relics

The Hollow Shades were once a holy place. Nestled in the heart of a pine forest in northern Equestria, the valley's natural affinity for lunar magic caused the trees to grow to titanic size. So large, in fact, they stretched up to conceal the sun, letting only weak rays filter through and leaving the valley in a state of perpetual twilight. In addition, the land was riddled with a complex system of caves that lead down for miles into the earth. Scholars once flocked to the place to study the effects and application of lunar magic, the most notable of these being Princess Luna herself. She constructed a tower to conduct her experiments, which was later converted into a stronghold during the War of the Sun and Moon. Known as the Tower of Lunacy, it was here that Princess Celestia recovered the Elements of Harmony in the last battle and used them to banish Nightmare Moon.

The raindrops fell with a light pitter-patter as Shining stood at the edge of a muddy slope, beholding what he assumed was the town of Transylmane. Princess Celestia had declared the Hollow Shades forbidden after the war, but a group of scholars convinced her to repeal the decree, and the town was founded shortly after. It didn't surprise Shining that Twilight was here of all places, but if Cetus was going to be searching for her and the other Bearers, there was a high chance this'd be one of the first places she'd look.

What did surprise him, though, was that Transylmane looked like it was under siege. A blood-red forcefield encased the entire settlement, and hastily-made barricades constructed of everything from carts and fence posts to tree trunks and furniture were erected at the entrances. Windows were boarded, doors were reinforced, and the few ponies Shining saw in the streets looked haggard and worn. Just before the town was a grassy field a hundred yards long, whereupon stood two ponies on opposite sides. The first was a unicorn Shining had never seen before, and the other was Twilight. His sister’s mane and tail were matted and unkempt, her coat was pale, her posture was slumped, her eyes were filled with manic yearning as she twitched her head like a bird, and she coughed as she stood shivering in the rain.

Shining sucked in a sharp breath as he beheld Twilight’s appearance. Every single one of his military instructors had told him time and time again that charging headfirst into an unknown scenario is one of the worst things you can do. Those that run blindly into battle are the first to fall, and brashness can cost somepony their life in a delicate situation. When presented with the unknown, a good soldier will always step back, assess the predicament, identify the surroundings, weigh their options, then take the best course of action.

Shining knew all of this. He'd known this procedure for years, had practiced it dozens of times of dozens of encounters and scenarios, and because of it, he'd managed to avoid several fights and other undesirable outcomes. Yet upon seeing his only sibling, miserable, sickly, alone, and about to duel against a completely healthy opponent, his mind blanked, and he growled out a very simple statement.

“No one picks on my little sister.”

Shining focused on the middle of the field, intending to teleport there, but found that his magic was foiled by some strange, unknown force. That alone should've been cause for hesitation, but Shining wasn't in the mood to analyze. He put the Crown of Magic inside his robes, then jumped onto the slippery dirt slope, going into a crouch and sliding down the hill. He picked up speed as he descended, taking care to dodge a few rocks sticking out here and there.

The duel began. Twilight's opponent fired a drab violet ray that spun like a corkscrew, but Twilight teleported away, re-appearing to the right of her foe. Her horn flashed, and there was a hissing sound as the ground beneath around them gained a thick layer of ice. Twilight's opponent was caught off guard, and she slipped and fell to her knees.

Shining furrowed his brow. It appeared that Blair had been giving Twilight some lessons. He looked over at the guard in question, who was standing at the other edge of the field with Piro and Ace. Blair was wearing his silver Battlemage robe, Piro was wearing a pair of bulging saddlebags with crosses on them, and Ace wore a chain shirt along with a quartet of longswords that hung at his sides. Their manes and tails were unkempt, and their eyes held a steely glint as they looked on from the sidelines. Why weren't they helping? Their job was to protect Twilight, not stand by and watch as she dueled other Mages!

Twilight prepared to cast another spell, but her opponent's outline flickered. Her eyes widened, and she teleported away just in time to avoid being hit by a series of red swirling bolts from behind. Twilight's opponent reappeared, her horn and eyes both glowing cherry-red as the amulet around her neck thrummed with power.

If Shining had been thinking clearly, he might've thought it strange that his sister was able to teleport, while he could not. Alas, the thought didn't register with him. He was now moving at an impressive clip down the slope, and after a few more seconds, he judged that he was now within earshot of his fellow guards.

“LIEUTENANT!”

Blair jumped at the familiar voice. He looked, and saw Shining sliding down the hill towards him, not looking even the slightest bit happy about what he saw.

Blair's lips parted. “...Captain?”

“STOP THIS DUEL, NOW!”

Piro and Ace reared and waved their forehooves at Shining, shouting something at the top of their lungs, but he didn’t bother to hear what they were saying. If these three were going to try and make up some kind of pathetic excuse for letting Twilight fight somepony alone, they had another thing c—

Shining had an instant to be surprised before his mind was blanked by a massive shock running through his body. The air crackled and pulsed with lances of multicolored electricity, and a current of unknown magic ripped and tore at him. His momentum carried him mercifully on, but he lost his balance and was sent tumbling down the rest of the hill. His robes and coat became plastered with mud, and he landed face-first in a puddle with a splat.

The guards stood still for a moment, staring open-mouthed at the spectacle, torn between confusion, horror, and amusement. Ace was the one who finally managed to break the silence.

“He got through?”

“So it is one-way,” Blair said.

“Damn it!” Piro galloped over to Shining, who was still lying on the ground. “Captain! Don't move!”

Shining was all too happy to oblige. The world was spinning, and lights flashed in his eyes. His normally white coat was now an earthy brown, and he groaned as Piro got to him and began sweeping his horn over his body.

“What in Celestia's name was that...” Shining said.

“What we were trying to warn you about.” Piro looked up at where Shining had entered, which was still shimmering with a faint coloration before fading away. “Good to see you, Captain. As always, you know how to make an entrance.”

Meanwhile, Twilight was chanting an incantation through clenched teeth when she saw her guards run off. She turned to look, but as she did, a twisting pattern of subtle, shifting colors appeared before her eyes. She gagged and looked away, shouting out to her opponent as she did.

“Hold on!” Twilight said. “My friends just went off—“

“Trixie cares not for your allies!” Trixie was standing to Twilight's left, holding a long silk rope in her magic. “Trixie cares only for victory!”

The rope shot forward. Twilight willed her stomach to stop rolling, and finished her incantation. A shimmering screen of violet energy appeared before her, and the rope passed through, falling limply to the ground as the magic animating it was dispelled.

Twilight coughed and managed a smirk. “Trixie's going to be disappointed, then.”

“Are you all right, sir?” Blair asked. Both he and Ace were standing at attention and saluting as Piro helped Shining to his hooves. His body was still tingling, much like when he'd been struck by lightning by Cetus.

“I've been better.” Shining looked over at Twilight, who had now turned the rain into snowballs and was flinging them at her opponent. “Blair, might I ask why you're allowing my sister to duel in her current state?”

Blair opened his mouth to reply, but Piro cut him off. “Twilight's condition is only going to get worse the longer we stay here, sir. Her opponent's name is Trixie, and we believe she has something to do with the magic trapping us here. The goal of the duel is only to incapacitate, and Twilight is dueling her in order to enlist her cooperation so that we may escape before Cetus and Eclipse locate us.”

There was a faint buzzing sound, and the air around Trixie began to vibrate. Twilight's snowballs veered off course, flying away in all directions and splattering to the ground. Trixie tried to get around Twilight's Dispelling Screen by teleporting, but Twilight simply turned to face her again, the screen staying directly in front of her as she moved.

Shining blinked as he processed what Piro said. He looked at each of the guards in turn.

“You... know about Cetus? How—”

Blair tapped the side of his head. “Our host informed us of the events in Canterlot and Ponyville last night. He knows where the other Bearers have been sent, but he's chosen to keep that information to himself.”

“For their safety,” Ace added. “If Cetus absorbs any of us, she'll know where they are, too.”

Trixie's outline flickered again, and several duplicates sprang out from where she stood, spreading out to encircle Twilight. Twilight tried to teleport away, but before she could, one of Trixie's duplicates shot a fireball at her from the side.

“Your sister is aware of what's happened, as well,” Blair continued. “It's true that she's ill, but as Piro said, the only cure is to get her out of this blasted place. I voiced my concerns about directly confronting Trixie, but Piro and Ace insisted it was the best thing to do.”

Piro and Ace exchanged a glance. Ace jerked his head at Blair, but Piro shook his head. They both looked away before either Blair or Shining noticed.

Shining rubbed his head, ignoring the mud seeping down his face. It was clear there was a lot going on here, and he wasn't going to get anywhere without understanding the context. A semblance of calm returned to him as he took a deep breath, and met Blair's eyes with a calm, calculated gaze.

“Brief me in on the situation.”

Twilight turned her Dispelling Screen to intercept the fireball, but it was a fake. The real Trixie threw a small dart at Twilight from her left, but before it could hit, four walls of smooth, unbroken ice materialized around Twilight, deflecting the dart and shielding her from view.

Blair straightened and spoke in a clear voice. “We left Ponyville ten days ago. In that time, we told Twilight of our origins, made a brief stop at Neighgra Falls, then went to the base of the Foal Mountains to give her a safe environment to experiment with her growing magic and Absorption power.”

“How'd that go?” Shining asked.

Blair's gaze shifted to the side. “Twilight's had more than enough experience with control, so we focused on making her comfortable with using more powerful spells. As you know, those of the Evocation school take the most energy to cast, but as your sister's studies have been purely academic, she'd never cast any before.”

Trixie and her mirror images laughed at Twilight's obstruction. Their horns glowed, and a loud ringing noise sounded out that rose to a powerful crescendo. The walls of ice vibrated and cracked, but before they could break, there was a violet flash from within. The walls of ice melted into walls of water, which then rushed out in all directions. Trixie's mirror images vanished in the waves, and the real Trixie yelped as she was swept down the field.

“That doesn't seem to be the case anymore,” Shining observed.

“Yes, sir,” Blair agreed. “Pardon the analogy, but we decided to 'kill two birds with one stone,' and have her absorb some spells from us. Princess Celestia told me in her original briefing that Twilight's desire to acquire more spells will increase if she learns more than a few a day, so we limited it to three.”

Trixie coughed and spluttered as she was washed away. She kept her head above water long enough to chant something, and the ground beneath her rose up in a stone pillar, lifting her out of the water and several feet into the air. Her eyes flashed red again, and she sagged as she clutched the amulet around her neck with a whimper. Her hoof strayed to the inside of her robes, grasping at something inside. She regained her composure after a few deep breaths, and resumed like nothing had happened.

Shining raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying my sister has learned thirty new spells in ten days?”

“Twenty-two,” Blair corrected. “She learned four on accident when she fully recovered on the first day, and hasn't learned any new ones since we arrived in the Hollow Shades three days ago. Piro and Ace have contributed a few here and there, but most of them are from me.”

“You hear that, Ace?” Piro nudged his shoulder. “We're helpers!”

Ace rolled his eyes. “Huzzah.”

Trixie looked around for Twilight, but didn't see her, so she began to cast another spell. As she did, a watery whip crept up from behind, wrapped around one of her hooves, and plucked her off the pillar to hover in midair. A portion of the whip broke away, and Twilight's upper body formed, staring at Trixie with a hungry look in her eyes.

Shining felt an enormous swell of sibling pride, but managed to keep a straight face. “Twenty-two spells in seven days is quite the accomplishment.”

“With all due respect, sir, it's frightening.” Ace sat on his haunches. “At the rate of three spells a day, Twilight can learn twenty-one spells a week, ninety spells a month, one thousand ninety-five spells a year. At that rate alone, she has the potential to learn more spells in her lifetime than there are currently in existence.”

Trixie met Twilight's eyes with a sneer. She sucked in a breath, and spoke a single, powerful word that struck Twilight like a physical blow. Twilight screamed and melted back into the water, releasing Trixie and disappearing again.

Shining lowered his eyes. “I spoke with Princess Luna about that. She told me that while the desire for knowledge, or ‘thirst,' as she called it, is always there, it can be satiated for long periods of time by creating new spells, instead of learning old ones. She said that creating one new spell a year was enough for her, but Twilight might need to do more since the Element of Magic is physically residing inside her.”

The swell of pride turned into a tsunami. Shining's face broke into a huge grin, his military facade falling away as he beamed at his sibling.

“Either way, Mom's gonna freak.”

The water had now subsided, leaving the field a sodden, soggy mess. Trixie teleported back onto the pillar, and there was a loud cracking sound as a long whip of blue force appeared in her outstretched hoof. She snapped it several times above the ground, making a terrible, cacophonous din, and a puddle of water suddenly sprung to life and fled down the field. Trixie burst out into riotous laughter as she watched it run away.

Blair ran a hoof through his mane. “Twilight was able to perform all the spells she absorbed from us without effort, and wasn't showing any signs of Magical Fatigue, so we decided to continue until she did. She cast spell after spell, but what we quickly discovered was that the Element of Magic replenishes her font at a phenomenal rate.”

“While it’s active, anyway,” Piro cut in. “Twilight’s power is measured by two things: The size of her font, and her Element's ability to replenish it. We got her to go into Magical Fatigue after about an hour of her chain-casting Blair's higher level ice spells, but she only needed a few minutes of rest before she was ready to go again. It’s not infinite magic, per se, but it’s as close as you’re ever gonna get.”

The blob of water extended out another tendril, stretching it out to cover half the length of the field. The edge of the water glittered as it swung around wildly, slicing Trixie’s pillar to pieces. Trixie abandoned it and landed roughly on the ground, dodging the chunks of rock falling around her as she rolled away.

“So then,” Shining said. “What brought you all here? And why are you dressed for combat? Is it in case Cetus or Eclipse comes?”

“Not completely,” Blair replied. “To start, Twilight's been curious about this place ever since we told her about our origins. When she realized it was nearby, she requested—“

Piro let out a cough that suspiciously sounded like 'demanded.'

Blair was undeterred. “That we take her to see it. We arrived three days ago, and things were fine until—“

The blob of water came speeding towards them. It stopped a dozen feet away from them, then reverted back into Twilight, who stared directly at them with cloudy, unfocused eyes. She swore, then raised a glowing hoof and traced out a complex symbol in the air. The symbol hovered in place for a moment, then shone a pulse of light into Twilight's eyes, which caused her to recoil as her vision slowly returned.

Twilight let out a loud hacking cough. “That was cheap. Can't, ugh... can't get close again....“

“Twily.”

Twilight waved a dismissive hoof at Shining and turned back to Trixie. “Not now, I'm in the middle of—”

Twilight stiffened as the nicknamed registered. She slowly turned back around, her eyes going wide as she recognized the muddy newcomer.

“Shining?!”

Shining smiled. “Hi.”

Twilight stammered as her brother walked towards her, her brain doing somersaults as she tried to grasp the implications of his presence. Shining reached out to her, but as he did, a series of silver strings struck Twilight from behind, attaching themselves to her joints and yanking her back several feet.

“Ack!”

The source of the strings was Trixie, who had moved to the center of the field.

“Get back here, Twilight Sparkle!” Trixie gave the strings another tug. “Trixie's not done with you yet!”

Twilight gritted her teeth, and a tiny red ball appeared on the end of her horn. She tossed back her head, and the ball flew back behind her in an arc, landing on the ground in front of Trixie.

“Oh.” Piro recognized one of the spells he'd given Twilight. “Um... guys? Might wanna shut your eyes.”

The ball exploded with a blinding flash. Trixie shrieked and lost her spell, freeing Twilight and staggering away. She pulled out a small black ball from her robes and threw it on the ground, causing a thick cloud of coiling vapor to rise up and obscure everypony's vision.

Twilight coughed as she waved away the mist. It cleared away after a few seconds, but it was too late; Trixie was nowhere to be found. Twilight flattened her ears and looked around, but she moved her head too quickly, and was struck by another wave of nausea. Her knees gave out as she retched, but before she could fall, a strong pair of hooves reached out and caught her.

“Whoa, there.”

Shining stood next to Twilight as he held her steady. His face was dirty, but his eyes were clear as he gently brushed her mane out of her eyes. Conflicting emotions arose within Twilight, tearing her thoughts to pieces as she decided how best to deal with her brother. Finally, she stood up, backed away from him, and took in a huge breath.

“HigoodtoseeyoubusynowhavetotalklaterBlaircantellyouwhat'sgoingonandgowashyourselfoffyou'refilthy.”

Twilight teleported away. Shining blinked once, shrugged, then wiped his face off with his robe and turned back to Blair and the others.

“You were saying?”

Blair scrunched his eyebrows. “Did you understand that?”

Shining chuckled. “I'm fluent in Twilight-ese.”

Twilight reappeared in the center of the field, looking around for Trixie. The first thought was to use Truesight to sniff her out, but she didn't want to make herself sicker than she already was. She wanted to end this, but her opponent was going to hide until she thought she had an advantage. A bigger spell might force Trixie out of hiding, but it might also hurt her, and as tempting as it was, Twilight didn't actually want that.

“Come on out, Trixie!” Twilight called. “Or do you admit that your pathetic little Alicorn Amulet is no match for the Element of Magic?!”

The air erupted with a scream. Twilight winced as the vicious noise ravaged her eardrums, but she muttered out a quick spell, and the air around her vibrated with a low dissonance. The screaming died out, and Trixie appeared a short ways away, her eyes streaked with red as she stormed towards Twilight.

“The only thing Trixie will admit is that Twilight Sparkle is a fraud who relies on the power of ancient relics instead of her own natural talent!”

Blair cleared his throat. “As I was saying, things were fine until three days ago, which was when the barrier appeared. The sky suddenly darkened, there was a crackling sound, and a multicolored thickness settled above the entire valley like a dome. Anything that tries to leave is violently rejected, though as you demonstrated, sir, the blockage only goes one way.”

Piro sighed. “We’ve been trapped here ever since. We’ve been working over the last few days to try and figure out how to break through it, but our progress has been hampered by a few... complications.”

Shining noted the apprehension in Piro’s voice, noting that his gaze kept flicking over to Blair.

“Such as?”

Twilight waved her hooves at Trixie from within her shield, sticking out her tongue and blowing a raspberry. Trixie lowered her chin dangerously as she bared her teeth in a snarl.

“Trixie hates ponies like you. Spoiled, self-absorbed, narcissistic nobles, groomed for success and acting like a bunch of primped and pampered porcelain dolls! Have you ever suffered, Twilight Sparkle?! Do you know what it’s like be mocked and shunned by your peers? Have you ever been looked down on for no reason other than your lineage? Who are you to think you’re better than Trixie?! Who is anyone to convict a child for the sins of their parents?!”

Twilight gestured once to her ears, then to the barrier around her. Trixie recognized the spell as a Zone of Silence, and she let out a scream of rage.

“TRIXIE WILL BREAK YOU!” The Alicorn Amulet glowed ominously as it shot out violent bolts of energy. “Trixie’s going to savor the look on your face as you taste failure and despair, and your anguished sobs will be the sweetest lullaby to her ears!”

“Twilight’s become extremely sensitive to magic due to her Element fully recovering,” Blair explained. “She can pick up all kinds of information about a spell just from being in the vicinity of it, such as when it was cast, how it functions, the amount of energy put into it, how long it’s going to last, even the magical signature of the original caster.”

“Which is how we found out that this barrier was made by Nightmare Moon herself over one thousand years ago to serve as a kind of security system,” Piro said. “Its function is to keep all individuals who haven’t been affected by her Undying Loyalty power trapped inside. Twilight can sense the magic, and because it’s reeking with corruption, it’s making her physically ill.”

The ground rumbled as Trixie stamped her hoof. The rock cracked and heaved, and Twilight lost her footing as she was dumped her into a shallow hole and buried waist-deep in rubble. Trixie hissed out several words, and there was the telltale click of a Dimensional Lock. Trixie stepped inside Twilight’s Zone of Silence, and then summoned something unexpected—an ornate violin with a black and white spiral pattern etched on its body.

“At least that’s all it’s doing.” Ace exhaled out his nose. “We thought at first she was going to go insane and be turned into one of Nightmare Moon’s minions, but it’s either more complicated than that, or she’s resisting it somehow. In either case, it’s not good for Twilight to be here much longer, or us either, for that matter.”

Shining saw Ace’s eyes flick over to Blair, just like Piro’s had. It was obvious something was going on between the Echoes, but Shining decided to let it pass for now, as he wanted to address more pressing matters.

“What happens if Twilight activates the Element of Magic?” Shining asked.

Blair cringed. “Her symptoms worsen greatly. She tried using her Absorption power on the first day to see if she could figure out how the barrier worked, and it made her vomit and pass out. She hasn’t used it since.”

Twilight gasped as she saw the instrument. She tried to teleport away, but Trixie’s lock held her fast. She pushed against the rocks, but couldn’t get free. Her mind whirred with what spell to use, but before she could choose, Trixie set the bow to the strings, and played out a beautiful, haunting melody.

Shining looked over at Twilight. He jolted as he saw her trapped, but then noticed the slight distortion in the air a dozen feet away from Trixie. He grinned, then turned his back to the duel and lowered his voice to a whisper.

“Did you tell her she has Earth Pony magic now, too?”

Piro gave a lopsided smirk. “We actually forgot about that at first. It wasn't until we were in the Foal Mountains that we remembered and told her. Geomancy's extremely subtle, and she looks physically the same, though I did give her an examination, and noticed her body's undergone several internal changes, most notably to her immune system.”

“I still say she's grown about an inch,” Ace said.

“And I still say you're delusional,” Piro replied smoothly.

Blair raised his eyes to the sky. “Twilight was surprised, to say in the least, but what with everything else that's been going on, she hasn't had much time to dwell on it. She's looking forward to getting wings, but in all honesty, that's the last thing she needs right now. Her sensitivity will double when she gets her neckla—er, big crown... thingy, and she's barely hanging on as it is.”

Twilight’s struggling slowly ceased as she heard the music. Her eyelids fluttered, and she slumped as she fell into an enchanted slumber. Her face contorted in a series of emotions, starting at joy, then surprise, and then quickly turning to horror as a brutal nightmare ravaged her psyche. She screamed, but Trixie’s music kept her under, tormenting her further as she continued to play.

Shining clucked his tongue, looking down at the ground for a moment. He then reached into his robes, slowly pulling out the Crown of Magic to show to the guards.

“So you're saying I shouldn't give this to her, then.”

Three jaws dropped. The guards gaped at the Crown for several seconds before Blair managed out a whisper.

“How...”

“Princess Luna.” Shining placed the Crown back in his robes. “This is a direct order—do not, under any circumstance, let ANYONE know I have this in my possession, not even my sister. I'll let her know myself once we've gotten out of this place. Understood?”

The guards spoke as one. “Yes, sir.”

Trixie laughed as she looked down at Twilight, who was still in the thrall of her spell. She was about to declare victory, but that’s when she noticed that Twilight’s body was becoming... transparent. A second later, ‘Twilight’ had dissolved into a puddle, leaving Trixie alone in the Zone.

“Water Clone,” Trixie spat. She tried to move away, but as she did, several rubbery black tentacles sprouted out from the ground, entwining themselves around her and pinning her to the ground with a splurch.

Shining flicked a piece of mud out of his mane. “Now then, about our current situation. From what you've told me, I can gather we're trapped inside an Inverted Type-S Environmental Condition Barrier. Impressive, to be sure, but not impregnable. There are three options of escape available to us: The first is to break it by generating a force greater than, or equal to the power maintaining it, but if we don't have enough, the magic'll rebound on us and turn us into crispy critters. The second is to bypass it by meeting or tricking its conditions, but copying the magical signature of an ancient corrupted relic in any way, shape or form sounds both equally difficult and insane. The third and most plausible option would be to find the barrier's source of power and disable it. The spell may have originally been made by Nightmare Moon, but if it only came into effect three days ago, it was most likely placed in a focus and given a trigger of some kind. It must've been set off by an external source, and depending on whether its activation was accidental or not, that may produce a completely new set of problems. A Type-S can only be maintained from the inside, and the focus needs to be near the point of diffusion, which is to say, the center. So, in order to disable the barrier, we need to travel to the heart of the Hollow Shades, locate the focus that's powering the spell, and destroy it.”

Ace facehooved as he looked over at Piro and Blair.

“He just figured out in a few minutes what we've been arguing about for the last two days.”

“You’re surprised?” Piro snickered. “Come on, can't you see the family resemblance?”

Blair kept his attention on Shining. “We came to a similar conclusion last night. We've been making plans to travel to the center of the valley since then.”

“And those plans somehow involve my sister dueling a rambling, shrieking Magus who speaks in the third person.” Shining scratched his chin. “Do tell.”

Trixie was now caught in the Zone of Silence and her own Dimensional Lock, and as she struggled, the temperature began to drop around her. She shivered and looked up, and saw that a small black cloud had formed directly above her. The rain turned into driving sleet, and it hammered down on her as it completely obscured her vision. Twilight appeared thirty feet away, panting as she continued her assault.

“So a few ponies making fun of you... gives you the right to be mean and nasty... to everypony else?!” Twilight shook her head. “That's quite possibly the stupidest thing... I've ever heard. I never wanted special treatment... I wanted to be left alone with my studies... and my friends. You've no right to judge me... any more than anypony else... has the right to judge you! Maybe... instead of projecting your problems onto others... you should practice what you preach!”

Piro raised a hoof. “Trixie's an unregistered Illusionist who arrived in Transylmane a week before us. According to the locals, she presented herself as a traveling performer, and did a few shows in town before disappearing for a few days. Nopony knows where she went, but when she returned, she was wearing the amulet you see now.”

“Which is what, exactly?” Shining asked.

Blair snorted. “Trixie claims it's the Alicorn Amulet, but we’re not sure if she’s telling the truth or not.”

Shining hesitated. That name rang a bell, but he couldn’t recall where he’d heard it before. He chewed on his lip as he searched his memory.

Trixie's body was going numb as the sleet continued to pound her. She knew she was in a bad spot, but she'd never been one to give up so easily. Losing meant admitting they were right, that she really was nothing but a second-rate failure doomed to follow in the hoofsteps of those who came before her. Never mind that Trixie had power, talent, charisma, and the motivation to make something of herself, she'd never amount to anything because others simply said so. Trixie would prove them wrong. She was meant for great things, and if she had to take a few risks along the way to get where she was meant to be, she was willing to pay the price.

The Alicorn Amulet pulsed as Trixie raised her head. She couldn't see Twilight through the sleet, but she knew she was there, probably laughing at her like everyone else did.

“Don't... look down... on Trixie...”

Blair suppressed a grin as he recognized the same look on Shining that Twilight always got when she was trying to remember something. “The Alicorn Amulet is a relic from the War of the Sun and Moon. It originally belonged to Mephis the Flayer, second-in-command of Nightmare Moon and leader of the Astral Guard. It grants the wearer incredible magical power, but at the cost of poisoning their minds and bodies, slowly turning them into one of Nightmare Moon’s demonic minions.”

Ace’s eyes took on a dark glint. “Tendoncutter took it from Mephis early on in the war. He put it on mid-battle not knowing what it was, and then tried to use a spell. The Amulet drove him into a manic frenzy, and he chopped an entire company of Nightmare Moon’s soldiers to bite-sized bits before the rest of the Order managed to get it away from him. Unfortunately, though, it then fell into the ranks of Celestia’s soldiers.”

“Where it wrought absolute havoc,” Piro muttered. “Anypony who got the Amulet lost their minds, and started slaying friend and foe alike. The Astral Guard broke through our ranks from the resulting chaos, and dozens were killed before we could drive them back. The Amulet was then recovered by Nightmare Moon’s forces, but Mephis never wore it after that. Nightmare Moon kept it inside the Tower of Lunacy, where it’s been ever since.”

Trixie's eyes flickered red as she tried breaking free of the tentacles with telekinesis, but the spell was impressively strong. She was pushed back down with greater force, and her mind became cloudy as the sleet continued to rain down.

“More,” Trixie whispered.

“Which is why the thing Trixie’s wearing can’t be the Alicorn Amulet,” Blair said with finality. “The only thing that can purify Nightmare Moon’s corruption is the Elements of Harmony, and while Trixie may be an arrogant, cocky loudmouth with a short fuse, she’s not a bloodthirsty murderer. There has to be some other explanation.”

Piro's voice turned venomous. “Don't mind Blair, Captain. He just can't admit there might be a solution to something that doesn't involve using forbidden magic.”

Blair's face reddened. “Celestia forbid you actually have to make a hard decision by yourself, Piro. Be grateful you've somepony to plunge their hooves into the filth for you.”

“Here they go again,” Ace groaned.

Trixie’s magical font felt like acid as it became filled with fell power. She pushed again, feeling the tentacles start to give, but they then snapped down even harder, crushing her against the ground. Twilight was straining outside, pouring more and more magic into the spell to keep Trixie contained.

“More!” Trixie said.

“Can it, you two,” Shining snapped. “Duke out your millennium-old grudge match some other time. Ace, tell me why Twilight's dueling against Trixie.”

“Because we think Trixie’s the one who activated the barrier.” Ace rested a hoof on one of his swords. “She denies it, but if the thing she’s wearing really is the Alicorn Amulet, there's no question on where she's been. Trixie entered Transylmane from the direction of the center of the valley when the barrier went up, and Twilight says that the magic that’s emanating from the amulet is similar to the barrier’s, which is why she can’t be around her for very long. It all adds up, and I really don’t know why these two are trying to make more problems when we've more than enough on our plates.”

The Amulet’s glow could now be seen from within the sleet storm. The tentacles snapped as Trixie pushed as hard as she could, but more reformed and kept holding her down. The air inside the Zone of Silence was filled with a sizzling sound as the new tentacles came in contact with Trixie's body, which was covered in a sanguine light. Twilight was flagging, fighting to stay on her hooves as she desperately tried to keep hold of her spell, but she couldn’t keep this up for much longer.

"MORE!" Trixie screamed.

Piro and Blair stared at their hooves as they shuffled back and forth. Shining ignored them and continued. “So Twilight is dueling Trixie in order to enlist her cooperation?”

“Pretty much,” Ace said. “They’ve been butting heads ever since they met, so Twilight decided to use Trixie’s pride against her to make her agree to take us to the Tower. Twilight had to agree to a pretty ridiculous stipulation if she loses, but it’s not like there’s any chance of that hap—“

Twilight’s Zone of Silence exploded with a crack. The sleet storm dissipated, and Twilight was thrown back to the edge of the field. Trixie stepped out, her eyes glowing a sickly red as the Alicorn Amulet filled her magical font to the brim with Chaos magic. Her gaze landed on Twilight, who was struggling to get back to her hooves.

“Trixie will make you pay.” Her voice was distorted and gravelly. “No...Trixie will make you bleed. You and the rest of the high-class snobs will be the first to fall, but they certainly won’t be the last.”

The grass wilted and died around Trixie as she prepared a new spell and aimed it at Twilight. Shining and the guards recognized the telltale signs of death magic, and ran at her to intercept.

“Yes, come to Trixie,” Trixie poured more energy into the spell, paying no heed to the coiling darkness forming around her. “All those who oppose Trixie must be eliminated. Trixie will remake this world in her image, one of a glorious Eternal Night, and your corpses will—”

Trixie’s eyes widened as realized what she’d just said.

“NO!” Trixie stepped back, reaching inside her robes again and pushing something hard against her chest. “KEEP YOUR POISONOUS WHISPERS TO YOURSELF!”

Trixie tried to cut off her spell, but it was too powerful. She jerked her head to the side instead, shooting off a black ray from her horn that struck the barrier and spread outwards in multicolored ripples that traveled all the way to the ground.

Shining and the guards stopped as Trixie’s movement’s suddenly became erratic. The Alicorn Amulet blazed with chaotic light, but Trixie didn’t give in. She staggered back and forth like she was drunk, then ran to a nearby tree and started smashing her head against it.

“What in Celestia’s name is she doing?!” Shining demanded.

Blair’s jaw was slack. “It’s not possible...”

“Does this mean I get to say I told you so?” Piro asked.

“Shut up, Piro,” Ace snapped.

“TRIXIE... SERVES... NOPONY!” The air became filled with dull thunks as Trixie screamed out her defiance. "GET OUT... GET OUT... GET OUT!"

The sickly light dimmed, the darkness around Trixie faded, and her eyes spun in their sockets as she woozily stepped back. She tried to focus on Twilight, but her strength had now left her.

“Trixie is the master..." Trixie fell to her knees, and her vision faded to black. “Trixie can control... Trixie can... go on...”

Trixie passed out. Her Dimensional Lock went out, and the red forcefield around Transylmane faded. The air became filled with screams of panic as the townsfolk fled into their homes, and Piro immediately teleported over to her.

“That’s not good.” Ace loosened his swords in their sheaths.

“You think?!” The chill around Blair deepened as he summoned a fragmented sword of ice. “Why do you think I was against this in the first place?!”

“What’s going on?” Shining asked.

Blair turned to Shining and spoke in a fast voice. “Can you make a forcefield like the one Trixie just had over the whole town?”

Shining closed his eyes in reply. Five seconds later, the air around Transylmane thickened, and a shining violet barrier coalesced around the town.

Ace whistled. “That simplifies things.”

Shining squared his shoulders. “That Repulsion Field will block out anything short of a rampaging Ursa Major. Now, answer my question.”

“You just answered it yourself.”

Twilight had walked up to them from behind, her nausea lessening upon seeing magic that wasn’t tainted with the essence of Chaos. “Weren’t you paying attention to Professor Dittany’s lectures back at CSGU? ”

Shining turned to her. “What are you—”

The earth shook with an ominous rumble, and a shudder went through colossal pines. The hairs on Shining’s neck stood on end as the words of a tottering old stallion suddenly echoed in his mind.

“While it’s well known that the lunar magics of the Hollow Shades have affected the flora in odd ways, what’s less known is that generations of consuming the magically-saturated plants have altered the size, fortitude, magical resistance, and mentality of the local fauna. These changes have become so drastic, that the animals are now classified into an entirely separate genus, and have been the source of studies of biologists for the last two hundred years. Known as Star Beasts, these colossal counterparts largely dwell in the cave systems beneath the Hollow Shades, and spend most of their time in hibernation. Most of the species are docile, but a few notable exceptions, such as the infamous Ursa Major, have been known to raze entire towns in a span of minutes when angered...”

There was a high-pitched howl, followed by the squawks of several birds, then a yammering of various other creatures. Everypony went still at the noise, then looked to the south. The rain continued to fall in a steady drizzle among the titanic trees, but there was nothing else to be seen among the foggy, twilit haze.

Twilight took a step back. “They’re coming...”

“Sir,” Blair said to Shining. “I recommend that we retreat to Transylmane. The Star Beasts have become extremely violent since the barrier appeared, and their numbers are—”

The mist glittered, and an assortment of giant animals appeared between the trees: Dogs, goats, lizards, foxes, rams, bulls, birds of various types, and even a few aquatic beasts that swam gracefully through the air. Their translucent bodies were colored with all the shades of the night sky, and their eyes burned with chaotic fury as they walked closer to Shining and the others.

Blair gulped. “Considerable.”

Shining bit his lip as he watched the celestial creatures emerge from the fog. “Can you kill them all with your addiction, Blair?”

Blair’s eyes darkened. “Only Piro can undo the Lifesealing Ritual, and he’s already said he'll only do it unless there's no other way.”

Shining wasn’t happy to hear that, but then he reconsidered. It’d be unbelievably dangerous to have Blair undo his seal, and with Twilight and other civilians here, it wasn’t worth the risk. Besides, the paperwork he’d have to fill out to explain why the Star Beasts had been suddenly driven to extinction would trap him behind a desk for months.

“Then we’ll explore our other options before resorting to mass genocide.” Shining met eyes with Piro as he approached with Trixie. “Within reason.”

Piro didn’t flinch. “Whenever you’re ready, Captain, preferably before the rampaging horde over there gets to us.”

Shining narrowed his eyes, but acquiesced. He programmed the barrier to allow them passage, then teleported them to Transylmane in a magenta flash.

Chapter 26: Siblings and Southerners

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Chapter 26:

Siblings and Southerners

Beep... beep... beep... Tsssss...

Beep...beep... beep... Tsssss...

The sound came into focus as Pinkie awoke. She opened her eyes, and saw that she was lying in a bed inside an enormous dark room with a ceiling twenty-five feet high, made of a smooth, reflective metal. Colorful paintings of flowers and ocean cliffsides hung on the the walls, to her left was a thin, flowery curtain, and there was a door in the far corner. The air was warm and humid, and as Pinkie pushed back her bedsheets, she discovered there were several stickers attached to her chest and legs with wires clamped onto them. She followed the wires, and saw that they led to a machine at her bedside making loud beeps as it displayed a bunch of squiggly lines. A bellows was on the side on the device, which let out a loud hissing noise as it let out warm blasts of air.

Pinkie watched the device as her head cleared. She recognized it a hospital machine used to monitor heart rate, which at least told her where she was. How she'd gotten here, though, was less clear. She checked her memory, and whimpered as everything came flooding back. The big meany-pants Nightmare Moon taking over Rarity and not letting her go, the Not-Celestia capturing them all and then trying to kill Edith and Viggy, Princess Luna's message, the big flash of light, the wind, the voices in the dark...

Pinkie's eyes began to water. “I j-just wanted to help... I didn't t-think it'd be that bad.. oh, everypony, I'm so sorry...”

“Shed not any tears, my dear Maalufunzi.”

Pinkie gasped at the voice, which had come from the other side of the curtain. She ripped it back, and was momentarily blinded by sunlight streaming in from an open window. There on a bed of her own was Zecora, whole and unharmed, smiling as she held a large piece of paper on her lap.

The surge of relief hit Pinkie like a wave. “Zecora...”

Zecora gestured for her to come over. “Things aren't nearly as bad as they could be.”

Pinkie tried to go to her, but got tangled up in the wires. She hastily pulled off the stickers, and as she did, the machine lost its reading and flatlined. Another, much louder beeping went off as a light turned on above the door, but Pinkie didn't pay notice. She jumped out of bed and hugged Zecora, her muffled sobs barely being heard above the din.

“I should've listened!” Pinkie cried. “Rassy knew... he was just trying to keep us safe, and I—“

“Shh.” Zecora’s neck rings clinked against the Necklace of Kindness as she gave Pinkie a reassuring nuzzle. “Place no blame upon yourself, for the four of us are in good health. Ones Rasuuqai and Vigil have been sent with us as well.”

Pinkie broke away. She looked around, but there was nopony else in the room. She was about to ask, but then remembered that ponies of opposite gender were always separated in a hospital.

“Just Rassy and Viggy?” Pinkie asked. “What about the others?”

Zecora shook her head. “The fate of our friends remains unknown, though time will surely tell. It's doubtful Mtawandoto—er, Princess Luna, would place them in harm's way, so dry your tears and focus, for there’s much to do this day.”

Pinkie had only known Zecora for a few months, yet in that time, their student-teacher relationship had caused them to become close. She'd learned a lot in her time as an apprentice, not just about herbalism and anatomy, but about also about the world and life in general. Zecora was ten years older than Pinkie, and while that wasn't a huge amount, it still gave her an air of wisdom that she’d come to admire and respect.

Pinkie laughed weakly. “I guess you're r—“

“For Hakumbele's sake!”

Pinkie abruptly turned at the noise. Standing at the door was a creature twice her size with two stubby horns coming out of its snout. Its thick, gray skin was like armor, and it stared at the two of them with wide, bright-green eyes.

Most surprising of all, though, was that the creature was wearing a nurse's scrub.

“Whooooa!” Pinkie gawked at the newcomer. “Are you a Rhenoceren?!”

The Rhenoceren raised an eyebrow at her, then glanced over at the electrocardiogram. It pressed a switch by the door, and the loud beeping stopped. It then turned and addressed Zecora, speaking in a language that Pinkie correctly guessed was Zhevari.

“Apologies, Holy One. I knew she’d wake up the moment I stepped away. Shall I tell the Spirit Twin and Earth Pony they may visit now?”

“If you could,” Zecora replied in Zhevari. “Are the three mares who brought us in from the Mamardhi still here, as well?”

Pinkie broke into a huge grin as Zecora finished speaking. It seemed that her teacher's talents were more impressive than she realized, as the Zhevari words she'd spoken had rhymed, as well.

The Rhenoceren raised a hoof to its chin.“I believe they decided to get lunch here in the hospital. Do you or your Sacred Apprentice want anything while I'm down there to get them?”

“One moment, I'll ask.” Zecora looked at Pinkie and gestured to the Rhenoceren. “Nafula here's going to the cafeteria. By chance do you feel hungry, Pinka-mina?”

Pinkie cringed at the use of her full name, but allowed it for the sake of the rhyme, and also because her stomach gave an audible protest.

“I guess so!” Pinkie said with a blush. “I'm still feeling a little queasy, though. I don't suppose they have anything light?”

Zecora patted her leg. “Some fufu for her, and some spinach stew for me, please.”

“Of course.” Nafula turned to leave, but then paused, looking back at Pinkie with curiosity.

“I never thought I’d get to meet a ‘mina’ in my lifetime. Could you please let her know that it’s an honor to meet her?”

Zecora's eyes twinkled. “I will, but she won’t understand why, as she’s unaware of what her birthname means in our tongue.”

Nafula gasped. “Pinka-mina is her birthname?! Such a thing can’t be coincidence! What are you going to do?”

Zecora bit her lip. “I don’t want to start a feud between her and her kin. I want to tell her, but I feel that she’ll find out another way, when the time is right.”

“I see,” Nafula said with a bow. “I wasn’t trying to counsel you, of course, I was merely curious. I'll notify your friends, then head down the cafeteria.”

“You've my thanks.”

Pinkie rolled her eyes as Nafula left. The only thing she'd understood from the exchange was her name, but that was enough to get the gist of what they were talking about. She'd always hated it, enough so that she'd considered legally changing it, but when her mother told her that Granny Pie was the one who'd named her, she'd decided to leave it be.

“How come she wasn't rhyming like you?” Pinkie asked, gesturing at the retreating Rhenoceren.

Zecora laughed. “Not all Zhevrans make words align. Tis only Shamans that speak in rhyme.”

Pinkie giggled, then looked down at the piece of paper Zecora was holding. Nafula's presence had aroused Pinkie's suspicions, but they were confirmed when she saw the paper was a map of the Zhevra Flatlands.

“Welcome home, by the way,” Pinkie said.

Zecora chuckled, and moved the map over to let Pinkie see. “Not quite home, for as you can see, Lyora, or 'Hidden Jewel,' still lies quite far to the east. Rohomji's where we currently reside, a Walowezi town on the southwestern side. Many leagues are there now between here and your land, and I expect the journey back will be anything but bland.”

“I always did want to come here,” Pinkie mused. She exhaled out her nose, recalling her geography lessons from school as she studied the map. “Though I never thought it’d be like this.”

The Zhevra Flatlands was a peaceful country directly south of Equestria. It was comprised of windy grasslands, humid wetlands, sparse forests, lush oases, and sandy beaches. It was separated into two parts—the Kistaardhi, which was filled with modern civilization and encircled the country like a ring, and the Mamardhi, a large, completely unsettled grassland that could only be traversed by four highways known as the Kupaaraba. These roads met together in the center of the country, where the capitol city Mkutahali resided beneath the sacred Mt. Mbinguni.

“'Wal-o-wez-i?” Pinkie stumbled over the strange word. “I’ve never heard of that race before.”

“The Walowezi aren't a race, they're a sect,” a familiar voice said. “The word means ‘Settlers,’ and it refers to the Zhevrans that chose to build towns and develop a civilization rather than live the primitive, nomadic lifestyle of the Ng’ombe.”

Pinkie looked up, and saw a dark gray stallion at the door. His mane and tail were light blue with black streaks, and his cutie mark was a lantern exuding a bright yellow light. His eyes were a piercing violet, and as he put a hoof behind his head, Pinkie caught a glimpse of a long, thin scar running along the underside of his entire barrel.

“Hi, Pinkie,” the strange stallion said.

Pinkie's lips parted.“...Viggy?”

Vigil facehooved. “I really wish you wouldn't call me that.”

“Would you rather she call you a sneaky-sneak?”

Ras walked in from behind him. He waved at Zecora before going over to Pinkie, turning to face Vigil with a knowing look in his eye.

Vigil's face reddened. “You literally just promised—”

“—that I wouldn't tell them who you are.” Ras' gaze flickered down to Vigil's barrel. “And I won't, because you're gonna do it. We're all in this together, and I wanna get this out of the way before we move on to more important matters.”

Vigil gritted his teeth. “Bastard...”

“Hey!” Pinkie admonished, looking between the two guards. “That's not a nice thing to say! Viggy, apologize!"

“Nah, it’s accurate,” Ras said with a lewd smirk. “You remember how I said Aquarius never stole from the same target twice?”

Pinkie shuffled. “Yeah...”

“That's not an easy thing to do for a cutpurse.” Ras leaned on the edge of Pinkie's bed. “Fortunately, Aquarius could remember just about everything about a pony down to even the most minute detail due to having a photographic memory. It's quite handy, and it's how I figured out Viggy here's hiding a tiny little detail that explains quite a few things, including why he's here. I couldn't tell before because he's had his Illusion spell on all this time, but the second I saw him with it off—“

“Ras,” Vigil had a pleading look in his eyes. “Please...”

“What're you so afraid of?” Ras pointed at Pinkie and Zecora. “You can trust them, and if you don't get this out in the open, I guarantee it's gonna cause problems down the road.”

“Anonymity's the only shield I have!” Vigil suddenly snarled. “You want talk about guarantees?! Here's one for you—if Cetus finds out who I am, I'm as good as dead!”

Vigil slammed the door shut with bang, rattling the doorframe and causing them all to jump. He paced back and forth like a caged animal, spitting out his words in a venomous voice.

“You want the truth? Here it is. I'm no one; nothing but a simple, boring Earth Pony. I've never seen war, I've never left Equestria before this, and the only reason I made it into the Royal Guard is because I'm too stubborn to know when to quit. Princess Celestia didn't want me to get involved in all this, she said that I was only going to be in the way or killed because of the powers at play, but I wanted to prove that I'm more than just a glorified magical adhesive.”

“Adhesive, you say?!” Zecora said with alarm. “Whatever would make you feel that way?!”

A dark laugh escaped Vigil's lips. “Perhaps that's a little more morbid than what I was shooting for. Let's say instead that I'm a part of a link that's keeping something from falling apart. Not like it grants me anything special, mind you. It just makes me a brightly-colored ant in a war of giants, and it's all I can do to avoid being stepped on.”

“What are you—“ Pinkie began.

“Hush,” Ras whispered. “Let Mr. Angsty talk.”

Vigil glared daggers at Ras. “You know, I almost laughed when you started telling me Aquarius' suzie-sob-story yesterday. You think he had it bad? Ha! Do you have any idea what it's like to watch somepony you care about from afar, knowing that they're in constant agony, but you can't do a damn thing about it? How do you think it feels to be so close to them, yet so far away at the same time? I deluded myself into thinking just being nearby was enough, that if nothing else, it was the gesture that really mattered, but it's not, and it doesn't! I couldn't do anything for him back then, can't do anything for him now, and I'm furious at myself for being so weak! I didn't want him to know I felt this way because it's not going to change his predicament in the slightest, but then you had to go and mess things up!”

“You're hiding behind excuses,” Ras said cooly. “I'll grant that you had a legitimate reason for concealing yourself before, but these two need to know now so they can help protect you.”

“I'm not some fragile Macguffin that needs to be coddled,” Vigil shot back. “And I wouldn't need protecting if you hadn't blown my cover in the first place!”

“Enough of your bickering, you thick-headed louts!” Zecora shouted. “Tell us what this is all about!”

The two guards stared at each other for several seconds. The tension in the room was palpable, but Ras finally won out. Vigil turned away with a growl, then closed his eyes and spoke with great reluctance.

“Twenty years ago, my parents, Lucky Star and Caraway, were recruited by Arch-Magus Zemblani to partake in the Zodiac Ritual under false pretense, to which you already know the result. While that was going on, Zemblani foalnapped both me and my brother Horizon, sedated us, then took us to Tartarus with the intention of using one of us as a catalyst to wedge open the Gates and free Nightmare Moon's army.”

Pinkie's jaw dropped. “You're Horizon's brother?!”

Vigil hung his head. “Yes.”

Ras snorted. “Just wait, it gets better.”

Vigil reared and leaned back against the wall, showing them all the faded, ropy scar on his barrel. “When Zemblani dropped Horizon into the Gate, there was a massive explosion that caused several tendrils of magic to lash out all around, one of which struck me across the chest. The wound was life-threatening, and so had to be treated immediately by Piro. What nopony realized, however, was that when Zemblani had constructed her spell, she'd made it so that either myself or my brother could be used as the catalyst for it. My innocence also got included in the spell when I got hit, and subsequently, is now also aiding in keeping the barrier intact.”

Pinkie cocked her head. “What's that mean?”

“It means he's doing the same thing that me and the other Echoes are doing, albeit without any conscious effort on his part.” Ras rubbed his temples. “He doesn't even get to feel this lovely headache, since he's got a body of his own.”

“I'd wish a lot more on you if it didn't mean my brother would suffer as well,” Vigil snarked as he fell back on all fours.

Pinkie didn't know what to think. Ras had told her that Horizon's brother had been placed in witness protection, but didn't know his fate beyond that. To think that he'd been here all this time, keeping up a facade and trying to help the only family he had, even when there was next to nothing he could do? How had he persevered in the face of that kind of hopelessness? How did he deal with feeling so powerless? The fierceness in Vigil's face and voice showed his understandable frustrations, yet still he kept going, watching Horizon from afar, trying to keep him safe while he slept. What was the motivation? Why did Vigil press on, despite the obvious pain it was causing him?

Pinkie’s heart melted as the answer came to her, and a sudden breeze swirled around her as the Element of Laughter awakened.

“Love.”

Zecora and the two guards looked over at her in surprise, seeing that her eyes were half-filled with shining azure light.

Vigil’s snarl faded as the word caught him off-guard. “What?”

“That's why you're here.” Pinkie walked over to him, her eyes drawn to the scar on his barrel. “You don't care if other ponies tell you that it's hopeless, or that you'll just be in the way because the big baddies have nasty magical powers. You love your brother without any thought or restraint, and you'll do anything to help him out.”

Vigil looked away. “I-I, well...”

“You really are silly.” Pinkie swept him up in a hug before he could say anything. He resisted at first, but then slowly, he relaxed and leaned into her, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Maybe I am,” Vigil said. “All this time, I’ve wondered if I was doing the right thing in hiding. Celestia told me about Horizon’s subconscious becoming a separate entity, but I’ve been afraid of what he’d say if I talked with him. Does he know who I am? Does he care that I’ve tried to be there for him? Does he resent that Zemblani picked him instead of me?”

Vigil squeezed his eyes shut as he lowered his voice to a whisper.

“Does he hate me?”

Ras was quiet. He didn’t have an answer to Vigil’s misgivings, as the few times he’d ‘spoken’ with Ophiuchus hadn’t shed any light on how he felt about his missing brother, or anything else, for that matter. In the first few years after the accident, Ophiuchus would randomly appear in the Echoes’ dreams as a colorful, fragmented blur, screaming and assaulting them with emotions of confusion, terror, frustration, anguish, and rage. None of them were able to make heads or tails of what he was trying to say, and their attempts to try and calm him down were fruitless. Ophiuchus finally gave up after the third year and stayed silent in the back of their minds, only very rarely appearing for Blair and never saying a word until a week and a half ago.

Pinkie held Vigil tighter. “It’s not your fault. You were really young, and there was nothing you could’ve done to stop Zemblani. I’m sure Horizon knows that, and doesn’t hold it against you.”

Vigil rested his chin on her shoulder. “I want to believe that, but I can’t be sure, and if it turns out that he doesn’t know who I am or want anything to do with me, I’m not sure that I can...”

“It’s obvious from the tone in your voice,” Zecora said, “that you’d continue regardless of your brother’s choice, but I don’t think Horizon would be so unkind. It’s the fear of rejection that holds sway on your mind.”

“I never understood why stallions are always so funny about these things.” Pinkie's eyes glittered as she let Vigil go and examined his scar with curiosity. “What's wrong with saying that you love the ones you care about?”

“Because love is a word with strong connotations, used only by most in intimate situations.” Zecora got a far-off look as she gazed out the window. “Almost all cultures state that males must be strong, that weak things like love simply do not belong. It may seem like folly to build such a wall, when love is the mightiest feeling of all, but many races have learned, at the high cost of lives, that hatred forms when love’s not empathized. And if such feelings are allowed to grow in size, then suffering will thrive, and many will not survive.”

“Not smart to throw around a word that ponies are willing to kill over,” Ras agreed. “Wars fought over love are always the bloodiest.”

Vigil had been exposed to Pinkie's Healing power dozens of times over the past few weeks, so any kind of injury should've been cured, even if it was a scar from two decades ago. Pinkie figured there must be something special about the scar if he still had it despite being around her, and sure enough, now that she focused specifically on him, she sensed a faint touch of magic lingering inside the tissue.

“It doesn't hurt, does it?” Pinkie asked.

Vigil smacked his barrel a few times. “It’s numb. I asked Princess Celestia to specifically assign me to you hoping that you might be able to restore some feeling, but I think it’s a side effect of being tied into the overall spell.”

Pinkie wasn't about to give up that easily. Her eyes pulsed, and the breeze around her spread to encompass the both of them. She put a hoof on Vigil’s scar, focusing all her Healing power and allowing it to surge through his body. He felt her magic brush away all his aches and pains from their rough landing last night, but unfortunately, the scar still remained.

Pinkie sadly looked up at him. “Sorry, Viggy.”

Vigil shook his head. “My pain’s nothing compared to Horizon's. You and your friends are the only hope he has, and keeping you safe and reuniting you with the others is all I can do. I'm no slouch when it comes to fighting, but in all honesty, I'm not going to be much help against Eclipse and Cetus. I might be of some use while we’re here in the Flatlands, but that’s about it.”

“What do you mean?” Pinkie asked.

“Vigil’s nearly fluent in Zhevari.” Zecora winked at him. “We spoke a great deal during our Old Canterlot safari.”

“I took four years of it in school, and I thought maybe I could act as an interpreter for Ambassador Loxo if I kept at it,” Vigil said. “I'm no native speaker, but I know enough to get by. Between Zecora and I, we should be able to figure out a way back to Equestria.”

“But what, then?” Ras was examining his front-right hoof as he spoke. “We've no idea where the others are, and it's not like they know to meet us somewhere. We’ll just be making things easier for Cetus if we met up now. We need to come up with a plan.”

Pinkie frowned at him. “Didn't you hear what Princess Luna said before we got zapped?”

Ras looked up at her. “Who said what in the when, now?”

“Lake Occul,” Pinkie said, recalling the message. “Princess Luna wants us to—“

Pinkie was interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Not a single word concerning Vigil's plight,” Zecora said promptly. “We'll discuss this more when the time is right. Oh, and Maalufunzi, put out your glowing sight.”

Pinkie complied, then went to her bed and sat down. Vigil gave them all one last glance, then opened the door.

“Hello again, Nurse Nafula.”

“Ah, Lieutenant Vigil. Is the Spirit Twin with you, as well?”

“Yes, I assure you he’ll stay under my watch.”

Nafula stepped in, balancing two bowls of food on her back. She was followed by three Zebra mares, all them with exotic, golden eyes. The first one was tall and scrawny with a long mane and tail, giggling happily as she saw the four of them. The second had a mane and tail that was styled into dozens of individual braids, and took them all in with a neutral expression. The third was wearing a hat with a narrow brim and tall cylindrical crown, along with thick shaded goggles with several knobs on them. A pair of bulging saddlebags swung at her sides, and her eyes never left Ras as she regarded him with shrewdness.

Nafula motioned to the three mares as she gave Zecora her spinach stew. “This is Maji, Shuru, and Punda. They’re herbalist apprentices from Masha, and were the ones who found you as they came in from the Kupaaraba Highway last night.”

“It's an honor to meet you, Holy One Zecora,” Shuru said. Her braids clicked softly as she bowed, and Maji and Punda quickly followed suit. “And greetings to your Sacred Apprentice, as well.”

“The honor is ours,” Zecora replied. “It seems we owe you thanks for bringing us out of the Mamardhi.”

“I'll leave you to it.” Nafula said. She gave Pinkie a bowl of a plain, dough-like substance, then walked out the door. “Don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything else.”

Nafula closed the door behind her, and the seven of them were left alone. So many ponies in a single room might normally seem crowded, but Zhevran hospital rooms were built to comfortably accommodate up to two Elafont, which were four times the size of a pony. Pinkie and Zecora were in their beds, Vigil was sitting on his haunches in between them, and Ras seemed content to stay in the corner as the newcomers stood before all of them.

“I'll interpret for you as best as I can,” Vigil whispered to Pinkie.

“Mmm-hmm.” Pinkie was already chowing down on her food.

The was a brief, awkward silence before Shuru finally spoke.

“Forgive me, Holy One, but I must begin by asking the two most obvious questions. Why do you have a Spirit Twin with you, and how did you and your companions come to fall out of the sky?”

Zecora leaned back in her bed. “I’ll answer those questions, but first, let me ask you a question in return. Has the word spread that the Princess of Dreams has returned?”

“I knew it!” Maji exclaimed. She bounced on her knees as she swayed back and forth. “I knew it had to be true! No way a rumor like that could be—“

Shuru loudly cleared her throat, and Maji abruptly fell silent with a sheepish look.

“What Maji means to say,” Shuru said, “Is that Ambassador Loxo has not yet returned with official word, but hearsay has been running rampant in his absence. He's scheduled to be back in the Flatlands tomorrow, but will make an official announcement from Mkutahali at the end of the week.”

Zecora scratched her chin. “The end of the week? How could he travel across the Mamardhi so fast? Unless...ahh, so the railways have finally been approved at long last. What agreement did the Spirit Council and Grand Elders finally come to?”

Shuru cringed.“The boundaries of the Mamardhi must remain unchanged for the next one hundred and fifty years. In addition, steam usage must be limited in accordance with weather patterns to ensure as little pollution enters the Mamardhi as possible.”

“I give it ten years before the Spirit Council tries to re-negotiate the terms,” Punda said. Her voice was deep and reminded Pinkie of a bassoon.

“That's better than the last proposal I heard.” Zecora took a bite of her soup. “When I left, the Grand Elders were trying to get one foal from every family to live among the Ng'ombe for two years in the hopes of increasing their numbers. But we’re getting off topic.”

Zecora folded her hooves in her lap. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you why we have a Spirit Twin with us. However, I can tell you that his name is Ras, and while you can plainly see that his Heart’s filled with mischief, he’s a faithful servant of the Princess of Might, and will bring you no harm so long as you don’t provoke his ire.”

Ras waggled his eyebrows at this, and Shuru and the others gave him wary looks as they scooted away from him.

“Our unique method of arrival was the doing of the Princess of Dreams, which is why I asked if word has spread of her return.” Zecora wet her lips. “She was purified three months ago by six noble mares, which, by chance, one of whom is sitting right next to me.”

A huge, happy grin crept up on Pinkie’s face. Recognizing an obvious cue when she saw one, she zipped out of bed, shook hooves with Shuru and the others, then skipped all around as she spoke in a hyperactive voice.

“Hiya! I'm Pinkie, Bearer of the Element of Laughter! Well, I'm guess I'm kinda its avatar now but that's basically the same thing! Don’t mind this necklace, though, it’s the wrong one! Silly Princess Luna screwed up, hee hee! You probably don't understand anything I'm saying, but I just want you to know it's super-duper awesome to meet all of you! I like making ponies happy and seeing them smile and dance and not have any pain or worries get them down! Do you like parties? I love parties! I'm a baker, so Zecora was teaching me herbalism so that I could combine her herbal remedies with my baked goods, but then I found I can heal ponies with my Element so she started teaching me anatomy instead! I bring good luck to my friends, and I might be even able to sing a pretty song soon! I'm not sure what it does yet but I hear pieces of it all the time and apparently something really cool happens when I sing it! I'm not sure when it'll happen, but I hope it's really soon!”

Pinkie couldn't help but allow a little of the Element of Laughter's power to shine through, and it manifested as a faint glimmer in her eyes, a faint echo in her voice, and a slight breeze that blew through her mane and tail. The three Zebras stood agape at her, hearing, but not understanding a word she said as she hopped all around.

“Overflowing...” Maji murmured in awe.

Punda vigorously rubbed her eyes and ears. “How is this possible?!”

“Holy One,” Shuru said, “what IS she?”

Zecora grinned. “She is Pinka-mina. It is both her birthname, and what she literally is. Not a single blemish of darkness mars her soul, and happiness follows wherever she goes. Her friends are blessed with good fortune, and she has the power to alleviate the pain and suffering of others. She may not be Zhevran, but Hakumbele is with her, nonetheless.”

Vigil didn’t translate what Zecora said. She’d confirmed for him back in Old Canterlot that Pinkie's name was indeed what he thought it was, but she’d also told him her misgivings in not revealing its true meaning to her. In Zhevran culture, 'Mina,’ or ‘Bringer of Joy,’ was an honorific given to those who were said to be blessed by Hakumbele, a mighty warrior that descended from Mt. Mbinguni long ago to save the Flatlands from a great evil. Hakumbele sacrificed himself in order to vanquish his foe, and was named the patron saint of the Zhevrans for his act. All natives paid homage to him, going so far as to even swear in his name. It was a great sign of respect to be be referred to as ‘mina,’ but for Pinkie to have it as a birthname? It was nothing short of an omen.

“I warned you that they were powerful!” Punda said hurriedly to Maji and Shuru. “Can’t you feel the magic surrounding these foreigners?! We should head back to Masha now, before Master Jadac expels us from our apprenticeships!”

Maji shook her head. “You’re honestly afraid of a Holy One and her Sacred Student, who also happens to be a literal Bringer of Joy? This is a new level of cowardice, even for you!”

“Knowing when you’re out of your league isn’t cowardice!” Punda huffed. “These four are meant for great things while the three of us will be lucky to become artisans! What in Hakumbele’s name can we possibly do for ones such as these?!”

“Will both of you shut up!” Shuru hissed. “You’re embarrassing us!”

Zecora had returned her attention to her food in order to try and stop herself from laughing. Vigil had started translating again, and Pinkie stopped hopping around as she raised her eyes to the ceiling.

“Hmm, she’s got a point. What could they do for us? Ooh, I know! Ask them about Lake Occul! That’s where Princess Luna wants us to meet!”

“Pinkie, I don’t think—” Ras began.

Zecora was already doing it. “The Princess of Dreams has asked us to meet her at Lake Occul, but we don’t know where that is. Do you have any ideas?”

“No.”

“...perhaps.”

They all turned to Punda, who was sucking on her teeth through pursed lips.

“Is ‘Occul’ a Kwatamal word?” Shuru asked.

Punda fiddled with her goggles. “It could very well be something else, too... I don’t want to unintentionally mislead them—”

“Oh, just spit it out already!” Maji stamped a hoof. “It might give them something to go on!”

Punda gave Maji an annoyed look, but still maintained a respectful tone as she addressed Zecora. “My hobby is studying Kwatamal, an ancient, dead language that’s said to be the root of all spoken dialects. ‘Occul’ means ‘Secrets’ in that tongue.”

Maji’s eyes lit up. “Do you think?”

Shuru snickered. “Pretty strange coincidence if it’s not.”

“Sounds like you’ve an inkling as to where our destination might lie,” Zecora observed.

“There’s a river that runs through our hometown of Masha called the Sirimto,” Punda explained, “but the locals refer to it as ‘Menoccu,’ or ‘River of Secrets,’ because it originates from Siriziwala, the Lake of Secrets, which lies far to the northeast.”

“The Equestrians know it as ‘Dragon Turtle Lake,’” Shuru remarked. “It’s mostly likely that’s where the Princess of Dreams wants you to go.”

Pinkie perked up. “Dragon Turtle Lake?! I know where that is!”

Ras scrunched his eyebrows. “Where’s it from here, though?”

“Far.” Vigil craned his head to look at Zecora’s map. “The fastest way to get there would be to travel to Masha by way of the Kupaaraba Highway, then follow the Sirimto north until we reach the Flatlands-Equestria border.”

“So we must cross the entirety of the Mamardhi.” Zecora curled her lip. “Ugh, I’d hoped to stay in the Kistaardhi. I dislike dealings with the Ng’ombe, but if the Kupaaraba Highway is indeed the fastest way, I suppose that’s okay.”

“Dragon Turtle Lake’s huge, though,” Ras pointed out. “As in hundreds-of-miles-of-shoreline huge. It’ll take us weeks to search for the others, if they get there at all, and if they’re looking for us at the same time, it’ll be next to impossible to track everypony down.”

I wouldn't say that.

Ras’ eyes flickered with a prismatic light. He yelped and jerked his head to the side, putting his hoof against the wall to steady himself.

“Rassy!” Pinkie rushed over to him.

Punda narrowed her eyes. She twisted one of the knobs on her goggles, and they became surrounded with a white glow. She let out a yell of surprise of her own, and pushed Maji and Shuru away from Ras.

“Hey!” Maji said.

Shuru stumbled. “Punda, what—”

“Dark magic!” Punda was reaching into her saddlebags. “A fragmented soul is trapped within the Spirit Twin!”

“Celestia’s sake, kid!” Ras gasped. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

You deserved it for forcing My brother to reveal himself.

Vigil’s skin prickled. He couldn’t hear Ophiuchus, but he’d put two and two together. He slowly turned to Ras, whose eyes were unfocused as his breathing slowly returned to normal.

“Calm yourself, Punda,” Zecora said quickly. “The host’s circumstances are unique.”

“Rassy, what’s wrong?” Pinkie reached out a hoof to him.

Ras waved her away. “Oh, whatever, you know why I did it. Have you always been able to talk to us like this?”

Yes, but it's extremely painful. I need to keep this brief.

Shuru slapped Punda’s hoof out her saddlebags. “You’d dare use violence in the presence of a Holy One?!”

“What are you thinking?!” Maji added with a venomous glare. “And in a hospital, no less!”

“Gotcha. What’s up?” Ras said.

Go to Dragon Turtle Lake. I'll guide everypony together once You've all arrived.

Punda wilted under the withering stares of her friends, but a spark of defiance still remained. She took off her goggles and tried to give them to Shuru. “Look for yourself! The host has been tortured and transmuted! Unique circumstances or not, dark deeds were involved in the creation of that Spirit Twin!”

Vigil had stopped translating. He sat still as a statue, not even blinking, hanging on Ras’ every word.

“You can do that?” Ras said.

Easily.

Ras hummed and clicked his tongue. “Do you know where the others are?”

Of course, but I'm not going to tell You. All You need to know is that They'll meet You there.

Zecora’s expression turned grave. “You must trust me on this, Punda. It’s true the Spirit Twin’s host is under great strain, but much greater sins would be committed were he to be freed. Our efforts are devoted to his salvation, among other things.”

Pinkie had also caught on to who Ras was conversing with. She went over to Vigil and put a comforting hoof around him.

“Fair enough,” Ras said. “Anything else?”

Yes. I'd like you to give a message to My brother.

“Those goggles have been nothing but a nuisance ever since you made them.” Shuru pushed them away and went back to where she’d been standing before.

“I told you it was a waste of good jujus.” Maji followed after Shuru. “You could’ve gotten them enchanted with enough Purify Food and Water spells to last you for a year, but nooooooooooooo, you just had to get Truesight!”

Ras’ breath caught in his chest. “Oh, um... sure. What is it?”

Tell him the following, word for word, in this exact manner and tone.

Punda raised her chin. “You said I wouldn’t have a use for them on this trip, and I’ve already used them twice! We’ll see who’s laughing when a specter tries to sneak up on us, and the only one who’s able to see it is me!”

Shuru groaned. “For the last time: Specters. Aren’t. Real.”

“You only say that because there hasn’t been any scientific evidence of one!” Punda’s eyes shifted all about. “We live in a world of magic, for Hakumbele’s sake! Who’s to say what’s real and what isn’t?!”

“The Laws of Physiological Gramarye,” Shuru replied.

“Bah!” Punda scoffed. “Rules made by stuffy scholars trying to put together a puzzle when they don’t even have all the pieces! I don’t—”

“Hey, Zecora?” Ras said loudly. “Can you tell them to shut up a sec? I’ve got a few things to say.”

If Zecora was surprised or took offense to Ras’ rudeness, she didn’t show it. She complied, and all the attention was shifted to Ras as he straightened and squared his shoulders.

“First, we don’t need to worry about endlessly circling around Dragon Turtle Lake looking for the others. All we gotta do is get there, and the kid’ll bring us together.”

Pinkie clapped her hooves. “That’s great! That makes things really easy!”

“I admit that’s quite the cheat, but crossing the Mamardhi’s still no easy feat.” Zecora said. “The Kupaaraba Highway might be kept nice and neat, but traveling across it takes a few weeks.”

Ras blew a strand of his mane out of his face. “I thought you said something about a railway. Why can’t we use that?”

Zecora opened her mouth to answer, but then stopped and turned back to Shuru. “The three of you came here from Masha, yes? Could you not afford a train ticket, or has the construction not come this way yet?”

Shuru sighed. “The north-south Kupaaraba gets the most traffic, so that’s the one they started on first. They’re not scheduled to start the east-west highway until next year.”

“Are you and your companions going to Siriziwala, Holy One?” Maji asked.

“Perhaps.” Zecora switched back over to Equestrian and conveyed the information about the incomplete railway.

“Guess there’s nothing for it.” Pinkie gave Vigil a bone-crushing hug. “You hear that, Viggy? We get to walk across the entire Flatlands together! Won’t that be fun?”

Vigil said nothing. He was still staring at Ras.

Ras coughed and looked out the window. “Hey, Vigil? Your brother’s also got a message he wants me to give you.”

Pinkie could feel Vigil’s heart hammering in his chest. She released him and stepped away, letting Ras and Vigil face each other from opposite side of the bed.

“What is it?” Vigil breathed.

Ras took a deep breath, and screamed at Vigil at the top of his lungs.

“YOU STUPID JERK, YOU'VE BEEN HERE ALL ALONG?! I SHOULD MAKE RAS GELD YOU FOR MAKING ME THINK I WAS ALONE ALL THIS TIME! I’VE NEVER HATED YOU, SO STOP COMPARING YOUR SUFFERING TO MINE, AND DON’T YOU EVER LEAVE ME AGAIN!”

Everyone covered their ears at Ras’ outburst, save for Vigil, who’s mane and tail were blown back by the force of the onslaught. Sudden, heavy hoofsteps came from outside, and Nafula barged into the room, looking wildly around.

“What’s going on?! Why is the Spirit Twin shouting?!”

“So sorry, Nafula!” Zecora said profusely. “Something we said startled him. I promise we’ll keep him quiet.”

Nafula shot Ras a dirty look, but he didn’t seem to notice or care, as he’d become nonchalant again and was back to examining one of his hooves.

“Was the yelling necessary?!” Zecora demanded as soon as Nafula had left. “Rhenoceren when angered are quite scary!”

Ras shrugged. “Not my fault. I’m just the messenger.”

“Do we even want to know what that was all about?” Shuru asked Zecora.

Zecora sighed. “I’m barely even sure, myself.”

Vigil had a glazed look on his face. He hiccuped once, then went over to the window, turning his back to all of them as he fought to keep his breathing steady.

Pinkie couldn’t tell if Vigil was happy or upset by Ophiuchus' words. She chewed on her lip as she tried to decide whether to go to him or not, but before she could, Shuru spoke to her in broken Equestrian.

“Pinka-mina? Shuru is my name. My knowing of your talk is bad, but I understand if slow you say. Shaman can say words not I know, so maybe teach you can me?”

It took Pinkie a second to get past Shuru’s thick accent, and then another to pick apart what she was trying to say. She nodded once she figured it out, though.

“I’d like that. And please, just call me Pink—actually, you know what? You can call me ‘Mina,’ if you want. That was what my grandmother called me.”

Shuru blinked several times. “Truly?”

“Yep!” Pinkie said. “I always did think it was kinda pretty. Just about everypony calls me Pinkie, but I heard you gals say ‘Mina’ a few times, so I figured you were gonna use it as a nickname for me! My Granny’s gone now, but I like being reminded of all the fun times I had with her.”

Shuru was at a loss for words. Even when speaking of a departed loved one, Pinkie was filled with nothing but happiness and love, cherishing the memories she’d made rather than dwelling on what might’ve been. It was inspiring... no, more than that, there was only one word that described such purity, and ironically, it was the one she was asking to be called.

Shuru nodded. “You are Mina.”

Zecora wore a satisfied smile, but said nothing.

“So...” Shuru scratched the side of her face. ”Sirizi—er, Dragon Turtle Lake?”

“Yeah,” Pinkie said. “It’s going to take us a while to get there. Not sure how long exactly, though.”

“A month and three days.” Shuru pointed out the window to the east. “Take West-Kupaaraba to Mkutahali, rest a day. Then East-Kupaaraba to Masha, rest a day. Follow Sirimto north to Osasi, rest a day, then Dragon Turtle Lake. We three know, many times we been have there and back.”

Pinkie followed where she was pointing. “A month and three days? That’s not so bad. Maybe even shorter if we cut out the rests.”

Shuru snorted. “Sound like me, but fatigue always win. Will be between in wanting rests.”

“No good will it be if we burn ourselves out,” Zecora said to Pinkie. “Listen to Shuru, for she knows the route.”

“Yes, we know route...” Shuru glanced over at Punda. “We go back to Masha in afternoon. Heading way same, yes?”

Zecora gave the younger Zebra a reproachful look. “Deception’s not an honorable trait, one that your friends won’t appreciate. Check with them first, or a feud you’ll create.”

Shuru winced at Zecora’s reprimanding tone. “Right, my apology. I will ask.”

There was a few minutes of discussion as the Zebras discussed the pros and cons of having Pinkie and the others travel with them. Shuru argued that Pinkie would bring them good luck, and Zecora’s abilities would be of great help on the road. Punda didn’t disagree, but insisted that their duty was to return to Master Jadac as soon as possible, and having Zecora with them would cause a delay. Maji, however, knew Punda just didn’t want anything to do with Pinkie and the others, and sided with Shuru, which made it two to one.

“Settled, then,” Shuru said, switching back over to Equestrian. “We plan noon leave by. Are you all well to go?”

“I feel fine,” Pinkie said. The mysterious tune in her head had resumed, and she was slowly swaying back and forth. She looked over to the others. “You guys okay?”

Zecora yawned and stretched as she got out of her bed. “My state of health is not in question, though if I might make a suggestion, some supplies we should gather before this procession.”

“That might prove difficult, considering we don’t have any money.” Ras rubbed his hooves together. “Although...If you’d like, I could use my talents to ‘liberate’ whatever we need—”

Pinkie swatted him. “Bad Rassy!”

Ras lifted up his hooves in defense. “Just a suggestion. How else are we gonna get supplies?”

“We don’t need to worry about money,” Vigil said. “Shamans are given anything they need for travelling across the Mamardhi by the Watusati.”

They looked over at him. His eyes were red and his voice was thick, but he seemed strangely upbeat for some reason.

Pinkie wrinkled her brow. “Watusati? I know that one! Those are the ponies who make the laws here, right?”

Vigil looked over at Zecora. “You want to explain it, or should I?”

Zecora shrugged and began making her bed. “Go right ahead. I’ll correct you if I feel you’ve been misled.”

Vigil clicked his teeth a few times before beginning. “‘Watusati’ means ‘Nation’s Body,’ and is the name for the Zhevran government as a whole. In olden times, the races of the Zhevra Flatlands lived together in Ng’ombes, or ‘Herds,’ that roamed the length and breadth of the Mamardhi. Then, not long after the Era of Discord, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna came and offered to help create a unified civilization. The majority of the Ng’ombe refused, preferring to stick to the ways of old, but a few accepted, and founded the town of Lyora in the Oevu Wetlands. These individuals later became known as the Walowezi, and over the years, their numbers grew as more and more Ng’ombe were drawn to the opportunities and comfort of modern civilization.

“The Walowezi eventually became so great in number that they equalled the Ng’ombe, and then surpassed them, which resulted in a schism,” Vigil said. “Recognizing a recipe for disaster when she saw one, Princess Celestia stepped in, and helped set up a government that would promote the interests of both cultures. Today, the Walowezi are represented by the Rohobara, or ‘Spirit Council,’ and the Ng’ombe by the Busaram, or ‘Grand Elders.’ Together, they make the Watusati, and are responsible for making and upholding all the laws in the Zhevra Flatlands.”

“Nice history lesson,” Ras drawled. “So why exactly is all of that important?”

“Because the Mamardhi’s Ng’ombe sacred ground,” Zecora replied patiently. “Where no civilization can be found. Travelers must stay on the Kupaaraba, by order of the age-old Busaram dogma.”

“However.” Vigil eyed the rings Zecora wore on her neck and foreleg. “Shamans are allowed to enter the wilds to provide their services to the Ng’ombe, and the Watusati gives them any supplies they need, free of charge.”

Comprehension dawned on Ras’ face. “So it’s basically government healthcare. All Zecora has to do is flash her credentials, and we get everything we need.”

“Yes, but there’s a catch.” Zecora straightened out a final wrinkle on the bedspread. “If there’s a Ng’ombe request open for which I’m a match, by Zhevran law, I must be dispatched. A choice I can make if there are multiple missions, but at the bare minimum, I must accept one petition.”

“Which could be a problem, because Ng’ombe tribes wander the Mamardhi all throughout the year,” Vigil said grimly. “It’s unlikely, but we might wind up having to travel completely out of the way.”

PInkie sucked on her teeth. Zecora had told her a little bit about the duties of a Shaman in Zhevran culture, so not all of this was new to her. It sounded like having Zecora volunteer herself would be the easiest way to get what they needed to cross the Mamardhi, but it might cost them extra time, and with only a few months before Horizon’s barrier broke, they couldn’t afford to be running all around the Mamardhi. It ultimately came down to whether they were willing to take a risk, and whether or not... they... got...

Pinkie’s eyes twinkled with sapphire light. “Not only would that be unlikely, it’d also be pretty unlucky, don’t you think?”

They all looked at her, the realization slowly coming to them. Ras was the first to laugh, and soon the others followed suit. Shuru and the others stared on with bemused expressions, as Pinkie and the others had been speaking too quickly for her to understand anything.

“Ooh, speaking of which...” Pinkie tittered. She motioned for Vigil and Ras to come close, and whispered something in their ears. Smirks appeared on their faces, and they nodded their approval.

Zecora noted the confusion of Shuru and the others, and switched languages to tell them about the plan. They had no objections, and so it was agreed that they’d all set out as soon as Zecora had made the arrangements.

“It won’t wear you out, will it?” Ras asked Pinkie.

“It didn’t last time,” she replied.

“Fair point. And you’ve been practicing since then, I suppose.”

“The Kupaaraba is on the eastern edge of town.” Shuru told Zecora as Maij and Punda headed out the door. “Just look for the bright red signs that have a picture of a mountain on them.”

“Got it,” Zecora said. “We’ll take care of things here, and then we’ll meet you there.”

Shuru bowed in farewell, then followed after her friends and closed the door.

“We needn’t worry about medical fees,” Zecora said as she straightened her mane. “Offering my services means that check-ups are free. That also means there’s no reason to delay, so if you’re all ready, let’s be on our way.”

“Not just yet,” Pinkie said.

Zecora froze as she heard the echo in her student’s voice. She turned, and saw that Pinkie was standing in the center of the room, her eyes shut and head lowered. A strong breeze had kicked up, and the bedsheets and curtains were fluttering about.

“Maalufunzi...” Zecora shivered with goosebumps.

Ras put a hoof to his lips.

“There are more ponies here.” Pinkie’s voice carried on the wind as it swirled around them. “Lots more than there were in Ponyville’s hopsital. The world really is big, isn’t it? So many different ponies from different walks of life, all of them with their own goals, hopes, and desires. I want to meet as many as I can, to share in their happiness and do lots of fun things with them, because I believe that’s what it means to live a full life. It’s really sad what happened to Elo and the others, but if your friends are supposed to make you feel happy, and you’ve got lots and lots of good memories with them, then why should you let death, or anything else for that matter, get in the way of that? It’s a waste of time to sit around and feel crummy for long, because all that does is fill your memories with sadness, and sadness is just another form of pain. I know I’ll never be friends with everypony, and I’ll never heal all the hurts there are in this world, but that’s not going to stop me from doing anything and everything I can, so if I’m in a place where ponies are suffering, and there's something I can do about it...”

The wind became stronger as Pinkie opened her eyes, which were half-filled with cerulean light. There was a blinding flash as her Healing power surged outward, causing Zecora and the others to shield their eyes in surprise. The pulse continued out past their room to hit the entire hospital, mending bones, closing wounds, removing scars, curing diseases, and alleviating all aches and pains.

Zecora lowered her hoof, and saw Pinkie standing there, smiling brightly and tapping her hoof in time with an unknown rhythm.

"I will.”

Chapter 27: Deceivers and the Deceived

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Chapter 27:

Deceivers and the Deceived

That Night-

When most Equestrians thought of Whinnyapolis, the first things that came to mind were snow, frozen lakes, permafrost, fattening foods, questionable hygiene, funny accents, and other ludicrous notions. Those who’d actually visited the city knew better, but alas, the stereotypes were too widespread to be overruled. Whinnyapolis was, in truth, a cultural hub due to being located in the center of the country, and subsequently, home to its largest airport. Coming and going airships were a permanent fixture in the skies, and travelers from Antelese to Dromardia could always be found coming and going between flights on steam-powered airships.

Rarity’s opinion of Whinnyapolis was exempt from the norm, but not because she’d been there before. She’d always had her hoof on the pulse of high society, and therefore knew that the best foreign restaurants in Equestria could be found in the city. One such establishment was a Prench restaurant called Goûts Raffinés, and it was here she and Eclipse found themselves after a hard day’s travel.

A violin played softly in the background as Eclipse and Rarity sat alone next to a bay window. They were wearing the dream dress Rarity had made in weeks past, its shimmering, shifting colors a perfect complement to the faint ethereal quality of their mane and tail. Rarity’s Symbol of Generosity necklace was around their neck, and their sapphire earrings glinted in the candlelight as they read their menu.

I neither had, desired, nor worried about such frivolous things as appearance and culture during the days of the war, you know. Eclipse looked up at their reflection in the window. Their cat-like eyes, sharp horn, and long fangs gave them a menacing, but also quite attractive appearance, and they were drawing more than a few curious stares from the other diners. The only ‘clothing’ I ever wore was my battle regalia, and I wouldn’t have bothered eating at all if my body wouldn’t have become weak as a result.

It’s not my fault you picked up on my preferences and mannerisms after reading my mind. Rarity looked past their reflection to admire the the cityscape in the light of the setting sun. There’s nothing wrong with appreciating the finer things in life, especially when there are those who’ve dedicated their entire careers to the perfection of their crafts.

At the cost of ignoring everything else. Eclipse folded the menu and set it on the table. Take you, for example. This dress is astounding, and the Generosity necklace is among the highest quality I’ve ever seen. Yet even though your skills might be among the best of your generation, it took you years to hone them, and as a result, you’ve barely seen any of the world, developed no combat experience, and your knowledge of Arcana leaves something to be desired. The only compliment I have is that your font’s become large enough to house all of my magic, though that’s partially because of Cetus’ efforts.

Rarity withheld a sigh. To say that Eclipse disapproved of her choice in profession might be the understatement of the century. She’d never paid much attention in Psychology class, but from what she remembered, psychopaths were completely self-centered, assigned no value to the preservation of life, and were extremely driven when pursuing and accomplishing their goals. Rarity was quick to see these characteristics in Eclipse, but even with that knowledge, it was jarring to see somepony with such a cold, detached outlook on life.

If my goals and ambitions required me to go abroad, learn to fight, or bone up on spells, I would. I’ve put as much work into being a fashionista as I have because I can, dear, not because I’m flighty or incompetent.

I’m well aware of your intelligence and drive. Eclipse took a sip of wine from a crystal glass. Not many would’ve persisted as long as you did while suffering from such an extreme handicap. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve asked for your aid in the first place. I’m just telling you that your ‘passions’ don’t have near the value that you seem to think they do. Just think, if you’d dedicated the same amount of time and effort into learning Arcana instead of your dressmaking, your knowledge and ability might rival Twilight’s!

Rarity also quickly realized Eclipse respected power, dedication, and skill above all else. What was interesting, though, was that she was able to identify those things regardless of the context. Eclipse essentially saw fanaticism as a transferrable skill, and believed that if one could learn to transfer it, they could accomplish anything.

So you’re saying that being a fashionista is impractical, and I should pour my energies into something that has real-world applications, or at least, is more widely accepted and recognized by society.

Eclipse watched through the window as a purple airship with gold fins descended to land at the airport. Emblazoned proudly on the side of its hull were the words ‘Fancy Free.’ If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that ponies only respect something if they know why it should be respected in the first place. You see the hat and cape of an Arch-Magus, and instantly know that that individual has worked their flank off to get where they are. What lasting recognition is there for a fashionista? What sign of status can you point to in order to make a stranger understand how hard you’ve worked, and what you’ve sacrificed? You can wear beautiful clothes, showcase your designs, walk the walk, and talk the talk, but how many ponies understand what all of it means?

It was like talking to her mother. Rarity had lost count on the amount of discussions she’d had with her about this exact same topic over the years, always ending in the same way. Mother wanted her to be a doctor, not only because it’d be easier on her magical font, but also because she knew Rarity had the brains to get through medical school, and the heart to selflessly devote herself to the betterment of others. All she had to do was put forth the same effort she did into being a fashionista, and she’d be at the top of her class, no sweat. She’d be part of an established system that’d recognize and take care of her, and she wouldn’t have to constantly struggle and worry about her own financial stability.

The barrier of shadow separating Rarity and Eclipse’s psyches pulsed as the latter’s voice became earnest. You’ve the potential to be so much more. Your efforts could be spent doing so much more productive things than sewing, jewelcrafting, and elegance. Why bother assigning worth to things that are inherently worthless?

Rarity had a reply to that, one that’d never failed to silence her mother, and it was the same one that she so desperately wanted to give Eclipse now. She couldn’t, though, as their relationship was decidedly one-sided, and letting on that she wasn’t interested in becoming Eclipse’s right-hoof mare was a bad idea.

Besides, she was already working for somepony else.

Regardless of what I have or haven’t assigned value to in the past, the important thing now is figuring out how to overthrow Cetus. Isn’t that what we should be concentrating on?

It was almost frightening how well that worked. Rarity felt their pulse rise as Eclipse squirmed with barely contained excitement. Yes, yes, you’re right. So then, you’ve had time to think on everything I've told you. Have you come up with any ideas?

The waiter came and took their order as Rarity gathered her thoughts. There are three main obstacles that I can see. Cetus is more powerful than us, has more resources at her disposal, and most problematic of all, knows how we both think. However, she’s not aware of how we work together, so that might work to our advantage.

True. Eclipse glanced over at their ‘escorts,’ a pair of stoic, heavily armed Royal Guards standing dutifully at the door. There’s also that she’s had more time to plan. Not as much as she claims, as there’s no way she’d have as much magic as she does if she’d stayed awake for the full one thousand years, but still, more than we’ve had. I suspect she only spent a year coming up with her schemes before placing herself into stasis.

Rarity ignored the pang of sadness from seeing Elo and Grovi’s replacements. Let’s look at these problems one at a time, then. In addition to her reserves, Cetus’ greatest weapon is that she’s possessing Princess Celestia’s body, which gives her immortality, as well as immense magical power and authority. We’ll need to get her out if we’re going to defeat her, and from what you’ve told me, the best possible way to do that would be with that magical hook she threatened you with.

I thought of that, as well. The waiter returned, carrying with him a bowl of onion soup topped with cheese-covered baguettes. That ‘hook’ was actually an Effulgent Epuration, which is a powerful Abjuration spell that absorbs any kind of magic it comes into contact with. Celestia used it against Cetus, but it didn’t work for some reason. She must’ve found a way to prevent herself from being exorcised, but I’ve no idea how.

Perhaps it simply wasn’t strong enough? Rarity felt their mouth watering as the heavenly aroma of the soup rose up from the steaming dish. Are there any other spells that you know of that can absorb or negate a magical creature?

None more powerful than what Celestia used. Eclipse selected an oval spoon from their considerable choice of silverware and began to eat. Exorcism would indeed be the most efficient course of action, but just from being around her, I can tell that Cetus’ essence is so dense that the magic required to expel her would have to almost be on par with the Elements of Harmony themselves. And what’s even worse, she’s getting stronger by the day as she continues to gorge herself on Celestia’s font.

Which can’t be fully exhausted due to her immortality. Rarity savored the rich, heavenly taste of the soup as she thought for a moment. Could you tell me more about how that works? I assume your relationship with the moon is similar, if not the same.

Eclipse lightly dabbed the side of their mouth with a napkin. I assume so. I don’t actually know the specifics.

...what? Why—

I’d rather not get into the details. Eclipse finished the soup just as the main course arrived, which was a sautéed eggplant glazed with a brandy-infused pepper sauce. Celestia may be a lying, backstabbing, attention-soaking piece of trash, but on this, I’ll admit that she was right. There are some things we're better off not knowing.

Rarity was stunned... or at least, she was pretending to be. One of the tricks of acting is to use your surroundings to help invoke the emotion you’re trying to portray, and right now, she was concentrating on the eggplant. It was quite possibly the most delicious looking thing she’d ever seen, and she’d be drooling all over the table if she was in control of her body. As for why she was feigning surprise in the first place, Harmony had told her all about Celestia and Luna’s immortality during their talk in Limbo, as well as why it was crucial to her plans.

“I’m afraid you’re going to wake up soon,” Harmony said to Rarity, “but before we part ways, there’s one last important thing we need to talk about.”

The illusion of Prance still remained as the two of them sat at the sidewalk cafe, watching stoically as the lifeforce of the departed passed them by.

“Why do I get the feeling this is the biggest one of them all?” Rarity’s voice still echoed with the power of her Element, and her shining eyes cast long shadows on the table.

“Because you’ve always had good intuition, and your Foresight power is telling you so to boot.” Harmony swayed her head from side to side a few times before speaking in a rushed voice. “This is going off on a tangent, but before we get into it, I want you to know this. The future—well, time in its entirety, really, is made of and built upon choices. Infinite possibilities and timelines are written and obliterated with every decision, act, or lack thereof that everypony makes, has made, and ever will make. Your Foresight gives you glimpses of the events that are likely to come to pass, but always be aware that nothing’s set in stone. In the end, you’re the one who makes your own choices, and while outside forces, both good and evil, will try to sway you, they can’t override your free will. Not without powerful magic, anyways.”

Rarity fiddled with her teacup. She was conflicted on hearing that the future wasn’t a definite thing, but in the very least, it made her realize that her Foresight power was more complicated than she thought. She’d always believed that everypony in the world had a purpose, not just that of their cutie mark, but also a role or service to perform in a much grander design. She hadn’t had a chance to properly try using her Foresight before Cetus had possessed her, and only had what she’d seen and experienced in her dreams to go by, which wasn’t much. Somewhere deep down, though, she’d always known she was ‘destined’ for great things, but she’d thought it’d be in fashion, not saving the world.

“I wasn’t entertaining any notions of becoming a Seer or somesuch, but thank you for the warning.” A sly grin crept up on Rarity face. “Although, I’ll bet there are things that are certain enough to predict... like lottery numbers, for instance.”

Harmony gave a look of mock reproach. “You’d get found out for cheating.”

“Oh, I know,” Rarity said with a wink, “but it’d be worth it to see the look on Mother’s face.”

They both laughed, their voices carrying far out into Limbo. The passersby paid no notice to them as they continued their march, and after a few seconds, Rarity and Harmony calmed down and continued.

Harmony smiled weakly. “This is going to take a bit to explain, so bear with me.”

“Of course.”

Harmony cleared her throat. “Not long after the end of the War of the Sun and Moon, I brought Celestia here to assign her an important task. It was very, very dangerous, and took her a long time to do, but she managed to succeed in the end.”

Rarity leaned forward. “What was it?”

Harmony’s ears drooped. “To learn the secret of her immortality, and how to safely rid herself of it.”

Rarity scrunched her eyebrows as she decided which part of that statement to ask about first. She decided on the former.

“How could it be a secret? I thought that Princess Celestia and Luna were, well... like you, I suppose.”

“Not quite.” Harmony’s gaze lingered on the Eifoal Tower. “A little over nine thousand years ago, Celestia and Luna were born as everyday, normal unicorns, just like you. When they came of age, I guided them to a special cavern where I’d created the Elements, and impressed upon them the desire to use them against Discord. They did so, but unfortunately, they weren’t able to use them to their full power, and instead of purifying him and releasing me, they only weakened him.”

“I... see.” Rarity’s attitude was subdued, but mostly because that was basically what she’d been taught in school, just not with the weakened part. It was reassuring to know that Princess Celestia hadn’t altered history other than the messiness of the War of the Sun and Moon, but wanting said reassurance in the first place was something in itself.

Harmony tucked her legs under her body. “Discord fled from Celestia and Luna, but he could feel the magic of the Elements sapping his power away, and knew there wasn’t anything he could do to stop it. He always was a sore loser, so instead of succumbing to a slow, drawn-out fate, he expended all his power at once to give his subjugators a parting gift. He altered reality so that the Sun and the Moon couldn’t move on their own anymore, and at the same time, linked Celestia and Luna’s lifeforces to them, thereby making them immortal.”

Rarity felt a chill. “He did... what?”

Harmony’s face was humorless, and her voice was without any note of jest. “This is the full extent of what Discord can do. He can bend reality to his will, alter anything into any shape, and deconstruct all types of matter. He originally used his powers to help us traverse the stars, but against Celestia and Luna, he used it as a unique form of torture.”

Rarity pursed her lips. “I don’t understand. How is making the Princesses immortal and turning them into alicorns a kind of torture?”

Harmony shook her head. “You’re confused. Celestia and Luna’s transformation into alicorns had nothing to do with Discord’s actions; it was caused by using the Elements.”

Rarity gasped. However, Harmony put up a hoof before she could say anything.

“I see you’ve caught on, but I want to finish explaining Discord’s actions. I’ll explain what that means for you and your friends later.”

Rarity swallowed hard. She looked down at herself, then, with a shaky hoof, reached back to touch between her shoulder blades.There wasn’t anything there, but still, she couldn’t help but feel a slight tingle at the base of her spine.

“Go on,” Rarity said.

Harmony motioned to the fake sun above them. “When Discord put Celestia and Luna in charge of the Sun and Moon, he burdened them with the conservation of all life on the planet. Every single living thing needs the Sun and Moon to survive, and if they ever stop, Everything. Will. Die. The plants will wither and crumble, the animals will weaken and starve, and all civilization will cease to be. The planet will return to being a dusty, barren rock, and no shred of life will remain.”

Rarity shivered. “Why would he do such a thing?”

Harmony sipped at her tea. “Can you imagine the pressure that comes with knowing you’re the caretaker of all life on the planet? No mortal is capable of handling such a monumental responsibility for long, let alone forever. When you really think about it, what word would you use to describe such an absurd arrangement?”

‘When you really think about it.’ Those were the words that struck a chord with Rarity. She admitted she hadn’t paid much attention to what Celestia and Luna did, but then again, the functions of the solar system are a little beyond the scope of a fashionista. To Rarity, the Princesses were simply very old, very powerful, and had a lot of important duties that came with being in charge. Those definitions could be used to describe just about any ruler, but now that Rarity understood the magnitude of what the Princesses were truly tasked with, there was indeed a word that came to mind to describe it.

“Insane.”

Harmony nodded gravely. “It was the perfect act of chaos, one that’d go on to echo throughout the ages. Discord knew either Celestia or Luna would eventually crack under the stress and try to escape his curse, and when they did, the Chaos magic binding them to the Sun and Moon would warp them, and usher in a new Era of Discord.”

Rarity tilted her head. “Chaos... magic?”

“The substance that resulted from the fusion of Discord’s lifeforce and magic when he expended all his power,” Harmony said. “Luna came up with the name, and since I did something similar when I became fused with the planet, I suppose we could call the Elements a pure manifestation of Law magic. Both substances are similar in makeup, but have completely opposite effects. Chaos magic makes ponies extremely violent, passionate, and eventually mad. Law magic does the opposite, making ponies passive, dispassionate, and finally, completely inert.”

“Pardon me.” Rarity rubbed her ears. “Let me make sure I heard that right. Chaos magic is a combination of Discord’s lifeforce and magic, and the Princesses have it inside of them. Law magic is a combination of your lifeforce and magic, and if we’ve the power of the Elements inside us, does that mean—”

“Structurally, the easiest way to think of it is like a current of electricity running through a wire,” Harmony said unhurriedly. “The wire is the link, and the electricity is the magic. As long as a wire isn’t tampered with, it does nothing more than its intended purpose, yes? The same goes for this. However, you and your friend’s links are functional and whole, whereas Celestia’s and Luna’s have always been sparking and frayed.”

Rarity frowned. “That seems a little simplistic for something as complex as this.“

Harmony shifted in her seat. “You and your friends’ links are comprised of Law magic, while Celestia’s and Luna’s are made of Chaos. You and your friends’ links will only give you power when you call upon it or in times of distress, while Discord’s spell was extremely sloppy, and the power of the Sun and Moon is constantly leaking into Celestia’s and Luna’s bodies. This is why they have ethereal manes, tails, and increased stature. You and your friends’ links were securely welded to your lifeforces the instant you were conceived, and are the most intricate, stable pieces of spellwork I’ve ever crafted. Celestia’s and Luna’s are hastily made, unstable, and were slapped onto their lifeforces through a multi-dimensional tear in space. If they try to alter them, they’ll expose themselves to raw Chaos magic, and be subsequently turned into psychotic monsters with unfathomable power.”

Rarity lips parted as she was struck with an epiphany. “That’s what happened to Luna, isn’t it?”

Harmony then did the last thing Rarity would ever expect a godlike entity to ever do. She facehooved.

“I did everything I could to try and stop her. I knew she and Celestia would jump to conclusions and blame me for their fate if I revealed myself to them, so I resorted to my usual ways. It worked for eight thousand years, but eventually, Luna’s curiosity won out, and she experimented on herself to see if she could figure out how her link worked.”

“And Nightmare Moon was born.” Rarity winced. “Is there any danger of something like that happening to any of us? I know you said our links are stable, but—”

Harmony waved a dismissive hoof. “You’d have an easier time of trying to sew without a needle. It took me one thousand years to craft you and your friends’ links to the Elements, and I made sure there wasn’t any chance of them ‘leaking’ in any way. I even tested them ten years ago to make sure they were working properly before fully activating them.”

“Ten years ago?” Rarity echoed. “I don’t—”

She stopped dead as a particular memory struck her, that of her magic suddenly coming to life and dragging her halfway across Equestria to stand in front of a plain, unassuming rock. It was actually filled with gemstones, but she hadn’t realized that until a massive prismatic explosion went off from somewhere, shattering the rock and revealing its contents. She’d had no idea what’d caused it, but as she’d gotten her cutie mark from it, she hadn’t particularly cared.

Rarity snickered. “So that’s what all that business was about! You scared the living daylights out of me, you know.”

Harmony shrugged. “I had to test it somehow. Would you rather I ‘flipped the switch’ without any idea of what was going to happen?”

“I suppose not,” Rarity said with a giggle. “And I didn’t feel anything strange at the time, aside from my magic going off all on its own, so I guess it was a success.”

Harmony pointed at Rarity’s Soul Tether. ”Another way to think of it is like sucking water out of a straw. You need a certain amount of suction to bring the water all the way up, and if you don’t have enough, the water will fall back down. By using your Element, you’re actually ‘pulling’ on me, trying to free me from the planet, but you don’t have enough ‘suction’ to get me out. In order to damage your link, you’d have to draw ten times the amount of power it’s going to take to release me.”

Rarity gave a sigh of relief. “Okay, so let me see if I understand what you’ve told me so far. Celestia and Luna are immortal due to being linked to the Sun and Moon by Discord, and Luna’s inadvertent exposure to Chaos magic was what turned her into Nightmare Moon. You said you brought Celestia here to tell her all of this after the War of the Sun and Moon, and then tasked her with figuring out how to rid herself of her immortality, correct?”

“That’s right,” Harmony said.

Rarity chewed on her lip. “I’ve only met Princess Celestia a few times, but she’s always seemed normal enough, albeit a little sad. She must’ve been quite cautious if her link to the Sun is as dangerous as you’ve been saying.”

“Cautious doesn’t even begin to describe it.” Harmony crossed her forehooves. “She spent one hundred and seven years making failsafes and wards alone, and even then, her first test almost went haywire. She spent another fifty years making more wards after that, and only then did she start making progress.”

Rarity met Harmony’s eyes with a fervent gaze. “This all has something to do with preparing us to fight Discord, doesn’t it?”

“Partially, but that’s not all.” Harmony took a deep breath. “Only Discord can undo what he did to the Sun and Moon. If Celestia and Luna destroy their links, his lifeforce will return to his body and he’ll be freed. However, the Sun and the Moon won’t be able to move anymore, so he needs to be purified immediately, and only I can do that. I’m trapped in the planet, so I created the six of you to wield the Elements to their fullest extent. Doing this will pull me out of the planet, but it’ll take time, and Discord isn’t going to just sit and wait around while that’s going on. You and your friends need to grow as individuals in order to have the necessary knowledge and experience to simultaneously hold him off and draw out the Elements’ full power, and because of your nature, the only way to do that is through adversity. Fortunately, there’s plenty of adversity to be had in the way of Nightmare Moon, and more importantly, her Echo.

“While Cetus was inside the Element of Magic, I coaxed her into coming up with the plan to steal Celestia’s body.” Harmony stopped to make sure Rarity was still with her. “Meanwhile, I promised Celestia that I’d free Luna, so when you and your friends used the Elements on Nightmare Moon, I had Cetus go inside you so that she’d use your Soul Tether power to completely separate her from Luna. I did this for three reasons. The first was to get Cetus out of the Element of Magic, which normally resides in a pocket dimension that only its Bearer can access, which meant Celestia couldn’t get her out. The second was to use Nightmare Moon to hamper Cetus’ efforts, which also included you being healed from your disorder and giving you the experience you need. The third and final reason is that Luna is going to meet your friends at the Caverns of Harmony, which is guarded by the Dragon Turtles, and they won’t have anything to do with her if Nightmare Moon is still inside her.”

Rarity couldn’t help but laugh. “Now I know what you mean when you said you liked to micromanage! And here I thought I was bad fretting over loose seams!”

Harmony curled her lip. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I’m not as bad as I used to be. There was a time when I was guiding the lives of insects in order to try and bring about specific changes in the food chain.”

Rarity shook her head in amazement. “I can’t even begin to comprehend that, so I’m not going to try.”

“It sounds more complicated than it actually is, but let’s not get off-topic.” Harmony finished off her tea. “There have been a few snags here and there, but things have largely gone as planned. The biggest hurdle was getting Celestia to cooperate, but she agreed so long as Luna was freed, and that was a part of the plan, anyway. She also demanded that she get a clear shot at Nightmare Moon and Cetus, but that proved to be too complicated for me to arrange, so she agreed to settle for only Nightmare Moon.”

Rarity was about to ask what Harmony meant by ‘clear shot,’ but the longer she thought about it, the more it made sense.

“She’s never gotten one, has she?” Rarity asked. “Celestia, I mean. Both Nightmare Moon and Cetus have always had hostages with them.”

“Which has left Celestia more than a little frustrated,” Harmony remarked mildly. “There’s always been something, or somepony in the way, and never once has she been able to use all her power against either of them. This has been intentional, of course, as while both Cetus and Nightmare Moon hate Celestia, they’re also terrified of her, and are very aware that if they go head-to-head against her, they'll lose. Badly.”

“So they always hide behind something, and now that ‘something’ happens to be me.” Rarity rolled her eyes. “Well, you’ve already said martyrdom isn’t an option. What else can I do?”

Harmony gestured to the cafe around them. “Remember how I said this place can be your sanctuary? Thanks to your stamina from dealing with your sleep disorder, you can resist Limbo’s aura, and your Soul Tether power will allow you to stay here for as long as you like, regardless of the state of your body. The only one who can do anything to you here is me, and to be perfectly honest, you’re stronger than I am in this place.”

Rarity’s eyes lit up. “So if Celestia becomes freed from the Sun, all I have to do is come back here.”

“When she’s freed,” Harmony corrected. “For you see, her experiments resulted in an array that can sever any link to either the Sun or the Moon, and in it are literally millions of wards. One thousand, three hundred and fifty-three of which are solely dedicated to nullifying Banishment spells, so all Cetus has to do is step inside it, and Celestia will return. She can then kick Cetus out of her body, subdue Nightmare Moon, and finish her off while you wait safely here in Limbo.”

Rarity was about to clap her hooves, but then a morbid thought struck her, one that made her stomach drop out as she stared at Harmony.

“What’s going to happen to my body?! Celestia’s going to be so angry at Nightmare Moon she’ll incinerate her to cinders! There won’t be even enough left to fill an ashtray! I don’t care if I can make this place look however I want, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life here!”

“You won’t,” Harmony said calmly. “Celestia understands the circumstances, and isn’t going to go overboard. Pinkie can restore your body once Nightmare Moon’s lifeforce is completely severed, and you’ll be able to return.”

Rarity anxiety slowly faded. She made a hmph noise, and tossed back her mane with a flourish. “Well, I’ll admit I’d prefer a plan that doesn’t put my body through the wringer, but considering the circumstances, I suppose it could be worse. What of Cetus, though? I assume she’ll just die without a host?”

Harmony clicked her teeth. “Actually, by that point, Cetus will have devoured so much magic that she’ll be able to sustain herself even without a body. She’ll be so powerful, she won’t need the Elements in order to bring about Eternal Night, but she won’t be aware of that thanks to me ‘convincing’ her otherwise while she was in the Element of Magic. There’s only one thing that’ll be able to defeat her at that point, and ironically, it’s something that’s been in front of you for a long time.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Whatever might that be?”

Harmony grinned. “Twilight’s thesis spell.”

It took a few seconds for Harmony’s words to register, but when they did, Rarity’s jaw promptly dropped. She did indeed remember Twilight telling her about how the spell she was making could theoretically break down all kinds of magic, and while it wasn’t as powerful as the Elements themselves, it could theoretically become close.

“This leads me to the third, and most important thing I’ve come to tell you.” Harmony spoke clearly and concisely. “Twilight brings the release of Day, when Night and her Twin are in the Array.”

Rarity smiled as she committed the simple rhyme to memory. “I think I can remember that. Where is this array?”

“In the very center of Canterlot Mountain,” Harmony replied. “The entrance to it is inside the Millennium Archives, second floor, back wall, center shelf. Stand on the blue square in the checkered carpet, and say the word ‘Equinox’ to open the door."

Rarity blinked several times. “That’s going to be difficult to pass off as circumstance. How do you suggest I do it?”

Harmony’s eyes twinkled. “It’s not hard to convince any Bearer of Magic, current, corrupted, or otherwise to go into a library. Getting Eclipse and Cetus in the Archives and having one of them say the word will be the easy part, the difficulty will be in getting them out.”

Rarity was about to reply, but suddenly felt a jolt like static electricity run through her body.

“Ah!” She sprang to her hooves, looking wildly around. “What was that?!”

“That would be you waking up.” Harmony got to her hooves. “It’s been nice talking to you, Rarity, but I’m afraid we have to part ways for a while. Don’t worry, though, if all goes as planned, we’ll meet again soon.”

“Wait!” Rarity said in a rush. “Tell me about the alicorn thing!”

Harmony stopped, then wrinkled her brow as she remembered what Rarity was referring to.

“Right, that. Well, like I said, it’s a side-effect of using the Elements. Law magic reverts anything that‘s been changed back into its original state, and balances out anything it deems to be disproportionate. Back when Discord and I created the pony race, I made the base template that held all the characteristics of the three sub-races, and Discord used his magic to split it into thirds. This resulted in the Pegasi, Earth Ponies, and Unicorns you see today, but since Discord’s magic is technically an imbalance, anypony that uses the Elements will slowly revert back to the base template. The process took ten years for Celestia and Luna, but for you and your friends, the influx of Law magic residing inside you will cause it to happen in spurts. Cetus already awakened your Earth Pony bloodline, and your Pegasi bloodline will be roused when you obtain the Necklace of Generosity.”

Rarity bit her lip. She’d be lying if she said she’d never wondered about what it’d be like to be an Earth Pony or a Pegasus. She wasn’t willing to give up Arcana, mind you, but still, one couldn’t help but daydream from time to time. To soar through the air and have the weather answer to her beck and call? To have a long life, be resistant to disease, and never have to worry about getting lost in the wilderness? Those were appealing traits, and now she was getting them on top of her magic?

Rarity felt a creepy-crawly sensation spreading through her limbs. She looked down, and saw they were blurry and fading out. “I guess that makes sense, but you said Celestia and Luna’s immortality was Discord’s doing, so does that mean—”

“No.” Harmony’s outline was fading out, as well. “An unending lifespan would do nothing but wear on your psyche, gradually wearing away on you bit by bit until you’re nothing but a shell. A true alicorn has a lifespan of two hundred and fifty to three hundred years, so while you and your friends will enjoy longer lives than most, you’ll all eventually pass on.”

Rarity’s limbs had vanished, and now her torso was beginning to fade.

“It’s strange,” she remarked.

“What is?” Harmony asked. The illusion of Prance flickered, then faded away to leave the two of them floating in a void.

“To be given something you’ve always wanted for no reason other than that the stars aligned.” Rarity now saw that the void wasn’t entirely featureless, for where the Eifoal Tower had once been, there was an archway, black, ominous, and covered in ornate markings. “I’ve always wanted fame and success, but I wanted to earn it, not have it hoofed to me on a silver platter. Becoming an alicorn is a dream come true, yes, but to look at it and understand the only reason it happened was because I got lucky?”

Rarity watched as the line of the departed marched endlessly towards the archway, and as they crossed its threshold, they disappeared.

“It feels... hollow.”

Harmony’s body wasn’t vanishing as fast as Rarity’s, and only half her legs were gone. “Try looking at it as a down payment for your services. If all goes well, you and your friends are going to be the saviors of the world, and that’s worthy of a great reward.”

Rarity lowered her eyes. It still all sounded ridiculous to her, but she wasn’t about to argue with her maker. At least, not any more than she already had. “I suppose I’ll have to believe you.”

Harmony waved as Rarity’s torso faded away, leaving behind only her head and neck. “Goodbye, Rarity. I know you and your friends have it in you to bring about balance in all things.”

Rarity smiled back as her vision went white. She wasn’t looking forward to what awaited her when she woke, but she had confidence she could face it.

“We’ll certainly try, at least.”

Back in the restaurant, Rarity was silent as she watched Eclipse cut the eggplant into pieces. You know, there is one thing I can think of that might be worth looking to.

Eclipse hesitated. And that would be?

Rarity chose her words with utmost care. You went through my memories, so you should remember Twilight telling me about her thesis spell.

I only perused your memories to get an idea of how the culture and grammar has changed, Eclipse said. I didn’t have enough time to go through your entire life, nor would I be particularly inclined to if I did.

Rarity withheld a cheer. She’d suspected that indeed was the case, but she had to be sure. Yes, well, she told me that she’d made a spell that could do something everypony thought was impossible. There was a specific word she used for it that escapes me... Discharging? Disseminate? Dismantling?

There was a loud clatter as Eclipse dropped their fork and knife. Rarity tried her hardest not to laugh as she felt their eyes unfocus, and the barrier of shadow pulsed with unnatural force.

Are you telling me Twilight Sparkle has created a Disjunction spell?!

Rarity adopted an excited tone. Disjunction, yes! That’s the one. She was extremely excited about it because she said it could break down all kinds of magic.

Which is why it’s impossible! They were getting even more stares from the other diners now as they stared blankly off into space. Twilight’s a prodigy, yes, but there’s no way she could’ve done what thousands of Magi, including myself, have tried to do for centuries without success! You must’ve misunderstood her.

Why does everypony think I’m some kind of magical dunce?! Rarity huffed. That thing sticking out of my head isn’t just for show, you know! Twilight had to explain some of the advanced concepts and terminology to me, but I understood her just fine after that!

Explain it to me, then. Eclipse shook their head and resumed cutting up the eggplant. Explain to me how a spell that can break down other kinds of magic doesn’t rip itself apart!

Rarity paused as she searched her memory. In truth, Twilight’s spell hadn’t been complete when she’d told her about it back at Edith’s birthday party, but Harmony said it was going to work, so Rarity believed the theory was sound.

She used the Symbols of the Elements as Catalyst Runes in a hexagonal Fusion Array, then fed the magic into all six Runes simultaneously at a gradual rate to create the Disjunction effect.

I already knew that. Eclipse raised a piece of eggplant to their mouth. The problem is that when the effect occurs, it immediately explodes. Dozens of Magi have been killed that way, including Starswirl the Bearded.

That’s why Twilight used a Dacrenzic Containment Field to hold the effect together through centripetal force, Rarity said. It requires an enormous amount of energy to sustain due to the magic constantly remaking and destroying itself, but it can draw that energy from whatever it’s disjoining, so the stronger the magic is, the more stable the effect becomes.

Eclipse let the piece of eggplant fall back onto their plate, much to Rarity’s disappointment.

That’s... brilliant. Centripetal force? Why didn’t I ever think of that?! The spell can’t be kept together through the laws of Arcana, so you have to use the laws of Physics, instead! Genius!

Rarity could’ve left it at that, but she figured a little grease on the wheels couldn’t hurt. Twilight said she had a few more kinks to work out before she presented it to the University, but it worked well enough when she showed it to me. I’m sure she’s got it in tip-top shape by now.

Hmm. Eclipse rested their elbows on the table and put their hooves together. I’ve no reason to doubt you, and while a Disjunction spell would be the perfect weapon to use against Cetus, if what you’re saying is true, that presents a new set of problems. I don’t remember what all the Symbols of the Elements are, and even if I did, I’d need to do several weeks worth of research in order to properly construct the array. We could get the information we need from the libraries here in Whinnyapolis, but we can’t spend that much time here, and even if we just checked the libraries in each town we visit, I’ll need to conduct experiments to make sure everything is working, and I can’t do that on the road.

Rarity already had an answer to that problem, but she knew she couldn’t be overly enthusiastic about it, as Eclipse might then catch on that she was being led into a trap. Better to play like she was thinking all this up on the fly than to risk revealing she was doing the equivalent of reading off a script.

Perhaps, Rarity said haltingly, we don’t need to.

Eclipse looked at their reflection in the window again. Oh?

Rarity imagined herself speaking to Eclipse from the other side. Anything we try or do is going to be subject to suspicion because Cetus expects a betrayal from us. As you just said, if we stay overly long here in Whinnyapolis, or anywhere else for that matter, she’s going to know something’s ahoof. And as for doing any experimentation, I’d bet my Boutique those brutish louts over there have been ordered to to report any suspicious activities we perform.

She’s probably also told them to give daily reports so that she’ll know if we dispose of them. Eclipse adjusted their mane. What’s your point?

Rarity was suddenly grateful that she wasn’t in control of her body, as she’d be terribly nervous for proposing something that so much was riding on. Why bother taking the risk when Twilight’s already done all the work? We’re supposed to be looking for her, anyway. Why not just continue to do so, then, when we find her, convince her to use the Disjunction spell against Cetus while we keep her attention on us?

Eclipse lowered their chin and frowned, their fangs glittering in the dim light. And how exactly do we convince her to help us? She’s not going to agree once she finds out who I am.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Rarity had never liked that saying, but she supposed there was some truth to it in this case. Twilight wants to take out Cetus as much as we do, and you’re as much of a prisoner as I. She’s the most logical pony I’ve ever met, and if we inform her of our situation, I know she’ll be willing to make a deal.

The last time I ‘made a deal’ with somepony, I took the Elements of Harmony to the face. Eclipse turned her attention back to the eggplant. You’ll forgive me if I’m not eager to repeat the experience.

Which experience? Rarity asked. Making a deal, or getting hit by the Elements?

Eclipse snorted. Both.

Rarity’s temptation to feel sorry for her was tempered by the reminder that this was a mass murderer responsible for the continued suffering of an entire host of ponies. I could try talking to her instead, if you’d like. She’ll listen to me.

Eclipse gave their burly guards a perfunctory glance. That might work. However, if you do, I want to know exactly what you’re going to say. And fair warning: if you try anything funny, there’ll be painful consequences.

Yes, yes. Rarity said dismissively. Now, can we please eat?! I’m positively starving, and the smell of that eggplant is driving me up the wall. I feel as if I could eat the whole thing!

Good, because that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Eclipse picked up their fork and put a piece of the eggplant in their mouth at last. You’re a growing mare now, so we need all the nourishment we can get. It’s a pity your Pegasus bloodline didn’t awaken first, as some fish would go nicely with this. Oh well, good things come to those who wait.

Rarity would’ve replied to that, but the taste of the eggplant had rendered her speechless. It was soft and juicy, with a hint of spice that sent her tastebuds into a state of bliss. Her train of thought was completely derailed, and she hummed as she lost herself to their dinner. There were a few more things to work out, like actually finding Twilight and figuring out what to tell her, but that could wait until they picked up her trail. It didn’t make sense to figure out how they’d get back to Canterlot when she didn’t know where they were going to end up, let alone how she was going to get both Eclipse and Cetus in Celestia’s array. Rarity had a few ideas, but without more pieces to the puzzle, all she could do was wait.

And if said waiting involved more things like this, then she certainly had no complaint.

Chapter 28: Kindred Spirits

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Chapter 28:

Kindred Spirits

The Next Day-

“WAUGH!”

Applejack screamed as she made the mistake of looking down again. The ocean waves below were cold, hard, and menacing, and there was nothing but a pair of alien appendages holding her up in the air. She flailed about and fruitlessly grabbed at nothing, and the stability of her flight was lost. She flapped her wings desperately and tried to steady herself, but she only succeeded in turning herself upside down and plummeting into a nosedive. Applejack twisted her body to try and pull up, but that only made her start spinning in a corkscrew, and she fell like a stone towards the ocean. With a final, frustrated scream, she disappeared beneath the waves with a mighty splash.

Norric and Granny chuckled as they observed Applejack’s latest attempt at flight from the sandbar they’d landed on a day and a half ago. The early morning sun shone brightly down on them from a cloudless sky, and the air was warm and humid. The previous day had been uncomfortably muggy, and today was promising to be much of the same. They’d stayed in the Tempest Bay all day yesterday in order to give Applejack a chance to learn how to fly and decide what to do, and while they’d made progress on the latter, the former still needed some work.

“Normally you gotta pay for this kind of entertainment.” Norric sat in the shallows with a fine layer of water droplets clinging to his coat and mane. His legs and tail were submerged, and he closed his eyes and raised his chin as he was sprayed by Applejack’s splash.

“Doesn’t look like she’s gettin’ any better, does it?” Granny was behind him, lying down on the sandbar and wearing Applejack’s Stetson to shield herself from both the sun and the water. “Might just hafta hope nopony in Gallopfrey thinks it’s odd that she wants to stay on the ground.”

After they’d gotten over the shock of Norric telling them that the Element of Honesty was slowly turning Applejack into an alicorn, they’d decided the best thing to do was head a few miles west to the town of Gallopfrey. Norric had explained that he and the other Echoes had visited their respective hometowns a few years ago to see what’d become of them, and while Gallopfrey hadn’t existed in Capricorn’s time, it was close to where he’d grown up, so Norric decided to check it out. Once there, the three of them could see about how to get to Dragon Turtle Lake, which Ophiuchus had told Norric about the previous night in a dream.

“I already told you that’s not what’s gonna draw attention to us.” Norric turned to face Granny, and his eyes drifted down to the blood-red hoofaxe hanging at her side. “The issue’s gonna be that thing.”

Granny didn’t need to follow his gaze to see what was he was both looking at, and referring to. “I’m not lettin’ Aconitum outta my sight. If they don’t let me in, fine. I’ll just wait outside of town while you and Jackie see whether we’re goin’ by land or sea.”

Norric had discovered that Gallopfrey was primarily a pegasus fishing town, but it was also a launching point for those planning to launch safaris and expeditions into the Great Southern Rainforest. It was common for transport ships to be coming and going through, but the Rainforest was an extremely dangerous place, and so the individuals going in were always well-armed, and unsavory to boot. Several fights had broken out in between rival parties in the past, and the resulting chaos had caused property damage to the town, multiple injuries to civilians, and even a few deaths. The Gildesdale government quickly hired extra muscle to keep the peace, and as an added precaution, they also had all visitors turn in their weapons at the town gate.

“And what if we wind up having to spend the night?’ Norric asked. “You gonna be okay out by yourself here in the wilderness?”

Granny rolled her eyes. “I already got three grandchildren worryin’ I’m gonna keel over dead at any second. I don’t need a magical clone doin’ it, too.”

Norric blushed. “I didn’t mean—”

“Damn it!”

Applejack surfaced with a gasp and a curse. She struck the water with a hoof, then began swimming back to the cliff she’d been jumping off of for another try.

“Bring it in, Jackie!” Granny then met Norric’s eyes with a softer tone. “That came out a bit harsher than I intended, but the point still stands. Pioneers tend to know a thing or two about roughin’ it, and like I told ya yesterday, this axe o’mine ain’t just for show. There aren’t many things that can sneak up on me when I payin’ attention, and there are even fewer things Aconitum can’t cut. Don’t matter to me if we’re close the Rainforest or not, I’ve killed before, and I’ll kill again if I have to.”

Norric’s expression suddenly became pained. He blinked several times, then lowered his eyes to the water as he traced his hoof in a circle.

Granny sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. “Aw, honey, I’m sorry. I wasn’t even thinkin’ about Strauss. I told ya what kinda shape he was in when I got to him, though. Would ya rather I—”

Norric laughed bitterly. “It’s not that. Truth be told, I’m more upset over Elo and Grovi’s passing than his. I know what you did was an act of mercy, and I think I speak for the rest of the Order when I say, thank you for ending his suffering.”

Granny let out her breath in a sigh of relief. It’s one thing to tell yourself that taking a life, or the equivalent thereof, is the best thing you could’ve done in a situation, but it’s quite another to have somepony else agree with you.

“So what’re you gettin’ all teary-eyed over?” Granny asked.

“Something a little more complicated.” Norric raised a hoof to gauge the water’s depth. “You see, the members of the Order of the Zodiac never had a lot in common. Sure, they all knew maybe one or two others before the War, but by and large, they were just a group of strangers under a fancy label. Libra, their leader, knew they needed to be united in order to face the Astral Guard, and so in the early days of the War, he gave a speech to bring them all together.”

“Musta been one heckuva speech if it’s makin’ ya break down,” Granny observed.

Norric snorted. “I’d do both Libra and Blair a disservice in trying to repeat it. The gist, though, was that while the Order may not know, or even like each other, they all had more in common than they realized. They all hated watching their city get destroyed. They all mourned the pointless loss of life. They all hated what’d happened to their comrades in Luna’s army. None of them wanted to die, and they all wanted to the war to end as soon as possible. Those things were all certainly true, but even with that, there was also one other thing they had in common, which rose above everything else.”

Granny raised an eyebrow. “And that’d be?”

Norric watched the thin rivulets of water drip off his arm. “They all wanted to protect future generations from war. There’s nothing honorable about standing knee-deep in an ocean of blood while listening to the wails of the wounded, damned, and dying. It’s not fun to watch the light leave somepony’s eyes, or fight for your life against heartless monsters that want to rip you to shreds. Going to sleep every night wondering if it’s your last isn’t exciting, it’s terrifying, and shouldn’t be confused for anything else. Libra knew the Order knew would be remembered for their deeds, and their actions would be romanticized over time, but it was the reason why they fought, not the fighting itself that he felt was deserving of recognition. Innocence is like life—once it’s lost, it can never be recovered, and Libra showed the Order that the preservation of that innocence was something they needed to defend at all costs. The pursuit of that idea, that goal, that dream, was what gave all of them the strength to persevere time and time again, and it was also what united them... as brothers.”

Norric pointed his drenched hoof at Granny. “Only a pony who’s seen war would say something like, ‘I’ve killed before and I’ll kill again,’ without batting an eyelash, and I’m sad because it makes me realize how silly that dream really was. I heard Tendoncutter say something once: ‘The day I take on an apprentice will be both the greatest and worst day of my life, for only a spirit who’s suffered as I have is worthy to learn the secrets of my art.’ I see what he meant now, because while you and I may be kindred spirits, I never wanted to meet a pony in this era whose hooves were as stained as mine. I may not be Capricorn, but hearing you say things like that still makes me feel like I failed to protect you.”

Norric bowed his head. “And for that, I’m sorry.”

Granny bit her lip. She’d known what Norric was for almost two weeks now, but it was still hard to believe this klutzy, awkward troublemaker of a stallion was a war veteran. However, in that moment, as Norric stared at her with the same tired, hollowed-out eyes she saw every time she looked in the mirror, she’d no trouble seeing him for what he was.

“Kindred spirits, eh?”

Granny looked out over the bay, and an old memory began to play before her eyes.

Granny stared at the fresh corpses of a pack of timber wolves as she stood in a grove in the Everfree Forest. In her hoof was Aconitum, dripping with amber-colored blood and glowing faintly in the fading light of the evening. There weren’t many left now. It’d taken her the entire day to track this lot down, but she estimated that if she was able to kill one pack every few days, she should be able to wipe them all out before she had to stop. The remaining survivors were getting clever; they made false trails, covered their tracks, and travelled in smaller groups, but she always found them. She still heard their howls in the dead of night, and as long as a single one of them still breathed, she’d—

There was a rustling to Granny’s right. She raised Acontium to throw, but its aura suddenly turned a ruddy gold. Her eyes widened, and she lowered the axe in time to see her beloved Penny emerge from the brush. His blonde coat was matted with sweat and dirt, his vibrant red mane was tousled and covered in leaves, and a hoofaxe identical to Aconitum in all but color hung at his side. He stopped as he saw Granny amidst the scene of death, but he betrayed no shock or surprise. Instead, he spoke in a voice as earnest as the day he’d proposed to her.

“...can’t keep doing this, love...”

Granny turned her back to him and hung her head. “...them or us... won’t start a family that’ll grow up in fear...”

Penny went to her and put a hoof on her shoulder. “...not worth the risk... other way than genocide...”

“...beasts born of murder and pain...” Granny noted that Penny’s hoof was dirty. She nuzzled it anyway. “...my mess... gotta fix it...”

Penny walked around to face her and gently lifted her chin. “...blaming yourself... let you stoop to their level...”

Granny looked into those beautiful, emerald eyes, the eyes that lived on in two of her grandchildren. “...on a timeline... taken so much from me... let ‘em take anythin’ more...”

“...won’t...” Penny took a step closer. “...nothing to prove... avenged your family tenfold... enough to start the farm...”

Granny closed her eyes. “...takes is one... steal our child... kill ‘em all...”

Penny put a hoof on Granny’s flat stomach. “...Princess Celestia... send troops... have to do this...”

“...late for that...” Granny touched her forehead to his. “...many ponies’ve died... banished for sure... Celestia herself before I lose you...”

Penny stroked her mane. “...understand... next generation... go through what we did...”

“...hide this...” Granny nuzzled Penny’s neck, taking in the smell of his mane, the softness of his coat. “...can’t let them know... our burden... free...”

Penny pulled Granny closer into an embrace. “...not alone... always be there...”

“...love you so much...” Granny’s lips met Penny’s, and they kissed deeply in the stillness of the grove. Their embrace became tighter, and she felt his tongue probing, eagerly requesting entrance. She tilted her head and opened her mouth...

Granny sighed. She looked over at Applejack, who was still out of earshot as she shook herself off in the shallows.

“If it’s any consolation, I tried to do the same thing. I prolly tried just as hard as ya’ll, but it don’t look like the peace I fought for’s gonna last. I guess the only thing we can do now is make sure Jackie’s prepared for what’s waitin’ for her, so that she stands a chance at walkin’ away from all this.”

Norric nodded. “It’s better to be a predator, than prey.”

As its eastern neighbor, Gildesdale’s climate was largely similar to Equestria’s, but their geographies became vastly different only after a few dozen miles beyond their borders. Gildesdale’s hills leveled off, its forests gave way to vast, untamed prairies and endless blue skies, the wildlife turned savage, and the natives became hardened and proud. The roads and settlements of Gildesdale were few, the largest being the capital of Thatchholm to the north. The southern border was even less populated, due to the Great Southern Rainforest on the southwest, and the inhospitable Changeling Wastes on the other side of Eternity’s Crossing. Going even farther east eventually brought one to the shifting sands of Dromardia, where the shattered fragments of the Dromedary Empire fought endlessly over the sacred Nabaari Peninsula, and beyond that was the Marelantic Ocean, in which tens of thousands of islands made up the Equintorial Belt before finally ending at the ancient, mystical kingdom of Antelese.

The Necklace of Laughter glittered around Applejack’s neck as she trailed behind Norric and Granny, keeping her wings spread out to dry as she walked. The town of Gallopfrey had just come into view, and with her improved vision, she could make out its features before either of the others. The town was medium in size and circular in shape, with a twenty-foot wooden wall encompassing its borders that ended in menacing, spiked points. A stone path led south out of the city and into a well-kept harbor, where ships ranging from rowboats to galleons were docked. The few buildings Applejack could see over the wall were also made of wood, and above the city were sets of fluffy clouds in which pegasi flew back and forth. A set of gates guarded by a quartet of earth ponies dressed in brown leather armor stood before them, with a line of creatures waiting for admittance. The Great Southern Rainforest filled the rest of Applejack’s vision as swath of green, brown, and silver that filled the north and western horizon.

“Why’d the grass turn red all of a sudden?” Applejack had noted the change a hundred yards back, but hadn’t said anything as she’d been checking to see if her Geomancy was still working. It was, and she could tell the grass was still healthy despite its odd coloration. The cause of it, however, eluded her.

“Geyser fumes from the Changeling Wastes,” Norric explained. “It mixes with the clouds there, then travels over Eternity’s Crossing into Gildesdale. The Gallopfrey pegasi try to move the clouds out into the rainforest before anything comes down, but they don’t always make it in time.”

“Was wonderin’ why all the trees on the edge had silver leaves.” Granny squinted to get a better look at the Rainforest. “That can’t be healthy for the animals there, but it’s prolly better than the rain hitting the town. The water still seems alright in there, though, so I suppose it ain’t that bad.”

Applejack closed her eyes to see if she could sense the water Granny was referring to, and sure enough, a faint pull in her hooves told her of a stream just inside the Rainforest’s borders that was safe to drink. She hadn’t caught it at first, but then again, Granny always had been a better Geomancer due to Pinkie’s grandmother teaching her petriculture.

“Silver-leafed trees and bright red grass?” Applejack whistled. “Boy howdy, almost seems like we’re on an alien world, don’t it?”

“It can still be pretty in its own way,” Norric said. “The sunsets over the bay set the entire sky ablaze, and on nights when the wind is still, the ocean and sky meet to form a two-mooned, starry abyss.”

Granny chuckled. “Do you always say fancy things like that? Or is bein’ around a couple-a mares bringin’ out your poetic side?”

A slow smile crept up on Norric’s lips. “Thou thinkest that was poetic? Milady, I shall show thee poetic.

“Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And oft' is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd:
But thy eternal Summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:

“So long as I can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.”

Both Granny and Applejack had stopped to stare after the second stanza, and Norric had closed his eyes so he wouldn’t burst out laughing. He further hammed it up by putting a hoof to his chest and syncing up his voice to the rise and fall of the poem, and he finished with a flourishing bow that allowed him to open his eyes without losing his composure.

“Did you,” Applejack managed, “just quote Shakesmare... by heart?”

Norric finally cracked. He howled with laughter and reveled in their expressions as he pounded the ground.

Granny shook her head. “Of all the things I ever expected to hear come outta your mouth, that was definitely among the last.”

Norric waved a dismissive hoof. “Oh, come now, ‘tis no great feat to recite words that another has penned! To be both skilled with words and a blade was one of the many duties of a knight, and while this era’s speech often makes my tongue flounder, the old ways have wooed me many a suitress.”

Applejack’s eyes flickered to Norric’s flank. “And what happens when those suitresses find out you don’t have all your... equipment?”

Norric’s laughter abruptly died away as his ears reddened. “I, uh... wouldn’t know. I never let it get that far.”

Applejack grinned evilly as the words echoed in her ears. “You realize who you’re talkin’ to, right?”

Norric paled, and stammered a few times before breaking into a brisk trot.

“Time is short!” he exclaimed. “We must press on before the day expires!”

Now it was Applejack and Granny’s turn to laugh. They watched Norric run ahead towards Gallopfrey, and they followed after him at a slower, more leisurely pace.

“Almost a shame he ain’t a real stallion, isn’t it?” Granny whispered.

“I dunno.” Applejack examined Norric’s retreating form with an appraising eye. “He’s cute, but he’s a little on the short side.”

“More like you’re a little on the tall side.” Granny poked Applejack in the chest for emphasis. “I swear, between you and Mac I’m gonna wind up havin’ giants for great-grandchildren.”

Applejack’s ears drooped at the mention of her brother. “You’re sure he and Applebloom are alright?”

“You said you saw him turn all white and glowy like we did,” Granny replied calmly. “And I told you I saw one o’them light pillars shootin’ outta the cellar where Applebloom was hidin’. Princess Luna prolly zapped ‘em off somewhere safe, and once this is over, we’ll ask her where they are... along with demandin’ compensation for the damages to the farm, and the revenue we’ve now lost from missin’ the harvest.”

Applejack groaned. That last one was what stung the most.

Norric was holding a place in line for them when they got the gates. They got in beside him, and Applejack’s eyes wandered as they waited for admittance into Gallopfrey. The majority of the line was comprised of earth ponies and pegasi, but a few other races were in attendance, such as zebras, gryphons, rhenoceren, deer, and most strange of all, an oddly-clothed diamond dog.

The diamond dog was wearing a long duster and a green hooded garment, along a pair of thick bracers and an ornate staff that hung on his back. He was standing at the front of the line and squatting to be eye-level with one of the guards, holding the guard’s hoof in his paw like he was about to propose.

The guard didn’t seem to mind the contact, and was speaking to the diamond dog in a low voice that Applejack couldn’t hear. The diamond dog must’ve been whispering, too, because she couldn’t catch anything he was saying, either. They continued like this for a few minutes, but then, the diamond dog got to his feet without a word, brushed himself off, and waved the guards farewell. He then walked to a large, six-wheeled wagon parked a short ways away.

“Wonder what that was about?” Granny watched the diamond dog hitch himself up to the wagon.

The wagon rumbled forward with ease under the diamond dog’s strength, and went off towards the Great Southern Rainforest. As it did, Applejack saw that a piece of metal had been attached to the wagon's rear, emblazoned with the cryptic word: ‘SW4G’.

Applejack shrugged. “Got me.”

It took twenty minutes to get to the front of the line, as almost everypony had either a question for the guards or a weapon to turn in. When it was their turn, the guards asked them the typical questions of who they were and where they were from, to which Norric gave generic responses. They’d decided that while they could probably get help from the Gildsedale government if they told them what was going on, drawing attention to themselves risked attracting the eyes of Cetus and Eclipse. It was best to see if they could arrange for transport on their own for now, and if they couldn’t, then they’d go to the authorities.

A second guard waved to get Granny’s attention and pointed at Aconitum.

“Weapons aren’t allowed inside the city walls. You can leave it here with us, and pick it up when you leave.”

“Yeah, that ain’t gonna happen.” Granny turned to Norric and Applejack. “I think I’ll check out the harbor. Maybe there’s a ship goin’ west or somethin’ we can barter passage on.”

Applejack nodded. “Be careful.”

Granny left the line and followed the wall south to the docks. Applejack watched her leave, then turned back to address the guard.

“We’re lookin’ to join a caravan that’s headin’ through the Rainforest. Where’d be the best place to ask about that?”

“Pilgrim’s Pairings,” the guard replied. “Follow the street till you see a dark green building on your right, and ask for Pilgrim. She’ll let you know if there are any openings. Also, you might want to check the inns. Southern Comforts is the closest; it’s just past the gate here on your left.”

Applejack thanked the guard, then followed Norric into Gallopfrey proper. The main street was wide and made of stone, with several ponies walking and flying about on errands and tasks. Wooden buildings ranging from decrepit to newly-built were on either side, and the one to their left displayed a swinging sign that read ‘Southern Comforts.’ The main street continued on for several hundred yards before breaking into a crossroads with a flagpole in the center, where the Gildsedale flag waved proudly at the very top.

Applejack sniffed several times as an odd, enticing scent wafted past her nose. “What the hay is that smell?”

Norric sniffed as well, and immediately wrinkled his nose. “Fish. The pegasi catch it fresh, and then sell it in the marketplace here in the afternoon. They must’ve just come in with a catch.”

Applejack did a double-take. “You gotta be pullin’ my leg! No way any kinda fish smells that good!”

Norric grimaced. “I suppose it would smell good to you now, but it still stinks to me. Tell you what, why don’t you go see for yourself? Go check out the marketplace on your way to that Pilgrim place, and I’ll look around in the inns. We can meet up later.”

Applejack licked her lips. “Sounds good to me.”

Norric went inside the Southern Comforts Inn while Applejack made her way down the road. She noticed less earth ponies and more pegasi as she walked, which may or may not have had to do with the briny smell getting stronger. She followed her nose to the crossroads, and then turned right to behold the marketplace. Multiple stands were already set up, and dozens of fisherstallions flew about as they stocked their stands with tuna. Vegetable stands were set up as well, and pegasi hovered in line as they impatiently waited for the market to open.

Applejack’s mouth watered as she inhaled deeply and took in the heavenly scent. A small part of her was still unnerved at the idea of eating meat, but it wouldn’t be her first time doing so. She’d tried some a few times while hanging out with Rainbow and Fluttershy, and while the texture was certainly weird, it wasn’t all that bad. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any money to barter with, so she reluctantly continued on to Pilgrim’s Pairings.

The Southern Comforts Inn was much the same as Norric recalled—a dim, round room with scattered tables and creaky chairs, a dusty, unlit hearth in the far corner, and a bar where a gray earth pony stallion absentmindedly wiped off the counter. The walls were lined with pictures of the sea and the rainforest, and a ceiling fan slowly rotated from above. Norric had stayed here when he’d visited a few years ago, and he remembered that the beer had been excellent. True, it was a bit early for drinking, but a pint along with lunch wasn’t going to do any harm, and if they really were going into the rainforest, Celestia only knew when he’d get to relax again like this.

However, Norric’s appetite disappeared into a hole that formed in his stomach, for when he took a look around the inn, he realized that something was very, very wrong.

Firstly, the place was eerily quiet, despite being every table being occupied with three to five ponies. The only sounds Norric heard came from the occasional squeak of a chair or the clink of a glass, and everypony was staring off into space with the same unfocused eyes. Everypony had drinks, but none of them had any food despite that it was almost lunchtime, and they swayed back and forth with dopey grins on their faces. The only pony who’d even taken notice of Norric’s arrival was the bartender, who stared at him with narrowed, shifty eyes.

Norric suspected he knew what was going on, but he couldn’t do anything without knowing more first. He kept a straight face and walked to the counter, then sat at a stool and waited for the bartender to come over.

“First time to Gallopfrey?” the bartender asked.

“Second.” Norric looked over at the other ponies sitting at the bar. Their eyes were all half-lidded, and their mouths were hanging open. “Was here a few years ago on my way to visit family. Didn’t have so many drunkards in here the last time, though.”

The bartender hung his rag on his shoulder. “They’re celebrating the good harvest the pegasi have had this year. With all the fish they’ve caught, we’ll have enough money to expand the town and hire more guards.”

The lie was so obvious it was almost painful, but Norric played along. “Is that so? Well then, I’d hate to be left out on the festivities! I think I’ll have whatever everypony else seems to be enjoying so much!”

The bartender grinned. “Sure thing.”

Norric patiently waited while the bartender went over and poured a glass of frothy beer from the other side of the counter. He turned his back to Norric for a second, then slid the beer over. Norric caught it, held it up to the light, and examined the alcohol’s color and thickness.

“Looks like a good batch,” he commented.

The bartender winked. “First one’s on the house.”

“Indeed!” Norric raised his mug in a toast. “To success!”

He pretended to take a swig, but kept his lips tightly closed and took a deep whiff of the beer instead. Sure enough, Norric caught the oversweet, heady scent he’d been dreading, and an ancient memory of Capricorn’s suddenly swept him back in time.

“What is that, Father?”

Capricorn sat along with his six brothers and sisters around the breakfast table, curiously examining the three-inch long, white pointed object their father had just placed in front of them.

“The fang of a changeling.” Their father gave the fang to Capricorn. “I found it yesterday while scavenging. Learn its scent well, but take heed not to cut thyself.”

Capricorn gingerly sniffed the fang, then blinked as he looked back up at his father.

“It is sweet!” Capricorn said. “Almost like candy!”

Their father shook his head. “Do not be tempted. That is the smell of phora, a powerful toxin changelings carry in their bodies. A single scratch will put thee in a stupor for several hours.”

Capricorn jerked the fang away from his nose, then passed it off to Seeker as their father continued.

“Changelings are mindless, soulless beasts that can take the form of any creature that they see. They take the place of the pony they have copied, and feed off the love of family and friends to survive. They have been known to take over entire towns by doing this.”

Seeker spoke up. “But Father, didst thou not say that the Sun Goddess made a pact with the changelings long ago?”

“Peccatum Pactum,” their father replied. “The changelings do not to leave their lands in exchange for receiving our most malicious criminals, but a day may come when their accursed Queen desires more than our society’s refuse. I would have all of thee know what to watch for rather than spend the rest of thy lives in some foul pod, so pay attention if thou wishest to avoid such a fate. Changelings are weaker than ponies, and so prefer to work through stealth, but have been known to organize and fight in large groups. For instance, one of their favorite tactics is to put phora in one’s food and drink.”

“Wait,” Capricorn said. “If phora only comes from their fangs, how do they get it... into...”

Their father made a face. “How dost thou think?”

All seven children stuck out their tongues.

“Ewwwwww!”

Norric lowered his glass and wiped the foam from his mouth, not bothering to hide his disgust anymore.

“You know, I may be a bit behind the times, but I’m pretty sure it’s still rude to spit in other ponies’ drinks.”

Norric splashed the bartender in the face with the poisoned beer. He recoiled in surprise, and Norric took the opportunity to smash the empty glass over the counter, then slice the side of the bartender’s cheek.

The bartender was too preoccupied with the beer to realize he’d been cut, but this didn’t surprise Norric, as the fluid that started to weep out from his wound was a sickly, yellowish substance.

Norric jumped on top of the counter as he stared the bartender down.

“I see you... Changeling.”

The bartender hissed and burst into green flame. A second later, the imposter was a jet black creature covered in a chitinous shell with bug-like wings, sky blue eyes, and sharp, pearl fangs. It lunged at Norric, but he stepped to the side, stuck out his hoof, and caught the changeling's neck in a clothesline. Norric then slammed it into the counter, and bashed the side of its head with a vicious strike, which caused the creature to go limp.

“So much for relaxing.” Norric looked up and shouted at the comatose patrons. “Anypony who can still walk... should...”

Norric suddenly realized not all the patrons were comatose anymore. Several stallions had gotten up from their seats, and with several more flashes of green flame, over a dozen changelings slowly advanced on him, their dripping fangs gleaming wickedly in the dim light. The remaining ponies were so far gone they couldn’t even speak, and most of them had slumped over unconscious in their seats.

Norric facehooved. “Worst. Bar. Ever.”

There was a piercing scream. Norric looked over the changelings, and saw a young zebra at the entrance. Her eyes bulged as she took in the terrifying scene.

“C-C-Changelings!”

The changelings turned as one and advanced on her instead.

“RUN!” Norric yelled. He leapt off the counter, picked up a barstool, and smashed it over the head of the nearest changeling with a loud crunch. He then turned and bucked another square in the chest, which was enough to get the remaining changeling’s attention back on him.

The zebra turned and fled out the door, shrieking as loud as she could. Three of the changelings pursued her, but the rest stayed to deal with Norric. He cracked his neck as they charged him.

“Once more, into the fray.”

“Ah, hello?” Applejack asked. “Anypony home?”

Pilgrim’s Pairings was exactly as the guard described—a dark-green two-story building on the other side of town with flimsy brown shutters. The main floor of the building reminded Applejack of Twilight’s library, except it was square in shape and didn’t have a loft. Rows of bookshelves stretched up to the concave ceiling that broke only for the occasional hexagonal window, and the floor was lined with soft, cushy black carpet. In the back right of the room was a closed door, from which Applejack could hear the sounds of somepony moving about.

“Coming!” The back door opened, and out stepped a middle-aged pegasus mare with a black coat, orange eyes, and a vibrant green mane. Her cutie mark was a trio of interlocking hexagons, and she smiled warmly as she saw Applejack at the entrance.

“Why, hello there!” the pegasus said. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. You new in town?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Applejack tipped her hat. “My name’s Applejack, and I was told you’re the mare to see about joining a caravan headin’ to Equestria.”

“Applejack?” the pegasus’ eyes flickered to the Necklace of Laughter, but Applejack didn’t take notice. “That’s an Apple Clan name if I ever heard one! I didn’t know they had any pegasi among their ranks.”

Applejack wasn’t sure what caught her more off guard, that a random pony in Gildesdale had heard of her family, or that she’d just been called a pegasus. It hadn’t really crossed her mind that that’s what ponies would see her as, and the realization sent a shiver up her spine.

“Oh, um... yeah.” Applejack wiggled her wings. “I’m a pegasus. I, uh... kick clouds... and stuff.”

The mare gave her an odd look. “Well, yes, I suppose that’s what many of us do. I myself excuse myself from such strenuous activities these days, but to each their own. Oh! I didn’t tell you my name, did I? I’m Pilgrim, cartographer extraordinaire and owner of this establishment.”

“Nice to meet ya,” Applejack said. “And yeah, I’m from the Apple Clan. I take it you been to Equestria before?”

Pilgrim tittered. “There and beyond, dear. I was something of a wanderer in my youth, and I traveled all around the world in search of something I never quite found. I returned here to pick up my family’s business after they passed away, and I’ve been here ever since. But enough about little old me. You said something about looking to join a caravan?”

“If there are any headin’ out.” Applejack looked around at the books. “I’d fly there myself, but I’m travelin with two uh, e-earth ponies... and I don’t wanna leave ‘em behind.”

“Traveling with the landbound is always such a hindrance.” Pilgrim scratched her chin. “I’m afraid you’re out of luck at the moment. There are only two parties in town heading into the rainforest, and both of them are only going to hunt.”

Applejack sucked on her teeth as she thought for a moment. “Might just hafta go through ourselves, then. Got any maps I can look at?”

Pilgrim grinned. “I might have one or two.” She gestured to the shelf immediately to Applejack’s right, which was filled with maps of not only the Rainforest, but the Zhevra Flatlands, Gildesdale, Equestria, Tarandus, Drakkenridge, and most interesting of all... the Changeling Wastes.

Applejack did a double take. “Who in the world was crazy enough to map out that place?!” She pulled out the map and started to open it up.

“Ah!” Pilgrim snatched the map away and put it under her wing. “How did that get in there?! I’m so sorry, but that’s not for sale. It must’ve accidentally got put in with the others when I was shelving yesterday!”

Applejack eyed the wing where the map was stowed. “Can ya at least show it to me? I’ve always been curious about what the place looks like.”

“Well...” Pilgrim rubbed the back of her neck. “I normally don’t show this to others, but then again, I’d be quite the hypocrite if I denied the curiosity of another pony! I suppose a look couldn’t hurt. I mean, it’s not like you’re actually going—”

Pilgrim was interrupted by several screams from outside. Both she and Applejack jumped, and turned as one to the open door.

“What in the world was that?!” Pilgrim said.

“Dunno, but I doubt it’s anythin’ good!” Applejack ran out the door.

“Wait!” Pilgrim called after her, but it was too late. She ran over to one of the windows to see Applejack run down the street and out of sight.

“Quite the spirit in that one.” Pilgrim saw several ponies running into buildings, closing doors and shutting windows. She was confused at first, but then, she heard a familiar buzzing and hissing sound from the center of town.

Pilgrim paled. “No... Chryssy, you didn’t....”

The streets were in chaos as Applejack ran back towards Southern Comforts. Ponies were running everywhere, some of them in a state of panic, others with a predatory look in their eyes. Doors were being slammed shut all around her, but she paid no heed to any of it as she continued on. An earth pony staggered out into the street right in front of her, and she only barely managed to avoid running into him.

“Hey!” Applejack caught the stallion and put a hoof on his shoulder. “Watch where you’re goin’! I almost—”

The stallion’s eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed in Applejack’s arms. She caught him, and saw that he was bleeding profusely from a set of puncture holes on the side of his neck.

Applejack gulped. “That ain’t good...”

A pegasus swooped down from the sky, completely ignored Applejack, and snatched the fallen stallion out of her arms. It started to carry him away, but before it could, a lasso shot out from behind and caught one of his back legs.

The pegasus looked back and saw Applejack, who held the end of the rope in her mouth as her emerald eyes shone with brilliant light.

“I don’t think so, bug-boy.”

Applejack yanked on the rope, and the changeling was slammed to the ground with a loud thump. She then ran up and backhoofed him, which sent him flying across the street and crashing into one of the buildings.

“I said I was curious about what the Changelin’ Wastes looked like!” Applejack yelled to nopony in particular. “I never said I wanted to meet the natives!”

Applejack could now see that there were several dozen changelings in the street thanks to her Truthsense. They were divebombing and biting anypony they could, and several ponies had already fallen unconscious in the streets. She wanted to get to Norric and Granny, but she also knew she couldn’t just leave these ponies alone. She had power, and while she’d originally thought she’d only need to use it to only protect her family and friends, she now realized she couldn’t just ignore everypony else.

“First the Rust Beetles and now this.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “If this keeps up, I’m gonna hafta invest in a giant-sized flyswatter.”

The ground rumbled underneath Applejack’s hooves as she spread her wings and took aim at the nearest changeling. She didn’t really want to take to the air, but she couldn’t get at them from the ground. She still couldn’t sustain flight for very long, but that wasn’t an issue for what she intended.

Applejack’s shoulders and flight muscles tingled as she tapped into her Strength power.

“Hope this works!”

Applejack flapped her wings as hard as she could. She shot forth like an orange missile and collided with her target with a crunch, which shattered his fragile body like he was made of glass. She shoved him away, watched him fall to the ground, then turned around for another go. She centered on a changeling in the center of town chasing after a foal, and she rocketed toward it with blazing speed.

Unfortunately, Applejack misjudged her aim. She soared past the changeling and crashed straight through the wall of the building, then the living room, a bedroom, and then finally, out through the other wall and into an alleyway.

Applejack was unharmed, but she was considerably frustrated by her miss. She kicked a piece of rubble as she shook herself off.

“Horseapples! That shouldn’t have happened—”

She suddenly stopped and smirked as her eyes pulsed with the power of the Element of Honesty.

“Actually, yeah... that didn’t happen.”

A swirling, opaque dome formed around Applejack, and she heard a loud click as time itself came to a grinding halt. She felt herself being carried backwards back through the building, and watched as the walls repaired themselves in front of her. She went past the changeling she’d intended to hit, then back to when she’d turned around in the air. The entire chain of events had taken thirteen seconds, and while Applejack felt like she could’ve gone back a little more, her mind was starting to feel strained from the effort.

Applejack released the dome and let time resume. “Let’s try that again.”

She flew forward, but this time, she landed on the ground ten feet behind the changeling, folded her wings, and jumped to deliver a brutal shoulder ram. The changeling screeched and sailed down the street, smashing into two others as it did.

The attack was enough for the other changelings to take notice of Applejack. They quickly organized themselves to counterattack, and the air was filled with hisses, snarls and chitters as twenty changelings surrounded her in a circle, ten on the ground and ten in the air.

Applejack adjusted her hat, spat to the side, and addressed the changelings in a quiet voice that rumbled like a rockslide.

“Ya’ll sure you wanna tussle with this?”

The changelings pounced in response. Applejack raised her hooves and struck the ground as hard as she could, which caused a shockwave that cracked the ground and knocked half the changelings off their hooves. The ones in the air paid no heed and continued, and Applejack was simultaneously assaulted by several pairs of fangs and hooves. None of the attacks were successful, though, as the changeling’s fangs couldn’t pierce her skin, and their bucks bounced off her like she was made of concrete.

Applejack snickered as she weathered the blows. “Well, ain’t that somethin’?” She bucked a changeling behind her with a sickening splurch. “Almost feels like you’re ticklin’ me! Come on boys, I thought ya’ll meant business! Don’t hold back on me just ‘cause I’m a girl!”

A changeling screeched and swung at her head. Applejack blocked the strike, grabbed its hoof, then swung it around in an arc. The changeling slammed into its brethren and knocked them away like bowling pins, and Applejack continued to swing her impromptu weapon like a flail to take out five more. A new changeling jumped onto her back and pinned her wings to her sides, and while Appleajck spun around to try and get it off, she couldn't shake it loose.

“Wanna play like that, eh?” Applejack dropped her changeling ‘flail’ and bent her legs. “Let’s see if you can handle this!”

Applejack jumped into the air as high as she could. She sailed up over the rooftops of Gallopfrey and high into the sky, just shy of fifty feet. The changeling realized what she was intending and tried to get away, but Applejack opened her wings, turned herself around, and wrapped the creature around in a bear hug.

“Where you goin’, sugarcube?!” Applejack smiled evilly. “I ain’t done with you yet!”

They started to fall, and Applejack let out a mighty whoop as she rolled around so that she was on top.

“YEE-HAW! RIDE ‘EM, CHANGELING!”

The changeling made a gurgling noise, and spat directly into Applejack’s open mouth. She gagged and flew away in surprise, leaving the changeling to slam into the ground while she landed roughly on a nearby rooftop. She fell to her knees and desperately tried to purge herself of the contaminant, but to no avail.

“Low-down, dirty, rotten trick...” Applejack furiously wiped at her mouth as she glared at the small crater where the changeling had landed. “Spit in my mouth, will ya?! I’d buck you into next week if you weren’t already—”

There was the sound of shattering of glass to her left, followed by a faint blast of heat. Applejack looked down the street and saw Norric, appearing to her as an eyeless, semi-transparent ghost with a golden ball in his chest. He was covered in scratches and scrapes, and he walked down the street with a torch in his mouth and several bottles with soaked rags stuck in them. In front him was a changeling that was on fire, and a second one now ran at him from the right. Norric turned, pulled out a bottle, lit the rag on fire, and hurled it at the changeling with all his might.

The bottle struck true. It shattered on the changeling’s head, then burst into a blazing fireball. The changeling shrieked and rolled on the ground, but it didn’t suffer long, for then Norric calmly walked over to it and stomped on its throat in a quick, clean strike. The changeling went still, and Norric continued to walk forward as if he’d done nothing more exciting than cross the street.

Applejack cringed. She spread her wings and glided down to him, but took care to be in plain sight.

“Hey!”

Norric saw her and quickly closed the distance. His bottles sloshed loudly as he checked her over for any signs of injury.

“You alright?”

Applejack made a guttural noise of disgust. “One of the little varmints spat in my mouth. You said I’m immune to poison or somethin’, right?”

“That’s what Blair told me,” Norric said. “Trust me, if the phora was affecting you, you wouldn’t be able to walk, much less fly.”

Applejack eyed the bottles at Norric’s sides. “I take it you had some fun at the bar. How are you tellin’ which ones are—”

The changelings from before returned, but this time with reinforcements. Applejack and Norric moved back to back as the swarm surrounded them, and they suddenly found themselves facing down two dozen snarling foes.

Norric readied a new bottle. “Fight now, talk later.”

“Pleasure to meet you, fellow Equestrian! I’m Captain Flashing Steel of the H.M.S. Dawnchaser. My first mate Zamuri tells me that you’re trying to get to Dragon Turtle Lake.”

Granny stood at the far edge of a pier beside a massive, triple-masted galleon several hundred feet long. Flashing Steel was a green earth pony with a metal plate welded onto the left side of his face and a mechanical left eye. He wore a black captain’s coat that concealed his cutie mark, and a thin sheathed katana that rested at his side. Zamuri was a scrawny blue pegasus with a long, unkempt mane, and his cutie mark was an axe cutting through a block of wood.

“Edith Smith, Matriarch of the Apple Clan.” Granny nodded back towards Gallopfrey. “There’s three of us in total. We don’t got any money, but we’re all willing to pull our weight, and once we get back to Equestria, I’ll give ya a twenty percent discount on apples for life.”

Flashing Steel chuckled. “You’re definitely a businessmare, at least. I know of the Apple family, Ms. Smith, and I’ll be happy to take you up on the deal, but the Dawnchaser’s too big to travel up the Sirimto River. We can take you as far as Lyora, but then—”

Flashing Steel’s left eye suddenly whistled, and rotated on its own to focus on Aconitum.

“Oho, what do we have here?” Flashing Steel’s eye made several loud, clicking sounds. “Ghost-Touch... Keen... some kind of Bane... Wounding... Returning... Dancing...”

Flashing Steel let out an incredulous laugh and met Granny’s eyes.

“...and last, but certainly not least, Vorpal. Impressive amount of enchantments you’ve got on that axe, there. Made of Lunairium, I’m guessing?”

Granny was undeterred. “O’course. Ain’t any other metal that can handle that much magic in it.”

Flashing Steel cast a sidelong glance to Zamuri, then coughed and scratched his nose. “And why exactly does an apple farmer need a weapon like that?”

Granny was about to reply, but just then, a series of crashes and screams came from the direction of Gallopfrey. The three of them turned, and Granny felt a chill as she saw smoke rising from within the town.

“Jackie...”

A trio of ponies galloped down the dock towards them. Their expressions were feral, and Granny noted with alarm that they weren’t slowing down.

“Might wanna tell your crewmembers to slow down, there!”

Flashing Steel’s left eye turned red and let out several shrill beeps.

“This is turning into an interesting day.” Flashing Steel calmly turned to Granny. “Edith, was it? Would you kindly eviscerate those ponies running at us? They’re changelings in disguise.”

Granny didn’t hesitate. She pulled out Aconitum, took aim, and flung it with practiced ease. The axe turned into a silent, whirling disc of death, and she commanded it to fly out over the water in a wide arc. The ponies took no heed to Aconitum, but Granny wanted one last test to be sure. With utmost precision, she nicked each one of the ponies’ legs in a single pass, and saw a yellow, ooze-like substance seep out from each of their wounds.

“Ah, hayseed.”

Granny made three dismissive swipes with her hoof, and three loud thumps reverberated through the dock. Aconitum then plunged into the water, cleaned itself off, and sped back to hover just behind of Granny as she ran back towards Gallopfrey.

Zamuri cleared his throat as he watched Granny leave. “Orders, Captain?”

Flashing Steel eyed the beheaded corpses of the changelings, then turned back towards the Dawnchaser. “Prepare to set sail for Equestria.”

Zamuri blinked. “We’re not going to help the Gildsedans?”

“No need,” Flashing Steel replied. “That mare could kill a small army with that axe. We need to warn Princess Celestia that the Changelings have broken the Peccatum Pactum so she can send reinforcements.”

Zamuri saluted. “Aye-aye, sir.”

“On the left, running towards us!”

Norric threw a flaming bottle at a unicorn dashing down the street beside them. The bottle broke, and the changeling shrieked and dropped its disguise. It ran around in a panic for a few seconds, then fell on the ground in a smoldering heap.

Many of the residents had now taken up arms and were helping Applejack and Norric to fight off the changelings, but the problem was many of them were still in disguise. Applejack could see them and was now directing the attacks of two-dozen odd ponies, but she had to be descriptive because she couldn’t see what the disguises looked like.

Applejack pointed. “Two of ‘em are chasing a pegasus flyin’ around the flagpole!”

Three pegasi and a gryphon took off. The changelings saw them coming and tried to scatter, but the pegasus they were chasing used the opportunity to circle around and tackle one of them to the ground. The rest of them chased after the other changeling, and they dispatched it a short time later.

Applejack looked around. They were surrounded by charred and crushed corpses, but she’d no idea how much of a dent they’d made in their numbers. The streets were now thinning out, but that very well could just have been a sign that the battle had moved elsewhere.

“One’s runnin’ towards the marketplace!” Applejack said. The changeling rounded the corner, and three earth ponies gave chase. She turned to Norric as they left. “You alerted the guards, right?”

“I tried to.” Norric was taking the brief reprieve to take stock of how many bottles he had left. “I yelled to the ones that were standing at the gate, but two of them were changelings and bit the others before I could stop them. It’s common for them to take the place of the authorities when they’re planning an invasion, so I wouldn’t count much on reinforcements.”

“Dandy.” Applejack looked around for more changelings, but the streets were now clear. “Though it don’t look like they’re comin’ for us anymore. Maybe we should—”

One of the earth ponies who’d ran down to the marketplace returned. He was shivering as he skidded to a halt in front of Applejack and Norric.

“There’s a huge changeling down there almost as big as a house!” the earth pony said with wild eyes. “It can spew out phora like a dragon can breathe flame! The changelings are all taking the drugged townsponies there!”

Applejack and Norric exchanged a glance, then ran off together towards the marketplace. They rounded the corner, and where Applejack had earlier seen the pegasi fish market, there were now fifty changelings hovering around and carrying sedated ponies into a nearby building. In the far-corner was a changeling fifteen feet tall with diaphanous wings, a thick, ebony shell, a long, jagged horn, and a set of fin-like spines that went from head to tail. The creature saw them, and it let loose a deep, screech-like roar in challenge. The smaller changelings then turned as one and flew to intercept.

“I’m almost out of bottles,” Norric said to Applejack as they ran. “You deal with the little ones while I keep the big guy busy, then we’ll take him out together!”

“Got it,” Applejack said.

“STOP!”

Instantly, the smaller changelings came to a halt, landed, and touched their heads to the ground. Applejack and Norric obeyed the command more out of surprise than anything else, but they regained themselves and looked to the source of the voice.

A tall, regal changeling stood on top of the building to Applejack and Norric’s left. Her horn was curved like a scythe, her mane and tail were bright green, and her eyes were the color of a harvest moon. She was wearing an ebony tiara set with a hexagonal gem, and most shocking of all, she had a cutie mark of three interlocking hexagons.

Applejack’s lips parted. “Pil... grim?”

Pilgrim’s expression was steely as she kept her gaze fixed on the giant changeling. “What’s the meaning of this, Veraxi?!”

The giant changeling did a double take at the name. He didn’t bow, but he stared hard at Pilgrim, or more accurately, the tiara she was wearing on her head. He narrowed his eyes and made a chittering sound.

“What do you mean, ‘where’d I get that,’ you idiot?!” Pilgrim spread her delicate wings and flew down to the street. “Stop asking moronic questions and answer me! Does Chrysalis truly intend to break the Peccatum Pactum?!”

A realization came to Applejack. She stopped drawing from the Element of Honesty, and her Truthsense faded away. Norric turned back into a normal stallion next to her, and sure enough, Pilgrim reverted back to the pegasus form she’d seen before.

“What in the world is she doing?” Norric muttered to Applejack.

“She’s one of them,” Applejack whispered back. “At least, I think she is. There’s something different about her.”

Veraxi didn’t respond. He waited until Pilgrim approached, then bent his head down and sniffed her. He backed away a second later, and threw back his head in a cruel laugh.

Pilgrim gritted her teeth. “End this. Chrysalis has never kept her desire for conquest a secret, but her ambitions will bring about nothing but ruin! Return to Pandemonium, and tell her—”

Veraxi apparently wasn’t in the mood to talk. He raised a hoof, struck Pilgrim in the side, and she went sailing several feet before skidding to the ground, unconscious. Veraxi then roared at the smaller changelings, and they got back to their hooves with a chorus of menacing snarls.

“Time-out’s over!” Norric lit two of his five remaining bottles and threw them to clear a path. “Stick to the plan!”

“Alright!”

Applejack searched the marketplace for some kind of weapon. The fish stands that’d been set up earlier were still around, and most of them were still intact. She smirked, ran to one, bent down, and lifted it up over her shoulders with ease. She then hurled it as hard as she could at the disoriented changelings, and the twelve-foot wooden stand smacked into seven of them before crashing into splinters.

“Yoo-hoo!” Applejack stamped her hooves on the ground again, and the stone street cracked under the force. “Over here, ya overgrown roaches!”

The smaller changelings split off, and Norric was left in the clear. Veraxi saw him coming, took a deep, ominous breath, and spewed forth a wide stream of sweet-smelling phora. Norric rolled to the side to avoid it, but he dropped his torch in his haste. It clattered to the ground, and was extinguished by the sticky toxin.

Norric cursed. He was already bleeding from several scrapes, and he’d be out like a light if any phora got in his wounds. He was at a major disadvantage here, but it was easier to dodge the attacks of one enemy than several, so all he needed to do was buy time until Applejack took care of the smaller changelings.

Veraxi raised his hoof to stomp Norric flat. Norric feinted to the right and avoided the strike, then searched for a weakness to exploit. He didn’t have a lot of experience with changelings, save for what Capricorn’s father had said. Veraxi’s eyes or spine seemed like the best bet, but he couldn’t get at them unless he lowered his head. Norric thought he might be able to manage it if he could get on top on his head somehow, but he’d need a distraction for that.

Norric moaned and dodged another swing. “Where’s Tastar when you need him?!”

Meanwhile, the smaller changelings had realized they couldn’t hurt Applejack, so they’d spread out to avoid getting hit by any more flying fish carts. They were staying just out of her reach and resorting to hit and run attacks, which was making her increasingly frustrated. Applejack knew she could take to the air after them, but they were more agile than she was, and she wasn’t about to abandon Norric to go careening all over Gallopfrey.

“Get down here so I can clean your clocks!” Applejack threw her lasso and caught a changeling around the waist, but a second one snuck up and yanked her tail. She whirled to face the pest, but it’d already flown away, and the changeling she’d lassoed wriggled free. She pulled back the rope for another try, but the changelings scattered and distanced themselves before she could.

An idea came to Applejack. Her Rejection of Fate was supposed to allow her to go back in time, right? Maybe she could use it to stop, or slow down time, as well! She understood that her influence was limited to her immediate surroundings, but if she could catch any of the changelings in the dome...

Applejack grinned as her eyes flared dangerously.

“Don’t wanna stay still, huh?! Fine! I’ll make you—”

A dark red axe whizzed over Applejack’s head. It bisected the changeling she’d tried to lasso, then continued on to slaughter four more in the same fashion. Bright yellow blood fell like rain, and Applejack turned to see Granny, who’d soundlessly appeared at her side as she directed Aconitum’s path with dark, cold eyes.

Applejack felt a chill. “Granny...”

“I’ll get the small fry.” Granny’s coat, mane and tail were speckled with yellow splotches, but otherwise looked unharmed. “Go and help Norric.”

Applejack bit her lip, but did what she was told. She ran past the harassing changelings and went to Norric, who was darting back and forth as he continued to avoid Veraxi’s attacks. Two changelings chased after her, but Granny twisted her hoof, and Aconitum accelerated to twice its speed. The axe sliced through them like they were made of paper, and their remains thudded loudly to the ground.

“Come to Granny, boys.” Aconitum sped back and orbited around her like a spinning satellite of death. “My axe is thirsty.”

Norric waited until Veraxi brought his hoof down again, then bucked him as hard as he could. Unfortunately, his hooves bounced off Veraxi’s hard, armored shell, and his only reward was a jolt of pain up both his legs. Norric then tried to back away, but Veraxi shoved him to the ground, and held him down as he took another deep breath.

“Not good.” Norric shut his eyes...

...and then opened them to find himself sitting on Applejack’s back, hovering twenty feet in the air directly above Veraxi.

“What the...” Norric watched Veraxi release a spew of phora at nothing in particular. “Did you just...”

Applejack swiveled her neck and winked at him.

“Eeyup.”

Veraxi stopped his attack when he discovered that Norric had mysteriously disappeared. He looked underneath himself, then all around, but didn’t think to look up.

“Hey, Norric?” Applejack whispered.

“Yeah?”

“Remember... when you said... you always liked tryin’... to find new ways... to do things?”

“Uh...” Norric noticed that Applejack was panting hard and shaking slightly. “What are you going to do?”

Applejack closed her eyes and focused on her Element. Honesty was the truth. Honesty was pure, and unfaltering. To be honest meant to hold fast to one’s morals in the face of doubt, and not give in to lies and deception. Applejack was the rock that others could turn to for support. She was a pony of integrity and virtue, and could always be trusted to do what was right. She was an example to be followed, and when she passed on, her morals would be carried on by the next generation. It was true that farming was a simple life, but it was that simplicity that gave her such clarity, for it allowed her to appreciate what truly mattered, and that was something she wouldn’t give up for the world.

Applejack opened her eyes, which now shone brighter than ever with dazzling emerald light. Newfound strength coursed through her limbs, and she flashed Norric a confident smile.

“Watch this.”

Click.

Time stopped once more under the power of Rejection of Fate. The swirling opaque dome formed around Applejack, and she folded her wings and dove down at Veraxi. She’d found she could indeed hold time in place, but only for a very short time, and she’d tested her limits when she’d moved Norric out of Veraxi’s line of fire. She needed to be quick about this, but she also didn’t want to overdo it, as she’d rather not have a repeat of what’d happened with Eclipse.

Applejack landed on Veraxi’s back. She raised her backhooves, took aim, and bucked him right in the back of his head. She felt his shell cave, and heard his spine break with an audible snap! She made sure Norric hadn’t fallen off from the strike, then took back to the air and released her hold on time.

The effect was instant. Veraxi didn’t roar, cry out, or make any kind of noise. His last breath left his lungs with an eerie rattle, and he fell to the ground with a loud thud. The remaining changelings went wild and fled upon the death of their leader, but Granny ensured that they didn’t get far. A slaughter ensued, and less minute later, the invasion of Gallopfrey came to an end.

Applejack fell to her knees as soon as she touched the ground. Norric jumped off her back and tried to help her up, but she held up a hoof and shook her head.

“I’m alright,” she gasped. “I just need... a minute is all.”

Norric patted her shoulder and sat down beside her. “I’d say you’ve earned it. That was nice trick, by the way.”

Applejack started to laugh, but a sharp pain in her head stopped her short. “I’m just glad... it worked. Don’t think... I’ll be tryin’ it again... anytime soon, though.”

“Damn right, you ain’t.”

Granny was walking over to them from the other side of the marketplace. “You’d be a sittin’ duck right now if there were more changelings around. That ability may be powerful, but ya need to be mindful about usin’ it from now on.”

Applejack was quiet for a moment and concentrated on regaining her breath. She looked over at the remains of Veraxi, then the corpse-strewn marketplace, and suddenly, the realization of what she’d done hit her like a punch to the gut. Veraxi had been another living, thinking being, and she’d killed him without even a second thought. It’d been so easy, too... she’d just pretended his head was one of the apple trees back home. And as for the smaller changelings, they may have been mindless, but that didn’t erase the memories of their shells breaking under her hooves, their blood spraying her coat, or their cries of pain as Norric burned them alive—

Applejack vomited all over the cobblestones.

“Gah!” Norric recoiled and jumped away. Granny, however, did the opposite. She sprinted over to Applejack and grabbed her by the shoulders.

“It’s okay, Jackie, it’s okay!”

Applejack’s eyes unfocused as the panic began to set in.

“I... I...”

Granny shook her, hard. “Listen ‘ere, young lady! We all just done terrible things, but it was necessary in order to survive! These critters woulda taken you, me, Norric, and everypony else in this town prisoner if we hadn’t stopped ‘em, and we all woulda spent the rest of our lives hangin’ in a pod! Would you have wanted that?! Would you have been fine with never seein’ Mac, Applebloom, or any of your friends ever again?!”

Applejack hadn’t been prepared for this. She hadn’t known that the true horror of battle came after it was over, and she was only barely hanging on now that it was all setting in. She probably would’ve already lost it had Granny not been there.

Granny pulled Applejack to her hooves and away from the stain on the ground. “Remember how it felt when we lost Jonny, Cinny, and Penny? This is just like that, except it’s a heckuva lot easier to get over. Ya don’t gotta do it now, but ya gotta accept what you’ve done, or it’ll just rot ya from the inside out. Understand?”

Applejack’s breathing evened out as Granny’s words struck all the right chords. She realized that the pain did indeed feel similar, albeit nowhere near as bad, and if she could get over a loss like that, she could get over this, too. She could do this. She could accept what’d happened, and move on. It would be hard, but she had Granny and Norric to help her, and she in turn would help them.

“I’m gonna go check out that building they were taking all the townsponies into,” Norric said. “I’ll bet that’s where they were putting everypony in pods.”

Applejack wiped off her mouth as Norric walked away. “How’d you find us?”

Granny turned and saw that a small crowd of ponies were now heading towards them from the main street. “The changelings attacked the harbor, and I saw the two of ya by the flagpole as I was runnin’ into town. You both ran off before I could get in earshot, though, so I just followed after ya.”

Applejack laughed weakly. “Prolly didn’t have time to find a ship then, I’m guessing.”

“I think we got bigger things to worry about at the moment,” Granny said. “Like why exactly these changelings attacked Gallopfrey in the first place.”

Applejack pursed her lips, then looked over at Pilgrim, who was sprawled unconscious on the ground a dozen feet away.

“I think I know somepony who can answer that.”

Norric’s investigation of the building revealed a secret passage that led to a hastily-made, underground cavern. The captured ponies were being held inside, suspended within fleshy, phora-filled pods that hung from the walls and ceiling. It was discovered that nearly all of the town’s officials and guards had been captured either before, or during the battle, and so the rescue efforts were slow and disorganized. Meanwhile, nopony besides Applejack and Norric had seen Pilgrim talk with Veraxi, and so there wasn’t any objection when they asked if they could take her back to her shop.

Applejack, Granny, and Norric now stood in the back room of Pilgrim’s Pairings, which was a messy office filled with scattered papers, broken quills, pictures of far-off locales, and various cartography tools. They’d tied Pilgrim to a chair, and were now going through her things as they waited for her to wake up.

“Found anything?” Norric was leaning on the door and holding an ice pack on his head.

“Nothin’ that screams ‘traitor.’” Granny opened the drawer of the desk to find several spare inkwells, three compasses, and a sextant. “Save for that tiara thing, anyway.”

Applejack was holding the item in question as she stared at Pilgrim. “The big guy seemed really surprised that she had this. I wonder if—”

Pilgrim stirred. The three of them stopped what they were doing, and turned their attention to her as she slowly opened her eyes.

“Ugh.” Pilgrim tried to raise a hoof to her head, but was stopped by the ropes. She pulled a little harder, and upon realizing that she was bound, she wriggled, squirmed, and looked around wildly.

“Where am I?! What—”

Pilgrim cut herself off as her eyes fell on Applejack, who was spinning the ebony tiara around her hoof.

“Oh, Tartarus.” Pilgrim hung her head and stopped fighting. “This looks bad, doesn’t it?”

“More like ‘confusing.’” Norric adjusted his ice pack. “Are you with them, or not? It looked like you were trying get that big guy to leave.”

“That’s because I was.” Pilgrim’s eyes were dim as she stared at the tiara. “And no, I’m not ‘with them.’ What happened, by the way? Did you kill Veraxi?”

“I did.” Applejack adjusted her Stetson. “The invasion’s over, and the captured townsponies are bein’ freed as we speak.”

Pilgrim nodded gravely. “Keep an eye on them. Phora is extremely addictive, and they’ll start to experience severe withdrawal symptoms in a day or two. Rescued captives have been known to voluntarily seek out new hives to try and get more of it.”

The three of them exchanged a worried glance, then Granny voiced the question they were all thinking.

“You gonna drop that disguise, or not?”

Pilgrim smiled sadly. “This isn’t a disguise. It’s true that I’ve two forms, but I haven’t used the other in a long, long time. I haven’t even shapeshifted in over a decade.”

Applejack sat on her haunches. “You might wanna explain yourself, then.”

Pilgrim hesitated. “It’s a long story.”

“We got time.”

Pilgrim looked between the three of them, then down at the ropes binding her. She shrugged, then spoke in a tired, resigned tone.

“There once was a pony named Pilgrim, a pegasus mare from the town of Gallopfrey on the southern border of Gildsedale. She always was an adventurous soul, and was never satisfied with living in a simple fishing town. Her parents tried to talk some sense into her, to be happy with a peaceful, easygoing life, but she claimed that she was meant for greater things. When she came of age, she declared she was going to go off to see the world, and started her journey by traveling northwest through the Great Southern Rainforest. Unfortunately, fate had other plans, for as she flew over the expanse, she was shot down by a tribe of diamond dogs, and was taken as a slave.”

Pilgrim sighed. “At the same time, there were also three changeling Princesses, born to the wise and powerful Queen Silverwing. The eldest was named Cocoon, the middle was called Chrysalis, and the youngest was known as Pupa. The three sisters loved each other as much as changelings can, but they were also fiercely competitive, for they all had different plans for the future of the Changeling race, and only one of them could become the new Queen.”

Pilgrim’s gaze fell onto the tiara. “One day, Queen Silverwing called the three sisters together to assign them a test. They were each given a small contingent of Drones: genderless, mindless husks that have no ability to think on their own, and then sent into Great Southern Rainforest to interact with three separate tribes of diamond dogs. Their task was to extract soylent, and whomever’s methods yielded the most would be declared the victor.”

Applejack stared blankly at Pilgrim. “Soylent?”

“Changeling Royals are empaths,” Pilgrim explained. “We can sense the emotions of those around us, and if those emotions are directed towards us, we can convert them into an edible substance which we then distribute to our children through a psychic link. Soylent is extremely hazardous to other races, but it’s the only form of sustenance changelings are able to consume, and without it, we starve.”

“What were these ‘methods,’ then?” Norric asked.

Pilgrim used her shoulder to scratch the side of her face. “Cocoon believed in the old ways; that is to say, to honor the Peccatum Pactum, and continue the changelings ancient duty of guarding the sacred site of Pandemonium. She was to use fear and intimidation to convince the diamond dogs into giving her ‘tribute.’ Chrysalis believed in imperialism, and thought that the changeling’s purpose was to conquer the other races. Her task was to use infiltration, capture, and replacement to subdue the diamond dogs. Lastly, Pupa wanted the changelings to be able to live and interact with the other races, and not be confined to some desolate corner of the world like a race of lepers. She wanted to try and befriend the diamond dogs, and see if they’d be receptive to such a proposal.”

Applejack felt a sour taste in her mouth. “It didn't go well, did it?”

Pilgrim’s expression was somber. “Chrysalis was the most successful. Not only did her conquest result in slaves that would produce soylent for years to come, she also learned valuable tactical knowledge on infiltration and stealth. Cocoon’s methods were successful as well, but they yielded very little soylent. Pupa’s attempt was disastrous. Not only was she met with revulsion and hostility, but all of her Drones were killed, and she was captured and taken as a prisoner.”

Granny clicked her teeth as she put two and two together. “Which was how Pupa and Pilgrim met, I’m guessin’?”

Pilgrim nodded. “They quickly became fast friends. Pupa was distraught that she’d failed the test, but Pilgrim didn’t think that she’d failed at all. After all, if the two of them could get along just fine, why couldn’t the rest of the changelings? Perhaps there was hope for Pupa’s ideals, after all. Meanwhile, though, Cocoon and Chrysalis had discovered that Pupa was missing, and upon finding that she’d been captured by the diamond dogs, they attacked them in a rage. Chrysalis used her empowered magic to hold off the bulk of the tribe while Cocoon tried to save Pupa, but the dogs were clever, and collapsed the tunnels on them. Chrysalis managed to get to safety in time, but Cocoon, Pilgrim and Pupa were mortally wounded by the falling rocks.”

“And that, Jackie,” Granny suddenly cut in, “is why I always told ya never to go into a diamond dog den. Damn mutts fight dirty when they’re cornered.”

Applejack kept her attention on Pilgrim. “What happened then?”

Pilgrim closed her eyes. “Pupa passed out, but Cocoon and Pilgrim managed to stay conscious after the rocks settled. Pilgrim was frantic over Pupa, even though she was dying herself, and it was this selflessness that deeply touched Cocoon. She asked Pilgrim what she’d be willing to do to save Pupa. She immediately responded with ‘anything.’ And so, with the last of her strength, Cocoon used the soylent she’d gathered to merge Pilgrim’s body, mind, and lifeforce together with Pupa’s.”

Applejack made a choked noise. “She did what?!”

“How is that even possible?” Norric said. "I thought it was impossible to combine the lifeforce of two separate creatures!”

Pilgrim snorted. “Nothing’s impossible. Some things are just more difficult to accomplish than others. Lifeforce can be merged so long as both parties are completely willing for said merger to occur. The process fails if there’s even the slightest bit of resistance from either side, whether conscious, or unconscious, but neither Pilgrim nor Pupa put up a fight. They willingly allowed Cocoon to be combine them into a new entity, and when all was said and done, the end result... was me.”

Pilgrim’s voice became distant. “I awoke sometime later next to the corpse of Cocoon. Chrysalis was gone, the diamond dogs were either dead or escaped, and I was all alone. I found my way out of the tunnels, but then I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t return to the Wastes, and I didn’t want to return to Gallopfrey, either. Pilgrim had wanted to see the world, and Pupa wanted to build a peaceful future for the changelings, so I decided to follow Pilgrim’s original wish and see if I could change how the rest of the world saw my kind. I spent the next two and a half decades traveling from one part of the globe to the other, but then, word reached me that Pilgrim’s parents were dying. I returned to Gallopfrey to be with them until they passed, and then decided to take a break from wandering to try my hoof at the family business.

“I swear I had nothing to do with the invasion,” Pilgrim said earnestly. “I know Mother would never do anything like this, which means she must’ve finally passed away, and Chrysalis has been crowned the new Queen. She’s always desired conquest, and I’ll bet she’s probably already invaded the other southern border towns as the first step of her plans. She’ll take over Gildsedale, then spread out into the other countries one by one, and she’ll become more powerful and be able to produce more eggs the more captives she takes. Chrysalis has no idea how powerful Celestia is, though, and once she finds out that the Peccatum Pactum has been broken, she might very well wipe out our entire race! I want changelings and ponies to live together in harmony, not be at war with each other! I know you don’t have any reason to believe me, but—”

“I believe you.”

Norric and Granny both turned to Applejack, who was smiling at Pilgrim with faintly glowing eyes.

“She’s tellin’ the truth, then?” Granny said.

“Mmm-hmm.” Applejack walked behind Pilgrim and began to untie her ropes. “Sorry about the rough treatment, err... your Highness. We just had to make sure what was goin’ on with you.”

Pilgrim’s reaction was strange. She suddenly jerked in her seat, then took a deep, shuddering breath.

“P-Please don’t call me...” her voice was almost a moan. “By the Wardens, what is that?”

Applejack paused. “What’s what?”

“That power... w-within you.” Pilgrim licked her lips. “I sensed it earlier in the m-marketplace, too... the e-emotions you’re u-using to fuel it... they’re delicious.”

Applejack backed away. “Hold on. You know about my Element?!”

Pilgrim’s eyes snapped open. “W-What? I don’t—”

Something dawned on her, and her eyes drifted down to Applejack’s necklace.

“No. You can’t mean...”

“May as well tell her,” Granny said tiredly. “It’s just gonna lead to more questions if we don’t.”

Applejack exhaled out her nose. “Yeah, that’s prolly best. Could you uh, stop... feeding off me, though? It’s creepy.”

"Not my fault,” Pilgrim huffed. “If somepony was blasting you in the face with the tastiest thing you can imagine, would you not open your mouth?”

Applejack decided not to comment. She quelled her Element, untied Pilgrim, then gave her back the tiara.

“Okay,” Applejack said. “You know about the Elements of Harmony, right?”

“Somewhat.” Pilgrim decided to stay in the chair. “I heard from one of the caravans that a group of mares took them up, and used them to purify the fallen Princess of the Night. One of them had a picture of the celebration, and I remember seeing a pink mare in it wearing that necklace of yours.”

Applejack leaned on the desk and took a deep breath. “Well...”

It took a good twenty minutes to get Pilgrim up to speed on who Applejack was, what she could do, what’d happened in Equestria, how they’d came to be here, and where they were trying to go. Pilgrim interrupted a few times with a question or a clarification, but otherwise remained silent throughout it all. Her face was pinched tight with tension, and she groaned and rubbed her eyes as Applejack finished.

“Chryssy, you idiot! Why’d you have to do this now, of all times?! Doing it at any time would be bad, but on top of all this?! I just, you—ugh!”

“That pretty well sums up how we feel,” Granny said wryly. “So the question is, what’re we gonna do about it?”

Pilgrim ran a hoof down her face. “I can fix this, I just need to talk to Chryssy. She’s always been stubborn, but if I sit down with her, I know I can convince her to call off the invasion.”

“You sure about that?” Norric glanced at the bruise blossoming on Pilgrim’s side. “That big guy sure didn’t seem to like you very much.”

Pilgrim laughed bitterly. “Changelings recognize each other by scent. Veraxi thought I was an imposter because I don’t fully smell like a changeling anymore. Besides, Behemoths aren’t exactly known for their intelligence. Trust me, if Chryssy knew that he’d struck me, she would’ve commanded him to dive headfirst into a pit of spikes.”

“Fair enough,” Applejack said. “Where’s your sister at?”

“Pandemonium,” Pilgrim answered. “Greatest and most ancient of the Changeling Hives, home to the holy shrine of The Shaper. It’s in the very center of the Wastes.”

Granny made a low whistle. “That ain’t gonna be easy to get to. How long ya think it’ll take?”

“Depends,” Pilgrim said. “The Scouts are probably under orders to attack anypony who isn’t a changeling on sight. If they listen to me, I can get to Pandemonium in a few days. If not, it’ll take a few weeks. I don’t know how the changelings are going to receive me, though, and if things get rough, I might need some help to get through.”

“Help?” Applejack scrunched her eyebrows. “What kind of help?”

Pilgrim rolled her tiara back and forth between her hooves. Her eyes shifted back and forth for a few seconds, and then, she placed the tiara atop her head, and was consumed in green flame. The three of them backed away in surprise, and Pilgrim stood before them in her changeling form. She was tall and slender, reminiscent of Celestia, but where other changelings had menacing eyes and angular faces, Pilgrim’s eyes were soft and kind, and her face was rounded like a pony’s. She took a step back to give herself room, then dipped her head and bowed low before Applejack.

“It seems that I owe you my life, Bearer of Honesty. I’ve lived these past twenty-five years as Pilgrim, but now it seems I must take on the role of Pupa. I hereby re-claim my form, rights, and title as Princess, and as my first act, I propose an alliance between Ponies and Changelings in order combat the threat of Cetus. My resources and authority are little at the moment, but if you agree to escort me to Pandemonium, I will muster the full might of my race, and together, we will restore balance and harmony to the world.”

“A-An alliance?” Applejack rubbed her forehoof. “Hoo boy... I-I don’t think I can make those kinda decisions.”

“No, but I can.”

They all turned to Norric, who stood up straight and saluted Pilgrim. “Sergeant Major Norric of Her Majesty’s Royal Guard, Demolitionist and Knight of the Order of the Zodiac. On behalf of the Equestrian government, I hereby accept your offer of an alliance, and look forward to working with you in the future.”

Granny and Applejack stared dumbly at him, but Pilgrim didn’t miss a beat. She turned and extended a hoof, and he shook it without pause.

“Let this be the beginning of a new age for the changelings. No longer will we be forced to hide away and feared because of our nature! I know that my race can co-exist with others, we just need to be given the chance!”

Applejack shook her head. “I keep forgetting...”

Norric snickered. “I told you the old ways come in handy when dealing with the ladies.”

They all laughed, and Pilgrim stepped back to address all three of them.

“It’s settled, then. We’ll need to gather supplies to travel the Wastes, but we should be able to leave by tomorrow morning.”

“How’re we gonna get over Eternity’s Crossing?” Granny asked.

“My parents left me a boat we can use,” Pilgrim said. “It’ll get across the channel without any problem. The challenge will come in the Wastes themselves, as the land is filled with rocky, inhospitable crags and geysers that spew poisonous fumes. There’s very little food and water there, so we’ll need to pack as much as we can. If all goes well, we should be able to reach Pandemonium in a few days, and then I can arrange for the three of you to be flown to Dragon Turtle Lake.”

“Sounds like we’ve got some work to do, then.” Norric turned and headed for the door. “I’ll see about gathering food.”

“I’ll take care of smaller supplies and tools we might need.” Granny got to her hooves and followed after him. “Jackie can get the water.”

“Very good,” Pilgrim said. “I’ll gather what maps I have around here, and see about plotting a course.”

Applejack hadn’t moved yet. She watched as Norric and Granny left, then raised a hoof to get Pilgrim’s attention.

Pilgrim stopped. “Hmm?”

Applejack chewed on her lip. “Before we get started, I was wonderin’ if you could help me with something.”

“What is it?”

Applejack blushed and pawed at the ground. “Could you, ah... show me how to preen? I’ve only had these wings for a day, and they’re already itchin’ something fierce. I’m not too good at flyin’ yet, either.”

Pilgrim blinked, then looked down at Applejack wings. Her feathers were all ruffled and out of place, and spots of dirt and grime were caught underneath them.

Pilgrim giggled. She reverted to her pegasus form, closed the door to the office so they had some privacy, and motioned for Applejack to lay down.

“I think I can help with that.”

Chapter 29: An Unholy Alliance

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Chapter 29:

An Unholy Alliance

**A/N: Switch your page background to Dark.**

Meanwhile-

You doing alright, Fluttershy?

Fluttershy hid her fatigue behind a small smile before she turned her head to address the speaker. Spike was riding on Spesci’s back a few dozen feet away, and was doing his best to keep his balance despite the strong wind that insisted on hindering their progress. They’d been flying north for almost two days now, and while they were close to their destination, the journey had not been an easy one.

I’m fine, Spike. Just a little tired from flapping so much. They were currently in the Halendi Highlands, a vast stretch of rocky hills and crags that covered the southernmost portion of the country of Tarandus. Fluttershy was using her Telepathy power due to the howling gusts that occasionally kicked up from the crags, and while it wasn’t a terrible strain on her, the sooner she could stop, the better.

We can take another break if you need. Megnii was flying on her other side, opposite from Spesci. Or we could just forsake flying altogether and walk the rest of the way. We’d still get to the Crystal Empire before nightfall.

Fluttershy gritted her teeth. She’d very much have liked to take another break, but they’d had enough delays as it was. According to Spesci, the mountain blizzard they’d almost gotten caught in could last for up to a week, and so the caravan they’d met up with had decided to head back to the city they’d started out from. They’d invited Fluttershy and the others to come with, but it was much faster to fly.

I want to get there before nightfall so we can talk to Princess Cadenza right away. Fluttershy pumped her wings a little harder. She probably has set times where she accepts petitioners, and we may have to wait until tomorrow if we get there too late.

We’ll have to wait a lot longer than a day if you collapse. Spesci looked up at the sun. It’s still early afternoon. We’ll make it to the Crystal Empire in about an hour at this rate. We could easily—

No. Fluttershy’s wings felt like lead, her chest and lungs were on fire, and fatigue had crept into her entire body, but her thought-voice was strong and definitive. You said yourself that they may be too busy re-establishing their government to help us. If Princess Cadenza really does refer us to Frusetra, then we can’t waste any time.

The Crystal Empire was a neighboring province of Tarandus, released one year ago from a curse which had caused it to vanish for an entire millennium. The cause of the curse wasn’t known, but the leader of the Crystal Empire, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, had been freed from the curse fifteen years sooner and had sought asylum in Equestria until her kingdom reappeared. Princess Celestia had appointed herself legal guardian of the young princess until she came of age, and she’d lived relatively quietly in Canterlot Castle for over a decade. The Crystal Empire’s inhabitants were called crystal ponies, and while they were practically identical to their southern cousins in every way, they possessed a strange magic the likes of which nopony had ever seen.

I hope you aren’t pushing yourself just because you feel like—whoa, there. Megnii wobbled as a stray gust hit him from below. He straightened himself out and continued. Cetus caught us all completely off guard! There’s no way you could’ve known what was going to happen, and even if you did, what could you have done?

What could she have done, indeed. Fluttershy knew she wasn’t brave, strong, smart, outgoing, or creative like her friends were. She was the weak link in the chain, the meek, timid one that hid when danger came and hoped things would work out in the end. It was only now that she realized just how much she’d always relied on others, and the guilt was eating away at her like a parasite.

Nothing, Fluttershy said bitterly. I couldn’t have done a single thing to help my friends. All I could do was cower in a corner and cry like a newborn foal. All this time I’ve leaned on my friends and family for support, and I’ve never done anything for them in return!

Don’t say that, Fluttershy... Spike trailed off. He wanted to say more, but he didn’t know what might make her feel better.

Fluttershy shook her head and willed her tears to stay put. Princess Luna said she wanted us all to grow, but I’ll still be too weak to make any kind of difference even if I did. I know I’m helpless. All I can do is find others to fight in my stead. Maybe then, the others will find it in their hearts to forgive me for letting them down.

You’re not helpless at all! You—

Megnii’s voice died out as Fluttershy quelled her Element. She didn’t have the spare energy to argue, and her mind was made up even if she did. She wasn’t a hero, she never would be, and it was better to realize that and live another day than die with delusions of grandeur. She didn’t want to have others fight for her anymore, but she didn’t know what else to do.

The four of them flew on in awkward silence, the howl of the harsh, icy winds buffeting them back and filling their ears.

Few Equestrians had ventured to the Crystal Empire in the year since it’d reappeared, but those that had described it as a magical, sparkling vale that was always in a perpetual state of spring. A place that never changed seasons sounded ludicrous to Fluttershy, but then again, she’d once thought the same thing about solid ground that extended all the way to the horizon. Moving to the mainland had since taught her to keep an open mind about the ‘impossibilities’ of new places.

The first thing that came into view was the castle. It was raised up off the ground by four mighty archways with a central square underneath etched in a fine, circular pattern of stone. The structure ended in tall, elegant spires of purest white that reached up high into the heavens, and colorful banners could be seen hanging from wide balconies on the walls. The tallest spire housed some kind of beacon that shone as bright as the sun.

The browns and yellows of the uneven Halendi Highlands gave way to gentle verdant hills as they entered the Crystal Empire proper. The frigid wind became quiet and warm, and the four of them sighed in relief as their aching wings were relieved by a gentle thermal that kept them aloft. The buildings were all neat, orderly, and made out of different kinds of colored crystal that gleamed like polished mirrors. The roads were a faint periwinkle that also reflected the sun’s light, and from the sky, they could see that the entire city had been constructed in the shape of a six-pointed star.

“Where is everypony?” Spike wondered aloud as they made their approach.

Fluttershy scanned back and forth for some sign of movement or activity from within the city. Occasionally she thought she saw a flicker of something from a window or a doorway, but it vanished just as quickly as it appeared.

“I see guards.” Spesci pointed down at one of the streets below. “And over there, too. Looks like they’re patrolling the streets in pairs.”

Fluttershy squinted, and found that Spesci was right. Crystal ponies in silver armor were walking dutifully down the streets, looking all around for any sign of disturbance or trouble. She continued to look around for anypony that wasn’t a guard, but couldn’t find anyone else.

“What the hay?!” Megnii said. “There shouldn’t be any reason for Princess Cadenza to have invoked martial law! Did they somehow already find out about Cetus?”

Fluttershy doubted that. It was more likely something else had happened, but she wasn’t sure what that ‘something else’ might be. She knew that windigoes needed to migrate to the ocean annually to mate, and there were several herds in the Yakkhari Mountains and the Glasbyrn glacier wastes to the north. Maybe they’d accidentally taken over the Crystal Empire as their breeding ground?

“It doesn’t look like they’ve spotted us yet.” Spesci looked over at Fluttershy. “Do you want to go down?”

Fluttershy nodded and panted out her reply. “To rest... at the very... least.”

The four of them began their descent down into the city. They circled around for a moment to find some kind of landing site, but after ten minutes they finally decided to just use one of the empty streets as a runway. Several guards noticed their descent, and there was a great deal of shouting as they landed with the light clip-clopping of hooves on the smooth street.

“Not even gonna let us catch our breath,” Spesci muttered as six teams of guards advanced on them from various directions. He adjusted the bow and quiver of arrows at his side, a gift from one of the members of the caravan.

“Eh, we can take em.” Megnii grinned wickedly as he saw that several of the guards were carrying halberds with bearded axe heads. “It’ll be just like the Battle of Hidden Arrows.”

“You mean the one where Pisces lost his right wing?”

Megnii winced. “Okay, so maybe not just like the Battle of Hidden Arrows.”

“Don’t... fight...” It was all Fluttershy could do to keep standing, and her voice was just above a whisper.

“Don’t worry, we won’t if we can help it,” Spesci promised. “We didn’t come this way to start a brawl.”

“Let’s hope they feel the same way,” Spike said.

The crystal pony guards closed the distance and quickly surrounded the group in a tight circle. None of them brandished their weapons, but it was clear from the twitching of their hooves and mouths that they’d be quick on the draw.

One of the crystal pony guards stepped forward and addressed them in a gruff tone.

“You’re a long way from home, Equestrians. What are you doing here in the Crystal Empire?”

Megnii and Spesci exchanged a quick glance before Spesci cleared his throat to speak.

“We—”

Princess Celestia has been defeated and replaced by an imposter. We were sent here by Princess Luna to get help.

The crystal pony guards jumped. Megnii and Spesci turned to Fluttershy, who was staring at the ground. Her eyes were downcast, but her Element’s light could still be seen reflecting of the street.

“Uh, Fluttershy...” Megnii’s gaze flicked to the crystal pony guards, who’d just drawn their weapons.

“What magic is this?!” The first guard pointed his sword at them. “What was that voice in my head?!”

That was me. Fluttershy wearily looked up at the guard with her shining eyes, too tired to register that she was currently at sword point. I’m sorry, I can’t speak right now. We just flew here from the Yakkhari Mountains.

The guard’s eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t lower his sword. His attention was then drawn to Megnii and Spesci, who were both giving him dark, dangerous looks.

“We came here for aid, cousin,” Megnii said quietly.

“Is this how the Crystal Empire treats its allies?” Spesci asked.

“Yeah!” Spike chimed in. “Our country helped yours, so you gotta help us!”

There was a silence, broken only by Fluttershy’s heavy breathing. The guard sized up Megnii and Spesci, but didn’t hold their gazes for long. Finally, he lowered his weapon, and the remaining guards followed suit.

“Equestria’s deeds have certainly not been forgotten.” The guard bowed. “Welcome to the Crystal Empire, friends. My apologies for such a rude greeting, but I fear you’ve caught us at a bad time.”

“I can see that.” Spesci looked around. “What’s going on? Where are all the civilians?”

“Confined to their homes,” the guard replied. “A riot broke out in the streets yesterday that injured several citizens. We’ve instated martial law until we find the instigators.”

Megnii raised an eyebrow. “Seems like overkill to make everypony stay inside just because of one riot.”

A different guard snorted. “Not overkill at all. The rioters were—”

The new guard was silenced by the first clearing his throat. “The specifics are unimportant. You may trust me when I say that our actions are appropriate for the situation. Now, I imagine you all will be wanting to speak with Her Majesty regarding your mission?“

Fluttershy nodded. As soon as possible, please.

The guard hesitated. “Um, forgive me, but how are you doing that?”

“Uh, hello?” Spike jumped down from Spesci’s back. “It’s magic, duh.”

The guard blinked several times. He looked to Megnii and Spesci, but when no additional explanation was given, he shrugged and signalled to his comrades.

“Of... course. This way.”

The crystal pony guards broke their circle and separated back into groups of two. They then trotted down separate streets while the first guard led Fluttershy and the others down a straight path that led to the castle. Fluttershy inwardly groaned at the prospect of more physical exertion, but held her tongue and dutifully soldiered on.

That was very brave of you. Megnii pretended to examine their surroundings as he spoke. Not many ponies would reveal something like that to a stranger, let alone a group of armed and possibly hostile ones.

Fluttershy took deep breaths and narrowed her Telepathy power so that only the four of them could hear. Bravery had nothing to do with it. I just didn’t want to waste time trying to get them to believe us. I figured this was the fastest way to get our point across.

Megniii shrugged. Still, though, that took guts. I’d have never expected you to do something like that.

Fluttershy watched a small flock of butterflies fly into a nearby bush. I can’t explain why, but for some reason, communicating telepathically is easier for me than talking normally. I usually have problems with speaking up or stumbling over my words, but like this, I don’t have a problem with literally saying what’s on my mind. I only used telepathy back there because I was too tired to talk, but if it helps me to be more assertive, maybe I should use it more often.

Just don’t use it all the time. Spike grinned. Your voice is really pretty! Do you ever sing at all?

Fluttershy giggled. Not really. Rainbow always said I should work on it, but I couldn’t ever work up the courage to perform in front of other ponies.

Spike fiddled with the Necklace of Loyalty around his neck. Do you think the others are okay?

I don’t know about ‘okay,’ but they’re alive at the very least. They approached the castle, and Spesci craned his head up to get a better look. Ophiuchus wouldn’t have told us all to meet up if something had happened to any of them.

I’m sure they’re fine. Megnii shot his partner a withering glare before winking at Spike. It’ll take more than a little scrap like that to bring them down. Don’t worry, we’ll be back with all of them before you know it.

Fluttershy bit her lip. She was grateful that Megnii was putting on a brave face for Spike, but she could tell the loss of his comrades had hit him hard. He’d taken to staring off into the distance for long periods of time whenever he thought he was alone, and while he put on a cheerful attitude most of the time, his smile never reached his eyes.

The crystal pony guard led them into the castle through a tall, narrow door in one of the archways. The interior was a mixture of deep blues and faint violets, with rectangular artistic patterns that crept along the floors and walls. Crystalline sculptures ranging from traditional to abstract were everywhere, and bright shafts of light streamed in from various windows and enchanted fixtures on the ceiling. They saw an occasional castle employee moving quickly on one errand or another, but otherwise the halls were empty, spotless, and had a sterile feeling to them.

It took ten minutes to get to the throne room. Fluttershy couldn’t help but shiver as the large, heavy doors reminded her of what had happened in Canterlot, but she knew nothing like that would happen here. For one thing, these doors were swung wide open, and she was immediately able to see the interior.

The floor was a reflective blue, like most other places she’d seen so far, save for a single violet carpet that ran all the way to the throne. Open windows set with large sapphires above them lined the walls, and ornate crystal pillars of various sizes were placed in between. The throne itself was a natural formation of amethyst that’d been roughly carved into the shape of a seat, and sitting upon it was an alicorn, tall and slender, with a vibrant pink coat and a three-colored mane and tail. Her cutie mark was a sapphire heart with stylized ornaments on its sides, and her crown and regalia were a soft, shining gold. She was alone, save for a pair of stone-faced guards standing at the base of the throne, and was currently absorbed in writing something down on a very long scroll.

The crystal pony guard led them inside the throne room. Their hoofsteps were muffled by the carpet, which only added to the sense of stillness and silence that pervaded the air. Were it not for the soft scratching of a quill on parchment, Fluttershy could easily imagine that they’d walked into a painting.

The alicorn didn’t look up from her work as they approached. The crystal pony guard who’d escorted them signalled to stop, and then bowed low.

“Princess Cadenza—”

“This had better be important,” Cadenza snapped without stopping.

The guard gulped. “I-I assure you it is. These four were spotted landing in the Market District, and bring grave tidings regarding Princess Celestia of Equestria.”

Cadenza stopped writing. Her quill floated in place for a few seconds, then she placed it in an inkwell, rolled up the scroll, and looked directly at Fluttershy with cold, shrewd eyes.

“Is that so? Let’s hear it, then.”

Fluttershy quailed under the gaze. She tried to find her voice, but all she managed was a faint squeak. Spesci noticed and made to step in, but she stopped him with a hoof and tried again with her Element.

I’m sorry for the interruption, Your Highness. My name’s Fluttershy, and I’m one of the mares that saved Princess Luna three months ago. It’s on her behalf that I come to you now.

Cadenza straightened her posture. “So you’re one of the six that redeemed my estranged aunt? Interesting. You bear the Element of Kindness, I take it?”

Fluttershy gasped. Yes! How’d you know?!

Cadenza smiled. “The eyes are windows to the soul. Auntie Celestia told me much about the Elements during my stay in Equestria. I find it ironic that Luna would send the bearer of one of her sister’s Elements to me, but that’s neither here nor there. Tell me, what news do you bring?”

Fluttershy was a little taken aback by Cadenza’s straightforwardness, but then again, she hadn’t wanted to beat around the bush in the first place. She went straight into what had happened in the past week, then went on to tell her about Horizon, the Echoes, Nightmare Moon’s army, the necklaces, and everything else she could think of to give the princess as clear of an understanding of events as possible. Megnii, Spesci and Spike cut in on occasion for a correction here and there, but otherwise let Fluttershy do the ‘talking.’ Cadenza sat silent throughout it all, her expression hidden behind a poker face taught to her by a master.

“It seems Auntie had more secrets than I thought.” Cadenza unravelled her scroll, tore a piece off the bottom, then scribbled something on it and gave it to the guard that’d escorted them to the throne room. “I’ll need time to consider all of this, but the first actions are obvious. Cetus will have the entire Equestrian military searching for you, and I guarantee she’ll have started checks at the borders. It’s also imperative that we keep you all safe, as the Elements are the key to solving at least a piece of this mess.”

Megnii watched the guard glance at the piece of paper, then turn and trot off towards a door behind the throne. “Do you think we’ll be safer here, or in Frusetra?”

Cadenza clicked her teeth. “Probably here. Each place has pros and cons, but if I were Cetus, I’d expect you to try and get to the capital to raise the alarm. Staying here will give you a better chance of slipping back through to get to Dragon Turtle Lake.”

“Can you send word to Frusetra in our stead, then?” Spesci asked.

Cadenza motioned to the departing guard. “I’d like to hear the counsel of my vizier first. It’ll take a few days to hear back from anyone regardless, though. You’ll all stay here until then.”

Fluttershy let out a relieved sigh. Thank you, Princess.

An odd smile crept up on Cadenza’s face. “Oh no, thank you.”

Just then, Spike stepped forward and waved at Cadenza. “Hey, Cadance! It’s me, Spike! Do you remember me?”

Cadenza narrowed her eyes. “You will address me as either Princess, Mi Amore Cadenza, or Your Highness, wyrmling. And why would I remember you?”

Spike cocked his head. “You, uh... used to babysit for Twilight. I barely remember because I was really young, but she talks about it all the time.”

Cadenza’s mouth twitched, but she quickly hid it by raising a hoof to her chin. “Oh, er... yes. Twilight, was it? Of course I remember her! She was a good little filly most of the time. I’m sorry, I’ve been rather stressed lately working with the Tarandians on all this border business. We’ve been trying to figure out whether or not the Crystal Empire should stay as a province of Tarandus, become its own sovereign nation, or be annexed into Equestria.”

Spike’s ears drooped from the dismissal, but he stepped back and stood beside Fluttershy. Megnii watched him for a second, but then turned back to Cadenza. “What do you think is the best choice?”

“I can’t decide that yet.” Cadenza’s voice was harsh as she massaged her temples. “Breaking free would mean we’d be free to make our own laws, but Tarandus is offering us some very nice incentives to stay because we have the only harbor in the country. Equestria is farther away, but it has the railways, much greater military strength, more resources, and better taxes. It’s been a chore deciding on what to do, but my vizier’s advice has been invaluable in helping me see all sides of the argument. That’s why I’d like his input now.”

The door the behind the throne opened, and out stepped a large grey unicorn stallion with a black mane and tail. His legs, chest and neck were covered in plated ruby greaves that ended in sharp points, and a thin circlet set with a dull black jewel rested upon his brow. The upper half of his horn was blood-red, and his eyes were an unnatural green and red with thin, cat-like slits. His cutie mark was an eye, colored and shaped the same as his own, set atop two violet splotches and surrounded by black, spiky crystals.

The stallion met the eyes of each member of the group as he approached. His expression was indifferent at first, but when he got to Fluttershy, he stopped dead in his tracks. A flicker of... something, spasmed across his face, but he looked away before she could register what it was. He then turned and mockingly bowed before Cadenza.

“You sent for me, Princess?”

Cadenza gave the stallion a dirty look. “Grand Vizier Sombra, allow me to introduce Fluttershy, Bearer of the Element of Kindness, Megnii and Spesci, a pair of Echoes created by Celestia, and Spike the dragon. They’ve come here from Equestria with news that calls for a change of plans.”

A disturbing smile crept up on Sombra’s face. He slowly turned back to the group, and as he did, they could see that he sported a very intimidating set of fangs.

“Echoes and an Element Bearer? Well isn’t this our lucky day. Which plans do you refer to, exactly?”

“The ones I ‘appointed’ you for in the first place,” Cadenza said tersely. “Celestia has been usurped, and the new ruler is going to be zealously searching for these four. I can’t move forward with anything while Equestria is out of the picture—well, not from here, anyway. What do you propose I do?”

Sombra was silent for a moment. He pursed his lips and examined one of his plated hooves and flicked a bit of dust off before speaking.

“I’d say you need to make a little trip.”

Cadenza nodded. “I was thinking that, as well.”

“How long do you think you’ll be gone?”

Cadenza raised her eyes to the ceiling. “A little over a month. Longer if the weather acts up.”

Go where? Fluttershy asked.

Sombra flinched like he’d been slapped. He whirled on Fluttershy, but then hissed and took a step back as soon as he met her eyes.

Cadenza furrowed her eyebrows. “Is there a problem, Sombra?”

“Am I to watch over these four while you’re gone?!” Sombra spat out through clenched teeth.

“That was the idea.” Cadenza curiously looked back and forth between Sombra and Fluttershy. “Though now, I’m not so sure. Do you think you can handle it?”

Sombra laughed, a cruel, malicious noise that made Fluttershy’s hair stand on end. Megnii and Spesci both felt a chill, and their muscles tensed of their own accord.

“Oh, I can,” Sombra said, “but I’ll be handling it my way.”

A dark, violet mist seeped out of Sombra’s eyes. His horn turned pure black, and there was a faint crackling sound like paper being burned. Shadows began to rise out of the room, with a set of limbs, a dark jagged horn, and a pair of foul eyes similar to Sombra’s. Three seconds later, a dozen shades surrounded Fluttershy and the others.

Sombra spoke two words with vindictive glee.

“Take them.”

Megnii acted first. He spread his wings and shot forward towards one of the guards at the base of the throne, who was carrying a halberd much like one the guards had on the street. Megnii uppercutted the guard, wrenched the weapon out of his grasp, and spun it about to point directly at Sombra’s throat.

“End thy spell or I will end thy life,” Megnii said.

The other guard made to tackle Megnii, but he was stopped by an arrow that lodged itself in one of the crystal formations a few inches from his face. Spesci had already fitted another arrow in the string by the time the guard looked over at him.

“Move and the next one goes between the eyes of your Princess.” Spesci looked up at Cadenza. “I knew something was up the moment we got here, but I don’t know, or quite frankly even care what it is. If Cetus gets ahold of Nightmare Moon’s army, not a single force on this planet will be able to stop her. She’ll kill you and your subjects, raze your kingdom, then probably find a way to bring about Eternal Night again! Which, by the way, will also kill you even if she decided to spare your kingdom for whatever reason! Keep us out of your stupid little plots and schemes, Cadenza! Holding us here against our will is an incredibly stupid idea, and if you can’t see that, you’re dumber than that pile of rocks you’re sitting on!”

Fluttershy looked on in horror. The shades surrounding them hadn’t moved, but they were only a yard away from them on all sides. They exuded a foul, dark aura, one that pulled and tugged at her mind with an intense loathing. She felt Spike shivering next to her, and she pulled him underneath herself to try and shield him.

Now it was Cadenza’s turn to laugh. Hers was different from Sombra’s, however. It was calm, confident, and full of genuine amusement.

“See this?!” She gestured at Megnii and Spesci to Sombra. “This why your oh-so-coveted method of overwhelming others with brute force caused you to be defeated by Celestia and Luna in the first place! I didn’t get the chance to tell you that these two are some of Celestia’s most elite soldiers, and you assumed you could just overwhelm them with numbers and a few fancy tricks! By the Shaper, you should see your face!”

Sombra glowered at her. “And yet, your method conveniently requires my help. What exactly does that say about you?”

“Shut it!” Megnii pressed the halberd harder against Sombra’s throat. “Call off the shades, now!”

“No, I don’t think I will.” Sombra’s outline shifted, and his whole body turned to shadow. He pushed himself against Megnii’s blade, and it harmlessly passed straight through his neck without any resistance. “I think you’ll find I’m difficult to threaten, let alone kill.”

Megnii groaned. “I really do hate magic.”

Sombra tried to engulf Megnii, but he ripped the halberd out and leapt back to hover above Spesci and the others. Spesci, meanwhile, operating under a terrible suspicion, adjusted his aim and shot an arrow at Cadenza’s leg. The arrow bounced off and clattered on the ground, but as it did, he caught a glimpse of black where the arrow had struck.

Spesci cursed. “Changeling!”

Cadenza made no effort to deny the claim. Instead, she held up her hoof and examined the spot Spesci had shot her with disinterest.

“What it says about me is that I’m able to recognize and compensate for my weaknesses. Power has its uses, Sombra, but what you’ve yet to learn is that solely relying on it is only going to get you so far. I freed you because your knowledge of rakan is a valuable asset towards maintaining a hoofhold here in the north, but if you reveal yourself to the Tarandians too soon, as you have here, it’s going to cost you time and resources. This ‘Cetus’ seems to understand that, and while it certainly makes her a formidable adversary, she’s lost her advantage now that I’m aware of her and her little army. Information is priceless in war, and so for tipping me off, my little Equestrians—”

Cadenza burst into green flame, and in her place stood a Royal changeling. She had a stringy blue mane and tail with unnatural holes, and her translucent, gossamer wings buzzed softly at her back. Her eyes were a sickly green, and her long, crooked horn flashed with the remnants of her magic. A small black crown set with four tiny blue orbs rested atop her head.

The changeling flashed them a victorious grin. “—you have my most sincere thanks.”

Fluttershy paled. “No...”

Sombra rolled his eyes. “Spare us the monologue, Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis ignored him and kept her eyes on Fluttershy. “Don’t make this hard on yourself. Surrender now, and I promise you and your guards won’t be harmed.”

Spesci barked out a harsh laugh. “Oh noooooooo, you won’t harm us, you’ll just throw us into phora pods and feed off us like the giant leech you are!”

Fluttershy was paralyzed. She had tried to get help. It was the only thing she thought she was capable of doing. She’d pushed herself as hard as she could to get here, and it was all to walk into another trap.

Megnii tightened his grip on his halberd as the two guards at the base of the throne revealed themselves to be changelings as well. “Don’t listen to her, Fluttershy! Her entire race are nothing but a bunch of ugly liars!”

Fluttershy shut her eyes and clutched her head in her hooves. All she ever did was disappoint others. First her family, then her peers, and now worst off all, her friends! She’d always believed that a little kindness went a long way, and that if she was considerate to others they’d be so in turn, but what good was any of that now?!

“Resorting to petty insults now, are we?” Chrysalis yawned. “Please. You may be strong, but you’re helpless compared to us. I’d rather not kill you, but I will if you try my patience.”

Powerless. Helpless. Useless! All words that ponies had used to describe her! All Fluttershy had wanted was for everypony get along, but she got shot down every time she tried because she was too weak! It wasn’t FAIR! She wanted to be strong! She wanted to prove she wasn’t just dead weight! She wanted to show that being kind to others wasn’t wrong, and most of all, NEITHER WAS SHE!

“I just wanted to help,” Fluttershy whispered as the Element of Kindness flared brightly within her.

Megnii and Spesci froze. They both slowly turned to Fluttershy, and saw that the light in her eyes was slowly spreading out. Megnii realized what was about to happen and glanced back at Chrysalis with an impish grin.

“Helpless, eh?”

“I JUST WANTED TO HELP!” Fluttershy slammed her hooves on the ground.

The Element of Kindness fully awoke in an explosion of warm, pink light that burst forth from Fluttershy’s entire body. The shades dissolved, but not before letting out screams that were cut disturbingly short. Megnii and Spesci both shut their eyes and looked away from Fluttershy.

“ARGH!”

Sombra screamed like he’d been set on fire. His body became solid again, but he raised up a black shield to defend himself.

Fluttershy felt a shattering sensation within her mind like a wall had been broken down. Beyond was a glittering golden pond, and her new horn formed with a swirl of yellow magic. She spread her wings wide to reveal her full majestic span.

“Stop her!” Chrysalis screamed at Sombra and the changeling guards. The guards obeyed and ran at Fluttershy, but Sombra couldn’t move, as he was pouring all his energy into maintaining his shield.

No.

The changelings hesitated. Fluttershy’s thought voice was like a chorus of chiming bells that resonated through every crevice of their minds. They tried to run at her again, but they made the mistake of looking into her eyes.

Eyes fully filled with magical light.

I see your fear. Fluttershy’s stare pierced their minds like a lance. And it is MINE.

The changeling’s expressions shifted rapidly, first confusion, then surprise, and finally, utmost terror. Both them let out terrible, hissing shrieks before falling back and flailing wildly on the ground.

“Useless cowards!” Chrysalis got to her hooves and readied a spell of her own. “How pathetic are you that you allow yourselves to be beaten by weakest Element of the bunch?! Must I do everything myself!?”

You’ve never done anything by yourself, Chrysalis.

Chrysalis’ spell fizzled out as Fluttershy locked eyes with her. She tried to break free, but found she was already caught in Fluttershy’s thrall.

All your life you’ve had your entire race waiting on your beck and call, and everything you’ve needed to succeed has been given to you on a silver platter. Not even within your own mind are you alone anymore, as you now control the entirety of the hive mind.

Chrysalis shrunk back into the throne as the nightmares she’d had for months surged through her mind. Her changelings, her children, dead and lifeless like a macabre carpet before her stretched out as far as she could see. The hate of the rest of the world bearing down mercilessly upon her as she wandered the wastes aimlessly until a slow fate of starvation claimed her.

They say the more things a pony has, the greater their fear is of losing of them. You’ve risked everything on this invasion, and while you may bury your misgivings down deep, you can’t hide them from me.

Alone. Unloved. Weak. Doomed to fail, and beyond all hope of redemption. Her sisters had been right all along. She should’ve listened to them. She should’ve done more to save them. The tunnel collapsed in slow motion in front of her, stealing them away from her forever.

Fluttershy shook her head. It doesn’t have to be this way. You can still—

“Release her, or the wyrmling dies.”

Fluttershy turned. Sombra had used the distraction to grab Spike in his magic, and now held him in front of himself like a shield. A black tendril was tightly wrapped around Spike’s throat that had already drawn a thin trickle of blood.

Fluttershy screamed. “SPIKE!”

Several things happened at once. Megnii and Spesci, realizing they’d let Sombra slip past them, opened their eyes and lept to free Spike. Fluttershy tried to run to Spike as well, but none of them got the chance as Chrysalis, now free of the Fearsense, cast her spell from before hitting all four of them in the chest. They all collapsed to the ground without so much as a sound, and Spike went limp in Sombra’s grasp.

Silence reigned for several seconds. Both Chrysalis and Sombra stared at the unconscious bodies while trying to regain their composure. It was Sombra who spoke first, and he began with a derisive noise and an amused tone.

“What was that you were saying, Chrysalis? Something about not solely relying on power?”

Chrysalis flattened her ears. “Oh, shut up.”

Sombra laughed and carelessly tossed Spike’s unconscious body on top of Fluttershy. “What interesting specimens we’ve stumbled upon! The spellwork on these Echoes is superb, and I’ve never even heard of a pegasus—well, I suppose she isn’t a pegasus anymore, is she? I’ll need to analyze—”

“No tests.” Chrysalis reassumed the form of Cadenza. “I’ll not risk you damaging such valuable bargaining chips. Keep them all alive.”

Sombra opened his mouth to protest, but decided to let the matter drop for now. “And where, pray tell, do you propose I keep them?”

Chrysalis waved a dismissive hoof. “Put them next to our other prisoner for all I care, just make sure they don’t escape. Return here once you’ve secured them. We’ve more to discuss.”

Spike awoke to the sound of dripping water on stone. He opened his eyes, and was very confused to find that the ceiling was comprised of yellow feathers. He was leaning against something fuzzy and warm, which was moving up and down in a strangely hypnotic way.

Spike blinked. “Fluttershy?”

A male voice chuckled. “Not quite.”

Megnii lifted his wing, and Spike now saw that he was lying on a bed of hay in a large, damp cell with spikey iron bars. Spesci was with them as well, and was sitting in the far corner staring off into the cell to their left.

Spike looked up quizzically at Megnii. “Uh...”

“You were shivering in your sleep,” Megnii explained. “I didn’t think dragons could get cold, but I figured I’d be better safe than sorry.”

“What happened?” Spike asked.

“We got sucker punched.” Megnii rubbed his chest. “Not really sure beyond that.”

Spike took a look at their surroundings. The cell was bare save for the bed of hay, a chamber pot, and a set of torches that cast long shadows about. They were obviously underground, but he couldn’t tell much more than that.

“Where’s Fluttershy?”

Megnii pointed to the cell to their right. Fluttershy lay sprawled out on the floor on her back, her wings fully splayed out and touching the opposite sides of the cell. The gentle rising and falling of her chest was evidence she was alive, but she otherwise appeared dead to the world.

“She won’t wake for a while,” Megnii said. “She was exhausted to begin with, and awakening her Element and growing a horn probably didn’t do any favors for her stamina. Let her rest while she can.”

Spike sat up straight. “Fluttershy grew a what?!”

“Yeah,” Megnii said. “Pretty nice one, too, from what I can tell. Shame it’s got those black crystals on it. Dunno what those are, but I’m betting they’re not good.”

Spike got up and moved closer. Fluttershy’s new horn was encrusted with several clusters of dull, black crystals that covered it from base to point. He looked back at Megnii with suspicious eyes. “Did you know this was going to happen?”

Megnii fiddled with a piece of straw. “We told her about it a few days after we came clean about everything else. She’d planned to ask Celestia about it when we went up to Canterlot, but, well... you know.”

Spike sighed and shuffled his feet. “What’s going to happen to us now?”

“Talk to Spesci about that,” Megnii said. “I think he’ll be able to tell you more.”

Spesci turned at the mention of his name. He motioned for Spike to come over. “You’re up sooner than I thought you’d be. Gave us quite a scare back there. How you feeling?”

Spike walked over and gingerly rubbed the bruise on his neck. “Sore, but okay otherwise. Are you okay?”

“Never mind me.” Spesci motioned to the cell he’d been looking into. “There’s someone here you should meet.”

“Someone else?” Spike repeated. “Who else would be down here?”

“You’ve grown, Spike.”

A shadow separated itself from the corner of the other cell. She was haggard and malnourished, her pink coat was matted, her horn was covered in black crystals and her tri-colored mane and tail were unkempt, but her violet eyes were still soft and warm.

Spike did a double take. “...Cadance?!”

Cadance smiled. “Hey, sweetie.”

Spike ran to the cell bars and reached out his arm. “Is it really you?!”

Cadance took his claw in her hooves and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Sure is. Sounds like you had a pretty close call. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Bah, it’s fine!” Spike quickly scraped the dried blood off his scales. “They just caught me off guard, that’s all! I’ll roast ‘em next time!”

Cadance’s smile wavered, but her voice remained steady. “I’m sure you will.”

Spesci looked in between the two before consulting Cadance. “Do you think dragonfire would be able to melt these bars?”

“These bars aren’t metal.” Cadance tapped one of them, and a loud ping resonated from it. “They’re made of negative rakan. Their strength is reflective of the caster, and these were made by a master.”

“Rakan?” Spike asked.

“The magic of the crystal ponies,” Cadance explained. “It’s the manipulation of energy generated from emotions, both positive and negative. There are only a few races that are able to sense and use it.”

“The other notable one being changelings,” Spesci remarked dryly.

“Yes, but the difference is that changelings take the emotions of others and use them for sustenance,” Cadance said. “Crystal ponies can only use our own emotions, and we use them to better ourselves and ease our way of life. Or at least, most of us do.”

Megnii was off listening quietly in the corner when suddenly, a soft skittering noise caught his attention. He looked down, and saw a small rat nosing about in the hay by his hoof. He smirked as a thought came to him.

Spike experimentally poked at the bars. They were unnaturally cold. “What’s going on? Why are there changelings here?”

Cadance sighed. “Chrysalis is trying to take over Tarandus. She can’t stage a normal attack because her changelings can’t survive for long in cold temperatures, so she freed the Mad King from his prison to force the crystal ponies to conquer it for her.”

“I’m assuming the Mad King is Sombra,” Spesci said.

Cadance shuddered. “He’s a monster. One thousand years ago, he used negative rakan to overthrow the government, then oppressed our race for over two decades while he plotted to expand the Crystal Empire to every corner of the country. He’s also the one who placed the vanishing curse on the kingdom.”

Spesci whistled. “What about you? How long have you been down here?”

Cadance hung her head. “A little over three months. I’m able to keep track because Chrysalis needs to refresh her imprint of me. I’ve been trying to think of a way to escape, but there isn’t much I can do with my magic suppressed. If I could somehow get this stuff off my horn...”

A thought came to Spike. He looked down at the bars, then opened his mouth, bared his fangs, and chomped down as hard as he could. The crystal jolted his tongue, and he quickly jumped back with a yelp of pain.

“Spike!” Spesci rushed to him. “What the hay are you doing?!”

“Blegh!” Spike rubbed his mouth. “Tastes like rotten licorice!”

Cadance’s eyes were wide. She examined the bar Spike had bitten, which was now sporting a set of teeth marks.

“Do you make a habit of trying to eat every strange magical object you find?!” Spesci examined Spike’s teeth for any damage. “Sheesh, be a little more careful!”

“Hey, I’m a dragon!” Spike stuck out his long, forked tongue. “Tastar said I’m like, resistant to everything!”

“I never knew this,” Cadance murmured. “I mean, I knew dragons could eat gems and crystals, but I never thought...”

“I’m surprised you were even able to understand him,” Spesci said. “Last time I asked him about something dragon related, he switched over to Draconic thirty seconds in and didn’t even realize it.”

“Spike?” Cadance called. “Could you come back over here?”

“Huh?” Spike closed his mouth and looked over at her. “Oh, yeah. Sure.”

Cadance pointed at the bar he’d sunk his teeth into. “Do you think you’d be able to chew through this entire bar?”

Spike flexed his jaw. “My mouth would probably go numb, but yeah. Want me to try?”

“Not yet,” Cadance said. “Getting out of here is just the first step. We need to have a plan beyond that before we make a move.”

“Way ahead of you.”

All three of them turned to Megnii. He was holding a small, furry rat in his hoof that was currently waving at them with it’s tiny paws. Megnii set the rat down, and it squeaked twice before disappearing into a hole in the wall.

Spike frowned. “Uh, Megnii? What was that?”

Megnii waggled his eyebrows. “The cavalry.”

“An immortal army, eh?” Sombra scratched his chin. “Interesting. I’ve always wanted one of those.”

Sombra and Chrysalis were out on the main balcony of the Crystal Tower that overlooked the city. He’d returned from putting Fluttershy and the others in the dungeon a short while ago, and Chrysalis had just finished getting him up to speed.

“This isn’t anything to joke about.” Chrysalis looked down at herself. “My plan to use Cadenza’s wedding as a means to infiltrate Canterlot is completely ruined! This imprint is virtually useless now!”

Sombra perked up. “Does that mean you no longer require her alive? Because I’ve been thinking of some very creative ways to—”

“I’d have thought my continued advice on not throwing resources away would’ve sunk into that thick skull of yours by now.” Chrysalis brushed her mane out of her face. “The Crystal Princess still has her uses. Don’t be so hasty to take drastic action.”

“She knows too much to be kept alive,” Sombra insisted. “She can counter my rakan, and she knows where the Crystal Heart is kept. Killing her would secure my place here in the north and allow me to focus more resources on attacking the Tarandians.”

“That argument has more holes than my legs,” Chrysalis said smoothly. “You just want her dead because she’s the one who sicced Celestia and Luna on you.”

A violet mist seeped out of Sombra’s eyes. “Yes... that, too.”

“Patience,” Chrysalis said. “You’ll get your revenge soon, but you mustn’t act rashly. You told me that your ancestors failed to keep ahold of Tarandus in the Era of Discord due to constant rebel attacks, yes? If you start attacking cities now, the military will splinter off into resistance groups that’ll take decades to sniff out, if not longer. Perhaps you should learn from the mistakes of the past rather than repeating them, hmm?”

Sombra scoffed and looked out over the city. “I’ve waited a millennium to claim what’s rightfully mine, Chrysalis. I won’t wait much longer.”

Chrysalis met his eyes with a cold stare. “You’ll wait as long as I tell you to, or I’ll stuff you back in the glacier I found you in to rot for another thousand years. I don’t tolerate disobedience from any of my other subordinates, and I certainly won’t tolerate it from you.”

Sombra felt a familiar pounding in his ears. Fantasies of plucking Chrysalis’ wings off and tossing her off the balcony played before him, but he held back on acting them out. It’d been a pity he’d had to step in and save her back in the throne room, but he knew he would’ve been next on the chopping block if he hadn’t. Chrysalis was a useful ally, loath as he was to admit it, and he needed her right now to re-establish his hold on the Crystal Empire.

Huh. Maybe some of what she’d been saying had been sinking in, after all.

Sombra lowered his head. “Alive it is, then.”

Chrysalis made her way to the edge of the balcony. “I’ll be returning to Pandemonium to make changes to the invasion plans. It won’t be difficult to recall the swarm and formulate a new strategy, so I don’t expect to spend more than a day there. I’ll leave a small squad of changelings here to assist you and your loyalists in keeping the civilians in line.”

“To keep an eye on us, you mean.”

Chrysalis chuckled, but didn’t deny it. “Do try not to reveal yourself to crystal ponies like you did two days ago. I’d rather not have my future soldiers rioting in the streets again.”

Sombra turned and walked back inside. “I’ll await your return.”

The soft fluttering of wings told Sombra that Chrysalis had left. He waited a few minutes until he was sure she was gone, then let out an enraged roar and slammed his hoof on the ground. There was a loud crack, and a series of black crystal pillars sprang up all around him.

Sombra was beginning to second guess this deal. Of course, he knew Chrysalis had no intention of actually giving him Tarandus, but the damnable bug kept him on such a short leash that it was becoming exceedingly difficult to double cross her! He wasn’t even sure how many of the palace guards were changelings now, though a quick rakan drill would easily tell him that. Chrysalis wasn’t even considering Celestia’s usurper a threat, as she was confident she could keep enough creatures alive in phora pods to sustain her race without the sun!

Sombra continued walking to his laboratory. Chrysalis might not be worried about Cetus, but he certainly was. He’d seen Celestia’s power firsthoof, and if something had defeated her, he certainly didn’t want to cross it. Perhaps he should try striking an alliance with Cetus, instead? No, that didn’t seem likely. He admittedly didn’t know much about Nightmare Moon, but he did know a fair bit about Luna, and the less he consorted with either of them, the better. At least, until he was in a position where he knew he could crush both of them. Then there wouldn’t be anywhere they could hide.

A plan began to hatch in Sombra’s mind as he reached his lab. Inside were bookshelves stacked full with tomes, tables filled with various reagents and alchemical equipment, and a long-neglected desk covered in parchment. He had a window of opportunity here, and he’d every intent to use it. The first thing he needed to do was get the remaining changelings out of the way. After that he could start preparing for the oh-so-mighty Queen’s return. Then he could turn his attentions south, and see what he could do with his element of surprise.

Speaking of Elements, Sombra’s mind cast back to the excruciating pink light that had ripped away at his very being. It seemed to have adversely reacted with his Hate rakan, which meant he needed to be exceedingly careful in his dealings with her. She could be useful, but only if he built up some kind of defense to her power, as just being around her was extremely unpleasant. He’d also need a way to keep her in line. She’d responded well enough to threatening the wyrmling, but he couldn’t continue to rely on that. He needed something more concrete.

Sombra closed the door to his lab with a soft click. He had work to do.

Chapter 30: The Headstrong Princess

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Chapter 30:

The Headstrong Princess

Later That Day-

“She didn’t get off here!” The baggage handler took a step back. “I swear!”

Eclipse narrowed her eyes. “You really shouldn’t lie to me.”

The muted whistle of an arriving train floated through the station as the baggage handler nervously licked his lips. He looked between the two burly Royal Guards staring him down, and the menacing mare in between them.

“I-I’m not lying!” He gulped and tried to keep his shaky voice level. “I-I don’t remember ever seeing T-Twilight Sparkle on the train at all!”

“Are you so thickheaded that you didn’t even notice a celebrity riding on board?!” Eclipse’s horn glowed ominously. “Perhaps you might remember better with some fresh air! There’s plenty of it up in the stratosphere!”

The baggage handler was enveloped in an icy blue aura and lifted up off the ground. His eyes went wide as his voice rose into a shrill scream. “No! No, please! I don’t know anything!”

You’re making a scene, darling—was that a camera flash? Several passengers and employees had stopped to watch, all of them looking on with a mixture of surprise and fear.

So what? Eclipse tightened their grip on the baggage handler. We’ve interrogated a dozen of these louts, and none of them noticed the hoofing Princess’ personal protegee! Pathetic!

I’m surprised, too. Relieved was more like it, as she hadn’t figured out what she was going to say to Twilight yet. I’d have thought a piece of gossip as juicy as this would’ve been the talk of the entire trainyard, but either Twilight’s not as well-known as we thought, or she did something to cover her trail.

Eclipse hesitated. She softly repeated that phrase to herself, her expression turning pensive.

She muttered a few strange syllables, and the aura around the baggage handler began to pulsate.

Then, seconds later, a second aura, magenta in color, appeared around his head.

Eclipse exhaled out her nose. Damnatio Memoriae. Flawlessly done, too. Hmph. That complicates things.

Rarity had no idea what spell Eclipse was talking about, but she did take a year of Kwatamal in school. ’Damnation of Memory?’ I’ve never heard of that spell.

I'd be surprised if you had. Eclipse threw the baggage handler into a trolley a dozen feet away, causing bags and suitcases to fly everywhere. It’s a forbidden spell. Damnatio Memoriae completely removes a specified individual from the minds of all those who saw them in the past twenty-four hours. The spell literally reaches into a pony’s mind and deletes all pieces of information regarding the specified pony. Even objects like photos and written works can be affected if the spell is strong enough.

Rarity felt a chill. So all these ponies’ memories of her are just... gone? My, that sounds...

Powerful? Intrusive? Dangerous? All of the above? There’s a reason it’s forbidden, child. Eclipse chuckled. Miss Twilight Sparkle has been a very naughty pony.

Rarity digested that for a moment. There were certainly quite a few things that’d happened as of late, but it seemed odd that Twilight would resort to using forbidden magic to cover something up instead of contacting somepony for help.

That’s strange. Twilight certainly has enough connections to contact somepony for help, even if she doesn’t like to leverage them. I wonder, is there any way to retrieve the lost memories?

Not in this case. Eclipse turned and walked away without looking back. If I thought I could find something, I’d have no qualms with dismantling that fool’s mind piece by piece. But there’s nothing left to find. I’d wager these idiots did see Twilight on the train, but she removed all evidence that she and her guards were ever on board. Clever mare.

Rarity noticed that everypony around them was now giving them a wide berth. Why, though? She couldn’t have already found out that we’re searching for her. We only started today. Do you think she somehow found out about Cetus?

I doubt it. Eclipse pulled a fruit bar out of their saddlebags and began munching on it. The Damnation Memoriae spell was cast eleven days ago. It’s more likely that something else happened that she didn’t want anypony to know about. Something big.

They went over to a large board that had the train times and destinations displayed on it. The train she was on was scheduled to take two days to reach Whinnyapolis. Damnatio Memoriae wouldn’t have fully removed her from the train employees’ memories if she’d stayed on it the entire time, so she had to have gotten off early and headed somewhere else. The question is, where?

Rarity examined the board. The train from Ponyville to Whinnyapolis makes three stops in its first day. Two of them are in towns smaller than Ponyville, but the third is at Neighagra Falls. I don't know if that's where she abandoned the train, but I remember her saying once that she always wanted to go there.

Eclipse nodded. Good enough. We’ll start there.

Meanwhile, in Drakkenridge-

“And this statue was given to us by your mother to celebrate the one thousandth year of peace between our countries!” Rin gestured to a carving of a majestic dragon in mid-flight. “I must say its withstood the test of time quite well.”

“Oh, yeah,” Rainbow said with rolled eyes. “'Mom’ always did have good taste in rocks.”

Rainbow, Esra and Tastar were deep inside a labyrinthine system of tunnels and caves that made up the main Metallic dragon lair. They were currently being led by the bronze dragon Rin through a museum filled with statues, artifacts, paintings, and other historical items. The floor was made of smooth, polished granite, and the hall was lit by tall braziers filled with bright silver flame.

“Oh, most certainly!” Rin said without missing a beat. “Though if I might be so bold, diamond is more commonly known as a mineral.”

“Either way, it’s still a waste of time,” Esra said. he gave the statue a perfunctory glance before turning away. “We’ve got better things to do than look at a bunch of musty old pictures and sculptures!”

“How in the world can you say that?!” Tastar flew over to the statue, pointing vigorously at it. “This piece is a testament to the very ideal that our predecessors fought for! It’s a symbol of hope and prosperity to both our races!”

Esra turned to Tastar. “How many hooves am I holding up?”

Tastar blinked. “Uh... none.”

Esra walked away. “That’s the amount of bucks I give.”

Rainbow snickered. She was about to give a witty retort of her own, but Esra’s initial comment reminded her of her own rising irritation. She stopped Rin with a hoof before she could go to the next exhibit.

“Okay, seriously, Rin. You're cool and all, and I appreciate you showing us around and stuff, but when's your master gonna get back? It feels like we’ve been waiting here for years!”

“Patience, Princess,” Rin said over her shoulder. “It’s only been a day. Master Bahamut should return sometime this afternoon.”

Rainbow’s eye twitched, but she kept her voice level. “That’s exactly what you said yesterday.”

“And I thought I was speaking the truth!” Rin turned and rose into the air so that she was eye level with Rainbow. “You have to understand that your presence in Chromatic territory has sparked an event that we've been waiting for centuries to act upon. Ertrasziveux, the dragon you slew, had put a spell on every thrall in the Valley of Slaves that would kill them if they tried to escape, and our laws have prevented us from trying to dispel it. There was nothing we could do that wouldn’t be declared an act of war, and we’d been waiting for something that might tip the scales in our favor!”

“What about Relekihl di Xuuta?” Tastar asked from over by the statue.

Rin regarded him for a moment, but then shook her head. “Ertrasziveux was also one of Lady Tiamat’s consorts. She forbade him from accepting any challenges, or duels to prevent the chance of foul play.”

Tastar’s ears drooped. “Well, crud.”

Rin turned back to Rainbow and spoke in a placating voice. “I understand that you’re eager to help your friends, but if we don’t act before Tiamat appoints another one of her consorts to the Valley, five thousand creatures will continue to live of a life of forced servitude! Would you have us sit idly by and ignore this chance?”

Rainbow flattened her ears. “I’m not saying you should ignore it, girl! I’m saying you should let us help you! You saw me whoop Ertrasi-whatsit! I wanna bust some more scaly heads!”

Rin’s eyes twinkled merrily. “Your spirit is admirable, Highness, but I don’t think your aunt sent you away from this ‘Cetus’ just so that you could go diving into more danger. Your mother wouldn’t be very happy about it, either, I’d wager.”

Rainbow pursed her lips, trying not to wince at being addressed with such a title. She really, really didn’t like this, but she’d already discussed this with Tastar not long after they’d teleported to the Metallic lair, and they’d come to an agreement.

“You're not going to be able to convince them that you're not a Princess,” Tastar said.

“What?!” Rainbow’s voice cracked. “Why the hay not?”

They were on the edge of a small terrace leading out into one of the larger caves of the lair. Rin had just flown off to find her master, and the three of them had been given a quick few minutes to talk in private.

Tastar gave her a deadpan stare. “One: There's too much evidence to the contrary. Two: The truth is complicated to the point of absurdity. Three: There’s no way to verify said truth without exposing us to Cetus. Four: Claiming to be royalty will gain you the ears of the Concordant Council. Five—”

“Lying to a bunch of super-sized, magic-wielding, fire-breathing, crazy-deadly flying creatures is not a good idea!” Rainbow reached up and rubbed her new horn. The skin around it was still sensitive, and it felt like there was some kind of hot liquid inside her head. “I get why they think I’m Celestia’s kid, but trying to take advantage of them is just gonna burn us down the line! LITERALLY!”

“Listen to me.” Tastar gestured out to the cave beyond, where half a dozen dragons of various shapes and colors were flying from one tunnel to another. “The leader of the Chromatics is a five-headed dragon named Tiamat. She’s powerful, aggressive, cunning, well-connected, and most of all, extremely protective of her children. When she finds out you killed Ertrasziveux, she won’t stop until she’s flossed her teeth with your intestines and mounted your head on her wall. She won’t care that you’re an Element of Harmony, and the protection of the Metallics only extends so far. The only thing you can do is pretend you’re Celestia’s daughter, because Her Majesty’s wrath is one of the few things Lady Tiamat fears.”

Rainbow groaned and ran her hoof down her face. “This isn’t gonna work. They’re gonna ask me questions about stuff I don’t know. They’re gonna expect me to act in ways that I’ve spent my entire life trying to avoid! My family isn’t super-rich or anything, but they were always trying to act proper and stuff, and I hated every second of it! If the Chromatics are really gonna be gunning for me, I say we get the jump on ‘em!”

Esra laughed. “And I thought Libra had a deathwish.”

Rainbow looked over at him. “Who-in-the-what-now?”

Tastar spoke a little louder to get Rainbow’s attention back. “I can’t even begin to explain how bad of an idea that is. The Metallics have just placed you, an ‘Equestrian Royal,’ under their protection. That means that, among other things, they’re responsible for anything you do in Drakkenridge. Not only would you attacking the Chromatics result in a civil war, it’d also be a declaration of war between them and Equestria! Want some history, Rainbow? The last civil war between the dragons was called the Blood War, and it lasted for the entirety of the Era of Discord. The entire time, Rainbow! Nothing but atrocities and destruction and chaos! Do you want to be the spark that reignites those flames?!”

Rainbow grit her teeth. She was being forced to play a role she had no business being in. She was being told to stay in one spot while her friends needed her. She was getting trapped in a corner and being denied her freedom. She wanted out of this. She should be halfway back to Equestria by now. She should—

“Hello? Rainbow?” Tastar waved a hoof in front of her face. “Did you hear anything I just said at all?”

Rainbow shook her head clear. “Metallics this, Chromatics that, Blood War... something, something, something. Fine, fine. I won’t go after Tia-mattress or whatever, but I still think the Princess thing is a bad idea. I can’t even do any magic!”

“Could’ve fooled me, Miss Glowy Eyes.” Esra slid a hoof across his throat and stuck out his tongue. “Congrats on the Sonic Rainboom, by the way.”

Rainbow’s mouth twisted. She shifted back and forth few seconds, then without warning, she rushed forward and grabbed him in a tight hug.

Esra jumped. “Ah! Hey, what gives?”

“I-idiot,” Rainbow said in a thick voice. “Don’t you ever, EVER scare me like that again! I’m your boss now, and you only d-die when I say you can die! No sooner! Got it?!”

Esra stood still as a statue. He looked to Tastar, but his partner had turned to watch the dragons flying by. Finally, Esra reached up and awkwardly patted Rainbow on the shoulder.

“Y-yeah. Sure, boss. I got it…”

“Good,” Rainbow said. She pulled away from him and rubbed her eyes. “I don’t care what you are, or who we run into. No member of Team Dash bites the dust on my watch!”

Tastsar looked up and raised an eyebrow. “Team Dash, eh?”

“Aw, yeah.” Rainbow turned to him and smirked. “We’re gonna have t-shirts and everything.”

“Well, you’re gonna have to swap yours for a tiara when we meet with the Council,” he said with a wink. “Also, leave the explanations to me. I know how to handle dragons, so you just have to is sit there and look pretty.”

“Pssh, I don’t do pretty.” Rainbow struck a cocky pose. “I do awesome! It’s like, my passive aura. How’s the horn look, by the way?”

Tastar nodded approvingly. “It looks—”

He cut himself off as he saw Rin making her way back to them. He turned his back to her and spoke in a hurried whisper.

“We’ll get out of here as soon as we can. Until then, just roll with the punches. You are now Princess Aurora, firstborn daughter of Princess Celestia, Element of Loyalty, Lady of the Polar Lights and Harbinger of the Dawn.”

“Harbinger of the what?!” Rainbow hissed.

Rin got in earshot before she could go off on him.

They walked out of the museum and through a tunnel to get back into the main ‘hub,’ as Rin called it. It was a cave several hundred feet tall filled with dozens of tunnels at various heights that led off to other parts of the lair. It was dimly lit by more silver braziers, with air holes scattered about ensuring that a steady wind was always present. Small pathways circled around the hub that allowed the flightless access to the tunnels, but Rainbow observed that they didn’t show signs of much use. The air above them was placid, save for the dull thuds of the flapping of wings of the immense dragons above.

“Where would you like to go next, Princess?” Rin perched on her back and pointed to the tunnels one by one. “There’s the Roirthir, a library which houses some of the oldest tomes ever written by our race. The Ternesjan, an entire forest completely carved out of stone, the Ifespa, the largest underground body of water in all of Drakkenridge, Haiyea, a series of waterfalls leading into the Ifespa, or, if you’re hungry, we could go to the banquet hall for an early lunch. What would you like?”

Rainbow flexed her wings. “Uh… there anyplace I can go to do some laps or something? I’m usually a lot more active than this, and I’d really like to see the sky.”

Rin hummed in thought. “I suppose we could go up to one of the landings. I wouldn’t mind joining you, actually. It’s been awhile since I’ve been my proper size.”

“Cool! We can race when get up there!” Rainbow dropped into a crouch. “Which way?”

Rin pointed to the one of the higher tunnels. “It’s just up—”

“Aasterinnnnnian!”

Rin frowned. “Ugh. Of course it would be her.”

A small, bright yellow canary suddenly flitted in front of Rainbow and Rin. It circled around them several times before stopping above them and chirping loudly.

Rainbow furrowed her brow. “How’d a bird get in here?”

“One moment, your Highness.” Rin held out a claw, and the canary swooped down to land on it. Rin cleared her throat and spoke in Draconic. “Hello, Sonngrad. Has the Master returned?”

“Nope, nope, nope!” The guttural hissing and intricate syllables sounded incredibly odd from a songbird. “The Concordant Council has been called together for an emergency meeting! He’ll be there all day.”

Rin clicked her tongue. “Princess Aurora won’t be happy to hear that. She was hoping to see him today.”

“And she will! Yep, yep, yep!” Sonngrad spread her wings. “The Council has been called specifically to discuss her actions in the Valley of Slaves! Master sent me to take her and the soul-copies to Shearwind.”

Tastar perked up at this. He quickly stepped forward and bowed before Sonngrad.

“Well met, Sonngrad the Wing. We’ve never met before, but I believe you knew my predecessor—”

“—Sagittarius the Learned.” Sonngrad fluttered over and perched atop his head. “A pleasure to meet you, Tastar the Redeemed. You’ve some big shoes to fill.”

Tastar laughed nervously. “So I’ve read.”

“What’s going on?” Rainbow asked.

Tastar looked over at her. “The Concordant Council wants to see us now.”

Rainbow frowned. “I thought you said we needed to talk to Bahotdog before that.”

“Bahamut,” Tastar corrected, “and I only said that because I thought we’d need him to call the Council together for us. Turns out they already in a meeting.”

“Good enough for me!” Rainbow spread her wings. “Let’s go!”

Rin put a claw on her shoulder. “I know you said you wanted to stretch your wings, but I believe it would be much faster to teleport.”

Rainbow hesitated. She looked over at Tastar and Esra, who both gave her barely perceptible nods. She quickly straightened back up and adjusted her mane.

“U-um, yeah! I just, uh, didn’t want to assume! I’m still new to Drakkenridge and stuff, so I don’t know how far it is. Heck, I don’t even know where we are right now.”

Rin waved a claw, and a map of Drakkenridge formed in front of them. A star appeared on a mountain in the exact middle, and a rainbow-colored dot appeared in a cluster of mountains to the west.

“We’re right here.” Rin gestured to the rainbow dot. “Shearwind’s less than ten miles away. Not the shortest of distances teleportation-wise, but I’m sure Sonngrad is well up to the task.”

Sonngrad let out a cheerful trill.

Rainbow chewed on her lip, but decided not to press it. Instead, she stepped closer to Tastar. "Ready whenever you are, then. We’ll see you later, Rin. Thanks for the tour.”

“Good luck, Princess!” Rin jumped off of Rainbow and hovered in front of the group. “I hope to see you all again soon.”

Rainbow put a hoof on Tastar’s withers, and Esra followed suit. “Let’s do this.”

Sonngrad’s body glowed, and they all disappeared in a golden flash.

The next thing Rainbow knew, they were all standing in a giant domed room made of grey, weathered stone. Thin shafts of sunlight poured in through narrow windows on all sides, and the room was empty save for that the walls were lined with statues of creatures of all shapes and sizes.

Sonngrad leaned forward and spoke in Tastar’s ear. “The Council has agreed to let you speak for the Princess, since you’re a Drakken citizen and are aware of our customs! The other soul-copy will need to wait here, though.”

“We figured as much,” Tastar said. “It was the same when he came with me for my parole hearing.”

“Ah, yes. I forgot about that. I’ll let them know you’re here, then! It shouldn’t be long.” Sonngrad then took wing and flew off through one of the windows.

Rainbow watched Sonngrad leave. “Where’s he going?”

“She,” Tastar said. “And she’s going to let the Council know we’re here. We’re in the Cuailisiani, or ‘Chamber of the Selfless,’ as it’s more commonly known. It’s basically a waiting room for petitioners.”

“Ugh, more waiting.” Rainbow let out an exasperated grunt and plopped down on her haunches. “This is moving along slower than Pinkie’s extra-thick molasses! Remind me again why I’m not off trying to find the others?”

“Because you don’t know where they are, and Ophiuchus won’t tell us for their safety, for one.” Tastar sat down beside her. “I know you wanna help them, but you have to accept that it’s better we’re separated right now.”

“Ah come on, Rainbow, it’s not so bad!” Esra nudged her and gestured all around them. “Just take around! Look! More statues that we don’t care about!”

Rainbow’s tone took on a sarcastic lilt. “Oh my gosh, you’re right! Look all all the dragons! I’ll bet you five bits I can’t pronounce any of their names, either! Ooh, there are griffins, too! How badly do think I’ll mutilate theirs?”

“Be serious, Rainbow,” Tastar said, twitching his wings. “We’ve got the potential to do something great here, but it’s going to take a little more time to set up. You have to trust me that this is the best thing we can do!”

“I don’t even know what we’re doing at all!” Rainbow suddenly snapped. She turned to glare at him “You haven’t told me what we’re gonna say to this Concor-whatsit-thingy, or even who they are for that matter! You just hissed a bunch at Rin, and now we’re in some waiting room on top of a mountain! How about you spill it, huh? What’s the deal? Are we trying to get the dragons to help us? Do they have a bone to pick with me over what happened yesterday?”

Tastar’s lips slowly parted. He was silent for a few seconds, then began to pace back forth while speaking in a rushed voice.

“I suppose I have kinda been keeping you in the dark. I’m sorry, it wasn’t on purpose, it’s just that things are happening so quickly, and I’m meeting all these dragons that remember Sagittarius, and they keep saying things to me that are throwing me off, and I really wanna make a good impression but I’ve gotta think on how I’m gonna spin you being Celestia’s daughter without deliberately lying, and there’s so much riding in this that—”

Esra smacked Tastar upside the head.

“No hissing,” Esra said.

“Gah.” Tastar gingerly rubbed his mouth. “You made me bite my tongue.”

Rainbow sighed. She knew they were all stressed and was willing to cut them a little slack for that, but she wasn’t going to just sit back and trust things were all going to work out when Esra and Tastar had kept so many secrets from her in the first place. She was even going to patiently say as much, but before she could, Tastar spoke again.

“Alright, here’s the deal. The Concordant Council is the highest level of authority in Drakkenridge. Their primary function is to decide on military actions and matters of state, and yes, they’ve summoned you to discuss what happened in the Valley of Slaves. I’m also planning to use this opportunity to tell them about what happened in Equestria, and if we present our case well, there’s a chance that they’ll vote on a course of action.”

“One of those possible actions being that we’ll be flying back to Equestria with an entire army of—” Esra raised his hooves in air quotes. “—super-sized, magic-wielding, fire-breathing, crazy-deadly, mother-bucking dragons.”

Tastar met Rainbow’s eyes with a fervent gaze. “And guess who’ll be leading the charge if that happens?”

Rainbow’s mouth fell open as the pieces clicked into place. She looked back and forth between them before she managed to find her voice.

“Y-you really think that’ll happen?”

Tastar clicked his teeth, and his eyes flitted over to the far corner. “It’s hard to say, but I know they’ll offer at least some kind of assistance.”

“How do you know that?” Rainbow asked.

Tastar didn’t answer at first. His cleared his throat loudly, then spread his wings and motioned for Rainbow to follow.

They flew over to the far corner of the room, stopping at a thirty-foot statue of a pegasus stallion giving a rigid salute. He was clad in spiked barding that covered him from nose to tail, with hooves that were clad in armored boots shaped like talons. A long, wicked spear rested in the crook of his neck, and most noticeable of all, a long scar ran down the side of his face that went straight through his left eye.

The eye was whole, but it had a different shape, and the pupil was a narrow, reptilian slit.

Rainbow felt a shiver run up her spine. She looked up at the statue, then back down at Tastar. The pegasus in the statue was older and had a more weathered look about him, but aside from the weird left eye, the two of them looked exactly the same.

“Is this…”

Tastar let out a long, slow sigh. “Yeah.”

Rainbow noticed there was a plaque at the foot of the statue. The top part was in Draconic, but the second half had been translated into Equestrian.

Sagittarius the Learned

673-960

Equestrian Ambassador and Founder of the Concordant Council

An artisan of war, an advocate of peace

A dragon in all ways but one

May Io watch over his eternal rest.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Rainbow pointed at the plaque. “You—he, FOUNDED the council dealy that we’re about to see?!”

“Funny story, that,” Tastar said. “Sagittarius was tired of having to go back and forth between the Metallics and the Chromatics to get anything done. He mentioned it to Celestia, and she suggested that it might be easier if he could get them to meet at a neutral place to save time. The rest is history.”

Rainbow looked down at the plaque again. Something seemed off, but it took her a second to realize what it was. She squinted at the date. “Year nine hundred and sixty? That can’t be right! That would mean that he was almost three hundred when he died!”

“Sagittarius was one of the few individuals who could get Lord Bahamut and Lady Tiamat to sit down and have a civil conversation,” Tastar said. “Neither of them wanted to lose him, so they both started using age spells on him to prolong his life. The left eye was their doing, too.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Sonngrad swooping in front of them.

“They’re ready for you.”

Tastar took a calming breath and turned to Rainbow. “It’s time. I’ll warn you now, though, this is going to be intense.”

Rainbow flashed him a cheeky grin. “Just the way I like it.”

Sonngrad led Rainbow and Tastar to the other side of the room, where a giant stone slab of a door stood tightly shut. Sonngrad let out a pure, clear note, and the door slowly swung open with a mighty rumbling and grinding of rock.

“Try not to get eaten,” Esra called after them.

Rainbow was hit with a blast of frigid air and blinding light, and she now saw that they were on the edge of a tall mountain with only a few hundred feet farther up to the summit. Their right side was completely exposed to the open air, but a snowy set of roughly hewn stairs led farther up.

Rainbow started to fly out, but upon stepping outside, she noticed that the wind came to a complete standstill, and she was left pumping dead air. Recognizing more magic at work, she let an annoyed snort and landed to walk cautiously up the stairs. Tastar fell into step behind her.

They walked up the stairs in silence, the strange absence of the wind only adding to the subtle sense of unease building in Rainbow’s gut. She felt like she was being watched, but there was nopony around that she could see. It was noon, the sky was a deep blue, and the ground below was concealed by the ever-present swirling clouds.

A sudden blast of hot, dry air from above made her hair stand on end.

“Huh?” Rainbow looked up, and her pupils shrunk as she saw death incarnate staring down at her. A ruby dragon, almost twice the size of Ertrasziveux, perched on one of the mountain’s narrow peaks above them. Smoke wafted threateningly from its mouth as murder smoldered in its eyes.

Rainbow gulped. “Heh, you weren’t kidding...”

And that was just the first dragon. Rainbow could now see that there were others on the summit as well, each resting on their own separate peak, their glinting, predatory eyes fixed upon her. They were all different colors, but they all had one thing in common—they were all enormous beyond belief.

Tastar paused and looked up as well. He stiffened, but quickly recovered and poked Rainbow in the back.

“Come on, keep going.”

Rainbow managed to tear her eyes away, even though she could still feel the dragons eyeing her like a snack. It was difficult to continue walking when a loud voice in her head was screaming at her to flee, but she managed it.

Barely.

The stairs ended at the very summit, and she saw it had been flattened out to a circular platform with intricate symbols around it like claw marks. Twelve dragons in total were perched all around the platform, and, on a peak much smaller than the others, an elderly snow-white griffin sat upon a throne, wearing a large heavy crown.

It was easy to identify Bahamut and Tiamat. They were the largest of the bunch by far, and their peaks were on direct opposite sides of each other. Bahamut was silvery-white in color, with brilliant eyes like a midsummer sky. His long, sinewy body glittered brilliantly in the midday light, and he regarded Rainbow shrewdly with a stern, but not unkind, expression.

On the other hoof, Tiamat’s five heads all wore an expression of rage. They were each a different color—white, black, green, blue, and red, and they moved independently of themselves much like a hydra’s. Tiamat thick body was striped in the five colors of her heads, and her mighty barbed tail was like that of a scorpion’s, twitching dangerously at the sight of the two ponies.

Rainbow stood at the top of the stairs, unsure of what to do. She was about to consult Tastar, but then, a deep, rumbling voice cut through the air like thunder.

“So. This is the murderer.”

Rainbow froze. She had no idea what was said, or who even said it, but the tone couldn’t be mistaken for anything but livid.

“Calm down, Tiamat.” Rainbow turned in time to see that the speaker that time was Bahamut. His voice was deep and rumbling as well, but it carried a gentleness that belied his size. He raised a house-sized claw in greeting.

“The Concordant Council recognizes Princess Aurora, daughter of Celestia the Flamebringer,” he said. “Acting as liaison and interpreter is Tastar the Redeemed, servant of Aurora and soul-copy of Sagittarius the Learned. You may both step forward.”

There was a murmur amongst the dragons at this. Tastar translated Bahamut’s words to Rainbow, and the two of them walked to the center of the platform.

The voice in Rainbow’s head became much more insistent that running away was a very good idea, but she continued to ignore it. The air now thrummed with a strange thickness, though Rainbow was unable to tell if the disturbance was coming from the dragons, or the mountain itself.

Bahamut’s eyes lingered on Rainbow’s wings and horn before speaking again. “A pleasure to meet you, young Princess. Though I must admit, the news of your existence took us all by surprise. In all the years we’ve known your dam, never once has she ever mentioned that she had a hatchling.”

“Didn’t even tell us she could produce offspring,” the Amethyst muttered.

Rainbow rubbed her ears. Not only had she understood what Bahamut and the other dragon had said, but their voices had sounded as if they was standing right next to her. A flash of color on the ground caught her eye, and she saw that two of the symbols on the ground were pulsing with light, respectively.

She put two-and-two together and decided to see if the magic worked both ways.

“If it makes you feel any better, she never mentioned any of you, either,” Rainbow said.

A smattering of coughs and raspy chuckles from the Metallic side confirmed Rainbow’s suspicions. She took a better look at them, and realized they were the same colors as she’d seen inside the Metallic lair.

“Your ignorance is nothing to be proud of,” Tiamat snarled from behind her. “Flamebringer’s negligence has resulted in the death of one of my sons, and the loss of thousands of thralls! Our entire mining infrastructure will now be set back for decades due to your meddling, and you aim to make light of it?!”

Rainbow turned to Tiamat. She had a moment of uncertainty upon which head to look at before decided the general direction was good enough.

“Hey, your kid started it, all right?” Rainbow pointed an accusing hoof at her. “If he didn’t wanna get splattered against a mountain, he should’ve looked before he leaped!”

Tiamat’s heads growled in unison. “Impudent little—”

“What Princess Aurora means to say!” Tastar said loudly, stepping in between the two. “Is that our presence in Chromatic territory was entirely unintentional. My partner Esra and I were trying to regroup with the Princess when we found her already engaged with Ertrasziveux. To my knowledge, she did not use lethal force until my partner was grievously wounded from getting caught in the crossfire.”

A silence followed those words. Tiamat turned her whole attention on Tastar, but didn’t say anything. Her heads moved about in a swaying motion as they flicked their tongues in and out.

“Wounded, you say?” Bahamut scratched his chin. “There’ve been no reports of any other casualties.”

Tastar held Tiamat’s gaze for a second longer before turning to Bahamut. “The Princess was able to heal him in time with her magic. The Element of Loyalty grants invulnerability to those who’ve pledged themselves to its Bearer, and—”

“So her retaliation was unjust!” Tiamat shouted. “She killed my beloved when her underling was in no danger at all! Self-defense, indeed!”

“Let him finish,” Bahamut said. His eyes were piercing, never leaving Tastar’s. “I wish to hear more of this.”

Tastar swallowed hard. “...and, since Esra and I have both pledged ourselves to the Princess, we’re both under what’s essentially a voluntary geas. We’ve not had much opportunity to test it, but based on what happened with Esra, we assume its power is considerable.”

There was a silence following these words. Rainbow looked at the respective members of the Council to see if she could gauge their reactions, but she couldn’t get a read. The unease in the air was palpable, though, and it reminded her of the calm before a thunderstorm.

Rainbow knew what it was like to get caught in a downpour. She had no intention of that happening here.

“And before any of you Chrome-domes get any bright ideas—” Rainbow’s eyes became filled with fiery light, and an explosion of heat and magic flared out from her. Her echoing voice boomed over the mountain with blazing power. “—touch me or my friends again, and I’ll buck your heads through your scaly plots.”

The Council tensed. Several of the Metallics sat upright, and the Chromatics let out hisses of surprise.

“Such power…” Tiamat breathed.

Tastar jerked as he felt Rainbow’s magic down to his very core. The air around the both of them was shimmering like a furnace, but he felt no discomfort. He looked down and saw that his body was enshrouded in a crimson aura.

“Rainbow,” he muttered tersely.

The Chromatics bared their teeth and growled, their claws gripping their respective perches. It seemed their courage had fled them, though, so they made no move to attack. The Metallics suffered no ill-effects, although they did look on with interest.

“Pffft-hahahahahahaha!”

The laughter cut through the air like a knife. Everypony (and dragon) flinched and looked to the griffin representative, who continued to laugh unabated. He slapped the side of his throne and shook his head with renewed mirth.

“She’s a feisty one, ain’t she?” the griffin said, smirking devilishly. “No doubt old Flamebringer’s had her hooves full with this one! Maybe she should’ve sent the little firebrand up here sooner—been too long since we’ve been reminded of the Equestrian’s might.”

Bahamut let out an aggravated sigh. “Not really the issue at claw, Dershak.”

“I dunnae about that, Grayscales.” Dershak adjusted his crown. “We’ve heard little of these mysterious ‘Elements of Harmony’ that defeated the Mare in the Moon and brought back Frostbringer. I for one, would love to know more about such relics…”

He squinted at the pendant around Rainbow’s neck. “...’specially seeing as she’s wearing one of the bloomin’ things.”

The other dragons murmured amongst themselves. Ancient, giant eyes went wide as they looked upon Rainbow with renewed interest.

Rainbow blinked. She reined in her power and turned to the griffin king. “You know about the Elements?”

Dershak chuckled. “Aye, m’lady. Though not as much as we could know, I’d wager. Perhaps you’d like to fill us in?”

Bahamut loudly cleared his throat. “Tastar.”

Tastar shifted. “Your Grace?”

“You said your presence in Chromatic territory was unintentional.” His translucent, silvery wings twitched at his sides. “You know well the boundaries of our land, as well as how zealously the Chromatics guard their territories.”

The Chromatics rumbled agreement at this.

“Sagittarius would never have done something so foolish,” the Sapphire said. “So why did you?”

“You will tell us the truth,” the Emerald said plainly. “Only then will we decide what to do with you.”

“We’ve already traced the magical signature of the teleport back to Equestria,” the Amethyst added. “There were lunar energies present in the spell, suggesting that Frostbringer was the one who sent you here. We’ve heard word of her return, but little else, and the silence from Equestria has troubled us.”

“Frostbringer?” Rainbow whispered to Tastar.

“Princess Luna,” he muttered.

“We’ve agreed to give you the chance to... explain yourself,” Tiamat said grudgingly. Her heads all cast cold gazes at Bahamut. “Despite the obvious course of action that should be taken. Though I doubt anything you say will change our minds.”

Bahamut said nothing. He merely returned the cold stares, motionless and unblinking.

“So speak then,” the Gold said. “You have our ears. Tell us how you came to be in our lands.”

Tastar hesitated. He glanced at Rainbow, who sagged her shoulders and plopped down on the floor with a grunt.

“Floor’s all yours,” she said.

Tastar took a deep breath and squared his own shoulders, gathering his thoughts as he stood amongst the Drakkens.

“You all might want to steady yourselves for this.”

Silence followed Tastar’s story. The Concordant Council sat still on their perches, digesting everything they’d just been told. Even the Chromatics looked troubled by the news, although their reactions were more subdued than the Metallics.

“Quite the dire tale, Master Tastar,” the Silver said.

“And rather hard to believe,” the Ruby countered. “Were it any other pony telling it, I’d think them mad.”

Another murmur of agreement from the Chromatics.

“If what you’re saying is true,” Bahamut said slowly. “It changes things significantly. Our problems in the Valley of Slaves are nothing compared to this. Don’t you agree, Tiamat?”

Tiamat’s expression was unreadable. She looked up at the shining sun, her heads all impassive and calm.

“Tiamat,” Bahamut said again.

“So Flamebringer has been compromised, Frostbringer has gone into hiding, and this little whelp got dumped on us.” There was a loud grating sound as Tiamat adjusted her massive bulk. “Typical Frostbringer—not even a year after regaining her sanity, and she’s already trying to call in favors.”

Tastar bowed his head. “I wish it were not the case, my Lady.”

“And yet it is.” She frowned at Tastar. “I do not like being called upon to play eggsitter, Tari.”

Tastar’s mouth twisted. “I—”

“You think I want that any more than you?” Rainbow jumped up to her hooves. “All I want is to get outta here! I wanna find my friends and haul it back to Equestria so we can sock it to Cetus! I’d like all your help with that, especially that last part, but if all you’re gonna do is treat me like I’m a pest, you can get the heck out of my way!”

Tiamat made a huffing sound. Her eyes stayed with Tastar for a moment, then she coolly turned to Rainbow. “When I look into your eyes, little Princess, what do you think I see?”

Rainbow snorted at the sudden change of topic. “Outside of the power of my Element, I don’t know, or care. All you want is revenge for your kid’s death.”

”Perhaps,” Tiamat admitted. “But who should bear the brunt of that vengeance, hmm? You, who committed the deed? Frostbringer, who sent you here in haste? Cetus, who forced Frostbringer’s hoof? Or perhaps I should bathe all of Equestria in flames? There are many ways to collect on a blood debt, young one, and as strong as you may be, you can’t be everywhere at once. Which one would you prefer?”

Rainbow ground her teeth, her Element beginning to flare up again. She said nothing, but her twisted expression spoke volumes.

“I will tell you what I see,” Tiamat continued. “I see the fury of raw fire. I see the humiliation of a bruised ego. I see the frustration of suppressed potential, and I see the passion of a great leader. We dragons have wrestled with these things since time immemorial, and they’ve very nearly destroyed us time and time again. It was only after the Blood War that your dam and aunt taught us the ways of temperance, but clearly, they have not done the same with you. You will need to learn these things if you wish for our aid, or if you wish to ever hold a seat of power.”

Rainbow pursed her lips. She wasn’t sure how to take Tiamat’s words, so she simply stared at the mighty dragoness. The two of them met eyes for several tense seconds before Bahamut finally spoke up again.

“Tastar. What do you believe Cetus intends now that you’ve all evaded capture?”

Tastar turned to him. “Find us, I suspect. She was fixated on gaining access to Tartarus and acquiring all of the Elements before our escape. I don’t think she’ll move forward with that until then.”

“And you said Frostbringer wishes for you all to meet her at the Caverns of Harmony?” Bahamut said.

Tastar rubbed his neck. “Er, eventually, yes, although we’re not sure where Lake Occul is.”

“Southeastern Equestria,” the Diamond said. His weathered voice was like a gong. “The Caverns themselves are located beneath the lake, where they are watched over by Master Atuin and his progeny. The safest route there would be to skirt Equestria altogether, fly through Gildesdale, and approach from the West.”

“Indeed,” Bahamut said. “Although heading there now would be a bit foolhardy. We need to make preparations.”

There was another round of agreement from the dragons.

Rainbow felt a chill. “Wait. Does this mean you’ll help us? You’ll help me find my friends?”

Bahamut regarded her. “I’m sorry, but it might be better that they stay hidden for now, Princess. If Tastar’s host will not divulge their location, then we cannot waste resources scouring the globe for five little ponies.”

Rainbow closed her eyes. “Uuuuuuugh. Damn iiiiiiiit…”

“As for the remaining issues…” Bahamut turned to the Metallics. “I motion for granting Princess Aurora amnesty for her actions in the Valley of Slaves. All in favor?”

All the Metallics’ claws went up.

“The Metallics are unanimous,” Bahamut said. “I now motion for providing military assistance to Equestria to defeat the soul-copy Cetus. All in favor?”

Again, all the Metallics’ claws went up.

“Unanimous again.” Bahamut now looked across the mountain summit. “Tiamat?”

“My agreement comes with conditions,” Tiamat said.

Bahamut rolled his eyes. “It always does.”

Tiamat’s heads swayed from side to side. “Princess Aurora. Upon the restoration of Flamebringer, your government will provide monetary compensation for the loss of my slaves.”

Rainbow scoffed and tossed back her mane. “Fine, whatever.”

“Second, I would normally require physical evidence to prove that Cetus has been destroyed, but seeing as soul-copies have no actual bodies, you will instead capture her demise with a scrying gem and deliver it to me. I know how you Equestrians favor mercy, and there will be none of that here. Blood will be repaid with blood.”

Rainbow grunted. “No argument there.”

“And third, little Princess...” Tiamat leaned forward, her colossal heads now only a few dozen yards away. “As penance for your role in Ertrasziveux’s death, you will undergo the Holy Trials of Io.”

There was an outcry of shock from the Metallics.

“The Holy Trials are not designed for a pony!” the Topaz said. “Not even an alicorn!”

“She’ll be killed!” the Gold said. “You wish to bring Equestria’s wrath down upon us all?”

A slight edge crept into Bahamut’s voice. “You go too far with this, Tiamat.”

Tiamat didn’t back down. “Those are my conditions. I will not agree otherwise.”

Tastar’s mouth was now dry. “M-my Lady—”

“I’ll do it,” Rainbow said.

The Council went dead silent. Everyone turned to her in shock.

Tastar paled. He began whispering hurriedly in her ear. “Don’t agree to this. You don’t know what—”

Rainbow pushed him away and addressed Tiamat. “Look, you don’t like me, and I don’t like you. If it were up to me, I’d fly my fuzzy blue butt outta this country faster than you can say ‘Sonic Rainboom,’ and not a single one of you would be able to stop or catch me. But that’s not gonna get me anywhere, is it?”

Tiamat yawned and examined her claws. “Most likely not.”

Rainbow put aside her pride with a fierce scowl. “I wish that I could stop Cetus myself but… I can’t. Regardless of how I feel, I need your help to help my friends, and so like it or not, I’ll gotta jump through your stupid hoops. You want money? I’ll get it for you. You want Cetus dead? Was planning on it anyways. You want me to do some kind of freaky dragon trials? Bring ‘em on, Sister. I’ll knock ‘em out of the park.”

All of Tiamat’s heads split into wide, sinister grins. “Well said, Princess. Very well, then. I second both of Bahamut’s motions. All in favor?”

The Chromatics’ claws all went up.

“Unanimous on my side as well. You have our support, Princess Aurora.” Tiamat’s eyes glinted. “Provided you succeed, of course.”

Bahamut gripped his mountain perch, his enormous claws cracking the enchanted stone. “King Dershak,” he said through clenched teeth. “You may approve or veto the proposal as it has been delivered. What say you?”

Dershak was quiet for a time, his old, gnarled claws drumming on the ancient throne. He studied Rainbow with a piercing gaze that made her skin crawl, but she returned it without flinching.

“Ye’ve no idea what you’re getting yourself intae, missy,” Dershak said at last. “Confidence is one thing, but foolhardiness is quite another.”

Rainbow flared her wings with a cocksure grin. “I always did like a challenge.”

“Hmph.” He looked to Tastar. “Tastar the Redeemed. Ye be the only one here who knows both the Princess’ capabilities, and what the Trials entail. Ye also be the only one with dual allegiances. As a servant of both Equestria and Drakkenridge, what say you about all this?”

Tastar winced. “May I speak plainly, my King?”

“Ye may.”

Tastar’s words were slow and halting. “I… wouldn’t say danger, but… it’s not going to be easy. Princess Aurora is strong and her character is without question, so the Trials of Body and Soul should be doable. But the Trial of Mind…”

“Ah, I see.” Dershak’s eyes danced merrily. “Not the sharpest fang in the mouth, eh?”

“Hey!”

“I think she can do it, though.” Tastar glanced over at Rainbow. “I’ve seen Princess Aurora do some truly awesome things. She’s surpassed all my expectations up to this point, and I’ve every reason she’ll continue that trend into the future. She has my support.”

Rainbow’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. She simply looked over at Tastar, not sure why she felt so oddly flattered.

“In that case... “ Dershak cleared his throat with a squawking cough. “Princess Aurora will face th’ sacred Trinity Trials. If she succeeds, Drakkenridge shall declare war against the soul-copy Cetus. We’ll escort Yer Highness to Dragon Turtle Lake to meet Frostbringer, then work on a plan to minimize Equestrian casualties.”

“And... if she fails?” Tastar asked.

Dershak shrugged. “We still declare war on Cetus… just with less concern about casualties.”

Rainbow gulped. “Hoo boy…”

An Hour Later-

“I thought that went pretty well,” Tastar said.

The two of them had met back up with Esra after the Council meeting and had been escorted to an apartment with pony-sized proportions. The entire place looked hewn out of stone, although the floor was covered with a thick, plush carpet. Rich paintings and tapestries of the Drakkenridge lands were on the walls, and in the center of the room was an enormous brazier stoked with a mighty flame.

“Went well?!” Rainbow said in a cracking voice. “That was a disaster! They’re gonna carve a bloody swath through Equestria if I screw up their Trial thingys!”

Esra patted her on the back. “So don’t screw up. No pressure.”

“Oh, ha ha!” Rainbow snarked at him. “Easy for you to say! You weren’t even up there.”

“I heard you well enough below.” Esra waggled his eyebrows. “Something about bucking heads through scaly plots.”

Rainbow let out a noise between a whimper and a groan. “I can’t believe I did that. I told you guys I’m no good with this kinda stuff!”

“Was a pretty good move, actually,” Tastar said. He plunked himself down on a red, fluffy couch. “Tiamat values power above all else. If you’d have tried to apologize or be cordial with her, she would’ve been less likely to hear us out.”

“Wait, what?!” Rainbow whirled on him. ”And you tell me this NOW?! Why you… you… what the hay, Tastar?! Just… what the hay!”

Tastar gave her a flat look. “I tried telling you about Lady Tiamat yesterday, remember? You barely paid attention long enough for me to tell you why to go with the whole Princess shtick in front of the Council the first place. I gave up trying to tell you more when you referred to her as ‘Tiamattress.’”

Rainbow scrunched up her face, but didn’t say anything. She knew well enough when somepony had her dead to rights. That didn’t mean she had to like it, though.

“I knew you and her weren’t going to get along, regardless,” Tastar continued casually. “You wear your heart on your sleeve, and she exploits ponies like that. However, I also knew that she was going to be livid over Ertrasziveux, which meant she was going to be very intimidating and threatening...”

Tastar broke into a shit-eating grin. “...and you don’t like feeling threatened, do you Rainbow?”

Esra laughed. “Oh, damn girl. You just got played like a fiddle.”

Rainbow spluttered, suddenly caught between emotions as she looked between her two now-laughing guards. Part of her was impressed, another part was pissed, and she couldn’t decide whether to laugh incredulously or strangle them.

She was seriously considering doing both.

Knock, knock, knock.

All three of them stopped. They looked between each other, with nopony giving any inclination as to who was at the door. They weren’t expecting anypony, and they hadn’t even been by themselves for five minutes.

“Come… in?” Rainbow said.

In walked an ageless, silvery-white stallion with deep blue eyes. His mane and tail were cyan, his body was thin and sinewy, and his cutie mark was a star amongst a swirling multicolored nebula. He was a pegasus, and as he walked in slowly, he regarded them all with a stern, but not-unkind expression.

“Am I interrupting anything?” he asked in a quiet voice.

Tastar blanched. He immediately fell forward into a bow, his face mashing into the carpeted floor.

“Lord Bahamut!” came his muffled voice. “You honor us!”

Bahamut waved him off. “Save it for the Council, Tastar. I need a word with the three of you.”

Tastar rose hesitantly. He exchanged a look at Esra, but he only shrugged. They and Rainbow all took a seat and gestured for Bahamut to do the same.

“My apologies not for not coming out to meet you in my lair,” Bahamut said to Rainbow. “I do hope Aasterinian was a pleasant host.”

“Er, yeah.” Rainbow shuffled back and forth. “Rin was cool. She showed us around and stuff.”

“Good.” Bahamut looked her up and down, from her athletic body to her day-old horn. “Let’s cut to the chase then, shall we? You are not really Celestia’s daughter.”

Rainbow’s stomach plummeted. “That obvious, eh?”

“Quite,” Bahamut said with a small laugh. “Although it wasn’t your behavior that gave you away. And before you say anything, Tastar, no, I haven’t said anything about this to the Council, nor do I intend to. Only I am aware of this.”

Tastar sighed in relief. “My thanks, Your Grace.”

“So what gave me away, then?” Rainbow asked. “I’m not wearing an illusion, or anything. The wings and horn are real… well, at least I’m pretty sure the horn is. It feels real.”

Bahamut laughed again. “Oh, I’ve no doubt. The entire Council scanned you; we could feel your pegasus and unicorn magic. The lack of earth pony magic did confuse us a bit, but there exactly isn’t a lot of documentation on alicorn maturation and development. No, I knew by a different reason.”

“Which was?”

Bahamut’s wings nervously twitched at his sides. “To put this quite simply, if you were Celestia’s daughter, it would mean that I’m your father.”

It took a few seconds for that to sink in. When it did, though, a beet-red blush rose up on Rainbow cheeks.

“Whoa…”

Bahamut smiled fondly. “Tia and I go way back. I’ve no doubt she’d make a very good mother, but unfortunately, the Chaos magic within her makes her barren. She and Luna don’t like talking about it.”

Rainbow felt a pang of sympathy. “Yeah… yeah, I could see that.”

“But that raises a more interesting question, doesn’t it?” Bahamut leaned forward, his ancient eyes alight. “Who are you, really? How did you ascend? And how did you come to wield an Element of Harmony?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Not all that interesting, really. Name’s Rainbow Dash. Born and raised in Cloudsdale, currently live in Ponyville. I got the horn when Big Red slice-and-diced Esra, and I used the Element of Loyalty to save him. As for where I got the Element… I was one of the ponies who helped save Luna from Nightmare Moon. We found ‘em in their own castle.“

Bahamut nodded. “Tia did tell me some things about her plan to save Luna. Not near as much as I wished she had, but some. I knew she had stored the Elements out in the Everfree, although I assume things went wrong after a certain point.”

“Pretty much,” Rainbow said. “Tastar already told you all of that stuff, though. You should pretty much have the jist.”

“Hmm.” Bahamut leaned back and looked out the window. “It seems then that I, too, would rather this Cetus be destroyed than imprisoned. A being that dangerous cannot be allowed to live. I had thought maybe the case might be otherwise, but if the situation really is that bleak, then that means we need to be united against this threat.”

Bahamut met Rainbow’s fiery eyes. “Which that means you cannot fail the Trials.”

Rainbow cracked a grin. “Wasn’t planning on failing, Lord Dude. I’m gonna give it my all.”

“But will your all be enough, I wonder?” Bahamut looked to Tastar. “You voiced some concern about the Trial of Mind. What’s the problem?”

Tastar pursed his lips. “Rainbow doesn’t know any magic besides what she can do with her Element. She’s gonna need more than that to get through.”

“And she’s not really the studying type,” Esra added, earning him a stink-eye from Rainbow. “What? It’s true.”

“There are other ways to learn aside from books,” Bahamut said simply. “I’d like to help you with this, and so I’ll assign my son Tarxinnir to instruct you. He is an excellent teacher, and will be able to quickly ascertain your learning style. We will be able to go from there.”

Tastar brightened. “Tarxinnir? Oh, hey! That works out great! Rainbow actually knows one of his wyrmlings!”

Bahamut smiled. “That’d be the one he gave to Tia, I’m assuming. Tell him to pass that information along, would you? I’ve been curious to hear how my grandson has fared.”

A golden songbird suddenly flew in through the window. It landed on Bahamut’s shoulder, then sang a series of happy notes.

“It seems I’m needed elsewhere,” Bahamut said sadly. He nodded to the bird and got to his hooves. “If this dwelling is to your liking, you may all stay here for the duration of your stay in Drakkenrdige. I would counsel against going to the Chromatic’s side of Shearwind though, Miss Dash. You have nothing but enemies over there.”

Rainbow nodded. “Don’t need to tell me twice.”

“I will send word to Tarxinnir, and he will come as soon as he is able,” Bahamut continued. He dismissed the bird and raised a wing in farewell. “I’d recommend resting until then.”

Tastar bowed again. “Many thanks, Your Grace.”

Bahamut rolled his eyes. “Proper as ever, Tastar. Good luck in the Trials, ‘Princess Aurora.’ You’re going to need it.”

And with a silver flash, he was gone.

“Did… did I just hear that right?” Rainbow said, finding her voice at last. “Did he just say that he’s Spike’s grandfather?”

“Eh, it’s not such an uncommon thing,” Tastar said. “Many Metallics can trace their family history to Bahamut, just as many Chromatics can with Tiamat. Spike just happens to be two generations removed, that’s all.”

Knock, knock, knock.

Rainbow groaned. “Again? Who is it now?”

In through the door flew a small dragon, no larger than Rin had been. However, where Rin had been a deep orange color, this one was black, had foul, wet-looking wings, and its face was so sunken in that it looked like a bare skull.

Rainbow’s hackles rose. “What do you want?”

“Greetings, Favored One,” the Black dragon said, ignoring Rainbow altogether. “The Dark Lady has summoned you to her chambers.”

Tastar’s expression remained neutral. “Thank you, Mizubanthelon. I will be right there.”

The Black dragon turned and flew out without another word.

“What was that all about?” Rainbow asked.

Tastar got up and stretched. “I’m going to be gone for the rest of the night. Esra can show you around if you wanna see anything. I recommend going to the griffin eyries for dinner. They have the best food.”

“Hey, wait!” Rainbow called as he made for the door. “Where are you going?””

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” was Tastar’s only response.

And then he was gone.

Rainbow turned to Esra, who looked away with a heavy sigh.

“Sagittarius and Tiamat… were kind of an item, once upon a time. She and Tastar picked things back up when we were all released from the stars.”

Rainbow’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks. “Him and that evil dragon lady?! No way! No freaking way!”

Esra made a face. “Yeah.”

“You’re joshing me.” Rainbow said. “You’ve gotta be!”

“I really, really wish I was,” Esra said. “Blair was furious when he found out, but it’s not like any of us can really stop him. She mourned Sagittarius for a century after he died. If that’s not true love, then I don’t know what is.”

Rainbow couldn’t even process it. “How in the… who… what… where...?”

Esra sighed. “Like Tastar said, Tiamat values power above all else. Finds it attractive, really. Sagittarius was the world’s most efficient dragonslayer, and Tastar is his clone. It’s not all that surprising. I’m actually kinda jealous, to be honest. I hear she’s freaking hot in pony form.”

Something suddenly clicked for Rainbow. “She called him ‘Tari’... oh, sweet Celestia, I think I’m gonna be sick.”

Esra grunted his agreement. “Make sense why the overgrown hydra listens to him?”